Disclaimer: I think it hardly needs said, but I Do NOT own the lyrics or any copyright whatsoever to the song I mention this chapter. No infringement is intended...blah blah blah, don't sue I have no money.
Chapter 7
Claire awoke to the most unpleasant feel of something slimy brushing across the skin of her arm. She jumped up with a start, recoiling at the sight of a green snake whipping past her on the ground, startled for cover.
She made a face. " Ugh, where have we..." She stopped in the middle of her sentence when she realized that she was alone. Gigantic leaves flanked her on all sides, wet and uncomfortable. The sky roared violently, dropping rain by the bucketfuls. Some of this water splashed her on the face, and she shivered.
" Where am I? " Claire brought herself to her feet and shot through the top of her leafy nest. What awaited was not a welcome sight.
Darkness. Almost complete darkness. What little she could see was just a lot of plants and foliage. Trees were everywhere. She was greeted by the frightened chatter of a monkey from someplace high up.
She didn't blame the poor thing. Freak storms were never a good thing, especially when they cast you clear out in the middle of the jungle in the darkness and wetness with no idea where you were, where your friends and family were, or how to get back.
" Chris? Steve? Anybody here? " She called loudly.
Her only reply was the crack of thunder.
Well, this couldn't get much worse. She stepped out of the ferns and into a slightly less plant-populated space near a tree with an unusually thick trunk. Her mind buzzed with questions. Where could they be? What happened? And I don't suppose anyone nearby has a nice dry shelter along with a change of clothes?
She was one miserable Burnside. Wet, cold, lost, and frightened.
Ok, logic pointed out, Maybe that lightening was just some weird phenomenon that blew us all to different parts of the island. That means the others must be here somewhere...probably not too far away, being this isn't exactly Greenland. They're probably out there looking for me. All I have to do is find them.
However, just as she was deciding which way to go, a horrible howl pierced the air, quickly followed by several others. Each haunting melody was progressively louder, progressively closer.
That decided her. Her plans having absolutely nothing to do with running head-on with the makers of strange howls in a jungle on a spooky island during a freak storm, she opted to head the opposite direction of the noises.
It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Really, it did.
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Crystal was scared. And confused. One moment she had been by her mommy, getting ready to go somewhere. The next she was out all alone in the open with the rain beating down on her and the scary noises in the sky--the ones that made her shake and quiver.
She had called out for her mommy and daddy, even Auntie Alexis, but they hadn't come. Her cries and screams had gone unheard; lost to the rage of the storm.
Sopping wet, she had managed to find a tiny bit of shelter under the slope of a large rock. It wasn't full protection, but it shielded her from the worst of it. There she cried and cried for a good hour until her throat dried up and she became too exhausted.
It just didn't make sense. Where was Mommy? Why wasn't she coming to her? Why had everybody left her?
Of course, at such a young age such concepts as teleportation and accidental separation caused from thereof were lost on her. She didn't know the circumstances. She would not be able to understand them even if she did.
All she knew was that she was alone, cold, and scared.
And nobody was coming to help her.
It was so cold...her little fingers went numb and turned the same rosy pink color as her nose and toes. Her eyes clenched shut, her breathing slowed to conserve on energy.
" Aw, you poor thing." The new voice snapped her awake. When she opened her eyes again, it was to see a strange adult standing before her, one of which she had never seen before. He appeared to be a little smaller than her dad and had slicked-back deep chocolate-brown hair and friendly eyes.
This stranger kneeled in front of her and extended hi hand. " You shouldn't be out here all alone. Where are your parents? "
Crystal gave him a quizzical look, and for a moment the newcomer was afraid she didn't understand his question.
The little Redfield hung her head low. " I don't know." She sobbed, her voice a raw whisper. The exposure to the elements was really starting to take it's toll. She grabbed the stranger's hand. He wasn't her mommy--or anyone else she knew, for that matter--but he was the only thing she had.
" You're as cold as ice! " The man scooped her up into his arms, his tone a very concerned one, " I'd better get you someplace warm before you turn into a popsicle."
