“Come on Baron!”

“You said we’d be gone by now-“

“Shut up. Both of you.”

The ground was grassless. Trees of multiple varieties surrounded the group of four young males. The sky was dark, and promised rain in hours. The area was far from anyplace safe, the distant growls of the prowlers reached the four as they waited. The focus of the group was on the leader, who was kneeling down on a decayed corpse, searching it’s body for anything useful. A wind brought a temporary disruption of silence, throwing one of the youngest off, stumbling and turning while drawing his weapon out, a PKR light pistol.

“Jake, put that away,” Said second eldest, but tallest, of the four. Dark brown skin, muscular with shining brown eyes and frizzy black hair was Jaufer. “Don’t jinx it man.” He wore loose jeans, torn around the knees with a thick black belt to hold it up. A skull laden long sleeved shirt was protected by a thick winter coat that was dark red, but torn where the zipper should have been. He held a sawed off shot-gun, yet held a small sub-machine gun by his hip, tied to the belt.

“I- sorry,” the youngest by far, Jake stuttered, deciding not to push his luck when it came to the six foot and three inch seventeen year old. “Fell over a bit… that’s all.”

“Sorry about that,” Said the eldest, finally standing up from his investigation,” but I got us this,” he turned to Carlos, second youngest only to Jake,” you might need this,” he tossed a small cartridge of bandages to the fifteen year old teenager with Hispanic brown skin with green eyes. “And we’re going to need to be a little more careful. This sucker had it tough,” Baron stepped back down, and rolled the body over, removing the shirt to reveal a strange patter on the graying back of the body,” he was constricted by one of the Smokers.”

Carlos quickly shot several glances into the forest surrounding them, checking for any signs or sounds of the specific enemy. He wore a brown woolen Jacket with a silver cross around his neck. Around his shoulder and his waist was a strange home made belt he had always worked on in his spare time. He had baggy cargo pants, riddled with pockets of nothing. In his hands were two pistols, one a small Glock, and the other a similar PKR.

“Constricted. That’s- that means strangled, right?” asked Jake. Blond, blue eyed, and young, he was the most innocent, easily frightened, yet friendliest of the lot. He was the youngest- eleven years old in the world long dead. He wore similar garments as Carlos, but had a blue hoodie that he always had over his head, and his pants were much more simple, lacking of millions of pockets.

“I think it means to be squeezed, but by a Smokers’ tongue, ya know?” Carlos said, nodding as he spoke to reassure himself.

“One way or another,” Baron said, standing up once again to brush off dirt from his tight Blue rocker jeans, where a holster for a pistol was attached to each pants leg,” There was a smoker here in the past week or so. That’s weird, considering we don’t get many of ‘em... whatever.” His brown belt held a small automatic weapon in place, also while bearing a knife scabbard. A white work shirt covered his well toned chest, also bearing a dusty and worn brown leather Jacket, which had on it’s chest pocket the words sewn on ‘Only the dead give up’. On his forehead was a red bandana, which kept his unkempt brown hair out of his face; instead propping it up and out like it was gelled. His strong, but light brown eyes stared out, ready to give the order. “Let’s head home.”

That was the last time for the four that their world would be anything but normal, if they could have called it that in the first place.

“Thank you!” Jake praised, tossing his hands up for a moment,” so does that mean I can drive back to home?”

“Maybe,” Baron said, pulling the body to the open, making sure if anything else wanted a piece, they would be visible to passers by. “I didn’t think it would be this dark to be-“ the hairs on his back spiked up. His legs stopped, and lowered him closer to the ground, crouching. The others, in lightning fast response, followed pursuit. “Shh.”

“Baron?” Jaufer asked, his eyes along his shot-gun, as he scouted the area with his sight. “I don’t see anything.”

“I… a twig snapped somewhere,” he said.

“A bird?” Carlos suggested, noticing how Jake had nearly frozen up, shaking in fear.

“No…” he began to move ahead, each step being carefully place to allow equal positioning of weight. He wouldn’t allow himself to be seen. Yet he heard another snap of wood behind him, and didn’t need to turn to see who it was.

