Rating: Pg-13 for violence and language.

Spoilers: Resident evil: Outbreak. Levels, 'Outbreak, Below Freezing Point'.

Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil. This is purely for fun

Zombies had infected Raccon City.

George still had trouble believing it. He usually had a fairly open mind, but the walking undead was just breaking past the limits of his imagination. George looked down at his hand which had multiple scratches and the faint powder burn from constantly firing a handgun. His clothes were torn and caked with mud, as was his brown hair. In his mind's eyes he was still back at that bar, fighting for his life. He had been a visitor to Raccon city, had only just arrived last night and decided to stop in for a quick drink. That's when the zombies had come, no later then a few minutes after he did. He remembered starring dumbly at his first zombie, an animated corpse with yellow eyes and broken teeth. If the cop hadn't shoved him off his stool in time when the corpse lungedhe would have probably been killed right then.

George had learned a lot since that moment. He had learned how to survive while escaping from the bar and through the streets following. He had learned to ignore compassion if one fell from the onslaught. He had learned horror. And, he had learned courage. The last lesson had come from having to re-build a detonation device amongst a literal crowd of zombies while two others had covered him. When he had detonated the bomb, he didn't really care whether or not he survived.

But he did survive. He got away. The Racoon police, what was left of them, had collected as many survivors as possible. Had tried to deliver them to a Beta site for refugees. Even that was impossible due to roadblocks. That's when they were given the rather difficult news that they would have to walk. It was far too dangerous for all of the refugees, twenty or so, to travel in one group, so they had been randomly split up into groups of three and given different routes to go, routes that the zombies probably hadn't infiltrated. George had found it considerably harder then he had imagined to say good-bye to his new-found friends-Kevin, and Cindy among others. Each of them had barely any time to say their farewells, with the full knowledge that they might never see each other again in the Beta site, before they were shipped off. Replacing them waswhat? George thought with considerable dislike. In their place he had been given an exchange student named Yoko andthe journalist.

Just thinking about her sent George's teeth on edge. It was her loud, shrill voice he was listing to now as he climbed up the platform.

"When we get out of here, I'm going to go to see the chief publisher of all the news groups and mention the shabby treatment of 'Racoon City's finest!' Leaving us along on the road like that, how could they have-hey, aren't you going to help me up?"

Checking an inward sigh, George took her by the hand and hauled her up to the platform. The blond- haired reporter, whose name was Alyssa, smoothed out the wrinkles in her short skirt and looked around, quick disconcerted.

George followed her gaze. Labeled as group Gamma, they had been following the tracks of an underground subway. They had been doing so for, by George's estimate, two hours now. Tracks that currently led to a dead end. In front of them was a massive door. It spanned upwards as far as George could see, and-

"It's closed," Yoko said for them all.

"Yeah, I can see that," Alyssa snapped.

Yoko bit her lip and looked down. The exchange student looked thin, much too thin, as though she hadn't eaten in a week. Dirt was smudged against the right side of her forehead but was hidden fairly well by her brown unkept bangs. Only

Alyssa looked remotely fresh, and George hadn't been the least bit surprised to find that she kept make-up in her brown leather duffel bag, a bag she always insisted on keeping with her. George didn't know what else was in it. A camera, probably. George's gaze went upwards to Alyssa's face. Her blond hair was neatly combed and tied behind her head, and she had recently put on a fresh coating of pink lipstick. Getting ready for an interview a.s.a.p, George thought in disgust, and turned away.

"The question is," Alyssa continued, "how do we open it?"

George stepped closer. Instantly the massive door started to rise. A gale of bitter air struck the three. George tried to peer through, but all of it was darkness.

"I don't get it," Alyssa said. "What opened the doors?"

George didn't reply. He just started forwards, flicking on a flashlight.

Alyssa glared at him. "Wait up!" she demanded. Behind her Yoko silently followed.

George carefully maneuvered his way past shelves of sealed crates, crates that probably wouldn't be open. His flashlight pierced through the darkness to a narrow metal staircase. He lifted his light up, but it led up so high he couldn't tell what was beyond it.

"How come this area wasn't on the map anyway? The passage should have led to a grating which led to the surface," Alyssa said, joining George on the staircase.

Behind her Yoko followed, much more slowly. Neither noticed that the young

exchange student seemed deep in thought. Alyssa glared at George. "Well, don't you have any answers?" she demanded. "Hey, wait up! These aren't inexpensive shoes, you know!"

The stairway ended to a metal door that was locked with a keycard device. George tried to open the door without any success. "You know, you've barely said a word ever since we left the bus. Maybe a dialogueyou know, dialogue, might help?"

Alyssa snarled behind him.

"Not really," George said, distracted.

Alyssa folded her arms and sucked in her cheeks. She really couldn't understand this guy. It was her opinion that they had escaped outbreak, escaped the filthy plague. She for one was happy. She couldn't understand this doctor, who took in everything with piercing blue eyes and informed very little. He was annoying.

George solved the puzzle the moment his flashlight hit upon a small grating next to the wall. "This must have been an escape tunnel of some kind." Wordlessly he opened the grating with his hands, and looked inside. "Looks like we can fit through there," he added, glancing down at Alyssa.

"What? Are you crazy!? We don't even know where it goes!"

"Evidently the way out," George said.

Alyssa automatically folded her arms. "Well then, have fun, because I'm not going through that."

"Fine. Wait here," the doctor replied, really in no mood to argue with it. He climbed up through the grating and started to work his way down the tunnel.

"Hey?" the woman cried out in surprise. "HEY! We have to stick together!"

The doctor ignored her as he resumed his crawl. How that woman survived the outbreak, he really did have no idea.

-------

George crawled through the shaft for about ten minutes or so before it ended at another grating. George removed it and climbed down carefully.

He was in an office hallway. He noticed right away that there was an overturned water cooler, its contents slowly spilling into the carpet to mix with blood. There was a body on the ground.

George gave the body a cold, appraising look. Ever since the three, terrifying, blood-soaked hours at the bar George nearly considered himself a veteran in two things-the use of a handgun and the ability to at least tell the difference between a zombie and a corpse. He backed away from the body and slowly bent downwards to retrieve a rock. It felt heavy in his hand. He chucked it at the body.

The seemingly lifeless corpse opened its yellow eyes and flailed about from the impact. Its mouth was open in a silent scream. The zombie finally straightened into a sitting position.

George shot it straight through the head. The zombie gave one last breath and fell to the ground, a corpse again.

George stood. For a moment he was uncertain what to do. Zombies had infiltrated the base! He seriously debated going back to the others, then tossed that idea. The reporter and the exchange student were effectively shut off from the base for the time being. He decided to scout ahead. He might at least be able to get the power back on, or find a map at how to get through this.

George clutched his jacket as another chill struck him. It was definitely getting colder.

------------

"All right," Alyssa snapped. She unzipped her large leather duffel bag. "Mr. Darien isn't the only one who can find a way in."

Yoko stepped closer and stared. "What are you doing?"

Alyssa didn't bother to dignify her with a reply. She took out what might have resembled a laptop, but it actually wasn't. It was the only piece of hardware that she had bothered to liberate because she knew she would find it useful. It was a decoder. She attached it to the keycard slot, and within moments, the door opened into darkness. Another gale of cold bitter air greeted her. Looking very smug,

Alyssa glanced back at Yoko. "Coming?"

Yoko folded her arms tightly. "I dunnoshouldn't we wait for Doctor Damien?"

"I'm going. You can stay behind if you want, Yoko, though now that I've opened the door anything can come through," Alyssa said. With a small smile she stepped through.

Yoko didn't hesitate and trailed after her.

-----------------

George had no intention of wasting bullets if he could help it. Fortunately he found another ventilation shaft and climbed back through it. It ended in a grating through which George could see very little except for a dim blue light. George opened it and carefully climbed out.

The room was almost pitch black, the only illumination coming from a single computer screen. George swept the room with his flashlight, but could find nothing.

No trace of zombies. Still it was eerie. He focused his light on the computer screen.

There was a corpse hunched over a chair wearing a leather backpack and a bullet hole exiting from his forehead, but George was immediately drawn to the computer. After a moment, he was able to find a map of the area he was in. It showed that he was in an underground base, which spanned five levels. Any attempts to find out what the base was about was locked under a passcode.

George's eyes were drawn to the fifth level, the very last one. In the loading bays there was a freight train. It would eventually lead back up to the surface, back up along their main route. There were two elevators leading to the fifth level. The main one had been completely severed from the cable lines, but the second

George reached for his flashlight

His hand stopped.

The flashlight had been resting on the table, the beam of light directed towards the wall behind the computer screen. George just caught the very edge of lettering. Red letters.

George lifted the flashlight and scanned the wall slowly.

'Traitors don't deserve to leave!'

George frowned. His eyes went to the lather backpack and he had a sudden desire to find out what was inside it. Opening it, he found an assortment of plastic explosives.

Very puzzled, but not having any time to work out the mystery, George turned back to the computer. There was a small storage elevator that could take them down to the fifth level, but the main power supplying the elevator was turned off. Fortunately, the main generator room wasn't too far from where he was. Before he left, he shrugged off the corpse's backpack of explosives and put it on. No telling where that could come in handy. He also found a spare gun, which he put in his jacket pocket.

---------------

The generator room was empty, which was another stroke of luck. George bent down in front of the generator itself. It was currently set to be active but it must have sustained damage. George rubbed his hands together to restore some circulation, and began to see if he could fix it. If he could assemble a bomb in the middle of a town square, he figured that this should be no problem.

About ten minutes later, the lights flickered around him, and stayed on. The generator hummed with power. George smiled and gave himself a mental pat on the back. If his incredible luck continued to hold for just a little bit longer, then he would be out of here in no time at all.

He had no idea how quickly his luck would sputter and die out.

-----------------------------

With a large, self-satisfied smirk Alyssa watched as yet another door opened, thanks to the decoder. She stepped through into a small lab. Yoko followed, much more slowly. She really thought it was a bad idea to split up. Secretly, she was sorta fond of doctor Damien-he reminded her of one of those doctors on ER. She didn't want anything to happen to him, or any of them. Especially in this place!

"Looks like a science base of some kind," Alyssa noted disdainfully.

Yoko barely heard her. She had to lead them out of here, before it was too late.

But how could she explain it to them? How could she explain that she knew this place like the back of her hand?

Her green eyes inadvertently searching along the wall, she had found a lab coat hanging from a hook. Touching the fabric, she found the name 'Yoko' on it. Her name. She took the coat and hung it the other way so that the name tag would be facing the wall. She turned around slightly, and paused in horror.

She saw a body slumped over a desk and hesitantly stepped closer. Neither she or

Alyssa were armed. Butthe T-virus couldn't have infected anyone here Yoko stepped closercould it have?

She touched the back of the man's shoulder, very lightly. She gave a small, audible gasp as the man slumped forwards even more, making the chair creak.

Trembling visibly, Yoko looked up at Alyssa.

Alyssa snorted and went back to reading a clipboard.

Yoko closed her eyes and gave a small shudder of relief. She turned around-

-just as the zombie lurched towards her.

It was all Yoko could do to push him back. She could hear nothing, think about nothing except that horrible sound of crunching teeth, that spitting hiss. "Help me!

Please!" she called out, her voice begging to Alyssa.

But Alyssa could only stare in shock. The clipboard dropped from her fingers to the floor.

------------------

George opened the wooden door and found that he had discovered a chemical storage room. Several vials and tins were stored on shelves around him. George took a brief glance at them, but being a doctor and not a scientist, he only recognized a scant few. At the end of the room was a small desk, and a body was slumped down on it. George moved closer, not really worried. It looked like the corpse was only in the beginning stage of being a zombie. He knew from personal experience that it would usually take a day or so before the T-virus became effective.

His eyes caught a broken vial on the carpet, probably having fallen from the ex-scientist's hand. George lifted up the shard of glass and glanced at the label.

And he stared at it for a very good long minute.

The corpse moved a little, but George didn't even notice. He hurried to a worktable and flicked on a computer. He glanced at the blue screen and saw that he couldn't log in. He went to a microscope instead and studied the shard and the residue of its contents.

It took him a few minutes to make sure he was correctthat there wasn't a possibility that he could be wrong. Yes, it was the T-virus. So that was how the base became infected. Someone must have brought it in from the outside world for the base to study, and because of carelessness the T-virus was allowed to escape. In its infancy stages it must have become air-born, and infected the entire base within seconds.

George looked up bleakly.

The logic that followed was obvious.

Anyone who entered the base would have become infected as well.

He had to find the others. He walked out of the room, oblivious to the fact that the zombie had awoken and stared up at him with yellow eyes.

------------------------

Once again George decided to use the vents to backtrack. He stopped crawling when he heard a noise. It was more of a muffled shout then anything, but stillGeorge turned to the right at the end of the shaft to have a look. Beyond the grating was a small lab. There was a testing vault of green liquid, three small metal doors, and struggling in the room. Two females. They were.

George blinked. He reacted entirely without thinking. "Yoko!" he shouted. He kicked open the grating and stepped onto the floor. He reached for his gun, but realized that he wouldn't have a clear shot. Meanwhile the zombie was slowly reaching its teeth towards Yoko's throat. Yoko was whimpering.

George reacted without thinking. He stepped forwards, grabbed Yoko's backpack and pulled. In the same motion he lifted his gun. Yoko was hurled out of the creature's grasp, just narrowly missing its fingernail slashes which would have also spread the T-virus.

In less then a heartbeat George aimed the gun at the zombie's forehead and fired. Somehow, though, the zombie's flailing arm managed to hit George's hand and the shot went wild, hitting the zombie's chest. The zombie lurched backwards with a small grunt.

George stole a quick moment to realize that Yoko was still on the floor, paralyzed. "Yoko, go!" he snapped.

With a choked gasp Yoko struggled to her feet and ran to a metal door in the opposite direction, back the way they came. She abruptly stopped when she realized she heard pounding on the other side, and also the distinct sound of fingernails scraping against metal. Swallowing, she desperately searched for a weapon. She spotted a metal pipe on the counter and snatched it up. She stood beside Alyssa.

With a spitting hiss the zombie lunged at George. George desperately tried to hold it back, both of his hands on the side of the zombie's jaw. The gun was dropped and forgotten. George punched him in the face, but it would have taken the force of a sledgehammer to completely snap his neck.

From the other side of the room Yoko and Alyssa watched in silent horror as the metal door was being pummeled. Whatever was doing that must have considerable strength.

George was hurled against the sharp end of a desk next to a test vat. He turned around, desperately trying to catch his breath, when the zombie lunged at his back. George closed his eyes. He could feel its hot putrid breath running down his throat. George struggled in panic, trying desperately to get the thing off him. On the other side of the room, out of George's sight, the door burst open. Five zombie lurched into the room.

On some level George knew what was going to happen before it actually did. The zombie reached closer, its teeth poised to strike at George's throat. In his panic to stop the thing from ripping his throat out, George's hand attempted to back-hit the creature. He managed to hit it, but the zombie's mouth instantly clamped down on his hand. Blood gushed from between the corpse's teeth.

George bit his tongue to keep from screaming. With a strain of effort George took the handgun from his jacket, tried to distance himself from the zombie, and fired. With a sickening lurch the zombie released him and fell to the floor, yellow liquid protruding from the bullet hole in his forehead.

Alyssa and Yoko automatically backed up next to George. He fired twice. Both bullets caught the approaching zombies in the head.

"Go!" George snapped. All three ran through a small metal side door. George attempted to shut it. An arm suddenly reached in before George could fully close the door. George desperately tried to shut the door but the arm was locked in place. Yoko stepped forwards and with a half-cry she beat the arm with the lead pipe. Eventually the arm withdrew. George closed the door and bolted it shut.

