Disclaimer: Resident Evil and its characters are all owned by Capcom.

Chapter 10 – Fleeing

Sherry closed her eyes as she braced for the impact. It felt like she was falling forever. Her heart was racing against her chest and she felt cold air blew against her hair and cheeks. Suddenly she felt a pair of hands grab her shoulders and moved her around the air. She prepared herself to meet the cold hard ground at whatever it is she'll be falling into. There was a loud thud. She covered her head with her arms to protect herself from the falling debris around them. She felt something warm and soft underneath her. She opened her eyes to stare at a pair of blue eyes staring back at her. She found herself lying on top of her partner, legs on either side of his waist. She was practically straddling him. Her hands pressed against his chest, her face very close to his. She didn't know why but she felt her breath get caught in her throat. They stayed like that for a few moments.

Breathing heavily the red headed mercenary gave a sly smile. "So you like to be on top, huh?"

She felt the heat rush up her cheeks. Normally comments like these earned a roll of her eyes and she dismissed them like nothing. However she doesn't know why he has the ability to get to her. "Jake Muller, of all the stupid things to say!" she retorted as she gave him a light punch to the chest.

He gave a low chuckle as she removed herself from him. Personally he found it amusing being able to get under skin like that. Dusting himself off, he looked around their surroundings. It was darker than the warehouse upstairs. It was colder too, the chill seemed to be penetrating through their thick coats to their skin. The ground was wet and slippery. His eyes scanned the walls dripping wet, the ceiling covered in icicles frozen with snow. Rock formations outlined the walls covered in snow particles. They seemed to be in an underground cavern. "Looks like we're in deeper shit than I thought. How are we supposed to get the hell out of here now?"

His partner remained silent, eyes focused on their next objective. "We can't go back up. Looks like we have no choice but to try and find a way out of here," she replied. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms hoping to warm them up. It is darn freezing in this place.

"Looks like sleeping ugly is knocked out. We really did a number on him. Hope he stays down this time," Jake said as he studied the monstrosity laying several feet from them. It was on its back, unmoving. Bits of rubble and debris covered its body.

"Come on. Let's go before he wakes up," Sherry said as she led the way. There seemed to be only one path leading anyway. A cold chill made her shudder. Footsteps behind her assured her that her partner is following. Before long the path separated into two paths. She stopped.

"What's the matter now?" the mercenary asked impatience in his voice.

"There are two paths. Which way shall we go?" she asked. She didn't want to lead them further in the cavern and end up getting lost. For all she knew this underground cavern could be a maze. They may end up going in circles.

He sighed in frustration. Quite frankly he's getting more and more impatient with all the obstacles they have to face. Getting away has never been so damn hard. "I dunno. Pick one I suppose. Look at the path that looks less evil." He has no fucking clue.

A squeak erupted. Sherry strained her ears to the sound. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"I heard something. It was a tiny noise like a squeak," she said as she looked closely at the entrances of the two caves. It was so dark, she couldn't make out anything.

"I don't hear anything. Maybe you're just imagining it. Or it's probably just a rat something nasty like that."

"As long as it's not that monster, I'm fine with that," she said. She heard a flutter, sounded like wings flapping. She took out her stun rod from her belt and held it in front of her. She inched closer to the mouth of the right cave. She squinted in the darkness. She could just make out a flying creature. It hissed and made a louder squeak this time flying towards her face. Swinging her stun rod, she caught across its body electricity running through its furred torso. It squealed in pain and dropped on the ground. Upon closer inspection she couldn't quite make out what it is. It looks like a cross between a bat and a vulture. It flapped its wings helplessly at it looked up at her. It squealed angrily showing its two sharp fangs. Bits of fur were missing throughout its body, patches of dark leathery skin showed with boils and pus seeping out of them. Wrinkling her nose in disgust, she raised a brown heeled boot and brought it down on the creature.

"Damn. Even animals are infected too. This C-virus thing is lethal," a deep voice said behind her. She glanced at her partner who was watching the bat creature over her shoulder.

"Yes. Let's not stick around longer and find out what other creatures are infected with this thing."

"I say we go to the left cave. I didn't hear anything coming from there," he said motioning to the entrance with a hand. She nodded.

