77
The helicopter hovered fifty feet off the ground above a clearing, battering the trees around them with wind from the spinning blades. The forest seemed to sway like people at a concert. Below the chopper was another one just like it, smashed into the ground, front end crumpled like a tin can, blades snapped off like weak tree branches.
"Jesus," Brad mumbled. "No wonder they haven't come back."
"Land this thing," Wesker ordered, looking at the wreckage from a side window. "Someone might be down there."
"They said they reached their destination," Barry said. "So how is it that their chopper is destroyed?"
"How should I know?" Wesker snapped. "Maybe they were coming back. But if they were in the chopper, why didn't they radio in?"
"Nothing's moving down there," Brad said nervously, keeping the helicopter steady.
"I said get on the ground!" Wesker shouted. "Right now! Someone might be hurt down there!"
Brad, sweat breaking out on his forehead, lowered the helicopter into the clearing until the landing gear rested on the ground. The blades continued to spin, ready to lift the chopper back into the air at the slightest twitch of the control stick.
Chris slid the door open and jumped out, followed by Jill and Joseph. Chris ran immediately to the downed helicopter, peering into the cabin. Jill had her pistol out, looking into the trees. Joseph shouldered his assault rifle and crept to the edge of the clearing, aiming out into the darkness. The helicopter blades continued to spin rapidly, causing all the vegetation to move and making so much noise that Jill couldn't hear anything clearly. Trying to look into the forest, she might as well have been blind and deaf.
Wesker hopped out of the helicopter and smacked the front windshield with his hand, looking into the cockpit. "Turn those rotors off and get out here!" he shouted.
Brad shook his head fiercely. "I'll keep it running in case we need to get out of here fast!"
"There's nothing out here! We all need to start looking for Bravo team!"
Barry unbuckled himself and climbed out. He pulled out his Magnum, ignored both Wesker and Brad, and walked straight to Bravo's wrecked helicopter. Chris stood up and looked around.
"No one's here," he said, putting his hands on his hips. "And I don't see evidence that anyone was injured in the crash. No blood or anything."
"Any idea where they went?" Barry asked, looking inside.
"No clue. We had a lot of rain last night, covered up any tracks they might have made." Chris looked over Barry's shoulder at Wesker, who was still yelling at Brad. "What's he doing?"
Barry glanced back. "Brad's too scared to cut the engine. I don't know what's got him so spooked. He should be out here helping us look."
"He is kind of a chicken, isn't he?"
"Yea," Barry grunted. He looked over at the chopper and then scanned the swaying trees. With all the noise the chopper was making, if there really was anyone or anything in the forest preparing to attack them, they could probably get all the way to the edge of the trees without being noticed. Right off the bat, the whole thing was going sour.
Jill walked over to them. "I can't see or hear anything in those trees. Tell Brad to turn the stupid thing off," she said.
Wesker was still arguing with Brad. "Turn the engine off and get out here! That's an order! You're giving away our position!"
"We should search from the air!" Brad shouted back. "It's safer that way!"
"Stop being a coward and get out here!"
Chris ran up to the helicopter and joined Wesker. "Brad, cut the engine! We can't see anything with the wind making the trees move!"
"Let me take off then! I'll search from the air and pick you up when you need me!"
"You're not going anywhere!" Wesker shouted. "Now get out here! I'm ordering you to stop the rotors and help us search!"
Jill turned back to the forest, her breath coming faster, the hair on the back of her neck beginning to stand up. She did not like how this was going. Bravo team was gone, their transport destroyed, and now Alpha was wasting too much time. This was not how it was supposed to happen. Wesker had told them that once they reached the target, they would land and debark at once. All of them, including Brad, would spread out in a search pattern. But the sight of the crashed helicopter changed their plans, and now Brad was screwing up the mission.
