The Good Tenant(A Resident Evil SI/OC)

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 61

“Let’s see if you guys are still there,” I muttered to myself as I parked the Crown Vic and grabbed the duffle bag full of weapons. “If not, I might just bed down for the night,” I looked at the sky and noted that it was a moonless night. “I know I’m in a horror universe,” I said to whoever was watching. “You don’t have to emphasize it by having it be dark all the time.”

The power went out on this side of the city as soon as the words left my lips.

“Dammit,” I swore as I flipped on the flashlight mounted to my M4. “Should’ve kept my mouth shut.”

I opened up the apartment door and was greeted by an empty hallway where the small group of people had been before. “Anyone decide to stay here?” I called out as I began clearing the bottom floor of the apartment building.

The building remained silent as I moved through the empty building, eventually making my way to the stairs where I began moving to the second floor.

Checking the apartment doors, I eventually found one that was unlocked and went inside, locking the door behind me and deadbolting it.

Sitting down on the couch that was in plain view, I tossed the duffle bag full of weapons down beside me and unslung my rifle before unzipping my tac vest. “That feels nice,” I breathed out as my sweaty torso finally was able to breathe. Leaning my M4 against the side of the couch, I unclipped the P90 and set it down as well before unholstering my 10mm and laying it on my chest as I leaned back facing the door, and laid my ballcap over my eyes. It was time to get some shut-eye.

I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow there would be more to deal with and I needed every bit of rest I could get.

---

Jill blinked the black away, her brain struggling to process what had happened as a small drop of blood fell from her nose and hit the roof of the Humvee below her.

“I’m up!” Jill said loudly as she then winced, her head ringing from the blood flow.

“Alice, Kendo?” Jill asked as she turned and noticed that Alice was shaking herself awake, the Kendo brothers both unconscious as were both of their families.

“I’m here,” Alice muttered as she unbuckled her seat belt and allowed herself to hit the roof of the Humvee. “Jill, let me help you get loose,” Alice pulled out a knife and cut the seat belt that was holding Jill in place. “Take it easy for a minute,” Alice muttered. “The airbag hit you pretty hard.”

“Check on the kids,” Jill murmured. “They might have been hurt.”

“Shit,” Alice swore as she began checking on the Kendo family. “Robert’s dead, and so is Joseph’s wife.”

“The kids?” Jill asked.

“Only one of them made it,” Alice shook her head. “Fuck!” she rammed her hand into the side of the Humvee. “We need to get them out of here.”

“Give me a minute,” Jill said as she held her head. “Your medic is never around when you fuckin’ need him.”

Jill then pulled herself out of the vehicle, her jacket tearing on some glass shards from the windshield.

“Looks like this won’t work anymore,” Jill took off the jacket and tried to pull Joseph out.

“STAAAAARS!” a voice roared as another missile streaked out from the launcher, Jill and Alice diving away just as what was left of the Humvee exploded.
“Friend of yours?” Alice asked as she aimed with her lever-action.

“Nah,” Jill shook her head as the adrenaline pumping through her system washed away her aches and pains. “We just met.”

The giant moved slowly and methodically after the two women, intent on pursuing them for as long as necessary to fulfill its mission.

“This thing can take a hit!” Alice yelled as she fired the .357 Magnum into the chest of the figure, only for it to barely flinch. “What do you think we can use to take it down?”

“Nothing on us!” Jill replied as the creature turned to charge her. “And it’s not like there’s anything we can grab out of the Humvee!”

Alice braced against the wall of a building as she lined up her shot, the lever-action barking once as she severed a tentacle that was emerging out of the giant’s hand, causing the monster to flinch backward and away from Jill.

“I think I stunned it!” Alice said as she grabbed Jill’s hand. “Now come on, we’ve got to get out of here.”

The two women ducked into an alleyway out of sight and into a warehouse, slamming the door shut behind them and sighing in relief as heavy footsteps pushed past where they were.

“Dammit!” Jill said as she processed everything. “I was supposed to get them out of this alive.”

“There was nothing we could have done,” Alice muttered. “We were just lucky this time. Next time we might not be.”

“I hope that Mark is having a better time, tonight,” Jill said as she sunk to her knees with her back up against the wall, burying her head into her arms. “Because tonight fucking sucks.”

“Can say that again,” Alice did the same on the opposite wall. “You think he made it out of that mess across the river?”

“I bet he’s holed up somewhere nice and cozy for the night,” Jill said sarcastically, trying to push through the pain with humor. “He always gets the nice jobs.”

---

“Well shit,” I said as I looked out the window of the apartment at the small wave of zombies that were in the streets. “Glad I’m up here.”

I had woken up from a brief nap and put all of my gear back on before raiding what was left of the apartment's kitchen, tearing open a pack of pop tarts, and opening a Yoohoo that I had found was still cold in the fridge.

Then, the screeching began, the low murmur of the zombies wasn’t enough there was something that was making noise, and it was at a frequency that was high enough that I wouldn’t be getting any more sleep for the night.

Rubbing my temple to stave off the headache, I polished off one of the Pop-Tarts before taking a sip of the cold chocolate beverage.

“This is going to be a long night,” I turned my flashlight off and looked out the window across the river where I could see the occasional tracer round and flash of light. I then opened the window and reached into my vest where I pulled out a cigar that I had stashed before leaving for the night.
“Might was well enjoy this,” I said as I pulled out a match and lit the cigar. “I’m not likely to get to enjoy another one for a while.”

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 62

“I’m going to kill whatever is making that noise,” I muttered as I opened the door to the apartment. “And then I’m getting back to HQ.”

I unbolted the door and eased the door open, my suppressed Sig in hand as I moved into the hallway, checking to make sure my corners were clear before I moved to the stairs, the dawn sky helping illuminate the bottom floor of the apartment building.

“Damn,” I swore as I looked out the door at the crowd of zombies milling around outside the building. “I might have to go across the river again.”

I sighed and moved across the building to the other side, the door there led to a path to the river.

Holstering my sidearm at my hip, I grabbed one of the magazines of green-tipped rounds that I had grabbed from the armory and loaded while I was in there. I then swapped the magazine in my rifle and chambered a round, now satisfied that I was prepared for more of the creatures that had been in the river. “Need something that will let the gear float,” I muttered as I looked around the exit, trying to see what would help keep the duffle bag full of weapons and ammunition afloat.

Spotting a couple of life jackets, I looped them through the straps on the bag and ensured everything was secure.

“Hope this works,” I groaned, hefting the duffle bag and shouldering it once again. Opening the door with the barrel of my M4 as I left the apartment behind me.

I picked my steps carefully as I moved down the river bank, leaving the high-pitched noise that had been keeping me up for the entire night behind me.

“I hate this part of the job,” I said as I braced myself to enter the cold water once again, the shock hitting me and shaking what little vestiges of exhaustion I had left away for a minute as I began swimming across the river.

Knowing that there were likely some of the Hunters chasing me, I swam as fast as I could, hoping to reach the other side before I had to fight one or more of them.

I reached the shallow part of the shore and got my feet underneath me, bracing for something before my feet were swept out from underneath me, leaving me just enough time to grab a breath of air before I was pulled under the water.

Struggling, I kicked loos from what had grabbed me and broke for the surface, getting up in time to grab air before being dragged back under and pulled further downstream. Struggling while holding my breath, I grabbed the knife attached to my vest and cut through the strap of the duffle bag, the weight disappearing as the bag was pulled away from me.

Grabbing at what was pulling me, I brought my knife and stabbed it into whatever it was, a muffled screech sounding through the water as the thing jerked away.

“Where the hell am I?” I asked as I surfaced, finding myself in a dark area that was probably intended for storm surge. Spotting a small walkway, I swam over and pulled myself up, the knife still gripped in my hand as I sat down for a second to get some more sweet air in my lungs.

Sheathing my knife, I ran my hands down my body, doing a physical inspection to make sure that no further injuries were present.

“M4 is still here,” I pulled the rifle back around and made sure the barrel was clear of water. “P90 is as well,” I patted the pouches for my magazines and sidearms, and everything was still in place minus a few magazines that were no longer in my pouches. “I’ll probably encounter that thing again,” I said as I made sure that everything was still functional on my weapons. “Now, let’s see where we are.”

---

“Alice,” Jill gently shook the other woman awake. “It’s daytime, we’re probably safe to head back to the HQ.”
“Ugh,” Alice stretched before standing up. “You think that Thing is going to be looking for us?”

“I’m hoping not,” Jill said as she cracked her neck. “It didn’t attack us until it started getting dark.”

“It’ll probably start getting bolder as more people turn into zombies,” Alice pointed out. “It could talk, so it’s clearly a step up from what Umbrella normally works with. It might have been instructed to avoid Cameras and the like.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Jill replied as she pulled her Samurai Edge out of its chest holster, her bare arms showing now that her STARS jacket had been ripped to shreds. “But I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”

“I suppose so,” Alice made sure to load some more rounds into her Lever-Action. “You ready to move?”

“Let’s go,” Jill agreed with a nod.

“On you, lead,” Alice said as Jill braced the door and threw it open, making sure the other side was clear.

“Clear,” Jill called out. “Let’s move, I don’t want to be trapped in an alleyway if that thing comes back.”


–
–

“There a reason we’re moving closer to the river?” Alice asked.

“Clear sight lines for the most part,” Jill replied. “I want to see what’s ahead or behind us. Make sure we have enough warning to cause some damage if need be.”

“You see that?” Alice asked, pointing to a black bag with the RPD logo on the side of it stuck on a small branch.

“Yeah,” Jill replied. “Let’s see what it is.”

Jumping into the river, Jill pulled out the bag and groaned under the weight before tossing it onto the shore and walking out after it.

“Whatever it is, it’s fuckin’ heavy,” Jill complained.

“For good reason too,” Alice said as she unzipped it. “There’s a ton of gear in here.”

“Really now?” Jill asked, peering over the other woman’s shoulder.

“We’re not going to be able to carry this thing the entire time,” Alice pointed out. “Just grab what you think you’ll need and we’ll try and carry what we can of everything else.”

“M16,” Jill said as she pulled out an older surplus rifle. “Haven’t used one of these in years, but I’m familiar enough with it. She peered through the sights for a minute and then nodded to herself. “My MP5 didn’t survive the crash, and this’ll give me some more firepower.”

“I’ll grab one of these shotguns,” Alice said as she grabbed a Benelli M3 with a collapsable stock and a couple of boxes of shotgun shells. “Anything else you think we’ll need?”

“This,” Jill grabbed the M203 grenade launcher out of the bottom of the bag. “I figure we’re probably going to face that giant again, and some extra firepower might make all the difference.”

“Agreed,” Alice nodded. “We’ll need to grab all of the grenades though.”

“That’s fine,” Jill shrugged. “I’ll hump whatever extra ammo we need.”

The two women packed their tactical vests full of gear and then began moving, Jill holding the M16 in a low ready position as they began their trek back to the Police HQ.

 

[MarkWarrior]

So, after getting some much needed advice from a good friend and much better author than I am, I'm going to be making some changes.

1. I'm going to be rewriting Blood on the Horizon.
2. I'm going to be slowly doing the same with my other works.
3. Updates to all of my stories and fanfics will continue, but I'm going to be putting them in a regular update schedule which will be as follows barring vacations and other things.

Mondays will be the BOTH rewrite.
Tuesday will be The Good Tenant
Wednesday goes to Beyond the Horizon
Thursday is War on the Horizon
Friday is my Original fiction.

Saturday and Sunday might go to the rewrites or I might simply rest. It will depend on how I feel on the weekends.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 63


The chopper shuddered underneath Captain Viktor Mikhail as it descended through the odd fog that seemed to surround Raccoon City.

