Rating: M
Warnings: Violence, Language, Drug/Alcohol References/Abuse, Mild/Explicit Sexual Content
Disclaimer: All properties related to the Resident Evil/Biohazard series belong to Capcom. Any other products are the intellectual property of their respective owners.
A/N: Important update! The lovely and lively xXxRena-MariexXx will be helping me rework this story to get it to as close to perfect as we can manage. This means that I now officially have both a beta reader and an advisor; yay! This also means that we'll be going back to earlier chapters and giving them one final revision to make sure that everything's up to snuff. This won't be major in the first two, for those of you who've been with me since the beginning, but there will be a big change to both this chapter and Chapter 3. You'll notice that the first half of this chapter was pulled directly from the previous. We both decided that chapter was way too long and dragged on after a point. New stuff also happens at the police station because we felt it was a little too slow. Revisions like this won't be common, so bear with us. Sorry if you hate rereading the same bits twice, but we want this story to be the highest quality possible.
Special thank you to everybody who has reviewed, followed, or favorited thus far. Also, big girl hooray for those who've voted in the poll. Stay awesome! You guys actually picked an option that I originally put in as a joke, that I thought nobody would pick. So now I have to find a way to work in a realistic love triangle. That'll keep things fun! Special acknowledgements in the A/N at the end. Alrighty, let's get on with it!
:.:
Rae had once spent a night in jail; she hadn't been a prisoner, but the cop kids had a lock-in sleepover at the station. It'd been fun, though she'd been very small at the time and the details were a bit fuzzy. They'd gotten to see how the cells worked, how the office functioned, how the K-9 units worked with the officers. It'd been such a good night for her, seeing her father's work truly for the first time. Of course, the Huntsville office was nothing compared to Raccoon City's. Where her hometown boasted two cells, the place she found herself in was a true prison.
Rae's cell was a little roomier than she'd anticipated, since it was obviously made to house two people. Since she had arrived first, she'd had gotten what Jensen jokingly called the 'Deluxe Suite', which was the farthest at the end of the hall. There had only been two prisoners in the jail during the start of all this: a kleptomaniac named Justin Hanson who'd died of a heart attack during the previous night, and a loud-mouthed journalist named Ben. Rae realized why the officer above had cautioned Jensen about letting Ben get under his skin; he was the most annoying person on the planet. For the first twenty minutes of their quarantine, he griped and groaned and hollered about 'miscarriages of justice' and 'getting his dues'.
She and Jensen talked to distract themselves, both from the annoying man across the way, and from the oppressive darkness of the cells. The lights weren't working in any of the cells. Jensen said that it was because a fuse had blown, but Rae was thoroughly convinced it was an act of Satan to make this creepy place even creepier. Jensen had donned a big, stereotypical key ring that allowed him to unlock the cell doors by hand. It was much more tedious than pressing a button in the control room, apparently.
They talked for what seemed like an hour. She'd grown comfortable with the young man, and he'd seemed to take a liking to her. He'd even pulled a chair up beside her cell so they could discuss. They talked about inane things: books, movies, favorite colors, animals. Well, Jensen did most of the talking. Rae enjoyed listening to his enthusiasm, which seemed to be contagious. She wished she had that much energy. The events of the day had taken everything out of her.
Rae was happy that she'd been allowed to bring her bag with her. She had been bundled comfortably under her mother's throw whenever the others began filing in through the cells, led by a few officers she hadn't seen before. Some of the bitten were crying, while others were protesting their treatment as unconstitutional. Rae silently wondered where in the hell in the constitution there was a clause about treatment of infected persons during a zombie apocalypse. It was stupid and selfish to stay amongst the healthy populace. She listened as they got everybody put in their cells. It was drawn out, mostly because each cell needed to be unlocked manually and some of the bitten needed coaxing.
Rae recognized Jessica, the woman from the Main Hall. So the bandage on her leg had been hiding a bite mark? Rae closed her eyes and sighed. She hoped the baby was somewhere safe. Jessica had to share a cell with an older man, but Rae had thankfully been left without a roommate. After each of the cells was secure, the other officers said their goodbyes to Jensen. It looked like they were putting him on guard duty again. Poor guy couldn't seem to catch a break. He was stuck in the coldest part of the station with a bunch of time bombs.
"Sorry that it's not lavish or anything." The handsome officer sat down in his chair. The young woman looked at him in confusion. "The cell, I mean. It's pretty sparse."
"Eh. It's not a big deal or anything. So, how long until we're back on the streets, Officer?"
"A while", he answered, surprisingly stiff. Well, that didn't bode well. It was likely they were just waiting for everybody to change. Even those who hadn't displayed symptoms could be infected. It was more than likely that none of them would be let out of their cells. Rae would most likely be the only survivor out of this batch. She thought of Jessica in the cell next to her and gritted her teeth. After everybody had changed, she could probably talk her way out of the cell. It would just be a waiting game.
An awkward silence passed. Rae buried her face in the red fabric of her blanket and stared at the cell wall opposite her. Out of the corner of her eye, Jensen had taken off his hat and was running a hand through his messy golden hair. He probably hadn't been a cop for very long, given his age. Hadn't he said earlier that he was close to her in years?
"I'm pretty new to all of this," Jensen muttered, unprompted. Rae blushed. Was the guy reading her mind? "I just became a cop last April, so I'm still a rookie to most of these old timers. Truth be told, this is not how I imagined life going." He placed his head in his hands and sighed.
"If you predicted that the dead would somehow reanimate, I'd ask you for the winning lottery numbers. I don't think anybody saw this coming. It's too…" Rae gestured above her. She couldn't quite think of the word.
"Absolutely fucking stupidly ridiculous to an almost unreasonable level?"
"Not quite as articulate as I was going for. But, yeah." Rae giggled a little and he returned her smile. He had a nice smile. It was like sunshine.
