My Number One: Part 1

Rain flooded over the gutters and created a waterfall over the window. Ellis stood watching it fill the yard with murky water. Infected crawled around, struggling against the weight of the water with grunts and groans.

"Boy, get away from that window before you get yanked out." Coach, a large black man, said as he reloaded his AK-47. He sat on what used to be a lounge chair putting the clip in and checking its aim. "We all need to stick together to survive."

Ellis obeyed the man and sat back down on the couch next to Rochelle. The former news reporter was curled up in a ball taking a nap before they left the safe house.

A creak came from upstairs. It was probably Nick, the silent man who accompanied them through hell and then some. He was a good aim with a sniper rifle and was probably upstairs sniping some of the infected in their path. In between safe houses, Ellis found himself gravitating towards Nick with a glimmer of hope they would strike up a conversation.

A lightning bolt illuminated the room causing Rochelle to jump up from her spot. She sighed once she realized it was just Mother Nature causing a ruckus. "Damn zombies keeping me on my toes even when I'm sleeping." She complained rubbing her head.

A loud bang from upstairs made them all jump again but it was just Nick taking a shot. Ellis had the urge to go up there but he didn't want to distract him.

"I bet once we get out of this mess, we'll need some therapy." Coach said. His AK was all loaded and ready to go.

"You mean IF we get out of this mess." Nick said from the stairs. He had a permanent grimace on his face, and the pessimism never ceased.

"I am so sick your sarcastic attitude young man!" Coach stood up and crossed his arms over his large body. He shot Nick with a death glare that would make a normal person cringe. Through the journey Nick and Coach continuously had their arguments and Coach was now losing his temper quickly.

Nick scoffed and grabbed another clip for his Dragnov and shoved it in the gun. Ellis watched him lumber upstairs to go snipe some zombie bastards again.

The rain turned to a drizzle, its continuous pounding eased up to a silent tapping. Ellis sighed and slumped his shoulders. Why the hell did this happen? Normal human beings were now turning into flesh eating monsters. No one knew how anyone caught this so-called 'flu' or where it came from; all they know is that if one is bitten by zombies they would catch the disease.

More shots from upstairs rang out in the house. Coach leaned against the counter and snatched the box of Wheat Thins from it and began to munch on them.
"Honestly, how can anyone think about eating at a time like this? I'd be sick to my stomach before I ate something." Rochelle said making a face. She turned her head to look the other way in disgust. Coach ignored her and went back to crunching on the little crackers.

"I know what ya mean Rochelle" Ellis piped up. "This one time I was with my friend Keith and we was watchin' a scary movie while pigging out on anything in the house. I swear to God that Keith almost lost his lunch when the guy's head got chopped off." He paused. "Oh, this isn't really related to what you were talkin' about, was it?"

"No sweetie, it wasn't but thanks for the story." Rochelle mumbled.

Ellis took off his hat and scratched his head through the curly hair. He turned just in time to see Nick come back down and place his rifle on his shoulder. "Path is clear of those brain eaters for now. We better get moving now the rain let up."

Everyone gathered around the barricaded door. They gave each other a nod and Coach shoved the dresser to the side as Rochelle kicked open the door. Ellis walked out with his pistol and looked around. So far there were no zombies, but the yard was flooded with dirty water. He swore a hand was floating by but he didn't want a closer look.

"Damn it all to hell, my suit!" Nick groaned from the door way. He was looking down in disgust at his white suit that now had a mud stain on the pant leg. He tried brushing it off but it only smudged the dirt. Ellis was surprised the suit lasted this long with all the blood that was shed.

Coach shook his head and started down the flooded street. "C'mon ya'll. We should get going before the rain picks up again." Rochelle and Ellis jogged to Coach as Nick mumbled obscenities from behind.

A zombie popped out from around a garage and sped towards the foursome. Coach aimed his AK and shot its head off. It flew back and hit the garages wall. Blood spilled into the water, dyeing it a deep crimson.

"Nice shot, boss." Nick sneered. He had sidled up next to Ellis now, finally ignoring the now brown pants.

