Resident Evil: Blacklight

As I faced the scorpion, it lunged forward with shocking speed, its massive claws snapping inches from my face. I dove to the side, the narrow hallway barely giving me enough room to avoid its grip. Landing in a crouch, I raised my handgun and fired two quick shots.

Both bullets struck the creature's armored shell but ricocheted harmlessly, leaving me cursing under my breath. This thing was built like a tank.

"Rebecca, get out of here!" I shouted, reloading as the scorpion's tail lashed downward, punching a hole clean through the floor where I'd just been.

Rebecca, to my surprise, didn't move to retreat. Instead, she leveled her pistol and shouted back, "I'm not running away!" Her shot cracked through the air, striking one of the scorpion's legs at the joint. The limb buckled slightly, making the creature stagger.

"Alright, focus on its legs!" I called, keeping my movements erratic as I circled around.

Rebecca nodded, her hands steady as she aimed for another leg. Each shot forced the creature to shuffle awkwardly, its claws scraping against the walls as it struggled to maintain balance.

The scorpion, hissing in fury, whipped its tail toward Rebecca in a wide arc. My instincts kicked in, and I surged forward, grabbing a broken piece of pipe from the ground. With a sharp lunge, I drove the pipe into the tail, deflecting the stinger into the wall.

The creature's focus snapped back to me, one claw swiping in a horizontal arc. I ducked, narrowly avoiding the blow, and fired again. This time, my shot struck a softer segment beneath its armored torso, drawing a shriek of pain.

Rebecca seized the opening. "Got you now!" She muttered, firing another round into its already-wounded leg. The scorpion's movements became erratic, its limbs buckling under its own weight.

I slung the hunting gun off my back, keeping my aim steady. "Rebecca, keep it distracted!"

"On it!" She replied, her shots forcing the scorpion to turn its attention back to her.

With its underbelly exposed, I took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger. The hunting gun roared, the blast tearing through its vulnerable underside.

The scorpion let out a final, ear-splitting screech before collapsing, its massive body twitching once before going still.

The hallway fell silent except for our heavy breathing.

"What the hell was that thing?" Rebecca asked, lowering her gun.

"No idea." I muttered, reloading the hunting gun with the last shell I had. "But it's dead now. You okay?"

"Yeah." She said, brushing some dust off her shoulder. "Nice shot."

"You weren't too bad yourself." I replied, nodding at her.

We took a brief pause to catch our breath, the adrenaline still in our veins. After a moment, we readied ourselves to head back and free Coen.

"So, you found a way to get him out?" Rebecca asked, eyeing me as she stood up.

"Yeah, this should do the trick." I showed her the screwdriver, still unsure if it would work but confident enough.

"Sure, but I'm pretty sure the hunting gun could do the job too." Rebecca teased with a grin.

"It's down to one bullet. Can't waste it on a door." I replied, giving her a wry smile.

We turned toward the ladder leading back to the conductor's room, but as we neared, Rebecca suddenly stumbled, her foot catching on something.

"Hm? What's this…?" She muttered, crouching down to pick up an unfamiliar tool.

"Isn't that…?" I frowned, kneeling beside her. "We could use this to open the hatch in the kitchen. What's it doing all the way over here?" I ran a hand through my hair, confused.

"Must've fallen when the scorpion came down." Rebecca shrugged nonchalantly, standing up with the tool in hand.

"How did it even get up there…?" I shook my head, my lips twitching slightly at the thought.

"Doesn't matter! We have it now, that's all that counts!" Rebecca grinned, clearly unfazed by the mystery.

"I guess…" I sighed, not bothering to dwell on it any further. "Let's just get back to Coen."

We both nodded in agreement and made our way toward the kitchen.

…

"Billy, do you copy?" I said into the walkie-talkie as Rebecca placed the screwdriver in the service lift.

"Loud and clear. You find anything?" His voice crackled through.

"Not much." I lied, suppressing a chuckle.

"Yeah? Then why is the service lift coming back up?"

"...Well, now I just seem like an idiot." I muttered.

Rebecca laughed. "Are you seriously the same guy who just took down a giant scorpion?"

"Giant scorpion?" Billy repeated over the radio. "You know, staying here isn't sounding so bad anymore."

"Too late, Coen. Get ready to move." With that I gave the walkie-talkie back to Rebecca.

"C'mon, let's get this hatch open." I muttered, crouching down with the tool in hand. Rebecca watched from behind, her arms crossed.

"So much unnecessary protection." I added, attaching the panel opener to the hatch.

"Maybe there's something important down there." Rebecca suggested, a hint of optimism in her voice.

