Chapter 14: Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell

Orski had kept the six of them there for another hour as he explained the entrance to the mines that spanned from Aviles to Santander and what they had found last night.

Among the mines, a large qanat system was also beneath the land of the greater coast; a type of drainage gallery where groundwater is captured. When the teams were in the mines, they had run into what sounded like another nest of the creatures. They had still managed to take a few samples of some Sedimentary rocks before they departed.

Michaels had been hoping that the lithification process of how the rocks had been formed over time would best help them understand the growing population of Plagas they had observed in the area. When Michaels had then discovered the fossils within, they had bagged up their samples of the rocks and redirected the mission to the portable lab with Michaels.

Resurfacing at the opening of the Aviles entrance had been when the fighting started. What was supposed to be a quantified list of known enemy engagements quickly came with the surfacing of many parasites from underground.

Orski currently theorized that they had been called either by Saddler, or even their queen now that they had Claire's information about the fate of Ashley Graham. When the teams had encountered the parasites in the mines, they seemed to be in a docile state, pacing back and forth around the nesting area just a mile in from the entrance.

Michaels had been made a priority as they retreated toward the vehicles. They needed to study the fossils in the rocks and the qanat water samples to learn more. Many soldiers from the Spain military had lost their lives trying to protect Michaels long enough for them to make it out of the valley. A total of eight other agents had either gone down or been reported M.I.A.

"We're going to be heading out to seal the entrance to the caves that we know about. Michaels is working on a chemical right now that we can dump into the three other wells throughout this area." Orski said as he began to conclude the meeting.

He had Diaz display the enlarged map of Aviles stretching to Santander. His finger hovering over the spot where Claire knew the first cargo ship to be.

"We need to move out in forty-five. When the USS Gladiator arrives, we'll have a little bit more to throw at them before we depart toward the island." Orski said as he turned back to them. The screens flickered back the USSTRATCOM logo background.

"Smith, you, and I are going to start at the mine entrance eight miles out of the city. Rosburg, and Miles will travel to the one in Aviles and do the same. Our other two agents outside will be heading toward the wells and will wait for our signals before they drop the chemical to start flushing the nests. I need to go check in with Michaels first before you two leave." He said to Rosburg, the one with the hair in a bun, and the other man with scars on his face that sat on Sebastian's other side.

Orski walked over to a far desk near one of the boarded-up windows. He snatched up something that jingled before he made his way back over to Claire and Sebastian. He proceeded to drop two sets of keys in Sebastian's hand.

"Rooms for you both are on the third floor, get cleaned up before we head out." He said, eyes locked with Sebastian's.

"What should I do?" Claire asked looking up from the keys in Sebastian's hand to Orski.

"You're getting your health screening with Michaels before you go anywhere. I trust you, but I need to be sure you're safe before we take you to the island. You can stay here and either help Diaz with communications, or Michaels in the labs. Careful around Michaels though, he's particular about his lab space."

Diaz nodded his head quietly in agreement as he gave Claire a polite smile.

Claire felt her stomach twist in knots, she didn't like the idea of splitting up, but it was the best route for the time they had.

Clasping the keys in his hand silently, Sebastian stood up and looked over at her, waiting for her to follow as he settled his bag over his shoulder. Claire glanced up to see Rosburg studying her again and then flicking his curious gaze over to Sebastian.

Ignoring the odd feeling in her stomach, she bid them all good luck and followed Sebastian toward the double doors that lead further into the hotel.

The French styled hallways of the Euro Star Real Hotel were magnificent. Claire knew from some of the books she had studied that the cities of Spain were rich in diversity when it came to foreign influences in the architecture throughout their history. Muslim invasions, the rise of Christian religion, the Renaissance, and other foreign influences had left their marks when it came to how some of the insides of some buildings were constructed and designed. Especially for hotels that housed the country's top visitors.

The Euro Star Real Hotel seemed to be of such a standing that it was a place to house celebrities, royalty, and diplomats.

