Chapter 12:
Veronica and Claire took a moment to sort themselves out before continuing on with their plan. They made some more ammo with what they had and also organized their pouches. With their stuff ready and X tracked to be somewhere on the third floor, they snuck down to the first floor. With the Licker out of the way, the journey was easy.
Once inside the Records room, they found it to be filled with shelves of paperwork. It was a neat freak's hell if anyone saw how messy each shelf was. They also found a can of gunpowder, a grenade, and the lever to something sitting on a table.
"The jack!"
"Thank you to whatever god is listening. Now let's get this final part and get the hell out of here!" Veronica said.
As soon as the words left her mouth, the footsteps that they had been hearing the whole time had grown louder behind the club door just across from them. It's coming! They quickly ran back the way they came just in time for the giant to walk into the room. They ran back up the stairs to the second floor, footsteps thudding not too far behind.
Passing through the locker rooms they got to the S.T.A.R.S. office just in the nick of time. Once again, they waited in silence as the footsteps passed them and disappeared into the library. Even though that's the way they needed to go, they knew it would leave eventually.
Walking to the door, they stopped and listened for any footsteps, hearing none. After a couple of minutes, they realized he was probably on the other side of the building. That didn't stop them from staying quiet through the hallways.
They made it to the library in no time and quickly fixed the jack. With a little elbow grease, they lowered the propped-up bookshelf with a loud thud. They had to work quickly now, the giant might have heard them. They each took a bookshelf on either side and, with a heave, they shoved the three together and moved them in a position to create a bridge above them.
There was a ladder next to them, so they climbed up it and crossed the bookshelf bridge to the door. Opening it, the third floor was dark, barely lit from the lights of the main hall below them and the skylight above. Looking over the railing they could see the giant walking up the stairs to the second floor. There wasn't much time.
The survivors crept across the walkway and found two zombies wandering around. At this point, these things were mere flies compared to literally anything else. Sneaking up behind one, Veronica used her hammer to take it out stealthily while Claire shot at the other.
They could hear the footsteps growing louder, so the two quietly got into the clock tower and didn't move. The room was dark and cold, the wind and rain noisy against the walls around them. If that thing decided to peek in, they could get away with hiding. They listened as the door to the third floor slammed open and the heavy steps drew closer. It paused in the middle of the hallway before walking away to the other side of the floor.
However, they didn't fade away like they wanted because shortly after, it came back around. The two backed away into a dark corner just in case, but the door didn't open. Instead, the footsteps went back towards the library and the door there had shut, much to their relief. Eventually, the footsteps were gone.
"God, I fucking hate that thing!" Veronica hissed while trying to calm her heart down.
"You and I both. C'mon, we have to get this part quick!"
Turning around, they were immediately met with an issue. Hanging in the middle of the room was the giant bell that was supposed to go off every hour and it was contained in an iron bar cage. Clearly, construction was being done, but the kicker was, the box of parts that they needed was up by the bell and out of reach.
"Damn, let's try and see if we can get up there," Claire said as she began looking around. Then she got under the cage and clasped her hands together. "Here! I'll give you a boost and see if you can grab it!"
Veronica swallowed nervously and nodded. She wasn't very strong but Claire was, so this would be the way to do it. Claire squatted to get Veronica's foot onto her hand then lifted her up with a grunt. Veronica wobbled in her grip but held onto the construction bars around her to steady herself. She tried reaching up for the box, but her fingertips barely brushed under the iron bars above her.
"It's… too high! Can't…reach!" she huffed.
"Ok, I'm gonna try and get you up there! One, two, three!" Claire let out a struggling breath and tried to give a good push up to try and give Veronica some height, and it worked…to an extent.
Veronica yelped and was able to grab the small platform the box sat on, but that was all she could grab. Her legs swung under her as she looked down. She wasn't that far up, but that didn't mean she couldn't twist an ankle if she wasn't careful. Also, her grip wasn't that great and she was slipping. It had been a while since she last went rock climbing. Arm strength wasn't something she had.
"Shit! I can't-!"
"It's ok! Just let go! I'll catch ya," Claire said from beneath her, arms out and ready. It wasn't like Veronica had a choice, her hands were burning. She quickly dropped one hand to allow her to turn her body before letting go altogether.
Claire grunted as she caught Veronica in her arms easily. She took a step back from the momentum but was steady on her feet. Her arms were tight around the other girl's waist before relaxing to set her down. Veronica pulled back a little and realized how close they were again. If this kept on happening and she wasn't careful, she was going to kiss this girl without thinking.
