A mother's wish (S1)

Sherry wakes up in the tram car, only to realize that a horrible fate awaits her. In the meantime, Claire arrives at the NEST. She must save her friend from the devils haunting this place.

Chapter 9 - The Final Showdown

Sherry slowly opened her eyes and saw the dazzling lights. She felt the mild shaking and realized that she was lying on a bench in a tram car. She didn’t recognize this car, as it was not the cable car in the sewer system that she once took with her mom.

Speaking of which, she saw a figure wearing a white lab coat, standing in front of the control panel. Even from behind in silhouette, she recognized the figure.

“Mommy?” She asked cautiously.

The figure turned around and smiled at her. It was no other but Annette. At first, Sherry was confused by why her mother wasn’t wearing any underclothes. But soon she realized something more abnormal. The scarlet eyes...The little sharp fangs baring from the corner of her mouth when she smiled...

“No...No! Mommy!” Sherry tried to get away, but there wasn’t any room for her the maneuver in the tram car.

“What’s matter, Sherry? Don’t you like mommy’s new look?” Annette kept approaching her daughter while rubbing her breast, letting out subtle moans, “This is the gift my mistress bestowed on me...If you behave, she will grant you the gift, too...”

“No! Get away from me!” But there was nowhere to go. What’s worse, Sherry felt that her mind was drifting away as she kept looking at her mom’s eyes, “Please...”

“But I can’t hold myself anymore, Sherry...I’m thirsty...” Annette knelt down beside Sherry and approached her neck, “You don’t want mommy to suffer, do you...?”

Sherry found herself unable to move but just stood completely still, waiting to be taken. Annette licked her daughter’s neck with her wet and cold tongue, feeling the rhythmic vibrations from the artery vein. She kept closing in. The tips of her fangs have already touched Sherry skin. One bite was all she needed to quench the thirst.

But she couldn’t. She must save the most pure blood of Sherry for her mistress. She didn’t dare to contaminate it.

Mistress will award me for bringing Sherry to her. Maybe she’ll let me taste Sherry, too...Annette thought, and reluctantly retreated.

“Keep quiet, Sherry.” She said grimly and quivered from fighting her bloodthirsty nature.

Sherry nodded obediently. Her mind was shrouded in a cloud of red mist and the only thing clear was her mother’s order. She sat silently back on the bench and stared blankly at the other side of the tram car.

The next thing she remembered was her sitting in the security room in the South Area of the NEST. Annette came back after several minutes and showed her the ID wristband with a general staff clearance, which she just acquired from a colleague in the nap room.

“Mistress will be waiting for us!” Annette smiled wickedly, grabbed Sherry’s arm and walked towards the door to the Main Shaft.

And she was right. Her mistress, Katherine, was already waiting for them beside the control panel of the central elevator. Sherry was presented to her like a tribute.

She’s so beautiful. I must offer myself to her...Sherry could only think of this when she gazed into the golden eyes of their mistress. She voluntarily tilted her head to the side and revealed her clean neck.

“Excellent...” Katherine smiled with satisfaction, bared her fangs and dived down.

Bang!

...

A few minutes earlier.

Leon and Claire stepped out of the cable car and went on searching the platform carefully. Leon was staying alert with the Lightning Hawk he “borrowed” from Dustin while Claire went ahead to the unlock the door to the NEST with the ID wristband.

When the lights came on, they saw the big Umbrella sign on the white wall and noticed that they have arrived at the North Area. There were blood all over the reception hall and they knew that this place had fallen, too.

But something more ominous was going on. The door to the Main Shaft was shattered by brute ****, and they could see what was happening near the central elevator - Katherine was holding Sherry in her arms and was about to bite.

“Sherry! No!” Claire screamed in panic and ran forward. And Leon followed right behind her.

There was only a few centimeters between Katherine’s fangs and Sherry’s neck, when Leon fired the magnum and the bullet precisely hit the back of the vampiress’ head. The shot blew half of her head off and Katherine collapsed on the floor lifelessly.

“Sherry, come on!” Claire seized the opportunity when Annette was still shocked by her mistress’ demise, grabbed the delirious Sherry and quickly ran back towards the North Area.

“You will not take Sherry away from me!” Annette growled furiously, leaped over Leon and pursued Claire.

“You’re not gonna-” Leon tried to shoot Annette, but was grabbed on the leg by something and hit on the floor heavily.

Claire went back into the North Area with Sherry, however, she couldn’t outrun the vampire while carrying a child, and was immediately caught up by Annette. She was slammed on the floor while Sherry, who still hasn’t recovered from the mind control, rolled to the side.

