He couldn't believe his ears. Chris had just received the news about how there was no sign of Claire other than a hair tie and blood in the outskirts of the laboratory. He was losing hope fast. He was ready to leave for Richmond when he received a text from Jill.

"We lost signs of the car. I'm sorry Chris. We're coming home." He then tucked his phone into his back pocket. He let out a sigh and tossed his car keys onto his counter. He didn't know what his next move was. He replied with a short, "Okay. See you soon." He walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of vodka. He sat on the couch and stared at the bottle. He had promised his parents that he would take care of her. He felt like a failure. He'd let this happen twice now. He reached for the bottle, opened it and took a swing. He didn't know how long he spent on the couch drinking and eventually he even cried. He had no idea what she might be going through, especially if Wesker was involved. This time he wasn't sure he'd get Claire back safe and sound.

Claire was slowly coming to her senses but she remained weak. Her eyes fluttered open to the sound of a creaking door. She was now aware of her surroundings. She was being carried by Wesker and the blanket was stilled wrapped around her. She saw small flecks of snow in Wesker's hair. Wesker then gently set her down on a brown, leather couch. She tried to sit up but her vision darkened and she let herself fall asleep once more. She had many dreams of waking up in a different room with immense pain. Once she even imagined that she was bleeding from her eyes and nose. A different time she dreamt herself on the floor coughing up blood. She was by herself and was coughing up more and more blood.

Sometime later, she woke up and was now in a different room. She was lying in a white-sheeted bed and she was connected to a heart monitor. There was an IV catheter sticking out of the top of her hand. She was confused and turned to the floor and saw it was blood-stained. Confusion filled her head. They were just dreams, right? She wasn't so sure anymore. She disconnected the heart monitor and took out the catheters. She walked off into a room that appeared to be a bathroom. She stared at herself in the mirror and was shocked at what she saw. She was in a hospital gown and her hair was down, that however wasn't the scary part. She looked, well, dirty. She had dark circles under her eyes and she looked thinner than the last time she looked in a mirror. She immediately her breathing was getting quicker and she was having a panic attack. Where am I? How long have I been here? What is happening to me? Do my friends think I'm dead? She tried to calm herself down and splashed water on her face. Claire barely heard the door to the main room open and Wesker step inside. She was startled by his presence and she backed up and bumped her calf on the cold bathtub, nearly falling in. He reached out to grab her but she had caught herself. She gave him a blank stare before speaking first,

"What happened to me?"

He deflected her question and simply said,

"You should get back to bed. You're dehydrated and going to be in pain soon."

"Not until you tell me happened." She was shaking her head, her panic attack slowly returning. He slowly reached his arm out and brushed it by her face, cupping her cheek softly. He felt her stiffen under his touch. He then gently grabbed her arm and led her to back to the bed. He reconnected the catheter and replaced the heart monitor, even though Claire seemed fairly uncomfortable being touched by him. His shaded eyes avoided her as he spoke next,

"My idiot guards happened.", he joked. What? He surprised even himself.

Claire started to connect dots together in her head,

"I'm infected aren't I?" She barely said the words; they came out more as a whisper.

"Yes. Yes you are." He said the words harshly, trying to recover from the 'joke' he had said a few seconds before.

Claire tried getting out but was pushed back into bed.

"Stop. You are now the only source of the untouched T-Veronica Virus I have. I don't wish to have to treat you roughly, but if you make it difficult I'll be forced to. I'm not planning on letting you go anytime soon."

"So now I'm just a supply source? Your test subject?," anger began rising in Claire. She'd rather be dead than one of Umbrella's experiments. "You're a sick fuck, you know that?" She sprung out as fast as she could, but her current state was no help. She barely made it to the door when strong arms enclosed around her waist, hauling her off her feet. She was tossed back onto the bed. She tried getting up once more but was stopped as Wesker was on top of her, his legs cradling her sides and his hands wrapped around her wrists, forcing them down onto the mattress. She kicked and tried to break free but he continued to hold her down effortlessly. She managed to slip a hand free and slap him across the face, knocking his glasses off. He turned back at her and she was now staring into deep red eyes. She suppressed a gasp and chose her next words carefully,

"Did the same infection do that to you?" He nodded. "Get off of me." He slowly back up off Claire and she sat up slowly. Wesker sat at the edge of the bed, his eyes still on Claire.

"Look. I don't…." Claire honestly didn't know where she was going with this. She then just let herself go. She began to weep uncontrollably. She had never cried her eyes out so much. She looked up and imagined all of things that she'd be missing out in life. She was doomed and she knew it. Nothing would ever be the same. She slowly let herself get off the bed and walked once more to the restroom. She wouldn't let herself loose this easily. She was a Redfield. She would get through this and destroy Umbrella and Wesker. Even if it meant the death of her. She was already screwed, for all she was concerned. She turned and saw Wesker staring out the window. She wasn't ready to stop fighting. She walked out and stopped at Wesker's side.

"So, what's next then?" she asked while she stared blankly out the window, completely ignoring Wesker's red eyes watching her.

*Bang Bang Bang* Leon's hard fist repeatedly slammed against Chris' apartment door.

"Can you try calling him again?" The crew hadn't heard back from Chris since they last spoke on their way back from Richmond.

"Already did," responded Jill, "here." She slowly moved Leon aside and began picking the lock.

"Couldn't have done that ten minutes ago?" stated Leon clearly exhausted. A few moments later the door opened up and they were surprised at what they saw inside. The place was a mess and furniture was all over the place. All three of them drew their guns and slowly proceeded inside. As they neared they heard noises coming from the bathroom. Jill inched over to the hallway and saw Chris' bedroom door open. She peeked in and saw many bottles of alcohol tossed around the bed. She put away her gun and asked the rest of them to go out for a little while and grab some breakfast. Leon raised an eyebrow at Jill, but she gave him a look that sent a kind of understanding. He nodded his head and walked out with Rebecca. Jill was now alone in the living room. She walked over to the bathroom and opened the door. She wasn't surprised peaked through and saw a shirtless Chris slumped against the tub with bloodshot eyes. She didn't question him, she didn't run up to help him , she simply took off her jacket and sat down next to him, holding his hand. Together they sat hand in hand staring into the wall. Few minutes later, she turned on the shower, and helped Chris in. She walked out and tidied the place up a bit. This wasn't the first time he'd been through something like this and responded with getting beyond drunk. Jill was always there to help him; she'd always be there for him. Half an hour later Chris immerged from the bathroom fully clothed and clean. He walked to the kitchen and ate some of the bagels that Leon had brought. He didn't say word after he'd finished eating.

"Now what?" Rebecca was the first to break the silence. They all looked defeated. Leon was the next to speak,

"We find one of the closest researchers whose name was on the notes Chris took from the warehouse. It's our best bet right now. We can't just keep blundering around the dark here."

Nobody objected. "Good. Let's get started."