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Chapter 35: Ferry

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Disclaimer: I do not own Left 4 Dead 2

--

Ellis let out an indignant squawk as the helicopter lurched to the side, Sion crashing against his ribs and making them hurt even more than they already did, wincing as he got loose, tumbling slightly again as the helicopter lurched to the other side.

Chad's brain immediately went into damage assessment mode... No pilot. In a helicopter. "Shit." he muttered, clambering for the cockpit as Nick did, having a hard time when the craft lurched sharply to the side, sending Sion flying to crash into the wall with his ribs, crying out and tumbling when his seatbelt popped loose and he tumbled about in the cabin somewhat, Ellis squawking the whole time as Chad and Nick went about keeping the helicopter from spiraling down and crashing... At least, they hoped they did.

Sion let out a sharp gasp as he tumbled forward, smacking into Matthew as Chad and Nick struggled to keep the helicopter upright. It seemed to be an uphill climb for the two men, the dead pilot's body being a rather large obstacle to properly accessing the controls, Ellis hanging onto Ark's arm to keep him from sliding everywhere. To the Smoker, the ground was light-years away yet still coming too quickly for his tastes, it seemed as if they would crash before the helicopter could stabilize.

Ellis was too busy focusing on holding onto the door of the helicopter as well as Ark to really think about other trivial matters, such as hitting the ground, until he glanced out the window and noticed that those trees seemed to grow awful fast... Matthew yelped and grabbed onto the seat tightly as Nick and Chad both swore. The sounds of their voices and the yells lost to the cacophony of the rotors breaking wood and the metal crunching before there was a sharp impact, causing the mechanic to bash his head, then all went black.

--

Scared was the best word Ark would use for his situation, having woken up in a helicopter wreck rather than still tied to the speaker like he last remembered. The helicopter thankfully hadn't gone up in a giant fireball, but there was still a problem to address; getting everyone out. Pulling off his gloves for a better grip, he hooked his arms underneath Rochelle's and started to see if he could move her, checking to make sure she wasn't pinned by anything. Luckily, she wasn't, the woman moaning softly as Ark dragged her out of the helicopter, getting a good look around the area. There was a train car not that far off, he could get everyone there and let them rest until they woke up. He finished dragging Rochelle out and started to try and wake Coach up, who was laying on the side, a bruise forming on his head. " Coach..." he whimpered, shaking the big man's shoulder.

Miraculously, Coach stirred, putting a hand to the bruise and swearing softly. " Shit... guess I'm not dead, since it hurts." he grumbled, looking at Ark. " Oh... you're awake, son. What happened?"
" Crashed, no idea where we are." Ark said softly, crouching. " Trying to move everyone to safer place. Help?"

Even with Ark helping him, it took a total of three minutes to get Coach on his feet, the bigger man picking Rochelle up gently. " Hold on baby girl, we're all gonna get some rest soon, let's jus' get you inside." he said, heading for the train car as Ark reached for Chad next. The medic was out cold, but thankfully only had a few cuts and bruises, dragging him out as well before listening to the area, scared at how silent it was. Things were bad when it was silent. Grimacing, he turned to get Matthew, who was a new face to him but would be helped regardless, tensing when he heard a moan.

His tense muscles relaxed a moment later when Nick's dazed voice broke the silence. " Damn... no wonder I like keeping my feet on the ground." he groaned, limbs feeling too heavy to move. " Fuck... if you're alive, say something. If you're dead... just lay there." he called, Coach wandering over to him. " Good to see you're still your usual self, Nick." he said, kneeling to try and help.

" I'm always my usual self." Nick retorted, easing himself up slightly and grimacing as his body protested the movement. " Shit..."

" Shit is right... did anyone get the number of that truck?" Sion grumbled, face down on the ground. " I think my nose is crunched." He managed to get upright, rubbing his face with a soft noise. Luckily, his nose wasn't broken, but it was bleeding somewhat. " Damn... we all land in once piece?"

A collective groan rose up from those present, Ark carrying Chad piggyback to the traincar, Ellis rolling over to get up as well. Various bruises and scrapes decorated the entire crew, but they managed to keep walking to the traincar. Only when all of them were inside did the fights start.

" What the HELL, Nick, you shot the PILOT!" Ellis barked, pointing a finger accusingly at the conman, aggravated.

Nick was in a hell of a bad mood, snapping back. " What, did you want me to do, politely wait for him to crash the helicopter and attack whoever didn't die?!" he was in the process of bandaging his arm, having gotten a nasty scrape on it during the crash. He'd have to remember to get Chad to look at it later, once the doctor had woken up.