For a moment, there was silence.

---------------------

Yoko dropped the lead pipe. It fell to the carpet with an audible thud. A moment later Yoko herself tumbled to the floor, hyperventilating with terror. Alyssa looked around, and hastily smoothed out her skirt. She realized that she had blood on her fingertips and now blood streaks on her clothes. Idly she wondered how much it would cost to wash them out.

George looked around the room carefully. They were in a small storage closet. No ventilation of any kind. No other doors. They were locked in.

He looked down and saw that Yoko was trying to hold back tears. Not without some pity, he touched her shoulder with his good hand. "It's going to be okay," he said. "We got out."

"Are you all right?" Alyssa asked, somewhat coldly.

George raised an eyebrow. "Of course," he said. He was holding his bloodied hand behind his back, and the back of his jacket was starting to become stained.

--------------------------

The pounding against the door stopped briefly as all three frantically searched the small storeroom. They found, among other things, a small medical kit. George expertly bandaged his hand (which he had told a questioning Yoko that he had cut on some glass in the fight) and a pesticide spray.

It was Alyssa who had found it and picked it up with a grimace of disgust. "Ugh. What's this doing here?"

George caught her hand. "Wait! This might work against them! Are you crazy?" he snapped.

Alyssa stood on her feet, looking very upset. She turned away from him.

Yoko bent down next to George in her place.

George looked up, perfectly calm. "We have to get out of this room by any means necessary."

Yoko stared at him and nodded a little, the fear apparent in her eyes. There was only one way out of the room-back through the door. Back through the zombies.

George took out his gun and opened the bullet case. He had three bullets left. Not that much. Yoko lifted the pipe again.

George stood and gave Alyssa the pesticide. "Here. Spray it into their eyes if you can."

"What-we're going now?" Alyssa demanded.

"No point in waiting," George said.

"Butmaybe they'll go somewhere else"

"We're fresh meat, Alyssa," George said, not without some gentleness. "They'll stay here as long as they have to. That's why we have to surprise them."

Alyssa was clearly looking for excuses. "Butif we waitmaybe someone else will come to help us-"

George shook his head. "No one even knows we're here." He stepped back to Yoko. "Ready?" he asked her.

Yoko nodded quietly.

George glanced at Alyssa. "Unless you'd rather stay here while we fight."

"You think so little of me," Alyssa snapped at him, clearly disgusted. She lifted the pesticide spray.

George didn't reply to that. "On three. Ready? Onetwo"

Yoko lifted the lead pipe, trying to hold back the tears in her green eyes. This was

survival. Nothing less.

"three"

George opened the door, and all three of them ran out, banishing weapons.

Into a completely empty room.

George circled around with his gun raised, clearly not believing his eyes. There was no one around. Not even the corpses they had encountered slouched over the desk.

Alyssa took a quick glance around, then smiled at George. Her pink lipstick sparkled in the bright light. "Told you so."

George gave her a brief, bemused glance. "It could be that they're trying to get to the surface."

"Maybe we should too," Yoko whispered. "I-I don't want to stay down here."

George shook his head, still puzzled. "We'd still be stuck. There is a way to get out of this. A storage elevator that can take us down to a freight train, and from there back to the surface. It's not far from here."

"The longer we stay down here, the better the chance that we'll die," Alyssa snapped.

George glanced briefly at his bandaged hand. "We're not safe anywhere."

"I really don't think we should stay," Yoko said. "I think we should head back up."

"The streets are swarming with zombies," George pointed out. "You two do what you want to. I'm going for the freight train." And with that, he headed out the door.

Alyssa shook her head, not without some disgust.

"You really don't like him, do you?" Yoko asked, glancing at her.

"No," Alyssa replied. "Should I?"

Yoko brushed past her. "He's getting us out of this."

-------------------------

The small storage elevator shuddered to a stop. Beyond it was a hall that was lined with frost. There was a corpse hunched against the wall wearing a security guard outfit, but it was the wall above him that George was interested in. There was writing on it. The corpse opened his eyes and flailed his hand towards George.

George stepped backwards, ready to blow the thing's brains out if necessary.

It turns out he needn't worry. The zombie was actually glued to the wall by layers of ice and frost. He tried to lift himself without any success. George stepped past it.

"What are you doing?" Yoko whispered.

George moved forwards and wiped the frost away with his hand. "Um.brella Corporation." he read. He blinked and turned around. The name meant nothing to him, but then, he was a newcomer to the city. It apparently made an impact on the two woman, however. "What is it?"

"Umbrella Corporation runs everything in Racoon city, and other cities," the reporter replied. "Computer technology, mostly, but home furnishings too, restaurants-"

"-Vending machines, school tuition," Yoko added.

"Hm," George blinked. "If the virus started here, then it could have spread to all those components. Around the world."

"Maybe it already has," Alyssa said softly.

Unseen by anyone, her hand slowly touched a golden ring on her finger.

---------------------------------

They saw more evidence of frozen zombies as they proceeded down the narrow walkway, one at a time.

Beyond the walkway was an unseen abyss, the railing having been kicked off some time ago. The ground was frozen as well. At one time George had to grab

Yoko as she skidded on the ice and almost fell over the edge. By now icicles had lined all of their clothes, and their hair. Alyssa gripped herself tightly, visibly shivering in her tight white blouse and small pink skirt. Truth be told, George was horribly glad of the freezing cold. With it his condition would slow down to a crawl.

Maybe only a few minutes, maybe an hour at mostbut every minute was another minute of life.

Finally, George was the last to step off the walkway, but they would have to traverse another to get to the exit. George looked around in confusion. There were three walkways, three different passages. He wished he had more time to study the map better. He had no idea which way to go.

Then, to his surprise, Yoko stepped past him. "This way," she simply said, and

headed to the north passageway. George followed.

Alyssa didn't. In the inner chamber they had entered there were more zombies that were frozen to the spot. Multiple layers of ice and snow covered them, but Alyssa could still see them blinking. Trying to move, trying to get free.

But there was one in particular that interested her. If it was a zombie, it was one who was massive in bulk. It was practically covered from head to toe in snow and ice, so she couldn't make out any distinct features except for its size. And its eyes. Against herself Alyssa slowly stepped closer, her footsteps echoing slightly. Green eyes stared back at her. And, was it just Alyssa's imagination, or did they narrow as she approached? Hesitantly her hand reached up and touched the ice around the creature.

On the walkway George realized that someone was missing and stopped. He turned around.

Feeling his eyes on her, Alyssa blinked and snapped out of her musings. She touched her fingers, feeling a thin trickle of water. Looking up, she abruptly turned and followed George.

It never occurred to her that those clear green eyes were missing the yellow hue of a zombie.

-------------------------

George stopped as they made it out of the passageway into the office hallway. It was definitely much warmer now. He stopped suddenly.

"What is it?" Alyssa asked.

"There's someone here," George replied quietly. He trusted in his instincts and opened the door to his right, very slowly. It led to another laboratory. He couldn't see anyone inside and stepped through.

He felt a large crack and something breaking over his skull. He pitched forwards and definitely remembered saying something along the lines of 'ow..'

Alyssa reacted without thinking. She snatched the gun from the ground and pointed it right at the stranger who stood in front of her, who was waving his hands disarmingly.

"Wow, Jesus, I'm sorry!" the man said frantically. "I thought you were one of those freaky-eyed monsters."

Wincing, George struggled to his feet, backed up against the wall, and massaged the back of his neck.

"I mean, you have the pale complexion and the zombie groove thing going on-"

A large wilt was already starting to form there. George glared at the man. He had dark skin, wore blue jeans and a dark blue jacket. He also had on a baseball cap which covered his yellow hair.

"Who are you?" Alyssa demanded, still suspicious.

"Jimmy. Jimmy Chapman. And might I say, it's a real pleasure to see survivors down here." He looked slightly past them. "Are thereany more of you?"

Yoko spread her hands. "Afraid this is all there is," she said.

"Oh. Well, okay. I suppose I can deal with that," Jimmy said. "Better some then none, I guess. So long as you don't turn into one of those zombie-dude things, then we don't have any problems. I suppose you're all trying to get to the train?"

Alyssa nodded silently. Behind her George straightened, shaking his head to clear it.

Jimmy grinned. "All right with me! Myself, I was missing my baby since the moment I left it. I'm the train conductor. Usually I haul cargo. But now I have absolutely no trouble hauling peopleand myself, out of this Hell hole."

"Why did you leave it?" Yoko asked.

"Girl, I just wanted to go up to get a snack from the staff room. Next moment, someone enters, and he wants more then my tuna fish sandwich, if you know what

I mean. Now I just want to get out of here!"

Alyssa nodded with a small smile. "Sounds like a good plan. Do you see any trouble getting to the train?"

"Well, there's a couple of labs, but no, I don't see why there should be," Jimmy said.

"Then we should get going," George interrupted coldly. He led the way.

------------------------------

"So you're a reporter?"

As they proceeded down the hallway Jimmy and Alyssa were quietly chatting away. There was a charming attitude about him that Alyssa warmed up too. "That's right. Though I haven't had much time to print articles for the moment," she said with a small laugh. She was clutching her bag.

Jimmy grinned. "Boy, I bet you've got a lot of material for this story."

"Well, I could certainly use an exclusive or two," Alyssa said. "How would that sound? To get your story out?"

"Miss, I wouldn't mind that one bit." Jimmy nodded his head towards George. "So what's the deal with that fella?"

Alyssa shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I don't know. He thinks he's the one in charge, or something. He doesn't talk much. I don't think he likes me. Or what I do."

"And you just...accept that?"

"I have to," Alyssa said. For a moment her eyes lowered with uncertainty as she stared at George's retreating form. "But it won't matter soon anyway. We'll be out of here soon."

"Yes, back to the shelter you told me about. Brr, have you noticed how chilly it's

getting-"

Walking behind them, completely unnoticed by anyone, Yoko stared down at the ground with her arms folded.

Trapped in misery.

-------------------

George looked around as the doors opened, not without some surprise. They were in a massive laboratory. The ceiling almost seemed to be out of his line of sight. A vault of clear green liquid cast reflections all over the four of them. The vault towered over all of them. Beyond that, there wasn't much in the room beside worktables.

Jimmy pushed ahead. "I remember this," he said. "This is the main experimental

chamber. The train is just a few rooms ahead."

George nodded. "All right." He turned back around-

-and jumped backwards as the gunshot exploded near him.

George automatically reaching for his handgun with his bandaged hand. In his shock he had imagined that somehow zombies had acquired the brainpower to use a weapon. It had happened once before-

Instead, he saw a woman step out of the shadows. She had on a tight lab coat around her plain white t- shirt and shorts, and her red hair was drawn up in a bun. She had clear and intense green eyes. There was a briefcase in one hand, a gun in the other. "They told me that you would be coming. Pity it had to be when I have to say goodbye." She dropped the briefcase on the ground and stared at Yoko. Her smile widened. "I was especially glad to hear that you were coming. Long time no see, Yoko."

Yoko didn't reply, but her face paled.

Her smile continued to George. She gestured to the ground.

George slowly lowered the weapon and kicked it over to her. Essentially they were all now defenseless.

The woman bent down slowly, keeping an eye on them, and lifted up the weapon and stashed it in her pocket. "Perfect. I can always use a spare."

"Man, what is going on here? Who are you?" Jimmy demanded.

"Me? I'm justa survivor. The last one you'll ever see here, especially considering I've murdered the rest."

There was a moment of silence, broken by the sound of a tiny gasp. "What?"

The gasp came from Yoko. She stepped forwards, brushing past George's attempt to hold her back. She and the woman were almost eye-to-eye. "Sabria, what is going on here? Why are you doing this?"

"I thought it would be obvious, Yoko. I'm getting out of here, and you are not going to follow to me. As for why I'm doing thismoney, of course. I was the one who unleashed the T-virus into the ventilation system, and later to the outside world."

Yoko's eyes widened with disbelief.

The woman gave a small giggle. "It was all me! I'm responsible for all of this! Don't look so shocked, Yoko. You must have known that I had it in me. All of us had it."

"Who paid you to do this?" George demanded behind Yoko.

"Umbrella, of course. They have plans. Big plans. I'm supposed to meet them on the surface in the helicopter pad. Then, I will be a very wealthy woman. It'll come in handy when the next generation of mankind starts. But all of a sudden, just as I'm about to leave, I get a message from the Umbrella company. A group of survivors were headed my way. A reporter. A doctor. A mechanic that had met up with them. And..oh yes. You, Yoko."

Sabria patted the briefcase. "What's in this will make the T-virus look likea common cold! It's my insurance for leaving this place alive." Another laugh. "But time's a-wasting. My associates won't wait forever. I suppose I should take one of you as a hostage, or perhaps kill all of you now. It would almost be worth it to take you with me, Yoko. So that you can see the level of destruction that you helped to start!" Sabria shook her head. "Fortunately for you, I don't have the time."

She stepped back towards the massive door. "I'm going to lock you in now. The key code is set on a timer. After I punch out all codes, including mine, will be burned out. There'll be no way you can follow me. No way for you to get to the train, which I know you're planning to do. I hope you like this facility, because it's going to be your home for the next few years, or perhaps, your tomb. For we created a lot of things down here. And some of themare now loose."

While she was talking George approached cautiously. She didn't appear to be good with a handgun, and if he could rush her, then he might be able to stop her before she locked the doors. He touched his bandaged hand. He was dying anyway, what did he really have to loose?

The woman smiled suddenly at him and lifted the gun. "You're a doctor, right?" she asked. She fired.

George closed his eyes, bracing himself for the inevitable penetration that would surely be the end of his life. He heard Yoko give a horrified gasp, but strangely felt nothing. He opened his eyes in puzzlement and looked behind him.

Alyssa lay on the ground, pools of blood forming around her cupped hands.

Time seemed to slow around George. He could only stare in horror. He couldn't move. Couldn't think.

"How can you do this?" Yoko demanded, looking up at her.

"It's easy," Sabria said with a smile. She snapped her badge along the code scanner. The doors began to close. "Wellchow," she added. The doors closed.

Jimmy shook his head. "s***!"

George was already running to Alyssa's side, who was starring up in considerable shock. "Yoko!" the doctor snapped, snapping her out of her daze. "Help me. I need some bandagessomething to stench this bleedingget that medical bag over

there, now!"

Jimmy flew to George's side. "We've gotta stop her!"

"It's too late for that!" George snapped. He unzipped the bag, took out a small vial and spat out the closed lid, and smacked the liquid slightly with his finger.

Alyssa made a weird choking gasp.

Yoko stared at nothing. "How could she have done this.?"

Jimmy shook his head. "Oh manoh man"

"Hands on her wound," George ordered calmly. "Yoko, we're going to need a stretcher. See what you can find."

Yoko scurried to obey.

"Do you think there's a chance, doc?" Jimmy demanded.

George didn't reply as he injected Alyssa. Her eyes closed peacefully. George looked up. "Not if we don't hurry."

---------------

They had converted a small laboratory into an operating room. Her face deathly white, Alyssa was laid upon the table. For several hours George worked on the wound with a calmness and professionalism which gave Yoko hope. Silently, starring from the glass window, she and Jimmy locked hands together.

For George, the calmness he experienced gave him some inner peace. There was a patient that actually needed him, one last time. He wasn't going to fail her. Not if he could help it.

(3 days later)

George touched his bandaged hand. The itching had first spread to his arm, then to all other parts of his body. Every now and then a small shudder would escape him. But if there was once person who was suffering more, it would be Yoko. She would sit by herself, alone, her head lowered in silent misery. Once Jimmy had made a hesitating inquiry about what happened, and Yoko would only burst into tears. For three days she had sat next to George, her lower lip trembling. George respected her privacy.