“Delta, we are here to evacuate any and all uninfected civilians that we encounter,” the man gave his Kalashnikov a look lover and chambered a round. “I believe there are some police forces still alive and guarding evacuation points within, we shall assist them if possible.”

“We’re over the landing site!” the pilot announced.

The group slid down the ropes that were dropped from the chopper, Viktor dropping second and bringing his Kalashnikov up. “Oliviera, take left, Nikolai, you’re in command of the second squad.”

“Delta, we’re moving out of the city,” the pilot said. “We’ll be on standby when you need pickup.”

“Understood,” Mikhail replied. “We’ll be in contact.”

“Where is everyone?” one of the UBCS soldiers asked.

“No clue man,” Oliviera shook his head. “But I’ve never been in a city this quiet before.”

A burst of fire ripped into a concrete wall.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Nikolai chewed the other soldier out.

“Sorry sir, I thought I saw something.”

“Well make sure there’s an actual threat next time,” the Sergeant chided.

Nikolai turned to the rest of the squad before a sickening “crack!” was heard behind him.

“Get down!” Oliviera roared while holding down the trigger.

A stream of tracers erupted from the barrel, the green flickers of light striking the mutated creature and driving it back.

“Medic!”

“No pulse, he’s gone,” the Medic shook her head.

“Grab his tags,” Mikhail ordered. “We’ve got to move.”

Zombies began moving out into the street, flooding the space and surrounding the small platoon of soldiers.

“Use grenades to clear a path,” Oliviera called out. “Then pick a building.”

---

“I was nearly eaten by a fucking overgrown goldfish!” I spat as I slammed my last magazine into my rifle and slapped the side of my rifle with a vengeance.

Turning away from the water, I allowed the M4 to hang from its sling while I pulled the P90 up to my shoulder and looked at the doorway.

Limping forward, I tried the door handle, the door easing open with a menacing shriek.

I sighed as I pushed through the entrance and found exactly what I expected painted on the wall.

“It’s always something,” I moved into the facility and sat down against the wall.

Unzipping my backpack, I pulled out the large medbag and grabbed one of the ace bandages.

Sucking air through my teeth, I stretched my left leg out and grunted as the pain increased while I began wrapping it tightly while leaving enough room for motion.

Securing the bandage tightly, I slid my pants leg down before grabbing some Safesprin out of the bag and downing the pills along with some water.

Leaning my head back against the wall, I closed my eyes and rested for a moment, allowing the medicine to do its work of easing the throbbing of my head and knee.

---

“Someone call the army in?” Alice asked as four Russian choppers flew overhead.

“If we did, they wouldn’t be flying those,” Jill shook her head. “Them’s Ruskie birds from the old USSR.”

“Umbrella?” Alice asked.

“Likely,” Jill nodded. “Lots of military supplies went on sale on the markets when the USSR collapsed. “Lotta soldiers of fortune too.”

“Should we change our route?” Alice asked.

“No, we’ll keep pushing. The HQ isn’t all that far away from here,” Jill replied.

---

The trio of school buses slowed to a stop at the National Guard checkpoint, the door opening with a hiss as people got up from their seats.

“Miss Birkin?” One officer asked.

“That’s me,” Annette responded with a frown.

“I’m going to need you and your daughter to come with us,” the Major said with a small smile. “You’re not in any trouble, but my CO said that you might have some intel on what’s really going on in the city.”

“I’ll answer any questions to the best of my ability,” Annette replied. “But I’d like to be able to contact my family and arrange transportation somewhere else.”

“We can help with that, ma’am,” the officer said politely. “CO’s this way.”

–
–

“I’m Colonel Cromwell,” A giant of a man greeted the two blondes with a firm handshake for Annette, and a peppermint and a smile for Sherry. “Major Shanks, thank you for escorting them here.”

“Yes sir,” Shanks replied. “I’ll be back at the roadblock if you need me,” the door swung shut behind him.

“Mrs. Birkin, I just sent a team of Delta operators in not more than a few hours ago to extract you and your husband,” Cromwell said as he sat at his desk. “I’ve yet to receive contact with them and I am short on both time and intelligence on what the hell is going on in Raccoon City,” The colonel sighed. “The Governor of the state along with the Joint Chiefs and the President are currently up my ass, so I’d appreciate some answers.”

“I’ll answer what I can,” Annette replied, her voice quivering a bit. “But I need to know that you’ve already been told first.”

---

Ada looked through the data on the late Chief Irons and sighed. Even if she were just playing a role, this man had been scum based on what they had found.

“You got everything you need?” Chief Douglass asked as he entered the office. “We’re about to start evacuating the nonessential personnel now that we’ve cleared out the civilians.”

“I think I’ll stay and render assistance where it may be needed,” Ada smiled. “After all, it seems that you’ll need all the help you can get.”

“Got that right,” Douglass sighed. “Zombie attacks have been getting worse since the day everything kicked off. I’m worried that by tomorrow there’ll only be a few of us left alive.”

“Why not evacuate everyone then?” Ada asked genuine curiosity on her face.

“Because if there’s even the slightest chance of us getting someone out alive in this hellhole we’re going to take it,” Douglass replied. “Unfortunately, the three of my people with the most experience with this sort of thing never came back, so we’re listing them as MIA pending KIA until we either receive contact or find their bodies.”

“Well chief,” Ada spread her arms out. “I am at your disposal, use me as you wish,” she smirked at the double entendre.

“Go see if they need help at the screening station or with manning the gates,” Douglass replied. “I assume you know your way around a rifle?”

“I do,” Ada nodded.

“Good, go hit the armory first, then go see where they need you,” Douglass pointed to her holstered sidearm. “You’re going to want more than just that, trust me.”

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 64

"Well, the safesprin isn't doing much of anything," I muttered as I peeled my wet pants leg up above my knee, wincing as the red and swollen joint was revealed. "I'm going to have to wrap it if I'm going to be mobile."

Taking the slung M4 off of my back, I set it down against the wall beside me before twisting and letting my backpack fall off of my left shoulder, the momentum of the pack shifting to fall in front of me.

Unzipping the backpack, I reached in and grabbed the medkit, water still dripping from the crevices and pockets of the backpack.

Setting the backpack down, I opened up the medkit and grabbed a plastic-wrapped Ace bandage, a smile crossing my face as I realized it was still dry.

I grunted in pain as I began wrapping my left knee, the pain getting worse as I did so.

"That's more than a bruise," I muttered as I secured the tightly wrapped bandage and slid my pants leg back down. "Odds are that I damaged the joint."

Leaning up against the wall behind me for a minute, I breathed deeply, listening for any hitches in breathing that might indicate cracked ribs or other similar issues.

"Ugh," I opened my eyes and used the wall to stand up. "I've got to start moving, staying still here is likely to draw the attention of something that I don't want."

Grabbing the medkit, I sealed it back up before tossing it back into the backpack. "I hate wet clothes," I muttered as I grabbed my M4 and let it rest on my back underneath the wet backpack, an uncalled-for shiver going down my spine as water dripped down my back.

"What's one more underground Umbrella lab?" I asked myself as I shouldered my P90 and began limping down the brightly lit hallway. "It's not like I'll have to write a report about this later."

---

"Dammit Jenkin, fire your weapon!" Nikolai yelled at one of the Delta Platoon soldiers while firing his AKM into a small cluster of zombies.

"They're everywhere Sarge!"

"Oliviera!" Captain Mikhail barked, a jerk of his head indicated what was needed.

"On it Captain," Corporal Oliviera replied as he grabbed Jenkins and threw him bodily into a wall.

"Jenkins, get it together, we're professionals here," Oliviera leaned in close. "Now, you can move with us or get left behind, but you better start firing your damned weapon. Understand me?"

"Got it," Jenkins shook as piss dripped down his pants.

"We're good now!" Oliviera called out as he shook his head at the other mercenary.

"There's a hotel nearby," Nikolai reported. "And it doesn't look occupied."

"Move in," Mikhail ordered. "We need to set up a position and start working towards our objective, yes?"

"Yes sir," Oliviera said as he pulled a spent grenade from his underslung grenade launcher and loaded a fresh one. "Fire in the hole!" the blast blew apart a group of zombies that were blocking the entrance to the hotel.

"Move move move!" Nikolai ordered, leading the way into the hotel. "You want to die out here?"

"Door's blocked off!" One of the members said as he tried to shove it open.

"Breacher!"

"I'm moving!"

The CQB expert braced with his shotgun while the breacher set up a small group of shaped chargers.

"We're clear, charges are set!"

"On you!" the CQB nodded at the breacher.

"Fire in the hole!" the breacher yelled as he hit the detonator, the door blasting inward while the CQB moved in, Nikolai moving right behind him.

"Clear!"

"Nikolai, take two men and clear out the floor above us," Mikhail ordered. "Oliviera, the rest of you, I want this door blocked off again."

"Yes sir!" the members of Delta Platoon jumped to the tasks at hand.

–
–

"You, go clear that room," Nikolai instructed. "We're going to move ahead."

Nikolai smiled as he saw the signs of what was lurking in the hotel, it seemed that his bank balance was going to be quite a bit larger after this was all said and done.

---

Jill sighed as she looked at the line of burning vehicles and blocked off paths.

"Go through the houses?" Alice asked.

"We have no idea how many zombies are in any of them," Jill shook her head. "We're going to have to find an alternate route."

"It took us longer than it should have to get here," Alice looked at the dark skies. "If we were still going to have daylight, I'd agree with staying outside. But as it is our visibility is going to be cut short."

"I'd wanted to make more progress," Jill glanced at the fog that seemed everywhere in the city. "But you're right about being able to see."

"STAAAAAARRRRSSSS!" The giant roared from a nearby alleyway.

"Move!" Alice shoved Jill away as the monster narrowly missed her.

"Get clear, Alice! Try and find Mark! I'll lead this thing off on a chase!" Jill said as she took off into a sprint, her M16 tucked into her chest.

"I'm not leaving you to face this thing alone!" Alice fired her lever action, cycling it rapidly to get rounds on target, the giant flinching back from the .357 magnum rounds that left gaping holes in its skin before the flesh started knitting itself back together.

With a roar, the giant turned to face the biggest threat, and snapping a stop sign in half, threw it like a javelin at the lithe scientist.

"Not today bastard," Alice swore as she slid underneath the sign, her handgun snapping out of its holster to maintain fire while she climbed to her feet.

"Get clear!" Jill yelled, the M16 braced against her shoulder as her hand found the familiar grip of the grenade launcher and gently squeezed the trigger.

—
—

Alice stumbled, her vision blurry and her ears ringing as she tried to reorient herself.

A dark figure grabbed her and pulled her along, a bunch of noise and light leaving the weapon that it was carrying as it shoved her into a nearby building and slammed the door behind them.

"A****! *a* *o* **ar me?"

Alice shook her head, not understanding what she was happening.

"*uc*!" The figure dragged her farther into the building as the door fell in behind them, the entire entrance falling down around the giant as the supports collapsed.

"**ome ** *e *ot ** *et out *f **ere."

The figure pulled her into a side room and covered her mouth, pushing her against the wall as a series of thuds walked past the room.

Alice shuddered as she felt something drip from the ceiling onto her face. And looking up, she let out a scream before everything went black.

Author’s note: the last half of this chapter was written on my phone. I expect I’ll have to go fix errors.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 65

"Come on," William Coen pulled the young woman inside a house. "We've got to avoid the freaks that are out there."

The girl remained silent, simply moving after Billy with an odd shuffle to her gait.

"At least you're able to listen," Billy sighed as he transitioned to inspecting the house. "Let's see if there's anything useful in here while we wait for the freak show to move past."

The girl nodded as she moved toward the kitchen, opening the fridge with a flick of her wrist.

