So guys…. A lot happens in this chapter. The main reason it took so long is just the sheer number of times I had to rewrite it before it sounded right. On top of that… I got sick for a while and with work and school… well it was really difficult to keep up with. I do apologize for this being so late… I don't know how fast I'll bust out chapter 4 because I'm still pretty under the weather… but know that I am consistently working on it. Thank you to the people who continue to support me You guys make the late nights and early mornings of writing completely worth it.
Chapter 3
"Ellis!" Nick called, lurching up and immediately regretting it when he was overcome with a sense of dizziness and vertigo. He pressed his hands against his head in an attempt to get some relief but yanked them away immediately, a sharp pain coursing from where his fingers touched.
"Shit." Nick grumbled, rolling over and pressing his face into the pillow. He found himself immediately confused, trying to figure out where he was. He pushed up a little, his tired gaze sweeping the room. He was in a bed. He usually woke up in beds so why was it so strange this time?
"C'mon Nick, think." Nick told himself, slumping back down into the pillow and trying to focus. What was the last thing he remembered?
Images came back in flashes and waves, behaving similar to a bad recording at first before it smoothed out. He had been following on the trio's tail…. when he'd been grabbed by a smoker. They hadn't noticed and Nick had ended up in the building with the smoker but there was something strange about the situation- something was killing infected for him. And he had been chasing them… before falling down stairs and then nothing.
Ellis. That had to be Ellis… Who else could it be? But… why is he avoiding us? Nick thought to himself, completely perplexed by the situation. Because of course it was Ellis. It had to be. And yet… how could it be when the kid hadn't joined up with them yet?
A commotion from downstairs woke Nick to a more serious situation. Had the trio found him? Had he been taken to this house by Ellis/his would be rescuer and then left? An angry voice rising above the floorboards answered Nick's question.
"Dammit Zoey, the man has been more of a hindrance since he first joined his group. If he doesn't wake up by sometime today he's going to be dead, anyway! We've lost distance and we've lost time- those carriers we're supposed to be rescuing will be dead by the time we reach them!" Francis shouted, causing Nick to press his face further into the pillow. How long had he been out? It was quiet for a time and Nick wondered if the others were responding and Nick just couldn't hear them.
"It makes no goddamn sense, woman! And don't you go defending him again, Louis. Your optimism pisses me off almost as much as Nick does. Of all the things I hate in this world he's at the top of my list."
More quiet and Nick sighed. This was not going well… he realized he really had been dragging the group back. Maybe it wasn't worth it for him to try and rescue Rochelle and Coach- he should have just trusted it to Zoey and the rest of them.
"Dammit." Nick grumbled. He really had changed- he'd become softer. It used to be that the only way for something to be done right was for Nick to do it… and it used to be that Nick only ever cared about himself. That within itself would have pretty much saved him from this whole issue but no… he had just had to grow soft, make friends, and actually care about people.
"Fuck." Nick growled, his eyes narrowing. What had having friends even gotten him, anyway? It had almost gotten him killed multiple times. It had him on a quest with people he didn't like and again, risking his neck. It had him restless and feeling alone-constantly looking for someone who might not even be around anymore. This was ridiculous… Why the hell did Nick even care?
With every intention of going down the stairs and walking out the doors, leaving the others behind- Zoey and her group, Rochelle, Coach, and yes, even Ellis Nick pushed to his feet and immediately fell back on the bed in pain.
"God fucking dammit!" Nick growled, looking at his ankle in an accusatory fashion. This day was not going well and his freakin' ankle was not making things any better.
As Nick seethed, something caught the corner of his eye and Nick noticed there was food set out next to the bed. Pain not forgotten, but instead pushed to the back of the conman's mind, Nick quickly grabbed it and began scarfing it down. The soup was cold now and the bread stale but it was the best thing Nick had ever tasted- he hadn't realized just how hungry he had been. He completely finished the meal before realizing he was no longer alone in the room.
"You have finally decided to rejoin the living. Again." Zoey said lightly, giving him a small smile. "Good to see you awake, Nick."
"How long was I out for?" Nick asked, trying to take the venom out of his tone but only partially succeeding.
"3 days." Zoey answered easily.
"Shit." Nick responded, pressing his hands into his face-suddenly extremely weary.
"At least you're awake now. Any longer and you might have died from dehydration." Louis offered, coming in a moment later.
"I didn't realize you guys cared so much." Nick said and his tone only held a drop of sarcasm.
This left quiet in its wake. Gazes flicked back and forth… people searching for the right words to say… mouths opening and closing as thoughts failed to form into coherent sentences. Finally, resolve built in Louis and Zoey's eyes. Something they could focus on that didn't relate to the state of Nick's being.