"Hey there, pretty lady," Claire smirked, her hands resting on Veronica's back. She seemed to be thinking the same thing. "You ok?"
"N-never better," Veronica squeaked. Her brain was starting to fuzz out at the feeling of strong arms holding her close. She cleared her throat. "Are you? Didn't hurt you, did I?"
"Nah, you're as light as a feather." Veronica gave her a look. "Hey now! You're not that heavy. Plus I work out! If I didn't, I don't think I could've done this as easily."
She proved her point by lifting Veronica off her feet and twirling her around. Said girl giggled while patting Claire's shoulder. She blushed heavily, impressed and delighted by this show. It's not everyday that someone sweeps you off your feet, literally.
"Ok, ok! I believe you," she said before being put back down. "But I don't think your rippling muscles are gonna get us up to the part. It's too high up for me and I sure as shit can't lift you to get it."
"Well…we'll have to think of another way."
With that said, they took a look around the room. Close by there was a machine that looked like it was missing a gear and it looked like it connected to a set of stairs that was folded up on the second floor. They were going to need something to get those down and it probably had something to do with the machine.
Wandering around, they found a note informing them of the construction and another machine that required a smaller component. Where the hell are we going to find these things? We've looked everywhere! Veronica thought to herself.
Through the maze of both construction and bookshelves, they found a door leading to a small cramped hallway. Around the bend, it was cut off by a blockade that they recognized as the other side to the one where they found the note about lickers.
On a random box, there was a large black can of gunpowder that said it was the large version of the regular gunpowder. It would make a little more extra ammo with whatever other one is combined with it. They decided to make more ammo for Claire's handgun since she was running low.
Back in the clock tower, they felt a little stumped at what to do. There was clearly something they needed to get the ladder down, but what? Veronica looked at the machine at its composition of gears and...gears. She gasped suddenly getting the idea.
"The gear!"
"What gear?"
"The big one we found in the storage room! We left it there, but it has to fit here!"
"That's right! We did! That's just across the way! Smart thinking, Vee!"
The two crept out quietly to the other side of the floor, watching as Mr. X wandered the first floor still searching for them. Getting to the door, they found that they were right that it was locked via an outside lock, which was why they couldn't get out this way before. They unlocked it, went in, and grabbed the gear that still sat where they left it.
Quickly they made their way back and put the gear in the machine. The gears began turning then the ladder loudly creaked as it unfolded and set down for them to climb. The machine stopped moving, so they quickly ran up the stairs. This was making enough noise as it was, they needed to hurry!
The bell and the box of parts were now hung too low to reach and being enclosed in its metal cage didn't make things easy. They realized they had to get the bell to move. On the other side of the floor was the mechanics of the clock itself. The clock face stuck a minute to three. In it was a small metal gear that looked like it didn't quite belong. Claire pulled it out and looked back at the missing slot. It required something much bigger.
"The other gear! Stay right here!" she said running down the stairs.
She put the small gear in the other machine they found and it started to do its magic. Then she went to the stair mechanism and pulled out the large gear. Taking it upstairs, she put it into the clock mechanism, and suddenly, the clock was brought back to life.
The minute hand ticked to the twelve and the two watched as the bell began to move. It chimed loudly causing both of them to hastily cover their ears. The bell rang and thrashed around in its cage causing all of it to fall apart and fall onto the floor with a loud crash. Now they really didn't have a lot of time.
"That worked!" Claire said while holding up a hand to Veronica. They gave each other a high five then ran down to get the box. Veronica took out the part they needed and put it into her pouch.
In the room next to them, footsteps had begun to grow louder which signaled their departure. They ran out of the room and headed toward the east side of the building. All they had to do was make it down to the second floor and get that parking permit.
Loud footsteps followed as they sprinted down the stairs and around hallways. Their legs burned as they made it to the second floor and towards the chief's office. Claire locked the door behind her then both girls quickly went to the Private Collection room. They didn't bother to wait and see if X was still on them, but it was quite possible that they had lost him.
The two girls went up to the cell holding the keycard then put the two cubes into the lock. Nothing happened at first, so Veronica started twisting things around. Lights and beeps indicated that she was doing something.
"It feels like a puzzle," she told Claire as she maneuvered the parts carefully. The younger watched impressed as her fingers put the cubes in places that seemed to light the thing up. Whatever she was doing, it was working.
"You seem to be good at those. It almost looks fun with how you're doing it."
"I'll admit, this isn't exactly your run-of-the-mill grandma's 1000 piece puzzle, but it's not so bad. I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot of those when we get out of here to deal with my PTSD."
