Okay, sorry…I would've updated during spring break but I went to the Philippines for vacation and shopping…hehehe…well, so the PSP came out…how many of you got yours during launch? I wasn't here when it came out, but lucky for me I already had one…I had mine since February and it's such an awesome machine no? hahaha, well it seems as though everyone is gone…come back! Hahaha…well, I can't help it if I don't have time to update and you all forget about it altogether. It's rather sad…for me…but oh well…So, I just want to thank everyone who's keeping up with this story…thanks a bunch…okay well, enjoy…hopefully I'd get five reviews at the most…um just so you know…there's not much humor in this chapter (but I'm not sure)…yah okay… oh and just a word of caution…there's uh, strong use of language so VIEWER'S DISCRETION IS ADVISED you've been warned…okay bye…
Chapter 21: Torn
Shifting on the couch, Jill kept her eyes shut as she thought about last night. She felt refreshed from having slept and a sense of ease knowing that Chris was alive and right next to her. She moved her hands around feeling for him but all she felt was the cushions. She quickly sprang up and saw that he was no where in sight. "Chris." She called out, but there was no answer. She got off the couch and looked around his apartment. "Chris!" She called once again, but got no answer. "No, that wasn't a dream! I know it wasn't." She told herself as she ran around his apartment in a panic. "CHRIS!" She yelled as she barged into his room; the last place to search.
"Aaack!" Chris yelled in fright and dropped his towel in the process. "Whoa! Hey!" He yelled as he made an attempt to cover himself.
"Shit!" Jill cursed and immediately closed the door. She returned to the couch and wanted to die of embarrassment.
"What the hell was that about?" Chris asked himself as he picked up his towel and went to get dressed.
---
Clad in denims and a green S.T.A.R.S. shirt, Chris came out of his room. "Ever heard of knocking?" He asked Jill, who had her head in her hands.
"Chris! I didn't hear you come out! Listen, I'm really sorry!"
"It's okay…just as long as we keep my screaming like a school girl between us." He joked.
"Deal." She smiled.
"Great! Now that you've seen me naked, I think you should reciprocate." He said as he plopped down next her. Jill immediately elbowed him in the gut. "Or maybe not." He smiled.
"Not, is right." She laughed. "So how are you doing?"
Chris exhaled. "I think I'll live. I mean, I still can't believe that my team…my friends were killed and eaten and I couldn't do anything about it…but in order to get me through the day, I try not to think about it. It sounds rather harsh but, I really don't know what to do." He sighed.
"And I think I'm all cried out." She sighed as well.
-Raccoon City Police Department; S.T.A.R.S. Office-
"Rebecca, you haven't seen or heard of Jill, have you?" Barry asked.
"Not since yesterday when we sedated her, why?"
"Well, it's almost noon and she's not at work. She didn't even call or anything. I'm just worried. She did look a little gloomy when she left my place last night."
"Did you try calling her place?" Brad asked.
"Three times, no one answered. Not even that prick, what's his name? Ah, who cares?" Barry said.
"Did you try her cell phone?" Rebecca asked.
"It's dead."
"Man, now I'm starting to worry." Brad said.
"Alright, I'm going to her place." Barry said as he grabbed his jacket and headed towards the door. As he reached for the handle, the door sung open.
"Oops, sorry Barry." Jill said in a cheery tone and proceeded towards her desk. Barry was puzzled with Jill's attitude and stood beside the door waiting for an explanation as to why she was late or why she was in a good mood. Brad and Rebecca were puzzled as well and kept their eyes glued on her.
"That's it! I think she's lost it. Rebecca, I think you should exam her." Brad said.
"I was just going to tell you to check her out." Rebecca said.
Barry, Rebecca and Brad eyed one another and decided to approach Jill at the same time. "Jill, how are you doing? Are you okay? Do you want some coffee?"
"Or a shot of vodka?" Rebecca asked.
"Hmm, to answer your questions…I'm doing okay, no I don't want coffee, but a shot of vodka sounds nice." She smiled.
"Don't you think it's a bit early in the day to start drinking?" Came an all too familiar voice from the door. The three of them immediately turned around.
"Son of a bitch." Barry said and walked up to Chris as though in a trance and gave him a hug. "I thought you were dead."
"Eeee!" Rebecca squealed with happiness as she stood next to Jill.
"Glad to see you too Barry." Chris chuckled as he hugged the older man. "Hey Rebecca."
Chris said as he greeted her with a hug as well. "Brad." He greeted next.
"Chris, it's great to see you man, but I have a question…how the hell did you survive? We all thought for sure you were dead."
Chris chuckled, "If you all thought I was dead, how come I don't see any funeral arrangements?"
