Sherry's POV
"They ran out of other sodas, so I hope you don't mind." Sherry settled down on the beach towel besides the brunette, handing her a chilled Cola can. They've been on the beach for about an hour now, the sun shining brightly as ever on the passing civilians. Many children and adults were frolicking in the water; some were building sandcastles while others lay around, working on their tan.
Popping the tab off the can, Sherry smiled as she took a gulp of the fizzy drink. It had been Helena's idea to come to Belford Island- they had met after the Lanshiang accident; and much to her surprise, bonded quite a lot.
"I'm so glad I listened to you, Helena." She turned to face the younger woman, a pleasant curve forming from her lips. "I never even knew this place existed- we should definitely come here again soon." She placed the can down, reaching down for her bag. Fumbling, she finally found what she had been looking for: Sunscreen.
"Do you mind?"
Helena's POV
"Of course I don't mind." Helena smiled, sharing the drink with her friend. She was admiring the sights, the sounds, and the smell of the beach. She hadn't been in years, and it showed. She almost glowed due to her paleness and so did Sherry.
"I used to come here all the time as a kid with my parents and sister. I like to say it's my secret paradise." Her light brown hues eyed Sherry through her shades as the blonde pulled out the SPF. There was something Sherry didn't know about Helena, a deep secret she had harbored and chose to keep to herself. She had feelings for the other woman, and knew that Sherry would never feel the same. It was a lost cause and there was no use in telling her. It'd save her a lot of embarrassment in the end. The sudden request for Helena to lather sunscreen lotion on the petite blonde made her blush immensely.
"I… uh." She paused for a moment, wiping the sweat off her brow. "Of course. I'll need some on my back too I… I can already feel myself getting a bit sunburnt." Her face was flush as she put the SPF in her hands, her heart racing as her hands touched the woman's back. "I hope it's not too cold." She chuckled nervously, but made sure to put it on her correctly.
Damn it, Harper. Snap out of it.
She quickly composed herself, hoping her awkwardness wouldn't give her away. Suddenly there was a familiar groaning heard from the bar behind them. Helena turned her head, jaw dropping. The civilians had no clue what they were encountering, and simply laughed. The man stumbling into the bar wasn't just any man, he was infected.
"Sherry!" Helena got her attention before rushing over to the bar. "Stay away from that man! He is infe-" but before she could finish, more appeared, stumbling onto the island, biting many. "We don't have much time. We need to take care of this problem… but… goddamnit!" Helena kicked at the sand, keeping her eye out for Sherry. "I didn't bring my gun, were totally unarmed… what do we do?" Her heart sank, she invited Sherry here and she wouldn't be able to live with herself if someone else she loved died due to her decisions.
Sherry's POV
"Oh, that must have been nice…I never imagined that I would go to a place like this, it looks just like those commercials on TV. It's almost too good to be true." Her eyes darted to the beach towel and she lay down, untying the bikini strap as Helena started to apply sunscreen onto her back. It was nice to finally have a vacation…things became a bit stressful after losing the president, but the head chief insisted that she would take at least a few weeks off. She admittedly felt guilty about it, but right now, she couldn't complain. She was at a beach in perfect weather, and her good friend by her side. It was a nice change of pace.
"Hm? No, It's fine…" She trailed off as her lids started to flutter shut, Sherry enjoying the moment. That is, until an all too familiar sound erupted from a distance. As soon as she opened her eyes, she was greeted with many screaming adults and children, all fleeing away from the bar. A man had been bitten. No, infected. Oh, No. She quickly tied the straps from her top, getting up and grabbing all her things as she heard her name being called out.
Helena!
"I-I didn't bring my gun either!" She yelled as she ran to the woman, panic evident on her face. "We need to find a weapon. We can't let anyone get infected!" Her eyes darted around the sand, looking for any spare objects before she felt a cold hand grab her shoulder, the force causing her to stumble down. She was met with a much familiar face… bloody, gnarling teeth, and skin that was already decaying.
