Chapter 6 - Saving Grace
The others barely stayed awake to clean themselves up, and K-mart didn't let me fight over who was taking watch. She shut the vault doors, and ordered me to go to sleep. I gave her my pistols, the only remnants of my original weaponry from 5 years ago, and passed out as soon as my head touched the floor.
I woke up without any extra holes, and breakfast warming by the fire they'd set up in the center of the floor Chris and Jill cleared yesterday. "And everyone's awake." Chris smiled at me, "So I was thinking, we let K-mart hole up in here, I mean it's pretty secure, and we take the jeep down to the base in Provo, that way if anything happens to it, we still have the Hummer when we get back."
No way in hell am I leaving K-mart alone with a huge bullseye on her back. "No. We got in with minimal effort, and we cleared the biggest obstacle. Anything smart enough to turn a doorknob is going to be able to get in here." I want her safe, in a vantage point, somewhere she can escape in multiple directions. "The offices building on the next block is better. There's a parking garage, basements, sewer access, and multiple high-rises that she can escape to if something comes up." I'd seen it on the way to our target. "I say we spend today fortifying the place, making it safe, and then tomorrow we break for the base."
Jill narrowed her eyes, "You know if I knew better, I'd say you're stalling. We were supposed to hit them yesterday, and now you want to wait until tomorrow."
"You eager to die Valentine? That's what waits us in that base. The first time I walked into a hive with plans to take it down, everyone I went with died. If it weren't for a fluke, I would have died too. Matthew? That 'bigass mother fucker' that I took out in Raccoon? He was the other survivor. So excuse me if I want to make sure K is safe." I glared at her, and she clammed up, looking at least a little ashamed of herself. "K-mart is the only reason I'm doing this, I don't give a fuck about anyone else Umbrella can mess with."
The subject of our conversation blushed and passed me a can of food and sat next to me with her own. "While you guys are gone, I can scrounge up what I can find, I don't think many people came through with that horde there, or if they did, everything was left behind. It should be easy pickings."
Chris nodded, "That's actually a really good idea, make your priority the medical supplies, we are running low on gauze, supplements, and any prescription meds you can find. My little sister was looking into med school before she went mechanic on me, and she taught me a couple tricks of the trade before she went off to school. I can sort through anything you find after we get back, odds are we'll need it." K smiled and started eating.
"I guess we have a plan. LJ, you've been quiet, you okay?" I asked.
He nodded, staring at his fruit cocktail, "Yeah I just got a bad feeling about tonight dog." I rolled my eyes at him and chugged my… soup? I stopped paying attention to food years ago. None of it tastes good, none of it is anything more than calories to keep me going. I started packing up before everyone was even done eating, halfway through rolling up K-mart's bag, I realized that I had already settled back into our routine before we found anyone. Did I really think of the others as dead already? God I'm an asshole.
We left the cars where they were, hidden inside the office level of the military depot, and well hidden behind some furniture we moved to make it look like a wall instead of a room. Going out the back entrance, the streets were almost clean, some sand and dirt piled on the sidewalks, flyers and trash blowing with the breeze, and the distant echo of more infected. It was the closest to nature these cities had been in their lifetimes.
The office in front of us was a four story, glass and chrome deal with a lot of the windows broken. Glass littered the perimeter of the building, mostly the safety glass chunks with the fairly dull edges. The building didn't sound dangerous, so I led the way inside, kukris drawn. K still had my pistols. We swept the first floor, finding nothing but a few corpses put down permanently with headshots. It was impossible to tell if it was recent or not, but I had the feeling that there was something living. A scent of something sweet. Above me I heard the slightest creak.
"Upstairs." I whispered, "Someone's alive. Stay back." The others let the distance between us grow until they only caught me going around corners by the tip of my scarf. I could hear their footsteps separate from the being above me. I crept up the stairs. On the landing for the third floor, I found a motorcycle in beautiful condition. It must have been a bitch to drag up those stairs, and even worse to ride up. I left the silver Ducati alone, creeping past it.
