Quench

Rating: M
Warnings:
Violence, Language, Drug/Alcohol References/Abuse, Mild/Explicit Sexual Content
Disclaimer:
All properties related to the Resident Evil/Biohazard series belong to Capcom. Any other products are the intellectual property of their respective owners.
A/N:
Second chapter. Final version! Let's keep rolling! Thank you xXxRena-MariexXx for the beta!

:.:

Rae's mother had never been a fan of horror. The woman had possessed a gentle heart that made the scares and gore just a little too much to handle. It was fitting, then, that her parents' first date had been at the old Hunstville drive-in during October. They'd been showing old monster flicks for weeks. Rae wondered how her father had managed to talk her mother into the car with him. Then again, she'd once heard that her father had been incredibly charming in his youth. The young man had probably expected her to jump into his arms for comfort. Instead, she'd tinkled in his passenger seat—the powerful combination of too much soda and jump scares had gotten to her. The whole situation was horribly embarrassing for both parties, but they'd somehow managed to turn that disaster into twelve years of marriage. Her father loved telling that story, while her mother was always more than a little horrified when it was brought up. Rae wondered what her mother would think of the fact that her daughter's life had turned into a horror movie. She honestly didn't know.

Rae hefted the heavy duffel bag onto her shoulder. Its contents, about twenty pounds of canned fruits and veggies, clacked together at the sudden motion. She did one last gear check. Her machete was still within easy reach, though she'd have to move aside her overly-large cream sweater first. The gun harness strapped to her upper body was completely unreachable, though. If she did happen to get a gun she'd have to rethink her outfit. It honestly wasn't practical, but she'd need the added warmth. Not to mention the feeling of safety and calm that it brought. She rubbed her sweaty palms on the wool to gather courage.

Outside of the relative safety of her small apartment was Hell on Earth, the literal zombie apocalypse. Rae wished that were a bad joke or a lie. This was the kind of garbage that happened in B movies, not real life. Maybe Rae would be better off staying inside and waiting for the whole thing to blow over. She could stay there, watch a feel good movie, and pretend that there weren't hordes of flesh-craving undead murdering literally thousands of people right outside of her window. Frustrated with her own fear, she gripped the handle of the front door of her apartment. Her thumb worried over the faded bronze, memorizing the dents and scratches one last time. She had to leave. Staying put would be suicide, especially because her next door neighbors had most assuredly been infected.

Cautiously, she poked her head out of her doorway and into the hallway of her floor. Everything was perfectly quiet. Then again, it had to be getting close to midnight now. Surely most people were asleep at this hour, even with the craziness that'd happened earlier. Even as late as it was, there was still one person that Rae knew would be awake: their floor's very own newsletter.

Miss V was one of Rae's favorite people to talk to. The woman had remained a stubborn constant in Rae's life, long enough for the college student to consider her a friend. When Rae'd moved in over a year before, prepared to go to college and get a job, the feisty Latina had helped Rae scour the papers for job openings. Miss Velasquez was in the know about pretty much everything thanks to an intimidatingly large network of friends, a seemingly larger extended family, and an almost religious obsession with watching the news. She'd update Rae on the latest gossip and give her advice when she needed it. Unlike Rae herself, the woman was in good with nearly all of the other tenants, having lived in the apartment complex since even before Dawes had bought it out. Subsequently, she was also the only one that talked back to Dawes. She was the one who'd given him the fond nickname of Lord Gnome.

The college student knocked on Miss Vasquez's door quietly, hoping that it'd get her attention. Nina Vasquez was a pretty woman in her thirties. Her parents had immigrated to the US when she was ten in the hopes of getting her proper medical care. Miss Vasquez had some sort of serious chronic illness, though Rae had never pried. It wasn't any of her business, anyway. The Latina worked the late shift at a factory in the more industrialized area of Raccoon City. It was because of her work schedule that she slept odd hours and stayed up all night. Thankfully, Thursdays were one of her days off, so she shouldn't have been wandering around town with undead on the prowl.

The door opened and Rae squeaked in surprise when a horrible green face peered out through the crack. Swallowing her racing heart, Rae took a better look and was overcome both by shame and annoyance in large amounts. She was scared by an algae peel-off face mask. Seriously?! Well, nobody could certainly blame her for being jumpy. Cheeks blazing red, Rae waved nervously at the older woman.

"Evening, Miss Vasquez."

The older woman's cocoa eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh, yes! It is a good morning. Are you doing well, Rae? You seem shaken."

Rae shook her head and peered down the empty hallway. "Well, something happened. Can I come in?"

The woman's masked face disappeared and she could faintly hear the sounds of the chain lock being undone. The door opened and she stepped inside, careful not to bump her giant bag on the doorway. Miss Vasquez took note of this with a frown. She clicked her tongue in disapproval and tutted.

"You are packed heavily. I hope Lord Gnome hasn't asked you to move out suddenly? I can go rough him up, if so. That little man is rude. A Mosquito. Moyote."

Rae suppressed a giggle at the cute pet name for Dawes. Lord Gnome was fitting. And a mosquito, indeed. It was nice, having some semblance of normalcy after the previous assault on her senses. Miss Vasquez had helped her move in and settle down, had introduced her to the Thai family across the street, and had shown her the location of a nearby video store so she could expand her collection. The woman was kindhearted and earnest. If there was anybody Rae wanted to save in the building, it was her. Most of her other neighbors were spiteful or strangers.

"Thank you for caring, Miss V. It's not Dawes; it's… well…" How could she put this in a way that didn't sound crazy? "You now those protests that have been going on for a bit now? The ones you've been keeping me up to date on? They've reached here."

"No", the older woman breathed in fear. "This is bad news." That was the understatement of the century.

"It's gotten nasty outside. Have you see it?"

"I went outside once this afternoon. I had to gather ingredients from the supermarket for dinner."

"Did anybody seem strange? Off?"

Miss Vasquez petted the arm of her bathrobe in thought. "There was a drunk man in the store. He was very aggressive and tried to attack the cashier. I stepped in to help, but the man turned on me. I believe he was escorted away by police. Why?"

So, she'd already seen a zombie firsthand. Rae rubbed her forehead in thought. Why couldn't something less crazy have happened so it'd be easier to explain. God, she felt like the character in every movie ever that was right, but nobody would believe. Because their story was always a bit batshit, you know, like the one about zombies being real and eating the people in apartment 2B.

