As the helicopter took off, everyone was panting and smiling.

"Woo man," Ellis said, stretching from his near death fall. "can you believe we made it out of that?"

"Yeah," Coach sighed as he and Rochelle worked on healing where the tank had pumbled him. "I'm surprised I'm still standing after that ugly tank got me. Thank ya'll for that."

"It's no problem Coach." Rochelle grinned. "Now that it's over we can all just heal up and rest."

"For sho. " The heavy man nodded. "And after that, I'm taking ya'll out for a steak dinner."

All that everyone began to get hungry. "Coach, I'll fry you up a whole cow after we're out of here." Nick said, being almost serious.

"Hey, Mr. Piolet," Ellis said, slipping on the available headset. "Where exactly are we headed?"

The pilot wheezed on the other side of the line, making a disgusting noise roar through the country boy's ears. "Uh," He finally said. "The drop off station..." He trailed off. "After that they'll..." Silence.

Ellis narrowed his eyes as he looked to the front seat. "They'll... what?" He asked, receiving no answer. The pilot was still.

Nick noticed his stare and turned to him. "What's up kid?" He asked, taking in the kid's puzzled features.

"I think somethin's wrong." He responded, he then heard a loud ringing over the headset, causing him to rip it off.

At that the chopper shifted suddenly, banking hard to the left, everyone let out a cry of surprise.

"Hey what the-" Coach turned to see the piolet stand and look back at them, his face dark and eyes blood shot and it released a throaty growl.

He shifted the wheel again, this time turning to the right quickly and causing Nick to stumble over a fallen pack. He flailed his arms wildly for a moment and pulled out his pistol. Ellis reached out to the man and grabbed him by the front of his suit, holding on to one of the inside bars for support. The pilot ran at Rochelle to which Coach shot up and grabbed a hold of it, placing it in a steady head lock. Nick took not a second thought to aim for the ugly creature and take a shot at it's head, splattering its brains all over the chopper.

The aerial vehicle then began to fall rapidly, causing the survivors to literally hang on for their lives. Rochelle forced herself into the piolet's seat and took hold of the controls. It was a useless attempt, the wheel was caught on the right side, hopelessly jammed.

As they fell in a sadistic spiral, Rochelle strapped herself in, Coach doing the same in the co piolet's seat, and Nick and Ellis locking in the back. Coach pulled back on his handles, causing them to go from a nose dive to a tail spin. As they came closer and closer to the ground below, Rochelle screamed and put her arms over her face, Coach still fumbling with the dead controls, and Nick, without thinking, pulled Ellis close to him, chest to chest in what could only be described as an inseparable grip and closed his eyes tightly. The country boy mimicked this, holding tightly to the other man's shoulders as his stomach began to swirl and he began to scream as well.

The chopper continued it's speeding decent until finally they crashed, shaking the survivors violently as they were slammed into a mucky patch of swamp water. Both Rochelle and Coach drove their heads into the dash, leaving a promise of a bruised pulsing headache, and Nick and Ellis jolted, knocking the top of their heads on the ceiling of the small aircraft.

Slowly everyone sat up with a groan, Nick and Ellis releasing each other as the country boy stood up quickly, hand over his mouth, and ran off of the chopper to spill his beloved cotton candy all over the mud. Nick followed him out and shot the two of three walkers that tried running towards the poor kid as Rochelle and Coach unstrapped themselves from the cockpit.

"I can't believe you shot the piolet." Ellis said finally, wiping his face and taking a few deep breaths.

"Well he wasn't doing a very good job once he became a zombie, now was he?" Nick responded as grabbed the pills from his belt, offering them to the hick.

"True, true, he was a zombie." Ellis agree as he swallowed the meds quickly. "But he was our only piolet."

Nick rolled his eyes. "I shot a zombie. He was a zombie, Ellis." He explained again. "He must've gotten bit before he picked us up."

Rochelle was the first to be successfully out of the chopper. "Hey, are you guys alright."

"Yeah," Ellis calmed her. "Just losin' my lunch is all."

"You gonna be alright Ellis?" Coach asked as he stepped out.

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Hey look," Nick said, pointing to a small shed. "I think I see a train over there."

The country boy stood fully and readjusted his hat. "Well then let's go check it out and kick some zombie ass!" He smiled as he took off, the others following.