I sank into a crouch, my boots sinking into the dusty carpets as I followed the elusive scent of blackberries. Pretty soon I could hear her as well as I could smell her, she was digging through the drawers in the office to my right. I poked my head in briefly and saw the shotgun by her right leg. That would hurt if she got me, maybe a less aggressive approach. I tucked away my blades and leaned against the lintel, "Fruit snacks in the vending machine would be easier."
She kicked the butt of her shotgun and caught it in one smooth motion, aiming the weapon at me with the practice of a long time survivor. "Who are you?" She frowned, "And how long have you been there?"
I smiled, taking my time in answering. She's a beautiful woman, her arms tanned from the desert sun, full lips chapped by the wind, and her auburn hair pulled up into a messy bun. It was a practical action, as were her clothes. Thin layers for protection from the sun, and to deal with the sudden shifts in temperature that the desert was so fond of. "Is that bike back there yours?" I asked, feeling more relaxed in her presence than I should.
"That wasn't an answer." She snapped, taking a step forward. Fear flashed across her cold features, "What did you do to my bike?"
I shook my head, "Nothing, it's fine. I have my own wheels. So what are you looking for? Maybe I can help."
She grimaced at me, still holding up the shotgun, but she lowered it to her hip, "I want a shiatsu at ten, and a hot shower. You?"
Oh loaded question. "I want a lot of things."
She gave up with the shotgun since it wasn't bothering me in the least and let its muzzle fall to her side, cocking a hip with an adorable look of frustration, "Look Ghandi, I don't know what the hell you're after, but I need to get back to my group by nightfall, so if you aren't going to answer my questions, I need you to get out of the way."
I smirked, fine I'll play along. "Alice, a few minutes, and I want a nice safe place for my girl before I go blow another hole in the world like I did across the street."
She flexed her jaw, "That was you?" obviously skeptical.
"I had cover fire from a few friends, but I was in the thick of it." It's fun surprising this woman. Her face is stoic, probably from years of practice hiding her feelings, she has the stance of a leader, but her eyes are open books. Surprise, fear, shock, worry, anger, all of them right on the surface for me to read.
"You're full of it." She replied.
"Sure. Come on, let's hit that vending machine. You look like you could use those fruit snacks." I turned around and walked around two corners until I found two broken vending machines. One used to hold drinks, but the only ones left were thoroughly bad. The snack machine was made of sturdier stuff. "Here we go." It was chock full of snacks.
Ginger slammed the butt of her shotgun into it and all she got was a jarring vibration all the way up to her elbows. "Damn it." She rubbed her arms, "We'd need bolt cutters to get through that padlock."
Cute. I grabbed the padlock and twisted, the lock wrenching open. I pulled the door open, "Help yourself ginger."
She shot me a suspicious look, but her stomach snarled and she forgot to be cautious. "Thanks Ghandi."
"If you don't mind I'm going to introduce you to my friends." She tightened her grip on her shotgun, but she shrugged as if she weren't already looking for exits. "Hey! Army boy! All clear up here, I found us a new friend."
Chris led the others up, "You know Alice you really shouldn't just take off alone, it could have been a-" He stopped in his tracks when he laid eyes on my redhead. "Claire?" He rushed past me and scooped her up in a bear hug. "Oh my god I thought you were dead! Where have you been?"
Ginger, excuse me, Claire hugged him back, looking like she was trying to pop his head off with that grip around his neck, "Me? What about you? I went looking for you in L.A. after everything went down, but everyone was already gone."
He laughed, "I was shipped from L.A. last minute up to Raccoon city to try and contain the threat over there. That's where I met Jill." He blushed and coughed, releasing Claire, "Claire this is Jill."
Claire put her hands on her hips and looked Jill over, her eyes lingered on Jill's assets in a way that made my blood burn. However, she did not seem pleased with the hardened ex-S.T.A.R.S. agent before her. "Of course you found yourself a girlfriend." Was all she said, and though her face remained neutral, I could see the concern and dislike in her eyes. She doesn't like Jill any more than I do.
"Yeah, she's great once you get to know her." Fat chance. He coughed, "And what about you?"
She rolled her eyes, even I could see she had more important things in mind besides getting laid. Claire shook her head, "Barely any people left Chris, let alone people who can handle me. I have enough trouble trying to keep my convoy together without worrying about romance. Olivera keeps trying though."
