(DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, events or locations depicted. All are property of Capcom and Eidos. I am not in any way, shape or form attempting to infringe.)
****
The next alleyway was surprisingly very bright and well-lit. As Jill advanced further, she could hear a loud crackling, and she could smell thick smoke. It was then she noticed the fire. The raging inferno was at the next junction, blocking the left route. The atrocious smell of burning rubber filled the air. Jill held her nose and ducked past the fire, down the the right hand alleyway.
As she turned the corner, she gasped and froze still. In front of her, she could see a large mutant doberman lying right in the middle of the alley, eating something. The dog's sharp teeth ripped and tore at the raw meat, blood squirting everywhere. Jill wrinkled her nose and drew her M92F Custom handgun. She slowly advanced towards the monstrous carnivore, still tearing into it's meal. Jill was only a few feet away from the dog when she heard a noise behind her. She slowly turned her head to stare at the fire. The inferno still raged on. As bright as the fire was, Jill swore she could make out a dark shape in the midst of the flames. As she squinted further, she realised what it was.
~Oh, shit....~
Jill gasped in surprise as another dog burst from the flames, it's torn, bloody skin glowing bright with flames. It's wild, glowing yellow eyes seemed to bore right into hers, it's mouth and nose dripping with blood. The smell of burning flesh wafted through the air and Jill retched.
The sudden appearance of the burning dog had attracted the attention of the other one, which was now standing up and staring at Jill fiercly. Before Jill could act, the burning dog leapt up at her throat. She shrieked and kicked out her right foot, catching the brute in the stomach. The animal yelped in pain and flew backwards. Jill ran, dodging the other dog. Looking around quickly, she noticed a gate at the end of the alley, and a white wooden door in the left wall.
Thinking quickly, Jill grabbed the handle of the white door and pushed it open. She turned her head to look at the dogs. The burning one was now back on it's feet and was slowly walking towards her, snarling. The other dog threw back it's head and howled menacingly. Jill shuddered at the sound and hurried through the door, slamming it shut behind her. Leaning against it, she could hear the vicious animals barking and growling.
Wiping a film of sweat off her brow, Jill stood up and looked around. She was in a very small room, obviously some kind of storage room. In front of her was a large trunk, and a small desk. To her left was a shelving unit. Various bits and bobs were strewn messily across the floor.
~At least there are no monsters here.~ She thought, relieved. She began to search the shelving unit and found some grenade launcher ammunition and a bottle of spring water. Smiling, Jill took the explosive rounds and pulled the lid off the bottle. She drank deeply. The water was very stale and tasted very unpleasant, but she hadn't had a drink for hours and was very thirsty indeed. In fact, she managed to drain the entire bottle.
When the bottle was empty, Jill threw it to the floor. There was no need to carry it for future use, she needed to keep her load light for her long journey out of the city. Attaching the explosive rounds to her belt and loading up her handgun and M3S shotgun, Jill walked back to the white door and pressed her ear against it. The dogs had ceased growling, but Jill could hear their overgrown claws clacking on the concrete. Taking a deep breath, Jill pulled open the door and slowly stepped outside. She quickly glanced to her right to see the mutant canines sniffing around a pool of water dripping from a fire hydrant.
~A fire hydrant? Why didn't I notice that before?~ Jill shook her head to clear the thought and concentrated on the dogs. Raising her handgun, she slowly backed away towards the gate. As dangerous as the dogs were, Jill preferred to conserve ammunition for the many zombies wandering the town, searching for fresh meat.
When she reached the gate, Jill quickly spun round and grabbed the cool metal handle. She creaked the rusted gate open, attracting the attention of the dogs. She heard one dog bark loudly. She turned her head to see them both walking towards her.
~Aargh! Why do these stupid gates have to be so damned noisy when you open them?!~ She thought in frustration. Quickly, she darted through the gate and shut it tightly behind her. Through the bars, the dogs snarled and turned back towards the fire. Turning away from the hideous, drooling canines, Jill took a few steps forward and realised she was back on the streets. To her left, the road sloped upwards, a few smashed up vehicles on the side of the road, cardboard boxes and litter strewn everywhere. To her right was another raging inferno. Jill decided to check this out first.
The source of the fire seemed to be a burning vehicle of some sort. The unbearable heat made Jill glad that she was only wearing a tube top and a skirt. The fire was so thick, there was no way she could get through here. Besides, there was probably nothing there anyway. Jill turned her head and noticed a brown door in the building to her left. It didn't look like it had been used for quite some time. Jill realised that it most probably lead to another dark, smelly alleyway. Jill grabbed the handle and turned. The door wouldn't budge.
Jill snorted in annoyance and looked at the lock. It was a very simple kind of lock that could easily be broken. Jill was very familiar with these kinds of locks, as she had broken many in her lifetime, and was very good at it. It was just a pity she had forgotten to take her old lockpick with her.
~Oh well. Maybe I'll find one later.~ Jill thought, glancing at the fire behind her. ~I've got plenty of time....~
Sighing, Jill turned and walked past the fire, and started to walk up the road. As she neared the top of the road, she heard the sound of splashing water. Curious, Jill started to run, and saw that the source of the noise was a broken water pipe. Water gushed out from under the ground, an icy cold fountain spraying into the air. Still curious, Jill moved closer to the broken pipe for a closer examination. Water droplets soaked her hair and clothes. For the pipe to burst like this, it had to have been hit with an incredible force. As she examined further, Jill was surprised to see that the red metal was badly dented by what appeared to be a fist. Someone, or something, had punched the pipe so hard that they had broken it.
