Moving On
Chapter two – Challenges to the heart
Message from the author: Sorry about the delay in posting this chapter, I've been away from the internet all summer.
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Leon scooped up Ada's crumpled body into his strong arms, wincing in empathy when she gasped softly in pain. Glancing at Claire, he said pleadingly, "Help me out, Claire, let's get her to the bed." Claire leapt from her seat and rushed into the empty bedroom, hurriedly arranging a pillow and blanket onto the cot and holding the door open for Leon to carry Ada into the room. Gingerly setting the wounded woman down upon the narrow bed, Leon ran back out and grabbed the first-aid kit from a shelf in the kitchen. Prying it open, he snatched a bottle of disinfectant and a roll of bandages from the box while he rejoined Claire and Ada. As he dashed past Claire, Leon looked into her eyes with a beseeching expression and asked, "Can you help and get some water from the kitchen, Claire? And a clean cloth?"
Claire nodded and hurried back into the front kitchen, grabbing a large metal cooking pot and putting it under the tap. She then rushed into the bathroom and spied a small stack of thin white towels on a shelf beside the shower, each with a small Umbrella logo in the corner. Grabbing the top one, she dashed back to Leon with the cloth and pot of water.
Leon was just putting down a pair of scissors, having cut most of Ada's dark red dress away from her body, leaving her dressed in a black lycra sports bra and her stockings. The steel blades of the tool were now scarlet with fresh blood, and Leon's hands and forearms were dyed crimson as well. Pulling the ruined clothing from her body and tossing it aside, Leon and Claire could now see the full extent of Ada's wounds. Two deep horizontal gouges were visible on each shoulder, indicating she had been clawed across her back, the cuts still oozing blood and staining the sheets of the bed. Her left leg was visibly broken in many places, while the rest of her body was covered in scrapes, cuts, bruises and swellings. Whether she had any other fractures was not yet clear.
"My god…" Claire whispered, "What happened to her?"
Leon did not immediately answer, instead gesturing at Claire for the water and towel in her hands. Handing the items over, Claire watched for a moment as Leon began to clean Ada, tenderly and carefully. He ran the wet cloth over her pale skin, washing away the blood and dirt from her body, slowly and thoroughly, like a sculptor or painter delicately treating a work of art. Suddenly finding herself unable to watch any more, Claire mumbled something about checking on Sherry and backed out of the room.
Claire tiptoed into the other bedroom, where Sherry was lying upon her side on the small bed, and sat down silently on the foot of the cot, right beside Sherry's feet. She stared at the blank wall across from her for a few minutes before giving a long sigh.
"You like him, don't you?" Claire suddenly heard Sherry ask, quietly. She gave a start and looked at Sherry, who was awake and staring back at her. Sherry's eyes were watchful and deep, and it was moments like this that reminded Claire that Sherry may be young, but she was not nearly as naïve and innocent as she may appear.
Claire blinked a few times before answering, "What? N…no, what are you talking about?"
Sherry did not immediately reply, instead flipping over to lie on her back, her eyes staring up at the ceiling. "It's ok, I know how you feel. There was this guy at school, Brandon, who I liked too. Except he liked another girl, Lauren." She turned her eyes back to Claire's. "Lauren used to be my friend, but after I found out they liked each other I didn't talk to her much any more."
Claire stared back at Sherry's expressionless face. "And how are they doing now?"
Sherry stared back up at the ceiling. "I don't know. Dead, I guess." She gave a small sigh and closed her eyes. "Just like everyone else in Raccoon City."
Claire suddenly felt a surge of resentment and anger rise in her, and her cheeks flushed pink. Yes, everyone else in Raccoon was dead, with the notable exception of one woman, a woman called Ada. Of all people who should have died, she had deserved it most, right? And yet that woman had survived…
Claire shook her head, clearing her mind of the rage that had consumed her. She didn't know anything about Ada, except for what Leon had told her. And from what Leon had said, that lady certainly didn't sound like someone who deserved death. And yet… the way Ada and Leon looked at each other, the way Leon had cleaned her so… so lovingly… Claire buried her face in her hands, sighing deeply through gritted teeth. She stood suddenly, and said, "Try to get some more sleep, Sherry. I'll cook something to eat."
Claire made sure not to look into Ada's room as she busied herself in the kitchen, cooking noisily with the pots and pans available. The shelter was not extremely well equipped, but the culinary utensils were enough to make a simple meal of beans and canned meats. The sounds and smells of the cooking soon roused Sherry, who emerged from her room and sat down at the kitchen table, eating her breakfast quietly. Claire sat across from the younger girl, watching her scoop the beans into her mouth hungrily, and wondered when Sherry had last enjoyed a proper meal. Probably before the siege of Raccoon City began, Claire thought to herself.
