Disc: Don't own anything.
One-shot to practice my writing.
Edit: so many mistakes, aaargh!
A small smile ghosted over Claire's lips as she eyed the empty streets and the tall partly collapsed buildings that opened before her eyes. They were eerily quiet and serene, even if there were abandoned vehicles and discarded luggage everywhere; creating quite a disturbing scene. There was something beautiful yet very frightening about the lack of people on the streets.
It was as if every soul in the city had simply vanished. Of course, Claire knew better, she understood that they were all either devoured by the uroboros or hiding in sewers, abandoned buildings or the subway system. There was still life in the large cities, it was just well hidden.
'I wonder how many people are still alive in this place? Uroboros will probably find them eventually...' the young woman thought sadly, wishing she could do something to help the others, but she had realized that things were simpler and easier if they didn't put others in danger. The death and decay didn't bother her that much anymore...it was surprising how adaptable people were.
One good thing about Uroboros was that it didn't really leave that many zombies behind since the bodies were used as biomass for the parasitic virus. Those black shambling forms of black tar roamed the streets at night, seeking to attack any survivors who would either be strong enough to withstand the virus or become food for the monsters.
'It is so calm...I quite like it here. Not too many zombies or monsters,' The young woman thought as her blue eyes scanned the area for possible threats that could lurk beneath cars or inside the abandoned buildings. It was vital for survival to never let one's guard down and to always maintain guns and weapons.
In the beginning of the global outbreak, she had tried to keep large groups of people alive and help them survive...but somehow everything always fell apart. She had lost a lot of good people because they had thought an area to be secure. Someone had always slipped and gotten infected by the uroboros, leading the group of survivors of fight for their lives.
Men, women, children...Claire had seen everyone fall before the virus and though it pained her heart and soul, there was little she could do. After losing the last member of her survivor group that had manly consisted of Terra Save members and civilians, she had set off on her own, only to be found by someone she loved.
'Most of these look like they've been picked clean completely,' the young woman thought and kept her hand near her holster, ready to draw her handgun if something dared to attack her. She walked confidently along the abandoned streets, carrying only a backpack full of usable gear and a couple of guns with her, but compared to the man beside her, she was lightly geared, clearly more fit for scavenging and running rather than fighting.
The sky was gloomy and grey, casting overwhelmingly sad feeling over the destroyed and abandoned city that lied in ruin.
'Heh, some rain would be nice for a change, the air feels just so stagnant and sick,' Claire thought as she stepped over an open suitcase filled with money that had no value anymore. Money and gold had lost its value the moment everyone thought they could buy their way out of the cities faster..
The young ponytail haired woman tried a door of a vehicle that had been left in the side of the road and thankfully it opened without the alarm going off. It was simply one of the hundreds of forgotten vehicles that had been left on the streets and from the black tar like traces on the ground, the people had tried escaping some Uroboros monster.
The streets had been filled and jammed with people who had tried escaping the pandemic, but of course there hadn't been an escape of the virus that spread like wildfire, destroying everything in its way. City after city fell to its unstoppable force and with no cure or vaccine, there was little people could do but end the suffering of their loved ones. But, only few had the strength to do that to their family and friends, which had only helped the virus spread..
'There is no way the nations can regain control anymore...he won this game and only thing left for us is survival', Claire thought as she rummaged through the car.
Claire could still remember clearly the day Wesker managed to unleash Uroboros upon the unsuspecting world. The televisions had broadcasted the sight of the plane on every channel and the missiles that had spread the virus across the globe. And among all that destruction had stood Wesker, tall and proud of what he had done, staring at the camera with a knowing and dangerous smirk on his face, those red golden eyes shining with pure hatred and maliciousness.
She had fought hard and survived with a large group that had grown smaller each passing month and week until she had been all alone. She had been at her wit's end, ready to end it all with one last bullet she had. However, what had happened next had been something so bizarre that Claire couldn't call it by any other name but miracle.
Chris had found her in that small town. Somehow he had made it all the way back from Africa and found her in a world that had fallen to ruin. It was impossible, a deed so improbable that the only thing Claire had thought in that moment was, "what has he done?" They had not talked about it, nor did Claire want to hear it.