For all the good her answers would do me now, George thought silently.

It was now the end of the third day. George had done all he could on Alyssa. The rest would be up to her. At the moment, it was dark in the lab. He sat on a stool and looked at her. She looked so calm, and peaceful. George idly wondered if he would look that way when it was his turn. Probably not.

He rubbed his eyes with a sigh. All of a sudden, he spotted her bag that Jimmy had thrown on one of the tables. With a slight hesitation George stood and opened the duffel bag. His hand came up with a small recording device.

He went back to the stool and for a moment didn't do anything. The recorder had the exclusive, no doubt. The big story. Curious about what she said about him, if anything, he rewound the tape and played it back.

He heard Alyssa's voice. "I'm trying to write a report, but oh god I can't. I'm s-s-so scared" There was a distinct sound, like a gunshot. Alyssa screaming. Then silence.

George checked the rest of the tape but found nothing else. George turned it off, and stared at Alyssa for a long minute thoughtfully.

Suddenly his bandaged hand was gripped by a spasm of pain, and he dropped the recorder. He made a fumble for it, but it shattered to the ground. Broken.

For a long moment George considered some justification, then shrugged and went back to watching Alyssa for a while.

He had no conscious memory of his head lowering to his chest.

Or of his breath slowing.

--------------------------

Somehow, Jimmy managed to find a way to open the doors. They had made their way to the train. Jimmy whistled when he saw it. "Just the beauty I left it," he said, starring at the black metal. "I'll get her started up, and then we can leave this Hell-hole behind."

Alyssa glanced nervously at George, the gun in her hands. "Something doesn't feel right."

"I know," George replied. "Like we're beingwatched." He stepped forwards. It

was his rapidly worsening condition which was making everything sofuzzy. There was a faint blue glow at the edge of his vision, but he couldn't tell from where.

The transit hummed to life. "Okay. All aboard!" Jimmy called.

Yoko gave a massive sigh of relief and grinned, bursting into tears. She stepped forwards.

The next moment, she was hurled to the ground as something massive sank its teeth into her side. Yoko screamed. George blinked in silent horror. He didn't know even remotely what the creature was. It didn't look human. He suddenly remembered what Sabria said. ' We created a lot of things down here. And some of themare now loose'

Jimmy stepped off the ramp and glanced to the left. "s***! We've got zombies, incoming!"

Alyssa didn't bother to look where he had pointed. She was far too busy with the monster as it is. "George, help me! George-"

But George didn't help her.

The T-virus had finally made its way into his brain, and George noticed through his yellow-sick eyes how attractive Alyssa looked. Howmeaty! He lunged right at her, all intelligence gone, desiring more then anything to sink his teeth into her plump, attractive throat.

By his feet Yoko gave a final gasp, her body almost torn in two.

Beyond his vision Jimmy grabbed an axe from the train, wanting nothing more then to tear it through the young doctor's skull.

George didn't notice. His mind was filled with ecstasy as he tasted warm blood.

---------------------------------

George jerked to wakefulness as he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He looked up and saw Yoko starring down at him. The lights blinked a little around them, but it was still dark. "You were dreaming," she said quietly.

George looked down, and realized that he was lying on the floor. He was covered with a thin line of sweat. He released a trembling breath.

Yoko bent down next to him. "I brought you some food," she said, and unloaded her backpack of chocolate bars onto the floor. "Smashed a vending machine with an axe. What do you want? M & M's? Coffee Crisp?"

George looked down at the assorted junk food and smiled. He couldn't help it. "Thank you."

Yoko bent down further, glancing in Alyssa's direction. "How's she doing?"

George nodded. "Better. I think she'll pull through. There's no sign of the infection, or of the T-virus."

The last part was a little white lie, but what did it matter? George, however, stared at Yoko carefully as he said this. The T-virus was there, exactly where he had expected to find it on the x-ray. In her lungs. George swallowed. More then anything he hated when he was right.

Yoko, however, seemed preoccupied with another matter. "I can't imagine what it would be like. Becoming one of them."

George shook his head. "You have to understand, Yoko. They're not the people you knew. Those people are dead. Don't show any kind of mercy for them." He tried, very, very hard, to keep the pleading out of his voice.

Yoko looked down, a lock of black hair falling in front of her green eyes. She was clearly hesitating. "Doctor Damiencan I ask you a question?"

George shrugged. "Anything."

Yoko looked up, and her eyes were flashing defiantly. "How did you really injure your hand?"

George shrugged. "I told you."

Yoko lifted George's bandaged hand. "I recognize these marks," she said, referring to the faint splotches of black on his bandage. "You're infected with the T-virus, aren't you?"

George lowered his eyes. He saw no reason to deny it further. "Yes."

"How long?"

George swallowed. "Not much longer now."

Yoko blinked. She stood and stepped away. Finally she faced George. "Why didn't you *tell us*?"

George snorted. "Because I didn't want an axe in my head, that's why." George looked up at her. "Admit it. I wouldn't be alive now if I had told you."

In her horror Yoko shook her head. "No. That's not true. We can find a cure-"

George laughed a bitter laugh. "There isn't one! You and I both know that. These scientists obviously tried. I'm a dead man."

Yoko was leaning against the bed. "Andthis doesn't bother you?"

George struggled to his feet. He walked next to the table where Alyssa lay and his

open hand touched the reporter's forehead. "I accept it." He looked up. Hard. At

Yoko's green eyes. "I have to."

He turned back to the reporter. "By my calculations, I'm starting to enter the secondary stages of the T- virus. It'll include blurred vision, loss of motor functions, fever-"

Yoko gripped her hair. "Just stop it. *Stop it!*"

"You're missing the point," George said, looking back up at her. "Those that enter the secondary stage of the T-virusonly have a few hours at best. And then they'll enter the third stage. You know what happens next. Death. I had hoped to spend my last few hours among the living."

George took a deep breath.

"But I see now that can't happen."

-----------------------

(3 days ago)

With a small smile Sabria watched as the doors closed between herself and Yoko.

The fools would never make it out alive, she was sure. Still smiling, she lowered her briefcase onto the floor and took the doctor's gun out of her jacket. She counted the bullets. Only three. Sighing, she snapped the case shut. She was so absorbed in doing so that she didn't notice something skidding across the ceiling.

She lifted her briefcase. Umbrella was expecting her, and she was already very late.

The Hunter fell silently in step behind her.

---------------------------

(now)

Jimmy stamped his feet, trying to shake off the cold. The temperature hadn't dropped much, which was a mercy, but they hadn't risen much either. Which sucked. Having nothing much else to do, Jimmy looked at the comatose Alyssa. He went to her side.

Her eyes were still closed, but her finger moved a little. With a huge grin on his face Jimmy gratefully took her hand.

That's when he noticed the golden ring on her finger.

Jimmy's grin fell from his face. He removed his hand, looked down and coughed.

Alyssa stirred and opened her blue eyes.

"Hey, sleepy head," Jimmy said with a smile. "About time you woke up."

"Hm. What happened?" Alyssa whispered. "Didthe zombies get me?"

"You know you're too beautiful for that. But you got shot by this very crazy woman," Jimmy explained. "I honestly didn't think you'd make it. I guess the doctor, for what little he's worth, is pretty good in his field." It was hard to keep the anger out of his voice.

Alyssa glanced around. "Where are we? Where are the others?"

Jimmy hesitated before coughing awkwardly. This was more difficult then he expected to tell her. How they were the only two people by themselves now. Truthfully, he had expected the doctor to be yellow- bellied and to disappear without a trace.

But he had a hard time justifying Yoko's disappearance.

-------

Alone, and by herself, Yoko walked down the cubicles. She recognized the place, just as she recognized every single room in the underground base.

She stopped by a wooden shelf. The air conditioning had been turned on to a point where it was like a strong breeze, blowing away the memos on the shelf away.

Yoko caught some with the flat of her bloodied hand. She knew, before she even looked, that all of them would have her signature on the bottom. Big black letters. She flipped through them all. Yoko, Yoko, Yoko-

With a half-cry she tossed them away. They fluttered to the ground.

Yoko stared at them, almost hyperventilating. The truth was, she knew she had signed them, just as she knew the base on an intimate level. But she didn't have any *clear* memories of being here, either.

Her heart lurched in her chest. She remembered it as though it were yesterday, the sound of brakes squealing, of glass shattering all around her. It had been two years since the accident. Since she had lost her memory.

Lost themand never really wanted them back.

Until now.

George had handed the gun into her confused hands, the one he had retrieved during his search of the last three days. "I'm sorry, Yoko," he said. "I really am."

Yoko blinked at the unexpected memory.

"I know you can do this."

Yoko looked down. She touched her bloodied fingers together.

The sound of a gunshot exploding. George flying backwards and crashing against the wall, breaking the shelves with a grunt of intense pain-

Yoko looked up, her hand to her forehead. Her eyes were shut in intense agony.

A woman's voice. 'Don't lie to me! You could never lie to me!'*

Yoko walked out of the room.

--------------------------------

Jimmy silently marveled at Alyssa's strength as she attempted to put on her small pink jacket. "What do you mean they're gone? How can they just go!?"

"Alyssa," Jimmy began, and had no idea what to say. "I'm-"

"I'm right here," a soft voice said. Jimmy turned, and saw Yoko standing alone in the darkness, having just walked through the door.

Alyssa blinked. "What happened? Where's George?"

Yoko swallowed. "George is dead," she replied. She held up her hands, and Alyssa saw that they were literally covered with dried blood. "He was turning into one of them and attacked me. I-I couldn't let that happen to him after e-everything he had done-I shot-" Yoko looked down, and Jimmy could see that she was visibly trembling.

He wrapped his arms around her. "Hey, hey. It's okay, kid. You did what was right."

Yoko nodded silently. Alyssa lowered her eyes, unable to speak.

Yoko sniffed. "We have to get out of here. There are a lot more zombies out there now. They'll soon discover where-"

The door started to pound.

"That's our cue to leave," Jimmy said. He bent down and picked Alyssa up. They immediately exited through the small side door.

Yoko stayed a moment, starring at unseen ghosts. "I'm sorry, George," she whispered brokenly. "I really am."

---------------------------

The sound of a flipping coin. Over and over again.

From her precarious position on the ramp Alyssa looked up in irritation, her blond hair damp with sweat. Yoko, however, was fascinated. Spinning through the air, the coin was unlike any she had ever seen. "What is that?"

"This?" Jimmy asked. "This, girl, is my lucky coin. I toss it whenever I have a big decision to make. It was this coin which led me to you."

All three of them were sitting on a metal ramp above an abandoned storage bay.

Well, mostly abandoned. They were starring at a crowd of zombies.

Yoko tried not to focus on them. She instead looked up at Jimmy. "What are you thinking about now?"

Jimmy didn't reply, but his hand stilled. His brown eyes widened with terror.

(One day ago)

Since Alyssa was out of immediate danger, George and Jimmy had spent most of the day searching for an alternate route to the train. Jimmy couldn't remember one off-hand, but that didn't mean that there wasn't one. A day of searching had turned up nothing. Nada. No ventilation routes, no other way.

George shined his flashlight down the hall. "Wanna look at this room while I search down there?"

Jimmy, who initially thought he had been given the better deal, nodded. "Okay."

George proceeded down the narrow passage as Jimmy unlocked the door and opened it. It was a small utility shed, but his flashlight caught onto another metal door on the opposite side. He moved to take a step forwards-

-and immediately drew back in alarm.

On the ground, there were bodies sprawled everywhere. A lot of bodies. Jimmy counted ten of them.

Nearby George said something incoherent. Swallowing, and with shaking feet

Jimmy proceeded to move in-between the still corpses.

No one movedor did they? Jimmy noticed that they seemed a little too pale, as though recently drowned. Like the zombies looked. Another step. Did one of them twitch a little? Jimmy was now shaking from head to toe. He could practically see their red veins darken to black, the yellow glistening of their eyes as they silently lifted their heads, watching him. The slight twitching of their limps as they reached for him-

A can of oil fell from the shelf to the ground. Jimmy shrieked and ran back through the door. He bolted it shut.

George met him in the passageway. "What happened?" he demanded.

"Nothing," Jimmy swallowed. "Nothing happened, that's what. There's nothing in that room." He stormed off.

George stared after him. "Are you sure? I could have sworn I heard a woman screaming-"

"-there was nothing!"

--------------------

(now)

Nothing.

That's what Jimmy felt as he flipped the coin. He knew he didn't have a lot of courage inside of him. That was just something he had to live with. But he also didn't have a lot of choices. That was the only door unexplored. It could so easily lead to nowhere.

Or it might lead somewhere.

Yoko was still watching him curiously. Even Alyssa was now starring.

After a moment's hesitation. He decided to let the coin decide. Heads, he would tell the others. Tails, he wouldn't. He flipped the coin into the air. Jimmy neatly caught it with his fist, turned it over, and viewed the result.

He sighed.

----------------------------------------

Starring down at the ladder Jimmy activated a flare. With a spitting hiss the green light fell through the shaft. "It drives the zombies away," Jimmy explained, straightening his cap. "It hurts their eyes."

"Great," Alyssa said. She was hanging onto Yoko precariously for balance. One at a time they descended the ladder, Alyssa moving with both of their help.

Yoko looked up at her. "Are you okay?"

"No, I am not okay!" Alyssa snapped at her. When her bare feet touched the ground she stormed past Yoko. Yoko noticed how firmly her jaw was set, how white her lips were.

They opened the door. As predicted, there were ten bodies sprawled on the floor. Jimmy immediately moved to step forwards.

Yoko stopped him. "Wait," she said. She took a flare gently out of his backpack and smacked it gently against her wrist. The green light was reflected in her eyes. She tossed it into the room, grabbed another and tossed this as well. And another. And another.

One of the corpses moved and swiped a flare with her hand.

All three of them jumped. "Maybe you should have this," Yoko said, giving Jimmy George's gun.

Jimmy took it, noting that it was fully loaded. Yoko stepped into the room slowly. "I think they're onlyhalf-dead," she said quietly. "In the process of being zombies."

She suddenly noticed that next to the light a woman had a note in her tightly clenched hand. Against herself Yoko bent down. The woman had blond hair and used to be very pretty, Yoko noted. She reached for the note.

"Yokodon't," Jimmy said.

Yoko ignored him. She reached forwards and snatched it from her hand. The paper came away easily. Taking a deep breath Yoko stood.

A hand grabbed her ankle. Yoko looked down and saw with horror that the woman gripped onto her, snarling with anger. The woman's gums were horrible blackened, and her teeth were yellow. She reached forwards with her moth

"Help me-I can't break free!" Yoko shouted, trying to kick away.

Jimmy fumbled for the gun. But his sweaty hands were making it difficult. To add to that, he had never fired a gun in his life. The gun skidded to the ground. "s***!"

"Help!" Yoko pleaded. Near her a middle-aged man lifted his head and reared his mouth towards her.

The next moment his head exploded. Another gunshot, and the same happened with the woman.

Yoko looked up in wonder, and saw that Alyssa had fired the gun. She was starring at the zombies with profound hatred.

In two steps Yoko yanked opened the door. All of them ran through. Jimmy closed the door. Yoko looked around. They were in a very narrow tunnel that was dripping with water.

Jimmy stared at her. "Well. Now you've got us all curious, Yoko. What was in that note?"

Breathing hard, Yoko opened the blood-stained note and read it. She folded it back again and put it in her backpack. "We should get moving," she said quietly. "Right now."

Mystified, Jimmy followed her.

---------------------

The narrow tunnel led to a large walkway that was frozen on the ground. Yoko moved slowly but carefully.