~But what could be that strong?~ Jill wondered. ~Certainly not a zombie. Maybe....~ Jill shuddered at the memories of Tyrant, the hideously deformed, powerful mutant that she had encountered at the secret underground lab a few months ago. ~Maybe there's another mutant here, on the streets of Raccoon City....~
She shook her head, trying to clear the thought. ~No. Stop worrying yourself more than you already are. Calm down.~
Backing away from the burst pipe, water puddling around her boots, Jill continued left to the police department. A feeling of anger arose in her as she neared the large, rusty gate. She could remember the last time she'd been in there, when she'd announced that she was quitting the S.T.A.R.S., and all because the stupid, stupid freaks at the station wouldn't believe their story. That they wouldn't believe their account of the horrific incident at the mansion. When she'd quit, she could've sworn she saw a look of triumph on the chief Brian Irons' face. As if he was glad that she had quit.
~He was a malicious bastard before the incident, anyway.~ She thought angerily. ~Always thinking about himself, not giving a damn about anyone else. Sadistic. I wouldn't be surprised if he was involved with Umbrella's experiments....~
She shuddered suddenly. ~What if....what if he is?? What if he was lying?~
Jill shook her head to clear the thought. No need to worry about that now. She was trying to escape. She would deal with that sadist if she ever caught up with him, though.
The huge, rusted gate loomed before Jill, making her feel small and insignificant. Her hand reached for the brass handle, when she suddenly pulled her hand back. A strange feeling of dread was creeping over her. A cold wind whipped around her and she shuddered, though she wasn't sure if it was from the cold or from fear. Her heart froze in her chest.
~What's going on? Why do I feel so afraid?~ She glanced up and down the gate, her hand still hovering in front of the handle. Her mind was flooded with so much doubt. She could sense that something terrible was going to happen once she went through that gate.
~What the hell am I thinking?! If something is going to happen, it can't be any worse than what I've seen already. It just can't be.~ Jill reached out and grabbed the handle. ~Hell, it's probably my imagination. I'm making a fuss over nothing.~
A flood of determination sweeping over her, Jill pushed the gate open and stepped through into the courtyard of the police department.
From the outside, the station looked surprisingly normal, untouched. It even looked deserted, even though Jill knew it was far from that. There was probably all manner of hellish mutants in there, lurking around every corner, hungry for fresh blood.
Jill moved closer to the station and glanced up at it. She knew that there was no avoiding the obvious; she had to go in. There was nowhere else to go at the moment, and besides, there may be a lockpick device in there.
~If there is, at least I can open that door down the road....~
The gate creaked open behind her, making her jump. She gasped and spun around. And saw Brad.
Jill gasped in shock at how bad he looked. When she'd last seen him, at least quarter of an hour ago, he had looked okay, aside from the fact he had a few splashes of blood on his clothes. Now he was covered in blood. It was splashed on the front of his yellow jacket, on the sleeves of his T-shirt, dribbling from his mouth, grazes on his arms and from a large cut on his face. Surrounding the cut was an enormous bruise, turning purpler by the minute. Jill also noticed that he was limping and clutching his bloodied right side. Basically, he was a complete mess.
~Shit, what the hell's happened to him?!~
"Ji....Jill...." Brad gasped, gargling through his own blood. His eyes were alight with sheer terror as he staggered towards her.
"Brad!" Jill cried out. She could't believe what she was seeing. Something had attacked him, and violently. ~No zombie could have done this. No way. His injuries are too extreme for that....~
She opened her mouth to ask him what had happened, but he cut her off.
"We....we gotta...." Brad started to gasp. At that point, something leapt down from the roof of the station in front of Brad. It happened so quickly. One minute it wasn't there, the next minute it was. A huge, dark creature, at least seven or eight feet tall, loomed over Brad, roaring loudly. Brad screamed in terror. Jill let out a cry and stepped backwards in horror.
~What the hell....what is that?!~ Jill could only see the back of the creature, but was shocked at how hideous it was. It was of human proportions, dressed in a black leather overcoat, fingerless gloves, trousers and buckled shoes, and was bald. But it's head was wrinkled and brown, and had a large split, which happened to be very badly stitched up, coming from the middle of the skull and over the top of the head. She could see the creature's brain through the split. Poking out from it's brown right shoulder was a pulsating purple tentacle, which was weaved through the skin in an unusual fashion, as it went through the skin and came out again at the creature's back and went under it's right hand sleeve. Whatever it was, this monster was definetely bad news. And it was after Brad.
Brad turned and ran as fast as he could in his injured state. The creature snarled, a deep, throaty sound, and stomped after him. Brad screamed again. He ran right into the wall of the police station. In mindless terror, he spun around, backed up against the wall, staring right into the face of his attacker as it stormed towards him.
"Jill! Help!" Brad screamed, his voice cracking. The cry echoed in Jill's ears. She stared desperately at the creature, then at Brad. She wanted to help him. He was a team mate, an old friend. She had to save him. But her legs wouldn't move, her brain refused to take in what was happening. She was paralysed with fear.
~Run, Jill, run!~ Her mind screamed at her. ~Grab him before it's too late! He's your comrade, damn it!~ Still she couldn't move, her body not agreeing with her mind, her eyes wide with shock.
"Brad, r...run!" She managed to stammer out, but it only came out as a whisper.
The creature reached forward and snatched Brad around his throat with it's left hand, lifting him high into the air. Brad let out a strangled scream of "N....NOOO!!" as he was lifted up, higher than the head of his attacker. The grip wasn't enough to choke him, but he still gasped for air, probably because he was so terrified. Still holding Brad in a tight grip, the creature opened it's right hand in front of Brad's face.
"No! Please!" Brad managed to gasp, but it was no use. Jill looked on, mesmerised by the horrific scene that was unfolding in front of her.
