#erica slater (oc) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mlcheely · 1 year

Text

It's Just A Game... CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO. ☆

DATE : ┃SEPTEMBER 29TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃ RACCOON SUBWAY TUNNELS. TIME : ┃3:29 PM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

A throbbing, stinging pain is the first thing she can make out, quickly followed by the sound of creaking metal and the crackle of flames. The scent of blood whisps past her nose and she opens her eyes wide as she breathes it in. It doesn’t smell like the kind of blood she’s been smelling — it smells like the blood of a zombie or a B.O.W. She immediately sits up, only to fall back down with a whine. Pained eyes look down to her stomach to meet a metal rod protruding from her abdomen. Her hands touch the wound and are immediately soaked in blood — her blood . Erica glances around her surroundings, trying to turn her attention away from the gushing wound. The tram she’s lying in is overturned, parts of the front engine still infested with now dying flames. The windows are shattered, glass remains scattered all over the area. The structure eerily creaks, and when she finishes taking a look around she realizes something — Jill is nowhere to be found. Where is she?

“Jill?” She calls out, but as she does so her stomach is gripped with an unimaginable pain. Her eyes fill with tears and travel down to the corners of her eyes as a wave of agony washes over her body. She shifts her head to the rod sticking out of her body and her lower lip trembles as her hands reach to grip it. She’s gotta pull it out — even if it won’t stop the pain — she’s gotta pull it out of her.

Gritting her teeth, she roughly tugs on the rod. Her arms feel like jello, shaking as the rod moves through her meat. Snot and tears gather on her face as the excruciating feeling surges through her body, and with a gasp and a soft ‘squelch’ the rod slips out of her stomach. She pants and throws the rod to the side — to which it falls with an echoing ‘ clang !’ and ‘ clatter !’ Erica clutches her stomach, her fingers grazing over the exposed flesh — until they weren’t.

Eyebrows knit together in confusion, and she sits up to witness her stomach wound slowly closing on itself. She watches as the red returns to that of flesh and she instinctively touches the healed skin, in awe at the regeneration of her body. The pain she previously felt is miraculously gone and her once gaping wound is now restored. What. Is. Going. On? ‘This zombie shit is really starting to get on my nerves…’ She thinks, but she quickly reassures herself it’s not all that bad. It’s clear to her that she’s developed regenerative abilities — and that will definitely come in handy in the future.

Erica stands and, feeling the lack of weight on her back, realizes that her backpack is missing. Fear starts to pull at her as she frantically searches through the wreckage of the tram before her eyes fall upon it dangling on a metal rod. She sighs in relief and after looking closer, she notices the end of the rod is broken off and covered in blood. Well, at least she knows where the rod came from. She tugs on the packback and removes it from the rod, slipping one of her arms through the now singular strap and slinging the bag onto her back. A grunt emits from her as she pulls off the tram’s broken door, climbing through the entrance and stepping down onto the track. There’s a faint sound of electrical zaps, added by the squeaks of rodents. A cold wind blows through the tunnel, brushing against Erica’s wet face. She wipes her sleeves over her face and takes a deep breath.

‘Time to look for Jill again…’ She muses, setting off down the tracks in silence. She hopes she isn’t too late — she hopes she can make it out of the city with Jill and reunite with Chris. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, she shakes her head from her thoughts.

She’s got to get a move on.

⋆

DATE : ┃SEPTEMBER 29TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃ RACCOON CITY, MISSOURI. TIME : ┃10:38 PM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

By the time Erica makes it to the surface, the sun has already disappeared from the horizon. Zombies and infected alike have begun their nightly feeding, harmonizing in their moans of death. They stagger as they roam the streets — one even bumps into Erica’s shoulder as she walks past, only for it to grunt at the contact. She purses her lips as she watches it stumble away from her, the smell of its rotting flesh burning her nose. Her stomach gurgles and she feels it toss and turn, absolutely disgusted by the rotting corpse’s smell. All it takes for her to regurgitate is for another one to approach her — its intestines hanging out and drooping to the ground below. The acidic bile that spills from its guts causes a hand to cover her mouth and she runs over to a nearby dumpster to throw up, only to miss and projectile vomit all over the side of it.

A cough escapes her, and she winces from the sting of the bile. She feels so hungry…but so far the past two days she’s only had the taste of vomit in her mouth, and she hopes her hunger isn’t going to last much longer. She doesn’t crave any actual food, though — she only wants meat — fresh meat. However, she hasn’t had much luck. Not unless she wants to eat someone anyway. She still can’t help but think about that man she killed, saddened that his body was thrown out like some piece of trash after she was done with him. Umbrella threw his body out like garbage with no remorse. Erica takes a look around the apocalyptic city and its dead citizens. ‘And they’ll do the same thing to all these poor people…’

She frowns at the notion, sighing through her nose as she wipes her mouth with her sleeve. After she does so, her ears suddenly catch the sound of gunshots. Her head whips in the direction of the gunfire — Is that Jill? She doesn’t know for sure, but she doesn’t want to waste time standing around and wondering.

She makes a hasty jog towards the noise, another shot ringing in her ears as she turns the corner. Past some shuffling dead her eyes spot it — the Raccoon City Police Department; it’s infested with zombies, vehicles near the front gate are ablaze, and the courtyard is a mess. Bodies and barricade debri cover the courtyard as she steps through the creaking gate that’s barely hanging off its hinges. As she glances towards one of the bodies — she quickly recognizes it to be the body of Brad Vickers. There’s a bullet hole through the middle of his forehead and as she scans his body, she already knows it was too late prior to the bullet. A tear threatens to trickle down her cheek, but she wipes it away, turns, and heads towards the entrance to the building. She’s witnessed so much death she should be used to it by now, but she can still manage to shed a tear for the souls that once inhabited their now hollow shells. Her hand grabs onto the door handle and pulls it open before stepping into the department’s main lobby.

The once pristine lobby is now in utter disarray, blood and guts stain the previously sleek marble flooring, doors and hallway entrances are barricaded, and a howling wind is heard echoing through the dark and empty halls. The aftermath of the disaster plagues every building in this town, and it seems the department is no exception. The shallow breath and slow heartbeat of a dying man turns Erica’s attention away from the disorderly display as the ‘click’ of the door’s handle is heard behind her. Glossy eyes stare in the direction of the breathing before she buttons her jacket up, afraid she might frighten whoever it is with her bloodstained abdomen.

She walks past the front desk and up the steps to find a lone officer slumped over with a gun in his hand, and as she looks closer her brows knit together. He’s not dead… but he may as well be . He suddenly raises his head and points his weapon at her, and she puts her hands up in defense. “Hey — it’s alright — don’t shoot.” She reassures and he lowers his gun with a sigh of relief.

“I thought…you were…” He breathes, and Erica can’t help but let out a slight chuckle. “I’ve gotten that a lot.”

The man grins at her reply before wincing in pain. A lump forms in her throat when she reads his name tag. Marvin Branagh . She quickly clears her throat to distract herself from the name, recognizing him as a police officer who ultimately meets his death via infection. Her fingers anxiously grip at the hems of her sleeves. “Are you the only one here?” She asks, and he shakes his head. “No…a man and a woman…they came through here…not too long before you did…” He wheezes, and she feels relief start to settle over her. Could it be Jill? No, who would be with her? Carlos? Tyrell?

“Do you know where they might have gone?” She questions, only to frown when he slumps over and doesn’t answer. Reaching out to touch him, he suddenly snarls at her and she steps back in surprise. He shakes his head, blinking his eyes several times before looking at her. ‘He’s too far gone…’ She thinks. “I’m not sure…all I know is they’re….somewhere in the building…” He rasps, “Are they…friends of yours…?”

“I hope.” She says, but as he leans back against his seat she decides it’s better to just leave him. She doesn’t want to cause him to hurt himself further by speaking to her — even if — no, she doesn’t need to think about anyone else dying. Erica whispers a quiet “thank you” before leaving him. She’s sure he would rather spend his last moments in peace and quiet. He unexpectedly speaks up as she starts to leave the lobby. “Good…luck…” She smiles weakly at the words of encouragement, silently wishing him the same as she picks the door closest to her.

She first enters a small office area and makes her way from room to room and hallway to hallway in search of the survivors Marvin mentioned. Fortunately for her, she can hear the sound of someone running down one of the second story hallways and quickly turn the corner. She ascends a staircase leading to the second floor and can hear the scared little heart of a terrified person. She listens intently, and the closer the footsteps get the more Erica starts to notice how light the steps are. Then, as the steps approach her a small figure turns the corner and runs straight into her. A gasp slips past her lips while a scream of fear emits from whoever just ran into her. It sounds like a child.

“Are you okay?” Erica asks.

“Let me go, let me go — ” The voice comes quickly to her; she’s heard this voice before. It’s the voice of Sherry Birkin.

“Sherry?”

Sherry’s eyes go wide. How does this person know her name? She doesn’t give herself enough time to think about it — she needs to hide! Shoving Erica off of her, Sherry runs down to the end of the hall and spots a small space in the wall in front of her; a small space big enough for her to crawl through.

Erica starts to pursue her, worried the frightened girl might run into something she probably shouldn’t. However, she’s interrupted by heavier footsteps turning the same corner Sherry just came from. A flashlight is shone on her face and she instantly raises her hand to shield her face from the bright light.

“Oh, sorry.” A female voice apologizes, turning the flashlight away from Erica’s face. “I didn’t think there was anyone else alive in this building.” She says as Erica lowers her hand. The woman steps past her and looks down the end of the hallway. “Did you see a little girl run through here?” She asks, and as Erica watches her she feels like she knows who this woman might be. She looks like someone she knows, but she registers the question and quickly answers. “Oh, uh, yeah. She ran by just before you showed up.”

“Did you see where she went?”

“No, I’m sorry.”

The woman mutters a “damn” to herself before sighing.

“It’s not your fault. I’m just happy to see a — ”

Erica interrupts her. “A living person?” She laughs.

“Exactly.” A smile. “I’m Claire, you?”

Erica immediately recognizes the young woman as Chris’s sister, Claire Redfield. ‘No wonder she looks so familiar.’ She thinks, but she pushes away her thoughts and clears her throat. “Erica.”

The name comes to Claire immediately. That’s the name from Chris’s journal. She came across it looking through his desk in the S.T.A.R.S. office, and in one entry she saw that name. Erica…Could this be the same Erica who “left town for a new job” when in reality was taken by Umbrella? It’s no wonder Chris didn’t tell Claire much about her — it’s not like he knew where she was, much less if he knew she was alive or not. Claire takes a good look at the young woman in front of her. ‘The name has to be a coincidence, right?’

“What are you doing in the middle of all this mess?” She asks.

“I’m looking for someone — I thought she would be here but I guess I thought wrong…”

Claire lets out a slight laugh. “You and I are in the same boat. I thought I’d find my brother, but all I found was his journal.” A sigh. “Turns out he’s not even in the city…”

Erica perks up at the mention of Chris. ‘So the timeline is the same…He and Barry should be in Europe looking for Umbrella’s Headquarters. Jill is supposed to join them…I gotta find her before then.’ She smiles at Claire in reassurance. “Do you have an idea where he might be?” She questions.

Claire scoffs. “Yeah. He’s in Europe. Nowhere near here.”

Erica knows based off of the same timeline later this year the siblings would reunite with one another, unfortunately occurring during an outbreak on an isolated island. However, she doesn’t want to delve into that right now — she just wants to get out of here.

“I think you’ll find him.” She says, prompting Claire to raise a brow. “What makes you say that?”

“Too much optimism.”

Claire grins wide at her response. ‘If this is the Erica Chris talked about — he sure knows how to pick ‘em.’ She thinks. “Why don’t we use your optimism and find that little girl?”

Erica is about to answer but she’s interrupted by a deep sinking feeling in her stomach. There it is again — that ominous tingle. Something’s coming, but it’s not the Nemesis. Not this time, anyway. What could it be? She can hear its stomping footsteps approaching the two women; it’s on their floor…

“Do you hear that?” She whispers, and Claire holds her breath in order to listen for what Erica is talking about. She doesn’t hear anything at first, but the longer she listens the more distinct the sound of heavy footsteps becomes. She instantly feels her heart fall into the pit of her stomach; she knows those footsteps. It’s that giant trenchcoat wearing freak!

Claire grabs Erica’s hand and starts pulling her in the opposite direction of the footsteps. “We need to hide!” She whispers back and Erica starts following behind her, glancing over her shoulder every now and then to make sure they aren’t being followed by whatever monstrosity might be chasing them. It seems Claire already knows.

The pair rears a corner, but as they do Erica tugs on Claire’s hand. “Wait, don’t go that way — ” She warns, but she’s cut off by a large, hulking figure bursting through one of the walls. Its face is pale and emotionless, matching the black trenchcoat and fedora it wears. It’s Mr. X. ‘Shit.’ She thinks, yanking Claire away from the pursuing Tyrant. The two let go of each other’s hands and start running away, but something grips Erica's chest. A ringing is inside of her ear and it’s like something is telling her to attack — not run. She felt the same thing on the tram, but this time no one could stop her.

The Tyrant doesn’t stop even as Erica stops running and faces it. A fire starts to burn within her chest, and she leaps forward when the fire urges her to do so. She sinks her teeth into its neck or whatever she could bite as she claws and punches as its body. Claire stops and looks back at Erica as she attacks the Tyrant and aims her weapon to shoot, but the next words that ring in her ears cause her feet to start moving again.

“RUN, CLAIRE!!!”

Then, all Erica could feel was her backpack being lifted into the air. She gasps, and a moment later she braces for impact as she's thrown out of a nearby window. The sound of glass shattering and Claire shouting is all she hears as she falls to the grounds of the courtyard. The window becomes farther and farther away until —

Crack ! Thud !

⋆

DATE : ┃SEPTEMBER 30TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃ SPENCER MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. TIME : ┃12:52 PM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

“I just can’t wrap my head around it…”

“What are you talking about?”

“What do you mean ‘ what are you talking about ’? I’m talking about the fact that she should be dead. Nobody falls from a second story building like that and lives!”

“We don’t know she fell from the window — ”

“We don’t know if she didn’t either. It’s like the tram — Jill said everybody died — including her. And why hasn’t she become zombie food by now? Why is it that she’s immune to their attacks?”

As the male voices vibrate against Erica’s ears, she can feel a headache cradling her brain. Her head is pulsing and she knits her brows together in pain as she blinks her eyes open. Next to her lying on a hospital bed is Jill, unconscious but fortunately alive. Unfortunately , however, something’s not right. Erica can sense a different kind of feeling from Jill — the same kind of feeling she has when she can sense a B.O.W. She chews on her lip as the revelation rattles her already hurting brain. Jill is infected .

She sits up and touches her forehead, massaging her temples in an attempt to sooth her pounding migraine. Carlos approaches her offering her a look of concern. “Hey, you okay?” He asks, and Erica takes a moment to focus on his face. His worried eyes cause her to nod, but she turns away from him to look around the room.

“Where are we?” She inquires.

“Somewhere safe, but we have some questions we want you to answer.” He replies, and Tyrell pipes up from behind him.

“How are you still alive? We found you laying in the courtyard of the police station. Jill told us you died on the tram…”

Erica glances between both men before a sigh of defeat slips past her lips. She can’t avoid this, and as she looks at Jill her mouth straightens. She clears her throat. “The only reason I’m telling you is because Jill seems to trust you, but…” She hugs herself. “I lied. I was never trapped in an apartment. I was trapped in an Umbrella facility beneath the city for several months prior to the outbreak of the virus, and I guess the power to my tank shut off when all the chaos started happening…” She swallows. “Umbrella experimented on me and infected me with the same thing that’s caused all this death and destruction. It’s also the reason I’ve been able to survive serious injury — and I suppose in some cases, death .”

“So that means you’re infected?” Tyrell questions.

Erica nods her head. “Yes, but I don’t think I’m contagious. Before I went into a coma, I remember the scientists saying something about how my body couldn’t be a transmitter — I’m just a carrier.”

“And Jill knew this?” Carlos asks, and she frowns.

“Yes, but — she said she wanted to help me find a cure once we got out of the city. I tried to tell her it’s been too long. I thought I’d find out more about what happened to me by reading some files I hid in my backpack, but I guess they’re gone now…”

Tyrell eyes the backpack sitting in a nearby chair. He and Carlos found it lying near her body and assumed it was hers, but they never thought to take a peek to see what was inside of it. He takes a few steps forward and picks the bag up by its handle at the top; both of its straps broken and thus making it unwearable. “You mean this backpack?” He asks, facing Erica as a wave of relief washes over her. It’s her backpack! “Yes!” She exclaims, smiling as he passes it to Carlos who passes it to her. She clutches it in her arms, happy to see the bloody army green again. “I thought I lost it…”

“Have you told Jill about the files?” Carlos questions, and Erica’s smile slowly fades. “Oh, no I wanted it to be a surprise when we got out of the city. I figured it would be a huge help in taking Umbrella down.” She looks at Jill. “I wanted to thank her for her kindness…”

“You might not be able to.” Tyrell murmurs.

“What do you mean?”

“Ty — ” Carlos starts, but Tyrell brushes him off.

“Raccoon City has been deemed unsafe and the virus as uncontainable. A missile is scheduled to completely eradicate the city tomorrow — including us if we don’t make it out of here before then.”

Erica stares at them for a moment before turning to Jill. Jill’s face is scrunched in pain and her complexion is pale and sweaty. She can hear the rapid pulse of Jill’s heart and she frowns. She’s felt that pain before — and she wouldn’t wish it on anyone, especially Jill.

“Look, I don’t know where it is, but there's a cure to help Jill. It won’t help me, but it might help her. Umbrella worked with tons of business — including hospitals. You might find something here if you look through enough files. You have to hurry, though…or it might be too late.”

#resident evil #resident evil fanfic #resident evil fanfiction #isekai #erica slater (oc)#resident evil 2 #resident evil 3 #claire redfield #marvin branagh #sherry birkin #jill valentine #carlos oliveira #tyrell patrick #mr. x #blood #injury

2 notes · View notes

mlcheely · 1 year

Text

It's Just A Game... CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE. ☆

DATE : ┃SEPTEMBER 27TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃ RACCOON SUBWAY TUNNELS. TIME : ┃11:42 PM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

“There is a woman that is looking for Jill Valentine, though I am not sure what for.”

“Oh? Do tell; what does she look like?”

“Small frame, long dirty blonde hair, big doe-like eyes — ” The voice from the other line of the radio interrupts him. “Did she tell you her name?”

“No, but I happened to overhear the name ‘ Erica .’”

“Keep an eye on her and don’t underestimate her.” There’s a pause from the other line. “She’s not what she seems.”

“ Affirmative .”

Nikolai steps out from behind a wall as he finishes his exchange, shoving the radio into his back pocket. He glances through the windows of the civilian tram, eyeing Erica as he walks past. She’s inside socializing, putting on such a convincing facade. Nikolai knew there was something strange about her when he aimed his weapon between her eyes — she was too calm; too collected to have been in the heart of Umbrella’s disastrous mishap. ‘It explains why she is unscathed, too…’ He thinks, but he shakes the thought as he enters another tram.

Erica has been talking to the survivors to pass the time; she re-encountered Judy Marks, the nurse she met at the hospital when she first arrived in Raccoon City. She spoke to a woman named Aliyah Littles, a journalist who worked for Raccoon Weekly, and a young college student named Janet Mullis. She recognized Emmy Stanson, the owner of Emmy’s Diner — well — previous owner . Unfortunately, none of these people are the person she’s looking for.

None of them are Jill.

She sighs to herself in defeat, catching the attention of the mother next to her. Erica had come to learn her name is Hope Stevens and she worked at Raccoon University as a professor. Her teenage daughter, Dawn Stevens, was going to attend the University in the spring, but it’s obvious how that turned out…

“Can’t sleep?”

Erica turns to her and laughs a little. “Oh, no, I’m just looking for someone…” Hope purses her lips. “Do you think they’ll show up?”

“I don’t think so — ” Erica says, causing Hope to frown. “ — I know so.” The frown leaves the older woman’s lips and turns into a grin. Erica grins back at her before catching a glimpse of a familiar face in one of the windows. Is that?

“Excuse me.” She mumbles, grabbing her backpack and exiting the tram. As she does, the sound of another tram door closing echoes through the subway’s tunnel. She glances in the direction of the sound and spots a woman with short brown hair speaking to Carlos, Tyrell, Nikolai, and some other older man with a red beret. ‘That’s gotta be her!’ She thinks, immediately rushing towards the tram and ripping the door open. The passengers all turn and look at her as her heart flies out of her chest. It’s Jill!

“Erica?”

Jill is in awe as she stares at the young woman in front of her. She was telling her the truth — she’s alive! She’s really here, physically standing before her. It’s not a dream this time; this is all real.

