“We've gotten a definite location on the whereabouts of our Damsel.” Dwight had updated him. He had time enough to think that maybe the code name they had assigned to the President's daughter was a bit on the nose. If anyone was intercepting their calls they should be able to piece it together fairly easily.

“Damsel is located in the village church approximately five miles southeast of you.” His friend continued as Jim had surveyed the village in front of him. The villagers were milling about going on with the days chores as if nothing was amiss. They only thing he could tell is they all had the same haggard, dirty, almost decayed appearance as the other hostiles he had come into contact with. He could play it safe and try to sneak by all of them, but he didn't know how well that plan would go. They had seemed to be everywhere. The center of the village had a well and just in front of said well was a impromptu stake with the body of the one of the Spanish officers who had taken him here burning away as if he was a witch sentenced to death by fire. The sight was grizzly and if Jim hadn't been battle hardened from years of seeing gruesome things he would've emptied his stomach right there. Just beyond that was a steeple topped building. It wasn't the church by the looks of it, given the proximity, but it had the same macabre insignia across the door. That must be where he had to go.

That was all of thirty minutes ago. He had thought maybe he would take a few out as discreetly as he could and slip in that door. Well once again fate, life, or destiny threw a giant fucking wrench in Jim's plans. He thought it was fitting in a self-deprecating sense, while he laid with his back against the floor and his feet planted firmly against the door that a madman with a chainsaw was trying to break into, that nothing ever went easy for him.

The loud roaring of the chainsaw cut through his thought for the most part. He hefted the shotgun he had just found in one of the houses to his shoulder and took aim again just as the chainsaw was about to hit his leg. He had already fired a bunch of handgun bullets into this guy and he still hadn't went down. These people weren't... normal in any sense of the word. They were practically zombies, besides still being alive... Their feverish desire to kill him blocked out everything else. Pain included. He fired the shotgun with a squeeze of the trigger. He had aimed at the man's burlap covered head and at such a close range it was blown away in a spray of gore and that same black-red blood. His body fell forward and impaled itself on the splinters of the door, his weight sagging him lower until he was impaled all the way through.

The lull didn't last for long and soon the other villagers who had been blown back by the close proximity of the blast were scrambling to get inside. Fuck. Shit. GODDAMN IT.

Jim was just about to try and scramble as far back as he could get and throw one of his grenades when the sound of church bells rang through the village. They were farther away, but the deep, resonating sound was almost hypnotic. Apparently it was completely hypnotic to the villagers because as soon as the bells began their rolling chime they stopped clamoring and clawing their way into the house. They stood straight up and turned towards where the sound of the bells were coming from. As if they all made the conscious decision together they all began moving at the same time. Marching slowly and as if in a trance they moved to that building Jim had noticed earlier with the insignia.

“Lord Saddler.” some of them were muttering in almost divine revelation as they passed and shuffled off in the direction of the church.

Jim scrambled to his feet and jumped out of one of the broken windows of the house he had holed up in. He managed to see the last of the villagers disappear into that ominous building before the door shut behind them with a resounding clang.

He couldn't help but let out a scoff while throwing his arms up and letting them drop lamely to his sides. The pyre for the deceased office crackled and roared behind him and he turned this way and that to see if in fact every villager had suddenly decided to stop their murderous rage to attend an appropriately timed mass.

“Where the hell is everyone going? Bingo?” He bit out sarcastically without any real heat. The church bells had done him a big favor in fact, but the whole thing just seemed so damn odd. Only thirty seconds ago they were ready to tear him apart and now they had to go repent their sins to the lord? He shook his head as he brushed his hair out of his eyes and then scrubbed his hand over his face.

Pam is in that church.

The thought fell into his stomach like bricks. He had been so caught up in surviving their onslaught and then being confused by their abrupt departure that he had forgotten that these people were keeping Pam in that church. The church where they were now marching off to in a daze. He had seen first hand how ruthless and murderous these people could be and they were going to where Pam was right this second.

His body kicked into overdrive as he sprinted to the door they had just entered. It was fucking locked. Did one of them think to do that as they shuffled off? 'Oh, wait, can't let that damn American in here before we go have some pagan ceremony and sacrifice a young girl. Oops.'

