Infected RP between Applez(Dani) and myself.
I'm only posting this up here. For our friends to read. (read this as the circle of doom >3) Since you guys showed interest in reading it. I dunno about putting it to the larger community.
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Rescue had ended up being a pipe dream. The last thing the man remembered was screaming and tearing and pain in his body. Being dragged by someone some distance to a quiet room in the upper story of a building where he'd been left. He had no recollection now of that time. Vague last moments of it. No knowledge that the rest of them hadn't made it far before dying or worse. To him all the world was right now as blackness and pain. His chest felt like he'd been standing on the top of a chimney burning fast and just breathing it all in. It was painful but he knew he'd have to endure it and get up eventually.
New Orleans had been completely run over... There was not a single living soul left that was not already Infected in the city, and the military had made damn sure that anything and everything left inside wasn't getting out. The ruins of the suspension bridge stood as a bold reminder.
...Not that there were too many conscious minds to remember anymore anyway. Or none that Ellis could see, apart from himself of course. Though his state of 'consciousness' was debatable. He certainly wasn't what he used to be, and by that he meant a living human. A 23 year old mechanic from Savannah, Georgia, to be precise. He didn't remember much about that, though... Or anything really. The only sorts of things that really came to mind were his name, and his love for cars... Hence why he currently made his home at an impound lot. There weren't a whole lot of nice cars, but it was the sentiment, he supposed. He particularly favored an old Mustang whose paint job had started to rust away from neglect. The interior wasn't that much better, with the upholstery torn and shredded to fit his own comfort. Yes, those two things were stubbornly present in his mind as far as memories. That, and a third... Another name.
Nick.
He couldn't put his finger on it. Where it came from... Why... But it was there, and Ellis said it to himself on occasion. However these days it came out more like 'Rick' with his newfound disposition for growling.
And then there were the dislikes... He decided he didn't much like sunlight. It hurt his eyes, which had become a great deal more sensitive since changing. So he had lifted a large hoodie from somewhere or other and wore it over his worn and dirtied shirt and coveralls during the day. The hood helped shield his eyes, at least... They came in use at night, though. That was went the heightened visual sensitivity came into play. He could see about as well at night as he could during the day when he hadn't become... well... Infected.
After some time he decided that getting up was a good idea. Standing up he was well aware of the changes over his body. Though they didn't feel foreign to the new sense of mind. But maybe a little distasteful, especially the dingy gray looking clothes he was wearing so covered in grime and dirt it wasn't the color he figured it was suppose to be. Instead of white though he rummaged through closet after close until he found nice clean black pants and a blue shirt something like he thought he wore at some other time. But it mattered little. There was a scent on his old clothes he wanted to find. Something that smelled and tasted good to him, like..poptarts. Yes that was something he used to enjoy eating. Deftly climbing a gutter pipe he started traversing over rooftops. Uncaring for the shambling morons below, they wouldn't touch him anymore.
Dusk was falling slowly on the abandoned city, the heat letting up some... The nights here were alright, Ellis supposed. With a deft leap, he cleared the tall fence of the lot and landed crouching on the other side. Time to patrol, and possibly see what he could scrounge up in the ways of food or supplies or... anything that was gonna catch his eye, really. He was a bit of a hoarder. Bending down, the young Hunter sniffed at the ground. Hunters, as it turned out, chose to wander in packs, which put Ellis at a bit of a disadvantage, seeing as he was a bachelor and unestablished with any of the groups around him. Additionally, he'd come to notice there was a group of other Hunters that ventured close to his home on a regular basis, and with less than savory intentions. He was alone. He was inexperienced. He was an easy target. It made things a whole lot harder for him, and it was with this knowledge present in his mind did he advance carefully through the abandoned streets.
Wandering took hours, and hours led it into night time. Which he decided was fine by him. Better to stalk the smell on his own. He'd found he didn't like the idea of others like him being in the area he'd woke up in. In fact he'd found one idling and staring off at nothing. Another long tongued bastard that had made the mistake of taking him lightly. He'd found out just how good he could constrict and claw things to shreds on it. Gotten in some practice with 'firing' as well. Inwardly he was smirking having pawned a nice looking watch off the dead corpse hanging it on his belt like some kind of trophy. He liked trophies he thought, anything that color. The search took him to a junk yard of some kind, and the scent was fresher but he didn't find the source so he kept tracking it. Keeping to the shadows and ledges of buildings following it until he saw what appeared to be prey on the ground below. And that nice smell was coming from it too. 'Score' was the thought that came to his mind. He took careful aim and two seconds later had it. Pulling the squirming creature onto the roof, constricting and getting a nice taste of it. Not food he determined immediately but he wasn't letting it go.
The search hadn't been going well... Ellis had sifted through a few empty stores, and found nothing apart from a few occasional morsels of leftover food. Rats weren't so bad, either, he found. And they were fresh. Retreating to the streets once more, he was about to continue on when he stopped, stiffening defensively. He sensed... Something. It was lingering on the limits of his senses, and there was something familiar about it he could quite put his claw on. Ellis rumbled with a low growl, starting to back up like a cornered cat. If it was those wandering Hunters that had been tracking him, he'd do his best to give them a fight. But then... He suddenly felt a slick, constricting... Something wind around his waist and hoist him off the ground. There was a startled yelp as he tried to wriggle free, hissing and spitting in an infuriated manner.
