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.
Nine
Doug looks down at the screen as three or four people gather around him, Aya right in the middle.
Doug quickly presses some keys and fake credits begin to roll, the people behind him clapping lightly, "That's a nice ending, what is it?"
Doug smiles and begins to tell them, when Aya cuts in, "It's a new movie that he's working on called Viral Entities. That was probably the first edit."
Doug nods and says, "Yes, what she said."
The people fan off to their seats as Aya climbs over the seat next to Doug, moving the laptop as she sits down next to him.
"Ok," she stares straight at him, "we both know that isn't a movie, who are they, what Virus is it, and where are they?"
Doug coughs and says, "What are you talking about? This is a movie."
Aya growls and says, "I know you work for White Umbrella, you know I work for HFC. Now quit the secrecy shit and tell me, what is that?"
Doug mumbles something and says, "Do you know of a virus called Fusion? A man by the name of Steven Evans created it, but three men and women messed around with it until they created 2.0, a perfect form of it. That big creature they fought on the helipad, that was actually Steven Evans infected with the Fusion virus."
Aya stares at the screen and says, "And those two? They seem to be waking up."
Doug turns to the laptop and replies, "The man is Colonel Krueger Donnelly and the woman is Private Trudie Clark. They are there more out of a mission, but Krueger is there to clear his team's name. I'm responsible for that, but I had no clue it would be like this."
Aya nods and leans back, grabbing a bag of Doug's peanuts first.
She opens them and says, "Curious. We will keep this between ourselves. HFC has done enough damage, all I need is one reason and I quit."
Doug laughs and says, "Umbrella will either kill me or turn me into a BOW. I'd prefer to die myself."
Aya nods and says, "Amen to that. Oh, they're leaving."
Doug smiles and says, "The communications room is down the hall. They'll find it shortly."
Krueger opens the door and looks around the hall, noticing the camera in the corner, "It's clear. Let's go."
Trudie nods and walks out, the M93R aimed at the floor, "Ok, this way?"
Krueger nods and holds up the axe, frowning more at how dull the edge is.
Well, at least it's good as a hammer..
Trudie leans around the corner and says, "This blows."
Krueger smiles and asks, "What?"
Trudie looks at him and says, "I got nothing to kill. You killed the Licker, I suppose."
Krueger arches both eyebrows and replies, "Licker? Is that what you named it?" he thinks for a second, then adds, "It fits, in a completely messed-up sort of way."
Trudie nods and opens the door on her right, empty. Krueger tries another, same, bare as a cleaned bone.
"It's," remarks Krueger, "too clean for an oilrig. I mean WAY too clean."
Trudie laughs and says, "Considering the slaughter that went on here. It scares me."
Krueger agrees and they both open the last door, the blinking lights and flashing screens nearly blinding them.
"Oh my god, it's beautiful, Krueger."
He nods and stares at the screens and radio equipment, not really noticing that they are fluctuating strangely. He runs his hand over the top, then screams as the lights and movements waver away, the whole room.... a.... a....
"Hologram, damn that sucks," replies Doug as Aya returns from the restroom.
She sits down and asks, "What did I miss? Oh no, how much are you supposed to torment them?"
Doug sighs and replies, "That, I had no clue about. Damn, that sucks."
Aya nods and hands him some airline nuts, "Want some? They were left by a sleeping couple."
Doug arches an eyebrow and takes a handful, "Thank you. Look, Krueger is breaking the dead computers. Now if I know Umbrella, they hide a copy of the override code in every computer room. It just takes patience to find it."
Aya nods and says, "That's stupid on Umbrella's part. Hey, Trudie has found a keycard. Is that the one?"
Doug looks and says, "We'll find out soon enough."
Aya shrugs and stares intently at the screen, as Doug switches cameras. He finds the camera for the door that requires a keycard and leans back in his chair.
"You think it's the right card?" asks Krueger as Trudie punches in the numbers, then slides her middle finger across the ENTER key, flipping Krueger off in the process.
He chuckles and holds up the axe as the door flies open on well-oiled gears. Inside the scene makes them both vomit, it's just too horrible to be real. Armless humans hang from the ceilings by their left ankle, blood coating the floor and the light casting the room in a red haze. Steam is rising from one as it bumps a loose light, the fixture buzzing with each hit. Trudie covers her mouth as bile and vomit flow up her throat.
