Distressing Reunions
Jill-Supreme-Decapitator opened another door with her almighty lock picking tools; it was giving outside on a balcony. She checked her ammunition; four magazines in her beret, one in the middle of her bra, two in each boots, four strapped to her sides and five on her belt: each containing fifteen bullets for a grand total of 240; that ought to last a tiny while….giving the circumstances, seeing that each corners of this place was literally filled with tons of putrefying monsters; her stock of ammo would last for a good ten minutes at least.
Yes that was optimistic thinking, too.
The fresh air was welcoming and the thought to just remain here while the rest of her team would clear all the mutated freaks crossed her mind. She could just admire the view, how the moon creepily set shadows all around, listen to some mutated crows staring at her from their hideout, watch the leafless branches swing in the gentle wind. Come to think of itthat was strange; the trees shouldn't be like that in the middle of July.
There was a glass table near the door, she picked up the clip that was there and shoved it inside her pants. The sweet venture into fresh air was then interrupted by the smell of rotten flesh once more, and a corpse to look at. Valentine had seen enough so far but this one was very familiar. She approached and that's when cheaply sinister piano notes were awkwardly pressed then ended as abruptly out of pitch as if the performer had a heart attack. The Alpha looked around noticing a piano under the terrace, with someone sprawled over it as if they had just died there; tough job just waiting at an eerie position to play those notes then die of horror, somehow. She dismissed the atypical scene and turned back to the corpse, walked to it and bent to look him in the face, a smile growing on hers.
«Forest Sprayer? It's good to see you! », she touched his shoulder and a piece of rotten skin stuck to her glove. She shook him a bit as if trying to wake him up, the head on the limp neck moving around by itself. «I thought you were dead, we've been looking for your team; though judging by all of your shitty results the codename 'Bravo' is vey incorrect. So where is everyone? » That's when she realized there was something wrong with his face, well at least she did realize that…. «You've got two fleshy holes instead of eyes, pal. It's alright don't panic, mine are still intact so I'll guide you through this mess. Just come with me. Burry will be pleased to see you; apparently you owe him twenty cents. »
The woman effortlessly grabbed him, because she's Jill Tremendous-Valentine and always stronger than she looks. The bone in his right arm cracked, some skin gave way so the limb fell off with a wet sound on the ground. Valentine looked at it, «A minor flesh wound, nothing we can't fix later. Now let's get you inside. » She dragged Speyer's rotting shell towards the door, he had no objection; the Bravo wouldn't protest ever again about anything. Let's see how long Forest would remain in his 'Faux-Rest' state. Next they entered the mansion so a maggot in his hair squeaked approvingly at that.
+++++++++++R.E.+++++++++++
Our delusional woman decided to deepen her search into the East Wing, doing so she ran into two additional Bravos. When she saw Richard she bent while handing Forest to Rebecca, «Here, since you're already playing nurse. » Chambers was too horrified to move away though her face twisted with disgust.
Richard opened his eyes as he heard her voice, «Be careful, this whole place is a…killing zone….! »
She examined his wound while saying, «Yes I know, I've never felt this much excitement in my entire existence, it's literally like a fun fair here. »
The man looked at her wrong, in fact, he suddenly seemed to be cross eyed: probably because of the pain…..hopefully. He said faintly, «I got bitten…..by a snake, it had to be a gigantic reptile, poisonous too and it was laughing at me to top it off….at least it wasn't a demon….!», his eyes rolled back.
Jill tossed her PS1 classic Director's Crap CD away, saying «I know exactly what you mean. Now rest, I'll be back with that serum. »
«Wait…! », he groaned, «Take, my radio…»
She looked at him funny, «Why? You'd think a S.T.A.R.S. wouldn't have brought proper equipment to a mission, Richard?», she shook her head while replacing his hand back down, «I'd like to tell you you're going to make it, but verifying your injury made me much less optimistic.», on that she left.
