Author's Note:I would like to let my wonderful reviewers know that it will be my birthday on October 26, this Tuesday, and that I am now accepting gifts. Cash and/or checks taken in by snail mail only. I'm a little depressed at this point, because I will be turning 21. And that means I have only 2 days left of my youth. Oh no wait … it's past midnight. I have ONE day left of youth! On a more serious note, here is my birthday present to all of you! I am going to upload (God, I hope I follow up with my promise) a new chapter for all my current fanfiction projects, starting with this one.
"Biohazard: World of the Undead" will be completed in two chapters. I want to take the time now to thank everyone who's reviewed so far and kept me going strong. It was your reviews that made me continue the story, when it was at an INCREDIBLY weak start. And now, somehow, out of all my fanfictions, this story seems to be the most popular. So thank you, everyone, again!
Lost Survivor: I told you once, and I will tell you again. I have no intention of using someone else's ideas because I wouldn't want to take someone's creative juice and use it for my benefit. What you've suggested sounds like it would make a very good story. And from a practical point of view, I can't add it to this story because it's about to close. And at the moment, I have not planned for a sequel to this story either. I would like to see you use this idea to make your own story – and I can guarantee you I will be following and reviewing from beginning to end. Thanks for your support and your appreciation for this story.
Emma: It hasn't been THAT long since you last reviewed, has it?
Bianca: Thanks for letting me know I'm doing a good job sofar!
Yue Michiru: Well, there were the eight civilians that survived from RE: Outbreak. Oh yeah, Claire, Leon and Sherry too. None of them had any special training. Sherry was a kid, Claire was a college student, and Leon and Kevin were just regular police officers.
JanoYeah, I thought Kenny convincing Chris went by a little short. Chris is famous for being on the slower side, so realistically, it would've taken Kenny a lot longer. But in order to expand the conversation, I would've had to get Chris to ask some intelligent questions. And that would just make him out of character. I'm in a little rut here.
Angel: Thanks for your support!
Blizzard Dragon: King of RE fics? Um … nervous laughter that's quite a daring statement, don't you think? Just don't tell any of the other talented RE authors on ;)
JojoLol, yeah, Kenny's been in trouble from the start.
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Oh god … I closed my eyes tightly and faced the ground. Whatever that monster planned on doing to Claire, I knew it wasn't going to be pretty. There she was, wrapped tightly in that mutant tentacle, suspended feet in the air, her head and shoulders vulnerable to the hulking creature that stood before her. In its hands, it held that giant axe with a blade large enough to behead a person as if they were a chicken. My heart leapt into my throat – I'd never seen anyone die right in front of me before, even after surviving the Raccoon disaster. Back there, those I ran into who were alive stayed that way or died when I was out of the picture. I'd never seen a person transform into a zombie, I only saw zombies and people. This … was a first.
I could hear Claire's incessant pleas for mercy and there was nothing I could do to curb her fears.
"Just close your eyes," I whispered, not even sure if she could hear me. "It'll be over soon, and I'll be right behind you."
"No, Steve," Claire sobbed, but her words fell upon deaf ears.
Suddenly, I felt the light brush of air from the sharp falling blade. I expected Claire to scream, but instead I heard nothing. At least the move was quick, and she didn't suffer. But … where was the spray of blood I was expecting to feel?
I opened my eyes and saw Claire on the ground – in once piece. The monstrous tentacle however … half of it lay on the ground while the remaining bit swung around wildly, retracting into the wall as it spilled its juices everywhere. On the floor, Claire stirred.
Almost simultaneously, the secondary tentacle that held me released me, allowing me to fall to the ground. I half expected it to do that, as I landed on my feet instead of on my ass. It dashed at the creature that was Steve, and knocked it against the wall. Given the way the monster flew in the air and crashed into the wall, you would've never guessed that the creature loomed almost two feet over our heads and probably three times the combined weight of Claire and me. It landed in a heap of pain on the ground, both tentacles having retracted into the wall by then.
"Are you …"
"I'm fine," Claire replied quickly. "But Steve …" We both approached the monster, noticing that the green hue in its skin was fading, its body shrinking.
"Is he …"
Claire went up to him and put her hand on her face. They began whispering to each other, sharing some kind of intimate moment and I knew I wasn't a part of. Whatever happened between the two of them, it had to have been intense, given the short amount of time they had to get acquainted. I backed off into the corner on the opposite end of the room, giving them as much space and privacy as I could.
