When everyone gathered and started planning to split into separate teams, a zombie dog suddenly emerged from the tall grass and tried to attack from behind. The creature leaped straight toward Joseph, who was caught off guard.
"AHHH!" Joseph shouted as he turned and saw the dog lunging at him.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out, making everyone turn their heads toward Allen.
Chris, witnessing the scene, quickly looked back at Joseph. "Hey… Joseph, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, that was really shocking… damn, what the hell is going on here? Why are the dogs in this forest so terrifying?" Joseph cursed in frustration.
"Good thing you're alright," Barry said, relieved, as the others also exhaled in relief.
"That was a great shot, Allen. Luckily, you reacted quickly and protected your teammate," Captain Enrico praised him.
"Thank you, Captain," Allen replied calmly.
Joseph, who had just been saved, also gave his heartfelt thanks to Allen.
"No problem. We're supposed to protect each other," Allen said.
The other members, having witnessed the incident, became more alert and raised their weapons, scanning the area carefully. Jill, noticing some movement through her glasses, reported over the radio.
"Movement spotted, direction three o'clock. Looks like they're not human. I count eight targets."
Albert Wesker immediately issued an order. "Alpha Team and Bravo Team, regroup. Cancel the split-up plan. Secure the perimeter. You are authorized to open fire on any hostile targets."
"Roger!" all the members on the field responded in unison.
The zombie dogs then split off in two different directions. Seeing this, Wesker immediately gave out orders.
"Alpha Team, handle the right side! Bravo Team, handle the left!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunfire erupted as both teams tried to hold back the charging creatures. But the dogs weren't going down that easily—none of the shots had landed on their heads.
Rebecca, recalling that these monsters were similar to the ones that had attacked her back at the villa, quickly spoke into the radio.
"Everyone, aim for the head! That's their weak point!"
Allen, stationed at the rear, didn't fire. His priority was protecting Alyssa, who was hiding behind him, trembling in fear.
Hearing Rebecca's advice, some of the members adjusted their aim. Bang! One of the zombie dogs collapsed as a bullet pierced its skull.
The others, realizing it worked, did the same. Bang! Bang! Bang!
Before long, all the attacking dogs had been shot down.
"Good work, everyone," Wesker said coldly. He didn't bother questioning how Rebecca knew about the biological weapon's weakness. He chose not to interfere—after all, Rebecca was Allen's girlfriend.
"What the hell is that thing? That dog looks like a corpse that's been dead for a long time," said one of the Alpha Team members as he checked the remains.
"Okay, guys, we'd better move. This place isn't safe anymore. We don't know how many of them are out here, and if there's another attack, we might not make it out alive," Joseph said, clearly wanting to leave the area without lingering any longer.
Alyssa then raised her camera and began recording the scene as evidence. "Allen, can you give a statement about this dog? I want it as part of my footage later," she asked.
"Of course," Allen replied calmly. He then gave a detailed explanation, almost like an autopsy report, about the zombie dogs.
"Judging from the condition of these animals, they should have been dead long ago. You can see the rotting wounds and the missing internal organs… yet somehow, they're still able to move. It's almost like some kind of… miracle."
His tone was steady and composed as he spoke.
"Thank you, Allen. Your statement will be very useful to me," Alyssa said, moving closer to capture a closer shot. Even though the stench of the decaying dog was overwhelming, it didn't seem to affect her professionalism as a journalist.
"Did you find anything useful?" the Bravo Team Captain asked Allen. Their conversation was still being recorded by Alyssa's camera.
"Unfortunately, no. They look more like animals that were the result of experiments. Parts of their bodies are hairless, and there are injection marks all over. This area is also very close to the abandoned hospital—maybe we'll find our answers there," Allen explained.
"Yeah… there's a good chance we'll uncover some clues there. Let's hope so," Enrico said, sounding like someone well-versed in gathering evidence of crimes.
Wesker then stepped up to face them. "We'll conduct a separate investigation. Gather all the evidence you can, and then hand it over to me," he ordered his subordinates. In reality, he intended to keep the data for himself and possibly sell it later.
Bravo Team and Alpha Team then moved toward the long-abandoned hospital building.
Svetlana, who had been observing Allen, couldn't help but feel impressed. He seemed unnervingly calm, as if he were already used to situations like this. His usual playful demeanor was nowhere to be seen—right now, he was serious and focused, showing a completely different side of himself.
Not long after, Allen suddenly raised his weapon and fired into the trees. Bang! Bang! Two monkeys fell from the branches above.
"Sorry, they seemed really suspicious," Allen said calmly.
The others approached and saw the monkeys up close. Sure enough, they bore the same disturbing traits as the zombie dogs that had attacked earlier. The sight sent a shiver of unease through the group.
"Keep moving," Wesker ordered coldly from behind his dark sunglasses.
'How the hell can he even see while wearing sunglasses in this darkness?' Allen thought with mild disbelief.
Bang! Another shot rang out—this time from Svetlana, who had just taken down a monkey that had nearly leapt onto her.
"You alright?" Allen asked quickly.
"I'm fine. You'd better keep your focus," she replied firmly.
"Alright, then."
Meanwhile, Alyssa was trembling even harder at the sight of these bizarre, infected animals attacking them. Things escalated further when several crows began circling above the group. Allen, watching carefully, grew suspicious. As he observed them, he noticed patches of rot and open wounds on some of the birds.
"Be careful of the crows overhead. Some of them look infected—their bodies are wounded and rotting, like they're carrying something."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sure enough, moments later, the crows swooped down to attack. Fortunately, the team managed to fight them off—especially Jill, whose sharp aim brought down many of the infected birds with precise shots.