Jim's frustration took over for a second as he slammed his body into the door. He kicked and shoved and finally took a step back. Wait. Dwight had mentioned there was another path past the watchtower in town. Jim turned to his left and eyed it warily. It really was his only option if this door wasn't going to give without a key. He would just have to start there and see where it took him.

That's what he did. Time and place seemed to swirl past him in a haze as he made his way onward. He hoped this would at least bring him close to the church. Give him an opportunity to save Pam and hopefully before it was too late. Please... please let it be before it was too late. He knew what it was like to feel like you had done too little and in not enough time. He thought of Karen, who he had helped through Raccoon City, had developed feelings for. He thought he had watched her die. Only to find out, of course, she had been lying about everything besides her name. She had been pulling him along on a string ever since. She had her own secret motives that he could never figure out. Working for that elusive “organization” and stealing samples of viruses wherever she went.

He shook his head to clear it. This wasn't about her anymore. He hadn't seen her in a year or more. He hoped that it would stay that way now. He was coming to terms with the fact that she didn't need or want him. Only toyed with him enough to get what she wanted and to keep her alive if needed.

'You're always playing the hero, James. It's a little too quaint for my tastes.' She had told him the last time he had seen her.

He needed to be the hero. Not in the sense of 'Look at me and all the good I've done.' but more so to make up for all his failures. The people he couldn't save. Pam needed him now. She needed a hero. He wanted and needed to save her not for himself but for her. That's what kept him going. That's what would always keep him going.

The path had lead to a giant wooden door, which itself lead to a farm yard with old barns and even some animals, and then to another giant wooden door beyond. It's almost as these people were boxing themselves into some kind of rudimentary medieval fortress. He had noticed, before he left the farm area, that the gray wolf had made a reappearance. Stalking just barely out of sight. Leon figured this nearly abandoned farm would suit the animal well to heal. There were chickens and eggs he could eat and it seemed the villagers wouldn't be back for sometime. Jim caught himself thinking he would rather be the wolf right now as he slipped through the big door. On to the next area. Hopefully moving ever closer to Pam.


---------------------

He hadn't seemed to be moving closer by what his compass was showing him and he had wasted more time killing more hostiles. Hey, at least this time they had dynamite. Even tried to smash him with a giant boulder a la Indiana Jones style. That was a nice change. He couldn't see anywhere else to go after that but to a small house nestled back in this heavily wooded area of the village. The sun was slipping lower and lower in the sky and dusk was quickly heading towards full dark. He was dimly aware of his aching muscles and the tiredness behind his eyes but his day was far from over. He hadn't even found Pam yet. He had radioed Dwight back at headquarters to let him in on the situation thus far and how he was having to try to find another way to the church. Dwight, in turn, filled him in more with what was going on. Apparently their old friend Jack Krauser had turned his cloak. While he hadn't acted alone in smuggling Pam out of the country he was the one who had done the kidnapping. With the help of Pam's ex-boyfriend, Roy, they had lured her into a false sense of security and then... Well, the rest was history.

Jim had demanded a thorough background on Roy while he waited for Dwight to pull up some satellite images of this area of Spain to try to get a read on an easier route to the church. Surprisingly, it seemed a lot of the drones and satellites over this area had went dark a few weeks prior and there was no new up-to-date information that Dwight could really provide. Obviously, this had been in the works for quite some time.

As for the Roy thing... They had interviewed Pam's parents, friends, and college classmates. Roy Anderson had been with Pam for about three years. They attended the same college. He seemed to only be going for a full-ride football scholarship. His grades proved he was too much of a lug head for anything else which Dwight offered with an eye-roll and self-satisfied smirk. Apparently, they had a bad break up, Roy wound up in some deep financial and legal trouble, and in came this mysterious organization offering to clean it all up for him if he just did them one little favor...

Jim's blood boiled with the thought that someone claiming to love and care about Pam had betrayed her so easily. At least they had Roy in custody, but he wasn't proving much help. Because of his aforementioned lug headed-ness he hadn't proved a valuable confidant for this secret organization behind this whole debacle and they hadn't really let him into their fold. He was a means to an end. A pawn.

“Try finding an Oscar Martinez... He is a scientist that is a part of this group. They call themselves the Los Illuminados. He had been trying to shed light on their practices when it proved too much for him... He went dark and his associates in Europe's and the United State's intelligence circles haven't heard from him. Last they heard... these people were working on some form of mind-control.”

