Disclaimer: I do not own Left 4 Dead.
Among The Bodies: The Witch
The first thing I did when I woke up was crack open a can of sliced pineapples. The fish from last night left a bad taste in my mouth, and I realize how unhealthy it was to eat them straight from the can. It didn't matter, it was the first kind of 'meat' I've had in a long time.
I didn't see that hunter again, not after distracting him with the leftover fish. I supposed he just ran off, probably searching to go find some other survivor to hunt down. I half expected him to still be at the window when the sun came up.
My joy of the hunter leaving and the semi-fresh food in my mouth was putting me in a really good mood. For once I had gotten a good night's rest, and my back felt as it did before the infection. In fact, I feel as if I could just take on the world today!
Better not jinx it though.
Gulping down the remains of the pineapples, I reached for another. I wondered why this place wasn't sacked like it should have been. if there was any other survivor lucky enough to come across this stuff, they wouldn't just leave it here. Unless that certain survivor got killed, then that would be a better explanation.
I threw my second can in the sink, that was already starting to collect cans thanks to my overeating, and I stretched my back and legs. I'm going to take the food with me, I decided. I didn't plan on being that survivor in my 'theory', so I need to take as much as I could carry.
My best bet was to find something to help me carry the goodies with. There's the boxes underneath the bed, but that would just slow me down. Shooting would be near impossible while trying to lug a heavy box around. No, I needed something with straps, like a purse, or something of the sort. My attention turned to the room's storage closet. I hope my luck hasn't ran out yet.
There was a small back pack, hidden in the closet. A cookie monster back pack at that. My eyes teared up looking at it; thinking of the poor child who probably turned infected and left behind their cute little back pack. I pulled it out, ignoring my thoughts of infected children running around attacking people.
Being in an apocalypse and all, an image of body parts or bones stuffed inside the pack imbedded itself in my head. Getting a little nervous, I took a deep breath and unzipped the zipper.
Nothing was inside but a couple of gum wrappers and a single chewed up pencil. I sighed. Poor kid must have been a 3rd grader or something like that. At least I could make use of the pack. Thankfully, the straps on the pack had adjustable lengths, so while it was small, it could fit around my back no problem.
I sat the pack on one of the kitchen counters and started loading it with food. It held more than I thought it would of, for a small size. Only two or three cans were left when it was full. I could't really stuff them in my pockets; I knew this, still tried though.
Having no other choice, I would have to leave the left over supplies. I just didn't have any room to put it, and I can't risk losing anything while fighting a horde or something, so maybe some other survivor will come across them. Though unlikely, I'm just going to believe that does gonna happen. It makes me feel better about leaving them.
As I left, I tried scrapping off some dried blood off my shoes as I crept down the stairs. I gave up; my shoes are pretty much beyond saving at this point. I'll have to make note to try and scavenge for new ones next time I see a clothes store. It would be unfortunate if my shoe bottoms fell out while outrunning a tank. Very unfortunate.
Peeking out side, I checked my surroundings, in case of any nasty surprises. Nothing but bodies and bullet shells, just like before. I wondered if the whole city was like this. A rotting wasteland. It wouldn't be that hard to get through then. Still, I should keep my guard up.
Remembering that my ammunition count was low, I glared at my dirty palms. I can't fist fight every infected I see, and I never got the chance to do my regular cracking of my fingers. If I was to last much longer, I would have to find a melee weapon, or better yet, bullets.
Surely there wasn't much ammo around the city, having already gone through it before, but I've been lucky so far with the food and the backpack, so maybe I'll find something heavy to bash some heads in at least.
It was only until I was halfway down the street before I noticed a shadow on the ground soar across view. My thoughts went to 'hunter' and I immediately pointed my weapon towards where the shadow went. Smokers wouldn't be able to jump across buildings as fast as that.
The thought about running back inside crossed my mind, but I needed to keep moving. The food I had found in the apartment would only last me so long.
Although I couldn't see him, it was obvious he was near. Being a hunter and all, I was sure he was very good at being sneaky, unluckily for me.
Wiping the sweat off my forehead with my other hand, I watched for any sign of him. It was the middle of the afternoon and if I couldn't find him in the daylight, then it was going to be extremely difficult for me when the night came.
I groaned. Night would be a completely new problem now that my friends weren't here with me. Usually none of us would be sleeping at the same time; there would always be someone awake to take watch for a while, then trade shifts throughout the night.
Sleeping alone in a infected city was dangerous, but then again it was even more so in the woods, so I might just make it if I can find a place that can be locked up tight.
