Nothing, nothing could be worse than this. Except maybe leaving with Wesker. Cora found herself wishing that Wesker would just shoot her in the head and get it over with.
"Sit down." he had ordered her, when they had reached the Finance Minister's office. She had sat, still clutching her leg and trying to keep the blood in. The two had spoken for quite a while.
"You can't just evacuate."
"Why the hell not?"
"You're a man in the public eye, especially with that scandal last summer."
"That's died down."
"People said that about World War II." Wesker was lounging in an easy chair, the Finance Minister was pacing.
"The Risk Factor ..." he moaned.
"Is not too high. As long as you stick with me and her." He jabbed a thumb at Cora.
"She's Umbrella!"
"For the moment, she's mine." Wesker said. "Tell the nice man your name."
Cora stubbornly ground her teeth together. The amused look on Wesker's face became malicious.
"I said, tell the nice man your name."
"Cora." Cora said through clenched teeth.
"Just Cora?"
"Cora Merandez!" she spat, then leaned back in her chair and scowled. If she ever got her weapons back... She still had two knives though. One up one sleeve, one snuggled behind the back of her collar.
Wesker and the Finance Minister went back to their talks. Slowly, carefully, Cora shrugged. The dagger slid down her sleeve slightly. She gave her arm a wiggle and the dagger came down a little more.
"And how old are you, Cora?" Wesker said softly. Cora froze. The dagger could be seen through her sweater, it was so close to her hand. She cleared her throat and hid it as best as she could.
"I'm nineteen." she said quietly. Wesker nodded, satisfied, and turned away. Cora struck. Before Wesker could move, Cora pounced, sliding the dagger into her hand and into the Finance Minister's heart. There was a look of surprise on his face as he toppled with a loud thunk. Cora wiped the dagger on her sleeve, and then made a ninth notch on her arm. Her leg burnt like fire to match the pain of the notch.
Then Wesker grabbed her by the neck and pushed her up against the wall, blocking any air from entering her lungs.
"Before I kill you." he hissed. "I am going to make you sorry you were ever born."
Cora struggled to concentrate. The lack of blood and oxygen both were making her woozy.
"You just did something very bad." Wesker said. "And in return, I am going to make you ..."
Cora spat. It hit Wesker on the cheek.
"You just have to keep on digging your grave, don't you?" Wesker growled. He flung Cora into the desk. Cora let out a cry as she hit the desk, and then lay still on the carpet. She couldn't strengthen the strength to move, let alone defend herself. Her arm was bending in a way that human arms were never meant to bend, and she had to bite her lip not to cry with the pain.
Wesker kicked her in the ribs, and she gasped.
"I am going to take you back to HCF with me, little kitten." he snarled, hoisting her up again. She would have screamed and clawed and bit and kicked and forgotten every bit of her training, if she could. Instead, she was stuck with Shades the Monster.
"God, please, no!" she managed to gasp. Wesker gave a nasty laugh.
It was then that the door opened and a grenade rolled in, a cobra engraved hastily on it. Wesker stared at it for a second, then grinned.
"Goodbye, Cora." he said, tipping an imaginary hat. Then he simply dropped Cora dangerously close to the grenade ... and was gone.
Cora tried to push herself away from the grenade. She figured she had seconds before it detonated. But she had no strength, emotional or physical left to even move.
"Well, guess he fell for it." Cobra said, striding into the room.
"What?" Cora whispered. Cobra grinned and pocketed the grenade.
"See, Scythe?" he said, apparently not hearing Cora. "Having a fake on hand isn't a bad idea."
"Fuck, Cobra. Your teammate is lying there half dead nad all you can do is brag?" Tweek asked, striding into the room. Cora wondered if she was dreaming.
"What the hell happened here?" Foxx asked. Then Best was dragged in by Tweek and Ada, pale and trembling.
"I warned Cora not to go this way!" he said, still shaking. The others stared at him.
"What? You abandoned her!"
"The headstrong girl thought that left was the right way to go. She grabbed me and pratically dragged me along." Best said proudly.
Cora closed her eyes. She was going to die listen to Best crow and her teammates bicker.
"Amelia, Mother." she muttered. There was a sudden, yet slight, pressure against Cora's neck that made her stir.
"She's alive." Reeve announced. Cora felt herself get lifted up. "Christ, and hurt badly too."
"We'll listen to both sides of the story once we get some help for Cora." Scythe said. "This way."
"But, sir..."
"Best, if you don't shut up, I'll kill you right now." Scythe snapped. "You're not getting yourself any brownie points."
"Sorry, sir."
Cora felt herself being moved. Groggily, she opened her eyes.
"Guys?" she whispered.
"It's gonna be OK, Cora. We're gonna get you help."
"I wish I had just sold fruit on the street." Cora whimpered, feeling tears well up. "Then I could have been back home. It's my fault Father is dead. It's my fault that everyone is dead."
"Cora, calm down. Everything is gonna be OK."
"No, it won't. I ruined it all." Cora cried.
"See?" Best said, then cried out as Scythe's fist connected with his jaw.