Resident Evil

Eden Project

By Marie B.

:: Third chapter: Heart-broken::

Antarctica Base

Chris Redfield was now seriously regretting that he hadn't brought warm clothes as he wandered in the cold corridors of the Umbrella Antarctic base. It was as though they didn't pay the heating fee since a long time…or maybe it was because the place was overran by infected monsters and because someone had let snow and water fill the place and freeze everything.

"I should have brought ice-skates too…" said he to himself, rubbing vigorously his arms.

The man had no idea where he was going or where he was actually. Excepting the crashed planes, he hadn't found any signs of his sister or other survivors. He didn't want to admit it, but his hopes of finding her were going down. Maybe she had already left the place. Considering the fact that zombies and other monsters, such as giant moths, were roaming in each corner of the place, it was quite dangerous to stay. However, he doubted that there was a way to escape from the base, excepting by plane.

At this hour, she could be dead frozen somewhere. He also doubted that she had brought a winter coat or anything near that sort of attire. Chances of surviving in such a hostile place were low…pretty low. And that made Chris nervous, really nervous.

And what if she didn't even make it to this place? She could have crashed somewhere else. The Antarctic was a vast land….

Chris suddenly let out a curse, shaking his head. These thoughts about possibilities were making his mind foggy. He had to concentrate. His sister was here, alive and well, and she was waiting for him to save her. He had to think that way and all his chances of finding her would go up.

The man was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice that he was heading to a warm place. There was a large court with a fountain and various plants. In front of the court was the façade of a mansion: a mansion that he had already seen.

"Déjà-vu…" he whispered heading for the main doors.

Before he could enter, a high-pitched cry echoed behind him. The man swiftly turned back, looking directly in the eyes of a Hunter. The monster confronted his gaze and growled with anticipation. Chris was stunned for a second, but when he reached for his newfound magnum, he regained his instincts of fighting.

The green beast was first to move, leaping in the air, its hideous arm and claws fully stretched and prepared to kill. The S.T.A.R.S. member didn't waste a second as he rolled on his left side, perfectly returning on his feet. The monster emitted a cry of frustration when its claws met concrete instead of warm flesh. It then turned around rapidly, smelling the air to localise its prey. When its vicious little eyes found its target, it didn't have time to react as two magnum bullets flew right through its brain.

A loud thud resonated when the corpse of the Hunter hit the floor. Chris slowly exhaled the breath he had restrained since the beginning of the battle. A large puddle of blood was now covering the neat pavement. Parts of its brain were also exposed which made the man want to vomit. Regaining his composure, he quickly looked around him, fearing that other monsters would attack him. He saw none. He then took this opportunity to enter the mysterious mansion.


It was the same. Chris had no doubt. The staircase, the decoration, the emplacement of doors: everything was identical. The man then felt as if he were returning to his past, to that summer….The first time he learned about Umbrella's conspiracies. It was in the Spencer Mansion at the outskirts of Raccoon City. That, he'd never forget.

Pushing those memories aside, he slowly took a few steps towards the staircase.

"Bang!"

Chris totally froze. A loud gunshot had echoed from his right. He then felt his heart skip a beat. Breathing was also a difficult task. Something just happened. Something bad happened. He didn't want to jump to conclusion, but he knew that it had to be something concerning his sister. She was alive, but she was in danger. He had to be quick. He had to be by her side the fastest he could.

Something was wrong. He could feel it. Something catastrophic was about to happen if he didn't make on time.

He had to be on time.

He had to be.

On time.

Time…


Time...

Claire didn't know how much of it had passed since she had started to cry uncontrollably, her arms wrapped around the body of her friend…late-friend who was now as cold as the cement beneath her. She hadn't cried like that since the death of her parents when she was five. And that surprised her. She had seen so many people die in Raccoon City and on the island, but none of these deaths affected her like she thought they would. Of course, these people were unknown to the girl, but she could have felt at least a bit more humanity towards them…

But Steve…just feeling his soft skin under her fingers and looking at his peaceful face made her shake and cry so loudly. He had been a precious help…a partner…a support…a friend…a confident…a hope. Now that he was gone, he was nothing more than an empty shell of his teenage years, a memory of the last minutes of his life. Claire, however, saw more than that. He was the proof of real loyalty, trust and braveness. His death hadn't been for nothing. He died to save her. That thought was making Claire even more miserable and heart-broken.

