Title: Into the Light
Author: Malenkaya
Rating: R for violence and swearingSummary: (RE movie fanfic, 2nd in trilogy): What began as a mindless effort to survive has developed into a race against time to stop Matt's sudden mutation as Alice, Rain, Michael, Matt and J.D. re-enter the Hive in search of a cure.
Disclaimer: I do not own Resident Evil or its characters.
Feedback: Please! I live and breathe reviews! Flames, as long as their explanatory, are fine.
Author's Notes: Again, a thousand thanks for all the reviews and comments, they're all, as always, greatly appreciated!
Again: If you haven't read FADING AWAY (check my page for a link), this will be confusing :)
"Y", once again, is for spaces. Does anyone know how to make actual spaces? I'd really appreciate suggestions, lol!
Thanks again, enjoy the fic!
Into the Light
Chapter Two: Abandoned World
It was 6:02 by the time Michael finally woke up.
Gazing blearily at the clock as he pushed himself up onto his elbows, he considered briefly staying in bed and trying to sleep in longer, but vetoed the idea as quickly as it'd come.
He'd barely slept, had tossed and turned all night, and though he was still exhausted, it wasn't as if he'd get any more sleep anyways.
He doubted anyone had after last night.
Sitting up, he grabbed his Umbrella-issued bathrobe from where it hung over the headboard of the bed, glancing over at the bed as he did so.
He'd had a lot of weird dreams last night, none of them particularly happy, but he remembered in great detail a dream of someone- probably Kaplan- entering the room and getting into bed. It was typical, he supposed- but he'd been unnerved by the realism of it all.
Shaking the thoughts from his head he stood, folding the bathrobe over his arm and striding towards the bathroom, hoping no one else was awake yet. Every single morning, it seemed, he was the last one up; and so every single morning, he was the one who had to wait an hour for a hot shower.
Humming absentmindedly, he crossed the room, placing his hand on the doorknob—
And stopped, looking back at the bed.
J.D and Rain were both there, sound asleep in a mess of tangled limbs, looking for all the world like two in a litter of newborn puppies.
Michael smiled, despite himself. He hadn't been expecting to see them there, but they both looked at peace for once. And at least it explained the realism of last night's dream.
Humming cheerfully, he walked into the bathroom, dropped his bathrobe and discarded clothes on the counter and climbed into the shower.
The hot water rushing over him was pure bliss after a week of lukewarm showers and he spent over an hour in it, waiting until the hot water was completely gone before reaching down and turning off the tap. Pulling the bathrobe on, he exited the room and was completely unsurprised to see the bed empty. Rain and J.D were both early wakers, whereas Alice and Matt could generally sleep until noon if given the choice.
Tightening the belt of his bathrobe, Michael left the room, wandering into the kitchen instead.
Rain and J.D both sat at the table, J.D pouring coffee into two mugs and Rain staring intently at a magazine open in front of her. Looking up, J.D gestured at him with the coffee pot. Understanding his unspoken question Michael handed him a mug as he sat down, marveling at J.D's black eye as he did.
J.D shoved the mug across the table to him and he took it, breaking the silence as he said softly, "So has Alice spoken to Matt again?"
Rain looked up at that, grinning at J.D, and as Michael looked at her, he couldn't mask the shocked expression he knew flooded his face. Rain looked worse than J.D, if that were possible- her left eye had swelled almost completely shut, the whole area bruised purple and black, and she sported a split lip as well.
Catching his expression, Rain rolled her eyes at him in obvious annoyance and said, "There's a reason we slept in your room last night, y'know."
Michael gazed at her, surprised despite himself. He'd never imagined Matt and Alice to be the type to fight long enough to force Rain and J.D to sleep somewhere else. They'd always seemed more rational than that.
"So you couldn't sleep in your room because—" he began.
He was cut off by J.D, who commented, "Otherwise occupied."
Michael stared at him, understanding suddenly dawning on him. "You mean—I mean, you and Rain are—"
Rain laughed at that, looking up from her magazine again. "Yeah, right. He was talking about Matt and Alice, dumb ass."
"Oh." He flushed slightly, then laughed. "Yeah. Sorry."
