Sara joined the others as they searched around the office. She wondered who the hell would make an office under a statue? Scratch that. Why even make a statue that needs all these medallions to open up a door that leads someplace underground? She shook her head before walking over at the typewriter on the desk. She watched the others look around for something useful and thought they can do that without her. She sat down on the chair and typed: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
'Hehe. That movie was weird.' She thought before leaving the chair and following Alan out the door. The two looked at found an elevator on the small hall and called the other two over.
"Where do you think it goes?"
"Hm. No idea. Didn't even know this thing existed." Alan replied.
Claire looked at the three and shrugged before entering the elevator "Come on, guys. Down the rabbit hole."
~Line Break~
"Hello? HELLO!?"
"Redfield, get back here!"
Alan cursed as Claire ran ahead of the group. Before they could run after her, something big ran on the floor above them. Alan turned to Kennedy "Go after her, rookie. We'll watch your back."
Leon nodded before following after Claire. Alan watched him go before nodding to Sara. The two raised their weapons and aimed at the walkway above them.
"What the fuck was that?"
"No idea. Eyes open, Parker. I got a bad feeling about this."
They cautiously made their way past the generators and into a large room filled with more machinery. Alan's eyes found on the crouched forms of Leon and Claire. He heard hushed tones coming from them and made his way over, Sara walking beside him. They only managed to take a few steps when they heard something behind them.
"Ugh. Rraggh."
The two quickly turned around and aimed at the monstrosity in front of them. It's body was was barely human. Nearly everything on it's right side and it's chest were mutated. Clothes were ripped open but they can tell he wore a lab coat. A Doctor? Then it's mutated shoulder opened to reveal a large eye. They should've moved. Every instinct told them to move but they were transfixed at it. The mutant roared and swung a broken metal pipe in it's mutated hand. Sara ducked in time but Alan didn't. The pipe slammed into his gut and sent him flying over the railing and into one of the machines. He fell to the floor below, unmoving. Sara prepared to fire but the monster backhanded her and sent her flying towards the other two.
~Line Break~
"Hey, it's OK... We won't hurt you. Promise."
The little girl poked her head out from behind the boxes and Claire could see her face. Blond hair tied in a ponytail. A red headband nestled on her head. She wore something like a school uniform. White blouse under a blue plaid vest. Black shorts with matching socks and white sneakers. Leon crouched down beside her and she handed him the flashlight. Claire then held out her hand for the little girl to take.
"Do you need help? Here, you can take my hand..."
"You... need... help." The little girl stuttered out.
"What?"
Before the little girl could answer, Leon and Claire heard a scream behind them just before Sara slammed on the wedged locker. The little girl hid behind the boxes while Claire tended to the mercenary. Leon raised his MP5 and saw the monster that threw their friend.
"What the!?"
The monster roared before charging at him. He didn't have time to warn Claire before it grabbed him with by the neck and slammed him to the ground. Leon screamed and felt the walkway they were standing on begin to give out. Meanwhile, Claire aimed at the monster's back.
"Hey, Asshole!"
She fired shot after shot until the monster roared and turned around. It raised the broken pipe and swung down. Claire managed to dodge but the pipe slammed down on the walkway and it gave out. Everyone on the platform fell with it. Claire quickly recovered and helped Leon up. She handed him his fallen SMG before aiming at the recovering monster.
The monster roared as it stood up. In it's mutated hand was Sara's M4. It looked at it before turning it's gaze at the prone form of the mercenary. It crushed the gun in it's hand before picking up the broken pipe on the ground beside it. It growled as it stomped it's way towards the fallen mercenary.
Claire and Leon quickly opened fire on the monster, hoping to get it's attention away from Sara. The bullets managed to hit the large eye on it's shoulder and the monster turned it's rage-filled gaze at them. It roared before charging at them. Leon quickly shoved Claire to the side before being grabbed by the head by the monster's mutated claw.
