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Are you prepared for the mansion?

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Chapter 6: Riddles In The Dark

William tapped his fingers on the desk frantically as he watched the monitors in front of him. Creatures wandered aimlessly through the halls, shuffling about with no real purpose. They were dressed, some of them in uniforms, some of them in normals. Blood and saliva dripped from their mouths and teeth clattered together. Dead, white eyes lolled from side to side, not being able to see anything anyway.

"The virus is out." He muttered. He spun around to face Wesker who watched from behind him. "We can't hide this anymore!"

Wesker sighed but remained stoic. "It appears Umbrella is finished. I advise that you leave as soon as possible."

"That's it?" He shouted. "You're just going to walk away? Our research isn't complete!" He snatched the papers up in his hands. "We've been working on a more powerful virus."

"The T-virus has escaped and I only need test data… That is why S.T.A.R.S. is in place."

"You're really going through with it?" His friend muttered.

"I will bring them into the mansion. What transpires from there will be determined by them. I have no intentions of hurting them however if the plan goes awry, I will not hesitate to eliminate them all."

"What about me?" William asked, a crack in his voice.

"Get out." Wesker responded. "Get out as soon as you can. Gather up Annett and Sherry and you run, William."

"And what about you then?" He cried.

Wesker placed a hand on his friends shoulder and squeezed. "I won't be far behind."

XXXXX

Wesker could hear his friends voice ring in his head. The helicopter ride was silent, no one spoke. Some of them focused on the matter at hand, other prayed silently for themselves and for their comrades. Wesker thought only of his plan. It was a cruel and traitorous kind, one that would mark him red for the rest of his life. Every person on this flight would be at the mercy of the monsters in those woods. And oh how wretched they were. The further they flew away from the town, the darker it became, The mass amounts of trees that surrounded the woods blocked out the sun and created a canopy of branches and leaves that sprawled out in every which way. Brad radioed Wesker and told him that he was going to behind his descent and as he did so, he could feel the trepidation dripping off of his team. Losing contact with Bravo, Wesker expected, but as for the rest of the team, they were oblivious to what was about to transpire.

When the chopper landed, the team filed out accordingly, Wesker in the front, Chris right behind him. It was dark, as if they had entered a completely different time zone despite being the middle of the day. Wesker flicked on his flashlight and crossed his hands under his gun.

"Bradley," He commanded. "You stay here with the helicopter and keep your radio on. The rest of you follow me and keep your eyes peeled. We don't know what got Bravo so I need you to be on your toes."

They moved about forty feet from the chopper when something began to rustle violently in the bushes on their left. They all aimed towards it but when a family of deer pranced out frantically, a sigh of relief waved through them. Joseph chuckled and lowered his gun, stuffing it back into its holster. However, not ever moments later, a fierce growl emerged from the silence and a black flash sprang from the side, tackling Joseph to the ground. His screams echoed through the forest like bloody murder.

"Joseph!" Jill cried. and fired several times at his attacker. But to no avail, his blood-curdling screams were silenced.

"What the fuck is that thing!?" Chris shouted.

"Run." Wesker commanded loudly. "Run god damnit!"

They each took off sprinting and the sound of the helicopter beginning to ascend made Chris look up and grit his teeth. "Brad you fucking coward!" He screamed. "You fucking idiot!"

"There's no use shouting, Christopher!" Wesker bellowed. "Move your ass!"

"They're right behind us, cap!" Barry shouted.

Wesker skidded to a halt and raised his gun, taking quick aim, and firing off three shots to each of the dogs. One of them fell dead, the other was injured, but the last sailed over the bodies and remained unscathed by the bullet. Wesker turned tail and started running again, watching Chris, Jill, and Barry closely in front of him. He had led them exactly where he wanted them. Straight ahead not a mile up, was the Arklay Mansion. The speed they were running at, it didn't take long for the massive house to come into sight.

"There!" Wesker called. "Up ahead!"

"Are you kidding?" Chris yelled. "We don't even know what's in there!"

"Well it's probably a lot better than what's out here!" Jill retorted.

They came to a quick stop and noticed that the door was cracked open.

"Bravo has to be here." Barry chimed. "The door's open."