Sherry gasped for air as the zombie struggled on top of her, it's teeth nearly touching her cheeks. Suddenly, her eyes caught a glimpse of of something sparkling from the distance. She managed to squint; it was a knife! Her hands fought against the weight of the zombie, Sherry desperately trying to pull herself off of the monster. "Helena, quick! There's a knife lying over there! Hurry!"
Helena's POV
Quickly, Helena dove into the sand to find the knife. It was only a kitchen butcher knife but it was more than enough. She ran to the infected man, and quickly stabbed him in the head, pulling Sherry up to her.
"You weren't bitten right?" Her heart was pounding so hard her chest hurt. "There's no use in helping them." She turned to see pretty much everyone had been bitten in the bar. "It's already too late, we need to get back to our hotel rooms, grab some clothes and hopefully find security with weapons in the process." She grabbed Sherry's arm, snapping her out of it. "Are you listening to me? It's no use helping them!" She yelled, walking towards their hotel and then running once she heard Sherry's lighter footsteps in the sand. She eyed a paddle by the walkway and paused for a moment.
Finally, she grabbed it, slamming it on the ground to break it in half and handed her friend the other piece. "In case we run into any on our way there." She stated, running towards the hotel. Much to her dismay and horror, the hotel was just the same as the bar. She knew they'd have to go in there though. They couldn't fight the undead in their bikinis, barefoot, and without water. Helena nodded at Sherry, readying her paddle and making a run for it. It seemed like a blur as she literally punched her way through the infected crowd, finally making their way to the hotel room.
"Sherry, you have the keys, hurry up and get us in there!" She covered her friend for what almost felt like a minute until the door opened and they slammed it behind them. "That won't hold for long."
Of course it won't, she's been in the same boat as you. Maybe even worse.
Helena changed as quickly as she could, not caring at this point about being naked in front of the other. Their lives were at stake and they needed to get out of there fast. She grabbed her phone, quickly losing her temper when she saw there was no signal. "Any luck on yours?" Her eyes filled with tears, but she quickly averted them, shaking away any emotion she was feeling at that time. It was useless to get emotional now, not if they planned on getting out of there alive.
Sherry's POV
She resisted the urge to tell and convince Helena to go back to the bar… besides, she knew it was a bad idea. She frowned as they entered their hotel room, both of them slamming the doors shut. "At least it's going to buy us some time." She quickly roamed around the room, looking for any useful supplies. Grabbing a few medkits and water bottles, she stuffed them into her bag, bringing out a change of clothes as well. Putting her top on, she sighed at how bad the day had already become. Not to mention that she dint pack much, actually. They were expecting perfect weather, and all Sherry brought along with her were t-shirts and shorts.
So much for vacation.
Her attention returned to their situation as the brunette angrily exclaimed that the hotel phone wasn't working. Fumbling for her bag, she reached for her cell phone; but no matter how many times she tried to dial, the line did not respond. "I-It's not working…" She noticed the woman's tears, and reached out to lightly touch her shoulder. "It's ok, Helena. I…We can do this." The hungry moaning sounds grew louder as more more zombies mindlessly knocked against the door.
We don't have time. We have to get out of this room, now.
That reminded her of something.
Of course! How could I have been so stupid?!
Sherry went and got all their belongings, moving them to the side of the room. "I just remembered something. When we got here-" She moved by her own bed, -which was the closer one to the windows- and grabbed onto it, the mattress partially falling off onto the floor. "I saw some of the security guards heading into a safe room. There were definitely monitors and computers in that room." Now the mattress was on the floor, Sherry dragging it to the window ledge. "Our phones might not work here. But it has to work in that room. It's an island! They have to be able to communicate with the outside -" She was cut off as the door started to creak, splinters of the wood falling apart. "We definitely can't go through there, so you'll have to trust me on this… besides, we're only on the fifth floor." How bad can it be? Right?