"Carlos?" I asked, hearing my words echoed by Jill in near unison. We whipped our heads around and I found my glare being returned. "You kicked Carlos to the curb?" I snapped, my fists clenching.
"No, he left after you went insane." Jill shot back.
A small hand slipped into mine, and K-mart pulled gently, "Please stop fighting. Just for today?"
I nodded stiffly, "We're going to talk about that." I informed Jill before turning back to Claire who looked like she was figuring out a lot of different things. Her eyes flitting between me, Jill, Chris, and K's hand in mine. "You know Carlos Olivera?" I asked, needing to know if it was the same Olivera.
Claire nodded slowly, "Yeah, I take it you know him?"
I smirked, "I'd better. I've only saved his ass four or five times. He and I met in Raccoon right after the breakout." God I missed his stupid face, and his dumb jokes. His loyalty too, though K-mart may trust me even more than he did.
"Small world." Claire said, her voice flat, but once again, her eyes were ticking with all the possibilities. What I would give to be inside that head of hers, to hear what's going on.
Chris squeezed his sister's shoulder, "This is actually perfect. You see we need someone to take care of K-mart while we hit our target. You've got a convoy right Claire? You could take her with you when you go back. We can send plenty of food. Maybe even join forces when all of this is over." K-mart hugged my arm, obviously nervous about it.
I gritted my teeth, "Army boy, hey! Why don't you make decisions for your girlfriend, and K-mart can make her own damn offers. She gathered all of that shit, no help from you, so you go to hell." I could feel my blood pressure rising. Something is wrong with me, I can feel it. I can't calm myself for more than a few hours before I'm ready to rip someone's throat out.
Claire stepped between us, hands up, "Hey," Her voice was calm, her heartrate steady, "Let's talk about this. You need a babysitter, I'm an expert. I've got about forty people in my convoy camped out just outside of Jordan right now. We've been taking care of each other for a long time. I'd be happy to take in your girl Alice, as long as she's happy with it, or we can stay here for a few nights, however long it takes for you to do your thing. I just need to radio my people." Her words soothed me, though her choice of certain words confused me. K-mart is not my girl.
I tensed, not for the reason K-mart thought, but she spoke up all the same, "That sounds great. We can trade travel plans so if you're delayed Alice, then you can find us."
They all waited, watching me carefully, some on bated breath, and Claire just looked amused at all the stress this caused me, her green eyes mocking my indecision. "Fine. Claire, let's talk logistics. Chris you get the toys you want from the armory, and go tell LJ we haven't died yet. He's probably pissing himself by now."
Chris looked like he wanted to protest, but he did as he was told like a good soldier boy. After looking askance at me, K-mart followed Chris. They went back down the stairs and I released a breath I hadn't even known I was holding. "You worry about them a lot." Claire commented, watching me with those hawk's eyes.
I shook my head, thinking about why I was so tense, "K-mart, yes, your brother, sure. Jill and LJ can burn for all I care." I waved my hand, gesturing for her to walk with me. Despite Chris having no right, we would send them with the supplies.
She raised an eyebrow, and followed me, "You really hate their guts don't you? What happened in Raccoon? Carlos never shuts up, and I never knew he'd ever been there, before or after the outbreak."
I chewed my cheek, looking anywhere but at her face. My eyes lit on a nice tan duster jacket, nearly floor length, and wide in the shoulders. Too wide for fashion, but enough room for me to maneuver freely. I picked it up off the hook and shrugged it on. "Carlos doesn't remember half of it, I'm sure. And the other half, I don't think anyone would want to remember."
Claire laughed, "Wow Ghandi, you weren't being an asshole, you really do just talk like that don't you?"
I frowned, "Like what?" Her laugh warmed me, but I don't like being mocked on a good day, and I haven't had a good day in weeks.
"You answer all my questions with utter bullshit, it sounds all pretty and philosophical, but you never actually say anything. You a fucking spy or something? You sound like the dialogue out of a bad movie."
Yeah, okay she's kinda right. I relaxed again and offered her a small smile, "I used to be head of security in a high priority base, so yeah, kinda. Carlos got bit while we were in Raccoon. We got him the antivirus, but he was suffering from the fever most of the time. At least he didn't get to the blackouts, you wake up feeling like you were the floor for an elephant dance party, with no clue who the fuck you are."