" Well no, but couldn't you have at leas' given us a warnin'?" Ellis countered, trying to not lose ground in the argument. Granted, shooting the pilot and bringing the helicopter down without killing everyone was commendable, but everyone else had no warning whatsoever and those who were already hurt just got injured worse. Even Ark, who hadn't really been conscious was injured, sporting several new bruises.

Nick crossed his arms, tapping his foot angrily as he gave Ellis a hard stare. " Listen, sport. It was either defend us all, or we end up like them." he said, gesturing to common infected vomiting outside. " Damned if I'm gonna spend the rest of my life like that."
Ellis nodded softly, turning to go do something else to help, stepping over Matthew. The male spitter was still out cold, but at least wasn't bleeding from any open cuts.

Coach couldn't help but be grateful when Chad woke up, the medic rising to his feet shakily, holding onto the wall for support. " Did we all make it?" he asked, looking around.

" We all made it." Coach confirmed for him, Chad breathing a sigh of relief before looking over at Ark, who was standing guard. " Glad to see you awake."

Ark nodded softly at both men, looking over at Matthew. " Who this?"

Chad stretched one leg out, testing it gingerly with a grimace, not able to really move. " Male Spitter... named Matthew. He's Desert's twin brother." he said when Ark gave him a dumbfounded look. Ark nodded in slight recognition, sitting back down and looking out at the scenery. " Well... since some of us are awake and some aren't... how about we form a small three-man party to go search?" Chad offered, trying to fill the unnerving silence. " Might still be some supplies left around here that could be useful."

"Not going." Nick said from his spot, Ellis reluctantly agreeing with him. "My head hurts somethin' awful, I jus' need to rest a little." the mechanic apologized, Chad nodding softly.

" I'll help look for supplies." Coach said, standing up while stretching. " Just make sure that those of us still out are protected, okay?"

"I'll go too!" Ark said, bouncing in place, eager to help. He was a bit ashamed that everyone had to help him at the carnival, so to him, this was his chance to make up for it. His cheerful spirit plummeted when Coach looked at him and Sion. " You two and me will go." he said, gesturing outside.

There wasn't any malice in his voice, but the tone clearly stated he wanted explanations. Biting his lip, Ark nodded and trotted outside. Sion following as well.  Silently, the three headed to the town entrance, Chad watching them leave before closing the train car door for safety.

--

" So... how long have you two been at this sort of thing?" Coach asked, breaking the tense silence as the three walked into the town, looking at the two. " I mean, helpin out survivors?"

Sion tilted his head softly. " I guess for a few... what, weeks now? We were with another group before." He fiddled with the pistol that he had kept for protection. " Great group, really, almost like a weird family."

Coach quirked an eyebrow. " Really?"

Sion nodded, smiling a bit because he felt more relaxed now. " Yeah, there was Zoey, the only girl and she was a horror movie nut. You can kinda say she was already prepared in her own way. Francis... he thought it was all one big barfight with no rules and the cops in on the fun. He hates a lot of things though, kind of reminds me of Nick." He grinned now. " Ellis reminds me of Louis, ever optimistic and good at fixing things while you remind me of Bill. Bill was their leader, and he kept everyone together as well as made most of the important decisions."

" Where did you two fit in all of this?" Coach finally asked, eying a nearby warehouse.
Sion kicked aside a rock. " Ark was there before me, and he was their... tracker if you will. He has a great sense of smell, and could find other infected hiding around, and his leaping ability was very handy. Me... I have great eyesight so I took up a gun alongside them, and aided when I could."

Coach stopped listening to watch Ark, who was busy sniffing around, observing the Hunter in action. Ark was trying to learn all of the new scents, and was currently in a small level of hell. The nearby area stunk of rotting corpses and blood, the Hunter sitting in his usual crouch, grimacing as he covered his nose. " Ugh..."

" Smell something we should be aware of?" Sion asked, looking in the same direction as Ark.

" Blood, corpses, infected, just another day in hell." Ark replied dryly. Coach and Sion both shared a soft chuckle, watching Ark grimace. The smell of rotting flesh was a bit overpowering to the Hunter, Ark grimacing and walking a short distance away, sitting down with a soft noise.

" Any idea where we are now?" He finally asked.

" The swamps." Sion answered bluntly, looking around. " Looks like we landed a little ways away from them though."

Ark looked at Sion. " How in the HELL did we get here?"

Coach answered that for him. " We all got on the helicopter and crashed out here when the pilot got infected. Not exactly the highlight of my evenin'."

Ark nodded softly, putting together the pieces while Sion looked onwards. " How come you didn't shoot us?" he asked, looking at Coach. " We're infected, how come you haven't tried to get rid of us?"