The others in the background were still calling out, asking for help, griping about their situation. Rae watched the young officer's shoulders hunch a little more with each cry. He was waiting for them all to die. There was a sort of helplessness that was almost tangible in his weary sigh. He'd resigned himself to the fact that there was nothing for him to do. Rae rested her head against the wall behind her. It reminded her of how she'd felt when Miss Vasquez had turned, how she'd been after falling for the fence. She was suddenly back in the alleyway, leaning up against the dirty brick wall of the old pawnshop and watching her feral neighbor try to grab at her. Completely useless.
"Don't let this get to you. There's nothing you can do about it. If you dwell on it you'll make yourself sick."
Jensen's baby blue eyes snapped up to meet hers. "I'm supposed to help people. That's why I joined. I can't just sit back and wait for everybody to die!"
"Think of the people upstairs, of the children. If the infected were to turn loose up there, nobody would survive." Rae surprised herself by reaching through the cell bars and gripping his hand tightly. "This is for the best."
He gripped her hand like a lifeline. "It all just feels so wrong."
"Well, if this whole thing felt right, I'd worry about your mental health."
Officer Jensen gave a low chuckle. "I'm starting to worry about your mental health. You're a little too calm."
Rae shrugged as well as she could with one functional shoulder. "Horror movie buff. There's nothing this apocalypse couldn't throw at me that I haven't already seen." She sounded a lot braver than she felt. Truth be told, she was too overwhelmed to break down. So stressed, she was zen.
He ran his thumb over the back of her hand and she realized awkwardly that he was still touching her. But she didn't pull away. His hands were rough. With his polished movie star looks she honestly would've expected his hands to be cocoa butter smooth. It was obvious that he handled paperwork regularly, since his fingers were littered with tiny scars from nicks and scratches. He had a bandage wrapped around the tip of his pinky, even. Desk jockey. She snorted in good humor. Her father had hated doing paperwork on the force and always tried to foist it on the new people.
"What are you giggling at over there? Conspiring?"
"Always", Rae answered easily. Her earlier nervousness was gone. "I was laughing at my father. He's a cop, too. Twenty years. He always gives his paperwork to the new recruits."
Jensen looked scandalized. "Ugh. I better not have been doing his paperwork for the past year." Then the young man seemed to grow a bit more serious. "He's not stationed here in the city, is he?"
"Nope. Huntsville. That was my hometown before I became a city gal."
"That's a relief." Rae agreed. She wouldn't know what she'd have done if her father was somewhere by himself in this Hellscape. She'd probably not even have to do anything. He'd move mountains and swim oceans and kill every zombie in his path without breaking a sweat. But what about Officer Jensen's family? Surely they had been in the thick of it? She didn't want to pry into his personal life, so she quickly though up another topic.
"So, how is it being the rookie in a big city? You seem to have already earned some battle scars." She looked at his hands pointedly.
"Mostly coffee runs, paperwork, and pranks. I have a coffee burn in the shape of Wisconsin over my right nipple." He waggled his eyebrows. "Maybe after all this is over with, I'll show it to you."
"Buy me a drink first and I'll consider inspecting your nipple burn." Rae laughed loudly for the first time since the apocalypse had started. Wow. That felt nice.
"It's a date."
"Alrighty, but you're paying."
Rae could see Ben pacing in his cell across the way, scribbling something on a piece of paper. She wondered what he was in there for. Journalist tended to be nosey and poke into others' business. He'd probably prodded a little too much where he wasn't welcomed, and had been put in the cell as a warning to cool his head. The others in the cells were still making an awful racket, though that was beginning to die down a bit. Rae could hear Jessica quietly talking to the man in her cell. She heard a small giggle. Good. At least the woman was staying distracted.
"The people here are like my family." Officer Jensen had a faraway look in his eyes. "I was raised in the orphanage down the road. Chief Irons is the director there, you know? So I've wanted to be a cop since meeting him. He's like our stern dad, always looking out for us. The others are like my rowdy brothers and sisters. We get along, we fight, we support each other." He smiled softly. "I was supposed to get a new little brother this morning, actually."
"New brother?"
"Yeah. A rookie, fresh out of the Academy. Got his party set up in the West Office and everything. We called him and gave him an order to stay put—oughta keep the newbie away from the worst of it, you know?" Jensen shrugged. "I haven't met him yet, but I hear he's a 'golden boy', perfect scores, perfect everything. Marvin—Lieutenant Branagh—was looking forward to getting him."
Rae hugged her knees close. It sounded like Jensen had mixed feelings about the new guy. At the very least, he was apprehensive. Was he worried that the new 'golden boy' would outshine him? Rae could see the self-doubt lining her new friend's face. She didn't want to pry, though. It wasn't her place to put his insecurities on display. So, she changed the subject.
"If you could wish for anything, what would it be?" It was a silly question, like something out of a Cosmo quiz. She'd wish for the apocalypse to be over, or maybe for her mother back. It was an easy answer for her. Jensen's answer came to him immediately.
"I want to keep everybody safe. I want everybody to be happy, no matter what."
Making everybody happy, no matter what. She liked that thought. The person sitting beside her cell was one of those rare genuinely good people. Rae understood why he'd smiled so much during her initial checkup. It'd really been to cheer her up. And she'd thought he was flirting. She suddenly felt like a complete idiot. How was she supposed to know the difference? It's not like guys usually flirted with her or anything. She sighed. After this blew over she was going to start dating, maybe make some more friends. At least she could make an effort to be a sociable human being.
"You?"
"Well, I was going to wish for something selfish. Now I feel a little silly in comparison."
Jensen rolled his eyes. "It can't be that bad. Tell me."
He was so bossy. "Fine. I wanted cool laser eyes. Happy?"
"I absolutely don't believe you."
The two laughed for a moment. It was a nice feeling, laughing and forgetting all of the terrible things that'd happened over the last few hours. Sure, it was a momentary distraction, but a welcome one nonetheless. Ben in the corner looked up at their noisy conversation and huffed. He was busy going through some sort of tape recording, and had been hunched over it for some time now. She wondered if he was even allowed to have it.
