Chapter 8

The trek through the Raccoon City sewer system was a perilous one. While the dingy interior of the under-ground was relatively safer than braving the streets, there were undoubtedly horrors lurking beneath the streets of Raccoon as well. A shiver ran down Elliot's spine as he recalled the creatures they had encountered in the sewers. He could still remember the rhythmic thump thump thump of their many legs. The sight of their furry bodies and multiple eyes had frozen Elliot in his spot as he tried to comprehend the monstrosity that stood before him.

Spiders...ewwww. I fucking hate spiders.

He had blasted the thing to bits with his Mossberg, and hastily hurried his comrades to shift their asses into high gear. He wasn't going to be sitting around waiting for more of them to come. After what seemed like hours wading through raw sewage, they finally found pale moon-light emanating from the cover of a man-hole. They had reached the man-hole, and had come up behind Raccoon City University.

The elation that should have surely over-come them was short lived, as Martinez's health continued to deteriorate. Elliot tried to push that matter to the back of his mind, but he knew ignoring it was pointless. It wouldn't just go away, and right now, it had finally come to a head.

Elliot, Jason, Anna, George, and Martinez found refuge in one of the university's studies. It was a cozy, sepia toned room with ornate decors and a fireplace that had long since died out. Martinez lay prone on a sofa while Anna applied a towel to her damp fore-head. It was now or never, she was on her final hours, and when she changed, they were all in danger-----

"-----George...Jason...Anna...leave."

Martinez's voice was barely a whisper and heavily slurred, but still carried a degree of hardness. The three officers solemnly exited the study, leaving Martinez and Elliot alone. She tried to raise from the couch but her failing body was too weak. She plopped back down with a heavy sigh and stared at Elliot with tired, blood-shot eyes.

"It...looks...like this...is...end."

"It's not over until it's over. You said so yourself."

She managed a meek smile and shook her head. "It...is...over. I feel...so...itchy."

A cascade of tears began to run down her beautiful, weary face.

"Oh God! Make...it...stop! It...itches!"

Elliot gripped the Mossberg tightly in his hands, but he found himself unable to use it. To kill one of his own, even if it did mean ending her suffering. She looked at him with pleading eyes...

"Elliot...make...it...stop."

Those were the last words she ever spoke, as rapid convulsion over-took her body. Her once beaming, intelligent brown eyes rolled heavily in her skull as her body continued to spasm. Her chest expelled one last gust of air and her body became still, with her eyes rolled half-way in her head and mouth gaped open.

"Penelope?" Elliot sobbed. "Penelope!?"

Her body twitched once, then a second time with an audible crack. A wet moan escaped her now re-functioning vocal cords as she jerkily sat up, a thick strand of saliva hanging from her bluish lips.

Elliot pointed the Mossberg at her slack, lifeless face and backed away. Penelope Martinez is dead. I have to do this.

She fell off the couch with a heavy thud and began to pull her-self unsteadily towards Elliot. Another incomprehensible moan escaped her mouth and Elliot realized that she was making the loneliest, most pitiful sound he had ever heard in his life. He trained the shot-gun on her lifeless face.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm sorr-----"

The blast erupted even as he was still talking, shattering her head into a confusion of blood, bone, and brain matter. Elliot immediately averted his gaze. There was no more reason to justify his actions, he had did what he had to do. Elliot found a blanket and used it to cover the remains of his fallen officer.

Rest In Peace.

Elliot thought that he had cried all the tears he had ever had to cry for one life-time, but he was wrong. Never in his entire life had he felt this helpless, this afraid.

But people are counting on me. I swore on my soul that we would all make it out alive.

He quickly wiped his tears and began to make his way out of the room to join the others. As he approached the door, however, his police radio crackled to life.

"What the hell?"

There was another burst of static, then the voice of a female permeated through the hand held radio.

"...Is any-body there? If you can here me, you have to get out of Raccoon City now! The U.S. government is planning a 'definite quarantine' of the city, once this happens nothing will survive! You have to get out now!"

Elliot's blood ran cold. He tensely fumbled for the radio's receiver and talked into it, trying to expel more information from the woman.

"Hello!? Hello!? What do you mean by 'definite quarantine'!? Hello!?"

There was a brief pause on the other end then the voice of the woman became audible again.

"Thank God I got through to you! I didn't think there was any-body left. Listen, you have to get out of Raccoon City by dawn of tomorrow morning. The government is planning on launching missiles at the city to ensure that the virus doesn't spread any further. It may already be too late any-way but their desperately trying to find anything to use as a fail-safe. Please, you must leave!

"They can't do this! What about other survivors, were you able to reach any-body else.?"

"Oh, I've been desperately trying to find others on closed radio frequencies but this is the first time that I've actually gotten through to a real person,------"

Elliot could hear the woman sob. Who-ever she was, she was very emotional about her attempts to help any citizens of Raccoon.

"Who are you?" Elliot asked suspiciously. "And how do you know about this missile strike?"

She ignored his question, whether out of haste or purposely eluding Elliot.

"Where are you?"

"Raccoon City University..."


