Disclaimer: I don't own Left 4 Dead.
Note: It gets a bit gorey and dark later in the chapter. You have been warned.
No really, prepare yourself.
Among The Bodies: Disguise
I noticed three things when I woke up: It was hot as hell, the air was getting stuffy and thick, and I was no longer on top of an irritated, unpredictable hunter. Instead, I was underneath him, which was incredibly worse. So I immediately reacted.
I squirmed and was eventually able to shove him off into the floor bored. Aaron jolted awake and a snarl caught in his throat. He didn't appreciate the rude awaking, but the heat and lack of air was suffocating enough and his weight on me was helping.
Turning down the AC, and rolling down the window I welcomed the fresh cold air into the truck. I don't know how long I've been asleep, and I can't remember what setting I left the heat on, but I made note to remind myself that it was bad idea in the first place, no matter how warm it might have been.
Speaking of comfort; the usual drowsiness that came after sleep didn't come into effect. Instead, I felt wide awake, alert and the soreness from yesterday had completely disappeared, like it had all dissolved away during the night.
I threw off my sweater and it suddenly became ten degrees cooler. It landed on Aaron, whom voiced his disapproval of becoming a laundry basket. I glared at him as I sat upwards. I hope he slept as well as I did, because he wasn't sleeping anywhere near me anymore.
"I'm not a pillow, you know that?" I spoke to no one. He showed his teeth, tossing the sweater off of his head and into the passenger's seat. I snatched it back, content with how the truck had become much cooler in the last five minutes. Aaron hauled himself up while I pulled it over my head.
I would never admit it, but I had a feeling that I wouldn't have been able to catch some decent shut eye last night if Aaron wasn't my mattress. The leather seat was better than a dumpster or tree, but it was nothing compared to the softness of his hoodie. As for the smell, I've grown to tolerate worse.
"Next time you're sleeping on the hood." I threatened, but was ignored as he occupied himself with the radio switches and buttons. I rolled my eyes and patted around my clothes until I found the map. Unfolding it, I went over the planned path over and over again in my head. I couldn't afford to waste any more time. For all I know, they could have done anything to Doug and Olive by now.
Biting my lip, I cursed inside my head. Here I was, napping away in a dark corner of a parking lot in a stolen truck while the owner and his wife are held hostage by some group of survivors that shoot first-ask questions later. Oh, and they enslaved people too.
Well, they may have been infected people, but they were still people noneless. I glance at Aaron, flicking the radio to different stations.
Yeah, it took a bear trap, a gun, some canned fish, and a ton of awkward moments but we're getting along just fine. Well, good enough to where we can trust each other enough that I won't pull a weapon on him, and he won't skin me in my sleep.
I know this may not be the case with all infected, but if their intelligent enough to learn, they could be retaught. They were rabid, had no sense of self preservation, and their only goal was to kill every immune survivor they came across. But that didn't mean they were incurable.
A sudden bang interrupted my thoughts and I turned to see Aaron violently banging on the dashboard. The thrashing startled me, and I swatted his hands away quickly before he broke anything. "Seriously, what the hell has gotten into you?" I muttered. He huffed, ignoring my question and giving a small hiss in my direction. But I wasn't paying attention.
In the midst of his bashing, lyrics poured from the speakers and my ears caught on pretty quickly. I stopped my action, frozen, listening to the barely audible lyrics. Aaron sat still, though the continuing noise continued to bother him and he fidgeted in his place restlessly.
It was a male singing the song, I concluded. The lyrics were cut short every other word or so or either drowned out from the static, but it seemed familiar. It was a soft, soothing melody and I would have gratefully enjoyed this pleasant surprise if I didn't have the suspicion of where it was coming from.
I haven't heard music since the outbreak began. There was no electricity in the city, and even if there was, what human in their sane mind waste it on powering a radio station? Who's going to listen to it? The infected? I highly doubt that crazed murderous people were interested by classic jazz.
It played on low volume, and I had no intention of shutting it off. It was a nice change, though I was never really interested in that genre of music, it was extremely calming. To me, at least. To Aaron however, it seemed as if it was blowing holes in his head.
Aaron eyed me, waiting for the chance to silence the noise. He voiced his annoyance. What started out as a soft growl was starting to overlap the music. I sighed, flicking off the music. He stopped abruptly and the sudden quietness in the truck was nerving.
