I didn't want to delay the next chapter this long, but a lot happened, including the holidays. My apologies (again), but I swear the pace of my bringing each chapter to you will improve from here. Serious!

And you didn't think I'd leave you hanging after what happened in the last chapter, did you? Unfortunately, things don't improve for Bravo Team after the Split Worm attack...in fact, Leon S. Kennedy will make a critical choice that will dramatically affect Claire Redfield and split Bravo in two! Alpha Team, in the meantime, will have a run-in with a certain disagreeable someone...you'll see!

And brace yourself when the evil that's overtaken Black Falls claims another hero...!

Also, this chapter contains small tribute to the horror classic ALIEN (1979)...those who know and love the movie like I do will have no problem spotting it!

RESIDENT EVIL X SILENT HILL: JUDGMENT DAY

written by Charles Spencer,
inspired by Ygure

Chapter 21:

"THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE"

-1-

From the first moment King's Bridge was ripped in two by the Split Worm and collapsed into Clearwater Stream, one half of Bravo Team desperately sought to help the other. But the north side of the bridge had crashed in on itself, a daunting barrier of wood supports and roof that was rent to pieces, that kept those on the paved road on the north bank from reaching their teammates. Claire Redfield cried out, "LEON! HELENA! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?!"

Sherry Birkin was just as anxious as she urged, "We need to get to them!"

Rain nodded, yet said apprehensively, "We will, but we have to be careful! The shape this bridge is in, anything we try could only make things worse!" Lawrence Kimbala and Vector joined them then in trying to clear the ruined opening so they could reach the others.

Douglas Cartland, meanwhile, gave himself the duty of listening to the heavy static coming from the radio he clutched in both hands. It responded somehow when monsters in the mist were in close proximity. He growled, "Whatever destroyed the bridge is still here, guys! You might wanna hurry!"

Tension-filled moments passed...and their efforts paid off, at least to a degree. A gap formed in between broken beams that Sherry could see through. The petite agent looked through and said excitedly, "I-I can see them! Claire, I can see the rest of the team!"

Vector asked, "Are they all right?!"

"I think so - !" A sudden sound of something huge bursting from the water below. Sherry gasped, "Oh, my god!"

Claire stared at the blonde. "What is it, Sherry? Sherry?!"

Sherry finally managed, "I-i-it's a giant monster - ! Oh god, it's right next to Harley!"

Rain absorbed that, looked at the others, and snarled, "Fuck being careful!" No one argued with her, and they increased the pace of their work.

Sherry stayed where she was, her slender frame rigid as stone as she stared through the opening with wide eyes. She reported, "Leon and the others are firing on it...oh, no! It's climbing up after them!"

"Jesus!" Claire screamed through the obstruction, "LEON! HELENA!"

Sherry's voice was full of fear... "I-i-it's climbing up to them...wait, wait! Harley...Harley, what are you doing?!"

Lawrence Kimbala asked impatiently, "What's going on, girl?!"

Sherry visibly cringed. "No-no-no-no-no! Harley, he...he's luring the monster back to him...!"

Rain stared at her. "WHAT?!"

Claire drew closer to the blonde. "Sherry...?"

The girl's expression was full of dismay as she shook her head slowly. "H-Harley's saying something to the monster...! OH!" Sherry lifted a slender hand to cover her mouth as her blue eyes grew wide as saucers. The others heard her muffled voice moan, "Oh...oh, no..."

Then...THOOM! The explosion made the ruined bridge shudder dangerously...it came from within their side, somewhere below, close to the water. Douglas couldn't help but register that his radio's heavy static dropped to nil. Rain yelled, "What the HELL just happened?!"

Everyone stared at Sherry. Vector demanded with helpless rage, "Are the others all right?! Sherry, are the others all right?!"

As Claire looked at her with a soft gaze, Sherry Birkin lowered her hand from her mouth...her expression was one of shocked sadness. She managed, "Harley Morris is dead. H-he sacrificed himself to destroy the monster."

Horrified silence for a beat...and Douglas Cartland said, "Ah, damn...!"

"Step aside, dammit!" Rain moved up to the opening Sherry stood next to, making the blonde move to the side. The commando in black stared hard into the bridge and screamed, "AGENT KENNEDY! AGENT HARPER! CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME?! HELLO!"

Perched precariously on a beam within the slanted half, Sienna Miller looked up...her cheeks were wet with tears she cried, "Rain, is that you?!" Not far from her in a similar position, Karena LesProux also looked up to the commando's voice.

Rain yelled, "Yeah! We're here! Let Agent Kennedy know we're trying to reach you!"

Karena quickly said, "Understood!" She looked down and called, "Leon! Rain and the others are working to get to us!"

Barely hanging on with one hand on the slanted deck as Helena Harper and Anne Cunningham clutched him needfully, Leon S. Kennedy answered loudly, "Okay! But they can take their time...we're not going anywhere!"

But. Douglas heard the white noise of the radio's static slowly build again. The old man's mouth went dry. "Uh, guys..."

But the others on the bank didn't seem to hear him as they set to clearing the debris that blocked the mouth again. Claire Redfield said breathlessly, "C'mon, we need to go faster!"

Douglas Cartland repeated himself, very loudly, "Guys?!" They stopped to look at him. They heard the building static as the P.I. said, "My radio's acting up again!"

