RESIDENT EVIL: The Umbrella Conspiracy || Complete Audiobook

[Music] greetings tonight we will be reading resident evil the umbrella conspiracy the terrifying novelization of resident evil 1 written by sd perry let us begin prologue latham weekly june 2nd 1998. bizarre murder is committed in raccoon city the mutilated body of 42 year old anime taki was discovered late yesterday in an abandoned lot not far from her home in northwest raccoon city making her the fourth victim of the supposed cannibal killers to be found in or near the victory lake district in the last month consistent with the coroner reports of the other recent victims mitaki's

corps showed evidence of having been partially eaten the bite patterns apparently formed by human jaws shortly after the discovery of miss mitaki by two joggers at approximately nine o'clock last night chief irons made a brief statement insisting that the rpd is working diligently to apprehend the perpetrators of such heinous crimes and that he is currently consulting with city officials about more drastic protection measures for raccoon citizens in addition to the murderous spree of the cannibal killers three others have died from probable animal attacks in raccoon forest in the past several weeks bringing the toll of

mysterious deaths up to seven racoon times june 22nd 1998 horror in Raccoon more victims dead the bodies of a young couple were found early sunday morning in victory park making diane rouch and christopher smith the eighth and nine victims in the reign of violence that has terrorized the city since mid-may of this year both victims age 19 were reported as missing by concerned parents late saturday night and were discovered by police officers on the west bank of victory lake at approximately 2 a.m although no formal statement has been issued by the police department witnesses to

the discovery confirmed that both youth suffered wounds similar to those found on prior victims whether or not the attackers were human or animal has yet to be announced according to friends of the young couple the two had talked about tracking down the rumored wild dogs recently spotted in the heavily forested park and had planned to violate the city-wide curfew in order to see one of the alleged nocturnal creatures mayor harris has scheduled a press conference for this afternoon and is expected to make an announcement regarding the current crisis calling for a stricter enforcement of the

curfew cityside july 21st 1998 stars special tactics and rescue service sent to save raccoon city with a reported disappearance of three hikers in raccoon forest earlier this week city officials have finally called for a roadblock on rural route 6 at the foothills of the arclay mountains police chief brian irons announced yesterday that the stars will participate full time in the search for the hikers and will also be working closely with the rpd until there is an end to the rash of murders and disappearances that are destroying our community Chief irons a former stars member himself

said today in an exclusive city-side telephone interview that it is high time to employ the talents of these dedicated men and women toward the safety of this city we've had nine brutal murders here in less than two months and at least five disappearances now and all of these events have taken place in a close proximity to raccoon forest this leads us to believe that the perpetrators of these crimes may be hiding somewhere in the victory-like district and the stars have just the kind of experience we need to find them when asked why the stars hadn't

been assigned to these cases until now chief irons would only say that the stars have been assisting the rpd since the beginning and that they would be a welcome addition to the task force currently working on the murders full time founded in new york in 1967 the privately funded stars organization was originally created as a measure against cult-affiliated terrorism by a group of retired military officials and ex-field operatives from both the cia and fbi under the guidance of former nsda national security and defense agency director marco palmieri the group quickly expanded its services to include

everything from hostage negotiation to code breaking to riot control working with local police agencies each branch office of the stars is designed to work as a complete unit in itself the stars set up its raccoon city branch through the fundraising efforts of several local businesses in 1972 and is currently led by captain albert wesker promoted to the position less than six months ago chapter one jill was already late for the briefing when she somehow managed to drop her keys into her cup of coffee on the way out the door There was a muted ting as

they hit the bottom and as she paused in mid-stride staring in disbelief at the steaming ceramic mug the thick stack of files she carried under her other arm slid smoothly to the floor paper clips and sticky notes scattered across the tan carpeting ah she checked her watch as she turned back toward the kitchen cup in hand wesker had called the meeting for 1900 sharp which meant she had about nine minutes to make the 10 minute drive find parking and get her butt into a chair the first full disclosure meeting since the stars had gotten the

case hell the first real meeting since she'd made the raccoon transfer and she was going to be late figures probably the first time in years i actually give her rat's ass about being on time and i fall apart at the door muttering darkly she hurried to the sink feeling tense and angry with herself for not getting ready earlier it was the case the god damn case she'd picked up her copies of the emmy files right after breakfast and spent all day digging through the reports searching for something that the cops had somehow missed and feeling

more and more frustrated as the day slipped past and she failed to come up with anything new she dumped the mug and scooped up the warm wet keys wiping them against her jeans as she hurried back to the front door she crouched down together the files and stopped staring down at the glossy color photo that had ended up on top oh girls she picked it up slowly knowing that she didn't have time and yet unable to look away from the tiny blood spattered faces she felt the knots of tension that had been building all day

intensify and for A moment it was all she could do to breathe as she stared at the crime scene photo becky and priscilla mcgee ages nine and seven she'd flipped past it earlier telling herself that there was nothing there she needed to see but it isn't true is it you can keep pretending or you could admit it everything's different now it's been different since the day they died when she'd first moved to raccoon she'd been under a lot of stress feeling uncertain about the transfer not even sure if she wanted to stay with the stars

she was good at the job but had only taken it because of dick after the indictment he'd started to pressure her to get into another line of work it had taken a while but her father was persistent telling her again and again that one valentine in jail was one too many even admitting that he was wrong to raise her the way he had with her training and background there weren't a whole lot of options but the stars at least appreciated her skills and didn't care how she came by them the pay was decent there was

the element of risk she's grown to enjoy in retrospect the career change had been surprisingly easy it made dick happy and gave her the opportunity to see how the other half lived still the move had been harder on her than she'd realized for the first time since dick had gone inside she'd felt truly lonely and working for the law had started to seem like a joke the daughter of dick valentine working for truth justice and the american way her promotion to the alphas a nice little house in the suburbs it was crazy and she had

been giving serious thought to just blowing out of town giving the Whole thing up and going back to what she'd been before until the two little girls who lived across the street had shown up on her doorstep and asked her with wide tear-stained eyes if she was really a policeman their parents were at work and they couldn't find their dog becky in her green school dress little priss in her overalls both of them sniffling and shy the pup had been wandering through a garden only a few blocks away no sweat and she'd made two new

friends as easy as that the sisters had promptly adopted jill showing up after school to bring her scraggly bunches of flowers playing in her yard on weekends singing her endless songs they learned from movies and cartoons it wasn't like the girls had miraculously changed her outlook or taken away her loneliness but somehow her thoughts of leaving had been put on the back burner left alone for a while for the first time in her 23 years she'd started to feel like a part of the community she lived and worked in the change so subtle and gradual

that she'd hardly noticed six weeks ago becky and chris had wandered away from a family picnic in victory park and became the first two victims of the psychopaths that had since terrorized the isolated city the photo trembled slightly in her hand sparing her nothing becky lying on her back staring blindly at the sky a gaping ragged hole in her belly priss was sprawled next to her arms outstretched chunks of flesh ripped savagely from the slender limbs both children had been eviscerated dying of massive trauma before they had bled out if they had screamed no one

had heard enough they're gone but you could Finally do something about it jill fumbled the papers back into their folder then stepped outside into the early evening breathing deeply the scent of freshly cut grass was heavy in the sun warmed air somewhere down the street a dog barked happily amidst the shouts of children she hurried to the small dented gray hatchback parked by the front walk forcing herself not to look at the silent mcgee house as she started the car and pulled away from the curb jill drove through the wide suburban streets of her neighborhood

windowed down pushing the speed limit but careful to watch for the kids and pets there weren't many of either around since the trouble had started more and more people were keeping their children and animals indoors even during the day the little hatchback shuttered as she accelerated up the ramp to highway 202 the warm dry air whipping her long hair back from her face it felt good like waking up from a bad dream she sped through the sun dappled evening the shadows of trees growing long across the road whether it was fate or just the luck

of the draw her life had been touched by what was happening in raccoon city she couldn't keep pretending that she was just some jaded ex-thief trying to stay out of jail trying to tell the line to make her father happy or that the stars were about to do was just another job it mattered it mattered to her that those children were dead and that the killers were still free to kill again the victim files next to her fluttered slightly the top of the folder caught by the wind nine restless spirits perhaps becky and priscilla mcgees

among them she rested her right hand on the ruffled chief stealing the gentle movement and swore to herself that no matter what it took she was going to find out who was Responsible whatever she'd been before whatever she would be in the future she had changed and wouldn't be able to rest until these murderers of the innocent had been held accountable for their actions yo chris chris turned away from the soda machine and saw forest spire striding down the empty hall toward him a wide grin on his tanned boyish face forrest was actually a few

years older than chris but looked like a rebellious teenager long hair studded jean jacket a tattoo of a skull smoking a cigarette on his left shoulder he was also an excellent mechanic and one of the best shots chris had ever seen in action hey forrest what's up chris scooped up a can of club soda from the machine's dispenser and glanced at his watch he still had a couple of minutes before the meeting he smiled tiredly as forest stopped in front of him blue eyes sparkling forest was carrying an armful of equipment vest utility belt and

shoulder pack wesker gave mourinho the go-ahead to start the search bravo teams going in even excited forrest alabama twang slowed his words to a stereotypical drawl he dropped his stuff on one of the visitors chairs still grinning widely chris frowned when now soon as i warm up the copter forrest pulled the kevlar vest on over his t-shirt as he spoke while you alpha's sit taking notes we're gonna go kick some cannibal ass nothing if not confident uh stars yeah well just watch your ass okay i still think There's more going on here than a couple

of slobbering nut jobs hanging around in the woods you know it forrest pushed his hair back and grabbed his utility belt obviously already focused on the mission chris thought about saying more but decided against it for all of his bravado forest was a professional he didn't need to be told to be careful you sure about that chris you think billy was careful enough sighing inwardly chris slapped four's shoulder lightly and headed for ops through the doorway of the small upstairs waiting room and down the hall he was surprised that wesker was sending the teams in

separately although it was standard for the less experienced stars to do the initial recon this wasn't exactly a standard operation the number of deaths they were dealing with alone was enough to call for a more aggressive offense the fact that there were signs of organization to the murders should have brought it to a1 status and wester was still treating it like some kind of a training run nobody else sees it they didn't know billy to the economic prosperity of raccoon city billy had never been the type to jump at shadows and the terrified desperation in

his voice had jolted chris awake filling him with deep concern billy had babbled that his life was in danger that they were all in danger begged chris to meet him at a diner at the edge of town and then never showed up no one had heard from him since chris had run it over and over again in his mind during the sleepless nights since billy's disappearance trying to convince himself that there was no connection to the attacks in raccoon and yet was unable to shake his growing certainty That there was more going on than met

the eye and that billy had known what it was the cops had checked out billy's apartment and found nothing to indicate foul play but chris's instincts told him that his friend was dead and that he'd been killed by somebody who wanted to keep him from talking and i seem to be the only one irons doesn't give a and the team thinks i'm just torn up over the loss of an old friend he pushed the thoughts aside as he turned the corner his boot heels sending muted echoes through the arch second floor corridor he had to

focus to keep his mind on what he could do to find out why billy had disappeared but he was exhausted running on a minimum of sleep and an almost constant anxiety that had plagued him since billy's call maybe he was losing his perspective his objectivity dulled by recent events he forced himself not to think about anything at all as he neared the star's office determined to be clear-headed for the meeting the buzzing florescence above seemed like overkill in the blazing evening light that filled the tight hallway the raccoon police building was a classic if unconventional

piece of architecture lots of inlaid tile and heavy wood but it had too many windows designed to catch the sun when he'd been a kid the building had been the raccoon city hall with the population increase a decade back it had been renovated as the library and four years ago turned into a police station it seemed like there was always some kind of construction going on the door to the star's office stood open the muted sounds of gruff male voices spilling out into the hall chris hesitated a moment hearing chief irons is among them just

call me brian irons Was a self-centered and self-serving politician masquerading as the cop it was no secret that he had his sweaty fingers in more than a few local pies he'd even been implicated in the cider district land scam back in 94 and although nothing had been proved in court anyone who knew him personally didn't harbor any doubt chris shook his head listening to iron's greasy voice hard to believe he'd once led the raccoon stars even as a paper pusher maybe even harder to believe that he'd probably end up as mayor someday of course it

doesn't help much that he hates your guts does it redfield yeah well chris didn't like to kiss ass and irons didn't know how to have any other kind of relationship at least irons wasn't a total incompetent he had some military training chris pasted on a straight face and stepped into the small cluttered office that served as the star's filing cabinet invasive operations barry and joseph were over by the rookie desk going through a box of papers and talking quietly brad vickers the alpha pilot was drinking coffee and staring at the main computer screen a few

feet away a sour expression on his mild features across the room captain wesker was leaning back in his chair hands behind his head smiling blankly at something chief irons was telling him irons bulk was leaned against westeros desk one pudgy hand brushing out his carefully groomed mustache as he spoke so i said you're gonna print what i tell you to print bertolucci and you're gonna like it or you'll never get another quote from this office and he says chris Wesker interrupted the chief stating forward good you're here looks like we can stop wasting time iron

scowled in his direction but chris kept his poker face wesker didn't care much for irons either and didn't bother trying to be any more than polite in his dealings with the man from the glint in his eye it was obvious that he didn't care who knew it either chris walked into the office and stood by the desk he shared with ken sullivan one of the bravo team since the teams usually work different shifts they didn't need much room he set the unopened can of soda on the battered desktop and looked at wesker you're sending bravo

in the captain gazed back at him impassively arms folded across his chest standard procedure chris chris sat down frowning yeah but with what we talked about last week i thought irons interrupted i gave the order redfield i know you think that there's some kind of cloak and dagger going on here but i don't see any reason to deviate from policy sanctimonious prick chris forced a smile knowing it would irritate irons of course sir no need to explain yourself on my behalf irons glared at him for a moment his piggy little eyes snapping then apparently decided

to let it drop he turned back to wesker i'll expect a report when bravo returns now if you'll excuse me captain wesker nodded chief iron stocked past chris and out of the room he'd been gone less than a minute before berry started in think the chief took a today maybe we all ought to chip in for christmas get him some laxatives Joseph and brad laughed but chris couldn't bring himself to join in irons was a joke but his mishandling of this investigation wasn't all that funny the stars should have been called in at the beginning

instead of acting like rpd backup he looked back at wesker the man's perpetually composed expression hard to read wesker had taken over the raccoon stars only a few months ago transferred by the home office in new york and chris still didn't have any real insight into his character the new captain seemed to be everything he was reputed to be smooth professional cool but there was a kind of distance to him a sense that he was often far removed from what was going on wesker sighed and stood up sorry chris i know you wanted things to

go different but irons didn't put a whole lot of stock into your misgivings chris nodded wesker could make recommendations but irons was the only one who could upgrade a mission status not your fault barry walked toward them scruffing at a short reddish beard with one giant fist barry burton was only six feet tall but built like a truck his only passion outside of his family and his weapons collection was weight lifting and it showed don't sweat it chris marini will call us in the second he smells trouble irons is just pulling your chain chris not

it again but he didn't like it hell enrico marini and forrest spire were the only experienced soldiers in bravo ken sullivan was a good scout and a brilliant chemist but in spite of his star's training he couldn't shoot the broadside of a barn richard eichen was a top-rate communications expert but he Also lacked field experience rounding out bravo team was rebecca chambers who had only been with the stars for three weeks supposed to be some kind of medical genius chris had met her a couple of times and she seemed bright enough but she was just

a kid it's not enough even with all of us it may not be enough he cracked open his soda but didn't drink any wondering instead what the stars were going up against billy's pleading desperate words echoing through his mind yet again they're going to kill me chris they're going to kill everyone who knows meet me at emmy's now i'll tell you everything exhausted chris stared off into space alone in the knowledge that the savage murders were only the tip of the proverbial iceberg barry stood at chris's desk for a minute trying to think of something

else to say but chris didn't look like he was in the mood for conversation barry shrugged inwardly and headed back to where joseph was going through files chris was a good guy but he took things too hard sometimes he'd get over it as soon as it was their turn to step in man it was hot seemingly endless trickles of sweat rolled down his spine gluing his t-shirt to his broad back the air conditioning was on the fritz as usual and even with the door open the tiny star's office was uncomfortably warm any luck joseph looked

up at him for the pile of papers a rueful smirk on his lean face you kidding it's like somebody hit the damn thing on purpose barry sighed and scooped up a handful of files maybe jill found it she was still here When i left last night going through the witness reports for about the hundredth time what are you two looking for anyway brad asked barry and joseph both looked over at brad still sitting at the computer console headset on he'd been monitoring bravo's progress throughout the flyby of the forested district but for now he looked

bored as hell joseph answered him ah barry claims that there are floor plans in here somewhere on the old spencer estate some architectural digest that came out when the house was built he paused then grinned at brad except that i'm thinking that old barry's gone senile in us they say memory is the first thing to go barry scowled good naturally all barry could easily kick your ass into next week little man joseph looked at him mock seriously yeah but would you remember it afterwards barry chuckled shaking his head he was only 38 but had been

with the raccoon stars for 15 years making him the senior member he endured numerous old age jokes mostly from joseph brad cocked an eyebrow the spencer place why would it be in a magazine you kids gotta learn your history barry said it was designed by the one and only george trevor just before he disappeared he was that hot architect who did all those weird skyscrapers in dc in fact trevor's disappearance may have been the reason that spencer shut the mansion down rumor has it that trevor went crazy during the construction and when it was finished

he got lost and wandered the halls until he starved to death brad scoffed but suddenly looked uneasy That's i never heard anything like that joseph winked at barry no it's true now his tortured ghost roams the estate each night pale and emaciated brad vickers bring me brad vickers brad flushed slightly yeah haha you're a real comedian frost barry shook his head smiling but wondered again how brad had ever made it to alpha he was undoubtedly the best hacker working for stars and a decent enough pilot but he wasn't so hot under pressure joseph had taken

to calling him chicken heart vicars when he wasn't around and while the stars generally stuck up for one another nobody disagreed with joseph's assessment so is that why spencer shut it down brad addressed this to barry his cheek still red berry shrugged i doubt it it was supposed to be some kind of guest house for umbrella's top execs trevor did disappear right about the time of completion but spencer was wacko anyway he decided to move umbrella's headquarters to europe i forget where exactly and just boarded up the mansion probably a couple million bucks straight into

the crapper joseph sneered right like umbrella would suffer true enough spencer may have been crazy but he'd had enough money in business savvy to hire the right people umbrella was one of the biggest medical research and pharmaceutical companies on the planet even 30 years ago the loss of a few million dollars probably hadn't hurt anyway joseph went on the umbrella people told irons that they'd sent someone out to check the place over and That it was secure no break-ins so why look for blueprints brad asked it was chris who answered startling barry he'd walk back

to join them his youthful face fixed with a sudden intensity that almost bordered on obsessive because it's the only place in the woods that hasn't been checked over by the police and it's practically in the middle of the crime scenes and because you can't always trust what people say brad frowned but if umbrella sent somebody out whatever chris was going to say in response was cut short by wesker's smooth voice rising from the front of the room alright people since it appears that miss valentine isn't planning on joining us why don't we get this started

barry walked to his desk worried about chris for the first time since this whole thing had started he'd recruited the younger man for the stars a few years back thanks to a chance encounter in a local gun shop chris had proved to be an asset to the team bright and thoughtful as well as a top-notch marksman and able pilot but now barry gazed fondly at the picture of kathy and the girls that sat on his desk chris's obsession with the murders in a raccoon was understandable particularly since his friend had disappeared nobody in town wanted

to see another life lost barry had a family and was as determined as anyone else on the team to stop the killers but chris's relentless suspicion had gone a little overboard what had he meant by that you can't always trust what people say either that umbrella was lying or chief irons was ridiculous umbrella's branch chemical Plant and administrative buildings on the outskirts of town supplied three quarters of the jobs in raccoon city it would be counterproductive for them to lie besides umbrella's integrity was at least as solid as any other major corporations maybe some industrial

espionage but medical secret swapping was a far cry for murder and chief irons though a fat weaselly blowhard wasn't the kind to get his hands any dirtier than they'd get accepting illegal campaign funds the guy wanted to be mayor for christ's sake barry's gaze lingered on the picture of his family a moment longer before he turned his chair around to face wesker's desk and he suddenly realized that he wanted chris to be wrong whatever was going on in raccoon city that kind of vicious brutality couldn't be planned and that meant barry didn't know what that

meant he sighed and waited for the meeting to begin chapter two jill was deeply relieved to hear the sound of wesker's voice as she jogged toward the open door of the star's office she'd seen one of their helicopters taking off as she'd arrived and been positive that they left without her the stars were a fairly casual outfit in some respects but there also wasn't any room for people who couldn't keep up and she wanted very much to be in on this case from the beginning the rpd has already established a perimeter search spanning sectors 1

4 7 and 9. it's the central zones we're concerned with and bravo will set down here at least she wasn't too late wesker always ran meetings the same way update speech theory then q a Jill took a deep breath and stepped into the office wesker was pointing to a posted map at the front of the room dotted with colored tags where the bodies had been found he hardly faltered in his speech as she walked quickly to her desk feeling suddenly like she was back in basic training and had shown up late for class chris redfield

threw her a half smile as she sat down and she nodded back at him before focusing on wesker she didn't know any of the raccoon team that well but chris had made a real effort to make her feel welcome since she'd arrived after a flyby of the other central areas once they report in we'll have a better idea of where to focus our energies but what about the spencer place chris asked it's practically in the middle of the crime scenes if we start there we can conduct a more complete search and if bravo's information points

to that area rest assured we'll search there for now i don't see any reason to consider it a priority chris looked incredulous but we only have umbrella's word that the estate is secure wesker lean against his desk his strong features expressionless chris we all want to get to the bottom of this but we have to work as a team and the best approach here is to do a thorough search for those missing hikers before we start jumping to conclusions bravo will take a look-see and we'll conduct this by the book chris frowned but said nothing

more jill resisted the urge to roll her eyes at wesker's little speech he was doing the right thing technically but had left out the part about it being politic to do as chief irons wanted irons had made it clear time and again throughout the killing spree that he was in charge of the investigation and was Calling the shots it wouldn't have bothered her so much except that wesker presented himself as an independent thinker a man who didn't play politics she had joined the stars because she couldn't stand the red tape that dominated so much of

law enforcement and wesker's obvious deferral to the chief was irritating well and don't forget that you stood a good chance of ending up in prison if you hadn't changed your occupation jill i see that you managed to find the time to come in illuminate us with your brilliant insight what have you got for us jill met wesker's sharp gaze evenly trying to seem as cool and composed as he was nothing new i'm afraid the only obvious pattern is location she looked down at the notes she had on the stack of files in front of her

scanning them for reference uh the tissue samples from underneath both becky mcgees and chris smith's fingernails for an exact match we got that yesterday antonio lipton the third victim had definitely been hiking in the foothills that'd be sector 7b she looked back up at wesker and made her pitch my theory at this point is that there is a possible ritualistic cult hiding in the mountains four to eleven members strong with guard dogs trained to attack intruders in their territory extrapolate wesker folded his arms waiting at least no one had laughed jill plunged forward warming to

the material the cannibalism and dismemberment suggests ritualistic behavior as does the presence of decomposed flesh found on some of the victims like the killers are carrying parts of previous unknown victims to their attacks we've got saliva and tissue samples from Four separate human assailants though eyewitness reports suggest up to 10 or 11 people and those killed by animals were all found or found to be attacked in the same vicinity suggesting that they wandered into some kind of off-limits area the saliva traces appear to be canine though there's still some disagreement she trailed off finish wesker's

face betrayed nothing but he nodded slowly not bad not bad at all disprove jill said she hated having to shoot her own theory down but that was part of the job and in all honesty the part that most encouraged clear rational thinking the stars train their people not to fixate on any single path to the truth she glanced at her notes again it's highly unlikely that a cult that big would move around much and the murder started too recently to be local the rpd would have seen signs before now some escalation to this kind of

behavior also the level of postmortem violence indicates disorganized offenders and they usually work solo joseph frost the alpha vehicle specialist piped up from the back of the room the animal attack part works though protecting their territory and all that wesser scooped up a pen and walked to the dry erase board next to his desk talking as he moved i agree he wrote territoriality on the board and then turned back to face her anything else jill shook her head but felt good that she contributed something she knew the cult aspect was reaching but it had been

all she could come up with the police certainly hadn't come up with Anything better wesker turned his attention to brad vickers who suggested that it was a new strain of terrorism and that demands would be made soon wesker put terrorism on the board but didn't seem enthusiastic about the idea neither did anyone else brad quickly went back to his headset checking on bravo team's status both joseph and barry passed on theorizing and chris's views and the killings were already well known if vague he believed that there was an organized assault going on and that external

influences were involved somehow wesker asked if he had anything new to add stressing knew jill noticed and chris shook his head looking depressed wesker kept the black pen and sat on the edge of his desk gazing thoughtfully at the blank expanse of board it's a start he said i know you've all read the police and coroner reports and listened to the eyewitness accounts vicar's here over from the back of the room brad spoke quietly into his headset interrupting wesker the captain lowered his voice and continued now at this point we don't know what we're dealing

with and i know that all of us have some concerns with how the rpd has been dealing with the situation but now that we're on the case i what at the sound of brad's ray's voice jill turned toward the back of the room along with everyone else he was standing up agitated one hand pressed to the earpiece of his set bravo team report repeat bravo team report wesker stood up vickers put it on calm brad hit the switch on his console and the bright crackling sound of static Filled the room jill strained to hear a

human voice amidst the fizz but for several 10 seconds there was nothing then you copy malfunction we're going to have to the rest was lost in a burst of static it sounded like enrico marini the bravo team leader jill chewed at her lower lip and exchanged a worried glance with chris enrico had seemed frantic they all listened for another moment but there is nothing more than the sound of open air position wesker snapped brad's face was pale they're in the uh sector 22 tail end of c except i've lost the signal the transmitter is offline

jill felt stunned saw the feeling reflected in the faces of the others the helicopter's transmitter was designed to keep working no matter what the only way it would shut down was if something big happened the entire system blinking out or being seriously damaged something like a crash chris felt his stomach not as he recognized the coordinates the spencer estate marini had said something about a malfunction it had to be a coincidence but it didn't feel like one the bravos were in trouble and practically on top of the old umbrella mansion all of this went through

his head in a split second and then he was standing ready to move whatever happened the stars took care of their own wesker was already in action he addressed the team even as he reached for his keys heading for the gun safe joseph take over the board and keep Trying to raise them vickers warm up the copter and get clearance i want us ready to fly in five the captain unlocked the safe as brad handed the headset to joseph and hurried out of the room the reinforced metal doors swung open revealing an arsenal of rifles

and handguns shelved above boxes of ammo wesker turned to the rest of them his expression is bland as ever but his voice brisk with authority barry chris i want you to get the weapons into the copter loaded and secured jill get the vests in packs and meet us on the roof he clipped a key off his ring and tossed it to her i'm going to put a call into irons make sure he gets us some backup and emts down at the barricade wesker said then blew out sharply five minutes or less folks let's move jill

left for the locker room and barry grabbed one of the empty duffel bags from the bottom of the gun safe nodding at chris chris scooped up a second bag and started loading boxes of shells cartridges and clips as barry carefully handled the weapons checking each one behind them joseph again tried hailing the bravo team to no avail chris wondered again about the proximity of the bravo team's last reported position to the spencer estate was there a connection and if so how billy worked for umbrella they owned the estate chief wesker we just lost contact with

bravo i'm taking us in chris felt a sudden rush of adrenaline and worked faster a word that every second counted could mean the difference between life and death for his friends and teammates A serious crash was unlikely the bravos would have been flying low and forest was a decent pilot but what about after they'd gone down wesker quickly relayed the information to irons over the phone and then hung up walking back to join them i'm going up to make sure a copter is outfitted joseph give it another minute and then turn it over to the

boys at the front desk you can help these two carry the equipment up i'll see you on top wesker nodded to them and hurried out his footsteps clattering loudly down the hall he's good barry said quietly and chris had to agree it was reassuring to see that their new captain didn't rattle easily chris still wasn't sure how he felt about the man personally but his respect for wesker's ability was growing by the minute come in bravo do you copy repeat joseph patiently went on his voice tight with strain his pleas lost to the haze of

white static that pulsed out into the room wesker strode down the deserted hall and threw the shabbier of the two second floor waiting rooms nodding briskly at a pair of uniforms that stood talking by the soda machine the door to the outside landing was chalked open a faint humid breeze cutting through the stickiness of the air inside it was still daylight but not for much longer he hoped that wouldn't complicate matters although he figured it probably would wesker took a left and started down the winding quarter that led to the helipad absolutely running through a

mental checklist hailing open procedure weapons gear report he already knew that everything was in order but went through it again anyway It didn't pay to get sloppy and assumptions were the first step down that path he liked to think of himself as the man of precision one who had taken all possibilities into account and decided on the best course of action after thoroughly weighing all factors control was what being a competent leader was all about but to close this case he shut the thought down before it could get any further he knew what had to

be done and there was still plenty of time all he needed to concentrate on now was getting the bravos back safe and sound wesker opened the door at the end of the hall and stepped out into the bright evening the rising hum of the coupler's engine and the smell of machine oil filling his senses the small rooftop helipad was cooler than inside partly draped by the shadow of an aging water tower and empty except for the gunmetal gray alpha helicopter for the first time he wondered what had gone wrong for bravo he'd had joseph and

the rookie check both birds out yesterday and they'd been fine all systems go he dismissed that train of thought as he walked toward the copter his shadow falling long across the concrete it didn't matter why not anymore what mattered was what came next expect the unexpected that was the star's motto although that basically meant to prepare for anything expect nothing that was albert wesker's motto a little less catchy maybe but infinitely more useful it virtually guaranteed that nothing would ever surprise him he stepped up to the open pilot door and got a shaky thumbs up

from vickers the man looked positively green and wesker briefly considered leaving him behind Chris was licensed to fly and vickers had a reputation for choking under the gun the last thing he needed was for one of his people to freeze up if there was trouble then he thought about the lost bravos and decided against it this was a rescue mission the worst vicars could do would be to throw up on himself if the copter had crashed badly and wester could live with that he opened the side door and crouched his way into the cabin doing

a quick inventory of the equipment that lined the walls emergency flares ration kits he popped the lid on the heavy dented foot locker behind the benches and looked through the basic medical supplies nodding to himself they were as ready as they were going to be wesker grinned suddenly wondering what brian irons was doing right now his pants no doubt wesker chuckled as he stepped back out onto the sun-baked asphalt getting a sudden clear mental image of irons his pudgy cheeks red with anger and crap dribbling down his leg irons like to think he could control