"You happy now?" He only sniffed. "God, you're such a kid." I muttered. I backed out of the parking lot, not bothering to put on a seat belt. Aaron shuffled beside me as he felt the move.
Halfway down the road, I started humming. The tune refused to leave my mind, and since Aaron was going to be an asshole I couldn't have the radio on. But that didn't mean I couldn't hum.
I expected him to immediately show some sign of disapproval, but instead, he kept quiet. So I kept my rhythm, until I lost my place in my head, and my humming turned into a bunch of strange throaty noises. I coughed awkwardly. Good thing Aaron isn't able to judge; otherwise I just made a fool of myself.
Aaron stifled a snicker, and I resisted the urge to reach over to slap him. I forgot he was a smartass.
A realization hit me: it was going to be a very long, boring, uneventful ride. If I didn't find something to entertain myself, I might as well fall asleep on the wheel. Leaning back, I glanced at him in the rear view mirror. "Aaron."
I didn't need to call his name since his attention was already focused on me. "So…you feel hungry?" I instantly regretted asking him that question. If I get him thinking about food, he'll either bug me about it or get it himself, most of the food I scavenged from the hotel was already diminishing dispite the short amount of time I've had it. I'll need to start rationalizing it.
Luckily for me, he didn't care for the mention of food. He grunted, slouching in his seat and watching the rolling pavement as we passed by. "I'll take that as a no…" I trailed off, dully staring ahead.
What I wouldn't give to have some decent vocal communication between us. So far, our only ways of 'talking' to each other was him growling at me and everything I did, me bribing him with food and often throwing things at each other. I can recall a couple incidents where I've tried to chuck something at him, mostly because of anger, or maybe he was just being an ass that day.
In my defense, he did try and kill me when we had first met. My first impression of him was claws and teeth, and let me tell you: That's not exactly a warm introduction in my book.
The silence continued. I never liked silence. "So…any ideas how we're gonna bust in there and rescue the damsels?" I asked, though it was obvious I wasn't going to receive a valid answer. Still, it would be nice if he would have at least acknowledge me when I was speaking to him. But he didn't budge.
"…so I was thinking" I rambled on. "I'm pretty sure there's going to be more survivors in Paradise" When the name ran over my teeth, I thought briefly of Tanya and enslaved infected. I shook the thoughts from my mind. "It might be nice to meet more humans." I murmured. "I mean, Doug and Olive weren't so bad, were they?"
Aaron's lips thinned, and his head thumped against the seat. I gave a small smile. "Admit it." I teased. "You like them. They did feed us, you know." He shoved his claws into his front hoodie pockets, and I was given a bored grunt as a response.
"I liked them." I continued. "They helped us, Aaron. You don't see kindness like that anymore. Hell, you hardly ever saw it before the outbreak." His head twitched at the mention of his name. I frowned, and made the truck swivel around a crater in the middle of the street. Looked like something a pipe bomb would do. Wish I had one of those.
"Most people would've shot me, or either tried to avoid me. It's common sense to not trust anyone anymore." Yeah, common sense that I should start following. Who known how many times my oh-so-big-heart had gotten me into trouble.
"When you think about it, he could have ran me over if he liked." Aaron shuffled a bit at this sentence. I guess he was just getting agitated for being cooped up for so long. "Doug wanted to help me. He's a good guy, right?" Talking to me was starting to become one of my favorite pass times. "The cool thing is: He didn't try to kill you at first sight." I grinned, remembering the dent Aaron had put on this ole girl. Though, it was hard to see among all the other dents that accompanied it. My fault, sorry. "He thought you were my boyfriend or something." I laughed. "Weird, huh?" Aaron snuffed, grunting as we passed city limits. This trip was taking shorter than expected.
"Even if I had a boyfriend, I'd still shoot him if he was infected."
The hunter snarled, slouching halfway down the seat. Taking a glance, I rolled my eyes. Normally, I would have nagged for him to put a seat belt on or try to put it on him myself. But I wasn't wearing one and forcing him to would make me a hypocrite, and he seemed pretty close to splitting my neck open the last time I got close to him, so I decided against it.
"You're gonna hurt your back like that." I muttered. He brushed off my harassing. Whatever, fine. "Olive was pretty cool too." No answer. "She's a really good cook, isn't she? Wish I could cook like that." I swirled around a pile of bodies, the sudden motion making everything in the truck slightly shift to the right. "But we'll have to settle for canned crap for now."
