Resident Evil: Evanescent Dreams
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters related to Resident Evil. Any similarities between monsters in my story and someone else's is completely a coincidence.
Three
Trudie sticks a large amount of the C4 around the door and pulls the cots up, making a sort-of make-shift wall. She sticks a detonator stick into the biggest chunk and dives behind the cots, then slams the detonation trigger. A loud boom, followed by the rain of shrapnel and plaster, envelope her, drowning out all sound within three square blocks. She waits until the ringing stops, then stands up, having to push metal and cots off of her.
She looks at the door and smiles, the hole smoking and smoldering. She grabs the magnum from under a few cots and places the C4, detonator, and detonator sticks into her pack, then walks out into the hall. She holds up the Mark23 and places a fresh clip into it, then cocks the weapon. She looks down at the spare holster, frowning at the missing M8000.
"Damn it, I loved that gun, too. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to find another one... Now, I wonder where Krueger is?"
"God damn it!"
Krueger cries out in pain as he slams into the wall, the Hulk-creature using probably half of its power to knock him that far. He holds up his M16 in bleeding hands, the gun suddenly extremely heavy. He pulls the trigger and the gun immediately kicks back, nearly flying out of his gripless hands. He screams in pain as the butt digs into his side, nearly cracking two ribs. He drops the weapon as the Hulk-creature pulls him out, bending his arm back, preparing for a final hit. Its muscles flex and a few veins begin to rise, the blood visible. It roars and throws it forward, but a loud boom, followed by a gaping hole in the beast's forehead. Blood coats and mixes with Krueger's blood, not producing a nice feeling. He hisses in pain and kicks the beast, watching it topple over, its face frozen in a silent scream. Its body begins to shrink, becoming the familiar form of the first zombie they met, its clothes gone, whatever mutated him has disintegrated his sexual organs.
Krueger looks up and shouts, "Trudie!!"
Damn, last round. Ok, now, is that Krueger?
He calls her name and she smiles, dropping the empty magnum. She runs up to him and hugs him, crying into his shoulder.
He tenses under her touch and she looks up, her eyes meeting his, the tears flowing from his eyes, "Are you that happy to see me?"
Krueger shakes his head and groans, "Can you please let go of my side, it's bruised and broken pretty badly."
Trudie nods and lets go, frowning at the wounds covering her team leader.
"Come on, we got to get you some medical aid."
Krueger nods and picks up his M16, crying out in pain the whole time.
He places it onto his pack and asks, "How did you get down here?"
Trudie smiles and says, "I climbed down, remember?"
Krueger nods and says, "Ok, I think I passed a room marked 'Medicinal Cabinet' somewhere down there. We need to hurry, I think I'm losing a lot of blood."
Trudie places a hand on his side and applies pressure, "Got to stop the bleeding, here, apply pressure."
Krueger wraps an arm around his waist and applies pressure to the gaping wound.
"Hey, do me the favor of leaving me here, you go first, it's much safer for you to go alone."
Trudie frowns at how frail his voice is and nods, placing her last two clips in his free hand, "Use them if you need them."
Krueger nods and collapses onto a pile of rubble, his breathing hard and shallow. Trudie frowns and walks out, and through the three walls the Hulk-creature tore down.
"Ok, penicillin, antacid, astringent, antiperspirant, ah, here we are..."
Trudie holds up the med kit and opens it, smiling at the fully-stocked box of medical supplies.
She closes it and says, "Ok, I got what I need, now, where is the door?"
She spins around and frowns at the blank wall, the door mysteriously gone. She slaps her forehead and turns around, grimacing at the door behind her.
"Stupid, Trudie, stupid."
She opens it and walks out, holding the Mark23 in both directions, but the hall is empty. She sighs loudly and walks toward the Clean Room, praying that Krueger is still breathing. She enters the room, but he's gone, not even a blood trail to follow him by.
She glances around the room and spurts, harsher than she intended, "You suck, Krueger."
Now, where am I?
Krueger opens his eyes and looks around the room, noticing that he's in the room from his dreams, the exact room this time.
Then that means..
"Trudie?"
He looks to his left and frowns, she's not there.
Why doesn't my chest hurt anymore?
He sits up best he can and arches an eyebrow at the tubes and wires coming from a machine and intermingling with his wound, loud beeps emitting from the machinery. He looks to his right and spots the EKG, which is pulsating rapidly.
Odd, doesn't feel like my heart is racing...
He looks more carefully around the room, first noticing the nylon straps wrapped around his arms and legs.
