.Gawd. So much love from people for some reason (I think it's cuz of the story. This I do not know). Ok so this is the second chapter so here you guys go for the people that wanted another chapter. *hint hint* starting to write the next chapter. I know I fail at grammar sometimes because I zone out on music and focus on writing whatever comes to mind. I feel speical sometimes. OKAY I'm staling just go ahead and read. Also review 3. Much love to you guys! Ok now read! (I sound like a teacher ._.;)
What did I get myself into.
"Do you want me to start on my childhood? Isn't that how it works?" the conman asked the therapist as he laid down on the long sofa. He put his hands behind his head like if he was under a tree about to sleep. His heart started to beat faster, he didn't want to bring up Ellis. A small bit of him wanted to just let his emotions out and tell the world about the young mechanic, but that part wasn't the Nick that everyone knew. The real Nick wouldn't do that at all, he would bundle up his feelings and keep them locked up in his heart forever until a key would unlock everything.
"It is a start, but there's no need. Why are you here?" said as she brushed her hair away and got ready to write.
The conman glared at her for a second before looking back to the ceiling. "I don't know. I was bored and needed something to do. I know you aren't busy or anything, so I thought this would be our first meeting." he said as he kept his smirk on his face.
She looked unimpressed. She knew something was wrong and hidden under the conman's skin. She had many ideas about his past: drinking, drugs, sex, or love problems. He was right, she had nothing to do either. She wanted to know about the new survivors as well. She had to anyway, it was a part of her job. She took a bite of her pen and started to write something. This caught Nick's eye. She stopped writing and looked up to the worried gambler.
"This is your first time in therapy, isn't it"
"Right on target, doctor."
Her face fixed to a smile. A smart-ass. She had to get to the bottom of something. She did over hear something about his friend getting taking in for testing, that must be the reason he was here. Her smile was still on and she began to write something again.
"What about your friend. Is that why you're here? To get answers or to talk about it. I'll answer the first question, I have no idea what they did with him or what's wrong with him. I'm sorry that he was taken by our men for more testing and everything, also the fact I don't know anything about him. If you're here to talk about what happen, please, start with your reaction to it all. We have time for long stories if you wish."
The conman was stunned. How did she get that deep into him in just a few minor seconds. She was good and he couldn't play with her that much. Therapy was harder then battling a horde of zombies.
Ellis was still on his bed. It could be his death bed but he didn't want it to. He couldn't believe this was happening to him, it couldn't, he was invincible. Not for long that is.
The doctor told him before he left that he was going to find his friends to say good-bye to them. He told him to only bring Rochelle and Coach, he didn't want to worry Nick. He could be released the next day before the virus took over him. He felt like this was worst then anything he's ever had. He wanted to say good-bye to Keith and his mom. They might be dead for all he knew and it hurt more to think of that. He thought he was going to be safe for once, be kept in a camp for a few years until the infection was over. Then he would go back to Savannah and continue his regular life.
He also thought what to say to Nick. He would freak out if he heard the news about him. He couldn't tell him head on what happen, but instead tell him things he's always wanted to tell Nick. He cared about Nick ever since they got split up from the group in the major storm by the sugar mill. It was a time that they both would never forever, where it was only them and the world just before they got to the safe room. It was the time they really bonded with each other, watched each others back. It was a great time and he loved being with Nick ever since. He even knew that Nick felt the same. They had a bond that no one knew about and he liked it a lot. He even thought he was better then Keith sometimes, but he knew Keith all his life. It was impossible that Nick was better then Keith but it was a tie between the two to him.
The young mechanic sighed from all that thought and began to wait for Rochelle and Coach to come to the door. Well, according to the doctor, one at a time. The only reason he could have people come to him was because the virus couldn't spread by air, they had to be bitten so the virus could enter the blood stream. It was all confusing to Ellis so he just ignored half of the things the doctor was saying at the time because he was thinking about Nick. On that note, he closed his tired red eyes and drifted to sleep before his friends came in. They couldn't see his red eyes, it would mean that he was crying and he never cried in front of them. Only at night, because sometimes he didn't think he could go anymore. He wasn't invincible as he said he was half the time
Nick said nothing for a while. He was thinking about what to say. He didn't know what happen exactly before he passed out, they injected some kind of substance in him. He realized he was suppose to talk at this point, that was therapy after all.