Coach shouldered his shotgun, giving Sion a hard stare. " Because I haven't really found a reason to. Ya'll ain't done nothing but try to help us every step of the way, so why would I have a problem with that?"

" Nick certainly has a problem with us." Sion retorted, Ark nodding as well. Coach simply chuckled, shaking his head.

" Well, that's just Nick. At the end of the day, he is concerned for our safety. You guys are sort of... exceptions to the rule." Coach said.

Ark made a noise, nodding eagerly and grinning. Coach was reminded of a very enthusiastic dog while watching Ark sniff around for supplies, heading into the warehouse he had been eying earlier before running out with a upset screech. Tense, he and Sion both hurried to Ark's side, intent on protecting the Hunter from whatever had upset him, both lowering their guns upon seeing no visible enemy.

" It had better not be another cockroach..." Sion mumbled, going into the warehouse, leaving Coach to watch the area, coming out a few minutes with a evil smile on his face. " Hey Ark, thirsty?" He said, waving the acquired bilebomb. Ark stuck up a single finger to give Sion a good hint as to what he thought of that idea, still remembering the incident on the highway.

Coach lifted an amused eyebrow, a smirk on his lips. "Something I'm missing here?" he asked, Sion opening his mouth to tell the tale, Ark's red-eyed glare silencing him.
"... I can't say..." Sion said while trying not to laugh. Judging by Ark's clear hatred of the bilebomb and Sion's earlier comment, it didn't take Coach long to fit one and two together, the bigger man's shoulder's shaking from contained laughter.

" And here I thought Ellis was the only crazy one..." he said inbetween chuckles. Ark gave him an indignant look, storming into the warehouse to look for supplies, Sion following him with a amused chuckle. " All right, let's see what we can find in here, but don't saddle yourself down in case we need to run." he said, walking after the two.

"Ark and Ellis are so alike... I swear they could be brothers in another time. Like him and that Keith fella he's always talkin' about." Coach thought, walking along.

--

After convincing Ark to take point and search for infected, Coach and Sion brought the supplies back to everyone, the older of the two taking a moment to evaluate everyone. Ellis was still sleeping, and looked as if he could really use a break from fighting for his life, head gently resting on Rochelle's lap. Rochelle herself was awake and smiling gently, stroking Ellis's hair as he slept, trying to keep the young mechanic soothed while Nick looked on, a twinge of jealousy in the air.

Matthew was awake as well, chewing on some snacks he had, giving Coach a big smile. " Thanks for lettin' us on th' heli." He said, smiling.

Coach nodded. " After what your brother did for us... it wouldn't be fair if we left ya'll behind."

Matthew nodded solemnly, getting to his feet and going outside, looking up at the sky and trying to get his bearings. " What are you looking for?" Chad asked, sitting alongside the door of the traincar.

" Tryin' t' figure out exactly where I am." Matthew said, looking around. " Can't find m' way home if I don' know."

" Home?" Rochelle asked softly, being quiet so Ellis could keep sleeping. " Where is that?"

" M' family's got a home in the swamps... one o' those nice big homes." Matthew said. " Been in the family for generations. After the infection broke out and I got infected, I lived in there on m' own. Infected don' bother me much in there."

" What about your brother?" Chad asked, still knowing that it was probably a sensitive issue for Matthew.

" After people started gettin' bit, I called him on the remainin' lines and asked 'im if he could come home... I was on m' way t' meet him, that's  why y' saw me in the carnival."
"Makes sense." Coach said, looking around. " Save for Ellis, how is everyone?"

Chad listed off injuries. " Rochelle was just stunned, and her limp is still somewhat there, but otherwise fine. Nick won't let me examine him, but I guess he's just stressed. Matthew and Ellis both have headaches from the crash which should ease up with medicine, but Ellis has damaged ribs from the Tank. Ark seems to be fine now, and Sion and I don't have any real problems. Thankfully the pain in my leg has gone away."

Coach listened to the evaluation, nodding his head. It sounded favorable to him, Rochelle could help defend everyone now, and Matthew was up and moving. Ellis was the only one down at the moment, but the mechanic had a way of bouncing back quickly. With the added strength of the three infected among them, they could move at a good clip. The only problem was where to go to. He hadn't heard of any rescue operations in the swamps, and the sign outside the town that declared that neither the military nor CEDA was allowed there suggested that they had to formulate a plan as they went.

However, the earlier conversation with Matthew did provide a lead. If they could somehow get to Matthew's home, they would have a place to temporarily rest and come up with ideas, they seemed to come easier when you weren't running for your life. " Matthew, if it's okay, may we go to your house?" he asked. " We all need a place to rest, to think of where we're going next."

