Hazard: Zero To One
By. Indigo Siren
Disclaimer: Resident Evil is to Capcom. I do not own any of the characters or situations used within the game, though the story idea and any other part not mentioned within the game are mine. This is for entertainment purposes only. All rights reserved.
A/N: My first proper Resident Evil story. A multi part that will document on the Bravo Team's escapades after RE0 through to the end of RE1, following Rebecca's own adventure after leaving Billy Coen. It always interested me how different she is between 0 and 1, how tough she acts and such before the mansion, but when getting there, begins to appear more rookie-like then before. I want to show that progression from one stage to another. And I simply just want to write a story about Rebecca really. Hope you enjoy! Finally, no flames please. If you don't like, don't review. Thanks.
Chapter 1: Zero to One
The early morning glow settled softly across the expanse of wilderness below. The Arklay Mountains were calm, disturbed only by a faint breeze brushing through the lush undergrowth. That, and the distant sound of footsteps ascending a makeshift trail through the heavy thickets.
Those tedious footsteps awkwardly navigating a trail of pine cones and broken branches filled the soundless void where the wildlife should have been. Usually birds were singing their early morning song and little rodents scurried across this thriving territory, their nails scratching against the summer dry earth. But today, under the pale rays of the sun, there was no life whatsoever. There hadn't been for a month or so.
Just a land of emptiness.
After the night she'd had, poor S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Medic, Rebecca Chambers found herself only marginally comforted by her surroundings. Daylight had washed away the shadows that had once obscured the sight of oncoming danger, though she was hoping that the threat was now well and truly over. She prayed longingly for peace under the light of a new day.
But a sense of foreboding clung to her, making her think otherwise.
A part of her wanted the shadows back. She needed the gloom to make everything seem less real. Darkness, though a terror of its own, blanketed the worst of the horror. Even so, after the last ten hours, a little bit of sunlight did raise her waning spirit. Frankly, she didn't look forward to facing anything in broad daylight. The idea of seeing zombie creatures rotting under a hot sun brought bile up to the back of her throat. Clearing her thoughts of such disurbing images, she was left only with the heavy sense of forlorn.
It had been a lonely trek for the rookie after parting Billy Coen's company. Most of the courage she'd mustered before was now subdued by her anxiety. What had become of the rest of her team? Were they all okay? Did they make it to the mansion Captain Marini had told her about?
Did they go through as much of the horror as she had? What if they were in trouble right now? She hoped if they were alive that their condition was better then her own.
Though not carry any real physical injury, she looked pretty worse for wear after the long, gruelling night. Dirt smeared across a once clean green and white uniform, leaving her looking rather tattered. The distinct markings of dried blood caked across her combat gear. Most of which was not her own.
Her hand rested tiredly, though dutifully, on the butt of a .50 Calibre Magnum tucked into her belt. It eased her worries somewhat.
It wasn't the only weapon she was carrying on her person. In her thigh holster was her S.T.A.R.S. issued Beretta M92FS, complete with three clips in her pack. Strapped to her back was a 12 gauge shotgun, with only six rounds left. All in all, the combined arsenal made her feel that she had at least a slim chance in handling herself if things started to go wrong again.
Hopefully it won't, she told herself, trying to make it a firm belief that when James Marcus died, the horror died with him.
Leech men, zombies, mutant dogs, frog monsters, undead monkeys… It was like something out of a horror writer's wildest dream. And she'd seen it all. Survived it all. Cursing under her breath, she tried to cast her thoughts aside, checking instead her watch to see how good her progress was so far.
She'd left Billy's company just after sunrise; sometime after six she estimated the first time she checked her watch. Now, it was just turning ten past eight, roughly two hours on. She had made good time across the forest trac. It had not been the easiest path to travel.
Thus far, it had been quiet - too quiet for her liking - but it was better then jumping at every sound around her. She surmised it could take about another hour to get to the mansion from her current position.
It wasn't too long before she found herself back at the rail tracks where the Ecliptic Express once stood. Besides the broken glass on each side of the line, it was as if it had never been there at all. She crossed over, trying to give it as little thought at possible.
