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Description
Nick's breath hitched for a third time as he finally ran his fingers over the wound in his abdomen. The air was coming to him in short gasps as it was, but now his eyes were hazed with water - the world was swimming around him. He could still hear the hoard attacking his 'teammates', his fellow survivors... His friends. Yeah, it had taken him a very long time to think of them that way... But especially when it came to Ellis. More than anything when it came to Ellis.
His legs gave way, but the pain barely registered as they scraped against the gravel beneath him. His abdomen was the next thing to give up supporting, and he toppled over onto his side, face hitting the sidewalk wetly as he sprawled in the blood of the Hunter that had finally gotten the better of him. In fact they were facing each other now, eyes on and dear lord he felt sick. His fingers were drenched in red, and he couldn't bear to look down at the thing because sweet lord the pain was so bad.

Where was Lady Luck now?

Sound seemed to be numbing out, like some great noise had deafened him... Or maybe he really was underwater now. That was a nice thought... There was something so soothing about water. Nick closed his eyes for just a moment, and he was sinking slowly into a peacefully dark abyss, beneath the waves, beneath the ruckus of the storm on the surface. Maybe there would be fishing boats being tossed around up there, people dying, but that was irrelevant because he was so far from the air there was no point trying to even breathe. Just a moment more in this water, that was all that he could think. One more moment of peace.

A hand grabbing at his shirt brought him back, but the sound was still barely there. Still through a thick wall of water, that he was hurriedly blinking away.
Ellis came into focus, eyes wild and blazing, the way his mouth was moving - he had to be shouting... Desperately screaming. Was it at him? Maybe he was in trouble..... His head was so fucking heavy, he could barely move it to look around - the infected seemed to have dispersed by now. Rochelle and Coach, had they gone too?

"Nick! Nick would ya listen to me? Yer gonna be okay, ya hear me?! Don't you dare try slipping away now. You ain't taught me how ta play poker yet! Remember?" It was still fuzzy. Old radio fuzzy. But Nick's eyes were fixed on Ellis' face as he risked speaking - maybe the water wouldn't flood his lungs too quickly.
"Hey.... Ellis..." It was so strained, did he normally sound like this? No, it had to be the pain, the pain that he simply couldn't express
"Shut up contest... Sound good to you?....... Three two one, remember?" He gasped and his hands flew towards the open pool of blood as a jolt of agony shot through his very existence.
"Fuckin' hell! Now ain't the time ya idiot! Coach and Ro have gone to try and find a medi-kit, none of urs has got one y'see." The water was making it hard to see again, tears leaking gently away from him despite the fact that the pain was dulling. He could feel the heat of crimson spreading out across his shirt, dripping into a great pool on the floor.

The air was escaping him, and breathing was becoming so much harder... He could practically feel his lungs giving up.
"Hey.... Ellis......."
But the redhead was stood away from him, jumping up with rage blazened across his face, shotgun in hand and teeth bared like some wild pack animal. Of course, the infected. There was no way taht they would stay away from such a strong scent of blood... But there was no way Overalls would be able to protect them both alone, he needed just another moment before he drowned. Just another moment before that bliss.
"Champ!... I need to tell you... Something..."
"Not now Nick! You can tell me once you're patched up! I'm kinda busy!" The gunshots rang crystal clear, reverberating around his skull - it seemed that at least now the sound was regular again.

It took all the energy that he had to prop himself onto one elbow and drag his rifle from the floor beside him. The clouds overhead were looming, and with a low rumble a torrent of rain began to cascade over the pair. Swinging the heavy weapon with one arm, plus steadying and aiming in the same fashion, was more difficult than he had ever imagined; sweet god the water was claiming him now. It was all that he could do to removed Ellis from the danger of the monsters that loomed behind him, collapsing back with some of his final breaths escaping from parted lips.

"Kiddo.... please....." He had never sounded so desperate, never felt so desperate, never needed to speak more than he did right at that moment. He could feel his pulse ringing through his fingertips - what a strange place to feel it. But there wasn't so much to feel anymore.... It was definitely getting slower, getting weaker, or maybe just getting further away. Maybe a part of him had already returned to the sea, and it was waiting to be completed.
"NO! YER GUNNA BE FINE!"
Ellis really could be stubborn sometimes.....

