Chapter Sixteen
The cablecar slowed to a halt outside Central Station. The place had been nice once, but the recent changes the city had gone through had affected most fo the buildings in the center of town. Winston checked his watch, it read 8:50PM, he glanced up at the station clock. The cover was cracked and the hands indicated the time was 6:15PM. A loud bang erupted from the rear carriage, followed by a metal crash. Winston and Dr. Stern soon found out it was the motor. The oil had run out, a wire had melted and one of the fuses had blown.
"Doesn't really matter, no-one will be needing it anymore." Winston took one last look at the elderly vehicle. Then he turned his attention to the task at hand, retrieving Ecto-1. Winston and Dr. Stern walked through a small park are that turned out to be "Lonsdale Yard." However the name didn't matter much to either man, as long as Winston's plan went right they wouldn't be staying long there. They soon found themselves walking through a cluster of buildings.
"We're nearly there, these buildings are the Raccoon City Hall." Dr. Stern stood and looked around for a few moments before continuing on.
"I'd only been here once before, but then the place seemed more alive." Winston faced Dr. Stern to explain the plan.
"Right, when we came into Raccoon our car suffered some mechanicl problems and had to be taken to the Stagla Garage. I'm going to go up there and see if it's in good shape and if there's a clear route out of the garage. You can come with me and check out the gas station, or you could go to the RPD, however I'd recommend you come with me simply because there's safety in numbers."
"Don't worry, I wouldn't walk around alone in the place if the Sixty-thousand Dollar Man was here." Winston and Dr. Stern moved North towards the gas station. Winston opened the gate and gasped at what he saw. He was actually amazed that the place hadn't gone up in flames yet. Winston moved towards the gas station, it looked normal except for the smashed up cars littered all over the place and the leaking gas. A bus was blocking the road entrace to the front of the garage, but the main shop's shutter wasn't down. Winston moved through the maze of smashed cars and entered the shop. The door made a happy jingle as the bell rang.
"That bell is really out of place now." The lights in the mechanic's workshop were on so Winston and Dr. Stern entered the room. The mechanic stood a few feet away from them and next to the mechanic stood the fixed Ecto.
"Hey you survived? Good, we'll take you with us when we leave." The mechanic didn't answer. Now that Winston thought about it, the mechanic's overalls were dirtier than usual. Something more than oil and grease was stained on the blue material. The mechanic turned to face Winston and Dr. Stern.
"Oh my." Dr. Stern stiffled. The mechanic started to shuffled towards them, drool and blood falling from his mouth. Though his most noticable feature from becoming a zombie was the eyeball swinging from the optic nerve. Winston started to look around for a weapon, something that wouldn't ignite the spilt fuel. He suddenly remembered that he'd picked up the dead guard's gun.
"Dr. Stern get ready to run."
"Why?"
"Because if the gun ignites the fuel then we won't have much time to get out." Winston raised the handgun, switched off the safety, and uttered a silent prayer. The zombie stumbled slowly towards Winston, Winston pulled the trigger and the room was filled with the loud bang as the bullet shot out of the barrel, hiting it's target between the eyes. The corpse stopped, moaned softly and collapsed to the floor. The ping of the metal casing sounding too loud. Nothing else happened, Winston looked around.
"What happened?" Winston couldn't believe it.
"The fuel didn't ignite? the fuel didn't ignite!"
"But we're not out of the woods yet, we now have the car. But we have to find the guys, last time I radioed them they were at the RPD. That's where we're going next." Winston turned to go back into the gas station's shop, but stopped at the door when he heard paint cans being knocked over on the shelf.
"Shhh, someone's here." Winston raised the gun and jumped through the doorway.
"Woah! Hold you fire, I'm not one of them!" Winston stared at the woman.
"Then don't act so suspiciously." Winston switched the safety back on.
"Who are you anyway?" Winston sat down on the counter.
"I'm Amy Weathers, I work at the Umbrella Sales Office."
"There's no point telling me where you worked, as soon as I can find my friends we're all leaving Raccoon." Winston moved towards the door.
"If you want to live then follow me." Winston dissapeared into the night, followed by Dr. Stern and Amy.
***
Peter was staring out of the second floor windows like he had been doing beore going to the bar, apart from the change of natural light there were a few other differences with the view now and then. The first was the large numbers of fires burning out of control, the second was the total lack of sounds of modern transport or human activities.
"Peter!" Peter turned to a see Ray stood in the doorway leading in to the corridor.
"Peter I'm glad to see you, we thought that you were still out there." He pointed out of the windows into the chaos below.
"No, as soon as the place I was drinking was attacked I made my way here, but this building and this town are like a maze, most of the main roads have been blocked by roadblocks or wreckage."
"Well, we'd better go find Egon just to let him know you're alive." Peter wore mock suprise.
"Spengs missed me? Wow, I can't believe it. God bless us everyone!" Ray gave Peter a warning glance.
"I'm suprised you knew that line after you spent so much time hating Christmas."
"Ray for your information, I now love Christmas. I can't get enough of it, but if we're gonna live to see this Christmas then we need an escape plan."
"And what have you thought up?"
"Me? Winston should have been thinking it up, after all he's the one who does that kind of thing."
"You made a plan to beat Nexa."
"I was forced into that, I was the only one around to think of a plan."
