Resident Evil Series Fan Fiction ❯ Resident Evil: GP ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

**Disclaimer: I do not own Resident Evil or any of the characters from the games. They are the property of Capcom. David Trapp and Trent and other characters from the Resident Evil novels are property of S.D. Perry. Any other original characters are my own creation. Do not use my characters without my permission. Warning! This story contains graphic scenes of an adult nature, including scenes of rape. If you are under the age of consent, or such content disturbs you, please do not read any further.**


Marla sighed, gripping the steering wheel tightly as she raced along the road. The idiot at the rental counter had purposefully taken as long as he could get away with before getting her the car she'd asked for. He'd been really sleazy too, openly leering at her while she waited. She really wanted a shower after that encounter.

The tires squealed in protest as she took a turn sharply, but she didn't have time to take things slow. Even though it hadn't been much, all her research in town after she'd gotten the car told her exactly what she'd feared. There had been no contact from anyone in Golger since the early morning. Trent's information about trouble seemed scarily accurate.

She fought to focus on the road, and not worry about what she might find. It also helped keep her mind off what had happened in her apartment. She hadn't had much time to mull over the assault until she got to the plane by the skin of her teeth. She had been too concerned with making the flight. Once on the plane, though, she hadn't been able to stop the tears that came with it. She needed the focus she had now, the training she'd received to push emotion to the side until the job was done. She wanted answers and she felt that, unless she wanted to storm her former boss's office, this was the best place to get them

It hurt to think that Robert had been in on that sick plot. She just couldn't believe it. Robert was a bureaucrat and a pain, but to think he set up the sick circumstances was too hard to swallow. Better to think he'd set her up to fall and those two men acted on their own than to believe that of Robert. He didn't seem like the type.

She took another sharp curve and rushed into the forest that started the outskirts of Golger Point. Another half hour and she would be getting some answers. She made a right and fear laced through her as someone lurched onto the road. She slammed on the breaks and swerved the car off the road, crashing through the railing as she narrowly avoided the man. Her car ran up the embankment and she managed to avoid trees until her brakes pulled her to a stop.

She shoved open the car door, and looked with dismay at the damage on the front of the car as she got out. Wonderful. And of course it happens to a rental. She turned around, determined that if there wasn't a good explanation for why someone had run into the road that she was going to be taking her frustration out on him. Any anger she had fled quickly as the person was lying face down in the middle of the pavement. She rushed down the embankment, trying not to fall and back up onto the road.

It was a man with short black hair. She leaned down to touch him and he groaned. His body was pale. Was he sick? She went to move him, but he groaned again and shifted away from her grasp.

"Don't…touch…it hurts…" He pushed himself up and Marla saw blood all over his shirt.

Marla gasped. "Did I hit you?"

The man shook his head. "Hit me?" He looked around, surprised by the damage, then shook his head. "No…it's…it's not all my blood." She waited, but he didn't elaborate. "Your vehicle ok?" He was panting heavily and it was obvious he was straining.

Marla looked over her shoulder and nodded. "Damaged up front, but drivable still I think."

"Good…there's a ranger station nearby with…first aid."

Marla frowned, a bit impatient, but she knew she could not leave him like this. She hefted him up onto her shoulders, noting he sagged against her quickly, and helped him into the vehicle.

"What's your name?" she asked, trying to keep him conscious.

"Marcus. Marcus Taylor."

"Well, Marcus, do you want to tell me what happened?" Marcus shook his head, leaning against the window of the car as she pulled back onto the road. She sighed. "Which way?" He signaled the left fork and she turned away from Golger Point, trying to keep him conscious with inane chatter as she headed for the ranger station.


****


The ranger station was just a small wooden shack with one room and a radio. The ranger's vehicle was absent and the building itself was dark as Marla pulled up. She lifted Marcus' body out of the car, not letting him do any of the work as she carried him to the door. She tried not to stumble in the fading evening light and she tried to grip the handle as she got to the door. It was unlocked and Marla felt a feeling of dread as she pushed the door open. Nothing waited for them inside and she breathed a sigh of relief.

