Wow where to begin?
It was English class, 10th grade when I first started the Survivor's Guide. I was procrastinating on writing a paper, which I'm pretty sure was also my final lmao. Either way, on my tiny little netbook, I wrote out the first two chapters. I had only started playing L4D a few months prior, and I had become completely enamored with the fandom side of things. I wasn't much of an artist (and I'm still not), and I figured I would give writing the old college try.
And thankfully, for you reading, that ended up working well.
I hadn't planned on writing this for long as I have, I thought I'd be done within a year, but then high school ended faster than I anticipated, and I was still no where near done with it. Couple in with getting into another big fandom (about guys in hoods with knives strapped to their arms, you may have heard of it), the Survivor's Guide fell to the wayside just a tad.
But it was also at that point, a bit of a comfort fic to me. That it was always there, and I had an end goal, and I'd reach that on my own time. Many chapters didn't exactly come out the way I wanted them to at the time, and I blame that on my inexperience with writing. Hence why I started pushing hard to get myself to re-write much of the early story, and looking it over, it hasn't aged very well lmao.
The Survivor's Guide isn't the first fic of its kind, and it won't be the last, but it is, I think, very unique in many ways. And while I've had my ups and downs with it, it's still a story I hold near and dear to my heart. And I know other people love it just as much, from comments, bookmarks, views, favorites, etc etc.
Today, on April 10th 2021, the fic itself turns 10 years old, making the day I first posted it here in 2011. I cannot believe it's been that long, mainly because I think about how old I've gotten, and how much my life has changed since then. And it's gonna be the most heart breaking thing finally bringing this story its close this year.
That's right, I'm determined to finally finish this story before the year is up. Even if it's the only thing I'm gonna write fanfic wise this year just to make sure it gets finished, so be it.
That said, none of you are ready for the next handful of chapters. I'm not ready either. I will be laughing and crying alongside everyone reading with me. Your support has been nothing short of a blessing, whether you have been reading this fic since 2011, or just found it today. I just wanted to thank you all, and just let you know how special you are to me, but also how big of a deal this fic is to me.
And one last thing- the long awaited remaster of the early chapters has finally begun! Ch1 Remastered has been posted, so if you're an old time fan, go back and give it a read! Alright, I'm outta here, thank you and I love you!
Getting a full hour's rest was always a challenge for him. Ryan startled awake into a short coughing fit. At this point in time, everyone else was so used to it, their sleep went uninterrupted. Even Zachary, still curled up on top of him, barely reacted. The Hunter simply wiggled against his chest, sighed in his sleep, and snoozed on. Ryan wished that was him.
He couldn't quite tell how long any of them had been asleep for. It could have been twenty minutes, or two hours, who knew. The room was slightly brighter than it was before, so clearly some significant amount of time had passed. Enough sunlight peeked through the boarded windows that he was able to finally get a good look around him.
Divine and Toni were huddled together still on the beds. Ryan had learned everyone's sleeping patterns over the last few months. Divine would alternate between octopussing, ballerinaing, and then finally would settle for a while before she started all over again. Usually giving her a blanket to cocoon in helped mitigate that.
Toni, on the other hand, always started out as a pencil, but with his face buried in his arms. But eventually he'd switch to holding himself, arms wrapped around his stomach tight. He wouldn't move otherwise, and it was easy to mistake him for a restless sleeper, but Ryan would occasionally catch a pained expression on his face. And usually after he woke, he'd be in a piss poor mood, which led Ryan to think he suffered from consistent nightmares. Couldn't blame him though.
And Zachary? Well, it was a good thing Ryan had him, and as he thought about it, he slung an arm over him. Zach was also restless in the sense that, if he woke up mid-sleep, and found himself on an edge or something, he'd happily dogpile on the other two and fall right back asleep. But that sometimes also resulted in awakening their smaller companions temporarily. So, Ryan opted to hold onto him for now, to give him something to cling onto, and hopefully give the others a little more time to sleep.