"LEON!" Claire grabbed the rookie's fallen MP5 and aimed at the monster. Unfortunately, she couldn't fire at the risk of hitting Leon. Said cop was punching and kicking, hoping to get the monster to let his head go. He then remembered the knife Marvin gave him and reached for it. He pulled the knife out, glad that the monster's hand didn't cover his whole head, and stabbed the monster right in it's shoulder eye. The monster let him go while screaming in pain. Leon backpedaled and took out his Matilda. He fired at it again and again, hoping he was actually doing damage to it.
While all this was happening, Claire had switched to her GM-79 and was waiting for Leon to backpedal towards her. When he reached her, she fired an incendiary shell. The shell exploded on contact and lit the monster aflame. It roared in pain before falling to one knee. Claire didn't waste the opportunity and quickly reloaded the launcher. She fired another incendiary shell and hoped the thing would go down already.
Unfortunately, the monster started to rise up. It's gaze locked solely on her as it snarled in anger. It charged at the two, it's weapon raised to strike. The two rolled out of the way just as it swung it's weapon wide. Claire was about to load another shell but it grabbed her leg and lifted her in the air, making her drop the GM-79. Leon, who had recovered his MP5, fired the whole clip on the monster's back. The monster roared before turning around and throwing Claire at him. He was busy reloading the gun when Claire's body slammed into him with enough force to send them to the ground a few feet away.
Suddenly, a bullet struck the monster in the back of it's head and turned around to fave it's attacker. Sara, who was leaning her shoulder on one of the machines, had the MUP in her left hand and the UBCS Standard Issue, which still had smoke coming out of the barrel, in her right.
"Not dead yet, Fucker!"
She fired her pistols at the monster's shoulder eye. It roared and wildly swung the metal pipe all over the place, hitting some of the larger pipes and causing gas to leak out of them. Sara cursed her luck and wondered if the monster did it on purpose to obscure her vision or just did it because it was having a tantrum. As the gas filled the area around her, she limped away from her spot and rounded the maze-like room. She kept quiet, keeping an ear out in case it was right behind her or just around the corner. She could feel herself sweat and her hands slightly tremble. She heard a clang behind her and quickly turned around, firing two shots.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! It's us. It's us!"
Sara narrowed her eyes and saw two figures move closer to her. Once they were close enough, they were revealed to be Claire and Leon. The rookie had 870 out, a good idea considering the gas obscuring the area, never know when the monster might just be around the corner. Claire, on the other hand, was wielding the MP5. The three heard another clang and settled themselves back-to-back, fingers on the trigger as they kept an eye on their foggy surroundings.
Without warning, the monster's metal pipe swung out from the gas and slammed the three of them on the midsection. They were thrown off their and landed in different ways. Leon had his back slam into a machine, causing sparks to erupt from it. Claire fell to the ground and rolled a few feet away, clutching her midsection in pain. Sara slammed to a metal pillar and slid down
"Son of a bitch." She cursed and looked up, seeing the monster stalking towards her. She took out a grenade and pulled the pin before throwing it at the monster's feet "Right back at ya."
The grenade hit the ground a few inches in front of it and rolled towards the monster. It stepped over it but the grenade exploded underneath it. It roared in pain and fell to it's knee. Sara struggled to get up before feeling someone grab her arm and pull her up. She looked to the side and saw Alan. The SWAT had one arm supporting the mercenary while firing his 727 from the hip. Sara then raised her MUP and joined him in shooting the monster. They were soon joined by a limping Leon and Claire. The rookie raised his Matilda and fired at the downed monster. Claire, on the other hand, loaded the GM-79 with a fresh incendiary shell and fired. The explosion, along with the flames licking it's skin, caused the monster to roar in pain. They noticed it's shoulder eye was red, hopefully it was a good thing.
Claire reloaded the grenade launcher when she saw the monster starting to rise up. It roared and charged at them. She and Leon dodged out of the way. Alan, however, didn't. He shoved Sara to the side and was slammed back by the monster's shoulder. It didn't give him time to recover before grabbing him by the head and dragging him away. He reached for his knife and repeatedly stabbed the monster's arm to no avail. Sara brought her pistols up and fired at the monster's back. It just shrugged off the bullets and kept dragging Alan's kicking body away. She heard the guns click and the slides lock back.
"Fuck."
