Left 4 Dead: From the Desk - FINAL CHAPTER Part 3 - Day 116
18 April 2010
Mid-afternoon
This is my last entry in this journal. It has served its purpose, and more. Despite what I had written before, about it being a guide to others…I will keep it with me. It holds memories most dear to me, after all.
Spring has come, for the most part. Most of the snow has melted, and the temperature grows warmer. It's foraging time, too, and the pickings are rich and sweet. I'm far happier than I'd ever been in my life (though I don't doubt that the season may be contributing to that). I'd meant to write this entry sooner, but…well, I've been too caught up in my bliss.
I had made my decision not long after my last entry. The challenge had been squirreling away the clothing, food and other supplies I'd need for Jeremy and myself. That task had taken me weeks, primarily because I refused to take more than my fair share and that I worked as stealthily as I could. I still received a few suspicious looks, but thankfully, no one confronted me about this odd behavior.
I don't know what I could have said if I had been, though. Perhaps that was why I was so diligent about keeping my activity under wraps. If I'd been caught…it would have been all over. At the very least, I would have been removed from treating Jeremy, and then he would have no one. At the worst…
I don't care to think of it.
I was tempted to take more. Jeremy's cries haunted me even in my dreams (although there, it was one of the twins, or even my Patrick in his place). I wanted them to stop, and so I was tempted to steal more in order to take him away that much quicker. But…those I'd be stealing from, my fellow civilians, didn't deserve that. They were just trying to survive, to make a home in a world gone mad. How could I punish them for that?
At any rate, last week, I had finished gathering what I would require, and so I was finally ready to put into motion the next portion of my plan. When I wasn't working with Jeremy, I was preparing a proposal to the administrators here, asking for permission to take him outside of the compound for an experiment. All I would be able to tell them, I determined, was that I was testing the range of a new tranquilizer dart, and I required more space than the compound's laboratory could provide. It was, of course, a lie…mostly.
I wouldn't require an escort, I would assure them. Very little Infected activity had been recorded outside the compound, anyway; capturing Jeremy had been a fluke, I found. And if I was attacked, I could still defend myself, and I could prove to them that I could. I would never tell them that Jeremy was trained to my hand, however…too many questions would be asked.
When I went before them on the 12th, I gave my proposal, and it was accepted-all of it. I cannot say why; certainly they looked incredulous enough while I was presenting it. Perhaps they just wanted to be done with the meeting. But…perhaps they didn't mind letting me go to what was, to them, certain death. I doubt they were that shallow, but…maybe they had been.
Whatever the reason, I was granted permission. On the 14th, I was lent a cart on which to carry my supplies and Jeremy's containment box. My coworkers kept him nude, insisting that because he wasn't human, he shouldn't be wearing human clothing. I compromised by at least giving him a hospital gown; it was hoodless, but at least it was something. (And no, it wasn't a matter of decency; I learned with the twins that a Hunter's clothing helps it to capture the air and thus, scent.) However, with this escape, he'd need clothing, and likely the same sort as the twins did. So I dressed him in an old hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans (along with the same adult diapers I had used for Chris and Lexi). He had to do without tape, though; there wasn't any to spare for him.
When he was settled in the box and my supplies were packed into the cart (they were all in one large bag, which I had stuffed with various extra medical equipment as well as the tranquilizer I was using as a cover), I made my way to the gate. There, my bag was given a cursory glance, and I was waved through. The guards there warned me to return at the appointed time-16:00 sharp-and I smiled and agreed.
I was, of course, lying. When I left that compound, I left, and never looked back.
I turned in the direction from which I'd come to the compound. I had told the administrators that I'd only go a mile out, but after I was just out of sight of the compound, I halted. I released Jeremy, and he sprang into the lowest branches of a nearby tree. He "watched" me as I pulled the box from the cart (it was actually fairly heavy, being steel-reinforced) and shoved it away. Then I continued on, taking the cart with me. Jeremy followed.
I know it's an old cliché, but at that point, I felt as light as a feather. I was free, after all; free from the repressive monotony of humanity. Free from humanity's cruelty. I could live as I wished, with whomever I chose. I might have said that that day was the greatest in my life.
And it might have been…if not for three days ago.
Three days ago, I reunited with my Pack.
I had woken not long after dawn in the tent I'd stolen from the compound. It's a small tent, just large enough for me and perhaps one other, but at least it's shelter, and quick and easy to set up and take down. Jeremy had been curled next to me most of the night, keeping me warm, but he woke when I did. I saw to his needs first, before attending to my own and preparing breakfast.
