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50. Claire

Everything happened so suddenly that Claire didn't even have a chance to process the events. In a blink, the woman went from sitting with Leon on the pavilion to struggling not to hyperventilate as she sensed the hostile movements inside the shadows. The darkness engulfed her, and Claire instantly started to panic. She held her breath and her voice, knowing that something lurked in the shadows.

It was too dark. Claire could hear the monstrous, guttural sounds around her, the same haunting sounds that followed her in her nightmares.

Butt isn't a dream. It is real.

Her doppelgänger was right. It wasn't a nightmare, no matter if she wished it was. The "demons" were there; the screams of fear and pain that surrounded her were real. The ominous feelings brought her a familiar sense of hopelessness. Her heartbeat accelerated as she bit her lip, listening to the shuffling noises that surrounded her.

Make sound, and you'll regret it. That's the rule of the game, remember?

Her doppelgänger whispered in her ear. Claire felt her hands tremble as she searched for Leon blindly.

Why are they here?

You know why. We always find each other, always.

Her doppelgänger's words were enough for Claire to understand. This incident was another cruel game orchestrated by the ones who had held her prisoner. Just another stage prepared to test their monsters in the field.

Do you remember it now?

Claire held her head. The whistling in her ears and the sudden headache almost made her groan, and flashes of memories crossed her mind, visions of dark corridors, screams, and blood. Her body tensed up, and she suddenly felt cold. Claire wasn't sure if she was trembling, but she staggered when she felt a tug on her arm.

Claire's instinct automatically told her to defend, but she was glad that she'd refrained from doing so. It wasn't a monster who had grabbed her arm but Leon. Claire saw his handsome face illuminated by the light of his phone's flash. The man had his finger on his lips; his blue eyes locked with Claire's, and he pointed into the dark with his head. It was difficult to see since it was too dark and the creatures ran away from Leon's flashlight, but Claire didn't need to see them.

Leon turned his phone and showed her the screen.

"Are you okay?"

Leon knew how darkness terrified her, so he was concerned about the effect that the sudden blackout would have on her. Claire felt grateful for the agent's thought; she closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing, focusing on Leon's warm touch. Indeed, the darkness had stirred some panic in her, but now that she could see Leon's face under the little bits of light available, she felt a little less tense.

He's here. I am not alone.

But being here might kill him.

The soft howl that sounded from somewhere nearby validated what her doppelgänger was saying. The B.O.W.s surrounded them. One wrong move and they could get killed.

"I am okay," Claire wrote on her phone.

"Are you sure?" Leon wrote.

Claire took his hand and nodded. Leon seemed relieved, but it was too early to feel relieved.

"The blackout is only in the courtyard," Leon typed. "If we can get to the main building, we can escape the monsters."

Claire looked at him. Leon wasn't the kind of man who would prioritize running away when he knew that there were other people in danger nearby. He was the kind of person who would want to help as many people as he could, and that was what she loved about him. His suggestion of running away to safety was a surprise, but it took a minute for Claire to explain why Leon had chosen to escape. He was doing it for her safety.

Will you escape? Leave all those innocent people to die in the hands of those demons?

Leon grabbed her hand and led her stealthily out of the pavilion. The small light of their phones' flashlight wasn't as efficient as a flash grenade or the special UV ammo, but it was enough to keep the B.O.W.s at bay. The beings moved away from the path, scattered by the fear of the light. The courtyard was currently in silence, except for the guttural growls. The deadly silence could only mean two things: either the people had found a way to reach the safety of a light source, or they had all gotten killed. Sadly, Claire was sure that it was most likely the latter.

The B.O.W.s were ones that Claire had met before, as well. Like the ones that Chris had met on that ship in Wales, these monsters were also pack-beings. The ones crawling around them were nothing more than pawns, and the alpha had to be somewhere nearby.

Something brushed against Claire's right ankle, and suddenly, she felt Leon tug at her. The pair took refuge behind some bushes, and Claire heard clearly as the creatures passed near them. One of the B.O.W.s passed close to her. To avoid being discovered by contact, the woman ended in a slightly awkward position with Leon. Considering their level of intimacy -as Saya liked to call it- lately, it was perhaps the closest they had been so far. Claire could feel his breathing on her ear, but if they tried to move, there was a chance that the monsters would notice their presence.

