Note: I'm back :D I had a smooth recovery, it was a good time out I really needed it.

Thank you to everyone who is still around.

Chapter 8. "The Embers of Brimstone"

"So according to this report, he should be around 27 now, his name is James?" Claire whirled the thought in her head. The room did not have much detail besides loose junk. No mail or phone, but she did get lucky by looking inside the bag. She found something an old article from a newspaper.

*Missing children's case is still shocking among the residents of Raccoon City.*

By Lily Warren.

Fear has grown in the city, and many parents escort their children everywhere, watching their every step, and a strange curfew has been strongly suggested by various watch groups. Other residents have expressed measures to protect loved ones, such as firearms. However, in the end, two more children vanished, adding a total of nine.

Eleanor, a heartbroken mother of one Ian Anderson, a four-year-old boy. "I just left my baby in his room sleeping peacefully for five minutes, and I heard the glass breaking, and when I returned... he was gone."

Local authorities have been criticized for their handling of the situation. The current police chief, Bryan Irons, has continuously notified the press that there is no statement to be made at this moment.

None of these acts make sense at the moment. However, the amount of skill involved is too thorough for just random abduction cases. It seems the criminals are professionals, to be able to snatch a child out of his home like that and vanish without a trace. No clues were ever found about the whereabouts of anyone.

The rest of the article faded and became unreadable.

"The hell!?" Claire whispered. "What did they do to these kids? And why are they...?" The survivor sighed and looked down at her hand, remembering the previous meetings, and she took a moment to reflect from earlier.

"Okay, you're here for something than other than killing infected. They're the same as in Raccoon City, but this is too perfect. You could have been killing dozens of people, but you avoid contact. SO that leaves me to assume you're trapped here as well?"

Hunk remained silent.

"I'll take that as a yes. So what I propose is that we work together until we can get out of this city. Not with those lizard things running around."

(…)

The plan is clear, eliminate everyone aware of the experiment, about the children of Raccoon City, if Umbrella rose from the ashes, it must be done. Here are some of the names I know so far... the rest were blank like someone erased them.

'Oh my god! Someone doesn't want him to remember and just get rid of them, or perhaps they're afraid Hunk and his comrade would expose these ugly secrets?' Claire slammed her fist on the steel desk then breathed heavily. Her eyes focused at Hunk's picture attached along with the paper.

'Who are you, Hunk or James, or whatever your name is?'

The survivor filled the bag with the files she found in there, determined to investigate further. She ejected the magazine from the handgun to judge the weight. Not light and not heavy, meaning half full. She did not throw away empty magazines but would need a moment to refill them from previous experience. "Oh, great," Claire muttered as she left the room and walked down to meet up with the mercenaries.

Claire stopped and leaned against a wall in the hallway, she noticed a portrait of the silver-haired man. She memorized his face, the clothes so she'll be able to describe to herself later. Past experience tells her that the minor details are what matters from here onward.

Something about the aura of her surroundings, it felt too familiar. The survivor despised this feeling. If only she could return to Annie, get out of this hellhole, perhaps ride with Chris, and start all over in a beautiful apartment. Maybe with something over a scenic view over an ocean or a forest. Claire scoffed and lightly smiled because Annie suggested concepts of an ideal apartment as a project for the future. The smile faded, and Claire grimaced at her lack of appreciation toward her best friend.

"I can do this." Claire recited to herself.

Still, Claire gathered enough information to show Chris. The survivor sighed sadly and walked out of the dim lab. There she saw Nighthawk push himself out of the receptionist room with Hunk offering his shoulder for support.

"What happened to you?" Nighthawk's visor reflected an annoyed twitch of her lip.

"Nothing." Claire reached into one of the pouches and removed a red box of ammunition. It slid open, and the brass tinged off each other. Claire also took out a magazine loader from the main pouch. "Anything new on your end?"

"From one of the cameras, this place will be purged," Nighthawk grunted at the end of his sentence.

Claire rolled her eyes while she finished refilling one magazine. "Again?"