"That man, the drunk, did he have a white film over his eyes? Any wounds?"

"I do not remember. He was arrested before I could get a good look. It was all too fast."

"I…I went out earlier to call somebody about that scream—you might not have been awake yet. Only when I went outside people were in the streets. They were very aggressive too. I watched these… people pile on top of this guy. They tore at him and bit him and it was so freaking crazy."

"¡Ay, Dios mío! The man is okay, yes?"

"Well, he got up."

"Then this is good news?"

"His guts were hanging out. I think he was dead. He was a zombie, like in those scary movies."

Miss Vasquez's eyes took on a serious, steely look. "I am not one for jokes, but this one in particular is not funny."

"I'm not joking. I was trapped in a phone booth and a man missing half his face was beating on the glass. I. am. Serious." Rae pulled up the edge of her dad's sweatshirt to show off the machete. "I'm going to the police station right now. I think it's a safe place. At least, it should be safer than here. That's what the bag is for; I'm bringing supplies with me. Canned foods, first aid. I know it's crazy sounding, but it's true! I swear."

Miss Vasquez clenched her hands together and they shook. "I am sorry. It is difficult for me to believe."

Rae noticed then that the woman was clad in a fluffy pink bathrobe. Her hair was swept up in a towel. Rae'd caught the woman during what was supposed to be a comfortable time and dumped the end of the world on her lap. It wasn't surprising that she was having had hard time believing. Zombies didn't exist in real life. Dead people didn't walk. Riots, protest: those were something real. It was easy to push the random acts of violence off onto angry mobs, but zombies? Rae wouldn't have believed it unless she saw it with her own eyes. Wait…

"I can prove it!" Rae watched the woman's eyebrows shook up into her hairline. "My neighbors, the sex addicts… I think they turned. That's what the scream earlier was, if you heard it. I think he turned… um, well… during the act. If I can show you a zombie, would you believe me? Would you help me warn the others?"

The Latina's dark eyes closed in deep thought. She rubbed a stressed hand across her face, stretching her caramel-colored skin taut. Her mask crinkled at the edges. Rae knew it was a long shot. It wasn't just that; it was more of a long shot made in zero visibility to hit a freaking pirouetting target. It'd be so easy for the woman to dismiss her and send her away. The moments passed, as long and uncomfortable as they were silent. The college student kept her lips firmly sealed, despite the gravity of the situation. Rae knew better than to push the woman; she could be incredibly stubborn when cornered.

"I will check on the noisy couple with you. But I will not believe you until I have seen proof. I know you watch those movies. I think maybe they have gone to your head."

Rae felt it was the best answer she'd ever get. She thanked whoever was watching out for her once again. No doubt lucky moments like these weren't going to last. That terrible, squirming feeling in her gut told her that luck wasn't going to be on her side through this. Rae tugged the end of her ponytail to release some of the nervous tension. If she and Miss Vasquez could get the people out of the building safely and raid Mr. Castle's supplies, they could evacuate to the police station. Then again, getting Mr. Castle to give up his guns—even during the end of the world as they knew it—might be impossible. He was a stubborn recluse, an ex-army fighter who'd served in Vietnam. He'd know how to use his arsenal and might try to hoard it, especially in a life or death situation.

"I'm glad you're on my side with this, Miss V. Let's go—" A terrible crunching sound came from the hall, followed by a thud that shook the walls of the building. That had sounded like a door being forced open, Rae realized with horror. Had they freed themselves?! "Oh, God. I think they just got loose."

Miss Vasquez motioned to go open the door but Rae grasped her arm tightly. She shook her head in a frantic motion. Heavy, thudding footsteps wandered down the hallway towards the stairwell. Hand clenched tightly around the handle of her machete, Rae shrugged off the heavy duffel bag. She popped the button on the sheath to release the weapon and advanced quietly towards the door of the apartment. Remain quiet, she signaled to Miss V with a finger to her lips. The wooden door opened slowly so the girl could peak her head out. Sure enough, her neighbor's door had been flung open. The door around the knob had broken to pieces. It was completely splintered. The zombie must've been beating on that door since turning. No wonder it'd gone to pieces. The doors were solid, but a fully grown man throwing himself against them over and over again would bust them down eventually. There was a horrible red patch on the door, just eye level with a taller person. Had he been beating on it with his head?

A trail of blood droplets made their way down the hall and a crimson smear marred the stairwell access door at the end of the hall. At least he wasn't on their floor anymore. They only had to worry about him if he'd gone downstairs. He'd be in the way, if so. Rae's unsure hand shook around her machete. She honestly didn't know if she'd be able to kill him. Well, she guessed he was already dead… But she had trouble imagining raising the blade and using it to cut somebody down. It made her stomach turn. She wasn't cut out to be the action hero type, who could just pick up a weapon and go ham on her enemies with no hard feelings. That zombie had once been her neighbor—albeit a super annoying one.

Rae's focus returned to the open door when she heard a disgusting squelching noise. Alarmed, she sucked in a breath. Movement shifted in the darkness of the doorway. Then, little by little, another corpse shuffled out into the lit hallway. The woman was naked. She'd once been a stunning blonde with wonderful tan skin. Rae remembered seeing her in the hallway a few times before, though she'd never gotten a close look. Now, the ends of her long hair were matter with dried blood and her skin was grey. Dark blood dripped down her bare body from an opening on her slender neck. Her head was barely attached to her body, as it seemed to flop and roll with every weighty step. This was Rae's first time seeing a zombie honestly, lit and on display. Blood roared in her ears and the age-old instinct of 'fight or flight' urged her to turn around and run away, despite how bad of an idea that actually was. Legs trembling, she took a careful step back and collided with a fluffy pink bathrobe. She sucked in a breath of shock.

Miss Vasquez had followed Rae into the hallway and was clinging to the smaller girl's back as she took in the sight before her. Rae looked over her shoulder, into the Latina's terrified eyes. Again, she urged the other woman to remain quiet with a finger to her lips. The older woman's mouth hung open in quiet horror but she seemed to take Rae's advice. That or she was just too scared to speak. Either way, Rae'd take it. They couldn't afford to make a sound, not when the female zombie was sniffing for prey less than ten feet away.

