Disclaimer: I don't own any of this except my original characters.

A New Nightmare

By: Sigokat

Umbrella Headquarters

Mr. Baker had been following the developments at Doctor Velasquez's dig with much enthusiasm and her discovery of the fossilized Las Plagas parasite confirmed his beliefs that the parasite was indeed to source of Saddler's experiments.

"We have a problem, Mr. Baker." Mr. Leland announced as he entered Baker's office.

"What is it?"

"That Intelligence One agent, Philip Corbin, was tipped off about our interests in the Las Plagas parasite. He flew out there and is currently at the site with the Quests. It is safe to assume that he has told them what he knows."

"Tipped off by whom? One of our people?" Baker looked up from his desk and noticed that Leland looked considerably worried. He had never seen the old man in such a state before.

"We don't know yet. We are currently attempting to trace the origins of the call that was made to his cell phone earlier in the week."

Bake exhaled and then smiled, "Mr. Leland, you must learn to relax. I do not see this as a problem."

"You may not, but the higher ups do. Corbin and the Quests could ruin everything. After what Krumlanski did they have become determined to bring us down."

"Ha." Baker snorted. "Do you honestly think that a handful of do-gooders can stand up to us? Besides, Saddler's people are much more dangerous then Krumlanski's little lab was. I highly doubt they will make it very far at all."

"What about capturing Doctor Quest?"

"That is still possible, but my main objective is securing the Las Plagas and Saddler's Psion, or at least documentation on how he did it so we can duplicate his work. I believe that Saddler can handle Corbin and the others, I am not worried at all."

Leland made an audible huffing noise and left the office, realizing that Baker was too preoccupied with the Las Plagas to see any type of dangers at all.

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Dig Site, Spain

At dawn everyone gathered together in front of the tents at the site. Unfortunately there were not enough weapons for everyone, so Race and Corbin retained all the firepower and hoped that some of these hidden weapons caches were close.

Jessie walked over to Jonny, "Hey, be safe out there, Jonny."

"You too, Jess. You gonna bag a couple of these creeps again?"

"You betcha." Jessie did her best to sound cheerful and brave.

"We'll have to tally our scores and see who wins this time." Jonny said, "Even though we both know it'll be me."

"Yeah right, bleach head. I just gotta get Mr. Corbin to give me his rifle and then its over."

"Good luck with that one, Jess."

"Hey kids, its time to move out." Race called from a few yards away.

"Coming, dad." Jessie yelled back.

Jessie turned back to Jonny and saw the seriousness in his face, "Hey, it'll be alright. We'll meet up at the castle in a little while and take out this Saddler creep ourselves."

"I hope so. Take care, Jonny."

"You too, Jess." Jonny reached over and hugged Jessie tightly. He didn't like leaving her, but there was no choice. He held her tightly, hoping that this would not be the last time. A few moments passed and they released each other and headed over to where the adults were waiting for them.

"Do you have to smoke those things?" Jessie heard her mother lecture to Corbin as they walked up.

Corbin took a drag from his cigarette and simply replied, "Yes."

Estella rolled her eyes, "This is going to be the longest hike ever."

"You're telling me." Corbin smirked. H turned away from the woman and looked at Race, "Alright, Race, are you guys all ready?"

"Yep, might as well get moving now before we all reconsider." Race answered.

"Alright, we are going to head due north." Corbin stated, "I'll check in with you once we reach the first village."

"Sounds good. We are heading east to the lake to learn what we can from there." Race replied.

"Let's go." Corbin said as he flicked his cigarette butt to the ground, readied his rifle, and started towards the footpath in the wood line that headed north.

Jessie gave her father one last hug and then followed off behind the other Intelligence One agent. Estella and Race just looked at each other, nodded, and then Estella turned and followed her daughter.

Once the other group was out of site within the forest, Race, Jonny, and Dr. Quest turned east and headed to entrance of the forest in search of the lake that held the Las Plagas and God only knew what else.

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Race was in the lead with Jonny in the middle and Doctor Quest bringing up the rear as they entered the woods. Race was the only one of the three that was armed; he had thought about giving the pistol to Dr. Quest, however he had decided against it. Race constantly scanned the woods to the left and right as well as in front of him, so he was confident that no threat could sneak up on them from behind, however if someone did attack from the back the three were close enough together that Race could easily maneuver to engage any target that threatened them.