As I was cooking, however, Jeremy started growing agitated. He seemed to calm a little after he was fed, but wouldn't entirely settle. He was continually sniffing the air, and his claws wouldn't stop flexing. He was leaving furrows in the recently thawed soil, digging even past the loam of the forest we'd found ourselves in. I wasn't sure what he could be nervous about; there was no way for the humans in the compound to find us, not after this long. I was sure of that.
We continued on at around mid-morning. Jeremy's agitation continued to grow, and I was beginning to get a little nervous myself. Most likely, he was smelling other Infected, and strangers to boot-but I had no way of telling whether the Infected were strangers to me, too. Jeremy was decent protection, but against anything larger than, say, a Smoker, he would have trouble.
When we stopped for lunch, Jeremy let out a warning screech. I paused, and started reaching for my pistol (which I'd never lost; we had been allowed to keep weapons at the compound, just in case). But then I reconsidered; there was some hope inside me still that my Pack hadn't truly left, even after all this time. Instead of reaching for my pistol, I brought my fingers to my lips and whistled-calling off the chase and calling to me those I commanded.
I waited. After a few minutes, I whistled again. I repeated this every five minutes, even while I began to make a cold lunch for myself and Jeremy. My new Hunter wouldn't settle even to feed; he would take a bite or two, and then start pacing in a circle, only to repeat the process. I wasn't sure why he wasn't outright attacking whatever it was that was approaching-other than whatever was coming was bigger than he alone could handle.
But before I could finish eating, I heard the second most wonderful sound I could have ever wanted to hear.
Lexi's answering challenge.
I can't describe to you my emotions at that point. Elation, relief, sheer joy at hearing her voice just rushed through me, all at once. I leapt up and whistled again. Lexi shrieked again in reply, echoed by Chris. Their cries were like music to my ears, and I could feel tears welling in my eyes.
The twins both appeared at the edge of the clearing Jeremy and I had stopped in, roaring loudly. Even I could hear the joy in their voices. Lexi leapt, pouncing onto me and pinning me beneath her weight. Her tongue started bathing over my face, and she was whimpering and growling with delight. I'm sure that if she'd had a tail, it would have been wagging non-stop. Chris wasn't very long after her, pushing her aside to make her give him room; he gave me the same treatment as his sister. I held both of my arms around them, laughing and crying at the same time.
A third voice rose up over the twins' happy cries; it was a scream, but not one of fear or anger. I sat up-forcing the twins to give me a little room-just in time to see Caroline rushing toward me with her claws outstretched. She tackled me back to the ground, holding me very tightly as she started to sob. Yet for once, she wasn't crying in sorrow; her tears, I saw, were joyful. I freed one of my arms to wrap around her, hugging her close and giving her a gentle kiss atop her head.
But after a few more moments of that, I heard the most wonderful sound I could have heard that day.
Blake's wheezing call.
The Sommers immediately let me up when my mate appeared. I stood, and could only stare for several moments. It was almost as though my brain was having trouble accepting that my beloved was standing before me. But then he shot out his tongue, wrapping it around my body-though leaving my arms free-and pulled me toward him, freeing me from my paralysis. As soon as I was close enough, I actually jumped toward him, flinging my arms around him and holding onto him as tightly as I could.
I felt his arms drape around me, felt his tongue withdraw enough to brush the tip of it against my lips. I leaned up to kiss him full on his mouth as best as I could manage around that appendage of his, as I had done almost two months before. He must have just eaten; he tasted of blood. But I didn't care.
I kissed him for a good minute before I had to pull back for breath. Blake refused to release me from his grip, however, and I wasn't entirely willing to part from him either. I did, however, turn around so that my back was pressed against his front, and my head was resting on his left shoulder. Caroline joined us again, still crying, but between her sobs, she was babbling happily-and this time I'm sure I caught "Mama" and "Papa."
A hissing growl caught my attention and I looked up in time to see Lexi pounce Jeremy. They started wrestling and even fighting-yet while it wasn't quite play, it wasn't entirely hostile, either. She turned out to be the victor, pinning him flat on his back. Once there, she leaned down to breathe in his scent, and even to bite him gently on the shoulder. I could only smirk as she growled when he tried to return the gesture. They stayed like that for another few minutes, before she bit down briefly and released him, climbing off of him.
Jeremy was accepted.
We're making our way to the south and west. We have no destination. We eat when we're hungry, we rest when we're tired. Our only concern is to avoid humanity. Caroline and I forage, the Hunters hunt, and Patrick is ever my protector and enforcer.
We live, and we love. We are pack.
We are the Home Sector Pack.
