The hive was much bigger on the inside than it looked on the map. Although the map didn't exaggerate the shape or how long it would take to get through it, it still felt like she'd been traversing the hallways and the undead for hours. She ran, her boots pounding on the floor as she avoided another mass of greedy fingers that tried to pull her into death.
Rose pushed through a pair of heavy, rusted doors that creaked ominously as they swung open, the sound echoing in the dimly lit corridor. The stench hit her first—a musky blend of decay and something sharper, more metallic. She hesitated just long enough to absorb her surroundings: a room filled with canine kennels, some overflowing with shredded bedding, others eerily empty. The fluorescent lights flickered above, casting unnerving shadows that danced across the floor.
As she ventured further inside, a low growl reverberated through the air. Her heart raced; she looked over to find the source — a pack of zombified Doberman Pinschers, their once sleek coats matted and torn, eyes sunken and crazed. Her palms began to sweat as she stealthily looked between the dogs and the door she'd just come through, trying to weigh her chances with either threat. The pack leader stood closest to her, its wet ears pulled back, teeth bared as it stomped its front paw and barked at her.
There were three more behind it, one had its throat completely torn out, thin strings of meat the only thing keeping the flesh on the bone. Rose moved her hand slowly to her knife, pulling it out of its holster. The blade glinted in the fluorescent light, she lunged forward at the same time the frontmost dog leaped for her. She twisted, her front leg pivoting and her hip twisting to bring her back foot up and over in a powerful round-house kick. Her boot connected with the flying animal with a wet thud, and she winced at the feeling of the dog's ribs caving under the force.
It crashed with a sharp yelp into the kennels, its body sliding down as another dog took his place. With a fierce scream, she lunged forward again, thrusting her knife deep into the belly of the next Doberman that leaped at her. Warm blood spurted out, splattering across her hands and the floor, mixing with other remnants of violence that marred the space. The creature let out a howl of pain, thrashing wildly as Rose twisted the blade, sending it crashing to the ground.
A third dog was upon her, teeth snapping just inches from her face. In a flash, she sidestepped and drove her knife into its neck, the blade slicing through flesh like butter. It fell to the ground, choking and sputtering, blood pooling around it. The chaos had dulled her senses, but she felt the rush of energy as she continued dispatching them one by one, her movements becoming a deadly ballet of survival.
She lost herself in the rhythm of the fight, her heart pounding a fierce beat, drowning out all thoughts beyond sheer instinct. One last Doberman charged, and she met it head-on, leveraging her weight to slam her shoulder into its side and bringing her knife down with brutal finality.
The room fell quiet save for her ragged breathing and the soft thud of lifeless bodies hitting the floor. She surveyed the carnage, panting heavily, blood splattered across her clothes and skin, seeping into the cracks of her reinforced clothing. She spun around as the leader got back up, its bones sticking out from where she'd caved in his side. He ran at her and she turned, running away from him at towards the wall. She jumped forward, her foot slamming against the wall as she used the momentum to carry her forward into another arching jump. She bounced off the corner and swept her leg around, kicking it in the neck and once again sent it spiraling to the floor. She crouched down, sinking the blade into its skull.
A body connecting with hers sent her screaming to the floor, white-hot pain erupting inside her body as the surprised dog thrashed around with her forearm in its mouth. Stars burst behind her eyelids as her own blood poured down her arm, and she accidentally dropped the knife. Not able to reach her pistol on her other hip, she did the only thing she could think of...she closed her fist and punched into the dog's side. The bones crunched under her hands, splintering and shards of bone lodged into her knuckles. The beast yelped and tried to leap away, but she sent her fist in further, grasping onto its heart and yanking it out. Its brown eyes rolled into the back of its head, and she crushed the organ between her fingers. It fell in clumps at her feet.
Behind her, the door opened, and Rose acted on instinct, ignoring her own pain to grab onto her gun and point it at the door. As soon as she saw the red heels, she relaxed, falling back onto her butt and sighing tiredly. Her forehead was already coated in a thin layer of sweat, her temperature rising to try and fight off the infection now spreading through her body. She didn't know if it would do anything to her, being already infected, but she knew that her father had subjected himself to small amounts of all variations of the T-Virus. She had not.
