4

Marvin took Claire to a smaller area just behind reception, and he sat himself down. She had introduced herself properly, once she realised that this Marvin actually knew her brother, Chris.

"So" Claire started "nobody knows what caused this?"

"There's a lot of theories...but all I know for sure is that this place is crawling with zombies."

"Yeah. You're telling me..."

Marvin rifled through a box and then passed Claire a radio.

"Keep that on, just in case"

Claire looked down at the radio, and attached it to her belt.

"I'm not gonna be around long. Once I find Chris-"

and Leon...

"-we're outta here..."

"You're really Chris' sister?" Marvin replied, whilst looking at his computer screen.

"Yeah. Why?" Did you find something?"

"He's on vacation. Europe, I think...left weeks ago"

"Vacation? That's...that's great news" Claire answered, a little disappointed and confused. Why hadn't he let her know? That wasn't like Chris at all... but at least he wasn't caught up in the hell she had found herself in.

"Well, I've got more for you..." Marvin continued "Looks like there might be a way out through this secret passageway..." Marvin showed Claire the drawings in the notebook she had passed him earlier, and he nodded towards the great goddess statue.

There's a way out, underneath...

"Good" Claire stated aloud "Hey, we could get you to a hospital"

Marvin looked away.

"Oh, no...Forget about me. I can take care of myself"

"No, don't be ridiculous" Claire pressed "you're gonna need some help"

Marvin placed a gentle hand on her arm.

"Listen, Claire. Save yourself. So you can see your brother again. Now you'll probably need this"

Marvin pulled a combat knife from his belt.

"No, I'm not taking that" Claire stated "you're gonna need-"

"Shhh" Marvin interrupted "Be careful. If you see one of those things-no matter who they were- you can't hesitate. Take them out if you can, or you run...don't make my mistake..."

"Marvin..." Claire replied, sadly.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'm just gonna lay here a minute, kinda tired"

Marvin pushed his laptop across the seat, laid it down, and then lay down himself. Claire watched him for a moment before approaching the great statue and glancing up. The robed woman carved perfectly in marble, held a flag high, and pushed her chest out as if in defiance against the evil that now surrounded the station.

Claire's eyes then fell to the pedestal beneath the statues flawless feet, noticing three circular hollows. Claire got the notebook out and flicked through. Now the hastily drawn pictures made sense to her.

Claire ran up the stairs next to the statue, seeing the lion statue that had caught her vision earlier, cast in the same perfect marble. Something circular, hidden and sitting in its casing. Claire ran her fingers across the three symbols embedded in the pedestal.

It's a code...the drawings! They're the answer!

Excited, Claire turned the dials to match the notebooks drawings. A click was heard, and the statue released a golden medallion.

"Marvin!" She cried excited "I know what to do! How we can get out!"

"That's great Claire" he called back weakly "goddamn laptop...What are you alerting me too now..." He grumbled unheard.

Claire ran back down the steps, two at a time, and hurried to the great pedestal where she inserted the medallion. Once again a click was heard, and the great stone shuddered as a large part retracted, revealing a possible exit.

"So, Elliot was right" Marvin smiled.

"Yeah" Claire smiled back "But we're not out of here yet"

She went to turn away, determined to find the other two medallions, when Marvin suddenly called her back.

"What is it?" she asked, not unkindly, but impatient to get on with her task.

Marvin tapped the screen of his laptop.

"I wondered what it was alerting me too. Take a look"

Claire's eyes scanned the grainy footage, but she instantly recognised the figure trapped behind a gate.

"Oh my god, he made it!" She stated happily.

"You know him?" Marvin questioned.

"Yeah. It's Leon...uh, Kennedy, I think?"

Marvin nodded knowingly.

"Ah, the rookie. Thought he looked familiar. You can make it to that courtyard through the second floor, east side"

"Okay, Thanks Marvin. I'm on it" and Claire practically ran, overwhelmed that the young cop was still safe.

Leon kicked at the gate again.

"Shit," he growled to himself. It had been hell getting here; he was soaked to the bone due to the persistent downpour, and now he had been halted by a chain-link fence and a bit of barbed wire.

A deep, whumping sound caught his ears, and he turned his head back towards the city. The unmistakable sound of a helicopter was approaching.

That's good, maybe they'll let me hitch a ride along with Claire...as long as she made it here okay...

Through the distortion caused by the rain, he spotted it and instantly knew something was wrong. It was coming in low and fast.

Too fast.

"Jesus!" he cried, as the chopper flew just overhead and smashed right into the side of the Raccoon Police station. Leon had raised his arm against his face, fully expecting an explosion. But nothing happened. He cautiously lowered his arm and approached the gate again, looking up at the devastation the helicopter had caused, when his keen eyes caught the sight of a woman in a red jacket also observing the mess.

"HEY!" he shouted "CLAIRE!?"

She suddenly turned at his call and shone her flashlight down.

"LEON!? I'LL BE RIGHT THERE!"

Claire made her way down into the yard, not noticing a small light flickering within the downed chopper, and gripped the chain link fence, relieved to see him looking unharmed as he struggled to force the gate open.

"Leon! We really gotta stop meeting like this" she teased.

He smiled back, and her heart warmed, despite the coldness of the rain.

"Are you alright?" he asked "Police chopper...it just came out of nowhere..."

"Yeah, I'm fine" Claire replied.

"I take it you don't have the key..."

"No, I don't" Claire replied sadly "it's good to see your face, though. How are you holding up?"

"Hanging in there" Leon sighed.

"Helluva night, huh?"

"Yeah. Did you find your brother?" Leon questioned.

"I did actually, he's-"

Suddenly, a huge explosion rocked the side of the Raccoon Police Station; as the helicopter finally caught fire from the leaking canister.

"Just when you think it can't get any worse!" Claire seethed, and her eyes fell on the far perimeter fence. Hundreds of zombies were approaching, joining the others already pushing against the railings. The old gates were already rocking unsteadily; any more weight and they would surely give way.

"Leon, you need to get in here, like right now"

Leon turned his head back to where Claire was looking just in time to see a portion of the fence give way with a groan.

"Shit!" Leon growled, and half turned to Claire. "Don't worry about me. Just…get yourself to safety." He turned swiftly away, ready to make a run for it when Claire's urgent cry made him stop.

"There!" she pointed to an officer's corpse. "The key! It's in his hand!"

Leon glanced to his left, and he could see something glimmering from the light of the helicopter's flames in the hand of the dead officer. Quickly, he dropped beside the corpse, and pulled the key from its hand while Claire continued her desperate plea for him to hurry. Leon could hear the moans and smell the dead flesh as he threw the key into the slot with shaking hands. A cold, dead hand grabbed at the back of his soaked jacket. Claire raised her gun, and fired. Leon felt his ears ring, and the gore from the shattered skull hit the back of his neck when he turned the key and pushed his way through, stumbling with his desperation. Claire slammed the gate shut, and pushed her weight against it.

"LOCK IT!" She cried.

Leon quickly got onto his feet, and pushing his own body against the gate, he slammed the key home and turned it. The pair backed away from the gate, breathing heavily as more of the monsters advanced from the street. Leon looked at the barrier between them. The obstacle that seemed impossible for him to pass only moments before, suddenly felt very inadequate against the oncoming storm of the undead.

"This ain't gonna hold!" he stated.

"Lets get outta sight!" Claire cried, as she grabbed Leon's forearm "This way!" and she pulled him towards a doorway, tucked away in the shadows.

They'll lose interest if they can't see us!...I hope