J.D shrugged, then grinned at him. "Whatever. Don't worry about Rain, she's just cranky."
Rain looked up at him, a glare fixated on her face, and then grinned. "Whatever, J.D."
They all looked towards the door as Matt crept in, clad in another bathroom, a peaceful little smile plastered onto his face. "Hey," he said sleepily.
Michael stared at him, and Rain smirked. "Hey, Matt."
Seemingly realizing that something was up, Matt's sleepy expression vanished, replaced by one of embarrassment as he took in Michael's blush and Rain and J.D's cocky grins. He cleared his throat. "I'm guessing everyone knows what happened last night."
Their response was laughter, and he blushed slightly, rolling his eyes at all of them as he sat down next to Michael. He seemed to catch sight of Rain as he did and a flash of concern spread across his face. His expression was pained as he reached out to brush Rain's hair back lightly, exposing her black eye. "Rain, I'm—"
"Sorry," she finished for him, looking annoyed as she flipped a page. "I know."
"Are you okay?" he asked.
She smiled at him then. "Yeah, I'm fine. I've gotten black eyes before, you know."
He smiled softly at her, and said, "Probably not that bad."
She rolled her eyes at him then, returning to her magazine, and J.D laughed. "What, Matt, you're not worried about my black eye?"
Matt turned to look at him, a bashful grin spreading over his face. "I'm sorry, J.D."
He nodded in mock solemnity, telling him with elaborate grace, "I accept your apology, Matt."
Matt shook his head, laughing despite himself- and then stopped, the same dopey look crossing his face as the kitchen door opened again and Alice walked in.
Michael smiled as he watched her give Matt a brief kiss before sitting down across from him. They both seemed so happy, so gentle and at peace- so unlike anyone ever was in this house.
J.D and Rain, to his surprise, were both quiet, Rain staring at her magazine and J.D looking at the two with a small smile on his face.
Alice seemed to notice their silence as well as she said cheerfully, "Morning, everyone."
Her remark was met by similar ones all around as she poured herself a cup of coffee and everyone settled in.
Looking around, Michael couldn't help but reflect on how ridiculous they all looked in their matching Umbrella robes. Matching, except for the color- Rain wore a red one, Alice, a white one, and Matt, J.D, and himself wore blue, black, and green bathrobes. To be philosophical, it was funny in a way how well the colors matched the wearer's personalities- Rain in her bright, vibrant red, Alice in her peaceful, soft white one. Blue represented knowledge and peace, if Michael remembered correctly- fitting Matt, who was a lot smarter than most assumed, to a tee. A mysterious color, black fit J.D well, who, despite the fact he never stopped talking, Michael could never really tell what was going on his head.
And green... represented earth. Rationality. Which, Michael mused, really was who he sort of was in the group. They each had their separate place, and Michael had finally begun to find his after three weeks with them.
Rain was the youngest, the most tempermental, of their group. Above all the others, she was the one who often had to be held back from the risk of her own impulsiveness- but she was also the one entirely capable of reducing the group's tension. J.D was her partner in crime in the same task, and Alice, besides being an unspoken leader, was the calming influence in the group. Matt seemed to be the leader in an entirely different way than Alice was, intense and confidant, and Michael—
Well, he was the rational one. He was the one who convinced Rain and J.D when their impulsive plans were too risky, he was the one who could- on some occasions- manage to talk Matt out of a fight with Rain, and he was the one who, above all the rest, was able to speak philosophically with Alice.
All in all, it wasn't a bad place to be.
At least it never got him into fights or arguments.
Matt and Alice by now had moved into the typical happy-morning-after act of blissful little smiles and love-struck eyes and sat across from each other, speaking quietly every so often. Rain and J.D were quiet, so far, besides the odd exchanged eye rolls from where they sat next to the two.
And Michael sat at the head of the table, watching everything take place.
"So," Matt said finally, softly, glancing at Alice. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah," Alice told him, a small smile crossing her face. "Did you?"
He grinned. "Yeah."
Their touching reunion was interrupted by a gagging noise and they all turned to look at Rain, an exasperated look on Matt's face and one of amusement on Alice's.