The lake was a few miles up the path. Jonny watched Race for a few moments and when he was confident he had his bodyguard's movements down he began to scan the woods the same as Race, however he always looked in the opposite direction that Race was looking, that way someone was always watching each side. Race moved along at a steady pace and even though Jonny had spent years with the man and had seen him in action on numerous occasions, he was still amazed at how quietly the man moved. If Race got too far ahead Jonny would never be able to find him again.

They had been walking for approximately a mile or so when Race suddenly stopped. He turned and looked back slightly over his shoulder, made eye contact with the others and then nodded his head in the direction ahead of him. He knelt down and Jonny and Benton moved up on each side of him.

"What is it?" Dr. Quest asked barely louder then a whisper.

"There's a small structure up ahead. It looks isolated. We need to be cautious. Stay right with me."

"Got it, Race." Jonny said as he gave the thumbs up signal.

Race smiled at the teenager and stood back up. He held his rile at the low ready and he crouched down to about half his height as he moved forward. Race closed the distance to the building quickly. He stopped again on the edge of the path and scanned the immediate area. The building was nothing more then a shack with a small fence around it. Out in the middle of the forest Race had no idea what it could have been used for besides a lookout post. Is Saddler really this cautious? Race thought to himself. He didn't see any movement, so he waved his hand at Dr. Quest and Jonny and they moved forward.

"Stay here. I'm going to make sure that shack is clear. Then I'll wave you forward."

"I think we should stay together." Dr. Quest said.

"It could be a trap or an ambush. I just want to make sure."

Dr. Quest nodded and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. Jonny looked disappointed that Race wouldn't let them come with, but Benton knew that Race was looking out for their safety. He watched as Race moved forward towards the shack.

"Don't worry, Jonny. Race knows what he's doing."

"Yeah, I just wish he'd let me come with."

Dr. Quest didn't reply, Jonny was a tough kid and Benton knew that after living through the ordeal in Washington Jonny was just as determined as the rest of them to stop Umbrella.

Race moved towards the fence, constantly scanning the immediate area. He didn't hear any movement. The fence, made of wood, was beginning to rot and Race easily hopped over it. He moved to the shack and with his back to the wall he moved closer to the door. Once reaching the door, he shot a quick glance inside and then turned, raised his rifle and entered low. The shack was small and practically empty. No living creatures were inside. Along the right wall were empty shelves and to his immediate front was a table with an old typewriter. "What's that thing for?" Race mumbled. The wall to his left held something completely different. It appeared to be the body of a woman, but the only way he could tell was because the corpse was wearing a dress. Its head was completely gone and from the condition of the body it appeared almost as if the head had been violently torn off. Dried blood and rotting flesh covered the wall and the body was held in place by a large axe. Its hands were pinned to the wall with large nails as well. Race covered his mouth with his arm and then turned away. The corpse had obviously been there for some time because he could tell that bugs, maggots, and other scavengers had gone to work on it. He stepped outside and waved Dr. Quest and Jonny forward.

Race stood outside the doorway and when the others reached him he warned them, "There a body inside. At least what's left of it."

They all entered the shack. Both Dr. Quest and Jonny had seen dead bodies before, but the state that this poor soul was left in was nothing less then vicious. Dr. Quest turned away from it and went to the table, searching the drawers. He pulled out a stack of worn papers from one of them.

"Find something, Dad?" Jonny asked. He too was trying to ignore the corpse that someone or something had displayed on the wall.

"Just some papers; they're in Spanish." Luckily Benton was fluent in many languages, including Spanish.

"What do they say?" Race asked.

"Not much; it mainly looks like gibberish. Something about the walking dead and the beast in the lake."

He sifted through the papers and found another one in a different style of handwriting. "This one talks about the children." He began to translate from the paper. 'They want my children, but I will not give them to the evil ones. I will not let them have them, no matter what they may do to me. They are my babies, only three and five years old. What could that evil man want them for?'

He stopped reading and glanced up at the corpse. No one said anything, but they all knew that the letter must have been written by the woman that was now pinned to the wall; left there as an example to others or a warning.

Race shook his head, "We better get moving. We shouldn't linger in any place too long."

"Here Jonny, put these in your backpack. Anything we find we should keep. We need all the evidence we can gather to stop this." His father said as he handed the papers to Jonny.

"Race, I think we need to find some weapons and soon." Dr. Quest stated.

"Yes, you're right, Benton. Let's go. According the PDA there should be a weapons cache before we reach the lake."

"It makes me wonder how this informant of Phil's knows all this." Benton mumbled.

"I was thinking the same thing." Race said as he moved out the door.

"Well, let's just hope that this informant is right and that she's really on our side." Jonny said.