I put my hands to my ears, knowing that Steve was about to die. And I didn't want to watch. We started off on the wrong foot, and I don't think I liked him even at that point, but I sure felt sorry for him though. He wasn't a whole lot older than me – by about two years. And I couldn't think of myself perishing in one of Umbrella's disasters, even though I've come close on more than one account. But this was Steve's only shot at escaping Umbrella's grasp – and he failed. Yeah, I felt horrible for him, alright.
I knew it was over for Steve, I knew he was gone when Claire started sobbing uncontrollably. She just sat here, resting her head on his naked shoulder, crying and crying. I debated with myself on whether or not I should try going over and comforting her, or perhaps letting her have this moment to herself and let out all her emotions. In the end, I did nothing …
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I don't know how much time passed with me just sitting there, and Claire crying. It felt like a brief moment, but logically, an eternity could've passed. I just don't remember. However long it took, the only thing I can say was that those moments were charged with emotional silence … just pain and sorrow, really. But the tense moment was broken by Chris's authoritative voice.
"Claire, are you there?" But she was too wrapped up in her emotions to register what was going on.
"She's fine," I replied.
"Kenny, you're here too! Are you both …"
"The doors are locked, Chris," Claire said.
"Hold on, I'll get you guys out!" I heard some struggling, and some thumping. "It's no use. The door won't budge!"
"Here." Claire approached the door and took something out of her pocket. It was small, and white … "Use this to engage the self destruct sequence. It should unlock all the doors to the facility." She slid it under the small gap of the door.
I stared at her wide eyed, as she smiled back at me. "How on earth did you get that …"
"I saw it in a crystal ball," she replied smartly, seemingly enjoying my confusion.
"Alright, I got it!" Chris said. "You two sit tight. I'll be back to get you in a bit." I heard his footsteps scurry off.
"Is he always this protective?" I asked Claire.
She sighed. "Yeah …"
"I see."
"Chris has been this way for as long as I've known him. He seems to get a kick out of being the big brother. You know, protecting the weaker, more defenseless people. The bullies learn not to mess with him or me either. Because if they do …"
"I know what that feels like," I said, rubbing the back of my head.
"What's wrong?"
"It's just a bump." Claire's pretty face turned into a frown. "What did he do to you, Kenny?"
"He thought I sided with Umbrella, because I pretended to side with Alexia to buy time for you and Steve to get out of here. But then he caught me and … well …"
"But didn't you explain it to him?"
"I tried but …"
"That is SO like him, I have no choice but to believe your story. I'm sorry he acted so brashly without even listening."
"It's alright," I replied, "just a little misunderstanding, that's all."
"It's just Chris doesn't take it very lightly when he believes he's been backstabbed by someone he trusts. It was like that with Wesker, and now, with you as well."
"Chris … trusted me?" I couldn't believe what Claire was saying. It came as a total shock.
Claire responded with a blank stare. "So … he came all the way here to get WHO exactly?"
"Gee, I dunno," I replied, reflecting her sarcasm right back at her, "YOU?!"
She put her hand softly on my shoulder. "He thought I was at Rockfort. He knew you were here. It was just convenient that I followed you here. Now we just have to get it through Chris's thick head that you're really on our side."
"I already told him everything," I said.
"Good. So …" she twirled a lock of her chestnut brown hair around her finger. "We can all leave like one big happy family, I guess."
"Not with Admiral Ashford up and about," I countered. "He understands that I'm Umbrella's property. He's not going to let me go that easily …"
"Alfred's dead," Claire said, the strength of her voice melting away my worries.
"Are you sure?"
"Nobody could've survived that fall."
"How did you …"
"Steve and I pushed him off the edge of a really big hole. It took a few seconds for us to hear his body hit the bottom."
"That's amazing," I said. "OH! So that's why Alexia wants us dead! She wants her revenge!"
"I don't doubt it. And if Chris doesn't get us out of here soon, she just might get it."
Our conversation was interrupted by the whirring of alarms. The entire room suddenly glowed a dim red. It seemed that all Umbrella facilities were equipped with the same stereotypical alarm system. A cool, feminine voice sounded over an unseen speaker system installed throughout the complex.
"The self destruct system has been activated," it called, "repeat, the self destruct system has been activated. This system cannot be aborted …" It was the very same mechanical recording I heard about three months ago. For an instant, I was transported back to Raccoon City, as Billy and I were running for our lives out of that endless tunnel that lead out of the city.
