Chapter Nine: Its still a love story-I promise-cause real love doesn't come without sacrifices.  Although these sacrifices come on the part of actual people rather then the lovers in some cases- good tales of love start out with strife.  Look at Chris and Jill for example!  Thank you to all my reviewers! You people rule! I love you all! Yay! Yay!

            And especial thanks to Kelly woods-my medical examiner-and one of the many sources who take me back and forth to the happy rubber room with the white walls. =) I know you aren't a huge fan of RE-but this is for you!

Soundtrack: "Poem" by Taproot.  "Kyoto Now" By Bad Religion

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Chained on the burning lake; nor ever thence

Had risen or heaved his head but that the will

And high permission of all-ruling heaven

Left him at large to his own dark designs

That with reiterated crimes he might

Heap on himself damnation while he sought

Evil to others…

John Milton "Paradise Lost" 210-216

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The Spencer Mansion.

Annette sat curled in a fetal position on the steps.

            Far below her-Birkin and Wesker would be at each other's throats.  They had to be; somehow William had discovered her transgressions with Albert Wesker.

She sighed and curled up tighter, ignoring the looks from various personnel going about their business.  Odd-since most people were below ground at this particular time in the morning…

She grabbed a passing tech, "What's happened?"

            The tech was a tall freckled face youth with a mop of black hair.  He grinned at her, continuing to grin as she drew him up the stairs to where she sat.

"What happened?" she asked again in an urgent voice, "Tell me! That's a direct Order!"

"There was an accident!" the tech said cheerfully, "Dr. Birkin and Dr. Wesker down in the labs." He frowned, "A zombie leapt out of the morgue! It attacked the both of them!"

            "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SMILING? " Annette wrapped her arms around his neck, "You little fool! They might be hurt! Its not funny when someone gets hurt!" she was making a scene-techs in preparation suits were stopping to stare before continuing nervously.  Lab-coated senior researchers were glancing over their shoulders in fear.

"Ma'am that's not the problem!" the tech snickered, "Birkin comes into the cafeteria-cool as a fuckin' cucumber-covered in blood-and says, "We're evacuating."  Then everybody's all staring silently at him like, "What the hell is he doing?" then Wesker comes up and he's like, "NOW YOU IDIOTS!" so that's what everybody's doing. " He shrugged his shoulders, " I have to get to Dr. Westlake's Virology lab ma'am so-"

            She tossed him down across the steps and watched him sprawl across the floor dazed.  The thought of Birkin and Wesker in danger replaced her own thoughts of rushing down there-to the infected area-and getting her things in preparation for leaving.

" I have to go down there!" she bolted down the stairs and jerked back when she felt a strong hand grabbing her by the shoulder.

            "Irene!" Annette grabbed at the pale woman's arm, "Let go of me! I have to get down to the labs!"

"We'll wait up here." The people were moving faster now-like a film picking up speed, "For the men we love." Annette raised an eyebrow as she detected the faint gleam of madness in Irene Wesker's eyes.

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The second mansion

Raccoon Forest.

Human beings are curious creatures.  They're also particularly fond of making stupid-yet easily forgivable mistakes.

Going into abandoned buildings, in the middle of a forest-is a perfect example of one of these often committed-yet easily forgivable mistakes.

            "I don't like this…"Sherry Delaney was used to forgotten abandoned buildings.  They sprouted like weeds in New York.  However there was something…ominous about this particular building.

She and Michael had gone in because they'd discovered a collection of tents on the porch that concerned her greatly.

            "Look at the floor."

Sherry peered downward at her feet and was startled to come across the familiar Umbrella Seal-Eight parts White and Red-emblazoned on the tile.  The entire world was dirty-including the picture that had first captivated her attention.

            "If Umbrella was here-it looks like they haven't been here for a bit." She coughed, "Dusty as fuckin' hell and I thought corporations went for all that new age shit." She traced a finger along a side table-coming up with a thick layer of dust that made her sneeze again, "Who do you think the ugly guy is?"

            "I dunno." Michael had been across the room examining a collection of brass, "I think he's somebody reasonably important." The picture's eyes were following him.  Like a bad episode of Scooby Doo.

            Sherry felt her foot connect with something beneath the table. Oh God I hope it's not a rat… rats were notorious for hiding out in old buildings.  She kicked it with her foot again-testing it.

Book…

She bent down on her hands and knees and picked it up.  It was a diary-the faded picture of something that might have been a sun or a moon or something was faded in on its cover. 

"Michael?"