The monster dragged Alan's body towards the railing, intent on throwing him over to his doom. Before he could get the chance, however, Leon ran behind it and fired a pointblank shot from his 870. The monster stumbled forward and let Alan's head go. The SWAT quickly scrambled away just as an incendiary shell exploded on the monster's back and forced it over the railing, screaming and roaring as it fell to the abyss.
Alan let out deep breaths as the adrenaline wore off. A hand was held out in front of and he looked up to see it's owner was Kennedy. He nodded and took the offered appendage. Leon helped him up before Alan patted the rookie in the back.
"Thanks, man. If we ever get outta here, drinks are on me."
Leon chuckled and shook Alan's hand "I'll hold you to that."
"Hehe."
The two walked over to the girls, who were looking up at a platform with a ladder. The ladder was dropped down and they could see the little girl standing on the second floor. Claire, Leon and Sara went ahead and climbed up the ladder. Alan stayed behind to pick up any of their fallen weapons and scrounged the area for anything that could be of use. Some ammo boxes and herbs but that's it. Normally, he would be confiscating herbs. Not using them. At least these herbs had healing properties. He remembered using one of the herbs he confiscated once. Damn plant took him to fucking Mars. He shook his head and tried to forget his 'Out-of-this-World' experience.
~Line Break~
"How you holding up?"
"Fine. Considering how many times I've been thrown around like a ragdoll." Sara replied as she applied First Aid Spray over her body. She didn't know how it worked but apparently, spraying it over your body can instantly heal you from any damage. But, who was she to complain? It got the job than and it's better than waiting for a medic to patch you up when you can do it yourself. Although, it sucks that you waste a whole can doing it. How much are these things anyway? Must've cost a fortune to civies.
Alan offered his hand to her and helped her up. They let the three go on ahead while Sara got her bearings. Alan stayed behind to watch her back. Sara cursed her luck when Alan gave her back her M4. Big fucker destroyed beyond repair. She sighed and unholstered her MUP. She still had one mag left for that Carbine. What a damn waste.
"Come on." Alan nodded towards the ladder "Let's get the fuck outta this dump."
She performed a brass check on her pistol before nodding. They only got a few steps in before they heard gunshots. The two shared a look before Alan ran to the ladder, Sara not far behind.
"Can we get a goddamn break for once?"
~Line Break~
"Damn. We need a keycard."
"You wouldn't happen to have another one with you?"
Leon shook his head and turned to face the other two. He smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head "Nope. Sorry."
Claire pouted mockingly "Oh, boo."
Leon chuckled but slowly reached for his holstered gun "Don't turn around."
Claire saw him reaching for his gun and held Sherry tighter, hearing the low growl behind her. She nodded to him and he nodded in return. He pulled out his gun and Claire made a run for it with Sherry. The moment they left, the hideous looking Doberman ran after them. Or would have if Leon didn't put a bullet in it's body. The zombie dog staggered before charging at Leon. He fired again but the dog dodged and pounced him. He held it back with his left arm while trying to reach for his fallen gun with the other.
Claire hid Sherry behind a pillar and told her to stay there. She turned back to Leon and saw him get pounced by the zombie dog. She took out her revolver and was about to fire but someone beat her to it. She looked to the shooter and was expecting to see Alan or Sara but instead saw a woman in a beige coat. Short black her and eyes obscured by a pair of black tinted glasses. Claire aimed her gun at the woman but kept her finger off the trigger.
Leon, who had retrieved his pistol, did the same. The woman looked at them and scoffed "Stay sharp."
She moved to leave. Leon and Claire would've told her to stop but the zombie dog growled and tried to bite Leon. Claire quickly put a bullet to it's head the same time Leon did, causing most of the dog's head to just explode.
"Hands in the air, lady."
Leon and Claire heard Sara's voice and saw her and Alan aiming their weapons at the woman. Said woman crossed her arms before pulling out a badge and showing it to them.
"Lower it."
Claire motioned for Sherry to stay down before helping Leon up. She didn't trust that woman. Something about her just didn't sit right.
"You okay?" She asked Leon.
"Aside from the blood, guts and rotten stench all over me. I'm good."
