Sherry Birkin

---

What was it about the Midwest? First it was Raccoon City, and now here was Sherry Birkin, trekking through a Minnesota forest looking for some strangely mutilated animals that could be connected to yet another instrument of bio-terrorism. On the bright side, the forest was absolutely gorgeous this time of year; the vivid orange and red leaves that sat atop the trees had looked especially brilliant at sunset yesterday. She probably wasn’t going to get as good a view today from the thick of the forest.

She had been walking for hours now and so far, she had come across exactly zero mutilated carcasses, or anything out of the ordinary, really. There was always a part of her that hoped that this was going to turn out to be nothing, maybe some kind of Halloween trick that someone mistook for something real. But somehow it never turned out to be nothing.

Was that a fire she smelled?

Yes, she could definitely smell a fire. Her eyes swept the skyline, making out smoke wafting up and away over the treetops. She made her way towards it, especially wary now, lest she interrupt some bizarre ritual involving fire and an animal being cut to pieces as it squirmed.

Her lonely childhood years had given her an active imagination. Fortunately, reality was much tamer: when she reached the fire, she found just a man. He looked like he lived out here, which seemed unusual, but quite frankly, there wasn’t much that could truly shock Sherry.

“Hi. Sorry to interrupt. My name is Sherry Birkin. I’m a federal agent with the Division of Security Operations. I’m not here for you; I’m here to look into reports of animals having undergone bizarre mutilations. Have you seen any?”

Her lonely childhood years had not given her social skills.

"Wasn't expecting company." Hawking spoke as he stood up and turned around to look at Sherry.

He was a tall lanky man with shaggy blonde hair that covered his orange eyes. His clothing was mismatched and somewhat ill fitting indicating that he either didn't know or care how to dress properly. Hawking stopped for a moment, a perplexed look on his face. Then, he began circling around Sherry just close enough to look her over while keeping a distance as to not show any hostility.

"You smell like me." he pointed out bluntly, "You are...Golgotha?"

Sherry Birkin

---

Yes, he definitely lived out here. Sherry knew the signs of someone far removed from civilization. She didn’t flinch as the man circled her, though she kept on guard, always ready to pull out her stun baton if it looked like it was necessary. Her instinct told her he was harmless, but you could never be too careful.

He was examining her, but not in the cold, clinical way she had been examined for so much of her life. No, this was more like an animal or a child trying to make sense of something new.

It was Sherry’s turn to be confused. Golgotha… why does that sound so familiar? “I’m sorry, I don’t follow. What is it you think I am?”

"You have the same scent as Father and my brothers." Hawking pointed out, "But, I have never seen you before. Yet, you smell like us."

He paused for a moment before transforming into his first form. The eye on his left shoulder opened and began darting around wildly before focusing on Sherry. Despite his monstrous appearance, Hawking showed no sign of aggression towards Sherry. If anything, he appeared to be trying to make sense of her.

"Golgotha." He pointed to his shoulder eye, "Can you not transform?"

---

Sherry’s stomach dropped before her mind had even consciously processed what she was looking at. For a moment she was twelve years old again, frozen to the spot, staring at the thing before her as she tried to reconcile it with the man she knew as her father. Golgotha… the G-virus. So this man…

But he couldn’t be, could he? The virus had never been ‘perfected’. Between listening to the researchers who had poked and prodded at her over the years, and information afforded to her by her work now, she was the closest thing to what her father had envisioned the virus to be.

She couldn’t remember sitting herself down on the ground, but there she was, her brow furrowed, mouth hanging open in shock. “I… no. I cannot transform,” she answered finally.

"You ok?" Hawking asked his voice showing genuine concern, "I'm sorry if I offended you. I've never met a Golgotha that couldn't transform."

He then grabbed a piece of deer meat and offered it to her. Wait, did she eat meat? Either way, it would be rude not to offer her something.

"Here." he said gently, "You must be hungry. Maybe it would help if I answered some questions."

Hawking was still rather confused. How could there be a Golgotha he didn't know about? How come she couldn't transform? Before now, he was certain the only members of his kind were him, his father, and his brothers.