"Look Nick, we're going to have to figure out what to do about your ankle so that we can continue moving. Francis has been carrying you so far but I doubt that that's a long term solution…" Zoey spoke up eventually, effectively changing the subject.
"Obviously not." Nick replied, shuddering at the thought.
"Luckily you still have time to rest before tomorrow morning so Louis and I will leave you in peace for now. Stay off your ankle." Zoey walked away without another word with Louis following behind her, nodding to Nick once before exiting out the door.
Completely alone again… or as alone as one could be in a house with other people in it… Nick looked at his bandaged ankle critically. It felt like a sprain though Nick couldn't tell just how bad a sprain it was. He'd probably need a crutch or something so that he could keep the weight off of it.
His gaze fell upon the katana leaning next to the bed and nodded. That would work for now. Nick pushed to his feet once more and, using the katana, hobbled over to the window. He wanted to give something a shot- just to see. Just to make sure.
"Ellis. Ellis, dammit, I know you're out here. Why the hell are you hiding?!" Nick growled through the broken window, glare scoping out the area as he leaned his weight onto his good leg. There was no response and Nick sighed. He should have known better- Ellis was a country boy and his stubbornness in things rivaled that of the donkeys he had probably lived with. Nick wasn't going to give up so easily, however.
"Overalls… I don't know your reasoning behind staying away from the rest of us but its bullshit. We need you as an active member of the group so we can rescue Rochelle and Coach. Come on, kid…" Nick pressed. There was silence… and then a sudden voice right behind him made him jump.
"Thought Zoey told you to stay off your ankle." Francis pointed out, the corners of his mouth quirked up into what, on Francis, could be considered a grin as Nick turned back towards him.
"I didn't know you were in the business of lurking around corners." Nick sniffed disapprovingly, knowing that for Francis to have heard Zoey he must have been standing just outside the door. Nick turned back towards the window, knowing the moment was ruined in any case but wanting to hold out for a few moments longer.
Francis just shrugged. "Who were you talking to?"
"Myself." Nick replied angrily. "Obviously. It's the only way I can have an intelligent conversation around here."
"Hey, you better watch yourself Suit. We found you down an alley and we can just as easily leave you there. Bet that brings back memories."
"Go the fuck away, Francis." Nick ground out, his temper flaring. Yes, he remembered those days all too well and it pissed him off that Francis would dare refresh them in his mind.
"You need to be off your feet first." Francis replied.
"Fucking Assclown." Nick growled. He almost spat out 'what difference does it make to you?' but he bit his tongue. That was about as childish of a response as Nick could have given. Instead he glared at Francis and slowly, very slowly, hobbled his way back toward the bed. Even if Ellis had been about to respond-because obviously it was Ellis, Nick was so sure the kid was out there-he definitely wouldn't now. Nick climbed carefully back into bed, heaving a sigh.
"Good boy." Francis taunted before heading to exit the room. He glanced back only once… and then he was out of Nick's sight.
Nick sighed… he looked at the window hopefully for a moment but the hope quickly died down. Ellis wouldn't be showing himself that night; that much was obvious. So, having nothing better to do at the moment, Nick curled up and fell asleep after a long time of wondering why Ellis hadn't joined them yet.
….
How'd he fig're out it was me? Ellis wondered to himself as he crouched on the roof, looking in on the sleeping conman.
Ellis shook his head tiredly, he should have known better. Nick was pretty sharp… but another thought crossed his mind. Perhaps the reason why Nick thought it was him was because Nick wanted the mystery person to be him badly enough that he would believe it without any real cause to. Strangely that sent happiness flooding through Ellis for a brief moment.
Pressing his hand to the chilled glass shard of the window, Ellis considered tossing all the secrecy aside and being there, next to Nick, when the other man woke up. For a moment Ellis was truly tempted… he wanted to feel the warmth of Nick next to him and to be able to-Ellis flinched as pain flared in his hand. He looked down at the cut on a fairly normal hand, blackish red blood welling up and dripping from the cut sluggishly. No Ellis, what are you even thinkin' man?
Ellis shook his head and moved back away from the window once more. This was becoming ridiculous… He began to wonder what the long term end to this would be. As much as Ellis didn't mind living in the moment and doing what he could for Nick- at the end of this he still couldn't be with the conman. So why was he still hanging around?
I don' have anythin' better ta do. Ellis thought though really he knew that it was because being around them gave Ellis a purpose… and at least for a little while longer he would be able to have Nick's back.
Making himself comfortable, Ellis looked up at the night sky and waited for morning to come. He still had now… he could cross the bridge of what comes after when he reached it.
…..
Time passed in a blur after that. Hours of surviving turned into days turned into weeks as Nick and the other three survivors made their way across country. At this point it had been two weeks since Nick had met up with Zoey, Louis, and Francis and it had been several days since his encounter with the other person.
