The Facility Endgame
Chapter Eight
"Shit this hurts! Shit! Shit! Shit"! Kevin sat, slumped against the wall of the glass corridor. His hand was clamped over the injured half of his face. Blood was seeping between his fingers. Jill looked over at Carlos, desperation etched on her face but Carlos just shrugged helplessly. Medical training hadn't exactly been abundant on the streets of South America and the UBCS weren't forthcoming with it either.
Jill hurried over to Kevin, getting down on her knees and rummaging through her first aid pack. She gently prised his hand away from the injured side of his face and although she tried her best to stifle it, Carlos heard her horrified gasp. Carlos moved a little closer. There was a deep gash down the side of Kevin's face, starting somewhere near his forehead, curving in an angry arc across his eye and ending by his chin. Blood was oozing out steadily, running down his skin and dripping onto his uniform.
"It's ok Kevin, it's ok" Jill was saying as she opened packs of gauze and pressed it to the gash in an attempt to soak up the blood.
"This really fucking hurts"! Kevin moaned thickly.
"Well I told you not to cut that wire-" Carlos interjected. Jill paused in taping the gauze to Kevin's face to turn around and glare at him.
"Can you please try and do something helpful"? She spat. "We need to get him moved. Let's hope there's an office or something through this corridor"
"I can walk myself" Kevin said, shakily getting to his feet. "Jesus. I think I'd even let Redfield touch me before Oliviera and I have no idea where his hands have been" He wiped his hand on the side of his combats and slowly staggered through the archway. Jill rushed to his side and wrapped her arm around him, letting him lean against her as she helped him along the corridor.
"Guess it's up to me to find that office then" Carlos muttered as he followed.
"SO WHERE THE FUCK ARE WE THEN"? Chris yelled, so loud that Ginny covered her ears and Brad winced. Leon however, used to Chris' little 'volume problem', barely flinched.
"Will you stop yelling you fucking oaf"? He said. "Our ears are fine now" He added, thankful that the ringing from the grenade blast had been temporary. He leant against the corridor wall, trying his best to ignore the fiery ache in his thigh. Climbing up the lift shaft hadn't exactly helped it.
"So Ginny, do you know where we are"? Brad asked, looking around the corridor. It looked similar to the ones in the lower levels, grey and foreboding, with metal grilles for flooring and metal panels for walls. To their left was a small door with a slightly rusted metal doorknob that looked as if it hadn't been used for a long time. Further down the corridor was a set of double doors, both of which were printed with large biohazard signs. A light film of frost lined the bottoms of the doors, wisps of visible air unfurling from underneath. It was obviously a freezer.
"No-one ever comes down here" She replied. "They did some experiments about ten years ago and something went wrong. No-one ever told me what. I only know because I was friends with one of the handymen" She smiled proudly. "I fixed his radio for him"
"So what are these rooms"? Brad asked.
"Hold on a second" Chris interrupted. "Back up a sec" He turned to Ginny. "You can fix radios"? She nodded, still obviously nervous from his previous outburst in the lift. He rummaged around his gun belt. "What about this"? He held out his radio. "Can you fix this? We've lost radio contact with the others"
"I could have a go…" Ginny replied. Chris grinned and punched the air. He clapped her on the back, albeit gently, and hooked an arm around her shoulders. He turned her to face Brad and smiled smugly at him.
"See Bradley? Told you this kid would come in useful"! He shook his head in mock disgust as he patted Ginny's shoulder. "And you wanted to leave her behind"!
"We're only one floor down from the executive levels" Ginny continued, blushing at Chris' flattery. "There's a staircase at the end of this corridor. We can go right-"
Ginny's explanation was cut off suddenly by a low throaty growl that echoed within the lift shaft.
"Oh right"! Chris slapped his forehead in a parody of realisation. "We're in an Umbrella facility! This is the part where the evil creature comes back and tries to kill us again"!
"The Beast is back"? Ginny whimpered, her hand reaching out for Brad's. As if in answer to her question, the lift cable suddenly flew through the open doors, snaking across the floor like a demented serpent. The ground beneath them shook as The Beast's massive hands grabbed hold of the door runners, its fingers locking into the metal grooves as it hauled his weight up. Chris and Brad readied their guns but Leon was shaking in his head.
"Guns won't work on that thing" He said. "We're gonna have to come up with something else"
"Where's Dennis and his armour piercing bullets when you need him"? Chris asked, slipping his gun back into its holster as Brad did the same.