She helped Marcus inside, laying him down on the floor gently as she looked around for a first aid kit. Any station like this should have one. She opened cupboards and drawers, not finding it. She turned to continue her search, glancing at the table. She took note of the plate of food sitting on the wooden table, untouched. It bothered her and she walked over to it, touching it gently. It was cold. Marla frowned, reaching for her gun. Something about this whole place just seemed wrong to her and she trusted her instincts on it as she glanced around the room.

Marcus said something, but it was too soft for her to hear as she scanned the room. There were soft, intermittent sounds coming from somewhere, almost as though someone was gently tapping on of the walls. She needed to find the source. She moved silently, her gun hand steady.

She walked over to a small closet and the sounds seemed to be coming from inside. Sweat ran along her body as she reached for the closet door handle. Swallowing, she grabbed it and threw it open, her gun pointed inside. As quickly as she had opened it she turned away and cried out in disgust. Hanging in the back of the closet, with some kind of metal spike driven through his forehead, was the ranger.

Marla forced herself under control, standing back up and examining the gruesome scene. It had been his shoes occasionally bumping against the wall that had drawn her attention, his body still swaying slightly. Blood not only littered the back of the closet, but seemed to be all over the floor as well.

Besides the spike, his body was held up with some wires. The man looked to have been screaming when he died and, from the look of the closet and his fingernails, he'd been struggling while they put him in there. The scuff marks on the wall brought to light what happened and her eyes widened, she felt sick. Oh God. They ran it through him while he was still alive…

She had a thought to at least let him down, but her training made her check and she found other, thinner wires that crisscrossed between the corpse and the door. These led to booby traps. It was strangely ingenious and horribly heartless all in one. She moved to close the door and paused, looking back. On the floor behind the wires was a first aid kit. She frowned, bending down as she looked for a way to get to it. "If I bring it along the bottom," she whispered to herself, "I think I can slip it out."

She got down on her stomach and began to snake her arm under the wires, being as slow and careful as she dared. She managed to grab hold of the kit without many problems, but as she slid it out, she realized that one of the wires was low enough that she was going to have trouble getting it out.

Marcus groaned in pain from behind her and she knew she needed to get this to him soon. He might be downplaying the wound, but he'd lost blood already and needed to have the injury taken care of before he lost more.

Shaking, she began to maneuver the kit as she brought it forward, very careful to keep it touching the strings minimally. None of them moved much and nothing went off. Marla was very thankful for that.

Inch by agonizing inch, she brought it closer until, finally, she was able to pull it out. She allowed herself to breathe, her body trembling as she stood and walked over to Marcus. She opened the kit. Inside was everything she needed to work with, and a strange hide pouch that she ignored while she worked. With Marcus' limited help, she got his shirt off and was grateful to see the injury was not as bad as she'd feared. Despite all the bleeding, the wound wasn't deep. If she patched it up and stopped the bleeding, he should recover with rest.

She worked silently, ignoring the gasps of pain as she cleaned the wound. She remained focused, trying to ignore the image of the ranger that kept floating into her mind. Marcus needed her to stay with him in the present. Looks like my rendezvous with Golger is going to have to wait until tomorrow.

Once she'd disinfected and cleaned the wound, she went searching for a needle and thread. Neither presented themselves and she grunted in annoyance. Why she'd expected to find any out here was beyond her. The bandages would have to do. She grabbed the bandages, then looked at the hide pouch. She checked inside, hoping faintly that it held what she wanted, but instead there was a folded up sheet of paper and two silver shirt pins with strange designs on them. She set them aside, going to the bandages and began to wrap Marcus up.

It wasn't until she was sure she'd done as much as she could for him, finding a pillow and a blanket stored away for him to use, that she stopped to examine the contents of the pouch. She felt as though she were intruding on the poor ranger's personal belongings, but she couldn't help her curiosity. The silver pins seemed to be mementos of some kind. She wondered aimlessly why they were designed in this way and what the meaning of the symbols was. She set them aside and opened up the paper that had several hurriedly sketched lines.

It was a map of downtown Golger. Marla was certain of it despite not having been home for years. She looked at two arrows, one pointing to the high school, another to an area in town that held different shops. They stemmed from the words ‘Zodiac Keys’. It didn't make much sense to her at all. She drummed her fingers on the side of the box, trying to think about all this. Too many questions and not enough answers. She switched it up, now using her left hand as she thought.