All that mattered was that they were together now. They didn't need anyone else and while neither of them said it, both knew that they'd survive together as long as possible, cherishing the last moments they had together. They knew that eventually something would happen that would tear them apart permanently.
They had no regrets.
The civilized world had fallen for good, but it didn't mean that nothing would rise from the ashes once the fires had been burnt out. The time of humans was over and the only thing they had left was trying to cling to life a while longer, to postpone the inevitable death. Claire didn't need lie to herself; she knew exactly that survival with no other goals was all she had left. But, she didn't have to survive alone. She had her brother, and that was all the motivation she needed to stay alive. They'd survive together as long as possible, enjoying every moment and clinging to life with nail and teeth.
Claire sighed as she went through the front seats and the lockers, trying to find something useful so that they could get everything out of the day light hours that were most important. The fall was approaching and they days were getting shorter and shorter, making the days much more dangerous. The two of them had been gathering supplies for the colder seasons but they lacked clear plan of how to make it through the winter.
'Chris and I need to talk about that later," Claire reminded herself and grinned widely when she managed to pick a lock of one locker with some batteries, protein-bars and packet of antibiotics and first aid spray inside it.
'Lucky,' the redhead thought genuinely happily' "Meds are so hard to come by these days'. It was odd really how she had managed to keep her uplifting spirit even after the world had ended. Some days she felt like just resting against some wall and crying for her friends and the world, but what use would it do? The world was gone but she was still there, still alive and breathing with her brother at her side.
"Find anything useful, sis?" Asked a familiar voice as she got out of the worn out and slightly rusty car with a bright smile.
"Well these cars are pretty much all picked completely clean, but it looks like I was lucky," the redhead woman gave a short laugh and smiled at her brother who always watched over her during exploration. They worked well together, the other was lightly geared and did all the scavenging and getting into tight places while the other had muscle and took care of bigger threats.
"Some batteries and food along with anti-biotics and first aid spray. Almost feels like we struck gold vein," Claire chuckled softly as she showed her findings to her brother who was holding a shotgun, ready to deal with any danger that dared to approach him or his sister.
The older Redfield smiled warmly at his sister who had a wide smirk on her lips and was almost beaming with life. She was someone who could make other believe that things were going to go ok if they did their best and stayed alert. Before losing the people she had been with, Claire had been the one they had looked up to. Perhaps it was one of the reasons she now didn't want others to join them. Losing those who trusted in her was too heavy of a burden to bear.
'I have Chris, that is all I need from the world,' the younger Redfield sibling thought and watched how Chris quickly put the items she had found into his large backpack, letting his sister keep lookout.
"Claire we are running low on food and water. We should make plans for the next few days and look for places to scavenge and loot," Chris said calmly as he picked the backpack up.
"What do you think we should do, Chris? This place looks pretty cleaned," Claire asked as the two of them eyed the surroundings. "Maybe we should try cafeterias and corner shops tomorrow?" she continued and looked thoughtful for a moment, only to hesitate a bit. "We do have something valuable to small settlements of survivors. We could trade but...I don't think we should put others in danger because of us," Claire continued, making her brother nod solemnly.
There were few settlements of survivors in the region, but the two siblings avoided other humans since they had quickly found out that they brought misery with them. They knew that the Uroboros were following them, growing more relentless and malicious each passing week. The two of them were like magnets to those beasts.
"Well what ever we decide to do, we should think about it somewhere safe," Chris murmured as he gazed at the horizon and the setting sun that marked the approaching night, "Lets find some place to rest in, Sis," The older Redfield sighed and headed down the streets with Claire quickly following him.
While zombies did travel the streets and the countryside, the creatures infected with Uroboros or the plagas were the most common sight. Those infected with them usually came out only during night unless provoked, but it wasn't rare to see them hunt in the daylight as well. Some rumors said that a couple of victims had turned into something like Chris' ex captain, only to disappear somewhere and never to be seen again. No one seemed to know what happened to those people.
"Yeah, we should move, there are few zombies heading this way," Claire noted and pointed at one street where those shambling horrors had noticed them. While still a threat, the walking dead didn't really bother the two that much anymore, there were far worse creatures in the shadows, creatures that didn't seek to kill them, but to rather apprehend and take somewhere.
