Chapter 1
She needed to get help. Knowing what was expecting for her in the abandoned grey streets of Raccoon City, she went out of the secure laboratory and grabbed a shotgun. It was cold and raining. Small drops of water fell on her skin and brought along the comprehension that there was no possible way she could kill a thousand flesh-eaters on her own. She needed backup.
She knew the right people that were needed for this kind of mission, but wondered how she could get to them and not get killed by those flesh-suckers that swarmed in the city.
"Damn it, after I'm done here I'll make sure that the Umbrella Corporation will no longer exist." She swore. The Umbrella Corporation and their secret experiments was the reason that thousands of flesh-eating zombies were walking the streets of Raccoon City and infecting the living population with this deadly virus. If she only knew where the corporation hid the antivirus, she could get it and use it to reverse the enormous damage its brother, the T-virus caused. But she didn't and even if she had, there wasn't enough for the whole population of Raccoon City.
A man named Frank Elsinger who wore an incredibly expensive suit sat in his fancy office in the Office of Scientific Investigation and Research headquarters, drinking coffee and speaking on the phone. There was a serious situation going on in Raccoon City and he tried to think of a team he could afford to lose. He couldn't send rookies on this mission. He needed a team of experts that he didn't care to lose on this extremely risky task. He had three folders on his table with three teams he had in mind from the moment he heard about the situation. He opened the first folder and took out the list of members.
"Case Manger Eliza Caven…" He said to himself. He hated Eliza. She always had to have things going her way. "Senior Chemist John Leman, Parapsychologist Lawrence Short, Senior Data Analyst Judy Durham." This team was certainly a possibility. He didn't like three of the members and didn't think they were that good in their job. But he needed a stronger team. As much as he would have liked seeing this team going down, they couldn't handle such a task. He put the folder away and moved to the second one. "Case Manager Curtis Rollins…" No, he couldn't afford losing Curtis. He was good at his job and even though he was taken out of the third team, that was one of the best, and one of the most rebellious teams the OSIR had ever had. He closed the second file and opened the third. "Case Manager Mathew Praeger, Parapsychologist Anton Hendricks – on a leave of absence, Senior Chemist Peter Axon…" He needed Axon. He was had a fine mind that the OSIR could certainly use. "Senior Data Analyst Lindsay Donner." Here was a woman who deserved to go down. She was the key to this team's rebelliousness. It was because her love for the last case manager, Connor Doyle, that was killed in Russia two years earlier, that the team was going against him that way. He had warned her many times, but she wouldn't listen. Matters came to the point that he needed to eliminate her, which was too bad, because she was good at her job. But so were the rest of the team. Too bad that they couldn't obey orders. So all he needed now was telling them that they're going on a 'slightly risky' mission and that there's a whole city depending on them.
On Monday morning, Elsinger came down to the mobile lab, where the team usually worked. He didn't do it very often, but he felt like it was the last time he was seeing their faces and wanted to bid them farewell. Although they were disobedient, they were a good team and in a way it was a loss for the OSIR. But I'll get over it. He thought and walked into the conference room, where they gathered every morning.
"Good mourning." He said. It was certainly a good morning for him. He hoped the whole team goes up in flames. Maybe except for Peter Axon. He had big plans for him, but if the team had to go, Peter had to go with it.
"Mourning, Frank?" Matt Praeger, a tall skinny man asked with a cheerful grin. Matt was always cheerful and was constantly cracking jokes, which Elsinger believed were on his expense.
"I said 'morning', Mathew." Elsinger said. Lindsay tried to hold her laughter, but it didn't really work for her. A small giggle came out of her mouth. Elsinger gave her a sharp look and she just smiled at him and apologized. He looked at her for a short moment. She was a beautiful woman, he had to admit. She had a long honey-colored hair and grey eyes that usually turned ice-cold when she looked at him. She was the daughter of a Nobel-Prize winning chemist, but wasn't as spoiled as most rich girls are. He did think that she had a big mouth though, and despised her for her love and loyalty for Connor Doyle, the late case manager. He was glad that Connor died, and thought it would have been good if Lindsay had died with him. Both were always asking too many questions and occupied themselves with matters that weren't their business. But he had managed to eliminate Doyle and now Lindsay was gonna join him.
"What brings you down here?" Matt asked.
