Left 4 Dead: The Mercy Diaries – The Streets Part 2

The Streets Part 2

After descending the final staircase, we came back out to the ground floor. I felt every hair on my body stand up in anticipation of another attack. Surely the infected couldn’t have gone far? The fear must have been written all over my face as Bill turned round to talk tactics.

” Louis, these streets are near your old workplace right? You must have some idea of how to cut through to the hospital?”
Louis stuttered at the unexpected pressure of trying to recall something from his day to day life; two weeks felt like a real long time ago for all of us.

“Spit it out, we don’t got all day you know?” Francis pushed, leaning into Louis. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize they didn’t really hit it off.

“All right, all right!” Louis panted, loosening his tie. “Okay look, the hospital is pretty far out from here. If it was any normal day I would probably just get a taxi. I’m not really sure…”

“And if the traffic was bad?” Bill coaxed.

“…Well, then I’d just get the subway”.

“You have got to be kidding me? Tunnels?” I panicked; I did not want to be trapped underground with those things after us. As much as it was busier over ground, I liked the fact I could run in any direction I wanted.

“As much as I hate to admit it, it kinda makes sense” Francis chipped in, constantly looking over his shoulder while pacing between two smouldering drums in the alley.

I looked at him dumbfounded. “Think about it, Zoe! Up here we could get attacked from any angle, from god knows how many of those bastards. Down there, chances are there are limited numbers and its the most direct route. Gets my vote, and anything beats sat-nav over there”.

Louis checked over his gun awkwardly. “I can get us there”.  He sucked his chest up, walked past Francis and headed to a corner turning between two high rises.

We were lucky;  any remnants of the horde that had attacked us hours before were few and far between and easily dispersed with a few rounds. Out on the main street, the devastation was easy to see. The fronts of buildings were smashed and blood stained, but made for ideal scavenging opportunities. Running into a drug store with broken down doors, I searched for any leftover  items that could come in useful. A crushed bottle of aspirin and some bandages were like gold dust.

“How much further, boss?” Bill panted, trying to keep up with Louis who was clearly on a mission to prove a point. Neither of us wanted to feel like we were keeping anyone behind.

“Up and to the right, straight down and then into the subway entrance.”

“Good job, son” Bill said, following his lead.

I peered into the distance, taking out any targets I could with my pistols. An infected up ahead wavered slowly. Closing one eye to take aim I fired two shots. At the exact same moment, it bent down, sending my bullets through the windshield of the car behind, setting off its alarm.

“Son of a bitch!” I vexed, as the sounds of alerted infected filled the air.

“Don’t just stand there, RUN!” Louis panicked, sprinting up the street and darting in between cars.

In the distance the lights illuminating the subway sign were flickering a way out as by the dozen, infected came from out of windows, behind cars, even running off of rooftops, not caring for the deathly drop to the ground below.

Keeping pace with Bill, we shot down any in our way, running from side to side to avoid the clenching fists inches behind us. I turned around to look for Francis, but he had already vaulted onto a beaten up Cherokee on the left of the road, jumping from car to car to avoid the bodies piling up around him.

“Louis, slow down! You’re leaving us behind!” I screamed, but I doubted he could hear me over the frenzied street and gunfire. By the time we reached the subway, Louis had already run down the stairs.

I raced down the step as fast as my aching legs could take me. “Thanks for the help, man!” I scolded Louis as he worked to unbar a solid metal door in the corner. “We could have done with the extra few bullets up there!”

“Sorry, Zoey” Louis sighed, turning to walk back to me. “I just wanted to get-”

Before he could finish a high pitched scream filled the air as a body launched itself from behind a ceiling high stack of shelves. It pounced on Louis, forcing him to the ground with a crunch. With a scream I grabbed for my pistols, but my hands refused to work with fear. Blood began to trickle towards my feet as the hooded figure began to rip at his chest. He was out cold, and unable to fight the threat of death sat upon him.