The corridor felt suffocating — not from immediate danger, but from the knowledge that the deeper they went, the harder it would be to come back.
Infiltration.
And potentially, direct confrontation with Umbrella.
Soren, no longer considered the captain of S.T.A.R.S., stood off to the side leaning against the doorframe. Arms crossed. Head tilted back. Eyes closed.
The sunglasses were gone — a choice he had made deliberately.
Chris now stood at the center of the group, effectively taking the lead.
"Do we know how to get into the underground lab?"
His gaze swept across everyone.
Though the question was clearly meant for Soren.
"Outside in the courtyard garden," Soren replied without opening his eyes.
Chris nodded. "Okay. That's not complicated. We can handle getting to the courtyard."
"There is a problem with that."
Several heads turned.
Slight irritation flickered across more than one face.
"More than the usual?" Frost quipped.
Soren exhaled slowly.
"This place was designed as a maze. The entrance to the lab is hidden beneath a fountain. It requires two special medallions to activate the mechanism."
Barry rubbed his forehead. "That's just peachy."
Chris crossed his arms, one hand resting against his chin.
*Inside*
Oh shit, he has that look on his face.
Please for the love of all that is holy don't say some dumb shit.
Don't say split up.
Don't –
"In that case, we'll need to—"
*Inside*
Splitting is too risky.
*Aloud*
"I swear if you say split up, I'm gonna lose it."
Silence.
Soren blinked.
A faint crease formed between his brows.
That… had come out backwards.
Everyone stared at Soren.
"…I said that out loud, didn't I?"
He scratched the back of his head as his cheeks reddened slightly.
"Ah. Sorry. Please continue. I'm gonna shut up now."
Jill covered her mouth, failing to suppress a laugh.
Rebecca shook her head like a disappointed older sister.
Frost doubled over, wheezing.
Barry didn't look amused.
Chris cleared his throat.
"Actually," he said carefully, ears faintly red, "I was going to suggest we locate the closest medallion first."
"That is a great idea," Frost managed between breaths. "Let's absolutely do that."
Soren straightened slightly, pushing himself off the doorframe.
"You're not going to like where the first one is."
The humor faded a notch.
"The medallions are hidden inside two books. One is in the second-floor library. The other… is back in the graveyard."
Everyone went still.
Especially Jill.
"The snake is dead," Chris said. "Should be an easy grab."
Soren stared at him.
Then slowly pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You have got to be kidding me," he muttered. "Do you practice saying things like that?"
"At least say jinx or something, man," Frost snapped at Chris. "What the hell."
Despite the tension, the faintest smiles appeared.
Direction secured, the team moved.
And once again—
They headed for the graveyard.
The mansion was quiet.
Not peaceful.
Wrong.
The constant shuffling they had grown accustomed to was gone. No dragging footsteps. No distant groans.
Just silence.
And that silence pressed in on them.
Moving through familiar rooms didn't feel reassuring. It felt worse. Every shadow seemed deeper. Every flicker of candlelight looked like movement.
But they reached the graveyard without incident.
Almost as if the mansion was allowing them passage.
Chris took point as they stepped outside.
From the top of the stairs, the massive body of the snake was visible.
Or what remained of it.
The flesh was collapsing inward, steaming, liquefying into a thick black sludge that ran between the cracks of the stone.
The smell hit them instantly.
Rot.
Chemicals.
Something sour and metallic.
It was far worse than when it had been alive.
Rebecca gagged.
Barry covered his mouth.
Even Chris had to turn his head slightly.
"Move," he muttered.
They pushed past the corpse quickly and descended into the hidden tomb.
Or what had been the entrance.
The stone steps ended abruptly.
The chamber entrance was buried under collapsed rock and packed earth.
Chris crouched and tried shifting one of the larger stones.
It didn't budge.
Barry tried next.
Nothing.
Chris looked back at the group and shook his head. Then the team quickly made their way back up the stairs.
Once they were far enough away from the stench, Chris looked at Soren.
"Now what?"
Again.
Looking to him for and answer.
Soren exhaled slowly.
