A/N: I've received some complaints that I'm not doing a good job of making these mystery characters 'mysterious'. Guys, I'm not trying to. If you've played RE:0 or RE:CVX, you know exactly who I'm talking about. Please keep in mind that this story takes place ten years after the events of those games. People grow up and not everyone will recognize them.

Thanks as always to my readers and reviewers! You guys are my favorite people! (Cookies to those who pointed out my number goof in the last chapter. It's been fixed now.)

Chapter 15 - Rebecca Chambers

Deadly Ally

The room shook as the two G-Types ripped the doors off their hinges and threw them across the room. Billy immediately opened fire on the one closest to him. Rebecca, her vision still blurred by her tears, took aim at the other one. Neither monster seemed bothered by the gunfire. They had to find a way around them and down to the basement. Now.

"Rebecca!" Billy shouted, pumping rounds into the creatures that were descending upon him. "What're you waiting for?"

She caught one of them in the temple, making it stagger for a second. "Trying to find a way out!"

"Open the damn locker!"

The locker. She'd forgotten all about it. Doctor Engal hadn't told her what was inside, but he wouldn't have mentioned it if it wasn't important. She grabbed the key from inside her pocket and ran over to the locker. One click later and she threw the doors open.

He jaw dropped. "What the-"

"Shit!" Rebecca turned in time to see Billy narrowly miss a claw to his arm. He was having trouble holding them off. "Rebecca, get moving!"

"We can't use these!" she shouted back. Christ, what did Doctor Engal think they were going to be able to do with something like this? Was he trying to blow up the whole damn city?

Billy squeezed the trigger of his gun into one of the creatures' mouths, forcing it to stumble back into the other. It bought him enough time to run back to his partner. "What are you talking about? We-" He clamped his mouth shut as he finally realized what she was now holding in her hands. "What the hell is a hospital doing with a loaded grenade launcher?"

"I don't want to know. But we can't fire these in here. We'll turn this town into its very own crater."

There was a roar behind them. Both G-Types were back on their feet. Billy wrenched the gun out of Rebecca's hands and aimed at the approaching monsters. "You have ten seconds to tell me what kind of ammo is loaded in this thing before I fire it."

She blanched. "What?" The grim set of his mouth made her realize he was serious. Instead of arguing, she grabbed a container of grenades. "It says acid."

"Good enough," he said. Rebecca covered her head with her arms as he pulled the trigger. There was a bang, a screech, and then an explosion of viral bits and sizzling goop. The smell hit her nose immediately. "Jesus," Billy hissed. He dropped the launcher and fell to his knees, coughing and gagging uncontrollably.

Rebecca opened her eyes and looked around. The room was relatively intact. The floor where the monsters had been standing was now a giant black stain. Part of the control panel was smoking and a few of the monitors were completely destroyed. Other than that, everything was fine. "What the hell?" she whispered to herself as she looked around.

Billy's choking subsided and he rolled onto his back. "Christ," he wheezed. He looked over at Rebecca. "You okay?"

"Mmm." She sat frozen in place, starting at the black smudges and the destroyed monitors and the corpse of her boss dangling from his chair. Her body was completely numb. The nightmare was playing over and over again in her head, and she had no idea how to stop it.

Something warm touched her face. She jumped and turned towards its source. Billy ignored her, continuing to wipe debris and gunpowder from her cheek. She took in his scarred face, his bloodied fingers, and his pained grimace as he checked her over. Even with everything they had been through, past and present, he was still worried about her.

Rebecca didn't know she was crying until she saw his face change. "Don't go breaking down on me," he said hoarsely. She felt him wipe a tear away. "Rebecca…" He trailed off but kept his hand against her cheek. She couldn't take it anymore. The strength needed to hold it all in was gone. She knew that she looked pitiful, sobbing like a child in front of a former Marine. But she didn't care. This was too much for one person to bear.

Strong arms went around her shoulders and pulled her close. She didn't even have time to think about how shocking this act of kindness was. All she could do was grab his shirt and continue to cry into Billy's chest.

