Rebecca looked at the familiar face in front of her. The name left her lips as the pain left her body. "Billy…Coen?" Rebecca couldn't believe her eyes. He was like an angel, who had come to save her from all the hell she'd endured. A tear escaped her eyes as she watched him stare at her, gaping.
"Please…tell me you're not a side effect from the drugs." She let out a small giggle as the pain from her wrist sparked again, making her cry out again.
"Not last time I checked." the voice muttered, rubbing the back of his head. He pulled out a lock pick and set to work on the door, not taking his eyes off of Rebecca.
She shook her head, light brown bangs falling in her face. "I think I pissed someone off." She said, and Billy chuckled. It took ages for the door to finally give up the ghost, and the click of a deadbolt was echoed through the stone building. Rebecca could feel the trickles of blood seeping down her arm, landing with steady plops into the dirt. Billy rushed, lifting her up from the calves, and gently setting her back onto the stool.
Rebecca's pain was suddenly almost gone, with an exception of the handcuffs falling out of where they had dug deeply into her skin. She gave a sigh of relief as Billy also stood on the stool, and began to work on the lock of her cuffs. He pulled her a bit closer to him, and Rebecca pursed her lips, gazing up at the handcuffs. He effortlessly picked the lock, and the handcuffs fell to the ground after bouncing off the stool. Billy lifted Rebecca off the stool, and helped her out of her "cage". The only thing Rebecca thought was that it was wonderful to be held in strong arms again.
Billy set Rebecca against a wall and handed her a first aid kit. He nodded to her and she knew what to do. She grabbed some antiseptic and began to work on her cuts. Billy turned to the men that had come down with him, and began to speak slowly.
"Alright, guys. Looks like our job is done here. Jackson, did you plant the bomb in the labs?" Billy asked, a serious look on his face.
Jackson nodded. "Okay then, we've done enough damage here. Let's get back to the jeep and we'll keep the spill from increasing. Everyone got it?" Several nods "Good, let's go then. By the way, this is Rebecca Chambers from Raccoon City S.T.A.R.S, she's a pretty good marksman, and a damn good medic."
A few of them men chuckled. "Looks like Coen's got a girlfriend." One of the men said heartily.
Rebecca giggled, after separating some gauze with her teeth. She groaned when she saw she looked like a mummy, but the bleeding had stopped, and the antiseptic would spread further infection.
"That's one more than you'll ever have, Boris." Billy replied, grinning. Rebecca watched as he pulled out a radio and began to speak into it. She was in awe. "So Billy has his own rebel group, does he? Well, it's so great to see him again. It was like I was empty inside while he was gone. But…why am I feeling this?" Rebecca thought, confused. She decided to bury the feelings until they were safe.
Rebecca stood and ran up to Billy. In a move that surprised both of them, Rebecca wrapped her arms around Billy. It felt great to both of them and then she spoke up. She gave a quiet "Thank you". They broke apart, and she looked around for her Med-Kit.
As the group walked out, someone tapped her on the back. Billy had wandered off into the thick brush and was still talking on his radio. Rebecca whirled around and noticed the men Billy called Jackson and Boris. Another man stood behind them, cleaning his gun.
"So you're the infamous Rebecca Chambers we've heard so much about. " Boris said, extending a hand.
Rebecca took it. "Depends, I hope Billy has only told you good things." She paused. "And there really isn't anything between us. I mean, he saved my life a couple times, and I disobeyed orders and kept him hidden. We haven't seen each other in a while."
Jackson snorted. "We didn't really mean it. I don't think you're his type anyway. He did say you're the reason he decided to organize our little group here, though."
"Did he?" Rebecca asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yup." The last man replied, finally joining the conversation.
"He said he decided to organize us after you set him free. That and after he realized what happened to those people on the train and the facility. Something about being noble and bullshit. We knew you had to be a girl, because nothing else would drive Coen so damn crazy." Jackson said. Boris gave a hearty laugh and slapped Rebecca on the back.
"I said there wasn't anything between us! Jesus…" Rebecca said. "Why am I trying to deny it so much?" Rebecca wondered. "So what do you guys do?"
