Resident Evil: Family Ties

by Resident Blah

When investigating the dissapearance of his sister in the woods ex marine Trevor Sully faces the horror of the UMbrella Corporation...

RESIDENT EVIL: FAMILY TIES

By Gary Stark

PROLOGUE

Sharp scratching branches scraped across Sarah's arms and face as she stumbled through the woods. The moon high above cast almost no light through the thick canopy of green leaves surrounding her in thick shadows. Twigs were stuck in her hair; her eyes were big and bulging in terror. Behind her she could hear the thump of many heavy feet chasing her through the darkness. Tears streamed down her dirty cheeks as she lurched through the gloom.

            Suddenly the ground was gone and she was falling. Tumbling out of control she rolled head over heels down a steep embankment. At the bottom she hit her head on a big boulder. Sobbing she struggled to a sitting position and clutched her bleeding temple. Above her, the monsters paused at the top of the slope. Their pink skin glistened in the pale light; their exposed brains throbbed sickly. More and more appeared from the dark with their long whipping tongues slashing the air.

            She screamed, but no one cared. She saw the first licking beast pounce. It was the last thing that she ever saw.

CHAPTER 1

"ATTEND-SHUN!!"  Screamed Major Williams. Lieutenant Trevor Sully could hear every word through his window as the Major yelled commands at the cadets. He grinned, remembering his own training. He had a great laugh with the boys in his platoon all those years ago. He still longed for the old days of trooping off to exotic battlegrounds with the guys. Destroying foreign lands and killing new people! Nowadays he was imprisoned in an office because of an old wound he received in Bosnia when he was in the UN Peace Corps.

            Staring out of the window of his little office he daydreamed about the Gulf War, Bosnia and all of the Black Ops he had so enjoyed. Of course he wasn't like any of those old soldiers that loved war, quite the opposite in fact. He hated the death and destruction. But he lived for the thrill of being on the battlefield. The closest he had gotten to a real fight in the last few years was filling out reports and investigating battles fought by his younger replacements.

            "Sir, personal message for you on line one." Said his assistant Ms Brant poking her head around the side of his door. Trevor thanked her and grabbed the receiver. He knew that none of his friends of family would call him at work if it weren't serious.

            "Hello?" he said

            "Trevor, it's Tony, you've got to come home, man. Something's happened." Came the trembling voice of his brother.

            "What? What is it?"

            "It-it's Sarah. She's been killed."

           

            Trevor got emergency leave immediately and raced to the family home. His mind was spinning. How could his baby sister be dead? What had happened? Who would do something like this to a kid? The only thing he was sure of was that he was going to find who ever was responsible.

            When he reached the house there was a squad car waiting outside. He parked his Sedan and ran straight into the living room where his mother was crying. A female officer was comforting her on the couch. She looked up.

            "Trevor!" she croaked, her eyes were red and puffy, and her hair was ruffled. She jumped up and hugged her eldest son. There was a detective standing nearby. He nodded to the door indicating to Trevor that he was leaving. The woman officer followed him out.

            Trevor pulled away from his mum and said: "Where's Tony?"

            "Here I am." He said appearing from the kitchen. He put a cup of tea on the coffee table for his mum. Trevor stepped back from her.

            "Can you watch mum a second?"

            "But where are you going? You just got here!" she whimpered.

            "I just have to speak to the police before they go. I'll only be a minute." He smiled at her and jogged out of the house.

            The Detective was just getting into his car when Trevor shouted to him to wait. He closed the door and waited for him. "Im so sorry about what has happened, lieutenant Sully. I know Sarah was a nice kid." He said sympathetically.

            "Thanks, Detective…"

            "Draper." 

            "…Draper. Listen, I was wondering if you could tell me how the investigation is coming along."

            "Sir, I don't think I can divulge anything at this point. I know you have a background in investigations and the like but family can't be involved."

            "Okay, I understand but can you at least tell me what happened? The how's, what's, where's, and when's? I can handle it. I need to know." Draper sighed.

            "Alright. We're pretty sure it was murder. We found her body in he woods, it wasn't in a pretty state." Trevor nodded. "She was in the woods camping with a big group of other kids up near Tigers Point in the woods. We found all six of them nearby in a similar condition."

            "My God. All kids were killed?" Trevor was shocked

            "Yeah. It was a real mess up there. The local cops did a fingertip search of the area but found nothing out of the ordinary."

            "Any suspects yet?"

            "No. Now listen, Lieutenant, I don't want you poking around up there, you hear me? The police will find the people that did this. Don't go trying to figure it out yourself. Okay?"

            "Yeah, alright, Detective. Thanks for your help." They shook hands and Draper drove off back to the police station. Trevor walked back into house and realized that he was still dressed in his uniform. He would have to change.

