Chapter 11."Fear."
"Come on, where are they?" Steven asked O'Brian, he shrugged at thought of what could happen. The sharply dressed man placed the nib of his left index finger at the edge of his chin then paced around in deep thought. His mind traveled in various directions and his anxious mind started to physically affect him.
"Relax Mr. Kennedy we're still attempting to contact them."
Quint and his partner worked at their desks in silence, everyone waited for them to say something. More specifically… Quint. Who by now did his absolute best while Keith was beside him for emotional support. Clive blinked and made sure not to shake his head then glanced down to the main floor toward Keith. Quint never turned away from his computer and Keith looked up to Clive then shrugged.
Steven closed his eyes for a moment and turned around, going up to the office. Clive subtly turned around to look at the Kennedys. The father walked away from his corner then walked around the room.
It also got some of the employees anxious as well.
Once Steven reached the top of the stairs, he were cautiously peering around the railing, searching for hope, someone could come to them with a good news.
His wife, Elizabeth caught up to Steven then placed her hand on his shoulder, he paused. "Lizzy, don't worry he can take care of himself, besides he's not alone."
"Oh yeah, you know what I think of the most right now? 30 fucking hours of labor, and the long years where we watched him grow up and join the academy, now look what happened to us? we haven't talked much for over seven years." She looked up at him, her cheek stained with tears. "We're losing him, I know you don't want to admit it Steve. He's in trouble now and I'm sure he doesn't want to see our faces in whatever the hell he is right now."
Steven took a seat next to her and held her hand. "Do you know who his partner is?" Elizabeth shook her head then wiped her tears. "Dick Valentine's daughter, she always pulled through from danger, and our boy will be no different."
Elizabeth knew her husband was worried too and only said that to comfort himself as much as her. Still though, it was one of the traits Steven possessed that she grew to love about him. With that, Elizabeth felt comfortable enough to calm herself down.
"Senator Kennedy, over here." Quint called out.
...
Leon ran through the door, he needed to catch her before she tried to take care of this alone. Once he was back at the hall he dropped to his knees and scurried to the side to observe the hall, his heart pounded and slowed down when there was nothing waiting for him. He checked again then saw Jill alone walk around on light footsteps then slowed down at a set of doors. She placed her back to it prepared to go through the double door.
"Jill wait." Leon beckoned. Leon gathered some strength to get back on his feet. He spent a moment to take a deep breath then sprinted down the stairs. "Don't you dare move without me."
Jill's lips curled into a smile, more like a smile of relief. "Excuse me for giving you some space." She remarked at his expense, he rolled his eyes at her as he caught up. She wanted to ask him what was going on.
Who's that man-thing they met before? She remembered Leon's reaction earlier and chose to stay silent. Mostly out of mutual respect from one professional to another.
She watched him move ahead for her toward the Promenade deck door. The golden door was gently pushed open as Jill entered first.
The other-side reviled a stone stairs, leading down to a garage door, the whole place was well-lit and it did made them wonder how the electricity could still be powered. So there still could be someone on the ship that turned it on in recent days or hours ago. Jill frowned at the thought and Leon walked to the next door in their way.
They went through the wooden door and through the small hallway. Right in the middle they could hear the echo of someone shouting. "MaY-dAy, thIs is tHe QueEen ZenObiA."
"Jill, you heard that right?" he asked then checked the gun's magazine. "Maybe it's the officer."
"Yes, there is a survivor! Let's go." she kicked the door at the end of the hall and carefully aimed her weapon, the voice seems to be getting louder there, a husky voice seems to be mixed with a weird-creepy tone.
It was strange. The deck itself didn't look like a deck at all. More of a shopping small shopping district that had a closed stores and a café right across from a small grilling restaurant. Several o of the stores had rubber shades and several table benches had umbrellas. All completely useless outside of comforting the passengers. The tiles of the floor spoke of different style to influence the onlooker to feel as if there were out on land, more specifically, like a small market out in Italy or some other European nation. It got the job done on that, but it didn't change that Jill needed to keep her guard up.