Rae's and Miss Vasquez's apartments were at the end of the hallway next to the stairwell. Six other apartments rested on this floor. Mr. Castle's apartment was at the end of the way, right next to the elevator. Unfortunately, the zombified woman was between them and any weapon other than a really, really big knife. If they could get past her without alerting her, they'd still have to negotiate with the elderly veteran to get firearms, and it wasn't particularly likely that they'd succeed. Maybe they should just cut their losses and go down the stairs? Then they might run into the other half of the zombie duo in an enclosed space without protection. Not to mention what may be waiting for them outside. Rae wasn't sure how far the infection would've even progressed, but their numbers would only continue to increase as they bit more and more people.

Rae's grip on her machete tightened. She could also try decapitating the zombies. Even if it didn't kill them outright, it'd make them unable to bite. They'd be much more manageable at that stage. The woman's head wasn't connected by much, either; her husband had taken a chunk out of her throat. If Rae wanted to try fighting, this would be a good chance to do so. Sucking in a deep breath, Rae clamped her other hand down at the hilt. She'd need her full strength if she wanted a clean cut. She had to do it in one swipe, otherwise she'd get too close and open herself up to being bitten. It was just like swinging a baseball bat, she lied to herself. You can do it, she fibbed.

Could she? Really? She'd refused to go hunting with her dad as a child because she didn't want to hurt animals. There'd even been a point in her early teens when she'd forgone meat after watching a documentary about animal cruelty. Would she be able to swing the weapon in her hands and take off somebody's head? She'd have to cut through skin and muscle and bone. She gagged. If the thought alone almost brought her to her knees, dry heaving, surely actually doing it would be a million times worse. She'd never be able to live with herself. The memory of decapitating her neighbor would weigh on her for the rest of her life, short as it may be. Then again, wouldn't she be putting the other woman out of her misery? If Rae was a zombie who could kill her loved ones without a second thought, she'd want somebody to stop her form hurting others. Oh, god. What if the woman was aware what was happening right now but unable to stop it?

The zombie lurched forwards and ran into the wall, groaning as she slid down it. Rae could only hope that there was nothing human left in that husk. Behind her, Miss V was clenching her cream sweater at the shoulders. Rae could feel the woman's perfectly manicured nails digging into her a bit. Right. Rae had somebody to protect. They needed to get out of the building. Hands shaking, she made up her mind. The zombie had to go. By any means necessary.

Suddenly, the apartment next to Miss Vasquez's opened up. Rae had never interacted one-on-one with the tenant in that apartment, but she knew the woman was a bartender at a club in Rhodes. She was loud and judgmental, often criticizing the other members of their shared apartments for things they did, ways they behaved. While it was safe to say Rae had never liked the woman, she'd never have wished for this to happen to her. It was clear she'd come out to investigate the noise. She'd most likely just been comfortably asleep in her bed and had been awoken by the door cracking and the female zombie thumping against the wall next to her home.

The sound of the door slamming open prompted the zombie to scream in rage and lunge at the other tenant. The woman cried out in pain and terror as her arm was bitten into, right down to the bone most likely. Rae took that as their opportunity to flee. She turned and shoved her friend back into the apartment. Grabbing up her bag, she quietly motioned for Miss V to follow her. It felt cold to leave the woman to suffer, but she'd already been bitten; there was no saving her. Rae had already made up her mind and, neighbor in tow, she walked quickly to the stairwell. The possibility of getting guns wasn't worth getting near an enraged infected. A quick glance backwards revealed that the zombie was busy wrestling with her prey. The others on the floor had also come out to witness the chaos. Somebody screamed in terror. Soon the whole building would erupt into chaos. Rae could only hope that the noise wouldn't attract any new zombies from outside.

A quick glance into the stairwell revealed that the zombie's male counterpart had gone downstairs. A blood smear decorated the walls downwards every so often. Crap. It was possible that he'd heard the noise and come back up, blocking their escape. Double crap! Rae opened the door and walked inside, machete ready to strike out. Miss Vasquez was following her, holding in quiet sobs and incoherent mutterings. Half of the words the woman was speaking, Rae was certain, were Spanish rather than English. The college student pulled her into a short hug. It wasn't much, but it was the most comfort that she could offer for now. They'd break down and cry when they were safely away from the chaos behind them. Hell, they could go comatose once they reached the police station if they needed to.

She pulled the older woman along, grasping her hand like a lifeline. It was her mission to get her to safety, no matter what. They never encountered the male zombie on the stairs, despite the blood stains on the wall signaling they were following his path. It was both relieving and terrifying. There was fear that accompanied not knowing. He could be lurking just right around the corner, waiting to pounce on any unsuspecting prey. The thought itself gave her goosebumps. If he managed to surprise them, he wouldn't even have difficulty ruining their chances of escape. All it would take was one bite. One bite and they'd be as good as dead, even if they managed to lose him. So, anticipating an attack from anywhere, Rae was on high alert. The sounds of terror and panic had followed them down the stairwell. It'd only be a matter of time before they started making their way past the zombies, downstairs. She slowly opened the door to the first floor access.

Miss Vasquez's sobs were beginning to quiet. Rae turned back to look at her. The woman's hair had fallen from her towel and it'd been left behind somewhere in the stairwell. The dark strands were still wet and clung to her exposed face and neck. Her mask had begun to chip away, revealing tan skin beneath. She looked the worst Rae had ever seen her, with her wild eyes and disheveled appearance. Normally, the Latina was a rock. It was foreign to see.

They walked out into the lobby with breath held and bodies tense. The lights were off, giving the whole room an eerie feeling. Creepy, Rae thought. It was so stereotypical for rooms to be dark during scary movies; it gave the scene a sense of claustrophobia and fear. You couldn't see beyond the dark. It suddenly made Rae wish that she'd found herself in a romantic comedy instead. At least her neighbors wouldn't be eating each other upstairs. Re didn't think she'd ever seen the room dark, though she knew Dawes had a strict lights out policy after midnight. He said it kept the riffraff away.

