Chapter 9
"Find any ID on 'em?..."
"Naw, just a couple of fucking pigs."
"Or rats. Rats in a maze."
"What happened to the blond chick?"
"Warwick took her to the back room, probably having a little fun with her. Hehehehe..."
The sounds of the voices spurred Jason awake. His head was swimming, and a livid bruise had formed on his head. He opened his groggy eyes and looked around. Elliot and George lay next to him, still concussed. He tried to move but discovered heavy chains obstructing his motions. What the hell? Jason stared at his surroundings. They were being held in a dank, dingy room. The smell of mildew hung heavy in the air and rough, uneven concrete dug into his bare arms. A heavy shadow fell over the three officers and Jason finally got a look at their captives.
"Well, well. Looks like you're awake." One of the men said spitefully.
They were dressed in fatigues of the United States military, with dark green and black camo, but there was definitely something wrong with them. Their uniforms were adorned with black lettering from a permanent marker. Jason could make out words in the dingy fabric, "KILL, ZED CLEANERS, 09/25/98 NEVER FORGET." Something about the look in their eyes made Jason extremely uncomfortable. One of the soldiers kicked George and Elliot awoke.
"Get the fuck up!!" He shouted. The two officers were jolted awake, confusion etched over there faces.
"Where are we!? What time is it!? What fucking time is!?" Elliot was hysterical, then Jason finally realized why. Dawn...The room they were in was windowless, and Jason's sense of time was shot since the crash. If they had indeed lost much time they were in danger of being caught in the missile strike.
The soldier slapped Elliot across the face. "Who you think you hollerin at boy!? Yo pretty little badge don't mean nothin now!"
Jason could see the anger in Elliot's eyes flash but soon dissipate as he tried to reason with their captives.
"Please, you have to listen! The government is planning on launching a missile strike against the city by dawn. We have to get out of here or we're all going to die!"
The soldier scoffed. "We're all going to die anyway. You know how much fucking death and destruction I've seen since I set foot in this shit-hole? Watching my friends getting killed by fucking zombies!? It's over, game over man! Game over!"
"No!! Just because you fucking psychos think it's over, doesn't mean it's over. We're not going to die----------"
The conviction in George's voice was clear but he was cut off by a shot from the soldiers M-16 stock to the ribs. George sputtered and coughed.
"Son of a bitch..." Be breathed.
There was a high pitched scream that came from another room.
Anna!
"Anna!!" Jason shouted. "ANNA!!"
The soldier just smiled. "Hope he saves some for the rest of us..."
"You filthy bastards! When I get out of here I'm going to make you pay!!"
The soldier raised his gun menacingly in Jason's direction, ready to bring it down on his skull when the door opened. A sweaty faced soldier ran in gasping for air.
"Boys shot one of the RPG's at a chopper about ten minutes ago. They weren't able to shoot it down but they say some of the cargo it was carrying off its hull was dislodged. They gone to pick it up..."
"Where is it?"
"Boys say it was about a block from that police station."
"Bring that cargo back here ASAP. I want to see what they were carrying. And as for our 'guest,' we'll deal with them in the morning..."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
October 1st, 1998
"Mission Code XX"
The minutes bled into hours as they were being held against their will. Anna was finally brought back to them, shivering and eyes filled with fright. Her uniform had been ripped in several places and she was desperately trying to fight the urge to break-down. The soldiers had left them again, left them to wait for the eventual end.
"I'm so sorry..." Said Elliot. "I...I tried. We all tried. It wasn't supposed to end like this..."
They sat in silence for hours. There was nothing to reminiscence about, and nothing left to say. It seemed like any minute now, there surroundings would just be engulfed in a fiery blaze, and it will all be over...
The door to their room burst open. A large man in army fatigues walked into the room. His face was obscured by a shaggy beard and long ratty hair. Upon seeing him Anna cowered into a ball and Jason could see why. The name-tag on the breast of his fatigue read "B. Warwick."
