10
Claire looked upward toward the room where the little girl had taken refuge. As she did, her eyes moved to her left, and she noticed a retracted ladder that could be their way out. Her eyes returned to the little room once more. "Hey! Little girl... It's safe now... it's over."
Leon and Claire watched as a small figure appeared on the walkway above. She looked down nervously, scanning the vast space below. "Are you sure?" the little girl called back.
Claire smiled up at the girl, "Yeah, I promise. Everything's fine. I just need you to lower that ladder for us"
The little girl's eyes fell upon Leon, and she smiled a little. "You were telling the truth, weren't you?" she called. "He is one of the good guys, so will you both help me find my mom?"
Claire replied, "Your mom is down here?" She side-eyed Leon with concern.
"I think so. I hope so..." The girl replied.
Claire looked back to the girl above, "Yeah...of course we'll help you"
The girl smiled back, and played about with the ladder until, with a click, it reached the floor below. Claire climbed the ladder, followed by Leon, and when they both reached the top, the little girl seemed more relaxed. Claire crouched onto her knees in front of the little girl. "So," she started, "What's your name, sweetie?" The little girl started wringing her hands when she looked nervously at Leon. He smiled back and crouched down onto a knee next to Claire. "My name's Leon," he said.
The girl answered " I know, I mean. I remember...when this nice lady told me so before"
"Oh yeah," Leon replied. "I'd forgotten that Claire here had already mentioned my name. Guess I'm taking too many hits in the head from the bad guys, huh?"
The girl suddenly smiled. "Or eating too many for breakfast?" She replied. Leon smirked with a raised eyebrow, and Claire let out a small laugh. The little girl chuckled along with Claire, and then said, "My name is Sherry. It's nice to meet you."
The trio made their way across the vast walkway. Sherry walked close to Claire's side, while Leon led a few paces ahead. "So," Claire began, turning to Sherry, "what's your mom like?"
The young girl replied, "She works at Umbrella. She's making an important new medicine."
Claire questioned, "Umbrella? That big pharmaceutical company?"
Sherry nodded. "My mom's always at work. I don't get to see her much."
Claire sighed, "Well, hopefully, you'll get to see her again soon. So... where's your dad?" At the question, Claire noticed that Sherry had started wringing her hands again, and answered, "He, um...worked with my mom but...he's gone"
Claire wondered if Sherry meant that her father had recently died, and placed a gentle hand on the shoulder of the young girl as they continued moving forward. "Both of my parents are gone too. It's just me and my brother now." she said.
Turning to Claire, Sherry replied, "Oh... I'm sorry."
Claire smiled and said, "Don't be. It means we've got something in common and that's a good thing, right?"
Sherry nodded, as the three entered a small room at the end of the walkway. "So, is Leon your brother?" she asked, as the young cop inspected a ladder leading upwards towards a maintenance hole.
Smiling back, Claire replied, "No, he isn't. My brother's name is Chris."
"Then..." Sherry started again as she watched Leon "are you guys, like, boyfriend and girlfriend?"
Leon suddenly turned away from the ladder and said "No, we're just…" He looked at Claire awkwardly, and continued, "Well, we actually just met a few hours ago."
Claire quickly agreed, but then smirked with "Turning out to be one helluva first date, though"
Leon quipped back, "Yeah, you have no idea," and he turned to the ladder. "It looks like this is our way out" he called over his shoulder. "I'll go first, and call down if it's safe."
"Okay," Claire replied, as she watched Leon disappear up the ladder. Sherry approached the base of the ladder and turned to Claire "Leon's kinda cute tho," she blurted out "So maybe you guys should go on a real date after we're safe"
Claire exclaimed, "Sherry!" with half a laugh.
The young girl tilted her head, "You don't think so?" Sherry questioned, without a trace of humour
Oh my god... kids!
Claire hoped the sound of their voices wouldn't carry up the shaft, and decided she needed to shut this train of conversation down, before her cheeks turned as red as her jacket. Whispering, Claire said "A word of advice, Sherry. Stay well away from the pretty boys; they're nothing but trouble."
A grin suddenly crossed Sherrys features. "So! You do think he's cute!" she exclaimed loudly.
Claire then wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.
If Leon had heard the exchange between the girls, he didn't show it. As he crouched over the manhole, he beckoned for Claire to follow, but when she started to climb the ladder, he suddenly cried out to her to wait.
Leon turned his head to his left. A low, rumbling growl echoed around the parking lot. Leon stood, and moved forward with his pistol ready, straining his ears trying to get a fix on the menacing sound, but with the low light he couldn't see anything. Claire's eyes didn't move from the opening above. Then she saw it. A dark shadow, that leaped across the gap. Claire shouted Leon's name from below, which caused the young cop to turn around just as the shadow jumped at him, knocking him to the ground.
At the sound of the savage growls from above, Claire pulled Sherry away from the base of the ladder. "Stay here!" She cried and raced back towards the menacing sounds
.
A dog had Leon pinned against the floor, snapping its jaws ferociously while the young cop pushed with all his strength against the beast's neck to keep the vicious teeth away from his throat. From its appearance of hanging flesh and exposed bones, the dog was obviously one of the undead, and Leon reached desperately for the firearm he had lost during the fall. "Get off me!" he seethed, his fingertips brushing at the base of his pistol.
Claire made it to the top of the maintenance hole, and her anxious gaze fell on her vulnerable friend. A loud bang was heard, and Leon inhaled as he watched part of the dog's face disappear from the violence of the bullet. The dog fell beside Leon, and the young cop expected to hear Claire, but the unfamiliar female voice he heard was not one he recognized.
"Hey"
Leon turned towards the darkness. "Who is that?" he questioned
"Stay sharp" the voice commanded.
Leon turned toward the sudden movement to his right, shot the dog before it could surprise him again, and then turned his gun on the stranger who had appeared from the shadows. The woman in dark shades and a trench coat commanded, "Lower it."
"You first!" Claire suddenly seethed from across the lot. Unfazed by the situation, the woman half-turned toward Claire. "FBI" The woman announced, flashing an ID.
Leon lowered his gun, and signaled for Claire to do the same. "Sorry," he said to the woman as he got back on his feet. "Thank you for your help."
The woman scoffed as she passed by the pair, "Surprised you made it this far."
Watching the woman with a raised eyebrow Leon said, "FBI, huh? What's going on here?"
"Sorry. That information's classified"
Not satisfied with her answer, Leon asked where the mysterious woman was going. As Claire approached his side, the stranger stopped and abruptly turned towards the pair. "Do yourselves a favour; stop asking questions and get the hell out of here" she snapped, and moved forward across the parking lot towards a doorway in the shadows
Feeling angry at the stranger's evasive manner, Leon shouted, "Hey! I'm not done talking to you!" He moved to follow when Claire took his arm. "Leon, forget about her; we need to get out of here!"
"I know," he replied "I just thought we might finally be able to get some damn answers"
Claire understood his frustration. The woman's manner told Claire that she probably knew exactly what had gone down in the city. Claire then figured that they'd find out what had happened eventually; it was bound to be splashed all over the national media. But first, they'd have to get out alive. Turning to Leon, she said, "I'm gonna get Sherry from below. Then we're getting the hell out of here."