Sorry for the delay guys! Vacation and writer's block happened in the last few weeks, but I got something out! Just hope you guys enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything except for this plot and Dakota Jaeger…and my own take of Simon Belmont.
Chapter Four: Grim Encounter
The growls grew louder. Chills rushed down Dakota's spine. They were coming fast, and with an injured member, they were were now going to be tough to fight. She pressed her hand against Looker's wound as she listened harder. There were sounds of rustling feet, and they were heading in their direction. She felt her heart hammered against her chest, while her breath quickened. It WAS them...somehow, the virus had gotten stronger, or the strain that evolved them had been strengthened. She did not know; right now, she did not care to know. Fear was the main thing she felt, and now she needed to get Looker and the others out as fast as possible.
With a gulp, she whispered, "Simon, I need you to get Looker to Hotaru. Her healing may slow the process until we give him a vaccine."
"...Kota-" However, when he noticed the look she sent his way, Simon's face became serious. "...If you're sure. I'll get them out, but I am coming back, you hear me?"
"Crystal."
Suddenly, the growls and harsh moans became louder. One of the officers jumped back in fear, screaming. When Dakota turned toward the other door, a bloodied zombie, with long sharp claws, lunged forward. Its speed was greater than a normal zombie, and its swipe was stronger, with more power behind it. Immediately, she grabbed its wrists, managing to remain on her feet. It wanted her flesh, to feast upon it, and it tried to reach toward her neck. Swiftly, she kicked its knee to take it out before she raised her hand back. Her own long, sharp claws formed from her fingers, and she stabbed it in the head. It fell down, a pool of blood now underneath it. However, another had came in behind it, but she dunk in time for Simon to fire a bullet through its skull. Still, there were more.
Dakota cursed before she looked at Simon, shouting, "Go now!"
Gun still in hand, he nodded as he looked at the officers. "Keep your hand on his wound!" He ordered. "Follow me closely!"
They nodded, still shaking, before they did as they were told. Once they were leaving out, Dakota sighed softly and rushed out the door. She had to make sure there were no more zombies in the station. A dreadful feeling swelled inside her, if she did not look through the whole area. Images of a burning city, filled with the song of the dead, came to mind. Her body shook as they became vivid, and she could almost imagine Cianwood City in the same condition. She shook her head in attempt to get the images out. No...she could not focus on that now. She was NOT going to allow it to happen. Her steps became quicker while she pulled out an arrow. When she noticed another bloodied zombie, she stopped and fired an arrow at its head. Immediately, it dropped dead, but three more took its place.
Dakota took a step back as her eyes widened, but she steeled her nerves and pulled out another arrow. She took out one before she turned to fire another arrow. This time, she hit it in the neck, and blood drizzled from the wound as it stumbled forward. Releasing the breath she held, she turned her attention to the last zombie. It had already gotten closer to her, and she had to dunk from its lunge. She pulled out one of her tomahawk axes, and she slashed it at the kneecap. With her strength, she managed to take off the leg, and she had to move away before it fell on top of her.
When it landed on the ground, she took her axe and swiftly beheaded it. She began to take deep breaths, her gaze upon the body. She soon looked at the others, gulping slowly. She hoped there were no more of these things...and she felt lucky they were not in a group. If they were, despite her own Lycan strength, she knew they would cause damage. She recalled the same thing before, when she first met them. The name came to mind so clearly, as if she always fought them. Yet, this was the first time she had seen them in years, when she remembered when this all started. The inhumane growls rang vividly in her ears, as they once chased after her in a stronger urge for her flesh. The blood that covered their bodies, making them completely red. Their rotted flesh making their own bodies appeared even more corrupted. More dead. Their milky eyes seemed even whiter amongst the crimson red. Her body shuddered again as she shut her eyes. She could still see their faces...their names…
Crimson Heads.
