Chapter 3: Blood in the Snow
Chris was glaring at the two women who were giggling their heads off. "I don't see how you two find this amusing!"
"Chris, it's just ice skating!" Jill exclaimed.
"Ya…it's skating, you know…on ice."
Chris's legs were wobbly on the ice, and he held onto the railing of the outside ice skating rink. Claire was standing just fine on the ice. And even Jill had the audacity to stand on one leg so she could fix tongue of her other ice skate. The rink was moderately full, but not near as what it usually was. They had plenty of room to skate around; meaning Chris had plenty of room to crash.
"If the guys see me doing this than I am a dead man!" Chris huffed. "How the hell did you two talk me into this?"
"Because," Jill stated. "You said you would ice skate with us if we were to go over to Barry's house with the guys to watch the football game."
"Which we would have gone anyways," Claire chuckled.
"Don't be such a baby, Chris! Look, I know you have more balance than that!" Jill chuckled.
Claire elbowed Jill, and then leaned over to whisper in her ear. Chris found this disturbing and glared at the two women. He especially hated how that sly smirk curled on his partner's face. He held onto the railing more tightly.
"Don't even think about it!"
Claire and Jill grabbed Chris, forcing him to let go of the railing and then shoved him. Chris looked like a deer caught on ice, legs rapidly moving to catch his balance with arms waving about. He was yelling something, but Claire and Jill were too busy laughing. Finally, Chris was able to get a hold of his balance and was working at getting himself to go without face planting first into the ground.
"Whoo! I'm doing it!" Chris laughed.
"They grow up so fast," Jill chuckled.
Claire and Jill started skating as well, staying behind Chris to watch him in case he fell. Raccoon City Park looked so beautiful with all of the snow lining the ground and trees. Outside of the rink, kids were making snowmen and snow angels while parents watched on in delight. There were even a few families decking it out with a snowball fight.
"So, I was supposed to be sneaky about this, but I know it won't do any good. So I am just going to ask. What do you want for Christmas so Chris can get it for you?"
Jill laughed, shaking her head. "He doesn't have to get me anything."
"Oh, but he does so badly. Please tell me so he can stop bothering me about it."
Jill seemed to think about it for a moment. "Well, how bout something practical like a new toaster or something?"
Claire glared at her. "A toaster? Are you insane? Who wants a toaster for Christmas?"
Jill shrugged. "I really wouldn't want Chris spending any kind of money on me."
"How about that really nice coat back in that shop we checked out earlier?"
"No way! That thing was like $400!"
"Yeah," Claire sighed. "You're right…Hmm…how about a hat? You like hats!"
"A hat sound simple, cheap, and easy. I'm all for it!"
Claire laughed. "Glad that's over with! So, do you need my help in deciding what you are going to get for Chris?"
"Nah, I bought his like a month ago."
"What? Really? What is it?"
"Well, I went to Robert Kendo's gun shop and had him customize a brand new issue Samurai Edge because his old one got blown up."
Claire gave a baffled look. "Blown…up?"
"Yeah, some bank robber we were trying to apprehend blew up one of the STARS vehicles with a damn grenade. Chris was using a scoped rifle at the time trying to figure out if there were anymore hostages. Everything turned out good in the end, but he sure was upset that his Samurai Edge was gone. It was the gun he won that last marksmanship trophy with. He's been using an old Glock instead for awhile."
"Wow, he never told me about that. So how much did that cost?"
Jill looked away, mumbling. "Oh, not important."
"Jill!"
"Alright! It cost me $480."
Claire glared at her friend. "I'm totally telling him to buy you that coat and a hat."
"You better not! Don't tell him the gun cost that much. I'm gonna lie and say that Wesker made Irons issue him a new one."
"And what if Chris asks Wesker for that story?"
Jill bit her lip. "I…uhh…I'll tell Wesker to go along with it! Besides, Chris wouldn't dare ask the captain for the truth!"
"Maybe so," Claire sighed. "But if you go with that story, that would make Chris think it wasn't a Christmas gift from you. He would think it was a Christmas gift from Wesker…sort of."
Jill slumped her shoulders. "Yeah, you're right. I suck at coming up with stories."
"Alright, I won't say anything about the gun. But don't be surprised if Chris buys you something just as expensive."
"Fine."
"Hey, kiddo! Check this out!" Chris laughed. He was skating on one foot, grinning.
"He called me a kiddo…how embarrassing," Claire sighed.
Jill cupped her hands over her mouth, her breath coming out in white puffs. "Pretty soon you'll be an ice skating champ, Christopher!"
"Don't call me that!"