"Well, I don't remember much, but I do remember the part where your lil' friends injected some kind of shit into me to I passed out. I don't know what happen after that, so my only reaction or answer to your question is: what the hell happen." the wise-ass conman said with a toss of another smirk as he closed his eyes like if he got the job done. He sure thought he did.
"Well, again, I'm sorry to hear about your friend. I'll find out as soon as possible for you. I would like to know your relationship with your friend. What's his name again?" Judy said as she began to write somethings done on her clipboard. She wanted to break the conman so bad, she had to dig deeper to his real core.
"His name's Ellis. He's like a five year old with guns and a comprehensive grasp of every swear word in the English Language. And for that relationship thing, hell if I told you we'd be here all day." he replied as he started to get nervous. Relationship? He didn't even know himself. It was hard to even explain to himself let alone to a therapist.
"Don't worry we got lots of time. I'll listen to your story." she said as she fixed to get comfortable in her chair. She wrote a small thing on her clipboard and then gave her full attention to her patient.
Nick sat right up and placed his hands on the sofa. His fingers gripped the edges and squeezing because he was nervous to say anything. Talk about what happen with me and Ellis when we were in the sugar mill during the storm. I just can't even...
"Nick, I'm waiting. I am interested in this story, so please, when you're ready begin." she asked calmly. She sounded like Rochelle for a moment, that mother talk that he's heard throughout the whole time they were a team.
"Alright, alright. I'll tell you but you're ganna get bored with it somehow." he replied as he brushed his hair with his fingers. He started getting more nervous and his heart started to beat faster then ever. He was about to talk about Ellis again, he missed the kid. He could talk about him for hours and days, but the problem was where to start.
Ellis! Hey, Ellis!
Keith...Keith is that you?
I reckon you'd be here, listen me and Molly are ganna be at the Tunnel of Love at Whispering Oaks! Wanna come?
Well, I ain't ganna busy, so I guess...
El, what's wrong. You sound sick. Come on! Let's go I'll meet ya by ma's car!
I can't I have to wake up
Ellis, don't go. Don't leave. Please, I beg of you, El.
I gotta, Keith. I'm sorry but I have to find...
"Nick..." the mechanic mumbled as he woke himself to sleep. He was dreaming about Keith again. He thought everything was a dream for some reason. Then he turned to the window that was just to the left of him, the sun beaming down to white and gray floor. He looked outside to the dying blue sky. It was about to be the end of his first day to be alive and it killed him more to be thinking like that. He turned his way to door, which was cracking open. He saw Rochelle with tears pouring down her cheeks. She ran towards him and hugged him for a second. She began to cry a bit louder as her sobs made the boy feel better that someone cared about him.
"Ellis, sweetie, I'm so sorry. Will you be okay?" she asked him but then she realized he's not going to be okay after all.
A warm smile crossed Ellis' face as he laughed a bit. "Don't worry, Ro', I'll be fine. I hope so at least. But I reckon I'll be fine!".
More tears rolled down the young woman's face. She knew he was lying to himself and it hurt to see that to a person that knew what was going to happen to him. She grabbed his hand and cried on it for a good 5 seconds before looking up to the mechanic's sky blue eyes. They started to get tears, too.
"Sweetheart, I know you're going through the most difficult time in your life and if you need anything, honey, and I mean anything I promise I'll be there for you. You're like a son to me even Coach thinks the same way. Don't worry, baby, we're all here for you no matter what." she said as if she was his mother. The tears rolled down Ellis' blue eyes like a river because those words meant the world to him at that point. He knew that people where with him until the very end and not even people that he knew for all his life. Only people he's known for a few weeks or even a month. They became a family.
As tears rolled down both their eyes, they sat there for a good minute of silence.
"Have ya heard anythin' from Nick, Ro'?" he asked after he thanked her for the kind words she gave him. He rubbed his eyes to dry the river of tears.