Pulling it up he found it was one of those growling dog things. He wasn't letting it go just yet. Moving closer to poke through it's pockets while it couldn't move. Seeing if he could find a new trophy or if this nice scent he'd been following was useless. He mused aloud while digging through the creatures personal space for treasure.
Managing to work a claw free, the Hunter lashed out with a hoarse growl and managed to catch his attacker's leg, tearing through the fabric like it was wet tissue paper and slicing the skin underneath. "Sssss...Ssstop!" he hissed out, sounding like he hadn't talked in lord knows how long, and only managed it now due to his current predicament from impulsive instinct.
A look up was given, one eye may have been the ugly milky lifeless white but the other was still the same shade of lime tinted silver it used to be just with a harder more feralness to it. He growled out himself at the cut. He let it go though against his better judgment.
The smaller of the two Infected twisted around to stare scathingly up at the other just before the tongue holding him in place slipped back and Ellis was dropping back to the ground. He landed squarely on all fours. Drops were not an issue for him, but the moment he was on solid ground, the Hunter scampered around to stare up at the one above him. He growled, low and rolling, before leaping to scale the side of the building with the intent of retaliation. "A-ain't got... Nothin'!" he replied, still getting used to this 'speaking' again. "But thissss... Thissss is my hangout!" He was crouched against the roof, claws flexing as he plotted the correct moment to strike.
He said not looking at him but looking at the gold pocket watch from earlier. < A few strays don't bother me much, you just had a smell...like something from before..this..> He frowned not knowing what he meant exactly by that his head still drawing blanks.
A rather more indignant growl came from the crouching figure. "N-not a kid!" he croaked. "An' I been here sssssince forever! Makesss it my territory!" He had started to circle around the Smoker with an attitude problem. "Th' hell you keep goin' on about s-sssmellss for?" He was rather confused at this point, but tried his best not to let it show.
He watched him now circling him like a vulture.
"Sss'not my name," the Hunter corrected. Quickly he banked forward, leaping to his feet until the two Infected were face-to-face, and the shorter's hazel eyes were looking directly into that one silver-green one. Something flickered in the Hunter's expression, but it was gone as soon as it appeared and instead he resorted to sniffling heavily across the Smoker's face and neck in assessment, slipping down his chest. Yes, there was something familiar about him, he had to admit. But that was impossible... They'd only just met, hadn't they?
He seemed to allow letting him sniff up on him. He watched him sizing him up like some kind of dog.
"I gotta name..." the Hunter promised. He paused to delve into his scattered memories. "It'sss... Ssssss..." He hissed the letters, letting out a frustrated growl. "No... No... Ssss... L-llssss... Elsssss..." That was almost it right there! But not quite...
He was listening to him trying the further it got the closer it got to bringing back clouded wisps of something. Of someone yelling frustratedly at someone named.. He offered looking down at him.
"Ellssss... YESSS ELLISSSSS!" That was it! "Ellissss... isss my name." He frowned and stared up at the taller Infected from around his waist where he'd paused his investigation. "How'd you know...?"
He frowned trying to remember but it hurt to, like the sickness wasn't letting him at it and that was aggravating.
"Yea...?" He was intrigued by that, but it was probably little more than a coincidence. "Don't think that'ssss gonna get ya off the hook," he said, ensuing his progress around the Smoker, sniffing here and there. "Whattabout you?"
He said uncertainly. He couldn't bring anything to mind. His mind was filled with holes and his name wasn't in the spaces between it.
"Jusss' gonna call you 'Smoker', then." Ellis grinned. It was minor payback for the 'Hoods' moniker. The other did have a stench of cigarette smoke about him, anyway, Smoker or not. A small flash of light glittering off something, and the Hunter snatched up the other's hand to inspect the golden rings there curiously.
He started coughing in a pained manner, he'd been on the move for a while and hadn't rested much since he woke up just relentlessly chased the smell and now found the strange hunter called Ellis with him. He brought the hand not being grabbed up to his chest and knelt down a bit. Waiting for the pain ridden spasms to pass.
The moment the Smoker started to hack and cough, Ellis scampered backwards, hackles raised. Past experience told him that was never a good thing... Though honestly, he hadn't encountered too many Smokers since becoming what he was. It was another one of those 'memory' things. Bolding up, he took another step closer. "Y-you okay?"
He said in a strained voice gripping one leg and attempting to force the pain down. He knew he was sick, that's what they were ill. But this was god damn ridiculous.
"Ss-sit down." His defensive front faded, leaving a more concerned one in its place. Gently, the Hunter tugged at the sleeve of the blue shirt the Smoker was wearing. "A'fore ya fall down."
He let him make him lower to the ground sitting disdainfully on the dirty roof. He rasped out somehow and put one hand carefully to his forehead. The spasm passed and he was able to breathe with less pain again the one good eye focusing on the hunter again.
If he had a tail, it probably would have been wiggling to and fro right now after the compliment, despite his aggressive approach from earlier. Honestly as far as
Hunters went, Ellis thought he might be one of the better ones, even nice. He just tended to get defensive when he was snuck up on... "No problem!" he said, sharpened teeth baring in a bit of a wide grin as he sidled closer to the Smoker. "Ssssure you're okay?"
