Resident Evil: Twilight
Notes: Revised minor and major errors in previous chapters. Continuing story.
Chapter 3
"Get inside quick!" Leon shouted as he unloaded several rounds into the body of a licker that crawled along the ceiling of the sewer tunnel. The dim neglected utility lights that ran along the damp concrete walls where enough to illuminate it and the swarming undead that shambled behind it. The situation was bad, real bad and it seemed there only hope rested in what appeared to be a rusted metal hatch inset in the sewer wall.
"We don't know where it leads!" Claire cried still cradling the limp and pale girl in her arms. They had run some distance from the pumping station down tunnels they had not previously explored. Somehow the undead had followed them down into the sewers blocking all the safe routs they had planed to use.
"We don't have a choice." Leon shouted again and another few rounds pinged off the ceiling but one caught the licker halting its slow advance causing it to spiral to the ground momentarily stunned. Leon did not waste the opportunity and turned to the hatch griping the locking wheel and fought to turn it. He growled and groaned in effort and soon the doors own protests sounded. The fine rust flaked free as the wheel began to spin almost effortlessly and with a click the door unbolted. "Hurry!" Leon demanded swinging it open. Claire hesitated but with a distressed surrender she ducked inside. Leon seconds later joined her inside swinging the door shut with a resounding echo and spun the wheel tightly closed.
"I can't see…" Claire whispered hoarsely and Leon was quick to ignite his flashlight and swing it back and forth franticly. The walls seemed newer then the rest of the sewer but their age showed in flaking green paint and a thick dusty floor. It appeared at first glance to be a backup flood tunnel and from the generous amount of cobwebs and rat bone it had not been in use for some time.
"I think we are safe for the moment." Leon spoke as his flashlight just barely revealed a similar hatch at the far end of the tunnel, there was other entrances to be seen.
"I... I need to rest.." Claire spoke in labored breath and fell back against a paint flaked wall sliding down to sit, still cradling the girl. Leon did not reply as he scanned the utility lights that hung from the ceiling, they did not appear damaged. Following their power line he was surprised to find a switch box beside the hatch they had entered. Throwing caution to the wind her flipped breakers one after another till with the final one, the lights flicked to life.
"Whatever this place is it doesn't appear to be part of the normal sewer system." Leon spoke and expected a reply but one never came. Concerned he turned to Clare who was hung forward over the girl her head lowered. He did not need to hear her quiet sobbing to know she was crying, her tears where easily visible as they fell.
"Clare?" Leon questioned reaching out an arm in comfort. He had not seen her like this before. Despite all the horrors, she had always kept her cool and stayed tough. But now… why?
"P..please… Leon.. Please I can't... I can't look..." Claire's voice was soft and despite and Leon was confused for but a moment. Of course… his eyes flashed to the apparent corpse of the girl, she seemed lifeless in every visible way and knew what Claire has asked of him. Without a word her approached and knelt bringing a hand to the young girls throat feeling for a pulse… faint and weak… but steady.
"She's alive Claire, she's alive." Leon's words cause Claire to exhale explosively in a shuddering sob of relief, her breathing was ragged as she breathed deeply to calm herself.
"I can't… I cant lose another.." Claire looked up at Leon with distressed teary eyes, her teeth grit in wild determination. Leon had never seen that expression before and he was taken a back. It seemed even Claire as tough as she was, was beginning to lose herself to the madness of this event. So many people had died, so many allies lost along the way. He did not want to imagine what one more loss might do to Claire, the worst and perhaps the catalyst to her current state was Sherry.
Claire had left her safe and alone within the security booth near the elevator tram as she searched franticly for a way to re power the emergency escape tram. Upon returning she and Leon where dismayed and appalled at finding the girl dead, butchered by her own mother. Confronting the woman she revealed that the equipment to make the antivirus had been destroyed by her late husband. That there had been no choice but to end her daughter's life and spare her the violent death of transformation. Claire had without warning shot, murdering the blood soaked woman who had lost her sanity. As the evidence indicated Sherry must have awoken in the process of her mother stabbing her to death with a scalpel, her defensive wounds proof enough. There had not been time to grieve over the atrocity as the self destruct activated. From there they escaped and had not spoken of the subject once since the event.
"She cold and pale. She needs blood." Leon spoke and Claire nodded still overcome with her maelstrom of emotion. They both knew their situation and hope for the unnamed girl was fading quickly.
"I..i will rest here with her." Claire spoke her voice becoming more natural and looked back up at Leon her eyes softening as well. Leon nodded and lifted his gun, without further comment he jogged down the tunnel his feet echoing hollowly. He would scout ahead and return shortly.
Claire watched as the second hatch closed with a hollow bang behind Leon as he vanished from sight before finally turning her head to the girl. She had so many questions about her, who she was, why she wore a STARS uniform. Leon as a new STARS member himself was unable to identify her but revealed he never met the other members in person. No matter how Claire looked at it, the girl appeared too young to be part of an elite police force, or if she was honest with herself, too innocent.