From the Desk of-*Here, there is a dark area, as though scribbled out. Beneath it is written…*
Garnet Blake, Matriarch of the Home Sector Pack
Mid-afternoon
This is my last entry in this journal. It has served its purpose, and more. Despite what I had written before, about it being a guide to others…I will keep it with me. It holds memories most dear to me, after all.
Spring has come, for the most part. Most of the snow has melted, and the temperature grows warmer. It's foraging time, too, and the pickings are rich and sweet. I'm far happier than I'd ever been in my life (though I don't doubt that the season may be contributing to that). I'd meant to write this entry sooner, but…well, I've been too caught up in my bliss.
I had made my decision not long after my last entry. The challenge had been squirreling away the clothing, food and other supplies I'd need for Jeremy and myself. That task had taken me weeks, primarily because I refused to take more than my fair share and that I worked as stealthily as I could. I still received a few suspicious looks, but thankfully, no one confronted me about this odd behavior.
I don't know what I could have said if I had been, though. Perhaps that was why I was so diligent about keeping my activity under wraps. If I'd been caught…it would have been all over. At the very least, I would have been removed from treating Jeremy, and then he would have no one. At the worst…
I don't care to think of it.
I was tempted to take more. Jeremy's cries haunted me even in my dreams (although there, it was one of the twins, or even my Patrick in his place). I wanted them to stop, and so I was tempted to steal more in order to take him away that much quicker. But…those I'd be stealing from, my fellow civilians, didn't deserve that. They were just trying to survive, to make a home in a world gone mad. How could I punish them for that?
At any rate, last week, I had finished gathering what I would require, and so I was finally ready to put into motion the next portion of my plan. When I wasn't working with Jeremy, I was preparing a proposal to the administrators here, asking for permission to take him outside of the compound for an experiment. All I would be able to tell them, I determined, was that I was testing the range of a new tranquilizer dart, and I required more space than the compound's laboratory could provide. It was, of course, a lie…mostly.
I wouldn't require an escort, I would assure them. Very little Infected activity had been recorded outside the compound, anyway; capturing Jeremy had been a fluke, I found. And if I was attacked, I could still defend myself, and I could prove to them that I could. I would never tell them that Jeremy was trained to my hand, however…too many questions would be asked.
When I went before them on the 12th, I gave my proposal, and it was accepted-all of it. I cannot say why; certainly they looked incredulous enough while I was presenting it. Perhaps they just wanted to be done with the meeting. But…perhaps they didn't mind letting me go to what was, to them, certain death. I doubt they were that shallow, but…maybe they had been.
Whatever the reason, I was granted permission. On the 14th, I was lent a cart on which to carry my supplies and Jeremy's containment box. My coworkers kept him nude, insisting that because he wasn't human, he shouldn't be wearing human clothing. I compromised by at least giving him a hospital gown; it was hoodless, but at least it was something. (And no, it wasn't a matter of decency; I learned with the twins that a Hunter's clothing helps it to capture the air and thus, scent.) However, with this escape, he'd need clothing, and likely the same sort as the twins did. So I dressed him in an old hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans (along with the same adult diapers I had used for Chris and Lexi). He had to do without tape, though; there wasn't any to spare for him.
When he was settled in the box and my supplies were packed into the cart (they were all in one large bag, which I had stuffed with various extra medical equipment as well as the tranquilizer I was using as a cover), I made my way to the gate. There, my bag was given a cursory glance, and I was waved through. The guards there warned me to return at the appointed time-16:00 sharp-and I smiled and agreed.
I was, of course, lying. When I left that compound, I left, and never looked back.
I turned in the direction from which I'd come to the compound. I had told the administrators that I'd only go a mile out, but after I was just out of sight of the compound, I halted. I released Jeremy, and he sprang into the lowest branches of a nearby tree. He "watched" me as I pulled the box from the cart (it was actually fairly heavy, being steel-reinforced) and shoved it away. Then I continued on, taking the cart with me. Jeremy followed.
I know it's an old cliché, but at that point, I felt as light as a feather. I was free, after all; free from the repressive monotony of humanity. Free from humanity's cruelty. I could live as I wished, with whomever I chose. I might have said that that day was the greatest in my life.
And it might have been…if not for three days ago.
Three days ago, I reunited with my Pack.
I had woken not long after dawn in the tent I'd stolen from the compound. It's a small tent, just large enough for me and perhaps one other, but at least it's shelter, and quick and easy to set up and take down. Jeremy had been curled next to me most of the night, keeping me warm, but he woke when I did. I saw to his needs first, before attending to my own and preparing breakfast.
