Chapter 15: Mad Dash and Sanctuary

(MADDIE)

The ride in the American APC (Maddie, who didn't know any better, thought of it as a tank) was uneventful. Partially Maddie thought it was because of the soldiers manning machineguns on either side of the vehicle. Part of it was also probably because the armored tracks were simply spinning too fast for anything to keep up with them.

Maddie wished she was in the vehicle with Rebecca. It wasn't that she had anything against the kids (for the most part, they were behaving well, a two were even asleep), so much as she was uncomfortable around their guardian.

Loretta was sitting as close to the ramp as the soldiers would let her, the shotgun she'd been carrying for as long as Maddie had known her leaning against one knee. She didn't say anything, just sat there, doing her best impression of a valkyrie. Maddie knew it was immature, but she was looking forward to getting out of Raccoon City, and it wasn't just because the locals had developed a bad case of the munchies.

She felt the massive vehicle turn underneath her, followed by a bump as it rolled over…something. Maddie figured it was probably a curb. Anything softer (like, say, a body) wouldn't have been hard enough to notice.

A few minutes later, the APC slowed to a stop. The two guardsmen by the ramp stood up and ambled out as it began to descend. The other soldiers followed suit, followed by Maddie and the survivors.

"Move along, move along!" a woman with an authoritative voice was barking into a megaphone from where she stood atop a small podium. She was gesturing widely with her free arm, motioning for them to…move along. Across the front of her unzipped windbreaker was the acronym FEMA. Maddie didn't recognize it, but didn't have time to ponder that as she and the others were herded on.

She was in a tent city, Maddie realized immediately, one that stretched across several acres of a wide avenue. Maddie thought for a minute trying to figure out where they were. Then she looked up, and didn't need to think anymore as she saw the huge spire of the Arklay Lookout up ahead.

She'd never been inside, unimpressed by what was essentially a giant wooden stick (that it was the tallest such stick in the world didn't impress her, either). She visited the Arklay Center, the mall complex underneath and spreading around the building, though, and so she knew it fairly well.

The Arklay Lookout was built around what had once been a lookout post for firefighters, back before airplanes had been commonplace. Wildfires in the vast forests of Colorado were just as dangerous as the ones that occurred farther west, all the more so because of how remote the mountains made such regions. Such towers, two, three, or four story structures that looked like a more grown-up version of the ubiquitous backyard tree house, dotted forests all across the US, from California to Pennsylvania.

Still, while the structure that had originally stood here was commonplace, the building it gave its name to was anything but. Maddie wasn't sure just how tall the thing was, but the damn thing actually swayed in the wind, despite the five mooring towers that surrounded the building, and that had been a sensation she hadn't been quite prepared for the first time she'd experienced it. Her dad, always sensitive to heights, had gone a little green at that, and Maddie had made fun of him mercilessly-

Dad, I hope you're okay Maddie thought, her mind drifting for the first time to her parent. And Rebecca and Mat had seemed to think her dad was somehow mixed up in all this…Maddie shook her head. They didn't know her dad the way she did. There was no way he was in any way responsible for what was going on.

The Arklay Lookout was apparently being used as a command post by the Army, or whoever it was running this show. Maddie could see helicopters buzzing around the entire camp, some twin-rotored types that looked like some sort of airborne hotdog bun, some with obvious weapons slung under their wings and looking decidedly hostile, and still more, even smaller ones that looked like bubbles with propeller blades. It took Maddie a minute to realize there were no obvious media choppers, only those belonging to the military. That seemed odd to her, but Maddie, unwise in the ways of the mass media, didn't know why that was significant.

Everywhere she looked, she saw soldiers. Some were sprinting back and forth in formation, while others patrolled more casually in twos and threes. Maddie saw and recognized the patches they wore, with their red and white mountains, as Colorado Nation Guard troops. While they all carried rifles, none of them were anywhere but over their shoulders, and the guardsmen seemed, for the most part, relaxed, even talking casually with some of the civilians.

There was another group of soldiers, though, and they seemed anything if not on edge. These troopers carried a different rifle, and wore dark, mirrored sunglasses, along with identical neutral expressions. They looked competent, but also aloof.

"Civilians will surrender all weapons here" announced another voice, this one a man's. Maddie spotted him a minute later, a thin man in a bomber jacket standing beside a fake wood folding table. Several different breeds of gun, from pistols and revolvers to shotguns and rifles lay in front of him. Two guardsmen stood to either side, looking somewhat uneasy.

"Civilians will surrender their weapons" the man repeated, and it took Maddie a minute to remember she had a gun on her person, tucked into the waist of her jeans. The man wasn't beckoning to her, though, but to the others carrying more visible weapons.

Chase, the lead police officer, didn't look too happy about that. Still, he made his way toward the man. Maddie and the others followed him.

"Civilians will surrender-" the man began for the third time, but Chase cut him off.

"Listen, pal, I'm a cop, and I've seen what's out there. I'm not interested in turning over anything to you people."

