Author's note: A big thanks to everyone that reviewed last chapter! I always appreciate the lovely comments you all leave. They make my day. =) Notice the upped rating—decided to up it to M just to be safe. And no, it's not upped because there's going to be heavy porn or anything; sexual references maybe but they'll be very implicit. It's mostly because of the violence and depictions of blood that are going to take place (well-it is Resident Evil we're talking about) Chapter title from Jem.
IV.
Rebecca watched curiously as Olivia looked at the Petri dish through the microscope they had brought with them. The older woman turned the knob appearing to try to focus the view. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed whether in contemplation or frustration it wasn't clear.
"What it is?" Rebecca inquired, cocking her head to the side.
Olivia pulled away and started scribbling something in a nearby notepad. From what Rebecca could see the writing was small, neat and cursive but fragments that hardly made any sense unless to the person who wrote them.
"It looks like a bad virus I would say." She mused, lips pursed.
Rebecca walked over to the microscope and looked into it. She saw a black circular like spots moving about in the slide. After she pulled away, she blinked processing what she had seen. It certainly did look like something along the lines of a virus but she originally thought they had been dealing with bacteria. This changed things.
"A virus brought about by medication? That's bizarre." Rebecca mumbled.
Olivia nodded, placing on a pair of latex gloves, and placed the Petri dish with the sample on the table to observe it. She grabbed a scalpel, poking the boil, and watching closely the liquid that dispersed from the action.
"Or maybe not by medication but something else all together."
"Air-borne?" Rebecca questioned with a quizzical brow.
Olivia placed the scalpel down and proceeded to scribble down what appeared notes in a nearby pen pad. "It's possible."
Rebecca bit her lower lip. The possibilities were endless. Her knowledge in viruses wasn't extensive seeing as her expertise was in biochemistry and medical terms, of course. She hoped Olivia had more of an idea what they were doing it. Her jade eyes glanced upon Olivia's concentrated expression as she jotted down more carefully scripted notes down. She felt the overwhelming sense of inferiority consume her. She didn't even know where to start unlike Olivia who appeared to be already on the right track.
'Even after all those years you still feel like a rookie now?' Rebecca thought to herself sarcastically.
She shook the negative thoughts that now clouded her mind away instead focusing on the matter at hand. So, it wasn't the medication. Viruses in most cases were spread by another infected organism. At the moment they had to focus on what kind of virus they were dealing with and its side effects.
Olivia must have noticed the faltering look across Rebecca's face. "Everything alright?" She asked politely.
Rebecca blinked looking up to meet Olivia's warm yet cool brown eyes. She smiled slightly nodding her head although it didn't hold up too well. Whether Olivia noticed it or not she didn't say anything and merely continued on with her exploration.
"Well figure this out one way or another," she replied calmly.
Rebecca felt her nerves calm down and her stiffened body loosened a bit. Olivia was right. She had to stay focus and work to the best of her abilities.
"Right." Rebecca nodded.
She could do this.
"How did the research come along?" Joshua asked all the while shoving a french fry in his mouth.
Rebecca sighed stirring her straw in her beverage absently. It didn't go the way she would have wanted to. Her and Olivia still didn't have any leads and were more or less throwing ideas out in the open. When lunch time had come the two decided to take a lunch break and regroup. Olivia had met up with Miguel as well as Natalie. The three decided to dine at a Mexican restaurant. Normally Rebecca liked Mexican food but today she had a craving for a burger and Joshua agreed to join her so she wouldn't dine alone while the others went on their way. Despite it all she found herself smiling at Joshua, glad for his company.
"No leads but we're working on it. What about you guys?"
He munched his food, swallowing before opening his mouth to respond. "We investigated several of the people of the town and got hardly anything. Everyone here is either really secretive or distrustful."
Rebecca took a sip of her drink. The cold, caffeinated drink slipped down her throat, bubbling, and instantly refreshing her dry throat. Her fingers trailed the chain of her necklace and downwards to the dog tags holding them in her palm. The cool metal pressed against the warmth of her palm cooling it.
"Those belong to a lover?"
She felt her face flush instantly upon hearing the question. Her palms felt suddenly sweaty, thoughts trailing to the handsome dark haired ex-lieutenant. What was he exactly to her? A friend? That didn't sound right seeing as she hardly knew anything about him past the few details she read on his report. Calling him just an acquaintance after what they went through seemed like an insult.
"No, he's just someone important to me," she mumbled, her voice soft and carrying a certain ring of emotion that lead someone to believe there was something more to just that.
