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Claire
After everything that had happened in Raccoon City and Rockfort Island, Claire was grateful for something as simple as sleeping in a real bed again.
Chris had wanted her to stay in the hospital a little longer, but she had refused. She needed to be somewhere familiar—somewhere that didn’t smell like antiseptic and quiet dread.
Her dorm room wasn’t much, but it was hers.
The soft creak of the bed frame. The cluttered desk. The faint hum of the old heater.
Normal things.
Yet strangely, even though exhaustion weighed heavily on her body, sleep refused to come.
Every time she closed her eyes, the memories returned.
Raccoon City.
The people screaming.
The streets burning.
Faces twisting into those horrible things.
Sherry.
Her parents.
Umbrella.
The desperate search for her brother.
And then Rockfort Island.
Steve.
Claire turned onto her side, staring blankly at the ceiling.
The only real relief she’d had lately was visiting Sherry—actually seeing with her own eyes that the girl was alive and doing okay.
Eventually, Claire pushed the blankets aside and sat up.
Lying here clearly wasn’t going to help.
She needed something to do.
That was when she remembered something Chris had mentioned.
Leon.
Chris had said Leon was the one who contacted him. The one who told him where to find her.
Claire glanced at the small piece of paper sitting on her desk.
Leon’s number.
He had written it down and handed it to her before she left him and Sherry behind to continue searching for Chris.
She picked up the phone, staring at the numbers for a long moment.
Should I call?
After a few minutes of hesitation, she dialed.
Ring.
Another ring.
Then another.
No answer.
Claire frowned slightly and tried again.
Ring.
Ring.
Nothing.
After several attempts, she slowly lowered the phone.
“Guess you’re busy,” she murmured to herself.
Instead, she grabbed her jacket and headed to the campus library. The computer lab was mostly empty this late at night.
She logged in and opened her email.
After a moment of thought, she began typing.
–
Dear Leon,
I’ve been trying to reach you, but I guess you’ve been busy, so I’m writing to you instead.
I finally found my brother. Although, to be more accurate, he found me. And according to him, I have you to thank for that.
Thank you, Leon—for contacting him and sending him to get me. It seems “thank you” is the only thing I ever know how to say to you.
Anyway, Rockfort Island was… eventful. Maybe I’ll get to tell you all about it someday.
I also got to see Sherry. She seems to be doing alright, all things considered. She told me everything that happened after I left—how the government took custody of her, and how you’re working for them now.
Honestly, I’m not really sure how I feel about that. But there’s no one I know more capable of doing the job. I’ll sleep better at night knowing there’s someone like you keeping the world safe from the nightmare we went through.
God knows the government needs more people like you.
I hope you’re doing okay.
Fondly,
Claire
–
Claire read the message once more before clicking send.
Then she shut the computer down and headed back to her dorm.
Back in her room, the quiet returned.
Claire climbed into bed, staring at the ceiling again.
Her thoughts drifted.
Steve.
Leon.
Sherry.
The guilt.
The worry.
I’m so sorry, Steve.
I hope Leon’s okay.
Eventually, exhaustion finally won.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Claire fell asleep.
Three Years Later
Leon
Leon had read Claire’s email so many times he had practically memorized it.
He had been relieved to know she was safe.
Relieved that Chris had received his message.
Relieved that Claire and Sherry seemed to be doing okay.
And strangely… he had also been relieved by how Claire seemed to understand his situation.
He had planned to reply.
Many times.
But his training schedule had swallowed every spare moment of his life.
Days blurred into weeks.
Weeks into months.
And somehow—
Three years had passed.
Leon leaned back in his chair, staring at the phone in his hand.
Claire had sent him her new number in her last email.
He wondered what she was doing now.
Where life had taken her.
Before he could talk himself out of it, he dialed.
Ring.
A voice answered.
“Hello?”
The moment he heard her voice, a warm feeling spread quietly through his chest.
He hadn’t felt that way in a long time.
“Hey, Claire.”
Claire
Claire was just getting ready for bed.
Her new job at TerraSave had been exhausting. Helping survivors of bioterror attacks meant long days, heavy stories, and endless paperwork.
She had just sat down on the edge of her bed when her phone rang.
She answered without checking the number.
“Hello?”
