Chapter 21
The Vault entrance came into view just past the second corner of the corridor. Tripper led the group down the dark concrete area. The lights overhead flickered and made it hard to make out the end of the hallway. The Lead Commando hoped that this would be a quick and successful mission. He hoped that there would be no surprises but that was all just wishful thinking. He stopped and signaled for everyone to get against the wall. Tripper quickly peered around the corner and scanned the dead end. He and Arynn both entered the smaller hallway first while Hernandez and Page stayed behind. Tripper took out a pocket knife that he found on one of the dead security guardsmen's bodies. The sound of banging was coming from the other end of the hall and the group hurried. They were not sure what the noise was but were not waiting around to see who or what was making it.
Tripper opened the door and stopped immediately. The vault was at the end of the room but what laid ahead were numerous dead bodies huddled along the floor and against the walls.
"Wait..." Tripper replied to Arynn as he went to investigate the status of the bodies.
"I'm coming with you." Arynn replied.
They watched for any signs of movement and looked for survivors. The room wreaked of human decay and each body seemed like it had been down in the room for a couple of days. The limbs of each individual were locked in irregular positions. Their fingers and ankles stiffened with rigor mortis and their faces were already pale and lifeless. A woman clutching a child by the wall made Arynn turn away. She could not stand to see the horrific sight. She closed her eyes and thought about Adam. She wondered where he was and how he was holding up. She hoped that Peter had not found him and absorbed him. I'm coming, Adam...She said to herself.
"Looks like all of the guns are gone..." Tripper whispered.
"What now?" Arynn asked.
The Lead Commando looked towards Hernandez, who was helping Page into the room. Tripper was not sure what to do now. His hope was to get the guns and go back to the surface. He walked towards the back end of the room and leaned up against a wall.
"I don't see any guns..." Hernandez commented. "Any ideas?"
"No." Arynn said. She looked up to the concrete ceiling and shut her eyes tight. She was coming up blank with the next plan. She wasn't sure of anything now.
"Well we can't just stand here!" Hernandez said. "I'm not waiting for whatever that thing was out there making those noises. I'm not gonna die down here!"
"You won't..." Page said as she let go of Hernandez's shoulder and stood on her own. "I'll take care of it..."
"What?" Hernandez questioned. Page was in no condition to use even an ounce of her strength. She still looked withered and defeated.
"She'll be fine." Tripper replied nodding towards the young woman. "It's been long enough."
"No wait. There's no way she can take anything on." Hernandez replied looking into Page's determined eyes.
"Eddie," Page quietly said. "I'll be fine. There's no time to worry about me." She touched the side of his face gently and calmed down his bewildered eyes.
"Look," The Lieutenant started to say.
"No," She said cutting him off. "Let me handle this."
"Alright." He replied knowing that she was going to fight off every one of his words no matter how truthful they were. Hernandez watched as she disappeared down the hall. He did not hesitate to follow her and Arynn and Tripper hurried behind.
"Arynn," Tripper whispered before they caught up to Hernandez.
"Yea," She said.
"Once Page is done. We'll make a break for the stairs."
"Okay." She whispered back.
Page stopped a few meters away from what appeared to be a gaping whole in the wall. A pile of concrete and debris sat in front of it. Damp dirt and earth worms from the deep tunnel made Arynn cringe. She hated dirt and mud. Whatever broke through the foundation of the bank was fast and strong. Page readied herself for whatever hid in the darkness. The sound of banging was getting louder and Page stood her ground. Hernandez hid behind the corner watching Page. She was stiff and silent, her fists were clinched and Hernandez gulped. Arynn narrowed her eyes and Tripper watching quietly.
"Are you sure about this?" Hernandez whispered to Tripper.
"Just watch..." The Lead Commando said.
The young woman suddenly back flipped from the hole and paced the floor. The jolt almost scared Hernandez. He could not believe what he was seeing. A ferocious beast rose from the tunnel caring a human corpse. It stood at least 7 feet tall and revealed sharp claws. It had no skin and its muscle tissue remained vulnerable to the world. Every twist of flesh twitched to the monster's sudden movement. It hissed sent loud sound waves down the hall shaking the foundation. The creature threw down the carcass and pursued Page.
"Damn, what is that thing?" Hernandez said.
"I don't know." Tripper answered.
Page dodged the monster's advances and jabbed it with every ounce of her recovering strength. She jumped in the air and mid way through snapped the creature's neck. She tore its head from it's body and flung it along the hall. Hernandez immediately got back and peeked around the corner. His eyes were wide and he appeared to be shaking. Page left the body and walked back towards the group. She crossed her arms and smiled.
