Resident Evil: Fractured Promises
Epilogue: Super Glue
Sherry's casket was buried where the rest of the Umbrella Warriors have been with a solemn service held by the remaining survivors, Jake was of course in attendance, barely. He leaned against a tree on a hill overlooking the dug up earth and people gathered there, watching intently as they said words of love and honor.
Everyone has left already, leaving a couple of members of the cemetery's staff to slowly fill the hole in as rain begins to fall, "Hopefully my trick of dirty details in my letter to you has worked and you are reading this alone. I did not go into whatever mission this was with the intent to die, hell, I'm not even sure it's a mission I died in… Could've been a bike accident because of how bad you drive, or what…"
Jake chuckles and shakes his head before continuing the letter, "Blunt and to the point, right… I'm dead. Don't let my death be the death of you. You have found your redemption, your return to light. Don't carry on because I am dead, in some kind of honor of me, carry on because I lived. You must, Jake. I came from a tainted family, but I turned that into a call to do more, do better, be better. You come from the same kind of tainted family, so heed the call."
The letter is crumbled in his hands as Jake fights the emotions raging within him, but the letter isn't done, he isn't done, "Your goal might be to blame Leon and Claire, because they saved me from Raccoon City, but couldn't save me from falling back into the pit and fighting bioterrorism, or you might see them as directly responsible for my death… That's not the case, ever. I made choices, you made choices, they made choices. We cannot fault another for the choices they make… Assume positive intent, Jake. No matter how dark the outcome, assume the choices were made in the best of ideals."
There it is, the two names he forever will think of in a darker light, but she's right, "I love you Jake. From the moment I woke in that lab in China and far into the afterlife… No matter how dark life gets for you, trudge on and use my love to light the way and guide you home… Now, go fuck something up in my memory and then eat all the apples, pomegranates, and pears you want! Your Sherry Always…"
"Damn it, woman…" Jake knows the rain is hiding the tears, but he still swipes them away and presses the letter back into his inside pocket before hopping on to his motorcycle.
As the key is turned, a voice speaks up, "Jake Muller? I've been sent here to pick you up."
"By who?" he quickly points his handgun at the suit approaching him, "and where?"
"She said you'd probably put up a fight, so I am to show you this…" the piece of paper held out to him causes Jake to turn the engine off and quickly slip into the dark-tinted SUV.
-Downtown New York—
Two days late, but the knock on the door causes a familiar face to appear through the crack, "Glad you finally made it here. Come on in."
The two forms step past each other and the female one slowly scratches her upper arm, unsure of what to say. From his stance, she guesses he feels the same way, both of them playing guessing games on where this will go. He offers her a drink, which she politely declines, but does notice that the bottle resting on the table in the hallway is full. The two make their way to his living room, where she immediately notes that it feels more like home than his past few Government-paid apartments.
"So, I'm surprised they haven't sent you on any new missions yet… Isn't this past the two-week limit you usually get for reprieves, Leon?" Claire drops onto the couch and tosses her red leather jacket onto the far arm.
Leon chuckles and holds a hand up to shoo the thought away, "They are the furthest thing from my mind right now and I plan to keep it that way for a while. The world can survive without the blood of Leon Kennedy."
"Don't you mean," she knows this is going to make his skin crawl and she loves it, "Leon S. Kennedy?"
He does not disappoint and the involuntary shake he does makes the younger Redfield smile wide, "You win this round, Redfield… Tea or soda? Water?"
"Actually," blue eyes glance at the bottle of whiskey, "I think I will take that stronger drink…"
The glass is quickly filled and handed to her before Leon takes his own seat in his usual recliner, but with a bottle of water, "You weren't kidding were you about fighting your demons head on?"
"I'm trying to be someone different… I owe it to my liver," he is not subtle about changing that last sentence, but she lets it slide.
Claire stares into the glass, losing herself in the dark-tinted liquid courage, "There aren't many of us left anymore…"
"Nope," Leon spins the cap off the bottle with his thumb and takes a swig, "We're losing more than we are gaining anymore. It almost makes the fight not seem worth it. Your brother and I are on the front lines, tossing grenades at these mother fuckers, while you are behind the scenes in the aftermath, helping those who have lived through it all… We aren't any closer to winning, but we are closer to breaking and falling apart."
"Is there any particular reason you invited me here? Or is this literally just a social call?" the redhead slowly sips the whiskey in front of her, noting that even though he isn't drinking it, the bottle is from his favorite distillery.
"Yeah, there is a reason why I invited you here… I've been doing a lot of thinking, and I-" she cuts him off.
"Dangerous work for a man of your stature…" there is a flash in her eyes that is mimicked by the smirk on her lips.
Leon just takes the hit in stride, apparently not letting her get to him, "I think Sherry is right. We've been doing this dance for years and it's my fault. I do believe all I deserve is Ada's cat-and-mouse games, where she lets me think I'm the cat… That's because I always feared what roots at home would do to me… I've always needed to be fast and agile, but I thought having someone at home would make me misstep or rethink a haphazard plan…"
"Leon…" Claire always felt this talk was coming, for years even, but it's still a shock to hear the words actually being spoken.