The city was long gone behind us, and I pulled over to the side of the road. I whipped out the map again, and judging by how long we were driving, it wouldn't be too long before we arrived. The only problem was how were we going to enter?
No need to worry, Zoey. Whoever they are, I'm sure they'll just smile as you drive up in the company of a starved, irritated hunter and the blood of their comrades on your clothes and let you just waltz in and do as you please. No, Zoey, quit it.
To add to it, there is no telling what I'll find there. I know Theron and Tanya made it clear that slavery of infected were a definite, but what about enslaving uninfected? Didn't Doug say something about that the first time I had met him?And what about that tattoo on everyone's hand? CLEAN? I suppose it meant whoever was wearing it wasn't a carrier, So I doubt they'll let anyone go anywhere that isn't wearing it.
What was Aaron going to do when we got there?
I stole a glance at the special infected. Even from a distance, you could tell he was a hunter, so a disguise would be unlikely. The other option was to leave him in the truck, but my inner conscious told me that wasn't any better than the last idea. Leaving him unattended in a hostile area could result in a lot bloodshed. It could get him killed, but most likely other people. He isn't one to stand idle while threatened.
But what about me? If everyone else in Paradise is similar to Tanya or Theron, than I could use the back up. I could try to be discreet, I thought. Aaron wouldn't have any trouble with that option, now that I think of it. He's a hunter; specifically modified to make move quickly, keep out of sight, and keep silent. It's only when they're about to attack do hunters make any sound. Aaron being the exception, of course.
I wish I had paid more attention to the road. I broke out of my musings with just enough time to slam the truck in a screeching halt. We were both lurched forward. My head slammed into the wheel and I loudly cursed. Thankfully, it wasn't bleeding, but a pounding throb encircled my head and I moaned in pain.
If Aaron hadn't of been slouching, he would have been catapulted through the windshield. But instead, he was smashed into the dash. He let out a feral roar and I flinched, both from my pulsing pain in my head and the ear piercing sound.
This was the result of not wearing a seatbelt. Imagine if I had hit an incoming car.
"Aaron…" I murmured, slightly alarmed that the ringing in my ears overlapped my voice. "Fuck…" I clutched the sides of my skull, leaning down and facing my lap. The pain was fading, but at an excruciatingly slow rate.
Said hunter was finished screeching and was nursing his own forehead, his claws underneath his hood. A good five minutes passed by before I was able to open my eyes and look up, but it felt like an hour. The hurt was more of a dull ache now. I looked to Aaron, who seemed to have recovered much faster than me. "You're never getting in this truck again, are you?"
To answer my question, he was flimsily attempting to pull the door handle. I sighed, and turned to what made me stop. A sign.
Or really, a billbored. It seemed like it had been painted over with white paint. If I had continued day dreaming, I would have missed this and kept on driving.
I could tell it was originally a car insurance ad, plastered on was a woman with a smile too fake with words hastily written over her face. PARADISE, it said, in large white letters. Beside it, a large arrow pointing to the left. I followed to where it was pointing, and groaned when I saw the tree line.
"Looks like we're walking from here" I grumbled. I wasn't going to need the truck anymore, so the only option I had was to shut it off. Reaching down, I tore the wires apart and immediately heard the engine cease. The AC shut off and the sudden lack of heat caused goose bumps to appear on my skin. I shuddered.
Aaron became even more eager when he heard the engine shut off, fumbling even harder with the handle quite impatient. I was debating on leaning over and letting him out first when suddenly the door flung open and he bolted out, leaving me alone.
I followed after him, slamming the door behind me. Walking around the truck, I mentally face palmed when I saw him sprawled out across the ground ten feet away. "C'mon, it wasn't that bad." I scolded. "Don't be so dramatic."
Walking over, I gave a soft nudge to the side. I heard a muffled growl from the concrete. "We need to get going." I turned around and pulled the backpack out of the car, strapping it on and shutting the door, both guns in my hands. "Aaron…" I urged.
The hunter yapped at me, slowly rising to his feet. More and more he was walking on his two front legs than crawling on all fours, I've noticed. It was progress. An improvement since he could recognize his name.
It didn't last long. He took three or four steps before hunching down and walking like an animal. I blinked and he was prowling again. Still, he was learning.