Speaking of Dawes, the television in his office was still loudly blaring, though the broadcast had ended and it was only static now. The only light coming from the office was the television's; the other lights had all been turned off. Odd. Rae frowned at her own observations. Yeah, there were zombies roaming the streets, but this was odd. She rolled her eyes at herself. Dropping Miss Vasquez's hand for a moment, she reached under her sweater and into the pack at her back. She popped it open and fished around for her flashlight. Cursing herself for not being better organized, she rummaged until she got to the bottom of the leather pouch. The flashlight turned on, but the beam was dim. Maybe she should've tested it out before leaving her apartment, idiot. She was glad she'd brought spare batteries with her.

She wiped the snot and tears on the sleeve of her black undershirt and swept the beam around the darkened room. There was no zombie loitering in the shadows, waiting to make a meal of them. Hopefully he'd gone into one of the public restrooms. It'd be much easier to avoid him if so. The doors were one-way, requiring to be pulled from the inside. If he had wandered into one by mistake, he wouldn't be able to get back out again since zombies seemed to be incapable of working doors. A part of her wanted to check in the bathrooms to confirm her theory, but she decided against it. Curiosity killed the teenager, after all. God, she was beginning to make jokes. This was probably going to warp her.

Rae walked a few feet away from her neighbor, checking all the nooks and crannies of the entryway. She was thankful that the first floor of her building wasn't more apartments to navigate. The lobby was spacious and took up three-quarters of the floor, with the other quarter being dedicated to Dawes's office and living area, a small laundry room, and public restrooms. Dawes locked the laundry room and office after ten, so there shouldn't be any surprises reaching out to grab them from there. Rae looked up at the clock—12:13. It'd taken her a while to pack.

"Miss Vasquez." The woman jumped when Rae's quiet voice broke through her delirium. "We need to pass the laundry and exit out the back door. I'm going to go first, but I need you to watch our back, okay? Let me know if something tries to sneak up on us."

The woman had grown more and more pale since they'd left her apartment. Her normally composed demeanor was completely shot. Despite looking Rae straight in her eyes, it was almost like she couldn't see. They were glazed over with fear and grief, clouded with tears. This was bad. She needed to snap out of it and be on high alert if they wanted to make it through the streets. Rae placed comforting hands on the woman's shoulders, hoping to lend her some strength. It wasn't much, but the gesture seemed to shake her out of the stupor.

"I do not know how you can be so calm." Honestly, Rae wasn't sure either. She hadn't broken down yet, but she was almost certain that it was due to the years of horror movie experience… That, or the ninety pounds of adrenaline that was pounding through her veins at a million miles an hour. This is more than I wanted. Like a bad dream I cannot wake up from."

"I understand. This is scary. Like, super scary. But we have to keep our heads or we're both dead." Rae looked into the woman's misty eyes. "Can I rely on you to watch my back? We have to get to the police station."

"What if the station is overrun as well?"

Rae's throat tightened. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind. She'd only been thinking about the reinforced metal fence and possible aid. She didn't want to think about that scenario. There'd be nothing left to do if they couldn't get somewhere safe. They'd be sitting ducks. Even if they could remain quiet and avoid most of the zombies, the streets were infested and they'd eventually have to fight. She was at a loss.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Her voice was surprisingly steady for how much her body shook. "Let's just focus on here and now."

The older woman made to gather herself before turning towards a potted plant and heaving up the contents of her stomach. Rae turned her head away to give her some privacy. It was hard to accept, she knew. More than once now she'd had to clench her jaw tightly for fear of losing her dinner. The woman wiped her mouth with her pink bathrobe and straightened up. She seemed a little more sturdy now, though Rae could still see her hand trembling.

"We should check on Dawes, yes? Warn him so that he may flee as well?"

Rae nodded and set her bag down on the white tile floor. Dawes was a jerk, but he didn't deserve to be eaten. She swept the beam of her flashlight over the room once more and peeked behind the front desk, just in case. The office entrance was behind the solid wood reception desk. If she remembered correctly, the office was attached to his living quarters with another door. She looked over to where Miss V had set up, backed up into a corner and holding a decorative vase to defend herself with. Rae nodded at the older woman and peered into the office through the door's glass window. The lighting inside was dim from the static of the television. She couldn't quite make anything out.

She placed a hand on the knob only to freeze. Not only was the door unlocked, but it was cracked open. Had he forgotten to lock it back after the commotion earlier? She illuminated the door with her flashlight and sucked in a breath. Blood. She'd found where the zombie had gone. It'd probably wandered into the office, attracted by the sound of the television buzzing. She shined her flashlight through the office window. There was a sturdy looking desk in there, as well as a cushioned chair, filing cabinet, and television. The chair was completely askew, like it'd been flung. The overhead light was busted out somehow. Rae's light panned over the back wall, where an ominous spattering of red had painted it. More blood, she guessed.

The light roamed until she found two legs sticking out from behind the dark oak desk. Dark grey slacks, like Dawes favored. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, suddenly feeling heavy. Silently, she wondered when her breaking point would be. Sure, she'd teared up a few times and had a bit of a meltdown in the phone booth, but when would the flood gates open? She was due for a breakdown right about now, maybe two.

Movement caught her eye. The legs twitched and jerked. Had he started reanimating? She watched in fascinated horror as a brown-haired man stood from behind the desk. Her neighbor was covered head-to-toe in blood and other fluids Rae didn't even want to think about. He'd been eating. The thought made Rae's stomach flip. She'd never eat meat again. Curiously enough, the zombie walked over to where her light was shining on the opposite wall. He exposed himself—Rae was shocked and horrified to discover that not only was he naked, but his hands were cuffed behind his back. What the hell? The zombie swayed in place for a moment, then lunged to bite the lit area on the wall. The creature face-planted into the plaster with a groan.

So they weren't totally blind? He seemed to react to the beam. She jerked the light over to the right of the zombie, only to find that he followed it with his head and walked towards it. He lunged again in a vain attempt to snap up the moving beam, stumbling over a tipped piece of furniture in the process. So they were light sensitive? At the very least he seemed to respond to rapid movement. She whipped the light around again, watching as the zombie followed it. It was like playing with a cat using a laser, only way more dangerous and far less cute.

