Chapter Nine: Cameras and Portraits

"There is a god," Billy said as he opened the door. Inside was a bar cluttered with bottles of liquor. Papers lay scattered on the brown carpet. Two small tables sat against the right wall, and a small piano in the back. Two windows overlooked the dark forest below.

Billy rushed over to one of the bottles and snatched it up.

"Wait!" Rebecca said. The nozzle of the bottle stopped inches from his lips. He glanced over his shoulder, rolling his eyes. "It might be contaminated."

"If you have to end up shooting me, shoot me," Billy said. "After tonight, I need this!" He arched his head back and took a large gulp.

"Don't say that," Rebecca said. Billy wiped his chin and turned. He bounced the bottle on his leg, hearing the liquor slosh within.

"Sorry," He said. Rebecca nodded, and glad that he said nothing more on the subject. The thought of having to roam these corridors alone—she shivered. I'm not alone though, Rebecca told herself. The rest of the team were here after all. Nevertheless, there was something in her stomach that told her that they were all dead—Just like Edward.

Rebecca pushed the thought back and walked over to the piano. She slid her fingers over the ivories. It had been forever since she had last played, but she remembered playing during high school concerts and competitions. It used to relax her all those years ago. Rebecca played the first thing that came to mind—the first few notes of Twilight Zone theme.

"Amen," Billy said, taking another drink. "You play piano, I take it."

"Yeah," Rebecca said. "Or I used to. Surprised I still can. I used to be a lot better…2nd place in the state competition. Even went to college for a semester to be a pianist."

"What happened?"

Rebecca shrugged.

"Couple of things," she said. "I realized halfway through the semester pianists wasn't a good way to make a living."

"And the other thing?"

Rebecca turned around. Billy leaned against the bar, the neck of the bottle dangling between his fingers. She expected to see that arrogant smirk across his face, but Billy's expression was more curious. Rebecca felt a lump in her throat. She coughed.

"Wasn't there another door in the hall?" She said.

"Yeah, there was," Billy said. Rebecca nodded, darting toward the door before he could bring up the subject again. She walked out into a dimly lit hall. The small chandelier dangled above, casting long shadows over the cracked, eggshell-colored walls. A door stood at the end of the corridor, but from what Rebecca and Billy could find, there were little more than a few workbenches and zombies beyond it. Which only left the door near the other end of the hall.

Billy walked so closely that she felt his breath on her neck. With each step, his make-shift sling of shotgun shells jingled. She glanced behind. One of Billy's hands held his shotgun while the other one still held onto the bottle.

"Was it necessary for you to bring that?" Rebecca asked.

"Yes, it was," Billy replied. "Doesn't a jailed guy get one bottle of booze?"

"That's a phone call."

"Huh," Billy said. "I gotta remember to thank that one officer then."

The two rounded the corridor's corner. A blue door with an engraved oval in the center stood at the end and another door to its right. Rebecca grabbed the doorknob and opened the door.

Metal shelves filled with film reels, cassette tapes, and binders lined the wall. There was a gap between the wall and the shelf to their left, turning into another room. Rebecca walked forward, while Billy took a right. She gazed up at the mountain of material before her. So much information—if only she had the time to review it all. Perhaps it would tell her what happened to this place, or about the illness. Though this whole night had been horrific, she could deny that this…thing that raised people from the dead—it was fascinating. Just the metabolic processes that the body underwent during the transformation would be enough to shatter long-established theories. But what would happen to the world if they knew? Rebecca's stomach lurched.

"Hey, Doll-face," Billy called. Rebecca turned and walked toward the opening toward the gap.

"How many times do I have to tell you," Rebecca said. "It's Officer Cha—"

Her mouth shut when she saw what Billy gazed up at—a wall of monitors showing several rooms of the building. She saw the entrance hall in the top right monitor, and then the kitchens in the center. A smile slid across her face. She glanced down at the console in front of her. After trying a few, she found the switch to change cameras. Rebecca searched every detail of the images—any sign of Richard or Forrest. Minutes passed, and her shoulders fell.

"No sign of them?" Billy said. Rebecca shook her head, lowering her gaze. "I'm sure they're alright. Maybe there's another mansion out there in the forest somewhere."

"Sure," Rebecca mumbled. How many mansions could be out in the middle of a forest?