"Well, we would've but Jill believed you were still alive." Barry said.
"Yeah, she was really stubborn about it." Rebecca laughed.
"Really?" Chris turned his attention to Jill, who just smiled in return.
"Uh…I…" She was cut off by the office door flinging open. All of them turned to see who it was.
"What's this I hear about Redfield? I thought you told me he died?" Chief Irons said.
"They thought I was dead because they didn't see me run out of the mansion. I would have thought I was dead if I saw the mansion explode from aerial view." Chris said.
"Come." He gestured Chris to follow him.
"We'll talk later." He told them and followed Chief Irons.
"Well, I guess now that Chris is here, we can go ahead and plan this attack against Umbrella." Brad said.
"Sshh. Not so loud…walls have ears. No one can know what we are going to do until we have proof that Umbrella is behind this." Barry said.
"Anyhoo, Jill, what happened? How did you find him?" Rebecca asked.
"Yeah, I want to know about that too." Brad said.
"After I left Barry's place I drove around Raccoon City, thinking I would just spot him somewhere. I knew it wouldn't happen so I decided to go home…but I without realizing it, I ended up at Chris's place…don't ask…"
"We weren't about to." Rebecca smiled.
"Anyways, I was about to leave when I remembered he had a puppy…so I ran up."
"Wait a minute, how did you get into his place? Did he give you a key we don't know about?" Brad teased.
"Okay, I guess it's already obvious that I sort of like him." Jill confessed.
"You sort of like him? I didn't find that obvious, did you?" Rebecca asked Brad.
"No…Barry?"
"I had no clue."
"Alright, shut up." Jill said.
"Wait a minute…what about Jackson?" Brad asked.
"Um...that would be my problem…anyways, I have to confess something. Before I joined S.T.A.R.S., I was on the other side of the law. I followed my father's footsteps and became a thief. That's how I learned to pick locks. After he got caught, he begged me to change my ways while I was still young…so I became what I am now."
"Wow…does Chris know? Brad asked.
"Yeah…I spilled it on my first day here. He promised to keep my 'secret'." Jill said.
"Ah…I see…okay, so you pick the lock to his apartment and then?" Rebecca asked.
"Oh yeah…I fed his dog, cleaned his bathroom because Boo got himself locked in there by accident. I also took him a bath and then I fell asleep on his couch. I don't exactly know what time he came in but when I woke up, it was like he was home for a while. He told me about his adventure in the forest with Billy," She looked to Rebecca when she said his name. Her eyes immediately lit up. "Well, you know how I was a mess when I thought he was dead so when I saw him, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. But he made me see clearly."
"And then?" Rebecca asked.
"What do you mean 'and then?' That's what happened." Jill said.
"I thought it would be like a fairytale type thing…you know, the hero returns from battle and finds his Princess waiting for him and they fall asleep in each others arms." Rebecca exhaled.
"It's so cute that you still think that way…well, you are 18 after all." Jill said.
"Hmm…correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you think every little girl who dreamed for something like that would still hold on to that type of romantic story somewhere in their adult form?" Rebecca asked.
"Perhaps." Jill said. "…Okay, okay…I still do. It's the hopeless romantic in me. And besides, that's exactly what happened." She smiled.
"Aw…that's sweet." Rebecca said as Chris stepped into the office and slammed the door behind him.
"Shit." Barry got scared. "Didn't believe you eh? Called you a liar and that you are the crazy one?"
"That son of a bitch!" Chris yelled and marched straight to Weskers' desk and turned it upside down looking for any evidence against Umbrella.
"Hey Chris, you need to slow down." Barry said.
"Don't tell me what to do! My team was murdered and that son of a bitch isn't going to do anything about it. Umbrella is going down…even if I have to do it myself."
"Hey!" Barry yelled and grabbed Chris by the collar and pinned him to the wall. "Hey! You need to calm down! And nobody said you have to do this by yourself. They were our team and most of all our friends. We won't let their deaths be for nothing." Barry released Chris. The others stood there in shock of what just happened.
"I'm sorry. Irons just pissed me off."
"You really need to control your temper." Barry said.
"I should…that's how I got relieved from the Air Force." He chuckled, "Well, about Umbrella, we shouldn't talk about it here. We'll leave that for after work."
"Yeah, that's what we were all saying." Barry said.
"Looks like you guys were planning well without me."
"Hey!" Rebecca yelled.
"I was just saying that even if I were dead, I know you guys would be able to take them down."
"Yeah, but we don't like talking like that. We already lost most of the team…" Jill said.
"You're right, I'm sorry." Chris apologized.
