8. The Plague Cometh

Cindy Lennox clasped her hands together in prayer, her eyes closed and her face serene. She asked God to guide her, to help her concentrate on her job, to be nice to all the customers and to not make any mistakes, or at least as few as possible. And if or when she did, she asked God to help her keep from crying, to stay calm and apologize, and she prayed the customers would understand. She prayed for all the customers she would be waiting on, she prayed for Will, the bar's cook and bartender. She even prayed for Jack, as grumpy, rude, and negative as he is. He prayed that all the customers got home safe, that no fights would break out, and everybody would have a good time. And then, before concluding her session, she prayed for George Hamilton, investing an even greater degree of personal emotion into his prayer than she placed toward the others.

"Amen," she said cheerfully.

She looked into her locker and smiled at the small plush Mr. Raccoon doll that smiled back at her. She knew that maybe it was childish, but her youthful spirit always took joy in the smallest things, and she felt as long as it kept her happy it didn't matter.

"You're so cute!" she said, playfully pinching the doll's tiny nose.

She closed her locker and smiled, feeling better than she did several minutes ago upon arriving at the bar. Jack had scolded her, looking angrier and meaner than he usually did, for leaving a package he asked her to transport to the wine room at the upper base of the stairs. What could she do? The wine room was locked, and every time she tried to ask Jack for the key, he was busy yelling at somebody on the phone in his office and waving her off. Cindy felt sad, and maybe a little frustrated, but praying seemed to help her deal with Jack and the general downers that accompany life.

She stepped out of the staff room and made her way through the hallways and down the stairs to the bar. She practiced smiling as best as she could, hoping her renewed spirit would pass onto the usually glum and somber, and occasionally "weird" customers that drowned their sorrows at J's bar. She stepped out and locked the door behind her. There weren't many customers yet, so Cindy hurriedly made her way to one that was sitting near the door to the staff area, David King.

"Hello sir," she said gleefully, pulling out her tiny notepad. "Have you been helped?"

David looked at Cindy out of the corner of his eye, and let out a low grunt.

"He just wanted a drink," Will said. "I took care of it."

"Oh, okay," Cindy said embarrassed.

"Hey, Cindy!" Kevin Ryman said, who was seated in the middle of the bar in front of Will.

"Hello, Kevin!" Cindy said, waving. "Want the usual?"

"No thanks," he said, gesturing with his drink in one hand. "Will's got me taken care of."

"This is going on your black list, Kevin." Will said.

"Aw Will," Kevin said sadly. "Just when I was startin' to have fun you throw me in the gutter!"

"I won't be your supplier Kevin, I'm just doing my job, and your trudging on thin ice now."

"I get my paycheck tomorrow, take it easy!"

The bell that hung over the door to the bar rang out as Mark Wilkins and his friend Bob entered. Cindy quickly met them.

"Welcome to J's Bar!" she said. "Is it just the two of you?"

"Yes please," Mark said.

"Follow me please!" Cindy led them to a table and took their orders.

"Ya' know Will," Kevin said. "You oughta add some fresh tunes to the juke box. This jazz stuff is cool and all, but a regular like myself can only bear so much. I might take my business elsewhere!"

"You've got more debt than any of our regulars Kev," Will said with a smirk. "That's not exactly a profit on our part."

"But I attract some fine folk," Kevin said confidently. "See, there's some more now!"

A man dressed in a yellow Raccoon City Volunteer Corps jacket stepped in and made his way to the bar, then ordered a drink and removed the hood from his head. It was George Hamilton. He sat at the bar and clasped his hands together, then placed his chin on his knuckles in deep thought.

