Save Yourselves!: A Left 4 Dead Multiplayer Diary

Jones: Orland's healing moans will forever haunt me.

Orland: This round is pretty much a blur. I remember being disappointed that we were killed so quickly, but then happy that we killed them off equally quickly. The high point for me was dragging an opponent (I think it was Evan) into a secluded room as a Smoker, and taking him for 30 damage or so before anyone realized he was missing. Hooray for chaos.

Fischer: Our coordination is finally working out. We're finally talking all the time -- not joking, just calling dangers, even if they're still far away. Our experience with Witches has been bad. Then, when we're Infected, things really click. I spawn as a Smoker and end the round as the same Smoker after nabbing an Achievement for constricting two humans in a row. It's my best round. Perched atop the farmhouse, I snag a couple humans and we shut 'em down right there. The Director plays us as favorites, spawning some deadly Horde actions.

Evan says he wasn't keeping track of score, but we were. Our team was in this to win. Fun is secondary.

Jones: I actually said, "WE'RE FIGHTING FOR OUR DIGNITY NOW!" Over the course of the five rounds, it was clear that they were in fact learning how to work better as a team than we were. Damn them all. They were holed up upstairs, in the old house, and they were doing a good job of keeping us at bay. Once again, I'm putting every bit of the blame on Jeremy.

Fischer: The JUST KEEP MOVING! mantra helped us a lot. More than once in the cornfield, it looked like at least one of us might be toast, but the constant barrage of communication from each party member kept us together. In the house, it was a matter of barricading and then laughing madly as Evan's Tank couldn't make it up the stairs at first. I'll admit, however, that when I heard the transport arrive I just ran for it. Between dignity and life, I'll take life.

Orland: Even though we knew it was do-or-die time going in here, we all seemed very calm and collected. Focused on our goal, which was getting four Survivors through that cornfield and INTO THE TRUCK!, I realized I was much less hesitant with the shotgun this time, firing into a crowd of zombies even if there was a chance some spray would hit a teammate. It seems to help until we hit the cornfield and quickly get disoriented by a coordinated attack. By the time we all make it up, we can't figure out where we are or where we're going!

At one point, I remember Greg had to single-handedly fight off a horde of zombies and revive three downed players all by his lonesome. Now that's clutch! Somehow we find the tractor, and from there, go through the barn and into the house. This is where we really shine, calling out strategies and letting people know where the zombies are. Still, the cornfield has taken its toll and we're almost all bleeding out. After a quick health pack, I plant myself at the top of the stairs and fire at the hapless Boomers and Hunters that try to walk up. I even remember taking out a Tank with relatively little trouble from my perfect vantage point. The most thrilling moment of the whole match comes at the end -- when everyone else has made it to the truck, yet I somehow get stuck amidst a bunch of zombies coming down the stairs. Jamming the L button, I somehow fight them off long enough to scoot out and make it in to the sound of the screams of my teammates. We're battered and bruised but ALIVE and still kicking in the competition.