           

He spent a few hours at home with his mother and brother. After his mother went to bed he quietly left the house and got into his car. He wore jeans and a black sweater under his brown leather jacket.  He could feel the bulge of his standard issue Barretta under his arm.

            The roads were almost completely deserted as he made his way up the mountain to the woods where his sister was found. Everyone was staying indoors when there was a murderer loose. The sun would set soon; the sky was pale with the glowing orb of the sun swinging low to the horizon. The cool breeze whipped through the open window of his black Sedan rustling his short dark hair.

            Eventually he reached the little car park. It was empty. Glancing around as he got out of his car he saw that a police cordon blocked off the footpath. Blue tape crisscrossed over the trees to stop people entering the crime scene. Trevor ducked under it and strolled along the trail worn into the ground by many feet. Suddenly he groaned and fell to one knee grimacing in pain. His right calf was burning. Like there was dozens of red-hot needles being jammed through his flesh. Then, as soon as it had come, it was gone.

            He staggered to his feet and brushed the dust from his trousers. That was what had kept him from active duty in the Marines and had trapped him in an office. Every so often when he least expected it his old wound would jump up and bite him. But he had learned to live with it, the pain only became unbearable if he as under lots of stress or from physical exertion.

            Trevor limped a little as he continued along the path, his feet crunched over the dried leaves and twigs until he came to a clearing. More tape was wrapped between the trees around the area. Ignoring it, he passed through into the glade.

Brightly coloured tents were pitched all around. In the centre was the burnt remains of a fire, now only a grey patch of ash in the brown dirt. There ware little flags stuck into the ground marking were the bodies were found. Looking closer Trevor realized that the ground and plastic fabric of the tents were stained with broad gashes of red, now dried and faded.

            Trevor felt almost sick thinking that it was the blood of half a dozen children, each of them no more that 15 years old. They all died along with Sarah. Their bodies were horribly mutilated…

            Shutting his eyes tightly he turned and walked away from the site. He focused his eyes into the woods and noticed another flag. It was jutting out of the soft earth at the base of a big stone at the bottom of a steep slope. The ground was dyed pink with blood; the stone was splashed with it. His vision was flooded with tears. He wiped them away and straightened up.

            They're not getting away with this. Whoever they are!!

A faint rustling startled him. Trevor peered into the rapidly growing gloom at the bottom of the slope. The bushes crackled and snapped as if someone was hiding in them. His hand slid under his jacket and rested on the butt of his Barretta. "Who's there?" He demanded. No reply. "I said who's there?"

            HHHIIIIISSSSSSSS! Trevor stepped back and drew his gun, pointing it into the darkness. Twigs snapped and the leaves rustled as the thing swaggered out into the light. Trevor was frozen with fear and disbelief. His sights were locked on the bulging, throbbing head of the strange creature that confronted him but he couldn't fire. His brain wouldn't recognize such an alien being. It lopped up the embankment on thick gripping claws. Trevor staggered backward into the middle of the camp. It stopped at the lip of the slope and was joined by another that plopped gracefully out of a tree. Another bounded over the cordon from the thick outcropping of trees past the clearing and landed on top of one of the tents tearing the fabric and bending the poles; its impossibly long tongue whished through the air flipping thick oily saliva over the ground.

            Trevor snapped out of his trance and squeezed the trigger. Two rounds struck the first monster knocking it sideways. The second and third leapt at him from both sides. Trevor tripped and fell; the two beasts collided in mid air and collapsed to earth with a smack. Shocked, Trevor jumped to his feet and sprinted for his car while the two creatures squabbled. The first monster hopped upright and lurched after him. The two ragged holes in its chest spurted blood over its pink skin. It screamed at Trevor, a terrifying screech that echoed through the trees. It skipped after him on all fours; gouging deep ruts in the mud with its long knife like claws.

            Trevor felt a strong, rough cord wrap around his ankle and pull hard. The dirt suddenly reared up and smacked him in the face. He recovered quickly though; rolling over so he was on his back he fired his Barretta hitting the creature as it pounced. It fell shrieking and died in a pool of blood.  The other two heard the shots and tore after him. His gun was aimed directly at them but as he squeezed the trigger his leg exploded in pain. Darkness crept at the edge of his vision as he fought to stay conscious as the agony took over him.

            The gun jerked in his hands as he unloaded the rest of the clip. Unluckily every round was wide, the monsters lunged at his prone figure. All he could do was raise his arms to protect himself. It wasn't enough. The bony clusters of talons swung toward his face and he saw nothing…

CHAPTER 2

Trevor couldn't see anything but darkness. Bright coloured lights began to zip and burst in his vision and a distant voice seemed to be calling him. "Waaakkkeee uuppppp… waaake up… wake up!" His cheeks were stinging; someone was slapping him in the face. He tried to raise his arms to fight off whoever it was but he was too tired. Slowly his eyes started to focus and the darkness receded.