"Or maybe nothing but monsters, just like everywhere else on this train." I replied flatly.

"Come on, Alex, try to think positively." Rebecca shook her head. "I think we'll find something that brings us closer to our escape!"

"Someone has to think of the worst-case scenario." I sighed, my mind drifting back to the file we previously found. 'Even more so when it involves him…'

I quickly pushed the thought aside as the hatch clicked open, revealing a narrow crawl space underneath.

"Great…" I mumbled, eyeing the space below.

Before we could say anything more, Billy entered through the door, looking around with mild curiosity.

"Missed a lot?" He asked casually.

"Nope." I answered, stepping toward him.

"Really? Then where'd you get the gun? And what was all that about a scorpion?" Billy raised an eyebrow.

"Doesn't matter. We'll fill you in later." I said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. His eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"To be honest, you arrived at the perfect time." I continued. "We were just about to check whatever's on the other side of this hatch. Want to go first?" I offered him a smile, though it felt more like a challenge.

Billy stayed quiet for a moment, then peered into the crawl space, sighing. "If you're scared, just say so." He then smirked.

I didn't respond, unable to think of a comeback.

"Wow, a second time? You're losing your edge." Rebecca teased, nudging me in the shoulder.

"Let's just go." I sighed, admitting defeat.

…

We crawled through the space, emerging into a freight car. It was mostly empty, save for a few boxes and a shelf. The quiet didn't last long, though. A low growl came from the far side of the car.

The smell of rotting flesh and blood hit us almost immediately, making me wrinkle my nose in disgust.

Without hesitation, I raised my gun and fired. The zombie dropped with a single shot to the head, its body crumpling to the floor.

"Told you that's what we'd find." I quipped, glancing at Rebecca.

She gave a nonchalant hum, her expression unreadable as she pouted slightly.

"We should check around, might find something useful." Billy suggested with a sigh.

"There's not much to check." I replied, moving toward the shelf. "This place seems pretty emp–" I froze, my eyes catching something on the shelf. A cartridge of ammo for the hunting gun.

"Were you about to say something?" Rebecca asked with a teasing smile.

"Third time in a row…" I muttered under my breath, dejected.

"And still counting!" Rebecca grinned, happily skipping over to grab a familiar looking jewelry box from the shelf.

"Is that…?" I trailed off…blinking in surprise.

"The second ring!" Rebecca held it up triumphantly. "Told you we'd find something here!"

Billy, who'd been observing from further, groaned in exasperation. "The second ring? Seriously? Are you two going to tell me what happened while I was there?"

"We'll fill you in later. For now, let's finish with the next car." I nodded, heading toward the door where the zombie had just stood.

We stepped through into the next car, only to find ourselves at the rear of the train, outside. The rain was coming down hard, and strong gusts of wind pushed against us from the train's speed.

"Raining pretty hard, huh?" I commented, shielding my face from the downpour.

"It'll be hard to navigate the woods in these conditions." Billy noted, scanning the passing trees.

"Hey, what's this?" Rebecca's voice cut through the rain. She was standing by the door, staring at something in the corner.

We approached, and I saw what she meant—a hookshot encased in glass beside the door.

"Seriously, are they even using this stuff?" I muttered in confusion.

"Maybe this will open it." Billy stepped forward, hand hovering over a lever at the edge of the platform.

"Worth a try. It's either that, or this train is going to self-destruct. That's the kind of thing I'd expect from what I've seen so far." I said dryly.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence!" Billy shot me a sarcastic look as he pulled the lever. To our surprise, the glass casing popped open.

"Nice!" Rebecca smiled, grabbing the hookshot.

"Do you even know how to use that thing?" I raised an eyebrow.

"No, do any of you?" She shot back.

Billy and I exchanged a glance, both shaking our heads.

"Alright then, this remains with me!" Rebecca grinned.

"Whatever. Not like we'd actually use it." I muttered, shrugging.

"I told you before, you never know!" Rebecca huffed.

"That you did…" I said as we turned back to the freight car, heading to the other side where another door stood.

"This one's locked." I said, trying the handle. "But it seems I can unlock it from here."

I turned the lock, and with a click, the door opened, revealing the kitchen car once again.

"Nice, a shortcut." I said, slightly relieved.

"Yeah, had enough crawling for the day." Billy agreed, wiping his wet hands on his pants.

"Stop whining, you two." Rebecca rolled her eyes.

We made our way back to the conductor's room, keeping Billy updated on what had happened while he was gone.

"Animals are infected too?" Billy frowned. "That could complicate things."