"Why does he hate his full name so much?" Jill giggled.
"I have no idea."
They heard Chris yelp, and then a crash echoed. They saw Chris slowly sliding across the ice on his stomach, arms and legs extended out. Claire and Jill skated over to him while laughing and helped him to his feet.
"I think that is enough ice skating for one day," Chris said, feeling his lip with a finger. "I think I bit my lip!"
"Alright, we better leave anyways if we are going to get over to Barry's in time for the game," Claire replied.
Barry's house was full of snacks, good food, drinks, and off course friends. Claire and Jill talked with Barry's wife Kathy. Barry had just come down from upstairs putting his two daughters, Moira and Polly, into bed for the night. Claire wasn't surprised to see a few of their STARS teammates coming over on their night off as well to enjoy the game and company. It looked as though Joseph Frost, Forest Speyer, and Richard Aiken were going to be the only ones showing up besides Chris and Jill. Claire was sure the rest of the STARS were working.
The guys got a little rowdy at first until Barry slapped Joseph with a rolled up newspaper and told them to keep it down. However when the home team scored their first touchdown, that didn't stop any of the men, including Barry, to jump to their feet and cheer.
Kathy rolled her eyes, the women watching the game on and off while they visited and snacked. The game lasted a couple hours, and the men rejoiced as their home team won the game, clanking beer bottles together. By the time Chris and Claire got to Chris's house, she was beat. And she hardly did any cheering. The siblings decided to go on to bed, seeing as how Chris was going back to work in the morning, and Claire was going to have to take him in because Jill was going in earlier.
They got up early enough to have breakfast downtown before Claire dropped her brother off at the precinct.
"Be careful if you go anywhere. We are supposed to get more snow later," Chris said.
"Alright. I think I am gonna head up to the hike trails and run a mile before going home. I feel fat from all that good food last night."
Chris rolled his eyes. "You women. I highly doubt that high fat snacks and desserts will make you fat."
"Are you being a smartass?"
"I sure am, sis! Just be careful, okay? It's still pretty early. At least the sun is starting to come up. I don't want you there while it is dark. You never know about there being crazies around there at this time."
It was Claire's turn to roll her eyes. "Chris, how many times do we take the Arklay Hiking Trail for a run? We've never bumped into weirdoes before. I guarantee you it will only be that old couple Mr. and Mrs. Willow and some of those good looking track guys at this time."
"Good looking track guys? Now wait just a damn minute I-"
"Oh c'mon, Chris I was just joking. I knew you would freak out as soon as I mentioned hot guys!"
Chris glared at her. "I am gonna give you an hour and a half to get there, run your mile, and get home before I call you…just to be sure! I don't want anything happening to you, sis!"
"Alright, alright. I'll be fine. I'm just running the small scenic trail, sheesh."
"You can always run a mile around my house, you know."
"I would look like an idiot running around a house."
"Fine. Go. Remember! Hour and a half!"
"Yes, sir!" Claire stated sarcastically, sticking her tongue out at him.
She drove the Dodge Ram out of the parking lot of the police station, turning onto Main Street and driving for the edge of town. The sun was already starting to rise, even though it did nothing to warm the cold outside. The run would do her good, considering she had been lazy since arriving here to live with Chris on her winter break and not keeping up with her exercises.
Claire rolled the truck to a park in the parking area of the hiking trails. She climbed out, bundling up in her hoodie and gloves. She took a good look around. The snow had transformed the forest into a winter wonderland. And though Claire was more of a spring person, loving the life that sprouted and thrived in its beauty when it came, she had to admit that the snow made everything seem mystical. She was surprised to see other cars here. In this cold, only the determined came out here to walk or run the trails.
She raised her eyebrows at the three cars that were parked with the truck. There was a brand new black Jaguar XK8 that completely caught her interest. It wasn't a typical car of the average person who lived in Raccoon City. Whoever owned this car had a lot of money. The other two cars were not near as stunning as the Jaguar, but also were high dollar luxery cars. There was a silver BMW M3 sedan, as well as a dark green Mercedes-Benz S320. The luxury cars were mostly clean save for some dirty snow and mud caked up under the fenders and leaving light splashes along the sides.
Well, it looks as though we got some rich buddies going for a stroll. I hope one of them is good looking!
She laughed inwardly at her own joke, shaking her head and moving on. She was sure whoever owned these cars were not her type and were probably much older. Claire picked the trail that she and Chris would go on all the time, wondering how the snow and ice have changed its beautiful scenery that she remembers well in the spring and summer. She pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail, throwing her hood over head to protect her ears and did a few warm up exercises before starting to jog along the trail.
