Resident Evil: Abduction
Chapter Eleven
Alric Skinner craned his neck as he exited the ominous black SUV. He moved his head from side to side several times until he heard the familiar pop releasing the tension in his upper spine. It was an annoying habit he had picked up as a teenager. It drove his mother around the bend, and currently it was a peeve of many of his superiors and subordinates. Did he care? Hell no.
He nodded to the Lieutenant who approached him, silently giving him the go ahead to order his men to surround the house located at 5892 Treasure Cove. The moon shone bright, giving them plenty of visibly. The house was in complete darkness and Skinner felt sure the occupants, Moira Kincaid and her niece, Lindy, were sleeping deeply. Whether or not they could provide any information to Riane Kincaid's participation in the theft of the anti-virus from Spencer Biotech, they were about to have a rude awakening.
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Alarm, instinct, the will to survive – these things are inherent in all human beings, in all creatures that walked the Earth. For Carlos Olivera and Jill Valentine, repetition and training had honed these impulses until they had become second nature. Any rational person would have dismissed the voice in their head as imagination, but not these two. Spending time with Alice over the past few months had awakened them to behaviors unimaginable. Neither would deny Alice's telekinetic and psychic abilities were unnerving, but her warnings had saved their proverbial asses on many occasions. So used to the unthinkable, they no longer dismissed what seemed too extraordinary to believe.
Carlos locked eyes with Jill briefly; his curt nod signaling her to get on the move. LJ followed suit; without being told, he picked up the most essential equipment and headed for the door. Jill did the same after pausing a moment to check the weapons in her familiar thigh holsters. She tucked one case under her arm and grabbed up another, leaving one hand free to draw a gun, if necessary.
Instinctively, Riane clutched Angie's data recorder firmly to her chest when jerked to her feet by Olivera. He thrust the remaining case toward her. She grabbed it as he released it and scooped Angie up, holding her with one arm while she steadied herself with one arm around his shoulders.
"What?" Riane spurted, but was cut off when she was shoved unceremoniously toward the door.
"There's no time," Carlos barked. "Just move and move fast!"
They had barely made it through the door that LJ and Jill left standing open. Seeing his two companions crossing the small clearing to the hidden SUV, Carlos urged Riane toward the vehicle that was parked just a few yards from the cabin. Both were running as fast as possible with the load they carried. For Carlos, Angie was a featherweight, but Riane struggled with the case.
"Just drop it and run," he yelled just as the reason why Alice issued a warning came into sight. He watched in horror as Umbrella's forces emerged from the darkened woods.
No warning was issued, only the deadly sounds of automatic weapons reporting again and again. Time warped, guns fired, shouts echoed in the madness, and it barely registered to Carlos that he was hearing his gun, his shouts, amidst the devastation.
Reflexively, he had set Angie on her feet while drawing his guns, taking deadly aim with speed and expertise. "Get her to the SUV," he ordered over the noise, making his own way toward it at a backwards run. He remained steady and calm while bullets flew all around him. With each shot, he rendered another man dead – someone he may have known...been friends with. It sickened him, but not as much as hearing the cry from behind him just as the door to the SUV slammed. Or the sight of Jill crumpled on the ground, near the edge of the woods. Relief flooded him when she worked herself up onto her elbow. It wasn't much in the form of reprieve, but at least she was alive.
As if an invisible shield protected him, LJ ignored the shots fired his way as he dragged Jill around the SUV and helped her inside. "Take care of Angie," he screamed. "Meet you when it's safe!"
A bullet whizzed lethally close by Carlos' ear, slamming into the metal frame of the door that swung open behind him. "Stay down," he ordered commandingly as he slid behind the wheel. He turned the key in the ignition and slammed the SUV into gear the second the engine roared to life. Bullets pelted the vehicle as they made their escape with the remaining Umbrella troops in pursuit.
LJ took the road in the opposite direction, and Carlos spied the two vehicles that followed him and Jill. He prayed that they would make it to safety and LJ could get Jill the medical attention she needed. His own pursuers entering the scope of his rearview mirror made him focus on his own survival.
"Strap in and hold on," he shouted, glancing back at Angie. Her wide eyes reflected her terror as she struggled to obey. "And keep your head down."
