Chapter 18: Hope That Appears
After receiving orders from Lord Castellan Creed, Varn immediately headed to the emergency medical zone in the evacuation barracks. There, he encountered three people who caught the attention of the medical personnel because of their backgrounds: Alice, Claire, and Carlos.
The three of them looked exhausted. Their clothes were tattered and covered in dust, with battle wounds that had yet to fully heal. However, their eyes remained sharp—full of determination and alertness.
Varn stood before them. His helmet was still on, and his voice was deep through the helmet's voice processor.
> Varn: "You three… you're the first to return from Raccoon City, aren't you?"
Alice sat up straight, her eyes staring directly at Varn.
> Alice: "I used to be a gatekeeper—an Umbrella employee tasked with guarding the underground facility, The Hive. I shut down their artificial intelligence system, the Red Queen, in Raccoon City. Carlos and I escaped with a child—Angie Ashford, the daughter of a researcher there—before the nuclear explosion. We parted ways… then met again in this desert."
Claire added in a soft but firm voice:
> Claire: "I came to Raccoon City looking for my brother. When the virus started spreading, I fled with the villagers. There were about 10,000 of us at first… now there are only 45 left. After the city was destroyed, we kept running. We heard the sound of the nuclear explosion—they said Umbrella's main headquarters was destroyed. On the way, I met Carlos and his team. We have survived to this day."
Varn nodded slowly, as if confirming something in his mind.
> Varn: "I think their underground base is still there… the most dangerous place is usually the safest. But I have good news for you. We have developed an anti-virus. As long as the infection hasn't caused total brain damage, there is still hope to restore them to human form."
He pulled a small vial from a metal box. The clear, bluish liquid inside glistened in the dim light.
> Varn: "This was created by the Imperium Caelestis. A pure anti-virus, developed from scratch. We studied the victims, reconstructed the biological structure of the virus, and adapted it for widespread use."
Carlos stared at the vial expectantly, his eyes widening.
> Carlos: "So… this can cure them? Are you sure this can restore those who have been infected?"
Alice looked at Varn seriously.
> Alice: "Can we all see for ourselves how the anti-virus works when injected? I want to see the results with our own eyes."
Claire nodded in agreement.
> Claire: "We want to see it too. It's not that we don't believe it… but so far, we've never really seen any hope."
Carlos chimed in with a low but firm voice.
> Carlos: "Yes. I and the other survivors want to see it for ourselves… so that we know that hope is real."
Varn nodded.
> Varn: "Alright. I'll show you."
Varn signaled to a soldier beside him. The soldier immediately gave orders to Mechanicus and the Space Marines to capture several infected in the plaza, so that the injection process could be witnessed by everyone.
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A few moments later, in the middle of a large open area—used as a testing ground—the surviving survivors began to gather. They had been told: today there is hope… that the infected can return to being human.
All eyes were on the giant Space Marines—over two meters tall—who were slowly walking along carrying the infected like small children. Although the infected struggled and writhed wildly, none could resist the strength of the Space Marines' steel.
On the other side, the Tech-Priest Mechanicus began injecting the infected with pure anti-virus.
Time passed. An hour filled with tension and hope.
And finally, the changes began to show. Although the physical wounds had not yet fully healed, the light in their eyes began to return. The blank, bloodthirsty gaze slowly turned to confusion… and then, recognition.
Some began to try to speak, but still stuttering. But the signs of recovery were clear—they were becoming human again.
Cheers erupted among the survivors. They hugged each other, some cried, some laughed out loud. They spoke excitedly about what they had just witnessed—hope had come.
Alice, Carlos, and Claire felt the same hope. In the middle of the crowd, Claire approached Varn.
> Claire: "Varn... I need your help. My brother, Chris, is still trapped in the Raccoon City police station. We lost contact with him since the outbreak began."
Varn looked at her, then nodded.
> Varn: "We will evacuate him. Once this mission is complete and further orders come down, we will comb every corner for other survivors."
With that, a new light shone in Claire's eyes. They weren't done yet. But for the first time in a long time—they weren't walking in darkness anymore.