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Chapter 34: Helicopter

Disclaimer: I do not own Left 4 Dead 2

--

" Now that things have calmed down a bit, what are you guys still doing here?" Nick said, glancing at the infected men. " Shouldn't you be leaving?" his tone held no emotion, and his eyes were wary. Sion winced, getting Ark onto his back, hefting him slightly. Matthew fumbled with his fingers and Desert looked as emotionless as ever, sighing. " Are we really that despised?" Matthew asked Sion, eyes full of sadness. " I ain't done nothin'... jus' a lil' sick..."

Sion looked back at Matthew. " What we're sick with is what they're afraid of."

Ellis didn't know what to say, looking between everyone as Rochelle and Coach came down from the stands. " I don' hate y' guys..." he said softly. " You guys are nice, and great company." he fiddled with his gun.

Matthew made a noise. " I liked y' company too, Ellis, but if they say we gotta go... we gotta go." he shook his head. " All I ask is that y' guys don't shoot us?" he said hopefully. Ellis and Nick seemed to be contemplating things, covering their ears as one of the Midnight Riders songs began to play. " Damnit, who started before we were ready?" Nick snapped, wincing from the feedback. Ellis's eyes widened as he heard the Screamer's insane giggling over the noise. " The Screamer started it! He started the music!" The feedback was horrible and the lyrics gargled, but it was definitely the recorded music that had been left behind on the stage.

" Excuse me, I have a screamer to 'enlighten...' be right back." Nick grumbled, picking up his guitar, Desert catching his arm, holding him in place.

" Don't. He wants us all to separate so it'll be easier for us to get picked off." the man said, shaking his head softly. Nick tore his arm from him, not making a big show of things as Coach went to the sound stage, raising the volume. " Ain't got no choice, we're gonna have to work with it. Ellis, you round up anything that can keep the infected off the stage, take Ro' with you. Nick, you're with me, we gotta find some supplies that can last us for a bit until the helicopter gets here, let's move people!"

--

" He didn't even mention us..." Chad sighed, feeling just a tad upset that he was counted among the infected. Sion looked over at Chad. " It doesn't matter. They made their decision, we need to keep moving on our own." He tried to get Ark up again, sighing deeply. He hated having to make some form of a leader's decision, Ark was much better at these kind of things. Even if the Hunter wasn't very bright sometimes, he had a way of making the best decisions. Looking around, he sighed deeply as he looked up at the stage, his body tensing. The stage was so small... without help someone was going to die.

" Matthew, can you look after Ellis and Rochelle?" He said, licking his lips softly. " I'll go with Nick and Coach. We have to make sure they reach the helicopter, Ark would have my hide if I didn't try." He straightened up a bit. " Chad, you got any molotovs left? I want a ring of fire at the back entrance, make sure they don't get in! If you have to use gasoline tanks to keep it going, then do it. Desert, I want you to make sure that the infected don't get on stage from the back way, ambushes are their only real trick. Also, can I count on you to keep Ark safe until he wakes up? When the helicopter gets here, get them on it if you have to toss them, let's do it!" All of the infected and human present nodded and split up.

Chad's hands deftly snatched a molotov off of a nearby table, the scientist portion of him wondering where the random supplies come from, setting the back entrance on fire as infected started to swarm through. Matthew bounded up the stairs after Ellis and Rochelle, Desert accepting Ark from Sion and moving to the back entrance, pulling out his weapon, a Desert Eagle and firing into an infected's head, using his foot to kick up a guitar, catching it in midair. Twisting his body, he swung it into another infected's head, blood splattering on his face slightly as he held his ground.

Free from having to watch Ark, Sion bolted after Nick and Coach, catching up with them. " We'll help you until the helicopter gets here and you guys get on it." he told Coach, reloading his gun. Coach looked at him for a moment. " What-" Sion spoke before he could get a sentence off. " It's important that you guys get to safety. I know everyone here's tired of having to fight." he said. Never one to deny help, Coach nodded softly. " Good to have you on our side for this fight, friend." he smiled at Sion, who returned the smile.