"I'm here to assign you a case." Elsinger said.
"You already assigned us a case." Peter said.
"I know. But I'm assigning you a new one. The other one will be given to another team." Elsinger had a satisfied look on his face. "I'm sending you to Raccoon City."
"Frank, it's in the United States. We have operatives there. Why can't they do it?" Matt argued.
"Because your team is the only one that's capable of performing this assignment perfectly. I count of you to save the day in Raccoon City."
"Was that a joke?" Matt asked. Elsinger could feel the rage rising in him.
"I do not tell jokes, Mathew. This is your assignment." He handed Matt a folder. "Learn all the details by tonight. If there are any questions, you know where to find me. You're leaving tomorrow morning at 5:30 AM. Do not forget your passports. This is a very urgent case. Human lives are in danger and we cannot afford any delays." And without saying goodbye, he went out of the mobile lab.
"Someone fell out of bed this 'mourning', didn't he?" Matt joked. Lindsay giggled at his joke.
"He took his British accent one step too far." Peter said, not realizing how true Elsinger's mispronounced morning greeting was about to become. "So, what is this case about?"
"I'm not sure I wanna know." Lindsay said. "The last time we were sent on a 'slightly dangerous' investigation we lost Connor." She stared at the table for a moment.
"Connor's our last case manger." Peter explained to Matt. Matt nodded. He already knew it, and has also figured out that Lindsay had a serious crush on him. "Are you okay, Linds?" He put his hand on her shoulder. She raised her head and nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's see what this case is about." She changed the subject. Peter and Matt nodded and Lindsay took the folder. She opened it and started reading. "Elsinger must be kidding us." She said and handed Matt the folder. Matt started reading it.
"What is it?" Peter asked.
"Deadly creatures are lurking in the streets of Raccoon City and eating human flesh for fun and they're angry. Very angry…" Matt said in a dramatic voice.
"Really?" Peter asked and grabbed the folder.
"They're the living dead and they're scarrrrrry!" Matt continued joking.
"Zombies!" Peter said. "I take it as an insult that I am called to investigate a case of cannibalistic corpses. Everyone knows they just don't exist!"
"Well said, Pete!" Lindsay said. "God, it must be a prank."
"Frank's prank!" Matt called out cheerfully. Lindsay smiled. "I'm gonna call him and see if he's serious about it." And he went out of the room.
The next morning, the team was on its way to Corte, a town that was adjacent to Raccoon City. They still couldn't believe they were sent to investigate such a ridiculous and nonexistent phenomenon. But they assumed that Elsinger had a different plan for them, just like always did. Even though they were doubtful that zombies truly existed, they had sat together until late at night and studied the details of the case. A large biotech company called Umbrella Inc. had developed a deadly virus that somehow got loose in a lab called "the hive" and the people who inhaled it became flesh eating zombies. Only one person got out of the hive alive and she was waiting for the team in Corte.
Lindsay was driving the car and sipping coffee at the same time. She had a bad feeling about this case, but she couldn't explain it and she didn't want to worry Matt, Peter and Clair. And if that wasn't enough, she was very tired. There were at least nine hours of driving from the US border to Raccoon City and the border was an hour away if she drove at full speed. She only hoped that there wasn't gonna be a long line to cross it. She hated those lines and it drove her crazy. And driving with the team was even worse, because there was the mobile lab that needed to cross the border too, and it always needed to be checked by the border police. Even though, Elsinger usually notified them that there was a team that needed to pass the border, but Lindsay doubted that in such a short notice, the whole bureaucracy could be done in time.
The sound of snores made her look in the mirror and see that Peter fell asleep. Matt and Clair laughed and Lindsay could see that they were holding hands. She suspected that something was going on between them. She had to admit that they were a cute couple.
The hours went by very slowly and after making three stops on the way, for coffee and bathroom, Lindsay was exhausted. She really wanted to stop at a motel for the night, but Elsinger's instructions were clear; no long stops on the way, and no overnight stops.
"Anyone's got coffee left in his cup?" She asked.
"I've got some." Peter said. "Cappuccino with two sugar, is it okay for you?"
"Yeah, that's great." Peter handed her the coffee. "You're a life saver." Peter smiled shyly and patted her shoulder.
"Do you want me to replace you behind the wheel?" He offered. She took a sip from the coffee and smiled.
