5. Claire

As a seasoned survivor of countless zombie outbreaks, she knew that nowhere was truly safe, thus she shouldn't have been surprised to find one there. Claire tried to push the zombie away, but her movements were steel tray that she wielded as a shield felt heavy in her hand, and she knew that her grip was slipping. The last thing she needed now was to be bitten by the zombie and become one of them. Claire struggled with the attacking zombie, but she could feel her body refuse to listen to her commands.

"Nexista nove. Debo partiro."

Claire's eyes widened in astonishment. Zombies were not known to speak, yet this one had uttered words in the local language. Though Claire wasn't fluent, she had picked up the basics during her previous visit to the region, allowing her to comprehend the message: "It should not exist. It must go."

Claire had no idea what the zombie meant, but she didn't have the luxury of time to ponder or ask. Her strength was finally failing her, and the zombie pushed her against the steel table. Her heart raced with the effort, and her breaths grew shallow. Despite her efforts, she could feel her arms weaken as she attempted to push the zombie away.

Carlos's gunfire was a welcome sound to Claire's ears. She felt the tension release as two bullets pierced the zombie's skull, causing its body to arch before falling lifelessly to the ground. Claire turned to Carlos and let out a deep sigh, her heart still racing with adrenaline. Her breathing was uneven, and she felt dizzy as the world spun around her. Despite her attempts to stay conscious, everything suddenly went black, and she lost awareness of her surroundings

As Claire regained consciousness, she found herself in an unfamiliar room. Her head was still spinning, and she felt an overwhelming urge to vomit. It took a few moments for her to realize that she was lying on a bed, her arm was attached to an IV and she was staring at the sterile ceiling of a hospital room.

"Well, good morning," Saya said, coming to check on her. "How are you feeling?"

Claire squeezed her eyes shut, trying to shake off the feeling of nausea but failing at it.

"Horrible," she replied. "I feel like I want to vomit my entire guts. Where am I? What happened?"

"You are in one of the Center's private rooms," Saya replied. "You fainted... do you remember that?"

"Sort of," Claire answered. "So, why am I here?"

"Well, you looked sick," Carlos answered. Claire had not noticed that the man was standing by the room's door with his arms crossed. "We got worried, so we brought you here so that Saya could do some exams and stuff."

"Ok, and...? Was it food poisoning after all?"

Saya and Carlos exchanged looks and snickered.

"That's a funny thing. Maybe you want to check the results yourself."

Claire picked the papers that Saya was handing to her and read them. Her first reaction was confusion as she read the title of the test.

"HCG," Claire snorted. Her eyes fell on the numbers widened in shock. "What? No, that's..."

Claire couldn't believe her eyes as she stared at the results of the HCG (Human chorionic gonadotropin) test. It had to be a mistake, she thought, feeling a sense of panic rising inside her. The HCG test was a biochemical test that detected a hormone produced during pregnancy in blood or urine. Claire knew that it was frequently used to confirm pregnancy.

"Now that's an odd reaction," Carlos said, frowning but chuckling as well.

"This has to be wrong. Maybe the results got mixed up..."

"No, honey. Due to your situation, I did the test myself," Saya replied, shaking her head.

"But 135,901 mIU/mL..." Claire said incredulously. "That's impossible. That would mean I'm..."

"Pregnant," Saya nodded. "Yes, and considering that number, I dare say you would be between 9 or 10 weeks,I guess you were busy before Kennedy left, since conception would have been nearly a week before he left."

Claire's mind raced as she did some quick mental math and carefully considered her recent symptoms. As she thought about it more calmly, she realized that the signs had been there all along, but she had never considered the possibility of pregnancy since she had assumed that the virus would have made her infertile.

With a deep breath, Claire tried to calm down and accept the reality that her life was about to change forever. She was going to be a mother, and she needed to start planning for the future. Despite her initial disbelief, she couldn't help but feel a sense of joy and excitement as she thought about the new life growing inside her.

"I... I can't believe it..."

"Yeah, I figured that much," Saya snorted. " We did an ultrasound when you were unconscious. I am sorry that we didn't wait for you to wake up, but you had a mild bleeding and I was worried it could be a miscarriage. I wanted to make sure that everything was in order."

Saya handed Claire a small picture, and as Claire looked at it, she was filled with awe and disbelief. Despite its small size, there it was, a tiny embryo no bigger than an olive, so clear and unmistakable that it was impossible to miss.