He joked though the humor was almost lost on even him. He knew it would have been funny before. He looked at the strange hunter and reached up flicking the hood back off his face.
The hazel eyes under the hood widened a bit as it was pushed back, revealing a rather boyish face that seemed like it would look good cheerful, if given the right circumstances. His brown hair was messy and slightly touseled with soft waves that were crushed down under a dirty and grime-stained baseball hat he wore with a tow truck emblem on the front. A hat and a hood might be considered a bit much, but the hat held a sentimental value he couldn't place. Either way, he kept it.
He reached across the gap lifting the face so he could look at it better. Despite the discoloration of the skin and the marring from the changes. There was something familiar about that face and the ridiculous hat. He was almost certain of it now.
"Yea...?" Ellis couldn't help but remark on the irony in his own mind of how he'd somehow managed to cross paths with another Infected that he'd known in life. Though, he supposed it wasn't that difficult, given how the city had been sealed off. He stared at the Smoker's face for a long while, trying to remember it. It was difficult, with the boils and disfigurement that came with Infection, particularly with the long-tongued vaireity. His mind was drawing a blank. "I...Can't remember..."
He pushed up again and looked around.
"Well don't got takin' all of it!" the Hunter said, his territorial defensiveness flaring up again as he pulled his hood back up. "I gotta eat, too, yanno." And he fell silent as he lingered for a moment. "An'...Be careful. There's a trio of Hunters that likes to hang 'round here." He hissed faintly and shivered unpleasantly. "They mean business."
"I'll keep that in mind." He said before dropping off the side of the building without consequence walking off in the direction he'd come from.
Scampering to the building edge, Ellis peered down to where the Smoker had landed below. He wasn't particularly worried about whether the fall had hurt him or not, Infection seemed to make one surprisingly resilient. No, it was more of a curious compulsion. He couldn't say he remembered the other, but there was still an indefinable pull he felt in his chest. Or maybe that was just the after-effects of being constricted by that ridiculous tongue. Either way, the little Hunter went his own way in the opposite direction, keen on stocking up on supplies before retreating to his home.
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A night or two passed, Ellis really didn't bother to keep count at this point, and he had barely seen or heard a hint of that Smoker again. Something about this was disappointing... Ellis couldn't put his claw on it, and it bothered him. Bounding over the fence of his lot again, he stalked off into the night with a preoccupied mind, which in hindsight probably wasn't the smartest thing to do... Because before he knew it, Ellis was being backed into the corner of an alleyway by those three same Hunters again. It was a territory dispute, there was no other way around it. And The Three weren't very keen on talking much as they advanced on the loner with hisses and growls, claws scraping against the ground. Ellis himself was no pushover, but it was painfully obvious he was greatly outnumbered. With his back to a wall, he tried scaring them off with angry snarls of his own, occassionally lashing out with his claws.
Nick stared at the sky from his perch on a rooftop. It had been a few hours since he'd found that cowering pest and had his meal. Not finding fresh food often he'd hid the remains for later that evening when he'd probably need it again. The part of him that might have been disgusted by the act was gone from his mind like those precious memories of his. The sounds of growling and snarls brought him out of his reverie. And he made a few calculated jumpes and climbes to over look the alleyway. There was that wonderful smell again coming from the cornered hunter. He felt an anger he never knew he could have possesed at the thought of those mongrels touching or harming it. Dropping to street level he aimed and grabbed the nearest hunter bringing it back to him and beating the shit out of it. This of course coupled with the pained yelping of the trapped hunter drew one of the other two towards him. It made a flying leap at him knocking him hard to the ground. Claws slashing up his nice shirt and skin. Leaving the lone hunter against one opponet that was distracted.
Looking like they were two seconds from leaping on him, Ellis had resorted to cowering and covering his face in anticipation of the inevitable feel of three sets of teeth and claws tearing into his flesh.
As such, it was deeply confusing when that moment didn't come. Instead, there was an alarmed yelp, and Ellis opened his eyes to see a fourth familiar face, though this one was admittedly welcome. The Smoker had drawn The Three off him, in any sense, but Ellis knew he was no more suited to multiple targets than he himself was. With a loud screech that echoed off the walls of the alley, he leapt on top of a second one, hauling him backwards to tangle up in a viscious clash of tooth and claw.
Free'd but hurting he got up and grabbed the head of the one he still had ensnared. With a savage sneer he snapped it's neck, breaking the spine and killing it with some kind of savage satisfaction at the act. Something told him he'd killed someone that way before since it came so easily to him. He looked to the unoccupied hunter and drew his tongue back glowering as it was stalking at him. He wouldn't be able to snag him before it was on him. But he side stepped the pounce it became a game of who could hit the hardest. Unfortunately a smoker just didn't hit as hard as the hunter. He had to hope Ellis would deal with the other one before it came to him being downed.
Ellis was still battling with his current target, the mass of Hunter on Hunter making it difficult to tell which was which from an outside perspective. Then, there was a pained yelp and Ellis had his foe pinned and was currently snarling savagely down at him. With a desperate wriggle, the pinned Hunter gave in with low whimpers. Ellis could be called many things, but a killer was not necessarily one of them, especially of those that submitted. He let the other up, who immediately bounded into the darkness. That left one other... The Alpha. Of course. He was the craftiest, the swiftest, the hardest to beat, and was currently having a stand-off with the Smoker. Ellis hesitated, unsure of what to do, especially as the two continued their odd little dance of leaping and avoiding.
