Chloe gestured to Leon as she slid the VHS tape into the player. He watched from over her shoulder, crossing his arms.
The screen sputtered to life. It showed a glitchy camcorder video, with the occasional flash of color or noise distortion. The lower left corner read a name: A. Kirkpatrick - who they could only assume was the one taking the video. In the upper right was the date. 9/23/1998.
Chloe grimaced. "This was taken the day of the outbreak." She murmured, more to herself than anyone else.
The screen showed a large steel briefcase sitting on a grate floor. Inside were what looked to be vials of some critical and delicate substance. There was a loud growling in the background. Like a monster similar to the one the pair had encountered in the police station's mechanics room.
A man cried out. "Please... Oh, please... Stop- s-stop!" A hand reached forward for the briefcase.
A machine gun suddenly fired, sending off several rounds near the camera. The flashes from the shots illuminated a mutated figure in the background. Suddenly, a hand reached down, taking the briefcase from the ground.
The man recording cried out again. "Don't... Don't...no...no...no!" He yelled. He was definitely injured from how his breathing was strained and wheezy.
A brief image of a fully armored SWAT team member flashed onto the frame. He fired the machine gun, yelling, "OVER HERE, YOU FREAK!"
The video started glitching like crazy. Leon narrowed his eyes to make something out. But all that could be heard was the sound of bodies hitting the walls and agonizing human screams. The man kept pleading. "Don't hurt him... Don't hurt him...!"
The screen suddenly became clear. It showed a man. The same mutated man with the infected limb. Their fears were confirmed. The man threw the SWAT member into the wall. The impact effectively killed him. The body slumped to the floor.
The camera suddenly fell to the ground. The man was breathing heavily, weak, and exhausted. The tilted angle showed some of the vials' contents spilled onto the floor. Some rats scurried to inspect it.
The mutant's feet, covered uncharacteristically in expensive loafers, turned toward the camera. He walked forward - quickly - until the recording suddenly cut out.
The VHS tape was spat out from the player. Chloe caught it before it could fall, setting it back atop the TV. She looked at Leon.
Leon shook his head. "The virus... I'll bet those rats spread it."
She nodded. "Which then spread it to the water mains..."
He sighed. "The rest is history..." He breathed.
Chloe turned to the viewing window. She searched silently for a staircase or elevator they could take to Ada's level. There was a lift a - but its controls showed blinking red buttons.
"Oh, crap..." She whispered. "Something's not right..."
Leon sighed. He turned, shining his flashlight into a different room. The other room was much darker in comparison, with a few gearboxes attached to opposite sides of the walls. Thick insulated wires ran up from each one, seemingly connecting to a different piece out of sight. The inserts for the missing plugs were very oddly shaped too. A large door locked with industrial-grade latches sat in the corner.
"Maybe we can get through here!" He called.
Chloe walked into a separate room. She looked between him and the door. "We won't be able to get through there."
He shrugged. "I beg to differ. Look." he gestured to the gearboxes on the wall. "We just need to learn how to open them."
A note was attached to a crowded corkboard in the corner of the room. Leon's flashlight roamed over it briefly before he reached out a plucked a notebook page from it.
Pretty sure the rook and the knight are on the same wall, and the bishop and queen aren't next to each other. The queen and the rook were opposite each other, too.
He stared at the page silently. "What?" He whispered.
Chloe shined her flashlight in each of the plug inserts. She frowned, "No way..." She breathed. "These plugs are designed to fit chess pieces..."
He looked up, extending the page out to her. "Yeah. It's like a shitty riddle." He mumbled. "Look at this."
She grabbed the page and scanned it. She groaned, running her hands through her hair and over her now much messier braid. "You know what this means," she whispered. "Another wild goose chase."
He rolled his eyes. "My favorite."
...
Chloe and Leon had to return to the sewer systems to find the chess piece inserts. It took a lot of digging and more of the disgusting sewer creatures, but they eventually found what they needed to.