I shouldn't be too far from the chopper now, she thought and suddenly brightened up. She wondered if Kevin Dooley would still be there, or maybe he'd gone with the Bravo team when things had gone wrong? All she could hope was that he had stayed safe with either choice. But after what had happened with Edward Dewey…
She bit her lip, pushing her way through the trees with greater determination despite her weary state.
The back end of the downed helicopter suddenly came into sight through a mesh of drooping trees. It's shell looked in worse condition now she saw it in daylight. The tail was completely trashed, crumpled at a ninety degree angle to the right. The once white painted exterior was dishevelled with dirt and smoke stains.
It would definitely not fly again.
"Kevin?" She called out, not raising her voice too much. She still couldn't trust she was safe enough to call out properly. There was only silence in response. She tried again, this time relenting and calling louder. "Kevin!" Her voice echoed surprisingly loud around her, sending an involuntary shudder down her spine. Still, no answer to her call.
Maybe he has gone on ahead…
She rounded the left side of the chopper and paused mid-step.
The side window of the cockpit was smashed inward. The ledge was smattered with red marks that could only be one plausible thing. Further sidestepping and she could see the front panes were badly damaged. One was streamed with spider web cracks, and the other was shattered into an uneven half, with the top part still hanging like glass teeth in the frame.
She swallowed silently, her mouth suddenly very dry. Each step she took only made her heart beat faster.
I'm ready for this, I'm ready for this…
The magnum had been drawn the second she'd seen the smashed window. The weight in her hands gave her self-assurance that if anything inhuman lingered, they'd be picking their brains out of the grass with a pair of tweezers.
Her eyes combed the area around her as she proceeded with cautious steps towards the broken cockpit window. It wasn't in her best interest to get ambushed from behind, so she kept her back firmly to the metal shell of the chopper, turning only when she came to the side of the window.
She held up the magnum vertical, ready at a seconds notice to fall into her shooters' stance as slowly but surely she turned to peer into the cockpit.
The gasp in her throat was choked as she recoiled with shock at the sight fixing her to the spot. Kevin's twitching body was sprawled in the far seat, small noises coming from his dying throat. Around the cockpit was pure blood and carnage, with him as the unfortunate root. The side of his face was slashed with deep claws marks, the right eye completely destroyed. The socket was now simply filled with a pulpy mess of clear liquid, fragmented bone and blood. His torso was ravaged beyond belief. His stomach a massive gaping hole of gore. Half of his digestive system pooled out like chunky soup into his lap.
And yet, he was still alive. Though, not for much longer anyway…
Distraught, Rebecca dropped her guard and rushed to the side hatch of the helicopter hoping in vain to alleviate his suffering from whatever brutally attacked him. Of course, the second she managed to pry the hatch, her horrors further elevated as two, black furry masses of death turned, their white, hungry eyes locked onto her. They swallowed the chunks of bloodied flesh they'd be chewing on and turned towards the young woman.
Zombie dogs! She jumped aside, her mind burning with renewed dread as the two hellhounds leapt out the back of the helicopter.
They were badly decomposing. Their heads, chests and legs all torn to reveal glistening sinew and bone. The smell alone they emitted was ungodly, turning Rebecca's stomach in tight knots. But she didn't have time to focus on that now. The two zombie pooches had landed and were making a beeline straight for her.
With no time to lose, she hoisted the magnum up and targeted the closest. She pulled the trigger, sending a bullet straight through the rotting side of the hound. It was almost split in two and was sent tumbling a few metres from where she was crouched.
The other bound and leapt, slathering jaws coming down on her. Quickly aiming up, she pumped a round straight into the neck of the creature, near enough decapitating it. It hit the ground unmoving at her feet. The other was trying desperately to claw towards her, growling with hungry fury. A bullet to the brain obliterated the cranium and stopped the dog dead in its tracks.
Her heart thumped relentlessly as she backed up to the hatchway of the chopper, scanning quickly inside for other threats before searching down the end of the barrel across the land site. With no other obvious danger, she pulled herself into the chopper and with a strain managed to heave the hatch closed.
It was only a makeshift safety barrier. If anymore dogs decided to come, they still had the broken windows to get through. She hoped and prayed it had only been the two.
