Author's Disclaimer: All referenced characters, monsters, and locations are copyrighted properties of both Capcom and Konami and this is a respectfully passionate fan work of both their franchises. WARNING: This game story contains scenes of explicit violence, gore and disturbing verbal imagery which may be considered cruel. Parental discretion is advised.

~Chapter 12: Raccoon City Hospital~

After catching their breath and lowering their weapons, it was Laura who first spoke. "I fucking hate dogs."

Leon then went for his radio. "Everyone! Status report! Is everybody okay! Do you copy?"

The only thing that responded was faint static that slowly died away. As the new silence grew defining within the walls of the hospital, Leon knew they were off to a tremendous bad start being separated from everyone who's purpose meant so much to this mission's success. However, after a deep sigh, he remembered that bad starts on a mission have always been his curse in this business. Everyone that's here are veterans in the war against monsters, he thought. They're still alive out there.

Once Leon and Laura were convinced nothing at the present moment would approach the doors to follow them in, they then turned their wandering eyes into the hospital lobby. Through what little rays of light that could pour through the glass doors, they could see some fake tropical potted plants to their left of the entrance. They turned on their flashlights to get more visibility. It was as you would expect a hospital to look. The marble, black-and-white check marked floor showed them their reflections with the waiting area immediately in front of them. Upfront underneath a suspended television was a small waiting area dark yellow furniture and a magazine rack not too far away. To the edge of its right were six reception windows and a dark hallway that had yet to be traveled.

"So what's the plan from here?" asked Laura.

Leon thought for a moment then said, "We were originally going to start our search here, so might as well sweep it for people or hostilities. That little girl is proof that there are people still in this city."

"You're not gonna suggest we split up, do you?" asked Laura, not sure if she wanted to go solo after her encounter with the ghost.

"Negative." replied Leon to her relief. "We are exploring this building together. Starting now. The faster we get through this, the faster we leave. Remember, we're on borrowed time."

Laura nodded and both treaded into the darkness on defense. As they were getting ready to pass the waiting area, something caught Laura's eye on the coffee table. It appeared to be an old worn copy of the Raccoon Today newspaper that was circulated when the city was still alive. Besides the bold title at the top and the date showing September 6, 1998, most of it looked ineligible with most of the text blurred from past dampness and old age. The most noticeable feature was what looked like small smears of blood around it in various areas. Laura picked it up to look at it and one article of text intrigued her enough to read, despite some of it being unreadable.

[A gh_?

Sightings of a myst_ masked

figure in the _ _ woods are

on the rise.

The bloody remains of _ and wild

dogs have also been showing up near

river banks in the area.

The whole re_ has been _wept up

in the hysteria and a mood of fear

and paranoia is _revalent.

Long-time residents insist that it's

the _ _ _ _ _ _

nearby hospital _ close_ down _

_ears _

Are these bizarre sightings just a

taste of things to come?]

"Laura? What's that?" asked Leon, noticing the newspaper she had in her hands.

Laura tried to remember what to say, almost distracted by the article, then responded. "Some old newspaper. It's got blood on it, I think."

"Figures." grumbled Leon. Then he nodded towards the hallway.

Laura nodded back in response and attempted to take the lead, but Leon suddenly pulled her back. "What the hell?" she yelped.

"You're covering me." Leon deadpanned.

"Bullshit." Laura quipped. "I'm the Pointman."

"You're also haunted." Leon reminded her, much to her dismay. "If those things, those ghosts, really are seeking you out, you best keep behind me or else you'll draw them right in front of us."

Laura did not like being put in situations that made her appear to everyone as a damsel needing protection. But deep down, she knew she was the most terrified member of the team. Everything about this city she felt defied all boundaries of the modern world of science and logic. What if this town really was a manifestation of a force more sinister, she thought to herself.

"Look, you got me." she admitted through gritted teeth. "I'm scared to hell of this place. But as an agent of the BSAA, I know I don't have time to be afraid of this shit. I'm strong and I'm fast, so just-"

"You're reckless and foolhardy." Leon hissed. "And if you force bravery before caution, you die. No more arguments. Follow."

Laura bit her lip and nodded reluctantly. As she followed Leon into the dark hall, she reflected on the attitude in which everyone always showed her. One word would always surface in her mind: disrespect. She came from a respectful family, graduated at a young age, and had already fought against monsters. Yet despite all of her accomplishments, she felt undervalued. Even resented. This would make her blood boil and there were times in which she would go into violent mood swings when she felt as if someone were insulting her on her level as an agent. So what if she was boastful, Laura secretly thought, she had every right to be. She was wealthy, she was intelligent, and she was dangerous.