            A woman leaned over him. She looked angry. Trevor hauled himself up to a sitting position and rubbed his head. His face was sore and wet with blood. The woman pressed a rag to his head and put his own hand on it so he would hold it. He watched her get up and go to the sink on the wall. She had shoulder length fire-red hair that was cut into layers at the front. She looked at him with distaste as he perched on the side of a narrow cot. She was very pretty, her dark green eyes twinkled; her full lips were pulled down at the corners as she frowned; her smooth brow was furrowed. Freckles were liberally dotted over her pale cheeks giving her a girlish look.

            "Who are you?" she asked.

            "My names Trevor Sully, I went to the woods to look for any clues that the police missed. My sister and her friends were murdered there yesterday. Then I was attacked by these crazy monsters and passed out. Who are you?"

            "My name is Sally Long." She sat down beside Trevor on the cot and took the rag off of his head.

            "Where are we?" he demanded. She sighed.

            "We're in a secret laboratory in the woods."

            "What? " Trevor was really confused, a thousand questions rushed through his mind; his head started to pound, as much from the strange situation he was in as from his knock on the head.

            "It's run by a secret department of the Umbrella Corporation called 'White Umbrella'. White Umbrella is trying to make biological weapons with a man-made virus that mutates living tissue."

            "Wait a minute, there was a thing in the papers last week, the S.T.A.R.S. in Raccoon City said that Umbrella made humans into zombies and the made a monster called, uh, Tyrant, I think."

            "Yeah, that was the Spencer Lab in the Arkley Mountains. It was destroyed and they discredited the S.T.A.R.S. stories."

            "Right," Trevor mulled it over. "What's your story, Miss Long?"

            "Well, I'm ashamed to say that I was a scientist here working on the T-virus. But I decided that I wanted out and tried to escape."

            "And?"

            "And- Dr. Tehran sent the Lickers to get me and bring me back. He can't afford anyone with knowledge of what Umbrella's really up too to escape alive."

            " 'Lickers', you mean those monsters?"

            "Yes, usually they are vicious and uncontrollable but Tehran uses some new kind of collars that are attached around their necks and feed into their brains. They obey his every command."

            "My God. We have to get out of here and tell someone about this. The police. He murdered my sister and a load of other kids with those things. He can't get away with this!"            "There's no way," Sally groaned. She covered her face with her hands. "I've tried already. There's a small army of guards in the compound, and if we some how managed to muddle past them then we would have to figure out were the town is from here and get to safety before the Lickers catch up with us!"

            "You don't know where exactly we are?" Trevor asked.

            "No, I was flown in by helicopter and was bind folded for the whole trip. I don't even know what state we're in!"

            "I have a pretty good idea of where we must be. The compound mustn't be far from the campsite my sister was at; otherwise the Lickers wouldn't have been patrolling there. I think I can find my way home once we get outside." Trevor got up and walked to the thick wooden door of the cell. It was dead bolted from the other side. The lock was very strong, and the door was good quality oak.

            Sally watched him examine it. She thought he must be some sort of professional from the way he scrutinized every inch, every crack, screw and joint.

            "I just thought… why didn't they kill you?" asked Sally. Trevor looked up.

            "I don't know. We'll probably find out at some point." He went back to the door.

            "Can you fight well?" Sally said.

            "Yes, I'm a Marine, actually. But I've been off active duty for a while and my legs been playing up."      

            "A Marine? Heh. If you couldn't hold your own when you were armed outside, then how are you gonna get by with out a weapon?" She grinned.           

            "Don't you worry, I can still put up a tough fight."

           

CHAPTER 3

The door flew open, smacking the guard on the right in the face and sending him sprawling onto the floor. The second turned and half drew his pistol before a fist cracked across his jaw. The force of the impact spun him around. He felt an arm wrap around his throat till everything went black.

            Trevor grabbed the guard's gun and pulled it out of the hip holster as his limp body fell to the ground. Turning gracefully he aimed the weapon at the face of the other guard as he struggled to get up. He froze, staring down the barrel. He clambered to his feet and threw his hands in the air, trembling. In a blur of motion the butt struck him hard on the temple knocking out cold.

            Sally peeked out of the cell into the corridor. She saw Trevor standing over the bodies of the guards; he was checking the magazine of the pistol. The door was cracked and splintered around the side. Trevor and found a weak spot in the wood and had kicked out the deadbolt in one try.