“Is that really you?” Warm tears prickle Jill’s eyes, threatening to fall as she feels her breath catch in her throat. “Of course it’s me!” Erica cries, tears spilling from her eyes as she goes in for an embrace. “It’s me, Jill — I’m alive, I’m really alive!” Jill pulls Erica close, squeezing her tightly and entangling her fingers in her long hair. Erica buries her face in Jill’s shoulder, unable to compose herself. She was alone for so long…She wants to fall to the floor and sob; she wants Jill to hold her and console her, but now isn’t the time for all that. They need to get out of this godforsaken city.

Jill looks at Erica’s wet face with her own. “Where have you been? How are you here right now?” Erica quickly glances at Nikolai, realizing that she shouldn’t tell Jill anything right now and risk exposing herself to him. She has a feeling he might already be suspicious of her. She swallows. “We can talk about that later.” Jill shakes her head. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. All that matters is that you’re here now.” Erica smiles at her friend’s reassurance.

“Are you two ladies done?” Nikolai retorts, observing the smaller of the two women. “Sorry…” Erica mumbles, avoiding his gaze and shifting it to the floor. Jill squeezes her shoulder to which she straightens her lips.

“Do you think you can do it, Jill?” Tyrell asks, breaking the awkward vibe in the air. Jill nods, focusing her attention on what the group had begun to discuss prior to Erica’s arrival. “Of course she can, she is Special Tactics and Rescue Service.” The older man with the red beret states, and as the conversation continues their voices start to drown out as Erica’s eyes fall onto the older man sitting in one of the seats. She reads over his name tag: Mikhail Victor. She didn’t know much about the man, but as far as she knew he was a mercenary hired by the U.B.C.S. where he served as leader of the Delta Platoon. He unfortunately never made it out of Raccoon City alive, much like everyone else. He looks like he’s in pain, gritting his teeth as he listens intently to the group’s plan. As she breathes in, she’s able to smell the blood seeping from the wound he’s currently clutching. It seems death is already breathing down his neck. A lump forms in her throat; the scent makes her stomach growl, but just as she takes a step forward Jill lifts a hand to touch Erica’s arm. Nikolai happens to notice her trance before she’s pulled from it and turns to look at Mikhail.

Why was she staring at him like a fat kid staring at cake? Could she be infected? No, that isn’t possible — she should have fallen victim to the virus, but is there a possibility she retained her intelligence? He wonders if that’s what Wesker meant by ‘she’s not what she seems.’

“Hey, are you going to be okay here?”

Erica looks around to the rest of the group’s faces before looking at Jill's. “Uh, no I’m not gonna be okay. I��m going with you.” Jill shakes her head.

“Oh, no you’re not. It wouldn’t be smart for you to go…” She chews on the inside of her cheek. “It’s better for you to just stay here.” Erica is taken aback, feeling frustrated that Jill doesn’t believe she’s capable enough to venture through the death and devastation outside. She made it out of the NEST facility and managed to get all the way here and find Jill. She survived death for Christ’s sake! She is fully capable of handling herself — even if it’s from the help of the virus in her body. She also wants to make it out of here before she starts getting hungry again. The smell of Mikhail’s flesh and blood makes her toes curl in her shoes. She hasn’t eaten, and if she stays she has a feeling her hunger might be satiated.

“I’ll be fine.” Erica laughs, brushing Jill off. “I made it here, didn’t I?”

“Dammit Erica, why don’t you just listen? I don’t want to lose you again.” Jill snaps, prompting Erica to look at the floor. She feels her fists clench and her heart begin to pound in her ears. It’s soon replaced by the sound of ringing, relentlessly beating against her ear drums, and she takes a deep breath. The rest of the room is quiet, awkwardly standing around as they wait for her response. “Jill, I’m sorry, but it doesn’t matter what the fuck you say — I’m going with you.” She purses her lips. “You need to trust me on this…” Pause. “...I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”

“But — ” Jill starts but Erica interrupts. “Look, I appreciate you looking out for me but I’ve already been through my fair share of bullshit and there’s no reason to coddle me over it. I’m fine .” The room goes silent once again but it doesn’t last for long as Mikhail bursts out in a painful laugh, wheezing as the laughter bellows from his chest. “I like this one.” He remarks.

“It seems your friend here is pretty determined to help.” Carlos steps forward. Jill chews her lip as he reaches for a gun from his waistband. He turns to Erica, “Can you shoot?”

“I’m no professional, but I have a pretty good idea.” She replies, and he turns to Jill. “Problem solved.” He shrugs, holding out the pistol to Erica. “I — ” Jill starts to protest, but she holds her tongue.

Erica is right. She did manage to make it here. Jill isn’t sure when or how she escaped from Umbrella’s grasp, but they’ll have plenty of time for that when they get out of the city. There is something Jill can’t put her finger on, though. Why does she not have any wounds or scratches? How was she able to avoid the monsters and zombies? More importantly, what did Umbrella do to her?

Reluctantly taking the firearm, Erica clutches the hilt with a frown. She never really liked guns, and for good reason. They always terrified her — from the loud pop to the possibility that it can go very wrong very quickly if you don’t know what you’re doing. She knows she needs to take it to prove she can defend herself, but hopefully she won’t have to use it. She shakes away her thoughts and focuses on the task at hand. She and Jill need to get going.

“Let’s go.” She says, heading out the tram door’s entrance.

“She seems fun.” Tyrell comments and Jill quickly defends her friend. “She’s not really like that — she’s just…been through a lot.” She sighs.

Nikolai watches Erica as she leaves, observing her behavior. She was so quick to snap at the other woman he wonders if this is only the beginning. What if she eats one of them? What if she turns and possibly infects someone else? “I would keep an eye on her.” He mutters. The group looks at him, and Jill knits her brows together, eyeing him suspiciously. “What are you implying?” Nikolai chuckles at her reaction. “It is just an observation, Miss Valentine — not an implication.”

Jill shrugs him off, but she can’t help but let curiosity grab her by the tongue — what does he mean by that? Whatever, it doesn’t matter; she doesn’t trust anything he says anyway. She doesn’t have a good feeling about him.

Her attention then falls onto Carlos. “Wish me luck?” She jokes.

“You’re gonna need it.” He quips.

“You’re telling me.” She laughs, quickly following after Erica and arming herself. She catches up to her, spotting her leaning against the railing at the bottom of the stair entrance. Erica had heard the conversation that continued after she left the tram, and she can’t help but wonder if Jill might question her or distrust her now. ‘No, Jill wouldn’t switch up like that…Nikolai is just trying to get inside her head.’ She tells herself, but she secretly worries he might be right. She’s unsure if she has any control over her hunger, and she’s unsure if she’s a real danger to people. She had no problem controlling herself on the civilian tram, so why did she feel like she was going to eat Mikhail?

“You ready?”

Jill rips her away from her thoughts and she puts on a fake smile. “Yeah — I’m ready.”

⋆

DATE : ┃SEPTEMBER 28TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃ RACCOON CITY, MISSOURI. TIME : ┃12:09 AM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

“Are you okay?”

Erica — who was previously staring out into the city, observing the area for any threats as a lookout — turns and looks at Jill. She’s looking at her with concern, and Erica feels her chest tighten. She bites her lip, trying to stop it from trembling.

She doesn’t know, honestly; she doesn’t know if she’ll ever be okay after all this. She doesn’t know if she’ll forget falling into a fictional world. She doesn’t know if she’ll ever forget getting kidnapped, experimented on, eating someone , or dying, and waking up in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Not like anybody else would be able to forget something like that, either. She sighs as a tear trickles down one of her cheeks, overwhelmed by all that’s transpired.

“You know, I’m not sure. I uh, I don’t know.” She laughs nervously.

“You can tell me anything…” Jill mumbles and Erica feels salty water coat her cheeks within seconds. “Jill, I — …Umbrella turned me into some kind of — some kind of freak. During my capture I-I got hungry and I ate somebody. You don’t really come back from something like that…” She sniffles. “The only reason I came with you was because I didn’t want to risk eating anyone else…” There’s a long pause. “...And I only trust you to take me out if — no, when — that time comes.”

Jill already knew Erica was experimented on, but she wasn’t fully aware of what exactly happened to her. Chris alluded to her being infected with the T-Virus and possibly some other virus known as the G-Virus, but what does that mean for her? Does that mean she’s capable of attacking someone without warning? Does that mean she’ll lose control and mutate into something inhuman? After being infected for this long, she should have turned…right?

“Listen to me, Erica — ” Jill walks over and puts a hand on her crying friend’s shoulder. “ — it’s not going to come to that.”

“I don’t think it’s that simple, Jill.” Erica chokes.

“What do you mean?” Jill furrows her brows.

“You won’t understand. Shit, even I don’t but I can hear and smell everything — I can smell the sweat on someone’s skin or the smell of their meat and muscle. I can hear the sound of heartbeats and blood pumping through veins.” She takes a deep breath. “I can hear the thoughts and voices of infected hosts. I can feel them, Jill. I can feel when they’re around — I’m losing my fucking mind here.” Erica sobs and Jill frowns, worried for her as she breaks down. “Hey, hey, I promise that everything is gonna be okay. When we get out of the city, Chris and I will figure out how to help you.” Jill reassures, but Erica shakes her head.

“I died , Jill…” She sniffles again. “...And when I found out I was still alive I was in some kind of place in my head. There was a voice I couldn’t recognize that spoke to me. It told me it brought me back from the brink of death; it said it was a part of me now …Whatever Umbrella put inside of me — it’s not going away.” Jill swallows, slowly getting hot from worry. “You’re gonna be fine.” She says, but she isn’t so sure if she believes what she’s saying now. What’s happening to Erica?

“You keep saying that, but — ” Erica starts wiping her face with her sleeve, trying to think of something to tell herself to feel better but it’s useless. “Forget it.” She mutters.

Jill grabs Erica’s hand and squeezes it tenderly. “I don’t think you’re a danger to anyone. Besides, weren’t you alone with all those civilians before I showed up? Why didn’t you eat any of those people?” Erica doesn’t say anything, silent as Jill looks into her teary eyes. “I believe you can control yourself. If we can find something to satiate your hunger, you won’t even think about eating anyone else.” Erica feels a lump in the back of her throat, thinking about the binders in her backpack. Everything will be okay. Even if she isn’t — she knows the two of them have enough evidence inside of her backpack to be an absolute slam dunk for the case against Umbrella. She hasn’t mentioned to anyone what’s inside of the bag yet, not even Jill, fearful someone might overhear and rob them of such information. She still has yet to read her own file through and through, curious as to what exactly happened to her and her body during her imprisonment. Maybe it could hold a clue to a cure.

“Everything will be okay.” Jill smiles.

“Will it?”

“I’m sure of it.”

“Thanks…” Erica looks down sheepishly at their hands, taking a deep breath before letting go. “Let’s go find some power for the station, yeah?” Jill pats her on the shoulder. “Yeah…” Erica smiles.

⋆

DATE : ┃SEPTEMBER 27TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃ RACCOON SUBWAY TUNNELS. TIME : ┃1:32 AM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

After the two women return to the tram, Jill radios Carlos to inform him that they’ve restored power to the station. Carlos responds with a “That’s great! Tyrell and I will be on our way there shortly.” As the message echoes loudly through the tram, Erica looks over to Mikhail. He’s still hunched over and grabbing at his wound in pain. She breathes in, and a frown spreads across her lips. He smells like he’s starting to die…

She can pinpoint the smell of death — she’s smelled it all damn day. She shifts her attention elsewhere, turning to Jill who gives her a smile. “Are you ready to finally get out of here?” She asks.

Forcing a smile of her own, Erica nods. Of course she’s ready to get out of here — why wouldn’t she be? She’s ready to finally get out of the city so she can get a moment of peace — maybe after that she, Jill, and Chris can figure out what’s wrong with her and fix it. Or at least, try . “I’m ready to — ”

Boom .

A deep sinking feeling clutches at Erica’s stomach as she turns around and faces the direction of the ominous sound. What was that? Whatever it was, it didn't sound good. She swallows nervously, feeling the terrible anxiety start to grow. Her body grows hot with worry, and she begins to feel a little nauseous. She instinctively lowers her body to the floor, pressing her ear against the cold metal surface. Vibrations rumble against her ear, tickling the inside of her ear drums. As her fingers graze against the floor, she hears it again. Boom, boom . It’s closer this time. Something is coming — and fast.

“Erica, what’s wrong?” Jill asks, knitting her brows together. Erica’s answer is almost immediate as she stands and turns to her. “Everybody needs to get out of the tram — now .”

“Why? What is it?”

Jill is concerned, fearful that Erica might be succumbing to her infection. Erica’s response, however, is nowhere near what Jill expected to hear.

“ Something big is coming . I can feel it — ”

“Oh, God …”

Jill knows exactly what Erica is talking about. She’s seen it; she’s seen the horrific creature that has been relentlessly searching for her. It gives her a fear she’s never felt before, and she prays that Erica won’t lay her eyes upon its disgusting visage and feel the same — if she hasn’t already. It’s as if Jill can’t escape the damned thing, constantly running from impending death — and now it’s found her. She doesn’t know the monster’s name and she doesn’t care either, but she cares if it were to hurt all of these innocent people waiting hopelessly to get out of the city, including Erica. Her stomach gurgles and she has a wave of nausea hit her in the head. She takes a deep breath.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Nikolai’s body tenses as he listens to the conversation; he’s aware of what this strange girl means, but how is that possible? How is it she can sense that beast coming? Is that why Wesker finds her to be of value? If he does, then who’s to say Umbrella won’t be eager for her capture, too? Hm …Her data might get him more money than he could ever imagine, perhaps it’s not a bad idea to keep an eye on her after all. For now, however, he needs to make a quick getaway before the monster makes it to their location. ‘Maybe the girl can fight off the monster… ha ! What a laughable thought.’ He thinks. Backing away into a corner, Nikolai slowly starts to make his way over to the door leading into a neighboring tram. Erica just so happens to notice him in the corner of her eye, slinking away like the roach he is. ‘He’s just going to leave us to die…’ She thinks, and her heart pounds in her ears. As he places his hand on the handle, Erica addresses him. “Nikolai,” She starts as he turns to her, “If you step out that door — the next time I see you you’re dead .” She balls her fists and clenches her jaw tightly.

“Oh?” Nikolai lets out a sinister chuckle. “I would like to see you try, little girl .”

Just as Erica steps towards him, there’s a sudden explosion that shakes the tram violently. It rattles loudly as the four inside the tram’s cabin are sent flying before crashing down onto the floor. Jill groans in pain and Erica sucks in a breath through her teeth as she sits up. Those binders probably weren’t the best thing to break her fall with, but the thought slips her mind as the two women hear Mikhail grunt as they get up. Erica immediately whips her head around to find Nikolai nowhere to be found and the door leading to the next tram wide open. ‘That bastard …’ She curses to herself before turning to Jill who’s getting on her feet. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, what the hell was that?”

Erica shakes her head. “I don’t know, and I don’t know if I’m ready to find out, either.”

After they collect themselves they rush over to help Mikhail get off the floor, but as the three of them make eye contact with the civilian tram — all that’s left are its demolished, fiery remains and burning bodies of innocent people — and a giant, terrifying looking man standing amidst the flames. Could she even call it a man? It appears to be over seven feet tall with seemingly impossible broad shoulders and arms that are a bit too long for its body. Its large body pulses with tentacles slithering around its massive torso, but its face…it's unlike anything she’s ever seen. It looks like its skin had been pulled over the top half of its face and stapled down, its nose seems to be nonexistent and deformed, and it has a large mouth with teeth that extend to almost the entire lower half of its face.

“ S.T.A.R.S ….”

The rumbling howl reaches Erica’s ears and she feels her heart fall into her stomach. Her eyes widen and her lungs tighten — her body is struck with a fear like the one she felt seeing the Hunter step towards her, eager to spill her blood onto its lips and sharp claws. She can see the evil in its barely visible, milky eyes as it steps towards the three survivors. Tearful eyes stare as the monstrous creature stalks towards them, and as it takes a few steps forward Erica lets out a high-pitched scream. The sound of her scream causes Jill and Mikhail to cover their ears, and it echoes around them until the windows of the tram they inhabit burst, shattering pieces of glass all over the place. They shield themselves from the impact of the glass, and as Jill looks towards the Nemesis she realizes it’s stunned…but how? Is it because of Erica’s scream?

OhHh, WeLl LoOkIe HeRe …

Erica freezes as a voice whispers in her ear. Is it…talking to her?

ArE yOu HeRe To HeLp Me KILL hEr ?

She takes a step back. No, no, no —

Adrenaline surges through her body, and she can feel her veins pulsing inside of her. It’s as if the world is suddenly coming to a slow stop, keeping her prisoner in her moment of peril. She takes a deep breath as the heartbeats of Jill and Mikhail bring her back to reality, followed by a roar that makes the tram quake. Erica starts shoving Jill and the U.B.C.S. member to the other side of the tram, ushering them towards safety.

“You need to get out of here!”

“ What about you ?!” Jill yells and Erica shakes her head. “Don’t worry about me!” She hollers back at her before the Nemesis begins entering the tram. The three of them look on in horror until Mikhail lets go of Jill and stumbles forward. “What are you doing?! You’re gonna die!” Erica shouts as he begins approaching the towering creature. “I was going to die anyway! I may as well make my death worthwhile!” Mikhail remarks, pulling a couple of grenades from his belt before addressing her. “Well, what are you waiting for?! Get to running for your lives!”

Jill grabs Erica’s hand as they take off for the door, the two women passing through and slamming it closed before entering the next tram. This is repeated until they reach the front of the tram — to which Jill finds a spot in the driver’s seat and scans the terminal in order to start the engine. Erica stands at the door, keeping an eye out for any noises or signs of the monster coming their way. The sound of a mechanical hiss causes relief to come crashing down on the both of them, but it doesn’t last for long when they hear a bellowing roar reverberate through the subway tunnel.

“Can’t this thing go any faster?” Jill frowns, searching for a button to give the two of them a boost of some kind. There’s a boost alright — one that sends the tram skidding down the tunnel and off the rails. The last thing Erica hears is a scream slipping from Jill’s lips before she feels a shooting pain in her stomach; the sensation of something piercing through her abdomen pulling her into a sudden slumber.

#resident evil #resident evil fanfiction #resident evil fanfic #isekai #jill valentine #erica slater (oc)#nikolai ginovaef #carlos oliveira #albert wesker #nemesis #mikhail victor #tyrell patrick #blood #violence #gore #death #character death #resident evil 2 #resident evil 3

3 notes · View notes

mlcheely · 11 months

Text

Aaand my commissions are open!

PRICES:

Bust - $20

Half Body - $30

Full Body - $45

Character Sheets - $60

DISCLAIMER:

- Payment upfront. I accept Paypal and Venmo.

- No refunds.

- I will periodically check in with clients to see if the commission is up to standard, and any changes made to the project will have to be made prior to lineart.

- The art purchased belongs to you and your own personal uses. However, you may not remove my signature, alter my work, or sell it to a third party. The artwork is NOT to be used for commercial purposes, but I will retain the rights to repost it on my own account.

- Do not claim my art as your own. Credit is 1000% required if you repost or share.

- I have the right to refuse any commission.

RULES:

I WILL DRAW:

- Character designs

- Character sheets

- Fanart

- Gore (18+ only)

- NSFW (18+ only)

- Furries

- Ships

- Original characters

I WON’T DRAW:

- Robots/mechas

- Offensive or hateful material

If you have anymore questions, please feel free to DM me!

#commissions #commissions open #commissions post #art commission #commission me #comms open #open comms #my art #resident evil #william birkin #ada wong #alice abernathy #ocs #oc #demon oc #resident evil oc #resident evil 2 #resident evil 4 #erica slater (oc)

1 note · View note

mlcheely · 1 year

Text

It's Just A Game... CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR. ☆

DATE : ┃OCTOBER 1ST, 1998. LOCATION : ┃████. TIME : ┃12:02 PM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

The helicopter ride had been long — the four passengers were silent as they flew through calm skies. Fluffy clouds gently floated through the baby blue as the warm, bright sun greeted those who bathed in its light. It appeared to be a beautiful day, but the mood that settled in the cabin was anything but beautiful. About an hour into the flight, Jill ended up passing out from exhaustion while Carlos and Barry piloted, only speaking into the microphones on their headsets every once in a while. Erica simply shrunk into herself, her thoughts running amuck as she tried to process all that’s happened. It hadn’t been able to leave her mind since they took off — her arrival to Raccoon city, her kidnapping, her experimentation, her escape, and all the death and destruction that piled in Raccoon City’s last days of existence.

Jill stirred awake as they arrived at their destination, peering out the window to take a look at where they were. It looked like some kind of private airport. She turned to Erica and offered a groggy, weak smile. Erica smiled back, but it wasn’t genuine. How could she smile? Even as the four of them met the ground, she couldn’t find the urge to form a grin no matter how hard she tried. She got out of the city, she's alive…but at what cost?

