Letter to a Soldier, part 9
By: Hotaru
Notes: If there be typos...it's cause a)I'm tired and have to wake up early to get to Manhatten tomorrow b) I'm listening to music. That trip to the city was such hell. I hate walking. Well...I got a lot of J-Songs so I'm happy. I have to go to sleep. X0
--October 20th 11:30 p.m.--
They sat outside of Carlos's house for awhile. The rain pounding down on their already soaked clothes. Rebecca's bangs were matted against her forehead, and her eyes were downcast. "Just how long do you want to sit out here?" Billy asked, shaking some rain from his eyes.
"..."
"I just--"
"He might still be awake. The light in the living room is on. Either he fell asleep with it on, or he's still awake." She interrupted, finally speaking.
"..how much longer do you want to wait?"
"A few more minutes."
Nodding, but not quite understanding, Billy crossed his arms and shivered slightly. Every article of clothing on his body was soaked through. Rain dripped from his hair, splashing down onto the motorcycle leather. Rebecca slowly slid off of the bike, and retrieved her suitcase from the back. "Come on." She said softly. Billy made no objections. Grabbing his suitcase, he followed her up the stairs towards the house. "Be quiet on the steps." Rebecca whispered. Billy cautiously let his feet fall on the shaky, wooden steps, careful not to make a sound. He'd become good at sneaking around.
Rebecca slowly turned the key in the lock, and pushed the door open. The house was pretty dark for the most part. After Billy was in the house, Rebecca turned around and whispered "Wait here.". Nodding, Billy silently closed the door and waited. Walking into the living room, Rebecca sighed in relief to find Carlos asleep on the couch. A bottle of Dissarrono Amaretto on the table next to an empty shot glass. There was a note on the table. Picking it up, Rebecca read it.
"If you want to apologize, I'll be at my mothers."
Smiling sadly, she replaced the note, and went back into the hallway. Carlos and Annie must have gotten into a fight after she had left. "You go first." Rebecca whispered, keeping her eyes on the sleeping man ten feet away. As Billy ascended the stairs, he winced as they groaned under the pressure. "Keep going." Rebecca insisted, not breathing until they had reached the second floor. "My room's at the end of the hall." She said, slightly louder. Billy followed Rebecca into her room, and glanced around while she closed and locked the door.
"How quaint." He remarked. There was a bookshelf filled with an assortment of reading material, a large amount of stuffed animals on the bed. Helly Kitty sheets, and pillowcases on the mattress. A desk with a computer near the window, and baskets with folded clothes in them. "You mind sleeping on the floor?" Rebecca asked, pulling some spare pillows from the closet.
"I guess I have no other choice." Billy replied. Rolling her eyes, Rebecca set up a make-shift bed on the floor, giving Billy an old blanket instead of the Hello Kitty comforter. Billy opened up his suit case to see if everything was wet. Most of it was.
"I can toss those in the dryer when Carlos goes to work tomorrow, if you want." Rebecca offered, eager to get out of her wet clothes.
"I'll just lay them out to dry on the floor." Billy replied.
"I'm going to go take a quick shower, and change. I'll bring you a towel so you can dry off, okay?" Billy nodded, as Rebecca headed into the hallway and retrieved one of the larger towels, and tossed it towards Billy before going into the bathroom.
--October 21st 12:10 a.m.--
Rebecca tentatively wrapped her hand around the door handle to her room. Billy had plenty of time to dry off and get changed. Closing her eyes, she pushed the door open, and closed it quickly, turning her back to the room. "Are you dressed?" She whispered.
"Yeah, of course." Billy replied, amused by her shyness. Turning around, Rebecca sighed and walked over to her bed. "How are you feeling?" Billy asked.
"Alright I guess. But you know how like..in the winter time, after you've been outside playing or something, and you go into a warm house, your skin feels weird and burny? It's kind of like that."
"Yeah, huh?"
With a sigh, she climbed under her comforter and looked up at the white ceiling. "How long are you going to hide?" She asked. Billy stood up, and streched, before turning off the light in the room. There was a ruffling of material before he had settled in his bed. "As long as it's necessary." He replied quietly. "Why? You eager to kick me out?"
"No. I just...don't know what it's like to be a fugitive. I mean, you had this elaborate escape plan just to avoid using the front door to your apartment. I can't imagine what protocol you've got for when you're on the run." Rebecca answered.
"You make it sound like you think I'm guilty."
"..are you?"
"What do you think?"
"...I don't know. Do I know you well enough to make a judgement call like that?"
Billy remained silent. "I mean...you don't seem like you would kill twenty-three people." Rebecca said finally.
"So you trust me?" Billy asked.
"I guess. I'm willing to sleep two feet away from you, with the door to my room locked, and no weapons within my grasp. So I guess so."
"Come on, Becky, don't be crazy now. To kill you in your sleep would be sadistic."
"Don't talk like that. I want to know the truth about you, Billy. When the time comes, that I have to testify or something to save your ass, I want to believe that I'm doing the right thing."
"So, if I was a mass murderer, selling me out would be the right thing as opposed to lying?" Billy asked.
"Yes."
"I'm hurt."
"Too bad. So, what is it?"
"What's what?"
"Are you guilty or not?"