"Give me a second."
*Inside*
I'm not a fucking GPS man. I don't know.
If the chamber collapsed, then we're shit out of luck.
But if the entrance was the part that collapsed then…
"If the chamber is still intact," Soren said slowly, "we can access it another way..."
Soren closed his eyes as if trying to recall an old memory.
Rebecca tilted her head. "But?"
"It's connected through another grave."
Frost groaned. "You've got to be kidding."
"I wasn't informed which one."
"So now we're playing grave roulette," Frost muttered.
Tension flared.
"Hey remember not to choke on your fucking foot." Frost snapped at Chris.
"Hey, cut that shit out." Barry shot back. "Chris is doing his best."
"Enough!" Jill's voice cracked like a whip.
Both men shut up instantly.
"This is not the god damn time."
Then she turned to Soren.
The first direct look since their conversation.
"Take us to the general area," she said evenly. "We'll figure out the rest."
Soren hesitated half a second.
Then nodded.
Chris watched the exchange.
He had a complex expression, a mix of disappointment and admiration.
Barry patted Chris's shoulder and quietly said, "A for effort man" and walked away.
They moved deeper into the graveyard.
It was larger than any of them expected.
Rows upon rows of headstones stretched into the fog.
Some tilted.
Some cracked.
Some… disturbed.
The path led to a rusted iron gate.
Secured with a corroded padlock.
Soren looked back at the team, giving them a silent ready signal.
Then he kicked the lock.
The padlock shattered instantly.
The gate buckled inward with a loud metallic groan.
A deep dent remained where his boot had connected.
Everyone stared.
Jill raised an eyebrow.
"You know," she said calmly, "I could've just picked the lock."
Soren blinked.
Looked at the dent.
Then at his own foot.
"…Right."
A faint heat crept into his face.
"Next time."
Behind the gate something shifted beneath the soil.
The sound of the rusted gate opening was deafening in the dead silence.
Beyond the gate lay a second cemetery, smaller, enclosed by stone walls and tall iron fencing. The graves here were opulent. Maintained.
The footpath led to another large gate on the far side. To the left of the team, halfway into the small cemetery was another gate leading towards an inclining hill. At the peak of it an old, decrepit cabin sat overseeing the cemetery. It looked abandoned but Soren could see a faint light coming from inside the cabin.
Cautiously the team started moving deeper into the small cemetery. Each step much louder than it should be. Soren glanced at Chris, a barely perceptible mocking look tugging at his expression.
"I believe it's your line." Soren said, gesturing to Chris. A small tug at the corner of his mouth.
"Very funny." Chris said sighing and continuing, "Lets split up and look for this grave"
The team split up into groups of two.
Jill and Rebecca, Chris and Barry, Soren and Frost.
Each group moved in a different direction. Soren and Frost moved towards the far end of the cemetery while Jill and Rebecca stayed near the entrance area, and finally Chris and Barry investigated the area in between. Though they never moved far enough apart that they couldn't hear each other.
< Jill/Rebecca >
As the others walked out of earshot Rebecca and Jill started to look around but neither were forced on the objective at hand. Rebecca looked at Jill with worry not just about her physical condition but her mental state. Jill on the other hand was lost in thought occasionally glancing at Soren with a complicated gaze. As Rebecca looked closer, she saw Jill's hand shaking unconsciously and a moment later she would ball her shaking hand into a fist. Rebecca walked up to Jill and gently put her hand on her shoulder. Jills reaction told her everything. Jill twisted around grabbing Rebeccas hand with much more force than needed. For half a second, she didn't see Rebecca.
She saw something else.
Something reaching for her.
For a moment Rebecca was scared and at that moment, Jill snapped out of it. She saw the flicker of fear in Rebecca's eyes. Her grip loosened immediately as she lowered her head.
She muttered, "I'm…sorry." Her voice was so small and fragile.
Rebecca wrapped her arms around her without hesitation.
For a moment Jill just stood still
Then –
Slowly her whole body started to shake.
"It's ok big sis. It's ok."
