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Chris carefully stepped through the village, rifle at the ready as he knew he was in lycan territory. Those things were fast, highly aggressive and actually started getting smarter! He caught one of them using a club.
He heard a noise, like something being knocked over, from within one of the old cabins. He tensed, bringing the rifle up closer to his face, before he carefully stepped through the doorway. The door itself had long since been ripped off, but the cabin itself was still standing, probably one of the few closest to being 'livable' if there weren't monsters everywhere. It was dark and a bit musty, but this whole village was musty so it wasn't anything new. He flicked his flashlight on and scanned the room, half expecting to see Ethan Winters rummaging around in here. That boy was going to get himself killed...
He shook his head and focused, ready to fire if it wasn't Ethan. His light hit something rather small, but he couldn't tell exactly what it was before it scurried off behind some debris. It... almost looked like a person? But small, like a child? He knew not to lower his guard though, he met enough 'children' that turned out to be terrible bioweapons to be suspicious. He narrowed his eyes and approached a knocked over table, where he saw the little thing vanish behind. Using his left hand, he grabbed the edge and tossed it aside, letting it tumble over itself.
Behind the table, a small girl cowered in Chris's light. She had long blonde hair and a tattered green dress, her skin was pale but not unnaturally so. She looked rather normal, though small. She was maybe knee high to him, if she stood up.
"P-please sir, don't s-shoot...." The child said in a soft, frightened voice. The kid seemed smart enough to keep quiet, noise attracted the monsters, especially if it sounded like a helpless snack.
Chris clenched his jaw, feeling conflicted now. Logic told him it was nigh impossible for a child to be out here and not be some kind of trick. But here she was, there was nothing monstrous about this girl and sure, he experienced a lot of bioweapons that changed from somewhat normal to nightmarish, but usually their behavior was off, since they were not human. This girl, as she started to cry quietly into her hands, acted as any little one would if a scary man was pointing a gun at them.
He didn't want to trust her entirely, but he wasn't heartless. Reluctantly, he lowered his gun from her, though he was still tense, ready to defend himself if she attacked.
"If you're truly just a kid, then I won't hurt you." He told her, his voice coming off as a bit distrusting and cold, but sincere.
The young one looked confused and still terrified, but at least she looked at him. Her eyes were a strange violet color, he had never seen eyes quite like them. They thankfully didn't look like a product of the mold experiments though, they looked too lively. She also seemed a bit older than he originally thought, around... six or maybe seven? But she was still so small, the poor thing... He shook his head, this could still be a trick, Chris told himself to keep his guard up.
"Why are you out here? How did you even get here?" He asked, still looming over her as he didn't really feel comfortable bringing his face closer.
The little one looked away nervously and fiddled with a piece of wood on the ground. "I-I was taken... but I g-got away before they c-could take me to uh... Some sc-scary lady..."
"Miranda?"
The young girl nodded, soon starting to tremble as the initial shock of meeting him wore off. How did she manage to escape? Or maybe she didn't?
"You sure they didn't do anything to you before you got away?"
The child shook her head, but then paused. "N-no, nothing happened, they were d-dragging me through t-the woods, but..." She trailed off and reached into her dress pocket, pulling out a small knife, with blood on it.
Chris tensed up again and raised his rifle a little, but didn’t point it at her yet.
"I-I got so scared... I used this o-on their hands, they... yelled and-and dropped me." She let out a sob then and dropped the knife, the poor thing probably never had to hurt a soul until that moment.
Now that he thought back, he did hear some lycans howling, like they were in pain. He thought it was Ethan, but there wasn't any gunfire. The girl's story was adding up, it gave him a glimmer of hope that maybe this child was just a poor little girl that needed help. He saw that she was pretty fast and a lot of these monsters around here were still not the brightest. He was wary about getting too attached, this village was still so dangerous, it seemed lucky she made it this far but she only had to get unlucky one time before it was all over.
Chris let out a heavy sigh and finally crouched down to her level, or closer to it anyway, he was still far bigger than she was. "You did what you had to, I'm sorry you had to go through that. I'm sure I don't have to tell you by now that this is no place for a child."