"I saw him once and that was it. He talked about you, too. He was worried about where they took you, what they'd do to you. Believe it or not, I think he was going to cry when Coach and I told him we both didn't know what happen. He was pissed for a second, then that sad look like if he was going to cry went away. Ellis, I think you should talk to him first thing, he's worried sick about you."
"I know he is, I'm more worried 'bout him. I have a plan, I didn't want to tell him first thing about what's ganna happen, but I wanna talk to him before it happens. I know if I told him first thing, he'd freak out 'n' stuff. I didn't wanna stir up any trouble."
"Sweetie, it's okay. You do what you gotta do. We'll be behind you throughout the whole thing. I'll see you later, hun." Rochelle said as she stood up to leave. Before she left him she kissed his forehead and brushed his hair. She left trying not to cry again.
Ellis had a smile on his face knowing that Rochelle was the closest he can get to a mother-like figure. She was nice to him like a mother and son. His eyes started to tear up on the thought that his mom must be dead or infected. He sighed on that thought and began to wait for Coach to come next.
Oh hell, might as well start.
Nick gave a long sigh and looked up to the doctor. Their eyes met fast.
"It was about a few weeks ago. Before we got to New Orleans we were in a sugar mill where there were Witches everywhere you looked. When we got out of the boat, we had to find some gas for some reason, I forgot. We went to get our gas before the storm came. When it did, we got split up in the sugar field. Ellis was with me at the time, that lil' kid was scared as hell. He was mumbling things about his retarded friend Keith and how they did something like this before. I just ignored him for a while until I realized it was just only me and him. No one else. I felt that I was just going to be with him the whole time until we got to the boat and to New Orleans. I told him something, and I could never forget it, I said to him 'You know what I was saying before about you? I was only joking, alright'. The look on that kid's face, it was like if he woke up on Christmas morning lookin' at all the gifts he got. He's a real nice guy. For about 7 hours alone with him we got to know each other and we y'know became friends, I guess. Along the way we started helping each other. I liked it a lot, just being with him made me smile. The thought of him made my day better. Knowing that he was with me, I felt like I wasn't alone anymore. He's everything to me. There's your story, what can you conclude, doctor?"
Dr. Hale was amazed and stunned. She got what she needed, a story to prove that he liked Ellis and cared about him a lot. She smiled to Nick before writing on her clipboard. After she was done writing her conclusion, she looked up to Nick who was turning red. She laughed a bit at that fact.
"You must really like him. I guess I could set you free if you want. Or do you wish to talk more about your feelings or thoughts. I'm all ears, Nick." she said to him as she went to her desk. She placed her clipboard next to a picture frame. Her phone began to ring and she picked it up first thing without a second thought.
"Hello, Judy Hale's office...Yes I'm with him right now...I'll tell him as soon as possible. Goodbye."
Nick glared at Judy. They were talking about him it seems. He stood up and was ready to run again. "What did they say?" he asked as he walked a few steps towards the desk.
"They told me where they have Ellis. You could go visit him, but not today. I suggest you look for him and talk to him, if you pleased. It's been nice talking to you, maybe next time we could talk about your childhood." she said as she gave him a smile just like Ellis'. It made him want to talk to him even more then ever. He missed the hick accent and his stupid Keith stories, as much as he hated them. He thanked the doctor for everything and left.
Ellis waited until Coach was finished calming down Rochelle. He walked through the door with tears in his eyes, too. The older man dried his tears and sat down next to the boy.
"How you holding up, boy."
"I feel right. For now at least. But I reckon if you guys keep visitin' me I'll get better in no time" the mechanic laughed to himself. Then they both laughed.
"Well, it's good that you're still with us now instead of that virus taking over ya."
"I know well, not for long. Doctors said I got 2 days left. Today and tomorrow I think. Best I spend it with the only people I got left, y'know."
"Boy, you got a kind-heart. I gotta tell you the last couple of weeks or months with you sure have been fun."
"Thank, Coach. Same 'ere."
"When are you goin' to talk to Nick about this. He's been worried sick."