Nick said nothing, watching with a critical eye as Sion rushed to defend the two while they looked for supplies, Matthew over by Ellis and Rochelle, beating in one infected's head with a folding chair. " Let's make this crazy plan work, Coach, then we can leave this mess behind." He finally said, the older man nodding. Tearing open the crate, he had to refrain from retching and revering the items in the box, reaching his hand in and tearing the bile jar out of the material. " HELL YES!" he handed one over to Coach, looking at his own jar with a raised eyebrow before a smirk touched his lips. Whistling to catch Sion's attention, he smirked again when the Smoker turned to look at him. " Here you go, one jar of irresistible infected perfume." he said with a chuckle, finding amusement in the look of horror and disgust on the Smoker's face as he tossed the jar to him.

" I don't even- gah, that is an image I do not need!" Sion grimaced, trying to get the image of a fashionable boomer out of his mind. Something that fat and grotesque shouldn't be wandering down a catwalk or doing commercials. Coach laughed at the Smoker's mental distress, tossing a box of candy aside, scooping up the ones that fell out and dropping it into his pack. Can never have too much supplies, mind you. Tucking some more of the food away into the shoulder pack he usually carried, he clipped the bile jar to his side, hefting a baseball bat while Nick tore open another crate, moving quickly. " Fireworks?" he said softly, turning the box over. Thinking on it, he tossed a box to Coach. " We can use these to help signal the 'copter!"

Coach nodded, tucking the box under his arms. " Let's head back to the other's, pronto!"

The small group made their way back down the stands, Ellis kicking an infected off the stage with a grunt, grabbing his fallen tire iron to swing into another's face. Rochelle, Ellis and Matthew were doing a good job of defending the stage while the music played, Desert having moved away from the back entrance with Ark in tow, setting the Hunter against the stage curtain.

" Sorry, they're amassing faster than I can deal with them." Desert apologized while bowing his head, Chad returning as well to the group, looking apologetic as well. " Mollies ran out, had to retreat." he sighed.

Sion gave them a soft look, looking at the survivors. "We're gonna get you guys to the helicopter safely... Ark wouldn't be happy with me if I let something happen to everyone here. I do have a single favor to ask... when you guys go... can you take Chad with you?"

--

Chad let out a strangled noise, looking at Sion in surprise, the Smoker continuing on. " He's a good man, we owe our lives to him, and he'll be a big help to anyone who needs it." he bit his lip and bowed his head slightly. " Please."

Coach let out a sound, seeing a lot of Nick in Sion. It was clearly paining the Smoker to ask a favor of someone when he knew he really didn't deserve it, so he was putting his pride on the back burner and asking them for a favor. Seeing him like this... he really didn't have the heart to tell him no. " Alright, friend... we'll take him with us when the time comes."

Sion looked relieved, lifting his head. " Thank you." he had been worried that the survivors wouldn't take Chad with them. He didn't have time to ponder it as a chunk of concrete landed nearby, a Tank roaring at all of them. Predictably, they all scattered to escape what would be an otherwise painful impact. Ellis wasn't nearly as lucky in getting away, letting out a pained nose as he was knocked a good distance away, hitting the ground and tumbling, groaning in pain. Tanks were so strong it should be considered illegal, and they knew how to use that strength to their advantage. " Ellis, hold on, we're coming!" Rochelle cried as Coach threw his bile jar at the Tank, a small horde gathering as a distraction, the two running to try and get to the mechanic. Desert was faster then they were though, quickly moving to Ellis's side and helping him to his feet. " Can you still fight?" he asked softly.

Ellis only gave a pained grunt in response, having hit the ground hard. He wasn't sure if anything was broken, he was definitely sure something was fractured though. Wincing, he leaned on Desert a little more than he would have liked, the older man helping to lead him away from the Tank, who was pounding the summoned horde to dust. Nick took the opportunity to pick up a discarded assault rifle that had been left behind by someone and reload it, unloading the clip into the Tank with Sion and Chad helping him. During a Tank attack, it was important to make sure that you brought it down. Running away was almost never an option, the only thing one could do was fight back.