"Get inside!" Wesker boomed. They did as they were told just as the dog leapt from the ground to take a bite out of Jill. Wesker slammed the door closed on it's head, cracking its skull and slobbering brains and blood onto the floor. The door banged shut, blood covering the antique wood.

"What the hell is this place?" Chris asked skeptically.

"It's one of Raccoon's oldest buildings." Wesker chimed. "It belongs, or rather did belong, to Umbrella."

"Umbrella?" Jill questioned. "Why would they need something like this outside of the city?"

Wesker shrugged, playing it off just as he was supposed to. "They probably had their richer employees stay here when they were on business in the town."

"Right…" Chris muttered. His radar was going off but he wouldn't call Wesker out just yet. There was just something about the way he knew all of this that really set him off.

"We should split up." Wesker said. "That way we'll have a better chance at finding Bravo if they're still here."

"The Captain's right." Barry agreed. "We have to find them and get to the bottom of this."

Then, a muffled gunshot rang out from one of the halls. Heads turned in the same direction.

"A gunshot." Jill muttered.

"I'll go check it out." Chris said while reloading his gun.

XXXXX

Wesker's eyes scanned the great hall of the mansion and listened to the fading voices of his comrades until they were gone. He quickly paced over to the double doors now covered in blood and pulled a key from his pocket to lock them. He jiggled the handles to make sure they were secure and then sighed deeply to himself.

"Just do it, Albert." He growled.

He knew this mansion from top to bottom and he knew exactly where he needed to lead the group. He wondered, however, if Enrico and Bravo were wandering about… if so, he would have to get rid of them first. This mansion was one he called home when he first moved to Raccoon, it was where he stayed with William before they could make enough money to buy apartments. Everyday was spent with a handful of other researches, the dining room where everyone would eat, the great hall where everyone would greet on another, and the labs, in the basement, where deadly viruses were born and creatures brought to life. Wesker made his way up the grand staircase and down numerous hallways… it was as if he had stepped through a time machine as he walked down the dark halls. Memories of the months spent here began to flood through him and his legs seemingly moved on their own as he led himself to a small room at the end of a hall. His room. The door opened with a creek and the smell of moth balls clogged his nose. The room looked as though it was untouched since he left, Spencer had probably kept it that way if he ever decided to come back. But he never did.

The floorboards ached under his boots and his shaded eyes scanned over every inch, just as he had left it. On the dresser was an old and smudged out picture of him and his parents. He remembered that day, that was the day he left for college. Just seventeen.

"I've been looking all over for you." He muttered, taking the picture frame into his hand. He turned it over and popped open the back, sliding the photo out and folding into a square, Wesker stuffed it into his breast pocket. He left the room silently and turned his head to look upon it one last time.

With a harbored hate for this place, Wesker's stoic look became harder, anger boiling up slowly. He strode through the halls determined to put an end to this horrid facade and begin anew. His fingers brushed the capped syringe in his pocket and he checked his watch. It was time. He pull fit out and found the vein in his arm, flexing to make it pop. His cold and unfeeling blue eyes watched as the purplish liquid slithered through the syringe and into his bloodstream. It was time. The effects were not immediate, they would have to wait until the brain and heart stopped functioning to determine if he was a worthy blood host.

"Fifty-fifty…" Williams voice rang in the back of his head.

Wesker tossed the empty syringe onto the floor and began his descent to the labs that hid themselves far underground. Faintly, he could hear gunshots and decided to stray away from them, he had to act like he had gone missing, taken out by one of the monsters. It would prove to be a simple task to void Chris and the others for Wesker knew the mansion as home once and thus knew every hall, every room, and every passage. The doors were locked, the beasts were loose, and the virus coursed through his veins. Trial was upon him and T-virus was the judge, jury, and possibly the executioner. He rounded into a back hallway, and saw a few bodies on the ground, bullets through their skulls. Glass littered the floor from the broken windows, wind howling through them.

"So they've made it this far." Wesker muttered.

There was then that horrid groaning behind him, a shuffled sound of burdened flesh and bones. Weak and clambering, slow yet dangerous. Wesker turned around slowly and watched as a dripping and walking corpse staggered towards him, arms swinging lazily from side to side, dead white eyes flicking back and forth, teeth snapping at air. It mumbled to itself, blood gurgling from its lolling mouth. It knew he was here it just didn't know where. Wesker took a step back and his boot crushed shards of glass beneath them and the zombie's head snapped right to his direction. It hissed and chomped its teeth, making as much haste as it could manage. Rotten blood pooled from its mouth and it flung every which way when it twitched its head like a bird.

