At long last, chapter 8! This is the one you've all been waiting for! Now let's hope I'll get the next chapter out a lot faster! (Probably not, I'm lazy like that. Yet, here you all are anyway)

Disclaimer: I do not own Left 4 Dead, just my characters. Now read the story!

The Survivor's Guide to Surviving the Infection

Chapter 8: H is for Hunter

The jumpers, the bouncers, the leapers, the hood wearing wussies. Hunters may look cute from afar, that is until they get closer. And they like to get real close, real fast. One Hunter can cause major damage. But two? It's an all out war.

One month, two weeks, ten minutes after first infection

She took his body coverings away. The leg ones, he didn't care for. The hard foot ones, eh. The soft foot ones, his feet were now cold, but no big deal. But his favorite one, his green one. She took that one away from him. He didn't like that. That was his green covering, not hers! Hishishishishis! How dare she take it! He needed that! It was his! It hid his face from the light, it made him feel face, it was all his!

"Chaqueta" he whined, staring at her sadly from underneath his towels.

"What? Chaqueta…oh! No you can't have it right now, it's dirty. I'm going to wash it later"

"Chaqueta"

"No"

"Si"

"No!"

"Si! Chaqueta!"

She huffed and walked out of the water-room, leaving him alone. He didn't move, couldn't move, and refused to. He lost his green-covering, he loved that covering. So he huddled beneath the towels, straining to listen for her, where she was, and what she was doing. He could hear the rustle of fabric, the scraping of metal, creaking of wood. He heard coughing and choking, that was the grabber. He did not like the grabber, grabber almost got her, his prey. Next time, grabber won't get so lucky…

She was back, with more body-coverings. They did not smell like his though. They smelled stiff, and musty, and of prey long gone. But they were still not his coverings. "Chaqueta" he whined at her again, but she did not return it back to him. Instead, she began to help him tug on the new coverings over his body. But they were still not his favorite green-covering. He snarled at the one she was trying to tug over his head though. He'd rather sit in the cold without the top half of his body covered than wear whatever coving she was trying to make him wear.

"Toni, come on! Just put it on for now!" she begged, giving him a sad look with big eyes. Something stirred within in, but he quickly squashed the feeling inside him.

"Chaqueta" he hissed at her, backing away from the female-live-prey, not wanting to be near her not-his-favorite-green-covering. She huffed at him, rolling her eyes and exited the water-room, leaving him alone again. Fine! If she wouldn't give him his green-covering, he would just look for it himself and get her while the others were still out of it. That would show her to take his stuff.

He ventured out of the room shortly after her, crawling into the hall. She would not listen to his cries, but maybe his green-covering would hear him. Maybe if he called loud enough, his green-covering would hear him and alter him of its whereabouts. Brilliant! "Chaqueta!" he called as he crept down and out the hall into the main room where the entrance was. "Chaqueta!" he chirped again, parking is bottom down in the middle of the floor, relentlessly calling for his covering.

Where was it? Where could it be? Did it not hear him? Was he not loud enough? Oh where could it be! Suddenly, his metal-covered ears pricked up, there was something behind him. His covering? Ah, it heard him after all! But…coverings don't growl menacingly….

Oh.

His single eye widened, and he slowly turned himself around. The sight before him made him growl and bare his teeth, hackles rising, back arching. It was Him.

He had awoken with a sneeze, swiping his tongue along his upper lip. And for the first time that day, he could breathe through his nose again. His head still hurt, his everything else did too, but he could breathe and that was all he needed. Zachary began to uncurl himself, muscles stretching, bones popping and cracking from the first movement in forever. He yawned, arms stretched out in front of him, rear in the air.

Moving…moving hurt. Moving made him feel dizzy. But he needed to move, ached to do something, to feel his blood pumping again. Furious hacking and sputtering drew his attention to the other occupant of the room, Iyan. When did Iyan get in here? Groggily, the Hunter crawled over and on top of the Smoker, waving away sickly green smoke to see his friend. But ah, he was sleep, his single orange eye closed shut. Yet he kept coughing and hacking away, Zachary moved away to avoid being coughed upon. Awkwardly, he half climbed, half tumbled off the bed to the floor.

He needed…he needed to fine his 'Ine. Where was she? He needed her, he was hungry. His head still hurt, and the room spun when he moved, but he was still hungry. But where would he find her? He sniffed the air, hoping to pick up her scent. Aha, he could smell her! And water…and some…fruity smells….Oh, the water-bath-gooey-smells. Was he getting a bath? No, he hated baths! He did not want one, he was too sick for one, no bath!

Zachary sunk into the floor and buried his face into his arms; no bath! But she never came calling for him, no dragging him off or shoving him into the long water hole. He could hear her though, her voice drifted throughout the house. But what she talking about? Was she talking to someone? There was no one else here was there?

And that's when he heard it.

"Chaqueta"

He froze, ruined eyes twitching.

