Hello, fellow readers! Welcome back to Surreal Nightmare! Before we go in, what do we have:
evolution-500: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
With that said, let's continue!
Chapter 1: Race to Safety
Liquor Room
Kevin was the last one in, shutting the door behind him before seeing the stored liquor on the shelves.
"First time I finally get here, it had to be during a crisis..." He mutters.
"Life's like that." Cole retorts before turning to Cindy, "Which way's the roof?"
"Further down here." She answers.
"All right, let's go."
The group go on to head further in, going down a long hallway with an open gate, before reaching a wider area. There was a forklift for lifting heavy loads, currently having a stack of crates between two large shelves. Although, the closed shutter was the main focus as Cindy speaks:
"Oh, I wish it was left open..."
"Something wrong?" George asks her.
"The shutter's panel out here had stopped working recently, so we've been using the one on the other side if we needed to get to the roof."
"How do we get to it?" Cole questions.
"We move the crates up to level with the shelves, then climb the ladder on the side to get across to the crawlspace. The forklift should have the key inside."
Jim looks over to see the key was nowhere to be found, "Uh... it's gone."
"W-What? Well if it's not there, it should be back in the wine room-"
SLAM!
The group heard a door slam open, followed by groans of the monsters. That dampens her spirits a bit, "Oh poo..."
"Don't worry, I'll go open the shutter." Cole assures her as he goes to climb the crates.
Kevin holds his gun firm, "We'll hold the fort here then."
Cole lifts himself up onto the top of the shelves, soon crawling as fast as he can to reach the open crawlspace. Kevin, Jim and Alyssa were ready with their firearms as they look out for any incoming enemies. All Cole heard was the groans starting to get closer as he reaches the next area...
3F to Rooftop Stairway
Cole crawls out onto the middle of a two-part stairway, quickly getting up to look around. He sees the panel next to the shutter further down and goes to activate it. The shutter was a bit slow, but it soon reaches the top before the group start to enter.
Mark was first, carrying his friend Bob with David assisting. Yoko, Cindy and George follow soon after as they start to hear gunshots. Jim reaches the top of the steps, quickly aiming and fires, knocking one of the zombies down.
"Score!" He cheers before hearing Cole shout:
"Come on!"
The subway agent quickly complied, going up the stairs as Alyssa and Kevin were the last ones. Once everyone was in, Cole presses the switch again to close it as the zombies were starting to get back up. Quickly running up the steps, he reaches the door that was left open to the roof...
Rooftop
He shuts the door and locks it soon after before hearing some commotion. Turning the corner, he sees Bob sitting against the wall with Mark kneeled next to him. The former soon lets out a pained sigh:
"I can't move anymore... I know me... I don't wanna be your burden-"
"Bob, stop!" Mark shouts, pressing his friend's hand against the ground.
Cole walks closer to see why, only for his eyes to widen upon what Bob was holding...
A pistol.
"No... you don't understand, Mark. You heard what George say... I'm no different from them... I feel the hunger..."
They didn't know what to say. Mark especially, likely holding back tears at this point. Bob soon pulls back his gun from his friend's grip:
"S...So, please... let me die while my... conscience remains."
Without hesitation, Bob points his gun to his skull... and fires.
BANG!
Most of the survivors looked away from the sight, only hearing his corpse fall upon the concrete floor. Mark felt grief flood over him as he only mutters:
"Oh... Bob..."
Heavy silence fell upon the survivors, letting Mark grieve in that time. Cole was just astonished as he processed what he heard. What hunger? Did he mean... like those monsters? He can only imagine someone actually turning into one of them...
"Don't worry, Bob..." Mark mutters, "I'll make it out of this hell."
The silence was soon shattered as the group heard something slam continuously against the door. Those things are catching up! Mark picks up Bob's handgun and turns to the nearest survivor:
"Here. Better than that brush."
Yoko was hesitant, but knows that guns is safer than a melee weapon. Especially since she wants to keep her distance from those things. The two switch weapons as the others were going on ahead, with them catching up to see their new predicament:
A dead end.
Kevin shakes the damaged fence leading up to the neon sign, "Shit! It won't budge!"
Yoko recalls a detail from the diary earlier, "Jack welded it shut."
"God damn it, Jack!"
"Get back, I'll break it down!" Mark orders, moving up to do so.
