City of the Dead
"Dude, it's alright, leave me here, I can fend for myself," Jarred said.
"No you can't, look at you; you can't even walk right now," John added.
"So," Jarred protested.
"Come on, we're getting you somewhere until you can rest up," John said helping jarred up off the cement.
"I don't need rest...Put me back down," Jarred said, slipping back into a state of comatose.
"Shit, this is dangerous, I need to get him somewhere fast," John worried.
Vanessa and Ryan began their search for everyone else, there was nothing more to accomplish in the park, except a bunch of dimly lit areas with little surprises waiting in the shadows, and that was something they felt that they could pass.
"Shhh, did you hear something?" Ryan asked suddenly.
"No, what is it?" Vanessa asked.
Ryan signaled for her to be quiet again. Vanessa heard something clearly now, it was the sound of dragging feet, it sounded like the footsteps of a zombie. Ryan cocked the Handgun and aimed it into the darkness. All of a sudden, two figures stepped into the light and Ryan quickly recognized them.
"John...Oh dear god, what happened?" Ryan yelled noticing the injured Jarred.
Jarred was bleeding and was nearly immobile.
"Help me guys, we need to get him somewhere safe," John said.
"Oh fuck," Vanessa yelled running over to him. "Oh no, what the hell happened?" She frantically asked.
"It got him," was all that John could say; Vanessa and Ryan quickly knew what he meant by his words.
Vanessa stroked her hand through Jarred's hair, feeling trickling blood run down from his scalp. Seeing him like this brought tears to her eyes. What if he wouldn't make it? What if he didn't survive?
"Okay, I've got an idea," Ryan said to John and Vanessa. "Let's get him to the St. Joseph's Church, he'll be safe there," Ryan said.
"But that's on the other side of downtown, do you think we can make it?" John asked.
"I don't care, come on, we need to get him out of here," Vanessa said with deep concern.
"Well, what about the others?" John asked.
"I don't know," Ryan said, genuinely confused. about that topic
Everyone pushed it from their minds and headed towards the front entrance of the park, tired, miserable, cold, and worried...
David had been wandering around the park, trying to find the others, but to no avail. He had a good clue where Markenson and Piers were hiding, he remembered Markenson saying that communications would be set up at the city hall, but he wanted to make sure the others were safe first.
Heh, that's odd, I guess there's a first time for everything.
David temporarily gave up and sat down behind a bush, resting up for a minute. He was hidden by the shrub, but could see the streets outside the park.
God, I hope that giant lizard thing is gone, what the hell was that anyways? Couldn't have been one of Piers' creations, none of his research has ever suggested a 20 foot lizard. And who knows, there could be more of them out there.
David shifted his thoughts towards Alex. He knew that they were trying to lure him into a trap with her as the bait, and it looks like it was working. He didn't care, he knew that Markenson and Piers were two very fucked up individuals and he knew what they were capable of.
David lost his concentration as he heard a squeaky gate open from the left; someone was coming out of the park.
"What the hell?" David whispered looking through the bush.
Vanessa, John, and Ryan were helping someone along.
"Uh oh," Jarred was injured.
David hopped over the bush and climbed over the fence.
"Hey guys, what happened?" He yelled as he hopped out into the street.
Everyone stopped and looked back at him, a bit confused as to how he appeared out of nowhere.
"David, it's you," John said.
"Yeah, what happened here?" David asked again.
"The Nemesis got him" Ryan said, biting his tongue. He wanted to punch David in the face. After all this, it was still difficult for Ryan to play it off as if he didn't know anything.
"Aren't Winsor and Nathan with you guys?" David asked.
"Nuh uh, we never found them, we're getting Jarred to the church now," Vanessa said.
"Hey guys, I've got an idea, see that jeep over there?" David said pointing to a parked, top-less army jeep. "The keys are in the ignition, take that, and I'll go find Winsor and Nathan and we'll meet up with you at the church" David said.
"Okay, we'll see you then," John said.
"Oh, and one more thing, there is something else here, trust me, if you face it, you'll see it coming," David said before he ran off into the park again.
Ryan was getting pissed, why couldn't David just tell them what he was talking about? He always did that.
"Come on, get him into the jeep," John said helping Jarred into the car. He had almost regained full consciousness.
