Chapter 18. "Revenge."
Claire stepped back from the chair; a dozen thoughts flickered and only disorganized her mind. All this new information that he just explained. If she is going to die, she'll make a fight worth remembering. Once she peeked under at the slight space under the steel door, she saw a silhouette with two pillars to block the light, a guard.
"Think Claire..." she whispered and paced back and forth. 'How I will get out of here?'
Something sparked in her mind that made her smile deviously. Claire crouched next to the door.
She swallowed a lump on her throat then screamed. "No, let me go!"
She moved far from the door slightly and kicked the chair to the ground. "No, please!"
After a moment of silence, she heard the sound of keys and the doorknob handle turning slowly.
Claire took the frame off the table and moved back to the wall, preparing herself mentally. The door opened, and a man entered. "What the hell?"
Before he could question further, Claire stood up and broke the frame over his head, and just for safety measure, she punched the back of his head as strong as she could muster.
The man moaned and fell facedown, slamming his head over the table on the way. "Hook, line, and sinker." She laughed.
Claire knelt down and searched his belt. The man carried an ALFA Defender.
She opened the magazine to check, and it was packed.
"More reliable than any person." She could not help but mutter to herself while she looked over her shoulder.
She searched the unconscious guard for more ammunition. Real humans are the targets this time. Not that she was particularly comfortable with this, but all that time practicing boxing with Chris wasn't for nothing. There was one ammo box to her luck, and she placed it in her front pocket on her uniform.
Claire stood in front of the door and took a long breath. "Alright, Claire, you can do it." She encouraged herself. "You survived worse than this."
...
Follow me under and pull me apart
I understand there's nothing left
Pain so familiar and close to the heart
No more, no less I won't forget
...
Hunk stepped over shards of broken glass as he went through the steel door in front of him. He found himself in a small circular room with the Umbrella emblem painted on the ground. There was a pile of broken practice dummies in the corner.
"This place?" He leaned in slightly, eyes shut. He felt dizzy as it was a little too much to be normal when he heard the sound of laughter out of nowhere.
Once he opened his eyes, Hunk saw two playful children. First, the boy practiced against a dummy.
"Giving up James?" The short little girl teased while she smacked a wooden blade on the dummy. "You're soft and squishy."
"No! I'm tough; I can do it." The boy replied, sending then rippled a painful shock throughout Hunk.
He saw himself stabbing her in the chest with his knife, his red eyes filled with growing fury as he forced her down to her knees.
The memory cut off as the boy finally sent a powerful strike against the dummy, and it fell, broken.
"I win." The boy shouted happily.
The girl let go of her knife and jumped in his arms, hugging him. "My hero!"
.
Hunk jolted back and fell on the ground, his eyes darted over the room, and there was nothing. He felt out of breath like he ran a marathon.
"Poor James… Are you lost?" He heard a voice through the microphone.
Hunk leaned on his knees and unlatched the straps of his mask until he took it off. He gasped for air as he suffered from what was like an asthma attack.
The red lenses of the gas mask stared over the room and reflected everything that was observed.
"No..." He heaved the word. He stared down at his gloved hands, shaking. The stench of everything in the area assaulted his senses.
The putrid smell of rot with the dust.
"Truth hurts, doesn't it? James Ethan Murphy."
Hunk pulled himself together and took the mask, adjusting perfectly on his head. As much as he hated to admit it, a lot was thrown in his mind.
This is too much to handle.
He hurried through the door and found himself in a bridge leading to a clean white corridor up ahead.
Then, down beneath him, he saw a familiar sight.
A young man with black curly hair, wearing a heavy jacket and busy clashing with some hunters. "Chris Redfield." He murmured...
He crouched down and continued to the front with a chuckle, walking lightly to not draw attention to himself.
Hunk faced a metal double door, where he could see steam emanate from under it. As soon as he came closer, the handles turned, opening the door for him. He felt a cold breeze inside. It was white and full of steam. Ice cubes were scattered on both sides. Right in the front, he saw a machine before a big glass window overlooking a large hall. Most likely dry ice, so he refrained from touching anything.
"What is this?" He backed, tracked, and breathed. He bent his knees and prepped himself, then sprinted at full speed toward the glass and jumped. Glass shattered all over, and Hunk landed down on his feet. Bits of loose glass just rolled along with his uniform.
"So you are finally here." Someone spoke. "I'm so touched. My dear son is finally here."
Dear son, the word sent chills down his spine. He looked up and saw on the other side over a glass window. John with all his arrogance and glory. Watching him with arms behind his back and a smug smile worthy of being punched off.
