Earth Abides, Chapter 10 by patricia51

(Regroup and Redirect)

(Arklay Mountains)

Rebecca Chambers had been scared of many things, especially in the last eight or so years. No one who was alive hadn't been frightened nearly out of their wits more than a few times in this post-apocalyptic zombie filled world. But as the vehicles crested the slight rise on the long abandoned road to break out of the dead trees and scrubby vegetation her heart caught in her throat. This was where it had all started.

They had over-flown the area when the expedition had first arrived and then again after the decision was made to let Raccoon City cool off for a while, especially the tunnels and labs underground. The next thought had been to proceed to the Hive. Quite a lot of the mansion that had hidden and guarded the entrance still stood since it had been built on the outskirts of the city. However a request had come down from the university, specifically the council that oversaw the expeditions. With the discovery of the White Queen by K-Mart's group out in Nevada the consensus had been that it would be wise to deal with one Artificial Intelligence at a time. So the Hive was on the back burner for now.

They had discussed other areas of Raccoon City; the Police Station, the reported Umbrella compound out on the north side of town, the hospital and several other areas. The three main choices all seemed to be slagged down from the weapon used to obliterate the zombie threat. If only it had worked. They weren't ready to plunge underground again so pretty much the only other choice was to take a look at the Spencer Mansion. Surprisingly more had survived than was expected. The back area where the labs had been entered through the Wolf and Eagle Gate as she tho0ught of it had been thoroughly demolished by the explosion but parts of the Mansion itself still stood.

Rebecca had looked around while on the over-flight. She could identify the meadow they had landed in but could see nothing of the Bravo Team's chopper even when she was sure she had fixed its last position.

She closed her eyes, remembering that ride.

(Eight years before)

Rebecca heard Forest Speyer boasting to Chris Redfield.

"We're going to go kick some cannibal ass!"

She touched the still pretty unfamiliar butt of her Beretta Nine millimeter handgun strapped to her side. She hoped so. Whoever and whatever had been terrorizing Raccoon City and the Arklay Mountains for the past few weeks generally needed kicking. All of the STARS, her own Bravo Team and the hard-core Alpha Team agreed both to the need and the ability to deliver that ass-kicking. If she was quite as enthusiastic as the rest of them it was probably because this was her first operation.

"Rebecca?" Enrico Marini, her team leader, looked at her. "You okay?"

The sight of her tough, competent Team Leader shook the uncertainty from her. She even managed to grin. "Ready."

"Forest bounded past them and up the stairs. Moments later she heard the engine on their chopper fire up and the rotary blades of the craft begin their slow build up. The other Bravos, Ken Sullivan and Richard Aiken joined them, their arms full of armor vests and weapons. Together the foursome headed for the helo and took their positions on board. Rebecca scanned the others. Nothing but confidence. That made her even more confident herself.

The lift out was smooth and before she had time to start worrying again they were out of the city and flying low over the foothills of the Arklay Mountains. Enrico and Forest were searching the area through the evening dusk as Richard and Ken sorted the rest of the equipment. Just as she moved over to help the team leader broke the silence.

"There! There's the Spencer Mansion."

The chopper swerved a bit too violently for Rebecca's tastes but she assumed Forest was just taking a look. The idea vanished as the pilot's voice rang out loud and clear.

"What the hell?"

"What is it?" snapped Enrico."

"Controls are fading." The helo shook again, this time violently. "I think we've lost hydraulics."

"Set it down," the team leader directed calmly. "Richard, call in a Mayday to the Alphas and fix our position."

"Hang on!" Forest instructed. Rebecca thought if she tightened her grip anymore she'd leave fingerprints in the red support she was holding on to but she tried anyway. The chopper flared and then sat down with a crunch.

"Something's on fire!"

"Out!" roared Enrico.

The crew piled out of the chopper, bringing only the equipment they had already donned. The team leader looked around.

"The Spencer Mansion is that way," he pointed. "The fire's not that bad. Keep an eye on it everyone but we need the rest of our equipment." He turned to Ken Sullivan whose duties included that of lead scout. "Take a look around and then find us a path to the mansion. We'll wait there for the Alphas and maybe the RPD to arrive."

The rest of them had just returned to the helo when Enrico stopped and stiffened.

"What is it Rico?" Forest asked, scanning the darkening woods in reflex at his leader's obvious unease. "Do you hear something?"

"No that's the thing. I don't hear anything at all. No small animals; not even buzzing insects."

Rebecca had always thought that "Too quiet" or its equivalent was a staple of bad movies but when everyone stopped and as though on command held their breath she had to admit the words fit. It was scary.

