Chapter 84: The Police Station Falls

September 28, 1998, 20:17, Raccoon City Police Department R.P.D.

Cold rain lashed against the glass dome of the police station, mixing with distant gunshots and roars, echoing a dull resonance in the empty hall.

Marvin leaned against the edge of the reception desk, his fingertips crushing the third cigarette butt, which rolled across the bullet-casing-strewn floor, leaving a charred trail.

His police uniform was already soaked with sweat and blood, but he dared not stop. The entire police station's two hundred and seventeen survivors and only eight remaining officers were all relying on him.

"East staircase! Three of them! Suppress them! Don't let them get up!" Marvin grabbed his Shotgun and pulled the trigger on the zombies rushing down the stairs.

Lead shot tore through the zombies' heads, black blood splattering on the marble floor, emitting a pungent, putrid smell.

Rota crouched behind him, holding an assault rifle, her golden hair clinging to her neck with sweat, precisely shooting at the escaping zombies. Bullet casings clinked on the ground: "Received! East side is temporarily stable! George just shouted there's movement at the west wall, he and Neil are holding them there!"

This was the first wave of attack tonight.

Twenty minutes ago, the barbed wire fence on the west side of the police station was breached by the zombie horde, and dozens of zombies poured into the backyard through the gap.

Officers scattered everywhere fought independently, with only Marvin and Rota guarding the first-floor lobby, serving as the command center and last line of defense for the entire police station.

"Tell George, if they can't hold, retreat to the main building! Don't fight them head-on!" Marvin reloaded a magazine and looked up at the second-floor corridor.

The survivors hiding there desperately covered their mouths, the children's cries suppressed in their throats by adults, leaving only stifled sobs.

The first wave of attack was barely repelled, but everyone knew this was just the beginning. The deeper the night, the denser the roars outside, as if all the zombies in the city were gathering at the police station.

At 22:03 that night, the second wave of zombies arrived.

This time, the zombie horde was three times larger than the last, and the wooden door on the west side was the first to be smashed open.

"The west side is done for!" Rota's face instantly turned pale. "They're rushing in from the west corridor! Harry on the second floor is shouting that he's surrounded!"

Marvin slammed his fist on the reception desk. On the surveillance screen, the west side showed countless swaying figures spreading towards the main building.

The entire police station was completely breached, and officers at various defense lines were cut off, losing contact.

"Everyone listen! Abandon all outer defenses! Retreat immediately to the first-floor lobby! Repeat! Retreat to the first-floor lobby!" Marvin shouted into the walkie-talkie, his voice hoarse with anger and anxiety. "As many as can retreat, retreat!"

Ten minutes later, only David and George, with three survivors, stumbled into the lobby.

"Lock the doors! Lock all the doors!" Marvin roared, rushing first to the spade-wood door of the west office.

The officers immediately sprang into action. This police station, converted from a century-old museum, was full of heavy oak doors carved with intricate patterns.

As they retreated, they locked every patterned wooden door in the police station. Marvin pulled down the iron grilles and roller shutters on both sides and wrapped the control panel with tape.

When the last door was locked, the lobby finally fell silent for a moment. Only the thudding and roaring of zombies outside the doors, muffled like drums, came through the heavy door panels.

"We're trapped." George leaned against the door, panting heavily, his face covered in blood. "It's full of them outside, no way to break through."

Marvin walked to the window, pulled back a corner of the curtain, and looked out. In the night, countless swaying figures roamed the streets; the police station's walls were completely submerged.

He looked back at the trembling survivors in the lobby, a thousand-pound stone weighing on his heart.

"We can't just sit here and wait to die." Marvin took a deep breath, his voice firm. "We must find a way to leave here."

"How do we leave? The main doors are all blocked!" Kevin irritably kicked a spent casing on the ground. "Our ammunition can only last one more attack at most. If we wait any longer, we'll just die!"

"Kevin and I will go find a car." Rota suddenly spoke, wiping the dust from her face, her eyes unusually resolute.

"It's too dangerous!" Marvin immediately objected. "It's full of zombies outside; the two of you won't be able to break through."

"It's better than waiting to die here." Rota picked up the assault rifle from the table and checked the magazine. "With the two of us working together, we can definitely get a car back. You stay here and guard the survivors, waiting for us to return."

Kevin nodded, also picking up his gun: "That's right, Officer Marvin. Give us an hour. If we're not back in an hour, you'll have to figure something out yourselves."

Marvin looked at their determined eyes, knowing he couldn't dissuade them. He was silent for a few seconds, then nodded: "Alright. Be careful, try to avoid the hordes. If you encounter danger, run back, don't fight them head-on."

"Don't worry." Rota smiled, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. "We'll definitely be back."

The two climbed out through the back door's ventilation shaft and disappeared into the night.

"Elliot, go see if this old building has any other exits." Marvin turned to the silent Elliot. "Any basement, ventilation shaft, old passage will do, as long as it leads outside. Search carefully, don't miss any corner."

"Understood." Elliot nodded, picked up his flashlight, opened the east roller shutter, and turned into the dark corridor.

Only Marvin and seven survivors were left in the lobby. Time passed minute by minute, each second feeling as long as a century. The thudding outside the door grew louder, and cracks had begun to appear in the door panel, threatening to break at any moment.

At 23:12 that night, the walkie-talkie suddenly crackled, Rota's voice filled with unconcealed excitement.

"Officer Marvin! Officer Marvin! Please respond if you hear me!"

"This is Marvin! How are you two?" Marvin grabbed the walkie-talkie, his heart pounding.

