Chapter 3: Raccoon Police Department

"Chris!"

Claire rushed toward the burly man, embracing him tightly, a move that caught him off guard and drew a deep frown from his rugged face.

"Claire?" the hulking man uttered. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, you big lug," Claire shot back, releasing her grip. "You disappeared for a whole year! Not a call from you!"

"I'm on a mission, you idiot. Contacting you was out of the question," the man retorted, irritation evident in his voice. "This is a terrible idea. You need to get out of here."

"Yeah, that much is clear," Claire muttered, rolling her eyes. "But you need to get out too."

"No, we can't," Chris shook his head firmly. "Not yet."

"What do you mean?" Claire's brow furrowed. "There are monsters out there, Chris, and you want to stay?"

"It's complicated, Claire. You shouldn't have come here in the first place," Chris sighed, rubbing his temples. "Damn it."

"Special Agent Chris Redfield, I presume," Ethan interjected, redirecting the man's attention. All eyes were now on Ethan, from the sheriff to Claire. Ethan flashed a badge, not an FBI one, but an emblem featuring a silver eagle.

Chris frowned and turned back to Claire. "We'll talk later. Stay put." He then faced Ethan. "You, come with me."

"Seriously?" Claire grumbled.

Ignoring her, Chris strode away from the group, Ethan following closely. They walked side by side as if heading to a specific location within the building.

"Agent Hunter, right?" Chris inquired. "Sent by HQ?"

"Yes. A rather peculiar mission," Ethan shrugged. "So, what's the situation here?"

Chris sighed. "It's a long story. We were dispatched to investigate rogue scientists, but we found no traces of them. Instead, we stumbled upon an abandoned mansion a few miles from this town. We witnessed some... disturbing occurrences. Turns out, it wasn't 'rogue' scientists responsible for all that. It was the government itself, or at least a faction within it."

"A government faction? I see," Ethan mused. "Where are your other team members?"

"Down here," Chris replied, opening a door leading to an underground holding cell. Both men descended the stairs. Upon reaching the underground level, Ethan was met with a man cleaning firearms and a woman, locked inside a cell, unconscious. Her body displayed ominous black veins—a troubling sight.

"This is Barry, Barry Burton," Chris gestured toward the man cleaning weapons.

"Who's this?" Barry inquired.

"Agent Ethan Hunter, from HQ," Chris answered.

"Are you sure he's not here to eliminate us?" Barry raised an eyebrow.

"I'm here to extract all of you. That's my mission," Ethan stated.

"One false move..." Barry warned.

Ethan simply sighed, opting not to engage further. He turned his attention to the woman behind the cell. "Is this Jill Valentine? Where's Albert Wesker?"

Chris's expression darkened. "Dead."

"Dead? No body?"

Chris shook his head. "He died in that mansion, trapped in a room with a monster."

Ethan hummed noncommittally, focusing on Jill once more, who was now twitching uncontrollably. "What's wrong with her?"

"She's infected, but it's a different kind of infection, or her immune system is fighting back," Barry replied.

"Infected? Why not put her down instead of locking her up?"

"We can't leave her, Agent Hunter," Chris insisted. "We plan to go to the research facility to find a vaccine."

"Perhaps SHIELD could—"

"Agent," Chris cut him off. "You know as well as I do that's unlikely."

Ethan remained silent momentarily, then sighed. "Yeah, she might become a test subject instead. Listen, whatever's happening here, the higher-ups are getting anxious."

"What do you mean?" Chris raised an eyebrow.

"Backup is arriving in the morning, full military support. I was sent here to investigate, but just before I arrived, they informed me about the incoming military backup. They either already know what's happening here, or they're rushing in to cover it up. Neither scenario bodes well."

"What?" Chris frowned, then calmed. "I have a feeling they want to silence us."

"Why's that?"

"The research facility belongs to the government, to SHIELD, right?"

"As far as I know," Ethan nodded.

"Listen, there's something else hunting us—not the living dead outside, something deadlier. It seems to target us exclusively. When there were still many people around, it ignored them and came straight for us. It's what did this to Jill."

"What do you mean?" Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"These larger creatures appeared even before the outbreak," Chris continued, moving closer to Barry and sitting beside him. "They came from the facility itself. Humanoid monsters with skin as tough as steel, arms like blades, claws capable of shredding cars in seconds."

"Then get out of here," Ethan advised. "Run."

"We can't," Chris insisted. "I told you, Jill... she's..." Chris turned his gaze to the woman, sighing. "Albert's dead, and I won't let Jill suffer the same fate. Can't you see, Agent Hunter? I suspect the people in that facility knew what we discovered in that mansion, and they wanted to silence us using those... creatures. Either way, we're marked men. If the facility personnel want us dead, who's to say HQ won't follow suit?"

"What did you see in the mansion, then?" Ethan asked. "Tell me."

"Are you sure you want to know?" Barry interjected. "It could be a death sentence for you too."

Ethan sighed. "Just tell me, Agent. I'm already involved. Who's to say they won't eliminate me as well?"

"Fine," Chris chuckled darkly. "Project Blacklight. It's a project delving into organic matter manipulation, studying how cells communicate and how biomass can be sculpted at will."

"Blacklight?" Ethan frowned. He had heard that name before but couldn't quite place it.

"The government experimented on countless people, resulting in their deaths," Chris continued. "And, well... they succeeded. Those monsters out there, they're the product of that project. There's a sub-project too, one involving the remote control of human cells and nerves using a virus strand. That virus is what created the living dead roaming around. Someone in that lab probably has control over them."

"Oh, damn..." Controlling humans. That certainly piqued HYDRA's interest.

"There you have it," Chris sighed. "Now you know."

Ethan turned back to Jill. "So, she's—"

"No," Chris interrupted once more. "We'll find a cure. We'll locate a vaccine in that lab and take down whoever's behind all this if we can."

"That sounds like suicide."

Chris scoffed. "We're already dead." Chris stood abruptly. "Look, if you want to come with us—"

Suddenly, a massive tremor rocked the entire building, followed by an explosion from upstairs. Shouts and screams filled the air.

"Shit," Chris's eyes widened, racing up the stairs after grabbing a weapon. "Claire!"