As the train sped through the dark tunnels, leaving The Hive behind, One and Alice stood guard over the bound mercenaries, pistols ready.
Alexandra moved to a vantage point by a window, looking out at the passing darkness and observing the dynamic inside the car.
Kaplan trembled, tears welling in his eyes as he stared at his boots.
Rain rested her head against the headrest, exhausted, her hardened gaze fixed on the ceiling.
Beside her, J.D., Johansson, and the squad’s second medic sat in heavy silence, J.D.
muttering a weak, pain-filled joke to Rain, who ignored him.
“Pierce,” Rain’s raspy voice cut through the rhythmic rumble of the tracks.
She turned her head toward Alexandra.
“You said we were set up. Played. If I… if I don’t make it… I don’t want to die not knowing why. What do you know?”
Alexandra turned from the glass, her eyes sweeping over the survivors—One, grim and vigilant; Alice, quiet and watchful beside the box of evidence; Matt, shaken but resolute; and the bound squad facing an uncertain fate.
‘Oh, great, now I have to make up another story.
Let’s just try to give them some useful information.
Useful, how though?
This whole world will end up being overrun zombies….Oh an this could technically also be a test, huh?’
“Since you asked so nicely, Rain,” Alexandra said, her voice carrying easily through the carriage.
“And since we have a little time now… I suppose I can tell you what I pieced together. About this mission. About Umbrella Corporation. And about who really set the fox among the bio-engineered chickens.”
The train roared onward through the dark.
The compartment fell silent.
Alice watched her, her mind a complex knot—the horror of Spence’s death, the raw weight of Rain’s condition, and a dawning, fearful curiosity toward the woman navigating this nightmare with such natural precision.
Alexandra looked past them into the aisle, laying out the pieces.
“This starts with Matt,” she said, her voice calm as she addressed the room.
“The ‘police officer’ we picked up at the mansion. He isn’t police. He’s an environmental activist. Part of a group trying to expose Umbrella Corporation’s bio-weapon experiments.”
Matt gave a slow, grim nod.
“His group heard rumors about the atrocities Umbrella was committing down here,” Alexandra continued.
“They wanted evidence. Something undeniable. Matt volunteered, but his record kept him out. So his sister, Lisa, infiltrated the company instead. She got a job here, in The Hive.”
Matt lowered his eyes, his jaw tightening at the mention of his sister.
Alexandra watched him for a moment.
‘And he’s still alive.’
The thought came with an odd sense of relief.
She wasn’t entirely sure why it felt important beyond the obvious fact that he was one more person who had made it this far.
‘Well…
he’s alive.’
Her eyes flicked briefly toward his injured leg.
‘And somehow I have a feeling I’m going to be thinking about that later.’
She pushed the thought aside and continued.
“Lisa wasn’t just working here,” Alexandra stated, her tone turning clipped.
“She was looking for an inside contact. Someone to help her get concrete proof out. She found Alice.”
Alice nodded; that much she had already come back to her.
“Alice was supposed to use her position as a Watchdog—as one of the few people with legitimate access to the surface—to smuggle out evidence.”
Alice’s hand drifted to the box of vials on the seat beside her.
Evidence.
That was what it was.
Proof of the horrors.
“Their plan was simple,” Alexandra said.
“Lisa would acquire the evidence—specifically, vials of the T-virus. She had an appointment to meet Alice on the day this all went down.”
A chilling piece clicked into place for everyone in the car.
“But someone else found out about that plan. Spence Parks.”
A collective intake of breath came from One, Kaplan, and J.D.
Spence.
The quiet one.
The ‘husband’.
“Spence wasn’t Alice’s real husband, obviously,” Alexandra said, a trace of contempt in her voice.
“Just part of Umbrella’s cover story for the Watchdogs. But he knew about Alice and Lisa’s meeting. He acted first. He stole the T-virus and the antidote vials Lisa was supposed to get. He wasn’t planning to expose Umbrella. He was planning to sell the virus and the antidote on the black market for a fortune. Or perhaps he was hired by someone else to do it.”
Alexandra paused, letting the implication settle over the room.
“But Spence wasn’t just a thief. He was a saboteur. After he took the vials, he deliberately broke one of the T-virus samples inside the lab. He released the virus into the main ventilation system.”
One stared at her, that wasn’t exactly news.
“But why all this?” he asked, speaking up.
“Intentionally, I think.” Alexandra continued, “He knew releasing the virus would trigger Red Queen’s containment protocols—sealing The Hive and killing everyone inside to stop the spread. He thought the lockdown would cover his tracks, giving him time to escape on the train before anyone realized he was the thief.”