The silence was deafening, so she filled it. "I worked at the orphanage. It's a good place." She caught the surprise on Jensen's face. "I was part of this program at SSU called Excellence in Everything. I know, fancy title. Anyway, the program requires me to have at least a part time job. So I got a job there. Dad's old friend was groundskeeper, so I already had a foot in the door."
"What'd you do?"
"Mostly looked after this little boy, Markus. He has a minor learning disability and is mute, for the most part. The matrons like for him to have somebody to support and play with him, help him function. He's actually the one that bit me." Rae hoped that the kids in the orphanage were safe and being looked after. "I hope he's okay."
Jensen looked at her hand curiously. "You said he bit you on your hand?" He made to undo her wrist buckle, but she stopped him.
"It's on the other one. Hold on and I'll wrestle my sling off." She was worried she'd tear through the fragile material. Her arm was stiff and she was careful not to strain her shoulder. Despite the difficulty of moving it, there was surprisingly no pain. Rae allowed him to unbuckle her glove. It was strange, having somebody remove her clothes. Her face instantly turned red. Not in that way, you creep, she chastised herself furiously. The officer pulled her fingers apart, examining the mark. It was still red, though it was nothing compared to what others must've had during this fiasco.
"You said this was a few days ago? This looks older than that. It's almost healed." What had originally been puncture marks from sharp little teeth were now old scabs.
Rae inspected the mark carefully. It looked much better than when she'd checked it earlier. Her mom had been right about Neosporin being a cure-all. "I heal fast. I once stepped on a nail. Was up and running in a few hours with no problems."
Her glove and sling were replaced. She didn't want to leave her arm without support for too long, lest she have to have it popped into place again. Her whole body tensed at the thought. She planned on never getting injured again. At least, she hoped she never did. It'd be just her luck to end up with a stupid broken ankle before the whole disaster was done and gone. She missed the lucky break she'd gotten at the beginning of it all. It was hard to believe that'd only been a few hours ago. Was it only the twenty-fifth?
The two fell into a comfortable, companionable silence. Rae listened to the soothing voice of Jessica from the next cell over. She was talking to the other occupant of her cell, sharing stories about her family. It was sad to hear about the husband she'd lost and the baby she was probably going to never see again. The woman was a blip on Rae's radar. It was strange, meeting new people only to have them fade out of your life so quickly. It was surreal almost. Jessica didn't act like a dying woman. Rae's eyes slid shut and she fended off tears. God, she needed to stop crying. It wasn't helping anybody.
But the tears poured down her face as sobs wrenched their way up her throat. She found herself suddenly bent over, hands fisted in her mother's throw and shuddering violently with each gasp. She cried for Jessica and her baby, for the others in the cells that she'd probably never know, for Miss Vasquez and all her neighbors, for all the people who'd been separated from their loved ones, for her friends who could be gone, for her dad who'd be devastated if she was gone. She cried and cried and cried. She cried until her chest was sore and her face soaked.
She was long overdue for this, she realized distantly, past the gut-wrenching agony. The dam had finally broken and now there was nothing but a flood of emotions so strong they took away all rational thought. If anybody thought any less of her, they didn't say anything. Jensen politely turned away during the episode to give her some semblance of privacy and allow her to mourn. None of this was right! Nothing was right! What the hell could she do in the face of this? Was she supposed to hunker down and wait the storm out, or should she do something. She'd never been faced with something on this scale before. What the hell did she know? She was a college student, an inexperienced kid. She felt small and insignificant.
The tears and sobs came less and less frequent as time passed. Rae was only partially aware of the passing of time. They had to have been down there for at least an hour now, maybe more. She wasn't quite sure just how long she'd shut down. She wiped her face off on her black shirt, making a mental note to clean it at some point in time. Jensen was absent from his chair at her cell. She could hear the jangling of keys and occasional murmur, which told her he was probably checking on the others.
Her face hurt.
"Jessica", her voice was hoarse.
"Yeah?" The woman sounded exhausted. Was she beginning to turn or was it simply the events of the day getting to her?
"I just wanted to make sure you're okay." She wanted to make sure the woman was still alive.
"I'm okay. I think my cellmate is sick, though."
Rae's heart clenched and she took a deep breath. "If he changes, just stay quiet, okay? Don't make a sound."
"Okay", the older woman's voice was quiet, small. She gave a hacking cough.
This was something Rae wasn't equipped to handle at all. Her teeth worried on her lower lip. Her face felt puffy and swollen after crying. She hated the sensation. Officer Jensen eventually finished his rounds and circled back to find his chair. He sat down with a sigh.
"It's gotten quiet." The young man shook his head. "I think something's about to happen."
Rae reached through the cells again, gripping his hand like a vise. "It'll be alright."
"I sure hope so, Miss Colter."
Rae hummed good-naturedly. "You can call me Rae. That way I don't feel like an old lady. How's that sound, Officer Jensen?"
"Only if you call me Kyle." Kyle. She liked that.
"Kyle." She tested it out. "You said you were close to my age. Early twenties?"
"Twenty-two this June, actually. The buddies took me out drinking, since I'd kind of missed that milestone. Didn't have a twenty-first birthday."
"I'm an October baby. Daddy always said I was his little witch. Made the neighborhood boys stay away."
Kyle laughed, muted but still genuine. "Overprotective type, huh?"
"You have no idea. Nobody in Huntsville had the guts to even ask me out. Nothing like a cop dad to keep suitors away." Rae snorted. "Not that I was on anybody's radar, anyway. Weird kid in school." She pointed to herself jokingly.
"Well, now I have to take you on that coffee date. We'll make it a first." Kyle winked at her and she found herself not disliking the idea. She wasn't even sure if he was serious, but she'd take it. If this was flirting, she could handle it. "So, were you the kid who always brought pet bugs to school or something?"
