"Alice? I thought you went hunting?" Claire asked in a confused voice as Alice came hurtling through the trees.
"We're being followed. We have to leave. Now." Alice said as she stopped in front of Claire and Carlos, who had been talking when she appeared.
"What's following us?" Carlos said as he reached for his M4a1 on his back. Alice recognized it as the exact same one he'd used during Raccoon City.
"Her name is Rain Ocampo. She was with me and Ben during the Hive, and she apparently bonded with the T-Virus after she was bitten. She died though, but was revived with the Anti-Virus that I injected into her. She's also the leader of those bandits that attacked us." Alice explained as Ben came through the tree line with her crossbow in his hands.
"She's not going to remain down for long. Claire, we'll have to take a rain check on that deer for the time being." Ben stated as he returned Alice's crossbow and bolts.
"Alright. Carlos, get everyone loaded. We're moving out." Claire ordered before she turned to her Hummer.
Alice was putting her extra bolts back into her quiver while she followed Claire towards the Hummer without considering what she was doing. It wasn't until Ben wrapped his arms around her waist and brought his head down for a kiss that she looked up.
After separating, he gently took her left hand and lead her to the Hummer, but only to retrieve her other kukri, weapons roll and backpack. "You got a ride, I forgot." Alice said when she had gathered her stuff and closed the door of the Hummer.
"It's over here. We're the scout vehicle." Ben said as he withdrew the key for the bike from an inner pocket of his trench coat.
"Ben, get a move on! We're leaving. You ride ahead of the Hummer and keep an eye out for any undead." Claire's voice sounded from the radioes on their hips as they swung their legs over the bike and Ben fired up the engine with a roar.
As they got into the new driving order of Ben's Harley, Claire's Hummer, LJ's pickup truck, Gus' M35, Ivan's schoolbus, Otto's food truck, Mikey's news van, Betty's ambulance, and lastly Chase's tanker, Ben and Alice were both on high alert since they were leading the entire convoy. Not to mention that they were riding a motorcycle. "Ben, why exactly did you take this bike in the first place?" Alice asked over the heavy throb of the engine between her legs. She had both hands wrapped around Ben's stomach and her face was resting on his right shoulder.
"I had no other options that would work, due to fuel, damage and reliability. I also thought it was a badass bike, and that you and Claire would like it for that." Ben explained as they enjoyed the open road ahead of them for a moment. No undead, no cars, no speed limits. Excellence.
"Ben, we're taking the next right turn." Claire's voice sounded over the radio about two hours later, it was beginning to get dark.
"Copy that, right turn." Ben replied as he turned onto the dusty dirt road that she'd ordered.
"Alice, Ben. Since you're our new scout vehicle, we're setting up camp about a mile and a half up this road. Go check for any undead or surprises." Claire ordered once the convoy had rounded the corner.
"Got it, we'll be back in a bit." Alice replied into Ben's radio as he swung the bike around after stopping to face the convoy. They rode up the road with a large trail of dust behind them.
After the reached the farm at the end of the road, Alice and Ben dismounted the bike started to do the two stage recon sweep. First they checked the immediate area: the barn (nothing), the farmhouse (two undead, probably the former owners) and finally the toolshed (nothing except a lot of tools).The next part was the vicinity: about a hundred yard radius from the immediate area, and in the fields they found a single infected dog.
"You really hate canines, don't you?" Alice teased as he viciously wrenched his tomahawk from the dog's forehead. She was refering to the coyote from the night before.
"Cats versus dogs? I prefer cats, but just imagine an Unliving cat. That wouldn't be very funny." Ben stated as they returned to the bike and radioed Claire that it was all clear.
After camp was set up for the night, Alice, Ben, Carlos, Claire and Chase were sitting around one of the three campfires, talking about the convoy as they relaxed. Carlos was working on his gun, Ben was sharpening his katanas, Chase was tending the fire, and Alice and Claire were just relaxing.