            Michael dropped the brass candlestick with a mighty crash that sent swirls of dust into the air.  Sherry winced, coughing as he walked over and took the book out of her hands.

            "That's a piece of evidence!" Sherry grabbed it out of his hands, "get your grubby paws off of it!" she gently lifted the cover exposing the first page.

July-

Wow! What a pretty fireworks show! The fact that Bill and Marcy came made it three times as good.  Bill says he might be staying to take a job with Umbrella.  I wish I could, I hate being a kid.

Marcy's so lucky to have a boyfriend like him…

"Christ Almighty." Michael peered over Sherry's shoulder, "It's a Diary." It was old-but not near as old as the mansion-or the dust that settled into the floors.

            "From our lost hikers." Sherry jerked a thumb toward the tent, "Who decided to abandon their gear in the middle of the forest for no good reason." She sighed and looked concerned; "We need to get a crew out here.  RPD and RFD.  Burn the Fucking place down if we have to-"

            "People are always getting lost in the forest." Michael said as he sat down Indian Style, "Sometimes there aren't suspicious circumstances." He flipped to another page of the diary.

August-

A camping trip!  I knew that Bill was the consummate outdoorsman but Marcy's gotten pretty good at being among the trees and floors too.  Apparently it's important to Bill's job as a scientist to get out in the middle of things.  Marcy and he joined Umbrella a few weeks ago…

"Aha!" Michael said.  His voice rang off the high rafters, "The game is afoot Watson."

            Sherry's eyes narrowed, "All it says is a Camping trip.  That could be any camping trip." Yet she felt her eyes wandering out to the tents on the porch-and the little pink tent next to the two big ones.

She shivered.  Outside the warm air was growing colder.

"Sherry." Michael said, "Look at this."

            Sherry slid across the floor, the both of them sitting directly on the Umbrella Seal.  She ignored Michael's shocked look and peered at the pages of the book.

Don't know-

      Bill's dead.  He tried to shoot them.  The men came out of the house and howled at him.  He screamed and screamed and screamed.  Marcy was screaming too-something about a virus.  She was crying and yelling at Bill about how he had to know, "They were near the old executive training center" but Bill got eaten.  I was in my tent.  I was asleep.  Now I'm listening to Marcy, my sister sobbing.  She got bit.  She told me to stay in my tent no matter what.  I peeked out the window, she was hugging herself and saying, "all the children die, all the children die, all the children die." Over and over again.

I'm scared.

Morning-

I looked out and Marcy was gone.  I think I dreamed screaming last night. I'm so hungry-but my big sister told me to stay in tent.  I'm only nine years old.

Afternoon-

I saw Marcy staggering around the fields in front of the house.  Her head was funny.  She didn't see me, she was moving funny slow like she had a broken leg.  I hope she chased the bad things away.  She was grabbing her head too.

Evening-

Marcy is curled up in the grass.  Why did she tell me to stay in the tent? I want to help.  She thinks I'm such a baby!

Late-

Marcy's gone from the field.  I'm afraid, I hear moaning noises inside the house.

Late-

I'm leaving the tent.  I don't think Marcy's come back.  She probably went into town to get help.  I'd be safer in the house, which is why I'm leaving my tent.  There are white shapes on the lawn-like ghosts they're moving.

"Holy Christ." Sherry pushed the book away from Michael and watched it skitter across the floor, "Holy Fucking Christ and all his saints…"

            "I think we need to leave." There were no moaning noises, no other sounds besides the wind in the trees-the scratching of their branches-the soft shuffling sounds-

"What is that?" Michael stood slowly.  The sounds were coming out of the darkness of the entrance hall, "People? Here?"

No.  Not people. Instincts that Sherry never knew she had were going off five-alarm, Not people, run-get out-get out-GET OUT.

The Shuffling sound increased.

            "Redfield get back!" she hissed.  He was walking towards the sounds, pausing every few minutes to call out, "Hello? Hello?"
"REDFIELD!"

Mauhhhhhhaaaauhhhhhhh

A dim white ghost-like shape outlined itself against the inky blackness of the mansion's interior.  Sherry screamed and grabbed Michael Redfield-Chief of the Raccoon City Fire Department-by the arm.

"Run you bastard!" the white shape became more distinct, "RUN LIKE HELL!"

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Spencer Mansion

Evacuation.

This word conjures images of organization to prevent catastrophe.  Organization to prevent safety.  The complete opposite of anarchy-the knowledge that you will be saved and taken care of because the corporation cares.

In the case of Umbrella, this is completely inaccurate.

