They remained still, waiting. Instants passed, yet nothing happened; no one came out, and the elevator doors remained opened.
"This whole place seems deserted-" Anaka whispered. "I have a bad feeling about all this..." She approached the dead man, carefully reaching for a piece of paper sticking out of his padded vest; soaked in blood, she still managed to read some of its content. "Oaksford Caelum - Retrieve Sample - Terminate Lead - Extract LUCY" Billy's attention refocused on her.
"You're right about a bad feeling-" He walked to her side, his eyes narrowed. "This guy has Umbrella written all over him." He noticed the insignia on the handgun, and army knife. What the fuck did they do here!?
"What do we do now?" Her mind was going haywire. He sighed.
"We follow his tracks-" He walked to the bloodied elevator; a push of a button, and he opened the way inside. He stepped in and examined the control panel, one hand out, preventing the doors from closing. Blood prints covered both the B1 and ✩G buttons, hinting that the man might've come from the lower levels. "Down to the basement."
She followed him in, one last look at the dead man, before proceeding to the floor below. It felt like a rough ride down, the grinding of cables and gears indicating a serious lack of maintenance. The doors opened up the way to the basement; a strong odor flooded the corridors, a blend of moisture and chemicals added to the scent of iron. The atmosphere was similar to the above floor: a greenish hue but fewer lights, the sound of electric sparks echoed amidst the low humming of machinery.
''Stay behind me-" He still had his weapon in hand. He scouted the surroundings, alert and ready for potential danger. He soon spotted a map of the area, and a small console on a nearby cabinet. "The layout looks pretty straightforward-" He traced their current location.
"R Wing - L Wing - C Wing - Secondary Wing." She joined his side. "The first three lead to rooms expected in a hospital-" Her expression frowned. "But the fourth one... looks like we found where Ruben might be kept."
"We'll need to proceed - very - carefully." His tone was commanding yet concerning. "Let's have a quick look around the other halls first." He accessed the console.
"Here-" Identification were required, but luckily for them, she came prepared; she handed him a card, along with the one she had been holding on to since they walked in. Several windows appeared on screen, most seemed to control locks and security access, but one in particular contained several medical logs dating back to early March.
"Each log begins with P01 RnJs-" Her heartbeat increased. "This is no coincidence- RnJs has to stand for Ruben Jens-" Her jaw tightened, a tension creased every muscle in her body. If anything happened to this child, I will kill every last one of those Umbrella bastards- I swear to god!!
"Do you want to stay here?" He took note of her distraught expression; she did not answer. "Look- I know how difficult this must be for you... just-" A tension also took hold of him. "I'll go have a look in the east section- you stay here and check those logs, alright?" He wasn't too kin on leaving her there, but he considered it the safest option. If a threat was to arise, he preferred dealing with it alone, than to risk putting her in harm's way. "Keep your eyes peeled, and a close hand on your gun." She remained silent, but nodded in response.
He left her side momentarily, and proceeded on to exploring the R Wing. A main corridor lead to personal offices, before branching to a left and right side. All were unlocked, and a quick peek inside revealed nothing of interest or out of the ordinary. He continued on, through a break room, small cafeteria and the usual essentials. Still nothing, so he traced his way back to Anaka; she remained focused on reading the logs, her small journal to her side, notes and various papers laid out. He gave her a small tap on the back, and went on to exploring the L Wing.
Things just got worst... He noticed a hand soaked in blood, a visible bite mark between index and thumb. He steadied his aim, and remained on guard; he trailed the drops to inside what looked like an examination room.