Dwight had signed off then telling Jim to play it carefully and also remind him that time was of the essence. As if he didn't know. He had let it slide though. He knew Dwight was as on edge has he had been so far. The stakes couldn't be higher with this mission.

Now Jim was staring into that last house nestled back into the woods. He had kicked the padlock off the door and stepped inside. The place seemed to not be lived in. There was thick layer of dust on everything... except the floor where he could make out several sets of footprints. Someone had been in here and recently. For a brief second he thought maybe they had actually stashed Pam away in here. The intelligence briefings Dwight got could have possibly had the wrong information, but Jim still new it was a slim chance. Dwight always triple verified everything before he gave it to the field operatives.

That's when he heard the almost rhythmic thumping. Then, slightly quieter, the muffled yelling.

“Pam.” Jim whispered urgently as he ran through the main room of the small house. Practically jettisoned through the doorway that led into the one hallway this house had. Luckily, instead of barreling through until he found exactly where those noises were coming from, his instincts kicked in and he stooped abruptly. So much so that he swayed forward on his feet for half a second before standing up right and stock still. Not a half second too late either.

There were trip lasers stationed in front of him in the hallway. It looked like they were connected to some pretty intense explosives on each wall of the hallway. He rolled his eyes. This was a cake walk. All he had to do was army crawl under them until he got to the next room. He would give whoever set these up a break he supposed... The locals didn't seem to hellbent on self-preservation and might have fallen for it had they wandered in.

“Wait... what?” Jim looked around the new room he found himself in. There seemed to be no other way out, yet the noises continued. Where else was there to look? They obviously weren't coming from this room after all. He stalked about the room slowly as his eyes traveled over every square inch. He looked for anything that seemed even slightly out of place. That's when his eyes came upon, once again, the dust that had been disturbed on the floor. The footsteps led right in front of a bookcase and ended there. He also noted that the bookshelf must've have been shoved to the side at one point based on the deep gouges left in the wood floor. A secret room. How quaint.

Jim shoved it out of the way without much effort. The damn thing was an empty bookshelf anyway. You'd think they would want to make it harder to break into this room if they were obviously keeping someone here, but Jim wouldn't complain. At least this made his job a little bit easier. He slid into the small doorway that was revealed beyond. The pounding and muffled shouting was louder. His heart rate ticked up just a bit as he rounded the corner at last coming face to face with what seemed to be a very old, very ornate armoire. There was a very tiny pinprick of hope, even though the odds were stacked against it, that it contained Pam. He cautiously moved in front of it, with his back turned towards the doors and his gun held at the ready in his right had, and flicked the lock that was holding it closed.

The next few seconds were a haze of ruffled clothes and dust. The person who fell out was decidedly not Pam. Unless Pam was also a man with shoulder length black hair, thick silver rings, an eccentric Fabio taste in clothes and an arrogance he could almost smell. He had been pointing his gun at the man as soon as he had dropped and rolled onto his back on the floor. The man's eyes widened in shock and fear as he swiftly shock his head back and forth and tried to shout through the tape covering his mouth.

Obviously, this man wasn't a threat. Based on what he had been told by Dwight, and the picture he had provided, this man seemed to be the missing scientist, Oscar Martinez. Jim ripped the tape from the Spaniard's mouth none too softly. If he had anything to do with Pam's current situation he would have more to fear than some fucking duct tape ripping out his carefully manicured goatee.

“Ay!” The man yelped and Jim didn't hold back on rolling his eyes and also didn't move to remove his bindings on his wrists, “Okay... I have only one very important question...” He stated simply looking at Jim with soft calculation before continuing, “Do you got a smoke?”

“I got gum.” Jim answered matter-of-factly He then was opening his mouth to question this man further when they heard clamoring from the doorway to the room. Two villagers brandishing weapons appeared and Jim quickly scrambled upwards and trained his gun on them. Switching back and forth to whoever seemed most likely to lunge at him. They would prove to be the least of his worries when a man the size of a goddamn fridge stepped into the room. He had a long beard and one red eye. He looked more aware, more intelligent, than these violent savages that passed for villagers. Was he the mastermind? Jim thought back to what some of the locals has said once the church bells rang. Was this that elusive Lord Saddler?

“Perfect!” Oscar scoffed in disgust as he struggled to get up, “The big cheese.”