Desert helped Ellis away from the skirmish and let him rest over by where Ark was, turning back to the fight while rolling up his sleeves, revealing flattened spines. After a moment, he returned to the fight, Matthew settling beside Ellis. " What is he?" Ellis asked in a dazed tone.

" He's a Shooter, Ellis. Y' know, the spikey things? He just don't have the spines all over the place." Matthew said, lifting Ellis's shirt to check for injuries, pressing one hand against Ellis's ribs. Upon hearing the mechanic hiss in pain, he withdrew his hand. " Dunno if they're broken, but they're bruised at the least. It'll take a bit to heal them."

" Why ain't you spitting at the Tank or something?" Ellis asked, wincing as Matthew checked his other side, that side not hurting as bad. " I mean, he is your brother, right? Aren't you gonna help him out?"

Matthew shook his head. " He can handle himself. And... I can't. I ain't like the other spitters, who make that stuff constantly. Spitting hurts sometimes, it's like throwin' up because of a stomach bug. After your stomach's empty, it's just dry and it still hurts like hell."

Ellis understood, perking up when he heard a groan from Ark, but sighed when the Hunter didn't stir. " What are you guys gonna do after we leave?" he asked, hearing the Tank crash to the ground behind him slain. " I mean, once we take off on the 'copter?"

Matthew set about making sure Ellis would be okay, eyes not meeting the mechanic's gaze. " Me n' my brother... we're gonna head home. We got a nice house that m' mother left us, it'd probably be a good idea to head home and rest."

"Rest sounds real nice about now." Ellis sighed, getting to his feet with a grimace, staggering slightly. He righted himself quickly and went to head back to the others, the fireworks show already starting, the lights shooting into the sky.

" If this doesn't work, we're going to be in a shitload of trouble." Nick said, watching the fireworks. " If the pilot can see it, its a damn good bet that every infected in the area can too."

Rochelle looked up as well. " Don't be so negative about it, Nick... it's got to work." she said, with a small note of hope in her voice. She was praying that the helicopter showed soon, it was the only chance they had of putting significant distance between them and the infection.

As the helicopter flew into view, the horde's cry rose up once more, Coach looping an arm around Ellis to balance him out, waiting for it to find a spot to let them on. " Come on, let's go!" he said, hurrying towards the stands. Chad refused to go, but a harsh look from Sion had him gathering his bag up to run after them, Nick helping Rochelle along as another Tank came barreling at them, roaring and bellowing it's aggressions. Ellis was the first one to be helped onto the helicopter, breathing a huge sigh of relief before nearly screaming in fear as a huge chunk of asphalt landed near the helicopter, followed by another angry bellow as a Shooter came out of wherever it had been sleeping, fighting with the Tank.

The two kings of the area battled it out as the helicopter wavered, the pilot trying to stay still long enough for everyone to get on board, clearly wanting to be elsewhere. Spines and concrete flew about like it was no one's business, Sion yelping as one landed dangerously close to him. The stadium was being rapidly overrun by infected trying to make one last push to kill the survivors, Chad and Coach getting in next, Chad's eyes flicking nervously to Sion and the others. Matthew had pulled back closer to the stage, worry etched into his face as Ark rested on his back, Sion still using his regular pistols, Desert armed with a guitar, both doing their best to defend the stage.

It was clearly a losing battle, but the infected were holding their ground and their promise. Not once did Sion or Matthew look at the survivors, both focused on continuing to live. Chad looked back at Coach, eyes pleading with him somewhat before he looked back at the struggling infected on stage, biting his lip as Nick helped Rochelle onto the copter.

Coach watched the group struggle, reminded of the event at the mall. It looked exactly the same way, except that time, he had been balancing Rochelle on his shoulder, Nick and Ellis running about frantically to look for gas cans while the infected had been so desperate then, the usually grumpy and sarcastic Nick was assisting Ellis in finding gas cans, the tension between them practically non-existent.

It looked exactly the same.

What was fighting on that stage was not four infected individuals, but four people determined to live, determined to work things out between themselves and another for the sake of seeing one more day.

Survivors.

