10. Claire
Claire staggered, but she did her best to hide it. Her headache had hit her out of sudden, piercing her skull like an ice peak hammered into her brain. The pain made her dizzy, and that made her way through the forest harder.
Despite the discomfort, Claire kept quiet. The last thing she wanted -or needed- was to worry Leon and delay their way even more.
Her will power was strong, but unfortunately, her body would not cooperate. Her legs were weak and shaky, so she was struggling to keep herself on her feet.
Great. What's wrong with you, Claire? I was alright up until now. Why did the headache return?
Claire blamed the hike. She had a decent physical condition, maybe not as good as Leon or Chris, but she could handle the exercise. However, hiking had never been something she liked, and the effort she had to put into climbing the rocky surface was most likely the cause of the return of her headache.
"We should find refuge before the sun goes down completely," Leon said, stopping to look at Claire.
Leon's sudden decision to stop and find refuge took her by surprise. Usually, he would be more into the plan of moving faster and wasting no time trying to rest.
"If you are correct, those monsters will come out as soon as the sun goes down."
Leon had a point.
"Uhm, you are right," Claire sighed.
Claire saw Leon give her an encouraging smile.
"Besides, it's been a long day. We need to rest," Leon said, cleaning the sweat from his forehead. "We are both tired, and we need our strength to fight. Pushing ourselves to the limit is a stupid decision."
Claire rubbed her neck and sighed. When he put it like that, Leon was right. A tired body was not as effective, and in their current predicament, effectiveness and sharpness were everything.
"You're right," she said, "The question is where?"
Claire did not want to admit it, but she was grateful for Leon's decision to call it a day. Her headache was making her nauseous again, and she was not sure of how long she could keep up her facade.
After walking around the cliff for a while, they found a small cave, hidden between some bushes. It was not a five stars hotel room, but it would serve its purpose.
Leon made sure the cave was clear before they finally settled down inside, and Claire watched him pick up some branches and plants and to make a makeshift door to camouflage the entrance. It's a smart move; it might have been useless to keep foes out, but at least it would keep them concealed.
Claire's snorted to herself. The Leon she'd met years before would not have been so thoughtful, but the Leon beside her now was no longer a rookie cop but an experienced agent. His years of service had made him a cunning man.
"So that's what the government teaches their agents? How to make woodland crafts?" Claire asked playfully.
Leon smirked, putting the "door" in its place.
"Sure," he answered in the same playful tone, "It's rule 4 in How to be an agent 101."
Claire laughed as he followed her joke. At least, his sense of humor had not changed. It was a comforting thought.
Suddenly, Claire felt an electric pain hit her, and she rested her head against the cave's wall, hoping that it would pass soon.
"Chris would kill us if he saw us," she whispered.
"Why?"
"Keep yourself focused. No time for jokes," Claire said in a low voice that tried to mimic Chris's grunt.
Leon laughed at the impression, and she smiled. She felt a little guilty for mocking her brother, but Claire knew that Chris would most likely react that way.
"Sounds about right," Leon laughed, "I can't picture Chris joking around in normal circumstances, even less in a mission."
"I keep telling him that sometimes a little humor is what you need to keep yourself going."
"Maybe he needs to learn. You should teach him."
Claire found Leon's suggestion ironic. She teaching Chris how to relax was a crazy idea when the woman was the worst example of relaxation. Family always had its perks, and Claire knew that she was not too different from Chris in many things.
"Uh, I doubt he will be willing to learn from me," Claire chuckled, "but Chris wasn't always like that, you know. He used to be a little more chill."
With their current job, Claire had very few chances to meet her brother. Sometimes she didn't see his face in more than six months, which made the changes in his personality even more noticeable.
"Chill?" Leon said incredulously, "Is that even possible?"
"You are one to talk. Each time I see you, you're grumpier than before," Claire said, resting her chin on her knees.
If there was someone she saw less than her brother, that was Leon. They were good friends since surviving the Raccoon incident created a strong bond between them. That friendship survived distance and time, but the few times Claire had met Leon, she had noticed the change in his character. The friendly and naive rookie had disappeared, and instead, the cool-headed, serious, and quiet agent had taken his place.
Everyone around her seemed to change each time she saw them.
Am I the only one who doesn't seem to change?
