"And what? If I try to leave, will you set a zombie on me?" Cora said
sarcastically. "It took one bullet to kill the thing."
"Will Amelia be so well equipped?" Turnbull asked sarcastically. Cora froze.
"You wouldn't. She's only eleven!"
"Her age doesn't matter - she's quite a useful lever for you." Turnbull said. A muscle jumped in Cora's cheek.
"I want to see her." Cora said softly. "To make sure that she hasn't died in a ... car accident as well."
Turnbull gave a soft smile.
"You may see her, and your Mother. Only for a short while though. And I'll expect you'll be wanting some rest." Turnbull said not another word, but turned and strode down the hall silently. Cora followed, scowling.
Turnbull seemed to know his way around the facility, he turned left and right and left again without stopping to think or consulting a map. Cora stayed close on his heels. She didn't want to be left behind.
Finally, Turnbull stopped and knocked gently on the door. The door opened, and Laine Merandez stood there with a haggard face.
"Yes?" she asked softly, and she caught sight of Cora. At first her eyes widened with fear, but then she caught sight of Cora's name tag. A look of pity and anger came over her face.
"Your daughter insisted on seeing you and her sister." Turnbull said simply. "It seems that she refuses to cooperate any other way."
"That's my girl." Laine said, wrapping her daughter up in a hug.
"Cora! Cora!" Amelia squeaked. Cora looked at her sister. Amelia's face was pale and drawn, and her big eyes looked enormous in a peaked face, but she was smiling and skipping to Cora.
"I'll be waiting outside. You have one hour." Turnbull told Cora.
Cora stepped into what appeared to be a small apartment. Laine motioned for Cora to sit down.
"What happened, Cora?" she asked anxiously. Amelia sat down and stared at her sister. Taking a deep breath, Cora recounted everything that had happened. How she was sent into prison. How a knife had flashed. She recounted her nightmares. She spoke only briefly of sharing a cell with Salven - from what she had heard about him recently, he seemed worried about herb, but that couldn't be true. He hated her. She spoke of Linda, of Dinzali, of the Jungle. She didn't mention the zombie though. Amelia was already looking afraid. Besides, she didn't think Laine or Amelia would believe her.
"Do you have any news on Daryl?" Mother asked anxiously. Cora hesitated.
"Yes." she finally said. "He was killed in a car crash."
Amelia let out a cry of anguish.
"Father!" she cried. Laine shook her head sadly, and Amelia fled from the room.
"I don't think he did die in a car crash though." Cora said quietly. Laine stared at her daughter.
"What? But ..."
"I don't know. It just doesn't add up. I honestly think he was killed by someone at Umbrella." Cora said. "And Umbrella is up to more than just drugs. I saw the walking dead."
"We're right below the labs, and sometimes we hear odd noises, but I'm sure it's nothing that insane." Laine said briskly.
"It is." Cora said. "I don't even know the half of it. I don't want to know. But I have the feeling that I don't have a choice in the matter."
After that, Laine and Cora forced themselves to chat about every day matters. Aunt Cecilia was doing well. The peso was going up. Some more of Mr. Copley's assassins had been caught. Umbrella was having a picnic for employees. There seemed to be some sort of transfer to a new labrotory somewhere in America. They stayed away from zombies, Daryl Jones, and Mexican jails though.
There was a knock on the door soon after, and Cora got to her feet, kissed her mother on the cheek, and went to walk off. Before she did so, she paused.
"Give Amelia my regards, please."
"I will if she recovers." Laine's face was sad again.
"I hated him. He still didn't deserve a car crash or a zombie bite, or whatever he got."
"Does anyone?" Mother shook her head. Cora sighed and strode out of the room. Turnbull was standing there.
"Sixty two minutes." he said sternly.
"Do you let Salven see his wife?" Cora asked innocently.
"No. The Shark may rant and rave, but Lydia Salven is furious at Ruben. This is all his fault. His fault for getting caught, his fault for going to Umbrella, his fault that she has a nice little apartment three feet underground. She's not very happy, and quite unresponsive. If Salven doesn't come out to be a satisfactory soldier, well, she might brighten a bit." Turnbull gave a dark chuckle. "Not for too long though."
"What does that mean?" Cora demanded.
"You're a very nosy little squirrel, Merandez." was all Turnbull said. Cora ground her teeth.
"Don't answer with your bullshit." she demanded. "I don't believe anything that you say."
"Sad, isn't it?" Turnbull said in a wise sort of way. Cora glared at him, then decided to seize the bait.
"What's sad?"
"That a fine, upstanding young woman such as yourself should choose to trust an eleven year old girl, an old pessimist, a slippery weasel, and a dead man who she hated over Umbrella."
Cora growled at Turnbull, but she didn't say anything else. But there was a gnawing feeling of doubt and fear in the pit of her stomach. What was she getting herself into?