~What....what is that creature doing? Why is his hand open like that?~
Her question was soon answered as she saw a sharp, purple tentacle shoot out from the palm of the monster's hand, sliding out from underneath the fingerless glove. It was, Jill realised, the end of the tentacle that went through the monster's body. The tentacle shot out further and the creature embedded it deep into Brad's face, and Brad's screams were turned into gargled, fading sounds of death.
"No!" Jill cried and turned her head away. It was too much. One of her colleagues was being mutilated in front of her very eyes, and she was too shocked to do anything about it.
The creature grunted and swung around, tossing Brad to the floor. This attracted Jill's attention and she gasped as he roughly hit the concrete floor.
"B....Brad?" Jill stammered, her voice trembling. She moved a couple of steps towards him. "Brad?" She gulped again, but she knew it was too late for that. He was dead. Brad Vickers was dead. She quickly glanced down and she caught a glimpse of the blood on his face. Blinking back her tears, Jill looked up at the horrible monster, and gasped in horror when she saw it's face. He was the ugliest mutant she had ever encountered, with the exception of Tyrant. The creature only had one eye, on the left side of his face, which had no pupil, no iris, nothing. It was just a plain white, which seemed to glow softly. The ghastly split streaked down the right side of the monster's face, and ended a few inches away from his chin. Well, it would have done if the creature actually had a chin. He had no nose at all, not even a pair of nostrils. Most noticable of all had to be his mouth. There were no lips whatsoever, and the mouth seemed to be stretched apart, to reveal large red gums and sharp, yellowing teeth. Jill also noticed a few more parts of that deadly tentacle, sticking out from the creature's neck and a small exposed part of the chest. In short, he was utterly hideous.
Jill gasped and stumbled backwards, away from Brad's corpse, her eyes fixed on the terrible mutant standing in front of her. The monster stared back at her with his one eye, studying her for a couple of seconds. His permanent grin seemed to widen and Jill shook with fear. She knew that this.... this thing could sense her fear, and whatever it was, it was a lot more intelligent than Tyrant had been.
The monster opened it's mouth and snarled one word.
"Stars."
Jill's eyes widened.
~Stars....stars? Hang on a second....~
Then she realised. She realised what the creature meant.
S.T.A.R.S.
"Oh my God." She whispered aloud. S.T.A.R.S. She should have known. ~So this is what Brad was talking about....~
The creature had killed Brad. He was a S.T.A.R.S. team member. And now, the creature was after her. Even though she'd quit S.T.A.R.S., she still knew about Umbrella's experiments....
~They created this creature to hunt all of us down. He's going to kill all the S.T.A.R.S. members!~
The monster began to slowly and menacingly walk towards Jill, his footsteps shaking the ground. Jill began to back away further.
"W....wait!" She stammered. But it was obviously no use. If this monster had been created with a sole purpose to assasinate her and her colleagues, there was very little chance it was going to leave her alone.
Jill wildly glanced around her. To her left, the double doors of the station were inviting her in to the hellish complex. There was nowhere else to run, apart from the streets, and it was very doubtful she'd be able to hide out there. Or....or....
Or she could stay and fight this monster.
~No chance. I couldn't. He's far too strong.~ She shuddered. ~He could kill me.~
The hideous creature was still walking towards her, glaring straight into her soul with his cold, one eyed stare. Again, the horrible, throaty snarl of "S.T.A.R.S." filled her ears, sending a chill down her spine. He was only about six steps away from her now. Jill shook with fear and continued to back away, until she bumped into the wall behind her.
~Oh God, why is this happening to me?~
Jill nervously glanced at the entrance to the station. ~If I run and fling open the doors, I could make it....~
The monstrous creature roared, causing Jill to jump and turn her head back to the direction of him. To her horror, the monster's walk broke into a run.
"SHIT!" She shrieked in a voice that wasn't her own. Jill Valentine rarely shrieked, when she did it was usually in shock or surprise. Now she was filled with sheer terror as the large mutant ran towards her.
Snapping back to action, Jill rolled out of the creature's way just in time. Skidding to a halt and snarling, the horrendous being turned to face Jill again and glared straight through her, his eye glowing with a fierce urge to destroy. He ran for her again and swung his huge fist at her head. Jill tried to duck out of the way, but was far too slow. The monster's fist connected hard with her cheek, sending a wave of pain through her head. Gasping in shock and pain, Jill stumbled backwards and tripped over a misplaced brick behind her. She toppled over, landing painfully on her left side. She felt her elbow split open with the impact, spilling fresh blood onto the concrete floor. The mutant beast roared menacingly and began to stomp towards Jill again.
~No! Must get up....~ Gritting her teeth, Jill tried to stagger to her feet before the monster caught her. Suddenly she felt a hard grip on her throat and before she knew what was happening, she was being lifted up.
"Gaak!" Jill coughed and spluttered as the creature's grip tightened fiercly. Holding her high into the air, the beast stared up into Jill's face and growled. Jill gasped and struggled to get free, but before she had a chance to realise what was going on, she was thrown roughly to the floor. She screwed up her face in pain as her bare skin scraped across the concrete. She felt the blood and pus oozing from her fresh wounds. As she lay there, gasping in shock, her attacker threw back his head and roared, a mixture of triumph and hate.
Despite her pain, Jill managed to struggle to her feet while the beast was basking in his triumph. Wincing, Jill plucked up her courage and shouted at the mutant, her voice filled with pain and anger.
"Hey, big guy! You think you've killed me, huh?" At this, the monster ceased roaring and glared directly at Jill. His permanent grin sent a chill down Jill's spine, but she still stood her ground, refusing to let this abomination stop her from escaping.
