***Author's Note***
Hey guys! I'm back, and officially ungrounded! Since this chapter as whole is EXTREMELY longer than the usual chapters I publish, I decided to split it into two parts (Which I'm doing with chapter 30 as well, except it's gonna be split up into three parts instead of two). Just for the heck of it. Part 2 is more than twice as longer than Part 1. Don't forget to comment & like!
Peace out peeps! ✌🏻
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| 11:34 pm |
Laura's POV
"You okay Laura?" Tyler asked me in a considerate tone. While we continued walking down the dimly-lit hallway—holding hands each other's hands.
"Mhm." I nodded my head, as I let go of his hand—using it to wipe away remaining tears brimming in my eyes.
"Don't worry Lari, everything is going to be okay. We will get your Mom back, that I promise. And once we do—we'll make that bastard Wesker pays for what he's done."
"Tyler, did you mention the name 'Wesker'?" Piers asked his younger in a pressing tone—putting emphasis on the bastard's name. Right as we stopped in the hallway. Tyler and I turned around, while the rest of the guys catch up to us. All of them looking both surprised and shocked at us, as Uncle Chris was eyeing Tyler particularly.
"Yes, I did. Why?" I swift my gaze from Tyler over to Chris.
"Where did you hear that name from?" Chris questioned my companion, his tone more serious than usual. Which worried me immediately. When Tyler was about to answer, I stepped forward towards them.
"We didn't hear someone mention his name, Uncle Chris. Tyler and I saw him earlier while we were separated from you and Piers," I stated.
A look of complete disturbance and dismay became vivid on all of the guys faces', especially Chris's.
"Where Laura?" He walks up to me—grabbing me by my shoulders in a semi-aggressive manner (which will no doubt bruise later). Looking me straight in the eye seriously. "Where did you see him last? Tell me." Chris inquired, his voice sounding much more stern and gruff. Which scared me a little bit, thinking that I might've agitated him.
"Chris, give her some space! You're scaring her," Leon asserted as he and Piers pulled Chris away from me, after he let go of my shoulders.
His aggression subsided rapidly. Chris glanced down at his hands, and then looking back up at me. Realizing what he had just done. As I gripped my left shoulder tightly, where he had previously grabbed me.
"I'm sorry Laura, I... I didn't mean to frighten you. That's the last thing I want to do right now. I was just worried about you, that he might've seen you Laura. Both of you." Chris apologized, as he gazed at Tyler and I. Despite his sudden belligerent actions—I forgave him right away.
"It's okay, I understand." I let go of my shoulder, letting my arm fall to my side.
"Tyler and I saw him last in his office, while we were crawling through the ducts. Wesker was speaking to an H.C.F. agent, talking about various things with him—about Mom, Piers—and even you. Right before he killed him when he was questioning his motives for why he's after me. Which utterly scared the shit of me. But I sure you guys—he didn't notice Tyler or I while we were there. After Wesker left appearing to be in a rush, we hopped down from the duct, and I began snooping around in his office. Not too long later—I find a master keycard in his desk—as well as a research report containing vital information about a new type of B.O.W. they've been working on." I explained to them, as I take out the folded piece of paper out of my pocket. Handing it to Chris.
Afterwards, when they're all done reading it, they all look up at me as Leon ask:
"Do you have any idea what this means Laura?"
"Yes, yes I do Leon. If Wesker plans on unleashing the Plaga, he's capable of launching a world-wide bioterror attack."
"Exactly. If Wesker does plan on spreading the Plaga worldwide, we need to stop him here and now," Piers added.
"First, we need to find Mom. The sooner we can get her back—the sooner can deal with Wesker and take him down. Plus, we're gonna need all the help we can get. Since our signals have been jammed—we can't contact anyone outside of this place for any back up," I stated.
Chris nods at me—folding up the research report—and stuffing it into his pocket. "Alright, first things first. We find Claire and get her back ASAP. Once we do, Claire, Tyler, Leon, and you will escape from here. Using one of the trains at the mini train station to escape from here, from there you guys will be heading for the rendezvous point in Land Union park–"
"Hold on a minute Uncle Chris—"
"Laura," Chris cut me off, as he turns around to look at me. "Now's not the time. You need to remember that the longer you and Tyler stay here, the more dangerous it gets. We don't want anything bad happening to either you or Tyler. Especially since you and your mother are being targeted—for reasons we don't know or even understand. We're doing this to ensure all of your guy's safety and we'll-being. Do you understand?"
I glance up at him, nodding without any further complaints. Feeling a bit penitent.
"Alright," Chris directs his gaze back at the rest of the guys. "As soon as they get out of here safely and out of harms way, Piers and I will track down Wesker, and stop him from initiating another large-scale biohazard outbreak. Understood?"
Everyone including me, nods their head in acknowledgement.
"Okay, we better keep going while we still can," Leon proposed, as he glanced down at the watch on his wrist.
"Agreed, let's go." Chris and Piers begin heading down the hallway with Leon, Tyler, and myself following right behind them.
***
"Wait a minute, you're my stepdad? How's that even possible???" I asked my newfound stepfather, Leon.
"Well Laura, I've been married to your beautiful mother Claire for over four years now. Even though we've known each other for over fifteen years. My only regret is not marrying her sooner," He answered back, as he shows me his simple silver wedding ring on his left ring finger.