everything and everyone around him and lost his temper when he couldn't and that made him an idiot unfortunately for all of them he was an idiot with a little bit of power wesker had checked him out carefully before taking the position in raccoon city and knew a few things about the chief that didn't paint him in a particularly positive light he had no intention of using the information but if irons attempted to screw things up one more time wesker had no qualms about letting that information get out or at least telling him that i have

access to it it'd certainly keep him out of the way barry burton stepped out onto the Concrete carrying the ammo cache his giant biceps flexing as he shifted his hold on the heavy canvas bag and started for the copter chris and joseph followed chris with a sidearm and joseph lugging a satchel of rpgs the compact grenade launcher slung over one shoulder wesker marveled at burton's brute strength as the alpha climbed in and casually set the bag down as though it didn't weigh over 100 pounds barry was bright enough but in the stars muscle was a

definite asset everyone else in his squad was in good shape but compared to barry they were pencil necks as the three of them stored the equipment lesker turned his attention back to the door watching for jill he checked his watch and frowned it had been just under five minutes since your last contact with bravo they'd made excellent time so where the hell was valentine he hadn't interacted with her much since she'd come to raccoon but her file was a rave review she'd gotten high recommendations from everyone she'd worked with praised by her last captain as

highly intelligent and unusually calm in a crisis she'd have to be with her history her father was dick valentine the best thief in the business a couple of decades back he trained her to follow in his footsteps and word had it that she had done quite well until daddy had been incarcerated prodigy or no she could stand to buy a decent watch he silently urged jill to get her ass into gear and motion for vickers to start the blades turning it was time to find out how bad things were out there chapter 3 Jill turned

toward the door of the dim and silent star's locker room her arms full with two bulging duffel bags she set them down and quickly pulled her hair back tucking it into a well-worn black beret it was really too hot but it was her lucky hat she glanced at her watch before hafting the bags pleased to note that it only taken her three minutes to load up she'd gone through all of the alpha lockers grabbing utility belts fingerless gloves kevlar vests and shoulder packs noting that the lockers reflected their users personalities berries had been covered with

snapshots of his family and a pin-up from a gun magazine a rare 45 luger shining against red velvet chris had pictures of his air force buddies up and the shelves were a boyish mess crumpled t-shirts loose papers even a glow-in-the-dark yo-yo with a broken string brad vickers had a stack of self-help books and joseph a three stooges calendar only weskers had been devoid of personal effects somehow it didn't surprise her the captain struck her as too tightly wound to place much value on sentiment her own locker held a number of used paperback true crime novels

a toothbrush floss breath mints and three hats on the door was a small mirror and an old frayed photo of her and her father taken when she was a child and they'd gone to the beach one summer as she'd quickly thrown the alpha gear together she decided that she'd redecorate when she had free time anyone looking through her locker would think she was some kind of dental freak jill crouched a bit and fumbled at the latch to the door balancing the awkward bags on one raised knee she just grasped it when someone coughed loudly behind

her Startled jill dropped the bags and spun looking for the coffer as their mind reflexively assessed the situation the door had been locked the small room held three banks of lockers and had been quiet and dark when she'd come in there was another door in the back of the room but no one had come through it when she'd entered which means that someone was already here when they came in in the shadows behind the last bank a cop grabbing a nap unlikely the department's lunchroom had a couple of bugs in the back a lot more

comfortable than a narrow bench over cold concrete then maybe it's someone enjoying a little leisure time with a magazine her brain snarled does it matter you're on the clock here get moving right jill scooped up the bags and turned to leave miss valentine isn't it a shadow separated itself from the back of the room and stepped forward a tall man with a low musical voice early 40s a thin frame dark hair and deep set eyes he was actually wearing a trench coat and an expensive one at that joe readied herself to move quickly if the

need arose she didn't recognize him that's right she said warily the man stepped toward her a smile flickering across his face i have something for you he said softly jill narrowed her eyes and shifted automatically into a defensive position bouncing her weight on the balls of her feet hold it i don't know who the hell you think you are or what you think i want but you're in a police station she trailed off as he shook his head grinning broadly his dark eyes twinkling With mirth you mistake my intentions miss valentine excuse my manners please

my name is trent and i'm a friend to the stars jill studied his posture and position and eased her own stance slightly watching his eyes for even a flicker of movement she didn't feel threatened by him exactly but how did he know my name what do you want trent grinned wider ah straight to the point but of course you're on a rather tight schedule he slowly reached into a pocket of his coat and pulled out what looked like a cell phone though it's not what i want that's important it's what i think you should have

jill glanced quickly at the item he held frowning that yes i've assembled a few documents that you should find interesting compelling in fact as he spoke he held out the device she reached for it carefully realizing as she did that it was a minidisc reader a very complicated and costly microcomputer trent was well financed whoever he was jill tucked the reader into her hip pack suddenly more than a little curious who do you work for he shook his head that's not important not at this juncture although i will say that there are a lot of

very important people watching raccoon city right now oh and are these people friends of the stars too mr trent trent laughed a soft deep chuckle so many questions so little time read the files and if i were you i Wouldn't mention this conversation to anyone it could have rather serious consequences he walked toward the door in the back of the room turning back to her as he reached for the knob trent's lined weathered features suddenly lost all trace of humor his gaze serious and intense one more thing miss valentine and this is critical make no

mistake not everyone can be trusted and not everyone is who they appear to be even the people you think you know if you want to stay alive you'll do well to remember it trend opened the door and just like that he was gone jill stared after him her mind going a million directions at once she felt like she was in some melodramatic old spy movie and had just met the mysterious stranger it was laughable and yet and yet he just handed you several thousands of dollars worth of equipment with a straight face and told you

to watch your back you think he's kidding she didn't know what to think and she didn't have time to think it the alpha team was probably assembled waiting and wondering where the hell she was jill shouldered the heavy bags and hurried out the door they'd gotten the weapons loaded and secured and wesker was getting impatient although his eyes were hidden by dark aviator sunglasses chris could see it in the captain's stance and in the way he kept his head cocked toward the building the helicopter was prepped and ready the blades whipping warm humid air through

the tight compartment with the door open the sound of the engine drowned out any attempt at conversation there is nothing to do but wait come on jill don't slow us up here even as chris thought it jill emerged from the building and jogged toward them with The alpha gear an apologetic look on her face wesker jumped down to help her taking one of the stuffed bags as she climbed aboard wesker followed closing the double hatches behind them instantly the roar of the turbine engine was muted to a dull thromb problems jill wesker didn't sound angry

but there was an edge to his voice that suggested he wasn't all that happy either jill shook her head one of the lockers was stuck i had a hell of a time getting the key to work the captain stared at her for a moment as if deciding whether or not to give her a hard time then shrugged i'll call maintenance when we get back go ahead and distribute the gear he picked up a headset and put it on moving up to sit next to brad as jill started passing out the vest the helicopter lifted slowly

the rpd building falling away as brad positioned them to head northwest chris crouched next to jill after donning his vest helping her sore through the gloves and belts as they sped over the city toward the arclay mountains the busy urban streets below quickly gave way to the suburbs wide streets and quick houses set amid squares of browning grass and picket fences an evening haze had settled over the sprawling but isolated community fuzzing the edges of the picturesque view and giving it an unreal dreamlike quality minutes passed in silence as the alphas prepared themselves and belted

in each team member preoccupied with his or her own thoughts with any luck the bravo team's helicopter had suffered only a minor mechanical failure forest would have set it down in one of the scraggly open fields that dotted the forest and was Probably up to his elbows in greece by now cursing at the engine as they waited for alpha to show without the bird in working order mourinho wouldn't start the proposed search the alternative chris grimmist not wanting to consider any alternatives he once seen the aftermath of a serious copter crash back in the air

force pilot error had led to the fall of a huey carrying 11 men and women to a training mission by the time the rescuers had arrived there had been nothing but charred smoking bones amidst the fiery debris the sweet sticky smell of gasoline roasted flesh heavy in the blackened air even the ground had been burning and that was the image that had haunted his dreams for months afterwards the earth on fire the chemical flames devouring the very soil beneath his feet there was a slight dip in their altitude as brad adjusted the rotor pitch jolting

him out of the unpleasant memory the ragged outskirts of raccoon forest slipped by below the orange markers of the police blockade standing out against the thick muted green of the trees twilight was finally setting in the forest growing heavy with shadow eta three minutes brad called back and chris looked around the cabin noting the silent grim expressions of his teammates joseph had tied a bandanna over his head and was intently relacing his boots barry was gently rubbing a soft cloth over his beloved cold python staring out the hatch window he turned his head to look

at jill and was surprised to find her staring back at him thoughtfully she was sitting on the same bench as him and she smiled briefly almost nervously as he caught her gaze abruptly she unhooked her belt and moved to sit next to him He caught a faint scent of her skin a clean soapy smell chris what you've been saying about external factors in these cases her voice was pitched so low that he had to lean in to hear over the throbbing of the engine she glanced quickly around at the others as if to make sure

that no one was listening then looked into his eyes her own carefully guarded i think you might be on the right track she said softly and i'm starting to think that it might not be such a good idea to talk about it chris's throat suddenly felt dry did something happen jill shook her head her finely chiseled features giving away nothing no i've just been thinking that maybe you should watch what you say maybe not everyone listening is on the right side of this chris frowned not sure what she was trying to tell him the only

people i've talked to her on the job her gaze didn't falter and he realized suddenly what she was implying jesus and i thought i was paranoid jill i know these people and even if i didn't the stars have psych profiles and every member history checks personal references there's no way it could happen she sighed look forget i said anything i just just watch yourself that's all alright kids look lively we're coming up on sector 22 they could be anywhere at wesker's interruption jill gave him a final sharp glance and then moved to one of the

windows chris followed joseph and barry taking the search up on the other side of the cabin Looking out the small window he scanned the deepening dusk on automatic thinking about what jill had said he supposed he should be grateful that he wasn't the only one who suspected some kind of a cover-up but why hadn't she said anything before and to warn him against the stars she knows something she must it was the only explanation that made any sense he decided that after they picked up bravo he talked to her again try to convince her that

going to wesker would be their best bet with both of them pushing the captain would have to listen he stared out at the seemingly endless sea of trees as the helicopter skimmed lower forcing his full attention to the search the spencer estate had to be close though we couldn't see it in the fading light thoughts of billy an umbrella and now jill's strange warning circled through his exhaust shed trying to break his focus but he refused to give in he was still worried about the bravos though as the trees swept by he was becoming more

and more convinced that they weren't in any real trouble it was probably nothing worse than a crossed wire boris had just shutted down to make repairs then he saw it less than a mile away even as jill pointed and spoke and his concern turned a cold dread an oily plume of black smoke boiled through the last remnants of daylight staining the sky like a promise of death oh no barry clenched his jaw staring at the stream of smoke that rose up from the trees feeling sick captain two o'clock sharp chris called and then they were

turning heading for The dark smudge that could only mean a crash wesker moved back into the cabin still wearing his shades he stepped to the window and spoke quietly his voice subdued let's not assume the worst there's a possibility that a fire broke out after they landed or that they started the fire on purpose as a signal barry wished they could believe him but even wesker had to know better with the copter shut down a fire starting on its own was unlikely and if the bravos wanted a signal they would have used flares besides which

wood doesn't make that kind of smoke but whatever it is we won't know till we get there now if i could have your full attention please barry turned away from the window saw the others do the same chris jill and joseph all were the same look as he imagined he did shock stars sometimes got hurt in the line of duty it was part of the job but accidents like this wesker's only visible sign of distress was the side of his mouth a thin grim line against his tanned skin listen up we've got people down in

a possibly hostile environment i want all of you armed and i want an organized reproach a standard fan as soon as we sit down barry you'll take point barry nodded pulling himself together wesker was right now is not the time to get emotional brad's going to set us down as close to the site as he can get what looks like a small clearing about 50 meters south of their last coordinates he'll stay with the copter and keep it warm in case of trouble any questions nobody spoke and wesker Nodded briskly good barry load us up

we can leave the rest of the gear on board and come back for it the captain stepped to the front to talk to brad while jill chris and joseph turned to barry as weapon specialist he checked the firearms in and out to each star's team member and kept them in prime condition barry turned to the cabinet next to the outer hatch and unhooked the latch exposing six beretta nine-millimeter handguns on a metal rack cleaned and sighted only yesterday each weapon held 15 rounds semi-jacketed hollow points it was a good gun though barry preferred his python

a lot bigger punch with three five seven rounds he quickly distributed the weapons passing out three loaded clips with each i hope we don't need these joseph said slapping in a clip and very nodded agreement just because he paid his dues to the nra didn't mean he was some trigger-happy dumbass looking to kill he just liked guns wesker joined them again and the five of them stood at the hatch waiting for brad to bring them in as they neared the plume of smoke the helicopter's whirling blades pushed it down and out creating a black fog

that blended into the heavy shadows of the trees any chance of spotting the down vehicle from the air was lost to the smoke and dusk brad swung them around and settled the bird into a scrappy patch of tall grass snapping wildly from the forest wind even as the rails wobbled to the ground barry had his hand on the latch ready to move out a warm hand fell on his shoulder barry turned and saw chris looking at him intently we're right behind you chris said and barry nodded he wasn't worried not with the alphas backing him

Up all he was concerned with was the bravo team situation rico marini was a good friend of his mourinho's wife had babysat for the girls more times than barry could count and was friends with kathy the thought of him dead to a stupid mechanical screw-up hang on buddy we're coming one hand on the butt of his cult barry pulled the handle and stepped out into the humid whipping twilight of raccoon forest ready for anything chapter four they spread out and started north wesker and chris behind and to bury his left jill and joseph on his

right directly in front of them was a sparse stand of trees and as the alpha's copter blade rubbed down jill could smell burning fuel and see wisps of smoke curling through the foliage they moved quickly through the wooded area visibility dropping off sharply beneath the needled branches the warm sense of pine and earth were overshadowed by the burning smell the acreage odor growing stronger with each step from the dim light filtering toward them jill saw that there was another clearing ahead high with brittle grasses i see it dead ahead jill felterheart speed up at barry's

shout and then they were all running hurrying to catch up to their point man she emerged from the cops of the trees joseph next to her barry was already at the downed copter chris and wesker right behind smoke was still rising from the silent wreck but it was thinning if there had been a fire it had died out she and joseph reached the others and stopped staring no one speaking as they surveyed the scene the long wide body of the copter was intact not a single scratch visible The port landing rail looked bent but besides

that in the dying haze of smoke from the rotor there seemed to be nothing wrong with it the hatches stood open the beam from westeros pen light showing them an undamaged cabin from what she could see most of the bravo's gear was still on board so where are they it didn't make any sense it hadn't been 15 minutes since their last transmission if anyone had been injured they would have stayed and if they decided to leave why had they left their equipment west behind hand of the light to joseph and not a tour the cockpit

check it out the rest of you spread out look for clues tracks shell casings signs of struggle you find anything let me know and stay alert jill stood a moment longer staring at the smoking copter and wondering what could have happened enrico had said something about a malfunction so okay the bravos had set down what had happened next what would have made them abandon their best chance of being found leaving behind emergency kits weaponry jill saw a couple of bulletproof vests crumpled next to the hatch and shook her head adding it to the growing list

of seemingly irrational actions she turned to join the search as joseph stepped out of the cockpit looking as confused as she felt she waited to hear his report as he handed the light back to wesker shrugging nervously i don't know what happened the bent rail suggests a forced landing but except for the electrical system everything looks fine Wesker's side then raised his voice so the others could hear circle out people three meters apart widen as we go jill moved over to stand between chris and barry both men already scanning the ground at their feet as

they slowly moved east and northeast of the helicopter wesker stepped into the cabin probing the darkness with his pen light joseph headed west dry weeds crackled underfoot as they widen their circle the only sound in the still warm air except for the distant hum of the alpha helicopter engine jill used her boots to search through the thick ground cover brushing the tall grasses aside with each step in another few moments it'd be too dark to see anything they needed to break out the flashlights bravo had left theirs behind jill stopped suddenly listening the sighing crackling

steps of the others the far away drone of their copter and nothing else not a chirp a chitter nothing they were in the woods in the middle of summer where were the animals the insects the forest was unnaturally still the only sounds human for the first time since they'd sat down jill was afraid she was about to call out to the others when joseph shouted from somewhere behind them his voice high and cracking hey over here jill turned and started jogging back saw chris and barry do the same wesker was still by the helicopter and

had drawn his weapon at joseph's cry pointing it up as he broke into a run in the murky light jill could just make out joseph's shadowy form crouched down In the high grass near some trees a hundred feet past the copter instinctively she pulled her own sidearm and double-timed suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of encroaching doom joseph stood up holding something and let out a strangled scream before dropping it his eyes wide with horror for a split second jill's mind couldn't accept what it had seen in joseph's grasp a star is handgun a beretta jill

ran faster catching up to wesker and a disembodied human hand curled around it hacked off at the wrist there was a deep guttural snarl from behind joseph from the darkness of the trees an animal growling joined by another rasping throaty shriek and suddenly dark powerful shapes erupted from the woods lunging at joseph and taking him down joseph jill's scream ringing in his ears chris drew his weapon and stopped at his tracks trying to get a clear shot at the raging beasts that were attacking joseph wesker's pen light sent a thin beam dancing over the writhing

creatures illuminating a nightmare joseph's body was all but hidden by the three animals that tore at him ripping at him with gnashing dripping jaws they were the size and shape of dogs as big as german shepherds may be except that they seem to have no fur no skin wet red sinew and muscle flash beneath wesker's wavering light the dog creatures shrieking and snapping in a frenzy of bloodlust joseph cried out a burbling liquid sound as he flailed Weakly at the savage attackers blood pouring from multiple wounds it was the scream of a dying man there

was no time to waste chris targeted and opened fire three rounds smacked wetley into one of the dogs a fourth shot going high there was a single high-pitched yelp and the beast went down its sides heaving the other two animals continued their assault indifferent to the thunderous shots even as chris watched in horror one of the slavering hellhounds lunged forward and ripped out joseph's throat exposing bloody gristle and the glistening slickness of bone the stars opened up sending a reign of explosive fire on joseph's killers red spatters burst into the air the dog thing still

trying to get at the spasming corpse while bullets riddled their strange flesh with the final series of harsh barking mules they fell and didn't rise again hold your fire chris took his finger off the trigger but continued to point the handgun at the fallen creatures ready to blow apart the first one that so much is twitched two of them were still breathing growling softly through panting gasps the third sprawled lifelessly next to joseph's mutilated body they should be dead should have stayed down at the first shots what are they wesker took a single step toward

the slaughter in front of them when all around deep echoing howls fill the warm night air shrill voices of predatory fury coming at the stars from all directions back to the copter now wesker shouted chris ran barry and jill in front of him and western bringing up the rear the four of them sprinted through dark trees unseen branches slapping at them as the Howls grew louder more insistent wesker turned and fired blindly into the woods as they stumbled toward the waiting helicopter its blades already spinning chris felt relief sweep through him brad must have heard

the shots they still had a chance chris could hear the creatures behind them now the sharp rustling of lean muscular bodies tearing through the trees he could also see brad's pale wide-eyed face through the glass front of the copter the reflected lights of the control panel casting a greenish glow across his panicked features he was shouting something but the roar of the engine drowned out everything now the blast of wind churning the field into a rippling sea another 50 feet almost there suddenly the helicopter jerked into the air accelerating wildly chris caught a final glimpse

of brad's face and could see the blind terror there the unthinking panic that had gripped him as he clawed at the controls no don't go chris screamed but the wobbling rails were already out of reach the copter pitching forward and away from them through the thundering darkness they were going to die damn you vickers wesker turned and fired again and was rewarded with a squeal of pain from one of their pursuers there were at least four more close behind gaining on them rapidly keep going he shouted trying to get his bearings as they stumbled on

the piercing shrieks of the mutant dogs urging them faster the sound of the helicopter was dying away the cowardly vicar is taking their escape with him wesker fired again the shot going wide and saw another shadowy form during the hunt The dogs were brutally fast they didn't stand a chance unless the mansion via right one o'clock wesker yelled hoping that his sense of direction was still intact they couldn't outrun the creatures but maybe they could keep them at bay long enough to reach cover he spun and fired the last round in his clip empty ejecting

the spent magazine he fumbled for another one tucked into his belt as both barry and chris took up the defense firing past him and into the closing pack lester slapped in the fresh clip as they reached the edge of the overgrown clearing and plunged into another dark stand of trees they stumbled and dodged through the woods tripping on uneven ground as the killer dogs came on lungs aching for air wesker imagined that he could smell the feeded rotting meat stench of the beast as they narrowed the distance and he somehow found the capacity to run

faster we should be there by now gotta be close chris saw it first through the thinning shadows of the trees the looming monstrosity backlit by an early moon there run for that house it looked abandoned from the outside the weathered wood and stone of the giant mansion crumbling and dark the full size of the structure was cloaked by the shadowy overgrown hedges that surrounded it isolating it from the forest a massive outset front porch presented double doors their only option for escape wesker actually heard the snap of powerful jaws behind him and fired at the

sound intuitively squeezing the trigger as he ran for the front of the mansion a gurgling yelp and the creature fell away the howls of its siblings louder than ever raised to a fever pitch by the Thrill of the chase jill reached the doors first slamming into the heavy wood with one shoulder as she snatched at the handles amazingly they crashed open brightness spilled out across the stone steps to the porch lighting their path she turned and started firing providing cover as the three gasping men ran for the opening in the darkness they piled into the

mansion jill diving in last and barry throwing his considerable bulk against the door wedging it closed against the snarls of the creatures he collapsed against it face red and sweating as chris found the entry steel deadbolt and slid at home they'd made it outside the dogs howled and scrabbled uselessly at the heavy doors wesker took a deep breath of the cool quiet air that filled the well-lit room and exhaled sharply as he'd already known the spencer house wasn't abandoned and now that they were here all his careful planning was for nothing wesker silently cursed brad

vickers again and wondered if they were any better off inside than out chapter five jill took in their new surroundings as she caught her breath feeling like she was a character in a nightmare that had just taken a turn into grand fantasy wild howling monsters joseph's sudden death a terrifying run through the dark woods and now this deserted huh it was a palace pure and simple what her father would have called a perfect score the room they had escaped into was the epitome of lavish it was huge easily bigger than jill's Entire house tiled in

gray flecked marble and dominated by a wide carpeted staircase that led to a second floor balcony arched marble pillars lined the ornate hall supporting the dark heavy wood balustrade of the upper floor fluted wall sconces cast funnels of light across walls of cream trimmed in oak and offset by the deep burned ochre of the carpeting in short it was magnificent what is this very muttered no one answered him jill took a deep breath and decided immediately that she didn't like it there was a sense of wrongness to the vast room an atmosphere of vague oppression

it felt haunted somehow though by who or what she couldn't say beats the hell out of getting eaten by mutant dogs though gotta give it that much and on the trail of that thought god poor joseph there hadn't been time to mourn him and there wasn't time now but he would be missed she walked toward the stairs clutching her handgun her footsteps muffled by the plush carpet that led from the front door there was an antique typewriter on a small table to the right of the steps a blank sheet of paper spooled into the works

a strange bit of decoration the expanse of hull was otherwise empty she turned back toward the others wondering what their take on all this was barry and chris both looked uncertain their faces flushed and sweaty as they surveyed the room wesker was crouched by the front door examining one of the latches he stood up his dark shade still in place seeming as detached as ever the wood around the lock is splintered somebody broke this door open before we Got here chris looked hopeful maybe the braavos wesker nodded that's what i'm thinking help should be on

the way assuming our friend mr vickers bothers to call it in his voice stripped sarcasm and jill felt her own anger kindling brad had screwed up big time had almost cost them their lives there was no excuse for what he'd done wesker continued walking across the room toward one of the two doors on the west wall he rattled the handle but it didn't open it's not safe to go back out until the cavalry shows up we might as well take a look around it's obvious that somebody's been keeping this place up the why and for

how long he trailed off walking back toward the group how are we set for ammo jill ejected the clip from beretta and counted three rounds left plus the two loaded magazines on her belt 33 shots chris had 22 left wesker 17. barry had two rocked speed loaders for his cult plus an extra handful of loose cartridges tucked into a hip pouch 19 rounds in all jill thought about all day left on the helicopter and felt another rush of anger toward brad boxes of ammunition flashlights walkie-talkies shotguns not to mention medical supplies that beretta that joseph

had found out in the field the pale blood-spattered fingers still wrapped around it a star's team member dead or dying and thanks to brad they didn't even have a band-aid to offer thump a sound of something heavy sliding to the floor somewhere close by in unison they turned toward the single Door on the east mall jill was suddenly reminded of every horror movie she'd ever seen a strange house a strange noise she shivered and decided that she was most definitely going to kick brad's narrow ass when they got out of here chris check it out

and report back asap wesker said we'll wait here in case the rpd comes knocking you run into any trouble fire your weapon and we'll find you chris nodded and started toward the door his boots clacking loudly against the rubble floor jill felt that sense of her boating wash over her again chris his hand on the knob he turned back and she realized that there was nothing she could tell him that made any sense everything was happening so fast there was so much wrong with this situation that she didn't know where to start and he's a

trained professional and so are you start acting like it take care she said finally it wasn't what she wanted to say but it'd have to be enough chris gave her a lopsided grin then raised his beretta and stepped through the doorway jill heard the taking of a clock and then he was gone closing the door behind him barry caught her gaze and smiled at her a look that told her not to worry but jill couldn't shake the sudden certainty that chris wouldn't be coming back chris swept the room taking in the stately elegance of the

environment as he realized he was alone whoever had made the noise they weren't here the solemn taking of a grandfather clock filled the cool air echoing off of shining black and white tiles he was in a dining hall the kind he'd only ever seen in movies about rich people like the front room this one had an incredibly high ceiling and a second Floor balcony but it was also decorated with expensive looking art and had an inside fireplace at the far end complete with a coat of arms and cross swords hung over the mantle there didn't

seem to be any way to get to the second floor but there was a closed door to the right of the fireplace chris lowered his weapon and started for the door still awed by the wealth of the abandoned mansion that the stars had stumbled into the dining room had polished redwood trim and expensive looking artwork on the beige stucco walls surrounding a long wooden table that ran the length of the room the table had to seat at least 20 though it was only set for a handful of people judging from the dust and the lacy

placemats nothing had been served for weeks except no one is supposed to have been here for 30 years let alone hosted a formal dinner spencer had this place closed down before anyone ever stayed here chris shook his head obviously someone had reopened it a long time ago so how was it that everyone in raccoon city believed the spencer estate to be boarded up a crumbling ruin out in the woods more importantly why had umbrella lied to irons about its condition murders disappearances umbrella jill it was frustrating he felt like he had some of the answers

but wasn't sure what questions to ask he reached the door and turned the knob slowly listening for any sound of movement on the other side he couldn't hear anything over the taking of the old clock it was set against the wall and each movement of the second hand reverberated hollowly amplified by the cavernous room the door opened into one side of a narrow corridor dimly lit by antique Light fixtures chris quickly checked both directions to the right was maybe 10 meters of hardwood hall a couple of doors across from him and a door at the

end of the corridor to the left the hallway took a sharp turn away from where he stood widening out he saw the edge of a patterned brown run on the floor there he wrinkled his nose frowning there was a vague odor in the air a faint scent of something unpleasant something familiar he stood in the doorway another moment trying to place the smell one summer when he was a kid the chain had come off his bike when he'd been out on a ride with some friends he'd ended up in a ditch about six inches away

from a choice bit of roadkill the dried-up pulpy remains of what once might have been a woodchuck time and the summer heat had dissipated the worst of the stink though what had remained had been bad enough much to the amusement of his buddies he'd vomited his lunch all over the carcass taking a deep breath then puked again he still remembered the sun-baked scent of drying rot like thickly soured milk and vial the same smell that lingered in the corridor now like a bad dream thump a soft shuffling noise from behind the first door to his

right like a padded fist sliding across the wall there was someone on the other side chris edged into the hallway and moved toward the door careful not to turn his back to the unsecured area as he got closer the gentle sounds of movement stopped and he could see that the door wasn't closed all the way no time like the present with an easy tap the door swung inward into a dim hall with green flecked Wallpaper a broad shouldered man was standing not 20 feet away half hidden in shadow his back to chris he turned around

slowly the careful shuffling of someone drunk or injured and the smell that chris had noticed before came off of the man in thick noxious waves his clothes were tattered and stained the back of his head patchy with sparse scraggly hair gotta be sick dying maybe whatever was wrong with him chris didn't like it his instincts were screaming at him to do something he stepped into the corridor and train is beretta on the man's torso hold it don't move the man completed his turn and started toward chris shambling forward into the light his its face was

deathly pale except for the blood smeared around its rotting lips flaps of dried skin hug from its sunken cheeks and the dark wells of the creature's eye sockets glittered with hunger as it reached out with skeletal hands chris fired three shots that smacked into the creature's upper chest in a fine spray of crimson with a gasping moan it crumpled to the floor dead chris staggered back his thoughts racing in time with his hammering heart he hit the door with one shoulder was vaguely aware that it latched clothes behind him as he stared at the fallen

stinking heap dead that thing's the walking goddamn dead the cannibal attacks in raccoon all of them near the forest he'd seen enough late night movies to know what he was looking at but he still couldn't believe it zombies no No way that was fiction but maybe some kind of a disease mimicking the symptoms he had to tell the others he turned and grabbed at the handle but the heavy door wouldn't move it must have locked itself when he'd stumbled behind him a wet movement chris fine eyes wide as the twitching creature clawed at the wooden

door pulling itself toward him in an eager single-minded silence chris realized that it was drooling and the sight of the sticky pink rivulets pulling to the wood floor finally spurred him to action he fired again two shots into the thing's decaying upturned face dark holes opened up in its knobby skull sending tiny rivers of fluid and fleshy tissue through its lower jaw with a heavy sigh the rotting thing settled to the floor in a spreading red lake chris didn't want to make any bets on it staying down he gave one more futile yank on the

door and then stepped carefully past the body moving down the corridor he rattled the handle of the door on his left but it was locked there was a tiny etching in the keyplate what looked like a sword he filed that bit of information into his confused whirling thoughts and continued on gripping the beretta tightly there was an offshoot to his right with a single door but he ignored it wanting to find a way to circle back to the front hall the others must have heard the shots but he had to assume that there were more

creatures running around here like the one he'd killed the rest of the team might already have their hands full there was a door at the end of the hall on the left where the corridor turned chris hurried toward it the putrid scent of the creature the zombie call it what It is making him want to gag as he neared the door he realized that the smell was actually getting worse intensifying with each step he heard the soft hungry moan as his hand touched the knob even as it registered that he only had two bullets left