The cablecar slowed to a halt outside Central Station. The place had been nice once, but the recent changes the city had gone through had affected most fo the buildings in the center of town. Winston checked his watch, it read 8:50PM, he glanced up at the station clock. The cover was cracked and the hands indicated the time was 6:15PM. A loud bang erupted from the rear carriage, followed by a metal crash. Winston and Dr. Stern soon found out it was the motor. The oil had run out, a wire had melted and one of the fuses had blown.
"Doesn't really matter, no-one will be needing it anymore." Winston took one last look at the elderly vehicle. Then he turned his attention to the task at hand, retrieving Ecto-1. Winston and Dr. Stern walked through a small park are that turned out to be "Lonsdale Yard." However the name didn't matter much to either man, as long as Winston's plan went right they wouldn't be staying long there. They soon found themselves walking through a cluster of buildings.
"We're nearly there, these buildings are the Raccoon City Hall." Dr. Stern stood and looked around for a few moments before continuing on.
"I'd only been here once before, but then the place seemed more alive." Winston faced Dr. Stern to explain the plan.
"Right, when we came into Raccoon our car suffered some mechanicl problems and had to be taken to the Stagla Garage. I'm going to go up there and see if it's in good shape and if there's a clear route out of the garage. You can come with me and check out the gas station, or you could go to the RPD, however I'd recommend you come with me simply because there's safety in numbers."
"Don't worry, I wouldn't walk around alone in the place if the Sixty-thousand Dollar Man was here." Winston and Dr. Stern moved North towards the gas station. Winston opened the gate and gasped at what he saw. He was actually amazed that the place hadn't gone up in flames yet. Winston moved towards the gas station, it looked normal except for the smashed up cars littered all over the place and the leaking gas. A bus was blocking the road entrace to the front of the garage, but the main shop's shutter wasn't down. Winston moved through the maze of smashed cars and entered the shop. The door made a happy jingle as the bell rang.
"That bell is really out of place now." The lights in the mechanic's workshop were on so Winston and Dr. Stern entered the room. The mechanic stood a few feet away from them and next to the mechanic stood the fixed Ecto.
"Hey you survived? Good, we'll take you with us when we leave." The mechanic didn't answer. Now that Winston thought about it, the mechanic's overalls were dirtier than usual. Something more than oil and grease was stained on the blue material. The mechanic turned to face Winston and Dr. Stern.
"Oh my." Dr. Stern stiffled. The mechanic started to shuffled towards them, drool and blood falling from his mouth. Though his most noticable feature from becoming a zombie was the eyeball swinging from the optic nerve. Winston started to look around for a weapon, something that wouldn't ignite the spilt fuel. He suddenly remembered that he'd picked up the dead guard's gun.
"Dr. Stern get ready to run."
"Why?"
"Because if the gun ignites the fuel then we won't have much time to get out." Winston raised the handgun, switched off the safety, and uttered a silent prayer. The zombie stumbled slowly towards Winston, Winston pulled the trigger and the room was filled with the loud bang as the bullet shot out of the barrel, hiting it's target between the eyes. The corpse stopped, moaned softly and collapsed to the floor. The ping of the metal casing sounding too loud. Nothing else happened, Winston looked around.
"What happened?" Winston couldn't believe it.
"The fuel didn't ignite? the fuel didn't ignite!"
"But we're not out of the woods yet, we now have the car. But we have to find the guys, last time I radioed them they were at the RPD. That's where we're going next." Winston turned to go back into the gas station's shop, but stopped at the door when he heard paint cans being knocked over on the shelf.
"Shhh, someone's here." Winston raised the gun and jumped through the doorway.
"Woah! Hold you fire, I'm not one of them!" Winston stared at the woman.
"Then don't act so suspiciously." Winston switched the safety back on.
"Who are you anyway?" Winston sat down on the counter.
"I'm Amy Weathers, I work at the Umbrella Sales Office."
"There's no point telling me where you worked, as soon as I can find my friends we're all leaving Raccoon." Winston moved towards the door.
"If you want to live then follow me." Winston dissapeared into the night, followed by Dr. Stern and Amy.
***
Peter was staring out of the second floor windows like he had been doing beore going to the bar, apart from the change of natural light there were a few other differences with the view now and then. The first was the large numbers of fires burning out of control, the second was the total lack of sounds of modern transport or human activities.
"Peter!" Peter turned to a see Ray stood in the doorway leading in to the corridor.
"Peter I'm glad to see you, we thought that you were still out there." He pointed out of the windows into the chaos below.
"No, as soon as the place I was drinking was attacked I made my way here, but this building and this town are like a maze, most of the main roads have been blocked by roadblocks or wreckage."
"Well, we'd better go find Egon just to let him know you're alive." Peter wore mock suprise.
"Spengs missed me? Wow, I can't believe it. God bless us everyone!" Ray gave Peter a warning glance.
"I'm suprised you knew that line after you spent so much time hating Christmas."
"Ray for your information, I now love Christmas. I can't get enough of it, but if we're gonna live to see this Christmas then we need an escape plan."
"And what have you thought up?"
"Me? Winston should have been thinking it up, after all he's the one who does that kind of thing."
"You made a plan to beat Nexa."
"I was forced into that, I was the only one around to think of a plan."