Chapter 1
Agent Nicholas Glass stepped through the hallowed halls of the crypt. Around him laid the corpses of those laid to rest centuries ago. Entombed in their coffins built of the very stone dug out to construct such an expansive underground structure. Back then it was a feat of engineering that nobody would truly appreciate the scale of. Although at the moment Nicholas too found it difficult to feel much fondness towards the moss laden brick and musty smell that surrounded him. If it were up to him he'd be back home in the states enjoying the warm July weather by laying on the beach with a drink in hand and maybe a babe on the towel beside him. Maybe Mira from accounting. Or Jill Valentine. Nick would kill to see what she looked like in a bikini. Although he suspected she had eyes on someone else…
"Glass. Report."
The agent jumped at the gruff voice suddenly crackling through his earpiece. Speak of the devil.
"So far, we're clear Commander Redfield. Doesn't look like this place has seen any action in the last millenia."
It was far from a baseless assumption with layers of thick dust on every single surface and the fact the entire room was black as pitch, no candles or even torches to provide any kind of illumination. It was only thanks to the flashlight mounted on the side rail of his rifle that Nick was even able to make out two feet in front of him. And what laid there, out in the darkness? Nothing but granite coffins and cobwebs.
"Understood agent but keep alert. The locals reported men in robes bearing symbols that seem to be a match for those described in the Kennedy report."
Nick rolled his eyes at the mention of the now infamous file. He was one of the now growing number of Umbrella agents who doubted the events described by Leon Kennedy following his saving of the then president's daughter. Agent Kennedy was a damn fine operative, that much was for sure. He had plenty of in the field work before he got assigned to babysit whichever whackjob was currently in office. But believing one man single handedly took down a cult that had numbers reaching into the hundreds, all while successfully rescuing a VIP and he was suffering the symptoms of a prior undiscovered infection? It was a tough pill to swallow, that was for sure.
"I'm aware, commander. I'll keep an eye open for any loons chanting in Spanish dressed in loungewear."
Nick could hear what could either be a sigh or a chuckle from the other end of the radio and preferred to think of it as the latter. Unlike when it came to Kennedy, Nick had no doubts at all about Commander Redfield's accomplishments. Whether it was on STARS, in the BSAA or now with Neo Umbrella he was a man of action. A genuine inspiration who Nick had unwavering respect for. Even if he enjoyed teasing him from time to time.
"Just finish your sweep and report anything suspicious you find."
"Heh, will do commander. Over and out."
Now it was Nick's turn to sigh as he was once again alone in the dark. Still he wasn't all that afraid since even if one of the coffins did happen to pop open so its owner could spring forth and attack him, every corpse around him was at least five hundred years old. Forget the 5.56 rounds, a gentle gust of wind would be enough to knock those bony boys over.
"Come on skellys. Show me some action."
Nick's words echoed off the walls followed quickly by his own self assured snicker. Sure it wasn't any Miami beach but there was still no reason he couldn't keep himself entertained. Moving around the next corner he tried to come up with more skeleton related puns before his flashlight forced something to glimmer on the stone floor. Immediately Nick could feel his muscles tighten as he readied his weapon and took aim towards the strange spot only to find nothing there. Nothing except…
"What the hell…?"
Nick stepped closer to the puddle of blood on the floor. Kneeling to get a closer look made the crimson pool all the more surreal. It was fresh, not one drop yet sticking to the tomb's floor. Swearing under his breath Nick quickly rose back up to his feet and placed his hand over his ear to make contact with the command center once more.
"Commander Redfield? I have something here. It's…"
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Nick whirled around and without even thinking opened fire with his weapon, the muzzle flashes from his rifle briefly illuminating the space around him more than his flashlight could. And what it picked up was something pulled from his deepest nightmares. Nicholas stumbled backward, head on a swivel drawing his flashlight back and forth across the room. Bodies. Fresh ones surrounded him on all sides. Their flesh torn, mangled with blood strewn across the room in mad flashes of color that contrasted horribly against the dull walls of the tomb. Each one of them mutilated beyond belief. Guts ripped from open stomachs and left to hang. Flaps of skin hanging from faces and stripped off torsos to reveal rad spackled bones beneath.
"HEEEEEELLLLL-!"
Nicholas focused on where the sound was coming from, the crying wails of pain so intense he could feel his skin crawl. Sure enough to his right side there was a young man, his arm ripped clean from his body, a knife dug into his mouth muffling his screams as his attacker jabbed the blade into his mouth with abandon. The aggressor was covered in a thin white robe, the fabric worn and covered in holes which revealed his skin beneath. His flesh was covered with extensive horrible lesions, some of which were bleeding enough to cause his robe to stick to his body in odd ways. Hunched over stabbing the man's mouth he looked not like a human, but a monster. A ghoul that this crypt had sealed away for decades but was now wreaking havoc on the innocent.