They all exited the aircraft, shielding their faces against the blinding sun. Barry made his way over to one of the men standing near the landing area to return the helicopter keys and retrieve his vehicle keys. Carlos turned to Jill as Barry left. “I think I’ll be heading out from here.” He sighed.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay and help?” Jill frowned.

“Umbrella is going to be on the lookout for me, so I gotta lay low for a while. Besides, I have my own business to attend to.” He says before turning to Erica. “You better keep an eye on her. She’s gonna need it.” He joked, and Jill gave a straight smile. “Will we hear from you?”

“You might.” He smiled back, saluted her, and set off on his own.

Barry returned some time later, looked around the area, and turned to Jill. “If I recall, we had another passenger.” He stated. Jill nodded. “He had his own business to attend to.” Barry nodded back and focused his attention on Erica after that. It had been a while since he had last seen her, and he spoke the first thing that came to his mind. “It’s good to have you back.”

“It’s good to be back…” She replied. Those were the first words that came out of her mouth since the explosion; however, she wasn't exactly sure she meant those words — even now as the three of them travel by car across a bumpy, mountainous terrain.

She glances out of the car’s window, taking in the passing trees and overgrown brush. She’s been quiet the whole ride — something that Jill has noticed. It doesn’t surprise her, though. After all Erica has been through, it’s only normal she wouldn’t want to speak much; what would she even say? What could she talk about that wouldn’t involve the horrors she faced? Since everything is so fresh, she decides it’s better to just leave it alone.

Jill peeks out of the corner of her eye at Erica but Erica pretends she doesn’t feel Jill watching her. She clutches the backpack in her lap tightly, leaning her head against the backpack as she faces the window. Jill faces forward as they come to a clearing and her eyes fall on the shape of a small cottage. Outside the cottage, a masculine figure is chopping wood. She immediately recognizes the figure as Chris and a relieved smile spreads across her lips. Erica lifts her head as the vehicle parks, unbuckling her seatbelt when Barry shuts off the engine.

Chris faces the car as the three of them pull up, placing the ax onto a stump. He first notices Barry, who had left without a word the night prior, but when he sees Jill sitting in the passenger’s seat he starts to reconsider scolding him. ‘At least he had a good reason for leaving.’ He thinks to himself as he spots another figure in the back seat. Who could that be?

Jill exits the car first and Erica becomes nervous as she catches a glimpse of Chris from inside the car. Her fingers rest on the door handle and her eyes stare at him longingly before shifting to the floorboard. She feels anxiety creep up her spine. What if he doesn’t want to see her? What if she’s too different now? What if —

“You coming?”

Her intrusive thoughts are interrupted by Barry’s inquiry and she forms a straight smile. “Yeah, I just — ”

“You don’t have to explain anything…” He says with a look of reassurance before exiting the vehicle. As the door closes behind him, Erica opens her own door. She slowly steps out, grabbing the handle of the backpack and closing the door behind her. She walks towards the front of the car to see Chris and Jill embracing one another, relieved to see each other again. Then, as they pull away and step back Chris’s eyes meet Erica’s own. He takes a step forward — a look of pure disbelief written on his face.

“Erica?”

He takes in her appearance, blood drenched hair, skin, clothes — you name it. Her expression is that of sadness, and it brings an aching feeling to his chest. Big blue eyes stare at him, silently eager to run up to him while approaching hesitantly. Her lips part and he hears his name in a voice he thought he’d never hear again. “Chris…” She whispers. Her stomach flips, tossing and turning in silent excitement as he steps towards her. She scans his face; he looks so tired, bags underneath his eyes from what she can only assume to be from lack of sleep. He has a little bit of stubble now, but it’s not like that matters to her. She’s just happy to see him again, even if she knows it’s not the same now — it won’t ever be the same…

“Is that you?” He shifts his eyes up and down her form, still believing her to be some sort of figment of his imagination, but it’s her. It’s really her .

“Of course it’s me.” Her eyes start to water as he takes her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

A tear trickles down her cheek as he pulls her in for a tight embrace, her hand releasing the handle of the backpack to wrap her arms around his torso. The bag falls to the ground and as the two hug, Barry and Jill turn to each other. Barry motions his head for the two of them to head inside and Jill nods in agreement. It’s better to give the two of them some time alone rather than stand around watching. ‘Maybe it might cheer Erica up.’ She thinks as they step through the cottage’s front door.

Chris buries his fingers in her hair and as he hears a sniffle escape her, he pulls away. She gazes up at him with teary eyes, and he reaches a hand up to caress her cheek. His heart is pounding out of his ribcage, and she can hear his anxious blood pumping as he stares into her eyes.

“Do you want to come inside?” He asks, sliding some hair behind her ear. A smile pulls at the corner of her lips. “I’d like that.” She murmurs. He smiles in return, reaching down to pick up her backpack to carry it inside for her. She has an instinctive thought to protest, but she holds her tongue. ‘If he wants to carry it for you, let him.’ She tells herself, and the two walk up the front steps and enter the front door, closing it behind them.

The interior of the cottage is as quaint as its exterior — there’s a dining table next to a small kitchen, there’s a couch, a coffee table with a radio on top, and a lamp in the nearby living room, and what Erica believes to be a bathroom down the hall. She assumes it’s a bathroom by the sound of running water coming from behind the closed door. Jill must be showering.

There’s a set of stairs leading to a second floor that consists of two doors corresponding to each other. The smell of dust and earth coats the entire home, but it doesn’t bother Erica in the slightest. It gives her a strange sense of comfort.

Chris walks over to the wooden dining table where Barry is currently sitting and places the backpack on the table’s surface. “Damn, what’s in that thing?” Barry asks with a chuckle. Erica pulls out a chair and takes a seat as Chris curiously unzips the bag. His eyes meet a thick, old binder along with a slender, newer one and his brows furrow. What are these, and why does Erica have them?

He glances at her in confusion and she pulls the backpack down the table. He watches her as she slides the binders out of the bag. His and Barry’s eyes immediately widen in shock and disbelief. Are these Umbrella’s records?

“Well I’ll be damned…” Barry mumbles.

“How did you get these?” Chris questions.

“I stole them.” She replies, staring down at the table. Barry picks up the smaller binder and frowns as he reads the name. “This one’s yours…isn’t it?” Erica’s eyes don’t even shift in his direction — she simply nods. Barry and Chris glance at one another with concern. They should be celebrating; they have everything they need for their case: evidence, a living witness, and several testimonies…but something is wrong. What exactly happened to Erica? What did Umbrella do to her?

The file Chris read back at the Spencer Mansion was vague and only described what viruses and tests were administered to her body. He doesn’t know the real horrors she might have faced or if anything went undocumented. Chris is fully aware if she was infected with the T-Virus she should have turned by now — but he can never be too sure. The virus could be laying dormant in her DNA…

Jill turns off the bathroom light as she finishes drying her hair, tossing her towel in a nearby laundry basket. Luckily for Jill, the trio had stopped at a clothing store on the way to the cottage and she couldn't be happier to have a clean pair of clothes. She’s sure Erica’s looking forward to the same as she steps out of the bathroom. She enters the living room and quickly senses an awkward tension.

“What did I miss?”

“Erica here brought us a goldmine.” Barry states, “Almost two decades worth of Umbrella’s records.” Jill approaches the table to investigate and her mouth falls agape as her eyes scan over the binders. “What?” She looks at the backpack before at Erica. “Is that what you were carrying around this whole time?”

Erica smiles sheepishly, peering up at her from the chair. “I thought it would help.” She shrugs, and Jill can’t help but shake her head with a smile of her own. “What would we do without you?”

“I don’t know.” Erica laughs nervously. The question takes her aback, and after a couple of moments pass she stands from her chair. “I think, uh, I’m gonna go take a shower…” She mumbles, prompting the three to scan each other’s faces as she moves towards the bathroom in silence. When the bathroom door closes, Chris speaks up. “She’s not okay…is she?”

Jill sighs. “Not at all. Something happened to her, Chris…We might be able to help her if we read her file, but if you want me to be blunt about it I don’t know if we can.”

“Why do you say that?” Barry questions.

“She’s been infected for too long — ”

“ What do you mean ?”

Erica turns on the shower as she hears Chris’s inquiry, hoping the sound of water will drown out their conversation. She doesn’t want to hear or see Chris’s reaction when Jill tells him what happened to her and what she’s done, nor does she need to relive the moments Jill might be telling the two men.

After removing her boots, she strips herself of her blood encrusted clothes and steps into the water’s warm streams. She faces up to the shower head, letting the water rain down on her face, hair, and body. Blood washes away and down the drain and as soon as she can no longer see any red, she grabs a nearby shampoo bottle and lathers some in her hair. Once she’s finished, she moves her head back under the water to rinse out her long hair.

What is she going to do? What is she going to do now that she’s a bioweapon? She’s killed people — regardless if they were innocent or not. She’s done more than that; she’s feasted on their flesh, she ripped off meat from Nikolai’s bones and pulled his body apart until there was nothing left.

A wave of nausea crashes into her and she lowers to her knees. She sits at the bottom of the shower, trying her best to prevent herself from vomiting. She feels bile touch the back of her throat before going back down. A cough slips past her lips from the burn, and she quickly opens her mouth in hopes the warm water will soothe the burning sensation. ‘At least I’m not hungry.’ She thinks, sighing to herself as the sick feeling dissipates. She stands back up and continues bathing herself before rinsing and shutting off the water.

A sudden knock at the door causes her to jump and she peeks her head from behind the shower curtain.

“Yeah?”

“I have some clothes for you…Can you unlock the door?” It’s Jill. “Yeah, uh, give me a minute.”

“Okay…”

She grabs a folded towel that was placed on a nearby shelf and she starts to dry herself. Once she’s done, she wraps her body in the towel and unlocks the door. She slides her hand out, prompting Jill to hand her the clothes. Erica pulls them inside the bathroom and closes the door, but not before offering Jill a soft “thank you.”

Jill nods. “You’re welcome.” Erica removes her towel and grabs the first article of clothing. It’s a big t-shirt, and the second article is a pair of biker shorts, followed by a new pair of boxers. ‘It’s probably all they had…but it’s nice to finally have a pair of underwear.’ She muses to herself, tossing the soaked towel in a laundry basket.

As Erica enters the living room, she frowns. Where’s Chris?

It seems as if Jill reads her mind when she notices Erica. “If you’re looking for Chris, he’s outside.” She glances at Jill and Barry as she walks to the door and assumes that if she has a conversation with Chris it probably won’t be a happy one. After slowly opening the door, she steps out onto the porch. Chris is sitting on the steps, silent as he stares out at the mountainous view. Erica takes a seat next to him, silent as she joins him. Chris turns to her and scans her face.

All of the blood and dirt on her body is gone, revealing the face of the woman he so craved to see again. Her natural beauty always captivated him, but it feels as if she has a whole new kind of allure — even now with what he knows. He knows she’s some kind of monster, but he can’t see it. He can’t imagine it just like he can’t imagine all the terrible things she might’ve seen or went through. He still secretly wants to tell her how he feels, even if she ate someone. He wants to tell her he loves her, even if she’s a biological weapon. He wants to …but he can’t. Not now…things are different now. Chris decides it’s better to keep it to himself, so he instead takes her hand in his.

She doesn’t look at him as he does this, but he knows she’s not ignoring him as she squeezes it in return — the silent affection between the two is all they need for now.

⋆

DATE : ┃OCTOBER 2ND, 1998. LOCATION : ┃ EUROPEAN COTTAGE. TIME : ┃3:30 AM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

Snarl !

Growl !

AAAHHHHHHH!!!

A loud, crackling thunder shakes the cottage and Erica sits up with a gasp. She pants, her body drenched in sweat. Chris stirs in his sleep beside her and she looks down at him in the dark. A flash of lightning from the windows lights up the room, and she catches her breath. ‘It’s just a storm…’ She thinks before slowly sliding off of the bed, careful not to disturb a sleeping Chris.

Tiptoeing across the wooden floor, she opens the door. It creaks loudly and she can hear Chris groan in his sleep over the sound of the storm. She opens the door swiftly, avoiding the squeak. As she reaches the bottom of the stairs she walks towards the kitchen, hoping she might find something to drink and head back to bed. However, something catches her attention out of the corner of her eye.

On the dining table is a tiny, white box with an envelope next to it. She approaches the table with furrowed brows, curious as to what could be inside the box. Blue eyes read over the envelope; Erica’s name is written on it. It’s addressed to her, but that’s it. There’s no address, no sender; just her name. She glances around the first floor, but she doesn’t see or hear anyone. The envelope and box have a different smell, too…Who left this for her?

She opens the envelope and reads:

⋆

Congratulations, Miss Slater!

You made it out of Raccoon City and completed the game.

GREAT JOB!

As your reward, you get to go home.

Press the button if you wish to return. However, once you press the button you may not return to the same world as you once knew it. Nobody will remember you; it will be as if you never existed, but at least you get to go home, right?

⋆

The letter causes her heart to drop into the pit of her stomach. No, this isn’t real. This has got to be some kind of joke. She doesn’t believe it, but does she get to go home? Does she really get to go home? Wait; what does it mean by button?

She immediately opens the box and inside is a small remote with a single button. She feels her stomach twist — if she presses this, she supposedly goes back home. If she presses this, she might get to see her family again. If she presses this…there’s a possibility she won’t see Chris or Jill or Barry or anyone else from this world ever again.

Erica frowns. She might not ever see them again, but she quickly reassures herself that she doesn’t belong here. She already knows where she belongs; she belongs back home. She can’t stay here — she would just get in the way in the long run. Besides, they can’t help her now. Things are different now… she’s different now. She clutches the remote in her hands before sighing. The note does say none of them would remember her, so maybe it’s for the best. Maybe it’s better for her to never have existed to them at all…

Although she’s a little skeptical, Erica presses the button and waits for the next moment for something to happen.

Then — everything went white.

#resident evil #resident evil fanfic #resident evil fanfiction #isekai #post resident evil 2 #post resident evil 3 #erica slater (oc)#carlos oliveira #barry burton #chris redfield

1 note · View note

mlcheely · 1 year

Text

It's Just A Game... CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE. ☆

DATE : ┃SEPTEMBER 30TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃ SPENCER MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. TIME : ┃6:13 PM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

“Where did you meet Jill?”

The question catches her off-guard as she stares out one of the hospital windows, and her eyes rest on his tired face. It brings a smile to her lips — how could she explain that ? She laughs a little at the thought and it’s nice to feel one rumble through her chest. “It’s complicated.” She muses, fiddling with her fingers. “She took me in when I needed help, but that was before Umbrella took me.” She shakes her head. “I left her a note in case I didn’t get the chance to tell her Umbrella were the ones after me.”

“Why were they after you?”

“Something about my blood being special . About how I could change the world…” She sighs.

“What do you mean ‘change the world’?”

“I don’t really know…I just know it wouldn’t be anything good.”

Her eyes fall on a radio in the corner and she slowly starts to approach it. Maybe she can use it to try and contact someone — anyone to come and evacuate them out of the city.

“Does this work?” She asks, motioning towards the radio. Tyrell turns and looks in the direction of said radio. “Oh, yeah, I’ve been trying to get a signal all day but…nothing. Why don’t you see if you can get a hold of anyone?”

Erica takes a seat in front of the radio and unclips the microphone from its latch. She presses the button on the side while her free hand turns the dial to flip through different channels. She doesn’t really know how to use this thing, but it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try. “Hello? This is Erica Slater. I’m with Jill Valentine and two other survivors. We are stuck in Raccoon City at the Spencer Memorial Hospital with no way out. If there’s anyone out there, please help us. I repeat, this is Erica Slater. I’m with Jill Valentine and two other survivors. We are stuck in Raccoon City at the Spencer Memorial Hospital with no way out. If there’s anyone out there, please help us.”

“ — ello?...Slater…with Jill Valen—...other survivors…—accoon City at the Spencer Memorial Ho—......help…”

The line flickers in and out on an opposing radio, but it doesn’t matter. Whoever it was that called for help had their plea heard, and its listener immediately stood from his chair and grabbed a pair of car keys. He’s got a flight to catch.

⋆

DATE : ┃OCTOBER 1ST, 1998. LOCATION : ┃ SPENCER MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. TIME : ┃1:04 AM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

After Carlos returned with the cure, he hurriedly injected it into Jill. However, that was hours ago. The three of them sat around and waited for her to wake, but the longer they waited the more B.O.W.s got a scent for the men’s fresh meat. The two U.B.C.S. members decided to descend the hospital’s stairs and barricade the entrance while Erica stayed behind to watch over Jill. She’s been practically gnawing at her fingernails in anticipation as she waits for her friend to wake up. When Erica hears a slight whine emit from the unconscious woman’s lips then Jill gasps and sits up, looking around the room in shock. ‘I’m alive?’ She thinks and Erica rushes over to Jill’s side, taking her by utter surprise. She blinks several times; her eyes straining as they focus on the young woman beside her. ‘Wait, she died I — ’ Her thoughts are cut off as Erica pulls her into a tight embrace. She doesn’t waste time in hugging her friend back. Relief washes over her before it turns into confusion; Erica’s alive, but how?

“Erica? Wha-What’s going on? How are you here right now?” She looks around the room again. “Where am I? And what day is it?”

“We’re at the Spencer Memorial Hospital and it’s October 1st — ”

“October 1st? It can’t be — ”

“Jill, listen, we don’t have time for all the questions. We have to get out of here.”

The room’s double doors burst open and Tyrell enters, a look of relief spreading across his face as his eyes land on Jill. “I’m gonna be honest, at first I thought you were a goner.” He chuckles. “But at least we can get out of here now.”

“Me, too.” Jill remarks as she stands, “What’s going on?”

“The government is getting ready to launch a missile that’s going to strike and decimate the whole city.”

Jill frowns. “How much time do we have?”

“We have hours, maybe, but if, and that’s a big if , we can bring a vaccine to them before they launch, we can probably save the city.” Tyrell murmurs. “Carlos already went searching for it in the hospital’s underground lab.”

“ Shit , he went by himself?” She curses. “We gotta go after him.”

⋆

DATE : ┃OCTOBER 1ST, 1998. LOCATION : ┃ NEST 2, BENEATH SPENCER MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. TIME : ┃3:25 AM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

The trio immediately set off for the underground facility, maneuvering past multiple zombies and even Hunters to get there. Unfortunately, as they neared the entrance they lost Tyrell; he was impaled by the Nemesis’s new monstrous form, and the horrific beast howled as it took another life before chasing the two women. Eyes widened in pure fear while they ran for their dear lives. They luckily managed to escape at the last second, shutting a steel door in its disgusting face. After catching their breaths, they quickly searched through the facility, seeking out the vaccine. Jill ended up finding a sample of antigen on a messy lab table. After reading through some scattered files and documents, she learned that the antigen must be synthesized before it can become a vaccine. Listed in one of the documents was a machine that was meant to do exactly what they needed, and after searching the many labs they managed to locate it. They brought the antigen to the machine to complete the process, but as Jill pulled the capsule from the machine the Nemesis caught up to them and attacked once again — ultimately leading to the two women splitting up.

It isn’t too long after this, Erica hears the scream of her friend, followed by the unmistakable roar of the Nemesis. She hurriedly makes her way through hallways and doorways towards the sound of distress, coming upon a heavy door with a wheel on it. As she turns the wheel, it screeches — filling the empty hallway with ear-piercing scrapes of metal. The door opens and she can hear a loud struggle from inside. As she steps through the doorway, she peers down below to witness a scene of the large, deformed creature lurching in Jill’s direction. Jill shoots it in the face, causing it to shriek and recoil before coming back for more. Erica looks up towards a control room above, and she can see Carlos through the window. He must be helping Jill. She glances around the sanitation room for a way to help Jill, too, when she sees Nikolai escaping through a door in the back.

‘You’re not getting away this time.’ She thinks, pursuing him as he runs across the metal walkway.

She makes it to the door he left through and turns the wheel to open it. As she enters the next room, the echo of her and Nikolai’s footsteps invade her ears as she chases after him. Her teeth grit as she rides his tail, desperate to catch him. It seems her mind and body are the same as her stomach growls, eager to be filled with fresh meat of prey .

She made a promise to Nikolai back on the tram — and she’s going to follow through with it.

She runs out onto a heliport, her eyes frantically searching for the evil man as she’s met by the cool morning air. She sniffs, beginning to remove her backpack as she gets a whiff of his musky scent. The tied, broken straps are removed from her body and the bag falls to the ground with a ‘ thud .’

A tight grip forms inside her chest, the feeling of a tug at her ribcage causing her to clench her jaw tightly. A fast heartbeat pounds in her ears behind her and she turns —

— Click .