Along with the French influences through the hotel's halls, the era of castles and Roman coliseums were sprinkled throughout the rooms that she and Sebastian passed on their way to the elevators. The most prominent design of the hotel was the 14th to 16th century new Renaissance style; a style that had begun to spread around the locals and had carried an Italian influence. This combined with the Gothic style buildings had created what was known was the Plateresco.

Feeling her nerves as the impending mission for Sebastian and the others in little under an hour, Claire found herself speaking all of this aloud to Sebastian softly as they walked. To his credit, whether he was interested or not, he stayed quiet and listened as she pointed out different pieces of history that interested her. She was more than animated when they passed certain artworks and she explained what she found to be the most beautiful in the paintings, statues, and designs of the building.

Chris had often told her that when she wasn't working on her motorcycle or finishing up some project for school, she was a downright chatterbox that never stopped talking about things she had learned or was researching.

She had begun to drift toward International Affairs and Religious Studies in her first few years of undergrad. The work with like minded students had been a haven for her. Aside from its uses with NGOs, it was truly part of her desire to know more about culture and better support human rights in the political world.

As Claire neared the hall for the elevators, she paused her current story and looked over at Sebastian in near mortification. His eyes were already on her; features relaxed as he waited for her to continue. As if he really had been listening that entire time.

"I'm sorry," she said, putting a hand to her mouth briefly as she gave a small nervous laugh. "You probably didn't need a history lesson before you get ready to go risk your life again. I think I'm just nervous, and I, um, really like Spain's buildings."

Claire had begun to stammer as she watched his signature slow smile pull up from the corners of his mouth. Claire felt like she was becoming painfully aware of how attractive he really was all over again when he was so expressive; he had been stoic for the last hour. Their interactions really were different when they were running and fighting for their lives. In quiet moments like these, Claire felt inferior as her chatty tendencies took over.

"I enjoy hearing you talk about the things you like; It lets me know who you really are," Sebastian leaned a little closer to her, his tone holding a slight teasing edge. "And if you hadn't noticed, I'd still like to know more."

Claire felt the customary flush up her neck but couldn't help the giddy smile that graced her features.

"Also, did I hear you say you were nervous? About what? Are you worried about me?" Sebastian asked somewhat incredulously as he began to walk slowly toward the elevators again.

"Well, yes." She said as she pushed part of her bangs behind an ear and followed him. "I'm not going to be with you, and if something happens—"

His eyebrows shot up as he fully turned toward her and stopped walking again.

"Red, you've been kidnapped in a castle outside of Lugo, kidnapped in a city in Lugo—" he struggled not to smile and lost as he had started to count off on his fingers as he went along. "—Kidnapped on a boat in Aviles, held at gun—"

Claire erupted into laughter around his facts and his antics. Her face lit up as her cackles echoed up to the vaulted ceiling. She glanced up to hear him chuckling with a pleased look across his features while he watched her lose it.

"Okay, when you put it like that," she was working out in between her giggles. "I may actually be your bad luck charm. I think you need a new partner."

He was studying her as she wiped at her eyes and shook her head.

"What?" She asked, the silly smile had not completely disappeared off her face yet.

"Your laughter." He said as his eyes roamed her face slowly as if to catch a glimpse of it again.

His hand swirled in the air as he recalled something. He went on to explain, "I've heard bits of it, but that kind of laugh is what we call homo ridens where I come from. The belief that you don't make a friend until you make them truly laugh."

"My therapist calls it a shadow mechanism. Apparently, I don't handle trauma well." Claire responded with mirth. "I like to think I just realize how ridiculous life can be. We all pretend to be reasonable people, dressed up for the day but we're all just animals beneath the garments."

"We should compare therapists then. Yours sounds nice." Sebastian retorted.

"You have a therapist, Sebby?"

"A psychologist, actually." His mouth twisted favorably around the use of the nickname.

"So, do you aim to make all your friends laugh like that?" She teased.

He gave her a pointed look and shook his head as if the answer should be obvious.

"Just me then?" She flirted, feeling more comfortable from the banter.

"Just you." His eyes were delighted as he raised one brow at her.