"Ahh, I feel much better..." She said. Hernandez blinked and became hysterical.
"What the hell are you?" He questioned raising his voice. "You're just like him.." The soldier said aloud as he looked at Tripper.
"Eddie," Tripper said, "We're no different than the next person. We're nothing like Ashford. We're human..."
"If you can understand that," Page added, "Then there's nothing to fear."
"What about spreading the virus?" Hernandez asked. "What's stopping you?"
"I'll leave you to think about that..." Page said turning her back on the soldier.
"Don't you think that if we wanted to, we would've already done that?" Arynn replied blinking slowly towards the solider.
"Anyway," Page said, "Does it even matter?" She sighed. "We've already come this far and no matter how much you want to blame me or anyone else for your girlfriend's death, we wouldn't be where we are right now." She paused and looked at the latino man. He could see the determination in Page's eyes and a pledge of trust in faith in her face.
Hernandez gulped and blinked his eyes as he could feel the warmth of tears invade his eyelids. She was right. No matter how tough or broken he was, everything Arynn and Joeseph said was absolutely correct. He was so busy blaming the Lead Commando for Gene's death that he overlooked the reason why he came to Raccoon City; the reason Gene Patterson and Tim Marks came to Raccoon City. They all came because they wanted to end Tricell's eminent take over of all Umbrella projects. They wanted to destroy all long term experiments and intercept Ashford's revitalization of Project Residvius. Although Gene and Tim were both gone and their last memories only lived in their fellow comrades, Hernandez could no longer use their deaths as an excuse to hate his friend. All he had left was Tripper and the two women who stood in front of him and vowed to help him get through this nightmare. The solider wiped his eyes with the back of his hands and looked away. Tripper patted him on the back.
"All you gotta do is trust me, man." The Lead Commando said with a slight smile. "You're the only family I got down here and I'm not gonna let you die."
"Alright. I get it." Hernandez replied looking at Page. His face was flushed and he felt embarrassed. It was not everyday that he showed his feelings.
"I hate to end this sentimental moment," Page replied, "But we've got guests..."
Everyone looked ahead and the dark hybrid beings were coming down from the stairs. They hissed and growled like feral animals waiting for a piece of meat. The small group soon became a crowd and the four individuals were easily out-numbered. Even with Page's recovering strength and Arynn and Tripper's uncalculated speed, the group had to retreat.
"What's wrong?" Hernandez asked as Arynn started to back away from the eminent danger.
"There's too many," She called out among the snarls and hisses.
"Can't you guys take them out?" He asked. "You know with your-"
"-No," Page firmly interrupted. "They're not like the others..."
Arynn looked for another way out of the dead end area. She then realized the tunnel that was carved straight out of the foundation. She wasn't sure where the tunnel ended but anything was better than becoming zombie food. She touched Tripper's shoulder and he instantly looked at her. Tripper followed her eyes and saw the entrance to the tunnel. He hesitated but understood and agreed to the immediate plan.
"Not a bad plan..." He said to her. Arynn smiled. He looked back to the crowd of monsters getting closer. "To the tunnel!" He shouted to everyone.
"No!" Hernandez shouted back as he watched Page turn and head towards the dirt exit. "You've gotta be kidding me!"
"How else are we gonna get out of here?" Arynn shouted as she took the lead and entered the damp claustrophobic tunnel. She gagged at the maggots crawling through opened burrows.
"Shit!" The Lieutenant replied as he watched Tripper enter second. "I can't do this!"
"Would you rather stay here or escape with your head still attached?" Page asked as she watched the Lead Commando's body disappear. She was now about to enter the disrupted foundation when Hernandez caught her wrist.
"I can't do this..." he whispered. She gave him a smirk.
"Alright, then be one of those victims in the vault room; twisted with death! Those creatures look hungry and you're the main course. Go ahead and think about it. You've got only seconds before they tear you to shreds!" She left him in the hall by himself. The creatures were now inches away and the saliva that oozed from their mouths sizzled as it came in contact with the damp air.
"Fuck!" The soldier shouted as he turned and quickly entered the tunnel. A creature grabbed at his injured leg and he shouted as its hand squeezed tightly on the wound, cutting of blood flow and making the soldier shout in agony. "Help me!" He called out to whoever was left to hear him.
