CHAPTER 02: SEARCH AND RESCUE
The police barricade set up on the outskirts of the Arklay Forest passed under them as left behind the city and entered over the countryside. Below the police officers could be seen, five in total, making sure that no one was stupid enough to drive up the old nature trail where one of the bodies had been discovered. The strobe lights of the cruisers flashed, bathing them in red. Just as quick as they'd passed over them, they were soon swallowed up and disappeared into the encroaching darkness of the afternoon.
Jill turned back from the window and leaned back against the cool metal wall trying to keep her mind off of the crash. No one in the cabin said a word, each occupied with their own thoughts as the minutes passed by. Turning to look at Chris, she caught him looking out the window before returning her gaze. For a brief moment, the two locked eyes, and then she cracked a smile, trying her best to ease the tension among them. It helped, but only a little. Jill wanted to say something but decided that right now probably wasn't the time for idle chit-chat.
Anticipation was already started to build up, her leg twitching and her palms getting sweaty. Even after all of her years of service, Jill still couldn't believe that she always got the jitters like a rookie on their first assignment. Her C.O. in Delta had always told her that it was normal. Even the most hardened veteran got this way every now and then, the true challenge was learning to overcome it so that it did not stifle your performance in the field.
"We should be arriving at Bravo's last known coordinates any minute now," Brad confirmed over their headsets they all wore.
Standing up, she walked up to the opposite window and peered out at the forest below. For as far as the eye could see, all she saw were trees in either direction. She recognized the Marble River, one of the many streams that ran through Arklay Forest and into Victoria Lake. A breathtaking view for sure, one that Jill found to be a stark comparison to the otherwise dreadful events that were currently taking place.
"Okay, everyone, listen up," Wesker's voice came in loud and clear over the headsets. "Barry, I want you to begin distributing weapons. Everyone make sure you do one last check on your sidearm, and for Godsake, don't forget to take the safety off once we land."
Returning to her spot on the bench, Jill watched as Barry laid one of the duffle bags next to him and unzipped it to reveal the six handguns inside. Picking one up, he studied it for a brief moment before handing it to Joseph along with two magazines. The young officer pulled back the slide, checking it out and loading the gun before placing it in a holster. She and Chris were next to receive theirs. Both were customized to their own specific choices, hers standing out from the others with its blue color. Taking the firearm, she mimicked the actions of her fellow S.T.A.R.S. members.
The next thing to come out of the duffle bag was Barry's own personal weapon that he used called the Silver Serpent, a modified Colt Anaconda that fired .44 Magnum rounds. A larger version of its cousin, the Colt Python, its barrel was extended a full seven inches in length and had a hair trigger. Jill was thankful she would never have to be on the receiving end of such a goliath of a gun and felt sorry for those that would soon be. It was Barry's pride a joy, he always could be seen cleaning it at his desk or at the firing range practicing on targets. He secured it tightly onto a vest holster before moving on to the next duffle bag.
"Planning to make love to that thing, eh?" Joseph joked, cracking a grin. His trademark joke for Barry when he admired his weapon a bit too much and for once it earned him a laugh from the senior officer.
While the two exchanged a few more jokes to help ease the tension, Jill turned to look out the window once more and felt her heart jump into her chest.
"Look, Chris!" She shouted, pointing at something off in the distance.
Everyone turned to look at what she was pointing at.
Off in the distance about a mile away, a plume of black smoke could be seen set against the backdrop of the setting sun. Brad wasted no time swinging the helicopter to the left, heading directly towards the smoke. The closer they got, the more worried Jill felt. There was a difference between the colors of smoke, particularly black smoke that usually meant something had gone horribly wrong. While there were no signs of a fire, this confirmed for Jill that there had been a serious crash that rendered the helicopter unable to fly any longer.
Everyone's fine, she assured herself as she sat back down on the bench. We'll land and find the others asking us what took so long.
That was a nice thought, but Jill knew that it wasn't that likely to be what happened.
In the event of a crash, it was standard procedure to use flares to alert a search party to the crash site where survivors might still be at. Judging from the smoke, there was no way there were flares set around the area. If anything, they would've been able to see them alongside the plume of smoke. Yet there was nothing. It set this nagging thought at the back of Jill's mind that she otherwise didn't even want to think about.