"Um Chris…I was uh…I was going by Richard's desk and um…I think this is yours." Brad handed Chris his keys to his motorcycle. He held out his hand and accepted it. He gripped it tightly before putting them in his pocket.
"Thanks Brad."
-After Work at Chris's Place-
"Well, I found nothing." Brad said as he opened a new windows explorer.
"Nothing in these files either." Jill said.
"This isn't going to be easy, you know that." Chris said as he stared at his laptop intently.
"Yeah, it's Umbrella after all. Their security is probably tighter than Area 51." Rebecca said.
"Yeah, but at least we have Wesker's little notes from the mansion. It's a good thing no one turned it into Irons." Chris said.
"Yeah, we only have it because of Jill." Rebecca said.
"Hehe...don't thank me just yet." She said.
"Man, where is Barry? I'm starving." Brad complained.
"I know. How long does it take to pick up the food? Sheesh." Rebecca said as she rifled through some papers.
"Sorry if I don't have anything to eat here. I only have food for my dog." Chris smiled.
"Speaking of dogs, where did he go? Boo?" Jill called out as she left the papers and began searching for the puppy.
"He's probably under the couch. He likes tight spaces. I don't know why." Chris said.
"Hey, sorry I'm late." Barry came in with the food. "Traffic was a bitch. They blocked the road off and turned everyone around. I couldn't tell if it was a car accident or what. It seemed really bad though."
"Did you help them out?" Brad asked.
"No, they turned me down. It was weird. I told them who I was and they turned me away. The funny thing is that they closed it two miles around the accident."
"Wow…that's really long."
"I wonder why they didn't want anyone to see the accident." Brad said.
"Maybe something leaked and the Police Department doesn't want anyone to know about it." Chris said.
"Yeah, but closing something around two miles tends to draw attention, don't you think?" Jill said as he stroked Boo's head.
"Yeah it does." Chris said.
"Okay, let's talk about that later. Let's eat, the food's already cold." Barry said. Everyone got up to eat except for Chris, who was still glued to his laptop.
-30 minutes after everyone ate-
" Forest is really goofy when he's drunk." Barry said as the reminisced about the guys.
"Yeah, man…I really miss them. It was really unfortunate that that happened. At least I got to meet all of them." Jill said.
"Yeah." Rebecca agreed.
"Hey Chris, are you ever going to eat?" Brad asked.
"Yeah, later." He said.
"You said that thirty minutes ago." Jill said.
"Yeah, don't worry." He assured her.
"Wow, its really late, I guess I'm going to head home now." Rebecca said.
"It's 2:03 already? My how time flies. I might as well head out as well." Jill said.
"Yeah, I'm going to head out as well." Brad said.
"Yeah, Cathy probably locked me out." Barry chuckled.
"You don't carry house keys?" Rebecca asked.
"Hey, that's okay, Jill will pick your lock." Chris smiled.
"I was being sarcastic…besides, I always carry my house keys, sheesh." Barry said.
"Later Chris." Brad said as they all headed out the door.
"Okay, see you all later." Chris said without even looking up.
"Bye…" They all said. Eleven minutes passed since Chris heard the door shut and he was still glued to the computer.
"Ahem."
Chris immediately stopped typing and looked up slowly. "What are you still doing here? I thought you left with the others?"
"I did, but I came back because I forgot my purse." Jill said.
"So did you get it?" Chris asked as he continued on his computer.
"Yeah, I have it."
"Okay. Then I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"Ugh, I guess so then." Jill said in an irritated tone and immediately left his place.
Chris looked up and stared at the door. He had no idea what Jill's problem was. "What the hell was that about?" He asked himself as he got up and walked to a window. He looked down and saw her getting into her car and drive off. He exhaled deeply and watched her drive off. After her car was out of view, he returned to his laptop.
- A Few Weeks Later: Early, early morning; 7 August 1998-
"No! No! Somebody, somebody help! Brad, Rebecca…Barry…Chris! NOOOO!" Jill immediately sprang up from her bed. Her breath was short and heart was beating fast. "Not another dream." She said as she rubbed her eyes and ran her fingers though her hair, leaving her hands resting at the back of her head. "Shit. Will these dreams leave me alone?" She asked herself and glanced at her clock. " 4:00…well, no use going back to sleep." She said and got up and went to her living room and switched on the T.V. She began to fall asleep again but the ringing of her phone snapped her back to reality. "Who the hell could that be?" She thought as she got up to answer her phone. "Hello?"
"I've been calling for the longest time and only now you answer your phone?"
"Um…I haven't been home long."
"Of course you haven't. How is Redfield?"
"How do you know he's alive?"
"I know everything that goes on. Umbrella is the eyes and ears of this city."