Angry eyes meet the barrel of a pistol before meeting the eyes of what she believes to be scum . He’s staring her down, finger ready to pull the trigger if she makes a wrong move. He sizes her up, amused by her hostile stance and angry expression. It’s cute that she believes she can take him on, but he knows he shouldn’t underestimate her either. A sinister smirk spreads across his lips. “You know, a little bird told me you were special. I didn’t believe a small, pathetic thing like you could be special — but clearly I was wrong. I noticed you wanted to eat Mikhail back on the tram…You were practically drooling over him, heh, but that does not compare to the fact that you knew when the Nemesis was coming.”

Erica’s lips curl into a mocking smile. “You don’t know anything.”

“Oh I know plenty. I am very much aware that you are of significant and financial value — and I intend to get paid.” He circles around her, continuing to point the gun at her. “You might as well shoot me.” She spats and he swiftly shoots beside her feet. The loud pop and the bullet whipping past her feet causes her heart to jump into her throat and she can feel that burn again — the burning intensity she felt at the police department. A gasp slips past her lips and he steps forward. “Next time I will shoot y — ” He starts but is cut off by Erica rushing at him. Nikolai is surprised at her speed as she lunges into his stomach, causing him to drop his weapon. He grunts as he pulls her off of him, twisting her around and putting her in a chokehold. She starts kicking and flailing before he tightens his grip — to which she twists her head and sinks her teeth into the flesh of his arm.

Reactively, he shoves her into the concrete below as he grabs at his bitten arm. Shit — is he going to be infected now? His eyes search for his weapon, and she can hear his frantic heart as the metallic taste of blood coats her tongue. She savors the taste and a low grumble tickles her stomach. Growl . It’s time to eat, and she knows what’s on the menu.

As Nikolai grabs his gun, he turns and aims it at Erica but pauses.

What the —

The image he sees is the frail girl in front of him, hunching over and breathing heavily. Her head snaps back and her skin starts to change — becoming pale blue with a hint of purple. The veins throughout her body darken, giving her skin a veiny appearance. Hair falls away from her scalp, exposing her head before long, hair-like appendages grow to replace the lost strands. Sharp, talon-like nails grow out of her fingertips as her hand and feet darken to a deep red hue. Bones break out of her chest, exposing some of her ribcage as a tail extends from behind her. The tip of the tail is that of sharp bone — an easy weapon to impale someone with.

Nikolai feels a kind of horror he isn’t sure he’s ever felt before when he makes contact with the Tyrant-like woman’s eyes. The whites of her eyes have shifted into a bloody red while her blue irises have lightened and her pupils become slits. The moment he raises his gun she bares her sharp teeth and lurches towards him with an ear-piercing shriek.

A violent struggle ensues between the two — ending when Erica lifts one of her hands and swipes at his face. He grabs his face in pain before she shoves her mouth into the base of his neck and bites down. Her teeth aggressively pierce his flesh, and she clamps down hard. Nikolai lets out a short, final cry of agony as she rrriiipppsss out his throat, causing the life to slip away from his body. The raw, squishy meat slides down Erica’s throat and she gulps. Yummy . The monstrous woman eagerly dives into her meal, ripping and pulling off chunks of meat from his body. Blood practically showers her as she indulges in the delicious flesh, growling as she gnaws on his insides. She rips apart his limbs, breaking several of their bones as she feasts. As she shoves one last piece of meat into her mouth, she feels a hint of satisfaction creep up her spine. She swallows the last bit of meat and starts licking her hands free of blood. She cleans the inside of her mouth with her tongue before swallowing the remnants of gut and flesh. Then, as she looks down to her still blood soaked hands and the remains of Nikolai’s body — she hears the sound of running footsteps — and they’re getting closer.

Erica’s chest starts to burn again and her head spins as her body painfully reverts back to its human form. Her hair regrows out of her scalp, and a whine slips past her lips. As she stands, nausea takes over her body as she starts making her way over to the backpack. She reaches down to grab the backpack’s handle, and a smile spreads across her bloody lips when she spots Carlos running out to the heliport. He rushes over, believing her to be severely injured due to the amount of blood covering her body. He touches her arm in concern. “Are you okay?”

“Don’t worry, it’s not all mine…” She rasps, trying her best not to vomit on him as she tastes the aftermath of Nikolai’s flesh. She covers her mouth and a hiccup slips past her hand. “I’m fine.” She mumbles. “Where’s Jill?”

“She’s, uh, coming. Ugh…” Carlos makes a face of disgust, his lip curling as he spots Nikolai’s remains. His body is unrecognizable, but silvery tufts of hair and an Umbrella emblem gives away exactly who it is — or, well , was. “Did…Did you do this?” He asks, eyeing the aftermath until he looks at her. She doesn’t even acknowledge him as she removes her jacket and wipes her face clean, but he has a feeling he already knows the answer to the question when he notices her licking her lips. “You know what, I don’t wanna know.” He shakes his head.

A roar of death comes from inside the building before a resounding BOOM causes the ground beneath them to shake a little, vibrating against the bottom of Erica and Carlos’s shoes. Her stomach does a flip when she hears the sound of hurried footsteps approaching them — she made it . Excitement crashes into her when she sees Jill’s tired, tortured eyes, but they quickly change to those of relief as they settle on the other two survivors. She runs up to the both of them and when her eyes land on Erica she’s taken aback by the amount of blood covering Erica’s body. When Jill turns her head she doesn’t immediately recognize the remnants of Nikolai’s eaten corpse, but when the purple glow of the vaccine hits her vision she knows for sure who it once was.

“What happened?” She questions and Carlos points at Erica.

Erica doesn’t respond or react to the gesture — she simply gives Jill a proud smile. Jill doesn’t really want to know what happened prior to her running out to the heliport, but at least they have the vaccine. Now all that’s left is getting out of this god-forsaken city and getting the vaccine to the US government before the city is destroyed. Or at the very least, help any infected individuals. She calmly grabs the vaccine capsule from a half-opened pocket of what looks to be a dismembered leg.

Interrupted by the sound of whirring blades, the three of them turn in unison to see a helicopter coming their way, free of any logos on its side. Jill raises her hand as it approaches the heliport, and she signals to them. As the aircraft lowers to the ground, Jill steps inside and into the cockpit. Who could it be?

To Jill’s complete and utter surprise, she’s met by the face of Barry Burton.

“How did you — !” She starts, but he cuts her off. “I got your message, but we can worry about that later! Let’s just get out of here!” He yells over the whirr of the blades and, although confused, Jill takes his word and finds a seat next to Erica. Carlos seats himself in the co-pilot’s chair and begins assisting Barry, and it only takes seconds for the helicopter to rise back into the air and away from the area. Erica glances around at the four inside the helicopter’s cabin as they’re whisked away from what seemed to be a neverending nightmare — flying off into the horizon with a sense of freedom finally washing over them. She turns her attention to the window, and she gasps when an object wisps by.

“There it is!” She exclaims, prompting the rest of them to glance back as the missile ventures into the center of the city.

A reverberating blast thunders in the distance, completely obliterating everything in its path. A loud message blares through the speakers of the cockpit’s dashboard. “TURBULENCE! TURBULENCE! TURBULENCE!” The group holds onto whatever they can grab on to as the aircraft shakes. It doesn’t last for more than a minute before the helicopter stops shuddering and the message stops blaring.

Erica looks back out the window to witness a tragic scene. In the place where the city is supposed to be is a giant, burning crater. Raccoon City…is no more. As Jill sees the destruction of the city unfold into nothing but ash, she sits back in her seat with a bowed head. She holds up the vaccine capsule in her hand, her eyes looking down at the purple tube.

“So long, RC.” She murmurs.

Erica focuses her attention on her blood dried hands, closing them into fists. She leans back in her seat, trying to find some sense of comfort as she relaxes against the cushion. What will she do now that Raccoon City is gone? What kind of life will she lead now that she’s a bioweapon? She feels as if she keeps asking herself the same questions over and over again, but…what now?

#resident evil #resident evil fanfiction #resident evil fanfic #isekai #erica slater (oc)#resident evil 2 #resident evil 3 #jill valentine #carlos oliveira #tyrell patrick #nikolai ginovaef #major character death #blood #gore #transformation #body horror #nemesis

1 note · View note

mlcheely · 1 year

Text

It's Just A Game... CHAPTER TWENTY. ☆

DATE : ┃SEPTEMBER 27TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃ RACCOON SEWERS, BENEATH RACCOON CITY. TIME : ┃3:11 PM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

A few hours have passed since Erica set off for the North area — and her journey was anything but simple. She underestimated the NEST’s endless maze; its twists and turns obstructed by locked doors she couldn’t open or too many zombies and other monstrosities crowding the area. She even had to turn back around and retrace her steps a couple of times. As she neared her destination, she began to lose hope she was going to find a cable car before luckily stumbling across a sign with the word ‘station’ on it. Curious, she investigated — to which there was a cable car waiting and ready to depart. She quickly ran up the cable car’s steps, happy to give her arms a break as she put down the binders on one of the seats. She closed the heavy door with what felt like pure ease but she was too focused on the sound of freedom that rang in her ears to notice the effortless motion. After scanning over the cable car’s terminal, she found the right button to start the engine — eager for it to take her to the sewers as she heard a ‘ clang !’ The mechanics of the cable car began to move, and Erica plopped down into a seat next to the binders and strapped herself in.

The ride to the sewers is almost soundless apart from the sound of the car riding the rails, occasionally followed by the metallic screeching. For the first time in a long time, Erica is glad to be alone with the silence. So much has happened since she arrived in Raccoon City; she escaped a kidnapping, fell in love, and — unfortunately — was kidnapped and experimented on. The shaky journey makes her feel like she has a break from it all — a break from all the constant chaos.

She runs her hand through her still damp hair, staring down at the metallic door before a sigh slips past her lips and she leans back against the wall. Erica knows she probably won’t see her family ever again, but she’ll always remember that they taught her she can do anything she sets her mind to. With that in mind, she’s capable of getting out of this city and helping Chris and Jill take down Umbrella; and she will . Her attention turns towards the Umbrella labeled binders but she doesn’t look at them for long when the cable car suddenly comes to a slow stop. She unbuckles herself, getting up to peer out the window — it looks like she’s arrived.

Erica hurriedly opens the door and grabs the binders before making her way down the cable car’s steps and stepping onto the platform. As her eyes survey the area, the echoes of moans and groans catch her ears. It sounds like some zombies have made it down here like she has. She smells the air; ugh, it smells like it, too — but maybe that might just be the sewage down below. It reeks …

After roaming the area for a while, she discovers a long ladder that rises up to what she believes is the ceiling — or if her luck is to continue — a manhole that leads to the streets of Raccoon City. She isn’t sure if this ladder will lead her to where she wants to go, but she has a good feeling about it. She places the binders on the floor next to the ladder before turning her attention upwards. ‘There’s a lot of noise coming from up there.’ She thinks. ‘I really hope this leads up to the city. I’ve got to find Chris and Jill — I’ve got to .’

Sucking in her breath, Erica starts climbing — absent mindedly counting each bar as she ascends. It takes her several minutes to reach the top and once she does, her hands come in contact with something solid. She can hear the world above so clearly now and it’s loud, invading her ears as her fingers feel the vibrations of what feels like destruction. This is it; it’s got to be. She eagerly pushes against the solid surface and it moves upward. She quickly registers the solid object as a manhole cover when light from overhead illuminates the darkness she’s enveloped in. The sounds she hear before pour down into the pitch black, bouncing off of pipes and walls; screams of helpless victims, shrieks and howls of bloodthirsty creatures quenching their hunger, car alarms and the crackling of flames, and —

— shoving the manhole cover to the side, her head lifts up to peek out of the hole.

Gasp .

“Oh…My… God …”

Raccoon City is in complete disarray — no, that’s an understatement — it’s in shambles, falling apart at its very seams. Fires engulf cars and buildings, bodies and human remains cover the streets, vehicles are crashed or overturned left and right, and the undead walk the streets, feeding or searching for another host to infect. The smell of decay consumes the city, stinging Erica’s nostrils as she breathes in the suffocating air. Her eyes are overflowing with tears; so much death has happened — so much pain and agony has happened to the innocent civilians of the city. She can only imagine where Chris and Jill must be in the middle of all this. She hopes they made it out of here safe and sound, but she secretly worries that they’re probably among the sea of the dead. Erica theorizes where they might be; in the timeline of the video games, Chris supposedly went on “vacation” to Europe — a guise to search for and find Umbrella’s headquarters. If she recalls correctly, that also means Jill is still in the city; still looking for the Umbrella facility she just escaped from. Luckily for Jill, Erica has everything she needs. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have the slightest idea where Jill might be in the midst of all this chaos, but based on what she knows she has a pretty good idea where to start: Jill’s apartment. If she finds Jill, she’ll find Chris.

After climbing down and collecting the binders, she makes her way back up and ladder, out of the manhole, and into the chaotic streets of Raccoon City.

She’s going to find Jill and they’re going to get out of the city.

She knows she will.

She has to .

⋆

DATE : ┃SEPTEMBER 27TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃ RACCOON CITY, MISSOURI. TIME : ┃6:29 PM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

Looking for Jill in the middle of an apocalyptic city is like looking for a needle in a haystack, but after Erica comes across a clothing store she focuses her attention elsewhere, believing she should take a break from her task to find Jill and find something to wear instead. After all, she is still naked. The evening air is cold as it blows against her skin, and a shudder runs through her body when she steps through a broken window display. Careful not to step on any glass, she tiptoes over the area before stepping down to a tile floor. It’s quiet in this building — a bit too quiet — but she shakes the thought when she spots a backpack hanging on a peg.

‘Oh, thank God.’ She thinks, elated to have made the discovery. She doesn’t have to carry these damn binders anymore. Rushing over, she shoves the binders into the backpack and zips it up. Erica’s fingers graze over the ID bracelet in her pocket and she wonders if it will be of future use. She stares at it for a moment and ultimately decides to keep it, removing it from the lab coat’s pocket and into a side compartment on the backpack. “Alright,” She whispers to herself, “Let’s find something to wear.” After skimming through the racks of clothing throughout the store, she manages to find a basic t-shirt and pair of shorts, along with a pair of combat boots and a flannel jacket. It’s not something she would usually wear but she’s not looking for style, she’s looking for comfort and practicality. As she checks herself in one of the mirrors, she frowns when she looks at her reflection. She feels like she’s the same person she’s always been, but she doesn’t look like herself. Her appearance looks sad and fatigued; her eyes have dark circles, her cheekbones look more defined, and her complexion is pale and ghostly. It’s like she’s one of the walking dead…

Turning away from the mirror she grabs the backpack and exits the store, resuming her search for Jill. She takes a glance around and she sighs. “Where are you Jill?”

Eventually, Erica recognizes a street name on a nearby sign. She recalls the times she and Jill would pass it to and from her apartment building, and the recollection causes a smile to creep onto her lips. She’s going to see Jill again sooner than she thought, or at least, that’s what she has faith in happening. Pushing down the sidewalk and past sme zombies, she turns the corner; only to be faced with a sigh that leaves her mouth agape and her eyes wide.

No …

Jill’s apartment floor is currently overtaken by flames, set ablaze much like the rest of the city’s scenery. It’s destroyed; bits of drywall and brick ripped away from the home of her friend. A lump starts to form in the back of her throat and she frowns as she looks up at the remains of the once cozy apartment.

‘She got out.’ Erica tells herself. ‘She’s a S.T.A.R.S. member. She got out before any of this happened…’

…Or when it happened.

As she stares at the burning building, a scent tickles Erica’s nose. It smells like…cologne. Sniffing the air, she picks up something else — fresh blood, pumping vigorously through adrenaline laced veins. Turning in the direction of the smell, she hears something — and so do the zombies.

Gunshots .

Her brows furrow; someone must be in danger. She takes off in the direction of the sound of struggle, catching a glimpse of someone disappearing down a subway tunnel. A couple of shambling dead focus their attention on the same area she saw someone enter, leading her to believe she’s not just seeing things. She purses her lips and tightens her grip on the straps of the backpack. ‘Well, here goes nothing.’ She thinks, jogging her way over to the entrance to the subway tunnel. A gust of air blows past her face, and she catches a whiff of what she believes to be a whole group of people. Making her way down the steps and into the tunnel, Erica hears the tiny squeaks of rats, the settling of metal, and… voices . She nervously swallows when she sees someone’s shadow dance on the concrete floors, hiding herself behind a corner as she tries to take a peek. Unfortunately, she doesn’t realize that someone has noticed her —

— until they demand for her to come out.

“Come out with your hands up.” A voice demands, booming with authority. ‘ Damn it .’ She curses herself, raising her arms in defense before stepping out from behind the corner. She’s met by several armed men; they all lower their weapons upon seeing her — all but one. The man still aiming his gun at her has a look of suspicion, eyeing her intensely. She can’t help but let a scoff escape her mouth.

“Is everybody gonna point their gun at me today?”

Erica’s gaze falls onto the name tag of the man in front of her, and she feels her stomach churn. It’s Nikolai Ginovaef — a Soviet army veteran who ultimately enlisted under Umbrella’s command as part of their paramilitary, specifically as a Sergeant in the U.B.C.S.. He also served as a Monitor, individuals assigned with carrying out internal investigations within Umbrella to catch employees conducting suspicious activities. The Umbrella logo is emblazoned on his sleeve, and Erica has to stop herself from curling her lip in disgust. She can’t let him or any of these other men know who she is — if they don’t already know, that is .

Nikolai’s dark eyes scan over the young woman; she has no weapons or signs of infection, but more importantly, no signs of struggle of any kind. It’s as if she’s been completely unaffected by the events that have transpired within the city. He furrows his brows, suspecting that something is…off, but he can’t put his finger on why. He glances behind her to see if she was followed, pursing his lips as he glances back at her. She’s visibly uncomfortable, anxiously waiting for someone’s next move.

“Nikolai, she’s a survivor; you don’t have to keep threatening her.” A man with curly hair pipes up, “I’m sure she’s terrified enough as it is.”

Erica’s mouth straightens as Nikolai stares at her, slowly lowering his gun. A dark skinned man with glasses begins inspecting her, observing her surprisingly pristine condition. “Have you or anyone you know been exposed to the virus?” He asks, and she shakes her head. “No, I’ve been hiding.” She mutters, looking at his name tag. Tyrell Patrick . Erica recalls the name from one of the games; Tyrell Patrick was a U.B.C.S. soldier who died during the Raccoon City outbreak, and a frown pulls at the corners of her mouth at the sight of his name. “Did you get tired of hiding and come out to play with the dead?” Nikolai’s thick Russian accent clogs her ears, and her eyes flicker to his smug expression. “I didn’t know I was supposed to play hide and seek with them.” She retorts, causing his expression to falter. “Hm…” He turns away from her and leaves to another area, and the curly haired man approaches her. She can read his name tag as he comes closer: Carlos Oliveira. A smile spreads across Erica’s lips; if she wants to find Jill, this is exactly who she needs to talk to. In the game timeline, Carlos meets Jill and the two team up to escape the city. If that’s the case, his presence means Jill is going to show up soon.

“Don’t worry about him. He’s probably just ready to get out of the city like the rest of us.” He jokes, and Erica scoffs. “If that’s what you wanna tell yourself,” She says, “I think that’s just how he is.”

Carlos chuckles. “You’re probably right.” He replies, clearing his throat. “I’m Carlos — ” He motions to Tyrell, “ — this is Tyrell — ” another motion to a scrawny man in a red beanie, “ — this is Murphy,” he looks back at her, “and that stick in the mud was Nikolai.” She nods. “It’s nice to meet some of the living for a change…” Pause. “I’m Erica.”

“I’m surprised you lasted this long without infection, Erica — “ Tyrell interjects, “ — where exactly were you hiding?”

“I was trapped in my apartment for a while.” She lies through her teeth, “I managed to get out through the fire escape, and that’s when I saw one of you run down here…” She swallows. “Do you know what’s going on?” She doesn’t even need to ask; she’s fully aware of what’s going on, but she hopes they’re fooled by her feigning ignorance. Carlos looks her over. Her story would make sense as to why she doesn’t have much of any scratches or scrapes on her. She appears just like every other citizen he and the remaining U.B.C.S. members have encountered — afraid and confused. Unfortunately, much like the rest of them he can’t provide the answers she’s searching for.

“I’m afraid we don’t. Umbrella assigned us to get in contact with any potential survivors of the outbreak and evacuate them.” He states, frowning. “You were in the middle of a monster hunting ground — what were you doing running out there with nothing to protect yourself with?”

Erica’s stomach twists into a knot. How can she explain that she’s actually infected but not contagious? Well, that’s what she believes at least. She isn’t sure what she’s capable of, but during her imprisonment in the NEST facility she feels she got a pretty good idea. She knows the monsters and zombies are oblivious to her, but she has to remind herself that it isn’t the case for everyone. She just happens to be lucky. “I’m looking for someone — a woman by the name of Jill Valentine. I don’t know if she’s still in the city, but I gotta find her.” She swallows. “Have any of you seen her?”