The two made their way to the left entrance, the mercenary leading them this time. They didn't encounter anything infected much to their relief. The two reached a high ledge.

"Alright. I'm gonna give you a boost," Jake said as he cupped his hands together. His partner moved a few steps back and prepared to jump. Running fast she placed her foot on her partner's hands and felt herself rise upwards as he boosted her up. Landing on the top of the ledge, she moved a few steps back to give room for her partner to get up. Jake in turn took a couple of steps back. With a burst of speed, he sprinted towards the ledge and leaped grabbing the edge of it. Using the toe of his boots he tried to pull himself up. Sherry grabbed one if his arms and pulled him upwards. The pair looked onwards and saw a narrow catwalk leading to another mouth of a cave.

"Watch your step. You wouldn't want to fall down," Sherry warned.

Jake looked down and saw at least a 50 feet drop to the ground below. "Yep, I hear ya. A fall would at least give some nasty bruises. Or broken bones," he added. He studied the catwalk ahead of them. "Alright. I'm gonna go first. This doesn't look like it could hold both of our weights together. I cross first, make sure the path is clear then give you the go ahead."

"Ok. Be careful though."

The mercenary slowly inched a foot onwards. Dust and small rocks fell down where his foot was putting pressure on. He gave a weary shake of his head and continued forward careful not to make sudden movements. He was halfway across when he felt something whizz past his head. Looking up sharply he watched for any movement.

"Look out, Jake! It's those mutated bat things. They're aiming for your head," his partner cried pointing a finger towards the ceiling.

"Damn these things. They're such pests!" He kept his head lowered to avoid having his eyes scratched out. He felt another whoosh of air as a mutated bat scratched the collar of his coat. He swung an arm towards it but missed. A squeal erupted as two more dove towards his head.

"Get out of there!" Sherry yelled. Picking up a rock she threw one towards an infected bat about to dive to her partner's face. It hit it on its left wing making a high pitched squeal.

Covering his face and head with his arms, the mercenary lunged forward with a burst of speed. He made it across the catwalk to the other side where he heard a few more squeals. Three more bats came at him, talons ready to attack. Curling his fingers into a tight fist, he swung and connected to a furry creature. It flew backwards and hit the wall making a slapping sound and dropped down the ground below. He felt another one raked its claws on his neck. In a flash, he shot an arm out and grabbed the mutated creature around its body. "Got you now, you little shithead," he said, his voice low and dangerous. The poor creature squealed helplessly in his hand. He increased the pressure on his fingers around the creature squeezing it and cutting off its air supply. The bat let out a pained squeak as it tried to breathe but no avail. It bared its fangs angrily at him as it tried to squirm but to no avail. It made a gasping and choking sound as it made one last attempt to put air into its lungs then it stopped moving. The mercenary threw it against the wall, its lifeless body bouncing off it and falling down to the ground below.

"Are you ok?" gasped Sherry as she reached his side. All the bats took an interest in her partner leaving her to cross the catwalk without any trouble. Her eyes scanned his exposed skin for any bites or scratches. She saw three thin lines of scratches running across the back of his neck. "Oh no," she whispered as she took a closer look at it.

He held up a hand. "Don't worry about it. I'm immune to the C-virus remember?"

"Are you sure? Still, it would be better if we patch that up," the blonde woman replied as she took out a square bandage from her pocket. Carefully she covered the scratches with it and stuck it to his skin. Glancing around them, she took out her stun rod in case more of those creatures come after them again.

"That you got there is pretty handy."

"Yeah. One swipe and they're fried bats."

He chuckled. "I, on the other hand, will just stick to bitchslapping them. It feels pretty good making them squeal."

A distant roar interrupted the pair. Sherry's jaw dropped open slightly, dread overcoming her body. She didn't want to think about it. Her eyes met her partner's, his expression looked very pissed off.

He gave the wall a punch. "Damn it! Don't tell me that fucker is up again."

"I hate to say it but looks like it. We need to move fast."