Claire wrinkled her nose "Ugh. You need a shower. Bad."
Leon raised his forearm to his nose and sniffed. He quickly recoiled and shook his head "Ugh. Definitely."
The two walked over to the others just as Alan gave the badge back to the woman. He nodded at Sara "It's good."
Sara lowered her gun slowly but still kept her eyes on the woman. Alan did the same before asking "FBI, huh? When I saw that, I was expecting someone like SWAT. Not someone who looked like a P.I. So the question is, what the hell are you doing here?"
"Classified." The woman replied casually. Too casual for him. Raccoon's been the literal definition of hell on earth. Any one in this situation would either be panicking or, like them, cautious. This woman was neither. Plus, she looked far too clean for this. No cuts, bruises, dirt, grime or even a drop of blood on her clothing and person.
"Bullshit." Sara called out. Voicing his, and probably the other two's, unspoken opinion to that "We're in a zombie apocalypse, toots. You can't pull that shit outta your ass and hand it to us." Everyone noticed that she was slowly raising her weapon again "So either come clean right now or your zombie chow. FBI, right? So tell us how the fuck did this shitshow start?"
"...Classified." And with that, she walked past them.
The four watched her go. Sara scoffed and holstered her gun "Bitch."
"Maybe." Alan said "But we still gotta open that door. Kennedy, got a key for thi- Where'd he go?"
Claire pointed at the door to where the woman walked away with her thumb. Judging by her look, she didn't like that one bit. Alan sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Fucking rookie." He muttered before handing Sara his Colt 727 "Stay here and see if you can find anything useful. You and Redfield are gonna keep an eye on the kid. I'll try and get the rookie back. If we're lucky, he might pick up the key card on the way."
"Got it." She checked the magazine before nodding "Keep your eyes on that chick. Gut's telling me she's bad news."
"Let's hope your not. I'm fine with killing zombies. At least they don't shoot guns."
"Good luck."
Alan nodded and left to go after Leon but not before taking out his Samurai Edge.
~Line Break~
It didn't take long for Alan to find him. Leon was on the very last cell, away from the rest. He was talking to someone, a survivor?
"Just get me the fuck outta here!"
Alan joined Leon just in time to see a large arm break through the cement walls inside the cell. The hand grabbed the guy by the head and the two raised their weapons at him. They couldn't get a shot and could only watch as the guy's head was crushed like a melon. The hand let the body go and Alan tried to see who it belonged to. Unfortunately, it was too dark to see.
"Oh my God..."
Alan looked at the damage and wrinkled his nose in disgust. Poor guy was barely recognizable. The two heard someone approaching them and raised their weapons at the figure.
"Stand down or we will fire!"
The woman from before walked over to them, casual as ever "It's just me. You can put this things away now."
She looked at the cell and observed the body "You guys might wanna get out of here. Wouldn't wanna end up like Ben, would you?"
"Who's this guy, anyway?"
"Ben Bertolucci. An Informant." She crossed her arms before turning away from the body "He had information on my investigation."
"So what he said was true?" Leon asked.
The woman simply dismissed him and walked away.
"Hey, you can't keep walking away from me."
"So just you?" Alan asked bemusedly. Seems the Rookie got a crush on the FBI lady.
Leon cringed "Uh. I- I mean us."
Alan chuckled before going serious "Who's the dead guy and what did he say?"
"He said he was going to blow the whistle on Chief Irons."
"So the fat bastard locked him up."
"Why does everyone seem to hate the Chief? Sounds like a nice guy from the magazines."
Alan shook his head "Don't believe that BS. Irons is a coward who doesn't know jackshit. Nobody on RPD liked the guy. I saw the fat ass looking at the Mayor's daughter like a fucking pervert. Didn't even bother hiding it until someone called his name. Did the same thing to some of the secretaries before they quit. Mostly blonds though. And the fact that his office is full of fucking taxidermy animals. Creepy as hell, I'll tell ya. Hopefully, he's some Zeke's dinner by now."
"Huh. Ben said the same thing."
Alan looked at the body again. Ben Bertolucci. Why does that name sounded familiar? Wait.
"Ben Bertolucci, right?"