Looking up from her magazine, she seemed surprised to see everyone staring at her and said defensively, "What? I'm sorry, and it's great that you guys are together and everything, but you two are way too fucking mushy." Dumping the magazine on her lap, she sent J.D a half-lidded smile across the table and whispered, "J.D."
He grinned at her, adopted the same expression. "Rain," he said breathily.
Alice laughed, and Matt joined in, rolling his eyes at them. "Thanks, Rain," he said dryly.
"And J.D." She protested. "He was playing you, Matt, in case you couldn't tell."
Matt snorted. "We could tell." Alice laughed, and he grinned at her, the same dopey grin, instigating a snort from Rain, who tossed her magazine on the table and stood up.
"I'm going to go take a shower or something," she said cheerfully.
J.D stood up as well as she walked around the table, commenting, "Yeah, we'll leave you two lovebirds alone."
Matt rolled his eyes for the hundredth time that morning, and Alice just laughed again. "Bye, J.D." she told him sardonically.
Rain laughed as she headed for the door and then suddenly stopped, turning around as she grabbed the doorknob. "Wait, what time are we leaving?"
Her question was met with looks of confusion, and she elaborated. "For the Hive?"
The reaction was immediate. The cheerful looks vanished, moody expressions and tension replacing the once happy atmosphere of the kitchen and Rain flushed. Michael noticed this with both amusement and some sort of satisfaction. Rain never blushed. In fact, nobody did but him. It was nice to see someone else red-faced for once.
"Sorry to ruin the mood," Rain apologized, "But we should probably get going pretty soon."
Alice nodded. "I know, Rain," she told her, sounding tired. "Just get ready to go. We'll leave when everyone's ready."
Rain nodded, exiting the kitchen, J.D following with a last salute to Matt. When they were gone, Matt turned to Alice, asking quietly, "What will we need?"
Michael couldn't help but marvel at the way Matt was able to switch characters so easily. One moment he was cheerful and amusing, almost silly, and in the next he was brisk and businesslike, working out everything they needed to do.
"We're going to need to bring along the anti-virus, lots of it," Alice told him softly. "And sleeping bags and pillows, because we'll probably be stuck sleeping there if we can find a decent place. And maybe the files would be useful, and some basic provisions..."
Michael tuned out the rest, staring down at his half full mug of coffee. The black liquid swam in his vision and he was suddenly reminded of Kaplan, of that last terrifying look into his eyes before they'd run.
He wondered if that would be him next.
He'd never even been in the Hive, didn't know what they were facing. From what he knew, last time they'd been down there, the entire Umbrella S.W.A.T. team had been killed.
But it didn't matter. There was no point in thinking about the risks.
Because like it or not, they were going back into the Hive, and this time, Michael was coming with them.
y
The water was cold. In fact, it was fucking freezing, and Rain couldn't help but wonder exactly how long Michael's goddamn shower had been.
Not that it mattered. Not really. In a way, she liked cold showers.
And this was probably the cleanest she'd be for the next two weeks while they stumbled around in the mess of rotting zombies and monsters that made up the Hive.
Might as well make the best of it, right?
And anyway, what did it matter?
There was probably enough water left for a warm bath, if she'd wait for a few minutes, as J.D had so efficiently pointed out to her. After, of course, he'd jumped in and taken up all ten minutes of the remaining hot water.
Well, whatever. Her and J.D were best friends, but that didn't mean he didn't spend every spare moment aggravating her. Or vice versa.
But a bath was out of the question, either way. Rain didn't like baths. Not anymore. Swimming pools, hot tubs, anything with extra people was okay, but baths had bad associations with her, ones she doubted would ever leave her subconscious mind.
Shivering, she reached down and turned off the tap before stepping out of the shower and wrapping herself in a fluffy white towel, noting as she did the small Umbrella logo on the bottom right corner.
Their fucking logo was on everything in the entire house. It was to be expected of Umbrella, but weird just the same. They'd spent all this time fighting against Umbrella, and now they were surrounded by it's stigma again.
Wiping the smoky condensation off the mirror, she towel dried her hair. A simple braid- like she'd worn the first time- would probably be best in the Hive. It'd stay out of her face that way, at least.
