All Rebecca could think about was him. She was in a city laden with undead zombies and behemoth-like creatures, yet her thoughts remained in one place. "Where did you go, Billy?" Rebecca found herself thinking often. She had distanced herself from the alleyway when the familiar sound of sirens began to augment from the distance. "They're finally realizing what's happening," Rebecca realized as she took a few steps in the direction of the sirens. No sooner did Rebecca begin to reflect than three squad cars raced past her in the direction of Raccoon City's nightlife district. Rebecca gasped in curiosity, wondering what could have been happening that could have caused such a ruckus. Of course, this nightlife district was only a few blocks away, and there wasn't anything Rebecca could think of more than checking out the current situation. She was getting tired of this endless chase. It seemed trouble continued to follow her wherever she went. Her stamina was dying with every sprint, but she was forced to run so much.
Rebecca began to stroll in the direction of the current danger, and arriving jump-sped her heart. Her knees became weak when she realized what was happening. J's Bar, one of the less popular bars, was being raided by a parade of the undead. Raccoon Police was on this case quicker than Rebecca thought, trying their best to secure the area and protect the screaming civilians.
"Rebecca!" A familiar voice cried, followed by the horrifying explosion of a shotgun going off. Rebecca jolted her head in the direction of the voice and found Raymond, one of the higher-ranked police officers in the city.
"Raymond! What's the current situation?" Rebecca interrogated in curiosity. God knew a person could see the situation by taking a quick look, but Rebecca would rather be sure of what was happening than take a cursory scan.
"We're losing men by the minute. We need more back up! Unfortunately, there's no way we can reach the car radios from here. Someone has to get past those monsters and contact the RPD," Raymond quickly explained, firing off another round into the approaching zombies.
"I'm on it," Rebecca volunteered, smirking confidently. She did not really understand what had inspired this confidence in her; probably the fact that she would not let her teammates die at a time like this.
"Get a hold of the RPD and tell them we need a checkpoint established. The Apple Inn Hotel," Was all Raymond had to say before Rebecca took off towards the abandoned squad cars. The sight before her was ghastly. Zombies were pouring in from all different directions. People were being brutally devoured left and right. The bar was filled with the monstrosities that were only considered the pawns of the undead.
In this bar, a small group of people had just made their way to the second floor. They were fighting to survive, powered only by the dim hope that they would. As they reached the roof, Rebecca had managed to skulk to the halfway point between Raymond and the squad cars. The task at hand was semi-easy; only because the zombies were so distracted with their newly acquired meals. A blonde woman just ahead of Rebecca was attempting to make her way to safety. She sprinted towards Rebecca, when a pair of hands grabbed her. Her cries stood out above the rest, as she fell to the ground weakly. "No!" Rebecca screamed in sympathy. Her eyes welled with tears of anger. It was Umbrella's fault that Raccoon City's innocent civilians were being murdered. This incident was the final straw. Rebecca vowed that she would not give up; that she would escape Raccoon City to reveal Umbrella. With this subconscious vow, Rebecca drew her 9mm and fired four bullets in the blonde woman's attacker. The zombie had fallen and given up motion, but so had the civilian. "Why couldn't I save her?" Rebecca thought to herself as she ran forward a few yards.
Yes! The squad cars were right in the clear. Rebecca ran towards them, until the horrifying feeling of hands on her boots brought her to a halt. She gulped and bowed her head to see what she knew was there. There lying on the ground was one of the most grotesque zombies Rebecca had ever seen…and smelt. The fragrance struck her like a dagger, making it hard to even look down at this creature. Its paler skin was absent on its head, leaving it in a skin of crimson blood and muscle. It cried out violently, trying so hard to dig its fingers into Rebecca's boots. She panicked, kicking the crimson head in the face. The zombie let go of her foot, causing her to trip and fall back onto the road. At this weak moment, the crimson head grabbed both feet and began to pull her back under the car. If it succeeded in pulling her to the other side of the squad car roadblock, she would meet a cornucopia of ferocious zombies. "Oh my God!" She screamed as she felt herself losing the tug-of-war. The slippery road had nothing to hold onto and Rebecca was slowly losing herself beneath the car. The moist tarmac would be the last inanimate thing she felt before a variety of teeth sunk into her delicate skin.