What was she supposed to do now? Her only companion just died and she was locked in a dark and cold place. She was trapped, defenceless…and she had lost all of her confidence and courage…she just wanted to cry, to sleep, to disappear, to die…The pain of realizing that Steve would never open his eyes, speak or just smile at her again was unbearable.

When she thought that she had cried all the tears in her body, newly fresh ones continued to torment her, whispering to her how much she was pitiful and weak. Her mind was foggy; she didn't know what to think anymore.

She was lost.

It hurt even more to think that her bother never showed up to save her. Maybe Leon didn't contact him…or maybe he came but was killed by the Umbrella creatures. Claire felt her lips tremble violently as she let out another loud sob. She couldn't be saved, could she? The old Claire who survived Raccoon City could at least try to find a way to escape, but the Claire who found her heart beating for a seventeen-year old boy didn't want to try. She was being pessimistic, yet realistic. What could she do when her only weapon was almost empty, her body beaten and bruised and her mind into a state of pure sadness and emptiness?

Nothing really…

She could wait…wait to see that crazy bitch coming in, laughing at her, and then, surely kill her or torture her even more. And that, Claire didn't want to see it. She would prefer to kill herself than to turn into a monster like what happened to Steve.

Oh, how she would have liked to have kept her promise to him: that they would escape together. But that didn't make sense anymore…he was gone to another place and she couldn't bring him back.

But…what if…

What if she would go with him? That would mean they had escaped together, wouldn't it? The girl faintly smiled as she softly caressed the boy's cheek with her hand. She would do anything to see him again, anything, even if it meant to…

The girl suddenly shook her head, wiping the never-ending tears off her eyes. That wasn't the only solution…or was it? Withdrawing from the boy's body, she rested herself on her hands, feeling something freezing near her right hand.

Her handgun…

The brunette picked up the deadly weapon and checked the ammo.

One bullet remaining…

If shot through her head, it wouldn't hurt that much, would it? It would be fast, painless and clean. She would go meet Steve and her parents wherever they were.

And her brother? He would have one more reason to get rid of that fucking corporation for once and for all.

Claire hesitated as she brought the cold weapon against her temple. Was it right? Could she do something else? Did she have any chance to survive now that she was totally alone and vulnerable? Her hand started to tremble, but when she saw once again Steve's face carrying a small smile on his lips, her decision became clear to her. Steve wouldn't die alone. Together they have survived many things, and together they would die.

That was simple, clear and surprisingly logic to her.

Her grip tightened around the gun as she wrapped her other arm around the boy's torso. Just a little more pressure and it would end everything: her tears, her pain, her misery.

She then found the courage to smile, watching for the last time Steve's handsome face. She would die with dignity, like he died for her.

"Steve…wait for me, I'm coming with you," she whispered.

A last thought resonated through her entire mind before she pressed the trigger.

Forgive me, Chris…


Claire…

Chris quickly hopped the stairs which were leading to the right door from where he heard the gunshot. As he was getting to the last steps, a beautiful woman in a purple dress appeared before him. The man instinctively backed up. Who the hell was she?

"Oh, isn't it the big brother coming to the rescue of his little sister?" the woman said, smiling.

"You're that woman that I saw back then on the island…" replied the man, clutching his hands.

"I am Alexia Ashford, future mistress of this world" she said, her smile widening.

Chris groaned. He didn't have time to chitchat with that madwoman. "Where is she?!" he roared.

"Your sister? Well, she must have felt into my trap. Now that you mention it, I wonder what happened to her and her boyfriend…" thought loudly the lady, putting her index on her lips.