“No ma’am, but if we happen to come across her you’ll be the first to know.” Tyrell responds, and Erica can’t help but feel a rush of excitement. ‘Oh, you’ll find her alright.’ She thinks. ‘Just give it some time.’

Nikolai happens to overhear the exchange from around the corner. Why is this young woman looking for Jill Valentine? What business does she have with the remaining S.T.A.R.S. member? Umbrella is fully aware of Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield’s efforts to take down the company ever since X-Day — the day the Spencer Mansion was destroyed, along with any other evidence incriminating them. Nikolai had been informed that Miss Valentine was still in the city and to record any combat data against the Nemesis, a highly intelligent and powerful creature sent by Umbrella to kill and eliminate the remaining S.T.A.R.S. members Brad Vickers and Jill Valentine. As of earlier today, the Nemesis was successful in eliminating Vickers; however, it has yet to successfully pursue its last target. With that in mind, Nikolai wonders if that will lead the creature here. He’s not keen on standing at death’s door today, or any other day for that matter , so he makes a mental note to keep an eye on this mysterious young woman.

Who is she ?

As Nikolai contemplates the many possibilities in his mind, Carlos gestures Erica towards the direction of a platform and offers for her to join and wait with the rest of the survivors — to which she obliges. She follows him as he leads her across the platform to a tram full of frightened, cowering passengers. Her face changes from relieved to concerned as she looks at all of their petrified faces — she can hear their sobs and the beats of their scared hearts — it’s clear that she’s not like the rest of them. Why isn’t she crying in a corner, wondering if the nightmare will end? She isn’t sure if she has the luxury of shedding any tears, not after all the things she’s experienced. It’s easier to forget it ever happened and move on… right ?

She thanks Carlos as he closes the door behind her, and she finds an empty seat next to a mother and what she assumes to be her teenage daughter. The mother turns her head and gives Erica a weak smile and she offers one back. These people probably won’t be making it through the night but she doesn’t want to worry or think about that; right now she’s going to relax and give herself a well-deserved break.

She has a feeling she has a long night ahead of her.

#resident evil #resident evil fanfic #resident evil fanfiction #isekai #erica slater (oc)#death #gore #blood #zombie #carlos oliveira #tyrell patrick #nikolai ginovaef #resident evil 2 #resident evil 3

1 note · View note

mlcheely · 1 year

Text

It's Just A Game... CHAPTER NINETEEN. ☆

DATE : ┃SEPTEMBER 27TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃ NEST, BENEATH RACCOON CITY. TIME : ┃1:27 AM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

Beeeeep !

The sound of a mechanism releasing echoes through the cold and empty laboratory. A red light starts to flash, illuminating the low-lit room as a screen lights up on one of the terminals; “ DRAINING PROCESS ACTIVATED …” flashes across the monitor as liquid begins to drain from a cryogenic tube attached to the terminal. There’s a woman’s body floating inside of the tank — slowly sinking to the bottom as fluids are emptied out. The body leans against the glass and lowers to its knees before laying on the floor of the container — followed by a new message on the monitor: “ DRAINING COMPLETE .” The tube slides open with a resounding whirr, but the body still remains inside. Moments later, however, it springs to life as air fills her lungs.

Gasp . Cough, cough. Gasp .

Alarmed eyes open wide, taking in their surroundings as she catches her breath. What’s going on? Where is she? How is she alive? She touches her bodice in astonishment, surprised to feel herself — surprised to feel her physical form underneath her fingertips. She reaches up to touch her face, smiling when she sees her reflection in the glass of the tank. She actually survived T-Virus infection; she was able to bond with the virus and escape death…so what does she do now?

Erica looks at her reflection for a few more seconds before she starts to climb out of the tank, falling as her feet meet the floor. Her legs still must be weak after not using them for so long. She tries getting up again, holding onto the edge of the tank’s entrance to gain her balance. She slips and a squeak exits past her lips as her buttocks makes contact with the icy lab’s floor. A shudder runs through her body as she takes another glance around the room. Maybe she can find something in here to cover up with, but first — where is everyone? Where are all the Umbrella employees? What happened to her while she was under? She isn’t sure, but hopefully once she finds something to wear she can find out.

Spotting a lab coat on a nearby rack, Erica pushes herself off the floor — her legs shaking as she stands up. She takes a step, wobbling as she walks towards the rack. She makes it to a desk within her reach and leans against it as she reaches for the lab coat and pulls it off the hook. She sighs in relief as she covers her body; she’s still cold, but it’s better than being naked. She closes the coat around her and buttons it all the way up before she freezes in place.

She just heard something.

Worried eyes look towards the door and that’s when she hears it — the sound of someone dying; screaming as their life is mercilessly ripped away from them. Hands immediately cover ears; make it stop, make it stop, make it stop! Then, the only sound she can hear is silence. She cautiously lowers her hands, fearful eyes wide in the direction of the door. ‘That doesn’t sound good…’ She thinks. ‘Something is definitely wrong.’

‘“ Something has happened .”’

Erica remembers Sol telling her this before she woke up — but it’s clear ‘something’ is more than just some thing . She was unconscious for a long time, but for how long exactly? Her gaze turns and catches sight of a calendar; it’s marked on the 23rd. A lump forms in her throat and she instantly feels like she has to throw up. She quickly dives for a small trash can next to the desk, violently regurgitating into it. The bile stings the back of her throat and she spits before wiping her mouth free from her stomach’s waste with a sleeve of the lab coat.

September 23rd …

Does that mean Raccoon City is…? No ! No, she couldn’t have been gone for that long — she couldn’t have, but it’s right in front of her face. She’s been asleep for five months, and little does she know the city is waiting for her to find it, eager for her to witness its chaos.

“I need to get out of here.” She whispers to herself, approaching the door and stopping in place when she realizes it won’t open. It’s locked.

“ ACCESS DENIED - ID REQUIRED .” A robotic voice states from a speaker to the right of the door. There’s an identification scanner just below it. Furrowing her brows, Erica instinctively begins patting down the lab coat’s pockets. There must be something in there she can use. First one: empty. Second: empty. She purses her lips in frustration, but they start to form a smile as she feels her fingers brush against a small object in one of the inner pockets. Reaching inside, she pulls out what looks like an identification bracelet; “SENIOR STAFF” it reads. After inspecting it for a moment, she hesitantly holds it up to the scanner. ‘Please, please, please work.’

“ ACCESS GRANTED .”

The door slides open with a familiar hiss and her ears ring at the sound. She can’t help but wince; it’s dark, but everything is so…loud. It’s like she can hear everything all at once — the particles in the air, the rattle of the air conditioning, the sound of water droplets — all the while the many screams of terrified victims ring, only to be silenced by their killers. She can hear the blood thirsty cry of the infected as they feed on their prey. The overwhelming scent of death fills her nostrils and she gags, covering her mouth and nose. ‘Where is that smell coming from? It smells like it’s everywhere…’

As she turns around in the dark hallway, she catches a whiff of something else — no — someone else. It’s a person, and they’re heading in her direction. Suddenly, Erica is hit by a wave of confusion. How did she know it was a person? She isn’t given enough time to get an answer before whoever is coming her way crashes into her. Her head makes contact with the floor and she groans. “What the hell?” She mumbles, but the stranger either doesn't hear her or ignores her, scrambling to pull themselves together as they get off of her with urgency. She can hear their heartbeat, pounding relentlessly against their ribcage. She can smell the blood in their veins and the sweat on their skin; it smells… good . The stranger takes off in the opposite direction as she sits up, quickly picking herself off the floor and heading in the direction of whoever just ran into her. She’s going to follow them and get some answers about what’s going on; however as she steps into another hallway, she’s met by a horrific sight that gives her all the answers she needs.

A flickering light illuminates the hall enough to allow her to see it: flesh decorates the floors, bodies are sprawled out either half eaten or completely dismembered. Blood is splattered all over the place; painting walls, floors, windows — you name it . Erica’s eyes meet the black void of a dead woman’s. The milky pair of eyes stare into her own before she turns away, her attention brought back to following her target. She can get that horrific image out of her head later. For now, she needs to find out how to get out of this place. It’s clearly a death trap, designed to be a confusing maze — even for its own employees, sadly.

Stepping through another door, she comes upon another gruesome scene. Except this time, she spots a scientist rushing to enter a room to her left. She pursues them, entering the room behind them; only for her to come face to face with a gun. Her stomach drops as she looks into the barrel, throwing her hands up in defense. “Don’t shoot.”

The scientist scans her over before lowering his weapon and sighing in relief. “I thought you were one of those things…” He says, locking the door and peeking through the room’s blinds. Erica stares at him in confusion. “What things ?” She questions. Could the ‘things’ be where the monstrous screams came from?

“Do you seriously not know what’s going on?” He asks and she shakes her head. He watches her for a bit and she feels her chest tighten. Does he recognize her? She certainly hopes he doesn’t, worried he might shoot her if she’s identified. He sighs and runs his hand through his hair as he starts to explain. “Three days ago, there was an incident…one of Umbrella’s lead researchers — William Birkin, that bastard — he went crazy and injected himself with the G-Virus. Ever since then, the city has been swarming with monsters and zombies.”

‘ Ever since then, the city has been swarming with monsters and zombies .’

Erica’s back presses against the wall as she stumbles backwards in shock. Raccoon City is infected? Then…

Then does that mean she’s been in Raccoon City this whole time? Her chest burns; she needs to find Chris and Jill. She needs to find a way out of this facility and find them so they can get out of the city before the infection is deemed uncontainable — before Raccoon City is blown to pieces.

“You’re the first living person I’ve seen in days…How did you manage to stay alive?”

“I-I was hiding.” She spits out, and he turns away from her. “Well, it was a damn good hiding place — you don’t have a scratch on you.” He chuckles, focusing his attention on the room’s contents. It’s a file room, and it appears that the only things he can use to barricade the door are the shelves and filing cabinets. ‘It will have to do.’ He thinks to himself. He can only pray whatever higher power is out there will protect him from the monstrosities he took part in creating. “Help me barricade the door, yeah?” He motions his head and she doesn’t waste any time in assisting him; pretending to be any other Umbrella employee trying to survive the nightmare. She’s worried, though — what’s going to happen once he finds out she’s not an employee? She isn’t sure, but for now? She’s going to play the part so she can get out of here.

“What were you running from?” She asks, distracting him as he grabs a filing cabinet closest to him.

“You don’t wanna know.” He mutters, sliding the cabinet in front of the door. She’s quiet for a moment, pushing a shelf towards the door. “Oh…sorry I asked.” She says.

As she pushes the shelf, a binder falls onto the floor; its contents spilling out of it. Her eyes watch it for a split second before they turn their attention to the researcher. He’s distracted, so she can take a quick little peek. It shouldn’t hurt.

Oh, how wrong she is …

She opens it to find picture after picture of herself. There are pictures of her with Chris at Emmy’s, pictures of her in Jill’s apartment, pictures of Erica completely oblivious to anyone’s presence; there are even pictures of her during her captivity. Her fingers grip the binder as she flips through, her eyes scanning over pages upon pages of recorded data. Experiment after experiment…injection after injection…She doesn’t need to read any of this to remember the horrors she went through, but she wants to know why she feels this way. What happened to her? She doesn’t know exactly, but she’s going to need this where she’s going. Chris and Jill will need anything they can find to take down Umbrella, but she needs to get out of here before she can get it to them.

Click .

Erica looks up and she’s met by the researcher’s gun once again, aimed right in between her eyes. She swallows thickly.

“I knew you looked familiar. You’re that test subject — ID Number 2-7-7. The one that never woke up.” He grits his teeth, eyes filled with fear, distrust, and rage. “Looks like you waited til the right time to wake up, didn’t you?” He laughs maniacally. “Maybe if I can bring you back to Umbrella, they might reward me. I think I deserve a little something for my troubles, hm?” Her eyes widen; oh no, no, no, no, no. She’s not going to be locked up again — not ever, but where can she go? This crazed maniac has a gun and if she makes one wrong move she’s sure he’ll shoot her. Her body is hot with extreme worry, anxious as she stares up at him in horror. How can she get out of this?

“Cat got your tongue?” The scientist muses and Erica’s eyes start to prickle with tears. ‘Oh, God. Someone help me…Please, help…’ She thinks, silently pleading for anyone or anything to stop this man. Her focus falls to the floor as the hair on her neck starts to stand up. She senses some kind of presence approaching the door, but the sound of the man’s voice cuts through her thoughts. “Why are you so quiet now that — ”

BANG !

The researcher goes quiet — silent as he turns his attention towards the door and away from her. BANG, BANG, BANG ! He turns his gun towards the door as a growl rings from the other side. “It found me — it fucking found me!” He begins to panic and Erica sees her chance to get away from the armed man and begins to scoot to the back of the room. He knows that there’s no point in trying to contain her now, choosing to ignore her as she scurries to hide. It’s not like it matters — they’re both going to die anyways.

BANG!!!

Erica shoves her back against the end of a shelf as the monster bursts through the blocked door. It snarls as it lunges towards its new victim, followed by the sound of gunshots before a blood-curdling scream. She covers her mouth and nose with both of her hands, tears falling down her cheeks as she tries her best to keep quiet. Blood gurgles out of the scientist’s throat as the monster feeds on him, yanking off pieces of his flesh. Dark red stains the floor, pooling at the creature’s clawed feet. Sharp nails click against the floor as it begins to walk around the room, sniffing the air around it. Erica peeks her head around the corner. It’s right there ; standing over her, peering down at her with its reptilian eyes. It shrieks at her and, fearing these are her last few moments, screams at the top of her lungs when the ugly lizard-like monster raises its claws — but to her surprise — it stops.

It leans down and smells her before rubbing its head against her own, and she whimpers from the strange sensation. ‘What…What is happening right now?’ She thinks but is interrupted by another shriek escaping its mouth. It blinks at her, clicking its tongue. Her lower lip is trembling, salted by the tears flowing down her face. She sniffles. “Please — just go away…” She hiccups, trying to control her breathing as it hovers over her. She’s immediately stunned when it does exactly that; backing away from her and turning to leave. The creature makes it to the doorway before Erica speaks up.

“S-Stop!” And — it does. She swallows nervously. “ Come ?”

Snarl !

It jumps back in her direction, and she gasps as it lands next to her. The monster clicks its tongue, tilting its head in curiosity. A shaky hand points towards one of the corners of the room. “Go over there.” She commands, and it stomps to the corner she pointed at. The monster clicks its tongue at her again, and she laughs in disbelief. It actually listened to her; she can tell this thing what to do!

CaN i Go NoW?

A deep, gravely voice speaks to her inside her mind. She’s taken aback and starts looking around the room. There’s no one there. She faces the monster again and it screeches. As the screech leaves its maw, she hears the same question. CaN i Go NoW? She blinks. It’s as if she can actually hear it; she can actually hear this B.O.W. speak to her. So…she can communicate with them and control them? This is all too freaky for her.

“You can go.” She whispers, and she watches the creature as it leaves the room, off to hunt somewhere else. Relaxing against the shelf, she sighs in relief. She’s safe…at least, for now.

Her eyes drop down to the binder in her lap and she leans her head against the shelf to look up at the ceiling. She still has to find a way out of here, but at least it’ll be a piece of cake now that she can control and avoid the danger that lurks within the halls of the facility. It freaks her out; it freaks her out knowing she has the ability to speak to, manipulate, and command something like that, but if she wants to escape this place she’s going to have to learn to be more comfortable with it. It might come in handy later. Her mind stops wandering when she spots a large binder sticking out from beneath one of the shelves, and, curious, she stands and makes her way over to investigate. Blue eyes catch sight of the scientist’s body, and she uses her free hand to hide the scene from her sight. It slips away from her line of sight as she lowers to her knees, pulling out the old, dusty binder.

Scanning over the contents, it’s obvious that these files haven’t been touched for a long time. She blows off the coat of dust on top of it, revealing the Umbrella logo underneath. She wipes away remnants of dust and uncovers a list of dates beneath the logo. “1967-1987” it reads.

Erica knits her brows together, staring at the binder before hefting it into her arms. The more evidence she finds, the better, and this binder is the jackpot. She looks around the room for some kind of bag to put the binders, frowning when she comes up fruitless. Realizing she’s forced to carry them, Erica hugs the binders close to her chest; her fingers curling tightly around them protectively. She’s got to take these to Chris and Jill, and she plans on completing her goal this time — refusing to run away like a coward…she’s tired of running.

Her feet come in contact with the blood on the floor and her nose raises in disgust. ‘Ew.’ She thinks, shaking it off and walking around the bloody mess before looking at the body. She can’t help but feel bad for him, but he got what was coming to him.

Climbing over the destroyed door and barricade, Erica re-enters the gorey hallway. She begins heading towards the end of the hallway — but she stops when she comes across a grotesque figure. Its skin is dark and rotting, ulcers and sores lining its face, arms, and legs; anywhere Erica’s eyes look the skin is falling off. Erica notices it has no eyes, but as it comes closer she spots one dangling from one of its sockets. Blood and flesh crusts around its mouth, proving its many fleshy meals. The zombie is wearing a lab coat and a tube skirt, along with a light colored blouse; however, they’re anything but clean. They look like they're stiff with blood, much like the remnants of the undead’s long hair.

The rotting creature smells the air as it stumbles towards her and she hopes it will just walk by — only to be met with disappointment when it starts sniffing her hair. It shrieks at her much like that lizard-like monster did and simply ignores her, turning away from her and continuing its path down the hallway. Erica smiles weakly, relieved to have the same effect as before. To these monstrosities she’s just any other B.O.W... At this rate, she’ll be out of this place in practically no time at all. Continuing her journey to the other end of the hallway, she comes in contact with more zombies; each of them disgusting and decrepit in their own way. They responded the same way the first one did — they smelled in her direction, got a sense of her scent, and then walked away from her. It’s obvious to her now that the B.O.W.s detect through sound and sense of smell; the sound of Erica’s scream stopped what she believes to be a Hunter, evident by the monster’s reptilian like features, from clawing her to death, and the smell she gives off seems to be the same as other B.O.W.s so they leave her be. She lifted one of her arms and smelled herself, worried that it meant she might stink. She found that she doesn’t, but how can she do these things? Why do these monsters treat her like their own? What did Umbrella do to her exactly? What did they do to her while she was asleep? Looking down at the binders in her hands, she hopes to read her file through and through once she has the chance. She wants to know what happened to her and why she’s like this, and she has a feeling she knows who’s responsible.

‘ Albert Wesker …’

She can recall him quickly, haunted by the feeling of his intense stare. She remembers it was the last thing she ever saw — she remembers seeing his face before she fainted and fell into a coma. There was always something about the way he looked at her that made her blood boil, her fists clench, her jaw tighten; he acted as if he had seen something his mind couldn’t comprehend. It always made her shudder — even now she feels her stomach gurgle with nausea.

Erica’s attention finds its way to a map attached to one of the nearby blood sprayed walls. She squints as she searches for an exit, locating it at the top. It says if she heads towards the North area, she’ll be able to take a cable car into the city’s sewers. ‘Maybe I’ll find a manhole to crawl out of.’ She jokes to herself, but she secretly hopes she won’t have to trudge through the city’s sewage in order to do that.

Making a mental note of the NEST’s map, she turns and begins heading in the direction of the North area. She’s going to get out of this facility, she’s going to find Chris and Jill, and she’s going to tell them everything; she’s going to tell them she knows Wesker is still alive. That means she has to tell them how and, unfortunately, she’s going to have to tell them where she’s really from and who she really is in order to do that. No more lying, no more running — she will reveal her truths, even if she might end up losing them. It’s the price she’ll have to pay…Losing Jill as a friend is going to crush Erica; memories of their girls nights, thoughtful gestures, and even Jill’s sound advice — that’s all she’ll have. However, that nowhere near amounts to the way losing Chris will utterly destroy her…She doesn’t even want to imagine what it will be like to see his face of betrayal and heartbreak — everything she’s wanted to avoid from the start of all this mess. She laughs to herself, wondering if facing her fears was inevitable.

‘No,’ She shakes away the pessimistic thoughts, ‘I need to focus on getting out of here right now.’

She can worry about all her fears and anxieties later. Now, she needs to buckle up and pick up the pace. She’s got an exit to find.

#resident evil #resident evil fanfic #resident evil fanfiction #isekai #resident evil 2 #resident evil 3 #erica slater (oc)#character death #gore #blood #zombie #telepathy

0 notes

mlcheely · 1 year

Text

It's Just A Game... CHAPTER EIGHTEEN. ☆

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

Report from U.B.C.S. member

DATE: August 5, 1998.

The biohazard incident that occurred on May 11th at Lord Oswell Spencer’s mansion and biochemical laboratory ended on July 25th when members of the S.T.A.R.S. teams destroyed the entire facility. All BOWs have been disposed of, and the total casualties are:

20 Civilians

78 Umbrella staff and employees

24 Human test subjects

As of 8/5/98, there are no signs of viral leakage in the surrounding area. However, we must continue to monitor the area with extreme caution.

