Chapter 10
Disclaimer: no owning no claiming that I own etc…
Carlos' eyes snapped open as he sat bolt upright, but he immediately regretted this decision as pain from his injuries shot through his entire body. "Whoa, whoa! Easy dude!" Miranda said as she gently restrained him. "Alice…!" "Is sleeping in the next room, you know that using her psionic powers takes a lot out of her." She said, he nodded & relaxed. "Don't worry, she wasn't going to leave without seeing you first… if that's what you were thinking." Miranda said with a smile as Alice walked in, roused by their conversation. "Hey." She said, rubbing her eyes like a sleepy teenager. Carlos grinned in spite of himself as he painfully sat up to greet her. "You know I gotta go." "I know." Carlos said, his expression downcast. He hated the idea of her leaving him but they had obligations to their friends. Besides, Alice could find them easier due to her ability to hone in on anyone or anything infected with the virus.
"Can't sleep?" Stella said to the dark cave behind her, her eyes not leaving the dying campfire. The convoy had set up what could be considered a homestead in the network of caverns in the mountains; they were warm at night, when the temperature dipped & cool during the heat of the day. Kmart didn't bother to ask how she knew she was there, "nope, you?" She replied as she sat beside her on the ground. "Something is coming." Stella said, Kmart struggled to see out into the inky night to no avail, it was like trying to look through a blacked out window on a car. Even the light from their campfire & their torches wasn't enough to penetrate it. "Something? What kind of something?" "I don't know, I just have this horrible feeling, like… I don't know… I cant explain it." Stella said.
Suddenly, she lurched forward, grabbed Kmart & carried her to the back of the cave in one leap just as something large landed right in the middle of their dying campfire, the creature's breath extinguishing what was left of the embers. The torchlight from the cavern behind them was the only light now. As their eyes adjusted, the saw that it wasn't an animal, but a motorcycle, Stella drew her dessert eagle & kept Kmart behind her as the rider dismounted & removed their goggles & scarf. "Alice? Son of a bitch! You've got to stop doing that!" Stella said as Kmart rushed forward & embraced her as Claire & the rest of the convoy, awakened by the commotion rushed in with their weapons drawn. "What can I say? I like to make an entrance." Alice said as her expression turned serious. "You guys have to pack up & come with me, now. No questions, just do it." She said as Kmart opened her mouth to speak, Claire on the other hand knew Alice well enough by this time to know that she usually knew best.
Back at the lab, there was a crashing sound. 'I did it!' he said as he cautiously walked through the door of hoe wrecked cage. 'Let me try it on your cages too!' he said as he approached the tiger, somewhere outside, an alarm sounded. 'there is no time! Quick, through the trash chute!' The tiger said, he hesitated for a moment, shouting could be heard, footsteps were getting louder, closer. 'GO!' the tiger shouted, he had no choice, with a pained look he leapt through the door & endured a long, rough ride to the dumpster below which, to his horror was filled with Umbrella's rejected… experiments. He scrambled out of the dumpster as fast as he could, shaking the blood & various bodily fluids off his body. He had an urge to go west, toward the United States, he didn't know how he was going to get there, but he knew he had to.
"Everyone ready?" Alice said as she straddled her motorcycle, her goggles resting above her eyes, her scarf around her neck. Claire gave the thumbs-up, Alice nodded & kicked started her bike & they all pulled out under the cover of the inky, moonless night. Not even thirty minutes after they left, visitors arrived at their former home, they blasted apart the rock face, exposing the network of caverns inside. One creature looked at the other, something seemed to be said between the two & they nodded in agreement as they took flight.
He didn't know how he did it, but he managed to make it to the shipping yard… but in this day & age there weren't many ships sailing out… not any that he would want to be on anyway. 'I guess I'll have to find my own ride, because I'm not swimming to the US.' He said as he scoured the deserted dock, he needed something with a motor, because he didn't think he could row with this new body of his but, as luck would have it, he found one. It wasn't fancy, but it would have to do. He turned the key with his mouth & pushed the shift to idle, as soon as he was out of the harbor he pushed the motor to full.
"They're here!" Miranda said excitedly as they all ran down stairs, Carlos rose stiffly & followed behind. His injuries had heeled but his bones were still achy. "Carlos!" Kmart said as she embraced him. "Easy on the old man, kid." He said with a smile as she released him, Alice couldn't ignore the twinge of jealousy she felt in her gut as Carlos & Claire shared a warm embrace. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something between them on Claire's end, she felt it the moment she had joined their convoy all those years ago in the middle of the Nevada dessert. Alice slipped out of the sweetness fest, she always felt like an outcast, she walked towards the balcony, her job done, the group was reunited once more & everyone was safe, she suddenly felt the presence of someone. She drew her long colts, ever present at her side, like two old & trusted friends & headed down stairs. Her sharp ears picked up rustling outside. "No use hiding, you're cover's blown… Kennedy." She said with a smile. "How'd you know it was me?" he said as he stepped out of the shadows. "My powers effect my sense of smell too, you know." Alice quipped. "Very funny." He said flatly as he followed her inside. "Lucky for you they have running water in here so you can shower… or should I say lucky for everyone else." She continued, he chose to ignore her. "Leon!" Carlos said as he, Leon & Chris embraced like brothers.
"You ok?" Stella said as she joined Alice outside for a cigarette, Alice was already on her third one. "Just not a fan of the whole mushy love scene." "Are you sure its not something else? I saw the way you bore a hole into the back of Claire's head when she was giving your man a hug. Your lucky you have a handle on your psionic powers now or you might have." Stella said with a smile. "So I was that obvious, huh?" She snorted as she blew the drag from her cigarette out of her nose into the night. "Don't feel bad, I think that everyone was too into their love-fest to notice." Stella said with a laugh as she lit a cigarette & took a long drag. "I'm not too keen on the mushy stuff either, besides I don't have the relationship with the group, on the other hand they've been through hell together, that bonds people." She said as she twirled her cigarette in her hand, studying it nonchalantly. "But you have nothing to worry about, Carlos is like… crazy in love with you, he was beside himself when you left. Drove us all crazy, so Claire sent him out to find you." Alice smiled silently, suddenly, a figure leapt onto the balcony, causing Stella & Alice to draw their weapons & fire in one smooth motion, as though the whole scene was cerography. The creature deflected their bullets with its own psionic powers. 'Please, I mean you no harm… Alice.' The creature said as he stepped out of the shadows, Alice & Stella exchanged the same confused look.
A/N-I know this might get a little hard to follow for some, but I'll do my best to keep the flow. I also have been trying to use more paragraph breaks to make it an easier to read. Remember, please R&R thanks.