All of Raccoon City, or what was left of it, splayed out in front of her like a map. Pillars of smoke billowed from various parts of the city as the fires that still smoldered, uncontained, lit up city. Despite the numerous undead that she knew littered the broken city, it was eerily quiet and, no pun intended, deathly still. The single road that leads to and from the city nestled in the valley crested over the tip of the valley wall before snaking its way into the horizon, shadowed like the death that plagued it. A crimson tide washed over the sky behind a lone figure as it rested on that crest, facing the city; a motorcycle was propped on the kickstand as a lithe frame leaned against it, arms folded over a red vest and a grey T-shirt. Mussed red hair buffeted past her face, gently caressing soft skin as it wisped past; it was unkempt and long, pushing past her shoulder blades and in desperate need of a trim. As the sunrise finally capped the skyline, the sky was thrown into a brilliant array of colors; red framed the sun like a halo, faded to light pink, then to a lush shade of purple that tinted the underbellies of the clouds before blending into the still navy blue atmosphere. A cool breeze swept through the forest as if the sun had awoken the sleeping earth and the redheaded woman looked up with a dark sigh of defeat.
Two months had passed since the T-Virus had leaked through what was later to be discovered as Raccoon City. Perhaps she wouldn't have felt the knife of guilt dig so deep had it been somewhere else, but Raccoon City was her birth place, and she felt betrayed that she had grown up with this abomination under her nose. Albeit she wasn't a current resident of Raccoon City at the time, she still felt like the culprit. And her brother, and Jill and Rain, had been here when it happened. Hell, Rain worked for the company that did this. The redhead, despite all the other wild ideas of blame she'd pressed on her shoulders, couldn't even fathom someone like Rain intentionally working for a company capable of such things. Along with Chris, she had no clue where Rain was or if she was even alive; the singular thought of either of them being dead sending shivers of despair down her spine and her heart clench painfully in her chest. Her head hung forward and her gaze rested on her feet, silence engulfing her steady breathing and plunging her into a sense of nothing but herself.
Then the thick silence was disturbed by a hollow moan, hazed and distant but growing closer. Her head snapped upwards and narrowed eyes surveyed the road in front of her. In the distance she could see movement, much too quick to be zombie, and a blur of white as the thing darted out of view. She straightened out, hand hooding her eyes from the sun as she watched, with horror, as a dozen undead scrambled from out of nowhere in pursuit. Cursing, Claire turned back to her bike and swung a leg over it, simultaneously un-propping the kick stand and turning the key; the roar of the engine rumbling to life and only growling louder when skilled hands teased the throttle. Green eyes roamed the street in front of her once more, waiting with the engine humming in the background of her senses. That is, until something, or someone, was clambering on the back of the bike and the vehicle sagged at the new weight. Strong arms circled her waist and she saw a flash of blonde, but a simple word being commanded into her ear was all it took to jerk her form her surprise and into action. Her hand shot forward and the bike lurched into motion, the end fishtailing to the right and tilting them dangerously on the left edge of the wheel before the redhead leaned the other way, balanced them out and straightened the bike as she drove herself, and the blonde –girl? –away from Raccoon City. Iridescent green eyes cast behind her just in time to catch the undead that had finally caught up to their now missed prey. When they rounded the corner and the grotesque shells of once-alive-and-well humans were lost to sight, she turned her gaze to her passenger.
"I'm Alice." The woman greeted, eyes never leaving the road in front of them, though she knew Claire was examining her.
The redhead paused, gave a sigh and turned back around. "Claire." She returned, too tired to ask the questions she had on her mind. Instead, she found herself thinking of Chris and Rain, as she always did. It had been two months since she had seen them. The rumored date of outbreak was two days after their visit to Docks, to which Claire had left town the day after; after a night spent in the warm arms of a certain Latina goddess. She sighed fondly, blinking away the thoughts before they consumed her with grief. Only then did she realize she had no clue where she was taking them just that it was away from Raccoon City.
"Where are we going?"
"Anywhere."
