So it's 2005, Happy New Year folks! Well, I don't expect anymore computer problems anymore as my mommy and daddy gave me a new laptop for Christmas. Hee hee. Oh, and I doubt any internet trouble as well, as we just switched to cable. DSL was being uncooperative lately so...yah. Um, Resident Evil 4 is coming out soon, and I just reserved my copy, the collectors tin, yay! So as I wait for that, I guess I'll continue with this story. I was thinking of changing the rating to an R considering there are a bunch of "bad" words. Should I? Yeah, I'm asking, so let me know. I just don't want to change it and not let anyone know, that would be rude. Yeah so not much humor in this chapter, considering what happened in the last chapter. By the by, this is not the last one yet. I don't even know when the second to the last one will come. I'm lost. And also the title is a song from Lea Salonga's CD released in 1993. It has nothing to do with the story, but it's a good song. I like it. If you have time, download it, though I don't know if it would be anywhere. It's kinda rare. How do I know about it then? Hey, I'm pinay, Lea is my gurl ...hehehe... andIhavehercd. Okay, Ima let you read on and I'm going to watch Aladdin and Mulan to hear her sing. Thank you to those who read and reviewed…keep them coming. Enjoy!
Chapter 20: Vision of You
Barry had just finished gathering his things from the helicopter as Jill waited for him. "Are you okay?" He asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. A few bruises and scars but I'll live. You?" She asked.
"My back killing me."
"I can imagine. Seeing that thing tosses you would bring serious pain. But I still can't believe all this had happened. It's so surreal." Jill said.
"Yeah…Wesker…he got what he deserved." Barry said.
"I'm sorry he blackmailed you…and I'm sorry that I almost got you killed because of it."
"It's not your fault. Things were really wrong in there and you had the right to your suspicions." Barry said.
Jill nodded. "Still…nothing will ever be the same here ever again. Sometimes I think I should have never accepted this job…but then I would never have met all of you. To tell you the truth, I had more fun here than at home. Everybody there was so uptight." She laughed as she watched the sun rise higher into the sky.
"Well, I'm kind of…"
"Hey you two…" Brad poked his head through the door. "The Chief wants some news."
"Might as well give that old porker the news." Jill nodded and followed him through the door. On the way to Chief Irons' office, they met up with Brad and Rebecca and entered together.
"What the hell is this? I asked for all of you and I get you four? Where the hell is your Captain!"
"They…they didn't make it." Barry said.
"That's rubbish! You're telling me an elite team of more than ten persons went in and only four come out, two women, a pilot and you? What joke is this? Where's Wesker?"
"Our Captain, well dear sir, got killed by his own creations." Jill said.
"What creations? What the hell is this girl talking about?" Irons' asked.
"That Mansion we were sent up to was filled with the walking dead, all created by Wesker! He works for Umbrella and he, along with a team of scientists, concocted some sort of virus that reanimates dead cells. It brought the dead to life. It also attacks living cells and you get infected. You become a zombie, lusting for human flesh. But that's not all of it. He created zombies with humans, dogs, sharks, plants and frog-like creatures. He created a damn army of the dead down there and Umbrella supplied the materials." Jill said.
"And do you have any evidence?" Irons raised an eyebrow.
"We set the self destruct system and destroyed the mansion. We didn't want to risk the virus escaping into town. That's why we want a warrant to search Umbrella. They were responsible for this and they must be shut down. The sooner, the better." Barry said. Chief Irons sat behind his desk, soaking up the information Jill had told him. The four of them looked on, waiting for a response. "So are you going to give us the green light or what?" Barry asked.
"You know what I think? I think the four of you are all crazy! Give me a reason why I should not suspend all of you? Umbrella is a highly respected company and I don't think they would do such a thing. I don't know where you cooked up this story and I don't want you circulating this crap. How would this make me look? Now I expect a full-fledged report of what really happened."
"But that's what happened! We were attacked by zombies!" Jill yelled.
"So you're telling me that Chris and the others were killed by zombies?" Chief Irons asked sarcastically.
"Chris isn't dead."
"So where then, Miss Valentine, is Mr. Redfield? I don't see him here and you did say that the others were all killed. Did the boogeyman get him? Or was it Mickey Mouse?" He raised his hands waiting for a response. Jill had had enough. She immediately stormed out of his office, slamming every door she went through and bumping into anyone who was in her way until she made it back into the S.T.A.R.S. office.
"I expect the report no sooner that tomorrow evening." Irons said as Barry, Brad and Rebecca exited his office. As the three of them made their way back their office, they noticed that everyone was staring, but they paid no heed and continued on. As they entered, they found Jill rocking her chair back and forth.
"I'm surprised you didn't already trash the place." Barry said.
"I thought about it…but then I didn't feel like cleaning up the mess." She smiled.
"I really hate that guy." Rebecca said. "He thinks we're crazy, making this stuff up. I'd like to throw that man in that mansion. He wouldn't even last five minutes."
"Sheesh Rebecca, were did all this hostility come from." Jill asked.
"It's been pent up inside. I have a reason for release."
"So what are we going to do now?" Brad asked.
"I don't know. We have plenty of time to think about that, but right now, I want to go home to my family." Barry said.
"Speaking of families, shouldn't we inform their families?" Rebecca asked.
"Of course. I'll do that when I get home. I think its best we not talk about anything that happened in the mansion here." Barry said.
"Barry's right. No more talking about what really happened in the mansion or anything Umbrella. They're a big company, there's no telling what they are capable of doing and we had our preview in the mansion." Jill said.
