Chapter 44 - Friends in Cold Places

"This is Dark Knight sending a call out to Drunk Bastard, do you copy?", I snickered as I threw a jab at him.

It took a few minutes, but I got a response him.

"Who are you calling a drunk bastard you light weight!!", a voice shouted over the radio.

"It's good to see you are still alive.", I told him, "Thought you might have been passed out when shit went down."

"Do you know what time it is?", he complained.

"Yeah, it's half past the end of the world damn it. Now isn't the time for you to be sleeping.", I remarked, "Shouldn't you be worried about the undead right now?"

"Oh cry me a damn river.", he spat, "I see you are still as much of a jackass as usual."

"I wouldn't be me if I wasn't.", I laughed, "You manage to get out of Moscow alive?"

"Barely, we had to use a fucking farming tractor to get out of the area. There were so many undead all over the place...the city was awash with blood and death.", Gerald told me, "Did you make it off of that tiny island country?"

"You mean Japan, yes I did. I also have gone to China to get Daiyu, I was calling to see if you wanted to come with us.", I asked, "I assume you have a small group with you, and might want out of where ever you are."

"That would be wonderful, but...unfortunately we aren't in the best position at the moment to be moving.", he replied.

"One of your people injured?", I questioned.

"No...we are currently holed up in old Soviet Military outpost. The problem is there are hundred of undead out there, and that is including some very pissed off bears and wolves. Victor these things aren't normal, their whole fucking heads open up like a damn plant. I watched two of my men have their heads bitten off, and their bodies devoured.", he answered, "They were brutally killed in front of their loved ones, and at the moment I doubt they will move from the shelter."

"Are you near the coast? We have a battleship, and can provide cover fire for you.", I told him.

"We are on northern end of Prokofyeva, our plane crashed here after we ran out of fuel. As it turns out Vodka isn't a good enough fuel source for a prop plane.", he laughed.

"You seriously tried that!?", I sighed.

"I figured Russian Vodka would be sufficient to do the task, it worked for a bit then it stopped working. I believe it wasn't pure Russian Vodka, it had some of your American water in it.", he jabbed.

"American Water...maybe you drank all the vodka instead of poured it into the tanks.", I retorted.

"That is possibility too.", he admitted with a hearty laugh.

"Your sister okay?", I questioned.

"Victor, you may be a friend but I don't like you enough to become related to you.", he said dryly.

"I am meaning her medical condition dipshit.", I sighed.

"Oh!!", he said cheering up, "For now she is doing fine, but we only have two months left of her medicine."

"We should been there before then easily.", I told him, "You going to be able to survive till then?"

"Yes, we have plenty of canned food and running water here to survive.", he answered, "For now I am signing off, Umbrella has been in the area recently and I know those motherfuckers are to blame for this shit!!"

"Yeah...my dad turned his back on me, and joined them.", I informed him.

"That bastard!! What kind of man abandons his family to do this shit!!", he complained, "I will talk to you later my friend, let me know when you draw near."

"Understood, Dark Knight out.", I advised before disconnecting.

It was good to hear that Gerald was alive, and that his sister was doing well. She was a kind woman, but she had a mean streak that made Gerald look like a saint. It was all fun and games with her till you insulted her family, cooking, or tried to touch her without her expressed permission...I once watched her cut a man's tongue out when he called her cooking shit. She had cooked the guy a homemade meal for a date, and he insulted her...needless to say they broke up after that.

Pulling up Prokofyeva on my map, I could clearly see where they were holed up. They were in one of the Soviet's former nuclear bunkers so they were safe from the undead for now. The undead at their location appeared to lean more towards the wildlife as likely they had consumed infected flesh, and had become zombies.

'Still though I expected like Z Nation undead animals...not Parasite style ones...', I thought.