"We'll have to work on our jokes then. Here's my first attempt: How long does it take two people to get to an elevator?" She asked as she looked down at them standing in the middle of the hallway again.

Sebastian exhaled a small laugh as he looked toward the elevators and then back at her. The amusement in his eyes gave him an almost boyish look and she found her eyes consuming his demeanor. The happy smile was coming to her features easier this time.

Sebastian reached out and took her hand as they finally moved forward again.

As they passed a trash can, Sebastian reached into one of his many pockets and fished something out. He held up one of two keys that Orski had given them and tossed one into the trash. Leaving them with access to only one room.

"How do you know that I didn't want my own room, Mr. Smith?" Claire sassed as the elevator doors opened and they stepped inside.

Claire looked up as the silence dragged on for a few seconds. Sebastian had stepped up closer to her, the animal grace of predator radiating off him in waves. She startled slightly, turned toward him, and took a step back with a thrill lighting her insides. He was looking down at her with a heated glint in his eye as he caged her in the corner of the elevator. His large hands were curling up on the handrails on the left and right side of her.

"What part about when I said I'd like to 'wake up next to you every day' was confusing for you?" He asked in his deep tone.

Claire hastily filled her lungs with air as she became aware of how receptive her body was becoming when he used his voice like that. She briefly wondered if he knew how nice of a voice he had. Although he had grown up speaking French, it was clear that English had become a primary language for him as he had begun training with Umbrella. His English accent was crisp with a formal way of pronunciation, but Claire picked up the undertone of his accent by the way he drew out his vowels in some words.

When her tongue slipped out to wet her lips, she watched as his eyes tracked down to her mouth. He gave her a slow smile at the reaction.

Claire was staring up into his transforming expression and decided that he definitely knew what he was doing. Her words died in her throat when he let out a low laugh of triumph.

The Grim Reaper had more than a few weapons at his disposal.

Claire realized that he was learning exactly how to play her reactions and in rebellion, she reached out and grabbed one of the pockets of his vest. Pulling herself to him, her nose brushed his as she brought her face close and whispered, "One room it is then, but since I'm the perfect captive, sir, maybe you could use your belt again when you get back?"

The doors to the elevator slid open, announcing the arrival to their floor. Claire plucked their room key out of his hand and gave him a slow smile of her own before she ducked under his arm and walked out into the hall. Over her shoulder, she heard him hum before he began to follow her. His presence behind her felt like the wolf on the outer fence to the flock.

When Claire unlocked the door and pushed it open, her mouth just about dropped open as she walked down the hall leading further into the room. The Gothic style was replicated in the rooms too. The hallway led into a very large sitting room with a secondary room separated by Romanesque columns in the far back left corner. The ceiling was arched and allowed the blue carpet to give way to the colors of the cream chaise and the three lounging chairs that clustered around the multiple bay windows on the eastern side of the room.

An old, polished wooden tea table set with saucers and a tea kettle for anyone who wanted to explore what the kitchen had to offer off to the right. The wall sconces in between each bay window were beautifully crafted, iron wrought candle holders that held a thick white candle in each capital.

In the secondary room in the back left, the duvet across the bed matched the color of the cream-colored furniture. Claire noted the tall headboard above the bed and found herself sinking into her hip as she smiled to herself.

She was confident she had never seen anything so fancy in her life; she could have fit her entire apartment in the sitting room and still had space left over. Maybe there was something to being an agent who traveled a lot…or a mercenary. Claire turned her head as she heard Sebastian behind her.

Sebastian caught up to her and leaned down to whisper, "Still want your own room?" his lips nipped the shell of her ear as his hand wrapped around the back of her thigh just below her ass; fingers nearly brushing her clothed center. He gave the back of her thigh a squeeze before he continued forward and took his bag off his shoulder.

Claire found herself releasing a breath as she watched his retreating form walk over to the chaise and set his bag down. He began unhooking his vest before he pulled off his vest, coat, tactical shirt, and tossed them over the side of one of the chairs. He lifted his hands behind his head and quickly yanked his under shirt off his back with ease. He plopped down on the chaise and ran a hand through his dark hair, suspiciously keeping his eyes from hers.