"We've been travelling non stop for too long, I think we should stay here for another night. Give everyone a chance to stretch their legs a little." Carlos stated while he serviced and cleaned his assault rifle with practiced ease. He wasn't even looking at his dismantled gun, he was watching Claire's reaction to the idea.
"I agree, they're always cramped up in vehicles. Give them a rest, Claire. Not all of us have your willpower." Alice nodded her head in agreement with Carlos, they needed to rest. "Not even Ben or I do."
"We need to keep moving, if we stop, the undead and Umbrella won't." Claire argued, firmly standing her ground.
"Now Claire, what is stopping you from just one more night? I actually like this old farm. It reminds me of my grandmother's place back in Texas from when I was a kid." Chase said with a lit cigarette - given to him by Ben - in his mouth.
"Chase is right, Claire. What is stopping you from letting the convoy rest?" Ben said as he stopped the rythmic stroking of the whetstone along one of his katanas.
"It's just... I...I have a bad feeling that we should be moving." Claire finally stated after a few seconds of staring into the fire. "It's just a gut feeling."
"We all understand, Claire. But the fact remains that we want you to let us stay here for two nights. Are we, or are we not Claire?" Carlos said as he finished reassembling his carbine and chambered a new round with ringing finality.
Claire considered it, and it must have shown on her face, because Alice and Carlos smiled at her.
"Alright, two nights. That's it." Claire ordered as she stood up. Alice stood up as well and whispered into her ear.
"Two nights alone with you would be perfect." She purred softly, which made Claire turn a brilliant crimson.
"Alice..." Claire warned, but she just smirked and settled into Ben's arms, kissing him with her left hand on his cheek.
Claire had already formed her opinion about Alice's orientation, but after this little show, she couldn't make up her mind. She just shook her head and went back to the farmhouse. Being bisexual must be tough, she thought with a smile.
With absurd ease, Rain Ocampo jumped straight up into a tree that was overlooking the convoy's camp at the farm. She could see right through the brightly lit master bedroom's window on the second floor. The room beside it was lit, but not anywhere near as brightly. Her lips curled into a sneer when she saw who was moving into the dim room. "Fucking blonde skank." She muttered viciously under her breath as she settled into the tree branch for the night.
"Claire said we have to sleep in here?" Ben asked as he carefully removed his katanas, ammo belt, pistol holsters and his body armour. He placed them in a neat pile beside the bed and sat down to untie his boots. His AK, Hydra, P99 and both of his Colts were on or leaning against the nightstand.
"Unfortunately, yes. We're apparently managers for the convoy now, so we've earned a bed for a night." Alice explained as she unhooked her sheathed kukris from her lower back and the rest of her gear. She placed the kukris within arms reach and peeled off her khaki coloured duster.
"I appreciated the offer, but she knows that we both don't sleep as much as humans." Ben smiled at the sight of Alice in just a tank top and shorts. Unlike most survivors, he alone understood the changes that the Tyrant Virus did to her. She was very resistant to changes in temperature, hence the light clothing in the cool night air coming in from the open window.
"It's better than being asleep at the wheel, since we now have something to drive." Alice reminded him as she laid down on the bed beside him. "Well, you're the driver, in any case."
Ben tried to find a decent counter arguement, but she was right. He should sleep. Especially since he was a driver. He laid down beside her after he pulled off his boots and his t-shirt. They were both soon asleep.
When dawn reared its ugly head, Alice rolled over and covered her head with her pillow. She groaned quietly, willing it to still be three in the morning. The sun was well over a million miles away and it had perfect eye poking accuracy through a small hole in the curtains.
Footsteps outside the door made her peer through a small gap under the pillow, then the door slowly creaked open. "Alice? Are you awake?" A quiet whisper spoke from the doorway.
