Well, it took a long time and it's a bit shorter, but I think it's worth it. Feedback always appreciated, so let me know what you think!
CHAPTER 4
"Son of a bitch," Claire muttered, taking another sip from the Captain Morgan bottle. She had chased Alice back to the camp, but the blonde had been too fast for her and had already been sitting by the fire talking with Carlos by the time Claire arrived.
Now Claire sat in the SUV, her only company a sleeping Kmart snoring loudly in the back seat. She stared out the front window towards Carlos and Alice, her mind replaying the events of the impromptu walk in muddled pieces. No matter how many times her mind reran them, the thoughts only made her feel even more confused and frustrated.
Scowling to herself, she finally tossed the rum back under the seat and jumped out of the car, unable to sit still any longer. She saw Alice glance up and say something to Carlos. Then the blonde was walking towards Claire, that damn half smirk turning the corner of her mouth up again.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but you look awful." Alice said, leaning up against the car next to the redhead.
"'Scuse me?" Claire bit back quickly.
"You look like you could sleep, is all."
Claire rolled her eyes. "I don't need to sleep. I'm fine. Not that I could if I wanted to anyway."
Alice raised a questioning eyebrow. "So Carlos told you?"
"Told me what?" Claire asked suspiciously. She didn't find it likely that Carlos would tell Alice something important before her. But then again, those two did seem to have some kind of history. Claire wondered just how personal that history was. The thought made her somewhat nauseated and she shook it from her head quickly.
"The convoy's almost out of supplies, Claire. There are only a few cans of food left, maybe enough for the next two days. The clothes have been spent, and there's barely enough water left for the rest of the week." Alice's features had softened into a sympathetic image, and her voice lacked the usual sarcastic and jesting tone it was usually full of.
Claire took in a long breath and let it out slowly. "We'll have to go on a scavenging trip. There should be some sort of small town or at least a gas station nearby. Hopefully the raiders haven't pilfered all the food in the area."
"When you say 'we,' you mean…"
"Well I'd be pretty stupid to try to go anywhere without you these days, huh?" Claire rolled her eyes, and despite the heavy situation she felt pressing down on her, she let a smile play across her face. "Is that what you were getting at?"
"Yup," Alice said, returning the smile full force. "I'm glad you've finally learned your place here."
"Hey, you watch yourself. One of these days your ass is gonna need saving and I'm going to be the only one around."
"And because you like me so much, I know you'll do the right thing." Alice replied with mock seriousness.
"Let fate put you out of your misery?" This time it was Claire who wore the smirk.
Alice narrowed her eyes, but her smile remained. "Yeah, you're real cute. Just you wait."
Claire's stomach fluttered, her twisted brain taking Alice's response out of context and warping it to fit her liking.
Or did she mean it…
"So when does this scavenging adventure begin?" The blonde asked.
"Pretty much now. Grab whatever you need and meet me by the van. No more than five minutes."
And with that, Claire hurried off to find Carlos. She found him where he had been when she left the SUV, sitting by the fire.
"Carlos." His head turned towards her, and by his somber expression Claire could tell that he had overheard her conversation with Alice. "I need you to take care of things while I'm gone."
"And where exactly are you going?" He asked with knowing suspicion.
Claire sighed. "I'm not sure exactly. There has to be something around here, though, right? I mean, at least a gas station. At the very least maybe we'll be able to find some water. There has to be something."
Carlos blinked slowly and nodded. "Who are you trying to convince, Claire?"
She shook her head. "I know, I know. It's a long shot, but we have to try something. I can't leave these people stranded without the basic things I promised them. We'll be back soon." She turned to leave.
"Claire!" Carlos called after her. She faced him, waiting. "Be careful with her."
She nodded, and then she was off, walking quickly towards the empty supply van where Alice already stood, of course. Carlos's words rang in her ears as her eyes met light blue orbs.
"Let's go," Claire said quickly, urgent authority forcing its way into her voice. She reached for the driver's side door handle, and suddenly found herself held against the side of the van, Alice's strong arms pressing against the redhead.
Claire blinked in surprise, her head clouding from the warm force of Alice's body against hers.
"What are you doing?" She asked, a shy smile somehow spreading across her face. Alice gripped the other's wrist and lightly squeezed until the keys to the van dropped into her gloved hand.
"I'm driving," She said with a grin and a wink, and then the pressure holding Claire still was gone; the van's engine rumbled to life seconds after the cold wind hit Claire's now unsheltered body. She sighed to herself, then quickly jogged around to the passenger's side and, shaking her head with a smile, climbed in.
With the van facing the empty road ahead, Alice turned her head towards Claire, one hand on the steering wheel, and asked "Left or right, Redfield?"
Claire was silent for a long moment.
"Left."