I couldn't do it, he thought to himself. I couldn't sign those papers. I'm not man enough to admit that it's over, that it's been over for much longer than I wanted to believe. I cannot give her peace, not yet. Maybe there's still a chance that-

He glanced across the bar and spotted Cindy Lennox, and no sooner than his brain processed the information did his heart begin thumping hard against his chest, and he shifted his face down behind his hands as if trying to hide his identity. He wished he could lift the hood over his face, but that would only make him obvious. He thought about just getting up and leaving. Why was she here? She didn't work today, he thought. Did she take a new shift? This is insane. I'm going to just get up and-

The door swung open and Alyssa Ashcroft stepped in, dressed in her business suit and a bag holding her laptop computer slung around her shoulder. She brushed her hair to make sure she looked fine and walked in. She scanned the bar and spotted Will. Will recognized her, then handed George his drink.

"Here you are, sir. Cindy, I have to take a short break," Will said.

Cindy looked over at the bar, and almost instantly recognized George. Surprised, she completely lost her train of thought and only uttered his name to herself. Soon their eyes met, and George embarrassingly hid behind his knuckles again.

Will stepped around the bar.

"Hey Will," Kevin said. "Where ya' goin'? I'm nearly done with my shot!"

"I hafta take short break Kev," Will said fixing the cuffs of his shirt, which he often did when he was nervous. "I'll be right back."

Will stepped into the men's room.

"So he had to take a piss," Kevin said shrugging his shoulders, when he felt the air of somebody passing by him.

He looked to the side and saw Alyssa, who was making her way to the bathrooms. She walked as if going to the ladies' room, then glanced around the room briefly, and quickly snuck into the men's room.

"Wait a sec," Kevin said to himself. "Where've I seen her before? She looks like-nah, can't be."

In the men's room Will adjusted his collar and cuffs nervously as Alyssa stepped in, her hand on her hip.

"So, what did you get for me, Mr. Will?" she said with a sly smirk. "Something juicy I hope." She licked her lips in a mock seduction.

Will reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper.

"Everything you need should be there," he said.

"And just what is this? I'm not going to just take your word for it, buster."

"Memos, transactions, everything about Jack's embezzlement is there. Transcripts of phone conversations too. I know you can't use those exactly, but I swear they're real. I think he might even be shafting us, his staff. I know for certain that he takes advantage of Cindy; she's so sweet, but so naïve, she has no idea."

"That girly blonde waitress?"

"Yes. He's under paying her, but she doesn't even know it. He might even be forging her signature."

"This is some pretty deep shit here, pal," Alyssa commented, pocketing the slips of paper.

"Please," he pleaded. "You said I would be anonymous, right? That you wouldn't give any evidence out as to my identity, or anybody else on staff?"

"No no," Alyssa said crossing her arms in an annoyed tone. "Of course not. But you're risking a lot by showing me this, Jack might fire you anyway."

"Well," Will said. "Yeah, I guess that's true. But I can find another job. That rat needs to be exposed. I called your paper knowing you would expose him for the scum he is. But I don't want to put any of the staff in danger, especially not Cindy. She's so nice, and she seems to enjoy this job."

Alyssa rubbed her head. "Please, enough. You're giving me a migraine with your bleeding heart speech. Save it for someone else, I'm just doing my job. Besides, you're probably just concerned about little Miss Girly Girl out there cuz you wanna get into her pants. You're all alike, I swear."

In the bar George sat nervously, hoping that maybe Cindy didn't really recognize him, and considered walking out again. But it was too late, Cindy was already strolling towards him.

"George?" she said. "Is that you?"

"Yes," George sighed. "Hello, Cindy."

"How are you?" she asked with a somewhat restrained smile.

"I'm," he hesitated. "I thought you worked on Mondays. Today is Sunday."

"Oh," she said. "Yes, well, Jack decided to change my shift. I didn't want him to, but I didn't want to upset him."

"I see."

Cindy looked at George, sensing something was wrong.

"George, are you alright" she said, placing her soft, thin hand on his rough clasped hands. The warmth of her touch made George melt inside.

"Cindy," he said, grabbing hold of her hand. "Collete and I, are getting a divorce." He spoke with a hurt tone, but inside he didn't feel particularly sad at this moment in time.

"Oh," Cindy put her hand to her mouth. "I'm so sorry, George. I, I can't imagine what it must be like for you, or for her."

