Doctor Terrence Mann almost threw himself into the locker and
slammed the metal door. Huddled in the tiny locker, Dr. Mann tightly
held the broken broomstick in his sweating hands, turning his knuckles
white. He slightly moved forward in his confined bunker, putting his
eyes near the locker's grated openings. He could hear the ominous
screaming of the other employees as they ran by his locker. He spotted
Oscar, one of the custodians, in the corner of his eye. As he turned to look at the running janitor, half of his upper torso flew into the
locker. Blood sprayed through the grates of the locker, staining
Mann's already sweat covered face. He fell back and firmly slapped a
hand against his mouth, barely suppressing a scream of terror.
Suddenly, the small rivets of light that previously shone through the
locker's gratings disappeared, Mann's former spyholes were now covered.
The thing was in front of the locker. "Oh God, please no. Don't let
me die. I don't want to die, please," thought the frantic scientist.
The unspoken pleas throbbed in Mann's head as a structure of pure bone
tore through the locker's flimsy metal door. Seconds became hours as
the crude blade ripped through the flesh of the doctor's abdomen. He
could feel it tear up his organs and rip through his spinal column.
Everything became numb as the bone claw ripped out Mann's back and
through the locker, into the wall behind it. He drooped down, hanging,
impaled on the beast's claw. His white dress shirt and lab coat were
now stained red as was the floor around the locker. The claw quickly
retracted, ripping away the locker door with it. Doctor Terrence
Mann's body plopped to the floor with a sickening THUD. The creature's
large gray foot stepped on and crushed the quite dead scientist's head
as he proceeded into the hallway, greeted by more screaming.
*****
The helicopter flight wasn't especially long, but the
unfavorable silence of the occupants made the thirty minute flight seem
like a day. Sean's silence was the most piercing. He sat with his
elbows on his knees, head down, looking at the helicopter's steel
floor. Gordy broke the silence.
"How old was she?"
The question seemed to snap Sean out of his almost comatose
state and back to reality. "Oh, uh…she was comin' up on seventeen
soon. Not even old enough to…" Sean stopped in mid-sentence. He
inhaled and exhaled slowly, then returning his gaze to the steel floor.
Elizabeth chimed in as well. "Yeah Sean, your sister is gonna
be fine. We're just gonna go in and get her. It'll be that simple."
She received no response from Sean. "I think he's just blocking
everything out. Nothin's coming through to him."
"Just leave him be. He's just jostled around up there,"
replied Noah, pointing to his temple with his index finger. "Once we
get in there, he'll be back to the norm." He scratched at the whiskers
along his upper lip before leaning back in his seat.
"Alright guys and gals, looks like we've reached our
destination," Zach announced. A slight tremor hit the helicopter as
its landing gear touched the ground. "Everybody off the bird."
The team members all hopped out of the helicopter into the
freezing cold. The lab was remotely placed a few miles past the
U.S./Canada border, and it was winter. The snow bit at the faces of
the soldiers as they left the helicopter and headed towards the silver,
steel-walled laboratory. They reached the entrance, steel double
doors with the Umbrella logo printed solidly, spanning both doors.
Lyle reached out towards the handle with a gloved hand and to his
surprise, it opened.
"Fuck, what are we getting' ourselves into. Some shit's gotta
happen if the fuckin' front door opens without any hitch," Todd spat
into the snow, "I got a bad feelin' Caps."
Lyle looked back at Todd. "So do I…so do I." The soldiers
walked into the laboratory main entrance. Once they all entered, Lyle
shut the door behind them, shutting out the cold. However, upon taking
in the condition of the Main Hall, Lyle's bad feeling immediately
escalated into dread.
slammed the metal door. Huddled in the tiny locker, Dr. Mann tightly
held the broken broomstick in his sweating hands, turning his knuckles
white. He slightly moved forward in his confined bunker, putting his
eyes near the locker's grated openings. He could hear the ominous
screaming of the other employees as they ran by his locker. He spotted
Oscar, one of the custodians, in the corner of his eye. As he turned to look at the running janitor, half of his upper torso flew into the
locker. Blood sprayed through the grates of the locker, staining
Mann's already sweat covered face. He fell back and firmly slapped a
hand against his mouth, barely suppressing a scream of terror.
Suddenly, the small rivets of light that previously shone through the
locker's gratings disappeared, Mann's former spyholes were now covered.
The thing was in front of the locker. "Oh God, please no. Don't let
me die. I don't want to die, please," thought the frantic scientist.
The unspoken pleas throbbed in Mann's head as a structure of pure bone
tore through the locker's flimsy metal door. Seconds became hours as
the crude blade ripped through the flesh of the doctor's abdomen. He
could feel it tear up his organs and rip through his spinal column.
Everything became numb as the bone claw ripped out Mann's back and
through the locker, into the wall behind it. He drooped down, hanging,
impaled on the beast's claw. His white dress shirt and lab coat were
now stained red as was the floor around the locker. The claw quickly
retracted, ripping away the locker door with it. Doctor Terrence
Mann's body plopped to the floor with a sickening THUD. The creature's
large gray foot stepped on and crushed the quite dead scientist's head
as he proceeded into the hallway, greeted by more screaming.
*****
The helicopter flight wasn't especially long, but the
unfavorable silence of the occupants made the thirty minute flight seem
like a day. Sean's silence was the most piercing. He sat with his
elbows on his knees, head down, looking at the helicopter's steel
floor. Gordy broke the silence.
"How old was she?"
The question seemed to snap Sean out of his almost comatose
state and back to reality. "Oh, uh…she was comin' up on seventeen
soon. Not even old enough to…" Sean stopped in mid-sentence. He
inhaled and exhaled slowly, then returning his gaze to the steel floor.
Elizabeth chimed in as well. "Yeah Sean, your sister is gonna
be fine. We're just gonna go in and get her. It'll be that simple."
She received no response from Sean. "I think he's just blocking
everything out. Nothin's coming through to him."
"Just leave him be. He's just jostled around up there,"
replied Noah, pointing to his temple with his index finger. "Once we
get in there, he'll be back to the norm." He scratched at the whiskers
along his upper lip before leaning back in his seat.
"Alright guys and gals, looks like we've reached our
destination," Zach announced. A slight tremor hit the helicopter as
its landing gear touched the ground. "Everybody off the bird."
The team members all hopped out of the helicopter into the
freezing cold. The lab was remotely placed a few miles past the
U.S./Canada border, and it was winter. The snow bit at the faces of
the soldiers as they left the helicopter and headed towards the silver,
steel-walled laboratory. They reached the entrance, steel double
doors with the Umbrella logo printed solidly, spanning both doors.
Lyle reached out towards the handle with a gloved hand and to his
surprise, it opened.
"Fuck, what are we getting' ourselves into. Some shit's gotta
happen if the fuckin' front door opens without any hitch," Todd spat
into the snow, "I got a bad feelin' Caps."
Lyle looked back at Todd. "So do I…so do I." The soldiers
walked into the laboratory main entrance. Once they all entered, Lyle
shut the door behind them, shutting out the cold. However, upon taking
in the condition of the Main Hall, Lyle's bad feeling immediately
escalated into dread.