"Brad, I want you to set us as close to the crash site as possible," Wesker ordered over their headset. "Once we land, I want you to call HQ and have Raccoon General on standby in case there are any serious injuries."
As they drew near the crash, Jill was finally able to see the Bravo Team helicopter and was shocked by what she saw. Indeed, there had been a fire as the field where it had landed was partially lit up with embers that had long since died out from a previous fire. One of the rotors looked bent, but due to the darkness, it was hard for her to tell this high up. From how the trees looked, it appeared that they had been forced to make a very rough landing as several trees were lying on their sides obscuring one side of the helicopter.
Coming to a halt, the helicopter hovered in mid-air for about a minute as a spotlight was snapped on from the side of the cabin and turned to face the crash. It illuminated the dark field, showing just how much damage had been caused. Several pieces of the rotor blades had broken off and were buried in the dirt. The tail was bent around a tree that was slightly uprooted from the impact.
The helicopter slowly lowered in altitude until it touched down in the open field with a soft bump. One hand on the handle of the cabin door, Barry pulled it open and the five members of S.T.A.R.S. each filed out onto the grass. As the last one out, Captain Wesker turned to Brad and gave him a silent nod. Brad said nothing, knowing that it was his job to stay with the helicopter and to make sure that they had a means of evacuation in case something happened.
As a single unit, the five jogged through the field and towards the smoking wreckage with Chris taking the lead. The treeline ahead of them gave way to an overgrown cluster of wild berry bushes. Jill could smell the earthy dirt around them, faint, but overwhelmed only by the smell of acrid smoke.
Bursting through the underbrush, they finally came across the helicopter and looked around for any of the members of Bravo Team. To Jill's shock, there wasn't a single soul around. She was sure that they would've been here to greet them, but it was the exact opposite and left more questions than answers. They wouldn't have just abandoned the area, not when they knew that the Alpha's would soon arrive to help. She turned to look at Chris, who wore the same shocked expression as her and immediately removed his sidearm from its holster.
"Everyone listen up," Wesker announced, the others turning to look at him. "I know this is rather unorthodox, but I'm sure the Bravo's had a good reason for what they did. What I want to do is establish a perimeter, find out what happened, and then pick up a trail to follow. Jill, you and Joseph check out the helicopter while the rest of us sweep the area."
Looking to her right, she made eye contact with Chris for a brief moment and gave a shrug.
There was so much wrong with them splitting up during a situation like this, but there was no time for either of them to stand there and argue with Wesker's orders. Their friends needed them to stay focused and to not cause further division among their ranks with petty arguments. Instead, Jill just chose to follow his orders and hope that nothing further happened that would screw up the night.
"Okay," Jill replied and turned to Joseph. "On me, Frost."
"Roger that," Joseph said with a grin as he hefted up the Mossberg in his hands.
She stepped past the others with Joseph hot on her heels, heading around fallen debris and towards the front cabin where Jill was hoping that they would find something. Behind her, Joseph had his Mossberg lowered and was looking around himself. The door to the cabin stood slightly ajar, almost as if someone was leaving in a hurry and had just left it like that. Coming to a stop, she held up a hand to let him know to follow suit. Using hand gestures, she motioned for him to take up a position on the other side to cover her. Nodding, Joseph moved behind her and waited. Holstering her firearm, Jill grasped the handle tightly and pulled with all of her might. With a squeal, the metal door slowly came open.
Moving forward, Joseph aimed his shotgun into the cabin and when he saw that there was no one inside he relaxed his stance. Pulling out a flashlight from her belt, Jill aimed it inside the cabin. The interior of the cabin was intact, with almost no damage aside from a busted window from the emergency landing. Several boxes of ammunition were open, its contents scattered across the cold metal floor. An emergency medical kit laid open as well, covered in dried blood and leading a trail from the helicopter and off into the darkness. From what she could figure, something had happened that caused the Bravo's to make a quick exit.
"What the hell is going on?" Jill said aloud.
Joseph shrugged, "I dunno', but nothing about this is good."
