Before Lear drifted into unconsciousness, he felt only Sherry's hand gently shaking his arm. Her small face was covered in tear streaks, and her mouth moved as if she were speaking, but he could no longer hear a single word.
Outside the Main Hall, Marvin, David, and the remaining officers burst through the doors. A dense hail of bullets instantly engulfed the Licker that had ambushed Lear.
After dealing with the monster, Marvin stepped forward quickly, his expression tense. He saw Lear's eyes were tightly shut, and blood was still gushing from the wound in his abdomen.
Marvin did not move him rashly. Instead, he performed a quick on-site examination of the wound. After confirming that neither the bone nor the internal organs had been damaged, Marvin's expression softened considerably.
David immediately pulled gauze, bandages, and alcohol from his waist pouch and handed them over.
Marvin used the alcohol for a basic disinfection, pressed the gauze firmly against the wound to stop the bleeding, and then wrapped the bandage tightly, layer by layer.
Just then, Jill's voice drifted down from the second floor.
Marvin looked up and saw Jill appearing in the second floor corridor, supporting a staggering Elliot.
"Marvin, don't move him!"
"Don't worry, I've checked. It's just a puncture wound; it didn't hit bone or organs. I've already patched him up."
Afterward, Marvin and several officers worked together to lift Lear onto a sofa that was still intact. Jill slowly helped Elliot down from the second floor.
Having finished tending to Lear's wound, Marvin immediately walked over to Elliot. "How are you doing?"
"Still... still kicking, haha... My leg just hurts a bit." Elliot's face was deathly pale, and cold sweat was constantly seeping out, yet he still forced a joke.
It was only then that Marvin noticed his left leg was bent at an unnatural angle.
After confirming that Elliot had no major injuries other than his leg, Marvin gave him a light punch on the chest and cursed with a smile, "You're one tough bastard."
But Jill clearly saw the flash of tears in his eyes; Marvin was supposed to be a hardened man.
Jill handed Elliot over to David to be supported to the side and asked curiously, "How exactly did you guys get separated?"
Marvin's gaze fell upon the corpse of the Tyrant, and he spoke slowly. "Not long after Lear left, this thing crashed in. We were preparing to evacuate and the civilians were all in the Main Hall when it suddenly burst through the doors."
He paused, his voice dropping an octave. "You were right, Jill. We've never seen a monster like this. Thick-skinned and fast—we were no match for it. Moving out together was impossible. If that thing had charged into the crowd, it would have been a massacre."
Marvin looked toward Elliot as he continued. "To cover the civilian evacuation, Elliot and the others took the initiative to fire, luring it toward the West Wing. Only then did I have the chance to lead the citizens to the Parking lot."
"Lieutenant, don't make me sound so noble..." Elliot panted, forcing a smile. "I'm a cop, after all. If I hadn't done it, no one would have made it out. If it had been you, you'd have done the exact same thing... I just beat you to it." As he spoke, he looked at Jill, his voice thick with gratitude and relief. "If Jill and the others hadn't arrived in time, I'd probably be a corpse by now. It's just a shame about Terry and Hawke... they didn't have my luck."
As the words left his mouth, Elliot's tone gradually sank.
Beside him, David gently patted his shoulder and said in a low voice, "Don't think about it. They... they'll get justice. I promise."
"I hope so." Elliot closed his eyes, his voice full of sorrow. "Terry just had his twentieth birthday last month. And Hawke... he had no family. He always told me that if he died, his limited-edition sneakers would be mine. Ha... haha... They were good men. How did it come to this? Why did it have to end like this!"
His dry laughter echoed through the Main Hall, and the atmosphere instantly became incredibly heavy.
"Don't dwell on that for now," Jill said, attempting to change the subject. "How is Lear?"
"He's fine for now—at least he seems to be. I still can't wrap my head around how he managed to take that monster down."
Jill followed Marvin's gaze toward the center of the Main Hall. The Tyrant's corpse lay on the floor, a severed limb protruding starkly from its chest.
She turned to look at the unconscious Lear, her tone carrying unabashed admiration—and even a hint of tender doting that Marvin didn't quite catch. "It looks like our sleeping beauty is exhausted. Let's let him rest for a while."
"Yeah. But the preparations can't stop. We need to evacuate as soon as possible. David, go make a stretcher so you can carry Lear later. I'm going to the garage to check the vehicles."
Marvin looked out the doors of the Main Hall. It was already afternoon, and the sun was slowly setting.
"We need to try and leave before nightfall. Who knows what might happen after dark."
Jill nodded. After watching Marvin leave, she turned and walked over to Lear.
Sherry was currently kneeling by the sofa, her small head resting gently against the edge as she watched him quietly.
"Jill... will Lear be okay? I... I..."
Sherry lowered her head, her voice trailing off as she began to sob softly.
"He'll be just fine."
Jill sat down slowly beside Sherry and gently stroked her hair.
Under Jill's soft comfort, Sherry gradually stopped crying. Leaning into Jill's arms, her breathing slowly became steady.
Jill looked down at the sleeping girl in her arms and couldn't help but smile faintly; the child clearly hadn't had a proper rest all night.
"Mama..."
Sherry let out a faint murmur in her sleep, a small smile spreading across her face.
While gently stroking Sherry's hair, Jill's gaze drifted to Lear's wound, which was still slowly seeping blood.
"You'll be okay, right?" Jill said softly. She knew very well that being bitten by one of those things usually meant infection. She couldn't judge Lear's current state; for all she knew, the next time he woke up, he might be a mindless, bloodthirsty monster.
"Lear, if you really do... I'll make sure you leave in peace," Jill whispered, her voice firm as she tightened her grip on her pistol.
Thirty minutes flashed by, and Marvin came walking quickly back inside.
"Jill, we're ready. It's time to go."
He looked at the two by the sofa and spoke softly, "Sherry, wake up. It's time to move out."
Jill nodded and leaned down to gently wake the sleeping Sherry. Sherry opened her eyes immediately at the sound of her voice, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and obediently took Jill's hand.
The two walked out of the Main Hall, where the vehicles were already prepared. The five cars Raymond had left behind weren't originally enough to carry everyone from the Police Station, but after several brutal battles, the number of survivors from the Raccoon City Police Department had dwindled significantly. Counting the officers present, only fifteen people remained in total.
"Jill, help Lear into my car. We're leaving immediately," Marvin said.
"No, Marvin," Jill declined softly, her eyes discreetly sweeping over the wound on Lear's abdomen. "I'll drive. Lear is coming with me."
"Just put him in my backseat. Sherry, you go with Uncle Marvin first, okay?"
Jill expected the consistently well-behaved Sherry to agree, but the little girl shook her head with unusual determination.
"Jill, I want to stay with you," Sherry said quietly. Fearing she would be rejected, she quickly added, "I'll be very good. I won't be any trouble at all... please don't leave me behind."
She lowered her head, her voice growing faint with a trace of anxiety and fear.
Seeing Sherry's pitiful expression, Jill's heart softened instantly. She gave in with a helpless sigh. "Alright, but you have to be very good."
Sherry's head snapped up, her eyes lighting up instantly as she nodded vigorously.
(Translated by yourtl.app)