With Aaron behind me, we entered the forest. The truck was left on the side of the road. As much as I'd hate to leave it, it wasn't like anyone was going to steal it or anything. Besides, the woods were too compressed for me to drive through without running into something, and I don't think Aaron would have handled being in there much longer.
I pulled out the map that was safely tucked in my pants pocket and looked it over. I switched from the map to the surrounding area and back again. Ok, so I haven't had the slightest idea of where we were or how close we were. We had walked too far to go back, so I guess the only option now was to keep moving forward.
Huffing, I folded the paper back up and shoved back in my pocket. My feet hurt, and it hit me how much I missed the truck. I was given the luxury of mobile transportation and now I was back to walking on foot. The good things never last, do they? I always end up jinxing it.
"Listen, sorry about earlier…" I trailed off. Yeah, my apology was landing on deaf ears, but it made me feel a little less guilty saying it out loud. "You forgive me, right?" I chuckled, joking.
Aaron hesitated, then gave a halfhearted shrug. Pausing, I stared at the front of his hood. Maybe it didn't fall on deaf ears after all.
I gulped down any questions running through my mind. Now was not the time to ask them. Besides, I'm sure it was just a blind answer anyway. A coincidence.
"Alright…" I sighed. We walked in silence, comfortable with the fresh air. We were calm and collected, or at least I was until Aaron suddenly lept from the ground and into the branches, leaving me below. I raised a brow. What? Did I say something?
Something peeked through the trees as we walked, and with alarming realization, it was human.
I quickly crouched to the ground, trying my best to blend with the leaves and stay hidden. But that's extremely hard to do when you're wearing a red sweater and a baby blue kid's backpack. Somehow, the figure walked by without noticing. There was a decent amount of distance between us, but they swirled around and were walking the other direction, closer to my location.
Something glinted in their hand. I squinted to get a better look. With horror, I discovered it was a gun. Not a petty handgun, either. No, it was a badass assault rifle, and judging by the amount of ammo clips they had strapped to their belt, they were not afraid to use it.
Behind them was a fence. A metal, barbed wire, human placed fence that seemed to stretch downwards for miles. Beyond it was a clearing, and even further I saw colors that didn't belong in the forest. It wasn't the green of the trees or brown of bark, but the silver of steel and red of rust. From here, I was able to make out a radio tower.
I needed to get closer. As stealthy as I could, I did my best to crawl forward. They wore a gas mask, and was suited up in the same gear Theron had been in. Whoever they are, they're most likely female, judging by the long dark hair pulled up in a ponytail much like mine.
I felt the back of my head, and held back a sigh. Scratch that last thought, Aaron stole my hair band.
No matter how slight my movement, I make a little noise. The woman snapped to attention and I mouthed a curse. She raised her gun, slowly stalking over to where I was hiding. "Who's there?" She shouted in a demanding tone. I bit my cheek.
Do I run, or do I stay put. I get up and bolt, a wall of bullets will follow and I'll be gunned down. But if I stay put, there's a chance that she might not find me. However small that chance may be, it was becoming my only option, as she was only a few yards from me. I crossed my fingers and wished for the best.
But like all things I wish for, it jinxed. "You on the ground, stand up!" She ordered, and my heart lept to my throat. Fear filled my chest and for a moment I was frozen. Then I heard the click of something metallic and I stood to my feet, both guns in the air.
"Put down your weapons!" She yelled, her own pointed clearly at me. I did as I was told, keeping an eye on the gun positions at her waist while I crouched to the ground. Both guns left my hands, and I opened my mouth to speak to her when she raised her weapon to aim and fired.
There was a dark blur and Aaron came crashing in from above. I fell to the ground, unharmed, but in shock and relief. I have no idea where the bullet went, but Aaron arrived just in time to throw her aim off.
He was on top of her in half a second and her gun flew from her hands. There was no screech, no warning and no call of attack. He simply drove his claws for the only unprotected part of the body he saw: the neck.
The scream she was about to emit was cut short and drowned in gurgles and sputters as her blood flowed freely from her split skin. Aaron gave another gash and the tear was even deeper now, gnawing halfway through her neck. He was getting close to decapitating her.