"I'm not really one for puzzles, but would you mind if I join you when you do?" Veronica turned her head to smile at her gal pal.
"I would love it if you did!"
She turned back and finally put the last block in the right position. The pattern even looked like a heart. Fitting. The box beeped and the cell door successfully unlocked with a loud click. Suddenly a pair of arms were turning Veronica around to face an excited Claire.
"Veronica, you are a genius!" she exclaimed.
Then, suddenly, she was gently grabbing Veronica's head to pull her forward and give her forehead a big kiss. Muah! Veronica couldn't help but melt into a puddle within herself as she watched Claire pull away to walk over to the cell. Oh, she already had it way bad.
After composing herself, she shuffled over and stood at the doorway, watching over Claire carefully. They both looked around at the mess before setting their sites on the keycard. Claire reached over and unhooked the card from its holder, but just when she was putting it in her pouch…the phone rang.
The shrill bells caused both girls to jump slightly in surprise. They stood there for a moment, letting it ring as they looked at each other, unsure of whether to answer. Finally, Claire walked forward and picked up the receiver.
"Hello…?" she answered. Veronica walked up behind her and listened in. Claire held the phone between them so they could both hear.
"Good to see you two again, Claire," a familiar man's voice replied. Chief Iron's voice. He was trying to sound friendly, but they knew better. "We've got unfinished business."
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't waste my fucking time!" he yelled, the venom in his words revealing his true nature. "Bring me the pendant or Sherry dies." Both girls looked at each other in worry. Veronica's heart dropped down to her stomach at the thought. Pulling out the pendant she picked up, Claire held it out for both to see.
"The pendant? What do you need it for?" Finally looking at the top of the gold necklace, they could make out Sherry's name inscribed in beautiful cursive.
"Do you want the girl to die?"
Veronica could feel Claire's anger boiling up inside her. The lump in her own throat threatened a meltdown. Thinking of poor Sherry in the hands of a maniac. She couldn't help but also think about her sister. If she were in Sherry's shoes…
"Fine. Where are you?"
"The orphanage."
"The orphanage…? Where's that?"
"In the neighborhood. You'll find it."
"Is Sherry alright?" There was a slight pause.
"...For now."
"I swear, you bastard, if you hurt her-" He cut her off by hanging up, leaving them both with the dial tone. Claire looked at the receiver in her hand in disbelief before placing it back on the phone.
"Are you serious?!" She huffed trying to keep her composure but she was too upset. Veronica wasn't feeling very hot either. "Dammit!"
"Claire, look!" Veronica pointed to a corner on the ceiling. Looking up, there was a camera watching them. She had noticed it after he had hung up. The red light on it had indicated that before turning off. Now he wasn't. Claire gritted her teeth then walked out of the cell.
"Just you wait, asshole!"
Veronica meekly followed her back to the main office. There was no more loud stomping, so they had time before X would most likely be back on this side of the station. The older of the two watched as Claire angrily walked over to the large desk. She gave it a big kick to let out some aggression before leaning over it with her arms. Claire almost looked defeated if it wasn't for her persistence.
Veronica couldn't stand these awful feelings inside her as well as seeing Claire so upset. She couldn't help but walk over, arms outstretched before wrapping them around Claire's waist to pull her into a hug. Her bottom lip quivered as she laid her head on her companion's back, but she held in her tears. All she could think about was poor Sherry.
Claire was caught by surprise by this but welcomed the embrace. She reached down and laced her fingers with one of the hands on her stomach. Trying to calm herself down, she needed to keep herself level-headed, just like Vee had told her. Said girl's arms tightened around her waist.
"C-Claire…hold me…please," she pleaded, voice barely a whisper. Claire could hear the hurt in Veronica's voice. She turned a little to see the tears threatening to spill from her companion's eyes. "I…I could really use some reassurance right now."
Claire didn't hesitate as she fully turned around and pulled Veronica into her embrace. The other couldn't help but let the dam break, soft sobs wracking her body. Claire held her tighter and just let her cry. She needed to let it out sooner or later. At least in her arms, she felt safe. It took her a few moments of letting the stress out before she was getting back to normal.
"S-she reminds me of Lily, Claire," Veronica swallowed, trying to calm herself down. "What if that was my little sister?! Being kidnapped by a mad man in the middle of a zombie outbreak…It hurts me to think of what's happening to her…Sherry's just a child for god's sake!"
"I know, I know. I'm worried too! We're going to find her and we're going to get her back. Just like you said we would," Claire reassured her. She let her fingers brush through the long strands of her companion's hair, trying to comfort her in some way. "I promise you that." She pulled back once Veronica had pulled herself together a little and locked eyes with her. "Now, let's go get that bastard and rescue Sherry!"