Sometimes she wondered why she didn't just chop it all off, cut it shoulder length, sort of like Alice's maybe. Almost waist length, it was an incredible pain at the best of times.
But she'd always worn it long. She had very few memories of her mom, but it seemed that each one involved her brushing Rain's hair.
It had been their nighttime routine, every single night from the day she was born with the same thick head of hair. Even when she'd turned twelve, and protested at the "babyish" activity, her mother had insisted.
And secretly, Rain hadn't really minded. She hardly saw her mom anymore towards the end, with her frequent boyfriends stampeding through the house.
A knock on the door made her jump and she turned to look at it, her eyes narrowing. "What, J.D?"
"We're packing up weaponry now," his muffled voice resounded through the door. "If you're interested."
She laughed. "Wait, I'll be out in a minute." Dropping the towel, she pulled her robe on instead, draping another towel around her shoulders.
Opening the door, she was surprised to see the amount of chaos going on around her.
The bed was filled with all sorts of weaponry, from machine guns to tear gas, and as she stared openmouthed at the pile J.D sauntered in, carrying another pile. "Don't just stand there, Rain, go get the rest of them."
True to form, she ignored him, moving forward instead to grab one of the pineapple grenades off the bed. "This thing live?"
Grinning, he nodded at her. "All this shit works, Rain. Why else would Umbrella have it in here?"
He left again and when he returned, it was with a rocket launcher hoisted over each shoulder. Rain was impressed despite herself. "They have fucking rocket launchers?"
J.D snickered at the shocked look on her face, handing one off to her and dumping the other on the bed before leaving the room again. This time, she followed—
And was met with more chaos as she wandered into the storage room. The perfectly stocked shelves had been emptied, different weapons, lights, provisions, all of it scattered over the ground.
The safe at the back of the room was open, and J.D walked in, Rain following behind.
Wandering inside, she was surprised to realize exactly how right J.D had been. Weapons of all shapes and sizes, each with their different uses, had obviously been stocked in the room- now, however, it was mostly empty.
Make that completely, as J.D scooped up a couple of remaining rifles and handed her a couple pistols and another grenade.
They trotted back to the bedroom, dumping their piles on the bed, and then stood there surveying the mass of weapons with some sort of satisfaction. J.D's, Rain supposed, was slightly more heartfelt. After all, he'd been the one to carry most of them in.
Finally she turned to look at him, commenting, "I say we just bring five rocket launchers. Anything comes near us- we blow their fucking heads off."
He rolled his eyes. "Great Rain, you can carry them," he tossed at her before leaning forward, beginning to shift the weapons into categories. "How many fucking weapons does Umbrella have, anyway?"
Rain laughed, and he glared at her, no particular malice in the expression. It was, after all, J.D.
They were still goofing around two hours later, leaning back against the bed and joking around, inspecting the weapons curiously without making any real attempt to organize or choose any for their trip. Their adventure, as someone might call it. Or their trip into hell. All depended on one's prerogative, really.
They were in the same spot when Matt walked into the room, hoisting two knapsacks. Catching sight of them, he rolled his eyes. "You two look like you've been working hard," he observed dryly.
Rain grinned at him. "What's left to do? Just pick some weapons, man."
And exasperated smile crossed Matt's face, making Rain only grin more. It was nice to have their normal, usually good natured Matt around again instead of the violent, cranky version they'd been stuck with for the last few weeks.
Alice came in, hoisting the last two knapsacks, which she dumped into a heap by the other two. A slight look of disapproval crossing her face, she asked, "What are you two doing?"
Rain gave her the same grin she'd given Matt. "We're working."
A small smile crossed Alice's face. "How, exactly?"
"We brought in all the weapons," J.D offered.
"And we might test them," Rain added. "We're not sure yet though."
Alice rolled her eyes, the same exasperated grin spreading over her face. "Whatever."
"What's in the bags?" J.D asked, gesturing towards them.
"Basic stuff," Alice answered simply. "Sleeping bags, provisions. And extra ammunition, for whenever you and Rain actually start loading up weapons."
He nodded. "Where's Michael?"
