Chapter 6

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...

Rebecca sat in the shower, cold water pouring over her body. She was running a high fever, as well as had her biggest migraine yet. Even sitting in the shower under freezing for 20 minutes hadn't helped.

It had been three days since she started tonguing some of her medications. Her condition had only gone downhill, starting with aches and pain, but then blossomed into all out pain. Everyday, she had to force herself to spit the orange pill out, knowing very well that taking it might even relieve her symptoms. It was beginning to feel more and more like withdrawal.

Rebecca shut the water off and got out of the freezing tub, toweling herself off. Once she was dry, she collapsed on her bed, shivering. So far, she was able to hide her condition from Burke, but not for long. He would notice sooner or later, and then the repercussions would come. Would they restrain her until she could prove that she was sound of mind?

If that's what has to happen, then I can accept that I was wrong. But I'm going to keep it up as long as I can.

Easier said than done. Every day, she was exhausted. Sleep wasn't coming so easily, especially since the dream had decided to return. It was almost every night now, the same horrifying, cryptic sensations. Though, they seemed to be clearing a little bit. The shapes in her dream where becoming sharper, noises becoming more distinct.

There was a knock at her door, and Rebecca willed her tremblings away.

"Come in!" she called.

It was Dr. Burke, right on time with her medication. For the first time since Rebecca had seen him, he looked a bit worried. Usually, his demeanor was always friendly and relaxed. But the lines on his forehead now seemed to suggest otherwise.

"Good morning Rebecca," he said pleasantly enough. He handed her the doses, then consulted his clipboard. Inside the cup were now two orange pills.

They're doubling up...They may think I'm building up an immunity...

Which meant they hadn't figured it out yet. She was still in the clear, at least for the time being. If her tests continued to show negative traces of the drug, they might begin to suspect something.

Tonguing the evening meds were easy enough. She a few of them, then chucked the orange one after Burke left. Mornings were a little trickier. She had to pretend to take the pills and hope Burke would leave right away. If he didn't, she'd have to improvise and somehow get the pills out of her mouth without him noticing. She only had to do it once, and that was through a fake cough.

This morning, her luck appeared to continue. Burke's stop was an in and out one, and Rebecca was able to spit the pills out in the toilet once he left.

-coiling around her throat, creeping up to her face. It was a hand! It clamped down over her mouth-

-she jerked upright in a gasp, panting heavily. As soon as Rebecca tumbled back to awareness, she moaned and gripped her temples. It was going to happen any second; her head was going to split right down the middle. The pain was incredible-

-then it all made sense. The dream cleared, and her green eyes widened in realization. She kicked the sheets off quickly; they no longer felt warm and comfortable. Her bare feet touched on the icy tiles, toes protesting their discomfort by wriggling. The room suddenly felt very small.

Rebecca ran a hand through her auburn hair. It was damp with sweat.

-out, I have to get out-

Her slippers were still sitting at the foot of her bed. They were plain white, a cross between a pair of moccasins and slip ons. Pain still clouded her mind like an aneurysm, for all she knew, it could be one. A perfectly healthy woman simply collapsing from a burst blood vessel!

But it all made sense now, and the truth wanted to make her throw up.

How could they do this...oh God, it was all a lie...

Maybe, just maybe, she could still get away. They didn't suspect a thing. By the time they realized it, she would be long gone. Gone and safe from this crazy place. Quietly, she walked to the door, then cracked it open. The hallway was open.

Rebecca crept out, trying to act normal, but feeling horribly exposed, like any second she would step in a snare. Stairs, she had to make it to the stairs. Just down the stairs. Once she was out in public, they wouldn't be able to touch her; she'd be safe.

She started down the hall, hoping she looked nonchalant. It was a little past six in the evening.

Just going down for a late meal, there's nothing suspicious of me...

Her heart jumped into her throat when someone turned into the hall. It was a nurse, walking straight for her. Rebecca forced herself to walk on, to not tuck tail and run. The nurse drew closer, but only offered a brief smile as she passed, which Rebecca returned shakily.