Marking their location on my map, I got a quick head count and made sure that none of them were infected. Once I was satisfied they were clean, I made sure to chart a new course that would take us past the northern end of the island. Looking at the map and the cities it was very clear we would be encountering a large gap between cities as we made our way up the coast of Russia. This would be something I would need to take into consideration as we moved so we didn't have supply troubles.

Trying to figure out how to ensure we found enough supplies on our way up, Oriha and Saya came into the wheelhouse. Glancing over to them, I asked if there was something they needed. Telling me that we needed some medical supplies and other miscellaneous things, they handed me a list Kyoko had made of supplies she knew of. Saying we would make a stop in a few hours at the next city, they nodded their heads and went to tell her the news.

---A Few Hours Later---

Having gotten the list from Kyoko, I asked Shizuka and Yuko if there was anything they needed. Handing me a list of medicines and chemicals, I noticed that a group of people were getting ready to go on land too.

"What are you all doing?", I questioned.

"You need us to go with you, right?", Rei and Maya asked.

"Uh not happening, you see that right?", I said motioning the horde of tens of thousands, "No no no, all of you are staying out here on the water. When we get into Russia you all can start coming back out again, docking is too dangerous in China."

"How do you intend to carry all the supplies back?", Hayato inquired.

"I will carry a shipping container with me.", I answered like it was common sense.

"Ah...", Renka sighed, "Come on we have been training to-"

"If this was a thousand to five thousand undead, I wouldn't care. China has the world's largest population, and they were already mainly crammed near the coast. Docking and taking you off the ship exposes you to a very high risk. I am only asking you to wait till we are out of China, you all can help in South Korea and Russia.", I told her.

"Fine...", she agreed, "I am going to hold you to that!! So what can we do in the mean time?"

"I am going to need a clear area to set the shipping container down. Also, I need you all to be on high alert for Umbrella Corps, while we are here they may try to launch an attack. Oriha, I want you manning the weapon's station at all times.", I ordered.

"Aye sir!!", she said saluting me, "I will sink those bloody bastards to the bottom of the ocean!!"

"You sure that's a safe idea?", Yoko asked me, "You trust this crazy girl to man those guns?"

"I will entrust reining her in to you.", I chuckled, "That better?"

"Yes, you can trust me.", she laughed.

Putting on my Doomslayer Armor, I gave the group a thumbs up before launching myself onto the shore. Crashing into a small group of dead, they exploded on impact leaving nothing but a blood splatter behind. Using the map on the HUD to mark all the things I needed that I could get in bulk, I found the nearest shipping container before rushing around the city.

Killing swaths of demons and dead as I went from place to place, the situation here was terrible. A lot of people had died from starvation as the number of undead were just too much to risk going out. It made looting incredibly easy for me as most supplies were untouched, but it was quite depressing to see all the families that had passed on. Halfway through my supply gathering a horde started to move in my direction. Someone had evidentially noticed my presence in the city, and was making their way towards me.

Hearing gunshots coming towards me, I shut the container door and pulled a Heavy Assault Rifle out of my storage. Making sure there was a round in the chamber I waited for the group to get close to me. A few moments later a Jeep came squealing around the corner as several familiar faces came into view.

"Damn it Cammy keep those things off of us!!", the driver shouted.

"Just shut up, and drive damn it!! Your shitty driving is ruining my aim Nathan!!", Cammy spat.

"Both of you shut it!!", a women in a signature blue dress snapped, "You are always fighting!"

Next to them in the car were a few other faces I could recognize. Not more than a few seconds behind them was a fleet of Cacodemons that looked extremely pissed off. Shooting at them with her pistol, the bullets were just bouncing off them.

"There was someone out here!!", Nathan shouted as if they weren't sure someone was here, "Hey, you need to get out of here!!"

"No, you need to get out of my way.", I fired back, "Unless you want to be splattered everywhere, move!!"

