Author's Note: Oh boy, I know it's been a very long time since I last updated. I'm really, really sorry. I've been caught up in a lot of things (school, work, preparing for college, etc) and I kinda lost interest in Resident Evil and writing. I hit a big road block with this story, because I didn't know where to take it next. Sorry if I drove away any readers. Thanks Himeko for giving me a reminder to get back on track.
The entrance hall was brighter now. Someone had gone around lighting the small lanterns that hung from the walls. It had been too dark to see them before, but now the tiny flames were struggling to provide the room with a sufficient amount of light.
From the hallway across from him came the sound of running water. The hall to his right remained completely silent. As he stood there, the room grew colder. He gently rubbed his arms.
He took a few steps forward, deciding to check out the more silent hallway.
CLANG! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
He jumped back at the sound of clashing metal coming from the hallway. Faint gurgling came from the other hallway. He took several steps back, unsure of which hallway to take.
"Joseph? Are you down here again? You know the rules," Dr. Amherst's voice called from one of the hallways. He heard footsteps. He didn't know where they were coming from.
He's not real!
"Joseph?" his voice was louder. Closer.
He jerked his body around, facing the front entrance. His mind was wild with fear. He ran as fast as his legs could take him. He reached his hands towards the door leading out, nearly stumbling as he did.
Then he stopped at the sound of moans. They came from the other side of the door. The zombies knew he was hiding in there.
"No…" he whispered.
"Joseph! If you're in here, come out!" Dr. Amherst sounded angry. He dove behind the desk, crouching next the corpse of the woman he took the flashlight from. He waited until the footsteps had passed and he couldn't hear Dr. Amherst's voice anymore.
He slowly rose from his hiding place.
"Josssseeeeph…" a voice hissed. He looked down at the dead woman to find her staring up at him. She didn't move, maybe he had only heard the voice. He started to move past her when she let out a soft moan. A moment later, she lashed out and grabbed a fistful of his shirt.
He flung himself around and found her staring at him milky white eyes. Her jaws opened slightly, drool slipping over the corners of her rotted mouth. She reached up and grabbed his arm, pulling herself closer. Her mouth opened wider, exposing her yellow teeth. Her discolored, swollen tongue.
"Get away from me!" he screamed.
"Joseph!" Dr. Amherst called, his imaginary footsteps quickening.
Joseph grabbed the woman's arms and violently shoved her off him. She moaned softly as he groped the desk behind him and pushed himself up. She swiped at his legs, only to have his boot smash into the side of her face. As she collapsed, he ran to the door.
The wails outside started up again as he tried to turn the doorknob. Some of them were clawing at the door, trying to get inside. He turned around, certain that he could feel the presence of Dr. Amherst behind him.
No one.
He was too afraid to speak, until he heard the sound of a child crying in the distance.
"Hello?" he called out, hoping for a response. The cries only continued to get louder, more desperate.
Hesitantly, he walked back towards the entrance hall. As his feet scuffed against the red carpet, he heard a wet sound under his heels. He stopped to look down, and found that spots of the red carpet were darker than others. He bent down and touched it. It felt like a wet shower rug.
It's water.
He followed the trail of water, which led down the hallway where the metal clashing had first started. He swallowed hard and took a few steps forward.
That little kid crying…was it coming from in here?
He worked up the courage to push the large metal doors open. He slipped inside, glancing over his shoulder as he pulled the doors shut. He saw that he was standing in the filthiest cafeteria he'd ever seen. The tables were rusty and there was dust and mold everywhere. Even the air had a musty scent to it.
The cafeteria branched off into other parts of the first floor. He casually glanced around, trying to decide from where the cry had come. Then the sweet voice of a little girl called faintly from another room.
"Mommy…mommy…"
His ears perked up and his eyes searched the room. It sounded like it could have come from anywhere.
"Hello? Hey, can you hear me!" he yelled.
"Mommy…I want mommy…"
"Keep talking! Keep talking so I can find you!" he cried out. He waited for her to speak again, but she remained quiet. He heard a soft scratching noise somewhere in the cafeteria.
He looked down and saw watery footsteps leading him to the hall on the left side of the cafeteria. They were tiny, no bigger than the feet of a seven-year old child. He couldn't imagine any kids being in a place like this.