"Not as long as we're careful." I replied, entering the conductor's room and approaching the briefcase.

"Okay, what are you hiding?" Rebecca muttered as she placed the golden ring with the same pattern as the silver one into the second slot.

A soft click sounded as the locks on the briefcase opened. Rebecca peered inside, pulling out a blue key card.

"A key card?" She said, holding it up.

"It's for the door besides us, right?" I said, grinning.

"Good. Means we're getting closer to stopping this train." Billy remarked, relief creeping into his voice.

The three of us exited the conductor's room, moving toward the locked door. Rebecca swiped the card, but just as the mechanism clicked, muffled voices carried through from the other side.

"Get down!" I hissed, crouching low.

Rebecca followed suit, eyes wide. "Who's there?"

Billy peered through the door's narrow window. "Two armed men." He muttered, his frown deepening.

"Can't hope they're from the military, huh?" I said, my tone dry.

"Not in those uniforms." Billy replied. "Definitely not."

"Then let's see what they're here for." I whispered, straining to hear their conversation.

"This is Delta team." One of the soldiers said, his voice gruff as he spoke into a radio. "We've gained control of the train. Should we wait for reinforcements? Over."

There was a brief silence before a distorted voice crackled back over the radio. "How long till you can regroup?"

Rebecca leaned in closer, her voice barely above a whisper. "Reinforcements? There's going to be more of them?"

"Seems like it." I muttered, my eyes narrowing as movement caught my attention. Shadows pooled unnaturally near the soldiers, rippling like liquid.

"Alpha team should arrive in—" The soldier continued, but a shrill scream cut him off.

"What the hell!?" He spun around, just as his partner was swarmed by leeches—dozens of them, their writhing forms latching onto his body. The soldier opened fire, spraying bullets at the mass of creatures, but his panicked shots did nothing to stop them.

"Aaaahh!!" His screams echoed as the leeches overwhelmed him, their sharp teeth tearing into flesh. Seconds later, the train car was silent again, save for the soft squelching of the leeches as they slithered away.

"What happened?" The voice on the radio demanded, but no response came.

Billy stepped back from the window, his expression grim. "Looks like it's clear now."

"Clear?!" Rebecca snapped. "Those things just appeared out of nowhere and ate them!"

"Well, we can't stay here forever." Billy shot back.

"You two, this is not the time to argue." I interrupted, stepping forward and crushing the radio underfoot. "Don't you see it?"

They both turned to me, confused.

"The train's speeding up." Billy's eyes darted to the control panel, realization dawning.

I nodded. "Those guys must've shot the engine."

"Shit!" Billy bolted toward the next car, where the train's controls were located.

Rebecca moved to follow, but I placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hold on."

She looked at me, puzzled. "What is it?"

"Just take this." I said, handing her one of the soldiers' machine guns.

Rebecca frowned as she checked the weapon. "Doesn't look like it has any ammo left."

"True, but you never know if we'll find some." I said with a small chuckle, slinging another gun over my shoulder.

Rebecca smirked. "Finally trying to look on the bright side?"

"There's nothing bright about this." I replied, shaking my head. "But me acting all gloomy won't do you any good. So, I'll try to balance it out."

Before she could respond, Billy's voice rang out from the control room. "You two, get over here! Now!"

Rebecca and I exchanged a glance before hurrying to join him.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"The train's going too fast. At this rate, it'll derail or crash. We have to stop it!" Billy explained, his voice tight with urgency.

Rebecca and I froze for a moment before I spoke. "How?"

"There's a lever on the other side of the train. It should activate the emergency system. Once it's on, I can use the manual brake from here." Billy explained quickly.

"Got it. I'll go." I said, turning toward the door.

"I'll come too!" Rebecca interjected.

I shook my head, leaning closer to her. "You need to stay here with Coen. Even if he doesn't have a reason to sabotage this, you can't be too careful. Keep an eye on him."

Rebecca hesitated before nodding reluctantly.

"Hurry up!" Billy urged. "We only have a few minutes!"

"I'm on it!" I called back, dashing toward the rear car.

"Be careful!"

"Don't screw this up!"

I heard Rebecca's and Billy's voices as the door closed behind me.

As I reached the card-locked door, the soldiers' bodies twitched, unnatural growls escaping their throats.

"Damn it." I muttered, my gaze darkening as I noticed the reinforced armor still clinging to their bodies.

The creatures lunged at me, but I didn't have time to waste. I charged forward, claws ripping through their armor and sinking deep into their torsos. With a grunt, I hurled them off the train, their bodies disappearing into the darkness.

Panting, I stared at my hands, now twisted into sharp, claw-like appendages.