"Well, pretty much the same thing you do. We pop the Umbrella suckers like zits before they get to hurt anyone, and we feel better about ourselves when we go to sleep at night. It's pretty damn easy work too. These tin soldiers don't really don't compare to the Marines."
Rebecca came to a realization. "Oh, so after Billy became an ex-lieutenant, you guys quit the Special Forces, too?" Rebecca asked, trying to figure out the details.
"Yeah, me 'n Jackson did. Stan was court marshaled about a year or so before" Boris replied. Stan gave hollow grunt before walking towards the new destruction Rebecca had not noticed. Boris leaned into Rebecca.
"Stan doesn't like to talk about it, it's a bit of a touchy subject for him."
Rebecca nodded, now gaping at the amount of fire in the area. Dead bodies littered the sand, and portables were burning blue flames. The only location that seemed untouched by the flames was the dark castle, presumably owned by Lulu "Oooh, I hope that got her. I'm not usually a vengeful person, but that lady was evil" Rebecca thought, massaging her sore cheek. Explosions would occasionally set off and shake the area with their vibrations, and making Rebecca bit jumpy. With no weapon, she was vulnerable.
Boris ruffled her hair. "Don't worry about it, we didn't see any survivors anywhere. The bombs in the labs will go off and kill all the creatures. You're safe with us, Rebecca." She smiled at his kindness. He really was a nice man. "Hey, I wanna show you something."
Boris pulled out a gun with a painted picture of a beautiful woman on it, he spun it around and handed it to her. She examined it, spinning it around and looking at it from every angle. "The girl is my wife, Delilah. We've been together for twenty years now, and she hasn't aged a day. It's really that kind of relationship couples dream they could have after that long, ya know? We have a daughter, and she's sixteen. I can't wait to get home and see them."
"I bet." Rebecca agreed. She thought back to when she was sixteen. She had been taking both high school and university classes. She was finishing out the last of her high school credits that year, and missed her Senior Prom because she had to take night classes. She let out a hollow sigh and lifted a hand to her face to brush some of the caked dirt off. "You guys sound like dream family. Well, except their father is part of a rebel group that takes out America's leading pharmaceutical company day by day." Boris laughed.
"Well, all in a day's work." He replied.
"Speaking of a day's work" Billy's voice game from behind them "It looks like ours is done. Let's head to the jeep and let the helicopter take care of the rest."
Rebecca sighed. She was ecstatic that she had found Billy again. She wondered what he thought about her, about what he felt for her. Rebecca was shaken from her thoughts as Boris began to grab at her hand. She willingly gave it to the man, and was lead into the jungle.
The jungle smelled of several different gasses and fumes Rebecca couldn't fully identify. She hadn't completely noticed the whole site smelled of destruction, mostly because her thoughts wandered to Billy. "I can't be in love with him. He's like my big brother!" she thought, as Boris pushed away some creepers, allowing Rebecca to pass without getting slammed in the face. The air around her was humid. A damp heat that beat down on her through the greens and reds of the jungle, causing her to sweat near the top of her brow. It hadn't occurred to her to ask the location of her once prison. "Where are we, exactly?" Rebecca asked in a puzzled tone, biting her lower lip in thought.
Stan turned around and shoved out a mumbled "We're in South America, somewhere in lower Peru." Rebecca noted he was cleaning his gun once again, this time much more fervently. "And you guys did this by yourselves? Took down this whole entire Umbrella base I mean." Jackson shook his head and chuckled.
"We prolly could! Hell, Billy all by himself could. But nah, we had another group who left off the other side of the base. We're gonna rendezvous near Lima."
Rebecca was puzzled. Lima was probably miles and miles away. "Why so far away?" Rebecca asked Jackson. Jackson gave Rebecca a smirk and then looked ahead to Billy, who was now chopping through thick grass with a short bladed knife.
"Boy, Billy, you were right. She's a smart one alright." Billy blushed slightly and began cutting more violently through the grass. Stan gave a loud snort and put his pistol away.
"Oh come on, Billy. This isn't 4th grade anymore. If you like the girl, just tell her." Stan growled. Rebecca giggled, until she received any icy glare from Stan. She immediately covered her hand with her mouth.
