A/N: I'm really, really proud of how this one came out. :D -Akumu
CLAIREMBER 2022
Day 19 - Leon
"Shouldn't we warn them?" Sherry whispered.
Claire glanced around the small diner they'd reached after a couple hours of walking South. The cook tended the grill in the back. The waitress was pouring coffee for the only other three patrons, older men who likely drove the 18-wheelers outside, all of whom sat at the bar. Except for John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" playing softly, it was quiet.
"Let's see what Leon finds out first," Claire whispered back.
Sherry nodded.
The waitress approached their booth and took their order. Sherry wanted a big stack of buttermilk pancakes with extra syrup. After what she'd just been through, she more than deserved it. Claire got herself and Leon bacon and eggs. Leon hadn't specified what he wanted before he'd gone outside to the payphones, but she figured most everyone liked bacon and eggs, so he probably liked them too.
Unless he's a vegetarian.
It was one of many, many things she didn't know about him, or Sherry for that matter. She'd known both of them for half a day at most. But man, had they been to hell and back together.
Chris…if only I'd found you.
She had found his diary, though, in which he'd talked about himself and the other STARS meeting up in Europe near Umbrella's headquarters. It wasn't much to go on, but it was better than nothing.
Now, she just had to get there.
Leon entered the diner. Everyone looked up at him, watched him walk to their booth. He was a cop at the RPD, just like her missing brother, and so was wearing an RPD uniform. Claire couldn't begin to imagine how weird they must look: a young policeman, a slightly younger chick in biker gear, and a little girl, all beat-up, exhausted, and starving.
He sat across from them. The waitress appeared and set their food before them. Sherry dug right in. Leon sighed, muttered, "Oh, thank God," and joined her.
Claire looked at him. "Well?"
He snorted, swallowing his eggs. "Well, what do you think? They didn't believe me."
"So, they're not going to do anything?"
"They're sending a squad car to pick us up. They don't know when – as soon as one becomes available, I guess. They'll drive us to the station, take our statement, and then check it out if they think we're not pulling their leg."
"So we wait?"
He nodded. "We wait."
They didn't speak as they finished their food. The waitress brought them the check. Leon had only a couple bucks left, so Claire paid the bill. The waitress returned with some ones and change.
Grabbing the change, Claire said, "I'll be right back," and went outside to the payphones.
As she fed the machine coins, she noticed the mountains that surrounded her, towered over her – trapped her. The road that ran from Raccoon City to here, then wherever the hell it ran, was the only way in or out of this little pocket of dirt plain and tall evergreens.
The dial tone rang. And rang. And rang.
Then: "Hello?"
"Elza?" she said.
"Claire. Oh, thank God. I was so worried. Did you find your brother?"
"No, but I know where he is now. I'm going to go after him as soon as I can get a ride."
"Where are you?"
Claire fished out the receipt and read the town name.
"Give me the address."
"I can't. Something happened in Raccoon – something bad. It isn't safe for you to come here."
"It isn't safe for you to stay there either. Now give me the damned address."
The operator said her time was almost up. She checked her pocket and found only pennies.
"I'm sorry, Elza, I can't." She hung up the phone.
A cold breeze started to blow. She shivered. Whenever she got cold, Chris gave her his jacket – the one with the pinup angel on the back. The words "Made In Heaven" arched over her as she held a bombshell.
Claire'd had a pink vest with the same angel on the back, but she'd given it to Sherry last night to keep her warm. Even though it wasn't a jacket, it had always kept Claire warm. Now she no longer had it.
She returned to the booth. Leon had finished his plate and was sipping his coffee. Sherry stuffed the last forkful of pancake in her mouth.
"Who'd you call?" she asked.
"My friend, to let her know I'm okay."
"Is she into motorcycles and stuff like you?"
"She is. We're on the same racing team."
"Once we get done at the police station, you have to take me for a ride. Please, Claire?"
Claire smiled. "Sure, one day. But right now, I have to find Chris." To Leon, she said, "I'm going to see if someone here can take me back to Denver."
She turned to the truckers at the bar but paused when Leon touched her.
"What a second. So you're not going to the police station with us?" he asked.
"I can't. I need to grab my passport and book the first flight to Europe."
"I'll go with you!" said Sherry.
"Look, I get you need to find your brother, but we should stick together as long as we can," said Leon. Especially since we're only a few miles outside of the city. Who knows what's wandering around out there?"
"All the more reason I can't waste any time. I have to get to him before he gets caught in another outbreak– or help him if he's already in one."
Leon shook his head, glanced at Sherry. "Let's talk outside. Sherry, you stay here."
Claire followed him outside. Sherry watched them through the window.
"Don't you think you're being foolish here?" Leon said.
"Excuse me?"
"Claire, we barely survived getting killed not five hours ago. Just us – no one else. And the only reason we survived is because we had each other. We should stay together if for no other reason than that."
"Chris needs me –"
"Chris is a STARS member who's with other STARS members. You're just a college student – a civilian with no combat or survival training. You can't do anything to help him."
"Did I or did I not just save an infected little girl, get her the cure she needed, and get her out of a monster-infested city?"
"You got lucky. Like Sherry and I got lucky. We got lucky because we had each other. Meanwhile, everyone else we were with died horrible deaths, which is what's going to happen to you if you run off and get yourself caught up in another outbreak. Chris wouldn't –"
"Don't you dare tell me what Chris would or wouldn't do. You don't know him. Chris did everything to keep our family together after our parents died – for me. He did it for me. Now it's my turn. He's the only family I have left."
"What about Sherry? Who does she have left? Her whole family is dead, Claire. She needs both of us right now."
"No. She needs you. You're a cop. You can make sure she gets everything she needs until they figure out the best place for her. The best place for me is with my brother."