So am I imagining it?
"Mommy!"
He was jerked from his thoughts. Pushing aside fear and doubt, he followed the wet footprints into the hall. As he came out from the cafeteria, he was reminded of the hall of rooms that he had been in on the second floor.
"Where are you!" Joseph yelled again, loud enough to-
wake the living dead.
"Mommy! Mommy please come get me!" the tiny voice shrieked. He rounded the corner quickly, following the trail the water-soaked apparition had left for him. They stopped directly in front of a single door.
Not hesitating, he made his way towards the room. The door stubbornly remained locked as he tried to open it. He pressed his face against the small window, hoping to see if this actually was the room with the girl in it.
Too dark.
"Hey, is anyone inside?" he asked aloud, pounding his fist against the door. He heard sniveling from the other side.
He took a few steps back, then charged at the door. It shook violently, but it didn't open.
"Come on!"
He tried again, slamming against the door over and over. Finally, the hinges snapped and it smashed against the wall. Light flooded the room, and he saw a little girl huddled on the floor. Her face was streaked with tears, and she had long, dark hair. She looked unusually thin for a girl her age. His mind was racing. What was a child doing here?
"Are you alright?" he asked gently. She looked at him as if she were watching a ghost. She eventually rose from her spot on the floor and approached him, carefully studying his physical features.
"Noah?" she said. He drew back in confusion.
"Who's Noah?" he asked. He watched as tears began to well up in her eyes.
"You mean you're not him?" she asked.
"I'm sorry, kid, but I think you're mistaking me for someone else. My name's Joseph," he said. The bottom of the little girl's lip quivered, and he struggled to think of anything that could calm her down.
"But you look just like him! You have to be Noah! He promised he'd come back to see me!" she cried, fresh tears flowing down her cheeks.
"Look kid, who's this Noah guy? And who are you?"
The girl rubbed at her eyes, sniffling. She kept her eyes on the tiled flooring, "my name's Caroline Brook."
"Okay. Caroline. Who's Noah and what's a little girl like you doing in a place like this?"
She looked up, her eyes narrowed in a glare.
"That's none of your business!" she snapped. The tone of her voice startled the older man. She ran past him, towards the door. He briefly felt her hand brush against his knee and a faint image forced his way into his mind.
"Joseph…you're not allowed to see her…" a man's voice echoed through his mind.
"Caroline, don't! It's too dangerous!"
She stopped and looked at him.
"You're just a big liar!" she said, and before he could stop her she ran off. Joseph jumped up and ran out into the hallway. The little girl was nowhere in sight.
"Caroline! Caroline, come back! Please!" he called out. Inside of hearing the girl's voice, he was answered by the squeaking of wheels. He turned his head just in time to see a gurney being rolled around the corner. Seeing it was coming in his direction, he ducked back inside the room.
The louder the squeaking became, the faster his heart beat. He watched the bleach white walls across from the room he was hiding in. He was expecting to see a flash of something fly past his room any second now.
The squeaking became slower, as if the gurney was slowing down. His heart leapt to his throat as he saw the gurney slowly come into view. There was a figure laying on the gurney. It didn't look human exactly. It looked like some kind of large animal.
Then he recognized it. It was Mr. Raccoon, or someone dressed as him. Joseph staggered back, he always had a slight fear of Raccoon City's famous mascot. It spooked him, and seeing it there staring at him wasn't helping matters. A long cord was attached to its arm, and red liquid was being pumped through it.
Mr. Raccoon, its blank eyes still focused on Joseph, raised his hand and waved almost cheerfully at him. It sent chills up the man's spine.
Then the creature pushing the gurney came into sight. It kind of looked like a nurse, but her uniform was soaked in blood. Her head was wrapped in a plastic bag and she was shaking, as if she were trying to get air.
His back bumped against the wall. Certainly it was going to be him on that gurney next. They were going to come after him and kill him-
The nurse made a cry that sounded something like a shriek and a moan. She shoved the gurney and the two creatures disappeared further down the hall. Away from him.
It took him a few minutes before he could muster up the courage to look outside. The nurse and Mr. Raccoon were gone, much to his relief, but so was Caroline.
He had to find her before those other creatures did.