" Mommy? " Crystal asked weakly, limp in her rescuer's arms.
There was a loud crash, and the stranger looked around nervously. " I'm afraid not...but I promise we can look for her later.
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Seth wandered along the edge of the jungle, not quite going into the trees, but wary of them just the same. It was scary to think of what might be lurking in there--just out of sight--waiting to leap out and snatch an unwary little boy such as himself. After all, weren't there always monsters in jungles? He'd seen it all the time on TV. Giant snakes and killer spiders…the jungle was a very dangerous place!
He shivered miserably in the cold. It didn't help matters any that he was sopping wet wearing only a T-shirt with shorts and sandals. What he needed about now was a nice warm sweater with a heavy coat, rain boots, and pants.
Upon waking to find himself alone in a terrible thunderstorm, he'd set out to find the others, calling all their names over and over again. It was dangerous to be all alone. Even more so when he didn't have a warm and dry place to stay and it was starting to get dark out. Already the light was reduced to a deep gray twilight.
Above the treetops, the storm seemed to be subsiding some.
The storm's not so bad, he decided, all it does is make rain and loud noises. But it's getting dark and I'm so cold. I have to find someplace dry. And warm would be nice too. Once that was accomplished, he could wait out the squall and look for his family as soon as it was light again. It seemed like a good plan. But, like nearly all good plans, it carried with it a certain little nagging worm of worry.
Spending the night all alone outside near a jungle was a very frightening concept. Seth didn't even like spending the night alone in his own room, and that was in the safety of the house. Regardless of what the adults said about monsters not existing in your closet or under your bed, you just never knew. Of course they'd think that, that's what the monsters want them to think.
And surely monsters must be real; he had heard his parents talk about them at night sometimes when they had thought him asleep.
Gorilla-like monsters that had big claws and sickly green skin. Dogs that weren't really dogs. Diseased people with rotted skin who ate the flesh of other people. And worst of them all: a terrifying behemoth monster with tentacles and a grotesquely disfigured face his mother had called 'Nemesis'. Of all these creatures, it was this last that he feared the most.
Wouldn't it be horrible to meet something like that!
He was jarred from his thoughts by a low growl from uncomfortably close behind. Gulp. He dared to turn around.
And came face to face with a creature from his nightmares.
Mostly, it looked like a large gray wolf on steroids. But this was no wolf. The deformed muzzle was way too wide and bore way too many knifelike teeth. A big black nose twitched vigorously on the end of the whiskered snout. Each evil eye was nothing more than a blazing red ball of fury devoid of pupils altogether.
Red eyes, red like a demon's. Seth thought, recalling every horror movie he'd ever sneaked up to watch.
The rest of the animal's body was very bulked-up and covered in course gray fur with an extra long and beautiful bushy tail.
Indeed, the beast before him had much in common with a wolf.
But this was a creature that could eat wolves for breakfast.
Seth backed up a step, terrified. The nightmare monster was so much bigger than him, and those teeth were so sharp. It's going to eat me! It's going to kill me right here right now and I'll never get to see my mommy and daddy or anyone else ever again! Afraid to turn his back on the creature, he kept backing up--one step at a time--putting as much distance as possible between him and the object of his fear.
The big wolf-like thing crouched lower to the ground, teeth bared and dripping with saliva. It flexed retractable sickle-shaped claws each as long as an adult's finger into and out of the dirt.
Seth swallowed nervously. Those claws looked as sharp as razors.
Uttering a deep, guttural growl, the wolf-demon--for that was the mental name Seth had given it--charged!
It was very fortunate for the young Redfield that Alexis arrived when she did. Upon seeing her little friend in danger, she threw a rock and hit the wolf-demon in the shoulder.
" Hey! Hey over here! " She waved her arms about wildly in the air, doing all she could to draw the beast's attention away from the child.
The wolf-demon stopped, turned it's murderous sights on her, and snarled. It appeared to be very annoyed.
" That's right wolfie, why go for the appetizer when you can have the main course? " Not that the beast would understand anyway, but she felt strangely braver saying those words.
At first, the ploy seemed to work. The wolf-demon started towards her.
