Reunion
She screams in pain as a wicked deadite claw tears into her shoulder. She brings her blade up in front of her face just in time to block the next attack from the misshapen, winged demon. It hisses at her, spewing bile on her as it presses in. The strength of the monster is enormous and she steps back as it starts to overpower her. From the side she sees Ash aiming his Boomstick in her direction. She tumbles backward, disengaging from the demon as he fires. Most of the demon's torso explodes as he fires again. This time the demon's head disappears.
"Thank you," she says as she flips back to her feet.
"Anytime," he answers back as he aims at another.
The scene before her is complete chaos! Whatever escaped from the book reached the open areas of the prison, infecting most of the inmate, guard and refugees. The guards that were somehow spared from the…possession…formed up in defensive groups in an attempt to rescue the refugees and even the inmates while other groups made a concerted effort to bring down the demons and other hellish creatures that were once their friends and co-workers.
They are not doing so well.
At the onset neither are Kim, the Warden, or the other guards.
Ash, on the other hand is a deadite killing machine! He wades into the demons, moving with the grace of a cat. His Boomstick is the great equalizer as demon after hellish demon falls. His gauntlet hand is also a deadly weapon against the deadites, easily crushing extended arms and more with its powerful grip. Kim and the Warden stare in amazement as Ash flips over one demon and blows away the face of one behind it then sweeping out with his leg he trip the other and blows it away before it can get up. He flips his Boomstick like a baton over his arm and presses the trigger as another demon foolishly charges at him. It falls.
Kim is shaken from her reverie as a slavering deadite leaps at her. She rolls to the side slashing out with her blade. It lands where she once stood then falls on its back as her blade cuts through its legs. She rolls back onto her feet as the creature crawls toward her, growling and hissing. A quick stab to its elongated, contorted head ends its movements permanently but she has no time to rest as more deadites converge on her.
The Warden and his group of prison guards hold their own as they make their way across the floor. Everyone is at each other's backs in a defensive circle as they move and absorb the next pair or trio of guards. Their numbers begin to swell and start to push back the demonic forces.
"Pour it on, people," the Warden growls, "give 'em hell!"
Kim leaps over the deadites and runs toward the Warden's group. The deadites are a different type of monster all together than the zombies she has already fought. For one they are quicker and stronger; they fight well as a group targeting the weakest first before moving on to the next. They are just as frightening to look like the zombies but for different reasons. No two deadites, or demons, or whatever they are look the same. Some look similar but each is horrific in a new and different way; some have wings, others have larger misshapen limbs or elongated faces and rending teeth. Some are skeletal in appearance while others are hulking brutes. One thing that they do have in common is that they are all ugly as hell!
While they are different in appearance they all share the same goal: death to the living. She tries to look away from the scenes of carnage as she runs toward the Warden's group. Some of the guards do not fare as well as the others do and the demons fall on the hapless screaming guards rending them limb from limb. Then the feasting begins. She will carry the sounds of their terrible screams and the image to her grave.
The Warden sees Kim coming and orders his group to open for her. They close around her their assault rifles chattering death to the oncoming demons. "Are you okay," the Warden asks, bellowing above the noise of the gun fire.
She shakes her head in the negative, her eyes plainly display the panic and fear that threatens to explode from inside her. The Warden aims his pistol and fires, splitting the head of a deadite in two. He looks at her with his one good eye and places a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Stay with us, Miss Possible, we will get out of here yet! Stay strong!"
She focuses on his words, forcing the image of death and carnage from her mind. His hand disappears from her shoulder as it goes back to holding his pistol and he fires again. The group moves across the floor trying to steer clear of fallen bodies both human and…other. The number of guards they absorb get smaller and smaller as they head toward the main area.