"It happens. Just don't expect us to save your sorry ass." Hunk retorted.

Claire opened her mouth to say something, but Hunk cut her off.

"This is war, survival is your responsibility."

Claire swallowed a lump in her throat and looked at Hunk. "Whatever you say, I'm not bitten, so rest assured." The survivor paused and waited for an insult to come her way, but to her surprise... nothing.

"I'm done." She announced.

"Done with what? Oh, I see, so the Redfield girl finally found what she seeks?" Hunk breathed and avoided looking at her.

"Hallelujah." Nighthawk continued with a chuckle, and he held a hand up.

Claire mentally cursed, wishing to kick their asses for the cold treatment. By now, her magazines were refilled and threw away a red box. "I don't want to argue with you anymore."

"Works for me, move it now, we're not going to wait for you." Hunk stated as he walked past her with Nighthawk. After hiding some bandages underneath his equipment and nourishment, the Red Merc could walk on his own now. 'Looking good, it must be the adrenaline if I had to guess.' She paid attention to Nighthawk's posture. 'Nice find on the first aid kit.'

They paced up the steps. Hunk in the lead, Nighthawk in the center, and Claire watched their backs and periodically looked over her shoulder. Hunk leading them to the right. In front of them was a set of elevators, part of the pathway that skirted the building covered with more white liquid things of the virus. It turned sharply, the turns were covered entirely by large eggs and white things, giving the creepy feeling of a darkened abyss, and they were going straight into the void.

Claire could see the mercenaries talk to each other, but they were so quiet she couldn't hear. Troubled by what she found out earlier, should she question Hunk about it, or keep it hidden, and walk out with the files?

"There." Claire nodded to a specific direction at a sign labeled 'Section H.'

This creepy corridor was long for some reason, she couldn't help but wonder why? Perhaps there is something covered by that white thing. To the right of the sign just ahead was what looked like a glass elevator. Hunk was not sure if it was their best bet, but they could get out to the town again and get fresh air through there.

The elevator door slid open after Nighthawk pressed the button. Hunk placed his back to the right wall as Nighthawk did the left, a staggered approach so they won't possibly harm each other in a crossfire. Claire decided to stack up behind Nighthawk. Something unpleasant could burst into the hall. They just prepped in the wrong direction.

A fiercely high squeal of a creature rattled the area, and it took place right behind the three of them.

"StooooPPP I'm HOMAN!"

"Get a move on!" Hunk and Claire were about to run to the elevator, but white liquid spread blocking the entrance, as a corpse fell down in front of the door. It even had a left-arm wiggle about as it spoke more incoherent words. Its bloated corpse stood almost as tall as what the hallway could allow. The creature had a sizeable gaping mouth with reformed ribs to function as teeth. It had blue hue skin, which faded into a dark red to the left shoulder. Out of the shoulder, spouted out what appeared to be a person's head.

"Go, Nighthawk, I'll catch up with you!" Hunk screamed. Claire's eyes darted around the place. It seems like they're surrounded by multiple voices. 'Not good.' she thought.

"It was nice knowing you," Nighthawk yelled back as the door closed.

"Good luck to you, too, asshole." Hunk lightly shook his head.

Through the dark, the silhouette of the creatures appeared slowly, Hunk counted the number of 10 separated in both sides, coming their way. Claire stiffened her posture to fire her handgun and backtracked until her back touched Hunk's. "Well, we're in for a party, huh?"

Hunk chuckled. "We're the guests of honor." The mercenary took out both the gun and his combat knife.

Claire fired nonstop at two ooze creatures charging at them. One of them stumbled back from the punishment, then it let its tongue slip out exhausted. She sprinted at it, then bend down using the opportunity and kicked them as hard as she could.

A knife was twisted and torn out from the second ooze's head.

Claire's handgun racked its fourth round as Claire smiled, but was tugged forward by several inches, which caused her to lose her balance.

It was the giant mouth monster.

