The elevator doors dinged open, revealing the laboratory entrance. Just like the waters that surrounded it, it was dark, cold and no doubt filled with unspeakable horrors. My eyes danced across the empty hall, feeling my tired muscles tense with every step I took. I shifted and caught Piers silently marvelling at the area as well.
"Where the hell did they get the money to build something like this?" He asked, never once dragging his eyes away from the empty hall.
My hand darted up to cloak my eyes from the blinding spotlight above as I shifted under it and kept up pace with the two men.
"Keep your eyes peeled. Knowing Ada, she probably rigged this place with traps," Chris said, pausing outside a door. His shoulders tensed as he tossed it open and rushed inside with his gun drawn.
Piers and I quickly followed close on his heels. My hands shook as I tried to keep my gun levelled, causing it to rattle while we inspected the new area. Only once I noticed it was clear, I let my gun fall to my side and released a strained breath.
We ended up in some sort of security area. Computer monitors filled one wall at the back with wires trailing the back and across the walls to some unknown source. The blue glow soaked the room, casting harsh shadows across our faces and blanketing the majority of the room into darkness.
"Chris," Piers bobbed his head towards one of the monitors.
Coming up beside him, I froze when I found what he was staring at. "They're here?" My mouth fell open as I stared at Jake and Agent Birkin's faces.
They were bound to a stand, and their faces hung low. I shook my head and tried to put together why those two would be here of all places. The mystery voice over the radio told us to search for Jake and Sherry...I didn't put two and two together. But why are they involved?
"Why're they here?" I asked, seeing as no one answered me the first time.
Piers and Chris both seemed too preoccupied with the monitors. I nudged Piers, earning a grunt from the man.
Confusion flickered across his face for a moment before realization dawned on him. "Neo-Umbrella has been after them since Edonia. They've been held hostage this whole time. Seems like your buddy Jake is related to Albert Wesker and contains antibodies to the C-virus."
I ignored how his mouth curled as he said Jake's name and focused on this Albert Wesker. He seems to be important. "Albert Wesker? Whose that?"
"Long story," he cleared his throat. "We'll fill you in later. Right now, we gotta get them out of here."
"Here," Chris motioned to Piers to grab his gun.
Piers grabbed it without a word and stood to the side to give the captain some room.
I leaned back, watching as Chris hunched over the computer's controls and typed in strings of commands and overrides.
"Got it!" Chris pulled away with a start as an alarm blared out. Red warning messages flooded across the monitors, and a red light began to flash on the wall. "Shit."
"They know we're here," Piers handed the gun back to Chris, his face taut and strained as he stared at the warning messages.
"What do we do?" I asked, feeling my heart palpitating in my throat.
Chris jutted his head back towards the doors. "We gotta find them before Ada's men do. Let's go!"
We broke into a run through the door and headed down the hall; the murky water and passage lights whipped by in a blur until we finally came to a break in the tunnel and found a door.
Chris kicked it open without a second thought and bolted inside, his gun raised and ready. It wasn't long when we heard the tell-tale growls of the J'avo.
"They found us," Piers said just as the first J'avo burst into the room with a few friends close behind him.
"Take them down!" Chris yelled and fired first, striking the closest J'avo high in the shoulder. It stumbled into the other J'avo behind him, causing panic and a shrill cry to rip from their mouths.
Our bullets tore through them like butter, painting the wall behind them a bright red, but it didn't end there. I watched in disgust as their bodies convulsed and twitched and exploded into a mess of fleshy limbs and hardened claws.
One J'avo had his arm exploded into a long worm-like infection. The tip of the thing had three long pincer-like claws that twitched with every movement. It swung its arm forward with a roar, striking the air in front of Piers' face.
He jumped back with a start, shoving aside the other mutated J'avo and aimed.
Another one of the mutated J'avo sought me out. I recognized the mutation straight away. With its upper body nothing more than a twisted, pulsating fleshy cocoon, it ran towards me. I dodged to the side, feeling the spike through my back as I tried to arch as far away from the damn thing as I could.