"Will Amelia be so well equipped?" Turnbull asked sarcastically. Cora froze.
"You wouldn't. She's only eleven!"
"Her age doesn't matter - she's quite a useful lever for you." Turnbull said. A muscle jumped in Cora's cheek.
"I want to see her." Cora said softly. "To make sure that she hasn't died in a ... car accident as well."
Turnbull gave a soft smile.
"You may see her, and your Mother. Only for a short while though. And I'll expect you'll be wanting some rest." Turnbull said not another word, but turned and strode down the hall silently. Cora followed, scowling.
Turnbull seemed to know his way around the facility, he turned left and right and left again without stopping to think or consulting a map. Cora stayed close on his heels. She didn't want to be left behind.
Finally, Turnbull stopped and knocked gently on the door. The door opened, and Laine Merandez stood there with a haggard face.
"Yes?" she asked softly, and she caught sight of Cora. At first her eyes widened with fear, but then she caught sight of Cora's name tag. A look of pity and anger came over her face.
"Your daughter insisted on seeing you and her sister." Turnbull said simply. "It seems that she refuses to cooperate any other way."
"That's my girl." Laine said, wrapping her daughter up in a hug.
"Cora! Cora!" Amelia squeaked. Cora looked at her sister. Amelia's face was pale and drawn, and her big eyes looked enormous in a peaked face, but she was smiling and skipping to Cora.
"I'll be waiting outside. You have one hour." Turnbull told Cora.
Cora stepped into what appeared to be a small apartment. Laine motioned for Cora to sit down.
"What happened, Cora?" she asked anxiously. Amelia sat down and stared at her sister. Taking a deep breath, Cora recounted everything that had happened. How she was sent into prison. How a knife had flashed. She recounted her nightmares. She spoke only briefly of sharing a cell with Salven - from what she had heard about him recently, he seemed worried about herb, but that couldn't be true. He hated her. She spoke of Linda, of Dinzali, of the Jungle. She didn't mention the zombie though. Amelia was already looking afraid. Besides, she didn't think Laine or Amelia would believe her.
"Do you have any news on Daryl?" Mother asked anxiously. Cora hesitated.
"Yes." she finally said. "He was killed in a car crash."
Amelia let out a cry of anguish.
"Father!" she cried. Laine shook her head sadly, and Amelia fled from the room.
"I don't think he did die in a car crash though." Cora said quietly. Laine stared at her daughter.
"What? But ..."
"I don't know. It just doesn't add up. I honestly think he was killed by someone at Umbrella." Cora said. "And Umbrella is up to more than just drugs. I saw the walking dead."
"We're right below the labs, and sometimes we hear odd noises, but I'm sure it's nothing that insane." Laine said briskly.
"It is." Cora said. "I don't even know the half of it. I don't want to know. But I have the feeling that I don't have a choice in the matter."
After that, Laine and Cora forced themselves to chat about every day matters. Aunt Cecilia was doing well. The peso was going up. Some more of Mr. Copley's assassins had been caught. Umbrella was having a picnic for employees. There seemed to be some sort of transfer to a new labrotory somewhere in America. They stayed away from zombies, Daryl Jones, and Mexican jails though.
There was a knock on the door soon after, and Cora got to her feet, kissed her mother on the cheek, and went to walk off. Before she did so, she paused.
"Give Amelia my regards, please."
"I will if she recovers." Laine's face was sad again.
"I hated him. He still didn't deserve a car crash or a zombie bite, or whatever he got."
"Does anyone?" Mother shook her head. Cora sighed and strode out of the room. Turnbull was standing there.
"Sixty two minutes." he said sternly.
"Do you let Salven see his wife?" Cora asked innocently.
"No. The Shark may rant and rave, but Lydia Salven is furious at Ruben. This is all his fault. His fault for getting caught, his fault for going to Umbrella, his fault that she has a nice little apartment three feet underground. She's not very happy, and quite unresponsive. If Salven doesn't come out to be a satisfactory soldier, well, she might brighten a bit." Turnbull gave a dark chuckle. "Not for too long though."
"What does that mean?" Cora demanded.
"You're a very nosy little squirrel, Merandez." was all Turnbull said. Cora ground her teeth.
"Don't answer with your bullshit." she demanded. "I don't believe anything that you say."
"Sad, isn't it?" Turnbull said in a wise sort of way. Cora glared at him, then decided to seize the bait.
"What's sad?"
"That a fine, upstanding young woman such as yourself should choose to trust an eleven year old girl, an old pessimist, a slippery weasel, and a dead man who she hated over Umbrella."
Cora growled at Turnbull, but she didn't say anything else. But there was a gnawing feeling of doubt and fear in the pit of her stomach. What was she getting herself into?