"No CEDA, No Military. Stay out." Coach read as they passed a welcome sign into the small town.

"Well that ain't very friendly." Ellis commented.

"Oh great." Nick said sarcastically. "We we crash land in front of a village that hates everyone. Feels like the Westboro Baptist Church."

In the cart laid a few spare guns and weapons, Ellis picking up another axe being his guitar was lost in the crash, and everyone gathered a new health kit. They ran passing a narrow street of abandoned houses and buildings, cutting through a short bit of trees to be pounced by a hunter, and approached a small docking station with a ferry on the other side.

"I'm callin' the boat over!" Nick yelled, starting the crank. It let off a a rusty moan and signaled the horde. "Shit."

The group fired rapidly, an on coming charger fell to it's knees before it could strike and jockey hoping on to Nick's back was blown off before he could even say to shoot it. As the ferry drifted slowly closer, a spitter exploded just after she tossed a nice gooey wad at them, hitting a majority of ankles and calves, but not doing too much damage.

"Come on, get inside!" Nick demanded as the boat's gates opened. Instantly the group swarmed inside, Rochelle slamming the button to send it back where it came.

"Hey, if yall ask me," Ellis commented as the infected on the shore line failed miserably to continue after them. "These swamp people got it all figured out. No cops, no rules..."

"No indoor plumbing." Rochelle made a disgusted face while the country boy looked to her in surprised.

"They figured out how to stop goin' to the bathroom? Man, that's AMAZIN'!" He grinned. Coach placed a hand to his forehead as Nick shook his head. Suddenly the gears in his head began to crank. "Oh, wait a minute, I just got that..." He too made a disgusted face. "Shit, that's gross as hell."

The gates once again opened on the other side, leading into a path of unsteady wood docks and mud. The infected came running up onto the docks from all directions, randomly placed sheds and houses lining them as they went. Nick laughed to himself darkly as he picked up a machete, decapitating any undead creature that came within a foot of him.

The path was winding, but not too hard to figure out and soon the group found a safe house inside an old drainage ditch. They slammed the door shut, but this room was almost no different than the outside. It was probably only seven feet tall and fifteen feet in length, and the ground to Nick's dismay was still nothing but concrete and mud.

He walked over to the next door and looked out it bitterly. "Great. Nothing but mud, mudders, and more mud."

"Aw come on Nick." Ellis teased. "Ya ain't scared of a little mud are ya?"

"No, I just don't like it." It was filthy and disgusting. Who knew what else was out there swimming with the infected, making Nick's idea of the whole ordeal that much more unpleasant. The only thing worse would be a sewage drain.

"Well then look on the bright side." The country boy stepped by him and pumped his shot gun. "At least we haven't run into any infected gators."

He popped open the door and fired at the dirty walkers as they bolted at them. Nick seized the opportunity to avoid the water by walking along the water's edge, but eventually found himself needing to cross. This is when a jockey decided to pounce him, causing him to slosh the hated water around until Rochelle shot the little beast and he fell into the pit.

"Shit." Nick said angrily as he shook the muck off his arms. "All this swamp water is going to ruin my white suit."

"You mean the one with zombie brains all over it?" Rochelle laughed over her gun fire. "That one?"

"Brains come out," He spat bitterly as he picked up his wetted gun. "swamp water doesn't. Don't ask me how I know that."

Ellis chuckled as he passed. "Best ya get accustomed to it anyway." He said. "Looks like nothin' but mud from here on out."

Nick groaned as he followed, knowing he was probably right. They walked on, killing infected as they hurled themselves at the group, and Ellis grinning when something caught his eye.

"Hey yall, watch this!" He encouraged, aiming his gun for a knocked over propane canister and pulled the trigger. There was a small explosion followed by and angry yell.

A charger came running out in small flames and headed crookedly for Ellis, merely knocking him into the mud as he flew by. The country boy came up from the sludge missing his hat and spitting the dirty blood water from his mouth.

"Easy there, fireball." Nick said, pulling the messy kid to his feet as he picked up his favorite hat. "Let me get you up."

The two continued behind Coach and Rochelle, swamp water dripping off Ellis' hat like rainfall, and ran until they saw a crashed, torn up airplane. They gathered inside, finding empty rows of seats and a red handle sticking out from the emergency door.

