Chapter 14

Olivia awoke to the disconcerting sound of low, discontent moans. This was accompanied by awkward shuffling and a sickening 'squish-squishing', like a bunch of people walking around with waterlogged tennis shoes. And the smell....the smell was terrible. Like roadkill left to rot in a swamp. The stink of rancid flesh rotting off the bone.

The T-virus carriers, Olivia's mind told her, and they are very close! Though she herself was a zombie--and a rather pretty, clever, and powerful one at that--there were still a few things which scared her. One of these was the prospect of being bitten by a T-carrier. That would not do. That would not do at all.

Fortunately she was already dead. Stupid as they were, even her virused cousins knew that. Since they sensed to life from her, no freshness, so to speak, they had been ignoring her. Maybe even mistaking her for one of their own.

Not that they weren't above eating their own.

How close were they? Worried, Olivia risked a jerk up and looked around. There was a gang of no less than ten virus-carriers ambling blindly along the bank of the river...meandering this way and that in their search for live meat.

She rolled her eyes and tried not to make a noise in frustration. Zombies. Just bloody great! Just what she needed. And...yech! Though Olivia had seen their kind before, their appearance never ceased to appall her.

All of them stank to high heaven and were hideously disfigured. All of them. Golden rule. Most of what clothes still managed to cling to their hideous forms were the ripped and torn remnants of summer garb and just the sort of thing you'd expect to see on the now lifeless bodies of sightseers touring the island. One still had a camera hanging around it's neck.

Olivia shook her head and made a face of disgust. Never in a million years did she imagine the movement would get noticed. But it did. Four of the zombies turned her way. When they saw this new morsel was making very swift, un-zombie jerks, their interest was renewed in the limp form along the beach. Several of the group began to moan happily, if such a thing was possible.

Uh-oh.

They were too close for comfort. And that blasted S.T.A.R.S. member made me lose my knife! Stupid Jill what's-her-face. Eu, First chance I get I'm going to gouge out her eyes and feed them to her. Thanks to that filthy rat I have to escape the Zombie-Squad. Not that I have a place to talk, but at least I don't look and smell like that.

She rose to her feet with a speed unequaled by the others. " It's called hygiene," Olivia explained, " You know, just because we're dead doesn't mean we should let ourselves go. Remember what a bar of soap looks like? No? How about a bathtub? And..." Her eyes traveled to a plump lady zombie wearing a frayed and torn purple polka-dot dress. " Euueew! My eyes! If you're going to wear something that hideous, the least you could do is keep it clean! My god woman! " She slapped a hand to her mouth afterwards, catching her mistake.

" Uuuuhhhhh? Uuuuuuhh! "

Now all the zombies were shuffling towards her, a sickening mob of hygiene-challenged flesh-hungry fiends.

I just had to go and open my big mouth. Why is it I always have to add my two-cents' worth? " Oops! " She laughed nervously, motivating the first group to start staggering forward faster. " Not that the dress looks bad on you, of course. Some people can wear stupid and ugly."

But these weren't people. And she knew it was no use in conversing with virus-carriers. They lacked the intellect of her breed. Nervous, Olivia backed up.

Two more virus carriers were closing in on her from the right. Damn. They have me surrounded!

" Look fellas, you don't want to eat me. I'm dead myself. I've expired. I'd be willing to bet a truckload of brains I don't taste very good. What you want is live flesh." She studied a particularly foulsome zombie with half his face rotted off and one eyeball hanging by threads from the socket of his right eye before adding, " Yes, I'm just like you. Only prettier. And smarter. My god, how can you exist like this? I'm up for the devouring of raw human flesh as much as the next zombie, but if I looked like you, I'd kill myself."

The zombie quickened it's pace. " Uhhnnn. Uuuuhhhhh!! "

Olivia blinked. She didn't understand moan-speak, but if she had to guess she'd bet that that was an anger moan. Either that or a very hungry I-want-to-eat-you-right-now moan. After all, these zombies were dumber than a box of rocks. They'd probably forgotten concepts such as anger.

" No offense." The smartest zombie on the river bank added meekly, as if that would make any difference.

Olivia easily had the strength to overcome the zombie. Problem was, she didn't want to get anywhere near it. All it would take would be one bite, one scratch, and she'd be infected. And if she were infected, well....she preferred not to think about that. Instead, she studied the small gap between the two approaching zombies; wary of those to her sides. There was a chance she may be able to butt the one on the right aside and dash for cover before it had a chance to infect her. It was risky, but if she didn't do something soon she was going to be food.

For the briefest of moments, an strange sense of guilt washed over her: was this the way her victims felt before they died? She dismissed it quickly as the other zombies approached closer....suddenly, a blur of movement!

A not-too-shabby looking young man with wavy black hair and carrying a rifle leapt from the jungle off to the side followed immediately by three others. He placed a well-aimed shot and the zombie closest to Olivia dropped; it's head decimated. Another shot to the cranium of a second zombie sent it crashing to the ground in a messy heap next to it's partner.