Ash makes his way toward the Warden and Kim, unloading on a deadite then quickly reloading. More deadites attack him than Kim and the rest, probably 'cause they got long memories, he muses as he blows the head off of another. Well, that one don't anymore! The deadites switch tactics and attack him as one, attempting to bowl him over. He jumps over the first wave and meets the second with fist and Boomstick. He does not remember the last time he reloaded the gun but it is still firing. Each pull of the trigger sends another demon back into the netherworld from where it came. He wades through the second wave, a gleam of fury and rage in his eyes that matches the horrors arrayed against him.
"ASH!"
She does not know if he heard her cry as wave after wave of deadites leap on him, pulling him to the ground. The gnashing of fangs and the tearing of clothing can be heard above the roar of the guns. She shoves a guard out of the way in a futile attempt to run over to Ash and save him. The Warden grabs her arm at the last moment and pulls her back.
"Kim, stop! There is nothing you can do for him, he's gone!"
"I have to try," she screams at him, tears welling up in her eyes.
He looks at her sadly, "I know, but you will be killed as well."
Tears stream down her face as her mind forces her to accept the reality of the situation. The group turns to the massed pile of deadites as a gargantuan roar wells up from underneath it. Deadites suddenly go flying out in all directions as the roar reaches its apex.
Kim tear-filled eyes widen in shock!
The roar finishes but it takes a while for the echo to die. Everyone and everything falls silent. A hulking figure wearing the tattered clothing of a prison guard stands amidst the surrounding deadites. He-he's alive, her mind tells her as it attempts to process this revelation but is having trouble with the concept.
He looks like Ash, but bigger. His entire body is massively muscled, his shoulders stoop forward slightly from the increased muscle mass. He stands a full foot taller, easily as tall as the largest deadite. It is his facial appearance that causes her to recoil in horror. His eyes are empty orbs of milky white and his face is contorted into a vicious predatory snarl. His massive hands clench into fists as his chest heaves like a furnace. A low, animalistic growl issues from his mouth then turns into a roar…a challenge!
Several deadites return with a roar of their own as they close in while the others hold back. The deadites around Kim and the guards move away from them to watch the spectacle. Kim, the Warden, and the rest are also transfixed at the sight. Kim's mind finishes process the startling realization.
Ash is a deadite!
Three brave deadites converge on him leaping at him from different directions. He catches two of them as the other lands on his back. He howls in pain-filled anger as the one on his back tears into him with its claws. He crushes the two he is holding and lets them drop to the floor. The one on his back twists and writhes away from Ash's attempts to grab it but he eventually succeeds in grasping it and throws it off of him. Deadite Ash stomps down with a massive foot, crushing the monster's elongated skull. He issues another challenge at the others and then crouches down defensively.
The other deadites snarl and screech at him menacingly. They attack as one. Deadite Ash leaps to action, landing into the horde with fists flying. The smaller deadites are no match for his great strength but they have numbers on their side. Both Kim and the Warden realize this as he barks orders to the guards to train the weapons on the massed horde of deadites. The circle of guards spread out into a line and they fire. The bullets tear into the deadites with lethal precision as they fall. The Warden orders the line to advance as they keep up the pressure. Groups of deadites break away from the fight when they realize what is happening, running toward the guards with fangs and claws bared.
Kim draws her blade as she runs at the approaching demons, focusing on Ash and the monsters fighting him. She slashes out and an arm separates cleanly from a body. She ducks under a clumsy lunge and swings her blade out, slicing off legs. She moves quickly as bullets whistle past her too close for comfort. She blocks a clawed hand with her blade and twists the weapon as the creature falls forward. She brings the blade down hard, decapitating the monster. The Warden and the remaining guards pick off the other deadites so she has a clear shot at Ash.
Ash howls in pain as a deadite chomps down on his arm. He raises his arm, drawing back his other fist and unleashes it. Several fangs are imbedded in his arm but the rest of the deadite is no longer a problem. He kicks out with a massive foot connecting with the torso of a larger deadite, sending it hurling backwards. More deadites converge on Deadite Ash. He unclenches his left fist and vicious, curved talons elongate from his fingers. He growls a battle cry as he runs into the deadites, slashing out with his talons. A face of one deadite disappears completely from the slashing attack and another's face caves in from his massive gauntleted fist. He does not let up, biting, clawing and pummeling all of the deadites around him.
