It was near the main hall that Claire was led astray; in a complete circle, she was back in the east office. They was a fresh trail of blood leading into a small personal office. Marvin sat on the floor inside. Somehow, he looked worse as he was completely dead, a fresher bullet wound on his forehead.

Claire moved back through the evidence room and into the corridor after that. She couldn't find the girl just yet, so it was back to finding traces of where her brother disappeared. For all Claire, knew the girl was on the other side of the department. She needed to check out that S.T.A.R.S. office for anything useful. At least it was safe up there.

The jungle wood door creaked slowly open on the rusty hinges. The sound was eerie and tore at Claire's eardrums; the bronzed joints were so close to her ears. After the first step inside, Claire was put in her place. She wasn't alone. Claire was rudely greeted at gunpoint. Staring down the barrel of a handgun, she glanced past the weapon and at the person holding it.

It was a young woman, younger than her. Hardly a day over seventeen, she looked like she belonged in school. She was relatively petite; she had tousled warm black hair and was beautiful; her flawless emerald eyes were innocent and strained.

She wore a green S.T.A.R.S. vest that was far too big for her, didn't look like a force to be reckoned with because she almost looked like an inexperienced youth. A murky R.P.D. badge was seen on her right tricep. She was skittish and sounded scared, like a little child; it looked as if she was crying recently.

"Hold it right there! Don't come any closer!"

"Not again." Claire sighed, raising her hands above her shoulders, not moving. "I'm friendly. I'm human. I'm not gonna hurt you." Claire felt like she had to rehearse something like this for future encounters. Rolling it off the tongue was better in case she was held at gunpoint again.

"I'm sorry. I..." The woman lowered her aim and relaxed her arms. "I-I..." She sighed.

Claire relaxed her arms. "You're a STARS member?"

"No. I… I took the vest from the armoury. Needed protection." The woman shrugged.

"Guess you're another lost soul looking for sanctuary. I'm sorry, the R.P.D. is gone; they're all dead…"

"I know. It's because of the infection. Isn't it? Zombies and all?"

"That's right," the woman replied. "I'm the only officer alive…"

"That's not true. There's a Leon Kennedy here."

"The new guy, really? I gave him fifty-fifty bet he'd be dead before his shift started, or he'd have time to evacuate the city."

"He's good, really good. We're working together; he's trying to find a way out of the city right now."

"That's… something nice to hear after all the crap I had to put up with."

"Have you got a name I can call you, Officer?"

"Sergeant Annette Parker. I'm usually more peppy and festive in introductions, but…" She waved her hand. "This happened… What's your name?"

"Claire Redfield."

Before she could speak, Annette paused for a moment. She was locked in deep thought. "Redfield, huh? Chris' sister?"

"Yeah. I came here to find him."

"I think he's in Europe with other STARS members. I don't believe he's the type of guy to just travel with all this going on; I reckon he's on a mission."

"Where ever he is, I need to find him. Why are you here all alone?"

"I was trying to find survivors. You see, Sergeant Branagh and I organised a defence plan in case things went dicy. I was one of the first to leave the department to find a way out of the city. It... didn't go too well. When I came back, I was hoping to find Captain Wesker to report to, but…"

"Wait… Was it you who killed Marvin down there?"

Annette nodded. "I didn't want to, but he was already turning. He died with honour."

"Damn shame. I kinda liked Marvin." Claire stepped in closer to Annette. She leant towards her with wondering eyes. "But what's this about Captain Wesker…?" Annette didn't respond to Claire's curiosity and started crying in her cupped hands. She sat down at one of the desks to sob a little more. She was useless in her current state, so Claire moved on.

She walked by all the desks; they all had a certain feeling of security on them, then nothing. Silence and fear consumed all feelings of hope. She riffled through all the draws for any scrap of information. She spent more time examining her brother's desk and the desk Annette was sobbing on, Chris' partner's desk. No draw or paperwork was safe to her wandering eyes.

Success ensued. She had found a green notebook in Chris' bottom drawer. It was his diary; Claire hit the jackpot. Why wouldn't she read it? It was just what she needed. The goodies inside were mouth-watering. She flipped the pages to the last few entries - the most recent ones.

August 8th

I talked to the chief today once again, but he refused to listen to me. I know for certain that Umbrella conducted T-virus research in that mansion. Anyone infected turns into a zombie. But the entire mansion went up in that explosion along with any incriminating evidence. Since Umbrella employs so many people in this town, no one is willing to talk about the incident. It looks like I'm running out of options.

August 17th

We've all been receiving a lot of local reports about strange monsters appearing at random throughout the city. This must be the work of Umbrella. Zaac agreed to stay in Raccoon to keep an eye on things during our investigation in Umbrella affairs. I only hope for his sake; he proves good on his promise.

August 24th

With the help of Jill and Barry, I finally obtained information vital to this case. Umbrella has begun research on a new G-virus, a variation of the original T-virus. Haven't they done enough already?!