" Mitch! " Olivia called, and she had never been so happy to see him.

Mitch nodded, smiling. " Yeah. Look out behind you! "

Reacting out of pure horror-driven instinct, Olivia surged forward and barely missed the clawing hand of a ravenous virus-carrier ready for breakfast. It grunted in complaint and sauntered after her at a much slower pace.

Olivia reached her comrades in plenty of time and sided up next to Sonya, the only other female besides herself in the group. Now the five friends were only twenty or so yards away from the remaining zombies.

The virus-carriers seemed almost thrilled at the sight of this new prey. They moaned louder and louder--practically climbing over one another in their rush.

One of the guys--Olivia knew him as Nacho--laughed. " Hey look! It's our retarded cousins! "

Mitch shot him a disapproving glare. " That they may be, but the T-virus is no laughing matter. You wouldn't think it funny if you were infected by one."

Nacho shrugged, his dark bare-skinned shoulders hunching up. " No. I s'pose not."

The zombies ambled closer. They might not be regular roadrunners, but at this rate it would not take them long to reach their prey.

" Shall we run? " Sonya suggested.

Mitch nodded and lowered his rifle. There was no point in wasting bullets unnecessarily. " Lets."

With that the group turned and fled back into the jungle: leaping logs, stepping over vines, and pushing through a wide variety of plants. Once he was sure they were at a safe distance, Mitch--who was the leader of the gang--stopped in a semi-clear area of jungle and sat on a rotted log. This would do. Now that they had found the missing Olivia it was time to get the rest off their act together. He was joined on the log by his girlfriend Sonya. took up positions on rocks and felled tree stumps.

Mitch's eyes glazed each in turn. All of his gang were relatively young-looking--the oldest, Nacho, had barely been thirty at the time of the transformation, and everyone else was in their twenties. He didn't particularly like the icy glare David was sending his way, but then David had never held much respect for anyone. Nothing new there.

David was second-in-command. In the looks department he was not anything special: short medium brown hair and matching eyes complimenting his Joe-Average visage. His thin, wirey form had always been a shade or so too pale to start with, so the transition to zombie really hadn't affected his looks that much. At first glance he had the outward appearance of being a weak--like the sissy-boy that was every bully's dream. Appearances could lie. David was the firecracker of the group with a hair-trigger temper and almost zero patience. There was no question that he liked to be in charge and call the shots whenever he had the slightest chance. It was this very temperament that had led him to challenge Mitch for leadership of the pack once years ago after they'd just been turned. This had resulted in the thin pink scar shaped like a downturned crescent moon which ran a good two inches length barely above his right eye. A grim reminder of where Mitch had grazed him with a very sharp bowie knife. Ever since losing that vital battle, David was a little more...careful with how he treated his leader. Though he still resented Mitch immensely, he kept it in check for the sake of one girl.

Had he not had a secret affection for Sonya, he would have left the gang long ago. Sure, she was with Mitch, but hey, you never knew when that could change.

Sitting to David's left was Nacho, the guy who looked like he should be the muscle of the group. Back when he was still alive, Nacho had been a very talented basketball player. He was certainly the largest of the group at 6'4 and weighing in at 230 pounds. Being African American, and thus having naturally dark skin, he hadn't been thrilled when his tones had lightened up, causing him to look just slightly freak-ish. As if to compensate, he'd covered almost every square inch of his body with tattoos of almost every morbid description.

Back when he was alive he'd been a very talented basketball player. Now that he was the undead, the sport had just lost it's kick. He didn't mind taking orders from Mitch. Despite his domineering appearance, he was actually very quiet and laid-back. The peacekeeper of the group.

At Mitch's side, of course, was Sonya, an energetic red-head.

Sonya had once been a secretary hopeful for a company she'd really liked. However, she'd been denied the position in favor of another applicant, causing her to slip into a deep depression that was ultimately responsible for her being the way she was now. It was through her best friend Olivia that she'd met Mitch, and for that she would always be grateful. In spite of her upbeat, overly-friendly nature, Sonya loved being a zombie so much that she should have been born one. The first thing she had done after her transformation was to go after that trashy applicant and...well...the woman would never steal another job again. What was left of her was decaying at the bottom of a river.

More than anything, Sonya loved the thrill of the hunt; the lust for the kill. She'd hunt even when she wasn't the least bit hungry. Just for the fun of it. Just because she could. It gave her a sense of power and control she never could have enjoyed when she was living.

Olivia was an ex gang-member. A delinquent who had never taken school seriously and whose idea of a good time had been the nightly destruction of property. Now her idea of a good time was hunting victims with the pack and devouring the still warm juicy entrails of a fresh kill. She was the lowest-ranking member for a number of reasons: the top being that she seemed to never be able to take anything seriously, and for the few minor incidents in which she'd almost gotten the entire pack captured or killed. Mitch viewed her as a liability, but he'd known her ever since before they'd became zombies and he kept her around primarily for added companionship, since she was lousy at everything else.

The weakest link, so to speak. If there was a way to foul up Olivia would find it.