"Looks like we aren't the only people who crashed today." Coach commented, noticing it's untouched position.

"You're kidding me." Rochelle said, placing a hand on her head "The only way forward is through there?"

"Looks like it." Ellis answered.

Nick grabbed a hold of the handle. "I think it's a safe bet to say an alarm will sound when I open this door." He looked to the others before slamming it down. "Get ready!"

The door flew immediately off its hinges and onto the wing of the plane, following it was a deafening alarm bell ringing wildly. Everyone ran out of the plane and jumped off the wing, sprinting away from the up and coming horde. But when they reached waist deep mud water, and Nick's skin began to crawl, it became a lot tougher.

They fought through about twenty yards of water when Nick pointed out the propped up car on the edge of a slope, leading them to dry land. When they reached the top they noticed a safe room and a closed off fence surrounded by razor wire.

"Well I'll be damned, maybe the swamp people made it." Ellis said as he closed the door, looking out the bared window.

"Nick, what do you think the odds are that the swamp people are still alive?" Rochelle asked the gambler.

"What?" He asked. "Alive and infected, or alive and not zombies?"

"Not zombies."

"A hundred to one." He said positively.

Rochelle nodded as she reloaded her gun. "Sounds about right."

The next door led to the center of the small town. It was ominous looking, dark and creepy were compliments.

"Man," Coach said as he looked around. "It did not end well for these people."

"Yeah well it's not looking so hot for us either." Nick said as they began to go through the town.

Coach found a frying pan and made a comment on the fried chicken his mom had once made, and Ellis' rumbling stomach told him to stop talking about it. The ground some became mucky again, brown water about to their ankles soaked them coldly as they were assaulted by smokers and spitters.

"Hold on a second," Rochelle stopped the group as they listened closely, the sound of sobs in the air coming from a familiar source.

Nick hmphed. "Sounds like my ex wife." He commented as she came walking out from beside one of the homes.

"Hey yall better kill the lights." Ellis suggested, switching off his own. The others copied. "Okay now let's jus quietly sneak around her and maybe she won't try to kill us."

They agreed silently and were able to get around her, running as soon as they saw the docks. As safe as they could be, they check through the rotting swamp homes, finding a bottle of pills, a pipe bomb, and an adrenaline shot that Rochelle took a the turn of taking. She came across another iron skillet and picked it up, daring anyone to make a joke about it, and Coach picked up a half fueled chainsaw.

Ellis noticed a bridge connecting them to another dock and he pulled the lever, walkers charging at them all the way. Nick was the first to step up onto the roof, and a moment later a familiar pressure wrapping around his torso and a foul stench fill his nostrils. He was on his back in a second, being dragged off the luckily small building and pounding against the wood ground below, a loose shingle making a nice cut along his jaw line, but the smoker showed no mercy for the man as he only pulled him closer.

Rochelle took a good shot separating the rotten tongue from the body and bringing Nick's slide to a halt. The smoker ran off as the others came down to help him.

"Ya alright man?" Ellis pulled him up. "You liked like you hit the ground pretty hard."

"Yeah," Nick said as he flung of the overly weighted flesh still twisted around him. "Just this gross shit."

They kept running, making it by the last few shacks, Nick spotting a lit fire barrel like the kind homeless people used in New York, naturally wondering how it got that way, and ran through a small patch of trees to find an elevated, secluded house they would use as the next safe room. Once inside, they noticed it was a basic square, set up with a littering of paper wrappers all around it and a few cans of mystery food and water bottles in the corner. Ellis used a combination of precision and country hick skill to open four of the cans with his axe while Coach tossed a bottle to Nick.

"Whatcha got Ellis?" The heavy man asked as he took a drink and passed the bottle off to Rochelle.

"Well on the menu tonight we've got some green beans, two cans of baked beans, and a thing off somethin' that smells like cat food." he said making a disgusted face.

Nick swallowed some of the water and offered it to him. "Open the last one." He said, picking up the can of green beans.

Ellis did as he was asked and smiled as he opened the can. "Hey Rochelle," He caught the black woman's attention. "I think yall are gonna like this." He tilted the can towards her to reveal sweet peaches. She instantly smiled and took the can from him gratefully. The country boy then stood, taking the feline food to the barred window and tossing it out. "Chew on that you zombie bitches!" He grinned, satisfied with himself, and returned to the food, passing off one of the remaining cans to Coach and passing the water back to Nick.