in his clip in the shadows to his right movement gotta reload get somewhere safe chris jerked the door open and stepped into the arms of the shambling creature that waited on the other side its peeling fingers grasping at him as it lunged for his throat three shots two seconds later two more the sounds distant but distinct in the palatial lobby chris jill why don't you wester started but barry didn't let him finish i'm going too he said already starting for the door on the east wall chris wouldn't waste shots like that unless he had to

he needed help wesker relented quickly nodding go i'll wait here barry opened the door jill right behind they walked into a huge dining room not as wide as the front hall but at least as long there was another door at the opposite end past a grandfather clock that ticked loudly in the frigid dusty air barry jogged toward it revolver in hand feeling tense and worried christ what a balls up this operation was stars teams were often sent into risky situations where the circumstances were unusual but this was the first time since he'd been a rookie

that barry felt like things had gone totally out of control joseph was dead chicken heart bickers had left them to be eaten by dogs from hell and now chris was in trouble Wester shouldn't have sent him in alone jill reached the door first touching the handle with slim fingers and looking to him barry nodded and she pushed it open going in low and left barry took the other side both of them sweeping an empty corridor chris jill called out quietly but there was no answer barry scowled sniffing the air something smelled like rotting fruit i'll

check the doors barry said jill nodded and edged to the left alert and focused barry moved toward the first door feeling good that jill was at his back he thought she was kind of when she'd first transferred but she was proving to be a bright and capable soldier a welcome addition to the alphas jill let out a high-pitched gasp with surprise and berry spun the scent of decay suddenly thick in the narrow hall jill was backing away from an opening at the end of the corridor her weapon trained on something barry couldn't see stop her

voice was high and shaky her expression horrified and she fired once twice still backing toward barry her breathing fast and shallow get clear left he raised the cult as she moved out of the way as a tall man stepped into view the figure's arms were stretched out like a sleepwalkers the hands frail and grasping barry saw the creature's face then and didn't hesitate he fired a 3-5-7 round peeling the top of its ashen skull away in an explosive burst blood coursing down its strange terrible features and staining the cataracts of its pale rolling eyes it

pitched back sprawling face up at jill's feet very hurried to her side Stunned what he started then saw what was sitting on the carpet in front of them laying in the small sitting area that marked the end of the corridor for a moment barry thought it was chris until he saw the star's bravo insignia on the vest and felt a different kind of horror set in as he struggled to recognize the features the bravo had been decapitated the head laying a foot away from the corpse the face completely covered in gore oh geez it's ken

kenneth sullivan one of the best field scouts barry had ever known in the hell of a nice guy there was a gaping ragged wound in his chest chunks of partly eaten tissue and gut strewn around the bloody hole his left hand was missing and there was no weapon nearby it must have been his gun that joseph had found out in the woods barry looked away sickened ken had been a quiet decent sort did a lot of work in chemistry he'd had a teenage son who lived with his ex in california barry thought of his own

girls at home moira and polly and felt a surge of helpless fear for them he wasn't afraid of death but the thought of them growing up without a father jill dropped into a crouch next to his ravaged body and rifled quickly through the belt pack she shot an apologetic look at barry but he gave her a slight nod they needed the ammo ken certainly didn't she came up with two clips for a nine millimeter and tucked them into her hip pocket barry turned and stared down at ken's murderer in disgust and wonder he had no

doubt that he was looking at one of the cannibal killers that had Been preying upon raccoon city it had a crusty scum of red around its mouth and gore encrusted nails as well as a ragged shirt that was stiff with dried blood what was weird was how dead it looked barry had once done a covert hostage rescue in ecuador where a group of farmers had been held for weeks by a band of insane gorilla rebels several of the hostages had been killed early in the siege and after the stars managed to capture the rebels berry

had gone with one of the survivors to record the deaths the four victims had been shot their bodies dumped behind the small wooden shock that the rebels had taken over after three weeks in the south american sun the skin on their faces had shriveled the crackling lying flesh pulling away from sinew and bone he still remembered those faces clearly and saw them again now as he looked down at the fallen creature it wore the face of death besides which it smells like a slaughterhouse on a hot day somebody forgot to tell this guy that dead

people don't walk around he could see the same sickened confusion on jill's face the same questions in her eyes but for now there weren't any answers they had to find chris and regroup together they moved back down the corridor and checked all three doors rattling handles and pushing at the heavywood frames all were securely locked but chris had to have gone through one of them there was nowhere else he could have gone it didn't make sense and short of breaking the doors down there's nothing they could do about it we should report this to wesker

jill said and bury nodded agreement if they'd Stumbled into the hiding place of the killers they were going to need a plan of attack they ran back through the dining room the stale air or relief after the corridor's reek of blood and decay they reached the door back to the main hall and hurried through very wondering what the captain would make of all this it was downright barry stopped short searching the elegant empty hall and feeling like the butt of some practical joke that simply wasn't funny wesker was gone chapter 6 wesker very shouted his

deep voice echoing through the chilly room captain wesker he jogged toward a row of arches at the back of the hall calling to jill over his shoulder as he ran don't leave the room jill walked to the stairs feeling almost dizzy first chris now a captain they hadn't been gone five minutes and he'd said he was going to stay put why would he have left she looked around for signs of a struggle a spent cartridge a spot of blood there was nothing to indicate what might have happened barry appeared on the other side of the

giant staircase shaking his head and walking slowly to join her jill bit her lower lip frowning you think wesker ran into one of those things she asked barry sighed i don't think the rpd showed and snuck him out though if he did run into trouble we would have heard the shots not necessarily he could have been ambushed dragged away they stood silently for a moment thinking jill was still a bit shaken from the face to face with a walking corpse but thought she'd accepted the facts pretty well the woods bordering raccoon city had become infested

with zombies after a lifetime of reading trashy novels about Serial killers is the cannibal zombie so hard to swallow somehow it wasn't and neither were the murderous dogs or the secretly kept estate there was no question that it all existed the question was why did the mansion have anything to do with the murders or had the zombies simply overrun it like they'd overrun raccoon forest and was that creature the last thing becky and pris saw she rejected that thought almost violently thinking about the girls now would be a mistake so do we go looking or

do we wait jill said finally go looking ken made it here the rest of the bravos could be somewhere in this house it'd be easy enough to get lost chris he half smiled though jill could see the worry in his eyes chris and wesker got sidetracked but we'll find them it'd take more than a couple of walking stiffs to cause either of them any grief he reached into a pocket in his vest and pulled out something wrapped in a handkerchief heading it to her she felt the thin metal objects beneath the light fabric and recognized

them instantly it's the set you gave me to practice with last month he said i figure you'll have better luck with them jill nodded tucking the lockpicks into her hip pouch barry had taken an interest in her former career and she'd given him a few pieces from her old set several picks and torsion bars they could come in handy the small bundle settled on top of something hard and smooth trent's computer in all the excitement she totally forgotten about her strange encounter in the locker room she opened her mouth to tell barry then shut it

remembering trent's cryptic warning i Wouldn't mention this conversation to anyone screw that she'd almost risked it anyway with chris and where is chris now who's to say that trent's dire consequences haven't already occurred jill realized what she was thinking and had to fight off an urge to laugh at herself what had happened with trent probably wasn't even relevant to their predicament and whether or not she could trust barry she knew she didn't trust trent still she decided not to say anything about it at least until she had a chance to see what the computer held

i think we should split up barry continued i know it's dangerous but we need to cover a lot of ground we find anybody we meet back here use this room as base rubbing at his beard he fixed her with a serious gaze you up for this jill we could search together no you're right she said i can take the west wing unlike cops stars seldom partnered they were trained to watch their own backs in dangerous situations okay i'll go back and see if i can persuade one of those doors to open keep an eye out

for a back exit conserve ammo and be careful you too barry grind holding up his colt python i'll be fine there was nothing left to say jill headed straight for the set of doors on the west wall that wesker hadn't tried earlier behind her barry hurried back to the dining room she heard the door open and closed leaving her alone here goes nothing the painted blue door is open smoothly revealing a small shadowy room as cool and silent as the main hall all in shades of blue muted track lighting Illuminated framed paintings on dusky walls

and in the center of the room was a large statue of a woman holding an urn on one shoulder jill closed the door behind her and let her eyes adjust to the gloom noting the two doors opposite the one she'd come through the one on the left was open though a small chest was pushed in front of it blocking access it was unlikely that wesker had gone that way she walked to the one on the right and tried the knob locked sighing she reached into her pack for the pics and then hesitated feeling the smooth

weight of the minidisc reader let's see what mr trent thinks is so important she slipped it out and studied at a moment then tapped at a switch a screen the size of a baseball card flickered to life and with a few more taps small lines of type scrolled across the monitor she scanned the material recognizing names and dates from local newspapers trent had apparently compiled every article he could find about the murders and disappearances in raccoon plus the pieces on the stars nothing new here jill skipped along wondering what the point was after the articles

was a list of names william birkin steve keller michael deez john howe martin crackhorn henry sarton ellen smith bill rabbitson she frowned none of the names were familiar except wasn't bill rabidson chris's friend the one who had worked for umbrella she couldn't be sure she'd have to ask chris assuming we find him this was a waste of time she needed to start looking for the other stars she pressed the forwarding key to get to the end of the data and a picture appeared tiny lines set into patterns There were squares and long rectangles cross-hatched with

smaller marks that connected the empty boxes beneath it was a single line a message as enigmatic as she could have expected from mr trent knight keys tiger eyes four crests gate of new life east eagle west wolf g how illuminating that just clears up everything doesn't it the picture was some kind of map she decided it looked like a floor plan the biggest area was at the center a slightly smaller one extending off to the left jill suddenly felt her heart skip a beat she stared down at the small screen wondering how trent had known

it was the mansion's first floor she tapped the forward button again and saw what could only be the second floor the shapes corresponding to the first map there was nothing after the second map but it was enough as far as she was concerned there was no longer any question that the spencer state was the source of the terror in raccoon city which meant that the answers were here waiting to be uncovered the zombie groaned as chris fired point blank into its gut twice the shots were muffled by its ransomed flesh and it fell against him

expelling a rush of foul stinking air across his face chris pushed it away the back of his throat locking his hands in the barrel of his weapon were dripping with sticky fluids the creature collapsed to the floor its limbs spasming chris backed away wiping the beretta against his vest as he took deep breaths trying desperately not to vomit the zombie out in the hall had been a desiccated mess shriveled and dry this one was fresh if that was the right word Festering necrotic wet he swallowed hard and the urge to throw up slowly passed he

didn't have a particularly weak stomach but that smell god keep it together could be more of them the hall he'd entered was all dark wood and dim light for the moment there was no sound except the pulse of blood in his ears he looked down at the body wondering exactly what it was what it had been he had felt its hot feet breath against his face it wasn't a reanimated corpse no matter what it looked like he decided it didn't matter for all intents and purposes it was a zombie it had tried to bite him

and creatures like it had already chowed down on some of raccoon's population he needed to find his way back to the others and they had to get out get help they didn't have the firepower to handle the situation alone he ejected the empty clip from the gummy weapon and quickly reloaded his chest tightening with stress 15 rounds left he had a bowie knife but the thought of going up against a zombie with only a knife wasn't all that appealing there is a plain looking door to his left chris pulled at the knob but it was

locked he squinted at the keyplate and wasn't all that surprised to see an etching of what looked like armor sword armor there was a definite theme developing he moved down the wide hall listening for any sound and taking frequent deep breaths through his nose the goo on his vest and hands made it hard to tell if there were any more of them around the smell was all over him but it could be his only chance to avoid another close Encounter the hall turned to the left and he took the corner fast sweeping the beretta across

the wide wooden expanse there was a support pillar partially blocking his view but he could see the back of a man just past it the slump shoulders and stained clothes of one of the creatures chris quickly edged to the right trying to get a clear shot the zombie was maybe 40 feet away and he didn't want to waste his last rounds at the sound of his boots against the hardwood floor it turned shuffling slowly so slowly that chris hesitated watching the way it moved this one seemed to have dipped in a thin layer of slime

dull light reflecting off of its glistening skin as it stumbled almost blindly towards chris it slowly raised its arms its pale hairless skull wobbling on its emaciated neck silently it shuffled forward chris took a sliding step back to his left and the zombie change direction veering toward him eagerly closing the distance between them at a slow walk just like in the movies dangerous but dumb and easy to outrun he had to save ammo in case he got cornered there were stairs at the end of the hall and chris took a deep breath readying himself he

stepped back giving himself enough room to maneuver and heard a gasping moan behind him a fresh wave of rancid stink assaulting his senses he spun the realization hitting him even before he saw it the festering zombie was only a few feet away reaching for him bits of its putrid guts spilling out across its shattered abdomen he hadn't killed it hadn't waited long enough to make sure and his stupidity was about to cost him ah chris sprinted away and down the Corridor dodging both of them and cursing himself he passed the thick support beam almost to

the stairs and stopped cold seeing what waited at the top he caught only a glimpse of the ragged creature standing at the head of the stairs and spun away raising his weapon to face the attackers that shambled toward him hungrily from the shadows beneath the steps came a heavy gurgling sigh and the scuffing of wood another one he was trapped there was no way he could kill them all door it faced the side of the stairs the dark wood blending so well with the shadows that he almost hadn't seen it chris ran for it grabbing

at the handle praying that it would be open as around him the creatures closed in if it was locked he was dead rebecca chambers had never been more afraid not once in her 18 years for what seemed like an eternity she'd listen to the soft scrape of rotting flesh brushing against the door and tried desperately to think of a plan her dread building with each passing minute there was no lock in the door and she lost her handgun on the run for the house the small storage room though well stocked with chemicals and stacks of

papers had offered nothing to use as a defense except a half empty can of insect repellent it was the kanchi grip now standing behind the door of the tiny room if or when the monsters finally figured out how to use a doorknob she planned on spraying it in their eyes and then making a run for it maybe they'll be laughing so hard i'll have a chance to slip past bug spray great weapon she had heard what could have been shot somewhere close by but they weren't repeated her hope that it was one of the team

faded as the seconds Ticked past and she was starting to give serious consideration to the concept that she was the only one left when the door burst open and a gasping figure hurtled inside rebecca didn't hesitate she left forward and pressed the button releasing a cloud of chemical mist into its face tensing herself to run past it gah it yelled and fell back against the door slamming it shut it covered its eyes spluttering it wasn't a monster she just maced one of the alphas oh no rebecca was already reaching into her field medical kit her

immense relief at seeing another of the stars battling with monumental embarrassment she fumbled out a clean cloth in a tiny squeeze bottle of water stepping toward him keep your eyes closed don't rub at them the alpha dropped his hands face red and she finally recognized him it was chris redfield only the most attractive guy in the stars not to mention her superior she felt herself blush and was suddenly glad that he couldn't see her nice going rebecca way to make a good impression on your first operation lose your gun get lost blind a teammate she

led him over to the small car in the corner of the room and sat him down letting her training take over lean your head back this is going to sting a little but it's just water okay she dabbed at his eyes with a damp cloth relieved that she hadn't sprayed him with anything worse what was that stuff he said blinking rapidly tears in water streamed down his face but there didn't seem to be any damage uh bug repellent the label's been ripped Off but the active ingredient is probably permephrine it's an irritant but the effect

shouldn't last long i lost my gun and when you came in i thought you were one of those things though if they hadn't figured out how to use the doorknob by now they probably won't she realized she was babbling and shut up finishing the crude irrigation and stepping back chris wiped his face and peered up at her with bloodshot eyes rebecca chambers right she nodded miserably yeah look i'm really sorry don't worry about it he said and smiled not a bad weapon actually he stood up and looked around the small room frowning there wasn't much

to see an open trunk full of papers a shelf lined with bottles of mostly unlabeled chemicals a cot and a desk rebecca had been through it all in her search for something to use against the creatures what about the rest of your team he asked rebecca shook her head i don't know something went wrong with the helicopter and we had to set down we were attacked by animals some kind of dogs and enrico told us to run for cover she shrugged suddenly feeling like she was about 12 years old i got turned around in the

woods and ended up at the front door of this place i think one of the others broke it down it was open she trailed off looking away from his intense gaze the rest was probably obvious she had no weapon she'd gotten lost she'd ended up here all in all a pretty poor showing hey he said softly there's nothing else you could have done enrico said run you Ran you followed orders those creatures out there the zombies they're all over the place i got lost too and the rest of the alphas could be anywhere trust me

just the fact that you made it this far outside one of the monsters let out a low plaintiff whale and chris stopped talking his expression grim rebecca shuddered so what do we do now we look for the others and try to find a way out he sighed looking down at his weapon except you don't have a gun and i'm almost out of ammo rebecca brightened and reached into her hip pack she pulled out two full magazines and handed them over pleased that she had something to offer him oh and i found this on the desk

she said and produced a silver key with a sword on it she didn't know what it unlocked but thought it might be useful chris stared at it thoughtfully then slipped it into a pocket he walked to the open trunk and looked down at the stacks of papers he rifled through them frowning your background's in chemistry right have you looked through these rebecca joined him shaking her head barely i've been kind of busy watching the door he handed her one of the papers and she scanned it quickly it was a list of neurotransmitters and level indicators

brain chemistry she said but these numbers were all screwed up the serotonin and norepinephrine are too low but look here the dopamine is off the chart we're talking big time schizo she noticed the incredulous look on his face and smiled a little being an 18 year old college grad she got a lot of that the stars had recruited her right After graduation promising her a whole team of researchers and a lab of her own to study molecular biology her real passion provided of course that she went through basic training and got some field experience no

one else had shown much interest in hiring a whiz kid there was a soft thump at the door and her smile faded she was getting experience alright chris fished the sword key out of his pocket and looked at her seriously i passed a door with a sword engraved over the keyhole i'm going to go check it out see if it leads back to the main hall i want you to stay here and go through those files maybe there's something we can use her uncertainty must have showed in her face he smiled gently his voice low

and soothing i've got plenty of ammo thanks to you and i won't be gone long she nodded making a conscious effort to relax she was scared but letting him see it wasn't going to help matters he was probably scared too he walked to the door still talking the rpd should be here anytime so if i don't come back right away just wait here he raised the weapon putting his other hand on the knob get ready as soon as i mount move the trunk in front of the door i'll give a yell when i get back

rebecca nodded again and with a final quick smile chris opened the door and looked both ways before moving out into the hall she closed the door and leaned against it listening after long seconds of silence she heard the rattle of gunfire not far away five or six shots then nothing after a few minutes she moved the trunk to block part of the door edging it in front of the hinges so she Could push it out of the way easily she knelt in front of it trying to clear her thoughts as she started looking through the

papers trying not to feel as young and unsure as she actually felt sighing she pulled out a handful of papers and started to read chapter seven the lock was a piece of cake three flat tumblers in a single row jill could have opened it with a couple of paper clips according to the map the door would open into a long haul sure enough she took another long look at the pocket computer screen and then slipped it into her pack thinking it looked like there was a back way out through several halls and past a series

of rooms she could look for wesker and the others along the way and maybe secure an escape route at the same time she stepped into the narrow corridor the fully loaded beretta in hand it was a study and weirdness the hall wasn't all that spectacular the carpet runner and the wallpaper done in basic tans and browns the wide windows showing only the darkness outside the display chests that line the inner wall though there were three of them each topped by a small lamp and each prominently displaying a wide array of bleached human bones on open

shelves interspersed with small items of obscurity jill started down the hall stopping briefly at each bizarre spectacle skulls arm and leg bones hands and feet there were at least three complete skeletons and amidst the pale and pitted bones were feathers clay beads gnarled strips of leather jill picked up one of the leather strips and then put it down quickly wiping her fingers on her pants she couldn't be sure but it felt like she imagined tanned cured human skin would feel stiff And kind of greasy crash the window behind her exploded inward a live sinui form

lunging into the hall growling and snapping it was one of the mutant killing hounds its eyes as red as its dripping hide it charged her its teeth as bright and dangerous as the jagged glitter of glass still falling from the shattered frame back between two of the chests jill fired the angle was wrong the bullet splintering the wood at her feet as the dog jumped at her growling deep in its throat it hit her in the thighs slamming her painfully against the wall gnashing to get its jaws at her flesh the smell of rotting meat

washed over her and she fired again and again barely aware that she was moaning in fear and disgust a sound as guttural and primal as the furious dying shrieks that came from the canine abomination the fifth bullet fired directly into its barrel chest knocked it away with a final almost puppyish yelp it crumpled to the floor blood gushing into the tan carpet jill kept her weapon trained on the still form gulping air and huge shuttery breaths its limbs twitched suddenly its massive claws beating a brief tattoo across the wet red floor before it lays still

again jill relaxed recognizing the movement as a death spasm the body releasing life she'd have bruises but the dog was dead she brushed her bangs out of her eyes and crouched down next to it taking in the strange exposed musculature and huge jaws it had been too dark and hectic on the runt of the house to get a good look at the things that had killed joseph but in the bright light of the corridor her initial impression wasn't changed it Looked like a skinned dog she stood up and backed away wearily eyeing the rove windows

in the hall obviously they offered no protection for the hazards outside the corridor took a sharp left and she hurried on past more of the macabre displays that decorated the inner wall the door at the end of the long haul was unlocked it opened into another hall not as well lit as the first but at least not as creepy either the muted grey-green wallpaper sported paintings of generic scenery and gentle landscapes not a bone or fetish in sight the first door on the right was locked a carving of armor on the keyplate you'll remember the

list on the computer something about night keys but decided not to bother with it for now according to trent's map there was a room on the other side that didn't lead anywhere besides if wesker had come this way she didn't imagine that he was locking doors behind him right just like it was unlikely that chris would disappear don't assume anything about this place the next door she tried opened into a small bathroom with an antique feel complete with a ceiling fan and an old-fashioned four-footed tub there is no sign of recent use she stood for

a moment in the stale tiny room breathing deeply feeling the aftermath of the adrenaline rush she'd had in the corridor growing up she learned how to enjoy the thrill of danger of sneaking in and out of strange places with only a handful of tools and her own wits to keep her safe since joining the stars that youthful excitement had faded away lost to the realities of backup and handguns but here it was again unexpected and not unwelcome She couldn't lie to herself about the simple joy that often followed facing death and walking away she felt

good alive let's not have a party just yet her mind whispered sarcastically or have you forgotten that stars are being eaten in this hell hole jill stepped back into the silent hallway and edged around another corner wondering if barry had found chris and if either of them had run across any of the bravos she felt like she had an advantage with the maps and decided that once she checked out the possible escape she'd go back to the main hall and wait for barry with the information on trent's computer they could search more quickly and thoroughly

the corridor ended with two doors facing each other the one on the right was the one she wanted she tried the handle and was rewarded with a soft snick of the bolt retracting she stepped into a dark hall and saw one of the zombies a hulking pale shadow standing next to a door maybe 10 feet away as she raised her weapon the creature started toward her emitting soft hunger sounds from its decaying lips one of its arms hung limply at its side and although jill could see jagged bone protruding from the shoulder it still clenched

and unclenched its rotting fist eagerly as it reached out with its other arm the head aim for the head the shots were incredibly loud in the chilly gloom the first blowing off its left ear the second and third punching holes into its skull just above its pallid brow dark fluid streamed down the peeling face and it fell to its knees its flat lifeless eyes rolling back into its head there was shuffling movement in the shadows at the back of the hall to the Right exactly where she meant to go jill trained the gun on the

darkness and waited for it to move closer her entire body wired with tension how many of these things are there as soon as the zombie cleared the corner she fired the beretta jumping lightly in her sweating hands the second shot punctured its right eye and it immediately collapsed to the dark polished wood of the floor the sticky viscous matter of the blown eyeball flecked across its skeletal face jill waited but other than the spreading pools of blood around the dead creatures nothing moved breathing through her mouth to avoid the worst of the stench she hurried

to the back of the hall and turned right down a short tight passage that dead ended at a rusting metal door it creaked open and fresh air flooded past her warm and clean after the morgue-like chill of the house jill grinned hearing the drone of cicadas and crickets in the night air she had reached the final leg of her little excursion and although she wasn't outside yet the sounds and smells of the forest renewed her sense of accomplishment got a secured path now straight to the back of this place we can head north hit one

of the logging roads and hike down to the barricade she stepped out onto a covered walkway a mosaic of green stones surrounded by high concrete walls there were small intermittent openings near the ceiling of the pathway accounting for the faint pine scented breeze ivy trickled down from the arched openings like a reminder of the outside world she hurried down the dim passage remembering from the map that there was a single room at the end and to the right probably a storage shed she turned The corner and stopped at another heavy-looking metal door her smile fading

as she reflexively reached for the handle the keyhole was plugged she crouched and poked at the tiny hole but to no avail someone had stopped it up with epoxy to the left of the door was some kind of diagram set into the concrete made of dull copper there were four hexagonal depressions in the flat metal plate each fist-sized hole connected to the next by a thin line jill squinted at the legend etched beneath wishing that she had a flashlight as she struggled to make out the words she brushed a thin layer of dust off of

the indented letters and tried again when the sun sets in the west and the moon rises in the east stars will begin to appear in the sky and wind will blow toward the ground then the gate of new life will open she blinked four hulls trent's list four crests and something about the gate of new life it's a combination mechanism for the lock place the four crests the door opens except that means i have to find them first jill pushed against the door and felt her hope fizzle out completely not even a rattle no give

at all they were going to have to find another way out unless the cross could be found which in this place could take years a lone howl rose in the distance and was joined by the echoing cries of the dogs near the mansion the strange yodeling sounds piercing the gentle quiet of the woods there had to be dozens of them out there and jill realized suddenly that escaping out the back door probably wasn't such a hot idea she had limited ammunition for a handgun and no doubts that there were more Ghoulish creatures wandering the halls

shuffling about in a hungry mindless silence as they search for their next grisly meal she sighed heavily and started back to the house already dreading the cold stench of death and trying to prepare herself for the dangers that seemed to lurk at every corner the stars were trapped chris knew he had to make the ammo count so when he left for becca he took off through the dim corridor at a full run his boots pounding at the wood floor there were still only three of them all grouped near the stairs he dodged past them easily

and sprinted down the hall and around the corner as soon as he got to the door that led back to the other hall he turned and assumed a classic shooter stance supporting his gun hand at the wrist his finger on the trigger one by one the zombies reeled around the corner groaning and stumbling chris took careful aim breathing evenly keeping his focus he squeezed the trigger sending two bullets through the gangrenous nose of the first without pausing he sent a third shot into the center of the next zombie's forehead fluid and soft matter sprayed the

wall behind them as the bullets slapped into the wood even as they crumpled to the floor he'd found his mark on the third creature two more muted explosions and the zombie's brow caved inward dropping it like the bag of bones that it was chris lowered the beretta feeling a flush of pride he was a high-ranked marksman even had a couple of awards to show for it but it was still good to see what he could do when given enough time to aim his quickdraw wasn't nearly as strong that was barry's forte he reached for the

door handle urged into action by the thought of all that was at stake he figured the alphas could take care of Themselves they had as much of a chance as he did but this was rebecca's first operation and she didn't even have a gun he needed to get her out he stepped back into the soft light of the hall with a green wallpaper quickly checking both directions straight ahead the corridor was in heavier shadow no way to tell if it was clear to his right was the door with the sword on the keyplate and the

first zombie he'd shot still sprawled lifelessly across the floor chris was gratifying to see that it hadn't moved apparently head shots were the best way to kill a zombie just like in the movies chris entered the sword door training his weapon left then right then left again he'd had enough surprises for one day he checked the small offshoot across from the door and seeing that it was clear quickly inserted the slender key into the lock it turned smoothly chris stepped into a small bedroom only slightly better lit than the corridor a single bright lamp on

a desk in one corner it was all clear unless there was something hiding under the narrow cot or maybe in the closet across from the desk he shuddered closing the door behind him it was every kid's first set of fears and had been his too monsters in the closet and the thing that lived under the bed waiting for the careless child's ankle to come within reach and you're how old now chris shook off the case of nerves embarrassed at his imaginative wanderings he walked slowly around the room looking for anything that might be helpful there

was no other door no path back to the main hall but maybe he could find a better weapon for rebecca than a can of bug spray besides an oak table and bookshelf there Was a small unmade bed and a study desk in the room nothing more he quickly rifled through the books then moved around the foot of the bed to the desk there was a slim volume next to the desk lamp the fabric cover entitled a journal and although the desk was coated in dust the diary had been moved recently intrigued chris picked it up

and flipped to the last few pages maybe there was a clue as to what the hell was going on he sat on the edge of the cot and started to read may 9th 1998 played poker tonight with scott and alias from security and steve from research steve was the big winner but i think he was cheating scumbag chris smiled a little at that he skipped down to the next entry and a smile froze his heart seeming to pause in mid-beat may 10 1998 one of the higher-ups assigned me to take care of a new experiment

it looks like a skinned gorilla feeding instructions were to give it live animals when i threw in a pig the creature seemed to play with it tearing off the pig's legs and pulling out the guts before it actually started eating experiment could the writer be talking about the zombies chris read on excited by the find the diary obviously belonged to someone who worked here had to be meaning that the cover-up was even bigger than he'd suspected may 11th 1998 at around 5am scott woke me up scared the out of me too he was wearing a

protective garment that looked like a spacesuit he handed me another one and told me to put it on said there had been an accident in the basement lab i just knew something like this would Happen those in research never rest even at night may 12 1998. i've been wearing the damn spacesuit since yesterday my skin's getting grimy and feels itchy all over the goddamn dogs had been looking at me funny so i decided not to feed them today screw em may 13th 1998 went to the infirmary because my back is all swollen and feels itchy

they put a big bandage on it and told me i didn't need to wear the suit anymore all i want to do is sleep may 14 1998 found another blister on my foot this morning i ended up dragging my foot all the way to the dog's pen they were quiet all day which is weird then i realized some of them had escaped if anybody finds out i'll have my head handed to me may 15 1998 my first day off in a long time and i feel like decided to go visit nancy anyway but when i

tried to lead the estate i was stopped by the guards they said the companies ordered that no one leave the grounds i can't even make a phone call all the phones have been ripped out what kind of is this may 16 1998 rumors going around that a researcher who tried to escape the estate last night was shot my entire body feels hot and itchy and i'm sweating all the time now i scratched the swelling on my arm and a piece of rotten flesh just dropped off wasn't until i realized the smell was making me hungry

that i got violently sick the writing had become shaky chris turned the page and could barely Read the last few lines the words scrolled haphazardly across the paper may 19th fever gone but itchy hungry and eat doggy food itchy itchy scot came ugly face so killed him tasty four slash slash itchy tasty the rest of the pages were blank chris stood up and slipped the journal inside his vest his thoughts racing some of the pieces were finally fitting into place secret research at a secretly kept estate an accident in a hidden lab an escaped virus

