The eastern wing of Raccoon City's elementary school was a labyrinth of shadows, the hallways permeated with the stench of decay and rusted metal. Cassian led the group, his dagger ready, his senses sharpened by the blood coursing hot through his veins. Beside him, Jill Valentine checked her pistol, the magazine half-empty. Peyton Wells, now free of infection thanks to Cassian's blood, walked steadily, though his face remained tense from the memory of the bite. Terri Morales, clutching her camera like an amulet, breathed unevenly, her eyes darting to every dark corner. Carlos Olivera and Nicholai Ginovaef, the former Umbrella soldiers, covered the flanks, rifles ready, while LJ, the unexpected civilian, muttered curses to calm his nerves. Alice, the woman who minutes earlier had attacked Cassian on instinct, brought up the rear, her movements feline and her eyes alert, still not fully trusting the group.
"This is a trap waiting to happen," Jill muttered, breaking the silence. "Ashford said Angela is here, but Umbrella doesn't leave loose ends."
"If she's here, we'll find her," Cassian said, his voice low but firm. "Let's split up. Jill, Peyton, take the north hallway. Carlos, Nicholai, the south. Terri, stay with me and LJ. Alice, your call."
Alice looked at him, assessing. "I'll go alone," she said, her tone sharp. "I'll cover the stairs."
"Don't stray too far," Jill warned. "We don't know what's here."
"I can handle it," Alice replied, slipping into the shadows without looking back.
"That woman is trouble," Nicholai growled, adjusting his rifle.
"Or an advantage," Carlos shrugged. "Come on, Russian."
The group dispersed, their footsteps echoing in the empty hallways. Cassian guided Terri and LJ toward the classrooms at the end, his hand on his dagger, alert to any sound. Terri trembled, her fingers fidgeting with the camera. "This is madness," she whispered. "Angela… what if she's not alive? What if all this is for nothing?"
"Don't think like that," Cassian said, not looking at her. "If there's a girl, we're getting her out. End of story."
"Easy for you to say," LJ interjected, nervous. "You fight like this is some damn video game. I just want a car and to get out of this city."
"No one leaves without fighting," Cassian replied. "Focus."
A scream tore through the air, sharp and human, from the northern hallway. Cassian spun, activating his blood, his eyes glowing golden for a moment. "Jill," he said, and ran toward the sound, Terri and LJ stumbling after him.
They found Jill and Peyton in a classroom, surrounded by five zombie students, their tattered uniforms and virus-T-deformed faces grotesque. Jill fired, dropping one, but another lunged at her, its nails tearing her jacket. Peyton kicked a second, but a third reached him, scratching his arm. Cassian burst in, his dagger flashing. He decapitated the zombie attacking Jill with a clean slash, then spun, driving the blade into another's skull, the body collapsing. His martial style was lethal, every movement calculated, his blood amplifying his speed. In seconds, the zombies were on the floor, black blood staining the tiles.
"Thanks," Jill gasped, wiping sweat from her brow. "That was close."
"Too close," Peyton said, checking the scratch on his arm, barely a graze. "I'm not infected again, am I?"
Cassian looked at him, assessing. "No. But stay alert."
A noise interrupted them: rapid footsteps from the southern hallway. Carlos and Nicholai appeared, dragging a small, pale girl with wide, frightened eyes. "Angela," Carlos panted. "We found her in a closet."
"Are you okay?" Jill asked, kneeling in front of the girl.
Angela nodded, trembling. "Daddy said someone would come… but there are monsters."
"No more monsters," Terri said, her voice breaking as she stroked the girl's hair. "We'll get you out of here."
"Not so fast," Nicholai said, pointing down the hallway. A deep growl echoed, followed by the creak of wood. "Something's coming."
Cassian activated his blood, his golden eyes glowing, and stepped in front of the group. "Get ready."
A roar shook the classroom as a wall collapsed. A colossal figure emerged: Nemesis, a mountain of mutated muscles, his stitched face and glowing eye armed with a rocket launcher and a minigun. "S.T.A.R.S.," it roared, its mechanical voice resonating like a death sentence.
"Run!" Jill shouted, pushing Angela toward Carlos.
The group scattered, but Nemesis fired the rocket launcher, the explosion shattering a wall and sending debris flying. Cassian rolled, narrowly avoiding the impact, and counterattacked, hurling his dagger at the weapon. The blade lodged in the barrel, temporarily disabling it. Nemesis turned, his minigun roaring, bullets shredding the walls. Cassian pushed his blood to the limit, moving in a blur, leaping between debris to dodge the fire.
