No Room Left in Hell.
Chapter 2: Metal String.
Nothing clever to say right now. Enjoy if you're able.
As far as the eye could see in either direction they were dead. The city didn't stir. There was no sound. Robin could hear his own heart pounding against his chest.
"But how?" Starfire's soft voice reached his ears.
"I don't...know," Robin said, fighting back tears. It was a sickening sight. He found something Slade had said playing over and over again in his head. "They will all look so much worse than this by sunrise." The madman had said that in regards to the dead and blood covered bodies in the prison he attacked.
The city Robin had sworn to protect had been put to sleep and it really didn't look like it had put up a fight. "It's as if they all died together, all at once. Except..." Robin said, squatting down to inspect the corpse of a blond woman. He had been picking up on pattern since he happened upon the first corpse. While the cause of death for many of the victims was at times obvious, most were killed in the car crash and the resulting pile up was a chain of wreckage stretching all the way downtown, others looked like they had been mauled, but not by an animal. Robin surmised by the finger-sized scars, always in pairs of five, and the large chunks of torn flesh looked very much the result of a human. But then he was forced to figure out why so many people looked as if other "people" had dinned on them. And how could this possibly lead to this carnage around him?
Robin searched the body further and found another enigma. None of the wounds inflected upon this woman were life threatening. They had bleed badly but none of them was the cause of death. Robin made to continue his autopsy right there on the street. He began to remove the woman's top when a thumping against his fingers caused him to lurch his hand back. It had sounded very organic. It had come from the woman. Cautiously, he placed a hand to her chest and was shocked again. The heart was beating. Very out of rhythm but it was beating! The feeling of flowing blood pressed against his gloved figures, but it was labored and also out of rhythm. In a flash the woman's eyes snapped open and with unnatural swiftness her arms shot at him. Robin pulled back.
"Mam?" Robin questioned, eyes widening at the sick, starved look in her eyes. She hissed and moaned and began to crawl on her belly for him. The skin surrounding yellow puss colored eyes was as white as paper.
Robin, reflexively, snatched his extending bow-staff and positioned himself in a martial arts stance, "Mam, I'm going to ask you to restrain yourself." His words hit dead ears. She was still crawling towards him as he backed up and into Starfire. Sighing, Robin took a freezer-rang and used it on her. She was frozen solid.
"I do not understand. Was she not dead?" Starfire asked Robin. Robin turned to say something but a sound stole their attention. The car door to a wrecked police vehicle opened and out toppled the policeman. A policeman they had believed was surely dead moments ago. The large gash in his forehead didn't seem to stop him from rising to his feet and facing them. He had the exact same crazed look as the woman. His hands rose and he lumbered toward them. One foot was dragged along as he came.
On instinct, a Starbolt was shot straight at his face. His head exploded instantly. Starfire screamed and turned away. Robin caught her.
"I killed him! I didn't mean- I thought I used a non-lethal dose-" Starfire sobbed into Robin's shoulder. Robin held her and looked at the headless cop that was still walking. It fell over after a couple more steps.
"Star..." Robin said as a chorus of inhuman moans reached his ears. He could feel eyes all around him. "You didn't kill him. He was already dead."
With an explosion of glass, the body plummeted to the ground far from the man who threw him. The fallen figure only moaned when his head cracked against the blacktop.
"That guy's a maniac! Why'd he bite me?" the truck driver grumbled, looking over a huge gash in his forearm. It was bleeding profusely. "Better make a stop at the hospital. Who knows where that freaks been!" The semi truck with Earl's written on the cargo, minus half it's windshield, pulled away from the gas station.
"Damn!" Cyborg growled, scrambling to his feet and disturbing innocent trashcans and alley rats as he did. He looked up in the sky and fired for the fleeing Gizmo and Mammath that were becoming smaller and smaller thanks to Gizmo's jetpack powered glider wings.
"Grrrr..." Cyborg seethed, watching all his shots miss. "Fine! Let Slade kill ya!" he shouted at them.
"That was such a cheap shot," Beast Boy said, climbing out of the dumpster. When Robin had called them during their fight, Mammoth blindsided him and took Cyborg by surprise. "So now what? They're probably half way to Hawaii now."
"Guess we'll just have to call Robin and find out what the heck he was talking about," Cyborg said, leaving the alley for the street. Beast Boy followed.