"Got yourself into trouble, I see," Ada said as she closed the door behind her. She had a pistol in her hand and a TMP strapped to her back, along with a belt with pouches attached. Rose, only minimally surprised to see her, gave a tired chuckle.
"I knew you'd show up eventually," she joked half-heartedly. Ada only frowned, closing the distance between them and crouching to look at the torn flesh around her arm.
"That's deep. Let me wrap it for you. The anti-virus is around here somewhere."
"There's an anti-virus," Rose laughs dryly. Of course there was. She'd been sent here to gather everything related to the virus'. "Why are you here?" She asked curiously.
Ada sighed, pulling out an herb and gauze from a small pouch on her belt. "Wesker," she said.
"He sent you to babysit," Rose replies bitterly.
"He knows you're not as strong as you think you are and you're not as good at this as you think you are." Ada pops the herb into her mouth to chew, never making any indication of how bad Rose knew it had to taste.
Rose scoffed, wincing as Ada's fingers deftly applied the paste. "He doesn't care about me. He's just worried about his little experiment."
Ada hums, a sound that gives neither sympathy nor disagreement. Once the gauze is in place, Ada helps Rose stand and they head for the back exit that the Asian woman had just come through. Rose scoops her knife up along the way, looking over at Ada with confusion. "Those things appeared out of nowhere. It was quiet one moment, and then I rebooted the system and they were everywhere. This Red Queen's got it out for everybody."
"The Red Queen was keeping those things locked up. You let them out," Ada says sternly. Heat blooms on Rose's cheeks, eyes falling to the floor and shoulders sagging.
"I couldn't get through without letting them out," she defends herself. Again, Ada says nothing but opens the door to lead the way toward the next lab. Rose pulls out her map, clicking through the buttons to navigate which halls lead where. Her arm was still stinging, and she winced with every movement, eyeing it with disdain when she realized it wasn't healing as fast as it should be. They came to another elevator, and Rose moved forward to call it. They needed to go down another couple of floors to reach their destination.
"Wait!" Ada snapped just as Rose's finger hovered over the call button.
Rose whipped her head around in surprise, but before she could react, the elevator doors opened with a sharp ping followed by the low, guttural roar of dozens of zombies. Gangly arms shot through the gap, their clawed fingers scraping at her, desperate to pull her inside. Rose could feel the claws tear at her skin, the fetid stench of decay flooding her senses.
"Ada!" she shouted, panic rising in her chest.
Ada reacted instantly, grabbing hold of Rose's arms with an iron grip. The force of Ada's pull yanked her back, but the zombies kept clawing, their weight and numbers threatening to overwhelm them. It was like a twisted game of tug-of-war, and Rose was the rope, stretched to her limits.
With a grunt, Rose shifted her weight toward Ada, breaking free for a moment, just enough to tear herself from the swarm's grip. "GO!" she yelled, urgency lacing her voice.
Together, they sprinted down the hallway, their boots pounding against the cold, grimy floor. Behind them, the zombies surged forward, relentless. They reached a sharp corner and veered left, nearly running into another horde that had appeared out of nowhere. The sound of moaning and dragging feet was deafening, and before they could react, they slammed into a dead-end.
Rose cursed under her breath, her eyes darting around. Her pulse thundered in her chest. The walls were bare, except for the thick, industrial pipes above them, and her mind worked quickly. There—she pointed.
Ada nodded without a word. Rose dropped to one knee, cupping her hands to offer a foothold. Ada stepped in, without hesitation, and hoisted herself up the pipes, climbing with fluid precision.
The first wave of zombies crested the corner, and Rose wasted no time. She spun and delivered a roundhouse kick, sending a decaying body staggering backward, giving her just enough space to scramble up the metal pipes. The pipes groaned, protesting under her weight, their thin walls creaking in a way that set her teeth on edge. With a jolt, the metal snapped. The pipe buckled, sending her crashing back toward the ground.
"Ada!" Rose cried out.
Ada caught her just in time, her hands tightening around Rose's wrists, yanking her upward. Rose kicked out frantically, her boots connecting with the undead's hands as they reached for her ankles.
Ada pulled hard, and Rose grimaced, ignoring the sharp pain in her knees as they scraped against the metal. Adrenaline flooded her veins, dulling the pain. Gasping for breath, she glanced down at the sea of rotting bodies below them, each one reaching up with desperate, skeletal hands.
