Chapter Text
The road to Raccoon City had always seemed longer to Claire than it should.
Maybe it was because she was riding alone. Maybe because this time it wasn’t a spontaneous trip or a fleeting visit, but something heavier, more final. Or maybe it was simply because she had too much time to think.
Her motorcycle engine purred steadily, and the asphalt stretched out before her like an endless ribbon. The landscape shifted slowly, from wide, empty spaces into increasingly built-up areas. Road signs began to appear more often. Traffic thickened just a little. The world stopped being somewhere in between and started to feel like a real place.
Raccoon City.
Claire adjusted her grip on the handlebars and twisted the throttle slightly. The wind hit her jacket harder, tugging loose strands of hair from beneath her helmet.
She shouldn’t have sped up.
She knew that.
But also… she really didn’t feel like slowing down.
Because the moment she did, the thoughts came back. And thoughts were the last thing she wanted right now.
She clenched her jaw.
“Great, Claire.” she muttered under her breath, though no one could hear her. “Brilliant plan. Drop out of college and run back to your big brother like nothing happened. What could possibly go wrong?”
The answer was simple.
Everything.
Just a few weeks ago, everything had seemed… clear. Not perfect, not exciting, but clear. College was what you did. Her major was sensible. The people around her all seemed to know where they were going.
And her?
She sat through lectures feeling like she was watching someone else’s life.
Not her own.
At first, she tried to ignore it. Then she tried to convince herself it would pass. That it was just a matter of time, adjustment, maybe fatigue.
It didn’t pass.
With every week, it only got worse.
Until one day, she sat on the edge of her bed in her small, bland room and thought something she couldn’t take back.
I don’t belong here.
And that was it.
No big scene. No dramatic declarations. She just packed her things, filed the paperwork, and left.
Just like that.
Now, with the road leading straight to Raccoon City ahead of her, “just like that” was starting to sound like the dumbest decision of her life.
Because it meant one thing.
A conversation with Chris.
Claire grimaced under her helmet.
Chris wasn’t the type to yell. He didn’t make scenes. He didn’t dramatize.
And that was worse. He was responsible. Organized. Stubborn. And he had this irritating way of looking at people that made them start questioning their own choices.
Claire sighed heavily and sped up just a little more. The asphalt blurred faster beneath her wheels.
“Maybe he won’t notice.” she muttered, fully aware of how ridiculous that sounded.
Chris Redfield. Not notice.
Yeah, right.
He definitely wouldn’t notice that his younger sister had just shown up with no life plan.
Great plan, Claire. Seriously.
The road curved gently, and in the distance, the first larger sign announcing the city limits came into view. Raccoon City wasn’t a metropolis, but it had its own character. A little too big to be a quiet town. A little too small to be anonymous.
Claire remembered it well. The streets, the shops, the intersections. The smell of the air, always just a bit different than anywhere else.
It was Chris’s place.
And now… a little hers again.
The motorcycle growled louder as she twisted the throttle once more.
And then she saw it.
Blue and red lights.
At first, far off on the roadside. Then clearer. Flashing calmly, like they were waiting.
Claire blinked.
“…seriously?”
Her eyes dropped automatically to the speedometer.
Too fast.
Of course too fast.
“Oh, great.” she hissed.
For a second, she considered the dumbest option possible.
Ignore it.
Just keep going.
But… she wasn’t an idiot.
She sighed heavily and slowly began to slow down.
The motorcycle lost speed, and the wind stopped pressing so aggressively against her body. The world around her seemed to slow with her.
The patrol car stood at the entrance road to the city, exactly where traffic started to thicken. A classic checkpoint spot.
“Sure.” she muttered. “Perfect timing.”
As if dropping out of college wasn’t enough. As if going back to her brother wasn’t stressful enough already.
No.
Let’s add a ticket to kick things off.
Perfect.
She pulled over carefully, maneuvering between the lines, and stopped a few meters behind the patrol car. The engine died, leaving behind a strange, sudden silence.
Claire pulled off one glove and ran a hand through her hair, as if that could somehow improve the situation.
It couldn’t.
She shifted slightly off the seat, resting one foot on the asphalt. Her heart was beating a little faster than she would’ve liked.
Not because she was afraid of the police.
Just… the timing was terrible.
She caught movement out of the corner of her eye. The patrol car door opened.
