Meanwhile, on the other side of the train wreckage, Kai—dazed—shakily got to his feet, coughing harshly from the smoke before covering his mouth.
Kai: "I hate trains…"
His radio suddenly crackled to life.
Leon: "Hello? Can anyone read me?"
Kai: "Leon? That you?"
Leon: "Kai? Thank God. I couldn't get in contact with Y/N or Jill, but I'm with Claire and Sherry. Where are you right now?"
Kai: "Uh… nowhere near you from the looks of it. I'm in some kind of room. The train must've thrown me in here when it derailed. Now it's blocking the entrance. I'll have to find another way out."
Leon: "Okay, be careful. We'll meet up eventually."
Kai: "See you guys soon."
Leon: "Over and out."
Kai stood up, drew his knives, and walked out of the room. He managed to make it outside and began searching for his friends.
On the way, Kai dealt with a few zombies. Using a crowbar he found, he crushed their heads one by one. Another zombie crept up behind him, but it suddenly dropped dead with a bullet through its skull.
???: "Kai! Over here!"
Kai turned and saw Claire waving at him. He ran over and hugged her.
Kai: "Hey, Redfield."
Claire: blushing "I-I'm glad you're alright."
Kai: breaking the hug "Everyone okay? How's Sherry?"
Claire: "Sherry's fine. Leon and Selina are alright too. We just haven't found Y/N and Jill yet."
Kai: "Let's hope they're okay."
Leon: "Hey, guys!"
They turned to see Leon and Sherry joining them.
Kai: "Looks like the Resident Evil team is together again."
Leon: chuckles "Still missing the leader, though."
Suddenly, Leon's radio started buzzing.
Y/N: "Hello? Kai? Leon? Claire? Carlos? This is Y/N—can anyone hear me?"
Leon: "Yeah! I read you, Y/N!"
Y/N: "Thank God, Leon. Where are you right now?"
Leon: "I'm with Sherry, Claire, and Kai. Everything alright on your end?"
Y/N: "Well, not exactly. Jill's been infected by Nemesis—she's got the virus in her."
They all froze.
Leon: "What?!"
Y/N: "She needs help! She's going to turn soon!"
The group looked at each other in shock. Sherry hugged Claire tightly while Kai's expression hardened.
Claire: "We need to do something fast, or we'll lose her."
Leon: "…Y/N, could Umbrella have kept a vaccine somewhere as a contingency?"
Y/N: "How the heck would I know—wait, hold on… yeah! The hospital!"
Leon: "Wait—how do you know that?"
Y/N: "Long story for later."
Leon: "Alright. We'll meet you at the hospital."
Y/N: "Got it. Take care of yourselves, Resident Evil team!"
Leon: "We will. Good luck, Y/N."
Claire: "So how are we gonna get there?"
Leon: "We find the surface first—then we figure it out."
Kai: "Alright, let's move."
---
With Y/N
Y/N was about to pick Jill up when he suddenly heard running footsteps. He turned toward the sound and got into a fighting stance—but relaxed when he saw Carlos.
Carlos: "Y/N!"
Y/N: "Carlos! Thank God you're here."
Carlos: "What happened? Is Jill alright?"
Y/N: "Nah, she's just taking a nap—OF COURSE SHE'S NOT ALRIGHT! She's infected by Nemesis!"
Carlos: "Shit!"
He knelt next to Jill and checked her pulse.
Carlos: "Her heartbeat's weak. Pick her up—we need to get her to the hospital."
Y/N nodded, lifted Jill onto his back, and she groaned faintly in her unconscious state.
Y/N: "Hang in there, Jill. We're gonna save you."
They started moving and soon reached the hospital.
Y/N: "Where should I put her?"
Carlos: "Right here, follow me."
They entered a side door into the patient wing—it was empty and clean, with a single bed in the corner. Y/N gently laid Jill down, noticing her skin growing pale as the virus spread.
Y/N: "Damn it…"
Carlos: "She'll be fine, pal. We'll fix this."
Y/N turned to him. Carlos smiled, and they dapped fists.
Y/N: "Let's find Dr. Bard and save Jill."
Carlos: "Let's move."
They headed to the main hall while Carlos pulled out his radio.
Carlos: "Tyrell, this is Carlos. I'm at the hospital—where can I find Dr. Bard?"
Tyrell: "Hey, Carl. You'll find him in the lab in the back. Be careful, though—you might not like what you'll see there."
Carlos: "Got it. Thanks."
The two pushed through the double doors.
Y/N: "If it's just zombies, it won't be a problem."