Glancing up from her plate, Sherry looked at Claire quizzically and asked, "Aren't you hungry, Claire?"
Claire shook her head. She had not eaten for more than a day either, and the exertions of her night in the zombie-infested city certainly hadn't helped her energy levels, but she simply had no appetite. In fact, she had been planning on taking a late dinner at the diner in Raccoon City when she saw her first zombie, crouched over a corpse on the floor and devouring it. A tiny smile curled the edges of Claire's lips as she realized the irony, which only deepened Sherry's confused expression.
"Thanks honey, but I just don't feel like eating right now." Claire answered. Sherry gave a small nod and turned back to her plate, spooning more beans into her mouth. Claire stood up and filled two more plates with food, saying, "I'll go see if they want anything to eat in there." She nodded towards the door of the room occupied by Ada and Leon as she picked up the plates.
Holding a platter of food in each hand, balancing them carefully like a waitress, Claire stepped slowly into Ada's room, saying, "Hey guys, I was wondering if you were hungry…" She trailed off as she noticed no one seemed to be paying attention to her. Leon was sitting silently beside the bed, upon which Ada appeared to be asleep, and he was holding her hand in his. Ada's chest was now wrapped in layers of clean white bandages, and Claire suddenly realized that meant Leon had cut the bra off, noticing the garment piled atop the stained and ruined red dress on the floor.
Leon stared at Ada's beautiful serene face with an entranced expression on his own, completely unaware of another presence in the room. Claire cleared her throat loudly and Leon jumped, startled, whirling around in his chair. "Oh! Claire, I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in…" He said, blinking at her.
"Ahem… I thought you guys might be… err… hungry, so I, um… I'll just leave these here, ok?" Claire stammered, moving to set the two plates down on the bedside table. Her hands were shaking hard and she almost spilled everything over Leon as the dishes clattered noisily onto the small surface. Staring down at the slumbering woman, Claire fought back a vicious pang of regret that she did not poison Ada's share. Stepping back, she took a deep shuddering breath as she looked at Leon, who looked back at her.
"Thanks, Claire." Leon said, throwing a small smile at her. His handsome brow then furrowed slightly. "Are you all right? You look kind of flustered…"
"I'm… fine. I'm fine, Leon." Claire said, not very convincingly.
"Are you sure?" Leon asked, now looking quite concerned. "Is everything ok? Are you feeling all right?"
Claire felt a strange sense of warmth flow through her as she realized how anxious Leon felt about her welfare, the feelings of resentment and anger vanishing completely. She smiled at him and said, "I'm okay, Leon, really." She then looked back at Ada, whose hand was still entwined with Leon's. "How's she doing?"
Leon's brow knitted further as he turned to Ada, sighing softly. "Not too good, to be honest. She's bleeding internally, and her leg's hurt pretty badly. I think the leg took most of the force when that… that thing… threw her into the control panel." Leon said, gesturing towards the broken leg hidden under the covers of the bed. "I've done what I could to set the bones in her leg, and wrap up her wounds, but I don't think that's going to be enough…" Leon trailed off, his voice husky with worry.
"Oh my…" Said Claire, running her gaze over the broken body on the bed.
"That's not all. I doubt we can move her anywhere without making her internal wounds worse. And even if we do move her, I don't think we can get her anywhere useful, not without a car or something." Leon said, his expression growing increasingly morose. He pointed to an empty syringe on the bedside table. "I gave her some painkillers, to help her rest… but now…" A sombre silence fell in the room as Leon sighed and trailed off.
Claire stared down at Ada's sleeping face, pale but peaceful, a stark contrast to Leon's worried and frustrated expression. Leon was right, Ada's situation was very bleak. She glanced at Leon's face again and sighed softly, coming to a decision.
"I'll go for help, Leon. You stay here with Ada and Sherry." Claire announced. Leon whirled around and leapt to his feet as his face broke into a wide smile.
"You will? That'll be great, Claire, that'll be just great!" Leon said, almost yelling with joy and relief as he beamed at the brunette girl. Then his face fell. "But… how will you get to help? The nearest town is at least ten miles away, and you can't exactly go back into Raccoon to get a ride…"
Claire shook her head. She had to do the right thing, she had to try and put her feelings aside and save Ada's life – and getting away from these two lovebirds was an additional attractive bonus. "I'll walk, Leon. Just hang in there, and keep her alive. I'll be back as soon as I can." Claire said quickly, turning around and preparing to set off.
A soft whisper rose from the bed, barely louder than a breeze but startling Leon and Claire nonetheless. "No… no need."
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Thanks for reading this far again! I'd appreciate any reviews or comments! –Bhamv