**This chapter is longer, but only because I had three ideas and tried to fit them all in one chapter . I even added a part that I hadn't planned on, just because I was in the moment!
And I'll admit, I had help for this one (Thanks, Jill! ^_^) Also, to anyone who's starting to get impatient, I'm getting close to the end of this Fic so don't get mad at me please ^_^; **
Leon coughed, waving his hand in front of his face to try clearing some of the dust away. He looked up at the light coming from the hole, still a bit confused. He sat up, looking around and rubbing his head.
"Hello?" Chris called out from above. "Someone answer me!"
Leon stood up, holding his back. "I'm here!" Leon yelled out. He kept waving his hand around, hoping the dust clouds would just clear up.
"Leon! Thank God, how are Claire and Rebecca?" Chris called out.
Leon blinked and looked around. He was standing on top of a subway train, and could barely make anything out amongst the darkness and the dust. "I can't see them!" he said.
"Head's up!" yelled Jill. Leon looked up and saw a lit flashlight falling towards him. He caught it so it wouldn't break, and looked around with it. His heart began to beat faster, and his thoughts were wild. "Guys?" he called out, coughing from the dust.
Leon heard a faint cough coming from below. He peeked over the side of the subway train and pointed the flashlight down. To his relief, Claire was sitting up and coughing. Once the light hit her eyes, she brought a hand up to shield from it. "What happened? And get that light out of my eyes!" she said.
"Sorry," Leon said, moving the light to the side. "Where's Rebecca?" he asked, looking around.
Claire stood up and dusted herself off. "I don't know, she should be around here I guess?" she said.
"I can't see her," Leon said, looking around. He walked over to the other side of the train and checked over the edge. Rebecca was there, not moving, covered in dust. He could tell she was breathing, and was relieved to see her in one piece. "Hey Rebecca, come on, wake up!" he called out.
Rebecca slightly stirred, opening her eyes but closing them as soon as the light hit her. Leon sighed in relief. "Are you okay down there?" he asked. Rebecca groaned and sat up, her hand automatically reaching for her foot. Leon could see she was wincing, as though in pain. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"My ankle," said Rebecca, "I think it's twisted."
Claire appeared into the beam of the flashlight. She'd walked through the train using the doors, and was now by Rebecca's side. "Can you walk?" she asked.
Rebecca shook her head. "If it's twisted or sprained, applying pressure on it can only make it worse. I'll need to find ice, a splint or pressure bandage, and keep the weight off," she said.
Claire looked up at Leon, holding her arm up again. "Will you get that light out of here? Last thing we need is to be blind!" she said.
"Leon! What's going on down there?" Chris called out, impatiently.
Leon pointed the light up. "I found them, they're fine! Rebecca hurt her foot though!" he said.
"We can come down there!" said Chris.
"I don't think that's a smart idea, Chris! We'll find a way back up, don't worry! Use the cell phone if you need us, but otherwise we'll meet you at the Madison Square Garden, it's really close to this station!" said Leon.
Chris sighed, but Jill took over. "Alright, we'll meet you there! Make sure to be on full alert and take it easy down there! We'll see you guys soon!" she said.
Leon nodded and looked back down to the other two. "Well, it's just the three of us from now on," he said. He sat on the side of the train and let himself slide down, landing on the tracks next to Claire and Rebecca.
Claire frowned. "Now what?" she asked. "All of the subway entrances I've seen today were blocked off by cars, bikes, and random crap. Even if we find a way out, how can we get through?"
Leon shrugged, kneeling down next to Rebecca. "Any ideas?" he asked.
Rebecca nodded. "Head down the tracks until we find a way out," she said.
Claire took the flashlight from Leon and looked down the track. "We should do it fast, too...I can barely see anything," she said. She got up and pointed the flashlight on the subway train. She walked over to it and looked through the window, disgusted. There were charred bodies and blood splatters all over, which indicated that the whole thing had probably crashed and exploded. She turned back to the others and sighed. "I really don't want to stay here longer than we have to," she said.