Curiosity satisfied, she backed slowly away from the door. She clicked her light off for good measure so that he couldn't track it to her. So the zombies weren't completely blind. They relied on some measure of motion tracking and light detection as well. The zombie by the phone booth hadn't seen her, either because she'd been wearing all black at the time or because she'd been paralyzed with fear. It made sense. Still, she felt like she was grasping at straws. Sure, she had knowledge from countless horror movies, but there was no telling what was fact and what was fiction. They didn't seem to possess inhuman strength, speed, or perception. In fact, they were slow and seemingly thoughtless. It was like they were running totally on instinct. She still didn't know enough about them to comfortably fight them. Would a headshot or decapitation even take them down, like it did in films? Rae wasn't so sure.

She walked back over to Miss Vasquez and picked up her bag. They had to leave before the others came crashing downstairs and alerted the zombie of their presence. "Dawes is dead", she murmured quietly. "We need to leave now, before it's too late."

Miss V said a quick prayer under her breath and followed Rae's lead, still clutching onto her vase. The muffled sounds of panic from above had only grown in volume. The pattering of footsteps above them was loud, as were the cries of distress. That noise would haunt her nightmares. She wondered if anybody would even chance trying to get past the zombie to make a break for the stairwell. It was possible that some people had managed to shut themselves inside their apartments to hide away. How had the people on the upper floors had responded to the commotion on the second? It didn't matter. They had to escape. Rae grabbed her neighbor's hand and pulled her towards the back door. They needed to leave before an infected person saw them. They couldn't afford to have a ticking time bomb walking around with them.

It'd stopped raining sometime after she'd returned to the building, Rae realized. Only puddles remained. The alleyway was clear of undead. Inside the apartment building, Rae could hear a few people yelling and hammering on something. Were they trying to get Dawes's attention? They wouldn't like what they found. She certainly hadn't. Gulping, she dragged Miss Vasquez down the alley and poked her head around the corner to look around.

"Wait, Rae! The others! I heard them speak just now. Should we not go back to get them?"

"We can't risk it. One of them might have been bitten."

"Bitten? Are bites bad?"

Rae didn't have time to answer her as she tugged the woman away from where a zombie was coming towards them. They weren't exactly as stealthy as she would've liked, nor were they as mobile. Miss Vasquez moved behind her at a crawl as opposed to the swift walk Rae wanted to keep. The older woman seemed genuinely exhausted with everything that'd happened. She was still shell-shocked from seeing a woman sink her teeth into her next door neighbor. Which was understandable. Rae had been in a similar state after watching the man get mauled in the phone booth.

Still, Rae tried to coax her to walk faster. Occasionally the woman would stop off to the side and heave until nothing was left in her stomach. The walk to the police station wasn't a long one, but it required a few twists and turns. They had to avoid only a few undead, though it wasn't terrible. The corpses shuffled past without as much as a sideways glance at them, making it easy to slip away. They'd gotten a little over halfway there when Miss Vasquez suddenly dropped her vase. The heavy ceramic shattered on the ground loudly. Rae looked back in a panic as a few shrill cries echoed around them. They needed to move!

She pulled them down a nearby alleyway and broke into a light jog, praying the older woman would keep pace. The cries of zombies came from behind them, but Rae didn't look back. They found themselves in a sort of courtyard. If she remembered correctly, they were behind the old warehouse-turned-pawnshop. It was crazy to think that only a few hours ago she'd been considering buying a Walkman from there. You know, instead of running for her life. The courtyard on one side was a sturdy wooden gate. On the other side, there was a ridiculously tall chain-link fence. Rae rolled the wooden gate closed and latched it, hoping the undead would run past rather than stop to investigate.

She heard one of the clumsy monsters trip over a pile of trash. It most likely wouldn't be safe to head back that way. That was fine. She could plan accordingly. Rae'd gotten well-acquainted with the back alleys of Raccoon City. They were her preferred method of travel on her commute to work at the orphanage. The main roads tended to get too crowded and noisy. Miss Vasquez had once expressed fear at the young woman wandering the streets alone, but Rae had assured her that nothing was going to happen in the same neighborhood as the police station. She was glad that she took this route because it'd given her the knowledge required to avoid the main roads. The courtyard was one of the places that Rae had wandered once. She knew that the other side of the chain link fence was an alley that could take them straight to Parsons Avenue. From there, they could cut through another alley towards Cliff Street, which would spit them out right in front of the police station.

Doing a once-over of the courtyard with her flashlight and thoroughly satisfied that they were alone, she sheathed her machete. She knelt by Miss Vasquez to check on her. The woman had taken a seat on a pile of… something. Rae couldn't tell what it was in the darkness of the night. No doubt her bath robe would be filthy after this. Rae hoped that there'd be some more practical clothing at the police station for her to change into. Miss V was looking at her hands with something akin to betrayal.

"I… I am very sorry, Rae. My hands, they won't stop the shakes." Her hands were twitching wildly. In fact, her whole body was wracked with tremors. It looked like the woman was going into shock. "I… I do not feel good."

"I wouldn't expect you to, not after what we've seen tonight," Rae murmured sympathetically.

A pause. "I do not understand how you can feel so cold. Even now, you remain calm."

Rae shrugged. "I don't get it either. I should be freaking out, but… I don't know. I'm just dealing, I guess. Don't know any other way of putting it. I cried earlier, but now I'm calm."

Compartmentalization, her father had once called it: blocking up all emotion and putting it away in the back of your mind. He'd had to shoot a young man on patrol one night. The kid had been barely older than seventeen, but he'd been holding a gun, had pointed it at her dad. Rae'd watched as he turned inwards and became completely numb to everything. It was strange, seeing her normally jovial father so lifeless. The life had returned to his eyes after a while, but it'd taken such a long time. Rae was thankful for the numbness. It gave her clarity that grief or fear would only drive away.

"You are level-headed. It is what I wish I was. But I tremble."

Rae looked into the woman's eyes, which were clouded. Visibility was low in the darkness of the night, but Rae could see that she was shaking like a leaf in the wind. "We'll be fine. We just have to get past this."

The older woman shook her head in doubt. "I am tired, Rae. I cannot control my body. Even now, it rebels. Maybe we will get to the station, then what? What do we do if that place is not safe, either?"

"Then we find somewhere else."

"You make it sound easy."

Rae sighed. She understood where Miss V was coming from. The woman was clearly in shock. The Latina cradled her head and let out a low cry. It was scary, watching such a strong person break down in front of her. Rae pulled the woman into a reassuring hug. She kissed the woman's crown, coarse black hair tickling her nose. "I'm sorry", she whispered.