With the tight space, it was obvious this thing was trying to keep us close together so it could explode. I jerked my gun down towards its legs and began to fire, striking it once in the shin and another time through its knees.
The mutated monstrosity crashed to the ground, its body jerking and pulsating, inflating quickly as it prepared to explode. "Back up!" I shoved the person behind me and managed to jump behind one of the tables just as the J'avo exploded. Parts of flesh and mists of blood covered the table and a portion of the room, leaving me gaging as the smell hit my nose. I cracked my eyes open, satisfied that none of us got caught in the explosion.
Piers jerked to his feet, his eyes void of any emotion as he scoped the rest of the room. Most of the J'avo were taken down by Chris and Piers, but the remaining few were caught in the explosion.
Chris didn't wait around; he stormed off to the next room with Piers jumping up to follow him, leaving only me to catch my breath.
When I tried to follow them, an explosion of pain shocked my back, sending me back to my hands and knees.
"What's wrong?" Piers spun around and made his way over to me, and placed a hand on my shoulder.
Breathing through the pain, I tried to brush it off, but it just kept building up, placing pressure on the injury. "M-my ba-ack...fuck...it keeps hurting."
Blinking through the tears, I could just make out his pinched glance and tight frown. He swept his hand down the length of my back, sending tingles over my skin before pausing on my lower back where the pain erupted.
"Ow!" I yelped.
He pulled away with a grunt and eyed the spot. With a flick of his hand, he pushed aside my top, exposing my back and studied the wound. I could feel his fingers dragging over my spine, leaving a trail of heat behind that clawed its way up to my cheeks. I began to protest until he pressed on a spot that made me grunt.
"It's not broken, but it is really beaten up and bruised," He dropped my shirt back down and stood to his full height, his face more relaxed than earlier. "As soon as we get out of here, we'll have to ice it and get it looked over. Try not to strain yourself right now," he said, dropping his open palm down to my face.
Without a word, I took hold of the offered hand and gently pulled myself back up. It took a few tries, but as soon as I could stand on my own, he dropped his hand and jutted his head towards the door Chris went through.
"Thanks," I uttered, keeping my head lowered so he wouldn't see the red on my cheeks and followed after him, wincing as the force put pressure on the spot.
We plowed through another small group of J'avo; this time, they had guns. It slowed us down, but we pushed through and found ourselves in some kind of experimental or observational lab.
Glass tubes filled with green fluid, and strange creatures filled the walls. Aside from the glow in the tubes, the only other light source came from the row of windows overlooking a large observational area.
"It's like back at the research facility," I said, staring at the different stages of developed B.O.W.s.
Some were just like the ones we ran into tonight, with their long, worm arms and scaled bodies. Some had their heads dismembered and placed in separate tubes. I gawked at the head as I strolled by, hearing Chris and Piers Hmph! As they inspected the corpses.
I passed the tubes in silence, making my way down the length of the room and coming to a complete stop as I turned the corner. "Whoa…." I unintentionally said, gaining the attention of the guys.
A few tubes were being held separate from the rest. Set around the corner with monitors placed across the walls. I stumbled into the small nook and studied the strange creatures inside the tubes. They looked nothing like the other B.O.W.s; they looked much too human and...normal.
"The hell is all this?" Chris growled as he studied the one creature that closely resembled Ada Wong. His gaze narrowed and swept across her sleeping face. She looked peaceful...and not crazy.
"What kind of experiments were they doing down here?" Piers added in, his gaze lingering closely on the other samples.
I stumbled over my feet and came to a stop by one tube. My eyebrows jolted up, and my mouth slackened as I stared at a near-exact copy of Iesha. "What the hell…." I whispered, studying every angle of her face. "It's...impossible."
"Are they...clones?" Piers peered closer, his eyes squinting as he took in the sight. "Have you ever come across something like this before, captain?
Chris came around and settled in front of the monitors, his head swaying as he studied the information left on the screen. "Nothing this advanced before-but close." He punched in a few keys on the keyboard and swore. "We can't let them continue with this research."
The ramifications to research like this would be astronomical to the world and blow open doors that should never be opened-let alone exist.
"Chris, you need to take a look at this."
