CHAPTER 7

What it Comes Down to

Jill couldn't believe it. After Claire and Leon regressed all that had happened Jill stood there dumbly. They were so damn close, she was so close.

Chris had been in the same building as she had, they probably were only a few yards apart, yet somehow it was a world away.

'Jill, he's been infected,' those were Claire's words to her. Words that effected her greater then some viscous virus ever would.

Chris was another mutant, another subject to Umbrella's sinister plans. He was nothing more then some creature now, but Jill had never felt her heart yearn for him as desperately as it did at that moment.

There was something in her new knowledge that filled Jill with a great sense of relief. He was alive, and no matter what his current condition there had to be a cure. Sherry Birkin had received one not too long ago, she herself had been saved by a vaccine. If anything Jill was now filled with a new hope.

"We have to find a cure." She told her comrade firmly.

"Well you know where we'll have our best chance of getting that don't you?" Barry asked her.

Jill nodded.

"Rebecca."

* * *

Hell, up to just about a year ago Rebecca Chambers thought that hell was only a place that existed once you died. Sure people threw around the term, but honestly in this world Rebecca didn't think there was an actual place- that was until she met Umbrella.
Just twenty four hours of trying desperately to survive the company's wicked creatures made her realize that whatever hell that was in the after life could never compare to what she experienced that random day.

Rebecca tried to never think back to that day, but she could never hide from her nightmares. Whenever she closed her eyes that day always replayed in her head. The helicopter crash, watching her comrades die, the hideous creatures, Wesker's betrayal, their last desperate escape from the tyrant.Billy.

Billy Coen, she hardly knew him, but not a day passed she didn't think of him. Was he alright? What happened to him? Where was he now? Even if Billy had made it out of the forest where they parted ways alive, what kind of life was he escaping to?

Billy was wrongly accused, sent off by the military to a life he didn't deserve. If Billy had escaped the forest unharmed, where did he go from there? There was no life awaiting him, accept one from behind bars.

She was actually afraid to know what happened to Billy, to know what kind of life he was living. Rebecca prayed that he was alive and well, but as long as he just had air in his lungs Rebecca knew that would be more then wonderful. She knew not to take the little things for granted anymore, and to her just being alive is amazing. She hoped Billy, no matter where he was realized that too.

For Rebecca the past several months were some of the best times in her collective memory.

She went back to college; Rebecca was currently attending the University of Minnesota working on her masters for creative writing. After everything that had happened Rebecca wanted to get as far away from chemistry as possible.

Here in her calm, refreshing, and most importantly normal community at her collage campus Rebecca was able to enjoy the pleasures of adolescents. Something she always missed out on growing up.

She quickly made friends in her dorm, she stayed out late hitting the local bars, and felt not guilty missing her morning classes. College life was so informal, it was whatever goes, and Rebecca loved it.

However, despite how much she enjoyed her current life the feelings of deserting her comrades in pursuit of her own life never stopped eating away at her.

Umbrella was still out there somewhere, and she knew wherever Umbrella was her friends would be there too, risking their lives for the betterment of everyone else in the world. And here she was having the time of her life, with nothing more important to worry about then what she was going to do the next night, and her finals that were coming up in a week.
Some days the guilt was too much, she would lie in her bed praying that the pain would go away.

Monica, her roommate, would always ask what was wrong, but Rebecca would never in a million years tell her.

Even if she could gather the gumption to relive the nightmare Monica, as much as she cared for her, would think she was crazy. She could hear herself now.

'Monica, just a year ago I worked for a government organization called S.T.A.R.S. On one mission our helicopter crashed, and we forced to defend ourselves against flesh eating zombies.yeah right' Rebecca knew she was good at creative writing, but there was no way she could pull that off.

Honestly what it all came down to was Rebecca was afraid. She was afraid of everything that she did, and afraid of everything she hasn't done because she was too much of a coward to follow her friends. Rebecca tried to rationalize it as much as she could, but in the end she knew that even if she wanted to she probably couldn't go back to that hell that haunted her in that damn mansion.

One evening she was just coming home from a study group that was held in the library. She was walking alone down the quiet pathways of the campus. With the dark always freaking her out Rebecca with every step picked up the pace.