His signature smirk was visible even from her distance away.

Claire could still feel where his fingers had been as she watched his muscles move beneath his skin in his back and stomach. Her own skin had begun to feel too tight while something old and primal whispered at the back of her mind as she observed what was being offered, taunted, and displayed.

Claire felt her decision pool in her lower stomach and she quickly glanced down at her wristwatch. They had about twenty-five minutes before he had to be out the door. She glanced back over at him as she considered how bold she wanted to be about teasing him.

She quietly pulled her own jacket off, pausing as the jacket tugged at her skin where the leather had melted and creased at her elbow. With no pain at all, she pulled the melted leather off and set her jacket on the small, wooden hallway table near the door.

Kicking off her boots and socks, she repeated the process with the rest of her clothes. She decided to leave her top on before she quietly padded over to him at the chaise in her panties.

Sebastian looked up as she neared, his hand momentarily froze with his ammo clip in his grasp. Hazel eyes were alight with the same desire she knew was reflected in her own. She had made sure to wait for his full attention before she decided to pull her hair out of the ponytail. Auburn hair tumbling around her pale shoulders with a flourish.

"Hello, Claire." He said lowly as his eyes traveled from her feet to her hips, lingering at her erect nipples before finally stopping back to meet her eyes.

He set his supplies back on top of his bag beside his feet and leaned forward in the chair. His voice was like warm honey as he said, "Something you need?"

"You're going to be late." Claire replied as she looked down at her wristwatch in quality showmanship.

"I still have—" He started to say.

"No, you're going to be late." She interrupted as she leaned in to sink her right knee between his legs on the chaise.

Deciding to turn his own tells on him this time, she was moving her hair back over a shoulder and watched his eyes follow. Her head tilted and she drew his eyes back with her own. As she crawled lithely up his long form, she placed her hand on his chest to push him slowly onto his back. The sound Sebastian made in the back of his throat made her smirk.

Sebastian's hands came around to her waist when she settled down on top of his lap. His belt buckle digging deliciously into her center and stimulating her clit as she squeezed her thighs around his hips. Claire rolled her hips into his as she leaned down and kissed him very slowly, hands running from his chest to his neck with deliberate precision.

Her hands pushed through his dark hair and gripped his strands while she used her teeth to pull at his bottom lip every few kisses. She heard him exhale in approval and she pulled back slightly to look into his opening eyes. His breathing had started to pick up and she was certain then that he was not a man often caught at a disadvantage; a lamb didn't usually stalk the wolf.

From the time she had spent with him, Claire saw Sebastian as a man of control. One of the most arousing features about him is how he seemed to love to tease and control her in the bedroom. She wondered if she could rise to that.

Claire leaned back from him to reach down and pull her camisole over her head. Not allowing him time to think, she brushed her bare chest against his as she laid over him and moved her mouth toward his neck. She felt him shudder beneath her and press his hips forward into hers. His fingertips were ghosting up her ribs before his hands cupped her breasts; his thumbs brushing her sternum.

Claire couldn't help but release a breathy moan into his ear as his fingers flicked her nipples. He lifted his head from the chaise and began to kiss at her shoulder, teeth scraping softly after each drag of his lips.

"I love the way you look at me, Sebastian." She said into his ear before she nipped the skin of his lobe. His hips jerked again at the sound of her breathless tone.

"Do you like the way I respond to you? Do you like the way my body can't help but react to you every single time you touch or look at me?" She reached down between them and gripped him through his pants. "I can't help but respond to your voice even when we're sitting with the teams around us. I crave to have you around me and I love it when you dominate me."

"Fuck," Sebastian breathed as he dropped his head back.

Claire released his cock before she moved her hands to either side of him and began to trail her mouth down to his collar bones and toward his stomach, slowly crawling her body back down toward the end of the chaise.

Sebastian's hand wrapped around the back of her neck and yanked her back up to his mouth to devour her lips. Claire was gasping a breath as she steadied herself with her palms on his chest.

"Going somewhere?" He asked roughly.