“Jake, I’ll be fine. So will you just stay with them. I’m just going to take a look ahead, that’s all,” the twenty one year old said in his strongest voice possible in his lowest volume.

“But- I… can I- ok.”

“Just stay put for a second, alright?” Baron added and continued his advance into the foliage.

“Yeah, don’t take too long, ya hear? I’m no hero either!” Carlos hissed after him. Baron made a mental note to speed things up if he could. He continued on, passing numerous trunks of trees that he cared not to investigate. His flashlight on, and his hunting rifle with attached scope pointed forward, he finally found a suitable place to spy. Only a few well placed steps and he found something he considered interesting; a warm spot. A large foot print of a dressed shoe, and very clear spots for leg rests implied they had not been alone for a portion of the night, possibly recently. A pile of rocks next to the mountain just to his left nearly begged him to scan the surroundings. In a swift run, he climbed up and let himself rest on the cold grey stone below him; if someone was just here, he might be able to spot them.

“Where are we to the city?” he asked himself, scanning a gap between trees to the bright skyline up above, looking for the dark absences of stars that signaled the presence of tall buildings. Finally, he noticed the dark spots and then shifted his gaze to slowly to his right until he came across a faint yellow glow. “Home. Now, where is the-“ he heard a moan; his mouth closed and nearly sealed itself; air-tight. Slowly, he moved his head down, to find not one, but nearly fifteen prowlers all around him, bumbling around, seemingly confused by the source of coherent words and sounds.

What the frigg?? There was this many of them, this close? There… this is a clean area, he thought to himself in panic. The light of his flashlight switched off, and he decided to turn and get back to the others so they could get the hell out of there. Pushing himself off the rock, he moved as fast and quietly as he could away from the grotesque sight and rotting smell of the prowlers, their eyes evil and full of terrible energy as always. Just feet from the ground though, he heard a very loud snap.

“Jake!” he hissed, spinning off the rock in surprise to see the blond kid behind him, his eyes wide as plates and full of fear as louder growls grew closer as the rustling of leaves shook the air as the ground shook in footsteps. “Run!”

“I’m Sorry!” he shouted as he was almost dragged the first few steps by Baron, who had forced him to turn and dart back to Carlos and Jaufer, who had stood back up and opened fire on another group of prowlers that had charged at them from behind.

“Back to the car! Now!” louder and louder the growls grew until shrieks and screams echoed around them.

“What the hell is goin’ on Baron?” Carlos yelled as he threw his hand behind him to wildly shoot back at several chasers. “This is not just a big group, this is like a swarm!”

“I don’t know, but there was fifteen of them, all quiet and- I think we might have pissed off some Migration by accident!“

“Migrations don’t come,” Jaufer said, his low but powerful voice strained as he ran with the others,” ever. The mountains to the east don’t allow that to happen.”

“Maybe Shiken was overrun!” Jake shouted, his hood thrown off by several stray twigs that snagged it’s ends and tossed it back. “Maybe the old tales were right!”

“Shut up, and get back-“ Baron was cut short as he lost his footing and plummeted down a slope with the four others as they momentarily left the forest. Nearly bouncing down the grassy slope, they eventually landed in the hard road, which connected with Carlos’s head the worst, producing a sickening smack.

“Agh! Shit…” Carlos was first up, yet nearly fell over, only to stay up with the provided help of Jaufer.

“You ok?”

“Come on!” Baron shouted at the others, being that the car was only three hundred yards down the road, already in sight. Just as he turned, ready to run down the road though, he spotted more prowlers leaping from the wooded sides, spotting the group and charging in full sprint. “Guns out! We aren’t walking our way out of this one!”

“Oh no!” Jake said, trembling again, pulling an Uzi out shakily.

“Come on, shoot!” Jaufer said, blasting two closer targets easily off their feet with his gun in one of his hands. Jake spotted one closer to him, and pulled the trigger, closing his eyes occasionally from the fear and strain as he tore the opponents arm off, followed by it’s jaw. Opening his eyes, he saw it’s collapse, and then was pulled along by Jaufer, who was now almost carrying them both.