"Yeah. That's his name. At least, that's what she said."
"I think this guy was seeing the Mayor's daughter or something like that. Guess that's another reason why Irons would lock him up. Like I said, he was eyeing the Mayor's kid. Fat fuck must've been jealous, too."
"Maybe. He's got the key card. But I haven't found the key to this thing." Leon gave the bars a tug.
"Then let's find it and get the fuck outta here. I for one don't wanna end up with my head squashed like a melon."
"You and me both."
The two gave the body a look one last time before leaving.
~Line Break~
Earlier
Sara watched him go before turning to Claire "Where's the kid?"
Claire walked over to the pillar and bid Sherry out "Come on, it's OK. It's just us."
The girl walked away from the pillar and hugged Claire's side. Sara couldn't help but smile at that. The kid was adorable and looked like she imprinted on Redfield. She walked over to them and crouched to the kid's level "You are just adorable, ya know. I don't understand why someone as cute as you lived this long but I'm not complaining."
She reached over and pinched both of Sherry's cheeks. The girl was trying to push her hands away but she was smiling and laughing as well.
'God, this kid is too cute for the zombie apocalypse.'
"Sherry."
Sara quickly turned around and raised her gun to the source of the voice but the last thing she saw was a flash and a horrible pain on her temple before blacking out.
~Line Break~
Claire stared in shock as Sara fell to the ground. She took out her gun but saw the shooter already pointing his at her.
"Ah, ah. I wouldn't do that if I were you." He taunted and slowly walked over to them "Drop the gun, on the ground, hands behind your head."
Claire responded with a glare before walking in front of Sherry. She wasn't gonna let this guy near her.
"On the ground, now!" He yelled one more time before firing a shot at her feet.
Claire simply glared but complied. She dropped her weapon and brought her hands behind her head before kneeling. Who is this fucker anyway? And how does he know Sherry?
The man then threw a set of cuffs at Sherry's feet but kept the gun pointed at her "Sherry, tie her up."
"You can't be serious."
"Shut up! Tie her up, now!"
Sherry was terrified. Her body visibly shaking from fear. Not for herself but for clear. The man saw that she wouldn't move and sighed in annoyance "Alright, then."
He walked closer and let the barrel of the gun nearly kiss Claire's forehead "Tie her up now or she dies."
Sherry quickly grabbed the cuffs and bound Claire's wrists. While this happened, Claire kept her gaze on the man "What's this all about?"
"Child endangerment, for starters." He replied before walking over the gate's controls and unlocking it. He turned around and gestured for Sherry.
"Sherry, come here."
"What are you gonna do to her?"
"None of your fucking business."
Claire began to struggle in her bonds "If you hurt her, I swear to God, I will fuc-"
He didn't let her finish as he kicked her down. He knelt down and grabbed Claire by the hair and pointed his gun under her jaw "What's your name?"
Claire didn't respond and simply struggled to get out.
"What's your fucking name!?"
"Claire!"
"Sherry, you come with me now or say goodbye to Claire."
"Okay, okay. I'll go!" Sherry quickly hurried to the man's side "You better be taking me to my mom."
The man spread his arms and nodded "Absolutely."
Claire managed to move to a sitting position and yelled "Don't listen to him! He's full of shit!"
The man then backhanded her and forced her back to the ground. Sherry could feel the tears on the corner of her eyes about to pour "Stop hurting her! Please!"
The man roughly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out of the Parking Garage "Don't tell me how to do my job!"
"Stop! Let me go! Let me go!"
"Obviously, nobody taught you manners. We'll just have to fix that!"
Claire managed to break free from the binds and jumped to her feet. She ran for Sherry but the gate shut just before she could get out.
"I'LL GET YOU, YOU FUCKER!"
She kicked the gate in frustration before remembering what happened to Sara. She quickly ran to the mercenary's side and turned her over.
"Oh, thank God."
She was expecting a huge bloody hole on her head but to her relief, she was just grazed. She could see her steady breathing and let out a sigh of relief. She heard a door open and saw Alan and Leon exit the door. Alan saw the body and quickly ran to their side.
"What happened?"
