Disclaimer: All Resident Evil characters, places and things all belong to Capcom and other involved companies. I own none of it. This fanfic is purely for the fun and enjoyment of others and myself. I make no money from it.
RESIDENT EVIL: ROAD TO DESTINY
CHAPTER 11
Claire's breath came in heavy gasps. She was completely and utterly baffled at this new chain of events that had suddenly transpired before her. Only a few minutes earlier she was fighting for her life to stay alive against a powerful beast. Then finally, as soon as she eliminates that threat, another one just happens to literally point its nose right in her face.
Her bones still ached from the over exertion she had pushed her body through upon fighting the Tyrant. Her vision was bleary and the scent of burnt charcoal and metal still assaulted her senses. She could still feel the heat of that fatal explosion on her dry, parched skin. The thumping of feet continued to play across her mind as if taunting her short lived victory. Claire hesitantly closed her eyes, realizing that she had nothing left to give. She was completely spent.
The Umbrella S.W.A.T trooper angled his gun slightly lower towards her heart. Claire slowly and painfully pushed herself up to a sitting position, making sure her captor knew she was not trying anything tricky. She vaguely wondered why the Trooper still hadn't said anything more to her. Much to her discomfort, she reopened her eyes to stare back at the man who had her at gunpoint. Much to her shock she saw that the gun he held was shaking.
Claire gave the man a slightly inquisitive look. He quickly fell back a few feet. "D-don't move!" He said, his voice raw with intensity and…fear?
Claire didn't know what to make of this situation. She could tell now, after careful speculation that the man's hands were shaking on his gun and she was almost positive he stunk of the familiar aroma of sweat. Claire almost laughed at the irony of her situation. First she's haunted down by some hell demon bent on a killing spree and now she finds herself at the mercy of some rookie who's still wet behind the ears. Had Claire any strength left she might have took the chance of disarming the man. The fact that she didn't simply meant that she would have to rely on reasoning with the poor soul and figuring out a way to talk him out of doing anything drastic.
Claire's mind raced with a dozen idea's all at once. 'I have to be careful. He's at the breaking point. If I try anything sudden he might snap at any moment. I have to be patient…'
Claire slowly raised her hand then drew it across her sweaty brow. She could still feel the discomforting heat of the room next to them. She could feel the burn and strain of every muscle in her body. She wanted nothing more then to simply fall asleep and rest away the pains and memories of her recent encounters. Unfortunately, reality was not so merciful. She took a single gulp, eliminating the troublesome lump that had conveniently lodged itself in her throat. "I'm unarmed." She said in a tired voice, raw from strain. "I surrender."
Claire almost laughed at his reaction. His shoulders slouched slightly after her proclamation as if he were sighing in relief under the biohazard mask he wore over his face. 'This guy is 'definitely' a rookie.'
"Good." The man replied in a tense voice.
Claire could tell by the weird noises emanating from his mask, that he was breathing hard, probably scared $hitless even still.
"I'm going to tie you up now." He said with the same tense voice. "Don't try anything funny or I'm going to shoot you ok?"
Claire could feel the little energy she had remaining, fail as her head slouched forward in fatigue. "Fine…" she replied in a silent voice. She could feel her vision blurring. Her mind continued to reel in a small war against slumber and consciousness. 'I can't pass out now. I have to keep fighting. I have to find some way to get out of this situation. If this man captures me then they'll just use me as a weapon against Chris and the others. I've got to… stay… awake. I've got to…'
"Hey!" The soldier said with a touch of fear in his voice. "Are you listening to me? Wake up! Wake up right now!"
Claire simply couldn't comply with his demands. The comfort of sleep was too demanding now. She could no longer feel the strain of her injuries. She could no longer feel anything. She was slowly falling into blissful peace.
****
The soldier promptly grabbed her shoulder and shook her anxiously. "Don't… don't do this… please…"
His hand was now shaking violently, staring wide-eyed, at the young girl sitting on the ground in front of him. He could hardly keep his senses in order. Suddenly everything became more stuffy and bothersome for him. He could now feel the discomforting heat surrounding him despite the coolant vest he was wearing. His stomach churned violently at the sight of the silent figure before him. He stumbled back a few feet in fear.
"Oh god…" He whispered in agonizing horror. "Oh god… what… what did I do?"
He could feel the weak support of scattered glass shattering under the weight of his boots. Suddenly, the sounds became too oppressive for him. The sounds became loud blares upon his senses. The heat invaded his body making him hot. As he transpired he could smell the scent of blood and rotting flesh. Everything became too much for him. He promptly fell over on his rear. He violently yanked off his mask and lost his lunch upon the dust and debris riddled ground. He was now breathing in heavy gasps. His mind was swirling his huge circles. He couldn't concentrate then suddenly his world stopped. There was a loud noise, a sharp pain, and then silence.
