Danse Macabre

A/N: A little ficlet. Love it or hate it, here it is. I don't own Resident Evil. Period.

Takes place while Leon is doing his thing in RE4. Basically, it just means life's a bitch and then you die. But there are brief moments of light, here and there. Look hard for them, for they are precious.

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

The Jeep rocked to and fro upon the rocky terrain, and the girls inside alternately squealed in fear and delight. All three were prepared for a very long, relaxing weekend in the mountains, and all were within varying levels of excitement. The driver, a spiky-haired blonde was practically bouncing in her seat, green eyes barely able to focus upon the road. The supposed campground they'd found on a tattered map in the nearest town was definitely close ahead, or at least, that's what the front passenger kept telling her. The girl in the backseat was the least thrilled, she being of larger size and not a fan of the 'great outdoors'. She didn't see what could be so great about it. Bugs, wild animals, and sun. Blech. What a pain. For her friends' sake, however, she had packed her bags and come along, because her friends were what kept her sane, and she the same for them. The three were an inseparable bunch, and had been for several years. This trip was meant to be their last for a while, since one was heading to grad school some four hundred miles from home, and another was joining the army. The only one not leaving was the redheaded backseat passenger.

As the Jeep sullied itself along the gravel road, the trees steadily became more dense, and Carol, the brunette in the front seat, began to point frantically into the distance, clapping her hands with excitement. "Look! I see lights up ahead! I think there are other campers!"

May, the driver, snickered and arched a brow in Carol's direction. "Think there'll be booze?"

The girl in the backseat smiled a little, and shook her head, raising her eyes from the book in her lap to stare out the windshield. May was still looking at Carol, and so failed to notice the flaming arrow that had parted the trees before them and was hurtling toward the car. Kori opened her mouth, but time seemed to slow to a sudden crawl. With that arrow came a flood of fear, and Kori could feel her heart about to leap from her chest as she fought a time rip to be able to warn her friends. She struggled to speak, and found that her mouth just could not work fast enough.

With a crash, the windshield imploded towards the three girls, and an arrow pierced the driver's chest with a sickening crunch. May's hands flew up from the steering wheel to her suddenly bleeding chest, her mouth and eyes wide with shock and agony. Carol screamed, but could do nothing else. There was no time for anything else, only enough time to take in the sight briefly before the Jeep, without a proper driver, slammed into a tree. There was a second sick crunch as Carol, who had not been wearing a seat belt, broke her arm and cheek upon the dashboard, and as Kori flew forward despite her seat belt and broke her nose. Both girls saw floating fields of stars, and Carol's eyes rolled up into her head as unconsciousness swiftly blanketed her.

Kori's head lolled backwards and she moaned softly; her heavy chest having been what kept her from breaking the rest of her face, she was lucky. She could feel the blood pouring from her nose and running down her throat, and she had to fight not to throw up. Suddenly, smoke filled the car, and Carol began to cough, slowly waking from her brief spell of blackness. Kori fumbled blindly for her seat belt, unfastened it, and forced the door open. She stumbled about for a moment, hands covering her crushed nose, and then ambled towards the Jeep again, reaching for the handle of Carol's door. As quickly as she could with slick, bloody fingers, she pulled the door open and looked down at Carol. Her arm just above the wrist was bleeding, badly, and Kori knew that the white that she saw poking through the mangled flesh must be bone. Quickly, Kori tugged at her sweater, and wrapped it around Carol's arm. Her friend howled in agony, and threw herself into Kori's arms. Kori held her tightly, closing her eyes tightly for a moment. Tears were fighting to blind her, but she refused to let them fall, wiping madly at her eyes with one arm and trying not to touch her nose.

Slowly, she raised her gaze to the inside of the car again, and from within it stared the dead eyes of her best friend. The arrow had extinguished itself thanks to May's blood, and now just smoked dully, the wood glowing faintly in several small spots. Kori's lip trembled and she choked back a sob, still cradling Carol in her arms. After a moment of silence, she heard in the distance a garbled shout, something that sounded like Spanish.

"Carol… C-Carol, we have to go.."

"No, no we can't go, we have to stay with May, she's going to need help and we have to stay, Kori, we can't just leave her like this, no-"

"Carol, May's…. she's dead."

Carol pulled away quickly, her face pale with shock. She had lost a lot of blood, and vaguely Kori wondered if she might be delirious. The brunette began to shake her head violently, spraying Kori with blood from her shattered cheek. Her mouth filled with blood, and she didn't seem to notice as it ran from the corners of her lips and onto her yellow blouse.

"No."

"Carol… please, don't.."

"I fucking said no. She's not dead and you're fucking lying to me…"

Kori dug her teeth into her lower lip, completely at a loss. She could either try and drag her friend with her and try to run with the probability that she would fight her, or she could leave her. Simple as that. There were no other options; she knew that when another arrow fell from the sky and landed a few feet away.

Carol turned and slunk back to the Jeep, and crawled back inside. She reached over with her good hand and stroked May's grey, chilling cheek. Her eyes were brimmed with tears, and they slid down her cheeks, making pale trails through the thick blood that had not yet stopped flowing from the hole in her face. It became obvious to Kori that Carol had made her decision for her. As slowly as she dared with how close she knew their attackers must be, she slid towards her friends, and leaned against the side of the Jeep, allowing a sob to escape her, raw and bitter.

She leaned into the car and brushed Carol's bangs from her eyes. Carol stared up at her like a frightened wild animal, her two blue eyes seeming very bright against the bruises that circled them. Slowly, Kori bent and kissed Carol's cheek, then tilted her head and kissed May's.

She knew she would not have another chance.

Slowly, Kori turned her back on the Jeep and began to head for the forest. From behind her, she heard a voice.

"You're… going for help.. aren't you?"

That voice was, and at the same time, was not Carol's. It was a dead, flat voice. The friend she knew had died only a few minutes ago, and this empty, confused shell was her replacement. Only a shell, she told herself.

"Yes, Carol…. I'm.. going for help. I'll… be right… back.."

Holding back another sob, Kori continued to walk into the woods.

She did not look back.

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

Please review. And go read my other RE fic, it's quite delicious.