Nothing came to her and she stood up, wandering over to a chest in the corner of the shed. She lifted the metal lid, hoping there was something of use inside. She moved aside blankets and clothes, searching inside and found a thin folder in the bottom. Inside were some papers and she shrugged, setting them aside. She tested the phone and radio from the station, not surprised to get a dead signal and static respectively. She began to systematically search around the station, if only to keep her mind active, but there didn't seem to be anything else worth using here.

She plopped down into the chair again, antsy to keep going but unwilling to leave Marcus alone should he need more help. She opened the folder, casually glancing at it at first, but soon she was reading it heavily.


Aug 26-

"Just started as the new ranger here in Golger after the last retired suddenly. Packed up his family and moved out of town in quite a hurry. Never thought the old man could move that fast, but with the witch he has for a wife, I'm actually not surprised. Didn't even leave where anyone could say goodbye. His granddaughter was all upset too, crying that she'd not had a chance to say goodbye. She's cute though. Wouldn't mind keeping her warm at night."

Sept 27-

"Man, I thought being a ranger would be fun, but it's almost like nothing has happened out here. Nothing out this way but deer and silence. I never understood why they needed a ranger out here to begin with. I always thought rangers were for national parks and shit like that.
It was made kind of interesting when a couple of those guys from the pharmaceutical company came by. They were trying to make sure I was comfortable up here and wanted me to let them know if I ever needed help or anything I could ask them. I was really surprised how much they were interested in things out here. They even said if I did a good job, I'd get a huge bonus check. They asked if I'd be interested in that and I told them hell yes."


Marla frowned, having been wondering about the need for a ranger as well. She noted in the margin that a message had been added. It said ‘If only I knew then what I did now.’ She kept reading.


Nov 18-

"The snow is coming in, fast and furious, but we've managed to keep the roads cleared. On one of my patrols, I saw what looked like a Doberman. It seemed to be bleeding, but it ran off as I approached. I reported it in and never heard back. The worst part was when the dog looked in my direction before bolting. If I hadn't been seeing things, I would have sworn its eyes were red…"

Nov 21-

"One of the guards from Umbrella came to talk with me yesterday. He said he wanted to know about the dog, in case it was injured, but I was certain that he was more concerned about the dog for another reason. I think I may have let on though, because he clammed up quick about the dog after a minute. I'm worried now about just what the dog could be carrying."

Nov 31-

"I spotted the dog again, but instead of just reporting it, I called the guy from Umbrella to come take care of it. They rounded it up quickly and seemed very relieved that it didn't hurt anyone. They brought it to the van, but it looked beat up really bad with blood all over its fur, like it'd been in a fight. I brought that up to one of the guys and they said they'd look into it. Then they gave me a check for a thousand dollars! They told me that was so I'd continue to keep my eyes open. It was more like a bribe, but I didn't mind. Money is money and lord knows I could use it."


Marla blinked, not liking what she was hearing. It sounded as if Umbrella was up to no good. If that was the case though, why kill the ranger? Something told her things were worse than she suspected. The next entry was from earlier in the year and she was shocked at the jump. He must have torn out specific entries for a reason.

Mar 3-

“Spent a night in town with two of the guys from Umbrella, drinking and having a great time. One, a nice guy named Carl, said he had a wild story and swore me to secrecy. I was, like, who am I gonna tell? It wasn't like I had anyone but my grandmother and she's not much company. He started telling me about this underground facility that the lab boys didn't want the town to know about and how they had a secret entrance like in the spy movies. I wasn't drunk enough yet to forget that type of stuff. When I asked why, he laughed and said that he didn't know. The other dude was silent this whole time, but when Carl started talking about the fact that the lock was hidden in the fountain his buddy smacked him upside the head. Just as it was getting good too.”

Apr 4-

"From snow to rain, the weather has been pretty piss poor out here. Had a surprise visit from Carl and he seemed very worried. He said that he overheard Dr. Rossman talking about some very weird things and it had him a little worried. I told Carl that he might be letting his dislike of the guy get to him."

Apr 15-

"Erwin has been snooping around lately and started asking me more detailed questions about the dog I reported before. How the hell he even knows about it is beyond me, but he was pressing me a lot and kept writing down things. The dude knows how to get stuff out of people. Thankfully, I didn't have much to tell, but when I mentioned it was bloodied, he looked like a scared rabbit and ran outta here faster than ever."