---

There were not many things that could faze Sherry Birkin at this point in her life. It was actually kind of impressive that anything did at all. She had gone through enough that she recovered quite quickly. She stayed in her place on the ground, fingers brushing over the leaves and grass on the surface.

“Yes, I’m fine. And you didn’t offend me. But… what is a Golgotha?” she asked. If she could find out what his understanding was, somewhere within the information he had would give her an answer. Even if she wasn’t quite sure what the question was yet.

She looked at the meat warily. “Is it raw or cooked?” Not that it would kill her either way.

"Golgotha is what we are." he replied as he sat next to her, "We are...something else. Not quite human, but not quite something else. The meat is cooked by the way. Raw doesn't taste as good."

He grabbed another piece of meat and ate it himself showing her that it was ok.

"I was born Golgotha." he explained further, "Father birthed us. My brothers and I, that is. We lived in a lab. It wasn't much, but it was home. We were...happy. A nice human looked after us. Called herself "Charlie". She helped Father raise us."

---

”Hmmm.” She reached over and helped herself to a chunk of the meat. “Thank you for sharing your food,” she said before she took a bite. It wasn’t terrible.

“Sorry, you… your father birthed you? Who was your father? And how old are you?”

She started to get a sinking feeling in her stomach, and it wasn’t from the deer. Rationally she knew the G-virus was just like any other virus that could be engineered for bioterrorism, but this one… it felt like everything that Claire and Leon had done, the sacrifices her parents had made, were all for nothing, now that someone had finished the work her father started.

Hawking reached into his pockets and fumbled around a bit before he pulled out a photo and handed it to Sherry. It showed a man and a woman sound asleep in a laboratory. They both looked like they had worked long into the late night and had passed out from exhaustion. Though, if one looked closely, there were hints that they enjoyed each other's company.

"That is Father." Hawking pointed to the man in the photo.

There was no doubt about it. The man was William Birkin. His features were still recognizable even though he had clearly put on a significant amount of weight.

Hawking then pointed at the woman, "That is Charlie. Her and Father are friends."

---

Sherry took the photo into her hands. There was no need to closely examine it; with a single glance it was all over, her brain imitating the blue screen of death moment she had become so familiar with in her youth. The photo trembled in her hands as she stared blankly at it, her ears rushing as the tidal wave that was her childhood was brought to the surface.

That is Father.

Yes, he was, but he couldn’t be. Her father had mutated beyond recognition and died. Maybe this was a photo from back then, it wasn’t like she saw him much anyways- but it couldn’t be, because the photos she had from back then were seared into her memory and he did not look like that. Nor was he prone to any kind of affection, so consumed was he by his work.

She pushed down the rage that suddenly bubbled up at the thought that her father had had another family, one that he spent time with, while she had to beg him for acknowledgment of her existence. It wasn’t real. It was a twin, a clone, something, but it was not her father.

Then the nausea hit and she turned to face the ground, legs splayed awkwardly to the other side. She tried to breathe through it, willing the contents of her stomach to stay down, but it was no use; she gagged and coughed until there was nothing left and even then was still left gasping. It took everything in her to stay upright but she did, and she almost laughed because it was a good thing she hadn’t eaten more and that was such a strange thought to cross her mind at this moment.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, only vaguely cognizant that she was speaking.

Without hesitation, or not fully understanding why, Hawking gently pulled Sherry into his arms.

"It's ok." he spoke softly, "I wasn't aware you were sick. Here, I can take back home to rest. There's a bed where you can lie down."

He then gently helped lead her towards an old cabin that sat in the middle of the woods. It was an old worn building that clearly needed a fresh coat of paint and some basic repairs, but it would suffice as shelter from the elements. Hawking then opened the door and led her inside still not quite knowing what drew him to treat this person he just met with such compassion. She was Golgotha, sure. But, Father never told him or his brothers there were others like him out there. He thought they were the only ones. Did Father lie to him?

The realization suddenly dawned on Hawking. How it took so long is anyone's guess, but perhaps it was mostly to do with the sheer unlikelihood of the situation.

"You're our sister!" he was overjoyed and pulled Sherry into another hug, "Father thought we had lost you! Kept saying he wished he could've made things right!"

---

Sherry allowed herself to be held and guided, her brain too much of a mess to speak. It seemed naive, to allow herself to be led to this cabin, but she didn’t think she had anything to fear from this man, not with the way he was speaking.