The duo ran forward leading them to a wide room with barrels and crates lining the perimeter of the ground. More ledges ran at the end of the room. Sherry took a closer look at the barrels. Some of them were empty, some were filled with toxic waste. A picture of a skull with two bones crossing each other were painted in some of them. The barrels were sealed shut, some broken and chipped, paint peeling off. Loud thudding sounds echoed across the cavern assuring the two that the BOW is not far from them.

"Find a hiding spot! We need to lose him," she said as she got behind some of the barrels and went on a crouching position, blue eyes peeking between the cylinders. Her partner obeyed and squeezed himself in a tight space between a crate and a barrel staying hidden from view. As soon as she said those words, the monstrosity came stomping in the room eyes scanning every inch of its surroundings. She crept lower making herself as small as possible. She held her breath dreading to make a sound. She glanced at her partner and saw him flat out against the wall hidden behind the big crate. She saw him reach for his gun but before anything could happen, the monster let out a low growl and hopped on one of the ledges making his way forward, intent on hunting them down. She let her breath out in a whoosh. She leaned her head against the cold metal surface of the barrel. It felt cool against her skin, cold sweat dripped down her forehead.

"Sherry, we gotta move!"

She looked up and saw her partner eyes focused and tensed towards the direction where the monster went. She stood up and went to his side. Eyeing the path before them she saw there is another path they could take. "We could take that path where the monster didn't go to. The further we are from him, the better." The pair walked together to the ledge and giving his partner another boost, she managed to get up. Helping her partner climb up the ledge the two quickly made their way to the entrance of another cavern. She could feel a cool breeze coming from the mouth of the cave. "I think this may be the way out. I could feel a slight breeze coming from the inside. Hopefully it will lead us out of here."

They made their way inside which led them another bigger and spacious room. A tractor lay still against a pile of crates. More barrels outlined the edge of the walkway. The path sloped upwards creating more ledges to climb on.

"Christ, what the hell are they doing here? Digging for gold? Edonia's got nothing, why would there be crates and barrels in this shithole?"

"I have no idea. Let's just move forward and try to get out of here."

The mercenary climbed up a ledge, crates stacked up against the railing of the walkway. He turned to his right and saw the giant monsters standing in the middle of an open space. He ducked his head. "For fuck's sake, that asshole is still looking for us. Keep your head low and keep quiet," he warned his female partner.

She nodded and climbed the ledge slowly and carefully. Making sure to keep her head down she followed her partner as he continued on the walkway. The ground sloped downwards this time and dumpsters were placed at the sides of the walkway making it narrower. She heard a loud cracking sound above her. Looking up she saw a pointed icicle dropping towards them. "Look out!" she cried as she gave her partner a shove out of the way. The icicle smashed against the ground, hundreds of pieces of shiny particles littered the floor. A loud roar came from several feet.

"Shit! Run!" the mercenary yelled.

The blonde agent forced her legs to run against the slippery ground. The walkways are so narrow, hiding would be impossible. There's no crevice or any place for them to fit into. They're running out of options and the creature is nearly upon them judging by the loud thunderous footsteps coming behind them.

"In the dumpster!" cried the mercenary.

She reached it first. Flipping the lid open, she hopped inside falling on top of bags of garbage. Her partner followed swiftly landing beside her in the cramped space. Closing the lid down, he crouched as low as possible against Sherry. There was a small space of crack under the lid of the dumpster which enabled him to see the BOW stalking around. It stopped in front of their hiding place. It gave a snort as it looked around. He was so close he could see the veins popping out of its meaty arms. He's so strong he could probably bring his huge fist up and ram it down the dumpster crushing him along with his partner like a pancake. He lowered himself which made him pressed closer to his partner.

The dumpster was filled with garbage bags and has hardly any room for the two of them. The air reeked with the pungent odor of rotten food and other stench she couldn't quite place. Sherry found herself squeezed against her male partner, her head pressed in an almost intimate way against his chest. She didn't fail to smell his scent, the earthy musky male scent that travelled up her nostrils. Somehow for some reason, she found it comforting. Her cheek touched the bare skin exposed above the neckline of his shirt. His skin was warm despite the freezing cold. His body heat seemed to radiate and travel to her cheek and down to her neck. Is the rest of his body warm too, she couldn't help but wonder quietly. Almost in an instant, she pulled back from her thoughts. She felt her cheeks flare with heat for thinking of such things especially in a situation like they were in. She was glad for the dim lighting the space of the dumpster gave them so he couldn't see her blush. She turned her head upwards and looked at him. He was watching the creature, eyes guarded and alert. His expression was tensed. Slowly she brought a hand up and placed it on his chest. She wanted to tell him that it's going to be alright, that they'll get through this. The huge BOW outside prevented her from speaking so that's the only gesture she could offer him at the moment.