Nick was beginning to wonder at this point if perhaps he had been imagining the whole thing. He had hit his head pretty hard after all… perhaps it had created some sort of delusion. It got to the point where Nick let it go… he hadn't seen hide nor hair of anyone but the other three since. He had no reason to believe anyone else was out there, as much as he wanted to. Ellis must have been off somewhere else… he probably still didn't even realize that Nick had been in New Orleans though they had long since left that disappointing town behind.
By chance Nick had been able to overhear that they were headed to Atlanta, Georgia. And by Nick's estimate they were only a few days away from it if things continued to move smoothly. Which they had- more or less- so far.
Nick was still using a crutch but wouldn't need it much longer- it was kept around as a precaution right now in case things went south. A part of Nick felt a little guilty about having slowed the others down but in his defense they had left him behind so it wasn't entirely his fault.
They were walking through forest once again at the moment- having stocked up their backpacks for the hike in the last town they visited. Zoey and Louis were looking over a map while Francis leaned against a tree, keeping an eye out for Hunters who seemed to really enjoy living in the forests. It made a lot of sense, as well, since the trees provided strong cover for them- as the survivors had discovered multiple times in previous occasions.
Nick was sitting on a fairly comfortable rock, ignoring the chill of damp seeping through the seat of his pants as he desperately wished for a cigarette. He had picked up the habit once again when he could find a pack and the lack of nicotine in his system was making him tired and irritable at the moment. He had finished off his last pack just that morning and it was already getting on his nerves. It didn't help that Louis and Zoey didn't approve and would do what they could to keep Nick from smoking.
"Alright guys, we have our heading!" Zoey said, pointing further into the darkness cast by the trees. Nick just shrugged, pushing to his feet and grabbing up his crutch to follow after the other three. There was still a strong separation between Zoey, Louis, Francis… and Nick. But they at least made sure that he kept with the group now, lest the incident from several days ago happen again.
Nick flinched as a chilled drop of water hit his neck and he sighed, shaking his head. It was ridiculous how this could almost seem like an extremely annoying hike through the woods… well, if you ignored the zombie splatter on everyone's clothing that is.
Keeping an eye out for roots that might trip him up, Nick allowed himself a moment of wondering what it would be like if this really were just a hiking trip. The first thing that came to mind was that a hiking trip was the last thing he would be doing right now if the world were in its right mind.
A rustling overhead had Nick pointing his gun towards the branches, eyes watching critically to see what had caused the noise. When nothing jumped out at him he began to wonder if he was now hearing things.
"Boys, the sun will be setting soon. I suggest we set up camp." Zoey informed, to which Louis nodded and Francis gave a grunt of acknowledgement. Nick found a comfortable place to sit while the other three set up camp- laying out sleeping bags and pulling out the canned goods that would serve as dinner.
"You've got first shift tonight, Nick." Louis said to Nick once everyone had eaten, to which Nick nodded tiredly. He had expected as much- he'd been given the first shift several times now. He really didn't mind all that much- it didn't make a difference to him when he'd have to watch over the others.
Nick watched in silent observation as the other three rolled up into their sleeping bags and went to sleep. Even in the apocalypse Louis was quickly able to fall asleep and he was the type to stay motionless through sleep- just like a log in Nick's opinion. It always took Zoey a little bit longer. She would toss and turn for quite a while before finally settling down into sleep, though she would still often change position and what not even while she was sleeping. Francis took the longest in going to sleep but Nick always knew once he had the way his snores would fill the air.
"Everyone is now asleep. Except me." Nick announced to the air, as if it were pertinent information.
Sentry duty, as of late, had not been all that difficult for Nick. There was always a noise coming from somewhere to set Nick on his guard and stave away any chance of falling asleep. There was an entirely different matter, however, when Nick's bladder made itself known. At first Nick considered holding it… he could last until it was Francis' shift- no problem. But when all you have to think about is how badly you needed to go then it grew in his mind until that was all Nick could think about.
"Shit." Nick grumbled in annoyance. "I guess there's no way around it…"
Nick pushed slowly to his feet and looked down at the other three survivors. He knew, from experience, that waking up Louis was nigh on impossible. Waking up Zoey seemed a shame since she only just got to sleep and seemed to be restful for once. And waking Francis? To tell the man that Nick had to go release his bladder? That didn't seem like it would end well.
"I'll be right back, anyway." Nick said under his breath. And he would. Problem was it only took one moment for things to go from fine to total shit storm.
Taking the first step away from the others was what really cemented his decision. He didn't need to go that far, anyway. Nick kept glancing back at the camp- not that he could see anything. There was no campfire out here- it would have attracted the undead and given away their location.