May 6-

"Something has Carl really spooked. He says he can't meet me anymore, that he has to do something first. He says one of the guards is asking too many questions and it's making the docs nervous. He's even got me shaking! I told him he should probably bring his suspicions to this Rossman guy and he looked at me like I was crazy. On his way out, he handed me a pouch and told me it was for 'just in case' and that I shouldn't open it unless needs be. With how spooked he was I didn't even want to touch it, but I told him I'd hold onto it. He then said to go to the water tower should something happen. I think the dude has flipped his lid."

May 29-

"Erwin has been all over me and suddenly he's talking about a scoop and conspiracies and corruption of the police. I have no idea what hornet's nest he's stirring up, but I left a message for Carl at the lab, warning him about this. I may not like most of the people at that company, but Carl should know things are going to blow up."


Marla cursed, not liking this at all. May 29th was the day Erwin had called her, wanting her to come and help him. She bit her lip as she looked at the last page. It was dated two days ago.


June 3-

"Carl hasn't returned my calls, but I know something's up now. Erwin vanished off the face of the Earth after his talk of calling in a favor and I'm pretty sure Carl joined him. One of those security guys came asking about keys and I told him I didn't know anything about it. He didn't seem to believe me, but I no longer care. I have had it! No job is worth this. I'm packing up and leaving town with grandma before anything else goes wrong."


Marla shakily put the papers down, imagining what had happened. The man had tried to leave town, but the Umbrella people had come knocking on his door. He had hidden both the journal and the items, hoping they were just coming to ask questions again. They had come instead to cover their tracks. The result had been the figure she'd seen in the closet. It made her shudder that people could do something that….cruel.

Now, more than ever, she wanted to get down to Golger and find out what was going on. It was only Marcus' need of her help that made her stay and watch over him. Pulling out one of the blankets from the battered chest, she found as comfortable a spot as she could and curled up under the blanket to go to sleep.


****


Marla awoke hours later to sounds of movement in the small station. She rolled over and pushed herself softly to her feet, but her caution was unnecessary as she saw Marcus sitting at the table, injecting himself with a white liquid. "Good morning," he said softly.

Marla nodded, pulling herself into a chair. She was looking at him as he worked, seeing that he'd already changed the bandages on his wound and was moving much better than she would have expected for someone who'd just been shot. "You want to tell me how that happened?" she asked, becoming all business.

"Someone tried to get rid of me. I got rid of them first," he said mechanically.

Yeah, because that explains so much… Marla was irritated at all these secrets going around. This guy reminded her strongly of Trent, and both men rubbed her the wrong way from the get go.

"You should leave," he said as he picked up his shirt and pulled it back over his head. "Golger is not safe."

That brought irritation through her. "Hey, just because I'm a woman does not mean I can't handle myself, buster."

She stood up, but Marcus turned toward her, no emotion on his face. "I have no doubt you are skilled, but it is BECAUSE you are a woman that you should leave. Golger is not safe for women anymore."

That line made no sense, but any attempt to find out why got no response as he pulled out his weapon and began to check it. Marla was impressed. This guy knew his gun, that was for sure. She was starting to wonder about him. "Just who are you, Marcus?"

He paused, and looked like he was wondering how much to tell her. "I'm a former security guard for the medical company."

"Uh huh, and you were shot at, why?" She had a pretty good idea why, but she wanted to gauge how he was going to treat her. She also didn't want to give away what she suspected to a stranger yet.

"Professional differences," he said shortly. He seemed pretty upset.

"Not many companies settle their differences with guns." Marcus gave a grunt for a response and continued to ready himself. Marla sighed. "Well, I suppose I can give you a ride out of town before…"

"I'm not leaving. I'm going back to Golger."

"You're injured and you obviously know it's dangerous back there…"

"I have things to finish." Marla hated talking to this guy. He seemed to be the master of the one sentence non-answer.

She stared at his back for a minute but, as odd as he was, he was company into the city and he seemed to know a bit more about recent activity. She had the feeling she might regret this. "Alright. I'll give you a lift into the city, but I want to know more about what's going on."

"I told you…"

"Yes, you told me it was dangerous. I also know that this is my hometown, I have a friend down there and I am not leaving without him. I'm a trained fighter, and I can handle myself."