            People in white coats were rushing back and forth hauling boxes full to bursting of files from room to room to room.  Men in dark suits like shadows were dancing back and forth amidst the moths.  The black moth survives while the white moth dies when the madness of mankind turns the sky to ash in the industrial revolution.

It has not changed.

Annette LeDour stood watching the scene in silence, conscious of Irene's gentle but impossibly firm hand.  The Crescendo of human voices was rising all around them.

"Do we have enough Vaccine?"

"Has anyone seen the notes we took on the specimens August 1980?"

"Oh god! We're all going to die!"

"There's no Vaccine you fool!

"I have to get down to the labs! My work's down there!"

"Keep back! Stay in an orderly fashion-"

"Don't carry anything Sally-"

"That you don't absolutely need Men.  Now go!"

            "They're like sheep." Annette said in wonder, "Sheep with brains.  Sheep with computers-sheep with vaccines and viruses and monsters and horrific and wonderful dreams." The air was stuffy.  The sun was still shining brightly outside.

"You're learning."

"Who are you?" Annette tried to twist back, failing due to the strong hand that continued to grip her shoulder, "Irene's not like this! I need to get down to the lab-to-to-"

To Your husband, to my boyfriend.  To the two men in my life that matter most to me.  Please Irene…

            Irene's hand tightened-clenching the muscles in Annette's shoulder-then loosened-suddenly.

"Go."

Her voice was soft.

"Go and bring my husband back to me."

He's not mine. Annette whirled about and faced Irene directly.  The woman's soft brown hair hung unbound about her face.  She wore a dark purple dress with a pattern of black and white checks around the collar-and the arms.

He never was…

"Please."

Annette nodded-Annette understood-and Annette ran.

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The Basement.

William Birkin had shoved Mike the Morgue guy into the tray.

He and Wesker stared for a few moments-the silences palpable.

            After discovering the outbreak the two had acted quickly.  It had to be contained and everything had to be prepared to be moved to a secure location for transport.  From there-the employees would be required to go to their rooms.

They-on the other hand-had to stay.

Birkin and Wesker had walked down to the incinerator.  Standard procedure dictated that any article that had come in contact with infected organisms had to be burned and sterilized.

The two sat-in matching haz-mat suits, and stared at each other.

            "I want my lab coat back."

Wesker sighed, "Twenty Four hours of isolation."

            Birkin sniffed, "I still want it."

Wesker frowned, "Why? You can get another one."

            William Birkin sighed and folded his hands across his knees, "It's a status symbol. It sets a researcher and scientist above everyone else." He stuck his nose up in the air and sighed, loudly. Green was not either of their colors-Wesker made a note to burn all of his green clothing the minute he returned to his apartment.

Irene.

"I miss Irene."

            Birkin frowned, "Irene? Why? You having second thoughts about being a lying cheating ass-wiping-"

"I miss my wife you little shit." Wesker growled.  He grimaced, "Look-you may think I'm just a cold hearted womanizing bastard but I really do love Irene alright?"  His eyes were pleading with his friend to understand, "Okay Birkin? I'm sorry about Annette.  It was I in both cases okay?" his voice became high pitched, "I'm sorry-I'm sorry.  I'm sorry that I slept with your girlfriend.  I'm sorry that your mother killed herself, I'm sorry that your fucking father was an asshole just like me!"

The silence in the morgue deepened.  Birkin turned away from his friend and hugged the wall desperately.  The two came from very distinct-yet similar backgrounds.

Christ. Birkin shook his head, Who would have thought it would end like this?

"William!"

William Birkin sat up, "Annette"

"William!"

The sound was echoing outside the morgue chamber.  Wesker stared at the window before going back to his silent musing.

            Annette appeared in the window looking disheveled.  Birkin stood quickly and crossed over the room to her-placing the outrageously cartoon-sized hand of the haz-mat suit on the glass.

"Annette!" his voice was loud in the tiny room, "You've got to get out of here!  We're infected! Or-Well-we is quarantined!"

"Shut up you idiot." Wesker said from the floor, "She probably knows that by now."

            "I'm so sorry!" Annette pressed her face against the glass-her green eyes wide, "I made a horrible mistake! Can you forgive me?"

"Now's um…not the time to discuss that." Birkin said.  He dropped his hand, "Why did you do it?"

            Outside Annette had to think.  She leaned against the glass on her side-and slid to the floor.  The stone was cold against her skin as she leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling so far above her.

"William…" she stood up slowly, her face inches from the glass, "I didn't know what I was doing.  I still don't know what I'm doing.  Irene told me to come down here-to bring you back up-"

            "We can't go back up." Wesker appeared at Birkin's side looking like an enormous green muppet with a human head, "Not yet.  Not for 24 hours."