Leon climbed up from the sewer water onto a concrete platform. He extended his hand to Chloe, pulling her up with him. He swung his flashlight around to scan for any unwanted visitors.
"This way." He motioned for her to follow him.
She shrugged and walked behind him, "Do you know where we're going?"
"I'm still trying to figure that out." He suddenly stopped at a small staircase. "Woah..."
"What?" She walked up behind him. Her eyes widened. "Oh."
He glanced at her before beginning his short descent. "Come on." He motioned for her to follow him.
Once the two reached the lower level, there was only a small landing where they could stand. Surrounding them was a grate wall separating them from a different room. A large industrial door seemed like the only way in.
Chloe pulled at the handle, trying to push the door open. She groaned. "Won't budge."
Leon furrowed his brows. "Look-" He gestured to two plug boxes on either side of the room. "Maybe we need to do that."
Chloe furrowed her brows. "You think?" She asked.
"Yeah." He took out the four different chess piece plugs they had found. "One needs a King plug, and the other needs the Queen plug."
She raised a brow. "Alright... then, what are we waiting for?" She extended her hand out. "Give me one of the plugs."
He tossed her the Queen plug before turning and inserting the King plug in the designated spot. The light turned white.
Chloe went over to the other side of the room, pushing the Queen plug into its respective place. Its red light turned green. Leon's white light also flickered to green. A loud unlocking sound could be heard. The industrial door clicked open, creaking forward to let the pair inside.
She rushed over and pushed open the door with some effort. Once it swung open, she shined her flashlight inside, catching the glint of something hanging on the wall.
"What is that- oh, my god." She gasped, covering her mouth. "Leon!"
He walked in, "I'm here, calm down. What is- oh..."
The two stared at a military-grade chemical flamethrower hanging in pristine condition atop two hooks on the wall. Judging by the stacked gas cans sitting below it, it looked untouched and unused. She let out a stunned laugh. "Oh, hell yes!" She clapped her hands together. "We hit the jackpot, Leon!"
He laughed breathlessly. "Guess we did." He gently reached forward and took the flamethrower from its stand. He examined it silently. "Which one of us should be burdened carrying this one?"
"Me!" She grabbed it from his hands, stumbling slightly at its weight. "Woah, big boy..." She whispered.
"I'll carry the extra gas." He knelt down, picking up the small canisters from the ground.
She smirked. "What a gentleman." She locked one of the gas canisters into the fuel chamber of the flamethrower. She locked it into place. "But we're only using this in emergencies."
He scoffed. "Says you." He got up. "We need to keep moving. Let's go." He gestured for her to follow.
As the two exited, they took the King and Queen plugs from their respective inserts. The doors all clicked shut with a stark locking noise. Their footsteps faded into the darkness above. It would be the final time anybody was down there.
...
The pair reentered the control room. Chloe checked her wristwatch, sighing. "It's been a half hour..."
"Feels like longer than that," Leon muttered, shining his flashlight at the different plug inserts. "Let's start figuring this out. For all we know, Ada could be really hurt." He said. "We need to move quickly."
She frowned, looking away. "Uh-huh." She took the note they found out of her belt pocket. "Remember what it said. The rook and the knight are on the same wall. The queen is opposite the rook."
Leon pushed the rook and knight into the plugs next to each other. Chloe pushed the queen plug across from the rook. He looked back. "The queen and the bishop aren't next to each other either."
Chloe nodded and shifted, putting the bishop piece farther away from the queen piece. She turned back to him. "Alright. King's piece is the last one left. You wanna do the honors?"
He chuckled. "Gladly." He walked over, placing the King plug into the final insert.
Suddenly, the three latches on the door slid out one by one. The gear in the middle turned, unlocking the door. It swung open with a loud creak.
She smiled. "Alright... What are we waiting for?" She asked.
He glanced at her. "Nothing at all. We're almost there, Ada..."
Her smile faded slightly. "Right." She followed Leon as he walked through the door.