Claire snarled, "Shit!" She turned and stepped up to the crack to look inside as she screamed, "LEON! I THINK MORE MONSTERS ARE COMING!"

Vector moved to Douglas...he asked urgently, "From what direction, can you tell!?"

Douglas frowned, and he felt a little silly as he turned and held out the radio in his outstretched hands like a man with a divining rod. But instead of seeking out water, the old man was trying to determine in which direction the radio seemed to respond the strongest with its static. Douglas answered, "I-I'm not sure yet...they're coming from more than one direction...!"

Sienna called down to her leader, "Leon! More enemies are comin'!"

Helena Harper's lovely face formed a grim expression as she held onto Leon...she reasoned, "I'm not surprised. The sound of that explosion has to be drawing them to us!"

Anne Cunningham looked at her with fearful, doubtful eyes. "But how the hell did that monster worm know we were here!?"

"That's a damn good question," Leon grunted. "We were moving as quiet as possible before we heard it coming, Anne...either it still sensed us, or...!" Leon's instincts spoke to him, and he began to realize. The survivor didn't like what he was thinking, but he felt the need to say it, anyway. "Somehow the enemy knows we're here...they sent that giant worm after us."

Helena stared at him and said hesitantly, "Leon, that sounds a little crazy!" But it also made a nasty kind of sense, she knew.

Leon growled, "This whole damn situation has been crazy from the word go!" The man looked up and yelled, "CLAIRE! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"

At the ruined mouth of the bridge, Claire shouted, "I'M HERE, LEON!"

Rain stepped up next to Claire, with Sherry close by. The commando yelled, "WE'LL BE RIGHT THERE!"

The static from the radio was still growing in intensity...Douglas urged to the others, "We can't stay much longer, guys!"

From within the bridge, Leon shouted, "CLAIRE, LISTEN! YOU'VE GOT TO GO! GET OUT OF HERE!"

Claire Redfield stared into the bridge, her expression stunned...she finally cried, "LEON, I DIDN'T HEAR THAT RIGHT! I COULDN'T HAVE!"

"YOU HEARD ME, CLAIRE! WE CAN'T MOVE RIGHT NOW, BUT YOUR HALF OF THE TEAM CAN! TAKE EVERYONE WITH YOU AND GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE MORE ENEMIES ARRIVE!"

Sherry Birkin screamed in denial, "LEON, NO!"

Rain also objected, and loudly: "AGENT KENNEDY, WE WON'T JUST LEAVE YOU BEHIND!"

But Leon S. Kennedy yelled to those outside, "YOU HAVE TO! CLAIRE! CLAIRE, LISTEN TO ME! I WANT YOU IN COMMAND OF SHERRY, RAIN AND EVERYONE WITH YOU! TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR HALF OF BRAVO TEAM AND GET THEM OUT OF HERE!"

For Claire, it felt like time came to a stop. She almost forgot to breathe. The sheer weight of what Leon was asking from her was too much. He was asking her to leave him and everyone still trapped in the bridge. Claire Redfield began to tremble as she felt her cheeks become wet...she yelled but weakly, hesitantly, "Leon...I-I CAN'T...!"

But Leon urged, "CLAIRE, THINK ABOUT IT! CHANCES ARE THERE'S A LOT OF THOSE THINGS COMING, AND IF SO YOU NEED TO RUN!"

Suddenly, Sienna Miller shouted up to Claire, "Leon's right, honey! Staying will make you sitting ducks along with us! If you run, you'll have a chance! Heck, you may draw those monsters away from us so we can get out of here!"

Not far away from the team's sniper, Karena LesProux understood and like Sienna, she bravely agreed with Leon's reasoning...she yelled, "Even if you cannot draw them away, at least we will distract the enemy for your sake! Either way, you have to go NOW!"

As she held onto Leon, Helena Harper felt a surprising calm. The lady looked into Leon's eyes and said quietly, "It's the only way, isn't it. Either they run...or we might all die together."

Leon nodded. "Yeah." For her part, Anne Cunningham could only stay silent as she clutched tightly to Leon, as well. She could never have imagined ending up in a situation like this. Until now.

Claire felt the same way, and she wanted to deny it with all of her heart. She screamed, "Leon, you're telling us to abandon you! I - !"

And Leon felt just as bad as Claire did...maybe even worse. But: "CLAIRE, I'M ASKING YOU AS A FRIEND! IF I HAVE TO ORDER YOU TO DO IT, I WILL! TAKE YOUR HALF OF THE TEAM TO THE HOSPITAL AND JOIN UP WITH YOUR BROTHER AND ALPHA TEAM! IF WE CAN FOLLOW YOU, WE WILL! BUT YOU NEED TO GO WHILE YOU STILL HAVE THE CHANCE! NOW GO!"

The ponytailed brunette clutched at broken wooden beams as her head bowed...tears streamed down her pale cheeks. More than ever, more than she did in Raccoon City...or Antarctica...or Harvardville...she reached into herself desperately for her inner strength. Claire then felt a soft, slender hand take hold of her arm gently. It was Sherry Birkin. The petite blonde looked at her beloved idol and began to quietly urge, "Claire...!" The beautiful survivor heard Sherry's voice and suddenly, just like that, for the lives of Sherry and everyone with her, the rest was easy.

Once more, Leon S. Kennedy cried, "PLEASE GO!"