"Ginny, is that a freezer"? Leon asked, pointing to the double doors. Ginny nodded, her arms wrapped tightly around Brad's waist. "Right. I've got a plan. Chris, follow me. Brad, you take Sherry somewhere safe. Move"!
Chris saw Brad open his mouth, obviously to say something about Leon's orders but he shook his head, silencing him. Now was most certainly not the time or the place.
"In here"! Ginny called, pointing to the door on the left. "It's a storage cupboard" Chris heard her explain as he ran past to catch up with Leon who was now at the double doors leading to the freezer.
"It's a risky move" Leon said when Chris caught up with him. "But I think it's gonna work"
With a roar of triumph, The Beast hauled itself out of the lift shaft and into the corridor. These corridors seemed to have lower ceilings, forcing The Beast to stoop to fit in it. This just made it appear more terrifying as it now seemed to take up the whole of the space around it. It looked no worse from its fall, except for its torso which had sharp pieces of metal sticking out all over it like dull silver spines. It appeared to have lost its girder but had replaced it instead with one of the bigger, sharper section of the lift carriage's ceiling.
It moved forward, slowly, deliberately, as if it were toying with them. Leon kicked the double doors open and he and Chris were hit with a blast of freezing cold air.
"Come here you son of a bitch" Leon muttered as the Beast made its way down the small corridor.
For a moment it looked as if Leon's plan was going well. But, as it reached the storage cupboard's door, it stopped. It made a low, pensive sounding moan as if it had worked out that Brad and Ginny were in there.
"Shit"! Leon cursed. "We're going to have to get its attention"
"Well" Chris grinned, rolling up imaginary sleeves. "It's lucky I'm here because if there's one thing I'm awesome at which, by the way, there isn't because I'm awesome at everything, but anyway, leave it to me. I'll get its attention"
"I'm sure you will" Leon muttered under his breath. He could feel himself starting to shiver in Chris' over-sized flimsy vest but he couldn't concentrate on that right now. One false move and The Beast would kill them both.
"Oi! Mate"! Chris shouted, waving his arms around above his head. The Beast turned its attentions away from the cupboard door. "Yeah! You! Mr Ugly-Asshat! Get over here and fight me like a man"! He boxed the air around him. "I tell ya, I taste real good"!
Leon took this opportunity to enter the freezer. Luckily, it was a large room that had obviously once been used to store bodies. There were a few empty gurneys lined up against one wall and above the ceiling were two parallel pipes from which numerous large meat hooks hung, frosted with white. Lined up against the other wall were the things that Leon had counted on being there. Five large canisters each, according to their labels, contained liquid nitrogen.
"He's coming! And he's pissed"! Chris thundered into the freezer.
"Get over here" Leon grabbed hold of the valve of one of the canisters. It was ice cold and burned through his leather gloves. "As soon as it comes in and gets close enough, we'll tip this over and freeze it"
"Good plan" Chris grinned, running over and closing his own glove clad hands over Leon's. Goose-bumps were already showing up on his arms and his breath was misting with every exhale. "Wait a minute…" He looked at the canister. "This is fucking dangerous"!
"Yep" Leon nodded, his lips quirking in a smile. "Figured you'd appreciate it. Danger's your middle name isn't it"?
"Did I ever mention that I fucking love you"? Chris replied.
"Once or twice" Leon answered cockily. The floor beneath them started to shake. The growls of The Beast grew louder and louder until it appeared in the doorway. It honed in on them instantly, its glittering black eyes aimed in their directions. It snarled and moved towards them, one of its claws raised threateningly. Blood and saliva dripped from its open mouth, hitting the floor and freezing almost instantly. It didn't seem to feel the cold, advancing on them slowly, it's breathing ragged and throaty. "Now"! Leon shouted.
Between them, they managed to hurl the canister to the floor. It landed with an almighty crash, its valve breaking off and spewing the liquid nitrogen directly at the oncoming creature. It roared in fear and confusion as the onslaught of gas hit it full force. Leon grabbed Chris and pushed him back towards the double doors, as far away from the gas as possible.
The Beast howled in pain as the liquid nitrogen started to freeze it alive. Its movements gradually got slower and slower until eventually it remained in the same spot, stuck.
"This is it" Leon said, grabbing the Silver Ghost.
"Now that's what I'm talkin' about"! Chris replied, getting out his own gun. "Let's blast this fucker off the face of the facility"!
Four shots was all it took to reduce the The Beast to a pile of chunky ice shards. One to the head, two to its massive torso and one to the frozen leg stumps that were left. The shards rained down on the freezer floor and for a moment, in the triumph, Leon forgot how cold he was.