            He stooped down and took a pistol from one of the guards and handed it to her; it felt heavy in her hands. "Do you know how to use a gun, Sally?" he asked her.

            "Yes, Umbrella sends all their staff to a shooting class, but I haven't used one in a while."

            "It'll come back to you, here," he handed her a couple of fresh clips from the man's belt and took some for himself. She stuck them in the pocket of her jeans.

            "Now what?" she said, looking down the corridor furtively.

            "We have to get out of here so we can get to the police. Come on." He led her off down the hall. Cells lined the walls of the short jail area, at the end and to the left was the office where the jail guards were stationed. All the cells were empty, the doors lying open.

            Trevor pressed himself against the wall at the corner and looked out toward the office. Two guards were walking toward him, suspicious after hearing the noise of the fight. He quickly jerked his head back. The footsteps came closer and closer but Trevor didn't make a move. Sally was close to him; she was scared and trembling.

            The guards rounded the corner simultaneously. Trevor skilfully stepped between them and pounded them both in the gut. Doubled over they gasped for air but were knocked out as Trevor smacked their heads together viciously.

            "Whoa." Sally breathed as she stepped over their fallen bodies. They walked along to the office; Sally noticed that Trevor was limping a little. She said, "What's wrong with your leg? Did the Lickers hurt you there too?"

            "No, it's an old scar. I was shot a few years ago, it still acts up from time to time."

            She helped him into a chair when they reached the small room. It was just a box, really. A wooden partition with a big window and open door separated it from the corridor leading to the cells, and a thicker metal door opposite it lead outside. Four desks were arranged next to each other to make a big one with space for four or more men to work at, papers were strewn across the mock-mahogany top. A coffee machine and water cooler sat in the corner and a row of filing cabinets took up most of another. A grey steel gun box was bolted to the wall.

            Trevor was rubbing his calf while Sally looked around. "See if there's a key for the gun box anywhere," he told her. She nodded and continued rifling through drawers.

            Trevor's leg felt better after a few seconds and he helped her look. He noticed there was a key rack beside the door, partially hidden by a coat on a hanger. He found one marked "Gun Safe" and tried it. The well-oiled hinges opened soundlessly to reveal a shelf of four shotguns. 

            Trevor smiled and pulled two out, placing them on the desk. He then took two boxes of shells. "Take one." He said to Sally. She hefted it and staggered back. She could barely hold the heavy weapon and had to drop it back down with crash.

            "Phew. No way. I can barely lift that thing, the recoil a would blow me off my feet." She gasped, red-faced.

            "I think your right, you'd better stick to your handgun." Trevor said, checking the chamber and stuffing one of the boxes into the pocket of his jacket.

            Pumping the shotgun loudly he said, "Lets get going, we have to find our way out of here." With that, they left the office.

            Stevens sat up groggily. His head was pounding. Slowly what had happened came back to him. The prisoner had knocked him out!

            He stumbled to his feet and wobbled on the spot as the room swirled around him. When everything was clearer he lurched out of the cell area, almost tripping over Peters, and staggered over to the office. The Gun box was ajar and a shotgun was sitting on the table but that didn't interest him right now.

            Leaning heavily on the filing cabinet, Stevens slid open the drawer and pulled the radio from it. It crackled to life as soon as he hit the on switch and he began talking through it.

"Come in, come in, this is Stevens at the Jail House. Do you read me?" he stuttered.

            "Jail House, this is Control. What is your situation, over?" rasped the response.

            "The prisoners have escaped. They are armed and at large within the facility, over."

            "Search parties will be deployed and a squad will meet you momentarily – give me that!" The controllers voice changed abruptly from the cool, calm sound of the trained radio operator to the higher pitched screech of the very pissed Dr. Tehran. "Your are in deep trouble, soldier. I am holding you and your buddies down there personally responsible. You will all be dealt with once the situation is under control. Over and out."

            Stevens sank into his chair and let the radio hit the floor. He felt totally drained. Peters fell through the doorway.

            "What happened?" he asked blearily.

            "We- we're dead." Stevens managed to choke out before burying his face in his hands.

CHAPTER 4

Dr. Tehran stormed into his laboratory. The tails of his lab coat floated behind him as he passed the rows of cages. The Lickers hissed and howled at him but he paid little attention. Tehran was a short Asian man in his fifties. He wore big thick glasses and had his hair slicked tightly back.

            His lab was long with workbenches along the centre and cages for live specimens along the left hand side. Along the right hand side there were tall stasis tubes used for storing sedated creatures. They were all empty though, only the ten cages housed the growling Lickers. Tehran strode along to the far end of his lab to a computer consol against the back wall. The sophisticated PC hummed to life when his switched it on and dumped himself into the swivel chair.

