Author Note: Continuation to Secrete's and Flies that starts Three months after the end of the last one. Love, betrayal, suspense and action are on the menu for this story as we watch our favourite band of Umbrella renegades give it there all to hopefully bring a final end to there hellish lifestyle once and for all. To do that, assistance will be required from some, unconventional characters.
I do not own the characters & this will be very different from any RE movie (to date) and/ or video game plot (to date)
Please read & review as you wish!
B
Updated 10-Dec-2015: Since the first part "Secrets & Flies" has been edited and changed a bit (especially in the end) I figured I should extend the editing to the first few chapters of this story as well before adding more chapters. Expect a new chapter by Dec. 31st of this year!
Calm Before the Storm
Chapter One
-Three Months Later -
Her body heaved, gasping for air, startling herself awake. Her eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness of her small, empty stateroom. The air was stale, her throat parched as she licked her chapped lips, grasping at any bit of moisture. The window was open, blowing in a salty ocean breeze, but now giving her sweaty body a chill. Claire wiped her clammy forehead, her breathing finally returning to normal. This was the third time this week she had startled herself awake from a nightmare.
It was the same dream as always. She was tied to a metal post in a large, open area. Each quadrant of the room illuminated at a time, highlighting someone she cared for struggling against soundproof glass in a box, to try and break free. A voice, distorted too much for her to identify, asked Claire where Alice was over and over again. When she claimed to know nothing, Claire watched as a licker entered the cell of the illuminated loved one, tearing them to shreds within seconds. After a few moments the quadrant went black and the next one lit up. The same question was asked again with another innocent life hung in the balance.
She never made it past the second person.
Claire ran her fingers over the cold, left side of the bed, the side that Alice used to occupy every night. Three months have passed since she disappeared without a trace. She did not even kiss Claire good-bye. When she awoke for the third day in a row alone, Claire thought nothing of it. Alice had taken the overnight shift and figured she was not yet back from her rounds. Claire had intended to make up with Alice that day, apologizing for her reaction to their fight after finding Jill and Chris lip-locked in the bridge. When nightfall came and she still had not seen her, she went to find her brother, who was aggravated that Alice never came to relieve him of his bridge duties. It was then that Claire began to panic. For two days they searched every inch of the Arcadia. The survivors even pitched in, a way to calm their fear that Umbrella had stealthily came aboard and snatched her away. On the second night, Luther and Jill came across what looked like a mooring station for a small boat. The ropes for lowering it into the water had been cut and were left dangling on the side. Alice wasn't taken, she had abandoned them in the middle of the night.
When news of this reached Chris, he became destructive. He brainwashed the entire crew and many of the passengers into believing that Alice was working with the enemy. It was clear that his true colours were finally coming out, now that Alice was no longer within ear shot. No matter how hard Claire and Jill pleaded for him to stop seeing red, it fell on deaf ears. Fear had turned into a witch hunt, and orders were given that if anyone caught sight of Alice, they were to shoot on sight. Claire hoped that whatever Alice's plan was, it was to keep as far away as possible from the Arcadia.
Rubbing her eyes she stood, requiring a glass of water before trying to fall back asleep. Her bare feet flinched on the cool floor as she walked across the room and entered the small, closet sized lavatory, flicking on the light. As a crew member, she was given one of the larger, more luxurious staterooms the Arcadia had to offer. Chris, Luther, and Alice had the other three. Jill had now taken over Alice's old room that was across the hall, with Chris adjacent to her. It had taken sometime, but Claire finally accepted the Chris/Jill relationship. They had grown closer as friends,taking the occasional shift together, using it as their time to talk in private about coping with what Umbrella had done to them, and their predictions on what Alice was up to. As much as Chris liked to rally the troops against Alice, many still believed she would not just abandoned them. Jill kept it quite to stop from bickering with her lover all the time, but Claire knew her true alliance was with Alice.