"She's handling it rather well," George said, thinking more about how nice her hand felt than he did about his crumbling marriage.

At the center of the bar Kevin watched Cindy talk to the older George, and nudged David in the shoulder.

"Look at that man," he said. "What is it with girls and these older guys? That waitress should be tearing at the heels of guys like you and me. We're studs, probably around her age. What do they see in those geezers?"

David didn't respond, only gazed at Kevin darkly.

"You don't like to talk much, do ya? All John Wayne or Clint Eastwood like, huh?"

David sipped from his glass.

"Pffth, fine, be that way. But you know, I bet you've had your share of the ladies yourself. Now c'mon," he said shifting his position to face David, one arm slung over the bar and the other holding his shot glass. "Gimme some pointers. Not that I need em', but let's see how much you know about those heavenly creatures. I know you've had to have gotten laid a few times."

"I don't know you. Why don't you just shut up and finish your drink?" David said coldly.

"Wow," Kevin said. "I thought women were grumpy in the morning; lemme know when your PMS tides over, maybe we can have a decent conversation."

Ignoring most of what Kevin was saying, David found himself content with toying around in his head the various ways Mr. Chamberlain could meet an unfortunate end. For a short instant, he even thought about the young girl on the third floor suite.

The door to the bar opened and Jim Chapman and Yoko Suzuki stepped in.

"Ah," he said inhaling the aroma of alcohol and chicken wings that permeated the bar. "Now this smells like home! Cindy baby, your king has arrived!"

Cindy put her hand on George's shoulder. "We'll talk later, okay? I have to get this customer," she said, leaving George. As she approached Jim, Yoko began to feel nauseous and grasped her stomach.

"Where are the bathrooms?" she asked Cindy.

"Over there," she pointed to the back of the bar. Yoko quickly rushed her way to the ladies' room.

"Who is she, Jim?" Cindy asked.

"Just met her on the street," he said. "Not a bad kid, real sharp! A lil' weird, but hey who isn't? Her hands are cut up too, maybe you can help her out!"
"Oh," Cindy said. "Yes, of course. I'll get to get my medical kit from my locker though. I hope I still remember my training."

"You can do it, girl!" Jim said. "Now, where's my throne?"

Cindy giggled and led Jim to his favorite spot.

Mark took a sip from his soup and glanced over at Bob, who looked as if he'd fallen asleep.

"Bob," he said, nudging him. "You alright?"

Bob lifted his head slowly. "Wh-what?"

"You lookin' kinda pale, Bob." Mark said. "You should eat somethin'. Bring th' color back in yo skin. You feelin' sick?"

"I-I'm, not…hungry for, soup."

Mark looked confused at Bob's statement and chuckled. "Bob, c'mon now, where's you mind at? What nonsense is that? Maybe comin' here wasn' a good idea, we should get you home."

Bob drifted off again, looking unbalanced and wobbily.

"Jus' lemme finish up mah soup an' we'll take you home. I's been a long day.." Mark sighed, remember the course of events that had transpired earlier in the day.

"Mark" Bob said. "What are you going to tell Camille?"

"Ah already talked to her," he said. "Over at her parents. She didn' like it one bit, but I convinced her to let 'im stay fer one night, 'it'll do the boy some good', ah said. 'An' we've tried everythin' else. The police won' let the boy come ta' any harm anyway, he's safe in there. Jus' a lil' scary ta' spen' th' night in jail, but I's an experience he'll nevah want to live through ag'n. Ah know that cuz ah been there b'fore."

Suddenly beside him Cindy Lennox screamed and dropped the glasses she was serving. Mark looked over his shoulder as the glasses shattered on the floor, and noticed a large rat scurrying across the bar floor. Cindy gathered herself and looked shyly at Mark.

"I'm so sorry, sir," she apologized. "Did I spill anything on you? Please don't move, I'll clean this up right away."

"Mah Gawd," Mark said. "That was a huge vermin. Did it touch you?"

"I think it may have bit me," Cindy said, looking down at a small cut on her leg.