"You don't know shit. You're just one of Umbrella's cronies. You are the bottom feeder on their chain and you are disposable." Jill said through gritted teeth.
"You've got guts speaking to me like that. You're lucky I'm not anywhere near you."
"You can't touch me. Your orders are not to harm me otherwise one call from me and you'll be sinking to the bottom of the ocean."
"You bitch. But, you should really know that Umbrella doesn't care about you either. My orders are not to harm you until we get what we need. They're not dropping the charges against dear ol daddy. This assignment is mine and mine alone. They have no intervention in what goes on. Now my sweet, do you have what I need?"
"I'm just supposed to be your cover. You never said I had to get you anything!"
"Oh, my funny Valentine, I know you have Wesker's little black book. We want it…rather, I want it."
"I don't have. I gave it to Barry so you wouldn't see it."
"Well then, you better retrieve it and I want it tomorrow otherwise something terribly wrong will happen. Starting with someone you share a sister relationship with."
"I'll get it! I just need more time!"
"Tomorrow!" He yelled and hung up.
"Hello? Jackson? Fuck!" She said and slumped to the floor crying.
-S.T.A.R.S. Office-
-August 7th-
Two weeks have passed since that day. My wounds have been healed, but I just can't forget it. For most people, it's history now. But for me, whenever I close my eyes, it all comes back clearly. Zombies eating people's flesh and the screams of my teammates dying. No, the wounds in my heart are not healed yet...
Jill sat at her desk in the S.T.A.R.S. Office as she closed her diary. "I hate going to sleep." She whispered.
"You say something Valentine?" Chris asked as his face remained glued to the computer screen in front of him.
"Huh? Oh, no. Nothing at all." She said. "So have you found anything that would help us?"
"No, not yet. Everything is crap, just like that company." He said.
"Okay, well, I'm going to get a cup of coffee, want one?" She offered.
"Thanks…that would be great."
"Would you like a cup as well Rebecca?" Jill asked but there was no response. "Rebecca?"
"Huh? What? Where's the fire?" Rebecca sprang from her desk.
"No fire, just coffee. Do you want a cup?" Jill smiled.
"Oh…that would be heaven…five cups please."
"Five? I don't think so. One will be fine for now." She smiled and exited the office.
"What time did you go to sleep last night Rebecca?" Chris asked.
"Um, I haven't gone to sleep yet. I thought I was getting close and I didn't want to stop. These links just kept leading me on."
"So how'd you get to work?" He asked.
"I don't remember."
"Forget it, go back to sleep."
--
As Jill walked down the hall, she was suddenly pulled into a dark room and her mouth was covered by someone's hand.
"Sshh…you know who I am darling. Do you have what I need?" He asked as he removed his hand from over her mouth.
"I can't get it. They'll find out its missing and they could suspect me. I can't betray my team." Jill said.
"Honey, when you signed on with us, you already betrayed your team."
"You gave me no choice but to."
"Oh so sorry. Forgive us. And so my sweet girlfriend, August 14th is the magic date. If you don't have what I want when I return, you'll be in for a serious treat. Don't worry, no one will die yet. I need you to suffer first." He kissed her much to her objection. She pushed him away and slapped him on the face. "Ooo, feisty." He growled and left the room. Jill slumped to the floor and began crying. She didn't know what she was going to do. She wanted to tell the others but she didn't want anyone close to her to die either. She's never been this confused before.
Five minutes after Jackson left, Jill cleared her eyes and left the room to get the coffee before returning to the S.T.A.R.S office.
"Hey, sorry I took long. They were just cooking a fresh batch." She lied as she delivered the coffee to Chris and Rebecca.
"Thanks." Chris received his cup.
Jill sat at her desk quietly and thought about everything Jackson had said. The thought of killing him came across her mind, but she just couldn't do it. As much as she hated him, she didn't want any recurring nightmares about it or on her conscience.
- 14 August 1998-
The day that Jill dreaded finally came…and what made it worse was she didn't have the book. Jill sat on her couch staring at a candle in front of her and waited for others to arrive.
"Jeez Louise…it's freaking hot! No wind, no electricity, what the hell is going on?" Brad complained as he fanned himself with the newspaper.
"Maybe the giant fan that circulates the air in the city is down because the powers out." Rebecca said as she played with the candle wax.
"Rebecca, can you not play with the wax? I don't want you to spill it on my table." Jill said as she got up to look for more candles.
"Oh sorry Jill." Rebecca said as she pushed the candle away from her. "Hey Jill, are you okay? You've been looking really sick this past week."
"Oh my god, you know, I still can't believe Chris punched that boy yesterday." Jill immediately changed the subject.
