Author's Note: The characters involved in this fanfic ain't mine, even some of the unfamiliar ones. If you're still reading I would like to congratulate you. Since I do not incorporate any character deaths in my stories, some of you may give a sigh of relief or maybe groan and say 'well, there goes all the fun….' but to tell you guys the truth, I can never ever kill off any of the main character. That would just be tasteless, people. So, here's a little something I'd put together in a short period of time…(like at least three hours of sitting in front of my PC actually writing and not multitasking or doing anything else but fully writing….which is considered a good improvement for my attention span).

I hope you all enjoy it, cause this little something was a piece that I had written a while back and I decided to incorporate it inside my DeCon series. Oh, and reviews please! : D

Degrading Conscience

Interlude: Like a Bird in a Cage

Sherry had never slept this deeply before. Her head felt better, the headache having eased. She sat up, bare feet touching the polished hard wood floor of her bedroom. The sun was up in a way that told her that she had slept through the whole morning. She hadn't mind though, today, all she had to do was to spend some much deserved alone time. Away from work, away from stress, away from all the buzz. As she languidly made her way to freshen up, a crisp brown pile of fur twined around her legs, nearly tripping her.

"Hunter!" she scolded the cat, making loud disapproving noises. It didn't make a difference. The cat twined and purred with wide green eyes staring at her until she picked him up and promptly threw him out of her bedroom, in a loving manner of course (she loves him too much).

By the time she was dressed in a sundress and was ready to head out, her phone started to ring. With a drawn out sigh, she picked it up.

"What is it?" she asked, keeping poison from her voice.

"Uhm…Sherry, I really need to talk to you", his voice sounded a little desperate. Too desperate for her liking. "Would you be free tonight?"

"Look", she sighed. "I know that it's really not that hard to get around, being somebody from a family like yours, but I'm not interested, Jake. Don't get me wrong, you're alright. It's just that I find it hard to adjust with your folks".

"Hey, I'm really sorry about my 'rents. They just don't get around with people often", she noted that he really did sound a little apologetic.

"You mean people like me? Or is it just the fact that my Dad's a cop?" she asked drily. "You don't have to act like we had a great time. I sure didn't. I…I have to go, my Dad has been complaining about the phone bills. Bye!"

Not waiting for a reply, she slammed the receiver onto its cradle. Hunter meowed, not the hungry yowl he usually gave her but instead the 'I know what you're facing and I take pity in you' meow.

"You should've seen his folks, Hunty", she mumbled. Her last date hadn't been a great one, Jake had thought that it would be nice for her to get to know him personally, which meant going to a very high class charity function where most of the people that had been there were the richest citizens of Raccoon City. Mister Albert Wesker was one of the richest financiers that provided enough jobs to keep the city running, though Sherry had suspected that the money he'd gotten may have been something off some illegal trade of sort. She hadn't told anyone about her theory though, it would have been downright impossible to write about this matter without bringing a squad of SWAT team bowling over the front door to arrest her.

She could imagine what her father would say.

He hadn't been too happy when she told him that she'd wanted to be a journalist. He'd considered people from the media to be very nosy and always intruding on the cases he worked on. And as usual, she would always find a way to prove him wrong.

The knocking on the door brought her back from her stray thoughts.

"Who's this?" she called out.

"I forgot my keys", the answer came with a chuckle.

"You better do something about it, you're getting old, Dad", she said as she unlocked the front door. "Got some timing too, I was about to catch some sun".

Steely blue eyes met her clear as day blues. They weren't really related in a way, her real parents died in some freak car accident when she was merely two. Since that she had no one else to go to, Leon was listed as her guardian since her parents and him were close. That and the fact that her Aunt Claire (her other listed legal guardian) was also a little too busy for a two year old. It was funny though, they looked almost related. Once she did try to differentiate herself when she dyed her hair with magenta streaks so that she could show some sense of independence. Her adopted father just took it as some strange phase teenagers went through. Well, so long she wasn't being rebellious, self-discovery was still okay.

She helped him get some of the grocery bags he had, which was about three (one piled high with cat food for Hunter).

"So, you talked to her yet?" she prompted, eying him suspiciously.

"Uh…who are we talking about again?" Leon shoved the rest of the grocery bags onto the kitchen counter. "Help me out, I'm having some trouble here".

She giggled. "That lady friend next door, duh".

If she hadn't known him for this long, she wouldn't have caught the slight hesitation when he was unloading some cat food into the cupboard. "Oh…you meant Ada".

"U-huh", she nodded enthusiastically. "Don't you dare give me that you have a very marital relationship reprimanding job talk. Time for you to start worrying on settling down than catching petty criminals".

He just shook his head. "Yeah, do me a favor and ask those married fellow cops how many times they have spent their night on their couches?"

Walking over, he tweaked her nose.

"Alright, Miss Smarty-pants, don't you have your internship to deal with?" he warned with amusement in his voice.