Leon helped Rebecca up, and caught her by the waist when she nearly fell back down. "Oops," she said, "I'm sorry."
Leon shook his head and kneeled forward. "You can't walk on that foot, so hop on. We'll be able to go much faster this way," he said.
Rebecca glanced over to Claire, who had already started down the subway tracks, shaking her head. She looked back down to Leon, and sighed. "Okay, but if I get too heavy let me down right away," she said.
Leon laughed as Rebecca got on. He stood up straight and started after Claire. "Too heavy, huh?" he said. "You barely weigh anything, so don't worry about it!"
"If you say so," Rebecca said, grinning. She knew she was light, and Leon looked like he could support anything, but she still felt like a burden, and hoped this wasn't giving Claire any ideas. Neither had said anything, but she could tell there was something between her and Leon, and she'd hate to get in the middle of it. She sighed and looked aside to the train as they walked by. "If the train crashed and exploded, it's likely that someone was infected on it...so we'll have to be really careful. Do either of you have a gun?" she asked.
Claire turned and looked to the holster she'd put on back at the coffee shop. She was relieved to see her gun there, and pulled it out. "I'm good," she said.
Leon looked down and sighed. "Lost mine," he said. "How much ammo do you have?" he asked Claire.
"No clue," she said. She turned and kept going down the tracks, pointing the flashlight side to side, making sure they were alone.
Leon sighed. "Claire, slow down will you?" he asked, stepping over a body that had been thrown from the window. It was burned, and didn't seem like it would be getting up.
"No, Leon, you speed up. Something might be around here, and I don't want to stick around to find out what it could be," she said.
"But you're the only one with a gun," Rebecca said.
Claire turned, walking backwards while looking at Rebecca. "It's not my fault I had it secured properly. You guys are the cops, maybe you should've thought about that," she said.
"Claire, what's the matter?" Leon asked. "Are you claustrophobic?"
She turned again, walking around one of the many broken lights hanging from the tunnel ceiling. "No, I'm not. I just want to get out of here," she said.
"It could be claustrophobia," Rebecca said. "Do you have that water bottle?"
Claire stopped and turned back to them, this time flashing the light into their eyes. "I'm not claustrophobic, okay? And no, I don't have that water bottle anymore, it fell when I did," she said. She turned and kept walking.
"Alright, I'm sorry," said Rebecca, sighing.
Leon blinked and looked ahead. "Claire, seriously...I don't know what your problem is, but can you please slow down? I'm completely in the dark and keep tripping over things, and people," he said.
Claire sighed and turned again, pointing the light to the ground between them. "Sorry," she said.
"It's fine, just...calm down, okay?" he said, walking over to her.
"Quiet!" Rebecca said, and Leon froze. He looked around, as did Claire, hearing a small scratching, almost static-like noise.
"Rat?" asked Claire, in a bare whisper.
"Maybe," Rebecca said, looking around.
Claire pulled the gun up, aiming it with the flashlight. She looked around, but couldn't see a thing. The noise didn't sound like it was moving, but it echoed through the tunnel so it was impossible to tell where it was actually coming from.
Just as she'd guessed, two rats ran into the path of the light, and then ran off to the train. Claire jumped, but felt relieved that it wasn't something infected. She put the gun back in the holster and turned to the others. "I can see light up ahead, probable from one of the platforms," she said.
"That's good, maybe nothing crashed in that area, meaning there could be a way out," Rebecca said.
Leon followed Claire towards the light. When they finally reached it, Claire walked to the side and climbed up on the platform. She turned and helped Rebecca up while Leon climbed after her. They stood up, Rebecca leaning on a pillar, and looked around. "Well it's pretty messed up here, too,' Leon said.
"Yeah, but the subways were never in perfect condition, so it's hard to tell," Claire said. She looked up at the ceiling, sighing. "Some of the lights are working, but others look like they fell out or just popped," she said.