As for Mitch himself, he sported wavy ebony hair which went slightly past his ears when brushed down and eyes so dark brown they were often mistaken for black. Though his complexion was quite pale, it actually suited him better than his former lively hues. Olivia had once said he looked like Eric Draven from that movie 'The Crow'. Mitch didn't really know--he'd missed the movie--but based on what he'd heard he took that as a compliment.

In his pre-zombie days, Mitch had been at loose ends in life--not knowing which roads to take or even where he ultimately wanted to end up. He had been a loner, though not by choice. Others simply couldn't relate to him. Now he was free to do as he pleased and anyone who thought differently was killed.

Wild and free like ravenous wolves of the untamed wilderness. That was the way he liked it. Free to roam as they will and kill who they pleased. Never staying in one place for long, always on the move to a new country or continent. After all, it wouldn't be good to raise too much investigation in one area. Mitch was no fool. He knew that secret companies like Umbrella, HCF, and almost every other viral division on the face of the planet would love to have such unique creatures to study.

It was the life of both the hunter and the hunted. Exhilarating.

David was the first to speak. " Man those things are annoying." He shook his head to further illustrate.

Sonya was more interested in Olivia. " Olivia! What happened to you? You're a complete mess! "

Olivia nodded. " I know." Her eyes fell to her wet, mud-caked outfit. There was still a generous rip in the fabric of her shirt where she had been stabbed with her own knife. And her hair...she reached a hand up and hoped to god her hair didn't look as bad as it felt. After all, white water was bound to do something to those lovely pink hair-spikes. She wrinkled her nose. If only she hadn't been shoved off that cliff! " Stupid Jill."

David raised an eyebrow. " You encountered someone then? A human? "

Olivia sniffled, putting on her sympathy act. " Uh-huh."

The edges of Mitch's lips curved into a frown. This could be a bad sign. They needed to know more. " What happened? " He slung the rifle across his lap and maintained that air of coolness he always seemed to have about him.

Olivia sniffled some more, and the males of the group felt like strangling her.

Sonya was a little more sympathetic. She dug around in her deep jeans pockets until she felt her special zip-lock baggie, and pulled it free. This she offered to Olivia. It was filled with a messy red and pink substance.

" Oh, poor dear! You must be famished. Here, I saved you some leftovers from breakfast. Turns out there is a village of natives on this island, who would've guessed? Primitive people, but some of them were kinda cute." She licked her lips. " And quite tasty, too."

David wiggled his hand in the so-so gesture. " Eh, a little stringy for my tastes. I liked the flavor though. Was just the texture I had a problem with."

Nacho shook his head. " Seemed okay to me."

Olivia snatched the baggie greedily, and Sonya handed her a metal spoon to go with it.

" Great! What part is it? " She couldn't wait to dig in!

" Your favorite," Sonya purred, " and mine too: brain."

Olivia's eyes lit up. " Brain! Thank you! " She opened the bag and began spooning out the contents, devouring them in quick, hungry bites.

" Geesh, is food all you guys ever think about? " Mitch sighed. Of all the pack, he was the best at controlling his hunger. " Look, we've got problems here." He locked eyes with Olivia, his gaze piercing. " Olivia. What. Happened? Ignoring for the moment that those virus carriers shouldn't have been able to get within a hundred feet of you, much less surround you. You mentioned a Jill. Let's hear it."

Olivia swallowed nervously, some of her food losing it's flavor. God, she hated it when Mitch put her on the spot like that.

" Oh yeah. I ran into Jill Valentine of the Stars team. You know, the ones who we heard about at Spencer? "

Mitch lowered his head; snapped a twig off a tree. " How could I forget? Go on."

" Well," Olivia said between mouthfuls, " She was lost and all alone. Looking for her team and kids. This was further upstream, by the way. And last night. Anyway, she wasn't in too good of shape, so I figured I'd kill her and enjoy a little snack before reporting back to you guys. I managed to get her down--even bit a good sized chunk out of her arm--but the rat turned out to be a better fighter than I thought and somehow managed to stab me through the chest with my own knife. Then there was a fluke and she was by some miracle able to trip me off a steep ledge and into the river. When I awoke, I was washed up alongside the bank of where you found me and surrounded by the virus-carriers. By the way, you were just in time."

" Yeah well you were talking pretty loudly." Sonya laughed, " We'd seen T-carriers in the area before, but since they don't talk we figured it had to be you. Plus it sounded like you."

Mitch wasn't as amused as his girlfriend. He threw his twig at the ground. Hard. " Oh that's just dandy." He rolled his eyes and slapped a hand to his forehead. " Now we not only have the Stars on the island, but we have them suspicious of us." He turned on Olivia, " What does she know? "

Olivia nearly choked on her bite of brain. " Uhm, she uh....she uh..."

" Spit it out." Mitch snapped, " You're starting to sound like a T-virus zombie."