They had no utensils, but they all ate in very different, very interesting ways. Rochelle was picking up the peach slices between her thumb and index finger, not spilling a single drop of the juice as she lowered it into her mouth while Coach was able to pull off the starting piece of the dead chain saw and use it as a spoon. Nick had wiped off his machete on his suit leg, grumbling while he did it, and used it to almost amusingly toss the green beans into his mouth. Ellis on the other hand didn't hesitate to put the can directly to his lips and taking enormous gulps.

After their much needed dinner, they decided to call it a night. Well, actually Rochelle, Nick and Ellis decided to call it a night after Coach started snoring. Rochelle laid herself out on the ground, using old news paper as a pillow, and fell asleep almost just as fast. Nick was next in line, he yawned and scratched his face, then cursed in pain.

"Damn it!" He said, pulling his fingers down to see them glistening in blood.

"What is it?" Ellis looked over. "Oh shit that's right, ya got cut when that smoker gotcha didn't ya?" He came over beside him and pulled out his health kit, removing some alcohol and cotton balls. "Now Imma need ya to hold still for a sec. I ain't exactly sure how to do this right." He crouched close to the gambler, drenching one of the swabs in the alcohol and leaning in to get a better look at the cut.

The second Nick felt the cool cloth against his skin, a strike of pain ran up his jaw. "Ahh." He groaned, trying to ignore it he closed his eyes.

Ellis paused for a moment. "Sorry..." He said lowly, a bit harsh on himself.

The conman opened his eyes and looked to him for a moment before closing them again. "No, it just stings a little." He explained. "You're doing fine." At that, the country boy continued, a bit more gently than before.

Nick relaxed as he became more accustomed to the kid's easy touch. He could tell Ellis was leaning incredibly close to him as he could feel his breath on his cheek. He opened his eyes carefully, trying to not draw the farmboy's attention as he focused so diligently. Nick could see he was sticking out his tongue slightly, probably biting it to keep from shaking, and his blue eyes narrowed so perfectly as he worked. The gambler couldn't resist as he turned his head slightly more towards him to get a better view and Ellis'eyes met his, listening expectingly.

The country boy waited a moment, studying the conman's eyes, something seeming... unusual. "Uh, Nick?" He asked.

Before Nick could bother to think about what he was doing, think about whatever consequences there might be or what would happen next, he lunged himself forward, latching his lips tightly against Ellis' as his nearest hand rested itself firmly on the base of his head, not allowing him to get away.

The first thing he noticed was how much better it felt in reality then he had imagined in his dream. His lips held almost a sweetness to them due to the baked beans and were slightly chapped, but they felt surprisingly soft. He could tell the kid had been taken completely off guard, as he sat rigidly, but his pump pink lips still felt great on his own. Nick made a rough noise in the back of his throat, rumbling into a low moan as he turned his head to make the kiss deeper, transferring the vibrations to the country hick. Boy, was this kid incredible.

The next thing he was aware of was the pair of strong hands that pushed his back sharply, breaking his grip and the kiss to reveal a very shocked and confused looking Ellis.

"What the hell do you think you're doin'?" The country boy near shouted, not yet noticing his tilted hat.

Nick breathed heavily, the reality of his action hitting him. "I'm sorry." He said uneasily.

"You're sorry?" Ellis asked, still trying to wrap his head around things. "Ya jus' about took my mouth off!"

"Lower your voice." Nick demanded, raising his slightly but not viciously, and looked over to the others who stirred a little.

Ellis starred at him, but silently complied. "What was that for?" He asked, not so much bite but confusion on his words.

The gambler ran a hand through his greasy hair. "I don't know!" He answered quickly. "I don't know what came over me." He closed his eyes and sighed, resting his head in his hand. There was silence for a moment he spoke up again. "I'm sorry alright? I didn't mean to come on to you, it just sort of happened, so let's just forget about it."

The country boy thought for a moment. "Naw, ya don't hav'ta be sorry." He sighed. "I was jus' kinda surprised when it happened, ya know?" He brushed his hair back and reapplied his hat. "I would've appreciated it more if I knew ya were 'bout to pounce me like a goddamn hunter."