"Take her to the courtyard!" Cassian ordered, gesturing to Angela. "Now!"
Carlos nodded, picking up the girl, while Jill and Peyton covered the retreat. Terri, paralyzed, dropped her camera, the lens shattering on the floor. "I can't…" she whispered.
"Terri, move!" LJ shouted, pulling her along.
Alice reappeared, jumping through a broken window, and fired a shotgun blast at Nemesis, the bullets ricocheting off his reinforced skin. "It's not human," she said, looking at Cassian. "Like you."
"No time," he replied, dodging another shot from Nemesis.
In the courtyard, the group regrouped, but Nemesis followed, smashing through the main door as if it were paper. Charles Ashford contacted the group from a nearby payphone, his voice urgent. "Take Angela to the town hall," he said. "There's a helicopter waiting. Hurry, time is running out!"
"And you?" Jill asked, tense.
"It doesn't matter," Ashford said. "Save her."
The line cut off, and Nemesis advanced, his minigun roaring again. Cassian and Alice worked in tandem, he attacking with quick slashes, she firing to distract. Cassian attempted a direct strike, his dagger aiming for Nemesis's neck, but the creature blocked it, throwing him against an abandoned car. The impact left him dazed, but his blood kept him conscious, healing the bruises instantly.
"We can't kill it!" Peyton shouted, firing his rifle.
"Then let's run," Carlos said, carrying Angela toward the street.
The group ran toward the town hall, the streets swarming with zombies emerging from the shadows. Cassian covered the rear, decapitating infected with precise cuts, his blood keeping him on his feet despite the exhaustion. In an alley, a zombie bit Terri's arm before Jill took it down. Terri screamed, blood spurting, panic in her eyes.
"No, no, no," she sobbed, falling to her knees.
Cassian approached, cutting his palm with the dagger. "Stay still," he said, letting drops of his blood fall onto the bite. The wound hissed, closing, but Terri continued trembling, shock overtaking her.
"Thank you," she murmured, her voice weak.
"Get up," he said, helping her. "Don't give up."
They reached the town hall, an imposing building surrounded by zombies. The helicopter waited on the roof, but a figure blocked their path: Timothy Cain, the Umbrella officer, flanked by armed soldiers. Nemesis appeared behind them, his presence like a deadly shadow.
"Give me the girl," Cain said, pointing at Angela. "Or you all die."
"No deal," Jill growled, raising her weapon.
Cain smiled, gesturing to Nemesis. "Kill the woman," he ordered, pointing at Alice. "And capture him." His gaze fell on Cassian.
Nemesis advanced toward Alice, but Cassian stepped in, activating his blood, his golden eyes flashing. "If you want a fight, here I am," he said, defiant.
The battle erupted, Cassian and Alice against Nemesis, while Jill, Carlos, and Peyton faced Cain's soldiers. Cassian dodged a punch from Nemesis, slashing his arm with a deep cut, but the creature barely flinched, countering with a blow that sent him crashing into a wall. Alice fired at Nemesis's eye, temporarily blinding him, and jumped onto his back, stabbing him with a knife. Cassian stood, blood dripping from a cut on his forehead, and charged, driving his dagger into Nemesis's chest, twisting the blade.
"You're not invincible," he growled, yanking the dagger free.
Nemesis roared, but something changed. His movements became erratic, as if fighting his programming. Alice noticed, stepping back. "It's Matt," she whispered, recognizing something in him. "My friend."
"No time," Cassian said, pushing her toward the helicopter.
Cain, furious, shot Charles Ashford, who had appeared trying to negotiate. The scientist fell, blood staining the ground. Nemesis, in an unexpected act, turned against Cain, opening fire on Umbrella's soldiers, giving the group a chance to escape. Cassian helped Terri and Angela into the helicopter, while Jill and Carlos covered LJ and Peyton.
"Get in!" Jill shouted to Alice, who hesitated, looking at Nemesis.
Nemesis collapsed under Umbrella's fire, his body falling as he protected the group's escape. Alice finally climbed aboard, and Cassian shut the door, the helicopter lifting off just as an explosion lit the horizon: Raccoon City, destroyed by a nuclear missile.
"We made it," Terri gasped, hugging Angela.
"For now," Cassian said, cleaning his dagger, his eyes fixed on the burning city.
"This isn't over," Alice murmured, her voice heavy with promises.
"It never is," Jill replied, exhausted but determined.
The helicopter flew away, leaving behind a hell none of them would ever forget.