He looked momentarily surprised at the sudden touch and looked down upon her. She was curled up against him, lying on her side in an uncomfortable way. He snaked an arm under her and placed a hand at the small of her back. At least his arm could provide a little cushion for her against the cold steel floor. The monster let out an angry growl. He felt her shudder against him as she bit her lip, her hand curling into a fist against his shirt. Without thinking he tightened his hold against her, pressing her closer to him. It was a strange feeling giving comfort to someone. As a mercenary, comfort is something you rarely feel nor get. Giving it to somebody else is a rare chance. He didn't really give a damn about his squad or his commanders. Yet here he is trying to ease the tension and anxiety of a young woman he just met. He could almost laugh at his situation. Here he is on the run from a huge monster after him, lying in a dumpster in an underground cavern in the middle of God knows where. The monster grunted and stalked off.

Sherry sighed in relief. She just hoped that thing won't be back. "Let's stay here for a while. He might come back," she whispered. Her partner didn't say anything, but gave a nod. They didn't say anything else and stayed like that for a few moments.

"So…" her partner began. "We're back to our favorite positions again."

Although she couldn't see him, she could feel the cheeky smirk on his face judging on how his voice dipped low, the tone teasing. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I think you liked it more than I do," she retorted. "Come on, it doesn't look like he's going to be back. We should get out of here."

Flipping the lid open, she stood up and dusted off her clothes. She hopped over the dumpster and landed on the ground. Her partner landed beside her. Looking at the path before them she pointed a finger towards its direction. "Let's continue forward. Hopefully we won't run into that monster. There's bound to be an exit here somewhere."

The duo continued forward alert for any danger and unexpected surprises along the way. Thankfully they were lucky and didn't encounter any more nasty creatures. After going through a few more twists and turns underground, Sherry could feel a stronger draft of a cold breeze. "I think we're close. I can feel the breeze a lot more here."

"Shouldn't be too far now. Keep going."

As they continued forward the place became less dimmer, the light from the outside piercing the darkness a lot better. Increasing her pace, Sherry almost ran towards the opening of the cave ahead happy to see sunlight and the outside world again. "Yes! Looks like we're nearly there." She stepped out of the darkness into the light. She covered her eyes as the sunlight shone on her face making her eyes hurt from being in the dark cave for a long time. She didn't care, all that mattered is that they're finally out.

Her happiness is short lived as she found herself staring at the nozzle of guns from at least a dozen Javo's surrounding herself and her partner. In the middle stood an elegant looking Asian woman clothed in a blue dress with a plunging neckline. A bit under dressed for this type of climate isn't she, she thought to herself. She has a bad feeling about this. She could feel the hairs at the back of her neck standing up. She reached for her handgun and raised it to the approaching woman. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that her partner already has his aimed towards the Javos.

"Well, well. It's been a while. We meet again, Ms Sherry Birkin," the woman said, her tone casual as she'd known her for years. She gave a toss of her head, making her short bob hair move out of her face.

Sherry frowned. "Who are you? How do you know me?" She couldn't place her finger on it but somehow this woman looked familiar. It's like she's seen her before but it was a long, long time ago. She felt anxiety rise up within her. Things don't look too good for them. She saw her partner giving her a curious sideways glance, his expression questioning.

Before the mysterious woman could reply, she heard loud thunderous footsteps coming behind her. Spinning around, she saw herself come face to face with the giant beast. She raised her gun to shoot but before she could pull the trigger, the ferocious monster pulled back its huge arm and swung it at her connecting to her body. She felt herself lift up from the snowy ground and into the air. A huge wave of shock and pain coursed through her entire body. She couldn't remember anything after that. She felt her whole world turn upside down.

Then everything went black.