Chapter 3: Blood in the Snow

Chris glared at the two women. Their giggles sounded roughly at the same time, grins wide on their pretty faces. Luckily, the Christmas music drowned their laughter out where other people couldn't hear them as Chris held on for dear life.

"I fail to see what's so amusing!"

Jill tugged on her partner's arm. "Chris, it's just ice skating!"

"Yeah…it's skating, you know…on ice!"

Chris's legs wobbled and slipped on the ice while clinging to the railing of the outdoor ice skating rink. Claire stood graciously next to Jill on the ice in her skates, arms crossed and breaths coming out in puffs. And even Jill had the audacity to stand on one leg so she could fix the tongue of her skate. The rink was moderately full with people ice skating, but not near as what it usually was. There was plenty of room to skate around; meaning Chris had plenty of room to crash.

The Christmas lights cast a magical glow around the trio. The snow glowed under their aura as music played in the park. The smell of food from nearby food vendors lofted in the air. It was the closest thing they were going to get to a Winter Wonderland in the middle of Raccoon City.

"The guys will never let me live it down if they see me doing this!" Chris huffed. "How the hell did you two talk me into this?"

"Because," Jill stated, looking over her pitiful partner as he was glued to the fence. "You said you'd ice skate with us if we went over to Barry's house with the guys to watch the football game."

Claire folded her arms with a smirk. "Which we would've gone anyways."

"Don't be such a baby, Chris!" Jill's attempts at pulling Chris away were futile. He wasn't budging. "Look, I know you have more balance than that!"

Claire elbowed Jill, and leaned in to whisper in her ear. The STARS Alpha marksman glared at them, immediately suspicious of their mischievous grins as they whispered. His fingers dug harder into the railing, if that was even possible.

"Don't even think about it!"

Claire and Jill grabbed Chris and worked together to tear him away from the wall. They pushed him towards the middle of the skating rink. Chris looked like a deer caught in headlights, eyes wide, arms out and waving and legs slipping and sliding as he fought for balance, desperate gasps and profanities spewing from his mouth. Claire and Jill cackled at the sight, skating towards him. Finally, he was able to catch his balance and worked at getting himself to go forward without face planting first into the ground.

"Whoo! I'm doing it!" He sounded like a gleeful child.

"They grow up so fast," Jill joked.

Claire and Jill skated behind Chris as he practiced and tried not to crash. He was easy to spot from his clumsy skating, but also because he wore his "Made in Heaven" brown leather jacket. Raccoon City Park was full of excitement and good spirits under the starry sky. Outside of the rink, kids made snowmen and snow angels with their parents. There were even a few families decking it out with a snowball fight.

Claire thoughtfully looked over at Jill. "So…I was supposed to be sneaky about this, but I know it won't do any good. I'm just gonna be upfront. Chris is going crazy trying to find you a Christmas gift. Is there something you want that he can get you so he'll shut up?"

Jill stifled a laugh, shaking her head. "He doesn't have to get me anything."

Her smile, though amused, shaped more into an affectionate up-curve of her lips. Her cheeks had been rosy from the cold, but now they seemed extra-rosy to Claire.

"Oh, but he wants to…badly. Please, you gotta help me or I'll have to deal with his whining the whole time I'm here!"

Jill was quiet, and Claire hoped she was thinking of something. "Well, how about something practical like a new toaster?"

Claire gave her an unamused glare. "C'mon Jill, a toaster? Really? Who wants a toaster for Christmas? Oh! How about that really nice sofa back in that store we checked out earlier? That would actually look really good in your living room."

She had meant it as a joke, if only to pull Jill's leg a little.

"No way! That thing was like $500!"

"Just messin' with ya!" Claire sighed, thinking. "Hmm…how about a hat? You like hats!"

"A hat sound simple, cheap, and easy. I'm all for it!"

Claire was relieved. "Glad that's over with! So, do you need any help deciding what you're getting Chris?"