She cringes and swallows it, the taste almost nothing compared to the smell emanating from the room.
"Oh God this is sick. You think this was done by a human?"
Krueger either doesn't hear her or chose to ignore her, then she sees what he is interested in, the radio pinned to one of the person's belts. He looks at Trudie and steps in, reaching for the small pocket radio device. His left finger slides along it and he flips back, the man growling and swinging for him, zombie... He lands on his feet and walks backwards, the zombie thrashing about. He holds the axe above his hand and throws it forward, splitting the zombie in half.
He drops the axe and grabs the radio, "Is anyone out there? This is Colonel Krueger Donnelly, I am trapped on the Fresh Water Oilrig in the South Pacific! Is there anyone out there?"
He listens as a faint voice filters through the static, "China Royal, may I take your order?"
The voice has a heavy Chinese accent, kind of reminiscent of his mom's sister.
He presses the send button and says, "Hello, my name is Colonel Krueger Donnelly, I am trapped on the Fresh Water Oilrig. Send help please."
The voice comes back through, "Yes?"
Krueger rubs his right temple and says, "People are dying here. I need you to send help. NOW!"
"Yes?"
Krueger growls and changes the channel, getting this in response, "Yes?"
He growls and changes the channel, getting the same thing in response.
After two hours of channel-surfing and an hour and a half of arguing with the Chinese lady, Krueger drops the radio, all 244 channels the China Royal restaurant.
Before it hits the concrete, "YES!?" then it shatters into a million Make-Krueger-Happy pieces.
He smiles down at the pieces and stomps all over them, the smile fading with the realization that he just destroyed his last hope for help.
He sits down in the blood and sighs loudly, more out of aggravation than anything else, "Trudie? You still with me?"
Trudie calls back from across the room, poking a body curiously, "Yeah, I'm here. This is odd, this body is not... Real."
Krueger is at her side in seconds, also poking the body.
"It feels like packaged beef, cold and wet. Hey," he pulls out a small key, "what's this?"
Trudie pulls out the white key from her glove and holds it up next to Krueger's key, identical down to the last cut depth.
"Where did you get that?" asks Krueger as he takes them both, sliding them into his right glove, obviously copying Trudie's idea.
"I found it in the room before the Licker. Where do you think it goes?"
Krueger shrugs and proceeds to check the bodies for anything interesting.
He holds up a short pipe and says, "Well, we just found another blunt weapon. Don't they keep any weapons on this rig?"
Trudie shakes her head and pulls out her gun, sliding the magically empty clip out. She slides a fresh one in, having to struggle with one hand.
She cocks the weapon and slides it back into her boot, "Well, we better get going. We got at least another floor, right?"
Krueger hangs his head and says, "I forgot about that... Ok, let's go."
Doug nods and smiles, "That's got to be the weirdest thing I've ever seen in a locked room."
Aya nods in agreement and states, "Yes, that is extremely curious. You know where those keys go?"
Doug nods and says, "I got a clue. There's a room on the third floor, opens up to an elevator to the Rigger's room. He, uh..." he rubs his temples, "makes sure all the machinery is working as it should so they reach their drill depth and oil quota. There really shouldn't be anything in there, though."
Aya nods and then asks, "Why are there two keys?"
Doug frowns and says, a little reluctance in his voice, "I uh.. Don't.. Really.. Know."
He turns back to the screen and mutters an obscenity as he changes cameras, finding the two people heading toward the stairs. He decides to take a glance into the 'future' and switches to the third story camera. He watches a few shadows shuffle away from the staircase, Trudie and Krueger arriving up the stairs several seconds later.
That wasn't long at all.
Aya smiles and taps him on his shoulder, "Guess who's back."
Doug turns around and smiles, "Hey there.."
The little kid frowns and says, "My mom's not on the plane.. Do you know where she went?"
Doug looks at Aya and shares her concern for the kid, "Come here kid. I'm sorry, but your mom jumped out of the plane about thirty minutes ago. You want to sit with us an watch a movie?"
The kid nods slowly and slouches in between them, Doug leaning the seat in front of them down and placing the laptop on it. Doug looks down at the kid, then up at Aya, who's also looking at him. He laughs with her and immediately turn to the action.