Nothing more was said for the hours that followed; the sun well into the sky by the time they neared a remote town to bunk down in for the night. The old motel was as nondescript as the rest of the town. The "Old Lodge and Inn" sign had been worn away to a hardly legible mess of letters, and the clunker of a car that used to belong to the Motel owner was just as battered. The Harley came to a stop outside of the lobby entrance and Claire was about to get off and fetch the key when Alice was already at the door and walking inside. A sigh trembled from her lips and she surveyed the parking lot as she waited. The next second, Alice was back at her side with a key dangling in her hand. "Room 3B" she informed, nodding her head to the left where the single row of rooms lay. Three doors form the lobby and both girls entered the small one bed, one bathroom room.
"I'll take couch." Claire looked up to the blonde, who was already settling into the uncomfortable-looking grey couch. Not one to argue for less, the redhead settled onto the bed.
"What were you doing in Raccoon City?" The question is out of Claire's mouth with a tone that offered a command, but the lilt that came from her exhaustion weakening it to a simple, grumpy phrase.
"I worked for Umbrella."
Red hair flew around tensed shoulders as wide eyes settled on the blonde who was curled into a ball against the armrest –knees drawn to her chest and arms wrapped tightly around them. "Umbrella? Do you happen to know Rain Ocampo? About this tall, "she motioned to the area just by her shoulder, "Latina, brunette, a total bitch if you ever met one?" A fond smile tugged at her lips, but the full extent was never seen.
The look on Alice's face was enough to send a cry of grief to her throat as despair flooded her; the look of pain, regret and sorrow marring the normally blank expression of the blondes face. "Rain is dead." She replied, voice hollow of the emotions on her face. She sounded tired; almost strained.
Weak knees sent the redhead onto the bed with a creak of the springs from her sudden weight. Dry sobs wracked her body as she buried her face in her hands, "Oh god." She didn't shift from the body that was suddenly next to her, nor the –what she supposed was supposed to be comforting- hand rubbing her back.
The metal clink of keys hitting the wooden table resonated in the small apartment. The lights flickered on just as Rain shut the door behind her. "Home sweet home." She commented, chuckling softly. Claire glanced around the living room-slash-kitchenette and laughed.
"It's quaint! I like it." She turned to face the Latina as Rain shrugged off her jacket and hung it on the coat rack. She then stopped just in front of Claire and smiled.
"Yea? I like it alright." A hand was held towards the redhead and Claire looked at it for a moment before laughing and taking her coat to hand off.
"So cordial." She teased, watching her hang it as well and then return. A hand grasped hers and tugged her to the couch. "Oh, I don't even get the honor of your bed?"The redhead couldn't help but chuckle at Rain's light blush.
"Shut up. I wasn't even going to do that. I have a uh…rule."The Latina gave a sheepish smile as she laced their fingers between them. A curious eyebrow rose in response as Claire could only guess what the brunette was going to say next. At first, Rain paused, seemingly embarrassed by it before she shrugged lamely. "It's no sex…" The second eyebrow rose to meet the first on Claire's face, "On the first date." A silent 'oh' of understanding passed over her face.
"That's very…gentlemanly of you." Despite the disappointment of not getting laid like she had expected, the unexpected development was almost a relief and a trait she suddenly found endearing. She paused with a look of contemplation before a mischievous smirk tilted the corners of her lips. "Doesn't mean we can't at least make out, right?"
A coy smile was returned to her and a low chuckle rumbled from Rain's chest as she leaned forward to capture soft lips. "No."
Puffy eyes lifted from her palms to stare blankly ahead of her. "She meant a lot to you?" Alice's voice finally broke the silence. Claire nodded lightly and sighed, combing her fingers through her mussed hair. "I'm…sorry. Rain was a great soldier, and she died with honor." The lie that crept passed the blonde's lips, unbeknownst to Claire, dug the knife of guilt even further into Alice's chest. "She died like a soldier, doing what she knew was right."
Claire shrugged out of the hand on her shoulder and stood up with a snarl. "She wasn't just a soldier." She turned to face the blonde in anger. "She was my," she paused for only a split second, "Friend." She dropped off with a sigh of defeat and shook her head. "I didn't even get to say goodbye." She collapsed onto the couch and mirrored the position Alice was in only moments ago. Alice watched the redhead for a moment before her gaze dropped.
"We should get to sleep. We have to get moving by sunset."