Olivia winced under his powerful stare. Mitch was leader of the pack for a reason. He was the strongest. He was the smartest. He had bested David in the fight for leadership of the pack. And he could be very intimidating. No human had ever angered Mitch and lived. Not one. It was quite an admirable feat.

Olivia on the other hand, well, she'd been bested by a wounded S.T.A.R.S. member. How embarrassing. She thought about lying, decided no, she liked her arms where they were at.

" She knows I'm a zombie." She confessed, finishing up the last bite. Was that really all there was left?

Mitch's face took on a more serious tone. " Anything else? "

Olivia backed off, scooted closer to David. Mitch wasn't going to like this. " She knows I am not the only one like this? " Though a statement, her remark ended up sounding more like a question due to the higher-pitched tones at the end. She hoped her leader was in a forgiving mood.

" Well isn't that just great! " David threw, rudely shoving Olivia away from him. He always had been the fiery one of the bunch. " Everyone knows how hard it is to kill a Stars member. And hey, don't they have that Wesker-guy with them now? The one who has the T-2 virus? "

Mitch nodded unhappily. " Yes. Actually, it's Wesker's son. I forget his name, but I do know that he has the T-2 virus. He's every bit as dangerous as his dad. If he talks to Jill, then encounters us, we're through. Period."

Shudders of fear raced throughout the gathering. Mitch's was a fairly smart little gang of zombies. They knew about Wesker and the powers the T-2 granted him. They'd heard reports and seen pictures of some of his doings. Thus far, none of them had ever encountered a T-2 carrier in person. Which was, undoubtedly, why they were still alive. Well, not alive in the general sense of being alive, but still up walking around.

Mitch had been feeling semi-good earlier, but now that feeling vaporized like a drop of water dashed upon hot coals. They hadn't expected to have to deal with one of the deadly T-2 carriers. And the rest of Stars were no fools either. Fools didn't survive as many viral spills as they had. Fools didn't cross paths with both Wesker and Alexia and live to tell about it.

" And thanks to brain-trust Olivia, Jill knows about us." David growled, aiming a hard glare in the direction of the pink-haired zombie.

Olivia didn't look at him. " Well, I did smash Jill up pretty bad." She added, hoping to redeem herself in the eyes of her pack, " I mean, the way she was....she probably didn't make it through the night. And even if she did, she wouldn't get far. Not with all the nasties lurking about out there."

Mitch sighed. Why was it that Olivia always seemed to be getting them into trouble? Once in Paraguay she'd almost led an entire task force of elite bio-weapon hunters straight into their living room! And it was also her fault that....

Beepbeep! Beepbeep!

The zombie leader's cell-phone went off, causing the whole group to jump.

With a frown, Mitch pulled it from his pocket and pressed it on. He knew what this meant.

" Yes Mark, what is it? " He tried his best to bite back the sarcasm which begged to be expressed. He and Mark weren't exactly on intimate terms.

" What is it? What do you think it is? " The voice on the other end of the line snapped, making it all too clear that the owner probably wasn't having a good day, " I sent you guys to keep tabs on Rob, remember? Or did that tiny slice of information slip your primitive minds? I want a progress report. Now."

Mitch wanted to lash out, to tell this science-nerd-lab-coat-wearing cretin with an over-inflated ego exactly what he thought of him and his stupid assignments. It was a conversation he'd fantasized almost daily ever since the beginning of this crazy goose chase. Not that the idea was ever likely to see fruition.

Mitch was the leader of a group of five very special zombies. All of them were stronger and faster than the average person. He wielded the mighty battle axe.

Mark, on the other hand, was a scientist and the leader of the ultra-smart high-tech organization known as Acid Rain--a collection of 13 super-genius scientists in all--which focused on the bio-engineering of animals illegally but generally without the use of viruses. They were different from Umbrella and HCF in the fact that they were actually pretty successful in creating super-enhanced mutants that actually obeyed them. Mark, who boastfully claimed he was the third smartest person in the world, ( though Mitch had yet to see any paperwork or other documentation proving this ) was the mastermind behind such genetic marvels as Kiticore ( a shame it had been stolen ) and Drearzion. As a result he had several loyal 'pets' that could rip a zombie--even a special one like Mitch--apart as easily as a tiger ripping open an antelope. He wielded the mighty rocket-launcher.

So it was not really a good idea to get him mad at you. Acid Rain were on top of their game. Unlike....

" Like I said earlier, we lost Rob when the big storm hit. We're looking for him right now, as a matter of fact. Or we were until you called." Mitch had to struggle to keep his tone calm and unoffensive.

" Phfft! You haven't been able to locate him again yet after a window of eighteen hours? What kind of zombies are you? I'm starting to think I'd be better of employing the services of the T-carriers."

Mitch growled. " If you think that would help, fine! You go right ahead and do that. We never wanted to work this case anyway. If you're such the..."

" I guess you don't want to be paid then." Mark said casually, " No work no pay. I could always find someone else who could appreciate the two million, I suppose."

" No! I mean, we're still on the task. It's just...some problems have arisen lately." Mitch quickly redeemed. Two million dollars could buy an awfully lot of nice things.

