Okay. So, I apologize for the month long delay. I really didn't mean for it to be that long. My university has demanded a lot of my time and I was on a family vacation for a bit. Other times the writing bug never really hit. I wanted to make this chapter longer than the others to try making up for the extreme delay. Again, I'm sorry.
Thank you to those who alerted, favorited, and reviewed.
Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything involving this series...or anything else you might find in here.
Chapter 4
"Where's Claire?"
"Probably still sleeping."
"Why? She never sleeps this late."
"I bet Vader fucked her into a coma."
"Betty!"
"Sorry, Alice. K, she's just very tired from some very intense training Alice put her through." The young blonde giggled.
"Much better, Betty." Alice bit out sarcastically, causing the other woman to simply shrug her shoulders.
"It's not my fault you decided to wear her face. What are we supposed to assume?" She asked.
The woman in question was silently making her way over to stand behind Betty. Alice had to force her eyes not to look and give it away.
"I mean, just saying, you two seemed like you needed to get laid. You can be the biggest tight-asses I swear." The blonde simply laughed. She was setting herself up and had no idea.
"Oh? And how is that exactly?" K-Mart had since noticed Claire, but said nothing.
"You're just so serious it's disturbing, and Claire is well…Claire." Now K wanted in on the fun.
"What do you mean?" Betty scoffed at the question before answering. "Girl, you know better than anyone. She's bossy. I love the woman, and I know she's the leader of the convoy and all that shit, but she's always so commanding." She looked at Alice and smirked, "I bet she was on top, wasn't she?"
"Yes, actually I was." Betty screamed at the unexpected voice right behind her. As she jumped away from the source of her fright, her feet managed to tangle themselves together, subsequently causing her to fall face first into the sand.
The trio burst into laughter. After a minute of glaring, Betty looked at K-Mart, "Why the hell didn't you say something?"
"And….miss…that? No….freakin'….way!" She gasped. Betty scowled.
"You're all laughing at my pain. That is hurtful. You should all be ashamed!" She wouldn't admit it, but it actually was funny and she was trying to fight giggles herself. They only laughed harder.
Claire responded, "S-stop! You're gonna make me piss myself!" Her legs gave way and she sat on the sand laughing hysterically. Betty pushed the laughing redhead all the way to the ground and sat on her. "Get…you're fat….ass…off me!"
"Oh hell no you didn't! This fine, fit ass is not fat! Take it back!" She rose up slightly before violently plopping her butt back onto Claire's stomach. This only made Claire and the others laugh harder. "Take it back bitch or I'll tell your girlfriend over there about what happened before L.J.!" Betty bounced herself again. Claire didn't seem to care since she shouted "Never!" and made a weak attempt at pushing Betty off of her. This only caused the latter to do another butt bounce. At this point, Carlos and L.J. had wandered over and Alice and K-Mart were clinging to each other, tears of laughter pouring down their reddened faces.
"Care to explain, ladies?" L.J. questioned, chuckling at his girl. All he got in response was "Claire..scared..fell…fat ass..butt bounce.." It was at that moment that Claire turned the tables on Betty. Claire had gotten her face-first in the sand again and was sitting on Betty's upper back. She started moving her ass around. The other woman's muffled cursing could be heard as her arms and legs swung wildly in an attempt to hit Claire.
The redhead stopped for a moment, "What was that, Betty?"
Betty was now able to lift her head and spoke, "I said 'Is Alice'-" Claire sat back down and started moving again, effectively cutting off what the other woman was trying to say.
"Say it. Say it and I'll stop." A muffled "hell no" was the response. Claire bounced roughly. "C'mon, Betty. Say it." *grumble* She stopped moving so Betty could speak. "What was that?"
Betty huffed. "You win. Now get the fuck off me!" Claire slapped her leg. "Ow! You-"
"Ah! Say please." She said as if she were talking to a child.
"Fine! Please get the fuck off me!" The redhead got up and went to where Alice and K-Mart were sitting and wiping tears from their faces. Betty got up and dusted the sand off of her. She glowered at Claire. "You're an asshole, Redfield."
Claire smiled innocently. "Aww. But baby you love me!"
"I don't love you, and don't call me baby. I got a man." The redhead smirked.
"You didn't before him, now did you?" Betty scoffed indignantly. She just kept going. "You know I hate it when we fight like this."
"You aren't manly and you're ridiculous." Betty began to walk away, breaking into a run when she saw Claire coming after her.
Running after the medic, Claire yelled "Baby! Don't run from my love!" A distant "Get away!" then a "Never gonna give you up!" being heard after they'd run behind the big tanker truck.
The group was, yet again, left in a fit of hysterics at the antics of the two women.
After they recovered, K-Mart voiced a thought. "Carlos, what happened to your face?" The man was sporting a bruised jaw. He stuttered a response, "I, uh, hit myself with a, um, door. The tanker door. Wasn't paying attention." She didn't look convinced, but before she could say anything he'd turned to Alice.