"God, no. Bugs are gross! I've just never really liked people. Always been quiet. And nobody at school really shared my interests. They were too busy worrying about trends, makeup, boys, whatever." While she hadn't been bullied, she'd been thoroughly ostracized from everything. Nobody wanted the weird cop kid in on their fun. Rae shook off her high school memories. She directed a smirk at her new friend. "I bet you were pretty popular in school, huh? Looks like yours, I bet you were… captain of the swim team?" He had the slender build of a swimmer.
"Competitive Drama, actually." Way off. Darn. "And what do you mean 'looks like mine'? Are you trying to say something Miss Colter?"
"Absolutely not", Rae vehemently denied.
"I wasn't really popular in school, either. I got picked on a lot for living in an orphanage, having ratty clothes. I didn't like people, either. Hated them, actually. Part of that whole 'the world's against me' phase that all teenagers go through at some point." He shrugged. "Things got better when my mom adopted me."
"Tell me about your family."
"Need to know about potential in-laws, huh?" She pinched the skin of his hand in revenge. "Ouch! Already an abusive spouse, I see." He chuckled. "Mom picked me up at sixteen. Not a lot of people will take in a teenager—just asking for problems. She was already getting on in years, but she hadn't been able to have kids of her own. Despite that, her house was never empty. Always spoiled her nieces and nephews absolutely rotten, and they were over all the time. Loved them all. Especially Kimmie; she's the one who went to SSU. A really smart cookie.
"Anyway, Mom was bound to a wheelchair. I was working some crappy part-time gig as a cashier for Wal-Mart. Apparently, she had this reputation at that store for being a trouble maker, so I got to deal with her. Got goaded into walking her bags out. Helped her with her stuff, dropped her milk on the ground, she threatened to run my toes over if I didn't get her more. It was pretty heated for a while, but she remembered me from then on. Always teased me about 'crying over spilt milk' when she came in. Eventually she found out about my home life. The rest is history."
"Did you have a dad?"
"Nah. She's got too much energy for a man to handle. Don't let the wheelchair fool you—she's a loose cannon. I love her, though. She's a good person; can't wheel past Boy Scouts without buying all their popcorn. Don't even get me started on the Girl Scout cookies, either."
Rae smiled at the fond way he spoke of his adoptive mother. She seemed like a fun person, if not a bit wild. Talking obviously brought out good memories for the young man, if his wide smile was any indication. She rubbed her thumb on his hand, finding comfort in it. Her first crush and she was holding hands with him through the bars of a jail cell. And their first date would be her inspecting his right nipple after they went out for drinks. Oh, what a pair they'd make. She smiled, happy. If they made it out of this, she was going to ask him out for real.
"I was serious about drinks by the way." Kyle surprised her, yet again, by reading her mind "If—when—we get out of here, I'm going to take you out, Rae. We're going to this place I know in the next town over, where they may or may not serve alcohol to people under the legal age." He snorted. "I'm going to show you the state of Wisconsin and we're going to stay up all night forgetting that zombies are real. How does that sound?"
"I… I really like the sound of that." But Rae felt self-conscious. "But why me? I mean…"
"Well, you're cute. And you're a little looney, but that's just my type." He smiled brightly. Rae had never been anybody's type before. All it had taken was the apocalyptic end of the world, apparently. She felt happy, despite that. Here was this very handsome officer, with a kind heart and troubled past. And he was asking her out. God, her dad would love him. Well, once he got past the shock of her bringing a boy home, death threats and all. She could almost picture it.
"I don't think I really have a type", she murmured. "But I imagine you'd fit it pretty well if I did."
"You're incredibly awkward, you know that?"
"Yes. I am aware."
The jail cells grew quieter and quieter as the early morning turned to daylight. Despite the world falling apart around them, they continued talking to each other. It was a nice distraction to forget about the people around her slowly dying, about the world outside ending. Rae talked to him until the exhaustion of the previous night caught up to her. She fell asleep with her knees to her chest, swathed in her beloved blanket.
:.:
Rae woke up sometime around five in the evening. She felt stiff and filthy. Despite sleeping twelve hours, she was still absolutely exhausted. Kyle filled her in on what she'd missed, though none of it was good news. Everybody had changed. She wasn't surprised by this revelation in the slightest, though her body was still heavy. The young man sat in the chair he'd claimed next to her cell. He'd cried a little bit, shoulders shaking as he did. Rae did her best to offer comfort, though she wasn't sure how helpful she was.
After their mutual breakdowns, they'd been pulled back into reality by Rae's stomach protesting loudly. She hadn't eaten at all since the day before, though it had seemed like much longer. And her dinner had been popcorn, too. Not even a real meal. Rae was embarrassed at her tummy's needy gurgles, though Jensen seemed to find them amusing.
He chuckled at her expense, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Alright. No need to growl at me; I'll see if I can't snag you any grub."
Rae rolled her eyes. "Drama queen."
"That's 'King', thank you very much." The man walked back towards the control room, through the cell block. Rae noticed that he did his best to remain silent and not to get close to the cell doors. Despite this, the infected occupants still lunged for him. Their screeches were terrible to listen to. It made her stomach turn, knowing that these creatures had been living, breathing people a few hours earlier. Rae thought of Jessica for a moment.
The young man returned with food, a weary look on his face. He offered her a very familiar can of pineapples with the top removed. "Why, Officer Jensen…offering me my own food?"
"Only the finest for our esteemed prisoners." His voice shook and his joke was lukewarm at best, but she appreciated it.
She smiled at him and thanked him, digging into the canned fruit. She put the food away in record time, suddenly feeling ravenous. It was enough to make her feel a little self-conscious when she noticed the officer watching her, amused. Well, she was hungry. What else did he expect? She frowned when she saw the bottom of the can. It hadn't quite hit the spot like she'd hoped it would. But it'd be selfish to ask for more food, especially since there were more mouths to feed above. She actually found herself craving meat, despite everything that'd happened. Hell, she never thought she'd want it again. Maybe it was because she'd done so much last night?