Krueger pulls out the axe and jumps above the zombie. He spins the axe around and slams it into the zombie's skull, the blade following through and splitting it in half.
He lands down hard and falls flat on his ass, "How you doing!?"
Trudie calls back as another cannibal slumbers around the corner, this one missing both arms. He frowns at the creature and shoves the handle of the axe through its face, severing the brain instantly. He pushes himself up and walks over to Trudie, who just snapped the neck of another one, the head mysteriously in her hands.
She drops it and walks over to him, "Ok, pick a path."
Krueger breathes in deeply and turns to the hall that slants upward, "This one."
Trudie slumps her shoulders from obvious fatigue and they begin the short trek to the first door. Krueger walks past it, then looks back, two keyholes on each side of the door. Weapons Storage A. Krueger hands Trudie a key and they turn them simultaneously, the door groaning open. Krueger's smile fades as the room opens up to crates upon crates of empty clips for various weapons. Trudie runs in and begins to knock crates over, looking for any kind of ammo.
"Hey, Trudie, grab the keys. I got an idea."
Trudie walks back outside and grabs the keys, returning as Krueger turns shelving and crates over. He smiles at the dirt-covered door imbedded into the wall, two keyholes barely visible on its left.
He turns to Trudie and smiles, "They aren't sneaky enough."
Trudie rolls her eyes and hands him the keys. He slides them in and turns them, the door flying open on obviously well-oiled hinges.
"Holy shit," stammers Trudie as the door opens to reveal absolutely nothing pertaining to guns.
Krueger walks in and touches the consoles, wanting to be absolutely sure they are real.
Trudie walks in a minute later and grabs one of the radios from the wall, "Is anyone out there? If someone is out there, please respond."
Static pours from the other end and she looks at Krueger, who has two more in his hands.
He shakes his head and replaces them on the rack, "Nope. Any luck with yours?"
Trudie frowns and shakes her head, her blonde hair smacking her in her face, "No, static. Did you try the consoles?"
Krueger looks at the console and notices the fluctuating line, one he remembers from earlier on in this escapade.
Why is there an EKG up here?
He presses three random buttons and the oilrig begins to quake, "Uh oh, what did I do?"
He looks at a screen and shouts, "Look out at the helipad!! It's splitting!"
Trudie runs up to the screen and watches as the helipad splits, seventeen to twenty glass tubes rising up.
"Holy crap!" says Trudie as one of them opens, a small, hunched-over creature walks out, its hands scraping the ground, sparks flying from them.
It stops and looks up in there direction, throws its head back, and releases a primal, glass shattering shriek. Every camera in front of them turns to static, the cameras obviously cracked. Krueger stares in horror at the console and Trudie copies him, the weight of the new creature finally setting in, replacing the shock and awe of it.
Why???
Doug, Aya, and the kid share the same exact look, pure horror, plain and simple.
After what feels like hours, Aya is the first to speak, "What the FUCK was that?!"
Doug rubs his eyes and says, "Damn it all to hell and back, those specimens shouldn't be operational yet. There... There's no way they could be operational."
Aya looks at him and asks, "What are they?"
Doug groans and says, "They call them 'Dreamers'. I don't know why, but I do know what they are. They are advanced versions of the 121s we created around twelve years ago. They are, from what I've seen, about twelve to thirteen feet tall, very fast, very powerful. I doubt even the F-Type2 can kill them if two attack it. These things are ferocious."
The kid looks up at them and asks, "This isn't a movie, is it?"
Doug and Aya share a concerned glance at each other, then Doug looks down at the kid.
Krueger holds up the axe and guards the door as Trudie sits inside, going through the boxes for anything related to guns.
Krueger looks in as Trudie shouts something, "What is it?"
Trudie walks out and holds up a small box, M93R-X posted on the front of it, "It's extra parts for the M93R, from what I can tell, it allows the gun to fire high-velocity .357 rounds. Also, it has five clips of magnum rounds, quite a find, I say."
Krueger tightens his grip on the axe and they both walk in. He sits down on a crate and grabs the case, then opens it. He takes the barrel off of the M93R and slides the higher caliber barrel in, then attaches the extra parts, barrel extension, stronger handle, and the like.