Veering off the road into the woods, he labored to avoid obstacles in an attempt to rid himself of his followers. Trees and stumps loomed up from nowhere, thick brush hid from view things that could be their ruination, but his speed did not waver. Death waited at the end of either path, be it Umbrella or a fatal crash.
"Look out!" Riane suddenly screamed.
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "I said keep down!" It was then he noticed her hand wrapped around her upper arm, blood seeping through her fingers. He returned his focus back to driving. "You're hurt."
"I'm fine," she assured. "Just get us out of this mess."
He jerked the wheel to avoid another tree stump, sending her off balance toward him. She cried out when her shoulder slammed into his, pressing against her wound. Another round of gunfire caused him to turn the vehicle sharply, sending her away from him. He afforded her a glance of concern, but the look of trust she returned to him was unexpected and shocked him for a moment. He felt calm then, calmer than he had in months. Whether or not her faith in him was justified or warranted, it did more to bolster his confidence than he could imagine.
He gunned the engine, building speed as they barreled ahead at an insane rate. Their previous stays at the secluded motel had resulted in many scouting trips through the wooded area and he knew something about it that he hoped his pursuers did not. A brief incline, and then...
Riane screamed and covered her face when Carlos sent the SUV over the ravine that appeared as if from nowhere. When she felt a violent jolt, she moved her hands away to see that they had landed safely on the other side.
Carlos grinned when she turned to him, mouth agape. "Piece of cake," he joked and returned his gaze toward what lay before them. "We'll be out of this soon," he assured, and swallowed the smug smile that threatened when the lead vehicle in pursuit took a header into the ravine while the other smashed into its rear, exploding upon contact. He seriously doubted anyone could live through such a fatal blast.
"So I see," she answered breathlessly. Her hand returned to her wounded arm, oblivious to the smears of blood on her face. The pain was excruciating. She wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and cry her eyes out, but something held her back. Some inner strength she wasn't aware she possessed kept her in check. She needed to stay strong. When all this was over, she could afford herself a mental breakdown. When it was over...and not before.
"Hang in there, Riane and I'll get you to the hospital," Carlos assured her.
Shaking her head, she turned and looked at Angie who now sat quietly, listening attentively. Her face was flushed, but other than that, it would be impossible for anyone to detect she had just barely lived through a harrowing experience. "We have other things to worry about. The bleeding will stop, the bullet can be removed later...or you can do it," she suggested.
Carlos released a heavy sigh as the woods thinned and a road appeared several yards ahead. "I can do it...but it won't be pretty." He slowed the SUV to a stop, set it in park, and reached over, taking her free hand into his. "You're a pretty tough chick, Kincaid."
His smile was disarming and she found herself returning it, despite her pain. "When I have to be, Olivera." She returned the gentle squeeze of his hand and looked up into his eyes. "Do you think LJ and Jill made it?"
He winked. "I've learned never to underestimate LJ. I have no doubt we'll be seeing them again soon." He slowly pulled his hand away, his eyes still locked steadily on hers. "I think it's time to explore your suggestion."
Riane nodded, easing back against the seat. "Drive. We have a lot to discuss."
"Yes, we do," he agreed. "But first, we need to stop this bleeding." He pulled his shirt loose from his pants and tore off a long, thick strip from the bottom. After wrapping her wound as best he could, he settled back in his seat and shifted the vehicle into gear. "Now we talk."
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"Give me your belt," Jill demanded as she peered around her seat through the rear window while keeping one hand firmly clamped on her leg wound. "And floor it, will you? They're catching up!"
"No shit. I got eyes!" he shot back. As feisty as she was, he knew she wasn't in any immediate danger. "If you want my belt you'll have to get it yerself. I'm a little busy right now."
"Damn," she moaned. "This fucking hurts." She struggled with the catch on his belt with her free hand, ducking down suddenly when a burst of gunfire pelted the rear of the vehicle.
"Any other time, woman, I could enjoy this," LJ joked inopportunely when Jill's face planted into his lap.
She lifted up slightly, pulling the belt free from its loops with a firm tug. "And any other time, I'd kick your ass," she assured him angrily. "Oh God!" she cried while pushing herself back to her seat, the excruciating pain in her leg ripping through her.