Kim somersaults over a massive deadite, landing directly behind it. She angles her blade up and thrusts backward, skewering the monster through its neck. She twists the blade to the side and grunts as she shoves the blade to her left, cutting through its neck. It falls, gurgling in its own fluids. Another deadite leaps at her from her right, but it is chopped up by a hail of gunfire while it is still in the air. More deadites turn around to face her as she nears Ash. She lashes out with her blade, striking from the left, then the right. She slashes upward, splitting a deadite in two. She leaps high into the air as two deadites go for her legs. She lands on one, slamming her blade down onto the back of the head of the other. She jumps off the prone deadite and pulls her blade but it is stuck in the floor. She rolls backward and assumes a crouching defensive position as the prone deadite stands up. She clenches her fists as it comes at her with terrific speed! She ducks under slashing claws and gives the monster a vicious uppercut for its efforts. Its head snaps back but falls back into place a split-second later. Its twisted face leers at her in a monstrous smile. She strikes out again, this time with a left-right combo that forces the deadite back a step. She kicks the creature's knee and it drops to one knee. She punches the thing in the face as hard as she can, sending it reeling to the floor. She takes to the air and thrusts her boot out, intent on crushing the deadites head when she lands. It rolls out of the way at the last second and its tail whips around the back of her legs, taking them out from under her. She lands hard on her back as all of the air is forcibly expelled from her lungs. The deadite screeches in triumph as it leaps at her. She closes her eyes, unwilling to visualize the fate it has in store for her.
She opens an eye when the attack never comes. The other opens immediately afterward.
The deadite hovers in the air before her, its legs a good two feet off of the floor. She looks up and sees it struggle and claw at the massive fist gripping it by the top of its head. She scurries backward and gets up as Deadite Ash crushes the screeching deadite skull. Blood and gore pour out of the shattered thing as Ash unceremoniously drops it. He stares down at her, his massive chest heaving.
The hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and her brain screams at her to run but sheer terror keeps her rooted to the spot, she closes her eyes in a futile attempt to disbelieve. He towers over her as his face turns into a vicious snarl. He grabs her in his powerful hands and raises her to his face. She can feel his hot breath on her face, an acrid stench of death and sulfur. A low growl escapes his lips. Against sanity, she opens her eyes meeting the gaze of his white orbs. She knows it is useless to struggle as her last thoughts turn to Shego. I-I'm sorry, Shego. I'm sorry I couldn't find you in time. I'm sorry for everything!
Tears fall from the sides of her eyes and one drops onto his snarling face, then another. His face twitches as he stares at her. Slowly the snarl disappears, replaced with…something else. His low growl turns into a howl of sorrow as his face matches the grief in his voice. Kim can feel the change in him as his body loses the extra mass. The howl changes pitch as he shrinks, culminating into an all-too-human wail of grief as Ash brings her to his chest and hugs her tightly.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry," he sobs.
"N-no big," she replies quietly as she returns the hug.
He lets her go, sniffling and trying to bring his emotions under control. All around them are the dead, twisted bodies of deadites. The Warden and the surviving guards run over to them.
"That was…impressive," the Warden states in disbelief, "I didn't know you could do that!"
"It's not somethin' I'm proud of, believe me," he answers as he stands.
Kim gets up and walks over to her blade and wrenches it free from the floor. She wipes the gore from the blade and sheathes it. "We need to do something about that book," the Warden says.
"Duh," Ash replies sarcastically.
To reinforce the point, echoing cries of pain and terror reverberate throughout the building.
The Warden, Kim, and Ash look at each other and say as one, "The refugees!"
