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acidh2otoby · 1 year

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Mini Redfield, Part 4

Chris Redfield & OC!Son

Warnings: B.O.W.s, death, violence, infection, Nicholai Zinoviev

Accidental cliff hanger btw, I'll be making a full fic on another website and (hopefully) I'll link it in a separate post when I post it.

Parts 1, 2, 3

September 29th, 1998. 2:11.am.

Evan was still sound asleep as Jill held him as the train moved down the tracks. Jill was having a hard time falling asleep, not for any particular reason other than some small paranoia about the monster chasing her to the ends of Raccoon City. She stared out the window as Mikhail and Nicholai came back into the subway car, Mikhail took a seat a little bit away from Jill and Evan as Nicholai began talking.

"You don't really think a pencil-pusher like Bard is still alive, do you?" Nicholai asked, stopping beside Mikhail.

"I have it on good authority. Why? Are you worried about teammates? Or something else?" Mikhail asked, pausing a little.

Jill wasn't fully paying attention to the conversation until now. What else could Nicholai be worried about?

"Funny how brainless zombies can ambush a platoon like that. Funny the gate was lock. Don't you think?" Mikhail asked Nicholai, tilting his head a little.

Nicholai smiled and chuckled a little before the lights went out in the subway before something caused the train to jolt. Evan woke up from it and sat up, allowing Jill to stand up.

"What was that?" Jill asked, mostly to herself.

The door to the car that held all the survivors opened to reveal that monster standing in the middle of it, the car on fire and all survivors dead. Evan's eyes widened at the destruction that it caused, how did it do that within only a few seconds?

"How is this fucker not dead yet?!" Jill yelled, running towards the car and grabbing her gun.

Mikhail grabbed Jill's arm and stopped her. "Jill, no. They're gone. Come. This way." Mikhail said, slightly moving Evan and Jill in the direction towards the other door.

Nicholai was already on the other side when Jill got close enough to the door, she tried to turn the handle but it wouldn't move.

"Nicholai, what are you doing?" Jill asked, continuing to jiggle the handle.

"It's not after me." Nicholai replied, pointing towards the monster before winking and laughing as he ran away. He had locked the door from the other side.

"Nicholai!" Jill yelled, banging on the door.

Gunshots ripped Jill's and Evan's attention away from Nicholai and to Mikhail. He was shooting at the monster before it used one of its tentacle things to stab Mikhail through the stomach, pulling him towards the monster.

Evan heard Mikhail say something before and explosion occurred, causing the train to derail. Jill grabbed Evan and held on to him before they both got knock out from being tossed around.

Jill woke up with Evan still in her arms, he was unconscious but she started to get out of the now crashed train. She pushed Evan out of the train before crawling her way out, picking him back up once she got up.

"Am I the only one who made it?" Jill asked herself, glancing back to the train.

The next room she went into was a safe room and she took a second, patching up any scratches she and Evan had before trying to get him to wake up. It didn't take long for Evan to wake up and follow behind Jill as they found a way out of the underground subway passages.

They both climbed up a ladder to find themselves basically in the dead center of Raccoon City, the clocktower. A roar was heard from where they had just come from, causing Evan to gasp and jump.

"That fucker's still alive. We can't stay here." Jill said, pulling out her gun and beginning to lead the way to a safer place.

Evan followed until they got to the bridge where the monster had jump up from the ladder and was panicking from the fire on itself, it wasn't looking at where it was going and fell into the river.

"Bitch can't even swim." Jill muttered, slowly walking on the bridge as she pulled her radio out. "Carlos! Respond!"

Evan heard Carlos say something but couldn't make out what he said.

"We didn't make it. The train derailed." Jill informed, waiting for a response. "Everybody's dead. Mikhail. Everybody. Except Evan and I." Another pause, Jill stopped walking this time. "Nicholai left us to die."

Evan heard something in the water and looked to see what it was, he couldn't see what it was exactly but saw bubbles. "Jill... there's something in the water." Evan said, moving behind Jill.

Jill glanced down at Evan before looking at the water to see what he was seeing, she also saw the bubbles. "What the fuck...?!" Jill whispered, pulling the radio away from her.

The confusion about the bubbles in the river were soon answered as the monster from before jumped at the two, it seemed to have mutated so now it looked like it was some kind of animal. Jill dodged towards the rest of the bridge and had pushed Evan in the other direction, hoping the monster would chase her.

"It's back!" Jill yelled as she tried to grab her radio but then just had to run as the monster started chasing her.

Evan sat up and stared at the scene for a second before grabbing Jill's radio and running to catch up, not wanting to get left behind. The gap in the bridge was too big for Evan to jump over, so he grabbed some of the planks Jill had used to try and keep the monster back to try and get across. It was a slow and scary walk but it had to be done. Once Evan had gotten back to Jill, the monster was dead in front of the clocktower.

Jill hugged Evan and he gave her the radio back and she tried to call Carlos again, Evan wasn't really paying attention and was more focused on the monster, he didn't trust that it was dead and stared at it.

"Hey, c'mon. We gotta get the hell outta here." Jill said, approaching the monster's body before stopping in front of it. "You go first. In case that thing wakes up, you'll be able to run and get out of here."

Evan hesitated before carefully stepping over the monster's hand and getting into the clocktower. Jill did the same but she was grabbed by the monster once she entered, she lost her balance and fell, allowing the monster to drag her towards it.

Jill shot at it a couple of times before glancing up and shooting a wire that was connected to the gate that kept it open. The gate slammed shut and decapitated the monster's arm. Jill got up and grabbed Evan's hand as she began running, only to stop when she heard Evan yell in pain and stop.

The monster had re-grown its arm and hit Evan with a needle in his arm. Evan pulled the needle out before he started coughing, his body began shaking a little as he fell to the ground. Jill immediately knelt down beside him and held him as he seemed to be having a seizure and foam started coming out of his mouth.

Jill's radio started beeping and she grabbed it, knowing it would be Carlos.

"Jill, what happened?" Carlos asked, he sounded a little short of breath.

"Carlos! Where's Nathaniel Bard?" Jill asked, yelling a little in a panic.

"He's at the Spencer Memorial Hospital. Why? What's wrong?" Carlos asked, he sounded concerned.

"I don't have time to explain right now. Just get to the hospital and I'll meet you there." Jill said quickly before putting away her radio and picking up Evan, running as fast as she could to the hospital.