I shifted from my thoughts, tossing a glance over my shoulder and spotted Piers. He stared out of the windows, his face tense and rigid.
Standing beside him, I followed his gaze out the observational windows and took in the massive dangling object in the center of the open shaft.
It looked like a giant moth's cocoon, all brown and ridged-except I had to crane my neck all the way back just to catch a glimpse of the top. It was as big as an apartment building!
Two gigantic metal claws gripped the top of the cocoon in a death grip, keeping it suspended in the air. Even the massive floodlights couldn't shine a light to the bottom of the shaft.
"The hell is that thing?" I heard myself asking.
"Ada's pillow pet?" Piers replied sarcastically, but the beads of sweat forming on his brow showed his silent worry.
Chris didn't look in any better condition as his eyes took in the sight. "This isn't good…."
A flash of movement caught our attention below. Two shadowy shapes bobbed into the cocoons room.
"Hey, they survived!" Piers said, his eyes taking in the sight of agent Birkin and Jake. As soon as their heads shifted to the cocoon, they slowed to a stop, taking in the view. "We have to get to them," Piers turned to Chris, who was already nodding.
He searched the desk in front of the windows, shifting through the papers and junk until he stopped over a microphone. He pressed it, "Sherry! Jake!" At the sound of their names, both of them jerked around, searching for the source. "Up in the overlook-with the windows!"
They snapped their heads up, finding us and smiled. Agent Birkin gave a thumbs up, confirming she had indeed seen us.
"Wait there; we'll come to you." Chris let go of the button and stood up. "C'mon!"
The overlook had a door leading into the main section, saving us time to backtrack to reach the two. As soon as we came into view, Sherry's relief was visible.
"Chris!" She shouted and ran over to us, a smile touching her tired face.
"Glad to see you're both OK," Chris said, nodding his head and returned her smile.
"Speaking of the dead," Jake spoke up, his eyes resting on my face. "How the hell did you get out of Edonia?"
The events of that fateful day-my amnesia and reuniting with Piers weighed down on me. My smile felt heavy with fatigue as I met his stare. "Long story, but guess I should be asking you the same question?"
"Was that you that set us free?" Agent Birkin stepped in, her attention still stuck on Chris.
"Looks like you guys save the day again, huh?" Jake said.
The weight in the air changed, and a heaviness settled in, but I couldn't explain why-
"I see your father in you," Chris' voice rang out.
Jake's head snapped up. A dark look fell over his eyes. His lip curled up in disgust. "So, you knew him?"
I quickly glanced to Piers to see his thoughts on the situation. Still, he was busy staring at the captain, an impassable look covering his face. "What's going on-"
Chris stepped forward, cutting me off. "Yeah, I did," he hesitated before speaking again. "And I'm the one that killed him."
The muscles in my neck pinched from how fast I snapped my head around to gawk at Chris. I searched his face for answers but only found pity and guilt.
He killed Jake's father?
"How-" Piers placed a hand on my shoulder, cutting off my question. His eyes shifting over my head, watching the scene unfold before us.
Jake's eyes darted to argent Birkin, but the woman turned away in shame, making Jake cluck his tongue.
Chris looked at a loss for words. He fumbled over them, clearly trying not to provoke the younger man. "I know this isn't the...answer you want, but I won't blame you if you want to kill me."
Jake shot around, the fire burned through his eyes, and for a brief moment, I thought he was going to draw his gun. He clutched his fist to his side and yelled, "You don't know a god damn thing about me! So don't start going off thinking you do." He jabbed a finger in Chris' face, his shoulder rising and falling at a steady pace.
Piers stepped forward, but Chris waved him off. "No. This is between Jake and me." He turned back to Jake, his face softening. "Your father was a lot of things, Jake. Just know, I did what I thought was right-to protect the innocent people-"
"-I don't care about your reasons," Jake spat and sucked in a breath. His voice wavered ever so slightly. "Tell me, did you think he was a monster?"
Baffled, I stood to the side, my fingers brushing along my mouth as my eyes flickered from one face to the next, looking for some answers to the questions I had. Agent Birkin still had her eyes cast down. Piers' mouth snapped shut, and his eyes strained as they flickered from Jake to the captain.