She told him what happened and Alan couldn't help but punch the door of the car in frustration, leaving a dent on it. This was not good. Not fucking good at all. Leon brought a hand to Claire's shoulder.
"We'll find them. We'll find her. I promise."
Claire looked down but brought a hand over Leon's and gave it a gentle squeeze. She let go and stood up. A fire in her eyes. Determined to find Sherry and kill the bastard that took her. She looked at him in the eye and Leon could see the determination in hers.
"You damn right we will."
"Good. Because we just found a key card for the gate. Bad news. It's electrically locked. We have to find the panel for the circuits to open it."
"Then let's go."
She set off towards the way where she saw the man come from. Leon moved to follow her but stopped and saw Alan still looking over Sara. Before he could ask, Alan already answered him.
"I'm not leaving her. I didn't leave her to then and I won't leave her now." He turned around and faced Leon "Find a way to get this gate open. I'll stay here and watch her. God knows how long before she wakes up."
He turned around and gently picked up Sara's unconscious form. He walked over to a car and gently set her down on the hood. Sitting down with her back on the windshield. He took out a can of First Aid Spray and gently applied a bit on her wound. She grimaced but didn't show any other reactions.
Leon watched them for another second before leaving. They have to find Sherry. He moved but stopped when he saw a gold locket on the ground.
'Must be Sherry's.' He thought before picking it up. He'll give it to Claire when he catches up.
~Line Break~
Claire watched the Licker screech one last time before dying. She reloaded the GM-79 and waited for the fire to burn out. If she finds that bastard, and she will, burning him would be the least of his worries. Too distracted by her thoughts, she didn't notice the second Licker in the room. The creature dropped behind and raised it's claw to strike her down only to stagger back as it's side was pelted with 18.1mm pellets.
Claire turned around and switched to her Quickdraw. She fanned the hammer and sent six .45 ACP bullets on the dazed Licker. She switched to the Hp3 and fired while backpedaling towards Leon. Said cop rolled a grenade over to the Licker's feet and watched it explode. The Licker gave one last screech before dying. Claire sighed before reloading the handgun. She turned to Leon and nodded "Thanks."
Leon looked at the corpses of the Lickers and looked back at Claire "Don't mention it. Oh." He reached to one of his pockets and pulled out Sherry's locket "It's Sherry's. I thought you might wanna give it back to her yourself."
Claire gently took the item "Thanks, Leon."
"No problem. Now, come on. Sherry's waiting."
~Line Break~
It took them a while but they found the key to open the room next to the elevator. To Leon, it was funny that they found it in the morgue. People in RPD just loves to hide things where you least expect them... in a morgue, right next to a sleeping zombie. Although, seeing those VERY BIG roaches gave him the creeps. Seeing those things, the only thing he could think of was: I'm gonna need a bigger boot for this. Ugh.
They opened the door to the room and entered. Claire activated the power for the elevator while Leon looked around for anything useful. Herb, ammo, etc. What struck him the most was the amount of porn magazines in the booth. He looked around and were having second thoughts on touching anything else in the room.
"Leon."
He looked outside and saw Claire gesturing for the elevator. He nodded and left the room, reminding himself to wash his hands if he ever gets the chance. He followed Claire inside and pressed the button.
"Up we go."
~Line Break~
Sara opened her eyes to the dimly lit Parking Garage. She looked around and saw Alan leaning back on one of the pillars. Talking to someone on the radio. She looked down and noticed she was sitting on the hood of a squad car. Her weapons set neatly beside her. She grabbed them and got down from the car, walking towards the occupied SWAT.
"See. What'd I tell ya. It's full of stuffed animals. Irons' a good taxidermist, a horrible Police Chief. Find whatever clues you can get from his office. Maybe it'll help you figure out where he might have taken her. Good luck, Kennedy. Abernathy, out."
Sara then made herself known, patting him on the shoulder. Alan grabbed her arm and twisted before taking out his Samurai Edge and pointing the barrel on her head. Recognition dawned on him and he quickly let go.
"Jesus, Parker. I almost shot you in the face."
He holstered the pistol and patted her shoulder "Welcome back to the land of the living."