Finally far enough away Nick relieved himself, his ears still on high alert. Of course, right when he was unzipped and releasing was when there was a commotion in the bushes a short ways away. Can zombies just tell when someone was vulnerable?
Nick was at a bit of an impasse with the current situation. In the end he cut off his current stream to hastily stuff himself back into his pants and begin running back towards camp, gun out and ready for action. He wasn't far away, in a few strides he'd be there.
The conman went from a sprinting hobble to where the others were to face planted in the dirt, pain shooting up from his ankle, when a root protruding just far enough above ground caught Nick's foot. He grunted as he hit the ground, gun flying from his grip and landing some distance away in the darkness.
"Dammit." Nick growled out angrily, fingers digging viciously into the dirt as he pushed himself to his feet. He winced at the discomfort caused by weight placed on his ankle but he pushed it aside to fish his flashlight from his pocket.
The small beam lit up a point on the ground once it had flickered on and Nick quickly headed in the direction he thought his gun had moved in, white spot from the light flickering over land and around the surrounding trees.
"Maybe it really was my imagination? You're becoming paranoid, Nick." The man grumbled to himself, beginning to feel the chafe from his pants. The unmistakable hiss of a hunter nearby set Nick's hair on end and he glanced around quickly. Ok, maybe he wasn't becoming delusional.
The flashlight was moving around the forest almost sporadically now, bounding from tree to branches and to the spaces in between as Nick attempted to keep himself from being caught in an ambush. Every now and then he'd bring the shine of the device back to the ground in a vain attempt to hunt out his gun but had no luck so far. Which annoyed him- you'd think the glow would glint off of the gun in some eye catching fashion.
"Fucking dammit it. Where the hell did it go?" Nick grumbled to himself when a zombie came out of the darkness, running at him. The beam of his flashlight moved across the monster's face, showing off the haggard skin that was torn in places and showing rotting flesh beneath. This of course Nick only got a glimpse of but he knew it all too well. He had stupidly left his katana back at camp, not thinking anything of it until now. And his gun was nowhere in sight.
At this point Nick had two options. Grapple with the thing bare handed or run his ass off. Unsurprisingly Nick took the second option. Well, he did to the best of his abilities. It was more like a fast hobble in a direction away from the creature…
Nick was really just waiting to be caught up to at this point- he was not keeping a good enough speed to escape the thing hungering after his flesh. There was no way… and yet, a moment of looking back later showed that he was no longer being pursued. A moment of confusion followed and Nick shone the light everywhere, wondering if perhaps the infected had fallen into a hole or had tripped over the root that had caught Nick earlier.
The light of the flashlight moved passed… then flicked back to a figure hunched over the fallen monstrosity but as soon as Nick blinked to make sure it was there, it was gone. And all that was left was the infected as it writhed on the ground, gasping for breath as dark blood oozed from its throat. It grew still a few moments later.
Nick attempted to shake the feeling that was now coursing through his system- hope and terror. What the hell was out there?
The flashlight moved slowly around the area, tracing tree trunks and lighting their rough surfaces for brief moments before moving onto empty gaps then on to the next tree. Nothing. No one. Nick was alone.
Nick's fingers massaged his temples wearily a moment before he began to head back towards where he hoped his gun would be. If the other three weren't awake by this point they were dead anyway or not in danger.
"There you are, you bastard." Nick grumbled to himself when he saw the gun lying tangled in a bush. The conman was ready to snatch the weapon from the bushes when another attacker came flying at him, slamming into him- shoulder to his chest- and knocking him out of the way. Nick scrambled to attack the human bulldozer but it did nothing further to attack him, which left him confused until he noticed that the bush had just been ploughed down by a Charger.
"How did I not hear that thing?" Nick asked mostly himself but also the thing that had knocked him out of the way… but when he looked around he noticed it was no longer next to him. The creature… figure… person… thing was attacking the charger now.
Nick scrambled to find his flashlight which had been knocked from his grasp.
"Great. First my line of defense, next the aid to my sight… what next?" Nick grouched, snatching the cool metallic object and swiping the dirt from the lens. He flashed it over to where the looming shape of the charger had been, as well as his colliding savior… The charger was already dead, giant hulking arms spread out at odd angles.
"That's two times now." Nick mumbled under his breath. He paid more attention to keeping his senses about him this time as he went back to hunt for his weapon- dearly hoping the charger hadn't fallen upon it. Nick was a few feet from reaching it when the gun fell from the sky and landed a few paces to Nick's left. He quickly looked up to try and spot who had dropped it, beam from his flashlight following his gaze… but he saw nothing.
Reaching to pick his gun up, Nick kept the light flitting around the area. This time, at least, he saw when the infected were coming. More than just one this time… A quick count showed that there were, in fact, three shapes running at him.
