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Dimly lit; serene. The scene was rather.. blissful, an escape from the harsh realities surrounding her. Chaos lurked just beyond this soft haven, a caged paradise secluded by narrow passages blocked with gates, damaged vehicles and fallen debris. She had to literally climb to get here.. and it was only a matter of time before the things out there followed her into here.
This lush, green and clean garden. It was overgrown with gorgeously bright flowers, tall trees that reached to the sky blotting out the sun's rays.
But, of course, like any peace.. it wouldn't last.
The crowing of some beast just past what she had climbed in from echoed through the space, a shrill cry of fueled desire, hunger and pain. The cry of a big zombie beast, rippling with distorted flesh, cracked limbs and a shambling frame.
She unclipped her pistol, cupping her palm around the base of it, finger securing the trigger without pulling it. She carefully padded over to a half broken door, peering into the room she could see a bit of. It looked mostly untouched, though some patches of blood suggested it had people in it recently.
She shifted one hand, lowering it to twist the knob, pushing open the door with a budge from her boot.
"CLAIRE, DO YOU COPY?" The sharp static caused her to hiss, slapping the hand over the radio clipped to the waist.
"God. Dammit." She snarled in irritation, her cautious focus disturbed by that familiar voice. She unclipped the radio, bringing it up to her face while fingering the button. "You seriously pick thee WORST timing to get a read."
"Sorry, ma'am. You've been radio silent for over an hour, boss said to check on you." The man was quick to answer, an apologetic tone underlying the otherwise business-like voice.
"Nothing has changed, I'm afraid. Though I did manage to get a break from searching in a small garden. I haven't been able to locate our target. Have you any leads to offer?" She said with a light sigh, her lips pursing in consideration of her situation. She was currently scouring the remains of what used to be some big city situated on the northern edge of Kentucky. She believed the place was called Louisville when it was populated. Apparently the T-virus had been leaked here by some scientist that used to work for Umbrella Corp. It was roughly a year after the fall of the great tyrant Wesker, his demise at the flames of a volcano's lava.
Normally Claire was tasked with clean-up and medical assistance, but after quarantining the city in a giant perimeter she had been given a different, much more pressing mission. Usually such a task would be left for the military personnel, but they were at war with the zombies pushing against the border of the area and the wild flames getting out of hand. Considering her past history, with Raccoon City, Umbrella, Wesker, Rockfort Island.. all those events.. yeah, she was the only one with even the slightest bit of experience to handle herself.
Her target was a little boy by the name of Lucas. He was, apparently, the mayor's missing son. He was seen close to one of the malls when everything began to go to hell. He had gotten away from his older brother Jason. Jason had searched for an hour after the virus began to take hold of the city before he was shuffled out beyond the border.
"Well, not much really. He was last seen, by some civilians, heading toward one of the bridges."
"Thanks, Mark. I'll head that way and sweep the river side." Claire said with a small smile.
"Copy. Good luck." Mark said with a soft chuckle, ending the conversation.
She clipped the radio to her side, clutching her pistol once more with both hands. She pushed open the door fully and entered the quiet house.
She needed to move on.