Jarred looked up towards Vanessa, his vision still a bit blurry.
"Where are we going?" Jarred asked Vanessa.
"We're getting you to the church where it's safe," Vanessa said hopping into the back with him.
"...I hate church," Jarred said closing his eyes again.
Vanessa smiled at the remark, she kneeled down and kissed him on the forehead. He reached and placed her hand in his, and then shut his eyes once again.
"Okay guys, now I'm not that great of a driver so hold tight," Ryan said cranking up the car. He knew that some of the roads were littered with debris, he just hoped there was a route to the Church that was free of any hostilities...
Joker
As Ryan started the jeep, he thought to himself, "Great. Just got my license and my first real drive is a medical emergency...". He also thought about going back for Nathan and Winsor. David was going back after them.
But, to Ryan, that just seemed another incentive to go back for Nath and Winsor. The bastard had lied to them all along and, as far as Ryan knew, he was a plant for Blair/Isis. He was the closest personification of the madness threatening his life. Everyone's lives.
Ryan had a serious dilemma. He wanted to go back for them. Half of him screamed "Go back! ". Nath had been there for everyone in this ordeal. Best still, unlike how Ryan viewed himself, he was able to save the day, whereas Ryan was lucky to give some people a few more hours of life...
Then there was Winsor. "A real enigma", Ryan thought. So pessimistic, so jaded, and yet, so guarded, almost as if she's afraid to become attached to anyone...
Neither of them deserved to die. Nobody deserved to die this way.
But David... when Ryan thought about decking that prick, he was clearly being irrational...
...What he meant was that he wanted to take his fucking head clean off. It was hard for Ryan to stop himself from just taking him out. Ryan hated the "Cloak & Dagger" he'd seen in school, people plotting rumors, pranks, gossip... it was all bullshit to him. But David took the term "bullshit" (in this context) to a whole new level.
The other half of Ryan's mind said, " Deal with the emergency at hand. Nath can take care of himself, he's proven that. He and Winsor will be fine, even if David is a lying bastard. But he's not in any known danger, Jarred is. Deal with that.".
Ryan shoved the jeep into gear and started off down the road. He had found reason earlier and he was not going to lose it.
"They'll be ok...", Ryan thought to himself, "...they'll be ok..."
As the jeep sped down Seventh Street, Ryan tried desperately to remember which way they should go. He tried to remember the map, but it didn't help too much. He knew St. Joseph's Church, it was on College Street as he recalled, but how to get there without running into a blockade was quite another matter.
However, he could remember that they pretty much had a clear run down Riverside Drive.
Coming to the end of Seventh Street, Ryan threw the jeep hard to the left, throwing about the occupants slightly. Jarred moaned in pain as Vanessa shouted, "Watch it, Ryan!"
"Sorry, but it was either that or meet the side of a truck!", Ryan called back, thinking, "Typical moron parking there...".
As the jeep made its way up Riverside Drive, the moans of the undead became louder still. The "Festival On The Water" was apparently on and it appeared a lot of people went out to see it before the virus hit.
Upon seeing this new thing careening toward them, the mob started wandering in front of the jeep, trying to stop it to feast on the occupants.
"Jesus Christ, where did all these people come from?!? They're gonna stop us with sheer numbers!", John exclaimed with fear.
"Oh, no, you don't!", Ryan said angrily as he shifted down a gear and slammed the accelerator down, making the jeep lurch forth like a bat out of the proverbial Hell.
A few stray undead got in front of the jeep, only to be met by the large bull-bar on the front, making a mockery of their rotted bodies. The crunch of each corpse rolling under the tires was enough to make the group sick, but filled them with a macabre satisfaction at the same time.
That feeling of morbid contentment stopped when Ryan saw the dense mob of undead just in front of him.
"Well, fuck that!", Ryan said as he slowed slightly and threw the jeep into First Street.
The road ahead was clear. The group sighed with relief as Ryan tried to think where to go next.
As he thought, Walnut Street passed. A strange sound filled their air, slowly making itself known above the high revs of the jeep. It sounded almost like...
..."A rocket?!?"
The warhead propelled itself just behind the jeep, rocking it forth, but not enough to cause any damage. It had been a lucky miss.
