Zombies

Claire looked over towards the front of the van. "How much longer is it going to be Wesker?"

Wesker checked his watched. "Another ten minutes I think. We should be coming up on the cross road any minute now."

"Alright."

Claire looked down at her knees and tried not to think about the time. She hoped that if anything was wrong that none of them would also get hurt. Claire started conjuring up a memory she had of she and her brother earlier in the year. A mission had gone rather well and all the S.T.A.R.S. members had gone out to eat after to celebrate the success of the team's efforts. It was a fancy restaurant and everyone ordered expensive meals. They all had champagne to drink and the sweetest deserts to end the fabulous dinner. She could remember how it had felt like she had a huge family. They joked and spoke of serious matters, personal and future plans for the team. Claire wanted to mention her memory to Chris but she changed her mind. She thought it might make her feel like crying and that's the last thing she wanted to feel. She wanted revenge, cold-blooded and nothing less.

Wesker was beginning to think there was more than what first appeared to be a simple set back for his investigators Richard and Meloy. He looked at his watch again and he began to wonder when the crossroad would come.

He had faith in Meloy; he thought he was one of the best members S.T.A.R. had. Wesker thought if something were to happen to himself he would want Meloy to take over command. So, how could he be in trouble or even worse off dead?

The van ended its drive on a bend in the road and continued straight on. There was a small clearing further ahead amidst the trees; Vickers and Wesker figured that it was what they were looking for.

As they got closer to the clearing they saw a dirt road that wound a path further into the forest.

Wesker spoke up to his team. "This looks like this is it; keep your eyes sharp. Only 'bout five more minutes before we get to the actual facility."

The team stirred to life. Claire was closest to the back door where there were tinted (and bullet proof) windows. She peered out trying to stay alert like Wesker had told them. Chris unbelted himself from the bench and kneeled next to the back doors and paid more attention to the weather than anything else.

He noticed the wind was strong and the rain was picking up right behind. Little swirls kicked up leaves and dashed them against the numerous trees all around. The only break in the forest was the dirt road.

Vickers broke the ice. "Maybe I should stay in here and keep the engine running, just so that it doesn't get too cold." Wesker didn't seem to acknowledge Vickers joke but Berry retorted. "Yeah, chicken heart Vickers." Berry let out his hard chuckle and slapped his knee with his weighty hand.

"Well, those who run away live to be chicken another day Meloy!" Vickers let out a laugh and was silenced by Wesker.

"Quiet, this isn't practice. We're on a mission." Wesker was looking at Vickers who was nodding in agreement. He then looked and Barry and said in an undertone. "Got it Barry?"

"Yeah, Got it."

Wesker looked up on ahead. "It'll be coming up anytime now."

Chris got off his knees and sat on Barry's right side and looked out the front window but he didn't have a great view. He could see the four-legged beast snarling at them twenty feet ahead of the van. "Is that a wolf or a dog?"

Everyone, even Claire, looked at the beast up ahead of them just off of the dirt road and tried to decipher its species. Chris said he thought it was a wolf and Vickers agreed. Wesker said it was a wild dog, he could tell by the shape of the snout. Claire didn't care either way and commented on its peculiar attitude towards them. Wesker agreed that something was driving it mad.

"What ever's wrong with it it's not our problem. Speed up Vickers; I don't want it following us all the way there.

Vickers stepped on the gas, the road got rough because they were going faster but at least the beast was loosing ground as they passed it up. Barry, Claire, and Chris looked out the back window to watch the beast wink out of sight. Before they couldn't see it anymore more of its kind joined it in pursuit.

"There's more with it and they're all running after the van, they don't wanna to stop!" Warned Claire.

Wesker was becoming impatient with his team for getting distracted by some stray dogs. "If they show their ugly paws at us we'll take them out. For now forget them and look out for real trouble!"

The S.T.A.R.S. could hear the strain in Wesker's voice. Claire agreed with Wesker. "I'm looking sharp."

When Claire had last seen a pack of about seven dogs build up from one but now she couldn't see the pack of thirteen running furiously after the van. The pack could smell the exhaust and they could feel the trace of warm air the muffler left behind.

"I think that's it." Wesker was pointing toward the top of the trees fifty feet ahead of them. There was what looked like a blue colored roof beyond the thick forest.