~God damn it, I started out on this journey to survive, to get the hell out of here, and then this ugly son of a bitch comes with the intention of murdering the S.T.A.R.S. in cold blood!~ Her eyes narrowed in fury. ~I will escape! I will not let this motherfucker end my life just like he ended Brad's! I won't!~
"Urarrghh....S.T.A.R.S." The hideous beast responded, balling his huge hands into fists. He slowly advanced towards Jill once more, but Jill stood there, waiting for the right moment.
"Well, just look at me! You can't get rid of me that easily, you freak!" As she said this, she unholstered her handgun and raised it at her enemy's face, her hands trembling with anger and nervousness. The mutant came closer and raised his fist to strike. Jill saw her chance.
"You killed Brad." She snarled flatly, and let off a shot directly into the beast's forehead. It certainly wasn't enough to kill him, but it was enough to make him temporarily lose his bearings. Grunting in pain, the monster clawed at the bullet wedged into his head, giving Jill enough time to quickly limp for the police station doors. Just as her attacker removed the bullet, Jill pulled open the blue double doors and darted through, slamming them shut behind her. She heard the beast roar with anger as the doors closed.
Panting, Jill slumped against the doors, her knees trembling, trying to let what had just happened sink in.
~I can't believe this is happening. Things can't possibly get any God damned worse, can they?!~
Seething with anger and misery, Jill stepped away from the doors. As she did so, she heard a loud bang from behind her. Startled, and nearly falling down the steps behind her, Jill spun around. Through the small windows in the doors, she could see the horrendous face of the brutal creature. There was another bang, and this time Jill saw the doors trembling with the impact.
The monster was trying to get in.
"Oh, give me a God damned break!!" Jill screamed in a rage. "Why won't you just leave me alone?!" Still the large predator thumped at the doors, causing Jill's anger to turn to fear.
~What if he gets in?~
Well, one thing was for sure, Jill certainly wasn't going to be unprepared should the beast manage to open the doors. She pulled her shotgun off of her back and aimed it at the doors, waiting. She was tense all over, and she could hear her heart pounding wildly. The doors shook violently as the mutant continued to punch at them furiously. After about a minute, but what seemed like an eternity, the banging stopped. Jill saw the mutant's hideously ugly face disappear.
Lowering her weapon, and still trembling, Jill slowly walked up close to the doors and peered outside, breathing heavily. What if the monster was still out there?
Jill couldn't see him anywhere. He had given up and gone off elsewhere.
~Thank God for that.~ Jill thought, when her eyes fell upon the corpse of Brad. Immedietely, her eyes filled with tears, blurring the terrible sight that lay before her.
~Brad....no.~ The tears fell down her cheeks. Brad had been a good friend. Sure, he was a complete coward, everyone had known that. His nickname among the other S.T.A.R.S. members had been "Chickenheart Vickers", which was rather unflattering but true. He had always been terrified of death, unwilling to face danger, which was very frustrating for the other soldiers. He had even abandoned the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team when they were in danger, but he was still a complete asset to the team, a great helicopter pilot, a computer expert, and, all in all, a good friend. He had also saved the few surviving team members, herself, Chris Redfield, Barry Burton and Rebecca Chambers, from being blown up in the explosion of one of Umbrella's secret laboratories. Now he was gone, his life taken by undoubtedly the most horrendous of Umbrella Incorperate's creations.
Umbrella. The mere thought of that name made Jill shake with rage. They were the ones who were responsible for all of this. For the outbreak of the T-Virus, for the zombies, the mutants, the destruction of Raccoon City and for the deaths of hundreds of innocent people.
~Selfish, insensitive bastards!!~ Her mind screamed. How she despised them. ~Stupid freaks, too concerned about their mindless experiments to care about anyone else, too wrapped up in trying to destroy all evidence of the outbreak. Why did they create the T-Virus in the first place? Why?! What is the God damned point here?! Why?!~
Jill was seething now, filled with fury and hate for the massive corperation, the tears still spilling uncontrollably down her face, as she thought of the other team mates and friends she had lost due to Umbrella.
~Joseph Frost, killed by those monsterous dogs. Kenneth Sullivan, decapitated and eaten by a zombie. Forest Speyer, eaten alive by mutant crows. Richard Aiken, bitten by a huge poisonous snake. Enrico Marini, shot in the chest by that traitor Albert Wesker, our so-called leader. All of them are dead, and it's all that stupid corperation's fault!~
Jill slammed her fist against the door, sobbing in frustration. While she could save her own skin, there was nothing she could do for her dead friends, and she hadn't helped Brad when she'd had the chance.
~God, Brad, I'm so sorry!~
Still shaking, Jill raised her head and wiped her eyes. She shook her head and glanced outside again, and the sight of Brad's corpse caused her mind to snap.
~Pull yourself together, Jill. Take a few deep breaths. You'll get out of this. You'll find a way to bring Umbrella down. Chris has already headed to their main headquarters in Europe anyway. Maybe he can do something about it.~ Her hopes soared. ~This will all end soon. Their experiments will be exposed. In the meantime Jilly, you'd better bust your butt and get the hell outta here!~
Forcing her gaze away from the door, Jill turned around and glanced around the large main hall. In front of her was a large statue of a water nymph. To her right was a barricaded door, and a few pots of green healing herbs.
"Ah-ha!" She said aloud, before reaching down and plucking the herbs from the soil. She ate one and rubbed another against her wounds. The cuts and grazes on her back and arms weren't really that serious, now they just stung a little.
~This should cure me in no time.~ She thought, as she tucked the remaining herbs into her pouch. Slowly decending the steps, Jill prepared herself to do some serious exploring. She was safe. For now....