"Look I didn't mean to do it." Nick repeated himself. "So can we just drop it?" With that he rolled his head back and sighed in frustration once more, closing his eyes.

Ellis didn't bother to comment again, but the thought still lingered in his head. Where the hell did that come from? One moment he's patchin' up Nick's cut and the next he's being sucked on harder than the vacuum he and Keith had modded to suck up wasp's nests.

And the look Nick gave him right before he did it. Man, he should've known somethin' was up. It wasn't his usual Nick look. It was almost like it was softened in a way, more caring and desirin'. He'd never really seen anythin' like it before. And havin' it come from Nick was a whole different ball game.

But then he went and kissed him. KISSED. HIM. Sure, he had been kissed by girls back home once or twice before, but this one was entirely different. Nick had pulled him into it and held him there, forcin' him into a lip lock 'bout as strong as a tank. Then he wouldn't let go! Her even moaned when he did it, and shoot, he hadn't heard that before. That was deep, like he was enjoying takin' on his lips for a try.

And there was so much force behind it. He almost felt like he'd been side swiped by the charger again. It felt so... passionate, in a way. So full of somethin' that jus' didn't describe Nick's usual character, but it wasn't... bad. And the way he had turned his head only to make it deeper wasn't bad at all either.

Alright, he admitted it, he'd been givin' one hell of a kiss. But from Nick?! The gamblin', sarcastic conman from lord knows where? He was another dude! What was he supposed to say 'bout that? To Ro and Coach? Or to Keith when he got back home? Shoot, what would his ma say?

Well, there actually was an easy one. His ma had always been the accepting type. She had always told him to show your feelin's no matter what and people would accept you. But he had grown to learn that that wasn't always the case. There was always somebody who had somethin' to say 'bout him, either because he was a mechanic or a hick or just plain stupid. But he had never really cared. But then, if that was the case, why should he now?

He laid his head back on the wall and stared up at the ceiling. All he wanted now was some sleep. He'd deal with whatever he had comin' in the morning.

Nick didn't get much sleep that night. He was too busy kicking himself for making a blind gamble that didn't payoff. What the hell was he thinking? He wanted Ellis on his side. Shit, he need him there. Now, he'd basically just slapped him in the face and said 'Oh hey, I know were just together to get through this hell hole, but come here.'. Freaking perfect.

And now he couldn't even get his mind off the kid! All his best traits and even some that he hadn't ever attempted to care for started to stand out. His eyes, the way he faced any challenge without giving up, his goofy, almost childish smile, his obliviousness to the fact that they may not even make it out of this shit swamp alive. Damn, how the hell did this even happen to him? The first time he saw the hick he was instantly annoyed, and his loud personality made him even worse. Now he was swooning over it? Jesus, what had this mess done to him?

He sighed. Well, there was nothing he could do about it now. Goddamnit. He'd deal with it in the morning.

Not surprising to him, Nick was the first to get up. He started packing, planning on waking Rochelle and Coach later and leaving Ellis to anyone else who would care to deal with him. He had found another pipe bomb and strapped it to his belt, then shoved the half filled water bottle in his pocket and preformed the usual habit of cocking his gun.

The sudden sound caused the country boy to stir and open his eyes. "Mornin'." He said with a yawn.

"Morning." Nick said back flatly.

Ellis stood and took a step forward when he noticed something. He applied all his weight to one foot and made one of the boards beneath him creak. "Get out, no way!" He said excitedly. He dropped to his hands and knees on the floor and ran his fingers around the edges, the gambler now eyeing him curiously. He knocked twice then pulled up the floor board and revealed an something wrapped in a towel. A secret panel.

Ellis slowly pulled back some of the dry material, being careful of whatever could be underneath, then relaxed as he saw it was simply a bright orange unit of some sort.

"Whoa," Nick said as he crouched beside it, recognizing the device.

"What is it?" The country boy asked, staring at it.

Nick smirked and picked up the machine. "It's a defibrillator." He said, adjusting the dials to their lowest setting.

Ellis cocked an eyebrow. "A defib-what now?"

The conman grinned and he stood with the paddles rubbing together in hand. "Watch." He walked over to the sleeping Coach and pulled the plates apart. "Clear." He touched the handles to the other man's arm, causing his eyes to shoot open and have him fall over in shock.

