The 0714 Files: File #1 Inferno (Remake 2)

Chapter 5

I've always hated going through the basement of this building. The kennel is on the other side of the wall to my left with the morgue being a bit farther down, I imagine the dogs are all asleep now even after the commotion from earlier. It's quiet in here at this time, in a way that's eerie even with the lights on.

Part of me wants to pop into the kennel, I like visiting the dogs. Well-trained German Shepard's with beautiful, shiny brown coats who helped me get over my phobia of dogs. In fact, they were only thing to help me after watching the one's in the lab named "Cerberus" who mercilessly tore Joseph apart and nearly gave me the same fate.

The shooting range is behind me on the left, a room I spent quite a lot of time in when I wasn't patrolling or doing paperwork. I rarely practiced with another person in the room though, self-conscious in a way, I guess. Even with the lie of serving in the military before coming to S.T.A.R.S. I still have an irrational fear that somebody will put pieces together about me they didn't even the parts to. Nobody would ever jump to the conclusion that really good accuracy must mean I'm an Umbrella spy.

I enter the armory, running to the shelves to find 9mm for my gun and more shotgun shells too. Practically sprinting from the basement when I grab enough boxes of shells and bullets. I stare down the long corridor to the night watchman's area as I approach. Kevin won't be in for his night shift, not tonight. Probably never... If there was any place he'd probably been at during the riot, it's J's bar. Collecting debt on his large and unpaid tab before coming into work.

We met after bumping into each other in the hallway late one evening when he was making his last rounds. He introduced himself and welcomed me to the building. Even though it was already my third week there by then. I guess he'd tried joining the team multiple times in the past, but failed every time. I'd nodded along nicely when he tried to make a lighthearted joke about it. Holding in the comment about how it was for the best he never joined. He would've been slaughtered like the others, another life that would've been needlessly lost.

Another couple encounters like that of him making his rounds and us by chance bumping into each other around the building occurred. Eventually led to an acquaintanceship of some kind throughout the months of remaining here. He'd actually come to me a few days ago, excited he was being drafted into the new S.R.T. unit. Even showed off the new gear he was assigned the next day. "Closest I'll ever get to S.T.A.R.S. level, but... Whaddya think?" he'd asked me, arms spread as he did a three-sixty.

The uniform consisted of dark blue pants and shirt with the R.P.D. patch on the left and right arm with a bullet vest that had, "R.P.D." in bold letters across it. Around his waist was a belt for carrying grenades or flash grenades more likely, a radio, a tazer, and handcuffs, he had new combat boots and fingerless combat gloves.

A hand to my lip as I looked him up and down while mulling over my answer, "I'm thinking... that your outfit's lacking."

To which he became confused and disappointed at my answer. I think Kevin had grown to like me more romantically than platonically. Between my background and our age gap though, I wasn't very interested outside of the occasional light conversation. He was good for a joke; an aspect Chris had lost when half of his best friends on the team were murdered. The gleam in his eyes he'd have that first week we met when a joke genuinely got to him was never there anymore. Even when he pulled the stunts like headbanging to make me laugh.

"Well, you're no fun," Kevin replied with what was most likely a mock gloomy look.

"I'm kidding," my hand flew out and connected with his chest in a joking push. I don't really know how to flirt, and I suppose in hindsight it was probably stuff like that, that read as if I was trying to. "You look good, just don't get too cocky. That vest only covers your chest, not your head, arms or legs."