Meeting (1)
The musty smell of the tunnel assaulted Mendell's nose as he moved forward, not knowing where this path would lead them. Even though it was underground, there was enough ventilation. There were marking signs every two meters, wherein lamps were installed opposite each other which were enough to illuminate the area. What puzzled him was the unknown black substances that marred the walls, which gave him an eerie feeling.
He checked Kenneth's situation and noticed that he was approaching the nearby wall. "What are you doing?"
Kenneth touched the black solid substance while inspecting it closely. "Well, I was wondering what these things are. Now I know they're pitch but there's something else mixed in which I can't tell."
Mendell approached him and looked at the pitch. "But why are they present inside this tunnel?"
Kenneth shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe they're sealing some cracks to prevent water from seeping in. I don't know."
"Well, let's leave that for later. Let's go."
Kenneth nodded and followed behind Mendell.
They did not know how long the tunnel was. Fortunately, it was high and wide enough for Mendell to move conveniently even if he was carrying the log in his hand. They did not know how long they were walking until they reached the three entrances.
"Now what?" Kenneth mumbled, his eyes scanning the area while he stood beside Mendell.
Mendell concentrated as he inspected the dangers lying within these three entrances. He frowned when he detected the familiar scents invading his olfactory nerves, knowing that there were enemies present in each of the tunnel. He sighed, saying, "Bad news. Whatever we choose, we're gonna meet some mutated spiders."
Kenneth's expression became grave. The spider attacks from the trap were still fresh in his memory and he was not yet ready to face them again. But he knew that there was no safe location inside this hellish place. In one way or another, he would meet some form of danger. He strengthened his resolve, his hand gripping his gun tightly and remarked, "Don't worry about me. Just choose and I'll follow you."
Mendell nodded. He activated the Night Vision again, which he toggled off earlier as soon as they reached the mansion. At that time, he discovered that he could use the conjured Night Vision Shades as long as he wanted to without needing any soul power to maintain it. But once it was recalled, or forcefully ejected like fainting, he had to use soul power to conjure it again.
While he was inspecting the entrances, a globe icon appeared at the top right corner of his vision. He used soul power to check it out and was pleasantly surprised when he realized that it was a map. Upon further investigation, he discovered that the areas he visited were recorded by the Night Vision Shades. He could freely scroll through these maps and even enlarged it to a certain extent using soul power. Although this did not solve his current predicament, it was helpful for retracing once he was done here.
Mendell did not dwell on this problem far too long and pointed at the left entrance. He just passed through the entrance when he heard rumbling sounds far away.
Kenneth stared at him and nodded.
At once, they retraced their steps and moved back to where the three entrances were. This time, they chose the middle tunnel. Much to their dismay, they heard another deep, resonant sound as soon as they entered it.
Mendell scratched his head. "Well, that was useless."
Kenneth laughed nervously. "So much for being too careful."
Even though they were annoyed, they opted to go back and continue with their first choice - the left tunnel. They started walking, still curious about the rumbling sounds they heard earlier. Not even a minute had passed when the environment changed. They noticed that there were cobwebs on the walls.
Mendell detected the scents coming from the end of the tunnel. "Stronger than the spiderlings but weaker than the queen spider's smell. This must be a normal one."
Kenneth snorted. "Normal? There are no normal spiders in my vocabulary."
"Okay, you better choose a spot several meters away from here. Use your keen judgment."
"Okay."
Mendel waited until he saw the unwanted arrival of the two mutated spiders. True enough, they were larger than the spiderlings. Even though he did not see the queen spider, he was willing to bet that these spiders were babies compared to that monstrosity. Their heights reached his waist while their widths were three meters wide.
Both of the mutated spiders skittered forward - the first one was on the ground while the other one was at the ceiling.
Mendell swung his log up as soon as the spider on the ground reached his weapon range. Its body was flung up, hitting the other spider that was above them. He quickly jumped as high as he could and pushed his log against their bodies, crushing them against the solid ceiling. Blood splattered from their open wounds and some of its body parts were crushed, eliciting loud screaking noises from their mouths. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he pushed his log upward, hitting one of the falling spiders. When he saw that it was flung upward, he jumped and swung the log downward, hitting its body mercilessly. The body crashed against the ground, torn apart and lifeless.