Joshua held an observant look, his eyes reading the gentle expression in Rebecca's jade eyes. He didn't comment any further on it and instead continued eating his lunch.
Rebecca picked up her burger and munched on it thoughtfully. She hadn't taken too much time to think about her past as she'd like to. Her life was always hectic. She was always on the run and hardly had the time to even daydream. It was a surprise she even had a boyfriend with her busy schedule.
'Well, used to have.' She thought to herself with a small sigh.
She didn't regret her decision to break up with Felix. The only thing she regretted was how she did it. The terms they ended on weren't what she would have wanted for them. But in the end it wouldn't have mattered. She couldn't have broken up with him and still request that they still be friends. It wouldn't be fair and it would be selfish of her to ask.
Joshua more than likely hearing her sigh and noticing her distant stare, wiped his mouth with his cloth and placed it down on the table digging into his wallet. Rebecca blinked puzzled noticing him stand up and place cash onto the table enough for the bill.
"Joshua, what are you doing?"
He smiled, that same carefree smile of his, and gestured his head to the side towards the door. "Let's get out of here and explore around for a bit."
They shouldn't Rebecca told herself. They should report to Miguel and the others but the invitation was so tempting. It was the first time she had ever been in Mexico and she hadn't had a chanced to look around due to Miguel ordering them to get straight to business. A little bit of time to themselves wouldn't hurt. It would distract her.
"Alright," she nodded standing up and joining him as they walked outside.
It was hot outside. The sun was high in the sky and shinning down below with its warm rays. Her exposed skin tingled in warmth upon feeling the hot rays on her peachy skin.
The two walked side by side and explored the outside stands that were set up. Rebecca looked at several beautiful pieces of jewelry and even bought one that was a jade bracelet. Joshua had protested that he buy it for her but she insisted against it. The gesture was touching but she preferred to buy her own things; not to mention he had bought them lunch. Her lips curved upwards as she clipped in place the jade bracelet around her small wrist. The cubed shaped jade stones felt cool against the inside of her wrist and seemed glossy in the light. She admired the trinket before her and Joshua continued on her exploration. They came across a man selling paletas and both bought one for themselves; Rebecca's was strawberry flavored while Joshua's was coconut.
Upon sitting down on the steps of an apartment complex, Rebecca began to eat her ice cream. It was hard at first but after the ice cream block melted a bit by her tongue and the heat, the sweet, cool flavor of strawberry filled her taste buds. It was tasty and definitely good with the heat.
"Feeling better?" Joshua asked.
Rebecca was taken aback by his observant nature. Or maybe she was just that obvious. She had been told on several occasions by friends that she tended to display exactly how she was feeling right on her face. A lack of a poker face Chris called it. She rolled her eyes mentally at the thought before returning her attention back to Joshua. A smile graced her lips and a glow returned back to her face.
"Yes, thanks."
He returned the smile and Rebecca was instantly reminded once again of Richard. Kind, protective and sacrificial Richard… Her eyelashes fluttered lowly, her expression turning pensive. She tried not to think about it. She tried not to think about Richard's body in the mouth of a huge snake, fangs piercing his torso and blood squirting downwards from his wound. She shut her eyes tightly then forcing the thoughts to fade from her mind. When she did open her eyes, Joshua was watching her carefully with concern etching across his bright green eyes.
"You remind me quite a bit of one of my old comrades." She said simply, voice softened by the memory of her fallen comrade.
He blinked in response cocking his head to his side a bit. "From S.T.A.R.S?"
She smiled slightly. He remembered. She didn't keep it a secret that she used to be on the Bravo team in S.T.A.R.S.
"Yes, he passed away years ago," she mumbled, voice barely above a whisper. It was still hard referring to them as deceased. She doubted it ever would be easy.
"I'm sorry to hear that." Joshua commented with sympathy echoing in his voice.
Rebecca smiled and shook her head. He didn't have anything to be sorry for. "It's alright."
He stood up then glancing at his watch. "We should probably be heading back now."
She stood up as well, ice cream still in hand. With a simple nod of agreement, they headed back down the road. Rebecca continued licking her ice cream on the way with the intent of finishing it. She didn't like to waste food. Her parents had brought her up to not be wasteful. As soon as they turned around the corner, a dark haired man stepped out of the apartment complex door where they had previously been resting upon the stairs of. His heavy combat boots clacked on the cemented steps as he walked down them and towards the opposite direction. A very much visible black intricate tattoo ran down the side of his arm, his trademark.