"You should clean that up," he said. "Rats got all kinds a' diseases. They started the plague, after all."

"Oh, yes," Cindy said. "Thank you, sir."

Suddenly the music on the jukebox ended, bringing the room to a strange silence.

"Okay," Kevin said. "Who killed the music? Urp! Phew, I threw up in my mouth a lil' bit there! Anybody got a quarter?"

In the ladies' room Yoko bent over the toilet, expecting her insides to burst through her throat and out her mouth, with no result. She began to feel dizzy again, and made her way to the sink. She splashed her face with water and dried it off with a paper towel. She leaned over the sink and tried to catch her breath.

She glanced at the mirror, trying to recognize her own face, when she spotted one of the stalls behind her slowly creep open. Inside the stall it was dark, plunged in shadows, and a figure very slowly emerged and moaned. She turned around to face the stranger.

"Hello?" she said.

At this moment Will and Alyssa stepped out of the men's room.

"Cindy," Will said, looking at the broken glass on the floor as she tried to carefully pick up the shards, Mark offering his aid. "What happened?"

"Hey," Kevin said, noticing the two. "What were you two doing in there?"

Will looked over at Alyssa as a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. Alyssa stepped forward.

"That's none of your business," she said firmly in an aggressive tone.

"Hey," Kevin said pointing at her with his empty shot glass. "I know you. Yeah, it's got to be you! You go to the local shooting gallery don't you? Cept you don't dress like that, you got a track suit on, right?"

Alyssa's eyes widened and her brows raised.

"What! I-I," she muttered speechless.

"I knew it!"

Suddenly in the silence the door to the bar slowly creaked open again, but an entirely different kind of customer slowly trudged in and stood in front of the door, silently. He wore a long T-shirt and blue jeans, although both were covered in grime and the man gave off a horrid stink. His face was bearded and his hair, which hang down in front of his face, looked just as dirty and haggard as his clothes. Silently he stood there like a statue, his body arched downward like a wilting plant. Will stepped forward to welcome the customer as everyone in the room watched in silence. Alyssa crossed her arms and watched. Although her first instinct was to get out of that stinking hole, this customer had piqued her interest. Kevin however, had begun to get out of his seat and strut over to her with a half drunken smirk, and she began to reconsider her options.

"So," Kevin said drunkenly. "How bout you give me your name, and I give you mine gorgeous?"

Alyssa looked away in disgust, Kevin's breath stinking of alcohol.

"Hello sir," Will said to the strange man. "Welcome to J's Bar. Would you like to be seated at the bar, or are you planning on making an order?"

The man gave no answer.

"Sir," Will said extending his hand out to the man. "Are you alright?"

The man lifted his head, and a long thin line of saliva dripped from his mouth, which looked to be smudged with mud or some other substance. The man's eyes were vacant and pale, his iris a very light shade of gray giving the impression he had no eyes at all. The man looked past the long strands of thick, stringy hair and directly at Will, the right side of his mouth showing a snarl, and let out a gurgled, horrific cry.

In that same moment, Bob suddenly keeled over, hitting the floor hard with his shoulder and head.

"Bob!" Mark said, attending to his friend.

Will glanced over at the incident, turning his attention away for a second from the stranger, when the man quickly lunged forward, clasping both Will's shoulders and immediately sunk his teeth into the poor bartender's neck. Will let out a terrorized scream and urged the man to let go, but his grip was amazingly strong, almost stiff as if with rigor mortis. Through some rush of adrenaline Will was able to shove the man back against the wall, causing the attacker to fold into himself as if the weight of his own body were too much to control, then collapse to the floor on his back, holding his profusely bleeding neck, his eyes and mouth wide open.

"Will!" Cindy screamed as she ran up to the bartender's body.

"Holy shit!" Jim rang out. "He just bit 'im!"

George stood up, unsure whether what he'd seen was actually real, as Alyssa gasped in the back of the room and Kevin tried to figure out what was going on. George took his jacket off and wrapped it around Will's neck.