"Hold onto the edge!" She yelled as she slammed the bed onto the windows, the glass breaking into a million pieces. She felt a surge of pure panic as the bed flew out into the beach, Sherry grabbing onto the mattress. It was too quick to make sure if Helena had heard her, but she felt relieved when she saw another pair of hands holding onto the bed. The fall was quick, but not as painful as it seemed, due to their landing on the mattress. Sherry sighed as her eyes adjusted to the beach once more- he other women lay a few feet beside her, dazed. "Helena, are you okay?! I'm so sorry I dint tell you in advance!"
Helena's POV
Helena ran as fast as she could towards the mattress and Sherry who were now plummeting out the window.
This is a bad idea…
She was surprised to see she actually gripped the mattress on her way out, glass still shattering around her. Her stomach felt fluttery as they fell down five stories. Helena braced herself for the landing, and surprisingly was unscathed. "I'm fine." She said, rolling off the mattress and catching her breath. "Don't worry about it, you saved our lives." She put her hand on Sherry's shoulder, giving it a affirmative squeeze before letting go.
They headed towards the security room, trying to be as quiet as possible. At this point, everyone was infected. They made their way back inside, staying low to the ground. Just when they thought things couldn't get worse, mysterious gas came from the vents near them. Helena grabbed onto Sherry's hand, quickly pulling her into the security room. "I'll try and get in touch with Hunnigan, you look for weapons." Helena stated, her patience growing thin with the controls.
Pick up the goddamn phone.
Hunnigan more than likely was on vacation as well, but at the last ring the woman picked up. "Hunnigan!" Helena explained everything to the other woman who quickly got to her computer and did everything she could do. As for now, the Island was under quarantine and there was nothing that Hunnigan could do for them. Helena turned to Sherry, beginning to lose hope.
"I'm so sorry, Sherry. For bringing us here. It's all my fault." She shook her head, "I can't let you die though. I'm not letting someone else I-" Before she could say anymore she was cut off. There were gun shots heard within the hotel and Helena ducked, bringing Sherry down with her. As she peered over the window to the security room she saw agents in black, disposing of the infected. They didn't appear to be on their side other. "Must be Neo-Umbrella." Helena whispered, "Getting rid of evidence." Her eyes widened as she saw one agent seemingly controlling a rather big tyrant with a device. "Looks like they know we're here too." She looked around, trying her best to find an escape when her eyes met an air duct. "You go first, I'll be right behind you, but stay quiet." She motioned towards it, hoping this plan wouldn't fail completely.
Sherry's POV
"Okay." She nodded, placing a .44 Magnum in the agent's hand. "I found this one in the back cabinet." She looked up at the air duct; it was far too high for her to jump into. But now wasn't the best time; with Neo-Umbrella right under their nose, the two woman would need to be much more sneakier if they planned to make it out alive. She stiffened as the agents and tyrant like creature came closer to the safe room, the big monster looking oddly much like the one that chased her and Jake during China.
They must have been experimenting…
They eventually passed,Helena and Sherry breathing sighs of relief. Sherry got up, slowly looking through the windows; the agents had left a mess everywhere- there were strewn bodies all over the floor, and blood on the walls. She felt a pang of guilt as she mentioned Helena to her side.
All these innocent people…Their vacations, their lives…ruined by Neo-Umbrella. And… we aren't any of them. We're still…alive.
It definitely wasn't fair. She would have to make sure to have the D.S.O. stop this organization for good after they'd leave this island. If they managed to leave. "Can you boost me up?" She whispered quietly to the brunette. Helena nodded, her hands forming a platform. Sherry jumped, her hands reaching to grab the vent in time. As she started crawling through the narrow air duct, she wondered where this vent could possibly lead them to. The worse place would be room full of zombies; hopefully they would wind up outside. Then they could at least look for shelter and avoid the mysterious agents. She heard Helena's breathing as she made a turn in the vent, and oddly, she felt felt very happy. They were stuck in a bad situation, sure, but she wasn't alone anymore. Never had anyone treated her with that much respect, dignity, and admiration… but Helena.