"Isn't everyone innocent until proven guilty?"
"Billy! Just tell me, for Christ sakes!"
He was silent awhile, perhaps deep in thought. Rebecca thought he might be ashamed if it was the truth. But she wasn't sure what to believe.
"That day...in the sickeningly hot jungles of Africa..I saw my captain transform. I looked up to him, and he gives the order. Just to execute an entire village of strangers. There are civil wars going on in Africa every damn day. People have a hard enough time finding clean water, let alone not getting killed by guerilla forces." He began quietly.
"Yeah. It's hell those poor people go through.." Rebecca replied, hoping he would continue.
"Anyway..we were ordered to attack. Just start shooting, you know? I never killed anyone, and I wasn't about to start. I tried to tell my superior officer to back down, and to just turn back. He wouldn't listen. You know what he did?"
"..no. What did he do?"
"He fucking pistol whipped me. Cracked the butt of his gun against my skull, and as I layed there on the floor, drifting towards unconsciousness...I saw bodies starting to fall. And people started screaming."
So that was the truth. He didn't kill anyone.
"That's awful. What happened?" Rebecca asked finally.
"When I came to, we were on a truck heading back to base. My superior wasn't in the back with the rest of us that survived..he sold us out. Said we all went crazy, shooting up the place or something. I didn't get told much, just that I was being fucking executed for mass murder." Billy spat, as lighting lit up the room briefly.
"You couldn't plea your case, or tell them what really happened?"
"No. He was my superior, I was a rookie and had no proof. Everyone else probably killed at least a person or two. They were already screwed, why should they save me?"
"That's awful."
"Luckily, on my way to Ragathon, there was a dog in the road, so one of the MP's swerved the jeep to avoid hitting it, and it turned over. One of the guys was unconscious, the other was trying to get out of his seat belt or something. I managed to head butt him, and get his keys. When I was opening my handcuffs, the dogs came. The jeep was still upside down, and their windows were open, mine weren't. Sick as it sounds, while they were feasting on those guys, I broke the window, grabbed a gun and ran like hell."
"Wow."
Billy wasn't sure what was going through Rebecca's mind then. He hoped she believed him, and didn't judge him because of his actions. "I didn't want them to die. But it was them or me, you know? I had been screwed around with enough. I wasn't about to go get the needle." Billy concluded, turning onto his side. Rebecca looked down at him, and smiled slightly.
"I believe you, you know. And even if you _had_ killed those people...you still saved me. But I'm glad you didn't, anyway." She said.
"I guess you helped me out too. I mean, I probably could have made it out without you...anyway. Did..any of your comrades make it?"
Rebecca shook her head. "All of Bravo was killed. And there are only three Alpha's still alive. Me, Chris, Jill and Barry." She replied.
"What about that guy, then?" Billy questioned.
"Carlos? He used to... He wasn't with S.T.A.R.S. but he's a survivor."
"What? What did he used to be?"
"Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service. U.B.C.S."
"...he worked for Umbrella?"
With a sigh, Rebecca nodded. "From what Jill told me, he had no idea what they were really doing. Just a lackey." She said.
"Well damn." Billy replied.
"What?"
"Should I hate him more cause he was with the enemy?"
"Don't hate him. You don't know him..."
"He exhibits behavior that, if given the circumstance that I knew him, I would hate him for."
"We should get some sleep."
"Sure."
"Goodnight, Billy."
"Night."
--October 21st 10:03 a.m.--
The sun is too bright for it's own good. Cracking her eyes open, Rebecca winced as the bright sunlight flooded her vision. Blinking a few times, she pulled her blanket over her eyes. As she did so, she noticed Billy was sitting up. Rolling onto her side, she peeked out from the darkness. He was staring at the floor, arms resting on bent knees with hands folded. He seemed to be deep in thought. She almost didn't want to interrupt him. She didn't have to.
He turned his head around and smirked. "Morning, Sunshine." He greeted with a small salute.
"Hi." Rebecca replied, wanting to go back to sleep. Instead, though, she sat up enough that she could rest on her elbows.
"Bed head. You should wear a night cap or something."
"No, thank you..how long have you been up?"
"An hour or so. I heard your friend there throwing up in the bathroom."
"God. He must have drank too much."
Billy's eye brows jumped. "He drink often?" He questioned. Rebecca shook her head.
"Not really. Just when he gets depressed. All I know is that his girlfriend is expecting an apology for something." She said.
"Oh. Well, I heard the front door close so I assume he went to work."
"Yeah, security work. He should have stayed home if he wasn't feeling well."
"That wouldn't have been very convenient."
Rubbing her eyes, Rebecca nodded. "Yeah. He might come home during the day, though. If he saw you...there'd be trouble." She said, slowly sitting up.
"You can go back to sleep, if you want." Billy said, looking at her tired expression.
"No, that's okay. I probably shouldn't sleep too long. You want some breakfast?"
"...You cook?"
Smiling, she climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of white socks. "Yes, I do. And I'm very good at it." She replied, running her fingers through her hair briefly. Billy got up from the floor and rolled his neck a bit. "Oh...I don't think we have any spare toothbrushes." Rebecca said, reaching the bathroom.
