"Hello? Is anyone here?"
There was no answer. Not that Leon had really expected one. The immense main hall of the Raccoon City precinct lay stretched out in front of him, a large R.P.D logo on the floor. The lights were on, that was something. If the power had been cut he wouldn't have stood a chance of surviving.
A large section of the hall was taken up by a huge statue and fountain display, which seemed quite out of place - to him anyway. Near this was a reception desk. Three doors, two on the left and one on the right were visible. Looking up, Leon could see the narrow second story walkway, and beyond that the faint outline of the third.
It was deserted. Nothing, not even a single drop of blood. It was as if no one had ever existed in here. Leon wasn't sure if he would have rather had more of the zombies wandering around then absolutely nothing. The silence made him even more uneasy. He kept a tight grip of his handgun.
The shotgun was on his back - similar to where an archer would have his quiver of arrows - in a makeshift holster he had managed to put together. The weapon had proved too cumbersome to hold, impeding his running. Besides, given its limited ammunition supply, he wanted to save it for emergencies. There was no telling what else could be crawling around in here.
He checked the bolt he had just thrown against the main doors again. The doors were strong and the bolt made from solid steel, the zombies had no chance of breaking that down. That made him feel slightly better. Except for the fact he was now essentially, a prisoner. With all those things wandering around, he sure as hell wasn't going back outside.
Now I just have to find Claire. The way she went, she should be able to come through the back way. I'll have to try and work my way back there somehow
Leon began to walk towards the reception desk, his footsteps echoing through the still air. It had been a hell of a job just getting here. He'd stuck to the alleys, but even then had been confronted many times by zombies. Some had been wearing the remnants of street clothes, while many had police uniforms. That scared him even more, and the thought of going to the precinct didn't seem so safe anymore. Still it was the only logical place to go. Besides he had to find Claire.
The new ammunitions he had been feeling so good about just a few minutes ago were dangerously low once more. It had been his last hope that the station would be a safe haven, that something might actually go right! As soon as he had arrived and been able to simply stroll through the doors he realized that wasn't going to happen. The place seemed empty. There were two possibilities: either the force had somehow managed to evacuate in time, or…
The second possibility was too grim to consider. He absently glanced at the inscription carved below a small round hole in the fountain as he went past.
To obtain the key to open your heart, I'll wait for the Unicorn, the beautiful beast
The statue was of a young woman, but personally he thought the whole thing was fairly tacky. Just what kind of quote was that? Then again, why was he even worrying about that given his current situation? He pushed it out of his mind.
The wooden reception area was sparsely decorated. A desk was littered with various files and folders. A telephone stood in one corner, and a computer in the other, it's monitor casting a dull glaze over the desk. What caught Leon's eye was the handgun cartridge on the desktop, which he quickly retrieved.
That's one good thing about being here, I should be able to pick up some ammo fairly easily.
He turned his attention to the computer. He had learnt a little in his only previous visit here, including how the security system worked in the station. They couldn't just have anyone walking into the offices of course; electronic locks were employed. This terminal controlled these. Each door also had manual locks that could be engaged, but almost everything was computerized these days. The status screen glared back at him
DOOR LOCK CONTROL
EASTERN OFFICES - LOCKED
WESTERN OFFICES - UNLOCKED
INFORMATION & RECEPTION - LOCKED
LOCKED DOORS CAN BE OPENED WITH A KEY CARD. PLEASE CONTACT RECEPTION FOR MORE DETAILS
Well at least I've got one choice. I won't get far if I can't get one of those keycards. Only a few cops have them, if I remember right. Either way, no point standing here any longer.
"Lets' find out what's behind door number one." His voice echoed across the hall, but he was the only one who could hear it.
******************************
The western office confirmed his worst fears - the station had been overrun.
Leon could see immediately that this place had been a battleground, perhaps only a few short hours ago. The office looked like a mini tornado had just passed through. Several desks had been set up as feeble barricades near the doors, which obviously had not worked. The walls were riddled with bullet holes. The blood was the worst of it. The stuff was everywhere, and the air stank of death. This had been the scene of a heroic last stand.