That was they called them, in their own reports of the experiments. She felt sickened that they would even call these experiments a work for science, to make stronger and more capable people. She also had to laugh at the irony of the destruction they caused...how their own work failed so spectacularly in a sense. A sickened feeling twisted in her stomach once more, before she released a sharp breath. Finally, she managed to push herself to her feet. She picked up her axe, wiped off the blood, and then continued down the hallway. The lights continued to flicker overhead. That did not help the eerie feeling, the sickened feeling in the pit of her stomach. For a moment, she thought she saw found herself in a familiar hallway. The rugs damped and worn, covered in dry blood. There were even some splattered on the walls. The lights flickered slightly then too, while lightning flashed outside and thunder cracked.
Quickly, she shook her head. "Snap out of it, Kota…" She whispered quietly. With a quick shake of her head, she managed to see reality, the true hallway. There were more doors, more opportunities of other zombies. She sniffed the air and kept a lookout for any signs. She could still smell the blood around her, and she heard more moans around her. There could not have been many more, but she wondered how many Pokemon had been infected. She pulled out another arrow and calmly glanced in one room. It was an interrogation room, yet it was empty, causing relief. She sighed softly and looked down the hallway once more. She recalled Lance saying most of the police officers got out...perhaps she did not have to deal with much more?
One could only hope. Dakota licked her lips gently and continued. Suddenly, she heard a growl, but it was neither human or even a zombie. Not a humanoid one anyway. She could not recognize the sounds, but she knew what it was. It was a Pokemon. Her grip on her bow and arrow tightened before she readied it for an attack. She had to be prepared, she needed to be alert. She looked behind for a moment to make sure nothing snuck toward her. Then, there was another growl. She gulped quietly. Whatever it was, it was coming closer, and it was moving quick. She stopped in her tracks and readied her arrow, her gaze focused upon where she knew it would appear.
...At least, she figured on one. She did not figure on four Growlithes to run toward her. They seemed bigger than the last one she fought. Their furs were matted with blood, having already feasted upon a body elsewhere. The middle one did seem to be the largest in size, and its skull was seen easily, all the way down the side of its face. It allowed her to see its teeth bared with ease, as it growled at her with a dead tone to it. Fur appeared to be either scorched or torn from its body, while its tail was completely missing. Another one, who was on the left, stood with a limp. No doubt, something tried to fight it and broke its leg, with a piece of the bone protruding out of the skin. The fur on its tail was now gone, and all she could see was bloodied flesh.
Her eyes widened slightly in shock before she fired the shot, managing to hit one in the eye. However, one of the rushed toward her in attempt to crunch down on her neck. Her weapons dropped to the ground as she stumbled backwards, grabbing the Growlithe to keep it from her. She was surprised by its strength, and the sudden movement nearly knocked her down. Focusing on her own strength, Dakota managed to push it off, but she only had a moment to react to the flames that rushed toward her. She dunk down, pulling out her axes. When one of the Growlithes ran toward her, she swiftly rolled away and swung down, only it managed to move away. Before she could move her arm back, it managed to bite down on her arm, and she felt the intense heat of flames against her flesh.
Dakota felt it...the intense pain from the bite, the fire, and the virus that now entered her bloodstream. Already, her body worked to repair itself, fighting back against the virus itself. She gritted her teeth, growling out in pain, but she did not try to cry out. If she did, and the others managed to hear, she knew they would run in. She could not allow that. She used this opportunity to take off the Growlithe's head before she tossed it on the ground. Skin, piece of her jacket, and flesh tore away from her. Blood spurted on the ground, and she gripped it tightly, causing her blood to mix with Looker's from earlier. Swiftly, she pushed herself to her feet and grabbed her bow, while the rest growled at her. She needed to gain some distance, so she turned around and began to run down the hallway.