"So, how is your morning?" She didn't like the lusty glint in his eye when he looked at her.
"Eventful, to say the least. So far it's been hilarious. And yours?" Alice just wanted to keep the conversation friendly and asked out of courtesy.
He beamed at her, "Fantastic now."
L.J., being more perceptive than most thought he was, caught the uncomfortable look in her eyes and decided to distract Carlos. "Hey man. Who do you think would win in a fight? Claire or Betty?"
The man reluctantly tore his eyes from the beautiful blonde to answer his friend. He thought about it for a second. "I think Claire. She has a mean right hook. Er, you know, I've heard she does." Alice smirked, knowing he knew firsthand how strong Claire really was.
"I don't know dude. Betty can put up a great fight…" the two continue to discuss the matter as Alice and K-Mart slipped into their own conversation.
"Did you and Claire really do it?" The older blonde laughed at the bluntness of the young girl. Sometimes this girl seemed so much like Claire. She skipped the bullshit and got right to the point.
"Yes, but don't tell her I told you that. She might cut me off." K-Mart giggled.
"I'm glad you're honest with me, Alice. I know Claire wants to preserve my innocence or something, but I like how you won't dance around a subject if I ask. You just tell me." Alice smiled and shrugged.
"I won't lie to you, but I won't tell if you don't ask. Claire does it to protect you from the worst of it. I just refuse to lie to people. I was lied to and it cost me my humanity. I can't lie to someone else." She admitted.
K-Mart narrowed her eyes at the older woman. "Alice, you have not lost your humanity. You're a better 'human' than most people I've met. You care about others and put all of us before yourself. Despite what you may believe, you are not a monster. You're just…a hybrid. An amped up, powerful version of a normal human. So stop that 'I lost my humanity' nonsense or I'll kick your ass myself."
Alice was surprised at the young blonde's rant, and it was plainly shown on her face.
"Seriously, Alice. You're like an older sister to me. A really cool, kickass, and all-around awesome older sister." Alice had already felt a sibling-like affection for the teenager. This admission only made it stronger. Surprising K-Mart, Alice pulled her into a tight hug. The former hugged back fiercely.
"I love you, Ali." Alice sniffed, fighting her emotional side.
"I love you too, K." The younger blonde beamed as they pulled back from the hug.
"See? Point proven. Monsters can't love." Alice smiled at the girl.
"Okay, I'll stop saying I'm not human." She laughed when K threw her arms up into the air and shouted "Victory," which confused the two men and caused their conversation to momentarily cease. "Oh, my bad. Carry on, gentleman. Sis, come on. Let's go see if Claire is still annoying Betty." The blonde's heart warmed at the name as she got up to follow the bubbly teen.
They weren't expecting to find the other two in a serious discussion. It turned out they needed a few supplies before going to Vegas and there was small town nearby that Claire wanted to check. K-Mart only stopped arguing about going when Alice asked her to stay. The look in her eye said everything. Alice was scared of anything happening to her. She relented with a nod.
"Thank you for that." Claire whispered to the older blonde.
"For what?" She asked.
Claire shook her head, "Getting her to agree quicker than I could."
Alice smiled and gave the redhead a long kiss. "I do what I can."
The three women decided they could do well enough on their own since Alice was equal to at least 10 well-trained soldiers, probably more. Claire told K-Mart to tell their whereabouts to those who asked. They got into Claire's hummer and left.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
It was eerily silent when they arrived. They crept through slowly, looking for a gas station that hadn't been picked clean. There was a zombie here and there, but no hordes like they were used to crossing paths with in towns like this.
"This is fucking creepy." Betty stated.
"Yeah, it is." Claire agreed as she pulled into the parking lot of an abandoned gas station. All three scanned the area and exited when nothing raised their suspicions. They readied their guns and walked into the store.
They remained on alert while searching for the essentials. They managed to find some water and canned goods. Alice had ventured to the supply closet. Flies swarmed her as she opened the door and the smell was nearly enough to make her throw up on the spot. She looked up to see the corpse of a man who had hung himself in an effort to avoid a painful death at the hands of the undead. A red object caught her eye and she quickly grabbed it before the smell became too much and she slammed the supply door shut. Coughing, she tried to breathe in fresh air to rid her nose of the stench of decay.
Claire and Betty came over. "What is that?" Claire questioned.
Alice flipped through the pages. At one point she gasped. "No infection," she whispered. Impossible.
"Alice?" Wordlessly, she handed over the small red journal. Both women gasped, their faces frozen in shock. Claire was the first to snap out of it. "Alaska? Do you think it's true?"
The blonde shrugged, "I don't know."
"Maybe we should try. It's as good a place as any right now. The cold could've kept it from spreading. There didn't seem to be many people even before the world ended."