"I'd like that, but there's nowhere I can pull over." She replied. "There are two more hours to drive, so I think I can handle it, but thanks for offering."
"Handle it? Your eyes are practically shutting and you've got dark circles…"
"I do?" Lindsay asked and threw a glance at the side mirror of the car. "God, you're right. It looks terrible!"
"Just pull over on the first gas station or drive-through you see." Lindsay nodded.
Alice looked out of her motel room window and could see a black van parking in front of the Rothard Gross Motel. It was in fact, a very old Hotel that had a very low quality and service. Stories told that ever since it was built, most of the visitors were people who wanted to rent a room for an hour or so. The place had such cheap feel, that no one really wanted to stay there for longer than that. Alice didn't have much choice, though, because it was the only guest house in Corte.
Three man and two women went out of the van and walked towards the entrance to the motel. They were wearing suits and looked very important. They certainly didn't look like the kind of people that rents a room for an hour. She left her place in front of the window and went out of her room. She ran down the old wooden stairs that squeaked as if they were going to fall apart.
"You're the unit I asked for?" She asked. The group looked at her with a slight surprise. Lindsay stepped forward and nodded. She introduced herself and her colleagues.
"Well, it's nice to meet all of you, but I'm under the impression you are not the fighting unit I asked for." Alice said.
"We were sent here to investigate a paranormal phenomenon, Miss…"
"Alice. Please call me Alice." She said. "I asked for a combat unit, equipped with weapons, machineguns, snipers, bombs…"
"But we are the OSIR. We do not have combat units, we have research teams." Lindsay said with a slight impatience.
"I didn't call the OSIR. I called the U.S. Army." Alice said. "I need fighters, not you! There's a serious situation going on." Her face was flush with anger. "Hang on a minute, okay? I'll be right back."
"Sure, we'll be right here…" Lindsay said. Alice ran upstairs and the team could hear the squeak of the wooden stairs. "I really don't like this case. Something really bugs me about it."
"I know, Lindsay. I feel that way too, but we cannot leave until we find out why we were sent here instead of the U.S. Army." Matt said. They heard the loud squeaks of the stairs and saw Alice coming downstairs.
"Apparently, you guys are supposed to be here. And you're supposed to fight, not investigate." Alice said. "I hope you know how."
"Are you sure? We are not a combat unit. We are field experts, investigators." Matt said.
"That's what they said to me. Can you guys fight?"
"We can try." Peter replied. "If we really have to." Lindsay gave him an angry look. She wanted to go home and let another team take that investigation.
"Good, because I have no time to train you." She looked at Lindsay and Clair for a moment. "You don't plan on fighting in those suits, right?"
"We have change of clothes." Clair replied.
"Good. Be ready in an hour and wait for me outside the motel. Raccoon City is an hour away from here. I have a plan, but I need to go over it with you." Alice said. "This motel rents rooms by the hour, so if you want a place to change, that could be a good idea for you."
"Or maybe you could help us save our money and let us use your room." Lindsay said. Alice was getting on her nerves.
"I pulled a gun on the owners and threatened their lives, so you don't really wanna be a part of that… Do, you, Lucy?" Alice asked.
"It's Lindsay." Her face was flush and she was fisting her sleeve, in order to avoid punching Alice.
"Rent a room, Princess. I'm sure that if you can afford wearing those designers' suits you're have on, you can afford a room in a cheap motel." Alice shot back. She hated rich, spoiled girls, like Lindsay.
"You…" Lindsay started, but Peter grabbed her arm and put his hand on her mouth.
"Now, Lindsay. This isn't the time to get into catfights." Matt said. "Let's just rent two rooms and get changed. Lindsay, try to get some sleep. Maybe you'll feel better then. Clair, I wanna talk to you for a moment."
"Come on, Linds, let's go and rent two rooms." Peter grabbed her hand and she followed him unwillingly to the front desk.
An hour later, the team met Alice in front of the motel. She gave them some information about the zombies that were lurking the street, the Umbrella Corporation and what had happened to the people of Raccoon City.
"My plane is this;" Alice said. "Raccoon City has a very famous weapon store. That would be a good place to start. You all know how to use weapon, right?" Peter and Matt nodded. "Do you know how to use a rifle, Princess?" Alice addressed Lindsay.