No. She would not let it happen. Her chest was now beneath the car, and she had to shake violently in order to stop the zombies from feasting on her legs. Then…she felt it. A jagged row of teeth bit into her leg, causing her to cry out in pain. She could feel her blood slipping innocently down her leg. Suddenly, something grabbed her arms and yanked her back from beneath the car. She looked up and noticed the caring face of a middle-aged man. Her expression must have been a painful grimace, even though she felt warmth for the first time this day from this random man's face.
"Come on!" He shouted in an attempt to break the strange silence. Rebecca snapped back into reality and grabbed his extended hand, struggling yet managing to stand up. This man wrapped his arm around her shoulder, supporting her body-weight and helping her to limp back over to Raymond. Rebecca had forgotten her task, however, and it would be a costly mistake. As they neared Raymond, a familiar scream was heard far behind them. In curiosity, Rebecca turned her head to see if her suspicions were correct. They were.
The crimson head had crawled back onto their side! Rebecca had no worry, for she assumed it was simply another zombie. What bothered her was when this beastly creature began to run…
"RUN!" Rebecca shouted as soon as it began to sprint. The man turned and noticed this unfamiliar behavior; his eyes widening substantially.
"Move it!" Came the call of an extraordinary civilian. She wore a maroon red suit, quite a professional look, and had neck-length dirty blonde hair. A double-barrel shotgun was locked in this woman's arms! Rebecca could not imagine this woman doing anything other than police work. As soon as the two passed this amazing woman, the exploding shotgun went off, probably into the crimson head's chest. Rebecca only assumed this because the bullet impact had been so quick after the gun actually went off.
"Oh God, their getting closer. We have to go, now!" Raymond called as he fumbled around with a ring of keys. The man who had saved Rebecca had pulled a first aid spray from his suit jacket pocket and sprayed Rebecca's wound. As the misty solution made contact with her wound, Rebecca felt immediate relief. She had the strength to walk on her own once more. Just like the bottle read, "works like magic." She thanked him before remembering Raymond's panicked instruction. Rebecca jolted to her left, only to notice that the zombies had broken through the roadblock and were slowly approaching.
"Hurry, Raymond, they're getting closer!" Rebecca warned him. She quickly saw the mistake in this because Raymond became more frantic with his movements. Finally, one of the keys pushed into the lock and turned successfully. The wooden doors were shoved open and the group rushed into the alleyway. As they passed, Raymond shut the door and locked it once more. "Are we safe?" Rebecca asked after sighing with relief. A strange rattling noise alerted the group, and turning only forced them further into the nightmare that was this incident.
"Oh-my-God," The red-suit woman murmured when she saw what had created the noise. Strange creatures were crawling towards them hungrily. Quite similar to giant cockroaches, they held tails similar to that of a scorpion. Their teeth chattered frantically, almost as if they were eager to sink them into the survivor's corpses. "Not today," The woman murmured, standing in front of the group and cocking her shotgun. Raymond quickly joined her. As the roaches reached a distance of fifteen feet, Raymond and the woman fired. The roaches responded with rattlesnake speed. They pushed themselves off of the ground, attaching themselves to the walls and crawling quickly towards the group. There were at least four of these deadly creatures.
"Head for that door!" Raymond said while grabbing his ring of keys. One of the roaches had gotten just close enough, and with one quick strike it whipped its tail at Raymond's hands, almost as if it knew his intentions. By the expression on his face, any person could tell Raymond was shocked. Who knew these things were so intelligent? Raymond attempted to run for the keys, but the same roach leaped across and landed right smack on the key ring. It hissed at him angrily. "I'll have to shoot the door down!" He shouted back at the group, running in the opposite direction towards the arched wooden doors. The alleyway was extremely lengthy, but simplistic in its design. It was simply created to link one road to another. Raymond reached the doors, and it was the rest of the group's turn to respond. With the Alpha-male gone, the roaches found it easier to surround the group. Rebecca, the woman, and the man were all facing different directions, panting heavily in fear. Alyssa aimed up at one of the wall-posted cockroaches, but only heard a click when pulling the trigger. That cockroach jumped down, crawling malevolently towards them. Alyssa screamed, but Rebecca reacted first.