The two approached the waste disposal door. Chloe looked over, pulling the lever down to open it. But all she got was a loud scream from the door. She frowned and stepped back.
"The fuck?" She breathed.
Leon sighed. "It needs power..." he said. "Looks like we're not doing searching yet."
...
After a while of searching the pair finally entered the control room. Leon made a beeline for the electrical grid, as he did when they were in the police station, and started flipping the switches to get the right combination. Chloe kept watch but couldn't help but giggle when she heard Leon's grunts of effort.
"It can't be that difficult." She said, looking back at him. "It's four switches."
Leon glared back at her. "Four switches can have a helluva lot of combinations." He muttered. "Give me another minute."
She scoffed. "Fine."
But Leon kept to his word. After another minute, the little power arrow on the grid settled in the red. The faint buzzing of electricity could be heard rocketing through the wires. In the distance, a loud beep resonated, signaling the lever had power.
He smirked smugly. "See?"
"I take it back." She put her hands up.
He started walking toward the door, Chloe following suit. But before he could reach for the door handle...
SMASH!
A monstrous hand suddenly broke through the door. The impact splintered the rigid material, bending it forward to create a gaping hole. Leon stumbled back, his eyes wide as he grabbed his shotgun off his back.
The hand retracted itself. Chloe grabbed her pistol out, cocking it back and aiming all around them. A few heavy footsteps could be heard above them.
The hand suddenly ripped through the ceiling with ease. Wires were torn apart, sending sparks flying down to the floor below. The large, fleshy, pulsating extremity now had sharp, bloodied claws attached. It groped around for the two for a moment.
She attempted to get an accurate aim on the hand before it retracted itself yet again. She looked up through the hole it punctured. She couldn't see anything.
"It's still alive?!" She yelled.
"Ada was right when she said nothing ever dies down here!" He called back.
The hand punctured another large hole through the ceiling. This time, it was above Leon, and he didn't have the reflex to dive out of the way in time. It hit him in the back, sending him flying into the opposite wall. He hit a window. The glass suddenly splintered in cracks, threatening to shatter. He collapsed to the ground with a loud THUD. He grabbed his shoulder, wincing and letting out a loud groan of pain.
Chloe's eyes widened, and she lunged for him. "Leon!" She yelled.
But the creature was faster. It struck a hole between the two, knocking Chloe back. She hit the ground and slid into the wall. Her injured arm struck it, sending searing pain through her arm and shoulder. She stifled a scream.
The hand pulled back once more. It was only a matter of time before it came crashing down on them again. Leon reached over and grabbed his gun, managing to get to his feet. Chloe did the same, shaking her arm to disassociate from the pain. She looked over at him. "Are you okay?!"
He nodded. "Yeah! Fine!"
A sheet metal door on the opposite end of the room started to vibrate. The metal groaned loudly, and the creature's claws soon appeared. It ripped through the door like it was a piece of paper, throwing the crumpled metal to the ground as it made its entrance.
It looked even worse than when they had last seen it. The arm had gotten much bigger. The infection had moved across what used to be the man's body. His head was barely visible, replaced with a fleshy knob with two beady yellow eyes. His clothes were almost completely shredded off save for the remnants of a pant leg. The eye on the shoulder of the arm was huge and darting all around as if that was how it's vision worked.
Leon's eyes widened. "Oh shit!" He cocked the shotgun back, staring to fire rounds at the exposed eye.
Chloe did the same, firing her pistol with rapid bullets at the eye. Her magazine was quickly emptied, and she dropped it and replaced it with a new one.
"We don't have enough ammo! We need to make some distance!" She yelled to Leon. "Get around it and run!"
Leon looked back and nodded. He dodged the mutant, sprinting past it and into the hallway behind. Chloe quickly followed, barely missing an aggressive swing of the creature's claws.
The monster roared loudly. Its voice bounced off the walls, amplifying the sound. If it sounded somewhat humanlike before, all evidence that the mutant was ever a man had vanished. Heavy footsteps ran after the pair.
