Kingdom Evil Remake 2.
Chapter Seven: Decision and Escape.
Previously in the last chapter.
"Another zombie!?" Sora exclaimed, shocked to see another zombie in the convenience store. It was currently struggling to stand up after knocking the big cart over. "Where did it come from?!"
"I don't know, Sora, but we need kill it!" Claire yelled as she quickly aimed her gun at the downed zombie while still providing light with her flashlight. She had fully reloaded her gun with the extra bullets she brought with her when she was heading towards Raccoon City before she and Sora set off in the medium-sized office to find an exit. "Once I shoot it at the head once, you'll finished it off with your weapon! Get ready on my command!"
Upon hearing Claire giving him the order to finished the zombie who was still struggling to stand up, Sora became extremely hesitated and unsure. Can he really do it? Kill a zombie that was once a previously alive human being? He wasn't sure if he can do it because he has slain many Heartless, Nobodies, Dream Eaters and Unversed while defeating numerous bad people during his journeys but…he had never in his whole life killed a human being before.
If Sora really does kill the zombie, this would be his very first time of killing a human being, despite the fact it wasn't one anymore since it's a person from the living dead. But if he doesn't kill it, then Claire will have to do the killing deed with her gun before giving him a stern lecture for not listening to her.
What choice will Sora choose?
(In the Present; In the Convenience Store; With Sora and Claire)
Sora was facing a very difficult dilemma, one he wasn't sure if he could do it at all since it requires him to perform a killing deed on someone, someone that is currently making him become extremely hesitated and unsure.
The very difficult dilemma Sora was facing at the moment while feeling extremely hesitated and unsure at the same time is killing the zombie that had knocked over the big cart and still at this very moment struggling to stand up from the ground, angry growls leaving its mouth as it flailed its arms around wildly.
'What am I supposed to do?' Sora thought, starting to panic as he wonders what in the world he should do. He has never in his whole life killed a human being before like he thought previously, and he wasn't sure if he can even handle the prospect of it; the idea of killing someone made him feel extremely horrified. But he knew if he doesn't kill the zombie, Claire would be angry at him for not listening to her and give him a stern lecture, something he doesn't want, nor her being angry at him. 'I can't kill a zombie that was once a previously alive human being. Sure, it's not even human anymore since it's from the living dead, but it does look like one. This is making the situation even more uneasier and harder. Oh, what am I supposed to do?'
"Get ready, Sora!" Claire shouted, breaking Sora's troubled thoughts as he looked over to see she was getting ready to shoot the zombie at the head with her gun. Seeing this made him panic even more. In a few moments, he will have to make a choice, and this one single choice will determine both his fate and life. "I'm going to shoot the zombie in three seconds! The moment the shot lands, that's your que to kill it with your weapon! Here we go! One! Two! Three!"
At the count of three, Claire shot a single bullet at the zombie's head with her gun, making it momentarily stunned, a daze growl leaving its mouth as its arms stopped flailing around. "Now, Sora! Kill the zombie with your weapon!"
The next action Sora did…has officially sealed both his fate and life forever the moment he made his choice.
Sora raised his Keyblade high in the air before swinging it down hard onto the zombie's head, the teeth digging into the rotten dead skin so easily like a hot knife cutting through butter. This instantly killed it while making a large amount of blood to spray in the air at the same time, which drenched his clothes, half of his face and a small portion of his hair.
Sora didn't know what to say, never mind think, as he stared at the zombie's dead body with a blank look on his face, his beautiful bright azure eyes now dull and no longer filled with childish innocence, only traumatized horror, the blood on his face and hair slowly dripping downwards. It was taking every bit of his willpower to not vomit on the ground as he had committed a killing deed on a human being for the very first time in his life. The Organization did not count as killing, they were only defeated before becoming recomplete as a whole being.
Also, the fact that Sora's Keyblade is stained with blood after removing it from the zombie's head didn't help matters whatsoever. It only made him more horrified than before while making his willpower to not vomit on the ground crumble at the same time.
'I…I actually did it…' Sora thought numbly as he continued to stare at the zombie's dead body with the same blank look on his face, along with the traumatized horror look in his still dull eyes. 'I…I killed the zombie…my very first time killing a human being…' He knew he had to do the killing deed in order to prevent Claire from being angry at him, much less avoid earning himself a stern lecture, but it didn't mean he liked it very much.
"Sora?" Claire's soft voice broke Sora's numbed thoughts and he looked over to see her giving him a highly concerned look. "Are you okay?"