"Oh, I know…I've never seen him so…so full of hostility." Rebecca said.
"He was a little hostile towards me." Jill said.
"Isn't everybody" Rebecca joked.
"Funny." Jill said sarcastically.
"So…where are those two at? Don't we need to discuss this plan thing?" Brad changed the subject before anything else happened.
"Hey guys, sorry I'm late." Chris said as he entered the apartment with a flashlight on hand.
"Damn, aren't you hot?" Brad asked upon seeing Chris's attire…jeans, a long sleeve button down shirt worn casually and a black evening blazer.
"Well, I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or a gesture for the weather." Chris said as he removed his jacket.
"Screw you…you know what I mean." Brad said as Jill giggled.
"Of course it's hot in what I'm wearing…and a damn great day for my board hearing."
"Oh, yeah, how'd it go?" Brad asked.
"Well, you can say three weeks suspension and two months probation?"
"Just for punching that kid, wow! That's a little extreme, two months probation, jeez." Jill exclaimed.
"Yeah…hehehe, I don't know why I had to dress pretty to get suspended." He laughed.
"Maybe if they board members thought you were cute all dressed up they wouldn't kick you out." Rebecca joked.
"Very funny Rebecca. Anyways, do you have anything cold to drink? I'm going to die." Chris said as he fanned himself.
"Shit, no…I'm sorry. These two drank it all waiting for you and Barry. I told them to run to the store but they kept putting it off. And now you're here and there's nothing cold left in my fridge."
"Fine, we'll go and get some ice and cold drinks." Rebecca said. "Come on Brad."
"Why me?" He asked.
"Well, you helped finished those drinks and you don't expect me to carry everything do you?" Rebecca said.
"All right, fine let's go." Brad said as he followed Rebecca out the door.
"So…three weeks huh?" Jill asked.
"Yeah…the funny thing is that I don't really care anymore. I just want to take…"
"Um…can we talk about that later?" Jill cut him off because she didn't know if her apartment was bugged.
"Uh, yeah sure." He said as he took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his forehead and neck. She managed to get him to not say anything for now, but she had to think of something to have this 'meeting' cancelled. "Hey, are you okay? You haven't been looking yourself lately."
"Uh…really? I don't know…maybe it's just this heat. Will you excuse me while I go change into something cooler?" She said.
"Sure, go right ahead…I'll just be out here in the balcony, hoping to catch what wind is blowing."
"Okay." She said and entered her room. When she came out, she was wearing a knee high khaki skirt, a blue tank top and flip flops. "Ahh…much better." She said as she emerged from her room and joined Chris at the balcony. "Hey!" She greeted him in a cheery tone.
"Hey." He smiled as he looked back at her.
"What's so interesting down there?"
"Nothing…I'm just watching my sweat drop to the bottom, hoping it would land on someone." He laughed.
"Oh my god! You're drenched! You should at least take your shirt off." Jill said.
"No, it's all right. I'm okay."
"Chris, it's about a hundred degrees." She exaggerated.
"I'm okay. Besides, I don't have an under shirt." He said.
"Well, it's not like I've never seen you with your shirt off before." She said.
"Uh, yeah, but I might catch a cold." He lied.
"From what breeze! Here, if you don't want to do it yourself, I'll help you." She said as she closed the gap between them and began unbuttoning his shirt. As she reached the last buttons, Chris grabbed hold of her hands and pulled her into him.
"Chris, what are you doing? I didn't get the last two buttons." She avoided his gaze for some reason. He didn't say anything. Instead, he lifted her face to his and kissed her gently. She was surprised, but found herself responding.
"I'm sorry." Chris said as they broke for air. Jill didn't say anything but instead leant into his chest and closed her eyes as she listened to his heart beat. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. They stood there silently until they heard the door slam shut.
"Hey you guys, we're back. Man, the lines were super long." Rebecca yelled as she and Brad started to unpack the bags.
"They're back." Jill sighed.
"Yeah."
"Might as well go back in." She said, but Chris didn't let her go.
"Chris! Jill! Come on, cold drinks!" Brad yelled as he stored some drinks in the freezer.
"Brad, you do know there's no power right?" Rebecca asked.
"Oh…I forgot. Well, it's still pretty cold in there." He stuck his hand inside to feel the temperature.
"Hey Chris, come on…drinks." Rebecca said as she peeked through the balcony. "By the way, have you seen Jill? I can't seem to find her anywhere." She didn't see Jill as she was hidden by Chris's larger frame.
"No…I think she might've stepped out." He said as he tried to contain his laughter.
"Hmm…that's weird. I didn't see her outside." Rebecca said with a dumbfounded look on her face.