While the two were discussing this, Joseph stepped past the Bravo's gear and towards the cockpit. He needed to see what could've been the cause behind the malfunction that had caused their emergency landing. First, he needed to find a way to start it and judging by how banged up everything was, it wasn't looking so good. The last time he'd been able to get something this damaged going was back in his days in the Air Force. When something had ever needed tinkering with, Joseph was the only man for the job.
He was about to say something to Jill when something caught his eye just out of the flashlights reach. Probing further towards the front, he thought he saw what looked like a figure cowering under the front seat. Not sure what to think of it, Joseph hastily stepped forward in case it was one of the Bravo's. They could be injured and think they were one of those sick fuckers who were terrorizing the city. However, as he shone his flashlight over the person, Joseph's heart leaped into his chest when it revealed who it was.
The thing in question turned out to not be a thing at all but instead a person. It was R.P.D. Officer Kevin Dooley, his body propped awkwardly in the pilot seat... with one of his eyes clawed out. He was dead. That much he could see just by looking at him. With skin that was sheet white, it looked as if he'd been dead for at least half an hour now. His mouth hung open and contorted from the terror he'd felt as whoever did this to him murdered him. There was a large chunk of flesh missing from just below his chin, which was accompanied by a large pool of blood.
The sudden urge to vomit forced Joseph to retreat from the officer's corpse and he stumbled outside onto the grassy field to throw up the pizza he'd had just ten minutes before.
"What the fuck, Joseph!?" Jill shouted as she jumped back to avoid the puke. "Are you okay?!"
Pointing a shaky hand towards the helicopter, he stammered out, "K-Kevin's dead!"
"What!?"
Jill didn't know what to say.
Kevin had only been with them for a little over a year now, taking Edward Dewey's place as the primary pilot for Bravo Team when needed. He had a wife and a daughter who lived in Raccoon City. Before joining the R.P.D., he'd been a stuntman for an acting company in Hollywood. After settling down and starting a family, he'd wanted something a little less risky. He'd been hired by the R.P.D. mostly for his extraordinary skills as a mechanic and pilot. For this to be his fate almost sounded like the punchline of a very sad joke.
"We need to report this to Wesker," Jill told him and took Joseph's radio while he recovered from what he saw. "Come in, Captain Wesker. This is JIll. Over."
"This is Wesker, go ahead." A voice boomed throughout the night over the radio.
"We found Kevin."
"What's his condition?"
"H-He's dead," Jill said hesitantly, still unable to believe it herself.
There was silence from the radio for a moment before Wesker's voice came back through, "Understood. Continue your search of the area and report back if you find any of the other Bravo's. Over."
"Okay, Joseph," She said, trying to focus on their mission rather than Kevin's body. "Let's do as ordered and see if we can pick up a trail."
Using her flashlight, she aimed it at the forest floor and knelt down to examine the terrain. There were several boot prints in the dirt, all kinds going in different directions and overlapping each other. One definitive clue that she noticed right away was that the majority seemed to be heading off to the right. There was also the blood from the helicopter that went off in its own direction. Something wasn't right about this, Jill could swear that some of the prints left behind looked almost canine in nature but was unsure of it. It was hard to tell from all the other ones. Also, it had rained earlier in the day so most of the ground was wet and muddy.
"We have tracks to follow," She informed Joseph and aimed the flashlight ahead of her before following. "Maybe they'll lead us to the others."
"Right behind you," Joseph assured her as he joined her.
It bothered her that in just the ten minutes since their emergency transmission to HQ, all of this had happened to them. So then where were they? Bullet casings. Spent magazines. No signs of struggle. Something to show what had happened. Instead, all they had to go on were some obscure footprints that led off into the forest and a dead body. Jill wanted to put the pieces of this puzzle together so badly, to make sense of it all and not feel so helpless. For now, however, she was resigned to find her comrades and make sure that they were safe. Once that was taken care of, they could get down to the bottom of what the hell had happened to them.
The trail was winding and long, soft mud covered by leaves that every now and then showed the signs of recent disturbance. Trees dominated much of the landscape, fauna thick and bordering the trail. The weather was also getting a bit cooler, something that Jill had noticed since their arrival minutes before. Fog was starting to roll in thick and dense. They needed to be careful. Jill didn't want to come across one of the Bravo's and accidentally shoot them because of getting spooked by something in the fog.