Boyfriend? Chris felt himself fume even more, now knowing that that woman was all behind his sister's suffering. "You fucking bitch!! Tell me where she is and you better wish that nothing happened to her or I'll shred you into tiny pieces!!" yelled the S.T.A.R.S. member, stepping towards Alexia to grab her.

The woman swiftly moved out of his way, laughing and giggling loudly. "I would rather worry about your sibling if I were you…" she said before disappearing.

Chris didn't even register what just happened, but he just scratched it off as he ran towards the door leading to his sister. He found himself in a long L-shaped corridor. He started to scream her name, checking the first door on his left, and then, he continued his way to the end of the corridor. Wherever she was, she wasn't responding. But he couldn't just give up yet. Not when he was so close!

The door at the end of the corridor led him into a larger room consisting of prison cells, a metallic door and a staircase far in front of him. There were virus carriers in the cells, but the man didn't care. What drew his attention was the metallic door. Something was telling him that his sister was on the other side of it. When he came to open it, he just groaned in frustration as it was solidly locked. It didn't have a keyhole either.

Chris then noticed a notification next to it.

"Activate the self-destruct system to unlock electronic doors, heh?" said the man to himself.

Why…did it have to be…a fucking-self-destruct-system?! Chris heavily sighed. But if it was what he had to do to save his sister, he would do it anytime. Now where was that SDS?


After a few minutes, Chris managed to activate the self-destruct system by entering the pass code "VERONICA". When he came out of the control room, he fell face to face with the blonde bitch, Alexia.

"Think you can get away by blowing off my base, little worm?" she said, her eyes glowing with hate.

"Yeah, and it's not a stupid woman who'll stop me!" replied the man, making his way beside her.

However, before he could reach the descending stairs, something grabbed him and threw him back on the platform. When he looked up to see his assailant, he only saw a pretty woman transforming into a hideous and giant ant-like monster.

"Seems like trouble…" muttered the former S.T.A.R.S. member.


Killing that woman was a pain in the ass, but the man was glad that he managed to dispose of her quite rapidly with his magnum. He then ran back to the metallic door. He could hear the annoying female voice telling him that 15 minutes were left before the base would explode entirely.

As if on cue, the door was unlocked. He slowly opened it and felt chills running up and down in his body. It was dark but he could see a smashed iron gate, weapons on the floor, a half cut tentacle-like monster beside them, and something or someone in the corner. He slowly approached towards it, his gun ready.

What he saw shocked him to the bones.

There were two people: a naked young man in a sitting position, his back against the wall, and a young woman with one of her arms around the body of the boy, the other one laying on the floor, a gun just beside it.

There were dark red patches on each side of her head. What happened to her was clear. But Chris couldn't realize that that girl was in fact his younger sister, Claire. But, her usual ponytail, her pretty face and the shape of her body were all hers. It was her, no denial.

It was her, and she just committed suicide.

Chris felt tears burning his eyes. He crouched down and placed his hand on her cheek. She was still warm. So, that was the gun shot he heard not long ago. He then looked at the boy. He had a severe wound on his abdomen area. Chris then remembered Leon telling him that Claire wasn't alone on that island, that there was a boy around her age with her. It made sense to him that the boy in front of him was the same he was told about.

The young man was a bit less warm than Claire. He had died before her. Maybe that's why she killed herself.

The tears were now falling down his cheeks. He noticed that both teenagers had a smile on their lips. He couldn't explain why, but he was a bit relieved that they didn't die in a painful manner. Still, he couldn't, he just couldn't think that his sweet sister, so strong, decided to end her life like that. He then came to the conclusion that it was perhaps his fault. He arrived too late. He wasn't there to protect her and that cost her life.

The knot in his throat was so big that it was chocking him. His tears were now pouring freely from his eyes and his lips couldn't conceal the sobs and the cry of pain that he emitted. He wasn't angry, he was furious. He wasn't sad, he was heart-broken.