Chris inclined his head, thinking hard about his response. It was another moment before he opened his mouth, his voice quieter than before. "You're not your father, Jake. He was a lot of things, but a good man wasn't one of them," his tongue swiped across his lips. "But you still have every right to hate me for what I did. Just promise me you'll get out of here and survive-the world needs you-"
"The hell are you to tell me what to do!" Jake snapped.
"Jake!" Sherry stepped in his way, but Jake pushed her aside to get into Chris' face.
Piers was done holding off. He snapped his gun up. "Step back!" He yelled, but Jake didn't respond. "I'm warning you!"
"Your blood can save millions-billions of lives, Jake," Chris said, unperturbed by the whole situation.
I yelped in surprise as Jake grabbed Chris by the front of his vest and rammed him into the wall behind him. Chris grunted but didn't make a move to shove Jake off. Piers reached forward, his finger over the trigger. In an instant, I jumped to him, grabbing his gun.
"Wait!" I cried, and Piers jerked his attention to me. "Give it a moment."
A storm raged through Piers' face, but he lowered his gun and fixed his eyes on the side of Jake's face.
Both the men stood nose to nose, the only sound being Jake's ragged breathing. I nibbled on my lip, praying my intuition was correct. Jake didn't want to kill him, but he was pretty pissed.
Lord, let me be right.
It was another few moments before Jake loosened his grip on Chris. His voice sounded out low and rough where I had to strain to hear him.
"There is more at stake here than you...and me. But I ain't done with you yet. When we get out of here, you got a lot of answers to give me." He shoved Chris away and made stepped away.
"I'll answer your questions once we get out of here, I promise," Chris said.
Jake paused in his steps and cocked his head over his shoulder. His eyes were still narrowed, but they weren't as dark as they were moments before. Without a word, he nodded his head.
I finally let myself breathe, feeling the tension roll off my muscles and the ringing in my ears clear up. I stumbled back when Piers tore his gun out of my grip and gave me a glare. I returned it with one of my own.
A loud groan filled the room, stemming from the giant cocoon above. New alarms rang out, and an automotive voice told us calmly that HAOS would be released. "All personnel prepare for the release of HAOS," the woman's voice reiterated. "Reducing containment."
All eyes shot up as the groan sounded again, and the massive cocoon shifted.
My heart stopped. "Is that thing breaking open?" I asked.
"What is it?" Sherry responded, worry lacing her voice.
"The end of the world," Piers responded.
"And...if it hatches?" She stepped away, her eyes widening as the cocoon shifted again.
"...We're in trouble. Unless we stop it," Chris cut in.
"We gotta get out of here and warn H.Q.," Piers said, looking around frantically, then paused over my shoulder. "There! Looks like a lift. We can take that to the top," Piers pointed to the platform a little ways from where we stood; a security railing stood between us with a small gate in the middle.
"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" Jake said and started towards it.
I kept one eye on the cocoon and made a dash for the lift.
Piers kept his distance from Jake. He eyed him down as the lift began to move, making sure to stand between him and the captain and one finger ready on the trigger.
I leaned towards him, making sure to drop my voice so no one else could hear. "Would it kill you to, you know, relax a bit? I'm worried I'll pull a muscle just looking at you."
Looking as if he tasted something sour, Piers mirrored me, leaning in and lowering his voice as well. "Would it kill you to take this seriously? He was just about to kill Chris."
"No, he wasn't."
He scoffed. "You're so quick to defend him."
"And you're so quick to judge him. Is it because of who he is or what he's done in the past?"
He paused. His eyes widened a fraction, and his mouth cracked open as if he were about to say something, but he immediately slammed it shut.
Before another word could be said, a loud crack sounded across the air. All our attentions were drawn up to the shaking cocoon. More cracks covered its body, and pieces began to crumble away.
A heavy feeling of dread sat in my stomach as the lift came to a stop. We were now at eye level with the top of the cocoon.
