Chapter Seven

"Find anything useful?" Page asked as Hernandez and Arynn came back from the room quietly.

"Medical supplies," Arynn responded.

Page narrowed her eyes at the woman.

All four continued onward without interruption, blasting away at the undead and newly infected.

"Two more levels!" Page shouted as she took out three crimsons.

Hernandez punched a hole through a zombie that had jumped out from behind a corner. Arynn used the knife that he gave her to cleanly slice through another zombie's neck.

"Feeling better?" Hernandez asked her as he saw the corpse drop swiftly to the ground.

"I guess so" she responded.

It was true; Arynn's strength was slowly coming back. She may not have been at her peek but she was getting close. She needed just enough energy to kill Peter then she could take a long awaited sleep. The group was passing the patient quarters, which meant more zombies to come. They readied themselves, armed with what was left of their arsenal. Before they could let their bullets fly, they walked straight into a line of dead bodies. Arynn wasn't sure how long these poor individuals had been dead but the hallway reeked of death and slaughter. She didn't know if they were truly dead or incubating the virus, waiting to spring into action as crimsons.

"Let's move!" she commanded the others, "We don't know if they're infected!"

Hernandez picked up Adam and cautiously stepped over half torn torsos and shredded limbs.

"Do you think the crimsons did this?" Hernandez asked.

"I'm not sure. These people weren't just killed, they were butchered." Arynn answered.

They neared the end of the path of the dead and once again down another hall. This time the floor was barren and there was no smell of blood or flesh. Adam begged for Hernandez to put him down and the soldier did. A sudden burst of excitement escaped the young boy as he ran beyond the group.

"Adam!" Hernandez shouted.

The group hurried after him. To their surprise was a mess hall. A wide buffet cafeteria hall with various kinds of cuisine signs laced the ends of the room.

"Oh man," Hernandez called out, "I've been dying for some hamburgers and fries."

Arynn smiled and walked towards an Italian cuisine booth. "I've always wanted just spaghetti and meatballs." She said. "I'd give anything to taste that again."

They went on their separate ways towards the different booths. Food was still sitting in warming dishes along buffet trays.

"Food's still warm!" shouted Page as she lightly touched some potato wedges.

"Man, I could eat a f***ing horse right now," shouted Hernandez, "I don't care how long this food's been here!" Arynn simply smiled. Hernandez noticed and smirked to himself.

Adam grabbed a plate from the Asian food section and tried to use a large spoon to scoop up some rice.

"Hey little guy, let me help you with that," Hernandez said as he came over and took the spoon. Adam smiled rubbing his hands together.

Arynn finished loading up her plate and sat down. The soldier and young boy came over with their plates.

"Hungry are we?" Arynn asked sarcastically as she watched the two set down plates with large quantities of delicious food.

Page was still gathering various items from different booths.

"Eddie." Arynn said. The soldier looked up from his eating fest. "Do you have any kids?" the woman asked.

The soldier paused for a brief second. He swallowed his food and rested his shoulders.

"I was about to…" he responded.

Arynn slowly closed her mouth around her fork and took in some noodles. She could hear a tinge of emotion to the soldier's words.

"Sorry if that was too personal…" she stated.

"Nah," the soldier said, "Its fine."

"I asked because of how you treat Adam," she added.

Adam immediately looked up from his food, not once paying attention to the adults until his name was mentioned.

"Yea, I figured it was cuz of that. No, she told me before we left for Raccoon City." The soldier replied.

"Wow." Arynn said thinking back to Gene Patterson, who was probably the most arrogant and aggressive female she'd ever encountered. The woman was tough not just physically but mentally. She was a mirror image of Eddie. She must've been everything to the soldier. At times it was hard to see that.

"I'm sorry, Eddie," Arynn replied putting down her fork.

"Don't worry about it. I don't think I was cut out for the job anyway…" he said as he continued to eat, avoiding eye-contact. He didn't want to show how he really felt. The life that he would've had was cut short and in that moment, he watched his woman die a slow and painful death at the hands of an infection that should've never occured. Umbrella was going to pay alright. Pay with every fiber of his being.

Arynn fell silent and watched as Page casually walked over to the trio.

"What are you blokes babbling 'bout now?" she muttered as she sat down next to Adam.