Veronica sniffled but nodded. Claire leaned over and kissed her forehead again, but softer this time. While she would be inclined in returning the favor, Veronica knew they didn't have time. She wiped her eyes and cleared her throat.
"Sorry for the breakdown. I couldn't stop myself after keeping it together for so long," she whispered, voice rough from crying.
"No apologies needed, Vee. I get it. You saw how I was earlier with Chris."
"Still feels bad."
"I know, Vee. Are you feeling a little better now, though?" Veronica nodded. "Then that's what matters. We have to keep going."
"Right. Well, we know where she is now. The orphanage, which is…somewhere in the neighborhood. Great directions, Irons," she huffed.
"That would have to be nearby, but that could be in any direction. We don't even know where we should even be going!" Claire exclaimed in annoyance.
"Where would an orphanage even be in this part of to-" she cut herself off as she remembered something. She began to dig into her shorts pockets and produced the pamphlet she had kept from the waiting room. Looking over it, she found what she was looking for.
"Aha! Here!"
"What's that?"
"That pamphlet from earlier. I kept it as a weird keepsake for when we got out of this. I thought I saw the word 'orphanage' somewhere. To think it would actually come in handy. Listen to this 'Just a few blocks from the police station is an orphanage founded and run by the Umbrella Corporation with the help of generous donations from businesses and citizens alike. The building is known for its stained glass window, which attracts visitors from around the world.'" She flipped the page and nearly sobbed again in relief. "There's even a map on it!"
"Veronica, you are a fucking lifesaver!" Claire exclaimed while looking at the small cartoonish map. "It's just a couple of streets over. We're not far at all!"
"We just have to head North from here and find the building with stained glass windows. Not very common, so it should be easy to spot."
"We're coming, Sherry! Let's get the fuck out of here, finally."
With weapons ready, the two survivors ran out of the secret door and towards the elevator. It was a little nerve-wracking knowing that they had to go out and brave the zombie-infested city, but Sherry was more important. Once they got down to the garage, they came to a stop and noticed that one of the S.W.A.T. cars was crashed into the opposite wall, totally engulfed in fire.
"What the hell?!" Veronica whispered.
"I think that might have been the work of a rookie cop, don't ya think?" Claire asked as she slid the keycard into the machine.
"Probably. It's funny though. I don't think we saw him even once."
"Maybe we kept missing each other?"
"Maybe. I just hope he's ok." With a beep, the machine accepted the card and began to slowly lift the gate up.
"Finally!"
But their celebration was short-lived as the sound of a wall caving in made them turn in surprise. From next to the destroyed vehicle, came Mr. X bursting through the wall like it was nothing. It saw them and began stalking towards them.
"You again!?" Claire shouted, tired of this ugly creature's face. The gate was creeping up too slow, but there was just enough space and this would buy them some time.
"Claire, roll under!" Veronica cried while getting to her knees and rolling under the shutter. Claire followed and was on the other side just as quickly. X paused while looking at the gate and waited for a chance to get under it. With this hindrance, the girls took off while they had the chance.
They ran up the driveway and out into the deserted city street. It felt simultaneously freeing and frightening being out in the open. The city's lights were still on, but it was void of any life. Under normal circumstances, the place would've been nice to walk through on a summer evening. But being chased by a freakazoid monster during a zombie outbreak makes that kind of hard to enjoy.
One side of the street was blocked off by a large blockade of vehicles and trash so they had to head the other way. The lonely road was dotted with abandoned cars that reflected the streetlights on their metal hoods. Despite the heavy cloud cover, the rain had lightened up a little bit and there didn't seem to be any zombies or monsters wandering around, much to the girls relief.
There was one bright light at the end of the street that they could see. Approaching it, there were two zombies below it behind some gate that seemed to lead to some fire escape stairs. That seemed to be the way to go since the road on the other side of the street was completely demolished. They did notice there was a gun store nearby, but there wasn't time. Mr. X was still on them.
Once they got near the gate, the zombies had noticed them and began to claw at the door that held them back. However, the gate must have been on the brink of breaking 'cause with one hit, it fell down with the zombie on top of it. They turned to see where X was and realized that he was finally catching up, so there was no time to stand around and shoot. So the only thing they could do was run again.
They ran back around the street, leading everything that was following into a large circle. It gave them enough time to let the zombies wander away from the gate and allow them up the stairway with no problems. They had gotten across a good way before realizing that the monsters weren't following them anymore.