Chris felt Jill giggling in his embrace. "I'm right here Rebecca." Jill stuck her head out from behind his bicep.
"Oh…oh…uh…"
"Hey Rebecca, I can't seem to find…oh, whoa…" Brad said upon reaching the balcony. "Uh, hey Rebecca, I think we forgot that stuff at the store."
"Yes Brad, we forgot the stuff. I'll go with you."
"You guys." Jill said.
"Yes, let's go now before the stuff runs out." Brad said as he and Rebecca proceeded to the door.
"You guys." Jill called once more.
"Hey, sorry I'm late everyone. I couldn't get the generator running and the girls hate the dark." Barry said as he entered.
"Hey look, Barry's here. Maybe he can come with us to get the stuff." Rebecca said.
"What stuff? What are you guys talking about?"
"Yes you two, do you mind telling us what this stuff is?" Jill asked from the balcony because Chris still refused to release her just yet.
"Hey, don't question the stuff. We have to go before it runs out." Brad said.
"You guys!" Jill yelled as she tried to step out of Chris's embrace but he didn't let her go. "Chris…"
"Fine." He pouted as he released her.
"Okay, let's go then!" Rebecca said.
"Okay." Barry agreed even though he didn't know what the hell was going on.
"You guys! Knock it off." Jill said as she came in to the living room.
"What the hell is going on?" Barry asked.
"These two are stupid. There is no stuff to get at the store." Jill said.
"There is a stuff." Brad and Rebecca said in unison.
"Oh really? Then what is this stuff?"
"Uh…apples." Rebecca said as Brad responded with cigarettes.
"Apple flavored cigarettes. They're the newest thing on the market and Chris is thinking about a new flavor to smoke." Brad said.
"Apple flavored cigarettes? You guys are idiots." Jill said.
"Hey we tried!" Rebecca said. "Besides, wouldn't you want us to leave so you two could be alone for a while?"
"Who two? What the hell is going on?" Barry asked.
"Nothing…these two just walked in on me and Chris and they automatically assume something is happening." Jill said.
"Hey, you were wrapped in his arms!" Rebecca said.
"Wait a minute. You…you and Ch…Ch…Chris?" Barry stuttered with a hint of happiness in his voice.
"I don't know." Jill whispered as she smiled.
"What exactly happened?" Barry asked.
"Yeah Jill, what happened?" Becca asked.
"Hey…where is Chris anyways?"
"I'm out here. I'll be in a while." He yelled.
"Oh, okay. Hey Chris." Barrs greeted.
"So tell us." Rebecca said.
Just as Jill sat down to explain, there was a light knock on her door. Everyone looked around and wondered who that could possibly be. Rebecca even took the time to count everyone in the room.
"Um…we're all here. Maybe it's a pizza or takeout or something." She said
"We didn't order anything." Brad said as Chris came walking in from the balcony with a half buttoned shirt on.
"What's going on? I thought I heard a knock on the door." He said as he plopped down next to Barry on the couch.
"Someone's at the door and we're playing a guessing game." He answered.
Jill shut her eyes rather tightly and exhaled before she got up to answer the door…she knew exactly who it was. She reached for the doorknob, opened the door and to her surprise and everyone else's, she was greeted with a passionate kiss from Jackson.
Everyone sat there with their mouths agape. The others turned to look at Chris only to see he was completely unfazed.
Jill managed to push him back but tried to contain herself from smacking him. "Jill! What happened to you? I called so many times, I came by and I even stopped at the station. I thought you were dead! Thank god you're safe!" He put on a show, a believable one for that matter.
"I…I…um…yeah." She said in a very confused way.
"Phew…well, it's getting late and I have no idea when the power is going to kick back on, but I'm gonna go now. I'll see you all tomorrow." Chris said as he got up from the couch.
"Hey wait for me." Brad called as Chris exited the apartment.
"Yeah, Jill, um see you tomorrow." Rebecca said in an upset tone.
"Um, wait…you guys can't go yet! We haven't even begun to talk." Jill pleaded for them not to leave her alone with Jackson.
"Sorry, but I have to go too. The generator probably died. Did I mention girls hate the dark?" Barry headed for the door.
"Um…okay, I'll see you tomorrow. Drive safely." Jill said as she gave Barry a hug.
"Okay." Barry was a little confused as to why Jill hugged him. "Bye."
"Bye." Jill said as Barry shut the door behind him.
"Well honey, we're all alone now. What do you suppose you want to do?" He taunted.
"Fuck you." Jill spat.