Our secret operative, Albert Wesker, is M.I.A. and presumed dead. We have just received information that Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield are preparing to report the incident to the press and their police chief.

I request that this matter is addressed with the utmost urgency.

⋆

DATE : ┃AUGUST 7TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃JILL’S DIARY.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

About two weeks have passed since that day. My physical wounds have healed, but it seems the ones in my heart haven’t. For most people, it’s history now; but for me, whenever I close my eyes I experience it all over again. Why do I keep seeing zombies eating flesh? Why do I keep hearing the screams of my dying teammates?

What horrors did Erica go through? What did she see? What did she hear? I still think about her sometimes…

⋆

DATE : ┃AUGUST 8TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃CHRIS’S JOURNAL.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

I talked to the Chief today and yet again he wouldn’t listen to me. I’m beginning to suspect that he’s covering for Umbrella, but I don’t have anything concrete to support this. However, I know without a doubt Umbrella conducted research on the T-Virus in the Spencer mansion — but the entire mansion went up in flames in that explosion; along with any incriminating evidence. All I have is the picture of Erica I found…

I’m positive Umbrella is keeping her somewhere in one of their facilities, but I don’t know for sure. Since so many people in this town are employees at Umbrella’s chemical plant, no one is willing to talk about the incident. I’m running out of options…

Where are you, Erica?

⋆

DATE : ┃AUGUST 13TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃JILL’S DIARY.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

Chris has been causing a lot of trouble at work lately. What’s up with him? He barely ever talks to the other officers and is constantly irritated. Just the other day he got into an altercation with another officer, which resulted in Chris giving the officer a black eye. I immediately stopped Chris from pummeling the poor guy any further, but when he saw me he just gave me a wink and walked away like nothing happened.

What did he experience in that mansion?

I worry about him…

⋆

DATE : ┃AUGUST 15TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃ CHRIS’S APARTMENT. TIME : ┃12:46 AM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

Jill looks up at Chris’s apartment door with a frown. Just before she got here, he called and asked her to come over with urgency, eager to tell her about some information he found. The sound of Chris’s voice seemed… off , so she sped over to his apartment building to find out what’s wrong. Chris went on temporary leave a couple of days ago, using the excuse that he was “planning a vacation.” Jill hasn’t seen him since — until now.

She reaches up and quietly knocks on the door, and on the other side of the door she hears the sound of shuffling before she places the distinct turn of a deadbolt. Upon seeing him, Jill’s mouth forms a straight smile. ‘He doesn’t look too good.’ She thinks.

Chris’s hair is messy, he hasn’t shaved, and he looks like he hasn’t showered since she last saw him.

“Jill, thanks for coming.” He smiles weakly. “Of course.” Chris opens up the door to allow her inside. “I just so happened to be awake when you called.” She says as he closes the door behind her. “What is it that you wanted to show me?” Jill’s eyes meet the apartment’s scenery and she has to stop herself from frowning. Trash, clothes, pizza boxes, beer cans, documents and papers alike cover the apartment, but she turns and focuses her attention on Chris instead. She can help him clean later.

Chris holds up a finger to her before rushing to find a document from his coffee table in the living room. “I found something — ” He says, stepping over to her and handing it to her. “ — It’s called the G-Virus. It’s supposed to be a new and more powerful strain than the T-Virus.”

Jill reads it over with a look of concern. G-Virus? A new and more powerful strain of the T-Virus? As if the T-Virus wasn’t bad enough, who knows what kind of destruction this G-Virus could do? She knits her brows together, “Where did you hear about this?”

“I did a stakeout last night near the chemical plant; Umbrella’s employees sure do talk a lot more than the company thinks they do.”

Jill watches Chris as he sporadically sifts through scattered papers, and she feels a lump start to form in her throat. It’s obvious something isn’t right with Chris. He’s nowhere near his regular self. Honestly, Jill thinks he might not have been his regular self for quite some time now. “Can I ask you a question?” She asks. “Yeah? What is it?” Chris turns to her, pausing from his search.

“Are you okay?” She bites her lip, holding her breath as she waits for an answer.

“Oh…Don’t worry about me, Jill. I just need a little sleep is all.” He waves a hand, dismissing her, but she pushes further. “But you look like you haven’t slept in days , Chris!” She exclaims. “You need to give it a rest — for yourself.”

Jill swallows nervously as he goes quiet, staring at her with an emotion she can’t describe. As he turns his face away from her, she can see his jaw clenching. “Everybody’s worried about you…” She frowns. “ I’m worried about you…”

“I don’t think you should be worried about me; you should be worried about Umbrella,” He mutters, “But I’ll do it myself if I have to.”

Jill doesn’t know what to say. Chris is obviously not in the right mental state to think clearly, so what can she do? What can she say? She can’t just leave him all alone like this…He’s her friend, and they have to stick together.

“You don’t have to do it all by yourself — you have me, you have Barry — ”

“But why is it that I seem to be the only one who’s not acting like it didn’t happen?” He throws his hands up, and Jill chews on the inside of her cheek.

Chris is right; Jill has been trying to get over all this and move on with her life, same as everyone else. That’s the only way she knows how to deal with things — pretend it never happened and move on — but it’s clear her method isn’t working. Maybe she might have to take on Chris’s approach; maybe she should just throw herself into the flames and hope to emerge from the ashes. The many faces of their lost teammates still haunt her dreams, crying out for her to help them. She can’t help them now, but she can avenge them — and Umbrella is the one going to pay for it.

Jill’s gaze falls to the floor and a sigh slips past her lips.

“ You’re right .”

Chris’s expression softens and he raises a brow. “I am?”

“Yes…and I’m sorry you feel like you have to fight by yourself. From now on I want to be involved and I want you to tell me and Barry everything — and vice versa.” She purses her lips. “Don’t hide yourself away or go on stakeouts by yourself anymore, okay?”

Chris can’t help but let a slight laugh fall from his lips. “I’m feeling a sense of deja vu here…” He says, scratching the back of his neck. Jill shares a laugh herself, “You’re telling me.”

They both look at each other for a moment, silence consuming the room until Jill speaks up again.

“Why don’t we straighten up a little around here? It might make you feel better.”

Chris takes a look around his apartment and sheepishly looks to the floor. He may or may not have procrastinated cleaning… for a while . “Yeah, let’s clean up.” He agrees, beginning to make his way to the kitchen to grab some trash bags. He pauses halfway to the kitchen, turning to look at Jill.

“You’re right, too, you know.”

“What do you mean?” She questions.

“I should be keeping you updated, and I promise I will — It’s just…” His fists clench and he shakes his head. “Forget it, I’ll tell you later.”

“Is it about Erica?” Jill pipes up.

Chris doesn’t respond to her question; instead, he grabs some trash bags from a cabinet. He starts pulling one out from the box before he throws it onto the counter with a sigh. “ Yes …it’s about Erica.”

Jill walks over and leans against the counter, eager to know what Chris has to say. “What is it?” Did Chris find her? Did he finally find her?

“Last night during my steakout, I overheard Umbrella has a facility somewhere beneath the city. I — I don’t know if she’s there, but — what if she’s been there this entire time? What if she’s been beneath the city this whole time, Jill?” His voice cracks, “What if she doesn’t remember us, what if — ”

Jill puts a hand on Chris’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She understands how Chris feels — not knowing if someone you care about is safe or not. It’s been over four months since Jill had contact with Erica, if she could call it that. It was just a dream, but she still remembers it clearly. She remembers Erica telling her she was still alive, and she wouldn’t — no, she couldn’t — believe it until she saw the picture Chris found in that mansion. She knew it was Erica because that’s how she looked in Jill’s dream — asleep inside of a cryogenic tank, much like the Tyrant had been; put on display like some kind of trophy.

Jill also recalls Erica telling her she was probably in or around Raccoon City…so does that mean Chris is onto something? Does that mean she’s in this underground facility?

“We’re gonna find her, Chris.”

“But when ? I just — I — ”

“You love her, I get it.” Jill finishes for him and he looks at her with a sad expression before he pulls her in for a hug. She accepts it and hugs him back.

Chris feels like he’s fallen into some kind of hell. Someone he genuinely feels for was kidnapped and experimented on, innocent civilians were murdered because of Umbrella’s horrendous crimes, his teammates were slaughtered in front of his very eyes, and to make matters worse — Albert Wesker had been the sole perpetrator. He had portrayed himself as the cool, confident captain of the S.T.A.R.S. Team — but it was all a lie. He’s the reason all of Chris’s friends and colleagues are dead. He’s the reason Erica is trapped in Umbrella’s grasp. He took Chris’s respect and servitude and gave him the middle finger. Pulling himself back to reality he reminds himself that even though Wesker is dead, Umbrella is still operating and running and he will take them down.

He breaks away from the embrace and grabs a trash bag, handing one to Jill. Jill gladly takes it with a smile. Chris shakes it out and shoots her a grin.

“Let’s get cleaning, shall we?”

⋆

DATE : ┃AUGUST 24TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃CHRIS’S JOURNAL.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

With Jill and Barry’s help, I finally obtained vital information for our case. Umbrella has begun research on the new G-Virus, a variation of the T-Virus. What does this G-Virus do? What kind of death and destruction could it cause?

The three of us talked it over and we have decided to fly out to the main Umbrella HQ in Europe to put a stop to Umbrella’s crimes. Jill says she’s going to remain in the city to tie up some loose ends and join us in a month.

I’ve decided not to tell my sister about this trip because doing so could put her in danger. If you find this, please forgive me, Claire. I have somebody waiting for me. I hope you’ll get to meet her.

⋆

DATE : ┃AUGUST 24TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃JILL’S DIARY.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

Chris left town today. Barry informed me that he would send his family to Canada out of Umbrella’s reach, and then he would follow suit. I decided to remain in Raccoon City for a while because I know that the underground research facility in this city will be very important to this entire case. I can’t say for certain, but I’m led to believe Erica might be kept in this facility. I don’t know where else she could be…I’m hoping to find out before I leave the city.

In a month or so, I’ll be joining Chris and Barry somewhere in Europe. That’s where our real battle begins…

⋆

DATE : ┃█ █, ████. LOCATION : ┃ █. TIME : ┃██:██ ██.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

“Something has happened.”

The words cut through floral scenery and curious eyes look up as the echo catches unsuspecting ears. A fear washes over her body; what happened? Is something wrong? Negative notions that start to form in her mind fuel her to speak up. “What do you mean ‘something has happened’?”

“There has been some sort of disturbance. I sense that we will awaken soon…” Sol affirms.

A lump grows in Erica’s throat. What? Did she hear that correctly? What does Sol mean by a ‘disturbance’? What do they mean she’s going to wake up? Why — and, more importantly, — how ? “How do you know that?” She asks, standing from her spot in a patch of dandelions.

“There is a ruckus going on. Our kin are squirming in their tubes and cages, eager to be free — just like us .” Sol says.

In an instant, Erica can hear them; she can hear the ravenous screams and cries of her monstrous brethren. LeT uS oUt! LET US OUT!!! lEt Us OuT! She covers her ears, but it doesn’t help — she’s overwhelmed by the sounds of shrieks and howls. They start to dissipate after a few moments, and Sol speaks again.

“They are begging to be let out; they will achieve their freedom soon…as will we.”

⋆

September 23, 1998.

URGENT - ATTENTION ALL NEST STAFF

Due to an incident in the North Area, all NEST personnel are to immediately use the “DEVIL” antiviral agent on themselves. DEVIL is the only way to prevent g mutation. If you have been infected with the G-Virus, seek help immediately and destroy the g cells in your body.

This email is automatically generated in the event of an emergency. Please do not reply to this message.

#resident evil #resident evil fanfiction #resident evil fanfic #isekai #post resident evil 1 #pre-resident evil 2 #pre resident evil 2 #umbrella corporation #erica slater (oc)#sol (oc)#chris redfield #barry burton #jill valentine #S.T.A.R.S.#albert wesker

1 note · View note

mlcheely · 1 year

Text

It's Just A Game... CHAPTER SEVENTEEN. ☆

DATE : ┃JULY 24TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃RACCOON CITY FOREST, ARKLAY MOUNTAINS. TIME : ┃11:52 PM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

It’s been over a day since Alpha team lost contact with Bravo team and, fearing that something was wrong, voted to search the area their signal was last heard from. They quickly loaded up the helicopter with medical supplies, weaponry, and ammunition before putting in the coordinates and setting off for the Arklay Mountains. Their view turned from a bustling city to suburban streets to the outskirts of Raccoon City Forest. During the day, the idea of venturing into the Arklay Area is terrifying to say the least. One can only imagine what it would be like at night.

As the team surveys the wooded area, Wesker glances across the sea of trees. He’s wearing his usual expression; straight faced and deep in thought. Things look like they’re going according to plan — the Bravo team is nowhere to be found and the Alpha team will soon follow suit as they make their own arrival into Umbrella’s trap. Yes, it won’t be long now .

Jill is worried. What happened to the Bravo team? Were they ambushed? Did the rumored monsters eat them? Possibilities of what could have happened run rampant through her mind as they fly over the mountainous terrain. That’s when they see it: the crash site. Jill isn’t the only one to feel her heart drop into the pit of her stomach as they recognize the crashed aircraft. It's the Bravo team’s helicopter.

“Over there!”

Chris’s eyes are wide in disbelief as Brad maneuvers their helicopter to the ground, the other S.T.A.R.S. members anxious to find whatever might be waiting for them. Would they find the Bravo team? Or would they find something chilling? ‘God, I hope not.’ Joseph thinks as a shudder runs through his spine. The sound of howling creatures loudly echoes over the drone of the helicopter, causing Brad to feel light-headed. “Wh-What was that ?!” He stammers.

“It’s certainly not human!” Barry hollers as he clutches his Colt Magnum. “There could be anything out there!”

“That’s right! That’s why it’s important that we stick close, team!” Wesker shouts as the team exits the helicopter, his boots landing on the ground with a thud. He breathes in the dewy, suffocating air and his nose twitches in disgust. ‘The faster I can get out of here — the better.’ He thinks to himself as he looks across the rest of the team’s faces with what he believes to be the last time. “Jill, Joseph — you two will take the right! Barry, Chris — you two take the left!”

“I-I’ll wait here,” Brad interjects as the blades of the helicopter start to quiet down, “A-After all, someone might sh-show up while you’re gone and-and you might miss them.” Brad stutters, stumbling over his words as fear settles in his bones. Wesker straightens his lips — but he reassures himself there’s no need to be worried. Perhaps Vickers will be eaten while the team searches. It’s a thought that pleases Wesker so he encourages Brad’s cowardice. “Good thinking. Keep a lookout while we’re gone.”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

Wesker glances at the rest of his team as they load their weapons. ‘It won’t do you any good.’ He thinks, barely containing a smirk. He clears his throat and readies his gun. “Alright — let’s head out.”

Chris holds in an anxious breath but as Jill glances at him, he straightens his shoulders and gives her a weak smile. She returns the gesture, biting the inside of her cheek as she starts walking through the brush next to Joseph. Little did Alpha team know, however, of the monstrosities that catch the smell of their flesh in the hot night’s air. Teeth bare and jaws smack in hunger for the fresh prey that’s entered their territory. Their bellies gurgle with anticipation but their carnal appetites will soon be quenched — able to sink their sharp teeth into warm, tasty meat. A howl rings through one of their throats, bouncing off of the forest trees.

Time to feed .

The haunting sound catches up to the Alpha team when they finally approach the Bravo team’s crashed helicopter and they look in the direction of where the sound came from. “Stay sharp.” Wesker says, and his grip on his gun tightens. The monsters sound like they’re close, so they need to get a move on. It’s not like it matters, but Wesker has a deadline to fulfill — plus, he doesn’t need anyone slowing him down. He only has a mere few hours to get in and out of Spencer’s estate, and he doesn’t want to waste it dawdling around, wondering what might be around the corner. ‘The mansion should be around here somewhere …’ Wesker thinks as the Alpha team finds no trace of the Bravo team. Since the mansion is close, he believes the other S.T.A.R.S. members might have taken refuge there. Or…they might have gone there to find their final resting place.

“It looks like they must’ve made an emergency landing and crashed, but I can’t find out what might have caused it.” Joseph says as he scans over the helicopter’s terminal. “The electrical system is fully functional.”

“Hm. Spread out and look for any clues; tracks, shell casings, any sign of a struggle. If they’re not here, then they must be somewhere close.” Wesker states and the team nods in confirmation before they continue their search.

Trees groan above the officers heads while crickets chirp loudly around them. The humid summer air makes them sweat, adding to their discomfort as they trudge through the thick brush. Barry feels like something is off about all this. It’s so strange…What happened to have caused the Bravo team to crash? Where could they have gone? They clearly survived the crash due to the lack of bodies, but why would they abandon their best chance at being found? ‘Something must have happened to them.’ He surmises, a tightness forming in his chest.

“Over here! I found something!” Joseph calls out to the rest of the team. Focusing his attention on the object that shines out of the corner of the dirt, he lowers his firearm as he leans down to pick it up. “What is it?” Jill asks as she jogs towards him. Joseph grabs the metal object — something he immediately recognizes as a S.T.A.R.S. issued Beretta pistol. To his horror, he finds a detached human hand clutching the weapon’s handle. He lets out a yelp, immediately dropping the gun.

“Agh! What the fuck?”

Joseph’s hair raises on the back of his neck as he hears a deep, rumbling snarl erupt from behind him. He isn’t given enough time to react before several large, dog-like figures jump out from nearby bushes. They all rush at Joseph, lunging forward and tackling him roughly to the ground with a growl.

Jill gasps, “Joseph!”

As Wesker, Barry, and Chris run towards the commotion, Jill raises her firearm and begins firing at the creatures attacking her teammate, Joseph’s screams of pain and agony ringing in her ears. They’re killing him !

The canine-like monsters’ jaws pull and tear at his flesh, ripping off chunks of meat before horking them down. Blood and human remains fall from one of its maws as it munches on the fallen man’s flesh, its milky eyes catching Jill’s own. It lifts its head and growls at her, slowly stepping its way towards her.

Click, click, click .

‘Shit.’ Jill feels a lump form in her throat. ‘I’m out.’ She hastily tries to reload her gun, desperate to help her comrade. She’s shaking, barely able to collect herself as she shoves in another clip. Chris races past her and opens fire, emptying his clip as he grabs Jill’s arm and starts pulling her away from the monsters that now focus their attention on them. The monsters are shrieking and barking, screeching for their brethren to join them in the hunt. Jill is running as fast as she can, afraid that the creatures behind them will catch up. Chris looks back as one of the feral beasts lurches towards him, raising his arm and closing his eyes and bracing for his horrible fate.

Suddenly, two shots ring out, shooting the animal to the ground.

“Chris, Jill — this way!” Wesker yells, prompting the two of them to follow his directions.

Jill remembers what Erica screamed at her in her nightmare a couple nights prior: RUN ! It rings through her head as the team starts running for their lives back to the helicopter, the sound of its blades giving them hope. Unfortunately, that hope doesn’t last for long as the aircraft soars above their heads. “Brad! Where the hell’s he going?!” Chris yells, panicking as he looks up to the sky. “That coward!”

They’re all going to die…Oh, God they’re going to die.

“Dammit!” Barry utters.

Wesker curses under his breath as he runs, annoyed by Brad’s abandonment. He notices a clearing and in front of him is what he’s been looking for: The Spencer Mansion. Chris sees it too, yelling at the top of his lungs to alert his teammates.

“Make for that mansion!”

⋆

DATE : ┃JULY 25TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃ SPENCER MANSION, ARKLAY MOUNTAINS. TIME : ┃4:27 AM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

After successfully taking refuge inside the mansion, the remaining Alpha team members recuperate and begin investigating the building. Wesker advised them to look around the home for any clues to Bravo team’s disappearance and to meet back in the main hall. Jill and Barry parted together while Chris and Wesker left on their own. As Chris searches the decrepit mansion, he wonders if this old house is safe for him and his team to be in. The thoughts start to pull at his mind, but they rattle as he enters another hallway. Something about this hallway doesn’t sit right with him..

Chris recalls when he first smells it — the smell of rotting flesh. The scent is so strong he almost vomits, covering his mouth and nose before he turns the corner. The rancid, disgusting aroma becomes almost unbearable — that’s when a hunched figure comes into view. He shines his flashlight in the figure’s direction and is appalled by what he sees.

The crouched figure turns and looks at Chris and his eyes widen in disbelief and repulsion. It hisses at him, blood and pulpy bits of flesh stuck in its yellowed teeth. Its skin is dark and rotting, parts of its skin bubbled into pus filled sores. The ghastly creature’s clothes are soaked in old and fresh blood, parts of fabric moldy or brown with its decaying flesh. It groans and begins to approach Chris, ready to devour him and make him its next meal. Chris immediately shoots at the monster as it reaches out its arms, continuing to fire until it falls to the ground with a final groan.