" Hurry up, come on!" Coach called to them, ignoring the sounds of fighting around them. " If you hurry, you can make it!" he shouted. Matthew and Sion looked up at him in surprise, Ellis crawling to the side. " Come on guys, Hurry!" he shouted. " Copter ain't gonna wait much longer!" he said, a piece of concrete landing nearby the helicopter, Nick getting thrown to the side of it, hitting his head.

" Dammit, nevermind waiting, the copter isn't going to LAST much longer!" Nick groaned, holding his head. Matthew and Sion looked at each other for a minute before Desert spoke to them. " Go, I'll stall the horde, you three get on the helicopter!" he said, turning back to the horde.

Matthew grimaced and handed Ark over to Sion, who immediately started making his way to the helicopter, ducking as a spine narrowly miss them. It seemed as if the Tank and Shooter were more interested in them now, rather than each other. " Are you sure?" Matthew asked his brother, fear evident in his eyes.

Desert simply smiled back at him. " I've lived this long on my own, I can handle it from here. Go, they need you. You know how to get back to the house." he said, ending the discussion.

Matthew could hear the others calling for him and took one last look at his brother. " Stay safe, okay?" he said, taking off, scrambling and tripping a few times as the Tank thundered after him. He stumbled again as the ground trembled beneath his feet, Sion reaching the helicopter and handing Ark to Coach, who took the unconscious Hunter and set him inside, Chad helping him in as Matthew scrambled onto the stands, climbing over the rails as the Tank dug it's fingers into the concrete, lifting up a huge chunk.

Before it could toss the concrete, a molotov smashed against it's head, igniting the Tank's body.

" I'm your opponent." Desert said coldly, picking up another jar. " I am your enemy, come and get me!"

The Tank redirected itself, aiming for the lone target while Matthew managed to scramble on board, the Helicopter pilot unable to wait any longer and started to lift off, nearly clipping the side of the stands. Once fully inside, Matthew pressed his face to the side of the glass, looking for his brother, who seemed to be keeping the Tank in one place, Desert looking at the helicopter and smiling softly, giving them a wave before running, the Tank hot on his heels.

" That... is one brave soul." Coach said, watching as well. " Matthew, we wouldn't have made it if not for him." he gently reached out to pat his shoulder. " May god protect him, and let us meet again."

" Amen." Ellis said, leaning against the side of a seat.

--

Nick had no words to offer to console Matthew, who was trying to keep high spirits despite the fact that he no longer knew if his brother had survived or not. Infected or not, trying to take on a Tank by himself was a death wish. It could be done, but only if one was extremely lucky. Getting to his feet shakily, he moved towards the pilot's seat, seeking air. It was a bit crowded in the helicopter, and he needed to get over the sudden pounding headache his accident had caused earlier, sighing as he looked out the front, hearing coughing.

Never a man for being reckless, Nick stood again and looked around, trying to find the source, a lump of dread starting to settle in his stomach as his ears traced the noise to the pilots seat. It had been two hours since they left the carnival behind, and lots of distance had been put between them and that accursed place. Still, he had once heard that it didn't take too much time for the infection to spread within the human body...

He let out a startled noise as the helicopter lurched slightly, everyone being jarred from their usual places, cries of alarm coming from those who had been half-asleep, the conman getting up to get a better look at the pilot. Blood was dripping out from under the helmet as Nick heard a moan, the lump turning into a red hot poker that scorched his insides, unfocused cloudy eyes gazing back at him. " Shit!"

In his defense, his body had reacted long before his mind caught up. Perhaps he didn't react to Ark in the others in the same way because he didn't discover their secret in a heartbeat, he had time to adjust and think on things. This was different, survival was at the top of his mind, and this wasn't someone he knew. Without really thinking, he removed his magnum from it's usual place at his side, bringing it to the area beneath the helmet and firing twice. No harm in checking. Yet another infected fell before him, he could relax again.

It took 4 seconds for his thought process to catch up. Nice one, dumbass, you shot the PILOT, was his first thought. The one that followed was; Shit, we're in a helicopter. That was the PILOT.

His mouth summed up his thoughts for him. "Shit."