They would need to wait until Miss Vasquez was fit to climb the chain-link fence before progressing. For now, the woman needed to rest. Rae, unable to sit still for fear of growing complacent, did another few circuits around the courtyard. It was clearly being used as temporary storage if the tarp-covered piles were any indicator. She dug into the crates and piles, hoping for something useful to add to their collection. At the very least, her neighbor needed something to defend herself with. Preferably not something breakable this time.

In the distance, Rae could hear the sounds of disarray. Car alarms, horns honking, screaming. She swore at one point in time that she'd even heard a far-off explosion. She clenched her hands into fists. Wasn't that lovely? The sound of nearby retching made her look at her neighbor with muted pity. If only there was something she could do to calm her. Unfortunately, Rae wasn't particularly good with reassurances. She'd done all she knew how and it still hadn't helped any. The woman had been sitting on her pile, sobbing.

Rae eventually dug an old golf club out of a barrel. It was clearly trash; the rubber grip was falling to pieces and the shaft was rusted beyond repair. Still it was long, solid, and would be able to at least stun the zombies if they were chased again. Rae gave it a quick swing, satisfied with the weight of it. She doubted Miss V could even bring herself to use it, but at least it would provide a tangible sense of comfort.

She was searching a crate of old wires when she heard it: gunshots. It wasn't a shot in the dark to assume that somebody had a gun and was shooting zombies in the post-apocalypse. That wasn't what'd grabbed her attention. The shots were rapidly fired in succession. An automatic from how close the gunshots were to one another. The police? Or maybe the military. At least somebody was doing something to combat the hordes. She could only imagine what the city proper looked like right now. Clements must've been a warzone.

Placing the club near Miss Vasquez, she did a once-over of the woman's condition. She'd stopped crying, but still shook. "I found you a weapon. You don't have to use it, but it'd give me peace of mind if you'd take it."

The older woman's hands wrapped loosely around the driving head. Well, at least she'd taken it. Miss Vasquez spoke, voice thick from crying. Her words slurred a bit. "W-was that the sound of guns?"

"Yeah. Heavily armed, too." More gunshots sounded, as though making her point.

"The military?"

"Possibly; they have machine guns. I'd place my money on the military if I had to guess." Rae shrugged noncommittally. "But I'm not sure."

The woman looked up, her normally-pretty face haggard from exhaustion. "Should we go there? Surely they could protect us?"

Rae's mind conjured up images from a movie she'd watched a long time ago. It was one from the Eighties, some stupid slasher. The lone survivor had been running through the woods, headed to a military base. She'd had a horde hot on her heels, waving to the military to come rescue her. They'd gunned everybody down, including the woman. It'd been a downer ending. She'd been angry for days at the way it happened. Twist endings that killed off the lone survivor were her biggest pet peeve. After thinking about it, though, she'd realized that it'd been somewhat realistic. It was hard to tell between an uninfected and an infected human. If a person had to shoot, they'd shoot them all, no questions asked.

"We should avoid them for now. It'd be easy to mistake us for zombies, especially if we just went running up to them." Besides, that was assuming they were even friendly.

The older woman slumped over, shaking. Rae wondered if maybe her chronic illness was causing her pain. Did she manage it with medication and had forgotten to take it before leaving? That thought alarmed her a bit. She'd be separating a possibly sick person from their medication. Well, it was too late to turn back. Rae just hoped the police station would provide medical care.

Rae started grappling up the fence with her duffel bag. The thing was heavier now that she was getting tired. Its strap had probably left a nasty bruise on her shoulder where it'd been digging in. While she'd climbed a chain-link fence before, it'd never been with twenty pounds of dead weight attached to her shoulders. The going was slow and she had to be careful not to let her clothing or accessories get caught. Not only that, but the fence was taller than usual to prevent people from breaking into the courtyard. And it was slick from the rain. It took ten stamina-draining minutes. She lowered the bag down as gently as she could, using some crappy rope she'd found while searching the place. Once it was on the ground, she let out a sigh of relief and tossed the garbage rope down. It'd left her hands feeling tingly. That was one thing over the fence. Now, for her neighbor.

"Miss V", she called quietly, "if you're feeling well enough to travel we should get moving!"

The woman didn't answer. Rae frowned and began climbing down. That was odd. Had she gone into a catatonic state? Rae's father had once said that sometimes victims of shock shut down and stopped functioning. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to think the same had happened to her neighbor. The woman wasn't used to this much stimulation and fear, after all. Then again, neither was Rae but she had lived this scenario over a hundred times vicariously through movies.

She got about halfway down the fence before calling out again. "Miss V!"

Rae could barely see the pink bathrobe in the night. If only she could hold her flashlight and climb at the same time. She needed more hands. Then the bathrobe began moving slowly towards her. Still no sound. Rae's heart dropped. Please don't let that have happened! The woman had helped her so much since she'd moved in. Rae'd once failed a math exam and Miss V had comforted her by calling her professor terrible things in Spanish. And she'd helped her study for the makeup test, but that wasn't quite as fun. If there was anybody in the building she wanted to keep safe, it was the sassy Latina across the hall who constantly gossiped and rebelled against their landlord. Rae's hands clenched around the metal of the fence.

She began quickly climbing back up, hoping to get up out of reach. The slippery wet metal of it was hard to grip. The frenzy of her movements shook the fence and rattled the links together sharply. Her former neighbor lunged towards the sound, hands gripping angrily onto the metal. The pink bathrobe was visible just beneath Rae as she struggled to get away. A hand grabbed her ankle and the college student felt her heart drop into her stomach. She tried tugging it free, but the grip around it was like iron. The zombie's head shot up as she howled. Miss Vasquez didn't even look like herself anymore, not with her face contorted like that.

Rae tried to pull herself higher, even as the zombie threatened to tug her off the fence. Her mind was racing along with her erratic heartbeat. What would she do?! She was caught like a rat! If she reached to grab her machete, she'd be sacrificing her grip on the fence. Not only that, but the way her sweater hung over the sheath, she doubted she could even reach it in such tight quarters. She suddenly regretted bringing the clothing article with her, comfort be damned! She did the only thing she could; she kicked. Her combat boots had been an impulse buy. They'd looked the same as a character's shoes from her favorite movie at the time and Rae just had to have them. The leather sole was tough and thick.