"Charming." Wesker said with a disgusted look on his face. He snatched one of its outstretched arms and slammed its body into the ground, hearing its neck snap. Putting his boot to its temple, Wesker put all of his weight into it and crushed the skull, brains seeping out from every opening on its face.

"At least I know how to deal with you." He said to himself.

The door at the end of the hall would lead him outside to the large back porch that separated into a garden, a hedge maze, and a pool. Wesker pushed the door open to a crack and peered out, making sure the coast was clear. It was not. Three Cerberus' prowled in the courtyard, snapping at each other if they got too close. Their jaws dripped with saliva mixed with blood, cloudy whites stared blankly, and ears pivoted, listening for the slightest of noises. Wesker frowned, this was his only way through and it would certainly prove to be a challenge. He slipped outside, shutting the door silently behind him and picked up a rock, tossing it away from him. The dogs heads whipped up and snarls left their bloody maws. They moved slowly towards the noise in a pack-like fashion, the biggest one took the front and the two smaller dogs flanked him. Wesker stepped down as quietly as he could, pressing his back against the brick wall. As if he walked into a trap, two crows that sat perched upon an awning, began to screech at his presence and the dogs turned their attention directly to him.

"Of course." Wesker growled.

The creatures began to move in for the kill. Even though he was sure they couldn't see, their hearing was impeccable. They growled at each other as if they were speaking, snaps and low sighs seemed to signify some kind of command. As they moved in closer, one sprang into the air, a risky move for Wesker pulled one shot into its head and sent it to the ground. Distracted by his first attacker, the biggest of them rushed him, pinning Wesker to the ground with the strength of several men. He held it at bay with his arm, blood dripped from its open and raw mouth, splattering onto his sunglasses. The other dog came to his side and did not hesitate as it sunk its dagger-like teeth into his arm. Wesker howled in pain and ripped his limb away from his attacker, the bigger dog still pinning him, Wesker used all of the strength he could muster and slammed his head into the rotting skull of the beast. It was dazed as it whined in protest and Wesker took this opportunity to pull the trigger on the smaller dog, blasting chunks of skull and brain onto the cobblestone. He winced as pain shot through his arm and the crimson fluid rushed from it like a broken pipe. The Cerberus shook its mangy head and bared his snapping yellow fangs, bristling like a wild dog. Wesker huffed, short of breath from blood lose and raised his arm to fire a shot into its head. The body sank to the ground like a ton of bricks and so did he. His back against the wall, Wesker examined the open and mangled wound. It bled profusely and thus he had become lightheaded, the flesh was badly torn, muscle showing under the layer of skin that was ripped clean. And it hurt like hell. It was almost as if the bite was venomous for it burned like a snake strike and swelled like a bee sting. Wesker was more than certain it was the T-virus that mingled with its blood and saliva, the mouth of his attacker was cesspool of deadly bacteria. He dug into one of his Kevlar pockets and found a roll of gauze and began to dress his wound as fast as he could. It was a quick job but it would have to do for now.

Getting back on his feet, he felt heavy and light at the same time, blood lose was inevitable and it was taking its toll on him. The path through the garden led to the pool that was filled with dark green water, algae manifested like a plague through the old and still pool. Small snakes curved on the surface, making ripples that followed the same pattern and Wesker laughed to himself as he thought of where that small reptile had come from. That massive beast that prowled through the halls of the mansion and the large library she called home.

Wesker snatched a snake by its tail and it hissed in protest, deep purple eyes as beady as a dolls, mouth agape, showing off pint sized fangs that were filled with enough venom to kill and full grown horse. "Maybe someday you'll grow to be big and strong like your mother." He chided it as it calmed itself, flicking its equally purple tongue in the air. He released the writhing animal and watched it slink away.

Across the way was the ancient looking caged elevator that would bring him down into the hive of laboratories that Umbrella used when this place was still up and running. Wesker pushed the lever down and the old rickety metal cage began its descent into the tunnels that ran cold with abandonment.

XXXXX

Chris jiggled the handle on a wooden door and cursed under his breath. "What the hell is this place?" He growled. "It's like something out of a damned movie."