Jackson immediately grabbed her by the throat and stared her in the eyes. "You know, it would be such a shame to kill someone as beautiful as you. You really should watch what you say. Huh? What was that?" He teased.
Jill was extremely pissed off and felt helpless in her situation but she remembered her legs were still of use. She kicked him in the groin and that caused him to release her. She took a deep breath and then with her right hand, she elbowed him in the face and followed it with a backhand. Then with her left hand, she gave him an uppercut to the gut and continually punched him on his side with her right hand. With all the blows he was receiving on his left side, he managed to push Jill away and backhanded her right above her left eye. Jill stumbled back from the blow she received to her head but before she could get her focus back, Jackson tackled her to the floor and pinned her down and made sure there was no way for her to fight back. "Damn it Jill! Fuck! I was hoping it would not have come to this." He said as he took out a switch blade and held it to her throat.
"You threatened me, my father and my friends! Why wouldn't it come to this!" She spat.
"You really should learn how to hold your tongue. That mouth of yours will certainly earn you your death." He said.
"Yeah at least I'm not a damn pushover!"
"Now who says I'm a pushover?"
"It's written all over your fucking forehead! You work for Umbrella and they order you around like a fucking slut!"
"BITCH!" He yelled as he smacked her face.
"You hit like a slut too." She laughed.
"You fucking whore." He pressed his knife against her neck and began his cut. "No more fucking around! Do you have the book?"
"Kiss my ass." Jill earned another smack on the face from her response.
"STOP FUCKING AROUND AND GIVE ME THE DAMN BOOK!" He yelled. Jill could tell he was scared of something.
"What's the matter honey? Umbrella going to kill you cause you're blackmailing them for the book?"
"How'd you know?" He broke.
"Hahaha…I didn't. See that goes to show how weak you are." She laughed.
"Arrrgghhh!" He yelled in frustration and then raised his hand with the knife and stabbed it in the wooden floor next to Jill's head to freak her out a bit. He then raised her to her feet and threw her to the dining table chairs.
"Fuck me…" Jill mumbled from the ground. "I'm going to need some spa treatment if I survive this."
"Ah ha…what is this?" Jackson said as he spotted something next to Jill.
"Shit." She said as she tried to scramble for it.
"Tsk, tsk tsk." He said as he stepped on her hand. "No touching." He bent down to pick it up and browsed through it. "Hahahaha" he laughed, "Jill, thank you. Now that I have what I need, it's time for you to die. But I think I'll have my way with you first." He whispered into her ear.
"In your dreams." Jill grumbled as she felt behind her for something she could use.
He laughed at her incentive to fight back. "I have the power." He said as he took out his switchblade knife.
"Ooo, a puny knife. I'm so scared." She said as she grabbed hold of whatever she found.
"You should be." He said as he sliced the left strap of her tank top.
"Hey, this is new! Jeez, have you no consideration for women's clothing? God!" She said in a way to stall him.
"Actually, I have no consideration for women at all."
"Yeah, I thought you would say that." She said and as quickly as she could, she swung her arm forward and batted him on the head with a stool leg. Then she looked at what she hit him with. "Huh! You also broke my stool! Damn, I hated that stool." She said and got up and whacked him again. "Who has the power now, bitch?" She kicked his knife out of reach.
"Oh hohoho…I'm really going to kill you." He grumbled.
"Hmm…I think it's a little early for ho-ing."
"You think you're funny huh."
"Actually…" She paused to think, "No."
"Bitch!" He said through gritted teeth.
"Oh, you got it. That's exactly what I am." She said when all of a sudden there was a knock on her door, distracting her. Jackson took this moment to attack. He punched her stomach when she glanced at the door and tried to grab the stool leg but Jill didn't release it that easily. They struggled for a while and Jill had no choice but to drop the leg. Jackson tried to reach for it but she kicked it away and kneed him in the nose causing it to break.
"DAMN!" He yelled as he clutched it. "Getting rid of you isn't going to be easy. Aargghh!" He charged at her and slammed her into the wall and then threw her over the couch, where she rolled off.
"Shit…" She said as she rubbed the back of her head.
As he walked up to her, he wiped the blood from his chin and then kicked her in her stomach. He grabbed her by the hair and slammed her face into the coffee table. "I told you I had the power." He said to the completely dazed Jill. "What's the matter giving up so soon?" He asked as he ran his hand over her stomach.
"Get off of me." She managed to say.
"No I don't think I will."
"Get off!" She yelled.
He laughed at her. "Helpless are we?"
There was another knock outside her door.
"Jill, that knocking is childish. It won't get you out of this predicament."
"Get off me, so help me, I will scream my lungs out. Someone is bound to hear me."