Change scares you. Metathesiophobia is a condition, too.
The tiny voice in the back of her mind made her headache stronger, but she ignored it. It wasn't the first time that Claire had monologues with her inner ghosts, but today the phantom voices seemed more active.
"Then, maybe I should ask you to teach me, too," he snorted.
"What are you saying?" Claire said, rolling her eyes. "Sometimes, I feel like I should be more like you two."
Leon shook his head, and Claire wondered what the agent was thinking?
"You are perfect the way you are, Claire. It is enough with one Chris Redfield or me in this world. There's no need to add another one into the equation," he said, "and honestly, the world would be a better place with more people like you."
"If there were more people like me, the world would be chaos," Claire snorted bitterly, "I caused a lot of trouble because of my naiveness."
"It sounds like you are too hard on yourself, Claire."
He doesn't get it, does he?
Would he say the same if he knew all the pain you have caused?
Claire grabbed her head and rubbed her temple. The voices in her head were becoming annoying, and suddenly, her ears filled up with an electric buzzing that messed up with her focus. She looked at Leon and caught him deep in thought, and suddenly, she felt oddly comforted.
"And you guys are just too soft on me," Claire snorted bitterly, "When I think back of all the things I've messed up..."
Claire looked blankly at the wall in front of her. She could feel Leon's gaze in the dark, and she was glad that he couldn't see her. The pain in her head was getting worse, and she feared that the agent would notice it. Luckily for her, Leon's attention was somewhere else.
Leon reached for his gun. The man looked alarmed, and she knew the reason as soon as she heard the distant roar.
Claire recognized it immediately. She had heard the same howls the night before when she had seen the two monsters in town.
She followed Leon to the cave entrance and peeked outside.
Claire held her breath as she watched the disfigured monster eat the smaller ones, and as if the scene wasn't horrible enough, the creature's body began to contort and twist into a more monstrous being.
"What the..." Leon whispered.
Ah, poor thing. It is mutating. Sad, sad.
"It's mutating, I think..." Claire said.
"Mutating?" Leon looked at her, confused.
"Yes, that's how it looks."
"Is it the one you saw yesterday?" he asked.
Claire shook her head.
"No, this one looks different."
Something was wrong about that creature. Claire stared at the blood dripping from the creature's mouth, the tissue falling from its body, and the raw muscle underneath the torn skin. The image made Claire's stomach twist. Considering her background, that was something very odd as she had seen worse things before.
When they saw the monster crawl into the darkness, she was finally able to release the breath that she had been holding. Her heart was beating fast, and she was unsure of why she felt so agitated.
"I think I understand what you meant by bigger friends," Leon whispered."We didn't see anything like it during the day, so either we were lucky, or you are right, and they are nocturnal."
"B.O.W.s that come only during the night. Talk about nightmarish monsters..." Claire sighed, "I am just glad they didn't find us, but I've got the feeling that our luck won't be that good for too long."
"Well, we'll face it when it comes. Don't worry about it," Leon sighed.
They returned to the back of the cave and sat down quietly.
"How are you feeling?"
"Me?" she asked, surprised, "I'm peachy."
Leon looked at her skeptically.
"You can't fool me, Claire. You've been struggling since that climb we did," Leon said, "Is it your head? Is it bothering you again?"
Claire let out a vague snort and shook her head.
"I told you I didn't like hiking," she replied, "I am alright. My head bothers me a little when I am tired, but it's not bad. You should know how concussions work."
Leon's expression was unreadable, but Claire had the odd sensation that the man had not believed him.
"Yeah," Leon sighed, "Try resting a little."
"I had my share of sleep yesterday," Claire said, shaking her head, "You must be exhausted, though. You didn't sleep at all. You should be the one taking a nap."
"I work better with less sleep," he half lied.
Claire glared at him. Leon could be a super agent, but he was still human. Humans needed rest.
"Liar," Claire muttered. "You know you don't need to act all cool with me. Get some sleep, idiot. I'll take the first watch."
"Fine, but only if I can use your lap as a pillow," he joked.
Claire rolled her eyes. Leon could flirt at any moment. That was, probably, what made Leon, well, Leon. She smacked his arm and sighed.