He heard a whimper come from her, she certainly seemed rightfully scared, but he couldn't tell if it was of him or in general. She was looking at him and he saw a mixture of fear, but also hope in her eyes. "C-can... can you help me, mister? I want to g-go home...."
The man gulped, of course she wanted to go home, they all wanted to go home. "I'm sorry kid, I have a very important mission here and I can’t leave until it's done." Millions of people were at risk, if he left here and allowed Miranda to become stronger, to raise her daughter, she could become unstoppable.
The girl whimpered again, fresh tears bubbling up in her eyes. "A-are you... going to l-leave me here then?" She asked, her voice cracking, ready to break down and lose that glimmer of hope she just gained.
It was a good question, what was he going to do with her? He didn't want to make her cry, so he wanted to say something assuring, a plan or whatnot, but he wasn't sure what yet. She was so little, he could carry her... But he needed both arms free to combat this mess. And he needed to tumble and move around quickly, so her on his shoulders didn't seem like a good idea. He certainly wasn't going to just leave her in this cabin, that wasn't an option. But then what were his options?
"No, I won't leave you, I just need to figure something out, give me a minute to think." He told her, seeing the poor dear nod in response and wipe her eyes. It seemed that calmed her down enough to not break.
He looked away and took that moment to think, though he did not notice the little one encroaching closer, until he felt something touch his shin. He looked down and saw the child hugging his leg, burying her face into his knee. She wasn't very strong, the hug looked desperate and he barely felt it. It made his heart ache plenty though, dang it... He was losing the whole 'don't get attached' battle rather quickly. She was such a little delicate thing, there was definitely a strong urge to put the mission aside and get her out of here, but he knew logically that he couldn't. That didn't mean he couldn't help her and keep her safe though.
Chris opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, they both heard haunting growling sounds outside of the cabin... Lycans.
He raised his weapon and stood up, turning his upper body towards the door but didn't move his leg yet. The girl was still clinging to him, if he moved she'd lose her hold. Both of them remained dead silent, Chris listened closely as at least three lycans walked around the cabin. They'll find the doorway soon, they could probably smell him and the little tot.
Before Chris could come up with a decent plan, one of the lycans jumped through a window to the right. Shattered glass littered the floor as the beast entered the cabin. Then another lycan broke through a window to the left, as a third lycan found the doorway faster than expected.
They were all focused on Chris and the child, snarling and gnashing their disgusting jaws. He heard the girl let out a small cry just before he opened fire. He hoped she was smart enough to cover her ears, he didn't have time to tell her. The rifle did have a suppressor but it was still plenty loud.
The one in the doorway was too slow and enough bullets managed to hit it to knock it down. The other two however were a bit more agile, dodging the gunfire. The right one jumped on Chris and he put up his arm to try to push it back while it tried to bite his face.
The left one however had something else in mind. It moved around Chris and went for the child. He heard her scream and tighten her hold on his leg, but it didn't take long to feel her hold get torn away. Chris felt a spike of rage, which gave him the strength to shove the lycan off him, then fill it with holes.
"Ahhh! Help me!" The girl called out as Chris whirled around. She was thankfully in one piece, but the lycan held her over its head, jaws open wide. It was trying to eat her... whole? She flailed around, trying to punch and kick, just as her heel touched the monster's tongue.
Chris curled his lip in a snarl and focused aim, giving a well placed shot to the lycan's head. It let out a snarl of it's own and dropped the girl, Chris fired again for good measure as it fell.
After that, the only sounds were their heavy breathing and crying. Well, the girl was crying, Chris was reeling from the fact he already almost let her get killed. Though the key word was 'almost', three lycans were not even that many. He had to fend off way more before and likely so did Ethan. Until he came up with a good plan, this poor girl wasn't going to make it. He looked down at her, curled up in a ball, shaking and sniffling.
With a sigh, he bent down and carefully rested a hand on her shoulders, his hand being big enough to touch both. "I'm sorry... that was close, too close." He said, though noticed she didn't react.
"Are you okay?" He asked, still no answer. Oh no... Did she not cover her ears? Worriedly, he set his rifle aside and carefully picked her up in his hands, moving slow enough that if she protested, he'd put her down.