"Babies." Adam responded shrugging his shoulders.

Page smirked.

"New it." She muttered, "You two aren't hiding much."

"What?" Arynn said lifting her voice to the young female.

"I told you," Hernandez started, "We are not together!"

Arynn let out a small chuckle. Hernandez calmed down and eventually laughed it off too.

"Suuure." The young woman called as she began to eat her food.

They remained quiet as they ate. They stayed clear of the seafood and other potentially spoiled food. Most of the food wasn't fresh but it was something to keep them up and running. Adam ate the most out of the group and Arynn was relieved that the poor boy was feeling better. As she took a moment to refill her lemonade from the fountain drink concession stand, she stopped to think about Joesph. She wondered if the captain of the elite commando team was okay and not infected. She hoped that they could reach him in time. It had to have been a week since the company flew her and the others to the UK facility. In that time, it was possible that the captain had undergone cellular changes.

"Don't worry about Joe," came a comforting voice. Arynn turned and saw Hernandez holding his cup. He must've needed a refill too.

"I'm not worried. I'm just afraid that he won't be the same person…"

"Of course, he'll be the same," the soldier replied.

"Yea but in what capacity?" she questioned him.

"Look," Hernandez replied as he came closer to her and lifted the tab for his refill, "Joe's strong. He'll fight that sh** 'til the end. He doesn't know when to quit."

"Yea…sure…" Arynn thought as she walked away.

Hernandez looked on wondering how Arynn was really taking the captain's disappearance. Would she be alright to continue on or would she crack under the pressure?

They all sat down finishing up their drinks and relaxing in their chairs. There was a mutual silence and peace that each person seemed to enjoy for as long as time would permit. Page broke that silence.

"So I'll tell you something…" she said. Hernandez and Arynn looked to her slowly. "Hunting for BOWs had its setbacks…"

"What do you mean?" Arynn asked looking away.

"We hunted down each and every one of those f***ers; some escaped. But…" Page paused.

Arynn looked over to her and noticed that Page was staring right at her.

"But I never thought I'd find a BOW here."

Hernandez looked to Arynn then looked away.

"What are you talking about?" Arynn asked as she watched Hernandez's face. He knew something.

"You didn't think Project Residvius was totally under wraps, did yea?" the young female questioned.

Arynn looked away. "Tell me what you know..." she quietly demanded.

"Oh now she wants something from me," Page sarcastically replied.

Arynn gave her a scorned look, "Fine. Fine." The young woman said sitting up in her chair. "Peter kept lots of files on you. He knew about anyone you came in contact with. You were his obsession. There wasn't anything that could keep him from knowing what you were doing."

Hernandez continued to sip on his drink while Adam put his head down on the table. Page continued.

"He even experimented on himself to see if he would end up like you. The experiments failed. But…" Page paused.

"He didn't have the right blood type…" Arynn replied.

"Yea," Page said narrowing her eyes at the woman. "See difference between someone wit' O negative and someone wit' B positive means a few genes. But mix it with a virus like type-O means either total primal state or total stability. You got the stability, he got the primal."

"But he looked normal to me back at Raccoon." Arynn said.

"On the outside, but inside he was changing." Page answered.

"So if Dorus hadn't killed him, would he be what he is now?" Arynn asked.

"Nay. Dorus just accelerated it, Peter is becoming something else." Page said.

"What do you think he is?" Hernandez cut in.

"Something that Umbrella wasn't expecting." The young woman immediately answered.

"What can we do about it?" Arynn asked.

"Inject 'em with another powerful virus."

"To counteract it…" Hernandez continued.

"Smart." Page nodded to the soldier.

"What's more powerful than type-O?" Arynn questioned.

"That's the problem…" Page said, "Taylor put all his vaccines and anti-virus serums in the lower levels."

"Damn." Hernandez whispered.

"Damn, for sure." Agreed Arynn.

"What about T or G?" Hernandez suggested.

"Won't work," Page said.

"What's exactly in those vaccines?" Arynn questioned.

Page leaned in closer to everyone. "Small doses of type-O mixed with type-G. Both viruses cancel each other out. It eliminates all forms of the progenitor virus even its predecessors."

Arynn sighed, she and Eddie were right about what the vaccine was capable of.

"What's Peter's weakness?" she asked Page.