"Yeah, like I can move anyway..."
He looks up at the ceiling, becoming a little freaked out by the mirrors attached to the ceiling.
"Creepy."
He looks down at the instruments and smiles at the wide variety of items to disembowel him with. He reaches for one, trying to get as much slack as possible, his middle finger barely grazing the handle on the scalpel. He presses down and the scalpel flips up and lands on his chest.
"Oh thank you lord, you still love me."
He grabs it and slices his left strap off, having a little difficulty, but getting it done. He cuts the other three and rubs his wrists and ankles, frowning at the red whelps. He looks around and only spots his combat knife.
"Oh great, you couldn't leave me a circular saw, or something?"
He grabs it and holds it upside down, the blade pointing down and behind him. He limps over to the door and places his hand on it, feeling the heat of electricity.
"Hmm, only electric door in the whole place that works."
He presses the pad and the door beeps, telling him it's locked from the outside.
He sits down on the table and spurts, "Shit."
"Now, where could he have gone? He's bleeding pretty bad, but there's no trail. Damn it!"
She hears a distant voice and slinks against the wall, pressing her body tight against it. She peers over the corner and spots a man, probably a scientist, walking toward her, holding a badge in one hand.
"Hmm, Colonel Krueger Donnelly. Interesting, he's one of the dummy team members. I wonder how he lasted the past two and a half hours? Especially with the Sweepers?"
Trudie clenches the handle of her Mark23 and begins to think nasty thoughts of the scientist. She rounds the corner and prepares to fire, but the scientist falls into her arms, dead from a gunshot wound through the neck.
But I never heard a gunshot... Silencer.
She searches the hall for the attacker, but there's no sign of one.
"Damn it."
She drops the scientist's body and pries the badge from his cold hand. She clenches it and slides it into her over-stuffed bag. She stands up and looks toward the end of the hall.
She smiles and says, "This is it, it ends here."
She pushes off and bursts into a sprint, her boots pounding into the steel. She rounds the corner a little to wide and slams into the wall. She cries out in pain and pushes off of the wall. She stops at a door that has red neon glowing around it.
"Hmm, power, then this means... Krueger! You in there?!"
"Yeah, the door won't open from this side!"
Trudie smiles and presses seven random numbers in.
The pad beeps denying at her and she pounds on the door, "What's the code on the card you got!?"
A low ruffling then the answer comes, "Seven...Nine...One...Eight...Four...Six...Two. Got it?"
"Yeah, I got it! Now hold on!"
She types in the seven numbers and the door rattles open, the hydraulic pumps rusted. Krueger walks out, looking almost as good as new.
"Wow, what happened to you?"
Krueger looks down at himself and shrugs, "I don't know, woke up like this. You wouldn't have happened upon my stuff would you? All I got is my knife and the card."
Trudie hands him the Mark23 and the clip she had hidden in the bottom of her pack.
"You got twenty-five rounds total. After that, we're on our own, I got my last clip in the Fa-Mas now."
Krueger gladly takes it and stares at the jacket she's wearing, "May I take the jacket?"
Trudie takes it off and says, "Sure, I don't need it."
Krueger gladly takes it and zips it up, just as the air conditioning kicks on.
Do they like to freeze? Damn it's cold in here.
"Come on, we better get going."
Trudie nods and they walk down the hall, both pointing their weapons side to side.
"Oh yeah, I found a big pile of C4 in a suitcase. Here."
Krueger holds the hardening mass and says, "This is useless without..."
Trudie holds up the detonation set and says, "Without what?"
Krueger smiles and hands the C4 back. Trudie slides it into her pack and they walk on, making mental notes on which doors are electronic and which are blocked.
"Krueger! Look out!"
Krueger jumps back, but is still hit by whatever hit him. He opens his eyes and looks past the black spots, only to scream at the form walking toward Trudie.
Oh hell no! It can't be alive!
The Hulk-creature lumbers toward Trudie on two-ton legs, growling in lust for blood. Krueger holds up the Mark23 and drains the clip, aiming for the head, hoping, no praying, that head-shots will work.
What the hell am I thinking, a round from the magnum couldn't kill it.
Krueger exchanges the clips with machine-like movements and pulls out his combat knife. He holds it tightly and jumps toward the creature. He lands on its shoulders and begins to jam the knife into its neck, over and over again, blood quickly coating his body. The creature growls and howls in what seems like pain, waving its arms, but Krueger is just out of reach. He dodges what grasps come close and slash deep across the creature's neck, blood just gushing out by the gallons now.