Wesker took his seatbelt off and turned to face his team. "Lock and load, let's make this nice and neat. Keep calm and everything will be ok." They all checked their weapons and made sure they were off safety and that they were cocked and ready to fire. "Hand me Vickers weapon." Said Wesker. Barry got Vickers M-16 and handed it to Wesker. Wesker prepped it for Vickers and held onto it until the van was parked.

Chapter 3

The van approached the mansion and amazed the intruders with its magnitude and wealth. Such a beautiful home was left out in the woods with seldom admirers. Many of these admirers saw the mansion when entering but never having the opportunity to see it when leaving.

Vickers pulled the van to a quick stop. Wesker opened his door; turned and looked at his team and said. "Let's get this show on the road!" Wesker slid the van's side door open and let his teammates climb out. Vickers had shut off the engine and gone over to where his fellow S.T.A.R.S. were and asked for his gun.

Wesker handed the M-16 to Vickers and said. "It's ready." Vickers nodded, took a breath, and grabbed his weapon.

"Hear that?" Chris was looking around, his eyes set in concentration.

Claire looked out toward the road they had just entered through. She grabbed her weapon and raised it expectantly waiting. Wesker looked at Claire and said. "What? Do you see something?"

"The wolves are coming."

All the S.T.A.R.S. members now looked towards the same spot Claire was staring at. The sounds became clear and they could all hear the yelps and howls the beasts were making. Everyone except Wesker stood there ground with weapons trained on the spot the pack would come through. The pack sounded as if had grown to about twenty but there was no way of telling, yet.

"Stand down." Wesker commanded. "Our priorities are Richard and Meloy. We can worry about the animals later. Claire, see if that doors open."

Claire hesitated for a second and then ran for the front door. Chris spoke up. "What if we need to make a fast retreat? The dog's 'ill be here!" Wesker's mind shot down the idea. "If we take out the dogs then we'll warn who's ever in there, if they don't already know." Chris abated and figured Wesker's idea as reasonable under the circumstances.

Claire waved the S.T.A.R.S. over to her. "It's open, come on!" Claire raised her weapon and made a quick search before fully entering. "Clear!" She entered and her teammates followed. After Barry, the last to enter, walked into the main Lobby Claire closed the door and locked it.

Chris walked to the middle of the Lobby and said. "Wow, this is a facility? What kind of laboratory is this?"

"Keep quiet Renfield! Stay sharp!"

They all shut out the mansions beauty and focused at the task at hand.

"Together now." Wesker motioned to the spot just before the first steps to the second floor. "Let's go from top to bottom. Come on." Wesker started their trek upstairs. Their footsteps were trained/soft and their sights keen. Since Vickers had pulled up to the mansion their heartbeats had been quickening with every advance. They had finally gotten to the mansion. They wondered what lay ahead of them.

The mansion gave no clues to violence. There were no sounds to detect except for the distant yowling and yelping from the pack outside. The air gave no peculiar odors of any kind. Everything was neat and tidy.

The S.T.A.R.S. looked strange, hustling upstairs with automatic riffles ready in hand. They were a polarization to the environment in which they invaded.

Once at the top of the stairs the group stopped for further instruction. Wesker kept his voice down as he spoke. "Under the circumstances we won't be separating." Wesker now pointed to a door that was just across from the stairs. "We'll go through this door here. Let's go."

They all noticed the other two doors connected to the balcony they were about to leave. Thirty feet down to the left of the door they had chosen was another door, on the same wall of their door. Thirty feet to the left of the second door was the third and final door.

Wesker and Berry stood just off center of the door while Chris and Claire stayed to either side, out of view of any possible gunmen. Barry turned the knob and pushed the wood door wide open.

They saw a wall not more than five feet from where they stood. To the left was a small alcove with an emerald vase and some wilted flowers inside. Claire had the best view because she was at the right side of the door against the wall. She could that the hall way ended rather abruptly, no more than fifteen feet from the entrance and a small door along the wall they had first seen. Right away she could see the blood smear of a handprint made against the wall.

Claire looked at Wesker and said. "Clear. There's some blood on the wall."

Wesker frowned and entered the hallway. "There's blood?"