While we've been traveling down the seemingly never ending hallway, Leon and I have been becoming better acquainted with one another. Since he's legally my stepfather, and myself being his stepdaughter. At first, I was worried that Leon wouldn't accept me, that he would only see me as his wife's bastard daughter. Which wasn't the case. Because of the fact that we're family now, Leon's been taking his fatherly role very seriously with me. He's just as compassionate and loving as my adoptive father was—which I'm forever grateful for.
While we were conversing with one another, he had several questions for me, and I too had multiple questions for him as well. Like for example: "How long have been spying on me, and why?" So we've would take turns, asking each other one question at a time for us to answer. I end up finding out that he knows about out my me and my mother's grave situation, also about his current mission objective, why he's here, and how long he's known about me.
"Since you're married to my mother, wouldn't that make Uncle Chris your brother-in-law?"
"Yup. Even though we're family, he's still very overprotective of your mother. He's the reason why Claire and I had trouble officially tying the knot. Despite that she's a grown woman," My stepdad whispered to me.
"I heard that," Chris remarked, as he glanced back—eyeing my stepfather. Leon and I burst out laughing. 'I think we're gonna get along just fine.'
"Wow, I've never thought that I would meet my birth mother, biological uncle, and stepfather all in one day," I thought aloud. "What now. am I gonna meet my real father too!?" I say loud enough only for my stepfather to hear.
Leon gave me a slightly disturbing look, showing both shock and consternation.
"What...? I was just joking," I tell him.
"I know," Leon acknowledged me, as he let out an almost silent sigh. 'What's his deal?' I though to myself. It grows quiet for awhile between us, as we're still walking down the hallway. Until I decided to change the subject to lighten things up.
"Mom never told me that she was married, especially to you."
"Well, once we find Claire, you'll just have to ask her about it to find why–"
"Guys, look up ahead!" Tyler cut Leon off.
All of us gaze up—seeing a huge metal door a couple yards in front of us. The door that leads straight into cell block A, with a keycard panel hanging beside it on the wall. That's where my mother's being held. 'Hold on Mom, we're coming for you.'
"Remember guys, this could possibly be a trap," Chris reminded all of us, as he turned around glancing at me. "No matter what happens Laura, you must always stay calm, alert, and attentive to your surroundings. Got it?"
"Got it."
I walk up to the door, while at the same time digging out the keycard I had in my pocket. Once I reach the door—with the keycard in hand—I swiped it through the keycard slot built into the panel. The keycard panel beeps, an indication that the door is now unlocked. The instant it's unlocked, the door slides open automatically.
As the doors were opening, a corpse falls out of it—landing right in front of my feet. I squeal in absolute shock, causing me to I jump back away from the door and end up backing into Tyler again. I take out my rifle, aiming it at the bloody corpse of another Tricell agent.
"Seriously?! Not again!" I curse under my breath.
"Again?" Leon glanced down at the corpse, then shifted his gaze back at me. Looking a bit confused.
"This isn't the first time it's happened today," I clarified as I took a nice line deep breath. Tyler chuckles at my reaction.
"Not funny Tyler." I turn around to face him as I put my rifle away. Glaring at him.
"Oh come Lari. Gotta admit, it's pretty funny if it happens twice in one day. I mean come on, karma's definitely being a bitch– Ow!!!" I cut him off by punching lightly in the shoulder.
"Hey, come you two. Knock it off," Chris stated sternly—as he walked in between us—thus separating us. "We have to stay focused."
"I am Chris, Tyler isn't though. I was just teaching him a lesson for being off task," I explain to him, just as I caught the stench of something horrible.
"Oh god, what is that smell?!" Piers gagged, due to how strong the putrid scent was. Making him pinch the nostrils of his nose—in order to block out the foul stench. Like the rest of us.
"It's coming from within the cell block," Chris stated, as the closer we inched closer towards the prison block, the stronger the foul smell became. "Stay sharp everyone."
Uncle Chris took the lead, heading straight into the cell block first. With his rifle fully locked and loaded in hand. Piers and Leon go along with him, as Tyler and I followed right behind them.
As we entered the cell block, what all of us saw in there was more gruesome and horrendous than the repulsive stench. That it made all of us gag and cover our mouths. Both the metal walls, and the floor beneath us was thoroughly covered in blood. Not just any blood, it was still fresh. Not only were there numerous corpses of Tricell agents and various bullet casings littered all over the floor, but there were also the countless corpses of the B.O.W.s we saw here earlier from the security office, via the computer monitors. From telling how fresh the blood stains are, it looks these guys haven't been dead for very long. That they've been recently killed. 'But who dispatched all of them? Something's wrong here. I've got a bad feeling about this. Could it be a trap like Uncle Chris mentioned when we arrived???' I thought to myself as we continued down the barely lit hallway,
"A134. A135. A136. A137. Here, A138! In here," I tell everyone as we finally reach my mother's cell. I could feel myself getting more excited and fired up by the second. Knowing that my mother is on the other side of this door. Despite how very hard it is to handle, I can't let my enthusiasm get the best of me. 'I have to remain vigilant and careful. Especially after hearing what that soldier said to Wesker about my mother. It almost sounded like they brainwashed her, which I hope isn't the case.'
I heedfully walk up to the door—entering the passcode needed onto the access keypad panel—to unlock cell. Once I've entered the passcode and it's been verified, the door unlocks and slides open automatically. After the door opens all the way—the first thing I see Mom lying unconscious and limp on the ground—with her back facing us.
"Mom!"