The mechanic's smile toned down a bit of the thought of how Nick would take the news. He's smile turned up again. "Don't worry, I told Ro' what Imma do. I'll talk to him tomorrow. My last day before the sickness takes ova me."
"I hope your plan works, boy. I must be goin', Rochelle might be swimming in her own tears. I'll keep you in my prayers, Ellis. Rest well." Coach said before giving a handshake to Ellis.
"Thanks again, Coach. See you around." Ellis said before letting go of his hand as he left through the door. As the door opened he could here Rochelle crying a bit in the back waiting. He felt bad for making people cry. It just wasn't his thing to make people cry, he wanted everyone to be happy while he was around. During these dark times, Ellis was needed. His stories of Keith could bother others or make things better. He was the only light in the dark world that was wrong. Without him, it would just go dark.
The cold dark world would devour Nick. Piece by piece. Until he broke down.
It was 9:00 P.M when Nick left the office. The dark sky showed the gleaming stars above. It was the first time Nick noticed stars, he's been in so many cities to notice the stars because of the buildings and helicopters. Even now, he didn't notice the stars because of the infected trying to get in the safe rooms. The stars above shined on Nick, to realize he was so small in the world. There are things that he thought he was so big and he could make the world bow down to his feet with the right moves and some time. Now he realized he couldn't because he was so small. He wanted to be number one in anything at anyplace and at anytime. He could make it anywhere with his street-smarts but now he couldn't because he was only focused on one thing only. Ellis.
According to all the soldier that told him to go to his room, he had to go to his room to sleep. He didn't like the idea of a bedtime. But, rules were rules and as much as he wanted to break them and visit Ellis but he couldn't. He just sulked back to his room and laid on his bed. He laid back to the wall and crossed his arms. He began to think until he feel asleep. About all the times with Ellis and him. The time at the sugar mill that he brought up with Dr. Hale. There was more to the story.
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"Awe, hell, Nick! We're stuck 'ere. I can't see shit with all this rain. ROCHELLE! COACH!"
The conman slid down the bloody broken walls as his hand ran through his hair. He couldn't stand being with Ellis alone like this much longer.
"Kid, just shut up and lemme think of something so we can find them. I'm sure there somewhere out there. For now lets just wait 'til the storm just dies down a bit." Nick cracked, he wasn't sure if it was the best plan but on the other hand it was a plan.
The mechanic lifted his Auto-shotgun and made it fall towards his side. He's face was bloody and made a expression that was if he wanted to start a protest. That's when he did.
"They could be out there dyin' or somethin' and you think we should just stay 'ere! You're really fucked up!" the boy protested. He didn't like leaving friends behind.
The conman placed a smirk on his face, "I tend to keep myself that way. Just trust me, Overalls, they'll be fine. They're smart and could find a small house to be in and be doing the same thing we're doing. Hiding until the storm dies down. Now shut the hell up and wait with me. If not, I'll let you just walk around the sugar field with all the Witches, that's fine by me."
Ellis was stunned. He was right if he went out there alone he could die with all those Witches. He frowned and sulked towards Nick. He slid down the bloody broken wall and ran his fingers through his hair. Just like Nick, he waited.
Few hours pasted as they both sat there in silence. Together wondering about the same thing. What are we going to do. The young boy wanted to break the silence.
"Did I ever tell you 'bout the time me 'n' Keith where in a hurricane? I mean we didn't know it was ganna happen but it did and you see we were in a truck in the middle of no where so all we did was stay in the truck. Bad idea. We got lifted up into the the air so high that I'd see my house! When all of a sudden-"
"Ellis, I swear to God and everything in the retarded world that we live in, you finish or start another Keith story I will personally take your shotgun and shove it up your ass."
Everything got quiet again. Ellis pulled his hat down to cover his hurt eyes. He got up and left to the other side of the broken wall. Nick didn't bother calling him back, he was pissed. He didn't know what to do anymore. He just wanted to die at that point. He heard an added sob to the Witches. It was Ellis' own sob story.