Alexandra looked toward the dark window.
“He didn’t count on Red Queen’s neuro-toxin hitting the platform area, knocking him out cold. That’s why he was lying there when we found him.”
“And Alice was knocked out by the same gas up in the mansion,” Alexandra finished.
“Matt, unaware of any of this, came looking for Lisa when she missed their meeting. He ran into us instead. The rest, you witnessed. The Hive went dark; Red Queen killed the staff to contain the outbreak; we were sent in, we found Matt, Alice, and Spence, we fought through the Infected and the Licker, and we got the truth from Red Queen before Spence silenced her and tried to make his move.”
Silence returned to the carriage, heavy with the weight of the revelation.
One’s face sat frozen in fury and sorrow.
Kaplan and J.D.
pulled against their zip ties, their fear compounding under the weight of the betrayal.
Alice sat up straight, her fingers resting on the aluminum case—the evidence that had cost so much.
“But… why were we set up?” One asked, his voice rough.
“Why send a team in if they knew what was happening?”
Alexandra looked at the bound squad, their bodies still except for the involuntary tremors of fear.
“Look at them, One.” Her voice quieted.
“Look at what the T-virus does. Look at the Licker data Red Queen showed me. Do you really think Umbrella didn’t know what this virus does? Or how effective their monsters are?”
She met One’s eyes directly.
“Umbrella Corporation isn’t just a company that suffered an accident. They’re creators. And experimenters. I think they sent us down here as test subjects.”
A sharp gasp came from the bound men.
“They knew Red Queen would seal The Hive,” Alexandra pressed on.
“They knew the virus was loose. I suspect they sent in a highly trained team—seasoned mercenaries—with a three-hour window. Not to rescue anyone, and not primarily to recover the AI core. They wanted to see how a capable team would fare against their creations. They wanted data on the Infected and the Lickers. And if any survivors emerged, injured or not, they became new test subjects.”
Alice’s breath hitched.
The pieces locked together in her mind as well.
Her fragmented memories of sterile rooms, needles, and medical equipment—that was why she had felt that deep, instinctive revulsion toward Umbrella before she even understood who she was.
Spence hadn’t just hijacked her plan; he had dragged her into the center of the nightmare she feared most.
She didn’t regret throwing away the ring.
Not for a single second.
One’s face turned into a mask of pure rage.
Used.
Every death, every casualty, every risk they took—all of it reduced to data points for a corporate board meeting.
“Those… those sons of bitches!”
Matt stared at the floor, the horrors he had seen fitting into a cold context.
His sister’s death, the walking corpses—all part of a controlled test.
“I suspect,” Alexandra said, her voice dropping, “that Umbrella personnel will be writing off this entire operation when this train hits the surface platform. Not a welcoming committee. A collection team. They’re coming to round up any survivors for study. Especially if they’re injured. Especially if they might be… changing.”
Her eyes flicked toward the bound mercenaries.
The train began to decelerate, the heavy rumble of the wheels softening.
The darkness outside the windows gave way to pale light, the stale, metallic air of The Hive shifting toward the damp, earthy scent of the surface.
The exit was right ahead.
“What… what do we do?” One asked, his voice hoarse as he looked toward the approaching daylight.
Before Alexandra could answer, a guttural moan tore from Rain’s throat.
She began to seize violently against her restraints, her head snapping back as a dark tremor ran through her limbs.
Alice and One flinched, their hands flying to their sidearms as Rain’s skin flushed a sickly, feverish red.
“Rain!” One yelled, taking a step forward.
Alexandra threw up a sharp, halting hand.
“Wait!”
Rain’s back arched off the seat, her breath turning into a harsh, rattling gasp.
The black veins spreading across her neck pulsed violently, held for an agonizing second—and then began to recede.
The violent shivering slowed to a steady tremble.
Her eyes, wild and unfocused, blinked heavily before locking onto One, regaining their human clarity.
The antitoxin had taken hold, halting the viral load and stabilizing her system.
She slumped against the seat with a long, ragged exhale, drenched in cold sweat.
“I’m… I’m still here,” Rain gritted out, her voice raw, a weak smirk touching her lips.
“Don’t shoot me yet, boss.”
One let out a long breath, a wave of relief passing over his hardened face.
Kaplan wept quietly, resting his head back against the wall, while J.D.
let out a breathless chuckle.
Alexandra watched Rain thoughtfully.