" Problems? What kinds of problems? " Mark asked with a tinge of annoyance.

Mitch's eyes swept his assembled pack. How was he going to put this? It was never easy admitting failures and flaws. " Well for starters, we're not alone on this floating rat-trap. There are T-carriers here. And strange creatures that look like they walked right out of a science fiction movie. Plus, the Stars are also here snooping about. Thanks to big-mouth Olivia, they know about us being zombies. If they're here, it means that Wesker's son probably is too."

Mitch could almost feel Mark's frown through the receiver. " Stars? Alan? On Majika Island? What could they possibly be doing there? Hmm, this is a slight problem I suppose, but it only makes me that much more curious as to what secrets that island's hiding. It seems to be in the center of every secret corporation's radar. Keep tailing Rob. It's an island for Pete's sake, there's only so many places he could be. Find out what you can, and report back to me every three hours, or whenever you find something worth mentioning."

Mitch nodded, was aware Mark could not see him, and added, " Aye aye Captain. But what about the Stars? They know our secret, they pose a threat."

" I don't care...avoid them. Kill them if you have to, but only at your own risk. I hear Alan can be quite...brutal to those who kill his friends. You know he has the T-2, right? "

" Kinda hard to forget." Mitch muttered darkly, " What should we do if we see him? " His voice was stained with a trace of worry.

" Easy." Mark replied coldly, " Stay out of his way." That was the last thing he said before there was a sharp 'click' andthe line went dead.

Mitch put away the receiver, his expression grim. He studied the anxious faces of his comrades while he contemplated what to do. Tailing Rob shouldn't be a problem once they caught up with him again. But the Stars....well, they were the perfect stink bomb to spoil the picnic. If Jill survived long enough to reach her companions she was going to go blabbing off about super-zombies and that would put the whole team in an uproar. That wouldn't do.

If she survives.

But what if she didn't? It wouldn't hurt to go slightly out of the way for precautions, even Mark should see that.

" Slight change in plans," Mitch told his loyal following, " We get to the spot where Olivia encountered Jill and see if she's still there and alive. If she is, we make her dead before she can reach any of her companions. Any questions? "

-------------------------

Jill awoke to the melodious song of tropical birds heralding a new day; singing away the unspoken sins of last night. The air hung damp and still--no wind save the faintest of breezes caring to grace her senses. Eyes still shut, Jill rustled a bit where she lay, her groggy mind trying to make sense of the sensations she was experiencing.

Warm. It was warm where she lay. Soft, too. Like in a bed. A small noise escaped her lips, and whether it was an expression of pleasure or pain was unclear. A feisty stab of pain jolted her arm, and this time Jill's cry was one of pain. The area just below her right wrist throbbed violently and felt as if it were being burned by live coals. All over her body, aches and pains from the various bruises, scratches, and other bodily injuries she'd received transmitted their painful messages to her weary brain.

Where am I?

Good question.

Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself staring straight up into the rusty-reddish nooks and crannies of an earthen ceiling. Cave?! Jill's heart sped up. This wasn't right. This wasn't right at all. She vividly remembered collapsing immediately after the battle with Olivia--alongside the riverbed and out in the open. Bleeding to death in plain sight. With all kinds of beasties that went bump in the night. She'd been certain she was going to die. How she'd longed to be able to see the others right then, just one last time...yet here she was, still alive. Blankets crafted of animal furs covered her body and made up the warm nest in which she lay. They were very soft to the touch--no doubt deer and rabbit furs. Her head was cradled gently in the folds of a very fluffy pillow.

Jill silently thanked whoever had found her for their selfless hospitality. Speaking of which, it's not such a far-fetched idea to thank my rescuer may have been one of the team. But if that were true, why would he or she go off and leave her alone?

Well, there could be plenty of reasons for that. The important thing right now was that she was safe, dry, ( mostly anyway ), and warm. Injured, yes, but alive. And darn lucky to be so.

The smell of smoke and crackling of wood alerted her to the presence of a fire nearby. For the first time since she'd been separated from her team, Jill felt her spirits start to rise. A fire! Fire equals heat plus protection, and someone wouldv'e had to start it!

This was good. After her streak of bad luck it was about time for the tides to turn! And hey, it was morning now, maybe the others had already found each other and regrouped. Maybe they had Crystal and Seth with them. Maybe she was last on the checklist. That would certainly be ace.

Carefully, the weakened-but-still-lively Stars member pulled herself to a sitting position and looked around. Just as she'd predicted, it was a shallow cave. Not terribly large, it was mostly empty except for a few torn shreds of clothing and fabrics strung about here and there. They looked fairly recent, too.

Another bolt of pang shot through her right arm, and when she looked down she was a little surprised to see it carefully wrapped in varying lengths and widths of ragged, white cloth. She tried the muscles in it, and regretted that action within seconds. Nope. Not healed much.