Out here in the forest, Jill was slowly beginning to notice something very odd. Aside from their presence, Jill was perplexed by just how quiet the forest was. Coming off the helicopter when it landed, she hadn't even noticed this and now that she did it was starting to worry her. Usually, you would hear cicadas chirping, owls hooting, and hear the occasional bear roar from higher up in the mountains of the forest. Yet they hadn't heard any of this. It sent a chill down her spine. The night just kept getting weirder and weirder.
Something isn't right, she thought as she ran her flashlight over the fog.
"Jill, over here!" Joseph's voice called out through the fog on her left. "I-I think I found something!"
Turning around, Jill walked towards where Joseph's voice was coming from. Through the fog she could see him crouched down, looking at something. Using a free hand, he lifted up an object out of the muck and examined it for a moment before Jill finally came to a stop. In the glare of her flashlight, the duo saw with horror that what Joseph had found was in fact a severed hand. Its cold fingers were curled around a handgun with the unmistakable logo of a S.T.A.R.S. Officer on the grip. Letting out a hoarse scream, Joseph threw the hand to the ground took a step back.
"What the fuck is that!?" Joseph screamed, wiping his hand on his pants. "That's a god damn hand for Christ's sake! Who the hell lost their hand!?"
"I-I don't know," Was all Jill could muster.
First, they'd found Kevin torn to pieces in the helicopter, and now this. It was starting to make Jill feel unnerved. Whoever's hand that was was probably either dead or dying right now. They needed medical treatment. This whole mission had been one disaster right behind the other. Perhaps they would be better off regrouping and then coming back with the R.P.D.'s S.W.A.T. Unit to assist them. At least that way they would have an advantage in numbers rather than there only being the five of them.
That was when Jill heard it.
The howl in the fog, others echoing afterward in the distance as shadowed figures began to circle around them. Jill counted at least five. Aiming her gun at the fog, Jill stood her ground and waited to see what it was. It could be some of the Bravo's, but something was telling her that it definitely wasn't them. Next to her, Joseph had his shotgun at the ready. His hands were shaking, a look of horror on his face melting any resolve the seasoned soldier might have had. Her thoughts went back to the meeting back at HQ just before the transmission from the Bravo's had come through and their conversation about the possibility of attack dogs. Had they stumbled into the den of the cannibal murderers? If that were the case, these dogs were highly dangerous and they needed to terminate them with extreme prejudice.
A single figure darted forward through the fog, heading straight for them. It was a dog, that much Jill could tell right away from how it looked. It was coming at them fast, too fast, for either of them to realize what exactly was going on. It lept through the fog at her and she just was barely able to dodge it. Immediately, she was assaulted by a foul odor that reminded her of a refrigerator after its temperature gauge died and the produce inside was left to spoil for weeks. Gagging, she felt like she was going to vomit. There was no way a dog should smell like that! It was almost as if the thing was rotting, but that was impossible.
Or at least that's what she thought as the fog cleared in front of them and the dog turned to face them.
It looked like the dog had been pushed through a grinder. Its skin was torn on either side of its body, ribs poking through and gleaming brightly off of the flashlight pointed at it. One of its ears was missing, having been likely ripped off at some point in its life. Its eyes were bloodshot, with milky white centers that reflected no sense of emotions in its dead eyes. Saliva dribbled down from its open mouth onto the dirt below, its jaw unhinged and hanging off at an odd angle.
The dog looked like it had a bad case of rabies mixed with many other things that her brain could not think of right now. It sniffed the air with its ruined nose, looking down at the dirt briefly before snapping its head up back to them with a soft squish. Once it realized that the two of them were standing there, it growled softly at them. Both Jill and Joseph exchanged a horrified look before it suddenly started forward and once again flew through the air. Dumbfounded at what she was seeing, Jill didn't even think to move out of the way. At the last second, Joseph brought up his shotgun and fired a round right into its face. The dog's head burst open in a spray of red blood, flying backward from the two S.T.A.R.S. Officers and landing in the dirt. Its body twitched as a dark pool of blood began to form under it.