“What?” Jim managed to spit out as he chanced a look at Oscar. That seemed to confirm what he was thinking, but he couldn't be sure. He wouldn't have the luxury of pressing pause and asking everyone their names politely as fate would have it. The man named Oscar seemed pretty resigned all of the sudden. This didn't make Jim too hopeful. Well, he wasn't going to let this fucking gorilla of a man take him without a fight. He took a deep breath and then acted as quick as he could. He sprinted towards this Goliath feeling a lot like David, spinning at the last second, his leg flying up and landing squarely on the man's stomach. Any ordinary person would have stumbled back, flew back, even tripped a little. This guy felt like a goddamn slab of granite.

'Fuck' was all Jim had time to think before the man grabbed his foot and twisted it, tossing him into the air in the process. Then he was flying in the air like a rag doll. He was vaguely aware of landing on Oscar, both of them crashing into the old floor with such force it caved in a little.

Then everything was black.

---------------------

“Feeble humans... let us give you our... Power.” A man chuckled darkly. Jim's eyes were too heavy and he couldn't see the man in the deep purple cloak lined and embroidered with gold holding a sickly pulsating staff with eyes and tentacles. If he had he might've screamed or his roiling stomach might've emptied itself. Luckily he was floating almost blissfully between that line of not quite asleep and not quite awake. There was a stabbing prick of pain in his neck as he was injected with a small white egg. The servant in the deep black hooded cloak that had injected him backed away. He couldn't have fought it even if he had wanted to.

“Soon you will become unable to resist this... intoxicating power.”

Jim awoke with a sharp gasp for air. He felt as if he had just woken from a horrible nightmare. Everything seemed muddled and the finer points of what was causing the sting of fear and panic to wash through him was foggy at best. He blinked rapidly and stared around the room he know found himself in. Fuck. How did he get here? What had happened? He moved to stand and found that he couldn't. He was tied to something... No, someone else... Jim and Oscar and been bound back to back their wrists connected with thick handcuffs and chains.

“Hey.” Jim started, clearing his throat to get rid of some of the thickness that was there, “Wake up!” he punctuated this by shaking his hands in an attempt to jar the other man awake.

“Aye... yi-yi...” Oscar said after waking with a groan, “Crawl out of one hole and into another...” He rolled his head in what Jim assumed was an attempt to get the kinks out of it. He had to move his own head to accommodate it. He sighed as he found himself trapped with this stranger and basically no closer to getting Pam. He didn't even know where he was. Fuck. He could be miles away from her at this point. At least he had found the scientist and maybe this man could fill him in out some finer points. Maybe he had seen Pam. Hopefully he knew whether or not she was safe.

“You wanna tell me what's going on here?” Jim asked gruffly. He didn't want to beat around the bush. He needed to cut right to the chase and find out what this Oscar Martinez knew.

“Americano, si? Now what brings a bloke like you to this part of the world? Oh! Ay!” He finished with a pained grunt as Jim tried to pull at their restraints once more effectively cutting him off. “Easy... whoever you are.” Oscar finished lamely.

“Name's Jim. I came here looking for this girl. Pam. Have you seen her?” Jim asked hopefully. It was at that moment he realized he couldn't reach into his pocket for her photo. Then, he realized with slight annoyance that he no longer even had his jacket. The assholes had stolen it. Great.

“What are you supposed to be a cop or something? Nah, you don't look the type.” Oscar added evasively. He was starting to piss Jim off.

“Maybe.” He stated just as coolly as Oscar had done himself.

“Okay... let me guess. She's... the President's daughter?”

“That's too good for a guess. Want to start explaining?” Jim asked with rising agitation. What did this guy know and why was he being a coy prick about it all?

“Psychic powers!” Oscar whispered with great flair then snorted after a beat, “Nah, just kidding with you, amigo. I overheard one of the villagers talking something about the President's daughter in the church.

“... And who might you be?” Jim asked neglecting to tell him that he already knew, at least on a hunch, who this man was.

“Mi llamo Oscar Martinez.” He introduced himself officially, “I used to be a cop in Madrid, but now I'm just a good for nothing guy who happens to be quite the... ladies man.” He finished lamely in what didn't seem a sincere way to Jim.

“Why'd you quit?” Jim prodded. If they were going to be stuck here for a bit then he wanted to pick up as much information from this man as possible. Then he could think about what to do next. Hopefully, this man had some insight into who these people were. What they were doing and what they wanted with Pam in particular.