"Well it helps a little against the darkness, but it's not a hundred percent safe up here either. We'll need to find a way out and fast," Rebecca said.
"I'll check out the exit, you guys stay here and if anything approaches, yell as loud as you can or fire the gun," he said.
Claire took a step forward, but Rebecca was faster. "Be careful," she said.
Leon looked back and smiled at them both. "Always," he said, heading up the steps to the exit. He saw it was blocked, and sighed. "Figures," he said. He headed back down and shook his head.
"Well, shit," Claire said.
Leon nodded in agreement and walked over to her. "We'll have to keep going down the tracks and see how the next platform looks," he said.
The ceiling above them rumbled and they all looked up at the light when it started flickering. "What the hell's that?" asked Claire.
"Another explosion above-ground, maybe?" suggested Rebecca.
The part of the ceiling where the light was broke and fell towards Leon and Claire. They both jumped back, barely avoiding it, as the pavement broke against the platform tiles. Pieces of rocks flew at them, and Leon turned to avoid getting any in his face. Claire brought her arm up to shield herself, coughing at the forming dust. She felt a sting on her arm, and felt herself shaking. A few seconds later, everything around her was shaking, and she could barely see. She could hear Leon's voice, but it was muffled. She looked up at the ceiling, and it soon turned into the floor. She was a bit confused, feeling very hot and then suddenly freezing cold. Leon's voice seemed to get further away, and was soon replaced by a high-pitched ringing in her ears. A few seconds later, she saw, heard, and felt nothing.
"I don't like this," Chris said.
Jill sighed. "I know, but we have no idea where they could be at this point," she said.
They sat just outside the main entrance of Madison Square Garden, waiting. They'd been there for about an hour, and Chris had tried calling Claire's cell phone nearly a hundred times. At the same time, Jill had been trying to reach Leon's phone, and Barry did the same for Rebecca's. None of them, however, got a response.
"The subway cuts off receptions all the time, so we can't jump to any conclusions," Barry said. He sat next to Chris, patting him on the back. "They probably had to walk past a few stations before finding a way out, don't worry," he said.
"I can't NOT worry, Barry...They're stuck underground, Leon said that Rebecca hurt her foot, and Claire's still not at a hundred percent...Oh man, what if she gets feverish again?" he said, taking in a deep breath.
"She's got Rebecca, and the antibiotics. She'll be fine," Jill said.
"But still..." Chris looked out in the distance, hoping to see them turn the corner, but saw nothing. "We haven't seen many zombies up here, so what if they're all down there?" he said.
"Don't even think about that," Jill said.
"Yeah, I think the zombies are all stuck inside their homes," Barry said.
Chris sighed, and looked to Jill. "You were right about Claire before...so, are you as sure about this?" he asked.
Jill nodded, smiling. "Damn right I am! They're smart kids, Chris, they'll be up here in no time," she said.
Chris nodded. "Alright, I'll take your word for it then," he said.
"Want a sandwich? It might take your mind off it," she offered. She leaned forward and looked at Barry. "And not a word from you," she said.
Barry grinned. "I wouldn't dream of it," he said.
"Liar," Jill said, laughing. She pulled out the bag with the sandwiches, and they each took one. Chris looked out in the distance again as he ate, sighing. Come on, guys... he thought.
Leon jumped over the fallen ceiling pieces, carefully avoiding the live wire hanging from the ceiling. He had turned to avoid the ceiling pieces, but had looked up in time to see the wire hit Claire on the arm, and she'd dropped to the ground instantly.
He slid to her side and instantly reached to her neck for a pulse.
Rebecca hopped over to them, careful to keep the weight off her ankle. "Is she okay?" she asked.
Leon sighed. "She's alive, just unconscious," he said. "This really isn't her day."
Rebecca kneeled down next to Claire, pointing the flashlight on her. "It hit her left arm, so it's not surprising that she passed out. The current went right by her heart," she said.
"She'll be okay though, right?" Leon asked, almost panicking.