"Spares? Like...you have one you toss to company or something?" Billy asked.
"Ew, no! I mean extra. I guess you could just use mine. But clean it out when your done."
"You don't have mono, right?" She promptly closed the door in his face.
--A short while later--
"So, what'cha makin'?" Billy asked, sitting at the kitchen table.
"Oatmeal. I guess." Rebecca answered rather quickly.
"When I was a kid, I always thought it looked kind of like vomit."
"Yeah, me too." They laughed together briefly. After combining the milk and oats in a pot, Rebecca turned the heat on and sat across from Billy. "So, what's the plan?" She asked.
"I've been thinking."
"And..?"
With a sigh, he leaned back and stretched his arms and put them behind his head. "I can't stay here long. That dick in the laundry room probably has you on film, me too, if he's working for the Marines Investigation Team. They'll be able to find you easily enough, and they'll look at you first." He began.
"I can't believe he was really after you. I just thought he was a really friendly guy." Rebecca replied.
"Yeah. But he knew my name, and you didn't tell him. I haven't talked to anyone else that lives there, except the people that lived next door once or twice. But I never gave them my real name."
"So, where will you go, when you leave?"
Billy raised his eyebrows and shook his head in an "I don't know" sort of way. "It's not safe for me to get a job. Or continue the one I had. But I don't have that much money saved up, so I can't get an apartment. If I had a car, I could sleep in it at least." He snickered.
"Maybe...you could stay with some friends of mine. The other survivors. They're pretty far out from here.."
"I don't know..."
"Well, look at your options. You don't have anyone you can go to?" Billy shook his head. "Let me call them, and find out if they're even willing."
With a sigh, Billy nodded. He hated taking help from people, especially strangers. Rebecca picked up the phone and began to dial, when Billy grabbed her arm. "They'll dump your phone records. Wait until you can use a pay phone or something." He said.
"O..kay. What about my cell phone?" Rebecca asked.
"Nope, they'll dump that too. Pay phone's the best bet."
"Well...I called Chris not that long ago. Couldn't I say that I was just calling with information or...calling him back or something?"
"Better safe than sorry."
Nodding, Rebecca went back to the stove and stirred the oatmeal and glanced out the window. "I gues we can go out for lunch and I'll call him then." She said, half to herself. Billy grunted in response. "When's this guy get home?" He asked a little while later, when Rebecca placed a bowl in front of him.
"Ah..usually around five." Rebecca replied, sliding the jar of cinnamon over the table.
"Thanks. I guess we have plenty of time then." Billy remarked, taking a big spoonful and shoveling it into his mouth.
"Yeah. You can take a shower if you want. I don't particularly like the way rain makes my hair."
"No, huh?"
"Rain makes your clothes smell, and your hair all...weird. You should trade your bike in for a car or something."
"No way." Billy replied, looking up from the oatmeal.
"Why not?" Rebecca asked curiously.
"It's the only thing I've got left from my family. My pop kept it in this shoddy garage for years, tinkering around with it. He took it out at night, disappearing on my mom. She'd yell at him for at least an hour when he finally came home."
"She didn't want him riding it?"
"Yeah. Thought it was too dangerous cause she had a brother that had a pretty bad bike accident."
"Oh. Well you can get really hurt on those things."
"I know..one night my pops took me out when my mom was sick with the flu or something. She had finally gotten to sleep after like..being up for two days straight, so we wheeled it down the street before starting out."
"Your first ride?" The younger girl asked.
"Yeah. It was great. We only had one helmet, so he made me wear it. But I could see his hair whipping around and everything. I can't remember how long we were riding before--"
"Before what?"
"I...we were going around a bend, and there was a car in the wrong lane. We swerved to the right, the car to the left, and the bike slammed into the guard rail, and me and him both flipped off into the rocks. It was one of those stupid mountain roads where the road goes all the way up a mountain, and makes your ears pop and everything. Anyway. I was pretty banged up, but I was alright cause of the helmet."
"He didn't make it.."
"I think my mom hated me from that day on. She always told him to never take me out, always wear a helmet and this shit. But she wouldn't let us get two helmets. It was only a matter of time before he wanted to take me out, you know? Why couldn't we be safe? Anyway...a little after that she shipped me out to join the fucking Marines."
"I'm sorry. That's so awful." Rebecca apologized. Billy polished off his oatmeal rather quickly, it warming his esophagus as it travelled downward.
"Yeah, sucks don't it? Anyway, that's the only memory I have of him. I fixed it up before I left, though. Made it just how it was before the accident. I think she just kept me around so she could go stare at it or something."
"Why was she so...scornful?"
"Damned if I know."
"Have you seen her..since you left?"
"Nope. And I don't quite know if I want to."
"Billy...you should at least make sure she's okay. W-what about when you got the bike back? You just took it and left?"
"Pretty much. I left a note in the garage, though."
Rebecca raised her eyebrows and brought their bowls to the sink. "What'd it say?" She questioned, crossing her arms.
"It said 'Sometimes you gotta let the past go' or something like that." Billy snickered.
"You're _his_ son. I'm sure she wants to see you again. And what if she got sick or something?"
"Yeah, and what if she found out about me 'killing 23 people'? If I show my face around her, she'll call the cops before she even says hello. You can't understand cause your parents actually loved you."