Chris and Barry curiously entered the small hallway and observed the smear. The print started a few feet from the door at the middle of the wall and it went to the doorframe.

Wesker announced. "Going in! Cover me Barry. You two stand back." Chris and Claire held their weapons tightly and backed away from the Wesker and Barry. Wesker got to the side of the door and Barry hunched down on his knee in the corner of the narrow hallway and aimed his weapon at the door. Wesker turned the knob; he had gotten it a quarter of the way when it suddenly stopped turning. "Locked. Switch." Barry got up and Wesker took his place with M-16 in hand trained at the door. Barry took a deep breath and then sharply exhaled, raised his strong legs, and then kicked the door open with his might.

The wood from the door, especially from around the knob area, splintered and was torn. The frame on the outside cracked and fell to the floor.

Wesker made sweeping motions with his automatic riffle but he didn't see anything intimidating. There was a wall on the left side of the door and it ran into another wall that cut right. There was a plank floor covered in dust and some stray leaves moving about in the wind. Barry shot his head in for just a second, entered it again and looked at Wesker and said. "Clear." Barry walked into the room first followed by Wesker and then Claire and Chris. It was a small patio, not overlooking anything of any importance. All that could be seen for miles around was green endless forest.

Barry looked at his team and said. "Whatever trailed that blood isn't here."

"Wait." Said Wesker while walking over to the patio's banister. He leaned over and to see if would find a body that could have possible been thrown over. "Nothing, let's continue."

Wesker walked toward the door and then exited the patio. Barry followed and Claire and Chris brought up the rear again.

As they were headed back to the second floor's balcony they each gave a last look to the bloody smear and then left the hallway. Chris being the last one out shut the door behind him. He thought it safer to do so, therefore not allowing anyone to just pop into or out of the doors they had gone through.

Barry and Chris stole glances over the wood banister down to the fist floor to check if it was still unoccupied. The first floor was unoccupied and so they proceeded to take their stances as Claire and Wesker had already done so. Wesker was once again off center to the door, just to it's right, and Claire was on the right side of the door propped against the wall as before. Chris stood next to the left side of the door against the wall and Barry kneeled down just off center to the door to the left.

"Go ahead Chris." Said Wesker, whispering to Chris. Chris opened the door and let it swing open. It didn't crash into the wall or make any loud noises; they had the element of surprise with them hopefully.

There was another hallway and a set of doors. The hallway was dimly lit by small wall-lamps, two that were in that direction of the hall. The furthest door was to the right; it was a wood door as all the others had been, it's distance being about ten feet from the hall's entrance. The door to their left was only five feet or so away but it was made of metal. A red carpet ran the whole length of the hallway turning left at the corner.

Wesker pointed at Barry and then to the corner. He then pointed at Claire and Chris and waved them towards Barry. Barry kneeled at the corner and then looked back to see if his comrades were ready. Chris nodded, tightened his grip on his gun and waited. Claire could hear everything that was going on. She could hear her heart beating in her chest. She thought she could hear shuffling in the house but that was her imagination playing tricks on her. She swallowed and was afraid that it was too loud but she realized that she just had the jitters. Barry took only an instant. He had shot his head out into the open and then back again.

Barry said clear while getting off his knees.

Wesker put his finger to his mouth. "Ssh." He walked back to the door they had entered and looked outside briefly and then shut the door. He made a compacting gesture with his hands so that his team could get together. When they huddled he spoke in whispers. "Claire, you guard this door." Wesker pointed to the door they had entered. "Chris stand in the corner and guard the two wood door. Barry and I are going to take a look in this room." Wesker quickly raised his finger to the metal door and then dropped it again." He nodded to them and they all walked to their posts.

Wesker stood to the left side of the metal door and Barry grabbed for the handle and pulled. Barry had only opened the door a foot wide before Wesker ordered him to close it again.

All the S.T.A.R.S. stared and waited for Wesker's explanation but he gave none. Instead he looked down at his belt and started going through one of its pockets. Out of one of the black pouches he pulled out two green glow-sticks. "The lights aren't on, better safe than sorry. Here you go." Wesker handed the glow sticks to Barry. Throw 'em in and close the door, give 'em a chance to start working."