"Ok, Claire, lets go, I think we need to at least find more food tomorrow if nothing else...we still got rations to last for few days but you know how hard it is to stay in full strength if we run out of it," The older sibling sighed as the two started walking towards the direction of tall office buildings that served as good resting places.
"Look, Claire, over there!" Chris suddenly said and pointed at an abandoned old bike that rested against a partly collapsed brick wall.
"Chris you can't be serious, we are not kids anymore," Claire laughed quietly when her brother hurried over to the bike and brought it back to her and before she knew it, Claire was sitting on the back rack of the bike and holding onto her brother's toned body as they rode through the empty streets, dodging few zombies that got in their way.
"Chris, slow down!" Claire laughed happily and let out a small shriek when they drove down hill; she loved the feeling of her dirty red hair fluttering in the wind. They were like kids once again.
"Don't tell me you are scared, Claire," Chris joked and teased his sister as they crossed a bridge. Claire rested her head against Chris' back as she eyed the river and lake that opened before her eyes. She blinked a couple of times when few drops of water hit her head and nose and before long, gentle rain broke out.
'It is so beautiful,' the young woman thought as she watched the small drops bombard the lake and river that stood almost completely still.
"We are almost there," Chris murmured quietly as they drove into the wealthier district and stopped in front of a police office. They were all almost completely looted, but Chris always managed to find something that had remained hidden from other looters and the buildings themselves were relatively safe still.
The two of them left the rusty bike lying against the road as they headed inside the building, quickly covering each room and clearing it out of couple zombies. The undead were easy to deal with, Uroboros...not so much. The two hated dealing with the infected creatures.
"I had fun today, Chris," Claire whispered as the two of them sat in the break room, attending to an old stove that gave the room much needed warmth. Thankfully neither of them had gotten soaked outside in the rain that now bombarded the roof and windows in a very serene manner. The sound of the rain made Claire relax a bit and for one moment it felt like no monsters could reach them. "And you know what, this almost reminds me of camping. Remember how dad sent us to them when we were younger so that he and mom could get some time alone?" She laughed as Chris put a blanket around his sister's shoulders, smiling affectionately.
"Yeah...we were quite a handful," he replied and even though they had quite large age gap, they had always been close.
For a while, they just stared at the fire that cracked and danced in the stove. The couple of noodle packs they had found were getting cooked in a small pot and the scent was heavenly. She was so hungry and they'd have to find more supplies soon.
"Do you have much ammunition left, Chris? I have a couple of magazine," Claire whispered as she took a small portion of the noodles onto a plate and tasted them, ' truly divine,' she thought happily. Warm food was luxurious these days.
The younger Redfield watched as her brother went through his backpack for a moment and looked a bit dissapointed and worried.
"2 cases worth of shotgun shells and about 30 9 mm bullets..." he counted and looked bitter. Without even noticing it, Claire pressed her hand against the breast pocket of her red "Let me live" biker vest where she always kept one bullet. Chris had one also in his combat vest's pocket.
Claire couldn't help but recall the night they had realized that there might have been greater plans for the two of them, that her suspicions about Chris' reason to be there had been proven to be true. He had made a deal with Wesker and agreed to something in order to have a chance to share a short time with his sister. After what had happened, Claire realized that those monsters had left them alone for the first few weeks...
Chris had looked pained every now and then, as if he had wanted to say something, but she had not let him even start. Chris had known that she suspected him and chose not to tell her, as if to keep up the beautiful lie they had.
That night they had decided to make a promise that should something they couldn't get out of happen, they'd kill each other rather than have Wesker torture and torment them. After they realized that their time was up, she had told Chris that she'd rather live and die as a free woman, struggling and surviving as long as possible rather than see Wesker achieve anything.
Her brother had agreed. What ever deal Chris had made with Wesker had been broken and the consequences of such action couldn't be good, but then again they had sworn not to see those consequences.
"Do you have any water left, Claire?" the tall man asked from his sister who was going through the abandoned backpacks on the floor of the school room...it was truly heartbreaking to realize that even children had not been safe. But, Wesker was merciless and Uroboros rarely were clever enough to take orders or make their own decisions.
The redhead glanced at her brother before smiling and pulling a full water flask from her hip, throwing it to Chris who caught it effortlessly.