"OW!" He shouted, sitting up to the fairly amused Nick and noticing the device in his hands. "What in sweet hell do you think you're doing?" He snatched the machine from the gambler and Rochelle sat up.

"What's going on?" She asked, looking to the pissed Coach.

"Damn funny man Nick here just about killed me with this defibrillator." He grumbled.

Rochelle looked to him in shock. "Nick!"

"What?" He asked casually, the grin no playing on his features, those Ellis could detect the hint of humor in his tone. "They're supposed to wake you up right? At least we know it works."

"Uh," The country boy spoke up, a confused look still on his face. "Ya know I thought that was pretty funny, but I still don't get what it's for."

Rochelle sighed. "When your heart stops, a defibrillator is used to shock it back into action."

"Basically, it brings people back from the dead without turning them into flesh eating bastards." Nick explained, throwing a health kit over his shoulder.

Ellis nodded in understanding. "Cool."

They gathered their things and popped open the door. They headed out into a somewhat woodsy area, a few barns and walkers that Nick took the heads off of. They spotted a few more houses and searched for extra supplies, Coach encouraging them to be respectful to the deceased as they did. Compared to earlier, this bit of running was turning out to be a walk in the park.

They came along a tall, unmarked building under construction and climbed the scaffolding. The building inside was dark and overgrown, peeling paint covered the walls and holes in the floors. As they fought off the stumbling walkers and a single spitter, they heard the quiet sound of a buzzing electronic and a clouded "Hello?" They began scrambling to find it, Rochelle spotting the source to be a radio set up on a small table.

"Hello?" She tried to answer back into the microphone.

"You got to hold down this button here." Coach said, moving with his action. "Try it again."

"Hello?" Rochelle asked.

"Woo, well hello!" A voice on the other side called. "It's been real quiet now since my woman got bit."

Nick rolled his eyes and grabbed the mic. "Can you help us?"

"Well of course!" The voice replied. "Now, where're you at?"

"Uh..." Nick turned around, seeing no signs anywhere. "At a plantation with a big gate."

The man mhmmed in recognition. "Alright now, stay right where you is at. I'm be comin for yah." With that the line went out.

The group had a moment of relief. "Woo, boy! We're gettin' out of here!" Ellis said happily, cut short by the sound of on coming infected.

"Alright well we best hold our place till whoever it is gets here." Coach said, pulling out his gun.

As they came running from the building and the trees, the group shot everything they had at the horde. A charger came by, picking up Rochelle and slamming her twice before it fell, and another spitter wad hit the wall behind them, splashing on Ellis' right arm and causing him to rip off the bandages. A hunter pounced Nick and gave his suit a nice slice on the side before Coach could kick it aside and put a bullet through it's head.

But then an unwanted yell filled the air and everyone held their breath. A tank came barreling out at them in his usual, gorilla like way.

"Where do these guys even come from?" Ellis questioned as he fired.

Coach lit a molotov and threw it at the creature, running as he did. It him on the left shoulder and instantly he was ablaze, but that just pissed him off. He picked up a chunk of earth and hurled it at the black man, knocking him over as it broke of against his left side. He then did a wide turn, coming straight back at the firing group.

It threw Nick to the side, giving him a hard blow and knocking him far off his feet. He groaned in pain as he rolled over onto his stomach, hearing the rumbling stop and signaling the over drugged infected's death.

"Ya' ain't so good to us down here." Ellis appeared by his side, trying to get a grip on the man's shoulders. "We gotta get you back on your feet."

"No," Nick swung his arm up, knocking his away. "I got it."

The country boy stared at him a moment in confusion and then slight frustration. "We ain't got time for this." He took hold of the gambler once more. "Come on, get up."

The pair stumbled to their feet as a loud boom hit their ears and the ground shook. They turned quickly, looking for the tank to notice that the gate had been blown open, leading them to the docks where a boat rested for them.

"Everyone one on the boat!" Rochelle shouted as she passed them with the banged up Coach. "Now!" Ellis and Nick wasted no time in complying, running as fast as they could to the slippery planks.

"Woo! Here they come now!" A voice on the small tug boat shouted. "Hurry up now!"

They ran into the water with no hesitation and sloshed over to the broken pier then made an easy jump off of it into the safety of the ship as it started to take off. A hunter crying off in the distance pounced at them, only to land in the frigged waters below.