Though Claire felt a substantial grip at her ankle, harshly she slammed on the ground, the creature pulled her backward and up. The survivor grunted and fired at the beast while she's upside down, trying to move. Claire caught of glimpse of something that made her feel sick to her stomach. A bluish arm spouted out of the body, and dozens of bones freely arranged themselves to, and a bone-chilling sound occurred… teeth of a bone chainsaw spun around. She needed to avoid the saw-like arm coming, eager to carve flesh.

Panic took over her, though, to a stroke of luck, her aim caught the eyes of the creature's head, and it dropped her down on her stomach. It would hurt a lot if she bothered to care at the moment.

The survivor flipped in her back and shot the giant corpse again and again, though two more ooze corpses have cornered her. With her left arm, she caught the knife and sliced the thing's legs. Seizing this chance to crawl back.

Behind her attackers, Claire saw Hunk attempt to bring down the creatures surrounding him.

'It's like they never end.' Claire frantically thought.

It was then that Claire rolled on her back for several feet while Hunk kicked an ooze away from him, and then he walked backward. Claire eventually stopped then immediately got back on her feet. The oozes and the giant one were grouping up for an assault.

Hunk and Claire stood side by side.

"Ideas?" Hunk inquired.

"You're the merc, you tell me." Claire shot back.

"I got one, but it'll put you in the most danger." Hunk wiped the blood of his knife on his left sleeve.

"Why don't I find that comforting?" Claire replied.

"Save your jokes when this is over. Just be prepared and just run at me when I shout at you." Hunk checked to see if his knife was still sharp. It was on the mid-end but not at the tip. Not a good sign… sure guns need bullets, but blades need to be sharpened.

Hunk fired several rounds to have the oozes stagger and unloaded the rest into the giant one.

"How much do you weigh?" Hunk ejected the empty magazine and slid it into his vest.

Claire dropped her shoulders and gave the mercenary a raised eyebrow.

"Grow up." Hunk's handgun racked ready.

After Hunk said that, the creature began to move again. Hunk and Claire prepared for their own counter-attack. Hunk reversed his knife again then tossed it with the complete effort to the charging creature to land near the center of the shoulder bodies' heart. Knife throwing was not his thing but desperate times…

It cried in agony, and it stopped moving and snapped its top part to the pair. Underneath the blade was a river of blood.

"We have to go to the heart!" Hunk sprinted forward.

Hunk ultimately charged toward the creature. Since he did not have his knife, Hunk instead used his fists to shove away an ooze that blocked his path. The ooze swiped its claw at him, and it grazed his left shoulder. Claire still had no idea why Hunk became suicidal. A loose bone pierced the skin and propelled itself outward in an attempt to impale Hunk. He didn't move out of the way fast enough, so it wedged in his body armor. The chainsaw arm swung downward, and Hunk jumped forward to avoid it entirely.

"Now!" Hunk shouted.

Claire noticed what Hunk accomplished. He created a path.

"Argh!" Hunk grunted to himself as he crouched down and interlocked his fingers together. Claire sprinted toward Hunk. Claire shot an ooze in the head as she ran. When Claire reached Hunk, she used her left leg on his hand, and he lifted her up. Claire jumped up, so she was at eye level of the creature's head, and she drop-kicked the knife. Once the giant monster lost its balance and started to topple over. Claire landed rough on her back but reversed kicked upward to get back on her feet immediately. With the creature struggling to get back up, Claire walked to the side and fired rapidly into its face.

There wasn't a whimper of pain while blood seeped out of the creature then dissipated into a puddle of bloodied water.

Claire turned around to see Hunk pull the spike out of his armor. Hunk finished off the smaller oozes while Claire took care of the big one. The survivor glanced at the puddle to see Hunk's knife, she jogged to it than kicking Hunk's knife at him. It skipped on the metal floor as Hunk slightly raised his boot for the knife's handle to collide with the heel. The mercenary quickly retrieved his knife.

With the most prominent threat removed, the two sprinted down the hallway. It was not that long as when a door offered a way out.