Trudie shouts something, but Krueger is too intent on killing the best. He takes the serrated edge and begins to hack its head off. Something hits Krueger as he reaches the half-way point, knocking him over the creature's head. He lands on his stomach, coughing loudly. He stands up, but is kicked back to the ground. Trudie drains her last clip into the deep wounds in its neck to little effect. Krueger tries to clamber toward her, but the creature proceeds to stomp him into the steel ground.
Why me!?
"Oh my God! Krueger!"
Trudie drops the empty gun and pulls out the C4 and a detonation stick. She combines the two and molds them until they are like putty. She hurls them at the beast and it sticks to its chest.
Trudie holds the detonator and shouts, "Krueger! If you can, MOVE!!"
Krueger groans and rolls out the way, just as the leg slams through the steel, keeping the beast where it is. Trudie grabs Krueger and slides him behind her, then slams down on the detonation switch. A muffled boom, a large shockwave, and then the terribly great silence leaves the two fighters to their thoughts.
They both sit in silence as the minutes tick by, then Krueger breaks the silence, "You know how I was just stomped on?"
Trudie nods and Krueger continues, "Yeah, I feel no pain, and look.."
He opens the jacket and pulls up the wife beater, "No bruises. Strange, isn't it?"
Trudie stares in disbelief and says, "Yeah, that's strange."
Krueger smiles and stands up, then looks at the smoldering crater, the Hulk-creature, or lack-there-of, scaring him.
"You'd think there'd be pieces of him, wouldn't you?"
Trudie walks up next to him and says, "Hmm, that's pretty creepy." Krueger can only nod, as something is quite right with this whole picture. He walks over to the crater and looks down, his thoughts confirmed: The beast isn't there, but the zombie is, sprawled out, both legs severed at the knees. Krueger pulls out the Mark23 and fires twice at the skull, which shatters.
"There, rest in pieces you gruesome son of a bitch!"
Damn, that thing was the zombie. Hot damn!
Krueger smiles and turns back, bumping into Trudie's back.
"What is it?"
Trudie holds up the empty Fa-Mas and squeezes the trigger.
"Hey, hey. What is... Oh my GOD!"
The creature is hunched over, it's arms hanging down in front of it, it's fingers smashed and touching the steel floor, dragging behind it. It's green pebbled flesh is glistening with an unknown liquid. It's face is flattened, resembling that of a frog that was run over by a steam roller. It's breaths are like prolonged croaks, so deep they shake Krueger's teeth. Its feet are webbed, with long claws protruding from the stubs. Krueger holds up the Mark23 and squeezes the trigger, a round flying out. The creature croaks loudly and lunges forward, its huge legs propelling it forward. Krueger shoves Trudie down the hole and jumps in after her. He lands directly to the left of her and holds the gun up, waiting, just waiting. He is rewarded when the frog peers over the edge, its beady little eyes swaying left to right. Krueger keeps his aim steady until the frog's gaze meets his. Krueger screams in denial and fires twice, the first round piercing the next, the second digging into its left eye. The frog croaks in agony and flails its arms and falls over the edge, flipping head-over-heels. It lands on a piece of jagged metal and twitches continuously, until it gives its last death spasm. Krueger picks Trudie up and ushers her out the door, leaving the empty machine gun behind.
After a while of walking, Trudie finally speaks, but it's not what he expects, "What the hell was that thing!!! I want to know, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!!!"
Krueger stares at her and runs into a wall, "I don't know, but it's dead. Trudie, do you hear me? It's dead. Trudie, Trudie, calm down now."
Trudie looks frantically around her, then meets Krueger's gaze, "What? Where? Is it dead?"
Krueger nods and wraps an arm around her neck, "Yeah, it's dead. You ok?"
Trudie pushes off of him and says, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Now, which way shall we go, we're getting deeper into the compound now."
Krueger looks at the four-way split and sighs, "I don't have a clue. Want to try the first one?"
Trudie shrugs and reaches for Krueger's combat knife, "Fine, but I want the knife."
Krueger nods and they begin to walk down the only lit hallway.
"Zombie, look out."
Trudie walks up to it and pulls her fist back, then throws it forward. The zombie moans in pain and falls dead, Trudie's hand falls through its head, which is like wet putty.
"Oh that is just not right. Trude, you ok?"
Trudie turns around holds a small chunk of the zombie's brain in her grip, "Here, this is the actual size of its brain, whatever did this to them fried its brain. Now, for the zombies, go for the head."
Krueger nods and they walk down the hall, knowing they are ready for anything, almost.