Footsteps echoed in the dark, quiet and abandoned streets. The moon lit up the sky bright and full. She hadn't remembered a time she could see the moon so clearly. There weren't many street lights that she was used to in the city of New York that dimmed the dark sky. Her cell phone was clearly felt in her back pocket. She clenched onto her keys that had mace clicked into place. The keys themselves were useless here but the mace served a purpose. She should have called Joshua or Miguel – hell even one of the girls so that she wouldn't have to walk alone in the dark to get to the girls' apartment complex.
'A little too late for that.' Rebecca thought to herself.
She continued walking cautiously down the otherwise empty street. A cool breeze blew in and she shuddered, holding her arms in an attempt to shelter herself. Her nerves were on the edge and any attempts at swaying any frightful thoughts were in vain.
'Just keep walking, hurry up.'
Rebecca saw an alley that lead to a shortcut to her complex and decided to take it. The sooner she got home, the better. She turned into the dark alley and suddenly before she could even comprehend what was happening found herself pinned to the brick wall. Her face pressed against the cool bricks and she could feel the heavy weight of someone or something on her back pressing into her. A low, startled gasp escaped her lips all the while she felt cool metal against the back of her neck, a brush of a gun.
"Still easily caught off guard eh?"
It was a masculine voice. It carried such a familiar ring in its deep almost silk-like voice; very pleasing to the female ears.
"B-Billy," Rebecca gasped, tripping over the name in uncertainty.
The weight on her back was gone instantly and she turned around quickly, back pressed against the wall to face her 'attacker.' There was an almost dangerous smirk displayed across his lips. It was a smirk of confidence; the epitome of bad boy….man.
"Doll face." He greeted back, smirk still in place while dropping his gun to his side.
The wave of emotions that overcame her were unexplainable. One minute she was staring at him in total shock and the next she was pressing herself against his firm and broad chest, hands going up from an embrace towards his handsomely sculptured face. Her fingertips brushed against his smooth jaw line slightly rugged from a five-o'clock shadow. In a flash she found herself pressed against the wall again, one of her legs put in place so that it wrapped around his waist. Delicious friction radiated from the touch. A sound escaped her lips that sounded heavier and high pitched unlike her previous one; one that spoke of delight. His lips were on her exposed neck soon after, trailing butterfly kisses up her neck that left her shuddering in pleasure.
"Oh god," she gasped holding onto him, instantly feeling weak in her knees.
God did she want to kiss him. She wanted him period. The feelings of want filled her to the brim and she could do anything to stop them. A part of her didn't even want to.
Her eyelashes fluttered closed and then opened just as Billy's face was unbearably close to her face. Her heart thumped in her chest along with a stirring in her stomach that she couldn't quite label. Before she could ponder on it further, his lips were on hers, molding against hers and moving in ways strange to her. She had kissed men before but not like this. Her whole body was in tune with the kiss; skin feeling sensitive to any touch of his, heart feeling as if it was about to jump out of her chest. It was exhilarating. His teeth grazed her bottom lip and her lips parted involuntarily allowing him to slip his slick, warm tongue into her mouth. He tasted and kissed her demandingly but somehow with gentleness that surprised her. His tongue was exploring every edge of her mouth, slowly and experienced. In the back of her mind she wondered how many women he had kissed and touched; the thought that it may be many made her heart ache.
In the kiss she seemed to forget how to breathe and found herself pulling back gasping and panting for air long forgotten. Her mind was spinning and even as she opened her eyes, it was hard to focus, her mind a hazy mess. A sudden strong smell filled her nostrils, like rotting flesh. Her mind focused and suddenly Billy's normally lightly tanned skin was pale white and bluish. His normally strong and cool blue eyes were now blank and white, void of life. Rebecca screamed in horror stumbling back but finding herself pinned in. A hollow and dead moan escaped the zombie's open mouth that appeared to be barely hanging on a limb of flesh, most of the bottom of his face eaten away, absent of much flesh and muscle tissue.
"NO!" She screamed pushing at the zombie of the ex-lieutenant but he was surprisingly stronger than the average zombie and didn't falter in his approach.
The feel of cold, wet flesh was pressed against her body and she struggled in vain to get herself free. His face was by her neck now and she anticipated the immense pain of his teeth breaking through the skin of her flesh. Teeth bit in place, breaking the skin and then ripping apart flesh. The pain was even more unbearable than she imagined. She wailed in agony, the strong scent of blood overwhelming her senses as her body and mind numbed...