#resident evil #chris redfield #oc stuff #jill valentine #carlos oliveira #mikhail victor #nicholai zinoviev

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ultimateanna · 2 years

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Resident Evil 3: Nemesis - Character

Jill Valentine

Carlos Oliveira

Mikhail Victor

Nikolai Zinoviev

#resident evil #biohazard #game #horror game #horror #resident evil 3 nemesis #resident evil 3: nemesis #biohazard 3 #biohazard 3: last escape #jill valentine #ジル・バレンタイン #carlos oliveira #カルロス・オリヴェイラ #mikhail victor #ミハイル・ヴィクトール #nikolai zinoviev #ニコライ・ジノビェ��

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lunarastrobabe · 1 year

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#jill valentine #resident evil #resident evil 3 #re3 #mikhail victor

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xellnikov · 1 year

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i have one question.

i can't tell you the age of nikolai in any of the RE games or if he aged from the old resident evil 3 to the remake. or how old he was in re: operation racoon city.

but why did mikhail get so old? in the old re3 he didn't seem old and suddenly, in the remake, he had grey hair. ???? what was the point of making him older? also he had way more depth in the old games :((

#resident evil 3 #re3 #resident evil 3 remake #re3 remake #resident evil #re #nikolai zinoviev #nicholai zinoviev #nicholai ginovaef #nikolai ginovaef #mikhail victor

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mlcheely · 1 year

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It's Just A Game... CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE. ☆

DATE : ┃SEPTEMBER 27TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃ RACCOON SUBWAY TUNNELS. TIME : ┃11:42 PM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

“There is a woman that is looking for Jill Valentine, though I am not sure what for.”

“Oh? Do tell; what does she look like?”

“Small frame, long dirty blonde hair, big doe-like eyes — ” The voice from the other line of the radio interrupts him. “Did she tell you her name?”

“No, but I happened to overhear the name ‘ Erica .’”

“Keep an eye on her and don’t underestimate her.” There’s a pause from the other line. “She’s not what she seems.”

“ Affirmative .”

Nikolai steps out from behind a wall as he finishes his exchange, shoving the radio into his back pocket. He glances through the windows of the civilian tram, eyeing Erica as he walks past. She’s inside socializing, putting on such a convincing facade. Nikolai knew there was something strange about her when he aimed his weapon between her eyes — she was too calm; too collected to have been in the heart of Umbrella’s disastrous mishap. ‘It explains why she is unscathed, too…’ He thinks, but he shakes the thought as he enters another tram.

Erica has been talking to the survivors to pass the time; she re-encountered Judy Marks, the nurse she met at the hospital when she first arrived in Raccoon City. She spoke to a woman named Aliyah Littles, a journalist who worked for Raccoon Weekly, and a young college student named Janet Mullis. She recognized Emmy Stanson, the owner of Emmy’s Diner — well — previous owner . Unfortunately, none of these people are the person she’s looking for.

None of them are Jill.

She sighs to herself in defeat, catching the attention of the mother next to her. Erica had come to learn her name is Hope Stevens and she worked at Raccoon University as a professor. Her teenage daughter, Dawn Stevens, was going to attend the University in the spring, but it’s obvious how that turned out…

“Can’t sleep?”

Erica turns to her and laughs a little. “Oh, no, I’m just looking for someone…” Hope purses her lips. “Do you think they’ll show up?”

“I don’t think so — ” Erica says, causing Hope to frown. “ — I know so.” The frown leaves the older woman’s lips and turns into a grin. Erica grins back at her before catching a glimpse of a familiar face in one of the windows. Is that?

“Excuse me.” She mumbles, grabbing her backpack and exiting the tram. As she does, the sound of another tram door closing echoes through the subway’s tunnel. She glances in the direction of the sound and spots a woman with short brown hair speaking to Carlos, Tyrell, Nikolai, and some other older man with a red beret. ‘That’s gotta be her!’ She thinks, immediately rushing towards the tram and ripping the door open. The passengers all turn and look at her as her heart flies out of her chest. It’s Jill!

“Erica?”

Jill is in awe as she stares at the young woman in front of her. She was telling her the truth — she’s alive! She’s really here, physically standing before her. It’s not a dream this time; this is all real.

“Is that really you?” Warm tears prickle Jill’s eyes, threatening to fall as she feels her breath catch in her throat. “Of course it’s me!” Erica cries, tears spilling from her eyes as she goes in for an embrace. “It’s me, Jill — I’m alive, I’m really alive!” Jill pulls Erica close, squeezing her tightly and entangling her fingers in her long hair. Erica buries her face in Jill’s shoulder, unable to compose herself. She was alone for so long…She wants to fall to the floor and sob; she wants Jill to hold her and console her, but now isn’t the time for all that. They need to get out of this godforsaken city.

Jill looks at Erica’s wet face with her own. “Where have you been? How are you here right now?” Erica quickly glances at Nikolai, realizing that she shouldn’t tell Jill anything right now and risk exposing herself to him. She has a feeling he might already be suspicious of her. She swallows. “We can talk about that later.” Jill shakes her head. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. All that matters is that you’re here now.” Erica smiles at her friend’s reassurance.

“Are you two ladies done?” Nikolai retorts, observing the smaller of the two women. “Sorry…” Erica mumbles, avoiding his gaze and shifting it to the floor. Jill squeezes her shoulder to which she straightens her lips.

“Do you think you can do it, Jill?” Tyrell asks, breaking the awkward vibe in the air. Jill nods, focusing her attention on what the group had begun to discuss prior to Erica’s arrival. “Of course she can, she is Special Tactics and Rescue Service.” The older man with the red beret states, and as the conversation continues their voices start to drown out as Erica’s eyes fall onto the older man sitting in one of the seats. She reads over his name tag: Mikhail Victor. She didn’t know much about the man, but as far as she knew he was a mercenary hired by the U.B.C.S. where he served as leader of the Delta Platoon. He unfortunately never made it out of Raccoon City alive, much like everyone else. He looks like he’s in pain, gritting his teeth as he listens intently to the group’s plan. As she breathes in, she’s able to smell the blood seeping from the wound he’s currently clutching. It seems death is already breathing down his neck. A lump forms in her throat; the scent makes her stomach growl, but just as she takes a step forward Jill lifts a hand to touch Erica’s arm. Nikolai happens to notice her trance before she’s pulled from it and turns to look at Mikhail.

Why was she staring at him like a fat kid staring at cake? Could she be infected? No, that isn’t possible — she should have fallen victim to the virus, but is there a possibility she retained her intelligence? He wonders if that’s what Wesker meant by ‘she’s not what she seems.’

“Hey, are you going to be okay here?”

