Chapter 12: The Hope We Cultivate

Wesker was not in the main hall. Daniel felt an immense weight lifted from his shoulders. He still wasn't sure what kind of threat Wesker was to the blond teenager, but he did not want to take any chances.

"Wesker," Chris called out as he scanned the room.

"Joseph!" Jill added.

Daniel blinked his green eyes. Joseph is gone. Joseph is gone! For the first time since he had learned the horrible news of Tim's death, a flicker sparked in his soul. If Wesker had taken Joseph prisoner, Joseph would be safe for the rest of the night. It wasn't a guarantee of survival, but it was close to it.

A cynical inner voice attempted to douse the spark. We thought Kevin was safe too, and he still died. Daniel winced at the thought, but he couldn't deny its cruel logic. This situation was better, but destiny had proven to be a stubborn opponent. At this moment, Daniel had yet to win a hard victory against it, while it had claimed three of his friends' lives in payment for his intervention.

"Where did they go?" Chris asked, a sharp note of frustration in his voice.

Barry took one last scan of the area before grimacing. "Looks like we'll have to find them too. Chris, I guess that leaves you in charge."

Everyone turned toward Alpha Team's Pointman. Daniel was especially curious as to what would happen next. Nothing like this had happened in the video game. Either Chris stood alone with some help from Wesker, or Jill took the lead with support from Barry. Looking over the three STARS members, a random through struck the soldier. Have these three always been color coded? Jill's shoulder pads were blue, Chris' vest was green, and Barry's vest was a dull red. The three colors of herbs.

To Daniel's surprise, Chris' intense blue eyes focused on him. "You knew what we were walking into."

Daniel quirked an eyebrow, "Well-"

"That's not a complaint," Chris cut off, holding a hand up. "I mean you have a far stronger grasp on the situation than any of us. You could have taken the helicopter ride back, but you argued with the captain to come with us, despite knowing the danger. I admit, I wasn't sure what to make of you when I first saw you. You knew about the mansion, and you knew about the… monsters. Do you have any advice for us, right now?"

Do I? True, Daniel possessed a wealth of information at his disposal. Yet, he couldn't reveal everything he knew. Sure, Alpha Team was coming around to zombies and monsters. Time travel was a different subject. That applied from both angles. Not only would they probably distrust such a claim, Daniel believed he had a duty to protect how extensive his knowledge was of future events.

Even if he had completely botch that duty with Rebecca and Billy.

Daniel's first instinct was, ironically, to follow through with Wesker's plan. In theory, none of these three should die during the night, which meant splitting them up would maximize their progress. But Barry would soon become a temporary traitor. Daniel didn't know when Wesker would get to him, but Daniel doubted he could entirely prevent that from happening. He just had to make sure he was in the right place to prevent Barry's death.

So, whatever else happened, Daniel knew two things. One, he must never be by himself, 'less Wesker catch him alone. Two, he couldn't be alone with Barry.

His eyes flashed between Jill and Chris. Was Daniel supposed to pick between the two of them? Or maybe it was time to do the really smart thing?

"It's going to get a lot worse," Daniel explained, leaning back against one of the marble pillars. "The zombies are actually the least of our worries. We're looking at a virus that can infect and been used to explicitly create a number of bioweapons." He took a deep breath. "And they're going to be all over this place. If it was anything like the Training Facility I went through with Rebecca, this place is going to double as a maze. We're going to have to deal with a number of puzzles just to get around the place. All that said, my recommendation is we all stay together and move as a unit."

Chris nodded as his gloved hands tightened on his Beretta's handgrip. "Do you know where the rest of Bravo Team is?"

For once, Daniel's all-too-expressive features didn't betray what he knew. When the emotional reaction came, he smothered it with the darker emotions lingering within him. "Not really. I only fought with Rebecca, Edward, and Enrico. I know they were on their way here, but that's all I can tell you."

Chris mulled that one over. "So, we don't know where they are, and, if they're like Kenneth, they're coming here as individuals." A fearful grimace spread over his features. "Where they can easily be overwhelmed."

"Any tips for fighting the monsters?" Jill interjected.

Daniel tapped a finger against his head. "Headshots are usually the answer." He frowned and glanced back toward the dining room. "Although, you might have to aim directly between the eyes to make it count. Besides that, everything will eventually die with enough bullets." He tossed a glance at the huge combat knife on Chris' shoulder. "Or stab wounds. Finally, close doors you go through. Helps keep numbers manageable."

"Alright, in that case, I think we'll go with Wesker's plan. Split up in pairs to cover ground faster. I won't deny your evidence to stay together might be better, but I can't stand the idea of leaving our comrades exposed by themselves," Chris declared.

Daniel shrugged his nonchalance.

"We should start on the first floor," Barry added, his balding head turning from side to side.

"Agreed." Chris pointed a finger at Daniel. "Private Sims, you're with me. We'll head back through the dining room and recon that way. Jill, Barry, opposite direction," he finished as he nodded to the opposing double doors. He took a moment to study the time on his watch. "Whatever happens, we'll reconvene back here in two hours and go from there."