Rebecca yanked the shotgun out of Alyssa's hands, then pushing her away from the roach. She grabbed the barrel end and whipped the shotgun across the roach's lengthy face. The roach squealed violently, jumping back towards the wall. At this, the three ran towards Raymond and the doors.
As the three reached Raymond, he used his final round on the wooden doors. It had worked! Raymond side-kicked the door open and they ran into the next area. "We can escape if we jump into the water," The man pointed out as they ran further in. Apparently, the area was the end of a downhill road. A gas truck had been left on the side, and there was a strange opening in the road that led to a man-made river. "It's a bad idea; those things will jump down and we can kiss our asses good-bye," Raymond explained. "You guys should probably go, I can handle this," Raymond turned to Rebecca and began, "lead them to the Apple Inn checkpoint." Rebecca's eyes widened. She was unable to call for help earlier.
There was no help. There was no checkpoint. The group would most likely only find an abandoned road…or one filled with zombies. Rebecca could only nod to the wide-eyed Raymond. What was he looking at? She turned around and noticed the gas-tank once more. She realized Raymond was definitely planning something. When she turned back around, Rebecca was horrified by a surprise. Raymond had completely forgotten the roaches, and he jolted back around to be leaped on by a large brown one. It bit into him, and he began to shout orders painfully. "Spill the oil onto the ground, and use my lighter to burn these bastards," Raymond shouted, until the roach dug its teeth into his neck and began to eat him alive. His violent cries filled the air, and Rebecca was forced to carry on his plan.
"Turn the valve when I tell you," Rebecca began, referring to the valve on the back of the oil tank. The man gave her a sign of approval, and Rebecca sprinted towards Raymond and the roaches. A smaller blue roach leaped at her with an incredible speed. Rebecca, however, was not caught by surprise. She quickly sidestepped with virtually perfect timing and missed the roach's attack. With this opportunity, Rebecca continued her sprint and reached her old friend's corpse. "You won't die in vein, Raymond," Rebecca whispered as she grabbed his silver lighter. When she turned to run, Rebecca was tackled to the ground by a much stronger force. The body on her back felt nothing like a roach…more like a zombie. A horrifying, angry cry filled the air, and Rebecca screamed. It was obviously the crimson head. How was it that it was still alive!? She shifted around in an attempt to get the monster off, yet it was winning the struggle. A driving foot went up into its stomach, a woman's foot. It was that street-smart woman! She helped Rebecca to her feet and the two began to sprint back towards the tank.
They could hear the crimson head, panting loudly and angrily with a shrill. They could hear its feet pounding against the tarmac ferociously. When Rebecca felt a faint exhalation on her neck, she screamed and her adrenaline kicked it up a notch. "Do it now!" She screamed as she approached the gas tank.
"Move out of the way!" The man called. Rebecca was running straight for the tube!
"Just do it!" Rebecca replied impatiently. The man struggled, yet he twisted the red valve and the thick fluid began to pour out of the tube. With her timing, Rebecca quickly moved out of the way, leaving the crimson head to slip and slide in the descending oil. It slid down the descending road, splashing up on the roaches and that damn crimson head. When the three were safely away from the stream of oil, Rebecca confidently tossed the lit lighter onto the ground. Immediately, flames sparked upwards and spread down the oil like a river of fire. The zombie and roaches squirmed painfully. As the glare spread on the three survivor's faces, they realized a mortal mistake. If the flames reached the gas tanker…it would not be pretty. Realizing this first, the woman ran for the opening and swan dived into the water below. Rebecca and the man exchanged horrified expressions and ran for the opening just as the flames reached the rubber tires. The moment the two broke the surface of the water, a violent explosion occurred. The sound waves forced their way into each and every crevice, blowing artifacts aside and stirring the water.