"I'd kiss you right now but we'd probably end up stuck together" Chris said through chattering teeth.
"Kinda reminds you of Antarctica doesn't it"? Leon replied as they wandered back into the corridor. He slammed the double doors shut behind them, locking the remains of The Beast away. He leant against the wall of the corridor, momentarily let the fatigue, mental and physical, take over. The fight in the freezer had left him feeling chilled to the core.
Within seconds, Chris was on him, his larger, ever so slightly warmer body pressing into his, pressing him into the wall. Strong arms wound around his waist, slid up his back, pulling him ever closer into the embrace.
"This is how I got you warmed up in Antarctica"
"I vaguely remember" Leon teased as Chris rested his chin on the top of his head.
"Did you know you said 'Sherry' back there"? Chris said quietly and gently, as though the very mention of Sherry's name would hurt him. If Leon thought about it too much, it probably would.
"Yeah" Leon sighed heavily. He'd realised as soon as he'd said it and he'd hoped that Chris either hadn't heard or wouldn't bring it up. "I realised pretty much as soon as I'd said it"
"Do you want-"
"No. I don't want to talk about it" Leon cut him off sharply. He stiffened in Chris' hold. He didn't like the way this was going. He never did. Sherry was the one thing he couldn't, the one thing he wouldn't talk about.
"I thought you were-"
"Over it? No Chris"
"But all of the therapy that you went through-" Chris' words were carefully chosen and delicate, a rare side to his partner that Chris never let anyone else see. But it didn't matter. Leon pushed him away angrily.
"The therapy"? He spat. "You mean the therapy so that I could forget her? I will never forget her and you should know that"! He was struggling not to shout. The last thing he wanted was to draw Brad and Ginny out of the cupboard to hear this particular discussion. Chris hands floundered in the air for a moment before settling on his shoulders, his thick fingers digging in, not painfully, just firm.
"I never said anything about forgetting her. I just-"
"Look Chris. This is something I'm never going to be ok about"
"I know that" Chris dug his fingers in harder, forcing Leon to look at him. "Would you stop fucking interrupting me? I know you're never going to forget her! I'd worry if you did. I know how important she is to you. I'm just making sure that you're alright. Not about her. About now"
"Sorry" Leon leant back in to Chris' body. He was slowly starting to warm up again. "I'm ok. At least, I will be when we get the hell out of here" God, how he just wanted some time. Some time for him and Chris to just be a couple with nothing or nobody standing in their way. They'd come together in such extraordinary circumstances and had been through so much that Leon felt they'd never had the chance to just be with each other. He yearned for the simple things that others took for granted. The nights in, the meals out and the knowledge that they were safe in their beds. He wanted to worry about bills, about money, about what to buy Chris for their anniversary. And he knew that Chris felt exactly the same. He'd been chasing Umbrella for so much longer and Leon knew how tired he was. "How are you holding up"? He asked, his words muffled by the material of Chris' t-shirt.
"Nothing a double pepperoni pizza and a large order of cheese fries wouldn't cure" Chris answered. "Oh and if you're going to offer a blow job then obviously, I'd have no choice but to agree…"
They turned around suddenly as the cupboard door creaked open. Brad crept out, his gun at the ready.
"I heard gunfire" He explained, straightening up when he saw the standing in the corridor with no obvious immediate peril around.
"Yeah, ours" Chris rolled his eyes. "Jeez Bradley, I know you're new to this non-running away-staying and fighting thing but I'd have thought you'd have recognised the sound of two bad ass mother-fuckers whooping some Umbrella ass"
"So it's dead then"? Brad asked, totally ignoring Chris' insult.
"Hell yes"! Chris grinned. "You should've seen me! Boom! That fugly fucker didn't know what'd hit it"! He broke away from Leon in order to flex his impressive muscles. "Obviously my Air Force training played its part but you wouldn't know about that Bradley. Gotta be a real man to make it! Would've been a Top Gun if I hadn't have left"!
"Top Gun is a part of the US Navy. Not the Air Force" A quiet voice piped up. Ginny had approached Brad's side. His radio was in her left hand.
"Well don't you know everything you smug little-" Chris' insult was interrupted by a warning look from Leon. He sighed heavily. "Girlie-whirlie"
"You killed The Beast" Ginny said with a shy smile. "That's pretty cool" She nodded as if this confirmed it. "I think I'm gonna call you Goose from now on"
"GOOSE"? Chris spluttered. "Goose! I'll goose you"!
"What does that mean"? Ginny asked, her brow knitted in confusion. She looked to Brad for help who simply shrugged.
"It means…" Chris floundered. "It means…it means what it means"!
