Resident Evil: Dead Awakening

“Kayla, what the hell are you doing here? Where is Ava?” I felt a twinge as his urgency reminded me of the close relationship we once had, I allowed myself to smile and reminisce for a brief moment.
“I’m here on a mission, what are you doing here?” I wondered up the stairs towards him, feeling an overwhelming warmth run through me. As I got closer Leon walked slightly towards me urgency present in his eyes.
“Helena and I are trying to find out the truth, we’re being falsely accused of murdering the president.” His tone changed instantly as he spoke the built in agent part of him began talking out. Leon always kept his emotions clean out of his work; he’d been through too many emotional strains to go through any more.
“You’re being falsely accused, how and why? They can’t possibly believe that’s the truth,” Helena was stood cautiously behind Leon her eyes never leaving me, I couldn’t tell if it was a protective stance or jealousy, I’d also worked with Leon on a mission, and that kind of bond doesn’t break no matter how much time passes.
“I don’t know, but trust me Kayla I’m clearing mine and Helena’s name, and I’m finding out the truth.” The stern glance returned briefly to his eyes, only for a second.
I listened intently for the moment, until I heard her sour voice fill my ear once more.
“I need you to tell him that I’ll be seeing him soon, very soon. Kayla, you may want to get onto the next flight heading back to the UK as well, a bio terrorist attack is about to happen there. You might want to warn Ava.” And with that her voice was a mere memory once more, I felt the twinge inside of me shake with both rage and fear. Ava.
“Leon, I thought I’d warn you now. Ada will be seeing you soon, and it’ll be too soon for you to prepare. I have to head home now,” I could feel myself changing, I needed to move. I couldn’t stay here for much longer, I need to leave now.
“Kayla? What do you mean Ada’s going to be seeing me soon? And why do you have to leave, you’ve only just got here,” I began to walk away leaving his words floating carelessly in the air between us, his questions would have to go unanswered for now there was more important things at hand.
“Kayla?” As I walked down the stairs and began walking along the evacuation path amongst the others I felt that twinge once more deep in my gut. Something wasn’t right.
“Kayla!” The urge in his voice was almost painful to listen to, I couldn’t stay any longer though, and Ava needed me more than ever now.
“I’m so sorry Leon.”

* * * *

I took my chance and began the run towards the airport, there would have to be at least one flight available. Anything, even if it wasn’t the UK some flight to get me closer to her.
“Why didn’t you answer his questions?” with the sound of her voice filling my ear once more I felt sick. She should have told me earlier what was going to happen.
“I couldn’t, I don’t have time now thanks to you. Why didn’t you tell me earlier Ada? I don’t have time to go running around doing any more mindless tasks for you,” the sour taste was present in my mouth with every word I spoke to her, it was gradually becoming clear with Ada. There was always more to her than meets the eye.
“I didn’t know earlier, I’m getting all these orders just as you are.” I knew the tears were beginning to form slowly, the pain beginning to sink in, questions running through my mind. What if I didn’t make it in time?
“I have to go Ada, keep an eye on the situation in the UK for me will you?” I could hear her sigh and she finally spoke after what seemed like the longest pause.
“Yes, be quick.” I wanted to thank her, but if she wasn’t getting any information any quicker than I was than she obviously wasn’t much use.
As my steps began moving faster and faster along the road I heard vague screams from the distance and yells saying ‘Look at that,’ or ‘what is it?’ I took a chance to look at what had caught there attention, my eyes understood exactly what it was just as quickly as my feet began to run.
It was the same bio terrorist attack devise that was about to be used on the UK and no one knew, Leon, Chris?
I forced myself to run, the strain hitting me instantly. There wasn’t time to stand now, the whole of China was about to be hit with the best form of bio terrorism, it was going to be Raccoon City all over again, only a hundred times worse.
“Shit.”