"My apologies, daddy. I was so eager to meet my family, I did not bring a gift with me for this special reunion." It was a good thing that the gasmask hid his face. The rage underneath bubbled out as he aimed his weapon.
John paced slowly, left and right. "Do you feel a headache? Are you confused and no longer realize what you are anymore? You can tell me, talk to me, honey."
Hunk was silent, unsure of what to say next. He narrowed his expression and gritted his teeth. John chuckled loudly to provoke him even more, for he knew how to hit a nerve perfectly. "I'm your father? I know you more than anyone else in this world." John pointed down at him. "Every moment of your life has led to this son. You were born for this purpose. You were the killing machine we needed."
"What the hell are you babbling about, old man!?" Hunk screamed. "Stop with the mind games and face me!"
"What you call mind games, I call them the truth. Whether you admit it or not, it will make you doubt yourself." John pointed with his index finger.
Hunk saw that there was some sway in how his hands uncharacteristically trembled. "Whatever you are planning, it's not going to work. I promise you that." Hunk fired back then made a beeline to the front door.
Once he was alone, he could not help but to repeat the words 'We controlled for a bigger picture.
Control... Is this the truth he refuses to accept? Is he really devoid of any choice and freedom like a human begin? He can almost hear it, the voices.
Loud cries from a child echoed through the room. Four men were ganging up and pinning the boy to the bed, face down. The boy's hands were pulled behind his back. The pillow is stained with his hot tears.
"No... Please!" The boy sobbed painfully. Once the medicine and treatments that went through his system. The boy lost his voice.
He whimpered and trembled slightly as the men let go of him at last. He felt a hand touch his cheek mockingly. "You will thank me later, boy." The man's voice echoed in his ear.
"Your pride is going to be the end of you." Sienna's voice played in his mind.
The moment was cut short as two Hunters broke through the glass of the hall. Hunk bit his lip and prepared himself. The first Hunter hissed a horrible sound. The first jumped with his left claw with a strike.
Hunk ducked and sidestepped swiftly. He aimed with his gun and fired non-stop in its hip during mid-flight. The creature screeched before it was blasted back by the force of the bullets. The other Hunter charged with both his claws, he felt a hard hit over his mask that made him rattle back a little, but he had the reflex and dodged the other arm. He pulled his knife out and pushed it in the creature's chest, followed by the gunshots with his other hand through the creature's eyes.
He stopped for a moment to catch his breath as the creature fell under him. Hunk started walking to the front in slow steps, like a lost shadow.
Once he stopped in front of the door, it slid open before him, and he saw a barrel of a handgun.
"Hunk? Unbelievable." Claire mused as she lowered her gun. "Why are you here?"
However, Hunk immediately saw what was around her neck, the small mark.
"Do you see the trouble I'm in? Who the hell is John? what does he want from me?"
He bared his teeth and charged at her, jumping.
He grabbed her arm, however before he had the chance, Claire used her other arm to draw the gun, and a light flashed from her barrel as Hunk put his hand over the gun and twisted it for the shot to hit the ground.
"He is nothing more than a rich brat hungry for power." He shouted.
Claire tried to punch him straight in the jaw, but he blocked it with his forearm.
"So much he sold his own sons' freedom." Claire's face was a mix of shock and anger as she tried to defend herself.
He watched her with intense focus, and with his other arm, he tried to sock her in the nose. In response, she pulled her arms up and ducked back. Seeing how oddly out of place that punch was, Claire bent her back and punched his abdomen. Then shoved him back. She ran toward him, swinging her arm back for another blow. Quickly he used his gun again and ducked the punch.
Then, turning on his heel, He pointed his gun at her head. It was over, and she was lost. "To top it all off, that filthy bastard is my father." He heaved.
Claire's expression softened. "What...? But.."
"What do you know about a dysfunctional family?! You are a princess who got everything she ever wished for." He cut her off, then lowered his gun and turned away from her.
Claire noticed the way his shoulders trembled. He was legitimately crying. Something she never imagined to see, ever.
He, on the other hand, can hear it all at the back of his mind.
"I know you have a good heart, even if they say otherwise. You are going to help me if I'm in trouble, right?" Kristen whispered.
Her voice vanished, and it was replaced with Claire. A horrifying transition.
"I lost my parents at a young age. I will never claim that I understand what you are going through, but I did not have it easy either." She whispered."I deserve answers. I have been dragged into this."
She did not get a reaction from him.