"Come on, you baby!" Shouted Page as she reappeared and grabbed the man's arm. With unheard of strength she punched the creature's arm braking whatever tendons and flesh remained. It screamed in agony just in time for the soldier to escape and Page to help him up the tunnel. She moved fast as she took up the rear pushing the man up further into the unknown. "Move your ass, soldier!" She shouted. Behind her she could hear hissing and growls getting closer. "Faster!" She commanded.
"I am going as fast as I can!" He shouted back.
"You're not going fast enough." Page jingly patronized him.
Arynn came to an opening at the top of the tunnel. She reached out and pulled herself up. The tunnel ended at the base of the inside of a building; a kitchen. The creature must have killed the tenants in an apartment building and continued to the financial institute. Arynn thought about the torture and pain that the families went through hiding from this creature. They didn't even have a chance. She climbed up from the hole in the floor and continued to look around the room. Everything was a mess. Pots and pans were all over the floor, cutlery was sticking in the walls like a game of Darts, and puddles of blood and human flesh were everywhere. She held her nose and helped Tripper up from the tunnel.
"What is that smell?" He asked as he stood up dusting the clumps of dirt from his pants.
"The tenants of this place," Arynn answered coughing from the invading smell of week old remains. "Where's Hernandez and Page?" She asked the soldier.
"I don't know," He replied, "I thought they were behind me..." The two squatted and looked down into the dirt opening. Arynn could only hear hissing and shrieks.
Suddenly a hand reached up and immediately Tripper grabbed it. He struggled to pull the individual up and Arynn grabbed his back for leverage. The two pulled and Hernandez came into view. He struggled to breathe and planted himself onto the kitchen floor. He grabbed his leg in pain.
"Where's Page?" Arynn asked.
"I don't know." the soldier panted. "She was right behind me." He pushed himself away from the hole immediately and leaned himself against a nearby wall. Arynn leaned down into the hole.
"Page, where the hell are you?" She shouted as she looked into the darkness; there was no answer. The hissing and snarls were getting closer. The group was running out of time.
Suddenly something large jumped from out of the mouth of the tunnel. It landed in front of the kitchen sink and countertop. It was one of the infected hybrids from the hallway.
"Arynn, get back!" Shouted Tripper. Arynn ignored the soldier's command and rose from the floor to meet the monster head on. It flashed blackened fangs at her and sharp talons. She stayed quiet and silently jumped in the air. The creature attempted to jump too. As the creature lashed out its claws to strike Arynn, she landed a devastating kick to its head. The creature fell back and cracked its neck on the kitchen sink. Blood spewed from its twitching lips. Arynn turned to the group and instantly another Hybrid individual came jumping out of the hole. This time Tripper stood up to the infected person. As Arynn watched, she saw something stir in the gaping hole. Hernandez saw it too. Arynn leaned down and looked inside hoping whoever next to come out was not another hybrid. A human head appeared and looked around. It was covered in dirt and only the eyes were visible.
"I'd really appreciate if someone would give me a hand." The person said. Arynn recognized the dreaded female voice and immediately helped Page up. "Well it's about time." she said.
"Are you hurt?" Hernandez struggled to say.
"No," Page answered looking at his leg. "But you're hurt." She came to his side and took a look at his wound. Blood was seeping though the cloth.
Tripper disposed of the infected hybrid immediately. He looked around for something to use against the tunnel and his eyes landed on an unhinged door.
"We need to seal off this tunnel and keep those things from getting in here." He called. Arynn helped him with the door while Page tore fabric from her shirt sleeve and tied it firmly around Hernandez's wounded leg. She then helped him up from the off the floor.
"Where are we?" Hernandez asked. Page went to a nearby window and looked out. All she could see were skyscrapers and smoke coming from numerous buildings.
"By the looks of it," She said. "Looks like we in the residential area of the city."
"Are we close to Adam?" Arynn asked as she finished barricading the mouth to the tunnel. Page took out a black mobile device and held it out to catch a frequency.
"We're getting close." She answered. "Just hope this thing isn't damaged. If this is right, he should be in the next building over." Page put the item in her side pocket and looked over at Arynn. She could see hope in the woman's eyes. "Don't worry," Page said. "We will find your little boy." She gave Arynn a small reassuring smile.
"I hope we do." Arynn said as she looked out towards the windows and saw a city in ruin and destruction. She hoped that Adam had survived the hybrid infected citizens and did not run into Peter. She tried to hope for the best but in the back of her head, she feared the worse. Tripper held her in his arms and did not let her go. He knew that she needed all the support that she could handle. If Ashford got a hold of Adam, everything he loved would be over. And as he looked down at Arynn's solemn face he did not want what they discovered in this nightmare to be over...