In the next section—the reception room—they found several zombies waking up.
Carlos: "Gah! I'm sick of these things!"
He raised his gun and started firing while Y/N dashed in, punching the first zombie so hard it flew across the room with a burst of purple electricity, smashing into another.
Venom: "Partner, behind you!"
A zombie lunged at him from behind, but Y/N rolled aside and Carlos shot it down.
Y/N: "Nice shot!"
They high-fived and kept going deeper into the hospital.
Carlos: "Cool gloves you got there. Where'd you get them?"
Y/N: "Long story. Let's keep moving."
They entered a square hallway surrounding a courtyard. The place was a mess—half blocked by debris. At the north end, they found a door with a camera and intercom.
Intercom: "Welcome to the office of Dr. Nathaniel Bard. Please state your business clearly into the intercom."
Y/N: "Should be his lab, right?"
He tried the door—it was locked. Carlos stepped up to the intercom.
Carlos: "Hello? Dr. Bard, are you in there? I'm here to help! Someone's sick!"
Intercom: "No voice match found."
Carlos: "Voice lock?! Perfect. Gah!"
He punched the door in frustration.
Y/N: "Damn it! What do we do now?"
Suddenly, the side door opened. Carlos aimed his gun while Y/N readied himself.
A man with white hair in a red coat appeared, also aiming a gun.

???: "What the—?"
Y/N: "Wait… Dante!?"
The man blinked, then his eyes widened.
Dante: "Y/N!?"
Y/N & Dante: "YOOOOOO!!!"
Both lowered their weapons and hugged.
Y/N: "What's up, bro!? I thought you were dead!"
Dante: "Same here, man! You look like you've been fighting monsters with your bare hands!"
Y/N: grins "Sort of! And damn, is that a sword?! Cool!"
Dante: "I know, right? I stole it from a museum!"
Y/N: "Haha! I didn't even think of that!"
Carlos, confused, lowered his gun.
Carlos: "Uhhh…?"
Y/N: "Oh—right! Carlos, this is Dante, one of my closest friends. Dante, meet Carlos."
Dante: "Nice to meet ya, pal. Any friend of Y/N's is a friend of mine."
They shook hands firmly.
Carlos: "Likewise."
???: "Darling! What's taking you so long?!"
The sound of high heels echoed as a tall woman with long black hair, glasses, and twin pistols appeared.

???: "Hold on—Y/N!?"
Y/N: "Bayonetta!!!"
He rushed to hug her, and she hugged him back.
Bayonetta: "Oh, thank goodness you're alright! Dante and I checked your apartment—it was a mess! We thought you were dead!"
Y/N: "Yeah, the outbreak hit while I was out shopping."
They pulled apart, and Y/N introduced her to Carlos.
Y/N: "Carlos, this is Bayonetta—Dante's wife. Bayo, this is Carlos."
Carlos: "Nice to meet you, tower lady."
Dante: "Say that again, and I'll shoot your head off."
Carlos: "I-I, uh…"
Bayonetta: "Sweetie, be nice."
Dante: "Hmph. Alright, mommy."
Y/N: "What was that?"
Dante: "Nothing!"
---
Meanwhile, with the others
Leon, Claire, Kai, and Sherry finally reached the hospital. The main hall was empty.
Leon: "Where are they?"
Kai: "They should be here—maybe inside."
Sherry: "What about that room?" points toward the patient wing
Claire: "Let's check."
They entered carefully and found Jill lying on a bed, pale and feverish.
Kai: "Jill!!"
He rushed over, checking her temperature—she was burning up.
Claire: "If Jill's here, Y/N must be close."
Leon: "Alright, we'll split up. Claire, you stay with Kai and Sherry to watch Jill. I'll look for Ada—she might have intel on the cure."
Kai: "You sure going alone's a good idea?"
Leon: "Don't worry about me—I can handle myself."
He loaded his weapon and left. As he passed through the reception area, he saw dead zombies with punch marks—definitely Y/N's work.
He noticed a locked side door, shot the lock, and descended a stairway beneath the hospital…
---
Back with Y/N
Y/N: "So what're you doing in the hospital, exactly?"
Dante: "Nothing major—just looking for meds and bandages. What about you?"
Y/N: "A friend of mine got infected. I'm looking for the cure."
Bayonetta: "Here? In this hospital?"
Y/N: "Yeah—but the door's voice-locked, and we can't open it."
Bayonetta: "Lucky for you, I'm here."
She stepped to the intercom and said playfully:
Bayonetta: "Open the door for the almighty Bayonetta~!"
The lock turned green, and the doors slid open.
