Chapter 8: Tale As Old As Time

"No – no – no…Don't do this to me, baby. Please…"

Claire turned the vehicle over once more, the engine sputtered briefly to life before it cut out again, leaving only the sound of Claire's cursing and the smell of burnt rubber.

"God damn it! Fucking two-bit, piece of shit!"

Alice was trying not to laugh in the passenger seat as Claire fell onto her arms on top of the steering wheel. The move of defeat caused the horn to blare and the redhead jerked back in surprise. Alice couldn't hold it any longer; she let out an amused howl causing Claire to turn on her.

"Think that's funny do ya? Well, you can go to hell. I'm the one whose gonna have to spend all fucking day trying to fix this, and you know what that means?"

Alice stopped laughing as her paranoia took over in reaction to Claire's deviant smirk. "That means you and K-mart get to go on another walk to find me the parts I need."

K-mart smiled in the back seat as Alice sighed.

"You know what's wrong with it?" the blonde inquired.

"It sounds like a bad timing chain, but for once I really hope I'm wrong. It'll take me over an hour just to see if that's the problem."

"And if it is?"

"I'll need a replacement chain." It was Claire's turn to sigh as she said, "best get to it, the Beast won't fix itself."

"You named your car?" Alice raised an amused eyebrow.

"Car? Alice, this is a Hummer H2." Claire ran her hands lovingly over the steering wheel as she continued. "Vortec 6.2 liter V8 engine, four wheel drive, 393 horsepower." Her voice dropped an octave as she said, "415 pounds of torque." Then her words became passionate again. "Winch capacity of over 9,000 pounds, complete off-road capabilities including over nine inches of ground clearance and being able to drive in two feet of water. It's a fucking beast."

Claire's enthusiastic speech had an arousing effect on Alice. The fact that Claire was so fervent about it, and because she bit her lower lip when she caressed the leather steering wheel one last time, drove Alice slightly mad.

If she wants a beast…

"Beast it is then," Alice answered with a knowing smirk.

"That's right. Considering the motorcycle you were driving, I thought you knew a little about fine machinery, but-"

The blonde cut her off, "there's only one machine I care about, and those are the ones I keep in my holsters."

"Fair enough."

They cut the chatter and Claire set out to work under the yellow hood. Alice didn't want to wait in the vehicle and neither did K-mart. The two exited at the same time as the redhead and followed her.

Alice began to pick her nails with a knife out of boredom. After her nails were clean and cleaned again just in case, she began to throw the knife in the air and catch it by the blade with practiced dexterity. She'd yet to start checking her watch, but she was just about to when Claire set down a tool and gave the diagnosis.

"Knew it; bad timing chain. Well, that settles it. We need to get a new one. I think that city we avoided yesterday is probably our best bet."

Naturally, Alice thought as she sheathed her knife. The city remarked upon had been too large a metropolis; the risk of running into mass amounts of undead had been too great a chance to take.

"Well," Claire said as she rubbed her hands together, "ready to go?"

"Hold it," Alice stopped her. "You two aren't coming, you two are staying here."

"Like hell, Alice!"

The blonde cocked her head to the side, giving Claire an authoritative stare.

"We avoided that place for a reason, and that reason doesn't apply to me. I'm going alone – end of story." She left no room for argument so the redhead conceded with reluctance, but still had to have the last word.

"Don't get the wrong part."

Alice rolled her eyes.

The city was nearly 60 miles back. She had a long trip ahead of her, but the time was cut dramatically when Claire walked to a trailer down the road and found a covered vehicle.

The redhead threw back the sun-bleached and somewhat ragged tarp as Alice observed from a few feet behind her.

"Oh my fucking God!" Claire's jaw dropped. "No way!"

Alice knew enough about vehicles to appreciate a muscle car when she saw one. The raven black Ford Mustang was sleek and demanding. It screamed: 'you wish,' and it was obvious to Alice that Claire did wish.

The redhead immediately opened the driver's side door and sat in the leather seat. Again her fingers got a feel for the wheel. Alice watched her look for the keys next, but they were nowhere to be found.

"Not a problem," Claire said to herself as she hotwired the vehicle. "In another life this car would be perfect. Unfortunately, this world is no place for it."

The redhead was right of course, practicality would always come before the superfluous now.

When the two correct wires came together the engine roared to life. The rumble had the presence of a jet engine and Claire sat back in the seat, her smile one of absolute pleasure.

According to the redhead, the 1969 Boss 429 dominated street racing in its day. Alice didn't mind so long as it got her from point A to point B, and if it happened to indulge her vanity along the way - well, so be it. It obviously made its owner feel important; they must've spent every dollar on the car leaving mere cents for their home; the epitome of someone who wasn't well off, but had an obsession with self-image.

