Author Note: This is a Resident Evil fluff from Alice's P.O.V reflecting on what has happened to her since the beginning of the Zombie Apocalypse. It will have snip-its from each movie entangled with my own ideas in the hopes of painting the full picture of the trials and tribulations of our hero; Alice Abernathy.

Major spoilers in this chapter for RE 4 & 5 movies. I have explicitly left the final RE movie (RE:6), out of this story. I opted for a different ending than Hollywood. If you don't want spoilers, you've been warned. For those of you who have seen the movies countless times (such as myself) I hope you enjoy!

Please let me know what you think with a review or leave a comment if you did/did not enjoy!

Updated 2021-03-31: Edits to the text, since this was last updated in 2016! So long ago! :)

-2-

I dropped my sword mid swing. Sun kissed arms wrapped around my waist, the force knocking us backwards into the bloody ocean. This was not an illusion, I can touch her skin, feel her breath on the nape of my neck, smell the scent of oranges in her red hair.

The last time I saw her seemed like a lifetime ago. We were aboard a ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, right before another raid by Umbrella ensued. All we've been through, it felt like an entirely other universe.

-\-

…After Tokyo, I made my way to Alaska, satisfied that Wesker had died in the plane crash that I had miraculously survived. I was prepared to settle down in what was possibly the last human settlement on the planet, however when I arrived, it was not what I had expected. Countless abandoned planes and vehicles scattered a large, open field. There was no signs of encampments, supplies or survivors. I managed to find the Umbrella helicopter Claire and the other escaped in next to the shoreline. It too had been abandoned, the red tattered notebook I gave K-Mart months ago sitting in the cockpit. If Arcadia was in fact just a pipedream, what happened to all the people? Was it really possible I was the only human left alive?

…As I contemplated the possibility of being alone for the rest of my life, I caught a movement in the treeline by the beach. I drew my weapons, making my way back towards the plane graveyard, believing I was being stalked by Umbrella or the infected. As I approached one of the planes, a murder of crows flew straight at me. After they dissipated, I holstered my guns. Maybe I could see something deeper in the forest from above. As I turned to head to my plane, someone punched me hard across the jaw, sending me to my knees, dazed. We fought, where eventually I gained the upper hand, knocking them back against the wing to the plane, unconscious. I cautiously approached the woman, her hair and skin black with mud. As I turned her over to see her face I recognized her instantly...

…It was Claire Redfield, the fearless leader I had met in the Nevada dessert almost three months ago. As amazed as I was to see my friend once more, I noticed that there was something metallic attached to her chest. It was shaped like a bug, with it's body glowing red, and legs twitching. I didn't know what it was, but it had to be the work of Umbrella. I needed to remove it if I had any chance of getting my friend back...

…While camping that night, Claire came too, scared and none to happy about the restraints around her wrists. I asked her questions, trying to gage if she remembered anything about what happened after Nevada, or who I was, or even who she was. All that stared back were blank eyes. The Medusa bug attached to her chest was injecting her with some sort of drug that caused memory loss. I only hoped the memory loss would be temporary...

…The next morning we took off in my two-seater plane, setting a course down the Western seaboard, hoping for signs of life or the fabled Arcadia. Claire was not very talkative, still apprehensive to trust me, and to be honest, I felt the same about her. To help break the ice, I told her the story of how we met, mentioning people from her convoy in the hopes of eliciting some sort of response. That was when the L.A. skyline appeared. The city that once promised dreams was ablaze. Buildings still burned with flutes of grey-black smoke billowing into the sky. It was unlikely anyone was left alive, the city now overrun by the undead. As I circled for a closer look, I noticed a large, fortified building that was surrounding my hundreds, if not thousands of undead. I could make out people moving on the roof, and not shambling, brainless creatures, these were survivors, possibly all that remained of the City of Angels...