As I was cooking, however, Jeremy started growing agitated. He seemed to calm a little after he was fed, but wouldn't entirely settle. He was continually sniffing the air, and his claws wouldn't stop flexing. He was leaving furrows in the recently thawed soil, digging even past the loam of the forest we'd found ourselves in. I wasn't sure what he could be nervous about; there was no way for the humans in the compound to find us, not after this long. I was sure of that.
We continued on at around mid-morning. Jeremy's agitation continued to grow, and I was beginning to get a little nervous myself. Most likely, he was smelling other Infected, and strangers to boot-but I had no way of telling whether the Infected were strangers to me, too. Jeremy was decent protection, but against anything larger than, say, a Smoker, he would have trouble.
When we stopped for lunch, Jeremy let out a warning screech. I paused, and started reaching for my pistol (which I'd never lost; we had been allowed to keep weapons at the compound, just in case). But then I reconsidered; there was some hope inside me still that my Pack hadn't truly left, even after all this time. Instead of reaching for my pistol, I brought my fingers to my lips and whistled-calling off the chase and calling to me those I commanded.
I waited. After a few minutes, I whistled again. I repeated this every five minutes, even while I began to make a cold lunch for myself and Jeremy. My new Hunter wouldn't settle even to feed; he would take a bite or two, and then start pacing in a circle, only to repeat the process. I wasn't sure why he wasn't outright attacking whatever it was that was approaching-other than whatever was coming was bigger than he alone could handle.
But before I could finish eating, I heard the second most wonderful sound I could have ever wanted to hear.
Lexi's answering challenge.
I can't describe to you my emotions at that point. Elation, relief, sheer joy at hearing her voice just rushed through me, all at once. I leapt up and whistled again. Lexi shrieked again in reply, echoed by Chris. Their cries were like music to my ears, and I could feel tears welling in my eyes.
The twins both appeared at the edge of the clearing Jeremy and I had stopped in, roaring loudly. Even I could hear the joy in their voices. Lexi leapt, pouncing onto me and pinning me beneath her weight. Her tongue started bathing over my face, and she was whimpering and growling with delight. I'm sure that if she'd had a tail, it would have been wagging non-stop. Chris wasn't very long after her, pushing her aside to make her give him room; he gave me the same treatment as his sister. I held both of my arms around them, laughing and crying at the same time.
A third voice rose up over the twins' happy cries; it was a scream, but not one of fear or anger. I sat up-forcing the twins to give me a little room-just in time to see Caroline rushing toward me with her claws outstretched. She tackled me back to the ground, holding me very tightly as she started to sob. Yet for once, she wasn't crying in sorrow; her tears, I saw, were joyful. I freed one of my arms to wrap around her, hugging her close and giving her a gentle kiss atop her head.
But after a few more moments of that, I heard the most wonderful sound I could have heard that day.
Blake's wheezing call.
The Sommers immediately let me up when my mate appeared. I stood, and could only stare for several moments. It was almost as though my brain was having trouble accepting that my beloved was standing before me. But then he shot out his tongue, wrapping it around my body-though leaving my arms free-and pulled me toward him, freeing me from my paralysis. As soon as I was close enough, I actually jumped toward him, flinging my arms around him and holding onto him as tightly as I could.
I felt his arms drape around me, felt his tongue withdraw enough to brush the tip of it against my lips. I leaned up to kiss him full on his mouth as best as I could manage around that appendage of his, as I had done almost two months before. He must have just eaten; he tasted of blood. But I didn't care.
I kissed him for a good minute before I had to pull back for breath. Blake refused to release me from his grip, however, and I wasn't entirely willing to part from him either. I did, however, turn around so that my back was pressed against his front, and my head was resting on his left shoulder. Caroline joined us again, still crying, but between her sobs, she was babbling happily-and this time I'm sure I caught "Mama" and "Papa."
A hissing growl caught my attention and I looked up in time to see Lexi pounce Jeremy. They started wrestling and even fighting-yet while it wasn't quite play, it wasn't entirely hostile, either. She turned out to be the victor, pinning him flat on his back. Once there, she leaned down to breathe in his scent, and even to bite him gently on the shoulder. I could only smirk as she growled when he tried to return the gesture. They stayed like that for another few minutes, before she bit down briefly and released him, climbing off of him.
Jeremy was accepted.
We're making our way to the south and west. We have no destination. We eat when we're hungry, we rest when we're tired. Our only concern is to avoid humanity. Caroline and I forage, the Hunters hunt, and Patrick is ever my protector and enforcer.
We live, and we love. We are pack.
We are the Home Sector Pack.
From the Desk of-*Here, there is a dark area, as though scribbled out. Beneath it is written…*
Garnet Blake, Matriarch of the Home Sector Pack