The woman continued walking through the city, shooting zombies here and there and trying to find a police station. She had tried contacting the mysterious woman through the radio but had no luck.
Claire cut through a park, which was surprisingly serene. There were several benches, a large jungle-gym and two swing sets; although the seats had been removed due to the weather. A fountain was situated by a small building, apparently restrooms. When she thought she could take a small break, rustling came from a nearby bush. She immediately raised her gun and aimed at it.
A Husky emerged from the bushes, panting rapidly and looking agitated. She could see no signs of infection on the creature, but took several steps back as a precaution.
"Akino!" a male voice called, "Akino come back!"
Both Claire and the Husky turned to see a muscular man coming their way. He looked rather rugged, having his face covered with sideburns, a mustache and beard, and his blue eyes were dark, perhaps having seen too many things in his day. His brows were narrowed as he approached his animal companion. His eyes shifted focus from his Husky to the woman in front of him.
"Another survivor?" he asked in disbelief.
Claire let out a sigh of relief.
"Finally, I'm glad to meet up with an actual person," she said. "My name's Claire. I'm a member of the BSAA."
She stuck out her hand for him to shake. He looked hesitant at first, but grasped it.
"My name's David," he greeted. "I see you've already met my friend Akino."
"I have," she said with a smile, shifting her focus briefly to the Husky. She looked back at David. "Do you know where the police station is? I've been looking for it for a while."
"Yeah, the DPD is near the city hall. That's on the other side of town. I can take you there if you like."
"Thanks," Claire said, "But I think maybe we should try to find other survivors first."
The man sighed.
"Very well then. I suppose maybe we could just meet up there after we're done. Do you need any ammo?"
"I think I'm good," Claire answered as she patted her side-pack. "Alright then, I'll see you later."
"Hopefully," the man muttered as he grabbed onto his pet's collar. "Come on Akino."
Claire watched David and his animal head to the west. She hated to separate from them, but she knew it would eat up less time if they split up to do their search. She remembered how the government had eradicated Raccoon City after its outbreak. She figured this town would more than likely suffer the same fate.
The woman finished walking through the park and brushed by some houses. The lights were out; suggesting that whoever had been there had already left. As she continued walking she heard a helicopter far above her. She held her breath, hoping it was somebody sending in reinforcements. Perhaps the woman on the radio had called for help. She looked above to try and see it.
Lights shone from high above. Claire began waving her arms desperately to try and gain attention.
"Hey! Down here!" she called.
The chopper continued moving along, flying right by her. Her stomach knotted as she watched it fade in the distance. Something hanging from the bottom of the chopper caught her eye: a large orange cylinder. She watched in horror and disbelief as it fell to the ground, sounding out a crash that pierced the air. Claire knew then that the chopper hadn't come to rescue her—it had come to condemn her.
As Claire loaded her gun, she realized that the outbreak could not have been an accident. What she couldn't figure out though was why the T-Virus was leaked, of all things. From Leon and Chris' accounts the Las Plagas made for far superior creatures that could be easily controlled. It would not be in the best interest of whoever was in charge to have people turned into zombies; unless they were simply trying to cause mass destruction.
Claire had reached a dilemma: should she continue trying to find other survivors, or, should she try to head to the police station as soon as possible? She then realized that David was still wandering around. If she didn't warn him…
She decided to try and find David. As much as she wanted to reach the police department to try and find Chris she just couldn't stand by and let a man possibly become victim to some bio weapon. She began running around calling his name.
"David!" she yelled as she ran around. "Akino!"
Even if the man didn't hear her, there was a greater chance that his animal companion would. Hopefully if the creature did come upon him the animal would be able to sense it and warn him beforehand.
As she continued running she came across several more zombies. She tried to shoot without getting bit, but failed. A zombie had broken the flesh on her arm. She tried jerking her arm away but it was surprisingly hard. After struggling and kicking she managed to get it off and shot it in the head. After killing that one she finished off the other four. Having been bit before she knew exactly what to do. Pulling a can of first aid spray from her side pack she sprayed it on the wound. It would kill off the virus in its early stage, but if she'd waited too long before seeking treatment then no spray or herb would do any good.
She resumed walking through the downtown area trying to find the other survivor. The area didn't seem to have zombies at the moment, but the area was still a wreck. She stopped for a moment, feeling vibrations on the ground, as though something were approaching her. They seemed far too heavy to be a person. Upon this realization her heart skipped a beat, and then began pounding. She slowly turned around to see a large green creature with purple veins sticking out of it. It wore a grey trench coat and had big claws. The creature let out a growl and started charging towards her.
Claire immediately raised her gun and started shooting, but the bullets seemed to have no effect on the large creature. She cursed under her breath and started running. She hoped that she could somehow kill the monster, or at least get it off her trail.
The Redfield woman continued running through the downtown district until she spotted a gun store. She immediately rushed to it, praying that the door wouldn't be locked. To her luck, it wasn't. Claire slammed the door behind her and locked it. The creature pounded on it and broke the glass, but couldn't seem to get past the metal bars. Claire used this time to flip on the light switch and look around.
The shop had papers scattered about and some chairs and shelves knocked over. Guns and ammo were missing, though there were a few left. The scene made it clear that people had managed to get weapons at the last minute, which raised Claire's hopes of there being survivors. Claire approached a shelf and grabbed the only weapon left that seemed worthwhile: a shotgun.
While she grabbed the gun and some shells the banging against the door stopped. She looked back to see purple tentacles wrapped around the bars, trying to pull on them. She let out a gasp and ran for the back entrance; doing so just in time for the front door to be ripped off its hinges. Claire ran through the back alley and through the back of another building, hoping that the new nemesis wouldn't find her.
A/N: As of yet no real explanation has been given as to how the herbs and sprays prevent zombification, but I gave the only logical conclusion that I could come to. I just find it funny that you can get bit in the games and not turn into a zombie (except for the Outbreak games). Let me know what you think so far.