Rebeccas words broke the fragile wall Jill had put up. The tears flowed free as Jill grabbed onto Rebecca tightly. No sound, no wails, just silent tears. Her shoulders shook — but she refused to make a sound. She was still trying to put on a brave face.
Rebecca noticed and pulled Jill closer, gently rubbing her back and said, "Don't hold back. Just let it out."
And she did. Jill's muffled sobs carried across the graveyard.
No one spoke.
Chris wanted to go and comfort Jill, but Barry stopped him, shaking his head.
Frost looked away.
Jaw tight.
Hands clenched tight around the shotgun. He understood Jill's pain, but that pain also reflected his own. Before it could bubble over, he shoved them down and swallowed them.
Every instinct in Soren screamed to move.
To go to her.
To fix it.
His foot even shifted forward.
He stopped himself.
He didn't have that right. He knew the pain she was in was because of his decisions.
The others gave her that space.
No one said anything.
After a while, Chris and Barry resumed their search in silence.
Frost also motioned for Soren to continue, and Soren reluctantly followed.
After some time, Jill seemed to have calmed a little, Rebecca still cradling her said, "I'm sorry… I can't even imagine what you're going through but all I can do is this."
Jill simply tightened her hold on Rebecca, a gesture of comfort, letting Rebecca know that this was enough.
Jill slowly pulled away from Rebecca, her face a mess. Rebecca was ready with a clean cloth and cleaned Jill's face. She looked lighter but still had a hollow look in her eyes.
Rebecca handed Jill her water canteen and had her drink it. When she was finished, Rebecca cupped Jill's face and said, "You don't have to be strong right now. We have your back, you're not alone."
Those words were the lifeline Jill needed. A small kindling of hope, a sliver of light at the end of this abyss.
"I'm sorry –
Rebecca put her hand up stopping Jill from continuing.
"That's what sisters are for. You have been my rock for so long. It's about time I returned the favor."
Rebecca said with a gentle smile.
Jill nodded, "I'm ok now."
Her voice was steady.
Her eyes weren't.
"You don't have to be. That is ok too."
She nodded again as Rebecca wrapping her left arm around Jill and started walking to continue their search.
< Chris/Barry >
As Barry was brushing dirt off a tombstone Chris looked at Soren still standing still like a statue instead of being there for Jill, to comfort her. His jaw clenched in anger.
"Coward." He muttered under his breath. Then looked away in disgust and anger. He wanted to lash out but he had also made the same choice and that disgusted him even more. He looked down at his hand, he was no better than him. He tilted his head up looking at the gray sky and closed his eyes.
NO.
He furrowed his brow.
He had to be better. He would not stand there again while someone else broke. He would become someone they depended on.
Someone he wasn't yet.
"Chris, look."
That snapped him out of his melancholy. Barry was pointing at a tomb with strange engravings on it. He knelt next to Barry and started examining the symbols. As he was tracing his finger on the engraving his finger moved one of the symbols depressing it. An audible click resonated from the grave. The carved symbol resembled a crescent moon.
Barry and Chris looked at each other, realization passing between them, a puzzle. They both reached out and tried pressing every symbol. Only two other symbols moved, one depicting two hands pressed against each other in a prayer, and the other depicted the sun. Once all three symbols were depressed.
Click.
The sun, crescent moon, and praying hands symbols reset.
A moment passed and nothing happened.
Barry pulled back and scratched his beard.
Chris attempted a few more combinations by changing the activation pattern without luck.
"We are missing something."
"Yeah. Let's get the rest of the team here."
< Soren/Frost >
Both Soren and Frost were silent. Both preoccupied with their own thoughts. Frost knelt at an unmarked grave, "Poor bastard" Frost looked on in pity.
"Frost."
He nearly jumped. An involuntary reaction. Getting irritated by his own reaction he lashed out.
"What!" He looked at Soren. He was facing away from him focused on a large statue of an angel. Then Soren started walking towards it. Frost followed reluctantly. The angel's beauty and serenity brought a sense of calm to Frost. Its majestic presence was diminished by neglect, but not gone. At the base of the statue was a symbol. Two hands pressed against each other in a prayer. The symbol stood alone with no other markings or engravings.