"I wanted to—" Claire was stammering into his mouth.

"You'll take what I give you, Claire."

Sebastian rolled and suddenly she was under him on the chaise.

Sebastian held himself up on his elbows as he settled himself between the cradle of her thighs. One hand roamed her right thigh before he brushed delicately over her clothed mound between them. His mouth moved down toward her breasts.

"You're already soaked, Claire. Did you enjoy having control for a little while?" He murmured as he leaned down and closed his lips around her right nipple. His tongue circled her nipple slowly before he would bite down gently.

Claire arched her back and pulled her knees up so that her feet were flat on the chaise, trying not to fall apart at the simple touches. She was already so overstimulated that if he continued, she was going to burst.

"Answer me." Sebastian demanded with a harsher bite to her nipple, the stubble on his cheeks slowly dragging over her skin as he lavished her breast. His fingers paused at her heat.

"Yes, Sebastian." She panted and pressed her hips further into his hand.

"Good girl."

Claire shuddered from the praise and from the side of his thumb that began to make small circles around her covered bundle of nerves. One finger dipped between the triangle of fabric and ran down her slick slit.

Claire felt the racing of her pulse and the tightening of her muscles, he was going to make her come just like this with her body singing in strong need. She only needed a little more.

His hand pulled away from her panties and she whimpered in frustration as she lifted her head to look down her body at him.

He was climbing up her, broad shoulders moving like a panther as his gaze burned into hers. The amber in his eyes caught in the streaming sunlight of the window next to them. Claire panted as his face came right up to hers and his left hand dragged behind as it glided up her side, his callouses raising her skin to gooseflesh.

He kissed her, his tongue tracing the seam of her lips. When she didn't immediately open her mouth, his hand paused at her chest and pinched her nipple. Hard.

As she gasped, Sebastian plunged his tongue in her mouth and pressed his hips back on hers in reward.

"I enjoy catching you looking at me the way you do." He was speaking softly into her mouth as he moved his hand down from her breast to slide beneath her ass. He gave a vicious squeeze before he pulled her against him harshly. "The pretty blushes you give me, Claire, it makes me want to consume you."

The kiss had turned possessive and Claire was moaning hotly into his mouth. The nightmare of their situation was falling away and all she could see, taste, and feel was Sebastian.

"Do you want me to fuck you?" He was pulling his face back from hers, his voice almost a growl with how deep it was.

Claire felt herself flush further as she held his eyes, she was half feral under the gaze alone. "Yes, sir."

Sebastian's low laugh was another reward as she heard the tinker of his belt buckle then and she wrapped her legs around his waist, causing him to grunt into her mouth as she pressed his trapped erection closer to her body.

"Sebastian, please." She begged softly as he took his time kissing from her mouth down to her neck and unclasping his belt.

"I do love it when you beg." He replied easily against her skin.

The timer on his wristwatch began to blare.

Claire groaned in frustration and tightened her legs around him again.

He let out a seductive laugh as his hand reached back and grasped her right hip hard, making her gasp out in need when his fingers dipped into her panty line. He gave one more thrust of his hips and then reached over to turn the timer off on the watch.

Claire put a hand to her chest to try and steady her heart as she stared up at him pleadingly. She had been the one that was supposed to be the one teasing him.

The pride of the lion was his disguise as he looked back at her and gave his best predatory smile.

"Don't look at me like that, Claire." He leaned his head back down and kissed at her lips maddeningly slow. "I'll be back to give you what you want soon."

Claire reached up and cupped his face. Her senses were starting to come back to her as she said, "I just want you, Sebastian."

Sebastian paused as he leaned into one of her hands, he let out a shuddered breath and closed his eyes for a moment.

"I think I'm starting to understand what all the fuss is about." He said as he opened his eyes again and began to detach himself from her.

Claire sat up and ran a hand through her hair as she watched him grab his gear. "What do you mean?"

He pulled on a clean shirt from his duffle and snagged up his vest, coat, and bag.

"Having a home, Claire; It's not a place." He said softly. "It's a person."