Y/N: "Wow…"
Carlos: "Wait—how?!"
Dante: "She's using a hacking device, idiot."
Bayonetta winked, showing the small black device in her hand. They entered the lab—papers scattered, monitors smashed.
At the back, a man sat motionless in a chair.
Carlos: "Dr. Bard?"
Y/N cautiously turned the chair around—revealing Bard's lifeless body, bullet wounds in his chest.
Y/N: "Damn it… we were too late."
Dante: "Shot dead. Someone killed him."
Carlos: "But why?"
They moved deeper into the lab and found a computer beside an iron door. Carlos began working on it—and stumbled upon a video recording.
Dr. Bard (recording):
"This is VRC Chief Nathaniel Bard. September 29. I am aware that my time is running out, and I hope by making this recording, I can restore some shred of honor to my name.
All of Raccoon City's suffering began with the release of a biological weapon known as the T-Virus. My employer, the Umbrella Corporation, engineered this virus—and ordered my team to develop a vaccine, which we did. I keep samples of it here in my office. The rest are stored underground."
He paused, looking around nervously.
Dr. Bard:
"But those bastards on the board want to destroy it. They don't want the world to know what they've done. They're trying to erase all evidence—"
The video cut off abruptly. Everyone stood silent in shock.
Carlos: "Oh, God…"
Bayonetta: "Umbrella?!"
Dante: "The medicine company was behind all this!?"
Y/N: "Jill told me about it already—so I'm not that surprised."
Carlos: "Wait—you knew? Then why'd you trust me? Why call me a friend?"
Y/N smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Y/N: "Because you had nothing to do with this. I knew you were just a guy trying to help people—and even willing to risk your life for it. That's why I trust you."
Carlos stared for a moment, then smiled.
Carlos: "Thanks, man…"
The iron door suddenly unlocked. Inside, they found a case containing a single vial of pink liquid.
Bayonetta: "Strange… there's room for more vials. Someone's already taken the rest."
Y/N: picking it up "Doesn't matter—we've got what we need to save Jill. Let's go."
They left the lab—but before they could reach the hall, the glass ceiling shattered. A monstrous figure dropped down behind them.

Y/N barely turned before claws tore through his chest and out his back.
Carlos: "Y/N!!!"
Bayonetta: "NO!!!"
Dante: "YOU SON OF—SHOOT IT!!!"
They opened fire as the creature darted around with inhuman speed. Y/N fell to one knee, clutching his chest—but then, black symbiote tendrils sealed the wound.
Venom: "Got you, partner."
Y/N: "Thanks, pal."
He stood up, charged his fist with purple lightning, and smashed the creature across the room, sending it crashing into the wall.
Dante: "Aim for the head! That's the weak spot!"
They fired in unison until the monster finally collapsed, dead.
Carlos: "What the hell was that?!"
Bayonetta: "We call it a Magma Hunter. We fought two of them earlier—they're fast, deadly, and their claws can kill in one hit."
Dante: "Y/N… you okay?"
Y/N: "Oh? Yeah, completely fine!"
He patted his chest—good as new.
Carlos: "How did you—"
Y/N: "Explanations later. We need to get back to Jill."
They hurried back to the sick room. Inside, Claire and Sherry sat beside Jill's bed. Sherry's face lit up when she saw Y/N.
Sherry: "Big brother!"
She ran and hugged him tightly.
Claire: "Y/N, Carlos! Thank goodness. And you've got new friends, I see."
Y/N: "Not new—just old ones. This is Dante and his wife, Bayonetta."
Dante: leaning back against the wall "Yo."
Bayonetta: sitting beside him "Hey there."
Y/N turned to Jill, gently rolled her onto her side, and injected the cure into her shoulder.
Y/N: "I hope this works…"
He slumped back into a chair, sighing deeply as everyone settled around.
Suddenly, the door opened—Kai stepped in.
Kai: "Whoa!!"
Y/N: "Dude, you scared me!"
Kai: "Sorry! Bathroom break. Glad to see everyone's okay—and, uh, new faces?"
Y/N: "That's Dante and his wife, Bayonetta."
Dante: "Yo."
Bayonetta: "Pleasure."
Y/N: "Where's Leon?"
Kai: "He went to look for Ada in Umbrella's secret lab underground."
Carlos: "Should we go after him?"
Y/N: leans back, covering his eyes with one arm "No… Leon can handle himself."
Sherry: sitting on Claire's lap "So… what now?"
Y/N peeked through his fingers, looking at Jill.
Y/N: "We wait…"
_____
To be continued...