Suddenly it was over for the smoker. The Hunter Alpha slashed out at his face catching him across the unmangled cheek and clawed him right down the side of his neck. Already injured from being pounced by the other one and taking glancing blows it knocked him over. He was fully ready to just give up at that point. At least he'd given the kid a chance to get away. He could hear the sound of it getting ready to pounce the downed foe.
That did it... The moment he saw the Smoker go down, Ellis lept into action. As the Alpha snarled and aimed to take a final leap, the smaller Hunter lunged straight for him, tackling him out of the air. "Ain't gonna kill Nick, ya fuckin' bastard!" he hissed, struggling to pin the larger Infected and keep him down, which was proving difficult. Another moment later, he was flipped onto his back with the Alpha gnashing visciously above him.
Hearing his name had him stunned for a few seconds. A few scrambled memories being recalled in his world filled with pain. He sat up hearing the little one go down. Grabbing a rock he hurled it at the Alpha's head. He kept doing this until it got pissed off and got off Ellis. He called out.
The distraction was enough, and Ellis rolled over to leap onto the Alpha's back. It gave an infuriated snarl and tried to retort, but not before the smaller Hunter dug his claws into its throat, and the diseased skin split open, heavy torrents of blood flooding out. The Alpha's voice caught, and it gurgled and swayed as strength left it, before it slumped over. Ellis stood crouched above, panting heavily and covered in gore, several low growls rumbling in his throat.
Seeing the boy safe he just fell backwards one bloodied hand coming up to clasp over his neck wound as he just laid there resting. Human eye falling closed for the moment.
Once the rush of adrenaline subsided more, Ellis shook out of his seeming bloodlust-like trance, head snapping up to see his companion laying flat on his back. "...S-Sssmoker!" he yipped in alarm, voice drawing the 'S' out in his fright as he bounded over. "Sssmoker! Are you alright?"
He stayed laying there a moment more before looking up at him. He said with a heavy rasp to his voice.
"W-what...?" The Hunter looked deeply confused, but pushed it aside. "Don't matter... Jus' sit back, okay?" He gently pressed against the Smoker's chest to keep him down. Not like the other was resisting. There was a tear and rip of cloth, and Ellis had ripped a makeshift bandage from his hoodie, tying it around the slice down the other Infected's neck.
He smirked a bit letting him banadage his wounds.
"Did I...?" He honestly didn't remember, everything had happened so quickly. He could have called the Smoker 'Little Miss Sunshine' and he wouldn't have realized it... He did realize, however, how absolutely joyous he felt to know the other was alive and relatively okay. Ellis would see to it he'd get better, anyway, but the feeling of relief was puzzling him, even as he unabashedly threw himself down to hug the Smoker's head in his arms. "Ohmanohman, sssssso glad you're okay!" he said with a faint whimper to his tone, tongue darting out to lick doggedly at his face, simultaneously cleaning up the blood.
He blinked as he was licked in such an affectionate manner. His hand moving up to cup the side of the hunters face. Honestly he'd been contemplating the best way to off himself the past few days. considering high falls didn't seem to do much.
"After savin' me like that?" Ellis chuckled. "Generally, yea... I woulda been dead if ya hadn't come around." He continued to lap carelessly at the Smoker's cheek. "What was that name ya said again?"
He smiled in that half face way that he could manage petting at his face some.
"Niiiick..." He tested it on his tongue, the 'N' sounding slightly more like an 'R' as it rolled out. Something about it clicked in his mind, and there was a brief flicker of image, though it yeilded nothing. "I always remembered that name somehow," he noted. "It was in my head. Jus' didn' know how or why."
He said absently.
Ellis scoffed a bit, sitting up to stare down at him. "I don't get that vibe t'much," he said honestly. He sat up a little bit more, taking Nick's hands to help pull him up. "We gotta move outta here, though. It'd be safer if we went back to my home..."
As they walked still letting the hunter grasp his hand he made a little face.
Ellis blanched, nearly tripping over himself at the notion. "Wh-what?!"
Nick let out a laugh he shouldn't have at the near trip coughing fit starting up in it's place. Once he could 'breathe' again he smirked at him.
A red-hot blush was ever so slightly visible beneath that hood. "Coulda jus' been friends..." he mumbled.
He quipped back as he scaled the fence when they stopped in front of it.
Ellis didn't reply back the rest of their journey, not until he had jumped the fence to the impound lot and landed on the other side. "Yea," he said with a little nod. "It's pretty nice, actually. Safe, secure... Th' barbed wire at th' top of the fence is a real good deterent."
He said still in an amused tone as he headed for the car.
"It ain't a problem," Ellis said, conveniently ignoring the first statement as he led Nick to the 'den' he'd fashioned out of an old Mustang. "I'm jus' a nice guy, I guess."
He reminded before crawling in anyhow wincing at the pain before he found a good spot to settle down in.
"Ain't really how I see it," Ellis said with a scoff. "I'm still me... Mighta changed a lil' on the outside, but I got th' same thoughts an' stuff inside." He hopped to his preferrred spot and turned once or twice before settling down.
