Buffy watched as the zombies walked toward her and Leon. This wasn't the slow, shuffling walk of the classic Night of the Living Dead zombie. They walked almost like a live person, although their legs seemed a little… wobbly. God. No WAY was she gonna let this Wesker guy turn her and Leon into one of those things. She glanced over at Leon, who seemed transfixed by the sight of them. 'Kay, transfixed wasn't going to help.

"Leon! Tell me how to kill them."

Leon swallowed. "Uh…a gun is usually my preferred method."

"We don't have guns. Think of something else."

He looked at her, eyes coming into focus. Good. "We need to sever their spinal cords."

"You mean knock their heads off?"

He looked back at the zombies, his eyes narrowing. "Exactly."

Buffy ran over to where she had dropped the fire extinguisher earlier. She tossed it to Leon. "Here. Use this."

The zombies approached.

Leon and Buffy rushed them. Leon, a desperate sound coming from his throat, used the fire extinguisher to bash the first one in the head. The force of the blow knocked the head crooked. The zombie rocked back on his heels, as if stunned. Leon took the opportunity to let fly with the extinguisher again. The zombie's head was now quite crushed. The creature fell to the floor. Leon let out a whoop.

"Yeah, you sonofabitch! Yeah!"

Buffy was in the midst of battling a zombie of her own. She hopped up onto a lab counter top that was along the side of the room. She was now at the right height to give the closest zombie a good Slayer kick to the head. Crack! The head of the zombie flipped completely backwards, as if it was trying to get a good look at something on the ceiling. The zombie crumpled.

As Buffy was whooping more zombie ass, she took a quick glance up to where Wesker and Gary had been. Both were gone. Of course. Continuing the grand tradition of villains everywhere.

After Buffy downed her last zombie, she looked over to Leon's battle station, and witnessed him giving his last zombie the what-for. She cried out when she got a closer look at the zombie, but it was too late. The fire extinguisher connected with the head, and knocked something loose near the top of the extinguisher, spraying white foam everywhere. Leon threw the extinguisher aside with a loud clang.

"John!"

She jumped down from the counter. Leon threw her a startled look, breathing rapidly from the fight.

"John!" She knelt by the body of her former coworker. His head was dented and bloody from the blows Leon had given him. His neck was bent at a right angle. Buffy took a shuddering breath.

Leon asked quietly, "You knew this guy?"

Looking down at John's mangled corpse, Buffy felt a rush of anger and sadness sweep over her. God. That journal entry they had read on the computer… it mentioned someone being kidnapped when they were just leaving work. She realized now that the date had been the same time John had stopped coming to work.

"Yeah, I knew him. He worked with me on the night shift. He was the one that Hendricks mentioned in his journal." She was still looking at John's body. Sorry too late sorry too late sorry too late sorry too late… it was the same incantation of pain she repeated everytime she wasn't in time to save somebody.

"I'm so sorry, Buffy." Leon said, distressed. "Try to remember that that's not really John lying there. Just his body. Wesker killed your friend and was using his body."

Buffy knew this. It was the same thing she told herself when she slayed a vampire that wore the face of a friend. It's not really them, just a demon using their body. But still… John was dead. He wouldn't be taking that real estate broker exam now.

She knelt there a moment longer, then stood up.

She looked at Leon, all business. "Do you know if there's a cure for this virus?"

"There has to be. Umbrella would've had the scientists create one in case there was an accident in the lab."

"It must be in one of the other locked rooms."

The moment she said the words, an alarm sounded and a computerized female voice was heard.

DANGER! EMERGENCY SYSTEMWIDE LOCK RELEASE HAS BEEN ACTIVATED! ALL EMPLOYEES PLEASE EVACUATE!

Leon said, "Wesker must've released all the locks. If he did it, he has some reason for it."

Buffy agreed. "Probably a diabolical one, too. Might as well take advantage of it. Let's go."

Buffy and Leon ran to the metal sliding door. When Buffy pressed the button, it slid open. The room they entered had a row of operating table, each equipped with metal ankle and wrist manacles. Two of the table had small metal operating trays with empty syringes placed on them. This must've been where they had been infected with the virus.

Leon said, "This looks to be as good a place as any to start looking for the anti- whoa…"

Leon swayed on his feet. He put a hand on the wall. His complexion looked noticeably grayer than his usual healthy tan. He also had a line of beaded sweat along his upper lip and his hairline.

He said, swallowing in rapid succession, "I… suddenly don't feel…too good. I think the virus is… starting to work."

Buffy was concerned. Or, as some people might term it, seriously wigged out. If Leon was already starting to feel the effects of the infection, then it wouldn't be long before she did as well. The virus probably had a harder time attacking her hardy Slayer cells.

She helped Leon prop himself against the wall. "You stay here. I'm going to look around the room for the antivirus."

She ran to each cabinet and drawer, opening each one. Buffy wasn't entirely sure what she was looking for. Maybe something marked ANTIVIRUS in big letters. That would be helpful.

After awhile, she realized it probably wasn't in here. Damn. They'd have to look in another room. She hoped Wesker and Gary hadn't decided to stick around and lurk in a dark corner.

She went over to Leon. "Can you walk, Leon?"

His eyes were closed, and he was scratching at the bicep of his left arm.

"Leon?"

His eyes opened. "Yeah, I think… I can walk."

Buffy took Leon's hand, and walked to the door. It slid open. As she took a step into the room, she heard something… sounded like…

Growling.

She heard a faint click-click sound on the tiled floor.

Then she saw them.

Why hadn't anyone told her about zombie dogs?