She heard them run after her, barking and growling. When she glanced behind her, she noticed a burst of flames rushing toward her. She cursed under her breath; however, before she could dunk, she felt the flames hit her. It launched her forward, adding more burns on her previous ones, as she landed and slid on the ground. This time, she could not hold back the cry that managed to escape her lips. The burning sensation on her back was intense, like the fire was held tightly against it. She managed to remove her jacket and quiver, and she turned down a corner. She stopped for a moment, and her gaze fell upon her arm. It was slowly patching itself up, and she felt a weird, itchy feeling as the skin slowly reattached. Blood still poured from it, so she had to keep a hand on the wound. Pain still shot through her body, and her arm felt on fire around the wound due to the virus. She knew her body was still fighting it; it was one of the perks she saw with her healing factor. It helped her fight the viral attacks, but she knew it would not work if they managed to get her again.
Dakota sighed sharply and pulled her jacket toward her, where she tore off a long piece at the end to wrap around her arm swiftly. Her teeth gritted together from the pain, but she tried not to focus on it. Once she tightened it, she stood up and turned with her axes. She needed to finish them off and fast. Calmly, she breathed. She focused on her energy—her aura—and channeled it through her body. A silvery blue wisp surrounded her as she felt it come to life within her. Calmly, she focused on her axes, where the energy transferred to. Her body felt lighter, more alive than before as the energy flowed through her veins. She twirled one axe in her hand and, when one of the Growlithe came into view, she swung it down to slash its neck. There was a deep gash on his neck, but he turned to release a burst of flames at her. This time, she managed to dunk down and lunge forward. With her weapon, she stabbed it in the head, causing it to give a quick yelp and fall down, dead. She pulled it out and turned around, where the rest were coming in.
Her eyes narrowed, focused now. A growl rumbled from her throat as she felt her mind roam. Something else came alive...something to tell her to fight, to kill. She knew what it was: her predatory mind. She released a small sigh before she ran forward. More flames came her way, but she pressed herself against the wall to dodge them. Then, the largest of the remaining growled dangerously, before it launched another flame burst; this time, it was in the shape of a kanji symbol. Dakota could not dodge it in time, but she managed to focus on her aura to form a sort of body shield. When the attack smashed into her and sent her flying back, she felt no pain, no burns. She managed to keep her feet against the ground, and she dug her axe downward to slow down. She looked up with another growl, but then she noticed something to the side...a vending machine.
Suddenly, an idea formed into her mind before she glanced back. There were three Growlithes left, including the largest one, she thought. She did not have her bow and arrows on her for long range attacks, which would have been her ideal choice of fighting in the moment. However, she knew she needed to slow them down...distract them enough for her to finish them off. All three pairs of eyes watched her, growling once more. She could tell they were getting ready for another flame attack. Without wasting any time, Dakota quickly threw her axes toward them before she dashed toward the vending machine. One of the axes managed to land against one of their faces, but the other blast the other axe away while the largest ran forward. Dakota paid no mind, and she easily brought the machine to the ground before she pushed it forward.
For a human, pushing such a thing would have been difficult. For her, it was like she was pushing a semi empty box. She used her feet to propel herself forward, and she managed to slam the vending machine against one of the Growlithes, smashing it against the wall. She had it pinned down as it struggled to break free, so she used her claws to stab it in the head with a powerful strike. Blood dripped down as it slumped down with a thud. She could not relax, however, as she noticed the largest was not caught. Quickly, she turned around, and she just managed to grab it in time when it made a lunge to bite her. Her legs hit the machine, causing her to fall back and land on the other Growlithe. Her back screamed in pain from the burns, even as she felt the burnt patches repair itself, and she gritted her teeth. She kept it back with one hand on its throat, as it snapped at her. Its claws wildly scratched her skin, where fresh blood began to seep through.
Dakota managed twisted her body around and threw it to the ground. As she pushed herself onto her feet, she summoned her claws and focused her aura through them. The Growlithe stood up and growled, its mouth opened with flames conjuring inside it, ready to fire. She was ready for it. Suddenly, she noticed something different. A heat radiated from the breaths it exhaled, intense as the flames it unleashed. When it unleashed a burst of hot breath, remisenting a heatwave, it was all she could do to dodge it. She jumped on top of the vending machine before she grabbed the light fixture above her to escape another burst of flames. With an intense growl, she pulled it down before she went to smash it against the Growlith.