Shifting in his spot he ended up settling near the hunter his eye that could still see closed as he let a breath out. He smirked before getting ready to sleep.
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Rescue had ended up being a pipe dream. The last thing the man remembered was screaming and tearing and pain in his body. Being dragged by someone some distance to a quiet room in the upper story of a building where he'd been left. He had no recollection now of that time. Vague last moments of it. No knowledge that the rest of them hadn't made it far before dying or worse. To him all the world was right now as blackness and pain. His chest felt like he'd been standing on the top of a chimney burning fast and just breathing it all in. It was painful but he knew he'd have to endure it and get up eventually.
New Orleans had been completely run over... There was not a single living soul left that was not already Infected in the city, and the military had made damn sure that anything and everything left inside wasn't getting out. The ruins of the suspension bridge stood as a bold reminder.
...Not that there were too many conscious minds to remember anymore anyway. Or none that Ellis could see, apart from himself of course. Though his state of 'consciousness' was debatable. He certainly wasn't what he used to be, and by that he meant a living human. A 23 year old mechanic from Savannah, Georgia, to be precise. He didn't remember much about that, though... Or anything really. The only sorts of things that really came to mind were his name, and his love for cars... Hence why he currently made his home at an impound lot. There weren't a whole lot of nice cars, but it was the sentiment, he supposed. He particularly favored an old Mustang whose paint job had started to rust away from neglect. The interior wasn't that much better, with the upholstery torn and shredded to fit his own comfort. Yes, those two things were stubbornly present in his mind as far as memories. That, and a third... Another name.
Nick.
He couldn't put his finger on it. Where it came from... Why... But it was there, and Ellis said it to himself on occasion. However these days it came out more like 'Rick' with his newfound disposition for growling.
And then there were the dislikes... He decided he didn't much like sunlight. It hurt his eyes, which had become a great deal more sensitive since changing. So he had lifted a large hoodie from somewhere or other and wore it over his worn and dirtied shirt and coveralls during the day. The hood helped shield his eyes, at least... They came in use at night, though. That was went the heightened visual sensitivity came into play. He could see about as well at night as he could during the day when he hadn't become... well... Infected.
After some time he decided that getting up was a good idea. Standing up he was well aware of the changes over his body. Though they didn't feel foreign to the new sense of mind. But maybe a little distasteful, especially the dingy gray looking clothes he was wearing so covered in grime and dirt it wasn't the color he figured it was suppose to be. Instead of white though he rummaged through closet after close until he found nice clean black pants and a blue shirt something like he thought he wore at some other time. But it mattered little. There was a scent on his old clothes he wanted to find. Something that smelled and tasted good to him, like..poptarts. Yes that was something he used to enjoy eating. Deftly climbing a gutter pipe he started traversing over rooftops. Uncaring for the shambling morons below, they wouldn't touch him anymore.
Dusk was falling slowly on the abandoned city, the heat letting up some... The nights here were alright, Ellis supposed. With a deft leap, he cleared the tall fence of the lot and landed crouching on the other side. Time to patrol, and possibly see what he could scrounge up in the ways of food or supplies or... anything that was gonna catch his eye, really. He was a bit of a hoarder. Bending down, the young Hunter sniffed at the ground. Hunters, as it turned out, chose to wander in packs, which put Ellis at a bit of a disadvantage, seeing as he was a bachelor and unestablished with any of the groups around him. Additionally, he'd come to notice there was a group of other Hunters that ventured close to his home on a regular basis, and with less than savory intentions. He was alone. He was inexperienced. He was an easy target. It made things a whole lot harder for him, and it was with this knowledge present in his mind did he advance carefully through the abandoned streets.
Wandering took hours, and hours led it into night time. Which he decided was fine by him. Better to stalk the smell on his own. He'd found he didn't like the idea of others like him being in the area he'd woke up in. In fact he'd found one idling and staring off at nothing. Another long tongued bastard that had made the mistake of taking him lightly. He'd found out just how good he could constrict and claw things to shreds on it. Gotten in some practice with 'firing' as well. Inwardly he was smirking having pawned a nice looking watch off the dead corpse hanging it on his belt like some kind of trophy. He liked trophies he thought, anything that color. The search took him to a junk yard of some kind, and the scent was fresher but he didn't find the source so he kept tracking it. Keeping to the shadows and ledges of buildings following it until he saw what appeared to be prey on the ground below. And that nice smell was coming from it too. 'Score' was the thought that came to his mind. He took careful aim and two seconds later had it. Pulling the squirming creature onto the roof, constricting and getting a nice taste of it. Not food he determined immediately but he wasn't letting it go.
The search hadn't been going well... Ellis had sifted through a few empty stores, and found nothing apart from a few occasional morsels of leftover food. Rats weren't so bad, either, he found. And they were fresh. Retreating to the streets once more, he was about to continue on when he stopped, stiffening defensively. He sensed... Something. It was lingering on the limits of his senses, and there was something familiar about it he could quite put his claw on. Ellis rumbled with a low growl, starting to back up like a cornered cat. If it was those wandering Hunters that had been tracking him, he'd do his best to give them a fight. But then... He suddenly felt a slick, constricting... Something wind around his waist and hoist him off the ground. There was a startled yelp as he tried to wriggle free, hissing and spitting in an infuriated manner.