"I can understand, but you...just forget it."
She got up and went to the sink to do the dishes. "Listen, Becky...you don't understand. Our relationship is complicated, okay?" Billy said eventually.
"Yeah, I get it. You should go take a shower before we go." She replied, not turning around.
"..fine." He turned and stalked down the hall way and up the stairs. What was he mad for? She understood just fine.
--October 21st 11:30--
"It's getting cold." Billy remarked as they walked down the street, leaves crunching beneath their feet.
"Yep. It'll start to snow soon." Rebecca replied, looking up at the grey sky.
"You wanna build a snowman?"
"Oh, yeah."
Smiling, Rebecca was tempted to take his hand. It almost felt like they were on a date of sorts. "So how long are we going to walk before you call this friend of yours?" Billy asked, as they passed another pay phone.
"Oh...right. I almost forgot." She laughed, turning, and walking back to the phone.
"Sharp as a tack." Billy remarked, sitting on a wooden bench to wait.
"Quiet, you." Rebecca teased, while the phone dialed.
"Hey, Jill? It's Rebecca!...It's good to hear you too, how are you?...really? Ha, no way!...Yeah? So who's in charge now?...he did? Wow. Yeah, thanks." Billy listened to the one sided conversation, trying to fill in the blanks where this "Jill" person was talking.
"Hey, Chris how are you?...I'm fine...yeah, better. Thanks. Listen, ah...I'm actually not calling you from home, but there's something important I need to talk to you about...no, nothing bad happened. I just need to know if you can house someone for awhile..." She whispered the next part, "Billy Coen." She was silent for awhile, while Chris kind of went off about how the guy is a convict, and how she's not safe.
"Chris, I don't need you to chastise me. He didn't do it, what he was accused of I mean, and he's not safe staying with me...yes, with me. No, he doesn't, and you better not tell either...why? Cause...I just believe him." She glanced over at Billy and smiled, before shifting her gaze back to the phone. "How long? I don't know, really. He left his apartment just last night, cause there was a spy in the building...because, he just knows. Anyway, if you can't...I don't know what else to do...yeah, sure. No, don't call me at home. I'll call you in an hour, is that enough time? Ok, talk to you then. Bye."
Hanging up, Rebecca smiled slightly. "He's going to talk it over with everyone else. I'm calling back in an hour." She reported. Billy's eyebrows twitched, and he stood up.
"So was he really pissed or what?" He asked, heading off again.
"I think he was just worried about me. Hopefully Jill can convince him though."
"Jill his girlfriend?"
"Not yet." She replied with a smirk. "Where are we going?"
"This great bakery makes these huge ass cookies. I'm gonna buy you one."
Rebecca wrinkled her brow and laughed slightly. "Is this the equivelent to you buying me lunch or something?" She asked.
"...it's just a cookie. Is that how you stay so thin?" Billy replied. Seeing her hard expression, he burst into laughter and put his arm around her shoulders. "God, don't take me so seriously. It was a joke."
"I eat healthy, that's how I stay thin." She retorted.
"Yes, I know dear."
He kept his arm on her shoulders the entire way to the bakery, and she liked it that way. "Okay...we've got giant chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter and sugar. Choose." He said, tapping on the glass.
"Ooh, they look good." Rebecca remarked, taking a close look.
"They are. C'mon, which one?"
"...peanut butter."
"Pick again."
"Why?!"
"I'm allergic to peanuts." Billy smirked.
"Oh, we're sharing?" She questioned.
"..I didn't realize you wanted the whole thing for yourself."
"Teasing, teasing. What do you want?"
"Oatmeal." He replied instantly.
"Then get an oatmeal one."
"What kind do you want?"
"Oatmeal is fine."
Rolling his eyes, Billy ordered a giant oatmeal cookie and milk. He gave a $5 to the girl behind the counter and got two in return. He stuffed the bills into his jeans pocket and escorted Rebecca back outside. "Where to?" She asked, as he led the way.
"Some park nearby." He replied, walking ahead of her.
"You seem to have a routine. Come here often?"
"Not really. Just seems like a nice place. It's a shame I gotta leave."
"Yeah. You really think they'll come after me?"
"Unfortunatly. We just gotta play it out. Hopefully I can chill with your friends until things clear up here."
"Then it'll be safe to come back?"
Shrugging, Billy turned into a park and sat on a free bench with a concrete chess table set up. He put the bag down and pulled the cookie out. Rebecca reached into the bag and pulled out a small carton of milk. "This reminds me of elementary school." She remarked, sitting across from him.
"Yeah, I think that's what they're going for. The whole nostalgia thing." Billy replied, handing her a half of the cookie. She bit into it, licking the crumbs from her lips, letting her tongue linger for awhile. She caught Billy looking at her mouth.
"It's delicious." She said with a smile.
"Try it with the milk, it's even better."
Opening the carton, Billy took a bite of the cookie then took a gulp of milk. Rebecca was tempted to make him laugh, but that wouldn't be in good taste. Besides, she'd get covered with milk. She mimicked him, and found the cookie got even more chewy and delicious. They sat in the park for awhile, a little after they finished the giant cookie before heading to a payphone to call Chris back.