Now that the crisis was temporarily averted, Rebecca turned her attention back to Kevin, scrambling over the forward bench to his position. Though she was supposed to be hardened to all levels of bodily trauma, she couldn't help but feel horrified by the state of the team's substitute pilot.
She knew there was nothing she could do for him now as she tenderly reached out to touch his shoulder. He convulsed violently under her touch, his surviving eye rolling up in her direction, wide with agony.
It was already filming over.
"If only I'd got here sooner," she whispered, her eyes blurring up with tears. "I'm so sorry…"
His mouth opened and closed, not only gasping for air but trying to form words on his last dying breaths. But they were garbled by the blood bubbling in his throat, eventually spilling out down both sides of his face. From her side pack, she pulled out a strip of gauze, pitifully dabbing it against his bloodied lips, whispering meaningless apologies the whole while. She kept wishing over and over that the whole episode was just a dream.
With one last back-arching spasm, he flopped heavily between the two pilots' seats and fell still.
Carefully, she lifted her hands away from his lifeless body. The gauze fell to the seat beside her. Her quivering hands came to rest against her wet cheeks as she slipped back off the bench and onto the floor. One deep breath after another, she pushed back the tears. It was hard going, but she managed to swallow down the need to go into hysterics.
Got to stay strong, she told herself. For everyone's sake.
She'd done well so far, but it wasn't easy. At some point, the need to grieve would take control of her and she didn't know how good to anybody she'd be then. For now though she had to stay focused on the task at hand.
Get to the mansion in one piece.
Once calmed and certain the tears wouldn't come back, she began to loot the chopper for any needed supplies.
Two first aid sprays were tucked into a medical box under the bench on the back wall. There were also some fresh bandages in plastic wrap. She'd used up a lot of her supplies during the trek around Umbrella's horrific training facility. It was good to be able to stock up again before she ventured further into unknown territory.
Ammo wise, she found another clip of 9mm bullets for her Beretta and two sets of six rounds for the magnum. There was no sign of any shotgun ammo at all. It didn't bother her too much, seeing as she managed to scrape herself a nice little bundle.
Having gathered all the supplies she could, she collected whatever courage she had left and abandoned the chopper. There were no other signs of dogs in close proximity, but it didn't ease her nerves one bit. She decided to keep the magnum out in case she faced any other unexpected foes.
With one last solemn look at the helicopter, she said a quiet prayer for Kevin and moved on with semi-hurried steps into the thick undergrowth.
It wasn't so bad now. The trees weren't so close together, and she wasn't having to bound precariously over tree roots and stray logs. Though now she had to contend with the waist high grass. She slowed, just so that she could adjust her hearing to distinguish the sound of her own movements from what could potentially be others.
For now, she was alone.
She lashed her way through the dry grass with one hand to hurry the process along. The other was poised with the magnum pointed shakily upwards. She wanted to get out of this patch as quickly as possible, not keen on being blindsided while she was in an awkward position.
Eventually, the grass height dropped rapidly as the area around her spread into a less dense patch of the forest. Soon she was trotting over an even levelled pasture. The masses of big oaks spread apart and the young medic came upon a clearing. Spaced around were flamboyant Pine's in full leaf. Thin rays of light danced through the leafs, turning the forest floor a sparkling gold.
Almost beautiful. Almost.
Distantly, the trees grew thicker and closer together, obscuring the further horizon, much to her dismay.
Which way now? She considered, somewhat perturbed by her lack of directional sense. It was at times like this that she wished she'd taken more interest in orienteering.
A sudden hiss had her spinning on the spot, her handcannon up in a flash-
-Her shaky breath was suddenly held, only until she came to realise the hissing and whining was coming from the radio on the back of her belt.
She let out a nervous laugh at her own stupidity and grabbed hold of the communication device while tucking away her weapon. The clicking and buzzing of the wavering radio waves chattered at her as she tried to make out what seemed to be a distant, deep voice amidst the lively static. She hit the receive button and held it up close to her mouth.
"Hello? Can you here me? This is Rebecca. Over."
The whining of static crackled louder, though through obstructing sounds, a voice became clearer, and more apparent to whom it belonged to.