Pulling it up he found it was one of those growling dog things. He wasn't letting it go just yet. Moving closer to poke through it's pockets while it couldn't move. Seeing if he could find a new trophy or if this nice scent he'd been following was useless. He mused aloud while digging through the creatures personal space for treasure.
Managing to work a claw free, the Hunter lashed out with a hoarse growl and managed to catch his attacker's leg, tearing through the fabric like it was wet tissue paper and slicing the skin underneath. "Sssss...Ssstop!" he hissed out, sounding like he hadn't talked in lord knows how long, and only managed it now due to his current predicament from impulsive instinct.
A look up was given, one eye may have been the ugly milky lifeless white but the other was still the same shade of lime tinted silver it used to be just with a harder more feralness to it. He growled out himself at the cut. He let it go though against his better judgment.
The smaller of the two Infected twisted around to stare scathingly up at the other just before the tongue holding him in place slipped back and Ellis was dropping back to the ground. He landed squarely on all fours. Drops were not an issue for him, but the moment he was on solid ground, the Hunter scampered around to stare up at the one above him. He growled, low and rolling, before leaping to scale the side of the building with the intent of retaliation. "A-ain't got... Nothin'!" he replied, still getting used to this 'speaking' again. "But thissss... Thissss is my hangout!" He was crouched against the roof, claws flexing as he plotted the correct moment to strike.
He said not looking at him but looking at the gold pocket watch from earlier. < A few strays don't bother me much, you just had a smell...like something from before..this..> He frowned not knowing what he meant exactly by that his head still drawing blanks.
A rather more indignant growl came from the crouching figure. "N-not a kid!" he croaked. "An' I been here sssssince forever! Makesss it my territory!" He had started to circle around the Smoker with an attitude problem. "Th' hell you keep goin' on about s-sssmellss for?" He was rather confused at this point, but tried his best not to let it show.
He watched him now circling him like a vulture.
"Sss'not my name," the Hunter corrected. Quickly he banked forward, leaping to his feet until the two Infected were face-to-face, and the shorter's hazel eyes were looking directly into that one silver-green one. Something flickered in the Hunter's expression, but it was gone as soon as it appeared and instead he resorted to sniffling heavily across the Smoker's face and neck in assessment, slipping down his chest. Yes, there was something familiar about him, he had to admit. But that was impossible... They'd only just met, hadn't they?
He seemed to allow letting him sniff up on him. He watched him sizing him up like some kind of dog.
"I gotta name..." the Hunter promised. He paused to delve into his scattered memories. "It'sss... Ssssss..." He hissed the letters, letting out a frustrated growl. "No... No... Ssss... L-llssss... Elsssss..." That was almost it right there! But not quite...
He was listening to him trying the further it got the closer it got to bringing back clouded wisps of something. Of someone yelling frustratedly at someone named.. He offered looking down at him.
"Ellssss... YESSS ELLISSSSS!" That was it! "Ellissss... isss my name." He frowned and stared up at the taller Infected from around his waist where he'd paused his investigation. "How'd you know...?"
He frowned trying to remember but it hurt to, like the sickness wasn't letting him at it and that was aggravating.
"Yea...?" He was intrigued by that, but it was probably little more than a coincidence. "Don't think that'ssss gonna get ya off the hook," he said, ensuing his progress around the Smoker, sniffing here and there. "Whattabout you?"
He said uncertainly. He couldn't bring anything to mind. His mind was filled with holes and his name wasn't in the spaces between it.
"Jusss' gonna call you 'Smoker', then." Ellis grinned. It was minor payback for the 'Hoods' moniker. The other did have a stench of cigarette smoke about him, anyway, Smoker or not. A small flash of light glittering off something, and the Hunter snatched up the other's hand to inspect the golden rings there curiously.
He started coughing in a pained manner, he'd been on the move for a while and hadn't rested much since he woke up just relentlessly chased the smell and now found the strange hunter called Ellis with him. He brought the hand not being grabbed up to his chest and knelt down a bit. Waiting for the pain ridden spasms to pass.
The moment the Smoker started to hack and cough, Ellis scampered backwards, hackles raised. Past experience told him that was never a good thing... Though honestly, he hadn't encountered too many Smokers since becoming what he was. It was another one of those 'memory' things. Bolding up, he took another step closer. "Y-you okay?"
He said in a strained voice gripping one leg and attempting to force the pain down. He knew he was sick, that's what they were ill. But this was god damn ridiculous.
"Ss-sit down." His defensive front faded, leaving a more concerned one in its place. Gently, the Hunter tugged at the sleeve of the blue shirt the Smoker was wearing. "A'fore ya fall down."
He let him make him lower to the ground sitting disdainfully on the dirty roof. He rasped out somehow and put one hand carefully to his forehead. The spasm passed and he was able to breathe with less pain again the one good eye focusing on the hunter again.
If he had a tail, it probably would have been wiggling to and fro right now after the compliment, despite his aggressive approach from earlier. Honestly as far as
Hunters went, Ellis thought he might be one of the better ones, even nice. He just tended to get defensive when he was snuck up on... "No problem!" he said, sharpened teeth baring in a bit of a wide grin as he sidled closer to the Smoker. "Ssssure you're okay?"
He joked though the humor was almost lost on even him. He knew it would have been funny before. He looked at the strange hunter and reached up flicking the hood back off his face.