If anyone else asked Sora that question, he would've shouted at them extremely harshly before going into an angry rant. How could he possibly be okay when he's actually not? He just killed a human being! The very first one in his life! Unlike the Heartless, the Nobodies, the Dream Eaters and the Unversed that would usually disappear after being slain by the Keyblade, the zombie didn't disappear, it was still lying dead on the ground in a puddle of its own blood.
But Sora wasn't going to shout at Claire as she was only highly concerned about him and his well-being, something that made him feel really appreciated. There had been brief resentment towards her for making him commit this killing deed in the first place, but he quickly squashed it away. He was a warrior and sometimes, warriors have to make decisions whether it's really good or very complicated, leading him to do what he did a moment ago.
"I'm fine, Claire," Sora said, taking a few deep breaths to recompose himself, regaining some light in his eyes, the traumatized horror look vanishing. He waved his still blood-stained Keyblade over himself to vanish the blood off his clothes, his face and his hair. The scent will remain on him, however. "I'm just…not used to killing someone that was once a human being. I have slain many monsters while defeating numerous bad guys with this weapon during my journeys…but never what I just said."
Claire felt huge waves of shame and guilt coursing through her body. How could she be so incredibly stupid and foolish? She should've known Sora had not yet recovered from seeing the officer's gory death in the backroom of the convenience store…and she had practically ordered him to commit his very first killing deed on the zombie. She should've done it herself as she has the most knowledge when it comes to dealing with them, considering she killed one a while ago.
Although Claire was intrigued of what Sora said about slaying many monsters while defeating numerous bad guys with his weapon. She'll have to ask him that once they get out of the convenience store and far away from the gas station like she thought before where they can be safe in Raccoon City.
"I'm very sorry, Sora," Claire said apologetically as a look of extreme guilt appeared on her face. "I should've done the killing deed myself as you haven't recovered enough from seeing the officer's gory death in the backroom and I had practically ordered you to do it. Because of this, I have took away your innocence."
"No, it's fine, Claire," Sora reassured, not blaming Claire the slightest bit, no matter how much a small part of him wants to. It's not her fault he had to do killing deed as it was like he thought previously, he's a warrior and warriors have to make decisions whether it's really good or very complicated. "I was going to have to do it eventually as I didn't want you to be angry at me or give me a stern lecture for not listening to you."
Upon hearing Sora's reasoning why he had to do the killing deed on the zombie, Claire felt even more guilty and ashamed than before, the look of extreme guilt on her face increasing to higher levels. It wasn't like she would be angry at him or give him a stern lecture for not listening to her, she only wants him to understand zombies are living dead creatures, not human beings anymore. They needed to be put down quickly before they can spread their disease around the whole world where millions of innocent people will either become infected or die.
Claire should've probably clarified that when she was explaining to Sora what a zombie is when they were still in the backroom, but in her personal defense, she wanted to leave as it was giving her the creeps. Plus, he was still horrified of seeing the officer's gory death and the last thing she needed was to give him more horrifying thoughts.
Unfortunately, Claire did not have the opportunity or time to point her logic out to Sora for him to understand zombies are living dead creatures that needs to be put down quickly before they can spread their around the whole world as she spotted something moving from the corner of her eyes. When she looked towards the direction of what it was, her eyes widened in extreme horror. "SORA, WATCH OUT BEHIND YOU!"
Completely startled by Claire's sudden scream, Sora whirled around to come face to face with the gas station's attendant who has recently been turned into a zombie because of the fatal wound on his neck, a low growl leaving his mouth as he outstretched his arms towards him, intending to grab him before devouring him like a piece of fresh meat.
A loud scared yelp escaped from Sora as he didn't expect the heavily injured attendant would become a zombie, though it did explain why he couldn't heal him with his magic earlier. It seems zombie wounds or bites can't be cured, no matter how desperate he cast healing spells. It was truly terrifying. He will have to make entirely sure he and Claire doesn't get bit or scratch, considering he had a very terrible feeling they are going to be encountering more zombies in the future.
Without thinking whatsoever while moving backwards to avoid getting grabbed by the once human being at the same time, Sora swiped his Keyblade horizontally to swiftly decapitate its head, causing a tremendous amount of blood to spray in the air as its headless body fell down to the ground with a loud sickening thud.
'I did it again…' Sora thought, a wave of nausea filling his entire being as he stared at the attendant's dead body grimly, the head lying beside it. 'I killed a zombie again…and I don't even feel anything at all.' He knew what he just did was self-defense, but the fact he didn't feel anything made him look like he was a killer. Was this rather dark world he got transported in after escaping the darkness slowly but surely turning him into one? The thought scared and chilled Sora to the very core.