«Thanks…? », two seconds later, Aiken was too far gone into delirium to realize his comrade Forest was dead so he started chatting with him weakly. He also asked for a couple of cheeseburgers, his desire never to be satisfied: the poor man.
Valentine exploded some more heads, avoiding the cold rotten grip of death four hundred times more and soon returned with the serum; all flawlessly completed in less than one minute. She realized Chambers had lost consciousness somehow but that Speyer had been keeping an eye on her, good Forest. «Alright Richard, I'm going to give you a shot. It could hurt, a lot. You might want to cry, profusely; it's okay I won't judge. », she dug the needle into his bruised skin.
«….I felt, nothing…. »
She eyed his tortured discolored arm, «…well that's not a very good sign…. »
Richard's head rolled on the floor gently, he looked at her through dazed eyes, «Thanks, Val-In-Time…. ».
The Alpha let out a loud a prompt 'HA!' while punching his shoulder with her knuckles, «Don't mention it. », he groaned so she realized she had struck his injured side.
He closed his eyes, «…does it never, not hurt…? », and lost consciousness as well.
Valentine looked at the trio, then got up, «Alright Sprayer, I'm counting on you to watch over them. », two of his ribs were protruding outside, she nodded, «It's fine, we'll also fix that later.», and left them there. When she closed the door, Speyer's jaw got loose on one side; she would have qualified this as a smile.
+++++++++++R.E.+++++++++++
Getting back into the main hall, Jill got reunited with the most sincere man of all again; Barry seemed to be looking at something near the stairs. The closer she got the better she could hear him mumble to himself, but he soon turned her way thanks to the deceased Bravo's lovely perfume she was still carrying on her.
She looked at him with doubt, «What are you doing? »
He rubbed his slightly-bearded chin, «This typewriter, I think we can save our progress with this. I just need to find a Pink Rub-on. »
She fixed the machine, then the man. She dared not say how ridiculous that thought was, similar to a certain Harry Mason who thought he could do the same if he scribbled some words on a notepad…. «Are you alright? »
«There's gotta be a backdoor somewhere…»
«…What? »
«Hey, look what I found! », he swiftly pulled a broken-bloodied toothpick out of his hair, «That's got to help me get out of here. »
«No I think you're seriously delusional. »
His eyes darted on the carpet, «…..still, that unspecified red stain in the dining room…I can't believe…», he shook his head, staring.
She tried to reason the man but it only resulted in him telling the same damn phrase over again, like last time. «You really should seek medical advice for that. » She eyed him and after poking his face, then giving him a strong upper-cut, she still got no response, «Alright, let's slip up again. », and left.
+++++++++++R.E.+++++++++++
Later, Valentine got into one of the tiny room on the second floor in the East Wing, she had to pick the lock in order to enter, thus finding Barry inside she wondered how the hell he got in. Come to think of it, every other team members she localized were all behind locked doors… She was about asking how he did it but surprised him since he was busy reading a file; so he turned around and his knee hit the desk, then his left foot got stuck behind his right leg and he fell but tried to prevent it by grabbing the aquarium only managing to top it over, hitting his head on the wall behind him as his butt landed on fish lures that had fallen there. Cursing, being wet and his ass hurting, Barry tried to stand with what was left of his dignity.
Jill blinked at him, «….Didn't mean to get you that excited. »
He sneezed, «…no shit…? Don't mention this to anyone. »
«I will. »
«Good—wait, aren't you supposed to say 'I won't'? »
She ignored that and glanced at what he was holding, «What's this? »
He stared at the papers again, «Don't know, I've been trying to make sense of it but-»
She frowned, «You're holding it upside down. »
Burton quickly looked at her then turned it over, «Um, yeah, that might explain it…..no matter, now the rest of it is soaked and I can't read these ink stains anyway…or is it some Chinese dialect?»
«By the way, the door was locked so how did y-»
«Damn I forgot something, gotta run. », and was gone.