"As much as I enjoy watching you get out-smarted by a girl" Leon interrupted. "And believe me Chris, I really do. I think we should head for these stairs Ginny told us about"
"Goose". Chris muttered disbelievingly as they set off down the corridor.
"In here" Carlos called out. "Looks like some sort of infirmary" He said as he popped his head back out of the door. Jill and Kevin were a few feet away, Kevin now leant heavily on Jill's shoulder. The gauze pads covering his face were becoming saturated with blood and his skin was getting paler.
"Give me a hand" Jill said, nodding towards Kevin's increasingly slumped form. Carlos was by her side in a second, slinging Kevin's other arm around his shoulder. Between them, they managed to get him into the infirmary and laid down on the very basic bed in a matter of minutes. Kevin groaned as his head touched the pillow.
"Am I dying"? He mumbled thickly.
"Nah, we wouldn't be that lucky" Carlos replied as Jill rushed over to a cupboard in the corner of the room, obviously looking for medical supplies. Carlos had expected a lot more from an executive infirmary. He'd been imagining large beds with thick mattresses, up to date, expensive medical equipment and shelves lined with supplies. In actuality, the infirmary was little more than a glorified storage room. Grubby white tiles lined the floor and walls, the grouting between the tiles yellowed. The small bed, with its thin, hard mattress, took up most of the space. Beside it was a hideous orange plastic chair and in the corner of the room was a large metal cupboard containing, judging by Jill's curses, very basic supplies. A lonely strip light flickered slightly above their heads, giving off a harsh bright light which would not be relaxing for any patient unlucky enough to require treatment.
"Where's Claire"? Kevin suddenly regained a surge of strength, grabbing hold of Carlos' sleeve and tugging him downwards towards the bed. "Where's Claire"? He demanded angrily.
"She's at Barry's" Carlos answered, trying to unhook his sleeve from Kevin's grip. "You know that"
"The pain's making him delirious" Jill said, her head still deep in the cupboard as she rummaged around in it.
"The baby"! Kevin suddenly yelled, sitting bolt upright. "Jill! We need to get out of here! We need to know if your baby is alright"!
"Hey amigo, calm down"! Carlos wrestled Kevin back down onto the pillow. "I'm sure your baby is fine. Barry will be taking good care of Claire"
"But Jill's baby"! Kevin argued. "She needs to get out of here. She needs to know if it's alright"!
Carlos looked over at Jill, expecting her to brush off Kevin's comments as part of his delirium. Her back was still to him but Carlos knew his girlfriend inside out. At Kevin's last words, he'd seen her back and shoulders stiffen. Suddenly, it all fitted into place. The way she'd been behaving towards him, the constant brushing off of his sexual advances, the mysterious phone calls behind closed doors.
He let go of Kevin's t-shirt, dropping the other man back onto the hard mattress as he continued to rant about Claire. He moved slowly, as if wading through treacle, towards the supply cupboard. Jill still hadn't spoken, hadn't turned around. It seemed to take an age to reach her, to put his hand upon her shoulder and to feel her tense muscles underneath the heat of his palm.
"Aren't you even going to look at me"? He asked.
"I was going to tell you" She replied, still not turning around. Her hands with busy in the depths of the cupboard, playing with bandages and packs of fresh gauze. That was Jill's way. Keep busy, keep moving, that way you don't have to think about things. You can keep them at a nice safe distance.
There were so many questions that Carlos wanted to ask. How long had she known? Who else knew? How come Kevin knew before he did? And yes, even though he didn't want to think about it, was it even his? He wanted to be angry, to hurt her for the way she'd been treating him when all she'd ever needed to do was open her mouth and talk about it. He wanted to break down, to know why she felt the need to keep something so huge from him when they were supposed to share everything. All of these different emotions were demanding his attention but in the end, only one thing came out of his mouth.
"If you're looking for scissors, they're over there"
Her hand closed around the packet of sealed medical scissors and finally she turned around. She wasn't crying. But then, Carlos knew her better than that. Jill Valentine certainly wasn't the type of woman to give into tears.
"I want to talk about this" She said quietly.
"We will" Carlos replied. "But not here. Not when Kevin needs help. When we get out of here we're going to sit down and talk about this and figure out what we're going to do"
"Thank you" She whispered. "I should've known you would've been like this"
"Yeah, well. We're going to talk about that too" Carlos added. He felt wounded but there were bigger things going on, bigger things than their relationship which they needed to see through to the end.