Instead she looked at him with teary, but thankful eyes and he saw a smile on her face. At this point, he was convinced she wasn't a bioweapon, so he brought her to his chest, letting her hug him and use him as a tissue.
She was still shaking violently and he was worried that she now lost her hearing. Hopefully it was just ringing and it would go away soon... Though he wasn't sure if he could wait that long. As stressful as the attack was, it gave him an idea to keep her safe. As he held her, it sunk in just how small she was, small enough that, with some effort he could, in theory, swallow her whole. The thought was a bit unsettling, he didn't like the idea, he fought monsters that ate little girls, not eat them himself.
But it'd be safe, she would be safe and he could carry on his mission. As long as he made it, then she would make it too. She cuddled against his chest, the trembling lessening by the second, but she still hadn't said anything.
"Can you hear me now?" He asked and with a slight delay, she did look up at him. Chris couldn't tell if she just felt him speak or actually heard him. He would like to discuss the plan with her and not just... stuff her in his mouth. He watched as she gestured to her ears, proving his assumption.
"Is it getting any better?" He asked, making sure to speak slower and mouth out the words more. There was a hesitation, before she nodded. Good, hopefully that meant she could hear him later, once the ringing subsided. Chris wanted to wait for that, but it seemed the village had other plans.
He heard it again, footsteps and quiet growling, more lycans were coming, likely attracted to the previous chaos. Chris had to do something, he had to put her somewhere, and at this point it seemed it was either his stomach, or theirs. He adjusted his hold on her and lifted her towards his face, already feeling a bit ill for what he was about to do. She looked at him with confusion, but probably saw movement or something outside, over his shoulder, as he saw a glimpse of fear and it wasn't at him.
"I'm sorry kid, I don't have any better options, but I promise I won't hurt you. Just uh.... don't kick my teeth out, okay?" He chuckled awkwardly, but knew there was no time to delay or explain any further than that.
The man opened his mouth wide, which was much cleaner and pleasant inside than the lycans, then he gently eased her head and shoulders inside.
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Lilly wasn't sure what was going to happen. Everything was confusing, she couldn't hear anything, all she heard was this ringing in her head. She should have covered her ears, especially when he fired towards her, but she was so terrified of her near-eaten experience, she forgot.
She knew the man tried to speak to her and if she paid attention to his mouth, she was able to understand him somewhat. He apologized to her and promised that he wouldn't hurt her, but then... requested that she didn't kick his teeth? What did that even mean? She cocked her head at him, seeing him laugh though he didn't look happy, then she noticed he was holding her similarly like a sandwich, oh no...
The gears were starting to click into place as he opened his mouth. After seeing the lycan's hungry, gross maw though, his looked oddly... welcoming? It was clean, soft and of her favorite color, pink. It didn’t look ominous or threatening at all, she felt a sense of curiosity instead.
It seemed no matter what she did, this day was going to end with her eaten up and if she had the choice, she would choose him. She didn't know his name yet, but he was the first normal person she saw since being taken here and he was trying to help her, so she wanted to trust him.
She saw monsters were coming too, so she understood he didn't have much time. Lilly closed her eyes as she felt herself become engulfed in his warm, moist mouth, keeping as still as she could while his hands eased her deeper in. It was cramped, she could feel his teeth around her and the roof of his mouth on her back, but they didn't hurt and he didn't bite down. Thankfully they were not abnormally sharp, so as long as she didn't freak out, hopefully she'd pass by unscathed.
Her hearing started to come back, she faintly heard deep growling, the monsters were getting closer. Lilly felt her heart hammer in her chest, it beating so fast for so long it was starting to hurt. Her legs were still hanging out of his mouth, just as her head and shoulders started to dip down into the man's soft gullet. She was tempted to wiggle deeper, finding herself wanting him to swallow her up, at least she had a chance of survival with, or rather, inside of him. With the lycans? There was no question, survival was not an option.
