Chapter 1

Murder on the Ecliptic Express

Hey! I've finally got the next chapter of "Resident Ink" up!

As I have stated in the previous chapter, there will be differences between this story and the Resident Evil games.

I don't own anything except for Benny (And a few OC zombies.)

Benny led her brother to the side of their boxcar, careful so as to not alert anyone. She was ready to go, but there was no way she was going to let Boris, nor herself, run to freedom hungry. This was a fancy-looking train, like the kind she saw in a detective movie once. The one where the main character had a funny-looking moustache. And if it was like that train, there must be a special car where there was something to eat. Carefully, she grabbed the side door and was surprised to find it slide open with ease. Boris' eyes widened as the scent of death grew stronger. The sudden rush elevated his fear, causing him to instinctively grab his sister by the sleeve of her hospital gown, making her stop. Sensing his touch, the demon turned to look at the wolf pup and became concerned at the sight of her brother's fear.

"Boris?"

Boris didn't say anything at first, only taking in a few sniffs of the air before looking down. Down towards Benny's feet. He saw something that made him go pale and caused is body to shake. Concerned, Benny followed Boris' gaze and her blood went cold. At the sight, she understood why Boris looked so perturbed. On the ground were the two guards that were stationed to keep tabs on the transfer, lying flat on their stomachs and unmoving. Carefully, Benny slid out the boxcar, her feet touching a combination of rough gravel and soft, wet grass. Boris stayed in the car; his eyes focused on the two guards.

As much as she wanted to marvel at the long-forgotten sensation of grass beneath her feet, Benny kept her focus as she knelt down and moved one of the bodies. It was a human man, early to mid-thirties, dressed in the company fatigues. Only there were multiple lacerations that speckled across the exposed parts of the body, eyes rolled back and muscles limp.

He was dead.

Benny had seen death often. Usually when she had to kill something during the combat tests, whenever she died and had been resuscitated after an overdose, or when she passed down a corridor and another group walked by with an occupied, covered gurney going in the opposite direction. She was able to smell the stench of decay like what Boris had smelled, yet she noticed something was off about the body when she touched the corpse.

There were little-to-no traces of blood on him.

Carefully removing her hand from the corpse, Benny examined the other body: a weasel male with the same clean lacerations. Some of them had chunks of flesh torn off, revealing the bone and viscera inside. It was as if something ate each bit of flesh before draining him dry. The clouds parted a minute later, allowing the moon to give her a better look. She saw something shine on one of the wounds and carefully touched it, Boris shaking in his spot as he watched. As soon as she made contact, Benny lifted her hand and used the moon to see what she had touched. The substance was clear and slimy, like the slime trails they saw snails excrete when the two of them were children.

"But there's no way this was done by snails. So what could have done this?"

"C-can I try something, Ben?" Boris meekly asked.

Benny looked at her brother, confused. She was about to open her mouth to tell him "No," but the look in his eyes told her that he had an idea and this may be the best chance for it. Despite her inner protests, Benny let out a slow nod.

"Ok, Boris. Just…be careful coming down."

Boris nodded, carefully sliding down from the boxcar, tugging at his blanket to keep warm against the chilling night air. Once he was on the ground, he carefully passed the first body before kneeling next to his older sister. Once he was close, he sniffed at the substance on her hand, Benny watching him warily. She knew how strong Boris' sense of smell was and was completely aware of how reliable it was. What she was worried about was what could have made the slime and if there were some sort of adverse effects in it.

As Boris took a few sniffs, that dirty, bloody, wet smell returned. It was coming from this substance and he knew what to make of it immediately. His ears flattened fearfully; his tail curled between his legs as he looked to the demon girl.

"It's bad. Really bad."

Benny didn't urge him to speak more. She didn't need him to explain. Something dreadful happened to these guards and if that was the case, then perhaps the other passengers met a similar fate. Wiping the slime onto the grass, Benny looked towards her brother, keeping an eye on their surroundings.