"Yes but tell me, how do you plan on screaming if I just squeeze you throat like so?" He asked as he tightened his grip around her neck.
Jill's breath was becoming short. She had no movement of her hands or feet because he was sitting on her. She was running out of options. Everything was getting blurry when all of a sudden he released her. She started coughing and gasping for air.
"Hahahaha. I think I'm going to want you alive for what I'm going to do to you." He said as he caressed her face.
"HEL…" She tried to yell but he backhanded her face. Jackson started trailing his hand down her neck.
"You go any further and I'll blast your fucking brains out of your head." Someone whispered behind him.
He turned around only to see a fist. With a punch to his face, he was out cold upon hitting the floor.
"Chris!" Jill mumbled.
"What the hell is going on? Tell me that wasn't your boyfriend attacking you?" He said in a tone that was hardly recognizable.
"He's not my boyfriend. It's a long story…and I know I have a lot of explaining to do." She dropped her head.
Chris didn't say anything. He just went straight to the phone and called Kevin at the station. "Hey, we have a situation here at Miss Valentine's residence. We need a bus and a squad car."
While Chris was on the phone, Jill took this time to take the book from Jackson's pocket.
"Chris? What the hell is going on? And why is there something always happening at Jill's place?" Kevin asked.
"No questions, just come." He said.
"We'll be there as soon as we can."
"Thanks. Bye." He hung up the phone. "Hey, are you okay?" He walked up behind her and helped her up.
"Shit…You scared me." She said as he helped her to the couch.
"What the hell happened here?"
" Jackson works for Umbrella." She said.
"Shit…so he found out what we were doing and he attacked you?" He said as he kneeled down in front of her and examined the cut on her neck.
'Yeah, he found out and attacked me.' She wanted very much to say yes, but she was tired of lying. "No." She said as she removed his hands from her neck and held them on her lap. "Maybe you should sit."
"Okay." He said as he took a seat on the table in front of her.
"This is going to be hard, but you have to know the truth."
"Which is?"
"Umbrella blackmailed me. I was to pose as Jackson's girlfriend. I guess you can say I was his way to Wesker."
"So if he was spying on Wesker, you pretty much had an idea of what he was doing right?"
"I only heard a few things." She held her head down.
"Did you know about the mansion?"
"I heard him talking about it." Tears began to fill her eyes. She knew exactly where he was going with this.
"So…" He stood up and started pacing. "You knew about the mansion and you didn't tell any of us?"
"No! I didn't know what was in the mansion. I just overheard him saying Wesker has been spotted at an abandoned mansion with some other guy up at Arklay."
"Is that true?"
"Yes!"
"So you were blackmailed right? You weren't, you weren't working for them right? You had no idea those things were up there." Chris was visibly upset and very much confused.
"I had no idea what was going on! I didn't know Umbrella was creating an epidemic."
"You should have told us."
"Tell you what? I hardly knew anything!"
"Still! If you told us, some of us could still be here today!"
"What would you want me to say. 'Hey guys, I heard Wesker and some other guy were seen up at the abandoned mansion in Arklay.'"
"Yeah!"
"How the hell would that prepare us for what we faced in there! It wouldn't do shit! The outcome would have still been the same."
"Goddamnit!" He cursed out of frustration.
"Chris."
"I have to go. I can't be here right now." He said and grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. On his way there, he stood over Jackson's limp form. "You son of a bitch!" He yelled as he repeatedly kicked him.
"Chris! You're going to kill him! Stop!" Jill yelled and grabbed him. He quickly yanked his arm from her and just stared at her. The knock on the door broke the tension.
"The paramedics are here." He said and headed for the door. "Your patients are in there." He said to Kevin and walked out.
To be continued…hahaha hee, hee, hee. Done with this chapter…well, it was a pretty long chapter so there's bound to be millions of mistakes I didn't catch. I also didn't reread it so if it doesn't make sense, can someone point it out to me cause seriously…right now I don't have the time. Writing this chapter was hard but I did it…I just don't think I did a good job…this sucks…oh well, anyhoo, dark-phoenix-lx, thanks for the birthday wish…hahaha…and also, it's never to late for a review. I like reviews…my eyes light up when I see a notice in my inbox… Um what else, oh yeah, for reals now, the next chapter is the absolute last of this story. Seriously, no more stalling. I do have a sequel in mind but it depends. I'm just afraid that if I write it, it might not be as great as this one. Um, let's worry about that later…so reviews would be heaven…thanks a lot and hope you enjoyed this sucky chapter…oh, I don't know when the last chapter will be up cause I'm going back to the P.I. in July. Maybe if I'm in a good mood, I'll have it up by the time I leave. If not, oh well…okay bye