"We did it! We found an intact SWAT transport vehicle! We're heading back now, about ten minutes to the main entrance!"

"That's great!" A long-lost smile finally appeared on Marvin's face. "Be careful, I'll organize the survivors to prepare for evacuation now!"

Hanging up the walkie-talkie, Marvin shouted to the people in the lobby: "Everyone pack your personal belongings! Rota and Kevin found a car! We'll evacuate from the main entrance in ten minutes! Move quickly!"

The survivors instantly burst into cheers, their long-suppressed emotions finally released. Some were so excited they shed tears, hugging each other in celebration.

Marvin walked to the surveillance screen, rapidly switching between camera feeds. Except for the main entrance and the lobby, no one could be seen on the other monitors.

He felt a subtle unease. During the earlier retreat, many officers and survivors were still trapped on the second floor and the west side, and he wondered how they were doing.

Ten minutes quickly passed. Marvin glanced at his watch; it was already 23:22, and Rota and the others hadn't arrived yet.

"Why aren't they here yet?" George said anxiously. "Nothing went wrong, did it?"

"Wait a little longer." Marvin frowned, just about to pick up the walkie-talkie to contact Rota, when a bloodcurdling scream suddenly came from the second floor.

Everyone fell silent.

Immediately after, more screams and gunshots came from the direction of the west corridor.

"Oh no!" Marvin's heart sank. "There are still people up there!"

Through the monitor, Marvin saw David dodging a completely red, skinless monster. It was clinging to the ceiling, its muscular limbs gripping the wall tightly, a long, forked tongue hanging down its chest.

The monster let out a sharp shriek, its long tongue suddenly shot out, grazing David's shoulder and leaving a deep indentation on the wall.

"What in the world is that thing!" Marvin shouted.

David shot and dodged. The Licker, enraged by the gunfire, let out another sharp shriek and pounced from the ceiling.

David raised his gun and fired three shots at its head, the bullets creating several bloody holes. The Licker let out a painful roar, then turned and disappeared through the window.

"Phew..." Marvin breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. "That thing is terrifying."

Just then, a violent crashing sound came from the police station's iron gate, followed by the screams of survivors.

Marvin saw the police station's main gate being smashed open, and countless zombies pouring in from outside. The iron gate, which had been sturdy moments ago, was no match for the impact of the zombie horde.

"Damn it! How did they breach the gate!" George cursed, raising his gun and firing at the zombies.

Marvin looked at the endless stream of zombies pouring in, his heart turning cold. He knew that organizing a large-scale evacuation was impossible now.

Just then, a piercing car engine sound came from outside.

Marvin looked up to see a black SWAT transport vehicle breaking through the zombie horde and driving towards the police station. Its front bumper knocked away blocking zombies, leaving a long trail of blood on the ground.

"It's Rota!" David shouted excitedly.

The transport vehicle screeched to a halt at the main entrance. Rota pushed open the rear door and jumped out, holding her gun and spraying bullets at the zombies: "Officer Marvin! Get the survivors in the car quickly!"

"Rota! There are still people trapped on the west side! We..."

"No time!" Rota interrupted him, pointing to the rapidly approaching zombie horde behind her. "There are more zombies behind us! If we don't leave now, none of us will make it out!"

Marvin glanced at the panicking survivors in the lobby, then at the endless stream of zombies pouring in, and gritted his teeth.

"Everyone get in the car quickly!" Marvin shouted, firing his gun as he retreated. "George! Cover the survivors!"

Several survivors, covered by the officers, stumbled into the transport vehicle.

"Don't worry about me..." Marvin raised his gun and fired at the zombies. "You guys go! I'll cover you!"

"Captain!"

"Go!" Marvin roared, using all his strength to push Rota towards the transport vehicle. "Tell the outside world, Umbrella Corporation... make them pay the price!"

"That's an order!" Marvin yelled. "Get them out safely! I failed to defend the police station, but I will fight to the last moment!"

The zombies, hearing the gunfire, all turned their heads and rushed towards Marvin.

George looked at Marvin's retreating figure, gritted his teeth, and stomped on the accelerator. The transport vehicle roared, crashing through the blocking zombies, and sped away into the distance.

Marvin watched the transport vehicle disappear into the night, finally exhaling. He leaned against a pillar, panting heavily. The surrounding zombies were closing in on him, and his Shotgun was out of bullets.

He drew the pistol from his waist, preparing for a final stand. When the bullets ran out, he used his police baton. After an unknown amount of time, Marvin finally closed the iron gate. He leaned against the wall, exhausted.

Marvin glanced at his watch; it was now 00:42 AM on September 29th.

An hour had passed since Rota evacuated.

Marvin returned to the lobby and checked the monitors. The sight before him instantly froze him.

Four officers who had held out in the operations conference room lay on the ground, having already turned into zombies.

"Damn it!" Marvin cursed.

Marvin walked to the window, pulled back the curtain, and looked out. The entire police station was surrounded by the zombie horde, with swaying figures everywhere.

He switched the surveillance screen again. On the screen, all floors of the police station were occupied by zombies. Except for the lobby where he was, all other defense lines had been breached.

Marvin picked up the walkie-talkie and tuned to Elliot's channel: "Elliot? Elliot? Respond if you hear me!"

After a long while, Elliot's tired voice, tinged with a hint of a sob, came through the walkie-talkie: "Officer Marvin... I'm still looking... I've searched all the basements and ventilation shafts... No exits... Not a single one..."

Marvin's heart sank to rock bottom.