Author's Note: Sorry about the delay. Writer's block is slowing this story down. Anyway, this is more of an action chapter. Hopefully, you'll like it. Anyway, if you have any helpful criticism to offer, I'd be glad to hear it ^_^ Also, this story won't be a lemon, cuz I don't know how I'd be able to write a lemon into this. Sorry!
Claire couldn't keep herself from staring in awe at her new surroundings. Giant pillars of dragon-like monster supported a second-floor balcony. There was no staircase in the room that led to the balcony. Claire guessed it was in another room. She glanced at the paintings and statues that were lined up next to each other across the room. One of the paintings that captured her attention was of a black-haired man with a cane standing next to a bleeding corpse hanging upside down. What was most disturbing is that the man looked smug. Claire shuddered and looked at the large statue of the girl.
'She looks kind of like me when I was little,' she smiled. She then shook her head and went back to searching.
There was a desk not to far away from her. It was scattered with papers and books. Hoping she would find something on Steve, she walked over and began rummaging through the mess. She found something that looked like a guest book. When she picked it up, a crest fell out. It was a brass crest with an angel craved on it.
'I may need that,' Claire though. She picked up the angel crest and put it in her pack. She looked back at the guest book. Curiously, she began flipping through the pages. There were dozens of names written in black ink, each of them crossed out. The book looked very old, but on the final page there were names written in red ink. It looked liked it had been done recently.
"Peter Schultz, Greg Corwin, Joel Firman..." these names had been crossed out. There were only two other names that hadn't been crossed out. Claire gasped when she read them.
"Steve Burnside, Claire...Redfield..." Claire stared at the two names. She didn't know why their names were on this guest book. Did that mean Steve was here? And why was her name on this list even though she had never been here before? Disturbed, Claire shut the book. She wouldn't find anything else that was useful here. Glancing at the descending spiral staircase, she hoped her questions would be answered as she traveled deeper into the mansion. She gripped her handgun tightly and climbed down the stairs.
Claire was greeted by darkness as she stepped off the staircase and onto the cold metal floor of a long hallway. It was impossible to see anything. Claire dug into her pack and pulled out her lighter. It was the same one Chris had given her. She was surprised that he had got it back for her. She swiftly moved her thumb across the wheel, and a tiny flame lit up a small portion of the hallway. Claire navigated through the hallway, using the lighter to make sure she didn't walk into something. The clanging of her footsteps against a metal floor and her breathing were the only sounds she could hear.
Claire ran her fingers across the wall as she traveled further down the hallway. The hallway seemed to extend forever. There was a horrible stench, a smell that seemed all too familiar. It made Claire's stomach tighten. Claire stopped when her fingers no longer touched the cold metal of the wall, but instead something warm and wet...
Claire pulled her hand away and brought her hand close to the lighter.
Blood.
Claire forced herself not to panic. She slowly brought the lighter up to where her fingers had touched. Sure enough, there was a trail of blood running down the wall. Claire followed it with her lighter, and uttered a gasp when she found the source.
It was a man, or at least it looked like a man. He was slumped against the wall. Claire kneeled down next to him. Part of his scalp had decayed, showing the bone of his skull. His dirty blonde hair was matted together. The front of his shirt was covered in blood and had been ripped. His skin was a strange reddish-color. He looked like he hadn't been dead for very long. There was a folded, wrinkled piece of paper in his shirt pocket. Claire carefully took it and began to read it. It was smudged from the blood and some of the words she couldn't make it.
"If anyone finds th-- note, I'm probably alre-- dead. I left G--- and the others early t--- morning and stumbled across some th---- I wasn't supp---- to see when I got lost. The old ow--- of this place, Co---el--s, is crazy. I tri-- finding Greg and ev----- but instead fo--- that horrible mo----. It knows I'm h---, and now it's af--- me. If I had left it alo--- I would have prob---- escaped. If anyone is reading this, then please get-"
The rest of the note was too smudged to read it. She put the note back into the man's shirt pocket.
Claire heard a soft growl. She tensed up and searched for the sound. She looked down and saw the corpse of the man quiver. Fresh blood was dripping from its chin.
"Oh no..."