She was already dead, but her body was still coming to terms with that. Her arms twitched furiously and I found myself resorting to deep breaths to help deal with the scene of death. Although she would have killed me, it's different watching a survivor die than it is an infected. When an infected dies, they fall and don't get up again. But when a human dies, their bodies still fight and you literally watch as the life leaves them.
Aaron climbed off when she stopped moving. I glimpsed at her hand. Halfway covered up by her jacket, the word CLEAN was tattooed, just like I expected. "Aaron" I whispered, my breathing normal now. "I think we've found what we're looking for."
There was a clang of metal and the sound of leaves crunching underneath someone's footsteps. Another human appeared from the forest and stopped dead in their tracks. From how bulky the body was, it was a male. He didn't seem to notice me, or just didn't care. He only spotted a hunter nearby the woman's dead body and with an outraged cry; opened fire.
Aaron dodged the bullets with eased, and landed on top of the man in one swift jump. With his assault rifle held tightly in both hands, he tried to shove him off, but the hunter gripped the side of the gun and over powered him, throwing it to the side. It landed nearby me, and I watched as the man threw up his arms too late to block the talons as they dug into his jugular.
This time, I looked away as Aaron had his kill. Instead, I picked up both my pistols again, grasping them firmly and hoping no one else heard the massacre. When I was sure it was just us and the corpses, I placed one in the back of my jeans, and the other in my backpack's side pocket. With hesitation, I managed to crawl up to the woman's body without gagging.
Aaron really did a number on her, though she wasn't as bad as Tanya was. Tanya lasted longer too, she suffered much worse than a mere throat slash, but then again, he didn't attempt to behead her. In fact, her head and her body were connected by a flimsy piece of skin. The grass was stained by her blood.
Both of their faces were completely covered by their gas mask, and with this observation came an idea. An extremely risky, stupid, and insane idea. But it was a better one than just walking in out of the blue. Maybe, just maybe I could pull off a decent enough disguise.
I reached out and placed the assault rifle beside me, checking if it was loaded. Just in case any more surprises decided to emerge from the woods. Being as careful as I could manage, I tried to steady the trembling in my hands as I pulled the mask off of the woman's face. It was halfway off and I could see her mouth and nose when I noticed the sudden presence beside me.
Aaron's quick movement startled me, and I made the mistake of letting my hands jerk slightly. Since it was still partly strapped around her, the mask moved along with the head and finally tore the last of the skin that was holding the two body pieces together.
When I realized I was holding a decapitated head, I bit back a yelp and shook it out of the mask. It rolled a foot away and swiveled to stare at me in blank, lifeless eyes. "Sorry…" I whispered. No matter how much disaster I see, it'll never get old.
Aaron leaned back against a tree while I whimpered in my pathetic state. Get a hold of yourself, Zoey. How in the hell can you save your friends when you're too busy whining over someone who you didn't know and could of even killed you. Look at Aaron, do you see him sobbing? No, he's waiting for you to suck it up and keep moving. Why can't you be strong like him?
You've killed people, tons of them. But that was different, right? They were infected, so really, they didn't count. They didn't matter. They didn't have feelings or emotions or families or any quality that made them human. In your mind, they were already dead. Zombies, mindless animals whose only desire is to see you die. So why is it any different with survivors?
Nothing like this happened when I was with Bill and the others.
Well, you're not with them right now, are you? No, they left you. You were all alone, and the only company you seemed to have attracted was of a special infected you've made a foolish decision to save from starvation. Not to mention the only other friends you had were an innocent old couple whom are in a lot of shit now because of you.
Who knows what could be happening to them right now. They could already be dead, but you don't know that. So you keep pressing on, even if the chances of them being alive are highly unlikely. What about Bill? Louis? Francis? They forgot about you, they're somewhere safe and sound, cooped up in some tent playing cards and drinking whisky while you're out in the cold running around with a hunter who's getting real tired of your shit, Zoey.
You just keep on dragging people down, don't you? Where ever you go, some crazy shit always happens and you're in the center of it. Why can't you just mind your own business? You should have never scouted around the cabin and left Doug and Olive alone. Maybe you should have never gone with Doug in the first place. Maybe you should have never saved that hunter from the bear trap. Maybe you should have died in the house back in the woods.
I felt a tap on my shoulder and a shudder ran up my spine. Aaron knelt beside me, glaring at the liquid running down my cheeks. I brushed them off, wondering how long have I just been sitting there. "It's cool." I convinced myself. "C'mon, we gotta save them."