Thankfully she didn't have to wait long. The man took two hefty gulps, one right after the other, which just about had her devoured entirely. Her legs were still in his mouth, while the rest of her was in his neck or chest, bulging the front of his throat out. His esophagus was rather comfy, the tissue was soft and the muscles held her firmly, but not too much to hurt or be uncomfortable for her. At this point she was deep enough that his hands didn't hold her anymore and it was unlikely that any monster could get her, unless the man himself got overrun.
She felt him move, bending down to get something, maybe his gun? At the same time, he took a third swallow followed by a slurp just a second before gravity could pull her out of him. With a surprised yelp, Lilly felt his mouth close behind her, sealing what little light there was out, leaving her in total darkness. The muscles kneaded and rippled around her as she slipped down. Her hearing came back enough where she could hear the man's rapidly beating heart, he was scared too. The sound became more distant for a few seconds, then she was softly squeezed into a slightly more roomy chamber... The man's belly.
Lilly remained totally still, though upside down, waiting to see if something bad would happen. But nothing did, at least not right away. She heard a gurgle around her and the snug walls cradled her in his tummy. The muscles were certainly powerful, one clench could probably crush her, but she wasn't being crushed, far from. She had a bit of room to stretch and move, so she took the chance to adjust and become upright. It was a little hard, the walls were soft and plush for the first few inches, but then there was firm muscle that wouldn't give no matter how much she pushed. It was okay though, as she didn't really need them to, in fact it gave her something hard to push off of and help roll herself until she was vertical.
The little one felt him move again, followed by muffled gunfire. She flinched and covered her ears, though it was quieter in his belly, it was still plenty loud and she didn't want to take any chances. The recoil of the rifle sent small vibrations and ripples through his body, which felt weird, but in a good way, if the situation was less dire she may have even giggled. Instead, she buried her face into her knees as the man battled the monsters back, the tense moment causing her to tightly curl up. Even though she had the room to relax, it was hard when she knew she was just inches away from a living nightmare.
He should leave the area once he got the chance, as they would only keep coming to investigate and the village didn't seem to have a limit on how many of these monstrosities they had. Though she figured he'd been at this long enough to know that much and didn't need her to tell him such things. Lilly wasn't sure how long they fought, he was moving around a lot more than last time and it seemed there were more than three monsters.
Thankfully her panic room, so to speak, was padded and reinforced, so all the movement didn't hurt her. Sometimes the stomach would get a little tighter, as the man tensed, but it remained oddly... comfortable. Lilly never would have guessed that being in someone's stomach would be comfortable, but it really was! It helped soothe her, knowing she was tucked away from the horrors outside. She believed that he wouldn't hurt her, he wasn't a monster like everything else here she met and his belly hadn't hurt her either.
Suddenly she realized things were still, for how long? She had no idea, but there were no more gunfire and jerks of movement from him. A small spike of worry shot through her, hoping he was okay as she slowly uncovered her ears and listened for signs of life.
The little one let out a sigh of relief to hear his heartbeat, thumping above her rapidly, but it was gradually slowing, probably as his adrenaline died down. The ringing in her head also stopped and she could hear so much more. His breathing, heavy and labored, but alive, some quieter gurgles and groans from the belly and she was confident that once he had a moment to speak, she'd have no trouble hearing him. Lilly allowed herself to relax, not being so tightly curled up and filling out the space of his belly a bit more. She was also now appreciating the warmth he provided, the village was a bit cold and bitter, though it was easy to forget when you're being chased by monsters.
"I don't know if you can hear me yet, but uh... Are you alright?" The man asked, his voice seemingly all around her now.
It was a bit surreal, earlier she was just talking to him as any two people would, but now this was nothing like anyone would communicate. It was comforting, sweet even, that he was worried about her, despite the fact that she was probably in the safest place within this cursed village. She didn't have to run, hide or try to fend off monsters anymore, she could just stay safely cuddled up in the nice man's belly. Lilly smiled and found herself happily wiggling a little in her comfy space, before she answered.
"I'm okay, t-thank you mister, for keeping me safe from the monsters." She replied in a warm, happy tone, her voice more stable than before.