The serum worked—or at least it bought them real time.
“Alice,” Alexandra said, turning her attention back to the door.
“Do you remember anything about the mansion? Any hidden exits? Service tunnels? Anything besides the main door?”
Alice shook her head, her fingers tight around her sidearm.
“Only… only the main entrance. The one we came in through.”
“Okay.” Alexandra nodded.
“Here’s the plan. When the doors open, you, One, and Matt get Rain, Kaplan, J.D., Johansson, and the second medic to cover immediately. Find somewhere to hide near the exit. Stay out of sight and wait for an opportunity to slip away. Umbrella will sweep the main area, but they might miss side pockets.” She looked at One.
“They’ll probably flatten this place once they’ve rounded up whatever survivors they find.”
“What about you?” Alice asked, searching Alexandra’s face.
Alexandra gave a faint, cynical smirk.
“My dad, who happens to be my boss, by the way, is childhood friends with a top Umbrella executive. I have my own ways of dealing with them.”
‘Well, I did get an interesting background for this scenario,’ she thought, ‘Furthermore, I’ve seen the movies and played the video games.
Could be useful when I return to this World.’
Alice didn’t look entirely convinced, but there was no time to argue.
One stepped down the aisle, swiftly cutting the zip-ties on Kaplan, J.D., Johansson, and the second medic, freeing their hands just as the train slammed to a complete stop.
The air rushing through the vents was cool and fresh, but the distant thump of helicopter blades and approaching engines already echoed from above.
The train doors hissed open, letting the night air rush into the carriage.
The Hive was finally behind them.
Standing together near the exit were Rain, One, Kaplan, J.D., Johansson, the second medic, Alice, and Matt—every survivor accounted for, exhausted but breathing.
A tired smile pulled at the corner of Alexandra’s mouth as she allowed herself one brief moment to absorb the truth.
Every single one of them was still breathing.
We actually made it.
Then something dropped from the darkness above the platform.
Alexandra’s head snapped up.
“Move!”
Two Lickers landed on the concrete.
The first crashed down directly in front of the doorway while the second hit the platform farther along the car and charged instantly.
Gunfire erupted as One and Alice opened fire on the first monster, J.D.
hauling Kaplan back into the car frame for cover.
Alexandra raised her shotgun, pumping her first heavy slug into the second Licker’s chest, racking the action, and slamming a second shot into its shoulder as it lunged.
She threw herself sideways, rolling onto one knee, racked the slide a third time, and buried her third shell directly into its exposed brain stem.
The creature collapsed, dead.
Before she could stand, a throat-shredding screech cut through the noise.
The other Licker had driven right past One and Alice’s defensive line, coiling on the concrete to spring straight at Johansson and the second medic.
Seeing the creature cut off their retreat, Matt didn’t hesitate.
His injured leg nearly buckled beneath him as he shoved Johansson and the medic backward into the carriage frame, then whipped his pistol up.
Matt snapped off three rapid shots straight into the Licker’s chest.
The monster snarled, flinching back from the impacts, then lunged directly for his throat—
Click.
Matt squeezed the trigger again, but the slide locked back empty.
For one terrible second, he had nowhere to go.
His wounded leg refused to give him the speed he needed, and the creature was already in the air above him, talons outstretched.
Alexandra stepped directly into its trajectory.
She racked her shotgun in one fluid motion and buried her fourth and final shell through its open jaw, shattering the brain stem at point-blank range.
The Licker slammed onto the concrete at Matt’s boots, dead before it hit the ground.
The platform fell dead quiet, save for their heavy breathing.
Matt stared down at the carcass, his empty hand shaking, then looked up at Alexandra in stunned silence.
Alexandra held his gaze for a moment before lowering her empty shotgun.
“You’re okay.”
Her eyes dropped briefly to his injured leg.
‘I didn’t mean for him to get shot.’
At least, she didn’t think she had.
She remembered knocking Spence’s gun downward.
She remembered the muzzle flash, Matt’s shout, the sudden smell of smoke.
Then the chaos had swallowed everything else.
Matt was still standing.
That was what mattered.
Johansson quickly checked the second medic’s pulse before calling out, “She’s alive! We’re all clear!”
Alexandra let out a long breath, her eyes sweeping over the group one last time—One, Rain, Kaplan, J.D., Johansson, the second medic, Alice, and Matt.
‘Now we’re done.’
She barely had time to finish the thought before an unnerving, alien pull suddenly took hold of her, wrenching her reality out from under her feet.
The countdown had reached zero.