Kingdom Evil Remake 2.
Chapter Four: Zombie Encounter.
Previously in the last chapter.
"I…" Sora trailed off, not sure what to say. What can he even say when he's at a loss for words? He was meeting one of the prettiest girls he has ever seen that is making his heart beat faster with a blush appearing on his features. Sora wasn't sure how to describe this feeling inside him, but he is assuming it's shyness from meeting someone new, which is quite odd since he never had a problem when meeting new people.
So, after taking a deep breath to calm his sudden nerves, Sora let a large wide grin filled with brightness appeared on his face as he introduced himself to the young woman. "My name is Sora. What's your name?"
Seeing the large wide grin on Sora's made the young woman smile as well, proving he was not dangerous at all, which convinced her to move her hand away from the gun strap. She didn't know why she was smiling, but it's probably because the grin filled with brightness looked so damn cute on the boy's face, which made her own heart beating faster with a blush appearing on her face.
When the young woman realized she was blushing, she shook her head a bit desperately in an attempt to get rid of it. For some strange reason, she did not want Sora to see the blush on her face. If he did, then he would ask a question that'll make her feel embarrassed. Once the young woman's face was back to its normal color, she then went to answer Sora's question about her name.
"My name is Claire, Sora, Claire Redfield."
(In the Present; With Sora and Claire)
"Nice to meet you, Claire," Sora said, still retaining the large wide grin filled with brightness on his face as he made his way over to Claire and held out his hand for a handshake. 'That's a pretty name for a very pretty girl.' He blushed after thinking about that but became extremely confused. Where did that particular thought come from?
Other than feeling extremely confused from thinking about Claire's name being a pretty name for a very pretty girl, Sora felt ecstatic happiness inside him. Even though things had gone off in such a bad start after arriving in this new unfamiliar world, which is a first since it never happened before, there is one good thing: He had quickly met and made a new friend. With a new friend, Sora can finally learn about where he is, but he would have to answer a couple questions Claire will no doubt ask him first before he can ask his own questions.
It was always the same thing whenever Sora, Donald and Goofy travel to new worlds and meet new people. The said people would ask who they are, where they came from and what the Heartless are, making the world-hopping trio come up with perfect blend-in-world excuses, except the Heartless explanation. And like always, despite there's some suspicion, the new people would buy the perfect blend-in-world excuses without a second thought, along with the explanation of the Heartless.
"Nice to meet you as well, Sora," Claire said, also retaining the smile on her face as she reached out to the offer hand with her own hand and began shaking it. After a moment of shaking hands, the two recently met teenagers let go and stared at each other in silence. Claire noticed Sora had beautiful bright-azure eyes like the ocean up close and couldn't help but stare at them. She had seen pretty eye colors before like emerald-green and hazel-brown, but never in her life she have seen a person with such a bright eye color. She could stare into those eyes for all eternity.
However, as much as Claire wanted to stare at those beautiful bright-azure eyes, she still wanted to know why Sora was out in an open field so late at night the moment she laid her eyes on him after arriving at the gas station. So, with heavy reluctance, she turned her eyes away and gained a slightly serious expression on her face. "But I have to ask, what are you doing out here so late at night? Also, where did you come from?"
'Called it,' Sora thought, not even the slightest bit surprised upon hearing those two questions. The second one is most common in every world, but the first one is new. Either there is a rather strict curfew in this world every person must follow or it's because he had been previously standing in a very large field with no cities nearby, except the small gas station, and Claire wondered why he's all alone out here. Sora concluded it's the second one.
"Well, to answer your first question, Claire," Sora said, getting Claire's full attention as she listened quietly. She was not going to interrupt until he finished talking. "I'm just a rather special guy who loves traveling around to different places, but I have no idea where I am at all. I'm kinda new around here and I was hoping to find someone who can help me."
'So, Sora's a tourist, huh?' Claire mused quietly as she processed what Sora said in her mind. 'That's extremely interesting. I like traveling around to different places as well, but had to put it on hold since I needed to focus on my education in college. That, and I have to find Chris in Raccoon City.' A worried expression appeared on Claire's face as she thought about her older brother, Chris Redfield, who hadn't been answering her calls lately until she decided to head towards Raccoon City to find him. The last time she talked to him was in August 1998, it is now September 30, 1998. Nearly two months had passed since the last communication between brother and sister.
Claire very much hoped Chris was safe and alright.
Sora had been ready to answer Claire's second question when he spotted the worried expression on her face, which wiped the large wide grin filled with brightness off his face. He became greatly concerned. Had he said something wrong? Oh, he really hope he didn't because he doesn't want to lose a new friend he made in a new world. "Claire, are you okay?"