When suddenly Jimmy brushed right past her. Yoko almost lost her balance. "Jimmy, what-" Yoko began.

"I know what this is!" he shrieked. "Don't you see? I know where we are! He yanked open the door on the opposite side and without another word ran through.

Yoko helped Alyssa and the two of them quickly walked to the other side. As soon as she turned the corner she almost let go of the reporter in her shock. Yoko smiled, her face brimming with happiness. "We've found the train!" she said.

---------------------

They could just see the very top of the train. In her excitement Yoko skipped ahead of everyone else. Alyssa held onto Jimmy for support. "Oh boy, I can just see it right now. Sparkling champagne, some hard-core decent food, a warm bed-" Jimmy whispered.

Giggling right along with what he said, Yoko broke into a run. It seemed like everything moved in slow motion, and getting to the train would take forever-

She suddenly skidded to a stop so suddenly that she fell backwards. Her sneakers skidded against the floor as she felt all feeling leave her in a rush.

Dimly, in the background, she heard Jimmy yell, "I am never coming back to this city again!" Yoko would have liked to respond, to explain how wrong everything was, but couldn't. She could only sniff and look down at her feet.

Jimmy appeared around the corner. He paled by at least three shades, and he was struck speechless. He could only gesture in horror with his open hands.

Sparking, the train was perched against the wall, hanging just barely off the broken railing. The very front of it was smashed to nothing more then scrap along the floor of the railing. One of the inside compartments was broken, spilling dozens of crates onto the ground. Below, the railing itself was broken in several places.

Yoko spoke for all of them. "We're not going anywhere."

---------------

(2 hours later)

Dazed and confused, the zombie lurched forwards, reaching for the girl sitting on the steps of the broken train.

There was a loud explosion, and the female zombie flew backwards against the concrete. On top of the train Jimmy pumped back his shotgun once. Below Yoko barely even noticed.

For what was the fifth time Jimmy launched into a string of profanities that never seemed to end. He finally ended by gesturing to the train as he climbed off the top. "Look at what they did to my baby!"

"Is there any way to repair this?" Alyssa asked from the other side.

"There is no way this damage can be fixed!" Jimmy snapped at her. "Oh man, we are so screwed!"

Yoko didn't respond to that. Too much had happened in the last few hours that made her feelso cold. Numb. Frozen. There was a fire nearby that illuminated her pale cheeks.

Alyssa stared at the damage, especially at the massive claw marks on the side of the train. "What could have done this!?" she wondered.

"Who cares!?" Jimmy snarled. He sat down and slammed his cap against the edge of the train. "Seven years of my life worked into thisand now it's destroyed. Gone." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Now when we get out of here what am I going to do?"

Yoko looked up at him, and then down again. In her hand she held George's gun. Bleakly she remembered their last conversation.

--------------------------------------

"I had hoped to spend my last few hours among the living," George said, looking at the unconscious Alyssa. He turned back to Yoko. "But I see that can't happen. I have to leave."

It took a moment for Yoko to process all of this. They were in the storeroom adjacent to the medical lab. The room was dark, but a broken, sparking cable was providing brief illumination. Enough to see that George was a shade paler. His piercing blue eyes stared at her with a new lookmaybe like a hunter stalking its prey. Or did she just imagine it? Yoko shuddered inwardly. At the same time, she was trying to contemplate the full horror of what George was saying. "No. You can't leave. We need you."

George shook his head, a small smile on his lips. "There isn't another way. I would take it if there was."

"ButAlyssa-"

"She should be all right. In either case, there's nothing more I can do for her. Yoko, I know that this is hard for you to accept. But if there is a cure for this then I have to find it on my own."

But Yoko could hear the faint note of doubt in his voice. His eyes were downcast. 'He's leaving to die,' she thought in horror.

"Shouldn't the price we paid when we separated in the first place teach you

anything? We have to stick together, or else we don't have a chance!"

"Yes you do," George replied quietly. "But it'll have to be without me."

George stepped away, looking at Alyssa. "You have no idea what it's like. You can't comprehend. I can feel it burning inside of me, infecting everyone of my blood cells. But there's also a part of me that wants this to happen. It's like a narcotic. And I think that feeling will grow stronger before the end."

Yoko blinked and looked up.

"Which is why I can't stay. You can get through this without me. I know you can," George continued.

"SoI'll never see you again," Yoko said. "Nor will anyone else."

Yoko turned away. George felt his heart swell with pity, and he touched her arm. "Yoko-"

Yoko shook him off. "No. You know what? You're absolutely right. We can get out of here without you. You're nothing more then a liability." She turned to face him, anger in her green eyes. "I just didn't realize how much of a coward you were, doctor. Because you sure aren't brave enough to try to find a cure. I can't believe it took me this long to figure you out. All right then. You want to leave? Fine. Go. I won't stop you. And if you come after us, the last thing you'll see is me before I blow the brains out of your head."

"Yoko-"

"Leave," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

George withdrew his hand and looked down. With an inward sigh he moved

towards the door. Behind him tears silently fell down Yoko's cheeks.

George stopped, very suddenly. Behind him Yoko looked up in puzzlement.

Sabria pulled the safety back. "Well. Isn't this cozy," she said.

(now)

A minute later she wiped the tears away, now angry. She lifted George's gun. She had to be strong, like he said.

But how could she be strong now?

When there was no way out?

---------------------------------

Jimmy opened the compartment door with a mighty grimace of effort. Yoko and Alyssa followed behind him. Jimmy closed the door. "We can stay here for the night," he said. "It should be safe. Quiet, at least. But it's solid metal, so there shouldn't be any problems."

He trailed off. Yoko sat down against the side of the wall. She folded her arms.

She was tired and hungry, but another part of her was buzzing on adrenaline. She looked at her bloodied hands. They were now completely dry.

"You know, it helps to talk," Jimmy whispered, sitting next to her.

"What does it matter now?" Yoko replied in misery.

Jimmy looked away. "I'm afraid," he admitted. "I'm afraid of becoming one of those things. I'm afraid even more of dying." He coughed. "I think we all are."

Smoothing out a small blanket, Alyssa looked up.

"We never asked to be where we are, Yoko. We never asked to be in this situation. Butif it helps, I'm a big follower of destiny. This is why I've got this coinright here." He opened his palm to show it. "All of us choose to come to

Racoon city through one means or another, one twist of fate. And if that's true, then we were destined to be here during the outbreak. All three of us here, because, in some way or another, all of us can make a small difference in what's happening. Some good difference, before we go out. Thathelps me." Jimmy shook his head. "It's late. We should get some rest. I don't think they can come in here." He opened a small compartment where there were more spare blankets. He wrapped one gently around Yoko.

"You know that if we stay, we're never going to make it out of here," she whispered.

"Don't think like that," Jimmy ordered. A moment later Yoko closed her eyes, the green blanket wrapped around her. She appeared fast asleep.

Jimmy walked over to Alyssa. "How's that wound doing-woah!" He grabbed her just in time before she collapsed to the ground. He lowered her gently into a sitting position. "Let me see that wound," he offered, and opened her jacket a little. "Well, the stiches seem to be holding up."

Alyssa's face was ashen. "Let's hope they stay that way, because none of us are doctors."

"Let me get you some water," Jimmy offered. He stood and moved past Yoko.

But Yoko was far from being asleep. Her mind had drifted back miserably into memories.

-----------------------

George and Yoko backed up against the wall. With a small gasp Yoko hid the gun behind her back.

Sabria didn't notice. She stared at Alyssa's comatose form. "So. She's alive. I can remedy that-if you don't agree to help me."

"Sabria, what are you doing here? I thought you were gone!" Yoko whispered.

Sabria said nothing for a long minute, chewing her lip. "I'm infected," she said softly.

George blinked in surprise.

"I'm infected!" Sabria snapped, and her gun went off. George darted out of the way with a shout as the bullet exploded next to his head.

Sabria lifted the gun. "One of those damn creatures came and-Jesus, I didn't even see it. Got me up pretty good, whatever it was. Just barely got away. Wasn't human. Wasn't zombie!" Her eyes focused on George. "You're going to tell me what the cure is."

A pause. "I don't know what the cure is," George said.

"Don't lie-"

"He doesn't know, and that's the truth!" Yoko shouted.

Sabria's gun went right to her. "Don't lie to me! You could never lie to me!"

The gun switched back to George. "I mean, it's been three days now, and you seem to be getting along pretty well," Sabria added with a giggle.

"It works differently for different people-"

"Oh, bullshit!" Sabria snapped. "Most people become zombies within hours of infection! You have to know something!"

George's eyes lowered. It occurred to him that there was a small puddle of oil around her feet, the trail leading from him as well. George looked up. "Maybe I do."

Sabria smiled in satisfaction. "There. You see? You're going to tell me what I need to know, or I'll shoot her brains out." The gun went back to Yoko. "Sorry, Yoko. We're not really that close."

"No, I won't do that," George said, discretely putting his hand into his back pocket. He took out a lighter.

Sabria glanced at them, then opened her bag. She took out a canister. "All right. You need an added incentive? Fine." She held the canister up. "If I open this, all three of us will become infected. When that happens you'll only wish you had become a zombie!" She gave another nervous giggle, then her eyes narrowed. "I have nothing to loose. So tell me the cure." Her voice broke. "Tell me now."

Yoko stepped forwards. "Sabria, I don't know what's happened between us. I can't remember, and some days I'm very glad about that. But I can tell that you're upset and that you want to get out of here. So do we all. Maybe if we work together, we might be able to help you!"

George tried, without much success, to flick the lighter on. He worked patiently, trying again and again.

"Work? With you? Nice try, but I know what type of person you are. So don't make me laugh." She lifted her gun. "Good-bye, Yoko."

The lighter sparked to life. George dropped it and it fell to the ground behind him.

The oil immediately caught on and was within seconds near Sabria. Her skirt caught on fire. With a scream she stepped back, trying to brush it out with her hands. She lifted her gun and fired multiple times. Yoko ducked behind a desk. The glass window exploded, showering her with dozens of shards. Yoko lifted her hands up to protect herself, and the glass caught into them. One bullet hit George and he crashed backwards against the shelf, wincing.

Yoko straightened, took out the gun and fired multiple times. Her aim was perfect. The bullets caught Sabria in the chest. With a half-screech that sounded barely human she ran out of the room, slamming the metal door behind her. For a moment, it was quiet.

Breathing hard, Yoko looked up and to the right in surprise. She blinked.

George was gone too.

She was alone in the empty room.

--------

Yoko was having a nightmare.

Covered from head to toe with sweat, she rolled to her left and right, gripping the green blanket along with her. Every so often she would give a little cry. She was-

-sitting next to her desk, her pen making a slight scratching noise as she wrote out a memo. She wore a white lab coat and had on a small pair of glasses on her nose. Her green eyes were cold. She paused as she read yet another letter by the Umbrella Corporation. Yet this one was special-

-in an elevator now. Five white buttons were marked clearly. That is, until she takes out a small golden key attached to a chain and inserts it into a lock. Then one more button suddenly appears, a button marked in green-

-a large chamber. Through the glass Yoko could see a man was hung vertically. His muscles were growing at an incredible rate and they were almost being torn apart.

A voice to her right. "As you can see, Yoko, by injecting continuous doses of the concentrated T- virus within fifteen-minute intervals" This was emphasized by an injection going into the man. "You will find quite a surprising result."

Yoko peered closer into the glass.

The man's mouth was open in a scream, inaudible to her because of the room. But yet, there was a scream. She could hear it, though it was so far away. It was.

-------

.her

Yoko woke up screaming.

Illuminated by green light, the zombie reached right for her throat.

Yoko frantically grabbed her gun from the ground. She aimed high and shot the zombie's brains out. The corpse collapsed with a thud next to her.

From the other side of the compartment Jimmy was shooting others with his shotgun, but more zombies were coming through the compartment door that was slightly ajar. With a cry of horror Alyssa backed up against the wall, having no weapons at all. The light was coming from a lit flare in the middle.

The wall behind Yoko was suddenly clawed apart with amazing force, making Yoko scream and back away. Shaking, she could see two eyes peer back at her. Green, clear, and very massive eyes-

"Here!" Jimmy shouted, pulling open an emergency hatch to the roof of the train. "I'll boast you up!"

Alyssa went first. She climbed up very slowly and painfully to the top.

Yoko followed next. Jimmy was last, hauling himself up with a very practiced skill.

All three of them looked down at the crowd of zombies and the massive beast which wasn't even remotely human. As Yoko watched it swiped its massive claw against the side of another compartment which broke apart in a shower of sparks.

Yoko closed her eyes and looked away. Her black hair was matted with sweat and she was hyperventilating.

"Don't just sit here! Crawl!" Jimmy ordered.

---------------

Eventually they managed to escape into an empty corridor.

"Well that's it, then. We can't even get a moment's break," Jimmy said in disgust.

"We might now," Yoko said, and looked up at them. "There's another level to this place."

Jimmy started. "What? How do you know that?"

A long pause. Yoko looked down. "Because I used to work here. Or, I'm pretty sure I used to."

Alyssa and Jimmy stared, both bewildered. Yoko cleared her throat. "Listen. Two years ago I was in a car accident. I lost all my memories then, and I never got them back. But seeing this place-it brings back memories. Memories of me!" She looked down. "Thingsare still confusing."

Jimmy regarded her carefully. "Yeah? Well how come there wasn't another level marked on the elevator?"

"Because you needed a key to access it," Yoko said. "A key that I used to have. At least the key used to work on the main elevator."

"Great. Just great," Jimmy said.

Alyssa spoke for the first time. "Even so, what good would it do? Even if we could find a way down therewould there be anything worth to find? Try to remember."

Yoko looked blankly off into space, trying to think.

--------------------

The T-virus canister was put into the empty briefcase, and it snapped shut.

"If Umbrella wants the T-virus, then of course we shall give it to them," the man said. He looked up at Yoko.

"How do I look?" Yoko asked, referring to her green jacket, blue jeans, and backpack. "I think I look like a tourist."

"The perfect disguise, then," the man said with a smile. Beside them stood a massive train. The man smiled and kissed the top of her forehead. "My dearest Yoko. We've accomplished so much in such a short time. Just imagine what we can do later on."

Yoko looked back as the train hummed to life. "I better hurry," she said. She turned back to him. "I'll be back. Soon." She exited onto the train.

It was close to nighttime on the surface. The sun was just setting.

Yoko was next to a park. Glancing to the left, she saw a group of laughing kids on

a merry-go- round. For a moment all she did was stare at them. Then she crossed the street.

She never saw the car coming until it was too late.

It crashed right into her. The sound of glass shattering all around her body, herself

being tossed against the side of the street. A last sigh from her. The metal briefcase opened, and the small vial slipping out. Watching it fall through a small metal grating and landing in the sewers. Dimly hearing a twittering.

'Rats,' she thought. 'Those are rats.'

Yoko closed her bloodied eyes and-

"Yoko!"

Jimmy was shaking her. Tears were falling in rapid trickles down her face, and she herself realized she was saying, 'I don't wanna remember, I don't wanna remember-'

"Yoko-it's okay! Calm down!" Jimmy offered.

With a small gasp Yoko tore away from him. She broke off.

"Yoko!" Jimmy called out, but it was too late.

Yoko had run away.

-------------------------------------------

Yoko wasn't quite sure where she had run too. Down the corridors. Anywhere. It didn't matter. At one point she finally stopped as she saw-

She stopped outside the cemetery gates, not really sure why she was there.

She was dressed in the same clothes as she had on before the accident-green jacket, blue jeans, a backpack. There was a funeral going on with a very small crowd. A preacher was making a vindication. The people stood with their heads bowed.