“I’ll get it started!” Baron screamed back at them down the road as he almost made it to their vehicle, an old, scrapped jeep without a hood to the engine or roof. As he jumped through the windowless door, he reached for the keys, and spun it until he heard the car start and felt it rumble. Smiling that it was safe, he grabbed the wheel, only to stop. The maps were spilled out, and the boxes in the back, as he glanced through his mirrors, were all opened. But also had been opened the way it was meant to be opened, not torn out or ripped apart. That puzzled him more than the appearance of the sudden swarm.

“Baron!” Jaufer shouted as he still ran at the car, both teenagers in his arms.

“Right!” putting the car in gear, he spun it around and raced down the road, smashing into several dimwitted prowlers as they tried to reach his friends. “Get in; holy shit!” as Jaufer put a still dizzy and panicked Jake inside the car and then climbed himself into the seat, Baron stared down the road, scared for his life.

“What?” Jaufer asked, and then froze at the sight of at least two hundred on the road charging at them; enough to tip the car easily over and too many to run over. “Go!”

“Right!” Baron jammed the stick again, and spun the wheel as the car spun back and around, read to charge away. A high pitch yell from one of the trees diverted both Barons’ and Jaufers’ eyes. A tall, lankey variation was standing ready, pulling its head back. The smoke, surrounded by the gaseous cloud of noxious fumes shot it’s tongue out and snagged Jake. “SHIT!!”

Jake screamed in bloody surprise as he shot his gun wildly over his shoulder, his blue eyes shining in tears, afraid that he was about to die. Baron turned the car around once more, trying to tangle the tentacle like tongue on the metal framework, only forcing Jake almost out of the car. Jaufer took aim and quickly ripped the fleshy grappling hook off. Only then did he turn and tried to tear the rest of the tongue off.

Baron was staring at the swarm, still growing in numbers as he yet again tried to spin the metal chariot around. His eyes on the road, he spotted several Hunters, each one leaping in and out of the crowd, trying to get closer to the warm human tissue. But he felt something, something that was being sent through the entire area. A shockwave, quick poundings on the ground that could only mean one thing.

“What the hell is going on?” Baron asked softly in awe as he saw the Tank rip down a tree in his rear mirror.

“TANK!!” Carlos shouted, retrieving the rifle from the front seat and pulling it to the back, ready to take pot-shots at the still following prowlers. “Where did it come from?”

“That’s the general feel for tonight it seems!” Baron shouted, looking briefly back at the two, still staring back at the approaching army of dead.

“Watch the road man!” Jaufer shouted, grabbing for the wheel, desperate to steer the jeep out of the path into a ridiculously fat man, bloated with pores the size of small sport balls. A boomer was running at the jeep as it prepared itself to vomit it’s noxious fluid. The car turned, but was moving to fast to turn away, sliding to it’s right as it collided with the boomer, shaking the jeep off it’s wheels. The four riders screamed in terror as the jeep flipped over and slid down the road, sparks above the groups head as they waited for the stop to come.

Jake screamed once more as it stopped, and then he scrambled as fast as he could, lost for anything to say in English. Baron, aware of what the young ten was about to do, un-strapped himself, and raced Jake outside, stopping him from running off into the woods.

“You run off, you die!”

“Woods! They can’t see me! Prowlers can’t see me with all the trees!”

“Shoot them!” Carlos shouted as he took several more shots at the closing in Tank, still roaring as it pounded the road with each ‘step’ it took. The massive, oversized arms, like a gorillas, smashed the pavement like ice, cracking it even easier. It’s tiny, misshapen head bearly noticed the remains of the burst Boomer, the fat stubby legs and lower torso laying in the street as it was crushed by one of the gigantic fists, easily the size of a large working desk.

“Move Carlos, move man!” Jaufer shouted as he finally climbed out, and shoved him over, blasting the closing in Tank with every shot he had from the shotgun he had. Yet the tank, followed closely by the horde, eventually came too close, and he jumped and rolled to the side as it attacked, slamming its fists into the Jeeps still running engine. The affect was instant; a huge blast of fire and heat that shot Jaufer ten feet back, tossed Carlos, Baron, and Jake off their feet, and set half of the prowlers ablaze and produced a shockwave that could have been heard for miles around. Screams of frenzied undead shook the night itself. Jaufer rolled to his side and slowly stood up, limping away to the others as he chased his dancing shadow from the blazing light.