" Seth! Quick! run! " Alexis threw another rock to keep the thing busy.
It missed.
The wolf-demon had other ideas. It whipped it's head back in Seth's direction and let out ear-piercing howl. The very same howl everyone had heard right before the lightning flash that sent them all to different parts of the island.
Alexis winced. Now she knew what it was. Why do I have the feeling that's not going to help our situation?
Her suspicions were well justified, as moments later a second wolf-demon--this one with black fur and bigger than the first--burst from the thick jungle foliage to close in on Seth.
Satisfied that it's pack-mate would take care of the little one, the original wolf-demon turned back on Alexis.
Okay, that was not what I had planned. Alexis had good reason to be worried. In addition to being without weapons, she was dressed in light clothes that would offer no real protection against teeth. Not only that, but there was a fat chance she was going to be able to outrun a wolf. Even if I could…I can't just abandon Seth!
Thinking quickly, she bent down and rose with a stick. It was a poor replacement for a gun--or even the lowly combat knife for that matter--but it was all she had and it was just going to have to do. What am I thinking? Me with a stick against a pair of wolf-monsters? I've gotta be insane! Improvising sure sucked.
" Alexis, what do we do now? " Seth quivered, voice quaking.
He never received the answer.
The wolf-demons charged!
Seth screamed. It was all a flash, a blur of movement. Black against black. There was a sharp 'yelp!' and quick as that it was Alan standing in front of him and not the wolf-demon.
Without a word, he scooped the kid up with one hand and shot off to help Alexis, who was by now in an even worse predicament.
Her wolf-demon had already pinned her to the ground and broken her stick in it's powerful jaws. Instinctively she brought up her arm to protect her face, and the thing bit in, growling like something possessed.
The creature's victory was short-lived. Alan rammed it's side like a freight train, sending the abomination flying into a large volcanic rock.
" I'm so glad you're here! " Alexis breathed, greatly relieved by Alan's most-likely-life-saving appearance.
" Of course. Didn't think I would stand around twiddling my thumbs while you and Seth were made into Kibbles and Bits, did you? "
The big black wolf-demon was not happy. It regained it's feet, furious about being cheated of it's prey.
Alan sat Seth down and helped Alexis up, keeping an eye also on the other wolf-demon he'd flung into the volcanic rock, that one that even now was getting up.
" Ah, coming back to play now are we? " Alan taunted, " Well, if you're that hot on committing Hari-Kari, here I am! " He spread his arms wide, daring the monsters to challenge him.
The black wolf-demon was the first to charge: red eyes blazing, jaws gaping, and spittle flying off ivory teeth. Only milliseconds behind it was the gray wolf-demon, mimicking the image of it's pack-mate but with a more defined wild fury. Both went for Alan.
Perhaps they knew that he was the biggest threat.
Or perhaps they just didn't appreciate him crashing their meal.
Whatever the case, Alan braced himself, and once the black wolf-demon was within range he struck it a powerful blow to the nose with the bottom of his boot. A blow which displaced tissue and drove bone fragment straight through it's brain. That was it for Black Wolfie: he dropped where he stood like a sack of bricks, never to rise again.
If Gray Wolfie had any advantage at all it was that Alan had had to turn his back to it in order to deal with it's pack-mate.
" Alan, watch out! " Alexis warned as the enraged wolf-demon flew at him, landing on his back and laying it open with those incredibly sharp cat's claws.
" Hey! " Alan yelped. He'd momentarily forgotten about that one. Steak-knife teeth found their way to his shoulder, cutting in deeply and spilling blood.
Instinctively, he reached behind his back and fumbled blindly until his hand found the thing's fluffy tail. Bingo. One vicious yank and Gray Wolfie was sent flying.
" Yiiiiiiiiaaaaarrrp!? " He/she/it complained as he/she/it collided back-first with a tree.
" Stupid mutt," Alan grumbled, " that hurt." Before the wolf-demon could regain it's footing, he zipped over and snapped it's neck. It went limp instantly in his arms; the driving red life force dulling in it's eyes until a blank black stare was all that remained.