"Come on." Leon said, he turned to the garage door, he bent down and held unto the door it took them a moment to lift the door high enough to go through it. Jill helped him lift it up and the both of them dropped it once they positioned themselves on the opposite side of the wall.
"EmERgEnCy… MaY-dAy, thIs is tHe QueEen ZenObiA."
"The sound is from over there." Leon walked in front of her toward the room. They saw a door closed with crimson padlock, "Hold on!" Leon shouted and aimed at the lock.
Before he shot at it, Jill came in and tried to speak through the door. "Sir, calm down we're going to help you..." Still the man won't stop repeating the words. 'May-day this is the Queen Zenobia, emergency code number...' "Sir?"
Jill turned to look at him, her face is like she mouthed 'what the hell?'
Leon fired at the lock, to their surprise something broke through, Jill stumbled and walked backwards.
"What the..." Leon gasped and he went through the window behind him. It was that same large creature they had seen before, a large bulge of rotten flesh. It stumbled toward them as the engorged head of the person appeared to be featureless but clear enough to tell it had a face. The mouth opened and an elongated tongue dropped out as took a step forward while its huge size caused the body to jiggle. The best way to look at it was to think of it as a bloated watery corpse that held itself together somehow. All that was what they could describe before the right arm lifted up and reformed bone structures composed an organic chainsaw. The ligaments were used as the component to wire the jagged bones to be able to rotate freely.
"Don't tell me that's the Comms officer." Jill commented.
"Go, I'll cover you!" Leon opened fire. Jill walked backward for several steps as she reached the doorway of the room and called out to Leon to follow her. She took the time to cover his retreat and he sprinted down a narrow Bridgeway as he called out to Jill so she could fall back.
Jill went down the stairs, and went against the steel door in the front and aimed her gun waiting for the thing to come.
Leon jumped down over where she was standing, there he saw a bloated corpse emerge, it was standing in between him and the steel door where Jill was.
Leon didn't bother to shoot it, instead drawing his combat knife and charging towards it, worried that in the time that it'd take to aim and get off a good killing shot, that the monster that used to be the comm-officer might leap down fast and hack him apart.
The creature in front of him swung out its misshapen arm at him, and he ducked beneath it and to the side, shoving his knife up beneath the arm and driving the blade through its chin and up into its brain killing it damned near instantly.
He could hear the sound of the large creature coming down the stairs, he draw back his knife and ran. However, when he'd stabbed the monster, the knife'd wedged in place and the outer mucus of the creature caked the handle as Leon pulled the knife away. Leon cringed in disgust but was there by Jill's side before the frustrated, hungry cry of the large bulge could reach him.
"Shhttoopp ittt!" the creature cried shrilly, as they rained down yet more lead upon it. "immmm hooomaaannn!"
"Not on your best day bub!" Leon called, even as he sheathed his filthy knife, and fumbled for his backup weapon. This oughta give the bastard something to think twice about! He snarled inwardly. And then his arm cramped up, and he could feel a surge within his body, and he knew 'they' were waking up. damn it, not now! Leon fought down panic even as he continued to draw his gun, I can't be losing it now, there's no time for another dose!
Jill covered him with her sub-machine gun, firing nonstop the bullets seeming to just sink to the exposed rubbery flesh of the creature, eliciting more horrific howls and garbled words from the still terribly human head on its shoulder, and giving Leon the time needed fight down the cramps in his muscles and draw forth another gun in his belt. The black metal shone in the light as the cylinder spun with the speed-loader he popped into it, and he smirked at the creature.
In his hand shone the dark metal of a 44 caliber LeMat centerfire handcannon. A more practical replica to be precise, utilizing a double action, and modern gunpowder, but every bit as lethal as its Civil War ancestor, as the fiend before him was about to find out.
Leon squeezed the trigger.
The handcannon seemed to roar in the cramped confines of the ship, bucking in his hand, the shot tore on through the mouth of the beast and on out the back of whatever passed for its head, and it stumbled back a ways, the human head's own mouth opening and closing rapidly though no sound came out this time.