"I guess that leaves me with the bedrooms then," Billy muttered as he turned away from the kitchen and the ravenous young adult within.

Moving into the master bedroom, Billy rifled through the closet, smirking as he saw something that would be very useful indeed.

"Now this is something that I haven't used in a while," Billy pulled the Remington 700 out of the closet and ran his hands over the familiar shape. Pulling the magazine out, Billy nodded to himself as he saw the three rounds loaded before he pulled the bolt back, finding an empty chamber.

Moving more clothing around, Billy smiled as he grabbed the two boxes of .308 that were sitting on a shelf and stuffed them into his cargo pockets.

"You know, I never did get your name!" Billy called out as he continued looting the house.

"Lisa!" an oddly stilted voice replied.

"Well, I'm glad I showed up in time to help you out, Lisa!" Billy tore off the shirt he was wearing and pulled a fresh shirt and jacket out of the closet. "Let's work together and get out of here."

Billy finished changing clothes and then turned around, finding the girl with a small revolver in her hand and her finger on the trigger.

"First time using a weapon like this?" Billy asked as he got in close. "Let me show you how to use it properly."

---

"Someone needs to fire Umbrella's architects," I muttered as I limped down yet another long and winding hallway. "What's the point of grandstanding if you're keeping it all a secret anyway?"
Coming to the doorway at the end, I shifted my weight off of my bad leg and braced myself against the door frame, my P90 tucked into my shoulder as I cracked the door open and pied my corner.

"Whelp, I don't think there's going to be many survivors down here," I said as I looked at the blood all over the floor. "Might be some evidence though," I sighed. "Guess I get to find out."

Flipping on the light mounted to the P90, I looked around, trying to see beyond the red glow of emergency lighting.

Stopping as I heard a sound, I turned off my light and hid as a massive Licker shoved a fallen desk over and moved to the door that I just left, fresh blood falling to the ground and leaving a trail behind it.

Then the Licker charged the closed steel door, a small dent appearing as it bounced off.

I grabbed the last frag grenade off of my vest as I watched the Licker prepare to charge the door again.

Pulling the pin, I released the spoon and tossed the baseball-sized orb at the Licker, ducking behind a group of filing cabinets as I did so and covering my ears.

The Licker vanished in a cloud of shrapnel, and I flinched as the filing cabinets were peppered with metal bits.

Shuffling to my feet, I made sure the Licker was dead before turning to walk further into the facility. I knew that there was something down here. Something important.

---

HUNK sighed as Alpha 4 went down to a group of BOWs, it seems that there were few that were capable of surviving in this environment.

"James is down," Alpha 5 said as he brought up the rear. "Should I put him out of his misery?"

"It is a waste of ammunition," HUNK replied as he checked his magazines. "Our evacuation route will take us through some of the densest areas of the city. We must retain what capabilities we possess."

The two remaining members of Alpha fell into step with HUNK as he moved down an alleyway.

"We need to make it to the Police HQ," HUNK stated. "It is where we will be evacuated once we are able to make contact with NIGHT HAWK."

"That's the rest of the way across the city though," Alpha 6 complained. "Why not just try and leave via the outskirts and make our way back from there?"

"That is one of the alternate options that we have listed," HUNK stated. "But it is one of the least preferred. If we are to complete our objective the greater chance lies in NIGHT HAWK."

"Police HQ it is," Alpha 5 sighed. "I hope you updated your live insurance policy, Miguel. 'Cuz I'm not sure we're making it out of here alive. Not with the Grim Reaper here as our lead."

---

"Keep it down, Bisenti," Major Browning hissed at the Delta Force member. "These things are attracted to sound."

"Sorry, sir," Bisenti replied as he shifted position. "Lots of trash along the path we're taking. Won't happen again"

"You boys okay back there?" Staff Sergeant Cromwell asked.

"I'm still not sure what this thing does," groaned one of the bulkier members of the team. "But it's fuckin' heavy."

"Experimental portable railgun tech," the technician of the group answered. "The spooks are counting on us extracting some of the scientists. But they're also expecting us to face some of the creatures they've been cooking up in their labs."

"My biggest question is this," Bisenti said as he stopped and listened to the silence. "Where are all of the civilians?"

"I think we're about to find out," Browning said as he peered over the side of the building, dropping a chemlight into the dark streets.


"Holy shit," Cromwell swore as he looked at the crowd of zombies."There must be thousands of them down there."

"Sarge, I don't think I've got enough ammo for these guys," the man holding the SAW muttered.

"Bisenti, get on the comms," Browning ordered. "If they're out then get out the Sat phone. Command needs to know about this."

"Copy that sir," Bisenti swung the radio off of his back and knelt down. "I'll see what I can do."

"Browning, something is happening," the tech said as his knuckles turned white around his rifle.

"There's some sort of giant walking down there, sir."

"That things got a fucking mini gun! Get down!" Cromwell yelled.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 66

"I really hate this," I muttered as I limped further into the bloodstained lab, finding a door that had been torn open from the inside.

Wrapping myself around the P90, I eased around the corner, seeing nothing but dark flickering lights and more blood streaks on the walls and floor.

Flicking my flashlight on and off, I began combing the hallway, walking carefully so as not to slip on the gore-soaked floor.

In a corner of the darkness, a small pile of armored bodies lay over white lab coats.

Moving closer, I wrinkled my nose as the metallic smell of iron filled the air. Then, taking a knee, I began going through the bodies for ammunition and access cards.

"Sorry bud," I said as I slid a magazine out of a pouch and slid it into one of my empties. "But I don't think you can use this anymore."

Some of the security were using Berettas, the common sidearm of the US military and police, but there was one that stood out.

"Oh, someone had expensive taste," I said as I tried to pry the handgun out of his hands, eventually breaking a few fingers to do so. Unzipping a pouch on my backpack, I tucked it in before grabbing the few magazines that were left and tucked them into one of the larger pouches on my vest.

Standing up from my kneeling position, I groaned as my knee protested the movement, causing me to stagger against a wall before the pain eased a bit.

Hearing a groan behind me, I sighed as the small group of dead scientists and guards began groaning, the weight of all the bodies keeping the few zombies contained for now.

Grabbing my last incendiary grenade, I pulled the pin and limped away, leaving the grenade behind as the fuel began to spread, the hallway of bodies eventually filling with fire as I moved further into the lab.

At the end of this hallway, there was an elevator, and a keycard reader that shined bright red in the darkness.

Pulling the small handful of keycards that I grabbed from the scientists, I began using them one by one until one caused the light to flicker to green, the elevator doors sliding open with a welcoming chime.

"Further into the abyss," I muttered as I entered the elevator, seeing that there was only one stop. "Next stop, the ninth level of hell."

---

Alice woke up in a fog, her eyes gradually adjusting to the odd light that was hitting her eyelids.

Finally, her eyelids slid open, revealing that she was suspended in a web.

Grunting, Alice turned her head, peering around to see that a massive spider was wrapping a nearby monster in its silk embrace.

Craning her neck around, Alice saw that her lever action was suspended by its strap a few feet to her left and that Jill was nowhere in sight.

Inching her arm down to her belt, Alice fought against the web, eventually grabbing the knife that was sheathed there and working it out and against her side with the blade facing out.

Looking at the spider to make sure it was still busy, Alice began sawing at the webs, layer by layer she cut away at her bindings until she was able to feel the web start to give against her arm.

Now that one arm was free, she began cutting the rest of her limbs free, keeping an eye on the spider all the while.

With a harsh "snap!" The last web gave way, sending her falling toward the ground.

Scrambling, Alice managed to grab onto the webs next to her fallen rifle and sighed in relief, cutting the weapon free and cradling it against her as she tucked her foot into the web.

A harsh screech sounded below as the spider turned to face her.

"Fucking spiders," Alice swore as she chambered a fresh round. "Go die in a fire."

Alice brought the weapon to her shoulder and gently squeezed the trigger, the .357 magnum round exiting and striking one of the spider's many eyes, penetrating the soft tissue and causing the arachnid to fall back over, dead.

Slinging her rifle over her shoulder, Alice stabbed her knife into the webbing and held onto it as it cut down to the ground, hitting the warehouse floor and rolling before standing up and sheathing the blade.

Grabbing a flare out of her pouch, Alice lit it and tossed it onto the massive spider, the dry body quickly igniting and spreading along the webs.

Walking away from the flames, Alice only stopped long enough to make sure that the warehouse was completely on fire before opening the door and stepping out into the cool evening air.

"Now it looks like I've got to find Jill too," Alice sighed as she reached into her cargo pocket and pulled out her one guilty pleasure.

Lighting the cigarette, Alice inhaled the smoke for a minute, allowing the nicotine to do its job, enjoying the normal activity for a minute before tossing the stub on the ground and stamping it out.

"Back to work, I guess," Jill muttered as she unholstered her handgun and press-checked it.

---

"We're going to have to check the local Police Station for more supplies," Billy said as he and Lisa moved down the alleyways. "I'd rather not die with a Hello Kitty bag."

Lisa just turned and looked at him, glancing at the backpack for a second before looking away.

"You can have it when I get some better gear," Billy shrugged. "I'd just rather not use it."

The two of them continued walking in silence for several minutes before Lisa pulled Bill back and tucked him into a corner of the alleyway, pressing her hand over his mouth as she put a finger to her lips.

"STTTTAAAAAAAAARRRRSSSS!" The roar resounded through the air as the ground shook underneath the massive footsteps.

Lisa pushed Billy further into the corner, the darkness covering them as a woman ran past, a rifle in her hands as she turned and fired on the bipedal monster that was chasing her.

A soft"whoomp!" Exited the grenade launcher, the grenade detonating against the monster and staggering it as the woman reloaded and sprinted off again.

The monster got back to its feet, roared, and then began to chase again, the sound of its footsteps getting fainter as it moved away.

"Nice save," Billy breathed as Lisa moved back. "I never heard him coming."

Lisa just nodded, content to remain silent as they moved in the opposite direction of the monster.

"Let's hope that we don't run into those guys again," Billy laughed a bit. "Anyway, we've got to move, staying still is likely to get us killed."

Lisa just hummed in agreement as they left the alleyway, a bridge across the river before them.

"Well, I guess we'll see what's on the other side," Billy said as he looked at the bridge.

Another roar sounded in the distance, followed by what sounded like a chainsaw revving up.

"Yeah, I think we're gonna avoid all that," Billy grabbed the map out of his back pocket. "We're going this way. It seems like the best route."

Lisa just stared in the direction the monster had run and hummed thoughtfully, the subdued Nemesis parasite within her crying out for her to take and kill the enemy, to conquer it, maim it, and rip it to shreds.

While Billy was concentrating on the map, Lisa's eyes glowed red, the darkness vanishing as she looked at the footprints of Nemesis as he moved further and further away.

"Come on, Lisa!" Billy grabbed her hand, snapping her out of it. "There's a secondary precinct this way. We'll go there and then leave this hellhole of a city behind."

Lisa walked silently behind, looking in the direction of Nemesis one last time as they moved away.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 67

Jill slid underneath the signpost that Nemesis had thrown at her, the rifle in her hands barking as she came to a stop, taking a knee, she moved her hand to the grenade launcher underneath and depressed the trigger, the explosive having just enough distance to arm as it detonated against the giant, the once pristine trenchcoat now filled with holes.

Nemesis roared as he tried to swat at Jill, only for her to jump back, the magazine dropping out of her rifle as she slammed a new one in.

Glancing behind her, Jill smiled as she saw a liquor store, and continued firing as she backed up, the rifle a work of precision in her hands as the old habits from Delta kicked in.

Spinning around, she kicked the door in and looked around the liquor store, her eyes lighting up as she spotted the section filled with vodka.