Yoko stared. She knew that the man buried had meant something to her, but she wasn't sure what. She could only watch.

One of the mourners of the crowd lifted his head and glanced in puzzlement at Yoko. He was a fresh doctor, having recently graduated. His friend nudged him. "George," he whispered. The doctor hastily lowered his head again.

The camera clicked. Dressed in a long black coat, the woman sighed in irritation. Funerals were so boring. Why did this one have to take so long? So he was a respected scientist of so-and-so. Whatever.

They lowered the casket into the ground. Yoko looked down, very confused. She remembered two words.

'My child.'

"It wasn't me," Yoko protested in the unseen darkness, her hands clenched. "It wasn't me!"

Blinking away tears, Yoko looked up.

Her breath caught in her throat.

In front of her, as if by fate, was a door illuminated by a soft blue light. It had a number on it, but Yoko knew what it was.

It used to be her quarters.

--------------------------------------------

"Ugh!"

Sabria leaned against the wall, then pushed herself away from it, leaving a trail of blood. She touched the bullet holes in her chest. "sob!" she whispered, tears falling down her face.

Her briefcase dropped to the ground. Sabria screamed, but it was a scream not even remotely human, but instead more of an animal.

Sabria touched her mouth in astonishment, leaving behind a small trail of blood. Her body suddenly twitched. And again. The bullet holes closed in her body. The trail of blood stopped.

Sabria stared at her chest in astonishment, and began to laugh hysterically. She felt all right- more so alive then she had ever felt.

The feeling didn't last long.

Her body twitched again, then seemed to break into two. With a small cry escaping her compressed lips Sabria fell to the ground, her body convulsing.

And changing.

------------

Not far from where she was there was a body of a security guard slumped against the wall. Two pale, shaking hands slowly made their way to the gun attached to his hoister.

George took in a long, deep breath and attempted to focus. This time, he managed to get the gun out.

Instantly the guard opened his yellow eyes and reached for George. George shot it once in the head. The corpse collapsed to the ground.

With a grunt of effort George stumbled to his feet. He had changed drastically in a small amount of time. His skin had virtually no color in it save for the black blood which pulsed in his veins. His eyes-though still clear blue, had the slight rim of yellow around them.

He managed to straightened up and walk off down the corridor.

----------

In the dark passage only briefly illuminated by flickering lights George straightened. He was radically changing now, he knew. But he was not one of them. Not yet. More so, he had reason to hope.

He believed there might be a cure.

He had spent the last few hours going uselessly over memos and files. He hadn't

found anything that could help, until he came onto the last page of a folder. It involved a radical treatment when one of their staff members was infected. The trouble was, the file was vague at best. He needed to access more data. He leaned against the wall for a moment. George seriously doubted that he would be able to accomplish anything before his time was up. But of course, he had to try. He lifted his head, and frowned.

Up ahead he could see someone convulsing on the ground. He hurried over and recognized Sabria. Her body was drenched in sweat and tears ran down her eyes, a clear indication that she was conscious. George examined the slash marks in her side, and checked her neck for her pulse. Immediately he withdrew his hand. Touching her skin was like...touching a spiderweb. George looked down. Despite everything that had happened to him because of her, George still felt a rush of pity for the woman. He touched her shoulder, and could definitely feel something pulsing underneath...something growing. She wasn't changing into a zombie, that was for sure. He had half a mind to put her out of her misery. It would be easy for her. And safer for all of them. Instead his head reached upwards for the silver briefcase above her head. He took it and opened it up.

The canister was still there.

George closed the briefcase and looked down at the woman one last time. He stood, leaving with the briefcase in his hand.

------------------

The door was locked, but that was no problem for Yoko. She took out an ID card hanging from around her neck, an ID card she always had with her. She slid the card through the slot.

The door opened with a small hiss. "Good morning, Yoko," a computerized voice greeted as Yoko peered her head inside. It was pitch-black. Yoko stepped through. "Your last visit was August 12, 2002. You have twenty-three messages waiting."

Slowly, Yoko's eyes became accustomed to the darkness. Inside her quarters was a worktable with a computer on it, a desk, a small bed pushed up against the wall, and a small refrigerator next to it. Her lab coat was thrown carelessly over her desk. Yoko lifted it, touching the white fabric. She let it drop back.

She was drawn to the computer. She turned it on, and a blue screen appeared on the monitor. It asked for a password, but again, Yoko knew the password in the back of her mind. She instantly typed in, 'DUSK' and immediately came to log files. She randomly clicked on one.

Injecting the T-virus directly into a living organism has proven to be quite useless. While the results are very interesting, they are also far too unpredictable. A subject turns into a hybrid of some kind-in most cases a human with massive, deformed tissue causing excruciating pain that often leads to madness. In other cases, the subject turns into a zombie, but carries the concentrated amounts of the T-virus. As a result any person who comes into said contact will become a hybrid themselves after a prolonged period of infection, usually lasting longer then a person normally infected would become. Others infected with the T-virus will mutate in unexpected ways, including stretching of limbs, developing unusual abilities, and, in the rarest cases, actually developing a larger amount of intelligence after complete infection. In all cases, the subjects go insane after the transfer is complete. We have found that hybrids, while a small minority at best, can and has occurred more frequently when the T-virus is left in an uncontrolled thermal environment. The hybrids have proven that they cannot be controlled and should not be experimented on further in humans. We have tested our theories on animals with no better results-

There was more, but Yoko didn't bother to read it. She was too appalled for words. Wordlessly she skipped over to the last entry.

The T-virus is now complete. I will deliver it to UMBRELLA in person on the surface to be used later at their convenience. I will be back later tonight.

A final keystroke, and the computer was turned off.

Yoko looked down. She was every bit the monster she suspected she was. "Everything that's happened, I've been responsible for," she whispered. "Me."

"Far more then the university-exchange student you thought you were, correct?" a voice asked behind her.

Yoko whirled around so sharply that she slammed her wrist into the computer desk. In front of her was a man wearing a light blue work shirt and black pants. He had on a pair of small glasses, and had white hair with a faint tinge of blue. He smiled gently. "We're you at all curious as to how you were always cared for, at least financially? We provided you with the cover of a student until you were ready to return to us...as we always knew you would."

-------------------

Miles above Yoko on the surface, a man was watching the streets. The sun would be up soon, he noted. His eyes moved to the right, and he watched as his men attacked the remaining zombies with flamethrowers. His lips twisted into an amused sneer when they burned, shrieking.

His second-in-command hurried over towards him and saluted. "The perimeter is almost secure, sir."

"Good. Once that is finished set up base camp. After that, we go in."

"Yes, sir!" the man shouted, a bit too keenly. He ran off.

The man's small smile turned into a sigh of regret. It was too bad. This was the place where the virus was first created. It was, in many ways, a historic monument for UMBRELLA's cause.

Too bad they would have to bury it.

-------------------------

"Who-who are you?" Yoko demanded.

"And here I was hoping that you remembered me. My name is Greg. Ah, Yoko. It's been...what? Two years since you have returned? We've missed you."

Yoko backed away, upsetting a chair in the process. "No," she said. "This wasn't..this wasn't me!"

"It was you, Yoko. Every part of it was you. Your father was a brilliant man, a brilliant scientist. Almost as brilliant as you, but of course he took the credit. When he died, it was most unfortunate. I went to his funeral, you see. I saw you there. I could not believe my eyes! A part of you must have remembered what he meant to you. George is here also, I see, as is the reporter. Quite an astonishing turn of events! Though I don't think either are faring very well at the moment."

------------------

"Okay, where the Hell did that girl go?" Jimmy demanded. He was having a hard time helping Alyssa walk. He turned to the right and down a passage, away from where Yoko was.

They entered a massive room, as big as a gymnasium. It was almost pitch-black. There were some crates in the middle of the room and a chain fence at the very end.

"I don't think she's here, Jimmy," Alyssa said through dry lips.

"Yeah, well, you just rest for a minute, girl," Jimmy said, lowering her against one

of the crates. "Let me just check take this place out."

A minute later he discovered that he wasn't alone. Several people entered the

room through an unseen side-door. At least Jimmy assumed they were people. Their movements were too graceful to be a zombie. They also had flashlights shining right into his face, so he couldn't see much but moving shadows. Still, he grinned in real relief. "Thank god I found you guys. Listen-this woman here needs a doctor-"

The eight men aimed their assault rifles, and fired.

------------------------

George threw the canister inside the fire chamber and sealed it shut. He turned on the fire, and watched as the contents within were safely disposed of. George looked up, verifying the temperature. As a result he completely missed the four men standing behind him with their guns aimed at him.

George frowned, and turned around. His hand immediately went up against a flashlight shined at his face. He couldn't tell who it was.

"This one's infected, sir," a male voice mentioned.

"Yes. So he is," a calm voice returned. "Though not quite a zombie."

A slight pause. George blinked.

"Leave him," the voice continued. "Save the ammo."

The men withdrew out of the room, leaving George more then a little puzzled. He didn't have time to ponder it, though, when a sudden pain gripped his side. He stumbled to the floor in agony, his forehead burning with sweat.

------------------------

"All four of us created the T-virus, really. You, your father, Sabria, and myself. For Umbrella." Greg looked up. "You were in love with the idea of turning people into zombies, Yoko. You forced your father to watch 'night of the living dead' a dozen times. But the virus became real all too soon. Your little...shall we say, mishap caused the T-virus to become lost. It infected the rats in the sewers, who, in turn, infected the people. Eventually the Outbreak started. An unfortunate oversight, to be sure. The virus had yet to be perfected. Even so, Umbrella has seen fit to reward us." The man stared at her. "We can leave, Yoko. Right now. They will escort us out. You are not infected, I trust?"

Yoko shook her head, looking away.

"Good. That would have been tragic. We can go safely, Yoko. And continue our work in peace away from all...of this." He grimaced in distaste, then smiled and touched her shoulder. "It is time for us to be leaving, my child."

"But...what about my friends?"

"Your friends," Greg sneered. "They will not survive, I can assure you. And even so, once they realize who you are-what you are, they will hardly be your friends, now will they?" Greg coughed. "You didn't used to care about such things. Don't let the past two years cloud your judgement. Umbrella will offer us safety. Down here, you can only be buried alive. No one will care for you after you are gone, Yoko. No one except me." He turned away. "Gone, turned into one of those repulsive things. Without a brain. Without a soul. Craving only fresh, live meat.

Tell me, is that what you really want?"

Yoko stared at him, uncertain.

Greg smiled and offered his hand. "Stop denying the truth, Yoko. Stop denying who you are. Come with me," he said. "Please."

-----------

George opened his blue eyes.

He found that he was propped in a sitting position against a desk. He could barely see and his throat felt incredibly parched. He touched his forehead and wasn't surprised to find that he was running a high fever. He was still alive, though. He couldn't say for how much longer now. Another one of those attacks and he was sure he would become one of them permanently. Without any memories. Maybe without a soul. He looked down at the gun in his hands. If it came to that...and he knew it would soon, would he have the courage to do it? To end it before it began?

Simply put, no. He clicked back the safety and stashed the gun away in his belt.

But when it did happen, he would do everything humanly possible to keep away from Yoko and the rest.

---------------------

He reached a sink. George splashed some water onto his face and looked at himself in the mirror. His face was at least three times thinner and five times paler. There were visible signs of black veins now underneath his skin. He closed his eyes, and looked down. He couldn't believe this was happening.

He looked up quickly. He didn't really have time for regrets, not anymore.

Currently he was in a room previously explored by himself and Jimmy. It was the communications input room, essentially the living 'brain' of the base. There were computers, row after row of them. Next to them on the desk were various memos, memos George didn't even remotely understand.

His experience with computers was extremely limited. Still, he turned one on and rummaged around in the files. The problem was this-he was a doctor, perhaps an extremely good one, but that was still very far from being a scientist. While he understood the base foundation of what they were doing, the finer details were lost to him. He went aimlessly through the files, and stopped at one of them. Labeled 'ANT'.

Ant?

Antidote?

George couldn't believe that it would be that simple. He clicked on it, and got a negative beep. A password was required. George sighed in frustration. Seeing that this was getting him nowhere, he choose to study the T-virus itself.

A few minutes later George examined another slide. The more he studied it, the

more he understood it. A foreign entity worked its way into the blood cells, slowly at first, but eventually building up speed. It would starve the body of nutrients and, last but not least, cut off the brain cells from the rest of the body. How it reanimated the dead was something he had to discover, but if he could figure it out, there might be a way to create a vaccine combined with the fragmented data he had studied before.

So intent was he on studying this that he didn't notice that there was someone leaning heavily against the doorframe. It was only until he heard a polite cough did he turn around.

And his eyes widened with considerable disbelief.

No matter how bad George thought he looked, the man starring politely back at him was a hundred times worse. The skin of his flesh had not only paled, but was now a distinct yellow. Black veins had blossomed on his cheeks, and his eyes were almost completely yellow. Yet those eyes stared at George with intelligence and a gentleness that surprised him. He used to be a scientist, or at least George assumed so because of the lab coat. "Trying to find a cure?" the scientist asked, gesturing with his handgun. "You're wasting your time. It has been studied in great detail by every scientist that used to work here. There isn't one."

"I can't believe that," George replied. He turned back to the computer. "And I think

I'm onto something here-"

The scientist lifted his gun. George closed his eyes as the computer screen shattered into a million pieces.

"Now you're not," the scientist said simply.

George said nothing for a long moment. "Who are you?"

"A long time ago, I was a scientist. Not all the people here were sadistic evil morons, mister. I thought that the T-virus would be extremely beneficial to medical science." The man smiled a little. "I thought that before Umbrella decided to test it on us, naturally."

George shook his head. "I don't understand. Why is Umbrella doing this!?"

"You know that Umbrella is Raccon City's leading manufacturer, right? Well, for them, it is not enough. They wish to rule this world. Every single person inflicted by the T-virus is overwhelmed by the desire to eat, but even more so by another desire-to spread the virus to others. I'm feeling it right now. This will spread beyond Racoon City. It'll move to other cities, until the entire world is invested with this disease. When that happens, when there is nothing left to have the virus spread to-then eventually we will turn on ourselves. Thus, the human population is wiped out. Except for Umbrella, who are currently based miles underground. When they emerge, they will be the ones in charge of this world. But we can't worry about that now. Something else was created to in the labs down below. Secret level. Something Umbrella did not expect to escape. The hybrids. To the best of my knowledge there are six of them. If they leave the base..." He shook his head. "It will only increase our doom. We cannot allow that to happen. Both of our fates are sealed now..but you have a little more time, I think. Before the end. Another hour, perhaps, based on what I see."

The man's watched beeped. The man looked down and laughed. "My time is up, on the other hand. I have only a few minutes before the process.." He stumbled against the doorframe and fell to the floor. George went to his side.

The man gripped him. Hard. "I don't know who you are, but you are my last hope. You must destroy this base! I have set the thermal controls to below freezing down there in an effort to stop them. You must head down to the last level..." The man choked. "Hadn't realized...makes the T-virus more unstable. There might be more hybrids already...anyone bitten recently...last four days...." He began to convulse.

Looking at his injured hand, George slowly stood. He removed the safety from his gun.

The man's eyes were fixed on nothing. "We created monsters," he whispered through dying lips. "I hadn't realized."

His eyes closed.

Without another thought, George aimed his gun at the man's head and fired.

For a moment there was silence. George stood, thinking. It was like the man's death had given him a little bit of extra strength. He had one last thing to do before the end. He might not be able to find a cure but he might be able to destroy the horrors here once and for all. He still had the backpack of plastic explosives which he had left in the medical room where he had treated Alyssa. Now filled with purpose, he walked out of the room to go get them.