"You have got to be fucking Joking." Nick practically screeched as he took aim, pulled the trigger, and heard the click of an empty bullet chamber. "Shit!"
The conman began to search his pockets as quickly as he could, looking for a spare magazine. Could this night get any worse? Well… there was the point in fact that he could have been run over by the charger but had been pushed out of the way for that.
That and in the time it had taken for Nick to look down, check his pockets, find a solitary bullet, and load it into his gun, something had once again taken down the zombies. Nick quickly shown his light on the area, gun raised with its single shot to point where the beam of the flashlight was aimed.
A familiar silhouette was lit against the light, blue trucker hat still sloppily in place and yellow ragged t-shirt still trying to stay together. He was also so… pale… but Nick wasn't sure if that was the light of the flashlight or what. Honestly, at the moment, he didn't really care.
"Ellis?!" Nick shouted in surprise. He really shouldn't have been surprised… in fact he was pretty sure he wasn't… He had known all along. Really. Alright, alright. He had hoped all along at any rate and had had a serious sneaking suspicion his hunch was correct.
The figure in question froze, turning to look at Nick and flinching away when the light of the flashlight hit its eyes. It's teeth, which had been clamped down on the throat of the last infected released with an unpleasant squelching noise and the head of the infected fell to the ground, lolling back and forth from the momentum before coming to rest facing towards Nick.
Ellis stared back at Nick, eyes squinted against the light of course but still meeting Nick's unwaveringly. The conman was unable to read the other's expression completely but if anything he looked like a kid who had been caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
Nick opened his mouth to say something and Ellis held up a hand to silence him. One hand wiping across his mouth, Ellis smeared the dark, sludgey blood futilely across his face before giving Nick a small, familiar smile.
"I got yer back, Nick." He said, soft enough that Nick barely caught it… before disappearing into darkness once more.
"Ellis?" Nick asked in confusion, hoping the utterance of the name would pull Ellis back from the darkness.
"Nick?! What the hell are you doing way out here?" A familiar and vaguely annoying voice asked from behind Nick. He turned to gain a face full of light and shut his eyes quickly.
"There were some zombies. I took care of them." Nick grumbled, putting his arm over his eyes to block out the light.
"You should know by now that's not how we do things." Zoey said in a chiding tone and Nick could just imagine her waving a finger at him. Rolling his eyes and grumbling under his breath, Nick followed Zoey back to camp.
"There were just a few. I handled them on my own." Nick said in disparaging tones.
Zoey didn't respond to that. Waves of disapproval rolled off of her and Nick wondered why she was taking this so hard. He scratched at the back of his neck, beginning to feel a little sheepish. Every now and then he would check over his shoulder as if knowing Ellis was there would allow Nick to see him now but all he saw was the silhouettes of trees, only barely lighter than the darkness surrounding them.
"I'll take over from here, Nick." Zoey said, gesturing for Nick to get some rest.
Nick didn't argue, dragging his sleeping bag a little farther from Francis than what Zoey had had it at and sliding into it. He turned so that he faced out into the darkness and for a moment he could have sworn he saw the glint of eyes and a flash of a grin… Smiling to himself, glad to have the kid nearby for the most part, Nick's eyes slid closed and he was soon fast asleep.
…..
Caution was still the name of Ellis' game… but now that Nick knew he was there, the blue eyed man couldn't help but show up in places where Nick could spot him. He always made sure it was a place where only Nick could spot him which kept things limited… but the smile that Nick would get when he saw Ellis was completely worth it to the younger man.
It actually threw Ellis off that Nick would smile at all upon seeing him. The first time Nick had spotted Ellis it had been an accident on Ellis' part… but Nick's eyes had lit up and that was an expression Ellis had not seen on the other man in quite a while. He dearly missed seeing it before… and that had him going to great lengths to be seen by Nick. It wasn't a completely often occurrence- in fact it was very rare… Ellis couldn't risk himself too much, after all. If he was seen by the others he would most certainly be shot.
Oh the complications and woes of being partially human… and yet not completely. Or at least that's what Ellis had come to see himself as. Partially human. He didn't want to think of himself as infected… yet he knew he was no longer as whole as the other survivors.
The morning had dawned with the survivors leaving the forest and following a road that started off just this side of shabby and lead them to the outskirts of some city or another. Ellis had been paying as much attention to their geographical location as he had been paying to what he ate- at this point he rarely felt hungry except when he was around the other survivors…
The road had actually been pretty empty of any wandering flesh chasers but that all changed once they reached the city. It seemed like the horde had been waiting for them all along. It only took moments for the survivors to be surrounded.
The onslaught of chaos made Ellis lose sight of his quarry. Keeping low and attempting to stay out of the lines of sight Ellis ran toward the battling group, feeling that the horde was large enough that if he fought at the edges no one would notice.