She was thoroughly enjoying the experience, feeling the sharp cold hit her lungs as she jogged along and was astonished by the winter's portrayal in the surrounding forest. As she began jogging, she could see some winter birds playing and tweeting not far from the trail. Claire had to be careful of the snow covered trail, careful not to slip from it. She even saw some squirrels flicking their tails and hiding as she jogged past. A red fox that had been watching the snow for a mouse perked up at her and vanished into the woods. Far from the trail, barely visible to her eyes, Claire saw a herd of deer and slowed to a stop to watch them. The does were eating the bark from the tree, and a couple even had fawns with them. Two bucks turned their heads towards her, mouths moving as they chewed and tails flicking.
I wish I had my camera!
Suddenly, the deer turned and fled. Disappointed, Claire carried on, though she decided to walk for a bit to further enjoy the wildlife that seemed so vibrant right now. But as she got further along the trail, she noticed that it became deathly silent. There was no life whatsoever out here anymore. This alone made Claire's nerves twitch. It wasn't long before she started getting this feeling in her chest that she needed to turn back. Something wasn't right at all, and she suddenly remembered the three cars she had parked by.
I should have seen somebody by now…
She came to a halt, looking all around her, that feeling in her chest getting worse. Something bright and red caught her peripheral sight, and Claire looked down onto the snow covered trail. Not even a foot away from her boot was a quarter-sized blood pile. The sight of the blood itself was enough to make hers curdle. She now noticed the other flecks of blood, and even a trail. The dark red spots had melted the snow into a thick syrup-like substance.
Did somebody get hurt?
She jumped when a loud, male cry echoed out across the forest. Claire swallowed hard, moving on slowly. Something was telling her to turn back and flee, but her heart told her she had to make sure she wasn't leaving anyone that was hurt or dying by themselves.
The snow crunched quietly below her boots as she slowly walked the trail, following the blood drops. She started to hear voices, and quickly went off the trail to get behind a large oak tree. She took a deep breath, looking around the trunk to peer out into the opening.
She could see a man, maybe in his forties, with graying five o'clock shadow on his knees wincing in pain. She could see blood staining his shirt, and figured the blood on the trail came from him. Claire pulse rose as she realized the man's arms were tied behind his back. Claire decided to look to the other two men who were standing in the opening with the bleeding man.
One of the men was thin, handsome, and looked to be in his early thirties with brown hair, green eyes, and five o'clock shadow. He was wearing a lab coat with some slacks and shirt, and so Claire couldn't tell if he was a doctor or a scientist. The other man was one she recognized all too well. Her heart shot into her throat as she recognized Albert Wesker, who was aiming a gun at the bleeding man.
What the hell?
The scientist with Wesker stretched, yawning as if he was bored. "C'mon, Finley, we don't have all day."
"Fuck you, William. I'm not telling you two anything!"
"You had a contract, Mr. Finley. Does that not mean you are obliged to tell us what you know?" Wesker inquired coolly. He was wearing his STARS captain uniform, further confusing Claire as she hid behind the tree.
"Yeah, I did have a contract. But not to you, Albert! Just because you killed Crawford doesn't mean I have to answer to you."
"Well, that's too bad," William stated. "I guess that means we are going to have to resort to other measures, isn't that right, Al?"
"You two are fucking insane! I thought we were meeting here to exchange information on Spencer's plans! I didn't do anything!"
"On the contrary," Wesker interrupted. "You informed a different party about the plans for the Tyrant Project, just for more cash. That is quite a low blow to not only Umbrella, but to our plans as well."
"You have no proof," Finley spat, blood coming out of his lips.
"William, how about we head over to Finley's house to dispose of his family and make him out to be the killer who shot himself?"
"You always come up with the best plans, Albert."
"Wait! Not my family! I swear I did nothing to betray Spencer! Unlike you two wolves who bite the hands that feed you! I'll tell you everything; just leave my family out of this!"
"Then where are the disks?" Wesker asked. He still kept his handgun aimed at Finley.
Finley took a deep breath, letting out as his body seemed to give in. "At the Training Facility. S-Steve Morgan has them."
"I would have never of guessed," William snorted. "Not surprised that you are tattling on someone else though, Fin."
"Am I free to go now? You guys have what you want!"
"Of course, Finley. You did so well giving in to us," Wesker chuckled.
"I am?" Finley gasped.
"He is?" William grunted.
"Oh, thank you so much, Wesker! I'll be sure to keep quiet about this! Anything to protect my family!"
