| The Sacrifice | |||
|
|
| |
| Pages | |||
|---|---|---|---|
                                        |
Part 2 was released on September 21.
Plot
The story takes place two days after the Survivors called for a rescue at the end of Blood Harvest. Whilst Lieutenant Mora is talking to Sergeant Dowey about the safety of the base and lack of word from Command or other Survivors, they are interrupted by a radio call. Lt. Mora tells the person at the radio to take the call and that they will send transport. While Sgt. Dowey is concerned, Lt. Mora says he will personally go, in order to see what they are up against.
In the present, Louis and Francis are in a sterile cell, guarded by two soldiers. While Francis unsuccessfully tries to provoke the shorter female soldier into opening the cell to allow him to overpower them and escape, Louis is called over by the other soldier named Jeff, who asks if the "Whisky Delta" or "Walking Dead" have been mutating. Louis explains about the Special Infected to their surprise (namely the Boomer, the Hunter, the Tank, and a joke made by Francis about the vampire, which Louis shuts down) as they have been unaware of events outside Millhaven. Jeff proceeds to ask about a Smoker, which Louis starts to explain.
The story then pans out to a report about the Special Infected. Lt. Mora who performed the Echo run states how the base is no longer secure against the Infected, stating that Outpost Echo is prepared for assaults like this, but they, Millhaven Outpost, are not. However, the commanding officer, Major Everly, refuses to believe the Special Infected even exist, or that there is a difference between Carriers and Survivors, for that matter, and orders the Lieutenant not to interfere with his job again and follow the chain of command. Lt. Mora and another soldier leave the office and discuss how Command have failed to contact them for several days. Lt. Mora tells the soldier to call Pena, Brooks, and Davis to his office at a certain time, and grimly states that he will not sacrifice his platoon for anyone, not for Everly, and not for Carriers.
The scene then cuts to Bill and Zoey, who are in the medical quarters for testing. Whilst Zoey is forcefully told to provide a saliva sample, which she continually refuses when Rivera, the soldier who is monitoring the scene, forces Zoey to at gunpoint. The doctor then requests to examine one of the injuries Zoey sustained. Zoey again refuses until Rivera forcefully tries to get Zoey to show the doctor her wound by holding up her arm. Bill then orders him to release her, in which Rivera states he isn't going to be the hero, causing Bill to state he is distracting him. Zoey proceeds to disarm soldier and hits him with his own gun. Rivera's gas mask falls off in the incident, upon which he immediately panics and begs Zoey to stay away from him due to his fear of being infected. Another soldier arrives on the scene, who the doctor asks to carry out his comrade. It is then revealed that the group have been diagnosed as Carriers. Whilst the doctor explains that they transmitted it during their journey throughout Philadelphia, he states the Green Flu is unlike anything they've seen, despite trying to find a cure. He states that it is sometimes airborne, but other times not, thus stating where the "airborne" theory originated from. He then assumes that Bill and Zoey are father and daughter, saying the Carrier gene runs on the father's side. However, Zoey denies that Bill is her father tearfully as a flashback ensues.
Zoey is shown in her home with her divorced (or separated) parents, two days after the first infection. Carolyn, Zoey's mother, complains to Wade, Zoey's father, that after just one semester with him, she wants to drop out of school. Zoey states she had a scholarship, making any expenses moot, but her mother reminds her that she sent Zoey to Aldrich to learn how to make films rather than watch them. Zoey attempts to claim it is research, leading back to the Infection, but Carolyn doesn't appear to buy this, believing it to be a flu epidemic. Wade then suggests that she can join the force like him, stating she can hold her own on the gun range and in a fight which Carolyn rejects, believing Zoey isn't going to be attacked by "cokeheads". It is then that a Common Infected walks in on the scene, and after ignoring Wade's warnings at gunpoint, bites into Carolyn's shoulder and the lower part of her face, provoking Wade to fire, killing the Common Infected. Wade quickly orders Zoey to call for an ambulance, which fails due to the line being busy. Carolyn quickly succumbs to the Infection and scratches Wade, throwing him off-balance before she bites and attacks him. Zoey tries to talk sense back into her mother, but with no luck. As she prepares to attack Zoey, Wade fires and kills Carolyn. A grief-stricken and injured Wade then reminds Zoey of all the movies he snuck into her as a kid, which Zoey acknowledges, remembering how mad Carolyn got when she found out. He then asks her to remember when they all included a part where the protagonists had to shoot the one guy before he turned. Zoey quickly catches on and after her father whispers his love to Zoey, and she responds in return, shoots him. After shooting her father, she breaks down crying.