Kneeling, she took her knife and cut a few sections of fabric off of her pants, the material dry enough to do what she needed it to.

Grabbing the three biggest bottles of vodka, she tore the tops off and stuffed most of the fabric down inside.

Pulling a lighter out of her pocket, she lit the first Molotov cocktail and tossed it onto Nemesis as he entered the building, the bottle scattering across his chest and spreading flames all over his body and the floor.

Grabbing the other two bottles, Jill lit them and threw them at the giant, the flames growing larger now that more alcohol was added.

Reloading the grenade launcher, Jill broke the window of the store and dove out.

Taking a knee; she shouldered the rifle and pulled the trigger, the incendiary grenade spreading more flames across the rest of the building.

"Burn in hell," Jill spat as she turned and walked away.

---

"Big tango is down," Bisenti reported. "But we lost comms in the process," he kicked the backpack radio. "This thing's not exactly designed to tank minigun rounds."

"At least we can report that the rail gun works," Browning looked at the dead techs.

"Sure, but can we move it and set it up again without them?" Cromwell gestured to the one tech still alive. "This guy's in no shape to continue.

"We're going to have to keep moving," Browning sighed. "Mark this location on our maps and grab their tags. We've got a mission to complete."

"Sat phone isn't working," Bisenti tucked the phone into his vest. "Not sure what the problem is, but we'll have to figure it out if we want evac."

"You guys see that?" Cromwell asked as a building went up in flames. "Looks like we're not the only ones in the area."

"Bisenti, Cromwell, Jones, pack it up, we're leaving," Browning ordered. "Let's see if we can get some local intel."

–
–

Jill moved down the street, caution in her every step as she smoothly traversed the barren streets.


"Identify yourself!" she ordered as she saw a group of armed figures ahead, her rifle ready to drop them if necessary.

"Major Browning, US Delta Force," one of the figures replied.

"Major?" Jill asked, a relieved grin on her face. "Last I checked, you were still a First Lieutenant."

"Well I'll be damned," Browning laughed. "If it ain't Jill Valentine."

"It's good to see some familiar faces," Jill moved up and saw two other operators that she recognized. "Cromwell, Bisenti," she nodded.

"Didn'know you ended up here," Bisenti wrapped her up into a bear hug, the massive man of Italian descent chuckling as he set her down. "You never write, you never call. It's almost like you forgot about us."

"Been a bit busy," Jill jerked her thumb over her shoulder at the liquor store burning behind her. "I would've gotten around to it eventually."

"You want to tag along with us?" Cromwell asked. "We've got a list of VIPs to get out of this city."

"Sure," she shrugged. "But I've got some members of my team scattered throughout the city. If we find them I want them to tag along."

"If you vouch for them," Browning nodded. "We can certainly swing bringing them along."

"STAAAAAAARRRRRRSSSSS!"

"Run, now!" Jill yelled, her feet carrying her ahead before the rest of the team caught up.

"What is that thing?" Jones asked, the tech barely keeping up.

"Just run!" Jill breathed out. "We need to bunker down until it passes."

"There," Cromwell pulled them into an open apartment, Bisenti slamming the door shut behind.

"Now, care to explain what exactly is happening in this city?" Browning raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Jill said as she glanced around. "Let's clear the building first though, we'll be here a while."

---

"Captain, I've got a survivor over here!" Carlos called out. "She looks armed."

"Take it slow, we want to help her get out of here, yes?"

"I've got a flare and some chemlights," James Durante, the CQB specialist said as he pulled them out of his pack.

"Use them to signal that we're nearby," Carlos ordered. "That should help her out some."

"And someone track down Nikolai, they've been missing for over an hour now," Captain Mikhail pointed at two more members. "You two, go check it out."

"Yes sir," the two moved out of the room and headed for Nikolai's last known location.

"Chemlights are out," James reported.

"She sees them," Carlos said as the woman turned and spotted the window they were peering out of.

The woman started jogging, reaching the ground floor of the building and entering with a handgun drawn, a few gunshots rang out as she did so.

"Let's go greet our guest," Mikhail said as he hefted his trusty Kalashnikov. "I believe she will have an interesting story to tell."

---

"Alright, we're loading the last of us onto the buses now," Chief Douglass told Ada. "You sure you want to stay behind?"

"I need the eyewitnesses alive if I'm to put together a solid case," the woman replied. "It'll be easier to do that if I'm with them."

"We're leaving behind what we can't fit onto the buses, so take whatever you need to stay alive," the man sighed in exhaustion as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Godspeed Miss Wong, we'll see you outside of the city."

"Thank you for your assistance," Ada nodded as she slapped the charging handle of the MP5K that she had grabbed. "I'll do my best to try and bring out what evidence I can."

Chief Douglass simply patted her on the back before heading for the bus, it was time for them to leave this hellhole of a city behind.

"And now, I can finally start working," Ada muttered after Douglass was out of earshot.

---

"Hey Chris!" Claire smiled as she held the phone to her ear. "I'm surprised you called, I was about to hop on my bike and go visit you. I figured we could hang out before my classes started up again."

"I'm actually not in the States right now," Chris replied. "I'm in the UK on a work related trip."

"Damn," Clair chuckled. "You should have said something. I would have loved to go with you to Europe."

"You know how it is," Chris laughed. "I got busy…"

"And you completely forgot to even check in with me before you left," Claire finished. "And who's that woman in the background? Is Jill with you?"

"No, Jill's still in Raccoon City, I'm with a new coworker, she's helping me out with some of the tester negotiations right now."

"Well, next time you see Jill tell her that we need to hang out again," Claire shrugged, the phone rising with her shoulder. "Now, I'm gonna go for a ride on my bike. And remember I'm still waiting on a niece or nephew to spoil rotten."

Claire hung up the phone before Chris could respond, a devilish smirk on her face as she grabbed her jacket and helmet.

"Alright," she pulled a quarter out of her pocket. "Heads, we visit Jill. Tails we go see how close to Vegas I can get on one tank of gas."

The quarter flipped through the sky and landed right where she could clearly see it.

"Well, it's settled then," she slung her jacket onto her shoulders and set her helmet on top of her head. "Let's go for a ride."

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 68

"A water reclamation facility?" Ada scoffed as she looked around. "Really, you couldn't base a secret lab out of anything else."

Wrinkling her nose at the smell, she peered around the corner before moving to get a better picture of the entrance to the lab.

"Someone was busy," She knelt and inspected some shell casings. "I wonder who made their way down here."

Standing up and shouldering her SMG, Ada moved further into the entrance of the lab.

"Damn," She looked down at the corpse of the Licker that nearly blocked the way further into the lab. "How am I supposed to get samples when the place is this much of a mess?"

Following the blood trail, Ada found where it led to, a group of bodies that had been set aflame, The glow lighting up the hallway and revealing the direction to head in next.

"Great, an elevator that probably leads further into this madhouse," Ada sighed as she pulled a small kit out of her jacket and used a tool to pry off the electric panel to the elevator's controls.

"Now, I just need to tie into this control here and then I'm set.," She pulled a wire out of the panels and connected it to her PDA, her thumbs flying across as she triggered a prompt to send the Elevator back up to the level she was on.

"And we're in business," Ada grinned as she put everything back into place. "

---

"The hell?" I asked as the elevator stopped moving. "Please don't leave me stuck in here."

I looked around, spotting the emergency escape on the elevator, and just as I went to reach for it the lift started moving again. Only this time it was moving in the opposite direction of where I had been headed.

Shouldering my P90, I got into one of the corners by the door and waited. If someone or something wanted to try and take me out, they were going to have to work for it.

Eventually, the elevator stopped, and the doors slid open before the barrel of an SMG poked through, grabbing the weapon, I shoved it to the side as I pushed forward, shoving the other person back and throwing the SMG to the ground.

"Well, this is a surprise," A smooth female voice said as I aimed at the center mass of the figure. "I thought you were dead."

"Ada Wong," I gave a small glare as I felt the barrel of a gun just underneath my vest. "What are you doing here?"

"Apparently following a dead man," she smirked. "You sure you're not infected? You don't look like you're doing so well."

"It's been a hellish couple of days," I shrug as I move my finger off of my trigger. "Now, I don't know what you're doing here, or who you work for, but I'm willing to work with you so long as you don't stab me in the back."

"That seems fair," Ada glances at the flames. "I take it most of this is your handiwork?"

"Neg," I shook my head. "The Licker and flames are mine, but the security here did a pretty good job at locking themselves down."

"Licker?" Ada asked.

"The big one that's near the destroyed door," I replied as I lowered my weapon. "Now, I don't want to be stuck in one of Umbrella's labs for too long."

I kick Ada's SMG back over to her. "Let's move."

---

"Well, that was hardly subtle," Alice snarked as she entered the hotel room where the remnants of Delta Platoon were holed up.

"It worked though," Carlos shrugged. "We're here to help get survivors out of the city."

"Then you're late," Alice said as she began reloading her lever action. "The RPD has already evacuated anyone who was able to leave. Anyone else is pretty much on their own."

"Surely there are some people who need to leave this city," Captain Mikhail said as he stepped forward.

"Yeah, there are people who need to leave the city," Alice chambered a fresh round, catching the spent casing from her rifle. "Us."

---

"That's a helluva story," Browning said as he peered out the window. "I believe you, but you know the brass is going to want more proof."

"The rest of STARS is under guard waiting to testify," Jill shrugged. "But if we can find more evidence before leaving this hellhole then I'm all for it."

"You have any idea where your friends are?" Bisenti asked.

"I know the general area where Alice was before we got separated," Jill replied. "But beyond that, I'm at a loss."

"We'll start heading over there then," Cromwell said as he dug through his pack, eventually pulling out a jacket. "Here, you might want this. I'd hate for you to get infected because you don't have anything covering your arms."

"Thanks," Jill took off her vest before throwing the jacket on and rolling up the jacket sleeves, and tucking the rest of it into her pants. "We ready to get moving?"

"You good, Jones?" Bisenti asked the tech. "You look like you're about to be sick."

"I haven't had to run like that since the last physical fitness test," The man groaned. "I've got to start working out more."

"Well, if you're going to throw up, do it in the bathroom," Browning moved to the door. "I'm going to get on the roof to use the Satphone and inform Command of what's going on."

Opening the door to the fire escape, Browning climbed the stairs until he reached the roof.

Pulling out a small laminated card, he punched in the numbers and waited.

"Major Browning, please tell me you have good news."

"Afraid not, General Statwell," Browning replied. "Most of the city has already been evacuated or is dead. And the scientists we were supposed to extract are most likely dead as well. I've got some survivors with me that might be able to assist in extracting some of the research though."

"If that's what it takes, Major, then make sure it gets done. You have thirty-six hours before we bomb the hell out of Raccoon City, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near it when we start dropping bombs."

"Understood sir," Browning replied. "I'll try to get it done."

Browning sighed as he moved back inside, knuckling his head before looking at Jill and the others.

"Well, we're going to go after your friends, Jill," Browning started with the good news. "But we've only got 36 hours to do it in. Because the Air Force is going to bomb the city to get rid of the infected."

"We should get to it then," Jill stood up, her rifle in hand. "We ain't got time to waste."

---

Leon Scott Kennedy woke up with a throbbing headache, his small flask still in his hands as he fumbled with the sheets.

"Oh god," he recoiled at the smell coming from his own body.

Standing up and stumbling out of his clothes and into the shower, Leon let the hot water wash away some of the hangover, the throbbing easing to a dull ache.

Grabbing one of the small sample bottles of soap that hotels provide, Leon robotically went through the process of cleaning himself up, washing away the scent of vomit and sweat before stepping out of the shower and toweling himself off.

Drying his hair as he walked into the main room, Leon froze when he saw what time the alarm clock read.