            The screen burned in to show his Desktop with rows of strange operations icons. He swished his curser around the screen (which, incidentally had a picture of Mickey Mouse as the wallpaper!) before hitting the icon labelled 'Animal Control Systems'.

            The window appeared showing the stats of all of the Lickers. Scrolling past it all he clicked on the 'Release" button. The computer suddenly began to vibrate until it ejected a small credit card sized remote control from the front of the Tower.

            Tehran took the remote and glanced at the simple set up of keys on it. Then, pointing it in the general direction of the cages he clicked one of the switches and all of the screeching and bawling suddenly ceased.

            The Lickers all settled down instantly; sitting in the middle of their barred cells obediently like trained dog. Tehran shut down the computer and stood up. On the wall was the lock that opened all of the cages. He flipped the toggles one by one and watched the bars rise up and the Lickers hop out.

            Hitting another button on the remote he watched as they all fell into line like boy scouts. He smiled. Tehran pressed a button for the last time and said, "Go! Find that meddlesome intruder. Bring their cold dead corpses to me," waving his arm melodramatically.

            He knew that it wasn't his voice they were responding to. He had designed the system after all, and knew they only understood the body language of a dying victim and the electrical pulses emitted from their collars that were plugged into their brains, but he did so much love to play the villain.

            Slipping the remote into his pocket he followed his creations as they lopped out into the corridor.

            The moon smiled down on Trevor and Sally as they left the Jail House and entered the courtyard. The tarmac glistened with dew that reflected the pale light. To their left was a small hut marked 'storage'. It had a heavy-duty padlock on the door and red steel drums were stacked up against it. Ahead there was a two-storey building with only a few windows and three wide metal shutters on the ground floor. A Motor Pool, Trevor assumed.

            Floodlights illuminated the area, shining down from the corners of the buildings and from the lookout towers that Trevor could just make out over the top of the big structure.

            Surrounding the entire complex was a tall, strong, electrified fence. Beyond it the dark forest was forbidding.

            Trevor grabbed Sally by the arm and pulled her into the shadows as heavy footsteps clattered toward them. Five soldiers dressed in black burst out of the gloom and into the bright light of the courtyard, each armed with powerful looking rifles that projected beams of red laser light onto the ground.

            Missing the two fugitives completely the soldiers went straight for the Jail House. Once they were all inside Trevor lead Sally away as quickly and quietly as possible. Dipping and dodging, they ran around the side of the biggest building, past a humming electrical generator and to the front gate.

            Two tall towers stood either side of the gate, each had two guards in it and a strong searchlight that swept across the complex and road on the other side of the thick steel barrier.

            Trevor and Sally stood directly under the towers so the guards couldn't see them. The metal fence and gate were about ten feet tall. They could easily climb it if only it wasn't electrified.

We have to figure out a way to shut off the generator so we can climb out.

He looked back at the generator assembly they had passed. It was enclosed in a safety cage but the door was unlocked. They could sneak in and sabotage it. While the guards tried to figure out how it was done and where they were, they would be over the fence and lose themselves in the trees!

            "Stay here," Trevor said to Sally. She nodded and crouched down against the towers support. "Don't touch the fence. But when I give you the signal you have to climb it and run into the woods. I'll catch up with you, right?"

            "Okay, be careful."

            Shotgun at the ready, Trevor slinked off toward the Generator. His Military training shone through as he gracefully avoided the swinging spotlights. Sally marvelled as he ducked and rolled behind barrels and stepped easily into the shadows to miss the light by inches.

            CRASH! The door of the main building exploded outward throwing dozens of creatures into the night hissing and screaming. The disgusting pink skinned aberrations bounced around the courtyard snarling at Trevor. The spotlights snapped from their usual lazy sway to follow the action.

            Trevor dropped to his knee, hoping that they didn't know he was there, but some how their eyeless faces could sense his presence. They began to converge on him. Trevor knew immediately that they weren't messing around. He didn't want to get caught out again by those things like at the campsite so he made the first move.

            There was a colossal boom as a blast from his shotgun demolished the nearest creature. It flipped over backwards and flailed around in its death throws. They all went for him at once after that first shot. One leapt from the side and caught a glancing blast across the abdomen. Another pounced before Trevor could re-cock so he smacked it across its drool-coated jaw with the butt.

            The next, though, managed to hit him; knocking to the ground; the shotgun clattering on the concrete.

            As the Licker rose its talons ready to plough them into Trevor's flesh it squealed and tumbled off of him. Trevor sat up, amazed. Bang-bang-bang! The gunshots rang out as Sally sprinted out of hiding to help. Trevor didn't hesitate; jack-knifing to his feet he snatched the shotgun and cocked it menacingly.