Then the voice on the other end spoke.
“Hey, Claire.”
She froze.
For a second, she didn’t recognize it.
It had been so long.
“…Leon?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Leon replied.
Claire blinked in surprise.
“This is a surprise,” she said, a little too enthusiastically. “It’s really nice to hear your voice.”
She heard him chuckle softly.
“Yours too.”
Then he added, “I got your message. I’m sorry it took me so long to respond. I’m glad you finally found your brother.”
“Yeah… thanks to you.”
There was a brief pause before she asked,
“How have you been?”
“I’m good. I’m… training.”
His voice sounded tired.
“You?” he asked.
Claire shifted on the bed.
“I’m good. I’m actually working with TerraSave now. Trying to help survivors of bioterror attacks.”
“TerraSave, huh?” Leon chuckled. “Why am I not surprised?”
Then he asked, “And Sherry? How’s she doing?”
Claire smiled faintly.
“She’s doing great. I try to visit her as often as I can. She actually started studying again.”
Her fingers absently played with the edge of her pillow.
“With everything she’s been through, I’m surprised how well she’s handling it. She’s a tough kid.”
Her voice softened.
“I just… wish the government would stop treating her like a guinea pig.”
“Yeah…” Leon said quietly. “Well, at least she has you there.”
“Yeah…”
Silence lingered between them.
Claire found herself not wanting the conversation to end.
“So,” she said lightly, “what are you now? Some kind of super agent?”
Leon huffed softly.
“Something like that.”
There was something in his voice.
Something she couldn’t quite place.
Even over the phone.
Even miles away.
“Leon…” she said carefully.
“Yeah?”
“You know you can tell me anything, right?”
He didn’t answer.
But she could hear him breathing on the other end.
Claire hesitated before speaking again.
“I just… I don’t know. I feel like this isn’t really what you wanted.”
“Claire…” Leon’s voice was soft. Almost pleading.
“Yeah?”
“It’s okay.”
The resignation in his voice made her chest tighten.
“But—”
“Someone had to do it,” Leon interrupted.
Then he added quietly,
“Besides… I don’t want what happened in Raccoon City to ever happen again. If this is what it takes to prevent that, then so be it.”
Claire sighed softly.
The bright rookie cop she had met back in Raccoon City felt far away now.
“Okay,” she said gently.
After a moment, Leon spoke again.
“So… tell me about Rockfort Island. You said it was eventful.”
Claire hesitated.
At first she wasn’t sure if she was ready to talk about it.
About Steve.
About everything she had lost.
But somehow…
Talking to Leon felt safe.
So she told him.
Everything.
She was lying on her side now, the phone pressed against her ear as she talked.
Minutes passed.
Then hours.
Eventually, she noticed something.
Leon hadn’t spoken in a while.
“…Leon?”
Only quiet breathing answered her.
Claire blinked.
Then she realized.
He had fallen asleep.
She smiled softly.
He was probably exhausted from training.
And strangely, she didn’t feel offended.
If anything…
She felt relieved.
Because even though all she could hear was his breathing, it sounded peaceful.
At least for this moment.
“Good night, Leon,” she whispered.
“Sweet dreams.”
Then she ended the call.
Before falling asleep, Claire picked up her phone again and typed a quick message.
Leon
Leon’s alarm blared at 4:00 AM.
Time for the routine.
Run.
Train.
Report.
Repeat.
But before he got out of bed, he noticed a notification.
Message from Claire.
Memories from the night before rushed back instantly.
He had fallen asleep.
He opened the message.
I’m glad you called. It was really nice catching up with you.
Maybe we can meet up sometime?
Stay safe out there, okay?
Call me anytime.
Leon smiled faintly.
He was glad he had made the call.
Before getting ready for the day, he typed a reply.
Claire
Claire was abruptly woken by a call from one of her coworkers.
“Claire, emergency meeting,” the voice said quickly.
Still half asleep, Claire grabbed her phone.
Her vision was blurry with drowsiness when she noticed the notification.
Message from Leon.
She opened it.
Hey. Sorry I fell asleep.
Thank you for last night. It was really nice talking to you.
Take care of yourself, Claire.
A small smile formed on her lips.
And suddenly—
She had all the energy she needed to start her day.