"No, I know how to use a gun." Lindsay replied. She was trying to stay calm, but felt that she was going to this mission like a sheep is going to the slaughter. She hated this feeling of hopelessness and the way her team was following Alice's instructions without thinking them through first. She didn't like Alice. Her lack of fear scared Lindsay and made her wanna run away from there as soon as she could.
"Good. Nice outfit, by the way. I didn't think that you have something that wasn't designed by some handsome and rich Italian." Alice teased her. Lindsay was wearing a black undershirt and a black pair of low cut jeans.
"I am not gonna respond that." Lindsay said to herself. "She doesn't worth it."
"Right, Princess. Don't get mad, because you need to stay focused. So, we rob the weapon store and get as much weapon as we can carry. Knives, rifles, machineguns, bullets, shotguns. Now, if you see a zombie, you need to shoot him before he bites you. You shoot them right into the head or the base of the neck, or else they won't die. A zombie bite won't kill you immediately. It will infect you with the virus and you'll die after few hours, then you become a zombie and can infect others by your bite, so please let the others know if you're being bitten, so we can be ready." Alice said.
"Wait a minute. What do you mean by 'so we can be ready'? Are you going to kill the infected people?" Lindsay asked. Now, she understood why the team was sent on this mission. Elsinger had set them up. They weren't supposed to get out of there alive.
"No, I'm not going to kill them. I will shoot them into the head…"
"I'm sorry, but shooting someone into the head would kill them, in case you didn't know that." Lindsay said sarcastically.
"You should have let me finish speaking. I'll shoot them after they die, to prevent them from transforming into zombies. I don't think you would like to become a zombie if you died, would you?"
"No, I wouldn't. But I wouldn't like to be shot in the head too." Lindsay replied.
"Look, Princess, I don't wanna be shot in the head either, but if I become a zombie, you have the honor of blowing my brains out of my head. Okay?" Alice asked. Lindsay was really pissing her off with her attitude. "Now, is everything clear to everyone?" and since everyone nodded, Alice commanded that they get into the car and head towards Raccoon City.
At first look, Raccoon City looked just like any other town. It also seemed to be pretty calm for a city where a war between humans and the undead is in process. Alice was giving Peter driving directions to the weapon store, but few times on the way they bumped into obstacles such as cars that stood in the middle of the road.
"Okay, it's here. Just park the car in front of it." Alice said. She took a gun that was stuck in her belt. "I'll be the first to enter the store. You guys are gonna be behind me. Grab anything you can. Guns and rifles are the best you can find. Make sure it's loaded. You see a zombie, kill it. Do not scream. It's gonna bring the others. Now, I have another gun. Peter, I want you to take it. Don't hesitate to shoot anything that attacks you." She said and handed him the gun. "Now let's go." And the team followed her out of the car and into the store that to the team's surprise was abandoned.
"Well, that makes our job easy." Matt said.
"Don't be so sure." Alice replied and took a rifle off the wall. She stuck it in her belt. "Hey, Princess! Here's a gun you can handle easily." She threw a small handgun in the air and Lindsay caught it. "It's unloaded; let me find you some bullets." She grabbed a key that she found on the seller's counter and opened a drawer behind the cash. "Okay, eight millimeters…" She took out few small boxes and put them on the counter. "Those are the ones you need. Load the gun and keep the boxes in your pocket or something. You'll need them." Clair took a shotgun off the wall.
"I never used a gun before." She said to Matt.
"Then this isn't the one you need." Alice said. "Nine millimeters should be good for you." She showed Clair how to use it and then gave her some bullets.
"Have you ever been here before?" Peter asked and took the shotgun from Clair's hand. He loaded it with bullets he found in the drawer.
"A couple of times. I bought some weapon here not long ago and I know where everything can be found."
"So this is not your first robbery, then?" Lindsay asked.
"We're not robbing the place. No one's here." Alice replied. "And no, this isn't my first robbery, but I'm only doing it for the sake of Raccoon City."
"So, what are you, exactly? A runaway criminal?" Lindsay asked. She found a knife behind the counter and stuck it in her belt.
"No, I'm with the U.S. Army." Alice replied. She found some explosives in a sack in the corner of the room. "This could use for homemade bombs." She said to herself.
"You sound more like a terrorist."
"I'm not a terrorist, Princess, but I fought those zombie things once. I know how to beat them. Exploding them could be a good idea." Alice said.