The group runs to the source of the screaming. The main lobby is full of dead bodies, twisted in permanent forms of horror. A few deadites crouch over the bodies feasting on the remains. Two guards end their feast with rifle fire.
"We can't let 'em escape," Ash declares, "This city has more than enough problems to deal with!"
Wails and cries come from outside along with the intermittent chatter of automatic weapons fire. Growls and howling noise also issue from outside. Most of the guards reload their weapons as does Ash. Kim also takes out her M1911 and makes sure the clip is full. Two guards move to either side of the blood-splattered door. They turn to the Warden who has just finished reloading his revolver. He nods at them and they open the doors. Guards pour out with their weapons at the ready. Kim and Ash are the last to leave.
The scene is a bloodbath! The refugees are fodder for the deadites while most of the guards were either possessed or killed by the marauding deadites. One lookout tower is in flames as well as several cars. Kim can feel her heart sink at the sight of so much death. The moment of shock quickly wears off as the Warden growls, "Kill them!"
The guards fan out in pairs firing at the demons. Kim stays close to Ash as they head out to the right, down the stairs and into the courtyard. A pair of guards to the extreme left of Kim and Ash gets a little trigger happy as they unload on a trio of deadites feasting on a guard in front of a large propane tank. They make short work of the deadites.
The propane tank explodes in a massive ball of fire, the shockwave and heat consuming everything near it. Kim and Ash fall to the ground from the shockwave and explosion. The heat is unbearable! Both Kim and Ash stare in horror at the sight.
"No," Kim whispers in disbelief as she sees beyond the explosion.
The force of the explosion knocked out a sizable chuck of the outer wall. Through the licking flames she can see people coming in. No, not people!
"ASH! GET UP! MOVE!"
Meanwhile…
Shego could see the explosion from her vantage point at the cliff. "Looks like they're havin' some trouble," the guard says to her as he steps over to the edge of the cliff.
"What do you see," she asks, her stomach tying into knots, dreading what could be the answer.
It takes an uncomfortably long moment to answer. "Heat from the fires is interferin' with my thermals but I can make out several distinct groups. It's a battle that's for sure!"
"We need to move!"
"I'll go first."
He jumps down the cliff, sliding down on his boots and butt; it is not a comfortable ride down! Shego follows as he nears the ground, sliding down the steep cliff easily on her boots.
"Show off," he mutters as he dusts off his backside.
"I need a gun," she says, ignoring his comment.
"Fresh out, I'm afraid. Stay behind me, I'm sure you'll be able to grab somethin' pretty soon."
He unhooks the Gatling gun from his back and it swivels to the front, right into his waiting hand. "Follow me," he says as he moves toward the front gate.
She does.
The sounds of gun fire and screaming increase in volume as they approach. Several zombies claw and tear futilely at the closed gate as they get there. One turns around, moaning as it shambles toward them. A quick squeeze of the trigger cuts the zombies down. The guard steps up to the gate and taps his armored fist against it.
"Hmmm…it's pretty thick. Stand back, Shego! I'm gonna knock!"
She moves away as the guard steps back and presses the trigger. The weapon hums to life as he sweeps from left to right as it belches forth destructive power. Then he moves the weapon up and down as it fires. He lets go of the trigger and the revolving barrels come to a halt. The gate doors smolder and smoke and then fall away in pieces.
"I'm goin' in! Remember, stay close!"
"Right behind you, Shellhead!"
"'Shellhead', I like it!"
The guard steps over the remains of the gate and enters hell. Shego follows at his heels.
The scene is complete chaos! Prison guards are formed up in small groups, firing at hordes of zombies and WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?
Demonic horrors straight out of biblical lore also attack the guards and the dwindling number of refugees alike. Some are even attacking the zombies!
"What the fuck's goin' on here," the guard asks to no one in particular.
A winged horror turns toward him baring its claws and fangs, bellowing a challenge as it leaps to the air. It does not get very far as the guard cuts it down as it dives at him. He sidesteps to the right as the flaming remains of the monster crash to the ground where he once stood.