Sora couldn't dwell on the matter of whether or not he's becoming a killer as Claire, who had just enough of both the convenience store and the gas station where they had not only witnessed a completely horrifying gory death but met a couple zombies, grabbed onto his free hand tightly and began dragging him through the middle aisle. "Come on, Sora! Let's go!"
The two brunettes quickly dashed through the convenience store to reach the entrance, dodging yet another zombie along the way that tried to block their only escape route by knocking over a metal shelf. They had just managed to get past it and onto the other side, but they almost lost their balance from the close call, which they regained a moment later. But as they were about to reach the door, someone has already beaten them to it from the outside and burst it wide open.
Standing outside of the convenience store was a tall, handsome young man who looked to be in his early twenties and definitely not a zombie, only very human. He had short, dirty blond hair with fringes on the side of his eyes, fair skin and blue eyes. He was clearly a police officer, given the uniform he's wearing, which consisted of a short-sleeve royal blue shirt with a high collar and two police badges on both sleeves, black shoulder pads, a black bullet proof chest plate with white initials that said R.P.D in the front, two white forearm sleeves, royal blue pants tied by a grey belt and black boots. He also had black fingerless gloves, a black gun strap wrapped around his right leg and grey knee-cap guards and elbows.
The young man was currently aiming a gun at Sora and Claire, who both completely froze in their tracks upon seeing it.
"Whoa, don't shoot!" Claire shouted with desperation in her voice, raising her hands in the air.
"We're friendly people!" Sora yelled, desperation in his voice as well while also raising his hands in the air. He and Claire were totally unaware there was a zombie slowly treading behind them, but not the young man who looked over their shoulders and saw it, eyes narrowed.
"Get down!" The young man ordered with authority in his voice, getting both brunettes to obey just as the zombie behind them lunged forward, only to get shot in the head by him, instantly killing it. It fell backwards onto the floor with a thud.
Sora and Claire looked behind them to see the dead zombie after hearing the thud, their eyes widening in deep shock. They couldn't believe a zombie had snuck up on them, much less almost came close to biting them. How they didn't sense or hear it was beyond their comprehension, but they are going to ensure they'll keep their eyes and ears open in the future.
"We gotta get out here!" Claire exclaimed as she quickly stood up from the ground and sped walk towards the entrance where the young man is, Sora following right behind her. They all exit outside of the convenience store and stood side by side, their own weapons at the ready, the door closing behind them.
"You two alright?" The young man asked, keeping his gun raised upwards while looking at the area in front of him. He had raised a brief curious eyebrow at the Keyblade in Sora's hand when they, along with Claire, were exiting outside but didn't have the time or opportunity to ask what it was. There was a very serious situation going on and they needed to stay completely focus in order to stay alive.
"Yeah, I think so…" Claire replied, also keeping her gun raised upwards. "Thanks. How about you, Sora? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, Claire," Sora replied, holding his Keyblade in front of him with both hands. He would normally get into his signature battle stance but decided against it. He turned to look at his and Claire's savior from either getting killed or worse, becoming a zombie just a few moments ago. "Thanks, officer."
"You can both thank me later when we are safe," The young man said as he gave Sora and Claire a brief glance before jerking his head towards the area he had been staring at since exiting outside where he noticed many figures walking to the gas station. This made them follow his line of sight and what they saw caused their eyes to go wide in horror.
"Holy shit…" Claire breathed out, wondering if what she's currently seeing is actually real.
"My god…" Sora breathed out as well, feeling a cold sweat running his face just as his hands, including the Keyblade, started to tremble vigorously. Not to mention, his breathing was starting to become frantic.
What was once a completely deserted gas station earlier ago was now filled with a huge horde of zombies that are slowly walking towards Sora, Claire and the young man, intending to devour them like fresh meat. Along the way, they let out loud moans or growls, their milky white eyes staring straight at them as if trying to pierce through their souls.
It was truly a living nightmare.
'Am I in a zombie world or something?!' Sora thought as he stared wide eyed at the huge horde of zombies in horror, his breathing getting more frantic than ever, including his trembling hands and the cold sweat on his face. He knew he can easily and swiftly take them all out with his Keyblade, but he just doesn't want to commit any more killing deeds as it will only make his belief of slowly but surely becoming a killer a while ago much more believable. It may be cowardly but it's also a good reason. 'I have to be since there's so many of them! Where did they all come from and how are we going to get out of here?!'
