Through the progression of this story, both the Smoker and Hunter will develop discretion and diction through further interactions. I'll try to flesh out both the Infected as well as the unnamed Survivors. If you haven't figured out who the Survivors are, I'm sure the hints here will make it blatant enough.
Disclaimer: I don't own Left 4 Dead, its characters, and its concepts.
Warnings: Language, violence, gore, homosexuality.
Human Inventions of Varying Usefulness
Chapter 2 "Blankets"
"You're an absolute IDOIT, y'know that?"
"I…I didn't think that-"
"I'll just call you Idiot since you can't seem to remember your own name."
"I said I'm sorry!"
"Shut up, Idiot. They're getting too far away."
Jack growls menacingly and leaps away with a fitful screech. I give a soft cough, my shoulders sagging in overall dejection. It wasn't my fault the noisy ones planned to search out my Safe House.
In hindsight, I should have warned Jack. I mean, they always snoop around everything anyway—they were probably eyeing my building for my delicious food, too! Thieves, the lot of them.
I huff out as I try to catch up to the bounding Jack far ahead of me. When I think about it, I'm really lucky. If he wasn't with me in the morning, I could have never woken up in time. I don't think I can remember everything that happened—it was so fast I barely had enough time to cough. I never expected Jack to be so quick on his feet.
The wall is so warm. And fuzzy. Why is the wall so fuzzy?
"So ya see, all the little girl needs is some TLC and she's ready ta roll. Cars are very delicate pieces of fine machinery, y'know."
Who's there? Is it food? Because I'm getting hungry, again. Oops, I should get up soon. I don't want to have to get lost finding the noisy ones. It's hard enough as it is. No, not hard…so fuzzy, and it purrs!
"If I ever have the need to get my Porsche fixed, I know who to call. Oh, wait. I don't HAVE one anymore because we're going through a fucking zombie apocalypse! Heck, there aren't even any decent roads to use anymore, even if we FIND a damn car!"
Too loud. Much too loud. Shut up and let me sleep with the wall. I'm getting a headache.
"…You have anger management issues, man."
Whatever those are, I'm sure he does. Wait, no…my wall is moving. Come back, wall! You're the best wall I've ever slept on!
"Don't make me shoot you. Go check out that shack over there. Maybe there's something worth our time."
I cough in mild irritation. Where's my wall? It was so nice and warm. And it's growling. Walls aren't supposed to growl, are they?
Wake up. Quickly, now.
Several things are moving all at once when I slip my eye open. The door is being pounded open, Jack is leaning back into a pounce, and the room is turned upside down. I lift my head to right myself and cough furiously, but not loud enough to be heard over the cracking door. Poor door.
On that note, I see that I'm on top of Jack. He's pretty strong to be able to carry me on his back. I guess I'm not all that heavy.
Before the door gets smashed, Jack suddenly vibrates with a deep guttural screech and we fly through the small room to the one and only exit. The door is pushed out and falls to the huge snow pile just outside. I hear someone cry out in surprise, but the voice is too tiny and the door too big.
I will surely miss that door; it was so nice to me. But that evil door knob can just stay there under the snow for all I care. It sucks.
"Hunter! Shit, get back here!" an angry voice shouts.
Then suddenly, we bound off into the still dark forest, the sun barely peeking over the Safe House. The air is so cold and it feels like it's pinching me everywhere. The loud noises start up and we take cover behind a fallen tree. I cough for a while, but Jack keeps me quiet with his hand.
When I stop, we can barely hear the noisy ones talk.
"Oh my God. That…was…awesome! Did'ja see all tha'? The Smoker was ridin' tha' other Hunter like somethin' outta a cowboy movie! I tell ya! Didn' even see the fella when the door fell on me! Ha!"
"I can't believe I wasted a round of my bullets on you. You're compensating when we get back."
"Aw, don't be like that! You were surprised just as much as I was. Man, I gotta tell the others, it'll be a hoot!"
"Speak one word of this and…"
Darn, I can't hear anything else. I guess the noisy ones are too far away now. Whew, at least everything is back to normal. Oh, no wait. Jack is mad. He's giving me this look.
He's opening and closing his mouth. I think he wants to talk, but maybe he forgot?
Danger…you were both in danger.
Oh, that's not good. I need to apologize.
"Jack, are you okay? Because I'm sor-"
"DON'T finish that sentence if you know what's good for you. Do you realize what just the fuck happened? Of course you don't," he says. He peels off back towards the Safe House.
"Don't follow me, y'hear?"
I stumble towards his fleeting figure, but he's long gone. I'm all by myself. Sighing, I sit down under a nearby tree. The snow is so white it hurts to look at it. But then I hear a small rustling across from me. It's a rabbit.
Food. Get. Eat. Now.
I hope there isn't too much red stuff—blood—right, blood on me. I don't want to get too sticky. And just like that, Jack bursts through the trees to me and throws two crates at my head.