Two of the creatures brushed her skirt as they crawled behind her, and Leon pulled her closer. Their space was limited, and any movement would give them away if they were not careful.

They will find you; she will find you.

The creatures were uncomfortably close to them. Claire and Leon could almost feel when one of the B.O.W.s scuttled behind or in front of them. With limited visibility, it was hard to move around the courtyard without accidentally passing one of the monsters, which would reveal their presence.

Pawns. I wonder where the queen is?

Suddenly, Claire felt Leon tug at her. They both fell behind some bushes, just in time to avoid one of the monsters that passed near them. Leon put his finger to his lips, and Claire nodded silently. She could hear the sound of movement and vibration on the ground, and Claire could, even, feel the sour breath of some of the creatures in the vicinity.

It is close.

She didn't need her doppelgänger to know that. Claire could feel it, she didn't know how, but she did.

We need a distraction, something to pull them away from us. Claire begged in her thoughts.

To her surprise, her prayers get answered. The miraculous distraction came as a loud clatter of broken glass. The sound came from the opposite direction of them, and it was loud enough to catch the B.O.W.s' attention. All the creatures rushed away with a hiss, and Leon and Claire sighed, relieved.

"That was lucky..." Leon typed in his phone.

"Yes. We need to move. Those are barely pawns. The alpha should be nearby."

"Alpha?"

"It's a long story. I will tell you later," Claire typed, and Leon nodded.

Moving across the courtyard in the dark was challenging. Yet, after a while, Claire's vision got used to the darkness, and she began to make out shapes in the shadows. She was guiding Leon, making sure to avoid as many B.O.W.s as she could. The main building couldn't be too far.

Where are you going?

Claire stopped in her tracks, feeling bewildered. That wasn't her doppelgänger's voice. In fact, she didn't know whose voice that was. It was soft, almost a whisper. She'd never heard it before, but something in the tone made her shudder. It was cold, emotionless, and empty.

Why are you leaving me? Come to me.

Claire looked around. Something had changed. She could sense it in the air, a bitter presence, hostile and dark.

Where are you?

Claire was starting to panic. The voice sounded all around her, so she couldn't tell who was talking, and since Leon wasn't reacting to it, Claire guessed that the voice was inside her head.

Something is coming.

This time, it was her doppelgänger. Her younger version stood between her and Leon. She had leaned closer to Claire to whisper in her ear.

She is here. What are you going to do?

Suddenly something jumped between Leon and Claire. The force of the impact caused the duo to separate abruptly. They both rolled on the ground in opposite directions, and Claire felt her back collide against something hard, sending a wave of pain down her spine. She struggled to get on her feet and automatically looked around, searching for Leon.

He's there; she found him first.

"No!"

Claire heard Leon struggling. He was very dark so she couldn't see where her partner was. But she didn't need to see him, to know that Leon was in trouble.

"I need to find him..." Claire mumbled desperately, "but I can't see..."

We can see beyond the darkness, don't forget.

Claire took a deep breath. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she could make nitid forms despite the lack of light.

The BOW was different from the rest of the critters that lurked in the darkness. It was bigger and a lot more savage. The monster stretched its neck, and its faceless head opened into a large mouth filled with sharp teeth.

"To hell with silence," she heard Leon snap, followed by gunshots.

Leon had brought his handguns to the party. Somehow, that didn't seem to surprise her. The bullets hit the monster's head on target, but it was as if nothing had happened. The creature didn't even feel it.

"Hey, are you okay?" Leon said, looking at Claire while evading the attack from several minor B.O.W.s.

"Yeah, I am okay. Leon, be careful!" Claire cried.

"I can handle it. You..."

Claire didn't hear what he said. The sound of roars surrounded them as the monsters began attacking. Unlike Leon, Claire had not brought weapons hidden under her skirt, something she now regretted, so she had no choice but to fight them using pure physical force. It wasn't the best way to combat them, but surprisingly, Claire found that body combat was more effective than she had anticipated. Maybe she had underestimated the heels.