Like a crack of thunder, the cocoon burst open, and with it, a thin membrane of flesh. It exploded before our eyes, revealing the monster underneath. It flailed around with its long arms. Twisting and yanking its head free of the membrane, and turned its head our way.
I froze.
The translucent skin of the creature made its skeleton visible. Two eye sockets turned our way and in the center of them were two blue human eyes, and they locked onto us.
"The hell is that thing?!" I heard Jake scream.
The creature reeled its arm backwards and let out a screech like metal dragging across metal, and slammed its arm towards us.
"SPLIT!" Chris yelled and jumped to the side of the platform. I followed suit, but Jake and Sherry jumped in the opposite direction.
The hand slammed into the lift, breaking it apart and separating Jake and Sherry from us by a large gap.
I couldn't believe what I was staring at. I blinked up at the creature as it tried to free itself from the cocoon. It jerked to the side, disconnecting it from the claws holding it up and sent it crashing to the ground, where it caught itself along the wall.
"Chris!"
I flung my head to the side where Sherry and Jake still stood. Her eyes rounded as she spotted the creature climbing its way back up to the top.
"Get out of here!" Chris yelled. "Leave this to us."
"But-"
Jake grabbed her arm and dragged and began to drag her away through the large metal doors. "We got a job to finish!"
The creature's roar sent shivers down my spine. It clawed its way up, whipping its body back and forth and screeching so loud it made the floor beneath me tremble.
"Climb!" Chris yelled and shoved me towards the emergency ladder.
I grabbed the ladder robotically and started to move without a thought. The metal was cold rough under my hands as I jerked myself up. Chris and Piers' heavy breathing was right under me; they screamed for me to go faster.
Groaning from the monster had me scurrying, and just as I made it to the top, I chanced a glance over my shoulder. The monster arched away, reeling its large arm back. With another grunt, it swung it forward, slamming it down on the platform below and knocking it out with one hit.
"Jade! keep going!" Piers shoved my shoulder. His eyes narrowed, and he pushed me again when I didn't respond the first time. "Move!"
With shaky steps, I eased into a fast jog. Piers kept at my side, and Chris took the lead as we started down the catwalk.
The monster roared again and swung down its arm as it climbed up to our level, dragging its deformed lower half with it.
Blood pooled in my ears, and my legs wanted to give out. But Piers pressed me on. He grabbed my arm and ran ahead, towing me along with him. I yelped when the bang sounded right behind me. The creature's shadow loomed over us, and I could feel the wind from its hand every time it slammed it down.
"Keep going!" Chris shouted. "There's a set of emergency doors up ahead!"
My legs screamed out with every connection my feet had to the ground. The world was starting to grow fuzzy, and my lungs burned for air. The grip Piers had on my arm was hot and intense; I focused on it, trying my best to bite down the fatigue and feelings of quitting.
When Piers and I stepped foot into the metal lift, Chris hit the button, sending the massive metal doors down behind us. I tumbled into the wall, gasping for gulps of breath. The black spots in my vision started to subside, and I could feel my heart rate levelling back out.
Piers leaned against the wall beside me; his eyes snapped shut as he caught his breath. When he reopened them, I noticed his stare. He nodded. "That….That was..." he breathed.
"...Ada's main project," Chris said. He didn't even look like he broke a sweat from all of that. "This was her plan all along."
"The missiles were just a divergence?" Piers pulled off the wall to meet Chris' stare. His eyebrows knitted.
The doors to the lift groaned open. Before we could take one step out of the elevator, a loud banging followed by a screech stopped us. In the center of the room, a large hole to the observation area below sat. The monster crawled through it, dragging itself inside and honed in on us. It roared louder and started clawing its way over.
My gun snapped up, and I fired into its face, sending it into a frenzy as it stumbled over itself and crashed into the ground with a growl. We bolted from the elevator, circling the creature and firing off at its head and hands as we passed. It rolled over, slapping its lower half down and whipping its arm out, striking just behind me.
"Split up! Take this thing down!" Chris yelled and bolted in the other direction.
Piers split in the opposite direction, leaving me to fend off another hand swipe from the monster. I yelped as the claws from its hand whipped over my head, missing me by a fraction of an inch.