A saferoom, I thought. Nothing can infiltrate a saferoom, except maybe a tank. But there were only so many of those in the city, most of them dead by now. While I'm sure most of the saferooms were completely raided out, it would still provide me with a safe place to get some shut eye.
Saferoom it is then. I was sure I could spend the night hiding in another tree, or lock myself away in a building, but I'm not going to take a chance. I've come way too far to be killed in my sleep.
I spotted him: perched up on a fire escape, not too far away, but far enough where my pistol wouldn't reach him. I eyed him closely. Why didn't he jump me yet? Maybe his leg was still healing and he was waiting for it to recover before he chased me. Or maybe he just liked playing with his prey….
Carefully, I watched him. He looked almost like every other hunter I've seen, from the outside at least, since his face was halfway concealed.
I wasn't close enough to see exact detail, and I never really paid much attention to his appearance before. But I wondered what he would look like underneath the hood. Probably like a smoker, with tumors and deformations on his face. I shuddered at the thought.
He sat down on the railing, his feet hanging off the edge. He didn't make any more movements after that, like he was a statue. Just waiting for me to start running huh? It's all about the chase, isn't it?
Turning on my heel I started walking again. The plan was to pretend that I was ignoring him, or that I just didn't care. My thoughts were: either he'll lose interest or he'll become inpatient, so he'll leave me or I'll kill him.
There were a couple of stragglers up ahead. More than ten, but they haven't noticed me yet. I could sneak around them, risky, but better than facing them head on. Getting low, I stayed close to the bricks of the buildings, and almost didn't notice the car I was about to bump into. As careful as I could be, I narrowly avoided it by squishing myself against the wall.
There was an ally around the corner, and if I could get to it, I could walk a different route away from the infected. I started to feel a little relieved. As I inched closer and closer, I thought I could hear crying.
My suspensions were right. Rounding the corner, only a couple feet away was a sobbing, but ever so petrifying witch.
The common infected were wandering closer to my position, and I had to think fast. Being as discreet as I could, I glanced at the witch. I've snuck by witches before, and seeing as how I haven't lost my touch just yet, I might as well try it now.
Slowly, I crept against the brick of the building, moving around a dumpster and almost stepping in a puddle. I didn't want even the smallest of sound to be made. My very life depended on it. I took a deep breath and let it out as softly as I could.
But not soft enough.
The witch started rising, and I felt my heartbeat do the same. Her tear filled eyes left her hands and turned towards me and I could feel the sadness and hatred radiating from her. Her clawed hands opened and closed as she turned her whole body to face me. My breathing uncontrollably fast and I knew I was done for.
She was at full height already and sprung in my direction, ready to kill. However, someone beat her to me.
Hunters are a special infected who's greatest skills were stealth and rapid motion. So I shouldn't have been surprised when one landed down directly in front of me. However, I did not expect him to have his back be facing me, and lunging out for the witch instead.
I wasn't crouching anymore. Standing at full height, I was getting an excellent view of the scene that's happening in front of me. His claws dug into her ribcage, while she used her arms to defend herself. Witches only attack those who startle them, so she wouldn't hurt the hunter, who was infected just like her, right?
Wrong. Her clawed hand pierced his abdomen, and the hunter paused for a second. The sharp points were buried deep in the front of his hoodie. But instead of leaping off of her like I thought he would, he raised his hand high and brought it down, completely severing the witches arm from the shoulder. I heard a sick ripping, tearing sound as it was removed from her person.
The witch screeched in pain as her blood pooled out onto the sidewalk, her other hand trying to push her attacker off of her. Her severed arm spazzed on the ground, as if it still had the owner attached to it. It bounced closer to my legs and in panic; I yelped and kicked it away from me, startled.
Covering my mouth, I realized my mistake. The common infected from before had now been alerted to my presence, and were now headed in my direction. They ignored any sounds made from other infected, but my little outburst was all they needed to go into a rage.
Bringing the gun up, I focused on the commons. The witch and the hunter still fighting distracted the m enough to where I could aim correctly. I shot 4 in the head, no problem. Until my gun went click.
Screaming at that moment was tempting, but that would just bring a horde, and that was the last thing I would need right now.
Running was also an option, but they would just follow me until I had plenty of infected after me. I would have to take care of them now, so they wouldn't attract anymore.
Searching the area for a weapon, nothing caught my eye. There was nothing useful in sight and they were getting closer by the second. The witch's screams were changing into chokes and coughs of blood, but the hunter was still clawing at her, splattering blood all over himself, and the common infected as they passed by them.