Erica looks around to the rest of the group’s faces before looking at Jill's. “Uh, no I’m not gonna be okay. I’m going with you.” Jill shakes her head.

“Oh, no you’re not. It wouldn’t be smart for you to go…” She chews on the inside of her cheek. “It’s better for you to just stay here.” Erica is taken aback, feeling frustrated that Jill doesn’t believe she’s capable enough to venture through the death and devastation outside. She made it out of the NEST facility and managed to get all the way here and find Jill. She survived death for Christ’s sake! She is fully capable of handling herself — even if it’s from the help of the virus in her body. She also wants to make it out of here before she starts getting hungry again. The smell of Mikhail’s flesh and blood makes her toes curl in her shoes. She hasn’t eaten, and if she stays she has a feeling her hunger might be satiated.

“I’ll be fine.” Erica laughs, brushing Jill off. “I made it here, didn’t I?”

“Dammit Erica, why don’t you just listen? I don’t want to lose you again.” Jill snaps, prompting Erica to look at the floor. She feels her fists clench and her heart begin to pound in her ears. It’s soon replaced by the sound of ringing, relentlessly beating against her ear drums, and she takes a deep breath. The rest of the room is quiet, awkwardly standing around as they wait for her response. “Jill, I’m sorry, but it doesn’t matter what the fuck you say — I’m going with you.” She purses her lips. “You need to trust me on this…” Pause. “...I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”

“But — ” Jill starts but Erica interrupts. “Look, I appreciate you looking out for me but I’ve already been through my fair share of bullshit and there’s no reason to coddle me over it. I’m fine .” The room goes silent once again but it doesn’t last for long as Mikhail bursts out in a painful laugh, wheezing as the laughter bellows from his chest. “I like this one.” He remarks.

“It seems your friend here is pretty determined to help.” Carlos steps forward. Jill chews her lip as he reaches for a gun from his waistband. He turns to Erica, “Can you shoot?”

“I’m no professional, but I have a pretty good idea.” She replies, and he turns to Jill. “Problem solved.” He shrugs, holding out the pistol to Erica. “I — ” Jill starts to protest, but she holds her tongue.

Erica is right. She did manage to make it here. Jill isn’t sure when or how she escaped from Umbrella’s grasp, but they’ll have plenty of time for that when they get out of the city. There is something Jill can’t put her finger on, though. Why does she not have any wounds or scratches? How was she able to avoid the monsters and zombies? More importantly, what did Umbrella do to her?

Reluctantly taking the firearm, Erica clutches the hilt with a frown. She never really liked guns, and for good reason. They always terrified her — from the loud pop to the possibility that it can go very wrong very quickly if you don’t know what you’re doing. She knows she needs to take it to prove she can defend herself, but hopefully she won’t have to use it. She shakes away her thoughts and focuses on the task at hand. She and Jill need to get going.

“Let’s go.” She says, heading out the tram door’s entrance.

“She seems fun.” Tyrell comments and Jill quickly defends her friend. “She’s not really like that — she’s just…been through a lot.” She sighs.

Nikolai watches Erica as she leaves, observing her behavior. She was so quick to snap at the other woman he wonders if this is only the beginning. What if she eats one of them? What if she turns and possibly infects someone else? “I would keep an eye on her.” He mutters. The group looks at him, and Jill knits her brows together, eyeing him suspiciously. “What are you implying?” Nikolai chuckles at her reaction. “It is just an observation, Miss Valentine — not an implication.”

Jill shrugs him off, but she can’t help but let curiosity grab her by the tongue — what does he mean by that? Whatever, it doesn’t matter; she doesn’t trust anything he says anyway. She doesn’t have a good feeling about him.

Her attention then falls onto Carlos. “Wish me luck?” She jokes.

“You’re gonna need it.” He quips.

“You’re telling me.” She laughs, quickly following after Erica and arming herself. She catches up to her, spotting her leaning against the railing at the bottom of the stair entrance. Erica had heard the conversation that continued after she left the tram, and she can’t help but wonder if Jill might question her or distrust her now. ‘No, Jill wouldn’t switch up like that…Nikolai is just trying to get inside her head.’ She tells herself, but she secretly worries he might be right. She’s unsure if she has any control over her hunger, and she’s unsure if she’s a real danger to people. She had no problem controlling herself on the civilian tram, so why did she feel like she was going to eat Mikhail?

“You ready?”

Jill rips her away from her thoughts and she puts on a fake smile. “Yeah — I’m ready.”

⋆

DATE : ┃SEPTEMBER 28TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃ RACCOON CITY, MISSOURI. TIME : ┃12:09 AM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

“Are you okay?”

Erica — who was previously staring out into the city, observing the area for any threats as a lookout — turns and looks at Jill. She’s looking at her with concern, and Erica feels her chest tighten. She bites her lip, trying to stop it from trembling.

She doesn’t know, honestly; she doesn’t know if she’ll ever be okay after all this. She doesn’t know if she’ll forget falling into a fictional world. She doesn’t know if she’ll ever forget getting kidnapped, experimented on, eating someone , or dying, and waking up in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Not like anybody else would be able to forget something like that, either. She sighs as a tear trickles down one of her cheeks, overwhelmed by all that’s transpired.

“You know, I’m not sure. I uh, I don’t know.” She laughs nervously.

“You can tell me anything…” Jill mumbles and Erica feels salty water coat her cheeks within seconds. “Jill, I — …Umbrella turned me into some kind of — some kind of freak. During my capture I-I got hungry and I ate somebody. You don’t really come back from something like that…” She sniffles. “The only reason I came with you was because I didn’t want to risk eating anyone else…” There’s a long pause. “...And I only trust you to take me out if — no, when — that time comes.”

Jill already knew Erica was experimented on, but she wasn’t fully aware of what exactly happened to her. Chris alluded to her being infected with the T-Virus and possibly some other virus known as the G-Virus, but what does that mean for her? Does that mean she’s capable of attacking someone without warning? Does that mean she’ll lose control and mutate into something inhuman? After being infected for this long, she should have turned…right?

“Listen to me, Erica — ” Jill walks over and puts a hand on her crying friend’s shoulder. “ — it’s not going to come to that.”

“I don’t think it’s that simple, Jill.” Erica chokes.

“What do you mean?” Jill furrows her brows.

“You won’t understand. Shit, even I don’t but I can hear and smell everything — I can smell the sweat on someone’s skin or the smell of their meat and muscle. I can hear the sound of heartbeats and blood pumping through veins.” She takes a deep breath. “I can hear the thoughts and voices of infected hosts. I can feel them, Jill. I can feel when they’re around — I’m losing my fucking mind here.” Erica sobs and Jill frowns, worried for her as she breaks down. “Hey, hey, I promise that everything is gonna be okay. When we get out of the city, Chris and I will figure out how to help you.” Jill reassures, but Erica shakes her head.