Gunshots rang out in the air. Flashes of light danced across the room, and Chris and Piers' voices filled my ears as they barked orders. Everything happened in a split second. Chris whipped a grenade at the creature's head, setting it off just as it hit its lower jaw. The explosion sent the creature tumbling back down the opening on the floor. Still, it caught itself at the last moment, tearing down the vast equipment dangling from the ceiling with it. It crashed to the floor with a bang, wires and other metal parts tumbled with it, whipping across the room and fracturing the glass panes above.
Bursts of dark water poured into the room, filling it up in little to no time. The icy water shocked my body. I tumbled backwards and forwards as the current took hold and dragged me under. I couldn't tell which way was up anymore. Shapes sprung out at me through the darkness, giving me a panic attack every time. When I finally stopped spinning, I found a beam of light and swam to it, feeling the burning in my lungs and eyes until I popped through the surface with a gasp. I latched onto the platform and pulled my upper body out of the water.
Chris sprang up soon afterwards, and Piers popped up beside me. He coughed and sputtered as he clawed his way up to the dry ground.
"Piers. Jade. You guys alright?" Chris asked and pulled himself up.
"Been better," Piers replied and turned to give me a hand. The tugging put pressure on my spine, but I was just happy to be out of the cold water.
"Thanks," I breathed and pulled myself back up on my feet.
He patted my back before pulling away. Only the remnants of his smile remained on his face as he found the exit door. "That's that then."
"Good riddance," I spat over my shoulder and followed him out the door.
Our boots clanged across the metal grating, muddling in with the alarms blaring overhead and our ragged breathing. We bolted around the corner of the tunnel but froze when a large shadow darted across the glass panes. It darted by again, closer this time, giving me a perfect view.
My heart dropped. "It's still alive?"
The creature swam around us, searching and tracking. It snapped its head down, meeting my slack face.
"RUN!" Piers shouted just as the creature bolted forward and slammed into the side of the tunnel, breaking through and sending in waves of water.
I kicked up to full speed, the adrenaline pumping through my body and giving me a new supply of energy.
The creature ripped through the tunnel, breaking glass and cracking the support beams. Every strike hit closer and closer. Water sprayed across my face, cooling me down as we dove under the emergency water lock doors. I thought we made it, but the creature was breaking through the heavy metal doors like cardboard. It slammed through them, gaining distance until it was nearly on top of us.
"Faster!" Chris shouted over the roars and smashing sounds.
The emergency door was closing. If we didn't make it in time, we'd be screwed! My heart pounded in my throat. I pushed onward, praying for the doors to hold off for a moment longer.
A flash of pain shocked my body as I dove under the door and rolled to the other side. It spasmed and twisted like a hot iron spear right through my spine. I wobbled to my feet, but the pain was crippling. I slammed my face back to the ground with a cry, but the creature drowned out it.
A groaning sounded out behind me. Tenderly, I turned my attention over my shoulder. Goosebumps rushed across my skin.
The creature's hand gripped the bottom of the airlock door and pried it open. Slowly, its skeletal face appeared, white as a ghost, on the other side. Its eyes lit with fury as it spotted the three of us and let out its grating screech, and shoved the door higher so it could fit through.
I tried to move out of the way, but I wasn't fast enough. I watched helplessly as the creature slammed its hand down on me. A loud pop and crack ripped through my body as it gripped me like a boa constrictor. Its crushing strength burned my chest, and every breath was a battle to gain.
Tears blurred my vision, and all my screams were lodged in my throat. It gripped me tighter, sending out a popping sound in my chest and sharp pain. I managed a grunt, sending flecks of blood across my lower lip and down my chin. My heart throbbed against my breast bone. I tried to take a breath, but sharp needle pain crackled through my chest.
"You son of a BITCH!" Piers yelled, followed by a barrage of bullets that struck the creature's face, sending it into a flurry of violent roars.
It whipped around, sending my world spinning and causing the pain in my chest to convulse. It zeroed in on Piers and reached out with its other hand, causing the door to crush it and sever its lower body. It cried out, flinging me from its grip.