Marcus looked her in the eyes, then shrugged. "Suit yourself."

The two of them got ready quickly, Marla tucking away the journal and pouch while Marcus wasn't looking. He may have been going with her, but something about him made her distrust him. She packed up her gear and headed out to the car, Marcus following close behind.
If she'd been hoping for conversation or more insight, Marcus seemed unwilling to provide either. She wanted to know what she was getting into and what danger there was in Golger, but what little he did tell her was stuff she had already gotten from Erwin. It did not improve her mood at all.

Her anger soon gave way to trepidation as they reached the outskirts of Golger Point. At first, she didn't notice it, but as they got closer to the city center, she realized she didn't see anyone around. It was like the whole town was deserted. Marcus was darting his gaze back and forth as Marla drove slowly around and his unease was not helping her at all. It wasn't just the lack of people. There were signs of destruction in different areas and it had caused quite a few small fires. Broken glass and signs of blood seemed to be all over. It was like a battleground outside.

Whatever had happened here, there was still life. She heard sounds of animals and there were some sounds elsewhere in the town. Hope didn't need to be thrown away yet.

"Look out!" Marcus yelled and Marla hit the brakes as a power pole came crashing down in front of them. The car stopped just in time as sparks flew everywhere. She could see some figures starting to come out of the shadows and Marcus seemed to be panicking. "Back up. Back up now!"

Marla wasn't sure what scared him so much, but she threw the car in reverse, knowing she should not be questioning him right now. Another pole came down as she peeled out and smashed into the car's trunk. She cursed and tried to pull the car forward, glad the second had not been a power pole as well. The tires spun, but she couldn't get the car to budge more than an inch. "Dammit!"

"Get out and run!" Marcus said, opening the passenger door and pulling his gun out. He ran for the nearest door without waiting for her, opening it and slamming it shut behind him.

Marla tried to get out on her own side, but the door was jammed enough that it wouldn't open. She fought with the seatbelt before unbuckling it, crawled across the seat and hurried out of the car. She held her gun at the ready, looking back and forth as she saw a few males coming toward her. They did not appear to be armed. "Don't move or I’ll shoot," she called. They did not appear to care, so she fired a warning shot. Even that didn't stop them, so she fired a shot at the arm of one of the men.

It was a clean shot, and one she thought would stop them. No one flinched, instead they kept walking toward her.

Panic filled Marla now and she looked around. She heard a crunch behind her, and she turned, dodging down low to avoid a large man who tried to grab her from behind. She fired, catching him in the stomach, but he didn't even seem fazed as he grabbed at her. She scrabbled away on the ground as the others teemed around her, hurrying now and running around where the pole had fallen.

Marla didn't even try now, firing shots randomly behind her as she ran. She threw open the door Marcus had run through and slammed it shut. She searched frantically for a lock and slammed the bolt home. A loud thump hit the door, followed by several others and Marla got the feeling it wouldn't hold.

She turned and ran, darting down the hallways, her eyes darting all around. She looked for someplace to go when she heard the front door crash in. She grabbed the first door she found and threw herself against it, hearing an alarm blare as she ended up in a back alley. She frantically looked for something to bar the door and found nothing substantial.

She grabbed another side door, this one from the next building, and was grateful to find it unlocked. She opened it and ran inside, slamming it behind her. She took a minute to breathe, locking the door behind her. She backed away from the door, her hands fighting to keep from trembling as she waited for a sign that they were going to follow her in. Eons passed in her mind before she allowed herself to believe she was truly safe.

She reloaded the gun and put it back in the holster, wondering if Robert hadn't been right about her. While she had guessed at his true motives for not wanting her here, he had said her training was not enough. She didn't have any actual combat experience.

"No," she said, her voice trembling. Dwelling on her deficiencies would not help her now. She needed to focus and pull herself together, or she'd never help Erwin. She sighed, wanting to kill Marcus for leaving her like that but, more so, she wanted someone here who could help her if she needed it. For now, she was going to have to do this herself, and that meant finding a way around while avoiding those men from before.

Three doors lay down the hall. The first was locked, but the second opened up into a well-lit hallway. "Door number two it is…" she said as she stepped into the unknown.