Blood, Fear, and Sweat

The sound of gunshots was deafening, causing Jonathan's anxiety to skyrocket, and he looked around in panic. It had to be considered that silence was one of the best factors to play in games, and since he started moving, it had been like a speaker that didn't stop generating noise.

Of course, he didn't say anything beyond what he should, as he didn't want to stand out too much in terms of knowledge.

What happened when Rebecca was attacked by leeches was exactly as it occurred in the game; Billy's shots were all effective and hit the mark. If this weren't the case, Jonathan would believe that he couldn't save Rebecca alone, as he wouldn't dare to shoot her body in the first place.

While Billy took care of saving Rebecca, Jonathan, on the other hand, began to inspect the train car they were in. From what he could see, aside from the blood, there were many things that could be useful, and he had to select carefully which ones to pick to increase his chances of survival.

"Thanks for the help. By the way, who is this person?" Rebecca, who initially distrusted Billy because he was a criminal and the main suspect for all the atrocities that happened here, looked at Jonathan, who wasn't initially on this train.

Billy looked at Jonathan, that pale-faced, stern-looking guy who gave him a suspicious signal due to the look the investigator gave him, as if somehow he already knew him, and replied, "He claims to be an investigator who came to check the train's status. Although I don't understand how he came alone, it seems his identity checks out. Anyway, he seems to know much more than us about what's happening here."

"You should take a few more breaths before turning your attention to strangers. You're still in shock, so you'll process little information in the next few minutes."

After saying this, Jonathan began to check the belongings of the passengers in this compartment, which seemed to be first class. Taking a pause, he said in a cold and very calm tone, "Although we are safe in these compartments, we must leave this place as soon as possible. But for that, we must ensure our safety and need anything that works to protect ourselves."

"You're moving too fast. Obviously, you understand much more about what is happening in this place than any of us. You will start telling us why people are acting like this and what the hell those leeches were?" Billy looked at Jonathan and questioned him with some urgency in a cold tone.

Jonathan, who was facing away from Billy and Rebecca, frowned. He expected all this nonsense because he introduced himself as an investigator, but he didn't expect it to be so soon. Any normal person who had come to this situation would start saying nonsense about the virus that was intentionally released by a madman, but he wasn't like that. He had to be careful with his words because he was talking to a former soldier, a young woman who was very observant, and for that, he needed to choose the right words.

"I have more or less an idea of what's going on, but I'm not sure. For now, all I can tell you is that you should not be injured by those people acting strangely under any circumstances. A single injury will eventually turn you into one of them, and there will be no cure to save you."

Jonathan soon found a flashlight among the belongings of one of the passengers, and after that, he wiped the sweat. The only thing that temporarily saved him from the others' doubts was the confidence in his voice, his cold tone, and the calm expression he gave to the people, even though inside, he was dying of fear. This was not a game; there was blood everywhere and corpses that could move at any moment, so right now, he was on high alert even against mosquitoes.

"If you've caught your breath, it would be time to look for more information about this place." Jonathan turned around to the others and said, "Remember, any blow to the head is more than enough to eliminate the infected. The only thing you should keep in mind is that it's either them or us, try to save bullets for those that are more challenging to eliminate up close, if not impossible."

"Is everyone okay?"

"I... I'm okay. Do you know if there are more survivors?"

"From what I saw, everyone is dead."

"That's correct. From what I understand, from the Umbrella Training Institute to here, there are all kinds of infected monsters. My name is Jonathan, I'm an investigator, and I initially came to find out about the train's status since many workers are heading to the center..."

"My name is Rebecca, and I'm a member of the S.T.A.R.S. team."

Jonathan pretended ignorance and asked, "Did they send only one squad? I guess you separated from your team before they encountered the infected, right?"

"Just one team; they'll send another after we lost communication with the main headquarters... As for my squad, they were out when all this started. If things are the same as here, I'm afraid they have withdrawn."

"Then they will be dead at this point."

Rebecca looked at Jonathan and asked, "What did he say?"

"They sent a U.S.S. squad before you arrived. They lost communication with Umbrella Corporation, and then they sent me to check the situation," Jonathan said as he tried to make them believe that this situation was much, much more complicated than it appeared.

For Jonathan's initial plan to be effective, he only needed to gain the trust of Billy and Rebecca, who would be of the utmost priority for his survival. If he could win the trust of the inexperienced Rebecca and the experienced Billy, everything would be resolved very quickly.

The downside was that if he accompanied Rebecca on her bloody path, he would end up back at the Umbrella Corporation training center, right where he came from a few hours ago. What's good about this? Well, if he takes this more dangerous route, he will successfully kill a T-002 Tyrant.

Very few could have considered joining the events of the Zero part of this story, and Jonathan hadn't considered it until now because he couldn't reach the mansion. Before Wesker's Alpha team arrived, they had to face tough enemies in the training mansion, which could end very well or very badly.

By sticking with them, he would gain two very good soldiers who would help him on his path to survival. The problem is that he doesn't know if he specifically has to kill a T-002 Tyrant or if he expects it to die at the hands of someone else while he's present.

But those were much more advanced issues if he manages to survive. For now, he is content to be in this place as he can use many factors in his favor, which are very beneficial.

Boom!

Just as the three were about to leave the luxury compartment, there was a burst of strange sounds that immediately caught their attention.

Looking out the window following the strange sound, they all saw a mysterious man in extravagant clothes standing alone on top of the mountain.

In the dark night and with everything that has been happening outside, it seemed very strange.

For a long time, Jonathan understood that this person was Marcus being interpreted by the Leech that had inherited both his memories and his objectives.

All Jonathan remembered about this person was that he was a brilliant scientist, one of the three founders of the Umbrella Corporation, and the creator of the original sample of the Tyrant Virus, but he was killed by Wesker along with Brikin, sent by Spencer.

When Marcus died, a leech with which they experimented with the ancient primate virus in creating the T-virus merged with his DNA, and ten years later, after evolving, it would take action against those he hated.

All of this triggers the plot of the Zero part of this story, a story that Jonathan had to experience and survive. A damn nightmare that he wouldn't wish on anyone, as he needed to be alert at all times.

"Who is that person?"

Just as Rebecca expressed her doubts, the train under their feet, for some unknown reason, suddenly started moving.

When the train suddenly started, Jonathan bit the flashlight with his mouth and quickly grabbed onto whatever he could to avoid getting hurt. Only now did he vaguely remember what was happening next, and because he was desperate to find things to defend himself, he forgot what was about to happen.

But even though his strength was sufficient, the weakness in his muscles due to the intense walk he had before played him bad luck, and his head hit a tube hard.

"Damn..."

Upon getting up, Jonathan looked out the window, ignoring the blood dripping from his forehead from the small wound he had caused. He checked his entire body, and fortunately, there were no more injuries, so he calmed down after the initial blow.

"Let's go to the other compartments, but we must be careful of anything that moves," Jonathan said while holding his gun with his right hand and his knife with the left, with the flashlight in his mouth.

Rebecca nodded without any disagreement with this proposal.

Billy led the way ahead of Jonathan, holding his gun.

It was raining heavily outside the train window, and the three crossed the carriages heading towards the front of the train.

Originally, according to the plot, Rebecca needed to perform several operations when she went to the front of the carriages, but since Jonathan came from the opposite direction, many of the Zombies were not in their place.

Everything was welcome, so he didn't wait for anyone to take those bullets and share them with the others.