The others then heard metal slam down onto the concrete, followed by those haunting moans.
"M-Make it quick!" Jim quickly said.
Kevin, Cole, Alyssa, and David cover their flank with their guns drawn. Jim and Yoko were still hesitant, the latter more so as she never fired a gun before. Mark wasn't wasting time, slamming the scrub brush like a spear against the gate with full force. Cindy and George can only pray that they make it.
Alyssa then notices what gun Kevin had, remembering something she picked up earlier:
"Here. You'll need this."
Kevin sees the box of .45 rounds she was handing him and gladly takes it, "Thanks."
The four stood ready, hearing the groans getting closer and closer. Mark was slamming harder and harder until eventually, the fence falls down as soon as the brush end broke in half:
"Got it, let's go!" He orders.
Cindy and George were the first ones, climbing up onto the pathway with Jim and Yoko following after them. Mark went up next as the zombies were starting to show around the corner. The remaining four quickly back away, their sight not leaving the creatures until they reached the ledge themselves.
They eventually regroup with the others on the other end of the neon sign, where they reach another dead end. There was a gap between the building they're on and the apartment complex next door. Despite their fears, it was either keep going... or turn back.
"We have to jump across." Mark sternly said, "Who's first?"
"O-OK... I'll go first." Jim answers.
Right after saying that, he made sure he had enough space for a good jump. In the back, Cole notices that the zombies were starting to climb through the hole in the fence. Kevin and David also notice this as the former calls out:
"They're climbing!"
Jim steels himself for the jump and goes, gaining momentum before leaping across to grab the ledge. Lifting himself up onto the roof, he lets out a breath he was holding before getting up to his feet:
"OK, come on! I got you!"
Next up was Yoko, followed by Cindy, then George and then Mark. By the time Alyssa was ready to go, the zombies were starting to climb the second ledge when Kevin fires a shot, knocking it down with a headshot. After that, she goes for the jump and makes it herself.
"Go, we'll cover you!" Cole shouts.
David was next to jump, which he also makes with Kevin following soon after. Cole was the last one, firing a shot that knocks down another zombie before hearing Mark:
"Let's go!"
Putting his gun away, he turns around and readies himself:
One...
Two...
He leaps across on three, grabbing the ledge before seeing Mark hold his hand out. He gladly accepts and was pulled up to safety. With everyone on the other side, they took a moment to catch their breath.
During that break, David sees the pole Mark still had from breaking the brush earlier. Remembering the butcher knife he got earlier, he gets an idea:
"Hey. May I see that?"
The latter didn't mind, "Go ahead."
As David takes the pole, the group soon heard a loud blaring sound. It was coming from the street below, where they then heard a voice through a megaphone:
"Attention, everyone. Due to the riots in progress, this area will be closed off soon. Please proceed to this checkpoint immediately, otherwise... we can't guarantee your safety."
Looks like their break was cut short. The group got up to their feet and head to the door leading inside, beginning their descent down to the streets below.
Top floor of the Apartment
Upon entering, they see the emergency exit straight ahead and take it. Opening the door, they were greeted by a zombie lunging right for them.
"AH!" Cindy cries out before something stabs the zombie in the head.
David had came from behind her with his new makeshift spear, piercing the skull of the attacker and pushes it down to the ground. Once it stopped moving, he removes his weapon and gestures:
"Come on."
He starts going down the stairs as the others follow, lucky to have no immediate threats during the descent. Upon reaching the door to the first floor, he stops right after walking out to scope the hall. It was rather empty, but he can feel something's off. He gestures for the others to stop before looking around the corner, seeing that the coast was clear.
He gestures again for them to follow as he walks ahead. Cole and Kevin were the first out, double checking the area as Mark pulls out his own pistol. It was empty, yet why did it feel-
SMASH!
David jumps back as one of the windows shatter in front of him. It was a zombie that broke through, sliding down onto the floor before he stabs its head while it was down. Two more smash through the windows ahead soon after, which he dealt with as effectively.
Mark was seeing more of them outside the windows, making him shout out to the others:
"Go!"
The survivors ran through the hall to the door, exiting out onto the chaos-filled streets.
In front of J's Bar
Not even a second passed before they were hearing gunshots. One of the officers held his post nearby, aiming his pistol at the zombies ahead as other citizens ran to safety. Other officers were there, but they were getting overwhelmed by said zombies.