"I count three of them."

Thunder cracked above them, but the rain had yet to arrive. Rebecca was thankful for that small mercy as she peered through the iron gate. The dark pool laid behind them. They had safely circumvented it without incident, which had brought them to their current obstacle. The gate wasn't locked thankfully. No, the obstacle was what awaited past the gate and down a short stairway.

The elegant fountain did not bless the courtyard with flowing water and had long been overrun by grime and plant life. Pacing above the fountain center and below the vine-covered gazebo were three zombie dogs. Whether by sight or smell, none of them had detected the humans staring into the courtyard.

Jessica hefted her submachine gun with a grin. "Goin' need this baby for this job."

Richard's gaze lingered on the zombie dogs for a moment longer, forcing himself to adapt to this new monster, before his eyes slid toward the confident cowgirl. "Is that necessary?"

With a grimace, Rebecca nodded. "We can't simply run around them; they're faster."

"And, no offense, but the odds of us nailin' their heads from this range before they start chargin' aren't in our favor," Jessica added, his brown eyes alight.

"Do you have a full clip in there?" Rebecca prodded.

With awkward movements, Jessica pulled the clip out and looked over it. "This one's pretty empty, actually. I'll just switch it with a full one."

"I can take care of them," Richard started as he switched from handgun to his assault shotgun.

"Uh-uh," Jessica countered as she pulled a clip out from a back pocket. "Unless you're carryin' a lot more ammo than I think, this one's mine 'cause I've got eight full clips to burn through. How much ya got?"

"Nine shells."

Jessica patted Richard's shoulder. "Tell ya what. Ya can follow me in and watch my back, while I clean house. How's that sound?"

Richard accepted the pat and suggestion with a nod. "The moment I think you're in too much danger, I want you to fall back to here. Rebecca, we'll be counting on you to control the gate."

Rebecca nodded before holstering her handgun. Her hands locked on one half of the gate. "Ready."

Richard cast one last solemn look at Jessica. "I'm not satisfied with this arrangement, but I'm willing to give you a chance on this. On your mark, we go in."

A huge grin spread out over Jessica's face.

"Don't go crazy with it," Rebecca warned. "You have ammo right now, but we might need it later. You know how… big the bioweapons can get."

"Just had to rain on my parade," Jessica grumbled as she took up her position next to the gate. "Fine, I won't go crazy. Anything else you goin' whine about?"

Rebecca rolled her eyes but shook her head.

"A'ight. On three. One. Two. Three!"

In one smooth motion, Rebecca undid the lock and threw half of the gate open. Jessica advanced in as she picked her first target. The zombie dogs jerked their heads to the new sound. The closest one didn't get a chance to do anything else as a hail of gunfire tore into its side. The bullets may have been a smaller caliber than others, but a dozen of them was enough to send the z-dog crashing to the ground in blood and gore.

The other two snarled and sprinted to the stone landing which gave Jessica and Richard the high ground. The second one rounded to the stairs and made it no further. Jessica was more than happy to hose it down with lead.

The third z-dog charged from the opposite direction. It leapt up the stairs straight toward Jessica's back. Another smaller thunder roared against it. It was thrown back in a wave of buckshot. It rolled down a couple of steps before coming to a halt at the bottom. It growled as it struggled to its feet.

Jessica didn't give it the chance as she ended its undead existence.

"Thanks," she told Richard as Rebecca stepped through the gate.

Richard scanned the bodies one more time. He turned to Jessica. "You handled yourself well."

"I told ya before. Professional Monster Slayer."

For the first time, Richard cracked a smile. "You did. Now, let's get back to meeting up with the rest of Bravo Team." He turned to the medic. "Rebecca, thank you for having both of our backs."

Rebecca now had her own small smile as she replied, "No problem, Richard."

Jessica was already climbing down the stairs as she pulled out the magazine. "I suppose I should combine this one with the mostly empty one."

"It'd be smart," Richard agreed as the two Bravos started walking. "How about you stay behind us for a moment as you take care of that?"

Jessica threw him a flat look before slinging her submachine gun. "I just took out those dogs, and ya still keep tryin' to keep me out of danger."

"Part of the job," Richard answered without rancor. "Also, you can't fight and fix the clips at the same time."

Despite some vaguely dark mutterings, Jessica allowed the two of them to pass her as she started to shift bullets from one magazine to the other. "One of these days, ya're gonna find out that I'm not some simple civilian in need of a knight."

Rebecca couldn't help but mentally agree. The truth that Richard hadn't suspected was far stranger. She grabbed a couple of herbs as they crossed the courtyard. The mansion steadily came closer into view. They were almost there.

"Maybe," Richard allowed as he switched weapons again. "For now, let's just make it through tonight."

A little ways past the gazebo, the trio came to a pair of weathered, wooden doors. "Just a glance," Richard said to Rebecca. Again, she nodded her understanding as she took her place with hands on one of the handles.