By: Hotaru
Notes: If there be typos...it's cause a)I'm tired and have to wake up early to get to Manhatten tomorrow b) I'm listening to music. That trip to the city was such hell. I hate walking. Well...I got a lot of J-Songs so I'm happy. I have to go to sleep. X0
--October 20th 11:30 p.m.--
They sat outside of Carlos's house for awhile. The rain pounding down on their already soaked clothes. Rebecca's bangs were matted against her forehead, and her eyes were downcast. "Just how long do you want to sit out here?" Billy asked, shaking some rain from his eyes.
"..."
"I just--"
"He might still be awake. The light in the living room is on. Either he fell asleep with it on, or he's still awake." She interrupted, finally speaking.
"..how much longer do you want to wait?"
"A few more minutes."
Nodding, but not quite understanding, Billy crossed his arms and shivered slightly. Every article of clothing on his body was soaked through. Rain dripped from his hair, splashing down onto the motorcycle leather. Rebecca slowly slid off of the bike, and retrieved her suitcase from the back. "Come on." She said softly. Billy made no objections. Grabbing his suitcase, he followed her up the stairs towards the house. "Be quiet on the steps." Rebecca whispered. Billy cautiously let his feet fall on the shaky, wooden steps, careful not to make a sound. He'd become good at sneaking around.
Rebecca slowly turned the key in the lock, and pushed the door open. The house was pretty dark for the most part. After Billy was in the house, Rebecca turned around and whispered "Wait here.". Nodding, Billy silently closed the door and waited. Walking into the living room, Rebecca sighed in relief to find Carlos asleep on the couch. A bottle of Dissarrono Amaretto on the table next to an empty shot glass. There was a note on the table. Picking it up, Rebecca read it.
"If you want to apologize, I'll be at my mothers."
Smiling sadly, she replaced the note, and went back into the hallway. Carlos and Annie must have gotten into a fight after she had left. "You go first." Rebecca whispered, keeping her eyes on the sleeping man ten feet away. As Billy ascended the stairs, he winced as they groaned under the pressure. "Keep going." Rebecca insisted, not breathing until they had reached the second floor. "My room's at the end of the hall." She said, slightly louder. Billy followed Rebecca into her room, and glanced around while she closed and locked the door.
"How quaint." He remarked. There was a bookshelf filled with an assortment of reading material, a large amount of stuffed animals on the bed. Helly Kitty sheets, and pillowcases on the mattress. A desk with a computer near the window, and baskets with folded clothes in them. "You mind sleeping on the floor?" Rebecca asked, pulling some spare pillows from the closet.
"I guess I have no other choice." Billy replied. Rolling her eyes, Rebecca set up a make-shift bed on the floor, giving Billy an old blanket instead of the Hello Kitty comforter. Billy opened up his suit case to see if everything was wet. Most of it was.
"I can toss those in the dryer when Carlos goes to work tomorrow, if you want." Rebecca offered, eager to get out of her wet clothes.
"I'll just lay them out to dry on the floor." Billy replied.
"I'm going to go take a quick shower, and change. I'll bring you a towel so you can dry off, okay?" Billy nodded, as Rebecca headed into the hallway and retrieved one of the larger towels, and tossed it towards Billy before going into the bathroom.
--October 21st 12:10 a.m.--
Rebecca tentatively wrapped her hand around the door handle to her room. Billy had plenty of time to dry off and get changed. Closing her eyes, she pushed the door open, and closed it quickly, turning her back to the room. "Are you dressed?" She whispered.
"Yeah, of course." Billy replied, amused by her shyness. Turning around, Rebecca sighed and walked over to her bed. "How are you feeling?" Billy asked.
"Alright I guess. But you know how like..in the winter time, after you've been outside playing or something, and you go into a warm house, your skin feels weird and burny? It's kind of like that."
"Yeah, huh?"
With a sigh, she climbed under her comforter and looked up at the white ceiling. "How long are you going to hide?" She asked. Billy stood up, and streched, before turning off the light in the room. There was a ruffling of material before he had settled in his bed. "As long as it's necessary." He replied quietly. "Why? You eager to kick me out?"
"No. I just...don't know what it's like to be a fugitive. I mean, you had this elaborate escape plan just to avoid using the front door to your apartment. I can't imagine what protocol you've got for when you're on the run." Rebecca answered.
"You make it sound like you think I'm guilty."
"..are you?"
"What do you think?"
"...I don't know. Do I know you well enough to make a judgement call like that?"
Billy remained silent. "I mean...you don't seem like you would kill twenty-three people." Rebecca said finally.
"So you trust me?" Billy asked.
"I guess. I'm willing to sleep two feet away from you, with the door to my room locked, and no weapons within my grasp. So I guess so."
"Come on, Becky, don't be crazy now. To kill you in your sleep would be sadistic."
"Don't talk like that. I want to know the truth about you, Billy. When the time comes, that I have to testify or something to save your ass, I want to believe that I'm doing the right thing."
"So, if I was a mass murderer, selling me out would be the right thing as opposed to lying?" Billy asked.
"Yes."
"I'm hurt."
"Too bad. So, what is it?"
"What's what?"
"Are you guilty or not?"