"We need to get to a hospital," LJ stated, twisting the wheel violently to the left to make the turn they had just come upon. The sudden movement forcefully slammed Jill against the door.
"Fuck," she groaned, trying to wrap the belt around her leg while righting herself. "You trying to kill me before they get a chance?"
"Excuse me while I try to save your life, goddamn it," LJ cursed, irritated.
Ignoring LJ, she latched the belt around her thigh, just above the wounded area. This would slow the blood loss until they could get help. She refused to think about the damage the tourniquet could do if the bullet wasn't removed soon.
"Okay, LJ...take notes," she quipped while removing one of his gold plated Desert Eagles from its holster.
She turned in her seat, leaning out the open window. The sound of gunfire reports reverberated behind them. If not for the deserted stretch of highway, there would be a lot of explaining to do on Umbrella's part. As it were, no one would be the wiser if she and LJ met their fate on this night.
"Take that, mutha fuckers!" LJ cheered when Jill's aim met its mark and one of the following SUV's tires exploded, sending the vehicle out of control, spinning, until it flipped several times and landed on its side.
"Don't get too cocky," Jill scolded as she ducked back inside. "We're not out of this yet. Outta ammo," she informed, shoving the gun back in its holster. "The other," she insisted, holding out her hand.
LJ turned over his second Desert Eagle as he spied the remaining vehicle zoom past its crashed counterpart from the rearview mirror. "Make it count."
Jill gave a curt nod and slipped out the window again. Low on ammo, her own guns spent during the initial assault back at the cabin, she knew her aim was of utmost importance at this juncture. The wind's force made it difficult to hold steady, but she squeezed the trigger, firing several rounds at the vehicle, and did little more than put dents in the reinforced armor-plated shell.
"Damn shit!" she screamed before firing again.
This time she hit the left front tire. She expected the same result as the other vehicle, but whoever was behind the wheel of this SUV had a firm grasp on the situation. The vehicle swerved, but the driver stayed in control.
She sank back into her seat. She gasped, but not from the pain in her leg. A bullet that would have ripped through her midsection impacted the passenger's side mirror. The sick sound of shattering glass along with the sight of the mangled remains of the mirror created a hard lump in her throat she struggled to swallow. Mere seconds had stood between her and certain death.
"You're gonna have to drive our way out of this, LJ," she said, looking over at him. Beads of sweat lined his forehead and upper lip, but he nodded his understanding.
His foot was already level with the floorboards, pushing the SUV to its limit, but he would do what he had to.
"Turn here!" Jill yelled.
"Here?" he pointed to the right turn that was only a couple feet ahead. There was no way he could make that sharp turn without flipping out of control
"Here!" she demanded, reaching out and giving the wheel a firm tug.
LJ finished the wheel's turn, barreling them into the turn at full speed. "We're gonna flip!"
"Like hell," she retorted, moving over toward him, leaning all her weight to the left in addition to forcing him in that direction as well.
Just as LJ had expected, the vehicle gave a forceful lurch and tipped onto its right wheels. Holding his breath, he struggled with the wheel as well as keeping his weight as far to the left of the vehicle as possible. Sheer will and extreme luck was the only explanation he could find for them landing back on all four tires as the turn completed and he straightened the wheel. He and Jill expelled their breath in unison as they raced down the dark road at top speed.
"No way in hell that bastard can make that turn riding with that exposed rim!" she insisted, turning to peer out the back. A satisfied smile spread across her face when the driver tried to take the turn. Sparks flew as the metal rim grinded on asphalt. The vehicle swerved back and forth several times before crashing into one of the utility poles that lined the street.
"Jesus Christ!" she exclaimed, sinking down into her seat.
"Amen, sistah," LJ agreed. "You okay?" he asked, glancing over at her. Her skin was pale and glistened with sweat.
"I'm fine," she insisted, closing her eyes. The worry of the chase had prevented the true amount of pain from affecting her, but now the reality of her situation was settling in. Blood loss combined with the stress of the pain from the bullet lodged in her leg weakened her considerably. She felt the darkness closing in.
"You will be when we get you to the hospital."
"No hospital," Jill reaffirmed her earlier statement. "They'll turn me over to Umbrella."
LJ nodded, silently contemplating their situation. "Don't worry, Jill. Rest...LJ will take care of everything."
...to be continued...