****
****
The next alleyway was surprisingly very bright and well-lit. As Jill advanced further, she could hear a loud crackling, and she could smell thick smoke. It was then she noticed the fire. The raging inferno was at the next junction, blocking the left route. The atrocious smell of burning rubber filled the air. Jill held her nose and ducked past the fire, down the the right hand alleyway.
As she turned the corner, she gasped and froze still. In front of her, she could see a large mutant doberman lying right in the middle of the alley, eating something. The dog's sharp teeth ripped and tore at the raw meat, blood squirting everywhere. Jill wrinkled her nose and drew her M92F Custom handgun. She slowly advanced towards the monstrous carnivore, still tearing into it's meal. Jill was only a few feet away from the dog when she heard a noise behind her. She slowly turned her head to stare at the fire. The inferno still raged on. As bright as the fire was, Jill swore she could make out a dark shape in the midst of the flames. As she squinted further, she realised what it was.
~Oh, shit....~
Jill gasped in surprise as another dog burst from the flames, it's torn, bloody skin glowing bright with flames. It's wild, glowing yellow eyes seemed to bore right into hers, it's mouth and nose dripping with blood. The smell of burning flesh wafted through the air and Jill retched.
The sudden appearance of the burning dog had attracted the attention of the other one, which was now standing up and staring at Jill fiercly. Before Jill could act, the burning dog leapt up at her throat. She shrieked and kicked out her right foot, catching the brute in the stomach. The animal yelped in pain and flew backwards. Jill ran, dodging the other dog. Looking around quickly, she noticed a gate at the end of the alley, and a white wooden door in the left wall.
Thinking quickly, Jill grabbed the handle of the white door and pushed it open. She turned her head to look at the dogs. The burning one was now back on it's feet and was slowly walking towards her, snarling. The other dog threw back it's head and howled menacingly. Jill shuddered at the sound and hurried through the door, slamming it shut behind her. Leaning against it, she could hear the vicious animals barking and growling.
Wiping a film of sweat off her brow, Jill stood up and looked around. She was in a very small room, obviously some kind of storage room. In front of her was a large trunk, and a small desk. To her left was a shelving unit. Various bits and bobs were strewn messily across the floor.
~At least there are no monsters here.~ She thought, relieved. She began to search the shelving unit and found some grenade launcher ammunition and a bottle of spring water. Smiling, Jill took the explosive rounds and pulled the lid off the bottle. She drank deeply. The water was very stale and tasted very unpleasant, but she hadn't had a drink for hours and was very thirsty indeed. In fact, she managed to drain the entire bottle.
When the bottle was empty, Jill threw it to the floor. There was no need to carry it for future use, she needed to keep her load light for her long journey out of the city. Attaching the explosive rounds to her belt and loading up her handgun and M3S shotgun, Jill walked back to the white door and pressed her ear against it. The dogs had ceased growling, but Jill could hear their overgrown claws clacking on the concrete. Taking a deep breath, Jill pulled open the door and slowly stepped outside. She quickly glanced to her right to see the mutant canines sniffing around a pool of water dripping from a fire hydrant.
~A fire hydrant? Why didn't I notice that before?~ Jill shook her head to clear the thought and concentrated on the dogs. Raising her handgun, she slowly backed away towards the gate. As dangerous as the dogs were, Jill preferred to conserve ammunition for the many zombies wandering the town, searching for fresh meat.
When she reached the gate, Jill quickly spun round and grabbed the cool metal handle. She creaked the rusted gate open, attracting the attention of the dogs. She heard one dog bark loudly. She turned her head to see them both walking towards her.
~Aargh! Why do these stupid gates have to be so damned noisy when you open them?!~ She thought in frustration. Quickly, she darted through the gate and shut it tightly behind her. Through the bars, the dogs snarled and turned back towards the fire. Turning away from the hideous, drooling canines, Jill took a few steps forward and realised she was back on the streets. To her left, the road sloped upwards, a few smashed up vehicles on the side of the road, cardboard boxes and litter strewn everywhere. To her right was another raging inferno. Jill decided to check this out first.
The source of the fire seemed to be a burning vehicle of some sort. The unbearable heat made Jill glad that she was only wearing a tube top and a skirt. The fire was so thick, there was no way she could get through here. Besides, there was probably nothing there anyway. Jill turned her head and noticed a brown door in the building to her left. It didn't look like it had been used for quite some time. Jill realised that it most probably lead to another dark, smelly alleyway. Jill grabbed the handle and turned. The door wouldn't budge.
Jill snorted in annoyance and looked at the lock. It was a very simple kind of lock that could easily be broken. Jill was very familiar with these kinds of locks, as she had broken many in her lifetime, and was very good at it. It was just a pity she had forgotten to take her old lockpick with her.
~Oh well. Maybe I'll find one later.~ Jill thought, glancing at the fire behind her. ~I've got plenty of time....~
Sighing, Jill turned and walked past the fire, and started to walk up the road. As she neared the top of the road, she heard the sound of splashing water. Curious, Jill started to run, and saw that the source of the noise was a broken water pipe. Water gushed out from under the ground, an icy cold fountain spraying into the air. Still curious, Jill moved closer to the broken pipe for a closer examination. Water droplets soaked her hair and clothes. For the pipe to burst like this, it had to have been hit with an incredible force. As she examined further, Jill was surprised to see that the red metal was badly dented by what appeared to be a fist. Someone, or something, had punched the pipe so hard that they had broken it.
