"Wesker is alive?" Jill's voice was barely a whisper as her hands jerked the wheel suddenly. She steadied herself and tore her gaze away from Chris to watch the road. Chris hesitated, wanting to give her a moment to let it sink in.
"It's true, Jill. I saw him, myself. Up close and personal…too close." He leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. There was so much more to tell her, but he didn't want to get into too much detail with Claire present. She had already been through enough and this latest problem was for him and his teammates to deal with, not his little sister.
"I don't understand. How is that even possible?" Jill stared intensely at the road ahead, as if the answer she needed might suddenly appear on the horizon. "He was so messed up when you left him…" her voice trailed off.
"I thought he was dead when I left him", Chris offered. "I guess I should have made sure he was." He turned around to look at Claire, who was stretched out in the back seat. Her eyes were closed and it looked as though she was sleeping. He watched the steady rise and fall of her chest, the slow rhythm confirming what he had hoped. An old saying from his military days suddenly sprang to mind…
A good soldier sleeps whenever he can, wherever he can.
"…doing there?"
The voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned to look at Jill.
"What?"
"I said, what was he doing there?" She glanced over at him, noticing for the first time how utterly exhausted he looked.
"Apparently, he's hooked up with some group that's looking to get their hands on the virus."
"So he's not working for Umbrella anymore?" she asked.
"I guess not."
"Sounds like he found a bigger cash cow, that miserable bastard."
"I think they offered him a lot more than money, Jill."
Jill turned off the main road, following a series of snow covered roads that eventually led to no roads at all. She pulled the car into a small clearing and parked.
"We're here" she called out, waiting as her passengers began to wake. Chris had finally drifted off to sleep several miles back, leaving Jill to finish the drive in silence. Being alone with her thoughts was not something she enjoyed these days. They all stepped out of the car, Chris grabbing what little baggage they had.
"Where is here, exactly?" Claire questioned. Jill turned to look at her, realizing it was the first time Claire had spoken since they left the train station.
"There's a cabin not too far from here, but we can't take the car. It's just a short walk." Jill tucked her keys into her pocket. "Are you up to it?"
"Of course I'm up to it!" Claire shot back. Chris started toward her, reaching for her arm.
"Claire…" he started. She took a step back.
"Don't…" she said, softly. "I'm fine." She strode toward Jill, quickly putting some distance between her and Chris. "Lead the way." Jill looked at Chris questioningly, but he said nothing.
"Okay, then…Follow me."
Claire kept her eyes on Jill's back as they trudged through the snow. She glanced over her shoulder to look at Chris occasionally, but no one spoke. The air was cold and still, the sound of their boots breaking through the ice-covered snow seeming unnaturally loud. Claire was beginning to wonder how much longer this little nature walk was going to take. She opened her mouth to ask just that, when suddenly, Jill came to a stop.
"Hold on a second"
Chris came up to stand beside his sister as they both watched Jill remove a small gadget from her coat pocket. It reminded Claire of a garage door opener.
"What are you doing with that?" she questioned.
"Just a little safeguard we've set up. I want them to know we're coming", Jill responded, holding the item up and pointing it at a group of trees nearby. "Okay, let's move on."
"God, how much further is this place?" Claire asked, impatiently. She was rubbing her arms vigorously to keep warm. Jill pointed to a break in the trees just to her left.
"About 40 yards this way" she answered, ignoring the other woman's tone.
"Great, cause I'm freezing my ass off out here."
Jill shot a quick look at Chris, noticing a small grin on his face. She sighed to herself and continued on her way.
As the trio approached a small cabin the front door swung open and two people emerged. The first was a slight young woman with light brown hair, dressed in jeans and a black sweater. Behind her stood an older man with thinning red hair and a grizzled face. His large, muscled frame filled the doorway. They both headed down the stairs, the woman practically hopping, trying to navigate through the deep snow.
"Chris!" She reached her arms out and pulled him into a tight embrace. "Thank God, you're all right."
"Hey, Rebecca" Chris returned the hug. "It's great to see you." They separated, still holding each other at arms length. She took a moment to look him up and down with a critical eye.
"You look like you haven't slept in weeks."
"That's her subtle way of saying you look like shit, Buddy", a deep baritone voice spoke up from behind Rebecca.
"Barry," Chris reached out his hand shaking the other man's much larger one. "I could say the same about you." Barry smiled, his gaze wandering toward the young woman standing next to Jill.
"Hello, Claire" Barry reached out his hand and they shook. "It's been a long time. I think you're about a foot taller than the last time I saw you."
"Hi, Barry." Claire smiled, warmly. "I think that was about the time Chris went into the service."
"Hey, Claire" Chris interrupted, "This is Rebecca Chambers."
"Hi, Claire. Nice to meet you."
"Same here. Chris has told me a lot about you." The two women shook hands. Everyone stood in silence momentarily, until Jill finally broke it.
"I better go back and move the car. Chris, why don't you fill them in on what's been happening. I'll be back shortly." Jill turned to leave, but Barry reached out and caught her arm.
"Jill, wait." She turned back to look at him, questioningly. "I need to talk to you." His expression was grim. "Rebecca, why don't you bring Claire inside. I'm sure she's tired and would like to get out of the cold." Barry's eyes never left Jill's face as he spoke. The young medic nodded in agreement.
"Good idea. Come on, Claire. I'll show you where you can get some sleep." Chris noticed Rebecca's face was suddenly clouded with worry. She looked at Jill with concern before turning to head back inside.
"Well…" Claire hesitated, certain that something was very wrong. Chris had not been out of her sight in weeks. She was feeling extremely protective of her brother, even with this group of people.
"It's okay, Claire" Chris assured her, as if reading her thoughts. "Go ahead. I'll be right in."
"Alright, then." She took the duffel bag from his hand and, reluctantly, followed Rebecca inside.
"Barry, what's wrong?" Jill asked, feeling a knot forming in her stomach. Chris moved to stand beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I found a news story from the AP a short time ago" Barry paused, breathing deeply. His breath came out in a puff of white smoke. "It was about a prisoner that escaped from Leominster County Corrections…"
"That's where my Father is, Barry", Jill interrupted.
"I know, Jill. It was your Father."
Okay, there's Chapter 2. I'm fairly certain that Dick Valentine was an invention of S.D. Perry, so I've borrowed him for this story. See you next time.