Author Note: Some of the timeline will be off for this one, but I was not planning on following the script of Resident Evil but instead using the characters you all love and making my own story line. Please, enjoy, be courteous, & review (I do take constructive criticism). I will try my best to do the same for you.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Characters, but a girl can dream right?
Without further adieu…here comes Chapter Ten
B
Update Nov-20-2015: As I prepare to add more to Calm Before the Storm I figured I should go back and look over what I posted almost two years ago to the story that started it all. This way I can make some editorial changes while also refreshing my memory on what things I left off with in the end.
Chapter Ten
- Mexico -
Claire jumped down from the back of the army truck, scanning the jungle for survivors or undead. Either would be a welcoming sight to distract her from the tone Alice just used with her. She heard her brother and Luther's footsteps from either side of the truck, both making their way round back to join the group.
How could Alice be so stupid? Just two days ago she was saying how she never wanted other's to know the truth, did not want to cause a panic. Now she has verbal diarrhea with someone she once trusted as an ally. It was disheartening, and hard to not take personally when Claire fought tooth and nail to get Alice to confess her story. Jill was never there for her when the nightmares came, was not the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, or, maybe she was.
"All clear!" Chris yelled making Claire jump.
Jill and Alice jumped down, guns at the ready. Luther looked at Alice, "How are our volunteers?" He asked.
"Pissing themselves with fear." Jill guffawed with a smile, pushing past Chris. "Where are the survivors?"
"Still a good click away." Chris replied.
Luther parted canvas flaps to the back of the army truck and saw firsthand what Jill was referring to. The two men were almost shaking, huddled near the front of the truck, skin pale and eyes wide.
"Are you two going to join us or just sit there sulking?" Luther threatened.
The men exchanged glances with one another before Brian cleared his throat, "We would like to stay, encase the survivors come here."
"Yeah, someone should stay." The other reasoned.
Luther thought about this for a moment, and then shrugged. "Suit yourself, but you're on your own if the infected showed up." He grabbed one of the knapsacks full of extra ammunition and flares and shut the flap once again.
"Idiots, they are staying behind encase the survivors show up." Luther explained to Alice and Claire as he shook his head catching up with Jill and Chris.
Alice frowned seeing the scowl on Claire's face. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing." Claire snapped slinging her bag over her shoulder and pushed past Alice.
"Claire!" Alice called but the red head kept going, "Claire!" Alice repeated forcefully, grabbing the young woman's shoulder.
"What!" Claire yelled, anger blazing in her eyes.
"What the hell is going on with you?"
"Nothing, I just hope you know what you are doing."
"You mean Jill?" Alice asked as Claire sighed, trying to push past, but Alice kept her pinned against the hood to the truck.
"Why in God's name you are telling her your life story in the middle of the God damn Mexican jungle!" Claire snapped.
They were out of range of the the group trudging up ahead and had forgotten about the two men still cowering in the back of the truck. At this moment Claire did not care who had overheard their conversation, if a fight was what Alice wanted then a fight was what she was going to get. This seemed like the appropriate birthday gift a loved one would get, materialistic goods were a thing of the past.
"What a great birthday present." She sighed, fighting back the tears.
Alice frowned, now fulling understanding the depth behind Claire's violent temper and sulky attitude. She had been so consumed by the fact of helping Jill put her life back together, that she did not realize that she was hurting the one person she loved and cared about more than anyone in the world. The last thing Alice wanted to do was upset Claire, to create a wedge between them potentially destroying their relationship. She cupped Claire's chin, allowing the single tear to fall into her palm. Alice hated to see Claire so sad, especially on her birthday.
"Claire, I'm sorry, truly I am, but you know that anything to help piece your life back together is reassuring."
"I know Alice, you don't have to keep reminding me of that every chance you get." She growled, "You think your humanity switch has been compromised, but it hasn't. You would never risk everything for someone you didn't care about. I had to fight for this information, had to beg you to tell me the truth and you are just handing it to Jill on a silver platter."
"I know it may seem like that, but I did the exact same thing with you when you snapped out of it. I told you stories of us together in Nevada, things that would help YOU remember."
Claire stayed silent, she did not remember these conversations not to mention she was thrown into a survival situation only minutes after Alice saved her from the grips of Umbrella. Their trek through the LA Country jail to avoid the undead that were literally crawling all over the place was her most vivid memory of a time after Nevada. Alice may have shown her the same compassion, same caring and soft tone and patience, but that did not change the fact that there were better places to be having these conversations.
"Why here? Why, when we are in the middle of god damn jungle on the hunt for survivors do you feel the need to wear your heart on your sleeve?"
"We both know that once we are back on that ship Jill will be put back in her cell. My chance to show you, Chris, Luther, that she is no longer a threat are gone once we walk back on that ship. If I can get her to remember something, anything from a time when she was on our side, then it will be just that much easier to work her in as one of the crew." Alice explained.
Claire could feel her temper rising again and it was taking all her will power to not explode on her right at this moment. It was bad enough Alice was treating this expedition like some sort of experiment, but now she was making the assumption that Claire would be that cold hearted that she would lock Jill back up and throw away the key. Claire liked to remain objective and base her worthiness on skill, not personal vendettas.