The Tank roared in anger again, totally covered in flames, unable to see it’s needed foe. Tossing it’s arms frantically, it smashed many other prowlers, sending them flying off into the trees, snuffing their flames in their flight.

“Die monster! Die!” Jake shouted, shooting again with his Uzi at the still raging Tank.

“Get up first! Damn it!” Baron growled in fury as his precious Jeep burned before his eyes. “Let’s get out of here before it turns us into-” he turned; ready to run with the others. But his foot stalled, as he found a new sight just ahead of him, in the shadows of the flicker light. A tall figure, wearing a long dark cloak that fell to his feet, baggy pants and black belt, and black shirt, stood before him. Not taking any chances, Baron raised his gun and pulled the trigger. Several loud clicks followed, furthering his disappointment and anger. The new being then slowly walked over in a very human way; not growling or heaving or hunchbacked, but a straight posture, brisk pace and deliberate choice of step. The man, with short black hair that was spiky and dark green eyes with dark bags around his eyes glared angrily at Baron.

“OW!” Baron yelled as he figure punched him across the side of his head. “What the hell was that for!?”

“You could have killed me,” the man spoke in a low, dark voice, continuing forward, not caring about the other survivors opinion of him. “Stay out of my way.”

“Hey!” Baron forgot his temporary anger at the man, seeing as he was walking right for the horde of prowlers, which still hadn’t made it pass the downed jeep and flaming Tank. “Get back! You could die!” he reached forward, trying to pull him back and out of harms way. The strangely dressed man spun around, connecting Baron’s forehead with his heal in a backwards spin of a kick. “GAH!”

“Don’t touch me,” the man said, even more dangerous than before. He turned once again, now completely past them all. On the man’s back was a large pole, and something poked back from underneath the dark cloak. As he walked, he slowly reached down and withdrew his weapon; the light metallic ringing of a katana announcing the sword’s escape from captivity. “And stay back if you know what’s good for you. I have a hard time sometimes telling the difference between us and them.”

“What did he say??” Jake said, one hundred percent frightened by the man’s total appearance and attitude so far. “Is he going to die!?”

“Of course he is! He’s walking right into them!” Carlos shouted, his fists tightly clenched at the sigh of Baron being smacked down to the ground. “Right?” he asked Jaufer, who had been watching carefully.

“Can’t say,” he said briefly, watching the sides of the road. “He said he can take care of it, so we better leave it be.”

“Yeah right,” Baron said, jumping back up,” no one gets killed on m watch!” he pulled out his rifle, ready to help if possible. Yet the newcomer had already begun to run over, his large sword out and ready in his right hand. “Shit he’s going for it! Let’s go!” Carlos groaned as they all moved, charging to assist a mad man.

Yet the figure was not inexperienced when it came to running; his legs spread long and far, keeping his body close to the ground as he supported himself, ready to impress any professional sprinter. The Tank noticed his charge, and roared at his coming, smashing the remains of the jeep towards him. Reflexes proved amazing as the newcomer leapt into the air, easily avoiding the sliding, burning wreckage. Yet the others stopped, running back as they nearly avoided getting flattened by the rolling pile of burning metal.

“Oh come on!” Baron yelled, seeing the hoard changing paths, splitting into two rivers of running bodies, one heading for the still running man, and now them; going over the car and around. “Kill them!”

The sword wielder heard gunfire behind him, and his grip tightened just a notch. His eyes focused on the closest targets; seventeen individual charging zombies. The two closest swung out at him, but it was so slow to him. He bent back, still taking a step forward, swinging his blade horizontally, splashing blood around as he cut their torso in half. Another actually leapt at him. Kicking up with one foot, he spun in the air, landing a nasty blow onto the back of it’s head, smashing it into concrete. Ready to catch himself, he thrust the sword into the back of his latest combatants head, and holding himself upside down in the air like it was nothing. Three more ran to grab him, and he lifted the sword up and out, using another spin to kick two, and split another down the center; Six down in three moves.

