Resident Evil. Retribution by John Shirley Read Free Book Online Page A

high-pitched feedback assaulted her so loud she could feel it rattling the bones of her head, vibrating in her chest, shivering her teeth. She fell to her knees, clapping her hands over her ears.
    Like Becky—she screamed… and couldn’t hear it.
    Alice fell to her side, and the assault on her ears, her whole being, got worse… and worse… until…
    Alice woke on the cot, ears ringing, stomach twisting in her belly. She lay there, pretending to be alive.
    They weren’t fooled. The lights switched off.
    No, Alice thought, sitting up. NO.
    Jill Valentine appeared in the window above.
    “Project Alice—who do you work for?”
    There she is, right on schedule, Alice thought. She stood up, trying to marshal her dignity, her defiance.
    She just stared up at the light. Words didn’t help. She knew her face spoke for her. Her eyes said it all.
    I defy you.
    But inside, she squirmed in fear, waiting for the assault, the scream that screamed for her…
    And it came like an invisible bolt, a crack of lightning in the form of sound, an electrocution that never ended—shrilling, screaming, shrieking—till it filled all time and space.
    Blood ran from Alice’s nose. Blood trickled from her ears.
    She tried to remain standing but found herself on her knees, keeling over, writhing at the pain in her head, pitching into darkness.
    Alice woke on the cot, ears ringing.
    She lay there in rigid dread. Could she bear it one more time? She was dehydrated, hungry, her belly churning, her head throbbing…
    She sat up.
    The lights dimmed—and went out.
    No.
    But the light up above didn’t go on. No silhouette appeared in the window.
    No Jill Valentine.
    Not yet.
    A light, just one spotlight, illuminated a steel drawer that came sliding out from the wall. Alice stood up, feeling weak and wobbly, and walked over to the illuminated drawer. In it she found a black Umbrella Corporation combat outfit, neatly folded, as well as a pair of boots. Her size. She picked up the battle suit. Under the outfit was a bottle of liquid. On the bottle was a label: H YDRATION AND N UTRITION .
    It might be poison—or it might be a drug. But she was parched, and weak. She’d been, what, days? Yes, days without a drink, or food. She had to take a chance. She opened the bottle, and drank deeply, feeling enormously better after just a few swigs. The liquid was a little thick, a little sweet, and it tasted of vitamins. She waited to see if it would make her sick.
    It didn’t. It restored her.
    She drank the rest, dropped the bottle in the drawer, then pulled on the black outfit. It fit perfectly, of course. But there were no shoes—she was left barefoot.
    A slight click sounded behind her. She turned her head to see the door opening, just a little.
    She spun on her heels—and waited. No one came through the door. It was as if the unlocked portal was an invitation.
    An invitation to escape—or into a trap? Into something even worse?
    If someone was helping her escape, why were they doing it? What was their agenda?
    She had no options. She had to find out…
    So she took a deep breath, and walked to the door, slipped out into the corridor.
    Alice looked to the right, and saw only a seemingly endless, white corridor. She looked left—and found the same view. Made of milky glass lit from behind, the corridor walls seemed almost alive, as if, once more, the light streaming from the walls was aware of her, watching her.
    She heard nothing except for a hint, a faint hum that might be air filtration. She could hear her own breathing, it was so quiet.
    She’d half expected someone out here, to meet her, to explain why they’d released her. But there was no one. And yet they had to be there… behind those glowing walls.
    Jill Valentine sat on her barracks bunk, near a squad of other, subordinate Umbrella troopers; they all wore the leather masks and breathing apparatus of lower-echelon troops. They sat calmly, waiting for activation. Near them leaned their