The creature reared up on it's legs, it's body curling as it prepared to strike.

"Shit," Jake snapped backing up a few steps and almost dropping his gun.

The legs moved clacking against each other as it surged forward. He dove out of the way, not knowing if the others followed suit. There was no time to plan or think, only act. He could only hope the others followed suit.

Jake normally found these situations to his liking. One moment you were staring down your adversary, the next moment you were peeling yourself off the ground, they were dead, and you were the only one left standing.

Not today.

"What the hell is that thing?" He shouted turning to look around for Wesker and the Ustanak when the creature had passed. Somehow in the rush to get out of the way, he did not see either of them. There was no telling where they had gone.

"Jake?" Chris shouted at him from the darkness. Jake turned in his direction, searching for the rest of his group.

He caught snatches of their faces, everyone except Wesker, The Ustanak, and... "Claire?" He could still hear the legs clicking as it moved away. In the back of his mind, there had been screaming, but it hadn't registered in the scramble.

A shrill scream echoed through the corridor and then abruptly cut off.

Jake moved towards it without thinking about what it could be. He caught the tail end of the centipede in front of him briefly in the darkness.

"Shit, Claire." He skidded through blood, a shudder ran through him. It wasn't rocket science to figure out that Claire was more than likely dead. He didn't want to think about it.

He fired towards where he'd heard the creature last. It would out of the view of his light, but he could hear it moving around.

"Jake!" Chris's voice echoed around him.

"Claire?" Jill's voice was a little quieter, and Jake heard the fear, mixed with trepidation. She wasn't stupid.

None of them called out for Wesker.

The clacking of the hardened feet against the concrete floor grew and Jake knew that the creature was coming back. He pulled his flashlight in front of him at eye level and held up his gone. Dropping to his knee he peered into the darkness waiting calmly for the creature to break his line of sight.

...and it came, quickly, it's strange mammalian jaws on its gigantic arthopodic body open, drooling, and dripping fresh blood.

Jake fired straight into it's gaping maw, four shots in quick succession as it slammed into him. He felt the searing sting as the teeth bit into his side and then the creature rotated. A searing scream ripped out of him and echoed throughout the hall as it flung Jake back, his flashlight and gun both flew from his hands and he was thrown clear.

His flesh ripped and he cried out as he hit the wall and bounced off. He couldn't see the creature but he could hear it slamming against the walls and he understood that it was going through its death throes. The body curled against the walls as the brain tried in vain to rebuild itself.

Head or heart, Jake thought inhaling as he felt the skin regrow over the wound he'd just incurred. It hurt like a bitch and he felt tears swim at the corners of his eyes. His ears were ringing where'd he'd hit the wall.

"Jake," Chris was suddenly at his side and Jake held up his hands to ward him off as his head continued to swim. For a brief moment his fear that he might actually turn into a J'avo took over and he stared at his own hands in the light of Chris's headlamp. 

And then his vision cleared, his headache stopped and he was breathing normally, albeit covered in a layer of sweat and blood.

"Where's Wesker?" Jill asked coming up to the other side of him.

"Who cares," Jake snapped. "We need to get to Sherry."

"Claire?" Chris asked, beside him, Jill paled and Jake looked down at the floor and shook his head.

I'm sorry Chris there is too much blood, he wanted to say but he knew that wouldn't have been good enough. There needed to be a body, something, evidence. He would have kept searching for Sherry no matter what until he found her dead or alive. He knew Chris would do the same for his sister.

As if to prove the point Chris yanked Jake to his feet and then turned down the hall. He looked past the body of the giant centipede and walked right past it. The creature twitched but otherwise, it did not move.

"Chris wait, shit." Jake stumbled after him. Once again he was weaponless, and now the only light he had was the light from Chris and Jill's headlights.

He followed Chris's headlamp vaguely aware of Jill's steps behind him.

"Nooooo!" Chris's agonized yell came from in front of them and Jake broke into a run, avoiding random moving legs and gigantic bug parts.

Chris knelt on the floor with Claire in his arms, pulled to his chest. Her eyes stared straight ahead and were glassy. There was so much blood everywhere that Jake didn't dare look at her lower half.

Jill was Chris's side in an instant, her arms around his shaking shoulders as she tried to soothe him. He leaned into her as he tried to keep Claire against his chest.

"Chris," Jill whispered. "We have to leave her."

"No," Chris snapped. "She shouldn't even have been here."

"Maybe not, but she chose to come." Jill didn't move and it was a long moment before Chris released Claire's body and laid her down on the floor.

He turned and looked at Jill for a long moment before gripping her hand and pulling her into an embrace. Jake stood off to the side awkwardly, his own eyes blurring from tears which he wiped away.

He and Claire may not have been best friends or saw eye to eye on anything but they both had cared about Sherry. Claire was the annoying elder sister he'd never had. He closed his eyes and pushed back at the emotions grieving quietly by himself.

"Where is that son of a bitch?" Chris broke the silence.

"I don't know," Jake, glanced around. "They're gone." It was just the three of them in the darkness.

Chris reached down and closed Claire's eyes and stood staring down at her, giving Jake a full view of her mangled body. He turned away, feeling nausea rise up within him.

"Let's get to Sherry," Jill stooped over over Claire's still form and pulled off her headlamp, which by some miracle was still attached. She stood and handed it to Jake without a word.

He took it and slipped it onto his head, cringing as he did so.

"Jake," Chris whispered turning to him. Jake stopped moving altogether, afraid of what Chris was going to say next. He got into Jake's face, inches, and Jake could see he was so close to breaking down. "You promise me, that you'll put a bullet in that bastard when you get the chance."

Jake could only nod at him, not trusting himself to speak.

Chris nodded. He moved away from Claire. "Let's go." His voice had become oddly detached. Jake knew what that felt like. He'd seen quite a few of his old unit die, or turn into J'avo in Edonia, where he'd had to kill those who had been friends of his just ten minutes prior. Sherry had shown up then and helped turn his world upside down. 

God, he missed her right now.

Jill moved up next to Chris and Jake followed behind trying to give them some space. As he went he felt a buzz in the back of his mind that at first barely registered. Then it became increasingly louder, and Jake was forced to stop walking, putting a hand to his head it sounded like a wave of static was trying to break into his mind.

"Jake?" Jill's voice sounded far away and Jake took a knee as the noise became overwhelming. 

"I don't know what this is in my head!" He gasped as he closed his eyes. Then the static was gone and he opened his eyes staring straight ahead as he felt a foreign presence in his mind.

Brother...

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