Ketchup and Lickers

"The Deadman roam freely..."

On television, a pretty young female reporter, her face filled with terror, broadcasts the shocking events unfolding in Raccoon City to viewers.

A large crowd of people, covered in blood and with gray eyes, surged from the end of the street. There was no sign of life in them, and many of them had missing limbs and varying degrees of decay.

The zombie virus spread like cancer cells, infecting most of Raccoon City's citizens. The remaining small number struggled on the brink of death, and the city was beyond saving.

In the footage, heavily armed special police officers, with police cars lined up as cover, unleash a barrage of fire as the horde of corpses approaches.

After the barrage of metal bullets, hordes of zombies were riddled with holes, dripping with thick, black blood. A few zombies died from head wounds, while the rest succumbed to their cravings and continued moving forward.

Despite the firearms and ammunition, the sheer number of zombies was overwhelming. The horde slowly approached the police car and quickly breached the defenses.

The horde of zombies surrounded them from all directions. In the footage, the police officers looked desperate. The pretty reporter had nowhere to escape and was swarmed by the zombies, knocked to the ground, and let out a heart-wrenching scream.

The camera fell over, the image fluttered with static, and all that remained were chilling screams and chewing sounds.

Russell held a plate of Italy, topped with tomato sauce, rolled up a handful, stuffed it into his mouth, and swallowed it whole.

"It is too sweet..."

As the second part of the story begins, there's no point in rushing to the Hive now. He stays in the church and waits for Alice to come to him.

Shhh! Shhh!

The sound of claws scraping against the wall came from behind, and a red shadow crashed through the French windows, crawling on all fours to the ground.

Its thick limbs bulged with muscles, its forelimbs had sharp claws, and its whole body looked like a human that had been skinned. Its head exposed its brain, but it had no eyes. Its long, thin, tongue-like mouth protruded and swayed back and forth in mid-air.

Licker!

Russell dropped his plate; the ketchup and the licker were both a deep red, which was quite unappetizing.

The Licker watched Russell warily, seemingly hesitant to attack, its limbs tense. In the end, it couldn't resist the meaty smell emanating from Russell and pounced on him.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, and the Licker disintegrated in mid-air, its flesh and bones exploding everywhere.

Another rustling sound came from outside the window, and three Lickers climbed in along the wall, their grotesque mouths, filled with muscles and gums, opened wide, emitting a hoarse, Beast- like roar.

Russell held two pistols in his hands, his eyes gleaming with golden light. But the result was unexpected: the three Lickers did not attack; instead, they retreated and left through the window.

"What's going on? These guys actually use their brains?"

Russell muttered to himself that he had always thought the Lickers had zero brain capacity, but he never expected that these creatures would actually know how to seek advantage and avoid harm.

Outside the window, three Lickers circled in place on the church wall, craving Russell's flesh and blood yet fearing Russell power, wavering between hunger and death.

With these Lickers around, there were basically no zombies around the church, so Russell let them continue to roam. He got up and went to the priest's bedroom, picked out a clean priest's robe from the wardrobe and put it on.

There always needs to be a priest in a church, otherwise God would lose face. Russell was not religious, but he admitted that he had received Gabriel's favor, so he had to pretend to be a priest to save face for the church.

"With a priest like me around, Heaven is lucky!"

Russell straightened his black robe and habitually touched his chest, finding it empty and lacking an accessory. He then used Item Card to retrieve the Cross he had won in a lottery.

The magnificent Cross, carved with intricate openwork patterns, is priceless and studded with blue gemstones. The necklace is made of pure gold, making it incredibly luxurious.

It has no divine power; it's just an ordinary Cross, maybe a little more expensive.

"Isn't this too flashy..."

As midnight approached, two women and a man walked toward the church, supporting each other. They were Sergeant Payton, a dark-skinned and tough man; Terry, a female reporter in a business suit; and Jill Valentine, an elite officer from the Special Tactics and Rescue Team.

Jill has been having a lot of bad luck lately. She was suspended from her post by her superiors for using excessive force and had only been staying at home for two days when the zombie virus swept through the city. She rushed to the police station to report back.

Just now, the Umbrella Corporation sealed off Raccoon City and opened fire on citizens who tried to break through. Her friend, Payton, was bitten on the leg by a zombie while trying to save people.

Left with no other choice, they went to the church to rest and recover their strength before looking for a way out of Raccoon Town.

The three shook off the zombies behind them and entered the church. They were so focused on the blind spot behind the guard door that they didn't notice several sneaky figures on the wall watching them.

The dimly lit church hall was lit only by a few candles. Jill and Payton gripped their guns and carefully searched every corner where zombies might be hiding.

Just then, the side door of the hall was pushed open, and Russell walked out carrying a plate of cake. The four of them stared at each other and froze.

Russell popped a piece of cake into his mouth and said in a muffled voice, "I'm sorry, the church is closed. If you want to pray or confess, it's best to come back tomorrow morning. But it won't do any good anyway, everyone else has already left..."

Payton, a Black man, was speechless. "Father, there Deadman everywhere outside, zombies roaming all around, and you still have the appetite to eat?"

"What else can we do? There's no signal on TV, and we have nothing to do but eat." Russell said, pushing the cake forward. "I made it myself. Want to try some?"

Payton shook his head slightly. "Thank you for your kindness, but we don't have an appetite right now!"

Five minutes later, the cake plate was cleaner than a dog had licked clean. The group ate and chatted, and barely managed to become acquainted.

Payton wiped the cream from his mouth. "Russell, Raccoon City is under martial law. The Umbrella Corporation has blocked all roads out of the city. Staying in the church will only lead to your death. You have to leave with us."

Russell shrugged. "I want to leave too, but it's easy to get in this church but hard to get out. I'll just stay put!"

"What do you mean?" Jill asked, raising her hand to press the pistol at her waist.

Jill is very beautiful, with a stunning figure and delicate features. She also has a bold style of dressing, wearing a blue strapless top and a mini skirt.

Russell thought to himself that the world was going to the dogs, and said slowly, "There are a few mutated zombies outside the church. They've been guarding the area since this afternoon. You can only leave if they give you permission."

"So you still have the mind to bake a cake?" Payton was surprised. The black man's talent was on full display at night, and all he could see were two wide-eyed stares.

"The Lord's glory protects the church; they dare not harm me!"

Russell held up the Cross necklace to his chest with a pious expression; the star sapphire shone so brightly that Payton could hardly open his eyes.

Payton: The priest is really rich!

"I'd rather believe they were full and left you here as a midnight snack," Jill said irritably. "It's too dangerous here; we have to find a way out, the sooner the better!"

Payton agreed, "There's a weapons shop on the next street. I suggest we go there next; I'm running low on bullets."

"Can!"

Seeing that Jill agreed, Payton grabbed Russell and said, "Father, God can't protect you. Come with me."

Splash!

With the glass shattered, seven or eight shadows, taking advantage of the darkness, rushed into the church hall.