It took a while for Alice to persuade Claire to give the vehicle up, but when she finally did Alice was content to sit in the seat warmed up by the redhead. K-mart hadn't been interested in the car, so she went back to relax in the Hummer for a while.

Claire leaned down and set her elbows on the rolled down window as she started to bid Alice farewell.

"Make sure you get the right chain. It has to be for a Hummer H2."

"I'll find it," Alice answered, but she felt like there was something else she wanted to say. 'Stay safe' maybe? Where the fuck did that coming from? she thought.

She ended up beginning to speak the same time the redhead did.

"Alice-"

"Claire-"

Claire smirked and Alice found herself doing it too.

"You first," the blonde surrendered.

"Oh – um, I was just going to say…you'll go faster from a standstill if you rev the engine first."

Claire was lying; Alice could tell that wasn't what she wanted to say, but that was ok. The blonde wasn't going to say what she planned on either. Instead she pushed down the accelerator steadily and the engine purred. The vibrations tickled her eardrums as the redhead let her eyes drift closed in her own reaction to the sound.

Claire was so close; if Alice just turned her head a little more left she could kiss her. It was rash and bold, dangerous and daring for her to kiss Claire now, but Alice wasn't one for slow decisions, she'd never been cowardly, rewards didn't came to her without risk, and her confidence was always sky-high.

The petal was halfway between relaxed and floored when Alice took possession of the redhead's lips. Claire responded immediately, keeping their lips pressed firmly together, and then opening her mouth after a moment for the blonde's roaming tongue as the petal found its way to the floor. Alice's heart beat against her ribcage; she hadn't realized that she was hoping so desperately for this kind of reaction. Her chest flooded with warmth as the intensity of the thundering engine – and the kiss – grew. Claire fought her for dominance, and Alice had a feeling that if the Mustang's door hadn't been between them, the redhead would be climbing on top of her.

Alice released the petal and Claire finally pulled back with the near death of the engine. She stood up straight but her eyes never left Alice's; the green seemed to be flecked with passion and panic.

The blonde turned away from the gaze; the severity was too much for her.

"Good to know," Alice finally responded as she revved the engine once more and then shifted it into gear. The machine rocketed forward when Alice punched the gas, leaving Claire far behind as it reached 60 mph in less than seven seconds.

Ten minutes later and her knuckles were still white against the steering wheel. You'd better be safe when I return, Claire. You'd better keep my shadow safe. Alice didn't know why she was so worried; the pair had been able to take care of themselves long before she got there, but at least she could finally admit to herself that she did care.

She cared entirely too much, and she knew she'd suffer for it just like she did in the past.

Rain looked horrible; if it was possible she looked worse than the mere minute before.

"I don't want to be one of those things – walking around without a soul," Rain said. Each breath seemed to pain her, though she didn't even flinch when the needle entered her arm.

"You won't," Alice answered, but she'd seen too much since waking in the mansion to believe it foolhardily.

The blonde set down the jet injector she used to infuse the anti-virus into the black-haired soldier's blood as Rain spoke again.

"When the time comes, you'll take care of it?"

I'll take care of it? Rain, I don't think I can, Alice thought, but the soldier was much more desperate than she'd been before. She needed reassurance and only Alice could give it to her, but the blonde also needed to believe in what she was going to say herself.

"Hey," She caressed the woman's chin as she continued, "no one else is going to die. Ok?"

Alice pleaded with herself to not be responsible for any more deaths. Especially, the friend she'd found in Rain. The soldier had a hard exterior; she exuded confidence and often times it trickled into arrogance, but underneath Alice knew she was much more.

"Here."

Rain handed Alice her military-issue watch. The countdown had reached 0 08 01 and as Alice watched the time tick away, Rain's head slouched.

"Rain?" Alice said, but there was no response. She tried again, softer this time, "Rain…"

No – no, come on Rain, she pleaded and her lower lip quivered.

She attempted to rouse the soldier once more. "Rain?"

Alice was greeted with only silence. She moved in closer to the woman, badly seeking any proof that she was still alive. There was nothing; nothing to give her any hint of life. No, Alice thought as her lower eyelids began to brim with tears. The anti-virus had been administered too late; Rain would turn and only Alice could keep her from losing her soul.

The blonde reached across to grab the pistol resting on the metal box that contained the virus and its cure. She aimed it at the soldier's head, preparing to shoot her before she had a chance to join the ranks of the undead.

Alice cocked the hammer back, but the second she placed her finger on the trigger to pull it, Rain's hand jerked forward to strip the gun from her grip.

"I'm not dead yet," Rain said. "I think I'll have that back."

Rain took the weapon from Alice's shaking fingers and the blonde felt utter relief. She smiled as she placed her hand on Rain's neck.

"I could kiss you, you bitch."

Alice had cared for Rain, but it wasn't the way she cared for Claire. Why do I care? she thought. It was just supposed to be a game; only a simple seduction, but Alice knew it was already more than that.

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