Realizing that I wasn't joking, Nathan swerved out of the way to avoid being shot. Unloading on the Cacodemons, the first few exploded as the bullets hit them square in the face. The few behind them shifted their attention from the Jeep, and focused on me. Taking off in a dead sprint I ran at them full of anger for all the suffering the dead and demons had caused the innocent people of this city. I might have been too late to save many of them, but I would make the remaining time these fuckers had left as painful as I could.

---3rd Person POV---

Seeing the sight of a man in armor rushing at them, the Cacodemons were at a loss of what to do. Up till now humanity had been fleeing from them, but this human showed no fear...only rage and a lot of killing intent. They hadn't encountered a human like this thus didn't realize it was in their best interest to flee from him. Thinking he was bluffing they all rushed towards him hoping he would falter.

When the first one drew near instead of flinching, the human punched it straight through the eye killing their comrade instantly. Seeing the glint in his eyes, a shiver of terror down their spines as they realized they were likely going to die in this place. Wasting not even a moment the human raised his gun, and started massacring them. Flying at him trying to kill him, they only got ripped apart by his bare hands. Those fled felt their bodies swell up, and explode from within. By the time their allies arrived, the last Cacodemon had died screaming in unimaginable pain. Coming around the corner, the Revenant and the Hell Knights were torn asunder as the man unloaded on them.

---Nathan Drake POV---

"The hell is that guy!?", I shouted watching him massacre the damn demons.

"I honestly don't know, but I don't think we needed to come save him...", Cammy gulped, "He is doing fine on his own..."

"You can say that again.", Chun-Li said, "You all okay?"

"Yeah, thanks for the heads up.", Ryu stated sarcastically, "That was fine driving there."

"We got lucky, that wasn't good driving.", I sighed.

Watching this stranger manhandle the demons and dead, everyone watched him mercilessly kill them. Smashing their heads in with his boots, crushing their skulls bare handed, and tearing them to pieces with this rifle and hands...all they could do was come to the slaughter or trample each other as they tried to flee. Feeling the ground start to shake as the leader approached, Cammy shouted out to warn the guy of the approaching danger. Bursting through the building next to him, the giant barreled at him. Standing his ground the man turned towards him, and grabbed the giant by the horns stopping the monster dead in it's tracks.

The beast's eyes went wide as it looked at him. It was very clear it couldn't understand how the guy stopped him so easily, and neither could we.

"Is this all you got?", he mocked, "I expected more!!"

Throwing the giant like a child, the massive beast skipped across the ground before crashing into a car lot. Getting back up, all of us could feel the rage the thing was giving off after being treated like that. Roaring it launched itself forward building up momentum to trample him.

"You just don't know when to stay the fuck down!!", the man growled running at him.

Side stepping the thing, the man slammed his fist into the giant's left leg. Hearing a loud snapping sound the creature screamed in pain as it's leg bone pierced its thigh. Jumping up, the man grabbed it by it's horns, pulled it backwards, and slammed it into the ground. Thrashing around trying to break free of his grip, the beast couldn't shake him no matter how he tried. Slamming him into a nearby building, he yanked him out and pulled him towards a fire hydrant. Seeming to sense what was coming the giant gripped the ground like it's life depended on it.

"What's he doing?", Cammy asked.

"Oh you probably don't want to know...", I said, "In fact you may want to look away for this."

"This is for the fucking pain and torture you caused this city!! Die and don't you dare fucking come back!! Next time I will punch your head straight out of your ass!!", the man seethed.

Getting to the fire hydrant, he impaled the creatures head on it. Stomping on it's head, the water pressure in the system broke through the other side of the creature's skull, and it stopped moving instantly as blood sprayed through the breach. Turning to the other demons and dead, all of them had stopped their advance and had been standing there. Point his finger at them they slowly backed away. Making a gesture by dragging his thumb across his throat, they seemed to understand meaning as many of the dead turned away. Not caring about their allies, the dead trampled each other trying to flee from this man.

'They have have some degree of intelligence...', I thought, 'How did he know that though?'