"He's packing his own bag," she said softly. "With the anti-virus, medical files, things like that."
Rain noticed Matt's flush at the mention of the anti-virus, and felt a sudden pang of guilt. Her and J.D should have been working, not just goofing off. This wasn't just some stupid mission- Matt's life was on the line.
She slid off the edge of the bed and began to finish the job J.D had started, moving each weapon into it's individual category. If anyone was surprised, they didn't show it; Matt and Alice both left to check on Michael's progress, and J.D simply began to sort the weapons as well.
He didn't ask her why she'd gotten quiet, serious, in such a short amount of time. He didn't have to.
Instead he just stood by and helped her.
y
The screen narrowed, the colors tinting green as it zoomed into the tiny house on 97th avenue, set right in the middle of Raccoon City.
He pressed the enter key, watching as the screen filled with the interior of the ramshackled house. The windows had been shattered, doors broken in, blood splashed over the house and zombies wandered it freely, in blind search of their next meal.
But in all the zombies, there was no sign of who he was looking for.
He pressed the enter key again, waiting for the small box to pop up onscreen.
Enter Where?
He typed in "basement".
Instantly the computer screen darkened and he squinted, trying to make out the room in the dim light.
An overstuffed couch slowly surfaced, followed by a high set of shelves and wooden desk—
And then she appeared, huddled between the couch and coffee table. Zooming in, he received a close up of Lea's teary face, of her full black curls and bright blue eyes. His bright blue eyes.
Taking in her chalky white face and obvious fear, he felt a pang of emotion and reached out, tracing the image gently with one finger.
He had no idea where her mother was. He didn't care, either. Her mother was a whore and a bitch, and if he had the choice again, she would never have given birth to his daughter.
But she had, and even though he hated the bitch, he loved his daughter.
Lea was adorable, almost five already. She was brilliant, too, judging by the "creations" she often sent him- writings and drawings well above her grade level.
He was jerked out of his thoughts as the phone rang, and he stared at it coldly before picking up the receiver- and slamming it back down again.
It was probably just Alderic again. He had no idea how she'd managed to last this long in the Hive, but he didn't care. What he did care about was the fact that she was making his life hell with her whiny, childish phone calls.
Movement on the screen attracted his attention again and he returned to it, watching as Lea got up briefly to grab her blanket- the plushy purple one he'd sent for her last birthday- before lying down with it on the couch. Looking closely, he realized that she was talking to herself, a babyish smile crossing her face, and felt a surge of affection.
He was willing to do almost anything to get her out of Raccoon city. All he needed was a few loyal employees to help get her out of the house and then helicopter her out of the city to his hotel. From then on, all he'd have to do was send her to his sister in L.A., and she'd be fine.
They didn't even have to be loyal employees, per say. Just ones that could be disposed of quickly should the circumstances demand it.
Like the ones who had blabbed- or tried to, at least- to Crawford about his plans concerning his daughter last month. Vincent was a smart man, he hadn't believed a word of it- at least, he hadn't seemed to.
Either way, it didn't matter anymore, because that team was currently dead. Murdered. Sent to their deaths in the Hive, or taken out surreptitiously in the middle of the night.
After all, he couldn't have employees who didn't know the meaning of secret security, could he?
Because if it came down to Lea or the position he held in Umbrella- and, of course, all the privileges which came with it- it was an easy choice to make. And unfortunately, the verdict didn't include Lea.
Hopefully it didn't come down to that choice. And if it did- well, he was a businessman, and a wealthy one at that. He could have other children.
He jumped as a knock resounded on the heavy door serving as the entrance to the hotel room. Exiting the program, wiping Lea's face from the screen, he pulled out the disk and threw it underneath the bed, too rushed to bother with it's usual hiding place.
Crossing the room in three quick strides, he glanced through the peephole- and cursed when he saw who was standing there.
James Anderson. Quite possibly the most worthless employee Umbrella had ever taken. The moron couldn't even tie his own goddamn shoes without help, much less be trusted with the relatively simple task of surveillance of the Spencer mansion.
Not that much had happened there anyways. With, of course, the exception of their interlude with Hades. That had been amusing, to say the least, their expressions as they attempted to put in the codes.