"Can you… … This… … Enrico… What are… Positions… … Respond… Careful… … In the mansion…"
"Enrico!" Rebecca called into the receiver. "This is Rebecca! I can just about hear you! Where are you? Over."
"Repeat… … Respond… Where…" The Captain's voice began to break up beyond any comprehension.
Rebecca furiously worked at the radio, though she'd never been all that good at operating one. Her efforts were doing nothing to resolve the issue.
"Captain! Can you hear me? I repeat, this is Rebecca! Over."
His voice was merging into the crackling static, and she was left fumbling desperately with the radio, not realising she was attracting the attention of unknown foes amidst the trees.
Rebecca remembered suddenly of the second radio. Before they had parted company, Billy had returned Edward's radio to her. He wasn't going to need it anymore.
Quickly, she opened her side pack and removed the radio, switching it on.
"Captain Marini!" She called anxiously into the radio. "This is Rebecca! Please, if you can hear me, I am not too far away from the mansion. I will be there soon. If you can, please tell me your position. Over."
All she got was a faded echo of what was Enrico's voice, and the reverberation from her original radio with her own frantic voice. The static finally settled into a low hum, but he was gone now. With a sigh, she switched off the second radio and tucked it back into her pack.
Just as she was about to tuck the first back onto the back of her belt, she heard a growl.
And then another. And another…
"Oh God…" Her breathless exclamation led her to turn carefully, finding herself within three hundred feet of four Cerberus dogs, stalking from between the trees towards her with the intention to kill.
Their sticky, ichorous flanks were peeling away in clumps from the bone. These creatures should have been rotting quietly somewhere, but no, here they were moving with a fluidity that the dead shouldn't have.
Slowly, she reached for the magnum, bracing herself in a comfortable shooting position with a single step back. Just as the barrel slipped from the belt, the dogs charged at her.
The magnum was quickly up and firing. The shot sailed high into the shoulder of the first, tearing the leg partially away from its body. The beast was spun by the shot and took out the legs of one of its compatriots, sending it to the floor on top of it.
Turning quick and firing at another, she hit home with a direct shot to the head. Its skull exploded in a shower of bone and brain, the body tripping over itself and rolling haphazardly in the grass. The one behind leapt over its fallen friend and picked up speed as it got within leaping distance of the young medic. She couldn't even get off another shot as the beast jumped up at her, slamming its weight full on into her chest. As she went down, she snapped her head aside just in time avoid the jaws biting down onto her face.
As she hit the grass, she slammed her fists into its slimy hide and thrust the dog away a few metres.
Rebecca moved onto her side, took aim the best she could and fired. It blasted the creature in the hip and flipped it over. But it was still 'alive', and dragging itself up. She pulled the trigger again. CLICK.
DAMN IT!!!
Hurriedly she discarded the empty chamber and scrambled in her pack for another, and at the same time, scrambled backwards on her backside to try and keep some distance between her and the dog she'd just shot. But that one wasn't the only one to worry about. The first, now three-legged beast, was scrambling in her direction, with its much more physically-abled friend charging quickly ahead to get first pickings of the fresh meat.
With her shaky hands hindering her process, it took longer then she hoped to ram the ammo into its chamber. Six fresh bullets ready to go and a dog practically on top of her. Leaning back, she threw the gun up with the jaws of death within metres of her and fired a shot, obliterating the muzzle and pretty much all of the face of the offending beast. It's limp body landed on top of her.
She rolled it off, scrambling to her feet in fear and disgust and began to run. The direction didn't matter too much, as long as it was the opposite one to the monsters.
She didn't have to worry about the beast with the shattered hip. It wasn't going anywhere very fast. However, the three legged Cerberus was adapting to losing a limb by the sheer will of its hunger. It gave chase, plodding at a fair speed.
She dashed through the network of trees, gritting her teeth as the muscles in her legs began to burn from exertion. Her knuckles were turning white as her grip tightened on her weapon.