Eyelashes fluttered open suddenly in fright as Rebecca sat up straight in her chair, sweat dripping down her forehead. Her heart raced in her chest furiously and her clothes stuck to her body sticky and mingled with sweat. Her surroundings came to view. She was back in her room. A quick glance out the window told her that it was around six o'clock p.m.
'Just a dream…' She mused.
It certainly had felt much more than just a dream. Her fingertips went up and brushed against her neck where she dreamt she had been bitten. Up to that point of her dream, the beginning had been enjoyable to her. Seeing Billy, kissing Billy... He wasn't here and even if he was she doubted he'd ever do those kinds of things to her. He only considered her as a little girl after all. She sighed dropping her hand and staring at the blank screen of her laptop in front of her. The earlier parts of her day came to her as a blur. After her lunch with Joshua she had met back up with Olivia to continue their research. The older woman hadn't returned to the girls' shared apartment room however.
"Aren't you coming?" Rebecca asked, faltering in her steps to glance at the older, dark haired beauty.
Olivia shook her head, eyes trained on her notes and the samples they had obtained. She was fully concentrated but Rebecca could see the beginning strain setting. Her eyes although determined and focused were very tired. She felt as if she were so close to finding an answer and thus refused to falter in her examinations.
Rebecca appeared to realize Olivia's thoughts and simply nodded her head. "I'll be at our assigned room down the street. Don't stay too long, okay?"
That was about two hours ago Rebecca realized. She checked her phone then and found no missed calls. The soft sound of snoring was heard from one of the rooms. Natalie was taking a nap, having been worn out by exploring the cities to question others.
She sighed and looked down at the piece of paper on the side of the desk table she was sitting at. Random notes she had taken were scribbled down. She absently glanced through all the notes, taking in the material.
Signs of boils, slowed breathing and heart rate, sometimes heart beat would falter; rotting body parts specially the limbs, paling complexion and cold body temperature.
Her heart felt like it stopped in her chest. Suddenly she was reminded of her dream and the feeling of cold, wet flesh against hers. She had told herself it was impossible and yet the signs had been there right in front of her eyes. Her hands jumped to her phone dialing Olivia's number hastily. It rang and rang until it finally went to her voice mail box.
"Olivia, where are you? You need to get to safety ASAP. Get out of there!" She exclaimed feeling a cold shiver run down her spine.
Rebecca shut her phone afterwards trying to calm down her racing heart. She had to contact the others. She had to warn them of what was going to happen. She opened her phone and dialed Miguel's number all the while her fingers trembled while doing so. After two rings he finally answered, voice alert but somewhat heavy with fatigue.
"Rebecca?"
"Miguel," she breathed, "I figured out what's happening. It has nothing to do with medication; it's a virus, the same virus used by Umbrella!"
"Umbrella? They're—"
"I know." God did she know. But something else was going on here and she wasn't too sure of the messy details. "I can't get hold of Olivia…"
There was a sudden loud crashing sound of glass and Rebecca immediately ran to her window to look outside. Screams echoed loudly in the distance as well as hollow, eerie groans of hunger. She swallowed down the bile that was rising up her throat and could do nothing but stare in horror as it all began. The beginning of the nightmare once again. Remaining humans were stumbling; zombies were catching up to them and ripping them apart to pieces. Flesh and blood were splattered. She couldn't stand the sight anymore so she stepped away, fingers trembling as she held the phone to her ear.
"Nombre de Dios," Miguel breathed and Rebecca got the feeling he was witnessing something similar from wherever he was.
"Where are you and Joshua?" She asked quickly, panic settling in her voice.
"We were having a cup of coffee with a family of one of the infected people…" His voice trailed then into silence, eerie silence.
A low, moaning sound was heard on the other line and Rebecca felt her heart beat falter in terror. "Miguel…is that—get out of there!"
There was a loud clanking sound, the sound of his phone dropping onto the ground, and rustling sounds. Rebecca screamed into the phone, calling his name in terror but got no response back. She called his name over and over again in vain but was only met with silence. A door swung open and Natalie was walking into the living room, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"Rebecca?" She murmured lazily until the loud groaning noises and screams coming from outside alerted her. She jumped in fright, body stiffening, eyes widening in horror. "What is that?"
Rebecca didn't say anything just merely stared at her phone that was still giving a dead ring. It felt like an eternity passed before she finally moved, deciding on what she was going to do. She walked into the kitchen digging into the drawer and pulling out a huge cutting knife. It had a red hilt and the big blade shined of perfect cutting edge. It was suicidal she knew. Even with a gun it would be suicidal and here she only had a knife as a means of weapon. Her hands shook despite herself and she took a deep breath, calming her racing heart and affliction. She couldn't stay here and do nothing. She had to find the others and make sure they were safe. She'd start with Olivia because she had a good idea that she was still at the lab. After finding Olivia, the two of them would find Joshua and Miguel together.