It was unfortunate that Hades hadn't managed to take out more of them before they got back into the safe house. But at least he'd managed to get Chad Kaplan, who, he thought, had always been of the whiny sort anyways.
He wondered absentmindedly if they'd found out about Addison's mutation yet. He doubted it. They were like trained monkeys, those six. They probably wouldn't find out until Nemesis managed to kill a few of them.
Unlocking the chain, he opened the door to come face to face with Anderson. Flicking his eyes over the young employee, he noticed with disdain his sweaty face and rumpled clothing- had he run all the way here?
Anderson flushed even more under his gaze, if that were possible. "Archangelo-" he gasped. "Sir. They've left the safe house. I tried to call, but—"
William cut him off. "When?" he demanded.
Anderson swallowed. "Just a few minutes ago, Sir." He promised. "The limo's waiting outside."
He nodded curtly. Grabbing his coat off the hanger where it hung he began striding down the hall, letting the door close behind him as Anderson hurried after him, practically tripping over his shoelaces.
So the little hamsters had left the cage. That was interesting, to say the least.
Maybe they'd found out about the mutation after all.
Luckily for Anderson, by the time the limo had reached the mansion Umbrella had bought for surveillance purposes, the hamsters had barely left the safe house.
William sat in the leather computer chair, watching the video screen intently while Anderson rushed around, babbling incoherently and fixing him a glass of brandy. The computer screen was state of the art, creating an image the size of a massive widescreen television image on the blank wall behind it.
The Umbrella S.W.A.T. team wandered through the rooms, each carrying an assortment of weapons and a knapsack on their backs. Curious. He wondered if they were leaving the mansion.
That would be both a blessing and a curse. Out of the mansion, he wouldn't be able to watch them anymore- but then, out of the mansion, their deaths would be so much more imminent.
They were all behaving like good hamsters, in a straight line, each carrying their guns at the ready as if something was going to attack them from around the corner.
Nothing would, of course. He'd demanded the mutations be closed off in another wing of the mansion. It'd been necessary, of course, to install the surveillance systems inside.
Technically, he should probably be releasing the bounty of zombies and other monsters from their cages right now. But all logic aside, he was simply too interested in the hamsters' mission of choice to bother for the time being.
The next room they crossed into was the dining room, the one housing the entrance to the Hive, and he watched with interest, curious despite himself. Perhaps they were entering the Hive? Surely not. Even the hamsters weren't so stupid.
But they'd proved his smallest assumptions of their intelligence wrong when they ventured out of the safe house the first time, and they did it again as the lead hamster- Parks- stepped forward and opened the hatch, typing in the code.
"Sir!"
It was Anderson, standing directly beside him, practically breathing down his neck, and he growled out an irritated "What?"
"They're entering the Hive! Should I reconstruct the database?"
William paused, gazing thoughtfully at the screen as Addison stepped forward and tried another code. The control box was secure, yes- but sooner or later, they were going to get in. None of them had really bothered creating a decent lock for the entrance to the Hive- who the hell was stupid enough to go in there?
Apparently their little hamsters. And even though his logic demanded he let them enter the Hive- after all, it'd be a quick and easy death and he had the entire system under surveillance as well- his reason told him that, by their sheer determination to enter the Hive, it probably wasn't for reasons helpful to Umbrella.
And anyway, how entertaining would it be if they simply walked into the Hive after three weeks of no combat? Not in the least.
Instead William dragged the mouse over to the keypad on the side, typing in an instruction.
And watched as the cage door opened slowly. Arch- named for him- crawled out slowly, leathery wings beating against his sides, spits of fire flaming from his nostrils.
He screamed.
William smiled.
That ought to slow them down a bit.
y
The third code hadn't worked, and neither had the fourth.
It was the fifth code- the ever cliché "Umbrella"- that finally unlocked the doors. The panel lit up, the open switch blinking red.
Matt held his hand over it, ready to press it open—
And then suddenly hesitated. The guilt and worry still tore at him as he thought about the very real possibilities of any of them being left behind, injured- dying.
He knew that they had to go in despite the risks. He knew that no matter what he argued, none of them would abandon this mission.