The deeper they went into the forest, the more strange creatures attacked them, forcing the team to use up nearly half of their ammunition.
"Damn it, are they never-ending?" Barry cursed, his voice heavy with exhaustion as he longed for a moment to rest.
"Keep moving—we're almost at the target," Chris replied firmly. But even as he spoke, his mind was elsewhere.
The sheer number of bizarre, infected animals they had encountered made him deeply afraid, unsure if he would even make it back alive.
Not long after they continued walking, the group came across an old wooden cabin.
"Captain, there's a small house up ahead," Barry reported.
Wesker, after spotting it, ordered, "Bravo Team, check inside. Alpha Team, secure the perimeter."
Enrico and Edward forced the door open and stepped in. Inside, they found a middle-aged man lying on a bed.
"Sir, are you the owner of this house?" Enrico asked.
The man slowly sat up, his calm demeanor strangely unsettling despite being faced with armed strangers. The eerie composure made several team members feel a chill run down their spines.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the man asked coldly.
"I'm Enrico, captain of S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team. We're on a mission to investigate a string of missing person cases around this area. Are you alright, sir?"
"I'm fine," the man replied in a flat tone.
"Have you seen anyone suspicious around here recently?" Enrico pressed.
"I don't know anything about that. Now leave this place!" the man suddenly shouted, his voice loud and sharp.
Alyssa, watching the exchange, suddenly felt dizzy. There was something about this man's face that tugged at her memory, as if she had seen him before.
Allen noticed her condition immediately. Without hesitation, he guided her outside. "What's wrong? Are you sick?"
"No… just a little dizzy," Alyssa muttered.
Allen quickly dug through his bag and handed her some vitamins. "Here, chew these. They might help ease the dizziness."
"Thank you," Alyssa replied softly, her eyes lingering on his face.
Before long, the dizziness faded. "I'm fine now. Thank you, Allen."
Just then, Rebecca approached them. "Did you notice anything? That man seemed really strange, Allen."
"Yes," Allen said quietly. "He was far too calm. And how could he still be safe living out here in a place like this? Unfortunately, without evidence, we can't act."
Still, Allen thought to himself: If the others weren't here, I would have shot that man in the head the moment I saw him.
Svetlana, having overheard, also felt something was off about the man—especially since he didn't feel like someone truly alive.
"So, you suspect that man is the one responsible for everything happening here?" Svetlana asked quietly.
"I don't know… I just feel there's something strange about him," Allen replied, keeping his tone vague. He couldn't explain that the man was actually a form of biological weapon, and of course, it would be difficult to tell the others how he knew such a thing.
While they were talking, the rest of the team had already started moving toward their next destination.
"Come on, let's catch up with the others," Allen said, leading the way.
....
Not long after the team continued their march, Joseph, leading at the front, suddenly froze. He thought he saw someone walking toward them.
"Wait… I think there's someone up ahead," Joseph whispered.
The team halted, their eyes narrowing toward the figure. A woman was staggering out of the darkness, moving in a disturbingly unnatural way. Her body was riddled with wounds, her clothes torn to shreds—so much that she looked nearly naked under the pale moonlight.
As the light fell across her form, Joseph swallowed hard, his throat dry. The sight before him was far more terrifying than the zombie dogs earlier. His legs shook, his body went stiff, unable to move as the woman slowly shuffled closer.
The rest of the team seemed frozen too—even Svetlana, a battle-hardened veteran who was no stranger to killing, stood paralyzed. Jill, who had never witnessed such horror before, was completely speechless.
Only Allen and Wesker remained composed, exchanging a glance of grim understanding. Allen simply shrugged, raised his pistol, and—Bang!—shot the woman directly in the head just as she lunged for Joseph's throat.
The body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
Everyone snapped back to their senses in shock.
"Th-this… fuck! What the hell was that?!" Joseph yelled, trembling in anger and fear. He felt like he had nearly died—again—and only Allen's intervention had saved him.
But before they could recover, more zombies began to stagger toward them. Allen wasted no time, firing with calm precision, each bullet finding its mark in their skulls. He didn't even flinch.
"Allen, what are you doing?!" Enrico shouted, charging toward him in outrage.
Allen sidestepped the tackle effortlessly, causing Enrico to stumble and hit the ground.
"Captain, please stop. Control yourself," Allen said firmly, standing at his side.
"You're killing civilians, Allen!" Enrico roared, his voice echoing louder.
"Captain, calm down first so I can explain," Allen replied, his tone flat and unwavering.
Joseph, still in shock, stood frozen, unable to speak or defend Allen.
Finally, with Barry and Chris stepping in to calm him down, Enrico managed to steady his breathing.
"Alright… I'm calm. Now explain yourself," he demanded.
Allen pointed to the fallen woman. "Look again, Captain. Her body has been rotting for a long time, just like the dogs that attacked us. Some parts of her flesh look like they've been eaten away… and as you can see—" He gestured at her exposed torso, where something writhed faintly. "There are roots… plant-like tendrils moving inside her organs."
Enrico and the others finally noticed what Allen was pointing out—and the realization hit them like a wave. The grotesque sight of the rotting flesh and the writhing plant-like roots inside the woman's corpse made several of them gag, their stomachs twisting. A few covered their mouths, fighting the urge to vomit.
The grim truth sank in.
This wasn't just a simple missing persons case.
What they were facing here was something far more horrifying.
*****
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