𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 - 𝘙𝘌𝘚𝘐𝘋𝘌𝘕𝘛 𝘌𝘝𝘐𝘓 2 𝘙𝘌𝘔𝘈𝘒𝘌✓

♔16. 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬

Chloe gestured to Leon as she slid the VHS tape into the player. He watched from over her shoulder, crossing his arms.

The screen sputtered to life. It showed a glitchy camcorder video, with the occasional flash of color or noise distortion.  The lower left corner read a name: A. Kirkpatrick - who they could only assume was the one taking the video. In the upper right was the date. 9/23/1998.

Chloe grimaced. "This was taken the day of the outbreak." She murmured, more to herself than anyone else.

The screen showed a large steel briefcase sitting on a grate floor. Inside were what looked to be vials of some critical and delicate substance. There was a loud growling in the background. Like a monster similar to the one the pair had encountered in the police station's mechanics room.

A man cried out. "Please... Oh, please... Stop- s-stop!" A hand reached forward for the briefcase.

A machine gun suddenly fired, sending off several rounds near the camera. The flashes from the shots illuminated a mutated figure in the background. Suddenly, a hand reached down, taking the briefcase from the ground.

The man recording cried out again. "Don't... Don't...no...no...no!" He yelled. He was definitely injured from how his breathing was strained and wheezy.

A brief image of a fully armored SWAT team member flashed onto the frame. He fired the machine gun, yelling, "OVER HERE, YOU FREAK!"

The video started glitching like crazy. Leon narrowed his eyes to make something out. But all that could be heard was the sound of bodies hitting the walls and agonizing human screams. The man kept pleading. "Don't hurt him... Don't hurt him...!"

The screen suddenly became clear. It showed a man. The same mutated man with the infected limb. Their fears were confirmed. The man threw the SWAT member into the wall. The impact effectively killed him. The body slumped to the floor. 

The camera suddenly fell to the ground. The man was breathing heavily, weak, and exhausted. The tilted angle showed some of the vials' contents spilled onto the floor. Some rats scurried to inspect it.

The mutant's feet, covered uncharacteristically in expensive loafers, turned toward the camera. He walked forward - quickly - until the recording suddenly cut out.

The VHS tape was spat out from the player. Chloe caught it before it could fall, setting it back atop the TV. She looked at Leon.

Leon shook his head. "The virus... I'll bet those rats spread it."

She nodded. "Which then spread it to the water mains..."

 He sighed. "The rest is history..." He breathed.

Chloe turned to the viewing window. She searched silently for a staircase or elevator they could take to Ada's level. There was a lift a - but its controls showed blinking red buttons. 

"Oh, crap..." She whispered. "Something's not right..."

Leon sighed. He turned, shining his flashlight into a different room. The other room was much darker in comparison, with a few gearboxes attached to opposite sides of the walls. Thick insulated wires ran up from each one, seemingly connecting to a different piece out of sight. The inserts for the missing plugs were very oddly shaped too. A large door locked with industrial-grade latches sat in the corner.

"Maybe we can get through here!" He called.

Chloe walked into a separate room. She looked between him and the door. "We won't be able to get through there."

He shrugged. "I beg to differ. Look." he gestured to the gearboxes on the wall. "We just need to learn how to open them."

A note was attached to a crowded corkboard in the corner of the room. Leon's flashlight roamed over it briefly before he reached out a plucked a notebook page from it.