Resident Evil: Evanescent Dreams Part Three

Fate

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters related to Resident Evil. Any similarities between monsters in my story and someone else's are completely a coincidence.

Clouded Retribution

"I got one VERY important question..."

Trudie looks at Dusty as the three walk off Gizmo and onto the roof, "What?"

Dusty stomps his foot and points to the floor, "Just how much does it take before you are declared completely self-indulged to the point of hospitalization?"

Sure enough, Trudie was right, on the roof is painted a red and white Umbrella. It was the mirror first, now the roof... What's next? An entire building shaped as an Umbrella?

Don't think it... If you think it.. It will come to pass...

Trudie gazes over at Aya, who looks a little worse for the wear.. Her hair's frazzled, clothes a little more disheveled than the other two, and the complete look of confusion on her face.

The blonde walks over to the older female and frowns, "What's the matter Aya?"

The redhead shakes her head and looks around, "No.. Nothing.. Just not a real.. Real fan of hei.. Heights... Can we.. G.. Go inside now?"

Dusty appears behind her and ushers her toward the stairwell door, "Down you go... Trudie.. Get her down.. I'll be with you in a moment..."

As Trudie walks past him, he grabs her arm, "I've never seen her this bad.. Keep her company okay?"

The blonde nods and quickly follows her friend down the stairs, not really knowing what to expect from this night...

11

"God damn it all to hell!"

Neal slams his fists into the mahogany desk and screams again. His deep voice echoes through the facility, resting on dead ears and empty labs. The black-haired scientist frowns and glares at the monitors, just as Trudie passes out of the gaze of two of them.

"Ah... They're already heading into the facility... Okay.. I.. I..."

Neal stops as he begins shaking, one of the effects of the empty vodka and whiskey bottles to his left. Brown dress shoes clatter into said bottles and he steps on one, sending the half-drunk man to the floor.

Wire-rim glasses slide along the tile floor as Neal picks himself up, "Damn it... Okay.. Where's my glasses?"

11

Trudie stops at the bottom of the stairwell and blue eyes lay on the big white number ten, "Wow.. Ten floors so far and not a single soul.. Kinda creepy..."

A shaky voice draws her attention behind her, "Ye.. Yeah... Come on... Let's go..."

The blonde wraps her one arm around Aya's neck and says, "Hey.. Hold on for me Aya... We're gonna get you out of here and it'll all be over..."

The redhead just nods and continues walking after Trudie, her arms tightly wrapped around herself. As the two women round the nearest corner, two black boots begin traversing the 45 degree angle down the concrete steps, keeping time as to not catch up to the women.

As a light breeze fills the stairwell from the open door ten floors up, one voice can be heard in the near silent compound, "Ah shit it's cold... Why didn't Aya let me take a jacket instead of this dumb-ass hoodie?"

11

Dusty pulls the hood over his head and shivers loudly, his teeth rattling with enough force to shatter them. His ears perk as he hears nothing, especially not other shoes walking. The male looks on down and he smirks at the two women.

"Hey babes, what's the matter?"

His wife looks back up at him and points down at the massive glowing hole below them. The brunette whistles and begins to storm down the steps, the thought of fighting something high on his list of things to do today.

As the duo turns into a trio at the base of the hole, six eyes gaze down the dark abyss, "Here we go..."

Dusty pulls a flare from his bag, twists the top, and drops it down the hole, watching as the blue light illuminates everything it passes for a mere two seconds. As the flare continues to drop, the three realize something is very wrong. They went thirteen floors and didn't see the hole... So something is trying to block their path, something or someone rather.

The blonde leans against the wall and runs her one hand through her hair, "Well, what now?"

Aya sits down and gently rocks back and forth, "Why don't we go back up a floor.. There must be another stairwell somewhere..."

Dusty frowns and sits at the top of this flight of stairs, "I guess we could... But I think I can..."

He stops mid-sentence as he catches Trudie's glare, she's right, Aya couldn't make the jump.. Not in her condition. This is turning out to be one hell of a night...

The male groans as he stands up, his knees popping loudly in protest, "Okay.. We go back up a floor, find the stairs, then dismember the son of a bitch behind this one limb at a time..."

Trudie walks past him and waves her finger, "Nuh uh.. If it's who I think it is... I want to get a hold of him... The son of a bitch owes me that much..."

Dusty nods and travels down to his wife and slowly picks her up, "Up you go toots, gotta get up for me..."

The redhead looks up at him and just nods her head, "Okay... Just let me walk on my own and I'll be back to my usual self."

Her husband just smiles and replies, "Alright.. Let's get you to the next floor and you can do your thing..."

With a mighty heave, the ex-cop hoists his wife into his arms and begins the trek back up the stairs to the floor up above them.

11

What the hell is this?