It forced itself to get up, using the wall to help it. It growled again, lifting its head. One of its eyes had been ripped out, and the other eye was a milky white color. More blood poured out of its mouth and dripped onto the floor. It flashed two long fangs that reminded Claire of a vampire. This was the last thing Claire saw before it lunged for her. She immediately dropped the lighter, surrounding them in darkness.
"NO!"
Steve didn't know how far he had traveled throughout the mansion. He wasn't sure where he was, or how to get out of the mansion. Only Greg knew that, but he was dead now. Greg had taken Steve's only way of escape with him to his grave.
The images kept flowing through his mind. Greg's head rolling across the floor, Peter's body hanging from the fan. He almost threw up at the sight of Peter's mutilated corpse dangling from the fan. And that message...
'I got to focus on finding a weapon,' Steve told himself. So far all the rooms he had been in were useless. He found handgun ammo laying around, but he didn't have a handgun. He walked further down the hallway he was in. Most of the doors were locked or boarded up. As he tested each door, he found a door with a broken lock. He pushed open the door and entered.
The room was dark and almost empty. In the room was only bed and a desk. Steve looked down to see that it looked like someone or something had tried to tear up the wood floor. Wooden boards were scattered across the room, and a crowbar was lying on the floor. There was another room connected to the one he was in, but he'd explore that later. Steve walked over to the desk. On the desk was a brass crest with a devil on it.
'I'll probably need this for later,' he thought. Steve put the crest away, but froze when he faintly heard a noise coming from the other room.
Skritch. Skritch.
Steve's heartbeat quickened. He remembered that sound. He glanced at the crowbar and moved over to it.
Hiss...
The sound was closer now. He could hear it moving towards him. He reached for the crowbar.
Skritch. Skritch.
The head of a monster emerged from the room. It's head was rounded, and it had two large tusks protruding from its cheeks, stretching out the skin from its face. It had no eyes and it had a large hole for a mouth. It turned its head in Steve's direction.
Steve grabbed the crowbar and stood in an attack position.
The monster stumbled out of the room, and stood up. It was about a couple feet taller than Steve. It's body was very fragile-looking. It's bones were exposed through its yellowish skin. It was as if it had never been fed in its life. Steve could even see its heart beating through its skin. It's arms were thin, but it had large lobster-like claws. It's legs were surprisingly muscular, and its feet were webbed. On its back were the two tentacles that Steve had seen in the corridor with Greg. They hovered over the monsters head, moving about as if they had a mind of their own.
Steve leaped at the monster, lifting the crowbar high into the air. With inhuman reflexes, the monster caught the crowbar between its giant claw. The claw tightened its grip and the crowbar easily snapped it in two. Steve landed on his stomach, still clutching half of the crowbar. The monster twisted its head at Steve, looking down at him. Steve realized he was staring right into its mouth. The monster's head began to expand, and the small hole the monster had for a mouth began to expand. It continued to stretch until the mouth was big enough to swallow Steve whole. There were several "rings" of teeth inside the mouth, which meant that being devoured would be a very painful process. Steve turned away at the horrible smell of its breath.
"Ah, damn it."
The monster's bloated head dove down to swallow him, but Steve took the broken crowbar and shoved it into the monster's mouth. The monster squealed in surprise and reared back, giving Steve enough time to get to his feet. Acidic vomit dripped onto the floor as the monster struggled to cough up the crowbar. In its panic, its tentacles thrashed about in an attempt to get rid of its attacker. Steve dashed towards the door, avoiding the tentacles. He slammed the door behind him, leaving the monster inside.
Steve took a moment to catch his breath, and then hurried away from the door. He ran down the hallway. There was another door, but as he reached for it, he heard a crashing sound behind him. Steve turned around, already knowing what it was.
"No..."
The monster stood in the corridor. It roared in anger and lowered its head so its tusks would level with its target. It charged forward. Steve grabbed the doorknob with a shaky hand and turned it.
Locked.
The monster was gaining speed.
Steve rammed his shoulder into the door. It didn't open, but it seemed to weaken it. Steve looked over his shoulder see the monster was getting too close. Steve rammed the door a couple more times before the door broke open. Steve tumbled inside and rolled away from the door. The monster tried to follow, but its large tusks prevented it from getting in. The monster roared in frustration and began ramming the door. Steve wiped the sweat from his forehead and forced himself to stand up.