Jill sighed. "I don't know but I'm worried about everyone else… I mean, where could they be?"

"This place is huge, Jill, I'm sure we'll find someone eventually." He kicked down the previously locked door, stumbling a little as he did so. "Let's go."

The two made their way through the halls, attempting to double back towards the great hall. Once they reentered, Chris looked around the room, frantically almost. "Where's Wesker?" He asked loudly, his voice echoing through the empty room.

"He couldn't have gotten far…" Jill remarked.

Chris ran up to the two large front door and pulled at the handles. "They're locked." He muttered. "We're trapped."

"What is going on?" Jill said softly.

Chris shook his head and sighed. "I don't know but whatever it is, we're gonna get to the bottom of it."

Jill nodded in agreement and they proceeded into the back hallways, checking every room and sending out frequent radio calls every five minutes on the dot. Walking the same rout Wesker had earlier, unbeknownst to them, Chris and Jill found their way outside to the courtyard where they saw the dead bodies of the dogs, seeping in pools of their own blood.

"Maybe it was Wesker." Jill chimed, trying to keep her hopes up.

"Maybe… but there's blood here, blood that's not theirs." He pointed to the cobblestone slabs and traced where droplets of blood marked themselves on the stone. "He went that way."

Following the trail, the two came upon an elevator, grated and rusty.

"It's already been used." Jill said quietly, noticing that the car was standing at the bottom.

"What the hell is going on…?" Chris muttered.

Jill hailed the elevator and it crept up the chains slowly, aching dully under years of strain. It made a rotting halt and the metal moaned in protest when they stepped aboard.

"I guess we're going down."

And down they went.

It was freezing cold, Chris visibly shivered. "What the fuck is this place?"

The white walls gleamed even after what seemed like years of abandonment. The floors still smelled of powerful cleaning agents, and the lights burned brightly, making them squint as their eyes adjusted.

"Didn't Wesker say something about Umbrella using this place for business?" Jill mentioned. "Maybe these were private laboratories for the higher ups."

Chris said nothing as they moved through the porcelain halls, guns aimed, finger ready. "He's gotta be down here, there's blood on the floor." He pointed the barrel of his gun to his observation.

"The power's still on."

"Odd." Chris muttered. "Very odd considering that Wesker said this place had been abandoned for years."

"Jill shook her head. "Some of this just doesn't add up."

Chris scoffed. "Yeah, you're tellin me."

Jill pointed. "Look, another elevator."

Chris frowned. "And it's been used."

Calling the elevator, it moved up swiftly, a large contrast to its previous. And as it made the descent further into the depths of the labs, Chris felt a pang of fear in his gut. It wasn't a fear for his life, rather it was a fear for the unknown. This entire night had been off kilter since they landed. The dogs, the zombies, the labs… all of it was like something out of a damned movie and that gut feeling was something that Chris just couldn't shake. Worried more about his comrades than himself, for they hadn't found one. No signs at all from Bravo and no signs from Wesker or Barry. Splitting up was starting to sound like a bad idea right about now.

"Chris look!" Jill's shouting dragged him from his thoughts as he saw her run over to a figure slumped against the wall.

"Stop! Don't come any closer, you two." It was Enrico, forcing himself against a wall, gun raised weakly.

Chris held is hands up slowly, showing that he had no intentions of harming the Bravo captain. "What happened?"

Enrico stood slowly, trying his best to use the wall as support, his leg looked mangled, as it had been shot several times. He held his gun out, inches away from Chris' chest "Double crosser…" He muttered.

"Enrico wait!" Jill pleaded. "What happened to you?"

The Bravo captain winced, lowing his gun a little. "S.T.A.R.S. is finished." he managed to ground out. "Someone among us is a traitor… Umbrella… set us up."

"Why is Umbrella involved in this?" Chris demanded.

"It was them… they released the—" There was a gunshot that rang out, making the two flinch. The bullet struck Enrico directly in the chest with deadly precision. Killing him.

"Enrico!" Chris shouted. He whipped around, and saw a figure dart from around the corner.

"Chris we need to get help!"

He shook his head. "No." He said lowly. "We're on our own now… and I think I know why."

