Authors Note: Well, well, well looks I finally dragged myself back into the world of fanfiction. Sorry it took me so long to get back to this fic life last year has been hectic. But, now that I am back we can continue on as you know I don't anything in this franchise other than the Oc's I own, everything else belongs to Capcom. But that we got THAT out of the way here's chapter 17.
"Man, it feels like this day is never going to end." Claire sighed, as she leaned against the wall. Exhaustion etched on her grimy face.
Brad had to agree, as he moved to lean against the wall beside her, looking equally exhausted.
"I know if this was a dream..." Sherry started from her spot between the two as they all stood in the rickety old elevator, waiting for it to finally reach their destination which seemed, to her, to take forever. "It would make one awesome story, a novel even."
"Would you be the one writing it?" Brad asked.
Sherry nodded, looking up at him, a tired smile on her face. "Before all this happened I liked to write and read."
"What did you like to read?" Brad asked.
"I like Lord of the Rings and other such things." She told him.
"Lord of the Rings?" Claire spoke up, sounding incredulous. "That's a pretty hard book, I could never get into it. I'm more into true crime though."
"True crime?" Brad asked.
Claire nodded.
"Somehow I'm not even all that surprised to be honest you seem like the time to be into stuff like that." He said as, as the elevator came to a stop, the heavy metal doors sliding open with a screech. The train station coming into view, washed over the group as they stepped of the elevator.
"The coast is clear." Brad said, after scanning the area for any sign of a threat.
Seeing nothing they began to move towards the train. When there was a loud crack coming from behind them. Turning around they saw a large crack begin to form in the concrete wall. Then there was another loud crack as the wall broke apart, and Claire's heart skipped when from the newly formed hole out stepped Mr X.
"Now how is that possible?" Brad whispered, looking to Claire from the corner of his eye, his grip tightening on his gun.
"I don't know we tossed himself into that molten metal, it should have been dead by now." Claire whispered, all blood seeming to drain from her face as the newly mutated Mr X took a lumbering toward them.
Steeling her nerves Claire stepped out in front of the group, glancing over her shoulder she looked to Brad. "Brad, I want you to take Sherry into the train and stay with her please."
Jaw twitching Brad nodded, and grabbed Sherry's hand as the young girl struggled to break free, crying out from Claire as she was all bug dragged to the train, before Brad slammed the doors to the train shut. Leaving Claire alone with the smouldering form of the newly mutated Mr X. Tightening her grip on her gun she took a few steps towards the monster, and fired. Bullets tearing into the things chest, but it didn't seem to have any affect the monster, as it took another lumbering step towards her, its dead, white eyes boring into her own.
Snick, snick, snick.
The sound of its newly formed claws clicking together filled her with dread, then suddenly without warning it swiped at her with said claws, tearing into her right thigh, making her cry out and stagger out of the way before it could tearing through her leg any further. Blood trickled down her thigh as she put some distance between her and the monster. Blood dripping from her wound onto the ground as Mr X closed the distance between them and swiped at her once more.
Catching her across her left arm, making her drop her gun in shock, blood streaming down her arm and dripped down her fingers, gritting her teeth she lunged for her gun and picked it up. Raising her gun with blood soaked fingers she fired on the monster once more, catching him in the eye. Making the monster howl in pain, black blood spilling down its face as it threw its head back, exposing its throat to her. Firing again Claire grinned as several bullets tore into its throat, more black blood pouring from its throat and down its chest to stain its sexless groin.
Feeling triumphant Claire had hoped that it would be enough to put it down for good. However that didn't seem to be the case as Mr X quickly recovered and glowered at her, before bending at the waist and dashing at her, clawed arm outstretched, ready to eviscerate her. Biting down on her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood when-
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Gunshots rang out, causing the tyrant to stop mid charge and turn around to face its new attacker, and saw Brad standing there gun raised. Firing again Brad drew closer to them eyes narrowed as he continued to fire. Bullets tearing into the monsters back, causing streams of black blood to trick down its back. Then, ever so slowly Mr X turned to Brad. Bending at the waist once more with its arm extended, ready to rend Brad to blood bits of flesh.
"Brad! Watch out!" Claire screamed, as Brad was slammed to the ground as Mr X struck him with the back of his hand, before raising its clawed hand, ready to rip Brad apart. "Brad!" She screamed again, racing to his side, wanting to stop the creature from killing the man she had grown attached to throughout the night.
"Here! Use this!" An unfamiliar female voice called out, causing Claire to look up to the landing, and catch sight of a woman's silhouette, followed by something dropping to the ground next to Claire.
Looking from the stranger to the item she had just dropped before looking to the stranger once more. "Who are you?" But the moments the words had left Claire's lips the woman had disappeared without a trace.
Brow furrowing Claire looked down at the object that the stranger had dropped, and moved towards it. Her heart skipping a beat when she saw what it was. A machine gun, just what the doctor ordered. Grabbing for it Claire gripped it, and spun around towards Mr X. Her heart thundering in her chest, when she saw that the monster had Brad in his grasp, its clawed hand raised.
"Brad!" She cried out, as she raised the machine gun, and pulled the trigger. A stream of bullets tearing through Mr X, like a hot knife through butter, Mr X's mouth dropped open in a silent scream as more viscous black blood spilled from the over growing hole. Finally the gun went dry as Mr X released Brad with a thump as the monster dropped to the ground, lifeless as blood pooled around it.
"Cutting it a little close aren't you?" Brad asked, as he picked himself up off of the ground, blood splattered onto his vest.
"Sorry, but the pistol wasn't that much of a challenge for that beast." Claire said, reaching up to wipe off a smudge of blood off of his cheek.