Chloe jumped down off a ledge of the catwalk. She landed with bent knees, seeing a control panel hooked to a crane. She ran toward it, pressing the red button. The crane suddenly sputtered to life. It swung around, its hook carrying a large steel container with it. Her eyes widened.
"I can use this to knock it down!" She yelled at Leon. "Try to cover me!"
The creature jumped down onto the platform the two were on. It shook violently, making the pair lose balance. She gripped the controls to steady herself while Leon grasped the railing. He started firing at the creature's weak point. But it only seemed to piss it off.
"Regular bullets don't really work on this thing!" He yelled. "We need something better!"
She grimaced. There was no way to get the mutant in the right place without pushing it there with something heavier. A pistol barely worked, and a shotgun was no step up. She looked down at her holster. Her pearly unused Magnum was waiting for its turn.
"I got it!" She yelled. "Come here!" She motioned for him to take over the controls.
She unclipped her holster, pulling the Magnum out. She loaded the magazine with the few bullets she had collected in their travels. She steadied it in her hands, her thumb unlatching the safety. She rested her index finger on the trigger.
She narrowed her eyes. She raised her aim up to the grotesque eye on the mutant's arm, cursing it mentally. "If only it would stop moving..." She murmured.
Leon looked back at her. "It's getting closer, Chloe!" He yelled. "Do something!"
She gritted her teeth. "I'm counting on this one, Chris." She pulled the trigger.
A bullet exploded from the chamber. The recoil was much more than Chloe expected, causing her to stagger a bit to maintain her foothold. The bullet hit the eye, puncturing a hole in it. Yellow fluid spewed everywhere as the monster screamed in agony. The eye went red, trying to heal itself but failing miserably. The creature began to stumble backward, right into their trap.
Once she thought it was far enough, she looked to Leon. "Now!"
Leon nodded and slammed his fist down on the button. The crane creaked to life, swinging around rapidly. Yellow lights and alarms started blaring to indicate the crane's movement.
He smirked. "Now I got you!" He yelled.
The crane swung around, the steel container hitting the mutant in the side. It stumbled back, falling from the edge. But its clawed hand managed to grip the grated floor. It hoisted itself back up onto the platform.
Chloe's eyes widened. "Oh come on!" She yelled.
Leon pushed the button again, making the crane return to its original state. He turned to Chloe, "I hope you have another bullet left!"
She nodded. "I do!" She stepped back, cocking the gun again and aiming at the monster.
It got back to its feet. It glared at the two before charging at them angrily. The crane shuddered as it locked back in place. The button turned red, signaling its reuse.
"Come on, Chloe. You got it!" He encouraged, his fist hovering over the button.
She furrowed her brows, trying to quell her shaking hands to get a good shot. She rested her finger on the trigger. "Come on..." She muttered.
She pulled the trigger again. She was ready for the recoil that time, swaying a bit on her feet but managing to keep her balance. Another bullet hit the eye and threw the creature back into position.
"Again!" She yelled.
Leon slammed his fist back down on the button. The crane swung, the steel container smacking into the creature yet again. This time, it was ready for it.
It grabbed the edge of the container, digging its long sharp claws into the side of it. It attempted to climb up the side. A loud groan erupted from the crane's hook. The metal bent slowly before snapping entirely. The container suddenly fell from the crane, sending it down into the abyss - and with it, the monster.
A series of loud crashes could be heard on its way down. A distant roar echoed through the large room before everything went quiet.
Leon looked over at where the creature had once been. He slowly let go of the control panel, turning to Chloe. "You weren't kidding when you said that thing packed a punch..."
Chloe looked down at the Magnum before sliding it back into its respective holster. "No, I wasn't..." She breathed. "I'm starting to think we work really well together."
He chuckled. "Teamwork makes the dream work." He nudged her shoulder. "Let's move. Ada's still trapped."