Jill hurried back to Kevin, who was now lying prone, his body shining with a thin film of sweat. She gently peeled off the bloodstained gauze, wincing a little as she was reminded of how deep the gash across his face was. She pulled the hideous chair as close to the bed as possible and sat down in it, ready to start working on him.
Carlos watched from a safe distance, arms folded tightly across his chest. He'd never been all that good with blood. It reminded him too much of his years at home, the brutal street fights and bloody gang wars that were fought for no reason other than territory. It also took him back to those horrible days in Raccoon City, fighting his way through blood soaked monsters and rotting corpses.
"Is he going to be ok"? He asked quietly.
"We need to get him to a hospital" Jill answered as she carefully cleaned the wound. "But yes, he will be. Although he's probably going to lose the sight in that eye and be left with a horrible scar" She picked up some thread and scissors and carefully began to stitch the wound closed.
Carlos sat down on the dirty tiles, his back resting against the door. He fiddled with the contents of his pockets in an attempt to distract himself from Jill's medical procedures and his confusing thoughts about the baby. His hand closed around his radio which he'd pretty much forgotten about since they'd been rendered useless. Maybe he could have another look at it. He liked to consider himself somewhat of a Mr-Fix-It when it came to stuff like that. He pulled it out and switched it on, grunting with frustration when the usual static noise filled the room. He fiddled with the knobs but the static remained the same, whichever channel he tried to use. He was just about to take the back off to have a look underneath the battery when he heard what he thought was Brad's voice. He looked up at Jill who had stopped stitching and had turned around to look at him.
"That sounded like-" She started.
"You heard it too"?
"Brad"! They said in unison.
"Y'know, I could've thought of that" Chris said disgustedly as he watched Ginny turning the different knobs on Brad's radio, her face a frown on concentration.
"Yeah but you didn't, did you"? Brad shot back as he watched Ginny work with what could've probably been described as paternal pride. There were in the stairwell now and had decided to settle on the stairs in order to let Ginny work on the radios. She was sitting on the top step of the first set of stairs which Brad beside her. Chris was sitting on the bottom step, leaning against Leon who was sitting in the middle. He'd taken hold of Leon's right hand and was idly playing with the younger man's fingers.
"It'd probably be quicker if we just went up the damn stairs and had a look for them" Chris continued. He looked around to see if anyone had taken his comment on board. Ginny was still concentrating on the radio and Leon and Brad were watching her with rapt adoration. Chris snorted. He could've fixed the stupid radio. He just didn't want to. "I bet we'd find them pretty quickly" He added, already sick of the silence. He sighed heavily when the only reply he received was a burst of fresh static from the radio. This was not the time to be sitting around. This was the time to be proactive. He leapt to his feet, fully expecting Leon to reprimand him as if he was a spoiled toddler. Leon however, seemed to be too engrossed in Ginny's repair job.
Not minding who he stepped on and indeed, aiming particularly for Brad's hand, he started to stamp up the stairs, taking great care to put his foot down extra hard so that it echoed in the small stairwell. He reached the top of the stairs with no argument. In fact, he doubted that any of them had actually noticed.
"Hope there isn't any zombies up here"! He shouted down, leaning over the metal hand-rail. When he received no reply, he frowned. "Oh look! Another crazed psychopath out for blood"! He shouted louder. None of them even looked up! He leant as far over the rail as he dared which, being Chris, was pretty far. "HEY ASSBUTTS"!
Finally Leon and Brad looked up. Chris grinned smugly. Leon rolled his eyes and Brad shook his head disapprovingly.
"Ssh Chris! Don't ruin Ginny's concentration"! He warned.
"I'm done actually" Ginny held out the radio. "Give it a try Maverick" She added, handing it over. It was Chris' turn to roll his eyes and shake his head.
"Give it a try Maverick" He muttered under his breath in his best girly sounding voice. It was pathetic! The girl had only fixed a silly little radio! He'd practically single handedly taken out a monster! He sighed. Well, almost single-handedly. Leon had helped. A bit. He leant on the metal rail. He still stood by his previous comment. They probably were better off just looking for Jill and the others.
"Carlos"? He heard Brad saying excitedly. "Yeah! Yeah…infirmary? Sure yeah"! Then, after a moment's silence, "Ginny you're a genius"!
"Ginny, you're a genius"! Chris muttered sarcastically. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Not jealous of a girl are we"? Leon was grinning at him. He looked tired. Exhausted even. Chris couldn't blame him. They hadn't been down here that long but it already felt like weeks. "Aww" Leon mocked, patting Chris' stubbled cheek. "You're still my hero Redfield"
"You're a sarcastic fucker Kennedy" Chris replied. "So I'm guessing the technical wizard down there has the radios up and working"?