"Let's go," Ada said, her voice tight but steady.
They were nearly at the ceiling, so there was little room to move. They crouched low, hands gripping the metal bars that held the pipes in place, making their way across the bodies of the dead below. They backtracked, retracing their steps to the corridor where the second wave of zombies had come from.
The hallway was quieter now, though the air felt heavy with tension. When they reached a small ladder well, Ada wasted no time. She flung the door open, flashlight and pistol at the ready. Rose quickly followed suit, drawing her own weapon, her eyes scanning the darkened stairwell ahead. The flashlight beam bounced off the rusted walls, illuminating the narrow staircase. The faint sound of dragging feet echoed faintly from somewhere below.
Ada led the way, her movements fluid and purposeful as she descended the stairs. Rose followed closely behind, her senses on high alert, every footfall measured. They were deep in the hive now, the sound of their breathing and the creak of the metal stairwell the only things that filled the oppressive silence.
"Do you ever get tired of working for him?" Rose asks suddenly, breaking the silence as they continue down. So far nobody seemed to be on the stair well, which she was thankful for.
Ada pauses for a long moment, her heels creaking on the metal stairs as she shifts her weight. Her flashlight beam flickers for a second, casting an eerie shadow across the rusted walls, before she resumes her descent, albeit slower. Rose can almost feel the hesitation in the air. "It passes the time, and it pays well."
"Right, but, I know you don't agree with everything Wesker does."
"I don't always do what he wants," Ada denies.
"But he keeps hiring you."
Ada's footsteps falter for a brief moment, her grip tightening on the railing as the words hang in the air between them. She doesn't immediately respond, and Rose can almost feel the weight of the question pressing down on her. The flickering light from their flashlights dances across the walls, making the shadows seem to shift, as if even the darkness is alive, watching them.
"I don't always have a choice," Ada finally says, her voice quieter now, as though she's choosing her words carefully. "Wesker... he's always been a means to an end. And sometimes, that's enough."
Rose keeps her gaze forward, the silence in the stairwell is heavy with unspoken truths. She'd known there was more to Ada than the cold, calculated exterior she showed to everyone around her. But hearing it out loud—that was something else.
"But you could walk away," Rose presses, her voice steady. "You're good enough. You don't need him. Hell, you've outsmarted him more than once. So why stay?"
Ada's answer doesn't come immediately. Her footsteps continue to echo softly, but now there's something different about her movements—slower, more deliberate. Finally, she speaks again, her voice lower this time, almost reluctant.
"Sometimes it's not about what you want to do, Rose. It's about surviving. We all have our prices, and our weaknesses. Wesker knows how to exploit mine. And he knows how to make sure I don't walk away."
The words hang in the air, and Rose's chest tightens. She can feel the undercurrent of something darker in Ada's tone, something more personal, and it's clear now that this is more than just a job for her. Ada was in the same boat as her, and somehow it felt fitting. Rose let the subject drop as they came across a door, a neon green EXIT sign lighting up the number 3 painted on the wall beside it.
"It's this one," Rose says, yanking open the door. This time she takes the lead, and the power is off on this floor still. It makes her nervous, her fingers itching as her entire arm begins to tingle and she starts feeling sleepy. A sick, gnawing feeling settles into the pit of her stomach. Her own virus was steadily working away the infection from the dog, but she really, really wanted to sleep.
The hallway was flooded with about twelve inches of cold, black water. She shivered, and Ada huffed in annoyance as her bare ankles were submerged in the liquid. On either side of them were labs, each flooded with about thigh-high water. "Just my luck," Rose mutters as they stop in front of the one she needs. This one in insulated with regular walls on three sides. Tempered glass takes up one wall on the opposite side, and a steel door blocks them from the room. Rose steps forward, stowing her gun and grabbing the dog handle on it, similar to one on a Navy ship. Her muscles strain, her teeth gritting as she forces the door open.
It pops open with a clang and almost sends Rose toppling into the room. She quickly regains her footing, shooting Ada a fleeting hopeful glance as she steps over the high knee-knocker and into the deeper water. A couple of desks line the walls, and the room is divided into two halves, with two short steps dividing the two parts. A shorted-out computer and a specimen refrigerator sit on one of the desks. Rose sloshes through the water, the pressure of it making her movements slower than she would like and she holds her arms out for balance like a bird about to take flight.