"Nah, I ordered his nearly two months ago."

"What? Really? What is it?"

"Well, I had the Kendo brothers customize a brand new issue Samurai Edge with a steel slide and a silver-glided trigger. It's a one-of-a-kind gun, made just for Chris. He had one, but it got blown up, and that fucker Irons wouldn't pay for a replacement."

"I'm sorry...Blown up?"

"Don't ask. Long story. Basically, while dealing with a bomber, one of the STARS vehicles got blown up with Chris's gun inside. Everything turned out good in the end, but he sure was upset that his Samurai Edge was destroyed. It was the gun he won that last marksmanship trophy with. He's been using an old Glock since."

"Wow, he never told me about that. How much did that cost?"

Jill looked away, mumbling. "Oh, not important."

"Jill!"

"Alright! It cost $580, but Joe and Robert worked with me."

Claire's jaw fell agape but soon glared at her friend. "I'm totally telling him to buy you that sofa...and a hat…and a toaster."

"You better not! I'm gonna tell him that Wesker convinced Irons to issue him a new one."

"You think he'll buy it? What if he asks Wesker for that story?"

Jill bit her lip. "I…uhh…I'll just tell Wesker to go along with it!"

"But if you do that, then Chris wouldn't know it was a Christmas gift from you. He'd think it was a Christmas gift from Wesker…sort of."

Jill slumped her shoulders. "I know. But that's okay. He doesn't have to know it's from me. I just want him to enjoy it."

Geez, these two are total idiots for each other, why can't they see that? Claire loved Jill's heart and it made her respect the woman even more.

"I won't say anything about the gun, but you should tell him the truth when you give it to him. He deserves to know it's really from you. And, just so we're clear, don't be surprised if Chris gets you something really nice."

Jill heaved a defeated sigh. "Fine."

"Hey, kiddo!" Chris hollered. "Check this out!"

He skated by on one foot, grinning and proud of himself.

Claire covered her forehead, groaning. "He called me kiddo…how embarrassing."

Jill cupped her hands over her mouth, her breath coming out in white puffs. "Pretty soon you'll be an ice skating champ, Christopher!"

"Don't call me that!"

Jill shook her head. "Why does he hate being called Christopher so much?"

"I have no idea."

There was a surprised yelp, followed by a loud crash. Chris slowly slid across the ice on his stomach, arms and legs spread out. Laughing, Claire and Jill skated over to him and helped him to his feet.

"I think that's enough ice skating for one day," Chris said, feeling his lip with a finger. "I think I bit my lip!"

"Alright, we better leave anyways if we're going to get over to Barry's in time for the game," Claire replied, holding back a laugh.

Barry Burton lived with his family in eastern Raccoon City in a safe, quiet suburban community. They lived in a large, two-story house with a built in garage and private fenced backyard. The Redfields and the Burtons went way back. Claire had known Barry and his wife, Kathy, since she was a little girl. She considered Barry's two young daughters, Moira and Polly, as her nieces. It was the Burtons who helped look after Claire when her and Chris's parents died, and Chris enlisted into the military to take care of Claire. It was Barry who eventually helped Chris get hired on at the RPD as a member of STARS. They considered each other family.

While watching the football game, they enjoyed the good company and home-cooked food and drinks. After all, Barry had a houseful. Claire and Jill were just as into the game as the men were, cheering for their home team. Barry left just long enough to put Moira and Polly to bed for the night. Claire wasn't surprised that a few of their STARS teammates were here to enjoy the game and visit as well. Joseph Frost, Forest Speyer, and Richard Aiken cracked jokes and stuffed their faces while the football game went on. Even Barry's good friend, Robert Kendo, came over to watch the game and have some drinks. Joseph Kendo was often spotted at these kind of gatherings as well, but he was apparently out of town for the holidays.