He clenched his fists. Nobody could ever figure out what it's like. "Leave me alone," He finally talked. "Get out of here now. This is between them and me."
"Do you want to die?" Claire asked, still in denial of witnessing such a heartbreaking sight, or perhaps this is for her to open her mind and understand.
Although she's supportive, whether she liked it or not, her conscience will nag her about this. It's going to hurt if she walks away.
She does owe him after everything happened between them in that town.
"I don't care. I never had the freedom, to begin with." He continued.
"Did you know that you opened my eyes for a truth I denied?" She commented.
"Leave me alone. My life made sense before I met you."
"What the hell are you afraid of?" She shouted, "I thought I was going to die since I was taken here because of you, the mercenary who only cares about his mission, but I was surprised once again by you showing up here for me."
"You saved my life, remember?" Hunk checked his gun one more time.
"Since when do you care? Aren't you the one who says the mission is over everything?" She argued and paused for a second. "I understand now. You have humanity within, you actually care for me, and you are afraid of it."
Hunk clicked with his shoes and walked away, leaving her alone to her thoughts. "It's called debt, I owed you, and after this, we're done."
He'd been exhausted before, but the relentless pain of his head had sent him to some delirious place that he'd never imagined could exist. His thoughts spiraled, uneasy bursts of feeling that he couldn't seem to sort through, at least not to his satisfaction; he knew what had to be done.
As if he'd taken some drug that had overloaded his senses and would only let him think a bit at a time. It was almost over. That was something he could hold on to, one of the only constants in his muddled mind. Is this what it feels like for someone like him to get his memory back? Not much of what it cracked up to be.
Until a howling, terrible laugh knifed into his mind, and he jerked back to life, panting and afraid...
And then he realized what had snapped him out of his daydream, and his thoughts came together of the goal he needed to finish.
It was Nikolai.
That bastard had to pay for sending him to a trap. He never was so sure about something as this.
A score that was never settled.
The laugh and footsteps sounded again, this time echoing away into one of the darkened corridors ahead of him as he went down and down the stairs like it seemed it went deeper in hell.
Hunk closed his eyes again, taking a breath to relax. He turned on his flashlight strapped on his gear, and continued onward.
The half-lit corridor was dirty, he could see rats moving about, but these rats were in no way normal. Their fur looked stained and tattered in patches of rotten flesh. Their eyes were pure red and caught the whiff of his scent. They screeched then skittered toward him.
Hunk fired at the nearest rat, and he slammed his boot down to smash another one. He shook his head and ran down the corridor ignoring the rest hungry for his blood.
There was another steel door with small bars to peek inside. He did not wait for anything and just kicked the door open. He found himself in another cylinder-shaped hall. However, it was a bit smaller to be underground.
There was a wide machine with a long needle-like thing attached to it. Right in front of it stood Nikolai with all his glory. "Welcome, Mister Death. I should have known you would survive."
"I said it before. You better hope we won't meet again." Hunk grumbled loudly."You do really want to court with Death, aren't you, Nikolai?"
"I did what must be done. But, for a bigger picture, for the good of this company." Nikolai turned to face him. "You were a failed tyrant that needed to be stopped and burn all the secrets along with you. But, unfortunately, the world still wants B.O.W."
Tyrant… Hunk felt the word sting deep. "No one ever betrays me and gets away with it." He whispered and drew his knife.
"Is that why you killed your girlfriend?" Nikolai commented."You remember, don't you?"
"I never did anything to hurt her. I never got closure because of you and all of the people responsible for the kidnappings years ago." He commented, anger evident in his voice. "The Human Unit Never Killed project, many heartless bitches created it to rival the failed Wesker children. Ideal soldiers."
"Since when you are the embodiment of humanity? Our precious hunters are hungry." Nikolai retorted.
Hunk rushed at Nikolai. He dipped and weaved with the knife. Sparks of metal flashed in front of their faces as both sides looked at each other.
Nikolai danced around his strikes, and he only caught a few hits in the process.
Quickly, before Nikolai could respond with a follow-up, Hunk swiftly punched him in the abdomen, stunning him for a brief moment. Then, he dived down with his knife and carved a large gash on Nikolai's left cheek and down to his chest.
In-kind, Nikolai stomped his right foot, and a hidden blade ejected out of his boot and was raised while Hunk backed off. It struck the left side of Hunk's hip. The blood seeped as the red lenses stared back at his opponent.
"Relax, it's not dipped in poison." Nikolai leaned back and kept his knife close. "I want to enjoy this."