Five others again ran for him. It was easier, their distance he noticed was evenly spaced. He focused his sight for those spots, and darted between them, swinging his sword between each target until he was at a standing zombie, who had not charged. He jumped up, decapitating it in a swift blow. The five remaining were all around him, and without taking a single glance at any of them, he swung his arm around three hundred and sixty degree’s, removing each of their heads without so much as a second glance. Seventeen down in six moves, taking seven seconds total.

The Tank roared again, now lifting a crumbled piece of concrete, and lifting it above his head. It heaved it back and tossed, bellowing as his target easily ran to the side, the rubble crushing other targets but missing the prime one. The man placed his sword away, and reached over his shoulder, pulling out the bow staff. As the tank charged at him, ready to try tearing him into pieces rather than crushing him with stones, the man spun the staff over his head once, readying himself for the fight about to come. The monster lunged one giant fist out, only to be avoided as the man jumped up and onto the arm, and leapt again, flipping over the beast, whipping the staff down, smashing it against the back of the tank's skull. It whimpered for a moment, trying to hold it’s injured cranium, and collapsed, miss stepping in it’s dizziness.

“No… no way,” Carlos said, his mouth open and his mind in shock. “There is just no way he could have done that!” Jaufer turned, stopping to blast an incoming prowler before he turned to see the sight.

“What- days light!”

“What is it?” Baron asked, turning his head around to spot the sight of a Tank downed, and not a single bullet wound on it’s body. “Did he actually kill it?”

As if the Tank could hear him, it suddenly pushed itself up, trying to balance itself up with it’s two humongous arms. The man had either not noticed or could not, being that he was dispatching prowler after prowler with the bow staff, each one having a cracked skull that meant a destroyed brain, or a crushed neck. The Tank could care less about other zombies, but it certainly wanted the one who injured it dead. It roared again, going through another berserk mood, swinging it’s arms as much as it could like an angered gorilla. The man rolled to his side, allowing the monster’s momentum to crash through the crowd of zombies like a bowling ball. In a split action, he tossed the bow staff up, withdrew the sword, then caught the staff. As the Tank turned again, he pushed the katana into a small notch at one end of the Staff, securing it safely, and converting the staff into a full fledge pole arm; a naginata.

The monstrous body charged one last time. The man mimed in action, his weapon ready at his side. As they both halted to a stop, the fight began. Like a huge sledge hammer, a fist smashed down, cracking the ground where the armed man had been a moment before. In retaliation, he swung the massive weapon across the hand, slicing flesh at the knuckles. The beast reeled back, watching as its fingers flew off when he pulled the hand back. The one man army took his opportunity, running again, using the beasts left arm, which was lowered to provide momentary support, and jumped off of that, leaping at its head. A single trust did the same job five clips of an automatic weapon could do.

The head fell, severed from the thick neck, and the Tank fell, bleeding and dead. The single man, landing next to the body, did little to recognize the astonishing achievement he had done, killing a Tank class mutant zombie without a single bullet. The group of four watched, amazed at what he had done.

“Who the fuck are you!?” Carlos shouted.

“...Ben.”

“What?!”

“My name’s Ben.”

“Ben,” Baron muttered, still unsure if all of this happened,” uh, thanks for all of that.” The tall figure did little for respond, simply staring at an open handshake he would not take.

“How did you do that!?” Jake asked, his eyes now wide in amazement and awe.

“You have a home?” Ben, the Tank Killer said as he took apart his brutal weapon, the light from the fires casting his face in shadows.

“Wh- home?” Baron repeated.

“Yeah, a common stop, someplace safe. Do you have one?” Ben asked again, slower than before.

“Duh,” Carlos said, his attitude picking up. The figure gave him one quick glance with dark, but shining eyes.

“Lead on then.”

“E-excuse me?!” Baron stuttered taken aback at his sudden insistence.