----------------------

From her position Alyssa could not see what had happened. She heard Jimmy calling out, then faltering. She heard the sound of multiple bullets firing, and her hands flew to her ears against the noise. Then silence. Terrible silence.

"Check," an unidentified voice ordered.

Another moment. "He's dead," a different voice confirmed.

Alyssa's heart caught in her throat. Slowly, but quietly, she heard them

approaching forwards. "Should we do a perimeter check, sir?"

"There's no time. We need to get to level five A.S.A.P. within...eight minutes and forty seconds. I don't need to tell you what will happen if we're in the blast radius. But if there are any more survivors..they're not getting out in time."

The men slowly walked towards her. Alyssa crawled back, hiding behind the crate.

She closed her eyes, waiting for them to leave. They exited the room.

Alyssa waited until she was sure they were gone, and with tears rolling down her cheeks she crawled over to Jimmy's side. He had been shot multiple times and was quite dead. His eyes were open lifelessly. Shutting her own against the horror, she touched his hand.

And found his lucky silver coin in his still-clenched fist.

Slowly, Alyssa took it. She didn't know why she did. She knew it was wrong, and she had no right to do so. And yet, she felt like she had to. That she would need it. Her eyes went mournfully upwards. "Jimmy," she whispered, and closed his brown eyes.

And then she ran, terrified for her life.

--------------------------

"Well?" Greg asked patiently. "I'm waiting."

Yoko had turned away from him. She closed her eyes, and a single tear fell from her eyes. "I'm not the same person I used to be," she whispered. She wiped her tear away with the back of her hand angrily. "And I won't go with you!"

Greg snorted with laughter. "Ridiculous. Your only other choice is death. The train on level four is destroyed. You will not make it to the one on level five. There are things waiting for you, Yoko. Things that want revenge. All of this for two lives. Two insignificant lives you barely even know." The man's face lit up with clear astonishment as Yoko stared at him defiantly. "Stop denying who you are, Yoko! Embrace the truth!"

"You can lead them out of here, Yoko. I know you can."[I/] She heard George whisper in the back of her mind. Her eyes spotted a small key lying on the desk attached to a gold chain. She took two steps purposefully past him and grabbed the key, and wrapped the chain around her hand. She turned to face him. "No. I'm not that person who cared nothing more then...experimenting on people and changing them! I'm my own person, and I'm going to get out of here. And I'm going to get my friends out of here. And you're not going to stop me," she added through clenched teeth.

Greg lifted his eyebrow. "And if I try?"

In response, Yoko calmly took the gun out of her belt and pointed it at him.

Greg's eyebrow lifted even higher. "Please. Have you ever even fired one of those things?"

Yoko pulled the trigger. Greg jerked his hand away and stared at the bullet that was lodged centimeters from where his hand had been.

"Yes," Yoko replied. "I can. I-I will!"

Greg tried desperately to regain his composure. "Very well...Yoko. If this is your choice then I will hardly stand in your way." He brushed past her. "I'll send the team your condolences." He left, closing the door behind him.

For a moment Yoko did nothing, starring at the darkness around her.

-------------------------

Minutes later Yoko listened as Alyssa explained Jimmy's fate. Inwardly, though, she was crushed. Heartbroken. She opened her hand. "Well, I've got the key now...we can use it to activate the freight lift to the fifth level...assuming everything still works okay..."

"And if it doesn't?" Alyssa demanded.

Yoko looked up, her face blank. "We'll die," she answered.

-------------------------

The key inserted into the lock. Yoko paused before turning it.

Alyssa looked at her. "Anytime today, Yoko!" she demanded.

"Sorry," Yoko said, and she was. Sorry that they would have to go down there, when, in her dim recollection of memories, she was very much afraid of what they would find.

She clenched her fist. '[I]This is my choice, my decision,' she thought. 'And whatever happens I will not be afraid. Not anymore.' She turned the key. A green light appeared, invisible before, with the number '5'. A button. Yoko pushed it.

The lift descended. And stopped. The doors opened. Yoko could see in front of them a dark hallway, lightened only by a sputtering cable and through the windows to the lab on her right, where there was a peaceful but unexplained blue glow.

Yoko was about to step forwards when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Better turn back the lock and send the elevator back up. So that no one else can get down here."

Yoko nodded in silent agreement and turned the key. The green light disappeared.

Yoko hung the key around her neck and departed the elevator.

--------------------

The water sloshed against George's waist as he navigated down the tunnel. The water was, in point of fact, waste disposal, and very likely to be below freezing. His teeth chattering, he tried to continue to walk. To further irk his mood, his gun had become lost in the rushing sewage and would probably be at the end of the tunnel, which he could now see the water descending through a metal grate.

With bloodied palms George tried to push against the grate. It held fast. Gritting his teeth, George summoned what was left of his strength. 'If the zombies can do this, so can I', he thought. He shoved. With a creak the grate broke open. George crawled past the narrow space into a small tunnel. The water ran into narrow trickles now.

George supposed that Yoko, Alyssa, and Jimmy were gone on the train now-they must have. He had discovered, through the memos, that there was another fifth level. The waste disposal seemed like the only clear way to get there. George climbed down a small ladder, dripping wet from head to toe. He looked down.

There was always the chance that the gun had made it through as well.

He felt something press against the back of his skull. A gun. "Is this what you're looking for?" he heard a voice ask behind him.

'As if my day couldn't get any worse,' George thought.

-----------

George stared at the man, not without some surprise. Whoever he was, he was certainly not part of the Umbrella force. He wore a leather jacket overtop a plain white shirt and leather pants, both the color of dust. He had brown hair, mostly unkept, brown eyes, and a tool belt devoid of tools. He also had a silver amulet which bounced against his white shirt.

The man stared at him coldly. "You don't look so well."

George swallowed. "Still human. Who are you?"

"A survivor. Beyond that its of little importance. Are there others with you?"

"Three. Two of them woman. One of them was shot."

"So...not the calvary I've been looking for, then?" the stranger asked. He sounded a little amused. "Here I was hoping that the problem was isolated only inside the base. But you're here. You're not staff. I guess that means the disease has spread to the city?"

George nodded.

"Hm. Figures." With that, the man turned away, lowering George's gun. He stashed it away and lit up a cigarette with a silver lighter.

"If I were you, I wouldn't wait for anyone to find you. Come with us."

"Why?" the stranger asked, turning around and flipping off the silver lighter. "I seem to be doing all right here. And I'm not in the business of baby-sitting others who can't take care of themselves."

"We've done some good. We've find a way out of here. There's a train..."

That sparked the man's interest. He exhaled. "You mean, they've found a way out of here. You're not coming with us."

"No," George replied. "I never intended to. I'm just trying to make sure the rest get out of here. Alive."

The man smiled. "Just making sure I understand you." He extended his hand. "The name's David."

George took it. "George. George Damien."

"Huh. So tell me, Mr. Damien-how do I get out of this mess?"

---------------------

The mysterious glow was, upon reflection, caused by a table lamp. Yoko turned away from it. She and Alyssa were standing in a lab. The first of many, she knew. On this level is where most of the experimentation would take place. This is where they would most likely meet those experiments. But the train wasn't far, that much she could remember. She reached up to her neck, gripping the key-now useless, but now for her a symbol of hope. She frowned. And yet, there was something on the edge of her memory, something she badly needed to remember, but couldn't. Something that she could almost reach out and grab-

'You shouldn't be here.'

With a start Yoko turned. "What?"

"I said, we should get going," Alyssa said with a hint of impatience. "This place is giving me the shivers already."

-----------------

Yoko and Alyssa walked down the narrow and empty passage when Yoko realized that they weren't alone. She turned around, her hand on her gun. Her eyes widened with surprise, a surprise that was equaled on George's face. Beside him was a stranger she had never seen before.

"What are you doing here? I thought you got on the train!" George demanded.

Alyssa gripped Yoko. "You said George was dead!" she snapped, her face as white as a sheet.

"I...I lied," Yoko stammered. "Dr. Damien, what-"

That was as far as she got.

------------------

Safely in the depths of level five, the leader in charge of the Umbrella unit stared at his watch as the countdown reached zero. He looked up, waiting for the air strike to begin. The first four levels of the base would be instantly demolished. The fifth, in theory, should hold.

At least, the commander sincerely hoped so.

--------------------

George wasn't entirely sure what had happened. One moment they were talking, the next all four of them hit the floor as something literally rocked the hall. The lights plunged out. After the first initial shock they were able to stand, but soon after there was a constant shaking. Dirt fell from the roof from cracks in the concrete, cracks that grew larger with amazing speed.

George could see that himself, David, and Alyssa were under stable ground for the moment. Yoko wasn't. George immediately reacted. He dived forwards, shoving himself and Yoko as far away as possible. Yoko shrieked as the ceiling started to give away. Four levels of debris literally fell on top of them.

-------------------

The commander waited until the shaking had subsided, then gestured to his men. "Let's go."

------------------------

Alyssa watched as the cave-in built up as high as the passageway. She stepped forwards and attempted to shift away some of the rock. David made no move to help but watched her as he lit up another cigarette, the only illumination in the passage.

Finally, she turned on him. "Do something!"

"Why?"

She turned back to the rocks. "We've got to...clear this away-"

"And the moment we do, we'll cause another cave-in. If they didn't get far enough, they'll be crushed to paste by now. If not, then the passage is blocked off. Permanently. They'll have to find another way around to catch up with us. We should keep moving. If you care about staying alive, that is."

Alyssa stared in desperation. First Jimmy, and now..this. She pounded against the rocks, but it was no use.

"So, are you coming?" David asked, sounding more then a little amused.

---------

Between the rocks Yoko lay unconscious in the darkness. Hands surrounded her, reached for her. Hands of decaying skin, hands belonging to the dead. Hands that reached...

...and grabbed her.

With a shout Yoko was startled into wakefulness.

"Yoko!" George shouted, his hands on her shoulders. "It's okay-it's me!"

"Is it?" Yoko demanded, blinking dust out of her eye. It was. He was bleeding from

a nasty wound on his scalp, but it was him, all the same.

"Are you all right?" George asked, very concerned.

She nodded. "I think so." She looked up at him as she accepted a hand up. "I never expected to see you again."

"Neither did I," George replied. For a moment the two of them looked into each other's eyes, marveling at how quickly both had changed, both had grown.

"Did you...find a cure?"

George sighed slightly. "Yes. But it's only partial. Useless. I do not have the ingredients or materials anyway, nor an incubator to mix them."

Yoko looked down, and her eyes dimmed. "Oh," she said. "Then...it's over for you."

George turned away, his arms folded. "If I was going to turn into a zombie, I would have. I'm turning into something else entirely." He looked down at his hand and gaped silently. His veins, now black, were also glowing a flourescent blue. He hadn't noticed until now.

"Wh-what does that mean?" Yoko asked from behind him.

George shook his head, looking completely lost. "I don't know." A pause. "Why

didn't you get on board the train?"

Yoko smiled, a bit sadly. "It's broken. But there's another one on this level."

George frowned. "How do you know that?"

"Because I've been here before." Yoko quickly changed the subject. "So what are you going to do now?"

George nodded. "Get you out of here, and that's the first thing. After that, I'm not sure. But whatever happens, you'll be away from it." He sighed and looked at the rubble. "Well, we're not going to be able to get out this way. I think there's another passage which circles around.."

Yoko hesitated. She really didn't want to tell him this now, but how much longer was he going to remain himself? She took out the folded note from backpack, a note that was stained with blood, and handed it to him. "Dr. Damien...this is for you," she only said.

Utterly bemused, George unfolded the note with his very own name addressed at the top. George's face contracted with pain, and he let the note drop to the ground. If anything could deal George a mortal blow, it was this.

"I'm...I'm sorry, George," Yoko could only say.

George looked up, his face calm. "She went looking for me. After hearing that I wasn't there at the shelter...she retraced my footsteps. She died because of me." Tears gathered in his eyes and his calm demeanor cracked a little.

She gripped his arm. "There's something I have to tell you," she whispered, tears in her own eyes. "Something about me."

----------------------

After twenty minutes, they had decided to take a brief rest. Alyssa sat huddled against the concrete wall, her eyes looking down in misery. They were resting on a metal grating overlooking a hall.

A few flicks and David lit his cigarette. He gestured. "So. You married?"

Alyssa lifted the hand with her ring on it. "Yes. To an editor." She brushed away a lock of blond hair. "His name was Chris."

"Was he..was he?"

"He was in Boston at the time. Though, if he heard what had happened he would try to find me. There's every chance that he's in Racoon City, too." The thought made her sigh.

For some reason, looking at her face, David felt a need to cheer her up. "Well, there's every chance that the government is keeping this under wraps. He might still be in Boston."

Alyssa looked up. "I'm going to find him," she said, and her voice was firm.

A moment of mutual silence.

"What about you?" Alyssa asked patiently. "Anyone?"

David shook his head. "No. Everyone I knew died long before the Outbreak."

"I'm...I'm sorry."

"That means nothing to me," D avid replied. "In all probability, we're going to die, before we leave this city. Your friend looks like he's on the way out. When that happens, when he becomes a zombie, who's going to pull the trigger?" He gestured. "Are you?"

Alyssa hesitated. "I don't...I don't know.."

David smiled. 'It's exactly that attitude which will get you killed before too long." He brought the cigarette to his lips. "Don't expect me to show the same pity for you."

Alyssa stood, somewhat angry now. "So what about you? If you think everything's so hopeless then why are you helping us?"

David grinned. "I"m doing this just to escape. A hole in the ground tends to lead nowhere pretty fast." He exhaled and glanced sharply to the right. Alyssa immediately became quiet, hardly daring to breathe.

David watched as the Umbrella men walked underneath them. Past them. Then silence.

Alyssa crawled past him. "I'm going to follow them."

"What? Now you're really crazy-"

"Look," Alyssa interrupted him. "I know it doesn't matter to you, but these people

murdered my friend. A person who, incidently, cared more about us then you do. And that means something to me. If I can see what these bastards are up to, and find some evidence to bring back, then it'll give his death a little meaning. Ok?"

"Whatever. Your funeral."

Taking that as acceptance, Alyssa moved to follow them.

--------------------

George and Yoko stopped for a brief rest as well.

George could see more evidence of the level gradually getting colder. Ice was starting to form on the walls. He and Yoko had stolen extra coats off dead bodies, but soon it would be of little help. For the moment, they were both seated on a small bench against the wall in a dark passage.

George took a moment to look at them both in amazement. They were both covered in filth and grime from head to toe. Yoko's face was smudged and her hands were trembling slightly. Her green eyes were focused at nothing in particular. George was calmer, a little bit, but that was because his fate had already been decided. But, in the process of that, he had grown too. He smiled in spite of himself. He used to hate kids, no matter that this kid was five times smarter then he was. He hated outfits that had even a speck of dirt on them, or his hair not being neatly combed. Or being late for meetings. Now his brown hair was completely messed up and filthy and he knew he hadn't eaten anything in quite some time. He also knew that his time was short, so very short. Yet, for the first time ever, he felt at peace with himself. Things can certainly change, George thought. Whatever time he had, he knew that he would use it well.

"You know, I was at the bar too," Yoko said, breaking his thoughts. "That night."

He looked at her, unable to hide his astonishment.

Yoko smiled a little. "I doubt you even recognized me. I was hiding, even from myself." She leaned back and sighed. "All of this happened because of me. The Outbreak-you, most of all. You're going to die soon...because you saved me. This all happened because you saved me! But when you look at me now...it's without judgement. Why is that?"

"Because I know it wasn't you," George replied. "As for what I did, I would do it again." He touched her shoulder. Gently. "Yoko. What's done is done. There's no use in beating yourself up for the past, a past in which you were someone different."