Claire Redfield raised her lovely face to look through the break in the debris...she nodded deeply and called back with a strong voice, "I HEAR YOU, LEON!" With Sherry and Rain flanking her, she turned to Douglas, Lawrence and Vector. Her expression stoic as she quickly wiped her tears from her cheeks with both hands, Claire said to them all, "We've got to leave right now!"

Lawrence frowned and said, "Wait, what about Agent Kennedy and the others?!"

Not far away from him, Vector snarled, "Screw that, and who the hell just put you in charge?"

On Claire's right, Rain said with authority, "Agent Kennedy did! We're following her orders now!" But the young commando gave the older brunette a hard look. She might have had to accept taking orders from a civilian, but she didn't have to like it. Rain added for Claire, "I hope you know what you're doing, lady!"

Claire nodded and said, "Ditto!" In her soul, she thought, I'll need to know what I'm doing because Leon has so much faith in me! Claire looked at the old P.I. and asked, "Douglas, which direction can we go?!"

Douglas Cartland was still trying to use his radio to figure that out. "W-wait a second...!" But he couldn't take much longer - the static was so strong, his radio started to vibrate. Whatever was coming was only seconds away...

Vector suddenly tensed completely as he readied his rifle...he looked up and said, "Everybody hear that!?"

Sherry looked up, as well. She said carefully, "It's not far above us...!" It was a sound like heavy, leathery wings flapping, and the sound was getting closer.

Realizing what it might have been, remembering what Cheryl Mason told him about the monsters of Silent Hill, Douglas groaned, "Air Screamers...oh, Jesus!"

Claire stared at him and, needful for him to focus, yelled, "Douglas!"

She quickly had the private investigator's attention. Holding his radio in both hands, looking into the brackish mist, he said, "That way, to the east! I-I think that's east - !"

Claire nodded. "All right!" Each member of Alpha and Bravo Teams had a map to refer to for Black Falls. If she remembered her own map correctly, Claire thought, they were on Kersey Road, which led from King's Bridge into the heart of the town. But the road didn't take a straight path, it detoured around a densely wooded area close by. The road sharply turned to the east right after the bridge, turned due north again maybe a couple of blocks later, and then gradually moved northwest before going pure north again. "Douglas, we'll need you to let us know if we have to change directions, all right?! Please keep one ear on that radio at all times!"

Rain looked at Claire and snarled, "Bastards are about on top of us, lady. We can run or we can still fight!" The expression on her face advertised she was ready to do either.

Claire said, "No, Rain, we're gonna do both!" She looked at everyone, especially Sherry. "All of you have your weapons ready to fire on the move if we have to! And remember we need to stay close together - !"

Then, only a few meters to the north of their position, Lawrence Kimbala saw two things approaching, silhouetted in the fog. They were clearly inhuman, grotesque, and massive in size. Closers. Lawrence suddenly felt pure fear in his heart simply from the unreal sight of them and he shouted, "GOD ALMIGHTY!" The rest of the group saw the things and immediately felt the same overwhelming terror.

And Claire Redfield instinctively knew at that moment that Leon was right...that these creatures and the winged beasts above were only the first of many. She yelled, "FOLLOW ME AND RUN! NOW!" With Sherry Birkin close by her, Claire launched into a run in the direction Douglas indicated and she fired a sustained burst from her suppressed M4 at the approaching monsters. The others fired on them as they ran too, but couldn't tell if their bullets hit anything. The direction they ran proved to be more to the northeast...they moved from pavement to damp grass , deeper into the mist.

They kept running and left the Closers behind, but the sound of leathery wings stuck with them higher in the air, not far behind. Over a minute into their flight they were on Kersey Road again. The sound of the wings stayed dangerously close behind them.

Rain suddenly snarled, "Screw this! EVERYBODY STOP!"

Everyone came to a halt on the pavement, but Claire looked at the commando and demanded, "Rain, what's wrong?! Those flying monsters are right behind us!"

"Yeah, and they'll stay on us like white on rice unless we kill 'em now! You got a problem with that?"

Claire expressed a troubled frown as she said, "No, I don't! But we can't stay long!"

Rain's face became full of anticipation and she nodded. "That's okay, lady, this won't take long!"

Sherry stepped up to Rain, her Triple-Shot at the ready. She told the commando, who was as young as the petite agent, "The lady leading you has a name. Claire Redfield. Remember that, okay?"

Rain said impatiently, "Yeah-yeah! Let's go bird hunting!" Rain then aimed her MP5 into the air, in the direction of the flapping sounds. Sherry and Vector readied their guns, too.

Claire looked at Douglas and said, "We'll need to do this as a team, Douglas. Pocket your radio for now."

"Gotcha!" Douglas did so and unslung his rifle from his shoulder...he readied it in both hands.

Suddenly, Rain yelled, "Crap, open fire!" And barely in time. The first of the group of Air Screamers appeared from on high with frightening speed, and just like that everyone in the group was focused on shooting them. Their suppressed weapons were strangely quiet, but had a dramatic impact as the first two winged beasts fell bloody to the earth. Three more streaked toward the group screeching horribly, but they were blasted out of the grey sky in short order, too.