            "STOP!" The Lickers ceased their snarling and backed off. Tehran jumped out of the building shouting and waving his remote around at the beasts. Trevor kept the barrel firmly pointed at the throng of monsters as the little Asian man strolled toward him. "One wrong move from either of you and your both dead." He smiled.

            "We could take you out right now before you hit the switch." Trevor said with bravado in his voice.

            "I think not…" A huge grin played over his face as he pointed to the towers. Trevor glanced over his shoulder. Sure enough, about six red laser sights danced across Sally's chest and his.

            "You'll never get away with this Dr. Tehran. Umbrella has already started to split apart at the seams since the Spencer Estate disaster last week! The S.T.A.R.S. won't let it drop. And neither will we!" Sally said.

            "Oh, there are already measures being taken to shut the S.T.A.R.S up for good." His shark like grin grew as he fiddled with the tiny remote. The Lickers encircled the two of them. "Won't you join me indoors? We have plenty to talk about."

            Trevor tensed, about to fight. He was definitely  gonna kill that smug little bastard. The stress of it all started to take its toll on him again, though; the pain began as a dull thud and instantly bloomed into a stinging agony that seemed to burn his entire leg. Trevor grimaced but bore through it.

            One of the Lickers slashed the shotgun in two with its mighty claws. Sally dropped her handgun when the same one raised its arm to her and they all led them into the main building behind Tehran.

CHAPTER 5

Trevor and Sally were herded through the broken door of the building, past the Motor Pool full of cars and motorbikes. Up some stairs were the Labs; the single flight came to a narrow corridor that ran the entire length of the building with doors branching off it at regular intervals.

            The Lickers' claws scraped and scratched across the lino floor as they trooped along; two in front and the rest behind. Tehran walked ahead of them. When they reached the last Lab he stopped and spun on his heels. The remote was waved at the Lickers and they began to bounce off into a lab leaving only four to cover the two prisoners.

            "Follow me, please," Tehran said. He went into the Lab and the creatures forced Trevor and Sally in. Sally noticed that Trevor was limping a little.

            "Recognize this place, Dr. Long?" Tehran asked Sally.

            "Of course, Doctor. It's my old Laboratory. But I won't be working here any longer," she replied. Her mouth curled up into a wry smirk. Trevor was suddenly worried.

            "Yes, my dear," Tehran continued, "You've certainly earned your promotion." They both grinned at each other now. Trevor watched, astonished, as Tehran hit the button to make the Lickers clear a path for her. He gave her a little bow as she walked up and stood by his side.

            "What's going on?" Trevor demanded.

            "Why, isn't it obvious?" Tehran paused, either for dramatic effect or to prompt Trevor to figure it out for himself. He didn't. "We didn't know why you were snooping around in the woods tonight, so instead of killing you on the spot we had my Lickers capture you. Dr. Long here volunteered to be my mole and pretend she were a captive as well."

            "My sister." Trevor practically shouted, " You had her and her friends killed in the woods. Why? She wouldn't have posed any threat to an organization like this. Why didn't you just let them go?" His whole body was trembling with rage.

            "Company policy," Sally sneered. The innocent, conscience-plagued scientist was gone, replaced by an evil shadow of a human being.

            They seemed almost ridiculous standing side by side. The tiny man was towered over by the average height woman. Sally's red hair was ruffled and dishevelled and her freckles made her look a bit like a naughty schoolgirl. Tehran had kept nice and neat, his hair perfectly oiled back, his big glasses caught the light so you couldn't always see his dark eyes.

            Tehran turned to her and said: "So what did you learn?"

            "He's an ex-marine, kicked off of active duty because of his bad leg. He was just up in the woods looking for clues about his sister's death at the hands of our creations."

            "Hmmm. Marine? Well, that gives me an idea." Tehran used the remote again sending three of the Lickers out of the room. The remaining one backed him against the wall, hissing angrily; its tongue snaked out between its dagger-like mandibles dripping thick saliva on the floor.

            Tehran and Sally sauntered through the door, Tehran paused saying: "I will let you two kids get to know each other."

            With one last click of his remote he laughed manically locking the door behind him. 

* * *

            Trevor cried out as the Licker smacked him against the wall. The thing was impossibly fast. Hissing horrifically it leapt into the air, slamming its claws into the wall an instant before he moved. Trevor dashed to the other side of the long laboratory as the creature tugged its deadly hands from the smashed tiles. He looked around desperately for a weapon of some kind but there wasn't much.