"Do you love her?" Claire demanded, tears welling in her eyes once more.
"Excuse me?"
"Why else would you put your guard down. You never trust anyone, you're a private person, you have a history, it's not that big of a stretch."
Alice was not sure how to respond that. If her interaction with Jill resembled that of love or affection in any way it was not intentional. The last thing she would ever think of doing was to hurt, leave Claire, or to fall out of love with Claire.
"Claire, listen to me, the only person I love and have ever loved is you." Alice stated softly, her eyes wet with tears.
"But-"
Alice put her fingers to Claire's lips stopping her mid sentence. She looked deep into Claire's eyes seeing the hurt and sorrow, wanting desperately to make that disappear. She needed to do something, something to prove that Claire had nothing to fear or worry about when it came to Jill. There was no one Alice would ever leave Claire for. She made her feel human in this world of undead, feel loved and appreciated, feelings that were no longer taken for granted, but instead were only for those left who truly deserved it.
"You have nothing to worry about," Alice whispered, brushing away a few fallen locks of red, "I'll always choose you." she murmured, planting a kiss on the lips.
Claire was about to push her away, to protest, but it had been so long since they were alone and free to kiss, to feel. This was why she loved this woman so much. Claire wanted to take it further, her hands moving involuntarily to Alice's waist, cupping her buttocks. The desire to claw her clothes off and expose the beauty hiding under her rugged jungle gear was unbearable.
Alice pushed Claire against the hood of the vehicle, letting her hands roam through her hair, down her arms and waist to her thighs. She snaked her hands in between her legs, teasing Claire, her moans escaping against her lips. She opened her eyes, releasing her lips from Claire's with a smile.
"I love you Claire. I always have and I always will. You know, I never meant to hurt you right?"
"I know Alice, I just, got jealous I guess." Claire whispered. Her cheeks heating from embarrassment.
She understood, never once seeing the green jealousy monster appear in Claire before and it was a sight she did not plan to repeat anytime in the future. Alice loosened the friendship bracelet that K-Mart had given her before they left the Arcadia and slipped it over Claire's wrist.
"This is my promise to you that I will never leave you, never hurt you, and never stop loving you until the day I die."
Claire looked down at the bracelet, her eyes filling with tears once more. Without hesitating she jumped into Alice's arms, her arms squeezing the woman's neck to tight Alice felt like they were going to pop off. She resumed kissing her on the lips, slipping her tongue down her throat. It wasn't until they heard someone clearing their throat that Claire opened her eyes, horrified at who was standing a mere three feet away.
"They uh, sent me back to see if you both were eaten by zombies." Jill replied with a snicker, "Looks like you were just eating each other instead."
Alice watched Claire's face go as red as blood with embarrassment as she tried to smooth out her clothes and hair, trying to contain her animal urges.
"We'll be right there." Alice replied with a smile as Jill fake saluted, heading back into the jungle.
Alice turned back to Claire, kissing her cheek one last time, "At least it wasn't your brother." She chided before heading off in the groups direction.
Claire sighed, "Sadly, I'd rather it was him." She muttered to herself before taking off.
-/-
The two volunteers poked their heads out from the truck window, separating the cab from the truck bed and watched the scene unfold between their target and her lover. They were secretly wishing for a lover's quarrel, that would have made there job just that much easier. The infected blonde would have been distracted, more susceptible to an attack from them or even better, an infected. Instead they watched as the two of them got frisky on the hood of the truck, it was the closest thing they had to porn since the world went to shit. She might be infected, but she was still a very attractive woman, and the red head was a prize as well.
After the one in the purple jumpsuit returned, catching them down each other's throat, they all left, leaving the two of them alone. They needed to find a way to get the blonde all by herself, but that was proving to become a very difficult task. They sat back down in the pile of bags and looked out the back of the vehicle. Awaiting the arrival of those survivors was a lost cause. There was no guarantee they were even still alive. The undead would show up in an army before a single survivor would appear on the horizon.
"How on earth are we going to get her alone?" Brian asked.
"We need to exploit her weaknesses." Glen replied.
"Which is what exactly? Did you see how she decapitated that zombie, she's fearless."
"The red head is one, along with her friend Jill, but to involve them would take too much planning and we don't have much time. There is however a common link between them."
"What? They're all women?" Glen quipped.
"No you idiot, she saved them. She's infected and no longer human, but she still has a weakness to save everyone. Her weakness is her humanity." Brian explained
Glen smiled, watching as Brian picked up a shot gun from the floor, checking to see if there were any rounds inside. "What do you think we should do then?"
"We are going to give her someone to save," Brian cocked the shot gun pointing it at his partner with a snarl across his lips. "Run."
Glen did not need to be told twice.
-/-
Alice, Claire, and Jill caught up with the men, getting into crouch position behind some bushes. They could see the outskirts of the survivors camp only a few hundred feet ahead of them. The camp looked deserted, the main fire pit was now just blowing smoke into the sky trying to kill off its final coals. There looked to be about ten or twelve tents pitched around the fire, and clothes were still drying on a line that barely looked washed.