"Listen, officer, I understand your reluctance" placated the man, who Maddie saw was wearing a different windbreaker. This one said ATF. Maddie remembered that was the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, a government agency charged with managing the illegal use thereof. This seemed an odd place for them to be operating, but Maddie didn't voice that opinion. "We have our orders, and we have to carry them-"

"What seems to be the problem, Danvers?" a new voice called out, and Maddie looked over to see three more men walking toward them. Two were the some of the unsmiling soldiers she'd seen earlier, but the third looked different. He was probably an officer, Maddie decided. Being in front of him, she didn't see Billy's face turn pale.

"These civilians are refusing to turn over their weapons, Major" the man from the ATF replied in a tone Maddie would've suspected from one five year old tattling on another.

"Some of us are police officers" Chase replied, holding his ground. "I don't see why we should have to turn over our weapons too."

The newcomer, the one Danvers had called Major, thought for a moment. He was a big, bull necked man, with a clean shaven face and huge arms, his eyes hidden behind the same-style sunglasses as the rest of his men. He looked like a man who knew his way around a bar fight, Maddie decided.

After a moment, he nodded. "You're right." He turned to Danvers. "Allow them to keep their sidearms, provided they provide identification. Everyone else has to turn in whatever they're carrying."

"Yes, sir" the ATF man replied, sounding a little disappointed.

To Maddie's surprise, the Major stood by to watch as the others disarmed. Chase and Karen looked particularly upset to part with their bigger guns, only doing so when the ATF man grudgingly explained they'd be able to reclaim them later.

Maddie, for her part, wasn't especially attached to the handgun Mat had given her back at the school. She set in on the table, without even a thought about the young man who'd given it to her. All she felt was relief that she wouldn't have the thing digging into the small of her back anymore…

Loretta set down her shotgun, emptying her pocket of about two dozen extra shells, before turning and walking away, without deigning to glance at the little man from the ATF.

Next came the tall, skinny guy named Billy with the tribal tattoo on his arm. But for the ink, Maddie thought he looked kind of like Nicholas Cage, albeit without the crazy look in his eyes.

Billy had ditched the big machinegun he'd taken earlier. Now he was just carrying a chromed handgun, and a big metal tube with a wide mouth that made Maddie think of a blunderbuss, the old-school shotguns from a hundred years ago.

Billy unslung his blunderbuss (Maddie seemed to remember it firing grenades, but wasn't sure), eliciting a wide eyed stare from Danvers, and an amused smile from one of the guardsmen. Then he pulled out his handgun and set it with the others, preparing to step back with the others. He looked very tense, Maddie realized.

"Lieutenant" the Major said, calmly, and for a moment Maddie wasn't sure who he was talking to. Then she noticed Billy had frozen up, his head involuntarily starting to jerk in the Major's direction.

A thin smile crept across the officer's face. "Suller, Griffin. Take him."

Everything happened very fast. The two men on the Major's either side stepped forward, toward Billy, whose face had gone completely white.

"No!" Rebecca was shouting, starting to step between the advancing men and Billy. One of them swung his rifle like a club, expertly clipping her in the temple and knocking her flat. She lay on the ground, stunned.

A second later, Chase delivered a powerful hook to the face of the man who'd hit Rebecca, snapping his head back. The other leveled his rifle at Chase, only to be met by handguns from Chase, Rita, and Karen. The others just stood there, eyes wide, at the spectacle as it unfolded.

"Stand down!" the first soldier was snarling. He was also a big man, with veiny arms.

"Fuck you, leatherneck" Chase replied, pulling the hammer down on his weapon.

"Let's all be reasonable" said the Major, who was also now holding a handgun, a smug look on his face.

"And the horse you rode in on, pal" Chase replied.

"You're outgunned, officer" the Major replied.

"Doesn't matter" Chase replied, his handgun darting over to the Major. "You tell your men to shoot, and I'll bet I can give you two in the chest and one in the head before your guys can drop me."

To his credit, the Major didn't pale at the threat. Instead he just sighed. "Maybe so, but that still leaves you dead. Besides, the man you're defending isn't worth the effort."

"Doesn't seem so bad to me" Chase replied.

"Well, does knowing he's a convicted murderer change that assessment?"

Chase's eyes narrowed. "Hey Billy, that true?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the Major. Behind him, Maddie saw Karen and Rita looking a little nervous.

Billy nodded. "I'm not guilty, but I'm definitely convicted. Don't do this for me, man."

Chase snorted. "Hey, who says this is for you? Maybe I just don't like some big prick who likes to hit girls?" To emphasis his point, Rebecca groaned a little. She had a nasty bruise on the side of her forehead, and another on her cheek where she'd landed.

Billy's eyes fixed on the man who'd hit her. "I'll kill you for that, Suller" he said coldly.

The other man just laughed. "Good luck, pal."

"Look, I'm willing to overlook this little misunderstanding" the Major said, still calm. "Just let us take Coen, and that'll be it."