Her steady pace stuttered just enough that I could hear the difference. "You sound like you've been there."
Instead of answering her implied question, I grinned at her, "I promise I don't bite."
Her face flushed to the color of her hair as we walked out into the street, "You're seriously flirting with me before I take care of your girlfriend?"
I laughed, girlfriend? Who? K-mart? I put a hand on Claire to support myself as I laughed so hard my stomach hurt, tears running down my face, "K-mart? Oh my god no! That would be like screwing my sister. God, no K-mart is the closest thing I have to family."
Claire gave me a look of concern, "Are you okay?" I snorted, and shook my head, shaking with the effort of trying not to laugh, "Okay…" She still looked worried, my lapse in judgement forgotten as we made it inside. I led her through the maze of offices and into our make-shift garage. "Oh hello gorgeous." Claire purred.
A chill went down my spine and I turned to see she was talking to the damn Hummer. Deep breaths Alice. Focus on something else. "That's monster. You should see what's in the trunk." Claire shot me a dubious look, like there was nothing I could offer her that was more attractive than a yellow H2.
She walked around to the back, and popped the truck. "Oh my god!" She leaned over and stared at me in shock, "How the hell did you find all of this? How the hell do you even drive with this much weight in the trunk?"
I grinned, "That would be K-mart's fault. She spent the first few years traveling with her family, but after they got separated, she holed up in a K-mart, and started scavenging. I swear that girl is magic, if there is anything to be found, she finds it."
Claire nodded, going over the numbers in her head, distracted by her warring need to be polite with the needs of her people. I smiled at her silliness, "It's all yours. The weapons too. Everything we need is going in the Jeep." She didn't respond. "Claire?" I walked around to the back of the car and put a hand on her shoulder, "Claire what's wrong?"
She lunged at me, and I nearly punched her. I caught myself, and her arms wrapped tight around my waist, her head buried in my shoulder. I forced myself to relax and rubbed her back, it was something that being around K-mart 24-7 had taught me. I let my cheek press to her head, and relaxed into it. I felt the shoulder of my tanktop getting wet and I felt my arms tighten around her.
After just a few moments, she pushed away from me, my arms felt empty without her pressed against me. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my new coat and stared at her feet. Someone coughed, and I spun to see K-mart staring at me with a mixture of hurt and anger. I frowned, and she turned around and ran. She disappeared around the corner and I felt my heart rip in two, I didn't even think about it, I just ran after her. "K-mart!"
She sped up, racing up the stairs so fast that even I had to push myself to follow her. "K-mart get back here, it isn't safe!" I followed her all the way up to the roof, we hadn't cleared the roof because the door only opened from the inside. "Oh god…" I launched myself through the door in time to hear her scream.
K-mart stumbled back, fumbling at the combat knife I insisted that she carry. The brute was a hulking six feet tall, and his knee was badly damaged, one wrong move and he'd fall right on top of her, taking a chunk out of her leg would be easy. I leapt at him, drawing my knife mid-air and slammed it into his skull, both of us falling to the ground with a thud that lifted the dust around us. I let out a shaky breath, "K-mart?" I turned to look at her, "Don't ever do that to me again."
For the second time that day I was tackled by a crying woman, and put in a bone-crushing hug. I clung to her, "You little idiot." I sighed, my whole body shaking with relief, "You could have died."
She hugged me harder, "I'm just happy you're here." She lifted her head like she was going to kiss my cheek, then hesitated.
I frowned, "K-mart are you okay?"
"No. What does she have that I don't have?"
"What?" My eyes went wide, "Who? No one is better than you K."
She frowned at me and shook her head, her face adorably scrunched in frustration, "Then why don't you look at me the way you look at that Claire bitch?"
"Hey." I chided. I really need to stop cussing around her, "She's not a bitch, I don't think. The jury's out on that one. Anyway, she's a stranger, you're the most important person in my life. I would do anything for you."
