CHAPTER IX

Chained Hearts

He was chained against the cold, stone wall, his limbs were going numb, an unknown danger held his life in their hands…and Leon could only think about one thing. Claire.

Leon wasn't exactly sure what it meant when his heart yearned to see someone so badly, but somewhere inside he held a faint idea. Though, he would never dare admit it.

All Leon could admit was he needed to see Claire one more time.

On the positive side of things, Leon was grateful he didn't have to be in a rotting cell alone. He Barry to share the burden with him.

"Leon, my beard itches."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Leon asked half-heartedly, as he himself struggled to find a comfortable place to sleep.

"I don't know," the older man grumbled. "Can't you blow on it or something?"

"Blow on it?" Leon had to laugh.

Barry was still trying to persuade him to blow on his beard when the cell door slowly began to open.

At first Leon could only make out a shadow, but after a few footsteps the shadow came into plain view, the sight left Leon gaping with utter shock.

Standing between Leon and Barry was Adam, though, he wasn't looking all that great. His hair was greasy, beads of sweat were dripping right pass his blood shot eyes, and in his shaking hand rested a pistol.

Though his friend wasn't looking very healthy, Leon had to admit it was better then the monsterous beast that he had last seen him as. But even still, Leon didn't have to stare at Adam long to know something was amist.

"Leon," Adam whispered weakly, his entire face was shaking.

"Adam, what the hell is going on? Why are we chained up like this?"

"Leon, I tried to play with the devil…but I couldn't. Now everything…" Adam's voice faded and his shaking worstened.

"I'm sorry Leon."

"Adam, what's happening to you?"

"I can't do this anymore," Adam went on, speaking to no one in particular. "I won't live as the monster I've become."

Forciably Adam shoved his spare hand into his pocket, pulling out a set of keys. "Here," Adam said, shoving that keys into Leon's hand. "Now you can save the others."

"But what about you?" Leon asked concerned. "I really think you should go to the hospital Adam."

"No doctor can help me now." Adam said in a ghostly tone. From the corner of his eye Leon noticed Adam start to raise his gun.

"Adam, what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry Leon."

"Adam, don't!"

"I'm sorry for everything," Adam whispered what would have been his last words. Leon could only scream as Adam pulled the trigger.


For a long stretch Jill and Chris hung there silently. At least a dozen times Jill tried to force herself to say something, but at the end of every effort she stopped herself.

Even in the predictament that they found themselves in Jill was still so mad at him; but it wasn't only anger, it was hurt, betrayel and even a horriable realization. Maybe she and Chris weren't meant to be together.

With a painful sigh Jill threw a glance over at Chris; their eyes caught each other. It was the first time since Spencer's entrance that they had even looked at each other.

Jill tried to look away, but she couldn't. She was held captive by his pitiful, steel blue eyes. And just when she gathered the gumption to speak, Chris beat her to the punch.

"Jill, I never meant"-

She cut him off. "I don't want to know what you meant or didn't mean to do, Chris."

"Then what do you want, Jill? I want to give you what you want, but your not making it easy."

"Chris," she wailed desperately. "all I want is to be with you. For us to live a simple life together." Jill paused to look at him. "But I don't think you want that."

"Jill, I want to be with you."

"Then why did you kiss her?" Jill asked, sounding more hurt then she had intended.

"I know this sounds like bullshit to you Jill, but it didn't mean anything to me. It was just for one moment we were on the same page and then I realize I didn't want to be on the same page as Jamie, or at least don't need to be. But with you Jill, I need you to be on the same page. I…I…I just don't work unless were together."

"But that's the thing Chris. Were not on the same page. I'm ready to start a new life, and you still need to continue to wage war against Umbrella."

"Look at us Jill!" Chris yelled at her. "Umbrella's not going to stop waging it's war on us just because we want them to. I want a new life, I want a new life with you, but I can't do that until I know were safe. Not until I can fall asleep without worrying that you won't be there the next morning."

"Chris," her voice had faded into nothing, but a whisper. "I just don't see when any of it is every going to end."

The two of them didn't say anything after that. They just hung there quietly, both searching yearningly into each others eyes.