Leon flicked the selector switch on the gun, and let loose with the revolver's single shotgun round, blasting the human face dead on and tearing the head off the beast's torso entirely. It stumbled back again, shuddering before ultimately tumbling down the steps and onto the deck below.
For a moment all was still, and the pair breathed a sigh of relief, but then there was a clear hideous sloshing sound and more oozing creatures dropped from the vents in the ceiling. They were similar creatures to the ones the both of them had fought earlier.
"My god." Jill whispered as it seemed once again they were surrounded. Jill & Leon locked eyes, and a thought passed between them, they nodded to one another.
They moved as one, Leon diving towards the Oozes coming at them from behind, while Jill drove forward, her own combat knife flashing through the air, and she hacked their exposed necks with all the force she could muster, in one wide swing that nearly took their heads off altogether.
And while they were preoccupied with holding their heads on, Jill almost casually slid in behind, and gave them both a forceful shove in Leon's direction.
Leon for his part, had dove at the legs of the others, launching a wide sweeping kick that quite literally tore the legs out from under one of the creatures, while the others just fell to the deck, clawing at one another in confusion and rage.
Leon dodged their clawing hands, and pushed past the two Jill had sent stumbling his way, giving them an extra shove so that they fell into a confused mess with the other three.
It was almost comical as the five slime covered abominations fumbled at one another, clawing and screeching, and attempting to get back to their feet and at the ones that had put them in this situation, even as Jill pulled the pin on a grenade and tossed it in their midst.
The explosion sent a dust cloud over the area. Several bloated corpses flung out from the impact. One of them was sent backwards and head first into a wall. Something snapped and it just fell over to the ground entirely dead this time... hopefully.
"Finally some peace and quiet. " Leon commented. "Nice job Valentine, not that I'd expect anything less." Jill breathed in deep and a soft laugh followed. "Yeah, not bad yourself Kennedy."
Leon waited, but it became quite obvious that she'd said all she was going to on the matter."What ? Nothing else ?" He pressed, a smile playing at the corners of his lips, despite his annoyed tone.
"Nope, just take the compliment and don't drag it out. " Jill chuckled, rolling her eyes.
" Why thank you, " He grinned, "I- gyuh!" In the middle of the walk he felt another pain spread throughout his body, like something heavy moving within his chest. A harsh cough came, he couldn't hold back, doubling over and wretching violently.
Jill stopped and turned, watching him worry evident in her face. "Are you... ?"
Leon waved his hand in gesture to go ahead before him. "I-I'm fine just... gooo-grrkk!" He clutched at his chest and throat, and felt his veins popping out, straining against his skin. Not now! he thought with a low groan, my medicine... they-
He stood up straight, and forced a placid smile across his features, despite the pain wracking his body. He had to get this under control, he had to keep it under wraps.
"I'm fine," He assured her yet again, though neither of them believed it, "I... I just have a condition that... doesn't react well to stress like this, let's move on."
"Sure... whatever you say Ice man." Jill said
They proceeded onto the room where the large creature had been. It was small, obviously meant for storage. The room itself appeared to have nothing really out of place. Like nothing had ever happened. On the shelf at the right side they saw the small key and a file next to it.
" Here it is, finally. " Jill took it and noticed Leon outside lowered his head out of view, setting still like a statue.
"What ?" she asked as she came closer to him. "Are you okay?"
Out of nowhere Leon jumped and held her throat with both of his hands, squeezing with a death grip. Jill felt the air vanish too fast as she tried to fight his heavy grip.
His eyes were bloodshot, with what looked like black tendrils threading through them "Wha...do … " She tried to speak, her vision begin to blur, and she jabbed him as hard as she could in all the vital areas she could reach, he only grunted and seemed to squeeze even tighter. Just as she felt the black of unconciousness beginning to close over her, Leon released his grip on her, and she fell to the floor gasping for air, and straining coughing.