Joseph was at the other side of the clearing, staring into the trees even though Jill doubted that he could see anything. He hefted his rifle higher on his shoulder and started walking toward Jill. She sighed and looked at the helicopter, which was still barely touching the ground, despite Wesker, Chris, and even Barry ordering Brad to turn it off. When she looked back at Joseph, she saw something out of the corner of her eye.
"Joseph!" she screamed, raising her pistol.
The dark shape bolted from the trees and came right at him. He spun around and opened fire, the roar of the rifle reaching her ears, the bright muzzle flash illuminating the clearing like a chain of firecrackers. Jill squeezed off two shots at the running creature.
It was a dog. Or at least it used to be ...
Joseph sprayed it with bullets and it jerked into the air, hitting the ground with blood squirting from its hide. But before Joseph could even lower the gun, another hound came out of the forest and jumped on him. Jill screamed and fired again, but the animal struck Joseph right in the chest and knocked him to the grass. He swung his arm up but the dog was already at his throat.
And then everything went to hell. She could hear Wesker still shouting, but the helicopter rose into the air, lifting up above their heads. The unmistakable sound of Barry's Magnum rang out, and the dog mauling Joseph snapped back and crumpled to the ground. Chris shouted something but she couldn't hear. She ran to Joseph's side and cried out at the sight of his torn open throat, his blood splattered all over his body and the surrounding grass.
His hand was still holding his rifle, his finger on the trigger. His eyes stared straight into the dark night sky.
The chopper was in the air, high above them. Barry and Wesker were screaming into the air, waving their arms. Chris came over to her and grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet.
Two more shapes came out of the forest, right at them. Dogs like the others, glistening and bloody, their skin missing, their eyes burning red. Chris raised his pistol and hit one right between the eyes. It fell on its face and rolled to a stop, while the other one jumped past them and headed for Barry and Wesker. Jill pulled free of Chris' grasp and fell to her knees.
Wesker saw it first and whipped out his gun. Just as it jumped, Barry fell to the side and Wesker fired, his pistol flashing orange in the gloom. The dog sailed right over his shoulder and stopped moving. Barry got to his feet, glanced at Wesker once, and ran over to Jill and Chris. Wesker looked back into the sky once more and joined him.
"What are they!?" Jill screamed. "They killed Joseph!"
"We have to get out of here!" Wesker shouted. "We aren't safe out here!"
"Tell Brad to get down here and pick us up!" Chris yelled.
Barry shouldered past them. "Brad ain't gonna come down here for all the money in the world. He's gonna stay up there where it's safe."
"Come on!" Wesker shouted, ignoring Barry. "We have to get moving before more of them come after us!"
"But what are they?" Jill cried, staring down at Joseph's mauled body.
"Who cares?" Chris snapped. "I'm with Wesker. Let's get out of here."
"Where?" Barry asked. "Where do we go?"
"I saw a building in the forest when we flew over," Wesker said quickly, pointing into the trees. "That way. Maybe that's where Bravo went."
"I didn't see any building," Jill said, her voice quaking in fear.
"Anywhere is better than out here," Chris said, grabbing Jill again and pulling her to her feet. "Now let's go."
They headed off into the trees, following Wesker. Jill found that she could not stop shaking. The thing that attacked them was a dog, but not a dog. It was like some kind of hellhound. Not a creature that belonged in this world. She suddenly gripped her pistol even tighter and stared out nervously into the woods as they ran.
"Next time I see Brad, I'm going to kill him," Barry muttered. "He abandoned us down here. The coward deserted us."
"I won't kill him," Wesker said, "but he's off the police force forever. If I have my way, I'll see him arrested and thrown in jail."
"Can we worry about him later?" Chris said. "What were those things? They looked like dogs, but they didn't have any skin."
"They killed Joseph," Jill whimpered.
Before Wesker could respond, they heard something. It was another dog, barking from somewhere nearby. It was the most horrible sound Jill had ever heard.
"Run!" Wesker cried out, taking off.
