Left 4 Dead II

Chapter 9: The Bite

Francis sits on an empty bench, his pump shotgun laying right next to him. Sitting in an empty mall, deep in his thoughts itching his beard as his attention turns back to Sarah & her little brother.

"Who is he?" The little boy asks, staring at the man with tattoos.

"He's..." Sarah stares at Francis, turning back to the kid,"I don't know yet".

Francis stares back at the two, the infected still at the door wanting in as if their life depended on it.

"Name's Francis. Not like that's going to mean much anytime soon" Francis takes out a smoke, lighting it up.

Sarah smiles at her younger brother, Marcus,"I promise you, we're going to find a way out of this. Okay?"

Marcus nods his head,"I gotta go pee" he walks off towards the bathroom across the corridor.

"He know your lying to him?" Francis asks her, taking a big drag.

"You should be lucky I didn't pull that trigger after I saw what you did to that man" Sarah tells him.

"How old are you anyway ? 16?"

"I'm 19" Sarah answers him, going through her bag,"there was a chopper headed to the mall across town, that's where we're headed".

Francis flicks the cigarette onto the floor then stomps on it,"there is no safe haven."

"What?" Sarah asks him, turning her blonde head his way.

"I said, there is no place that is safe. Trust me on this" he lets out a small cough,"that boy of yours will turn, when he does? Are you prepared to put him down?"

"I'm not going to shoot my own brother" she tells him.

"Then your as good as dead. Listen, toots. I've seen many good people die. It's either us or them" Francis explains,"you want to breathe in this new fucked up world?" He reloads his shotgun,"then shoot first, ask questions later".

Footsteps sound down the corridor, inside the JCPenny store. A Smoker's cough, some green smoke fills the air.

"What is that?" Sarah quickly got to her feet.

"Smoker" Francis takes a step forward, turning to Sarah,"stay here" turning back towards the sound.

Francis slowly takes a step into the JC Penny store, seeing some green smoke,"I know your ass is in here, show that ugly tongue of yours".

Just at that moment, something wet wraps around his neck,"gotcha" Francis grabbed hold of the tongue.

He points his shotgun with one arm, & blasts the figure hiding behind a clothes wrack as it drops, a bunch of green smoke comes out.

"Shows you to not fuck with a biker with tattoos" Francis throws the tongue to the ground, coming back to Sarah,"all clear".

"Wha, what was it?" Sarah asks him, gun ready in her hands.

"I like to call them Mister Tongues".

She nods her head, going towards the restrooms,"Marcus, hun. You done in there?" No answer.

Francis yells towards Sarah,"maybe he's just masterbating. Give him a few minutes".

She just makes a face at him,"ew".

Francis just chuckles to himself, checking out the male clothes in the store across from JC Penny's.

"Mar?" Sarah asks, knocking on the bathroom door, then she suddenly heard a sudden laugh.

Francis heard that too, turning to Sarah,"don't open that door" he rushes out of the store, then grabs his shotgun.

Sarah looks to him, shaking her head,"what the hell are you doing?"

"That's not your brother anymore".

Sarah quickly opens up the door, then a small creature jumps onto her head & she screams.

Francis takes action, & runs at them, taking out his sidearm and throws the knife at the Jockey. But it continues to drag Sarah away.

"HELP" She screams, trying to get the thing off her.

He then runs at Sarah, tackling her to the ground then grabs the ugly Jockey & pulls out his knife, then drives it into the thing's head killing it.

Sarah sits up, staring at the ugly pink thing,"what was that??" She asks him, a few tears fall from her face, scared and freaked out.

Francis takes a few deep breaths, looking out at the glass door as it starts to break, the infected on the other side just stares at them. Like they were fresh pizza.

"I think that was your brother" he looks back to the restroom, then down at Sarah,"you said there's an evac on the other side of downtown ? At the other mall? I say we not waste time & go there".

Sarah just sits there, in tears looking down at the Jockey, it has the same bite mark her brother did.

Francis holds out a hand to her to help her up,"we can screw later".