"Isn't everyone innocent until proven guilty?"
"Billy! Just tell me, for Christ sakes!"
He was silent awhile, perhaps deep in thought. Rebecca thought he might be ashamed if it was the truth. But she wasn't sure what to believe.
"That day...in the sickeningly hot jungles of Africa..I saw my captain transform. I looked up to him, and he gives the order. Just to execute an entire village of strangers. There are civil wars going on in Africa every damn day. People have a hard enough time finding clean water, let alone not getting killed by guerilla forces." He began quietly.
"Yeah. It's hell those poor people go through.." Rebecca replied, hoping he would continue.
"Anyway..we were ordered to attack. Just start shooting, you know? I never killed anyone, and I wasn't about to start. I tried to tell my superior officer to back down, and to just turn back. He wouldn't listen. You know what he did?"
"..no. What did he do?"
"He fucking pistol whipped me. Cracked the butt of his gun against my skull, and as I layed there on the floor, drifting towards unconsciousness...I saw bodies starting to fall. And people started screaming."
So that was the truth. He didn't kill anyone.
"That's awful. What happened?" Rebecca asked finally.
"When I came to, we were on a truck heading back to base. My superior wasn't in the back with the rest of us that survived..he sold us out. Said we all went crazy, shooting up the place or something. I didn't get told much, just that I was being fucking executed for mass murder." Billy spat, as lighting lit up the room briefly.
"You couldn't plea your case, or tell them what really happened?"
"No. He was my superior, I was a rookie and had no proof. Everyone else probably killed at least a person or two. They were already screwed, why should they save me?"
"That's awful."
"Luckily, on my way to Ragathon, there was a dog in the road, so one of the MP's swerved the jeep to avoid hitting it, and it turned over. One of the guys was unconscious, the other was trying to get out of his seat belt or something. I managed to head butt him, and get his keys. When I was opening my handcuffs, the dogs came. The jeep was still upside down, and their windows were open, mine weren't. Sick as it sounds, while they were feasting on those guys, I broke the window, grabbed a gun and ran like hell."
"Wow."
Billy wasn't sure what was going through Rebecca's mind then. He hoped she believed him, and didn't judge him because of his actions. "I didn't want them to die. But it was them or me, you know? I had been screwed around with enough. I wasn't about to go get the needle." Billy concluded, turning onto his side. Rebecca looked down at him, and smiled slightly.
"I believe you, you know. And even if you _had_ killed those people...you still saved me. But I'm glad you didn't, anyway." She said.
"I guess you helped me out too. I mean, I probably could have made it out without you...anyway. Did..any of your comrades make it?"
Rebecca shook her head. "All of Bravo was killed. And there are only three Alpha's still alive. Me, Chris, Jill and Barry." She replied.
"What about that guy, then?" Billy questioned.
"Carlos? He used to... He wasn't with S.T.A.R.S. but he's a survivor."
"What? What did he used to be?"
"Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service. U.B.C.S."
"...he worked for Umbrella?"
With a sigh, Rebecca nodded. "From what Jill told me, he had no idea what they were really doing. Just a lackey." She said.
"Well damn." Billy replied.
"What?"
"Should I hate him more cause he was with the enemy?"
"Don't hate him. You don't know him..."
"He exhibits behavior that, if given the circumstance that I knew him, I would hate him for."
"We should get some sleep."
"Sure."
"Goodnight, Billy."
"Night."
--October 21st 10:03 a.m.--
The sun is too bright for it's own good. Cracking her eyes open, Rebecca winced as the bright sunlight flooded her vision. Blinking a few times, she pulled her blanket over her eyes. As she did so, she noticed Billy was sitting up. Rolling onto her side, she peeked out from the darkness. He was staring at the floor, arms resting on bent knees with hands folded. He seemed to be deep in thought. She almost didn't want to interrupt him. She didn't have to.
He turned his head around and smirked. "Morning, Sunshine." He greeted with a small salute.
"Hi." Rebecca replied, wanting to go back to sleep. Instead, though, she sat up enough that she could rest on her elbows.
"Bed head. You should wear a night cap or something."
"No, thank you..how long have you been up?"
"An hour or so. I heard your friend there throwing up in the bathroom."
"God. He must have drank too much."
Billy's eye brows jumped. "He drink often?" He questioned. Rebecca shook her head.
"Not really. Just when he gets depressed. All I know is that his girlfriend is expecting an apology for something." She said.
"Oh. Well, I heard the front door close so I assume he went to work."
"Yeah, security work. He should have stayed home if he wasn't feeling well."
"That wouldn't have been very convenient."
Rubbing her eyes, Rebecca nodded. "Yeah. He might come home during the day, though. If he saw you...there'd be trouble." She said, slowly sitting up.
"You can go back to sleep, if you want." Billy said, looking at her tired expression.
"No, that's okay. I probably shouldn't sleep too long. You want some breakfast?"
"...You cook?"
Smiling, she climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of white socks. "Yes, I do. And I'm very good at it." She replied, running her fingers through her hair briefly. Billy got up from the floor and rolled his neck a bit. "Oh...I don't think we have any spare toothbrushes." Rebecca said, reaching the bathroom.
"Spares? Like...you have one you toss to company or something?" Billy asked.