Claire felt her heart thumping again as she watched him give her his true smile. That tender look returned to his eyes and gazed out at her. With that, he turned and walked toward the hotel door.

"Be home soon."

Orski stood out by the truck behind the hotel. He sighed as he rubbed his eyes and looked at his watch. It was just past 2 PM. They would be able to reach the outskirts well before they had to worry about the dusk. He had stored the extra explosives in the back of the truck bed before he turned once more to look toward the pathway of the hotel. When he spotted Smith's emerging form, he sighed in irritated relief.

Sebastian Smith was not an agent he would have ever requested to have watching his back. The dossier for the cold agent was impressive enough for the desk jockeys back in the offices to clamor over, but there was something outwardly detached about the man. Orski had worked with him only once before, and there was never a moment of doubt that Smith could perform the job and manage his tasks. However, the human element had been missing.

Dr. Steinberg, a close friend to Orski, was the overseeing Chief Psychologist for the agency. Anytime Smith had been brought up, the doctor would shut down. Dr. Steinberg never breached his confidentiality or bid one bad word toward the agent, but there was a careful retreat to the subject.

Orski would not have selected him to accompany him for the mission at all if it hadn't been for one thing: Claire Redfield.

From the moment he watched the youngest Redfield shake his hand in Virginia, there had been a change. Something had come alive in the man's eyes.

Seeing them in the church had shocked Orski. Smith never took his sight from her. When she moved, he would naturally position around her in defense. It was more than just an agent protecting a charge.

Finding him in the pipe in Aviles had been pure luck, but when the agent had climbed out and demanded if he had seen Claire, he saw the original cold agent shining through. Beneath that though, Orski swore he saw fear. Smith cared about her on some level.

Orski was more than certain that whatever the feeling was, it was returned from Claire herself. Where Smith would reposition and watch her closely, she would move toward him unconsciously. Orski had watched her eyes seek him in comfort and observed as she would lean toward him or step into his side. Where she had been anxious and fearful underneath the bravado at the airport, she seemed to have gained strength in her time with Smith.

As Smith neared him at the truck, Orski recognized that something was awake in the man now and he wanted to see it in action.

As Smith got closer, Orski studied his face and eyed the agent's gear. Nothing seemed out of place and his equipment was efficiently prepared. Smith's dark hair was smoothed back behind his ears as the sharp gaze of the agent met his, unruffled by the assessment. He didn't seem to care that he was ten minutes tardy either.

Orski shifted a little. There was something else. Something in the posture. When the conclusion hit him, Orski fought with a smile and looked away as he thought for a moment.

"You do know who her brother is, right?" Orski asked.

Orski had worked alongside Christopher Redfield in the military for a few years. They were by no means close friends, but he knew of the older Redfield's plight in raising a younger sister by himself when their parents had died.

Smith's shift in stance was minuscule and when Orski looked up, he swore he saw a small whisper of a smile at the usually turned down corners of the agent's mouth.

"Right, because you don't just run into a deathtrap for any other reason back in Aviles. Just know that if it doesn't go well and she doesn't eat you alive first, her brother will." Orski said before he got into the truck.

"I'll keep that in mind." Smith replied as he slid into the passenger seat.

When Orski pulled out onto the back road, he saw Smith's eyes glance back at the hotel in the side view mirror as they pulled away and Orski finally let a smile slip as he drove.

Awake indeed.

Claire had stood in the shower for what was longer than necessary. She could still feel Sebastian's hands on her, but her mind was also caught on his departing message.

Was it possible to feel this strongly for someone after only a short amount of time? Claire wouldn't deny that part of her strong attachment came from wanting so badly for someone to look at her as he did. He wasn't just a placeholder for loneliness though. Despite his previous history, he was also someone who could understand where she came from and her motivations for doing things as she did. There was something about him that drew her in closer. A gentle knocking at the back of her cerebellum every time she saw him.

Do you see? It seemed to whisper. She did see and the swirling feelings were starting to form into words. Words that she wasn't sure the mercenary was looking for.

"The Archangel of earth, who stops at nothing for the pursuit of justice for those who need her protection, love, and vengeance."