"Fuck, I'm late!" he rushed to his bag, throwing his uniform on at a rapid pace before checking on his weapon, making sure the handgun was loaded and a round chambered. Slamming open the door, he nearly bowled over a maid before hurriedly apologizing and moving down the stairs.

"I already paid for the night!" Leon called out as he tossed the room key to the receptionist.

Climbing in his Jeep, Leon shifted into reverse, his tires squealing as he then quickly shifted into drive, black streaks left behind him in the parking lot as he moved onto the main highway towards Raccoon City.

"This is just going to make a great first impression," Leon muttered to himself. "Late on my first day."

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 69

Leon flew down the road that led down the mountain and into Raccoon City, his tires squealing as he went from dirt to concrete.

"I need to turn left here," He glanced down at the map before cranking his wheel to the left, sliding for a minute before straightening the vehicle out. "Then I take a quick right and it's a straight shot to the HQ."

Looking up, Leon slammed on the brakes, his right hand pulling the hand brake as he swerved to avoid the giant that stood in his path.

With a sickening crunch, the Jeep crumpled around the creature and everything went black as the airbags deployed.

---

"You do have an evac chopper on standby, right?" Alice asked.

"We'll have to get to the right area and call it in," Carlos shrugged. "But yeah, we've got one."

"Then we need to get to it and get out of here before we end up like the rest of the people that were in the city."

"Fine," Captain Mikhail sighed. "Where is Nikolai and the others? They should have returned by now."

A strange silence filled the air, a small scratching sound the only thing that still lingered.

"Oh hell no," Alice tucked her rifle into her chest. "It's more of those damned spiders. We need to leave, now."

"Spiders?" James Durante asked. "Do I want to know?"

"No," Alice shook her head. "You really don't."

"We must move up," Mikhail moved to the doorway, his trusty Kalashnikov in his hands. "That is where Nikolai and the others are, and I will not leave the rest of our people behind."

"Then up we go," Alice moved up behind the Russian. "Let's just hope that there aren't a lot of spiders up there."

"Ready?" James asked as he moved on the other side of the doorway.

"Wait," Carlos formed a fist. "We don't know who's on point."

James and Carlos pumped their fists one, two, three times before changing to their chosen device.

"Looks like I've got point," James readied his shotgun. "Alice, crack the door."

"Flashbang, out!" Carlos threw the device through the cracked door before closing it, a loud bang sounding in the other room.

"First!" James shoved the door open and pivoted left, his shotgun spraying death down the corridor, the blinded spiders not standing a chance against the weapon.

"The way to the stairs is clear," Mikhail began moving. "We must go."

The group followed the Russian as he entered the stairwell and began moving up the next flight of stairs.

"We must check every floor until we reach the top," He said as he opened the next doorway and moved through it. "We do not know where Nikolai and his group stopped. And radio contact has been intermittent since we arrived in the city."

"Let's hope that they're on one of these floors then," James moved through the doorway, "I'd hate to die because I skipped leg day yesterday."

---

"Last stop, weapons of mass destruction, bioweapons, and the end of the world," The elevator doors opened and I limped through.

"Why so cautious?" Ada asked as she stepped through the doors, her SMG on its sling.

"The last time I was in a lab like this, we had to use grenades to finish off the experiments inside. I'm not taking any chances," I shined my light into the shadows for a minute before switching it off.

"I'm taking point," Ada stepped in front of me. "You're moving a little too slow for me."

"I'll be sure to make an appearance at your funeral," I lowered the barrel of my P-90.

We moved through the lab, looking for active computers, someone to be alive, or anything that might be important.

"Think they're all dead?" Ada asked as we stepped over the body of a scientist.

"There was only one person left alive in the last lab I was in," I nudged the body before shooting the head just in case. "Always make sure they're dead."

"Sure thing, dad," Ada rolled her eyes.

We moved through until we came to a split hallway, and were faced with a choice.

"Which way do we go first?" I asked.

"Flip for it?" Ada drew a quarter out of her vest.

"It's as good an idea as any," I shrugged.

"Heads, we go left, Tails we go right," Ada tossed the coin up as a roar filled the hallway.

"We go left!" I shoved her to the side as a monster screeched. "Run!"

---

"Come on," A muffled voice woke Leon up as a trio of figures surrounded him. "You need to get up."

"HUNK," I think he's awake," Alpha 5 reported.

"Good, maybe now we can move on. We have wasted enough time here."

Leon shook his head and opened his eyes, the blurry figures finally revealing themselves to be armored operators. "What hit me?" he asked as he reached for his handgun.

"We're not sure," Alpha 6 shrugged. "We pulled you from your Jeep, but we only found a few blood splatters."

"There was some sort of giant," Leon stood up.

"We have attracted too much attention," HUNK shoved Leon's pistol back in his hands and pushed him to the side. "We must get to the LZ."

"I don't even know who you are," Leon said as he stood still for a minute.

"That's HUNK," Alpha Five pointed. "I'm Alpha Five, and that's Alpha Six, and we're your only chance of getting out of here alive for now."

"Okay?" Leon followed them as they moved into an alleyway and watched as a group of what looked like zombies swarmed his Jeep. "What the hell are those things?"

"Zombies," Alpha Five whispered. "They've overrun Raccoon City and we're some of the only survivors. We've got evac set up in front of the Police HQ, but we've got to get there first."

"That might be a bit difficult at the moment," Alpha Six muttered. "We've got a Tyrant walking around the outside of the Precinct."

"We're going to have to find a way to take it out," HUNK stated. "Our mission must be completed."

"There might be something inside of the Station that we can use," Leon said. "It's worth a shot at least."

"Agreed," HUNK glanced at Leon's uniform. "You are a member of the department, so you can take point."

"Just a fantastic first day, Leon," the man swore. "Shouldn't have gotten out of bed."

"You got that right,' Alpha Five chuckled.

"A nap does sound really good," Alpha Six agreed. "But we can sleep when we make it out of here."

"One thing at a time," Alpha Five checked the magazine in his SMG. "Tyrant first, then a nap."

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 70

"The door on the right!" I shoved Ada through before sealing it behind us, the creature sliding across the floor as it tried to shift momentum. "You got anything better than that?" I glanced at Ada's MP5.

"No," she shook her head. "What was that thing?"

"I have no idea," I shrugged as I unclipped the P90 from my vest and passed it over to the woman. "But whatever it is, it's going to be hard to put down."

"Watch the door," I unslung my backpack and withdrew the handgun I had found earlier from it. "You might want to use this with that."

"Why do I need another handgun?" Ada accepted the magazines while staring intently at the handgun.

"Because this is an FN Five-Seven," I checked the chamber on the handgun. "It shoots the same round the P90 does. It'll penetrate better than your Beretta and might actually do something against that sort of monster."

"I'll take it," She holstered the handgun, tucking the magazines into some pouches on her vest. "What're you going to use instead though?"

"I've got a few green tips left," I checked the magazine in my M4. "I'll hold the door, you see if there's another way out."

Ada nodded and moved out of my line of sight as I knelt behind an overturned desk and aimed my rifle at the doorway.

"There's a few air vents," Ada chuckled. "But I don't think we're going to be pulling off Die Hard anytime soon."

"Figures," I laughed. "Air vents probably wouldn't be able to hold my weight anyway."

"So we get to shoot our way out?" Ada gestured toward the doorway.

"Yeah," I shrugged. "Figured we'd mix things up a little."

---

"So, I take it we're not going that way?" Leon pointed at the giant that was standing in the middle of the highway.

"No, we need to go around, we do not possess the required weaponry to eliminate that threat and evacuate," HUNK pulls out a map. "We will have to go around."

"Let's hope that the alleyways aren't blocked off," Alpha Five flipped his flashlight on and peered down a side street.

"Take the first alley on the right," HUNK commanded. "We must get these samples out of the city or our mission will be incomplete."

"On you, Lead," Alpha Six nodded at HUNK.

"Once we reach the police station we'll try and find you something better than that," Alpha Five looked at Leon's handgun. "You'll need it if we're going to take out that Tyrant before calling for evac."

The squad entered the darkness of the alleyway and vanished into the night.

---

"We're going to have to take that thing down before we can move on," Cromwell looked out the window. "I don't know how it's tracking you, Jill. But we've got to either kill it or lose it for good."

"The Railgun should do the trick," the tech offered. "It should still be there after we killed the first giant."

"We may have to do that if what we have here doesn't work," Browning frowned. "Valentine, I will need to use you as bait to draw it out. We'll plant some grenades and C4, try and get it in an explosion."

"I'm in," Jill nodded. "Just tell me when I need to go play rabbit."

"I assume you're trained in explosive ordnance?" Browning looked at the tech.

"Yessir," the Tech shrugged his backpack off and showed off the extra explosives within. "Just give me the word and I'll rig whatever you need."

"I have a feeling that this thing will just shrug off the concussive force of regular explosives," Cromwell scratched his elbow. "We need something to be moving fast enough to penetrate this thing's skin as well."

"We don't have time to make a shaped charge," the tech sighed. "But we can improvise something if I can get some copper pipes together."

"There's a hardware store down the street," Jill gestured. "I can distract this thing while you guys get everything ready."

"Go for it," Browning readied his weapon. "We'll cover you and bail you out if it's needed."

"Jill," Cromwell grabbed her and pulled her in for a tight hug. "You aren't allowed to die out there, you hear me?"

"I hear you, sarge," Jill squeezed back. "I'm not gonna make any promises though."

Jill nodded at Major Browning and moved out of the room, attracting the attention of Nemesis.

"STAAAAAAARRRRSSS!" the monster growled, its figure bulging as its coat struggled to contain the mutations that the parasite was causing.

"Man, you got even uglier since we last met!" Jill ducked underneath a thrown zombie and fired a 40mm grenade at the creature, making what was left of the coat vanish in the resulting explosion. "But it looks like I'm the one who got chosen to be your partner," she stood up from her cover with her rifle braced. "So let's dance."

Author's Note: Sorry for the late chapter. I ended up spending a couple of hours yesterday fixing my Sister-In-Law's car and was too exhausted to write.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 71

"I want this contained, ladies and gentlemen," The President looked at his staff. "Move up the bombing of Raccoon City, if the data that we have is correct, we cannot afford to let this spread."

"We've still got some special forces in the city, Mr. President," General Mayweather replied. "Radio contact has been sparse, but they are still alive as of last communications."

"If they make it out, then they make it out," the President sighed. "I can't sacrifice the rest of the state or the nation for a few men, no matter how good the men are. I want Raccoon City erased from the maps in three hours."

"Understood, Mr. President," Mayweather saluted and left the room.

"Penny," The president looked at his secretary. "I need you to get Spencer on the phone for me."

"Understood, sir," the woman vanished into her office.

Shortly after, the phone on the President's voice rang. Once, Twice, on the third ring, the President picked up the phone.

"Spencer, you better have a really good fucking way to clean up this mess politically," The President threatened. "Or when I get canned for this, I'm bringing you and your entire company with me."

"With what evidence?" Lord Oswell E. Spencer asked. "You have nothing that can be traced to me."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," The President glanced at a photograph that had been taken a day before. "I think that you'll find that should I hang, you're coming with me."

The President placed the phone down with a sharp "click" before turning and straightening his suit and tie. "Penny, we've got a lot of work to do."

---

The Satphone that was at Browning's side began ringing, the noise muffled by the pouch that it rested in.

"Go take care of that monster," Browning ordered his team as they approached the Railgun. "Kinda busy at the moment."

"Well, son, if you're not careful, you're about to have a lot of fiery issues. This is General Mayweather, the timetable for the bombing of Raccoon City has been moved up, you have three hours to get out of the city and the surrounding towns. I've done all I can to give you more time. Good luck, and Godspeed soldier."

