Chapter 3. "A price to pay."

Claire turned the corner and felt a bizarre mix of relief and sorrow at the sight of the melting metal right in front of her. She hid her face and took a small breath through the fabric of the purple coat, she felt her skin flush and tighten from the heat. Sparda checked the place as she was ready to put it out, it seems to him the fire wasn't as bad as she'd feared. More smoke than substance and not much taller or bigger than they were. The flames that was eating up the wall and painting in golden-red, it seems it was stopped by the heavy wood of a half-smashed door. Claire bend her head to the side and coughed over the horrible sight.

The smoke started to rise to the ceiling and now, and she had to squint to see in front of her. The place was not engulfed yet but Sparda did not fret over it took much as he kept a clam posture. Claire took comfort in that while she pulled a safety pin out of the extinguisher.

It was the front of the chariot that drew her attention. A blackened corpse of the pilot still strapped to the seat. The melted lips frozen in a silent scream. All the features to identify a person by the look of their face was not possible. Just charred flesh over bone remained.

Claire jerked the metal loose from the handle and aimed the hose at the burning floorboards, where the flame wished to consume all. She squeezed the lever down and a hissing plume of snowy spray whooshed out, blasting over the debris in a powdery cloud. Barely able to see through the billowing whiteness, she directed the hose over everything. Within twenty seconds, the fire appeared to be out, but she kept up with the extinguisher until it ran dry.

At the last spluttering cough of spray, Claire let go of the handle and took a few deep breaths. Sparda came closer to cockpit and took a look at the corpse inside and what was around it.

Claire walked to a nearby door and gently tapped the handle. It would sear to the touch so she shook her head as Sparda saw her walk away from the door. With nothing that could be revealed by the corpse, Sparda decided it was time to move on.

"Wait." He said and pushed her to the side, Sparda clenched his fist and with a breath he punched the doorway as half of it splintered into pieces. Sparda's skin did not split against the wood as Claire noticed his undamaged fist.

Claire drew her weapon, more afraid of what might be waiting behind the ruined door.

They were in a short, empty hallway, littered with jagged pieces of splintered wood and it was slightly foggy of smoke. Sparda was not bothered by the smoke that annoyed Claire's eye but she cannot linger for longer than she has to. There was a door at the end to their left. Claire moved toward it first, as much to get to a better fresh air and not really much care of where to see where it will led them.

The plain door at the end of the hall was unlocked. Sparda pushed it open, ready to fire at anything that moved. Both Claire and him stopped, feeling mildly shocked by the bizarre atmosphere of the room. A large office decorated with an extravagance that bordered on the ridiculous. The walls were lined with heavy mahogany bookshelves and matching tables, surrounding a kind of sitting area made up of padded leather chairs and a low marble table. All neatly arranged over an obviously expensive oriental rug. An elaborate chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a rich, light over it all. The reflections of the light reminded Claire of sometime like a disco ball. Framed pictures and delicate vases were situated throughout, but their classic designs were overwhelmed by the stuffed animal heads and poised, lifeless birds that dominated the room, most gathered around a massive desk at the far side.

'What the...?' Sparda knew this had to be the throne room for the leader of the king's men, it had to be. This kind of luxury must be of someone of great decorative careers. Laid out across the desk, was a beautiful young woman in a flowing white gown, her inners torn out of her abdomen.

Claire couldn't breathe, the whole room was something out of a ghost movie... and when the high-backed chair behind the desk spun around suddenly. She barely held back a shriek of terror, half expecting to see another creature they need to fight. But it was only a middle aged man with a gun, pointing at them. The man lowered his weapon then gave a relieved smile.

"Please forgive me," he said. "I thought you were another one of those zombies."

He smoothed his bristly mustache with one thick finger as he spoke, and although Claire had never met him before, she knew who he was. Chris had told her about him often enough. She wanted to talk but Sparda was ahead of her, he leaned into the desk and addressed the man. "My name is Sparda, Tell me everything happened here? Who caused all of this? When did it begin? I will not be surprised by anything you speak of."

Though the man was shocked at the sudden reaction from the silver man, he held his tongue as he looked over Sparda's shoulder.