The horrific events of last evening were not merely some terrible nightmare she could wink away. The deep pink gash marks of Olivia's knife were still fresh in the palm of her left hand. They did look clean and disinfected, but they were still there. Whoever had cared for her had spared no fine detail.

She shifted her head towards the entrance to the cave. Smoke drifted by lazily in light gray wisps. She couldn't quite see the fire, but it didn't take Alexia to figure out that it was very close by. A hint of cooking meat reached her nose.

Well, no use in sitting around, it was time to go out and congratulate her rescuer and find out as much as she could about the missing members of her party. Crystal and Seth were number one priority right now, and she wouldn't rest until they were safe by her side. Especially with that psycho-zombie on the loose....

Jill considered herself a fairly brave person. Over the past few years of her life, she'd exposed more secrets, seen more dead people, and faced more hideous monsters than most people could imagine. The dangerous missions, the risky rescues, the nick-of-time escapes and near-death-experiences had served to temper her naturally inquisitive nature with caution.

In a way, it was Hell. Not being able to sleep soundly at night. Jumping at every noise in the dark. Imagining monsters where none were. But then again, you never knew when they could be there.

In this crazy mixed-up life she'd gotten sucked into, nothing was ever cut and dried. Other people...other people had at least the illusion of safety. Ignorance was bliss.

Jill Redfield knew the truth.

Over the past six years or so she'd thought she'd seen it all; that no matter what Umbrella and it's rival companies did from this point on, none of it cloud possibly surprise her.

Yet last night it had.

Jill was not unfamiliar with zombies. Some were fresher and faster than others. The other, more far-gone ones, traveled at a much slower pace. They were easily distinguishable by the tattered clothes, ripped and bloodied flesh, pale, sunken-in rotted skin, absent or badly-maimed body parts, congealed blood, foul odor, and staggering, drunk walk. The only noises they made were melancholy, hungry moans. They attacked by charging a human with both arms held straight out like ramrods to grab into the flesh around the shoulders. Once that was achieved, the zombie held on tightly to steady it's prey for that deadly bite--nearly always on the neck, just like the mythical vampires.

As far as intelligence went, they were far from the brightest stars in the sky. A few had learned to master the art of opening doors. Some devised the brilliant 'strategy' of lying in wait motionless on the floor feigning dead while waiting for food to walk by. However, Jill supposed this probably wasn't so much strategy as a zombie just napping on the floor for whatever reason.

Zombies were known to do a lot of disgusting things.

One thing they generally did not do was talk in normal, coherent sentences. Yet Olivia had done just that. Also, for a zombie, Olivia had been in extremely good shape. Though a little pale, she could easily pass for a normal person.

Well, almost anyway.

The way Jill saw it, nobody who had pink hair spiked up with rings hanging out of each spike-tip in addition to all those piercings and tattoos could possibly pass as normal. Strange, weirdo, wacko, maybe. But your first thought would not be zombie.

In addition to these differences, Olivia was a regular Einstein when compared to the traditional zombie. She seemed to be exactly like any other person, only a dead, cold, and calculating killer. Not to mention the consuming of raw human flesh.

And she isn't alone. Jill couldn't shake the zombie's words aside: " Ah. Well Jill, I know where some shelter is. My friends and I have a nice warm fire built."

" Your friends? "

" Yeah. Three guys and another girl. We were stranded on this island a few hours ago when the storm blew us off-course and capsized our motorboat. We found a safe place to camp; an indentation in the side of a steep cliff.

Had she been fibbing about that? Maybe. Maybe not. If what she said was true, it was reasonable to assume that these 'friends' were most likely zombies themselves, and since it would not make even a tiny bit of sense for a special talking-zombie like Olivia to be trooping around with a bunch of the dime-a-dozen regular zombies, it was a pretty safe gamble that they would also be 'gifted'.

Being the careful analytical intelligence officer that she was, Jill liked to look at things from all angles. Thus she was quick to find that there was a little bit of good and a whole lot of bad to this.

The good was that Olivia-type zombies could talk and think logically, therefore they might be able to be reasoned with. On the flip side, of course, since they were armed with both weapons and intelligence, it made them about ten times more dangerous than the average zombie. Chances were she wouldn't find these guys stumbling around and moaning in plain sight.

Plus they could run.

Zombies should not be able to run. It wasn't fair.

Darnnit. And to think just moments ago she'd been in a halfway decent mood. Thinking of these new super-zombies did absolutely nothing in the ways of comforting her.

Suppose one of the children...no! I am not thinking about that! They're alright. They have to be. And I have to get up and see what the deal is instead of just sitting here twiddling my thumbs.

Decided, Jill rose gently to her feet, careful not to make any sudden movements. There was a stir outside, like someone fiddling with the fire. So her rescuer was indeed present. Swallowing back her fears on what she might find waiting out into the unknown, Jill pressed forward.

Closer, closer...there! Out into the sunlight!

" Well well, look who's up and about! How are you feeling? That was quite a hammering you took last night."

Jill jumped at the words.