Betty looked at Alice. "She's right. We should go. Get everything we need from Vegas to make the trip up there, and then go."
She nodded. Claire spoke up again. "We'll talk to the convoy when we get back."
They began piling everything they could in the back of the Hummer. Surprisingly, there was enough gas left to top off the Hummer. The women got back into the vehicle and prepared to go back to camp, but something caught their attention before they could leave. It was an unmistakable sound.
Gun shots.
Alice climbed out to listen for them, trying to judge the direction of the sound. Her bettered senses gave her an advantage.
More gun shots.
The sound played to her right. She took off in its direction. Claire and Betty yelled for her and decided to chase after her when she didn't slow.
They ran onto an empty street. Alice wondered for a moment if she had misjudged, but she heard more shots from ahead. Before she could move, someone ran in between a couple of nearby buildings. A horde of at least ten was in full pursuit. Alice, Claire, and Betty began firing at the infected. There were two left when the person had reached the trio. Alice quickly grabbed her blade and sliced one's head clean off and stabbing the other in the forehead. She wiped them clean before putting them in their previous place at her back.
The stranger spoke, "Thank you." Relief was plainly heard.
Alice turned around. She meant to say there was no need to thank anyone; instead, she gasped. Her jaw dropped and eyes widened in shock. Needless to say, she had never expected to see this person again.
"Angie?" Alice said shakily. Tears shined in her eyes.
The young teen smiled, "Hello, Alice." The older woman grabbed her into a very tight hug. She returned it. "It's nice to see you, again."
Alice laughed, "It's nice to see you, too." They pulled back.
Claire stepped forward. "I'm glad to have the opportunity to meet the famous Angie." She smiled. Angie returned it and stuck her hand out.
"Angela Ashford. Lovely to meet you."
The redhead chuckled and shook the girl's hand. "Claire Redfield. Lovely to meet you as well."
Angie looked over to Betty and held her hand to her. Betty immediately shook her hand and introduced herself. "Betty Douglas. It's a pleasure." She smiled softly. Angie responded in kind, not bothering to reintroduce herself.
"Angie, how did you get here? Why are you alone?" Alice's curiosity and worry had gotten the better of her.
"Well-"
"ANGIE!" A panicked voice screamed out. Everyone snapped their heads in its direction.
"ANG-" the person cut their call short when they spotted Angie amongst the group and ran towards them. Stopping in front of them, a glare was aimed at the teen.
"Angela Ashford, what the hell were you thinking? I told you to stay close for a reason! You scared the shit out of me!" The girl bowed her head sheepishly. Alice was just staring at the new arrival in surprise.
"I'm sorry, Jill." She apologized.
"Jill?" Alice breathed.
Jill glanced towards her. Shock causing her to freeze as she locked gazes with the woman she hadn't seen since the helicopter crash.
"Alice? You-you're alive?"
Alice sighed, "They brought me back with the virus. A stronger strain was used this time. Now I'm much harder to kill." Her tone was slightly bitter. Jill's eyes narrowed for a moment at the news, but she was thankful that Alice was still alive…well, alive again.
"Regardless, I'm happy to see you." They exchanged smiles before Claire interrupted.
"I hate to ruin the reunion here, but we need to get out of here before more of those things come."
They all nodded. Jill touched Angela's arm. "C'mon kid. We've got to find a vehicle and get moving." The pair turned to go.
"Wait," was called from behind them. They stopped and faced the speaker.
"Why don't you come with us? Carlos and L.J. are in my convoy. We're planning to go to Vegas next." Claire offered.
Jill raised her eyebrows, "Are you sure?" When the redhead nodded, she glanced at Angela. The teen nodded frantically. She turned back to Claire.
"Okay." After another nod, Jill hugged Alice fiercely. The blonde hugged back. "Glad you didn't stay dead, Abernathy."
Laughing, Alice said, "Glad you aren't dead either, Valentine."
"Right. Let's go," snapped the redhead as she spun on her heel to make her way back to the Hummer. Betty and Alice smiled and shook their heads at the obvious show of jealousy. The women pulled out of the hug. Jill watched Claire for a moment.
"I'm guessing you two have something going on," she observed.
Alice nodded and smiled again.
"I figured. I just have one question." The blonde's expression showed her confusion.
Jill's head went back to Alice. "Does she know I don't march in the Rainbow Army?"
Angela, Alice, and Betty laughed loudly.
"I like this one," Betty commented as she pointed at Jill before following the redhead.
Alice laughed again before motioning for the other two to follow her as she went after Betty and Claire.
"This'll get interesting," Angela muttered as they walked.
Anyone surprised when the first mystery person wasn't Jill? I hope so lol it was a random twist I threw in on a whim in an attempt to throw you off. If it worked then woohoo! If not...well...shit.
Sorry if anything offended you.
Review please. C'mon people. *singsongy* You know you want to!
By the way, anyone catch the song reference?