Major Browning lost his grip on the phone as he heard a noise. Then he turned and began firing on a small group of Lickers, the first two dropping to accurate fire before the rest swarmed him, a grenade falling from the operator's hand as he relaxed his grip for the last time.

In the street, Jill Valentine was wearing down Nemesis, the mutated Tyrant's regeneration unable to keep up with the damage that was being put out.

At the same time, the rest of the Delta Operators were killing other BOWs as they tried to reach the railgun.

The small squad moved as one, filled with purpose and fire as they set up the railgun and loaded one of the few remaining shots.

"Valentine, get clear!" Sergeant Cromwell yelled as Bisenti took careful aim, a perfect shot splitting the atmosphere as the supersonic projectile tore Nemesis in two.

A small explosion shredded the rest of the Lickers as Cromwell killed anything that stood between him and the Major's corpse.

"I'm sorry, Major," Cromwell sighed as he knelt and tore the dog tags loose from his friend.

The nearby Sat Phone crackled, the static attracting the Sergeant.

"This is Sergeant Cromwell."

"What happened to the Major?"

"Major Browning is dead, sir," Cromwell swallowed. "Was there some intel that he was supposed to share?"

"Raccoon City is going to be destroyed in a few hours, Sergeant. I recommend you get what's left of your people out of there."

"Wilco, Cromwell, out."

---

"You got any grenades?" I asked Ada as the door slowly crumpled inward.

"Unfortunately, I didn't think to bring anything like that," Ada shrugged. "I tend to travel light, keep things mobile."

"Works great until you run into something like this," I snarked as I looked over the few grenades I had left. "I've got one frag, one flashbang, and half a mag of AP," I pulled the mag from my rifle and nodded. "After that, I'll have to shift to my sidearms."

"Well, that thing's about through the door," Ada tucked herself behind a metal desk, the barrel of her PDW pointed at the doorway. "Let's hope we can stop this thing."

"I'll bang it first, and then drop a frag on it," I set the grenades up and grabbed the flashbang, pulling the pin and holding the spoon down.

With a crash, the door flew open and the monster walked into the room, its one eye flicking to and fro trying to identify us.

"Flashbang out!" I released the spoon on the device and ducked down behind the desk as I threw it right at the massive eye.

The flash and noise caused the creature to roar and cover its eye, giving me enough time to toss the frag at its feet before ducking behind the cover again.

Shrapnel pinged off of my cover as I stood up and looked at the monster, it's one giant eye leaking some sort of fluid where the shrapnel had pierced it.

"Ada, we need to go, I don't think this thing is dead yet." I pointed my rifle at it while Ada left just behind me.

"We need to go," Ada looked at the corridors at the new zombies that were present. "I don't think I'm going to get what I came here for."

"Way we came in is blocked off," I pointed at where a couple of steel beams had collapsed and blocked off the hallway. "We're going to need to find an alternate exit."

"You got any more explosives?" Ada asked. "Because we might have to make our exit."

"I'm nearly dry," I shrugged. "But Umbrella facilities have armories for their mercs. So there might be something of use in one of these rooms."

"I guess we get to have fun exploring in a zombie-infested lab," Ada killed a trio of zombies with a few shots, clearing out some space for us to move.

"If this is your idea of fun," I let my rifle drop so I could use my handgun. "Then remind me to never try and go on a date with you."

"Why? Can't stand the adventure?" Ada stuck her tongue out.

"Woman, there is such a thing as too much adventure. My idea of a perfect date right now is a steakhouse, a beer, and a nice cold pillow."

"I'll drink to that," Ada smirked. "We make it out of here then I'll owe you a drink. Sound fair?"

"If we make it out of here, I fully expect to never see you again," I advanced, my slide rocking back as I ejected the empty magazine and placed it in my dump pouch for later, the new magazine slamming in as I chambered a new round and continued firing.

"Guess we'll just have to make it out of here first then," Ada grabbed the shoulder strap of my tac vest as she walked backward, her right hand holding the P-90 while her left kept her out of my line of fire.

"Just focus on the enemy," I sighed. "I don't get paid enough for this shit."

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 72


"Anyone want to tell me what happened here?" Leon asked as they made their way into the darkened halls of the police station. "I was supposed to start my first shift today."

"Helluva first day," Alpha Five chuckled. "We don't have time for the long version, so I'll give it to you short and sweet. There's been a viral outbreak and the virus is deadly and has a high mutation rate. Which leads to many people exhibiting zombie behavior, and reanimation of dead tissue. I'd tell you more, but I think that I'm close to breaching my NDA as is."

HUNK grunted and moved his hand away from his sidearm after Alpha Five had stopped speaking.

"You dodged a literal bullet there," Alpha Six turned to cover the rear of the group. "The Grim Reaper was about to kill you."

"I'm well aware," Alpha Five replied. "Hey Rookie, you got a key for the gates?"

"No," Leon shook his head. "I was supposed to get that sort of thing sorted out today."

"Then you're just shy of useless," HUNK sighed. "I hope that you are proficient with that sidearm. Should you slow us down then I will end you myself."

"I'll keep up," Leon gulped as he gripped his handgun a little tighter.

"Alpha Five, I need charges set on this wall," HUNK turned to provide cover. "We do not have an entrance, so we shall have to make our own."

"Copy that," the soldier unslung a small pack and brought out a set of breaching charges. "Setting up now, cover me."

The breaching charges were set against the brick wall, the detonator attached to a series of wires.

"When I blow this we're going to attract a lot of attention," Alpha Five said as he moved into cover, the detonator in his hand. "We'll have to move quickly if we don't want to get hit by the crowd that it draws in."

"We are ready," HUNK shifted his weight.

With a nod, the man clicked the detonator, the small shaped charges blowing a section of the wall inwards, and the blast deflected away.

"Move!" Alpha Six grabbed Leon and pushed him in front of him. "We need to get in there, now!"

The Squad sprinted for the entrance, HUNK reaching the doors first and pulling them open for the rest of the squad before turning and closing it behind them.

"Any idea where the armory might be?" Alpha Five gasped out.

"I think it's on the ground floor," Leon shrugged. "I did look at the layout of the main precinct before I started."

"Then lead the way."

---

"I know that you have people here, but we need to leave," Cromwell told Jill. "The Powers that Be are getting ready to wipe Raccoon City off the map, and if we don't get out of here then we'll be next on the list."

"You can leave," Jill looked into her old friend's eyes. "But I'm going to go find my people and get them out. You guys handled the bigger threat anyway-"

A Flare rose in the distance from the roof of a distant hotel.

"Looks like someone is evacuating," Bisenti raised a small rangefinder to his eye. "Can't make out the details, but it looks like an old Ruskie bird."

"Umbrella," Jill spat. "I'm half-tempted to shoot them down."

"Well, I'll knock you out if you try it," Cromwell glared. "I'm not stopping anyone from leaving this hellhole. Now, you can leave with us, or you can stay here, but you need o make a decision now.

"I'm staying," Jill replied, checking her rifle's magazine. "You and yours can get out of here."

"Jill," Bisenti looked at the woman. "I expect to get a phone call from you when you get out of here and are settled down."

"You got it," Jill nodded. "See ya around, Sarge."

"Valentine," Cromwell sighed. "Take this," he tossed the Sat phone to her. "I have a feeling that you'll need it more than I will."

With a final nod, Jill turned and started heading deeper into the city. Her work wasn't finished yet.

---

"That is a lot of zombies," Alice peered over the roof of the hotel.

"Captain, I think I found our men!" James Durante called the officer over.

There, on a small section of the roof was a pile of bodies, the rest of the members of Delta Platoon.

"Whatever did this had some nasty claws," Alice said as she knelt and looked at the bodies. "Look, this guy's weapon has been torn in half by something."

"Where is Nikolai?" Mikhail looked through the bodies. "He may have survived."

"Might want to focus on us surviving first," James backed up into Carlos. "Because I don't think I've ever seen a Scorpion that big before."

With a loud screech, the arachnid moved, its claw swinging backward and into Mikhail, throwing him off of the roof as the stinger slashed down and carved a hole in the concrete.

James' shotgun barked, the buckshot scattering off of the armored carapace as Carlos ran over to where Mikhail had been thrown.

"James, buckshots' going to do fuck all to this thing, I hope you've got some slugs," Alice shouldered her rifle and squeezed the trigger, the .357 magnum round driving the scorpion back a bit as the carapace bent inward.

"I've got better than that!" James ducked into cover. "Keep it busy for a minute, I think I've got the solution to this problem."

"I'll try," Alice ducked underneath a claw before diving backward. "Hurry!" the tail went between her legs as she darted away.

"Captain, I've got you," Carlos pulled the aged Russian up from his small handhold. "You good, man?"

"Yes, better now that I can fight," Mikhail pulled his trusty Kalashnikov into his shoulder. "Come, comrade, there are monsters to kill."

–
–
"I thought that it would be more effective," Nikolai muttered to himself as he trained the camera on the fight happening. "It seems that once these creatures lose the element of surprise they are not as lethal."

A small noise came from behind him and the Russian turned, his suppressed weapon in hand as he dropped another zombie.

"Now, let us see if I can acquire more footage from the other observers," Nikolai trained his scope on another area before pulling out a small map with drop points circled on it.

Nodding to himself, he picked up the rifle and tied a rope to the point he had marked earlier before rappelling down the side of the building. There was much work to be done if he wanted the big payday.

---

"Do you know why we were all brought here so early in the morning?" Enrico asked J.D. as they both enjoyed a cup of coffee.

"Best guess is that Umbrella screwed up and now they need us in a more secure location," the marksman shrugged. "A couple of friends of mine are on the detail, so I'll try and see what info they can give me."

"Just keep an eye out," Enrico looked at the rest of the group. "I have a feeling that we're going to be under some extreme scrutiny soon."

"Agreed," J.D. nodded. "I'll get Kaplan to see what he can find while I work the angles I've got."

"Make sure that insurance plan is set up," Enrico reminded. "If we go down, I want the world to know what happened."

"Umbrella's not surviving what we've got prepped," J.D. smirked. "Kaplan and I made sure of that."

"Good," Enrico sat down. "I guess all that's left is to wait and see what happens next."

"That, and to pray that the others make it through whatever it is that they're going through," Kaplan said as he walked into the room. "God only knows what Chris and Rain are doing over in Europe."

"I think I've got a fairly good idea," J.D. hid his smirk behind his mug before changing the subject. "Anybody heard from the crew in Raccoon City?"

"No," Enrico shook his head. "And that's what worries me."

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 73

“I thought that thing was dead!” Ada ducked underneath a claw as she held down the trigger on the P90.

“Guess not,” I reloaded my 10mm. “And I’m not sure we’ve got the kind of firepower it will take to kill this thing.”

“It’s a lab! Ada replied. “They’ve got to have gas valves somewhere!”

“You wanna blow a gas line in an enclosed underground space, are you outta your mind?!”

“Do we have another option?” Ada reloaded before diving away from another attack.

“Not really,” I shoved a zombie into the path of the raging monster. “I just like all of my limbs intact.”

“Run distraction,” Ada calls out, leaving me behind as she runs into a lab.

“Might as well,” I sighed as my handgun ripped chunks of flesh off of the enemy. “Not like I’ve got any better ideas.”

Moving closer, I holster my handgun for a moment before switching to my rifle.

“Hope this does something,” I fire off three, five-round bursts, the last of my green-tipped ammo punching through the creature and into the wall behind it.

Dumping my mag, I swapped to my ball ammo and continued firing, the end of my barrel smoking as I held down the trigger.

“Bring it into the lab!” Ada screams as she ducks into the main hallway.