Only a bit further to go.

It was the last stretch of hallway. It was still relatively clear, with only a few nurses, staff and one orderly, the latter of which Rebecca eyed nervously. He was busy with something else, so she walked past him, moving a little faster than normal.

"Hello Rebecca," came a familiar voice, stopping her in her tracks. "I didn't know you were up and about."

She spun at the voice. It was Dr. Burke, literally appearing from nowhere. He must have been stooped over or something.

"Oh! Hi, doctor," she said, "You, uh, startled me! I was thinking."

Stay your ground! Don't make him suspect!

"Heading down to eat?" he said mildly.

Rebecca nodded a bit roughly. "Yes. I'm going to eat," she repeated stupidly.

He still didn't seem to pick up on her awkwardness. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Crap.

Okay, so I eat with him, then leave. How much could happen if they still think I don't remember anything?

"Sure!" she babbled. "I'd like that."

The two of them set down the hall, no more conversation between them. Burke broke the silence again.

"Rebecca," he said slowly. "Have you been feeling alright?"

"Yeah...I mean...Not really, just the usual from the meds." She swallowed. "Why?"

"You haven't been vomiting after your meds, or anything else that might remove them from your system?"

"No..."

She glanced at him. He met her look. At that moment, it happened. Rebecca wasn't sure if it was in their eyes, or their body language, but everything fell into place for both sides.

Burke reached into the pocket of his white coat, a move too quick to be anything gentle. Rebecca's nerve broke; she had to run, to get as far away as possible! In the corner of her eye, she saw a glint, a tray, full of surgical tools. She grabbed it and swung it as hard as she could.

The tray connected with the side of her doctor's head. He reeled, giving Rebecca enough time to ram into him, throwing him off balance and into a cart. The clatter of equipment shrieked through the halls. She began to run, not caring whose attention was caught in the skirmish. As she pushed through the doors with a bang, she risked glanced over her shoulder. The orderly she passed was barreling at her, vaulting over Burke's writhing, surprised form.

Down the steps, around the bend. The door to the stairs burst open again, discharging the orderly after her. He was fast, too fast! He dove just as she hit the landing, colliding with the frightened girl and spilling them into the hall. Rebecca threw herself into a frenzy, clawing with her nails at his face as he tried to restrain her arms with his own.

Her flailing made him loosen his grip. Rebecca tried to get to feet, but was caught off guard by the orderly as he grabbed her ankle, tripping her. Before she began to kick free, she saw the syringe in his hand, then felt it plunge into her calf. She shrieked and kicked, her heel crunching over the man's nose. The needle in her calf jiggled as her leg coiled and retracted. It hurt as she yanked it out, like someone pinching her hard.

No one tried to stop her as she stumbled to her feet. Everyone was backing away, like she was dangerous or contaminated. They were all patients and staff, but thankfully no orderlies. Rebecca took a step forward and almost buckled. A numbness was creeping through her left leg, the one that was poked.

-some kind of local sedative I can't feel my leg-

Her leg was almost gone. Pathetically, she half hopped, half skipped down the hall. What if there was another sedative with that syringe. How long before she lost consciousness? Could she make it to safety before then? What if-

-she reached the t-junction in the hall. To her right two more orderlies were jogging in her direction, breaking into a sprint when they spotted her. No doubt someone had called for them after her little tussle with the other one. With a moan of desperation, she hobbled in the other direction. Too slow, there was no way-!

-both of them tackled, her small body crushed under their weight. All of her air was expelled as a limb mashed her diaphragm. One of them wrestled with her arms, while the other pinned her legs.

Breathless, she writhed in their grip. It seemed like they pressed down on her from all angles. Something brushed against her face, and she didn't hesitate; she bit. She bit the hardest in her life, feeling like some kind of animal as her teeth sank into the bicep of the orderly grabbing her arms, gagging on the taste of his blood.