“I died , Jill…” She sniffles again. “...And when I found out I was still alive I was in some kind of place in my head. There was a voice I couldn’t recognize that spoke to me. It told me it brought me back from the brink of death; it said it was a part of me now …Whatever Umbrella put inside of me — it’s not going away.” Jill swallows, slowly getting hot from worry. “You’re gonna be fine.” She says, but she isn’t so sure if she believes what she’s saying now. What’s happening to Erica?

“You keep saying that, but — ” Erica starts wiping her face with her sleeve, trying to think of something to tell herself to feel better but it’s useless. “Forget it.” She mutters.

Jill grabs Erica’s hand and squeezes it tenderly. “I don’t think you’re a danger to anyone. Besides, weren’t you alone with all those civilians before I showed up? Why didn’t you eat any of those people?” Erica doesn’t say anything, silent as Jill looks into her teary eyes. “I believe you can control yourself. If we can find something to satiate your hunger, you won’t even think about eating anyone else.” Erica feels a lump in the back of her throat, thinking about the binders in her backpack. Everything will be okay. Even if she isn’t — she knows the two of them have enough evidence inside of her backpack to be an absolute slam dunk for the case against Umbrella. She hasn’t mentioned to anyone what’s inside of the bag yet, not even Jill, fearful someone might overhear and rob them of such information. She still has yet to read her own file through and through, curious as to what exactly happened to her and her body during her imprisonment. Maybe it could hold a clue to a cure.

“Everything will be okay.” Jill smiles.

“Will it?”

“I’m sure of it.”

“Thanks…” Erica looks down sheepishly at their hands, taking a deep breath before letting go. “Let’s go find some power for the station, yeah?” Jill pats her on the shoulder. “Yeah…” Erica smiles.

⋆

DATE : ┃SEPTEMBER 27TH, 1998. LOCATION : ┃ RACCOON SUBWAY TUNNELS. TIME : ┃1:32 AM.

⸺ . ⋆ ☆ ⋆ . ⸺

After the two women return to the tram, Jill radios Carlos to inform him that they’ve restored power to the station. Carlos responds with a “That’s great! Tyrell and I will be on our way there shortly.” As the message echoes loudly through the tram, Erica looks over to Mikhail. He’s still hunched over and grabbing at his wound in pain. She breathes in, and a frown spreads across her lips. He smells like he’s starting to die…

She can pinpoint the smell of death — she’s smelled it all damn day. She shifts her attention elsewhere, turning to Jill who gives her a smile. “Are you ready to finally get out of here?” She asks.

Forcing a smile of her own, Erica nods. Of course she’s ready to get out of here — why wouldn’t she be? She’s ready to finally get out of the city so she can get a moment of peace — maybe after that she, Jill, and Chris can figure out what’s wrong with her and fix it. Or at least, try . “I’m ready to — ”

Boom .

A deep sinking feeling clutches at Erica’s stomach as she turns around and faces the direction of the ominous sound. What was that? Whatever it was, it didn't sound good. She swallows nervously, feeling the terrible anxiety start to grow. Her body grows hot with worry, and she begins to feel a little nauseous. She instinctively lowers her body to the floor, pressing her ear against the cold metal surface. Vibrations rumble against her ear, tickling the inside of her ear drums. As her fingers graze against the floor, she hears it again. Boom, boom . It’s closer this time. Something is coming — and fast.

“Erica, what’s wrong?” Jill asks, knitting her brows together. Erica’s answer is almost immediate as she stands and turns to her. “Everybody needs to get out of the tram — now .”

“Why? What is it?”

Jill is concerned, fearful that Erica might be succumbing to her infection. Erica’s response, however, is nowhere near what Jill expected to hear.

“ Something big is coming . I can feel it — ”

“Oh, God …”

Jill knows exactly what Erica is talking about. She’s seen it; she’s seen the horrific creature that has been relentlessly searching for her. It gives her a fear she’s never felt before, and she prays that Erica won’t lay her eyes upon its disgusting visage and feel the same — if she hasn’t already. It’s as if Jill can’t escape the damned thing, constantly running from impending death — and now it’s found her. She doesn’t know the monster’s name and she doesn’t care either, but she cares if it were to hurt all of these innocent people waiting hopelessly to get out of the city, including Erica. Her stomach gurgles and she has a wave of nausea hit her in the head. She takes a deep breath.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Nikolai’s body tenses as he listens to the conversation; he’s aware of what this strange girl means, but how is that possible? How is it she can sense that beast coming? Is that why Wesker finds her to be of value? If he does, then who’s to say Umbrella won’t be eager for her capture, too? Hm …Her data might get him more money than he could ever imagine, perhaps it’s not a bad idea to keep an eye on her after all. For now, however, he needs to make a quick getaway before the monster makes it to their location. ‘Maybe the girl can fight off the monster… ha ! What a laughable thought.’ He thinks. Backing away into a corner, Nikolai slowly starts to make his way over to the door leading into a neighboring tram. Erica just so happens to notice him in the corner of her eye, slinking away like the roach he is. ‘He’s just going to leave us to die…’ She thinks, and her heart pounds in her ears. As he places his hand on the handle, Erica addresses him. “Nikolai,” She starts as he turns to her, “If you step out that door — the next time I see you you’re dead .” She balls her fists and clenches her jaw tightly.

“Oh?” Nikolai lets out a sinister chuckle. “I would like to see you try, little girl .”

Just as Erica steps towards him, there’s a sudden explosion that shakes the tram violently. It rattles loudly as the four inside the tram’s cabin are sent flying before crashing down onto the floor. Jill groans in pain and Erica sucks in a breath through her teeth as she sits up. Those binders probably weren’t the best thing to break her fall with, but the thought slips her mind as the two women hear Mikhail grunt as they get up. Erica immediately whips her head around to find Nikolai nowhere to be found and the door leading to the next tram wide open. ‘That bastard …’ She curses to herself before turning to Jill who’s getting on her feet. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, what the hell was that?”

Erica shakes her head. “I don’t know, and I don’t know if I’m ready to find out, either.”