"Okay." Rebecca and Brad said.
"Okay, so I'll see you guys later." Barry said and gathered his things and left the office.
"Hey Bare, wait up, I'll walk with you to the parking lot." Brad said and the both of them left together.
Rebecca sat at her desk quietly and looked at the boxes she had yet to unpack. She got up and made her way to the door. "You leaving?" Jill asked.
"What? Oh no. I'm going to look for a fresh batch of cup of coffee somewhere. Would you like one?"
"Sure." She smiled. Jill watched as Rebecca left and she immediately felt bad for the younger woman. Rebecca was so young, and she had to watch her teammates die. It just wasn't fair. Not for her and everybody else. "It's okay. She doesn't have to go through this alone." She said to herself as she surveyed the quiet office.
"Talking to yourself again Valentine?" Came a voice from beside her. She immediately turned and saw Chris standing in the doorframe.
"Chris? Chris is that you? When did you get back?" She asked.
"As if she would admit that to you. She always talks to herself and denies it." Came Joseph's voice as he walked passed Chris.
"Joe? But…" Jill looked at the guys in utter confusion.
"Yeah, you know when you're not here Chris, she day dreams about you as well." Richard said from behind his desk. Jill looked towards the sound of his voice and found him sitting at his desk with his legs propped up.
"No…what the hell is going on here? Chris?" Jill asked as tears started to fill her eyes.
"Yeah, I was in here one time when she dozed off at her desk and all of a sudden, she began moaning and screaming your name. It was hilarious." Forest laughed.
"Hilarious, but very disturbing." Enrico said as he knocked Richard's feet off the table.
"Damn, I'd rather have been here than training." Dooley said.
"Yeah, it looks as though you guys were having more fun than when we were here."Edward said.
"Is that right Valentine? You dreaming about me?" Chris said as he walked up to her.
"No…Chris…don't…" Her tears began to fall, "please…if you're here…that means…"
"Please…do not do anything here. Her dreaming of you is bad enough. What more? I have to watch you make-out?" Kenneth said.
"Don't worry Kenny-boy. Nobody's telling you you have to watch."He smiled.
"Jill here's your…" Rebecca had returned with the coffees but immediately set it aside when she saw Jill staring at nothing and crying. "Jill? Are you okay?"
"Knock it off all of you. You don't get paid to goof around."Wesker said as he walked into the office.
"Come on Wesker, give us a break." Chris said.
"Don't I always."
"True." All the guys said.
"You still didn't answer me Valentine." Chris reached out a hand and held Jill's face. Jill watched as his hand caressed her face, but felt nothing.
"No…" She cried, "You can't be dead! Claire needs you! You're the only one she has! SHE NEEDS YOU!" She yelled.
"Jill? What's going on? What are you doing? Who are you talking to? You're freaking me out." Rebecca started to panic as she tried to talk Jill back to reality.
"Why are you crying?" He asked as he wiped the tears away with his fingers.
"You're dead, and I couldn't help you." She cried. "I couldn't help anyone. It's all my fault. All my fault…"
"Jill! What's going on? What do you see?" Rebecca spoke with a shaky voice.
"I'm not dead. I'm standing right here aren't I? Wherever did you get that idea?"
"She's crazy."Joseph said.
"Stop teasing. You know how girls are, they cry easily."Kenneth said.
"Please stop. Leave me alone." Jill cried.
"Yes, but Jill isn't an ordinary girl. She's a man-girl." Forest said.
"A man-girl? Don't you mean tomboy?" Richard asked.
"Or that." Forest laughed along with the other guys.
"Jill! I have no idea what you're seeing but it's not real! Listen to my voice! Please, drown out the other voices you hear! Hear Rebecca's voice!" She yelled in front of Jill, desperately trying to snap her back to reality.
"She may be a tomboy, but she's also very feminine." Enrico said.
"Not to mention extremely gorgeous."Chris said as he bent down to kiss her. "I'll never leave you. I have your back, you know that." She watched as he inched closer but with the blink of an eye, there was no one in front of her.
"Rebecca?" She said with a quiver in her voice.
"Yeah Jill I'm here. Are you okay?" She asked. Jill looked really dazed and glanced around the whole office for the guys. "Jill, you're starting to scare me."
"Where did they go? Where's Chris?" Jill asked.
"Jill, what are you talking about? There's no one here."
"Are you sure?" She asked as she wiped some tears away.
"Jill, I think you need to go home and get some rest."
"Yeah," She paused as she took one quick look around the office, "I think I need that too."
"Let me just grab something and we can get out of here."
"Okay."
Rebecca returned to her desk and pulled out a small plastic box. "Ready to go?" She asked as she held on to the object.
"Yeah." Jill said as she eyed the little white box in Rebecca's hand.
The two women exited the office and headed towards the parking lot. As they passed Chris' bike near the entrance, Jill just gazed at it. "Jill…"
"Yeah, I'm coming." She said and continued forth. As they reached Rebecca's car, Jill took one more glance back and saw a figure straddle the bike. "Chris?" She turned towards the other cars and saw the guys waving at her as they entered their cars.
"Jill? What's wrong?" Rebecca asked.
"You don't see them? Richard, Joseph, Forest, Enrico? You don't see any of them? Am I seeing things? What's wrong with me Rebecca? Am I going crazy?"
"You're probably just under heavy amounts of stress. You could be experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder."