The inside of the mask had blood around the mouth part, which I tried my best to wipe off with my sleeve. The sweater was already stained, and another one wouldn't show on the red fabric anyway. Placing to the side, I worked with her jacket.
Peeling it off of her as best as I could, I was able to unzip and unstrap the complex vest and over shirt, leaving the body in a white t-shirt. She was wearing jeans, and since all jeans mostly look alike I decided that I wasn't going to try and take those as well. Not to mention I wanted to leave her with some dignity.
The shirt collar was slightly stained with fresh blood, but I rubbed it into some clean grass and it wiped away where it's hardly noticeable against the dark color of the outfit. Tossing my backpack off, I pulled it around myself, and was enveloped with the warmth that came with it. Zipped up, it completely covered my sweater.
Strapping on the vest took less than a minute. The only thing I needed now was her boots. They were dark brown combat boots with sides that came up slightly above the ankle, There was gunk and mud caked on the bottom of them. I carefully unlaced the shoes and slipped them off of her. With a sad sigh, I said goodbye to my beloved sneakers and tossed them to the side as I hoped the boots would fit.
Luckily for me, they did. In fact, they were comfy as hell. But that didn't excuse the fact that I had just stolen them off a dead person. Standing up, I walked around in a circle, testing them out. Mid walk I stopped and noticed the other body a couple feet away. The second gunner that had come from the woods.
Looking down at myself, I took in my appearance. If I had my hair up, and the mask on, I would of looked like the dead woman. Although she was slightly larger than me, the jacket was so baggy that it wasn't even noticeable. If I could pull it off, there's a chance that Aaron could too. If only I could get him to behave.
Speaking of the special infected, Aaron was sitting a distance away. Watching me carefully. Part of me said he was silently judging me, but I know he's done much worse. "You can walk on both legs, right?" I asked him. He continued to glare. The lack of eye contact for this long amount of time was disturbing.
I walked over to the man's body and removed his mask as well. He looked old, somewhere around his fifty's I suppose. So at least he lived a life. He wasn't as badly scarred as the woman, so It was easier to remove the mask and outer upper clothing. I didn't even think about the pants. It just wasn't something I could do. He wasn't wearing combat boots like the woman, but some shoes brand I didn't know the name of.
Their shoes didn't look exact, but it was close enough. I dragged the clothes over to Aaron, who hissed at them like a god displeased at a peasant's offering. I frowned. "Just bare with me here, ok? It the best option we have at the moment." I explained. "Just behave, please?"
Aaron hissed again, obviously not liking the idea of changing out of his filthy duct taped hoodie and into something new. I take it he saw me dressing the part and bringing the clothes over, he put tow an d two together. Clever.
"You'll have to take that duct tape off, Aaron." I said, eyeing the grey tape. "And a change of clothes isn't so bad. You smell horrible anyway." He still refused. That hoodie was his safety blanket, wasn't it?
I rolled my eyes, both hands on my hips now. "Ok, you wait back at the truck then." His growls ceased, but he still had an unhappy look him, lips curled back and claws shoved into his pockets with a little too much force.
I could tell that he wasn't going to give up on his favorite hoodie without a fight. The cookie monster backpack caught my eye. "I'll give you all the fish you want, and whatever else you'll eat." There was not reaction, as he was a statue. I was becoming more impatient.
"Don't make me baby you." I warned, taking a step closer. A grumble arose from his throat but ignored it. He's harmless. Well, most of the time. To me, at least.
Aaron's still statue face fell, and with dread realized I was serious. Without second thought, I sat on my knees near him, half expecting him to leap away into trees, but he only snarled at my close proximity. I sighed at his dramatics. It was getting boring. "Shut up…" I moaned, resisting the urge to smack him. "You didn't seem to have a problem with me in the truck!" My voice was a little louder than I intended, but it didn't matter.
I made a grab for the closest patch of duct tape on his left leg, but my hand was swatted away. I pulled them back just in time to avoid the claws. He glared at me from beneath his hood. "Fine, you do it." I shrugged.
The hunter continued his long, eyeless glare, and it wasn't until I equally matched it did he show some sign of defeat. He began to pull off the tape, one patch at a time till they were all in a pile next to us. I smiled. "Good." I pointed at his hoodie zipper. "Now the hoodie-"
Aaron gave me a deep, angry growl, cutting me off. Usually that would have scared the shit out of me, and it still did, but I wasn't going to let him know that. "Get over it, Aaron!" I ordered, making a grab for the zipper.