"You're leaving me?"
Sherry was standing just outside the doors, looking at her. She still wore the pink vest with the angel on the back.
Claire went to her. "No, sweetie. But I have to leave for a while. I have to find my brother in case he needs help. So it'll just be you and Leon for a while."
Sherry looked at the ground, nodding. "Sure. Okay."
She went back inside, returned to the booth, and took off the vest. Leon followed her.
Claire went back to the booth. Where she had sat, the pink vest now lay. Sherry stared out the window. Leon busied himself with the dessert menu.
"Guys –"
"Just leave us alone," said Leon. "You're looking for your brother, right? So just go – go find him."
She looked at Sherry. "I'll be back. I promise."
Sherry kept staring out the window.
Claire approached the three men at the bar. None of them were going anywhere near Denver. The waitress and cook, who overheard her, offered to give her a ride into town, but they couldn't leave until the diner closed at 8. The cook recommended she try the gas station down the road.
"It's a bit of a hike, but if you start now, you should get there by late afternoon," he said.
Claire looked at Leon and Sherry. They were sitting quietly at the booth. She waved good-bye, but they didn't look. She left the diner and headed for the road.
The wind was blowing harder now, chilling the air. She crossed her arms for warmth. Once a car drove by, but it only honked and sped past.
Clouds gathered overhead. The sky turned gray, then darkened. When the first gentle raindrops spatted her, she ducked under the nearest tree.
Within minutes, it was pouring. She huddled close to the trunk, teeth chattering as the rain that the branches didn't block soaked her. She hadn't felt this alone since her parents had died. Chris had been there then. But not this time. Leon and Sherry weren't here either, nor was Elza.
I really am alone.
I should've given Elza the address.
I should've stayed with Sherry and Leon.
Who can I help when I'm freezing under a tree in a storm in the middle of nowhere?
I feel so stupid.
Bright light flooded the road as a single headlight approached. It was a motorcycle – a red one, ridden by a rider in a red and white racing leather and matching helmet. It looked like –
"Elza?" Claire yelled.
Elza slowed to a stop and raised her helmet visor. Her blond hair framed her blue eyes.
"You really are like your brother, you know that?" she said. "He runs off, and you go to find him, and then you run off and I go to find you."
"Oh, Elza!" Claire threw her arms around her. "Thank you!"
"You can thank me by giving me the address next time." Elza yanked her spare helmet and something out of her tank bag and thrust them at Claire. "Here, put this on."
It was a black moto jacket with red and gold flames licking the sleeves – her jacket, which Chris had given her last year. She slipped it on. Its warmth enveloped her. Helmetting up, she climbed on the bike behind Elza.
Elza closed her visor. "Alright, let's hightail it back to campus."
"Wait," said Claire. "I need to do something first."
They rode to the diner. Leon and Sherry were gone. The waitress said they'd left in a squad car not 15 minutes before.
"They probably took Court Road back to town. Go right here, the way you came this morning, and take a left at the sign that says you're 12 miles from Raccoon City. It'll take you straight to the station."
Elza and Claire had spent maybe 10 minutes on Court Road, Elza gunning as fast she could in the downpour, when they spotted twin red lights. The taillights of a police cruiser. Elza sped up.
Through the back window, Claire could make out two people in the back seat. One was a strawberry blond man while the other a girl who wore a red headband in her short, sandy hair.
"That's them," Claire yelled.
Elza pulled up alongside the squadcar. The two cops up front looked at them. Claire and Elza waved them over.
The squadcar swung onto the shoulder and stopped. The cop driving got out while the other rolled down his window.
As Claire headed toward the squadcar, dropping Elza's helmet, the cop outside halted her. "What seems to be the trouble, miss?"
"Those are my friends in the car," she said. "Please, I need to talk to them."
The cop looked at his partner, who nodded. Leon and Sherry climbed out of the car. Claire ran to her and hugged her as tight as she could.
"You came back," Sherry sobbed.
Claire tucked the girl's hair behind her ear. "I couldn't leave you like that. Either of you." She looked at Leon. "Chris is important to me, but so are both of you. I swear that as soon as I find him, I'll come back. And when I do, Sherry, I'll take you riding as fast as you want, as far as you want. But I have to find my brother first. I hope you understand."
Sherry sniffled. "I understand."
The rain lightened to a soft drizzle and then stopped. Bright sunshine broke through the dark clouds.
Leon said, "I still think you're nuts, but I can tell you're determined to do this. So, just be careful, okay? And if anything happens –" He passed her his RPD contact card, "that e-mail address should still work. At least, for the time being. Shoot me an e-mail, and I'll shoot you one back from my personal account."
Claire pocketed the card. "Thanks, Leon."
He shrugged. "Just glad I got to give it to someone. Anyway, you'd better get going before the rain starts up again. Stay safe, and stay in touch."
"I will." Claire took Sherry and Leon by the hand. "I'm glad I met you both. Please, keep each other safe. We'll talk soon."
They both squeezed her hand, smiling. When they let go, she made for Elza and the motorcycle. She looked back long enough to see Sherry shrug into the pink vest.
The ride back to campus took three hours. The whole time, it was sunny – warm even. When they got back to their dorm room, Claire packed a light bag and sent Leon's RPD e-mail address a message with her college and personal e-mail addresses. She didn't include the physical address or phone because her gut told her she'd be gone longer than a few days.
Elza took her to the airport. There, Claire bought a one-way ticket to Paris. Umbrella's headquarters were located just outside the city. That's where she'd start.
As she settled into her seat, which was in the middle of the center section, she caught a glimpse outside.
The sky was dark – black almost. Rain dotted the window.
She thought, We're about to get one hell of a storm.