"But why is this only happening to me? The three of us were in the mansion and I don't see you going crazy."
"I don't know. Maybe you're just taking this really hard."
"And you're not?"
"Don't you dare Jill! I am taking it hard! It's just that I'm not blaming myself for everything that happened! I did what I could…" Rebecca said on the verge of tears.
"You're right, I'm so sorry. The sooner I get some sleep, the better." Jill continued towards her car.
"Are you okay to drive?" Rebecca asked.
"Yeah. Bye." Jill entered her car and immediately drove off upon starting it.
Rebecca watched as Jill drove off. She was really worried so she decided to call Barry and inform him of Jill's situation. She took out her cell phone and dialed Barry's house.
"Hello?" Barry answered.
"Hi Barry, it's me Rebecca. I need your help. Jill is a…" She said as she entered her car.
"Is what?"
"Well, she's seeing things…people rather. And she keeps yelling and she's freaking me out. I know I'm a doctor, but I don't know what to do! I'm really confused right now."
"Where's Jill right now?"
"She just left the parking lot. She's heading home right now."
"Okay, I'll just ring her in a few minutes."
"That sounds good. Hope you can help."
"Me too."
"Okay, I'm gonna head on home now, bye." Rebecca hung up her phone, started up her car and drove home.
-Somewhere In the Middle of Arklay Forest-
Hours passed since the Spencer Mansion exploded and Chris remained lying in the gravel with some debris from the mansion all over him. Slowly, he began to regain consciousness. As he opened his eyes, he saw a silhouette of a man among the trees gazing upon him. "Looks like Sleeping Beauty's finally waking up." He laughed.
From the ground, Chris observed the man in the shadows but could not make out a face, as his eyesight was still a blur. He watched as the guy came forward and regardless if he was a threat or not, he didn't want to feel unprotected. Once the man was in arms length, Chris immediately reached for a rock beside him and charged at the guy. Chris kneeled above him with the rock held above his head, ready to bash the guy. The man had quick reflexes as well and immediately took out his gun and held it to Chris' face. "Drop it Chris. I doubt you want to die now after having survived that fucking house of horror. Besides, I really don't want to kill you."
Chris immediately dropped the rock after getting a close look of the man. "Coen?"
"I'm surprised you still remember me." Billy said as he stood up and helped Chris to his feet.
"Argh." Chris yelled in pain as he clutched his left shoulder.
"Holy shit, are you okay?" Billy asked.
"Ahh…not really. I think my shoulder…is dislocated." He said, "Yank it for me, would you?"
"Oh…hmm…"
"Come on. On three." Chris said.
"Fine." Billy took hold of Chris' hand and began counting. "One…" Chris stood ready for it. "Two…" Billy yanked his arm and Chris yelled like a bitch.
"Aaahh! I SAID THREE NOT TWO!" He yelled as moved his arm around.
"Yeah, but you weren't expecting it on two." Billy smirked.
"Same as always." Chris chuckled. "But I'll live. So what the hell are you doing here?" Chris asked as he examined other cuts and bruises on his already mangled body.
"Um, I was being transported and the truck was attacked. I managed to escape and I ran into Rebecca Chambers."
"Rebecca! Is she okay, do you know?" Chris asked.
"When we parted ways, she looked fine to me." Billy said.
"Oh…" And then he remembered someone he did not encounter the whole night in the mansion. "Jill…did you see another girl there as well."
"I'm sorry man, didn't see anyone but Rebecca. She let me go after we got out of that freak show building."
"If she let you go, what the hell are you doing here?" Chris asked.
"Took a wrong turn, felt an explosion and stumbled onto your knocked out ass." Chris chuckled, "But aren't you glad I'm here? You could've been eaten." Bill said.
"Yes, I thank you for that, but we should try to get out of here before the sun goes down." Chris said.
"Um, I think this is where we should part our ways. I'm not going to let you take me back." Billy said.
"What are you talking about?" Chris asked.
"I'm not going to let you take me back to prison, not after Rebecca left me a free man."
"You think I think you're guilty for those murders? How long have you known me?" Chris asked.
"We haven't seen each other for the longest time, how the hell am I supposed to know how you think now?" Billy said.
"Okay, I respect your decision, but for what it's worth, I never believed you committed those murders." Chris told him and went on his way.
-Jill's Apartment-
Jill emerged from the bathroom draped in just her robe. She walked around her sunlit apartment feeling a bit lost. As she walked into her room to get changed, her telephone started to ring. She walked back to her phone and answered it, "Hello?"
"Jill? Hey, this is Barry. Just calling to check how you're doing."
"Rebecca called you, didn't she?"
"She was worried and so am I. So…did you get some sleep yet?"
"Well, let's see. Last night I was running from zombies in a freak show mansion trying to stay alive, we got back to base at around six, we stayed there for an hour and it's about, oh say, eight something and I'm on the phone with you. So no, I haven't had time to catch some z's." Jill said rather sarcastically.
"Hmm…seems as though Chris' sarcasm is rubbing off of you. Anyways, do you plan on ever getting some sleep?"
"Until I know that Chris is alive or dead, no."
"I thought you would say something like that. Since you're not planning on getting some sleep, why don't you come over and talk about what had happened in the office? It's best to get it off your chest."
"Uh, might as well, since I have nothing to do."
"Great. Hey, Rebecca just popped in."
"Lovely. Okay, just let me get dressed and I'll be there."
"Okay, bye then."