As for him? Huh, well, he supposed he'd be drifting in and out of it for a while longer. And in the meantime, enjoy the quiet a little bit longer. Until he got bored, that was.
x-X-x-X-x
He watched her finger trace circle and lines for the map tacked to the kitchen wall. Every move her finger made, the flashlight went with. Ryan had no idea what exactly she was doing, but he was content to wait and see, his patience rewarded with an eventual explanation.
"Okay, so here," Divine started, tapping one corner of the map, the safehouse symbol drawn over it in black. "Is us. And over here," her finger moved to the opposite corner. "Is where the other safehouse used to be. But see? I think it was compromised." The mark of the second safehouse had a huge red X over it.
"Bummer," he commented.
"And then look all over here," Divine continued, sweeping her finger across the map, smaller X's and O's were dotted between both points. "You know what this is? An aggressive game of hugs and kisses."
Ryan snorted into his arm in amusement, which quickly turned into a short coughing it, but still laughed anyway.
"Actually it's probably something to do with… Military casualties?" she said with a shrug. "I dunno, won't know until we go look. I'm just noticing that there's a lot more O's in our side of town than there is on the other side of it. So maybe we're in a sort of… Safezone?"
"I fucking hope so," Ryan replied. "Otherwise this is gonna be a short break for us."
"Well, like I said, only one way to know."
"You can't be serious."
"Listen, whoever used this saferoom last decided to leave it severely under supplied. We need more batteries for the lanterns, among other things. And we're not leaving this place until I know our route out," Divine explained. Ryan started to open his mouth to say something, but gently closed it over his tongue again. He just shrugged and nodded in agreement, he really couldn't argue.
"Thanks for understanding," she smirked at him.
"When you're right, you're right, okay?" he admitted in good-natured defeat. "I'll go wherever you go."
"You can sit here by yourself if you want. I won't make you."
"What, and leave those bunny rabbits to watch over ya?" he jerked his head towards the kitchen doorway. "Puh-leaaaase. You'd get shredded by a Witch first."
"Like I never get into trouble with you around," she rolled her eyes.
"Nope," he chuckled. With a soft schloop, his tongue shot out to grab her arm, and he reeled her into his arms. "Always need me to look out for ya." She let out a small sound as he caught her, struggling weakly, fixing him with a pouty, but playful look.
"I'd be a lot less slimy with you," Divine grumbled as she shook her arm loose, and waved it around to dry it off. "Well, I guess that's not entirely true, I'd still have Zachary to drool all over me."
"Literally or metaphorically?"
"Both?" she laughed. "Probably both. Whatever, come on," and she playfully pushed against his shoulders. "Get your shoes on, let's go do some scouting."
She freed herself from his hands and walked back into the other room, calling for the Hunters to do the same. He watched her go, mesmerized for a moment, before slowly taking off after her.
x-X-x-X-x
"Hey I think I know why it's called Bridgerton," Divine said out loud as she stepped off the road and onto the bridge. It was massive, almost the length of a football field, with long steel beams crossing over the sides of it. Water, melted from all the snow, surged beneath them.
"Is it because there's a bridge?" Ryan guessed.
"And there's a ton of it," Divine replied. "You have one good eye, use it."
Ryan protested with a small noise, unsure of how to really respond, as Toni snickered from above, atop one of the beams. With the only one he had, Ryan looked up and shot the green-clad Hunter the stink eye. From under the shadows of his hood, Toni stuck his tongue out playfully, then turned and continued meandering along the beams.
"Come on!" Divine giggled and started picking her way across the bridge. "Last one there's a rotten egg."
"It's gonna be dark soon," Ryan called after her, hands in his pockets as he slowly followed, careful not to trip over one of the numerous potholes in the road. Much like the road leading into town, the bridge was also filled with empty cars. There was still the dread of bumping into one, but for every one his butt bumped against, all Ryan felt was cold metal, and no alarms blared.
