Javier looked ahead. The hallway was completely empty—no signs of life, and no immediate danger.
"Bang, bang, bang!" A burst of gunfire echoed in the distance, followed by screams.
It was Patrick's voice.
Javier ran quickly toward the sound and, upon arriving, saw that Leon, Patrick, and Jason were all there—along with a corpse on the floor. Clearly, it was a zombie.
"What's going on here?" Javier asked.
"Javier, you're here too," Leon said with a smile when he saw him.
"He's a member of our investigation team," Jason explained.
"How can there be zombies here?" President Graham was shocked upon learning of their presence inside the White House. Jason opened the presidential office's arsenal and handed out heavy weapons to everyone.
"We'll deal with the zombies. Patrick, you protect the President and escort him to the underground shelter." Jason gave out orders. Everyone agreed and got ready to act separately.
They all left the presidential office and ran toward the bunker. Any zombies they encountered along the way were taken down by Jason and Javier, who were leading the charge.
Once they reached the bunker elevator door, Patrick continued on with the President while Javier and the others stayed upstairs to clear out any remaining zombies in the White House.
"Alright, let's split up. Don't let any zombies near the bunker," Jason said before heading off.
Javier picked a direction and followed it.
There were only a few hundred staff members in the White House, so the number of zombies wasn't overwhelming. Javier moved through the area, swiftly and precisely killing more than a dozen of them. That's when he spotted a flash of light and decided to follow it.
Shen May had entered a pitch-black room on her own. She was searching cautiously when a zombie lunged at her from behind the sofa. She didn't react in time, and her pistol was knocked away, sliding across the floor. The zombie leapt at her in that moment.
> [A/N: Small correction — in the previous chapter I wrote "Shen Mei," but her name is actually Shen May.]
With the creature so close, Shen May shut her eyes in fear—when suddenly, a gunshot rang out.
The zombie's head exploded and landed a few feet away.
When Shen May opened her eyes, she saw Javier standing there. The zombie was already dead.
"Thank you," she said, relieved.
"No need to thank me. Just be more careful," Javier replied with a smile.
Shen May retrieved her weapon from the floor and exited the room with Javier. At that moment, backup troops arrived outside, and soon, all the zombies in the White House were eliminated.
It was already morning. Javier and his companions stood in the hallway while people in hazmat suits cleaned up the zombie corpses.
"Do you think they were infected with the T-virus?" Jason asked.
"Hard to say. There are a lot of different viruses now. We'll only know after running some tests," Leon replied.
"The real question is: how did the zombies get into the White House in the first place? And who's behind all this?" Javier asked.
Everyone went silent, pondering Javier's words.
"Think it over, guys. I'm going outside for a smoke," he said, walking off.
Javier reached the hallway, planning to step onto the lawn for a cigarette.
"Javier!" Someone called his name, and he turned around.
"Claire? What are you doing here?"
Claire walked up to him with a smile.
"I should be asking you that. How are you just walking around the White House freely?" Claire asked, puzzled.
"The President asked for my help. What about you? Why are you here?" Javier replied.
"I'm here with the provisional government delegation from Penamstan. We're working on a plan to build schools and hospitals there," Claire said.
"Penamstan?" Javier repeated curiously.
"What exactly is your organization doing? Is this some kind of charity?" Javier questioned.
"The government wants to station troops there. The ceremony will be held next week. We're here to negotiate the terms. By the way, let me show you something." Claire handed him a notebook.
Javier opened it to find a page with a disturbing, extremely bloody drawing. The figure depicted was horrifying, its mouth wide open, biting into others. It was clearly a zombie.
"Where did you get this drawing?" Javier asked.
"A little boy drew it. It depicts the civil war six years ago. Looks a lot like Raccoon City. I asked around, but no one wanted to talk about it. I believe a biochemical crisis must've happened there," Claire said, convinced.
Javier nodded.
"I'll have someone look into it. But don't go investigating alone."
Claire scoffed.
"I'm not a child, Javier. I know how to handle myself." She took the drawing back.
Looking at her expression, Javier knew Claire wouldn't listen to him anyway. If she did, she wouldn't be Claire.
"Just be careful."
Claire nodded with a smile.
"By the way, do you know where the press secretary is? I had a meeting scheduled, but the President's aide said she's on vacation," Claire said, clearly annoyed.
"Then you'll have to wait. Her vacation might be... indefinite. I'd suggest finding someone else."
Javier knew she had already turned into a zombie and was dead.
Claire sighed in resignation. Shortly after, the Penamstan delegation came to collect her. She wanted to go with them, so the two said goodbye.
Javier returned to the office. Jason and the others were already there, so he sat down.
"What are your plans now?" Javier asked.
"The President is talking to Minister Wilson. We just have to wait for the outcome," Shen May replied. Everyone waited in silence, bored and restless.
Moments later, Wilson arrived.
"Everyone, per President Graham's orders: Jason, as captain, and Leon will be deployed to China on a secret mission. The rest of you will remain on standby."
Everyone acknowledged the order.
Jason and Leon departed first. Patrick was assigned to continue protecting the President, leaving only Shen May and Javier in the office.
Javier noticed Shen May seemed hesitant, like she had something to say.
"What is it? Is there something you want to talk about? Maybe I can help," he offered.
Hearing that, Shen May stood up and walked over to him.
The two were close, and Javier could smell her perfume.
"Javier, I know you have strong ties with the Azure Dragon Company. I was hoping you could do me a favor," Shen May said seriously.
They left the White House, and Shen May took Javier to Chinatown, stopping in front of a large mansion. Javier noticed the security was tight—guards were armed and alert.
After getting out of the car, Shen May led Javier inside and explained:
"This is my home. My parents died when I was young, leaving only me and my little brother. Our grandfather raised us. He's the head of Chinatown."
Shen May began to tell Javier about her life.
---
(End of Chapter)
A/N: If you haven't noticed yet, this arc takes place during the events of the Netflix series Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness.
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."