Neither was given a chance to consider what had just happened, as Joseph was thrown to the dirt as another dog jumped onto his back. Pressed down under its weight, Joseph was unable to move as it tore into the back of his neck with its teeth. Letting out an ear piercing scream, Joseph flailed about as the dog continued to bite into him. Raising her gun, Jill tried to find a chance to shoot, but she didn't want to risk shooting Joseph.
"J-Jill, help!" Joseph screamed as he drove an elbow into the dog's face.
"I can't get a clear shot!" She cried out. She felt helpless but knew that if she didn't do something Joseph was going to die anyway. "Fuck!"
Steadying her aim, Jill pulled the trigger.
The first shot went over the dog's head, destroying its remaining ear in a spray of blood and flesh. Whether it even felt it or not, she didn't know. Her next two shots were too wide, missing its target entirely and smacking wetly into the mud behind it. The final shot fired hit home this time, however. Yelping, the dog flew off of Joseph and landed on its side. It began thrashing, trying to get up but unable to. She must've hit its spinal cord.
"Are you okay!?" Jill was at Joseph's side in a heartbeat.
"I-It bit me!" Joseph shrieked as he grabbed at the wound on the back of his neck. Blood was already pouring from the wound and staining the collar of his white shirt.
Moving his hand out of the way, Jill took a look at the wound and exhaled a breath of air she hadn't realized she'd been holding. The wound itself wasn't bad, just some deep gashes from where the dog had been fighting with Joseph. If she hadn't interfered when she did she was sure that it would've been a lot worst. All that mattered now was getting Joseph back to the helicopter and have Brad take a look at him while she warned the others about the threat that they'd just encountered.
Holstering her gun, she reached down and helped Joseph stand up. "Come on, let's get you back to Brad. He can help you with those nasty scratches while I get the others on the radio."
A growl to their left stopped them dead, the two turning to see with horror that there were more dogs. They were all in some stage of decay like the first one, some missing a jaw or even half of its entire face. There were five in total. The one in the center stepped forward, walking over to the one that was still flailing around. If it felt some sort of kinship with the other dog, Jill couldn't tell due to its shredded face. Sniffing at the ground around it, its head cocked up and it bared broken teeth at the two, barking before it ran towards them and leaped into the air at them.
Closing her eyes, Jill braced herself for the attack.
BANG!
Jill turned to see none other than Chris standing just a few feet away from them. He had his handgun trained on the animals, smoke rising from the barrel of his gun.
"Come on! This way!" Chris shouted, waving a hand for the two shocked S.T.A.R.S. members to follow him.
Jil didn't need to be told twice, taking hold of Joseph by the shoulder and following after Chris.
Behind them, Jill could hear the dogs giving chase to them. There were still four of the dogs left, eagerly chasing after their meal. Jill knew that if one of them fell they were screwed, so she instead decided to focus on making sure that they were able to keep up with Chris. He was just a few paces behind them now, covering their rear as he fired randomly into the darkness in the hopes of hitting one of the hounds. Chris got off a few lucky shouts, being rewarded with the painful squeal as another one fell down dead in the dirt.
The helicopter wasn't too far away. Once they regrouped there, they would have the necessary backup to help but those beasts down without having to worry about being surrounded by them. Ahead of them was the clearing where Brad and the helicopter were at. Jill could already see the lights from the side illuminating the ground and hear the whirling blades as the begin began to warm up. For once it seemed like Brad was thinking ahead and not being a complete waste for the team with his cowardice.
At least, that was what Jill thought until she saw the landing gear lift into the air and the helicopter began to fly away. For a brief moment, Jill caught sight of Brad's face and saw that he was terrified. The son'va bitch had left them to die! She knew they should've fired him after last December's fuck up during that bank robbery. However, now was not the time to reminisce, they had much bigger problems coming up behind them through the woods.
"That bastard!" Chris screamed into the night sky, panting. "He left us! He fucking left us!"
"Forget him! What about us!?" Joseph screamed.
He was right.