The van jolted forward in rocky movements until the tires slid onto the smooth gravel of the dark road ahead. Claire's stomach somersaulted endlessly as they drove onwards, a combination of the risk she was taking not knowing where they were going, and the fact that the van's cab had only one long seat in it; one long seat that seemed to pull Claire closer towards the driver every time they turned or hit a bump.
Claire watched Alice closely out of the corner of her eye as they sped down the deserted highway. The blonde wore an expression of fierce concentration, her gaze fixed on the road, her eyebrows knit together as though she were contemplating something vital. Her chest rose and fell in a calm yet prominent pattern, much more controlled than Claire's own rapid breathing.
She was suddenly aware that the van's seat had once again pulled her closer to the driver, their legs barely inches away. Claire didn't move.
She saw Alice glance over at her, and then do a double take when she realized how close they were. Claire started, and moved her arms to push herself up and away from the other woman, then stopped. She took a deep breath, realizing she liked being close to Alice.
Okay, what the hell had gotten into you, Redfield, she asked herself. What are you now, ga-
"Look," Alice said softly, slowing the van down considerably as she pulled over to the side of the road.
"I don't see anything…" Claire responded. She peered into the looming darkness ahead, squinting. Nothing but sand. Nothing but darkness, sand, and-
"A building!" She exclaimed, her eyes widening as they focused in on the large dark rectangle barely visible in the distance. "I knew it. I knew we'd find something."
"And that's why they call you the leader," Alice said, winking.
Claire had a few seconds to flash a smile at the blonde before her sense of reality kicked back in.
"Yeah, well let's not get our hopes up just yet. It could be completely drained of supplies by now, or swarming with infected."
Alice rolled her eyes. "You don't know that. Let's go have a look, Debbie Downer."
Claire smacked Alice on the arm with an open mouthed grin as the blonde smirked back and slowly brought the van closer to the seemingly empty building. She killed the engine about thirty feet away from the GAS HERE sign, and the night went completely black as the headlight died.
Claire heard the spinning wheel of a lighter and a small flame flickered to life in front of the driver, who now sat with a lit cigarette in her mouth. A Marlboro red.
"Is that mine?" Claire asked, annoyance ringing in her voice.
Alice took in a long drag then held the cigarette out to her. The zippo lighter still held its flame, illuminating the blonde's quirky expression in the pitch black van.
"Want it back?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
Claire just scowled in response, so Alice raised the smoke back to her mouth. Claire reached out quickly and snatched the cigarette from the other's lips, raising it to her own with a smirk.
"You're going to have to get your own moves," Alice said with a laugh.
"Oh, I have my own. Just thought I should give you a taste of your own medicine for once." Claire said, her voice almost a whisper.
"Oh yeah? When do I get to see these moves then?" Alice asked in a flirty voice that made Claire's heart skip faster. She inhaled sharply.
"Let's focus on what we came here to do, first." She pulled out her flashlight and flipped the on switch. "And no fucking with my flashlight this time."
Alice grinned back, snapping her wrist in the air so that the cover of the lighter extinguished the flame. "If you say so."
Claire's memory flashed back to their walk in the desert earlier that night, and she suddenly wished Alice would kill the light again. Not pausing to think about why, Claire slid her thumb along the switch on the flashlight, and the yellow beam suddenly disappeared.
"I didn't do it, I swear!" She head Alice say.
"Alice, shut up." She responded, and reached out with her hand until she felt short blonde locks of hair beneath her fingers. Pulling Alice's head towards her own, Claire closed the distance between them on the seat of the van, and breathing hard, pressed her lips against Alice's.
They were softer than Claire remembered, but she blamed that on the shock factor that had filled her before. Alice's lips moved over Claire's own, kissing back without the resistance Claire had expected, and strong arms pulled the redhead up until she was straddling the other's lap. Claire moved her arms to push Alice back against the seat of the van, angling her head so that she could envelope more of Alice's lips with her own.
Warm breath on her face took away the chill the night air had brought before, and Claire melted into the kiss further, running her hands through rough blonde hair to pull Alice's face closer. Alice's hands wrapped around Claire, resting on her back then sliding down her sides, hips, lower. Claire's waist moved into the girl beneath her, unable to stop herself, lips still locked firmly with the others'.
It was Alice who finally managed to pull away. Claire could hear her breathing heavily in the dark, her gloved hands still pressed tightly against Claire's back.
"Hypocrite," Alice whispered. Claire laughed, somewhat relieved that Alice hadn't freaked out.
"We should get going," Claire said, suddenly remembering where they were and why they had come.
"Hey, you're the leader."
"Yeah, and don't you forget it," Claire said, pushing Alice back against the seat again and kissing her once more with force. Then she swiftly moved back to her own side of the van, flipped the flashlight back on, and climbed out, leaving Alice in the dark, grinning in amazement.