Anxious, Alan turned back to his friends. " Is everyone okay? "
Seth nodded. " I'm fine. But Alexis…" Alan followed his eyes to Alexis's left arm, which was dripping red with blood.
Alexis winced at the painful bite marks. Six on one side of her arm, and just as many on the other, the punctures varied in width, depth, and severity. Some were mere grazes against the skin where the tooth had missed doing any real damage. Others were deeper. The largest was about the size of a dime, and it was this that was leaking the most blood. Rivers of crimson ran together and colored her whole arm, making the damage look twice as bad as it actually was.
And it hurt. Boy did it hurt.
Alexis held the injured arm close to her body, applying pressure to slow the bleeding.
Alan was there in a flash, examining the damage. " You're hurt." His words carried a genuine worry. He hated to see people he loved in pain.
Alexis forced a dry laugh. " You too." During the battle she hadn't really gotten that good a look at his face. Now she noticed that his shades were absent, and that his eyes were--at least for the moment--blue-green.
Alan shrugged. " It'll heal. But your arm…it looks terrible." He turned to the slain wolf-monsters. " What are those things? "
" They're wolf-demons." Seth piped up, his small voice barely audible over the now-increasing howl of the wind, " On TV there was…" Not for the first time in his young life, Seth was cut off by an adult.
" We'd better find shelter." Alan stated. The storm was kicking back into full swing and now it was so dark Seth an Alexis could barely see.
All three friends were wet, cold, and generally unhappy campers.
Alexis tilted her head to the left, towards a large lava-ridge she'd passed by only minutes ago. " Over there." She said through the rain, " I thought I saw the opening to a dry cave before Seth was in danger."
Alan nodded. " Sounds good." His expression was grim--he wasn't in the happiest of moods. Already Alexis was hurt, weird new monsters were on the prowl, the storm seemed to be taunting them with it's longevity, and he still did not know the fate of the others. He felt of wave of helplessness wash over him; a feeling he did not get often and of which he was not fond.
The first thing he had done upon waking up alone and in a strange area had been to try and find the others. But his enhanced senses were lost in the storm. It was too simply too loud, too chaotic, and it murdered all hopes of tracking. Though his vision was unhindered, he'd had to remove his shades and slip them in his pocket as the lenses kept filling up with raindrops and had to be wiped frequently. A real hassle.
On the bright side, at least he had found Alexis and Seth, and just in the nick of time too.
If I had only been a second later...It was a scary thought. Seth most certainly would have been dead, maybe Alexis too. This little outing must be cursed. Or maybe it's just us.
" This way." Alexis led the way alongside the bluff where a small opening was visible just beneath a jutting lava-rock protrusion. Of course, the whole ridge was made of the same ashen-red lava-rock. Eons ago this had been the spot where flows of lava from the used-to-be-more-active Mt. Fulcan had halted. With each flow the ridge had thickened, becoming the breathtaking structure it was today.
" Have a look."
Alan peered in first, changing his eyes to their red and gold image as he did. The inside of the cave was a rectangle a good thirty feet long and half as wide. The first thing that became evident to him--after the fact that there was no living creature inside--was that the cave had had inhabitants at some point. Human inhabitants. In the center of the unnaturally smoothed-out rock floor was a depressed bowl-shaped blackened area littered with charred pieces of wood. When he looked just above the fire-pit, he could see a reasonably-sized hole put in the ceiling for the purpose of a smoke-escape. This "chimney" was protected from the rain by a wooden structure outside and on the top of the ridge. The engineering was perfect to insure that the smoke would go up through the hole and not smoke everyone out of house and home. To the farthest back corner lay a huge pile of dry leaves and brush someone had stored for fire-keeping. To the other corner lay the bleached bone and decayed remains of some animal; from the looks of it a deer or equivalently-sized mammal. And over to the side-wall...blankets!
Yes, blankets! Just what they needed. They were all beaded and consisted of wool and materials dyed now-faded shades of reds and blues--suggesting their crafters to be natives--but oh they were such a welcome sight!