Rae deposited the can in the floor and stretched her body. The stiffness had faded a bit, but it wouldn't go away completely until she actually did something other than bumming on the prison cot. She was thirsty, but she eyed the sink with distaste and thought better about using it. The thing was absolutely filthy. Jensen was quick to offer her some bottled water, stating that the tap wasn't really good for drinking anyway, something about old pipes. Nothing quite like lead poisoning to take you out during the zombie apocalypse. She snickered at her own internal joke and downed the bottle. The liquid slid down her throat, cool and refreshing. God, she needed to take better care of herself.
The former college student noted that Jensen sported terrible bags under his eyes. Had he been up the entire time? Well, she supposed he probably wasn't in any state to sleep. Emotionally, the man was probably overwhelmed. And it wasn't particularly safe in a basement infested with zombies, despite the fact that they were behind iron bars. Anything could happen.
"Is there any way you could swap out with somebody and sleep?"
Kyle closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, drained of energy. "Hobbs is coming to relieve me after he feeds and waters the dogs." The K-9 handler, she guessed. She felt bad for not remembering the man's name.
"Do you guys even have a place to sleep?"
"The Break Room has a few bunk beds in it. With this many officers operating around the clock, though, Tyson has a pretty strict schedule down. Gotta wait my turn or he'll throw a tantrum." He chuckled.
"Yeah. Wouldn't want to get your butt kicked by the old guy." She was careful to keep her voice down. Her eyes spotted a zombie wandering in the cell off to the side. Her teeth nibbled on her lower lip. "That'd be embarrassing."
The handsome cop was staring rather intently at her. "So, I have to ask: what's the story with the…?" He gestured to his left eye. "The eye thing?"
Her fingertips found her own eye. She wondered if it was getting worse. While it hadn't really raised any suspicion or worry, it wasn't particularly pretty. Beauty was in the eye of the beholder, and her left eye was really creepy looking. Well, in her opinion anyway.
"High blood pressure?" Rae shrugged. "I dunno."
Jensen shrugged and stared off into space. The disgruntled groans of caged zombies kept them on edge. Everybody seemed to have turned at the same time. Rae wondered if the process took a similar time for everybody, or if there were delaying factors. Would people of radically different ages change at radically different paces? Would it kill a perfectly healthy person off faster than one with a chronic illness? It was morbid to think about, but knowledge was all they could use to fight off this unknown. Knowledge was power, after all.
Kyle's radio buzzed from time to time, signaling that the other officers were still active. From what she heard, they were busy setting up more permanent sleeping quarters for everybody and getting the station reinforced. Good. She hoped that they'd start boarding up windows to keep unwanted creatures out. If they could secure the place, they might be able to last through the worst of the apocalypse. Maybe the zombies would rot until they were no longer able to move? Maybe the military was clearing the city out as they waited? But if the military became overwhelmed, what then? Rae frowned and rubbed her injured shoulder. It was beginning to throb again now that the medicine had worn off.
The two waited for a long while, and Kyle was starting to get impatient. His foot tapped on the concrete floor with increasing fervor. He tilted his head back with a sigh. Rae smiled at his antics, happy that he still had the energy to pout. She'd really taken a liking to him, with his chipper attitude and energy. She wondered how a date with him would be. Was he the hopeless romantic type, like from her movies? Or was he suave? She imagined that he was probably less into cheesy one-liners and more into cracking slightly inappropriate jokes. At least it wouldn't be awkward, not with the whole 'hey, we survived the apocalypse together' shared history. Well, she hoped it wouldn't be awkward.
Tired of waiting, he pressed the button on his receiver. "Jensen to Hobbs. Can I get an ETA, Hobbs?" Nobody answered. Kyle frowned at tapped his electronics, probably hoping that a little percussive maintenance would do the trick. She'd once fixed her television that way. "Can I have an ETA for Hobbs? This is Jensen in the cells. Waiting for relief." Hobbs didn't respond.
Rae's eyebrow arched. "That's… weird. Maybe his radio's busted?"
Kyle sighed and got up. "Dunno. But I gotta go check on him. Big dummy might've forgotten to put new batteries in or something."
Rae felt something stirring in her gut. The whole thing gave her a bad feeling. Surely they were in the clear? After all, the infected were locked safely away and the station was being sealed off. So why was she suddenly so on edge? Because whenever somebody's communication was cut off in movies, it usually meant they were dead. That was the popular trope, after all. Could Hobbs have been killed? Kyle turned away to leave. Rae caught his hand.
"Wait!" The cop gave her an odd look. "Isn't it a really bad idea to go off by yourself right now? Take somebody with you."
A helpless look clouded his blue eyes. "Everybody above is busy prepping. Besides, Hobbs' space is just across the parking garage. I don't need an escort."
He was a stubborn one. Rae rolled her eyes. Rule Number One was 'never go off by yourself'. She wished she had a diagram to convince him that it was a bad idea, but she was fresh out of pocket-sized pie charts. "What if something happened to Hobbs? What if it's not just a radio thing? You should be prepared for every eventuality, just in case it's a worst case scenario." That was something her dad had laid on thick during her tween years: Expect and prepare for the worst, so nothing will catch you off guard.
"Aw… are you worried about me, Rae?" Yes, you idiot. Rae glared at him and he winked in response.
"Against my better judgement, yes."
"You can come with me, if you're that worried." His keys jangled together as he searched for the right one.
"Me? Aren't you worried that I'm infected?"
"Not really. You'd have changed five hours ago like everybody else did. Besides, you're better company than Ben over there." He jerked his thumb over to where the journalist was smoking up against his cell bars.
The journalist flipped them off and hollered a succinct, "Fuck you".