or infection of some kind that altered the people working here changing them into ghouls and some of them got out the murders and attacks on raccoon started in late may coinciding with the effects of the accident the chronology made sense but exactly what kind of research was being done here and how deeply involved was umbrella how involved was billy he didn't want to think about that but even as he tried to clear his mind of the thought a new one occurred to him what if it was still contagious he hurried to the door suddenly desperate

to get back to rebecca with the news with her training maybe she could figure out what had been unleashed in a secret lab on the estate chris swallowed heavily even now he and the other stars could be infected chapter 8 after jill and berry went their separate ways busker stayed crouched on the balcony in the main hall thinking he knew that time was of the essence but he wanted to outline a few possible scenarios before he acted he'd already made mistakes and didn't want to make any more of them the raccoon alphas Were a bright

group making his margin for error very slim indeed he had received his orders a couple of days ago but hadn't expected to be in a position to carry them out so soon the bravo team's copter going down had been a fluke as had brad vickers his sudden display of cowardice still he should have been more prepared being caught with his pants down like this went against his grain it was so unprofessional he sighed putting the thoughts aside there would be time for self-recrimination later he hadn't expected to end up here but here he was and

kicking himself for lack of foresight wasn't going to change anything besides there was too much to do he knew the grounds of the estate fairly well and the labs like the back of his hand but he'd only been inside the mansion a few times and not at all since he'd been officially transferred to raccoon city the place was a maze designed by a genius architect at the bidding of a madman spencer was bats no two ways about it and he'd had the house built with all kinds of tricky little mechanisms a lot of that silly

spy crap that had been so popular in the late 60s spy crap that's going to make this job twice as hard as it needs to be hidden keys secret tunnels it's like i'm trapped in an espionage thriller complete with mad scientists and a ticking clock his original plan had been to lead both the alpha and bravo teams to the estate and clear the area before he proceeded to the lower labs and wrap things up he had the master keys and codes of course they had been sent along with his orders and would open most of

the doors and the estate the problem was there was no key to the Door that led to the garden it had a puzzle lock and was currently the only way to get to the labs outside of walking through the woods which ain't gonna happen the dogs would be on me before i could take two steps and if the one two ones got out wesker shuddered remembering the incident with the rookie guard who'd gotten too close to one of the cages a year or so back the kid had been dead before he could even open his

mouth to call for help wesker had no intention of going back outside without an army to back him up the last contact with the estate had been over six weeks ago a hysterical call from michael dies to one of the suits in the white office the doctor had sealed the mansion hiding the four pieces of the puzzle lock in a fruitless effort to keep any more of the virus carriers from reaching the house by then they were all infected and suffering from a kind of paranoid mania one of the more charming side effects of the

virus god only knew what tricks and traps that researchers down in the labs had screwed with as they slowly lost their minds dees had been no exception although he had managed to hold out longer than most of the others something to do with individual metabolism or so wesker been told the company had already decided to call a complete wipe though the babbling scientist had been assured that help was on the way wesker had enjoyed a good laugh over that one there was no way the white boys would risk further infection they'd sat in their hands

for almost two months while raccoons suffered the consequences letting the incompetent rpd investigate while the virus gradually lost its punch and then sent him in to clean up the mess which by now was considerable the captain absently ran his fingers across the plush carpet trying to remember details of the briefing about Dee's call whether he liked it or not everything had to be taken care of tonight he had to collect the required evidence and get to the labs and that meant finding the pieces of the puzzle lock these had been mostly incoherent ranting about murders

crows and giant spiders but he had insisted that the crest keys to the puzzle lock were hidden where only spencer could find them and that made sense everyone who worked in the house knew about spencer's penchant for cloak and dagger mechanisms unfortunately for wesker he hadn't bothered learning much about the mansion since he never thought he'd need the information he remembered a few of the more colorful hiding places the statue of the tiger with mismatched eyes came to mind as did the armor display room with the gas and the secret room to the library but

i don't have time to go through all of them not by myself wesker grinned suddenly and stood up amazed that he hadn't thought of it already who said he had to be by himself he ditched the stars to map out a new plan and search for the cress but there is no reason that he had to do everything chris wasn't viable he was too gung-ho and joe was still an unknown quantity barry though barry burton was a family man and both jill and chris trusted him and while they're all still fumbling around in the house

i can get to the triggering system and then get the hell out mission complete still grinning wester walked to the door that led to the dining room balcony surprised to find that he was looking forward to his little adventure it was a chance to test his skills against the rest of the team and against the accidental test subjects that were surely still lurching around not to Mention old spencer himself and if he pulled it off he was going to be a very rich man this might actually turn out to be fun chapter nine claw jill

whipped her beretta toward the sound the mournful shriek echoing all around as the door slipped closed behind her then she saw the source of the noise and relaxed smiling nervously what the hell are they doing in here she was still in the back part of the house and it decided to check out a few of the other rooms before heading back to the main hall the first door she tried had been locked a carving of the helmet on the key plate her picks had been useless the lock-a-type she'd never encountered so she'd decided to try

her luck on the door across the hall it had opened easily enough and she'd gone in ready for anything though about the last thing she'd expected to see was a flock of crows perched along the support bar for the track lighting that ran the length of the room another of the large black birds let out its morose shriek and jill shivered at the sound there were at least a dozen of them ruffling their shiny feathers and watching her with bright beady eyes as she quickly surveyed the room for threats it was clear the u-shaped chamber

she'd entered was as cold as the rest of the house perhaps colder and empty of furniture it was a viewing hall nothing but portraits and paintings lining the inner wall black feathers lay scattered across the worn wooden floor amidst dried mounds of bird droppings and joe wondered again how the crows had gotten inside and how long they'd been there there was definitely something strange about their appearance they seemed much larger than normal crows and they studied her with an intensity that seemed almost Unnatural jill shivered again turning back toward the door there wasn't anything important

in the room and the birds were giving her the creeps time to move on she glanced at a few of the paintings on her way out mostly portraits noticing that there were switches beneath the heavy frames she assumed they were for the track lighting though she couldn't imagine why anyone had bothered setting up such an elaborate gallery for such mediocre art a baby a young man the paintings weren't awful but they weren't exactly inspired either she stopped as she touched the cold metal handle of the door frowning there was a small inset control panel set

at eye level to the right of the door labeled spots she punched one of the buttons and the room dimmed as a single directional light went out several of the crows barked their disapproval fluttering ebony wings and jill turned the light back on thinking so if these are the light switches what are the controls beneath the paintings for perhaps there is more to the room than she thought she walked to the first picture across from the door a large painting of flying angels and clouds shot with sunbeams the title was from cradle to grave there

wasn't a switch below it and jill moved to the next it was a portrait of a middle-aged man his line features sagging with exhaustion standing next to an elaborate fireplace from the cut of his suit and his slicked back hair it looked to have been painted in the late 1940s or early 50s there was a simple on off switch underneath unlabeled jill flicked it from left to right and heard an electrical snap and behind her the crows exploded into screaming motion rising as one from their brooding perch all she could hear Was the beat of

their dark wings and the sudden manic ferocity of their cries as they swarmed toward her and jill ran the door seeming a million miles away her heart pounding the first of the crows reached her as she grabbed for the handle it's claws finding the soft skin at the back of her neck there was a sharp stab of pain just behind her right ear and jill flailed at the rustling feathers that brushed her cheeks moaning as the furious shrieks enveloped her she slapped at the air behind her and was rewarded with a startled squawk of surprise

the bird let go of her reeling away too many out out out she jerked the door open and fell into the hallway kicking the door closed even as she hit the floor she later a moment catching her breath relishing the cool silence of the corridor in spite of the zombie stench none of the crows had gotten out as her heartbeat returned to something approaching normal she sat up and carefully touched the wound behind her ear her fingers came away wet but it wasn't too bad the blood was already clotting she'd been lucky when she thought

of what could have happened if she tripped and fallen why had they attacked what had the control switch done she remembered the snap of electricity when she'd flipped it the sound of a spark the perch she felt a sudden rush of grudging admiration for whoever had set up the symbol trap when she'd hit the switch they must have sent a current through the metal bar they'd been perched on she'd never heard of attack train crows but could think of no other explanation which meant that someone had gone through a lot of trouble to keep whatever

was in that room a secret to get to the answer she'd have to go back in i can stand in the doorway take them out One at a time she didn't much like the idea she didn't trust her aim and would certainly waste a lot of ammunition only fools accept the obvious and go no further use your brain jilly jill smiled a little it was her father talking reminding her of the training she'd had before the stars one of the earliest memories was of hiding in the bushes one of her earliest memories was of hiding

in the bushes outside the rickety old house in massachusetts that her father had rented for them studying the dark empty windows as he explained how to properly case a prospect dick had made it into a game teaching her over the next 10 years all the finer points of breaking and entering everything from how to remove panes of glass without damaging them to walking on stairs so they didn't creak and he'd also taught her again and again that every riddle had more than one answer killing the birds was too obvious she closed her eyes concentrating switches

and portraits a little boy a toddler a young man a middle-aged man from cradle to grave cradle to grave once the solution occurred to her she was almost embarrassed by the simplicity of it she stood up and dusted herself off wondering how long it would take for the crows to return to their roost once they were settled she shouldn't have any more problems uncovering the secret she cracked the door open and listened to the whispering bead of wings promising herself to be more careful this time pushing the wrong button in this house could be deadly

rebecca let me in it's chris there is the sound of something heavy Sliding against the wall and the door to the storage room creaked open rebecca stepped away from the entrance as he hurried inside already pulling the diary out of his vest i found this journal in one of the rooms he said it looks like there was some kind of research going on here i don't know what kind but virology rebecca interrupted and held up a stack of papers grinning you were right about there being something useful in here chris took the papers from her

and skimmed the first page as far as he could tell it was in a foreign language made out of numbers and letters what is all this stuff dh5a mcr you're looking at a strain chart rebecca said brightly that one's a host for generating genomic libraries containing methylated cytosine or added 9 residues depending chris cocked an eyebrow at her let's pretend that i have no idea what you're talking about and try again what did you find rebecca flushed slightly and took the papers back from him sorry basically there's a lot of uh stuff in here on

viral infection chris nodded that i understand a virus he quickly flipped through the journal counting the dates from the first report of the accident in the lab on may 11th there was some kind of spill or outbreak in a laboratory on this estate within eight or nine days whoever wrote this had turned into one of those creatures out there rebecca's eyes widened does it say when the first symptoms appeared looks like within 24 hours he or she was complaining of itchy skin swelling in Blisters within 48 hours rebecca paled that's wow chris nodded yeah my

thoughts exactly is there any way to tell if we could be infected not without more information all of that rebecca motioned at the trunk full of papers is pretty old 10 years plus and there's nothing specific about application though an airborne with that kind of speed and toxicity if it was still viable all of raccoon city would probably be infected by now i can't be positive but i doubt it's still contagious chris was relieved for himself and the rest of the stars but the fact that the zombies were all victims of a disease it was

depressing whether it was a disaster of their own making or not we have to find the others he said if one of them should stumble across the lab without knowing what's there rebecca looked stricken at the thought but nodded gamely and moved quickly toward the door chris decided that with a little experience she'd make a first-rate stars member she obviously knew her chemistry and even without a gun she was willing to leave the relative safety of the storage room in order to help the rest of the team together they hurried through the dark wooden hallway

rebecca sticking close to his side when they reached the door back to the first hallway chris checked his beretta and then turned to rebecca stay close the door we wand is to the right and at the end of the hall i'll probably have to shoot the lock and i'm pretty sure there's a zombie or two wandering around so i'll need you to watch my back yes sir she said quietly and chris Grinned in spite of the situation technically he was her superior still it was weird to have it pointed out he opened the door and

stepped through training his gun in the shadow straight ahead and then down the hall to the right nothing moved go he whispered and they jogged down the corridor quickly stepping over the fallen creature that blocked their path rebecca turned to face the open stretch behind them as chris rattled the doorknob hoping vainly that it had unlocked itself no such luck he backed away from the door and took careful aim firing at a locked door wasn't as easy or safe as it looked in the movies a ricochet off of metal at such close range could kill

the shooter chris he glanced over his shoulder and saw a shambling figure at the end of the hall moving slowly toward them even in the dim light chris could see that one of its arms was missing the distinctive odor of decay wafted toward them as the zombie moaned thickly stumbling forward chris turned back to the door and fired twice the frame splintered the inside metal square of the lock revealed in a spray of wood chips he jerked at the knob and the lock gave the door swinging open he turned and grabbed at rebecca's arm hustling

her through the doorway as he pointed the beretta back down the hall the creature had made it halfway but was stopped at the lifeless body of the zombie that chris had killed earlier even as chris watched in horror and disgust the one armed zombie dropped to its knees and plunged its remaining hand into the other's crushed skull it moaned again a wet flammy sound and brought a handful of slushy gray matter to its eager lips Oh man chris shuttered involuntarily and hurriedly stepped through to join rebecca closing the door on the gruesome scene rebecca was

pale but seemed composed and again chris admired her courage she was young but tough tougher than he'd been at 18. he took in the hall at a glance immediately noticing the changes to the right about 20 feet away was the corpse of one of the creatures the top of its head blown away it lay face up the deep sockets of its eyes filled with blood to their left were the two doors that chris hadn't tried when he'd first come to investigate the one at the very end of the hall was standing open revealing deep shadows

at least one of the stars came this way probably looking for me follow me he said softly and moved toward the open door holding the beretta tightly he wanted to get back to the main hall with rebecca but the fact that one of his team must have gone through the opening deserved a quick look as they passed the closed door on the right rebecca hesitated there's a picture of a story next to the lock she whispered he kept his attention on the darkness just past the open door but realized as she spoke that there were

too many ways for them to get sidetracked he didn't think the rest of the team was still waiting for him but his original orders had been to report back to the lobby he shouldn't be leading an unarmed rookie into unknown territory without at least checking chris sighed lowering his weapon let's get back to the main hall he said we can come back and check it out later rebecca nodded and together they walked back toward the dining room chris hoping against hope that someone would be there to meet them barry pointed his cult toward the Crawling

ghoul and fired the heavy round splattering the thing's mushy skull into liquid even as it reached for his boot tiny drops of wetness splashed his face as the zombie spasmed and died scowling very wiped at his skin with the back of his hand the tiny white tiles of the kitchen wall got it much worse rivulets of red coursing down the grouted tracks and pulling to the faded brown linoleum still it was pretty disgusting barry lowered the revolver feeling the ache in his left shoulder the door upstairs had been solidly locked he had the bruises to

prove it and staring down at the zombie hash in front of him he realized that he was going to have to go back up and break down another one if he hadn't been certain before he was now chris hadn't come this way if he had the crawling creature would already have been history so where the hell are you chris of the three locked doors barry had picked the one at the end of the hall on pure instinct he'd ended up in a dark silent hall that led past an empty elevator shaft and down a narrow

set of stairs the bare white kitchen at the bottom had seemed deserted the counters thick with dust and corrosion stains on the walls no sign of recent use no sign of chris and the single door across from the sink had been locked he'd been about to leave when he'd noticed the trails of disturbed dust on the floor and followed them sighing heavily barry stepped over the stinking monster a final check before he headed back up for door number two there were some stacked crates in the same old fashioned elevator shaft also empty he didn't bother

with a call button since the one upstairs hadn't worked besides judging from the rust on the middle great no one had used it in quite A while he turned back the way he'd come wondering how jill was making out the sooner they could get away the better barry had never disliked any place as much as he did this mansion it was cold it was dangerous and it smelled like a meat locker that had been unplugged for a week he generally wasn't the type to frighten easily or let his imagination get out of hand but he

half expected to see some white sheeted spook rattling chains every time he turned around there was a distant echoing clatter behind him barry spun a knot of dread in his gut as he pointed his weapon randomly at the empty air his eyes wide and mouth dry there was another metallic clatter followed by a low throbbing hum of machinery barry took a deep breath and blew it out slowly getting a hold of himself not a disembodied spirit after all someone was using the elevator who chris and wesker are missing and jill's in the other wing he

stayed where he was lowering the cult slightly as he waited he didn't think the ghouls were smart enough to work the buttons let alone open the gate but he didn't want to take any chances he was a good 20 feet from where the booth would open assuming it stopped in the basement and would have a clear shot at whoever stepped around the corner a glimmer of hope sparked through his confusion maybe it was one of the bravos or someone who lived here and could tell them what had happened with a dull clang the elevator stopped

in the kitchen there was a squeal of dry metal hinges and footsteps and captain wesker stepped into view his perpetual sunglasses Propped in his tan brow barry lowered the revolver grinning as cool relief swept over him lesker stopped in his tracks and grinned back at him barry just the man i was looking for he said lightly god you gave me a scare i heard the elevator start up and i thought i was going to have a heart attack barry trailed off his grin faltering captain he said slowly where did you go when we came back

you were gone wesker's grin widened sorry about that i had some business to attend to you know call of nature barry smiled again but was surprised by the confession trapped in hostile territory and the man had gone off to take a leak wesker reached up and lowered his shades breaking their eye contact and very suddenly felt a little nervous wesker's grin if anything seemed to grow wider it looked like every tooth was showing barry i need your help have you ever heard of white umbrella barry shook his head feeling more uncomfortable by the second white

umbrella is a sector of umbrella incorporated a very important division they specialize in biological research i guess you could say the spencer estate houses their research facilities and recently an accident occurred wester brushed off a section of the kitchen's center island and casually leaned against it his tone almost conversational this division of umbrella has a few ties to the stars organization and not long ago i was asked to assist in their handling of the situation It's a very delicate situation mind you very hush hush white umbrella doesn't want a whisper of their involvement getting out

now what i'm supposed to do is get to the laboratories on the grounds here and put an end to some rather incriminating evidence proof that white umbrella is responsible for the accident that's caused so much trouble in raccoon as of late the problem is i don't have the key to get to those labs keys actually and that's where you come in i need for you to help me find those keys barry stared at him for a moment speechless his mind churning an accident a secret lab doing biological research and murdering dogs and zombies loose in

the woods he raised his revolver and pointed it at wesker's smiling face stunned and angry are you insane do you think i'm going to help you destroy evidence you crazy son of a wesker shook his head slowly acting as if barry were a child ah barry you don't understand you don't have a choice in the matter see a few of my friends from white umbrella are currently standing outside of your house watching your wife and daughter sleep if you don't help me your family is going to die very could actually feel the blood drain from

his face he cocked the hammer back on the cult feeling a sudden vicious hatred for wesker infusing every fiber of his being before you pull the trigger i should mention that if i don't report back to my friends fairly soon Their orders are to go ahead and do the deed anyway the words cut through the red haze that had flooded barry's mind turning his hands clammy with terror kathy the babies you're bluffing he whispered and wesker's grin finally disappeared his expression slipping back into the unreadable mask that he usually wore i'm not he said coldly

try me you can apologize to their headstones later for a moment neither of them moved the silence a palpable thing in the chill air then barry slowly ease the hammer back down and lower the weapon his shoulders slumped he couldn't wouldn't risk it his family was everything wesker nodded and reached into one of his pockets producing a ring of keys his manners suddenly brisk and business-like there are four copper plates somewhere in this house each one is about the size of a teacup and has a picture engraved on one side sun moon stars and wind

there's a back door on the other side of the mansion where the four of them belong he unhooked a key from the ring and set it on the table sliding it across to bury this should open all of the doors in the other wing or at least the important ones first and second floor find those pieces for me and your wife and children will be fine very reached for the key with numb fingers feeling weak and more afraid than you've ever been in his life chris and jill will undoubtedly want to help you search if

you see either of them tell them that The back door you've discovered could be the way out i'm sure they'll be more than happy to work with their trusted friend good old barry in fact you should unlock every door you can in order to promote a more thorough job wesker smiled again a friendly half grin that belied his words of course you tell them you've seen me that could complicate matters if i run into trouble say get shot in the back well enough said let's just keep this to ourselves the key was matched with a

little picture a chest plate for a suit of armor barry slipped it into his pocket where will you be oh i'll be around don't worry i'll contact you when the time is right barry looked at wesker pleadingly helpless to keep the wavering fear out of his voice you'll tell them that i'm helping you right you won't forget to report wesker turned and walked toward the elevator calling out over his shoulder trust me barry do what i tell you and there's nothing to worry about there was a rattle of the elevator's gate opening and closing and

wester was gone barry stood a moment longer staring into the empty space where wesker had been trying to find a way out of the threat there wasn't one there was no contest between his honor and his family he could live without honor he set his jaw and walked back toward the stairs determined to do what he had to do to save kathy and the girls though when this was over when he could be sure they were safe There won't be any place for you to hide captain barry clenched his giant fists knuckles whitening and promised

himself that wesker would pay for what he was doing with interest chapter 10 jill slid the heavy copper crest with the engraved star into its position on the diagram above the other three openings it settled into place with a light click flush against the metal plate one down she stepped back from the puzzle lock smiling triumphantly the crows had watched her walk through the hall of paintings without moving from their perch crying out occasionally as she solved the symbol puzzle there had been six portraits in all cradle to grave from a newborn baby to a

rather stern looking old man she'd assumed they were all of lord spencer though she had never seen a photo the final painting had been a death scene a pale man lying in state and surrounded by mourners when she flipped the switch on that one the painting had actually fallen off the wall pushed out by tiny metal pegs at each corner behind it had been a small velvet-lined opening that held the copper crest she'd left the hall without any more trouble if the birds had been disappointed she couldn't say she took a final deep breath of

the pleasant night air before going back into the mansion pulling trent's computer from her pack as she went stepping carefully over the crumpled corpse in the dim hall she studied the map deciding where to try next back the way she'd come it looked like she went back through the double doors that connected the corridors into the winding mild gray green hall with the landscape paintings according to the map the single door just across from her led to a small Square-shaped room which opened into a larger one tensing she grabbed the knob and pushed it open

crouching and pointing her beretta at the same time the small room was indeed square shaped and totally empty straightening jill stepped into the chamber briefly appraising its simple elegance as she walked toward the door on her right it had a high light ceiling and the walls were creamy marble flecked with gold beautiful and expensive to say the least she felt a vague wistfulness for the old days with dick all their grand plans and hopes for each score this was what real money could buy she readied herself grasping the cold flowing metal of the latch and

pushing the door open a quick sweep with a beretta and she felt herself relax she was alone there was a molded fireplace to her right beneath an ornate red and gold tapestry a low modern couch and oval coffee table sat atop a burnt orange carpet of oriental design and against the back wall a pump action shotgun was mounted on dual hooks shining in the light from the antique light fixture overhead jill grinned and hurried across the room unable to believe her look please be loaded please be loaded as she stopped in front of it she

recognized the make guns weren't her strong suit but it was the same as the stars used a remington m870 five shots she holstered the beretta and lifted the shotgun with both hands still grinning and the smile dropped away as both mounting hooks clicked upward released the weight of the gun at the same time there was a heavier sound behind the wall a sound like balanced metal changing position Jill didn't know what it was but she didn't like it she turned around searching the room for movement it was as still as when she'd entered no screaming

birds no sudden alarms or flashing lights none of the pictures fell off the wall there was no trap relieved she quickly checked the weapon and found it fully loaded someone had taken care of it the barrel clean and smelling faintly of cleaner and oil right now it was about the best smell she could imagine the solid weight of it in her hands was reassuring the weight of power she searched the rest of the room and was disappointed not to find any more shells still the remington was defined star's vests had a back holster for a

shotgun or rifle and although she wasn't that hot with an over-the-shoulder draw at least she could carry it without tying up her hands there was nothing else of interest in the room jill walked to the door excited to get back to the main hall and share her discoveries with barry she'd checked out every room that she could open on this side of the first floor if he'd manage the same they could head upstairs to finish their search for the bravos and their missing teammates and then hopefully get the hell out of this morgue she closed

the door behind her and strode across the slate colored tiles of the classy marble room hoping as she grasped the knob that barry had found chris and wesker they sure didn't come this way the door was locked jill frowned turning the small gold knob back and forth it rattled a little but wouldn't give at all she peered at the crack where the door met the frame suddenly a little anxious there it was by the handle the thick sliver of steel that indicated a deadbolt and a very solid one the entire Area surrounding it was reinforced

but only one keyhole and that's for the knob click click click dust rained down from above as the sound of gears turning filled a room a deep rhythmic clatter of metal from somewhere behind the stone walls what startled jill looked up and felt her stomach shrivel in on itself her breath catching in her throat the high ceiling that she'd admired earlier was moving and marvel at the corners powdering into dust with a heavy grind of stone against stone it was coming down in a flash she was back at the door to the shotgun room she

snatched at the handle pushing it down and found it locked as solidly as the first holy bad thing bad thing panic rising through her system jill ran back to the other door her frightened gaze drawn back to the lowering ceiling at two to three inches each second it had hit the floor in less than a minute jill raised the shotgun and aimed at the door to the hall trying not to think about how many shots it would take to blow apart a reinforced steel deadbolt it was all she had the pics wouldn't work on that

kind of lock the first round exploded against the door and splinters flew revealing exactly what she'd feared the metal plate that supported the bolt extended across half the door her mind raced for an answer and came a blank she didn't have the shells to blow through it and the beretta carried hollow points they flattened on impact maybe i can weaken it break it down she fired again targeting the frame itself the thunderous shot tore apart wood and chipped marble but not enough not even close the ceiling continued its Clattering descent now less than 10 feet

above her head she was going to be crushed to death god don't let me die like this jill is that you a muffled voice came from the corridor and she felt a sudden desperate hope course through her at the sound barry help barry break it down now jill shouted her voice high and shaking get back jill stumbled as she heard a heavy blow strike the door the wood shuttered but held jill let out a low cry of helpless frustration her terrified gaze jumping between the door and the ceiling another solid shaking hit to the door

five feet overhead come on come on the third pounding blow was joined by the crunch and splinter of wood the door flew open very framed in the entry his face red and sweating his hand reaching for hers jill lunged forward and he grabbed her wrist literally jerking her off of her feet and into the corridor they crashed to the floor as behind them the door was crushed off its hinges wood and metal squealed as the ceiling continued smoothly down the door snapping in a series of harsh cracks with the final resonating boom of impact the

ceiling met the floor it was over the house again as silent as a tomb they staggered to their feet jill steering at the doorway the entire frame was filled with a solid block of stone that had been the ceiling at least a couple of tons of rock are you all right barry asked jill didn't answer for a moment she looked down at the shotgun she still held in her trembling hands remembering how confident she'd been that there'd been no trap And for the first time she wondered how they were ever going to make it out

of this hellish place they stood in the empty front hall crisp pacing the carpet in front of the stairs rebecca standing nervously by the banister the massive lobby was as cold and ominous as when chris had first seen it the mute walls giving away none of their secrets the stars were gone and there were no clues as to where or why from somewhere deep in the mansion there was a heavy rumbling sound like a giant door being slammed they both cocked their heads listening but it wasn't repeated chris couldn't even tell from what direction it

had come that's just great zombies mad scientists and now things that go bump in the night priceless he smiled at rebecca hoping that he looked less rattled than he felt well no forwarding message i guess that moves us to plan b what's plan b chris side hell if i know but we can start by checking out that other room with a sword key maybe we could dig up some more information while we wait for the team to reassemble a map or something rebecca nodded and they headed back through the dining room chris leading the way

he didn't like the idea of exposing her to further danger but he didn't want to leave her alone either at least not in the main hall it didn't feel safe as they passed the ticking grandfather clock something small and hard cracked beneath chris's boot he crouched down and scooped up a dark gray chunk of plaster there were two or three other fragments nearby did you notice these when we came through before he asked rebecca shook her head and chris ducked down looking for more of them he didn't remember if they'd been there before either On

the other side of the table was a broken pile of the fragments they hurried around the end of the long table past the elaborately decorated fireplace stopping in front of the shattered pile chris nudged at the gray pieces with the tip of his boot from the angles and shapes it appeared to have been a statue of some kind whatever it was it's garbage now is it important rebecca asked chris shrugged maybe maybe not worth a look anyway in a situation like this you never know what might turn out to be a clue the echoing tick

of the old clock followed them back to the hall door and into the smell of decay that filled the tight corridor chris pulled the silver key out of a pocket as they headed right and stopped quickly drawing his beretta and moving closer to rebecca the door at the end of the hall was closed when they left it had been standing open there was no sense of being watched of movement in the hall but someone must have come through while they'd been in the lobby the thought was disconcerting reaffirming chris's uneasy feeling that secret things were

happening all around them the dead creature to the left was in the same position as before its blood-filled eyes staring blindly at the low ceiling and chris wondered again who had killed it he knew he should re-examine the corpse in the unsecured area beyond it but he didn't want to go off on his own until he got rebecca summer safe come on he whispered and they edged to the locked door chris handing the key to rebecca so that he could watch the hall for attackers with a soft click the intricately paneled door was unlocked and

rebecca gently pushed it open chris could feel that the room is okay even as he did a quick check and Motioned for rebecca to step inside it was set up like a piano bar and baby grand dominating the floor across from a built-in counter complete with stools bolted along its length perhaps it was a soft lighting or the muted colors that gave it such an atmosphere of calm stillness whatever it was chris decided that it was the nicest room he'd encountered so far and maybe a good place for rebecca to stay while i try to

find the others rebecca perched herself on the edge of the dusty black piano bench while chris did a more thorough search of the room there were a couple of potted plants a small table and a tiny alcove behind the wall where the piano was situated a couple of wood bookshelves pushed in back the only entrance was the one they'd come through it was an ideal spot for rebecca to hide he holstered his weapon and joined her at the piano trying to choose his words carefully he didn't want to scare her with a suggestion that she

stayed behind she smiled up at him hesitantly looking even younger than she was her spiky red bangs adding to the impression that she was only a child a child who got through college in less time than it took you to get your pilot's license don't patronize her she's probably smarter than you are chris sighed inwardly and smiled back at her how would you feel about staying here while i take a look around the house her smile faltered a little but she met his gaze evenly makes sense she said i don't have a gun and if

you run into trouble i just slow you down she grin wider and added though if you get your ass kicked by a mathematical theorem don't come crying to me chris laughed as much at his own faulty Assumptions as that her joke she wasn't one to be underestimated he walked to the door pausing as his hand touched the knob i'll be back as soon as i can he said lock the door behind me and don't go wandering off okay rebecca nodded and he stepped back into the hall closing the door firmly behind him he waited until

