This Aftermath
A RE Tale
Ch. 1
My back was against the door, the beating sounds of rotting fists and flapping skin overtaking the quivering moans of the undead on the other side.
As I fired a single shot into the head of that woman, the mess they had left her... still breathing and screaming... I remembered something.
Chris was there. I remember him smiling at me. Even though we never got to speak that day. The day we witnessed Jake Muller and Sherry Birkin cleansed of their parents' sins in an official court of law. The day that we finally declared victory over bioterrorism, over Umbrella and everything that came before it. And after. The day...
I... can't stop myself. I know Im hurting the people I care about. I just dont care.
I feel It inside of me, not coursing, not overtaking, just existing. It doesn't fester, overtake, grow stagnant. It is a foundation upon which nothing can be sustained. Even so, it is a foundation that can sustain me. And others.
"Thank you, Jill, for meeting me." Her meek, comforting voice pulled me to. I watched as Rebecca approached me, bundled tightly in a scarf and knitted cap, her face framed by her short brown hair. It was quite windy, leaves blowing across the path with light scuffles, as autumn set in.
I smiled as she embraced me, and I returned the favor. It had been years since I'd seen her. Years since I'd seen anyone.
"Rebecca," I met her eyes and her smile. Maturity replaced the adolescence I remembered. Maturity and other things I would probably never know about.
"Jill," I noticed her eyes welling up. "It's... Been so long."
I remained silent, taking her hand.
"Jill... I, I wish we were meeting under different circumstances." Of course. She paused for a moment, though it wasn't to carefully choose words. I read it easily. She had something to tell me. Something I knew I didn't want to hear. Something I think, at the time, I had already accepted, but refused to address. "Jill... It's about Chris."
Umbrella...Tricell... Bioterror... All of the horrors, the things I still see in broad daylight, the bloody, deformed faces on passing strangers... Walking into the bank and instead emerging into a burning building back in Raccoon City. Someone simply saying my name and hearing the voice of a friend long since dead say it instead.
I can't imagine what it must have been like for Chris. His soul, his heart... His beautiful heart. A man who stood by me always without question. Would have died for me, would have killed for me. Devoted himself to me.
And not just me. But to anyone he loved and cared about. When we were in the BSAA, I saw a different man... Stronger, grounded... Relieved even. He was where he always wanted to end up. Doing what he always wanted to do.
I remember, when the final blow was struck... I remember the feeling I had. The pride, the hope, the relief. It was over. We had won. We did it.
But when I looked at Chris... After we won... I saw nothing similar. I saw fear, uncertainty, emptiness, in those eyes. As if... I don't think Chris felt like he had a purpose anymore, even after all of the things he had accomplished. All the lives he saved.
I left the BSAA. Very soon after it was over. Chris didn't ask me to stay, didn't ask me why I was leaving.
"Thank you, for everything."
Those weren't the last things he said to me, but they are the words that stuck with me, that meant the most. It summed him up perfectly. He always was so goal-oriented, focused on the mission above all else. I think I loved him the most for that.
There were brief moments, when it was over, that I thought I loved him for more than just that. More than being my partner, my friend, my life, more than myself. I'm glad those moments passed.
"Jill, here." Rebecca pointed her flashlight at a rusted metal door, left slightly ajar. Although it had been a very long time left that way.
I approached the door and peeked into the opening, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness for a quick scan.
"I don't see anything," I began, but it was too soon. There was a loud crash from the other side, and almost immediately after the metal door blasted open before me, and I braced myself for impact.
My ears were ringing, and I could hear Rebeccas gunshots and yells somewhere around me. The ringing was overbearing. There were other sounds too... Inhumane. Familiar.
I picked myself up off the ground quickly, grabbing my handgun and flashlight, pointing it directly into the now open doorway.
A man walking towards me. Suave black suit. Slick blonde hair. Sunglasses. His lips curl into a smirk.
I close my eyes.
Written by: Hunter of Zombies
Posted by: FashionFable on his behalf