"Didn't get fired on the first day too. Am I great or what?" Sherry smiled slyly. "So, uh…is Miss Hunnigan allowed to give me some scoops on what you're up to lately? Some reports would do fine".

"Honey, there's a reason why my department's called Internal Affairs which would definitely give you the idea that what I do is classified", Leon frowned. "Don't stick your nose in dangerous places, missy. That's how reporters get in trouble".

Groaning, she sat by the counter, "Yeah, it's not like you're gonna catch some real deal like you did with Chief Irons".

"And your point is?" Leon asked patiently.

"Well, no one these day would be that-", she showed him a bent index finger. "You won't be wrangling anyone else with that kind of reputation".

Chief Irons was the former (now retired) Police Chief in Raccoon City, his dealings with some of the 'investments' of those who wanted to get away with their dirt money was notorious, well, until some detective in Internal Affairs had the guts to expose all of Irons' dealings in the part to the open spotlight. That was how her father had made it big although that did come with a price. Sometimes, there would be a bullet or two that would arrive with the mail and sometimes, a squad car positioned outside their neighbourhood street. But they pulled through. She coped while he caught the bad cops and did whatever else he did that she wasn't aware of.

"You know that Jake kid called sometime this morning", he changed the subject.

It just made Sherry annoyed how he could do such a thing to her.

"And you gave me no heads up. Thank you very much, Dad", she said through gritted teeth.

"The kid giving you trouble?" he asked her in a very concerned tone.

Before she could reply, there was a very loud scream coming across the street. It was enough to stop her heart from beating for a few seconds as possibilities ran through her head. She glanced towards him, his reaction was much faster, having already retrieved his hadgun and was heading for the front door.

"Who was it?" Sherry asked. "What happened?"

"Stay inside", he cautioned her before going towards the screaming.

Then, of course, she didn't listen to him. It would be a trait she'd inherited from being around him, she learned that pure stubbornness and determination gets her far. The scream had come from a girl walking her dog. When Sherry had arrived not long after Leon, she spotted a figure hunched on somebody's lawn.

"Don't move!" Leon warned, his handgun aimed at the man. "Miss, are you alright?"

The young girl clutched at her wrist, blood trickling to the front of her shirt from her elbow. The dog, a miniature poodle, was yapping relentlessly. "I think he just bit me".

"Sherry, get her inside", Leon said in a hard voice. She was about to do as he said when she noticed that there was something wrong with the man who had bit the girl. He looked unresponsive, didn't seem to register to the handgun aimed at him. Her first impression was that this man was probably mad. Then, the man launched himself at Leon. Sherry gasped, getting a good whiff of desiccated flesh, the sweet smelly tang of rot.

"What the hell?!" Leon snarled, immediately kicking at one of the man's knees, stumbling his opponent. With a side sweep, he rammed the butt of his handgun onto the man's head. Pulling out plastic zip cuffs, he had the man bound and on his face.

"Sherry, how's she doing?" he turned. Just then, the girl fainted, Sherry barely managing to catch and if not for Leon's help, would have stumbled from the girl's dead weight.

"Not good", she managed to say. The man lying on the ground moaned. It wasn't the kind of moan people would give in remorse. No. His moan was just hollow. Lifeless. And it made her shiver at the sight of him.

It took about less than two hours before it was all over the news, reporters and journalists swarming the once quiet neighbourhood. The cannibal man who bit a girl walking her dog. Sherry didn't want to stick around to answer more questions since that she had been done with the police questioning. For once, she could agree with her father on his thoughts on the reporters of this city. Too bad that she was going to be one. They finally got home in one piece although it was now about evening.

"Hmph", Leon stared at the news, "They think he's a lunatic".

"What do you think?" Sherry asked, curled up in the sofa.

"Looked sick to me", he said. "You okay?"

She gave him a fragile smile and a small nod.

Someone was at the door, knocking loudly. Getting up, Leon called out an acknowledgement. She didn't have the mood to go see who it was. It might be one of those reporters asking for more questions.

"Claire", Leon said loud enough for Sherry to hear. "You're here?"

"You seem surprise, Leon", a teasing voice came from the front door.

"Heh, you don't come around much, that's why. Look um, it's a pretty bad time", he said in a hushed voice. Sherry pretended not to listen as he gave their visitor a rundown of the events earlier today.

"Hey, kid, you okay?" Claire sat down beside her.

"I'm fine".

..

..

..

Something was chasing her. She could almost feel his hot breath tickling the hair behind her neck. Behind her, loud commotions and gunfire. This isn't her fight. She had to run. She had to hide. Adrenaline kicked in as she searched for somewhere she could hole up until help arrived. She just needed somewhere safe.

"Sherry…", a deep growl came from behind, accompanied by loud footsteps. Too loud footsteps.

All of her wanted to scream for it to leave her alone. Her instinct said to keep quiet and let it pass. What she had ran to seem familiar, some sort of building. The Raccoon City Police Department. She couldn't remember why she was there though, or why there were loud screams coming from the outside, partially masked by the police sirens.