I grunted and started sprinting for the lab, the smell of the additive they add to propane filling my nose as the creature lost its footing and slipped further into the lab.

Reaching into my pocket, I grabbed a flare and lit it before throwing it into the other room, sucking behind the same metal table that Ada was hiding behind as the explosion deafened us.

As the heat vanished, I peeked over the desk and saw that the flames were only visible where there were no lights, the gas continuing to feed the flames.

“You good?” I caught Ada’s eye and pulled my earpro out.

“Yeah,” She pulled some small earplugs of her own out. “This ain’t my first time.”

“We should probably get to the elevator,” I shrugged. “I don’t think we’ll be getting any useful data from those computers.”

“Says you,” Ada smirked, pulling two hardened CD cases out of her satchel. “I even thought to share.”

“Thanks,” I tucked the CD into my pack. “Now, can we please leave?”

“Yeah,” she looked at the smoldering corpse of the giant-eyed monster. “I kinda want that drink now.”

“You and me both,” I swiped the keycard and smiled as the doors opened. “Think there’s a way out if we go down?”

“Looking at this place, I wouldn’t doubt it,” Ada got in and hit the button.

“Let’s just hope that they planned their escape routes better than their lab security measures.”

---

James grabbed the explosive charge out of his pack before jumping onto the back of the Scorpion, sticking it to the base of the stinger before sliding off.

“Get clear!” He yelled as he slid behind an air conditioner vent; depressing the detonator as he did so.

After the explosion, there was a shower of green as the remnants of the giant arachnid rained down on the roof.

“Fuck,” Alice swore, wiping much from her face. “This shit is disgusting.”

“Good work, comrades,” Captain Mikhail said as he stepped forward with his Kalashnikov in one hand and a flare gun in the other. “Let us get out of here, yes?”

“Yeah,” Alice agreed. “It’s been one hell of a week. And I’m ready to leave.”

“I just hope Nikolai and the others died quickly,” Carlos said as he kicked what was left of the scorpion. “It’d suck if they could feel what this thing was doing to them.”

“Not our problem anymore,” James sat down and pulled out a cigarette before lighting it. “Anyone else want one?”

“Yeah,” Alice sat down and accepted one and a lighter. “I’ll take one.”

Captain Mikhail simply pulled out a cigar and lit it with a match, taking a puff before sighing.

“This is not a good day,” he shook his head as he looked into the dark sky. “No, not a good day at all.”

“You said it, boss,” Carlos leaned against a wall as the sound of helicopter blades echoed in the distance. “You said it.”

---

Jill ran through the alleyways, headed for the nearest location that would have a powerful enough radio for her to get into contact with Alice or Mark.

“Come on,” She muttered as she reached a locked gate. “Guess I’ll have to pick it.”

Pulling out her tools, she grabbed a couple of tools and quickly forced the padlock open,

“Should be a relatively straight shot to the station from here,” She opened the gate and continued moving, shoving her lockpicking set back into a pouch on her vest.

Grabbing a small pipe, she vaulted over the last obstacle to the Station, clearing the wall and rolling before coming up on the rear entrance.

“And now we see if any of my friends are still alive,” She opened the door using her STARS keycard before hearing a small burst of automatic fire from within the station.

–
–

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” Alpha Six muttered as he loaded an M-79 grenade launcher with an HE round. “But it seems that the Tyrant has noticed us.”

“Not us,” HUNK shook his head. “We have not made any noise. But there might be some survivors in the station that have attracted attention to us.”

“Then I guess we get to kill Goliath,” Alpha Five grinned. “And we’ve got some pretty big stones to sling at him this time around, he hefted an RPG-7 he had found in the evidence locker.

“Do I get to use any of the big guns?” Leon asked as he held the Army Surplus M-16 to his chest.

“No,” HUNK shook his head. “You are accurate with your handgun, but you need work before you are proficient at a level that I deem acceptable.”

“Now, let’s go kill us a Tyrant and get the hell out of here,” Alpha Six said as he slung a bandolier of grenades across his chest. “Not like we got any other options right now, anyway.”

“We will use the roof to shoot down on the BOW,” HUNK ordered. “We must eliminate it before it reaches close quarters or we will find it hard to complete our objectives.”

“Whatever you say, Reaper,” Five shook his head. “You’re the one with the best odds of survival out here after all.”

Then HUNK turned and pointed his newly acquired shotgun at the door, just as a feminine form walked in.

“So, can anyone join this party, or is it invite only?”

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 74

"Identify yourself!" HUNK barked.

"Jill Valentine, STARS," Jill replied, her rifle pointed at the USS operative. "And you're in my armory, so unless you feel like explaining what it is you're doing, I think we should let it be and deal with the real threat outside."

HUNK remained motionless as he considered her words. "I am willing to cooperate on those grounds," he lowered his shotgun. "I assume that you will need evacuation from the city as well?"

"I was hoping to get into contact with some friends of mine first," Jill shrugged. "I'm going to use the tower here to see if I can get a signal out and then we can leave. The Feds are about to firebomb Raccoon City into the bedrock in," Jill checked her watch. "Four hours or so."

"If you can get us access to the radio controls, we'd appreciate it," Alpha Five sighed. "We're pretty much out of breaching kit, and it doesn't seem like there's any left here."

"Need to call for your evac?" Jill raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, our radios got fucked up earlier," Six gestured to a broken piece of plastic. "It's been a pretty bad few days."

"Now that, I understand," Jill agreed. "Pass me some of those forties and grab your kit, we need to move."

"Here," Leon handed Jill some 40mm grenades. "I'm Leon Kennedy."

"Jill," she nodded.

"Yeah, helluva first couple of days, isn't it?" Leon asked.

Jill then spotted the scuffed and dirty RPD logo on his jacket. "Seems you picked the worst possible time to join up, rook."

"Tell me about it," Leon agreed. "I should have stayed in my hotel."

"Well, you're alive," Jill reloaded the grenade launcher. "That's more than a lot of people can say."

The room fell silent as Jill traded out some of her magazines for fresh ones and then took point.

"Dispatch is this way," Jill pointed towards the back of the station. "Let's hope that they didn't clear out everything when they left."

---

"You're hissing," Carlos gestured toward Alice's hip. "You wanna get that?"

"Oh," Alice shook her head, trying to clear the fog from her brain. "Go for Alice," she spoke into the radio.

"Thank God you're alive," Jill's voice broke through the static. "Where are you? You need to get out of the city, now! Raccoon's going to be wiped off the map in a few hours."

"I've got an exit," Alice reassured Jill. "Met some of the UBCS people like Rain and the others. We've got a chopper coming in for exit."

"That's great! Have you been able to get in contact with Mark at all?"

"Negative, he's still off-grid," Alice shrugged.

"That's what I figured," Jill sighed. "We'll meet up once we're out of the city. Remember the location we agreed on?"

"Yeah," Alice replied. "I'll be there."

"See you there, Jill, out," the radio fell silent as the chopper began to descend for a landing.

"Captain, where's the rest of your platoon?" the pilot asked once the headsets had been secured.

"Dead," Captain Mikhail replied. "As we will be if we do not leave."

"This is everyone?" the copilot asked.

"Yes," Carlos nodded. "We're good to go."

The chopper slowly lifted off of the platform and began moving through the city.

"You don't realize what a fuckin mess it is down there when you're in it," James said as he looked down. "So many people, just turned into monsters and freaks."

"There's only so many people you can evacuate in these scenarios," Alice lit another cigarette and exhaled some smoke. "We did what we could, but it's never enough. At the end of the day, this'll end up being just another statistic. Something that people will forget about in a few years."

"I hope not," Carlos made the sign of the cross, pulling out a small rosary from under his uniform."That would be a sad world to live in, my friend."

"It's the world we live in," Alice shrugged. "I'll do what I can to help, but I'm only one person. It's not like I've got superpowers or anything like that. I'm just a scientist who got lucky."

---

"Does Umbrella shop at Supervillains R US or something?" Ada asked after the elevator reached the top, the doors opening to reveal a small train.

"Probably," I replied as we exited. "They certainly like their secrecy, that's for sure."

"Your knee alright?" Ada gestured toward my leg as we walk around the train to the entrance.

"Nope," I shook my head. "I'm probably going to have problems once we're out of here."

"We're getting a drink first," Ada opened the door and helped me into the train. "I know this great bar down in Texas."

"Sounds good," I groaned as I sat down. "You want to get this train moving?"

"Sure," she chuckled. "Not like anything's gonna go wrong now."

"Shit," I swore and immediately stood up to face the elevator.

"What?" Ada poked her head back into the main car.

"You just asked Saint Murphy to bless us with his presence," I snarked. "And he's not going to remain on the sidelines."

"What do you mean?!" She yelled back.

"Don't worry about it! Just make sure this thing is ready to leave!"

As the words left my mouth, the elevator doors exploded outward and the creature once known as William Birkin once again faced me.

"I really am starting to hate you," I muttered as the giant eye focused on me. "You'd think that you'd stay down, but no, you just have to keep getting back up."

With a roar, the monster charges at me, swinging one clawed arm at me as the other defends its eye from the last five rounds in my rifle magazine.

Sliding under the arm, I skid before pivoting and drawing my sidearm, the 9mm rounds wouldn't do much, but they were all that I had left to fight with.

Running away, I focused his attention on me instead of the train, my pistol slide locking back as I swapped magazines and continuing to fire, the rounds bouncing off of the armored hide and drilling into a few sections of concrete around me.

And then, it happened, as I stepped out with my left foot to try and avoid the charging G-Virus fueled monstrosity, my knee gave out, and I collapsed to the ground.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 75

"These things die so much easier when you have the right amount of firepower," Jill grins as the Tyrant is hit by the rocket-propelled grenade at the same time as her 40mm and a grenade from Alpha-Five.

The Tyrant roars and charges at the Police HQ, beginning to force handholds into the concrete as it climbs up to the roof before being hit by another cluster of grenades, dropping it onto the ground where a small crater formed.

"Don't let up," Jill advised. "We had to hit one of these things with four missiles from a launcher the first time we encountered one."

Then a small flurry of rockets came from the sky and vaporized both the Tyran and the handful of zombies that had clustered around the gate.

"That's not the one we called for," HUNK shouldered his RPG, aiming the chopper as it descended.

"Saw the fight, and thought you might like a hand!" Alice grinned as she stepped out of the chopper.

"Yeah, thanks for the assist," Jill nodded. "I'm assuming that you're willing to give us a ride out of here?"

"We've got the space," Carlos leaned out of the helicopter. "So you might as well tag along."

"I'm ready to get out of here," Leon boarded the chopper and strapped himself in, Alpha's Five and Six climbing on board as well.

"I still have a mission to complete," HUNK stated. "I will see it done."

"You sure, Grim Reaper?" Six asked. "These guys work for Umbrella just the same as we do."

"Negative, they do not report to the same channels. I will remain and see to it that our mission is accomplished."

"Your funeral," Jill shrugged. "Alice, we're leaving, if this guy's too stubborn to leave then that's on him."

The chopper door closed and it began to take off, leaving HUNK alone to face his fate.

"Nightshade, what is your ETA?"

"ETA is one-five mikes, we had to evade some aircraft on the way in."

"Copy that, I will be waiting at rendezvous point Charlie," HUNK responded. "Do not be late."

"We hear you, Grim Reaper. We'll get you out on time, Nightshade out."

HUNK nodded to himself as he looked down below at the zombies that were congregating around the gate to the station, the crater doing little to dissuade them from moving into the blown-open doors of the HQ.

With a sigh, the operative turned and began barricading the door. He only had to hold out for fifteen minutes after all.

---

The monster grabbed me with its massive hand and began to squeeze, the pistol dropping out of my hand and falling to the ground as my wrist gave way.

