Chapter 15: A Different Path
Jill plucked the folded paper from the alabaster jar. "Got it, Barry."
The older man grunted as he helped Jill climb down the marble statue. It was of a woman carrying a water jar staring toward the main hall. Clothing left something to be desired, but it was by far the most ostentatious piece in the room. Each of the four walls were decorated with various portraits and luxurious photographs in rich wooden frames.
Jill didn't like the fact that all of them seemed to be staring at her and Barry. That zombie has my nerves on edge, she realized. Up until tonight, Death, for all of its horrible finality, had been a known quantity. Her service in the military and law enforcement had given her more opportunities than most to see its mark. She may have a couple of scars from the scenes and bodies she had witnessed, but they had come with a strength and respect for the fate of all.
The zombie had taken that neat and rational view of reality and smashed it at her feet. If zombies could happen, what else among the vast paranormal world might also be true?
Jill stopped herself from biting her lip. It had been a nervous tic she had in her teenage years, and one that had been successfully banished years ago. Instead of dwelling on that uncomfortable truth, she unfolded the paper and looked down at a map of the mansion.
Barry peered over her shoulder. "That's a lot of ground to cover."
"We'll manage," Jill answered as she memorized the image. She flipped the map over and frowned. "Only the first floor."
The older man stepped back and threw a look at the ceiling. "I saw three floors when we were walking in." He focused on Jill. "And we don't know if there is a basement to check."
"It's unlikely any member of Bravo team would be that deep in here."
"Unlikely, but we can't rule it out." He gestured toward the curtained doorway nestled into the back corner of the room. "Check that out next?"
Jill focused on the large and patterned drawer blocking the entrance. "We haven't been quiet, and that doesn't look like it's been moved in a while. They should have heard us by now."
"Unless they're unconscious," Barry said quietly. He didn't need to touch on any other possibilities after what they had been through.
Jill nodded reluctantly, her auburn swaying beneath her beret. "You're right. You want to take point again?"
"You know me. Just make sure nothing creeps up on me."
The worst part was that Jill found herself subconsciously expecting like that to happen. It didn't take more than a minute for Barry to move the drawer out of the way, but Jill's muzzle locked on the space behind him the entire time.
Nothing happened.
Barry readied his magnum and walked beneath the curtains. White sheets covered large objects lining the walls. With no one to see her, Jill shot a distasteful look at those sheets as her mind tried to work out if ghosts now existed. He slid to a halt next to the ninety degree turn in the small hallway. He flashed a look around the corner. He glanced at Jill and whispered, "I think it's another…zombie." The word tumbled out of his unwilling mouth.
Jill paused before she asked the unwanted question, "Is it one of ours?"
Barry checked. "No."
"Anything past it?"
"No, the hallway ends with a bookcase."
"Then, let's just move on."
The two STARS members shuffled out of the hallway back into the art room proper. Jill couldn't help but think it was absurd. They hadn't been nearly as careful when they entered the room. If the zombie didn't hear them the first time, it probably was unaware of their presence. Even so, the pair moved with a weight on them as they exited through the room's other door.
Or attempted to. An emblem of a sword sat above the locked handle, denying them access. "Give me a second, Barry," Jill murmured before taking out her new lock pick. The lock may have been stubborn, but it was an older model. The older a lock was, the easier it was to pick, and this lock was several decades old. A flash of triumph filled Jill as the lock clicked open; its sword emblem now only an observer of its defeat. "Let's go."
Another hallway greeted their eyes. Checkerboard, marble flooring echoed their steps as their eyes scanned over the symmetrical shapes on the wallpaper. The one thing Jill was thankful for was the electricity still running. None of the bulbs on the chandeliers had blown either. Best of all, no zombies in this half of the hallway. Like the last one, the hallway jerked to one side.
Both of them froze as they heard the distant pop of a gunshot from the direction Chris and Daniel went to. They strained their ears but didn't hear a second shot. If they were in danger, there would have been more firing, Jill reasoned as she resumed her tactical walk. Barry followed one step behind her.
As the two of them passed by pottery-bearing cabinets, Jill whispered, "How are you doing?"
Barry grunted. "Struggling. First, Bravo disappears. Wesker is MIA for the first time ever. Then the kid. Zombies. Wesker gone again and Forest. Nothing has turned out right in the last couple of days."
This time Jill took point as she lined against the corner. She popped her head out for a second and saw the other half of the hallway was devoid of threats. "It's hard to get a handle everything, but we're STARS."
"Yeah, we're STARS. The first police unit to fight against zombies," Barry said wryly. "Wished they had covered that possibility during the last safety briefing."
"We'll adapt," Jill replied, hoping the statement was enough to will it so. "Just think of it as another rescue mission. All we need to do is find the rest of Bravo Team, Wesker, and Joe. Then, we're one evac away from this place."
Barry was silent as they passed another window. The dark view outside reinforced how aged the place look. The wallpaper looked musty and worn. It was an uncomfortable reminder of how decay seemed to rule this night. "Should we, though? This didn't happen by accident."