After they collect themselves they rush over to help Mikhail get off the floor, but as the three of them make eye contact with the civilian tram — all that’s left are its demolished, fiery remains and burning bodies of innocent people — and a giant, terrifying looking man standing amidst the flames. Could she even call it a man? It appears to be over seven feet tall with seemingly impossible broad shoulders and arms that are a bit too long for its body. Its large body pulses with tentacles slithering around its massive torso, but its face…it's unlike anything she’s ever seen. It looks like its skin had been pulled over the top half of its face and stapled down, its nose seems to be nonexistent and deformed, and it has a large mouth with teeth that extend to almost the entire lower half of its face.

“ S.T.A.R.S ….”

The rumbling howl reaches Erica’s ears and she feels her heart fall into her stomach. Her eyes widen and her lungs tighten — her body is struck with a fear like the one she felt seeing the Hunter step towards her, eager to spill her blood onto its lips and sharp claws. She can see the evil in its barely visible, milky eyes as it steps towards the three survivors. Tearful eyes stare as the monstrous creature stalks towards them, and as it takes a few steps forward Erica lets out a high-pitched scream. The sound of her scream causes Jill and Mikhail to cover their ears, and it echoes around them until the windows of the tram they inhabit burst, shattering pieces of glass all over the place. They shield themselves from the impact of the glass, and as Jill looks towards the Nemesis she realizes it’s stunned…but how? Is it because of Erica’s scream?

OhHh, WeLl LoOkIe HeRe …

Erica freezes as a voice whispers in her ear. Is it…talking to her?

ArE yOu HeRe To HeLp Me KILL hEr ?

She takes a step back. No, no, no —

Adrenaline surges through her body, and she can feel her veins pulsing inside of her. It’s as if the world is suddenly coming to a slow stop, keeping her prisoner in her moment of peril. She takes a deep breath as the heartbeats of Jill and Mikhail bring her back to reality, followed by a roar that makes the tram quake. Erica starts shoving Jill and the U.B.C.S. member to the other side of the tram, ushering them towards safety.

“You need to get out of here!”

“ What about you ?!” Jill yells and Erica shakes her head. “Don’t worry about me!” She hollers back at her before the Nemesis begins entering the tram. The three of them look on in horror until Mikhail lets go of Jill and stumbles forward. “What are you doing?! You’re gonna die!” Erica shouts as he begins approaching the towering creature. “I was going to die anyway! I may as well make my death worthwhile!” Mikhail remarks, pulling a couple of grenades from his belt before addressing her. “Well, what are you waiting for?! Get to running for your lives!”

Jill grabs Erica’s hand as they take off for the door, the two women passing through and slamming it closed before entering the next tram. This is repeated until they reach the front of the tram — to which Jill finds a spot in the driver’s seat and scans the terminal in order to start the engine. Erica stands at the door, keeping an eye out for any noises or signs of the monster coming their way. The sound of a mechanical hiss causes relief to come crashing down on the both of them, but it doesn’t last for long when they hear a bellowing roar reverberate through the subway tunnel.

“Can’t this thing go any faster?” Jill frowns, searching for a button to give the two of them a boost of some kind. There’s a boost alright — one that sends the tram skidding down the tunnel and off the rails. The last thing Erica hears is a scream slipping from Jill’s lips before she feels a shooting pain in her stomach; the sensation of something piercing through her abdomen pulling her into a sudden slumber.

#resident evil #resident evil fanfiction #resident evil fanfic #isekai #jill valentine #erica slater (oc)#nikolai ginovaef #carlos oliveira #albert wesker #nemesis #mikhail victor #tyrell patrick #blood #violence #gore #death #character death #resident evil 2 #resident evil 3

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damien-mlm · 2 years

Text

Keeping Myself Alive

Tags and warnings!!!

RE Gameverse, Carlos Oliveira/Transmasc!OC, Established Platonic Relationship with Jill, Childhood Friends, Carlos Oliveira, Jill Valentine, Nicholai Ginovaef | Nikolai Zinoviev, Tyrell Patrick, Mikhail Victor, Nemesis, OC, Angst, Hospitalization, C-PTSD, Injury Description, Gore, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Self-Harm, Character Death, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Fluff, Smut (eventually), Explicit.

Chapter 4: Old Times

Read on AO3

(4500 words approx.)

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Liam’s hands were all patched up, but Jill was gone, and the two men had no idea where could she be. They couldn’t even hear the monster around anymore.

“Can you reach her on the radio?” Liam asked Carlos, he pressed the radio on his ear and tried to communicate.

“Jill? It’s Carlos, do you copy?” – silence… – “Jill? Jill, can you hear me? Are you there?” – more silence – “Shit, it’s not going through…” – Carlos said at Liam, worry in his eyes.

“We need to go find her-” – Liam started, before being interrupted by the doors opening again, Nicholai and the man from before coming towards them.

“Sub’s ready to depart” said the man, looking at Carlos.

“Thanks, Tyrell” – he said, then turned to Liam expectantly – “You go, get out of here, I can find Jill” – but Liam protested.

“Absolutely not, I’m not leaving the city without her.” – he said with a stern tone. Nicholai scoffed at him.

“Get in the train with the rest of the civilians” – he ordered Liam – “or you’ll end up dead like her” – that struck a nerve in him.

“Yeah, you would know all about that. Wouldn’t you?” – he said as he approached the silver-haired man with big, heavy steps, ready to punch his teeth in. Nicholai, on the other hand, rose his chin and looked at Liam before pulling his gun out and pointing it at his head; earning a reaction out of the two other men in the room.

“Nicholai, calm down, you can’t just kill a civilian!” – Tyrell exclaimed. Carlos was just about to put himself between the two of them until Liam rose his hand at him, making him stop in his tracks. Nicholai seemed amused at this.

“Do you have a death wish, friend? Is that what this is?” – Nicholai mocked, gesturing with his hand at Liam. He didn’t say a word, but the air got suddenly cold.

Liam slowly inched closer to him, closing the space between them. Without breaking eye contact, he pressed his forehead to the barrel of Nicholai’s gun.

“Go ahead, pull that trigger…” – Liam said in a low tone – “See what happens…”

The men stared each other down for a few moments.

‘I know that you know…’

A few seconds later, Nicholai gave a wicked smile and raised the gun away from Liam’s head.

“You are wrong in the head, friend.” – he laughed while putting his gun away – “I like that, keep things fun…” – he smirked, then turned to go back to the subway cars – “Tyrell, Carlos, come with me, there’s been a change of plans.” – he ordered, and disappeared under the stairs, Tyrell eyed Liam with caution before following suit.