"What the fuck is THAT?" Shego asks as she stares at the smoldering remains.
"Dunno, but it can be killed just like the rest," he replies as he angles his weapon at a group of fighting demons and zombies and presses the trigger.
Kim and Ash find themselves backed into a corner of the main building, a score of deadites converging on them.
She puts her gun away as it is out of ammo and there is no time to go through her backpack for more. She draws her blade as Ash takes careful aim and fires his Boomstick. The head of one deadite explodes, but that does not deter the rest from moving closer, fangs and claws bared.
"Change up!"
The deadites lunge at them as Kim flips her blade to Ash as he does the same to her with his Boomstick. He catches the blade as the first deadite meets him. The blade catches both clawed hands and he grunts against the strength of the monster. Kim uses the barrel of the Boomstick as a bat and connects with a vicious hit across the face of one deadite. She flips the gun over and presses the trigger into the torso of another. The recoil forces her back a step as she takes aim at another. Ash twists the blade and moves to the wall of the building. The deadite loses its balance and falls forward. The blade cleaves its head off before the body hits the ground.
Kim fires again but misses, her aim is too high. A deadite reaches her and she angles the Boomstick and shoves forward, jarring the barrel of the gun in the creature's maw. She strains against its strength and kicks the deadites knee with her boot. The attack has enough force for it to lose its balance and it falls forward. She wrenches the gun from the monster's maw and shoves the end of the barrel into its slavering mouth. She presses the trigger. The deadites head explodes.
"Back at ya," Ash yells as he throws her the blade.
She tosses the Boomstick back at him and catches her blade. In one fluid motion she brings the blade back around and slashes out several times. Two more deadites fall in pieces. The last one falls as Ash puts round after round into it.
"Let's go help the others," Kim says as she wipes the blood from her blade.
"I'm all for getting' outta here," he complains, but he follows her back to the front courtyard.
Shego pries an assault rifle from the hands of a dead prison guard as a trio of zombies attempt to fall on her. She rolls backwards and fires from a kneeling position, emptying the entire clip into them. She throws the rifle to the ground and rummages through the dead guard until she finds a pistol and two spare clips. A demon straight out of hell looms over her. She brings the pistol up to its face and fires. She fires again and again as the monster staggers back. She fires again this time hitting it right between the eyes. It falls on its back, moving no more.
The Warden gathers what is left of the surviving prison guards and forms a defensive circle. Eight guards are left. A horde of zombies surround them, closing in slowly. "This is it," he mutters, "This is our last stand. Send 'em all to hell, boys!"
He fires his pistol as the zombies close in. The guards fire after he does, cutting down zombie after zombie, but they all know that there are too many of them and nowhere near enough ammo. The numbers of zombies swell as they overwhelm the guards, grasping, groping and biting. The Warden fires again and again as their hands grasp at him. He saves his last bullet for himself as open mouths bear down on him.
Kim and Ash turn around the corner as a single pistol shot rings out. She looks toward where the Warden was but her heart sinks as zombie after zombie pile on the last of the heroic prison guards.
She averts her eyes to a new scene. There are only a few deadites left but hordes of zombies. The deadites appear unconcerned at who is living or dead as they attack the zombies, using claws and fangs to rend them limb from limb. The zombies fight back but the deadites are much stronger and quicker. For every deadite that falls over twenty zombies cease to move.
But it all comes down to numbers in the end. The deadites do not retreat or stand down. She forces herself to look away…right into the eyes of a zombie standing right next to her!
It grabs her by her hair and throat. It tugs her hair back as it opens its mouth. She is caught off-guard. It pulls her toward it and…
…a single gunshot rings out followed by the boom of the Boomstick. The grip of the zombie lessens and she shoves it away. To her right Ash lowers his Boomstick. There! In front of her! She cannot believe what she sees!
Shego's hands tremble as she lowers the pistol. Her knees feel weak and threaten to buckle from under her.