He was followed in the room by two other soldiers. They made their way over to the captive police officers.
"What the hell are you doing with us?" Elliot inquired as Warwick began to undo their chains.
He smiled and continued to unwrap their chains.
"On your feet! Now..." He barked.
Jason stood up on unsteady legs while the other soldiers freed Elliot, George, and Anna. Their guns pointed dangerously in their direction, silently warning them against protest. They were led out of the room and down a grimy corridor, and for the first time, Jason was able to see the scene out of a window. Orange rays burnt through the remaining wall of darkness, covering the city in a soft glow. Jason met Elliot's gaze, which was filled with dismay.
They emerged onto a loading dock and out into the cool pre-dawn air. Jason recognized the area that they were in. It was the ware-house district on the out-skirts of down-town. Not too far from Bybee... A large military transport truck was parked in front of the ware-house. Several soldiers were on the back of the truck, hauling a large red container from the back. Its cylindrical surface was heavily scorched but Jason could make out the three interloping crescent symbols and "T-102" written on its surface.
"On your knees..." Warwick hissed.
Jason was staring at the red container, transfixed when he felt the foot kick his knee him, driving him down with great impact. George, Elliot, and Anna were also forced to their knees. Elliot and Jason locked eyes. You did your best. Jason thought with pride.
"Thank you..." Jason whispered. Elliot smiled and looked away. The soldiers on the truck continued to struggle with the container. As they attempted to lift it to the ground, it fell off of the truck with an earth-shaking thud. White mist seeped through a crack in the container as the soldiers scrambled to lift it back up.
"Fucking idiots!!" Warwick screamed.
"Sorry general! Jeez, what the hell is in th----------"
A large arm burst through the crack in the container. It wrapped a gloved hand around the soldiers head and squeezed until a horrible cracking sound became audible. It tossed the body away and continued to rip its way out the metal container, it body shrouded by the torrent of white mist.
"What...the...hell!?" Warwick screamed. "FIRE!"
The sound of automatic rounds pierced the early morning air. As the mist dissipated, Jason was finally able to get a view of the creature. It was impossibly tall, bordering eight feet, which contrasted with its considerable bulk and muscles. A brown trench coat clung to its massive body in burnt, melted patches and its right hand was a confusion of serrated claws. But worse of all was its eyes, which were two black coal set in a slack, soul-less face.
"Move!" Elliot ordered while the soldiers were distracted by the monster in front of them. The giant lowered its abdomen, and with a speed impossible for such a large mass launched itself towards the soldiers. It rammed its ample shoulder into one of the soldiers, crushing his body as he went flying back several feet. The other soldiers froze in surprise and fear as the giant turned its blank stare on them.
It swung its giant mass of claws, disemboweling one of the soldiers in one swift motion. They continued to fire as they scattered. Jason, George, Elliot, and Anna made their way to the back of the transport truck. They peered from behind the truck as the giant slaughtered the remaining officers. They watched as Warwick hopelessly fired at the things singed flesh, screaming obscenities at the sky. He continued to fire even as the thing plunged its claws through his stomach like a wet paper bag. It picked his life-less body up and tossed it aside as if he were weightless.
Jason was so gripped by the visceral scene that he didn't see Elliot pushing past him, climbing into the cabin of the transport truck. It was at that time that Jason remembered the deadline...dawn. The truck roared to life as the soul-less giant turned its attention on them.
"GO! GO! GO!!" George screamed from the back.
The truck rumbled through the ware-house parking lot and tore through the city streets. Jason could see the giant behind them, bending its legs again, bracing itself...
Oh no...
The giant rushed after them in a graceful sprint, its molted feet digging into the concrete. The truck was fast, but the giant was quickly gaining speed, almost halving the distance between them. Jason looked up into the sky, and wondered which was going to be worse; being gutted open by that thing or getting caught in the missile strike. More light burnt in the pre-dawn atmosphere, making their situation more dire.