" What the hell you think you were doing ?" She asked between heavy breaths. "Is this one of your jokes?" She demanded, her hand not straying far from her gun. "If so, its not funny!"
There was a horrified expression painted in his face. "… I didn't mean to … I... " He fumbled about his person, even as she watched him carefully. He drew out a steel vial, and a small device that proved to be an injector as he combined the two.
She watched silently as he pulled down the collar of his shirt to expose his musclular chest, aimed carefully then pushed the needle of the injector into his flesh, pressing it into his own heart, and pulled the trigger on the injector, dispensing the contents of the vial into his bloodstream.
She noticed that there were a good many scars on that chest, some of them obviously from other similar injections. He shook for a moment, and a sheen of pink sweat shone over his features, a sure sign of blood vessles having ruptured, one she was all too familiar with, having experienced it herself, from all the stress of taking on the various abominations of Umbrella.
Soon though his body ceased its mild convulsion, and though he appeared tired, he also looked more normal, with far less tension in his body. "What the hell was that?!" she demanded, eyes never leaving him, and her hands still resting close to her gun and blade.
He closed his eyes and sighed, "I... have a type of epilepsy." He rubbed at his chest carefully. "I take pills to keep in check but..." he wiped some of the sweat from his eyes and sighed, "as you just saw, the pills don't always work like they're supposed to, espescially in times of stress, which is when I need an injection of the good stuff in my pack here." he patted at his utility belt. "
"So that's why you-" she started, and he nodded a sorrowful look in his dark eyes, "yeah... its rare but, sometimes my body tends to get rather... aggressive when I'm in one of those states... but its no excuse, Jill I-" She held up a hand, an understanding look in her eye, "No, its okay you weren't yourself." She nodded in the direction of the way out of the deck, since there is no way back through the garage door."Let's just forget about it and move on okay?" she continued.
He nodded, a complicated expression dominating his features. "Alright... you go on ahead, I want to check something out."
She frowned, "Splitting up really isn't the best idea Kennedy, you of all people should know that."
Leon closed his eyes then sighed. "I'll be fine, I just... well I think I saw something down there that could be of use to us, but it might be nothing. I'll investigate it and follow you, won't take but a few moments."
Jill nodded reluctantly, then made her way up ahead alone. Once the sound of her footsteps vanished, he took in a deep breath.
That was close... too close. He thought, and rubbed at his eyes tiredly. The muscle relaxer/suppressant concoction had done its job, and he couldn't have been more relived about that fact. I still can't believe they cleared me for missions like this... even though they know what could happen.
He could feel 'Them' twisting and turning about in his flesh, feel their tendrils wrapped around his innards, pulsing, squeezing down on him like a vice, and then relaxing abruptly, rinse and repeat, slower and slower as the muscle relaxers worked their magic, and enabled the suppressant work its own charms.
He wiped at his face one more time, before standing up straight and making his way carefully down the stairs.
Gun at the ready, his ears tuned to any sound, he looked about for targets but the place was peaceful. They did just clear it out. Leon took a moment to relax.
His vision blurred yet again, and he braced himself for what he knew was coming.
Before him, the decks, the ooze covered walls, and the broken glass all around... it all bled away, fading out to be replaced with the sight of a cool autumn morning and he saw children running around a playground making piles of brown-reddish leaves, they jumped straight in to hear them crunch. The pieces of it leaves scattered about in the air and flew like feathers on the wind. A couple of families scattered around. Mothers and fathers helping their children up onto the monkey bars.
There he saw himself, a seven years old cheerful kid playing in the swing, his arms are wide open and his eyes closed like he is welcoming the wind and the beautiful feeling that followed it.
" Hey baby. " He heard a gentle voice.
He opened his eyes, only to see his mother in front of him holding a camera. " Say cheese. "
Leon's lips curled into a warm smile, remembering the good years. "Wake up Kennedy. " He whispered, and the vision vanished. He tightened his grip on his gun... the gun his mother had given him, and went after Jill.
Thank you for reading.
Special thanks to my good friend The Grinning Psychopath.