"K-Kimmie?"
The guard appears at her back and steadies her as she drops the pistol. Her body begins to tremble.
Kim blinks in disbelief, but Shego does not fade. She tries to say something but the words get caught in her throat. Her heart thumps madly in her chest but her legs go weak as she drops her blade. Ash runs over to her and steadies her like the guard does Shego. He looks at her and then over to Shego and the guard. She takes a weak step toward them, then another. Ash helps her walk as the guard does for Shego.
She's here; it's her, Shego's mind revels in triumph.
Found you, I finally found you, Kim's mind yells over and over again.
They meet.
Shego places her gloved hands gently on Kim's cheeks. Kim can barely make out what Shego looks like through her tears and she blinks them away. Kim brings her hands up to Shego's wrists and squeezes them not caring how hard she is blushing.
The guard walks a few steps beyond the girls and assumes a defensive position. Ash does the same to give them some semblance of privacy. He steps up next to the guard.
The guard scans back and forth but the zombies are still in the thick of the fight with the remaining deadites. "So that's Shego," Ash asks.
"Yep, an' you're with Kim Possible?"
"Uh-huh, name's Ash."
"James."
"Nice to meet ya."
"Same here. Been lookin' for Kim for a while."
"That's all Kim's been harping about since I met her. I think she came here for her."
He nods, "She did, at least that's what I hear."
"Well, they found each other."
"Yep."
"I…I can't believe it's you," Kim says, exultant, "I…I thought-"
She finds it impossible to continue without crying. Shego opens her mouth to speak but suffers from the same difficulty. Shego's breath catches in her throat as Kim buries herself in her chest and hugs her very tightly. Then Kim realizes what she is doing and releases her just as quickly, her face burning red!
Shego summons the will to speak. "K-Kim, I-"
"Hate to cut this reunion short, but we got company," James declares, cutting her off.
Shadows appear in the wall of smoke before them and quickly grow in number. The moans follow. Hands and arms reach out from the wall of smoke.
"What's the plan, my man?"
"I kill it."
Ash nods at the simplicity, "Good plan, I like it!"
The Gatling gun begins to hum and Ash cocks his Boomstick as the zombies stagger out of the smoke. Ash starts to fire from the left as James fires on the right; they meet in the middle.
"Why don't you use your plasma against them?"
"Kim, Umbrella took my powers away from me."
"WHAT?"
She shakes her head in the affirmative and only now does Kim notice the human pigment of her skin. "It's a long story. If we get out of here I'll tell you all about it."
Kim takes a moment to process this new revelation then she frowns in steely resolve.
"Here, take this," Kim says as she hands Shego the M1911 and the backpack, "The gun's out so you'll have to reload it, the clips are in the backpack."
"I didn't know you knew how to use this," Shego says truly impressed. She takes out a clip and puts the backpack on.
"Ash showed me. There's a revolver in there too and you'll need these," she says as she takes off the drop holsters and hands them to her.
James and Ash back away as more shadows appear in the wall of smoke. "We could be at this for a while," Ash yells to Kim and Shego.
"We need to fall back," James says as he takes another step back.
"Hold them off for a moment," Kim yells back, "Shego's getting ready!"
"Roger that," James says as he squeezes the trigger.
The shadows disappear from the smoke…for the moment. Shego finishes putting on the drop holsters and makes sure her guns are loaded. Kim turns back to Ash and James. "We're ready! Let's go!"
"'Go'? Go where," Ash asks as he fires into the wall of smoke.
"Anywhere but here sounds good," James remarks adding his fire to Ash's.
Shego and Kim begin looking around and they both spy a Ford F-150 that somehow escaped the explosion. Kim and Shego turn to each other.
"Can you get that working," Kim asks.
Shego gives her a wicked smile, "Look who you're talking to! It's child's play!"