The brunette tossed the file aside and instead of solving the boring little puzzle in the room, she just pulled that thing free off the wall, ripping the tapestry and getting the golden crest. The back was engraved with two words, ''Wind Crest'', she turned it over and saw the icon depicting a cloud in the shape of a human ass, blowing wind. «…strange…. »
She left it there and investigated the other parts of the mansion, a stairway lead her down to another one of those chest rooms where she got welcomed by that same calm melodious air. Every time she opened the door to leave, the tune would abruptly stop and whenever she set one foot inside it would start again. The difference with this corridor was that Barry left a note on the wall:
''Found some cans of food plus tons of supplies and ammo in the next room; figured you had enough already so I took everything. Anyway your lock picking tools provide you with more power than I have with my four guns reunited. Feel free to die if you find yourself in trouble; and I mean that with a most sincere, warm respect. Seriously though, consider it.''
«Tsk, Button, always the caring type. », she did find kerosene in the room though and blinked in stupor as she wondered how Barry could leave this precious liquid behind. She noticed a paper on the floor; the title read 'Special Instructions for the Disposal of DEAD Bodies'. She noticed the way the last two words had been made to stand out, «…Guess you can never be too careful. »
''In light of our recent gathered data, we assure you that poking them in the eyes is not a suitable technique. Meanwhile to those of you crazy fuckers who still have the will to live, oil has been placed on the first floor of the mansion. Seeing that this is due to some zombie apocalypse, the oil is intended to be used in this emergency situation only and shall not be wasted to cook food or other unspecified past time.
Take as much as you want, though obviously it'll eventually run out so you can't actually take as much as you'd like. Once you do run out, then good luck. And unless you plan on setting them aflame with your intestinal gazes, you'll need a lighter; which you'll have to find yourself. Again, good luck with that. As for me, I don't have the will to live so that's one problem solved.''
Jill took the entire jerry can and placed it in her bottomless pouch, now she was equipped to concoct some devastating Molotov cocktail to butcher zombie double-tap style in one aggressive blow. That was an approach more worthy of her.
+++++++++++R.E.+++++++++++
The woman in blue unlocked another door which led outside once more, surrounded by luxuriant vegetation. What caught her immediate attention though was a crumbled paper on the floor.
''Today, like any other weird times he asked, Sir OsNotWell Spacer told me to hide something where no one could find it. I thought about hiding it in a crow's stomach but my roommate, Morgue, looked at me as if I was mental. Like she's one to judge, knowing what she does when I'm not around….well I wouldn't know since I'm not around at those times, but, I'm sure she does creepy things.
Well I had this idea. I figured if I could somehow have it protected by a dangerous creature, I mean not like the Tyrant T-002 Type, that'd be too brutal, but more like the vicious canine that lives here; no one would be able to get near it! So then the object would remain secret forever, in fact defeating the purpose of hiding it there in the first place since no one would ever be able to get it, but hear me out. As far as I can tell, since I'm an expert on things I can freely speculate about; the mutt is always hanging around the second floor balcony on the west side terrace. He's always pissing and sniffing there I suppose, I don't know, I'm theorizing.
Thing is, he ought to come running at the sound of a dog whistle. That's another good hypothesis since a second ago I mentioned my lack of knowledge on said animal. But never mind that, this is where you come in; hey, better you than me. I reckon you're the only person mad enough to get near that damn dog and not fear of being, seriously, atrociously mutilated. That means only you can put this collar on him, which contains the secret object that will remain undisclosed forever.
You're the only person I can trust with this; so much I had to write it all down instead of just asking and save you the trouble of reading this memo, which I dared not even deliver in your own hands in the first place. Truth is, I have no friends; so you're kind of the only human I could ask. Of course, you'll get something out of it as well. Remember that bag of chips I owe you? Yeah, it's your lucky day since I can afford it now. This could work out well for one of both of us.'' -Jon TaleMan
Jill now realized there was a corpse near the memo she had just picked up, I guess people could consider her priorities being alarming. The man was lying in a pool of blood, a dog collar near him. Looks like it didn't go as planned, she wouldn't complain though; no dog whistle to search and no canine to deal with, problem solved. Her delight was short lived however as the collar only contained a key and a fake one at that; like she needed any keys to force her way through this theme park. Annoyed, she threw it away thus removing the possibility of any other team members using it; something yelped in the forest when the object hit its face.