--

Description
Chapter 34: Helicopter

Disclaimer: I do not own Left 4 Dead 2

--

" Now that things have calmed down a bit, what are you guys still doing here?" Nick said, glancing at the infected men. " Shouldn't you be leaving?" his tone held no emotion, and his eyes were wary. Sion winced, getting Ark onto his back, hefting him slightly. Matthew fumbled with his fingers and Desert looked as emotionless as ever, sighing. " Are we really that despised?" Matthew asked Sion, eyes full of sadness. " I ain't done nothin'... jus' a lil' sick..."

Sion looked back at Matthew. " What we're sick with is what they're afraid of."

Ellis didn't know what to say, looking between everyone as Rochelle and Coach came down from the stands. " I don' hate y' guys..." he said softly. " You guys are nice, and great company." he fiddled with his gun.

Matthew made a noise. " I liked y' company too, Ellis, but if they say we gotta go... we gotta go." he shook his head. " All I ask is that y' guys don't shoot us?" he said hopefully. Ellis and Nick seemed to be contemplating things, covering their ears as one of the Midnight Riders songs began to play. " Damnit, who started before we were ready?" Nick snapped, wincing from the feedback. Ellis's eyes widened as he heard the Screamer's insane giggling over the noise. " The Screamer started it! He started the music!" The feedback was horrible and the lyrics gargled, but it was definitely the recorded music that had been left behind on the stage.

" Excuse me, I have a screamer to 'enlighten...' be right back." Nick grumbled, picking up his guitar, Desert catching his arm, holding him in place.

" Don't. He wants us all to separate so it'll be easier for us to get picked off." the man said, shaking his head softly. Nick tore his arm from him, not making a big show of things as Coach went to the sound stage, raising the volume. " Ain't got no choice, we're gonna have to work with it. Ellis, you round up anything that can keep the infected off the stage, take Ro' with you. Nick, you're with me, we gotta find some supplies that can last us for a bit until the helicopter gets here, let's move people!"

--

" He didn't even mention us..." Chad sighed, feeling just a tad upset that he was counted among the infected. Sion looked over at Chad. " It doesn't matter. They made their decision, we need to keep moving on our own." He tried to get Ark up again, sighing deeply. He hated having to make some form of a leader's decision, Ark was much better at these kind of things. Even if the Hunter wasn't very bright sometimes, he had a way of making the best decisions. Looking around, he sighed deeply as he looked up at the stage, his body tensing. The stage was so small... without help someone was going to die.

" Matthew, can you look after Ellis and Rochelle?" He said, licking his lips softly. " I'll go with Nick and Coach. We have to make sure they reach the helicopter, Ark would have my hide if I didn't try." He straightened up a bit. " Chad, you got any molotovs left? I want a ring of fire at the back entrance, make sure they don't get in! If you have to use gasoline tanks to keep it going, then do it. Desert, I want you to make sure that the infected don't get on stage from the back way, ambushes are their only real trick. Also, can I count on you to keep Ark safe until he wakes up? When the helicopter gets here, get them on it if you have to toss them, let's do it!" All of the infected and human present nodded and split up.

Chad's hands deftly snatched a molotov off of a nearby table, the scientist portion of him wondering where the random supplies come from, setting the back entrance on fire as infected started to swarm through. Matthew bounded up the stairs after Ellis and Rochelle, Desert accepting Ark from Sion and moving to the back entrance, pulling out his weapon, a Desert Eagle and firing into an infected's head, using his foot to kick up a guitar, catching it in midair. Twisting his body, he swung it into another infected's head, blood splattering on his face slightly as he held his ground.

Free from having to watch Ark, Sion bolted after Nick and Coach, catching up with them. " We'll help you until the helicopter gets here and you guys get on it." he told Coach, reloading his gun. Coach looked at him for a moment. " What-" Sion spoke before he could get a sentence off. " It's important that you guys get to safety. I know everyone here's tired of having to fight." he said. Never one to deny help, Coach nodded softly. " Good to have you on our side for this fight, friend." he smiled at Sion, who returned the smile.