Sitting at a medium-sized campfire was a young twenties-something young man with dark chocolate brown hair and pale...make that very pale...skin. His style of dress was not unlike to that of U.S. soldier with a tough, weather-resistant uniform of camouflage greens and browns and the combat boots that went with it. At the moment this stranger was holding a stick with a chunk of meat skewered to one end out to cook over the open flames. He looked up and smiled when he saw her.

Despite the fact that his words were friendly, and despite the fact that he'd obviously rescued her, Jill found herself reluctant to trust him.

Olivia had acted halfway civil too, right up until the part where she'd taken that first bloody bite. And she'd had pale skin, too.

Once again the red flags went up in the back of Jill's mind. From this point forward she had an automatic distrust of pale-skinned strangers.

The man noticed her eyeing him, perhaps deciding if she should run away or not.

" Easy there." He said softly, " I'm not the big bad wolf." He sent her a friendly lop-sided smile intended to ease her nerves. " Name's Rob. Sure you want to be leaving so soon? Those wounds look pretty nasty." He glanced quickly towards the jungle. " Besides, jungle's not a safe place to be these days."

Jill gave a dry, humorless laugh. " You're telling me." Still, she found her eyes shifting to the aforementioned woods. They weren't far. Maybe thirty feet away. She should have plenty of time to...

" I promise you I don't bite." Rob persuaded, noting her hesitance, " I know you've been to Hell and back the past twenty-four hours, but I'd hate to see you run off all alone. Especially in your condition."

I don't bite....hadn't Olivia said those exact same words? Warning shots fired through Jill's mind--suppose this was one of Olivia's friends? But if that were true, why would he save me? He could've murdered me in my sleep. No, he seems genuine enough...as long as I don't allow him to too close I should be fine. Besides, not like I have much a chance of outrunning him like this anyway.

Not that she wasn't grateful--she was--but given the circumstances, she had every right to be cautious. It was the careful mouse that didn't get caught. And right now, a mouse was just what she felt like--small, weak, and hunted. Overall not the best feeling in the world to have.

" I'm Jill." Jill introduced without much emotion. She went over and stood at the opposite end of the fire--putting the wall of flames between her and her benefactor. If he attacked, she planned to grab a flaming stick and hit him in the face. " Please, have you seen my kids? Or one of my friends? I was vacationing with them along the beach and..."

" Children? " Rob cut in, " I found a small child wandering out lost and alone in the woods yesterday. Around two or three years old, I'd say." He pulled the singed piece of meat from the fire and sat it to cool next to a few others on a piece of aluminum foil.

" Crystal! That was my daughter! " Jill cried, worried, relieved, and frightened all at once, " How was she? Where is she? What did you..."

Rob held the stick up as if to ward off the rapid-fire questions. " Whoa whoa! Slow down there, you sound like a chipmunk. Yes, I found Crystal. She was wet, cold, scared, and alone, but other than that she seemed to be fine. I carried her around in my arms until I found her father wandering down the beach aimlessly like he was lost. He didn't have any weapons, so I gave him one of my uzis. Last I saw of him and Crystal they were doing just fine. I had to be on my way though, and I suspect they did too...this entire island is just plain dangerous. An entire shipload of zombies crashed ashore just last night." He shook his head. " Nuh-uh. Not a fun place to be."

Now Jill was very interested. She took ten seconds to let it sink in that Crystal was safe with Chris. That was the baby taken care of. Then she asked, " You know about zombies? "

It looked safe to sit down so she did. The fire felt nice and warm.

An odd expression swept over Rob's face for a moment, and he cast his eyes to the ground. At first the only answer Jill got was a slow nod. Rob fetched one of the cooler chunks of meat and bit in. It wasn't until he was finished with this first bite that he replied verbally. " Yes. One bit you." He pointed to Jill's bandaged arm. " I could barely stop the bleeding."

Jill's mouth hung open. " Then you saw it? You know who did this to me? "

Rob shifted uncomfortably, refusing to meet Jill's gaze. Instead he stared at the grass and pretended to be deeply interested in the bugs crawling therein. " Yes. I saw some of what happened...I was in the woods last night--lost, actually--when I heard screaming coming from off in one direction. So I just followed my ears until I reached the edge of the trees. I saw you push that Olivia over the bank...quite impressive. Then you fell, and by the time I reached you you were out like a light. I honestly didn't know if you would make it or not, but I did the best I could for you." He paused a moment to share a warm smile, " And you're standing here now, so I guess my best was enough."

Jill nodded. Perhaps this stranger wasn't so bad after all. He'd saved both her and her child. Anyone like that couldn't be evil.

" Thank you. I...seriously, thank you for everything. If there's ever anything we can do to repay..."

Rob shook his head. " Nah. The only thing you can do is stay with me until we find your family and friends. Like I said, there's a lot of nasties out there. And I'm down to my last uzi."

" Consider it done." After last night's trauma, she really wasn't looking to run off again anyway.