He opened her door and allowed her to step out. She folded her mother's blanket up neatly and placed it back into her duffel bag. If they were moving, she was taking it with her. Her shoulder was a bit sore, but nothing that she couldn't handle. A full night—er, afternoon—of sleep had done her good, it seemed. Rae ducked under the young cop's outstretched arm and he let the cell door fall closed with a 'thud'. The young woman winced as the noise stirred the undead up, prompting them to walk to their cell openings with outstretched hands.
Jensen was extremely calm about the whole situation. He was in full 'Cop Mode', as her dad called it. The young officer leaned in close and wrapped an arm around her. She resisted the urge to freak out. He was suddenly way too close. It gave her an idea of just how much taller he was than her, and also how fit he was beneath his shirt, but we won't get into that. Rae's poor face burned as he led them past the zombies' grasping claws. She turned into Jensen's blue uniform when Jessica's contorted face pressed against cell bars. Was everybody that she talked to destined to die?
After passing through the holding cells, Jensen cleared his throat and released her from his grip. He was a bit red in the face as well. At least they could be horribly embarrassed together. She noticed that his hand had been firmly resting on his firearm during the entire trip. It comforted her a bit. The two passed by the control booth, where cameras overlooked the cells. Jensen gave them a quick once over and made sure his area was secure before leaving it. Rae hovered awkwardly behind him as radioed the Lieutenant and let him know their situation.
None of the news was good, given that Hobbs had gone silent and all of the prisoners except two had turned. The ebony-skinned man's frustration was palpable even through the static of the walkie. Jensen sighed and clicked off the static, just as Branagh began issuing orders to the rest of the police officers. It sounded like everybody upstairs was busy. Jensen had been right; they wouldn't have any hands to spare, not with civilians needing protection. Still, it seemed cold to leave a fellow officer in the dark, alone. Well, in the dark with only a civilian to help.
Rae heard strange sounds coming from the parking garage. First, it was a barely-there shuffling. Then, it was a distinct guttural growling sound. Rae's blood froze in her veins as a howl permeated the air. The sound was thick and full of agony. Jensen's pistol was unholstered in an instant, and trained on the door of the parking garage.
"D-do you think the dogs got loose?" Rae's voice shook.
"Sounds that way. Stay behind me."
Jensen leaned against the door, opening it the slightest bit and peering around. He checked in all directions before turning to her. "I think it's clear."
Just then, a horrible series of barks sounded. The young woman let out a strangled scream as a dog's muzzle tried to push in through the crack in the door. The thing was dripping blood and covered in terrible wounds. Jensen pulled the door shut with all his strength and stared at it in quiet disbelief. The monster on the other side pawed at it for a moment, snarling wildly.
"What the fuck was that?"
"Zombie dogs?" White-hot terror lanced through her. Rae couldn't believe it. How had the dogs been infected? Surely Hobbs would've said something about one of his animals being injured. Oh, God. Hobbs was probably dead. The young woman's breathing was heavy. Hadn't she said something about this happening? This was the worst case scenario.
"Shit." Kyle's response was short and sweet. Rae agreed wholeheartedly.
The two waited until the sound stopped altogether. Kyle sighed in relief and pressed the button on his radio. Branagh wouldn't be happy to hear about this. Then again, it wasn't exactly on the top of anybody's wish list.
"Lieutenant Branagh. This is Jensen. Got a situation in the parking garage." Complete understatement. "The dogs have changed. Hobbs is presumed Dead. We need backup!"
Branagh's voice cut in. "Repeat that, Jensen."
Kyle gave a sigh of frustration. "Hobbs is presumed dead. K-9 unit is infected. I have two civilians to evacuate. Send backup!"
The radio buzzed. Branagh spoke. "Talbot and Reyes have been dispatched to help. Where are you now?"
"The cell block. Be careful; they're in the parking garage."
"Will do, Jensen. Be prepared to evacuate in ten minutes."
Rae was barely aware of the conversation, though. Her wide eyes were fixated on where she'd seen the dog's deformed maw disappear. It brought to mind a memory that she'd rather be left buried—of huge teeth sinking into her lower calf and a dog's angry growls. Her grandfather had once owned a big dog, a mutt of some sort. He'd always been a gentle giant, Rae's cuddle buddy. Until one day he'd gone nuts and sank his teeth into her five-year-old leg. His brain had started swelling. She'd been terrified of dogs for years afterwards. Even now, the big ones made her nervous. Zombie dogs? They were her worst nightmare come to life. She held herself, breathing heavly.
The screech of meta-on-metal sounded from somewhere in the cellblock. Jensen suddenly stared behind them. His eyes went wide and he whipped his pistol around. He pulled Rae behind him and pressed her against the closed door of the parking garage. His voice was shaking as he responded. "We don't have ten minutes, Marvin. They're in the vents." That's how they'd been getting around!
There was a large vent just inside the control room for the jail. Rae watched in horror as the metal cover bent and contorted under heavy weight. A dog's insistent barking sounded from the other side, warped and gurgling in a way that would haunt her nightmares for years after this. Rae's hands fisted into the fabric of Kyle's uniform shirt. What was she supposed to do against zombie dogs?!
"Rae." Officer Jensen spoke calmly, despite the situation. "Do you hear any sounds coming from the garage?"
"We can't go out there, either! We'll—"
"Rae!" The admonishment was soft but firm. "Do you hear anything?"
The young woman closed her eyes and tried to ignore the sounds of her own heavy breathing. "I think it's quiet. I don't hear anything. But that doesn't mean it's safe!"
The vent cover gave another strained groan as the creature on the other side tried to break through. "That won't hold forever. We need to go. Now!"
Kyle whirled around and opened the door, just as the cover finally gave way. Rae caught only a glance at the half-devoured flesh of the zombie Doberman before there was a door separating them from it. She covered her mouth and let out a series of quick breaths. Zombies were slow, stupid. The dogs, on the other hand, seemed to be incredibly fast. They wouldn't be able to avoid them carefully. They were going to die! The monster on the other side snapped and snarled at the obstacle, shaking the door a bit in its frame.