"This store has a basement. Maybe we should check it out." Matt said. He had a rifle in his hand and two small handguns in his belt.
"Good idea." Alice said. "You wanna go first?" Matt nodded and started going down the stairs. Alice followed him and Peter stayed with Clair and Lindsay upstairs and kept choosing weapons they thought they could handle.
"This is a suicide mission." Lindsay said to herself.
"Sure it is, if you keep going against Alice and not with her." Clair said.
"She doesn't care if she dies or not. I do care about my life." Lindsay replied. "It's another one of Elsinger's evil plans. Connor was first and we come right after that!"
"You sound like a paranoid freak. Stop playing superhero." Clair said.
"Why? So Alice will take that part? She's so…"
"Cool? Smart? Strong? Or maybe she wants to save a whole city and believes she knows how?" Alice came upstairs. "I don't play the superhero, Princess. I just wanna kill all those creeps before they kill the human population of the world."
"And after you do that, you'll become a superhero." Lindsay said.
"I don't mind giving you the credit, Princess, as long as you obey my orders. I know what I'm doing. I am the sole survivor from the hive. That's where the zombies were locked until someone opened it and let the virus free." Alice said. "If you stop going against me that would make our mission so much easier." Alice handed her 8 inches long plastic pipe that was blocked from both sides and had a fuse attached to one end of it. "Just like I thought. The explosives in the sack were used to make homemade bombs. It isn't legal to make them, but they'll be a great use for us now."
"This is pretty heavy." Lindsay said. "How much damage can it do?"
"That depends on where you explode it. In the street it would damage anything that's located in a radius of about 25 feet away." Alice said. "And in a building the damage would be bigger, but I can't tell you how much bigger. I say we take ten of those with us and use them only as a last resort." She stuck it in Lindsay's belt. "Matt, bring nine of those bombs up here." She stood at the top of the stairs and yelled to him.
Armed with bombs, shotguns, rifles and guns the group went out of the store and headed towards the city hall. Thick raindrops started falling down from the sky and wetting the city. It was empty, as if everyone were already dead.
"This place is pretty quiet for a war zone." Matt said and took Clair's hand.
"This is not good. I expected to see panic and mess, not this." Alice said.
"There's something wrong with a peaceful street?" Lindsay asked. "I wish I could get that where I live."
"I don't know where you live, but in this city, there's no such thing as a peaceful street. Plus, this isn't a street, it's a road and it should be loud." Alice said. They saw a dark figure in the distance and pulled their guns. It disappeared behind a trash can. A distant shriek was heard through the fog that encompassed the city. "Be ready. I think we're getting closer to flesh-sucker. Actually, there may be more than one of them." And they went on. The air got cooler and cooler and Lindsay, whose clothes didn't fit the weather in the city shivered. She could feel how her muscles are stiffening from the cold and tightened her grip in her gun, scared that it'll slip from her hand and leave her defenseless. Heavy steps were heard from the closest crossroads and raised fear in the group's hearts. They became louder and louder and finally, the team could see dark figures, walking with hunched backs, hauling their twisted legs on the asphalt road. Their teeth were black and the gray skin of their faces was raw and wounded. Their hair was sticking to their faces and looked dry. They looked like old rug-dolls, as if someone broke and wrenched every bone in their bodies. Threw the fog they looked fragile.
"God help me…" Lindsay whispered. She could barely feel her limbs anymore. Barely able to move her fingers, she cocked her gun and aimed it at one of the figures.
"Shoot!" Alice gave an order. A deafening noise was heard and few of the figures fell down on the floor. The rest of them were getting closer to the group and sent their hands forward. "Again!" And they all cocked their guns and shot again, but there were more than fifty zombies and Alice didn't want the group to waste all of their bullets on one group of zombies. "Now run as fast as you can! Back to the weapon store. We'll be safer in the car." And they started running. The weapon store was five blocks away and the road was slippery from the rain and Clair fell down a couple of times. Matt helped her up and they kept running. Behind them, they heard the heavy steps of the zombies that passed shivers through their spines. Even Alice could feel her heart beating in fear.
"One more block." Peter said to Lindsay when she stopped to take a breath of air. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her after him. "Faster, Linds. Don't fall behind."
"I can't breathe." Lindsay moaned.