Matthew thought about it, nodding. " Bit of a walk, we might not get there in just a day or so... but it's better than nothin', right?" Coach nodded, everyone sitting in the traincar silently, waiting for Ellis to wake up so they could get moving.

When it became too silent, Chad decided to talk just for the sake of things. " So... how on earth did you end up as a Spitter, Matthew? And how does it even work?"

Matthew let out a startled noise, having not been prepared for that. " Eh? Oh.. well, both men and women can be turned, right? But some become other things than just th' regular, right? I've always had stomach troubles... so I guess after the infection got in me, it built on that n' made me a Spitter. As for how it works, it's painful."

Chad look interested in that, making a curious noise as Matthew continued on. " I have to eat somethin' first and then using the acid's like forcin' y'self to throw up. Isn't comfy at all. If I don't use it though, I end up with a stomachache. So sometimes, I eat, and sometimes, I don't."

" You were eating earlier, is it gonna be allright?" Sion asked, Matthew nodding. " Wanna be ready, it's a bit of a walk to the house." he replied.
" Can you still do it even if you haven't eaten?" Chad asked, genuinely curious. " Because if you get caught by a horde, it's hard to get you out if you only have one shot."
" I can use it, but it hurts." Matthew confirmed for him. " Ain't easy on those of us that look human."

Chad took out his notebook, working on a new sheet of paper." What are you working on?" Coach asked, sitting beside him. " Oh, I've been keeping a record of everything's that happened." Chad explained. " I also make detailed notes on the infected as I learn more."
" Why do you keep notes on that?" Ellis asked sleepily, having woken up in the middle of the conversation.

Chad patted his notebook. " Because the more I learn, the better prepared I am. Plus... I think that only a select few people know about what the infected are really like, their behaviors, mannerisms, it's important to share that knowledge."

" Fat load of good it's doing right now," Nick commented, waving one arm. " Take a good look around, this look like a camp to you?"

Chad ignored him and continued on. " We've lived through this, we know what to do, people who've been in camps since day one don't. If and when we make it to a camp... I want to share this information so people can have a better chance." he turned it to a dog-eared page, turning the pages carefully. " This page at the very least, is the most important to me."

" Who's on that page?" Ellis asked, trying to sit up to get a look, Rochelle making him lay back down.

" The Shooter." Chad answered, turning the notebook so Ellis could look at it. " Possibly one of the most elusive of the infected... I see more witches then them." He ran his finger over the rough drawing. " I can't figure out the conditions for their infection, since their ages and sizes have several inconsistencies. The northern variety is smaller than the southern, but the northern ones are practically twice as tenacious when it comes to chasing prey. Southern ones are .... lazy."

" Lazy? Bullshit." Nick snorted. " You remember the one in the tunnel? You tell me if that was being lazy."

Chad gave him a worried look, turning the page. " That's the thing. It WAS being lazy." he said, sighing deeply. " When Coach woke it up, it startled both him and Ellis into running, the natural response, but they left Rochelle behind on accident, thus making her a lone target. Shooters never attack a target unless it is being assaulted or alone. The Shooter that we fought at the facility before we headed south... it attacked during a horde. The one in the forest, it attacked during a Tank attack. The one on the stage, it attacked after we set off the concert and was in a mad dash to the helicopter. It fits, it's an opportunity predator. It won't fight if it thinks that it's too much work."
He flipped the notebook to an earlier page. " One has never attacked us when we were all together and watching our backs, we'd be too hard to take down and it's not worth the effort. Instead," he closed the notebook and set three shell casings on it, moving them apart from each other. " It waits for the horde or another special infected to do it's dirty work. Separation by the horde or a Tank, doesn't matter, it's an opportunity."
He slid the shells back onto the floor. " It takes advantage of our weakest moments to gain easy prey."

Coach let out an impressed whistle. " I'm impressed, you found all of that out from your different encounters?"

Chad nodded proudly. " Encounters and intuition. I learned a lot of other stuff from them too, they seem to produce a sort of paralyzing agent  and that coats the spines thinly, which is why after being hit with one, it slows you down after a while. It takes away the adrenaline response. When you're in an adrenaline rush, you move faster, the spines take you back to a normal state, slowing you down for a hopeful capture."

" All fasinating, but anything on how to bring them down?" Nick said, a bored tone in his voice. " That's the only thing that really matters at the end of the day."

" They'll go down just as easily as any Charger, you just have to shoot them in the head and chest." Chad pointed at the locations. " They have spines, but it doesn't cover the middle of their chests, stomach and head. Pretty much anywhere they can have hair is where spines are."

" Oh? Everywhere?" Nick smirked. " What about dow-"

" Don't even finish that, Nick." Rochelle said with a groan.

"...Do they?" Ark asked, looking at Sion, who covered his face with a groan.