What might have happened next she would never know. The silence was broken by a chorus of howls. Unseen in the grass Ken began to fire his weapon, seemingly as fast as he could pull the trigger. Then he screamed; a scream such as Rebecca had never heard before as some of the howls changed to the unmistakable sound of something or somethings feeding.

"Run!" Enrico yelled. "Run for the mansion." He opened fire even as he pushed Rebecca into motion. And she ran.

Behind her the screams stopped abruptly. Gunfire continued. And she ran; heading blindly in the direction Enrico had pushed her. She tripped over a fallen tree, sprawling on the ground and losing her weapon. She spent only seconds in a futile search for the howling sprung up again and it was right behind her. Lungs gasping for breath she sprang to her feet and ran faster.

It seemed like she ran for hours. It could only have been a few minutes before she broke from the trees and saw the bulk of the darkened and supposedly abandoned mansion in front of her. By then she was sure she could hear the pursuing creatures right behind her, so close she dared not look lest she lose her nerve and start screaming when she needed all her breath for running.

She saw the doors and thanked God that they seemed to be standing slightly ajar. As she staggered through them she realized that someone had slammed into the ahead of her, springing them open. As she passed into the house she slammed them behind her. Just in time for the massive wood was jarred as something sprang against it and fell back. For a moment she was terrified that she had just closed it in the face of one of her teammates but the howl outside reassured her on that count., Plus she recalled for sure two shadowy figures and perhaps a third one passing her when she was sprawled on the ground after tripping. But she saw no one in the soaring marble foyer.

Saw? There were lights on although from the outside there had been no evidence of them. How? Why? Wasn't this place supposed to be abandoned like years before? There was a little dust but not what years of unoccupancy should have. What was going on? And where were her teammates? Then another rush outside shook the doors again and she took off through the nearest door, closing it behind her.

If she had scared before things only got worse. First it had been the smell, the sickly sweet smell of something rotting. Then she had her first encounter with what she was to learn was an infected undead human and the realization that the rotting smell was that of human flesh. There had been the terrifying moans as it attempted to get her, to feed on her as she was to learn later. Thank God it was slow, and she managed to keep out of its reach and the others she encountered. She had run frantically through rooms until she found an empty one with only one door that she could close behind her. Fortunately the zombies had seemed to have lost the ability to master door knobs.

Or so she hoped. Then there had been that heart-stopping moment when the knob started to turn. Sure that she was trapped she had refused to give up. Knowing it was futile she had grasped the closest thing to a weapon she had found. When the door open she sprayed the intruder in the faced with the can of bug killer, hoping that it would blind her attacker long enough for her to slip by. And, of course, it turned out she had just nailed Chris Redfield of the Alphas and the guy she had sort of a crush on.

But it had all worked out. Okay so she hadn't ridden off into the sunset with the handsome, brave and determined STARS officer who had ended up finally with his fellow Alpha partner Jill Valentine. And strange as it sounded although things had continued to get more dangerous, deadly and terrifying with their encounters with genetically bred creatures and plants up till the confrontation with the Tyrant she had actually found herself becoming calmer and more focused and therefore less scared. Oh she HAD stayed scared the whole time but not the overwhelming fear that she had experienced at first. And perhaps it was those experiences and the seasoning they gave her that equipped her to survive the apocalypse.

(Present)

Rebecca's mind returned to the present. The helo was still circling the open meadow. Like so much of the planet Nature was slowly reclaiming this area from the ravages of the T-Virus. Interestingly the entire flashback had consumed no more than a few seconds.

It had been long enough to be noted. Angie, sitting beside her, was looking at her with an expression of concern.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Memories?"

Rebecca nodded, unwilling to go on. After all, what she had experienced had been bad but her friend had not only been just a child when she faced the outbreak but she had watched her classmates, friends and even her father die. And after she had faced things like being kidnapped by Umbrella and nearly vivisected by the corporation's scientists, all of whom were currently burning in hell Rebecca was sure, courtesy of an enraged Jill Valentine with help from Chris Redfield. So she stuck with the simple nod.

"I know," Angie said. "You notice that so far we have avoided any place like the civic center or my old school or any other place that was part of my story. Even," the young woman paused and her expression turned thoughtful, "I wonder. Maybe that would be an objective."

"What's that?"

Angie shook her head. "Someplace to think about after I check the recon photos. In the meantime we're about to land so let's get our heads in the game here and now."

"You bet." Rebecca hugged her friend. The helo settled to the ground and the team leaped out and moved towards the remnants of the Spencer Mansion.

(To be continued)

(The names of the other STARS members particularly the Bravo Squad are taken from S.D. Perry's novel "The Umbrella Conspiracy".)