(And still no bodies inside them.)
On the other side, residential homes and storefronts turned into brick warehouses. Chimney stacks crowded the skyline, for once free of billowing smoke and gas. Most had shattered windows. Some had busted open doors. Others, the garage doors were half cranked up, or looked like something had punched through it. The lessers were here too, leaned against walls, or sitting on the sidewalk dejectedly.
"Well- Coughcough- Looks promising, I guess," Ryan wheezed.
"The other safehouse is supposed to be on the other side of the industrial district," Divine explained. "And I think this is it."
"Coulda fooled me," he sighed. "This place is a dump…"
He sighed again as she just powered on, pulling her gun free off her back. It didn't take much for Ryan to catch up with her, falling into step with only a few quick strides. They continued down the street, the Hunters their ever watchful guardians from above. The sun inched closer to the horizon line, the warehouses casting down long shadows over the road.
They were both startled when a few lamplights- On the sidewalk and hanging from the buildings- Suddenly flickered on. Ryan cursed under his breath and clutched his chest, annoyed that a little light had scared him.
"The electricity is still going on this side of town!" Divine gasped excitedly. "They must have a uh… Uh… Hydroelectric plant along the river. Which means that other safehouse might not be as compromised as we think it is!"
"But we don't know why it was in the first place," Ryan pointed out. "I dunno, something's fishy around here."
"Everything's been fishy for the last-" and Divine paused to count on her fingers. "Four… Fiveish months or some shit. Point is, maybe that safehouse is better than the one we're staying in. Now we know we wouldn't be living in the dark."
"You're the only one- Coughcough- Who can't see in the dark- Ah, will you wait?!"
She was already on the move again, faster this time, hopping over more potholes and juking past lessers. Ryan threw his hands up into the air and started after her. He glanced up a lightpole where Zachary was hanging upside down from, legs hooked over the arm of the pole, his arms stretched out towards the ground. Toni was perched just about the light itself, looking down unimpressed.
"Go get her?" Ryan growled at them. "Before something- Not you- Jumps her?"
"But I'm like a spider right now," Zachary protested.
"I got it," Toni volunteered, and vanished from the pole.
"Thanks," Ryan said into the empty air, then looked back at Zach. "You know… I think you look more like a bat."
"Ohhh~" Zachary cooed. "But do bats go hsthsthst?"
"More than spiders do," Ryan replied. "I think. Stop screwing around."
He walked under the pole and reached out smack at the Hunter's hand. Zachary hsthsthst'd at him. A moment later from over his shoulder, Ryan heard him drop the ground. The two of them picked their way down the street. They could see Divine and Toni standing at a street corner, peering around the corner of a building. Divine had her gun at the ready.
Oh shit.
His senses shifted into prowler mode, his wheeze and coughs suddenly lessened as he creeped forward to stick his head around the corner above them. And then he heard it, echoing from down the street-
Uhh-huh, aheh, aahhuhh-
A lone figure stood under a lamp by a warehouse door. Her long hair had stayed raven black, and her clothes- What was left of them- Hung off her in tatters. Bony shoulders shook as she sobbed, the palms of her hands pressed into her face. Wicked nails jutted out from the tips of her fingers, shielding her in a crown of thorns.
The sight of her just screamed oh fuck. They were leaving. Like, right now.
Ryan pulled back grabbing Toni and Zach by the shoulders and dragging them along. He prepared to shoot his tongue out to ensnare Divine, but the three of them sucked in a sharp breath of air when their survivor stepped away from the corner… And down the road towards the Witch.
"Divine!" he hissed under his breath. Ryan started to move, but Zachary pushed past him to also disappear around the corner. He and Toni remained still, almost waiting for the inevitable. But there was no gunshot, no screaming or screeching… Just the Witch's continuous cries of despair. A few moments later, Zachary came back with Divine over his shoulder, and kept going past them.