"Where the hell did that come from?!?", Vanessa cried.
"How the hell should I know?!?", Ryan snapped back tersely. Clearly, he wasn't driving by what he'd learned. He was driving by fear and adrenaline.
Ryan turned sharply into Mulberry Street. With any luck, he could get right to St. Joseph's on this street. The turn threw the passengers around again. This time, nobody said anything. Being thrown around a little was nothing compared to being blown to smithereens.
As he turned, another propelled explosive delivered its payload into the corner stores, sending glass, charred merchandise and miscellaneous things flying with the visual effect of a fireball emanating from their origin.
As the jeep barreled down Mulberry Street, another rocket exploded, this time close to the jeep, raising it on two wheels for a while.
Ryan fought to control the vehicle. After slowing down (reluctantly), the jeep resumed its normal 4-wheeled transit.
"That's it", Ryan thought to himself. "There's no God damn way I'll let us all go up!" All it took was one lucky shot and it was all over.
Slamming the brakes on as the Gaines Police Department was in sight, Ryan said, "Get out!"
"You've gotta be kidding, man! Drive! We're sitting ducks sitting still! Hell, we're sitting ducks rolling!", John protested.
"Not anymore, I am! Now get out, we don't have much time!", Ryan persisted.
John started to try and talk Ryan out of it, but he would not be moved.
"NOW!", Ryan insisted frantically.
Ryan might have been usually polite, but he could be God damn stubborn if he wanted to be. He could also be God damn crazy.
Realizing this, John quickly got out and helped Vanessa lift Jarred out to seek shelter.
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The Nemesis watched on curiously with its one serviceable eye. Its vision was quite damaged from the onslaught Jarred had inflicted on it, making its depth perception quite poor. Large objects, like vehicles, however, stood out quite distinctly. At the moment, all it could see was that its target had stopped. It could not distinguish the two youths carrying their wounded friend.
The Nemesis growled as it continued reloading its rocket launcher. Its target was on the move...
---------------------------
Ryan slammed the jeep into first and sped off. He didn't want to leave them behind, but at that rate, they wouldn't get to the church. Better he got killed than him and three other innocent souls. But he had failed again. He might have made it to St. Joseph's instead of just leaving them.
Them, this time, being Jarred, a natural leader of sorts, he was the driving force behind them. Vanessa, someone he couldn't help but like, being very insightful for one of the more "popular" girls. Last, but not least, John, someone Ryan felt somewhat of a kindred spirit to, someone who had faced similar demons, seeing his friends slaughtered. Had Ryan known John better, they'd probably be the best of friends judging by the way each kept the other going.
"I'm sorry... ", Ryan said quietly as he said a silent prayer for them. All of them. He had not forgotten that Nath and Winsor were alone. David was going to meet up with them, but as far as Ryan was concerned, if something didn't surface to show he wasn't plotting against all of them, that meant precisely "dick".
As Ryan's subconscious stream faded away, the sound of an explosion filled his ears, the jeep careening out of control from the concussive blast.
Ryan desperately tried to regain control, but was just too inexperienced to do so, the jeep making a wide sweeping arc into a mass of debris. The force of the impact left Ryan slumped over the wheel, bleeding from the head, unconscious, with fire licking somewhat close to the vehicle, too close for comfort. Below the vehicle, some tiny drops of gasoline began to form...
Dr.William Birkin
David ran as fast as he could down the nature trail leading to the lake, the MAC10 clutched tightly in his hand Its obvious they know, and its obvious what they'll do to you, might as well just kill Nathan and Winsor and surrender to the troops... screamed part of David's mind, but he ignored it, realizing it was that type of thinking that had gotten him here in the first place. Seeing a figure aiming a rifle at the end of a path, barely illuminated by David's pocket flashlight, he jumped behind cover. "HOLD IT RIGHT THERE..." yelled a familiar voice at the end of the path, it was Nathan. "Jesus Christ am I glad to see you!!" yelled David, somewhat frustrated as he stood out in the open with his hands above his head. "Look..your friends...Ryan and Jarred and what's-her-name, all went off to the church..you might as well go find them..." he said, turning and beginning to walk off. "And where the hell are YOU off to?" screamed Winsor, standing up next to Nathan. David turned and stared at them through the darkness and fog of the lake area, "I have more important things to attend to...Alex has been taken by the clean up troops..and, no offense..but in my opinion her safety FAR outweighs that of the rest of you....well then, have fun!!!" he yelled as he ran off into the darkness..
