The quiet of the B3 corridors wasn't comforting. It was the kind of silence that came right before something went wrong.
Chris moved at the front, rifle raised, eyes scanning every shadow. Barry followed just behind him, shotgun ready. Frost and Rebecca stayed close together in the center, while Soren and Jill brought up the rear. They had been moving for a while now. Too long. And something felt off.
Jill glanced sideways at Soren. He wasn't scanning like usual. Wasn't watching corners. Wasn't listening. He looked… distracted. That alone was enough to set her on edge.
As the silence stretched thin, she finally spoke, quiet and controlled.
"Soren."
No response.
Her brow furrowed slightly. "Hey…" She slowed just a step, turning more toward him. "Is something wrong?"
Nothing. Not even a glance.
< MC POV >
Few minutes ago
Internal -
Jesus… that was way too close. We almost ended up on the menu.
Not a single damn thing has gone right. The boss locations are wrong. The enemy types don't make sense. And what the hell was that with the U.S.S. Alpha Team showing up?
HUNK?
Of all people?
That shouldn't be happening. So why is it? Did I cause this? I don't know. The more I try to figure this out, the worse it gets. More questions. No answers. And now I'm starting to think—did I drag them into something they were never supposed to be part of?
…
If my information about this world is wrong, then I'm going to get them killed. All of them.
…
Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. Made them follow me out into a clearing in the forest. Gotten them out before coming back. That would have been cleaner. Instead, I'm just babysitting.
…
And they keep slowing me down. Every step. Every fight. I have to stop, adjust, save them—over and over again. I'm getting real tired of that shit.
…
And the worst part? They still look at me like I'm the problem. Like I'm the one they should be afraid of.
…
Fuck, this is getting annoying.
Whisper—
~ Leave them…
What the hell was that?
"Did you say something?"
His head turned slightly toward Jill, eyes narrowing just a fraction.
"I asked if something was wrong," Jill replied slowly, her eyebrows starting to furrow as she tilted her head.
Jill blinked. "I asked if something was wrong." Her voice was slower now. Careful. Her head tilted slightly as she studied him. "Are you okay? You can talk to me, you know."
Soren hesitated, just for a second.
"Hm… oh—" He looked away. "I'm fine."
But the answer came late. Distracted. Like part of him wasn't there.
"Soren."
Chris's voice cut through the moment from up ahead.
"…take a look at this."
Soren moved forward, slipping past Jill and up toward the front of the formation. Then he saw it.
A massive blast door blocked the corridor. But that wasn't what stopped him. It was what had grown through it.
Thick, dark vegetation had forced its way through the seams of the steel. Vines coiled and twisted like veins, pulsing faintly under the flickering lights. Thorned growths spread across the surface, splitting metal apart like it was rotting from the inside.
Chris gestured toward it. "What the hell is that?"
Soren didn't answer immediately. His eyes moved across the growth, then to the control panel beside the door. He stepped closer. "I don't know what the vegetation is…" He reached for the interface. "But I might be able to get this door open."
Barry gave him a look. "And that's a good idea how?"
Rebecca stepped up beside Soren, already pulling up data on her tablet. "According to the system, this is the only route to the Cold Data Storage Archive." She glanced at the door, then back at the screen. "And it has the highest security clearance in the facility."
A pause.
"That's where Umbrella would store everything."
Soren's eyes didn't leave the panel. "It is."
He said it quietly. Almost to himself. But not quiet enough. Barry heard it. Rebecca too. And for just a moment, Jill watched him. Something about the way he said it didn't feel like a guess.
Rebecca glanced at him. "You've seen something like this before?"
Soren didn't answer immediately. His fingers hovered over the panel.
"…Something like it."
That was all he gave her.
The terminal flickered as he began working. Lines of code crawled across the cracked display, the system resisting harder than anything they had encountered so far. Soren's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Security's different here."
Rebecca leaned in, scanning the output. "Botanical sector override protocols… these aren't standard."
