The cold barrel of the gun was pressed firmly against Billy Coen's forehead. At that moment, Billy stopped struggling. Javier held him down, his head pressed to the floor, and his hands sensibly behind his back. Billy allowed Javier to re-cuff his hands, which he had managed to get out of earlier.
With that, Javier finally let out a sigh of relief. He stood up from Billy. The former Marine Corps Second Lieutenant was very strong, and Javier had almost failed to hold him down. Luckily, besides his shooting training, Javier had also practiced some martial arts, or he would have been in trouble.
"I have to say..."
"Your acting is excellent. You two sly foxes got me," Billy said, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He reluctantly got up from the floor and said, looking defeated. He had been careless. The zombies were too much of a threat, and their acting was too good. He had no choice but to fall for their trick.
But the fight was over. Rebecca, who was usually kind, didn't want to waste time arguing with a ruthless criminal. She aimed her gun at Billy again and asked him calmly, "Speak."
"Why did you kill 23 innocent civilians? Was it for pleasure or some other twisted reason? You said you wanted to explain yourself. We'll give you a chance. But if it was for some sick reason, I have the right to act on behalf of the Caucasus military tribunal and execute you on the spot!"
Rebecca sat down on a train seat and asked Billy calmly. This wasn't because she was suddenly feeling generous or had become a saint. It was because she had just noticed that the gun Javier kicked from Billy's hand wasn't loaded.
This meant that Billy had never intended to harm them. He was only threatening them because he had no choice.
Adding to that, Billy had said that no one would believe his story, so Rebecca decided to give him a chance to explain. Javier had already expected this and didn't say anything. He knew that Billy was an innocent man in the original story, and Javier had only fought him to gain the upper hand.
When Billy heard Rebecca's words, he was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected them to listen to his explanation. Before this, no one—not his friends, not his superiors—had ever believed him. They had treated his words as lies to escape punishment, which made him feel incredibly wronged. He had escaped on his way to the Caucasus military tribunal to prove his innocence. He wasn't guilty and wouldn't die for a crime he didn't commit. As a soldier, that was his dignity!
"I was a former Marine Corps Second Lieutenant, and this happened a few months ago during a mission..."
"My team and I were sent to Africa to intervene in a civil war. Our team was sent to a very remote area to eliminate the local guerrilla forces. We went through a harsh environment, and our team suffered a lot of casualties. We lost several of our comrades before we even saw the enemy. But we persevered and reached our destination."
"But the most ironic part was that our intelligence was wrong. There were no guerrillas there, only a group of indigenous people. Our captain couldn't accept that we had gone through so much just to find out our target was wrong."
"He ordered us to kill the 23 innocent civilians. I refused because I believe that the purpose of soldiers is not to kill the innocent but to protect their homeland. I didn't want to be an aggressor."
"But my captain had gone mad. He and two other soldiers knocked me out and killed the 23 innocent civilians in front of me. They then claimed credit for killing the guerrillas. Afterward, they were afraid that I would expose them, so they put the blame on me for killing the 23 innocent civilians. I had no room to explain and was quickly sentenced to death by the military tribunal."
"The soldiers who were escorting me were killed by those monsters in the Arklay Mountains. I didn't do it. I have never harmed anyone. That's my explanation. Believe me or not; I don't care..." Billy said, a painful memory on his face. He had been silent for a long time but finally decided to tell his story. He didn't expect anyone to believe him, but it seemed Rebecca and Javier were different.
After hearing Billy's explanation, Rebecca and Javier looked at each other in surprise. It was possible for something like this to happen. They lived in the U.S. and were well aware of the country's dirty secrets. The act of killing the innocent for glory was not a new thing. It was possible that Billy was telling the truth.
After a long pause, Rebecca uncuffed Billy but didn't give him back his pistol. She kept it and said calmly, "We can believe half of your story, but we can't trust the other half. So, I'm taking your pistol to prevent you from harming us."
"Also, this is not over. We won't let you go for now. If you are telling the truth, you will help us with this mission. Afterward, Javier and I will decide whether we will help you hide your whereabouts!"
Rebecca held up the handcuffs and said proudly. For her, who hated evil, this was a huge compromise.
Billy shook his head and closed his eyes, a sense of relief on his face. Someone finally believed him. For him, Rebecca's demand was completely fine. He would do it.
"..."
"Thank you for your trust. Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Billy Coen. I'm a former Marine Corps Second Lieutenant. I'm skilled in firearms and combat, and I can drive most vehicles. What about you?" Billy asked, rubbing his sore wrists and extending a friendly hand to Javier and Rebecca. This time, he had truly let go of his guard.
"..."
"Javier Lee. I'm a mixed-race Asian, a member of the S.T.A.R.S. team in Raccoon City. I'm a shooting genius. You can just call me 'genius,' man," Javier said with a playful tone.
Rebecca rolled her eyes at Javier's shamelessness. She was embarrassed to be his partner.
"He's no genius; he's just a shameless guy. Didn't you see he's wearing a gas mask? People like that don't care about their reputation. My name is Rebecca Chambers. I'm a pharmaceutical expert, specializing in medicine and medical technology. If you get hurt, just let me know, and I'll make sure you don't die!" she said with a fierce look on her face. She pinched Javier's waist as she introduced herself.
The simple introductions brought the three of them closer. Although there was still some distance between them, they were no longer on guard.
But at that moment, "Buzz...!"
"Clang—clang—clang—clang—!!!!"
A loud bang, and the sound of train wheels turning filled the air. The Ecliptic Express, which had been sitting still on the tracks, suddenly started moving again, heading deeper into the Arklay Mountains.
Javier and his new companions were startled. They quickly gripped their weapons. Billy Coen sighed at his empty hands and picked up a cane from the floor. It wasn't powerful, but it was better than nothing.
At this moment, everyone on the Ecliptic Express was dead, so who was driving the train? A survivor? Or... an infected zombie?!