"It's catching up!" Anna screamed. They didn't have any weapons to keep it at bay, it would be on them in seconds----------
And Jason's heart nearly jumped in his throat out of joy when he saw Elliot turning, saw the white street sign gleaming like a heavenly beacon.
Bybee...
There was a heavy thump and the truck sagged as the giant leaped on the back. Its legs were still dangling as it tried to pull itself towards them. There was a terrible screeching noise of bone against metal as its claws bore into the hull, regaining its balance, pulling one of its tree-trunk legs up----------
----------George rushed forward and kicked the monster in the face with all of his might. The giant lost its balance and fell half-way into the street, its claw still stuck into the truck. Suddenly, it darted its other hand forward and with a vice like grip wrapped around George's ankle. George let out a wail of pain as his ankle was snapped from the pressure. George fell to the floor, writhing in agony. The truck was barreling down Bybee at a tremendous speed, swerving into parked cars and any zombies that got in the way.
The giant tried to pull its claw out of the steel while it kept its grip on George, but to no avail.
It's stuck!
There was no time to think as Jason launched himself towards the giant and planted both of his feet in the the things life-less face. Amazingly, he kept his balance on the truck traveling at least 70 miles per hour, and even more amazing was the fact that the giant didn't even budge an inch as Jason just bounced off of its copious skull.
Jason brought his foot down on the giants wrist, desperately trying to free George. He stomped again, harder, his foot aching from the cement like skin. The giants claws were breaking the steel hull, wrenching itself free. It let go of George and tried to use its other hand to free itself, its strange muscles rippling with veins from the effort----------
NOW!!!
Jason gave one last powerful kick to the giants face. Their was a screeching tear as its claw became dislodged from the hull. It tumbled off the back of the truck, rolling over itself and finally coming to a stop in the middle of the street.
They were coming up to the entrance ramp of I-10. The giant got to its feet and even in the distance Jason could see the two coals watching him. The giant doubled over again, about to begin his death sprint, when Jason saw the two shapes racing across the sky. Two slender black objects, poised next to each other in perfect synchronism.
Fighter jets...
Jason watched as several smaller objects were dejected from the jets. He watched those objects glide through the air and connect with various buildings, incinerating them in a fiery blaze. The wall of fire raced across the city, obliterating everything in its path. The truck continued to storm down the expressway, even as the ground beneath them rumbled with intensity from the explosions.
A gigantic shock-wave rocked the truck, a swoosh of sound and pressure threatening to explode Jason's ears. He looked back and saw the giant being engulfed in flames, its colossal body ripped apart by the flames. A wave of soot and dust enveloped the truck as Jason threw his body on top of George and Anna. He closed his eyes, fighting the whipping winds of dust and smoke lashing his face. The world was a tempest of noise, the coat of dust settling around them, dispersing...
After several minutes, Jason finally raised his head. He stared in the direction of Raccoon City, only seeing a giant cloud of smoke curling from the once bustling metropolis. The dirty, tear stained faces of George and Anna told the same story. They had survived, but at what price? He had read somewhere that in war, no-body survives. That was exactly what this felt like. Jason feel back into the truck and let out a deep sigh. The early morning sun was starting to break through the sky, and Jason thought that it was the most beautiful sight that he had ever seen in his life.
The drove down the expressway in silence, leaving the burning remains of Raccoon City behind for good.
It's not over yet. We can't let Umbrella get away with this atrocity. We have to continue to fight, for every innocent life lost, for every fallen comrade...we have to continue this fight.
Authors Notes:
Finally finished after what felt like months. Had kind of a writers block near the end, but I think that it turned out pretty well, especially with the inclusion of the Tyrant. I do have plans to write a sequel for Strength, but not at the present moment, as I am going to delve into some more Silent Hill fan-fiction and original works. Thanks for checking it out and I hope you had fun reading it just as much as I had fun writing it. Until next time, later.