Chapter Six: A Theory of Evolution

It had been almost half an hour since the helicopter flew overhead, yet Chris still felt tense. Of all nights for Umbrella to go to the Spencer Estate, how did it have to be tonight? They must know that he and Jill were heading there tonight and probably trying to grab any incriminating evidence they can. Or it's an ambush to kill both of us, Chris thought. How convenient would that be—Umbrella's goons would pump Jill and him as soon as they stepped into the mansion, then their bodies would show up a few months in New Mexico.

You're being paranoid, Chris told himself.

Good, he responded to himself.

He glanced over his shoulder to Jill. They had decided that rest could wait and now the two began their hurried hike to the Spencer's Mansion. Maybe get something before Umbrella wipes everything in the process. And get killed in the process, he thought. Chris grunted as he pushed the thought away.

Jill's movements were stiff as she swept her flashlight beam over the foliage. Her eyes followed the area the light unveiled, her forehead wrinkled in concentration.

"We're Partners," Jill had said.

She was right, after all. Chris supposed there were worse partners. If it hadn't been for Jill, he wouldn't be here. Then why did you tell Rebecca about David but not Jill? Chris's eyes tightened. What did it matter anyway? Why was everyone trying to wheedle their way into something he rather remained buried. Jill, Atkins. Rebecca didn't and he told her.

Because she reminds me so much of Claire, Chris thought. True, Rebecca was far meeker and Claire was only a year younger. Yet, they both had determination in their eyes. No matter how much they pushed them, they would never break.

Something shifted on the route up ahead. Chris aimed his light on the area, remembering the dogs he encountered the first time. He found nothing but tree trunks and lightly trampled undergrowth. Jill's beam crossed his for a moment.

"Oh, my God," Jill muttered. Chris shifted to face her direction, his heart pounding as he followed it up. A pale structure stood a few meters away. Gaping black holes replaced the windows, showing only the glassless openings that remained. Apart from the shattered windows, the façade of the mansion's entrance looked untouched. Even the oak double doors that served as the estate's entrance remained relatively unmarred. A chain-link fence stood between them in the mansion, an aluminum sign attached which read: 'NO TRESPASSING. This property is owned by the UMBRELLA CORPORATION.'

Chris felt his throat constrict and a shiver ran down his spine.

"I've had so many nightmares of this place," Jill whispered, holding her light on the derelict building.

"Yeah," Chris replied, the lump in his throat growing to the size of an apple. "Me too."

The two stood there for a moment, listening to the sounds of the forest. The wind howled through the trees, sending goosebumps up Chris's arms. He half-expected to hear barks or the sound of low growls drifting through the woods, yet there weren't any. It wasn't until they heard the gunfire in the distance that it broke the two from their stupor.

Chris tensed, crouching slightly in case they needed to drop. The gunfire must have been several yards away.

"Let's get inside," Chris said, taking a step toward the chain-link fence.

The two climbed over the chain-link, which luckily didn't have barbwire at the top. The sound of Jill's body hitting the ground came only a few seconds after his own. Chris surveyed the area, keeping his flashlight down.

With each step they made toward the mansion, the longer its shadow cast over them. He felt his body becoming more ridged as the memories came flooding back. The dogs, the zombies, the Tyrant. What if there were still other B.O.W.s that had been released from the second lab due to the explosion? They didn't have a rocket launcher this time. If there was another Tyrant, they would die—

"Chris?" Jill asked from behind.

"Yeah?" Chris asked, focused on the mansion.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"It's just…your light is shaking."

Chris looked at his light beam, flittering over one spot on the ground. He took his hand from his weapon and shook it, as though that would be enough to rid himself of trembling.

"It's okay," Jill said.

Chris sighed. No, it wasn't alright. It wasn't alright that they had lost nearly to those Umbrella bastards, it wasn't alright that they came back to this place nearly every night either in vivid flashbacks or nightmares. It wasn't alright that they had to come back. Sometimes life gives you a shit hand, Chris thought. But, you still have to suck it up and play.

And this time, they weren't in the dark.

"It will be," Chris replied.

When they reached the double doors, Jill grabbed the doorknob and positioned herself to open it. Chris took a deep breath, tightened his grip on his assault rifle, and then nodded. Jill thrust opened the door and Chris aimed, poised to shoot. Yet, the entrance hall was quiet. Chris took a cautious step in, sweeping the area with his flashlight.

A majority of the wall facing the entrance was caved in, letting in stray beams of moonlight through its cracks. The stairwell had caved in under the weight of the wall debris. To the left, the second-floor walkway had collapsed, making entry to the dining room and the west wing impossible.

Strands of silver in the air sparkled Chris ran his light over it. His brow furrowed at first, his mind frantically trying to grasp what it was exactly.