"We need to get moving. There's no telling how many of them got loose. If we're lucky, it was just that one." Rae didn't need a fortune teller to let her know that luck wasn't on their side. She froze like a deer in the headlights. Her legs were jelly and wouldn't move. Why was she getting scared now? For the first time since the apocalypse started, her mind was hazy and clouded by terror. There was nothing rational in her head. Nothing remained of 'Rae' except her own fear.
"I-I can't move." Her voice was small. She trembled.
"No. Nonono. You were brave enough to get to the station. You didn't even flinch at the zombies earlier. You aren't shutting down on me now!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.
Rae swallowed thickly. "There's a dog." It had slinked out of the shadows and was approaching them, baring its teeth. "Oh, God! OhGodohGodohGod…. We're going to die."
Officer Jensen shook too. He placed himself between her and the approaching threat. He raised his weapon. Behind them, the other dog continued its assault on the door. Rae wished she had control of her left arm, so she could swing her machete. She struggled with unbuckling the leather strap holding the weapon in place. Her fingers were frozen with fear, useless. Stop freaking out, she screamed at herself. Stay calm! They were only dogs! Well, they were dogs infected with some sort of zombie virus. She tried to calm her breathing, but found herself hyperventilating further. Her own history with big dogs replayed in her mind again.
The zombie dog leapt at them, but the officer was quick to pull the trigger, filling the thing with three bullets and putting it down—at least, temporarily. "J-just like skeet shooting", he quipped shakily. He pressed his hand insistently into her lower back and began leading her through the parking garage. "We need to keep moving! Once we get past the electronic door, they shouldn't be able to follow us."
Rae was along for the ride, being tugged by him. Blood was all over the floors and walls of the next hallway. They'd been free for quite some time. She felt herself getting lightheaded. How long had she and Jensen been pleasantly talking while his colleagues were being mauled to death in the next room? Instead of leading her at her back, Kyle moved to grip her hand instead. She clutched it like a lifeline and used it to ground herself. It took all she had to remain upright. She felt like an idiot. Sure, she'd waded through a veritable horde of zombies with little more than a can of creamed corn as backup, but a few dogs were too much to handle? Fear wasn't rational.
A man's yell echoed in the hallway around them, as well as the frenzied barks and howls of the dog still in their kennel. At least, Rae hoped with a shiver, they better still be in the kennel. They both stiffened at the explosion of noise around them. So there was another person still alive down there? It had sounded like it came in the direction of the Morgue. The metal door ahead of them was blocked off with furniture. They'd tried to keep the infected barred off. Unfortunately, it meant they'd have to circle around the Kennel if they wanted to investigate. Rae's stomach rolled at the thought.
They were close to the electronic door whenever two officers burst through. The pretty blond woman and the heavy-set man Kyle greeted as 'Talbot' and 'Reyes'. So, this was their backup. Rae breathed a sigh of relief. They ducked into the shooting range, mostly sure that it was safe from any zombie dogs. There were not vents big enough to carry them. Why the hell had vents that big been installed in the parking garage anyway?! It was like the asshole architect was anticipating this to happen!
Talbot carried a rather impressive looking riot shotgun and she looked like she knew how to use it. Reyes, on the other hand, had a police shield. Branagh had sent them down prepared, at least. Rae tried to calm herself. These two were far better equipped to handle the situation than a rookie cop with a handgun and his terror-struck charge.
Jensen updated his fellow officers while she sat down in the firing range's little office. She peered out the windows at the three people in uniform and sighed. Even now, she shook. She'd honestly forgotten how much big dogs scared her after all these years. In through her nose and out through her mouth, she breathed to calm herself. The door to the office opened and Kyle came in wearing full riot gear. Did they store that in one of the lockers in the range or had the others brought some down? Rae's stomach dropped. He was staying down there with the dogs. To investigate that scream, most likely.
He dropped onto his knee in front of her with a sigh. "We're going to stay down here and look for survivors. See if we can't get Ben out of his cell, too. We can't leave him behind without food and water." He ran a hand through his hair. He'd lost his hat in their mad dash through the parking garage. "You're going to go upstairs and speak to Tyson. Tell him what's going on."
Rae shook her head at him. "If you stay down here, you'll die. One bite and you're done. Those dogs are too fast!"
Officer Jensen's eyes hardened. "I took a vow when I became an officer to save everybody I can. If there's another person trapped down here, I'm going to make sure they get upstairs. What if that was you?" He gripped her hands between his tightly.
She'd be selfish and want somebody to save her. Rae bit down on her lip and looked away from his expressive blue eyes. She gnawed until she tasted something metallic. Still, she wanted to be selfish now and keep him safe. She'd grown close to him; he was her friend and maybe something more. Wasn't it okay to want him to stay? But he wouldn't. It wasn't in his nature. She shifted in her seat.
Kyle placed a hand on her cheek and forced her to look at him. "I'm going to lock the door behind you so those things can't get to the station. If we don't make it back, forget about us. Help keep the people upstairs safe."
Rae felt helpless. Suddenly, she was on that fence again, staring down at Miss Vasquez. "I've already had one person close to me turn, Kyle. Please come back." She felt tears pull in her eyes. "I want to get through this with you. You promised to show me Wisconsin and help me forget that zombies exist, and—"
She was surprised when warm lips cut her off. It was so abrupt that she didn't have time to close her eyes. Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him blankly, unsure how to react. He let a small chuckle out at her expense. Jerk! Stealing her first kiss like that! He peered behind them, making sure his colleagues were still caught up. She peered through the window. The two other officers were turned away. Good. Her face was burning.