"Well, we got two options, now. The first option is we run now. Run as fast as we can until we can find someplace to hide. Maybe even find a town. The downside is that we'll be hungry and who knows when we'll be able to eat. The second option is to find the kitchen car, grab a quick bite and some canned food, then run at the risk of being discovered. Either way, we need to keep our guard up in case whatever did this is nearby."

Boris wanted to run. Taking in their own surroundings, he saw that they were in a dark forest in the middle of the night. Already a scary atmosphere. Add the two bodies and the screams they had heard earlier and the desire to run was wavering. They could be safe in the darkness of the woods, his nose guiding them to civilization. Yet, the light of the train kept whatever's lurking out here at arm's length. The protesting knot in his stomach, however, had made his decision for him.

"L-let's go inside. We need to eat and I want us to stay near the lights."

Benny didn't argue with him. Her own hunger was making itself a pain and while she could starve herself for a little while, Boris was still a kid and he needed to eat. Eyeing the train, she nodded in agreement.

"Ok. We'll start from the back and work our way towards the front."

A sudden thought brushed her mind and made her look back down at the dead guards. Whatever caused this was clearly deadly and despite their long rest period, Benny didn't want her, nor Boris, to use their abilities unless there was no choice. Carefully, she removed the belts, each one having an empty gun holster and a knife holster, knife inside. Benny decided that if they ever came across a gun, they would use the holsters. She handed one of the belts to Boris, who took it with surprise.

"We better have these on us. I don't like going in without something to protect us."

Boris agreed fully, feeling a bit better as he wrapped the belt around his waist.

"Maybe we can also find some better clothes inside. It's too cold to be in this gown and I'd like to have a pair of pants for once. Same goes for Benny. We can't let anyone know we're escaped test subjects."

"We should find some clothes, too." He muttered aloud, his sister hearing him.

Benny agreed. Aside from food, proper clothes were in order and the sudden breeze against her exposed backside chilled her, thankful that she had fastened the belt just in time.

"Come on." She said, pulling out her knife.

Boris did the same, though his grip with the small blade was weaker-looking compared to Benny's. It was no surprise. Of the two of them, Benny had endured more combat simulations and training than he did. While he was glad for his knife, the child inside wanted his older sibling to protect him and fend off their unknown foe. They checked the length of the car, watching for any shadows in the light until they were at front. Seeing no shadows but still wary, Benny grabbed a door on the side of the car and slid it open. She stepped inside before turning around and grabbing Boris' outstretched hand, helping him up. Boris kept his gaze at their backs and his nose in the air while Benny opened the door.

Warmth greeted the pair as they stepped inside. The room they entered in was a small alcove with a set of stairs leading to a second floor and a steel door in front of them. Benny approached the door and looked inside. To her relief and delight, there was a kitchen. From what she could see, it was in a bit of a mess. But if she could find some canned food and a can opener, they'd be set. She reached for the door, only for it to not budge, succeeding in making her frown. The frown grew as she looked at the light above the door and saw that it was red, indicating that the door was locked and the lack of a knob indicated it was an electric door. Benny didn't want to go back outside if she could help it, taking in the soft, warm sensation of the carpet and the shelter of the car itself.

"It's locked." She finally spoke, letting Boris know the situation.

Boris had heard her, but his attention was on the small desk at his left side in front of the stairs. It had a pot of flowers on it, some petals had fallen and dried up already. It held a nice smell, but that wasn't what Boris was focused on. It was a piece of paper and his gut was telling him it was something important. He picked up the paper and, having only finished kindergarten when he and Benny were brought to the facility, brought the paper to her.

"Benny? Can you read this?"

Confused, Benny turned around and saw the note in Boris' hand. She understood. Boris just barely learned how to read and he practiced whenever he could find something. Benny, however, was a third grader when they were made test subjects and had more experience with reading.

"Something I hope to change once we're safe."

Gently, she took the paper and read its contents aloud in a soft voice, wanting to keep themselves hidden as best as they could.

"When closing the dining car, supervisors are asked to switch off the automatic doors after ensuring all staff have vacated the car.

The main automatic door's power switch is located on the roof of the fifth car.