The impact that happened as the bomb went off was enough to be felt from the outskirts of China where I was, the shake in the ground the tremble felt through your whole form. It was enough to strike a twinge of fear through your heart. Just as I felt that perhaps it hadn’t gone quite to plan the screams gradually began as the blue fog began to fill the air.
I took the opportunity to run for it once more moving as quickly as possible, the fog floating through the streets quicker than I cared to notice, each second the fog crept closer towards me.
I could feel my lungs urging to suck in every inch of air surrounding me, but I stopped myself holding the breath for as long as physically possible, doing my best to breath in as little air as possible.
As I travelled along the streets in what seemed like the eeriest silence of my life, I began to wonder why the sound of distant screams were nothing, once more I began to rethink my situation, the streets were sickly quiet. I slowed my pace only slightly allowing myself to glance at the side streets to my left and then my right, everything seemed reasonably normal.
There wasn’t anything that seemed any more out of place than it usually would, until I caught a glimpse of a person a few paces ahead at the next turn. I approached the person with my eyes glued to their figure.
“Hey there, do you know where everyone is?” they didn’t respond or lift their head; they continued to slowly stroll along the street their head pointing straight for the floor. I wanted so badly to reach out to them, but a trigger in my mind told me better, than to be such a fool.
“Hey?” I continued my slow pace towards each step seeming slower and more carefully placed than the last and I could feel my hands hovering around my gun, which was sat comfortably in my holster.
“Excuse me, are you okay?” I knew my voice was frail and failed to sound at all intimidating in any way, I was finally close enough to touch them, I held out my hand preparing to lightly touch their shoulder. A part of me thought they may be feeling shell shocked, I was wrong.
As my hand lightly touched them I felt their muscles tense and twinge under my touch and then they span around their eyes gleamed nothing but a soulless body and mind back at me, I could feel the scream bubbling up inside of me. They launched themselves at me, their hands clawing at my face and flesh; finally realisation began to sink in. The fog, people fading away, it was a creepily accurate Raccoon situation with over-powering results. China didn’t stand a chance.
“Fuck, fuck,” my gun was still strapped tightly in my holster, and my hands were pushing and shoving the man from off me, his teeth snarling, I took my chance refusing to have a repeat of the earlier incident. I grasped the man’s throat with one hand and used my other one to flick open my holster and remove my gun, I pointed the barrel at the man’s forehead and fired. Instantly his dead weight began to weigh down on me, the blood flowing down from the explode gash in his head, I forced him off me as quickly as physically possible and rolled over and jumped to me feet. With the brief opportunity I looked at my surroundings highlighting the exits and the closest turn towards the airport.
“Kayla? You have to get out of there. The town is running mad with zombies, if you don’t go now you won’t stand a chance,” for a moment I stopped, confused with the voice I was hearing until I finally clicked into place. Leon had somehow tuned into my headset, his voice booming through with panic and urgency.
“Leon, what’s going on?” I began the light jog along the road making the turns when needed keeping my gun reloaded at every chance.
“It’s Simmons, the BSAA couldn’t get to his rocket in time, the whole town is breathing in the fog and turning, it’s a quick reaction as well. You don’t have much time, it’s spreading too quickly.” I heard the gasp escape my mouth, and shot down two zombies with beautiful precision. Their corpses falling instantly to the floor, gradually more and more zombies began making appearances, people I’d only seen moments ago, once lively and laughing with joy of their survival. I wasn’t mentally prepared for another Raccoon City incident, not yet.
“I have news, Leon there’s going to be an attack happening very soon on the UK I’m heading there now, you have to get there as soon as you can, once you’ve sorted out the disaster that’s happening here,” a stern smile would be spreading across Leon’s face at this very moment, his eyes gleaming with enjoyment.
“Don’t you worry Helena and I will get this problem solved, we know who we’re after now.” His finally words, and for a moment I felt he was still with me. He was gone, doing his very best to protect the people of China who had the stakes stacked high against them.

* * * *

I was merely minutes away from the airport now, all I had to do was get past security and I’d be safe, for now. The zombies were gradually swarming the streets behind me, their eyes lifeless and their needs were altered. I held my handgun firmly at my side holding back on wasting any more ammo, it wasn’t necessary not for now, fighting would have to do.
“Oi, you there,” I stood by the gate doing my best to attract one of the security guys attention; they would have to open it up and let me in.
“Yeah,” he took what seemed like the slowest steps, each one careful and his eyes seemed weary. His eyes scanned across me searching for any kind of infection, I tried my hardest to seem innocent knowing full-well that I had to get on the other side of the fence surrounding the airport.
“Can you let me in? I don’t want to die on this side.” I glanced back briefly and caught sight of a couple zombies that weren’t too far to cause any worry but were approaching at a reasonably quick pace.
“Yeah sure, just keep your hands where I can see them. Have you been bitten?” I shook my head vigorously making sure he saw, and then he finally grabbed the keys that were tied tightly to his belt, he pulled the string they were attached to and quickly unlocked the fence with swift hands, I took a moment to glance back to catch sight of the zombies nearing me at a uncomfortable pace.
“Can you hurry? They’re getting a little too close for comfort.” I placed my finger back on the trigger and tightened my grip on the gun waiting for the moment when I would have to fire a couple more shots, the man glanced quickly at the zombies and forced open the gate leaving barely enough room for me to enter through, and just as quickly he closed the gate.
A zombie forced its hand through the gap that was there for only moment, as the man finished closed the gate you could only hear the snarls of the zombie as I watched its forearm get torn slowly off from the bicep. For a second I thought I saw the hand continue to move, then I blinked and everything was ‘normal’ again, for the moment.
“Come on, you’re heading to the UK right?” his voice wasn’t as deep as I expected.
“Yeah, are there many passengers?” he shook his head, it almost seemed like he was disappointed, possible family loss on his end in this country?
“All right, I assume we sit anywhere right?” no nodded briefly, and grasped hold of my arm and lightly pulled me along; I finally got a glimpse of the plane towering above us, a large plane for barely any passengers.
“Head on up, I have to stay out and check out for any infected,” I shook his hand as a farewell and began making my way up the stairs, the over-powering sound of the plane was beginning to become deafening as I neared it.
A lady stood patiently at the door, her eyes filled with fear she attempted a smile at me which only showed how shaken she was by this experience.
“Hello there, welcome aboard. If you’d just like to take any seat and buckle up we’ll be leaving in ten,” I did my best to smile a reassuring smile back at her, but I knew it would be no good.
I took my moment to look at exactly who was on the plane just under twenty people had managed to make it to the evacuation plane, each person looked terrified and there was were distant tears from a couple people who’d lost loved ones of the way to the plane.
The best advice Leon had ever given me was 'it’s us or them and they don’t hesitate.' I couldn’t have been more thankful for his advice now.
I pulled out my phone and slid it open, seeing no messages from Ava. Had the bomb already gone off at the UK, has she made it out already? Was the UK prepared did they evacuate everyone earlier? It felt like my skull was caving in, there wasn’t a chance I’d be able to last this plane journey without driving myself completely insane.
“Ma’am would you like any refreshments perhaps something to eat?” the hostesses eyes were soft and warm, yet behind you could see the fear sinking in. She was terrified she didn’t know how to behave. I just smiled back carefully at her.
“Yes please, just some water and pasta please,” for a moment she seemed taken aback by my order, I needed the pasta to keep my energy up.
“I’ll go get it for you, please enjoy the flight.” As she walked away she seemed to slowly slide back into her old routine of work, and finally the man began to announce the ‘taking off’ rules and I buckled myself in.
I had to be prepared, Ava I’m coming to get you.