Chapter Twenty-One: Birkin

Claire's ears rang loudly as Jack's M4 blasted round after round into the beast's chest. She tried to fight the reflex of covering her ears. The mini sonic booms of the force from the muzzle pounded in her chest. Claire lifted her grenade launcher once more; she turned her head towards Jack who was still squinting down his sights as the humanoid stepped forward.

"Jack, move!" One eye caught the sight of her lifting her grenade launcher. He darted to the side, taking cover behind a station wagon in the corner beside a ticket booth.

Claire pulled the trigger on the grenade launcher, sending a 40mm grenade directly at the creature. The monster staggered backwards from the impact; the pulse of the explosion knocked Claire back into the steel gate behind her.

"Claire!" Jack shouted after her, his voice was followed by a steady repetition of booming gunfire. Claire lied against the steel gate; she shook her head trying to shake off the shellshock from the explosion.

Claire came to scrambling in the opposite direction, she scurried over the hood of a small truck and disappeared over the side. The grenade launcher clanged to the concrete beside her, the sling being the only thing keeping it at her side. The monster let out another blood curdling yell.

The monster started for Claire behind the truck, his anger fixating on her as she peaked over the hood to see him coming for her. He stumbled for her slamming his 2X4 onto the windshield sending shattered glass in all directions.

GRAWWWWLLLL It screamed, Claire crouched low and raced to the back of the truck bed.

"Hey Asswipe!" Jack called from behind the monstrosity, the thing turned to face him, Jack aimed the Desert Eagle at it's pulsating eye blinking back at him. It started for him in an admittedly predictable fashion. Despite the monster's fury it lurched forward in a stumble reaching for him from across the garage. Jack's eyes caught Claire darting into the darkness back towards the police station. He squeezed the trigger sending a 50. Caliber round straight into the eye ball on it's chest. It blinked furiously, puss and blood pouring from under its's eyelid. Jack was shocked to find it still in place.

Just then the mutant found it's speed reaching for him and smacking him with the 2X4 sending Jack sprawling across the smooth pavement. Jack scurried to his feet and hurried for the Desert Eagle he lost from his grasp in the middle of the garage. The monster started for him again, he pulled the M4 back up and began firing wildly. Jack couldn't believe the amount of damage he was dealing; he could hardly make it flinch. It seemed so unreal that something so grotesque could take all this abuse. The only thing that seemed to affect him…sort of…were the Desert Eagle rounds and those weren't exactly easy to come by.

The thing adjusted it's stance and raced for him again, this time Jack was ready and dove to one side behind a SWAT van nearby an old metal door. He considered racing for the door and making a run for it, this thing wasn't exactly nimble, maybe he could outrun it?

Jack pulled himself upwards, both hands planted on the floor to pull himself up. As he did so he spotted Claire's slender shadow ducking between police cruisers. She was working on some kind of plan.

If that's the case then get your ass up and cover her.

Jack looked over at the Desert Eagle still in the middle of the car park. He would have to let it be for now, the monster was too close for comfort now. If he was going to fight this thing off he had to do it with something smaller. He scurried to his feet and found cover on the other side of the SWAT van as the monster continued for him. Jack couldn't help but feel fear rise in his chest at the thought of what this thing would do to him when it got a hold of him.

It let out another frustrated yell, "GRAWL!"

Jack peered around the corner to check it's progress, when he saw it, an Umbrella badge plain as day hanging from his torn chest pocket. He recognized that card anywhere. Typed in fancy bold black stamped letters was Umbrella and its familiar red and white logo reflecting back at him.

"He's Umbrella, William Birkin" Jack muttered to himself, "the station is locked up tight, how the hell did he get in here?"

Unless, right there are several labs in this city. He only knew of three, there was the hospital just downtown hiding right in plain site and…where was the other one? Somewhere in the Arklay Mountains, that's all I know.

Rumor had it though, in that case, this lab had gone up in flames due to an accidental explosion. He was only in security then of course so he wasn't exactly told the details. It was briefly mentioned in one of their monthly security reports, so they could use the information to prevent it from happening again as security agents. With one being in Raccoon City Hospital and one destroyed, did that mean another was inside the police station?

He shook his head at the thought, after all, he had just explored most of the police station above ground and there wasn't even a hint of a lab, apart from the infirmary.

What if it's like the hive on the west coast in Washington State, the one that's completely underground.

Jack shook his head and shouldered the M4, he pulled the handgun from his holster and turned around the SWAT Van, hugging the hood tight as he did so. He peered down the sights, lining up the back white sights with the front dot where the monster was moments before, nothing. There where the monster stood only moments before was nothing. Just then, something slapped his shoulder, Jack reached to touch his upper arm, his hand came away wet with blood and puss.

Ugh…

Jack turned his head up to see the disfigured man's face looking down on him. His short blonde hair hung over him, it breathed and groaned heavily readying itself to jump. His face was stretched in a painful wince lacking in all emotion as it stared down upon him. Jack threw himself to the ground onto his back and pointed his gun upwards. He pulled the trigger as fast as he could sending rounds high and connecting as he descended flat onto his back.

Claire where are you!?

The beast leapt down from the top of the SWAT van, Jack kicked away in a scramble firing two more rounds, the bullets slapped against the monster's sinewy chest.

"Shit…" Jack muttered, as he fired again, the slide on his handgun racked back as it went dry.

Just then a siren wailed over his shaking voice and cut off the growls of the monster before him.

"Jack move!" Claire called out, Jack looked up behind him, planting his hands on the ground around him to see Claire hanging her head out of a police cruiser across the parking garage where they had entered. She revved the engine and two strokes, the care raced forward right at them. Jack rolled to his side out of the way with seconds to spare. The police cruiser sped past him; the car smashed crumpling it's hood against the flesh of the monster sending him careening back into SWAT van.

"Claire!" Jack shouted as the car came to a sudden stop, the back bumper jumping upwards and dropping down in response to the impact.

The monster fell flat onto the hood, pinned between the car and truck. It lay still, not breathing, no movement. Jack got up and sprinted to the driver side, leaping over the trunk as he did so. Jack pulled the door open, Claire shook her head inside, a small gash was across her forehead.

"You okay?" He asked.

She blinked a few times, "Better now that that thing isn't moving."

"Come on, lets go before it wakes up." Jack pulled her arm, she jogged after him following him into a nearby door behind the SWAT van. Jack threw the door closed behind them leaving the monster alone in the garage dead…hopefully.