"Once a snitch, always a snitch," Wesker sighed, pulling the trigger.
Claire almost screamed when she saw Finley's head explode, and the body fell limp to the ground with blood gushing out into the snow.
"You made a mess…again," William sighed.
"I'm running late, William. I'll call Sergei and make him send a group out here to clean everything up and dispose of Finley's car."
"Fine. Next time, let's try somewhere a bit more private. Someone could have been walking the trail, ya know?"
"We weren't expecting Finley to pull a gun on us, now did we? This did not go according to plan. He has been in contact with somebody other than Crawford. We should look more into this," Wesker explained.
"Agreed," William replied, kicking Finley's limp leg. "What a chump."
Claire slipped behind the tree again, her heart pounding to the point of breaking out of her chest. They were heading back to their cars! There was no way Claire could get back to the truck and leave before they saw her. And she knew Wesker would recognize Chris's truck. She was in a very bad position. She couldn't believe that Wesker, the Captain of the STARS force and one of Raccoon City's Finest, was a dirty cop.
They were talking about something big, she knew. Umbrella rang a bell in her head. Easily enough, it would anybody. The Umbrella Corporation was the biggest pharmaceutical company in the world, and had actually played a big part in the building of Raccoon City. Besides that, between the pharmacies and researchers working within the Umbrella branch right in the city, it gave more than 25,000 jobs for Raccoon alone.
Claire was desperately thinking on what to do. She couldn't make a run for it without them hearing and seeing her. Wesker obviously had a gun and was not afraid to use it. If she remained in hiding, Wesker would recognize Chris's Dodge, and would either be back on the trail to hunt her down, or heading back to the police station to confront Chris and possibly lead him into a trap like they did with this poor fellow here. At this point, Claire had no idea what Wesker was capable of. She always heard that he was one of the most honored and respected men at the precinct. Now it seemed he was a two-faced traitor that used his position in law to his advantage.
"Wait a minute. Look at these shoe prints, Albert!"
William's statement made Claire freeze. She dared not looked around the tree to see where their position was, because they sounded right on the other side of the tree on the trail.
"Woman, size seven and a half. Interesting," Wesker commented.
You've got to be shitting me…
"Alright, little lady, come out! Don't be shy! We know you are out there!" William said, his tone friendly and almost comforting, but Claire knew better. She then heard his whisper to Wesker. "I knew this was a bad idea! We're going to get caught! I blame this on you!"
"Shh!" Wesker hissed.
They went silent, further antagonizing Claire. She was so terrified, she felt she had frozen herself in with the tree. Her mind was going a million miles a second trying to come up with a plan, and fast.
"The footsteps go towards that tree. Stay here," Wesker said.
"Yeah, better you than me," William snorted.
SHIT!
Claire could hear his footsteps heading in her direction off of the trail. She looked down, hoping to God she could find something to use as a weapon against the both of them and escape. All she saw near her feet was a rock a little bigger than her fist. She graciously bent over to grab it up, making not even a peep, though her voice wanted to crack so bad in her forced calm breaths.
She could hear Wesker nearing the tree, and so she braced herself. Maybe if she was able to knock Wesker out and take his gun, she would be able to get away. William didn't seem much of a threat, but Claire didn't want to take any chances. As Wesker came around the tree, Claire swung the rock. Wesker barely evaded it, and he grabbed her arm, twisting it around her back and slammed her into the tree. Claire yelped, already trying to fight, but he tightened the grip he had on her arm, threatening to break it, and she gave in.
"Well, well, well, this is quite a small world, wouldn't you agree, Miss Redfield?" Wesker greeted, sounding all too amused as he let her arm go and let her turn around.
Claire tried to push past him, but Wesker slammed her back into the tree and held her there. It didn't take long before William was running around to where they were to get a better look.
"You two know each other?"
"Chris Redfield's younger sister," Wesker answered simply. Those sunglasses focused on Claire once more, and his grip tightened on her. A small smirk formed on Wesker's lips, making Claire's spine freeze. "You better have a good explanation for this, dear heart. I'm just dying to know why you are here."
A/N: Oh no...It looks as though Claire has run into a small problem...okay so she is in deep doodoo right now! Alas, this poor girl is always getting herself into trouble. Sorry about the wait on this chapter. I just wanted to do a few more changes to it, and that is why it was not posted this last Sunday. And since I have been down with strep throat most of the week, today was the first day I was feeling well enough to post it! Yay for feeling better! Claire isn't feeling good right now...just saying...Lol. Thanks for being patient, peeps! And I love and thank all of you who read and review! :) It makes me feel better in my crappy sickness!