"Are you Police Chief Irons?" Claire asked, trying to sound respectful as she stepped closer to the desk.

"Yeah, that's me," he said smoothly, "and just who are you?"

Before she could speak, Irons went on with the bitter, petulant tone in which he spoke. "No, don't bother telling me. You'll end up like all the others..."

He trailed off, staring down at the dead woman in front of him with some emotion that Claire couldn't place. "Mister Sparda I do not have an answer for you. I was simply coming to work as usual, when everything went crazy."

"You are not honest." Sparda replied, causing Irons to look back at him shocked. "I see it in your eyes. Who is this woman?" Sparda nodded to the corpse.

Irons bit his lip. "That's the mayor's daughter. Just look at her. She was a true beauty, her skin nothing short of perfection. But it will soon putrefy, and within the hour, she'll become one of those things." Irons took out a bottle of alcohol. "Just like all the others."

Sparda eyed the woman one more time. Yes it's horrible for her to end up like this, but it's not the time to grieve. "I do not know when it started, I just saw it happen. Now leave me alone please." Irons waved Sparda away.

Claire rolled her eyes and chose to turn back to the side room and check what was going on, with Sparda following behind. The man took out a glass and poured himself a drink that crossed his legs on his table. Sparda looked at him one final time, and Irons just smirked at him. Still defiant.

Once the two went inside the dimly lit room, they heard the unmistakable footsteps running in the other side.

Claire held unto her gun, worried.

"Someone is here, but not like the others." Sparda whispered, going forward for over a red curtains. To his surprised there was a kid hiding behind the sheets.

Claire turned on the light and by reflex the little girl ran passed them. Claire though was fast, she grabbed her arm and stopped her in the spot.

"Easy, we are not monsters." She spoke to the struggling girl, it took a moment for her to finally calm down and embrace Claire. Quivering in fear. Claire went slightly down to hold her better.

Sparda knelt down on his knee to the level of the blonde girl. "Fear not child."

The girl let go of Claire and looked at him. "Who are you guys?"

"I'm Claire Redfield, and this is Sparda." Claire spoke gently.

"Now introduce yourself little girl." Sparda said.

The girl put her hands behind her back, a gesture many kids do when they are shy. "I'm Sherry Birkin, my mother told me it's dangerous to stay at home and I should be here with the police."

'Sherry Birkin,' the name he heard it before from that sandy haired guy, and if what he thinks it's true then...

"She's right, but the police is not much safe either. You should stick with us okay?" Claire held her hand for the girl.

Though the moment was interrupted with an animal-like scream in the distance.

"It's coming for me, for everyone." Sherry said fearfully backtracking."That thing walked out of the lab."

"Sherry wait…?"

In mere seconds, she vanished through an air duct, and there is no way Claire will ever know where to find her in this place. She felt like stomping her foot but that does nothing to help.

Sparda crossed his arms and sighed, still he cannot confirm much. " What is a lab? I really want to know, what did he or they do? Maybe someone made a contract with a demon."

Claire's expression changed into a bit of annoyance, "Okay seriously I have to say this, you are a weird guy. A lab is a place where people develop medicines for the sick, do testing." Claire rubbed her forehead. "There is no such thing as demons. I am beginning to think you woke up from a coma or just a diehard role-player."

Sparda raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you absolutely sure about that?" He asked with a smile.

"Of course," she said with her hands on her hips. "I could accept this madness happening, but demons? That's just stretching it."

Sparda put his palm on his mouth and laughed quietly.

Claire was both confused and something else she could not described, it was more so on the infuriated side of the emotional spectrum. She cannot take her eyes off of him, the way he laughs, it adds to how much handsome he was. Still it was a shameful thoughts she cannot help, the man is married, not to mention older than her.

"What's so funny?" Claire attempted to downplay her anger.

He looked back at her with those cyan-blue eyes. "No offense. I find innocence to be truly charming quality. It amuses me."

Claire looked away, in an attempt to hide her obvious blush. "Yeah... we need to move."