            Its claws crunched to the floor when he found a tray of surgical scalpels. Taking a handful he began to toss them one by one as it readied itself to pounce again. The pathetic blades jabbed into its thick skin but fell out as soon as it took flight. It didn't even shed a drop of blood from the tiny pricks.       

            Trevor ran again, the Licker slid across the stainless steel counter top that ran the length of the room, throwing papers and smashing vials and flasks. Its flailing tongue slashed him across the shoulder. The blood ran down his back in torrents soaking his sweater. The pain was nothing compared to the throbbing in his calf. The burning sting from his old wound made him light headed and sluggish and he had to limp heavily; not a good thing to have to do when your being hunted by one of those monsters! 

            Trevor remembered some training he had received about how to deal with dogs. It was the only thing he could think of to keep it at bay; he pulled off his leather jacket and wrapped it around his right forearm. If he could get it to bite the leather he would be able to stab it in the head or throat with his last scalpel.

            Backing away from it, he held is arm outward. The Licker was having none of it, though; instead it began to climb up the wall by sticking its claws into the tiles.

            " Whoa!" Trevor gasped as it expertly bounded from the far wall to the high ceiling right over him. He quickly lunged under the counter hoping that it couldn't get him. He was wrong; the scarlet tongue speared through the metal like a lance; missing Trevor by almost nothing and scrapping the floor. It roared in a high-pitched squeal that made Trevor's ears ring and jabbed again. The writhing cable impaled his arm below the elbow. He screamed and clutched the ragged hole.

            The Licker plopped onto the counter just as Trevor rolled out and ran for the door. It hissed jubilantly. It had tasted blood and was lining up for the final kill. Bent down on all fours it gnashed its teeth and swished its tongue back and forth in front of him. Its whole body was tense; Trevor could the see its ropey muscles twitch and slither under its pink skin.

            Clasping his arm to his chest and resting on one foot he prepared for the inevitable. The thing dragged itself forward. Bounding off of the tabletop it flew at him. Trevor jumped to the side at the very last possible second letting the beast crash through the door into the corridor.

            As it lay dazed on the broken door Trevor stepped over the wreckage and ran away down the hall.    

            The cages clanged shut as Sally them locked down from the wall-mounted panel. She walked over to Tehran who was replacing the remote in the PC at his desk and shutting down the Lickers control protocol. At his final keystroke the creatures snapped out of their trance and began to prowl around their containers like wild animals again.

            "What about the last one in my lab?" Sally asked him.

            "I have left it active so that once it has finished with its victim it will go to sleep. We'll let it have a little fun then put it back in the morning."

            "So what now? I know you have plans for this technology." She asked.

            "The project is finished. I will be travelling to Racoon City to share my findings with Doctor Birkin there."

            "Oh? Who will be in charge of the facility while you're away?"

            "No one. The locals are getting too nosey. The camping children and Mr Sully have only emphasized that. I have called Head Office, they are sending a cleanup crew to dismantle the compound and reassign the men."

            "What about my promotion? Will I still be…"

            Crash!  

            They both turned to look at the door. Tehran stood up and strode to it. "What is going on out there?" He swung it open and stepped into the corridor.

            He could hear footsteps clattering down the stairs but his attention was focused on the neighbouring Lab. The Licker was lying in a heap on top of the splintered remains of Sally's door. Dazed, it staggered to its feet a looked at Tehran. Hissing menacingly it began to advance on him. Its exposed brain throbbed and its whip-like tongue slashed the air as the terrified doctor backed away into his laboratory.

            "What is it?" Sally called to him. Tehran turned and ran to her screaming.

            "Get the remote!" The Licker sprang through the doorway landing on the tiny mans back. He fell to the floor crying as its claws dug into his back.

            Sally gasped and darted around the table to the computer. She tapped at the keys desperately trying to release the control as the monster split Tehran's skull open. The blood oozed out over the floor. Her hands were trembling as she struggled to remember the passwords.

            The Licker roared at her and charged; knocking over the desk and computer it impaled Sally on its tongue and tossed her twitching body to the floor.

            All of the Lickers in the Lab hooted and howled as it began to eat its kills.  

           

CHAPTER 6

The wires sparked and the engine roared to life. Trevor allowed himself a quick smile as he jumped out of the jeep and jogged to the door. Flipping open the steel box mounted on the wall he hit the switch and the metal shutter began to slowly rise.

            Slamming the jeep door he gunned motor. There was a screech from the tires as the car shot out of the Motor Pool into the courtyard. He skidded in circles till he got his bearings then took off straight for the gate.

            The rattle of automatic fire reported from the towers, chopping up the tarmac and rattling off of the bodywork. Trevor went as fast as he could through the hail of bullets. A massive fireball erupted behind him. One of the rounds had found its way to the barrels near the storage hut turning them into an uncontrollable blaze that quickly spread to the Jail House and nearby labs.