"You think it's clear, Krueger?"
Krueger looks down the dark hall, frowning at the sudden loss of light.
"I have absolutely no clue. But, hey, risk is half the fun."
Trudie groans at the false statement and steps forward, then wishing she didn't, as she falls down, practically forever.
"Trudie!"
She slams into the steel grating of what appears to be a service shaft.
She stands up and looks up, seeing only black, "Krueger! You up there!?"
"Yeah! You fell a long time! You ok?"
Trudie looks at herself and shrugs, "Yeah, I'm fine! You know what happened?"
Krueger replies negatively and Trudie groans in frustration, then begins to feel around for the knife, praying it didn't fall farther than she did. She finally comes across it, minutes after she started, sitting close to the edge of the catwalk she was on.
"Somebody loves me.."
She grasps it and stands up, her back slamming into something lumbering over her.
"Ah!!! What the hell!"
She squints to be able see the form, a man hanging from a wire attached to the distant ceiling.
Well, I guess it's better than becoming a zombie.
A loud thud echoes off behind her and she spins around, poised to throw the knife, but it's just Krueger.
"Ow, damn it. You ok? I heard you scream."
Trudie replies and they walk toward each other, coincidently meeting exactly half-way.
"Strange coincidence. You ok? You took a hard fall."
Krueger nods and wraps an arm around her neck, "Except for my sore ankle. Can you support me?"
Trudie grunts and says, "I can manage, but you owe me, big time."
That's great, by the end of this mission.. Wait, what is our mission? There's no terrorist situation, so... Oh damn.
Krueger tenses at the thought of being 'guinea pigs' for their pleasure.
"What's wrong?"
Krueger looks up and says, "You ever wondered what we are here for, since the 'terrorist' thing was a fake?"
Trudie nods and frowns, "Yeah, we're just mice for their 'maze-o-fun'. It's great, isn't it?"
Krueger chuckles and let's go of her, his ankle back to normal, what ever that is now.
"Yeah, better. Ok, it's not so great, but it can be wors..."
Trudie glares daggers at him and says, "No, don't say that, it can, and it probably will."
Krueger nods and erases the illegal thought, the Hulk-thing was proof that it CAN get worse.
"It's funny, I never noticed, how after everything that's happened, we can still share a joke."
Krueger looks at Trudie, becoming scared at how he didn't hear a thing, her voice strangely muted and distorted.
"What did you say? I didn't catch it?"
Trudie arches an eyebrow and replies, "Nothing, you sure you're ok?"
Krueger nods and pounds his palm into his ear, trying to get some hearing back. "Yeah, but all I got was 'Ok'. I think my hearing's gone, I got a slight ringing. This is not good."
Trudie wraps an arm around his neck and leads him down the catwalk, coming to an elevator. She presses the button and pushes him in, then presses the down button.
"Why we going down? And make sure to put the meaning at the end."
Trudie nods and says, "Root."
Krueger tilts his head and then nods, "Ah, we're going to the root of the problem. Gotcha!"
Trudie laughs and the elevator begins to descend, the number flashing from B1 to B3, B2 is strangely blinking, the light meaning the floor is out-of-order.
Why can't I hear a damn thing!! This blows.
He crosses his arms and looks straight up at the one small light hanging from the ceiling, swaying with the motion of the elevator.
"Strange, why would the elevator be swaying? Do you know, Trude?"
Trudie faces him and says, "No. Here."
Krueger nods and the door opens, the bell echoing eerily.
"Where to? We got two paths."
Trudie points and to the hidden offshoot and Krueger frowns, "But every time we go down the hidden offshoot, someone, namely I, gets hurt."
Trudie nods and hands him the knife, "Gun?"
Krueger nods and hands her the gun, trading it for the knife.
He slides it into the sheathe and says, "You better watch both our backs."
Trudie laughs and nods, then they begin their crawl through the unknown.
This is it! Our last romp through the muck of Umbrella's doing.
Trudie shoves off the thought and points the gun down the hall, catching a glimpse of a gray combat boot.
"What was it?"
Trudie frowns and shakes her head, "Dunno. Go."
Krueger taps her on her shoulder and she begins to sidestep down the hall. She jumps around the corner and points her gun down the hall, firing off a round at the form's left ankle. Blood sprays into the air and the form collapses, screaming in pain.
"Stop! I'm human!"
Trudie looks back at Krueger and whispers, "Careful."
Krueger nods and pulls out the knife, preparing for anything, well, expecting anything.