They run to the truck, Kim yells for Ash and the guard to follow. Shego cuts the window open with her gloves and unlocks the door. She starts pulling things apart under the steering column.
Ash reloads as James swings his weapon back and forth, cutting down dozens of zombies at a time. Ash finishes reloading and fires as James pulls his weapon up to cool it off. He makes it to the truck and lets the tailgate down. It takes him a moment to get on it and Ash helps him up. James turns to the back window and knocks. Kim slides it open.
"Anytime now would be great!"
"Trying," Shego says in irritation as she fiddles with the wires.
"Would it help if I got back out and pushed?"
"Fuck off!"
Wires spark and the engine rumbles to life. Ash fires at the nearest zombie, it falls but another moves in to replace it. The nearest zombies suddenly are bathed in red light from the taillights. He jumps onto the tailgate and closes it as the truck lurches backwards. James falls onto his back from the sudden movement. Ash tumbles over James and hits the back window, his head falling through into the front.
"Hold on," Shego yells.
She cuts hard to the right as Kim puts on her seatbelt. Shego slams on the brake, puts it in 'drive' and floors the accelerator. She barrels through the zombies as they fall underneath, the truck bouncing up and down as it runs over them. She cuts hard to the right aiming for the open space that used to be the front gate. The back tires swerve right to left as she struggles to maintain control. The truck lurches forward as a zombie lunges at Shego from the window. Kim reacts, grabs the M1911, shoves it into the open mouth of the zombie as it grabs Shego by the hair, she screams in surprise.
"Get down!"
Shego complies as Kim presses the trigger. The zombie falls away from the truck.
Shego is up in an instant, both hands back on the wheel. A moment passes as she straightens the truck back onto the road.
"Thank you," she mutters as her heart slows back down to a normal level.
"You're welcome," Kim says as she put the pistol back in its holster.
Ash and James lean in to the open center window.
"What's the plan?"
"Where are we going?"
"One at a time," Shego says in irritation.
Ash lets James go first. "Ahem, so what's the plan?"
"Does 'get the hell away from anything and everything zombie' sound good enough?"
"Works for me. Your turn."
"Where are we going? 'Cause I can see this road leads back into the city."
"Good catch. Yeah, we're heading back into the city."
"What happened to 'get the hell away from anything and everything zombie'?"
"Sorry, Shellhead. I must've forgotten to mention about getting my powers back, huh?"
"Yep, sure did."
"Well, now you know."
"An' knowin's half the battle."
Shego snorts with a hint of mirth.
"Wait," Ash speaks up, "You're not serious, are you? I mean, going back there?"
"Deadly," is the reply.
"Are you sure, Shego," Kim asks.
"Yeah, princess. See, I like who I am, err, was. But I don't like the idea of some corporation having the ability to take away a part of me and use it for their own ends. It's…"
"Evil," Kim offers.
Shego gives her an evil look, but smirks at the irony. "You were waiting for that one, weren't you?
"
"I can't confirm or deny that statement."
"That's a real fuckin' riot. Seriously though, the corporation behind these zombies is the same one that took my powers."
"Umbrella?"
"Yeah, what do you know of them?"
"Just what you sent me; I have everything in my backpack. The Warden at the prison told me of some shady dealings they were involved with at the prison before he arrived there. It seems that the prison was run by Umbrella before he showed up."
"Figures. The whole city owes its life to Umbrella! They were the major developer and backer of the city and here it's just a giant fucking lab!"
"That's not the only thing they're dabbling in," Ash says from the window, "Name's Ash by the way."
"Shego."
"The only way to get to the Hive is by Trans," James says as he pushes Ash away from the window, "That means goin' back down."
"I don't care. They need to be stopped one way or another, you hear me?"
"I'm feelin' a mite conflicted," he says, "They do kinda pay my bills, ya know?"
"They tried to kill you!"
"Oh yeah, I forgot," he says absent-mindedly scratching the back of his helmet, "But look at the cool toys I get to play with!"