Prying open the fridge, Rose let out a satisfied sigh as she laid eyes on the twisted neon green anti-virus, nestled securely in place. But next to it, like a malignant companion, was the blue vial of the T-Virus and, even worse, the glowing orange vial of the mutated Plaga. The sight of it made her insides twist in a rage so fierce it felt like fire coursing through her veins.
She could feel her breath quicken, and the urge to smash those vials—destroy them all—gripped her like a tidal wave. The Plaga was different than she remembered, though. Back on the island, it had resembled a scorpion, deadly and precise. But now? Now it was a grotesque worm, its head adorned with petals, sharp, deadly spikes sprouting from the petals, designed to latch onto flesh with horrifying efficiency. Rose shuddered, bile rising in her throat as she realized what she was looking at. Someone had been manipulating it, making it stronger, more insidious.
She wanted to destroy it, to end it right there. But she held herself back. The world didn't need more of these horrors—but the anti-virus, that could help.
Next to the computer, she noticed loose papers scattered around. Documents detailing the transitions of each virus, and something labeled P-30. She gathered the papers quickly, folding them carefully and slipping them into her pack, her mind racing with possibilities.
Her eyes landed on a black lunchbox, insulated to keep food cool. It was perfect. She dropped each vial into it with deliberate care, hesitating before placing the anti-virus inside. Maybe Luis could help—maybe he could figure out how to mass-produce it and get it to the world. Maybe, just maybe, it could be the cure for what had been done to her.
Rose turned to Ada, a rare smile playing at the corner of her lips. "Okay, got it. Let's go."
But the words barely left her mouth before a loud, wet splashing sound cut through the air, coming from her right. Water flew everywhere as a blonde zombie—its skin bloated and waterlogged—rose from the depths, its rotting hands reaching for her.
In the blink of an eye, Ada was already firing, her shots echoing in the cavernous space, but the zombie was still coming. Rose was caught off guard as its hands wrapped tightly around her throat, squeezing with chilling strength. Instinct took over. She shoved the creature away with a violent twist, wincing as the blood from its decaying body sprayed across her face. The zombie fell back, splashing once again into the water, creating ripples that disturbed the eerie stillness.
With a frustrated groan, Rose secured the lunchbox to her belt and turned to Ada, but her attention was quickly drawn to the door behind her. Ada was struggling to open it, but the handle refused to budge.
"What the fuck?" Rose cursed, yanking hard on the handle. No luck. The door was sealed tight. Ada stepped in, both of them pulling at the door with all their strength, but it stayed firmly in place.
Then a mechanical whirring sound filled the air, sharp and unnerving. The sound of machinery moving. Both women froze and turned toward the wall where a monitor had once been stationary. Now, it was facing them.
The screen flickered to life, revealing a hologram. The cold, emotionless face of a little girl—The Red Queen.
"I told you not to power me down," the Red Queen's voice echoed in the chamber, distant but chillingly clear. "I warned you."
Rose's stomach dropped. This wasn't just some glitch. This was deliberate.
"Yeah? Well, we're not in the mood to listen to you right now," Rose shot back, her voice thick with anger. "Open the damn door."
You've triggered a sequence that you won't be able to stop."
The coldness in the Red Queen's tone made Rose's blood run cold. She wanted to tear it apart, to find a way to silence the AI once and for all, but she could sense the growing weight of something far worse approaching. Whatever the sequence was, they didn't have time to figure it out.
Ada's face hardened, and she shifted her stance, her hand tightening around her weapon. "We need to get out of here. Now."
Rose nodded, her eyes narrowing. The situation was more dangerous than she had anticipated. The Red Queen's warning was just the beginning, and the sinking feeling in her gut told her that whatever came next, they wouldn't be prepared for it.
"Don't you want to know what's awaiting you on the upper floors?" The Red Queen asked almost instantly. "It's much safer down here."
"Stop taunting us!" Rose growled, glaring up at the screen. "And let us out!"