he heard the boat drawn and drew his beretta the last trace of his smile falling away as he started briskly down the corridor the closer he got to the rotting creature the worse the smell he took shallow sips of air as he reached the body stepping past it to see if the hull continued on before he examined it for bullet holes and he stopped cold staring at the second corpse stretched out in the alcove headless and covered in blood chris studied the slack lifeless features of the face that lay a foot away recognizing them as

kenneth sullivan's and felt a surge of anger and renewed determination sweet through him at the sight of the dead bravo this is wrong all wrong joseph ken probably billy how many others have died how many more have to suffer because of a stupid accident he finally turned away striding purposefully toward the door that led back to the dining room he'd start from the main hall checking every possible path that the stars could have taken and killing every creature that got in the way of his search his teammates weren't going to have died for nothing chris

would stay to it if it was the last thing he ever did rebecca locked the door after chris left silently wishing him good luck before walking back to the dusty piano and sitting down she knew that he felt responsible for Her and wondered again how she could have been so stupid dropping her gun at least if i had a gun he wouldn't have to worry so much i may be inexperienced but i went through basic training just like everybody else she traced a finger aimlessly across the dusty keys feeling useless she should have taken some

of those files from the storage room she didn't know that there was much more to be learned from them but at least she'd have something to read she wasn't very good at sitting still and having nothing to do only made it worse you could practice her mind suggested brightly and rebecca smiled a little gazing down at the keys no thanks she'd suffered through four long years of lessons as a child before her mother had finally let her quit she stood up looking randomly around the silent room for something to keep her occupied she walked to

the bar and leaned over it but saw only a few shelves of glasses and a stack of napkins all thinly coated with dust there were several liquor bottles most of them empty and a few unopened bottles of expensive looking mine on the counter behind the bar rebecca dismissed the thought even as it occurred to her she wasn't much of a drinker and now wasn't exactly the best time to tie one on sighing she turned and surveyed the rest of the room besides the piano there wasn't much to see there was a single small painting of

a woman on the wall to her left a bland portrait in a dark frame a slowly dying plant on the floor next to the piano the leafy kind she always saw in nice restaurants a table that extended out from the wall with an overturned martini glass on top considering what she had to work with the piano was starting to look pretty interesting she walked past the baby gran and peered Into the small opening to her right there were two empty bookshelves pushed to one side nothing interesting frowning she stepped closer to the shelves the smaller

one in the outside was empty but the one behind it she placed her hands on either side of the end piece and pushed sliding the outer shell forward it wasn't heavy and moved easily leaving a track in the dust on the wood floor rebecca scanned the hidden shelves feeling disappointed a dented old bugle a dusty glass candy dish a couple of knick-knack vases and some piano sheet music propped up on a tiny holder she peered down at the title and felt a sudden rush of warm nostalgia for when she used to play it was moonlight

sonata one of her favorite pieces she picked up the yellowing sheets remembering the hours she put in trying to learn it when she was 10 or 11 in fact it had been this very piece of music that made her realize she wasn't cut out to be a pianist it was a beautiful delicate tune and she'd pretty much butchered it every time she took the bench still holding the composition she walked back around the corner and gazed at the piano thoughtfully it wasn't like she had anything better to do and besides maybe one of the other

team members will hear it and come knocking trying to track down the source of the terrible noise grinning she dusted the bench off and sat down propping the sheets open on the music holder her fingers found the correct positions almost automatically as she read the opening notes like she'd never given it up it was a comforting feeling a welcome change from the horrors inside the mansion slowly hesitantly she started to play as the first melancholy sounds rose into The stillness rebecca found herself relaxing letting tension and fear slip away she still wasn't very good her

tempo is off as ever but she had all the right notes and the strength of the melody more than made up for her lack of finesse if only the keys weren't so stiff something moved behind her rebecca jumped up knocking the bench over as she spun around searching wildly for the attacker what she saw was so unexpected that she froze for a few seconds unable to comprehend what her senses were telling her the wall is moving even as the last notes lingered in the cool air a three foot panel of the bare wall to her

right slid upwards into the ceiling rumbling to a gentle halt for a moment she didn't move waiting for something terrible to happen but as the seconds ticked past in silence nothing else moved the room was as quiet and non-threatening as before hidden sheet music a strange stiffness to the keys like maybe they were connected to some kind of a mechanism the narrow opening revealed a hidden chamber about the size of a walk-in closet as softly lit as the rest of the room except for a bust and pedestal in the back it was empty she stepped

toward the opening and then paused thoughts of death traps and poison darts whirling through her mind what if she walked in and triggered some kind of a catastrophe what if the door closed and she was trapped there and chris didn't come back what if you were the only member of the stars who didn't accomplish jack on this entire mission show some backbone rebecca steeled herself against the consequences and stepped inside looking around cautiously If there was a threat here she didn't see it the plain stucco walls were the color of coffee with cream offset by

dark wood trim the light in the small chamber was provided by a window into a tiny greenhouse on her right a handful of dying plants behind the dirty glass she moved closer to the pedestal at the back noting that the stone bust on top was a beethoven she recognized the stern countenance and heavy brow of the moonlight sonata's composer the pedestal itself boasted a thick gold emblem shaped like a shield or coat of arms about the size of a dinner plate rebecca crouched down next to the simple pillar gazing at the emblem it looked solid

and thick with a vaguely royal design and a paler gold set across the top it looked familiar she'd seen the same design somewhere else in the house in the dining room over the fireplace yes that was it only the piece over the mantel was made out of wood she was sure of it she'd noticed it while chris was looking at the broken statue curious she touched the emblem tracing the pattern across the front and then grasped the slightly raised edges with both hands and lifted the heavy emblem came away easily almost as if it didn't

belong there and behind her the secret door rumbled down sealing her inside without hesitating she turned and placed the emblem back in its hollow and the section of the wall rose again sliding up smoothly on hidden tracks relieved she stared down at the heavy gold emblem thinking someone had rigged all this up in order to keep the metal hidden so it had to be important but how is she supposed to remove it did the one over the fireplace also Reveal a secret passage or is the one over the fireplace the same size she couldn't be

positive but she thought it was and she instinctively knew that it was the right answer if she switched the two of them using the wood emblem to keep the door open and placing the gold one over the mantle rebecca headed back into the room smiling chris told her to stay put but she wouldn't be gone more than a minute or two and perhaps when he got back she'd have something to show him a real contribution towards solving the secrets of the mansion and proof that she wasn't so useless after all chapter 11 barry and jill

stood in the covered walkway by the puzzle lock breathing the clean night air beyond the high walls the crickets and cicadas hummed their seizeless song a soothing reminder that there was still a scene world outside jill's brush with disaster had left her lightheaded and somewhat nauseous and barry had gently led her to the back door suggesting that the fresh air would do her good he hadn't found chris or wesker though he seemed certain that they were still alive he brought her up to speed quickly retracing his meandering path through the house as jill leaned against

the wall still taking deep breaths of the warm air and when i heard the shots i came running barry rubbed absently at a short beard he smiled at her a somewhat hesitant grin lucky for you another couple of seconds you would have been a jill sandwich jill smiled back gratefully nodding but noticed that he seemed a little strained the humor forced odd she wouldn't have figured berry is the type to tense up in the face of Danger is it any wonder we're trapped here we can't find the team and this entire mansion is out to

get us not exactly a laugh riot i hope i could return the favor if you ever get in a tight spot she said softly really you saved my life barry looked away flushing slightly glad i could help he said gruffly just be more careful this place is dangerous she nodded again thinking of how close she'd come to dying she shivered slightly then forced the thoughts away they needed to be concentrating on chris and wesker so you do think they're still alive yeah besides the shell casings there is a whole trail of those ghouls in the

other way all with clean head shots gotta be chris though i had to splatter a couple more of them upstairs so i figured he'd holed up somewhere along the way barry nodded toward the copper diagram set into the wall so was this star crest here already jill frowned a little surprised at the abrupt change of topic chris was one of barry's closest friends no i found it in another room with a trap this place seems to be full of them in fact maybe we should look for western chris together no telling what they might have

stumbled into or what else could happen to either of us barry shook his head i don't know i mean you're right we should watch her step but there are a lot of rooms and our first priority ought to be securing an escape if we split up we can try to find the rest of those crests and look for chris at the same time and wesker though his Demeanor didn't change jill had the sudden distinct impression that barry was uncomfortable he had turned away to study the copper diagram it almost seemed as if he was trying

to avoid eye contact besides he said we know what we're up against now as long as we use a little common sense we'll be fine barry are you okay you seem tired it wasn't the right word but it was the only one that came to mind he sighed finally looking at her he did seem tired there were dark circles under his eyes and his wide shoulders were slumped no i'm all right just worried about chris you know jill nodded but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it than that since he since

he'd pulled her out of the trap he'd been acting unusually subdued even nervous paranoid much this is barry burton you're talking about the backbone of the raccoon stars not to mention the man who just saved her life what could he possibly be hiding jill knew that she was probably being overly suspicious but all the same she decided to keep her mouth shut about trent's computer after all she'd been through she wasn't feeling particularly trusting and it sounded like he already had a pretty good idea of the mansion's layout so it wasn't like he needed the

information that's it keep rationalizing next thing you'll be suspecting captain wesker of planning this whole thing jill scoffed in ridley as she pushed herself away from the wall and she and barry walked slowly back toward the house now that was paranoid they stopped as they reached the door jill taking a few final lungfuls of the sweet air letting it settle her nerves Barry had taken out his cold python and was reloading the empty chambers his expression grim i thought i'd go back over to the east wing see if i could pick up chris's trail he

said why don't you head upstairs and start looking for the other crests that way we can cover all of the rooms work our way back to the main hall jill nodded and barry opened the door the rusty hinges squealing in protest a wave of cold swept past them and jill's side trying to prepare herself to face another maze of frigid shadowy hallways another series of unopened doors and the secrets that lay behind them you're gonna do fine barry said smoothly placing a warm hand on her shoulder and gently ushering her back inside as soon as

the door closed behind them he lifted his hand in a casual salute smiling good luck he said and before she could respond he turned and hurried away weapon in hand with another creak of ancient metal he slipped through the double doors at the end of the hall and was gone jill stared after him alone once again in the chilled stinking silence of the dim corridor it wasn't her imagination barry was keeping something from her but was it something she needed to worry about or was he just trying to protect her maybe he found chris or

wesker dead and didn't want to tell me it wasn't a pleasant thought but it would explain his strange hurried behavior he obviously wanted to get out of the house as soon as possible and wanted her to stay on the west side and the way he'd fixated on the puzzle mechanism seeming more concerned with her exit than with chris's or wesker's whereabouts she looked down at the two crumpled figures in the hall at the tacky drying Pools of red that surrounded them maybe she was trying too hard to find a motive that didn't exist maybe like

her barry was scared and sick of feeling like death could come at any time maybe i should stop thinking about it and do my job whether or not we find the others he's right about needing to get out we have to get back to the city let people know what's out here jill straightened her shoulders and walked to the door that led to the stairwell drawing her weapon she'd made it this far she could make it a little farther try to unravel the mystery that had taken the lives of so many or died trying her

mind whispered softly forest spire was dead the laughing southern good old boy with his ratty clothes and easy grin was no more that forest was gone leaving behind a bloody lifeless imposter slumped against a wall chris stared down at the imposter the distant sounds of the night lost to a sudden gust of wind that whipped around the eaves moaning through the railing of the second story patio it was a ghostly sound but forrest couldn't hear it forrest would never hear anything again chris crouched down next to the still body carefully prying for his beretta from

beneath cool fingers he told himself he wouldn't look but as he reached for forest belt pack he found his gaze fixed on the terrible emptiness where the bravo's eyes had once been jesus what happened what happened to you man forrest's body was covered with wounds most an inch or two across and surrounded by raw bloody flesh it was as if he'd been stabbed hundreds of times with a dull knife each vicious cut ripping away chunks of skin and Muscle part of his rib cage was cruelly exposed slivers of white showing beneath tattered redness his eyeless

streaming stare was the crowning horror like the killer hadn't been content to take forrest's life wanting his soul instead there were three clips for the beretta and forest pack chris shoved the magazines into a pocket and quickly stood up tearing his gaze from the mutilated body he looked out over the dark woods breathing deeply his thoughts were jumbled and grasping trying to find an explanation and yet unable to hold on to any coherent facts once in the main hall he decided to check all of the doors to see which were unlocked and when he'd seen

the bloody handprint in the tiny upstairs hall and heard the whaling cries of birds he charged in ready to deal out some justice crows it sounded like crows an entire flock or a murder actually pack of dogs kindle of kittens murder of crows he blinked his tired mind focusing on the seemingly random bit of trivia frowning chris crouched back down next to forrest's ravaged body studying the jagged wounds closely there were dozens of tiny scratches amidst the more serious cuts scratches set into lined patterns claws talons even as the thought occurred to him he heard

a restless flutter of wings he turned slowly still holding forest beretta in a hand that had suddenly gone cold a sleek monstrous bird was perched on the railing not two feet away watching him with bright black eyes its smooth feathers gleamed dully against its bloated body and a ribbon of something red and wet hung from its beak The bird tilted its head to the side and let out a tremendous shriek the streamer of forest flesh dropping to the railing from all around the answering cries of its gathering siblings flooded the night air there is a

furious whisper of oversized wings as dozens of dark fluttering shapes swooved out from beneath the eaves screeching and clawing chris ran the image of forrest's bloody terrible eyes burned into his pounding thoughts as he lunged for escape he stumbled into the tiny hall and slammed the door against the rising screams of the birds adrenaline pumping three system in hot surging beats he took a deep breath then another and after a moment his heart slowed down to a more normal pace the shrieks of the crows gradually grew distant blown away on a softly moaning wind jesus

how dumb can i get stupid stupid he'd stormed out onto the deck looking for a fight looking to avenge the deaths of the other stars and been shocked into stupidity by what he'd found if he hadn't let himself get so freaked out by forrest's death he would have made the connection sooner between the birds and the types of wounds and perhaps notice the gathering flesh eaters that had watched him from the shadows looking for their next victim he headed for the door back to the main hall angry with himself for going into a situation unprepared

he couldn't afford to keep making mistakes to let his attention wander from what was in front of him this wasn't some kind of game where he could push a reset button if he missed a trick people were dying his friends were dying and if you don't pull your head out of your ass and start being more careful you're going to join them another chord In lifeless body crumpled in a cold hallway somewhere another victim to the insanity of this house chris silenced the nagging whisper taking a deep breath as he stepped back into the high

gallery of the lobby and closed the door behind him beating himself up was no more useful than charging blindly around in a strange and dangerous environment looking for revenge he had to concentrate on what was important the lost alphas and rebecca he walked toward the stairs tucking for his weapon into his waistband at least rebecca would be able to defend herself chris startled he looked down to see the young stars member at the base of the wide steps grinning up at him he jogged down the stairs glad to see her in spite of himself what

happened is everything all right rebecca held up a silver key as he reached her still smiling widely i found something i thought you could use he took the key noting that the handle was etched with a tiny shield before slipping it inside his vest rebecca was beaming her eyes flashing with excitement after you left i played the piano and the secret door opened up in the wall there was this gold emblem inside like a shield and i switched it with the one in the dining room and the grandfather clock moved and that key was behind

it she broke off suddenly her smile faltering as she studied his face i'm sorry i know i shouldn't have left but i thought i can catch you before you got too far it's okay he said forcing a smile i'm just surprised to see you here i found you something a little better than a cat of insect repellent he handed her the beretta pulling out a couple of clips to go with it rebecca took the gun staring down at it Thoughtfully when she looked up at him again her gaze was serious and intense who was it

chris thought about lying but saw that she wasn't going to buy it and realized suddenly what it was about her that made him feel so protective that made him want to shield her from the sad and sickening truth claire that was it rebecca reminded him of his little sister from her tomboy sarcasm and quick wit to the way she wore her hair listen she said quietly i know you feel responsible for me and i admit that i'm pretty new at this but i'm a member of this team and sheltering me from the facts could get

me killed so who was it chris stared at her for a moment and then sighed she was right forrest i found him inside he'd been pecked to death by crows kenneth's dead too a sudden anguish passed across her eyes but she nodded firmly keeping her gaze on his okay so what do we do now chris couldn't help the slightest of smiles trying to remember if he'd ever been so young he motioned up the stairs hoping that he wasn't about to make another mistake i guess we'd try another door wesker didn't catch much of the conversation

between barry and jill but after a muffled good luck from mr burton he heard a door open and closed somewhere nearby and a moment later the hollow thump of boot steps against wood followed by another closing door the hall outside was clear his team off on their mission to find the rest of the copper crests looks like i picked the right room to wait in he'd used the helmet key to lock Himself into a small study by the back door the perfect place from which to monitor the team's progress not only could he hear them

coming and going he'd be able to get a head start to the labs he held the heavy wind crest up to the light of the dust lamp grinning it had been too easy really he'd happened to cross the plaster statue on his way back from talking to barry and remember that it had a secret compartment somewhere rather than waste valuable time searching he'd simply pushed the hideous thing off the dining room balcony it hadn't been hiding one of the crests but the sparkle of the blue jewel amidst the rubble had been almost as good there

was a room just off the dining hall that held a statue of a tiger with one red eye and one blue one of the few mechanisms that he'd remembered from an earlier visit a quick visit to the statue had confirmed his suspicions both eyes had been missing and when he'd placed the gaudy blue jewel into his upper socket the tiger had turned to one side and presented him with a crest just like that he was one step closer to completing his mission when the other three are in place i'll wait until they're off looking for

the final piece and then slip right out the door he considered going to check the diagram but decided against it the house was big but not that big and there was no need to expose himself to further risk of being seen besides they probably hadn't managed to find any of the other crests yet he'd already had a close call when he'd gone downstairs to retrieve the jewel almost stepping directly into chris redfield's path chris had found the rookie and the two of them were blundering around probably looking for clues besides this room is comfortable maybe

I'll take a nap while i wait for the rest of them to catch up he leaned back in the desk chair pleased with himself for all he'd accomplished so far what could have been a disaster was turning out quite nicely thanks to some quick thinking on his part he had already found one of the crusts he had barry and jill working for him and he'd had the good fortune to run into ellen smith while he'd been in the library oops scratch that it's dr ellen smith thank you very much after fetching the windcrest he'd gone

to the library to check the small side room that overlooked the estate's heliport the entrance concealed behind a bookcase a quick search had revealed nothing useful and he'd been about to check the back room when dr smith had shambled out to greet him he had tried to get a date with her ever since he'd moved her raccoon drawn in by her long legs and platinum blonde hair he'd always been partial to blondes particularly smart ones not only had she repeatedly turned him down she hadn't even tried to be nice about it when he'd called her

ellen she'd coolly informed him that she was a superior and a doctor and would be addressed as such ice queen through and through if she hadn't been so damned good looking he never would have bothered in the first place but my how your beauty has faded dr ellen lesker closed his eyes smiling reliving the experience it had been the ratty strings of blonde hair that had given her away as she shuffled out from behind a shelf moaning and reaching for him her legs were still long but they lost a lot of their appeal not to

mention a fair amount of skin what lovely perfume you're wearing dr Smith he'd said then two shots to the head and she'd gone down in a spray of blood and bone wesker didn't like to think of himself as a shallow man but pulling the trigger on that high-riding had been wonderfully no deeply gratifying like icing on a cake a little bonus perk for taking matters in hand maybe if i'm lucky i'll run into that prick sergeant down in the labs after a few moments wesker stood up and stretched turning to scan some of the titles

in the bookshelf behind him he was eager to get moving but it might take the stars a while to find the rest of the puzzle pieces and there was really nothing he could do to hurry the process he might as well keep busy he frowned struggling to make sense of the technical titles one of the books was called phage mids alpha complementation vectors the next one was c dna libraries and electrophoresis conditions biochemistry texts and medical journals terrific maybe he'd get that nap in after all just reading the titles was making him sleepy his gaze

fell across a heavy-looking tome sitting by itself on one of the lower shelves bound in a fine red leather he picked it up glad to see a title he could read printed across the front even one as stupid as eagle of east wolf of a west wait that's the same thing written on the fountain wesker stared at the words feeling his good mood slipping away it couldn't be the researchers had gone nuts but surely they wouldn't have locked down the labs there was no reason for it he opened the book almost frantically praying that he

was wrong And let out a low moan of helpless rage at what was tucked into the sham book's glued pages a brass medallion with an eagle engraved on it lay in the cut away compartment part of a key to yet another of spencer's insane locks it was like the punchline to a cruel joke to get out of the house he had to find the crests once out in the courtyard he'd have to make his way through a whining maze of tunnels that ended in a hidden section of the garden where there was an old stone

fountain that marked the entrance to the underground labs the fountain was one of spencer's fanciful creations a marvel of engineering that could be opened and closed to hide the facility underneath provided of course that you had the keys two medallions made out of brass an eagle on one a wolf on the other finding the eagle meant that the gate was closed and that meant that the wolf could be anywhere anywhere at all and that his chances of even getting to the lab had just dropped down to somewhere near zero unable to control his fury he

snatched up the medal and threw the book against the desk knocking the lamp over with a crash and plunging the room into sudden blackness there was no longer any point in holding on to the windcrest his perfect plan was ruined he'd have to give up his edge and hope that one of the others would inadvertently stumble across the wolf metal for him secreted away somewhere on the massive sprawling estate which means more risk more searching and a chance that one of them will reach the labs before i do seething western stood in the dark silence

with his fists clenched trying not to scream chapter 12 jill heard something like breaking glass and held perfectly still Listening the acoustics of the mansion were strange the long corridors and unusual floor plan making it hard to tell where the sounds were coming from or if you even heard them at all she sighed taking a last look around the quiet book line sitting room at the top of the stairs she'd already checked the three other rooms along the gallery railing and found exactly nothing of interest a sparse bedroom with two bunks an office and an

unfinished den with a locked door and a fireplace inside the only switches she'd found were light switches though she had gotten excited over a rather sinister looking black button on the wall of the office until she'd pushed it and found that she'd managed to discover the drainage control for an empty fish tank in the corner she'd found some ammo for the remington she supposed she should be grateful for that a dozen shells in a metal box underneath one of the bunks in the bedroom but if there had been any hidden crests she'd missed them jill

took out trent's computer and checked the map finding her position at the top of the stairs just past the sitting room second door was a wide u-shaped corridor that angled back around to the front hall balcony the corridor also connected to two rooms one a dead end and the other leading through several more she put the computer away and drew her beretta taking a moment to clear her mind before stepping into the corridor it wasn't easy between trying to figure out what had happened in the house to create monsters and her concerns for and about

her team her thoughts were distinctly messy should've looked closer at those papers The office had been simple a desk a bookshelf but there was a rack of lab coats by the door and the paper strewn across the desk had mostly been lists of numbers and letters she knew just enough chemistry to know that she was looking at chemistry so she didn't bother trying to read them but since finding the papers she had begun to think of the zombies as the result of a research accident the mansion was too well maintained to have come from private

money and the fact that it had been kept a secret for so long suggested a cover-up she guessed that there were a couple months worth of dust on almost everything which coincided with the first attacks in raccoon if the people in the house had been conducting some kind of an experiment and something had gone wrong something that transformed them into flesh-eating ghouls that's a bit far-fetched but it made more sense than anything else she could come up with although she'd keep her mind open to other possibilities as to her concerns about the team barry was

acting weird and chris and wesker were still missing no new developments there and there won't be any if you don't get going right jill put her musings on hold and stepped out into the hall she noticed the smell before she actually saw the zombie farther down the corridor crumpled to the floor the small wall sconces cast an uneven glow over the body reflecting off of dark red trim and tinting everything in the corridor a smoky crimson she trained her weapon on the still body and heard a door closing somewhere close by barry he'd said he

was going to be in the mansion's other wing but maybe he'd found something and had come looking for her or maybe she was finally going to meet up with someone else from the team Smiling at the thought she hurried down the gloomy hall eager to see another familiar face as she neared the corner a fresh wave of decay washed over her and the fallen creature at her feet grabbed at her boot clutching her ankle with surprising strength startled jill flailed her arms to keep her balance crying out in disgust as the slobbering zombie inched its

rotting face toward her boot its peeling skeletal fingers scrabbled weakly of a thick leather seeking a firmer grip and jill instinctively brought her other boot down on the back of its head the heavy tread sliding across the skull with a sickening wet sound a wide piece of flaking scalp tore away revealing glistening bone the creature kept clawing at her oblivious to pain the second and third kicks hit the back of its neck and on the fourth she felt as much as her the dull snap of vertebrae giving out crushed beneath her heel the pale hands

fluttered and with the choking liquid sigh the zombie settled to the musty carpet jill stepped over the limp body and ran around the corner swallowing back bile she was convinced that the pitiful creatures roaming the halls were victims somehow just as much as becky and press had been and releasing them to death was a kindness but they were also a menace not to mention morbidly unwholesome she had to be more cautious there was a door to her right heavy wood overlaid with twining metal designs there was a picture of armor over the keyplate but like

the other doors she'd come across upstairs it was unlocked there was no one inside the well-lit room but she hesitated suddenly reluctant to continue her search for whoever else was wandering the area two walls of the large chamber were Lined with full suits of armor eight to a side and there was a small display case at the back not to mention a large red switch set into the middle of the gray tiled floor another trap or a puzzle intrigued she walked into the room and headed for the glass front to display the silent lifeless guard

seeming to watch her every move there were a couple of mysterious grated holes in the floor one on either side of the red switch for ventilation perhaps and she felt her heart speed up a little suddenly sure that she had found another of the mansion's traps a quick inspection of the dusty display case decided it for her there wasn't any way that she could see to open it the glass front a single thick piece and something in one shadowy niche at the bottom glinted like dull copper i'm supposed to push that button thinking that it

will open the case and then what she had a sudden vivid image of the ventilation holes sealing off and the door locking itself a death by slow suffocation in an airless tube the chamber could fill with water or some kind of poisonous gas she looked around the room frowning wondering if she should try to block the door open or if perhaps there was another switch hidden in one of the empty suits every riddle has more than one answer jilly don't forget it jill grinned suddenly why push the button at all she crouched down next to

the case and took a firm grip on the barrel of her handgun with a single firm tap the glass cracked thin lines spidering away from the impact she used the butt of the gun to knock out a thick chunk and reach carefully inside she withdrew a hexagonal copper crest Engraved with an archaic smiling sun she smiled back at it pleased with her solution apparently some of the house's tricks could be worked around provided she ignored a few rules of fair play all the same she found herself hurrying back to the door not wanting to call

it a win until she was clear of the solemn chamber stepping back into the blood-hewed corridor she stood for a moment holding the crust as she weighed her options she could continue to look for whoever had closed that door or head back to the puzzle lock and place the crest as much as she wanted to find her team barry had been right about needing to get out of the mansion if any of the other stars were still alive they'd surely also be looking for an escape her thoughtful gaze fell across the feeded broken creature that

she'd killed lingering on the slowly spreading pool of dark fluids surrounding its scabby head and she realized suddenly that she desperately wanted to leave the house to escape its tainted air and the pestilent creatures that stalked its cold and dusty halls she wanted out and as soon as was humanly possible her decision made jill hurried back the way she'd come gripping the heavy crest tightly she'd already uncovered two of the pieces that the stars needed to escape the mansion she didn't know what they'd be escaping to but anything had to be better than what they

would leave behind richard rebecca immediately dropped to her knees next to the bravo feeling his throat for a pulse with one trembling hand chris stared mutely down at the torn body already knowing that she wouldn't find a heartbeat the gaping wound on richard aiken's right shoulder was drying no fresh blood seeping through the mutilated tissue he was dead He watched rebecca's slender hand slowly drop away from the bravo's neck and then reach out to close his glazed unseeing eyes her shoulders slumped chris felt sick over the discovery the communications expert had been a positive sweet

guy and only 23 years old he looked around the silent room searching randomly for some clue as to how richard had died the room they'd entered just off the second floor balcony was undecorated and empty except for richard there was nothing frowning chris took a few steps towards the room's second entrance and crouched down brushing at the dark tile floor there was a dried crust of blood in the shape of a boot heel between richard's body and the plain wooden door 10 feet away he stared at the door thoughtfully tightening his hold on the beretta

whatever killed him is on the other side maybe waiting for more victims chris take a look at this rebecca was still kneeling by richard her gaze fixed on the bloody mass of his torn shoulder chris joined her not sure what he was supposed to be looking at the wound was ragged and messy the flesh discolored by trauma strange though how it didn't seem very deep it's radiating out from the cuts and the way the muscle has been punctured here and here she pointed out two dark holes about six inches apart each surrounded by skin that

had turned an infected looking red rebecca sat back on her heels looking up at him i think he was poisoned it looks like a snake bite chris stared at her what snake gets that big she shook her head standing Got me maybe it was something else but that wound shouldn't have killed him it would have taken hours for him to bleed out i'm pretty sure he was poisoned chris regarded her with new respect she had a good eye for details and was handling herself remarkably well considering he searched richard's body quickly coming up with another

full clip and a short wave of radio he handed bill to rebecca tucking richard's empty beretta into his waistband he looked at the door again then back at rebecca whatever killed him might be back there then we'll have to be careful she said without another word she walked at the door and stood there waiting for him i've got to stop thinking of her as a kid she's outlived most of the rest of her team already she doesn't need me to patronize her or tell her to wait behind he stepped up to the door and nodded

at her she turned the knob and pushed it open both of them raising their weapons as they edged into a narrow hallway straight ahead were a few wood steps leading to a closed door to their left an offshoot of the hall another door at the end there is blood smeared on the walls bordering the steps and chris was suddenly certain that it was richards his killer was behind that door he motioned down the offshoot speaking quietly you take that room you run into any trouble come back here and wait check back in five minutes either

way rebecca nodded and moved down the narrow hall chris waited until she'd gone into the room before climbing the steps his heart already thudding solidly against his ribs the door was locked but chris saw that there was a tiny shield etched next to the keyhole rebecca was turning out to be more Useful than he could have possibly imagined he took out the key she'd given him and unlocked the wide door checking his beretta before moving inside it was a large attic as plain and unassuming as the rest of the mansion was ornate wooden support beams

extended from the floor to the sloping ceiling and other than a few boxes and barrels against the walls it was empty chris walked farther in his guard up as he scanned for movement at the other side of the long room was a partial wall maybe four feet by nine standing several feet from the back of the attic it reminded him of a horse stall and it was the only area that wasn't open to view chris moved toward it slowly his boots against the wood floor sending hollow echoes through the cool air he edged to the

wall training his verretta over the top as he peered down heart pounding no snake but there was a jagged hole near the floorboards between the two walls a foot high and a couple across and a strange acreage odor musky like the smell of some wild animal frowning at the scent chris started to back away and stopped leaning in closer there was a rounded piece of metal next to the hole like a penny the size of a small fist there was something engraved on it a crescent shape chris walked around the side and into the stall