I was panicking, and panicking is never good. I began backing up when something hard and cylinder popped out of my over filled back pack and onto the ground. This gave me an idea.
Placing my palms on the straps of my backpack, I thought of a quick plan. I took the bag off my shoulders and rammed the side of it into the head of the nearest infected. The man whom I just hit backed into a wall, and I hit him again, smashing his head between the wall and my bag.
It was heavy and hard to swing, but I turned and dodged a blow from behind. Turning again, I smacked a woman and unlike the man, she fell to the ground after the first hit.
The bag was smacked from my hand and I was pounded into the ground. I felt feet kick my stomach and something stepping on my hair. I bit my tongue from yelling, and reached out. My hand grabbed hold of a leg, and brought them down with me.
I crawled on top and delivered a few well served punches to the face. My hand hurt, and the woman I was on top of continued to try and fight me off. Fingernails scratched my face and I hissed in pain, for both my cheek and my knuckles. She took a blow to the temple and ceased to move.
Panting, I tried to catch my breath. I really needed to find a weapon, and fast. I can't keep fighting them like this.
My heart rate was still racing, but my breath was slowing down. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a limb. An arm, to be more exact, a long, pale, clawed witches arm.
My eyes widened. Distracted, I had temporarily forgotten about the battle between the witch and the hunter. I rotated to face them and gasped at what I saw.
The witch was dead, no doubt. Her throat had been torn clean out, and her chest was open and hollow. There were bodies of other common infected around her, the ones that I didn't take out. There was also another body, the body of the same hunter who has been following me these past few days.
My throat was dry and I started to choke for some unknown reason. I slowly limped over to him, ignoring the now prominent pain in my left ankle, and dropped to my knees at his side.
I have to admit that for a minute I was scared he was going to spring up and slaughter me like in some movie. But after poking him, then slightly shaking him, I was getting scared of him not getting up at all.
Tears flowed from my face and I didn't even know why. I was actually worried, afraid for something like him. This time I shook him a little harder, but he still didn't budge.
I was about to flip him over onto his back when he emitted a small, annoyed growl, muffled by the concrete. Gasping in surprise, I crawled a foot away from him. He was bleeding from his stomach area, I suppose where the witch had stabbed him, and his blood starting to create a nasty pool.
If he didn't get help, then there's no doubt he would die. I wasn't going to let him starve in the woods, but would I let him bleed out on the street?
Scooting closer, I quietly and grabbed hold of his arm, trying to hoist him up with me as I stood up myself, which was pretty difficult to do when my left ankle wasn't really in best condition. He growled, but I ignored him. There is no possible way he could do any harm to me in his condition.
We needed to find shelter, and fast. If I were to stumble on any infected right now, I couldn't defend myself and hold him steady at the same time.
I dragged him through the ally, and his weight on me was getting heavier and heavier. I bit my tongue again when I tripped over myself, barley catching my balance before we both hit the ground. I hoisted him back up and continued to drag him until we were in a completely different ally then where we were before.
The ally was long and narrow, with doors on both sides of it.
Without thinking twice, I headed towards the nearest one. It wasn't locked, so I struggled to free a hand to open it and shut it behind me before taking a look around. It was an office with a window to the rest of the inside. Peering through it, I assumed we just walked through the back door to a gas station.
I know that I should of checked for any infected, and supplies. But I was so worn out, the floor was starting to look like a good sleeping spot.
I sat the hunter down up against the desk not so gently, and plopped down next to him. I couldn't see his eyes, but his lack of response from being handled so roughly told me he was either out cold, or dead. I hoped it's the former.
Pulling up my knees to my chest, I rubbed my fingertips over my swollen ankle. It burned, but so did the scratches on my cheek. I rubbed them too. They didn't feel bad enough to where they would leave scars. I sighed with relief and exhaustion.
Surely I had pills on me somewhere. But the health kit I was carrying was basically empty, and I know I didn't have much of a bandage roll left, so I would save them. I yawned, and for a second in think the figure next to me stirred, but I'm not sure.
My eyes drooped closer together and I struggled to keep them open. It was no use though. I leaned back, resisting the urge to lie on the floor and drifted off to a silent, dark place in the back of my mind.
One thing came to mind before I fell asleep: I had left the cookie monster bag, along with all the food inside of it, in the ally way.
Apology for the late update. I already have most chapters written, but I'm at a writers block at the moment. So here's something maybe you guys can help me with: What should be the hunter's NAME? Reviews are greatly appreciated and if I use what you suggest, I will credit you. Now good day!