"Ew, no! I mean extra. I guess you could just use mine. But clean it out when your done."
"You don't have mono, right?" She promptly closed the door in his face.
--A short while later--
"So, what'cha makin'?" Billy asked, sitting at the kitchen table.
"Oatmeal. I guess." Rebecca answered rather quickly.
"When I was a kid, I always thought it looked kind of like vomit."
"Yeah, me too." They laughed together briefly. After combining the milk and oats in a pot, Rebecca turned the heat on and sat across from Billy. "So, what's the plan?" She asked.
"I've been thinking."
"And..?"
With a sigh, he leaned back and stretched his arms and put them behind his head. "I can't stay here long. That dick in the laundry room probably has you on film, me too, if he's working for the Marines Investigation Team. They'll be able to find you easily enough, and they'll look at you first." He began.
"I can't believe he was really after you. I just thought he was a really friendly guy." Rebecca replied.
"Yeah. But he knew my name, and you didn't tell him. I haven't talked to anyone else that lives there, except the people that lived next door once or twice. But I never gave them my real name."
"So, where will you go, when you leave?"
Billy raised his eyebrows and shook his head in an "I don't know" sort of way. "It's not safe for me to get a job. Or continue the one I had. But I don't have that much money saved up, so I can't get an apartment. If I had a car, I could sleep in it at least." He snickered.
"Maybe...you could stay with some friends of mine. The other survivors. They're pretty far out from here.."
"I don't know..."
"Well, look at your options. You don't have anyone you can go to?" Billy shook his head. "Let me call them, and find out if they're even willing."
With a sigh, Billy nodded. He hated taking help from people, especially strangers. Rebecca picked up the phone and began to dial, when Billy grabbed her arm. "They'll dump your phone records. Wait until you can use a pay phone or something." He said.
"O..kay. What about my cell phone?" Rebecca asked.
"Nope, they'll dump that too. Pay phone's the best bet."
"Well...I called Chris not that long ago. Couldn't I say that I was just calling with information or...calling him back or something?"
"Better safe than sorry."
Nodding, Rebecca went back to the stove and stirred the oatmeal and glanced out the window. "I gues we can go out for lunch and I'll call him then." She said, half to herself. Billy grunted in response. "When's this guy get home?" He asked a little while later, when Rebecca placed a bowl in front of him.
"Ah..usually around five." Rebecca replied, sliding the jar of cinnamon over the table.
"Thanks. I guess we have plenty of time then." Billy remarked, taking a big spoonful and shoveling it into his mouth.
"Yeah. You can take a shower if you want. I don't particularly like the way rain makes my hair."
"No, huh?"
"Rain makes your clothes smell, and your hair all...weird. You should trade your bike in for a car or something."
"No way." Billy replied, looking up from the oatmeal.
"Why not?" Rebecca asked curiously.
"It's the only thing I've got left from my family. My pop kept it in this shoddy garage for years, tinkering around with it. He took it out at night, disappearing on my mom. She'd yell at him for at least an hour when he finally came home."
"She didn't want him riding it?"
"Yeah. Thought it was too dangerous cause she had a brother that had a pretty bad bike accident."
"Oh. Well you can get really hurt on those things."
"I know..one night my pops took me out when my mom was sick with the flu or something. She had finally gotten to sleep after like..being up for two days straight, so we wheeled it down the street before starting out."
"Your first ride?" The younger girl asked.
"Yeah. It was great. We only had one helmet, so he made me wear it. But I could see his hair whipping around and everything. I can't remember how long we were riding before--"
"Before what?"
"I...we were going around a bend, and there was a car in the wrong lane. We swerved to the right, the car to the left, and the bike slammed into the guard rail, and me and him both flipped off into the rocks. It was one of those stupid mountain roads where the road goes all the way up a mountain, and makes your ears pop and everything. Anyway. I was pretty banged up, but I was alright cause of the helmet."
"He didn't make it.."
"I think my mom hated me from that day on. She always told him to never take me out, always wear a helmet and this shit. But she wouldn't let us get two helmets. It was only a matter of time before he wanted to take me out, you know? Why couldn't we be safe? Anyway...a little after that she shipped me out to join the fucking Marines."
"I'm sorry. That's so awful." Rebecca apologized. Billy polished off his oatmeal rather quickly, it warming his esophagus as it travelled downward.
"Yeah, sucks don't it? Anyway, that's the only memory I have of him. I fixed it up before I left, though. Made it just how it was before the accident. I think she just kept me around so she could go stare at it or something."
"Why was she so...scornful?"
"Damned if I know."
"Have you seen her..since you left?"
"Nope. And I don't quite know if I want to."
"Billy...you should at least make sure she's okay. W-what about when you got the bike back? You just took it and left?"
"Pretty much. I left a note in the garage, though."
Rebecca raised her eyebrows and brought their bowls to the sink. "What'd it say?" She questioned, crossing her arms.
"It said 'Sometimes you gotta let the past go' or something like that." Billy snickered.
"You're _his_ son. I'm sure she wants to see you again. And what if she got sick or something?"
"Yeah, and what if she found out about me 'killing 23 people'? If I show my face around her, she'll call the cops before she even says hello. You can't understand cause your parents actually loved you."