Carlos, on the other hand, approached Liam and grabbed him by the shoulders – “What the hell was that?” – he asked Liam – “What Nicholai did was uncalled for, but you…” – he went quiet for a second – “Why did you do that? I thought you wanted to see Jill again…” – Liam looked away, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I’m sorry…” – he said – “I have a short temper and I can be a little impulsive when something gets on my nerves.” – he was a bit embarrassed, and Carlos could see it. He sighed and gave Liam a light tap on the cheek, making him look back at him.

“Just don’t get yourself hurt again, okay?” – he asked – “Jill’s already gonna beat the shit outta me for the state of your hands…” – he laughed – “And she’s gonna put a bullet up my ass if you die on me” – this earned a small laugh from Liam.

“Yeah, you’re probably right” – Carlos smiled at his response, then gestured Liam to go downstairs with him.

Once they entered the car, Mikhail was still sitting, with Nicholai and Tyrell standing close to him. Liam idled around right outside the car while Carlos went to join the other men.

“So, are we ready to depart?” – he asked Mikhail, who gave a small nod.

“Yes, there has been a small change of plans, though. Nicholai and I will escort the civilians out of the city.” – then he gestured at both Carlos and Tyrell – “You two will stay here, there’s orders to rescue Dr. Nathaniel Flint” – Liam froze at the mention of the name. Did he hear that right? He listened closely, never entering the car.

“He’s supposed to have some idea of how to make a vaccine, eradicate this disease…” – Mikhail paused for a second before continuing – “His last given location was in Umbrella’s Central Offices, head there; you might be able to get his exact location within and communicate with him through the building’s security system.” – he explained before giving his final order – “Once you’ve located him, report back to me, we will send a chopper for extraction.”

“Yes, Sir.” – Tyrell and Carlos said in unison, then exited the car. Liam laid against the wall as he saw the two men approach, the subway setting in motion behind them.

“We need to go get Dr. Flint” – Tyrell said to Carlos. He nodded, then turned to look at Liam

“You’re coming with us, Pretty Boy” – he said, jokingly. Then lowered his vision at Liam’s bloody hands – “How are your hands?”

“It was but a scratch” – he answered, grabbing his axe and flipping it in the air for a second before catching it – “See? I can fight” – he said, smirking at Carlos.

“Alright, lovebirds” – Tyrell interrupted – “We gotta go get Flint” – the other two nodded and followed him out of the station. Liam tried his best to play fool, but curiosity got to him.

“So…” – he started – “What do you guys know of this Dr. Flint?... Or is it classified?” – Tyrell and Carlos looked at each other for a second, then Tyrell nodded at the other man, allowing him to speak.

“He’s supposed to be one of Umbrella’s top scientists, and the only one alive in the city who knows how to engineer a cure for the virus.” – Carlos stated as they moved forward, Liam scoffed loudly – “What?” – Carlos asked.

‘Shit’.

“Nothing, just… you would think that somebody as important as him would be out of the city by now…” – Liam said.

‘Nice save’.

“Yeah, well… That’s our job” – Carlos responded – “We’ll find him, and Jill. Then we’ll call for that chopper and get the hell out of here.” – he said, turning to give Liam a small smile. He smiled back for a second, but it faded as soon as Carlos went to look forward again. His mind was racing and he didn’t know what would happen once they found Nathaniel. Once he saw him.

As they pressed on towards their final destination, the population of zombies seemed to get higher and higher. Like they multiplied by the minute, or were drawn to them for some reason.

The three men fought tooth and nail their way through the streets, until the unavoidable happened.

“Shit” – Tyrell cursed – “I’m out of ammo!” – he shouted as he used the butt of his rifle to keep the flesh eaters away from him.

“I’m running low, too!” – Carlos answered, then turned to see Liam pull out his axe from yet another undead head, an idea springing to mind – “Hey Ty! Stab them in the head with you knife!” – he shouted at his partner – “Just don’t get bit!” – Tyrell laughed at that last sentence.

They were a couple blocks away from Umbrella’s Main Office Building, inching their way through the thick swarm of zombies, when the earth shook violently beneath their feet.

“What the fuck?!” – Liam shouted, quickly grabbing Carlos by the arm to keep his balance.

“An earthquake?” – Carlos guessed, stumbling around. Liam shook his head.

“That sounded like and explosion to me…” – he said, Carlos frowned his brows at him.

“Wait, you heard it coming? How-?” – but he was abruptly interrupted by Tyrell’s cries of pain. He had fallen due to the floor shaking, and a bunch of zombies swarmed around him, latching onto him like tics on an old stray dog. – “Tyrell!! No!” – Carlos cried out, shooting a few bullets at the swarm.

“No! Stop!” – Tyrell yelled, taking a hand grenade out of his pocket and pulling on the ring – “Stay away! Don’t waste more bullets on me!” – Carlos saw what he had done; he let out a frustrated grunt and turned to grab Liam’s hand, leading him away from the explosion.

It seemed to clear most of the zombies, just a couple remaining, but far enough to just walk, or rather, run away from. So, they did, and hid in an alley for a minute to catch their breaths.

Carlos leaned against a wall and let himself slide down to the floor, sitting with his head in his hands, still breathing heavy. Liam looked at him with sympathy, and sat down next to him, placing a hand on the other man’s knee.

“I’m sorry…” – he said quietly. Carlos sucked in a breath, lifting his head to look at Liam.

“It’s okay” – he started – “He died like a soldier…” – then he looked away into nothingness – “We have to be prepared and ready to die in action. It’s a part of the job. It’s what we do.” – he said, trying to convince himself that it was okay, that this was all good. Just a casualty. Tyrell would be replaced by another soldier.

‘And if I die, I’ll just be replaced, too…’

Liam frowned as he saw Carlos’ expression. He looked resigned, painfully so. – “And what about his family?” – Liam asked. Carlos turned his head to look at him, genuinely puzzled at the question.

“What about it?” – he asked back.

“I dunno” – Liam shrugged as he answered – “Doesn’t he have somebody waiting for him back home?” – Carlos looked away with a small, breathy laugh escaping his lips.

“I don’t know about him. But most of us don’t...” – he said quietly. Liam inched closer to see Carlos’ face better.

“Do you?” – he asked. Carlos was quiet for a moment.

“No…” – he said without turning to look at Liam. The other man could see his eyes were glossy, though. Carlos felt Liam’s eyes on him, so he run his forearm through his eyes quickly, sucking in a breath through his nose and then turning to face the man with the best fake smile he could muster out. – “And what about you? Anybody waiting for that pretty face to come back home?”

‘Ah, there it is’

“Not really, no.” – Liam answered – “Nobody other than Jill.” – Carlos looked to the side and pursed his lips slightly.