"Don't you be acting all pre pubescent either, girl." Stan muttered walking faster. Rebecca shut up. The five walked through the forest for ten more minutes in total silence. In the lead was Billy, slicing down any leaves that got in his way. Stan followed, grunting something about it being too humid. Jackson hummed and whistled when the silence became too much for him. Boris still had Rebecca's hand, and she blushed as his fingers moved over hers as he led her politely. She couldn't help but think Billy was acting slightly differently. She remembered him much more... How did she remember him? It had been so long, she had counted on never actually seeing him again. From the first moment she met him, he had been able to make her laugh, or greatly frustrate her. She often thought about how she had tried to arrest him. Rebecca had been so nervous, as she held her gun white-knuckled to keep from shaking. He had merely shrugged her off and left her there, wondering what she had done.
Inside herself she laughed, thinking about how he used to make jokes even at the worst times. She loved his sense of humor, probably because most times she lacked anything that resembled one. Or so she had been told. She thought back to the time when she was in to the torture chamber, alone.
Rebecca had been able to decipher the manual enough to activate the power system. She remembered revolving around after hearing something burst behind her, just to see a white streak jump straight onto her back. Pain rushed through her body as she pawed at it, feeling utterly helpless. When she had thrown it off, she realized what it actually was. A monkey, with white fur and two-inch long fangs, made a growling noise deep in it's throat as it stared at Rebecca. Slimy white saliva leaked off both fangs as it glared hungrily at her. Rebecca remembered putting two fingers to the back her neck and feeling warm liquid. Then, she saw out of the corner of her eye, the monkey leaped into the air like lightning. Her body reacted and she threw herself to the side. Her body impacted with the dusty stone, and just as she was getting to her feet, she lost her footing. Rebecca remembered wondering how the ground beneath her could give way. She watched, as her eyes became level with the solid floor and her hands found way to a steel girder, sticking out of the once together floor. She held on, her whole body dangling as her head scanned the area for the monkey. "I hate monkeys…" she moaned as she transferred all her strength to one arm as she transferred Billy a message via radio.
Rebecca remembered sweating as her fingers began to slip, her mind getting ready to accept defeat. "Sorry…Billy..." she muttered as her hands involuntarily let go of the girder. Her lungs opened to release a scream as she felt a strong, warm grip grab her arm. Billy began to pull her up, drawing her in as he pulled her up, the monkey still missing in action.
"Hey, we're here boys and girl" Billy said, Rebecca letting go of Boris' hand. The troops had found their way to a clearing; the many green plants of the area had been combed over to the left. Red plants of unknown origin sprouted around the clearing. A single jeep, decorated in gray and blue camouflage that matched Billy's pants lay close to the middle. It caused Rebecca to cast a quick thought towards Barry's jeep. Now that she was safe once again, she wondered if they would look for her. She knew they would. She hoped they wouldn't. Umbrella would have tons of security as they cleaned up. Jill had told the group about the U.B.C.S, which Rebecca assumed had probably been called in.
Rebecca wiped the sweat from her brow and sighed. The males began to shove guns into a large metal box in the jeep. The clanging metal upon metal sound caused Rebecca to cover her ears as she approached the jeep.
"Guys?" she asked, noticing a large fallen tree in the way. Chipped, diseased bark flocked from the tree and onto the ground, matching the shrubbery. She placed a hand on it. She could almost feel it pulsating underneath her bare hand. She withdrew it quickly, yelping.
Boris was the first to notice. "Ey, what's wrong?" he asked, relinquishing a combat knife into the chest, eyeing Rebecca with wild eyes.
"This tree…it's different. Almost like it's dying or something." Rebecca said, throwing a glance at the tree.
Billy walked up to it and put a hand on it, then quickly throwing his arm back. Astonished, he asked, "This wasn't here before, was it?" Boris shook his head, and Stan snorted.
"Look here" Rebecca said, pointing to the area where the base had been severed from the rest of the tree. A bubbling purple moss had arisen and licked the base of the tree with a low hum.
"Is that…normal?" Stan asked, now amused.
"No, if the tree were cut down, it would be smooth. It almost looks as if it were an acid, eating away the tree slowly, and from the inside." Rebecca mused, touching the ends of the tree.