She was so used to being alone, that it felt beyond weird being stuck with someone she actually liked. Remembering what the brunette told her before, she smiled. "Helena, about before…it's alright. Things turned kinda shitty, but…I'm glad I have you by my side. I'm sure…that we can get through this." She almost fell down as her hands reached down to find nothing. The air duct reached it's end. Sherry tried to peek down to see if anything was in the room, but there was nothing but total darkness. Gulping, she turned around to face her partner, her hands reaching for the revolver she had found along side Helena's magnum. "I'll go down there first. Keep a look out for me." She jumped down to the room, darkness surrounding her.
Helena's POV
"What a surprise. Thanks." Helena put the .44 in the back of her pants, then tightened her belt before entering the air duct. They were more than lucky to have found those weapons. It would most likely save their lives later on. She lifted Sherry with ease, then climbed up herself, hoping her weight wouldn't pull down the vent. "I'm glad you're not angry. If we don't make it… There isn't a person I'd rather die with than you." Helena tried lightening the mood, because unknown to Sherry, she was terribly claustrophobic. Her heart sank when Sherry went down into the room first. She grated her teeth and clenched her fists, trying to keep her eyes peeled.
She knew it'd be best to stay up there and wait. Afterall, Sherry did have healing powers Helena didn't. Helena saw all was clear and jumped down, wishing she had packed a flashlight at least. She wasn't one for aimlessly wandering in the dark, especially when danger was near. "You think it's tracking us?" Helena whispered, startling the shorter blonde a little, "Sorry, I thought you saw me come down here." Her voice was soft as she trailed off, searching the room for anymore supplies. They were in the hotel's kitchen, and she found herself grabbing water bottles from the fridge.
"We'll need to stay hydrated if we expect to run from… whatever the fuck that is." She was comfortable enough to know Sherry wouldn't mind her sailor talk as her coworkers put it. Heavy footsteps were heard nearby, and there came the panic again. The heavy pounding of her heart in her chest, and a feeling of bile building up in the pit of her stomach. She gasped as the footsteps got louder, faster, and closer. She quickly grabbed Sherry and pulled them both into a bottom cabinet, holding her hand over Sherry's mouth. She didn't care if it'd piss her friend off or not. They needed to remain silent.
Two agents were heard speaking to one another. "Wherever they are, they have to be neutralized. I need one of them for testing, and the other… she'll just get in the way. Dispose of her if you see her." Helena shivered, and held Sherry closer to her. She tried not to breathe much until they left the room. Once the agents and the tyrant's footsteps were no longer heard, Helena opened the cabinet a little, making sure the coast was clear before letting out a breath for air. She stood up out of the cramped space, stretching out, then holding her hands on her head in distress.
"This reminds me of a file I read on Raccoon City. I know you were there, Sherry. Do you recall researching the Nemesis? The one who was sent to eliminate all STARS members and almost succeeded? Yeah… I think that's what they're trying to do now, but with us for some reason. I hope to god Leon…" She couldn't finish, she couldn't think about her other partner right now. It was them she needed to worry about. "I'm keeping you safe." A knot was felt in her throat. "I'll die before anything happens to you."
Bullshit. You told your sister that, and look at what happened.
Her inner struggle with herself showed. She still wasn't over the grieving process with Deborah. She couldn't afford to lose someone else so special to her. Sherry really helped her through a lot. She was closest to the woman, shared things she shared with no one else, and would take a bullet without thought. Helena's light brown orbs lit up, "There's an incinerator here. What if we play a little game of cat and mouse with the monster, and lead him to it?" She was surprised at herself, and happy she could even think of such an idea in the panicked state she was in.
Sherry's POV
The blonde's eyes widened as Helena mentioned the The Nemesis. "Yeah, I managed to read a file about it after I got released…" She looked around the kitchen; several knives hung from one of the kitchen counters, causing an eerie shadow.