Back at the outpost, Zoey is in Bill's arms, having relived the horrific moment and in tears, having realised her father may have been a Carrier and thus immune to the effects of the Infection, making her mercy-killing pointless. The doctor then tells them that they are not dead because of him, and that he is not dead because they believe he can find a cure. The doctor then mournfully states that when they find out he cannot, he and all the Carriers will be killed, and so asks that they all help each other escape. A klaxon then wails out, and the two Survivors angrily tell him the alarm may have attracted every single Infected in a hundred mile radius. Zoey says they have to move quickly and find some guns too. Meanwhile, in Major Everly's office, Lt. Mora and two other Soldiers (presumably from the Lieutenant's Platoon) storm in, saying he is now relieved of command and that they are evacuating everyone.
Louis and Francis meanwhile are still in the cell. Louis and Francis appear to have been given the news that they are Carriers, in which Louis mournfully remarks that Francis may be the only person he can be with without killing them. Then the alarm is sounded. Louis and Francis quickly jump to the door where their two guards still are and tell them to let them out. When asked what they are on about, the two Survivors reveal that the Infected are attracted to noise. No sooner is this said before a mortally wounded soldier with slash injuries crawls in their direction, telling them to run, before he dies, but not before the alarm is silenced. Louis and Francis's pleads to be released intensify, leading Jeff to ask Annie, the shorter female soldier, what she thinks. She responds saying that Lt. Mora would kill them if he found out they released Carriers. Their conversation is interrupted, however, by a wandering Witch approaching. Jeff raises his gun, but Louis tells them to hold their fire and let the Witch walk past them (with Jeff commenting on how stupid this is before being told to be quiet by Louis). After the Witch passes, smearing blood on the wall along the way, the two soldiers then release Louis and Francis despite being Carriers, as they have superior knowledge of the Infected, and guide them to the armory for guns. On the way they are attacked by a soldier-turned Boomer, whom Jeff quickly raises his gun to and begins to fire, but Louis pushes him, knocking his aim off-balance. Francis uses his physical strength to manhandle the Boomer down a row of stairs, causing the Boomer to explode. After being asked by Jeff if there's anything they can shoot at, Louis asks for his handgun and states that he'll call the shots, to which Jeff agrees to. Francis, who retrieved a handgun from the Boomer's corpse, then states he got sprayed by Boomer bile, but not badly, before the group are attacked by a horde of Infected, thus concluding the second part of the Comic.
Notes
- Zoey's gun skills are confirmed to having learned from her father, who was a police officer.
- In page 50, in the second panel, the short soldier's (Annie's) speech bubble has "guessing" misspelled as "guesing".
- Louis doesn't seem surprised at the Witch's wandering behaviour, despite this behaviour not appearing in Left 4 Dead campaign, suggesting the survivors have encountered wandering Witches before, outside of the parts of their journey depicted in-game.
- The cover art depicts Zoey with her hair tied up and wearing her red jacket as she shoots a Common Infected. This may be intended to depict the scene in which Zoey shot her father before he turns, however in the comic's portrayal of this scene, her hair is let down and she is not wearing her jacket.
- Francis seems to care for Louis as when Louis admits they may be in a lot of trouble, Francis quickly tries to form a plan to get them out. This suggests that despite poking fun at his optimism, he may still like it when Louis is optimistic.
- According to Lt. Mora, even after the Military took charge, CEDA continued to lecture them on how to treat their "prisoners".
- Louis seemingly exaggerates when describing the Tank to Jeff and Annie. A thirty-foot tall Tank has never been shown to exist in any Left 4 Dead media.
- Several events occur in this chapter which do not constrict themselves to the rules of Left 4 Dead gameplay:
- Francis pushes the Boomer down the stairs, causing it to explode. In-game, no characters will lose their footing on staircases for any reason, and Boomers will only explode from falling through the air from a significant height (in non-Versus-based modes only).
- When the Boomer explodes, a bile explosion occurs and a horde is summoned to the immediate area. In-game, this will only occur if a Survivor is in the proximity of the exploding Boomer to become covered in its bile, otherwise the Boomer will simply explode in a harmless shower of blood.
- The Witch is wandering around despite the scene taking place at night, her previous victim is seen still alive for a moment, and she seems docile as she passes the prison cell. In-game, Witches only wander during the day (with daytime campaigns appearing exclusively in Left 4 Dead 2), they continuously attack their victims until they are dead, and after killing they run away in a crazed panic.
- When Louis tells the soldiers about Hunters, the background picture of it shows infected eyes under the hood. In-game, Hunter's eyes have been clawed out and they only have empty eye sockets.
- The Boomer's bulges on its face are covering the left side of its face when Louis is explaining the Special Infected to Jeff and Annie. In-game, the male Boomer is only ever depicted with bulges on the right side of its face.