Through the sounds of her own furious footsteps, racing heartbeat and ragged breaths, she could distinctly hear other 'life' bursting into the area. Rapid, beating paws tore across the stretch on either side of her. An involuntarily cry of fear passed her lips, knowing that at least three or more dogs had come from the depths of the forest in pursuit of her flesh.
Her mind had been set to go straight forward, to run on for as far as she could before she even tried to engage the pursuing hellhounds, but in a split second turning to her left to see how far to the side one set of the dogs were, she double-took as the outline of a large house came into her line of sight.
THE MANSION! There was still hope left.
Veering her course, she rose the weapon, cupped up against her right shoulder, as she turned and fired while still in a run at the on coming beasts charging through the undergrowth on her left. The first shot missed completely, taking a chunk out of a tree. The second skimmed the side of one of the two dog's heads, blasting a sizable chunk of meat and bone away. It staggered, growled and fell. She fired two more shots at the second, blowing one of its feet clean off and striking it in the upper chest, right into its heart. It went down hard and fast.
Three left… The first crippled beast and its two new friends to the right…
The trees split away as she ran through the exit of the forest area and into the garden opening at the front of the mansion. A few more feet and she'd be at the surrounding fence. At least if she got that between her and the dogs, she'd have more of a chance to survive the pursuit.
Rebecca didn't know how much longer her legs were going to last. Her knees were red hot and burning. The muscles in her thighs and calves were so tight they brought tears to her eyes. But the adrenaline kept her going. She knew if she stopped, she'd be dead.
She was at the fence in mere seconds. The other dogs finally burst through the trees. Her hands scrambled along until she gripped the rusting iron gate. Her small hand fit through the bar and snagged the latch, thrusting the gate open. She rushed through, slamming it closed just as the dogs caught up, smashing into the metal obstruction and nearly tearing it off its rusty hinges. Rebecca back peddled and tripped, landing on her rear.
Startled, she rose the gun again and took aim, blasting at the bars and only managing to dint the iron.
The gun ran dry and she quickly searched out the last of her magnum ammo, and rammed it into the gun and aimed, firing again. The crippled dog had a hole blasted clean through its chest, and it dropped down like a sack of potatoes.
The other two Cerberus were restless. They weren't just about to let their meal get away. Both backed up, ready to leap the fence.
Rebecca noticed this and scrambled up, turning to regard the two sets of at least ten steps between her and the main double doors into the mansion. Without further hesitation, she rushed up, but her tired legs saw her stumbling up the last stretch. Of course, just as she was halfway up the second set of steps, the dogs bounded up and over the fence, tearing chunks of meat off their sides in the process.
She pushed onward, reaching out desperately for the door handle as she fell against it. Yanking it down, she found that it wouldn't budge. Horrified, she slammed her shoulder into the wooden obstacle, ramming the handle up and down desperately.
"NO! PLEASE, NO!" She cried, spinning as the clatter of those closing paws were right on her heels. Releasing the handle, she spun the gun up in a one handed grip and fired at the dog that was airborne in a leaping strike. It was blown out of the air with a high pitched yelp.
The gun bounced loose in her hand, and in those few vulnerable seconds, the other dog was suddenly on her. It leapt and slammed into her and the magnum was gone. It flew off into the thick shrubbery lining the steps.
A frightened scream ripped from her lips as the dog rammed her back against the door. She jammed her forearm under its bloodied neck, keeping its deformed jaws from taking chunks out of her.
Her struggle was desperate as she pounded her free hand into it's exposed ribs, shaking side to side as it scrabbled at her Kevlar vest with ragged claws. Shrieking, and with as much force as she could, she pushed forward and slammed the beast into an ornate pot vase decorating a pillar at the top of the steps. It fell away from her with a yelp, tumbling into the bushes. She staggered back to the entrance, eyes searching for the lost magnum.
As her back came in contact with the oak door, it suddenly flew open. She stumbled back in surprise. A clammy hand suddenly clamped around her arm and yanked her backwards hard. She couldn't turn quick enough and found herself screaming as she was pulled into the confines of the mansion. The world beyond was quickly shut out, and the previously pursing beast was beaten back by the strong door.
The hand slipped away from her and she tripped over her own two feet, falling hard against a shiny, marble floor. For the briefest of moments, she blacked out…