And so they ran. It was hard to see in the darkness, but they ran through knee-high weeds and between the trees as fast as they could. The barking got closer and closer, until Jill was sure the dogs were right behind them. She ran even faster. And then, incredibly, she could see lights in the distance, through the branches.
"It's the building!' Wesker shouted triumphantly. "Come on!"
They ran through a line of trees and found themselves in a wide, well-maintained lawn. In front of them was a huge mansion, three stories tall, lights burning behind most of the windows. It had a wide front porch with decorative pillars on each side. In front, to their left, was a long paved parking lot lined with large cement potted plants. Jill noticed a few cars parked there but didn't pay too much attention. She just kept running.
She heard a cry and a crash and looked over her shoulder to see Chris on the ground. She stopped and called his name, but then the dogs were upon them. Three of them emerged from the woods and Jill turned and ran before she realized what she was doing. Wesker and Barry were far in front of her. She thought she heard a gun shot from behind her.
They reached the porch and ran up the steps to the huge front door. Wesker pushed it open and ran inside, followed closely by Barry. Jill, almost out of breath, made it up the steps and through the door, and then fell right to the hardwood floor, gasping for air.
Wesker slammed the door and the dogs barked their fury. She heard them striking and pawing at the door, barking those horrible, hacking barks. Wesker backed away from the door, his hands shaking, his breath ragged. Jill scrambled onto her back and sat up, scooting away from the door.
There were large bay windows on either side of the door. Suddenly, one of the dogs jumped up and pressed its paws against the glass, barking at them. Blood from its snout spattered across the glass. Barry raised his gun, but Wesker grabbed his arm.
"Don't waste your ammo. I don't think they can get in."
"What if they break the glass?"
"Shooting them would break the glass just as quickly."
Just then, the dog reared back and leaped at the window. It struck the glass and fell back down, streaking the glass with blood. But it didn't break.
"My God," Barry said, "Where's Chris?"
Jill gasped a sob, feeling tears on her face. "He ... he fell when we were running. I tried to go back ... but then the dogs came after us ... and ... and ..."
"We have to go after him," Barry said, reaching for the door.
Wesker pushed him back. "Don't be stupid! We don't know what else is out there!"
"Are you just going to leave him out there?" Barry demanded, shoving Wesker away.
"If the dogs got to him then he's already dead. There's nothing we can do, Barry. If the dogs found him then we can't save him. It will only put us back in danger."
"So we're just abandoning him, just like Brad abandoned us," Barry snapped.
"Yea, and just like we abandoned Joseph," Wesker snapped back. "We can't help him now, Barry. If he was still alive, he would already have come after us."
"I think ... I think I saw one of the dogs attack him," Jill whimpered, trying not to break down into tears. She tried to stand up but her legs would not hold her.
Barry put his hands to his head and turned away, stepping into the middle of the room. Jill realized that it was actually a large lobby with a huge chandelier above their heads. The floor was shining hardwood and a red carpet lined the center of the floor. Right behind them was a carpeted stairway splitting to the right and left, heading up to the second floor. The entire lobby was ringed with an open hallway around the second floor. Jill did not have time to take in the sights, but she could not help but notice their lavish surroundings.
Wesker pulled out his walkie-talkie. "Brad, this is Wesker. Respond." The fury in his voice was unmistakable. There was no response. "Brad, if you don't respond right now, I will see to it that you are thrown out of the police force! Chris is dead because of you, because you abandoned us here! Now respond!" There was nothing but the quiet crackle of static. Wesker stared at the walkie-talkie for a second, and then hurled it against the wall. The case cracked open and it fell to the floor, broken.
"Listen," Wesker said after a few seconds, regaining his calm. "I think it's likely that Bravo team came here after the crash. This is probably the government facility they told us about. It must be the only building for miles."
"But there's no one here," Jill said. "They must have heard us shooting, they must know we're here, but there isn't anybody."