Nick said nothing, watching with a critical eye as Sion rushed to defend the two while they looked for supplies, Matthew over by Ellis and Rochelle, beating in one infected's head with a folding chair. " Let's make this crazy plan work, Coach, then we can leave this mess behind." He finally said, the older man nodding. Tearing open the crate, he had to refrain from retching and revering the items in the box, reaching his hand in and tearing the bile jar out of the material. " HELL YES!" he handed one over to Coach, looking at his own jar with a raised eyebrow before a smirk touched his lips. Whistling to catch Sion's attention, he smirked again when the Smoker turned to look at him. " Here you go, one jar of irresistible infected perfume." he said with a chuckle, finding amusement in the look of horror and disgust on the Smoker's face as he tossed the jar to him.

" I don't even- gah, that is an image I do not need!" Sion grimaced, trying to get the image of a fashionable boomer out of his mind. Something that fat and grotesque shouldn't be wandering down a catwalk or doing commercials. Coach laughed at the Smoker's mental distress, tossing a box of candy aside, scooping up the ones that fell out and dropping it into his pack. Can never have too much supplies, mind you. Tucking some more of the food away into the shoulder pack he usually carried, he clipped the bile jar to his side, hefting a baseball bat while Nick tore open another crate, moving quickly. " Fireworks?" he said softly, turning the box over. Thinking on it, he tossed a box to Coach. " We can use these to help signal the 'copter!"

Coach nodded, tucking the box under his arms. " Let's head back to the other's, pronto!"

The small group made their way back down the stands, Ellis kicking an infected off the stage with a grunt, grabbing his fallen tire iron to swing into another's face. Rochelle, Ellis and Matthew were doing a good job of defending the stage while the music played, Desert having moved away from the back entrance with Ark in tow, setting the Hunter against the stage curtain.

" Sorry, they're amassing faster than I can deal with them." Desert apologized while bowing his head, Chad returning as well to the group, looking apologetic as well. " Mollies ran out, had to retreat." he sighed.

Sion gave them a soft look, looking at the survivors. "We're gonna get you guys to the helicopter safely... Ark wouldn't be happy with me if I let something happen to everyone here. I do have a single favor to ask... when you guys go... can you take Chad with you?"

--

Chad let out a strangled noise, looking at Sion in surprise, the Smoker continuing on. " He's a good man, we owe our lives to him, and he'll be a big help to anyone who needs it." he bit his lip and bowed his head slightly. " Please."

Coach let out a sound, seeing a lot of Nick in Sion. It was clearly paining the Smoker to ask a favor of someone when he knew he really didn't deserve it, so he was putting his pride on the back burner and asking them for a favor. Seeing him like this... he really didn't have the heart to tell him no. " Alright, friend... we'll take him with us when the time comes."

Sion looked relieved, lifting his head. " Thank you." he had been worried that the survivors wouldn't take Chad with them. He didn't have time to ponder it as a chunk of concrete landed nearby, a Tank roaring at all of them. Predictably, they all scattered to escape what would be an otherwise painful impact. Ellis wasn't nearly as lucky in getting away, letting out a pained nose as he was knocked a good distance away, hitting the ground and tumbling, groaning in pain. Tanks were so strong it should be considered illegal, and they knew how to use that strength to their advantage. " Ellis, hold on, we're coming!" Rochelle cried as Coach threw his bile jar at the Tank, a small horde gathering as a distraction, the two running to try and get to the mechanic. Desert was faster then they were though, quickly moving to Ellis's side and helping him to his feet. " Can you still fight?" he asked softly.

Ellis only gave a pained grunt in response, having hit the ground hard. He wasn't sure if anything was broken, he was definitely sure something was fractured though. Wincing, he leaned on Desert a little more than he would have liked, the older man helping to lead him away from the Tank, who was pounding the summoned horde to dust. Nick took the opportunity to pick up a discarded assault rifle that had been left behind by someone and reload it, unloading the clip into the Tank with Sion and Chad helping him. During a Tank attack, it was important to make sure that you brought it down. Running away was almost never an option, the only thing one could do was fight back.