"Thanks, dear h..." Chris said with a smirk on his lips, but stopped mid-sentence when Claire's eyes widened slightly in fear and anxiousness, "sorry.." her brother murmured when he realized it was what Wesker called her whenever she had been visiting him in Raccoon City. "It is ok, Chris, you didn't remember," Claire muttered as she got up and walked over the the barred windows , resting next to one and looking few rays of sunlight that made their way through the boards.
Claire had never asked how Chris had made it back home from Africa, nor did she really care to know. Only thing that mattered was that they were together now. But, somewhere out there was Wesker who probably observed in peace how the world fell before him. It was a miracle that her brother had made it all the way back here alive...it was quite odd in fact but she didn't question it since she knew that they were living on borrowed time.
"Claire...There is something I need to tell you..." Chris finally whispered when he realized that he had killed the happy mood they had been in.
"Are you absolutely sure about that Chris?"Claire interrupted her brother who looked alarmed now. In her eyes, the younger sibling had quite a hollow look and she let out a soft sigh, "I'm happy with the way things are now. I'd rather have things remain as they are.," Claire whispered quietly and she turned her gaze to meet Chris'. "I rather live and die loving you." The older Redfield knew that he was treading on thin ice and decided to keep his mouth shut when he saw how determined and angry his sister looked."I don't need to hear what deal you made with him...because I don't intend to have anything to do with it."
For a moment they stared into each others eyes and Claire could see the burning need Chris felt to save her from this fate. 'Like living in the world that man would create was any better', Claire snorted in her mind before shaking her head, "I don't want to hear what you've done, Chris, or how you think you could save me. I rather die than have him tear us apart."
"Never mind, sis, I was just thinking out loud," The older Redfield finally muttered and crouched down after finishing the water to see if they had missed something. Claire closed her eyes for a moment as she started to think of how what Wesker had offered Chris. Maybe that man only wanted to kill them both at the same time to complete the set. Chris just wanted her best, but she was even wiling to go against him if necessary.
'I don't want to hurt Chris...I can just pray that he sees things my way, that he wants to survive and run with me.'
However, with her eyes closed, the shadow that moved behind the boarded window went unnoticed by her. The thing almost glided over the window, its black, tar like tendrils taking hold of the boards.
"Claire, take a look at this..." Chris said and from the sounds of it, he was lost in his thoughts.
"Sure," came the dry reply but when Claire opened her eyes and was about to head towards her brother, she noticed the shadow pass behind the window. She froze and the older sibling lifted his face, only to get a shocked look in his eyes. But before either of them could act, the boarded window was smashed in and Claire was knocked onto the floor. A shambling mass came in through the window and attacked the girl on the floor.
"Chris!" Claire yelled but before she could get away, the monster grabbed her neck painfully and forced her against the wall... Chris expression turned horrified and he dashed at the monster that was holding his sister.
"Get away from her you monster!" the older Redfield growled, but the monster barely paid any attention him. Before Chris could take out his gun or combat knife, the Uroboros creature shot a bunch of tendrils at him that hit Chris into chest and shoulders, knocking him down onto the floor and the monster used the tendrils to pin him down.
For few seconds the siblings were sure that they were going to die, but much to their surprise the monster just held them apprehended, as if it was waiting for something, or someone.
Claire choked slightly as the monster lifted her off the ground while keeping her struggling brother pinned down. '...So I was right after all...' the young woman thought as she reached for her combat knife. Of course she didn't blame her brother and she was thankful for seeing him again, but to make a deal with him was unforgivable. Chris was not perfect and she understood that. But, she knew that that man hated both of them, and if Chris took her to Wesker, the ex STARS captain would just kill Chris for sure.
"I rather die.." Claire hissed and managed to draw enough strength from mere will power to pull out her serrated steel knife and thrust it hard into the creature's head, making it shriek and growl in pain. The Uroboros horror writhed in pain since Claire had punctured one of its weak spots and it was forced to let go of the redhead.
Chris watched how his sister lunged at the shotgun that was forgotten on the floor, but the monster shot a tendril that coiled around the young woman's ankle; however it was not enough to keep her from reaching the shotgun.