Hunk drew his own knife as a smirk graced Nikolai's lips.
The boot still had the blade out as Hunk made the first move. He brought his right elbow forward as Nikolai charged in and took the brunt of that elbow with his left arm, and Hunk attempted to use his other hand to stab.
However, the counter left Hunk wide open for that Nikolai brought his left arm and tugged around Hunk's right arm. It wormed around as Nikolai pulled Hunk forward and caused him to lose balance for a moment. The Silver Fox brought his right arm to elbow punched Hunk in his sternum. With the added force, Nikolai pulled back, and there was a P.O.P. sound.
Hunk groaned to himself, then brought his right fist in and jabbed hard into Nikolai's windpipe.
The two took a step back from each other.
Just from the pain, Hunk knew that his left arm was dislocated out of its socket. He walked to a nearby pillar and aligned his shoulder. He shoved it forward and felt a wave of pain, but the arm was back in place.
Nikolai shook his head as he breathed in through his nose and cleared his throat. He coughed then refocused on his target. Once that was done, Nikolai reached for his lower back then drew an M1911A1 handgun. Hunk ducked behind the pillar then drew his own weapon.
The flashes of light burst out as Hunk flinched at every shot as Nikolai walked over to a pillar for him to take cover behind. Hunk had his pistol in his right hand to make himself a smaller target he fired from around his left side.
Nikolai noticed the light and adjusted his aim.
One two!
Nothing happened
Three, Four, FIVE.
A bullet skitted off the pillar and made a dent in a glass container. And Hunk moaned lowly to himself as he peered away from cover. A bullet made it through, and Hunk patted his shoulder. Just from how there is a direct burning sensation for the rest of his arm. His collarbone was split apart, and the bullet over-penetrated.
That means throwing any punches or getting hit is going to cause some immeasurable pain.
Hunk also noticed the lack of gunfire from Nikolai. Instead, boots scuffed on the metal floor as Nikolai was there, brought his backward knife, and swiped at Hunk's chest.
He shifted to his side as his collarbone would scream at him. He pointed his gun out and pulled the trigger. CLICK!
Hunk should have counted…
"Rookie mistake!" Nikolai leaned on his left side to relieve pressure off his right leg. Thanks to the red lenses, Hunk could tell that he clipped Nikolai in his right thigh. The blood loss did not look bad, but that would hinder him if the adrenaline didn't get Hunk's better.
Sure the pain was there, but this was the numbed version of it.
Hunk leaned in and did a clear horizontal slash to which Nikolai raised his blade and blocked the knife while Hunk centered himself. Then, Nikolai rolled his shoulders back and tossed his blade forward, and Hunk was forced to deflect it.
By that point, Nikolai closed the distance. He raised his right leg up and went in front of Hunk's waist, and the left leg went to his back waist. A scissor take-down. Hunk was brought to the ground as Nikolai shifted his torso back, then his left hand reached for Hunk's left leg. He pulled back to the point that he wanted to shatter the bones.
Hunk remembered this from how the UBCS would train its troops. Before Nikolai could take advantage of the situation, Hunk clenched a right fist and hammered down into Nikolai's exposed bullet wound. Bits of blood got on Hunk's glove as Nikolai bared his teeth of the pain.
Hammer after hammer, Nikolai eventually lost his grip.
Hunk rolled to his side and got back on his feet. Nikolai took several deep breaths as he looked up at Hunk. The blood seeped to the side of Nikolai's cheek and painted over his white sideburns.
"Get up." Hunk barked.
"…" Nikolai rolled to his left and took a knee. "That's the spirit." He slowed his breathing and prepped for another go.
Both men stared at each other.
Hunk kept his blade close as Nikolai did the same. Hunk made the first move by a flinch forward. The Silver Fox responded by putting his weight on his left leg and anchoring himself to remain standing. The right leg reached out and missed Hunk's lower rib cage by a hair.
The leg came back before Hunk could slash him. However, Hunk sprinted forward, raised his right leg, and riot kicked the other leg that Nikolai supported himself on. It causes Nikolai to land hard on his back. From there, Hunk stomped on Nikolai's chest and broke a rib.
Nikolai leaned up and slashed at Hunk's shin. He endured the hit and kicked Nikolai on his cheek. He spat out blood in the hit and looked away from Hunk for a moment.
Blood soaked his teeth as Nikolai laughed to himself. "You never lost your touch!" He looked back up as he noticed Hunk offer him a hand.
"I always hated you." Hunk admitted as Nikolai took his hand. He pulled the Silver Fox on his feet.