The orderly let go with a cry and rolled off of her, cradling his wounded arm. Rebecca began to thrash at the second latched onto her lower body.

"LET ME GO!" she screamed. "LETMEGO LETMEGO LETMEGO! HELLLLP!"

Help. She needed help, from anyone, anything. It came, but not for her. Another orderly grabbed her from behind, prying them away from the other. The next thing she realized, she was twisted into another full-nelson. Her arms flailed in the hold, as good as useless. The new orderly hiked her up, then dragged her to a gurney.

"HELP ME! SOMEONE HELLLLP MEEE!"

Furiously, she tugged in the grip, but still nothing. She realized that she was still shrieking. Her right leg kicked out again and again, even catching one of the orderlies in the crotch as he tried to catch it. Her left leg dangled uselessly along the ground, the muscles completely cut from her brain.

The orderly hiked her up again, then dropped her onto the gurney with a clatter. The metal frame buckled under her tiny body. She tried to rise, but was shoved back into the thin pad. Her eyes bulged when she realized what they were doing.

"NOOO!"

The orderly with the bit arm returned, drawing a strap across her body, just underneath her bosom and over her elbow joints. No matter how hard she twisted, all she did was buy herself time. Eventually, the thick nylon strap was tightened almost to the point of suffocation.

Now, with only the use of her forearms, Rebecca continued to thrash. Her shrieking gave way to sobbing.

"Rebecca!" called a voice. Burke. He returned, holding the side of his head with a wince on his face. "Please, settle down! You don't know what's going on-"

"I know exactly what's going on, you fuck!" she screamed. "You liar! Let me go!"

"She's slipped back into delusion," Burke said to the orderlies. He procured a small syringe from his coat. "Hold her down, I'm going to introduce a mild sedative-"

"-NO! Don't you dare!-"

He looked at the one with the bite mark in his arm. "Get that cleaned up. You go with him."

Two of the men left, and the remaining one pressed his hand down on her head, anchoring it to the cot. Burke popped the cap off the syringe and drew it close to her neck.

"Please, Rebecca," he pleaded as her thrashing made his hand hesitate. "I promise that I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help."

For that instant, Rebecca slackened. Through her blurry, streaming eyes, she could see Burke's handsome face, worried and in pain from the blow she gave him. Umbrella had her cold, and he was being so gentle, so kind. Why?

It was all so clear. She was abducted from her apartment, before she could meet with Chris in Europe. Then she woke up at the institute. They tried to lie to her, to bend the truth. The mansion incident did happen, and Umbrella was behind it. It was a good try, she'd give them that. But it was too real to be an illusion...it was as real as...as she was here...

What if this was the same thing? What if she was in another delusional state? Of course it would make sense to her.

All of this flashed through her mind in an instant. Her struggling lessened, now only fueled by her fear of the strap crushing her ribs. She shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to see his hand make the motion.

It'll be over soon, It'll be over soon...please, it has to be over...

Any second now-

"-move and you're dead!" yelled a voice.

There was the sound of a scuffle. Rebecca opened her eyes to see the remaining orderly fall past her field of vision, unconscious. Someone, looking out of place in street clothes against the sterile surroundings, had Burke by the collar, a gun against his forehead. Whoever it was was well built, about six feet tall, short, brown hair-

"Chris??" Rebecca croaked.

Sure enough, the Alpha Team marksmen was standing right next her. Chris's mouth was drawn in a thin line, his brow furrowed in anger. Burke's normally kind face was drawn in a similar fashion.

"You..." he snarled.

Chris drew back his arm and whipped his gun across the doctor's temple, sending him to the ground to join the orderly.

Rebecca whimpered, afraid of what her mind was doing to her. Did Burke already stick her with the needle, and now she was dreaming? Chris couldn't be here, he was out of the city with S.T.A.R.S. And why would he be attacking the staff like that?

Chris stuck his gun in his belt, then began to work on the strap holding her down. He touched her shoulder gently; it seemed real enough. What was he doing?

"Chris...what-"

"It's okay, Rebecca," he soothed. "I'm going to get you out of here."