Afraid they would wake his daughters from their rowdy banter, Barry slapped Frost with a rolled up newspaper and told them to keep it down. However, when the home team scored their first touchdown, the scolding was forgotten as all the men jumped to their feet whooping and cheering, Barry included.

The game lasted a couple of hours, and they rejoiced as their home team won the game, clanking beer bottles together. They helped the Burtons clean up for a short time before leaving for the night.

By the time Chris and Claire returned home, she was beat. She had cheered just as much as the men, and probably ate just as much too.

The Redfield siblings weren't home long before hitting the sack. Chris returned to work in the morning, and Claire would to have to take him in because Jill's shift started earlier.

They got up early the following morning to have breakfast at Emmy's before Claire dropped her brother off at the police department. He grabbed the door handle of the truck and turned to her before getting out.

"Be careful if you go anywhere. We're supposed to get more snow later," Chris informed.

The sun was rising on the icy morning, but dark gray, overcast clouds warned of more winter weather to come.

"Will do. I think I'm gonna hit the hike trails and run a mile or two before going home. I feel fat from all that good food last night."

Chris rolled his eyes. "You women. Can't you just run at the track in town? That's kinda far."

"It's closed, remember? Besides, I like the scenery out there better."

"I dunno, Sis. Anything could happen that far out by yourself. Might get hurt and no one be around to help. Hell, there might be crazies out there right now."

It was Claire's turn to do the Redfield eye roll. There were times Chris's brotherly protectiveness got on her nerves. "Chris, we've taken the Arklay Hiking Trails lots of times and never had any problems. If there is anyone out there, which I doubt from the weather, I bet it'll only be that old couple Mr. and Mrs. Willow and some of those good looking track guys from Raccoon University."

"Good looking track guys? Now wait just a damn minute, I-"

"Oh c'mon, Chris, I was just joking! I knew you would freak out as soon as I mentioned hot guys!"

"Well, just run a mile around my house."

"I'd look like an idiot running around the house."

"Fine, whatever. Just don't take too long and please call me when you get home, alright? If I don't hear from you in a few hours, I'll come searching. I mean it!"

"Yes, sir!" Claire saluted sarcastically and stuck her tongue out at him.

After her brother got out, Claire drove the truck away from downtown Raccoon City and took the main highway out of the city limits. Dreary clouds snuffed out the early morning sun. Claire knew it would snow again soon, probably before noon. It was cold and snowy, but Claire felt the jog would do her some good. She had neglected her exercises since arriving to visit Chris on her winter break, and knew it would also be nice to get out of the house and clear her head.

Claire smiled. Yes, it was a good day for a jog.

The Arklay National Forest was a vast wilderness that surrounded the city with mountains and rivers for miles around. It was a popular tourist attraction within Arklay County. There were several camping and hiking locations throughout the county, but the more popular ones included the Arklay Hiking Trails to the northwest of the city, off Route 6. They explored Arklay Mountains and provided beautiful sightseeing, rock climbing, and breathtaking vistas.

Claire parked the Dodge truck in the parking area of the hiking trails. The small forest center stated the hiking trails were closed due to the weather. Claire had never seen that before here, even in this kind of weather. She saw other vehicles in the parking lot, so figured the sign was forgotten about from the ice storm a couple weeks ago.

She climbed out, bundling up in her parka and gloves. She wore dark pants and snow boots and a scarf around her neck. The forest around her was quiet, only the soft cracks of snow falling off tree limbs could be heard. Claire took a good look around. The snow had transformed the forest into a winter wonderland. And though Claire was more of an autumn person, she had to admit that the snow made everything seem mystical.

As she walked over to the start of one of the scenic trails, she noticed the other vehicles parked in the lot, just a few slots down from her truck. She was surprised to see them. In this biting cold and snow, only the determined came out here to walk or hike the trails. She didn't recognize them either. The older couple see saw often drove a Ford car, and they also didn't belong to the track guys from the university.