"She'll be fine, just a little confused and maybe shaky. The shock didn't last long enough to do any damage, and if it had been a bigger current she wouldn't even have a pulse right now. Don't worry, she'll be up soon," she said.
Leon sighed in relief. "I'm so glad you're here," he said. "I wouldn't know what to do."
Rebecca smiled. "To be honest, I'd rather be somewhere else...far from all this crap," she said.
"Oh, I know what you mean," he said, "but it seems to follow us no matter where we go." He looked down when Claire stirred a bit, and sighed again. "After Raccoon, I was hoping it would all be over. That we'd put it all behind us, and go on with our regular lives, but I knew that would never happen," he said.
Rebecca looked down to Claire and couldn't help but smile again. "By the way, when do you plan on telling her?" she asked.
Leon looked up, shocked. "What are you talking about?" he asked.
"Oh come on, you can't tell me I'm the only one who's noticed. There's an obvious attraction, I could tell when you gave me that piggy-back," she said.
Leon shook his head, doing his best to hide a smile. "You're crazy," he said.
"Am I? Am I really? Leon, don't hide it anymore. Your feelings are returned, I can promise you that, so it's your turn to admit how you really feel," Rebecca said.
"You really think telling Claire all this would do any good?" he asked.
Rebecca nodded. "She needs to know," she said.
"She might get upset," said Leon. "And I really don't want to upset her."
Now, Rebecca was laughing. "You're afraid of her!" she said. "That's so cute!"
Leon grinned. "Shut up, I am not!" he protested.
"Whatever, Leon," Rebecca grinned. "If you don't tell her, I will," she joked.
"You'd better not," he said.
Leon was distracted when Claire stirred again, opening her eyes. She looked up at him, and he smiled. "Hey, welcome back," he said. "Are you okay?"
Claire blinked and looked at Rebecca. They were both leaning over her, their heads nearly connecting. She'd barely heard the tail-end of their conversation, but understood everything. "I'm fine," she said.
"You got shocked by a loose wire from the light," Rebecca said.
Claire sat up slowly, feeling a bit jumpy. Her hands were shaking, but she wasn't sure if that was from the cold, the shock, or the massive wave of jealousy she felt after hearing their conversation. She shook her head, putting it aside.
"Are you feeling pain in your chest?" Rebecca asked.
"No," Claire said, glancing at Leon. He smiled, and she looked away instantly.
"Are you cold?" Rebecca asked.
Claire sighed. "No," she lied. "Let's get going," she said, standing up and fighting a wave of dizziness.
Leon stood next to her. "Take it easy," he said. "We need to make sure you're okay before going anywhere, or we-"
"How was the exit again?" Claire asked, cutting him off.
Leon blinked. "Well, it was blocked," he said.
"By what?" she asked.
"A car," said Leon.
"So we can just move it out of the way, right?" she said.
Rebecca got up, hopping on one foot. "Calm down," she said.
Claire turned to her, nearly glaring. "I am calm."
Rebecca shook her head. "Your breathing accelerated and your hands are shaking, and I don't think it's from the shock," she said. "Maybe you should sit down."
Claire shook her head, looking down. "Or maybe I should leave you two alone, if you'd like?" she offered.
"Why the hell would we want that?" Leon asked. "What's bothering you all of a sudden?"
She turned and started towards the stairs. "Nothing," she said. "Can we move the car or what?"
Leon sighed. "We probably could, but we'd have to do it fast before it alerts any zombies," he said. He looked at Rebecca. "Need a hand?" he asked.
She shook her head, limping towards the stairs. He stayed close behind her, confused. What the hell just happened? He thought, sighing.
**Random note; I had the conversation between Rebecca and Leon planned for days, and finally got it down! XD. It was meant to be misunderstood by Claire, thinking they're talking about each other...Poor Leon!
As for the light thing, I just needed something to happen to knock Claire out, in order to write-out said misunderstanding, and send her in a blind jealousy-rage, because let's face it...Claire's just so cute when she's pissed off! ^_^ Next chapter's on its way!**