Author Note: Some of the timeline will be off for this one, but I was not planning on following the script of the Resident Evil movies, but instead using the characters you all love to create my own story line. Please, enjoy, be courteous, & review (I do take constructive criticism!)
Disclaimer: I do not own the Characters, but a girl can dream right?
Without further adieu…here comes Chapter Eleven
B
Update Oct-30-2015: 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.
Update Jan-08-2020: I haven't created any FF in awhile, and would like to get back into it, specifically with some RE stuff. To do so, I figured I would edit some old work to try and get some ideas percolating in my head before starting anything new!
- 11 -
- Jill & Alice -
Along their return to the truck, neither Alice nor Jill had come across a single undead. As they stepped out of the brush and into the clearing, they noticed that the truck appeared abandoned. Supplies were scattered everywhere, as if someone was searching for something. This wasn't the work of the undead, someone living had ransacked the truck. Was it possibly the survivors? Scavenging the supplies before disappearing back into the jungle? Jill scanned the bushes as Alice approached the truck. They stopped, hearing faint rustling in the back of the truck. Both women pressed their backs to the truck, Jill falling in line with Alice. They shuffled towards the tailgate when the rustling was heard once more. Jill gave Alice a nod, indicating she was ready as they stepped out, guns aimed and ready to fire at the first flesh eating, blood dripping, and gnarly faced undead bastard they saw.
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" The man yelled, raising his hands in surrender.
It was one of the volunteers, either Brian or Glenn, Jill didn't know, nor cared. He was shaking, skin ashen and hands covered in blood. His eyes were big as golf balls, a layer of sweat coated his clothes.
"What the hell happened here?" Alice questioned as she lowered her gun, "What happened to flare I gave you?"
"Not long after you left we saw, or think we saw, one of those undead creatures coming towards the truck. Brian, he panicked and took off running into the jungle so I chased after him. I tripped, cutting up my hands on some thorns and lost sight of him." Glenn explained, wincing as Alice applied pressure to his wounds. "I made it back here, but Brian, he-" the man choked, averting his eyes from Jill.
"I take it he's the one with the shotgun?" Jill asked.
Glenn shook his head, "No, I was. I was rummaging in here for some more ammo when you showed up." Glenn looked at Alice, gripping her hands, "Please, he's my brother and he's unarmed, can you go look for him."
Alice and Jill looked at one another, both knowing that separated further was the worst idea possible. It would be only a matter of time before Glenn's shotgun blasts attract some unsavory characters, and they would be headed directly to this truck, which will soon be inhabited by survivors. Leaving Brian out there in the jungle without some sort of weapon was something Alice would do, but she needed to get in Claire's good graces, and if there was one thing Claire cared most about, it was the well being of all those aboard the Arcadia.
"I'll go." Alice volunteered. "Jill, you stay here with Glenn."
"Are you sure that's a good idea." Jill reasoned as she pulled Alice aside, softening her tone so Glenn wouldn't overhear, "You have no idea how many are out there or if he's even still alive."
"I know, but if I leave without trying I'll regret it."
Jill smiled, "You are human after all."
"I'll be back in ten minutes, with or without him." She said taking off towards the bushes, "Don't leave without me." Alice called over her shoulder and disappeared once more.
- Alice -
The jungle was hot, as Alice wiped sweat from her brow with every hack and chop with one of her machete's, The heat could work to their advantage, amplifying the stench of the undead, giving away their position before they pounced. It was odd that the shot gun blasts did not attracted them, and if they all made it out of here alive she would be sure to add zombie survival to the list of things The Arcadian's should be well verse in.
She was about a quarter mile south of the truck, following the boot prints with blood drops next to each step, growing in volume the further she went. Brian was at least injured, and based on the blood being shed on the jungle floor, he was severely injured, or possibly already dead. Alice broke through thick jungle brush, her gun in one hand, machete in the other. The undead had the nose of bloodhounds and the hunger of a shark, she needed to find Brian before something else did.
As she stepped further into the clearing, Alice caught sight of Brian's blue long sleeve shirt poking out from behind a tree trunk. He was slouched over, legs stretched out in front of him; awaiting his death at the hands of the undead.
"Brian," Alice whispered, holstering her gun. "Brian," She repeated, rounding the tree.
Before she could react, Alice was greeted with the business end of a revolver. Glenn had lied, and she had just walked into a trap.
- Jill -
She leaned against the side of the truck, her left foot propped up on the front wheel well, back arched and face tilted to the sun. She figured she might as well soak in as much Vitamin D as possible before returning to the ship. She pulled out a hunting knife from the discarded supplies, using the tip of the blade to pick the grime out from under her fingernails.