~But what could be that strong?~ Jill wondered. ~Certainly not a zombie. Maybe....~ Jill shuddered at the memories of Tyrant, the hideously deformed, powerful mutant that she had encountered at the secret underground lab a few months ago. ~Maybe there's another mutant here, on the streets of Raccoon City....~
She shook her head, trying to clear the thought. ~No. Stop worrying yourself more than you already are. Calm down.~
Backing away from the burst pipe, water puddling around her boots, Jill continued left to the police department. A feeling of anger arose in her as she neared the large, rusty gate. She could remember the last time she'd been in there, when she'd announced that she was quitting the S.T.A.R.S., and all because the stupid, stupid freaks at the station wouldn't believe their story. That they wouldn't believe their account of the horrific incident at the mansion. When she'd quit, she could've sworn she saw a look of triumph on the chief Brian Irons' face. As if he was glad that she had quit.
~He was a malicious bastard before the incident, anyway.~ She thought angerily. ~Always thinking about himself, not giving a damn about anyone else. Sadistic. I wouldn't be surprised if he was involved with Umbrella's experiments....~
She shuddered suddenly. ~What if....what if he is?? What if he was lying?~
Jill shook her head to clear the thought. No need to worry about that now. She was trying to escape. She would deal with that sadist if she ever caught up with him, though.
The huge, rusted gate loomed before Jill, making her feel small and insignificant. Her hand reached for the brass handle, when she suddenly pulled her hand back. A strange feeling of dread was creeping over her. A cold wind whipped around her and she shuddered, though she wasn't sure if it was from the cold or from fear. Her heart froze in her chest.
~What's going on? Why do I feel so afraid?~ She glanced up and down the gate, her hand still hovering in front of the handle. Her mind was flooded with so much doubt. She could sense that something terrible was going to happen once she went through that gate.
~What the hell am I thinking?! If something is going to happen, it can't be any worse than what I've seen already. It just can't be.~ Jill reached out and grabbed the handle. ~Hell, it's probably my imagination. I'm making a fuss over nothing.~
A flood of determination sweeping over her, Jill pushed the gate open and stepped through into the courtyard of the police department.
From the outside, the station looked surprisingly normal, untouched. It even looked deserted, even though Jill knew it was far from that. There was probably all manner of hellish mutants in there, lurking around every corner, hungry for fresh blood.
Jill moved closer to the station and glanced up at it. She knew that there was no avoiding the obvious; she had to go in. There was nowhere else to go at the moment, and besides, there may be a lockpick device in there.
~If there is, at least I can open that door down the road....~
The gate creaked open behind her, making her jump. She gasped and spun around. And saw Brad.
Jill gasped in shock at how bad he looked. When she'd last seen him, at least quarter of an hour ago, he had looked okay, aside from the fact he had a few splashes of blood on his clothes. Now he was covered in blood. It was splashed on the front of his yellow jacket, on the sleeves of his T-shirt, dribbling from his mouth, grazes on his arms and from a large cut on his face. Surrounding the cut was an enormous bruise, turning purpler by the minute. Jill also noticed that he was limping and clutching his bloodied right side. Basically, he was a complete mess.
~Shit, what the hell's happened to him?!~
"Ji....Jill...." Brad gasped, gargling through his own blood. His eyes were alight with sheer terror as he staggered towards her.
"Brad!" Jill cried out. She could't believe what she was seeing. Something had attacked him, and violently. ~No zombie could have done this. No way. His injuries are too extreme for that....~
She opened her mouth to ask him what had happened, but he cut her off.
"We....we gotta...." Brad started to gasp. At that point, something leapt down from the roof of the station in front of Brad. It happened so quickly. One minute it wasn't there, the next minute it was. A huge, dark creature, at least seven or eight feet tall, loomed over Brad, roaring loudly. Brad screamed in terror. Jill let out a cry and stepped backwards in horror.
~What the hell....what is that?!~ Jill could only see the back of the creature, but was shocked at how hideous it was. It was of human proportions, dressed in a black leather overcoat, fingerless gloves, trousers and buckled shoes, and was bald. But it's head was wrinkled and brown, and had a large split, which happened to be very badly stitched up, coming from the middle of the skull and over the top of the head. She could see the creature's brain through the split. Poking out from it's brown right shoulder was a pulsating purple tentacle, which was weaved through the skin in an unusual fashion, as it went through the skin and came out again at the creature's back and went under it's right hand sleeve. Whatever it was, this monster was definetely bad news. And it was after Brad.
Brad turned and ran as fast as he could in his injured state. The creature snarled, a deep, throaty sound, and stomped after him. Brad screamed again. He ran right into the wall of the police station. In mindless terror, he spun around, backed up against the wall, staring right into the face of his attacker as it stormed towards him.
"Jill! Help!" Brad screamed, his voice cracking. The cry echoed in Jill's ears. She stared desperately at the creature, then at Brad. She wanted to help him. He was a team mate, an old friend. She had to save him. But her legs wouldn't move, her brain refused to take in what was happening. She was paralysed with fear.
~Run, Jill, run!~ Her mind screamed at her. ~Grab him before it's too late! He's your comrade, damn it!~ Still she couldn't move, her body not agreeing with her mind, her eyes wide with shock.
"Brad, r...run!" She managed to stammer out, but it only came out as a whisper.
The creature reached forward and snatched Brad around his throat with it's left hand, lifting him high into the air. Brad let out a strangled scream of "N....NOOO!!" as he was lifted up, higher than the head of his attacker. The grip wasn't enough to choke him, but he still gasped for air, probably because he was so terrified. Still holding Brad in a tight grip, the creature opened it's right hand in front of Brad's face.
"No! Please!" Brad managed to gasp, but it was no use. Jill looked on, mesmerised by the horrific scene that was unfolding in front of her.
