Jack scrambled for the flashlight he had dropped. Suddenly, the VSS flared across his vision:
[VSS WARNING]
Bond Path – Jill Valentine: Unwanted Alliance
Status: Critical (toxin detected in system)
Estimated Time Until Death: 30 minutes
Jack's jaw tightened. Thirty minutes. That was all the time she had left.
He looked up at the burst pipes blocking his way. Without hesitation, he plunged through the hot spray overhead. Scalding water seared his skin, the pain sharp and raw—only to vanish moments later as his body healed itself.
"Damn it," he hissed, staggering through. But he forced the pain down, snapping back into focus, sweeping the area like the soldier he had once been.
His flashlight beam cut across the flooded corridor—and froze. Jill lay sprawled in the water, barely conscious. Her skin had gone pale, her lips parted in shallow, ragged breaths.
"Jill!" Jack snarled, clipping the light to his belt so his hands were free. He dropped to her side, hauling her against him.
Her eyelids fluttered, unfocused. "Jack… is that you?" she whispered, her voice weak, struggling to pierce the dark.
"Don't worry. I'll get us out of this," Jack said. With his free hand, he bent low, snatched Jill's pistol from where it had clattered into the water, and slid it into his vest. Then he hooked an arm under her shoulders and hauled her up.
Her body was frighteningly light. Jack wanted to carry her outright but decided he needed one hand free to fend off the giant snake lurking in the dark.
Jill stirred weakly, lips moving but no words forming. Her skin was ice cold against him.
"Don't you dare quit on me, Jill…" Jack muttered, voice rough. He tightened his grip, shifting her weight again. Each step sent water sloshing around his boots, echoing too loudly in the suffocating dark.
Overhead, the pipes groaned. A scrape. A hiss. The Yawn was still with them.
Jack's Viral Sense flared sharp and jagged, pounding behind his eyes. It was tracking him. Circling. Every few seconds he caught glimpses of its movement — a flash of scales overhead, a ripple through the water, the hiss of its massive body sliding through vents.
Jack forced himself onward, his breath harsh in the damp air. Jill's shallow breathing pressed against his neck, growing fainter with every step. The VSS still burned in his head:
[VSS WARNING]
Estimated Time Until Death: 20 minutes
"Plenty of time," Jack growled under his breath, even though he knew it was a lie.
The corridor bent sharply, widening into a chamber that stank of rot and reptile musk. Jack swung the light up—and froze.
Rows of shattered glass tanks lined the walls. Rusted operating tables sat crooked in pools of stagnant water. Faded Umbrella logos peeled off the metal cabinets.
An old testing lab.
Jack's gut turned cold. He didn't need the paperwork scattered across the floor to tell him: this was where they'd made it. Where they'd made that giant slithering monstrosity.
The beam of his light caught movement. The far wall was wrapped in thick coils, scales glistening in the damp. The Yawn's massive body wound through the wreckage, cradling the room like a nest. Bones jutted from the slime-coated floor—rats, dogs, and human.
Jack's pulse thundered.
The snake's head lifted slowly from the dark, tongue flickering, molten-gold eyes locking onto him.
Jack set Jill down gently against a wall, her pistol laid across her lap. His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Stay with me, Jill… I'll buy us the time."
He swept the ruined lab quickly, eyes darting over shattered tanks and overturned desks for any advantage he could use. Then he caught something in the corner—an Umbrella weapons locker, its door hanging open, rust eating the hinges.
Jack moved fast, yanking it wide. Inside, coated in dust and grime, lay a shotgun—short-barreled, stock sawed off, Umbrella's logo stamped into the receiver. A modified riot gun, built for close-quarters crowd control.
He checked the chamber—three shells rattled inside. Another half-empty box sat in the locker, soaked but salvageable.
Jack racked the slide with a sharp clack, the sound echoing across the chamber. He muttered under his breath, "That'll do."
Behind him, the Yawn stirred. Its coils shifted through the broken tanks, water rippling across the floor. The serpent's head rose higher, tongue flickering, molten eyes locking onto him with predatory patience.
Jack stepped in front of Jill, shotgun braced tight, every nerve screaming.
"Come on, you ugly bastard."
The Yawn's massive head lunged, fangs glistening in the thin beam of Jack's flashlight. Jack braced, pulling the trigger.
BOOM.
The modified riot gun roared, the blast tearing into the serpent's face. Scales split, blood spraying across the lab walls. The recoil hammered into Jack's shoulder, but the beast only reeled for a moment before crashing forward again, fury in its molten eyes.
"Son of a—" Jack racked the slide, chambering the next shell.
The Yawn's tail whipped across the room. Jack dove, dragging Jill with him. The strike shattered a console where she had been lying seconds earlier, metal crumpling like foil. Jack swung the riot gun up one-handed, sighting along the flashlight beam.
BOOM.