Inspections will take place when the train is garaged.

After inspections are complete, use the ladder at the rear of the second floor of the dining car.

Umbrella Corp.

Maintenance Department."

Boris tilted his head, confused. Some words he got, others he didn't. Benny, however, was quick to put the pieces together.

"Looks like one of us will have to go on the roof and find that power switch."

It was a thought they didn't like, but if it was the only way to get food, they would have to find a way to the roof. A draft from a nearby vent blew across their bare legs, reminding the siblings that food wasn't the only thing they had to look for. Looking at the door they came in from, they both decided on the same thing, but it was Boris who voiced it.

"Let's check out the rest of the train and find something to wear."

Benny agreed, taking point again. As they exited the dining car, Boris sniffed the air again. The smells he had sniffed before were still there, but he sensed something else. It was an aroma he remembered from when he was small, back when he used to be afraid of storms.

"Smells like rain. Must be a storm coming."

Benny grimaced. They had to hurry and find the things they needed and find some cover before the rain came. Experience with water-related tests had taught Benny that if they remained in the cold rain for too long, they could get sick. And this time, there were no doctors to help them get better. The thought made her realized the gravity of the situation.

"I have to take care of Boris, now. I'm his big sister. It's my job to look after him and keep him safe."

Benny was well-aware of the second part, but the first part had grounded her. No one was coming to take care of them and after a decade of "care" by the Umbrella scientists, it was going to take a lot for her to trust someone. To allow them to take care of them like they were normal. And she was 18. A legal adult according to some of the creepier staff that, thankfully, never got a chance to touch her. She was an adult with a child to take care of.

Carefully, she helped Boris cross the connector, telling herself that once they got settled somewhere far away, she will do everything in her power to provide for her little brother.

Neither Benny nor Boris saw such an extravagant sight. Nine rows of comfortable-looking seats lined both sides of the car, each with a beautifully embroidered pattern at the spaces where people rested their heads. The walls were made of a fine brown wood that shone like glass. There were compartments over the seats for storing small luggage and a row of beautiful small chandeliers lined the middle of the ceiling in a straight line. However, the only lights that were on were the small rectangular lights that were glowing over all of the doors, bright enough for them to see, but not enough to be uncomfortable with. Golden ornaments that had some sort of design on them decorated the walls that the front and back doors were at. Windows lined the car, giving the pair a view of the forest around them.

"Whoa…" Boris whispered in amazement. "This looks better than any cell we lived in."

A smirk graced Benny's lips, finding some humor after a long time.

"Maybe we should steal this car. Make a house out of it."

Boris knew Benny was joking, but still liked the idea. The problem, though, would be getting it off the tracks and into wherever they wanted. Not to mention that despite the beauty of this place, the foul odor he had been smelling lingered as if it was painted on the walls. Still, he appreciated his sister's sense of humor.

The pair walked down the aisle, Boris stopping once to feel one of the seats. It was soft, yet firm. Like a pillow he used to have a kid. Even though he had a nap already, Boris was tempted to sit in one of these chairs and try to sleep in it. Benny, meanwhile, looked at the smaller cases for clothes. Nothing but papers. Some of them having already fallen on the ground. As they got closer to the front, a horrible question knotted itself in her stomach. One that changed the peaceful mood of the quiet car back into the cold dread from before.

"Where are all the passengers?"

Out of sheer instinct, Benny activated one of the virus' in her body and the result was almost instant. The virus went after the cells that made up part of her body, particularly the upper body, and began mutate a few. Those few cells quickly divided and multiplied until a black liquid began to form on Benny's body like sweat. The "ink," as the scientists nicknamed it, poured down her arms and Benny willed the substance to take shape. The ink reached her fingers and began to thicken, gathering at her fingers and elongating them, becoming more solid and sharp. The cells that were used to create this viscous liquid were also quickly replenished thanks to a secondary virus, preventing the demon from turning into a puddle before the razor-sharp talons finished forming.