In the midst of the silence the cell door opened.

Two huge menacing shadows entered the small room, and as they came into clear view Jill quickly realized she preferred them as shadows. The two shadows were huge tryants, though they weren't that Jill recalled from previous encounters. These two were controlled, which Jill found even more terrifying.

The two monsters didn't waste any time, they immediately moved towards her and amazingly took off her chains. The removal of metal wasn't a gesture of freedom, however. Instead the creatures picked her up and held her so tightly that Jill found little hope in escape.

As they carried her away Jill looked at Chris, who was screaming her name desperately. Their eyes locked in a moment that held more emotion that Jill knew either of them possessed. Then sooner then a moment Jill was out the cell doors and Chris was no longer in sight.


Claire laid on the couch lazily; it was late at night and she took comfort knowing that Grace was fast asleep. Flipping quickly through channels Claire remembered how much she hated late night television, when one channel suddenly caught her eye.

Not believing what she saw Claire hurried back to the previous channel. She stopped breathing when she realized that her eyes weren't deceiving her.

On the screen was Carlos and Rebecca, they both were running from something, though, Claire wasn't exactly sure what they were running from. The terrified look on their faces told her, however, that it wasn't something good.

Frozen in her seat Claire stared at the television not sure what she should do, when the picture of Carlos and Rebecca suddenly went blank.

Her heart dropped as she waited anxiously for the screen to re-appear. When it didn't Claire instinctively turned the channel.

This screen also showed a familiar figure, though it wasn't Carlos and Rebecca. This channel showed Barry, the old S.W.A.T team member was alone, firing his python rapidly at an overgrown plant, which had vines approaching Barry at a horrifying pace. Claire screamed as the vines wrapped around Barry, but as she began jumping up from her seat the screen once again went blank.

"What the hell is going on!" Claire yelled to nobody as she turned to the next channel.

Now it was Jill and Chris on the screen, Claire yelled Chris' name at the television. She was somehow hoping that her brother would respond, but of course he didn't. Instead he tried to free himself from a hoard of zombies as another approached a helpless Jill.

Claire watched mortified as her brother tried so desperately to get to the women that he loved. The zombies had just reached Jill when blackness once again took over the picture.

Not even hesitating for a moment this time Claire flipped the channel. Leon was sitting on a bench all by himself, he looked fatigued as he sat motionless on the lone bench, Claire realized that he was asleep. For a long time nothing happened- until Leon's eyes shot open.

Like a firework on the fourth of July Leon jumped up, his eyes darted to the horizon, but Claire wasn't able to witness what he was seeing…until they too came into view.

They were two beast, two familiar beast. Like a knife to the heart Claire realized who the two beast were. The approaching creatures were Steve and Adam, they no longer resembled anywhere near their customary form. They were now heaving monstrousities, standing at an easy eight feet. Their faces were contorted into hideous shape. Their teeth reached all the way down to their pointed chins and their eyes were nothing more then two yellow slits. Yet, somehow Claire just knew who they were.

The two of them approached Leon, who for whatever reason just stood there. Claire screamed helplessly for Leon to move, but his T.V. figure didn't budge. Claire waited for the T.V to go blank again, but this time it didn't. In a horrified stand still Claire watched as the two monsters tore Leon apart.

Tears had started to run down her face when Grace's cry awoke her nerves. Wanting nothing more then to hold her daughter Claire ran to her bedroom, but she never made it there.

Appearing from thin air was a black, bottomless pit. Not able to stop herself Claire fell into the hole. Forever she fell and other then the abyss was the sound of everyone she cared about crying out her name for help. But as she dropped farther into the void Claire came to realize that there was absolutely nothing she could do, but fall.

In the pitch black night Claire set straight up from her bed. Breathing heavily she tried to gather herself, an attempt near hopeless. Her shaking hands wiped the sweat that dripped slowly down her face, but they weren't able to wipe away the fear that had engulfed her heart.

What the hell was that? It was too damn real to be a nightmare, but if it wasn't a nightmare…

Suddenly uncontrolled tears started to drip down Claire's cheeks, and at that moment she prayed to any god that would listen that the others were okay.