Sometimes she would secretly fantasize of coming across an enemy, one that was unaffected from any virus or mutation. And she knew just how much pleasure it would give her to hurt a human being beyond combat. She would try to imagine how much it would take to make someone know how helpless they were. The thought of someone looking up into her eyes from there own terrified, tear-soaked pupils and begging for their pathetic life filled her with a warmth cosmic. Their death would be slow. And every time she would take a human's life, she decided she would always imagine him!

When Laura thought back to those days 19 years ago in which she looked for her best friend, only to meet a man who turned out to not only claim the same person they both looked for was his wife, but admitted to murdering her, she knew her innocence was lost. She knew that everything she had believed as a child was lies. She saw the world for how cold and dangerous it really was. There was no love. There was no protection. Everyone dies. It was on this last day that when she finally left Silent Hill, a town that for all she saw was desolate, suddenly became more harsh and darker. Every step out, she could feel the place watching her, now paying attention to the little girl that saw this place for the ugliness it was. And the whole time she walked, she felt the boogeyman's presence behind her. But through the fearlessness and hatred that burned through her stinging eyes into her soul, she knew it wasn't stalking her. It was walking with her.

After passing the reception booths, Leon and Laura came to a small area. To their right was a coffee vending machine, to the front against the wall was an abandoned gurney, and to the left was a sturdy metal shutter that was pulled down and blocked off the remainder of the hallway that lead to the other rooms or maybe even another exit out. They shined their lights beyond the gate into the hall. They did not see anything. They then decided to try the receptionist door that was back down the hall as that was the only other door they saw. Trekking back to the door, they could faintly hear some noise behind the door. It was a sound of rummaging and papers falling. The radios were quite, so they knew it had to be a person in there.

Both Leon and Laura nodded to each other for their readiness and quickly opened the door. Leon entered first, followed by next by Laura. Sure enough, inside the now cluttered reception office was a tall, slender woman dressed in a red business suit and short blonde hair. The color of her outfit momentarily reminded Leon of Ada but was not distracted long for he knew she was fully capable of fending for herself. The woman's back was turned at first, as she appeared to rummage through the various drawers for something. Finally giving up, she turned to see who just entered the room. Upon seeing the two agents, she addressed them with very little surprise.

"It's amazing." she began with an air of sarcasm. "As hard as we fought to leave this city, here we all are coming back. We're like a hive of bees enslaved to this place."

"Are you a survivor of the original outbreak?" asked Leon, thankful that their mission has bared at least some positive fruit.

"I sure am." she said, devilishly. "There was quite a few of us that survived, believe it or not. Are both of you survivors as well?"

"Just me." replied Leon.

"Then you are aware of our connection to this city?" she riddled vaguely.

"Besides being survivors, what do you mean?" asked Leon.

The woman's beautiful, slender face then became serious. "There have been disappearances throughout the country. For about two weeks now, there's been reports that various strangers would always pass through the town of Arklay. And they would always head in the direction that Raccoon City used to be. Kind of strange, don't you think?"

"Strange doesn't even scratch the surface." spoke Laura, who now focused back on her mission and put away her dark thoughts.

"You know," the woman in red continued, "it's an even bigger coincidence that all these missing strangers' backgrounds I've looked up also happen to be survivors of the original outbreak too."

Both Leon and Laura were surprised as they were never made aware of any missing survivors before the mission, just to only search for ones still inside the city who may have survived the impact of the blast and disappeared with it. Leon was sure, though, that this was only a simple oversight on everyone's part due to focusing more solely on Raccoon City itself.

"You being a survivor yourself, you must know the reason why everyone is coming back here then." Leon said.

"That I don't know." the woman said with a sigh of frustration. Leon wondered if she had friends here also who had survived with her, but before he could ask she continued to speak. "However, I think I might be able to find an answer as to where this city came from."

The woman then approached the two agents and stuck out her hand. With a small chuckle, she said, "Forgive my manners. I'm used to introducing myself right off the bat. My name is Alyssa Ashcroft; reporter and journalist for the Arklay Echo as well as for the former Raccoon Press. It's a pleasure to meet you, mister…?"

Leon shook her hand. "Kennedy. Leon Kennedy of the United States Secret Service. This is Laura Breckenridge of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance."

A look of unexpected disappointment played on Alyssa's face for a brief moment, but then she returned with her smile almost as if everything was fine and still going according to plan. "Secret Service agent, you say? And what might bring you here, hmm? Were you sent to look for the missing survivors, or are you searching for something else?"

"We're here for a little bit of everything, really." responded Leon. "We are to sweep the place for answers to the phenomena as well as find any normal people who still inhabit the city."

"Well, rest assured there are people still inhabiting this city. But they're pretty fucking far from normal." Alyssa said crossing her arms with a raised eyebrow.

"I can tell already." Leon said, sensing something odd about her behavior. "So what were you looking for?"

Alyssa knew that this man would see through any attempt she would make of lying, but she damned herself as to why it would have to be a Secret Service agent, of all people here, she would have to meet. Now she would never leave with what she came for.