"Weird," Veronica mumbled as they slowed to a stop.
"Looks like the only way forward," Claire sighed while they caught their breath. While doing so, Veronica took a look around at their surroundings. The wet bricks of the building around them were no comfort, but the sky was nice even if it was full of clouds. She really liked how the ornate windows lit up against the blackness of it all…Wait…
"Claire, look! Over there!" She pointed to a circular ornate window sitting on a brick building just down the street.
"That must be it!"
"We're so close! I hope Sherry's ok."
"Let's think about us first. We still have to survive getting over there!"
From there they began running again, heads on a swivel to keep an eye out for danger. It was weirdly quiet…for now. As they were running, they noticed a giant billboard for a certain pharmaceutical company hanging over a courtyard. It pictured the company as happy and picturesque, but it all seemed so fake now.
They turned a couple of corners, the metal clanking beneath their feet till they reached the end of the fire escape. It had wrapped around some buildings but the orphanage was still in sight. Looking up from the top of the stairs, they could see it past all of the results leftover from a zombie-infested street. Trash and more abandoned cars were littered everywhere. There weren't many zombies around except for one at the bottom of the stairs, but there were dogs.
"I see what you mean now about the zombie dogs," Claire sighed. The ones that they could see were Dobermans and even from where they stood, they could tell the bodies were falling apart. It was sad honestly. No one likes dead dogs, undead or otherwise.
"Yeah, it's getting past them is the tricky part."
Realizing the zombie beneath them was turned around and hadn't noticed them yet, they decided not to alert any dogs yet. Sneaking down the stairs, Veronica took out her knife and stabbed it through the head. There was a loud crack and suddenly, there was only a knife handle in her hand.
"Well, at least I got another one plus the hammer," she muttered while tossing the useless handle on the ground.
Climbing over a dumpster that sat in their way, they were about to round the corner when a dog came bounding over to the gate in front of them. It began to bark aggressively and was now alerting the other dogs. Since the gate that surrounded them was a useful barrier, they stayed where they were and began shooting any dog that would approach. It took a few hits since the dogs moved so much, but eventually, it was quiet again.
Figuring it was safe, they left the gated area and began running past the abandoned cars and blockaded corners. They did approach a dog that was too busy munching on a body, but once it saw them, it began to charge. It had leaped up at them but was shot down by Claire's expert shooting.
"You are so fucking good at that Claire. I can't tell you enough," Veronica praised. Claire flipped her hair over her shoulder dramatically.
"I try!"
Veronica snorted before both girls were running again, following the window that would hopefully lead to Sherry. As they ran, they couldn't help but have the feeling of déjà vu about earlier in the night. Running through the city trying to get to the police station. It was weird to think it took so long to get there, then took even longer to get out and now they were out in the city again. It was a weird scary chain of events.
They ran through a basketball court and stopped when more dogs appeared from the other side of the gate. All the barking was gonna attract more if they didn't stop. It didn't help that they were trying to climb the gate after them. They shot whatever they could from where they stood before running again.
There was a big blockade mainly made by a bus in the street, but luckily for them, the door was open. Climbing on, they were met with one lousy zombie that was quickly disposed of before hopping out of an emergency exit door. They were able to find a grenade on that bus before leaving so that was nice.
"Look!" Veronica pointed to the other end of the street.
A brightly lit green gate stood in front of the windowed building. On it was painted cartoons of a blue raccoon and a red giraffe with a million eyes. Clearly, these were painted by children. The entire building was surrounded by tall brick walls, so this had some semblance of safety to it. It did remind them a bit of the station, but they paid it no mind.
"That's gotta be the orphanage!" Claire muttered in response.
Just as they were about to head over, a dog came out of the shadows and noticed them. It began barking and headed in their direction. The girls bolted over to the gate dodging and weaving any sort of leap it made. If they got there first, they would be safe. As they neared it, they could see above the gate the words 'Raccoon City Orphanage'.
That was it, alright. They ran through the gate and shoved it closed behind them. Claire took the lock and blocked the door in, just in time for the gate to be pushed at. Growling from the other side could be heard, but they weren't getting in. The two survivors panted for breath, exhaustion hitting their bodies from all of the running.
"Dude…my legs…are killing me," Veronica tried to say in between breaths while plopping on the floor. She needed a small break. Her calves were burning and her heart felt like it couldn't work fast enough. Claire was even leaning over onto her legs while trying to get air in her lungs.
"I thought running from X was hard," she finally replied after sorting herself out.
"Told you those dogs were fast."