It was a technique Benny had discovered when she was young and the talons became her best weapons in unarmed combat. Birkin theorized that the virus had targeted the part of the cell that contained untapped magic, despite the concept being laughable. Even Benny found the theory ridiculous. If she had magic, then why couldn't she use it to escape earlier? She didn't want to think about it back then and she didn't want to think of it now. It was part of her and she intended to use it as she saw fit. She flexed her fingers, making sure that the talons had finished solidifying before turning to Boris.

"Stay close and keep that knife on you."

Boris nodded, keeping his grip on the knife. He had rarely seen his sister use her abilities unless he was present during one of her tests. Each time, it was like he was watching those old cartoons he'd see as a little kid. Only Benny looked drained or in pain from the use. If she had to put herself through that suffering again…

The wolf pup shook his head as he followed Benny into the next car.

This car looked similar to the one from before, but there were a few differences. The first was the staircase that led to another layer of the car. The second, however, was that the car was occupied. There were several people and toons that were slumped in the seats, unmoving and limp. The bad smell from earlier was stronger here mixed with the pungent odor of rotting meat. It was coming from these people. As much as they wanted to joke about how these people must not have showered for a long time, this wasn't the moment. The sound of a faint voice caught their ears, leading Benny and Boris towards the center of the car.

As they got close, Boris looked at one of the seats to his left. His eyes widened at the sight of a human man in the same condition as the two guards outside. The man's eyes were milky white and his skin had rapidly rotted, the rotting smell coming off of him. Frightened, Boris grabbed Benny's arm, gaining her attention. She was also disturbed by what she was looking at and kept up her guard.

"It's ok." She whispered as she shifted her black pie-cut eyes downward to the source of the sound.

It was a hand-held radio. Carefully, Benny picked up the small device. It reminded her of the walkie-talkies she used to have as a kid, back when the only fighting she had to worry about was with the pretend enemy soldiers that her friends tried to be.

"I wonder how they are now? Did they even notice I was gone?"

She looked around, trying to find the radio's mate.

"These could be useful. If Boris and I get separated, we can talk with these."

As Benny looked for the second radio, Boris kept his gaze on the dead man. There was something…off about him. Something the wolf couldn't put a finger on. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Benny looking around. This finally got him to pry his gaze from the corpse.

"W-what are you looking for, Ben?"

Benny held up the radio, still looking.

"The second radio. We can use these."

It was a good idea, but before Boris could even speak, a shuffling sound caught his ears, causing him to return his gaze to the corpse. And his heart leapt to his throat as he saw the dead man stand up and slowly began to stagger towards him, a low moan escaping the corpse's throat as he reached for the boy.

"B-Benny!" Boris cried out as he shakingly held up his knife at the walking corpse.

Hearing Boris' distress, Benny turned around and was also shocked by the sight of the moving cadaver. Tossing the radio onto the seat, Benny held up her claws and her knife.

"Get behind me, Boris!"

Boris did as he was told, but turned around as he heard another series of groans coming from the back of the car. To his horror, two more of these seemingly-dead passengers, a dog and another human, were at the other end of the car, staggering and groaning like the carcass before them. Hearing the moan, Benny growled.

"Well that's just great!"

As the first corpse got close to her, Benny returned her attention to her assailant and dodged out of the way, grabbing the thing by its coat and tossed it onto the ground with all her strength. The thing groaned before Benny plunged the knife into the thing's throat, slitting it. The thing let out a dying gasp as she grabbed its head and twisted it for extra measure.

With the first thing dead (a second time), Benny turned her attention to the two encroaching dead guards. She snarled at the sight of them and hated what she had to say next.

"Boris?"

Hearing his name, the terrified wolf turned his attention to his sister. He kept silent as she readied herself to strike.

"I might need some help with this one. I can normally take on two with no problem. But this train car is going to make it difficult. If I call for you, I'm going to need you to be brave, ok?"

But before Boris could ask, Benny charged at the two monsters. She quickly slashed the first one's face with her claws, stunning it as the second creature made a grab for her. She recoiled, but found herself being grabbed by the first monster. Benny began stabbing at the creature's neck, trying to get it off before other one could grab her, the first one trying to bite her arm.