Gripping her wrist Brad opened his mouth, when the sound of alarms cut him off. Jumping the two of them looked up as a mechanical, female voice resounded all around them.
"The self-destruct system had been activated. Please evacuate immediately."
"Oh great out of the frying pan into the fire, huh?" Brad muttered, draping Claire's uninjured arm around his shoulders as he lead her towards the train.
"No kidding, by the way thanks for jumping in when you did." Claire told him.
"You were getting your ass handed to you, I had to do something." He told her.
Opening her mouth she was about to protest, but quickly snapped her mouth shut as exhaustion gripped her as Brad slid the train door open, and was greeted by a worried looking Sherry.
"Claire! Brad!" She gasped, racing towards them and wrapping her arms around the two of them. "I'm so glad you're both okay." She breathed after finally letting them go, and backing a way slightly, moving to plop down on one of the train seats she looked them over. Her eyes widening when she saw the blood streaming down Claire's arm and leg. "Claire, you're hurt."
Pushing away from the wall she moved to Claire again, helping Claire sit down in the seat beside her she looked around for something to wrap around Claire's wounds. Spotting a crumpled jumpsuit near the seats. Grabbing it she grunted as she tried to rip it into shreds so that she could wrap Claire's wounds with it as Brad moved towards the controls, worrying at his bottom lip as he scanned the controls.
"C'mon how hard could this be?" he muttered under his breath. When suddenly he spotted a button, his eyes lighting up when he saw that it would start the train as the alarms continued to blare.
As the trains engine roared to life Brad felt relief wash over him as it began to move, slowly away from the station as the count down began.
"I could use a shower." Amelia muttered, as she ran a hand through her hair, grimacing at how greasy it felt.
"You smell like you could use one." Miles added, earning glare from the woman in question. "What?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders, eyebrow arched. "I was agreeing with you, and besides, "Miles grabbed at the front of his shirt and sniffed deeply. "I'm in the same boat as you." He told her.
"Quiet!" Carlos hissed, glancing over his shoulder at the two of them.
Giving him an apologetic smile the group continued on.
"Is it just me or," Carlos whispered, leaning closer to Jill, as the woman in question scanned the area, looking for any threats in the area, or more importantly Nemesis. "Are things really quiet?"
Jill looked to him, then looked around. He was right, there were no zombies, or any other virus carriers of the sort around, it was too quiet for their liking. "Yeah, I'll admit it is odd, but I'm going to take that a good sign." She told him.
Nodding Carlos looked ahead, heart beat quickening as he saw the factory off in the distance. Feeling hope fill his chest he found his pace quickening, in his excitement thought he had failed to see that something was lurking in the shadows until there was a loud screech.
Followed by the sight of a large reptilian form lunging at him, clawed hands out stretched as it knocked him to the ground. Blinking up at his attacker, heart thundering in his chest as the hunter let out an ear-splitting screech that echoed through the night. Followed by the sound of gun fire, then a shriek of pain as the hunter staggered backwards, blood streaming down its reptilian chest. Turning its gaze on its attacker it saw that Jill had fired on the monster, eyes narrowed as she continued forward.
Backing away the hunter let out another screech and leapt over Carlos, leaving him unscathed as it raced towards Jill. Gritting her teeth Jill took a few steps back, her foot catching on something. Pitching her backwards as the hunter leapt at her. Eyes widening as the hunter closed in on her, curved claws of the monster caught her in the right side. Blood blossoming across her bright blue shirt, turning it purple. Clapping a hand over the three large gashes in her side, she scrambled to her feet before fumbling to put another clip into her gun with some difficulty.
All while the hunter continued in its advance. Clawed hand extended above its flat, reptilian skull. Only to have its right eye explode in a spray of blood. Looking up Jill saw Carlos there, a pistol in his hands. Snarling the hunter turned fully towards Carlos once more as he fired again. Catching it in the throat.
Letting out a loud gurgling noise as it dropped to the ground, dead.
"Thank you." Jill panted.
Nodding Carlos moved closer to her, his eyes fixed on the growing blood stain on her shirt, to the nasty gashes the hunter had gifted her. "Though we need to stop and get these wounds dressed up, and cleaned." Carlos commented. As he clamped his hand over the wound, blood trickling between his fingers as he guided her towards a park bench, easing her to sit down despite her protests.
"Stop complaining." Amelia piped up, as Jill continued as Carlos fished through his pack for the medical supplies they had gathered.
"That sweat shirt is ruined." Miles commented, as he watched as Jill removed said sweat shirt that was absolutely drenched in blood.
Nodding in agreement Jill dropped the soiled shirt onto the ground. Hiss through her teeth as Carlos dabbed at the wounds, pain lancing through her side as he pressed a little too hard at the heavily bleeding wounds.
"You're going to need stitches, sadly I don't have anything to stitch it up with. Nor do I know how to do stitches." He told her once he had finished up, noticing that the bandages were already turning red, worrying at his bottom lip he looked at her.
"I think I'll be fine." Jill assure him, wincing a little as she got to her feet.
"Fine isn't what I'd call anything involving today, or even this week." Miles commented, looking around once more, thankful that it seemed quiet once more after their encounter with the lone hunter.
"No kidding." Carlos commented, slinging his rifle over his shoulder as he looked to the other expectantly. "Shall we continue on? I don't want to spent another moment standing around waiting for some creature to come creeping up on us."
Nodding the group continued towards the factory. Little did anyone know what awaited them when they got there...
Authors Note: And here we have it the second last chapter of But A Cat Has Nine Lives which I worked on non-stop all day today and now I'm paying for it. My butt and my back are killing me but it was worth. Again, sorry for the year long absence but I'll try and get the last chapter up soon. Now that I got all of that out of the way I need to head to bed I got to work in the morning.