Claire had hurried back to Irons' office, hoping that he might be able to tell her where the duct let out, but Irons was nowhere to be seen, along with the body of the mayor's daughter.

Just gone.

Claire stood in the office, uncertain of what to do next, she wanted to find Chris. She wanted to walk out of here alive with Leon and the strange Sparda who is related to her by far. Now there is little girl alone and something worrying more than zombies is walking in this place. So much to do in this place but just the crazy factor was mentally taxing.

A giant mess indeed, and she started to wonder if she really can get out of here alive. Her thoughts were stopped when there was a hand on her shoulder.

"If you talk to someone, you will release your soul from the pain. You can trust me." Sparda lightly smiled.

Claire stared at Sparda for a moment, indeed he did keep his word. He never left her behind in this place, not to mention his wife is a nice woman, she won't go with a horrible husband.

She took a deep breath and sat on one of the chairs there. "I had nice parents, and a nice life like any kid long ago. But when I was 11 my mom died in a car accident and..." She paused to gather strength to say it. "My father changed, he never kept his promises to me. He would tell me that he would watch me perform in school. He promised he would be at my graduation. And promised to protect me." A tear drifted down her right cheek. "He never kept his word. One day I was robbed and the guy beat me so much I got a couple of scars, I thought I was going to die that day and my father was nowhere to help me. My brother Chris found me and kicked the guy down."

Claire took a deep breath. "I moved on. I cannot stand hollow promises." She stopped and titled her to the side, allowing herself a moment of tears.

Sparda was speechless, her words struck a nerve. It reminded him of his non-existent relationship with his sons. Dante and Vergil probably hated him to the point they do not want be around him. Sparda had a cause that he needed to fulfill for the greater sake of humanity. He needed to make the demons take the bait and follow him and did work a majority of the demon population.

Sparda wrapped his arms around her, without really waiting for her give an okay. "My apologies." He whispered. To think about it, she is almost the same age as his children.

Claire at last felt relieved, getting all these words out of her chest was indeed something she needed. A strength washed over her, and she was ready to face this horror happening here. She did not let herself cry too much, tissues does not need to become a priority.

A heavy, vibration rattled through the ceiling, making the light in Irons' office tremble. Claire reflexively looked up. There was nothing to see, though it was a voice Sparda knew for it was heard before.

The two went to the office door that opened into the corridor, where the helicopter crashed. The rotor blades remained wedged into the concrete of the building as the roof held together due to the crash. Didn't stop the cockpit from fragmenting leaving a trapped pilot to burn and then be crushed under the weight. He was in so much shock, the pilot did not scream in pain.

Claire stepped back and refrained to see what was left of the pilot. Sparda's hand stopped her, he did not say anything but he nodded at something.

Claire froze and heard a massive splintering of wood, it was so loud it made her jump in fear. It was followed by the thick, steps of someone who must be large moving in front of them, where they needed to go.

The biggest man Claire had ever seen stepped into view. He was dressed in a long army-green overcoat. A thick utility belt was wrapped around his waist, and though she didn't see any weapons, she could feel the danger aura radiate off of him. She could just make out his sickly white blur of a face, the hairless, sloping skull - and quite suddenly, Claire explained this with one thing, he is a crazy person or something who enjoyed killing.

"Identify yourself!" Sparda addressed the man, even though deep down he knew it was not a human but something else not sure what it was. The man didn't make any sound, not even a moan or a breath, just a calm frown. Eventually, it decided to charge at the two.

Claire immediately ducked and moved behind the man. She got the chance to escape. Sparda ducked down and watched the forearm of the large man crush the concrete wall. The dust just emanated from the hole as the man stared at Sparda. Like a bull, it scoffed at Sparda as it turned around from the attack.

Claire was about to go through the door to the waiting room, but she noticed Sparda didn't move. He stood still watching the slow man come closer to him.

"Are you crazy, let's get out of here!?"

The man charged with both of his hands again, however, instead of dodging Sparda accepted the challenge. He clenched his palms in the fists of the large man. The two attempted to force the other to back off. "Is that all you got?" Sparda said with a laugh. He did not have to hold unto the man's hands much, because he did not prove much challenge to him. The man couldn't even push him a little off the spot.