Desert helped Ellis away from the skirmish and let him rest over by where Ark was, turning back to the fight while rolling up his sleeves, revealing flattened spines. After a moment, he returned to the fight, Matthew settling beside Ellis. " What is he?" Ellis asked in a dazed tone.

" He's a Shooter, Ellis. Y' know, the spikey things? He just don't have the spines all over the place." Matthew said, lifting Ellis's shirt to check for injuries, pressing one hand against Ellis's ribs. Upon hearing the mechanic hiss in pain, he withdrew his hand. " Dunno if they're broken, but they're bruised at the least. It'll take a bit to heal them."

" Why ain't you spitting at the Tank or something?" Ellis asked, wincing as Matthew checked his other side, that side not hurting as bad. " I mean, he is your brother, right? Aren't you gonna help him out?"

Matthew shook his head. " He can handle himself. And... I can't. I ain't like the other spitters, who make that stuff constantly. Spitting hurts sometimes, it's like throwin' up because of a stomach bug. After your stomach's empty, it's just dry and it still hurts like hell."

Ellis understood, perking up when he heard a groan from Ark, but sighed when the Hunter didn't stir. " What are you guys gonna do after we leave?" he asked, hearing the Tank crash to the ground behind him slain. " I mean, once we take off on the 'copter?"

Matthew set about making sure Ellis would be okay, eyes not meeting the mechanic's gaze. " Me n' my brother... we're gonna head home. We got a nice house that m' mother left us, it'd probably be a good idea to head home and rest."

"Rest sounds real nice about now." Ellis sighed, getting to his feet with a grimace, staggering slightly. He righted himself quickly and went to head back to the others, the fireworks show already starting, the lights shooting into the sky.

" If this doesn't work, we're going to be in a shitload of trouble." Nick said, watching the fireworks. " If the pilot can see it, its a damn good bet that every infected in the area can too."

Rochelle looked up as well. " Don't be so negative about it, Nick... it's got to work." she said, with a small note of hope in her voice. She was praying that the helicopter showed soon, it was the only chance they had of putting significant distance between them and the infection.

As the helicopter flew into view, the horde's cry rose up once more, Coach looping an arm around Ellis to balance him out, waiting for it to find a spot to let them on. " Come on, let's go!" he said, hurrying towards the stands. Chad refused to go, but a harsh look from Sion had him gathering his bag up to run after them, Nick helping Rochelle along as another Tank came barreling at them, roaring and bellowing it's aggressions. Ellis was the first one to be helped onto the helicopter, breathing a huge sigh of relief before nearly screaming in fear as a huge chunk of asphalt landed near the helicopter, followed by another angry bellow as a Shooter came out of wherever it had been sleeping, fighting with the Tank.

The two kings of the area battled it out as the helicopter wavered, the pilot trying to stay still long enough for everyone to get on board, clearly wanting to be elsewhere. Spines and concrete flew about like it was no one's business, Sion yelping as one landed dangerously close to him. The stadium was being rapidly overrun by infected trying to make one last push to kill the survivors, Chad and Coach getting in next, Chad's eyes flicking nervously to Sion and the others. Matthew had pulled back closer to the stage, worry etched into his face as Ark rested on his back, Sion still using his regular pistols, Desert armed with a guitar, both doing their best to defend the stage.

It was clearly a losing battle, but the infected were holding their ground and their promise. Not once did Sion or Matthew look at the survivors, both focused on continuing to live. Chad looked back at Coach, eyes pleading with him somewhat before he looked back at the struggling infected on stage, biting his lip as Nick helped Rochelle onto the copter.

Coach watched the group struggle, reminded of the event at the mall. It looked exactly the same way, except that time, he had been balancing Rochelle on his shoulder, Nick and Ellis running about frantically to look for gas cans while the infected had been so desperate then, the usually grumpy and sarcastic Nick was assisting Ellis in finding gas cans, the tension between them practically non-existent.

It looked exactly the same.

What was fighting on that stage was not four infected individuals, but four people determined to live, determined to work things out between themselves and another for the sake of seeing one more day.

Survivors.