…The landing was rough to say the least. With only a small strip of ground to work with, I needed to be precise, and even then we managed to break through the cement walls, dangling over the pit of the undead like a piece of juicy meat. Luther West, a once famous basketball player, grabbed the tail of our plane and pulled us back from the edge. With him was Angel Ortiz ex-military, and a woman named Crystal who, like so many before her, moved to LA in the hopes of landing it big as an actress. They welcomed us with open arms for we were the first humans they'd seen since barricading themselves inside the prison two months ago...

…Celebrations did not last long. Claire and I learned a vital piece of information. Arcadia was not a place, it was a freightliner making it's way down the Western coast, searching for survivors. With the barriers of their once strong hold beginning to crack, it was only a matter of time before the prison would be overrun by whatever new creatures Umbrella had unleashed upon the world. That was when Luther told us of a prisoner they had locked up in the lower levels of the prison. He apparently knew of a way out of this place with one catch; we let him out...

…As much as I could see the apprehension of the people guarding this stronghold, we were faced with our timetable for escape dwindling and agreed to let him go. His name was Chris, and once released, we learned he was Claire's brother. A brother she didn't remember, thanks to the drugs Umbrella pumped into her. We managed to make it to the armoury, collect the supplies we needed, however the prison was already overrun. With nowhere left to go, we took one of the tunnels the undead created, hoping that it would lead us to a sewer drain and then to the ocean. Luther and Chris went first, and as Claire was trying to convince the final member of our group to go next, the axeman monster sliced him in half, cornering Claire and I for a fight...

…I must admit, I was a bit rusty, and without my special abilities, I was no match for the Axeman as he kicked me hard against a wall, knocking me unconscious. Claire however, never gave up. She used her agility and speed to thwart the monster long enough for me to come to, where I could stand by her side and fire the final, punishing blow...

…After escaping the fight, we traversed the tunnels as quietly as possible, the rustling of the undead all around us. As we reached the opening, Chris was there to greet us. As Luther was about to jump down, an undead grabbed him by the face with their disgusting Venus Fly Trap mouth, carrying him further into the tunnels...

…Eventually we made to to Arcadia, where we learned that Wendell had crashed my plane on the bow, but somehow survived. As we searched the ship for signs of life, we learned that the Arcadia was not a place for freedom. It was a ship operated by Umbrella, used to keep survivors for experiments. We were able to locate K-Mart among the pods of people kept below our feet, releasing her too from a red Medusa Bug stuck to her chest...

…As I continued further into the ship I found him. Wesker. He too had survived the crash in the mountains and was feasting on his crew in order to keep the T-Virus ravaging his body in check. Chris, Claire and myself were able to fight him off, pumping bullets into his body until our clips were empty. We left him with Wendell, trapped in the bowels of the ship, thinking it was over, but it was not. Wesker fed off Wendell's flesh, the T-Virus regenerating his body back to perfect form. Wesker took one of the black, military helicopters onboard, ready to set the same explosive as in Tokyo, hoping to destroy us and the Arcadia. Wesker however, underestimated us renegades. As Claire, Chris and I reached the boat deck, the sky filled with a blinding light followed by a loud bang, the helicopter falling to the ocean a twisted pile of metal. Smiles and excitement was had, but only briefly. It was not long until we heard the familiar whirl of helicopters, the sky filling with Umbrella soldiers...

We were in for the fight of our lives...

-/-

"Is this real?" I mumbled into her neck, "Are you really here?"

"Yes," She replied, her voice as soft as the wind.

My knees dropped into the sand once more, giving into temptation, "I'm no longer alone."

"You were never alone"

My hands caressed her cheeks, her skin covered in green and brown bruises, mementos from endless battles. Tears stung my eyes as I stared into hers, deep like the ocean behind us.

"I've missed you so much Claire." I breathed, unable to hold back to the flood of emotions spilling out of me.

Claire grabbed my hands, entwining her fingers with mind, "Come home Alice." She asked, a small smile appearing on her lips.

Every word she spoke was like a breath of fresh air. Was this really over? Was I finally done with being the sudo hero for the human race?