The screen only flashed to security footage, the Red Queen disappearing from view. Rose gasped, her eyes growing wide as she saw the brain of one of the creatures she'd seen in Cafeteria 1 sprinting down the hallway. A group of soldiers in black tactical uniforms were rushing down towards it, weapons firing in rapid succession, but it leaped up onto the walls like a spider and sprang back down on them, ripping, tearing, and killing them all faster than any human would have been able to see. It had massive claws and traveled on all fours like an animal, a huge grin of teeth and a long tongue that darted out and about like it was feeling for fresh meat. It was skinless, its muscles in full view, pink and white, and stretched over its bones in a sickening pattern that made Rose's stomach roll.
They watched in horror as the thing stopped to feed. Its jaws ripped and tore and chewed messily, coating the floor beneath the bodies in blood. Rose had no idea who they were, but she felt bad for them.
"What the fuck is that?" Rose exclaimed as the screen glitched and went staticky before transferring back to the Red Queen.
"One of the hives early experiments, produced by injecting the T-virus directly into living tissue," replied the childish voice. "Results were...unstable. Now that it has fed on fresh DNA, it will mutate. Becoming a stronger, faster, hunter."
"Great," Rose scoffs. "If you knew it was loose, why didn't you warn us?"
"Because she was saving it for us," Ada interjects morbidly. Her face is dark, but emotionless, as it always was. Rose had the sudden urge to slap her, to do something that would make Ada appear more human; more freaked out like she should be. This wasn't normal!
"I didn't think either of you would make it this far," the Red Queen admitted. "Not without infection."
A loud bang and the splintering of glass caused Ada and Rose both to jump in fright. The thing was on their floor, and worse, it was ramming its body into the tempered glass, trying to get in. The thick pane began to crack under the creature's relentless assault, shards flying off as it howled in frustration, a primal and terrifying sound. Rose's heart raced as adrenaline surged through her veins; they had mere seconds before the glass shattered completely.
"Open the door," Ada said sternly.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," replied the Red Queen.
"Why not?" Rose snapped, unable to take her eyes off the breaking glass. "We aren't safe in here!" The shoulder of the beast rammed into the glass once more, causing the spider web cracks to deepen. Her breaths were coming in short bursts now, her fingers tingling with adrenaline, but when the beast suddenly stopped and sprinted away from them, she let out a relieved sigh.
"My primary objective is making sure that the virus does not escape this facility," interrupted the small voice from the speakers. "One of you is infected. If you want to get out of here, I require her life."
"That's bullshit!" Rose turned and glared at the monitor. "I've been infected since before I got here!"
"You've been bitten, and I can still sense the T-Virus within your bloodstream. It's poisoned you. I cannot be sure that you will not carry it to the outside. I must take precautions."
Suddenly, the screen began to glitch, flashing between static, the Red Queen's face, and streaks of blue that seemed to distort everything. The audio followed suit, dipping in and out in such erratic bursts that their attempts to make sense of her words became useless. Then, from behind them, a series of sharp clicks echoed through the room. The door creaked open, and Rose's breath caught in her chest as she turned.
There, standing in the doorway, was Leon. His rifle hung loosely in his hands, a small device still clutched in one of his bloodied palms—something he'd been using to override the lock. Rose's heart raced, her mind struggling to process the sight of him.
"Leon?" she gasped, her voice trembling with a flood of emotions. How had he found her? What was he doing here? That thing was out there!
Leon's tired smile, though laced with exhaustion, still managed to make Rose's pulse quicken. "Bitch wouldn't open the door," he said with a half-smirk. "So, I had to fry her."
Rose was flooded with relief, confusion, and an overwhelming sense of joy at seeing him alive. But before she could speak again, Ada's voice cut through the moment with a cold, urgent tone.
"Get ready," Ada ordered, her fingers already gripping her TMP and flicking off the safety. Without hesitation, Rose pulled her pistol free and began to reload, the tension in the room thickening. Just as the magazine clicked into place, the sound of breaking glass split the air with a deafening crash.
The creature—the skinless nightmare—erupted from the shattered window, its eyeless face locking onto them as its tongue, long, thin, and as sharp as a whip, lashed out. Rose recoiled instinctively, but Ada was already firing. The rapid barrage of bullets echoed through the room, but the creature was quick, leaping nimbly onto the wall to evade the onslaught.