As Steve ran to the other side of the room to open the door, he heard gunshots being fired from not too far away.
"Claire...?" he asked aloud. Steve quickened his pace to find the source of the noise.
Claire couldn't keep herself from staring in awe at her new surroundings. Giant pillars of dragon-like monster supported a second-floor balcony. There was no staircase in the room that led to the balcony. Claire guessed it was in another room. She glanced at the paintings and statues that were lined up next to each other across the room. One of the paintings that captured her attention was of a black-haired man with a cane standing next to a bleeding corpse hanging upside down. What was most disturbing is that the man looked smug. Claire shuddered and looked at the large statue of the girl.
'She looks kind of like me when I was little,' she smiled. She then shook her head and went back to searching.
There was a desk not to far away from her. It was scattered with papers and books. Hoping she would find something on Steve, she walked over and began rummaging through the mess. She found something that looked like a guest book. When she picked it up, a crest fell out. It was a brass crest with an angel craved on it.
'I may need that,' Claire though. She picked up the angel crest and put it in her pack. She looked back at the guest book. Curiously, she began flipping through the pages. There were dozens of names written in black ink, each of them crossed out. The book looked very old, but on the final page there were names written in red ink. It looked liked it had been done recently.
"Peter Schultz, Greg Corwin, Joel Firman..." these names had been crossed out. There were only two other names that hadn't been crossed out. Claire gasped when she read them.
"Steve Burnside, Claire...Redfield..." Claire stared at the two names. She didn't know why their names were on this guest book. Did that mean Steve was here? And why was her name on this list even though she had never been here before? Disturbed, Claire shut the book. She wouldn't find anything else that was useful here. Glancing at the descending spiral staircase, she hoped her questions would be answered as she traveled deeper into the mansion. She gripped her handgun tightly and climbed down the stairs.
Claire was greeted by darkness as she stepped off the staircase and onto the cold metal floor of a long hallway. It was impossible to see anything. Claire dug into her pack and pulled out her lighter. It was the same one Chris had given her. She was surprised that he had got it back for her. She swiftly moved her thumb across the wheel, and a tiny flame lit up a small portion of the hallway. Claire navigated through the hallway, using the lighter to make sure she didn't walk into something. The clanging of her footsteps against a metal floor and her breathing were the only sounds she could hear.
Claire ran her fingers across the wall as she traveled further down the hallway. The hallway seemed to extend forever. There was a horrible stench, a smell that seemed all too familiar. It made Claire's stomach tighten. Claire stopped when her fingers no longer touched the cold metal of the wall, but instead something warm and wet...
Claire pulled her hand away and brought her hand close to the lighter.
Blood.
Claire forced herself not to panic. She slowly brought the lighter up to where her fingers had touched. Sure enough, there was a trail of blood running down the wall. Claire followed it with her lighter, and uttered a gasp when she found the source.
It was a man, or at least it looked like a man. He was slumped against the wall. Claire kneeled down next to him. Part of his scalp had decayed, showing the bone of his skull. His dirty blonde hair was matted together. The front of his shirt was covered in blood and had been ripped. His skin was a strange reddish-color. He looked like he hadn't been dead for very long. There was a folded, wrinkled piece of paper in his shirt pocket. Claire carefully took it and began to read it. It was smudged from the blood and some of the words she couldn't make it.
"If anyone finds th-- note, I'm probably alre-- dead. I left G--- and the others early t--- morning and stumbled across some th---- I wasn't supp---- to see when I got lost. The old ow--- of this place, Co---el--s, is crazy. I tri-- finding Greg and ev----- but instead fo--- that horrible mo----. It knows I'm h---, and now it's af--- me. If I had left it alo--- I would have prob---- escaped. If anyone is reading this, then please get-"
The rest of the note was too smudged to read it. She put the note back into the man's shirt pocket.
Claire heard a soft growl. She tensed up and searched for the sound. She looked down and saw the corpse of the man quiver. Fresh blood was dripping from its chin.
"Oh no..."
It forced itself to get up, using the wall to help it. It growled again, lifting its head. One of its eyes had been ripped out, and the other eye was a milky white color. More blood poured out of its mouth and dripped onto the floor. It flashed two long fangs that reminded Claire of a vampire. This was the last thing Claire saw before it lunged for her. She immediately dropped the lighter, surrounding them in darkness.