Description
Chapter 35: Ferry

--

Disclaimer: I do not own Left 4 Dead 2

--

Ellis let out an indignant squawk as the helicopter lurched to the side, Sion crashing against his ribs and making them hurt even more than they already did, wincing as he got loose, tumbling slightly again as the helicopter lurched to the other side.

Chad's brain immediately went into damage assessment mode... No pilot. In a helicopter. "Shit." he muttered, clambering for the cockpit as Nick did, having a hard time when the craft lurched sharply to the side, sending Sion flying to crash into the wall with his ribs, crying out and tumbling when his seatbelt popped loose and he tumbled about in the cabin somewhat, Ellis squawking the whole time as Chad and Nick went about keeping the helicopter from spiraling down and crashing... At least, they hoped they did.

Sion let out a sharp gasp as he tumbled forward, smacking into Matthew as Chad and Nick struggled to keep the helicopter upright. It seemed to be an uphill climb for the two men, the dead pilot's body being a rather large obstacle to properly accessing the controls, Ellis hanging onto Ark's arm to keep him from sliding everywhere. To the Smoker, the ground was light-years away yet still coming too quickly for his tastes, it seemed as if they would crash before the helicopter could stabilize.

Ellis was too busy focusing on holding onto the door of the helicopter as well as Ark to really think about other trivial matters, such as hitting the ground, until he glanced out the window and noticed that those trees seemed to grow awful fast... Matthew yelped and grabbed onto the seat tightly as Nick and Chad both swore. The sounds of their voices and the yells lost to the cacophony of the rotors breaking wood and the metal crunching before there was a sharp impact, causing the mechanic to bash his head, then all went black.

--

Scared was the best word Ark would use for his situation, having woken up in a helicopter wreck rather than still tied to the speaker like he last remembered. The helicopter thankfully hadn't gone up in a giant fireball, but there was still a problem to address; getting everyone out. Pulling off his gloves for a better grip, he hooked his arms underneath Rochelle's and started to see if he could move her, checking to make sure she wasn't pinned by anything. Luckily, she wasn't, the woman moaning softly as Ark dragged her out of the helicopter, getting a good look around the area. There was a train car not that far off, he could get everyone there and let them rest until they woke up. He finished dragging Rochelle out and started to try and wake Coach up, who was laying on the side, a bruise forming on his head. " Coach..." he whimpered, shaking the big man's shoulder.

Miraculously, Coach stirred, putting a hand to the bruise and swearing softly. " Shit... guess I'm not dead, since it hurts." he grumbled, looking at Ark. " Oh... you're awake, son. What happened?"
" Crashed, no idea where we are." Ark said softly, crouching. " Trying to move everyone to safer place. Help?"

Even with Ark helping him, it took a total of three minutes to get Coach on his feet, the bigger man picking Rochelle up gently. " Hold on baby girl, we're all gonna get some rest soon, let's jus' get you inside." he said, heading for the train car as Ark reached for Chad next. The medic was out cold, but thankfully only had a few cuts and bruises, dragging him out as well before listening to the area, scared at how silent it was. Things were bad when it was silent. Grimacing, he turned to get Matthew, who was a new face to him but would be helped regardless, tensing when he heard a moan.

His tense muscles relaxed a moment later when Nick's dazed voice broke the silence. " Damn... no wonder I like keeping my feet on the ground." he groaned, limbs feeling too heavy to move. " Fuck... if you're alive, say something. If you're dead... just lay there." he called, Coach wandering over to him. " Good to see you're still your usual self, Nick." he said, kneeling to try and help.

" I'm always my usual self." Nick retorted, easing himself up slightly and grimacing as his body protested the movement. " Shit..."

" Shit is right... did anyone get the number of that truck?" Sion grumbled, face down on the ground. " I think my nose is crunched." He managed to get upright, rubbing his face with a soft noise. Luckily, his nose wasn't broken, but it was bleeding somewhat. " Damn... we all land in once piece?"

A collective groan rose up from those present, Ark carrying Chad piggyback to the traincar, Ellis rolling over to get up as well. Various bruises and scrapes decorated the entire crew, but they managed to keep walking to the traincar. Only when all of them were inside did the fights start.

" What the HELL, Nick, you shot the PILOT!" Ellis barked, pointing a finger accusingly at the conman, aggravated.

Nick was in a hell of a bad mood, snapping back. " What, did you want me to do, politely wait for him to crash the helicopter and attack whoever didn't die?!" he was in the process of bandaging his arm, having gotten a nasty scrape on it during the crash. He'd have to remember to get Chad to look at it later, once the doctor had woken up.

