A Change of Plans

Chapter 1: Surprise
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As Ellis continued to stare out the window, his mind was set on the girl he had seen on the bridge. Zoey. That was her name. Zoey, Zoey, Zoey... man he couldn't stop saying her it. He was sure he had said it many times, and he was also sure that the others knew about his sudden crush on her. Ellis looked up to see Nick staring at him from shotgun. Ellis gave a nervous smile, as Nick started to laugh.

"Overalls, seriously?" he shook his head, turning back to the road. Coach, who was driving, only had time, and the patience to give a moody glare to Nick, before turning back to look at the road. As for Rochelle, she whispered some words under her breath, words Ellis couldn't hear. He sighed, running his hand through his hat-less hair. He shouldn't listen to Nick, Nick was just being an ass, why did it matter what he said?

She was an angel. Holding her pistols in her hands, blood splattered over her pink sweatshirt. Ellis couldn't get over how bad ass she looked, not to mention cute,... he sighed, looking up at Rochelle. "Hey, y'know guys, maybe we could go back n' get ... Francis, safety in numbers, ya know." He said, giving her one of his signature smiles. "Ellis, sweetie, it would be great to other people in our group, but we just can't afford ... it." Rochelle said, giving Ellis a sympathetic look. Ellis couldn't think of anything else to say but, "Yeah... well."

"Look, Overalls, we all know you want cupcake here, but like Ro said, we can't afford it. Too many lives to look after, not to mention too many mouths to feed." Nick reminded Ellis coldly. Ellis' shoulders visibly slumped, he was bummed out that Zoey couldn't come with them. He sighed, turning his head back to the window, frowning as he looked at the rolling land as they drove.

Being the youngest from the group, Ellis didn't get much say in anything; usually his decisions were made for him. But now, putting some thought into it, Rochelle and Nick were right. Having more companions joining them would be nice, but they just couldn't allow it. Heck, they couldn't even feed themselves half of the time. A dull, buzzing sound turned Ellis' attention back to the real world. In the distance, behind them, he could see an outline of a car that was speeding down the road. "Hey ya guys see that?" Ellis spoke up, squinting his eyes. Nick, Rochelle, and Coach's eyes all focused to the back.

"Who the hell is that?" Nick said opening his door as Coach stopped the car, cursing under his breath. Rochelle, Coach, and himself got out of the car. Ellis quickly put his hat back on his head, walking to stand beside Coach. Now, the vehicle was pretty close, and he could see exactly who it was. CEDA. "Holy shit guys, it's CEDA!" Ellis exclaimed, looking over toward Nick, with an excited grin.

The armored truck came to a stop, not too far away from them. The group stared blankly for a second, and then begin to move closer. The vehicle's doors swished open, as two men stepped out, holding guns in their hands. They were aiming the weapons at them. "The hell?" Nick said, looking over at the rest of them. Then, two more men came out from behind the truck, both equipped with weapons, also.

"Put any weapons you are carrying down!" one of the officers shouted. Ellis gave Nick the 'you've got to be shitting' me look' and rolled his eyes. "Hey now…" Nick said, smiling as he stepped closer. The four officers stiffened tightening the grips on their weapons. "Stay where you are! Do not move any closer!" another officer shouted. "Rick is the back ready for transportation?" one asked, looking behind him. "Yes sir, ready for infected transportation."Another said, nodding. The four men began to crowd them, still aiming their weapons at the four. "This some kind of sick joke?" Nick said, as the four pushed him into the direction of the truck. "Nick!" Ellis said, shoving the officers aside as he tried to reach the officer who was guiding him. "Don't move!" one of them commanded, as he shoved Ellis aside, holding the weapon to his head. He didn't want to struggle, for fear that this asshole would blow his brains out.

"Get your hands offofme!" Rochelle snarled. Ellis was the last to go in; they held him by the entrance, as the rest of his companions were dragged into the back. "Alright, get in." the man who was holding him said, shoving him toward the back of the truck. "Hey, watch 'it!" Ellis said, stumbling from the push. He climbed into the back of the truck, his eyes growing wide, looking down.

"Zoey?"