Trudie can't believe her eyes as they rest upon the hallway she opened a door to. The hall is just that, a hall, no doors, and it seems to go on forever... Just what the blonde needs, a never-ending hall to nowhere...

"Perfect..." huffs the one-armed woman, "Just fan-fucking-tastic..."

She turns around and reaches into Dusty's pocket, pulling out a single shotgun shell, then tosses it down the stairwell, a low growling meeting the trio in response. The brunette turns back and smirks, the thought of something to kill still fresh on his mind... His left middle finger rubs the mahogany stock of the grenade launcher, then prepares to turn back, but Aya stops him.

Dusty can't help but about die at the look on her face as she asks, "Don't... Don't go okay? Stay with us..."

The male places her head against his chest and sighs, "Yeah, I wasn't planning on going, just wanted to see... Man, you are a mess though... What's happened to you babe?"

His wife frowns and replies, "It's getting to me hon, the thought that kids.. KIDS, Dusty... Kids are sitting down there mutated into deadly monsters... It's not right... We thought Umbrella was inhumane before, what they've done here takes the cake... They've taken away childish innocence, turning what has their entire lives ahead of them and making them kill relentlessly..."

Dusty sighs and replies, "Well, the only way to get them to stop is to bury them beneath the weight of their sins... Make them pay for each and every kid... Are you with me Aya?"

The redhead nods and smiles, a little life, not much, but enough returning to her face to turn her back to somewhat normal. The blonde walks up and smiles, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Glad to have you back... I need someone to watch my back while I kill things..."

Aya smirks and nods, holding up her shotgun, "You got it... Too bad Gizmo couldn't come down with us... He'd be of great help..."

Before anyone can respond, a loud crashing and crunching noise explodes from overhead, the stairwell disappearing in a flash of dust and debris. As the smoke clears, a red streak flies down the shaft, disappearing down the dark tunnel.

The brunette runs for the stairwell, holds onto the doorway, and looks down and screams, "Gizmo!"

He turns back to the two women before him and demands, "Give me the rope Aya, I'm going after him..."

The demand pretty much stops as Trudie goes flying past him, slamming into the wall next to the door, a red mark beaming on her left cheek. Brown eyes look forward and a deep, evil smirk crosses his lips. From the newly formed hole in the ceiling, a Hulk-Creature stands before them, this one slightly different from the others. It has no head, obviously bitten off by Gizmo. In its place is an evil sneer, the esophagus having formed teeth. From the shoulders rise two LARGE red legs, two malformed feet keeping it planted on the ground. From the rest of its body shoots hundreds of tentacles, one of them responsible for Trudie being embedded in the wall. As if the creature can't get strange enough, its main body is just hanging limp as if the two new legs and tentacles are its only live bodyparts.

Dusty raises the M79 and aims for the sneer, hoping to split it in half with one shot when it raises a lithe form with a few mutated appendages, the red hair the only visible clue as to who it is, "AYA!"

The Hulk Creature turns around slowly and begins to walk back toward the hole, a few tentacles already reaching for the ragged edges of metal and concrete. Dusty aims and fires, the grenade flying out and connecting with the creature's left leg, blowing it off neatly at the knee. The mutant screeches in horror, the sound impossible for anything other than what it is... The brunette quickly pulls out the shell and loads another, hoping to go for the other leg, but it's not needed, as the creature is immobile.

"Hold on babe!" screams the brunette as he pulls out his knife, flicking the blade open as he dodges flailing tentacles.

A few slap him in the face and chest, but the pain is nothing compared to the rage he feels at the creature taking his wife hostage. The brunette crawls under its belly and lies on his back, swinging wildly with the knife. Black blood pours over his form as boneless appendages fall to the ground, each one revealing more and more of the redhead trapped within. Before he can finish freeing his beloved wife, the mutated Hulk-Creature places its one remaining foot on his chest, nearly causing his lungs to collapse against his ribs. Before the male totally passes out from the pain and lack of air, three gunshots ring out from somewhere behind him.

11

"Die you snot-colored son of a bitch!" screams the blonde as she unloads three magnum rounds into the Hulk-Creature's body.

How the hell did Krueger kill it back on the rig? Agh... Why can't I remember?

The woman picks her brain apart as she closes in on the abomination, the heat from the discharging weapon almost unbearable. Before she reaches within three meters of the creature, the clip runs empty, but that does not last long, as Trudie quickly jams another one in, placing the gun in her pocket to do so. The blonde returns to her onslaught against the unholy beast, but stops as the creature falls forward, the two-foot wide hole in its chest the reason for its death.

From the black blood and broken appendages stands the brunette male, holding his wife in his arms, "Thanks Trudie... I owe you one..."

The one-armed woman shrugs and hands him the magnum back, "Call us even... Come on, we better go after Gizmo... After we help Aya of course.."