The dogs had already caught up to them and were heading right for them. Their numbers had doubled by now, another pack having joined them since they lost them minutes before in the woods. One of them wasted no time at all as it sprinted for them, jumping in the air just as Chris was raising his gun. Its teeth were bared and there was no way Chris was going to be able to shoot it in time. It didn't matter, however, as Captain Wesker quickly stepped in front of Chris and fired a single round right into its face.
"Chris! This way!" Wesker shouted as he turned and waved them over.
The three S.T.A.R.S. members sprinted past Wesker, who covered them as he continued to unleash a volley of gunshots on the dogs. Once they were safely past him, Wesker turned and joined the three in running. They'd been abandoned in the forest by Brad, not having the slightest clue as to where they were even running. Chris and Wesker continued to fire their weapons as they ran through the forest, the loud firearms punctuated with each gunshot by the crash of thunder above them. Barry was waiting for them just ahead, his powerful magnum out and aimed in their direction. He didn't need to be told to follow them once they ran past, joining in the fray as the canines snapped at them with bloodlust.
In the distance, Jill thought she could make out what looked like an abandoned gate. Elegant pillars stood at both ends, crumbled remnants of what looked to be blossoming flowers. On either side of it was a cement wall that was covered in dirt and vines that showed just how poorly it had aged over the time since it had been erected. Beyond that looked to be some kind of building. She didn't care where it led, all she knew was that it was a potential safe haven from the canines that wanted to snack on them.
"We're almost there!" Jill shouted, letting the others know that safety wasn't far away.
It took her a moment to realize that the place they were running towards was in fact the Spencer Mansion. It was the very place where several of them believed that the cannibal murderers might be taking shelter. They didn't have much of a choice, however. They could head inside or stay out here with the dogs. Fat chance of that. They wouldn't last half an hour. She'd rather take her chances with the crazy people inside than being exposed in the open night with danger coming at them from all directions.
Running up to the gate, Jill gave it one swift kick and thanked whatever God might be watching over them as it swung open with ease. Looking around briefly, she saw that they were inside a courtyard. Once everyone was through the gate Chris and Wesker slammed the gate closed and threw their weight against it just as the dogs caught up to them. Snapping at them with open maws, the dogs growled and clawed at the gate to force it open. Despite how strong the combined weight of the two men was, they wouldn't be able to hold the gate shut for long. Sooner or later, the dogs were going to get inside.
"This thing won't hold for long!" Chris shouted as his muscles strained. He looked over at Jill and pointed at the door.
"Do something!" Joseph screamed.
"I am doing something!" Wesker shouted back, his boots sinking into the muck.
The door to the mansion was hanging open, Jill saw that there was a bloody outline of boots leading inside. Of all things, the lights were on. There were so many questions but no time for answers. Pushing the door open, she looked around briefly and swept the interior main hall with her beretta before turning to the others and shouting for them to join her.
"In here!"
With no option available to them but to follow, the four men jumped back from the gate and ran towards the open door. The gate behind them crashed open, the dogs charging through. Once the last of them were through, Jill slammed the door shut and slid down the deadbolt. Outside, the dogs crashed against the door and for a brief moment, it looked like the old wood was going to give under the pressure. For the next minute they waited in silence, their weapons trained on the door. Soon the dogs decided to call it quits after realizing their meal had gotten away and the banging ceased.
Letting out a sigh, Jill felt the tension in her chest ease as she lowered her gun. For the moment, they were safe.
End of Chapter Notes:
And here we are!
So now that we've finally arrived at the mansion, the juicy parts of the story can begin to unfold. For those of you who are curious, this is where the changes to the story will begin to take place. They won't be overly changing to the narrative, but some characters who are supposed to be dead when you find them will actually play important parts in the story. For instance, you can see we've already changed things by having Joseph survive the attack from the Cerberus rather than be killed by them.
I will also be writing another story alongside writing this, but, don't worry. Since this is quicker to write, I will be focusing more on Resident Evil and will still go ahead with the planned schedule of putting out a chapter monthly. I find that doing this will help me finish this quicker, hopefully within the next two years.
Review Corner:
Evolution-500: - Thanks for the support! I greatly appreciate it and hope that you will continue to stop by and let your thoughts be known.
