A/N: I thank all the readers heartily for always making these chapters a success. I'd like to express my gratitude to my valuable reviewers Shirahane Aikawa, Mercenary Nemesis and red machine destroyer.

Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil or any of its characters; they all belong to Capcom.

Chapter 22

(Kathleen's POV)

It was all hurting so much, every cell in my body was trying to fight the virus within me, my life changed in two minutes, just two minutes as I couldn't even beg them to kill me. I couldn't feel anything not even him holding me, nothing but this pain. I could make out him saying something but all I could hear were screams, my screams of pain. I wanted to stop screaming but I couldn't help it. I wanted to hear what he was saying but all I could hear were my raising heartbeats and my screams breaking those rhythmic sounds of my heart, which were asking him to save me.

At least I finished Wesker but then why I am unhappy maybe because he's sad. He doesn't want to leave me and I want to die in his arms. He's crying maybe begging me to stay but… this pain… it's unbearable please let me go, let me go… please. I closed my eyes as he reached to pull out his gun, thanking him inwardly; maybe he shot me and I am dying but I didn't feel anything, I don't feel anything but this pain.

I felt as if I lived my whole life in a flash, my miserable childhood, my lonely days, my painful past and my happiest days when I had someone to love me. I recollected my happy memories as I was dying, a few happy memories but it slipped like sand from my hand. I was reminded of the day when it all started, when my life really became miserable, the day when he left me.

(Flashback)

"Where were you two?", Dad barked as mom and I got into the house.
"Shopping", me and mom chorused together nervously.
"Shopping? Hmm…", he thought a bit, "Kathleen", he said with madness in his eyes, "you're going to start medical college soon right?", he asked and I nodded, "hahahaa, it's time for celebration", he danced happily and mom looked at me worriedly, "Come here! Come here", he pulled mom by her hand and danced with her, and then all of sudden he put a syringe on her neck, "Want to know what it is?"

"Dad", I was just able to say.
"Oops", he said injecting it in mom's neck and she collapsed to the floor cold and I ran to her aid.
"Mom, mom", I shook her calling out to her, "What did you give her?', I asked him angrily.
"This little thing is called t-virus", he replied, "it turns people…"
"I don't want to know just cure her off it", I said to him crying, it sounded more like a pathetic pleading.
He pulled me up by my arm, "My sweet little daughter, I don't have the cure", he said deviously, "You have to make this cure, you want to save your mother right?"
"I am taking her to the hospital", I said getting up calling for an ambulance, first time in my life I spoke against him.
"No doctor can cure this disease", he said, "nobody can, it doesn't have a cure, the person drops dead cold, their flesh starts rotting and coming off their bones, slowly they become a cannibal, you know… a zombie."

I looked at him, "You don't want your mom to become that way, do you? You don't want mum to become a zombie do you, then take this and start working", he said giving me the vial.

I had no option to work for him lying that mum is bed-ridden because of her poor health. I studied and worked hard, and was somehow able to slow down the decaying process. I studied the virus and figured out everything about it. It was very late when I came to know that its effects were irreversible and it was too late when I understood what I've been doing; too late when I realized that in process of saving mom I was on the verge of threatening human kind. That was the day when I finally realized that my mother died long before, it was the day when she attacked me and the same day I put a bullet through her brain to save myself. Madman forced me to work for him but I knew after killing mom there was nobody Dad could threaten me with me.

That's when he came back and told me he still loved me, told me he would take me away but I couldn't risk his and his family's life. If Dad had the faintest idea that I was romantically involved with him, dad would have used him the same way as mom. In our every meeting I tried to convince him to forget me and he just ignored and instead he tried convincing me to come with him. He was stubborn and I always had to break for him, always have to lie to him and it hurt me more than hell lying to him but he left no option. How I really wanted to be with him, run to him whenever mom and dad fought because of me, wanted him to protect me from my dad, wanted to hide in his heart, but it was too late the day he left me I walked a different path and I couldn't turn back.

Then one night he told me he was going to Raccoon and I was happy that he finally decided to move on, but he asked me to come with him and I declined again for the same reasons. The day he was to leave for Raccoon was the day when Dad accidently caught hold of the notes I have been keeping as a record. He was more than impressed and that's when he told me about their major experiment in Raccoon, the city had become a walking dead and even if anyone was alive they were supposed to be eradicated on October 1st with a powerful nuclear bomb which erased the city off the map. My last day as normal girl, he thought I was ready to meet this guy Wesker and like Dad he was impressed too as I worked under those two mad people. The man I loved was dead, my mother who loved me was dead, I didn't have any hope, nobody needed me, nobody loved me, I wanted to die, I wanted to become my Dad's test subject but that was until I met Sherry.

I still remember the first day they brought her she yelled, she cried, she refused eat anything; she was too afraid from me too; that poor girl she reminded me of my past. It didn't take me much time to befriend her and I didn't thought much before busting her and myself out of the clutches of madmen.

(Flashback End)

That was the day when I became this cold hearted, fighting to stop umbrella and not a single day has passed since then, when I had stopped and turned to look at my past until now as I am dying. I wished I had more time so that only I could tell them how grateful I was to meet them. But it's already too late as my breaths became slow; my heart which was beating ten folds slowed down, the pain that I was feeling was replaced with a warm feeling. But what is this I am feeling, what are these sounds I am hearing.

(Leon's POV)

"Heart beat", Kate mumbled and we all looked at her.
"Kate?", I called doubtfully thinking I am hearing things.
"Sounds of heart beats", she kept her hand against my fast beating heart and grabbed hold of it.
"Her heart beat is normal", Rebecca said checking her, "She's going be fine", she told us smiling through her tears and I couldn't help but hug Kathleen tight.

A/N: Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the story. I apologize for any typos or mistakes in the context that might have caused an inconvenience. Feel free to share your views about the story.