"What happened?"
"You got shot by Chief Irons. Fortunately, he only grazed your temple. Bad news, he took Sherry. Worse news, we don't know where he took her. Kennedy and Redfield already set out to find a way to open this gate. I stayed here to cover your ass."
"Thanks... What now?"
"Now." He walked over to he same squad car she was sleeping on and sat on the hood "We wait. Hold this position and wait 'til they get back."
"Why can't we go after them?" She asked, joining him.
"We go back up there and leave this place unsecured, the Zekes might swarm this place. It'll be tough shooting our way out if that's the case. Ammo's pretty low. I don't wanna waste it in this place. We got a whole city of Zekes out there."
"Good point."
Sara took out a pack of cigarettes from one of her vest pockets and a lighter. She put a stick between her lips and tried to light it. Unfortunately, her lighter was out.
"Got a light?"
Alan hummed and took out his lighter. He gave it to her and in return she gave him a cigarette. She held out the lit lighter and Alan leaned in, letting the end of the stick to light up before leaning back. She handed him back the lighter and blew a puff of smoke.
"So... Who's the girl?"
"Hm?"
"The girl, the picture in your desk, who was she?"
"Just some fling."
Sara snorted and blew out another puff "Flings are short lived. Not long enough for a 'Dear John'. Come on, tell me."
"Alright, fine. Girl's name is Alicia Spencer. Great gal, easy on the eyes and works at Umbrella. I just got back from the shitshow in Mogadishu and the first thing she says, ' I'm sorry. It's not you, it's me.' After I got back home in '96, I forgot all about her."
"But not enough to throw away the picture and letter." Sara interrupted.
"No. Not enough. So about a month after I got home, her colleague tells me she died."
"Ouch."
"That's not all. She left me her kid to take care of. She's not even mine. I asked them where was the dad and they told me there was none. Her will stated that should anything happen to her, the kid goes to me. Told me I was reliable." Alan sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose "Twenty three-year old Soldier turned into a Twenty three-year old Single Dad. I didn't know jackshit about parenting and she left me a kid to take care of. A four-year old kid, at that." His mouth suddenly quirked upward a bit. Sara didn't miss this though.
"At first, it was tense. Just trying to give her the necessities and all that. I even thought of just sending her to foster care but... the kid grew on me. Never did I think being a dad to that kid would be fun. Hell, I didn't even think I'd ever be a dad."
"Where is she now?"
"At my cousin's. Probably worried sick."
"Why?"
"It was in that same year I got recruited to S.T.A.R.S. I moved here but she started school in New York a month before I was called. I accepted the job and promised her I'll visit whenever I get the chance. News about this place probably went out but considering Kennedy and Redfield entered Raccoon with no idea of it's situation. Well, I have my doubts. Hell, I haven't even called her in three days."
A silence fell on the two. Nothing but the sound of them smoking filled the air. After a while, Sara broke the silence.
"What's her name?"
Alan smiled and said "Alice."
"Alice... That's a nice name."
~Line Break~
"Is he still... after us?"
Leon peeked around the corner and saw Mr. X stomping towards them.
"Does this guy ever give up? Come on."
He grabbed Claire by the wrist and ran from the behemoth. They got the part they needed to get the key card in Irons' office. Unfortunately, they encountered Mr. X on the way. He was slow but Leon's face had the fortune to meet Mr. X's friend... face-to-fist. Leon swore that first punch made him go insane. Why the hell is everything black and white? Where was his uniform and why is Claire wearing high heels and a fedora? A second punch from Mr. X and everything was back to normal... well, normal for a zombie apocalypse that is.
He stopped and blinked. How the hell did they get in Irons' office already? He shook his head. Doesn't matter. As long as they get that key card and open the gate, they'll be one step closer to rescuing Sherry from the Police Chief. Can't believe he actually thought the guy had a good reason for locking Ben up. After reading some of his... notes. The two decided that Chief Brian Irons needed to be put down.
Claire put the all the required panels in and the tried to figure out what to twist.
"Twist this one."
"How about this one?"
"Nope. It has to be connected... and... Done."