"I crave what you give to those who don't deserve it."

"I don't know what comes after this, Claire, but I want whatever you will give me."

Sebastian's voice whispered through her mind as she leaned her head on the shower wall.

Each time she had struggled or been in danger, he had answered every single time. His eyes checking into hers like he could see the infinity of her soul.

There was also another element to their relationship that she couldn't help but focus on. Aside from sexual encounters, which he seemed to excel at, it was the gentler pieces of a relationship he seemed to have the strongest reaction to. Had no one ever needed or wanted him around before? When he said he didn't have a home previously, she hadn't quite understood what that meant to him.

The gentle knocking flared across her senses again. The words on the tip of her tongue was something she'd have to examine when they weren't fighting for their lives and the lives of a country.

When Claire was done with her shower, she stepped out to towel off and looked down at her clothes. With a sigh, she made a mental note to clean her undergarments in the sink and hang dry them before she went to bed.

After getting fully dressed, she rolled up the left sleeve of her jacket to match the burnt sleeve length on the right. Grabbing the hotel key, she decided it was time to go down and meet with Michaels. If she could, she was also going to need to find out where he was storing her blood.

When the elevator doors opened on the bottom level of the hotel, she realized she had no idea where the labs might be. She walked out into the T-junction and looked up the hall.

"Lost, Ms. Redfield?" Someone called out to her.

Claire turned to see Rosburg leaning at an open window near the stairs. He was smoking a cigarette as he studied her carefully.

"Looking for Michaels actually," She responded. "Could you point me in the direction of his lab?"

"Certainly," Rosburg said as he flicked the butt of the cigarette out of the window. He turned and walked toward her as he moved in the direction of the hall leading away from the command center.

"This way."

Claire felt her muscles tense as she walked behind him, keeping a good distance as her mental warning bells kept going off around the agent.

"How long have you known Agent Smith?" He asked casually as he looked back at her. When he saw she was a decent distance back, he slowed his walk, and forced Claire to catch up to him.

"Since the start of this mission." Claire said simply as she looked down the hall. A glass window on their right showcased what looked like a garden that led into a yoga or meditation center in the next room over. "Weren't you supposed to head out with the others?"

"My current partner is loading the truck. We had a bit of a snag." She could feel his eyes on the side of her face. "Under a week around Smith and so close already then?"

Claire paused her steps and turned her attention back to the agent. When he paused in the hall with her, she considered him for a moment before she began walking again and swept past him. "I think I can find the lab on my own from here, thank you, Rosburg."

"Just curious is all. I was his partner for a while, and I've never seen quite as many interactions out of him as he was with you for the one hour in our meeting. Use caution, Ms. Redfield. He's not what he seems." Rosburg warned before he turned and began walking the way they had come from.

"None of us are these days, creep." She thought darkly as she listened to his receding steps.

As she rounded the hall, she looked left to see that the next hall spanned down the lengthy side of the hotel. A few of the lights on the walls had gone out, making this hallway a little dimmer than the others.

Near the very end of the hall, she could see a door propped open with light pouring out into the hallway. Deciding it was a good place to start, she headed toward the door.

Her eyes caught on one of the paintings near a stained-glass window just before she approached the door.

It was a painting she knew very well and let out a small incredulous laugh at the coincidental meaning it kept having in her life.

On the wall was a painting by Johann Heinrich Füssli. The painting was a sweeping color of greys, dark blues, and red. The upper portion of the painting depicted the distance of a battlefield and the greater sky. The middle point was of Thanatos, the Greek God of Death, who waited with open arms as his great dark wings seemed to span the circumference of the sky. Below him were the humps of bodies that swept the battlefield.

At the bottom of the painting, two hands could be seen, opened like a book. Fire roared in the unseen person's palms. Within the flames of the fire, a great reaching tree was reflected in the flames. Under the tree, the roots fanned out into the fire's eternity.

"Only the fire of life can melt the chains of death." Claire whispered as she translated the memorized words in German below.

Somewhere between heaven and hell, she thought she may keep finding Sebastian too.