He holds up a hand to hold off her remarks, "I've got all my own issues, all my own demons… My life hit a point where I was either drowning in demons, drowning in blood, or drowning in whiskey. I took the latter option more often than not because if I have to suffer, I'd rather pick how I suffer. It hasn't all been bad, though. I've had bright spots break through once in a while… After those days, where I don't feel like I'm suffocating, I have these really unique dreams. I'm running through Raccoon City again, wearing that awful uniform, holding that handgun that could barely kill a zombie, sweating horribly, but then I find a door, that door. I go to open it, but instead raise my gun as it opens on its own. Behind it is this shining light and warmth, guiding me to a safer place, a quieter place. I go, oh God do I go… I reach out, take that hand offered to me, and go into the light…"
Leon shifts uncomfortably, which Claire has to admit, she has never seen him do before, "When I wake up, the first thing I notice is the sun shining, not the usual smell of burnt coffee and an hour-old alarm still going off. These are the mornings where I don't look at the handgun resting on the nightstand and consider… The person who makes the sun shine, who offers me the light, that's you, always has been."
Claire finally realizes she's been holding her breath this whole time and releases it slowly, "I'm… Leon…"
"When I was moving out of the old apartment and into this one, I found a flash drive with Sherry's name on it, but what struck me was what the file said when I opened it, 'For Leon to Think About'. In there was just a song, one single song… Ever hear, "Next to Me" by Imagine Dragons, Claire?" she shakes her head to admit that she hasn't.
Suddenly a song starts to play….
"Something about the way that you walk into my living room
Casually and confident, lookin' at the mess I am
But still you, still you want me
Stress lines and cigarettes, politics and deficits
Late bills and overages, screamin' and hollerin'
But still you, still you want me
Oh, I always let you down
You're shattered on the ground
But still I find you there
Next to me
And oh, the stupid things I do
I'm far from good, it's true
But still I find you
Next to me…"
Claire looks at the man before her as he sits there with his head down and hands clasped together, letting the song speak for him. The song is right, oh so right, but it is wrong in others, as she hasn't always been there next to him. She gave up for the longest time, cast him aside like he did to her so many times before, but her encounter with Alex Wesker on that island made her rethink what was truly important. Not so much Leon, but that everyone has gone through something and needs a good shoulder. Sherry and Leon were her shoulder when she returned, so it was only fair to become his shoulder, to be the one to bandage him up, help him heal, even when Ada would tear him to pieces…
"There's something about the way that you always see the pretty view
Overlook the bloodied mess, always lookin' effortless
And still you, still you want me
I got no innocence, faith ain't no privilege
I am a deck of cards; vice or a game of hearts
And still you, still you want me
Oh, I always let you down
You're shattered on the ground
But still I find you there
Next to me
And oh, the stupid things I do
I'm far from good, it's true
But still I find you
Next to me…"
Claire has fallen in and out of love with Leon so many times that someone could almost make it a drinking game if they knew about it. Leon still hasn't moved, but her keen eyes spot that his knuckles are white, is he trying to keep himself from shaking? Who is this man sitting before her, awaiting her judgement?
"So, thank you for taking a chance on me
I know it isn't easy
But I hope to be worth it
So, thank you for taking a chance on me
I know it isn't easy
But I hope to be worth it
Oh, I always let you down
You're shattered on the ground
But still I find you there
Next to me
And oh, the stupid things I do
I'm far from good, it's true
But still I find you
Next to me…."
The song comes to a close with Claire suddenly standing before Leon, her hands reaching down to separate his arms. She slowly climbs into his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist, digging her feet into the cushion of the recliner as she leans down to pull his face up to hers and kiss him softly.
He tastes differently than she remembers, maybe it's the lack of alcohol in his system, but she still finds herself getting as lost in him now as she has every single time their lips have met, "I take it, this is a yes?"
"To what question?" there are many swimming through her mind as she continues to hold him close and kiss him.
Leon pulls back from her, looks around the apartment, and suddenly produces a key, "I asked the government for a new apartment, something a little bigger, something I can share… I'm sorry I'm so broken, I've had a rough life, but you've done so many amazing things for me to keep me together… I'm not worth your time, attention, and love right now, but I'm working to be worthy of having someone as amazing as you in my life…"
"Shut up, Kennedy," she presses a finger to his lips, finding that she needs to talk, "Outside of a few extenuating circumstances, you have always had me. Our lives have taken us in so many different paths away from each other that we have had to fight tooth and nail to remain together like we have… Sherry has wanted us together for as long as we have known the girl and I think her desire for our happiness has shifted fate in our favor finally. Finally I can be what you need and you can free yourself to be what I need…"
He wiggles around her finger long enough to lock gazes with her and asks one simple question that prods her soul for an answer, "What do we need from each other?"