" Well no, but couldn't you have at leas' given us a warnin'?" Ellis countered, trying to not lose ground in the argument. Granted, shooting the pilot and bringing the helicopter down without killing everyone was commendable, but everyone else had no warning whatsoever and those who were already hurt just got injured worse. Even Ark, who hadn't really been conscious was injured, sporting several new bruises.

Nick crossed his arms, tapping his foot angrily as he gave Ellis a hard stare. " Listen, sport. It was either defend us all, or we end up like them." he said, gesturing to common infected vomiting outside. " Damned if I'm gonna spend the rest of my life like that."
Ellis nodded softly, turning to go do something else to help, stepping over Matthew. The male spitter was still out cold, but at least wasn't bleeding from any open cuts.

Coach couldn't help but be grateful when Chad woke up, the medic rising to his feet shakily, holding onto the wall for support. " Did we all make it?" he asked, looking around.

" We all made it." Coach confirmed for him, Chad breathing a sigh of relief before looking over at Ark, who was standing guard. " Glad to see you awake."

Ark nodded softly at both men, looking over at Matthew. " Who this?"

Chad stretched one leg out, testing it gingerly with a grimace, not able to really move. " Male Spitter... named Matthew. He's Desert's twin brother." he said when Ark gave him a dumbfounded look. Ark nodded in slight recognition, sitting back down and looking out at the scenery. " Well... since some of us are awake and some aren't... how about we form a small three-man party to go search?" Chad offered, trying to fill the unnerving silence. " Might still be some supplies left around here that could be useful."

"Not going." Nick said from his spot, Ellis reluctantly agreeing with him. "My head hurts somethin' awful, I jus' need to rest a little." the mechanic apologized, Chad nodding softly.

" I'll help look for supplies." Coach said, standing up while stretching. " Just make sure that those of us still out are protected, okay?"

"I'll go too!" Ark said, bouncing in place, eager to help. He was a bit ashamed that everyone had to help him at the carnival, so to him, this was his chance to make up for it. His cheerful spirit plummeted when Coach looked at him and Sion. " You two and me will go." he said, gesturing outside.

There wasn't any malice in his voice, but the tone clearly stated he wanted explanations. Biting his lip, Ark nodded and trotted outside. Sion following as well.  Silently, the three headed to the town entrance, Chad watching them leave before closing the train car door for safety.

--

" So... how long have you two been at this sort of thing?" Coach asked, breaking the tense silence as the three walked into the town, looking at the two. " I mean, helpin out survivors?"

Sion tilted his head softly. " I guess for a few... what, weeks now? We were with another group before." He fiddled with the pistol that he had kept for protection. " Great group, really, almost like a weird family."

Coach quirked an eyebrow. " Really?"

Sion nodded, smiling a bit because he felt more relaxed now. " Yeah, there was Zoey, the only girl and she was a horror movie nut. You can kinda say she was already prepared in her own way. Francis... he thought it was all one big barfight with no rules and the cops in on the fun. He hates a lot of things though, kind of reminds me of Nick." He grinned now. " Ellis reminds me of Louis, ever optimistic and good at fixing things while you remind me of Bill. Bill was their leader, and he kept everyone together as well as made most of the important decisions."

" Where did you two fit in all of this?" Coach finally asked, eying a nearby warehouse.
Sion kicked aside a rock. " Ark was there before me, and he was their... tracker if you will. He has a great sense of smell, and could find other infected hiding around, and his leaping ability was very handy. Me... I have great eyesight so I took up a gun alongside them, and aided when I could."

Coach stopped listening to watch Ark, who was busy sniffing around, observing the Hunter in action. Ark was trying to learn all of the new scents, and was currently in a small level of hell. The nearby area stunk of rotting corpses and blood, the Hunter sitting in his usual crouch, grimacing as he covered his nose. " Ugh..."

" Smell something we should be aware of?" Sion asked, looking in the same direction as Ark.

" Blood, corpses, infected, just another day in hell." Ark replied dryly. Coach and Sion both shared a soft chuckle, watching Ark grimace. The smell of rotting flesh was a bit overpowering to the Hunter, Ark grimacing and walking a short distance away, sitting down with a soft noise.

" Any idea where we are now?" He finally asked.

" The swamps." Sion answered bluntly, looking around. " Looks like we landed a little ways away from them though."

Ark looked at Sion. " How in the HELL did we get here?"

Coach answered that for him. " We all got on the helicopter and crashed out here when the pilot got infected. Not exactly the highlight of my evenin'."

Ark nodded softly, putting together the pieces while Sion looked onwards. " How come you didn't shoot us?" he asked, looking at Coach. " We're infected, how come you haven't tried to get rid of us?"