"It's blind," Ada warned, her voice tight with focus. "So, be quiet." It was a desperate instruction, one that seemed impossible to follow with the sound of rushing water and the sheer chaos of their surroundings.
The creature shrieked, a guttural, inhuman sound, before launching itself off the wall, hurtling toward Ada. Rose and Ada fired simultaneously, but their bullets seemed to have no effect, the creature's skin—if it could even be called that—absorbing the shots with sickening ease.
It was huge—twice the size it had appeared on the screen, its massive claws carving through the desk when it landed with bone-rattling force. The lights above flickered in the wake of its impact, casting eerie shadows across the room.
Ada darted sideways, instinctively maneuvering out of the creature's direct path, while Rose quickly reloaded. The creature hissed, its head swiveling as it turned to face them, snapping its jaws open and shut like a predator eager for fresh prey. Every movement was calculated, its monstrous form a horrifying blur of sinew and muscle, eyes unseeing but somehow still deadly.
The air was thick with danger, and every second counted. Rose barely registered her own feet as she pushed forward, trying to stay in step with the chaos unfolding around them.
Leon raised his rifle, the barrel steady as he aimed at the oncoming creature. Its long, whip-like tongue lashed out again, and with a swift motion, Leon fired in rapid succession, his shots cutting through the air. The creature screeched, but it wasn't deterred. Leon waved them over urgently, his voice sharp with command. "Go!"
Without hesitation, Ada and Rose bolted for the door behind him. The sound of gunfire echoed in the narrow hallway as Leon covered their retreat. The second they were clear, he slammed the door shut with a resounding thud and twisted the lock. They all knew it was only a temporary solution. The monster had already breached the window, and it wouldn't take long for it to tear through the door if it really wanted to.
"Move!" Leon ordered, his voice tight with urgency. They darted through the hallway, the water sloshing beneath their feet as they made their way toward the stairwell. Each step was a reminder of just how much they were running out of time. The water was still ankle-deep and every splash seemed to echo louder than the last. With a grunt of exertion, Leon ripped open the door to the stairwell and ushered them inside, the faint click of the lock securing their brief escape. "Going back up isn't an option," Leon said, his voice low but firm. He wiped his bloodied hand across his forehead, scanning the dark stairwell as if expecting an ambush. "The upper floors are crawling with the undead... and more of those... Lickers."
Rose's brow furrowed, the term unfamiliar to her. "Licker?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. She couldn't see Leon's face in the dim light, but she imagined the smirk that would likely accompany his next response.
Leon let out a soft chuckle, but it was tinged with exhaustion. "Had to call 'em something."
"Right." Rose acknowledged, though her mind was already reeling with the implications. She flicked on her flashlight, the beam slicing through the dark, revealing nothing but shadows and the outline of old, crumbling stairwell walls. Her mind raced through the nightmare that awaited them. But Ada seemed more interested in the small device in her hand, her face lit by a faint green glow emanating from the screen.
"Looks like we can get out of here by going down," Ada said, her voice steady as ever, though the urgency was clear in her tone. "There's a train..."
The word hung in the air, and for a moment, the weight of the situation hit Rose like a wave. A train. An escape route. But she knew better than to get her hopes up. Nothing was ever as simple as it seemed.
"Down? That's our only option?" Rose asked, eyeing Ada as she turned to face them.
Ada's fingers moved swiftly over the device, her eyes scanning the information on the screen. "It's the only way out that's still intact. We have to move quickly, though. The further down we go, the more chances we'll run into... things."
Rose's stomach churned at the thought. The train could be a way out, but it was just as likely to be another trap. The whole facility was one big maze of traps and infected monstrosities. But there was no other choice. Staying here, waiting for the creature or worse to find them—wasn't an option.
Leon checked his rifle once more, making sure it was loaded. "We move fast. Stick together. We've only got one shot at this."
Rose nodded, her pulse racing as the reality of their situation sank in. As much as she wanted to ask more questions, she knew the time for talking was over.
"Let's move," she said, her voice steady despite the gnawing fear in her chest. They couldn't afford to waste another second.