"But I mean, what DID this?" Stan asked.
"Well, my only guess is Umbrella." Rebecca finally replied. "Someone didn't want you guys leaving. I bet I know who, also."
"Who?"
"There was this crazy lady. She was dressed in all black. She introduced herself as Lulu Vargas, head of the…Zion Branch?" Rebecca said, trying to recount the details.
Billy nodded, and with a gentle motion towards the ruins, said, "This used to be the Zion Division. According to our sources, this place had some leading research going down. That's why they were at the top of our hit list."
"Well, shit, guys. I think we need a new plan." Jackson said, scanning each of the group, Rebecca last.
"Wait, you said there was another group, heading toward Lima, right? Well, why don't we just meet up with them sooner than expected?" Rebecca suggested. She had definitely had enough of South America. She was reading to go home to her four walls and bed.
"Great idea. We might not be too far behind if we set out now, right?" Billy asked his teammates.
"Well, it might work. Not that I wanna spend anymore time hear, but it's not like it's gonna be any use, trying to get by the big fuckin' tree." Jackson said.
Stan merely nodded and got in the driver's seat. Jackson took the left passenger seat. Billy helped Rebecca in and then got in the other side. Boris hung out near the weapons trunk in the back.
The heat seemed to grow more intense, and Rebecca groaned. She vaguely remembered being cold not so long ago. The chill of the quiet desert air…
The jeep started with a quick rumble, and then began to swerve suddenly, throwing Rebecca into Billy. She grinned sheepishly at him before deciding to hold on to the slightly bent iron bar before her.
The jeep drove over the dunes with great ease, once in awhile getting air and crashing down, sand flying into Rebecca. Boris seemed to be having a great time, once in awhile standing to see exactly where they were. Stan had a cigarette in his mouth, which he puffed on happily, paying little attention to his driving. Jackson stared out the window in somewhat of a daze. Billy would glance quickly at Rebecca, then she would turn his way and he would be looking out the window. Rebecca found herself doing the exact thing.
'Chambers, this isn't the time to be flirting. He's among colleagues. Once you get home you can have a cup of tea with him, and you can reminisce, and everyone will be happy. Just keep your mind on survival for the next few hours and…'
On top of Zion Castle, a black haired woman with braids stepped out on the front patio. She was barefoot, which was a surprise since there was glass shards the size of tennis balls near her black painted toes. On her shoulder was a large black bag.
"She won't get away with this. My angels are a creation of beauty and grace."
She unzipped the bag carefully and pulled out a large, cylindrical object. It was dark green, and probably longer than she was. Using all her strength, she heaved the cylinder onto her arm and flipped the scope outwards. She took careful aim for a moment, then after a beat, she pulled the trigger.
"I told her I'd make her scream" Lulu Vargas said before sweeping a long robe back in behind her and slamming the door shut.
…everyone will be happy' Rebecca thought, glancing at Billy for the umpteenth time. The jeep sped along, until finally a shout broke the silence.
"Shit! Stan, get out of the way!"
Unsure of whom the shout came from, Rebecca peered nervously over the seat. The jeep swerved dangerously, and Rebecca felt her hit the side of the jeep, which was luckily cushioned.
Sand poured as Rebecca felt the jeep lift and tumble through the dirt. For a moment she felt herself go upside down, nothing but gravity holding her up. Soon after she felt weightless as she felt herself fall from the jeep, and land unceremoniously onto the dirt, face first. She felt licking flames come towards her body, and she got up quickly, spitting the dirt from her mouth.
The jeep was now wreckage. Boris lay ten feet away on his back, getting up. Billy lay three feet away, already half up. Jackson and Stan were missing.
Flames engulfed the jeep, and Rebecca could almost smell the faint gasoline smell in the air.
"We have to get to them!" Billy yelled at her over the noise of the flames. She nodded and quickly ran to the passenger door, while Billy ran to the driver's seat.
"Jackson!" Rebecca yelled as she tried to prod Jackson out of the burning vehicle. It had been tilted on it's side after turning several times, so getting the man out would be a problem. The back of the jeep was totaled, leaving the weapons crate gone in a puff of smoke.