"Sherry…", the voice called out.

She managed to get into a room which looked similar to one she'd seen before (she just couldn't tell when or how) and locked the door.

"Sherry…", it was near.

She started to move the heavy desk towards the door, as a brace, but it was too heavy. Then, the door crashed open, part of it dangling by only one hinge as the rest is being ripped off. She stared at the beast standing by the door, a man which was twice the size of an ordinary man. He looked different, a little hunch backed but covered in some kind of thick hide. There was a large eyeball on its shoulder, constantly flicking around the room, until it caught sight of her.

It gave a rumbled.

Gasping, she immediately ducked behind the desk, hands over her mouth so that she could muffle any involuntary noises she made.

"Sherry…" it called out, nearing. Coming closer.

No. No. No. No. NO!

"Sherry!" it said, so near that she could hear it's heavy breathing.

"Sherry, Sherry, wake up", she felt someone shaking her on her shoulder. Jerking awake, her shoulder collided with the car door painfully. She glanced at her surroundings, registering it as something familiar.

"Sorry, didn't sleep too well last night", she mumbled as she rightened herself. "So, I'll see you later?"

She did catch some concern in him, the way he looked at her as if he was considering not letting her go to work today.

"I'm fine, really", she said with some conviction.

Leon frowned and gave her nod. Flicking the lock to the car door open, he gave her a small peck on the top of her head. "Stay safe".

"Always", she shrugged.

Internship wasn't that fun. The Raccoon City Tribune was the local newspaper company, all she had to do was to do as she was told. She would catch her big break later. All the editor cared was that she would be covering all of her assigned coverage and submit her drafts early for checks. Next to her, the only journalist about her age was Jake, who she didn't like to linger around with. He was only kept around because he had a thrill seeking way of reporting on difficult matters around Raccoon City, he was also usually first to arrive on a scene. Otherwise, she had found him to be a complete jerk.

"Hey, we need to talk", a familiar voice hissed to her in the elevator. It was Jake with his messenger bag slung over his shoulders and a baseball cap pulled to cover his face.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked sharply at Jake.

"Just hear me out", he pleaded.

"No. I won't, Jake", she tried hard not to sound a least bit angry at him. "Please, we're not an item".

He let out a groan, "No, not about us. I need you to take hold of some of my reports, just keep them with you for a while".

"What are you up to?" she frowned as he pressed a storage device into her palm.

"Sherry, I love you and if anything happens to me, promise me you'll keep yourself well away", he said to her before leaving at a floor below hers.

"That…was…weird", she mumbled as she stared at the storage device. What was Jake up to that got him so hyped up like that? It didn't trouble her though, Jake had always been a little strange after all. When she arrived, there was quite a commotion at the editor's office. There were men in black suits packing up boxes filled with papers, some clearing out a desk (which she had realised was Jake's).

"What's happening?" she asked the nearest watching person, who turned out to be the secretary of the head editor. The other woman just shrugged.

"Conspiracy theorists are going to have a hell of a time", one of the older reporters said. Sherry identified him as Chris, who were one of those who wrote for the sporting section.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"Those bozos from Umbrella said that Jake dug into something he wasn't supposed to", Chris said.

"Umbrella?" Sherry mumbled to herself. The Umbrella Corporation was one of the largest corporate business in the city, having their main business in the field of producing new drugs and cures. Their building by the center of town was impressive, large and towering, displaying the symbol of a white and red colored umbrella. She thumbed at the storage device she still clutched in her hand, Jake probably did an expose on the company and had gone too far. Still, why does a pharmaceutical company care of what a lowly reporter reports?

"Take a day off, Sherry, there's nothing we can do", the editor told her, watching the men in suits in the fray of opening drawers and retrieving paperwork.

"What about-" she was cut off by the editor who insisted that she went home and assured her that it wouldn't affect her evaluation. Sherry did as she was told, though she would have to wait at least until lunch time to beg for a ride form her father.

Sitting at a nearby coffeehouse, she decided to take a look at what Jake had given her. Among the data files, there was a short message addressed to her.

SHERRY, UMBRELLA HAD LIED TO US.

She blinked a little.

Right.

But as she gotten to read the rest, the truth Jake had found out was a little chilling.

Author's Note: You're probably asking "WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?! WHAT HAVE I JUST READ?" and I will only give you one clue 'Reality or NOT?'

Some of you would be like "WHAAAAAA…?" and I would say to thee in a very Yoda-like voice with my ears sticking out "Good Is, Patience. To Come, More Is".

Do the flipping of words, yourselves! *sticks out tongue*

If there are some of you who are gamers out there and have fallen in love with the Resident Evil franchise through gaming and not watching the live action movies or reading fanfics because your friends demand you to, you may have noticed how much my fanfics sometimes are sometimes relevant to other games that I have played during the week when I'd publish my story.

Try to guess which I have been playing when I wrote this? (clue is on the title)

The game's pretty recent in release and after playing, I have no clue to what I have done…as you can see, it was pretty engaging.