Moving On
Chapter one – Visitors to the heart
Message from the author: This story takes place immediately after the end of Resident Evil 2. Leon, Claire and Sherry have survived their night in the zombie-infested Raccoon City and found their way to safety.
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The shelter was simple and effective, made of concrete and split into four rooms – a front living area, a bathroom, and two bedrooms. The living area served as kitchen, dining room, foyer, and recreational area, with a table, chair, and stove, while the bedrooms were small and functional – a narrow cot in each chamber along with a few bare shelves. Stacked inside the front room were tools and supplies of every kind, including weapons, but everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, indicating how long it had been since the shelter had been inhabited.
Suddenly a knock on the door disturbed the tranquillity and stillness of the shelter, and then the doorknob was tested. It was found to be unlocked, and the narrow front door was pushed open, revealing three figures in the dawning sunshine. Holding the doorknob was a young police officer, in uniform, named Leon Kennedy. Behind him stood a young woman named Claire Redfield, wearing a black and pink motorbiking outfit. Claire held the hand of a blonde girl, no older than twelve or thirteen years old, who was dressed in a schoolgirl sailor uniform, her eyes alert and wide with curiosity. This was Sherry Berkin, daughter of William and Annette Birkin, the couple whose genius had destroyed an entire city – Raccoon City. Leon and Claire were covered in dust, soot, sewage, and blood, while Sherry looked remarkably clean in contrast, her uniform still white and mostly unstained.
"Looks like we found an emergency Umbrella Corporation shelter." Leon said, cautiously stepping inside. Claire and Sherry followed, glancing nervously around them before sighing in relief. "It should be safe here, let's rest up." Leon continued. He pushed the doors of the bedrooms open slowly, as if he was expecting something to leap out of them, and his shoulders relaxed noticeably when his fears were proven unfounded. Turning back to the girls, he managed a small grin. "So which room do you girls want?"
Claire smiled tiredly back, pointing to the door closer to her. "That one will do fine. Sherry, why don't you go and try to get some rest. I'll try to prepare something for us to eat." Sherry glanced up at Claire nervously, then nodded, releasing Claire's hand from her own tight grip and walking slowly into the bedroom, collapsing onto the thin bed without bothering to remove her shoes. Almost immediately, she fell asleep.
"Poor girl, she's exhausted." Claire said, staring sympathetically at Sherry's slumbering figure.
"Hey, I don't feel much better myself." Leon said, plopping down onto one of the chairs that surrounded the table. Gingerly, he placed his hand over the bullet wound in his shoulder, where Annette had shot him. It was barely hours ago, and yet it felt like a lifetime of fighting and fear had passed in the meantime. His fingers brushed over the bloodstained bandages that were wrapped tightly around his torso, and he immediately thought of Ada Wong.
"Ada…" Leon whispered, his eyes filling with tears and getting a faraway look, recalling the beautiful woman in the red dress, who he had gone through life and death with. Claire sat down beside him and put her hand on his shoulder, her touch startling him somewhat.
"What's the matter, Leon? Who's Ada?" Claire asked softly, her large brown eyes gazing upon Leon's handsome face.
"Ada… was someone I met at the police station, while we were trying to get out. We went through a lot together, and she was so strong… I had never seen anyone, anyone at all, anything like her. She was… special." Leon said, glancing back at Claire, his tone betraying just how strongly he felt for Ada.
Claire licked her lips and drew back almost imperceptibly. "Was special?" She asked, her voice emphasizing the first word.
Leon stared at the tabletop and nodded glumly. "She… she sacrificed her life for me, Claire. There was this huge thing, and it was coming after me… and she went after it… and… and… it…" He broke down, unable to continue, tears streaming down his face as his hands were clenched into tight fists. Claire wrapped her arms around him soothingly, holding his shaking body tightly to hers, making soft shhing sounds as Leon cried in loss and pain. Finally, his sobs subsided and he regained his composure, relaxing in Claire's embrace and holding her hand in his in silent thanks.
Letting Leon go, Claire stood up and walked over to the stove, pulling open a nearby cabinet. The cupboard was filled with canned food, along with a few pots, pans, and eating utensils. Grabbing a pan and a few cans, Claire said, "I'll cook us something to eat, then we can get some rest too and figure out what to do next." She turned back to Leon and found him gazing at her, his eyes staring into hers. Claire suddenly found herself bashful and looked away, blushing slightly. Leon also glanced aside and cleared his throat, seemingly embarrassed as well. "I… uh… I hope you don't mind some, er, some beans…" She stuttered, digging around noisily in the cupboard. "I hope they have a can opener somewhere in here, otherwise we're going to have a bit of a problem…"
"There, it's over there." Leon said behind her. Claire turned around to see him pointing at a silver can opener lying next to the stove. Their eyes met again and once more Claire felt herself blush like a schoolgirl. Stammering out a thanks, she grabbed the can opener and fumbled with it noisily, trying to pry open a tin of baked beans.
Claire grit her teeth as she slowly opened the can, silently cursing herself for making a fool out of herself in front of Leon. Hearing a soft whimpering sound, she glanced at Sherry's sleeping form through the bedroom doorway, grateful for a distraction. "Poor girl, she must be having a nightmare…" Claire said sympathetically, before Leon cut her off abruptly.
"Claire, quiet… listen…" Leon said, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration. Claire glanced at him then peered back at Sherry, and her eyes widened in realization. Sherry was sleeping peacefully, showing no signs of having a nightmare. The soft whining sound was not coming from Sherry at all, but from the front door of the shelter. Getting quickly to his feet, Leon grabbed a shotgun and a couple of shells from a weapon rack on the wall, loading the weapon in a quick move. Claire joined him, drawing her pistol from her hip holster and holding it ready. Without the sounds of the can opener, she could clearly hear a soft whimpering sound from outside the door, along with heavy breathing. Suddenly, something half-knocked and half-scratched at the wood of the front door, startling both Leon and Claire and making them jump.
"Who is it?" Leon demanded loudly, holding his weapon ready. A low moan answered him, a moan of pain and exhaustion. Stepping forward cautiously, Leon gestured at Claire to cover him, and she pointed her firearm at the door in readiness, her finger hovering over the trigger. Leon placed his hand on the knob cautiously and pulled the door open, flooding the shack with sunlight. A body tumbled through the open doorway and fell to the concrete floor, surprising them both and almost making Claire fire in reflex. Pointing her gun down at the prone figure, Claire realized it was a woman, dressed in a tight dark red dress and black stockings. She was covered in blood and her clothes were torn and dishevelled, and her face was pale and matted with blood. She looked more dead than alive.
"Oh my god…" Leon said in a hoarse whisper, lowering his gun in surprise and kneeling before the woman. Her eyes were shut but she was visibly breathing, her breaths shallow and rasping. Gently, almost tenderly, Leon took one of her hands in his and held it, his blue eyes never leaving the face of the fallen woman. Slowly her eyes opened and focused on Leon, recognition and joy spreading over her face.
"Leon… it's you …" She whispered, then coughed, her body shaking with each hack.
Leon beamed with joy, and whispered back, "Yes, Ada… it's me… is it really you?"
Claire lowered her gun in surprise, her own eyes widening as she realized who the woman on the floor of the shack was. "Ada?" She whispered to herself, completely stunned. She looked from Leon to Ada, watching them smile tenderly at one another while gazing into each other's eyes. Staggering back, she collapsed into a chair and simply stared.
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Thanks for reading this far! Please let me know what you think! -Bhamv