The Fall Of Umbrella
All Re Characters Belong to Capcom
It worried her.
The way Chris seemed to completely change into another person. The man she knew was happy, caring, and always doing something goofy that would ultimately get him in trouble with captain- no- with Wesker. After that man's betrayal, the wound still stinging freshly since it happened a few weeks ago, she needs to stop calling him by that title. Plus, he's dead. Chris told her the giant tyrant killed him, threw his body like a rag cloth. The information was shocking, but the way Chris said it, his eyes wide with shock, trauma, and seemingly detached from his own body and emotion. He saw his captain brutally murdered by a beast… The monster they met on the roof, Barry, Chris, Rebecca, and her blew to oblivion after the tyrant lashed at Chris and knocked him unconscious. If it weren't for Brad, who saved them at the last minute...
Blue eyes stare at her reflection in the mirror, seeing the bags under her eyes from lack of sleep. Each time she closes her eyes they are back. The noises come back. Their screams, the one's she could not save from certain death.
Jill holds her chest, one hand on the sink to support her body before she looks up at her reflection again, brown short hair hugging her face. Her wounds have healed, but the one's deeper, the one's inside have yet to.
Chris had become withdrawn, and sometimes she feels he doesn't want to tell anyone. The worse being what he did to Elran. She has no idea what has gotten under his skin lately.
Jill turns around and steps out of the bathroom. Her eyes land on Chris. The young marksman called her over to his house, saying something about a plan to stop Umbrella. It's unnerving her how much Chris mentions that name. He's currently sitting on his bedroom floor, eyes going through the piles of papers. The house looks turned over, upside down. Chris might not be a super tidy person, but to let his house go to the dumps is not like him.
Blue eyes wonder to the clock. It's midnight, and he's still moving, as if he's used to not sleeping for hours. He called her over so late…
Jill enters his room, and that's when he looks up from the piles of papers on the floor. His bright blue eyes look darker, and he has deep under eye circles that look permanent. He's thinner than Jill remembers him to be, and that's saying a lot considering the man is already pretty thin, his noodle arms, and his legs that are too long for a guy to have. His normally gel down hair is all over the place, his loose bangs brushing his forehead, making him look like an insane scientist.
Chris scrambles to his feet, "Jill, look. I found it." It's the paper he lost when she arrived. Jill had excused herself to wet her face to maintain herself awake as Chris looked for it. But now it seems he found what he was looking for.
He's next to her, almost tripping when he got off the floor, but he ignored it as he holds the paper for her to see.
Blue eyes catches the word 'G' which is part of the virus research. What is this? Jill feels her heart skip a beat as fear once again creeps into her body.
"Chris?"
"The nightmare still continues," he says, his eyes taking that far away look they always get when he relates to the mansion incident. "It's not over."
Jill feels a lump form in her throat. Ever since that day, Chris has been fighting all by himself. Not even telling her. But does she want to be a part of this? She wants to break out. She needs a way out.
Jill looks into Chris' eyes and wonders if she wants that same look for herself. Dedicate herself to take down Umbrella. Jill shakes her head. "I'm sorry Chris."
The young marksman stares at Jill for a few seconds before he lowers his gaze.
"Chris, you need to let this go. Look what it's doing to you." Jill says with pain in her voice. "No one believes us. And you've changed so much. I barely recognize you! You punched Elran for spilling coffee!" She shakes her head. "I think this is getting to your head. What can we do?!"
"Jill?" The look that Chris gives Jill is enough to make the young woman feel like she just kicked a puppy. "I can't just let their deaths be in vain. Umbrella has to pay for what they did. We need to stop them. We know what happened-" Chris says, his voice lowered. "Bravo team lost. Barry and the way he was used. How Wesker used us for his own selfish experimentation… Umbrella." The name rolls off Chris' tongue like poison. "They did this. They are the one's who started this. And I have to stop them."