'What if they're already all dead?' A voice questioned in her mind. It was the voice of doubt. It threatened to poison her with negative thoughts and make her surrender to overwhelming fright and fear. She wouldn't let it though. She refused.
'They're still alive.' She insisted, shaking away any negative thoughts.
They had to be.
"Rebecca," Natalie called, voice trembling in trepidation, "what's going on? What are you going to do?"
Rebecca glanced over at Natalie. Young, naive Natalie who somewhat reminded Rebecca of her when she was eighteen. She had been that innocent, that blissfully naive, once too before she faced the outbreak that more or less took that away from her. Nightmares plagued her now and probably forever would as if some kind of sick twisted reminder etched in her memory. Rebecca tried to give a reassuring smile but failed miserably.
"Just stay in here, okay? When I'm out the door I want you to push the dresser over to block the door. You'll be safe."
She started towards the door but faltered when she heard a soft, wail of fear. She turned around to see Natalie sobbing, body trembling in fear, and she knew that the young girl was nowhere near prepared for something like this. A part of Rebecca told herself to use this as an excuse to stay, to be safe. It was a low, back of her mind whisper of fear. Her reason backed it up but Rebecca reminded herself that it was she that was experienced in this. She had dealt with this before. She knew what to do. It was as if an unspoken obligation was set upon her shoulders to get the others through this with her past terrifying experience of dealing with the walking dead.
Rebecca walked over to Natalie, patting a soft hand on her shoulder to offer some level of comfort. "Stay strong. I'll be back."
Natalie sniffed, tears slipping down her porcelain cheeks, but managed a weak nod. Rebecca stepped away and turned on her heels, heading out the door. The sound of the door closing behind was slow, and loud to her ears. She waited until she heard the sound of the door locking as well as the sound of the dresser scrapping against the floor. Rebecca sighed and looked down the corridor, surprised to find it empty. They were on the second floor. Her best bet would be to take the stairs, the elevator being too risky.
She clutched the hilt of the knife tightly in her grasp, taking a deep breath and releasing before she took off in a brisk walk. The sounds of moans from downstairs echoed in the empty corridor. She continued her walk until the sounds of doors slamming open was heard and she made the mistake of looking back. About five zombies now stumbled out of rooms, moaning and reaching out their hands aimlessly in front of them. Their white blank eyes stared upon her, wails and moans of lust and hunger coming out of their lips.
Rebecca turned on her heels and dashed down the corridor towards the stairs at the end. She sped down the stairs, carefully counting her steps in her head to make sure she wouldn't miss a step and fall. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest, breaths racing in equal fright. It felt like déjà vu all over again for her.
'Except this time there is no Billy Coen to save your butt.' She thought to herself dryly.
It was strange of her to think of the older man in the face of impending danger. But her thoughts couldn't help but be drawn to him because of the certain danger.
Finally she came at the last bit of steps and was in the lobby. The sounds of rustling and moaning echoed in the halls warning her that there were zombies here as well although at a distance. She didn't have the luxury of taking a breather. She swallowed briefly, throat feeling extremely dry like Sahara desert, and reached out for the door knob. Her fingers were trembling enough and she tried to calm herself down. Her right hand which clenched the knife rose up by her side ready for anything. She was terrified; she wouldn't deny it. A huge part of her wanted to run back upstairs and hide with Natalie in safety like anyone else would in her sane mind. But…she thought of her dead comrades and then her comrades now and realized that if she didn't do anything it would forever be on her conscience. For whatever reason when she thought about Forest, Richard, Enrico, Edward and Sully, she felt something surge in her. It was warm, settling down the stirring in her stomach, the nervousness, and filling her mind with encouragement and strength. They all were watching over her weren't they? She always had the feeling that they were, from up above the big beautiful blue sky.
The trembling in her fingers stopped, dark brows furrowing down in concentration. She wouldn't run or cower like a coward. Not this time. With that thought, Rebecca opened the door to the outside world where death plagued at every corner, hardly prepared but nonetheless determined to find her comrades at whatever cost.
Spanish dictionary:
Paletas: Ice cream bars (I think that's spelled right; urk.)
"Nombre de Dios,": Translated literally to "name of God" or better yet "God's name" but used in a sense of our "oh my god," or "dear god." Oh how confusing you can be Spanish!