"Good enough to reach Carlos" Leon answered. He leant against the railing beside Chris, bending down slightly to massage his thigh; which was still aching painfully. He looked up to see Chris frowning at him.
"Why do you keep doing that"? Chris asked, pointing to Leon's thigh. "Ever since we found you you've been messing about with your leg"
"It's nothing" Leon said, his hands moving away from the injury as if it had suddenly become red hot. "Just a little sore from all this walking"
"Really"? Chris folded his arms across his chest, one eyebrow raised quizzically. "We've been together how long? I know I might not exactly be the brainiest of the bunch but that's a really lame excuse" He shook his head disdainfully. "So, what was it? He kick you"?
"No" Leon said, feeling his cheeks burn. Jeez, he really was tired if that was the only excuse that he'd been able to come up. On the fly excuses we something he considered to be quite his speciality. "Shall we not do this now"? He looked down at Brad and Ginny who were gathering their things together.
"I guess we won't" Chris shrugged, sounding resigned and irritated. "I know you well enough to know that I can't make you so I guess we won't be talking about it now"
Leon wanted to say something to make Chris feel better but, in all honesty, there wasn't much he could say. Chris had a point. He wanted to know, Leon didn't want to tell him and it was as simple as that. He opened his mouth to at least apologise but Brad stamped up the stairs to meet them, Ginny close behind, but of them wearing huge, if slightly creepy, grins.
"Ginny says the infirmary is at the top of this stairwell" He said cheerfully. Brad had been looking drawn and pale, slightly stressed, but now his whole demeanour seemed more bright, more optimistic.
"Great" Chris muttered. "You need to rest that leg or are you good"? He asked, nodding at Leon's leg with more than a hint of bitterness in his voice.
"They're on their way" Carlos said, clipping his radio back onto his belt. "Got no idea how they managed to get their radio up and running again but hey, the sooner they get back here, the sooner we can get the hell out of here"!
"Kevin's doing better" Jill replied, mopping the injured man's brow gently with the flannel she'd found in the medical cabinet. "The bleeding has slowed down since I put in those stitches but he needs to get to a hospital" She wiped her own brow with the back of her hand. The small room was starting to get hot.
"I hate Umbrella…" Kevin suddenly groaned.
"Hey" Jill greeted gently. "You're awake…"
"Right! Where's the patient"? Chris demanded, suddenly bursting through the infirmary doors, almost knocking Carlos out in the process. He strutted over to the bed. "Alright Kev"? He asked, slapping Kevin on the shoulder.
"Chris"! Jill exclaimed. "He's in shock"! She muttered through gritted teeth. "He's probably going to lose sight in his eye and what he doesn't need is you stamping in here and being an incorrigible oaf"!
"Good to see you too Jill" Chris grinned goofily at her before turning his attentions back to Kevin who was attempting to sit up. "Glad she's been keeping an EYE on you eh Kev"?
"Get lost Redfield…" Kevin replied good-naturedly. "What took you so long anyway? Figured you were dead by now"
Jill backed away from the bed, shaking her head at the both of them. She was never going to understand Chris and Kevin's odd friendship. She smiled as she almost collided with Leon, who'd entered the room alongside Brad and a scrawny teenage girl.
"Good to see you" Leon smiled at her. "How have things been up here"?
"Oh, giant sea monsters, murderous plants, injuries, the usual. You"?
"Crazed Beasts, zombies, psychotic Umbrella staff. The usual" He replied. He squeezed her shoulder gently. "Good to see you again. What happened with Kevin"? Leon nodded over at Kevin who was now trying to prove to Chris that he could still play rock, paper, scissors with one eye.
"Copper wire to the face" Jill wiped her brow again. "I've stitched it closed as best as I could but he needs to get to a hospital" She sighed. "I thought he was in shock but he seems to be alright" She looked back at Leon and frowned. "Why are you wearing scrub pants and Chris' vest"?
"Long story" Leon replied. "Did you find any survivors"?
"No. Looks like everyone got out" She shrugged. "Whatever the hell happened here"
"I know" A quiet, mousy voice spoke, startling Jill. The young teenage girl stepped forward, still clinging onto Brad's hand. She smiled nervously.
"This is Ginny" Brad said. "We found her in the lower levels"
"Ginny…" Jill spoke more to herself than to the others. Where had she heard that name before? She let out a small gasp as she recalled it. The files! The girl who Umbrella created…G1N1E…Ginny…"Leon. I need to speak to you. Outside" Before Leon could argue, she grabbed hold of him by the wrist and pulled him out into the corridor whilst Ginny introduced herself to Carlos.