It's already dark…
The kitchen tools reminded her of several nights, years ago, when she was still a teenager… She was alone. The only sensation she felt in the dark was her blood being sucked out of her. She mused that she was in a vampire movie, that everything would be alright, but the vinyl restraints were so tight that she could only focus on the faint outline of the furniture in her cell. And all the while, she had wondered if someone, anyone, would come back for her. Huh? Sherry looked back at Helena as she said something about Leon.
Not right now…I have to focus on getting out of here. She blinked in surprise when the younger woman vowed to protect her. Die…for me?
Putting her hand lightly on Helena's shoulder, Sherry tried to give a reassuring smile. "Don't say that. We've survived Lanshiang. We can do this." She felt the urge to hug the woman, but the dim setting of the room made it impossible. It wasn't scary… but it felt… uncomfortable. "And hey," The slight fear in her eyes disappeared for a moment, her blue eyes shining softly in the dark room. "I got your back. Besides…I'm the older on here." Her eyebrows furrowed a bit at the mention of playing games with the tyrant creature. It can't be good. The fact that one of the agents mentioned that one of them-she didn't want to think about who, though the answer was clear- had to be annihilated, meant that Neo-Umbrella was dead serious about starting an apocalypse. Again. "But, are you sure? That thing has a tracking device doesn't it?" She tilted her head, trying to think of a way to outsmart the creature. "Do you have a plan?"
Helena's POV
"It's more important I keep you safe." Helena looked at the shorter blonde, "It's personal. I just can't let you get captured again. It's almost worse than a death sentence, what you've been through…" She shook her head, shaking off the thoughts of failing yet another person. It wasn't going to happen this time. "If it does have a tracking device we can lure it in." She pondered for a moment, "From what I heard it isn't trying to kill you, but it will me if I get in it's way." Her foot tapped nervously on the floor as she tried to think of an answer, a way to kill the thing. "You lure him in, and I'll cover you." She bit at her lip. This wasn't the best idea, but they had to do something. She peered around the corner, listening for the tyrant's footsteps. Her heart sank when she turned around to see it had been behind them the entire time. "Sherry! Run!" She screamed, almost carrying the smaller blonde as pure adrenaline ran through her body. She heard it's footsteps closing in on them, and let out a yelp as she was grabbed by the neck and pulled up.
Her eyes met those of the tyrant's as it stared at her, and she stared back, mortified. She couldn't breathe, and it's grip was only growing firmer around her neck. Finally, the tyrant tossed her aside like some sort of rag doll, it's eyes now locked on Sherry. "Over here, asshole!" She screamed, pulling out the .44 and aiming it. She fired off a few shots, then so did the creature, one bullet hitting her in the stomach.
Shit.
She held onto her wound, then looked over at the incinerator. They were so close, all they needed to do now was push him in. With enough force, it could happen. "Sherry." Her voice was weak, she was losing blood. They needed to act fast before the tyrant attacked again.
Sherry's POV
She gasped as the bullet hit Helena, the other woman hitting the floor with a sickening sound. She turned to help her up, but stayed frozen in her stance. The Tyrant was looking at her. It didn't move for a moment, and neither did she. If only she could somehow trick the monster to move to the incinerator…she was literally standing in front of it. The tyrant was starting to walk towards her, it's steps producing a loud thud!with each passing step. Her mind frantically began to think of ideas when she spotted her revolver on the floor- she must have dropped it when Helena rushed her away from the monster. It lay a few feet away from one of the nearby kitchen counters, still fully loaded. That gave her an idea. it was dangerous, but perhaps she could do it.