There was a moment of silence, though Lilly basked in the peace, before she felt a strong, firm pressure from one of the walls. It pushed in gently against her and just sort of... held her. Curiously, she nudged back and soon realized it was probably his hand, holding his stomach, or it's contents anyway. She smiled and snuggled against where his palm was, having no fear of the man that swallowed her up whole.
"Your hearing is back, good. And you're welcome, you can call me Chris."
His voice seemed softer, perhaps she finally broke the ice with him. Lilly smiled wider to have his name, Chris... it was a simple yet nice name, likely one that she won't forget anytime soon.
"It's nice to meet you, mister Chris, uhm... My name is Lilly." She figured that he would like a name to call her by to, aside from child, or small cuddly thing in his tummy.
She felt, as well as heard him chuckle. It was brief and tired, but still sounded amused. "It's nice to meet you too, you're a brave girl. I promise I'll do my best to get you out of here."
Lilly was a little sad to hear that, assuming she meant his stomach. She liked his belly! It was warm and comfy and soft! It felt a lot like being hugged from all sides, plus she was safe from the monsters. If she was in Chris' belly, she couldn't be in anything else's! She curled up slowly in a smaller ball with a sad sigh and expected him to cough her out.
".... I meant the village, I'm going to get you out of this village, Lilly." He clarified, followed with his hand giving his belly contents a few soft rubs.
The child perked right back up and snuggled into the rubs, back to being the happy little snuggle-bug that she was. She definitely wanted out of this village, this place was scary. But she hoped to stay in his tummy until then. There was another content rumble from his guts, seeming to agree that the little one belonged here until they were safely out of harm's way.
"It might be a bit, I need to finish my mission, but you can stay in there until it's done." He explained, mentioning his 'mission' again which she had no idea what that was, he never said. But she didn't mind, it probably wasn't for the ears of small, edible children anyway.
"Okay, thank you.... Like, a lot!" She giggled a bit and looked upwards, though it was too dark to see anything. She didn't seem to mind though, at least she knew the dark was just more of him, there couldn't be any monsters hiding in here.
"Thank you for making this easier than it could have been." Chris responded sincerely, praising her for her cooperation. "I'm going to get moving, I will have to fight more, but when I'm around others that are not monsters, try to keep quiet, okay? I don't really want to have to explain this to them." He requested, his tone taking on a slightly awkward edge.
Lilly giggled again and carefully pressed her hands into the soft, slimy flesh supporting her. She made sure not to push hard, but wanted to show him that she took his words seriously. "Okay, don't worry, I'll be good!"
Chris let out another warm chuckle, causing some soft jostling in his tummy. "Thank you, I don't want to freak out my men."
His men? He had more people? That was a good sign, he wasn't just a loner, he had people helping him! The way he said it had an air of authority too, like he was in charge of them. She could see how the knowledge of their boss having eaten a little girl might cause a bit of a rift, even though he meant well and was just keeping her safe. The small child smiled, but didn't say anything, instead opting to just relax, curling up in a loose, comfortable ball in the nice man's belly. She was tired, but she wasn't sure how much sleep she'd be getting while he fought monsters.
She felt him take a few steps, which didn't bother her any, it was like a gentle swaying bounce with each step as he walked. But it stopped sooner than she expected and she slowly lifted her head up, what was wrong?
"Heads up." She heard him say, followed by a wet 'GULP' sound. A few seconds passed and she felt a small object enter the belly with her. It tumbled off her leg and slipped down to the pit of his stomach, but she managed to find it and pick it up. It felt like a small box, her little fingers felt it over, trying to figure out how to open it.
"They're ear plugs, put them in so the gunfire doesn't hurt your ears." Chris informed her.
"Oooooh!" She popped the little box open and felt the soft rubber plugs. Carefully, she slid one into her left ear, then the other in her right. "Thank you!"
"Can't have you going deaf now." She heard him still, but it was quieter and suppressed. Being in here though, Lilly could feel his words rumble around her too.
She closed the little box and slipped it into her dress pocket, before she softly wiggled again to get comfortable. Maybe now she could sleep, especially since she could still oddly hear, or maybe feel, his heartbeat. Other sounds were blocked, so they were working. It probably was a good thing, she didn't need to know anymore about this village, she just needed to get out. Lilly felt him start to walk again and this time he didn't stop, beyond a few seconds here and there, possibly searching for any supplies he could find. The two didn't exchange any further words for now and amazingly, he didn't run into any more monsters right away, which provided a decent stretch of peace for her.