keeping a wary eye on the hull as he crouched down and picked up the metal piece it was a six-sided disc of copper with a moon on it a nice bit of craftsmanship inside the hole a soft sliding sound chris jumped back targeting the opening as he moved he backed up quickly until his shoulders brushed the attic wall then started to edge away And a dark cylinder shot out of the opening lightning fast it was as big around as the dinner plate and it hit the wall inches from his right leg wood crunching from the

impact oh that's a snake chris stumbled away as the giant reptile reared back pulling more of its long dusky body out of the wall hissing it raised up lifting its head as high as chris's chest and exposing dripping fangs chris ran halfway across the room and spun firing at the massive diamond-shaped head the snake let out a strange hissing cry as a shot tore through one side of its gaping mouth punching a hole through the tightly stretched skin it dropped back to the floor and whipped itself toward him with a single waving push of its

muscular body at least 20 feet long chris fired again and a chunk of scaly flesh erupted from the snake's back dark blood spewing from the wound with another roaring hiss the animal reared up in front of him its head only inches away from chris's gun blood gushing from the hole in its mouth eyes get the eyes chris pulled the trigger and the snake fell across him knocking him to the floor its body thrashing wildly the tail slammed into one of the thick support beams hard enough to crack it as chris struggled to free his pinned

arms to at least hurt it worse before he died and the cold heavy body suddenly went limp sagging bonelessly to the floor chris rebecca rushed into the room and stopped cold staring at the monstrous reptile whoa his boot found one of the wooden supports and with a tremendous shove chris managed to wiggle out from beneath the thick body rebecca reached down to Help him her eyes wide with awe are you okay she asked softly chris nodded a few bruised ribs maybe but so what he'd literally been inches from certain death and all because he'd stopped

too he held up the copper crest having to pry his clenched fingers from around the thick metal he'd held onto it throughout the attack without even realizing it and looking at it now he had a gut feeling that it was important somehow maybe because you were almost snake food for picking it up rebecca took it from him tracing a finger over the engraved moon you find anything he asked rebecca shook her head table couple of shelves what's this for anyway chris shrugged looking back down at the bloody hole where the snake's shining eye had been

he shuddered involuntarily thinking of what would have happened if he'd missed that final shot maybe we'll figure it out somewhere along the way he said quietly come on let's get out of here rebecca handed the crest back to him and together they hurried out of the cold attic as he closed the door behind them chris realized suddenly that although he never cared before he now absolutely hated snakes barry walked heavily up the stairs into the main hall the knot of dread in the pit of his stomach tightening with each step he'd been through every room

he could open in the east wing and had come up empty-handed the same horrible images played through his mind over and over as he trudged at the steps kathy and moira and pauly ann terrified and suffering at the hands of strangers in their own home kathy knew the combination to the gun safe in the basement but the chances of her making it down the stairs before Someone could get in barry reached the first landing and took a deep shaky breath kathy wouldn't even think to run for the weapons if she heard someone breaking through one

of the windows or doors her first priority would be to get to the girls to make sure they are okay if i don't turn up those crests soon nothing will be okay he hadn't seen a phone or a radio anywhere in the house if wesker couldn't get to that laboratory how would he be able to contact the people at white umbrella and call off the killers barry reached the door in the upper landing that led into the west wing his only hope was that either jill or wesker had managed to find the three missing pieces

he didn't know where wesker was although he had no doubts that the red bastard would turn up soon enough but jill would probably still be searching upstairs they could split up the room she hadn't checked and at least rule out the least likely areas if they couldn't uncover any more of the crests he'd have to go back through the east wing and start ripping apart furniture he opened the door that led into the red hallway lost in thought and very nearly ran into crest redfield and rebecca chambers as they stepped out of the doorway on

his right chris's face lit up with a broad beaming grin barry the younger man stepped forward and embraced him roughly then backed up still grinning jesus it's good to see you i was starting to think that me and rebecca were the last ones alive where are jill and wesker barry pasted a smile on as he fumbled for an acceptable answer feeling almost sick with guilt lying to jill hadn't been easy but he'd known chris for years kathy and the girls Dead jill and i came after you but all the doors in that hall were locked

and when we got to the lobby the captain was gone since then we've been looking for you two and trying to find a way out barry smiled more naturally it's good to see you too both of you at least that much is true so wesker just disappeared chris asked barry nodded uncomfortable yeah and we found ken one of those ghouls got to him chris sighed i saw forrest and richard are dead too barry felt a wave of sadness and swallowed thickly suddenly hating wesker even more the people wesker worked for had done this and now

they wanted to cover it all up avoiding responsibility for their actions and like it or not i'm going to help them do it barry took a deep breath and fixed an image of his wife and daughters in his mind's eye jill found a back door and we think it could be a way out except it's got this trick lock like a puzzle and we have to get all the pieces together to open it there are these four metal crusts made out of copper jill got one already and we think the rest are hidden throughout the

mansion he trailed off at chris's sudden grin as chris reached into his vest something like this barry stared at the crest that chris had produced feeling his heart speed up yeah that's one of them where'd you find it rebecca spoke up smiling shyly we had to fight a big snake for it a really big snake i think it may have been affected by the accident though across genus virus those are pretty rare Barry reached for the crest as casually as he could manage frowning accident chris nodded we found some information that suggests there's some kind

of secret research facility here in the estate and that something they were working on got loose a virus one that can apparently infect mammals and reptiles rebecca added not just different species different families it certainly infected mine barry thought bleakly he let his frown deep in feigning thoughtfulness as he struggled to come up with an excuse to get away the captain wouldn't approach him unless he was alone and he was desperate to get the copper piece into place to prove that he was still on board cooperating and that he'd convince the rest of the team

to help him look he could feel the seconds taking away the metal growing warm beneath his sweating fingers we need to get the feds in on this he said finally a full investigation military support quarantine of the area chris and rebecca were both nodding and again barry felt nearly overwhelmed by guilt god if only they weren't so trusting but to do that we have to find all of these crests jill might have turned up another one by now maybe both of them i can only pray do you know where she is chris asked barry nodded

thinking fast i'm pretty sure but this place is kind of a maze why don't you wait in the main hall while i go get her that way we can organize her search do a more thorough job he smiled hoping it looked more convincing than it felt though if we don't turn up soon keep looking for more of those pieces the back door is at the end of the west wing Corridors first floor chris just stared at him for a moment and barry could see the questions forming in his bright gaze questions that barry wouldn't be

able to answer why split up at all what about finding the missing captain how could he be certain that the backdoor was an escape please please just do as i say okay said chris reluctantly we'll wait but if she's not where you think she is come back and get us we stand a better chance of making it through this place if we stick together barry nodded and before chris could see anything more he turned and jogged away down the dim hall he'd seen the hesitation in chris's eyes heard the uncertainty in his voice and with

his final words barry had felt himself wanting desperately to warn his friend of wesker's betrayal leaving was the only way to keep himself from saying something he might regret something that might get his family killed as soon as he heard the door back to the balcony close he picked up speed taking the corners at a full run there was a dead zombie near the door that led to the stairs and barry leaped over it the stench falling away as he ducked through the connecting passage he took the back stairs three at a time as his

conscience yammered mercilessly away at him reminding him of his treachery you're a liar barry using your friends the way wesker is using you playing on their trust you could have told them what was really going on let them help you put a snap to it barry shook the thoughts away as he reached the door to the covered wok slamming the heavy metal aside he couldn't risk it wouldn't what if wesker had been nearby Had overheard the captain had barry's family to blackmail him with but once chris and the others knew the truth what was to

stop wesker from just killing them if he helped wesker destroy the evidence the stars wouldn't be able to prove anything the captain could just let them all walk away barry reached the diagram next to the back door and stopped staring relief flooded through him cool and sweet three of the four openings were filled the sun wind and starcrust in place it was over he can get to the lab now call off his people he doesn't need us anymore i can go back in and keep the team busy while he does whatever he has to do

the rpd will show eventually and we can forget this ever happened he was so elated that he didn't register the muted footsteps on the stone path behind him didn't realize that he wasn't alone anymore until wesker's smooth avoidance spoke up beside him why don't you finish the puzzle mr burton barry jumped startled he glared at wesker loathing the smug bland face behind the sunglasses wesker smiled nodding his head at the copper crust in barry's hand yeah right berry muttered darkly and slipped the final piece into place there is a thick metallic sound from inside the

door kachink and wesker walked past him pushing the door open to reveal a small well-used tool shed barry peered inside saw the exit at the opposite wall there was no diagram set next to it no more crazy puzzles to figure out kathy and the girls were safe With a low vowel west promotion for barry to step inside the shed still smiling time is short barry and there's still a lot for us to do barry stared at him confused what do you mean you can get to the lab now well there's been a slight change of

plans see it turns out that i need to find something else and i have an idea of where it might be but there are some dangers involved and you've done such a good job so far i want you to come along wesker's smile transformed into a shark-like grin a cold pitiless reminder of what was at stake in fact i'm afraid that i'm going to have to insist on it after a long terrible moment very nodded helplessly chapter 13 my dearest alma i sit here trying to think of where to begin of how to explain in

a few simple words all that's happened in my life since we last spoke and already i fail i hope this letter finds you well and whole and that you will forgive the tangents of my pen this isn't easy for me even as i write i can feel the simplest of concepts slipping away lost to feelings of despair and confusion but i have to tell you what's in my heart before i can rest be patient and accept that what i tell you is the truth the entire story would take hours for me to tell you and

time is short so accept these things as fact last month there was an accident in the lab and the virus we were studying escaped all my colleagues who are infected are dead or dying and the Nature of the disease is such that those still living have lost their senses this virus robs its victims of their humanity forcing them in their sickness to seek out and destroy life even as i write these words i can hear them pressing against my locked door like mindless hungry animals crying out like lost souls there aren't words true enough deep

enough to describe the sorrow and shame that i feel knowing that i had a hand in their creation i believe that they feel nothing now no fear or pain but that they can't experience the horror of what they've become doesn't free me of my terrible burden i am in part responsible for this nightmare that surrounds me in spite of the guilt that is burned into my very being that will haunt my every breath i might have tried to survive if only to see you again but my best efforts only delayed the inevitable i am infected

and there is no cure for what will follow except to end my life before i lose the only thing that separates me from them my love for you please understand please know that i'm sorry martin crackhorn jill sighed laying the crumpled paper gently on the desk the creatures were victims of their own research it seemed she'd had the right idea about what had happened in the mansion though reading the heartfelt letter put a serious damper on any pride she might have taken from her deduction skills after placing the suncrest she decided that the upstairs office

mirrored a closer look and with a little digging she'd found the final scrolled testament of crackhorn tucked in a drawer Crackhorn martin crackhorn that was one of the names on trent's list jill frowned walking slowly back to the office door for some reason trent wanted the stars to figure out what had happened at the mansion before anyone else did but with as much as he obviously knew about it why not just tell them outright and what did he stand to gain by telling them anything at all she stepped through the office's small foyer and back

out into the hall still frowning barry had been acting strange before and she needed to find out why maybe she could get a straight answer if she just asked him outright or maybe not either way it'll tell me something jill stopped by the back stairs taking a deep breath and realized that something was different she looked around uncertainly trying to figure out what it was her senses were telling her it's warmer just a little but it's definitely warmer and the air isn't quite as stale like someone had opened a window or maybe a door jill

turned and jogged down the stairs suddenly anxious to check the puzzle lock reaching the bottom of the steps she saw that the door connecting one hall to the next was standing open she could hear crickets singing faintly feel the fresh night air wafting toward her through the frigid mustiness of the house she hurried to the darker corridor and hooked a right trying not to get her hopes up another sharp right and she could see the door that led to the covered walkway standing open maybe that's all it is it doesn't mean the puzzle's solved jill

broke into a run feeling the clean warmth of summer air against her skin as she rounded the corner in the stone path And let out a short triumphant laugh as she saw the four-place crest next to the open door a warm breeze was flowing through the room that the puzzle had unlocked a small storage shed for gardening tools the metal door on the wall opposite was standing open and jill could see moonlight playing across a brick wall just past the rusted hinges barry had been right the door let outside they'd be able to get help

now find a safe route through the woods or at least a signal but if barry found the missing pieces why didn't he come looking for me jill's grin faded as she stepped into the shed absolutely taking in the dusty boxes and barrels that line the greystone walls barry had known where she was had suggested himself that she took the second floor of the west wing so maybe it wasn't barry who opened the door true it could have been chris or wesker or one of the bravos if that was the case she should probably go back

in and look for barry or investigate a little first make sure it's worth the effort it was a bit of rationalization but she had to admit to herself that the thought of returning to the mansion with a possible escape in front of her wasn't all that enticing she unholstered her beretta and walked toward the outer door her decision made the first thing she noticed was the sound of rushing water over the soft forest noises that filled the cooling air like a waterfall the second and third were the bodies of the two dogs that lay across

the irregular stone path shot to death pretty safe bet that one of the stars came this way jill edged out into a high-walled courtyard low hedges set into brick planners on either side dark clouds hung oppressively low overhead Across the open space was a barred iron gate just past an island of shrubs to her left a straight path overshadowed by the 10-foot high brick walls that bordered it the gentle waterfall sound seemed to come from that direction though the path ended abruptly at a metal gate a few feet high stairs going down maybe jill hesitated

looked back at the arched rusty gate in front of her and then at the curled bodies of the mutant dogs they were both closer to the gate than the walkway and assuming they'd been killed while attacking the shooter would have been headed in that direction there was a sudden sound of water splashing wildly making the decision for her jill turned and ran down the moonlit walk hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever was making the noise she reached the end of the stone path and leaned over the gate then drew back a little surprised by

the sudden drop off there were no stairs the gate opened to a tiny platform elevator and a huge open courtyard 20 feet below the splashing was off to the right and joe looked down and across the wide yard just in time to see a shadowy figure walk through the waterfall she'd heard disappearing behind the curtain of water that cascaded down the west wall what the hell she stared at the small waterfall blinking not sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her the splashing had stopped as soon as the person disappeared and she was fairly

certain that she wasn't hearing things which meant that the rushing water concealed the secret passage great that's just what this place needs lord knows i didn't get enough of that inside the controls for the one man lift were on a metal bar next to the resting gate the platform itself down in the Courtyard jill toggled the power switch but nothing happened she'd have to get down another way wasting time while the mysterious splasher got farther away unless jill looked out at the narrow elevator shaft in inset square only three feet across and open on the

side facing the yard coming up would be a but descending cake she could crouch her way down in a minute or less using her back and legs to support her weight as she unstrapped the shotgun from her back in preparation for the climb a disturbing thought occurred to her if the person who'd gone through the waterfall was one of the stars how had they known that the passage was even there good question and not one she wanted to linger over holding the shotgun tightly jill pushed the gate open and carefully started down the shaft they'd

given barry a full 15 minutes before heading through the mining halls of the west wing and finding the open back door they stood there now looking at the slab of copper and its four engraved crests chris stared at the crescent moon that barry had taken feeling confused and more than a little worried barry was one of the most honest straightforward guys that he had ever known if he said that he was going to look for jill and then come back for them then that's what he meant to do but he didn't come back and if

he ran into trouble how did the peace i gave him end up here he didn't like any of the explanations his mind was giving him to work with someone could have taken it from him he could have placed it himself and then been injured somehow the possibilities seemed endless and none of them good sighing he turned away from the diagram and looked at rebecca Whatever happened to barry we should go ahead this may be the only way off the estate rebecca smiled a little fine by me it just feels good to get out of there

you know yeah no kidding he said with feeling he hadn't even realized how accustomed he'd grown to the cold oppressive atmosphere of the house until they left it the difference was truly amazing they walked through the tidy storage room and stopped at the back door both of them breathing deeply rebecca checked her beretta for about 100 times since they left the main hall chewing at her lower lip nervously chris could see how tightly wound she was and tried to think if there was anything she needed to know anything that would help her if they were

forced into a combat situation starr's training covered all the basics but shooting at a video screen with a toy gun was a far cry from the real thing he grinned suddenly remembering the words of wisdom he'd gotten on his first operation a standoff with a small group of whacked-out survivalists in upstate new york he'd been terrified and trying desperately not to show it the captain for the mission had been a tough-as-nails explosives expert an extremely short woman named kayla she'd pulled him aside just before they went in looked him up and down and given him

the single best piece of advice he'd ever received son she said no matter what happens when the shooting starts try not to white your pants it had surprised him out of his nervousness the statement so totally weird that he'd literally been forced to let go of the worst of his fear to make room for it what are you grinning about chris shook his head the smile fading Somehow he didn't think it would work on rebecca and the dangers they faced didn't shoot back long story come on let's go they moved out into the calm night

era crickets and cicadas buzzing sleepily in the surrounding woods they were in a kind of courtyard high brick walls on either side an offshoot walkway to their left chris could hear rushing water nearby and the mournful cry of a dog or coyote in the distance a lonely faraway sound speaking of dogs there were a couple of them sprawled out across the stones soft moonlight listening against your wet sinui bodies chris edged up to one of them and crouched down touching its flank he quickly pulled his hand back scowling the mutant dog was sticky and warm

like it had been sheathed in a thick layer of mucus he stood up wiping his hand on his pants hasn't been dead long he said quietly less than an hour anyway there was a rusted iron gate just past some hedges in front of them chris nodded at rebecca and as they walked toward it the sound of rushing water increased to a dull roar chris pushed at the gate and it swung open on violently squealing hinges revealing a huge cut stone reservoir easily the size of a couple of swimming pools put together deep shadows draped and

hung at every side caused by the seemingly solid walls of murky green trees and lush vegetation that threatened to break through the bordering rails they moved forward stopping at the edge of the massive pool it was apparently in the slow process of being drained the turbulent noise caused by the narrow flow of water through a raised gate on the east side There wasn't a complete path around the reservoir but chris saw that there was a walkway bisecting the pool itself about five feet below water level there were bolted ladders at both sides and the path

had obviously been submerged until quite recently the stone's dark with dripping algae chris studied the unusual setup for a moment wondering how anyone got across when it wasn't being drained another mystery to add to the growing list without speaking they climbed down and hurried across boots squelching against the slimy stones a clammy humidity enveloping them chris quickly scaled the second ladder the heavily shaded path was littered with branches and pine needles and appeared to border the east end of the reservoir passing over the open flood gate they started toward the force waterfall and had only

gotten a few feet when it started to rain plop plop plop chris frowned an inner voice informing him coolly that he shouldn't be able to hear raindrops over the roar of the draining water he looked up and saw a twisted branch fall from the stretching foliage hanging over the rail a branch that hit the stones and slid smoothly away that's not a branch and there were dozens of them already on the ground twisting across the dark stones hissing and writhing as they fell from the trees overhead he and rebecca were surrounded by snakes oh startled

rebecca turned to look at chris and felt cold terror shoot through her her heart squeezed in its icy grip as she took in the path behind him the ground had come to life black shapes coiling toward their feet and dropping from above like living rain rebecca started to raise her gun Realizing numbly that there were too many even as chris roughly grabbed her arm run they stumbled forward rebecca crying out involuntarily as a thick writhing body fell across her shoulder a touch of cool scales against her arm as it slid heavily off and hit the

stones the path zigzagged and they ran through the shifting shadows heels crunching down on rubbery moving flesh throwing them off balance snakes darted forward to strike at their passing boots as they ran over a steel grate black foaming water thundering below the sound of their boots hitting metal lost to the liquid roar ahead of them the stones were clearer but the path also dropped off sharply a small elevator platform marking its end there was no place left to go they crowded onto the tiny platform and rebecca snatched at the controls her breath coming in panic

gasps chris turned and fired repeatedly the shots blasting over the crash of water as rebecca found the operating button and slammed it down the platform shuttered and started to descend slipping down past rock walls toward a massive empty courtyard below rebecca turned raising the beretta to help chris and felt her jaw drop her throat locking at the gruesome scene there had to be hundreds of them the path almost completely hidden by the slithering creatures hissing and squirming in an alien frenzy as they struck wildly at each other by the time she managed to unfreeze the

lonesome sight had risen past eye level and was gone the ride seemed to last forever both of them staring up at the edge of the path he left behind tensely breathlessly waiting for the bodies to start falling When the lift was within a few feet of the bottom they both jumped off stumbling quickly away from the wall they both lean against the cool rock gasping rebecca took in the courtyard they'd escaped to in between shuddering breaths letting the sound of the splashing waterfall soothe her nerves it was a huge open space made out of brook

and stone the colors washed out and hazy in the frail light the water from the reservoir above tumbled down into two stone pools nearby and there was a single gate across from them and no snakes she took a final deep breath and blew it out then turned to chris were you bit he shook his head you no she said though if it's all the same to you i'd rather not go back that way i'm more of a cat person really chris jered at her for a moment and then grinned pushing away from the wall funny

i would have figured you for lab rats i beep beep the radio rebecca grabbed at the unit hooked to her belt the snake suddenly forgotten it was the sound she'd been hoping to hear ever since they'd found richard they were being hailed maybe by searchers she thumbed the receiver and held their radio up so they could both hear static crackled through the tinny speaker along with a soft line of a wavering signal this is brad alpha team reed if can hear this his voice disappeared in a burst of static rebecca hit the transmit button and

spoke quickly brad brad come in the signal was gone they both listened For a moment longer but nothing else came through he must have gotten out of range chris said he signed walking farther out into the open yard and gazing up at the dark overcast sky rebecca clipped the silent radio back to her belt still feeling more hopeful than she had all night the pilot was out there somewhere circling around and looking for them now that they were clear of the mansion they'd be able to hear him signal assuming he comes back rebecca ignored the

thought and walked over to join chris who had found another tiny elevator platform tucked in the corner across from the waterfall a quick check showed it to be without power chris turned toward the gate slapping a fresh clip into his beretta shall we see what's behind door number one it was a rhetorical question unless they wanted to go back through the snakes it was her only option just the same rebecca smiled and nodded wanting to make sure he knew she was ready and hoping desperately that if anything else happened she would be chapter 14 jill

stood at the edge of a yawning open pit in the dank tunnel staring helplessly at the door on the other side the pit was too wide to safely jump and there was no way to climb down at least not that she could see she'd have to go back and try the door by the ladder her frustrated side turned into a shiver the damp chill emanating from the stone walls would have been bad enough without her being dripping wet great secret passage to use it you have to catch pneumonia a glint of metal caught her gaze

as she turned feet squelching in her boots she peered down at it brushing a wet strand of hair out of her eyes It was a small iron plate set into the stone a six-sided hole about the size of a quarter at the center she looked back at the door thoughtfully maybe it works a bridge or lowers stairs it didn't matter since she didn't have whatever tool required it was as good as a dead end besides it was unlikely that whoever she'd seen walking through the waterfall had managed to get across jill walked back through the

twisting passage toward the entrance to the tunnel still in awe of what she'd found behind the curtain of water it appeared that there was a whole network of tunnels running beneath the estate the walls were rough and uneven chunks of sandy limestone protruding at odd angles but the sheer amount of work that had gone into creating the underground path was mind-boggling she reached the metal door next to the ladder having to make a conscious effort not to let her teeth chatter as the cold draft swept down from the courtyard above the sound of the waterfall

was strangely muted the steady echoing rhythm of water dripping to the rock floor was much louder giving the tunnels a somewhat medieval feel she pulled the door open and froze feeling a rush of mixed emotions as barry burton rolled around to face her revolver in hand surprise one barry he quickly lowered his weapon looking as shocked as she felt and just about as wet too his t-shirt clung to his broad shoulders his short hair plastered to his skull jill how did you get down here same way you did apparently but how did you know he

held up his hand shushing her listen they stood intense silence jill looking Up and down the stone corridor and failing to hear whatever barry had heard there were metal doors at either end cast in shadow by the dim utility lights overhead i thought i heard something he said finally voices before she could ask any questions he turned and faced her smiling uneasily look i'm sorry i didn't wait for you but i heard somebody walking out in the garden and had to take a look i found this place by accident kind of tripped and fell in

anyway i'm glad you're here let's check around see what we can dig up jill nodded but decided to keep a close eye on barry for a while maybe she was paranoid but in spite of his words he didn't seem all that happy to see her watch and wait her mind whispered for now there was nothing else she could do barry led them toward the door on the right holding his cold up he pulled the handle revealing another gloomy tunnel a few steps into the right was another metal door and across from it the passage veered

sharply into almost complete darkness barry motioned at the door and jill nodded he pushed it open and the two of them moved in to another silent corridor jill sighed inwardly and she studied the bare rocky balls wishing that she had a piece of chalk with her the tunnel they were in now looked pretty much like all the rest of them turning left up ahead she already felt lost and hoped that there weren't too many more twists and turns hello who's there a deep familiar voice shouted from somewhere ahead of them the words echoing through the

passage enrico jill called out jill is that you Excited jill ran the last few steps to the corner and around barry right behind her the bravo team leader was still alive had somehow ended up down here jill rounded the next corner and saw him sitting against the wall the tunnel widening out and ending in a shadowy alcove hold it stop right there she froze staring at the beretta he had pointed at her he was injured blood seeping from his leg and puddling on the floor are you with anyone jill his dark eyes were narrowed with

suspicion the black bore of his semi-automatic unwavering berry's here too enrico what happened what's this about as barry stepped out from behind the corner enrico stared at them both for a long moment his gaze darting back and forth nervously and then he sagged lowering his gun as he fell back against the stones barry and jill hurried over crouching down next to the wounded bravo i'm sorry he said weekly i had to make sure it was as though defending himself had taken his last bit of strength jill took his hand gently alarmed at how pale he

was blood oozed from his thigh his pants soaked with it this whole thing was a setup he breathed turning his watering gate toward her i got lost i climbed the fence saw the tunnels found the paper umbrella knew all along barry looked stricken his face almost as white as enrico's hang on rico we'll get you out of here you just have to lie still enrico shook His head still looking at jill there's a traitor in the stars he whispered he told me bam bam enrico's body jumped as two holes suddenly appeared in his chest blood

pulsing out of them in violent spurts through the resounding echo of the shots running footsteps clattered away down the corridor behind them barry launched to his feet and sprinted around the corner as jill helplessly squeezed enrico's twitching hand her heart pounding and sick he slumped over dead before he touched the cold stone floor her mind flooded with questions as barry's pursuing footsteps faded away silence settling in once again over the deep shadows what paper had the bravo found when enrico had said traitor she'd immediately thought of barry acting so strangely but he'd been right beside

her when the shots had been fired so who did this who is trent talking about who did enrico see feeling lost and alone jill held his cooling hand and waited for barry to come back rebecca was going through an old trunk pushed against one wall of the room they'd entered shuffling through stacks of papers and frowning while chris checked out the rest of the room a single rumpled cot a desk and a towering ancient bookshelf were the only other pieces of furniture after the cold alien splendor of the mansion chris was absurdly grateful to be

in simpler surroundings they'd come to a house at the end of the long winding path from the courtyard much smaller and infinitely less intimidating than the mansion the hall they'd stepped into was a plain undecorated wood as there were the two small bedrooms they discovered just off The silent corridor chris figured they'd found a bunkhouse for some of the manton's employees he had noticed the thick unmarked dust in the hallway on their way in with a sinking resignation realizing that none of the other stars had made it out of the main house with no way

for him and rebecca to get back all they could do was try and find the back door and go for help chris didn't like it but there weren't any other options after a brief perusal of the shelves chris walked to the battered wooden desk and pulled at the top drawer it was locked he bent down and felt along the bottom of the drawer grinding as his fingers touched a thick piece of tape don't people ever watch movies the keys always stuck under the drawer he peeled the tape away and came up with a tiny silver

key still grinning he unlocked the drawer and pulled it open there was a deck of playing cards a few pens and pencils gum wrappers a crumpled pack of cigarettes junk mostly the kind of stuff that always seemed to accumulate in desk drawers bingo chris picked up the key ring by its leather tag pleased with himself if finding the exit was this easy they'd be on their way back to raccoon in no time looks like we just got a break he said softly holding up the keys the leather tag had the word alias burned into one

side the number 345 written on the back in smudged ballpoint pen chris didn't know the significance of the number but he remembered the nickname from the diary he'd found in the mansion thank you mr alias assuming the keys were for the bunkhouse they were that much closer to getting off the estate rebecca was still sitting by the trunk surrounded by papers envelopes even a few grainy photos that she'd pulled out she seemed totally absorbed in whatever she was reading and when chris walked Over to join her she looked up at him with eyes clouded by

worry you find something rebecca held up the piece of paper she was reading a couple of things listen to this four days since the accident and the plant at point 42 is still growing and mutating at an incredible rate she skipped ahead skipping the page with one finger as she spoke it calls this thing plant 42 and says its root is in the basement here shortly after the accident one of the infected members of the research team became violent and broke the water tank in the basement flooding the entire section we think some trace chemicals

used in the t-virus test contaminated the water and contributed to plant 42's radical mutations a number of shoots have already been traced to different parts of the building but the main plant now hangs from the ceiling in the large conference room on the first floor we've determined that plant 42 has become sensitive to movement and is now carnivorous in close proximity to humans it uses tentacular prehensile vines to entrap its prey while leech-like adaptations latch onto exposed skin and draw fatal quantities of blood several members of the staff have already fallen victim to this it's

dated may 21st signed henry sarton chris shook his head wondering again how someone could invent a virus like the one they had come across it seemed to infect everything it touched with madness transforming its carrier into a deadly carnivore hungry for blood god now a man eating plant chris shuttered suddenly twice as glad that they'd be leaving soon so it infects plants too he said when we report this we'll have to No that's not it she said she handed him a photo her expression grim it was a blurry snapshot of a middle-aged man wearing a

lab coat he was standing stiffly in front of a plain wooden door and chris realized that it was the very door they'd come through not 10 minutes ago the front entrance to the bunk house he flipped the picture over squinting at the tiny script on the back h sartan january 98 point 42 he stared at rebecca finally understanding her fearful gaze they were standing in point 42 the carnivorous plant was here lesker stood in the darkness of the online tunnel his irritation growing as he listened to buried stumble through the echoing corridors jill wouldn't wait

forever and the raging mr burton couldn't seem to grasp that enrico's killer had simply slid into the shadows just around the corner the most obvious place there was come on come on since they left the house he'd finally started to feel like things were going in his favor he'd remembered the underground room near the entrance to the labs and was almost certain that the wolf medal would be there and the tunnels were clear he had expected the one two ones to be out but apparently no one had messed with a passage mechanism since the accident