"Will," Cindy called to him.

"He's in shock," George said, applying pressure to Will's neck. "He probably can't even hear us right now. His cut is too deep, too large, he's losing lots of blood. Cindy, do you still have your medical kit?"

"It's upstairs," she said.

Realizing the situation, Kevin unholstered his police-issued Beretta handgun and passed by Mark, who was trying to awaken Bob. Cautiously he approached the attacker and aimed at him.

"Don't move, you hear me?" he said. "Put your hands into the air, you're under arrest!"

The man slowly and clumsily picked himself up, appearing as if he was unfamiliar with the functionality of his moving parts.

"I said don't MOVE!" Kevin yelled, pointing the gun forward as if to show he meant business.

The man stood up again and groaned loudly, and stared at Kevin with the same snarl he gave Will.

"You don't want some of this, pal. Now don't be an idiot, and turn around, put your hands behind your back, and,"

Suddenly a body tumbled through the door and landed face first on the floor of the bar, then stood up, his face seemingly half eaten, one eye hanging from its socket, although the eye itself looked to have been chewed on. Another body banged against the window of the bar, startling Jim and causing him to leap ten feet in the air.

"Holy shit!" he screamed, getting up from his seat. "What the fuck!"

All the customers in the bar looked outside, and what appeared to be a large mass of people slowly trudged down the street and flooded into the door of the bar. One by one the walking corpses filed into the room, and Kevin stepped back away from them as they slowly advanced.

"What the hell is going on?" Alyssa inquired. "Is this a riot?"

"Who the hell are these people!" Jim said frantically. "Do something, mister police man!"
"You want me to ask them to leave?" Kevin said sarcastically.

"I want you to SHOOT them in the fucking FACE!" Jim screamed, pointing his hand like a gun to his own head.

"George wait, we have to help Will!" Cindy said, tugging at Will's collar.

"Cindy please," George pleaded. "There's nothing we can do for him now, hurry!"

George pulled Cindy off of Will, who was still lying on the floor, blood pouring like a fountain from his neck.

"That's it," Kevin ordered. "I am going to open fire in three, two,"

One of the creatures began to rush forward, his rotting mouth wide open.

BLAM BLAM

Kevin fired two shots in the thing's shoulder, aiming to injure rather than kill, but within an instant the man regained his composure and proceeded.

"What in the hell!" Kevin said as he fired more rounds into the three or four creatures that entered the room, each shot hitting a vital organ, but none of them slowing their progress. Two of the creatures then slumped themselves over Will's body, attracted by the crimson pools of blood and began to feast on his flesh.

Kevin managed to hit one in the head, and it dropped to the floor. Realizing this, he proceeded to fire into the foreheads of the other two. But no sooner did they drop than did three more of the creatures walk through the door, each one more thirsty for blood.

"What in Gawd's name are these things?" Mark said, shouldering Bob and reaching for his handgun.

"Shut up and help him, tubby!" Alyssa cried out, when a scream suddenly came from the ladies' room. Yoko burst through and tripped over his own legs, then turned around as yet another creature followed her, half of this one's scalp missing.

"Help me! Somebody please!" she screamed as the creature advanced on her, both arms outstretched. Yoko crawled backward but the thing was too fast and was soon standing over here.

"Hey," a deep voice said.

Suddenly a knife was plunged deep into the creatures eye as David brutally stabbed it with his folding knife, then shoved it against the wall. The creature looked stunned, but quickly regained itself and sprinted towards David again. David harrumphed at this display and put one hand out as if taking aim, then spun around and plunged the knife deep into the creature's throat, shoved it against the wall, blood splurting out and splashing against David's work shirt. David then proceeded to pull the knife horizontally, slitting the throat and nearly beheading the creature in a brutal display of violence. The thing's head went lop-sided as David shoved it aside, Yoko looking on in shock.

"Th-thank," she said.

"Don't thank me just move!" he said as he proceeded to gorge the body of the still moving creature. Yoko got to her feet and walked over to Mark, helping him carry Bob as Cindy and George opened the door to the staff room using Cindy's key.

