The nightmare that lasted forever

Part one

~*~*~*~

Authors note: Thank you to anyone who R&Rs give me you opinion. I had wrote this awhile ago for a magazine fan fiction thing, but just decided to put it here. Please tell me how you like it, if no one seems to, I'll just erase it. Don't worry, I'm not picky. Sorry for the spelling/grammar mistakes there might be. I don't know who I had in mine for this song, maybe Claire's point of view for all the people hurt trying to help her.

'I wish that I could turn back time

'cos now the guilt is all mine

can't live without

the trust from those you love

I know we can't forget the past

you can't forget love and pride because of that, it's killing me inside'

Part of the song 'Komm, süsser Tod' starred in the Japanese anime Neon Genesis Evangelion

~*~*~

The sun is just creeping over the side of the Earth, giving light to the new day. The bright blue sky promises it to be a wonderful day ahead. The soft breezes blow by, whipping her hair around, like leaves in a tree.

Claire Redfield just stared out the window. This is all they could have ever dreamed for back then. To be peaceful, nice, for that nightmare to be over. When her and Leon would be fighting off zombies. When her and Steve were just trying to make it out alive. She did, but Steve didn't.

A silent tear rolled down her cheek, but she brushed it away quickly. What was her mission to begin with. To find her brother? She found him, and now he's gone again. She's back in collage just like before it happened. The nightmare happened. Everything that she could remember like the back of her hand.

Oh Steve....I can't bring you back....

Claire now bit her lip, staring back down at the window sill, attempting to keep herself together. If there was anything she could wish for, it would be Steve back. So many times she promised they would get out together. That was all a lie.

Claire studied the dorm room for any thing more. Two beds of both sides of the room. Just a trunk and suitcases nearby each bed. It wasn't at all big. They only slept there. She shut the window, and locked the hatch, then knelled down by her suitcase. She unzipped the first pouch, and pulled out a passport (she needed to get it on the way back from Antarctica) and a combat knife.

It was against customs to have guns at the collage, so Chris went out of his way, to insure she didn't bring any. The silver combat knife was all she could slip without him noticing. A girls got to have a way to defend herself right? She didn't have Steve to protect her.

Oh Steve.......

She thought depressingly, but shook it from her head. A slight clank from the door alerted her that her roommate was in. The girl was named Francisca Akagi. From what she knew Francisca had her experiences from her mother Ritsuko Akagi that used to work at Umbrella with the Birkin's. From Claire's fighting nature Francisca was the first to volunteer to be her roommate. Whatever happened to Ritsuko, Claire didn't know, but didn't press the subject any farer.

With that in mind, Francisca was the only one who knew about Steve. Claire had refused to tell anyone for the longest of time, but at night, her guard slipped. She would spend hours telling Francisca about it. Francisca was the type never to interrupt, or to make any comments, only advice. Claire envied her for that.

Francisca would only tell how much she hated Umbrella, how they didn't think her mother was important enough to go back for, and just watched as that lab was wiped off the map.

One day Claire would think, We'll get Umbrella back for all the pain, and suffering it has caused us.

Claire snapped back into reality, and quicker then a flash, pushed the stuff back in her bag. Then she met her roommate with an innocent look.

Francisca stuffed a few papers into the empty desk there, and glanced back at Claire. She studied her a bit, and just like a teacher would, went back to what they were doing.

"Here to cut class? Or are you just going to take your time to history class." Francisca asked whipping her long black hair out of her face.

She had knee length black hair, that she just propped up in a bow. Francisca looked down at Claire, her green eyes flashing warningly.

History! I swear the most boring subject EVER! Its more amusing blowing zombies brains out.

Claire frowned, and rolled her eyes.

"No, but that wouldn't be such a bad idea." She answered standing up from her spot on the floor, then searching on the bed for her history notebook.

Claire pulled out a large green notebook with a black pen hooked to the side. How boring it was going to collage. A lot safer, sure, another reason Chris sent her back to collage.

Every thing that ever happened to her, he blamed himself for, and found a way to do it. The only danger she had ever been in, people were searching for her brother, or had some way to do with it.

For once she'd like to have her own adventure, or a way to show her brother she wasn't just a little child anymore, she could take care of herself. But never again would she want to go through the nightmares that she's seen.

Claire heard a soft knock to the door, as soft as the wind even. Francisca beat her to answer it.

"What is it now Tom Crossword? Haven't you already been here. The answer is no, Claire doesn't want to go out with you, and that's the end of the story." Claire overheard, then went behind Francisco who was only a bit taller.

Tom, the black haired, square faced jock, sent them a look of pure hate before saying anything.

"Maybe I shouldn't tell you, don't seem to look like you need it." Tom spotted Claire moving Francisca aside.

"Yesssss" Claire asked in a cold sneer.

Tom narrowed his eyes.

"I'm here for your own benefit Claire, if this- thing" He inclined toward Francisca. "Wants anything thing to do with it, wait tell I'm gone. Now listen up, I'm only going to say this once. The rest of the classes have been canceled for today, and possibly tomorrow. Rumor is one of the students, Lee something, or whatever his name was, was attacked. He was standing at the forest at night, and someone him screaming. The boy had bite marks on his neck, ankle everywhere. I pity the poor fool. Must have been one big animal to have injured him like that. Some people have come to investigate, but I doubt they find anything. They are all fools to go out in that forest at night. Better watch out or it might get Francisca, that'd be cool." Tom gave his missing tooth grin toward Claire, and gave a stare of hate toward Francisca before closing the door, and leaving.

Tom was a strange kid, always seemed to know a lot about what went around in school. He was a gossiper, that got into deep secrets. Before everyday he would ask Claire out, and kept coming back. Claire, who was to distraught over Steve. Still, what he told them was something totally different. No one would be kidding about something like this. Were they trying to cover it up.

There was a moment of silence as they heard the door click, and his footsteps disappear down the hall.

"Animal HA! If they only knew what they were saved from, they'd be worshiping at our feet like queens. Then we could say OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" Francisca dropped her note books, and went digging in her bag.

"They find some dumb ways to explain it. Hey Francisca, do you really think it was, well, you know, zombies?" Claire shivered at the thought.

She didn't have anything to defend herself.

Francisca stopped digging through her back, and pulled out a long golden dagger, they pocketed it, a simple gun, she tossed to the bed, and what looked to be an I.D. card she stuffed into her jacket.

"Duh! I swear Claire, you and I both know it, you just don't want to believe it. Well- same here. I don't know what zombies would be doing out here, but I'll tell you, its not going to be good. Umbrella's probably going to try some other sick messed up plain to screw up our lives. I don't know about you, but I'm going to find out what's going on, and hightail my ass out of here. I'd suggest you to do the same." She inclined toward the simple handgun.

"Take that, I wouldn't leave you without anything. Tonight, I'm going to that forest. If I don't come back, kill Tom for me." She added.

Claire shook her head at the last statement, then grabbed the gun, and secured it into her belt. Then grabbed her favorite red vest, which had an angel holding a knife, and had the words 'let me live' on it. It was sort of like- a good luck charm, not that she believed in any of that.

Claire rethought what happened one more time, her heart was beating hard in her chest, she was breathless, and her mind was overflowing with thoughts. The nightmare is beginning again.