“You two datin’?” – he asked. The question caught Liam so off guard, he couldn’t help but snort at it. – “What?” – Carlos asked, slightly amused at [Y/N]’s reaction.

“Nothing, nothing…” – he said – “Just… you’re unbelievable. You know that, right?” – Carlos looked away sheepishly.

‘Oh, that’s cute’

“And to answer your question, no. We’ve been friends since high-school, though.” – he continued – “We’ve been together through a lot of shit, more than a friend, she’s a sister to me.” – Carlos turned back to look at him as he reminisced about the old times. – “But hey! Now you’ve got somebody!” – Liam said suddenly, giving Carlos a pat on the back. Carlos raised a brow and smiled at him.

“What?” – he asked, even if he knew where this was going; Liam just laughed in return.

“You’re gonna make me say it, huh?” – Liam said, Carlos just looked at him expectantly – “Fine then, I’ll say it. You’ve grown into me, Mophead.” – he continued – “Plus, I’m pretty sure Jill would miss you, too. You’re not allowed to die in battle anymore.” – Carlos looked down and gave the most genuine smile he has given in a long time.

“Same goes to you, Pretty Boy” – he responded – “Don’t go dying on me now, okay?” – there was a palpable sincerity in his words. Liam looked away and down into his hands.

“Yeah, okay…” – he said quietly. Despite de positivity in his words, his tone was the complete opposite. Carlos noticed this, and almost instinctively tried to make things better.

“Let me check your wounds” – he said, reaching for Liam’s hands. The other man quickly flinched away, though; not letting him get close to touching them. Carlos was confused at this sudden reaction, and looked at Liam’s face with a puzzled frown on his own. Liam quickly realized the odd nature in his actions and decided to evade the situation, standing up.

“They’re fine, no need to take a look.” – he said, then offered to help Carlos on his feet. Carlos eyed Liam’s bandaged hand, then his face, then accepted the offer and got up from the ground. – “See? I can lift you up no problem, they don’t even hurt anymore” – Liam said. Carlos found Liam’s need to show him his hands were okay, but not actually letting him see them, kind of weird. He remained quiet about it, though; not wanting to press things too far.

“So… Should we try to find Jill before you continue with the mission?” – Liam asked to break the silence. Carlos nodded at him.

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea, she will certainly be helpful.” – he responded while checking his rifle for ammo. Liam walked up a few steps ahead of him, almost out of the alley.

“Right then, let’s go find her, then we’ll go get Nathaniel…” – he said without thinking.

“Right…” – Carlos responded, then paused for a second.

‘Wait.’

‘Fuck.’

They both realized of Liam’s error at the same time. Carlos sped his pace up to catch out to Liam. Reaching out to grab on his shoulder – “I didn’t mention Dr. Flint’s first name.” – Carlos said with a stern voice. Liam tensed up and didn’t move a muscle – “Liam …? What do you know?” – He turned his head slowly to look at Carlos, a drop of sweat going down his forehead.

“Uh…” - but Carlos’ gaze was adverted, Liam turned his head back around to look at the source of the distraction, quickly noticing Jill running down the street with the monster right at her ankles.

‘Is that a fucking flamethrower?’ they thought simultaneously. The damn thing was wielding the weapon, spewing flames at Jill furiously.

“Jill!” – Liam exclaimed, both him and Carlos running after her and the beast. – “HEY!” – Liam yelled at it – “Over here, you ugly fuck!” – he said, throwing a piece of debris at it. It seemed to be effective, since the monster turned away from Jill and seemed to be focused on Liam entirely.

“Okay… Now what?” – Carlos asked him, getting ready for orders. The creature slowly walking up to them.

“I-… I, uh...” – Liam stuttered, taking a few steps back.

“You don’t have a plan?!” – Carlos yelled. Then the creature fired at them, both men threw themselves away, barely missed by the flames.

“Go get Jill, I’ll entertain this freak for a while” – Liam said, Carlos protested.

“She’s not the one in need of assistance right now, you know?” – Liam pushed him out of the way as another set of flames came out of the creature’s weapon.

“She’s smart, got get her and make a plan to take this damn thing out while I distract it!”

“Right, don’t get killed!” – Carlos said before running up to Jill, who was already approaching from behind the beast.

“I won’t” – Liam said quietly to himself, before running away from the monster’s fire.

“Supercop! You’re alive!” – Carlos exclaimed at Jill once he reached her. She was not amused.

“Why did you leave him behind with that thing on his ass?!” – she questioned, following both the creature and its new target. Carlos ran beside her.

“He just wanted to get that thing off of you then told me to come get you. He’s as stubborn as you, you know?” – Carlos explained. Jill scoffed at him – “Yeah, I know” – she said before aiming at the creature, firing a few times. But it was useless, it was fixated on Liam now.

Liam jumped and stumbled around the streets, the fire grazing his ankles as he moved forward. Jill concentrated her sight on the creature’s back, then had an idea.

“The fuel tank…” – she said to herself before turning to Carlos – “We need to fire at the fuel tank!”

“And what about Liam? What if the explosion reaches him?” – Carlos questioned.

“Then we need to warn him, don’t we?” – Jill said, pointing at Carlos’ radio on his left ear. Carlos nodded and pressed the button.

As soon as he heard his radio beep, Liam picked it up – “WHAT?” – he screamed into it as he ran.

“We have a plan” – Carlos started – “Try to keep it around, but don’t let it get too close to you, okay?”

“Alright, I’ll do my best!” – He huffed loudly into the radio before setting it down, then turning back to their general direction, trying his damn best to pick up the pace.

Once it was close enough, both Jill and Carlos started to fire at the tank, but their bullets seemed to just bounce off.

“Shit” – Jill said, before grabbing her radio – “Liam, it’s me! Do you think you can help us make a dent on that fucker’s fuel tank?” – the radio beeped back immediately.

“You got it, Bluebird.” – Liam responded, then looked back at the creature while he put his radio away. Up ahead, he spotted a set of fire escape stairs on a building, and across it, a street light, and a shop with nylon awnings hanging out front.

‘That’s it!’

He ran up to the set of stairs and got to climbing as high and as fast as he could, the monster following suit, simply climbing on the railings like it was a ladder. It pointed to fire at Liam once he saw he wasn’t moving, but Liam quickly jumped away at the street light, using it to swing himself across the street. He grabbed his hand-axe and turned around mid-air, throwing it at the beast’s fuel tank with such force that it sunk into it, fuel dripping out of it as he landed on the awning, then the floor.