Both of them froze as the door in front of them moved. The old brass knob squeaked as it slowly turned. "Sims said they couldn't open doors," Jill breathed. That didn't stop them from aiming their weapons as the door creaked open a hair.
Then the door flew open, and Richard Aiken stormed through. He came to an abrupt halt as his eyes raced through friend and foe training. All police training emphasized the importance of always knowing who or what you were about to squeeze the trigger on.
Thus, disaster failed to manifest as a smile broke over Richard's face. "Jill! Barry!"
Jill closed her pale blue eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Without realizing it, a part of her had been fearful that they wouldn't be able to find any of Bravo Team alive. Barry smiled a similar weight-releasing smile as he hoisted his magnum away. "Richard, you're a damned good sight."
The blonde cop stepped to the side as he said, "It's not just me, Barry."
Rebecca Chambers marched through the doorway as she wore a relieved smile at the two members of Alpha Team. "It's good to see you," she said. The greeting was both heartfelt and awkward. Jill didn't blame the younger woman. The medic hadn't had the time to become enmeshed in the camaraderie the rest of STARS felt for each other.
With the exception of Wesker, of course.
Neither Alpha Team member could return the greeting before a strange sight sauntered in after Rebecca. She was young but taller than Rebecca. A brunette ponytail flapped behind her from beneath what appeared to be a genuine cowboy hat. The young woman spared a half-bored look over both Alpha members before she threw out a "Howdy."
"Hello," Jill returned. In a room filled with STARS badges and bulletproof vests, the teenager's blue hoodie carried less weight in both senses. "You must be Jessica June."
With a cocky grin enhanced by the telltale signs of combat, that did carry weight. "Damn straight. I see my reputation precedes me."
Rebecca perked up as she focused on Jill. "Does that mean Daniel and the others made it back to Raccoon City safely?"
Oh boy, Jill thought to herself, but Barry beat her to it. "Daniel? He's here."
A look of fury exploded over Rebecca's face. "What!"
"Ha ha!" Jessica laughed. "Called it. Knew he couldn' stay away from the action."
Richard's eyes bounced between his two comrades and the two Alpha Team members. "Who's Daniel?"
Rebecca explained as her eyes scanned the mansion as though she could see through the walls to the target of her ire. "Daniel Sims is a soldier who accidentally became in the investigation last night with his friends. I ordered him to return to Raccoon City with Kevin and his remaining friends for treatment and safety." Concern mixed with the anger as her gaze flashed back to Jill. "Is he doing well?"
Well was not the term Jill would have used. Combat-capable, yes. Wounded, also yes. Battered down by fear and loss? Definitely so. The more she allowed herself to think about Daniel's condition, the more she questioned Wesker's decision to allow the young man to accompany Alpha Team. "He's holding together," Jill answered, leaving out the word 'barely'.
Perhaps sensing the omission, concern became Rebecca's dominant expression. "I should check on him. He could probably use a quick medical examination after what he has been through."
Jill didn't disagree, but Jessica had other thoughts as she smirked and threw a sly glance at the medic. "I'm sure he'd like that."
Rebecca rolled her eyes, and Jill couldn't help but wonder what had happened yesterday. She remembered Rebecca more as a young, bubbly woman. The one standing before her seemed hardened. In all honesty, it was a transformation Jill had half-expected the more missions Rebecca served on, but shift, small as it might be, had unexpected strength to it. Both Bruce and Daniel had given brief or vague descriptions about the past events. Yet, judging by Daniel's wounds, Jessica's worn exterior, and even Rebecca's shifting attitude, something serious had happened. Jill would need a proper debrief soon, but that would have to wait.
"He and Chris are combing through the western side of the mansion. We are due to meet up with them in two hours. You can examined him then. Right now, we could use your help in searching for the other members of Bravo and Alpha Team. With you two and Kenneth accounted for, that leaves Enrico, Forest, Joe, and Wesker missing."
"Wesker is missing?" Richard repeated with eyes full of doubt.
"You found Kenneth?" Rebecca asked with eyes full of wary hope.
Both Alpha Team members hesitated as they glanced at each other. Rebecca's hope dimmed in a knowing way that Jill hated to see. Police work could be a brutal thing, but there were a few individuals who managed to handle it with the same optimism and energy they had started with on their first day. Jill had hoped Rebecca might have been one of those people. To see even a hint of hard cynicism replacing her previous personality hit Jill harder than she thought it would.
"I'm sorry to say Ken's dead," Jill said quietly.
Rebecca didn't cry, but Jill could see a wave of exhaustion roll through her.
"Wesker and Joe are missing," Barry reiterated after a moment. "They disappeared few minutes after we entered the building. We need to find everyone as quickly as possible."
Richard gestured a thumb to the door behind him. "We entered the rear of the mansion and stuck to the outer hallways as best as we could. Didn't see anyone."
"And we just came from the main entrance," Jill said with a nod. She opened one of her cargo pants and pulled out the folded map. "I have a blueprint of the first floor here. Let's go over what we've both covered, and then we can knock out the rest of the floor as fast as we can."