"This is just great. Now Rebecca's got Barry thinking I'm some sort of whack job." She said to herself and entered her room to get changed.
-Barry's House-
Jill sat in her car outside of Barry's house and contemplated whether or not she should go in. All she needed was a little rest and that would cure her right? "What the hell is wrong with me! I haven't even known the guys until a few days ago. Why am I taking this so goddamn hard?" She exited her car and walked to Barry's front door. As she was about to knock, the front door opened and Cathy greeted her with the warmest of hugs.
"Jill…I'm so glad you're okay. Barry told me everything. I feel so horrible."
"Yeah, I don't feel so good either." Jill said rather dully.
"Don't worry sweetie, Chris is alive, I'm sure he is. He wouldn't let his darling sister down…sweet girl that Claire." She shook her head as she smiled wholeheartedly. "Well, Barry, Rebecca and Brad are in the study, why don't you join them."
"Brad's here as well?"
"Yes, he dropped by unexpectedly, but I guess it's a good thing that he did because they're discussing about searching…" Cathy didn't get to finish her sentence as Jill went running for the study room but immediately stopped dead in her tracks.
"Um, Cathy, where's the study?" Jill asked feeling a bit stupid.
"To your left dear." Cathy smiled.
"Thank you." Jill smiled back and entered the study.
"Jill, so glad you could make it. We were just discussing…" Barry said.
"When do we leave?" She asked.
"Whoa, slow down Jill, you haven't even slept yet." Barry said.
"Sleep or no sleep, I'm going whether you like it or not."
"I was afraid you were going to say that." Barry said. "Well, as I knew you were going to say that, we arranged that we would not leave until you have some rest."
"WHAT? He could be dying in that forest, we can't wait until I sleep. Sleep can wait." She raised her voice.
"Not really. You're body needs rest in order for it to function properly."
"And what are you, a doctor?" Jill said.
"Why yes I am." Rebecca said and quickly injected Jill with a sedative.
"What the fuck Rebecca!" Jill said as she rubbed the spot Rebecca had injected.
"See Barry! I told you it wouldn't work! You have to hit it in the vein. Shit." Rebecca plopped on the couch in defeat.
"You're one stupid doctor…you should get your license revo…" Jill suddenly collapsed to the floor.
"Brad! Why didn't you catch her!" Barry asked.
"I don't know. I was just caught up with the discussion, I forgot the plan." Brad said as Cathy entered the study with some coffee.
"Oh my god!" Cathy exclaimed as she dropped the tray to the floor. "What did you do to the poor girl? Barry, what is going on? I thought you were supposed to be discussing Chris' whereabouts?"
"Relax honey, we just had her sedated." Barry said.
"Yes Mrs. Burton. We had no choice but to. She wouldn't have gone to sleep unless she was dead." Rebecca said.
"And what about you three? You haven't gotten any sleep since you came home." She told Barry.
"Well I was, but Jill has a bigger problem and we can't have her spiraling down." Barry said.
"And I was just about to go home after we took care of Jill." Rebecca said.
"Me too." Brad said.
"Well, I will not have you driving home like this. Brad, you can take the guest room."
"Oh no, that's okay Cathy. I'm really fine to drive home."
"Bradley Thomas Vickers, I will not have any type of insubordination under my roof." Cathy said sternly as Rebecca mouthed 'Thomas' questionably.
"Yes ma'am." Brad quickly complied.
"So where do we put Jill?" Barry asked.
"Put her in Moira's room and Rebecca, you can take Polly's."
"Okay." Rebecca said as they all stood where they were.
"What are you waiting for? Scat!" Cathy ordered and the three of them ran for the exit. "HEY!" She yelled.
"Yes?" Barry asked.
"What about her, the poor girl that you drugged? Are you just going to leave her here?"
"Shit." Barry cursed and immediately went back for Jill and picked her up. "What about this mess?" Barry asked.
"Don't worry about it, just get out of here. And just so you know, I'm very upset with what you did to Jill."
"But it wasn't my idea." Barry said.
"Still, you went along with it." Cathy said.
"I'm sorry." He apologized.
"Go to sleep."
"Yes dear." Barry said and brought Jill to Moira's room and then headed off for his.
"Thank you God for bringing my husband home safe." Cathy whispered to herself as she watched Barry enter their bedroom. "These poor kids…I pity them. Nobody should ever have to go through that. Chris, I pray you're alive somewhere and safe."
-Somewhere in the Middle of Arklay Forest-
Chris kept on walking until he found a hiking trail. "Yes, finally." Chris said to himself as he took the time to rest. He sat down on a fairly huge rock when all of a sudden, he heard a crunch sound amidst the woods. He slowly reached for his boot where he had a knife hidden there. "Who's there?" He called out.
"Relax Mr. Macho, it's just me." Billy said as he emerged from behind the bushes.
"Whatever happened to 'going our separate ways' huh?"
"Well, apparently you're going the same way I'm headed, but don't worry, once I see some asphalt, I'll be going my way."
"Lovely." Chris got up and headed down the trail.
"Hey, how you feeling?" Billy asked.
"I'm in a lot of pain, but I just want to get out of here."
"So…how do you know you're heading out?" Billy asked.
"I don't. Either way, there's an end. If I take the wrong end, I'll go the other way."
"How time consuming." Billy said.
"Lucky for you, you have all the time in the world." Chris retorted.
"Hmm, now that is true. Okay Scout Leader, lead the way."