"You are such a flirt, Leon. I guess that side of you has not changed," Claire chuckled. "Go to sleep, idiot."
She heard Leon laugh, and the sound made her feel a little better. If he could still laugh in this situation, things could work out.
Those are only hopes. Things never work out well when it comes to these situations.
"You know, I think you are the only person who dares to call me an idiot."
"Well, if I can call Chris an idiot, I can definitely call you an idiot."
The privilege of calling Chris an idiot was naturally Claire's right as his sister. She had called him all sorts of things in her life, and Chris had always let her.
"Now, I have to argue about that. No one would dare call Chris an idiot, but you have special treatment."
"Do I get special treatment with you?"
"Maybe..." Leon smirked.
"Do you tell all your partners that?"
"Only those who I like. What? Getting bored with paperwork and considering a career as an agent?"
"Nah, I am not agent material. You know that, Leon?"
"What are you talking about?" he chuckled, "You were agent material even before I was. Rushing into Raccoon City in search of Chris and saving Sherry, and taking care of all of us..."
"You sure are sentimental today," Claire snorted. "What's up with you today?"
"Well, this brings back memories," Leon sighed, "Can you blame me?"
"It does?" Claire asked.
"Yeah. I think I kind of missed this."
"Sleeping in a cave surrounded by bloodthirsty parasitic entities and mutant monsters? I can't say I share the sentiment, but who am I to judge?"
Claire waited for Leon to answer, but he did not, so she assumed he had fallen asleep already, and her lips curled into a victorious smirk.
No need to sleep my ass. Of course, you will fall asleep right away.
Leon had let her sleep the whole night before, which meant he had not gotten any sleep at all. One sleepless night, plus the walking and climbing they had done, would be enough to exhaust anyone.
The sudden silence, however, made Claire feel lonely, and she hugged her knees and rested her head against the wall. Some light beams crawled into the cave through the holes of their makeshift door.
It was quiet outside, and Claire felt a shudder crawl down her back. Somewhere out there, there were horrible monsters ready to kill them. Why were some people so fascinated about creating those monsters?
She would never understand the reasoning behind B.O.W.s. The creatures were uncontrollable; they could not distinguish friends from foes. They killed anything in their way, leaving a path of destruction. What kind of weapon was that?
Claire's gaze wandered to the man sitting in front of her. She felt a little guilty for dragging Leon into that pit, but at the same time, she was happy that he was there.
It's your fault. Leon shouldn't be here, but he came because he tried to help you.
Claire shook her head, trying to clear up her mind. She wanted to ignore that little voice, but she knew it was right. Leon wasn't supposed to be there. They had kidnapped her, not him, and he had only ended up there because of her. Another sudden thought crossed her mind, and she bit her lip with worry.
What if Chris and the others were in trouble, too?
Get a hold of yourself, Claire.
"How is it that I always end up in these situations?"
Claire didn't get the chance to reflect on her poor luck. She suddenly felt a cold shiver run down her back, and her head automatically turned to the entrance.
Claire was not sure what had prompted to look, but she suddenly felt very uneasy. She listened carefully, she could hear Leon's soft breathing, but the rest was quiet. No howls, no screams, no animals. Everything seemed tranquil. Then why did she feel alarmed?
Her ears soon caught a sound that she hadn't noticed until then. It was a low distant whistle. The sound was soft and hypnotic, almost as if it was calling at her. Without realizing it, she had gotten on her feet and started to walk to the entrance, but before she had reached the entry, she snapped back to reality.
Claire stood there looking confusedly at the complicated net of branches and leaves that Leon had knitted earlier.
What am I doing? she thought.
Unable to explain how she had suddenly appeared standing in front of the entrance, Claire was about to return to her spot at the end of the cave, but before she had even given a step, she heard the loud crack of breaking stone. Suddenly, she felt her body get pulled outside with a violent force. Her body crashed against the cave's door as she got pulled through it, and the branches managed to scratch the patches on naked skin unprotected by clothing, leaving red marks over her milkfish skin. The woman rolled a few feet over the grass before stopping when her back hit a tree painfully.
Claire groaned. She looked up, trying to understand what had happened when she saw the last thing she wanted to see. Her eyes went wide in horror. She reached for the rifle hanging on her back, and without thinking twice, she aimed and shot.