Ellis didn't comprehend the full danger of the battle that was ensuing until he heard Nick's shout… and it had sounded like his name. Alarm bells ringing in Ellis' ears he quickly made it to higher ground, nails scrabbling and gripping the sides of a building, pulling him up, until he could see Nick frantically battling a Jockey. He wasn't pointing to it, though- he was gesturing wildly in another direction.
Taking a moment to truly look at Nick, Ellis noticed the conman actually looked worried… yet not for himself. The younger man followed the gesturing and his eyes widened as he saw that Zoey had been snatched by a Smoker and no one was available to help her. Besides that Nick was being attacked by a jockey, Francis was completely surrounded. He probably didn't even know what was going on outside of his own survival battle. Louis… it took Ellis longer to find the other man but once spotted Ellis cringed. He had been covered in Spitter goo and was attempting to battle through that. Everyone was in danger… and it made Ellis twist internally not to rush to Nick's aid. The other man hadn't spotted him yet but it was obvious that he was calling on Ellis to save Zoey.
Leaping into action Ellis sped after the woman, noticing her look of horror upon spotting him. There was nothing he could do to avoid it at this point… well, besides dodge the bullet that she had attempted to aim at him.
Bounding at full speed, everything to the left and right of Ellis blurred. All that mattered, all that was in Ellis' focus, was to break through the tongue slowly dragging Zoey away. He was knocked off course for only a moment when a common infected got into his way, tripping him up and knocking both of them to the ground. The pavement bit into Ellis' skin, tearing it in places… causing him to ooze black. Ellis paid it no mind, though. His only response was to quickly push back to his feet, not even checking to see how the common had held up, and sprint the rest of the way to Zoey.
Knowing that this would need to happen fast, Ellis steadied himself in the last few strides to reaching the tongue. One well-placed strike slit the tongue in half and then Ellis was full out running to the next building to get out of Zoey's line of sight. He heard shots ring out and ducked instinctively, unsure if he was the one being shot at or not. Pain lanced through his shoulder and Ellis made a noise that was very much like a wounded animal, stumbling from the force of the shot but scrambling to continue on. He ducked behind a building a short while later, clutching at his shoulder, his breath coming in heavy pants.
Ellis dearly wanted to collapse right there. To slide down with the bricks of the building at his back and to breathe. But he didn't know if he was safe yet or not… and he needed to find out if Nick was still in danger.
Drawing on some final reserves of strength, Ellis rounded the building, crawling up from the back of it- injured arm held to his chest and making climbing very difficult- to peer over the top. Francis was no longer surrounded but was instead fighting back to back with Nick, who was no longer being molested by a Jockey. Louis was rushing to Zoey's aid as she struggled to disentangle herself from the Smoker tongue.
Everyone was ok. Or at least as ok as could be expected considering the situation. Their stamina was beginning to drag and they had gained several injuries but they were able to keep fighting. That's what mattered in the long run. They were able to keep fighting until Louis spotted a safehouse and quickly led the others to it.
Smiling to himself, glad that everyone was all right, Ellis laboriously climbed down the back of the building, stopping only when he saw a bedroom through a window. Thinking about how nice it would be to just sleep right now, Ellis worked the window up high enough for him to slide inside and then headed straight for the bed. Entirely depleted of energy from the earlier battle, Ellis collapsed onto the dusty mattress and was soon lost to the world.
…
"What do you mean you think a hunter saved you?!" Francis demanded, crossing his arms.
"What is there to mean besides what I said? It was definitely some kind of infected… it looked most like a Hunter… and it is the sole reason I am not zombie chow right now." Zoey shot back .
"You think it saved you?" Louis asked, just as perplexed as Francis. "Zoey, think logically here… zombies to fight other zombies. They all just eat us. Perhaps the tongue got caught on something and that's what broke it."
"That sounds a hell of a lot more reasonable then this guardian angel zombie that Zoey has come up with." Francis scoffed.
"Wow Francis, this conversation has you stringing more words into sentences than usual." Nick said in a congratulatory tone.
"Guardian angel zombie?" Louis muttered, shaking his head but his expression was thoughtful. "We do seem to have someone always looking out for us."
Louis' murmurings were mentioned at the same time that Francis gruffly told Nick to do something that made Zoey shake her head.
"You guys aren't listening and we're getting off topic. I know what I saw!" Zoey argued, arms crossed defensively over her chest.
"You think you know what you saw." Francis argued.
"No. I know what I saw." Zoey replied, her voice becoming chilled.
"Well you know what I saw? A zombie running at you, my shots scaring it away, and a lucky break for you on that smoker tongue."
"Did you hit it?" Nick asked, alarm flooding his system though his expression remained cool.