Chris shook his head and continued on. While walking down the trail, he rummaged through his vest pocket and pulled out his cigarettes only to find them empty. "Damn!" He cursed and crushed the casing in his hands.
"Still smoking I see."
"And you don't?"
"I quit." Billy said.
"Really? I thought in prison, that's all you would do?" He joked.
"Ouch…now that's hitting below the belt." Billy pretended he was hurt.
"Oh, sensitive type." Chris said sarcastically as he tossed the trash on the ground.
"That's littering. I could fine you a grand for that."
"It's my bread crumbs." Chris said facetiously.
"Damn Chris…I've missed you man."
"Oh no…don't tell me you turned gay in prison." He joked.
"Pfft…you're an ass. Besides, when I joined up with Rebecca, I thought she was the cutest thing and whew…all I wanted to do was rip her clothes off and take her right there amidst the danger. Wouldn't you?" Billy said as he had a dreamy look on his face.
"You're sick man. She's as old as my sister…damn…I don't even want to go into this. Sick." Chris shook his head as Billy started to laugh his ass off. "Shut up." Chris said as he walked faster and away from the laughing Billy.
"Why do you always have to be so serious? I was only joking." He laughed as he followed Chris down the trail.
- 2:30 p.m.-
The three of them had already woken up and were having a late lunch in the kitchen discussing plans on where to search for Chris.
"I'd say around the mansion. If he managed to escape, he was probably caught in the blast and knocked out somewhere." Barry said.
"Yes, but that was how many hours ago. He's probably on the move searching for a way out if he didn't already get killed by the blast or a lingering monster."
"Brad! Don't say such things! Chris is not dead and I don't think you should say that in front of Jill, otherwise you'd be a dead man." Rebecca said as Barry nodded.
"Besides, we blew that mansion up. All incriminating evidence has been destroyed and I doubt any of those monsters escaped." Barry said.
"Daddy!" Moira and Polly ran into the kitchen to greet their father upon arriving home from school.
"So how did everybody sleep?" Cathy asked as she came strolling in behind.
"Good, thanks." Rebecca said. Brad didn't say anything as his mouth was full of food.
"Okay girls, why don't you go up and get changed so your father can finish eating."
"Yes mom." The two girls immediately ran upstairs.
"Here…you might like this. I stopped by to have this developed before I picked up the girls." Cathy said as she handed the three the pictures from Polly's birthday.
Barry took the envelop and opened it up. "Hey look, it's Forest. What a complete idiot." He smiled as he passed the pictures around. After rifling through a couple of pictures, Moira came strolling into the kitchen.
"What's wrong pumpkin?" Cathy asked.
"Mommy, there's a lady in my room."
"Oh, she's daddy friend. I hope you don't mind."
"Daddy isn't cheating on you is he?" Barry watched his daughter converse with Cathy and wanted to laugh.
"No sweetie. She's daddy's friend from work. She just had a rough night and needed a place to sleep for awhile."
"Was she fighting with her boyfriend?" Moira asked.
"Um…" Cathy stuttered for an answer.
"Yeah. She had an argument with her boyfriend and that's why she's here." Barry said.
"Who's her boyfriend?" Moira continued.
"Um…" Barry and Cathy had puzzled looks on their faces.
"Ooo, I know, I know…Its uncle Chris isn't it?" Polly said. "I saw them at my party yesterday…they were talking a lot." She smiled.
"Uh…" Barry and Cathy were lost for words.
"Well, I have to pick up a few groceries, do you want to come with me?" Cathy avoided the question by asking her daughters if they wanted to come along.
"Okay!" Moira and Polly said, forgetting their whole interrogation. They grabbed their things and followed their mom out of the house.
"Hey look at this picture." Barry showed them.
"Oh…" Rebecca said, "They look so happy."
"Yeah, it's hard to think that they were arguing when that picture was taken." Barry said.
"They were arguing?" Brad asked.
"Yeah…I don't know what about, but this was before Chris left. They were arguing and Cathy bumped into them and paused them for a picture."
"Should we show it to Jill?" Rebecca asked.
"I don't know." Brad said.
"Show me what?" Jill asked upon entering the kitchen.
"Hey Jill, did you sleep well? Are you hungry?" Barry tried to stall as Rebecca ditched the picture under the table.
"Yeah, I'm starving." Jill said.
"Great, pull up a chair." Barry said and got up to make Jill a plate.
"So what have you guys got there?" Jill asked.
"Pictures from Polly's birthday." Brad said.
"Can I see?" She asked as she took a sip from the glass of water Barry had placed in front of her.
"Um, sure." Rebecca said and as she was about to hand the envelop to her. As Jill went through the pictures, she smiled upon seeing each of them extremely happy.
"Oh." Jill said as she saw the picture of her and Chris. "It's hard to believe that we were fighting this day." She smiled.
"Yeah." Barry said as he placed her plate in front of her.
"Can I keep this one?" She asked.
"Sure." Barry smiled. She then put the pictures away and began to eat.
"So…not to be in some sort of rush or anything, but when do we go?" Jill asked as she swallowed her first bite.
"Well, since we have to go to work soon, we can search until the sun goes down. We can leave as soon as you're done eating." Barry said.
"Done." Jill said as she gulped down her remaining water.
"Oh come on Jill." Barry said.
"No really, I am done. Let's go." Jill said.
"Fine. Let's head to the station and get the chopper. Brad, you okay to fly?" Barry asked.
"Yeah, I'm down for anything." Brad said.
"Okay, let's move." The four of them got up and headed outside. "So one car or four?"