Pulling a grenade out of his pocket the man pulled the pin, slammed it into a zombies mouth, and booted him into the group. The resulting explosion blew most of the grunts to pieces, and injured several of the larger ones. Picking up his gun he cocked it which caused them to try and flee faster. They started tearing each other apart to get away from him, it was like the past few weeks had been a dream. Their group had watched some many people be devoured by those things, to watch them genuinely fear something was mind shattering.

Unloading countless bullets into the trapped horde he didn't stop till nothing was moving. The few that tried to feint being dead he crushed under his boots, before lighting the pile of corpses on fire with some gasoline and a match.

'This guy is...damn he is a fucking monster...', I thought.

"You folks alright?", he asked stowing his rifle on his back, "Sorry about that, needed to blow some steam."

"Yeah we are good.", I answered, "You from around here?"

"No, my group is passing by and I am getting us supplies. It's too dangerous for them to be out here, can I ask why all of you are here?", he questioned.

"Believe it or not, I am a treasure hunter and explorer.", I replied.

"Nathan Drake if I remember right. I remember seeing your face in several magazines.", he responded.

---Victor POV---

"Midna!! Why are these people here!?", I demanded.

"There skillset is very handy for your team. They have a lot of knowledge that you don't have, and have many friends around the globe. If you are going to get to Raccoon City, and find all the GATE pieces you are going to need them.", Midna told me.

"That was some fine shooting and fist exchanging.", Cammy said, "Name's Cammy, I am with British Intelligence."

"Should you really be saying that out loud?", I inquired.

"At this point there is no use in hiding it.", she told me, "What with the world going to hell, I haven't been able to contact my superiors. You wouldn't happen to know if Britain has fallen, would you?"

"No it's still in one piece, but the situation there isn't good.", I informed her, "When we get back, I can call my friend George and have him get you up to speed."

"That would be great.", she thanked me.

"What was that martial art you used?", Chun-Li asked, "I haven't seen a style like that before?"

"I think we should probably move on before I answer questions like that. There are still a few stops I need to make before heading back to the ship.", I told them.

"A ship!?", Nathan said, "I hate to be a prude, but mind if we tag along? Kind of a shitty thing to ask, but inland is a big no at the moment."

"Sure.", I answered.

Following me around to the last few stops, I told them to get into the container so I could move faster. Doing as I asked, we were back on the ship about fifteen minutes afterwards.

"How did it go?", Yuko asked me, "Did you find everything?"

"Yes, unfortunately the number of undead kept people in so the supplies were abundant.", I told her opening the container, "I met some more survivors on the trip."

"Hello!", Nathan said walking out of the container, "Shit, I didn't think you had a battleship!!"

"Nice!!", Cammy shouted, "This is the sort of vessel we need to be moving on!!"

"Haha, some old faces I haven't seen in a while", Hayato laughed, "Ryu, Ken, Guile, Chun-Li, and Cammy!!"

"Master Hayato!", Chun-Li, Guile, Cammy, Ken, and Ryu said bowing their heads, "It's been awhile since we last saw you!"

"Haha, it is great to see that the five of you are alive!", Hayato chuckled.

"You know them?", Kenichi asked.

"Yes, I had the pleasure of fighting them during my travels.", Hayato told him.

"More like thrashed us.", Chun-Li added, "That won't be happening again though, I swear it."

"I am interested in seeing how you have grown since our last fight!", Hayato said with a grin on his face, "Thank you for saving them, I can attest that these are excellent people with good hearts."

"Nathan, what exactly brought a person like you to China?", I inquired.

"He was actually my guest.", Chun-Li told me, "We need his expertise in identifying a fragment we confiscated from Umbrella Corps."

"Yeah, they brought me in to check the thing out. I got to say, I haven't seen anything like it in all my travels.", Nathan admitted, "It has some sort of energy to it that mutates things that are exposed to it for too long."

"Sounds like one of those things Umbrella is using to power some of their units.", I stated, "I have information on that I would like to share with you."