"You said it, Jonny." Race praised as the group moved up the trail.

"I hope Jessie's ok." Jonny said.

"Me too, kiddo." Race agreed. He had been trying not to think of the others, but it was difficult and seeing the body of that poor woman made it worse.

"I'm sure they are fine, Jonny." Dr. Quest added not only for Jonny's and Race's sakes but for his own as well.

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Corbin, Jessie, and Estella moved north along the foot trails. They had been moving for over an hour and had not encountered a single person, normal or otherwise. Jessie and Estella stayed close to Corbin and they glanced around the forest, trying to see if anything was out there watching them. Corbin had not spoken a word since they entered the trail; he was too busy concentrating on scanning the areas.

"This is hopeless." Estella sighed.

Corbin stopped and turned towards the woman, "According to the map there is a village less then a mile away. I suggest you keep your voice down as well."

"Phil, there's nothing out here." Estella argued.

He sighed and stepped closer to the woman, "Have you noticed anything strange?"

"No. Like what?"

Corbin cocked his head to the side, "Listen."

Jessie noticed it first, "There no noise."

Corbin nodded; he had always been impressed by the girl's quick thinking and ability to adapt rapidly, "Exactly. Something has scared off all the animals. Not even the sounds of bugs. We are close to something. So I say again, keep your voice down."

He turned back and continued along the path. He quickened his step; adrenaline starting to pump through his veins as they hopefully came closer to some answers.

Almost fifteen minutes passed and in the distance they all saw the top of what appeared to be a church over the next rise. Phil turned, held a finger to his mouth, cautioning for silence, and left the path into the woods off to the right. Jessie and Estella quickly followed and took care where they stepped so they wouldn't make any noise. They followed Corbin to a low rise which enabled them to see much of the village in front of them and still stay concealed from whoever might be in the village. Corbin laid down on his stomach and withdrew his binoculars and Estella and Jessie laid down on the ground as well.

Through the binoculars Corbin was able to take in much of the village. It appeared to be a simple farming community with a large church at the far end of the center of town. The buildings were barely larger then shacks and a few of them had small stables on the sides or in the back. Corbin's attention was drawn to the center of the village. There he saw numerous people milling about, some with pitchforks and shovels. About two dozens villagers were gathered around a large makeshift fire. They appeared to be chanting or yelling and when Corbin zoomed the binoculars in on the fire he saw why. A large stake protruded from the center of the fire and a man had been tied to it. He looked as if he had been beaten to death before the burning at the stake ritual; however Corbin could see the man squirming, desperately trying to free himself. He had only spent a short time at Estella's dig, however he thought that he recognized the man was one of her fellow archeologists. He lowered the binoculars and rolled over onto his back as he spoke.

"I can see about two dozen of the villagers. They are gathered in the center by the church. I can't see any more people; however we have to assume that there are more."

"Are they infected?" Jessie asked.

Phil was double checking his magazines and grenades and nodded, "Yes, they appear to be."

"How can you tell? Let me see." Estella said as she reached for the binoculars.

Corbin snatched them off his chest and held them out of reach, "I don't think that's a good idea." Then he added, "For your sake, Estella."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Estella said as she held her hand out to him.

Corbin sighed. They had to entered the village, going around would take too long and there could be evidence or weapons there as well, so he knew that she would see the man eventually. He handed over the binoculars.

Estella scanned the village and quickly saw what Corbin had attempted to conceal from her. She gasped and dropped the binoculars to the ground. "That's Greg Davis. I told them all to return to the city."

"What is it, momma?" Jessie asked, seeing the worry and pain in her mother's face.

"One of my co-workers. They have him…in there…." She couldn't finish the sentence.

"I'm sorry, Estella." Corbin said. He was sincere, however he did not know if Estella knew or even cared.

"We need to save him." Estella announced.

Jessie looked at her mother and then at Phil. She wanted to help her mother's friend as well. "What should we do?"

Corbin remained silent. He knew that there was no way they could get to the man in time, not with having to fight their way through the villagers first. He looked at the girl and then at her mother, but he couldn't bring himself to answer.

After a few moments Estella asked, "Can you get him?"

"Estella, I don't think that he would…" Corbin stared.

"No. I mean can you get him…with that…from here?" Estella was pointing at the rifle in Corbin's hand. "I don't think we can get to him, so if we can't I want you to put him out of his pain and misery, please."

Corbin was taken aback. He couldn't believe what she was asking him to do.

Corbin shook his head, "We are out of range and I don't have a scope. But when we get closer…if that's what you want."