"Hit what?" Francis asked, keeping his gaze locked on Zoey though he was now speaking to Nick.
"The zombie. The one you say ran at her. Did you hit it?"
"Hell I don't know! I think so." Francis replied, wondering how that was of any importance at all. Nick nodded at the response, hiding the worry that was now seeping into his gut.
"He got it alright. But he didn't kill it." Zoey replied. "Unless the infected can bleed out."
Nick nodded distractedly at that. He wasn't sure if Ellis could bleed out… but if it were possible Nick was not going to let it happen.
All throughout dinner Nick remained quiet, gaze lingering out the window as the day sank into darkness. The plan that had formed in his mind was flawed at best and damn near impossible at worst. He didn't even know where Ellis was to begin searching for him… and if he was seriously wounded he wouldn't be able to come if Nick were to call for him.
Nick waited until the others were fast asleep, stealthily snagging up a medkit and ammo for his gun before slipping out the window. He would have left through the door but he didn't want them in danger just because he had to go rescue the kid… even if it was Zoey's fault the kid was even in danger.
The darkness enveloped him with only the light of some stars to guide his way. He kept his flashlight off, though safely in his pocket if needed, and began to search the nearby houses.
Nick knew full well the danger he was putting himself in in his attempt to find Ellis. If he got snagged by a smoker or attacked by a hunter he was pretty much toast… but that didn't really matter to Nick. Not entirely. Not when Ellis' own life was on the line.
"Kid?" Nick whispered as he explored the rooms of the first house he entered. He made sure to check everywhere, including pantries and closets. He also flicked his flashlight on every now and then to check the floor for blood.
The first house turned out absolutely empty. The next house over had common infected that Nick was able to avoid, but no Ellis. The third house Nick entered and then exited just as quickly, crossing his fingers that Ellis wasn't in a house with a Witch.
Feeling that Ellis would stick close to the safehouse, injured or not, Nick crossed the street to check the houses on the other side.
Footsteps creaking on the old wooden staircase, Nick kept his ears sharp for any sound that could lead to danger. The house was silent, however… the groan of the wood beneath his feet and his own pounding heart were the only sounds that met Nick's ear.
"Kid?" Nick murmured quietly, seeing a form on a bed. Gun out and ready just in case it wasn't, Nick flicked on his flashlight once more and shone it over the figure.
The sigh of relief waiting in his system never came as Nick noticed the state of Ellis… and of the bed he was lying on. It was covered in dark blood, Ellis lying motionless on top of it. Without taking the time to think things through Nick set the gun down, placed the flashlight in an area that dimly lit the room, and quickly began tearing apart the medkit to tend to Ellis' wound.
"On the bright side the bullet is not still in you." Nick announced once he had rolled Ellis' shirt up to look more closely at the wound. Blood leaked sluggishly from both the entrance wound and the exit wound, the black coloration of it no more bothering Nick than if it had been red. Ellis was still Ellis… and he needed some fixing up.
The act of bandaging a wound had become an auto drive event for Nick. First you clean the wound, then stitch it back together if it needs such a thing, then you wrap it in bandaides or cloth and call it good from there.
When Nick had begun setting to work Ellis' eyes had shot open and he stared up at Nick in the darkness, watching as the man took care of his shoulder meticulously. Once Nick had finished he met the other man's gaze, neither of them saying a word. Nick's gaze, now free to really take Ellis in (even if the lighting was nothing near spectacular) noticed that the man looked a lot more human in this lighting… and it caused Nick to wonder if that was really some sort of trick of the eyes.
Strong arms wrapped around Nick, pulling the conman into a tight embrace that left his face nestled in Ellis' neck, cheek brushing up against the chill of Ellis' bloody shirt.
"I've missed you, too, Overalls." Nick murmured as Ellis held him close, breathing a little uneven from suppressed emotions.
"Ya need ta leave buhfore they realize yer missin' again." Ellis said softly, releasing Nick.
"Of all the things you could be saying right now, that is your worry." Nick said irritatedly, glower beginning to form on his features. But he nonetheless listened, standing up and collecting his gun and flashlight.
"I'll see ya safely back to 'em." Ellis replied, an attempt to make amends for his earlier dismissive comment. When he went to get to his feet, however, Nick was at his side- hand firmly braced on the younger man's shoulder.
"Stay put. At least for tonight, Ellis. I can take care of myself."
Ellis scoffed at that and Nick knew the kid was rolling his eyes. His grip on Ellis' shoulder tightened a moment before he turned his back and left the room quickly, needing to leave Ellis before he convinced himself it would be better for him to just stay with Ellis. But the others would come looking for him… And they'd think it was just sentimentality that had Nick believing that Ellis was still Ellis.