"Might as well use one." Rebecca said and the others agreed.
"Okay, we'll take mine since it's the biggest." Barry said. They all piled into the SUV and Barry drove off to the station.
- Raccoon City Police Department-
"Hey listen Jill," Rebecca said as they walked to S.T.A.R.S. office, "I'm really sorry about sedating you."
"So that's what was in the box you took from your desk." Jill said.
"Yeah, I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I know you were only looking out for me. Don't worry, I wont hold it against you." Jill smiled.
"I'm glad." She smiled in return.
"Hey Barry does Irons know what we're up to?" Brad asked.
"Nope. I'll go talk to him." Barry said and made his way to Irons' office as the others headed to the S.T.A.R.S. office.
A few minutes later, Barry entered the office looking like he was going to kill someone.
"So what happened?" Brad asked.
"That son of a bitch denied us! He said that we're just making some excuse to go there so we can get evidence to close Umbrella. Did he not hear us when we said the damn place exploded and all evidence got destroyed! And get this, he said if we conducted our own search, he'll have us arrested. Damn, I could kill that guy with my bare hands." Barry paced in anger.
"How did I know he was going to deny us?" Jill asked.
"Don't worry Jill. Chris will come back to us. He has to." Rebecca said.
"I guess I'll start with the report." Barry said with a hint of anger in his voice. The others looked at him and nodded.
"Are you going to put everything that went down?" Brad asked.
"Of course I am. I don't care if Irons doesn't want to hear it. That's what happened and that's what I'm putting." Barry said.
"Just let me know if you need information. That report needs to be as detailed as possible. Umbrella was the cause of all of this and they will pay." Jill said.
"And I'll help as much as I can." Brad offered.
Rebecca sat in her seat quietly. She had been on the mission before them and encountered much more than the three of them. "You guys, I have to tell you something."
"What's up Rebecca?" Barry asked.
"This cannot go on the report though." She said.
"But…" Barry said.
"Please…"
"Alright."
"You all know that the Bravo team went ahead before you right? Well, you do know about a convict being transported…"
"Billy Coen." Barry and Brad said. Rebecca nodded. "What happened to him? Did he die?" Brad asked.
"Well, you can say that I 'killed' him." She said.
"You 'killed' him?" Brad asked.
"He didn't commit those murders! He's a good man. We helped each other, in the train and in this other mansion-type building. He saved me…more than once. The least I could have done was return the favor, so I let him go."
"Between you and me, I didn't think he murdered all those innocent villagers. Chris knew him and if Chris believed he was innocent, then I believe him." Barry said.
-Somewhere in the Middle of Arklay Forest-
The sun has disappeared beyond the horizon and Chris was getting extremely worried. He'd been hiking in the forest for almost the whole day and hadn't found the exit. He was just about to give up when suddenly he saw the headlights of a car zip by.
"Well what do you know, you were right on track. Has anyone told you you're a natural boy scout?" Billy joked.
"Yeah, twice." Chris laughed, "Alright, I guess this is where we go our separate ways."
"Yeah. Listen, it was good seeing you again. Take care of Rebecca and tell her not to worry."
"Don't worry about."
"Thanks for everything Chris." Billy stuck his had out.
"It's no problem." Chris said as he shook it.
"Okay, I best be on my way." Billy said as he turned right, away from Raccoon City.
"Hey Bill wait…you're going to need this." Chris said as he pulled out his wallet and gave him everything he had in it.
"Oh no Chris, it's okay."
"No, you're going to need it." Chris persisted.
"Thanks." Billy accepted the cash.
"Take care of yourself, alright."
"Not to worry."
"See ya man."
"No, I don't think you will." Billy smirked and went on his way. Chris turned as well and headed into Raccoon City.
"Damn, this is going to be one long walk." Chris said to himself.
-S.T.A.R.S. Office-
"Okay, I'll be right back." Barry said as he took the finished report and exited the office.
"I wonder what the Chief will say when he reads it." Rebecca said.
"Yeah." Brad said.
"I don't care. I just want to get out of here already." Jill said.
"Well, lucky for us, it's eleven o'clock." Rebecca said.
"Really? Wow, what have I been doing all this time?" Jill asked.
"Nothing." Rebecca said.
"Really?" Jill questioned.
"Yeah." Rebecca nodded.
"Ha!" She scoffed, "Well, this day was very productive."
"Yeah." Brad laughed as Barry walked in.
"Okay, let's get out of here."
"Thought you'd never say that." Jill said as she shut off the computer in front of her.
"So what did Irons say?" Brad asked.
"I don't know. I tossed it on his desk and left. Plus, he wasn't even there." Barry said as the four of them walked out of the office. "So any of you hungry? We can get something to eat."
"I'm not really hungry." Jill said.
"Yeah, me either. Rebecca and I ate a sandwich earlier." Brad said as Rebecca nodded.
"Really when?" Jill asked as they walked through the parking lot.
"We asked you if you wanted anything and you said no. Sheesh Jill, where's your head at?" Rebecca asked.
"The truth? I don't know." She smiled as they all piled into Barry's car. Barry drove off and within minutes they reached his house.
"Thanks Barry." Brad said as he got into his car.
"No problem, see you tomorrow Brad." Barry said before Brad drove off.
"Hey Barry, could I get that picture?" Jill asked.
"Oh yeah, sure come on in."
"Um, I'm going to head off now. I'm really tired and I want to get some sleep."
"Oh, okay Rebecca, drive carefully." Jill said.