Lawrence Kimbala happened to be at the rear of the group as they faced away from Black Falls, as he slowly lowered his weapon. Lawrence's ambitions in life had been straightforward ever since his youth, to follow in his father's footsteps as a doctor and virologist. He succeeded, but never expected to eclipse his father's accomplishments. For so long, he had given worry to the needs of others before he ever thought of himself. At that moment, Lawrence couldn't help but be anxious and he looked around, his eyes scanning the mist for any more threats. Meanwhile, Claire, Sherry and Douglas were focused on Rain and Vector, who had separated from the group to make sure the Air Screamers were dead. For that brief time, no one had their attention on Douglas' radio. Or on Lawrence. And they should have.

Looking around him intently, Lawrence saw something in the grey to the north, on the paved road less than four meters away. It was vague and indistinct in shape because of the low visibility, and it was pure luck the virologist noticed it. He frowned and took a couple of steps toward the unidentifiable object to the north. Away from the group. Then the virologist and DSO agent realized the shape seemed human! Lawrence called behind him, "Everyone! Claire, there's someone up ahead!"

Both Claire and Sherry heard him and turned toward Lawrence...only to see him marching away from them. Jolted, Sherry yelled back, "Lawrence, what are you doing?! Lawrence!" Sherry had just become part of the DSO last December, and for most of that time since was a prisoner of the terrorist group Neo-Umbrella. She didn't have the chance to know Lawrence or anyone else in the organization very well. At that moment, Douglas realized the radio in the pocket of his long coat was issuing building static again.

"Hello! Are you all right?!" Lawrence slowly approached the nearly-insubstantial figure, his carbine only held at the ready. Whoever this was, the general shape of the figure was human...it walked in a shambling, almost drunken gait on its two legs, and was it clutching its own upper body with its arms? It was as if this unknown was injured, which immediately spoke to his instincts as a healer. "We are federal agents, we are here to help!" The unknown was only a little over two meters away.

Claire yelled, "Lawrence!"

Sherry cried, "Lawrence, WAIT!" The blonde girl burst into a run, with the others close behind. She heard what Lawrence said, but had no idea what he was walking toward. Neither, unfortunately, did he.

The others ran, but were still too far away as Lawrence and the figure he saw closed the distance between each other in the omnipresent, obscuring mist. The virologist asked, "Are you injured?! Can you hear me?! Can you...!" Lawrence's voice trailed off as he finally began to truly see what was in front of him, about three yards away.

The general shape of the thing was human, it walked on two legs, but it absolutely wasn't human at all. Perhaps this creature, a Lying Figure, was female - its soft, rounded hips and behind and its slender legs were feminine in their quality, but it was impossible for Lawrence to be sure just by sight. It was as sexless as a doll, having neither male or female genitalia, its flesh glistening and hairless. It had no face, only a vertical slit that might have been a mouth. And when he thought the thing was embracing itself, favoriting its chest with its arms, he finally saw that its upper body appeared to be encased in its own flesh like a horrid straitjacket.

Lawrence Kimbala had the time to mutter softly, "Dear god - !"

And this man who was a virologist and brave member of Bravo Team didn't get the chance to say anymore or even shout out a warning to his friends. The Lying Figure suddenly lurched back and then sprayed a thick stream of fluid from its vertical mouth and doused the man's face and upper body. Lawrence reeled as he suddenly knew horrible, unthinkable pain. The creature's venom was incredibly toxic...worse, it was corrosive. As it burned through his uniform and his upper body, he also felt his face begin to melt as he went blind. "Guuhhh-HHAAAAHHHHH!" He fell to his knees...

...and Sherry Birkin was the first to really see the Lying Figure as she reached Lawrence. Her reaction was immediate. Sherry quickly raised her Triple-Shot at full extension and blasted the creature in the head. The thing stumbled back a couple of steps, but then Claire and Rain were on either side of Sherry, and they joined her in shooting it several more times. It finally keeled back and fell. Sherry screamed, "LAWRENCE!" And in a heartbeat she was kneeling next to the bloody man, who had fallen prone on his back. The rest of the group was there then, and they could only look at the horror before them. Lawrence was going into convulsions as he tried to breathe, but he was choking on his own gore as his windpipe melted. There was nothing left of his face but a crimson, oozing skull's visage, his eyes dissolved in their sockets. But Sherry stayed with him, holding his hands as he clutched hers desperately. The girl tried to give him some kind of comfort, speaking quickly yet with a soothing tone: "Lawrence...L-Lawrence, it's Sherry! Please take it easy, I'm right here! I-I'm here...!" But Sherry fell silent as she felt the grip of his hands relax...a wet death-rattle issued from the skull's bloody maw as the body's convulsions ceased. Sherry began to cry as she realized Lawrence was dead, but she didn't move and stayed on her knees next to the body for a moment longer as she held his hands just above his ruined chest.

A sustained burst of suppressed fire from close by broke the silence. Sherry, Claire and the others looked to Rain, who just shot the Lying Figure several more times as she stood over it. It had already seemed to be dead, but the girl in black vengefully wanted to make sure for Lawrence. Rain stared down at the creature and quietly spat, "Mother-fucker."

Full of a quiet rage of his own, Vector drew close to Claire...he managed to keep his tone neutral as he said, "Ma'am, Lawrence was backup for Harley as medic. We'll need both his ammo and medical provisions. All the Green Herb he has."

Claire nodded and said, "Go ahead, but you need to be quick about it."