The hazel eyes under the hood widened a bit as it was pushed back, revealing a rather boyish face that seemed like it would look good cheerful, if given the right circumstances. His brown hair was messy and slightly touseled with soft waves that were crushed down under a dirty and grime-stained baseball hat he wore with a tow truck emblem on the front. A hat and a hood might be considered a bit much, but the hat held a sentimental value he couldn't place. Either way, he kept it.
He reached across the gap lifting the face so he could look at it better. Despite the discoloration of the skin and the marring from the changes. There was something familiar about that face and the ridiculous hat. He was almost certain of it now.
"Yea...?" Ellis couldn't help but remark on the irony in his own mind of how he'd somehow managed to cross paths with another Infected that he'd known in life. Though, he supposed it wasn't that difficult, given how the city had been sealed off. He stared at the Smoker's face for a long while, trying to remember it. It was difficult, with the boils and disfigurement that came with Infection, particularly with the long-tongued vaireity. His mind was drawing a blank. "I...Can't remember..."
He pushed up again and looked around.
"Well don't got takin' all of it!" the Hunter said, his territorial defensiveness flaring up again as he pulled his hood back up. "I gotta eat, too, yanno." And he fell silent as he lingered for a moment. "An'...Be careful. There's a trio of Hunters that likes to hang 'round here." He hissed faintly and shivered unpleasantly. "They mean business."
"I'll keep that in mind." He said before dropping off the side of the building without consequence walking off in the direction he'd come from.
Scampering to the building edge, Ellis peered down to where the Smoker had landed below. He wasn't particularly worried about whether the fall had hurt him or not, Infection seemed to make one surprisingly resilient. No, it was more of a curious compulsion. He couldn't say he remembered the other, but there was still an indefinable pull he felt in his chest. Or maybe that was just the after-effects of being constricted by that ridiculous tongue. Either way, the little Hunter went his own way in the opposite direction, keen on stocking up on supplies before retreating to his home.
--------
A night or two passed, Ellis really didn't bother to keep count at this point, and he had barely seen or heard a hint of that Smoker again. Something about this was disappointing... Ellis couldn't put his claw on it, and it bothered him. Bounding over the fence of his lot again, he stalked off into the night with a preoccupied mind, which in hindsight probably wasn't the smartest thing to do... Because before he knew it, Ellis was being backed into the corner of an alleyway by those three same Hunters again. It was a territory dispute, there was no other way around it. And The Three weren't very keen on talking much as they advanced on the loner with hisses and growls, claws scraping against the ground. Ellis himself was no pushover, but it was painfully obvious he was greatly outnumbered. With his back to a wall, he tried scaring them off with angry snarls of his own, occassionally lashing out with his claws.
Nick stared at the sky from his perch on a rooftop. It had been a few hours since he'd found that cowering pest and had his meal. Not finding fresh food often he'd hid the remains for later that evening when he'd probably need it again. The part of him that might have been disgusted by the act was gone from his mind like those precious memories of his. The sounds of growling and snarls brought him out of his reverie. And he made a few calculated jumpes and climbes to over look the alleyway. There was that wonderful smell again coming from the cornered hunter. He felt an anger he never knew he could have possesed at the thought of those mongrels touching or harming it. Dropping to street level he aimed and grabbed the nearest hunter bringing it back to him and beating the shit out of it. This of course coupled with the pained yelping of the trapped hunter drew one of the other two towards him. It made a flying leap at him knocking him hard to the ground. Claws slashing up his nice shirt and skin. Leaving the lone hunter against one opponet that was distracted.
Looking like they were two seconds from leaping on him, Ellis had resorted to cowering and covering his face in anticipation of the inevitable feel of three sets of teeth and claws tearing into his flesh.
As such, it was deeply confusing when that moment didn't come. Instead, there was an alarmed yelp, and Ellis opened his eyes to see a fourth familiar face, though this one was admittedly welcome. The Smoker had drawn The Three off him, in any sense, but Ellis knew he was no more suited to multiple targets than he himself was. With a loud screech that echoed off the walls of the alley, he leapt on top of a second one, hauling him backwards to tangle up in a viscious clash of tooth and claw.
Free'd but hurting he got up and grabbed the head of the one he still had ensnared. With a savage sneer he snapped it's neck, breaking the spine and killing it with some kind of savage satisfaction at the act. Something told him he'd killed someone that way before since it came so easily to him. He looked to the unoccupied hunter and drew his tongue back glowering as it was stalking at him. He wouldn't be able to snag him before it was on him. But he side stepped the pounce it became a game of who could hit the hardest. Unfortunately a smoker just didn't hit as hard as the hunter. He had to hope Ellis would deal with the other one before it came to him being downed.
Ellis was still battling with his current target, the mass of Hunter on Hunter making it difficult to tell which was which from an outside perspective. Then, there was a pained yelp and Ellis had his foe pinned and was currently snarling savagely down at him. With a desperate wriggle, the pinned Hunter gave in with low whimpers. Ellis could be called many things, but a killer was not necessarily one of them, especially of those that submitted. He let the other up, who immediately bounded into the darkness. That left one other... The Alpha. Of course. He was the craftiest, the swiftest, the hardest to beat, and was currently having a stand-off with the Smoker. Ellis hesitated, unsure of what to do, especially as the two continued their odd little dance of leaping and avoiding.