" Alexis, Seth, there's blankets! We've stumbled across someone's little hidey-hole! Let's go in."
Alexis was only a little hesitant. " Are you sure? What if the owners come back? "
" I'm sure they will understand." Alan ducked his head low and barely managed to squeeze under the small opening. One thing was for sure: whoever used this cave wasn't very big. It was hard to imagine someone like Barry as being able to squeeze through.
Inside, though cold, was nice and dry.
" Suppose the owners aren't friendly? " Alexis offered, but she'd already made up her mind that it was well worth the risk. She nudged Seth in front of her. " Go on."
" Not friendly? " Alan laughed, " Believe me when I say I don't think we'll have any trouble. From the looks of things this place has been abandoned for awhile now. Of course I could be wrong, but if any savages show up they'll wish they hadn't."
Once Seth was in, Alexis ducked to enter. " I hope the people around here are friendly for a change. We seem to have the worst of luck with people wanting us dead."
" I can't see! " Seth cried. The inside of the cave was pitch black, and he always had been a little afraid of the dark. It barely mattered that Alexis and Alan were right there with him; dark places were just spooky.
" I'm going to make a fire with the dry wood stored in here." Alan verified, his eyes glowing like embers in a fire. Indeed, his eyes were all either of his friends could see of him at the moment.
Outside the rain turned into hail as big as walnuts, pelting the ground mercilessly.
" It's a good thing we found this place when we did." Alexis remarked, glancing back out at the weather and thinking how horrible it would have been to be caught out in that onslaught.
Seth crouched close to her, not daring to stray too far. " Do you think the others are okay? " He asked.
Alexis turned to face him, trying to mask the worry she felt. It would do no good to get the kid all upset by admitting the truth: that she didn't know. " I'm sure they all found dry places too. We have to wait out this storm--it'd be ludicrous to try and do anything else."
At the farthest corner of the cave, Alan was already gathering the smallest of the brush pile to use as kindling. Fortunate that it was so dry and frail--the perfect fire-starter. He mounted a heap of it in the remains of the first fire, carefully replacing some of the dislodged stones around the lip of the pit to form a barrier. Withdrawing a lighter from his pocket, he set the first stick ablaze and watched in delight as the rest caught on and the fire spread quickly. He went back for more wood.
" Come on, fire's started."
Now the cave was dimly lit and Alexis and Seth could see the blankets he'd described.
" Blankies! " Seth rushed the pile, plowing straight into them and burying his face into the fabric. " Hey, there's pillows too! "
Four medium-sized feather-stuffed pillows made of animal hide lay next to the blankets, awaiting use. Alexis went over and picked one up, turning it about in her hands.
" Hey! Just what we need to beat the storm." Handing it to Seth, she picked up a blanket and stretched it out. It was quite large. More like a quilt, really. She gave her silent thanks to the cave's previous occupants for leaving it there.
Finished playing in the blankets, Seth raced over and warmed himself by the fire. Ah...this feels so good. He sat as close as he could without getting his face burned off. He was still soaked to the bone, but in time he would dry.
Alan sat next to him. " Hey little buddy."
Seth met his gaze, his warm brown eyes seeming to twinkle in the firelight. " Uncle Alan! You saved my life! "
Alan smiled and ruffled the child's hair a bit. " All in the line of duty."
It was then that Alexis approached, arms loaded with bedding. " All right boys. Let's make the beds."
This was met with a raised eyebrow from Alan. " You thinking of napping already? "
Alexis shrugged casually, tossing the largest of the blankets over the ground a reasonable distance from the fire. " You don't have to sleep if you don't want to. But I know that I certainly don't feel like running the mile, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to rest up for the search. Besides, I didn't happen to find any decks of cards laying around."
" We could just talk." Seth suggested, happy beyond words to have found his two very favorite adults besides his parents. And now they were camping out, with a fire and everything! This is so cool!
Well sure, there had been the whole freak-deal with the wolf-demons, but there was nothing to worry about now that Uncle Alan was here.