As Claire stared at the ultrasound image in wonder, she raised her head and looked at her friend Saya, still a little in disbelief.

"And...?" Claire asked instantly. "Is it okay?"

Saya smiled, but it was Carlos, who answered with a jovial voice.

"Heart is beating hard like a set of drums: loud and strong. A little fighter that one, don't worry," Carlos replied with a bright smile. "If your husband wasn't going to kill me before, he will now since I got to hear his kid's heartbeat before he even knew he existed."

Claire let out a little snort. Leon wouldn't get mad for that, but he would have trouble coming to terms with the news. It was unexpected and not a subject they had spoken about before. Even she couldn't believe it right now, and she had all the proof in her hands. Everything made sense now: her recent symptoms of nausea,fatigue, and food aversion, even missing her period, which she had conveniently forgotten. Everything was so perfectly obvious.

"How did it happen? I am not supposed to be able to conceive. My gametes aren't genetically stable to be viable," Claire said. "Mobious's experiments should have made me infertile."

"Well, that was the general consensus in the research notes," Saya admitted. "But it wasn't explicitly noted in your file."

"We ran the tests to confirm it."

"Well, maybe you were, but not anymore. Who knows, you were an atypical case from the start."

Claire gazed at the ultrasound photo in her hand, feeling a sense of wonder and amazement. As her fingers traced the outline of the tiny baby, her hand unconsciously came to rest on her abdomen. She couldn't believe that she was carrying a child inside her.

Despite her happiness at the news, Claire couldn't shake off her worries. She longed to tell Leon right away, but she didn't even know where he was. Besides, she wasn't sure how he would react to the news. But more than that, she was worried about the timing of it all. Given the uncertain times and the possibility of a more serious illness, the news of her pregnancy was an added layer of complexity that she wasn't sure how to navigate.

"Oh my god," Claire said. "What am I going to do? This is terrible timing."

"More than timing, I'd say placing," Carlos corrected. " It's not that bad though. We just need to organize your work a little, well, I guess you'll have to lower your rhythm now."

"I agree," Saya nodded with concern etched on her face. "It's important to be careful. You were anemic, and your blood pressure was a bit low. I administered some fluids and vitamins to help support you and the baby, but we need to make some adjustments to your schedule. We can't have you running around in this condition, especially after what happened today."

Saya took a deep breath and continued, "I know it's a lot to take in, but we need to prioritize your health and the health of the baby. We'll need to monitor you closely and make sure you're getting enough rest and proper nutrition."

Claire nodded, feeling grateful for Saya's concern and guidance. She knew that taking care of herself and the baby was the top priority, and she was willing to do whatever it took to ensure the baby's wellness.

"Yeah, well. I hate to pop this conversation, but we still have to talk about our zombie lady." Carlos nodded.

Claire was lost in her thoughts and barely registering the conversation around her. She couldn't believe it - a baby! For the past two years, she had resigned herself to the idea that she may never be able to have a child of her own. And yet, there she was, holding an ultrasound photo in her hands, evidence of the tiny life growing inside her.

It was a lot to take in, and Claire felt a mix of emotions - joy, disbelief, and a twinge of fear. She had always dreamed of being a mother, but now that it was actually happening, she realized she wasn't quite prepared for it. The past two years of struggling with her health and bioterrorism had left her feeling unsteady and unsure of what the future held.

"So, should we call the BSAA or what?" Saya asked, crossing her arms.

"Pardon?" Claire asked.

"The zombie," Saya repeated. " Ms. Obares, I mean. Doesn't this technically fall into the BOW category?"

"Oh," Claire said, pushing away her baby thoughts, and falling back into her down-to-business mode. " Yeah. We should make a report to the BSAA, however I'm not sure if they will actually consider this a priority situation. We don't really have proof that Ms. Obares was involved in any sort of terrorist activity."

"And how is that relevant?" Saya said, rolling her eyes. "BSAA handles this sort of stuff, don't they?"

"Yeah, but things have been a little complicated recently. We would need to confirm a bioengineered organism was involved at least, or BSAA won't see it as a threat in their jurisdiction."

"What kind of bullshit is that?" Carlos asked.

Claire sighed and shrugged her shoulders, feeling a sense of helplessness wash over her. It was frustrating, but she knew that she had no right to judge the decisions made by the BSAA. She had heard Jill and Chris grumble about the organization's internal affairs before, but as an outsider, she didn't have access to all the details and intricacies of their operations.