Prove herself. The tyrant was coming very close to her now, it's gigantic body a few feet away from hers. Sherry gulped, and waited until it was close enough before she counted down to three. She dashed to the gun as soon as her mind pronounced the third number, her legs burning with the fear of what could happen to both of the women if she they did not make it out of the island in one piece. She grabbed the handgun, Sherry not even missing a heartbeat as she ran towards the Tyrant, it's back still against her. The monster was beginning to turn around when she pulled the trigger, the bullets hitting it's knee. The thing kneed from the pain, but didn't hesitate to shoot at the older agent. Dodging the rain of bullets, Sherry ran to Helena's side. Guilt filled her eyes as the brunette lay on the floor, a mass amount of blood pooling from her stomach. "H-Hang in there, Helena! I'll be right back!" She grabbed her .44, hoping the younger woman wouldn't mind.
The next few seconds blurred as she ran up the the kneeling monster, avoiding it's bullets -much to her surprise - , and jumped. Her revolver fell to the ground as the Tyrant tipped back, losing it's balance. Sherry landed right on it's chest; and pulled the trigger of the magnum; the bullets hit the monster's face as it began to fall into the incinerator. The blonde quickly jumped again, and landed on the ground a few feet away from the injured agent as the Tyrant began to scream, harsh inhuman sounds echoing across the room. It finally died out, the flames consuming the once human monster.
Sherry quickly crawled towards Helena, tears already threatening to drop onto her cheeks. She gulped as she figured out what to say. "H-Helena, hang on! I…I'll get you up right now!" She gently took the brunette's arm and put them on her shoulders but much to her dismay, the younger woman moaned in pain. The blood was pooling everywhere; she had to take care of it now or she would die the loss of the red liquid. She lay Helena down on the floor, the tears dropping; it landed on her cheeks like rain on a sunny day. But all she saw was blood instead. "H-Helena…"
Helena's POV
Helena's breathing became more and more shallow as she watched the blonde, what a hero. She couldn't help but smile a little as Sherry came to her side. There was no use in trying to move her, she was done for. It was too late. "It's not your fault, please don't feel guilty." She whispered, pulling an idle hand up to touch the other's face. "I… I can't die until I tell you something." She swallowed back blood, her heart was slowing, vision blurring.
"You're the reason I've even continued this… life, or whatever it is. When we grew closer I grew to love you, more and more each and every day. I was never going to tell you but… what the hell right?" She coughed up blood, holding onto Sherry. "That's not the point. I have a family fortune and… there's no one else in my life but you. I've written you in my will, please… take it." She placed her hand weakly on Sherry's chest, a single tear falling down her face. "I may not be here anymore, but…" She pressed harder into her chest. "I'll always be, there." Helena looked up at her, her body was shutting down as she gave her one final 'I love you' before shutting her eyes. A few moments later her body went limp, then cold in the petite blonde's arms.
Sherry's POV
Her hand went up to hold the brunette's as Helena touched her cheeks, blood smearing over her skin. It mixed with the tears, a metallic smell wafting to her nose. Her mouth parted as the younger woman confessed to her. Never did she think that someone, anyone, could love her. And for it to be Helena…she bit back more tears, her throat filled with fear and sadness. It wasn't fair. She loved Helena, she really did. But she could never accept her as a lover. She shook her head as she saw that Helena herself knew this, and was once again overwhelmed with guilt. She stayed quiet as Helena went on, her heart plummeting at the though of inheriting her fortune. She wasn't special. For her to be taking over something so important…it just didn't feel right. But she didn't say a word. If this was what she wanted, than…she would accept it. She suppressed a sob as Helena moved her hand towards her chest; her fingers barely hovering above her heart. She entwined them with her own, feeling the brunette's skin grow cold. No. She let out a barely audible breath as Helena's hand loosened it's grip, falling onto her lap.
Tears started to pool from her eyes, Sherry tasting the mixture of blood and tears. She slowly cradled her former friend's body as high pitched sobs filled the room. It took a while for her to realize that it was herself who emitted the noise. She stayed like this for a while, holding her beloved friend's corpse in her arms. The room grew colder as the seconds turned into minutes, and the minutes seemed to turn into hours. But it didn't matter anymore. She felt just as dead.