The two of them stayed like that for a while. Billy didn't say anything; he just held her and gently rubbed her back while she let everything out. This had been ten long years in the making, Rebecca realized. There hadn't been time back then. They had had to keep on the move or risk dying if they stopped. That one moment of respite, the minute they had to gaze upon their handiwork before duty forced her to return to the forest, had only been to catch their breaths. Those precious moments in Billy's cabin earlier that day had been a tease. Neither of them had been able to get over the shock of seeing each other. Then they had been thrown back into this.

Rebecca knew that they had to keep moving. The others needed help and Rachel was still missing. Yet she couldn't bring herself to move. Even after the crying ceased she stayed there, soaking Billy's warmth and strength into herself.

I've needed this, she thought to herself as she steadied her breathing. I've needed someone who's been there and understands. Billy had been her rock back then and he'd resumed his role now. He might tease her about this later, but she knew he would never judge her. She remembered their fight and suddenly felt horribly guilty. He had never wavered.

Someday when they weren't being chased by humanoid abominations, she'd have to tell him what he meant to her.

"Sorry," she said after a while. Billy loosened his arms but didn't remove them completely. Instead he let them slide down her arms so she could lean back. His face was still one of concern.

"Sorry for what?"

She wiped her eyes. "For losing it," she said. "I thought I was stronger than that."

"Rebecca, no one is expected to be strong all the time. You've lost good friends. Anyone else would've given up already. At least you can keep moving."

"But you've never broken down."

To her surprise, Billy chuckled. "I did once. You know what I've been through. The mission, the court martial, the betrayal, our last encounter - it's enough to break any man. But I've survived, and I know I can do it again. Besides, I haven't lost much of anything compared to you."

"But what about your friends? Or your family? What about your job and your freedom?"

"You gave me my freedom, remember? I can always find work. My family's moved on without me, and most of my friends were dead before this all started. Besides, I still have you. That's enough for me."

"B-Billy!" Rebecca tried to glare at him. He started laughing instead. "What's so funny?"

"You're cute when you're mad." Still smiling, he stood and offered her a hand. "C'mon, doll face. We have to get the others and find the nurse."

Rebecca got to her feet and grabbed the grenade launcher from the floor. "Might as well take this," she said. "If it couldn't destroy the control room, I doubt it'll take down the whole building." Billy nodded in agreement. While he reloaded the shotgun and their handguns, she rummaged through the locker for anything else they could use. There was a strap for the launcher so she could carry it on her shoulders, as well as a few cases of acid rounds. She decided to leave the case of flame grenades where it was. That would definitely bring the hospital down.

Billy snapped his gun shut and grinned. "Ready to go?"

Rebecca responded with a thumbs-up. "Let's move."

He led the way out of the room, his shotgun in hand. Rebecca followed him closely. The halls were eerily quiet. The only sounds they could hear were the beeping of monitors. That wasn't right. The crazy woman from earlier had sent her G-Types to hunt them down. There was no way that only a few of them made it.

"Where to?" Billy asked as they reached an intersection.

"Let's head to the elevator. That one girl was in the supply room, which means she's probably giving the infected man an antigen. We should try that room first."

Billy nodded and turned the corner. They had almost made it to their destination when a roar ripped through the silence. Both raised their guns in time to see a single monster appear before them. It roared again and charged the pair.

"Cake," Billy said smugly. He took aim at its mouth and prepared to pull the trigger.

The monster suddenly stopped and swiped at its head, screeching as loud as it could. Both of them dropped their weapons and covered their ears. They watched as the creature began to smoke, then bubble, and within seconds it had burst into flame. The emergency sprinklers came on to douse it, but the fire only grew larger. With one final, pitiful cry, it fell to its knees and melted into a pile of goo.

Another figure was standing behind it. Billy reached for his handgun. "Wait," Rebecca said, grabbing his arm. "He looks human."

The man stood there, one arm extended towards them. He lowered it as soon as the monster stopped smoking but continued to stare at them. Most of his body was covered with a long black trench coat. His brown hair was cropped just below the chin and covered most of the right side of his face. Rebecca squinted, trying to place him in the hospital.

Then she noticed his eyes. Even from the other end of the hall, she could tell that they were blood red.

"What the…Billy, look at his eyes."

Billy pushed Rebecca behind him and pointed his gun at the man. "What the hell are you?"