Claire understood that the BSAA was a complex organization, with many different departments and protocols to follow. While she may not always agree with their decisions, she recognized that they were made with the safety and well-being of the public in mind.

Still, it was frustrating to feel like she was on the outside looking in, with no real influence or control over the situation. But for now, she would have to trust that those in charge knew what they were doing, and hope for the best. All she could do was keep working on what she knew best.

"How is the identification going?"

"Wallace is handling the data. I need to do the autopsy, but we already moved it to our area in the basement. It's better to keep it away from other corpses in case it can spread."

Claire nodded her head, indicating her agreement. She attempted to get up from the bed, but as she rose to her feet, a wave of dizziness washed over her, making it impossible to move any further. She quickly grasped onto the bedside, steadying herself as she waited for the dizzy spell to pass. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and waited until the room stopped spinning.

"Hey, easy," Carlos said, quickly stepping in front of Claire to prevent her from falling. "I've never been pregnant, but I've heard horror stories about morning sickness."

As the dizziness subsided a little, Claire opened her eyes and looked at her friends. She still felt a little lightheaded, but at least she was able to move again.

"How long have I been knocked out?"

"Around 12 hours."

Claire's eyes widened in shock as she realized that she had been knocked out for practically a day. The realization hit her hard, as she knew that she was already significantly behind schedule. She felt an urgent need to jump out of bed and start working immediately to make up for lost time.

Perhaps her expression was too obvious, since Saya looked at her sternly.

"Hey, don't even think about it," Saya said firmly, placing a gentle hand on Claire's shoulder. "Everyone agrees that you need to rest, and honestly, you won't be able to do much if you're feeling sick it slow for a bit. I'll go down and work on the body's autopsy, but Carlos will stay here with you. If something happens he can call me and I'll come back up immediately."

Saya smiled and left the room, leaving Claire to contemplate her current predicament. She felt uneasy about the thought of lying idle while a possible biological disaster could occur at any moment. As much as she hated the idea of being idle, Claire knew that listening to Saya was the best course of action. Despite her dislike of feeling useless, Claire realized that she needed to prioritize the safety of not just her own life but also the life of the growing being inside her.

"Hey," Carlos said, "I don't mean to pry, but shouldn't you report that, too?"

The man gestured towards the hand resting on her abdomen, and Claire let out a deep sigh. Should she report it? She couldn't exactly call Leon when she didn't even know his whereabouts. She could always ask Hunnigan to pass on the message, but it didn't feel right to let him know he was going to be a father through a third party. Claire considered reaching out to her brother Chris, but he had been keeping a low profile and she wasn't sure where he was now. Perhaps she could tell Barry or Hopkins, but that felt strange as well. It was already bad enough that Carlos and Wallace knew about the news before the father did.

"It's early," Claire finally sighed. "I think I'll rather wait until I've told Leon before telling anyone else."

"Well, that makes sense. Can't you call him?"

"I could probably ask someone to pass the message along," Claire answered. It had started to rain outside, and the raindrops hit the glass of her window with loud thumps. "Leon usually avoids direct communication during high-risk missions to prevent the calls from being traced back home."

It was a needless precaution, but Leon had become a little paranoid in recent years. It was probably her fault, and if not, it was Chris's influence.

"Well, he's a thoughtful man, I admit. " Carlos nodded. "I would worry about my family's safety, too, if I was messing with some dangerous fellas."

"He's a good man. You would like him," Claire nodded. "And he's always worried about me,and that was even before we got romantically involved."

"So you knew each other for a while before that?"

"We were good friends, so he's always been looking out for me. I might have given him a headache a couple of times without knowing, though."

"Really? Why am I not surprised?" Carlos snorted. Claire shrugged, knowing that she'd been quite a hard head when she was younger. "So, did you meet him on one of your TerraSave trips, then?"

Claire shook her head and laughed.

"As if. No, I knew Leon even before I joined TerraSave. We escaped Raccoon City together."

Claire saw realization dawn on Carlos's face.

"The guy you kept mentioning when we met," he said.

"Indeed," Claire confirmed, "He was a rookie cop who had just been transferred to Raccoon City when the outbreak happened. By sheer luck, he was running late on his first day, which probably saved him from turning into a zombie with the rest of the RPD. And that's how we met, by chance while entering the city"

"So, love at first sight?"

"I wouldn't call it that. We were good friends, allies," Claire replied. "Romance came way…way… long after that. It's a long and quite turbulent story."