"Huh?" Claire's worried thoughts about her older brother were interrupted upon hearing Sora's voice. He sounded concern. "What did you say, Sora?"
"Are you okay? You gained a worried expression on your face. Did I say something wrong?"
"Oh, I'm fine, thanks for asking. And no, you didn't say anything wrong. I was just thinking about my older brother, Chris Redfield."
"You have an older brother?" Sora asked in surprised, getting a confirmation nod from Claire. A wide grin spread across his face. "That's amazing. I have a friend who is like an older brother to me as well. We have been best friends ever since we were kids and always looked out for each other, but as time went on, we became more than just best friends; we became brothers." An extremely fond look appeared in Sora's eyes as he recalled the times he and Riku had been side by side throughout childhood, their battle against Xemnas and the final confrontation against Organization XIII in the Keyblade Graveyard.
Claire can tell the brother bond between Sora and his friend is very strong just like her bond between herself and Chris, and it made her smile softly. The two Redfield siblings had always been closed when they were kids, but after their parents got killed during a car accident, they became much closer than before, which not only forged a very strong sibling bond that can never be broken, but made them comfort, trust and look out for each other. It also healed their broken hearts and made them mature for their age.
"You two must be very close to consider each other as brothers, Sora," Claire stated gently, never losing the soft smile on her face as she stared at Sora. He was becoming more interesting by each passing second and she's starting to feel comfortable around him. One could say this is the start of a little romantic crush, but it's not that...yet.
"We are, Claire," Sora replied softly, never losing the wide grin on his face. "Even if me and my friend I considered as an older brother are far away from each other, our hearts will always be connected to one another as long as the bond between us stays strong." To prove his point, he place an open palm hand at the center of his chest where his heart is directly located and closed his eyes to think about Riku, Kairi and his other friends back home. Sora also thought about Claire since he considers her a close friend, despite the fact he had only just met her a couple moments ago.
Seeing this action made Claire copied it as well, but she thought about her older brother she loved dearly above all…and Sora. She was greatly surprised to think about the latter this early since they only just met a couple moments ago, but it looks like he made his way into her heart with not only his bright smile but his extreme wise words.
Maybe this is the start…of a little romantic crush.
After a few minutes of thinking about the people Sora and Claire cared deeply in their own hearts, they opened their eyes and smiled brightly at each other as their hearts were unknowingly connected to one another, which would forge an unbreakable bond between them. But the smile Claire had on her face vanished as she suddenly remembered something important, something she was supposed to do after parking into the gas station's driveway.
Claire was meant to call a friend she made in college, Anna, to let her know she's almost at Raccoon City. Instead of doing that, however, she had been talking to Sora the moment she laid her eyes on him after arriving at the gas station.
"Ah, shit! I forgot to call my friend and let her know I'm almost at Raccoon City!" Claire exclaimed loudly, greatly startling Sora and making him flinch from how loud her voice is. "Sorry, Sora, I didn't mean to startle you with my yell, but I just remember something I was supposed to do when I arrive here! I need to make an important phone call real quick! Stay right here and don't go anywhere!"
Before a still startled Sora, who hasn't recovered from the loud yell, could ask or even say anything, Claire is already making her way towards a phone booth where she enter inside it and began dialing a phone number after putting some change into the service. Moments later, she was now engaging a conversation with her friend on the other line.
'What is Raccoon City?' Sora repeated the name Claire said into his head after recomposing himself, finding it confusing. 'Is that the name of this world I'm in? No, it can't be. It must be a city in this world like Claire said, but what kind of people names a said city after a living raccoon? It makes no sense at all.'
Seeing as Claire was currently busy talking to her friend on the phone, Sora decided to take a look around at his surroundings before he becomes extremely bored. Other than himself and Claire, the gas station was completely deserted without a single person within sight, which is oddly weird since gas stations would usually be busy, filled with numerous cars waiting in line to get gasoline and be pack with some people. Not to mention, the lights to the convenience store nearby is off but the sign hanging on the door says it's open.
Everything Sora noticed at the gas station made him suspicious and worried as his danger instincts kicked in full throttle. Questions began forming in his mind. Why is the gas station completely empty when it should be usually busy like all gas stations? Why is the convenience store's lights off but the sign says it's open? Where are the people who ran the inside of the convenience store?
Sora was not liking the situation at all.
Sora took another look around at the completely deserted gas station in hopes to find anything that could ease him and his internal worries. He did find something, but it wasn't the hope he had been looking for. He spotted an abandoned police car parked in the driveway with its right door ajar, both interior lights and headlights on, and engine running silently. The driver was nowhere in sight.
