4

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

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

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

Claire sighed, "Yeah. You're telling me..."

Marvin began rifling through a box, and passed Claire a two-way radio, saying "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..."

Marvin stopped typing for a moment, and replied, "You're really Chris' sister?" He then returned to looking at his computer screen.

Claire turned her head towards him at the question, and she asked "Yeah. Why?" Did you find something?"

Marvin responded with "He's on vacation. Europe I think...left weeks ago"

Claire was glad that Chris was okay, but she felt a little disappointed and confused as she said "Vacation? That's...that's great news". She wondered to herself why he hadn't let her know.

That doesn't sound like Chris at all... but at least he isn't caught up in this hell...

"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.

Turning back to her thoughts, Claire realized that there was a way out after all. She had briefly looked out of the main doors after meeting Marvin, in the hopes of spotting Leon. But to her despair, there were now hundreds of zombies in front of the station, removing the possibility of any form of escape that way.

Claire turned from her thoughts and said "Hey, we could get you to a hospital"

Marvin suddenly looked away. "Oh, no... Forget about me. I can take care of myself."

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

Marvin placed a gentle hand onto her arm. "Listen, Claire. Save yourself. So you can see your brother again." Pulling a combat knife from his belt, he added "Now you'll probably need this"

Claire shook her head and said, "No, I'm not taking that. You're going to need-"

"Shhh," Marvin interrupted. "Listen. 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..."

Claire looked at the injured man sadly and said, "Marvin..."

Marvin rolled his shoulder and replied, "Now, if you don't mind, I'm just gonna lay here a minute, kinda tired"

Marvin pushed his laptop across the seat, laying it down, and then lying 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 gaze then fell to the pedestal beneath the statue's flawless feet, noticing three circular hollows. Claire got the notebook out and flipped through it. Now the hastily drawn pictures made sense to her. She 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 to now?" He grumbled unheard.

Claire ran back down the stairs, two steps 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 section retracted, revealing a possible exit.

Marvin smiled "So, Elliot was right" he said.

"Yeah," Claire smiled back. "But we're not out of here yet." She went to turn away, determined to find the other two medallions, but Marvin suddenly called her back.

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

Marvin tapped the screen of his laptop. "I wondered what it was alerting me to. Take a look"

Claire's eyes scanned the grainy footage. She instantly recognized the figure trapped behind a gate. "Oh my god, he made it!" she stated happily.

Marvin looked in her direction " You know him?" he questioned.

Claire smiled "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"

Claire broke into a jog, calling over her shoulder, "Okay, thanks, Marvin. I'm on it." She grinned from ear to ear, relieved that the young cop was still safe.

Leon kicked 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, thumping 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 with Claire. As long as she made it here okay.

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

Too fast.

"Jesus!" Leon cried, as the chopper flew just overhead and smashed right into the side of the Raccoon Police Station. He had raised his arm to shield his face, fully expecting an explosion. But nothing happened. Leon 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!?"

Claire suddenly turned to his call and shone her flashlight down. "LEON!? I'LL BE RIGHT THERE!"

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

Claire smiled at him, saying "Leon! We really gotta stop meeting like this."

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

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

"Yeah, I'm fine" Claire replied.

Leon sighed, "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 replied.

Claire dropped her gaze to the floor, "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's canister finally caught fire.

Claire seethed, "Just when you think it can't get any worse!" 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" she cried.

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

Leon glanced to his left, and he saw 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 lock with shaking hands. A cold, dead hand grabbed at the back of his soaking wet 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, crying out "LOCK IT!"

At her cry, Leon quickly got onto his feet, pushed the gate with his own body, and slammed the key home. The young pair backed away from the gate, breathing heavily as more of the undead 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 onslaught of the undead. "This ain't gonna hold!" he stated.

Claire cried "Let's get out of sight!" and she grabbed Leon's forearm. "This way!" She called as she pulled him towards a doorway tucked away in the shadows. "They'll lose interest if they can't see us! ... I hope"