They both miss and land a ways off. When I turn back around to meet Jack, I get my face punched.
"Ouch! Why'd you do that?" I whimper in pain.
"Because you're pathetic," he says. "Now hurry up and open them up so I can eat. Wait…did you already…"
His eyes are blazing with something I can't quite understand. Is he still mad at me? Maybe if I apologize again.
"Can I…" I should just open the crates already.
Wordlessly, I walk over to the fallen boxes. I can feel his gaze on me as I pick them both up and give Jack the food inside. Since I'm not hungry, I don't feel too bad about sharing my food with him.
"They won't leave," Jack states.
So far, the noisy ones haven't left their Safe House yet and the sun is already starting to turn red against the treetops. I hope they're not hiding. Because then I'll need to find another warm place to sleep. Where did that wall go?
"What should we do?" I ask. My eye is still locked on the silent house ahead.
"You are going to go check things out. I am going to stay right here."
"But I can't run as fast as you can. Even the others can move faster."
"That's not my problem," he says gruffly. "Go check out the place for some more food. I'm getting hungry."
I cough a little while as I leave. The night air isn't too good for my lungs, I think. My footfalls are very loud as I try to sneak over to my Safe House across the way. Every few steps I stop and listen for the noisy ones, hoping that they don't see me. I'm so relieved I get to the building that I let out a string of coughs.
Before I walk in, I mourn the loss of my door. The snow has already found its way inside, and the room is caked in ice. A rather nasty wheeze takes hold of me, and I stumble over a few misplaced crates and bounce against a wall near the end. The wood creaks suddenly and I look down at my feet.
There is a small hole there and I get curious. What is it?
A door on the floor.
What a strange thing. Why would there be a door down there? I stretch out my hand and carefully prod the 'door on the floor.' It makes a noise at my touch.
There are no deadly door knobs here, but the hole demands further investigation. I crouch down and poke it. Nothing happens. I crane my neck so I can get a closer look at the thing. Slowly, I grab the inside and push and pull it; then, the door opens.
I think I love doors. They always do as I command. I shall be their king!
Shaking my head from this thought, I concentrate on keeping the floor-door open. At first, it looks like a bunch of stones, but they're soft to the touch.
"What is this?" I ask myself.
Pulling one out, I notice just how very, very soft it is. It's almost like the wall from last night. Coughing to myself, I lift it higher, and it suddenly falls apart. I worry, thinking it's broken, but it's not. The thing is bigger now and a whole lot thinner. I sniff it and it doesn't do anything, only fluttering in my hands like a baby bird. I hold it close, and it warms me up.
Delighted, I take out more of the soft stones and try to keep them from blooming, too. I look around for a little while but find nothing of any interest. These are amazing rocks, but I really don't think they're called rocks.
Blankets. They're called blankets. Warm and soft.
"Blankets? That sounds nice."
I walk away from my doomed Safe House. Without the mighty door, all the snow is going to ruin everything inside. What a waste.
"Jack? Are you there?" I shout as loudly as I can, but that just makes me cough in the end.
"Jack? I found some blankets! You can have one if you want!"
No one answers and I'm scared that the noisy ones have taken him. I rush out deeper into the darkened forest and I can't see anything. But soon enough, I hear the booming noises again. If the noises are loud, I know I'm close by.
"Jack," I whisper, afraid that the others will find me and…kill me.
"Kill…when the blood comes out. When that happens, I get killed? No. No, Jack! Are you alright?"
I'm screaming now. I don't want Jack to be killed. I'm so afraid that I run right into him without my notice. I fall to the ground with a surprised cough.
"Quiet you! Do you want to get minced?"
"Jack, you're not killed! You're safe!"
"No thanks to you! What took you so long? It wasn't until after you left that I saw the Survivors leave through the back of the house!"
"Survivors? The noisy ones?"
"Yeah, yeah. Now stay low and follow me. Apparently, the next damned house is just over that hill."
It wasn't long until we had that argument. And now I'm way in the back, trying to catch up. He didn't talk about the blankets I have in my arms. Even if he saw them, he didn't bring it up. Damn, it's hard carrying these blankets. They get so heavy after a while…maybe they really are made of rocks.
"Really fuzzy rocks," I say aloud. I've been doing that for a while now, talking to myself.
I guess it's because I haven't talked to anyone else for a while. Jack's not very good at making conversations, but at least he talks. It's nice—hearing him talk to me. It helps me remember I'm not alone.
Lifting my head and the heavy blankets, I spy the Safe House close by. The loud noises stop after a few minutes, so the others…Survivors are in the building. I give a small grin, with my tongue in the way it doesn't really matter, and I quicken my pace until I reach Jack under a group of trees.
"Hey, Jack," I start. My breathing is heavy after running uphill. "Are they gone?"
"Yeah. The bitches nearly shot me in the leg, but one of the Commons got 'em back for me."
"What do you mean?"