Yoko looked up at him, blinking. "You really believe that?"

George smiled. "I staked my life on it. I still believe it."

Yoko sniffed, and she allowed herself to be embraced in his arms. George hugged

her tightly, and looked up.

Through his reflection he could see the yellow growing in his blue irises.

------------------

"Argh!" Alyssa snapped in frustration as the lockpick didn't work. She sighed and tried a new one on her keychaing. One reason that she was such a great journalist was because of her ability to enter places usually locked to her...and of courses, places she was forbidden to enter. At the moment she was an empty room, trying to open a lock to a small grating.

Finally, the lock opened in her hands. With a small smile she entered the small shaft. Following the Umbrella men carefully.

At the end of the shaft she could peer into a room where several Umbrella men were stationed nearby. It looked like another lab. Very carefully, Alyssa took out of her pink purse a second recording device. She tapped it onto the REC button. Trying not to make any noise, she crawled up the shaft until she reached the grating.

The men were talking freely. Alyssa copied more then enough to incriminate UMBRELLA nicely. She smiled, somewhat in satisfaction. Just then someone entered the room. Alyssa withdrew slightly from the grate, stuffing her recorder back into her bag.

Whoever it was, he must have been the leader, because the other men saluted. The man ignored them and went to a metal panel just within Alyssa's vision to see. He pushed a few buttons, and pulled something up from the panel. A metal canister. The man sighed in audible relief. "It's not damaged."

He removed a vial of something from the canister. Alyssa had a good look at it. The vial glowed brightly with blue light and appeared to have a lot of little gold

specks swimming inside it.

The commander turned to his men. "I'm telling you this now-the T-virus was

created as a by-product. A defense mechanism to what this will make us." He smiled and set the formula carefully down on the table. "Gods." At that very moment, unknown to him, a shadow was hurling itself towards the glass window.

One of the men pointed. "Sir, look-"

The glass shattered. Alyssa couldn't see what it was, exactly, but she could hear it.

And she could honestly say that it wasn't a zombie, not by any means.

The commander gestured sharply. "Fall back!" The men withdrew, firing. They stepped out of the room just as...whatever it was ran after them, faster then a blur. After a moment, it was silent in the room.

Which gave Alyssa a very dangerous idea. She knew that if they survived, they would be back soon. She looked at the canister on the desk, bit her lip in thought, then threw caution to the wind. She kicked open the ventilation grating and ran to the panel. She lifted up and removed the thin vial from the canister. She carefully put it in her purse and turned around, just as the Umbrella men approached.

One of them didn't hesitate. "Shoot her!"

The men opened fire. Alyssa ran and jumped upwards for the ventilation shaft. She heard a voice cry out-don't, she has the vial! Before she escaped.

-----------------

All four of them had been able to regroup again and were heading down the hall to the door. "I remember this on the map. The train is just beyond this room!" David said, a note of excitement in his voice.

"Good," Alyssa replied. The formula...whatever it was...glowed visibly in her purse.

Behind them Yoko hung back, looking guiltily at each of them. She had told them her past, expecting a violent outburst. And, she thought with misery, she had gotten it. Now David and Alyssa were doing everything they could to ignore her. Only George gave her hand a gentle squeeze before moving past her.

As David touched the button which opened the door, all four of them looked at what lay ahead in astonishment. It was similar to a room they had encountered before. A narrow walkway led from them to the opposite doorway. An unseen abyss led beyond on both sides of the walkway. And yet, this room was different. Frozen ice and snow covered the walkway, and the room, unlike the rest, was several degrees below freezing. The wind tosses the snow around, giving the impression of a snowstorm. David slowly led the way, seemingly impervious to the cold. He glanced at them, his brown hair blowing in the unseen wind and clumped together with snow. "Well come on! You want to get out of here, don't you?"

Reluctantly they followed. Yoko second, George third, and Alyssa forth. There was no railing to stop them from plunging into the abyss. They moved very carefully.

Halfway down George stopped and frowned. Maybe it was his imagination, but he could hear...flapping. George looked up, and what he saw made him visibly start. He grabbed Yoko's arm and pointed upwards. Yoko gave a small cry of terror mixed with wonder.

On the ceiling were bodies, trapped together in some kind of cocoon. There was also something moving in the corner, but it was too far hidden in the shadows to be sure what it was.

"Those animals you experimented on," David said, reloading his gun. "Would that include moths?"

"We've g-g-got to h-h-help those people!" Yoko said, her teeth chattering.

"It's too late," David replied. "They've been there for too long! They're already dead."

Their talking stirred the shadows to move. A gigantic moth flew down towards them. David aimed and let lose a bullet. The moth flew away with a shriek, sounding nothing human.

More shadows stirred around them. There were at least six of them.

David gestured to Yoko. "Run. For the door," he ordered.

Yoko threw away all conscious thought of safety and ran right for the door, her feet sliding against the ice. David fired behind her. She made it through a room completely devoid of light.

On the other side George managed to stop only in time as the door shut between him and Yoko.

And locked.

------------------

Yoko turned in surprise at the door. She touched it.

"Yoko...." a voice whispered. Softly.

Yoko stepped away from the door. "Hello?" she called out. "Who's there?"

Laughter. From all around her.

Greatly anxious now, Yoko took out her gun and stepped forwards. There was a little illumination, enough to see that she was in a massive room that spanned many levels. As she walked forwards, her foot stumbled over a piece of overturned metal. Yoko straightened and she tried to navigate through the darkness. Looking for the voice.

Watching her from the second level was something that once was a woman. She breathed out once, exhaling sheer ice clouds.

Yoko could dimly hear the others pounding from the other side of the door. "Who's there?" she demanded again.

'You killed me, Yoko. You killed everyone here. Their blood cries out for you. It's past time you answered, don't you think?' the voice replied with a small cackle.

---------------------

George was trying without success to open the panel to the combination lock.

"Get this door open!" David shouted.

"I can't!" George replied.

----------------------

With another dry chuckle something landed in front of Yoko. Yoko stepped back with a gasp of pure horror, dropping the gun on the ground with a clatter. Standing in front of her was once Sabria-or rather, what was Sabria! Her entire body had mutated and hideously deformed her features. Her arms were now stretched along the floor, her torso was three sizes what it used to be, and her face had partially grown outwards and was as hard as bark.

With a sob Yoko dropped to the ground, trying to find her gun.

'You did this to me!' Sabria shrieked, and reached out with her long arm towards Yoko's face.

----------------------

"For crying out loud, how hard can it be!?" David shouted.

"Shut up!" George snapped.

Alyssa tugged on both their arms. "Um...guys.." she said.

As one, they turned around. The moths had gathered together, shrieking once more, perhaps sensing weakness. The three of them backed up against the wall, watching.

--------------------

Yoko jumped backwards just as Sabria's nails raked deep into her face. With a gasp she crawled back, her sneakers skidding against the ground. She touched her bleeding face in surprise.

'Quick, little Yoko. But not quick enough!' Sabria shouted after her. Her misshapen arm shot out and caught Yoko's neck. And tossed her backwards. 'At least like this I can do a service to mankind by snuffing out your miserable life!'

Yoko's head smashed against the wall, and her green eyes rolled up in her head.

She collapsed gently to the floor.

----------------------

George yanked the panel off, revealing a massive layer of wires. He looked at it in confusion.

"Hurry, or we're all moth bait!" David shouted behind him.

Alyssa pushed him aside. "Get out of the way!" she snapped, and fumbled in her bag for her decoder.

---------------------

'You're not supposed to be here....'

Yoko had changed into her disguise of a green sweater and blue jeans. Her hair was considerably shorter now. It was quiet and empty on level five. All the personal had retired for the night. Which was exactly how Yoko wanted it to be.

Soon she would deliver the virus to Umbrella, but not yet. First she had to make sure that her other plans, her secret plans were perfected.

Yoko sat down at a computer, looking to the left and right nervously. She turned the computer on, this time typing in a different password-DAWN.

And from there, she worked on the anti-virus.

------------------

With a half-choked groan Yoko awoke, memories-all her memories, flooding into her mind as Sabria was practically on top of her, her claw hands reaching towards Yoko's face. Yoko's hand felt something smooth. Hard steel. With all her might she swung it at Sabria's face. Sabria drew backwards, hissing. Yoko jumped to her feet. On the ground she spied her fallen gun beside some broken glass. Sabria followed her glance and lunged forwards. Yoko dived and picked it up just in time, her arms swinging towards Sabria.

"I was fighting them!" Yoko screamed, her gun firing. "I was fighting you!"

The bullets caught Sabria in the chest. With a half-gurgle and a sigh Sabria fell to the ground, bleeding. Yoko approached, her face as cold as ice. The human part of Sabria's face looked up at Yoko in barely concealed surprise.

Yoko lifted her gun. "I was someone different," she said softly.

The door opened to George seeing Yoko blow Sabria's head off. Shaking, Yoko lowered her arm and looked up at them. "Let's go home," she said.

"Oh no..." Alyssa whispered, touching Yoko's pale face. Long, bleeding gashes extended along her right cheek. "You're infected."

A voice behind them. "You're all infected."

They turned in shock to George.

Yoko blinked. "What are you...what are you saying?"

George shook his head, leaning against the wall. "I'm sorry. I should have told you the truth. The T- virus was originally created to be airborn. I saw evidence not long after I entered the base that here, it still was. I took some x-rays and found it in your respiratory system, Alyssa. You're all already infected."

Alyssa backed up against the wall, feeling a great weight on her shoulders. David said nothing, but his eyes were looking dangerously at George. His hands were clenching and unclenching.

"How long do we have?" Alyssa asked through white lips.

"It's..not as fast as when carried by blood. I'd say all of you have about a week left. Maybe even two," George said. "Before it permanently infects your systems."

All of them could say nothing in their shock. Slowly, they walked towards the side door. All except George, who stared at Sabria's corpse, not without some consideration. Will that be what he will become? He wondered silently for a moment. Will he become twisted, deformed like Sabria? Or something else entirely?

Thoughtfully he trailed after them, not knowing that he himself had considerably less then a week. In fact, he only had minutes left.

--------------------

They entered the room with the train.

Yoko entered with her head down, not even daring to look. Expecting the worse. As a result she wasn't surprised when she heard Alyssa's gasp of horror, and David sighing heavily. "This is going to slow us down," she heard him say.

Yoko finally decided to look up. What she saw made her feel like screaming.

The train was intact, but literally incased in a solid block of ice.

"I don't suppose anyone feels like a beer right now?" David suggested.

Not surprisingly, no one laughed.

----------------

David tapped the map with his half-gloved hand. "All right-this is where we are. The thermostat controls are on the same level. That's the good news." At the moment, they were in an office next to the train. David had spread out a large map he had recovered on to a table.

"And the bad?" Yoko asked, not sure if she wanted to know.

David pointed again to the map. "Someone has to go through all these labs first. Who knows what they'll find along the way?"

"Someone?" Alyssa inquired quietly.

David straightened, raising an eyebrow. "No point in all of us going. And, speaking personally, I vote that the three people who have not created a world epidemic in their lifetime stays behind."

A long pause.

"What!?" George shouted. "Why are you picking on Yoko-"

"Believe me, I would choose you except for the fact that I don't think you can even make it halfway. Yoko got all of us into this. All of us! She's more then welcome to get us out!"

"No, she doesn't remember-" George began.

David cut him off. "Look, doc, every person that is either dead, undead or otherwise is because of Yoko's fault! I mean, you've seen the bodies yourself!"

Not even George could find a retort to that. He looked away angrily.

"But.." Yoko began, her eyes beginning to swell with tears. 'It wasn't me,' she was going to say, but she saw that the argument was useless. Slowly, and silently, she nodded.

"Remember to turn it up hot," David said with a small smile.

Yoko moved towards the door.

A voice spoke up. "No. I'll go."

David turned in surprise to Alyssa. "Alyssa..no. Yoko should be the one. It's the right thing to do!"

Alyssa shook a lock of blond hair out of her eyes and stepped forwards, her high-heels clicking. Her face was pale, but also firm. "I can make it. Show me where to go."

"But-"

"Look, I don't know if you've noticed, but George doesn't have a lot of time left!

George-" Alyssa snapped. She turned around.

George had disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" David demanded, frowning.

Yoko's eyes widened. She couldn't explain how she knew, but...she just knew that this was the end, finally. For him. "Oh no!" she whispered.

-----------------------

Gripping his side, George stumbled down the stairs. His entire body was shaking as sweat drenched his clothes. His vision was dark and he was now seeing triple and it felt like his heart would burst any second. He blinked and lunged for the railing, and missed. He hit the floor, feeling so dizzy that he feared he was going to pass out. Inwardly he groaned, 'No, no, no...not now!' He cried out in pain. It felt like his stomach was being torn into pieces.

He looked up. At first he thought his fevered imagination, because he saw shadows moving towards him on the edge of his perception. He blinked. No wait-they were real! Zombies, two of them. Desperately he managed a pitiful crawl along the floor, before his strength gave out and he collapsed. They were almost on top of him! He could picture their teeth pulling apart his flesh.

Surprisingly, they were just standing there. Waiting, and not making a move towards him. 'Are they...guarding me? Knowing what's going to happen to me, are they...preventing others from helping me?' George wondered. With a groan of strength he resumed his crawl.

He had made it to the last part of the hall, which had ended in a dead end. There was a security guard laying on the ground next to him, so distorted that George could just barely see him.

His entire body was changing, transforming into something else. What it was George didn't know, but he knew for his mind, perhaps his soul, it had to be the end.

There was one thing further he could do.

With a great burst of strength he hauled himself up a metal pole next to the guard until he was in a sitting position. He fumbled with sweaty hands until he found a pair of handcuffs from the guard's belt. He attached his hand to the pole, and locked it in place.

He coughed once, gripping his stomach. He took in a few more deep breaths, leaning against the wall with his yellow eyes closed. His chin slowly dropped to his chest as his muscles relaxed, even as he changed. His heart became a flat-line, and he died.

The zombies looked on impassively.

-------------------

"Dr. Damien!" Yoko called out, stepping into the hall. She heard voices calling for her to come back. She ignored them and ran down the hall after George, as fast as she was able to.

She stepped down a metal staircase, and stopped half-way, astonished by what she saw.

-----------------

George opened his yellow eyes. His head hurt, and his throat was badly parched. He had changed, that much he was sure of. He had become a hybrid of something unexplainable. Physically, he appeared the same, not stretched or transformed like Sabria had been, but he felt stronger. Faster. More powerful. His heart had started again and was beating against his chest, though much more slowly then before.

He had mostly been changed mentally. He now gazed about the corridor with a greater intelligence, a greater understanding of how things worked. Most astonishingly of all, a large portion of what he had been-memories, personality-had survived the transformation. He understand what he had been before. Just as he understood that he could never go back to it.

He now saw the world in different colors. Thermal, to be precise. He had a compulsion to attack, to spread the T-virus, a compulsion so strong that it easily overrode all logic, all memories. And, he knew, the memories...everything he had, would gradually slip away before too long. The thought made him despair. He was just only barely hanging on to his mind, but it was a fight he would ultimately loose.

He suddenly looked up. There was someone approaching. He stared at the female girl, recognized her...and didn't. He had the strength to tear off the handcuff which bound him to the pole very easily. But, at the same time, another part-his human part, the part that was still alive, very much wanted to stay where he was. His handcuffed hand was clenched so tightly that blood trickled down his hand.

'Run Yoko,' he thought to himself. 'Run while there's still time.'

But Yoko didn't run away. Rather, she approached.