K-Mart and Angela, the lone survivor of a group camping out in the jungle of Mexico, had become inseparable since her arrival. They shared a room adjacent to Claire with Luther beside them. The survivors, about one hundred in total, occupied the two lower decks, huddled into rooms of four of five. It was a tight fit, but the people did not mind as long as they were safe. To ensure that was the case, the crew stayed on top level, closest to the action in the event of an emergency.
Since Alice's departure, changes had been made to help with security and in the event of another attack from Umbrella, the one common enemy that everyone on board was constantly on edge about. Umbrella, the ones responsible for the eradication of the human race, destruction of modern society, creators of bio-weapons, were always going to remain the boogeyman in the closet waiting to pounce until they could take them out. Even though Claire could not put a face or a name to Alice's target, she knew it was someone at Umbrella.
She ran the taps, splashing the cold, rust coloured water onto her flushed cheeks. The light flickered overhead as the smell of ammonia filled the small room. Light bulbs would need to be added to her shopping list of supplies at their next port. In the next forty-eight hours they would be approaching the Northern tip of Brazil. If no unexpected surprises appear on the horizon, that was to be their next port of call. Everyone agreed that the Arcadia was a sitting duck if it stayed stationary, and maybe, they would have better luck at rebuilding society in South America. It was as good a plan as any, and leaving this rust bucket of a ship could get the Umbrella moving target off their backs.
It also meant less of a chance to see Alice again.
Claire studied her appearance in the mirror, cold water dripping from her chin. Her green eyes, once bright with adventure and intrigue, were now dark and hollow. Purple bags puffed under her eyes, reminders of sleepless nights. Her skin was pale and red hair dull from lack of sunlight and nutritious food. To Claire, she resembled the undead, but to everyone else she was their ray of hope, the glue that kept this place together. Letting out a deep sigh, she wiped her face on a nearby towel and shut off the bathroom light, surrounding herself in darkness once more. On her way back to bed Claire stopped, the hair on the back of her neck began to rise. Her ability to sense the presence of another was still as sharp as ever. She stood perfectly still, her back to her stateroom door. In front of her was a small dresser where she had a pistol. Slowly, she reached out and opened the drawer, wrapping her hands around the rough grip of a 9 mm semi automatic.
"Whose there?" Claire called out, cocking the safety with her finger and still not turning around. "I'll warn you once more, show yourself."
Suddenly the light was on as Claire spun, ready to fire, but instead resisted. Her hands began to tremble, the gun shaking before she lowered it to her side "A-Alice?" She stuttered dropping the gun. Her eyes welled with tears, the blonde becoming a blurry figure before her.
"Claire, I've missed you." Alice replied, locking the redhead in a tight embrace, proving to them both that all of this was real.
She cried, her body trembling as Alice did her best to soother her. She ushered them to the bed, still locked in a tight embrace as Alice stroked her hair whispering sentiments in her ear. Three months of being separated from one another did not change the love they had one bit. Alice lifted Claire's head from her shoulder, looking into the green eyes she'd been dreaming about every night as they kissed, feeling whole once more.
"H-How did-" Claire tried to ask, but she was silenced by a gentle finger to her lips.
"I'll explain everything when we have time." Alice replied, caressing Claire's cheek.
"Are we in danger?"
Alice nodded, "It won't be long until they've tracked me here. We need to get everyone assembled. Umbrella will not go down without a fight."
All her theories of what Alice's main objective was, were correct. She left, but came back knowing Umbrella was going to strike, that her friends, loved ones, and innocent people would possibly be killed. Claire touched Alice's arm, feeling the heat radiating off her skin. The blood was rushing through her veins at hyper speed. Something had happened to her, something changed and Claire had a pretty good idea what it was.
She cupped her cheek, looking deep into her eyes."Alice, you're different? What happened, please tell me." She begged.
"I'll tell you everything when the time is right. Now is not that time."
Claire smiled and kissed Alice again, "The calm before the storm right?"
Alice nodded, "This is going to be one hell of a storm."
T.B.C.
So, what did you think of the first chapter? Please tell me your theories on what Alice did over the past three months (I promise, there will be a few chapters telling you what all happened!).
Please R/R & I will return the favour!