“Hmpfh... Policia... you put your life on the line. No one really appreciates you enough for it. Being a hero isn't what it's cracked up to be anymore.” That line hit Jim a little too deeply. Sure, being a hero wasn't what it was cracked up to be anymore yet he still yearned to save people. As many people as he could.

“I used to be a cop myself. Only for a day though.” Jim supplied gruffly.

“I thought I was bad...” Oscar mumbled with a little humor.

“Somehow... I managed to get myself involved with the incident in Raccoon City. On my first day on the force.”

“That is the incident with the viral outbreak, right? I think I might've seen a sample of the virus at the lab at the department...” This caught Jim as odd. They United States government had totally obliterated Raccoon City. Wiped it off the map... How would a sample of the virus survive and be present here in Spain? He was going to start asking, but as soon as he opened his mouth they heard groaning and scarping coming from the doorway of the room they were being held in.

A man covered in blood and dragging behind him a large medieval looking ax lurched into the room muttering thickly. Oh, shit...

“Do something cop!” Oscar spat as they both began to struggle. The villagers had obviously been sent to do away with them and they were siting ducks in this room chained together.

“You first!” Barked Jim just as the man was mere few feet away and luckily Jim had the perfect idea. He waited until the infected, blood thirsty ax-wielding man had swung the weapon over his head and was seconds from bringing it down on them.

“Now!” Jim shouted as he lunged forward. Luckily Oscar seemed to get the memo and lunged forward himself. This allowed the villager to miss them entirely but break the chains and the cuffs off of them. They both rolled in opposite directions away from the crazed villager. This didn't stop him for long and he quickly went after Jim who was still on his back against the floor. As the man lunged toward him, Jim stuck his leg out, his foot connected with the man's stomach and he flung him up and over his body. The man hit the wall with a sickening thud and landed just so on his neck. The crunch of the bones breaking was a gruesome affirmation as well as the sight of the odd angle his neck was pushed into that this man wouldn't be getting up ever again.

Jim had a chance to breathe and shift into a standing position just in time to see Oscar high tail it out of there. He didn't have the energy to go after him. He didn't seem so important now that he saw they were willing to have him killed along with Jim... Oscar seemed as much on their bad lists as Jim himself was. He just needed to find Pam. As far as what Oscar had told him she was still in the church. The light coming through the small windows told him that a new day had dawned. He had been unconscious all night he supposed. That meant he lost a lot of precious time.

He really needed to radio Dwight. Who knows how hectic things hadn't gotten back home and with no communication coming back to them he knew Dwight would practically scouring every source he could to make sure Jim was okay. He'd never admit it, but the guy did have a soft side.

He pulled his communicator of his utility belt and pressed the button that would immediately dial Dwight's extension. He hoped while he had been held captive and unconscious that nothing else had happened to Pam. He thought about how those villagers had marched to the church just the day before... He wondered dismally if they had been doing it because something was happening to her.

He heard when the call went through and saw a frantic Dwight's face appear on the screen. Before he could starting ranting at Jim about what had happened he opened his mouth to speak.

“It's Jim.” God. Did the short time he was out knock his brain loose? Make him state the over obvious? He shook his head to clear it before he continued to an expectant looking Dwight. “Sorry I couldn't get in touch sooner I was... Uh, a bit tied up.” Literally.

“You're okay, right?” Dwight settled on even though Jim could tell he had more pressing questions to ask. The matter-of-fact tone and even the stern appearance couldn't mask that Jim knew he was actually very worried for him.

“I'm fine, Dwight. I was literally tied up with that scientist you mentioned yesterday. Oscar Martinez. He managed to get away when we got loose, though. According to him Pam is still in the church. I wish I had time to ask more questions. I'm sorry to go radio silent for that long. Ran into “The big cheese” as Oscar put it... and uh, didn't end well for me.”

“As long as you still in operating condition I'd say that's good. This big cheese guy... Did you happen to catch a name? Anything you think we can go on to track some information down about him?” He could already hear Dwight furiously typing away. He smirked. Dwight was ever the professional.

“Unfortunately, no. I was knocked unconscious right after that. Anyway, I'm heading back toward the village. I know there's a passage that leads to the church. I saw the villagers using it yesterday.