Barry shifted his weight, still watching the door. "Yeah, no kidding."
A low sound echoed from behind them—soft, wet, like something dragging across the floor. Frost turned immediately, gun raised.
"You hear that?"
Chris pivoted halfway, rifle tracking the dark corridor. "Yeah."
Silence followed.
Then one of the vines along the wall behind them twitched.
Not from air. Not from movement.
It flexed.
Jill saw it first. "Soren…" Her voice dropped. "Tell me I'm imagining that."
Soren didn't turn. "I don't think you are."
The vine shifted again, slower this time. Deliberate.
Rebecca took a small step back. "That's not plant behavior…"
Chris exhaled slowly. "Then we don't stay here."
Soren pressed the final command. The panel sparked. For a moment, nothing happened.
Then a heavy mechanical clunk echoed through the structure.
But instead of opening, the blast door locked tighter. Magnetic seals engaged with a deep, final thud.
Rebecca's eyes widened. "That wasn't an unlock—"
"Containment," Soren finished.
He stepped back from the panel. "They sealed it."
Barry frowned. "So what, we're stuck?"
Soren finally turned. His gaze moved down the corridor, then shifted to a side passage just before the door. It was almost hidden, nearly swallowed by growth. Thick vines choked the entrance, dark and wet, pulsing faintly under the dim lights.
For a moment, he just stared at it.
Whisper—
~ Faster.
His jaw tightened. "There's another route."
Chris followed his line of sight. "That?"
Barry let out a short, humorless laugh. "You're kidding."
Soren didn't react. "It reconnects further ahead."
Rebecca quickly checked her tablet. "…He's right. There's a maintenance corridor that loops around." She hesitated. "But it runs through the cultivation wing."
Frost muttered under his breath. "That doesn't sound better."
Whisper—
~ They're slowing you down.
"It's faster," Soren said.
Chris looked at him. "How much faster?"
"Enough that we don't stay exposed here."
His tone was calm. Too calm.
Barry crossed his arms. "And how many things are waiting for us in there?"
Soren met his eyes. "For every second we stand here, the answer gets worse."
Whisper—
~ Or you could leave them.
Without waiting for anyone, Soren walked into the overgrown corridor.
Chris watched him go. No words. No glance back to see if they were following. Chris shook his head and said, "Come on."
Jill didn't look convinced. But she didn't argue.
They pushed into the overgrown corridor, and the air changed immediately. Thick. Humid. Every breath tasted like rot and wet soil. The walls were gone, consumed by growth. Vines covered everything—floor, ceiling, pipes—pulsing faintly as if something beneath the surface was circulating.
Their boots didn't land clean. Not soft. But not solid either.
"Watch your footing," Chris muttered.
A drip echoed ahead. Then another. Then a wet crack.
Something shifted above them.
Rebecca tightened her grip on her shotgun. "I don't like this…"
Whisper—
~ Then she shouldn't be here.
"Keep moving," Soren said.
The corridor narrowed, twisting slightly as the growth thickened. Then something dropped behind Frost.
It hit the ground hard.
Wet.
He spun, handgun snapping up—
Too late.
The thing unfolded.
It wasn't a plant.
Long vine-like limbs snapped outward, tipped with jagged thorns. Its upper mass split open, revealing layers of pulsing flesh beneath.
"Watch out!" Rebecca shouted.
The creature lunged.
Frost fired.
The round tore into it—
But it didn't stop.
Another shape dropped from above.
Then another.
"Contact front and rear!" Chris shouted.
The corridor erupted.
Vines lashed through the air, striking walls, snapping pipes. Acid sprayed from ruptured growths, hissing as it burned into metal.
Jill opened fire, controlled bursts tearing into one of the creatures as it climbed toward her.
Barry fired point blank.
The shotgun blast ripped one apart—
But the remains twitched.
Still moving.
"Soren!" Chris barked.
Soren was already moving. He slipped through the chaos, pistols cracking in rapid succession, targeting the core mass of each creature with precise, efficient shots.