"Hey," Billy said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "It's—"He glanced up toward the back of the room, and his eyes widened. Billy grabbed Rebecca and shoved her to the floor. Rebecca gasped. Her grip tightened on her Berretta. The gun jumped as it fired. Sparks flew behind Billy as something smashed the console where they had stood seconds before.

"What—" Rebecca said. The shiny, bubbling mass that his the console retracted toward the other end of the room. It connected to another form, which grew taller. In only a few seconds, the creature took a humanoid shape.

Rebecca pushed Billy off her, raised her handgun, and fired at the leach man. The creature didn't even stagger. A thousand tiny, shrill screams came from it as it swung back its arm. Rebecca and Billy pushed themselves in opposite directions just as the arm slammed into the ground. It hit with thick splosh. Rebecca's eyes widened as she saw several tiny mouths open on the arm, each filled with rows of pointed teeth.

Billy grabbed the bottle of liquor, ripped off the hem of his torn shirt, and shoved the fabric into the bottle's nozzle. The leech man yanked his body back, its arm snapping back into place. Billy reached into his pocket. He smirked as he touched the cool metal inside. Shrieks filled the room. The creature took a staggering step forward. Billy flicked open his lighter, lit the cloth, and threw the bottle.

It hit the creature in the chest, shattering. Flame wrapped its body upon impact. The leach man flailed. Leeches popped off it, and thousands of shrieks turned into screams. Rebecca and Billy stayed down, watching its arms flail. Finally, the creature slumped down and didn't move. The two stared at it for several seconds, its body popping, before slowly rising.

"You don't think…" Rebecca said. "That it was…that we've been watched the whole time…"

Billy's jaw tightened. He had been thinking the same.

Rebecca and Billy returned to the entrance hall to think out their next route. Neither talked on their way back. Rebecca's eyes darted toward corners, looking for any cameras. Each time she spotted one, a chill ran through her back. Someone could be watching them—whether it be a leech man or…that man on the cliff.

"Well, what next," Billy said as they exited into the second floor of the hall. Rebecca shook her head.

"Sorry?" She said.

"Focus there, Doll-face," Billy said. "Sorry…I mean officer. What do we do now?"

Rebecca took a seat on one of the steps. There was no sign of her teammates. Some part of her wished that she would at least find them dead—at least she would know.

"We've seen that no one is here," Rebecca said. "I don't—"

Thump.

Rebecca glanced up. Nothing moved. She stared at the foyer and strained her ears.

Thump.

Marcus's portrait shook. Rebecca stood and drew her gun. Billy moved beside her, gun poised at the picture. Moments passed, yet the room remained still. Rebecca's muscles twitched as she held her weapon aloft.

Thump.

She aimed the handgun toward the portrait, aligning the crosshairs between Marcus's gray eyes. Something ripped through the center of the picture and tumbled down the stairs to the ground floor. The creature looked like a white baboon, with pointed teeth that protruded from its gums. Red muscle ripped through its the flesh. It shook its self from its daze—Rebecca and Billy opened fire. The combined firepower lifted the baboon off its feet. It landed hard a few feet away, thrashing about and arching its back. Its screams pierced Rebecca's ears, and she glanced at the opening in the picture in case anything else emerged. After a second or two, the creature's screaming stopped and it lay motionless.

Billy descended the stairwell toward the ruined portrait, while Rebecca's eyes remained on the slain beast. She edged down toward it—having a deep urge to examine it. As much as it terrified her, there was something that made her heart skip. This was a creature that the world had never seen before…

"I'll be damned," Billy said, peering within the hole. Rebecca nudged the creature's foot. It didn't move. She kneeled down, scanning it. "There's a staircase behind here. There's a whole 'nother—what the hell are you doing?!"

Billy leaped down the stairs nearly two at a time. He grabbed Rebecca's arm, but she pulled back.

"It's fine," she said. "It's dead."

"That's what you'll be if it's just playing possum."

"I said I'm fine, and it's dead. I just wanted to examine it. I won't have another chance like this."

"You're playing with fire, Doll-face, that's what you're doing."

Rebecca grunted. She hated to admit that he was right. After all, wasn't it monsters like this that had wiped out her team—not to mention a train and mansion full of people? She stood, giving the creature one last glance over. Don't forget the mission.

"Alright," Rebecca said. "Maybe Richard is down there. I didn't see that area on the mentors."

"Right," Billy said. He took a couple of steps backward toward the door but kept an eye on her.