…No more killing...No more Umbrella...No more death...

-\-

…Battle raged aboard the Arcadia. Hundreds of Umbrella Blackhawk helicopters appeared in the sky, blocking out the sun. Umbrella soldiers repelled down, covered in black body armour and helmets, using guns that expelled large nets to capture their precious test subjects. I fired my weapons, standing my ground, loosing track of Chris and Claire in the chaos. That was when their leader jumped down, dressed in a purple cat suit and long flowing blonde hair; Jill Valentine...

…For years I assumed my once trusted friend, and fellow Raccoon City survivor, had perished. Instead she was captured by Umbrella and placed under their control. A glowing red scarab was latched to her chest, the same as Claire and the others aboard this ship. It had to be the key, Valentine would never surrender, especially to Umbrella. She was a mindless drone, just like how I was, and it made my blood boil...

…The battle ended as fast it started, an explosion tossing me into the ocean, unconscious. When I awoke, I was once again in the hands of Umbrella. I was almost at my breaking point with the loud, obnoxious screeching, when the power went out. Someone had reset the security system, allowing me a chance to escape. When I reached Umbrella command, everyone dead with a single bullet to the head, I crossed paths with an unlikely ally; Ada Wong. Once employed by Umbrella like myself, Ada was an assassin. She claimed to no longer be working for Umbrella, along with someone else I assumed to be dead. Albert Wesker…

…That asshole makes my blood curdle, but he was not the puppet master. The Red Queen, the homicidal computer I first encountered in The Hive over six years ago controlled her army of Umbrella operatives by using the Medusa Bug. As apprehensive as I was to work with Ada and Wesker, I had no chance of escaping the facility on my own. We were trapped inside an Umbrella testing facility submerged under the iced over waters of Norther Russia...

…Anything the Red Queen could throw she did. Bigger, bader, and uglier bio-weapons appeared in our path, but never blocked it. Ada and I reached the rendezvous point in Suburbia before the strike team, where we found a young girl named Becky. She was deaf and adamant I was her mother. That was when I learned that these testing scenarios were populated with clones, myself included. Jill and her security team, clones of people I once trust as allies; Oliveria, Rain, One, all mindless drones at the Red Queen's beck and call. Gunfire erupted, Ada and I parted ways, where I escaped with Becky and Ada intentionally got herself captured...

…Eventually, I met up with Luther, an old, familiar face, and Leon S Kennedy, a renegade who was against the Umbrella Corporation much like myself. Believing we were home free, the Red Queen had one last trick up her sleeve. She unleashed a bio-weapon, a heavily mutated licker, that snatch Becky with the intent to eat her. At the same time Jill and her band of goons caught up with us; more bullets flying next to our heads. The strike team had set an explosive device that would level the entire facility. With only 2 minutes remaining on the clock, I left to go rescue Becky. No one understood why I would put a child clone over my own life, but Becky deserved better than this. Even in the short time I knew her, she reminded me of someone I lost once...

…We managed to escape to the surface, a tundra of ice and snow. As we made our way in the metal caravan the strike team used to approach the facility, the ground began to shake. A Russian nuclear submarine burst through the thick ice. Jill and Rain emerged with Ada handcuffed between them. Jill and I faced off, while Rain infected herself with the Las Plagues virus, a super strain of the T-virus that made her indestructible. Valentine was still being controlled by the Red Queen, the red jewelled body of her Medusa Bug brighter in the frigid air...

…Bones cracked, blood spewed, Valentine was strong, but I somehow managed to hold my own. Pinned against the topped metal caravan, my face inches from the moving track, I saw the Umbrella logo flicker in Jill's eyes, her grip like metal. I managed to grab at the Red Scarab, ripping it off her chest, the control the Red Queen had over Valentine ending with a jolt. Both Jill and I collapsed into the snow, me coughing to catch my breath, while Jill convulsed, her body expelling Umbrella's control before passing out...