After a few seconds, his hands released the strap, and Rebecca wormed it up with his help, then clawed it off. His hand was still on her shoulder. She batted it away then bolted upright with some difficulty. Her entire left leg was now tingling and numb.

"Rebecca-"

"Don't touch me!" she said, pressing her back against the wall where the gurney sat. "You're not supposed to be here!"

"What?" Chris looked bewildered.

"He said you were gone, that you weren't coming to visit! He...ugh!" A lance of pain shot through her head. Rebecca gripped her bangs and squealed. Chris leaned forward and held her before she could tip over.

Damn it, why did I stop taking those pills...Because they were drugging me, because I was delusional...No, it was because my head was all screwed up, and I didn't trust them enough!

"Rebecca, are you okay?"

She was delusional, but why was Chris here? Why had he pummeled her doctor when they were trying to help her?

"You have to tell me, Chris..." she whispered.

"Huh?"

"You have to tell me," she repeated, then grabbed his shoulders roughly, looking him in his pale blue eyes with her own brilliant green. Her fingernails burned as she tightly clenched the material of his jacket. "You have to tell me if this is real!"

"Rebecca I don't-"

"Tell me!" she almost screamed, trying to shake him. "Tell me!"

Chris suddenly gripped both sides of her face, this thumbs just below her eyes. "Rebecca Chambers! You are the Special Tactics and Rescue Squad's field medic and acting rear security for Bravo Team! You helped uncover the conspiracy behind Umbrella Inc. Over three months ago, you were abducted. That, is the truth!"

Both of them froze, faces mere inches away from each other. Then, it hit Rebecca; she finally knew what she could believe.

"Chris, I-I...oh Chris..."

She didn't bother telling him. Instead, she just coiled her arms around him in a death grip, burying her face into his neck. He was solid, not just a figment of her imagination. She took deep breaths through her nose. He even smelled real. He was real.

"It's okay Rebecca, I've got you now," he said and patted her back. "But we need to get moving. This place looks legitimate, but there might be more people who'll want to stop us."

Rebecca broke away and sniffled. "They stuck my leg with something. I...I can't walk."

Chris grinned. "That would be too easy." He slipped off his coat and draped it over her shoulders, then flipped the hem of his shirt over his gun. He turned around. "Hop on."

Rebecca couldn't help but smile, too. She shifted herself, then hopped onto his back, circling her arms lightly around his neck. He tucked his hands under her thighs for a better grip, then hoisted her easily.

"Giddy-yap." she whispered.

"Can it," he growled, "Or I'll drop you right here."

She giggled, despite the fear still inside of her. They were far from being safe. He carried her through the halls and down the stairs. Although a few people gave them stares, no one made a move to stop him. She could feel the tenseness of Chris's muscles; he was on high alert. If someone tried to stop them, he wouldn't be able to defend himself while she was on his back. Not without letting her drop, but Chris would never do that.

"Chris," she whispered in his ear. "They said that my parents were coming."

"We've been in contact with you're parents since you vanished," he said lowly. "They know exactly what's going on. Whatever these guys said to you was a lie. Big surprise."

Rebecca sighed in relief. Her family was safe. Umbrella couldn't get to them, not if Chris and the others were watching them. But wait-

"The captain," she whispered fearfully. "He's alive..."

Chris tensed further. "Yeah...I know. We'll tell you all about once we're out of here. Just wait till you hear about Raccoon..."

"You mean we're not there now?"

Chris gave an airy laugh. "Nope."

They'd already reached the front door. No one stopped them as they stepped through the glass sliding doors. Outside, the bitter January air chilled Rebecca through her thin clothes, but her teammate's jacket fought it off. There was a car parked in the driveway; Rebecca recognized Jill Valentine in the driver's seat.

She snuggled closer into Chris's back. It was uncomfortable and chilly, but she'd much rather be outside and cold than be in the institute and warm. She would take the harsh truth over a comforting lie any day.

The End