"I can understand, but you...just forget it."
She got up and went to the sink to do the dishes. "Listen, Becky...you don't understand. Our relationship is complicated, okay?" Billy said eventually.
"Yeah, I get it. You should go take a shower before we go." She replied, not turning around.
"..fine." He turned and stalked down the hall way and up the stairs. What was he mad for? She understood just fine.
--October 21st 11:30--
"It's getting cold." Billy remarked as they walked down the street, leaves crunching beneath their feet.
"Yep. It'll start to snow soon." Rebecca replied, looking up at the grey sky.
"You wanna build a snowman?"
"Oh, yeah."
Smiling, Rebecca was tempted to take his hand. It almost felt like they were on a date of sorts. "So how long are we going to walk before you call this friend of yours?" Billy asked, as they passed another pay phone.
"Oh...right. I almost forgot." She laughed, turning, and walking back to the phone.
"Sharp as a tack." Billy remarked, sitting on a wooden bench to wait.
"Quiet, you." Rebecca teased, while the phone dialed.
"Hey, Jill? It's Rebecca!...It's good to hear you too, how are you?...really? Ha, no way!...Yeah? So who's in charge now?...he did? Wow. Yeah, thanks." Billy listened to the one sided conversation, trying to fill in the blanks where this "Jill" person was talking.
"Hey, Chris how are you?...I'm fine...yeah, better. Thanks. Listen, ah...I'm actually not calling you from home, but there's something important I need to talk to you about...no, nothing bad happened. I just need to know if you can house someone for awhile..." She whispered the next part, "Billy Coen." She was silent for awhile, while Chris kind of went off about how the guy is a convict, and how she's not safe.
"Chris, I don't need you to chastise me. He didn't do it, what he was accused of I mean, and he's not safe staying with me...yes, with me. No, he doesn't, and you better not tell either...why? Cause...I just believe him." She glanced over at Billy and smiled, before shifting her gaze back to the phone. "How long? I don't know, really. He left his apartment just last night, cause there was a spy in the building...because, he just knows. Anyway, if you can't...I don't know what else to do...yeah, sure. No, don't call me at home. I'll call you in an hour, is that enough time? Ok, talk to you then. Bye."
Hanging up, Rebecca smiled slightly. "He's going to talk it over with everyone else. I'm calling back in an hour." She reported. Billy's eyebrows twitched, and he stood up.
"So was he really pissed or what?" He asked, heading off again.
"I think he was just worried about me. Hopefully Jill can convince him though."
"Jill his girlfriend?"
"Not yet." She replied with a smirk. "Where are we going?"
"This great bakery makes these huge ass cookies. I'm gonna buy you one."
Rebecca wrinkled her brow and laughed slightly. "Is this the equivelent to you buying me lunch or something?" She asked.
"...it's just a cookie. Is that how you stay so thin?" Billy replied. Seeing her hard expression, he burst into laughter and put his arm around her shoulders. "God, don't take me so seriously. It was a joke."
"I eat healthy, that's how I stay thin." She retorted.
"Yes, I know dear."
He kept his arm on her shoulders the entire way to the bakery, and she liked it that way. "Okay...we've got giant chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter and sugar. Choose." He said, tapping on the glass.
"Ooh, they look good." Rebecca remarked, taking a close look.
"They are. C'mon, which one?"
"...peanut butter."
"Pick again."
"Why?!"
"I'm allergic to peanuts." Billy smirked.
"Oh, we're sharing?" She questioned.
"..I didn't realize you wanted the whole thing for yourself."
"Teasing, teasing. What do you want?"
"Oatmeal." He replied instantly.
"Then get an oatmeal one."
"What kind do you want?"
"Oatmeal is fine."
Rolling his eyes, Billy ordered a giant oatmeal cookie and milk. He gave a $5 to the girl behind the counter and got two in return. He stuffed the bills into his jeans pocket and escorted Rebecca back outside. "Where to?" She asked, as he led the way.
"Some park nearby." He replied, walking ahead of her.
"You seem to have a routine. Come here often?"
"Not really. Just seems like a nice place. It's a shame I gotta leave."
"Yeah. You really think they'll come after me?"
"Unfortunatly. We just gotta play it out. Hopefully I can chill with your friends until things clear up here."
"Then it'll be safe to come back?"
Shrugging, Billy turned into a park and sat on a free bench with a concrete chess table set up. He put the bag down and pulled the cookie out. Rebecca reached into the bag and pulled out a small carton of milk. "This reminds me of elementary school." She remarked, sitting across from him.
"Yeah, I think that's what they're going for. The whole nostalgia thing." Billy replied, handing her a half of the cookie. She bit into it, licking the crumbs from her lips, letting her tongue linger for awhile. She caught Billy looking at her mouth.
"It's delicious." She said with a smile.
"Try it with the milk, it's even better."
Opening the carton, Billy took a bite of the cookie then took a gulp of milk. Rebecca was tempted to make him laugh, but that wouldn't be in good taste. Besides, she'd get covered with milk. She mimicked him, and found the cookie got even more chewy and delicious. They sat in the park for awhile, a little after they finished the giant cookie before heading to a payphone to call Chris back.