Barry took the sticks and added pressure to them, breaking the small vile inside, releasing the chemicals to make the sticks illuminate. After the sticks started to glow Barry opened the door and threw the sticks inside and then shut the door. They were all trying to listen for any sounds in the dark room but there was only silence.

Wesker looked over at Barry and said. "Open." Barry pulled his 9mm from out its holster and held it with his left hand and opened the heavy door with his right.

With door wide open Barry and Wesker zipped their guns across the shady tile, porcelain sink and dirty bathtub. Wesker dipped his head in the bathroom for a second and then quickly rushed in through the metal doorframe. After a moment's time Wesker called out to Barry.

"Barry, come in and help me find a switch. Chris. Claire. You two keep an eye out in the hall."

Barry walked in and took a look around the darkened surroundings. Right across from the entrance was a bathtub filled with murky water that odorized the whole room. Wesker was sliding his hands against the walls closest to the door searching for the light switch. The sink was similarly dirty but the stains appeared to be caused by blood. F

"Did you see the sink Wesker?"

Wesker gave his light switch investigation up and turned towards the sink. "What?"

"It's blood." Said Barry, pointing at the stains of blood that ran down the base of the sink.

Wesker was observing the sink when Barry thought he should have a closer look at the bathtub. He walked over when something small and cold hit his forehead. Barry swiped with his hand at the air where he had fun into what felt like a small chain. Barry's hands wrapped around the chain and pulled it down. The chain came down and made a click sound and the lights went on.

Seeing everything in the light made the bathroom smell worse because they could see the source and the source of the smell made them a little revolted.

Wesker had looked at the chain in the middle of the ceiling and made an expression of exasperation. He then turned his attention to the bathtub and observed the putrid water. Since turning on the light Barry had returned his investigation to the bloody sink. He plainly saw there was a much greater amount of blood than he had first seen. Two feet above the sink was a mirror sprinkled with gore. The tile surrounding the sink was also splashed with dried blood. Most peculiar was a pointed spear like protrusion sticking out of the sink's drain.

"Wesker, take a look at this!"

Wesker walked over to Barry and grimaced at the gruesome contraption. "What's that?"

"I have no idea." Barry said while looking at Wesker with a growing sense of unease.

"Let's get out." Wesker started walking out of the bathroom, eager to see his two teammates standing in the hall, safe, and in one piece.

Wesker waited for Barry to come out of the bathroom. "Close the door." Barry shut the metal door and waited for their next instructions. "Everyone, I think Barry and I have seen…some kind of trap. Claire, I'm sorry I doubted you, there's something wrong here but we're going to have to stay on our toes because we don't want to get caught by any traps. Let's move slowly." Wesker looked intensely at Claire. "I want you to take point. You work on explosive devices, electronics and all that. You'd probably be best at detecting any traps we might fall into."

Chris and Claire had been wondering why Wesker and Barry had stayed in the bathroom for so long and now they knew.

Claire nodded in agreement with Wesker's proposal. "I'll take point."

"Fine, start by checking this door." Wesker stretched his hand out to the door almost directly across from the lavatory door.

Claire walked over too the door and inspected it's frame for a few seconds. She then looked through the skeleton keyhole and she could see some of the next room.

The room was painted in the same, yellowing, cream-colored paint as the hall with the smears of blood on it. Except in this room the lower half of the room was fitted with nicely finished wood boards. She could see a plant in a corner that stood about six feet tall but that's all.

"It seems ok." Claire got off her knees and asked her brother to open the door for her. Chris harnessed his M-16 and pulled out his 9mm with his right hand and opened the door with his left. Claire scoped the room but it was small enough and bare enough to make the quick call. "Clear." She walked in looking up and back above the door to see if they had triggered any alarms. There was empty space above the door and nothing more. There wasn't anything worth expecting. Across from the door, in a corner, was the plant she had seen through the keyhole. There was a frail but distinguished looking writing table in the corner with a chair sitting next to it. There was also a wastebasket off to the side of the table and another plant next to the basket, it being the same size as the first plant. On the table there was a manila folder and letter opener; the S.T.A.R.S. members ignored both items. Lastly, waiting in a corner, diagonally across from the door they had entered was a wooden door; an ugly painted green emerald doorknob hung at the middle and there was no keyhole underneath.