The smartest thing he could have done, honestly. They followed after him, and Ryan glanced back towards the street corner. Nothing came running on their heels. They were all lucky, this time. He turned his attention back to the bewildered survivor that hung over Zachary's shoulder like a very confused sack of potatoes.
"What were you doing?!" Ryan growled at her, keeping his voice low, but still angry. "She could have shredded you!"
Divine blinked and looked up at him, and asked "You didn't… Hear her?"
"I heard her just fine," he retorted. "Didn't need to get closer for that."
"Did you hear her?" Divine asked, looking at Toni.
"Yeah, boo-hoo-hoo," Toni replied in a tone that was more unamused than normal.
Divine scoffed and rolled her eyes, cheeks puffed up as she stared hard at the ground. But Ryan knew that look. She was pouting, but she was also thinking about something. Probably something stupid.
"You're not going back," Ryan warned her. "If you wanna get to that safehouse, it better be around her."
She blew the air out of her cheeks. Caught her good. She peeked up at him, her mouth all twisted up, and lifted her arm… To elbow Zach in the back of the head.
"You can put me down," she said.
"Nope," Zachary shook his head dismissively.
"Keep a good grip on her, Zach. She's a wiley one," Ryan said.
The Hunter hefted her up higher on his shoulder, and she squeaked in protest.
"You know, I'm supposed to be in charge here, and giving you guys the orders," Divine grumbled. "Not the other way around."
"Yesterday, we almost got killed by geese," Toni pointed out. "Today, you almost got killed by a Witch."
"Not on purpose," she whined.
"Toni's right, we can't trust you," Ryan said. "Least not right now. You… Are grounded. For tonight."
Her mouth flapped like a fish for a few moments, before snapping shut as she gave him the angriest look she could conjure.
"I'm gonna shoot all of you," she mumbled, and then went silent for the rest of the walk back home.
x-X-x-X-x
Cigarette smoke billowed out from the corners of his mouth, rising into the air as it mingled with the ever present cloud of gas that hung around him. Ryan was on the roof, leaned back against an a/c vent, staring up at the sky. The sun had set, and the first stars twinkled brightly. It was the perfect night out. He couldn't recall a time when the sky had ever been this clear… Because his memory these days only really seemed to go as far back to the beginning of all this.
But he liked to think that, surely the sky was never this clean and clear before all this. There were no lights in their little part of town, and the meager ones from across the bridge couldn't reach them. Aside from his own gas, he had an unobstructed view of the night sky. And it was beautiful. It was one of the few things that made him feel small, because the sky was so big and endless. And it was comforting, after months of ever changing landscapes, the sky never seemed to be any different.
And when he looked, he thought for a moment, maybe he could remember it was like Before. When he had two functional eyes, and wasn't covered in cancerous growths, and didn't feel winded just standing up half the time. When his face matched the one in the wallet that Divine guarded so closely for him. Had that normal, human face stared up at this sky too? With the same wonder? Who was to say.
The moment was shattered by a seizing in his chest, and he coughed and sputtered. God, would he give to not have to go through that anymore…
Ryan sighed and took another puff from his cigarette. In the back of his mind, he knew smoking these things wasn't good for him still, that maybe he got this way because of it. But the end of the world was a bitch and a half, and he always felt like he was a step away from Death's door. May as well go out the same way he lived, right?
A scrabbling by the fire escape caught his attention, and a moment later, a small figure appeared, and meandered over to him.
"Howdy," Ryan greeted him.
"Buenas noches," Toni replied nonchalantly as he came over and plopped himself down at Ryan's feet.
"How's the protest going?" Ryan asked him, taking a long drag.
"My ears needed a break," Toni huffed, and Ryan chuckled at that.
The "protest", as punishment for not letting her throw herself recklessly into danger, was Divine giving all three of them the cold shoulder. Which also included not making anyone dinner except for herself. Which wasn't a big deal at its core, their metabolisms were vastly different from hers. Zachary, however, was taking it the worst because-
He craved Divine's attention.