-----------------

The walls were encased in ice now. She could see George huddled at the end of the passage. But before that there were two zombies. They had already noticed her and were moving towards her.

Yoko slowly took out her gun from her pocket and lifted it. She fired twice. The zombies fell. George didn't seem to move or react. He was practically lifeless.

She approached. Very slowly. Her feet crunched against the ground. "Dr.

Damien....?"

George didn't respond. Yoko noticed how tightly his fist was clenched. George's eyes flickered open. They were yellow. "Yoko," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

"Are you...one of them?"

A long pause. "Yes...and no," George whispered, his voice shaking. "I'm a hybrid of both. I still have control...but, when I look at you, I look at you with...mm, such hunger! You have no idea how tempting it is to tear out your throat at this very moment!"

Yoko recoiled.

George licked his dry lips. "Yoko...there isn't much time. On the ground. See it?"

Yoko's green eyes spotted another handgun on the floor. She slowly picked it up.

"You have to end this. For good," George said. "I know that you...haven't really

used a gun before. But it's not that hard. Just point...and shoot."

Yoko looked up. "Dr. Damien...I can't."

"You have to!" George screamed, more out of desperation then anything else. Yoko stepped back.

George shook his head. "I can't live like this," he said, sinking back. His body was trembling. "Not like this." He looked up. "Please."

Yoko's face became firm. She aimed the gun and fired.

----------------------

"Dammit, where is she?" David swore, stepping out into the passageway. He looked at the left and right.

"Right here!" Yoko shouted, approaching. She had someone in her arms. It took David a moment to realize that that someone was George. George looked up, and David could see that his eyes were yellow. "s***!" David said, lifting his gun. "Yoko, step back!"

"No!" Yoko cried out. "It's not what you think!"

"Yeah, right!"

The gun exploded.

For a moment George really wondered what would happen if he was shot, but he didn't even find out.

"NO!"

Yoko pulled away the gun just as it exploded. George recoiled as it hit harmlessly into the wall.

David glared at Yoko, his eyes simmering with anger. Yoko still gripped the gun.

Her hand burned. But she looked at him defiantly.

David swore. "Yok-"

"No," Yoko repeated firmly. "He's not a zombie. He's a hybrid of both. Part of him is still human!"

"Barely," George remarked, starring hungrily at David.

David raised his gun. "Stop looking at me like that."

"Please make me," George said with a smile.

David raised his gun. "Whatever you say."

George suddenly looked up so sharply that David automatically moved his weapon up. "What??"

"Zombies above us," George said. "Among other things."

The lights flickered and died around them. "Power's out," Yoko said. "This time for good."

George nodded in agreement. "You're almost out of time."

Alyssa looked at all of them. "What are we going to do?" she wondered.

"Whatever happens, this is going to end now," George said. He looked briefly at his hand with part of a handcuff, the handcuff that Yoko had shot off. "All three of you will go to the train. I'll set the thermostat controls. Once that happens, you can leave."

Yoko frowned. "And then what?"

"I'm going to finish what Umbrella started." George unshrugged his backpack and held it up for them to see. "Plastic explosives. The doctor I talked to before was right. Nothing can escape here. If that happens, there isn't any hope."

"What about you?" Alyssa whispered.

George gave her a patient look. "Myself included."

Yoko blinked. George and her had talked about this plan in the hall, and it wasn't any easier to accept. Beyond this point she was never going to see him again. "Both of you..can you give George and me a moment alone?" she asked pleadingly.

Alyssa and David looked at each other sharply. David shook his head in disagreement, but muttered. "Fine. Whatever." The two of them walked back towards the train.

It was just the two of them.

"Are you sure about this?" Yoko asked.

George smiled sadly, his hand touching her cheek. Her face would probably be scarred for life. "I'm sorry, Yoko. I'm dying. Soon, I won't be able to hang on. I'll be just like them. The only reason I'm holding on at all is because of you three. You told me what Jimmy said-each of us has a part to play in this. And this is mine, I think. And it's more then I could ask for." He shook his head. "I almost envy what I am. At least I won't have to face the world you'll soon have to."

"I'll...I'll miss you," Yoko said. That was all. No more tears. Whatever she faced

now, she was prepared.

George nodded. "You better go, and...I'm glad to have known you, Yoko Suzuki."

Yoko smiled and squeezed his hand. Shouldering her own backpack, Yoko turned and walked down the empty passage.

George watched her leave before proceeding on his own.

---------------------

David and George walked down the passageway. David pushed open the small door. "This is the safest way for you to go. Give us ten minutes to get everything started. Set the charges for six minutes after, and that should give us time to spare."

George only nodded. His thoughts were focused on what he had to do.

"You remember everything I told you about setting bombs?" David asked with a raised eyebrow. "Our lives are only hanging in the balance, you know."

George favored him with an irritated look and a few words.

David grinned. "Just making sure. Well, see you. Or not. Hopefully not." With that, David left.

George sighed a little, and set his watch for sixteen minutes before proceeding. No more words were left. It was time for action.

----------------------

George ran to the environmental control station. He made better time then David predicted, considering he had faced virtually no opposition. George was frankly more then a little worried about that. There was no sign of the Umbrella men, which George had expected. They were long gone already through hidden means of their own. But the fact that he also neither saw nor heard any zombies at all disturbed him. Oh well. Too late to dwell on it. He looked at his watch. Since the environmental controls were equipped with their own generator, it would be very possible to do this.

------------------------

Yoko, David, and Alyssa ran down the small narrow tunnel. They were almost at the train.

------------------------

It took a few moments for George to recall the exact procedure to mind. He typed rapidly, watching as the levels rose below freezing to a level almost dangerously high.

But that way, the ice should be completely melted within minutes. George stood and undid his backpack. He took out a plastic explosive.

------------------------

"There it is!" Yoko said, pointing.

"George better do his part," David said dangerously.

Yoko was the first into the room. She stopped in astonishment, her eyes marveling at the sight which awaited her. The corners of her mouth lifted in pure joy.

---------------------------

With sad, shaking hands George slammed the charges along the wall in the dark tunnel. He keyed in the last digit and consulted his watch. He had six minutes. He went to another pillar and attached another explosive. He set it on the same timer. He moved onto the next. And the next.

-----------------------

It was dawn now, and Yoko could see the sun through cracks in the broken rooftop. It was the first time in so many days that she had seen the sun. The sight made her giddy with relief.

"Look, it's almost working!" David shouted, pointing. The ice was almost completely melted from the train and would be gone in another minute. He ran right towards the train. "I'll get her warmed up!" Alyssa soon followed after him.

Yoko stayed behind, marveling at the sight for another moment. They were safe! They were home! She stepped forwards, oblivious to the face that something was also melting behind her and slowly reaching out with its talon claw.

--------------------------

Three minutes. George was sitting in a dark room in front of a computer. It asked him for a password, but Yoko had already told him what it was. He typed in DAWN.

The computer displayed detailed instructions and diagrams for a serum to something called, 'Light'. It looked like half of the page had been erased intentionally. Half of the cure. George had the other half. He lifted the paper next to the screen. On the paper was a word at the top. 'Day.' Combined the word was 'DAYLIGHT.'.

George touched both the paper and the computer screen. He had the entire formula. "There's a cure," he whispered, half in disbelief. He glanced at the timer. Did he have time to use it?

--------------------

"The railing looks intact!" David shouted, entering and exiting the train. "I think we're almost good to go!"

-------------------

Two minutes.

With a grunt George slammed his elbow against the glass cabinet, smashing it to

pieces. Inside where the chemicals he needed. He held them hesitantly. The serum had not been perfected yet. Something felt like it was missing. He moved to the incubator. Too late for hesitation. He only had hope left now.

-------------------------

Tears ran unchecked down Yoko's face, but for the first time, ever in her life, they were tears of joy. Her hands were clasped together. She took another step forwards.

That's when she noticed a sound behind her and slowly turned her head.

--------------------------

One minute.

The incubator spun, mixing the ingredients. George waited for about thirty seconds. Finally it slowed, and there was only a single vial filled with clear yellow liquid. George plucked the vial and attached it to a needle. He allowed himself a brief moment to smile in broken relief. He tapped the vial to get out of air bubbles and lifted it to his arm.

His eyes suddenly looked up.

On the security monitor he could see Yoko, Alyssa, and David walking towards the train. And something stood behind Yoko. The mere sight of the thing made George's breath catch in his throat. George put the vial in his back pocket, already forgotten, and ran out the door.

But in his heart, he knew that no matter how fast he run, it would be too late.

---------------------

The train sparked with power, and the railing hummed with electricity.

"Hurry up, Yoko, if you're coming!" David said, loading the rest of their

possessions onto the train. He didn't even look behind him.

Yoko couldn't respond. She was paralyzed with fear. What stood in front of her resembled nothing even remotely human. It was more like one giant mash of flesh, with two small eyes and massive jaws. The thing towered over her. Her gun slipped to the floor, forgotten. She could only stand, trembling from head to toe, in front of the beast.

The last thing she saw was the thing's jaws closing in around her.

----------------------

The charges exploded, collapsing the pillars. The entire structure of the base started to collapse and break apart. And George knew that he was only just in front of the shockwave as he reached the doors. George pushed them open, just in time to see the beast's jaws close around Yoko's body. He heard her scream horribly, watched as she fell to the ground, large pools of blood forming around her. She lay still.

For a moment, George could only look in horror, unable to draw in a suffocating breath. He felt his world crashing down around him, and with that, his precarious hold on humanity snapped permanently.

-------------------

For a moment David and Alyssa could only stare in horror as well, each unconsciously holding hands.

That's when George went ballistic. For a moment Alyssa had a horrible image of his yellow eyes that were devoid of pupils, his blackening gums as he bared his teeth. He lunged right at the beast. Alyssa expected George to be torn to pieces, but George seemed to have a newborn strength of his own from his condition. He wrapped his arms around the beast's throat and the two of them did a half-spin.

Completely unnoticed by anyone, the vial fell from George's back pocket and rolled across the ground. Each of them trying to tear the other apart like wild animals. George was going right for the beast's eyes, avoiding wherever he could the thing's massive jaws. He couldn't avoid his claws, however, and one raked across his chest. George drew back, growling deep in his throat. His eyes spotted the gun on the ground right next to Yoko's body. Though on some level his personality and memories were slipping further away by the second, his intelligence wasn't going anywhere. He knew how to use a gun. He made a dive towards the ground and picked it up just as the beast made to leapt at him.

George swung the gun around, firing. His aim was perfect and he shot out both of the thing's eyes. He emptied his entire clip into the beast's underbelly. The beast fell to the ground with a startled whine. George tossed the gun away and approached the beast. The beast lifted his head up, shrieking with such a horrible sound that it made Alyssa lift her hands to her ears in pain. George understood on some level that this was probably once a person like he once was, but lost the ability to care the moment he stepped into the room. With a simple effort he snapped the beast's neck. The beast collapsed to the ground.

George stood over it, starring at it brightly with yellow eyes. 'For Yoko', a part of him thought in satisfaction.

A moment later it dimly occurred to him that he had no idea who that was.

. ---------------------

David glanced to the right at the open door. It would probably take twenty seconds for the shockwave to reach them. "s***. Alyssa, we've gotta go!" he bellowed.

But Alyssa couldn't. In half-wonder, she stepped forwards, her hand trembling as she touched George's shoulder. "G-George?"

George turned towards her.

And lunged for her.

"NO!" David screamed.

------------------

From George's perception, he had forgotten all about the explosives. He had forgotten who he was, or anything that mattered to him before. All he saw was fresh meat dangling in front of his eyes, fresh meat that he wanted more then anything in the world. He lunged for her, his fingers extended for her throat.

--------------------

David raised his gun, meaning to blow George to smitherings. Trouble was, Alyssa was in the way. He changed direction sharply to the right as a crowd of zombies struggled through the doorway. He lowered his gun in sheer astonishment. He counted at least eighteen. He raised his gun to fire, but he knew it would be useless.

---------------------

Alyssa grabbed George just as he reached for her and shoved him away with a small cry. "Get away from me!"

George only stepped backwards, his yellow eyes devoid of all expression. Except murder. In desperation she touched her neck where he had attacked her. She saw little beads of blood smeared against her finger. With a half-sob she searched. A weapon...she needed a weapon! She still had her leather duffle bag. She desperately struggled to unzip it, her hand rummaging for something...anything she could use. Her hand came up with her decoder.

David moved to the left. He finally had a clear shot of George, and he was going to take it. He fired once.

It caught George in the side. He fell to his knees. She smashed the decoder on top of his skull. The decoder exploded with a shower of sparks. George fell to the ground, in the pool of Yoko's blood.

David's weapon clicked empty. They were out of weapons. "Alyssa, I can't hold them back!" he shouted at her.

Gasping, Alyssa didn't even hear him. George was trying to get up again! She desperately looked around for anything she could use.

The entire room began to shudder from the shockwave. David turned as a massive claw, almost as big as him, clawed the entire wall apart. What was trying to emerge almost reached the height of the ceiling. "Oh, dear god," David whispered. He barely noticed the massive rocks falling from the ceiling to the ground beside him. He was only aware of the fact that they would soon probably all die. A piece of debris stuck the blinking lights on the ceiling, sending down a shower of sparks.

On some level George knew that death was only moments away, and didn't care even remotely. He struggled from his knees to his feet, his hand soaked with Yoko's blood. He looked around for his prey.

But couldn't see her anywhere.

The next moment he felt something strike deep into his shoulder. Hard.

From behind him Alyssa pushed in the needle as hard as he could with a cry. And the formula inside.

The next moment George's vision exploded with white light. He had a sensation of time slowly, of himself falling, and pulling Alyssa with him to the ground.

Then nothing at all.

-------------------------

What happened next in George's memory was murky at best. He had a sensation of himself moving and not being able to explain how. He had one clear memory of himself waking up and wanting to lunge forwards, to attack, to spread the disease again, yet he couldn't because he was bound tightly. He felt so incredibly weak that after a moment of struggling he sank deeper into the stretcher and succumbed to the darkness.

---------------------

(2 days later)

George opened his blue eyes.

The first thing he noticed was that it was dark. A look at the open starlit window told him that it wasn't just a trick of his vision. He was laying in a bed dressed in his torn clothes. There was a strange repeating sound, one that he should have been familiar with but couldn't quite place. The fact that he was thinking as a human, not a zombie hybrid was only just starting to factor into his mind. And yet...there was another part of him that he couldn't recognize, something that felt completely alien to him. He lifted his head.

His motion caused a shadow to stir. "George?" a voice whispered. Alyssa.

George tried to speak but his voice with blocked. He coughed and tried again. "Alyssa?" he whispered. "Where...?"

"We're in the Racoon City Hospital," Alyssa explained. Her voice was hushed. "But we can't stay here."

Gradually his eyes adjusted better. He could see David standing behind her. There was no sign of Yoko, and the last thing he remembered...his eyes widened. He was about to ask about Yoko, when he noticed something which halted his questions. He was in a hospital dormitory, but things were overturned, broken. Smashed.

He suddenly realized what the sound he had been hearing was.

George stood up from the bed, staggering a little. Neither Alyssa or David made a move to stop him. He walked over to the open window. Below he could see the city street. And at the entrance to the hospital, there were zombies. Dozens of them. Fighting their way, clawing against the sealed wood. The sound he had been hearing had been the sound of hands pounding aimlessly.

He leaned against the windowsill, still amazed that he was even alive. How was it even possible? Whatever the cause, it seemed like he had traded one Hell hole for another. For a moment his blue eyes became lost in despair. Then they became firm. This was survival. It always has been, and always will be. They would take the fight to the zombies, he knew.

A fight that was only just about to start.

THE END.