The cold wind was blowing in our faces, chilling us both to the bone. But that same wind was a sign of fresh air – air that circulated into the city from the outside. And we knew that was our way out of there. The gravel crunched underfoot, the gently blowing wind gradually turned into a horrifying howl, as if the demons from the hell we were escaping weren't going to let us go without a fight.
And I hoped that this time, it would be different. I hoped that same tunnel would be there, only without that giant humanoid monster in a trench coat stalking us. I hoped there wouldn't be any giant worms with razor sharp teeth hoping to snack on my leg, or any huge men with melting faces toting a giant rocket launcher. The strange memories of Raccoon flashed through my mind – the decaying zombies smashing their decomposing fists on the windows back at the police precinct, the strange skinless creatures with exposed brains that tore a hole in the car like it was a cheap aluminum can, meeting Jill and Carlos at the clock tower, that stupid bitch, Ada …
And this was going to be the last of it. Something was telling me that. This was the very last hurdle of my three month ordeal, starting back at the R.P.D. precinct, when my only objective was to find a gun and not worry about bullshit technology inside my body, mutated tentacles smashing through walls, cross dressing twins, and just crazy, creepy S.T.A.R.S. captains that are supposed to be dead.
"Yes!" Claire cried, pumping her fist into the air. "I knew the doors would unlock!" She ran through, with my trailing shortly behind her. "Now we just have to find Chris!" Could this be true? All we had to do was find Chris, get into whatever vehicle he used to get here, and leave this Antarctic hell for good? It seemed almost too easy.
We ran out of the room, leaving Steve's body behind, bidding my last farewell to him mentally. We sprinted through the hallway with jail cells lining either side, hung a right, and up a long flight of metallic staircases into a giant cylindrical room that looked vaguely familiar … I looked up and immediately saw the platform that the aircraft pilot and I entered the facility through.
The stairs led to a grated platform, about ten by twenty feet, I'd guess. Directly opposite where the stairs met the platform was a door, in front of which Chris now stood, waving his hand around like a mad man.
"You've gotta go! Get out of here!" he ordered the both of us.
"But Chris …" Claire began, but started trailing off.
And then I saw it too. It was Alexia, back in her mutant form, walking menacingly towards Chris. Having caught her attention, she skulked towards us, walking elegantly like a model on a runway – only slower. She threw her arm outward, and her flammable blood formed a wall of fire between us and Chris.
"Don't you fucking come closer," I said, raising my magnum. I pulled the trigger, the hollow click of the empty gun multiplying exponentially in my ears. "No …"
There was a gunshot and the mutant Alexia suddenly keeled over in pain. "Get to the plane! Both of you!"
I was the first one who turned around and began heading down the stairs. Then I noticed Claire wasn't following. I looked over my shoulder and caught her standing there, as if she hadn't even moved – and I'm willing to be that she hadn't.
"Claire!" I shouted. "What the hell are you waiting for?!"
"You have to make it, Chris," she said, before running back down the stairs to join me.
We sprinted back through the jail cell hallway, noting an emergency elevator. "I'm betting this will take us to the hangar," I said.
"How do you know?" Claire asked.
"Cause when I got here, I entered that room from a hangar," I replied, pointing to the room we just exited from. "There was a walkway right beside an emergency elevator and I'm sure this will bring us back up. The hangar is accessible through a door right beside the elevator …"
Claire wasn't listening. Her gaze was transfixed on a team of Umbrella's bio-organic weapons – the Hunter. They were froglike in nature, having hunched statures and green, bumpy skin. They sported evil grins of razor sharp teeth, and instead of webbed hands, they had foot long claws here their hands should have been. I'd never faced one of these monstrosities in combat before, and the fear just enveloped my body.
Behind them, standing tall with his arms folded across his chest, was a man dressed completely in black. And there was only one man in the world who would never take off his sunglasses, not even in an underground facility, let alone on a rainy day.
"Wesker," I hissed – Chris style.
"The Shadow technology has a habit of rejuvenating itself," he said, nonchalantly. "And you, as an organic being, can't. So if we were to extract the technology from you, it would turn itself back on. But you …" Then he grinned, letting a canine tooth show from in between his disgustingly white teeth. "Not that it really matters."
The Hunters started approaching, their feet clicking on the stone floor.
"Claire? What do we do?"
"We fight back," she said without faltering. "I noticed your magnum was empty back there." She cocked her head towards where Chris was, probably now shooting the daylights out of Alexia. "Take this." Without taking her eyes off the creatures, Claire stuffed her hand into the pocket of my jumpsuit, depositing three bottles.
"What the hell am I going to do with this?!" I asked.