"Spider webs," Jill muttered to herself. Once Jill said it, everything clicked into place as Chris noticed the arches and fanned-out patterns. Though, now Chris understood why he couldn't comprehend them at first. They were too big to be normal spider webs. The threads were as thick as cable and the formation of a single web was nearly as large as half a wall. "They must have found their way out of the caverns," Jill muttered. Chris turned to her to find that she looked at the webs, mouth agape. When she noticed Chris staring at her, Jill's mouth snapped shut. "Last time I was here when I was in the caves, there were spiders down there. Spiders the size of Pitbulls. I was hoping that the self-destruct got them. I guess not."

"Let's get going before they decided to show up," Chris replied softly, to which Jill nodded.

"I think the way to the courtyard is this way," she said, aiming her flashlight at the double doors to the right.

Chris didn't think it was possible for the Spencer Estate to become any more desolate when he first walked through its halls. That was before all of the lights went out. The art gallery was completely windowless, so the only light came from the beam of their flashlights. Several paintings had fallen off their mounts. Shards of glass surrounded them, making a definite crunch with each step. The dresser that once stood before the storage area now lay on its front.

The two swept the area quickly before hastily making it to the door on the other end. As soon as they opened the door, the faint stench of decay wafted into the room. Windows lined the left side of the corridor, making the darkness as absolute as the room before. Chris took a couple of steps before he saw the body lying face-down where the corridor turned to the right.

They approached the body cautiously with their weapons trained on it. The muscles in Chris's fingers started to cramp from how tightly he held the rifle. Yet, the closer they drew, the corpse didn't move. Chris nudged its head with his boot. Still nothing.

Now that they were nearer, Jill and Chris could see the corpse better. The man's hair was brown and short and his plump body wore a button-up and jeans. The uniform of a blue color worker. Probably one of the guys putting up the fence, Chris thought. Probably separated from the group to take a leak, unaware of what might lie out here, and then next thing he knew…

A series of quick thumps came from around the corner. Chris spun around the corner, his gun aimed and at the ready. Yet, the hall was deserted. He felt Jill around the corner and join him in inspecting the area.

Something moved above the door at the end of the passage. Chris redirected his light to the direction of the movement. A tarantula the size of (as Jill had said) a pitbull clung to the roof.

Chris fired. The spider sidestepped just in time to miss the barrage of bullets. Holes appeared in the ceiling beside it as plaster pelted down. The creature leaped off the wall and straight at Chris. He knew we wouldn't be able to move in time and as saw himself within the spider's eyes, he did the only thing he could think of—he pressed down on the trigger. Bursts of light ignited from the end of his assault rifle. Jill pulled him aside. Chris felt the bristles on the creature's limbs graze his arm. The spider collided with the wall behind. One of its legs was missing and black blood gushed from the open wound. Its limbs flailed about, reaching aimlessly in the air until it turned itself around and scattered away around the corner.

Jill shouldered her weapon and Chris did the same. It's wounded and on the retreat, Chris thought, nearly tripping over the creature's disembodied limb in the process. Still, it would be better to take care of it now than worry about it later.

The two rounded the corner. Their lights landed on the creature. It stood over the corpse, its maniples snapping. Before they could open fire, the spider buried them into the back of the corpse's head. Its remaining limbs burrowed into the corpse's own until they almost disappeared within the decaying flesh. The corpse pulled it up so swiftly it was as though it were being lifted by strings. Within seconds the corpse stood, its head hanging to the side—despondent.

"Jesus Christ," Chris muttered as he and Jill fired at the spider-corpse. Bits of flesh and meat flew off it as bullets ripped through the corpse's torso. Audible crunches echoed throughout the hallway with each stiff movement it made, yet it kept coming toward them. It's using the corpse as a human shield.

"We need to fall back," Jill said. Chris nodded and the two ran down the hall toward the door at the end. He could hear the sound of the creature lumber toward them. Each creaking of the spider's puppet body made Chris want to cringe—a creature fighting Riga Mortis itself. Jill grabbed the door handle at the other end and wrenched it open. Beyond was another black hallway and Chris dove into it. Jill slammed the door behind them.

Chris swung his flashlight over the tight corridor. When he found that it was clear, he let himself aim his weapon back toward the door. Jill held the door handle. They waited in silence, the only sound being that of their haggard breathing. The door shook as the creature pounded on the other side. Chris's jaw tightened, but he kept his gun poised. It knocked two more times and then the corridor fell once again quiet. Jill kept her grip around the door. The two waited for a couple of minutes, so still that Chris felt his joints creak. Slowly, Jill released her grip from the door handle.

"Did they do that last time?" Chris asked through heavy breaths.

Jill looked up at him, her face shiny with sweat. She shook her head.

"That's impossible," Chris muttered to himself. "How could that…"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Jill asked. "Infected or not, they are still animals. They are growing accustomed to the area, changing to become more efficient predators."

Chris took a sharp intake of breath. When he said the word they both were thinking of, it came out as a breathy whisper.

"Evolution."