The officer stepped out calmly, unhurried. Young silhouette. Slightly stiff posture, like he was still getting used to the uniform.
Claire raised an eyebrow.
New?
Starting out and already ran into her. She almost laughed, but held it back.
The guy closed the car door and walked toward her. His steps were steady, but not overly confident. His gaze focused.
Claire pulled her glove back on, just to give her hands something to do.
“Relax.” she told herself quietly. “It’s just a stop.”
Just a stop.
Nothing major.
Except somewhere in the back of her mind, one very specific thought surfaced, impossible to ignore.
Chris.
If he found out that on her first day back she got pulled over for speeding…
Claire winced.
“Fantastic.”
The officer was getting closer. A few more steps and he’d be right there.
Claire took a deeper breath, straightening slightly beside her bike.
She could handle this calmly.
Normally. No tricks. Because really… she hadn’t done anything dramatic.
She was just going a little too fast. Just a little. Okay, maybe more than a little.
She glanced toward the city again. Raccoon City was right there. Within reach.
And suddenly, something simple hit her. She was coming back. Really coming back. Not as a visitor. Not temporarily.
Just because she had no plan. Because something didn’t work out. Because she didn’t know what came next.
And instead of figuring it out herself… she was going back to Chris.
Claire exhaled slowly.
“Great.” she thought. “Chris is going to love this.”
The officer was right beside her now.
Claire looked up, ready for the conversation. And at that exact moment, a second, even better thought crossed her mind.
“Not only did she drop out… she also got a ticket.”
Perfect start to a new chapter.
The officer stopped a step away, maybe two. Close enough for her to see more than just the uniform and badge. Close enough to notice details.
Young.
That was the first thing that came to her mind.
Not a kid, but… fresh. A face without that slightly worn sharpness experienced officers had. Hair styled just a bit too neatly for someone spending the day on the road. Uniform perfectly fitted, like it had just been issued.
And the eyes.
Focused. Attentive. A little too alert. Like he really wanted to get everything right.
Claire almost smiled. New. One hundred percent. Meanwhile, he stopped, straightened slightly, and spoke in a tone that sounded professional… but underneath, there was a hint of tension.
“Good afternoon.” a short pause. “I stopped you because you exceeded the speed limit on this stretch of road.”
Claire made the exact face that came naturally in situations like this.
Slightly raised brows. Lips pressed into something between regret and oops. Head tilted just a fraction.
Premium guilty expression.
“Okay.” she said immediately, before he could add anything. “Yeah, I know. I mean… I figured. That was… ” she hesitated for a second “a bit too fast.”
He nodded, as if checking off the first item in his mental procedure.
“Are you aware by how much you exceeded the limit?”
Claire opened her mouth… then closed it again.
“Uh…” she muttered, scrunching her nose slightly. “You mean exactly?”
He looked at her calmly. A bit too calmly.
“Yes, exactly.”
Claire sighed quietly.
“Alright, honest answer.” she said, raising her hands in surrender. “No idea.”
And that was actually true.
She knew she was speeding.
For a moment, the officer said nothing, just watching her closely.
And then Claire saw it more clearly.
That micro-hesitation.
That moment where he seemed to run through the steps in his head, making sure he was doing everything right.
New.
Definitely.
Claire felt the tension in her shoulders ease a little.
Okay. That changed things.
She wasn’t about to be rude or manipulative. That wasn’t her style.
But… a little chaos? A little honesty? A little hey, I’m just a tired person having a bad day?
That she could do.
“I’m sorry.” she added quickly, before he could continue. “Really. It’s just…” she trailed off, searching for words.
And found them faster than expected.
Because it wasn’t fake.
“I’ve had a long day. I mean… a long ride. And I guess I got a bit distracted.”
The officer narrowed his eyes slightly.
Not suspiciously.
More… analytically.
“I understand.” he said finally.
And it sounded like something he had learned to say.
Claire crossed her arms briefly, then uncrossed them. She was talking faster than she meant to.
“I mean, it’s not an excuse.” she added quickly. “I know it sounds like one, but…” she sighed “I really wasn’t trying to do anything stupid. Just…” she trailed off again.
Her brain tried to decide how much to say.
And the slightly too much version won.
“I’m heading back to the city.” she said. “To my brother. And…” a short pause “it’s a bit complicated.”
The officer raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Complicated?”
Claire let out a quiet huff, more to herself than to him.