"It's okay" Billy said. "There's nothing you can do." He gestured to the two guardsmen, now joined by two more, none of whom looked comfortable. "That's it."

Chase nodded slowly, holstering his weapon. "Sorry, brother."

The two soldiers stepped forward and grabbed Billy roughly. "Take him to the top" the Major instructed. "I'll deal with him later." He turned to Chase. "Wise move, officer. See that you don't make me regret letting this go."

Chase bent down and helped Rita stand Rebecca up. The look he sent the Major was pure death. "If I were you, I'd get myself gone" he told the bigger man.

For the first time, the Major blanched. "C'mon" he snarled to his two cronies, who dragged Billy away behind him.

Maddie watched them go. What the hell just happened? she wondered.

(DEAN)

Dean Travers was fiddling with radio of the SUV, trying to find a station still broadcasting. For the most part, he kept getting nothing special: two stations were doing nothing but play pop music, while NPR seemed to be broadcasting what he vaguely recognized as a major production of Wagner's Tannehauser, in its original German. That was troubling, since it meant each station had simply dropped into what was its originally scheduled programming. The fact that no mention was made of the crisis in Raccoon City meant someone was hushing things up. And that was ominous indeed.

Two more stations were flat off the air. A third, Raccoon City 7, was still on, but after about ninety seconds of listening to the frantic DJ shout and scream incoherently into the microphone, Dean knew they wouldn't be getting anything.

Dean twisted the knob, going to another station with nothing but dead air. "So, this is what the end of the world feels like" he said quietly. The three mercenaries didn't say anything, lost in whatever secret thoughts they had.

The sudden warble of the Emergency Broadcast System startled John so badly he swerved off the road and murdered a YIELD sign. "Wot the fuck is that?" he exclaimed, his voice oddly high pitched.

"Shut it" Dean snapped, twisting the volume controls.

"-nature of the ongoing accident, all civilians are asked to not attempt to leave the city. Instead, they are to head to the safe zone established at the Arklay Center. Repeat, this is a message from the United States Department of Public Safety. Due to the nature of the ongoing-"

"Arklay Center? Where's that?" Lewis asked, from his seat just behind Dean.

"Toward the middle of town" Dean replied. He went on to explain exactly what it was for a few minutes.

"Big parking lots" Lewis said. "That'll be why the Army is using it. They can land their choppers easily enough, and it's a big, wide open area to secure."

"That's fantastic" John replied. "Mind tellin' me how to get there?"

"Well, it's-holy shit!" Dean exclaimed, as something bright orange darted in front of their car. John swerved to miss whatever it was…only to plow into the biggest damn lizard Dean had ever seen.

It looked like a Gila monster, he decided. Either that, or a horned toad. The thing was green, with marble like skin and lots of teeth. It had broad shoulders and reverse jointed legs, although Dean didn't get a very good look at those because John managed to crush the thing between the front bumper of the truck and a nearby brick building. He backed up, letting the monster drop to the pavement, a splatter of dark blood where it had struck the wall. Slowly, the thing tried to stand back up, but John floored it, slamming the bumper into its face and crushing the lizard like a used can of soda.

"Fucking hell, did you see that?" he asked, breathing heavily.

Dean, who was hyperventilating just as hard as everyone else, didn't reply. Instead, his eyes jerked to the left, looking out the driver's side window to see a vaguely familiar-looking man staring back.

"What?" he muttered, confused.

"What the hell was-Where the fuck are you going?" John shouted as Dean opened the door and climbed out of the SUV, ignoring the gnawing pain in his ankle. The pain meds he'd taken earlier had worn off, but Dean wasn't interested in taking anymore. After what Mat had told him about Umbrella, he suspected he'd be staying away from their products for a while.

"Hey you!" he shouted to the man in the orange jacket. "You're a cop, aren't you?'

The thing the other man reminded Dean most of was a scared little terrier, but he nodded slowly. "Well, so am I. You interested in getting out of here too?"
The man nodded again. He even spoke, managing a timid and quivering "Yeah." That was good enough for Dean.

"C'mon" he said, beckoning him forward. He leaned back into the vehicle. "Make room, guys, we got another cop coming."

Mac grumbled at that, but after a look from Lewis he climbed into the rear bench seat. Lewis swung the door open for the newcomer (Dean thought he was support personnel, but couldn't remember what; a computer weenie, maybe?). The man climbed inside, carefully closing the door and buckling in, something Dean and the others hadn't bothered with up until now.

John took a deep breath. "Alright. Now, assuming we don't have to make anymore fucking detours, next stop will be the goddamn Arklay wotsit. Any objections?" he asked Dean pointedly.

Dean prudently shook his head.

"Good" John replied, throwing the vehicle. "Now, if someone'll give me some fucking directions, I make sure the bastard gets laid when we're done here. That sound fair?"

Dean, who hadn't thought about sex for at least twenty hours, didn't think that offer sounded as appealing in the middle of a burning, zombie infested Raccoon City, but what the hell? There would be other times.

"You have no idea" he said. "Now, take a left up ahead, and…"