            Faster and faster the jeep sped toward the gate. Trevor's foot was on the floor. He braced for impact. The heavy vehicle smashed through the chain link fence sending a shower of sparks into the air. The electric current flowed through the outer shell of the car, but the rubber tires stopped it being earthed, protecting the occupant from harm. The metal skittered across the ground as the guards rallied at the hole firing at his rapidly fading taillights.

            The road soon joined onto the main highway, the same one Trevor had taken to get there. He spotted his own car still parked were he had left it but carried on past. He tried to dress his wounded arm as best he could while still steering.

            He reached the town after about ten minutes and headed straight for the police station. Two uniformed officers who immediately stopped the dirty, bloody man from barging in met him at the door.

            "Let me go! I have to see Detective Draper right now!" he said struggling.

            "Hey! What's going on?" Draper came out of the Incident Room into the lobby. "Mr Sully? What's wrong?"

            Draper took him in and closed the door of his office. " I know what happened to my sister. You have to come with me into the woods."

            "Hey, hey, slow down a minute." They both sat down, "Now tell me what happened to you from the start."

            "Okay…I went up to the woods tonight."

            "I thought I told you…"

            "I know, but I just had to check it out." Draper sighed but motioned for him to continue. "When I was up there I was attacked by these mutants called 'Lickers'. They knocked me out and took me to this secret compound own by the Umbrella Corporation where they make monsters. There are about twenty soldiers up there as well; this guy called 'Tehran' ran the whole place. He was to behind the kids murders, he ordered the Lickers to kill them cause they camped to close."

            Draper looked sceptical. "Mr Sully, know that you've been through a lot since your sisters death, but you have to appreciate how hard it is for me to believe something like this. For instance: why didn't my men find this compound in their search of the area?"

            "They probably didn't go close enough, but the kids would have explored all through the trees. Listen, you have to send a S.W.A.T. team up there."

            "Im sorry, Mr Sully, but I can't scramble S.W.A.T. just to chase up this story of yours when you don't even have any evidence."

            "Evidence? What about this hole in my Goddamn arm? Or the shot up jeep outside?" He slumped forward and ran his hand trough his hair in frustration. "Okay, but at least let me show you and a squad car where it is in the morning."

            "Fine, You can take us up to the woods tomorrow morning, now go and get your arm seen to."

EPILOGUE

Trevor stared at the trees as they raced past the window of Drapers car. The squad car followed close behind them as they drove up the mountain. The sky was overcast; the black clouds hung low over the town threatening rain.

            The car slowed at a brake in the trees, Trevor could see his Sedan in the small car park, just as he had left it.

            "Not here, the road comes out of the woods further up, I passed here on the way back." Draper nodded and carried on. After a few minutes Trevor spotted the road, partially hidden by the undergrowth that was encroaching on it.

            They got out and began to walk into the forest; the uniformed cops followed along after them.

            After a few minutes the trees began to clear. "Its right around here." Trevor said. Draper and the other cops drew their weapons and stalked ahead of the unarmed Trevor.

            "Sully, what is this?" Draper demanded from out of sight. Trevor limped around the corner to see what he was talking about.

            The compound was gone. The big Lab building, the Jail House, the towers and the electric fence were all gone without a trace. The only remnants were a big area of paved ground. Old dilapidated picnic benches were lined up in rows, the wood rotted and dirty. A rusted set of swings and a chute were at the far side and a bent steel signpost read 'No Dogs".

            The bullet holes in the ground had been widened to look like potholes; the burnt embers of the buildings had been hosed away. The site looked just like a deserted picnic area.

            Trevor felt light headed. He couldn't believe that it was all gone. There wasn't a scrap of evidence to link the murders of what happened to Trevor to Umbrella at all.

            Draper and the cops holstered their guns and began to walk back. Draper paused beside him and said, "I don't know what really happened to you, Lieutenant, but I know that you believe what you told me." He put a hand on his unhurt shoulder, "We're going to keep on with our investigation, I suggest that you forget about this and try to put it behind you. I'll take you home and have someone come to get your car."

            "I'll be along in a second." Draper nodded solemnly and walked back to the cars with the others.

            Trevor gazed out at the picnic area. He knew that Draper thought he was nuts, but he wasn't. It happened. Umbrella had killed his sister and all the other kids. They think that they're smart, hiding the facts and messing with people's lives. But it's going to stop now. He's going to take Umbrella down, blow them wide open and make sure they're held accountable. 

            Maybe Draper could put him in contact with the S.T.A.R.S over in Raccoon City. They had had a run in with Umbrella. He would need all the allies he could get…