There were three of them parked side by side, and the models surprised Claire. There was a brand new black Jaguar XK8 that caught her eye. Luxury cars weren't uncommon in Raccoon City, thanks to the booming economy and high-paying jobs from corporations like Umbrella. The Jaguar wasn't one of those more commonly seen though. Whoever owned this car had a lot of money. The other two cars were not near as stunning as the Jaguar, but also were high dollar luxury cars. There was a silver BMW M3 sedan, as well as a dark green Mercedes-Benz S320. The cars were mostly clean save for some dirty snow and mud caked up under the fenders.

Well, it looks as though we got some rich buddies going for a stroll. I hope one of them is good looking!

She laughed inwardly at her own joke, shaking her head and moving on. She was sure whomever owned these cars were not her type and were probably much older. Claire picked the trail that she and Chris often ran, wondering how the snow and ice had changed its beautiful scenery from the spring and summer seasons. She pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail and did a few warm up exercises before taking to the trail in a jog.

The scenic trail she took was the one of the longer ones, but Claire knew she could always turn back if she started to get too cold. She jogged along the snow-covered path, careful not to slip on any ice, taking in the sights. Icicles hung from tree branches, thicker branches held snow. The wind whistled as it whipped through the forest, picking up dusts of snow. There was even wildlife nearby. She could see and hear birds as they flew from branch to branch, tweeting and singing. A few squirrels were out, their tails twitching as they chased each other through the trees. A red fox that watched the snow for a mouse saw her and vanished into the woods. Not far from the trail, Claire saw a small herd of deer and stopped to watch them. They ate the bark from the trees. A buck turned his head towards her, mouth chewing and tail flicking.

I wish I had my camera!

Suddenly, the deer turned and fled deeper into the forest. Disappointed, Claire carried on, but decided to walk for a bit to further enjoy the vibrant wildlife that surrounded her. Her lungs burned from the biting cold and running, and came out in white puffs as she caught her breath. The trail went deeper into the mountains. Bluffs were visible through bare tree limbs. The trees grew denser, taller, rounder, and still Claire saw wildlife here and there.

The deeper she followed the path, the more it became deathly silent and still. Then it was gone. There was no life whatsoever out here anymore. Even the wind had died down, and so not even the tree limbs groaned or cracked in the distance. Claire's nerves twitched, and she felt a knot growing in her chest. The kind of knot that told her it was time to turn back. Something wasn't right at all, and she suddenly remembered the three cars parked back at the entrance.

I should've seen somebody by now…

She halted on the path, peering all around her, that feeling in her chest getting worse. Something bright and red caught her peripheral vision, and Claire looked down onto the snow-covered trail. A few feet away from her was a couple of quarter-sized blood splotches. The sight of the blood itself was enough to make hers curdle. She noticed the other flecks of blood, and even a trail. The dark red spots had melted the snow into a thick syrup-like substance, and were fresh.

Did someone get hurt?

A sharp, pained cry hit her ears and startled her. Her heart jumped, nerves sizzling as she backed away from the sound. Claire swallowed hard, frozen in place. Her gut urged her to turn back and flee, but she couldn't just leave without making sure someone wasn't hurt or dying out here.

The snow crunched quietly below her boots as she followed the blood drops along the path. There were footprints here other than hers, and grooves in the snow that looked like there had been a struggle. Voices carried through the trees, and her breath caught in her throat with a shaky sputter. She went off the path to hide behind a thick, large oak tree. She took a deep breath to steady herself and peeked around the trunk into an opening not far off from the trail.

Claire saw a man, maybe in his forties, with graying brown hair on his knees, wincing in pain. Blood stained his shirt, and his face was welted and bruised. The blood on the trail had to have been his. Claire's pulse rose as she realized the man's arms were tied behind his back. There were two other men, and they stood in front of him.