The jungle had gone eerily silent; not a bird or tree rustled around them. S.T.A.R.S. training taught her that silence meant trouble. She could remember snip-its of raids she would run with her fellow S.T.A.R.S. officers, the silence before the drop of a tear gas bomb. It seemed pieces of her life were starting to come back, but only in small, incoherent, snip-its.
Glenn emerged from the back of the truck, intimidated by the blonde in the purple jumpsuit. He kept his distance, feeling her eyes following him as she picked at dirt under her fingernails.
"Aren't you scared those things will come after us?" Glenn said, shifting from one foot to the other.
It was taking all of Jill's will power not to feed Glenn the cold hard facts. She stopped picked at her nails, scanning the man before her. Her eyes always kept a view of the shotgun at his side; his only line of defense against anything that came barreling through the tree line snapping at their jugulars, looking for a fresh meal.
"They can smell fear," Jill replied with a smirk, enjoying watching the man squirm.
"R-Really?" Glenn replied.
Jill smiled, taking a step closer to Glenn as he took a step back, "You better hope your brother has more balls than you do or he won't be coming back."
Suddenly Glenn's demeanor changed, his eyes darkening, a smile cracking on his lips, "It's funny you say that, bitch,"
Jill gritted her teeth, gripping the handle to her knife tight, "What did you just call me?" She snapped.
"You heard me," Glenn repeated, puffing his chest, "I know who you are, you criminal! You don't deserve a second chance when you took so many lives!" He raised his shotgun, pointing it at Jill, "You're a traitor! If we knew The Arcadia was housing Umbrella leftovers we would have killed you ourselves."
Jill's flared with anger. There was no way she was going to stand idly by and take this crap from a stranger who did not understand the first thing about her situation. She looked at the shotgun, noticing the safety wasn't disengaged. There was a 50/50 chance that the gun wasn't even loaded.
She took another step forward, the shotgun barrel within inches of her chest, "Listen here asshole, you wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me, or the woman currently risking her own life to get your brother's scrawny ass back here alive."
Glenn scowled, pushing the barrel against Jill's skin. "That bitch's infected! I don't expect either of them to make it back. Got it blondie?"
Jill tried to hide her anger, knowing that any sudden movement could set Glenn off. Alice was infected, but that was before. There was no way she still was.
"You're lying. If Alice was still infected she'd be one of those creatures out there chasing our asses in search of their next hot meal."
"Listen lady, I know you got memory loss and shit, but my brother overheard your precious little Alice utter those exact words two days ago aboard the ship to the pretty redhead. She's one of them!" He yelled shoving the barrel harder against Jill's chest. "Now, shut up before I blow your head off."
Jill snickered, "Go ahead, pull the trigger. I dare you."
Glenn did just that as he heard a click. It was then he realized the safety was still on. Before he had a chance to react, Jill had him in a headlock, the knife in her hand up against his neck, left arm twisted behind his back, dislocating his shoulder and forcing him to drop the gun. Glenn screamed, falling to his knees, blood dribbling from the shallow cut from the knife blade.
"Listen asshole, I want information, and I'm going to get it the easy way," She whispered in his ear, grabbing his shoulder, "Or the hard way, you choose."
Glenn wanted to be strong, to prove to his fellow Renegades that he was worthy of the task they gave him and Brian, but the pain was overwhelming. He was prepared to die for the mission, but only once the missions was complete.
"Bitch, you're hurting me!" He spat, saliva dripping from his lips.
Jill applied more pressure as Glenn squealed in pain, "Say that word again, I dare you."
"Alright, fine," Glenn replied, relieved the pressure lightened on his arm and neck.
"Is your brother really in danger?" She asked.
"N-No."
That confirmed Alice was walking into a trap. Thankfully she left armed, but was Brian truthfully unarmed. "Does your brother have a weapon?" Jill demanded.
Glenn started to laugh, calm at first, but it quickly turned to hysteria as if he had suddenly lost his mind. Jill had, had enough. She moved her knife from his neck in one swift movement, plunging the blade deep into his thigh, forcing Glenn to expel a blood curdling scream.
Jill stepped back, watching the blood pump from his wound and pool in the grass below. He tried to touch the hilt of the knife with his good arm, but was unable to move the blade. She crossed her arms, smiling at her handy work.
"I'll fucking kill you!" Glenn spat, saliva dripping off his chin like a rabid dog.
He started to crawl towards the discarded shot gun, as Jill followed, her mind reeling with ideas of what to do next. She didn't want to kill the man, at least not yet. Glenn soon abandoned the gun and attempted to reach up to the bumper of the truck with his good arm. Just when he was about to Jill kicked his legs out from under him, his head bouncing off the metal, causing him to fall on his dislocated shoulder. Blood now flowed from a gash in his head, blurring his vision. Jill placed all her weight onto his injured thigh.