Kevin recognizes the officer nearby, "Raymond!"
The officer flinches before seeing the group, "Kevin! You startled me."
"You know what's going on?"
"No. I'm surprised all of you are still alive, the whole city's a war zone."
Mark grimaces at the idea as Cole speaks up, "Let's just get to safety. Any ideas?"
Raymond looks around before noticing two of their police cars, "Move these two cars to build a barricade! That should stall those things!"
"Got it, chief!" Cole then turns to the others, "All right! Half of us move the cars while the rest get the people out!"
The group does just that, leaving Kevin, David, Mark and Cole with Raymond. As the officer finishes reloading his pistol, he grabs the shotgun from his car's trunk as Kevin makes a suggestion:
"Best that we go in pairs. Who's going with who?"
"I'll cover Mark." David answers, which the security guard didn't object to.
With the pairs made, Raymond protects their flank as Mark and David go to move the first car. Cole and Kevin go to the second car nearby, which they managed without much difficulty. Upon finishing, the two heard a shotgun and look up ahead:
The zombies had noticed the trio, closing in while Raymond was keeping them at bay. They also moved the car into position, as Mark and David were helping him out. The latter had switched from his spear to his pistol, shooting a zombie trying to crawl on the car.
"Fall back! We'll cover you!" Cole shouts, hopping onto the hood of Raymond's police car with his gun at the ready.
Kevin follows suit, closing the trunk before hopping on to get a better vantage point. The trio start to fall back, only to stop upon seeing the nearby corpses rise to their feet. The duo soon open fire, making sure to open a path first before taking out any stragglers.
The zombies that the trio were holding off were starting to catch up, either crawling over or even under the cars to chase them down. Kevin quickly reloads as the trio reach the two, getting over the car before making their retreat. However the other end of the street was riddled with zombies, trapping them until Raymond sees a pair of doors nearby:
"This way!" He leads the way as the five take the alternate route.
Behind the Apartments/Slope along the Canal
Once they were in, Raymond makes sure to lock it before running with them to the other side. Although on their way, they were hearing strange noises nearby, something you hear from some sort of insect. Upon stopping at the doors, it was much louder until something jumps out of the nearby vents. Then another, and another as they crawl upon the walls.
"What in God's name..." Raymond mutters, the others taken aback at the mutants.
One of them lets out a hiss, making the others take notice of them and jump down to the alley below.
"Move!" David said before slamming his spear on the lock, kicking the door open.
On the other side was a slope road along a canal, lit by a car's headlights with a gas truck's rear end next to it. A few zombies also litter the slope here and there. The five continue on as the insects chase them, Raymond keeping them back with his shotgun until it ran out of ammo.
"Shit!" With no spare ammo on him, he throws it on an insect and pulls out his pistol.
David was further ahead, taking out the two zombies near the gas tank. Mark and Cole were handling the rest as Kevin looks back, seeing the police chief get jumped on by an insect:
"Raymond!" He shoots the insect off the officer, giving time for him to recover as he takes out another two.
The police chief was thankfully unscathed as he regroups with them near the truck. However there were still a few insects left, plus the zombies that were flooding in from the street earlier.
"There's too many!" Cole states.
David then looks back at the tanker, "...Anyone got a lighter!?"
"Uh, I do." Raymond answers, "Why?"
Kevin quickly catches on, "The tank! We'll barbeque them with the gasoline!"
David then grabs the valve, turning it all the way to release the gasoline. The tank still had some left as the liquid spills onto the slope like a river, trailing under the creatures as they were closing in. Raymond then pulls out his lighter, flicking a flame before tossing it:
"Burn in hell!"
The lighter hits the slope flame-first, creating an inferno that soon cooks the insects and zombies alike. The group enjoyed the show before quickly backing away from the intense heat. It was here that Mark notices a fatal flaw:
"RUN!"
The flames were trailing back to the gas tank, making them run full speed towards the canal and jump. The five narrowly avoid the explosion as they fall into the water below, heavy smoke rising into the air from the intense flames running amok. They eventually resurface, catching their breaths as they processed what just happened.
They were floating there for a bit, seeing the flames burn on before Cole sees an entryway into the sewers:
"Come on."
He goes first, followed by the others as they go into the nearby sewer tunnel.