He slides a clip in and chambers a round, then hands it back to Trudie, "Here. Save that for the stronger creatures, I got the zombies."
Trudie nods and slides the gun into her belt, the weight dragging it down slightly. Krueger pulls up his axe, then drops it, a sharp, intense pain coursing through his chest.
A memory of the liquid being pumped into his arm flies through his mind, Oh no. It can't be.... Am I infected?
He clutches his heart to find it beating rapidly and forcefully, the thu thump of his heart pounding through his hand. He drops to his stomach and breathes heavily, the pain dividing into two distinct pains, one is like ice coursing through his bloodstream, the second is like someone is stabbing him in the eyes with a broken toothpick. He screams and then begins to cough, what is supposed to be blood flying out, but it's a strange orange color, just like....
Aw son of a bitch.
"Krueger!" shouts Trudie as she drops next to him, his breath hard and slow.
She looks at the orange puddle near his mouth and touches it, the tip of her glove emitting steam, It's acidic... Oh Krueger.
She looks at him with not a single clue as to what to do for him, so she just sits there. Krueger twitches and fidgets for another half hour, then he begins to sleep peacefully. Trudie wipes the sweat from his face and moves his hair from his eyes. He turns over, the sight of his wife-beater scaring her horribly. From where his heart is, blood is seeping through, almost as though there is an actual hole in his heart. She searches the room for any sign of a clean cloth, coming up empty. She growls in frustration and punches one of the crates, sending it into the air and across the room. She looks back down at Krueger, frowning and arching an eyebrow at the smile plastered on his face.
So... What are you thinking about?
Bring it asshole! shouts Krueger as he jumps at the Hulk-creature. He lands on its left leg and he begins to hack into it with all his might. The leg falls in half and he is immediately on the helipad, looking the new creature in its single, sliced, bleeding eye. He smiles and pulls out the axe, the blade whole once more. He runs forward, time seeming to slow down. Just like before... thinks Krueger as he swings the blade around, time speeding up just enough to allow the blade to connect, then it slows down again. He jumps up and drops the blade onto its skull, time speeding up and then slowing down. The creature pulls its left arm back and throws it forward, time moving so slow, he can easily dodge it.
He moves his head left a centimeter and the whip flies past, barely missing his face. He smiles and front-flips up into the air, the axe in tow. He lands on the beast's head, dropping the axe ferociously on its left temple. The beast throws its right arm toward him, time growing ever slower. Krueger back-flips off of the head and lands on his knees, the tentacles wrapping around its own face.
He places the axe on his right shoulder and walks forward. He groans in disappointment as he is in a room he's never seen before, one of those new creatures in front of him. He hears a faint sound to his left and shoots his gaze in that direction, another one of those creatures, both of them growling deeply. He holds up the axe, noting the blade completely missing. He observes the one in front of him and spots the piece of metal stuck in its skull.
Aw damn it.. groans Krueger as he walks backwards, another one of the creatures growling its disapproval at him. He reaches for his last knife and finds it missing, the knife also driven into the first creature's skull, right next to the axe blade. He screams in fury and the air around him becomes heavy and slow. He turns around and the creature behind him is jumping at him, slower than molasses.
Trudie watches him toss and turn, wondering what he is dreaming about exactly.
He moans her name and her ears barely catch it, He's... dreaming about... me?
She places her right hand on his left shoulder and says, "What the hell is bothering you, Krueger?"
Krueger flips over the creature and holds the axe-pole up. He swings it around and clips one of them, sending it spiraling across the room, slamming into the other two. I know that ain't all you got!! Give me your all! shouts Krueger as he runs at one, the axe-pole still in hand. He runs around one of the pillars and rolls to the left as one of the creatures crashes through it, sending plaster and concrete on him. Krueger stands up and thinks, That was solid concrete!
He shoves the pole across its face and turns, then he begins to run. He rounds a pillar and then he is on his face, pain surfacing around his waist. He pulls his arms up and they're covered in blood, Oh no... Trudie races through his mind and he scrambles across the floor, the tattered remains of his legs dragging behind him. He stops as something scaly steps in front of him, it's one of those creatures. It growls loudly and raises its long left arm, preparing for the final blow.
Trudie jumps up as Krueger screams loudly, his eyes shooting open, the orbs bloodshot.
