Chapter three:

On the deck of the ship, Claire spoke to the Admiral about where they could find the convoy. Artemis had found a spot to sit for a moment, allowing her to reflect on the situation. If she helped Alice close the portal in their reality, she would be trapped in yet another new world. It had taken years to get used to the world she shared with the Hunter and the Admiral. She wondered if she'd ever get back to her reality, her home. Frowning, she removed her silver wedding band from the tin and read the inscription. Forever—just another failed promise.

"Are you okay?" Claire asked Artemis.

Artemis put her ring away, sighing. "For a second there, I thought everyone I ever loved died. But a lot of people really did. I can't imagine what your world must be like."

"Words can't describe it." Claire gestured to the tin. "I couldn't help noticing the ring."

"Yeah. When I first got here, all I cared about was getting home to her. That was my only goal. Then, I saw what the monsters here could do to everyone in our world. I decided to stay here as a way of protecting her. Not exactly my plan. To desert my wife after only a few years of marriage. I always hoped maybe she'd be waiting for me, but they must think I was killed in action. She probably moved on ages ago. Now, I doubt I'll ever get home. I have to protect this world…and yours. Responsibility. It's a bitch."

Claire chuckled. "Yeah. It is."

"Anyway, that's my story in a nutshell. What's yours?"

"There's not much to tell."

"You have a name, right?"

"Claire Redfield," Claire introduced herself with a polite handshake. She saw the expectant look on Artemis' attractive face and kept going. "The convoy we're going to pick up is mine. I put it together a while ago, but we've lost over half of our people in the last six months."

Artemis dropped her head at that. "I'm sorry."

"It hasn't been easy," Claire quietly admitted.

"And the other two? What's their deal?"

"Carlos Olivera has been with my convoy since the beginning. He was an Umbrella soldier, but they left him for dead in the middle of Raccoon City when the outbreak started. He's a great friend and fighter. I don't know much about Alice. She just showed up a day or two ago. Saved all of us from a flock of murderous crows by setting fire to the sky."

Artemis raised her eyebrows. "Murderous crows? Your reality sure sounds fun."

"It's a blast. You'll love it."

"I'm sure." They laughed and Artemis felt herself grin. "It's been so long since I've had someone to talk to in English besides the Admiral. It's nice."

"There are a bunch more of us. Plenty of new people to chat with. By the way, thanks for agreeing to pick them up, and thanks saving us from that thing earlier."

Artemis smirked. "Diablos. They're bad boys, but they're not the worst. The Rathalos and Gore Magala are really nasty. They fly. Think real life dragons. But, if you ask me, the worst things here are the Nerscyllas. Giant spider-like critters. There are thousands of them out there. They killed most of my men. I still have nightmares. Hopefully, you and your friends will never know them."

"I hope not."

Alice and Carlos wandered onto the deck to find Claire. Alice and Artemis looked at each other, still somewhat shaken by their similarities. Artemis pointed at Claire as she spoke. "I was just getting to know Claire Redfield here. Telling her all about the fun monsters that lurk in these parts."

"More fun than that thing we saw in the sand?" Alice asked.

"Oh, there are worse things," Artemis confirmed. "Although, I can't say I like the sound of the enemies in your reality much either. A bunch of killer crows? Talk about terrifying. Claire told me you burned them up."

"I did," Alice said.

"Is that what you do full-time? Crow killer?" Artemis asked.

"I spend my time trying to stay off Umbrella's radar. It's been that way since I escaped from one of their facilities five years ago," Alice answered.

Artemis sighed. "Sounds lonely."

"She's back with friends now," Carlos said.

Artemis saw the way Carlos looked at Alice and the way Alice smiled at him. "Ah, I see. You two are a two?"

"What? No, we're not…" Alice trailed off with a blush.

Artemis put her hands up. "My bad. Sorry. I thought I saw something. I didn't mean to—as I was telling Claire, I haven't had anyone to really talk to in a long time. I'm just a little excited."

"It's fine," Carlos assured her.