It yapped out and landed on the ground, so she took this opportunity to lunge forward and stabbed it in the head with her claws. Just as she did, she did not see its mouth open again and hit her with another flame burst. It fell down dead...she cried out as it hit her upper chest and neck. There were now more intense burns on her body, and she rolled on the ground while she patted her chest to douse the flames. "Damn!" She cursed. Quickly, she pushed herself up and leaned against the wall, gasping for breath through the pain.
Part of her had to laugh at the irony of all this. She prepared for an intense mission on the island with undead, but she was now facing an intense encounter before even getting there. For a moment, she closed her eyes. There was nothing around her, so she took the moment to breathe, to allow her wounds to heal some. The skin stitched itself back together; she could feel it. She felt it reattach together while she felt more itching sensation. It came with the healing process. Every time she gained a wound, her healing factor would kick in. It always took time, and the wound could only be so deep before it had a hard time to heal. Slowly, her gaze fell upon her arm, before she slowly removed the bandage. She could see where it was halfway closed now. Her skin did not looked to be inflamed as it was before.
Relief washed over her. The virus was being killed out of her system. She knew it needed more time before she was completely cleansed, which meant she had to be careful for the next coming minutes. Thirty, if she counted it right? The wound itself would be healed before then. With a sigh, she leaned her head back. "I'm sorry…" She whispered. She had no clue why she was apologizing, or to who. The people who died, as well as the Pokemon? It made the only logical sense. What for? Sometimes, not even she knew why she said those words, when she knew she did nothing wrong to them. Still, she wanted to...someone needed to.
"Hey Kota!"
Dakota looked up quickly, as she heard footsteps heading her way. Simon's scent hit her nostrils, and she remembered what he said. He was coming back in. Slowly, she smiled softly and chuckled. She felt relief once more. "...Over here!" She called out, but she winced in pain from her wounds. "I'm over here!" Her teeth gritted together, she pushed herself up, making her way toward her jacket and quiver. Luckily, her quiver was still intact, albeit with burn holes on the side.
Finally, Simon appeared out of the corner, spotting her and sighing quietly. "There you are…" He said, before he looked down at the corpses. "...I saw your other handiwork...this is yours too?" He asked, though he knew better than to ask.
"...You could say that." She said, before she looked around the area. "Looker is with Hotaru now?"
He nodded as he replied, "Yeah...she's healing him now...poor guy doesn't know what to think of that." His lips curled upward slightly, but it instantly went away as he noticed her wounds. "Hey…" He stepped forward, looking her over. "...You okay?"
Her eyes fell upon her body, looking at it carefully. "...Hurts like hell…" She admitted it, while she smiled gently. "Its healing. One of them did get lucky with a bite, but…"
His eyes narrowed slightly when he heard that, but he sighed as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You sure…?" He asked.
"...Simon...I'll be okay." Dakota could see the concern in his eyes, about her wellbeing. She knew if the roles were reversed, she would have been concerned herself. All she could do was pat his arm as reassurance. They have known each for long enough, words did not always needed to be said. With her longtime friends, it always reached that point, where words no longer needed to be said. Suddenly, she winced again from the pain, but she ignored it. "...Come on...let's get going."
His eyes looked her over once more, but he nodded and let her go. "How many more?" He asked, looking around again.
"Shouldn't be much more. We just need to hurry and finish it." She then put her jacket and quiver back on, before she went to pick up her axes.
Once they finished, made sure everyone was okay, they needed to leave. That was their main goal...to get to the island and finished this, before it spread. The one question she had to wonder was...who brought the virus here? Who came from the world she lived on for so long to bring the virus here?
Part of her had to ponder that question...another...almost knew who it was. She just hoped she was wrong.
Well, there we go. Honestly, I did not want to stick to the police station too long…used as a way to show what they are going to face. Believe me…answers and more intense fights are coming your way! Read and Review!