K-mart's expression changed strangely, and before I knew it, chapped lips were pressed to mine. She cupped the back of my neck, trying to get some kind of reaction from me. God, I must have confused her, fuck me. I pulled away slowly, gently taking her hand from my hair and holding it in one hand as I brushed away her tears with my thumb, "No." I said softly, trying not to hurt her anymore than I already have. "I'm not the one for you K, you're too sweet and innocent. You're like my sister, it would be wrong."
K-mart sighed and rested her head on my shoulder, "I hate you." She sounded more tired than angry.
I clucked my tongue, rubbing her back, "Well if it makes you feel better, when the right person does come along, I'll beat the shit out of them, and make them too scared to say hello to you." I smiled.
It did the job, getting a smile out of her. Even better, she giggled, "I pity them already." She looked up at me, "You sure you don't have the hots for me?" She said it teasingly, but she was asking seriously.
"Nah, you're out of my league short-stack." I mussed her hair, "Now let's get downstairs before something else around here tries to eat you for lunch. I don't think I'm ready to share my little sister."
She grimaced, "Don't call me that, it makes me feel like I'm twelve."
I laughed and got up with her, "To me, you are twelve."
K-mart raised her eyebrow at me, "You just kissed a twelve year old. That's gross."
We laughed together for a while, leaning on one another, "You gonna take care of Chris' sister for me? I don't think Army boy would survive if his sister died, and I don't think her convoy would either. She strikes me as a woman to have everything playing under her thumb whether she's there or not, her crew will fall apart without that leadership."
"You mean you will fall apart if your only chance at a sex life in the apocalypse dies while you're playing hero again."
I laughed, and smushed my ballcap into her face. "Shut up twerp, before I give you a noogie." I teased. We made our way downstairs to see Claire talking with her brother and Jill, LJ still nowhere to be seen. "She looks worried." I commented. Claire was arguing with Chris over something. When she heard us coming she turned on us with the same fury.
"You're storming an Umbrella base? Are you crazy?"
I glanced down at K-mart and we grinned before responding in unison, "Only on Tuesdays." Claire did not look amused, and I actually straightened up before answering, "That's why I want you to take care of K-mart. I'm pretty sure that we're going to take casualties, and I don't want her to be among them."
"If you know it's a death trap, then why are you going?" Claire yelled, looking ready to rip her hair out. Chris put a hand on her shoulder, murmuring for her to calm down but she shook him off. "No, I asked her a goddamn question and I want it answered. I know why you and your girlfriend are idiots, but Alice here has shown some real intelligence."
My cheeks burned, "I wouldn't, but Umbrella needs to go down. This is the first base I've heard of in years, and they aren't so subtle about their influence that they could hide from me long." I took a deep breath, my voice strengthening, "I don't want anyone else to receive the treatment I got. As long as Umbrella is alive, no survivor is safe."
"The treatment you got." Claire seemed skeptical.
I chewed on my cheek, and looked at K-mart, "You want to be my guinea pig again?" I asked. With her broken leg, I had used my psychic powers to lift her, and I figured that was the least terrifying thing I could do.
K-mart giggled, "TRUST FALL!"
She flopped on her back and everyone lunged to catch her before she slammed her head on the hard tile. I let out a huff of air, catching her at the last second, and lifting her up. "I hate it when you do that." I grouched, watching as she floated over to Chris. "Catch." I called, dropping her in his arms. K giggled and kissed his cheek before hopping out of his arms. Claire stared at me, dumbfounded, and her brother wasn't much better. "Umbrella infected me with the T-virus. So far it's done some pretty fucked up shit, but at least I kept my pretty face. My friend Matt wasn't so lucky. Jill, you remember Matt right?" She shuddered, and I grinned. As much as that night haunts me, I can only hope it scares her more.
"The virus." Claire repeated, a few seconds behind.
"There's a reason I don't bite." I teased.
She ignored my comment, "What does that even mean."
I bit my lip, she is really torn up about this. "It doesn't matter. It means that I am more than capable of taking care of myself, Chris, Jill, and LJ. It means that you shouldn't worry about this, you should just take the hummer and get moving to your convoy. We'll meet you in Jordan tomorrow morning, or you move on."
Claire bit her lip and nodded, "Keep them safe Ghandi."