"C'mon!" George called out to the others, Kevin still holding off the legion of monsters with the aid or Mark's added firepower.

One by one they all filed into the stairway, with Jim bursting ahead of all of them as Mark locked the door from the inside and blocked it with his large body.

"This won't hold for long, we got ta' move!" Mark said.

"Hurry, hurry! Move it! Make way for Jim!" he cried frantically as he ran up the stairs, but suddenly lost his footing tripping at the height of the stairs. He picked himself up by grabbing hold of a window, which suddenly burst wide open, glass shards flying around Jim's face, and two pale hands grabbed Jim and pulled him to the window.

"Oh Jesus Christ!" Jim screamed. "Somebody help me!"

"Hey cowboy," Alyssa called to Kevin. "The subway worker needs your help!"

Kevin ran up the stairs and took aim, but Jim's squirming body prevented him from getting a serious bead on the target.

"Stand still! I can't," Kevin said as the creature began to bite on Jim's shoulder.

"Do something! Do something! ANYTHING!" he screamed.

Frustrated, Kevin walked up to Jim, pointed the gun directly between the creatures eyes, and pulled the trigger, a loud BANG resonating through the hall. Jim grabbed his right ear.

"AAAH! What the FUCK is wrong with you, man! I can't hear SHIT in my ear anymore!"

Kevin groaned. "Just keep moving!"

"That fuckin' thing bit me! This ain't a prize fight, goddammit!" Jim complained.

The group made their way up the stairs and into the staff room, where Yoko and Alyssa rested Bob against a wall.

"They'll be up here soon," Kevin said. "Cindy, how do we get to the roof from here?"

"The only way is through the wine room," she said, pointing to a door in the room. "But it's locked, Jack has the key."

"Go get him. You, the one with the gun," he pointed to Mark. Give me some support, we'll hold them off."

"Okay," Cindy said, proceeding to Jack's office, George following close behind.

"Roger!" Mark said, asking Yoko to look over Bob before he joined Kevin in the hallway.

"And you," Kevin said, pointing to Alyssa, who was standing beside Yoko. "You can shoot, right?"

Alyssa hesitated at first. "Yes," she said.

"Here."

Kevin tossed his Berretta at her, which she caught with one hand. Kevin reached into his leg pocket and pulled out a large, thick, silver pistol and loaded it.

"Holy shit," Jim said, holding his bleeding shoulder. "That is a big fuckin' gun! Who are you, the Joker?"

"That ain't exactly police issued, is it?" Mark said.

"Custom job," Kevin said proudly. "I use it as a backup. Everybody with a weapon, come over here."

David searched the room thoroughly as Yoko watched him next to Jim, who was pacing around the room.

"What are you doing?" Yoko asked.

"Making due with what I got," David said, shaking a can of pesticide spray and reaching into his tool belt. He peered into the small refrigerator and spotted a butcher's knife.

"Hand me that broom," he said to Jim.

"What!" he said. "This ain't time for cleanin' shit up! We gonna DIE! Ooooh God, my life's always been shit! Why me, God, why!"

Annoyed, David gestured towards Yoko. "Hand me the broom." She complied.

"Calm yourself soldjah," Mark said to Jim. "The las' thing we need is a brothah goin' ape shit on us right now."

Kevin and Alyssa stood side by side in the hallway, both guns raised, with Mark checking his ammo.

"So," Kevin said. "Since we might die here tonight, how bout you give me your name now?"

Alyssa frowned and rolled her eyes.

"Alyssa Ashcroft," she said finally. "Will you shut up already and shoot things like you're supposed to?"

"Yes ma'am!" Kevin said cheerfully, awaiting the coming storm. "And by the way, the name's Kevin Ryman!"
"It's on your badge," Alyssa responded.

"Oh. Yeah."

"This ain't the time for flirtin' you two, le's focus on the job at hand!" Mark said.

"Whatever you say, Chubbs." Alyssa said crudely.