There was an uncomfortable pause, so Alice cleared her throat and started towards the port side. "We should be coming up on the convoy any minute. Those dunes are looking familiar."

As Carlos joined Alice, Artemis lowered her voice beside Claire. "Am I imagining things here? I could have sworn they were giving each other the eye."

"You're not imagining things," Claire whispered, having noticed the looks herself. "I just think their history might be complicated."

"It'd make sense. I used to date a guy who was just like Carlos. If she's me and I'm her, we must have the same taste in men."

Claire gave her a curious glance. "I thought you had a wife."

"Hey, love is love. I let my heart decide who I'm with. Always have, always will."

Carlos motioned to Claire. "I think we're almost there!"

Soon, the ship came to a stop within walking distance of the convoy. The vehicles were where Alice and the others had left them. Claire looked over at Artemis. "Would you like to meet the convoy?"

"Sure. I'll head down with you," Artemis agreed.

They left the ship to rendezvous with Mikey, Chase, K-Mart, and L.J. Claire made the introductions, and then she explained their bizarre predicament. Chase adjusted his cowboy hat with a curious expression. "So, we've found a world where there's no T-virus?"

"Exactly. Artemis and her friends have agreed to help us get the convoy to somewhere safe. Then, some of us have to find our way back to our world to close the portal. We don't want the T-virus spreading here," Claire explained.

Alice looked over at L.J. She hadn't been around him much since returning. Now that she had eyes on him, her senses were tingling. "It's already here."

"What?" Artemis asked.

Alice nodded at L.J. "He's been bitten. He's going to turn any second."

"That's crazy," L.J. tried to scoff.

Carlos leaned towards him. "L.J., is that true?"

"I'm fine. Just a little mixed up after all the wild shit that's been going on," L.J. tried to say.

Alice shook her head. "Check him for bites."

As Carlos and Chase closed in, L.J. bolted. He ran for the rear of the convoy, feeling the T-virus starting to take over. His vision began to blur as he kept jogging. He moved directly towards the small group of survivors, who were simply sitting and waiting around the trucks. Carlos and Chase tried to follow L.J., but they were not fast enough.

L.J. turned into one of the undead, and he immediately started biting the people closest to him. By the time Carlos managed to shoot L.J. in the head, four survivors were seriously bitten. Each person had multiple bites in vital areas, meaning they were going to turn quickly.

"They've been bitten. That means they're going to turn," Alice explained to Artemis.

Carlos kneeled beside L.J.'s body with a pained expression. "Oh, L.J."

"Everyone, get away from the infected," Claire called. The survivors moved towards the ship, including Carlos and Chase. "We need to conserve ammunition. We'll need it if we're taking on Umbrella in our world."

"I can handle it," Alice said.

Alice drew her two knives, prompting Artemis to draw her dual blades. She looked over at Artemis, who shrugged. "Four blades are better than two."

Alice couldn't deny that. As the infected began to turn and rise, Alice and Artemis ran to the problem area in sync. The rest of the convoy watched Artemis and Alice slash the undead in deadly unison. The undead did not stand a chance against them both. When they had killed the last infected man, the survivors of the convoy stared at the women in awe. Alice and Artemis even put their blades on their backs at the same time, glancing at one another with a small nod of approval.

"So, that's what I have to look forward to in your world?" Artemis asked.

"Yeah. Pretty much," Alice confirmed.

Artemis grumbled. "Wonderful. Look, we have to close that portal. I can't have that mess coming for the people here. And I can't have it on the ship either. Are you sure no one is going to bring it on board?"

"We'll quarantine everybody on the ship. Just in case," Alice promised.

"You better not mention this to the Admiral. He wouldn't let you on," Artemis said softly. She walked by the bodies, pausing beside Claire. "Are you okay?"

Claire looked around to be sure Artemis was talking to her. "Me? Why are you asking me?"

"They were your people, weren't they?" Artemis asked. Claire nodded silently. "I'm sorry. I know how it feels."

"We just have to keep moving," Claire declared.

"Hell yes we do. Another portal could be opening any minute, and who knows what could come through," Artemis said.