He craved stealing sharing everyone's food.
So as one could imagine, he was taking it very hard. Ryan was impressed that Toni lasted as long as he did. Though, he guessed that Toni also had ulterior motives for coming up here. He could feel the Hunter's gaze tracking his hand as it moved between his mouth and a resting position on his knee.
"You're a real trooper," Ryan complimented him, taking another long, slow drag. He could practically see Toni biting at his lip. Ryan rolled his eye… And then held his hand out. Taking it as permission to join, Toni scooted over to press himself into Ryan's side, and quickly leaned over and took his own puff. The Hunter let out a relaxed sigh as smoke blew out from his mouth.
They hadn't been able to hang out like this in what felt like forever. Toni didn't often join him for smoke sessions. He was shy still, for the most part. Still awkward about asking "permission" to just… Chill. Ryan figured he'd get it over it one day, maybe, in his own way.
They sat together in comfortable semi-silence, taking turns huffing away at the cigarette. And when it was worn away to a nub, Ryan tossed it aside and lit up a new one. The stars continued to pop out more and more as the night wore on. Together they went through an additional three more cigarettes before calling it quits, content to just sit together without any other effort or fanfare.
(And by "sit together", it was definitely Toni going from curled up against his side to curled up in his lap but that wasn't something Ryan would give him a hard time for at the moment.)
Eventually though, all good things had to come to an end.
"We should go back inside," Ryan suggested.
"Ugh," Toni mumbled.
"Div's gonna wanna get up early. And she can't sleep without her cuddle pile, ya know?"
"Hmph."
"Zach won't sleep either."
"God," Toni sighed. "You're so right, and I hate that."
Ryan laughed- More like coughed ferociously- But still in an amusing manner.
"Ya gonna get up or do I need to carry ya?" he asked the Hunter.
"I'm so jealous I never got a turn earlier," Toni pouted, sticking the tip of his tongue out. Ryan choked out another laugh, and with little effort, he had the Hunter scooped up in his arms. They would brave the storm of Divine and Zachary's tantrum… Together.
x-X-x-X-x
Ryan sat in the shallow bathtub, his legs dangling out over the side, the world' tiniest window cracked open above him. He dutiful held the flashlight and kept it pointed up towards the ceiling, illuminating the small bathroom. How anything fit in a little bathroom under the stairs was beyond him, but it probably made sense for anyone significantly shorter than him. He had to bend and twist just to get in here.
In the dim light, he watched Divine furiously scrub with her toothbrush.
"I mean, i just don't get it," he shrugged at her. "Who cares- Coughcough- anymore if you have clean teeth?"
"Uhm, me?" she said between brushings. "I care? It's gross otherwise?"
"Yeah but like, it's not gonna kill ya."
"Uh, gingivitis and other gum diseases still exist," she pointed out. She spat into the sink, and then took a sip from a water bottle. She sloshes it around in her mouth, and then spat that out too. "When was the last time you saw your own teeth?"
"Well I know I have them," Ryan rolled his eye.
"That didn't answer my question."
"It's been a minute ok? I just don't worry about it."
"That's great for you, but me? I still want mine to be clean while I still have them. Why does it matter to you anyway?"
"Doesn't really," he sulked.
"Are you trying to pick a fight with me?" she grinned at him. "About today? Is that why you're trying to make me choke in here?"
"Better than being ripped open like a tan can is- Coughcough- all I'm saying," he grumbled.
"Look dude, you can't believe me or not, but I heard her talking to me, I know she was!" Divine insisted. "Wouldn't that make you curious too?"
"Not enough to go waltzing right up to her," Ryan said. "In fact, I think I'd run the complete opposite direction even faster if I heard one talking to me."
She puffed out her cheeks at him, as if that was supposed to intimidate him or something. Sometimes he felt like she forgot she was small and adorable, and she didn't really scare him the way she hoped.
"I'm still going back there tomorrow," she muttered. "Not to see the Witch, but just to find out what's going on over there. Something's happening, I can feel it."