Jesus. I don't even want to know what happened here. There's no bodies though. What happened to them?
A sound filled the room. A faint cry. Not another zombie as he first thought, but a sound he heard before. Someone in pain.
He saw him then, a large black man sitting on the floor, his back against one of the crushed steel lockers. Leon had been so preoccupied with the destruction of the room that he hadn't even noticed him at first. The front of his R.P.D uniform was covered with blood, and he held a gun in one hand. At his feet was the corpse of another zombie. One look at it and Leon could tell this one wasn't coming back to life anytime soon. It was riddled with bullet holes.
Leon knelt down by the cop, who sensing movement opened his eyes. He started to raise his gun but checked it when he recognized another human. His breathing was shallow, and his face etched with pain. A faint smile crossed his lips. Leon didn't recognize him… but then again, he'd only met a few people here last time. Whoever he was, he was messed up pretty badly.
"You picked a bad time to arrive my friend." He looked over Leon's uniform. "You must be the rookie they said was starting tomorrow. I was supposed to get you settled in. Leon Kennedy isn't it?"
"That's right." Leon replied. "Are you okay?"
What a stupid question, of course he's not okay. I'm not okay. Nobody around here is!
"You shouldn't have come here Leon. This place is almost finished. Soon those zombies will have completely taken over." He grimaced in pain. Leon saw the deep wound in his chest where something had bitten him. It looked almost like he had been mauled by a pit bull. A trickle of blood appeared from the corner of his mouth as he spoke.
Leon realized the cop was dying. He knew he shouldn't press him for details, but he had to know what was going on!
"Can you tell me anything about what's going on? Where are these things coming from?"
"It happened a couple of months ago." The other man began to speak slowly, gasping as his body tried to fight the terrible wounds. "There was a series of murders around the outskirts of the city. Hikers mainly. A couple of survivors claimed there some kind of mutations running loose out there. Eventually they sent the S.T.A.R.S in. They uncovered a secret lab in an old mansion nearby. It was run by… Umbrella."
Umbrella, the pharmaceuticals company? All those rumors about that virus they were working on… could they have been true?
"Most of them were killed in that mansion. A few managed to get out and expose Umbrella for what they really were. Jill, Barry, Rebecca, Brad and Chris. Their story was so astonishing that no one here really took them seriously. They claimed Umbrella was working on some kind of virus: one that could produce bio weapons. It also turned people into these zombie things. The lab was destroyed by an explosion, so they had no real evidence… just what they had seen"
Of course no one believed them. I wouldn't have either, but after what's happening here… Chris, that must be Claire's brother. Well that's one piece of good news. He survived.
"Irons didn't want them spreading wild stories around, so he temporarily suspended all S.T.A.R.S from duty. There were suspicions he was on Umbrella's payroll… but nothing could be proved. Then yesterday these things started appearing in the city. It was the beginning of the end for us."
He winced, one hand covering his bloody wound.
"Hang in there buddy. I'll help you out of here." Leon started to try and help him up but stopped when the man grabbed his arm. His grip was still surprisingly strong.
"It's too late for me Leon. I wouldn't stand a chance out there like this. We both know that. Plus that thing…" He gestured to the corpse on the floor. "It bit me. You know what that means. It won't be long now." There was no fear in his voice, just a dull acceptance.
"Don't give up. There could still be a way out of this!"
The wounded man reached into his pocket and withdrew a small blue piece of plastic. "Take this Leon. It'll unlock the doors in the main hall. Somewhere in here there has to be more survivors! You're the only chance they have to get out."
Leon pocketed the keycard. Now he had access to more rooms, and he would hopefully be able to link up with Claire. Still he couldn't just leave this guy here to the mercy of whatever came along next.
"I'll rescue them I promise. But I can't leave you here. You're coming with…." His voice trailed off as he suddenly found himself staring down the barrel of a pistol
"Go!" The cop cried out, much louder then Leon would have thought he could. "I can't resist it much longer! Get out of here now you fool!" He was making strange noises and writhing about in pain, the gun shaking. Leon realized there was nothing more he could do here now - except maybe get himself killed. He turned and bolted out the door, never looking back at the man crying in agony behind him.