“You have a home. That’s better than most of the planet, you also have food, seeing as how you’re not skin and bones. I could use some-“

“Wait, wait, wait,” Baron started, holding his hands up as he couldn’t believe what he was hearing,” just what makes you think we are going to let you in to our house just like that?!?”

“Yeah!” Carlos pointed out, nodding in agreement, again drawing the man’s gaze for a moment.

“I just saved-“

“Bullshit,” Baron spat, now sure why there had been soo many prowlers here,” I knew there was someone here! I know all the land that’s owned by people, and this is ours; no one else is allowed in it! Look at the prowlers,” he said, pointing at burning piles of bodies,” there are NEVER this many in our area! Only in the city are there prowlers in this numbers! So someone drew them out, and just so happened to be not a five minute run away, perfect distance when being stalked by prowlers.”

“Yeah, so beat it,” Carlos said, a cocky smile stretching his lips. The man had barly listened to the young leader’s argument. Instead, he had placed his staff over his shoulder, and only really stared at him when he used the word ‘prowlers’.

“Zombies,” he said after a brief pause.

“What?” Baron asked, not knowing if that was an insult or term, or what kind of meaning it had.

“Prowlers is NOT what they’re called,” Ben said heatedly, giving the impression he had said this many times before,” they are called ZOMBIES. Spell it out; Z, O, M, B, I, E, S. Got it!?”

“What… what the hell is that supposed to mean?” Baron asked, turning to Jaufer, hoping he might know. He only got back a shrug.

“Zombies, are what you call prowlers. Zombies are the livingdead,” Ben said with a touch of venom. The words living dead had a particular effect on them, Jake nearly dropping his gun, and Carlos gripping the cross tied on his necklace. “Prowlers, are the names you… you people gave them when you… forget it,” he turned half way, staring at the corpses. “I need some food, so let’s stop by at your place, ok?”

“I just said,” Baron repeated with force,” you can’t come.” This time Ben stared at him, his eyes glistening as he listened. “Who knows if more show up at our place, just because we let you in? I, I wont take that chance. I’m sorry, alright?”

“Do you know any survivor rules?” the man said, his eyes now filled with danger.

“Eh, no,” Baron said, his senses telling him he might have to kill this man if he didn’t convince him. “Look, I really am sorry! Its not often when we come across another human, but we don’t have enough-“

“Rule Number six,” he said loudly, as if reciting text,” when traveling, if food and water should present itself, take the opportunity at hand.”

“What does that mean,” Jake asked, scratching his scalp in thought.

“It means that,” Ben pointed at a tree branch, and they all turned. His ploy was perfect, and it was their mistake to follow along.

Kicking out a Carlos, he threw the young man’s balance completely off, having him fall to the ground to lightly lift a foot to his neck. Just as he did, he pulled out his Katana with his left hand, and held it to Baron’s neck. Jaufer turned, pulling his shotgun out, only to face a large revolver pointing to his forehead. Jake was the only one left uncovered.

“Wh-what the fuck man!?” Baron yelled, sweat beginning to shine from the fire.

“Ow….” Carlos moaned, his head pounding.

“B-B-Ben,” Jake said, his hands shaking violently.

“Kill him,” Carlos moaned, trying to reach for his gun, which had fallen away some five feet, far out of reach. “Waste him!”

“Yeah, tell him that,” Ben said, his voice very smooth and calm. “Tell him to murder me. I’m sure he’ll do it.”

“Jake, just shoot him in his foot! Blow a leg off, we don’t need to kill him,” Baron said, trying hard not to move, being that there was a sword around his neck.

“Jake,” Ben said very calmly, trying to have as much as a level voice as he could,” if you did shoot, not only would you harm me, but I would kill for sure him,” he glanced to Baron,” and then him,” he stared directly to Jaufer, who stared back,” and, depending on what leg you shot off, him,” he stared down at Carlos, who smirked aggressively back,” and although you could kill me, then you’d be alone in a forest filled with zombies.”

“I, you’re lying!” Jake said, raising the gun to point at the captivators head. “I can shoot you in your head! Then you can’t do anything!”