They kicked the door open, and it gave way without resistance, revealing a big office space, only cubicles were scattered around without any tubes like the room before. Hunk's breathing rasped loudly under the gas mask. Claire almost wanted to haze the mercenary by asking if he had asthma. But once the adrenaline from the fight before wore off, Claire holstered her gun and leaned against the wall. Allowing herself a moment to catch her breath, every inch of her body started to hurt. She felt her waist wound flame up again, sweat drip off her brow, and dropped in front of her eye. By reflex, her wrist wiped her forehead and eyebrows of the sweat.

Just at the moment to close her eyes for more than a blink, comforted her.

"You're bleeding." Hunk broke the silence, he shook his head and returned his focus on the knife.

"I don't care." Claire tilted her head at the hole torn into his armor from the bone the giant creature used. "Not looking good there yourself."

"It's nothing, just wedged into the armor." Hunk decided to reaffirm the straps to his uniform before they went on the move. The claw attack earlier felt more like a paper cut, and he did not worry about it.

Claire breathed, and placed her hand on her forehead, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. "I cannot stop thinking of what you said before."

Hunk put the knife in its sheath and looked in her direction.

Claire continued, "After Raccoon city, I just had this thought in my mind, of how Umbrella should be punished, all of them are nothing but insane-heartless individuals who don't deserve mercy. I'm the hero, the good woman who will save the victims."

"Why are you telling me this?" Hunk asked.

Claire closed her eyes, "Just shut up and listen." She moved away from the wall, her eyes looked directly at his crimson lenses. "I don't know who you are anymore."

"Again, why are you telling me this?"

Claire frowned and held her breath. "Shut up, James and listen, I have to say..." Claire wanted to say that was a mistake on her part, but she knew what she was doing. Hunk flinched at the name, then he paced toward her in slow terrifying steps. Her eyes stayed focused at him while her hand searched for the knife from her belt.

Hunk hovered over her. "What did you just call me?" his voice was cold, it frightened the survivor to the core.

Unable to speak, Claire shook her head. Hunk lunged at her and held her throat tightly, raising her up against the wall in a death grip. "Speak up bitch, where did you hear that name!?" The lenses reflected how uncharacteristically calm she was. "What do you know of that!?"

Claire struggled, she could feel her pulse in the neck and his gloved hands. "I...hav..." Hunk let go of her neck, and she leaned back to the wall coughing for several seconds.

Once she looked up, a knife pressed at her throat. "Start talking."

"Back in the Birkin's-like lab, there was an office. I found a file talking about you..." she paused and took her breath. "And the missing children from Raccoon city. Your name is written down, your age and codename group, there was a picture attached. That's all I know."

A gloved fist came down in the wall way too close to her head, and she grunted at him. Hunk walked away, then he started to step back and forth like an angry caged animal. Despite the outburst from the supposed professional, there are moments when to be brave and tell someone something they do not want to hear.

"So it's true, all of it. You're..." Claire said, but Hunk came in back with his hands at her collar.

"Shut the fuck up! My name is Hunk, the Merc who has never fail a mission. No one can escape my wrath." Hunk held the collar of her shirt tightly. "If anyone ever finds out this information, I'll kill you."

Claire nodded slowly, and a strange pat on her shoulders followed. "Never try to push your luck with me anymore, Redfield."

Hunk walked in front of her and stopped. He looked over his shoulder. "Final warning."

Despite everything, this reaction got her more curious. 'Is he running away from his Identity?' Claire thought the usual anger within her heart was gone, replaced with curiosity, tiredness, and minor claustrophobia.

"I'm sorry." The survivor was able to whisper.

Hunk looked back at her, "Did you just...apologize?"

"Yes," Claire answered without a hint of shame.

"Whatever. We had to move. There should be stairs we could use."

Claire waited for him to walk in front of her. Thinking how the hell his mood changes like that in seconds? She opened the door to check the hall outside, imagine what they could do. 'Let's find what we need and get out of here.' The survivor thought to herself.

Thank you for reading, I hope you liked this. I know it's short, longer chapters are coming.

Special thanks to my beta reader The95will.