Ada led the way, her eyes scanning every corner as she moved with a quiet efficiency. Leon followed close behind, his rifle trained on the stairwell, while Rose brought up the rear, her flashlight cutting through the darkness. They descended deeper into the facility, the oppressive silence only broken by their footsteps and the occasional creak of metal and concrete. As they moved down the stairwell, the temperature seemed to drop, the air growing colder and thicker with each step. Rose's breath came out in visible puffs, and she shivered involuntarily. The sound of their footsteps became more pronounced in the thick silence, each clang of their feet echoing like a countdown to something worse.
As they reached the lower floors, the faint hum of machinery started to become audible, the distant echo of something mechanical clicking and whirring deep within the bowels of the facility. The walls grew more worn, covered in grime and rust, as if the place had been abandoned for years. But they knew better. Rose's grip on her pistol tightened, her flashlight beam dancing erratically as they passed crumbling doors, shattered windows, and broken glass. The farther down they went, the more claustrophobic the air seemed. She could hear her own breathing, her heartbeat in her ears, and nothing else. The unsettling silence was broken only by the distant dripping of water, the slow, rhythmic sound of it falling from cracks in the ceiling.
They rounded a corner, and the hallway opened up into a larger chamber. The room was dark, but the faint green glow of emergency lights illuminated a large metal door at the far end. It looked old, but sturdy—probably the access point to the train Ada had mentioned. Rose's eyes scanned the area, but there was no sign of movement. Yet she couldn't shake the feeling they were being watched.
Leon took the lead now, moving cautiously toward the door, his rifle at the ready. He gestured for them to follow and they crept forward in silence. The moment they reached the door, Ada moved to the control panel beside it, quickly accessing it with a few swift taps on her device.
"It's locked," she muttered under her breath. "I'll need a minute."
Rose glanced around nervously, her pulse quickening. She knew that every second counted. The creature wasn't far behind them, and they couldn't afford to be caught off guard.
Leon stood a few feet away from the door, keeping watch, his rifle poised as he scanned the shadows. "Hurry up," he called, his voice low but edged with tension. "We don't have much time."
Ada didn't respond immediately, her fingers flying over the device as she worked to bypass the security system. Rose kept her flashlight aimed at the hallway, trying to pierce the darkness, but all she could see were faint shadows flickering against the walls.
Suddenly, there was a faint scraping sound from down the hall, followed by a low growl. Rose's heart skipped a beat but she didn't dare make a sound. The last thing she wanted to do was alert that thing to where they are. Instead, she tilted her head while looking at Leon, jerking it in the direction she'd heard the noise. Leon nodded, letting her know he'd heard it too.
She tapped a final sequence on the screen, and the large metal door slid open with a loud groan. The trio didn't waste a second. They rushed inside, the door clanging shut behind them.
The room beyond was dimly lit, filled with the faint hum of engines. They were in some kind of maintenance bay or storage area. Rows of abandoned equipment lined the walls, and at the far end, they could see the sleek, dark form of a train—an old model, but operational.
Leon moved quickly, leading the way to the train, but Rose's attention was drifting. She could feel the heavy weight of exhaustion sinking into her bones, a deep fatigue that gnawed at her every step. Her body was betraying her, and the feverish heat crawling up her spine made her chest tighten, each breath coming in shallow gasps.
Her hand went instinctively to the lunchbox at her hip, her fingers trembling as she unclipped it. The faint sound of Leon's voice echoed in her mind, but it was distant now, muffled by the ringing in her ears.
I need the anti-virus. I need it now. Her vision blurred, the edges of her sight swirling like an oil spill on water, colors twisting into a haze.
"Rose?" Leon's voice broke through the fog, but it sounded far off, strained.
She blinked hard, trying to focus, but everything felt... wrong. The cold sweat on her forehead mingled with the heat that was starting to radiate from her skin. Her legs wobbled, the floor shifting beneath her feet.
"Leon…" she whispered, her voice faint, barely audible. She stumbled into the wall, grunting as she stopped herself from falling to the floor. She yanked at the zipper of the lunch box, digging in and wrapping her hand around the green vial of anti-virus. Her hand fumbled with the vial, but it slipped from her grasp. She watched in slow motion as it tumbled from her fingers, the glass shimmering in the air before it hit the cold floor with a quiet clink.
"No…" Rose murmured, too weak to bend down and retrieve it.