Jackson probed for Rebecca's hand and when the two finally met, Rebecca heaved as hard as she could. When she saw the top of Jackson's red hair, she knew she was getting close.
"Cover your eyes!" Rebecca yelled, hoping he'd get it the first time. After he did so, Rebecca lifted a foot and began to kick the outer shell of the jeep until she heard metal bend slightly. Then she resumed pulling.
After two minutes or so, Rebecca had gotten Jackson out and Billy was able to use the same method with Stan. Billy and Stan grabbed Boris (who was still lying on the ground, apparently knocked out), and rushed away from the fire. Once the fire spread to wear the gas tank was, a small whistling sound was heard, and Billy yelled "DOWN!"
Rebecca couldn't think. As she watched the jeep blow into a million dissolving fragments, she just stared in awe. 'Our…last chance of getting out of here!' Strong arms wrapped around her and forced her down with incomprehensible strength as a tire blew past her head, missing it by inches. She had landed on the ground, with Billy on top of her. She stared at him for a moment, and he at her, before they began to laugh.
"Something funny?" Stan growled as he glanced at Boris.
"No, we're just shit out of luck!" Billy said in a tone that caused Rebecca to laugh harder, only at Stan's grimace.
"What the FUCK was that?" Jackson asked, fear in his voice.
"A rocket, I'm guessing. I saw it come from the castle. Maybe someone up there is still alive?" Billy asked, staring at the huge monument.
"Ah, SHIT. The guns and ammo!" Stan cried. He ran effortlessly through the thick sand to wear the jeep had previously exploded.
"Uh, Becky?" a voice came from behind Rebecca. "Boris…?"
Boris. He was still on the ground, unmoving. Rebecca rushed to his side, groping for a Med-Kit that wasn't there.
"Boris, can you hear me?" she asked, her voice faint. His eyelids began to twitch, and his hands immediately went towards his stomach. Rebecca peered down, and after lifting his shirt and gear up, noticed a large cut on his abdomen. It traveled from his naval up towards his breastbone, and it was deep.
"Oh no…we have to treat this before it gets infected." Rebecca said, touching the wound and pressing around the area.
"We left the first aid kits on the jeep…" Jackson said dully.
"If we don't treat this immediately, he could die. We have to at least clean it, not to mention sew it up and stop the bleeding. What a mess."
"That bad, eh?" Boris said, pain in his voice and aged face.
Rebecca felt a pain in her heart. "You'll live, I know it. We just got to find a few things so you'll be okay."
Stan came back a few minutes later, swearing up a storm. He took a combat knife out of his vest, and tossed it to the sand. "Any other weapons?" he asked the group.
Billy pulled out a Handgun, and Jackson a knife.
"Great, a gun with fifteen rounds and two knives. We're up Shit Creek without a paddle."
"We could always-"
"What, Jackson?" Radio for backup? The Radio is in pieces all over the sand now. Treat Boris' wounds? Nope, can't do that either. Drive out of here? Be my guest."
Jackson stared at Stan, mouth agape.
"WHAT!?"
Jackson pointed less than a half-mile towards the ruins of a building. Hands were poking out of the rubble, as if reaching out of their graves. People in barely visible white lab coats struggled in the sand, limping. Gasping moans could be heard not so far away. Rebecca remembered them well.
"Shit, these those "Zombies" you were talkin' about!?" Stan asked, eyes wide with intensity.
More hands, more zombies. Over thirty together now were walking towards them, arms outstretched.
"This way!" Billy said, coaxing them into a building all too familiar. She helped Stan and Jackson lift Boris (who was now very confused) toward her former prison. When they finally made it in, the infected were only a quarter mile from tiny building. They slammed the antique wooden doors shut with a thud.
"Well…What now?"
Hope you guys liked it. It was a bit rushed because I was so anxious to crank it out. Billy seems a bit Ooc to me, tell me if that's the case (in review form). Also I'd like to hear about my OC's, Jackson, Boris, and Stan. Oh and Lulu too .. Anyway, thank you to my ever-reviewing fans who drive this story:
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Thank you to all, I promise to answer reviews in the next chappie.