After arranging the pillows, Alexis layered the other three blankets into one warm super-blanket. Returning to the fabric-pile, she found some unused fabric which she used to wrap her arm. The bleeding had slowed by now, but it was still pretty painful. We're going to have to be extra careful around here...who says those killer wolf-things were the only monsters lurking around?
The whole island wasn't safe. And this was my ingenious idea. Great going, Alexis. She couldn't help but to feel a little responsible for the whole situation. True enough that freak storms were unpredictable, and she certainly had had nothing to do with the teleportation or the vicious beasts roaming the island, but it was her fault they were there in the first place. What was I thinking?
Once she was through with her arm, she went over and dug into her newly-formed nest, sitting upright and halfway under the covers.
" Sure you don't want to come lay with me? " When Seth looked her way she gave him puppy eyes.
That settled it. " Okay! " He sprang up and nearly tripped over Alan in his hurry.
" I see you have him wrapped around your finger." Alan mused, thinking it all very cute.
Seth dove under the covers and nestled into Alexis's side just as readily as he would his own mother. " I love you." He blurted, unsure what it was that was making him so emotional all of a sudden. He wasn't normally the mushy type.
Alexis rewarded him with a warm smile. " I love you too." She put her arm around him in an affectionate snuggle.
" Okay. We all love each other tonight." Alan laughed gently. He had always had a bit of a problem with saying those three tiny words. But he really did love his cousin and girlfriend. He would die for them. He wondered if they knew. " How's your arm? " He asked Alexis.
Alexis took once glance down at her arm--which was bleeding just slightly through the fabric in places--and made a face. " It hurts, but I'll live. Unless I...you know, mutate. But I don't feel any different right now."
Alan moved in closer, taking his place on the other side of Seth. " I didn't smell a virus on those creatures. It was weird. Normally freaks of nature like that reek of T or G virus, or at least some kind of experimental virus. But these ones smelled...normal. Sure, they had their own unique scent unlike any I'm used to coming across, but I didn't detect any viruses. Genetic tampering, I think. Though how they managed to twist the DNA of a wolf like that remains to be seen."
" There's also the annoying little matter of how they got on the island in the first place." Alexis pointed out, " Last I checked this area was uninhabited. We didn't see any buildings from the air, either."
" Not through trees, no. But it could be that this whole are is just a dumping place for unwanted or failed experiments." Alan played with the fringed edge of a blanket, running his finger back and forth over the rough edge and some of the trim before out and out rubbing it like some kind of good luck charm. It was a habit he'd had ever since he was a little boy. Strange how some habits stayed the same throughout a lifetime. He hadn't even consciously thought about it, but in his subconscious mind he associated the action with security, calmness.
Seth, now much warmer and a little bit cozy to boot, lay all the way down and Alexis joined him.
Beyond them, the fire crackled and danced, sharing it's heat and casting flickering shadows across the walls.
Alan looked deep into the flame, the blazing array of deep yellows, oranges, reds, and whites stirring some primal instinct from deep within him.
Alexis watched his steely gaze and her curiosity got the best of her. " Lost in thought? "
He shook his head. " Naw. Just...my father and I used to do this sometimes."
" What, hide out in caves with a fire while you waited out a storm? " She couldn't resist having a little fun with that comment.
Alan gave her a lopsided grin. " Not exactly. We used to build fires and have little 'talks'. Mostly about how I needed to bring my science grade up, but there were moments..." He shut his eyes, remembering gentler times.
Alexis laughed. " You are talking about Wesker, right? "
Alan's eyes snapped open. He gave Alexis an odd look, as if he could not quite comprehend her question. " Of course. I only have one father. And hard as this may be to believe, he wasn't always about the revenge, and the hate, and the painful deaths. He used to be more...human." He couldn't think of a better way to word it. Could that be part of the price of the T-2? Losing your humanity?
Alexis was thoughtful. " Maybe...maybe the virus made him more cruel? "
Alan shook his head, though he was not dismissing the idea entirely. " I don't know. I have the same virus, and I still care enough not to go around murdering everyone who gets in my way. My dad he...he stopped caring about a lot of things over the years. I think Spade and I are the only ones he cares about at all anymore. It's sad."