With a sigh, Alyssa answered. "I'm sure you are aware of the Dirac Project, yes? It was rumored to be an inter-dimensional experiment that Umbrella attempted at their Ground Zero facility, but was shut down too fast to even try whatever it was doing. There were documents, very vague, that were released of the discovery of all the research pertaining to the project. The head government researcher that replaced Umbrella's staff was also supposedly the discoverer of those old documents himself. His name was Dr. Philip Cotton. He along with everyone at the Ground Zero facility disappeared when that massive hole appeared."

"I see you've done your homework," complimented Leon. "Come to think it, your name does sound familiar. You did some articles on Umbrella. Very damning material. You certainly helped in putting them out. I'd expect no less from someone of your caliber."

Alyssa smiled narcissistically. "Flattered. So anyway, the reason I'm here is for two stories: to solve Raccoon City's mysterious return and to find why it has called back their citizens."

"You forgot to mention hunting for any material pertaining to Dr. Cotton or his work on the Dirac Project." Leon added.

Alyssa smiled slyly. "Well I am a field reporter. If there's a story, I'll sniff it out no matter where it is. Don't you feel the public deserves to know the truth, Mr. Secret Service agent? Well, government agent or not, you are not stopping me from exposing the danger you've put us in!"

"Christ," Leon began, annoyed, "tell the world whatever you like about whatever you find. But any government documents you find will be confiscated and taken back with me. And rest assured, Ms. Ashcroft, I can and will stop you if it comes to it."

A small snarl attempted to curve her lips, but she held it back and retorted. "Very well then, Mr. Kennedy. Besides, I've got a photographic memory anyway. Maybe in the end, we'll both get what we want."

Kennedy knew they didn't have too much time to debate. "Enough small talk. I suggest you stay with us for your own safety. We're not going to force you, but you should consider it given how dangerous this place is."

"Thanks for the offer, Mr. Kennedy. But I'm not just some beautiful dumb blonde. I'm a practitioner in Judo and I've got a gun. I've survived this city before and I can do it again. Until we meet again, later…" Alyssa then turned her back to the two agents and with a wink and a smile, exited through the only other door in the room.

"What a bitch." Laura commented.

"At least it's one less headache." Leon said. "We can't make her come with us, so she's on her own. Let's follow her through that door and see if there's more of this hospital to explore in there."

"Right."

Leon and Laura walked across the room and entered the very same door Alyssa left through. Inside was a doctor's office with a small leisure area, three computer workstations, and a set of three metal lockers against the far left of the wall. Looking around at first they didn't see anywhere else that Alyssa could have disappeared to. But then Laura pointed out to the back right corner a small elevator that was almost obscured by a wooden cabinet with glass windows. As they approached, they saw that the right panel of the elevator had a speaker along with the up and down arrows. Looking closer at the label, they could see that it was in fact a voice-recognition lock.

"I'm not sure how I'm gonna break this one, Leon." admitted Laura.

"Maybe you won't have to…" Leon replied as he spotted what appeared to be a portable tape recorder on the floor next to the elevator. Alyssa, you sly devil, he thought to himself.

"Maybe we should listen to it." said Laura.

Kennedy pressed the play button on the side of the black recorder and listened to the recorded voice on the other end. It said, "-deceptively apparent and very visible, the paths of the subject's brain hold unknown destinations. It's a puzzle-like maze. So much secrets to unlock within! If only I could devote my life to exploring this man's mind, to ultimately go just further into those dark corridors. To see and know why this intelligent young student could do such disgusting, violent acts towards those women. Especially his own wife! Maybe then, I could find a solution to his madness."

After listening to what he felt was enough, Leon stopped the recording and pressed rewind briefly to return as much to the beginning of the message as he could. They both knew that this was what Alyssa must have used to bypass the voice-recognition lock and gain entry onto the elevator. He then found the button to activate the microphone and replayed the message. After a sound which signaled confirmation, Leon pressed the up arrow of the elevator.

The electric hum of the transporting device kicked on from somewhere above and they could listen to the lift return back from the higher levels of the building. And with it came the radio static again. The closer the elevator lift sounded to them, the louder the static came. By the time the lift finally reached the bottom, the static was deafening. Leon and Laura held their breaths, but before they could ready their guns the elevator door slid open. They caught the glimpse of the creature to have their weapons midway in air, but a metal pipe came swinging down fast enough to not only disarm Leon of his handgun, but strike him in the face in the process. Leon then went crashing to the ground; clutching his head.

"Leon!" shouted Laura as she attempted to reach for him, but she only had time to dodge the blow from the metal melee weapon herself that the creature wielded.