Making their way into an arched opening in the river, the group realized they had actually reached a miniature section of the sewer. It was a lengthy, dark tunnel with horrible plumbing; as the dripping water was enough to annoy even the most peaceful of souls. "Before we go on any more, I'm Rebecca Chambers, S.T.A.R.S Bravo team," Rebecca introduced herself.
"I'm George Hamilton, a doctor at Raccoon Hospital," The middle-age man replied.
"I'm Alyssa Ashcroft, a reporter for the Raccoon Report," The strong woman introduced. The three had been forced to communicate so much, it was strange that they had not known each other's names.
"At least the ice is broken," Rebecca thought to herself with misplaced humor. She smiled a little, but it immediately disappeared when she realized how strange she must have looked. "All right. Let's get out of here," Rebecca instructed with motivation.
After navigating their way out of the sewer, the group found themselves in front of the Apple Inn Hotel! And even more ironically, a police checkpoint had been set up just down the road! Apparently there were more people in this city fighting for their lives, and with this unity they would be able to escape. As Rebecca, George, and Alyssa entered the boundaries of the checkpoint, they met two other hopeful survivors.
"We've been waiting here for hours. Where is the goddamn police when you need them!?" One of the men yelled in frustration.
"Hey!" Rebecca sternly quipped, "How dare you? There is police all over this city, probably fighting to save people who are actually in danger. Be thankful you're safe." Rebecca was amazed with herself at that moment. Where had she found this power in herself? "I guess when you're involved in something like this, things change," Rebecca thought to herself.
"If they are so honorable, what the hell are they doing in that building!?" The man informed her in question-form. He pointed towards the door.
"I'll settle this, right now," Rebecca replied in defense. Leaving George and Alyssa to stay with the impatient men, Rebecca marched off towards the entrance to see what it was that was going on.
As she entered the warehouse, Rebecca was suspicious of this dark setting. Two police officers stood by a large crate, obviously deep in discussion.
"Excuse me?" Rebecca shyly called out, interrupting the two men. The older man spoke up.
"If you're looking for shelter, the checkpoint is outside. Please wait for us out there," The old man brushed her away.
"Excuse me, I'm not a civilian. My name is Rebecca Chambers, member of S.T.A.R.S Bravo team," Rebecca corrected him, offended by his condescending tone.
"Oh, it's one of you," The older man began, "Well listen up, S.T.A.R.S girl. If you want to help, watch the civilians outside and keep them safe."
"No, sir. You listen. If you do not do your job and get those civilians to safety, I will report you to Chief Irons!" Rebecca threatened, completely shocked by this man's behavior towards the situation. She completely forgot the reality that Raccoon City could probably care less about some neglecting officer. He glared at her, then walked past her and exited.
"Excuse me ma'am," The other officer nervously said, following his friend out. Rebecca sighed in frustration. Why was this happening now?
"Umbrella's in for it," Rebecca murmured to herself before turning to exit. Little did she know, a single, active camera lingered in one of the room's corners.
This camera had been monitored by a rather familiar figure. His blonde hair was slicked up into a flattop, and a pair of raven sunglasses hid his lonely eyes. "No, girl. You are in for it," He said as if she could actually hear him. This man was planning something…something evil…
As Rebecca stepped outside, her jaw dropped. Everyone…was gone…
"H-hello? George? Alyssa?" Rebecca called out, scanning the area in panic. The ebony police truck that had once been there was now gone. But why? Why would they leave her? As Rebecca continued to reflect in disbelief, the moon rose above the city of the dead. The only light from the city was the ember from the random flames amongst the buildings and streets. What was to come for Rebecca? Then she noticed something in the distance. The Apple Inn Hotel…
(A/N: Please send any comments/opinions you want. I appreciate anything you want to say! Thanks for reading!)
(A/N: In this story, the health works similar to the game. Being bitten means a person is infected, it just takes longer to have the virus entirely consume your DNA. First Aid Sprays can heal a person from limping to walking. Just wanting to straighten that out.)