The moment I touched the metal his claws were around my wrist and holding tightly. No, it didn't hurt, but the grip was much tighter than it had been back at the bakery. I gave a light tug, but neither of us budged. But this wasn't a stalemate. I still had my other hand.
"Damn it, Aaron…"
Without thinking, I mustered up the most energy I had in me and used my other hand to grab for the front of his hood as fast as I could. Aaron failed to notice my actual intention. It was already too late when he made move to subdue my other limb.
If I haven't experienced true fear yet, than this was it. His hood fell softly around his neck and his full face had been exposed to me. I wanted to leap back. He wasn't horribly deformed, and the tint of his skin had really been the only indicator of the infection, aside from the obvious claws and superhuman abilities. But that was before.
My chest hammered and I wanted to pull away, away from him and the furious glare he was giving me. Before, emotion was difficult to say with him and had only gotten easier with time. Now, it was carved clearly in his features, feral and angry, and all negative emotions were directed at me. Fear covered my own face and pulled away, but he anchored me down and kept me in place.
It was an agonizingly long five seconds, then I was suddenly let go. I pulled my wrists to my chest, rubbing them. His hold had tensed when the hood left was uncovered, and there were pink, hand prints on my skin now.
He covered his face with his hands, shielding them away from me and the light. I didn't move. I didn't know what to do. "A-Aaron…" I stammered. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't-" He emitted a low growl, soft but deep. It was terrifying. Sometimes, I forget that Aaron's not a harmless puppy. He's an uncontrollable virus trapped inside a human's body. I should choose my action's carefully.
The sun was at the highest point in the sky. It was mid-day, and no doubt that all the light wouldn't be good for someone whose eyes have been in nothing but darkness for who knows how long. I was trembling, we both were. I don't know if there's a way to stop my heart from pounding, but I could at least try to ease him a bit.
"Aaron…" I began, my voice so quietly whispering I could hardly hear it myself. "You don't…There's nothing wrong with you…" I stuttered. Aaron still shielded his eyes. I don't think he's realizes that he could pull his hoodie back up. I gulped, feeling extremely guilty. There was nothing that could make this situation worse.
"I like your eyes." I whispered. "I really do."
I wasn't lying. They were the only sign of infection that showed in his face. He moved, and I stiffened. His hands dragged down a bit, revealing his eyebrows and eyes.
It was like the virus had reversed them. The white of his eyes were dark and the iris was extremely pale, almost white. There's no telling of what color they were before he came to be infected. The contrast was so great that with the dark surrounding the light, it seemed to have a similar effect to glowing.
I shuddered underneath his stare, and quickly grabbed the nearest gas mask I had set aside. I held it up in front of him. "Um…this can cover your face. It can act just like your hoodie." My voice had gone several pitches higher, and the chance of it breaking mid-sentence was very likely.
"After you put the mask on…" I trailed, choosing my words carefully. "The jackets and vest are really warm, and it's pretty cold out here." I didn't receive a response, just two hands reaching out to grab the mask and fumbling with its straps as he tried to attach it.
He looked up for a split second and I looked away, unable to handle any eye contact. I would have helped him, if I wasn't terrified.
I left him to struggle with the straps, backing away from him and to the two corpses. I needed to hide them. If the man was close enough to hear the woman attacked, than there could be other's nearby. They'll know something's wrong as soon as they find the bodies with their gear missing.
I moved to the man first, picking him up as best as I could and dragging away into a bush. The clothes he was wearing were enough camofouge to blend in with the leaves. From a distance, it didn't even look like a dead body.
I dragged the woman's body to the same bush, looking anywhere else other than the neck. Because of her white T-shirt, she would be easier to spot among the brown and green. But the shirt was now darkened with dried blood, and the darker color neutralized the dingy white.
Twirling around, I went back for the head. Aaron was standing now, and his hoodie was at his feet. Underneath it he had a plain, simple black T-shirt, with no design or anything creative on it. He slipped the black jacket on with ease, but the vest was becoming a problem for him.
"Don't do that," I muttered, watching as he almost ripped the best in two. I put my fingers on the clasp of my own vest, unclipping and clipping it again to show him. "Like this," I clipped it back a second time. "You can't jam them together. You have to connect them."