"Just a small horde, didn't cause too much damage, but sure did something. They won't be moving for a little while."
"Oh," I reply. My body is too tired to think of anything else to say, so I just drop down to the hard, rocky ground.
"You're just gonna sleep here?" he asks. "It's too cold, even for me. There's another building behind the House, and it looks pretty decent. Come on."
I look up and Jack is already creeping along the side of the house, perfectly silent. I wish I could be as sneaky as him. I'm still so loud in the middle of all this hush. My coughs ring through the darkening night even when I try to cover my mouth. It's so frustrating, but Jack doesn't say anything about it. So I just follow him to what looks like a barn.
The straw and hay are all itchy and hard from the winter. I try to tame it as best as I can, but it's hopeless. I look to my side and see Jack making due just fine. He doesn't look upset and just curls up on his side, just like that. I almost forget about the blankets. They'll make this loads easier.
"Jack," I start. "I did find something when I was in the small house before."
I wait for his response as he carries himself up from his little roost. He looks at me, then down at the blankets in my dirty hands.
"What are those things?"
"Blankets. They keep you warm and they're so soft, too. Take one."
He grabs the one closest to him and wrestles with it while it's still bundled up. I giggle and help him unfold the strange fuzzy rock. After it's as big as it'll get, I hand it back and he gives an appreciative grunt.
"Thanks. Now go to sleep. I don't want to wake up to a Survivor banging down the door again."
I don't think he's angry anymore; at least he doesn't hit me. I smile and put down my blanket on the hay and it's definitely more comfortable. I sigh in relief and barely cough with the cold, night air. Looking out, I barely make out the white snow falling through the moonlight. It's beautiful.
I wake up to a dark room. I hear Jack beside me, he's crawling around, pacing. I try not to make any noise, but I guess he sees me move or something because he calls my bluff.
"What are you doing up?" I ask Jack.
"I don't really feel all that tired," he says. "Just stretching my legs and stuff. Go back to sleep, Idiot."
"My name isn't Idiot!" I retort.
"Well, give me something to work with here. Or else, I'll just keep calling you that."
"I…I don't know. I can't think right now. It's too early."
I'm perfectly awake though; I'm lying past my tongue. My coughing fills the room and then there is silence. I try to avoid talking now, but Jack keeps going.
"Danny."
"What?"
"Will. Zach. Anthony. Darwin. Anything familiar?"
What is my name? What is it?
"I…no, none of those."
I don't know why he keeps talking. But this goes on through the night, and then we hear the Survivors make some noise again. I'm just about to get ready to call it quits, I think Jack's getting tired, too. We didn't make much progress. Honestly, I think he was re-using the same names over and over again. But it was still nice.
"Oh, sweetie. Are you okay? After the horde, you got the brunt of it and hit your head against a tree."
"M'fine. How 'bout you guys? Anythin' wrong?"
"Naw, we're doin' fine. You should go back to sleep."
"Y'sure? I can help keep watch t'night."
"Stay. In. Bed. I'll take the watch. I just don't want to hear you complain in the morning on how little God-awful sleep you had. You got me?"
"Heh heh. I got you. G'night y'all."
I guess the Survivors didn't go to sleep yet. I'm surprised. Why didn't they just sleep like we did?
Still thinking, I barely catch myself when I notice just how creepy Jack's stare is. When I meet his gaze, he breaks it and goes back to sleep without a word.
"Jack," I speak up. "Thanks for trying to think of a new name for me. But it's okay. I'm sure I'll figure out just what my name is some day."
He doesn't say anything, so maybe he's already asleep. I lay back down onto the bedding and work over these darn questions in my head. They won't go away, either.
What's my name? What's my name?
My coughing fills the room, and my eye slowly droops down in sleepiness. I guess it really is late. Maybe the Survivors are right about something. I think I'd be too stubborn to go to sleep if someone else was still awake. I'm not alone anymore.
The bright sun is breaking through the open window and the snow is glistening across the sill. I hum in agreement to the warmth around me. It's soft and protects me from the nasty bright light. I feel like I'm brimming with energy and try to escape the blankets, but they're tightly wound around me. It's almost like the fuzzy wall from before.
It was a nice wall, and didn't keep me so still.
A growl disrupts my actions. The warmth gets hotter and tighter and I look down to see arms holding my down. Confused, I try and turn around to get a better view. Apparently Jack had joined me because his blanket was too small. I would have given him another one, but I guess he was too tired to care.
"Let's get to it people! Time waits for no man."
Oh, the Survivors are awake. We'd better hurry to catch up to them. I'm getting hungry again.
"Ahem?"
"…Or woman."
"That's better. Hey, sweetie. Are you doing alright?"
"Yup. Never better! Thanks again for the pack. Much obliged."
The voices are getting softer and farther away. We really should get going, but Jack just won't let go. He must have stayed up too long.
Silly Jack, I'm not a blanket.