The trip back to the safe room was a bit of a hassle but Nick was able to get in, climb through the window, and then head towards the bed. He didn't notice that one of the other three survivors was entirely awake and watching him… And Nick fell into a deep sleep completely none-the-wiser.
…
The next morning was an interesting affair. Nick awoke to an eerily quiet house and heading downstairs had him meeting with three rather untrusting gazes. He narrowed his eyes and folded his arms, ready to come up with some witty accusation but Zoey cut him off.
"Where were you last night?"
Nick opened his mouth to reply… then stopped to think about it. "Went out looking for a pack of cigarettes." He shrugged.
"You'd really risk your life for those damn things? What kind of…" Louis said, rubbing at his temples but cutting off what he would have said next.
"Doesn't surprise me. Nick is a dumbass. I hate dumbasses." Francis put in ever so helpfully.
"I gave up after running into a couple common infected." Nick replied, voice slightly on edge just from the looks he was receiving. He really hated being made out as an idiot but he needed to take this fall for Ellis.
"It looks like you literally ran into them." Louis replied, gesturing towards the dark blood smeared across Nick's suit.
"It was dark, okay?" Nick replied, now completely on the defensive. "Ok, look, after heading out I realized it was a stupid idea ok? I won't do it again. Happy?"
"Dammit Nick, you keep pulling these kinds of stunts. Why the hell did you join us if you weren't interested in helping out with the team effort?"
"I already have a team. And they're in danger. That's why I joined you. Not to become another one of your groupies, Zoey."
Zoey stood, causing the chair she had been sitting in to slide back noisily. "Fine. Stay the hell out of our way, Nick. If you get left behind we are not coming back for you. Do you understand?"
"Sure. Fine. Whatever." Nick scoffed while really he was a little taken aback by the comment. The urge to just leave the others was stronger than ever now. He had Ellis he could go back to. Why did he need to hang around with these fools anyway?
In the end Nick's ultimate decision was to continue following behind them. He still didn't know where the prisoners were being held… and that was kind of key information to saving them. Nick did not question that he could rescue Coach and Rochelle without the other three's help. He had dealt with people who could shoot back, before. He could easily do it again.
A heavy silence hung over the group and in a way Nick felt guilty for having caused it. He didn't give his guilt much power in his mind… it was just a bit of a tickle… that little voice nagging 'way to screw things up again, Nick' but he didn't pay it all that much attention. He neither liked nor needed these three. As soon as he got Rochelle and Coach back he was dumping these losers and his group would be on their merry way to… well Nick didn't know right now. Another safe place perhaps? Where were you to go when the people you had expected to keep you safe would rather try to run tests on you?
Nick's mind wandered once again to how things would be for him if he hadn't hesitated. If he hadn't turned back, stuck on whether he should join Ellis or make it to safety. If Ellis hadn't even been… well whatever he was… all 4 of them would be in that lab right now. Though they had in fact already been in a lab…
It seemed that those days had found a way to distance themselves from Nick's mind… He didn't often think about the time he had spent as a prisoner. It was a burden that had been difficult enough to get through at the time. There was no point in looking back on it for Nick… but then he rarely ever found a reason to look back. The past was the past, unchangeable… all there was was the future- what was being done and what could be done. Before this entire zombie apocalypse he wouldn't even hesitate on saying his future was to find a safe way of living in this hell… but now… his future was to get Rochelle and Coach out of the danger they had been placed in and into the old danger they knew and had faced together.
With this on his mind Nick followed after Zoey, Louis, and Francis as they continued their goal. Nick still wondered what was in it for them… they didn't seem the 'save everyone' type… In fact, as a group they seemed to have a very similar belief system Nick had held for himself a long time ago.
On habit, Nick glanced around for Ellis- wanting to see if the kid was still doing alright. But he didn't come into Nick's view. Probably for the best… but at the same time it made Nick worry that perhaps Ellis was unable to follow them now.
Shots took Nick's mind off the topic and he forced himself to help in the other three's act of survival, shooting down the oncoming infected. Slaughtering the gazeless undead as they charged the survivors was usually second nature but now Nick was starting to question it all. Everything…
Now that he was seeing just what Ellis had become… how much reasoning did these people still have? –Now you're just becoming soft, Nick- the conman's inner voice nagged and he shook his head, clearing his mind of the consideration.
Those zombies weren't people. They were danger. They would kill him without a second thought. So Nick would kill them first. Simple logic- simple survival instinct… and with that Nick fell back into his usual rhythm. Ellis, Rochelle, Coach… the other survivors… all of it was pressed to the back of his mind. All that mattered right now as making it to the next day… he'd cross each bridge as they came. For now, he'd plough through the monstrosities attempting to destroy him… doing his best to keep himself and the other three alive. And to whatever was coming later… Nick was ready for it.