Shego rolls her eyes and sighs in frustration. "Not only did they try to kill you, their toys just tried to eat you, remember? Like, less than five minutes ago!"
"Oh, um, hmmm…"
"Jeez-us," she says under her breath, shaking her head.
"Can I have a say in this," Ash asks shoving James away from the window.
"Sure," Shego says sarcastically, "Say whatever you want!"
"Right. Look, we got more than just a zombie infestation to deal with. Those things with the wings and slavering jaws? Demons. From Hell. Literally!"
"Demons," she snorts, "From Hell. Sure, why not?"
"He's telling the truth," Kim says, "They're a lot smarter and faster than those zombies!"
"There's more than just zombies," James chimes in from the side of the window, "Tell 'em Shego."
"Monsters, pure and simple," she states, "Like they were ripped out of a madman's worst nightmares!"
Kim shudders involuntarily. "How did you escape?"
She looks at James through the rearview mirror. "I had plenty of help."
"At yer lady's service," James pipes in.
"Okay, let's say for the sake of argument that we somehow find our way into this underground installation. Who knows what other horrors are lurking down there?"
James turns to Ash. "Well I'd imagine there'd be an army of zombies and worse, but that's not the best part. See, there's this…thing…lurkin' in the sewers just below the city that packs a hell of a wallop! We'll probably have to get past that thing first, but hey, no pressure, right?"
"Right," Ash replies gloomily.
"And there's the traps and security systems to deal with once we get inside, not to mention the zombies and the other…things. See I was attached to a separate facility from the Hive; that's where Shego was. We lost contact with the Hive, the power went out, and the world turned to shit."
"My god," Kim whispers as she stares at Shego, her mind not able to imagine the hell she has been through. "Shego," she says, her voice full of emotion, she places a hand on her arm, "I-I'm so sorry!"
"No time for that," she says staring straight ahead, a hard edge to her voice, "Just…help me get my powers back."
"Of course I will!"
"Thanks," she says, her voice keeping the hard edge.
"I hate to bring this up again but say we do get in and we get past the zombies, the traps and whatever the hell else there is. What then? How are you gonna get your powers back?"
"I remember the machine that took away my powers. I am willing to bet that everything that went on there was being monitored at their main facility. I'm hoping to find a cure there, or at least enough data to make one."
"That'll be kinda impossible if there's no power," James says.
"Let me worry about that," she snaps.
"Whatever you say, boss!"
"That's better!"
"I don't believe this," Ash says in defeated resignation, shaking his head back and forth.
"Shego," Kim says quietly.
"What," she asks her voice still snappy.
Kim winces but continues, "I've never seen you like this before! Are you sure you're all right?"
"No. No I'm not," she states flatly, "I'll be better once I have my powers back and this place is thousands of miles behind me."
"Shego, I'm-"
"Stop Kimmie. I don't need your sympathy right now; all I need is your help!"
"O-okay. You got it."
"Good."
The truck speeds down the road as the dark shell that is Raccoon City looms larger in the distance.
Back at Raccoon City Federal Correction Institution
The formless mass of darkness hovers out of its hiding place. A stray zombie stumbles and shuffles past, paying the darkness no heed. It cannot possess that which is already dead even though it feels a familiarity emanating from the walking dead that causes its rage to ever higher heights. It is drawn to the living to corrupt and destroy and the surrounding immediate area has nothing for it. It moves closer to the dark vastness of the city but then it stops. It is free. It has…options! The mass changes direction and moves with great speed across the vast plain. It knows the Chosen One will follow it eventually as they always do. But this time it will be different. Even though the Chosen One has the book and the means to banish it again the dark mass begins to formulate…a plan. Yes! It will be ready for the Chosen One! The next battle will be on its own terms, finally after hundreds of years the cycle will end and the deadites will rise victorious and devour everything! The mortal mind thinks it knows what the meaning of hell is; the dark mass will show humanity the real meaning of Hell!