Then it clicked. The horrible realization...Jill shot up so fast the fire rose in her wake. Her wide doe-eyes fixed on Rob. " You! How did you know Olivia's name? " This was followed swiftly by another wave of pain from her bite, and another horrible realization. " Oh my god, I've got a virus! "

That was what happened, wasn't it? One bite from a virus carrier was all...it took four seconds for Jill to completely panic.

" Calm down! " Rob rose up slowly so as not to worsen the situation, " Relax! You don't have a virus. You're not going to turn into a zombie. I know Olivia because we've had brief rush-ins before, me and her gang." He wrinkled his nose at something Jill could not see.

" She's a zombie! " The terrified red-head cried out, " She bit me! "

Rob put a finger to his mouth. " Shhh! I know, I know. She is. But she...her kind doesn't have a virus. You're in no danger."

Jill took a minute to absorb the words. She fixed Rob's worried stare, and allowed herself to relax a bit. He really did not look like he wanted to harm her. And if she just chilled out for a second, he could tell her more. A bit embarrassed by her extreme outburst, Jill sat back down and shook her head. Great, he doesn't already think I'm crazy enough, now I have to prove it. Perfect way to get off on the right foot and learn what he knows.

She mentally scolded herself for being so quick to go off the deep end. Time to slow down and take things one bit at a time.

" Alright. Sorry about that."

Rob nodded, satisfied, and sat back down. " Hungry? " He offered Jill a piece of cooked meat, " Eating food builds strength. That's something you could use right now."

Though she was indeed hungry, Jill had to decline. " No thanks." Olivia had ripped off and devoured a not-so-small chunk of her arm last night. Eating red meat lost some of it's appeal after that.

" You sure? " Rob offered, still holding the piece out, " It's just venison."

" I'm really not hungry right now. But thanks anyway." How could she think about food after all that was happening?

Rob popped the piece in his mouth. " Well okay then. Suit yourself."

" Now what were you saying about Olivia's kind? There's a new kind of zombie? "

Rob's eyes shifted to the fire, and Jill could see the unease flittering there. " Yes. The truth is, there are two kinds of zombies. The first and most widely-known is the kind you've come to know and hate: the T-virus carriers. I think you've seen them enough not to need a description."

Jill nodded to show she was following. " Uh-huh. One bite or scratch and you're done for. You turn into one of them."

It was Rob's turn to nod. " Correct. The T-carriers...that's the most common type. But there is another type as well--a rare breed only a handful of people know about." He took his roasting stick and dug at the ground aimlessly. " Olivia's type...they're called royal zombies. They don't have any type of virus, manmade or otherwise. For once, Umbrella and it's rivals have nothing to do with them."

" That's hard to believe." Jill interrupted, inspecting her carefully wrapped arm with a nervous frown. " How do you know all this? You a commando or something? " She was staring at his outfit.

This warranted a quick laugh from her rescuer. " Commando? Me? Naw. I'm nothing like that. Just trust me when I say I've been around and I get around. The bite of a royal zombie will not make you a zombie. That I know is fact. They have no virus with which to infect you. But royal zombies, as I'm sure you now know, are quite a few rungs above your average T-carrier. They're much stronger and faster than humans. Plus they tend to look, act, and sound like a completely normal person. And since they don't wear neon signs flashing 'I'm A Zombie' around their necks they don't really stick out in a crowd. That's what makes them so dangerous. They are like T-carriers only in the sense that they're the living dead and crave the raw flesh and brains of living people. Other than that, they have nothing in common with the creatures you encountered in Raccoon City."

A lump welled in Jill's throat, and she swallowed nervously. " If a company like Umbrella didn't make them, who did? And how is it that they're zombies without having a virus? How many are there? "

Rob poked around some more at the ground with his stick before glancing back at his aluminum foil tray of choice cutlets. Deciding that they no longer looked appetizing, he answered the questions. " Who made them? I don't honestly know, but there are still so many things the laws of science can't explain. There aren't that many. Less than a dozen I'm sure. But if Olivia's here it's a pretty safe bet her pack is too." He snapped the stick in half, tossed it in the flames. " Damn. There's five of them."

Jill was aghast. " But Olivia...I pushed her into the river! "

Rob shook his head. " Merely an inconvenience when you're already dead. It would have taken her awhile to pull out, true. But she's probably back with her friends by now. Which means the whole pack is going to be after you. They don't take that kind of thing lightly."

" The whole pack? " Jill squeaked, " And you've had a run-in with these guys before? "

Rob nodded, his face grim. " Yes. A few run-ins in fact. They don't play by the rules--they play to win. They're incredibly bloodthirsty and they'll stomp whoever gets in their way. Their leader..." He winced, " Their leader's a real badass. Kind of like Wesker only not as powerful."

Now Jill was very worried about both herself and the welfare of the team. " Do they have any weaknesses? "

" Sure. And all of them include a high-powered bullet through the brain."

Jill got up with a start, suddenly anxious to get moving. " We'd better get going then. I have to find the others and warn them! "

Rob rose and caught her gaze. He sent her a gentle smile, which actually did help her feel a little better this time. " Agreed. Let's find your friends and take it from there."