Sparda pushed the hands off and he followed it with his knee slamming harshly into the large man's jaw, making it squirm and fall on his back.

Claire watched in silence. Eventually, Sparda noticed the large man was giving its all and so Sparda obliged. He relented some of his grip and as the large man forced itself forward. Sparda let his shoes slide back as the force generated was enough for Sparda to throw the man over him. And do the street outside the police station.

Dusting himself off, Sparda returned to Claire. "Come on, we're wasting time."

The two went through the waiting room and out to the wide main hall of the police station.

'I wonder where Leon is,' Claire wondered.

Sparda went over the railing and pointed at a double door down, "The room down there is dangerous, many creatures can crawl through the broken windows. We should go to the other side and check this floor."

Sparda decided to shed some optimism. "Maybe the girl could have found a good hiding place."

Claire nodded. "My brother's office is in this floor, I went to check it out." The two went ahead in silence and rounded left, the hall was deathly silent their own footsteps echoed through the place. Sparda took out his guns and touched the handle of the double door, before he opens it, Sparda gazed back at Claire.

She simply held unto her gun and nodded at him. Sparda kicked the door open and entered first, with his guns ready and aiming at anything dare to come out.

They were in a wide yellow-goldish library, right in front of them there was three steel shelf modified to move within a certain ground. There was a door in the left and next to it a stairs leading to more book-filled shelves. "I think I want to check some of these books."

"Sure, I will be in my brother's office, just down the hall." She replied.

"Remain vigilant." Sparda eyed the books as the two moved past the shelves. Claire wanted to role her eyes.

She nodded and went through the door out. The S.T.A.R.S. office was empty at least what she thought, it was abnormally cold and layered so it made it easy to spot which book has been in use lately. But Claire was reluctant to make a move.

To see the desk where her workaholic bother would linger, was somewhat comforting. Although she was still anxious to help Sherry and find Leon, she could remember the occasions she would heckle her brother.

'Where are you, Chris? Why did you leave me behind?'

She went to the desk in front of the S.T.A.R.S. emblem, the desk she assumed belong to Wesker. The word messy is not enough to describe it. Someone must have rummaged through it like an angry person with a mop.

"What happened to them?" She uttered to herself.

...

Sparda took five books from the nearby shelve and place them on the table ready to check bits and pieces of it. But the moment was cut, his nose caught a familiar scent.

"My child?" He whispered with so much happiness. "He is here!" He did held himself back, he needed to think rationally.

He should not leave Claire behind. His smile grew in his face, it's a good chance for them to meet her. She is kin to their mother after all.

Sparda felt his whole body shake.

He sprinted after Claire, through what it seems to be a resting room for warriors to have a drink and take a break. Right out of there he was in a dark-grey silent corridor. The S.T.A.R.S office was almost close to the end of the corridor. He kicked the door open, Claire inside immediately jumped and aimed her gun at him. Once she realized who it was, she let out a sigh of relief.

"You scared the hell out of me." She put her hand over her sternum.

"My apologies, come on, my child is here."

"Is it Dante?" She said with a smile.

"Did you meet him before?" he asked.

"Yes, when we were 10 years old. He was a mischievous little devil I gotta say, I remember the horrible pranks he pulled. I wonder how Miss Eva could have handled him. Vergil though was more mannered boy." She said with her mind going back to the good memories, when they were normal happy family.

"And this has escaped your memory?" Sparda's shoulders dropped.

"Well it was only a theory of mine. I did not want to get your hopes up." Claire responded in deadpan honesty. She found a box of handgun ammo and placed it in her vacant pouch.

Sparda just squinted at her as he remembered the scent. "Let's go now."

Claire nodded and followed him, the two were going back to the library and right out to the main hall of the station.

Though Sparda stopped over the railing, confused. Right down the hall there was a young man wearing a red trench coat with a decorative broadsword as his back. The young man immediately looked up sensing Sparda.

"Is that you Dante?" Claire sprinted and rounded right, to the middle of the floor and pressed for the steel rail to help her go down to him.