Behind its fallen body is the half-eaten corpse of Kenneth, his head detached from his shoulders. The sight of Kenneth’s dead eyes catches Chris’s own and that’s when he regurgitates, sickened by the gruesome display. These monsters — they killed the S.T.A.R.S. members, his coworkers, his friends — and he’s going to repay the favor. However, his priority is getting back to his team and warning them before they’re exposed to the same horror he just witnessed: the walking dead. When he returns to the main hall he’s confused. Where is everyone? The plan was to meet back in the main hall, but as he approaches one of the doors he spots something on the tile floor. It’s Jill’s gun. Chris quickly picks it up and frowns. Something must have happened to his teammates…and he needs to find out what.

Chris hasn’t found any sign of the remaining Bravo team members, Enrico and Rebecca, nor has he seen any of his own team members. He only hopes they make it out of this place alive after what he just witnessed. While he searches for his teammates, he looks for any clues that might explain exactly what happened here. He starts to lose hope — that is, until he comes across notes, documents, and diary entries alike describing the events that transpired prior to their arrival. Umbrella is working on something called the ‘T-Virus’, and it leaked and contaminated the basement labs, infecting the workers and researchers. He was shocked to find out that these monsters were actually people, transformed by the virus they were infected with. After reading the pieces of evidence, Chris started looking for the entrance to the basement labs mentioned in one of the dead dog-keeper’s diaries. Umbrella just left these people here to die… and they’re going to be brought to justice .

It took him a while, but he eventually found the entrance to the lower levels of the mansion — positive his discovery is the real deal once he spots a golden plaque to his right of the entrance.

‘ Arklay Laboratory ’ it reads.

The title written on the plaque causes his brows to furrow and the Umbrella logo underneath makes him grit his teeth. He walks down a set of stairs before entering a hallway. There are several doors to pick from, so he pushes open the door closest to him and enters the room to investigate. As he opens the door, the overwhelming scent of dust gathers in his nostrils. It stings, but at least it’s not as bad as the awful smell of death. Shelves line the walls, filled with books and binders alike. There’s a table in the middle of the room covered in scattered papers, files, and folders. Among the chaos of documents a projector sits — it’s still projecting to the screen in front of it but there’s no slide in the slot.

Chris starts inspecting the room further, but during his search he can’t help but keep bringing his attention back to the projector and the table of documents. ‘There must be some slides somewhere,’ He thinks. Opening a drawer, he finds a box full of slides. Jackpot.

Walking over to the projector, Chris pulls out the slot to place in a slide. He pushes the slot closed and looks up to the screen in anticipation. Suddenly, an image of a monstrous canine appears. It looks a lot like those dogs that ate Joseph…’ Cerberus ’ it’s called. The anger that had been burning in Chris’s chest began to grow, almost doubling in size as he switched out the slide for another one. This time it’s a ‘zombie’ — respectfully named, of course . Then, a large, scaly creature with claws labeled ‘Hunter a .’ Chris is glad he hasn’t run into one of those things.

As he puts in the fourth slide, the image that appears causes the box of slides to fall from Chris’s hands. It lands on the floor, the rest of the slides falling out and sliding across the floor.

Is…

Is that…?

“Wesker, that bastard!” Chris mutters under his breath, his fists clenching as he stares at the image. Wesker is dressed in researcher attire, posing with the rest of the research team, indicated by the label written on the slide.

So their ‘Captain’ just brought them all here to die; he knew all along about Umbrella’s crimes — no — he worked for Umbrella all this time, and he was covering up the murders of innocent civilians. A thought enter’s Chris’s mind. Did that mean…Did that mean Wesker was the one who kidnapped Erica?

It makes the most sense to Chris, so he focuses his flashlight onto the table and starts frantically sifting through folders for anything that might have Erica’s name or her alias, Starr, on it. Some of them fall to the floor as he sifts through them, spilling papers all over the place. That’s when his eyes skim over it; it’s Erica’s name. His mouth falls agape, shocked by the discovery. He wastes no time as he flips the folder open, eager to find out her whereabouts. The first page details her capture and, at the bottom, Chris spots Wesker’s signature.

“That son of a bitch…” Chris whispers, “He took her.”

He then flips through the rest of the pages detailing experiments and the data recorded from said experiments.

‘ T-Virus…They injected her with the T-Virus… ’ He thinks, his heart beginning to ache, but he feels his aching turn into disbelief once he reaches the end of the file. His eyes scan over one of the last sentences on the page.

‘Test Subject #277 has been ordered to be placed in cryogenic storage until consciousness is regained.’

There’s a polaroid photo attached to the page by a paperclip, depicting Erica in a cryogenic tube. Chris gasps when he sees it, reaching up and touching the photo’s glossy surface in shock. ‘She’s alive…?’ He can’t believe it —

— Erica’s alive !

Chris rips the photo from the page and shoves it into his pocket. He has to show Jill everything he’s found. He has to show her what happened here, he has to tell her about Wesker, and he has to tell her that Erica’s still alive somewhere, trapped in one of Umbrella’s facilities. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know where she could be. None of the files explain where she is, but it won’t matter. He’s going to find her, no matter what or how long it takes.

Leaving the room, Chris steps out into the hallway. He begins walking further down the hall, immediately coming to a stop when he hears the sound of voices. He listens for a moment before he can make out one of the voices. It sounds like Jill’s voice, but who is she talking to? Chris quietly creeps to the room he hears the sounds coming from, but he pauses as he hears the voice of his Captain, Wesker. Chris quietly steps forward and presses his ear to the door. He listens closely, Jill and Wesker’s previously muffled conversation now coming to Chris clearly.

“Why kill off S.T.A.R.S.?” Jill asks. “ Believe it or not ,” Wesker clicks his tongue, “that’s Umbrella’s intention.” He responds, and Chris furrows his brows. So he was right. Wesker brought them all here to die.

“You’re just a pawn of Umbrella.” Jill retorts. A sinister smirk graces Wesker’s lips.

“Smart girl...but I think you misunderstand me,” He chuckles, “The things you talk about mean nothing.” He continues to aim his gun at Jill, turning his attention to the keyboard to press a few keys. “I’ll burn all of the evidence along with this entire laboratory.” He states before glancing at Barry. “Barry, go up on the ground and wait for me there.”

Chris immediately steps out of the way of the door and steps to the side, hiding as Barry leaves the laboratory. Jill watches as he exits the room, broken hearted and betrayed by her friend. “Barry!”

As Barry steps through the doorway, the door closes behind him and he turns to his left to see Chris, who’s pointing a gun at him. Barry puts up his hands in defense, “Chris…”

“You better explain yourself, Burton .” Chris whispers angrily, a look of seriousness written on his face.

“I’m on your side, Chris. Wesker and Umbrella took my family, and he threatened to kill them if I didn’t do what he said.” Barry whispered back. Chris goes quiet after this, the sound of Wesker’s voice cutting through their whispers. “Wait, wait.” Chris hushes, listening in on the conversation once again.

“You gotta love Barry...he must really be afraid of Umbrella.” Wesker muses. Jill’s lip curls in disgust, “You and Umbrella took his family, you bastard!”

Wesker lunges forward, hitting Jill in the face with the butt of his gun. She falls to the floor and grabs at her face, a stinging pain running through her jaw. She angrily looks up at him, clenching her teeth. Her eyes stab into him, and she wishes her eyes could stab him with actual daggers. Wesker straightens himself and scoffs. “ Umbrella …” That’s all he keeps hearing. Umbrella, Umbrella, Umbrella . He wants to hear about something else for a change. “I used some carrots and sticks to lure Barry like the dumb cow he is, but it had nothing to do with Umbrella. I just used him for my personal interests. Though both you and Barry seemed to think I was following Umbrella’s orders.”

Jill watches him for a moment before she opens her mouth.

“Did they tell you to take Erica, too?” She asks, “... Or did you do something to her? ”

Wesker raises a brow. “Oh…so you know her real name.” How is that possible? He thinks to himself for a moment. Could there be a possibility Erica told Jill her real identity without his or Umbrella’s knowledge? Erica sure fooled him; she produced some pretty convincing tears and story, so convincing he can’t help but feel a smile grow on his lips. “I have to give her credit, she was smart to mislead all of you. You have no idea how special she is. I have some use to make of her…but for now you shouldn’t worry,” He sighs, “Umbrella currently has her safe and put away .”

Suddenly, Chris and Barry step into the room. They point their guns at Wesker, and Chris feels his anger boil in the pit of his stomach. “Put away? Put away ?!” He yells, “She’s a person , not a piece of property!”

“Chris, Barry, how nice of you to join us.” Wesker muses.

“Cut the shit, Wesker. We heard everything. It’s over, now.” Barry states, and Wesker quickly presses a key on the keyboard. “Oh, I’m just getting started.” He claims. “Witness the Tyrant!”

The three witnesses look over to spot what looks like a humanoid monster inside of a giant stasis tube. Its skin is encrusted with scars and ugly mutations alike, including a giant arm with massive claws. There’s a huge heart attached to the outside of its chest, slowly beating. However, it doesn’t compare to its face. There are veins and scar tissue spread across it with no lips visible. Its bare teeth stare straight back at them, and if it weren’t for the eyes being closed Barry feels like he might’ve pissed his pants. The liquid filling the stasis tank began to drain, and Wesker started laughing. In only a few mere moments, the Tyrant will be freed and will annihilate the remaining S.T.A.R.S. members. Wesker’s plans fall through once he hears the sound of breaking glass. He turns and watches his life flash before his eyes as the Tyrant’s clawed hand penetrates through the tube and impales him.

“ Hrk !”

Wesker feels the pain of a thousand knives going through his abdomen, his blood spilling onto the Tyrant’s claws and all over the floor. His head lifts to stare at the massive claws protruding from his body, shaking as he tastes iron on the tip of his tongue. Is this what death is like? Is this what his test subjects felt as they took their last breath? Is this his karma? Is this what he feels for the very last time? Wesker’s final moments are spent questioning everything before becoming angry. This is not the fate he will be subjected to. He’ll wake…and he’ll get his revenge on those S.T.A.R.S. members. He’ll find Erica, and he’ll change the world. The Tyrant tosses his body to the side, his meat sliding off of its hand with ease. Wesker hits his head against a nearby terminal, finally killing him.

The monstrosity then turns to the group, beginning to advance towards them. “Dammit!” Barry says, aiming his Colt Magnum at the Tyrant and firing.

“Shit!” Chris curses, aiming his gun at the monster to shoot before Jill joins him. “Come on, you test-tube freak!” She yells, and as they continue their assault of bullets it stumbles before falling to the floor with a thud. It was easy…a bit too easy. Nevertheless, they all sigh in relief.

“Forgive…me…” Barry hangs his head in shame, and Jill reaches out to touch his shoulder to reassure him. She understands… “No, Barry, it was Umbrella and Wesker.”

“Yeah, we don’t blame you for trying to protect your family.” Chris interjects, and Barry shakes his head with dismissal. “Even if it meant my family, I didn’t want to abandon my friends.” The revelation makes Chris and Jill smile, but they turn their focus elsewhere. “It’s alright…let’s just focus on getting out of here.” Jill sighs.

An alarm begins to ring throughout the facility before a sultry voice begins to speak. “ The self-destruct system has been activated. All personnel must evacuate immediately. Deactivating and releasing all locks. Ten minutes until detonation .” They all look at each other and begin making a run for it, searching for a way to get out of here. As they turn the corner, they come across a familiar face. Rebecca Chambers.

“Rebecca!” Chris exclaims. “Where have you been?”

“I was hiding! I-I’m sorry…I wanted to help, but these monsters…there were so many of them…” Rebecca squeaks, and Jill hugs her. “It’s okay, there’s no need to be sorry right now; you need to come with us. We’re getting out of here!”

“But how? We don’t even know where the exit is.” Barry says, but he’s interrupted by the sound of Jill’s radio.

“...is Brad... Run..-ing out of fuel…-ur last chance! If there’s any…alive, give me a sign! I repeat, this is your last chance!”

“It’s Brad!” Jill says, “He’s looking for us!”

“Earlier, I saw an elevator that leads up to a heliport. Follow me!” Rebecca quickly says, prompting the survivors to follow her as she leads them to the elevator. She presses the button, her heart dropping as she hears the sound of screeching from somewhere in the labs. “Oh no…” Jill frowns. Barry and Chris aim their weapons towards whatever might be coming towards them. Luckily, the elevator’s doors open and the four officers rush inside. The doors close right before the monsters get to them, and Chris shudders. They looked like the large, scaly creatures he saw on the slides. Thank God they made it to the elevator in time. They rise to the surface, relief washing over them as the doors open up to a bright blue, cloudy sky. They all take in the breath of fresh air, happy to finally be free from all the death and destruction. Circling the building is Brad, who becomes excited at seeing his teammates emerge from the elevator. “I knew there’d be someone!” He tells himself. The team waves up at him and he begins to lower the helicopter down to the heliport to retrieve them.

Suddenly, a rumbling sound can be heard beneath the S.T.A.R.S. members’ feet. They all turn around to see a huge hole being made in the pavement. Then, a large monster jumps forth from the hole and lands on the heliport. It’s the Tyrant.

“Ahhhh! What is that thing?!” Rebecca screams.

“I thought we killed it!” Jill yells.

“Clearly we didn’t!” Chris retorts.

The four officers train their guns on the creature, relentlessly firing into its body. It acts as if it’s unaffected by their gunfire, advancing towards the nearest S.T.A.R.S. member, Jill. Jill screams as it approaches her, reeling its arm back before backhanding her and knocking her to the ground. She groans, rolling over on her side. The Tyrant turns its attention towards Rebecca and she continues shooting, only to hear the distinct click of an empty clip.

Brad looks down to the heliport below him and his eyes widen in horror. What is THAT ? It’s so freaky! His eyes turn to spot a rocket launcher case in the passenger side’s floorboard. He needs to do something. He needs to help his friends. He’s tired of being a coward! He kicks at the case, reeling his leg backwards before coming down on the case. It takes him a few tries, but he manages to knock it from the floorboard and to the heliport below. Brad grabs the aircraft’s microphone and yells out from the helicopter’s speaker.

“Chris, use it! Kill it, whatever it is!”

Rushing over to the rocket launcher case, Chris rips it open and immediately pulls the weapon from its place. He lifts it with a grunt before positioning it onto his shoulder and aiming towards the Tyrant. ‘Just die already!’ Chris thinks, pulling the trigger and firing the rocket. The rocket flies at the Tyrant and hits it square in the chest. The monster shrieks out its cry of death. It explodes into pieces, bits and chunks of meat and flesh scattering across the heliport. Chris throws the launcher to the ground and runs to help Jill. He holds out his hand and she takes it.

“Let’s get out of here!”

The helicopter starts lowering down to the heliport, landing with a slight wobble. The remaining S.T.A.R.S. members rush to board it, and Brad wastes no time in pulling the aircraft back into the air. He pushes forward after they lift high enough, seconds before the Spencer Mansion bursts into a hot ball of flame. The five survivors can feel the heat reaching out for them, desperate to bring them down with it. They hold on, gripping for their lives as the helicopter shakes from the turbulence. The blast pushes them forward, and it takes a moment before everything stops shaking. They all look at each other before slumping in their spots, relieved that the nightmare of the Spencer Mansion is over.

On their way back to the city, Chris pulls out the photo of Erica from his pocket. His fingers trace over the edge of the picture, his eyes dark with longing. Jill glances over in his direction as Rebecca is finishing up wrapping one of her wounds, thanking the young S.T.A.R.S. member before touching Chris’s elbow. “What do you have there?”

Chris doesn’t respond; he simply hands Jill the polaroid. Her brows furrow upon seeing it. It’s Erica…and she looks to be in the same kind of tube the Tyrant was in.

“Is that…?”

“Yeah, I found some files on her. They experimented on her…” Jill hands the picture back to him once she’s done inspecting it. Barry happens to overhear the conversation and clears his throat. “How come she didn’t turn into one of those monsters?”

“For some reason, she wasn’t affected by the virus. I think that’s what Wesker meant by her being ‘special.’” Chris explains as he stares at the image. “Umbrella is keeping her for something , but I couldn’t find any trace of her or what facility she might be in…” He trails off. Jill and Barry look at each other with worry, but Jill places a hand on Chris’s shoulder to reassure him.

“Don’t worry, Chris. If she’s still out there, we’ll find her.”

Chris looks at Jill before shoving the picture back into his pocket. Jill is right. Erica is still out there somewhere, and he’ll stop at nothing to find her. No matter what it takes .

“I know.”

1 note · View note

mlcheely · 1 year

Text

It's Just A Game... CHAPTER SIXTEEN. ☆

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

CONFIDENTIAL

ATTN: Chief of Security

DATE: July 22, 1998

X Day is now drawing near. You are expected to execute these following protocols within 1 week. The following actions are listed below:

Lure both S.T.A.R.S. teams to the Spencer estate and obtain the B.O.W.s’ raw combat data against S.T.A.R.S..

Collect 2 embryos of each mutated specimen as samples, including the Tyrant. Once completed, dispose of said Tyrant.

Ensure the complete disposal of the Arklay Laboratory including all infected personnel, B.O.W.s, and test subjects. Disguise their deaths as an accident. When the above protocols are executed, report to headquarters for further instructions.

If for some reason you are unable to execute the protocols by the deadline, report immediately. In case of emergency situations, report directly to the extension number 5691.

Good luck.

Umbrella Headquarters.

Umbrella Inc.

⋆

DATE : ┃JULY 22ND, 1998. LOCATION : ┃S.T.A.R.S. OFFICE, RACCOON CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT. TIME : ┃10:37 PM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

Wesker stares intently at the piece of paper in his hands, reading it over and over again. At first he thought his eyes were deceiving him once he read over the fax, but it seems he has now found his opportunity to quietly sever himself from Umbrella’s employment — he’s simply going to fake his own death. It’s perfect; no one would ever know.

Now in order to do that, he has to drink some sort of solution that temporarily renders him motionless or at the very least, in a seemingly death-like state. He might even know someone who can provide him with such a solution.

He walks over to his desk and pulls out a document shredder before he slowly begins to slide the document through its teeth. He watches as the paper is cut to pieces; the shredder humming as it eats the page.

Yes…no one will ever know.

⋆

DATE : ┃█ █, ████. LOCATION : ┃ █. TIME : ┃██:██ ██.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

Snarl !

Unsuspecting eyes meet with a horrific sight: a pale, slumped form with a rotting face, blood and flesh dangling from its maw. The being’s eyes are like that of a dead man’s; dull, milky pupils. Its rotten arms reach out to grab Jill as it approaches her, growling through its blood stained teeth. A piece of flesh falls from its face as it stumbles, falling to the floor with a disgusting ‘ splat !’ Jill steps backwards, afraid at the sight in front of her. It’s — It’s a zombie ! A real zombie! She quickly moves out of the way when the monstrous creature suddenly lunges towards her, screeching as it hits the wall behind her. She makes a run for the front door, but she’s met by another terrifying zombie standing in the doorway. This one is missing its nose and lower jaw, groaning as it reaches towards her. She gasps, falling to the floor in surprise. Both monsters now make their way to her, and she wastes no time getting off the floor and sprinting to her room. She slams the door behind her and locks it, running to her window to pull it open.

After getting the window open, Jill climbs out onto the fire escape and starts running down the escape’s stairs. In the distance, she can hear screams and sounds of destruction coming from the streets. She turns her head in the direction of the noise, spotting civilians running past the alleyway. This causes her to run faster, eager to see what’s going on. Maybe it will be able to explain what the hell just happened in her apartment.

Upon seeing the streets of Raccoon City, Jill is met with utter chaos. Cars and buildings are on fire; their blazes reach towards the sky, crackling as they burn. Bloody bodies are laying in the road, and petrified citizens scream in agony as they’re attacked and eaten alive. People cry out for her to help them as she passes them, begging her to save their lives. There are zombies all around Jill and when one notices her, she starts to run as fast as she can. She’s gotta get out of here, but where can she go? With every turn she makes, she’s met with more rotting faces and stumbling creatures.

She even ran into some zombie-like dogs, just barely able to escape them at the last second.

Suddenly, the sound of a subway train’s horn blares into Jill’s ear drums and she frantically whips her head around as she looks towards the source. What the hell? What is —

“Jill?!”

That’s…

“Jill, is that you?!”

That’s Erica!

“Erica — it’s me — it’s Jill!”

Jill starts running in the direction of Erica’s voice, desperate to see her friend again. She keeps going until she runs into a thick fog, coming to a stop once she realizes she’s unable to see her surroundings. Where did all of this fog come from? What happened to the city? Why can’t she see Erica? “Erica?! Where are you?!” She looks around, but with every glance she makes she’s only met with more fog. “Erica?!”