Boris was scared. How could he not be? All he wanted was just some simple food and clothes. Not this! And now, Benny was fighting for her life as she struggled to fight the two decaying males. He wished he had said that he wanted to run instead. They could have been far from this nightmare train and maybe never see this.

"Boris!" Benny cried out, clearly having a hard time.

Hearing her voice snapped Boris out of his thoughts. He could go over this later. For now, he had to help his sister! Gritting himself, Boris charged at the rotting dog, baseball-sliding between his legs before quickly getting up, turning around, and leaping onto the weasel's back. The dog staggered as it tried to grab its attacker, but found it couldn't reach him. With the dog distracted, Benny was free to take out the first corpse while Boris respectively stabbed the dead dog in the throat, tearfully begging it to fall whilst trying not to inhale more of the rotting stench. In a matter of moments, both monsters fell, dying groans escaping their lips as the Drew siblings moved close to each other, both of them afraid.

"I…I thought they were dead." Boris whimpered, tears flowing down his cheeks as he held onto his sister.

Benny held him close, allowing him to pour his fears onto her as she tried to comfort him. She had been trained in combat, but she had never fought anything like this. In fact, now that she got a good look at them, they reminded her of those scary movies she would secretly see whenever she managed to stay up late. What were they called? Benny shook her question out of her mind. It didn't matter. All that did was that she needed to get some things with Boris and get the heck out! If these guys were monsters, then the whole train must be full of them.

"Out of one nightmare and into another."

Grabbing the radio with a mental note to look for the other one later, Benny motioned to the front of the car.

"Come on, bro. The sooner we find what we need, the sooner we can leave."

As much as Boris wanted to protest, to stay where he was until the waves of fear calmed inside him, she was right. The sooner they got clothes and food, the better. Benny took the lead again as they entered the next car.

It wasn't like the ones from before. No sign of any more of those monsters, but there was broken glass here and there. Seeing this, Benny frowned.

"Be careful. Broken glass."

Boris didn't need her to say anymore. They watched their feet as they followed the corridor that circled two rooms. Seeing that there were no monsters, Benny grabbed the first door and opened it.

It was a sleeper car, made evident by the bunk beds at one side of the room. There was a table by the window where a lamp was lit, allowing them to see that the entire room was a mess. The corpse of a canine toon laid flat on the bottom bed. Frowning, Benny made her way to the corpse and, to make sure that they wouldn't get a repeat of what happened in the previous car, cut the corpse's neck and snapped it. Meanwhile, Boris looked around, trying to shake off the overflowing emotions that built up a few minutes ago. On the table next to the lamp were two items that caught his attention. The first was a red box about the size of a block of soap. Carefully, he picked it up and carefully read its label while Benny grabbed the suitcase from above and began to rummage through it.

"P…Para-bell-um 9mm x 19 l-lu-gar high power bull-ets for handgun."

Boris' eyes widened as he figured out what the words meant. Carefully, he slid open the box and saw that he was right. Inside the box was were, indeed, bullets! Though neither of them had ever touched a gun, to find ammunition for one was definitely a good thing! Boris closed the box before turning his attention to an open book on the table. But before he could examine it, Benny's voice shifted his attention.

"Ok. Let's try these on."

The demoness held up a white button-up shirt and a pair of brown slack before handing them to Boris.

"If they don't fit, we'll think of something else."

Nodding, Boris took the clothes before showing his sister what he had found.

"I found some bullets, Ben. These might be useful. There's also something else on the table."

Hearing this, Benny looked at the box and saw that it was, indeed, a box of bullets. She grinned as she ruffled her brother's hair.

"Atta boy, Boris! Definitely a good find!"

Boris beamed with pride as he handed her the bullets and made his way to the other side of the room to change. Benny placed the bullets aside, happy at her brother's find, and grabbed another set of clothes. She found a button-up shirt, a sleeveless undershirt, and a set of dark blue pants and quickly put them on. They were a bit big on her, but she didn't mind. She rolled up her sleeves until they reached her elbows and used her talons to cut the end of the pantlegs as they were too long. Boris, however, filled out better, him being taller than Benny despite the age difference and having a different frame.