"And tell him we totally messed up letting them get away? Hey? Where's Raven?" Beast Boy said coming to stand beside Cyborg on the sidewalk. There wasn't a soul around.
"Hmm..." Cyborg said looking into the distance. He could see the football stadium the criminals had been detained in half-an-hour ago peaking up above the building. "Maybe she's duking it out with Jinx," Cyborg suggested, pressing a button on his right forearm to summon the T-Car. Once in the car and heading down the street the teens were treated to more of a dead silent city. This pattern was interrupted only by a semi truck that seemed to have come from out of nowhere. Earl's was written on the cargo.
"Finally! A sign of life! I was getting this weird vibe, I'm telling you B," Cyborg said.
"He's following awfully close," Beast Boy noted. Noticing this, Cyborg sped up and the truck did the same. Mumbling, Cyborg changed lanes. The truck did the same.
"Hey! Get off my ass!" Cyborg shouted out the window.
"Cy!" Beast Boy screamed. When Cyborg looked back at the road he found it full of people. He swerved to avoid them and shot right into a building. The truck was still coming.
Raven pondered the information Robin had given her and found it unsettling amoung other things. She hadn't been given many specifics but whatever was going on had Robin positively spooked. She had never seen him like that in all the time she had worked with him. He told her of a city of dead. No explanation and no leads. She, Beast Boy and Cyborg were ordered to continue monitoring the criminals. She looked down at the one criminal in her custody.
Jinx rested with her back to a large pipe. Her eyes were closed. Only moments ago she seemed to be suffering from a seizure, the cause of which was yet another mystery.
"Are you ill?" Raven asked her.
"Wha?" Jinx's eyes popped upon, "No! I'm fine. Really."
"So...it's normal for your to scream and fidget like a loon?" Raven asked her.
Jinx took her time considering her answer, obviously preparing to tell Raven a tale that would keep her secret safe. Raven wasn't interested.
"Fine. Keep it to yourself, but you're coming with me," Raven said to her. A steal pipe sprung from it's mounting, and found it's way around Jinx's wrists with help from Raven. Jinx was shocked as her hands were bound together but did not fight. She dropped her head in defeat.
Raven was finding Jinx's behavior more and more enigmatic. What could be the explanation? She wanted to tell herself it didn't matter. It looked like some kind of personal problem. Matters Raven would likely deem pointless. But what if this had something to do with what was going in? Wouldn't Robin follow every lead? Well, Robin was better suited for interrogation Raven reasoned and led her captive to the exit of the stadium in silence.
Ok. Ten minutes later, and after a call to Cyborg for a ride, Raven was finding her curiosity nipping at her. Jinx, looking rather sullen, sat on a bench. Raven stood next to a tree. It had occurred to Raven that if Jinx wanted to, she could put up a pretty good fight right now and make a break for freedom. A damn good fight handcuffs and all. It would do no good to over look an enemy's skill. So why hadn't she? The first solution that came to mind was that it was a trick. But it didn't seem like a very good one and if it wasn't a trap what else could it be?
'Why am I wasting my time thinking about this? Stupid criminal,' Raven told herself. But still she counted the possible explanations. 'The seizures?'
Jinx finally left her deep thoughts of fear and speculation and looked at her captor. The lethally beautiful and mysterious Raven. Jinx wrote these attributes off with a small degree of bitterness. What super heroines these days weren't blessed with perfect bodies? And Villanesses were just as bad. Even her hero Harely Quinn was built like a vixen. She wouldn't let Raven's good looks influence her opinion of her that much.
Raven had been silent for the past fifteen minutes. Jinx found herself wondering what she could be possibly thinking. Probably something like: "That pink haired brat is frigging weird... I'm so sexy! I'm better than every body. Specially pink haired weirdos." How could she keep all these thoughts to herself Jinx wondered. Only one way to find out.
"Oh high and mighty priestess of darkness, please tell me my fate now that I have so generously surrendered myself to you," Jinx said, flashing a grin. Raven readied herself for confrontation. This might be it. This might be were Jinx tries to escape.
"You'll probably rot in a cell somewhere."
"For how long?"
"Until you change."
"You think I'll ever change?"
"No."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence. Aren't you supposed to be one of the good guys?"
"And what? You think we're all the same? A bunch of girl scouts? You want me to preach to you about the way you should live?"