"Leon!" Claire gasped when she finally reached him. His factions were hard to make in the dark, but she could sense the relief in his demeanor, "Are you in one piece?"

"Always," Leon replied, almost sounding amused. "You?"

"Yeah, I might have to change my opinion regarding heels."

Leon snorted.

"You mentioned an alpha, and I think I have an idea of what you mean. So that thing is the alpha?"

Claire stared at the monster. It certainly looked like the leader of the pack, but something seemed out of place.

No.

"No, it isn't the alpha. It is a betta, I think."

"A betta?"

"It's a long lecture," Claire answered, "the alpha should be around here. It controls the moves of the packs. We need to be careful."

"So these monsters are attacking us on command?" Leon said, "That explains it. I thought it was a pretty clean attack, unlike the other ones."

Claire didn't ask what he meant. She was busy keeping the monsters on her side at bay. Suddenly, Claire came to a halt. She instantly put her hand on her temple as she felt a piercing pain pierce her head.

I found you.

"Claire?"

Claire groaned. The pain was almost unbearable, and she fell on her knees. Every sound of her surroundings got muted, and it almost felt as if the world went in slow motion.

The B.O.W.s stopped their attack as one frail figure made its way between them. The person -a girl younger than Moira- wore a white camisole. The contrast of her white clothes and her platinum blonde hair almost made her look like she was glowing in the dark, like some unreal being. The girl looked at Claire, and their eyes locked, making Claire shudder. Her eyes were blank and lifeless, and Claire instantly knew what she was facing.

"What the hell," Leon mumbled, aiming his gun at the woman.

The girl shook her head, listening to the sound around her. The gesture was almost feral, like a predator trying to track its prey.

I finally found you.

"No," Claire whispered to him.

"What?" Leon asked her incredulously.

Claire placed her finger on his lips, but it was too late. The girl in white let out a terrible cry and disappeared from their sight. Instinctively, Claire looked around, trying to find her in the darkness, but the frail girl was faster than she looked.

Suddenly, Claire heard Leon growl. The girl in white had lunged at him. She hung on his back with her thin arms around his neck. Her fingers had stretched out, creating long, razor-sharp claws, and her gaze had turned murderous.

She's targeting Leon!

Claire felt the sudden desperation, anguish, and horror building in her. Her hands trembled, not knowing what to do.

He will die.

Her doppelgänger's voice whispered.

No, he can't. I can't let it happen.

Claire grabbed her head as some disembodied voices resounded in her head. They were like screams and cries.

He will die, just like the others did.

Her doppelgänger said playfully.

No, he won't. I won't let that happen.

The warped sound grew louder, and Claire grabbed her head.

I can help you. All you have to do is remember.

The events that followed were a blur. Claire ran to the girl in white, tackling her with a leap. The force of the impact managed to make her release Leon, and both women rolled on the ground. Claire's head felt like it was about to explode, but the woman ignored the pain and glared at the girl challengingly.

The girl in white screamed again, and her appearance changed once more, becoming more monstrous. The skin on her face cracked open. The corners of her lips elongated until her mouth seemed to divide her face into two parts. Claire groaned, feeling a strange sense of Deja Vu.

The girl in white jumped on her, and both women struggled. Claire felt her claws tear her skin, but oddly, it was as if the pain was absent. Suddenly everything around her seemed to have disappeared.

You'll have to let it go. The doppelgänger said. Only then will you defeat it.

Let it go?

Remember it.

And then, it was as if the jar had burst. All its contents started to leak out. Fleeting memories of the eight months that Claire had been captive began to flow, and it was as if her body reacted on her own. Claire didn't realize what was happening. By the time she came to, the girl in white was lying on the ground. Her dress was dyed crimson from the blood pouring from a hole in her chest.

Claire was beginning to wonder what had happened. When she realized that she was holding something in her hands, and when Claire looked down, she realized that not only were they covered with a warm, sticky liquid, but they were also holding something the size of a fist. Her doppelgänger was kneeling by her side, with a cold smile.

Gorgons, the doppelgänger said, the only way to kill them is by tearing their hearts.

Claire dropped the organ to the ground in horror, and suddenly everything went black.