Coach shouldered his shotgun, giving Sion a hard stare. " Because I haven't really found a reason to. Ya'll ain't done nothing but try to help us every step of the way, so why would I have a problem with that?"

" Nick certainly has a problem with us." Sion retorted, Ark nodding as well. Coach simply chuckled, shaking his head.

" Well, that's just Nick. At the end of the day, he is concerned for our safety. You guys are sort of... exceptions to the rule." Coach said.

Ark made a noise, nodding eagerly and grinning. Coach was reminded of a very enthusiastic dog while watching Ark sniff around for supplies, heading into the warehouse he had been eying earlier before running out with a upset screech. Tense, he and Sion both hurried to Ark's side, intent on protecting the Hunter from whatever had upset him, both lowering their guns upon seeing no visible enemy.

" It had better not be another cockroach..." Sion mumbled, going into the warehouse, leaving Coach to watch the area, coming out a few minutes with a evil smile on his face. " Hey Ark, thirsty?" He said, waving the acquired bilebomb. Ark stuck up a single finger to give Sion a good hint as to what he thought of that idea, still remembering the incident on the highway.

Coach lifted an amused eyebrow, a smirk on his lips. "Something I'm missing here?" he asked, Sion opening his mouth to tell the tale, Ark's red-eyed glare silencing him.
"... I can't say..." Sion said while trying not to laugh. Judging by Ark's clear hatred of the bilebomb and Sion's earlier comment, it didn't take Coach long to fit one and two together, the bigger man's shoulder's shaking from contained laughter.

" And here I thought Ellis was the only crazy one..." he said inbetween chuckles. Ark gave him an indignant look, storming into the warehouse to look for supplies, Sion following him with a amused chuckle. " All right, let's see what we can find in here, but don't saddle yourself down in case we need to run." he said, walking after the two.

"Ark and Ellis are so alike... I swear they could be brothers in another time. Like him and that Keith fella he's always talkin' about." Coach thought, walking along.

--

After convincing Ark to take point and search for infected, Coach and Sion brought the supplies back to everyone, the older of the two taking a moment to evaluate everyone. Ellis was still sleeping, and looked as if he could really use a break from fighting for his life, head gently resting on Rochelle's lap. Rochelle herself was awake and smiling gently, stroking Ellis's hair as he slept, trying to keep the young mechanic soothed while Nick looked on, a twinge of jealousy in the air.

Matthew was awake as well, chewing on some snacks he had, giving Coach a big smile. " Thanks for lettin' us on th' heli." He said, smiling.

Coach nodded. " After what your brother did for us... it wouldn't be fair if we left ya'll behind."

Matthew nodded solemnly, getting to his feet and going outside, looking up at the sky and trying to get his bearings. " What are you looking for?" Chad asked, sitting alongside the door of the traincar.

" Tryin' t' figure out exactly where I am." Matthew said, looking around. " Can't find m' way home if I don' know."

" Home?" Rochelle asked softly, being quiet so Ellis could keep sleeping. " Where is that?"

" M' family's got a home in the swamps... one o' those nice big homes." Matthew said. " Been in the family for generations. After the infection broke out and I got infected, I lived in there on m' own. Infected don' bother me much in there."

" What about your brother?" Chad asked, still knowing that it was probably a sensitive issue for Matthew.

" After people started gettin' bit, I called him on the remainin' lines and asked 'im if he could come home... I was on m' way t' meet him, that's  why y' saw me in the carnival."
"Makes sense." Coach said, looking around. " Save for Ellis, how is everyone?"

Chad listed off injuries. " Rochelle was just stunned, and her limp is still somewhat there, but otherwise fine. Nick won't let me examine him, but I guess he's just stressed. Matthew and Ellis both have headaches from the crash which should ease up with medicine, but Ellis has damaged ribs from the Tank. Ark seems to be fine now, and Sion and I don't have any real problems. Thankfully the pain in my leg has gone away."

Coach listened to the evaluation, nodding his head. It sounded favorable to him, Rochelle could help defend everyone now, and Matthew was up and moving. Ellis was the only one down at the moment, but the mechanic had a way of bouncing back quickly. With the added strength of the three infected among them, they could move at a good clip. The only problem was where to go to. He hadn't heard of any rescue operations in the swamps, and the sign outside the town that declared that neither the military nor CEDA was allowed there suggested that they had to formulate a plan as they went.

However, the earlier conversation with Matthew did provide a lead. If they could somehow get to Matthew's home, they would have a place to temporarily rest and come up with ideas, they seemed to come easier when you weren't running for your life. " Matthew, if it's okay, may we go to your house?" he asked. " We all need a place to rest, to think of where we're going next."