"He needs constant injections of type-O. But it has to be potent. It can't be diluted."

"That's why he's after you, Arynn," Hernandez said.

"Once again…" Page said lightly, "Smart."

"What is he gonna do?" Hernandez asked.

"Probably suck her dry or consume her," the young female answered, "Who knows."

Arynn gulped. She didn't want her life to end as a meal for a mutated lunatic.

"How do you know all of this?" she asked.

Page smiled and leaned back in her chair. She drew her arms up and folded them behind her head. She looked up to the ceiling and then back towards the two.

"I was one of the scientists on his team. I know all about you, Arynn." She said as she came back close to everyone.

"What were you trying to accomplish out here?" Arynn asked the young woman watching her movements closely.

"To bring you and Sabriel back to confinement."

"Why?" Hernandez asked.

"To make sure we could keep Peter from trying to go to Tricell."

"Tricell?" Arynn asked confused.

"—'Nother pharmaceutical company." Hernandez replied, "It once rivaled Umbrella by a decade. It's the largest distributor of biological technology in Europe."

"How much are they paying you?" Arynn blurted out narrowing her eyes, "Cuz there's gotta be more to this than you're putting on."

"That's not what matters here," Page replied, avoiding the question.

"Oh I think it's more valid than anything else right now." Arynn replied.

"Look," Hernandez butted in, "All we're asking is that you just let us handle Ashford."

"I don't care about Ashford. He's not the problem." Page corrected them.

"Then what is?" Arynn questioned almost afraid to ask.

"You think you're alone…" Page began as she rose from the table, "Well you have no idea…"

Page walked to a trash bin and threw away her drink and plate. She then took out Arynn's gun and threw it onto the table. It swirled against the metal surface and stopped directly in front of Arynn.

"There's more of yea. He's used you, Arynn. You're probably going to need that gun more than I am."

Page turned to walk but Arynn sprang up from the table instantly and caught her before she could take another step.

"More of me? How?" She asked.

"Clones?" Hernandez asked.

"No." Page replied locked into a stare with Arynn. The two women were exactly the same height and build. Their looks were fierce and strong. If they wanted to, fighting would be abrupt and endless.

"Offspring." Page whispered.

Arynn blinked and stepped away from the standoff.

"Children?" she asked.

"Yup…" Page answered.

Arynn immediately looked towards Adam who was sleeping with his head and arms on the table. It was all making sense to her now, Taylor wanting to use the young boy's blood to keep her organs alive, Adam's sudden appearance and his unheard of strength.

Page looked to where the woman's eyes were and then rejoined Arynn in a stare.

"That's right, Arynn. I think you're catching on…" Page said letting her voice trail off.

"Damn…that's crazy." Hernandez replied as he too caught on.

Arynn came to the little boy and sat down next to him. She examined his hair, his eye brows, and his hands. They were a startling resemblance to the man in the picture who stood next to her mother. So Edward Ashford had succeeded in creating super soldiers…a family of them, she thought. As she continued to watch the little boy, a sudden feeling of emptiness and regret invaded her. She had to protect this little boy. He was her and like her, his strength would vary. She needed to make things right, to give Adam the life Umbrella stole from her. This time, Umbrella had to die. This time, she would finish what she started and end it all…

She gathered the boy into her arms. She still wasn't strong enough and could feel pressure around her wound, but she wanted to hold Adam not just as some little boy she found, but as a son. As she turned back around, her eyes lit up with fear and she immediately pointed. Page turned and instantly shrieked.

Peter's aqueous body was crawling along the ceiling. Its long tentacles were reaching for Page when Page dodged its advances.

"Let's get the f** outa here!" shouted Hernandez as he fired his shotgun at the liquefied substance.

The three adults ran for the exit hall. Adam awoke in Arynn's arms in a panic. She held on tight to him and never dared to let him go. He was now her world and she wouldn't give up on him not for a second. Life was more precious and expendable now. This was no longer a suicide mission; this was a mission to save others. She couldn't be selfish anymore. It was no longer her fight.

They turned and followed the corridor. Zombies of all mutations and fatal injuries were now all over the floor. The trio killed as many as they could. They ran up towards the next floor and saw the sign for roof at the end of the hall.

Finally, Arynn thought to herself, freedom.