The doctor came into Ellis' room where he was sitting in his bed thinking about nothing but his past life. The doctors took some blood and DNA samples again, to record him like a test subject. That was Ellis to the doctors, just a test subject. He wanted something more then just that, he wanted to be the old happy Ellis that everyone loved. He's skin started to lose its tan tone and got a bit more pale. His eyes went into a darker blue then his bright sky blue he's always had.
After the doctors left him alone in his room, the only window started to make a tapping sound. It was the cold rain outside. It got dark faster with the rain clouds storming on top of the camp. It reminded Ellis of what happen with Nick at the sugar mill. He could never forget what happen after he made that outburst at him about Keith. His thoughts began to drift into the stormy night sky just outside his window.
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Ellis' sobs stopped from time to time but he would always start up again. He was always thinking about something, this time it must be sad. Nick felt bad about making Ellis cry, that wasn't one of Nick's things to do. He never wanted to make another person cry after his ex-wife. He swore never to do it again, but I guess he couldn't keep it. The conman had enough of the sobs and cries, they had to be together. He stood up and walked slowly towards the crying boy. He sighed and scratched the back of his head.
"Ellis."
The boy looked up and met the older man's green eyes. Ellis' were still sky blue but still tears flowing out of them.
"You know what I was saying before about you? I was only joking, alright" Nick said as he gave a warm smile. Ellis' face light up like fireworks on the 4th of July. That made him feel better and he knew Nick rarely said sorry to anyone even to him. He knew that he was really sorry about what he did.
Nick sat down next to the young boy who stopped crying with both their smiles lighting up the dark stormy night. They started to talk about random things. About what they did before the infection, what they'd do after then infection. They bonded together and they both enjoyed it.
"So, you said you had a wife. What the hell happen?" Ellis curiously said as he still had his hick smile.
"She left me. Took all my money and left me. I was fine with it because she taught me that when someone knocks you back, you get back up, punch them in the face, and continue on with life. I didn't really punch her in the face but in a metaphor way y'know. That's when I became who I am today."
"Whoa. Did you ever go to jail or anythin'?"
"Once."
"What for?"
"Something stupid, I don't even remember."
The mechanic stopped for a second and thought hard. He began to laugh really hard he almost broke into tears. Nick was puzzled about the random laughter.
"What? The hell are you laughing about?"
Ellis tried to calm down and sat down again. He looked at Nick in all seriousness. No smile, just a straight face.
"Overalls, what the hell are you thinking."
"I have one question for ya."
"The hell is it?"
Ellis paused for a second and let go a finale laugh. "Did you ever drop the soap?"
"OH WHAT THE FUCK!"
They both laughed hard together. They continued to talk about things about there past with a few Keith stories along the way. Later that night, Ellis fell asleep on Nick's shoulder. He was stunned but he left the tired mechanic alone. The storm started to die down. He thought it was time to get Rochelle and Coach. He waited until the boy was fully asleep. It was risky to leave Ellis alone like that but he had to. He placed the young mechanic down on the cold floor with Nick's jacket on top of him to hide from any infected around also for warmth. Nick set off to the small house from a far to see if the rest of the team was there. Luckly, they were.
In a few minutes, Nick brought them to where he left Ellis. They all saw him, still asleep on the stone cold floor. Nick smiled and picked his head off the floor making Nick's chest his pillow. They all fell asleep. When Ellis woke up he saw Nick and the others around him. He knew it wasn't a dream and he fell happily asleep.
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Ellis laughed softly as he drifted to sleep with the same warm hick smile he's had since day one. He started dreaming about Nick again. Like always.
Then somewhere out there Nick remembered the rest of what happen that night as it started to rain on the window pane. He smirked at that finishing thought and fell asleep. He dreamed about Ellis again. Like always.
~* End of Chapter 2 *~
Wow one hell ova chapter. Took forever to write. Actually just 2 days, not the point! Things are heating up I guess...next chapter is the final day for Ellis. How will it end! Like always Read and Review. Love everyone of you and thanks for all the support and reviews also the Story Alerts I love it makes me squeal XD ok 'nuff talk I gotta start on the next chapter okay bye! (P.S: when Keith says me and Molly I know its suppose to be Molly and I but he's a hick proper grammar is never there! Well, sometimes.)