Sherry was still next to Lawrence's body as she offered, "I'll help, Claire." The ponytailed brunette nodded, and Vector joined her to perform this necessity for the sake of the living.

Claire said, "The moment you're both done, we'll need to move."

"Okay, but can we keep going north to reach Alpha Team?" This was from Rain, who was walking toward Claire...but she looked at Douglas as she asked, "Well, old man? You're the one with the 'monster detector'!"

Douglas Cartland already had the radio in his hand as he smiled sourly and grunted, "Yeah." He called it that not ago, right? His arm reached out as he held the radio, pointing it to the north. There was no static. "We oughtta be okay going north." Douglas turned to see how the radio responded in other directions, and especially to their south and west, it did...he added, "We sure can't go back to the bridge. Either more monsters are trying to catch up with us, or...they're focused on Agent Kennedy and the others."

Claire nodded, her expression elementally somber. She hoped and prayed Douglas was right about the former. If Leon, Helena and the others were in peril because Claire left... No, Claire said to herself. Have faith in them, like Leon has faith in you. But one of the group she was entrusted to lead was now dead. I'm doing a great job so far, the lady thought darkly. Claire felt she had to do better if she wanted Sherry and anyone else with her to survive. If she wanted to see Chris again.

Sherry Birkin said, "Claire." The brunette survivor turned to the girl, who stood next to Vector. It seemed they were done. In spite of everything, the beautiful blonde managed to give her a reassuring smile that made Claire feel so warm inside...and Sherry said, "We've got everything we need. We're ready when you are."

Claire Redfield looked around at those she had to lead. Was she ready? Were any of them? They had to be, she knew. Calling on her inner strength, Claire nodded and said, "Let's get out of here."

-2-

Far to the north on the town's main street, not long ago. Alpha Team reached the Sheriff's Office of Black Falls. Every man and woman in the team snapped to full alert when they saw the entrance doors of the building were destroyed. Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine were standing close together, leaning against the wall on the right side of the entrance. Everyone else was huddled close together with them. Chris looked at Jill and his team and said, "Whatever breached this building might still be here. Weapons live, everyone, and be ready for anything." Jill and the others nodded in quiet response. Chris then yelled, "Go!"

Chris, the leader of Alpha, moved first, followed closely by the others...they entered the lobby and offices of the building, aiming their weapons in every direction; the flashlights attached to their primary weapons brought light to the dank, half-lit environs. Instantly to their uniform shock, they saw the massive, bloody body of the Closer that was killed yesterday afternoon by Rebecca Chambers and Alex and Elle Shepherd. The team wasn't quite ready for such an ugly sight, and the fact it was dead wasn't comforting. Hector Hivers said quietly, "I don't even wanna know what the hell that is."

Christine Yamata looked at Cybil Bennet, who was close by her. The medic asked, "Captain, you ever see anything like that in Silent Hill?"

Cybil stared at the dead thing with wide eyes and shook her head. "Never."

Chris ordered, "Regina, Hector, Michaela, Caroline, check the rest of this building. Everyone else sit tight here." Four of the team moved further into the foreboding offices in different directions.

Jill drew close to the team leader and said, "Chances are no one else is here, Chris."

Chris nodded. "Maybe, but we still need information. After this place is cleared, we can - !"

A sudden, deafening staccato burst of full-auto weapons fire filled the office, from where Michaela Schneider was opening the heavy door to the jail in the back...she screamed a curse in German as she wheeled from the door, which swung open the rest of the way as bullets tore into it from within! Michaela was all right as the gunfire stopped, and she turned to Chris and yelled, "HOSTILE!" Everyone in Alpha Team responded instantly...Chris and Jill were right there next to Michaela on one side of the open door as Hector was on the other side. Everyone else took defensive positions clear of the potential point of view of any assailants on the other side of the door, but from their vantages they couldn't see inside, either.

But everyone heard a man's voice from within the jail scream fearfully, "I won't let you bastards get me, you hear?! YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET ME!"

After exchanging a grim look with Jill, Chris turned toward the door and yelled, "HEY! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Silence. "I SAID, WHO ARE YOU?!"

His response: "That's what I was going to ask YOU, asshole! Identify yourself NOW!" There was a dramatic shift in tone in the man's voice, from initial fear to curt demand. He also sounded like he was middle-aged, but that was all Chris could tell at the moment.

The leader of Alpha Team answered crisply, "Federal task force! Captain Chris Redfield, Alpha Team! Your turn!"

"Sheriff James Gulager, goddamn it!" Chris exhanged a look with Jill. According to their best information, he was the top lawman in this town. "How do I know you're feds?! I'm not just gonna take your word for that!"

"If you are who you say you are, Sheriff, then I can't just do the same for you, either! Now it sounds like you're alone in your jail, but I've got more people and a lot more firepower! Take that as an incentive to lower your weapon and come out with your hands up! I promise you won't be harmed if we go about this peacefully!"

The man in the jail barked, "I can't even start to tell you how much I HATE that fucking idea, Captain Redfield! You surrender yourselves to my authority instead right now, and MAYBE we'll talk!"