The second shell blasted into the serpent's coils, chunks of flesh tearing loose. The Yawn hissed, body thrashing through the water. Glass shattered, equipment flying as the lab became a storm of debris.
Jack rolled to his knees, firing again.
BOOM.
The third round slammed into the Yawn's open maw, scattering shattered fangs across the floor. The blast echoed like thunder in the tight chamber.
Click. Empty.
"Shit—"
The snake didn't slow. It crashed into him, its head smashing through the wall. Jack flew back into a cabinet, the wood splintering under the impact. His lungs seized. The shotgun skidded across the floor, disappearing under the water.
The Yawn's body coiled around him, scales grinding against his ribs. Jack gritted his teeth, feeling his chest crush under the pressure. He clawed for his knife, stabbing between the scales, but the blade barely sank an inch.
His Viral Sense screamed—Jill.
Jack's gaze snapped across the chamber. Jill slumped where he had left her, flashlight beam shaking across her pale face. The VSS timer ticked mercilessly in his mind:
[VSS WARNING]
Estimated Time Until Death: 10 minutes
The snake's head reared back, ready to strike her.
"No you don't!" Jack roared, fury burning hot. He wrenched free just enough to jam the knife between the coils, forcing the beast to recoil. With a surge of strength, he broke loose, diving into the water for the riot gun.
His fingers closed on the grip. He racked the slide—add more shells in the chamber.
The Yawn lunged for Jill.
Jack planted one knee, leveled the gun, and fired.
BOOM.
The blast punched through the serpent's eye. The Yawn shrieked, thrashing violently, smashing walls and sending waves crashing across the lab.
Jack staggered, shielding Jill with his body as debris rained down. The serpent convulsed, tearing through broken tanks before finally retreating into the shadows of its nest, hissing in rage.
The chamber went still, save for dripping water and Jill's ragged breathing.
Jack lowered the smoking shotgun, chest heaving. His hands shook, but his voice was steady as he looked down at her.
"Still with me, Jill. Just hold on…"
Jack braced against the wall, lungs dragging for air. The Yawn's hiss still echoed faintly through the flooded chamber, but the monster had slipped back into the shadows of its nest. For now, it was gone.
The VSS pulsed across his vision again, merciless as ever:
[VSS WARNING]
Bond Path – Jill Valentine
Status: Critical (toxin detected in system)
Estimated Time Until Death: 9 minutes
Jack's stomach dropped. The fight had cost them precious time.
He turned, flashlight beam trembling across Jill's pale face. She was slumped against the wall, her lips moving faintly but no sound coming. Every shallow breath rattled through her chest.
"Don't you dare quit on me," Jack muttered, crouching beside her. His hands shook—not from fear, but from the weight of the clock ticking down in his head.
He snapped his gaze back to the ruined lab, scanning the wreckage. Broken tanks, shattered consoles, corroded cabinets. Somewhere in this hellhole, Umbrella had to have left something—anything.
Jack pushed himself upright and began tearing through the room. He ripped open drawers, shoved over rusted tables, and kicked aside debris. His light flashed across scattered documents waterlogged beyond use, old glass vials shattered into the muck, faded labels reading: Specimen Y-1.
Then, in the corner, a storage cabinet caught his eye—its door sealed tight under a rusted latch. Jack yanked it open with a grunt. Inside, stacked in cracked refrigeration racks, were several sealed glass vials. Most were clouded, ruined by time. But one row gleamed faintly under his light.
He leaned close, heart hammering.
[Umbrella Medical – Antivenom Prototype: Y-Serum]
Jack snatched a vial, the liquid inside still clear. He found a hypodermic kit half-buried on the shelf, brushed off the grime, and loaded the serum.
He knelt beside Jill, his breath ragged. Her head lolled weakly as he lifted her arm, skin clammy beneath his fingers.
"Hang in there, Valentine," Jack muttered. "You don't get to check out on me now."
He slid the needle in and pressed the plunger. The serum flowed in, clear against her pale veins. For a moment, nothing happened.
Then Jill's chest hitched. She coughed, weak and shallow, but color began to creep back into her cheeks. Her eyelids fluttered, blue eyes struggling to focus on him.
The VSS blinked in his vision:
[VSS UPDATE]
Status: Stabilizing
Toxin Neutralization: 47% … 65% … 82%
Estimated Time Until Death: Null
Jack sagged with relief, shoulders heavy. For the first time since the fight began, he let himself breathe.
Jill's lips parted. Her voice was barely audible, hoarse. "You… saved me again…"
Jack gave a short, rough laugh. "Damn right I did."
Her eyes lingered on him, unfocused but alive. She reached up weakly, fingers brushing the collar of his jacket.
For a moment, Jack froze, the shotgun still heavy in his hands. Then Jill pulled him closer, closing the gap. Her lips met his in a kiss—soft, brief, but burning with the raw relief of survival.
By the time she pulled back, her breath was still uneven, but steadier. She looked as startled as he felt. Neither of them said a word.