“Sounds like a plan, Jim. Try not to get your ass handed to you this time though, okay?” Dwight chastised amiably before his picture cut out from him ending the call. So, no updates on Pam or Dwight would have let him no immediately. He had to hope that no news meant good news in this case, but then again it's not like they had a receptionist at this church calling them every few minutes to update them on Pam's status. “Yeah, still terrified, cold, and hungry. She's not a fan of being a prisoner, but other than that she's great! We will let you know if anything changes!”

Well, no more time for fooling around. He started towards the door where the man carrying the ax had come from and where Oscar had ran out of. This was obviously the way out. Hopefully there would be no more gruesome surprises waiting him on the other side.

Well, there was one surprise. A gruesome looking man in a hooded trench coat with a purple bandanna covering up the lower half of his face. He looked like a leper with his gray mottled skin and Jim was prepared to shoot him through the small window he was seeing him through but the man raised his hand affably and spoke in a thick voice. “Over here, stranger.” Stranger came out more like 'strain-jah'. English couldn't have been his native tongue, but Jim couldn't place the accent. He didn't sense that this man was like the locals. Blood thirsty and wild. For one the guy had waved and talked to him like a normal person instead of climbing through the window to attack. Secondly, Jim was pretty damn good at picking up whether someone had ill intent or not. A perk of the job and rigorous training probably, but he was good at reading people naturally. Well... what could it hurt? He might know something about Pam. He hoped so anyway.

So Jim exited the building that he had been held captive in for the past several hours and went around to the back where the man had disappeared. True to his word he was waiting. There was a curious looking brazier. Thin and black. The flame at the top was glowing a brilliant blue. That was... peculiar to say the least. Jim still approached, albeit with more caution. The man seemed at least partially delighted from what Jim could tell from his eyes. Yet there was a far-away look there. He couldn't say it was vacant, but just... preoccupied.

“Got something that might interest ya!” The strange man said with a phlegm riddled chuckle. He pulled his coat open with a flourish and revealed that the inside was full of weapons, ammunition, and first aid materials. Jim also got a healthy dose of more of his mottled, scarred, and warped skin. This guy should probably see a doctor, but Jim wasn't going to give him any health care advice. Besides, if the guy was willing to sell him some things who was Jim to judge.

“So, uh, you from... around here?” Jim asked tentatively

“Aren't we all from around here? Truly doesn't matter where we start or end up. We're all here. In this moment, yes?” came the man's cryptic answer.

“Uh, sure... Well, are you... part of what's going on here with the villagers? The Los Illuminados?”

“I sell. I buy. It matters not to me what side is doing the buying or selling. Men start wars, men end wars, I'm simply here to fill a void. Make purchases. Or provide goods. No more. No less.”

That didn't answer his questions necessarily, but at least he wasn't an outright enemy.

“Well, what's your name?” Jim tried again. Maybe he would get a more definitive answer with this one. Not some response you could expect from a Magic 8 Ball or a carnival fortune teller.

“I'm simply the Merchant.” was all the man supplied his eyes twinkling with merriment like someone who had a chest full of secrets but was unwilling to share with anyone.

“... Right. Uh, well, I'm...” Jim started, but thought better of it, “Anyway, I'll take the handgun, shotgun, and rifle ammo you have. Throw in some grenades, too. That health kit as well if you would.”

With that transaction complete he set off on his way again. He double checked his compass and the map he had also just bought from the enigmatic Merchant with the church circled in red and an 'x' for where he was. Alright, he wasn't far now.


-------------------

He hadn't been far, he thought with a groan, but what he had been through since first thinking that until now was... well, it wasn't a walk in the park. He had immediately been assaulted upon leaving the Merchant by more villagers some with farm tools and some with dynamite. He fought his way through a warehouse full of them. Found a waterlogged passage like the map said and a house not far from the village. That's where he met that fucking Frankenstein looking asshole again. This time he held Jim by the neck against the wall. The man had been freakishly strong. That was, until, someone shot through the window at the guy's back. He dropped Jim immediately and set off after the person... whoever they were. Jim in his haze of getting his breath back could've sworn he saw a flash of red...

That, of course, paled in comparison of being right outside the goddamn church and finding it locked. It wouldn't budge unless he had a special key. He found a note saying where it had been hidden so he figured he had that going for him.