She arrived at her dorm room, and eagerly open the door wanted nothing more then to crawl into bed. As soon as that door was open Rebecca received a sudden jolt that ran from her feet to her heart.

Along with Monica, who was sitting dumbly on her bed, was five other people, two of them who she recognized as Jill Valentine and Barry Burton."

Monica, who had an uncanny knack for pointing out the obvious said to her.

"Beck, I think you have some guest."

Ignoring her roommate's stupid comment Rebecca turned to Jill and asked.

"What in gods name are you doing her?"

Rebecca," Jill addressed her desperately. "We need you help."

Her body went rigid from head to toe. Jill wasn't about to ask her what Rebecca thought she was going to ask her? If she did Rebecca didn't know if she had the strength to say yes, no matter how much they might need her.

"Rebecca, they have Chris."
"Who does?" She asked Jill stupidly.

"Umbrella, but that's not all of it."

Jill went into their story for the past six months. Rebecca couldn't believe all they had been through since she had left them, another storm of guilt washed through her body.

When Jill was finished she looked at Rebecca.

"Rebecca, we need you, Chris needs you. We know that your hesitant to get back involved in all thus, but please we beg you, I beg of you, will you help us?"

There was no question for Rebecca what her answer was. She knew that they were only asking for a cure now, but when battle time came she might be called into action. Rebecca knew this, but it really didn't matter. Chris' life was in danger that was all she needed to know.

Not answering Jill she turns to Monica.

"Mon, will you be sure to keep a hang on all your notes for me, I'm going to be gone for a little while."

Rebecca could hear the small cheers behind her. Jill was the first to come up to her. The older woman gave her a tight hug and whispered into her ear. 'Thank you.'

Rebecca didn't say anything; she didn't think she needed to be thanked for doing something like saving Chris' life. It should have been something that went without saying.

What it all came down to was it was time for Rebecca to face her nightmares.

* * *

They were moving him again. They did that from time to time, a safety precaution Chris was sure.

Every place was basically the same. Small, dingy cell with the same rock hard cot. Chris' new residence was no exception.

Days, weeks, even months must have gone by, Chris didn't know which one. All he knew was that it felt like forever since that day when Claire was just outside his cell.

Once again hope was dwindling down.

The only thing that shed some light into his dark tortured soul was whenever he thought of Jill.

Her face was sometimes fuzzy in his memory; his mind just wasn't what it used to be. However, the feeling he got whenever he thought of her never went away, it was always there and it was always intense. It was the truest thing that Chris had ever experienced in his life; it was his constant through the worst of times.

One evening, or so he thought, while lying on his stiff cot, something started spinning in his head. Chris was use to this odd activity by now, but this time it was different. It kept getting worse and worse, it was like hundreds of mad circuses deciding to set camp inside his head.

It was out of control, until like a snap of his fingers it was gone. And so was Chris.

He banged his body against his cage, like an ape at a zoo. Again, and again he went as if pain no longer existed.

He kept on going until after one miraculous bang, it was open.

Chris, or his monster form, wasted no time in leaving the damned cell. He ran through the opening and down the corridors of whatever building he was in. He didn't go long without being noticed.

Guards and their assault rifles had surrounded Chris. Chris knew it was over, but yet somehow he didn't. It was like he had no control over anything. The only thing he knew was that he was hungry.

The first group of guards he quickly brushed to the side of them room, the later one's he went after feverishly. With not even bullets stopping his assault Chris pursued on throwing everyone that stood in his way, except for one solitary guard who he raised him above his head and was ready to launch his teeth into him when he felt a powerful blow to his side.

"Well, Mr. Redfield I must say you've gotten much more powerful then I could have imagined."

Wesker, the son-of-a-bitch was standing right in front of him. Chris didn't even think about what he did next.

He rushed at Wesker with more force then he could ever imagine he possessed, but Wesker was quick. He dodged Chris' attack quickly getting behind him, and in one fluid motion kicked Chris to the ground.
Chris turned back to Wesker and growled.

"Me.me hate.you."

"I'm sure you do Chris," Wesker responded with a chuckle. "The thing that might surprise you is."

Wesker faster then Chris had ever seen anybody move rushed towards Chris thrusting a needle into his side, the demon/man whispered into his ear.

"I hate you more."

When the darkness came this time Chris welcomed it with open arms.