"Listen carefully. The military has blocked off stretches of the city going back to a ten mile radius. Do you know where Interstate ten is? Right off the main street of Bybee?"

Elliot had spent many nights patrolling that street.

"Yeah,I know where it is."

"Okay, you need to get to I-10 before dawn. Do not take the down-town route. That's where most of those things are concentrated. Use the side streets or alleys. I'm pretty sure you can take Keller all the way to Bybee. Stay as far away from down-town as possible, is that clear?"

"Very clear. Please, who are you? Just tell me your name..."

There was sigh. "If you really want to know, you will make it out alive. Good luck..."

"Wait!" It was too late as her end went dead. They were on the clock now.

A missile strike against the city? This situation couldn't possibly get any worse...

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Jason, George and Anna sat out-side of the study, patiently waiting for Elliot to join them. They knew that only one person was coming out of that room, and when they had finally heard the shot-gun blast, Jason prayed that Martinez had finally found peace, that she was finally delivered from her pain.

We just have to trust Elliot. He can get us through this.

After another few minutes of silence, Elliot emerged from the study, pale faced and visibly shaken.

"Elliot, I'm so so-----" Anna began to say. He cut her off, a frantic gaze in his eyes.

"We have to get out of Raccoon now, tonight..."

Anna stared at him, exasperated. "Elliot! Please, we have to rest, we can't go----------"

Elliot grabbed her by the throat and forced her against the wall.

What the hell!? Jason thought frantically.

"Look!! We don't have time!! The government is going to bomb this place straight to hell at dawn and we don't have time to just sit around on our asses!! We have to get out of here!!"

He let her go as George and Jason struggled to free Anna, who stared at Elliot with shocked, gaping eyes. Elliot viciously punched the wall, leaving a hole in the plaster.

"It's true. Some-one got through to me on the police radio. They said at dawn, there's going to be a missile strike on Raccoon. We...we have to leave. Trust me on this one."

Jason could feel the blood drain from his face.

"A missile strike!?" George asked bewildered. "Oh, shit."

"Yeah, 'oh shit' is definitely right." Elliot concurred.

"How are we going to get out of the city?" Said Jason.

"We have to take the streets. It's a big risk, but if we don't make it out we're dead any-way, so let's move it!"

And moved it they did. They ran through the empty halls of Raccoon City University, rushing past the relics of class-rooms and grand trophy cases. They finally reached the front gates of the university, and found it to be in the same dire state as the rest of the city. Several burned husks of cars lay strewn about in the parking lot. One car was wrapped around a campus light-post, seemingly crashed from behind by a----------

Bingo!

Sitting about ten feet behind the crumpled car was a Raccoon City Police Department S.W.A.T. van. Its dark blue heavily armored exterior was emblazoned with the seal of the police department and no visible signs of damage could be seen from where it had crashed.

"Head for the van!" Elliot shouted, but they were way ahead of him. They ran towards the open doors of the back and piled in. It was empty except for a crumpled, bloody police uniform and shoes. Elliot went around to the drivers side. Please let there be keys. Jason thought. They were rewarded by the revving of the vans powerful engine and a thrust as the van was put into gear.

The elation on Jason's face must have been contagious, as Anna beamed with excitement and even George let a wane smile through his dreary face.

The S.W.A.T. van barreled through the university's parking lot. There was a small window to see out, and Jason watched th----------

KEEEEERRRRRRRRRCHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

The three officers in the back were violently jolted as Elliot crashed through the campuses gates.

"Every-body all right back there!?" He called with concern.

Jason met the bewildered eyes of Anna and George, who despite looking a little shaken were still in one piece.

"Yeah, but please watch it!" Said Jason.

Jason continued to stare out the window. The shuffling frames of zombies could be seen pointlessly trailing there vehicle. There were many more smaller collisions from the front of the van as Elliot ran them over, squashing their decomposing bodies under the giant hull. He wasn't even trying to avoid the zombies stumbling about on the city streets.

How many are there? Dozens? Hundreds?

They continued to plow down the streets, crushing anything that got in their way. The streets weren't as bad as they had initially thought. Debris of various sizes littered the road but nothing to big that the van couldn't get through.

"Do you know the route to take out of town?" Jason called from the back.

"Yeah, if we take Bybee, that'll bring us to I-10. The military has a blockade set u----------"

Elliot never finished, as the S.W.A.T. van was rocked with by a tremendous crash. The vehicle spun out of control and landed on its side, throwing the bodies of the officers around like rag dolls. Jason could feel warm blood trickling down his head as he stared at the scene with glossy, unfocused eyes.

The door to the back of the van swung open. Multiple legs were scurrying about out-side of the wrecked van. Jason could make out the figures as they climbed inside of the van.

Camouflage, helmets, guns...soldiers.

Jason was lifted from the wreckage along with the limp bodies of the other officers. The sound of automatic fire was deafening over the angry moans of the zombies.

"Move out!! Move out!! Get 'em in the truck!!" An angry voice shouted.

As he was being lifted into the truck, Jason slipped into unconsciousness, drifted away from the ensuing battle...