Part VIII

(Side note here: I completely enjoy getting reviews and the amount I've gotten recently has me giddy. Just wanted to thank ya'll for takin' the time to read and reviewin'. Also, if ya have questions for me, please send in a PM. My phone doesn't allow me to respond unless I get a message for some reason. And I'm not on my computer much. Thanks ya'll, RDG.)

It was almost like they hadn't been covered in blood a mere thirty minutes ago; almost.

Billy threw the large green ball down the lane and knocked over all the pins. He smirked at the two girls who were sitting behind them, yelling at him, accusing him of cheating and he laughed.

Currently, the score was Rain; 215, Max; 201, and Billy; 233. With only the last frame to go, and Max was up first. She stood and stepped back, carefully lining up her shot. She threw it hard and it bounced instead of rolled down the lane. She winced at the noise and flipped a laughing Rain off. The bowling ball took down seven pins and she took a deep breath as she waited for her ball to return. The orange beast, as she had named it, returned with a thud, and she picked it up and readied herself again. This time it went much smoother. As it neared the end of the lane, it swayed and refused to hit any of the pins.

"Damn it!" Rain chuckled and took her turn, scoring a spare in the second part and knocking six over in the third. Billy knocked them both out with a spare and an extra strike.

Max smiled slightly and walked over to Rain who was downing the rest of her beer, "Guess you win. We kicking Kaplan out or getting a new room?"

Rain put the bottle down and placed her hand on the side of Max's face, "Neither. I don't want it to happen like this, not on a bet. And besides, you need to heal."

Max bit her lip and looked confused, "But-," she was cut off by Rain kissing her and Billy laughing at the two of them.

"Shh, let's go back to the motel now," she motioned for Billy to follow them and they paid for their game before going out to the truck. Max took the wheel this time and winced visibly as her side and abdomen was hurting badly. Rain and Billy were talking about their time in Raccoon City as Max took a turn and groaned in silence. She could use some of those pain killers that Rain had given her earlier.

She came up to the motel and got out slowly. Billy and Rain following behind her, she opened the door with the key but met resistance when the door hit the top lock.

"One second," the door opened and Kaplan stood, eating a slice of pizza, with a grin on his face. He took a look at the other man and nodded slowly at him. They shook hands and introduced themselves.

"Nice to meet you Billy, Marine huh?"

Billy nodded and sat down on the opposite bed. He took a slice of pizza that Kaplan offered him and tore through it. Max smiled slightly and walked in to the bathroom to check on her wound. She removed the gauze pad and saw that it had bled a little from the bowling game. The bruise surrounding it was ugly and purple.

It only took Rain a moment to realize that Max had left the room, she turned and saw that the bathroom door was still partly open and took that as a sign that she could go in. She entered with a soft knock and closed the door behind her.

"Shit, that's an ugly ass bruise," Max gave her a slight smile and shrugged before putting a new gauze pad over it, "Max I really am-"

"If you apologize again, I'm going to kick you," Rain frowned slightly and pulled out the bottle of pain killers from the drawer and tossed it to her. She took them gratefully and leaned down to take a drink from the sink.

Rain pulled Max's shirt down slowly and led her back in to the main room where Kaplan had turned on the news.

"...the scene of a grizzly double homicide. The owner and a waiter were found, hacked to death with a meat cleaver. Wanted for questioning in the murder is the chef, reported to last be seen exiting the premises with two women. Here is a sketch of the man," they showed a rather detailed and accurate sketch of Billy.

Slowly Kaplan turned to look at them, "What the fuck did you two do?"

"The waiter turned, bit the owner, Billy killed the waiter, owner died, and I stuck a meat cleaver in his head," Rain shrugged like this was an everyday occurrence and Kaplan nodded in understanding. The news report went on and on about how the police should be contacted and how the chef was dangerous.

"Guess I can't really go out, can I? Mind if I stay with you?" Kaplan shrugged.

"I'm not sharing a bed with you, but I don't care."

"That's okay, I can share with the ladies," Rain barked out a laugh and shook her head.