"Let me ask you again, and this time don't lie." She stated applying more pressure, "Is. Your. Brother. Armed?"
Glenn wiped the blood from his eyes, looking up at Jill. "He's not my brother," He replied, followed by another laugh.
Jill punched him across the face with a mean right hook, knocking him unconscious, "Good luck getting that knife out, asshole." She muttered before taking a step back and admiring her handy work.
Jill needed to quickly restrain him before going after Alice. She hopped into the back of the truck, finding some discarded rope that would work just fine. She returned to Glenn's slumped over body, and made quick work of straining up his hands over his head, attaching it to the passenger side mirror. She then picked up the shotgun, opening the barrel to see that it was in fact, loaded. If Glenn did have the safety off she would have been dead.
Just then a shot rang out through the jungle as Jill spun, trying to pin point where it came from. She listened, waiting for the return fire, but it didn't. It was a single shot, from a handgun, maybe a revolver or a pistol. That was the same weapon Alice had with her when she left. Jill took off in the direction of the shot, hoping that she was not too late.
- Alice -
The shot sounded like an explosion. Her ears were ringing as splinters of tree trunk clung to her hair. If she didn't dodge at the first glint of the metal barrel, the bullet would have lodged in her skull. Alice took a deep breath, slowly pulling her gun out of her holster, trying not to make any sudden movements. She could hear the man staggering to his feet, no longer playing the victim. She crouched down, crawling into the dense bush in front of her so she could get a good view.
He was wildly swinging his gun in every direction, his other hand pressed against his blood soaked abdomen. He had been shot, most likely from his partner, and based on his ashen complexion, had lost quite a bit of blood.
"Come out here you infected bitch!" Brian yelled, but Alice stayed where she was. He couldn't see her through the trees. "You're the one person who should have died along time ago!"
Alice aimed the barrel of her gun through the brush; a clear shot to his temple, but she didn't want to kill him. There had been enough death to last five lifetimes, and killing him would just prove she was the monster he believed she was. On the other hand, there was no way he would talk to her while armed.
"I'm not going to kill you, I just want to talk." She said, watching him turn in her direction, ready to take aim once more.
"I think you've done enough talking." Brian replied, pulling the trigger and firing blindly in the direction of Alice's voice.
Alice had move from that spot, taking aim and firing a return shot, hitting him in the hand, forcing him to drop his gun. She then popped up from behind the bushes, hands up in surrender, "If you reach for that gun, I will shoot your head off." She threatened.
Brian looked at the gun, and then back at Alice, his body swaying from blood loss, "You need to die, my leader says so."
A moan, followed quickly by a rustle in the bushes caught their attention. Brian turned, grabbing the gun off the ground, but Alice was faster. She fired a shot, directly through the temple of the undead creature pouncing through the bushes. Soon another followed as Brian took aim, shooting it in the chest twice, as Alice finished it off with another head wound.
"Move!" Alice yelled
As Brian tried to scramble back towards her, his gun discharging by accident as a stray bullet grazed Alice's left thigh. She fell to her knees, white hot pain seared her skin. Thankfully it was only a flesh wound. When she looked back up, another undead was about to clamp it's rotted teeth into Brian's neck as she fired, taking him out with another head shot.
The bushes were still, as Alice spun, waiting for the next one to say hello. She grabbed Brian by the shoulder, helping him back up to his feet.
"We need to go, now."
Brian broke from Alice's grasp, his whole body shaking. As he looked at his feet, the crumpled, decomposed bodies of those creatures surrounded him. Their green and brown ooze spilling out like sludge from a sewer drain.
"You're infected! I overheard you say it to the redhead two days ago! You're one of those creatures!" He cried, stepping backwards and tripping over a tree trunk, landing flat on his back.
Within seconds two more undead emerged from the bushes. Alice couldn't react fast enough, for one of them had their teeth clamped into his neck. She shot both the creatures with the two remaining bullets in her revolver. Brian was dead, but it wouldn't be long until he, himself turned into one of those creatures. Alice stepped closer, taking out her machete from behind her back. She closed her eyes and swung, slicing deep into Brian's forehead, stopping the transition. It was a better this way.
Alice picked up his pistol, quickly checking the Mag to see she had ten bullets left in the chamber. Alice heard another rustle in the bushes behind her as she took aim, catching a flash of purple and blonde emerge from the bushes.
Jill stepped into the clearing, raising her hands in surrender, "I guess you didn't need me after all." She quipped with a smile.
Alice lowered her weapon, her leg beginning to burn once more. Jill noticed the flesh wound on Alice's thigh and the dead volunteer with a machete sticking out of his forehead.