+++++++++++R.E.+++++++++++
Well her shitty discoveries worsened her mood but nothing some Molotov fun couldn't improve, fortunately the manor never caught on fire afterwards; knowing of the calamitous situation, it would have been a superior alternative.
Venturing through more damn doors, she located another diary.
''June 3, 1998
My dearest Alma, let me first apologize for not being able to call you. A man wearing sunglasses didn't permit any phone calls; he didn't even let me order food which was quite inhumane. To top it all, he kept being a complete ass, combing his damn hair over and again like a sufficient prick and staring at me with his blank white face. Anyway, know that as I write these words; I am feeling quite ridiculous. I just thought I'd convey this feeling.
Honestly, I haven't picked up a pen in years and especially not to write to you so there's no telling why you'd still want to hear from me, but…
I am infected, not that kind of infection, the sort of which you don't come alive from…well you do but, never mind…When that happens, I'll have lost the only thing that separates me from them freaks – my unconditional, everlasting love for cakes. I thought I'd let you know that. Well that's it, it'll all be over soon and I really can't wait. I mean, what's the point of living if you can't eat cakes anymore. –Muffin CrackHorny''
The woman tossed the sheet of paper away, nodding approvingly about that last sentence; thus she promised herself to eat an entire cake by herself when she got out of here. Or two, it depends if she hasn't burst open after the first one. Exiting that room, killing other zombies, she got reunited with dear Burton. She glanced at the manner the letters ''A.R.S.'' only were visible on his back underneath his equipment, like 'arse'.
She chuckled, the man turned her way and didn't seem particularly pleased to see her but she dismissed that as it merely being his face. «ButtOn, I found kerosene, lots of kerosene! »
His unwelcomed teammate seemed very enthusiastic so it frightening him a little, he never truly knew what to expect from her. He eyed her suspiciously, «….alright…..I'll, just be going then…..»
The brunette's face suddenly turned compassionate, «Are you alright? Are your hemorrhoids still giving you hell? »
His eyes widened, «How the hell do y—I mean what are you talking about? »
«I deduced it because, ordinarily, you sit around a lot and you don't mumble at the walls about your anus being on fire, plus-»
A Magnum got pointed at her head; a vein was seeing pulsing on his temple, «You don't know anything. », he glared at her, «Say it! »
«I, erh, don't know anything? »
«God damn it, even my wife doesn't know! So how could you-»
«Burry, there's nothing to be ashamed of. Relax. »
He panicked, «You don't know that! », and left once more, Jill watched him hurry the best he could with all his muscles preventing faster movements, his boots making awkward squeaky noises on the waxed floor. Thing is the doorknob he seized disintegrated in his hand thus he had to turn around, face her again before running up the stairway to the second floor, where he finally disappeared.
If Claire had been there, she would have said, ''What was thaaat…?'' But she's not, instead she'll be stuck with a pervert-macho- useless and whining pain-in-the-ass prepubescent boy on Rockford Island months from now, plus with a very delusional narcissistic psycho and his equally very annoying and demented sister; making Claire wish she was double dead.
Before leaving the hall, Jill eyed the front door; now that the Captain wasn't around she was allowed to just open it. The woman couldn't pinpoint where that illogical urge came from, she just needed to do it.
However one look at the latch sufficed to destroy that desire, apparently Barry had been really terrified of being chased by evil dogs thus had twisted it beyond repair. Valentine made a mental note never to shake the man's hand. Then she added other notes like 'never show him strawberry jam or a type writer', it short circuited his brains somehow….guns did the opposite, it fired him up, which essentially might not be that good.
In the end she chose to keep a reasonably safe distance between the man and her.