Bryan slowly walked back to his room, basking in the glory of the accomplished tasks, while, at the same time, trying not to vomit. After going back to check on Kenny, and finding one of the zombies munching on the man's skull, his stomach had lost its stability.

"Alright," he thought to himself, "I've got to catch Justin up to speed, and then figure out what happened to Enrico and Forrest before they find their buddies."

Bryan began to formulate his plan. He figured that Enrico and Forrest were probably wandering the perimeter and were sidetracked in the woods behind the house at this point. That gave him at least an hour before they reached the laboratory service entrance, realized it was locked, and would try to come back and into the house through the back. Plus, as much as he tried to avoid the thought, he new there would be another 'copter full of these pricks in a matter of time, and he'd have to start all over again.

That's why he needed help.

"That's why," he though, as he shuddered, "I need Justin."

As he approached his door he lifted his hand to knock, and then realized how unbelievable pointless an action that would be at this point, and just entered. Justin was sitting on his bed, out of uniform, in jeans and a black t-shirt, unloading and re-loading his 9mm over and over again. He glanced up as Bryan entered, and then went back to his tedious task.

"What?" Bryan said. "No hello?"

"What the hell is going on here Bryan?" Justin asked. "I am being kept so deep in the dark that I can't figure a damn thing out anymore!"

"Relax," Bryan replied, taking a seat next to him, "its not quite as complicated as it seems."

"I'm waiting." Justin said impatiently awaiting an explanation.

"Alright," Bryan said, "The helicopter that went down belonged to the Raccoon City S.T.A.R.S Team, they came to investigate the murders in the forest and their 'copter broke down and crashed outside the mansion. When they came in they caught me by surprise and began to notice all the death in the air."

"They could smell it?" Justin interrupted.

"No, but if you haven't noticed it doesn't look like the maids have gotten any better and started to clean up the bloody carcasses all over the place." Bryan said sternly.

"Good point."

"Moving along," Bryan continued, "they saw what they saw, and they immediately started to ask me all these questions."

"Like what?"

"Like if I knew what was going on. If I knew any of these people. If I was the one that caused it, or if I had help. They started asking too many questions is my point." Bryan said. "So, I had to take appropriate measures, and I locked one in a room with a zombie, and the other in the reptile lab."

"You did what?" Justin screamed standing up.

"I took appropriate measures," Bryan said calmly, "If I hadn't we could have been arrested."

"WE? Since when is this we? This has always been you from the beginning Bryan!" Justin was freaking out.

"Justin, do you honestly think that I'd go down and not take everyone I could with me…this isn't my fault or your fault individually, but there's no one but us to take the blame…so if we take it, we take it together," Bryan said, "and please, forgive me for assuming that you'd rather I save our asses then allow them to be violated by some bank robber named Bubba who needs a new girlfriend."

Justin sat back down. "Alright," he said, "so now what?"

"Well, there is another team of S.T.A.R.S that will be coming in soon to recon on the downed 'copter and look for their comrades," Bryan stood up and began to elaborate; "however, of the 4 men on the helicopter, I only was able to find the two I disposed of. There are another two roaming the grounds, and probably another team of 4-6 men on the incoming 'copter."

"So," Justin said, "We need to find them, and be ready to get rid of the second team?"

"Precisely."

"All by ourselves?"

"Yep."

"That's a lot of people to get rid of on our own…we could use some help."

"Who are we going to call in?" Bryan asked sarcastically, "the national guard, perhaps?"

"I was thinking Ingrid." Justin replied.

Bryan's heart skipped a beat, and a cold shiver ran down his spine as he began to sweat.

He had completely forgotten to check on Ingrid in the heat of everything that had been happening.

"Fuck," Bryan said, "We don't have much time to spare, let's go see how she's doing and maybe she can help us."

The two man exited the room and Bryan took off running down the hall at full-speed, leaving Justin walking in his dust. When they finally had both reached the room Bryan knocked on the door, once again realizing that it was absolutely pointless.

They opened the door to find Dr.Michaelson asleep in their bed.

"Phew," Bryan thought, "At least she was getting some rest."

"Uh, Bryan," Justin said.

"Shhhh man, she's sleeping, be considerate," Bryan whispered.

"Bryan," Justin began to whisper, "I don't think she's—."

"Shut up already will you? I'll go wake her up."

Bryan approached her bedside and placed a hand on her shoulder. He could feel a clammy sweat on his hand that had saturated her shirt, and his pulse began to quicken. If she had contracted some sort of fever, and had alerted him sooner he may have been able to get her some medication.

"Dr.Michaelson," Bryan said as he started to gently shake her.

"Hello? Dr.Michaelson?" Bryan shook her and rolled her onto her back.

Slowly, her eyes opened and looked directly at Bryan.

"Um, Bryan," Justin said nervously, "I really don't think—."

Bryan ignored him, and picked up her hand in his.

"Ingrid," he said, "are you alright?"

At that point Ingrid Michaelson, or the now soulless body thereof, grabbed Bryan's wrist as she violently jerked into an upright position, drool coming out of the side of her dry, gray lips. Her bloodshot eyes locked with his, and she began to pull his wrist to her yellow teeth as she let out a hollow, bone-chilling moan.

Bryan screamed, but noticed he couldn't hear himself over the large bang. He couldn't imagine his heart would be beating that fast and that loud, but then he noticed Ingrid slump back, as red, coagulated blood began to ooze out of a hold in her skull…right between her eyes.

That wasn't his heart…it was a gun…Ingrid was dead.

And Justin had killed her.

"You sunuvabitch!" Bryan screamed as he dove for Justin, who had just dropped his pistol to the floor.

"What?" Justin exclaimed as Bryan tackled him.

"You killed her, you fucking killed her! She was startled, that's all…startled…it would have been fine….but you shot her!" Bryan tried to hold back his tears, but he just couldn't. After all the stress he had incurred so far, with his beautiful plans falling apart, and now his one true love dead, he just couldn't hold it back any longer.

"Bryan, dude, she had been dead for a long time…and you know that! Look at her, she would have bitten you, and then who knows what could have happened!" Justin said as he shoved Bryan off of him and onto the floor.

The two men sat in the room for about ten minutes, as Justin found Ingrid's pistol and took the clip for himself, and Bryan sat alongside her corpse and cried.

She hadn't deserved to die like this. She was innocent. She was beautiful.

If only Bryan had been more concerned for others, rather then himself, he could have saved her. It was his fault…he could never get her back and it was his own fault.

"Wait a second," Bryan thought, "If those S.T.A.R.S had just stayed clear of this place, as per their orders, I would have more time to devote to her….this isn't my fault…it's theirs."

Bryan glanced at Justin, and slowly stood up.

"Come on," he said, "we don't have much time before their next 'copter lands."

"What about her?" Justin said pointing to Ingrid.

"Don't worry," Bryan replied, "They'll pay for this….they'll pay dearly."

"Who will?" Justin said.

However, his words fell on deaf ears as Bryan walked out of the room simply muttering, "They'll pay, they'll pay alright."

"If I have to shoot each and every last one of them," Bryan thought, "they will pay."

This wasn't his fault…the S.T.A.R.S had wronged him…and when someone does something wrong, they must punished.

Punishment time had begun.