The machine beeped and the door to the cell was good to go. The two entered and Leon grabbed the key card. They were about to leave when the telephone on the top of the drawer rang. Leon and Claire looked at each other before Claire reached and answered.
"Hello... ?"
"Good to see you again, Claire. We've got unfinished business. Oh, is Mr. Kennedy there? Tell him I said 'Hello'."
~Line Break~
"Hey! You there!"
"What the... "
Alan and Sara threw the butt of their cigarettes away and moved to the gate. A blond, young woman in a VERY short, white dress was banging on the gate. Upon closer inspection, Alan recognized her as the Mayor's daughter.
'Now why the hell would she- Oh... '
Alan shook his head and greeted the Mayor's Daughter "Katherine Warren?"
"Yes! That's me. Can you please let me in?"
"Ahh... Negative, ma'am." Alan scratched the back of his head. He prayed she wouldn't ask about Ben but he knew she would "We're kinda stuck here. This thing needs a key card and, well, we don't have it. Our friends are looking for it right now so don't worry. Just stay near us. You got a weapon?"
She held out a SLS-60 for the two of them to see.
"You know how to use that, ma'am?" Sara asked.
"Uh... I can shoot but... not really good."
"Come over and stay close. I don't want you getting bitten in the ass by the Zekes."
Alan watched the two women talk while he radioed Leon "Kennedy, status?"
"We know where Sherry is. Irons said they were in an orphanage. Somewhere around the neighborhood. We're heading back now."
"Solid copy."
Back to the two women, Sara brought a comforting hand on the soaked woman's shoulder through the bars "You alright? What happened?"
"I-I escaped from an o-orphanage. The Police Chief. He said he would bring me somewhere safe after he found me in the Mayor's Office. He told me to stay in the orphanage and that he was going to get my Ben from the station. I would've stayed but then I found his journal." The woman began to tremble and Sara wasn't sure if those were tears or from the rain "H-He was gonna kill me! Stuff me like one of his animals!"
'Jesus... We have to find Sherry, fast.'
"Parker." Alan walked over to them "They're heading back. They got the key card." He then looked at Katherine "Don't worry, ma'am. Key card's coming. Can you please answer some questions for me?"
"Okay."
"What happened to you and how did you get here?"
Katherine recalled everything to Alan. Said SWAT listened to it all and by the end of it, promised himself that he would give Irons a very slow and very painful death.
"Don't you worry, ma'am. We'll see to it that that fat bastard will get what's coming to him."
They heard a door open and out came Claire and Leon. Once they got closer, Claire asked "Who's this?"
"Redfield, Kennedy." Alan began "I'd like you to meet Katherine Warren. The Mayor's Daughter."
"Uh, hi."
"Nice to meet you, ma'am."
"She knows where the orphanage is. She just escaped from there."
After hearing that, Claire walked up to the bars "Orphanage? Did you happen to see a little girl there? Blond, red headband, wearing a school uniform?"
Katherine shook her head "No. I escaped when the Police Chief left. I was the only one there." She then turned to Alan "Have you seen a man named Ben Bertolucci in there?"
Sara noticed how Alan and Leon stiffened at the mention of the name. The two looked at each other and seemed to hold a conversation by looks. Alan sighed and approached the young woman "Ma'am... I'm sorry. Mr. Bertolucci is... dead."
Alan turned away, not wanting to see the woman break down. Claire and Sara brought a hand on the woman's shoulders, who balled herself and wept. Leon sighed and told them he would open the gate. He activated the console and watched the gate rise. Claire and Sara helped the woman up and away from the Parking Garage. Alan sighed before following after. Leon made to move but stopped when he heard soft thuds nearby. Suddenly, the wall beside him was smashed open. The next thing he knew he was being lifted in the air by the neck and being choked to death by Mr. X.
"LEON!"
A/N:
I don't know why but I just did. I added Katherine... She's dead as hell in canon but my mind just said 'Fuck it! Let's add this dead-ass blond to the group. What could possibly go wrong?' Oh well. Now we got four survivors plus 2. Also, anyone know exactly what time did Leon and Claire met and entered Raccoon City? Is it Midnight or 3 am or something?