Tangles in the blood

"Mother's home!" Jill smiled. She went to the window and tossed down the rope ladder. "Good morning, Mother!" Jill greeted as Excella reached the window.

"Good Morning, my flower," Excella smiled, stepping into the room.

"Mom, I was wondering-"

"Darling, I'm sorry to ask you so early in the morning, but could I have another dose of your blood?"

"Of course!" Jill rushed over to the drawer of the dresser. From it, she took out a large needle. She carefully slipped the point of the needle into the crook of her elbow and drew out the normal amount of ccs of blood. She switched the needle with a new one and took Excella's arm.

As she injected the scarlet cure into her mother's arm, she sang in a quiet voice. "Let blood refuse to flow... Reverse the pull of time... Whisper 'til the hurt, undoes and rewinds." She paused, took a breath and continued. "Fight back the cruel disease... Prove wrong the retched crime... Whisper 'til the hurt undoes and rewinds..."

Excella sighed as a cool sense of relief flooded over her. The disease was about to lose the war that it had begun to wage on her eighteen years earlier. It wouldn't be much longer before she no longer needed Jill's blood to survive.

"Mother, I was wondering if I could ask you something..." Jill started slowly.

"What is it, my flower?"

"Umm... I was wondering, Mother. Tomorrow, well, as you know, is... My birthday!" Jill smiled nervously before going on. "And I was hoping that you might... Bring me to see the floating lights..." Jill spoke the last of her words in an inaudible voice.

"Darling, don't mumble! You know how annoying that is," Excella spoke as she rolled her eyes.

"I said, I was hoping you would bring me to see the floating lights..." Jill repeated.

Excella was caught off guard. "The stars? You want to go outside? ...Why, Jill?" She stood and gave her daughter a contemplating look. "I've explained why we stay up here."

"I know, but-"

"We're safe up here! You're fragile, darling. But I guess I always knew you'd want to leave someday..." Excella put a hand to her cheek, faking concern. "Maybe you can go soon, but not as of yet!"

"But-"

"Shh! Trust me, pet. Mother knows best. Listen to me, darling. There are horrible things out there!" With one swift movement, the maternal figure closed the curtains, making it quite a bit darker. "So many horrible things! Men only want to hurt you! And there are poisonous snakes, sicknesses, and so much more!" Excella frowned as she acted out each calamity that could befall her adopted child.

"Mother, I-" Jill was cut off again.

"No, Jill. I'm sorry, but you cannot go out. And promise me something."

Jill looked up at her mother, blue eyes meeting hazel. "Yes..."

"Never ask me if you can leave the tower again."

"I promise, Mother..."

"Good. I love you, dear."

"I love you more."

"I love you the most." Excella kissed her child's forehead before going over to the window and descending the ladder. Once at the bottom, she called back up, "See you in a bit, my flower!" and dissapeared into the ivy covering the valley's entrance.


"Shit, shit, shit..." Chris thought as he dodged behind a hallow tree. "Where the hell is my team?"

"I know you're out there, Redfield!" he heard Wesker, a renowned thief and murder, call out.

Chris swore again. He wasn't quite sure what he could do to avoid his enemy. For all he knew, his team was dead, and no one liable was nearby. He took the crossbow off of his back and tied one end of a rope to it. The other end of the rope was tied around a small tree. He shot the arrow across the path so it lodged into a large oak. He braced himself, stood from the shelter of the log and yelled. "Over here, Wesker!"

Before he could turn to run, an arrow pierced into his shoulder. With a jerk, he broke off the shaft and with one hand over the injury, he ran. Wesker followed after him on horseback, unaware of the rope extended between the two trees. As his horse, Cerberous, rocketed underneath the rope, Wesker was clotheslined off.

Chris continued running, now being chased by the vicious horse alone. It whinnied, closing in on him. Before he had time to realize it, there was a lack of ground beneath Chris' feet. He tumbled down the cliff, the horse following behind. He went one way, the horse another.

"Gah!" Chris hit the ground hard. Blood continued to pour out of his injured shoulder, so he slipped behind some ivy vines to bandage it. He managed to get the arrow head out with the tip of his knife. He bandaged it and pulled his shirt sleeve down over the gauze.

A whinny caught his attention. "Dammit..." He slunk back into the cave like area that had been behind the ivy to find an open valley on the other side. In the very center, there was a large tower.

"Whoa..." He gazed up at the tower in wonder. There was another whinny in the distance, so without another moment's hesitation, he began to climb the wall of the seemingly abandoned rook-like structure.

It took him only minutes to reach the window and slip inside. Just as he was about to breath a sigh of relief, his arm was jerked behind his back and he landed hard on the floor. He struggled to push himself back up and look at his attacker. The person in question was hidden in the shadows. She stepped foreward. Her hair was about halfway down her back and her eyes were a piercing crystal blue. She wore a simple blue dress with a few designs on the short sleeves.

She spoke. "Who are you?"