Chapter Sixteen: The Evolution of Lisa Trevor
The figure emerged from the darkness so quickly Chris barely had time to react. He felt his eyes widen, his mouth opening but his voice coming too late. One of the Umbrella goons turned, noticing the shift in Chris's demeanor. The creature swung, both its wrists bound in rusted, iron manacles. The goon-a Hispanic man younger than his companion, as far as Chris could tell-received the full impact of the blow. He sailed through the air, rolling to a stop right at Rain's feet. The second goon, a black man with dark eyes, leaped out of the way as the creature redirected the arc of its attack toward him.
Not it, Chris thought. Her.
Lisa Trevor.
The creature shrieked in frustration at missing her target, her humped form writhing and twisting in protest. The shredded remains of a simple, brown dress clung to her emaciated frame. Though there was one detail that froze Chris in place-Lisa's skin was green. Chris thought it was a trick of the cavern's light, but then he noticed the thick vine-like appendages wrapped around her limbs and torso, burrowing into her flesh. Merging with her. Both she and the plant evolving.
The gunfire woke Chris from his stupor-first from the Umbrella lackey and then from Jill beside him. Bullets pierced Lisa's flesh, chunks flying off and the wounds releasing dark, thick blood. Lisa didn't even flinch. She arched her head back, letting out a howl that seemed to dwarf the noise of the gunfire. Then, she raised her bound hands and brought them down against the stone ground. The crash of iron against Earth cut at Chris's eardrum like a knife. She brought it down again and again until-SMASH! The manacals broke open, freeing Lisa's arms. A cold jolt ran through Chris. He lifted his AR-47 and fired. Even with three assault rifles on her, it still had little effect.
Lisa turned toward him, her arms stretched out like a predator preparing to strike. Despite the goon's firing Lisa kept approaching until-CLICK-the sound of an empty clip.
"Shit," the Umbrella agent said.
Lisa grabbed him by the vest and slung him at the wall as though he were a ragdoll. A sickening crack of bone. Lisa swung him over her shoulders and slammed him against the ground several times before tossing him aside. The soldier slumped against the wall, his face bloodied and swollen.
Then, the creature who had been Lisa Trevor rounded on Chris and Jill.
Chris pressed the trigger, sending round after round into the creature. Lisa hunched over, preparing to charge them when a feeble voice barely made itself audible over the sounds of their weapons.
"Hey...bitch!"
The Umbrella goon propped himself up, though his broken figure gave the illusion of a shattered marionette on its last string. Grasped within a hand was a grenade, the pin pulled out.
Shit! Chris thought. He grabbed Jill's arm, driven by pure instinct, and pulled her toward the Lab door. The creature howled, ushering them further into the unknown. The blast that followed knocked Jill and Chris off their feet. Chris sailed over the ground, his ear still ringing. The corridor shook accompanied by a monstrous rumbling from behind. Chris landed on a hard concrete floor. Dirt clung to his nostrils, making it difficult to breathe.
Chris curled in on himself as the tunnel shook long after the sound of the grenade ebbed away. Flecks of dirt fell from the ceiling. Chris tensed, waiting for the roof to cave-in around them. Slowly, the tunnel's shaking lessened until it stopped. Chris coughed, wiping the dirt from his nose.
A light shined in the darkness.
"Shit," Jill said.
He glanced over to see her sitting up, flashlight on, and aimed behind Chris. When he glanced behind, he couldn't help but say "shit" as well.
The passage they had just come through was now blocked by a wall of earth.