"What's going on"? Leon demanded.
"Ginny. The girl. I found a file. It mentioned a girl, a test tube baby that Umbrella created for testing purposes. She was the first one"
"Shit" Leon leant against the wall and ran his hands through his sweaty hair. "Brad and Chris picked her up. I wonder if she knows"
"I wonder if she's dangerous" Jill added.
"She's just a kid Jill" Leon replied. "She's been through a lot. She had plenty of opportunities to screw us over and she didn't. In fact, she helped us. She's just another young girl caught in Umbrella's crossfire"
"Like Sherry"? Jill countered.
"Well that was certainly cheap but yes" Leon answered. "Just like Sherry. She's caught up in this whole mess and she didn't ask to be. She was trapped in the lower levels with some monster on her ass and some psychotic researcher. Like I said before, she had ample opportunity to screw us over but she didn't. She's nothing more than a scared little girl" He pushed off from the wall and stalked past Jill. "Don't you ever throw Sherry in my face" He said as calmly as he could muster before going back into the infirmary.
Ginny and Brad were sitting on the bed next to Kevin, who seemed to be looking a lot better. Carlos had taken the horrible plastic chair and Chris was sitting on the floor, his back resting against the cabinet. He gave Leon's hand a quick squeeze when the younger man sat down beside him.
"You ok"?
"Fine" Leon said with a nod as Jill slipped back into the room, giving him an apologetic nod as she sat down.
"Ginny was just about to tell us what happened here" Brad said.
"I'm not sure when it happened" Ginny started to explain. "It's hard to tell the time. An alarm used to go off in the lower levels at the start of every day and then another one when everyone was supposed to finish work. The alarm stopped working after the spill"
"A virus spill"? Jill prompted.
"I think so" Ginny nodded. "There was one when I was younger, the one that I told you about in that corridor with the freezer" She continued. "The alarm wouldn't stop going off one day. That's how you know when something's gone wrong. Everyone was running around…there were special evacuation subs on the upper levels. I think everyone got out…expect the lower level workers. They started to get sick…the ones that didn't locked the sick ones away. There were five of us left…the people who looked after me had run away so they were all I had. They were maintenance workers, they were nice guys. They'd let me watch their movies, that's how I saw Top Gun" She smiled at Brad. "They had an idea of how to get out of the facility but then…The Beast got them. That's what started the leak in the first place…that Beast used to be man. Or at least that's what I was told. They turned him into that and thought they could control him…but they couldn't. My friends all died…I managed to get away"
"You were very brave" Brad said gently, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "We're going to get you out of here"
"Well at least we know there aren't any more survivors" Carlos pointed out. He looked confused when Jill and the others frowned at him. "What"?
"Real sensitive Oliveira" Chris rolled his eyes. "The kid just told you her friends died and all you can say is 'at least we know there aren't any more survivors'? Pfft. What you gonna do next? Make fun of ol' One Eye Kev over here?"
"You just did"! Carlos spluttered. "You called him One Eye Kev"!
"Yes" Chris replied with a perfectly straight face. "That's because he has one working eye" He rolled his eyes again. "Get with the programme UCSB"
"It's UBCS" Carlos corrected. "If you're going to insult me, at least do it right"
"Whatever" Chris shrugged. "So how are we getting out of here then"? He looked expectantly at Ginny.
"Well the easiest way would be through the glass ring but Brad said that it got smashed by the sea monster" She replied. "The head of the facility had it put there to stop staff leaving…"
"Sounds about right" Carlos snorted.
"Ha"! Chris spluttered. "You'd know eh Oliveira? Mr Umbrella staff face? Mr-oh-my-god-Umbrella-you-seem-like-a-great-company-to-work-for-not-at-all-evil-so-please-give-me-a-job"!
"Ignore Chris" Jill said as Ginny giggled. "So, what happened to your parents"? Leon shot her a filthy look but she ignored it, her attentions entirely focussed on Ginny.
"They died when I was a baby" She replied simply. "One of the researchers and her husband used to look after me but they were always busy with their work so I used to hang out in the lower levels a lot"
"I see" Jill nodded. She gave Leon a significant look but he shrugged at her. She eyed the girl levelly. She had obviously never been told the truth about how she came to be. Although she appeared helpful and trustworthy, she still wasn't prepared to trust her fully.
"So Ginny, do you know another way out"? Brad asked, unaware of the slight tension between Jill and Leon.