"I bet ya do," he sighed. "...And there's no stopping ya?"
"Nope!"
"Fuck…" he wheezed. "Yeah alright, whatever."
"You sound extremely enthused."
"Well I gotta go with ya anyway, so."
"You gotta?" she asked with a quirked brow. "What, you can't trust me alone to do anything?"
"Uh-uh," Ryan shook his head. "You're a born troublemaker, and someone's gotta watch out for ya."
"Oh?" she smirked, tossing her toothbrush into the sink as she took two small steps towards him. She put her hands on top of his knees and leaned in. "What does that mean? You don't trust the boys to keep me out of trouble?"
"I wouldn't trust them with an egg, let alone you," he said. He tilted the flashlight away as he leaned forward to meet her. "So I gotta take care of ya."
"Oooh, how noble of you," she swooned, teasingly. "My big bad Smoker to keep me safe."
"Yeah," he nodded, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. "Glad you understand too."
They were leaning in real close now, could have been closer if he didn't have that thing dangling out of his mouth. His gaze flicked between her eyes and her lips. He hadn't come in here expecting this, but she was right there, and probably equally looking to pick a fight with him too. Or, something.
"I'm not ripping this thing out just to leave it in here," he said, quietly. "That didn't go so well the last time I tried that."
(Zach smelled like Smoker breath for a week after he had lovingly taken a discarded tongue and frolicked around with it. It was the only time Ryan had ever been self-conscious about his own stink.)
"So just hold your breath," Divine whispered. "We'll be fast."
He nodded. Ryan pulled back a little, coughed into his elbow a few times, then took a few even breaths, in and out… And then he sucked his tongue back into throat. It didn't feel great, like a huge lump was sitting in his airway, which it was. So they had to be fast, with crashing their lips into each other, hardly even a sloppy makeout when he couldn't open his mouth. But it was enough for him, and enough for her, and it was enough for approximately thirty seconds.
Because after thirty-one, he pushed her way, turned his way, and vomited his tongue back out.
"Ryan "the Smoker" Smallwood, you are the pinnacle of romance," Divine complimented him.
"I still- Hurk- got it," he gagged, with a tiny fist pump and more ferocious coughing.
x-X-x-X-x
By the next mid-morning, they found themselves crossing the bridge once more into the industrial district of the town. The first thing Ryan noticed was that more lessers had popped out between now and last night, so he kept Divine by his side despite her protests. Second, many of them seemed to be wearing similar clothes as to each other, an observation that was confirmed when Divine muttered-
"Military?"
It had been a real hot minute since they ran into the military, but even then, it was just those guys that Toni had gotten all worked up about. But those guys had been normal, healthy humans. The ones around here were definitely clearly zombified. Poor schmucks.
"I guess that explains the power," Divine said, just loud enough for him to hear. "And the safehouse. But if everyone just turned, maybe it's not as bad as it seems?"
"Let's hope," Ryan responded.
Divine pulled out her notepad and flipped it open to a page she seemed to have dedicated to a mini map (or just a lot of straight lines, from his point of view). She took him along whatever invisible path she seemed to have laid out. And while they didn't run into that Witch from last night, Ryan did find himself pushing aside a lot of lessers out of their way. Ahead of them, the Hunters dropped out of the sky on top of some unsuspecting lessers, and then disappeared just as quickly. He watched them go, bouncing around from building to lesser, knocking down the stumbling masses like it was some sort of game. Which it could have been, for all he knew.
They walked along together, passing by warehouses with big twisting metal pipes sticking out of the walls and ceilings. Out of some open garages, he could see overturned crates, their contents spilling out over loading docks. The former workers still sat nearby, clutching their heads or standing around looking none too busy.
A blur rushed past, and then Toni appeared in front of them, taking out another lesser as he did. The lesser let out half a squawk of surprise, but laid immobile underneath his feet.
"Hey, so, you were right," Toni said to Divine.