Claire emptied the a couple of shells into the monster before pulling a small blade from its sheath and cutting the tendril around her leg off. The creature looked annoyed but it was still recovering from the knife in its head and before it could do anything, Claire dashed at it and pushed it through the window in moment of rage so that it fell onto the concrete ground from the second window. Thankfully the creature was weak and as Claire rested her hands on the windowsill, trying to catch her breath, she watched how a pool of black blood formed beneath the monster. It was quite dead.
"Claire...I.." Chris tried as he got up and moved over to his sister whose body was still rushing with adrenaline. "Listen, our time is up, let me just take..."
"No...Chris listen, I want to live this life with you till the end...whatever you've done, just abandon it and stay with me till the end..." Claire whispered and wiped few tears away as her brother placed his hand onto her shoulder.
"If this happens again and there is no way out, Chris...I want you to kill me," the younger sibling hissed before turning around to look into her brother's eyes with determined and fearful look in her eyes. "Promise me, that if we get overrun by these horrors...that you'll kill me," she whispered and offered one 9mm bullet to her brother who hesitated, not wanting to carry such burden.
"Are you sure, Claire? We were already on borrowed time...are you really sure you want to throw your life away? Not even taking a chance of survival with...him..."
Claire's eyes were blazing now and Chris didn't even attempt to dodge when his sister slapped him hard, eyes tearing up slightly.
"Idiot!" she snapped and tried to hit Chris again, but this time her brother managed to catch her wrist just in time. She was angry, scared, but also desperate. ' I just want to stay with him till the end,' Claire thought and closed her eyes before hugging her brother's tall body. "I'm sorry, Chris... I don't know what you had to agree to in order to find me, but please...abandon that deal and just survive with me as long as possible. I don't care about what will happen to me. I'm not afraid of death nor do I need saving," Claire whispered and sighed when she felt Chris answer her hug,
"If that is really what you want Claire, then I will agree to it," Chris murmured, ready to face any torment that abandoning his deal with Wesker would bring upon them.
"We are running low on bullets even though we try to spare them," Chris grunted angrily as he took some food as well. Claire frowned slightly when she noticed that he didn't take that much.
"Chris, you know I hate it when you take smaller portions! I can manage with less than you," Claire snapped, hating it how Chris wanted her to be better fed than him, as if she was more important. However, the younger sibling's expression softened when her brother apologized and took more, munching the noodles with thoughtful look on his face and Claire had a feeling she knew what he was thinking of.
Zombies weren't that hard to avoid or deal with knives or weapons from the environment...however, the Uroboros were resilient creatures and quite relentless, eating more bullets than what they two of them could find anymore. The two made sure that they always had well maintained hand guns and at least one bullet left in case things ended badly for them.
Claire had made Chris sworn that if they ran out of ammunition and one uroboros creature managed to overwhelm them, that he'd kill her before that monster could take her away...And, if Chris got infected, she'd put him out of his misery.
Neither of them talked about it, but it felt inevitable, especially now that they had angered Wesker and broken the deal. The ex S.T.A.R.S leader was probably overwhelmed with work and wouldn't personally come after them...but his minions were endless and it was only a matter of time before something would happen.
"I'm not letting him take you, Claire...I swear.." Chris murmured so quietly that Claire could barely hear it. The younger sibling smiled sadly as she stared at the burning coals inside the stove.
"I know," She replied and rested her head against her brother's shoulder as they just enjoyed the seemingly peaceful night. They both knew that there were monsters roaming the otherwise empty streets. They couldn't even sleep at the same time anymore. One of them kept watch as the other slept and it was Chris turn now to see to it that his sister could sleep peacefully.
"Just rest, Claire, I'll make sure nothing will happen to you," Chris assured and put an arm around his sister who had closed her eyes.
It felt like they were each a half of a person, creating a whole one together.
The world had ended and before long they would die and fade away as well, but until that time came, they'd stand tall together not giving up until they were dead and buried. Time had lost all meaning and they lived from day to day, season to season. Their lives were meaningless now but then again, a single life wasn't worth much to begin with.
"Chris, I love you.."
Her brother just smiled and pressed his chin on her head.
Eh, I thought about making this into multi chapter fic. I kinda want to write what happens when Wesker gets his hands on Chris and Claire ^^