" It is." Alexis agreed, " But at least he still cares about something. Tell me...did you meet any of your other family on his side? Grandparents, cousins, anything? "
Alan sighed, putting his arms behind his head and leaning back, watching the firelight play off the ceiling and listening to the fury of the storm. " My dad's family? Let's see...Dad was pretty much an only child. He had a younger brother who died in a fire when they were both very young. That was my uncle Joseph. Lived to be a whopping two years old. As for my grandfather...all I know about him was that his name was Wren and he died in a railroad accident when my father was only nine years old."
" That's sad." Alexis was imagining a young Albert Wesker with his father and only sibling dead. It must have been hard on the poor guy, losing two of his family like that and at such a young age. Maybe it's part of the reason he's so messed up now. " What about your grandmother? "
" Grandma? Her name was Roberta, but everyone called her 'Birdie'. She raised my dad all by herself after Gramps died. I actually met her a few times. She was nice, but she always struck me as sort of strange. You know, like maybe she was a few Cokes short of a six-pack? Don't know if she was always that way or if it had something to do with my Grandfather and uncles' deaths, but...yeah, she was definitely a bit of a fruitcake."
Alexis nodded understandingly. " Know the feeling. Well, not personally of course, but I think few would argue that my family doesn't have it's fair share of mental problems."
" I think that just about everybody has a looney in the mix somewhere." Alan went on, loving the way that he could talk so openly about just so many things with Alexis, " Anyway, getting slightly back on track here, Grandma Wesker died years ago. We have cousins out there somewhere. Mostly the Whitakers and the Millers. Only met a few. Never really got the chance to know them that well."
As he was talking, Seth shifted restlessly, tired but unable to sleep. " Alexis? "
" Yeah? " She petted his hair reassuringly. The poor little tyke had every reason to be scared and upset. Her heart went out to him.
He nudged closer into her side. " Could you sing to me? Like you do when I stay the night? "
" Alright." She paused, trying to think of the right song. It would have to be something with a soft tune, something comforting. Something not Berceuse. Steve in particular became very upset whenever she sang that, and it did have a rather morbid theme. She had been told her mother had been quite fond of that song.
Seth fidgeted a bit. Something still wasn't right...he rolled over and then he knew. Seizing Alan's shirt, he proclaimed, " Get closer. I feel safer when you're closer." He tugged some more.
Alan was flattered. There was just something about being a little child's hero that couldn't be beat. It melted his heart.
" How's this? " He scooted closer, until his little cousin was practically sandwiched between him and Alexis.
" Perfect." Comfortable at last, Seth shut his eyes and snuggled into a comfy position while he awaited Alexis's song.
Alexis turned to Alan, her cheeks a light shade of red. " You...you wont mind, will you? Me singing? " She didn't know why she was suddenly so shy, she had sung around Alan a few times in the past and he had always told her she had a wonderful singing voice.
Alan shook his head. " Hearing you sing? Naw. Of course I wouldn't mind. You have a beautiful voice. I'd be crazy to mind." He settled down halfway in the blankets, keeping an eye out for danger but also allowing himself to relax a little.
Not that he was overly worried to start with. It was a safe wager that anything small enough to fit through the entrance hole he would be able to pulverize if need be. After years of fighting and killing mutants; cheating death time and time again, the idea of even the most savage of native islanders wielding spears and torches did little to terrify him. The only two people he really worried about weren't within a hundred miles of here, thank god.
Alexis cleared her throat and began to sing, her voice soft and melodious:
" Listen children to a story
That was written long ago
'Bout a kingdom on a mountain
And the valley folk below
On this mountain was a treasure
Buried deep beneath the stone
And the valley people swore
They'd have it for their very own...."
As she sang, she leaned over and nestled against Alan's shoulder.
Touched, he put an arm around her and hugged her nearer, being careful about his strength.
They looked very much like a family right then, with Alan and Alexis as the parents and Seth their child. It was in this setting, with the warmth of the fire to ward off the cold and tucked snugly between his two guardians, that Seth fell asleep.