"Its chaos out there! People are running around like chickens with their heads cut off!" Annette wince at the childish phraseology, "Is there an escape plan? Anything that we can use to get out of here?"

Wesker began to laugh.  Birkin glared at his friend, but the great green muppet collapsed onto the floor laughing hysterically a muffled laugh track beneath the earth.

            "William?" Annette put both of her hands on the glass and stared at him.  His blue eyes closed and his blond head leaning against the space between her hands, "There's an escape plan right?  You know it-you are the senior researcher.  What's the plan? Tell me-I can go upstairs and tell everyone else…"

            Birkin closed his eyes and shook his head dumbly.  Annette tried to figure out why they had locked themselves in the very same room where they put the bodies-where the supposed problem was…

"The doors will seal.  Down here at least." Birkin looked up at her with wide blue eyes A child's eyes… "Up there it'll be every man for himself.  If we're infected then we die down here."

No. Annette LeDour thought, No.  You aren't going to die down here.  Not when I realized that I made a mistake.  Not now.  Not now.

            "You're lying.  Trying to play the sacrificial lamb." Tension made her voice louder, "You're trying to be the fuckin' martyr huh? You and Wesker wanna go down in history as the heroes?"

Silence on the other side; Annette watched as Birkin put one of his own gigantic muppet hands on the glass mirroring hers.  The expression in his eyes was one of such sadness that she felt her own heart would burst.

NO!

"NO! Goddamnit!" she slammed her fist against the glass-forcing Birkin to fall back, "NO! Not after I admitted I made a mistake-not after I admitted to myself that-that I cared enough about you…not after making all those mistakes-not after Jack-I'm NOT going to loose you-"

            "Annette" Birkin's voice was muffled, "Are you alright?"

Annette collapsed into a fetal position beneath the glass-her muscles forcing her to curl tighter and tighter-as if she could wish the world away by vanishing…

No.

            "Fuck 24 Hours." She shot to her feet; "I'm getting you out of there now. "

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Maude's Coffee.

The outskirts of Raccoon City

Maude ran a simple place-a place for the Umbrella Folks who worked out in the woods.  They came and got down home cooking and discussed their fancy plans for viruses and other things that made her head spin.

She was a simple woman who ran a simple place.

            That woman…the one who had come in almost three weeks ago.  She'd been upset-then she'd come in with another man who was all pale.  Far different then the fine outdoors boy she'd been with before.

I wonder. Maude thought, as she wiped the counter, Whatever happened to her.

            None of them Umbrella folks had been seen lately.  Like those hikers.  Maude's gray eyes drifted over to the billboard where the picture of the three hikers still rested in its faded newspaper clipping.  Then the four bodies in the news-the "Hannibal Lector" Killings."

Maude didn't know what to think.

            "Lucky Umbrella's got nothing to do with it though." She sure wished however that they'd come back.  Business was getting ugly.

Speaking of Ugly…

"Well!" she perked up when she saw the gentlemen in the sheriffs uniforms stumble towards her humble establishment, "Looks like a couple of RPD's finest!"

            The cops staggered closer and Maude frowned.  One had half his scalp missing-the half peeled back from his head exposed his shining skull.  One was missing a hand-the loose flapping fabric of his RPD uniform stained with blood.

Maude's eyes drifted over to her current events board. 

            Next to the picture of the three hikers-the man woman and child-she'd pasted a picture of two police officers.  Children had hung hearts around the two men-their academy photos showing bright and shiny faces.  They'd vanished in the Raccoon woods looking into a missing dog.

A missing Dog…

The two cops staggered closer.

            Maude dove back behind the counter.   Her feet pumped as she pushed away the door, the first, the second running out towards her cabin deep in the woods.  The woods offered safety and shelter-and her husband who was waiting.  David of twenty-three years.  Mrs. David Jackson.  David Jackson who loved her-who took care of her.

Who staggered out from his cabin door and caught her with his dead zombie arms-and pulled her into his eternal embrace of death.

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Chapter nine: wow! Intrigue! Drama! A random and senseless death! Where are all these zombies coming from? What happened to Sherry and Michael? How will they escape Marcus's mansion if they can't-drive-away?  Its getting dark soon-and love and all things will come together!

Birkin-in a few more chapters.

Author- * growls * shut up you.  I can leave you locked in that morgue forever!

Birkin- * whimpers * I'll be good.

Wesker- And I'll break out!

Author- Chapter Ten coming soon!