Persistence - Left 4 Dead X OC

11

We found another safe room, feels like we cut through the entire mall only to find zombie after zombie. Coach sat on one of the cardboard boxes, clasping his hands with his head down being silent. Rochelle set her hand on his shoulder with serene. Nick stared out the safe room and down the hall with his hand on his mouth. Ellis was again staring at another poster of the racecar and Jimmy Gibbs.

While I was sitting in a corner with my knees to my chest and my eyes being covered by my arms, this was our only hope and it feels like we were left for dead. I didn't want them to know I was crying. Silently crying to myself, wiping my tears on my forearms. My god, what now?

"FUCK!" We all heard a shout and a loud bang against metal. Looking up, Nick was holding his hand. He punched the door out of frustration, his knuckles already scratched and bloody. He attracted some of the zombies lingering in the hallway. I could tell Nick wasn't happy, none of us were. He grabbed one of the zombies' head of hair, only to start bashing it into the bars, pulling it back and forth until it stopped moving and grunting. "Fuck this goddamn zombie apocalypse!" He shouted, throwing the limp zombie to the floor. "What now?" Nick shouted, turning his attention to us.

No one said anything, I instead rested my head back into my arms.

"There's no where to go." Coach grumbled.

After hearing that, I broke down. I started weeping, trying to be quiet but obviously failing. I heard shuffling, I could see under my forearms as I shield my eyes from them. Rochelle's shoes was standing in front of me, kneeling down she set her hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay, let it out." Rochelle came closer in for a hug.

Full on bawling my eyes out, Rochelle was kind enough to gentle soothe me by rubbing my back. "Th-thes isn't faur!" I was sobbing, my sinuses preventing me from speaking clearly. I return Rochelle's hug. Finally looking up to the survivors. "What now? What do we do now?"

"Well, have you seen the poster layin' around?" Ellis turns around, holding a smile and pointing towards the Jimmy Gibbs Jr poster. We just started at him, not piecing it together. Ellis steps closer to me, getting on his knees to match my height. "There's Jimmy Gibbs' racecar in this very mall!"

"Great observation, maybe we'll ask Jimmy to sign her forehead to make her feel better." Nick ridiculed.

"No-no, the racecar!" Ellis points to the poster again. "Think about it, CEDA left us so we need to get out of here. It's up to us to figure it out." He looks back into my eyes, grabbing my hand with a big doting grin. "We'll take that baby 'cross the states and straight to New Orleans!" Ellis' optimistic plan had us glancing to each other, gaging our reactions.

"I mean, it's a plan." Coach agreed.

Ellis stood up, walking near the poster and ripping it off the wall. He tears a corner to fold it up and comes back to start wiping my eyes with it. "Aight, I'm betting the gas tank will be empty. We're gonna have to gas it up before we haul ass."

"I'll agree to the idea, but I'm driving." Nick injected.

"Yeah, only if I get killed. Otherwise you better kill me, coz I am driving." Ellis retorted.

"What a fun road trip this'll be." Nick rolls his eyes, but even through his tough exterior he had some optimism somewhere inside.

I felt a small smile on my lips starting to spread, it wasn't a bad idea but it'll for sure save us from this hell hole. "I knew I could get you to smile, a pretty girl like you always has the brightest of them all." Ellis snickering, wipes the rest of the tears away. My heart skips a beat, and quickly I start wiping my eyes as I felt a burning spreading across my face to cover the shame I was feeling.

Rochelle smiles, Coach laughs, and Nick's eyes roll hard enough to pop out of his skull.

Nick drops the bar holding the door in place, and starts moving outside. "There's a bathroom out here too, hurry up and wash off your mascara. You look like a grieving widow." Nick props the door open with his body. "Let's get a move on, people."