"Hey…ahm sorry for –
"The engraving could be a clue."
Soren cut Frost off. Frost looked relieved that Soren wasn't upset.
"Cool, that's not creepy at all." Frost quipped reverting back to his smart-ass ways.
Soren had a faint smile and nodded.
"You see any more creepy symbols?"
"No."
"Hey man can I ask you a question?"
Frost hesitantly asked rubbing the back of his neck.
"You just did." Soren smirked at his own smart-ass answer.
"Ha, yeah… so about what you said back in the mansion…" Frost paused searching for the right words.
"What did they do to you?"
Soren looked at Frost, "It's not exactly something I like talking about."
"Yeah, that's cool man, my bad –
"But what I can tell you is that I will never let any child to go through that. Not as long as I am alive."
"There is one thing I don't understand." Frost said trying to change the topic.
"What?"
Frost looked directly at Soren completely seriously.
"How can someone who had been basically brainwashed just…stop following orders?"
That was the worst question for Soren. He didn't want to lie, not anymore, so he shifted his approach.
"Change doesn't happen overnight. It's slow, small cracks that widen until the whole dam gives way."
"That's the best you got?"
"It's what I can give right now."
"I really want to believe you man, but it's this kind of shit that stops me. You keep deflecting questions you don't want to answer with bullshit half-truths."
Soren was taken back by Frost. He had figured Soren out before anyone else.
"I get it you think we don't trust you and won't believe anything you say. Well, guess what, we didn't lie to you, we didn't break your trust, we aren't Umbrella."
That hit Soren like a slap. The realization that he was distancing himself subconsciously because he was afraid the team would find out about him was causing them to mistrust him even more. This was the opposite of his conscious thoughts and actions.
"I'm sorry Joseph."
Frost blinked at the use of his first name.
"I didn't mean to… I was – am afraid."
Soren's jaw tightened.
His fingers curled.
Something broke.
"I have no one. Everything I know is gone. Everyone I care about is gone."
His voice grew more manic with each word, edging toward hyperventilation.
"I'm stuck in a shithole with no way out and all I can fucking do is fight."
His old life flashed behind his eyes.
The one ripped away without warning.
The graveyard went quiet again.
Even the wind seemed to pause.
A moment of silence passed as Soren took control of his emotions.
"I'm trying to be better, but I don't know where to go or how to start –
Then Frost stepped forward.
"You got us man." Frost cut in. Much calmer now a look of approval on his face as he lightly punched Soren's shoulder.
"Quit overthinking everything man and just be honest with us. That's all I'm asking for."
"I'll try."
< Jill/Rebecca >
After some time, Jill had regained her composure. She still felt hollow — but lighter. Rebecca knew Jill needed something else to focus on. So, she started talking.
"You know cemeteries never creeped me out."
"Really?"
"Yeah. No noise, no one to interrupt you, no one judging you. A perfect place for a bookworm." Rebecca said with a bright smile.
That smile was infectious, causing one to appear on Jill's face.
"Random but ok."
"What about you?"
"Cemeteries? No, I don't like them."
"Not that silly. I meant do you have a place that you go to?"
"Same one everyone goes to Jake's Bar."
"That place is too loud and filled with drunk punks."
"Hey. I'm not drunk all the time."
They both laughed at that. The atmosphere eased, softened.
Rebecca, holding Jill's hand, started skipping like a child out on a walk with their parents. The ridiculousness of Rebecca put Jill at ease and she started looking around. Her eyes caught a statue in the far corner of the cemetery right against the stone walls. She started walking towards it as Rebecca's silly antics stopped. The statue was covered in overgrown vines and vegetation, but you could still see what it was. The statue depicted a woman with long flowing robes, holding a pot, frozen mid-pour. At the base of the statue was an engraving of a crescent moon.
Rebecca leaned in, thoughtful. "Huh. I wonder what that means?"
Before they could speculate, Chris's voice cut across the graveyard—loud enough for everyone to hear:
"Guys! Come here. We found something."