Oh! He couldn't forget fighting through a swamp area with snakes and more hostiles. He finally found out what happened to the other officer that had brought him here... Yeah, he watched two villagers dump his body into a lake for a giant fish monster to eat. Which Jim had to cross said lake to get to the aforementioned key. The ensuing fight with that giant fish almost got him killed, but what was new?

That was the least of his problems now he thought. He stumbled into a cabin back on the other side of the lake fully intent on heading to the church now. The key was safely tucked away in a hidden pocket on his tactical shirt. No, his biggest problem now was the searing pain through out his body. That and the fact that he once again fell unconscious to the floor.

The sound of rain pelting the windows and the urgent beeping of his communication device is what woke him with a start this time. He found himself on his back on the floor of this dilapidated cabin trying to remember how he got there. Killed villager, check. Fought a fish monster, check. Got the key, check. Okay, so he had passed out after that...

Jim stood as quickly as his aching body would allow and pressed 'accept' on the incoming transmission.

“Jim, it's been eight hours since our last transmission. I was starting to get worried.” Dwight began before Jim could explain.

“Don't you mean lonely?” Jim quipped before delving into his explanation, “Anyway, I started to get dizzy and had a lot of pain and then just... lost consciousness. You know... after fighting a giant fish monster and savage villagers.” He tried to write it off hoping maybe exhaustion and soreness from fighting were all that caused it. Yet, he remembered having a weird dream of something... growing inside him. It was vague but it had caused fear to build in him until he had woken up. Probably just jitters.

“Well, if you experience anything else let us know Jim. We have gotten reports that these people were experimenting with parasites... you don't think you've come into contact with anything strange, do you?” Dwight asked. Jim was surprised Dwight's concern over rode the interest he knew he must have felt over the words “giant fish monster” but he didn't elaborate.

The thought of pain in his neck and a ominous voice loomed to far back in his consciousness to retrieve. He brushed aside the uneasiness he felt and looked at Dwight, “No. I don't believe so. I'm not feeling bad now. I'm going to eat one of these MREs I got with me and continue to the church. I have the key now. I'll let you know as soon as I have Pam.”

“Okay, Jim. Stay safe. Contact me as soon as you have her and we will get back to with an extraction point. We will be sending one of our quickest helicopters to retrieve you.” With that Dwight ended the transmission leaving Jim with his thoughts and time to at least get a meal in him. That would help. He hoped.

--------------------------

There was a lot a good meal could do and a little bit of rest, but not too much when compared to a literal giant Jim thought bitterly as he ducked in time to be missed by the tree this literal Goliath had pulled from the ground like a toothpick to swing at him. He had really thought that other guy was a Goliath? Fuck. So apparently these people had also been experimenting with genetics and viruses. The note he had found from presumably Oscar had told him to watch out for what they called the 'El Gigante'

Yeah, well, he didn't think that was a literal translation. Universe 1 and Jim 0.

Really the only thing that seemed to hurt this thing was when those tentacles came ripping out of a hole in it's back. Jim would leap upon the creature and slash madly away with his survival knife. The creature was putting up a fight, but seemed considerably wounded. If Jim could do this just one more time... he was certain this thing would fall. Yet the monster seemed determined not to let Jim near his back. So, really, what Jim needed was a distraction.

As if that elusive and fickle bitch named Fate had finally smiled upon him Jim got that much needed distraction in the form of the gray wolf he had saved what seemed like an eternity ago. The wolf jumped into the pit the monster and Jim were fighting in from the craggy hilltop above and made quick work of getting the giant's attention on him. He was deft and nimble and small enough to dodge each attack and still keep the giant interested in pursuing him. The second Jim saw the tentacles sprout out again he took his shot. Leaping onto a rock and then the back of the monster he held on tightly to the chain that was loosely hanging from it's neck and began stabbing and slashing as hard and fast as he could.

The grotesque monster howled in pain and Jim could almost sympathize if he wasn't so hellbent on his survival for Pam's sake. She needs you. She needs you. She needs you. It was the only thing on loop in his head as his hands became slick with blood and pus and the slime that seemed to ooze from these whip like appendages. There were eyes and barbs on some of them and he managed to stab some of them. They exploded into gelatinous pools of goop that made holding on hard, but he wasn't giving in.