On the other side of the door, Hector Hivers snarled to Chris, "Captain, just let me go in there and shove my shotgun up his ass!" The armored man gripped that shotgun in his big, gauntleted hands: it was an AA-12 Atchisson Assault Shotgun, a fully automatic monster that could fire 12-gauge rounds at a rate of 300 a minute; it held 32 rounds in its drum magazine. The street sweeper was as deadly in its own way as Bitsy, Hector's customized grenade rifle, which he carried behind his back at the moment. The AA-12 was also equipped with a specially-machined suppressor that was half as long as the weapon itself...it would have reached pretty far...

Chris frowned at the big man and hissed back, "Secure that shit, Hector!" He then focused on the unknown in the jail and raised his voice again: "You really want to start a pissing match with me, Sheriff?! Remember I can't take your word for anything either, so we can argue all damned day..." A deliberate pause. "...or maybe I'll just leave your ass here to fend for yourself! How do you like your chances all alone against whatever's taken hold of this town, huh?!" He let that sink in for a beat, and then yelled, "Talk to me, Sheriff!" Silence again. Chris only waited several seconds before he announced, "Okay, have it your way! Alpha, we're leaving - !"

Suddenly, there was no pretense of authority in the man's voice, only fear again as he screamed, "WAIT! You're really feds?!"

Chris answered, "If we were an enemy, we wouldn't even be talking to you now! You have to trust me, but I need to trust you, too! So how about it?"

A tension-filled moment that only felt like an hour...and then the man called out hesitantly, "A-all right! I'm coming out, and I'm not armed!" Everyone in Alpha focused on the door, ready to fire upon whatever came out. They heard from within the metal sound of a cell door open...and a few critical moments later...

...Sheriff James Gulager stepped out into the office area, dirty, sweating and looking ragged. The middle-aged law enforcer was a bare shadow of his former self. The thin, hard man had his hands raised, but Chris Redfield launched, took hold of the front of Gulager's uniform shirt in one strong fist, and pulled him to a desk where he was forced to bend over and his upper body splayed out across the top. As everyone in Alpha Team aimed their weapons at Gulager, Chris ordered, "Don't move!"

Gulager quickly, almost meekly stammered, "I won't! I-I won't...!" Jill Valentine was there then, and he began frisking the sheriff with her slender hands. She wasn't gentle or kind about it.

Chris then ordered, "Hector, make sure the jail's clear!" The big man nodded and moved in to do so, but carefully.

It took another minute before Hector came back into view and told Chris, "Captain, there's no one else inside. Looks like this guy had himself locked in one of the cells. He had a few rifles and a shitload of bullets. The back door to the jail was locked. Kind of dumb of him not to lock the front door, too." Gulager blushed as he cursed himself furiously...he had too much pride to say he forgot to lock the front door to the jail, and he wasn't about to volunteer that information.

Jill got Gulager's wallet from his back pants pocket. Chris then ordered, "Okay, stand up!" He helped the lawman stand from his submissive position roughly. Gulager felt his heartbeat race as he really looked at the eclectic, heavily armed assemblage of Alpha Team as they surrounded him. He quickly decided it wouldn't be a good idea to piss any of them off.

Jill's eyes carefully examined Gulager's driver license picture...and then she looked at the man himself. She coolly decided, "Okay, you are who you say you are, Sheriff...but that doesn't mean much."

Gulager looked like he got insulted. He whined at Chris, "What the hell, I did what you wanted, and you don't trust me?!"

Chris said in a flat tone, "I said we need to trust you, that doesn't mean we do...not yet. We have questions about what happened here, Sheriff."

The sheriff's lips thinned as he said impatiently, "Wait! You said you're a federal task force, how many of you are there?!"

Chris said, "Us and one other team. We were sent in to find out what's going on and how this fog was brought here."

Gulager's eyes grew wide with shock. "Just you and one other team? That's ALL?!"

Barry Burton stared at him as he clarified, "The last task force sent in to recon your town was killed and eaten, Sheriff. The powers that be aren't in the mood to send in even more people and make a bigger buffet for any monsters."

Chris took a step closer to Gulager as he held his rifle at the ready. His eyes examined the lawman as he said, "Let's get to my questions, all right? Now, what happened here? Where were you at the time the fog came and The Order attacked?"

A beat of silence as James Gulager stared at Chris, as the law officer's mind raced furiously. He couldn't tell them the truth. At the time Reeve Meyers brought that crazy fog to engulf the town, he'd come back to consciousness minutes after that bitch Rebecca Chambers knocked him out in a back alley. As Gulager picked himself up off the pavement, the grey arrived and dominated everything...and he began to hear the incredible chaos all around him; he still had his gun, but his truck and keys were gone. The lawman was behind the hardware store on Kubrick Street and knew its owner, Hank. He banged on the back door and Hank let him in - the kind, naturally generous store owner was confused and scared by the sudden fog and the changes that came with it. Gulager coldly shot the man he knew for years in the head, locked every door in the place, and then took sanctuary in the cellar. But even there, where his flashlight gave little illumination and less solace, he could still hear the horrifying sounds from outside. Hours later, Gulager gathered the little courage he had to leave...he needed to get back to the Sheriff's Office, where he could at least have gotten far better weapons than his pistol. When he got there after a frantic, terrified jog through the heavy mist, he gathered a few rifles and as much ammo as he could carry, and with a spare set of keys he retrieved after breaking into his own office, he holed up in the jail.