The man smirked. "Looks like I'm your knight in shining armor right now."

"Don't mess with me, kid."

He put his hands up in mock surrender. "Relax, man. I'm trying to save the survivors in the hospital. She's bent on turning you all into monsters, in case you haven't noticed."

Rebecca put a hand on Billy's arm and gently lowered it. "He's trying to help. Knock it off." He mumbled something but put the gun down. "Thanks for that," she said to the man. "How'd you kill it?"

"I have…special abilities, to put it mildly. I'm not proud of them, but it's the only thing that's kept me alive."

"You're infected."

He nodded. "With a virus you've never seen, doctor."

Billy snorted. "You've got some nerve, kid. Now tell us what's going on before I blow a hole through your head."

"I doubt you could, and that's not the point. You both need to get out of here. I can unlock one of the doors or windows long enough for you to escape. Get as far away from here as you can. If she finds you, you'll be dead within twenty-four hours."

"We can't leave yet," Rebecca said. "We have to find the others."

"Others?"

"There's three of them downstairs. One of them is infected, but the woman with them said she knew an antidote. If we leave, so do they."

The man cast his eyes downwards. His demeanor changed. It was as if he was suddenly ashamed of something. Rebecca, curious, took another step forward. Billy was close behind. They had almost reached him when he held up a hand to stop them. Up close, it was easier to see that he was infected. His skin was a pale green color. Veins bulged in his hands, making them look like claws. Rebecca also noticed fresh blood trickling down his right arm. "You're bleeding. Let me help you with that."

He snatched his hand away before she could grab it. "I wouldn't do that. My blood's pretty volatile."

"Volatile?"

"Flammable," he explained. "An effect of the virus. I have to be careful or I'll turn into a human torch."

"Cute," Billy spat. "So are you gonna help us get the others or not?"

"I can't."

Billy dropped his gun and pushed the man into the wall in one fluid motion. "We're a package deal. You help all of us or none of us. Your choice."

The man laughed weakly. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

"Billy, leave him alone. We're wasting too much time."

"No, you both should know."

Billy eased up on the other man but kept him pinned. "Talk."

"I was a victim of Umbrella's viruses, too. When I was a teenager, I was put in prison and left to fend for myself when the zombie outbreak happened. I was infected with a different virus and left to die. But…there was another with me. I wouldn't have survived without her. She tried to help me after my infection. But there was nothing she could do."

Billy backed away completely. "She's the one downstairs."

He nodded. "I saw her earlier. She didn't recognize me and I want to keep it that way. She'll be in more danger if she figures out what's going on." He hesitated a moment. "That woman you spoke with earlier, the blonde one, she's after the other group. You two weren't expected to survive."

"We never have been," said Billy.

Rebecca stepped between them. "We need to find the others before we do anything else. There's an escape route through the tunnels that we need to take. If you can't help us, then that's where we're going."

The man nodded. "Be careful. Just because the tunnels are underground doesn't mean they're safe."

Suddenly the floor shook and another roar tore through the building. "We've got to go!" Billy shouted. "Now!"

The man clutched at his chest and moaned, but waved the pair off when they reached out to help. "The others should be on the second floor by the large storage room," he said. "I broke a window to get in, but I don't think it's still open. The lockdown mechanism probably sealed it. You need to help them."

"What about you?"

He grinned at Rebecca. "I'll cover you. Get the others and head to the tunnels. I'll stay behind and make sure nothing follows you. Now go." He jumped up and ran down the hall, disappearing around a corner.

"What the hell just happened?" Billy was still staring at the spot where the man had run towards. "And what the hell kind of virus does he have?"

Rebecca shrugged. "I guess we'll have to find out later. But he's right; we need to find the others."

"Maybe Claire can tell us what that kid is."

"Claire?"

Billy nodded. "That redheaded woman. If she was with him-"

"He said he didn't want her to know about him," Rebecca interrupted. "Something bad probably happened between them. Plus if she's in the most danger and it has something to do with him, we have to help keep her safe."

"Fine," Billy said, "but if shit starts getting out of control, I'm saying something. I hate being unprepared."

"Fair enough. Now let's go. I know exactly what storage room he's talking about. And if I remember correctly, it's right by the stairs that lead to the tunnels."