Suddenly it was over for the smoker. The Hunter Alpha slashed out at his face catching him across the unmangled cheek and clawed him right down the side of his neck. Already injured from being pounced by the other one and taking glancing blows it knocked him over. He was fully ready to just give up at that point. At least he'd given the kid a chance to get away. He could hear the sound of it getting ready to pounce the downed foe.
That did it... The moment he saw the Smoker go down, Ellis lept into action. As the Alpha snarled and aimed to take a final leap, the smaller Hunter lunged straight for him, tackling him out of the air. "Ain't gonna kill Nick, ya fuckin' bastard!" he hissed, struggling to pin the larger Infected and keep him down, which was proving difficult. Another moment later, he was flipped onto his back with the Alpha gnashing visciously above him.
Hearing his name had him stunned for a few seconds. A few scrambled memories being recalled in his world filled with pain. He sat up hearing the little one go down. Grabbing a rock he hurled it at the Alpha's head. He kept doing this until it got pissed off and got off Ellis. He called out.
The distraction was enough, and Ellis rolled over to leap onto the Alpha's back. It gave an infuriated snarl and tried to retort, but not before the smaller Hunter dug his claws into its throat, and the diseased skin split open, heavy torrents of blood flooding out. The Alpha's voice caught, and it gurgled and swayed as strength left it, before it slumped over. Ellis stood crouched above, panting heavily and covered in gore, several low growls rumbling in his throat.
Seeing the boy safe he just fell backwards one bloodied hand coming up to clasp over his neck wound as he just laid there resting. Human eye falling closed for the moment.
Once the rush of adrenaline subsided more, Ellis shook out of his seeming bloodlust-like trance, head snapping up to see his companion laying flat on his back. "...S-Sssmoker!" he yipped in alarm, voice drawing the 'S' out in his fright as he bounded over. "Sssmoker! Are you alright?"
He stayed laying there a moment more before looking up at him. He said with a heavy rasp to his voice.
"W-what...?" The Hunter looked deeply confused, but pushed it aside. "Don't matter... Jus' sit back, okay?" He gently pressed against the Smoker's chest to keep him down. Not like the other was resisting. There was a tear and rip of cloth, and Ellis had ripped a makeshift bandage from his hoodie, tying it around the slice down the other Infected's neck.
He smirked a bit letting him banadage his wounds.
"Did I...?" He honestly didn't remember, everything had happened so quickly. He could have called the Smoker 'Little Miss Sunshine' and he wouldn't have realized it... He did realize, however, how absolutely joyous he felt to know the other was alive and relatively okay. Ellis would see to it he'd get better, anyway, but the feeling of relief was puzzling him, even as he unabashedly threw himself down to hug the Smoker's head in his arms. "Ohmanohman, sssssso glad you're okay!" he said with a faint whimper to his tone, tongue darting out to lick doggedly at his face, simultaneously cleaning up the blood.
He blinked as he was licked in such an affectionate manner. His hand moving up to cup the side of the hunters face. Honestly he'd been contemplating the best way to off himself the past few days. considering high falls didn't seem to do much.
"After savin' me like that?" Ellis chuckled. "Generally, yea... I woulda been dead if ya hadn't come around." He continued to lap carelessly at the Smoker's cheek. "What was that name ya said again?"
He smiled in that half face way that he could manage petting at his face some.
"Niiiick..." He tested it on his tongue, the 'N' sounding slightly more like an 'R' as it rolled out. Something about it clicked in his mind, and there was a brief flicker of image, though it yeilded nothing. "I always remembered that name somehow," he noted. "It was in my head. Jus' didn' know how or why."
He said absently.
Ellis scoffed a bit, sitting up to stare down at him. "I don't get that vibe t'much," he said honestly. He sat up a little bit more, taking Nick's hands to help pull him up. "We gotta move outta here, though. It'd be safer if we went back to my home..."
As they walked still letting the hunter grasp his hand he made a little face.
Ellis blanched, nearly tripping over himself at the notion. "Wh-what?!"
Nick let out a laugh he shouldn't have at the near trip coughing fit starting up in it's place. Once he could 'breathe' again he smirked at him.
A red-hot blush was ever so slightly visible beneath that hood. "Coulda jus' been friends..." he mumbled.
He quipped back as he scaled the fence when they stopped in front of it.
Ellis didn't reply back the rest of their journey, not until he had jumped the fence to the impound lot and landed on the other side. "Yea," he said with a little nod. "It's pretty nice, actually. Safe, secure... Th' barbed wire at th' top of the fence is a real good deterent."
He said still in an amused tone as he headed for the car.
"It ain't a problem," Ellis said, conveniently ignoring the first statement as he led Nick to the 'den' he'd fashioned out of an old Mustang. "I'm jus' a nice guy, I guess."
He reminded before crawling in anyhow wincing at the pain before he found a good spot to settle down in.
"Ain't really how I see it," Ellis said with a scoff. "I'm still me... Mighta changed a lil' on the outside, but I got th' same thoughts an' stuff inside." He hopped to his preferrred spot and turned once or twice before settling down.
Shifting in his spot he ended up settling near the hunter his eye that could still see closed as he let a breath out. He smirked before getting ready to sleep.