"I don't know, okay? I'm just as freaked out as you are, trust me."
"There's got to be someone here," Barry said, turning around to face them. His eyes were red and puffy; Jill realized with a shock that he had been crying. He and Chris had been friends for years. "This place can't be empty. There are lights on all over the place."
"Right," Wesker said. "There must be someone here. We just have to find them. Maybe they're hiding or something."
"From what?" Jill asked, panicked. "Do you think there's something in here too?"
"I have no idea. But we've got to assume something happened here. The fact that we haven't seen anyone tells me it's more than just the dogs outside."
"Those weren't dogs," Barry muttered. "They were monsters."
"Whatever they were, I don't think they're the only thing we have to worry about. I don't know what happened here, but it was bad and it's still going on."
"What do you want to do?" Jill asked, trying to get to her feet. Barry held her arm and helped her up. Her legs shook a little, but she managed to stand without help.
"I think we should start looking around is all. Maybe we can find someone who knows what's going on."
"Should we split up?" Barry asked.
Wesker shrugged. It was a odd gesture for someone who usually knew exactly what he wanted. "If you want to. You know I would prefer to cover as much ground as possible, but I can understand if you don't want to be alone."
"I can handle myself," Barry said. "What about you, Jill?"
Jill took account of her shaking legs and trembling hands, and shook her head. "No, I don't want to go off by myself. I'm sorry, but not now. I just can't."
"It's okay," Wesker said. "I know how you feel. How about you and Barry take one side and I take the other? We'll do just the first floor for now, and meet back here in the lobby in ten minutes. Sound like a plan?"
Barry nodded his consent. "Okay, ten minutes."
"Ten minutes. Then we meet back here and decide what to do next."
He gave them a reassuring smile, touched Jill's shoulder, and walked to right side of the lobby. There were two doors, both solid oak, and he waited by the first one. Barry and Jill went to the right side of the lobby, which only had one door.
Barry tried the handle and found it unlocked. He pushed it, letting it swing open, his gun already drawn. Jill stood just beside the door, acting as backup. It was dark beyond the door, but Barry could see inside. He crept through the doorway and Jill turned to see inside, her gun aimed in front of her. Whatever the room was, it was huge. She could see hazy twilight shining through at least a dozen windows running down the left side of the room. Barry found a light switch and turned it on.
The room exploded in light. Both of them were stunned momentarily by the grandeur of it. The center of the room was taken up by an incredibly long dining table covered in a lace table cloth. Half a dozen silver candlesticks decorated the table, along with a large flowery centerpiece in the middle. The floor was white marble tile waxed to a perfect shine. Like the lobby, there was an inner balcony running around the entire circumference of the room at the second floor.
"What a spread," Barry muttered. He pointed to one side of the dining table and walked along the other. Jill, regaining her calm, went along the other side, walking slowly. She could see through the windows to the front yard and forest beyond, bathed in gray twilight. They walked the length of the room, making their way to the other end of the long dining table. There was an empty fire place against the wall with a coat of arms above it.
And a mass of blood on the floor.
Jill gripped her gun tighter. "Is that blood?" she asked.
Barry knelt down but did not touch it. He looked closely and nodded. "Looks like it. Looks like its been here awhile, too."
"I don't see a body ..."
Barry looked at the floor around the blood stain. There was no sign that anything had been dragged through it, and no bloody footprints that either of them could see. Usually, in a case like this, there would be some sign of where the owner of the blood was. Either a long smear indicating the body had been dragged away, or a trail of blood or bloody footprints indicating that the victim had gotten up and left on his own power.
"What do you think –" Jill started to say.
And then they heard a scream. A scream very close to them. They both jumped, and Jill almost fired off a round in her fright. And then they did hear a gunshot, also very close, so close it might have been in the next room. Jill's heart pounded in her chest like a jackhammer and she breathed quickly, gun raised. To their right was a door. The sounds had come from right behind it.