"Chaqueta"

"Chaqueta"

"Chaqueta"

That one sound echoed through the house, down the hall, into the room and right into his ears. He knew that voice. He breathed in, soaking up all the scents that his nose could reach. He growled. He knew that scent too. While Zachary was on somewhat…friendly terms with the other Hunter, he wasn't about to let a rival flounce around here, a rival in his territory. Unnaturally silent, he stood and slunk out the door, slipping down the hall to stand at its entrance.

And there he was, making that distressing sound, exposed. The other Hunter looked smaller without his usual covering, his grayed skin covered in scars and scratches. He was in good shape, muscles jutting out of his skin. But that didn't mean he was stronger, stronger than him! His rival was in his territory, and Zachary would not let this go by! It didn't matter that he felt ready to flop over at any second, all his attention and focus was fixed on the other Hunter before him.

He would pay for trespassing.

He growled menacingly at the other male, and his rival whipped around to face him. His lips pulled back into a grin; was that fear he detected? Suddenly everything became so focused, so clear. There was a trespasser in his territory. He needed to deal with. And with that, his muscles bunched and the larger Hunter sprang forward at the intruder.

He will paypyapyapaypaypaypay for being here!

The next thing Toni knew, his back was slamming into the ground, and he let a surprised gasp. He should have been expecting that jump, should have been ready for that. He was so stupidstupidstupid sometimes. Toni snarled at his attacker, curling his legs beneath him to kick off the other Hunter. The other went flying back, and he quickly flipped himself over to scramble up and away.

He was screamed at, the Hunter's feral cry of attack. He heard the woosh of air that told him the other pounced, and his rival crashed into him one more. They tumbled, they bounced, they hiss and spat at each other like cats. They were a whirlwind of noise, clothing, sickness and anger. His rival chewed on his ear, so he slashed at his face. His rival would hiss and pull away only to rake his claws down his chest. They traded blows like that, trying to deal as much damage as they could to the other without killing him.

This is wasn't just a fight to defend territory. It was a fight for dominance.

It didn't matter how many times his face was slashed at, his stomach kicked, an artery almost being snapped, he would not submit. If his rival was a better Hunter, he could have taken out the prey already. Instead, he let it wander about, begging to be eaten. What was the point in keeping it around? Wasn't he hungry? Toni was starving. His last catch had been so long ago. He had been forced to catch and eat lesser prey, it just did not satisfy him. She would though, his rival's prey. Perhaps that's why he was saving her. Needed a good meal..good meal…

His thoughts were distraction enough to allow his rival to topple him over, and the hissing and spitting momentarily resumed. But it was he needed, his rival pinned him. But Toni still refused to submit. Even as dagger like claws dug into his sides, he still refused. His rival growled at him, hovering dangerously close to his throat, ready to bite down whenever, to end it.* He still refused, did not utter a thing, did not move a single muscle. He would remain defiant, no matter what. His rival was irritated, upset from the lack of reactions he wasn't getting from him. A warm gush of air tickled his throat, and he could almost feel teeth at his skin-

Boom!

He jumped. His rival jumped. Fuck they jumped. They did not expect the boom of a death-stick at all. They sat there panting, adrenaline coursing through their veins, as well fear. If a death-stick sounded that close to them, it meant the end was near. The heard the click of the death-stick, but another boom never came.

"Alright, I hope that's the end of that"

It was her, the prey. She had the death-stick in her hand. She almost shot them. She could have shot them. But Toni was far too paranoid about the death-stick to care about anything else. "Zachary, get off him" she ordered his rival, who snapped out of his daze to hiss at her.

"No. Tresssspassser. Must make submit" his rival growled at her, looking down at him to snarl in his face, as if doing so would seal the deal. Toni snarled right back, ready to start fighting again when a loud click sounded, and another boom shattered their eardrums.

"Now Zachary"

Whimpering, his rival climbed off and back away. A few moments later, something soft and green landed on his chest. Toni let out a bark of joy and clung to his covering, sniffing at it to make sure it was his. And sure enough, it was, so he wiggled back into it and finally pulled the hood over his face. Perfect.

The prey walked over to his rival to feel his forehead. "Goddammit, you're like a fucking furnace working over time. You're still sick, get back to bed" she said, nudging the other Hunter away.

"No! Must….tresspassser….must…make…submit" he whined, shooting a look at him beneath his hood. But with the prey's insistence, he was herded out of the room into another room. Out of site, out of mind. Toni sat silent through it all, observing their behavior towards one another. Prey seemed to care a lot about his rival. They were close. So if she suddenly disappeared, he would get angry. He would get very. very angry. And while their fight was exciting and blood pumping…Toni did not want to tangle with him again like that.

But…his rival…Zaa-ker-ee…was sick…Not sick with the usual sick, sick sick sick. As was the tall smelly one in the den. Both sick. But both capable. This was going to be harder than he thought.

Never underestimate the abilities of a Hunter. It may be the end of you. Just because they look "wussy" doesn't mean they still can't rip you to shreds.

Dat's it, homeskills. Review, fav, follow, you know the drill. Any mistakes, lemme know right away. Tell me what you think, love it or flame it, whatever man. Tune in next-whenever for the next exciting chapter of the Survivor's Guide! On the menu is Chapter 9: I is for Infected.

Safety and peace my brothers and sisters!