She struck the zombie on the face again and again. The monster's grip never wavered. They didn't feel pain. Not like a human did. Miss Vasquez's face was bloodied and broken, but she never let go. The pink bathrobe had fallen enough to let Rae get a good look at the stark white bandage around her arm. Shit! That 'drunk' at the supermarket had gotten the woman! Why hadn't she said anything! The obnoxious voice in the back of Rae's head admonished her for not checking for bites. She was the one who knew better, damnit!

"Get. The. Fuck. Off. Of. ME!" She punctuated each word with a harsh kick. Finally, the zombie swayed and fell under the fury of her attacks. The monster wearing her friend's face fell to the ground, releasing Rae's booted foot. The girl scrambled up the fence with speed she didn't know she possessed. At the top she sat, waiting. She was just out of reach if the zombie tried to advance again. It'd be stupid to try and climb back down with a flesh-eating undead just on the other side. She'd have to jump. The height of the fence made her gulp as she looked down. Her stomach rolled. The fall could certainly shatter her ankle if she landed wrong. She closed her eyes and held onto the metal beneath her for sheer life.

Her eyes snapped open when the metal gave a lurch again. The infected had gotten back up. Rae resisted the urge to look down, knowing very well that she'd made an awful mess of the once-pretty face. The thought made her sick.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry." She'd finally hit her breaking point. Her eyes stung but tears didn't come. She hiccupped, sobbed. It wasn't fair! None of this was right! She was supposed to save the woman… They were supposed to be safe. She wasn't supposed to be out in the middle of the night, running from zombies. She wasn't supposed to be worried about surviving. None of this was supposed to happen!

The fence wobbled harshly under the assault of the monster below, shaking and jostling Rae. She teetered off of the fence, losing her grip on the wet metal, and plummeted down the other side. The landing was rough. Her shoulder was crushed beneath her weight. She heard a crunch as it cushioned her fall and immediately felt a searing pain. Crying out in agony, she gripped the injured body part and rolled away from the fence—and the grabby hands that came through the links. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. She'd never broken anything, or even really been seriously injured. Never had she felt this level of white-hot agony before.

Why was everything happening to her left side?! First, she'd gotten bit on the hand by a child. Then her eye started bleeding. Now, her dominant arm hung limp, completely unusable. Where had all her earlier luck gone?

Clutching her shoulder, she leaned against the brickwork building behind her. Her head flopped tiredly to look at the creature trying to paw at her. She was just out of reach, but the fence wouldn't hold forever. Rae needed to move soon. How had she missed the signs? Miss V had even said an infected had turned on her. She'd been tired, sick, trembling, slurring. Were those the signs of somebody about to change, or were they symptoms of shock and Miss V had changed spontaneously? How fast did somebody change? Miss V said that the incident happened in early afternoon, so it was no more than a few hours. Rae felt like an idiot. She felt sick. She felt tired.

The zombie continued to press its face against the chain links in an aggressive snarl, but Rae couldn't bring herself to move. She stared blankly at the creature, hand pressed against her burning shoulder. Would she be able to survive? Was she even equipped to even try. Sure, she'd seen some movies with zombies in them, but that didn't exactly turn her into a qualified badass. She had her machete and some gear, but she wasn't confident in using it. Would she hesitate if she had to kill something? Her father had once taught her some police subjugation holds, but she was too weak and small for them to be effective. Not to mention that she'd have to get close and risk getting bit.

Rae swallowed thickly and closed her eyes. The cool brickwork felt good against her shoulder, but she knew she couldn't stay there long. She'd have to move eventually. Would she even try to move? Why did she suddenly feel so helpless? She felt like a child again. For a moment, she was ten years old listening to a man tell her father that her mom wasn't coming home. For a moment, she was a ten year old girl sobbing and screaming and protesting at the unfairness of life. She'd eventually grown up and realized that life was unfair, that stuff didn't always go her way. It'd taken her two years, but she'd grown to realize that her dad needed her more than ever.

Dad. Charles Colter's face flashed before her eyes. He had kind blue eyes. His strong jaw and cheeks were hidden behind scruffy stubble that he was too busy to shave off. Lines from years of having a stressful job decorated his face, but he loved every moment of being a cop. He loved helping people. Despite his job, he only pretended to be strong. When they'd lost Mom, he'd been totally unable to function. He still wasn't the same. Rae realized something terrible. If her dad lost her too, what would he do? Tears burned in her eyes.

She honestly wasn't sure. She couldn't picture life without her dad or his meddling and worrying. And she couldn't picture her life without him. What would he do if he didn't have her anymore? He'd be alone in the world. He'd be sad without her. She stood up shakily. Her mind flashed back to the way he'd been after mom's car accident, how broken he was. She never wanted to cause him that misery, that grief. Rae bent down to pick up her heavy bag and placed it on her uninjured shoulder. Her eyes stung. Despite that, she had to keep moving. She had to get home alive, one way or another.

:.:

Rae had taken a few moments to compose herself before resuming her trek to the station. Her arm was hanging uselessly at her side and her shoulder was practically screaming in agony. She felt alone. Occasionally, she looked behind her, expecting that stupidly bright pink bathrobe to be following her. Well, for Miss Velasquez to be following her in it, anyway. Rae hoped somebody would put the older woman out of her misery soon. She felt terrible, leaving her alone in a courtyard behind an old building, but she couldn't exactly stick around.

She made her way down the alley, courtyard and chain link fence behind her. She'd caught a glimpse of Parsons during her first encounter with the zombies, so she half-expected it to still be mass chaos. It was eerily quiet. When she peered out of the shadows, she found a strange sight: the cars that'd once crowded the road had been pushed off onto the sides, making room for a vehicle to drive uninterrupted right down the center line. Had the military done this? She walked around and noticed bodies littered with bullet holed all over the sidewalks. They'd cleared the entire way down the street. She knelt down next to one of the corpses, machete in hand in case he decided to spring to life. The man's skin was still tan, not the off grey that the zombies were, and his green eyes weren't cloudy. She carefully turned his arms over, but there were no bites in sight. He probably hadn't been infected.

