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.
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