“Fine,” Ben said, nodding slightly,” say you did. My body could spasm, cutting his neck, pulling this trigger, or stomping my foot. If you killed me, it could end with another’s death, all of them, or being seriously injured.”

“I-I, you’re lying!”

“Do it Jake!” Baron shouted,” it’s better than letting him kill us!”

“Jake,” Ben said, his dark eyes suddenly lighter,” if you put down your gun and lead us all back to your home, I promise I wont kill anyone here, or harm them in anyway. I will also protect them from other zombies-“

“We can protect ourselves!” Baron growled.

“Just kill him!” Carlos yelled.

“Jake,” Ben said, almost whispering,” Can you?”

Tears shone in the young teenager’s eyes from the pure pressure being shoved onto him. It was carrying the weight of multiple lives on his hands and shoulders.

“Do you… promise?” he asked, timidly, a stream of frightened tears falling from his face.

“Yes,” Ben said, nodding. “I promise to uphold my end of the bargain. Do you?”

“Yes!”

“Ok,” the Tall, muscular figure didn’t lower his weapons or move his feet. “Jake, you need to take their weapons away. I won’t move any arm of foot until they are disarmed.”

“But you…” Jake slowly, after fidgeting, dropped his own gun. He then moved to each being held down or still, and took their weapons off.

“You’re such a loser Jake!” Carlos nearly spat as his guns were taken from him, only to be kicked in the face. “OW!” he stared up at Ben, who had delivered the light punt.

“Watch who you call a loser. I don’t see him lying on the ground, weaponless.”

“But he isn’t doing your dirty work, now is he!?” Baron said, his temper getting the better of him as Jake walked by with his pistol and rifle. Jake’s tears, which had slowed to a near stop, started flowing again at the hatred filled stare from Baron, and he immediately ran to take Jaufers’ weapons.

“Good,” Ben said, now lowering the pistol. “Step back, both of you.” Jaufer and Jake stepped back, watching him steadily, even as Jake held on to Jaufer’s arms, still sobbing. Ben quickly raised the black and let it rest on the leader’s back, forcing him to the others. Finally he lifted his leg and let Carlos loose, who struggled to his feet, ready for a fight by fists. Yet the end of the blade touched his chin, and the ideas fell away quicker than a brick out of an airplane. “Back up,” Ben said, allowing them all to be in front. “No guns for any of you. If you’re crafty enough to get this far out without startling zombies-“

“Prowlers.” Carlos said defiantly.

“…Then you certainly could cook something up and take me down. Now lead on. And don’t try anything. I will go back and FORCE you back home if I have to, or kill you. Just know I’m only keeping you alive because if I do, there’s food for me, and safety. I don’t need it, and could kill you if I have to. So stick to being safe and just lead me back to your home.”

“Oh screw you,” Baron said, turning and walking down the road that would lead them to the safe house. “You had better leave as soon as you’re fed, or we will find a way to force you out!”

Baron could not understand how it went so wrong. It had started out just as a small scout around the perimeter of the land. Just to check up on the woods. See the sights, practice marksmanship, and in Jakes case, driving the car. Now they had to walk an hour or so, their jeep was dead, and they had lost their light weaponry. And to top it off, this asshole was leading them back to their home so he could eat them out of all their food. How… when… why… where… did it all go so wrong!? Baron thought desperately, striving for a source of anger.

The only problem is that he never thought of ‘who’.

Yes, this is a Left 4 Dead fan fiction. This is a fiction set in the universe of Left 4 Dead. And I will leave it at that for the serious bizz.

Helloo, this is the author! And I am here just to say this is a little experiment of mine! It… could turn into a full fledge epic story (like most things I write) but I’m interested in what you, the readers, thing! I mean… I have two other massive stories right now, and If this is a story that ‘has potential’ or ‘has good ideas’ and is ‘so freaking h4x0r’ then I might consider going in depth with this new huge world I’ve created. If not, then I’ll just leave this story for when I complete my other two, and then I’ll have this and another going at the same time! Hahaha… ha….

*sniff*

So, please tell me what’cha think, cus I need to know!

Thanks for’a reading!

EZB