Chris backed away, wiping the Beretta against his vest as he took deep breaths, trying desperately not to vomit. The zombie out in the hall had been a desiccated mess, shriveled and dry; this one was-fresh, if that was the right word. Festering, necrotic, wet…

He swallowed, hard, and the urge to throw up slowly passed. He didn't have a particularly weak stomach, but that smell, God!

Keep it together, could be more of them…

The hall he'd entered was all dark wood and dim light. For the moment, there was no sound except the pulse of blood in his ears. He looked down at the body, wondering exactly what it was, what it had been. He had felt its hot, fetid breath against his face.

It wasn't a reanimated corpse, no matter what it looked like.

He decided it didn't matter. For all intents and purposes, it was a zombie. It had tried to bite him, and creatures like it had already chowed down on some of Raccoon's population. He needed to find his way back to the others and they had to get out, get help. They didn't have the firepower to handle the situation alone.

He ejected the empty clip from the gummy weapon and quickly reloaded, his chest tightening with stress; fifteen rounds left. He had a Bowie knife, but the thought of going up against a zombie with only a knife wasn't all that appealing.

There was a plain-looking door to his left. Chris pulled at the knob, but it was locked. He squinted at the key plate, and wasn't all that surprised to see an etching of what looked like armor. Sword, armorthere was a definite theme developing.

He moved down the wide hall, listening for any sound and taking frequent deep breaths through his nose. The goo on his vest and hands made it hard to tell if there were any more of them around, the smell was all over him, but it could be his only chance to avoid another close encounter.

The hall turned to the left and he took the corner fast, sweeping the Beretta across the wide wooden expanse. There was a support pillar partially blocking his view but he could see the back of a man just past it, the slumped shoulders and stained clothes of one of the creatures.

Chris quickly edged to the right, trying to get a clear shot. The zombie was maybe forty feet away, and he didn't want to waste his last rounds. At the sound of his boots against the hard wood floor, it turned, shuffling slowly. So slowly that Chris hesitated, watching the way it moved.

This one seemed to have been dipped in a thin layer of slime, dull light reflecting off of its glistening skin as it stumbled almost blindly toward Chris. It slowly raised its arms, its pale, hairless skull wobbling on its emaciated neck. Silently, it shuffled forward.

Chris took a sliding step back to his left and the zombie changed direction, veering toward him eagerly, closing the distance between them at a slow walk.

Just like in the movies; dangerous but dumb. And easy to outrun…

He had to save ammo in case he got cornered.

There were stairs at the end of the hall, and Chris took a deep breath, readying himself. He stepped back, giving himself enough room to maneuver-and heard a gasping moan behind him, a fresh wave of rancid stink assaulting his senses. He spun, the realization hitting him even before he saw it.

The festering zombie was only a few feet away, reaching for him, bits of its putrid gut spilling out across its shattered abdomen. He hadn't killed it, hadn't waited long enough to make sure, and his stupidity was about to cost him.

Ah, shit!

Chris sprinted away and down the corridor, dodging both of them and cursing himself. He passed the thick support beam, almost to the stairs-and stopped cold, seeing what waited at the top.

He caught only a glimpse of the ragged creature standing at the head of the stairs and spun away, raising his weapon to face the attackers that shambled toward him hungrily.

From the shadows beneath the steps came a heavy, gurgling sigh and the scuffing of wood; another one.

He was trapped, there was no way he could kill them all – door!

It faced the side of the stairs, the dark wood blending so well with the shadows that he almost hadn't seen it. Chris ran for it, grabbing at the handle, praying that it would open as around him, the creatures closed in.

If it was locked, he was dead.

Rebecca Chambers had never been more afraid, not once in her eighteen years. For what seemed like an eternity, she'd listened to the soft scrape of rotting flesh brushing against the door and tried desperately to think of a plan, her dread building with each passing minute. There was no lock on the door, and she'd lost her handgun on the run for the house. The small storage room, though well stocked with chemicals and stacks of papers, had offered nothing to use as a defense except a half-empty can of insect repellent.

It was the can she gripped now, standing behind the door of the tiny room. If or when the monsters finally figured out how to use a doorknob, she planned on spraying it in their eyes and then making a run for it.

Maybe they'll be laughing so hard I'll have a chance to slip past; bug spray, great weapon…

She'd heard what could have been shots somewhere close by, but they weren't repeated. Her hope that it was one of the team faded as the seconds ticked past, and she was starting to give serious consideration to the concept that she was the only one left when the door burst open and a gasping figure hurdled inside.

Rebecca didn't hesitate. She leapt forward and pressed the button, releasing a cloud of chemical mist into its face, tensing herself to run past it.

Gah! It yelled, and fell back against the door, slamming it shut. It covered its eyes, spluttering.

It wasn't a monster; she'd just maced one of the Alphas.

Oh, no! Rebecca was already reaching into her field medical kit, her immense relief at seeing another of the S.T.A.R.S. battling with monumental embarrassment.

She fumbled out a clean cloth and a tiny squeeze bottle of water, stepping toward him. Keep your eyes closed, don't rub at them.

The Alpha dropped his hands, face red, and she finally recognized him. It was Chris Redfield, only the most attractive guy in the S.T.A.R.S., not to mention her superior. She felt herself blush, and was suddenly glad that he couldn't see her.

Nice going, Rebecca. Way to make a good impression on your first operation. Lose your gun, get lost, blind a teammate…

She led him over to the small cot in the corner of the room and sat him down, letting her training take over.

Lean your head back. This is going to sting a little, but it's just water, okay? She dabbed at his eyes with the damp cloth, relieved that she hadn't sprayed him with anything worse.

What was that stuff? he said, blinking rapidly.

Tears and water streamed down his face, but there didn't seem to be any damage.

Uh, bug repellent. The label's been ripped off but the active ingredient is probably permephrin, it's an irritant but the effect shouldn't last long. I lost my gun, and when you came in I thought you were one of those things, though if they haven't figured out how to use a doorknob by now, they probably won't.

She realized she was babbling and shut up, finishing the crude irrigation and stepping back. Chris wiped at his face and peered up at her with bloodshot eyes.

Rebecca… Chambers, right?

She nodded miserably. Yeah. Look, I'm really Sorry.

Don't worry about it, he said, and smiled. Not a bad weapon, actually.

He stood up and looked around the small room, frowning. There wasn't much to see: an open trunk full of papers, a shelf lined with bottles of mostly unlabeled chemicals, a cot, and a desk. Rebecca had been through it all in her search for something to use against the creatures.

What about the rest of your team? he asked.