Nick could feel his mind slipping, tangential thoughts spurred on by the horror around him threatening to rob him of his focus. That would not do. Steeling himself he aimed his rifle at the floor right beside the cloaked attacker and fired a single round. The resulting shot caused debris to fly from where the bullet struck and caused the hunched man to halt his assault. Even still the gurgling sounds of torment had ceased. The victim had joined the corpses that surrounded Nicholas on all sides, both old and new.
"Freeze fucker! Drop the blade and get those hands in the air right fucking now!"
Thankfully the adrenaline for the moment prevented any of the fear that was present in his core from entering Nick's voice. Whatever this…thing before him was, Agent Glass wouldn't give him any room to doubt that one wrong move would see a spray of bullets rip through his already bloodied torso. While there was no way he had not heard him, the man refused to listen. He did stand up however with his hands raised over his head but the blade still remained in his grasp. Nick could see now that it wasn't a standard knife, possessing a jagged length that made it look more suitable for ceremony than combat. Although that should have been clear from the start. The massacre that laid around him, this wasn't a brawl. This was bloodshed. Carnal, thoughtful, malicious violence.
"The fuck did I just say? Knife down or I light your ass up!"
Nick threw out another warning although he had no idea why he was giving the monster before him so many chances. There was nobody around. All he would have to do is put a bullet in his brain and tell anyone who asked that the man came at him. Scum like this didn't deserve a fair trial, not with the horror that Nick had seen plastered on the faces of the victims around them.
No. They deserved answers. He needed answers. No matter how sick and twisted they may be, Nick needed to know what could make someone do something like this.
"The sins of the father…"
Nick's eyes widened as the words left the lips of the cloaked man.
"What did you just say?"
"The sins of the father are to be laid upon his children."
Nick stepped forward, keeping his weapon pointed squarely at the chest of the man in the robes. With his hands raised so high his cloak was raised and Nick could see more of his skin, covered in the bleeding pus ridden lesions. So many that Nicholas could hardly imagine how someone could stand the kind of pain he must be in to speak, let alone commit the acts he had. He was sick. Just as much in body as he was in mind.
"What sins…"
Nick halted his approach just as the man suddenly looked directly into his eyes. Nicholas stared in horror at the bloodshot pupils staring back at him, devoid of any mercy or humanity.
"Wesker…"
Before Nick could even process the words the cloaked man brought the knife to his own throat and with one hard pull used its edge to tear through his flesh.
"Shit!"
Nick jumped backward as the man gurgled, choking on his own viscera while he collapsed forward on the ground in a twitching heap. For a few seconds Nick could only watch in muted terror as the man's life was drained second by second until finally the shaking stopped and the crypt was once again silent. It took a minute for Nicholas to realize he was holding his breath, the agent letting out a shaky sigh as he stepped away from the now dead hooded figure. Bringing his hand to his earpiece once more he noticed that all this time there had been the sound of static buzzing in his ear. Somewhere just after finishing with the commander he realized the depths of the tomb were likely blocking his signal. Shaking his head Nicholas prepared to head back the way he came before hearing a noise from behind him that caused his blood to turn cold.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Spinning back around Nicholas focused his flashlight on the corpses, trying to locate the source of the noise. Only for the light to settle on the cloaked figure once more who's twitching had begun anew. Except this time his movements were not wild and desperate. They were methodical, his arms reaching up to beat his chest. Over. And over.
Thud. Thud. Thud!
On the sixth strike Nicholas witnessed the clenched fist break through the man's own chest. Before they came. Spreading from the now gaping hole in his chest flew dozens of thick black insects which filled the crypt around him with their horrid buzzing. Nicholas let out a cry of fear, stumbling back and tripping over a raised piece of stone on the ground. Falling on his rear he quickly opened fire onto the growing horde of buzzing that was before him. But to no avail, the bullets passed right through ricocheting off the walls before one flew back and struck Nick right in the leg.
"Damn it!"
Dropping his rifle Nick was quick to place a hand over his now bleeding thigh. Only in his haste his weapon had struck the hard floor beneath and the flashlight, his only source of illumination in this crypt dozens of feet below the surface, began to flicker.
"No no no!"
Nick scrambled with the one hand that wasn't clutching his wound for his rifle only he felt himself freeze as a new sound hit his ears. A groan. Nick swore and grabbed the gun its light only remaining alive for a few moments before switching off. But those brief seconds of illumination were all Nick needed to confirm his fears. Before him stood the very same corpse that Nick had witnessed the cloaked man stabbing so viciously. The gaping wound where his arm was sliced off now a nest for dozens of the black flies, many more of which crawled into his gaping mouth and into his now hollowed eye sockets. And the only sound that came from the ruined mouth of what was once a man was not a buzzing like the rest of the flies but a wailing moan of unlife. Without another thought Nicholas turned the rifle onto himself and with a single shout of defiance pulled the trigger providing one last flash of light before the darkness swallowed all in the crypt.