" Hurry up, come on!" Coach called to them, ignoring the sounds of fighting around them. " If you hurry, you can make it!" he shouted. Matthew and Sion looked up at him in surprise, Ellis crawling to the side. " Come on guys, Hurry!" he shouted. " Copter ain't gonna wait much longer!" he said, a piece of concrete landing nearby the helicopter, Nick getting thrown to the side of it, hitting his head.

" Dammit, nevermind waiting, the copter isn't going to LAST much longer!" Nick groaned, holding his head. Matthew and Sion looked at each other for a minute before Desert spoke to them. " Go, I'll stall the horde, you three get on the helicopter!" he said, turning back to the horde.

Matthew grimaced and handed Ark over to Sion, who immediately started making his way to the helicopter, ducking as a spine narrowly miss them. It seemed as if the Tank and Shooter were more interested in them now, rather than each other. " Are you sure?" Matthew asked his brother, fear evident in his eyes.

Desert simply smiled back at him. " I've lived this long on my own, I can handle it from here. Go, they need you. You know how to get back to the house." he said, ending the discussion.

Matthew could hear the others calling for him and took one last look at his brother. " Stay safe, okay?" he said, taking off, scrambling and tripping a few times as the Tank thundered after him. He stumbled again as the ground trembled beneath his feet, Sion reaching the helicopter and handing Ark to Coach, who took the unconscious Hunter and set him inside, Chad helping him in as Matthew scrambled onto the stands, climbing over the rails as the Tank dug it's fingers into the concrete, lifting up a huge chunk.

Before it could toss the concrete, a molotov smashed against it's head, igniting the Tank's body.

" I'm your opponent." Desert said coldly, picking up another jar. " I am your enemy, come and get me!"

The Tank redirected itself, aiming for the lone target while Matthew managed to scramble on board, the Helicopter pilot unable to wait any longer and started to lift off, nearly clipping the side of the stands. Once fully inside, Matthew pressed his face to the side of the glass, looking for his brother, who seemed to be keeping the Tank in one place, Desert looking at the helicopter and smiling softly, giving them a wave before running, the Tank hot on his heels.

" That... is one brave soul." Coach said, watching as well. " Matthew, we wouldn't have made it if not for him." he gently reached out to pat his shoulder. " May god protect him, and let us meet again."

" Amen." Ellis said, leaning against the side of a seat.

--

Nick had no words to offer to console Matthew, who was trying to keep high spirits despite the fact that he no longer knew if his brother had survived or not. Infected or not, trying to take on a Tank by himself was a death wish. It could be done, but only if one was extremely lucky. Getting to his feet shakily, he moved towards the pilot's seat, seeking air. It was a bit crowded in the helicopter, and he needed to get over the sudden pounding headache his accident had caused earlier, sighing as he looked out the front, hearing coughing.

Never a man for being reckless, Nick stood again and looked around, trying to find the source, a lump of dread starting to settle in his stomach as his ears traced the noise to the pilots seat. It had been two hours since they left the carnival behind, and lots of distance had been put between them and that accursed place. Still, he had once heard that it didn't take too much time for the infection to spread within the human body...

He let out a startled noise as the helicopter lurched slightly, everyone being jarred from their usual places, cries of alarm coming from those who had been half-asleep, the conman getting up to get a better look at the pilot. Blood was dripping out from under the helmet as Nick heard a moan, the lump turning into a red hot poker that scorched his insides, unfocused cloudy eyes gazing back at him. " Shit!"

In his defense, his body had reacted long before his mind caught up. Perhaps he didn't react to Ark in the others in the same way because he didn't discover their secret in a heartbeat, he had time to adjust and think on things. This was different, survival was at the top of his mind, and this wasn't someone he knew. Without really thinking, he removed his magnum from it's usual place at his side, bringing it to the area beneath the helmet and firing twice. No harm in checking. Yet another infected fell before him, he could relax again.

It took 4 seconds for his thought process to catch up. Nice one, dumbass, you shot the PILOT, was his first thought. The one that followed was; Shit, we're in a helicopter. That was the PILOT.

His mouth summed up his thoughts for him. "Shit."

--