My body crumpled in on itself the moment it connected to the ground. The force sent me skidding across the floor, burning my side and sending a sharp jab through my left side. Tears stained my face as I tried to suck in a shallow breath, but every movement was like being stabbed in the side. I gasped and clawed at my throat to relieve the strain, but the panic only made it worse.
"JADE-"
A startled yelp snapped out of Piers. I forced my eyes open and tried to call out to him, but the only sound that came out was a strangled gurgle.
"PIERS!" Chris yelled, followed by a string of gunfire.
I heard a sickening crash. Piers' scream sounded primal; it twisted my insides and sent a chill racing through my bones. I tried to shift, but it was no use. My vision tilted, and my toes and fingers began to tingle and grow colder by the second.
"P-P...ers…" I croaked, spewing more blood across my lips.
"OVER HERE, YOU BASTARD!" Chris yelled, firing more bullets to try and distract the creature.
I could hear it screaming and banging around, growing further away.
Piers' moans and grunts quickened my heart rate, making my breathing laboured. It stung like nothing I've ever witnessed before. I wanted it to stop, but the pain only grew with every pained breath I managed.
I got my hands under me and pushed. My arms shook and fumbled until I succeeded in pulling myself half up. Lifting my eyes, I spotted Piers only a few meters away. I dragged my attention off his face twisted in pain and down to his blood-soaked arm that lay limp at his side.
He was crawling towards me, his eyes fixated on something in front-
-My eyes flashed to the red serum from the enhanced C-Virus. It sloshed around inside the tube between us.
NO!
I tried to call out, but only a gurgle escaped. I watched helplessly as he dragged himself towards it, determination and desperation carved into his face. I couldn't lay here and let him do it. I had to stop him!
Using every ounce of energy I had, I began to drag myself towards the vial. Using every ounce of energy I had, I raised myself on shaky hands and began to crawl my way towards the vial. Every movement was torture. Pain clawed, twisted and seared my chest. I wanted to vomit, and my head spun. I shook it all off and bit my lower lip, ramming my teeth into the tender flesh until I tasted blood and pushed forward.
Piers caught on to my plan and shook his head. "J...Jade. Stop."
I crawled on-luckily, the vial was closer to me and reached it first, but Piers was faster. He reached out just as I smacked it away. "Damn it!" He yelled, watching the red vial skid across the floor and out of reach, but his anger morphed into fear. "Shit!"
Before I could react, Piers grabbed hold of me and rolled us to the side just as the monster's hand collided with the ground. The floor crunched under its weight, vibrating its way through my bones and making my teeth clunk together.
The force of Piers jerking me away made a wet, slothing sensation rip through my chest. I cried out. Piers tensed. Just as he opened his mouth, an explosion ripped through the room. It loosened parts of the support beams on the ceiling, striking the creature in the head and pinning it to the floor. The rush of cold water drenched the front of my body; some lapped in my mouth, causing saltwater to get in my nose and made me cough. The choked, wet coughs wracked my chest, and blood painted the water red.
My breathing picked up, and the world began to spin. I couldn't lift my head out of the water. My arms spasmed at my side, but I didn't have enough energy to lift myself up. Piers shook me, his eyes glued to the blotches of blood. "Jade? Jade?" As soon as he noticed the problem, he pulled me up.
My mouth fell open like a gasping fish, and I didn't care about the pain it brought on. I inhaled a deep breath and cleared my throat of the water.
"We need to get out of here! Can she stand?" Chris' voice teetered on panic.
"I-I don't...know!" Piers grunted as he tried to stand up but fell back to his knees, sending a splash of water over me.
"Piers-"
"-No," his voice came out in pained gasps. "I...can't li-ift my gun. I'll grab Jade. Clear a path."
"No," Chris grabbed his shoulder, giving it a little shake. "You only have one good arm-"
A groan from the creature stirred in the room.
"No time. We need to leave."
Ringing in my ears drowned out their voices. It was harder to get a full breath of air; every movement I made constricted my chest and paralyzed my back. Through clenched teeth, I sputtered, "G-go…."