Leon spun around at the sound, his brow furrowed in concern. His eyes flicked to the vial on the floor, then back to Rose, who was now swaying slightly, her knees buckling as if the very weight of her body was too much to bear.
"Rose, goddamn it!" Leon cursed, rushing back toward her just as she collapsed to the ground, the lunchbox clattering beside her.
Ada was at their side in an instant, her face hard and cold, though there was a flicker of something else in her eyes—an emotion she rarely showed. She kneeled beside Rose, her hands moving with practiced efficiency as she checked Rose's pulse, her breath shallow and uneven. She quickly checked the bandage she'd put on Rose earlier, but blood had soaked through it. Rose hadn't healed.
"She needs that anti-virus," Ada said. Rose barely registered the words, her thoughts cloudy and slow. The nausea was hitting harder now, and she could taste the bitterness in the back of her throat. The anti-virus was so close, and yet her body felt like it was locking up, her limbs too heavy to move.
"Please, Rose… stay with me," Leon muttered, his voice low, almost pleading. "I won't let you die in here."
Her eyes fluttered open for a brief moment, catching his gaze. He looked so desperate—so alive—and she hated that she couldn't feel the same way. The swirling sickness in her mind blurred everything into a haze.
"I... I can't breathe," Rose rasped, barely able to manage the words.
"Shit," Leon cursed, and his hand shot to the glass vial on the ground, the sleek, long cylinder was cracked. The serum was leaking out, but they hoped a little was better than none. He popped the cap off, the short, thin needle glinted in the light of their flashlights. Leon carefully inserted it into Rose's neck, panic gripping him as he realized that Rose's eyes were now closed and her lips were an awful shade of blue. "Come on, sweetheart."
Gradually, her lips darkened, the sickly pallor was still clinging to her skin, but but they could see it was having some effect. However, she did not regain consciousness. Leon met Ada's gaze as the woman unclipped the lunchbox from Rose's hip and attached it to herself, zipping it back up to make sure the other samples did not tumble out. He glanced up at Ada, his gaze steady. It was clear from the way he positioned Rose in his arms that he was silently requesting her help. He needed cover, needed someone to watch their backs while they moved forward. Though there was always that tension between him and Ada, that unspoken understanding that they didn't need words to know what the other was thinking, this time was different. This wasn't just another mission—it was Rose's life on the line.
Ada met his eyes for a beat, her expression unreadable. Then, she nodded, her lips curling into that infuriatingly confident smirk. "We'll make it out of here, lover boy," she said, her voice light, almost teasing, but there was something deeper behind it—something that lingered in her gaze before she turned away to take point. "Just don't get too attached, alright?"
Leon didn't respond. His focus was entirely on Rose, his protective instincts flaring as he adjusted his grip. The weight of the moment pressed down on him, but he didn't dare let it break him. Not now.
Ada, on the other hand, watched them for a moment longer, her thoughts flickering to places she rarely allowed herself to go. The sight of Leon holding Rose with such care, such desperation, stirred something in her chest—something she didn't want to acknowledge. She quickly brushed it aside, focusing instead on their immediate surroundings.
That kiss was long in the past, a moment trapped in a different life, in a different world. They had both moved on in their own ways.
Still, there was a part of her that couldn't help but feel a twinge of bitterness. She had never allowed herself to share anything like what Leon and Rose had. Not the trust, not the love. Certainly not the kind of devotion that was now so plainly clear between them. It was amusing, in a way, that Leon had managed to find someone who seemed so... right for him. Rose wasn't like her. Rose wasn't like anyone else Leon had ever known, and Ada had to admit—though she would never say it out loud—that she was glad for him. Glad that he had someone who could pull him out of the shadows, even if that someone wasn't her.
For all her cynicism, Ada had a strange, quiet respect for the bond between Leon and Rose. They had found something, despite everything. Something neither of them had truly expected. And while Ada had always been careful with the pieces of herself she chose to share, watching them now, fighting for each other, it stirred something unfamiliar inside her. Something fleeting, but sharp.
It was bittersweet, but it amused her to no end that he had terrible taste in women.
With one last glance at them, Ada turned her attention back to the path ahead, her grip tightening on her TMP as they moved deeper into the abandoned facility.