"Ellis....." The sound, it was leaving him again, all muted and feathery and white. Would sound be white though? Typical, the last time his head was gonna be straight and he was questioning such trivial shit. "Ellis... I need you to know.... The stuff I said, I never meant it."
"I know that you didn't Nick! I know you didn't okay?" The boy turned back to him and the tears covering him were so innocent that Nick could hardly stand it.
He didn't deserve tears like that. He didn't deserve anything as pure as that, he never ever had... And now he would never have the chance to deserve them again. It looked like he'd been riding the lucky road for far too long.

"Ellis........." The mechanic was knelt beside him now, fingering the tear in his shirt with such an urgent fear one would think the injuries were the other way around. Breathing... He needed to keep breathing, he had to tell him.
"Ellis... I.... I ..." Why the hell wouldn't the words come out now? One more shot ma'am... one more sliver of luck, just enough to bless his thought into meaning. He needed to...... Needed..... Words...... And.....
Keeping his eyes open was such a drain.... He had no choice but to let them fall shut as the cotton-wool noises grew even further away. The water.... It was real now too. He could feel the rain hammering against him, feel the pools slipping between his fingertips, this water wasn't the water that he had before. He wanted that water back... But not until.....

"Ellis dammit I lo-"..... No time for more breathing. He would drown. A final breath, one too weak to finish his sentiment, passed through him. The tears falling onto his face weren't his own, alien water wetting his lips as he felt his hair being pushed from his face.

It was the last thing that Nicolas ever knew... The feeling of a warm cap being pushed over his scalp, resting on his head like a trophy. And the final sound, hot breathy words up against his ear, choked from sobbing
"I... I love you too Nick... Yer mah best buddeh..... Way better than Keith....... But if ya see 'im, duhn tell 'im ah said tha'"

And Nick was plunging into the wet, the dark... The peace surrounded him and pulled him away. The last thing that the gambler could think was; I didn't mean it in a friendship sense, Champ.

Description
Nick's breath hitched for a third time as he finally ran his fingers over the wound in his abdomen. The air was coming to him in short gasps as it was, but now his eyes were hazed with water - the world was swimming around him. He could still hear the hoard attacking his 'teammates', his fellow survivors... His friends. Yeah, it had taken him a very long time to think of them that way... But especially when it came to Ellis. More than anything when it came to Ellis.
His legs gave way, but the pain barely registered as they scraped against the gravel beneath him. His abdomen was the next thing to give up supporting, and he toppled over onto his side, face hitting the sidewalk wetly as he sprawled in the blood of the Hunter that had finally gotten the better of him. In fact they were facing each other now, eyes on and dear lord he felt sick. His fingers were drenched in red, and he couldn't bear to look down at the thing because sweet lord the pain was so bad.

Where was Lady Luck now?

Sound seemed to be numbing out, like some great noise had deafened him... Or maybe he really was underwater now. That was a nice thought... There was something so soothing about water. Nick closed his eyes for just a moment, and he was sinking slowly into a peacefully dark abyss, beneath the waves, beneath the ruckus of the storm on the surface. Maybe there would be fishing boats being tossed around up there, people dying, but that was irrelevant because he was so far from the air there was no point trying to even breathe. Just a moment more in this water, that was all that he could think. One more moment of peace.

A hand grabbing at his shirt brought him back, but the sound was still barely there. Still through a thick wall of water, that he was hurriedly blinking away.
Ellis came into focus, eyes wild and blazing, the way his mouth was moving - he had to be shouting... Desperately screaming. Was it at him? Maybe he was in trouble..... His head was so fucking heavy, he could barely move it to look around - the infected seemed to have dispersed by now. Rochelle and Coach, had they gone too?