Trudie pulls the hammer to full-cock and shouts, "Name yourself!!"
The man scrambles into a corner and shouts, "My name is Dr. Cain Wiseman. Are you the team they sent!?"
Krueger places a hand on her shoulder and shakes his head, "Don't listen to him, scientist's don't wear boots, he's one of the workers."
Trudie nods and shouts, "I don't think you're a scientist!"
Dr. Wiseman chuckles and says, "Of course I'm not a scientist, I'm the doctor! I treat the wounds the workers receive! Now, can you help me, I'm bleeding pretty bad!"
Krueger nods at her and they walk forward, cautiously.
I don't trust him. I can't trust him, not with those Sweepers roaming around.
Krueger keeps a close eye on the good doctor, becoming distracted as his hearing is coming back, with a vengeance.
Krueger smiles and says, "Hey, my hearing's back."
"Well, whoopee! I don't care, hello? Bleeding man here!"
Krueger looks down at him and catches a glimpse of a handgun tucked underneath his coat.
Now that's odd, he's got a military handgun, what is that, a Glock17? NO, it's a Mark23.
Krueger reaches for the gun, but Dr. Wiseman grabs it first, "How did you know I was a Sweeper? Hmm?"
Krueger stands up and notices that Trudie is gone.
"I knew because one, you have a military gun. Two, you don't seem as frightened as you should be. And three, your boots have the Military Police insignia on them."
Cain laughs and says, "Good show! I never would have imagined someone would figure it out, you must be really observant."
Krueger holds up the knife, preparing to strike, when Cain lunges at him. Krueger back-flips out the way and lands in a crouch, sliding back from his momentum. Cain falls flat on his face and groans in anger, but stops as a boot lands right in front of his face.
"Ah! No! Ok, this is bad, can we start over?"
Trudie steps back and nods at Krueger, who nods back. They both begin to back up slowly, Krueger tapping Cain's head into the steel.
"Enjoy your next life."
They run off leaving Cain alone with the now-appearing Hulk-creature.
"Son of a bitch!"
"You think it will kill him?"
Krueger looks at Trudie and says, "Come on, it has an urge to kill anything it sees fit. I think it will stomp him into a pancake."
Trudie nods and they both continue to run, rounding corners, opening doors. Trudie and Krueger finally stop, frowning at the sealed door.
They both pound their fists into it and growl loudly, "Trudie, you feel that? The ground is wavering."
Trudie looks at Krueger and notices that they are moving upward, higher and faster as something, no, the Hulk-creature comes closer.
Krueger nods at Trudie and pulls out hi knife, "On my signal, jump to your left. I have a half-baked idea."
Trudie nods and looks at the speeding Hulk-creature.
"Now!"
Trudie jumps to the left, and Krueger jumps to the right. The Hulk-creature slams into the door and smashes it from its hinges, the metal door crunching under its thundering steps. Krueger and Trudie run through and have the same idea, they both slam their bodies into each knee of the creature, clipping its legs from under it. It crashes into the steel and bounces back up. Krueger pulls out the knife and dives for the creature's forehead. He shoves the blade into its head and spins it, hearing the matter inside churn and crunch. The Hulk-creature shrieks in an unearthly tone and it only becomes higher pitched as Krueger stomps on the knife, hearing it go through the skull and stop on the steel, sending sparks from under the Hulk-creature's head. Krueger places his hand on the side of the handle and pushes forward, the blade slicing through the top of the skull, bouncing and sliding down the steel floor.
Damn, that's funny. Go, Krueger, go!
Trudie fumbles for the gun and holds it up, firing at the zombie that snuck up on her. The head explodes from the close-proximity blast.
"How you doing, Krueger?"
Krueger laughs and says, "Good, almost got it, all I got to do is finish severing, {Sound of bones crunching} never mind. I got it."
Trudie smiles and looks at the headless Hulk-creature, blood quickly coating the floor.
"You think it's dead?"
It was a rhetorical question, but Trudie had to ask.
Krueger looks down and says, a hint of humor in his voice, "Nah, I expect it to stand up and its neck swallow me whole."
Trudie frowns at the remark, beginning to actually believe it could happen.
"Don't say that, the impossible has happened already. Now, where to?"
Krueger frowns at his mistake and replies, "I'm not sure, how about the door down here?
These stairs look promising."
Trudie's frown deepens and she replies, "Sure, let's just pray it's the escape pods."
Krueger nods and takes the first step toward what they hope to be escape, but here, you have to expect everything, and believe nothing, for this is as close to hell as you can get, alive, anyway.