Jill shakes her head. "I don't know if I can, Chris. The nightmares, I can't sleep! I hear them, Chris. Zombies eating people and the screams of my teammates dying! I hear them!" Jill sees the look that flashes over Chris' eyes. His eyes telling her that he hears them too. He sees those dead bodies. She's not the only one.
"Chris you can't continue this way. Look at you. You're wasting away. You're not sleeping, and you're not eating."
"Because Umbrella hasn't been stopped." The words make Jill freeze. "Jill, I understand if you don't want to fight along with me. But please don't tell me to stop." Chris let's the papers on his hands fall to the floor, as he grabs both of Jill's small hands. "I have to do this. I just can't let this continue."
Jill feels her face grow hot as tears blind her vision. She doesn't shed them, she can't. When she's with Chris, she can allow that part to show, knowing he will be there with her. And if the time comes and she does end up shedding her tears, she knows Chris will be there to pick them up.
"Jill."
The lockpicker shakes her head, not wanting to answer. It feels like to much, she doesn't want to go down that road. She's scared to see what will happen. But she's also scared to know what could happen to Chris… the man is reckless, and can be lead blindly by his emotions. Jill's scared he'll kill himself...
"It will be hard without you. But I won't force you to do this. Jill…"
"-Chris, please. Don't…" Jill whispers, holding tighter to Chris' supporting hands. She doesn't want to answer. She's either choosing to save herself or to fight with Chris.
"Jill… are you coming with me?"
Jill finds herself answering the question before her mind can even make a decision, she's shaking her head. Is she denying Chris? She won't go with him? She's staying here? Who is she saying no to?
"It's fine Jill." She hears him reassure, bringing her in for a tight hug. "I know it's hard. Just take care, ok?" Jill feels her breath hitch, Chris' now thin arms around her. Jill can feel his erratic heartbeat underneath his bony chest. He's just as scared….
Jill pulls back with more force than she wanted. "No you idiot. I'm saying no to myself. I'm not staying here. I'm going wherever you go."
Chris' eyes widen. "Jill, you don't hav-"
"Don't." She interrupts him again. "Don't. I've made up my mind. I'm not letting them get away with this Chris. We'll fight! We won't stop until they are stopped. You'll need me and I'll be there Chris."
Chris smiles, his face not seeming so hollow anymore. Jill's voice brings his eyes back to hers and Jill can find what little of Chris remain surface. Little does she know how much more Chris would change after the years of fighting and losing so much to those monsters...her own life included in that suffering.
"Promise me one thing." Jill holds tightly to Chris' hands.
Chris nods. "Yeah, anything, Jill."
"You won't fight alone. Not like this. You'll try to include me. I don't like what it's done to you. And if I can help in my own way, I will. Chris, promise me."
The young marksman takes a while to answer, as if he can't decide if to agree or just go against Jill's words, but in the end he nods his head. "Yeah, Jill. I'll try."
Jill smiles, feeling relief course through her veins.
"It's late." Chris steps back, releasing Jill's hands, feeling his cheeks flare slightly at having been holding her hand for such a long time. He's never held her hand that long. Maybe something brief, but nothing like this. "Do you want to spend the night?"
Jill nods. "Yeah, only a guy like you would invite a girl over at midnight and talk about work." She says with a small laugh. For the first time since the mansion incident finding her laughter. Maybe because now they are going to do something about it. And she will be a part of it.
"Are you sleepy?" Jill finds herself asking Chris. Seeing the young marksman shake his head, Jill nods. "Let's start planning."
Chris grins, "Yeah."
In the end, Chris went ahead to Europe. Barry went to Canada to relocate his family and promised to meet up with us. As for me, I stayed behind. I needed to do my part. There are research facility, Raccoon City being so closely connected to Umbrella... and I am going to find out more information to bring them down. In a month or so I will be meeting Chris again. And when we do…
It will be the fall of Umbrella.
Thank you for reading!