"You might as well! You people put this world together before us and expect us to conform to it though you have no real method to your madness!" Jinx blasted, never meaning to speak of her convictions but now that she had started she couldn't stop herself, "Go to school. Get a job. Learn a lot a crap you'll never use. Work until you're sixty-five. Retire and be free when you're too old to enjoy it. Optionally, have kids that drive you insane along the way. See? It's madness!"
Raven shook her head not knowing where to begin or if she should even bother.
"So you want mankind to just back track, throughout it's thousand year old political system, and various other platforms and get stupider from now on?"
"Nooooo," Jinx said, shaking her head for effect, "I believe in hard work. It should just be fair equal work. We'll all slave under the sun for each other in a world without money, gaining kinky orange tans until the Martians discover our quite little planet in the year 4000. They'll say our skin reminds them of candy and not vaporize us. Instead they will want to make mad love to us..."
Raven stared the strange girl in the eyes half believing this was her real opinion until Jinx's eyes gave away her mirth.
"Oh you are so full of sh-"
"Hahahahahaha!" Jinx almost cried with laughter.
"It's not like that's the only way to live," Raven said distantly, looking back at the streets, "There are plenty of alternatives that stray from the life you find so preordained."
"Yeah? For example?"
"Well, Beast Boy sure as hell didn't achieve mastery over his school subjects and by some manner of fate he's a Titan," Raven said, seeming more like she was thinking out loud.
"Are you saying…" Jinx began, "You have job application tucked up you're cape?"
"What?" Raven betrayed all her practiced calm in an instant. Jinx grinned even wider. The mere concept rattled her with amusement. And Raven's reaction just made it sweeter. She had to press the idea in hopes of pressing the other girl's buttons.
"Where's our ride?" Raven said, turning to the empty streets.
"Hey! You're changing the subject!"
"I know," Raven said with her back to Jinx. Raven activated her communicator in hopes of getting in touch with her teammates.
"Raven?" she heard Beast Boy cry. "We're a bit tied up here!"
"What's going on?" Raven asked them.
"Come on B!" she heard Cyborg cry. We gotta get outa here!" the familiar sound of a sonic cannon ripped through the air, "Head for the police station!"
"Sorry Raven! Can't talk now! You're rides been canceled though-Ugh!" With an electric hiss the communication died.
"Woah. Sounds like a bummer," Jinx said.
"Shut up."
"Guess you'll have to carry me!"
"Sure...when I go crazy and lose my mind," Raven quipped.
"I'm working on that," Jinx said.
"Let's go." Raven said, reaching her hands out for Jinx. Black torrents of energy shot forth and gathered her up, pulling her towards Raven. The shape then gathered around Raven and became a large bird. Raven flew to the nearest police station. The J.C.P.D.
The trip to the police station was anything but pleasant for Raven. The sights she saw as she flew through the night were of a horrific nature. Amongst the wreckage was what she could only describe as the living dead. They were everywhere.
The black bird of energy slammed into the large double doors of the J.C.P.D and disappeared. On the other side it fizzled into the ground leaving behind two young women.
"What a head trip," Jinx said shuddering, images from the city outside still fresh in her mind, "What were those things?"
Raven looked directly at her wanting to say something, but nothing came. Instead she tried her communicator again.
"Robin? Cyborg? Can either of you hear me?" There was a hiss and a buzz then words.
"Raven?" It was Robin. "Where are you?"
"The police station on Fifth and Parsons. I have Jinx but I lost contact with Beast Boy and Cyborg. Have you heard from them?"
"No."
"Cyborg mentioned the police station before I lost him. I'm going to look around."
"Ok. Starfire and I are heading your way. The streets are swarming with these-"
"Zombies?" Jinx entered.
"Whatever they are, we can't handle them on our own. We need to regroup. Robin out."
And then silence reigned over the large room that should have been the subject to policemen and women traffic. Instead it was unsettlingly quite.
"Wait a minute..." Jinx began. "You're looking for you're friends in a police station? I'm a criminal! How did I let you talk me into this!" Jinx said, pondering the irony.
"I didn't...you gave up remember?"
"...Oh yeah."