"They're filled with an explosive chemical," he replied. "Throw it at those things before they come any closer. Hurry!"
I reached into my pocket and took out a bottle. Claire stuck her arm in a side pouch she had attached to her waist and pulled out another one. Simultaneously, wound our arms back and threw them forward, both bottles sailing in a wide arch through that air. The creatures eyed the approaching items suspiciously … and then there was an explosion. An ear piercing shriek threatened to burst my eardrums, but the dust cleared quickly and I could see the slumped bodies of two Hunters lying dead on the floor in a pile of their own innards.
"Run!" Claire cried. We both dashed towards the remaining three creatures, while they ran for us. I balled my hands into tight fists, praying to whoever was listening that I'd somehow miss their claws. We charged towards each other, the creatures splitting the air with their high pitched cries, and Claire and I adding human shouts of fear, anger and determination to the ensemble. She extracted her own magnum from the holster and I took yet another bottle from my pocket.
And that was the last time I remember time going at normal speed. I could see a pair of the creatures jumping for me. One of them fell from its arm with its claw aimed at my neck. The thing was trying to decapitate me. I dodged to the side, moving around the thing. As the Hunter landed from missing its strike, I jumped backwards, at the same time throwing my arm forward and releasing the bottle. It collided with the monster's head and boom!! Yet another explosion leaving brains and bodily fluids caked onto the prison's walls.
My back exploded in a world of pain as I was thrown forward. I turned around, coming face to face with the second creature. Something warm flowed down my back, but I ignored it. Was I infected now? No … Ada said something about the technology in my body fighting off the infection when I was gashed by the giant worm. This time around, it shouldn't be any different. It raised its claws to slash me again, but in the moment before it would've swung down, Claire's bullets shot into the vicious creature. They punctured holes into its green skin, releasing little flowing rivers of dark red blood from its reptilian body. But it stilled moved towards me as if it hadn't been phased. Claire continued firing with little success. At this rate, the thing would be striking me down in a few seconds. My remaining bottle in hand, I threw it at the Hunter while Claire continued shooting. Only after that explosion that followed did it collapsed into a heap with its friends.
I looked at Claire and shook my head. "You could've used a more powerful gun."
She shook her head. I finished my magnum on the creature that attacked me. I took your buddy down with my handgun. And the shotgun would've hit you too."
"Well … I like your aim, then."
Something hard connected fast and strong with my back, right between the shoulder blades. I collapsed to the ground, seeing stars from the powerful impact. Then I heard Claire let out a scream, only to be muffled almost instantly.
"You're more formidable than I thought," Wesker's voice called.
I was on the floor, my arms straining in vain to pick my body up, but I was in too much shock, too much pain to move. Still, I don't know where I got the nerve to suddenly reply to him, "You should've known that when I chewed your viral nose off!"
That earned me a solid kick to the ribs with Wesker's steel toe boots. There was a sharp stabbing pain from the point of impact. I didn't feel anything break, but he definitely fractured something. The pain from his kick, combined with that from the wound on my back threatened to make me pass out – and bleed to death, whether or not I passed out. My vision was swimming, I began seeing patches of darkness and dots of light complementing each other, instead of the grimy prison walls. Then I realized my whole body was on the floor, curled up with my arms wrapped tightly around my ribs, though my grip was slowly loosening.
"Don't lose consciousness," I said to myself mentally. "You can't afford to die now. You've come this far!!" I swallowed a wad of spit and concentrated on my breathing, no matter how much it hurt to do so. But what wouldn't help. The blood draining from my body through my back would eventually claim me. Even still, I struggled to hold on to consciousness, to life, for a little longer. At least I would know that I fought till the very end.
"I was on the verge of completely fainting from the pain and blood loss when I caught a glimpse of Chris's silhouette standing strong against the doorway, the light from the windows of the silo outside glowing around his darkened form. He did it! He finished off Alexia! But … was it too late for me?
"Kenny!" he cried, noticing me lying helpless and dying on the ground. He then snapped his head back up and Chris sneered at whatever he saw.
A large boot stepped into my field of vision, and I heard Wesker chuckle. I could hear Claire struggle in futile against Wesker's iron grip. "Chris," she pleaded, "help us!"
But Chris and Wesker stood there for a tense moment, confronting each other. I swear, if I had lit a cigarette in that room, we would've all died from the explosion, the air was so dangerous. Neither of them moved, just stood there, sizing each other up. Claire continued to struggle, while I just tried desperately to hold onto life. And yet Wesker and Chris continued standing there, waiting … and looking …