The special infected watched my fingers with precision, and copied my actions. I let out a breath of relief when he finally connected the clasp.
I stared down at the head. Pale and lifeless, with blank eyes stuck in a painful wail. Her hair was still in a ponytail. I grit my teeth. "You wouldn't happen to still have my hair band, would you?" I asked, not looking at him.
No, he doesn't. I was coming real close to snapping and just chopping my locks off. No one has time to keep their hair clean and pretty anymore, survival is priority. Theron's knife was still tucked in my pocket, and it was tempting. But the woman I was impersonating had long, dark hair. Just like mine.
I leaned down and quickly pull the band from her hair. This was disgusting and immoral. But there are worse people out there, I told myself. I was nothing like them, told myself. I just want my friends back.
I kicked the head away, and it hid in a pile of fallen leaves. I'm a horrible person, aren't I?
Picking up the mask from the ground, I pulled my hair into a messy ponytail, feeling a little sick to my stomach. I tried to keep a blank expression, pulling the mask over my face and adjusting it so it fit comfortably.
Picking up the backpack, I took the gun from it and shoved it in my jacket pocket along with the other. Dragging it, I hid it underneath some leaves and behind a dead shrub. There was no way I could take that inside; it would raise too much attention.
I took a deep breath, the exhale muffled by my mask. Aaron was standing up right, and though I couldn't see his eyes behind his own mask, I imagined them burning through my skull. "Ready?" I asked, noticing how my voice wavered as I spoke.
"Think you can act human long enough for us to find them?" I voiced my concerns, crossing my arms in sudden self-awareness. "We won't take long." At least I hope we didn't. I didn't know if Paradise lived up to its name, because from what I know, it sounds more like hell.
The hunter shrugged, and his lack of the usual grunt or playful growl was slowly digging holes in my mind. "You don't have to go…" I suggested, "You can leave, right now. You don't have to deal with this."
He started walking, more stumbling, really over to the fence gate halfway through my sentence. As he passed by me, I thought he was about to trip over the air. My eyes grew wide. I wasn't sure whether he had understood me, or not. But did it really matter if he had my permission to leave? He could of just left anytime he wanted.
He flicked his head down, at the assault rifle in my hands. Thinking for a moment, I kicked the other rifle somewhere into the forestry. Now the only evidence left to tell about the murders was the blood stained grass in two different spots.
"Don't worry about the gun, we'll say you lost or something if anyone asks…" In other words, if anyone asks; lure them off someone discreet and beat them until their quiet. The likely hood of this whole thing going as planned was low, especially if there really isn't an actual plan.
Gripping the rifle, I walked passed Aaron, opening the gate and taking my first step into Paradise.
Aaron caught up, keeping pace as we approached the buildings on in the distance. They were further away than they had looked, but more and more buildings were becoming clearer as we got closer. Among them, little moving dots seemed to portray as people. My heart throbbed nervously.
At the last moment, he pushed his clawed hands into the jacket pockets. They would have been a dead giveaway. He's smart enough to know this. I wonder what else he knows.
"Aaron" I whispered, suddenly surrounded by faces and people. They were all smiling, and some of them were in uniform, like us. Someone waved and my struggled for a decent reaction. I gave simple wave back. Smiling, like everyone else, they continued talking to their peers.
"Aaron" I whispered again, now entering a slightly less populated area. "…still mad at me?"
He just shrugged.
Long chapter is long.
This is the part where I complain on how late it is: its 4:42 AM and I started yesterday night. Hakuna Matata. So the part where Aaron's face is revealed: This is. Sorry if it wasn't as dramatic or 'romantic' as you would of liked, but I'm pretty sure I've made it clear that romance is not my best skill. Both in writing and IRL. I still ship them so hard though.
Please don't ask me how Aaron looks other than his eyes: that's up to you. You can imagine his hair color, his skin, how handsome or gorgeous he looks. It's up to the reader's imagination. I just wanted to describe his eyes, since it will have plot value later in the story.
There is a mistake in here. Somewhere, lurking among the letters. But I'm tired and too lazy to find it. So can someone be a dear and point out the litter bugger so it may perish? Thanks.
Reviews are Band-Aids for my fingers. I NEED AN AMBULANCE.