Whisper—
~ Better.
Another Ivy monster dropped directly in front of Rebecca.
She raised her shotgun and fired.
The blast staggered it—
But not enough.
A tendril snapped forward and wrapped around her arm.
"Ah—!"
A burst of fluid sprayed from the creature.
It hit her forearm.
Rebecca screamed.
The acid hissed on contact, eating through fabric and skin instantly.
Frost stepped in and fired the rest of his ammo, obliterating the creature at point blank range.
The tendril went limp.
Rebecca stumbled back, clutching her arm.
"I'm— I'm okay—!"
She wasn't.
"Push through!" Chris shouted.
Soren grabbed her shoulder and pulled her behind him.
"Move!"
For a split second, his grip tightened.
Too tight.
Whisper—
~ Let go.
His jaw clenched.
They pushed forward, forcing their way through the last stretch of the corridor. Gunfire. Shredded plant matter. The smell of burning organic flesh.
Then they broke through.
The corridor opened up. Cleaner. Still. The movement stopped, and silence returned.
Rebecca leaned against the wall, breathing hard. Her sleeve was burned through, the skin beneath red and blistering.
"I said I'm okay," she insisted, her voice shaking.
Barry stared at her arm, then slowly turned toward Soren.
"This is what I was talking about."
Barry's voice cut through the corridor.
"This bullshit."
Everyone stopped. The air was already thick—humidity from the overgrowth, the faint acidic smell still lingering after the Ivy encounter. Rebecca was clutching her left forearm, the burn already starting to redden under her sleeve.
Barry looked between her and Soren. "He doesn't know what's going on…" His voice tightened. "…or he's leading us straight into a trap on purpose."
Chris frowned. "Barry, that's a stretch."
"No, it's not." Barry stepped forward. His voice rose—not shouting, but close. "It's not, and I'm getting real tired of pretending it is."
He pointed toward Soren.
"He's been wrong. Over and over again."
Another step.
"And we're just supposed to keep following him?"
Chris shifted slightly, trying to defuse it. "Barry—"
"He's a liar, Chris."
That word landed heavy.
Barry's eyes locked on Soren now. "Why the hell are we still listening to this clown?"
Silence.
For half a second, nothing moved.
Then Soren spoke.
Slowly.
Too slowly.
"I… don't… need you."
A pause.
His eyes lifted.
Cold.
"You need… me."
Barry blinked once.
Then—
"The fuck did you just say?"
He took a step forward.
Jill moved instantly. She stepped between them, one hand out toward Barry.
"Barry!"
He stopped—barely. But his eyes didn't leave Soren.
"You better put a muzzle on him."
Soren's head tilted slightly.
Whisper—
~ Put him in his place.
Then he spoke again.
And this time, there was nothing human in it.
"Does an insect… need to be reminded of its place?"
The words were quiet. Precise. Cold.
Jill froze.
Just for a second.
That voice—
That wasn't him.
"ENOUGH!"
Her voice cracked through the tension like a gunshot.
She shoved Soren back. At the same time, Chris grabbed Barry, pulling him away before he could swing.
"What the hell was that?!" Jill demanded.
Her eyes were locked on Soren now. Not angry. Concerned.
Soren blinked like he'd just woken up. The coldness was gone, replaced with confusion.
"I… I'm sorry."
He looked down, jaw tightening. "I don't know where that came from."
The silence that followed was different. Heavier.
Jill stepped closer. Slower this time. Her voice dropped.
"Are you okay?"
Soren didn't look up.
"I don't know."
A heavy silence followed.
Then—
Thud.
Rebecca collapsed.
For a split second, no one moved.
Then everything broke at once.
"Rebecca!"
Jill dropped to her knees beside her, grabbing her shoulders before her head could hit the floor again.
"Rebecca, hey—stay with me!"
Chris was already there, kneeling on the other side. "What happened?!"
Barry swung his shotgun around, scanning the corridor. "Everyone watch the corners—now!"