Dante appeared to be confused at first, but once Claire was down and in front of him, his mind flickered. "No way!" his jaw dropped. "Little Claire bear?"

Claire could not help it but to laugh. "How are you doing you annoying little idiot? You've grown up so much." She said with an opened arms.

"Miss Killjoy herself." Dante said with a chuckle, his eyes trailed up and down, enjoying the view of her form. "Oh my you have grown gracefully." He seized her by the wrist, pulling her against him. To her it felt awkward than she could have imagined it. They were no longer children. Sparda walked down the staircase as Dante looked up and the two locked eyes.

"My dear son." he whispered.

Dante let go of Claire and turned his focus to his father. "I was told there is high demonic energy here, never imagined I will see you." Dante's tone was cold. Sparda caressed his cheek and without much spoken he pulled him into his warmth. Still desired to lift the tension, he let go of his son.

"Is Vergil here with you? How is your mother? I have many tales to tell you all, of why I left and what I did."

"Yeah, I want to meet Miss Eva again," Claire added.

"You don't know anything?" Dante asked.

Dante looked at the floorboards. "Mom is dead, they killed her... right in front of me..." His voice turned brittle in the end.

10 Years Prior

Dante stood in tears as Eva was struggling with a red looking demon, charging with its large scythe against her.

"Dante!" She screamed.

Dante sobbed and bared his teeth. The boy jumped upon the demon and fought with it with all of his might. "Leave my mother alone." Eva got her chance and she pulled the shotgun and blasted the demon's head.

Dante fell atop of the headless demon. The blood that drifted out covered part of Dante's chest. He fruitlessly beat his hands on the corpse. It did nothing at all as he felt his mother's hand help him stand up.

"Dante, find your brother and run, please for me." While Hell Vanguard appeared behind her.

"Mom!" Dante screamed. Eva gasped and spun around with her gun ready, but she was not fast enough. The demon charged with its scythe and slashed through her. In the moment of clarity, Eva whispered over her bloodied lips.

"Run my child." As she collapsed in two pieces.

"Mom?"

Present Time

Claire's heart sank. "Oh dear god. I'm so sorry, I never knew."

Sparda was silent at first, once the first tear broke free, the rest followed in an unbroken stream. Sparda paced back and forth, blubbering and laughing mirthlessly.

"Father?" Dante called out to him afraid of what was happening in front of him, so much power is radiating from him it's overwhelming. Without hesitation he held Claire's arm and ran with her to the closest door in the main hall.

"What are you d..?"

"Talk later, run now!" Dante screamed and kicked opened the double door. Once the door closed behind him she stopped to take her breath, however she did not get a chance to talk. Dante once again dragged her along and to the other side.

Sparda stopped in the middle and let out a mind numbing scream. Energy mixed with flames erupted from him all over the hall, melting the receptionist's station in seconds, like a work of a volcano. Black spots painted the whole place… Through the smoke the handsome Sparda is nowhere to be seen. Instead there was a creature a slightly larger than human size, vaguely insectoid demon with clawed hands, a scaly hide, a pair of downward facing ram horns, chiropteran beetle-like wings underneath, hooves for feet and reptilian spikes protruding from his spine. He growled, an intense and paralyzing sound, eyes shining in anger as he flow up and broke through the ceiling.

The demon landed upon the rooftop of the police station, he flow over again and he screamed again summoning a white blades in a circle around him.

The demonic voice broke through the city of the dead.

...

Claire came through in spite of Dante advising her to get away. She heard voices but unsure what to think of them. The hall was empty and she sensed the chill in the air, her eyes gazed up and saw the large hole in the ceiling, and the burn marks are all over around her."What the hell happened here, did someone played with a flame thrower or what?"

"Sparda?" She called out to him as loud as she can. At the corner of the destroyed reception she saw him. Claire sprinted, worried. It must hurt so much to learn your loved one is gone.

"Are you okay?" She asked. The very first thing she saw was the signs of tears in his pale cheeks.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, I cannot imagine how it feels." She knelt down to him.

The eyes of Sparda, just glowed at her.

..Thank you for reading, I hope you liked this..