Gulager did his best to lie convincingly: "I...I-I was on patrol. It was busier than usual because of the County Fair. And out of nowhere the fog appeared and I heard shots fired from what seemed like everywhere. Then...then the monsters showed up, and I've been here since. I-I don't have a clue how all of this could have happened, it...it just did."

As Chris stared at him with an examining gaze - like everyone else there was - Barry Burton asked, "Why aren't you out there helping people, Sheriff?"

Gulager almost laughed. "A-are you kidding?! We lost all lines of communication from phones to radio transmission, so I couldn't get in contact with my deputies or anyone else to try to keep any kind of order! Vehicles and most utilities won't work, and something's wrong with the food and water! All of that combined with the low visibility of the fog, some goddamn terrorists hitting us and...and the monsters has made things go to complete shit! Even if I did go out there to help anyone, chances are I wouldn't make it very far! I wouldn't even be surprised if I had to worry about civilians, dammit! The way things have become, it's every man for themselves in this town!"

Chris asked, "I guess every man includes you, Sheriff?"

"Damn right it does!" Gulager looked around him self-consciously. "I didn't get paid enough for this damn job in the first place...I shouldn't be expected to go out there and risk my life while this horror show is happening!"

"You should." Those quiet yet stoic words came from Cybil Bennett, who looked at the man unkindly. She said, "That risk is part of what you signed up for as a law enforcement officer. But then, in your case, you're also an elected official."

Gulager sneered. "Hmf, that's easy for you to say..." He stared at Cybil and noticed the bars on the collar of her uniform signifying her rank. "...captain, huh? You've never been in a situation like this - !"

Cybil cut him off by clarifying, "Actually, I have been. I was in a town exactly like this thirty years ago. It didn't stop me from being a cop before...and I won't let it stop me now."

The sheriff said sarcastically, "Well, good for you!" Gulager's hard eyes stared at Chris then. "The bottom line is we need help, and it's nice to see someone finally come in and try to do something about this!"

Barry Burton gruffily said, "This town's sheriff sure can't do anything..."

Gulager turned to him with a burst of anger. "Hey - !"

"Sheriff!" Chris Refield got the man's attention and said, "I'm still talking to you. Do you know anything about the terrorists responsible for this? Do you have any idea what they want?"

Gulager lied like a rug: "No, I have no idea who's responsible for this. I don't even know how they made this happen."

Jill stared at him and asked, "Sheriff, are you sure?"

Defensively, the man said, "I just said I don't know! H-how many times do I have to say it?!"

"Captain?" Chris turned to Caroline Floyd, who nodded her head to Gulager as she said, "He made enough noise before to attract hostiles...we shouldn't stay much longer."

Chris nodded. "Right." But he turned to Gulager... "One more thing, Sheriff. Have you met a federal agent named Rebecca Chambers?"

James Gulager couldn't help himself: he stared at Chris with a mix of shock and annoyance and blurted, "Her?" He blinked as everyone in Alpha stared at him with redoubled intensity. If he had a knife, he could have cut the air with it. Gulager finally said, "Yeah, Chambers came into town Thursday night. I - !"

Jill Valentine stepped close to him and asked anxiously, "Do you have any idea where Rebecca is?! She might be with a young woman named Cheryl Mason!"

Chris looked at Gulager with narrow eyes as he said, "They both have valuable information about what's happening here and how to stop it, Sheriff. It's critical we find them."

Gulager managed, "I don't know where Chambers is now. I-I don't know anything about that Mason girl you're talking about, either." That last statement he said...less than convincingly, and he knew it. He quickly, adamantly added, "Listen, you can trust me! The last time I saw Chambers was yesterday afternoon, just before everything went to hell! I'm sorry, but I can't help you anymore than that!"

Chris took a beat to assess the lawman with a cool stare...and finally he said, "Actually, maybe you can. You know this town better than any of us, Sheriff. We'll need you to accompany us."

Everyone in Alpha stared at Chris as Gulager stiffened and shook his head furiously. "Like hell! I'm not going out there - !"

Suddenly, Jill drew close to Chris and said quickly, "Chris, I need to talk to you for a minute."

Chris frowned at the lady and began, "Jill, I - "

Jill's voice was thin as she stressed, "Right now. Please." Taking his arm in a slender hand, Jill led him to a part of the office several yards away. Regina, the commando in black and grey, followed them as the others watched.

Relatively isolated, Chris asked his partner in a low voice, "Jill, what's wrong - ?"

But Jill's voice was as taut as her expression: "We can't just take him with us, Chris!"

"We have to if we want to find Rebecca - !"

"No, we don't have to." Chris stared at her. Jill continued quietly, "We don't know this man...for all we know, he's working with the enemy."

"What makes you think - ?"

"Chris, didn't you notice he hasn't been completely honest with us? Even a blind man could see that! He's lying or holding back critical information, maybe both!"

Regina reached them then and began, "Captain, you need to - "

He held up a hand in front of the redheaded commando in a 'halt!' gesture as he ordered, "Not now, Regina! Jill - !"

As Regina watched awkwardly, Jill hissed, "Didn't Rebecca say we shouldn't trust the police in this town?! That's what you said she told you, that people here were working for The Order! Besides, you should know taking him with us might compromise our mission."

Chris Redfield's brow furrowed. "What makes you say that?"

