Chapter Text
Okay.
Where in the fuck was her brother, Chris?
Claire panted, shaking and clammy hands holding onto a rough brick wall as she caught her breath slowly. The unyielding thunderstorm didn’t help with the fact that she was already so cold- a brutal reminder of the wound in her side, seeping hot, crimson blood into her shirt. everything was going to shit, like a prolonged nightmare wrapping around her, trapping her in…whatever the hell this was.
She brushes sweat soaked bangs out of her forehead, feeling her pulse banging through her head. every shake of thunder startled her nerves, as flashes of the night came back to her. Claire can nearly still feel the grip of T-100 tyrant on her throat, his face eerily calm, simply following the only order it knew.
The murky sky, smouldered with smoke drowning out the moonlight, leaving claire in near darkness as she strayed away from the main city, the wind still carrying the raw screams of flesh eating monsters.
Something was wrong.
Really fucking wrong.
As she cleared her throat, Claire straightened and began to reload the cartridge on her gun. Her chest was caught on half sobs, but her face remained stoic. The only thought running through her head was survival, at any cost.
Suddenly, from the west, came violent bangs that nearly shook the concrete despite the difference. An inhuman groan filled with fury broke through the air. almost at muscle memory speed, her hands fell on the trigger as she scanned the alleyway.
This was literally a worst case scenario. she was pretty sure one of her ribs was broken too, based off of the dreadful crunch that came with her being thrown into a wall by —- that thing. her next move slowly reckoned through her head.
Okay. If I’m not dead yet, I’m fine. I’m fine. The phrase replayed in her head, repeating like a prayer.
They’re nearly done evacuating the city — I can’t stay here for long. There’s no way I can get out of here alone.
And Chris? I don’t even know if he’s still alive. So my best bet is to head west, towards that sound.
So Claire Redfield, bleeding out and running out of ammo, did exactly that.
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The sound of police sirens rung throughout the city as Claire limped, holding her side. God, walking was so strenuous. Her body ached and screamed for a break, but Claire pushed on. Arms tensed, she approached the eerily silent clock tower.
Claire came into full view. As her eyes shot up onto the scene, her breath got stuck in her throat. Holy shit.
Wrecked buildings surrounded her, fires still blazing and producing a thick, ashy smoke stinging her eyes. The statue framed in the middle was hardly recognizable, now reduced to a pile of rubble.
The entire place looks beaten, and it’s enough to make Claire want to leave, panic still stirring through her body , the smog making her vision rough around the edges. She scans the place for any sign of life, but it seems like whatever thing ran through here is gone. The coppery scent of blood only grows more present when she stutters towards an alleyway, the darkened path cut off by a smashed in gate.
Suddenly, she hears a small cry rip from someone’s throat.
Claire bites the side of her mouth and braces, slowly approaching the alleyway.
“Hey!” she begins, the shake of fear in her voice making itself unpleasantly known. Hand on your gun, Claire. Keep your cool.
“Is there someone there? Do you need he-“ is all she can say before nearly tripping over her own feet and biting the curb, because there’s a fucking body of a woman on the street.
She’s lucky enough to not lose all her teeth right here, but now she’s gotta deal with this? Claire steels nerves and looks down.
A woman is half curled up on her side, sweat giving her pale, sickly skin a slight sheen as her eyelids lightly twitch along with the furrow of her brow. A small pool of blood is near where her head lulls to the side. There’s an obvious deep puncture on one of her shoulders. She looks terrible, but as Claire crouches down and hears her labored breaths, she is unmistakably alive.
This girl’s got guns and a badge. Something had to have come after her. Judging by the absence of any monster and the grunts she heard roughly a couple hours ago, Claire thinks that she probably kicked ass. She’s carrying around a flamethrower, for god’s sake.
Claire tentatively places a hand on her good shoulder and gives her a gentle shake, but the brown haired woman only groans, remaining unconscious. Instead, Claire reaches for the ID on her waist.
“Sorry…hold on, I gotta figure out who you are,” she murmurs.
JILL VALENTINE
S.T.A.R.S. ALPHA TEAM
Inside is a small image of her as well, which presents a startling contrast to the woman keeled over in the street right now, her skin healthy and tan, blue eyes tender but determined, lips turned up in a slight smile…
Claire, the fuck is wrong with you?
She quickly puts the ID back. Shit, she can’t just leave her here. Before even thinking twice, she stands her up and puts her on her back. It takes a moment for Claire to adjust, shifting her weight awkwardly as she tries to get a grip on the taller woman.
Suddenly, a blinding light shines on her, and Claire gasps in surprise as she hears an unfamiliar voice of a man. She hears the familiar click of a gun being reloaded and realizes that they’re not the only ones here anymore.
Maybe it’s not the best idea to start carrying a police officer you don’t know on your back.
“Who the hell are you?”
Claire turns to face the voice, one hand awkwardly trying to hold onto a leg as well as keep her gun ready.
She turns to face a man in a cargo vest, clearly strapped with everything under the sun. He appears to be sizing her up, trying to get a clear look at her face. Something akin to dread flutters in her stomach because Claire is in no state to fight this fuckface.
“Why’s…why’s it matter? If you’re trying to beat my ass for trying to help a friend of yours, then I guess now’s the time to do it.”
The man’s eyes shift to quizzical amusement she can barely make out in the dark, the light of the burning fires casting a slight orange glow on him.
He scoffs before saying, “Name’s Carlos. You wanna put down supercop over there?”
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