It was a good choice to avoid the main roads and military, then. She was glad they'd stayed away, though it hadn't made a difference for Miss Vasquez in the end. Her teeth gritted together. Stop, she admonished herself. It wouldn't do any good to think about that now. She stood and surveyed the road. They'd most likely moved the cars to allow for easy evacuation. A bus could easily fit in the space provided. Were they still planning a mass evacuation? Surely the situation was too out of control to allow for them to do that. There'd have to be full-body screenings, blood tests. If they didn't do medical examinations, the plague could spread beyond Raccoon City. A dark thought crossed her mind: what if it already had? Maybe the zombies hadn't originated from the city itself. A traveler from a distant land could've brought it with them. If so, things just got a lot worse for humanity. She shifted in place nervously. What would she do if that were he case? She and her dad could always run off and hide in the Arklay Mountains somewhere.

Hiking the duffel bag further up her shoulder, she hissed when she jostled her dislocated arm. It wasn't much farther now, surely. She resumed her journey towards the station. A few undead were milling around the alleyway she needed to take. Despite the fact that some of the main roads were clear now, she didn't want to risk running into trigger-happy soldiers by staying on them. It'd be easier to deal with the undead if she ran into them. At least she could outrun them. You can't outrun a speeding bullet. She maneuvered her way around the zombies, much more confident than she'd been before. They didn't even seem to notice her. She was invisible, which was fine. She was pretty well used to flying under people's radars.

A larger group was standing between her and Cliff Street—which was where the police station was. Rae frowned. They were packed far too tightly to comfortably walk around and she had no weapons to take them down. It made her wish she'd raided Mr. Castle's apartment before leaving. Then again, she probably would've gotten shot if she'd even tried. How was she going to get around?

She unzipped the duffel bag over her shoulder and rooted around in it. She pulled out a can. Creamed corn—ew. She turned it over in her hand before lobbing it at a far off brick wall. Despite the fact that her dominant arm was useless and she'd made the throw with her right, the can landed right where she'd aimed. It hit and skittered on the ground before rolling to a stop at the base of a metal garbage bin. The reaction from the small horde was immediate as they bared their teeth and began migrating towards the sound. She used the opportunity to walk around them as they angrily wandered near the can. At least they weren't very bright. That was the only bright side in all of the mess. They could've ended up with smart fast zombies instead of these ones. Hooray for small miracles.

Cliff Street hadn't been touched by the cleanup crew yet, but it was kept remarkably zombie-free. There were bright floodlights keeping the whole thing illuminated. No doubt the police were doing their best to keep survivors safe and visibility high. She wandered between the abandoned cars. Some were still running, music playing and lights lit up. One car in particular sported neon strips around the lights and wheel wells that flashed different colors. It would've been cool to see, had the car also not been covered in entrails. She pressed her sweater against her mouth in revulsion. Then she caught sight of her own reflection in the glass. She looked rough. Dirt covered her face and body from when she'd fallen off the fence. Her shoulder looked unnatural, even hidden beneath a thick sweater. But what was worse was the fact that the red spot on her left sclera had gotten even bigger. It was beginning to encroach upon her iris. It looked scary. She turned away, not wanting to see it anymore.

Despite the obvious signs of a struggle, there wasn't a single moving corpse. She stumbled across a few bodies with bullets in them, but they weren't moving, which she was grateful for. The cops were keeping the street clean. In front of her, a few survivors made their way into the wrought iron gates of the station. She wasn't surprised when there weren't a lot. The apocalypse had struck fast and hit hard. Surely the entire city had gone under by now. She shivered at the thought. Hopefully there were more survivors than this at the other precincts. Or that at least some people had managed to hold out in their houses. She was worried about Tiffany and Jake.

Jake was a doomsday prepper conspiracy theorist nutcase, so he should at least have some weaponry. She meant that with love, of course. Jake was a wonderful person who also happened to believe that Umbrella Corporation was building a death ray for the military. Apparently you 'don't earn that kind of money doing honest work'. And he'd also spent several thousand dollars reinforcing his house and turning it into a fortress. Suddenly, he didn't seem so eccentric. Tiffany, on the other hand, was renting out a house right in the heart of the city. The urban area with a higher population would've been hit the hardest. Rae hoped that she'd gone to visit her Nana in the next town over, as she did twice a week.

Rae sighed and followed the others, keeping her guard up in case anything happened. She wasn't safe until she was in the building. And even then, that was debatable. Would the police even know how to handle this situation? She wondered what they knew about it. It was unlikely that they'd been told, 'by the way, zombies are roaming the streets in search of human flesh so you guys should set up a relief center'. She would've loved to be a fly on that wall. If anything, they were probably aware only of what survivors were able to bring with them.

She looked up at the imposing structure and clenched her hands around her duffel's strap. The clock tower looked ominous in the dark of night. Apparently, the place had once been an art museum. It'd been named after the founder, Edward Murphy. He was also where they neighborhood had gotten its name—Murphysboro. Of course, these were all little factoids that she'd read about when looking for a neighborhood to call home. She'd never actually been inside of the building. Well, she'd probably be able to see every nook and cranny before this whole mess blew over. Eyes roving over the huge metal fence, she queued behind a rather chubby black man who was wearing some sort of maintenance uniform.

Rae took a deep breath and prepared herself for her next step. She wasn't sure if she should feel relief or anticipation. In fact, she felt almost numb. The day had sucked the life out of her. Miss Vasquez…Dawes…Tiff…Jay-Jay. Dad. She opened her eyes and stared firmly ahead. She'd survive this. She had to. In spite of everything, she felt hope.

:.:

To Be Continued…

:.:

A/N: What a way to end chapter 2! Hope you guys are still enjoying it! I've really liked writing this so I'm happy to be able to continue it.

Anonymous Reviewers:
Guest: Thank you for saying you like my writing style! That's very sweet of you. I'm usually down with writing porn, but I actually haven't seen the movie before. I'll give it a watch, since you seem to really like it! I'm not making any promises, though, since I really only write about stuff I'm super passionate about. I'd feel like I couldn't quite do the characters justice if I were to just churn something out. You should find somebody already in that fandom and shoot them a quick PM. I'm sure you'll find some depraved soul willing to feed your addiction. There are some really talented writers here on FFnet.