Nikolai and Hunk were just mere feet away from each other.
Both drew each other close to complete exhaustion. Hunk jabbed forward and cut the outer forearm, Nikolai. A slash came from Nikolai's boot. Hunk had a cut on his stomach. Any deeper, and his intestines would have spilled out.
A knife came down and shoved into the red lens of Hunk's eyepiece. The Silver Fox used both hands to force the blade deeper. It splintered and cracked apart. The lens popped out as Hunk tilted his head to the side as it cut into the side of Hunk's nose and center cheek. Hunk used his right hand to go underneath Nikolai's arms.
The uppercut came up into Nikolai's jaw. He was not careful as he bit his tongue in the process. In the moment of losing focus. Hunk got the knife out of his face then grappled Nikolai. He shoved him back and used his elbow to smack Nikolai into a pillar.
The force was enough that the side of Nikolai's skull fractured. Nikolai witnessed his opponent bring a knife sideways so it could stab the organs underneath the rib cage. The attack was sloppy and only pierced the right side of his chest. Hunk brought his elbow in again, but Nikolai plunged his blade into Hunk's forearm. It was through the center and carved forward.
Hunk pulled back as nerves fired off in his body, then cupped his arm. Nikolai moved from the wall and knee-kicked Hunk's gas mask. He moved to the side, and the two were where they started.
Hunk pulled the knife out of his arm, and Nikolai did the same with the one that stuck out of his chest. Now armed with the other's blade, they continued onward. Slash after slash, strike after strike
Blow for blow.
By the end of the onslaught. Hunk was out of breath, and his upper body and arms were completely covered in gashes and cuts. Nikolai coughed blood with a similar amount of damage to his overall body.
Below, the blood that seeped to the lower level only put the Hunters into a frenzy. They anxiously brushed their claws on the foundations and waited for one of them to end the other.
One eye was through the lens, and the other naked eye stared at his enemy. It was distracting and now frustrated. So Hunk took the knife and dug it into the side of the gas mask. And forced the other lens to pop out.
"That's better," Hunk muttered as he narrowed his vision.
"You know, I filed a report that I thought the HUNK program was better for the company." Nikolai composed himself. "Glad to see I was right."
"I'll tell you this. If it was a success, then I wouldn't be here." Hunk fired back.
"The world will always need soldiers and unsympathetic bastards like us to do what others are too scared to do."
"I can't speak for those who fight for a cause." Hunk reversed his blade and bent his knees, then leaned back. "I died a long time ago."
"Cute." Nikolai took his own stance.
"Killing you can be a cause." Hunk charged forward.
"You need to aim higher!" Nikolai shouted.
The two went at it. A cut to the chest, little care for in terms of defense. Just to bring the other to their knees. Nikolai aimed for an artery as Hunk did the same.
Nikolai's left arm went and slashed the side of Hunk's thigh. Blood constantly seeped out as Hunk shoved Nikolai back into a pillar again. This time, Nikolai had the unpleasant benefit of his left eye popping out of its socket.
Hunk's knife came down into the left side of the shoulder and was forced downward. The bone spits open, and blood just poured out. Nikolai groaned in pain as he brought his blade and stabbed Hunk in the chest.
It went through the heart.
Still with the adrenaline running through his system. At last, Hunk placed his legs over Nikolai's chest, and he threw off to Hunters' pit in the middle of the machine. Hunk stood at the edge of the machine, watching Nikolai squirm and scream. The hunters were hissing happily as they tore him apart.
However, his moment of victory was cut short. He fell on his knees, moaning in pain and the sensation of something moving in his veins. His vision started to blur again. "…About time..."
The blade stuck out of him as he drifted in and out of consciousness.
Through an agonizing pain, he fell into darkness. Then, before he lost it all, he heard the sounds of footsteps approaching him. "It's time, my son," John whispered as he placed his hand under his knees and the other over his shoulders and carried him. Then, John felt a bullet fired over the wall right next to him.
"Let my brother go, now!" Night Hawk spoke in a cold, murderous tone as he stood over the threshold of the elevator at the back of the hall.
"You're too late," John smirked and started heading to the door near the machine.
"Hey!" Night Hawk screamed, then he fired like crazy at him, but his effort was futile. John vanished through the door and heard the sound of a lock. Night Hawk stood in the middle of the hall, his red lense goggles staring at the blank door in front of him. "James, why!"
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this, and it was worth the build-up. Reviews are appreciated.
Special thanks to my beta reader, The95will, for his help.