Kenneth shot the head of the other spider, which was already weak due to Mendell's thrashing. It took him ten shots before killing it completely.
Once the battle was over, Mendell moved closer to the carcass and took some blood and flesh samples, which he secured inside an empty bottle.
"Hey, do you still have empty containers?" Kenneth asked as he inspected the carcass. "I wanna have some samples as well. Maybe I can take it to the lab and analyze it after the mission's over."
Mendell nodded and gave him an empty bottle.
After they secured everything they need, they continued their journey. Along the way, they encountered another spider, which they easily dispatched because of Mendell's strength and reflexes. They walked again until they saw glittering lights at the end of the tunnel.
"I'm sure it's not heaven waiting ahead of us," Kenneth said when he saw the sparkling lights.
Mendell chuckled, knowing what those things were because of his sharp vision. "They're just mirrors."
"Then I can finally see how I look right now. Betcha I looked like shit."
Mendell stared at Kenneth's face and sneered, "You'd be surprised."
Soon, they reached the end of the tunnel. Indeed, the sparkling lights were caused by the mirrors installed at a big panel covered with many knobs and switches. They did not know what to make of it so they quickly move ahead until they reached a wide clearing.
Even though the walls appeared old and unmaintained, the area was filled with cylindrical containers and pumps aligned neatly at opposing sides of the room. They moved forward, cautiously looking at the intricate designs of the machines found at the rightmost corner.
Mendell halted his steps when he reached the two trams. "Wanna have a ride?"
"As long as we're the only passengers, I'm in."
"Well, do you know how to operate a tram?"
Kenneth nodded. "I was forced to learn."
Mendell smirked. "At least it can be put into good use today. I wonder where this thing will take us. Let's just hope that there's nothing wrong with it." He headed to the nearest tram and reached for the door, forcibly opening it with his bare hands. As expected, creaking sounds echoed inside the tram. He recalled the log because it was too big to maneuver inside the tram and picked up several metallic small cubes lying just beside the entrance.
Kenneth followed behind him.
"It's a long walk to the driver's seat," Mendell whispered as he saw some of the seats were occupied by human figures. To determine which one among them were zombies, he threw the cube on the metallic floor, producing a clanging sound. Five of the seven bodies stood up as they turned around and showed their trademark grin.
Kenneth was about to shoot when Mendell stopped him. He looked at him as he waited for his explanation.
"Let me handle this. This way, you can use your bullets in dire situations." Mendell grabbed the four metallic railings installed at the ceiling and pulled it out. He removed all the unnecessary parts and twirled them around each other to increase its durability. He was about to shape its edges when the nearest zombie lunged at him. He kicked its stomach area, throwing it against the wall. Annoyed, he continued again, kicking away the zombies that were near him until he formed a spear-like weapon with a sharp tip for stabbing, blunt sides for smashing, and a smooth base for gripping, almost 110 centimeters in length. Then, he smiled, "It's time to finish these hungry bitches."
Mendell then started his massacre. Zombies right now were not a threat to him. As long as he avoided their bites, he could kill as many zombies as he wanted. After a series of smashing and stabbing, he decimated all the zombies within the area and proceeded to the next.
After they searched every nook and corner of the tram and killing the zombies along the way, they finally reached the control panel.
Kenneth rubbed his hands and smiled. "I guess it's finally my turn to shine." After several adjustments and simple inspection, the tram started moving. "See. I'm not lying."
Mendell stood behind the driver's seat, checking the surroundings from time to time to avoid any sneaking attacks. "Yeah. I guess so."
Kenneth looked really pleased with himself. "We'll be reaching the other end in no time."
Mendell laughed. "Well, you never know when - " He stopped talking when he detected new scents farther ahead of the tram trail, which became more intense as the tram moved forward. Then, he heard a terrible sound which made him frowned.
"That whiny operatic singing...shit! It's the Queen Leech!"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Shuree143
Shuree143 Fun fact: The Queen Leech is the final Boss you will encounter in Resident Evil 0.
When James Marcus was assassinated, his corpse was dumped together with the Queen Leech. It entered his corpse and began feeding on its body and brain, thus, gaining his memories. It took 10 years for it to fully develop its ability to transform its body shape into that of Marcus.
After a decade, it started its plan of revenge against Umbrella Corporation, paving the way to the Mansion Incident.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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