"We need to get out of here." Alice replied, limping towards Jill.
Both women could hear collective moans and growls behind them, aware that they would follow them back to the truck. Alice did not want to chance a hoard of undead appearing the same time the rest of them were loading the truck with supplies and survivors.
"Listen, we need to draw them away from the truck." Alice stated, quickly jumping over roots and swatting branches from her eyes.
"Agreed, you go for the truck, I'll draw them away." Jill replied.
Alice looked at her friend, "It's best we stick together."
"I'll be okay, plus I need the target practice."
Alice stopped running, gripping Jill's shoulder, "I don't want to loose you just after I got you back." She panted.
Jill smiled, "You won't, promise. Just get the truck up and running and I'll meet you back at the beach." Jill replied, firing a shot in the air to keep the hoard on her tail. "Go, NOW!" She stated, taking off into the opposite direction.
Every second was precious as Alice kept her bearing for the truck, listening as the moans distanced themselves along with the gun fire. They needed to get to that beach as fast as possible.
- Claire -
The survival mission was a bust. After Alice and Jill left, they cautiously approached the deserted camp, aware of potential booby-traps and sniper shots from the trees. The camp was as deserted as it looked, with the exception of one person. Supplies was a different story. The encampment was brimming with ammo, guns and canned food. They used a cart, filling it with as much as possible, trudging it slowly back through the jungle.
While on their way back gun fire erupted, as the team went on high alert. Claire tried to remain calm, even though she was afraid those gun shots meant Alice was in danger. At first it was only a couple, possibly warning shots, but then more, and from more than one weapon. No smoke was rising above the treeline from the flare they gave the volunteers back at the truck, meaning the fight did not make it there, at least not yet.
When they finally made it back to the clearing the only signs of life was one of the volunteers, unconscious and tied to the driver side mirror with a knife sticking out of his thigh. This was not the work of the undead, someone living inflicted these wounds.
"He's dead," Luther said, using his own hunting knife to cut the ropes to his hands.
"Where the hell are Alice and Jill?" Chris barked as he and the survivor loaded the supplies into the back of the truck.
Claire gritted her teeth, knowing Jill was the one behind this. She knew it was a mistake to trust her. She drew her weapon, seeing the bushes in front of her rustle as Alice stepped out, sweating and limping from her flesh wound.
"Alice!" Claire yelled, lowering her weapon and running to her lover's aid.
"I'm okay, it's just a flesh wound." Alice explained.
"Who shot you?"
"Later, right now we need to get to the beach."
Claire wrapped her arm around Alice's shoulder, helping her back to the truck, "Did Jill do this?" She asked, nodding to the dead volunteer on the ground.
Alice looked at Jill's handy work, seeing that she made the man suffer before she killed him, "Yes, but Claire -"
"Save it, when we find her I'm going to kill her." Claire snapped, helping Alice up into the truck bed.
Alice winced as she hobbled into the truck bed, sensing the presence of someone in the shadows of the truck. She pointed her gun to the mysterious shadow, ready to fire, when Claire swatted it away.
"Alice, she's not the enemy, she's a survivor. The only one in fact."
"Where's Jill?" Chris asked.
"She's leading the undead away from us, giving us a chance to get to the beach. We need to go, now!" Alice yelled as the men made haste to the cab of the truck.
"Good, I hope they get her." Claire muttered as the truck started up.
Alice shook her head, "No Claire, she saved me. Those so-called volunteers, they were plotting to kill me. I foolishly walked right into their trap, and if it wasn't for her, I'd be dead right now. She'll meet us at the beach, and I have every intention of bringing her back, alive, to The Arcadia."
Claire stared in Alice's eyes noticing she was telling the truth. She gave a curt nod, searching the truck bed for the first-aid kit as the truck bounced along the road and back towards the beach.
"I believe this is what you're looking for." The girl replied, stretching out her hand to Claire with the first-aid kit.
Alice swung her head in the girls direction. Her body was still hidden in shadows, but her long, reddish brown hair was braided into pigtails. The hood to her over sized sweater up over her face. She kept her distance, finding comfort in the supplies they were able to salvage from the camp.
"Thank you," Claire said, opening the kit and examining the wound on Alice's thigh.
The girl cracked a smile on her parched lips, lowering her hood, "I've missed you, Alice." She whispered.
"Angela," Alice gasped, "I-I thought you were dead."
T.B.C
What do you think? Surprise or what?
I know if you read in the Residence Evil: Extinction book Angie dies, but this is my story and my world and I want her to live!
Please let me know what you think, send me any questions, comments and/or constructive criticism about the chapter, characters, plot etc. I am always happy and willing to make changes/respond to feedback!