"Is it just me or does he seem to know more than he's letting on?" said Winsor, turning to Nathan. "Somehow I'm willing to bet he does...." replied Nathan in a low tone of voice, remembering the files on David's clandestine ties...
"DAMNIT DAMNIT DAMNIT!!!" Markenson's cries echoed through his office. "GOD DAMN YOU PIERS..." he said, jamming a thumb in the direction of a monitor showing the iris troops, "THIS IS THE PRICE OF YOU'RE DAMNED RESEARCH..YOU COULDN'T HAVE JUST STOPPED WHEN YOU SHOULD HAVE..OH NO, YOU HAD TO WAIT FOR AN OUTBREAK TO OCCUR DIDN'T YOU. NOW WERE ALL GOING TO DIE!" yelled Markenson. "Calm down...they'll never get past the lizard mutation that inadvertently freed your friend Sunderland before...this event will end favorably for us.." said Piers calmly. Markenson lit another cigarette, pacing the length of the office again, when something caught his eye. "Well..looks like the bait is waking up..." he said, gazing at the monitor set to holding cell 3....
Claire Redfield
They watched David run off, neither of them stopping him, but Winsor and Nathan knew that he was hiding something. He was starting to get sloppy ad whatever he was planning, it sounded bad.
But not as bad as what I said to Nath. Damn my morbid sarcasm and cruel nature.
After Nathan had said his little speech about him liking her, Winsor actually felt terrified for the first time in her life. No one cared for her before and there were mixed feelings about him. Trust, respect, and another thing that she was scared of. She always thought that the "in crowd" were the only ones to fall in love. She had put herself down over the years, knowing that no one would love her, making her cruel and stronger to retaliate anything anyone said. And after Nathan told her about how he felt, she was left scared and confused. As if she had forgotten the years of snapping and fighting.
So she let her mouth do the talking, instead of telling him how she truly felt. "I bet you tell that to all the girls. But I'm not like all girls, so give your hopes up. I'm not worth saving and I have no idea why the hell you like me, but that is probably the most moronic thing I have ever heard."
Nathan was quiet for a moment. His face was stern and then a smile crawled up his face.
"What?" she asked in confusion.
"That is why I like you. I have seen girls that have the looks, the brains, the voice, the-the positivism," he said. His smile grew wider. "And then there's you."
"So you're saying that I'm ugly, stupid, cruel, and negative," she said quickly.
"No! You're-you're all of the good things that a guy looks for in a girl combined!"
"Uh-huh and you knew that after you dated that slut, Lina."
She shut her mouth quickly, fearing that she would get shot. It was almost the same situation she was in with John and she pissed him off the edge.
Nathan looked saddened first and then slowly nodded. "I should have known better. Now I do."
Winsor sighed and that's when David came in, running and ranting about the others going to some church and that he had to take care of some things first.
Now Winsor and Nathan were jogging to the entrance of the park, heading toward the church.
"The church is by Georgia Ave. and-" Nathan said, but Winsor cut him off.
"-College St. I know. By the cemetery, of all things."
"Be ready to shoot anything then."
"Then in that case, I must ask can I shoot John?"
Nathan stared at her as they exited the park. He had one of those "you-can't-be-serious" looks plastered on his face.
"Long story. Let's just go-"she was caught off by a group of moans coming from their right. Seven zombies staggered towards them. Nathan raised his weapon at them. Winsor raised her gun also-
-and there was another chorus behind them now; to their right. Four more zombies lurched forward, each wailing for something to feed on.
"Nath?" she said in a shaky voice. There was five more now coming around the corner. Two more coming from another direction on Nathan's side.
She felt something grab her hand and instinctively struggled a bit as she shot a glance to see her attacker.
"Run!" Nathan shouted and they both ran away from the zombies, hand-in-hand. Despite the annoying damp feeling of their clothes clinging to their skin on a cool autumn night, Winsor felt warmth coming from inside her by his touch as they ran down Seventh and making a left onto Riverside.