…As I regained one friend, I lost another. I watched, helpless as Luther collapsed to his knees, his heart stopping from the power drive to the chest from Rain. Fuelled once more by rage, I got to my feet, ready to attack. I would never be able to beat her in hand to hand combat, and bullets did nothing to slow down the regeneration of the Las Plagues ravaging her insides. Jill had come to, tossing a gun at my feet and as Rain taunted me, I fired round after round at the ice. It gave way beneath her feet, leaving Rain unable to claw herself back up to land. Her fellow Las Plagues pulled her down further, leaving her to rot in an internal hell...

…The last thing I remember hearing was a whirl of a helicopter before I collapsed into the snow from exhaustion and internal bleeding. When I awoke, my body was covered in a heat blanket and IV stuck in my arm with Jill watching over me. Instantly I knew she was back to her true self. I raised my hand to stroke Becky's check before closing my eyes once more...

…When I awoke we were in Washington D.C. and stepping out onto the front lawn of what remained of the White House, now Wesker's base of operations. This was humanities last stand, with what remained of Umbrella soldiers and the US Army firing every weapon they had at the droves of bio weapons and infected that attacked the walls to this compound. His movements were a blur, injecting me once more with the T-Virus. I dropped to the floor, the pain and agony overpowering as the T-Virus once again bonded with my DNA. I was alone with Wesker in the Oval Office when he attacked, and right then, I knew the true reason Wesker sent a team to recover me...

…Project Alice was back.

-/-

"Home? W-what do you mean?" I asked, watching Claire's eyes shimmer.

"We never thought we'd see you again, not with how strong you are." Claire replied.

I was beginning to get a horrible knot in the pit of my stomach, "We? Who's we?"

I watched, mesmerized as Claire waved her hand in the air. Like a magic trick, people appeared. I shielded my eyes, trying and make out their faces in the sun. They were too far away, shimmering like a mirage. Was I dreaming this? Was the desert sun playing tricks on me?

Claire's extended her hand, her own skin glowing. Something wasn't right. I reached for my sword, believing this was some sort of trick Umbrella was playing as the figures behind Claire stepped forward. Chris, K-Mart, Valentine, all smiling, all glowing.

"Valentine? How is..." I stopped as more people materialized on the horizon. People from my past, people I knew were dead.

Claire grabbed my hand that gripped my sword, her skin ice cold, "There's no need for those anymore Alice. We're safe, it's over."

Over

"No more Umbrella?" I breathed.

Claire nodded as Valentine, Chris, K-Mart, and little Angela Ashford joined us on the beach, pristine and perfect, just as I remembered them. "It's just us, your family."

Something was not adding up. The Umbrella empire was too large, too powerful to just crumble. There was only one explanation as to why this particular beach in this particular part of the globe was infection free and populated with the people I've loved and lost, but I refused to believe it was true.

"Claire, w-what is this place?"

Before my eyes a dark cloud overshadowed the beach. I could clearly see the talon marks in Jill's shoulders, the burns on Chris's face, and the stab wound in K-Mart's abdomen, still oozing black liquid. I couldn't bare to look at Angela, her body disfigured from a horrific run-in with a Licker. I let go of Claire's hand, gasping at the deep slash across her neck.

No, it couldn't be...

I turned back to the ocean, the red water still lapping against the sand, trying to keep down the bile in my throat. My eyes stung with tears, refusing to remember the woman I loved, the people I treated like family, in their rotted states. More bodies began to float to the surface, bobbing in the ocean like apples in a barrel at a kids birthday party. Everyone I killed, everyone that died to protect me, their saviour.

That was when I caught my reflection in the water. The bullet hole was small, resembling a black mole under my chin. My mouth began to fill with the metallic taste of blood as Jill, K-Mart, Claire, and Chris's reflections appeared in the water beside me, embracing me.

I let Umbrella win, and the human race lost everything, including their last chance at survival.

I know bleak, and very different from the Hollywood ending, but sometimes you got to change things up!

Please let me know what you think!

Thank-you for the support and followers!

B.