He wanted to hold her, his sister. But when he touched her, he felt a resistance. Her arm around the boy was holding him tight, as if she didn't want to let him go. Chris felt miserable. He could also feel a bit of jealousy in the depth of his mind. His sister accepted to die for a boy she barely knew, but she couldn't survive for her brother, her only family. It was hard to accept that fact and Chris couldn't bare the emotions that were running through his body.

What was he going to do? Would he be able to continue his life? But more importantly, what was his life? Taking care of his sister, or trying to bring Umbrella down for all the sins they have committed? The first option wasn't one anymore. Umbrella, it was all that was left and the death of his sister suddenly convinced him that no matter what, he'd burn down and kill every person who worked for that damned corporation. He still had friends who would help him in his quest for revenge. He was alone in his heart, but he wasn't to fight.

It was hard, but he had to go. He heard the annoying self-destruct system message repeating that 8 minutes were left before the whole place would go kaboom. He didn't want to leave his sister in that place, but it would be a burden and it didn't seem right to bring back a dead body. Before he could decide what to do, he sensed someone behind him. A dark chuckle indicated him that Wesker was standing in his back.

"Seems you came too late, Chris. What a pity. Your sister was quite the beautiful one. However, she might come handy for my researches as well as the boy."

"What the fucking hell are you talking about?" said Chris as he stood up.

He then saw men in white suits entering the chamber with two large bags. They tossed him aside and crouched beside the two teenagers. Chris couldn't move. He was petrified. He wanted to shove them away, to slay them, but he didn't find the strength. That Wesker was up to something and he wanted to know what exactly.

Wesker grinned, watching his men putting the bodies in the black bags. "You see…" he started. "I came here to collect the T-Veronica virus, the virus that Alexia created. But since she had the only sample in her body and that you killed her, I couldn't take it. But I then learned that Steve has been injected with the same virus."

"Steve?"

Wesker smiled, pointing the bags that his men were carrying. "That boy that your sister seemed to care about so much. That's why I'm taking him with me. The T-Veronica virus will be in my hands now. And wouldn't it be nice if I test it on your sister?"

Chris stiffened. "Don't you dare to lay one finger on her, you bastard!"

"Chris, Chris…let me continue. Maybe the virus could bring her back to life. Wouldn't that make you happy? Of course, I'm also a gentleman and I know the feelings of a young girl: I'll bring Steve back to life as well so she wouldn't feel lonely."

"Wesker…you're just a sick son of a bitch!!" spitted the man, charging towards his arch-enemy. The blond man swiftly disposed of him by sending him flying against a wall with a kick.

Three minutes were remaining. Wesker smirked. He'd have other chances to get rid of Chris.

"If you excuse me, I have other things to attend to. So, Chris, don't die until we see each other again. I'd like to kill you under proper circumstances. Don't you worry, I'll take good care of your sister…" he said, laughing then leaving with the rest of his team.


His stomach hurt, but Chris couldn't stay and die in that place. He then ran for his life and reached his jet just in time before the base exploded.

Everything seemed like a nightmare: his rescue mission was a failure, he didn't get the chance to kill Wesker and his dead sister was in the hands of that sick bastard.

What was he going to tell to his friends? To Leon?

"Sorry, I arrived too late. Claire killed herself because she had a crush on a dead boy, and now she's in Wesker's possession."

She might come back to life, but in which condition? She'll surely end up being Wesker's tool, or even worse: his sex toy.

Once again, Chris couldn't hold the tears that were coming to his eyes. He silently sobbed, returning to where he had come from.


To be continued…


A/N: Yoohoo! Third chapter finally completed! And it was a loooong chapter, hope I didn't disappoint you. Took me a good while to write it...the middle part has been written a long time ago though...So, what do you think? Claire killed herself...yeah, that was the main point or event of this story, that's why I started this fanfic. At first, I wanted to finish the story like that, that she would die and Chris would go back empy-handed...but I then decided to add something with Wesker...hmm...I wonder what he has in mind? Well, I know, but you'll have to find out in the next chapters...I'm not giving more hints though! Hope you liked it, please feel free to leave me a review!