"I usually am, but what in particular about?" she asked.
"A talking Witch."
Ryan shared a glance with Divine.
"Oh really?" Divine grinned, looking a little too smug for Ryan's liking.
"Yeah her sister's like, walking around and talking to herself. She sounds kinda freaked out," Toni explained. Divine's smug grin vanished.
"Sister?" she echoed. "But we didn't see a second one last night?"
"Well Zach and I found a second one," Toni shrugged. "I dunno… Come on."
He leapt off the lesser, who gave a weak groan. Ryan and Divine glanced at each other again, as the latter stuffed her notepad away to switch it out for her shotgun. Just in case, probably. They followed his shadow as it bounced and flew above them.
Ryan had a bad feeling about this though. Did Witches typically come in pairs? He supposed they could, he had just never seen two of them together. Granted, he always kinda figured that ones like him and the boys were usually solitary. He hadn't felt any need to group up in the early days before Divine and Zach found him. Maybe Witches were different then? Like, a real tough winter, better to hunker down together?
"What are a group of Witches called?" Ryan asked. "There's a name for that, right?"
"Covens," Divine answered. "Why, do you think there's a whole coven of zombie Witches out here?"
"Well, I was just thinking, that it's pretty odd for Witches to have friends, ya know? I thought they just sat around and cried all by their miserable, lonesome selves."
"Yeah, I think it's weird too," Divine agreed. "This must be a special kind of Witch then."
Must be.
Toni led them down the street and around a corner, where Zachary was sitting on a bus stop. He turned and held a finger to his lips as they approached, shhhh. Then he pointed to where this supposed second Witch was. They peered around the bus stop and, sure enough they saw… Something.
A willowy figure was pacing back and forth, long inky black hair hanging limply down past their shoulders. Their hands would occasionally come up and gesticulate wildly, but would alternate between that, and hugging themselves. There were no wickedly long nails on their hands. They were normal.
But even Ryan could hear it, their voice drifting over. Frantic. Panicked. Almost distinct words. Words nonetheless though.
"That's not a Witch," Divine whined. "That's just some emo lookin' dude."
"Why's he talking though?" Ryan asked. "I've never heard the lessers talk to themselves anymore."
"Don't think they have anything interesting to say anyway," Toni helpfully supplied.
"He's weird," Zach said. "Don't like him."
"Yeah guys, let's just, leave him be," Divine sighed. "I get why you confused him, but that's not remotely a Witch."
"Aw maaaan!" Zach cried. "I thought I was helpin'."
The long haired figure's head snapped towards them. Even from here, Ryan could see wide yellow eyes glinting in the sunlight. And he knew right away that their fake "Witch" was very much aware.
"H-Hey," he started quietly. "You might wanna-"
"Whatever, let's just keep moving," Divine said, already turning away. "We still got the day ahead of us, and we have a lot of ground to cover."
The figure's gaze was transfixed on them.
"Div, hey, wait, hold on," Ryan tried to stop her. "Something's not ri- Urk-"
Oh no. He felt a big one coming on. He wanted to suppress it. He really did. But he couldn't. And he exploded into a coughing fit. Every cough may as well have been a gunshot in the otherwise quiet street. The few lessers that hung about hardly paid him mind, but that greasy haired shit over there kept staring.
"Damn Ryan, are you okay?" Divine asked, turning back to him. "Shit lemme get you some water."
Her gun waved in the open air as she went for her pack, it going under her arm as she tried to help him. But it may as well have been a flag that said "here we are". Because the next thing they all knew, a rusty, hollow voice suddenly asked-
"Monster?"
All four looked up to see that the figure had gotten closer. Not close enough to touch them, but close enough to get a good look at him. He shook like a leaf, all skin and bones, his clothes hanging off him just as loosely as his hair did. From atop the bus stop, Zach arched and hissed, with Toni letting out his own warning growl. Ryan knew, in that moment, they were about to be thoroughly fucked.