"We're moving now," Raven said, walking across the empty lobby to the nearest door. Her influence trapped the metal that bound Jinx's hands and pulled her along. She intended to find a jail cell for the fiend and look her friends along the way. Her hand seized the knob and to her puzzlement she found it locked. There was a shape under the knob that looked like a spade from a deck of cards. Thinking little of it, Raven crumbled the entire contraption with her power and opened the door.
"Wh-who's there!"
Someone shouted from the back of the room. Raven sought him out. It was a wounded policeman. She swiftly moved to his side. Jinx was dragged along by the telepathic power.
"This looks bad..." Raven said examining his wounds. She placed her hands near them and began to mend the flesh. As she figured, it was too late. He was far too gone. He was panting heavily and didn't seem to have the strength to even turn in her direction, never mind open his eyes. "What's going on here? Who did this to you?"
"It was...men. Mad men. And women. They..they've all gone nuts! They went cannibal full swing," the officer said with difficulty. "The little girl. You have to help her!" he gasped.
"You're not making much sense," Raven told him.
"Who's there? Is...is that an angel? Have I made it? Made..." the man said tilting his head towards the ceiling. His head then slumped as his life abandoned him. Raven took this in, swallowed and pulled back slowly, fighting to keep the sorrow out of her thoughts. Wordlessly she left the room. Jinx's eyes rested on the corpse for just moment before she was yanked from the room by forces she couldn't begin to understand.
"What the hell is going on Raven? I feel like we walked into a horror movie!" Jinx began to nag.
"If I knew, you think I would have been talking to a near corpse?" They were now walking down a long narrow hall. Still no signs of life. The floor was littered with glass from the windows that had all been sealed by some kind of mettalic shutters, apparently an attempt by someone inside to keep something out and probably very recently.
Raven swept the area with her eyes as she listened to the crunching sounds of glass under her moving feet. She came to a sudden stop when she was able to make out a figure at the other end of the hall. The man's face was covered in shadow and he stood motionlessly. In all likelihood he seemed to be waiting.
Raven and Jinx stared at him for moment, and then Raven boldly strode up to him taking Jinx with her.
"Sir?" Raven called as she approached, "Is everything ok?" she asked as she was able to make out wounds that made her wince and yet he stood there seemingly oblivious to the severe lacerations on his arms and abdomen.
"Sir?" Raven called once in earshot. In a flash, the calm air was destroyed as his hands reached for her with the worst of intentions. Sensing this in time Raven used her magic to created a shield. The madman didn't stop. He clawed at it with bloody stubs where his fingers should have been. He attacked it like a starved animal. Raven recoiled in disgust and shoved the shield in at him. He bounded back, hit the door and fell to the floor. As she watched him scramble to his feet the door behind him opened and in stumbled more men who looked as bad as he did. One of them was clutching his own internal organs as they threatened to spill from his torso.
"What's...wrong with you people?" Raven asked eyes darting from one man to the other. Each had the same disturbed look in his eyes.
"That's so..." Jinx said, unable to finish or tear her eyes away from this man coming undone before her very eyes. Despite the nature of their injuries, they kept coming.
"Wait! I don't want to hurt you!" Raven said, looking directly in the eyes of the closet man. As she stared into them she found no understanding and as she searched he grew closer and closer.
"You may not want to, but I'm going to have to!" Jinx said, slipping past the other girl and planting a heel in the face of the man. His head exploded sending fleashy chunks of mater in all dirrections. Raven flinched as disbelief overcame her. Jinx was startled as well but didn't have time to dwell on it. Another man took the place of the one she had slain.
Jinx swung her other leg like a staff and caught him with the instep of her leather boot. His head was easily removed. Another reached for her. Instinctively she pulled one of those same arms towards the ground as she sent both her fists into his chin. She leap-frogged over him shoving him to the ground and went after another and another until she was through the door way and battling up a stairway where they just kept coming. Some were in civilian clothes while most wore police uniforms. Raven came to her senses a moment later and followed Jinx, stepping over still twitching bodies. It was apparent by now that these men must have once been ordinary people but they were obviously no longer. One that had lost its arms and a leg slithered across the floor for Jinx who was scuffling with more of these "Zombies."
Raven trapped the head of the offending undead and slammed it into the rail hard enough to crush it. She closed her eyes, trying not to hear the resounding splat.