Then the monster let out one final, thundering roar as it staggered on it's feet. As he felt in lurch forward and trip, Jim jumped off and rolled once he hit the ground. He was trying to make sure he got far enough away when this thing fell. The wolf who had become his partner in crime had the same idea and bounded over to where Jim sitting on his ass in the dirt. They both watched as with little grace as possible the giant fell and died. The impact sent tremors through the ground that they both could feel and the wolf pressed itself closer to Jim until the vibrations subsided.

Jim patted the canine's head gently as he looked him in the eyes, “Hey, thanks. I really owe you one.” He said pressing their foreheads together for a moment before moving to stand up. The wolf looked a Jim pointedly before turning and finding a path back up the hillside only turning to look back once before he disappeared once more. Jim lifted his hand in a small wave and hoped that the wolf knew how much he had appreciated it. He found himself grateful for saving the animal from the bear trap when he had.

Sometimes the universe wasn't so bad... at least when you gave it a little kindness.

That small act lightened his mood enough to give him the energy to get back to the church much quicker than his screaming muscles and aching body would've allowed him to do otherwise. That and the thought that he could finally get Pam. He could physically have her and know she was okay. He hoped she was still okay. After the grisly shit he had just witnessed and been through... images flashed of her body began torn and battered and bloody. He couldn't let himself give in to those thoughts not when he was so very goddamn close.

The wind was howling and the rain pouring down in sheets while lightning flashed and thunder rolled across the sky by the time he got to the church and managed to push inside.

The atmosphere was thick with static and the hairs on his arms stood at attention. The very act of even standing in the foyer of this church seemed to cause his body to be revolted. It felt evil here. It wasn't the fact that Jim wasn't religious and had thrown away any pretense to believing an Almighty long before. No... This place felt defiled somehow. Sick. Ominous. He had to suppress the urge to shiver violently.

He didn't waste anymore time thinking how awful this place felt and made quick work of searching the lower level of the church. Pam was nowhere to be found. Not in the priest's quarters, the store room, or under the alter. She wasn't hiding under the pews or behind the curtains. Jim was at a loss until he spotted a second floor and balcony area. On the right hand side there was a door behind bars... and he just knew that's where she was. The only problem was finding a way up there... which took him longer than it should have because he was suddenly burning with a need to get her. Get her now. Luckily, he found the ladder that lead up to the second floor hidden down a long and narrow hallway. He skipped two or three rungs at a time which wasn't hard with his long legs and sprinted the rest of the way to the door behind which should hold Pam...

With minimally shaking fingers he pulled the key from his hidden pocket and used it to unlock the gate and then the door itself with a resounding 'clack'. He wet his dry lips and sent up a prayer to anything or anyone that Pam would be within alive and well.

Jim pushed the door open.

Jim also nearly avoided having a wooden plank thrown at his head.

“Don't come!” Pam yelled, her voice wavering and breaking on the last syllable as she darted to the other side of the room.

“Hey! Take it easy!” Jim tried to placate as he holstered his weapon and held his hands up and out.

“No! Get away!” Pam begged in a tear clogged voice as she realized she had nowhere to go. She sat with her back against some barrels, her knees pulled to her chest, and tried to seem as small as possible.

God, his heart wanted to splinter and break into a million pieces at the sight of her. She was wild and terrified in her panic. He didn't want to upset her anymore than he had to, but they also needed to move and fast.

“Calm down,” Jim started, his voice low and soft and soothing “Everything's going to be just fine. My name's Jim. I'm under the President's order to rescue you.”

“What? My father?” Pam asked suddenly sitting up straighter and leaning into Jim's space. Her excitement and relief making her desperate to practically throw herself into his arms.

“That's right, sweetheart. Now, I have to get you outta here. Come with me.” Jim said extending his hand. Pam hesitated, but looking into Jim's eyes seemed to steel her resolve and she grasped his hand tightly. The second their hands touched was the second Jim could start breathing normally again. Okay. He had her. She was safe. He could do this. He could save the girl.

He expected her to follow closely behind him as they stood, but she surprised him by not letting go of his hand. Instead, she just tangled their fingers together tightly and used her free hand to grip his bicep taking her place behind him. Her wary green eyes peeked out from just under his shoukder as she eyed the door and then her eyes lifted to stare into Jim's.

“Okay. I'm ready.” She said as her fingers gripped his impossibly tighter.

“Alright. Stay close.” Jim replied giving her fingers a light squeeze.

He had her now. She was safe. Everything else paled compared to that. What could go wrong now?