Estella glanced back in the direction of the village. "Yes." Estella always prided herself in her strength and composure, however at that moment she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't want to believe what Corbin had said about the people here, but now having seen it for herself, the fear started to rise; first fear and then anger. Anger at the people in the village, at this man Saddler, and at Umbrella not only for having a part in the Las Plagas scheme but also for bringing her team and her family to this awful place.

She sucked in her breath, looked Corbin in the eyes and said, "Let's do it then."

Corbin nodded, slid down the short embankment and waited for the women. They quickly moved back to the trail that led into the city. "Stay close to me." He said as he moved forward.

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Race, Jonny, and Doctor Quest made it to the lake without any encounters or other signs of the viciousness and death that plagued the forest. At the edge of the lake was a small boat house which was empty save for a few boating supplies, ropes, and fishing poles.

The path led to a small, rickety pier and a small boat was docked at its side. Race and Doctor Quest were standing on the pier, examining the boat when Jonny whistled in surprise.

Race looked up at the boy, who stood at the entrance to the pier. "What is it, Jonny?"

"I saw something move," Jonny answered and pointed behind the boathouse, "Back there, behind the building. I think it was a man."

"Come on." Race said as he and Dr. Quest left the pier and started back to the boathouse.

Keeping his back to the wall, Race moved slowly around the structure, with Benton and Jonny following. Race glanced back at them, nodded and stepped around to the back of the building, rifle raised.

Immediately in front of him stood a man; his clothes were dark and ragged. He wore a long hooded cape and he had the hood pulled over his head. The only visible part of the man's face was his eyes; a dark scarf was pulled across his nose and mouth. He also held some sort of case in his right hand. Race did not lower his rifle and the man just stood there, staring back at them.

"Who are you?" Race demanded.

The man stared back at him, "Welcome, friend." He said in a deep tone. Jonny could swear the man had laughed as well.

"Who are you?" Race asked again, "And what do you want?"

"Actually, I think I have something you want." The man answered. The man held out the briefcase and then set in on the ground in front of him. "All my goods are the highest quality. Expensive."

"You're a merchant." Dr. Quest surmised, "Out here?"

"Yes." The man chuckled his response. He flipped open the brief case and the three of them looked down and inside. Three handguns were inside the case; two Beretta 9mm and a .357 revolver.

"We don't have any money." Dr. Quest told the man.

"Yes, I know." The man replied, "But we are friends and I am being compensated by our mutual supporter."

"So we can have these?" Jonny asked, eyeing one of the 9mm.

The peddler did not answer; he simply stepped back from the case.

"Can you tell us what's going on out here?" Dr. Quest asked.

The man shrugged, "I am just a poor, simple merchant."

"Have you seen anything strange?"

The man did not reply.

"Are you going to help us?" Race asked, starting to get impatient with the man, but not wanting to scare him off.

"I am helping you." He said and gestured at the weapons. Then he said, "The lake is dangerous. You should not try to cross it."

"We have no choice unless you know of another way around?" Race asked.

The man shook his head, "Then be cautious. Evil lives in the depths of that lake."

"We have friends out here as well…" Jonny started.

"Yes I know." The man replied. "I will see them soon."

Dr. Quest was grateful for the weapons, but his gut was telling him that this man knew more then he was saying. "What do you know about Lord Saddler?"

The merchant's eyes narrowed at the mention of the name. "Evil."

"What makes him evil?"

"If you want to cross the lake then you must go now. It usually sleeps at this time; after it has eaten." The man evaded the question about Saddler. Dr. Quest could not tell if the man was angered or frightened at the mention of the name, perhaps some of both.

"What is it?" Jonny asked.

"Go now. I must get to your friends."

"Will you be back?" Race asked.

"I am always around." The merchant replied. With that he stepped back into the forest and was gone.

Race knelt and removed the weapons from the suitcase. He handed the Berettas to Dr. Quest who in turn gave one to Jonny. Race took the .357 and put it in Jonny's backpack along with the extra ammunition the merchant had supplied.

"Well, this is better then what we had."

"Yes, but we still don't know anything more then we did." Dr. Quest added.

"I think he was scared." Jonny added as he loaded the pistol.

"Who wouldn't be out here?" Race replied. "If what he said was true then we should get moving. I don't really want to find out what this creature is that lives in this lake."

:"Yeah, good idea." Jonny added.

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To be continued…..

I hope you all are enjoying this so far…I've already started the next chapter and hope to have it out by this weekend.

Please review if you can.