Matthew thought about it, nodding. " Bit of a walk, we might not get there in just a day or so... but it's better than nothin', right?" Coach nodded, everyone sitting in the traincar silently, waiting for Ellis to wake up so they could get moving.

When it became too silent, Chad decided to talk just for the sake of things. " So... how on earth did you end up as a Spitter, Matthew? And how does it even work?"

Matthew let out a startled noise, having not been prepared for that. " Eh? Oh.. well, both men and women can be turned, right? But some become other things than just th' regular, right? I've always had stomach troubles... so I guess after the infection got in me, it built on that n' made me a Spitter. As for how it works, it's painful."

Chad look interested in that, making a curious noise as Matthew continued on. " I have to eat somethin' first and then using the acid's like forcin' y'self to throw up. Isn't comfy at all. If I don't use it though, I end up with a stomachache. So sometimes, I eat, and sometimes, I don't."

" You were eating earlier, is it gonna be allright?" Sion asked, Matthew nodding. " Wanna be ready, it's a bit of a walk to the house." he replied.
" Can you still do it even if you haven't eaten?" Chad asked, genuinely curious. " Because if you get caught by a horde, it's hard to get you out if you only have one shot."
" I can use it, but it hurts." Matthew confirmed for him. " Ain't easy on those of us that look human."

Chad took out his notebook, working on a new sheet of paper." What are you working on?" Coach asked, sitting beside him. " Oh, I've been keeping a record of everything's that happened." Chad explained. " I also make detailed notes on the infected as I learn more."
" Why do you keep notes on that?" Ellis asked sleepily, having woken up in the middle of the conversation.

Chad patted his notebook. " Because the more I learn, the better prepared I am. Plus... I think that only a select few people know about what the infected are really like, their behaviors, mannerisms, it's important to share that knowledge."

" Fat load of good it's doing right now," Nick commented, waving one arm. " Take a good look around, this look like a camp to you?"

Chad ignored him and continued on. " We've lived through this, we know what to do, people who've been in camps since day one don't. If and when we make it to a camp... I want to share this information so people can have a better chance." he turned it to a dog-eared page, turning the pages carefully. " This page at the very least, is the most important to me."

" Who's on that page?" Ellis asked, trying to sit up to get a look, Rochelle making him lay back down.

" The Shooter." Chad answered, turning the notebook so Ellis could look at it. " Possibly one of the most elusive of the infected... I see more witches then them." He ran his finger over the rough drawing. " I can't figure out the conditions for their infection, since their ages and sizes have several inconsistencies. The northern variety is smaller than the southern, but the northern ones are practically twice as tenacious when it comes to chasing prey. Southern ones are .... lazy."

" Lazy? Bullshit." Nick snorted. " You remember the one in the tunnel? You tell me if that was being lazy."

Chad gave him a worried look, turning the page. " That's the thing. It WAS being lazy." he said, sighing deeply. " When Coach woke it up, it startled both him and Ellis into running, the natural response, but they left Rochelle behind on accident, thus making her a lone target. Shooters never attack a target unless it is being assaulted or alone. The Shooter that we fought at the facility before we headed south... it attacked during a horde. The one in the forest, it attacked during a Tank attack. The one on the stage, it attacked after we set off the concert and was in a mad dash to the helicopter. It fits, it's an opportunity predator. It won't fight if it thinks that it's too much work."
He flipped the notebook to an earlier page. " One has never attacked us when we were all together and watching our backs, we'd be too hard to take down and it's not worth the effort. Instead," he closed the notebook and set three shell casings on it, moving them apart from each other. " It waits for the horde or another special infected to do it's dirty work. Separation by the horde or a Tank, doesn't matter, it's an opportunity."
He slid the shells back onto the floor. " It takes advantage of our weakest moments to gain easy prey."

Coach let out an impressed whistle. " I'm impressed, you found all of that out from your different encounters?"

Chad nodded proudly. " Encounters and intuition. I learned a lot of other stuff from them too, they seem to produce a sort of paralyzing agent  and that coats the spines thinly, which is why after being hit with one, it slows you down after a while. It takes away the adrenaline response. When you're in an adrenaline rush, you move faster, the spines take you back to a normal state, slowing you down for a hopeful capture."

" All fasinating, but anything on how to bring them down?" Nick said, a bored tone in his voice. " That's the only thing that really matters at the end of the day."

" They'll go down just as easily as any Charger, you just have to shoot them in the head and chest." Chad pointed at the locations. " They have spines, but it doesn't cover the middle of their chests, stomach and head. Pretty much anywhere they can have hair is where spines are."

" Oh? Everywhere?" Nick smirked. " What about dow-"

" Don't even finish that, Nick." Rochelle said with a groan.

"...Do they?" Ark asked, looking at Sion, who covered his face with a groan.