Chris kept moving, weaving in and out of the hallways, the light giving him a headache. Fresh blood splattered itself on walls, kills that had been made just before they got down here. Slow and aching zombies shuffled around corners, their slack-jawed mouths hanging open, teeth rotting, on the verge of falling out, blood welling through open sores. Disgusting creatures.

"This is gotta be it." Chris said. "He's gotta be here. There's no where else he can go!"

Pulling the lever, the door slid open and a cold air buffered them, colder than it already was. Large tanks filled water lined themselves accordingly back to back. Each of them housed what looked to be body parts, mutated and altered. Some of them grew lumps the size of his head, others sprouted claws and ridges. It was dark, lowlights only hovering on under the tanks, making them glow dully. They rounded a tank and looked towards the one right in the middle… larger than the rest, it caged a large human-like specimen. It had to be at least eight feet tall, pale white skin, and teeth that jutted out from its lips, tearing the skin away from there, red and purple veins swelled all over its body. On its right hand, its fingers had formed into claws and one extended about two feet, wider than the rest, almost like the tusk of an elephant. However, the most notable feature was the large and beating heart that covered the entire left side of its chest. Chris picked up a clipboard on the desk nearby and read the information slowly.

"Tyrant…" He muttered.

"Chris, Jill…" Wesker came around the one of the tanks, gun raised. "You make me proud."

"Wesker? So you were down here after all." Jill spat. "And you killed Enrico didn't you?!"

Wesker scoffed, disregarding her accusation. "Tonight was an excellent night for collecting data on Umbrella's biological weaponry and their performance against trained…" Wesker smirked wickedly. "flesh and blood combatants."

"So Enrico was right. You set us up." The malice in her voice was enough to slice a mans throat.

"Clearly." Wesker deadpanned. "But I digress, that was Umbrella's intention. Not mine."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Chris demanded, pulling out his gun.

"Chris stop." A voice boomed behind him and Barry aimed his gun at the back of his head.

"Barry no…" Jill whispered.

"Oh Barry has nothing to do with this." Wesker piped. "He's just making sure you two stay in line otherwise his precious family won't be seeing the light of day." Wesker moved to the desk and grabbed a remote that began to drain the water from the tank. "I really wish it hadn't come to this…" Wesker sounded almost as if he was disappointed, his voice dropping low. "S.T.A.R.S. has meant quite a great deal to me and what to do I do now?"

Chris silently seethed, Barry's gun pressed to the back of his head. "You stay away from my sister you sick fuck…" His teeth were clenched and with the current event transpiring, all he could think about was Claire.

"We'll see." Wesker mocked.

"I swear to god I'll kill—" Chris was halted in his words as the sudden movement of the Tyrant gained the attention of everyone in the room. It smashed its hand against the glass, cracking it.

Wesker moved back a step, a bout of fear blooming in the back of his mind.

This was it…

The glass shattered, sending the shards every which way. Wesker sized his creation up and smiled every so slightly. It was a magnificent creature, that was no doubt but it was this creature that would bring his end and his rebirth. Was he ready to die? Time seemed to slow completely as his thoughts raced, eyes flicking up and down, waiting for the strike. He knew the Tyrant was most likely insusceptible to suggestion and it was this fact that sent fear to his core. Tyrant stepped down and its seemingly lifeless eyes stared right at him. To him, Wesker was just a small obstacle on its path to destruction. Without even another chance to blink, the Tyrant thrust its large, tusk-like claw through Wesker's abdomen, blood gushing violently from the gaping wound. It lifted him from the ground and eyed him like a prize. Wesker managed to procure an almost inaudible groan of the worst pain he had ever felt before the creature tossed him aside like a rag doll.

Wesker landed against a control panel, his body slumping like a ton of bricks. This was it. His eyes kept focusing in and out, breath short and stiff. Blood pooled from the gaping hole in his abdomen and his hands pawed at it uselessly. Through his fading vision, he could see the Tyrant advance on Chris, Jill, and Barry. God he hoped they would just turn tail and run. Wesker groaned in pain, trying to lift his head but to no avail. Before his final breaths as a human being, Albert Wesker thought only of Claire Redfield.

He was so very sorry.

A/N: Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed the mansion and perhaps it has brought back some memories because it did for me. Now we're really starting to get into the thick of the story so stay tuned. Love you guys :)