****
Blood splattered everywhere as another zombie's head exploded from the M16 rounds that continued to pummel them all. Barry could hardly believe his eyes. In just a matter of seconds, the tide of battle turned drastically. He could tell by the distinct stench of putrid flesh invading the walls and floors of the room, he could tell by the sounds of death ringing loud from all positions close to him. He could feel the intensity of victory with every nerve in his body, as he too became one with those sounds. He too spilt blood and helped to create more of that acrid stench that so horribly invaded his senses. The continuous jerk of his magnum was the only thing keeping him on the steady grounds of reality. It was the only thing reminding him that this was in fact real. Barry absently thought back as he continued to lose himself in the collage of blood and bullets.
Right after James had fallen, Derrick Mathy had transformed. Barry could see it in his friend's eyes. The man had completely gone berserk. Barry's heart raced when he saw his friend lift the second M16 machine gun. Barry knew it was too late when he saw his friend rise from cover and open up shop on his enemies. Barry had thought it was all over at that point. But surprisingly, he heard the sounds of screaming from another position as well. When Barry turned that way, he saw that Belivan, Jill, and Carlos had also joined in on the madness of Derrick's tragedy. Soon after, Risakes joined in as well. Barry's mind was flushed with a flood of fear and concern that his friends had all signaled their death warrants. But then, suddenly something strange happened. He could hear his enemies screaming in alarm and fear. Barry had risked a glance from cover to see the Zombies getting mowed down at an enormous rate and the Umbrella soldiers behind them, doing the best they could to take cover from the onslaught. It was a slim chance and Barry knew the idea was crazy but then suddenly he too joined in the rush of blood and destruction.
Now, Barry roared as yet another Zombie was torn apart by his bullets. The monster's right eye ripped away, revealing the pink material beneath as the bullet continued its course straight though the creature's head. Barry didn't stop. He flipped open the side of his weapon, depositing the bullets on the ground then slapping in another set from the right pocket of his red vest. Once again he was bringing the pain.
The Umbrella soldiers did their best to defend, yet one after another, they fell like flies. Carlos dropped the Zombies one after another with deadly precision. Afterwards, Jill would clean up the back row with her AK47, easily tearing apart the Umbrella troopers who continued to try and retaliate. Belivan, who similarly had an AK47, assisted Jill in her assault, taking out as many of their attackers as he could, at the same time, keeping them off guard. Risakes, much like Derrick, simply attacked blindly, yet both men seemed to be doing the most damage as such. Risakes continued to tear huge chunks of flesh and blood away into nothing with his grenade launcher while Derrick use the old fashioned technique and mowed his enemies down with his double machine gun attack.
The small war continued to grow more and more intense. The entire area became covered in white smoke and raining bullets. Walls were riddled and glass was shattered. Flesh continued to fly and death-filled screams constantly reverberated throughout the area.
After a few more intense minutes of battle silence rang out in the room. The smoke, still emanating across the air, began to thin lightly. Fresh shells rolled silently across the blood, debris and flesh riddled floor. Barry could feel the sweat beading down every part of his exhausted body. He felt the strains of his intense fighting as fatigue finally began to set throughout his nerves. His breath came in huge gasps and he continued to glance around with wild eyes. He looked around to see everyone else lowering their weapons and walking from cover tentatively. He too walked out from cover to see that all that remained of their enemies was a pile of dead bodies. The battle was over and they had won.
****
Chris Redfield angrily kicked the unconscious body of the Umbrella S.W.A.T. team member out of the way and quickly rushed towards his sister. Immense pain gripped his heart while he swiftly lifted her up in his arms. "Claire! Claire can you hear me?!?" He asked in an anxious, fear drenched voice.
Leon stood close behind with an equally worried expression pasted on his face. The room was stuffy, too stuffy for the young cop's taste. The cloying scent of burnt rubber and molten tar invaded his nostrils. His dry skin also suffered from the searing heat that was constantly growing from the room beyond.
The young rookie brought a tentative hand behind his left ear lobe and scratched his head nervously. "I-is she going to be ok?"
Chris, who was still inspecting his sister, now turned his head and trained his eyes on the young man. The look on his face made Leon want to simply laugh with glea. Chris eye's were no longer those of an agony ridden man who's existence was on the brink of shattering. Now, all he saw were the eye's of an exhausted man. A man who had bled too much and who was now satisfied, even if only temporarily, because victory had prevailed.
As if to confirm his suspicions, the ex-S.T.A.R.S officer nodded his head slowly. "Yeah she's fine, save for a few minor bruises. She's just fatigued."
Leon sighed in relief. "That's good to hear. So what now?"
Chris stood up, carefully lifting his sister in his arms. "Can you take her? Meanwhile, I'll grab our hostage. He may have some decent information for us that could prove useful later on."
Leon nodded then promptly accepted the added weight in his arms. Chris quickly walked over to the unconscious Umbrella agent and roughly hoisted the man over his right shoulder. "Let's get out of here!"
::::::::::To Be Continued::::::::::
Author's note: Thanks for reading and please stay tuned for chapter 12.