"You can breathe in the car." Peter said and started running even faster. "Come on…" He begged. The rain got stronger and he could see Lindsay fighting the shivers that went through her spine one after another and trying to run the rest of the way to the car. "Just few more feet away, Linds."
"Peter, the keys." Alice, who was few feet ahead of them, almost reached the car. Peter took the keys out of his pocket and threw them in the air. Alice caught them and opened the car. She took her place in the driver's seat and started the engine. Lindsay and Peter were the next to enter the car and moments later, Matt and Clair entered too.
"Okay, were in the car, what's next?" Matt asked.
"Maybe… you could run over them." Lindsay suggested through her heavy breaths.
"That's not a bad idea, Princess." Alice said. "Fasten your seatbelts." And she pushed the gas pedal. The car went right into the middle of the zombie group.
"I don't like that…" Lindsay said when the zombies started pounding on the windows of the car and it started wobbling from side to side. Alice pushed the gas pedal again and a splash of blood covered the windowpane. She turned on the windshield wiper and the blood smeared all over the windowpane. Then she took a sharp U-turn and drove towards the zombie group again.
"Got four of them!" She called out in excitement. Lindsay buried her head between her knees and took slow deep breaths. The sight of blood usually made her throw up. "Yeah, one more bustard down!" Alice seemed to enjoy running over the zombies.
"Are you okay, Lindsay?" Peter caressed her wet hair. She breathed heavily.
"Three in a row!" Alice called out. One window shattered when she hit a zombie and Clair shrieked in fear when a scarred grayish hand caught her wrist. She fought it, but the zombies were stronger than her. She pulled her gun out and aimed towards the zombie's head, but he kept on moving alongside the car and she couldn't focus on it.
"Someone finish him off!" She yelled. A shot was heard, but missed its target. Not only this; Clair's wrist was bitten by a zombie. "That damned son of a bitch!" She screamed. Blood was oozing from her wrist. Alice seemed to be ignoring the mess that was going on in the back seat and kept running over the zombies until only ten of them were left.
"Alice, she was bitten." Lindsay said, trying to hide her distress. Alice kept ignoring. "Alice! Why don't you stop running over those idiots and tell us what to do?"
"There's nothing you can do. She'll become one of them in a few hours." Alice replied dryly. Suddenly, Lindsay felt a hand pushing her down and heard a shot.
"Don't get up!" She heard Peter's voice. He and Matt were shooting the ten remaining zombies. Blood was spraying inside the car and Lindsay could feel the sticky liquid flowing down her back. She bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes.
"It's nothing. You can clean it up later." She mumbled to herself, but the words didn't help her calm down. "It's just blood, it's just blood…"
"You can get up." Peter said. He put his hand on her shoulder and then noticed the blood. "Man, you're full of bloo…" And he stopped himself. He knew that Lindsay couldn't stand the sight of blood. "Don't panic, you can wipe that off." He said instead. Lindsay wrapped her arms around him and he could see that she was shaking. "Calm down, Linds. I'll help you clean it up." He said and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He could hear her inhaling deeply a couple of times and then she raised her head.
"That's okay, I'll be fine." She whispered.
"Are you sure?" She nodded and wiped her slightly teary eyes. "Okay, just let me wipe this bloodstain from your face." He said and wiped it off her cheek with his sleeve. Alice looked at them in the mirror.
"Are you two done?" She asked impatiently. Peter nodded slowly. "Good, let's go."
"Where are we going?" Matt asked.
"To find a safe place and see if there are any survivors." Alice replied.
"And then what? Keep fighting those creatures until we all die?" Lindsay's face was red with rage.
"No, I'm gonna call my supervisor and ask him for real backup. When they come, I'll help you guys out of the city." Alice said.
"In other words, we're on our own." Lindsay said.
"For now." Alice could see Lindsay's milk-white front teeth biting her bottom lip.
"That's just wonderful."
"If you have a better plan you're welcome to share it with us." Alice said. Lindsay shook her head. "I thought so." And she pushed the gas pedal.
"Where exactly are we heading?" Peter asked.
"In case you didn't notice, there are a lot of skyscrapers in this city. That's where we might find some survivors." Alice replied. "We are heading for the mayor's building. The army will have a good reason to send someone for us if we have one of his family members with us."
