Author's Note: Been a loooong time since I've updated, huh? I thought this story and "Where Darkness Sleeps" were gone for good, but since I've started playing Resident Evil: Outbreak, I think I'll start writing them again. Yay! Hopefully I'll be able to dedicate plenty of time to writing them again over the summer.

"So…you live here?" James asked, struggling to start a conversation with the man who had saved his life.

"Uh…yeah," Joseph replied, "I work as a bus driver…"

"Really? I serve in the Air Force," James said. He then laughed. It came out sounding forced and shaky, "although, they never gave us training on how to combat zombies. You know, I used to-"

Joseph slammed on the breaks. James jerked forward and instinctively reached out and grabbed the dashboard.

"Damn it!" Joseph yelled, smashing his fists against the car wheel. James looked at what Joseph was cursing at. The road was barricaded with a number of smashed up cars who had tried to escape before.

"Looks like we weren't the only ones trying to get out of town," James commented.

"What should we do now? We can't drive through that mess," Joseph said.

"Let's try the radio," James turned on the radio. Instead of hearing a news report, all they heard was static. He turned the knob, but it was still the same result. He looked at Joseph, who immediately frowned.

"I guess our only option is to go to the police station," James said.

"No! I'm not going back there!" Joseph cried, "I-I mean, I tried to find it and couldn't and…and…"

"Let me drive then," James said, surprised at how calm he sounded. Joseph looked down at the steering wheel, as if in thought. There was a chilling cry that drifted through the night air. He looked at James.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah, I know where the station is located. Besides, my driving skills aren't that bad," he said jokingly, but inwardly flinched when he recalled the accident that involved his son. Maybe he shouldn't drive…

"I…yeah, I guess it would be better," Joseph interrupted his thoughts. James forced himself to push the memory further back into his mind. There would be time for self-pity later. He looked out the window, there was nothing there. He wondered what would happen to them the moment they got out of the car.

"On the count of three we get out of the car to switch seats. Don't stop to look around or anything like that, understand?" Joseph nodded, his features tight with fear and worry.

"One…"

Was that a moan?

"Two…"

Was that a snarl?

"Three…"

Was that a howl?

"Go!"

Both men simultaneously opened their car doors and got out. They rushed around the car, seeing objects moving in the dark but running to fast to see what they where. They heard a shuffle, a footstep, a rustle of leaves. They saw what they thought was an outline of a man, but before it could move they were already safe in the car. James locked the doors. He put the car in reverse as he saw a the doors on a couple of demolished cars rattle. He quickly turned the car around and they sped back towards the city.

The drive to the police station was a tense one. James noticed that Joseph seemed to be getting more and more distressed as they drove further into town. He kept looking out the window, and then rested his head against the seat with his eyes closed tightly.

"Hey, are you okay?" James asked.

"Y-yeah…I'm fine," Joseph replied. He looked at the long stretch of road that was ahead of them. All the buildings that lined the streets were dark. The only lights he saw were street lights. Even some of those weren't on. Bodies were littering the streets and there was blood all over the road.

"Geez, I wonder what the hell happened here?" James commented. Joseph focused on the road. His eyes suddenly went wide with fear, "J-James! Look!"

James looked towards the road. There was nothing there.

"Joseph, I don't see anything," he said.

"B-but something was moving! I saw it!" Joseph replied. James looked at the road again. Empty.

"Well, whether are not you saw something, we're safe in this car at least. We'll be at the police station soon, and we can get some of the officers to help us…" James voice trailed off as he saw figures-several figures-limping out of poorly-lit areas to greet them.

James accelerated.

Come on, come we're almost there…

Something that looked like a crow smashed into the window, causing James to serve the car. He tried frantically to regain control, but it was too late. The car slammed into a fire hydrant. It exploded into a strong spray of water that soaked the hood of the car.

James tried to start the car, but nothing happened. He looked out his window and saw the monsters stumbling towards them. He quickly turned to Joseph.

"Get out of the car," he ordered.

"What? Are you crazy? We'll be killed!" Joseph exclaimed.

"We'll be killed if we stay! Now get out before those things are all over us!" Joseph nodded fearfully and stepped out of the car. James grabbed his things and did the same.

The zombies were surrounding them. The two men noticed that there were starting to move a little faster. The bodies that were lying in the streets before were getting up as well. James motioned to Joseph.

"Follow me! The police station is only a block away! We can make it if we hurry!" Joseph shoved away a zombie that had gotten too close to him and began running after James.

There was only one cop moving silently down the RPD's hallway. His name was William Cromwell. He was twenty-four, just recently joined the RPD's "rookie squad". He knew that the RPD was hiring a lot of rookie cops because of the growing riots, but he never imagined it'd be like this. That he'd be hiding out in a police station with a handgun and ten bullets left. He never imagined that the riots were started because dying people were tearing each other apart or that most of the squad, including his partner were all dead because of them. He especially couldn't get the image of his partner's death out of his mind. If only he had been more ready…

Creak.

William tensed up with fear. Someone had once told him that was a bad quality for a cop. He forced his muscles to relax. He saw the door at the end of the hallway opening slightly. No one was there.

He heard moaning and scratching from the door at the opposite end of the hallway. Some of the infected cops must have finally found him. Although terrified, he walked though the opened door.

The first sound he heard was something dripping. Maybe a water pipe was leaking, or at least that's what he hoped. Just ahead of him, where the hallway curved to the left, was a boot. William walked closer, clutching his handgun. He peeked around the corner of the wall.

"Oh my God…" he whispered, feeling nauseated. Attached to the boot was the mangled corpse of an officer. The body was lying in a puddle of blood. William couldn't tell who it was. The cop's head was missing.

William edged closer to the body. Maybe if the cop had his ID on him, he'd know who it was…

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Tiny droplets fell on William's arm. He brushed them off with his hand and snatched the ID card that was sticking out of the officer's pocket.

"Matthew Thompson? They got Matt too?" he mumbled to himself. Matt had been one of the more experienced officers. He had been the first to welcome him when William started to work at the police department.

Something wet and thin wound itself tightly around William's neck, cutting off his air supply. He was suddenly tossed across the room like a rag doll, smacking his head on the tile flooring. He got up, gasping for air and reaching for his gun. He heard a soft hissing sound, but he couldn't tell what it was.

Then he saw it crawling down from the ceiling. A monster that he could only describe as some sort of large animal that had been turned inside-out. A monster with huge claws and a long whip-like tongue.

William opened fire on it. The huge creature leapt at him and knocked him down. Suddenly, all the experience and training he received from the academy slipped away from him as he began firing in a blind panic.

He wasn't hitting anything. The monster was still on top of him digging its claws into him. For a moment he thought his ribcage would snap if it stood on top of him any longer.

Then he heard a shriek. The weight on top of him was lifted. He stood up and saw the monster retreating. He ran around the edge of the wall, heading straight for the door at the end of the hallway that seemed miles away from him.

He heard it hissing again. Then he heard its claws clicking against the tiles. He stretched out his arm, reaching for the door.

First mistake.

The monster's tongue lashed out and wrapped itself around his arm. Then it jerked back with such force that he heard his arm snap. Blood seeped from where the monster's tongue had cut into his skin. William screamed as he went down and was dragged across the floor. He flipped over on his stomach, and began firing at the monster's head. The first two shots missed.

The last one hit the monster's brain. It screamed and let go of his arm, then it staggered away from its prey. It climbed up the wall and disappeared into one of the ceiling vents to recover from its wounds. William stood up and winced. His arm was bloody and swollen.

I have to find medical supplies…

He clutched his hurt arm and exited the hallway.