“Yeah. Like I dropped out of college and now I’m coming back with no life plan, so…” she shrugged “yeah, I was going a bit too fast.”
Silence.
A second. Maybe two.
Claire realized she had just said that out loud.
“Okay, that was definitely too much information.” she muttered, rubbing her forehead. “Sorry. I do that when I’m stressed.”
Also true.
For a moment, the officer looked like he wasn’t sure whether to respond as an officer or as a human being.
And that was… kind of cute.
“Your documents, please.” he said finally, retreating to safe ground.
Professionalism.
Claire immediately reached into her jacket pocket.
“Sure, yeah.” she muttered, pulling out her wallet. “Just… a second… I always put them…” she started searching through compartments.
Her hands were moving a bit faster than usual.
Not because she was scared.
Just… the situation felt weirdly intense for something so simple.
“Okay, got it.” she said finally, pulling out her license and handing it to him.
Their fingers brushed for a split second.
Nothing major.
And yet Claire noticed he tensed slightly.
So subtle most people wouldn’t catch it.
She did. New. Again.
The officer looked at the document, then at her, then back again.
“Claire Redfield.” he read.
“Yeah.” she confirmed.
“You’ll stay here for a moment.” he said.
“Sure.”
He turned and walked back toward the patrol car.
Claire watched him for a moment.
The way he walked. Straight, but just a bit too aware of every step. Like he was making sure he looked professional.
“Definitely new.” she muttered under her breath.
She leaned lightly against her bike and exhaled.
Her heart slowly returned to a normal rhythm.
Okay. Not that bad. Could’ve been worse. Much worse. Minutes passed slower than they should.
Claire glanced toward the city.
Just a little further and she’d already be at Chris’s. Just a little further and that conversation she dreaded would be behind her.
Instead… she stood on the roadside, waiting for a decision from a young officer who was probably checking her data and figuring out what to do.
“If I get a ticket, that’ll be the perfect summary of the day.” she muttered.
The patrol car door opened. The officer stepped out and walked back toward her.
Claire straightened slightly.
Moment of truth.
He stopped in front of her, handing back the document.
“Your information checks out.” he said.
“That’s good.” she replied automatically, taking her license.
For a second, they looked at each other in silence.
And again, she saw it.
That hesitation.
Like he had two options and still wasn’t sure which to choose.
Claire raised an eyebrow slightly.
“So…” she began carefully. “How bad is it?”
The officer took a short breath.
“You exceeded the speed limit in a way that qualifies for a fine.” he said.
It sounded like a textbook line.
Claire winced slightly.
“That sounds expensive.”
The corner of his mouth twitched.
Almost imperceptibly.
“It can be.”
Silence hung between them again.
Claire felt it. That moment. The one where everything balanced. She wasn’t going to beg. But… she could be honest.
“Look.” she said more quietly, less chaotic than before. “I know it wasn’t okay. And I really don’t make a habit of it. It’s just…” she shrugged “bad day.”
The officer looked at her more closely.
Not just as a driver.
More like a person.
“Everyone has bad days.” he said finally.
And that sounded more like his own words than something procedural.
Claire smiled slightly.
“Exactly.”
Another second of silence.
Then he sighed quietly.
“This time, it’ll be a warning.” he said.
Claire blinked.
“Seriously?”
“Yes.” A short nod. “But please slow down. This is the city entrance.”
For a second, she looked like she didn’t quite believe it.
Then her face visibly brightened.
“Okay, wow. Thank you. Seriously.”
He nodded again, as if closing the case.
“Drive safely.”
“I will.” she said immediately.
And this time, she meant it.
He turned and walked back to the patrol car.
Claire stood there a moment longer, watching him.
Then she shook her head slightly in disbelief.
“Okay.” she muttered. “Did not see that coming.”
She put her helmet on, got back on the bike, and turned the key.
The engine came to life with a familiar sound.
She glanced toward the city once more.
Raccoon City was waiting.
Chris was waiting.
The conversation was waiting.
Claire sighed quietly.
“Alright.” she said to herself. “Let’s go.”
She pulled off smoothly, this time definitely slower.
The road ahead was the same.
But something in her felt just a little different.
Maybe because the first problem of the day had resolved better than expected.
Maybe because she had met someone who, just like her, was only just starting something new.
Or maybe simply because she didn’t get a ticket.
Either way… this time, she didn’t speed up.
And that was a pretty good start.