"I like your way of thinking." Matt said. He looked at Clair for a moment. "How's your hand? Is it still bleeding?" Clair shook her head and showed it to him. The wound started looking a grey and the skin around it was stiff and dry. "I don't like it."
"So do I, but what can I do?" She whispered and a tear rolled down her face.
"It's gonna be okay." Matt wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer.
Alice parked the OSIR van in front of the "Oracle", the newest, biggest and most expensive skyscraper in Raccoon City.
"Wow," Lindsay said when she got out of the car. She had never seen such a high building before.
"That's the Oracle. It's the highest building in the city. Over a thousand of super-expensive flats, 200 floors, including the basement... I bet even you haven't seen such a splendor in your life, Princess." Alice said.
"Yeah, but could it be that this place is full of flesh-eating zombies these days? Or maybe they haven't seen such a splendor in their lives either." Lindsay asked sarcastically.
"I assume there could be a few zombies." Alice said. "But you re fully equipped with guns and bombs… Plus, we're going straight to the mayor's flat, in order to avoid any meetings with those flesh-suckers."
"I'll accept that answer." Lindsay said.
"I don't suppose I should thank you for that." Alice said coldly. Lindsay ignored the nasty comment and followed the rest of the team into the building.
"So, should we take the stairs or the elevator?" Matt asked Alice.
"The elevator would be the fastest way, considering that the mayor lives on the 196th floor." Alive replied. "And it would also be the safest way, considering that there may be some zombies on the loose in this building."
"We'll take the elevator, then." Matt said. His teammates nodded and entered the elevator.
"So, how do you like the building, Princess? Or maybe your daddy has one of his own?" Alice teased her.
"Stop calling me Princess." Lindsay said in anger.
"Maybe if you prove that you don't deserve the title, we can omit it." Alice said.
"Hey, the two of you, stop fighting. We need to be united, so we can get out of here alive." Matt said. He never thought Lindsay was capable of such an immature behavior, although he had seen her acting very immaturely towards Peter sometimes. Lindsay didn't say a word and started at the electric board that showed in what floor the elevator was located at the moment. Alice did the same.
"This elevator is pretty quick." Peter said and pulled his gun out and loaded it.
"The miracles of technology…" Matt joked. "They spread deadly viruses all over the city and create the world's fastest elevators." The team saw Alice smile for the first time since they met her.
"Sick, isn't it?" She asked. "After I get out of here, I'm gonna make sure that the heads of the Umbrella Corporation pay for their corruption and greed."
"So, they're like Enron or something?" Lindsay asked.
"Worse than that. Enron didn't endanger the population the way Umbrella did." Alice replied.
"I bet Elsinger's cooperating with them." Lindsay said.
"Oh, come on, Lindsay. In a moment you're gonna say that Elsinger cooperates with Osama Bin Laden. Stop making up all those conspiracy theories already." Clair said.
"Elsinger is responsible for Connor's death. Or maybe that's another conspiracy theory I made up, right?" Lindsay's face turned pale when she said Connor's name.
"Yes, he is responsible for Connor's death, but that doesn't mean he cooperates with every criminal that ever existed on this planet." Clair said. Alice looked at the two of them with confusion.
"I lost the two of you. What are you talking about?" She asked.
"Connor was our case manager before Matt joined the team and he was killed in Russia two years ago in a mission. Lindsay had a crush on him." Peter explained.
"That isn't true. I did not have a crush on Connor." Lindsay said.
"Yes, you did." Clair said.
"I did not." Lindsay argued.
"Yes, you did and everyone, including Elsinger knows that." Peter said. "Elsinger is our director of operations. In other words, he decides which team is gonna investigate each case. Two years ago, he purposely omitted important details from our case file, and as a result, the whole team was put the in danger. That's when we lost Connor."
"I get the picture. Princess was grief-stricken and she hates that Elsinger since then." Alice said.
"You got it." Peter said. "But she has a good reason to do it. None of us really likes him, but Linds has gone way too far with her hatred."
"I have not…"
"Let's not start again, Lindsay." Matt said, hoping that this will put an end for the conversation that seemed to upset Lindsay so much. "Maybe we should pull our weapons. We're almost in the 196th floor." He said and pulled out his gun.
"That's a good idea." Alice said and cocked her rifle. The rest of the team members prepared their weapons and waited for the elevator doors to open.