The STARS team talked it over, and some of us have decided to fly to the main Umbrella H.Q. in Europe. I won't tell my sister about this trip. Forgive me, Claire; it's for your own safety. I don't want to put you in danger.

Claire sighed. She kept Chris' diary close inside her red jacket and investigated the office, mainly around the captain's desk. The dried bloody bandages that littered the desk was fading to a sickly brown, and the area around the desk smelled like a pub. Claire sat down on the leather chair and checked if the terminal was still on like the main hall's.

Same again, like last time, an account was still signed in, being Zaac's. The last activity was a few hours ago. A lot could happen in an hour, let alone six or more, missed him by just a handful. Though it wasn't confirmed, she was confident to know that there could be a chance.

The frustration and joy she had within mixed, and she accidentally struck the keyboard because of it. Annette strolled over to the desk. Her eyes were bloodshot and tired. Haven't even wiped her eyes.

"You okay, Annette?"

"I'll live. Still looking for clues?" She rubbed her weepy eyes.

"Not anymore," Claire said with a wave. "I found what I needed."

"That's good. I heard you say something back there. Is there anything else you're looking for?"

"I need to find out what happened to Zachary Wesker."

"Captain Wesker was killed at the blockade outside Johnson's National."

Claire hid all her emotions behind her blankest stare. She had projected a stern frown, but she felt it was barely enough to hide her grief. "I know he's dead." Claire sighed. "I just want closure."

"Why?"

"I miss him… Been away from each other for nearly a year now."

"I'm so sorry for your loss. He was a…" Annette gulped. "He was a good man." She hid her hands behind her back like a falsely innocent child.

Claire's eyes narrowed. "Thanks…"

"He was a huge inspiration to me and my studies. If it weren't for him, I'd still be in the academy. Taught me everything I know."

"Don't take this the wrong way but were you like… into him or something?"

"What?" Annette waved her hands at Claire disapprovingly. "Aw, nonononono! I liked him, of course, but only as a close friend and a boss. For that matter, I found he was too far out of my league."

Claire sighed. "He has a charm on women."

"The way he speaks, he only has eyes for one woman, and she's sat in front of me, at his desk."

"That was warming, thank you."

Annette smiled. "Don't mention it. But, I gotta say, you're not going to find anything about him on the captain's desk." She handed Claire a file. "That's all I could find about him. You'd best read it. It isn't good news…"

The emotions were conflicting. All these theories on Zaac's outcome were unsettling; she needed a plain answer. But, on the other hand, the undetermined fate of Zaac being killed in action or still alive made his ending more uncomfortable. Finally, a scrawled S.T.A.R.S. file put her curiosity and wonder to rest. Unfortunately, she was probably better off without reading it.

Claire recognised the handwriting anywhere, it was hard to understand, but she digested every word. The hope she had for Zaac was quickly lost once it finally confirmed his fate. It wasn't easy. He committed suicide.

"I can't believe this. He loved me… he really loved me."

"You were his whole world, Claire."

"But he..." Claire exclaimed with dread. "He killed himself. I'd settle for a body just to see him… and he's not here!"

Annette sighed. "Such a powerful man, broken by his love and care for the people."

"I wouldn't want him to suffer anymore."

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but if you're serious about evacuating the city with that Leon fellow, then your best bet is the sewers. In the R.P.D. kennels, there's a utility hole. It was a last resort if Sergeant Branagh and I couldn't exit through the main gate. Of course, some survivors and officers escaped through the main gate earlier, leaving me behind. The manhole is our last chance to get out of here. I swore there was a spare cruiser handy in the parking lot, but I think the watchman busted it."

"It's decided; we're taking leaving through the sewers. I'll let Leon know as soon as I'm able."

"Cool! I'll see what I can do to get open, and I'll wait for you and Leon there. Got a radio?" Claire waved her radio and Browning at her with a smile. "Sweet." Annette walked to the door.

"Wait," Claire called, stopping Annette. She turned around back to Claire with open ears.

"Yeah?"

"I'll be a bit late; I need to look for a little girl."

"Little girl?" Annette let go of the door and turned back around. "There's a little girl here in the precinct? Alone?"

"Yeah. A blonde pre-teen in a blue uniform, a bit on the scared side. I'll find her and meet up with you later."

"I wish you mentioned her earlier, but I guess I'll keep an eye out for her. I'll wait for the two of you in the kennels; I'll just be sure to wait a little longer for you and the girl."

"Sounds good. Thanks."

"Okay," Annette said, leaving the office without another word.

Claire couldn't believe it; for the first time, she felt so insecure. So hopeless. So empty. At the first moment of silence, Claire cried in her cupped hands and sobbed all over the captain's desk. Then, heated moments of mournful wailing on the desk, Claire noticed that the drawers were open slightly like they were closed in a hurry.

All that was left the two of the drawers were scraps of what appears to be 5.56mm rifle bullets. The one at the bottom housed a small wooden box and a large piece of plastic C-4 – plus the detonator. And in the wooden box, only a 9mm Peacemaker. Quite vintage. With no real reason to stay, Claire left the office. Nothing more to do here.