It felt good having normal clothes again and both quickly discarded their hospital gowns before Benny turned her attention to the book while Boris decided to find anything else that could be useful. Benny frowned as she read the book's contents.

July 14th

Orders came from the boss, today. Looks like we're in charge of investigating the remains of the Arklay Mountains laboratory. We're moving in two groups. The initial group is assigned to start checking what's left of the abandoned experiment.

July 16th

Unfortunately, the test production of B.O.W. (Type-Y139) had to be suspended because of this investigation. It's the same with Type Y-139. There's still so much we don't know about the crustacean t-virus. There's a lot of interesting research left…

Depending on the species and nurturing conditions, only minute doses of "T" bring about remarkable changes in solidity, size, multiplication of internal toxins, and brain development. If these effects can be controlled, a powerful weapon could be produced. But the sudden development of the shell results in corresponding fragility. Certain areas become exceedingly weak. Problematically, one of these areas is the head carapace.

This lab we're going to – were they pursuing the same research? It would certainly help to find data and samples that would help us in our research.

June 19th

The day is finally approaching… I am growing more anxious. The Raccoon City newspapers and TV stations are full of reports about the bizarre murders in the suburbs. I can't be the virus, can it?

No. I can't think of that now. I have to concentrate on this investigation and make sure it goes smoothly.

A chill ran down Benny's spine. An investigation? A mysterious experiment? Murders in a town possibly near here? They were unnerving, but it was the mention of the T-Virus that made Benny's stomach drop. It was the same virus Birkin had been testing her with a week ago. The last time she had an overdose, it was with that particular virus. And Boris had gone through the same tests.

"Now that I think about it, didn't I see them inject some dogs with that virus? And if so…"

She didn't want to think about it. Whatever was happening in this "Raccoon City," it was their problem. Hers was getting herself and Boris away from here and promptly escape.

"What did the book say?" Boris asked, having found nothing.

Benny looked away from him for a moment before she chose her words.

"A diary of some kind. This guy was investigating something. An experiment. I don't think he had seen it, whatever it was."

With that, Benny took point again and led Boris into the next room. To their relief, this one was empty of corpses, living or otherwise. The beds were at the opposite side of the room and, once again, the two began to scavenge. A green plant caught Boris' attention. Upon examining and smelling it, his tail wagged.

It was a Green Herb! He had these before whenever he was recovering in the facilities. The doctors kept them for experiments and to craft into medicines. But with the experiments he and Benny had gone through, just ingesting the herbs healed them quickly depending on the size of the wound and how much of the plant there was. The Green Herb was the primary healer of the three he knew of. Mixing it with a Red Herb would increase its healing capabilities, while mixing a Blue Herb with a Red Herb made an antidote to some poisons.

"We're definitely keeping this and any more we find."

Benny, meanwhile, a paper on the bottom bed that had some blood splattered on it. She picked it up and carefully read it, a process made difficult by the blood. But she was able to put words together, even if some of the letters were obscured and the paper was torn.

Investigation Orders: 8 miles north of Raccoon City, in the Arklay Mountains, lies our company's Management training facility. It was shut down years ago. Now, we are conducting a preliminary study into the reopening of the facilities.

The following orders are re- Will-m Bark and 1s-

She couldn't make out the rest. Yet, Benny felt that the obscure name was a reference to William Birkin. Not wanting to think about that bastard, Benny tossed the note aside before speaking to Boris.

"What did you find? All I found was a beat-up piece of paper."

Boris held up is prize and Benny's face gained a grin.

"Alright! You're on a roll tonight, little brother!"

The wolf's tail wagged quickly as pride filled the demon. Things were looking up, monsters be damned. After finding a messenger bag that Boris slung over his shoulder, he removed the Green Herb from the pot, wrapped it up in a clean cloth he had found, and placed it in the bag along with the bullets. With that done, the two exited the room and continued to examine the car.