Raven walked between at least two dozen bodies that Jinx had lain out all on her own. The last of them, nothing more than a torso propelling itself along the floor with its arms, grabbed the pink haired sorceress's leg. It began to gnaw at her boot. Jinx, still bond by makeshift handcuffs, dropped her knee on his head, crushing it.
Raven rested against the rail holding her stomach unwilling taking in the sights and the stench.
"They're all...Zombies," Raven gasped. Finding no better word for them other than the long running American pop-culture depiction. Raven knew the original meaning for Zombie's differed from what was in movies as was the fate of most tales and legends.
"Duh!" Jinx said. Throwing her arms in the air, "And I just saved your skin!"
"You...didn't," Raven said, but strength left her words as she realized Jinx was right and she couldn't distort this truth as she usually would under such circumstances.
"I didn't huh?" Jinx said, looking miffed, "I just did that to get away right?"
"Ok. I spoke to fast. But-"
"But what?" Jinx said cocking her head to the side, "I can't do anything for someone else? My heart is as black as space? There's no hope that I could be or once was a-"
"This is not even the most prevalent line of discussion right now," Raven said, taking control of the situation.
"And what is?"
So many questions came to mind as Raven tried to figure out her next plan of action. These things were obviously the same as those outside.
"We have to find my friends. This is place is swarming with them. I may need you're..."
"Well, since you asked so nicely!" Jinx exclaimed. Removing the metal bars from her wrists with ease. Raven masked her shock.
"I'm right behind you boss," Jinx said. Raven ignored her and moved on to the next room.
"Hold on," Jinx called. Raven paused, but didn't bother to turn. Jinx took the gun, holster and a clip from the downed policemen. She started to put the holster on. Getting impatient, Raven turned to her and looked slightly surprised.
"Gonna need every edge we can get if the entire city is like this." Jinx said handing Raven a gun and belt. Raven shook her head. "Suit yourself," Jinx said, putting the other holster on and pocketing both guns on her person.
FEDERAL POLICE DEPT.-INTERNAL INVESTIGATION REPORT
Mr. Chris Redfield
Jump City Police Dept.
S.T.A.R.S. division.
As per your request, we have conducted our internal investigation and discovered the following information:
Regarding the G-virus currently under development by Umbrella Inc. So far it is unconfirmed that the G-Virus even exists. We're continuing with our investigation.
Regarding Mr. Brian Irons, Chief of the Jump City Police Dept.
Mr. Irons has allegedly received a large sum of funds in bribes from Umbrella Inc. over the last five years. He was apparently involved in the cover up of the mansion lab case along with several other incidents in which Umbrella appears to have direct involvement.
Jack Hamilton
Section Chief
Internal Investigations
United States Federal
Police Department.
Robin put the file down while running the numbers in his head. This was obviously related to what was going on but there were so many ends and he had yet to tie any together. Slade paid the Hive to steal something from a lab. They failed, but Gizmo kept a chip that Slade may or may not be after. Umbrella is under investigation for some kind of virus and something about a mansion. And the chief of the police department was, or still is, on the take from Umbrella. Meanwhile the streets are full of Zombies. If this Brian Irons was still around he'd be a good start in terms of finding answers. Robin continued to search the S.T.A.R.S office while Starfire did her best to comfort a number of survivors that they had rescued from the streets. There were only six of them, two men, three women and one child.
"Do not fear. You are safe here. Robin and I will protect all of you," Starfire said to them while Robin rummaged through desks for more leads. There was a click then that caused every head to snap in the direction of the room's single door. It opened slowly. Robin darted to stand beside Starfire and in front of the civilians. The door continued to move until it was completely open.
"Any brain lickers in here?" Jinx said dashing into the room aiming guns at the first figures she saw. She regretted it. Robin closed in an instant, slammed her to the ground then pinned her arms.
"Hold it!" Raven shouted at him. Everyone in the room became confused. The child clinging to one of the women let out a cry.
"Raven!" Starfire exclaimed.
"Raven?" Robin said with hint of relief in his voice.
"Yes, Raven," Raven said flatly, "and now that we've reestablished my name, can you get off our new ally?"
Robin looked at Jinx then stood up.
"Admit it. You were comfy down here with me weren't you boy wonder?" Jinx teased him.
"I am...very confused..." Starfire said looking Jinx over.
"We're going to need all the help we can get." Robin said, figuring out the reason for Jinx's presence instantly.
There you go. Hope it was a long enough...I have to go now.