The group moved on down the street watching each other's backs and killing the monsters that popped out. Everything seemed to go fine until a raspy scream echoed out in the open. Ellis stopped and looked around for the creature that made such a noise. Suddenly a long tentacle wrapped around his body and started pulling him away from the others.

"Guys! Hey guys! I need help!" Ellis screamed. He tried to unwrap the tentacle from his body but it was so tight that he could feel his rib cage being tested against the strength of this thing.

"Ellis!" Nick ran to him and used his hunting knife to slice the tentacle. It sliced through it easily and Ellis fell into the water. Nick helped him unwrap the tentacle from his torso and threw it to the side. "I guess there is more than one of those things around here. Better be careful."

Ellis took in a deep breath and winced in pain. There's bound to be a black and blue there. "Those things are annoying!" He recalled when another one of those monsters snatched Rochelle and Nick shot it. The ugly thing had exploded into a cloud of nasty smelling smoke that caused everyone's eyes to water.

Nick brushed something off Ellis's shoulder and handed him the pistol he dropped. "Gotta keep your eyes open, we don't want to lose anyone now."

"Thanks." Ellis mumbled, blushing. This was the first time that Nick said anything to him. He gathered his bearings and caught up with the rest of the gang who were now ransacking a store for supplies. He went straight to the backroom to find any medical kits that might be around. Luckily, he found one that had a new roll of bandages and peroxide. He walked out to find Coach and Nick at it once more.

"Every single time we stop, you need to grab the money from the cash register instead of helping us!" Coach roared. He picked up and threw the cash register across the room. It broke and the money fell out on the floor.

"It's not like anyone is going to use it. It's a waste to leave green behind!" Nick retorted as he picked up the bills that were now on the floor. It was true, any time they went to a house or a store, Nick ran for the register while everyone else grabbed anything that posed necessary

"It's useless to us now, we just need to survive!"

Nick snorted. "And grabbing chocolate bars is going to help? You'll only slow us down if you keep eating those things."

Rochelle gasped and Ellis's mouth dropped open. He insulted Coach's weight, this couldn't be any good. And it wasn't. Coach's dark face turned a weird shade of red and he stomped right over to Nick with his hand out. Ellis found himself getting in between them and got a smack in the face.

Ellis put a hand to the spot where Coach hit and he looked at Coach. "What the hell man, this ain't a good time to be fighting amongst each other!"

"You shouldn't have gotten in the way!" Coach growled through his teeth.  He looked around Ellis to glare at Nick.

Nick put a hand on Ellis and pulled him back. "That was unnecessary Coach. You should take that anger out on the zombies instead of one of our own. Hell, the only therapy you'll need is for your anger."  

Coach dropped his jaw. "Honestly, you are impossible! I'm sick of you and your attitude. From here on in, you can go alone!" He grabbed Ellis's hand and pulled him in the direction of the door. "C'mon boy, we don't need him. He can rot with those zombies."

Ellis yanked his hand back. "No! I ain't leaving him behind; he is an important member of our group. Coach, just ignore him!" He pleaded to the ex-coach. He didn't want to imagine Nick's lifeless body discarded with the rest of the infected.

"Don't worry about me Ellis; I can take care of myself." Nick said. He walked out the door and out into the rain.

Coach mumbled something and chuckled. "About time. Maybe we'll be a much cheerier group without him around."

Ellis looked out the door and then back at the other two who were going through the shelves. They wouldn't notice if I left...I'll only slow them down if I get attacked like that again.

The rain had picked up outside, the water rising up to Ellis's knees. He trudged down the flooded street keeping his eyes open for any sign of the silent man.

A loud snarl filled the air. Ellis stopped in his tracks, heart beating fast. There was another growl followed by a loud screech and then Ellis found himself underwater with something on top of him clawing at him. The water filled his lungs as he tried to scream for help. His chest hurt with not only the water in his diaphragm but with the monster scratching at his chest. Everything started to go fuzzy then it went black.