To save him.
Because he also knew that though five people were entering the Hive, not all five would be exiting it.
And he also knew that their deaths would be on his shoulders, his own guilt to bear.
"Matt?" Alice asked softly.
He turned to look at her, still paused over the button. Her blue eyes were dark with worry- but the same light, the same vestige of hope still shone behind them.
Alice always had that look of hope, even in the darkest of situations. Some people would call it naïve, Matt knew- but to him, it was only reassuring.
He wasn't sure what to say to her- what could he say to her?- so he turned around and punched the button—
Just as the scream echoed through the room.
Matt turned to look at Alice, at Rain, at everyone standing assembled on the platform before the doorway. They stared back at him, the same resolved and yet nervous expressions on their faces as the door's machinery whirred, the door opening ever so slowly as they crowded forward, wanting to be out of the room before whatever had screamed could find them.
The doors finally pulled to a stop, giving way to inky blackness. Matt took a hesitating look inside—
And then heard it, the dry, heavy breathing—
And flew back as the doorway, the wall surrounding it, exploded inwards and the source of the scream came tearing out.
Those who weren't already on the floor threw themselves to the ground as it flew over them, it's huge black wings touching either side of the wall.
It turned as it reached the end of the room, letting out another scream, and Matt suddenly realized what it was—
A dragon. An actual dragon, a nightmare from fairy tales and storybooks, with it's scaly black skin, huge, leathery wings, and beaded red eyes.
But unlike fairy tale dragons, who were generally harmless, even somewhat cute looking occasionally, this dragon's wings ended in foot long barbs, it's tail surrounded by lethal looking spikes stained in human blood.
Looking on at their faces, it seemed to smile—
And then it opened it's mouth, taking in a huge breath, smoke curling from it's nostrils and Matt was moving, shouting at the others to run, pulling Alice up and shoving the others ahead of them as he ran for the open doorway—
And he felt his back sear as the dragon roared again, flames spitting from it's open mouth.
They didn't run, but rather tumbled down the stairs, Alice racing for the keypad to close the steel door separating the train station from the mansion.
Matt watched from his vantage point by the stairs as she disappeared into the blackness and then crawled forward, keeping his hands out in front of him, his artillery dropped on the stairs.
He could only hear the others as they moved out of the stairway as well, was unable to see them in the darkness and then, the silence suddenly deafening to him, wondered where the dragon was.
Listening closely, he could hear the leathery beat of wings flapping—
And then fire filled the air over his head and he was able to see the others, Rain right next to him, covering her head with her arms, J.D and Michael further to the right, Alice slamming her hand down on the panel, shielding her face with her hands—
And the station faded into blackness again as the door slammed shut, shutting the dragon inside the stairway.
Another moment and the lights blinked on, illuminating the crowded train station.
Looking around him, Matt was relieved to see no other dragons, zombies, or any other monsters and clambered to his feet. He reached a hand down to Rain, which she took, and pulled her to her feet as he stared at the steel door.
He could hear the dragon slamming into it and looked at Alice, who stared at the door as well, a grim expression on her face.
"Is everyone okay?"
It was Michael, looking shaken as he climbed to his feet.
Alice nodded, staring at the door still as it began to dent. "That door isn't going to hold," she said grimly. "Does anyone know how to work the train?"
J.D held up a hand, and Alice nodded at him. "Start it up." He left, Rain following, both holding their guns at the ready.
Looking around, Matt realized Alice and even Michael still held their guns as well and pulled his knapsack off, unzipping it and rummaging through it for another handgun.
His hands closed around one and he lifted it out, zipping the bag closed—
And realized that the room was silent.
Michael and Alice seemed to realize the same thing, staring at the door—
Which was bubbling, the steel sliding off in messy clumps.
Matt stared at Alice. "We have to go."
Unfortunately, that moment was met with a shouted curse from J.D and the three of them turned and ran, skittering into the platform by the train tunnel.
The first thing Matt noticed as he saw J.D was the expression of utter shock written across his face.
Seeing them arrive, he turned. "The train's gone," he said grimly, "Umbrella must have taken it inside."
"We're trapped."
The steel door exploded off it's hinges.