One of the men was thin, handsome, and looked to be in his mid-thirties with dirty blond hair, blue eyes, and five o'clock shadow. He wore a coat with a white shirt and a sloppily tied tie and dark slacks. Claire didn't recognize him. The other man was one she recognized all too well. Her eyes widened, heart flipping and sinking like dead weight into her stomach. Albert Wesker. The leader of the Special Tactics and Rescue Service wore his dark uniform, the same one she saw him wear the other day. He had a handgun aimed at the bleeding man.

What the hell?!

The man beside Wesker rolled his neck, yawning as if he was bored. "C'mon, Finley, we don't have all day."

"Fuck you, William. I'm not telling you two anything!"

"This is a strange spot to board the Ecliptic Express. The train doesn't stop out here, unless of course you bribed the engineer because you were trying to avoid us."

"What?! You're crazy!"

"You had a contract, Mr. Finley," Wesker said coolly, the gun unwavering near the beaten man's face. "You are obligated to tell us what you know."

The battered man glared at the STARS Captain, not caring about the gun in his face. "Yeah, I did have a contract. But not to you, Wesker! Just because you killed Crawford doesn't mean I have to answer to you."

"Well, that's too bad," William stated, smirking. "I guess that means we'll have to resort to other measures, ain't that right, Al?"

"You two are fucking insane! I've kept up my end of the deal. I didn't do anything!"

"On the contrary," Wesker interrupted. "You informed a different party about the change in the Tyrant Project as well as gave out crucial information on the Golgotha. That is quite a problem you've caused for Spencer and Umbrella, as well as for us."

Finley spat blood from his lips. "You have no proof!"

Wesker bashed the pistol across the man's face and he yelped.

"William and I do not like our time wasted. The longer I have to play pest control, the less desirable your fate will be."

"I'm n-not scared of you." His tone wasn't convincing.

William snorted. "Well, you never were very bright, Fin."

"William, how about we head over to Finley's house to dispose of his family and make him out to be the killer who shot himself? Depression and drugs, such a tragedy."

"You always come up with the best plans, Al."

"W-Wait, n-no! Not my f-family! I'll tell you everything; just leave my family out of this!"

Wesker shoved the gun barrel into the beaten man's eye. "Then where are the disks?"

Finley took a deep breath, shaking uncontrollably, but Claire doubted it was from the cold. "I-I gave them to Aaron Roth."

"Oh, for crying out loud," William groaned. "Roth? You're siphoning information to the Ashfords?! I should kill you where you stand!"

"He's still in town! You can stop him! I-I can help! Besides, you can't kill me! Spencer won't allow it! I'm essential to Umbrella! I demand both of you to take me to him!"

Wesker lowered the gun, a ghost of a smile forming on his lips. "Of course, Finley. I wouldn't dream of going against Spencer."

"R-Really?" Finley gasped.

William gawked at his partner. "What?!" Then he suddenly calmed, clearing his throat and smiling. "Ohhh. Right. Sure, Fin. Whatever Al says, goes."

Finley looked between them, pale and sweaty. "G-Good. Now take me to him."

Wesker rubbed his chin. "Then again, I hate snitches."

Finley barely got a plea out before Wesker aimed the gun and pulled the trigger. The gunshot pierced through the woods like a cold dagger. Loud, quick, and unbearably sharp.

Claire almost screamed when Finley's head exploded. The body fell limp to the ground, blood gushing out onto the snow. Claire covered her mouth, not trusting herself to stay quiet. Her breath became shallow gulps, her heartbeats quickening in fear and shock.

William sighed. "You made a mess…again."

"I'm running late, William. Call Sergei and have him send a group out here to clean everything up and dispose of Finley's car."

"Fine. Next time, let's try to move them somewhere a bit more private. I know he was coming back from the express, but someone could've been walking the trail, ya know? Not everyone listens to those closed signs."