Piers swore under his breath, looped a hand under my arm, and hauled me to his height. "No one gets left behind," he panted and placed my arm over his shoulders.
A warmth carved its way through me.
"Now, on your feet."
As he yanked me up, I fell into his chest, feeling lightheaded from the movement and wanted to fall back down. Piers grabbed me and steadied me on my feet, leaning me on his side so I wouldn't tumble over. He dragged me along with him through the room, wadding us through the thigh-high water and over to a door. Chris held it open. I know he was holding back, but some of his concern still bled from his eyes as he looked me over.
Sweat poured down my face and covered my eyes. My breathing was like a panting dog, and every other breath was a gurgled cough, sending up more blood and painting the front of my uniform a bright red. I wanted to lay down and sleep, but Piers kept jerking me along with him.
I stumbled for the umpteenth time, but Piers caught me. "Hurry. We're almost there." He's been saying that for so long that I'm not even sure he knows where we are.
My head fell to his shoulder, too weak to hold it up anymore, and I let my eyes close. Flashes of my life passed across my eyes like an old movie. Sara's bright smile was so warm and contagious. It was like I could reach out and just touch her face and feel the warmth radiating off her. She waved me over where her two brothers stood holding a small toy ball. I wanted to go to them-
-A flash of cold wiped the scene away, and snow filled my vision. A chill ran down my spine as Finn's face filled the darkness. His young smile was energetic but shy. Andy appeared beside him, teasing the younger man until they both laughed. It was all perfect….
Piers tripped, taking me down with him. Before the metal grating slammed into me, he shielded the fall, taking most of the damage and cried out as his bad arm got crushed. But I couldn't move anymore. I watched the beads of sweat drip down his contoured face. When he opened his eyes, it was the first time I ever saw fear-genuine fear-coming from him. They burned into me with heat as powerful and hot as the deserts I've walked through. He looked me over wordlessly with his pinched expression and slacked mouth. His fingers curled around my side, but I could hardly feel it anymore.
Gunshots rattle the air. Chris' muffled voice sounded out, and a vibration went through my body. Before I could blink, Chris' head popped into view, blood and grime dusting his face as he took in the sight of Piers and me. He said something to Piers, but I couldn't hear any longer, but Piers looked distraught.
He shook his head, accepting the hand Chris offered him and dragged himself to his feet. In a single movement, he swooped down and yanked me up. But I couldn't feel my legs anymore. I fell into Piers' chest, feeling him grunt as my weight leaned on him. With his one good arm, he wrapped it around my waist and dragged me along.
The creature broke through the room and was dragging itself towards us. The whites of its eyes glowed as it clawed along. Other J'avo formed around, but Chris held them off.
Piers tripped two more times, catching himself each time, but it took a toll on him every time. His heart hammered against my back, and his laboured breathing puffed out over my head. He wasn't doing good.
A flash of light exploded under the creature, sending a hot wave of air across my body. I gawked as the path crumbled under it, sending it crashing down the shaft below.
More distant voices filled the air. Their shrill sounds sounding so close. Piers stiffened as a shadow cast over him, and a pair of arms picked me out of his grasp and settled me against a warm chest.
My head fell back, giving me a view of the person that grabbed me. Confusion muddled my brain as Jake's face came into view.
His eyes twitched as he shouted at Piers and Chris, but I couldn't make out what he was entirely saying. "...Meltdown...pods!"
It lit Chris' face up. With a nod, he lowered down and eased Piers up and tossed his arm across his shoulders. The release of pain on Pier's face was noticeable from where I laid as he leaned into the captain's side.
A flash of blond hair bobbed alongside Jake and me, and I caught just a fleeting glimpse of Sherry shooting down more B.O.W.s as she led the way.
We ran through the tunnels, fending off B.O.W.s and at last reached a clear area with a bunch of devices with hatches.
It was getting harder to keep my eyes open. They fluttered and fell, making it more difficult every time I had to reopen them. The edges of blackness took up a good portion of my sight, leaving everything blurry. The tingling in my body subsided, leaving it cold and weak, and all I wanted to do was sleep.
A bright light beamed across my face, and the pain was gone entirely.