"Nick! Nick would ya listen to me? Yer gonna be okay, ya hear me?! Don't you dare try slipping away now. You ain't taught me how ta play poker yet! Remember?" It was still fuzzy. Old radio fuzzy. But Nick's eyes were fixed on Ellis' face as he risked speaking - maybe the water wouldn't flood his lungs too quickly.
"Hey.... Ellis..." It was so strained, did he normally sound like this? No, it had to be the pain, the pain that he simply couldn't express
"Shut up contest... Sound good to you?....... Three two one, remember?" He gasped and his hands flew towards the open pool of blood as a jolt of agony shot through his very existence.
"Fuckin' hell! Now ain't the time ya idiot! Coach and Ro have gone to try and find a medi-kit, none of urs has got one y'see." The water was making it hard to see again, tears leaking gently away from him despite the fact that the pain was dulling. He could feel the heat of crimson spreading out across his shirt, dripping into a great pool on the floor.

The air was escaping him, and breathing was becoming so much harder... He could practically feel his lungs giving up.
"Hey.... Ellis......."
But the redhead was stood away from him, jumping up with rage blazened across his face, shotgun in hand and teeth bared like some wild pack animal. Of course, the infected. There was no way taht they would stay away from such a strong scent of blood... But there was no way Overalls would be able to protect them both alone, he needed just another moment before he drowned. Just another moment before that bliss.
"Champ!... I need to tell you... Something..."
"Not now Nick! You can tell me once you're patched up! I'm kinda busy!" The gunshots rang crystal clear, reverberating around his skull - it seemed that at least now the sound was regular again.

It took all the energy that he had to prop himself onto one elbow and drag his rifle from the floor beside him. The clouds overhead were looming, and with a low rumble a torrent of rain began to cascade over the pair. Swinging the heavy weapon with one arm, plus steadying and aiming in the same fashion, was more difficult than he had ever imagined; sweet god the water was claiming him now. It was all that he could do to removed Ellis from the danger of the monsters that loomed behind him, collapsing back with some of his final breaths escaping from parted lips.

"Kiddo.... please....." He had never sounded so desperate, never felt so desperate, never needed to speak more than he did right at that moment. He could feel his pulse ringing through his fingertips - what a strange place to feel it. But there wasn't so much to feel anymore.... It was definitely getting slower, getting weaker, or maybe just getting further away. Maybe a part of him had already returned to the sea, and it was waiting to be completed.
"NO! YER GUNNA BE FINE!"
Ellis really could be stubborn sometimes.....

"Ellis....." The sound, it was leaving him again, all muted and feathery and white. Would sound be white though? Typical, the last time his head was gonna be straight and he was questioning such trivial shit. "Ellis... I need you to know.... The stuff I said, I never meant it."
"I know that you didn't Nick! I know you didn't okay?" The boy turned back to him and the tears covering him were so innocent that Nick could hardly stand it.
He didn't deserve tears like that. He didn't deserve anything as pure as that, he never ever had... And now he would never have the chance to deserve them again. It looked like he'd been riding the lucky road for far too long.

"Ellis........." The mechanic was knelt beside him now, fingering the tear in his shirt with such an urgent fear one would think the injuries were the other way around. Breathing... He needed to keep breathing, he had to tell him.
"Ellis... I.... I ..." Why the hell wouldn't the words come out now? One more shot ma'am... one more sliver of luck, just enough to bless his thought into meaning. He needed to...... Needed..... Words...... And.....
Keeping his eyes open was such a drain.... He had no choice but to let them fall shut as the cotton-wool noises grew even further away. The water.... It was real now too. He could feel the rain hammering against him, feel the pools slipping between his fingertips, this water wasn't the water that he had before. He wanted that water back... But not until.....

"Ellis dammit I lo-"..... No time for more breathing. He would drown. A final breath, one too weak to finish his sentiment, passed through him. The tears falling onto his face weren't his own, alien water wetting his lips as he felt his hair being pushed from his face.

It was the last thing that Nicolas ever knew... The feeling of a warm cap being pushed over his scalp, resting on his head like a trophy. And the final sound, hot breathy words up against his ear, choked from sobbing
"I... I love you too Nick... Yer mah best buddeh..... Way better than Keith....... But if ya see 'im, duhn tell 'im ah said tha'"

And Nick was plunging into the wet, the dark... The peace surrounded him and pulled him away. The last thing that the gambler could think was; I didn't mean it in a friendship sense, Champ.