"M-Monster?" the figure repeated. He was staring at Divine's gun. Divine stared at him like a deer in the headlights. Ryan wasn't sure what to do next. Run, or beat the little shit down right then and there. Because if he tried to attack her…
"Me?" Divine eventually said. "No I'm just- But you're- Hey, listen man-"
It didn't matter, in the end. No amount of explaining or rationalizing would have stopped it. The figure reared back in shock, his mouth opened wide-
And let out an earth shattering scream.
Divine's shotgun and pack clattered to the ground, and all four of them covered their ears. Through the pain and the ringing, Ryan helplessly watch the Screamer run off, still screaming about-
"MONSTER! THE MONSTERS ARE BACK! IT'S OVER HEEEERE!"
Suddenly, every pair of functional eyes were on them. They appeared from on the street, from around corners, out windows and doors. And then, a chorus of howls and caterwauls erupted from across the area. Every single lesser was now painfully aware of them. Most importantly, they were aware of Divine.
Here they come…
They ran- No words needed. Divine almost made a grab for her shotgun, but the first of the lessers had caught up, and she was forced to keep going. Ryan scooped her up and shoved her into Zach's arms.
"Get her out of here!" Ryan screamed. The Hunter merely nodded and was gone in a flash, Toni following after. That didn't seem to do anything though- The lessers kept going, even as far as crashing into him, but still kept at it regardless. The Smoker merely had to shove them aside and follow, trying not to lose sight of them.
He could see the Hunters bouncing along the rooftops, pointing wildly for places to land. They seemed to be in argument with each other, and Divine was literally caught in the middle of it, also pointing around. Surely if they stayed up there, nothing could get at them. But Ryan's heart dropped as he saw some of the lessers start scaling the sides of the buildings, grabbing onto window ledges and piping to climb up with.
'Ya gotta be shitting me,' Ryan thought. While his tongue was supposed to be used for ensnaring and immobilizing prey, it was gonna have a new purpose- Shooting out to grab lessers around their waists and legs, and throwing them back down to the street below. They screeched in fury as they dropped, some hitting the ground hard and not moving, while others dropped and hurried back to their feet.
The trio on the rooftops moved on, and Ryan struggled to keep up. He doubled over quickly, his lungs burning as he struggled to breath between coughing fits. Fuck, why now? A lesser bumped into him, and he looked up, realizing he had lost sight of the others. But the lessers kept running. And he could see a head of long black hair moving with them.
That little rat bastard.
Growling, Ryan stomped over, gaining on him fast as he shoved this way through the crowd, and tongue schlooped out to catch the Screamer. The little shit let out a terrified howl as Ryan reeled him in.
"You," Ryan snarled at him. "What did you do?"
"M-Monster!" the Screamer insisted. "I-It was right there?! It was gonna kill you!"
"You dumb fuck, that's my friend!" Ryan howled at him. "And she might die because of you! Call them off, right now, or else-"
"No stopping it," the Screamer whimpered with a shake of his head. "No stopping… Haha… Can't stop now, heehe… And he's coming, oooh he's gonna come and kill the monsters… Hehehe just like before!"
"Who?!" Ryan grabbed him by his hair and gave him a good shake. "What the fuck are you-"
The Screamer shook harder in his grasp. The ground began to rumble. Ryan's eye went wide as he dropped the Screamer's head. It thunked to the concrete, but the Screamer didn't seem perturbed.
"Kill the monster!" the Screamer giggled. "Kill it, kill it!"
Ryan bit through his tongue and let the Screamer lying there in a slimy mess, and he ran as fast his legs could take him. The ground jumped beneath his feet, and between alleyways, he could see a giant blur running past him, most likely towards Divine's location.
"ARRRRUUUUGH!" the blur roared, and despite being a street away, he felt that in his entire body.
Ryan raced down an alley, and popped out in time to see a car get tossed away like it was made of tissue paper.
Of all the things that lived in this town, it just had to be a-