Distancing herself from the creature, the light from her chest flashlight as well as that of the inside the elevator illuminated enough to show Laura the extent of it's distorted body. It appeared to be human once before, perhaps. The filthy, bloodstained uniform that looked as though it had never been taken off in years suggested this was a female who may have once been a nurse at this hospital. Now its skin was mostly gray with trails of green veins travel over the exposed skin. The further up the body, the more deformed the mutation. The arms were slightly longer and greener; about the same length as its legs. The nurse's hat that crowned the hideous head did little to hide the large read flower behind the cap or the ivy-green face that looked similar to a Venus flytrap with no eyes and bright red vertical lips that puckered like that of lover ready to kiss.

It looked blindly towards Laura's direction. Sensing the light, it snarled its lips into something that Laura almost thought was a smile and it approached her. The botanic nurse's movements were mechanical and twitchy, yet swayed with grace like a plant blown by a breeze. Laura aimed her handgun and pulled the trigger, but she didn't need to hear the click of her hammer to remember regrettably her handgun no longer had ammo. With a panicked curse, she holstered her handgun and went for the riot shotgun she had as a backup. It's mouth opened with a screech, which was warning enough for Laura to dodge behind one of the desks as the next sound was a belching spray. When Laura saw the small smoke that rose from everything it hit, she knew immediately it was acid. As the monster stalked closer, its pipe banging against the desk, Leon finally rose to his feet with gun in hand. But his shot only grazed the side of its plant-like head and alerted it back to him. It's inhumanly long arm reached out and wrapped its latex glove-covered fingers around his neck. As it readied to swing its pipe down on him from its other hand, Laura hurled her combat knife into the back of its head. The creature yelped out a cry as it tried to reach for the knife lodged in its head. As it turned towards Laura again, it found her kneeling behind the desk for cover with the barrel of her shotgun aimed on it.

"Leon, get down!"

Leon rolled out of the way and with two shots, Laura sprayed the walking plant nurse almost apart. As its broken body slammed against the wall, it left as massive trail of green blood against the wall as well as chunks of its uniquely disgusting flesh. The dying radio static signaled that the nurse creature was dead. Leon got to his feet and approached its body along with Laura. Despite both seeing their fair share of mutated monsters, they couldn't really quite shake the look of this one. With the exception of the arms and head, the body was shaped very feminine and well endowed, which Leon wondered why he would even mentally note such a thing. Everything else was disgusting from the skin to the clothes. However the face on the head seemed to be the oddest part, which in some ways the puckered-up lips made it more ridiculous looking. Either way, it was the biggest threat they had yet come across.

"Leon, are you okay?" asked Laura.

Leon caressed the painful knot on the side of his temple where the creature had struck him with the pipe. He was bleeding, but only a little. Nothing to be concerned about, he felt. "Yeah. Damn thing came out of nowhere."

"What the hell is that thing?" asked Laura. "Do you think it used to be one of the staff here?"

"Dunno, it makes sense I guess." replied Leon. "It looks similar to the Ivy plant B.O.W.s I fought in South America years ago. This looks different. Not so much mutated, but freakish."

"Yeah," agree Laura. "I don't think a mutation could make something look like that."

"Well, this is Raccoon City. Maybe there's traces of the virus still left… wait a minute." Leon wasn't sure if the blow to the head was playing tricks on him, but it wasn't until he looked closer and heard Laura utter an equally surprised curse that they both saw the same thing. On the uniform of the nurse creature, there was a name tag that read, "Nurse Ada Wong."

"Is that…?" squeaked Laura.

"No!" Leon snapped with gritted teeth. "This is someone fucking with us. Whoever's running the show knows we're here."

Leon got back up from the creature. "We need to move forward. Let's go."

"Right." replied Laura.

Both agents entered the small elevator. Upon doing so, they immediately noticed that the only floor buttons that didn't appear out-or-order where the ones to the 4th floor and the one to the 3rd level basement. At the moment the agents weren't too keen on checking the basement first, so they pressed the button labeled "4F." The elevator door then slid closed, and the lift moved them towards their destination. They were then suddenly surprised that the moment the elevator began to move, there was a loud wailing around the building. Leon and Laura thought at first they might have triggered an alarm system by accident. But the sound of the siren they heard sounded ancient, and shook the building like an earthquake.

Author's Note: Sorry about the long hiatus, guys. I was dealing with some personal problems. But now I've got my Internet back, so I'll try to hammer out one chapter a week at least. With that said, let's break down this chapter. Our new character is Alyssa Ashcroft from RE Outbreak, who mentioned missing people who had survived the original outbreak returning back to the city. I also introduce a (sort of) original monster, who I'll just refer to throughout the rest of the story as "Green Nurse." Like Leon said, it looks like a combination of Ivy +YX and the Bubble Head Nurse. I went with this due to the newspaper article reference I included in the story from RE Outbreak File 2 which had Botanic Zombies dressed like doctors. As for the name tag, don't worry, not Ada.