Then, Ada stepped out from the Train with a rocket launcher in her hands, the missile exploding against the clawed hand and sending me hurtling towards the wall.

I stared at the fight going on in front of me as my vision began to ebb, noise fading away as I crawled toward where my pistol had fallen, the matte metal resting a few feet in front of me.

With every pulse of pain, I moved forward, a rhythm that synched with my heart as I grabbed the weapon with my uninjured hand.

Turning my gaze back to the fight, I saw that Birkin had fallen backward, flames devouring the body as the massive eye stared at the woman.

Lining up my sights with the eye, I squeezed the trigger one last time and let my arms collapse as I watched the eye explode, pus and viscera scattering across the wall. Then, I laid back on the ground as Ada stepped forward and dragged me onto the train, her words little more than noise as I closed my eyes and everything went black.

---

"Command, this is Bravo Actual, requesting permission to begin the bombing run."

"Permission granted Bravo, your mission is a go, proceed."

The flight of B-52 bombers began to release their payloads across the cityscape of Raccoon, the firebombs dropping and erasing the city as flames began to rise.

"We have solid hits, command. How do you want us to proceed?"

"Target parameters are being communicated now, please proceed with your orders."

"Understood, awaiting orders."

–
–

Down below, the buildings of Raccoon City were collapsing, the concrete jungle sending up clouds of dust to join the smoke that filled the horizon.

Below the surface, the labs belonging to a certain pharmaceutical giant began to self-destruct as well, contributing to the eradication of every last bit of the Virus that had spread over the city, the flames killing off everything that was left alive.

"Command, this is Bravo Actual, we have confirmed the destruction of the target, requesting permission to RTB."

"Permission granted, Bravo, RTB."

---

"Mr. President," the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff saluted as he entered the room. "It's done."

"May God have mercy on us all," the President whispered as he poured whiskey into two decanters. "Join me for a drink, it's the last one we'll be able to enjoy for a long time."

"The people are going to want to blame someone for this," the General sighed as he sat down and sipped at the liquor.

"I'm setting up Umbrella to take the fall, but both of our careers are over."

"Yes, sir," the general replied. "I'll call my daughter and wife, and start setting my affairs in order."

"Spend what time you can with them now," the President tossed back the decanter before pouring another drink. "It's the last chance you'll have for a long time."

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 76

"It's good to see that you made it out," Enrico pulled Jill in for a hug. "Because of you, they managed to evacuate a lot more of the civilians from Raccoon City than they would have otherwise before they firebombed it."

"Yeah, I saw that Umbrella's taking a beating in the markets," Alice spoke up. "Has the data helped?"

"The FBI has been making mass arrests," J. D. sighed. "Couple of old friends of mine in the Bureau let me know that it's nearly a quarter of the Senate and a third of the House that was in Umbrella's pocket. And don't even get me started on the FDA."

"Fuck," Jill exhaled.

"Yeah," Kaplan joined the group. "Luckily, they were able to suspend all government contracts with Umbrella. And the shareholders that didn't know what Umbrella was doing behind the scenes have sold their stocks entirely. Umbrella is a crumbling Giant. It'll just take it a little bit of time to fall."

"Chris and Rain got in touch while you guys were in transit," Forest finally spoke. "They're going to be comms silent while they track down some more of Umbrella's operations in Europe. There's a group over there that's been investigating them for nearly a decade. Should be interesting to see what happens."

"Any word from Mark?" Jill asked. "We lost track of him when things began to get crazy in Raccoon."

"No," Enrico shook his head. "He's not contacted us, and we've not heard anything mentioning someone matching his description."

"Nothing from any of my contacts, either," J. D. sighed. "All we can do is wait and hope that he made it out."

---

"The Vice President is now being sworn in due to the President's resignation, and the emergency elections for both the House and Senate are being rushed due to the American Public wanting Umbrella Corporation to face justice," The reporter read off from her teleprompter. "And now, we're going live to our on-the-scene reporter at the White House. Bob, tell me how things are going there?"

"Well, Cindy, the world has never seen a mass protest like this in all of history. At last count, there were two million people gathered here in DC alone, with hundreds of thousands if not millions more at state capitals. All of these people are United under one purpose. To bring Umbrella down, and to see that the corruption in the US government is dealt with."

–
–

"My fellow Americans, I am saddened by the death toll that has happened in our nation over these past few weeks," the now President started his speech, reading from his podium before picking up the papers and throwing them behind him to lie scattered on the ground.

"What we have learned over the last month is that there has been a cancer eating away," the man looked at every reporter and camera there for a moment before continuing. "That our once Great Nation has an infection that nearly killed us. And not only us but many nations around the world.

What I need is cooperation and assistance from all parts of the government if we are to root this out. I need you, the people as well.

Corporations and companies are regulated by the government, but we cannot control them. We are doing our part to take them down, with arrests and investigations being carried out daily. What we need you, the civilians is to stop purchasing their products, to start depriving them of the funds and resources to stave off what is coming for them. You, the people are their main source of income now that their government contracts have been halted. So, I'm asking you, my fellow Americans, to help with bringing these people to justice. So that those who lost their lives in Raccoon City will not be forgotten and that this kind of threat will never be taken lightly again."

---

"So, I take it we all got the invitations?" Alice asked, her phone held to her ear.

"Yeah," Jill replied. "We're meeting up before heading in together. They even sent one out to the new guy, Kennedy."

"Let's hope that some good comes out of this meeting," Alice sighed. "It's been a crazy few months since Raccoon."

"Tell me about it," Jill laughed.

"So, remember a few weeks back when Kaplan said that he got a weird email?" Alice sat down at her table.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Seems it was a code or something, Kaplan took some time to figure it out, but it did have something that might have pointed to Mark. It's a slim chance, but he might still be alive somewhere."

"I guess we can see about tracking it down after this meeting," Jill leaned back and rested her head against the back of her chair. "I just hope that he didn't end up turning."

"I don't want another friend to have died because of this," Alice agreed. "I've already lost too many."

–
–

"Thank you for responding to this invitation," The President of the United States looked at the fifty or so assembled people. "You are the group that was suggested to form the core of what we are building. Some of you used to work for Umbrella, some of you were members of the military or the Police Department of Raccoon City. I would like you to be the first members of this task force. We do not have a name for you yet, but I believe that you stand the best chance of not only finding out what Umbrella has been hiding in the shadows. But also our best chance of finding a way to survive the T-Virus should it ever make its way into the public."

"You're going to be getting the very best gear and support we can provide," the new Secretary of Defense stated. "Money, labs, bases, we're sparing no expense on this. If you need something then we will find a way to get it to you."

"I'm not asking you to make a decision now," the President said after a minute. "But when you do make one, we're ready to get started."

---

Two months previous…

"Come on," Ada slung Mark over her shoulder as she left the wreckage of the train behind. "I've got someone coming to pick us up. They'll get us patched up."

A helicopter slowly came in for a landing and a tall blond stepped out, a smirk on his face.

"I see that you brought a gift to go with the data," Wesker said. "I'll ensure that you get a bonus for this."

"I just want to get him healed up," Ada replied. "This wasn't a part of our deal."

"The deal has been changed," Wesker replied, as he held up the secured disk with the information on it. "And your services are no longer required."

A handgun appeared in Wesker's hands before a small explosion from it knocked Ada to the ground.

"A pity," Wesker sighed as he picked up the unconscious man. "I had hopes for you, Ms. Wong."

"And now I get to exact some small measure of revenge," Wesker smirked. "Oh, the plans I have for you."

—
—

Ada stirred, her chest burning as she peeled off her jacket and looked at the Kevlar vest hidden beneath.

"Yeah, those are broken," she groaned as her chest radiated pain when she breathed. "Glad I wore this though. Otherwise, I'd be dead."

Standing up, she looked around the small clearing and crawled over to the small pile of weapons that had been left behind by that bastard Wesker.

"I promise I'll buy you that drink sometime," Ada swore as she used the discarded M4 to stand up. "But I've gotta get out of here first."

Ada began walking toward civilization. She would track down Wesker later.

---

"Sorry, Kennedy, but you're gonna need more training if you're gonna keep up." The current members of the team were kitted up to hit an Umbrella facility in Alaska. "Give it a couple of months and stick at it. You're making good progress."

"Come on kid," Barry grinned. "Let's get you some range time and then hit the gym. There's work to be done."

---

"Thanks," Billy Coen handed over the wad of cash. "This is all setup and ready to use?"

"Yeah," the other man nodded. "New social, Driver's license, I gave you and the girl the works. Even got you into the government's databases. Enjoy your new life William Everett."

"Here," Bill handed over some more cash. "A bonus for the good work."

Lisa simply looked at the forger with a critical eye before nodding and following her current guardian.

"Alright, Lisa, we're gonna get set up here and get you into school," Billy walked down the street to the nearby motel. "When we get settled down we'll try and find out what interests you and work towards you doing that. Whatever it takes."

Outwardly, Lisa smiled at the man who was currently acting as a big brother. But inwardly, her gut and mind churned at the thought of revenge. She would kill the Hated One, and none would stand in her way.

To be continued…

 

[MarkWarrior]

Teaser for Evicted

May 15, 2000

"So you're not as resistant to the Virus as I had hoped," Wesker looked at the unconscious man strapped to the operating table. "So it seems that any modifications I make will have to be done the… Old fashioned way."

Wesker smirks as he grabs the scalpel and an odd device from a nearby shelf. "This will ensure both your compliance, and your reliance on me."

---

"Ms. Redfield, we've taken a look at your resume and while we'd be perfectly happy to offer you a job here at the Biowarfare Response Agency, we'd like to know a bit more about your motivations."

"My brother Chris has been working for you the last two years," the redhead met the interviewer's eyes. "He went missing last year. I'm going to find him."

---

"You're certain that this lead is good?" Jill asked Ada.

"Can't be certain of anything in this business. But I owe him. And I always settle my debts."

"Then let's see if we can find out where the trail leads," Jill tucked her lockpick set and extra weapons away behind her jacket. "And hope that we can find something useful."

"We've got two weeks," Ada nodded. "Then our leave is up and we have to be back on the job."

---

"C'mon," Kaplan whispered as he soldered a connection on the circuit board he was leaning over. "If we want to beat them then we need to up the stakes."

After everything had cooled, Kaplan booted up the supercomputer and grinned as the custom operating system began running, the temperature spiking for a moment before the cooling kicked in.

"Good Afternoon Doctor Kaplan, I'm the White Queen." A small girl's voice echoed through the room. "Where do you want me to start?"

---

"This is Alpha Team, we need backup. We've found quite a nest here in South America. Seems this Lab didn't manage to use their containment protocols," Enrico reported.

"Understood," J. D. replied. "Bravo team is en route to assist."

"How's the chopper look?"

"We're all set," Leon replied. "She'll get us there in one piece as long as I'm not flying."

"You are a danger," Natalia agreed as she boarded the chopper and chambered a round in her AK. "As much to yourself as to others when driving or piloting."

"The kid will be fine," J. D. chuckled. "We'll teach him enough to make him at least decent at it."

---

"So, if we isolate the right properties," Alice peered through a microscope.

"Then we might be able to produce something that works as a viable counter agent to those who've been infected for a few days, if not longer," Rebecca agreed. "We'll have to run a lot more tests though."

"I'll run it by Annette, she's the expert on this, after all," Alice shrugged. "Besides, I'm supposed to go out into the field next week. Some outbreak in South America."

"We'll try not to burn the place down," Rebecca grinned.

"Just make sure it starts in my lab if you do," Alice replied.

"No promises."

---

"I think…" Chris muttered as he looked at the gate to a village in the middle of nowhere. "That I'm beginning to hate Europe."

"You and me both," Rain agreed. "You and me both."