CHAPTER 1:

After a makeshift barricade was made by nailing some planks to the doorway leading into the break area, everyone rested for a few minutes. It was here that Yoko learned the identities of the other survivors.

The police officer was Kevin Ryman, one of the best officers in the Raccoon City Police Department. His hair was unkempt and his face needed a quick shave, but other than that, he looked to be very top notch.

The bulky security guard was Mark Wilkins, and Yoko had learned that he was a Vietnam War veteran who simply wanted to enjoy the rest of his life as much as he could, adding that this type of excitement was likely to irritate his old wounds. The other security guard alongside him was his long-time friend Bob.

The man in the suit jacket was Dr. George Hamilton, a top-class surgeon at the Raccoon City Hospital, and Yoko noticed that his hands were stained with blood, presumably from when he tried to help the bartender down in the bar. He seemed extremely upset about being unable to save the bartender.

David King was the man with the tool belt, and Yoko noticed that he was very quiet and rarely ever spoke throughout the time that they had gone from the bar to this break area. He had said little other than that he was a plumber, and that was all they needed to know.

The subway employee was Jim Chapman, and Yoko could easily see the fear in his eyes as he spoke, along with the beads of sweat on his face. Simply by listening to him talk, she could tell that he was scared out of his wits.

The woman in the red jacket and matching trousers was Alyssa Ashcroft, a reporter for the Raccoon City News. She had a very annoyed tone to her voice, and seemed to be in a bit of a rush to get moving, which was natural considering the circumstances around what was going on.

Lastly, the barmaid was Cindy Lennox, the latest addition to the staff. Although she tried to keep a straight face, Yoko could tell that her expression was pained, and it looked as though she could burst into tears at any moment.

For awhile, nobody spoke while George tended to Bob, doing the best he could to help him out as much as he could. Alyssa and David searched several of the nearby rooms for anything useful, while Cindy went into the locker room to get her medical kit. Yoko sighed, sitting on the couch, wondering what was going on and why these zombies were attacking.

Suddenly, a thought seeped into her mind. Something like an object being looked at from far away in a dimly lit room. Although the vision was hazy, there was something about it that seemed too familiar. A single word that stuck out from the others, like something that, while seemed to be right in place with the others, didn't seem to be quite right.

Umbrella…

Before Yoko could think about this any more, a sound from the floor below brought her back to reality. There was the sound of glass breaking and something being broken, like a door was being knocked down. She then heard the sound of screaming in the bar down below.

"Oh shit! They're here!" Kevin's voice broke the silence as the others came back into the room. David and Alyssa had found a handgun and a shotgun. Alyssa took the handgun, while David gave Jim the shotgun. "My pocket knife and I have been through countless situations before, and I'm sure it's still reliable." David said, giving a half-smirk as he pointed at it.

Kevin had his own handgun which used .45 rounds. Mark also had a handgun of his own which was a standard issue and used standard handgun rounds. Cindy had found her stun gun, which she figured would work better than nothing in case the zombies came after her. George had managed to find an iron pipe, and Yoko had also discovered a knife lying on top of a nearby refrigerator.

Cindy was the next person to speak, gesturing toward a door opposite from the locker room. "This way," She said as she unlocked the door with a key that she had pulled from her shirt pocket, and gestured for everyone to go through. Mark went through with Bob first, George following in case Bob's condition got worse, and then David. Kevin and Jim followed, and then Alyssa and Yoko passed through. Cindy was the last one in, shutting the door and locking it behind her.

The room was a small stairwell which led to the wine rack. After managing to scrounge around and come up with more bullets in a small storage room nearby, the group found themselves in front of a blocked shutter. Cindy saw the forklift which was holding several crates that they could use as a bridge and crawl through a nearby vent, but Jim was too impatient, yelling for everyone to clear as he began firing his shotgun at the shutter. After emptying it completely, the shutter collapsed, and Jim gestured for everyone to go through.

They found themselves on top of the roof, where they discovered several more zombies lurking. As they were making their way across the rooftop, Bob suddenly collapsed. George and Mark ran to his side to see if they could help.

"M…Mark I'm not…going to make it. I…I'm sorry." Bob's breathing was becoming shallower with every moment.

"Bob, don't talk like that! You're going to be fine!" Mark held Bob's hand firmly.

"Mark, I'm going…to…become one…of those…creatures…I know it!"

"Bob, please, try to hold on. Once we find some kind of shelter I can try to take care of whatever's plaguing you," George said in a loud but calm voice.

"Mark…" Bob reached for his gun and put it to his head.

"No! Bob!" Mark grabbed Bob's hand and tried to pull it away, but it was no use. With a loud gunshot, Bob ended his life.

Mark dropped the ground, hanging his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe it, first the whole city became a nightmare zone, and now his best friend was gone.

Yoko had been watching this the whole time, and she began to shed a tear, feeling like she would collapse under all the stress she was feeling. That feeling left when Alyssa ran to her from up ahead.

"Listen, you guys, we have to move! I just heard a police officer down on the street. He said that the area around the bar is gonna be shut down in five minutes so they can take out all of the 'rioters' as they put it. We have to move!"

Yoko nodded, and began to follow Alyssa, with George and Mark behind her.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

OK, so the action seems to have picked up a little bit. I hit a phase of writer's block while writing this chapter, but I promise to have more action in the next chapter!