'Okay, now I'm getting more suspicious and worried than before,' Sora thought, gulping silently as a bit cold sweat ran down his face and a dreadful chill running down his spine, making him shudder a bit. He was barely resisting the urge to summon his Keyblade and hold it in front of him where he could feel protected from harm. 'Why is this gas station completely deserted and where is the police car's driver?'
Once again, Sora was not liking the situation at all. He had a really bad feeling about this gas station.
Meanwhile, Claire had finally finished talking to her friend on the phone and was currently exiting the phone booth with an amused smile on her face. Her mind is thinking about the conversation between herself and her friend. "Why does anyone think I'm going to get in trouble? I'll be completely fine. I have a gun with me to protect myself and a new friend to accompany my search for Chris if he's interested."
Claire looked towards the direction where Sora is upon saying the last part, the amused smile on her face changing to a soft smile, though it was replaced by a concerned look when she saw he looked worried and a bit scared. Why was he looking worried and scared? Did he spotted something in the gas station that made him worried and scared or is it something else entirely?
Either way, Sora needed some comfort now before he becomes more worried and scared.
Claire quickly made her way towards Sora, intending to comfort him like he did with her when she thought about Chris and ask what's wrong. Sora heard footsteps coming towards him and he turned around to see an approaching Claire, who is looking at him with a concerned look on her face. He felt relief and a warm feeling in his heart upon seeing the concerned look, which the last one he couldn't explain. It was the exact same feeling he felt before, but he still doesn't know how to describe it.
As much as Sora wants to think about the warm feeling he couldn't describe in his heart, he had more important things to worry about, which is the completely deserted gas station he had a really bad feeling inside him. As wise people would say, focus on the main problems first before worrying about the secondary problems.
"What's the matter, Sora?" Claire asked the moment she got closed enough to Sora, still having the concerned look on her face. "You looked worried and scared."
"Claire, there is something wrong about this gas station," Sora started explaining, getting Claire's full attention like before. "There's nobody here other than you and me, and there is an abandon police car parked in the driveway. I have a really bad feeling about this place. I think we should-"
Crash!
Sora didn't get the chance to finish his sentence when suddenly, there was the sound of breaking glass coming from inside the convenience store, making both him and Claire whirled around with wide eyes. There was an ominous, yet tense, silence in the air as they stare at the small building.
"Did you hear that, Sora?" Claire asked, still staring at the convenience store, her hand instinctively hovered above her gun strap but didn't draw her gun.
"I did, Claire," Sora replied, also still staring at the convenience store, already got into a battle stance but didn't summon his Keyblade. "There's something or someone in the store. We should check it out."
"But weren't you about to say we should leave the gas station since you had a really bad feeling?"
"I was, but I changed my mind after hearing that sound. I'm not leaving here until I figure out what it was." A determined look appeared on Sora's face when he said this. It could either be a Heartless wreaking havoc in the convenience store or the officer to the abandon police car. "Are you with me, Claire?"
Claire bit her lip, unsure what to say or do. She was conflicted. A part of her wanted to convince Sora about leaving the gas station and the sudden sound in the convenience store behind to have him travel with her to search for Chris in Raccoon City, which would make them become more closer to each other. But another part of Claire wanted to investigate the convenience store with Sora and see what made the sound.
'What should I do?' Claire thought desperately as she tried to come to a decision. 'Should I just try to convince Sora about leaving the gas station and the sudden sound behind to have him travel with me to search for Chris in Raccoon City or should I accompany him inside the convenience store to see what made that sound? Damn it, why can't life choices be any easy to decide?!'
In the end, though, Claire decided to put her search for Chris in Raccoon City on hold for a bit and accompany Sora, her new friend, inside the convenience store to see what made that sound. "I'm with you, Sora."
"Then let's go."
With that said, Sora and Claire made their way towards the convenience store, unaware they are about to witness a horrifying scene, unaware their normal lives as normal people, though special in Sora's case, are going to change drastically…and unaware they are about to enter a survival nightmare.
And done! That's the ending of the chapter! Sorry it took a month to write this chapter; I was having trouble writing the beginning part since I had no idea how to start the chapter off. Luckily, I managed to prevail and keep on writing.
Next chapter will be part two of the Zombie Encounter. Sorry if I didn't write it in this chapter, but because it's been a month since I last posted a chapter, I feel like I should post one now before working on the encounter. Don't worry, I will write it but in the next chapter.
Anyways, here is a new chapter for this story and I hope you guys enjoy it.
Write a review if you like this story and enjoy the chapter.
Next Chapter: Zombie Encounter (Part Two)