No Strings Attached || Chris Redfield

Unforeseen

Céline didn't want to go back through the maze. She tossed Chris a pleading look.

"We'll take the tunnel out, then find a safe route back to the Conservatory," the said man said with a grin.

Céline was relieved. She waited beside Oliver for Karidja to finish, then raised her AR as Chris began to lead them down the dark hall. Where was the light switch?

"Where is the monitor room?" Chris asked.

"It is ahead, passed the break room," Karidja answered back.

For the rest of the trek, the unit remained quiet. Céline kept her eyes focused as she followed close behind Oliver, but she was curious about what Chris had planned for them. She knew the power needed to be cut back on, but what about her hunch.

Someone is down here with us. Who else shattered the light? And cut the power off around the park.

There was something strange about their reasons for doing the latter, but Céline imagined she'd soon find out. For now, she tried to focus on the mission at hand.

Up ahead, the hall came to an end, leading to a door. Chris opened it and the unit hurried in. The same rotten scent from the hedge maze surrounded them. Céline buried her nose in the crook of her arm and shined her light around the room. She wasn't for certain, but she thought she saw something in the corner, near a vending machine.

Seconds later, the lights came on, and she shivered in fear at what she saw. Three ruptured sacs were attached to the walls, hung up by tendrils of black ooze. But where were the creatures? The door on the far side of the room was torn from the frame; mechanical lock and all.

Fuck.

"Keep your eyes peeled; there are hostiles somewhere down here," Chris ordered.

Céline kept the AR trained as she searched the area, steering clear of the sacs. She found an herb on one of the tables and gained an extra from Karidja once the said woman checked the storage cabinets lining the wall above the microwave on the right side of the room. A memo board near the door displayed a picture of the security staff; two women and four men sitting at one of the tables. A heart was drawn above an elder man's head with the letters R.I.P. Ken written in it; beside the picture was a sticky note with a series of four numbers. Was it a code to something? Perhaps to a locker. Céline didn't see any lockers in the breakroom, but she memorized the number in case she came across them later.

There wasn't much else of interest to her besides the memo, so Céline stood near the board and waited. She was thankful towards Chris when he allowed the unit a moment to rest and hydrate before they trekked down another short and narrow hall. At the end it broke into a T shape; a sign hung on the wall at the intersection, pointing them into the direction of the monitor room. The other hall led towards maintenance and the storage area.

"The lights come first, then we'll check the rest of the facility," Chris ordered.

He motioned for them to follow and led the unit to the monitor room, but upon turning the knob, Chris learned the door was locked from the inside. He groaned in annoyance; there wasn't a keypad on the door either. Looking up, he noticed a pane of glass at the top of the door. Someone small might be able to fit through it.

Between Karidja and Céline, the latter was shorter; both were fairly small without their gear, but Chris knew well separating Karidja from her tablet was certain death – figuratively.

"Durant, I can lift you to the window and help you into the room," he suggested.

Céline puckered a brow.

Why me?

She hummed in annoyance but opted not to argue with him. Taking off her gear and vest, Céline gave them to Karidja to hold. Her AR was too big to go in with her, so she sat it beside to door and walked over to Chris. He bent down and offered her his shoulder for support, allowing her to step into his linked hands as he lifted her towards the window. Céline pushed on the glass, and to her relief, it came open. She was thankful that the latch on the inside wasn't locked, easing her upper body through the opening.

Aiming her sidearm, she used the light on the barrel to search the room. The faint glow from the monitors cast shadows around the room, but no one seemed to be inside. With aid from Chris, Céline eased into the room, pulling down a vent cover to secure her grip before she dropped onto her feet. She was lucky; that could have ended badly.

Keeping her eyes trained forward, Céline brought her arm back and unlocked the door, but a noise caught her attention; the sound of a trash can hitting the floor. She shined her light towards the source and saw someone hunkered down beneath a desk, using an office chair as a shield.

"P-please don't shoot," a frightened voice called; a woman.

Céline assured her that she was safe and brought her arm back to unlock the door. As it came open behind her, she alerted Chris that someone was in the room and pointed towards the desk. Oliver turned on the lights as Karidja gave Céline back her gear.

"We're here to help," Chris assured the woman. "My name is Chris Redfield. I'm a captain with the BSAA, a counter-terrorism organization, and we were sent here to get you and the others to safety."

The woman sobbed and sunk her head. She wore a name tag on her shirt that read Davison; biologist.

"You can't," she cried.

Céline puckered a brow. What did she mean?

"Where are the other civilians, ma'am? Are they down here?" Chris asked.

Davison shook her head.

"Everyone is dead."

"How are you sure?" Céline asked.

Something was off about her; Céline had a bad feeling.

Davison turned her eyes to the said woman.

"Because I helped her kill them," she answered.

What in the fuck?

Céline heard something hit the floor and watched the woman toss a flash grenade between them. Before she or the unit had time to react, a bright light momentarily took their sight.