"Everything…" Claire cranes her neck down to kiss the man who has stolen her heart, her soul, and her forever.
As the two fall into each other and begin the life they have both craved for so long, Sherry's letter to them falls off the candle it was perched on, where one last bit of writing has remained hidden until now, "Told you."
-Undisclosed Location—
The order was strange, almost like it was spoken by someone else through the man in the nice suit, but he follows them, especially with the offer of that picture on the table. He stares out the window as the car drives him through the open landscape of northern New York. Strong fingers twirl an apple around his palm and has been doing so since he got into the vehicle and it pulled away from her gravesite. There is a bit of a bump as the car enters an underground garage, Jake cursing himself for not paying better attention to where he is being taken. Life and the D.S.O. trained him better, but here he is, in an unknown location, taken there by unknown people, for a known purpose that might not be true.
"Jake, so glad you could make it, I'm sorry it's not under better circumstances…" a hand is extended to him that he doesn't take.
"Where?" straight to the point, this needs no downtime, no games, no side-stepping.
The older man smiles and nods, stepping aside and pointing to the elevator behind him, "Right this way, Jake."
No other words are exchanged and the mystery man doesn't enter the elevator with him, which suits him just fine. That photograph better be true and real, or this entire building will crumble under his rage and desire for closure. There is only one button on the panel, so it's quickly jabbed and Jake impatiently waits for the trip to be made. He sees Sherry's face in everything, everyone, and everywhere. It blinds him to what could be there, blinds him to hope, blinds him to what she has always wanted him to see.
A punch is sent into the wall, "GOD DAMN IT ALL!"
The fist unclenches and his other hand slams next to it, Jake using the elevator itself to keep him steady. Deep breath, calm composure, and just grit your teeth to get through this. The doors ping and slowly open to reveal a room with only a single chair with a small table next to it and a case resting on top of that. He almost silently crosses the room, only making enough noise to spin the chair around and straddle it.
"Is this what you promised me?" he doesn't know if anyone is listening, doesn't really care either.
Jake's eyes droop to the case resting next to him and with one quick flip of his hand the clasp is undone and the lid is flipped open, "Isn't this interesting?"
Inside is a handgun, but not just any handgun, it's Sherry's Triple-Shot. The weapon is slipped into his right hand and he feels the real weight of it, as well as all of the emotional baggage. Suddenly the lights flicker out and there is a hum like a set of shutters are being opened.
"Hello?" the voice is feminine, foreign, and for some reason it pisses him off to no end.
She can't see him, at least not until one light flashes on above him and then another flashes on above her. Blonde hair that's fading into gray, a face worn by worry lines and stress, and beady little eyes that only read as one thing.
"Christine Henry…" the grip of the gun squeaks as he squeezes it in rage.
The woman perks up, quickly straightens her hair, steps up to the glass, and squints, "Do, do I know you?"
"No, but you know someone I used to love…" he sees the recognition in her eyes and finds himself involuntarily growling at the smile that fills her face.
She steps up to the glass and presses her hands against the bulletproof material, "You must be the one I saw on the news with Sherry Birkin in China way back when…? Jake, wasn't it? I take it you are here," her eyes drop down to the gun, "with that, to finish her quest?"
"Is that what you want me to do? Kill you? Why should you be lucky enough to escape this nightmare while we all remain behind to either suffer unknowingly or suffer alone?" the gun is tapped against the case before it's pointed at Christine.
"It wouldn't do any good… That glass can stop a magnum round no problem," the weapon is lowered down and tapped against the table before it's pointed at Jake's own right temple, "It would do some good here, but again, why should just one person get to escape this nightmare?"
His eyes haven't broken their stare from Christine's own glassy orbs, "I don't follow you?"
"You don't get to ESCAPE!" Jake fires a burst into the glass, the bullets ricocheting off, leaving only white scratches from the impact.
The former mercenary points the gun under his chin and pulls the trigger, but the weapon just clicks empty, "None of us get to escape!"
The gun slams into the glass from his throw, his eyes burning with sorrow and rage, "No escape from the pain, the loss, the death… No, you don't get to escape…"
He quickly stands up from the chair, turns from her one last time, and slowly exits the room as her screams are hidden by the closing elevator doors, "What does that mean!? Hello!?"
The man who pointed him toward the elevator is still standing in the exact same spot, "Did you find what you were promised?"
"Will she be taken care of?" the words are dry.
"Yes. Regular meals, some entertainment of sorts, but she will never see the outside again," the reply breaks something inside Jake, something that needed to be broken.
"Good," he climbs back into the SUV and nods at the driver, "Sherry wouldn't want me to give up hope…"
As the vehicle pulls away, Jake closes his eyes, Hope that she'll live the long life Sherry should have gotten… Hope that she'll suffer her long days of solitude… Hope that one day she will ask for forgiveness and there will be no one left to give it to her…
END