Alice waited, like a tiger set for an ambush. Only one of her hazel eyes was barely visible, the rest of her body was covered by the blankets or the pillow. The door opened a little wider, revealing K-Mart in the doorway with her body armour over her tank top. She tip toed inside and very carefully poked Alice's hip through the blankets. "Wake up Alice. C'mon, please." K-Mart tried again, while Alice just smiled under her pillow. This was starting to be funny. "Alice, this is serious. Wake up." K-Mart whined, which made Alice's hidden smile flicker. Something in her tone made Alice uneasy.
"Whaa? Whozther?" Alice asked in a convincingly bleary tone as she lifted her head from under the pillow with nearly perfect bedhead.
"It's me, K-Mart. There's someone in a tree outside. They're watching you through the window." K-Mart said in a tense whisper since she was clearly visible to the intruder where she was standing.
"Don't look out the window, just follow me downstairs. Act like we're getting breakfast. C'mon." Alice ordered as she swung her legs down and pulled on her knee high boots. She grabbed just her two kukris and duster before the pair went downstairs. "Did you get a good look at the person in the tree?" Alice asked once they were in the hall. She gently closed the door behind them.
"It's a spanish woman, and she has an SMG. Her eyes are blue and she has a long braid going down her back. That's all I saw before I came to get you." K-Mart described Rain surprisingly well considering that K-Mart only had a glimpse of her from the master bedroom's window.
"That's Rain Ocampo. How is she still following us? We left her with a crossbow bolt through her kneecap over a hundred miles from here!" Alice said as she pulled on the duster. They descended the creaky staircase, which Alice made no sound on, and opened the front door. "Don't give her any attention, I'll try to find which tree she's in. Go eat." Alice said with her hand resting in K-Mart's lower back.
"You see the two stumps?" K-Mart asked when they stepped off the porch.
"Yes, I do." Alice said simply.
"Third tree to the left, right side near the bottom." K-Mart gave Rain's location before she joined the small line of survivors at the back of Otto's food van.
"Alright. I'll let Claire know after I go wake up Ben." Alice said before turning back to the house.
Once she was inside, Alice knew that Rain had an unsettled score with both herself and Ben, so she decided that an open conflict with Rain was inevitable. The one to one moments would soon end.
"Babe, c'mon, we have to get up now." Alice purred into Ben's ear after she had gathered all of her equipment. He didn't move for a second, but suddenly rolled over and surprised Alice. She landed on her back with him above her while supporting his weight with his hands on the bed on either side of her shoulders.
"Well, good morning to you two." Alice giggled up at his smiling face, both of their eyes glowing brightly. She laced her fingers on the back of his neck and brought her head up to begin kissing him. They remained locked at the mouth for a few minutes, enjoying the moment, the sound of their quickened heartbeats, and the morning light streaming in through the window.
"Alice, K-Mart said you wanted to speak with..." Claire opened the door and froze in mid sentence as she caught sight of the two of them together. Ben was shirtless, over top of Alice, who was on her back on the bed. Making out.
Remaining surprisingly calm after being interrupted by her, Alice and Ben separated and smiled at Claire's statuesque figure in the doorway. "Morning, Claire." Ben and Alice said at the exact same time, their matching smirks firmly planted on their faces.
Claire's shocked look was almost funny, but Alice quickly ducked under Ben's arm and explained the issue with Rain in the hallway while Ben got ready. Claire's face returned to her normal stoic expressionless intensity, but very quickly became angry.
"Why the fuck would she be following us?" Claire hissed through gritted teeth. She didn't take to kindly about being stalked in any way, shape or form.
"I can answer that. She wants the two of us dead. But for different reasons. I threw a grenade at her on the night of the bandit attack. I can confidently say she wants Alice dead since she was left for dead in the Hive while we were under Umbrella's influence. I'd say that she had to develop her abilities, whatever they may be, while we were trained to use our own." Ben explained after he opened the door fully dressed and armed.
Alice smirked before she turned to descend the old staircase. She looked over her shoulder as she spoke to Claire, still smiling. "She also just simply hates my guts."