Wesker shrugged. "We weren't expecting Finley to pull a gun on us, now did we? He was ready for us. It's why the train stopped out here instead. He knew I killed Crawford and we were coming for him next. This did not go according to plan. He's been in contact with somebody other than Roth. We should look more into this."

"Agreed," William replied, kicking Finley's limp leg. "Goddamn rat."

Claire slipped behind the tree again, her heart pounding so fast, it was about to burst from her chest. They were heading back to their cars! There was no way Claire could get back to the truck and leave before they saw her. And she knew Wesker would recognize Chris's truck. She was in a terrible situation. She couldn't believe that Wesker, the Captain of the STARS force and one of Raccoon City's Finest, was a dirty cop.

They were talking about something big, she knew. The Umbrella Corporation was one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world, and had actually played a big part in the building of Raccoon City. Besides that, between the pharmacies, facilities, and warehouses, Umbrella gave more than 25,000 jobs for the city alone.

Claire desperately thought on what to do. She couldn't make a run for it without them hearing or seeing her. Wesker had a gun and was obviously not afraid to use it. If she remained in hiding, Wesker would recognize Chris's truck, and would either be back on the trail to hunt her down, or heading back to the police station to confront Chris and possibly lead him into a trap like they did with this poor fellow out here. At this point, Claire had no idea what Wesker was capable of. She always heard that he was one of the most honored and respected men at the RPD, with a prowess like no other. Now it seemed he was a two-faced traitor that used his position in law to his advantage.

"Wait a minute. Look at these shoe prints, Al!"

Claire froze, the rough bark of the tree digging into her back. She dared not to look around the tree. They sounded right on the other side of it on the trail.

"Woman, size seven and a half. Interesting," Wesker commented.

You've got to be shitting me …

"Alright, little lady, come out! Don't be shy! We know you're here! We promise we won't hurt you!" William said, his tone friendly and comforting, but Claire knew better. She then heard him whisper to Wesker. "I knew this was a bad idea! We're going to get caught! I blame this on you!"

"Shh!" Wesker hissed.

They went silent, further antagonizing Claire. She was so terrified, she felt she had frozen herself with the tree and become one with it. Her mind ran a million miles a second, trying to come up with a plan, and fast.

"The footsteps go towards that tree. Stay here," Wesker said.

William scoffed. "Psh! Yeah, better you than me!"

SHIT!

Claire could hear his footsteps heading in her direction off of the trail. Panicking, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her pocket knife, flicking it open. She struggled to keep from crying out, the weapon looking so small and useless in this moment. Why did she have to leave her gun in the truck? Chris always told her to carry it, and the one time she didn't, she needed it.

Wesker's footsteps neared the tree, and so she braced herself. Maybe if she was able to stab Wesker and take his gun, she would be able to get away. William didn't seem much of a threat, but Claire didn't want to take any chances.

As the STARS Captain's tall form came around the tree, Claire swung the knife. Wesker barely evaded it, his reflexes quick and nimble, the blade catching on the back of his forearm. He grabbed her arm, twisting it around her back and slammed her into the tree. The sharp pressure made her drop the knife. Claire snarled, fighting his hold, but he tightened his grip, threatening to break her arm, and she gave in with a cry.

"Well, this is quite a small world. Wouldn't you agree, Ms. Redfield?" Wesker greeted, sounding amused as he let her go.

Claire turned around with a glare. She tried to push past him, but Wesker shoved her back into the tree and held her there. It didn't take long before William came over to them.

"You two know each other?"

"Chris Redfield's younger sister. He's a member of STARS," Wesker explained. Those sunglasses focused on Claire once more, and his grip tightened on her shirt just above her breasts as he kept her in place. He used his free hand to take off his sunglasses, pocketing them. A dark smirk formed on his lips, steel-blue eyes piercing her and making Claire's bones freeze. "You better have a good explanation for this, dear heart. I'm just dying to know why you are here."

A/N: Chapter 3 has been updated/revised and posted! Claire's in deep doodoo now! :o