Biting her lip she looked at the filthy floor for a place to lay the girl out so she could tend to the wound. There was barely a foot of floor not caked in dust, pain chips, cobwebs, or filth left behind by rodents. She was worried for a moment of how to deal with the situation but was alarmed to hear the second hatch opening once more, it was too soon.
"Claire. Come on. I found something." Leon called and beckoned Claire from the hatch. Claire was not slow in responding and struggled to her feet. The girl was quite light, almost frighteningly so, but still the exertion of running with her weight had not been easy. Staggering to her feet using the wall as a brace she found her footing and began to jog down the hall to meet Leon. Passing though the hatch Leon sealing it behind them and Claire was startled by what she saw.
"What is this place?" Claire gasps looking left and right at reinforced concrete walls. She stood in what appeared to be the main hallway of a bomb shelter I the continence of the attached rooms where any indication.
"Come there's an infirmary back here." Leon led the way and Claire quickly gave chase excitement and hope filling her. The infirmary lived up to its name and it ground Claire to a halt. The structure was old but everything in the room appeared brand new. Plastic sheets covered with a thin layer of dust hid an exam table and a stainless steel medical storage that looked to be refrigerated. Even a computer sat on a desk to the side also covered in plastic to protect it till it was needed.
"Leon…" Claire spoke her apprehension as Leon tore the sheet from the exam table for Claire to set the girl down.
"I know… Claire… look." Leon spoke and pulled the plastic sheet back that covered the refrigerated storage… the umbrella insignia upon it. Claire looked torn but Leon nodded to the table for Claire to set the girl down. "This bunker doesn't appear to be a lab, I think it's a VIP safe house set up incase of an outbreak."
"Then where are the VIP's?" Claire demanded.
"I did a quick search and found two other entrances, but neither looks to have been used in some time. I think it's safe to say whoever this bunker was meant for, never made it." Leon spoke and began to leave the room. "I want to look around more just to be certain. The place isn't large if you shout I will hear you."
Claire nodded after hesitating and turned back to the young girl who she had lain out on the exam table. She needed to focus on her, there had to be something here that could help her. Quickly she unzipped the girls vest and pulling it free as gentle as possible. It appeared Rebecca had when rebinding her wound, done so below her shirt. Claire bit her lip and attempted to peel the blood drenched shirt off. When they had found the girl she was bleeding and there was little time to do much more then wrap the wound and carry her to safety. She had intended to do a better job but it seemed the girl had done that herself while they where scouting the sewers for routs out of the city.
Claire hissed as if she could feel the pain it must be causing the girl as the ruined STARS shirt came free before it was dropped to the side of the table. She began to peel away the crimson tainted bandages soon revealing both the girls small breasts and the angry wound in her side Though the bite wound was deep it did not appear infected in any way dispite the odds, but it did appear irritated and badly bruised around the area. Her bleeding was not bad but the wound had never had time to heal before it was aggravated each time. Turning Claire tugged down the plastic sheets covering medical cabinets and threw them open searching. She was quick to find bandages and antiseptic and returned to the girl to swab the wound before recovering it. For now she did not wrap her chest feeling she would need to tend it again soon, instead she covered her with a sheet to keep her warm while she checked her pulse and her completion.
"She's so pale…" Claire whispered in concern and knew she needed blood. Glancing behind her she spotted the umbrella embalmed medical fridge and was hesitant to search there. But her hesitation was only momentary as she moved to it and was surprised to find no lock of any kind; it seemed umbrella was not worried about strangers stumbling across this particular facility. Opening it revealed dozens of vials all with names and labels that where unfamiliar to Claire but to her relief about a dozen bags of blood as well. Searching though those, there appeared to be a set for each blood type. She knew little about medicine or blood but she did recall O was the universal donor so that was the one she retrieved. With great relief she found instructions on the bag of blood of how to properly use it, as well as how to set up an IV. Busying herself she went about the preparation and before Leon returned shortly later the blood was already retuning color to Rebecca's pale skin.
"Claire, how is she doing?" Leon questioned entering the room with water bottles in hand. He extended one to Claire who eagerly accepted it and drank.
"I think she will be fine… but I don't know. I really don't know what I'm doing…" Claire admitted and her uncertainty was thick. Leon nodded and looked over what Claire had done for the girl but respectfully left the sheet in place to preserve her modesty. He had basic medical training but he was just as lost as Claire when it came to something like this. As far as he could tell she was doing a far better job then he could have managed.
"Well it looks like we can rest easy for now. The bunker is secure and theirs even a security room monitoring all the entrances and the passageways outside. I'm not sure where the other entrances lead just yet but I made sure they can't be opened from the outside. I hate to say it but it might be best if we relax for a few days." Leon explained and turned to Claire. Though he hated to say it he felt it was unavoidable. They needed time to digest what had happened, to be able to finally sit down and take a deep breath.
"Ok…" Claire agreed without argument and Leon was sure that was only because of the condition of the younger girl. He only hoped that a few days would be enough to mend her.
End Chapter 3