"Great. Can't change them back." I muttered, flexing my hand in frustration. The claws didn't budge.

I shook my head. "Focus. Worry about this later." Taking a deep breath, I sprinted toward the rear car.

…

Rebecca's Pov.

I leaned against the cold wall, arms crossed as I watched Coen work the control panel. The faint hum of the train filled the silence, broken only by the occasional beep of the console.

"Do you actually know what all those buttons do?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Billy shot me a sideways glance. "Enough to not get us killed. Hopefully."

"Comforting." I muttered, my nerves tightening as I glanced toward the door.

The silence stretched on until Billy's brow furrowed.

"What's wrong?" I asked, stepping closer.

He pointed to the train's radar. "Someone just got on the train—or at least, that's what it looks like."

My heart skipped a beat. "The reinforcements those soldiers mentioned?"

"Maybe." Billy said, his frown deepening.

I straightened, gripping my weapon. "I'm going after Alex."

"Rebecca, don't—" Billy began, but I was already through the door, his voice muffled behind me.

…

The rear car was colder than the others, the night air seeping in through a crack in the door's shattered window. The lights flickered overhead, casting long shadows over the storage crates stacked against the walls.

The car was unnaturally quiet, but I wasn't alone.

I'd felt it before I entered—the prickling sensation that always preceded a threat. A shuffle of boots too coordinated to belong to those monsters. The unmistakable feeling of predators eyeing their prey.

The door slid shut behind me with a heavy clang.

"Contact made." A muffled voice announced, echoing from a helmeted figure stepping into view. Black tactical gear, body armor, night-vision goggles—the works. A large rifle rested against his chest, pointed directly at me.

These weren't your average grunts. Their movements were too precise, their presence too imposing.

From behind the first operative, a man stepped into the dim light, his presence commanding immediate attention. He was taller, bulkier, and his gear bore slight but purposeful differences—a red visor, a heavier weapon slung across his back. Even his stance radiated an air of experience.

"Target confirmed. Maintain suppression protocols. No close engagement unless necessary."

'No close engagement? Cute.'

I moved fast—faster than they expected—lunging toward the nearest operative. But my momentum was cut short by a thwip-thwip-thwip of darts embedding into my chest. The sting was brief, replaced by a cold numbness spreading through my veins.

"Tranquilizers?" I growled, ripping them out and letting them clatter to the floor. "That's insulting."

They didn't respond. The rifleman stepped back, and two others emerged, wielding devices I couldn't immediately identify. Not guns—something sleeker. My instincts flared just as they aimed and fired.

Electricity surged through my body, sending me to my knees. Tasers, but stronger—designed for something more than humans. The air around me buzzed with the intensity, my muscles locking up against my will.

"Hold him down!" The man barked. Another figure stepped forward, swinging a stun baton—not to incapacitate but to distract.

They underestimated me.

I leaned into the hit, letting it connect just enough to dull the electricity's grip on me. Viral energy surged in response, my body adapting to the pain faster than they anticipated. With a snarl, I twisted sharply, wrenching free from their hold.

I surged upward, my shoulder connecting with the first operative's body. The force sent him sprawling, his rifle skittering across the floor. From behind, another came at me with a syringe, the needle glinting in the dim light. I sliced his arm, blood gushing out, before tossing him away.

"Stand clear! Deploy the restraints!" The soldier continued to order, his tone sharp and unyielding.

'Restraints? I didn't like the sound of that.'

Two of them moved in tandem, carrying a device that looked like a cross between a bear trap and a high-tech cage. I wasn't about to find out what it did. Grabbing a loose crate, I hurled it at them, forcing them to scatter.

Their supposed leader then fired a net launcher, and the weighted mesh wrapped around me before I could react. It wasn't normal rope—it burned against my skin, coated in some kind of chemical. My movements slowed, the viral energy in my veins reacting violently to the substance.

For a moment, it felt like they had me.

Then I saw it—the emergency brake lever, just a few feet away.

I roared, tearing through the net with my claws. My vision blurred, but I pushed forward, ignoring the shouts and the renewed barrage of darts. The lever was my only chance.

"Stop him!" Someone yelled, but the man's voice cut through, calm and decisive. "It's too late."

I slammed my hand on the lever.

Only a few moments passed before the train screeched in protest, a metallic scream that reverberated through the car. The force sent everyone sprawling, myself included, as the train began to slow—too fast, too suddenly. Crates and bodies alike slid across the floor, colliding with walls and each other.

The last thing I saw before everything went black was the rear car's door crumpling inward, the violent crash heralding our arrival at the end of the line.