She was about to protest. Red-faced, she whirled around only to be met with his lips again. This time, they pressed against hers insistently. She gasped in surprise and he took that opportunity to suck on her lower lip. Her eyes slid closed and she let out a low hum at the foreign sensation. His mouth moved against hers, surprisingly soft. She tried to keep up with him, clumsily at first then gaining confidence. His tongue snaked out to meet hers and she surprised him by biting down on the tip gently. He chuckled against her mouth.
They pulled apart panting. His eyes were darkened by some unreadable emotion that made her throat tighten a bit. Wow. She'd never seen that look before. Kyle's eyes slid closed and he took a deep breath, collecting himself. When the blue orbs opened again, they seemed to look normal. Rae found that at some point she'd tangled her fingers through his blond hair, and unlaced them from the soft strands. That had been… wow. She fidgeted with her fingers and looked down in embarrassment. He'd shut her up good. Now, she didn't have anything to say.
"Now you have round two to look forward to when I get back," the man quipped smugly.
She stuck her tongue out at him, only to pull it back when he motioned to bite it. Jerk! He gave her a somewhat strained smile and pressed his lips against her forehead, lingering there for just a moment before backing away. It broke her heart, knowing that this was possibly that last time she'd see him. Her fingers clenched onto his outfit and she rested her chin on his shoulder. Even sitting down he was much taller than her. She'd become so attached to this man in such a short time. She wanted him to come back to her safe. Tears pooled in her eyes.
Kyle cleared his throat and handed her a folded piece of paper. "This is my mom's number." His adoptive mother, who'd pulled him from the orphanage and raised him the best she could've despite being confined to a wheelchair. He'd been sixteen, shy and distrustful. But she'd managed to love him with her whole heart. "If anything happens, call her. Tell her I love her, okay?"
Rae took the paper, trembling. "I will."
She surprised herself by leaning upwards and pressing a shy kiss against his lips. He laughed and pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm going to make it back. Just wait for me. I've already decided I'm going to marry you when this is all over, Rae Colter. We'll go to a drive-through chapel in Vegas and have Elvis officiate. Then we'll honeymoon at The Flamingo, win big." He joked to lighten the mood. She slapped his chest.
"You better get me a nice ring to make up for all of this," she went along with his madness.
He looked at her solemnly, hand over his heart. "I'll steal Queen Victoria's crown jewels and put them on a band."
She hadn't even known him a full day and they were joking about marriage. It was almost like going to pick out a wedding cake on the first date. Or looking at furniture. She smiled, despite herself. He really was a nut. Rae let him pull away. He had a job to do. If Reyes or Talbot thought anything about what had just happened in the office, they didn't say anything about it.
The two officers smiled warmly at her and she offered a shy wave in return. Reyes had rosy red cheeks, and perfectly fit the image of a stereotypical jovial cop. He was even snacking on some sort of cereal bar. Talbot, on the other hand, looked to be a stern working woman. While she had a kind lilt to her lips, the way she held herself was all business. These two weren't just some passing characters in a movie, sacrificial pawns to move the plot along. They were real people with real hopes and real dreams and real families. And they'd come down to mount a rescue operation to save others just like them. She would've liked to have known them better, Rae realized. They might not come back.
The small group exited the Firing Range with Reyes's shield at the front and Talbot's shotgun at the rear. They could hear the dogs going absolutely ballistic in the Kennel next door, causing Rae to shrink into Kyle's warmth. She pulled her duffel bag closer against herself and wished for the hundredth time that her left arm wasn't injured. Her hand itched to be wrapped around the handle of her machete. He kept close to her, though she noticed he was a more respectful distance away. Probably hoping to remain professional in front of his peers.
The electronic door would take her upstairs, where she'd meet up with Officer Tyson. It was marked by a green light above, showing that it was unlocked. She gave her new friends one final look and stepped through. Her heart raced, her stomach rolled. She swallowed thickly to quell the rising panic. They might not come back. Her eyes caught Kyle's and he gave her a reassuring smile.
Officer Talbot offered a calming, "We'll be back soon. Don't worry."
Reyes saluted her jokingly.
Kyle winked at her. "See ya on the other side!"
The door closed heavily, leaving her alone in the downstairs hallway. She heard the lock click with a sort of finality. Rae didn't break down. She stared at the door, completely numb. For the first time since entering the station, she was completely and utterly alone. It should've been a scary thought, but Rae wasn't bothered in the slightest. She felt like maybe she'd left a piece of herself behind the door.
Her heart dropped when she heard the distinct sound of gunfire from the other side. She dropped to her knees and pressed her ear against the door, hoping to glean some valuable information about what was occurring on the other side. Please make it back, she prayed. She wasn't quite sure how long she was waiting before Officer Tyson came down and found her there, staring blankly at the door. Bile burned hot in her throat as a terrible realization occurred to her. They weren't coming back.
:.:
To Be Continued…
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A/N: Aaaand there's Chapter 4! Keep an eye out for 5, which is about halfway through at the time of posting this one. Also, as an apology for the repeat, we'll be getting our first glimpse of the daily life of one Leon Kennedy! Again, sorry, but drastic times call for drastic measures. Thanks to xXxRena-MariexXx for showing this story a little love!
Reviewers:
White Alchemist Taya: Glad you like the backstory! I was worried that people would be bored since Claire and Leon haven't shown up yet. I know OC stories can really drag and I definitely didn't want that to happen with this one. It's my goal to shed some light on what exactly went down at the police station, so if you have any suggestions or theories, let me know. Also, Rae's healing is just a fill-in… or is it? We shall see. As always, thanks for your feedback!
Scottusa1: I'm trying to leave the station exactly as it was at the start of the game, meaning that I'm going to have to explain a lot of stuff. Wow. Maybe this is a big undertaking? Always looking for a bit of headcanon as to what happened at the police station before Resi 2. Let me know if you had any theories, because I want to see what everybody makes of the clues left scattered. As always, thanks for your feedback!
Thank you to all who've put me and this story on Alert or Favorite. Love you guys!