they'd split up to search for the lever that worked the passages and it had been in plain sight propped up next to the very mechanism that it controlled everything would have been perfect except goddamned enrico marini had wandered along happening across a very important paper that wesker had accidentally dropped his orders straight from the head of white umbrella and then to complicate matters jill had blundered into the tunnels before wesker Could finish taking care of the problem lesker sighed inwardly if it wasn't one thing it was another in truth this whole affair had been a

massive headache from the beginning at least the underground security hadn't been activated though he'd had no way of knowing that until they'd reached the tunnels and having dragged barry along his insurance he now had to deal with the consequences if the money wasn't so good he grinned who is he kidding the money was great after what felt like years barry huffed into the dark room blindly waving his revolver around wesker tensed waiting for him to walk past the generator's alcove this part could be tricky berry and enrico had been close as barry storm passed a

small chamber wesker stepped out behind him and jammed the muzzle of his beretta into barry's lower back hard at the same time he started talking low and fast i know you want to kill me barry but i want you to think about what you're doing i die your family dies and right now it looks like jill may have to die too but you can stop it you can put a stop to all the killing barry had stopped moving as soon as the gun touched him but wesker could hear the barely contained rage in his voice

the pure driving hatred you killed enrico he snarled wesker pushed the gun deeper into his back yes but i didn't want to enrico found some information he shouldn't have he knew too much and if he'd told joe what he knew about umbrella i'd have had to kill her too You're going to kill her anyway you're going to kill all of us wesker's side allowing a pleading note to creep into his voice that's not true don't you get it i just want to get to the laboratory and get rid of the evidence before anyone finds it

once that material is destroyed there's no reason for anyone else to get hurt we can all just walk away barry was silent and wesker could tell that he wanted to believe him wanted desperately to believe that things could be that simple western let him waver for a moment before pressing on all i want you to do is keep jill busy keep her and anyone else you run into away from the labs at least for a little while you'll be saving her life and i swear to you that as soon as i get what i need

you and your family will never hear from me again he waited and when barry finally spoke western knew he had him where are the labs good boy lester lowered the gun keeping his expression blank just in case barry had good night vision he pulled a folded paper out of his vest and slipped it into barry's hand a map from the tunnels to the first baseman level if for some reason you can't keep her away at least go with her there are a lot of doors with locks on the outside down there worse comes to worst

you can lock her up until it's over i mean it barry no one else has to get hurt it's all up to you wesker stepped back quickly reaching for the lever with the six-sided tip that he left next to the generator he watched barry for a few seconds longer saw the sag and the big man's shoulders the submissive hang of his head satisfied wesker turned and walked out Of the room on the very slight chance that any of the stars made it to the lab mr burton would ensure that there wouldn't be any more trouble

he hurried back through the entrance tunnel silently congratulating himself on getting things back under control as he headed toward the first passage mechanism he'd have to move fast from here on out there were a few things he neglected to mention to bury like the experimental security detachment that would be released into the tunnels once he turned that lever for the first time sorry barry slipped my mind it would be interesting to see how this team fared with the one two ones the hunters watching the stars pit their strength and agility against the creatures would be

quite a show and sadly one that he'd have to miss it was too bad really the hunters had been caged for a long time they'd be very very hungry chapter 15 barry had been gone for too long jill had no idea how extensive the tunnels were but from what she'd seen they all looked alike barry could be lost trying to find his way back or he could have found the murderer and without any backup he might not come back at all in any case staying put wasn't going to help anything she stood up taking a

last look at the bravo's pill face and silently wishing him peace before walking away what did he find out that got him killed who was it enrico had only managed to get out that the traitor was a he but that didn't exactly narrow things down except for herself and the rookie the raccoon stars were all male she could rule out chris since he'd been Convinced from the start that there was something weird going on and now barry who had been with her when marini died brad vickers simply wasn't the type to do anything dangerous and

joseph and kenneth were dead which leaves richard aiken forest spire and albert wesker none of them seemed likely but she had to at least consider the possibility enrico is dead and she no longer doubted that umbrella had one of the stars in her pocket when she got to the door she quickly leaned down and tightened her damp boot laces preparing herself whoever had shot the bravo could have just as easily taken her and barry out and since he hadn't she could only figure that he didn't want to kill anyone else and wouldn't be looking for

more targets assuming that he was still in the underground system she'd have to be as quiet as possible if she wanted to find him the tunnels were perfect sound conductors amplifying even the tiniest sound she eased open the metal door listening and then edged out into the dim tunnel staying close to the wall in front of her the corridor was unlit she opted to head back the way she'd come instead the darkness was a perfect spot for an ambush she didn't want to find out she was wrong about the killer's intentions by taking a bullet

a low grinding rumble reverberated through the heavy stone walls a sound like something big moving jill instinctively used the sound as cover taking several sliding steps forward and reaching the next metal door just as the rumbling stopped she slipped back out into the tunnel where she'd run into barry gently closing the door behind her what the hell was that it sounded like an entire wall moving she shuddered remembering the descending ceiling of that room in the house Maybe the tunnels were rigged too she needed to watch every step the idea of being crunched to death

by some bizarre mechanism underground like the one next to that pit with the hexagonal hull she nodded slowly deciding that she needed to go take another look at those doors she couldn't get to before maybe the killer had the tool it required and the noise she'd heard had come from him operating it she could be wrong but there was no harm in checking and at least i won't get lost she reached for the door that would lead her back and stopped her head cocked to catch the strange sound coming from the tunnel behind her it

was a rusty hinge some kind of a bird maybe it was loud whatever it was thump thump thump that sound she knew footsteps headed in her direction and it was either barry or someone built like him they were heavy plodding but too far apart too deliberate get out of here now jill grabbed at the middle latch and ran into the next tunnel no longer caring how much noise she made although she sometimes misread them her instincts were never wrong and they were telling her that whoever or whatever was making that sound she didn't want to

be there when it showed up she took several running steps down the stone corridor away from the ladder that led back to the courtyard and then forced herself to slow down taking a deep breath she couldn't just go sprinting ahead either there were other dangers than the one she'd left behind behind her the door opened jill turned raising her beretta and stared in horror at the thing standing There it was huge shaped like a man but the resemblance stopped there naked but sexless its entire muscular body was covered with a pebbled amphibious skin shaded a

dark green it was hunched over so that its impossibly long arms almost touched the floor both its hands and feet tipped with thick brutal claws tiny light-colored eyes peered out at her from a flat reptilian skull it turned its strange gaze toward her dropped his wide hinged jaw and let out a tremendous high-pitched screech like nothing she'd ever heard before the sound echoing around her filling her with mortal terror jill fired three shots that smacked into the creature's chest and sent it reeling backwards it stumbled fell against the tunnel wall and with another terrible shriek

it sprang at her pushing out the stones with powerful legs its claws outstretched and grasping she fired again and again as it flew toward her the bullets tearing into its puckered flesh ribbons of dark blood coiling away and it landed in a heavy crouch only a few feet in front of her screaming one massive arm snaking out to swipe at her legs a musky moldy animal smell washed over her a smell like dark places and feral rage jesus why won't it die jill trained the beretta on the back of its skull and emptied the clip

even as the green flesh splattered away and bone splintered she continued to fire the hot slugs ripping into the pulpy pinkish mass of its brain click click click no more bullets she lowered the weapon her entire body shaking it was over the Creature was dead but it had taken almost an entire clip fifteen nine millimeter rounds the last seven or eight at close range still staring at the fallen monster she ejected the empty magazine and loaded a fresh clip before holstering the beretta she reached back and unstrapped the rubbington taking comfort in the solid balanced

weight of the shotgun what the hell were you people working on out here it seemed that the umbrella researchers had invented more than just a virus something just as deadly but with claws and there could be more of them she'd never had a more horrifying thought holding the remington close jill turned and ran chris and rebecca walked down a long wooden hallway rarely glancing up with every other step there was what looked like dried dead ivy poking out of every crack and crevice where the walls met the ceiling a bone-colored growth that scaled across the

planks like a fungus it looked harmless but after what rebecca had read to him about plant 42 chris kept himself ready to move quickly after going through the rest of the papers in the trunk rebecca had come up with a report on some kind of a herbicide that could apparently be mixed in point 42 called v-jolt she'd brought it along though chris doubted it would be useful all he wanted was to find the exit and if they could avoid the killer plant so much the better the front hull had been clear of the growth though

chris wasn't prepared to call it secured besides the two bedrooms by the front door there had been a rec room that had been distinctly creepy chris had looked inside and immediately felt his internal alarms going off though we hadn't known why there had been no danger that he could see just a bar and a couple of tables In spite of the seeming calm he had closed the door quickly and they'd moved on his gut feeling was enough of a reason to leave it alone they stopped in front of the only door in the long meandering

stretch of the hallway both of them still glancing nervously at the scaling iv near the ceiling chris pushed at the knob and the door swung open warm humid air flooded out of the shadowy room thick and tropical but with a nasty undertone like the taint of spoiled fruit chris instinctively pushed rebecca behind him as he saw the walls of the chamber they were completely covered in the same kind of strange straggling growth that was in the hall but here the scaling ivy was lush and bloated a bilious verdant green there was a faint whispering coming

from inside the room a subtle sense of movement and chris realized that it was coming from the sickly plant matter itself the walls quivering in a weird optical illusion as the draping tendrils crept and grew rebecca started to step past him and chris pushed her back what are you nuts i thought you said this thing sucks blood she shook her head staring at the whispering walls that's not plan 42 at least not the part the report talked about plan 42 is going to be a lot bigger and a lot more mobile i never did much

with phytobiology but according to that study we'll be looking for an angiosperm with motile foliage she smiled a quick nervous smile sorry think great big plant bulb with 10 to 20 foot vines waving around it chris grimaced great thanks for putting my mind at rest they edged into the large room careful not to walk too Closely to the hissing walls there were three doors besides the one they came through one directly across from the entrance and the other two facing each other to the left where the room opened up chris led them toward the door

opposite the entrance figuring it was the most likely to lead out of the bunk house the door was unlocked and chris started to push it open bam the doors slammed shut causing them both to jump back weapons raised a series of heavy sliding thumps followed like someone on the other side was kicking at the walls except the sounds were everywhere above and below the door's sturdy frame beating against every corner of the sealed room lots of vines you said chris asked rebecca nodded i think we just found plant 42. they listened for a moment chris

thinking about the kind of strength and weight it would take to slam the door so solidly no kidding bigger and more mobile and maybe blocking the only exit to this place terrific they backed away turning into the open area and looking at the other two doors the one on their right had the number zero zero two above it chris fished out the keys he'd found and flipped through them finding one with a matching number he unlocked the door and stepped inside rebecca behind him there was a smaller door to the left that opened to a

bathroom quiet and dusty the room itself was another bedroom a bunk a desk a couple of shelves nothing of interest there was another series of dull thumbs from behind the far wall and they quickly moved back into the humid whispering room chris fighting a growing certainty that they Were going to have to deal with the plan if they wanted to get out not necessarily there could still be another way the way things had been going so far he didn't think so from the shuffling zombies lurking in the main house to the run through the courtyard

snakes dropping from the trees every part of the spencer estate seemed to be designed to keep them from leaving chris shook the negative thoughts aside as they approached the shadowy chamber's final door but they came rushing back at the site of the small green keypad set next to the frame he rattled the knob but there was no give it was another dead end security lock he said sighing no way to get in without the code rebecca frowned down at the pattern of tiny red lights set above the numbered buttons we could just try numbers until

we run across the right combination chris shook his head you know what our chances are of just stumbling across the right he stopped staring at her then fumbled the key ring out of his pocket try 345 he said watching eagerly as rebecca dutifully punched in the number come on mr alias don't fail us now the pattern of red lights flashed then blinked out one by one as the last tiny light faded there was a click from inside the door chris grinned pushing the door open and felt his hope dwindle as he glanced around the tiny

room dusty shelves filled with tiny glass bottles and a rust stained stink not the exit he'd expected no that would have been too easy god knows we can't have that rebecca walked quickly to one of the shelves and looked over the glass bottles mumbling to herself Hyosamine dried deldrin she turned back to him grinning widely chris we can kill the plant that veget the phytotoxin i could make it here if we can get to the basement find the plant's root chris smiled back then we can destroy it without having to fight the damn thing rebecca

you're brilliant how long do you need 10 15 minutes you got it stay here i'll be back as soon as i can rebecca was already pulling down bottles as chris closed the door and jogged back toward the corridor past the whispering walls of shadowy green they were going to beat this place and once they got out umbrella was going down hard barry was standing over enrico's cold body lester's map crumpled in one hand jill had been gone when he'd returned and rather than look for her he'd found himself unable to move to even tear his

gaze away from the corpse of his murdered friend it's my fault if i hadn't helped wesker get out of the house you'd still be alive barry stared miserably at enrico's face so filled with guilt and shame that he didn't know what to do anymore he knew he had to find jill keep her from getting to wesker keep his family from being hurt but still he couldn't seem to force himself to walk away what he wanted more than anything was to be able to explain himself to enrico make him understand how things had come to be

the way they were he's got kathy and the babies rico what else could i have done what can i Do but follow his orders the bravo stared back at him with glazed unseeing eyes no accusation no acceptance no nothing forever even if barry continued to help the captain and everything else turned out the way it was supposed to rico mourinho would still be dead and barry didn't know how he was going to live with the knowledge that he was responsible shots echoed through the tunnels a lot of them jill barry's head snapped around he reached

for his weapon automatically the sound spurring him to action as anger flushed through his system there could only be one explanation wesker had found jill barry turned and ran sick at the thought of another stars member dead by wesker's treacherous hand furious with himself for believing the captain's lies the door in front of him slammed open and barry stopped dead in his tracks all thoughts of wesker and jill and enrico wiped away by the sight of the crouching thing in front of him his mind couldn't grasp what he saw his stun gaze feeding him bits

of information that didn't make sense green skin piercing orange white eyes talons it screamed a horrible squealing cry and barry didn't think anymore he squeezed the trigger and the shriek turned into a bubbling choking gasp at the heavy round tore into its throat and knocked it down the thing flailed its limbs wildly as blood spurted from the smoking hole there you heard several sharp cracks like breaking bones saw more blood pour from its fists as long thick claws snapped off against a rock barry stared in mute astonishment as the creature continued to spasm violently burbling

through the ragged hole in its Throat as if still trying to scream the shot should have blown its head off its neck but it was another minute before it died its frenzied thrashings gradually weakening as blood continued to pump out at a tremendous rate finally it stopped moving and from the dark noxious lake it had created barry realized that it had bled to death conscious until the end what did i just kill what the f from the tunnel outside another shrieking howl resounded through the clammy air and was joined by a second then third the

animal cries rose up furious and unnatural the screens of creatures that shouldn't exist barry dug into his hip pack but shaking hands and pulled out more rounds for the cult praying to god that he had enough and that those shots he'd heard before hadn't been jill's last stand chapter 16 it could have once been a spider if spiders ever got to be the size of cattle from the thick layer of white web that covered the room floor to ceiling it couldn't have been anything else jill stared down at the curled bristling legs of the abomination

her skin crawling the creature that had attacked her by the courtyard entrance had been terrifying but so alien that she hadn't been able to relate it to anything spiders on the other hand she already hated them hated their dark bustling bodies and skittering legs this one had been the mother of all of them and even dead it frightened her hasn't been dead long though she forced herself to look at it at the slick puddles of greenish icor that dripped from the holes in its rounded Hairy body it had been shot several times and from the

noxious ooze that seeped from the wounds she guessed that it had still been alive and crawling not 20 minutes ago maybe less she shuddered and stepped away from the double metal doris that led out of the webbed chamber whispering streams of the sticky stuff clung to her boots making it a struggle to move she took careful deliberate steps determined not to fall the thought of being covered in spiderweb having it cling to her entire body she shuddered again swallowing thickly think about something else anything at least she knew she was on the right track and

close behind whoever had triggered the tunnel mechanism neat trick that when she'd reached the area where the pit had been she thought that maybe she'd gotten lost after all the gaping hole had been gone smooth stone in its place looking up she'd seen the ragged edges of the pit suspended overhead the entire center section of the tunnel had been flipped over turned like a giant wheel by some miracle of engineering the doors had led to another straight empty tunnel a giant boulder stood at one end and past that the room she was about to leave

jill grabbed the handle of one of the doors and pushed it open stumbling out into yet another gloomy passage she lean back against the door and breathe deeply barely resisting the urge to brush wildly at her clothes i can blow away zombies and monsters with the best of them show me a spider and i lose my freaking mind the short empty tunnel ran left to right in front of her a door at either end but the door to her left was set into the same wall as the one she just exited Leading back toward the

courtyard jill opted for the one on the right hoping that her sense of direction was still intact the metal door creaked open and she stepped in feeling the change in the air immediately the tunnel split in front of her to the right a thickening of shadow where the rock walls opened into another corridor but to her left was a small elevator shaft like the ones in the courtyard a warm delicious wind swept down and over her the sweet air like a forgotten dream joe grinned and started for the shaft seeing that the lifts platform had

been taken up chances were good that she was still on the trail of enrico's killer but maybe not maybe he went the other way and you're about to lose him jill hesitated gazing wistfully at the small shaft and then turned around sighing she had to at least take a look she walked into the stone corridor that stretched in front of her the temperature immediately dropping back to the now a familiar unpleasant chill the tunnel extended several feet to her right and dead ended to her left a massive rounded boulder like the one she'd seen before

marked the other end a good hundred feet away and there was something small laying in front of it something blue frowning jill walked toward the giant rock trying to make out the blue object halfway down the dim tunnel was an offshoot to the left and she recognized the metal plate next to it as the same kind of mechanism that had moved the pit she stepped into the small offshoot examining the war and stones at its opening there's a small door to her right and jill realized that the passage and room could be hidden by way

of the mechanism the walls turned to block the Entrance geez it must have taken them years to set this all up and to think i was impressed with the house she opened the door and looked inside a mid-sized square room of rough stone a statue of a bird on a pedestal the only decoration there was no other exit and jill felt a sudden rush of relief as the implications sank in she could lead the underground tunnels the killer had to have left already smiling she stepped back out into the corridor and started toward the giant

rock still curious about the blue thing as she got closer she saw that it was a book bound in blue dyed leather it had been thrown carelessly against the base of the stone laying face down and open she slung the remington across her back and crouched down to pick it up it was a book box her father had told her about them though she'd never actually seen one there was a cutaway section of pages behind the cover where valuables could be hidden though this one was empty she flipped it closed tracing the gold leaf letters

of the title eagle of east wolf of west as she started back toward the elevator didn't sound like much of a thriller though it was nicely bound snick jill froze as the stone beneath her left foot sank down a tiny bit and she realized at the same instant that the entire tunnel gently slipped away from where she was standing oh no behind her a deep thundering sound of rock grating against rock dropping the book jill sprinted for cover arms and legs pumping as the rumbling grew louder the tripped boulder picking up momentum the dark opening

off the offshoot seemed Miles away won't make it gonna die and she could almost feel the tons of stone bearing down on her wanted desperately to look but knew that the split second difference would kill her in a final desperate burst of speed she dove for the opening crashing to the floor and jerking her legs in as the massive rock rolled past missing her by inches even as she drew in her next grasping breath the boulder hit the end of the tunnel with an explosive bone charring crunch that shook the underground passage for a moment

it was all she could do to huddle against the cold floor and not throw up when that passed she slowly got to her feet and dusted herself off the heels of her hands were braided and both her knees bruised from the running dive but compared to being smashed flat by a big rock she thought she had definitely made the right choice jill unstrapped the remington and headed for the elevator shaft very much looking forward to leaving the underground behind and keeping her fingers crossed that whatever came next it wouldn't be cold and that there wouldn't

be any spiders the basement was flooded all right chris stood at the top of a short ramp that led to the basement doors staring down at his own unsmiling face reflected off of the shimmering water it looked cold and deep after he left rebecca he continued down the hall and found room 003 at the end the ladder to the basement level tucked discreetly behind a bookcase in the neatly kept bedroom he descended into a chilled concrete corridor with buzzing fluorescent lights overhead a dramatic change from the plain wood and simple style of the Bunkhouse above

at least i found the basement it appeared that killing plant 42 was their only option for escape after all he'd seen no other exit from the bunkhouse which meant that it had to be past the plant's room or else there was no backdoor a thought that left him distinctly unsettled it didn't seem possible but then neither did a carnivorous plant and you won't find out until you get this over with chris sighed and stepped into the water it was cold and had an unpleasant chemical smell he waded down to the door the water sliding up

over his knees and finally stopping at mid thigh sloshing gently shivering he pushed the door open and moved inside the basement was dominated by a giant glass fronted tank in the center of the room that extended floor to ceiling a large jagged hole toward the bottom right hand side chris wasn't that good at dredging volume but to fill the whole area with water he figured that the tank had to have held several thousands of gallons what the hell were they studying that they needed that much tidal waves it didn't matter he was cold and he

wanted to find what he needed to find and get back to dry land he started off toward the left slowly straightening against the push and pull of the gently lapping waves it was totally unreal wading through a well-lit concrete room though he supposed it was no stranger than anything else he'd experienced since the alpha copter had set down everything about the spencer estate had a dreamlike feel to it as if it existed in its own reality far removed from the rest of the worlds Chai nightmare-like killer plants giant snakes the walking dead all that's missing

is a flying saucer maybe a dinosaur he heard a soft sloshing behind him and glanced over his shoulder to see a thick triangular fin rise up from the water 20 feet away and slide toward him a wavering grey shadow beneath panic shot through him an all-encompassing panic that seared away rational thought he took a giant running step and realized that he couldn't run as he plunged face first into the cold chemical water and came up gasping spluttering tainted liquid from his nose and mouth hoping to god rebecca was right about the virus having burned itself

out he whipped his head around eyes burning searching for the fin and saw that it had the distance between them he could see it now a shark its rippling distorted body sliding easily through the water 10 or 12 feet long its broad tail lashing forward the black soulless eyes set above its pointed grin wet bullets misfire chris stumbled away backwards knowing that he didn't stand a chance about running it wheeling his arms for balance he slashed heavily through the dragging water turning himself sideways and managing a few more steps before the shark was on top

of him and he leaped to the side dodging the animal and slapping the water as violently as he could turning it into foaming waves the shark slid past him it's smooth heavy body brushing against his leg as soon as it was passed chris stumbled After it splashing wildly to keep up as he turned the corner in the flooded room if he could stay close enough it wouldn't be able to turn to get at him except that in seconds the shark would have the room to maneuver he could see two doors ahead on the left but

the giant fish was already leaving him behind heading toward the next corner to turn around and come back for him chris took a deep breath and plunged into the water knowing it was crazy but that he didn't have a better chance he stroked desperately toward the first door kicking off against the cement floor to propel himself forward in great bounding leaps he hit the door just as the shark was turning up ahead and grabbed for the handle choking and it was locked chris jammed his hand into his wet vest and came up with aliases keys

fumbling through them as the fin glided closer the wide pointed grin opening he shoved a key into the lock the last key on the ring that he hadn't found the room for and slammed his shoulder against the door at the same time the shark now only a few feet away the door flew open and chris stumbled in falling and kicking frantically his boot connected solidly with the shark's fleshy snout deflecting it from the opening in a flash he was on his feet he threw his weight into the door and in a slap of water it

was closed he sagged against the door wiping out his stinging eyes with the back of his hand the lapping water settled gently into smaller and smaller ripples as he caught his breath and his vision cleared for now he was safe he unholstered his beretta and ejected the dripping magazine wondering how the hell he was going to make it back Upstairs looking around the small room he saw nothing he could use as a weapon one wall was lined with buttons and switches and he trudged over to look at them drawn to the blinking red light in

the far corner looks like i found a control room aces maybe i could turn off the lights and get the shark to go to sleep there was a lever set next to the flashing light and chris stared down at the faded tape beneath it feeling a numb disbelief as he read the printed letters emergency drainage system you've got to be kidding me why didn't anyone pull this thing the second the tank broke the answer occurred to him even as he thought it the people who worked here were scientists no way they were going to turn

down the opportunity to study their precious plan 42 sucking up water from the man-made lake chris grabbed the lever and pushed it down there was a sliding metallic noise outside the door and immediately the water level started to drop within a minute the last of it had flowed out from under the door and a gurgling liquid gasp came from the direction of the broken tank he walked back to the door opening it carefully and heard the frantic wet thumps of a very big fish trying to swim through air chris grinned thinking that he should probably

feel pity for the helpless creature and hoping instead that it died a long agonizing death bite me he whispered wesker had shot four of the shuffling gasping umbrella workers on his way to the computer room on level three he hadn't recognized any of them though he was pretty sure that the second one he'd taken out had been steve keller one of the guys from special research Steve always wore penny loafers and the pallid dried up husk that had reached up for him by the stairs had been wearing steve's brand it appeared that the effects of

the viral spill had been harsher in the labs less messy but no less disquieting the creatures that roamed the halls outside seemed to have been totally dehydrated their limbs withered and stringy their eyes like shriveled grapes wesker had dodged several of them but the ones he'd been forced to put down had scarcely bled at all he sat at the computer in a cool sterile room and waited for the system to boot up feeling truly on top of things for the first time all day he'd had earlier moments of course the way he'd handled barry finding

the wolf medal in the tunnels even shooting ellen smith in the face had given him a momentary sense of accomplishment a feeling that he was in control of what was happening but so much had gone wrong along the way that he hadn't had time to enjoy any of his successes but now i'm here if the stories aren't already dead they will be soon and assuming i don't suffer some massive laughs of skill i'll be out of here within half an hour mission complete they were still dangerous but a wesker could handle them the mesh monkeys

the ma2s were undoubtedly loose in the power room but they were easy enough to get past as long as he didn't stop running he should know he'd helped come up with the design and there was the big man the tyrant waiting one level down in his glass shell sleeping the sweet dreamless sleep of the damned from which he'll surely never wake What a waste so much power crossed off as a failure by the boys at white a gentle musical tone informed him that the system was ready wesker pulled a notebook out of his vest and

opened it to the list of codes though he already knew them john howe had set the system up months ago using his name and the name of his girlfriend ada as access keys lesker tapped out the first of the passwords that would allow him to unlock the laboratory doors feeling a sudden vague wistfulness for the excitement of the day it would be over so soon and there would be no one to witness his achievements to share his fond memories after the fact now that he thought about it it was a shame that none of the

stars would be joining him the only thing better than a grand finale was a grand finale with an audience chapter 17 jill had taken the elevator into what seemed to be another part of the garden or courtyard although the area had been isolated surrounded by trees she'd guessed as much from the few overgrown potted plants and the welcome sounds of the forest beyond the low metal railing there had been nothing to see but a rusting door set into a nondescript overgrown wall welded shut and a large open well like a stone wading pool inside had

been a short spiral staircase leading down to another small elevator which i took but now where the hell am i the room that the elevator had led to was unlike any other part of the estate she'd seen it lacked the strange feeded charm of the mansion or the dripping gloom of the underground It was as though she'd walked out of a gothic horror story and into a military complex a utilitarian's bleak paradise she was standing in a large steel reinforced concrete room the walls painted a muddy industrial orange metal ducts and overhead pipes lined the

upper walls and the room was rather aptly titled xd rb1 painted across the concrete in black several feet high any sense she'd had of where she was in relation to the rest of the estate was totally gone although it's as cold as everywhere else at least i know i'm still on the grounds there is a heavy metal door on one side of the room firmly locked the sign to the left of it stated that it was only to be opened in case of a first-class emergency she figured that the b1 on the wall stood for

basement level one her theory confirmed by the bolted ladder that led down through a narrow shaft in the concrete where there was a b1 b2 naturally followed and considering the alternative it looks like that's where i'm headed my other option is to go back through the underground tunnels she peered down the ladder shaft only able to see a square of concrete at the bottom sighing she held onto the remington and started down as soon as she hit the last rung she turned anxiously and faced a much smaller room as bland and industrial as the first

inset fluorescent lights on the ceiling a gray metal door concrete walls and floor she walked through quickly starting to feel hopeful that there were no more creatures or traps so far the basement levels had offered Nothing more dangerous than a lack of decoration she opened the door and her hope faded as the dry dusty smell of long dead flesh hit her she stepped out onto a cement walkway that led over a flight of descending stairs a metal railing circling the path at the top of the steps was a crumpled zombie so emaciated and tribbled that

it appeared mummified she held the shotgun ready and walked slowly toward the stairs noting that there was a hall branching off to the left where the railing stopped she started a quick look around the corner and saw that it was clear still watching the desiccated corpse carefully she edged down the short corridor and stopped at the door on her left the sign next to the door read visual data room and the door itself was unlocked it opened up into a still gray room with a long meeting table in the center a slide projector set up

in front of a portable screen at the far end there was a phone on a small stand pushed up against the right wall and jill hurried over knowing that it was too much to hope for but having to check just the same it wasn't a phone at all but an intercom system that didn't seem to work sighing she stepped past the ornamental pillar and walked around the table glancing at the empty slide projector she let her gaze wander looking for anything of interest and it stopped on a flat featureless square of metal set into the

wall about the size of a sheet of paper jill stepped over to take a closer look there was a flat bar at the top she touched it lightly and the panel slid down into the wall revealing a large red button she looked around the quiet room trying to imagine what the trap would be and then realized that there wouldn't be A trap at all the mansion the tunnels all of it was rigged to keep people from getting here to these basement levels they're way too efficiently dull to be anything but where the real work gets

done she knew instinctively that her logic was sound this was a board room a place for drinking bad coffee and sitting through meetings with colleagues nothing was going to jump out at her if she pushed the button jill pushed it and behind her the ornamental pillar slid to one side with a smooth mechanical hub behind the pillar were several shelves stacked with files and something that glittered in the soft gray light of the room she hurried over and picked up a metal key the top of it imprinted with a tiny lightning bolt slipping it into

her pocket she flipped through a few of the files they were all stamped with the umbrella logo and though most of them were too thick and ponderous to spend time sorting through the title on one of the reports told her what she needed to know what she'd already suspected umbrella bioweapons report research and development nodding slowly jill put the file back she finally found the real research facilities and she knew that the stars trader would be somewhere in these rooms she was going to have to be very careful with the final glance around her jill

decided to go see if she could find the lock that the key belonged to it was time to place the last few pieces of the puzzle that umbrella had set up and that the stars had sacrificed themselves trying to solve the twisted gnarled root of plant 42 took up a large corner of the basement room the bulk of it hanging down in slender fleshy tendrils that almost Touched the floor a few of the tiny worm-like threads swarmed blindly around each other twisting slowly back and forth as if looking for the water supply that chris had