“How dare you hurt my mistress! You’ll pay...blood for blood.” Annette stared angrily at the girl under her and flashed her fangs, “First you, then Sherry!”

“You will not harm her!”

Claire struggled to grab her pistol and, before Annette could take a bite, shot the vampire’s stomach with several large caliber rounds. It hurt Annette a bit but it only flew her into a rage.

Annette knocked the gun out of Claire’s hand and pinned both of her arms on the floor. Claire tried as hard as possible but she couldn’t outmatch the ravenous vampire. There was nothing she could do now. Annette smiled victoriously before striking down with her fangs.

“Uh...” She let out a low groan when her head was heavily hit by something.

Behind her was Sherry standing and holding a broken vase with a frightened expression on her face. Annette’s strength was weakened for a short period as she found herself a bit dizzy from the shock. Claire didn’t waste the opportunity, broke free and sucker-punched the vampire with everything she got.

After distancing themselves from the vampire, Claire shielded Sherry and grabbed her grenade launcher, which was already loaded with an acid round, while Annette was trying to get up.

“Mommy...” Sherry has returned to normal and said with a shaking voice.

“She’s not your mother anymore!” Claire covered Sherry’s eyes with one hand and pulled the trigger with the other, just before Annette was about to make another move.

However she was too weak to hold the grenade launcher for long, so with her hand shaking, the acid round exploded on Annette’s legs, instead of on her torso. The impact **** pushed her backwards and the acid started to melt her legs.

To everyone’s surprise, the vampire didn’t scream. Annette sat by the wall calmly. The pain from her corroded legs was so overwhelming that, to an extent it shrouded her craving thirst for blood and her mistress’ voice in her head. For once tonight, she felt peaceful.

“Sherry...I’m sorry...for everything...” She stared at the floor blankly. As a proper scientist she perfectly knew what would happen if she looked into her daughter’s eyes. This was the only way to keep Sherry safe from her.

“Mommy!?” Sherry peeked out behind Claire. The scene was horrible and she was so scared. But, that was her mother after all...

“You’re Claire...right? Please, take my daughter...to safety...” Annette was vomiting blood as she spoke, “You must go to my lab...in the East Area...to get a Level 4 clearance for the wristband...It can gain you access to the central elevator, and...”

Annette’s face twisted and she hissed at Claire with her fangs bared, as the pain was receding and the thirst was slowly taking over again. Claire was staying alert all this time and has already reloaded the grenade launcher with a flame round.

“Please...Claire, kill me...” Annette by instinct tried to crawl forward with her arms. Her painful cries gradually became hungry growls.

“I’m sorry...” Claire aimed at the vampire on the ground, “Sherry, don’t look...”

Sherry sobbed and buried her head behind the back of Claire.

The flame round exploded on the vampire and immediately set her on fire. Sherry burst into tears at the same time the vampire screamed from the overwhelming pain. Looking at the slowly burning corpse, Claire softly held Sherry to comfort her.

As the vampire’s screams receded, the only sound echoing in this section was a little girl’s cry. She lost her mother tonight, but at least she knew that her mother loved her. In her last moment, Annette’s wish was to keep her daughter safe.

“Claire...Thank you, for coming for me.” Sherry said with a crying tone, “I’m really glad I met you.”

“I’m really glad I met you too, Sherry.” She looked at the child and gently wiped the tears on her face, “I’m sorry for what you’ve been through, but save your thanks until I get you out of this place.”

“OK...” Sherry just breathed a sigh of relief, but the moment she saw the bite marks on Claire’s arm she gasped in horror, “Claire! Those are...”

“It’s hard to explain...but I think I’m alright...for now.” Claire raised her arm to have a better look at it. She didn’t know why but the wounds were healing much faster than she thought. By now there were only two small dots with scars.

“Uh...OK?” Sherry still couldn’t believe her eyes.

It was at this moment the door to the cable car platform opened and Dustin stumbled in holding a submachine gun. Apparently he had somewhat recovered from the injury and **** himself to investigate the area, as he woke up and found no one around.

“Claire! Sherry! Glad you’re both alright.” He felt relieved.

“Dustin! You’re alright!” Claire shouted joyfully. And Sherry was happy to see the man who saved her from her mutated father, too.

“Not as alright as I hope, for I realize someone has ‘stolen’ my Lightning Hawk and left their jacket on the floor.” Dustin cracked a joke to ease the tension, “So, this is the NEST, right? What now?”