The long corridor was lit by a few flickering ceiling lamps, casting an eerie glow over the polished hardwood floors. Three doors stood closed on the right side, while tall, arched windows lined the left, moonlight filtering in to reveal smears and pools of blood staining the floorboards.

Rebecca took a few cautious steps forward, her boots creaking on the boards, but Linda remained frozen in place behind her. Rebecca turned, the shadows carving deep lines on her face, and grasped Linda's clammy hand to pull her along.

"Behind me," Rebecca said, her voice steady despite the gruesome scene.

Linda nodded, her complexion paling as she eyed the blood. She positioned herself directly behind Rebecca, using the other woman as a shield. Rebecca slammed her fist against the wall in a sharp rap that echoed down the corridor.

They waited, breaths bated, as low moans drifted from behind the second door. It slowly creaked open and two lumbering zombies emerged, ragged clothes hanging off their rotting flesh. One dragged along a severed hand, now nothing but chewed up meat and bone, before dropping it with a wet splat to fix its white eyes on the women.

Linda recoiled with a shudder, taking hurried steps backward as her heart hammered against her ribs. Rebecca stood firm, her jaw set with determination as she drew her gun in one smooth motion. She widened her stance, arms straight and elbows locked, exhaling slowly as she aligned the zombie's forehead in her sights.

"What are you waiting for!" Linda cried, voice shrill with panic. "Shoot them!"

Rebecca kept her aim steady, finger resting lightly on the trigger. Linda's wide eyes darted between Rebecca and the zombies shambling ever closer, fear twisting her stomach into knots.

"Shoot them now!"

In the span of a heartbeat, Rebecca squeezed the trigger twice in rapid succession. The first bullet tore through the knee of the lead zombie with a spurt of rotten flesh and viscous black blood. It crashed to the floor, causing the second to stumble and collapse on top of its writhing counterpart. Before it could rise, a third shot split its skull open in an explosion of bone and brain matter.

Linda tentatively lowered her hands from her ears as the sharp gunshots faded, peering around Rebecca at the sprawled corpses. Rebecca kept her pistol trained on the zombies as the first one dragged its mangled leg underneath itself and struggled to stand once more. But as it lunged forward, she planted one final bullet between its eyes, sending it crashing back into the window in a crimson splatter.

"What took you so long?" Linda asked incredulously, her voice still shrill.

"You have to shoot them in the head," Rebecca replied, her eyes scanning the surrounding corridor. "The body or limbs just incapacitate them."

Rebecca moved toward the door the zombies had emerged from, keeping her balance over the slippery floorboards. Muffled groans emanated from within the room, growing louder as she eased the door open.

Stolen novel; please report.

A foul stench wafted out, accompanied by the wet squelching of something dragging across the floor. Peering inside, Rebecca recoiled at the sight of a zombie torso crawling toward her, rotting intestines trailing behind in a gruesome scene. She quickly pulled the door shut, face contorting with disgust.

"What's going on?" Linda asked anxiously, craning her neck to see past Rebecca.

"Nothing..." Rebecca muttered, smoothing her features. "Don't worry."

They continued on toward the staircase at the end of the hall. But Linda's attention snagged on the vista outside the windows, and she drifted closer to take in the view. Rebecca followed her gaze.

"Wow." Rebecca breathed.

Below sprawled a massive circular garden, illuminated by warm yellow lights positioned around the perimeter. An ancient tree stood at its center, thick gnarled branches spilling over with vibrant pink flowers. Roots snaked across the ground, breaking through the brick walls in places. Among the tangle of branches and flowers, Rebecca could just make out a human shape.

Linda pointed a trembling finger at the camouflaged body. "That's Carla."

Rebecca shot her a questioning look. "How do you know?"

"She was wearing pink heels like those," Linda said with certainty.

Rebecca continued to gaze out into the night, keen eyes probing the shadows around the garden, searching for any sign of movement. Satisfied they were alone, she turned toward the staircase, the wooden steps creaking under their combined weight as they descended.

Rebecca Chambers kept her voice low, though they stood alone. Her S.T.A.R.S. training had taught her to remain vigilant, especially when pursuing sensitive information.

"So, working for Umbrella you must know something. Not the superficial layer we all know."

Linda shoulders tensed beneath her tailored blazer. She gripped the handrail. "As I said, I only handle the finances myself-"

"Come on, something, anything." Rebecca moved closer, her body language shifting from casual to intent.

Her voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "Well... there's been a lot of rumors lately about power struggles in the company, from James Marcus, one of the founders who works here."

The wind picked up, sending dead leaves skittering across the steps. Rebecca's brow furrowed, her expression skeptical. "I highly doubt the disagreement between them will lead to such a disaster."

"We deal with a lot of names who don't come to light. Such a powerful multinational has enemies both inside and outside."

They reached the bottom of the stairs, where shadows pooled deeper between carefully pruned topiaries. Rebecca crossed her arms. "Why keep this in the shadows?"

"From what I understand, Spencer can be very..." Linda paused, choosing her words with visible care "...possessive about his business."

Rebecca's eyes widened as pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. "Wait, so Spencer was on board with all this restructuring?"

"Well, he approved the project, I would assume so." Her words hung in the air between them, heavy with unspoken implications.

Rebecca and Linda finished descending the steps leading down into the underground gardens, their shoes settling onto the damp, mossy soil covered in thick, greenish vines and roots. As they took their first steps, one of the roots near Linda's foot suddenly contracted with a wet slurping sound, making her jump.

Rebecca looked around uneasily. "Have you been to this place before?"

"A few days ago," Linda replied, gazing around at the overgrown foliage crawling up the walls and across the floor. "But it wasn't nearly this...lively."

Up ahead, a corpse lay propped against the wall, completely enshrouded in roots and leaves that blended it into the surrounding vegetation. Suppressing a shudder, they moved past rusted double doors, now held fast shut by the invading greenery. Gardening tools lay abandoned and forgotten beside them.