Frost stepped back, covering the rear, handgun raised.
Jill pushed Rebecca's sleeve up.
The moment she saw it—
Her breath caught.
"…no."
The burn wasn't just a burn anymore. The skin around it had turned a deep, sickening black. Thin veins—dark and branching—were spreading outward from the wound, crawling slowly beneath the surface like something alive.
Jill pressed the back of her hand against Rebecca's forehead.
"Shit—she's burning up."
Chris leaned in, jaw tightening. "Poison?"
Jill nodded once, fast. "Yeah… yeah, it has to be."
Rebecca's breathing was shallow. Uneven.
"Rebecca—hey, come on," Jill said, her voice tightening despite herself. "Stay with me. You hear me?"
No response.
Barry glanced down, then back at the corridor ahead. "That thing did this?"
Soren stood just behind them. Watching. Not moving.
The black veins. The fever. The way her body wasn't responding.
…
This is your fault.
His jaw tightened.
No.
He forced the thought down, but it came back sharper.
Whisper –
~ You chose the route. You knew it was dangerous. And you still pushed them through it.
His gaze dropped to Rebecca.
Unconscious.
Because of him.
…
I'm… losing it.
The realization hit harder than anything else. Not the monsters. Not the mansion. Him.
The way he'd been thinking.
The way he'd been talking.
That moment—
Does an insect need to be reminded of its place?
His expression shifted.
Subtle.
But real.
…
That wasn't me.
Jill was still focused on Rebecca, trying to stabilize her, calling her name again. Chris was already thinking ahead.
"We need to move. We can't stay here—"
"She's not going anywhere like this," Jill snapped back.
Soren didn't speak. Didn't argue. Didn't step forward. Because he already knew.
There was only one option.
Blue herb.
It was the only thing that could counteract plant-based toxins like this. And if the growth down here was what he thought it was, then that was their only chance.
He looked at Rebecca one more time.
Then at Jill.
She didn't notice him. No one did. They were all focused on saving her.
~ You'll slow them down if you stay.
The whisper slid in, quiet.
~ They don't need you here.
Soren exhaled slowly.
For once, he didn't waste time fighting it. Not because it was right. But because this time, it didn't matter.
He turned and walked.
At first, it was controlled. Quiet. Measured steps back down the corridor they had just come through.
No one called after him.
No one noticed.
Then, the moment he cleared the corner—
He broke into a sprint.
Fast.
Precise.
Focused.
Every step driven by one thought.
Fix this.
The dim lights streaked past him as he moved through the B3 corridor, boots hitting the floor in sharp, controlled impacts. His breathing stayed steady.
But his mind wasn't.
~ You're making mistakes. You're hesitating. You're getting attached.
His jaw clenched harder.
"Shut up…"
The words came out low. Barely audible.
He pushed faster.
He knew the layout. Or at least, he should have. But nothing had been lining up the way it was supposed to, which meant finding the herb wouldn't be simple.
…
If she dies—
His pace didn't slow.
If anything, he moved faster.
Turning hard down a side corridor, he scanned every corner, every shadow, every overgrowth creeping along the walls. The vegetation here was thicker. More aggressive. Pulsing faintly under the flickering lights.
Good.
That meant he was close.
Back in the corridor, Jill adjusted her grip under Rebecca's shoulders.
"Chris… we need to do something now."
Chris looked around.
Then he noticed.
"…Where's Soren?"
Jill froze, just for a second. Then her head snapped up, scanning the corridor behind them.
Empty.
Her expression tightened.
"…Soren?"
No answer.
Her grip on Rebecca tightened slightly. Not fear. Not yet. But something close to it was starting to form.
"Damn it…" Chris muttered under his breath, already piecing it together.
Barry exhaled sharply. "You've gotta be kidding me."
Jill didn't say anything. Her eyes stayed locked on the empty corridor.
Then slowly, she looked back down at Rebecca.
"…you better come back."