“ Jill !”

Jill turns to the direction of Erica’s voice as soon as she hears it and instantly feels her heart fall into the pit of her stomach. What she sees is not Erica; what she sees is a giant, hulking creature stomping its way towards her. She can’t make out any of the giant’s features through the fog but as its shadow casts itself over her, Erica’s voice yells directly in her ear.

“ RUN ! ”

Jill abruptly shoots up in her bed with an ear-splitting scream, and when she opens her eyes she gasps. She’s back in her room, but this time there’s no zombie, there’s no monster — there’s just her. ‘It…It was just a nightmare?’ She asks herself as she pants, looking around the dark room. Frantic hands reach up and touch her face, only to feel that her skin and hair are drenched in sweat. She calms down and sighs in relief knowing that it was just a nightmare but she makes a face of disgust when she realizes that not only is her face and hair wet, but her clothes and sheets are soaked, too.

“ Ew .” Jill murmurs before climbing out of bed and heading towards the bathroom. She flicks on the light and winces before her eyes adjust to the brightness. She looks in the mirror and she looks like an absolute mess . Her hair is unkempt and sweaty, and there are dark circles underneath her eyes. ‘Gross…’ She frowns.

What happened in her nightmare just now? What was happening to the city? What was that thing she saw?

More importantly, what was Erica doing there? And why couldn’t Jill find her?

She turns on the shower faucet and begins removing her clothes as the water starts spraying down into the tub’s floor. Warm water gently begins flowing down her body once she gets in, and she faces up to the faucet to let the water wet her face. She hopes the heat and comfort of the water will clear her mind of the nightmare that just occured, but Jill can’t help but feel a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She feels like…like something bad is going to happen. Something bad is going to happen to Raccoon City, but she doesn’t know what it is.

She watches as the water flows down into the drain, her eyes staring into the drain’s black hole.

Sigh .

Tomorrow the S.T.A.R.S. teams are expected to start their investigation through the Arklay Mountains, and Jill knows she’s expected to be in tip-top shape for the mission. However, she isn’t so sure she’s up to the task. She hasn’t gotten any proper sleep in what seems like forever, still haunted by the disappearance of her friend Erica. It’s not like Jill even knew the young woman for very long, but for some reason their lives seem to be intertwined, even after she’s gone.

‘It’ll be fine.’ She reminds herself as she grabs a bottle of shampoo. She knows that she’s completely qualified for her job and she always has been. She knows she’s not alone; she knows she has Chris’s back and he has hers. Her whole team has her back, so there shouldn’t be anything for her to worry about.

They’ve got this.

She’s got this.

⋆

DATE : ┃JULY 23RD, 1998. LOCATION : ┃ RACCOON CITY FOREST, ARKLAY MOUNTAINS. TIME : ┃10:10 PM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

It was only hours ago that Bravo Team was sent out to investigate the Arklay Mountains by helicopter, and it only took moments for the aircraft to come crashing down. The team held on for dear life, some of them praying while others just hoped for a soft landing. Luckily, Edward managed to pilot the helicopter somewhat safely to the ground, but now they have no communication or a way out of the mountains. Some of their weaponry is missing, too, theorized to have scattered from the crash.

“Everybody okay?”

Forest pipes up. “10-4.” Kenneth waves a hand. “All good here.” Edward states from the cockpit. “I’m alright.” Richard salutes. “I’m in tip-top shape, sir.” Rebecca gestures a thumbs up with a smile. Enrico nods. “Glad to hear you all made it.” He turns towards Edward. “You got a signal yet, Dewey?”

“No, not yet.” Edward says as he fumbles with knobs and switches, sighing. “I think some of the terminals are damaged, so it might take me a while to get back in contact with Alpha. ”

“ Hm .” Enrico takes a look around and observes the environment.

The woods are eerily quiet and a breeze blows through the trees. They creak and groan against the wind, and the sound of a branch snapping can be heard in the distance. Although the moonlight slips through the cracks of leaves and branches and shines down onto the Bravo team below, it’s barely enough for them to see the world around them. Its light pales in comparison to the pitch black. An owl hoots loudly nearby, making the forest feel all the more haunting than it already does.

“Damn, it’s scary as shit out here. Can it get any worse?” Forest remarks, checking his surroundings. “Don’t jinx it, man.” Richard retorts. Kenneth steps backwards and steps on a twig and Rebecca feels like she might jump out of her skin at the sound. Even though this is only her first mission, this forest gives her the heebie-jeebies. It probably wouldn’t be so bad had they not landed here under such circumstances, worried for her and her team now that they have no communication, missing ammo and weapons, and completely exposed to the elements. Navigating through the forest might become more difficult, but Rebecca has to remind herself of her faith in her team. It’s why she joined the S.T.A.R.S. in the first place. She deeply respects them for their acts of valor and heroism, and in the last 2 years she worked to achieve her place on one of their teams. Of course, it was a major surprise that she was hand picked to be on the Bravo team, accepted and interviewed by the captain of S.T.A.R.S. himself, Albert Wesker. Even though S.T.A.R.S. had two Captains, Wesker and Captain Marini, it was common knowledge that Wesker was the leader of the bunch. He just has that kind of presence.

Rebecca is scared, but she has to be there for her team now! She is a necessary component to the team, after all she is the medic.

“Yeah, it is spooky.” She pipes up, looking around in the dark.

“It may be spooky, but I think that’s going to be the least of our worries.” Kenneth replies.

A crow roughly lands on the hood of the helicopter and caws loudly at the Bravo team members. It causes them all to turn in the direction of the bird, and it caws once again. Edward feels a shudder run through his spine, unnerved by the bird’s sudden presence. He feels like it’s an omen, but it’s definitely not a good one. ‘ More like a bad one. ’ He thinks to himself. Jesus , can they hurry this mission up? It’s like they’re in some kind of horror movie, and he would certainly like to get out of here in time to see the sunrise .

Edward shakes his head, pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind as he continues to fiddle with the terminals. After a couple of moments, he leans back in the pilot’s chair in defeat before climbing out of the cockpit. “Radio’s dead, engine is shot, and we’re down half our supplies. I think we have a pretty good thing going here.” He jokes, and Enrico nods. “Thank you, Dewey.”

Well, it looks like they’ll have to do things on foot from now on. Enrico thinks it’s no big deal, believing they can try to radio the station somewhere else. What he thinks is a big deal, however, is how the helicopter malfunctioned and almost cost his team their lives. He distinctly remembers the aircraft being checked before takeoff, and Wesker himself even gave a final inspection before the team boarded. What could have happened for the engine to just give out like that?

Sniff, sniff .

The snout of a curious dog-like creature raises and starts to smell the air, aware that there is now a foreign smell inside the woods — the smell of human flesh. It smells the Bravo team’s flesh, and it’s eager to have a taste of it. It begins to growl through its clenched teeth, and a few other dog-like forms lying down raise their heads at the sound. The monstrous canine licks its sharp teeth before it lets out an unnatural howl, alerting the other monsters in the area. The rest of the pack soon follows, starting a collection of ghastly sounds and noises.

The howls echo through the trees, catching the team members’ attention. Edward lifts his head from the cockpit. Enrico furrows his brows at the sound. Forest clutches his weaponry and Kenneth does the same, both of them incredibly disturbed by the inhuman sound. Rebecca frowns but it quickly fades when Richard nudges her arm. ‘You’ll be fine.’ He mouths, and she smiles wide at his reassurance. ‘Thanks.’ She mouths back before their captain speaks up.

“We need to get moving, team.”

Enrico isn’t sure what he and his team are heading into, but he knows they need to stick together. Who knows what they’ll see once they venture into the wilderness. Who knows what these creatures might do when they spot them. Who knows if they’ll live to tell the tale.

⋆

DATE : ┃JULY 23RD, 1998. LOCATION : ┃ S.T.A.R.S. OFFICE, RACCOON CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT. TIME : ┃10:19 PM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

“What’s going on, Vickers?”

Brad is silent for a moment, unable to find the words to say. There’s only the sound of static on the other end of the line, and he nervously clenches and unclenches his fists. The signal to Bravo team’s helicopter just cut out, and all he heard before that happened was a voice yell “We’re going down!” He swallows and slowly turns towards his Captain and teammates with a look of worry.

“We lost contact.”

Earlier in the night, Wesker had received word that the Ecliptic Express, one of Umbrella’s private trains, was attacked and contaminated with the T-Virus by T-Virus infected leeches. He doesn’t have a clue where such a creature would have come from. Leeches haven’t been used in any of Umbrella’s experiments for a long time, over 10 years to be exact, but he can’t help but wonder if someone inside Umbrella purposefully attacked the train. He decided to send in Bravo Team first as a cover for the ‘murders’ so, in the meantime, he could observe and figure out what caused the outbreak on the train. He and a clean up team will head out to take back the train and get rid of it before any other witnesses find it.

Wesker folds his arms, observing everyone’s faces of concern before clearing his throat. “Try contacting them through their on hand radios.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Their radios are dead, too.”

Wesker pretends to show a look of deep concern for the Bravos, but he doesn’t really care. He just hopes that everything will go according to plan and then he can get out of Raccoon City. Loss of communication is the first sign that he’s close to getting rid of these pesky S.T.A.R.S..

Barry has a look of apprehension, anxious to know about the condition of the Bravo team members. He quickly reminds himself that everything’s alright. They’re S.T.A.R.S.. They’ll be fine . Chris has a similar expression, his chest beginning to tighten at his teammate’s words. What happened? Why did they lose contact, and what are they gonna do to get it back? God, he’s so tired; tired of working this damn case. He’s tired of hearing about so many innocent lives lost at the hands of — of whatever is killing these people and not getting any answers. Now that the Bravo team is missing, he can only hope that their skills and weapons will save them now.

Jill is in shock, same as everyone else, as the words slip past Brad’s lips. Oh no . She nervously chews on her lower lip as their pilot desperately tries communicating with the Bravo team, but she has a feeling they probably won’t be answering. Her stomach churns, rumbling as she thinks about what could have happened.

Could this be what her nightmare was telling her? Is this the beginning of what’s to come?

She has a feeling her nightmare is about to come true.

0 notes

mlcheely · 1 year

Text

It's Just A Game... CHAPTER FIFTEEN. ☆

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

ANIMAL ATTACK? WOMAN MUTILATED.

RACCOON TIMES MAY 27TH 1998

May 20th - At around 10Pm, the body of a 20-year-old young woman was found by a passer-by on the left bank of Marble River in the Cider district of Racoon City.

Raccoon police believe the victim may have been attacked by a wild animal. It has been determined that the victim was attacked in the Arklay Mountains and fell into the river. They are hurrying to identify this young woman.

⋆

MONSTERS IN ARKLAY MOUNTAINS?

RACCOON WEEKLY JUNE 16 1998

There have been claims of monsters roaming the Arklay Mountains, and several witnesses have described these monsters as being the size of large dogs and have been seen running in packs. Other witnesses report the monsters are surprisingly fierce and are hard to injure.

The Police Department has yet to comment.

⋆

DATE : ┃JUNE 20TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃S.T.A.R.S. OFFICE, RACCOON CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT. TIME : ┃1:48 PM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

The whole police department is bustling, officers rushing to their desks to file and fill out reports that had been pouring in recently. Rumors have been circulating through the workplace the past several weeks about what the cause of recent attacks might be, ranging from rabid animals, a serial killer, and even something so silly as a cult. When the rumors found their way to the S.T.A.R.S. office, the members of Bravo and Alpha started to chatter much like every other officer — except for Wesker. He knows that rogue monsters and bio-waste have been inhabiting the Arklay area, attacking anyone foolish enough to enter the Arklay Mountains. It all started after the Epsilon strain of the T-Virus contaminated the Arklay Laboratory beneath the Spencer Mansion. The accident must have allowed test subjects or any infected individuals to escape and roam the area.

Umbrella has no intention of letting these small mishaps damper their image, so they plan on sanitizing the area and reopening the lab. That’s what they claim, that is. Wesker knows that the higher ups have no intention of reopening the facility. He’s seen it happen with older labs before; one thing goes wrong and they waste no time in funding a new facility, abandoning the old one. It’s unfortunate for such a lab to go to waste, but maybe he can steal some leftover data for his new employers instead. After all, Wesker believes Umbrella is beginning to come to its close. It won’t be long now until their little cover ups won’t be enough to save their image — or their legacy . Wesker has his chance to get out before that can happen, but he isn’t sure how to execute it just yet.

It was a short while after Erica came to Raccoon City that The ‘Agency’, a company rival to Umbrella, extended the opportunity to break away from the multi-million dollar pharmaceutical company. Wesker was skeptical at first, but the more he considered the profitable offer he changed his mind. He’s been employed by Umbrella for a long time; he served under James’ Marcus, another one of Umbrella’s original founders, as one of his star pupils alongside Birkin until Oswell Spencer offered him a better opportunity. He took it, and the cost was losing someone he respected as a teacher. It wasn’t a total loss, however. Wesker could then further his research to achieve more than he could ever know. He asks himself now what he asked himself then: Is there more? Is there more he can do with the knowledge he possesses? Rather than waste his potential, shouldn’t he contribute change ?

It seems he has achieved that change through Erica - an anomaly that continues to perplex him with each passing day. Throughout Umbrella’s years of research, Erica is the only identified living organism to have successfully bonded with the T-Virus without any uncontrollable mutations. The G-Virus, having originated from a T-Virus infected subject, miraculously merged with the T-Virus cells and mutated them to replenish her lost cells. This resulted in resuscitation, although the body went into an unexplainable stasis. The moment Wesker and Birkin saw this cellular level reaction underneath a microscope, they couldn’t believe it. They couldn’t believe that they finally did it — they successfully bonded the viruses with a host !

Their only problem, however, is trying to replicate the process. After Erica fell into a coma the research team has been trying to recreate the effects in her blood in other test subjects, ultimately coming up fruitless like their experiments before her. They even tried to use her blood as a base, which unfortunately led to the deaths of each test subject injected with her blood. Some of the deaths were self-inflicted due to test subjects ripping off their own faces. Wesker doesn’t have as much faith in the other subjects as he does in Erica. She produced so much progress before she went into a coma that he has faith she’ll wake up. Although there has been a major amount of brain wave activity, there hasn’t been any sign of her waking up any time soon. Wesker and his research team have even tried inducing consciousness, but in their futile attempts it was all the same — she never woke up . Results haven’t been sufficient lately and if that isn’t bad enough, the executives are considering shutting down the project entirely due to the lack of data.

‘If it isn’t one thing, it’s always another thing.’ Wesker thinks to himself as he rises from his chair with a sigh. He opens his office door and steps out into the main office, looking around the room at other S.T.A.R.S. members.

Edward and Brad are at the main computer, Richard, Joseph, and Forest are sifting through piles of reports, Enrico, Kenneth, and Barry are in the armory checking weaponry, and Chris and Jill are reviewing witness testimonies. Wesker glances over to the newest and youngest member of the team Rebecca Chambers, who’s bouncing from group to group offering her help. She only joined the Bravo Team a couple weeks ago, displaying an exceptional resume and academic skill set. She wishes she’ll be given a chance to prove herself in the field soon, already so eager to help her team whenever they might need it.

Wesker turns and exits the S.T.A.R.S. office, and Jill looks at the door as he closes it behind him. She quirks a brow but shrugs it off. ‘Wesker has been acting kind of strange lately.’ She thinks as she puts down her pen. ‘Even more so than usual.’ She rubs her eyes and sighs.

Jill hasn’t been able to sleep ever since she had her dream of Erica. She’s only tossed and turned, staring up at her ceiling with hope for slumber. Is this what she gets for doubting what Erica said? How could she not ? How could she believe that her friend is alive, because, coincidentally, a flower from her dream appeared on her pillow? She hasn’t been able to make sense of it, but how can she? She wants to believe it’s real — after all, it felt real.

It felt so real she believed she was actually in that lab, surrounded by monstrosities. She believed she reunited with her friend and hugged her so tight it hurt. She believed it then …so why can’t she believe it now ?

Could this be like before? Is this just like the first time Erica appeared in her dreams? Is it possible her first dream predicted Erica’s kidnapping? If that’s the case, then the dream she had of the lab is real, too… right ?

Jill leans back in her chair, frustrated by her thoughts. She looks over at Chris who looks like he’s ready to pass out. He’s probably just as exhausted, if not more, than Jill, evident by him slumping over his desk with bags underneath his eyes. She purses her lips and pokes his arm. He jolts up in his chair and frantically looks around the room. His expression shifts from surprise to relief when he looks at Jill.

“Oh, hey.”

“Hey, you good?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” He says. “ You ?” Jill can tell he’s lying, but she’s not in the mood to start with him today. “Yeah,” She clears her throat, “I’m getting by.”

Jill wonders how Chris is handling things now. It’s been almost 3 months since Erica’s been gone and for a while Chris fell into some kind of depression, drinking at any chance he could get. Then one day, he just showed up to work with a new attitude like nothing happened. He’s been hard at work ever since, tiring himself out from time to time. It’s strange to see Chris work this hard, but it’s better than seeing him drink himself away.

“Just getting by?”

The question catches Jill off-guard and she looks away from him for a moment. ‘Not really.’ She thinks to herself. ‘It’s been…lonely.’ Chris stares at her as he waits for a response, and he can tell she’s about to lie to him. He can tell it’s been as hard for her as hard as it’s been for him. He may have lost someone special, but she lost a special friend.

“Yeah. That’s all you can do, right?”

Chris feels a small tug at the corner of his lips. Right…At least Jill can pretend to be optimistic. Him? Not so much.

“I guess you’re right.”

Chris turns his gaze to the rest of his teammates. ‘If they only knew the truth,’ He thinks, ‘If they only knew what was really going on.’

One night Chris came home and had a change inside of him. He randomly threw out all of his bottles of alcohol and made a promise to stay clean from then on. He already made a promise he would get justice for Erica, and so far he had only been able to feel sorry for himself — but not anymore . He’s going to stay as alert and vigilant as he can in order to find out if she’s dead or alive. She can’t be dead…she isn’t dead.

It’s not like he really knows if that’s true or not, but he has a feeling he’ll see her again. He purses his lips before he looks at Jill, who’s already dived back into her assignment. They both will.

⋆

DATE : ┃JULY 10TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃JILL’S APARTMENT. TIME : ┃9:45 PM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

Papers scatter throughout the apartment, covering floors to counters to furniture. The papers are documents like reports of cannibalistic murders, animal attacks, and missing persons cases in or around the Arklay Mountains. Some are newspaper clippings of the murders, attacks, statements from the mayor and from the Raccoon City Police Department. A recent addition includes a clipping from yesterday’s newspaper; a statement by Raccoon City Police that a number of roads to the Arklay Mountains are to be closed to prevent any further incidents. They’ve also stated that the S.T.A.R.S. teams will soon be sent to investigate the area.

Chris looks from document to document before he sighs. None of it makes any sense . Why do all the reports make claims of monsters? Why hasn’t a suspect been identified? Why haven’t the police been able to prove this yet? It’s almost like…

“ Jill .”

Jill, who’s on the other side of the room inspecting documents of her own, turns to Chris.

“Yeah?”

“Come look at some of these documents here. The pattern, it — it’s almost like these cases are being — ”

“ — covered up ? Yeah…” She places the documents in her hands onto the counter. “I’ve noticed it, too.”

Chris furrows his brows. “Do you think that might mean the department is involved?”

Jill feels a lump start to form in her throat, but she clears it with a swallow. “They might be…but I don’t think it’s the whole department. I think there might be a — ”

“ — a mole .” Chris cuts her off and she nods in agreement. “ Exactly .”

“But who could it be?” He asks, “It’s definitely someone who knows their stuff.” He says, plopping down onto the couch. “If I suspect anyone — I suspect Chief Irons — that bastard .”

Jill looks at the floor. If she suspects anyone, she would pick Wesker. His attitude toward the whole situation seems very standoffish, and any theories from a S.T.A.R.S. member are shot down. It’s almost like he’s misdirecting them on purpose… no — not their Captain. Jill must be thinking crazy from the lack of sleep. Yeah, that's it. She’s just tired.

“I don’t know, but we need to find them.”

“And fast .”

Wesker leans back in the driver's seat as he listens to the two S.T.A.R.S. members' conversation. It seems they’ve caught on to some of the RPD’s suspicious activity, but what did he expect to happen? Umbrella’s web is starting to unravel, and with it, its control over the city. He can’t let that happen before he can make it out, however, and he’ll do anything to make it out. If that includes getting rid of S.T.A.R.S., then so be it. He has no problem getting rid of a couple of nuisances, do-gooders, insignificant specs .

They won’t even be able to see him coming.

#resident evil #resident evil fanfic #resident evil fanfiction #erica slater (oc)#isekai #albert wesker #chris redfield #jill valentine #pre resident evil 1 #pre-resident evil 1

0 notes