Claire and the young man were thinking furiously in their minds of how they were going to get out of this very serious situation. They don't have the necessary ammo in their possessions to take out the zombies as there's too many of them and they are certainly not going to order Sora to slaughter them with his weapon since they can see he's too terrified but trying his best not to panic completely. They need to come up with a plan fast before it's too late and they get devoured by the living dead.
Although Claire's and the young man's thinking came to a screeching halt when a zombie from the convenience store alerted its presence by banging hard on the closed door, startling the hell out of them, including Sora, who let out a scared yelp.
Luckily, however, the young man spotted the abandoned police car that is still running and quickly formed an idea in his head. "Come on, everyone! Get in the police car now!"
"Come on, Sora!" Claire yelled, instantly seeing the young man's plan. "We're getting out of here!"
Very quickly, the three humans avoided the incoming zombies and got inside the police car. The young man got into the driver's seat, Claire in the passenger seat and Sora behind her in the backseat.
"Hold on!" The young man ordered, shifting the gear handle to back up the police car after starting it up. Once he did that, he set it into drive and press down hard onto the gas pedal, causing the sound of tires to screech loudly as he began to drive.
Pretty soon, Sora, Claire and the young man were driving fast on the lonely dark road in the heavy rain, away from the gas station, away from the zombies. They are now completely safe and alive.
"That was too close," Sora muttered, taking a couple deep breaths to calm himself down before turning around in his seat to gaze at the gas station where he can still see the huge horde of zombies until they became a distant blur, forcing him to turn around again.
"What the hell is going on?" Claire asked, turning to face the young man after looking through the rearview mirror on her side, hoping he can provide some information or answers. She also gave Sora a concerned look to see if he was okay, which he responded back with a slightly hesitant nod.
"I don't know," The young man replied honestly, keeping an eye at the road for a bit before turning to face Claire, who went back to look through the rearview mirror. "Hopefully, they'll have some answers at the police station."
"Wait, you're a cop?" There was surprised in Claire's voice as she asked this question while turning back to face the young man who went back to stare at the road. She didn't really get a good look at his outfit as she was more focused that he had aimed a gun at her and Sora. Well, that and they had to escape from the incoming huge horde of zombies to avoid getting devoured.
"Yeah, Leon Kennedy. You two are?"
"Claire, Claire Redfield."
"I'm Sora," Sora introduced himself.
There was silence between Sora, Claire and Leon, the only sound was the heavy raindrops pelting against the police car. They were all thinking about the zombie encounter back at the gas station, though in Sora's case, he was thinking about the killing deeds he had done to those two zombies in the main part of the convenience store. He can't get over it, no matter how much he wants to. He had committed something he had never done before, and he wasn't sure if he can ever manage to move on peacefully, much less get his life back. His innocence was long since gone after witnessing that completely horrifying gory death.
"Do you live around here, Claire?" Leon asked curiously, breaking the silence.
"No, I'm looking for my older brother, Chris Redfield," Claire replied, shaking her head a bit. "He's a cop, too."
"What about you, Sora? Do you live around here?"
"No, Leon, I'm an islander," Sora replied quietly, his thoughts still regarding to the killing deeds he had done in the convenience store. "I'm just recently traveling around the world to see incredible sights and visit different places. I met Claire at the gas station, and we instantly became friends."
"Well, it's a good thing we found each other," Leon stated, turning his head back to focus driving on the road after processing what Sora said. It was interesting to have an islander visiting the United States of North America. "I don't know what to expect anymore…"
'Me too, Leon,' Sora thought with a sigh as he turned to watch the heavy rain through the window. 'But I still have a very terrible feeling that we're going to be encountering more zombies. If I'm right about it…then I'll have no choice whatsoever but to kill them, no matter how badly I don't want to. It's the only way to both stay alive and not get bitten.'
Sora, Claire and their new friend, Leon Kennedy, escaped the recently zombie-infested gas station to head towards the police station in Raccoon City, totally unaware they are currently walking straight into the direct heart of a deadly horrific outbreak that had occurred a week ago on September 25, 1998.
And done! That's the ending of the chapter! Sora has made his decision to whether or not he can kill the zombie, met Leon Kennedy with Claire and escaped both the horde of zombies and the gas station to head towards Raccoon City where the deadly horrific outbreak awaits them.
Next chapter will be Sora, Claire and Leon entering Raccoon City before they are forced to split up to start their survival journey in the zombie outbreak.
Also, I hope I did a good job of describing Leon's classic R.P.D outfit as there wasn't any site to tell me the description.
Write a review if you like this story and enjoy the chapter.
Next Chapter: Raccoon City.