"NO!"
Steve didn't know how far he had traveled throughout the mansion. He wasn't sure where he was, or how to get out of the mansion. Only Greg knew that, but he was dead now. Greg had taken Steve's only way of escape with him to his grave.
The images kept flowing through his mind. Greg's head rolling across the floor, Peter's body hanging from the fan. He almost threw up at the sight of Peter's mutilated corpse dangling from the fan. And that message...
'I got to focus on finding a weapon,' Steve told himself. So far all the rooms he had been in were useless. He found handgun ammo laying around, but he didn't have a handgun. He walked further down the hallway he was in. Most of the doors were locked or boarded up. As he tested each door, he found a door with a broken lock. He pushed open the door and entered.
The room was dark and almost empty. In the room was only bed and a desk. Steve looked down to see that it looked like someone or something had tried to tear up the wood floor. Wooden boards were scattered across the room, and a crowbar was lying on the floor. There was another room connected to the one he was in, but he'd explore that later. Steve walked over to the desk. On the desk was a brass crest with a devil on it.
'I'll probably need this for later,' he thought. Steve put the crest away, but froze when he faintly heard a noise coming from the other room.
Skritch. Skritch.
Steve's heartbeat quickened. He remembered that sound. He glanced at the crowbar and moved over to it.
Hiss...
The sound was closer now. He could hear it moving towards him. He reached for the crowbar.
Skritch. Skritch.
The head of a monster emerged from the room. It's head was rounded, and it had two large tusks protruding from its cheeks, stretching out the skin from its face. It had no eyes and it had a large hole for a mouth. It turned its head in Steve's direction.
Steve grabbed the crowbar and stood in an attack position.
The monster stumbled out of the room, and stood up. It was about a couple feet taller than Steve. It's body was very fragile-looking. It's bones were exposed through its yellowish skin. It was as if it had never been fed in its life. Steve could even see its heart beating through its skin. It's arms were thin, but it had large lobster-like claws. It's legs were surprisingly muscular, and its feet were webbed. On its back were the two tentacles that Steve had seen in the corridor with Greg. They hovered over the monsters head, moving about as if they had a mind of their own.
Steve leaped at the monster, lifting the crowbar high into the air. With inhuman reflexes, the monster caught the crowbar between its giant claw. The claw tightened its grip and the crowbar easily snapped it in two. Steve landed on his stomach, still clutching half of the crowbar. The monster twisted its head at Steve, looking down at him. Steve realized he was staring right into its mouth. The monster's head began to expand, and the small hole the monster had for a mouth began to expand. It continued to stretch until the mouth was big enough to swallow Steve whole. There were several "rings" of teeth inside the mouth, which meant that being devoured would be a very painful process. Steve turned away at the horrible smell of its breath.
"Ah, damn it."
The monster's bloated head dove down to swallow him, but Steve took the broken crowbar and shoved it into the monster's mouth. The monster squealed in surprise and reared back, giving Steve enough time to get to his feet. Acidic vomit dripped onto the floor as the monster struggled to cough up the crowbar. In its panic, its tentacles thrashed about in an attempt to get rid of its attacker. Steve dashed towards the door, avoiding the tentacles. He slammed the door behind him, leaving the monster inside.
Steve took a moment to catch his breath, and then hurried away from the door. He ran down the hallway. There was another door, but as he reached for it, he heard a crashing sound behind him. Steve turned around, already knowing what it was.
"No..."
The monster stood in the corridor. It roared in anger and lowered its head so its tusks would level with its target. It charged forward. Steve grabbed the doorknob with a shaky hand and turned it.
Locked.
The monster was gaining speed.
Steve rammed his shoulder into the door. It didn't open, but it seemed to weaken it. Steve looked over his shoulder see the monster was getting too close. Steve rammed the door a couple more times before the door broke open. Steve tumbled inside and rolled away from the door. The monster tried to follow, but its large tusks prevented it from getting in. The monster roared in frustration and began ramming the door. Steve wiped the sweat from his forehead and forced himself to stand up.
As Steve ran to the other side of the room to open the door, he heard gunshots being fired from not too far away.
"Claire...?" he asked aloud. Steve quickened his pace to find the source of the noise.