Chris looked to his sister, who came up beside him with a scowl on his face. "What the hell took you so long?" He whispered.
"Sorry, had to debrief the volunteers who were staying behind, they're accidents waiting to happen." She lied shifting her eyes to Jill in the hopes that she would not call her bluff.
"Yeah, you guys picked some real winners." Jill replied.
Claire smiled, for the first time since letting Jill out of the prisoner cell she was in favour of what she said.
"Any movement?" Alice asked attempting to change the subject.
"No movement since we've arrived, either they've left or they're dead." Luther whispered.
"So what's the plan?" Jill asked.
Before Chris could reply the cracking sound of a shotgun being discharged filled the silent jungle. Even with the truck a kilometer away, the gunshot felt like it was only a few feet behind them. Either the undead were on to their scent or something horrible was happening to the volunteers.
"Great pep talk you gave." Chris snapped as Claire scowled. "Look, we need to get out of here ASAP, but we cannot leave those idiots stranded, we need to split up."
"Jill and I will go back, hold those creatures off until you guys return with survivors and supplies." Alice suggested, checking her gun.
Now that those two had fired a weapon it was like ringing a dinner bell for the infected. No need to use knifes and neck snapping for silent kills. Claire could feel a pang of jealousy, but she looked down at the friendship bracelet that Alice had given her mere minutes ago knowing that what Alice had said was true and honest. There was nothing to worry about.
Chris and Luther nodded, "We'll be back at the truck in twenty minutes with or without them."
"Why do you want me?" Jill asked.
"Get some shooting practice on those undead; see how rusty you've gotten."
Jill smirked, "Wanna keep count?"
"I think I would win." Alice replied locking eyes with Claire, "Be careful okay?" She stated with a smile and cupped Claire's cheek with her hand. "Remember what I said."
"You too," Claire replied and locked eyes with Jill, "Both of you."
Another shot rang out from behind the group as Jill nodded motioning for them to go. Alice and Jill disappeared back through the jungle underbrush. Claire did not turn back to the group until she was no longer able to see the glint of blonde hair from either woman in the sea of green and brown.
- Jill & Alice -
When they returned to their truck, both Jill and Alice had there guns at the ready. There supplies were scattered everywhere, but no signs of the undead or the volunteers for that matter. How alert and ready Jill was made Alice breathe a little easier knowing she had made the right decision in bringing her back to investigate. They heard a rustling sound from the back of the truck. Both women raised their guns as Alice took point, wedging herself against the truck, Jill falling in behind. When they reached the corner she nodded her head in the direction of the opening, signalling for Jill to go first and she would have her back. Jill smiled, happy to take on the role ready to aim at the first flesh eating, blood dripping, and gnarly faced undead bastard she saw.
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" The man yelled from inside the truck.
He raised his hands in surrender as the glint of gun barrel peaked between the flaps. Jill moved the canvas out of her line of vision, lowering her weapon. One of the volunteers either Brian or Glen, she didn't know, nor cared, was shaking. His hands were scuffed with dirt and blood, his eyes as big as golf balls, and skin was pale and sweaty. He had been running, his clothes were soaked in sweat and covered in dirt and grass stains.
"Good way to get your head blown off idiot."
"What the hell happened here?" Alice questioned. She lowered her gun and hopping into the back of the truck, going to inspect his wounds.
"After you left we saw one of those undead creatures coming towards the truck. We had never seen them up close before and panicked, running off into the jungle. We ended up getting separated from one another and I tripped, cutting up my hands on some thorns." Brian explained, wincing with the pressure Alice was applying to his wounds. He looked at Jill, continuing his story, "I made it back here, but Glen, he-" the man choked, trying to hold back tears.
"Didn't. Is he the one with the shot gun?" Jill asked.
Brian shook his head, "No, I was, I was rummaging in here for some more ammo when you two showed up. Please, he's my brother and he's unarmed, can someone go look for him."
Alice and Jill looked at one another wondering what the best plan of action was. They knew splitting up was not ideal, but his shotgun blast will have attracted some unsavory characters to rear their ugly heads in the next few minutes. They could not leave this man alone at the truck and his brother was sure as dead without some sort of fire power.
"I'll go." Alice volunteered. "Jill, you stay here with Brian encase some undead make an appearance."
"Are you sure that's a good idea." Jill reasoned. She pulled Alice aside, softening her tone so Brian wouldn't overhead, "You have no idea how many are out there or if he's even still alive."
"I know, but if I leave him without trying I'll forever regret it."
Jill smiled, "You are human after all."
"I'll be back with or without him. Don't leave without me." She stated and took off back into the jungle.
T.B.C.
So, what do you think is going to happen next?
1. Have we lost Alice to a simple minded trap set up by a couple of idiots?
2. Do you think Glen is already dead?
3. Will Claire eventually learn to trust Jill?
Please Read to find out more & review/ leave comments if you so choose!