Jill Valentine's answer came in a name: "Carla Radames. You thought she was Ada Wong, and she lured you and your team into a trap in Eastern Europe. Do you want a repeat of that happening?"

Chris flushed and snarled, "Dammit, Jill, that's uncalled for!"

It took real effort for Jill to keep her voice low: "No, what's called for is to use some common sense! We already lost one of Alpha Team, and I don't want to lose anyone else." Her expression softened as she looked at the man and said, "I don't want to lose you."

The partners looked at each other for a quiet moment as Regina watched. Finally, Chris said, "I understand, Jill...but I still think Sheriff Gulager can be of help to us." Jill opened her mouth to protest further, but Chris quickly cut her off: "Listen! Enemy or not, I think he can help us find Rebecca...but I'm not gonna be stupid about it. He'll come with us unarmed. There's already no way he can communicate with the enemy because of the fog, either. Okay?"

Jill bit her full lower lip as she looked down, her stance full of tension. She looked up at Chris and managed, "...All right, but I don't like this."

Chris' expression tightened to become stern...he told the lady, "This is my call to make, Jill. Nothing says you have to like it." He then turned to the commando close by and asked, "What do you want, Regina?"

Regina simply stared back at him and said, "It's nothing, Captain."

Chris Redfield simply walked away from Jill, past Regina, and back to Alpha Team and Gulager. But Jill Valentine noticed how troubled the commando's expression became with Chris' passage. The survivor moved to the redhead and asked, "Is something wrong, Regina?"

Regina looked down and said softly, "I have my own reservations, Jill. Taking the Sheriff with us is a mistake."

Jill raised a slender hand and put it gently on Regina's shoulder. The redhead looked at the blonde, who nodded quietly but said, "I hear you...but like your Captain said: it's his call."

The survivor began to move to return to the others, but she stopped when Regina softly said, "Jill." There was such a tension in the commando's voice, Jill immediately turned to look at her again. Regina drew close and said, "I respect you too much not to tell you about this. I don't have to tell Captain Redfield unless...well, it becomes necessary." Regina then accessed one of the utility pouches of her belt around her slender waist...and took out a small, folded note. She gave it to Jill, who unfolded the paper and read it.

Astonished, Jill Valentine absorbed the written and signed order of General Beauregard Earle, which authorized Regina to replace Chris as leader of Alpha Team if she had any reason to believe he might be a hazard to the mission's success. Jill looked at Regina with wide eyes...

...and the commando nodded and told her matter-of-factly, "I don't want to take his command...but if I'm given anymore reason to doubt his fitness as team leader, I will."

Chris had no idea what was being shared between the women as he reached Gulager and told him, "You are coming with us, Sheriff. We need your help, and you need our protection."

The man folded his arms and said tensely, "Pardon me all over the place if I say I don't feel reassured, Captain! Give me a second to go back and arm myself - !"

But Chris quickly cut him short: "Uh-uh! You're not packing."

Gulager griped, "WHAT?! How will I defend myself?!"

"I said you'd have our protection, and it's not like you have much choice!"

Infuriated, Gulager began to curse, "Son of a bitch - aghh!" He almost cried out when he felt a sudden and lancing pain in his brain, worse than even a migraine he once had.

Christine Yamata, the team's medic, looked at the man with sudden concern, even though she didn't like him. No one in Alpha did. Still, Christine asked, "Sheriff, are you okay - ?"

Gulager waved her off and grunted, "I-I'm all right! It's nothing!" But it was far, far from nothing.

Indeed, as the lawman placed a hand over his head, favoriting it, he heard and felt a cold voice speak into his mind by thought: Reeve Meyers, the leader of The Order, a man Gulager willfully conspired with in the name of greed, said by thought: "Hello again, Sheriff...it looks like you made some new friends!"

Gulager suddenly felt his heart jump into his throat. He thought with incredulous fury, "Reeve?! What the hell have you done to my town?!"

"Black Falls is now holy ground, Sheriff. This place has therefore become most unkind to nonbelievers."

As he fought to keep his expression under control in front of Alpha, his thoughts raged: "CRAZY BASTARD!"

Reeve chuckled into the man's mind. "Temper- temper! You would be completely safe now if you had done one simple thing and detained Rebecca Chambers. Call your current situation the price of failing me and my covenant."

Gulager managed to smirk as he shot back, "Oh, yeah?! I ought to make YOU pay by telling these feds everything they need to know about you!"

"Be wise, Sheriff. If you did, you would have to implicate yourself because of your dealings with me. I doubt you'd have anyone's protection then."

Reminded of that simple fact, Gulager felt the need to kill something. Any damn thing. "Reeve...!"

"If it helps, your situation isn't entirely hopeless. You can still redeem yourself by bringing Cheryl Mason to me alive."

Gulager thought with a burst of anger, "I-I don't even know where she is right now!"

The lawman's soul felt a chill as Reeve's thoughts turned even colder: "Then for your sake, find her...and if possible, use those interlopers to help you."

James Gulager then thought angrily, "And what are the chances I'll find Mason before one of your monsters gets me?!"

The moment he thought that, Cybil Bennett heard the static from her radio shift...and begin to build. She said quickly to Chris Redfield, "Captain! We've got to start moving again now!"

Reeve Meyers' dark thoughts laughed. "Well. I can't lie about your chances, Sheriff...but you do have my sympathies!"

TO BE CONTINUED