"Well, the important thing is that you're together now, right?"

"Yeah," Claire smiled. "Yeah, that's right."

Claire smiled, unconsciously rubbing her womb. Suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminated the darkened sky outside the window. Almost immediately, the lights in the room flickered.

"The storm is getting worse," Carlos said, rubbing his head. "The lights have been doing that a lot. I wouldn't be surprised if the power goes off at some point."

"That doesn't sound reassuring," Claire sighed. "I don't particularly like darkness."

"Well, that's unexpected," Carlos laughed. "When did…"

Carlos's question was left unasked as the lights flickered once more, and the building shook violently, accompanied by a distant blast. Acting quickly, Carlos moved towards the bed, steadying Claire as the tremors continued.

"You okay?" Carlos asked,

"Yeah, was that an earthquake?" Claire said, looking at Carlos. "Seismic activity is practically absent in this area."

"Yeah, I know," Carlos mumbled. "That's odd."

Carlos retrieved his phone from his pocket and attempted to make a call, but after a few unsuccessful tries, he let out a frustrated curse and shoved the device back into his pocket.

"What's wrong?"

"I guess there is no signal," Carlos replied. "Calls aren't going through."

Claire furrowed her brows, growing increasingly concerned. She retrieved her phone and checked for a signal, but like Carlos's phone, hers had none. While the power outage could be attributed to the thunderstorm, it was strange that their satellite phones weren't working. After all, they were designed to work even in remote areas. However, Claire knew that satellite signals weren't infallible, so perhaps she was overthinking things once again.

"The thunderstorm might have messed up with the connection or something, I guess," Carlos said, looking around. She could tell that the man wasn't entirely convinced of that explanation either.

Claire tilted her head, a worried frown creasing her forehead. A sudden knock at the door made her jump, and she watched as Carlos walked over to answer it. His broad back blocked her view beyond the door, but she could hear the murmur of voices as he spoke to one of his men in Portuguese. Claire strained to catch snippets of their conversation, but it was difficult to make out more than a few words.

"Is something wrong?" Claire asked.

"Well, there are a few minor issues downstairs. Nothing for you to worry about, but I do need to go and check it out for a bit."

That didn't sound reassuring. It was obvious that something was going on, but Carlos wasn't willing to tell her.

"Maybe I should go, too."

"Nah, it's nothing that I can't handle. Just stay here until I come back; lock the door, just in case."

"Carlos," Claire said with a frown. "what's going on?"

"Like I said," Carlos smiled. "Don't worry about it."

Carlos gave her his usual smile and stepped out of the room, taking care to lock the door securely behind him. While hospital rooms did not typically have locks, this was a private room rather than a patient room, and thus was equipped with a lock.

Left alone in the room with little to do but watch the thunderstorm unfold outside, Claire waited for the bag of fluids to finish dripping. Some minutes passed when another flash of lightning illuminated the sky, and the lights flickered once building shook once again, this time accompanied by a deafening sound of a distant explosion. The violent shaking persisted for a few minutes, and the sounds of anguished screams could be heard echoing from outside. The lights flickered once again, but this time, they went out completely, causing Claire to stagger in the sudden darkness. A power outage during a storm was not unexpected, but what seemed strange was that the backup generators had not kicked in yet. Claire's hands trembled as she reached for her phone and used its flashlight to guide her to the window.

"Oh, god…."

Claire's heart skipped a beat as she looked down from the fourth floor and saw the chaos below. Flames and sparks erupted from buildings while black figures attacked people who were running desperately through the streets. The scene felt eerily familiar to her. As if the commotion outside wasn't enough, the sounds of banging, groans, and screams filled the air, causing Claire to realize that something was terribly wrong. Suddenly, a loud thud on the door startled her, and she instinctively pressed her back against the opposite wall, holding her stomach in fear.

It couldn't be. Not now from all times.

Claire recoiled in pain as a shrill whistle pierced her ears, leaving her disoriented. The sound was both strange and yet eerily familiar, evoking memories she had hoped to bury deep within her mind. For a moment, Claire remained frozen, her heart pounding in her chest. Then, as if on cue, the silence was shattered by a loud banging on the door. Claire's mind raced as she searched for a way out, but she knew there was no escape. The darkness enveloped her, and she was left with nothing but the sound of her own terrified breathing.

As she huddled against the wall, she was pulled back to another nightmare. The whistle had been a warning, a signal of what was to come.

"God…help us," she whispered