"Oh and Jill, you should really get those cuts checked out." Rebecca said as she got into her car.
"Oh…yah." Jill said.
"Okay see you tomorrow." Rebecca said and drove home as Jill stood on the driveway.
"Hey Jill, here you go. You should've said you weren't going to follow me. I was talking to myself for awhile in there." He laughed.
"Sorry Barry. Thanks." She said as she accepted the picture.
"Jill are you alright?" Barry was concerned.
"Yeah, I'm…I'm fine." She said as she took her sight away from the picture.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, just…tired, that's all." She smiled weakly, "Okay, I guess I'm just going to head on home."
"Take care of yourself okay? You need to be in tip top shape when we take down Umbrella."
"Don't worry Barry." Jill laughed. "Bye."
"Bye Jill." Barry said as he closed the door behind him.
Jill stood out for a while gazing at the sky when suddenly rain started to pour. She immediately got into her car and started it up. She sat in there for a good three minutes looking at the picture before driving off. Jill didn't feel like going home or going to a bar to get pissed drunk. She actually didn't feel like doing anything so she ended up driving around Raccoon City in the rain. After an hour of driving nowhere, she felt tired and decided to go home. Once there, the rain had settled down and she grabbed her picture before stepping out. "What the hell am I doing here?" She asked herself upon seeing that she did not live here. As she was about to enter her car to leave, she remembered that Chris had a dog. "Oh my god, Boo. He must be hungry and thirsty. His place must be a mess by now." She said as she ran into the building and took the elevator up. She was eager to get there, as she was really worried about the dog. Finally, the elevator reached its destination and she zoomed to his place. She took out her keys and picked out her lock pick that was also her key chain. She immediately went to work and had the door open faster than anyone could imagine. She stepped in and shut the door behind her. It was dark everywhere except for the places that were lit by the moonlight seeping in through the windows. She switched the lights on and found his place to be intact. "Boo?" She called for the puppy as she placed the picture on the counter. "Here Boo." She whistled. "Please don't be dead too." She was starting to feel bad that she didn't think of him sooner. "BOO!" She yelled and heard a faint scratching noise from behind a door. "Thank you!" She whispered and ran to the door and opened it. Boo walked out very slowly, still in shock from being locked up in the dark restroom. "Oh you poor puppy. I see Chris was in a hurry and forgot to close the bathroom door and you got yourself locked into this dark room huh, you curious little creature." She switched on the light and saw how extremely messy it was. "Hmm…well at least it's just in here. Chris is going to have to burn everything in here." She laughed. "Well, before I start cleaning, you should eat first huh? You must be really hungry." She went to the kitchen and fed Boo. "Hmm, you're going to need a bath as well." She watched him eat and then returned to the bathroom clean it. It didn't take long for her to finish cleaning it. Once she was satisfied, she went looking for Boo, so she could give him a bath. As usual, she found him sleeping next to the front door. "I'm sorry puppy, but sleep has to wait. You're in dire need of a bath. What time is it? 1:47, still good." She picked him up and placed him in the tub. She ran warm water and slowly drizzled the water over the wrinkly puppy.
---
"Oh, you're shaking. Is it because you're cold or scared?" She asked the puppy as she reached for a towel to dry him off. "Does Chris hand dry you or does he blow dry you?" She asked as she wiped the water off of him. "What am I saying, of course he hand dries you. He's a guy, he wouldn't have a blow drier around." She laughed. Drying the puppy didn't take long because he wasn't such a big dog…yet. When she was done, she put him down and he shook. "Dude, you're not wet." She smiled as she laid the wet towel out on the hamper for it to completely dry. She walked up to a lamp and turned it on before shutting of the main light. As she walked towards the sofa, she saw that Boo sleeping in front of the door again and picked him up. "You shouldn't be sleeping there. It's dangerous." She said as she plopped on the sofa with Boo on her. She laid down on the sofa with Boo on her chest and started to scratch him behind the ears before he fell asleep. She watched as he slept and it wasn't long until she clocked out as well.
---
It was quarter to three and the front door slowly opened up and in came walking a battered and rain-drenched Chris Redfield. He was extremely tired and pissed off that there were no cars at all to help him out. Just that one car he saw as he neared the road. He was furious, but glad to be home. He also didn't find it strange that there was a lamp on. He just thought that he left it for Boo. He didn't have time to look for his dog because he was extremely cold and longed for a hot bath. He entered his room, but not after knocking down a few things on his way.
Jill isn't a light sleeper, but because of the mansion incident, it left her quite jumpy, even in her sleep. She opened her eyes and saw Boo sleeping on her still. She managed to lift her head to see if anyone was there, but she saw nothing. "Relax, Jill, you're safe here." She told herself and went back to sleep. Minutes later, Chris emerged from his room while examining a gash he had on his right bicep. He still hadn't notice that Jill was asleep on his couch. Chris walked to his kitchen to get something to eat and drink. He pulled out some stuff and as he neared the counter, he saw the picture. He put his food on the counter and picked up the picture. "Huh…" He smiled as he looked at it. "How'd this get here?" He asked himself as he walked towards his living room, forgetting about his food. As he was about to sit on his couch, he noticed it was already occupied. He smiled, as he already knew who it was. He moved quietly and sat on center table and watched her. She looked so peaceful in her sleep. He couldn't resist the urge, so he gently pushed behind some stray hairs from her face and left his hand resting under her ear as he caressed her face with his thumb. "Chris…" She mumbled as she brought her hand up and held his. "Chris?" She said a little louder before opening her eyes.