It was a simple space with two rooms. She was led into the second where there was a bed. She wasn’t tired, but even so she drifted off and by the time she woke again, the sky was dark outside the drafty windows.

The initial shock had passed. Still, Sherry was feeling… well, a lot of things. Confused. Confused was the best word for it right now. There was so much to process. And on top of that, she had her investigation to worry about.

For the moment, it seemed best to stay here. She would be safe for the night and the man might have information she could use. She reluctantly pulled herself out of the warmth of the bed and went out into the other room.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

And then suddenly she was enveloped in his arms and she didn’t know what to do. She didn’t fight it, but she didn’t return the affection.

"Hawking." he replied before letting go, "Father named me. There's also Darwin, Einstein, and Junior."

He then looked out the window as though searching for something. Hawking's shoulder-eye darted about wildly with each subtle movement that occurred outside. It was like a mix between someone anticipating the arrival of another and a predator eyeing the movement of potential prey. Then, suddenly, he opened the door and stepped outside.

"Wait here. It's not safe." Hawking told Sherry as he began approaching something in the darkness.

---

Darwin, Einstein, and Junior.

She had siblings.

And yet their Father was not her father.

At the mention that it wasn’t safe she pulled her gun out of its holster, holding it in a low ready position. The she closed the door behind Hawking and posted herself at the edge of the window, so that she was out of sight but able to see out. Not that she could see much at the moment.

Something emerged from deep in the forest as Hawking approached it. Whatever it was, it wasn't natural. At first glance, it could've been mistaken for a bear. Any closer look would immediately toss that assumption aside. While the thing did have a general body shape of a bear, its head was grotesquely twisted sideways with jaws that opened far wider than any bear's should. It stood upright with arms that stretched down to its ankles. Every orifice oozed some sort of black sludge that dribbled onto the dirt below.

Hawking snarled at the creature revealing his own animalistic nature. Though he looked mostly human, he was still Golgotha. Those primal instincts were still deep within him. He was just in better control of them compared to the mindless beast Birkin once was.

The two then lunged at each other and began clawing and biting at one another. Flesh tearing and ripping could be heard outside along with howls and shrieks of pain followed by enraged roars and more tearing in a seemingly endless cycle.

"Huh?" Hawking heard the sounds of a vehicle nearby.

That was all it took. The bear B.O.w. heard the sound as well and used Hawking's distraction to its advantage. It only took one swipe of its paw and, in a split second, Hawking's headless body collapsed to the ground while the bear B.O.W began rushing towards the Humvee that Charlie and Price were currently in.

---

Sherry watched from the window. Was this what she was looking for?

Oh, no.

Decapitation was usually the end. She didn’t know if that applied to Hawking- she had no idea how the Golgotha worked- but she did know that humans weren’t going to stand a chance if this thing got a hold of them. They were in a humvee, so maybe they had something to deal with this thing, but if it caught them head on…

She flicked on the flashlight at her temple before banging the door open. “Hey!” she shouted, trying to get the creature’s attention. She managed to fire a shot at it before the humvee was too in-the-way for her to risk another.

The bear B.O.W roared in rage and pain as the bullet struck through its shoulder. It then turned around and began charging in Sherry's direction.

"What was that thing?" Charlie asked as she watched the creature give chase before it changed direction and began heading away from them.

That was when Junior let out a series of frantic shrieks. He wiggled his way out of Charlie's grip and tumbled onto the ground below. He was bruised from the fall, but he didn't seem to notice as he began frantically crawling towards something.

Charlie let out a somewhat exasperated sigh before unbuckling her seatbelt, opening the passenger door, and jumping out after Junior. She winced in pain as she staggered to her feet and began chasing after the little G-Blob.

"Junior!" she called out, "Junior, get back here! It's not safe!"

---

Sherry had moved down the steps and away from the cabin. She aimed for the bear’s head now that the humvee wasn’t directly in line with the bear, using the triple-shot to hopefully do some damage. She was hoping she could put it down without having to resort to the stun rod, because that was an iffy prospect.

Especially with the sounds coming from the humvee. Someone had opened a door and got out, but there was no sound of weapons.