"Don't think so buddy," she looked over at Max who was laying on the part of the bed against the wall. Her eyes drifting closed and she was fighting sleep. She smiled slightly, "I'm gonna go get another room for Max and I, you two play nice."

Rain got up and left, leaving Max alone with Kaplan and Billy who were arguing about which was better, Marines or Navy. She vaguely heard the door reopen and the sound of someone zipping up bags, then the door closing and reopening again a moment later. Her eyes opened a little as she felt herself being lifted off the bed.

"Where we goin'?" She yawned and pressed her face in to Rain's shoulder.

"Our room," Rain said softly and kicked the door she'd left partly open, open farther and she set Max on one of the beds.

"Mmm," Rain smiled slightly and closed the door. She locked the extra locks on top of the door and walked over to Max. She was already asleep so she took off her overshirt, exposing the black tank top she wore beneath, and she took off her boots and pants. She laid on the bed next to Max and started flipping channels. Her ears perked up a little as she heard Kaplan laughing with Billy in the next room. They seemed to be getting along fine, and she knew Kaplan could handle himself.

She settled on some cheaply made sci-fi flick and she turned the volume down low. She jumped when Max let out a slight snore and she bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. Rain turned to face her and carefully wrapped an arm around her. She enjoyed the warmth she felt coming from her body and she kissed her lightly before pulling the blanket over both of them.

Max awoke to find her stomach rumbling. She made a face and tried to sit up but found a strong-arm holding her back. She unsuccessfully tried to pry her arm away from her but found that it was pointless.

A pounding on the door brought Rain out of a dead sleep and she whipped a gun from beneath the pillow and aimed it at the door. Max could hear her heartbeat from where she sat and she carefully placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, wake up. It's Chad, I got breakfast," with a groan Rain laid back down. The gun in her hand landed on to the floor with a thud and Max winced.

"Oops," Rain got up and picked up the fallen weapon before opening the door. Standing behind it were Kaplan, holding a very greasy looking McDonald's bag, and Billy in shades stood next to him.

They entered the room with thought so much as an invitation, at this, Rain swung her arm wide, "Please, do come in."

The door closed loudly and she slammed the locks in to place.

"That smells terrible," Max commented from her spot on the bed before pulling the blanket up over her head.

"Yeah, well, it's food," Kaplan began to pull out cheaply made breakfast sandwiches.

"That's okay Loca, I'll eat yours," Rain grinned as she took the breakfast sandwich from Kaplan's extended hand.

"Only if I can eat you first," Billy choked mid-bite and laughed loudly. Kaplan tried his hardest not to laugh as well and he slowly buried his face in the greasy bag, the edges of his face turning red and his body shaking gave away that he was.

"I love it when you talk dirty to me," Rain continued eating like this was normal conversation, which in some cases, it probably was. She looked up just in time to catch Max flipping her off and then her arm retreating back under the blanket.

They ate in silence while Max flipped through channels, trying to find something that wasn't news and finally she settled on a cartoon series that looked vaguely familiar.

"So I'm thinking we shouldn't stay here longer. If we keep moving, Umbrella will have a tough time keeping up with us," Billy looked up at Rain's words.

"What'd you do to piss them off?"

"Oh you know, the usual. Breaking and entering, destroying facilities, killing guards, escaping Raccoon City, fucking their wives, shit like that," Kaplan turned to look at Rain who was trying not to look at Max. Max had popped up from beneath her blanket.

"Who's wife did you fuck?"

"Now Loca, I never said I was the one fucking their wives," she gave a pointed look to Kaplan and they all turned, surprised, to look at him.

"It was a wife, not wives," he shrugged but the redness in his cheeks showed his embarrassment.

"When the hell did this happen?" Max was confused, she couldn't really recall a time where she didn't know where Kaplan was.

"First time you were in the hospital, just after we escaped."

Max feigned hurt and shock, "You bastard! You cheated on me!" Playfully she smacked him upside the head and they laughed.

"Sorry Mrs. Smith, I just, I just couldn't help myself," he grinned at her and Max smiled, she was definitely glad to see a lighter, happier side to Kaplan, especially after everything they'd been through.