~What....what is that creature doing? Why is his hand open like that?~
Her question was soon answered as she saw a sharp, purple tentacle shoot out from the palm of the monster's hand, sliding out from underneath the fingerless glove. It was, Jill realised, the end of the tentacle that went through the monster's body. The tentacle shot out further and the creature embedded it deep into Brad's face, and Brad's screams were turned into gargled, fading sounds of death.
"No!" Jill cried and turned her head away. It was too much. One of her colleagues was being mutilated in front of her very eyes, and she was too shocked to do anything about it.
The creature grunted and swung around, tossing Brad to the floor. This attracted Jill's attention and she gasped as he roughly hit the concrete floor.
"B....Brad?" Jill stammered, her voice trembling. She moved a couple of steps towards him. "Brad?" She gulped again, but she knew it was too late for that. He was dead. Brad Vickers was dead. She quickly glanced down and she caught a glimpse of the blood on his face. Blinking back her tears, Jill looked up at the horrible monster, and gasped in horror when she saw it's face. He was the ugliest mutant she had ever encountered, with the exception of Tyrant. The creature only had one eye, on the left side of his face, which had no pupil, no iris, nothing. It was just a plain white, which seemed to glow softly. The ghastly split streaked down the right side of the monster's face, and ended a few inches away from his chin. Well, it would have done if the creature actually had a chin. He had no nose at all, not even a pair of nostrils. Most noticable of all had to be his mouth. There were no lips whatsoever, and the mouth seemed to be stretched apart, to reveal large red gums and sharp, yellowing teeth. Jill also noticed a few more parts of that deadly tentacle, sticking out from the creature's neck and a small exposed part of the chest. In short, he was utterly hideous.
Jill gasped and stumbled backwards, away from Brad's corpse, her eyes fixed on the terrible mutant standing in front of her. The monster stared back at her with his one eye, studying her for a couple of seconds. His permanent grin seemed to widen and Jill shook with fear. She knew that this.... this thing could sense her fear, and whatever it was, it was a lot more intelligent than Tyrant had been.
The monster opened it's mouth and snarled one word.
"Stars."
Jill's eyes widened.
~Stars....stars? Hang on a second....~
Then she realised. She realised what the creature meant.
S.T.A.R.S.
"Oh my God." She whispered aloud. S.T.A.R.S. She should have known. ~So this is what Brad was talking about....~
The creature had killed Brad. He was a S.T.A.R.S. team member. And now, the creature was after her. Even though she'd quit S.T.A.R.S., she still knew about Umbrella's experiments....
~They created this creature to hunt all of us down. He's going to kill all the S.T.A.R.S. members!~
The monster began to slowly and menacingly walk towards Jill, his footsteps shaking the ground. Jill began to back away further.
"W....wait!" She stammered. But it was obviously no use. If this monster had been created with a sole purpose to assasinate her and her colleagues, there was very little chance it was going to leave her alone.
Jill wildly glanced around her. To her left, the double doors of the station were inviting her in to the hellish complex. There was nowhere else to run, apart from the streets, and it was very doubtful she'd be able to hide out there. Or....or....
Or she could stay and fight this monster.
~No chance. I couldn't. He's far too strong.~ She shuddered. ~He could kill me.~
The hideous creature was still walking towards her, glaring straight into her soul with his cold, one eyed stare. Again, the horrible, throaty snarl of "S.T.A.R.S." filled her ears, sending a chill down her spine. He was only about six steps away from her now. Jill shook with fear and continued to back away, until she bumped into the wall behind her.
~Oh God, why is this happening to me?~
Jill nervously glanced at the entrance to the station. ~If I run and fling open the doors, I could make it....~
The monstrous creature roared, causing Jill to jump and turn her head back to the direction of him. To her horror, the monster's walk broke into a run.
"SHIT!" She shrieked in a voice that wasn't her own. Jill Valentine rarely shrieked, when she did it was usually in shock or surprise. Now she was filled with sheer terror as the large mutant ran towards her.
Snapping back to action, Jill rolled out of the creature's way just in time. Skidding to a halt and snarling, the horrendous being turned to face Jill again and glared straight through her, his eye glowing with a fierce urge to destroy. He ran for her again and swung his huge fist at her head. Jill tried to duck out of the way, but was far too slow. The monster's fist connected hard with her cheek, sending a wave of pain through her head. Gasping in shock and pain, Jill stumbled backwards and tripped over a misplaced brick behind her. She toppled over, landing painfully on her left side. She felt her elbow split open with the impact, spilling fresh blood onto the concrete floor. The mutant beast roared menacingly and began to stomp towards Jill again.
~No! Must get up....~ Gritting her teeth, Jill tried to stagger to her feet before the monster caught her. Suddenly she felt a hard grip on her throat and before she knew what was happening, she was being lifted up.
"Gaak!" Jill coughed and spluttered as the creature's grip tightened fiercly. Holding her high into the air, the beast stared up into Jill's face and growled. Jill gasped and struggled to get free, but before she had a chance to realise what was going on, she was thrown roughly to the floor. She screwed up her face in pain as her bare skin scraped across the concrete. She felt the blood and pus oozing from her fresh wounds. As she lay there, gasping in shock, her attacker threw back his head and roared, a mixture of triumph and hate.
Despite her pain, Jill managed to struggle to her feet while the beast was basking in his triumph. Wincing, Jill plucked up her courage and shouted at the mutant, her voice filled with pain and anger.
"Hey, big guy! You think you've killed me, huh?" At this, the monster ceased roaring and glared directly at Jill. His permanent grin sent a chill down Jill's spine, but she still stood her ground, refusing to let this abomination stop her from escaping.