Lilly soon started to close her eyes, it had been so stressful, going from just taking a casual stroll, to being nabbed by these... terrible, ugly things and getting dragged along the ground, her back smacking against roots and rocks. It hurt, it still hurt, though the soft stomach around her soothed her scrapes and bruises a bit. Behind her happiness and comfort, she was still startled from it all, from grabbing that knife and stabbing the monster's hands that were on her ankles, afraid that she'd hit herself, or it would just make them mad. Then, once she was free, the stress and adrenaline rush of running through the village, trying to find a place to hide and actually managing to get the monsters to lose pursuit. It was all so tiring, even meeting Chris was scary at first. Ironically, once he gobbled her up, she became more comfortable with him, or in him, in the current case.
The man was scary on the outside, but on the inside? She saw nothing but warmth and softness, both literally and figuratively. She hoped that, as she started to drift asleep, whatever his mission was, that he'd get to complete it. Then she'd get to see the normal outside world again, she'd get to return home to her family.
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Chris Redfield couldn't believe what transpired over the last handful of minutes. Lilly had been so brave, so trusting, it seemed this terrible place had not snuffed her innocence out entirely. He wasn't sure how she came so close to this village to get nabbed, but he was going to make sure to the best of his abilities that she got out of here. He since gave up not getting attached to her wellbeing, pretty much once she slipped down his throat.
He thought it would take some time to calm her down from being eaten, but she was almost more calm about it than he was.
As long as she stayed quiet when needed and was alright with staying in there for a while, then she wouldn't disturb the mission at all. Even when he had to fight more monsters in the village, after she was long asleep, he barely noticed her presence in his belly. She was so small and light, she made just a small lump in his middle, tucked under layers of muscle and his shirt, framed by his long black coat. He was confident that no one would really notice her, not while they were focused on the task at hand.
Chris managed to find some supplies in the village, mostly in neighboring cabins and the like. Though before he could search much more, he heard splashing! He readied his rifle, one blue eye looking down the sights as he slowly crept towards where he heard the sounds. He knew the waters were not exactly safe around here, not that anything was safe, but water could often seem rather unassuming. He peered around a pile of boxes, to see a small pond and a familiar figure standing in it. Ethan Winters.
The young man looked like he was trying to hunt fish with a knife, lying in wait before striking the blade into the waters. Though it seemed to be rather unsuccessful, Chris could spot three fish swimming around him. The older man was tempted to help, he was a sharp enough shot to easily hit one of those trout without hurting Ethan. But before he could consider this idea for long, Ethan struck down into the waters again and this time, he was successful! A large fish hung from the knife and he held it up a bit in triumph.
Chris shook his head with an amused smile. He had to give the boy credit, he was trying his hardest, he was determined to save his daughter Rose, even if it meant his own life. It was something Chris could respect, even if he did sometimes make the mission a bit more complicated. Speaking of, he had to get back to his men and set up the next step of their plan. With that in mind, he turned away and let Ethan continue fishing in peace, the younger man seeming to have no idea Chris was even there.
He traversed the various horrors of the village, cutting a path through the lycans to their current base. Lilly remained still and asleep, even through the gunfire and scuffle with the beasts. The earplugs worked well, good, hopefully the girl won't sustain any long term effects from this dangerous venture.
"Hey boss, welcome back!" One of his men greeted, giving him a firm but friendly pat on the back as he entered their base. He was a little nervous about them asking about his extra cargo, but they seemed none the wiser, as he figured previously.
"So, any reports for me?" He asked as he and his crew gathered around a table, with a rough map of the village area.
One of his crew offered him a ration, but he turned it down, he wasn't going to eat while the poor girl was inhabiting his belly. Besides, he wasn't that hungry, he just wanted to finish the mission, to end Miranda. The team discussed what they found and their plan going forward, as usual for them. Things were normal, as normal as they could be in this cursed, twisted place that is.