He looks around and then he jumps to his feet, the axe held tightly in his hands, "Where are they? Where?!"
Trudie places her right hand on his chest and shoves him to the ground, Krueger finally snapping from his daze, "What? Trudie?"
Trudie nods and says, "You passed out, then I guess you were having a dream, or a nightmare."
Krueger sighs and leans back against the crate she pushed him into, "Thank god. I thought the fight was real."
Trudie arches her eyebrows and asks, "What fight?"
Krueger smiles up at her and says, "A fight with three of those creatures I accidentally released.. I lost the fight though..."
Trudie pats his knee and says, "Sorry, but we got to go. And preferably now!"
Krueger doesn't even look back at the radio room, he just grabs Trudie's arm and pulls her through the door, axe in his right hand. He slams into the door and rounds a few corners, muffled, fast-paced footsteps echoing behind him, a light scraping sound mingled in. Trudie lets go of his hand and pulls out the M93RX, firing off three rounds, the gun jerking wildly.
"I can't fire this weapon with my left hand!"
Krueger spins behind her and takes the gun. He aims at the creature's face, suddenly he remembers the dream-fight. He aims for its chest and fires once, the round puncturing its flesh and knocking it back, its body squeaking along the ground. He lowers the weapon and speeds after Trudie, who has rounded the next three corners.
Go Trudie GO!!!!
Doug stares at the screen of the laptop, unable to believe the creature's existence. Aya shares his thoughts and looks at the screen, well, practically through it.
She sighs loudly and says, "God damn, how did you people create that?"
Doug lifts his jaw back up and whimpers, "They are both going to die. That creature's charts, when I caught a glimpse of them, and they are NOT pretty. It has ratings through the roof!"
Aya grumbles something and points back at the screen, "There's another one."
Doug drops his can of root beer and stares at the screen, "No way, how many do you think they have?"
Aya frowns and looks at the kid, who's sound asleep, his head placed on her shoulder, "I do not know. I'd say about ten, maybe more?"
"Do not stop! Do you hear me?!" shouts Krueger as he slams another clip in, the empty one clattering to the concrete below.
He's been able to hold them off, but he is tiring out, the stamina draining from his bones. Sweat drips into his eyes and momentarily blinds him, causing him to stumble slightly. He spins toward the creatures following him and he fires two rounds, his elbows erupting in pain. He lowers the gun and jumps around the corner, seeing Trudie round a corner on down the hall.
Good, now it is just you and me, you diseased bastards.
He opens the closest door and runs in, the room the exact same one from his dream, pillars everywhere.
He runs directly across the room to the two giant doors at the end, grasps the handles, and yanks, Locked, shit.
He turns around to see one of the creatures enter the room, its knuckles scraping the concrete, sparks lightly flying from under them. He holds the axe up, then remembers the dream; he drops the axe and pulls out the M93RX, hoping the new idea works. He places the barrel firm against its temple and pulls the trigger back, each round throwing its head down. He drops the empty clip and the creature lays before him, it's legs and arms twitching.
He jams another clip in and looks around for the other two, Great, two left, and this is my last clip.
He smiles at the unfair odds and pulls back the hammer, one of the creatures screaming off to his right.
Trudie never stopped running, she managed to escape one that passed Krueger, somehow arriving in a bathroom. She looks at her grimy face in the mirror and turns on the cold water.
She cups her hands underneath it and throws the water into her face, "Ah, much bet..."
Gunshots echo off to her left, the direction Krueger went. Her skin grows cold and she walks out into the hall, hoping to hear them again. Nothing. She heads back the way she came before, praying the creature isn't around.
Do not be dead Krueger! You cannot be dead!
She stands at a split and rubs her temples, this part a blur.
"Ok, which way do I go?"
One more gunshot sounds off and she follows, hoping that wasn't Krueger's final fight.
She rounds a corner to see Krueger sliding down the door, blood coating his body, "Hey Trudie! How's it going?"
Trudie blinks at the smile on his face and asks, "Excuse me?"
Krueger drops the empty M93RX and says, a little skip to his voice, "I killed all three! It took two clips, but I killed them! In there, go look."
Trudie pushes the door open and reels back, one of the creatures is lying in front of her, its head splayed in half.