~God damn it, I started out on this journey to survive, to get the hell out of here, and then this ugly son of a bitch comes with the intention of murdering the S.T.A.R.S. in cold blood!~ Her eyes narrowed in fury. ~I will escape! I will not let this motherfucker end my life just like he ended Brad's! I won't!~
"Urarrghh....S.T.A.R.S." The hideous beast responded, balling his huge hands into fists. He slowly advanced towards Jill once more, but Jill stood there, waiting for the right moment.
"Well, just look at me! You can't get rid of me that easily, you freak!" As she said this, she unholstered her handgun and raised it at her enemy's face, her hands trembling with anger and nervousness. The mutant came closer and raised his fist to strike. Jill saw her chance.
"You killed Brad." She snarled flatly, and let off a shot directly into the beast's forehead. It certainly wasn't enough to kill him, but it was enough to make him temporarily lose his bearings. Grunting in pain, the monster clawed at the bullet wedged into his head, giving Jill enough time to quickly limp for the police station doors. Just as her attacker removed the bullet, Jill pulled open the blue double doors and darted through, slamming them shut behind her. She heard the beast roar with anger as the doors closed.
Panting, Jill slumped against the doors, her knees trembling, trying to let what had just happened sink in.
~I can't believe this is happening. Things can't possibly get any God damned worse, can they?!~
Seething with anger and misery, Jill stepped away from the doors. As she did so, she heard a loud bang from behind her. Startled, and nearly falling down the steps behind her, Jill spun around. Through the small windows in the doors, she could see the horrendous face of the brutal creature. There was another bang, and this time Jill saw the doors trembling with the impact.
The monster was trying to get in.
"Oh, give me a God damned break!!" Jill screamed in a rage. "Why won't you just leave me alone?!" Still the large predator thumped at the doors, causing Jill's anger to turn to fear.
~What if he gets in?~
Well, one thing was for sure, Jill certainly wasn't going to be unprepared should the beast manage to open the doors. She pulled her shotgun off of her back and aimed it at the doors, waiting. She was tense all over, and she could hear her heart pounding wildly. The doors shook violently as the mutant continued to punch at them furiously. After about a minute, but what seemed like an eternity, the banging stopped. Jill saw the mutant's hideously ugly face disappear.
Lowering her weapon, and still trembling, Jill slowly walked up close to the doors and peered outside, breathing heavily. What if the monster was still out there?
Jill couldn't see him anywhere. He had given up and gone off elsewhere.
~Thank God for that.~ Jill thought, when her eyes fell upon the corpse of Brad. Immedietely, her eyes filled with tears, blurring the terrible sight that lay before her.
~Brad....no.~ The tears fell down her cheeks. Brad had been a good friend. Sure, he was a complete coward, everyone had known that. His nickname among the other S.T.A.R.S. members had been "Chickenheart Vickers", which was rather unflattering but true. He had always been terrified of death, unwilling to face danger, which was very frustrating for the other soldiers. He had even abandoned the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team when they were in danger, but he was still a complete asset to the team, a great helicopter pilot, a computer expert, and, all in all, a good friend. He had also saved the few surviving team members, herself, Chris Redfield, Barry Burton and Rebecca Chambers, from being blown up in the explosion of one of Umbrella's secret laboratories. Now he was gone, his life taken by undoubtedly the most horrendous of Umbrella Incorperate's creations.
Umbrella. The mere thought of that name made Jill shake with rage. They were the ones who were responsible for all of this. For the outbreak of the T-Virus, for the zombies, the mutants, the destruction of Raccoon City and for the deaths of hundreds of innocent people.
~Selfish, insensitive bastards!!~ Her mind screamed. How she despised them. ~Stupid freaks, too concerned about their mindless experiments to care about anyone else, too wrapped up in trying to destroy all evidence of the outbreak. Why did they create the T-Virus in the first place? Why?! What is the God damned point here?! Why?!~
Jill was seething now, filled with fury and hate for the massive corperation, the tears still spilling uncontrollably down her face, as she thought of the other team mates and friends she had lost due to Umbrella.
~Joseph Frost, killed by those monsterous dogs. Kenneth Sullivan, decapitated and eaten by a zombie. Forest Speyer, eaten alive by mutant crows. Richard Aiken, bitten by a huge poisonous snake. Enrico Marini, shot in the chest by that traitor Albert Wesker, our so-called leader. All of them are dead, and it's all that stupid corperation's fault!~
Jill slammed her fist against the door, sobbing in frustration. While she could save her own skin, there was nothing she could do for her dead friends, and she hadn't helped Brad when she'd had the chance.
~God, Brad, I'm so sorry!~
Still shaking, Jill raised her head and wiped her eyes. She shook her head and glanced outside again, and the sight of Brad's corpse caused her mind to snap.
~Pull yourself together, Jill. Take a few deep breaths. You'll get out of this. You'll find a way to bring Umbrella down. Chris has already headed to their main headquarters in Europe anyway. Maybe he can do something about it.~ Her hopes soared. ~This will all end soon. Their experiments will be exposed. In the meantime Jilly, you'd better bust your butt and get the hell outta here!~
Forcing her gaze away from the door, Jill turned around and glanced around the large main hall. In front of her was a large statue of a water nymph. To her right was a barricaded door, and a few pots of green healing herbs.
"Ah-ha!" She said aloud, before reaching down and plucking the herbs from the soil. She ate one and rubbed another against her wounds. The cuts and grazes on her back and arms weren't really that serious, now they just stung a little.
~This should cure me in no time.~ She thought, as she tucked the remaining herbs into her pouch. Slowly decending the steps, Jill prepared herself to do some serious exploring. She was safe. For now....
****