"I'm right here." He whispered.
"No…not again…please not again." She shut her eyes before pushing his hand away.
"What do you mean not again? What's going on?" He asked.
"No…you can't be here…you're dead…please, just leave me alone." She said as she picked up Boo from her chest and placed him at the foot of the sofa as she sat up.
"Hey, what are you talking about?" He asked as kneeled in front of her.
"I couldn't save you! I'm so sorry Chris. I'm so sorry." She cried.
"No…no, I'm not dead. I'm alive. I'm right here…I'm alive."
"No, I saw you…you and Forest and Joseph…I saw you with everyone. Please, just leave me alone. I'm so sorry." Jill cried.
"No look, please." Chris panicked, as he did not know what was going on. "Look, I'm alive." He said as he started tugging on his cheeks. "I'm not dead." She watched him as he ridiculously pulled his cheeks to prove he was the real deal. "Please believe me." She slowly reached her hand out and touched his face. "See, I'm real, I'm real." He said, knowing how ridiculous that sounded, but he didn't care. Jill was obviously traumatized by something and he had to help her. She felt his face; there was actually something to feel and it was warm. She then threw her arms around him and started to cry.
"I thought you were dead. The mansion blew up and you were nowhere to be seen." She continued to cry.
"Shh, it's okay." Chris tried to comfort her as he held her in his arms. Boo was now awake and wagging his curly tail as he tried to climb upon the two. "See, Boo knows I'm the real deal." He spoke into her hair and heard her giggle. He then pushed her away and held her face in his hands to get a better look at her. "Are you going to be okay?" She nodded.
"So you are the real Chris, right?" She smiled.
"The one and only." He smiled as he looked at her beautiful tear stained face. He then wiped some tears away with this thumbs when he saw her wince. "What's the matter?" He asked.
"Oh, it's nothing." Chris got up and went to turn on the lights. He walked back to her and looked at her face in the light.
"What happened?"
"Wesker hit me and the scratches are from the chain link fence I grazed on the way out."
"Wesker, that son of a bitch. I'm going to kill him." Chris said through gritted teeth.
"He's already dead. The creature he created…killed him." Jill said.
"You mean that thing in the test tube?"
"You saw it?" She asked.
"Vaguely. He dragged me there before he locked me up." He got up and fetched his bottled water that he placed on the counter.
"I'm so sorry." She turned her head to look at him, "So what about you? I'm pretty sure you didn't escape that mansion unscathed." She managed a laugh.
"Actually, I have none."
"Really?" She got up and came from behind him and rubbed her hands up his back.
"What're you doing?" He looked back.
"You look tense." She said and brought her hands to his shoulder and squeezed the left one immensely.
"Arrghh. What're you doing!" He shrugged her off with his right arm.
"Nothing eh?" She stood there with her arms crossed.
"How'd you know?" He laughed.
"Well, I did notice you kept it particularly close to you and you didn't move it much." She said as he turned around and stuffed a cookie in his mouth.
"Keen eye, but yeah, it was dislocated after I crashed into a humongoloid tree. I told Billy to pop it back for me."
"Billy Coen?" She questioned.
"Shit." He brought his hand over his mouth. "I shouldn't have said that."
"No, Rebecca told us about him."
"Oh, okay." He felt relieved.
"So where is he now?" She asked.
"I don't know." He laughed as she suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his back.
"Hey…hey what's wrong?" he asked.
"I'm just glad you're here."
"Come here." He pulled her around to his front. "I'm not going anywhere." He hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead. "I'm not going anywhere." She nodded in his embrace. "But what's this? Valentine crying over Chris Redfield? I thought you hated me with a passion?" He teased.
"Shut up. I'm not crying." She playfully slapped his arm and returned to the living room and picked up Boo and placed him on her lap when she sat down.
"I was just teasing." He said as he came up and sat next to her.
"I know." She smiled as she looked at Boo. They remained quiet for a while and when Chris was about to get up, he felt a sudden weight on his shoulder. Jill had fallen asleep and her head had come to rest on his shoulder. He looked down at her and then at Boo, who was sleeping on her lap and smiled. He turned and looked out a window and was thankful to be alive. He put his arm around Jill so that she was resting on his chest, and so he could get more comfortable as well. He shut off the lamp beside him and drifted off to sleep with the woman he cared for tucked safely in his arms.
Okay, so that's the end of that. Feedback would be great. Anyhoo, sorry if this chapter is not to your liking. I don't even like it as much. Come to think of it, I don't really like anything I write. Okay, maybe I like it a little. How little? Hmm, maybe the number of page lengths of this story. Yeah, that's little. Leave me alone, I'm sick. I can't sleep so I'm writing. I'm hoping that as I write, I'd get bored and eventually fall asleep. Is it working? No. I changed this chapter quite a lot, so if some parts don't make sense, tell me and I'll try to fix it. Sorry for the grammatical errors. I know there are millions upon millions featured in it and I'm sorry. I can't catch them all and also because I don't like to reread my work. It's long and it weirds me out. I don't know…Okay well, thanks for reading, review if you want. Give me ideas if you want as well and I'll try to incorporate it in. If you want to tell me I'm stupid, fine, but that's not my problem…okay so bye then and Happy New Years again. Crap, this reminds me that I'm going to be twenty soon…eek...also, let me know if I should change the rating. I don't want to upset anyone. Okay toodles...