drained god that's disgusting rebecca said chris not in agreement besides the control room he'd escaped into there had only been two other chambers into the basement one of them had been stacked with boxes of cartridges for all kinds of weapons and although most of them had been uselessly wet he'd found most of a box of nine millimeter rounds on a high shelf saving them both from running out of ammunition the other room had been played containing only a wood table a bench and the massive creeping root of the carnivorous plant that lived upstairs yeah chris

said so how do we do this rebecca held up a small bottle of purplish fluid and swirled it gently still staring at the moving tendrils well you stand back and don't braid too deeply this stuff's got a couple of toxins in it that neither of us want to be ingesting and it'll turn gaseous once it hits the infected cells chris nodded how will we know if it's working rebecca grinned if the v jolt report is on the mark we'll know watch she uncapped the bottle and step closer to the twisted root then appended the glass

vial dousing the snaking tendrils with the watery fluid immediately a billow of reddish smoke plumed up from the root as rebecca emptied the bottle and stepped quickly away there was a hissing crackling sound like wet wood thrown atop a blazing fire and within seconds the feebly twisting Fibers started to break pieces of them snapping off and flaking away the knotted thickness of the center started to tighten and shrink pulling into itself chris watched in amazement as the giant terrible rune suddenly shriveled up into a dripping ball of mush no bigger than a child's ball and

hung there dead the entire process had taken about 15 seconds rebecca nodded toward the door and both of them stepped out into the drawing basement chris shaking his head god what did you put in there trust me you don't want to know you ready to get out of here chris grant let's do it they both jogged toward the basement doors hurrying out into the cold corridor and back toward the ladder that led upstairs chris was already going over escape plans for when they left the bunk house it really would depend on where the exit led

if they ended up in the woods he was thinking that they should head toward the closest road and light a fire then wait for help to come though maybe we'll get lucky run across the damn parking lot for this place we can hot wire a car and drive out and get irons to do something useful for a change like call lane reinforcements they reached the wood corridor and headed for the plant room both of them taking long easy strides past the hissing green walls and finally stopping at the room that held plant 42 breathing deeply

chris nodded to rebecca they both unholstered their weapons and chris pushed the door open eager to see what lay beyond the experimental plant they stepped into a huge open room the smell of rotting vegetation thick in the damp air Whatever it had looked like before the monster that had been plant 42 was now a massive steaming lake of dark purple goo in the center of the room bloated dead vines the size of fire hoses draped limply across the floor extending out from the livid jellied mass chris scanned for the next door saw a plane fireplace

against one wall a broken chair in a corner and a single door that apparently led back into the bedroom he'd searched earlier a hidden passage that he'd missed and that led to the very room in which they stood must have been behind the bookcase there was no way out killing the planet had been a waste of time it hadn't been blocking anything rebecca looked as disappointed as he felt her shoulders slumped and expression grim as she studied the bare walls ah i'm sorry rebecca they both walked slowly around the room chris staring at the dead

plant and trying to decide what to do next rebecca walked to the fireplace and crouched down next to it poking out the blackened ash he wouldn't drag her back to the mansion neither of them were up for it even with the extra ammo there were too many snakes they could wait in the courtyard for bran to fly by again hope he got into range chris i found something he turned and saw her pull a couple of pieces of paper out of the ashes the edges scorched but both sheets otherwise intact he walked across the room

and leaned down to read over her shoulder and felt his heart start pounding as the first words sank in security protocols basement level one Heliport for executive use only this restriction may not apply in the event of an emergency unauthorized persons entering the heliport will be shot on site elevator the elevator stops during emergencies basement level 2 visual data room for use by the special research division only all other access to the visual data room must be cleared with keith arving room manager basement level 3 prison sanitation division controls the use of the prison at

least one consultant researcher e smith s ross a wesker must be present if viral use is authorized power room access limited to headquarters supervisors this restriction may not apply to consultant researchers with special authorization basement level 4 regarding the progress of tyrant after use of t virus the rest of the paper was burned the words lost a wesker chris said softly captain albert goddamn wesker barry had said that wesker disappeared right after the alphas had made it to the house and it was wesker who led us here in the first place when the dogs attacked

cool competent unreadable wesker working for umbrella rebecca flipped to the second page and chris leaned in studying the neatly typed labels beneath the drawn boxes and lines mansion courtyard guard house underground laboratories there was even a compass drawn next to The sketch of the mansion to show them what they'd missed a secret entrance to the underground hidden behind the waterfall rebecca stood up eyes wide and uncertain captain wesker is involved with all this chris nodded slowly and if he's still here he's down in those labs maybe with the rest of the team if umbrella sent

him here god only knows what he's up to they had to find him had to warn whoever was left of the stars that wesker had betrayed them all everything was done wesker stepped into the elevator that led back to level three running through his checklist as he lowered the outer gate and slid the inner one closed samples collected discs erased power reconnected tyrant support off it was really too bad about the tyrant ugly as it was the thing was a marvel of surgical chemical and genetic engineering and he'd stood in front of its class chamber

for a long time studying it in silent aw before reluctantly shutting down its life support as the stasis fluids had drained he'd found himself imagining what it would have been like to see it in action once the researchers had completed their work it would have been the ultimate soldier a thing of beauty in the battlefield and now it had to be destroyed all because some idiot attack had hit the wrong button a mistake that had cost umbrella millions of dollars and killed the researchers who had created it he hit the switch and the elevator thrown

to life carrying him back up for his final task activating the triggering system at the back of the power room he'd give himself 15 minutes to make sure he was clear of the blast radius climbed down the heliport ladder hit the Back road toward town and boom no more hidden umbrella facility at least not in raccoon forest once he got back into the city he'd pack a bag and head for umbrella's private airstrip he could make the necessary calls from there let his contacts in the white office know what had happened they'd have a cleanup

team standing by to comb through the forest and take out the surviving specimens and they'd be most eager to get their hands in the tissue samples he'd taken two of everything except for the tyrant with the tyrant scientists all dead umbrella had decided to shell the project indefinitely wesker thought it was a mistake but then he wasn't getting paid to think as the elevator slid to a stop wesker opened the gates and stepped out setting down the sample case he unholstered his beretta going over the twisting layout of the power room in his mind he

had to make another run through the ma2s to get to the activation system he'd already managed it once to hook up the elevator circuit but they had been more active than he'd expected instead of weakening them their hunger had driven them to new heights of viciousness he'd been lucky to make it through unscathed at a hydraulic hum from down the hall wester froze footsteps clattered across the cement floor hesitated and then started for the power room at the opposite end of the corridor wesker eased up to the corner and looked down the hall just in

time to see jill valentine disappear through the metal doors a burst of hissing mechanical noise echoing through the corridor before they closed how did she make it through the hunters jesus Apparently he'd underestimated her and she'd been alone too if she was that good the ma2s might not kill her and she had effectively just blocked him from the triggering system he wouldn't be able to deal with the creatures that roamed the maze-like walkways and put a stop to her prying frustrated lester scooped up the sample case and walked quickly down the hall back to where

the hydraulic doors that led to the main corridor of level 3. if she made it back out he'd just have to shoot her it would only delay his escape by a few minutes still it was an unexpected curve and as far as he was concerned it was too late in the game for surprises surprises pissed him off they made him feel like he wasn't in control i am in control nothing is happening here that i can't handle this is my game my rules and i will accomplish my mission without any interference from that little thief

wesker stalked out into the main corridor saw that jill had managed to take out a few more of the wisened withered scientists and technicians that wandered the basement labs two of them laid just outside the door their skulls blown into arid powder by what looked like shotgun blasts he kicked one of them angrily his boot crunching into the corpse's brittle ribs the dry snap of bone loud in the silence except that suddenly he heard heavy boots coming down the metal stairs from b2 the hollow clump echoing through the hall and then a rough hesitant voice

calling out jill barry burton as i live and breathe wesker raised his weapon coolly ready to fire when barry stepped into view And then lowered it thoughtfully after a moment a slow grin spread across his face chapter 18 jill eased into the steaming hissing room a thick smell of grease in the heated air it was some kind of a boiler room and a big one heavy throwing machinery filled a large chamber surrounded by winding catwalks massive turbines spun and pounded generating power in a steady wine as hidden ducks spat out steam at short intervals she

moved slowly into the poorly lit chamber peering down one of the railed walkways into the fluctuating shadows cast by the towering generators from where she was she could see that the place was a labyrinth of paths twining around the giant blocks of noisy machinery the source of the estate's power that explains how they managed to keep it a secret for so long they had their own little city out here totally autonomous probably had their food shipped in too she turned down the narrow walk to her right watching uneasily for any more of the strange pale

zombies that she'd seen in the corridors of b3 the path seemed clear but with the movement and noise created by the turbines something ripped at her left shoulder a sudden violent slash that tore open her vest and scraped the skin beneath jill spun and fired the roar of the shotgun drowning out the hissing machines the blast hit metal pellets ricocheting into the empty walk there was nothing behind her where a lunging blade-like sliced the air in front of her face swooping down from Above she stumbled back staring up at the steel mesh of the ceiling

and saw a dark shape skitter out of the shadows hooking its way across the grate incredibly fast curving claws at its hands and feet she caught a glimpse of thick spines around its mutant flattened face and then it turned and ran into the thrombing shadows of the power room there was a door at the end of the walk and jill sprinted toward it heart racing the pounding whine of the generators thundering in her ears she was five feet from the door when she saw the moving shadow position itself in front of her she raised the

shotgun and leaned back more of them there were two of the creatures overhead squat terrible things with vicious curving hooks instead of hands one of them dropped down suddenly hanging by clawn feet to swipe at her with its bladed arm jill fired and the creature's screech the blast hitting it in the chest it fell from the ceiling with a clatter thick blood oozing out of the ragged wound she turned back toward the entrance and ran hearing the patter of claws against the mesh overhead another of the aberrant monkey-like things swung down in front of her

and jill ducked afraid to stop running the thing's strange arm whistled past her ear missing her head by less than an inch the metal doors were in front of her jill crashed into them slapping one handle down and stumbling back into the cold stillness of the corridor the door closed on the furious shrill cry of one of the monsters rising high over the sounds of the working machines she sagged against the door gasping and saw barry burton standing midway down the chilled silent hall he hurried Toward her an expression of deep worry on his rugged

bearded face he hurried toward her an expression of deep worry on his rugged bearded face jill are you alright she pushed away from the door surprised god barry where have you been i thought you'd gotten lost in the tunnels barry nodded grimly i did and i ran into some trouble trying to get out he saw the splatters of blood on his clothing the rips and tears in his shirt and realized that he must have come across more of those walking green nightmares he looked like he'd been through a war speaking of jill touched her shoulder

her finger is coming away bloody it was painful but shallow she'd survive barry we've gotta get out of here i found some papers upstairs proof of what's been going on enrico was right umbrellas behind all of this and one of the stars knew about it it's too dangerous to keep looking around we should get those files and head back to the mansion wait for the rpd but i think i found the main lab barry said downstairs there's an elevator at the end of the hall there are computers and stuff we can get into their files

really nail them he didn't seem excited by the find but jill barely noticed with the information they can get from umbrella's database names dates research material we can find out everything present the investigators with the whole messy package jill nodded grinning lead the way the tunnels had been a cold miserable maze but the map had led them through Quickly rebecca and chris had reached the first baseman level both of them shivering and wet and not a little freaked out by the dead creatures they'd passed along the way the umbrella scientists had been disgustingly creative in

their approach to making monsters chris rattled the door that supposedly led to the heliport but it was solidly locked an emergency sign next to it implying that it could only be opened by an alarm system he'd hoped to send rebecca out with the radio while he searched for the others he looked down the narrow stairwell inside turning to her i want you to stay here if you stand by the elevator you should be able to pick up brad's signal from outside tell him where we are and what happened and if i'm not back in 20

minutes get back to the courtyard and wait there until help comes flustered rebecca shook her head but i want to go with you i can take care of myself and if you find the lab you'll need to tell me what you're looking at no for all we know wesker already killed the other stars and is looking to finish the job if we are the last ones we can't risk both of us getting ambushed somebody has to survive and tell people about umbrella i'm sorry but it's the only way he smiled at her putting a hand

on her shoulder and i know you can take care of yourself this isn't about your competence okay 20 minutes i just have to see if anyone else made it rebecca opened her mouth as if to protest further and then closed it nodding slowly okay i'll stay 20 minutes chris turned and started down the ladder Hoping he could keep his promise to come back the captain had successfully deceived them all acting the part of concerned leader for weeks while the people in raccoon city had died and all along he'd known why the man was a sociopath

it seemed that umbrella had created more than one kind of monster and it was time to find out how much damage he'd done barry couldn't bring himself to look at jill as they took the elevator down to b4 wesker would be waiting for them at the bottom and jill would find out that he had been helping the captain all along he'd kill three more of the violent springing creatures down in the tunnels before making it to the lab only to run into wesker who had insisted that he lured jill down to b4 and assist him

in locking her up the smiling bastard had reminded barry of his family situation and promised that it was the last thing he'd have to do then after jill was safely locked away he'd call his people off except he said that every time find the crest and you're free help me in the tunnels you're free betray your friend barry are you okay he turned to her as the elevator stopped looking miserably into her concerned thoughtful eyes i've been worried about you ever since we got to the mansion she said laying a hand across his arm i

even thought well never mind what i thought is something wrong he pulled the gate open and raised the mesh outer door an excuse to look away i yeah something's wrong he said quietly but now's not the time let's just get this over with Jill frowned but nodded still looking concerned okay when this is over we can talk you won't want to talk to me when this is over barry stepped out into the short hallway and jill followed their boots clanking across the steel grate the hall turned to the left just ahead and barry slowed down

on the pretense of checking his weapon letting jill get in front of him they turned the corner and jill froze staring into the muzzle of wesker's raised beretta he grinned at them his sunglasses hiding his eyes his smile smug and leering hello jill nice of you to drop by he said smoothly nice work barry take her weapons she turned her startled gaze to him as he quickly plucked the shotgun from her hands then reached around to unholster her beretta his face burning now get back up to b1 and wait for me by the exit i'll

be up in a few minutes barry stared at him but you said you just wanted to lock her up wesker shook his head oh don't worry i'm not going to hurt her i promise now get going jill looked at him confusion and fear and anger playing across her face barry i'm sorry jill he turned and walked around the corner feeling defeated and ashamed not to mention terrified for jill wesker had promised but wesker's word meant nothing he'd probably kill her as soon as he heard the elevator doors closed but what if i'm not in the

elevator maybe i could still do something to keep her alive Barry hurried to the left and opened the gates then slammed him closed and pushed the operation switch sending it back to b3 without a passenger moving silently he edged back toward the corner listening can't say i'm all that surprised jill was saying but how did you get barry to help you wesker laughed old berries got some trouble at home i told him that umbrella has a team watching his house waiting to kill his precious family he was only too happy to help bury clenched his

fists his jaw tight you're a bastard you know that jill said maybe but i'm going to be a rich bastard when all this is over umbrella is paying me a lot of money to clean up their little problem and to get rid of a few of you goddamn snooping stars in the process why would umbrella want to destroy the stars jill asked oh not all of them they've got big plans for some of us at least those of us that want to make a profit it's you sniveling do-gooders that they don't want the red white

and blue apple pie all that happy the way redfield's been running around mouthing off about conspiracies you think umbrella didn't notice it has to stop here this whole place was rigged to blow up just in case of an accident and the tyrant virus escaping qualifies once you're all dead and this facility is destroyed no one will be able to get to the truth son of a was going to kill all of us but enough about umbrella I had you brought down here for a little experiment of my own i want to see how our most

agile team member stands up against the miracle of modern science if you'll just step through that door barry flattened himself against the wall as wesker stepped back part of his shoulder coming into view he put his hand on his cult and drew it out slowly i can't believe that you're doing this jill said sailing out to protect a bunch of unethical corporate blackmailers blackmailers oh you mean barry umbrella wouldn't bother with blackmail they can afford to buy people just as easily i made all that up to get him on board barry slammed the butt of

his cult into western skull as hard as he could dropping him like a ton of bricks chapter 19 jill steered in astonishment as wesker suddenly stopped talking and crumpled to the floor and barry stepped into view staring down at wester's body with a look of intense hatred colt in hand she crouched down next to wesker and pried the beretta from his fingers tucking it into her waistband barry turned to look at her his eyes swimming with apology jill i'm so sorry i never should have believed him jill stared at him for a moment thinking about

his daughters moira was becky mcgee's age it's okay she said finally you came back that's what matters barry handed her back her weapons and they both gazed down at wesker's sprawl to form still breathing but unconscious he was out cold i don't suppose you have any handcuffs on you barry asked Jill shook her head maybe we should check out the lab there's bound to be some cable or cord we can use besides i'm kind of curious about this miracle of modern science he was talking about she turned and found the switch that operated the hydraulic

door noting the biohazard symbol painted across the front the door slid open and the two of them stepped inside wow it was a huge high ceiling chamber lined with monitoring consoles cables snaking across the floor and connecting to a whole series of standing glass tubes there were eight of the tubes lined up in the center of the room each of them big enough to hold a grown man they were all empty barry reached down and scooped up a handful of cable digging into his pocket for a knife while jill walked toward the back gazing at

the technical and medical equipment and stopped staring feeling her jaw drop against the back wall was a much larger tube at least eight or nine feet tall hooked up to its own computer console and the thing inside filled it top to bottom it was monstrous jill i got the cable i barry stopped next to her his words faltering as he saw the abomination silently they both walked toward it unable to resist a closer look it was tall but proportionally correct at least through the broad muscular torso and long legs those parts appeared human one of

his arms had been altered into a cluster of massive dragon claws hanging past its knees while the other seemed ordinary if overly large There was a thick bloody tumor protruding from where its heart would be and jill realized staring at the bulbous mass that it was the thing's heart it was pulsing slowly expanding and contracting in slow rhythmic beats she stopped in front of the tube awed by the abomination she could see lines of scar tissue snaking across its limbs surgical scars it had no sexual organs they'd been cut away she looked up at its

face and saw that parts of the flesh there had also been removed the lips were gone and it seemed to grin broadly at her through the slice of red tissue of its face all of its teeth exposed tyrant very said quietly joe glanced over at head saw him frowning down at the computer that was hooked up to the tube by multiple cables she looked back at the tyrant feeling nearly overwhelmed by pity and disgust whatever it was now it had once been a man umbrella had turned him into a freakish horror we can't leave it

like this she said softly and barry nodded she joined him at the console looking down at the myriad switches and buttons there had to be a switch that would put an end to its life it deserved that much there was a set of six red switches in a row along the bottom and barry flipped one of them down nothing seemed to happen he glanced at her and she nodded for him to continue he used the side of his hand to flip all of them there was a sudden dull thump they both rolled around saw the

tyrant pull back its human hand and hit the glass again cracks webbed out from the impact though The glass had to be several inches thick oh barry grabbed her arm as the creature drew its bleeding knuckles back for another blow run they ran jill wishing to god that they left it alone panicked welling up from deep inside of her fairy slammed his hand down on the door control and it slid open as behind them glass shattered they stumbled through the door terrified barry hitting the lock and saw that wesker was gone wesker stumbled toward the

power room his head pounding his limbs feeling strangely distant and weak he felt like he was going to throw up god damn barry they'd taken his gun he'd come too as they'd walked into the lab and reeled toward the elevator cursing them both cursing umbrella for creating such a screwed up mess cursing himself for not simply killing the stars when he could have it's not over i'm still in control this is my game the sample case was down in the lab probably being destroyed right now by one of those idiots tyrant too that magnificent creature

powerless without the adrenaline injections dead they'd shoot him in his sleeping heart he'd die without ever tasting battle wesker reached the door to the room and leaned against it struggling to catch his breath blood dribbled out of his ears and he shook his head trying to clear it of the strange fog that had settled into his brain he didn't have the tissue samples but he could still complete his mission it was important very important that he complete his mission it was about control and control was his Game triggering system watch out for monkeys the emmy

twos he had to be careful wesser opened the door and pitched forward the ground seeming too far away and then too close the machines were hissing at him whining and hissing in the hot oily air his hand found the railing and he pulled himself toward the back of the room trying to hurry but finding that his legs weren't interested a claw shot down from above and tore into his scalp yanking away a clump of hair he felt a warm liquid trickled down the back of his neck and stumbled on the pain in his head sharper

now took my gun stupid stupid took my gun he reached the door and had just managed to get it open when something heavy landed on his back knocking him into the next room he fell on the cold metal floor and a terrible shriek sounded in his ear thick talons punctured the skin on his back and wesker slapped at it at the grinning screaming thing that was trying to kill him he hit the creature as hard as he could shoving the heel of his hand into its throat it leaped away landing on the mesh wall and

clambering back up to the ceiling wesker pulled himself up and stumbled on fresh waves of pain and nausea washing over him the air was too hot the turbines loud and relentless in their spinning throbbing frenzy but he could see the door to the back now the door that led to the completion of his mission all of the stars Dead blown into orbit while i escape fly away a rich man he flung the door open and made his way toward the small glowing screen in the back corner it was quieter here cooler the massive machines that

filled the chamber hummed softly at him their purpose quite different than that of the ones outside these are the machines that wanted to help him regain his control the noise of the open door behind him seemed far away as he reached the glowing screen his fingers numb as they touched the keyboard beneath he found the keys he needed the code spilling out across the monitor in soft green after only a few mistakes a sexy quiet voice informed him that the countdown would begin in 30 seconds dizzy he tried to remember the setting for the timer

the system would trigger automatically in five minutes but he had to reset it give himself time to get reoriented and make his way to the outside behind him something screamed wesker rolled around confused and saw four of the mesh monkeys running at him lashing out with long curved hands as they reached him terrible pain shot up through his legs and he fell crashing to the hard steel floor this can't happen one of the creatures jumped onto his chest and suddenly wesker couldn't breathe couldn't even raise his weak arms to push it away another tore into

his left leg ripping away a thick chunk of flesh with its hooked claw the third and fourth screamed in savage glee dancing around him like dark vicious children lifting their claws as they pranced on swat legs somehow there was blood in his eyes and The world was spinning away screams and hisses an incredible searing heat blurring his vision his mind tyrant has come wesker could feel it could feel the presence of something vast and powerful touching him grinning through the pain he searched for it through the red haze of his failing vision wanting more than

anything to see it slaughter his attackers in a glory of perfect motion but he could only make out the immense shadow that seemed to flood over him through him could only imagine that the powerful magnificent warrior was reaching down to lift him from his torment i control let me see darkness stole his hopes away and wesker thought no more stars alpha team bravo anybody if you can't answer try to signal i'm running out of fuel do you read this is brad repeat star's alpha team rebecca hit the button talking fast brad there's a heliport at

the spencer estate you have to get to the heliport brad come in there was a high winding squeal and rebecca heard what must have been the word copy but the rest was lost i copy or do you copy there was no way to know frustrated and worried rebecca held onto the radio tightly hoping that he'd hurt her suddenly a shrill alarm blared into the silent room through some hidden speaker in the ceiling rebecca jumped staring around the cold chamber helplessly there was a buzzing click from inside The door that led to the heliport and she

hurried over grabbing the handle and pulling it open it had unlocked a cool female voice began to speak slowly and clearly over the jingling alarm the triggering system has now been activated all personnel must evacuate immediately or process deactivation you have five minutes the triggering system has now been activated as a recorded message repeated rebecca stood in the open doorway and watched the open ladder shaft her blood racing waiting to see chris emerge from the levels below he'd only been gone a few minutes but their time had just run out chapter 20 jill and barry

ran from the elevator back toward the main hall of b3 the cool voice informing them that they had four and a half minutes they hit the open corridor at a dead run sprinting around the corner and saw chris redfield halfway up the metal stairs chris jill shouted he spun around his face lighting up as he saw them dashing toward him hurry he shouted there's a heliport on b1 thank god chris waited until they reached the base of the stairs and then ran ahead rushing around the walkway and holding open the door that led to the

ladder jill and barry made it to the top and sped through the computer telling them that they had four minutes 15 seconds to get away barry went up the ladder first and jill followed chris right behind they piled out into b1 jill saw that rebecca chambers was standing at the emergency exit her youthful face tight with anxiety chris hustled her through the door and the four of them ran through a winding concrete hall jill praying silently that they'd have time to clear the estate I hope you burn here wesker there was a large elevator at

the end of the corridor and barry slammed the gate open holding it as they rushed inside he jumped in after them they had four minutes even the elevator seemed to crawl upward and jill looked at her watch heart pounding as the seconds tick past not gonna make it we'll never make it the lift hummed to a stop and chris yanked the gate open the cool air of early morning sweeping over them and the sweet wondrous sound of a helicopter overhead circling he heard me rebecca shouted and joe grand feeling a sudden wave of affection for

the rookie the helicopter port was huge the wide flat space surrounded by high walls a circle of yellow paint on the asphalt showing brad where to set down barry and chris both waved their arms frantically signaling the pilot to hurry as jill looked at her watch again a little over three and a half minutes remained more than enough time crash joe rolled around saw chunks of concrete and tar fly into the air and rained down over the northwest corner of the landing pad a giant claw stretched out from the hole fell across the jagged lip

and the pale hulking tyrant leaped out onto the heliport rose smoothly from its agile crouch and started toward them what the hell is that it had to be eight feet tall parts of its giant body mutilated and deformed its grating face focusing on them even as it stood up it moved toward them at a slow walk the massive claw of its left arm flexing no time brad can't land chris targeted the dark tumorous thing On its chest and fired pulling the trigger five times in rapid succession three of the rounds finding their mark the other

two were within an inch of the pulsing redness and the creature didn't even slow down scatter bury yelled the stars split jill pulling rebecca to the farthest corner from the towering monster chris sprinting toward the southern wall barry stood his ground pointing his cold at the approaching beast three three five seven rounds slammed into its belly the thundering shots echoing against the high concrete walls the creature suddenly sped up running toward barry drawing its giant claws back and as barry dove out of the way the thing swept past him in a running crouch bringing its

claw up as if throwing a ball underhand its towns gouged the asphalt ripping through it as though it was no more solid than water as soon as the monster was passed it stopped running turning almost casually back to watch barry scramble to his feet and fire again the bullet took out a fleshy chunk of its right shoulder thick blood coursed down its wide chest and join the dripping open mass of its stomach overhead the alphacopter still circled unable to land and there was still no sign that the immense creature felt the injuries it started its

run again dropping its terrible inhuman hand down as it went for barry just as his revolver clicked on empty berry sprinted away but the charging monster veered with him and its sweeping claw glanced against his side tumbling him to the ground barry chris raced toward the creature Firing into its back as it bent over the fallen alpha berry was scrambling backwards his vest shredded his eyes wide with terror and it must have felt the sting of the bullets because it turned fixing its emotionalist stare on chris barry staggered to his feet and limped quickly away

we don't have any time chris emptied the clip the last several rounds hitting it in the face pieces of tooth flew from the creature's lipless mouth spattering to the asphalt in a rain of white and red the creature didn't seem to notice as it started to run toward him at incredible speed jill and rebecca were both firing shouting trying to turn its attention away from chris but it was already fixated pounding toward him and drawing its claw back wait for it he dove to the side at the last possible second and the monster went flying

past it's claw mulching the asphalt where he'd just been standing chris ran the horrible awareness dawning on him that the seconds were slipping past and that they couldn't kill it in time barry felt blood seeping from his thigh the top several layers of his skin sliced neatly away by the tyrant's brutal swipe the pain was bearable the knowledge that they were going to die wasn't we'll blow up if we don't get chopped to pieces first tyrant turned its attention to jill and rebecca both of them firing again at the seemingly invulnerable monster it started its

smooth easy walk toward them still indifferent to the bloody holes in its body shotgun blast hit it in the legs and chest nine millimeter bullets speckled its pasty flesh and it didn't falter Kept on walking wind whipped down over barry as the roar of the helicopter's blade suddenly got louder he heard a screaming shout come from above incoming barry steered up at the copter hovering only 20 feet from the ground and saw a heavy black object fly out of the open door on the side hitting the tar with an audible thud chris was the closest

he ran for it the tyrant had almost reached jill and rebecca the two of them split each headed in a different direction and the creature turned toward jill without hesitating tracking her with its strange fixed gaze jill this way chris screamed barry spun and saw that chris had the bulky rocket launcher propped on his shoulder yes jill veered toward chris the tyrant close behind clear she leaped to one side and rolled as chris fired the whoosh of the rocket-propelled grenade almost lost to the thundering beat of the copter's rotors the explosion wasn't the grenade hit

the tyrant square in the chest and in a burst of incendiary light and deafening sound and blew the monster into a million smoking pieces even as tattered shreds of flesh and bone hailed down over them brad lowered the copter back toward the ground and the four stars ran for it the rails hadn't touched yet as jill dove into the open cabin chris and rebecca and barry all throwing themselves in after her go brad now jill screamed the bird lifted into the air and sped away chapter 21 the calm female voice fell only on Inhuman ears

you have five seconds three two one system activation now a circuit that ran the length and width of the estate connected with an earth-shaking thunderclap of motion and sound the spencer estate exploded devices went off simultaneously in the basement of the mansion beneath the reservoir behind a plane uninteresting fireplace in the guard house and in the third level of the basement laboratories marble walls tumbled down over the disintegrating floors of the final mansion rock collapsed and concrete blew into a fine blocking dust massive fireballs rose up into the early morning sky and could be seen

from miles away in their few brief seconds of brilliant life as the incredible appeal of booming sound rolled across the forest and died away the wreckage started to burn epilogue the four of them were quiet as brad piloted the copter back toward the city and though we had a million questions something about their silence didn't invite conversation chris and jill were both staring out the hatch window at the spreading fire that had been the estate their expressions grim barry was slumped against the cabin wall looking down at his hands like he'd never seen them before

the new girl was quietly moving among them treating their wounds without saying a word brad kept his mouth shut still feeling crappy about taking off earlier he'd been through hell since then flying around in circles and watching the fuel gauge slowly drop it had been a total nightmare and he had To take a piss like nobody's business and then that monster he shuddered whatever it had been he was glad it was dead it had taken all of his nerve not to fly away the second he laid eyes on it and as far as he was

concerned he deserved a little consideration for managing to kick the launcher out the door he glanced back at the silent foursome wondering if he should tell them about the weird call he'd gotten over the radio right after the rookie had screamed something about a heliport through the static a clear solid signal had come in a male voice calmly giving him the exact coordinates the guy had been listening in which was weird but the fact that he knew the location well enough to give brad directions was downright spooky he frowned trying to remember the mystery man's

name thad terence trent that's it he said his name was trent brad decided that it would keep for another day for now he just wanted to go home that is all for now i bid you farewell until next time [Music] so [Music] You