"There's another lift shaft, one for the lower level workers. They weren't allowed to use the executive one. It bypasses most of the upper level corridors…there might be an entrance to it on this level…I can't really remember"
"If there is, where would it be"? Carlos asked hopefully. "Can you show us"?
"Well there should be one on this floor" She said after a moment's consideration. "I think they made sure the lift shaft connected to the floors with medical facilities available in case of an emergency"
"Well what the hell are we waiting for? Let's get this show on the road"! Kevin exclaimed, standing up.
"Are you sure you're alright to move"? Jill asked.
"Hey, if it means getting the crap out of here then I'm all for it"! Kevin replied. "I'm a little light headed but it reminds me of my days in college when I wasn't quite so law abiding…"
"Why my sister wanted to marry you Ryman, I'll never know" Chris said, shaking his head with disbelief.
"Why Kennedy wants to marry you, I'LL never know" Kevin shot back. Chris retaliated by pulling a gruesome face at him. Ginny giggled.
"Right" Brad stood up, rubbing his hands together proactively. "Who's up for getting out of this place"?
"Let's go"! Chris nodded in agreement. "Here's where you really shine, isn't that right Bradders? Getting away from places quickly"? He clapped Brad on the shoulder. "You're alright Bradley. A bit of a wanker but hey, nobody's perfect"! He grinned.
Leon and Chris led the way as the group left the infirmary and headed down the length of the corridor. There were a few doors but nothing really of interest. Leon noticed that Jill kept shooting Kevin worried looks and looking at Ginny suspiciously. He didn't really know the young girl but he couldn't help feeling protective of her. He knew that Jill thought that he was just using Ginny as an outlet for his unresolved issues with Sherry and maybe she had a point. He couldn't save Sherry but maybe he could save Ginny. He looked over his shoulder at the young girl who was bringing up the rear alongside Brad, holding his hand tightly. She didn't seem as bright and chipper as she had been during their time in the lower levels. Leon wondered if she was nervous about leaving the facility for the first time. He whispered his intentions to Chris, who nodded at him and called Brad forward, allowing Leon to fall back in step with Ginny.
"Hey" He greeted. "How are you doing"?
"Oh good thanks" Ginny replied, not meeting his eyes. "I'm sorry I upset Chris earlier. I've never seen two men kissing before"
"Don't worry about it" Leon said gently. "About that though…I bet you're getting a little worried about leaving this place"
"Yeah…" Ginny muttered quietly.
"Well. I'm not gonna lie to you. You'll have a lot to learn and it's going to seem really confusing for a while but I'm sure you'll love it" He smiled at her. "You're brave and you're smart and we'll be around to help you out"
"Really"? She looked at him now, hopeful.
"Of course"
"Well…there is one thing I'm scared about…where am I going to go? This is the only home I've ever known and I'm glad that I don't have to be here on my own anymore but I'm worried about where I'm going to live" She admitted.
"We'll sort something out for you" Leon replied, feeling a lump in his throat. Although he'd been expecting it, the conversation was getting a little too close to the bone for his liking. It reminded him too much of the awful nights that followed his escape from Raccoon City.
"Raccoon City was the only home I've ever known"! Sherry was trying to be brave but Leon could see the unshed tears glistening in her eyes. This latest motel room was just as shabby and depressing as the last with its peeling wallpaper and flickering lamps but, with very little funds, it was the best he could do. "Where am I going to live now"?
"Hey, don't worry about it" Leon tried to sound reassuring but it was hard. He was exhausted. He hadn't really slept a hell of a lot since he'd managed to pull Sherry out of the hell hole that had been Raccoon City plus his gunshot wound was giving him trouble. He knew it needed medical attention but he didn't want to check into a hospital and risk leaving Sherry. Not only had the kid witnessed horrors no adult should ever see, she'd just lost both of her parents. Leon didn't even know where he was going to live, let alone what would become of her. He did know one thing though, he was the only thing she had and he was going to try his damnedest to provide some stability for her. "Look, you haven't touched your fries" He pushed the cardboard container over to her.
"I'm scared Leon…" She mumbled, pulling her knees up to her chest. He'd managed to pick up some new clothes for her, but they were slightly too big so that the jumper and jeans made her look even smaller, even more vulnerable. He dropped his own fries and moved over to the bed where she was sitting. Ignoring the crippling ache in his shoulder, he wrapped his arm around her. Immediately she leant against him, clinging on to him for support as he held her tightly.
"Don't be scared Sweetie" He murmured as he felt her succumb to her tears. "I'm going to make sure everything's alright. I promise"
END OF CHAPTER EIGHT