Dusty nods and smiles, glad to finally have the old Trudie back again. The blonde pulls out her handgun and clicks the safety off, then he helps Dusty carry Aya off to the nearest room.

"Hey Trudie?" whispers the male as the two walk down the hall.

Trudie smiles and replies, "Yeah Dusty?

The brunette looks over at her and replies, "I'm glad to have the old Trudie back."

"Yeah, I know.. So am I.."

11

"You knu, I alvayz thut thah taking tu yurselves wuz a sihn thah yu wur crazy... Buht... Ihm wrung..."

Neal smirks at how drunk he sounds, then proceeds to release the alcohol from his stomach, making it line the floor in a pool of liquid and stomach acid. One shaky hand reaches onto the desk and grabs a large handgun, a .44 magnum to be exact. Trying to stand on trembling limbs, the other Donnelly manages to rise up, meeting the wall as he tries to walk. His face bounces off neatly and the male is back on the floor, his head landing right in the middle of his own vomit.

"Ugh... Shut... Ih men Shit.."

11

Fire flashes across the dark room, illuminating it just long enough to reveal the black dragon running around. Gizmo growls and spins around, his tail slapping the enemy hard, sending the evil abomination into the wall. The thud it creates echoes around the room many times, sounding as if thirty dragons just slammed into the wall. Gizmo keeps his gaze locked on her and unleashes another volley of fire unto the beast. He grunts in satisfaction as he sees her wings burst into flames, the chemical coating causing them to burn purple. With a heavy, wind-shattering flap, Gizmo takes to the air, his body barely able to fit in the round tunnel. Searing pain flows through his body as the other Draco finds the flesh on his belly, blood instantly pouring out from the soft underbelly.. Gizmo roars in rage and pulls his wings in, allowing his form to drop down, right on top of the female Draco. A loud squish signals another end to the battle, but Gizmo isn't done yet. Contracting his leg muscles, the pet jumps into the air, and drops back down on his defeated opponent.

11

Trudie jumps back as fire flies up from the tunnel that Gizmo destroyed, the heat nearly giving her a permanent tan. The blonde smirks and turns back to Dusty, who has sat Aya down and is tending to the slices on her face.

"Seems Gizmo is having a little fun... She okay?"

The brunette shakes his head and looks at her, his sorrowful gaze blocked from view by tangled locks of hair, "Don't know.. She won't snap out of it... I've tried everything... Do me a favor and pull out the medicinal herbs from the bag."

Trudie arches an eyebrow and pulls out a small, wrinkled leather sack, "Herbs? Isn't that a little old? You sure it will work?"

Dusty laughs and raises up his shirt, the skin underneath laced with multiple scars and wounds, "They've worked so far... And tell me, with what you know Umbrella does, would YOU still use their medicine?"

The one-armed woman nods her head in agreement and chuckles lightly, "Guess not... What you need? Actually..." she tosses the bag to him, "You know this stuff better than I do..."

Without looking up, Dusty catches the bag and opens it up, staring at the miniscule crystal cylinders inside. He picks out three of them and grabs a small flask of water from his pocket. Three herbs are dropped into the palm of his hand, followed by water. Dusty looks over at Trudie and begins to close his palm, the fragile foliage crushing into small pieces. A faint aroma of cinnamon and thyme fills the air as Dusty opens his hands, a red putty resting in the cupped appendage.

"The cinnamon and thyme is there to agitate the skin, causing the blood to lose the impurities, or the virus in this case," the brunette drops the concoction into the large wound on his wife's face and immediately a yellow slime flows from the gash.

Trudie stares in awe at the sight, not really believing that such an old form of medicine can be this effective. Blue eyes watch as her target repeats the procedure, his hands pouring the putty into every wound on her arms and face, the same yellow slime flowing from every wound. Trudie drops down next to the unconscious woman and places her one hand on the side of her face, the bleeding face not the caring, happy face she remembers.

"My god... This is horrible.. I didn't think this would happen to her..."

The sound of the man next to her punching the wall draws her attention to him, a deep scowl locked on his face, "It did.. Aya got hurt... And I couldn't do a thing to stop it... I try to be the hero and look what it gets me! An unconscious wife, a nearly broken ribcage, and a pet that is fixing to die... On top of that, a whole life's worth of bad memories and dead friends... And the only thing I've been able to do is topple the LEAST likely candidate to destroy Umbrella... Another point, I've completely destroyed HCF, but NO WESKER... I know it's a trifle point... But it comes back to haunt me everyday... When I think about it, my whole life may have been for naught!"

Trudie tries to say something, but the look of anger and disgust on the older man's face stops her. This little mission is gonna destroy all of them, mentally and physically...

Adding suspense, drama, and the occasional returning creature.. Think Gizmo's done fighting do ya? Too bad... When I say all of them, I mean ALL.. NOW REVIEW!