Tunnel
Cole drops down into a long corridor, searching the surroundings as the others follow suit. Once all of them were in, they take the chance to discuss what to do next.
"All right, Raymond. Where do we go from here?" Kevin asks him, which Raymond answers with a brief rundown:
"The nearest safe zone from here is the Apple Inn. Any citizens we evacuate will be taken back to the police station. It's the only safe haven in the city right now."
"Are the riots that bad?" Cole wonders.
"From experience, this isn't a riot..." Kevin denies.
"Whatever happened to our city, those monsters are responsible in some way." Mark adds before muttering, "Just... where did they come from?"
"This is survival. Kill them before they kill you." David states.
"Don't need to say that twice..." Cole sighs.
Once their conversation ended, the group went down the corridor to find a way out. It was rather quiet, which brought a strange calmness to them as they drop down a ledge. From there, there was a shorter corridor with a ladder going up to the streets above. Needless to say, they didn't waste time to climb out.
In front of Apple Inn
Cole was the first to reach the top, seeing the front of the Apple Inn upon climbing out. Raymond was next, followed by Kevin, Mark and David as they walk out to the nearby safe zone. They were soon greeted by the rest of their group, who were relieved to see them:
"You made it!" Cindy exclaims.
"Everyone all right?" George asks them.
"Barely. Had a close call here and there." Kevin answers.
Raymond scoffs at the nonchalant response before recognizing another officer nearby. He approaches as he calls out to him, "Dorian!"
The balding officer heard his name before seeing him, "Raymond! You're alive!"
"Thanks to Kevin. Are these all the citizens?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do we have any transport heading our way?"
"Yes, but they said that they're running into delays. Best estimate is about thirty minutes."
"All right... better than nothing."
The group overheard the conversation, now knowing that they had time to rest. During the downtime, they decided to learn more about each other. For starters, their lives before the citywide apocalypse.
After a few minutes of them talking among themselves, Cole lets out a sigh and looks up at the cloudy night sky. The heavy smoke from the fires covered it like a blanket, leaving only a black void to stare at. His gaze eventually comes down to the Apple Inn, where he sees something:
In one of the rooms on the third floor, there was someone waving down to them from the window.
"Guys!" He calls out to the others, "I see someone!"
They look up to where he's pointing, also seeing the silhouette of someone at the window. Although it was short-lived as said silhouette moves away, likely to be hiding from something. Dorian was the first to speak on this:
"Damn it, we told the citizens to evacuate! Why did they stay?"
"Monsters." David states.
"Monsters?"
"We saw zombies and giant insects on our way here." Cole clarifies, "I don't blame them for being scared to death."
He then goes towards the entrance before being stopped by Kevin:
"Whoa, kid! You have a plan?"
"...No, but I'm not standing by!"
The officer smirks at that, "All right then, you're not going alone."
"Kevin, what are you doing?" Raymond questions.
"Just following orders, which are to evacuate the citizens. Isn't that right?"
"...Just make it back before our transport arrive. We can't stay here for too long."
"Got it."
The two were about to get going when another survivor speaks up:
"I'll join you." To their surprise, it was Yoko.
"You sure?" Cole questions, "The hotel is likely filled with those monsters."
"I know, but I don't want to stand by either."
Seeing where this is going, Kevin then looks over to the others. "Anyone else wanna join the party?"
"Got nothing else to do right now." Alyssa answers.
"Same." David simply said.
With those two joining, and Cindy giving Yoko a couple of herbs just in case, the five enter the hotel on a rescue mission. Unbeknownst to them, their side quest will soon become another nightmare...
And DONE! I started this out in the middle of October, due to getting back into Resident Evil, and tried to get this out on Halloween. Clearly, despite cutting the chapter down again, it's a bit later than the previous chapter.
Now there was one thing I wanted to make sure I got right, and that is the pacing. After Bob's death and crossing the roof, it becomes a literal race up until jumping into the canal. So it didn't leave much room for conversations.
One big difference here I made is Raymond. He was saved here instead of dying, which I believe is more plausible. Even back when I first played this, the scene made it look like it was possible to save him. Not sure if this will lead to anything significant later on, but you never know.
In terms of cuts, I was thinking of them talking more in front of the Apple Inn. But I decided to save that to where we're going next, this way it doesn't feel like the story is stopping.
With that said, stay tuned as we take a detour to the Hellfire scenario. I'll see you then!