Jill and Carlos saw the whole thing from afar, noticing Liam run up to them while the creature dropped itself from the fire escape stairs and onto the floor. Jill let Liam catch up to them before signaling Carlos to fire at it.

They shot at the tank in unison, and, in a split second, the tank exploded on the creature’s back, engulfing its entire body in flames. The three of them watched it stumble a few steps forward before falling face first on the ground.

Finally able to relax, Carlos gave Liam a playful punch on the shoulder – “Look at you, I didn’t know you were a gymnast!” – he exclaimed celebratorily.

Liam scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. He wasn’t. Never in his life had he gone to any sort of gymnastic classes, Carlos didn’t know this, but Jill did. And he could just feel her suspicious eyes on him.

“I don’t know about you guys” – Liam started, desperately trying to change the subject – “But all that running’s gotten me hungry. How about we go scavenging?” – Jill rose her hand as to gesture, but just as she was about to say something, her stomach growled audibly.

“I could go for a bite” – Carlos chuckled, looking at Jill’s frustrated expression.

“Fine, let’s go find something.”

The trio walked around until they found a pizza place in half good condition, the bright and colorful neon sign reading “Pete’s Piece a’ Pizza”. They walked in, Jill and Carlos pointing their guns, scanning for any potential dangers. It was clear.

“I’m gonna go check the kitchen, you guys relax for a minute, okay?” – Liam said before disappearing behind the counter.

Jill sat down on the floor against said counter, Carlos sitting right across from her. She started to bounce her knee on the floor in anxiety as they waited. Something has been eating at her for a while now, and she couldn’t help but to say something.

“Something’s wrong…” – She said at Carlos. He raised his brows and gave a breathy laugh.

“We can go sit at one of the tables if you want-” – he started, but Jill cut him off.

“That’s not what I mean…” – she said, rubbing her temples – “It’s Liam” – Carlos looked at the kitchen’s general direction.

“I don’t hear any struggle…” – he said, while Jill just shook her head – “If you mean his hands, well, I did my best to bandage those, though he won’t let me take another look at them…” – he stated.

“No, that’s not- Wait. What happened to his hands?” – Carlos looked away nervously, but Jill just dismissed it – “Anyway, that’s not what I’m saying…” – she looked down, Carlos finally noticed her distress.

“So, what are you saying?” – he probed. Jill rose her head and looked at him in the eyes with a stern and deeply worried expression.

“He’s hiding something, either out of fear or… Hell, I don’t know…” – she said, letting her back hit the counter.

“Well, if anybody knew, that should be you, right? He told me you guys are practically like brother and sister.” – Carlos said calmly, Jill was more frustrated by the second, he didn’t understand, he couldn’t understand.

“Yeah, I should but I don’t… I haven’t even seen him in years, and…” – Jill sounded so disturbed, Carlos didn’t say a word and let her recollect herself before she spoke again. – “Carlos…” – She started, looking at him dead in the eyes with an unmeasurable mixture of confusion and worry. – “Liam, he… He was pronounced d-”

“Already talking about me behind my back?” – Liam popped from the kitchen with a cutting board on his right hand, a fresh pizza on it. – “I’m surprised, Bluebird. I thought you didn’t like to gossip…” he said calmly as he set the board on the ground between Jill and Carlos, then sat down.

“Liam…” – Jill said, giving him a look. He knew what he interrupted, but ignored her and went to grab a slice.

“Just eat.” – he said without looking up from his slice, then bit down.

Jill gave a defeated sigh and went to grab a piece. Carlos had no idea what was going on, so he just followed their lead. Though, something was in his mind, too. Just, how did Liam know Dr. Flint’s first name? And all the things he had said about Umbrella… Was all this connected to whatever Jill was trying to tell him?

The three of them sat and ate in silence, the air thick with discomfort. Once the pizza was all gone, Liam had an idea.

“Jill?” – he started.

“What, Liam?” – She snarked back, she was clearly upset at him, he winced at her tone, but continued nevertheless.

“Remember…” – he paused for a second – “Remember what we used to do? Back in school, when we were having a bad time?” – he asked. Jill looked at him kind of put off by the question, she looked down and gave a heavy sigh, but answered anyway.

“Yeah… Yeah, I do” – She said without looking back up – “We would sit in your dad’s car in some convenience store driveway, plug in our mixtape in the cassette reader, and sing our lungs out while drinking slushies” – she reminisced, her expression getting softer as she spoke.

Liam smiled softly – “You always wanted the blue flavor, I always chose red” – he said, and Jill continued.

“And it would tint our mouths for hours as we sang…” – now she was smiling softly, too. Carlos kept quiet and enjoyed the sudden, but relaxing change in the atmosphere, even if he felt a bit out of place, a bit of an outsider.

“And sometimes we didn’t even tell each other what was going on, but we sang anyway, we had that moment and let it all out, together” – Liam finished. Jill finally looked back up at him.

“Where are you going with this?” she asked him. Liam simply moved to sit next to her, his back relaxed against the counter. Jill was having none of it.

“Oh, no… No, absolutely not” – She started, but Liam interrupted her.

“It’s fine, I’ll sing, I just need you to listen… okay?” – He was never good with his own words, but he had a habit of using song to express what he was feeling, whether good, bad… or terrible.

He looked up at Carlos, who was sitting across them, awkwardly. Liam wanted to express himself freely, and he felt Carlos’ presence was an important part of it.

“Come on over here.” He said, tapping the empty spot beside him. Carlos looked at him a bit puzzled and nervous. Liam gave him a sad, solemn look.

“Please?” – he asked, and that was all it took for Carlos to comply. He sat down close to Liam, his heart racing. He didn’t understand why, though. He had flirted with the other man plenty of times before, and had been alone with him.

Something about this felt more personal, more intimate, and it had him almost trembling, his heart pounding against his chest.

There was a brief moment of silence as Liam scooted closer to Carlos. Jill rested her head on Liam’s shoulder, and he rested his head on hers. Liam gently took one of Carlos’ hands and placed it on his lap, then laid his own hand on top. Carlos turned to look at him, but he was looking forward into nothingness, he looked so tired, in so much pain. Carlos wanted to take it all away from him.

Liam gave a heavy sigh, before starting to hum a soft, slow tune.

Then, he sang.

“Sing me to sleep Sing me to sleep I'm tired and I I want to go to bed

Sing me to sleep Sing me to sleep And then leave me alone Don't try to wake me in the morning Cause I will be gone…”

Jill frowned heavily, fighting back her tears as she clung onto Liam’s arm.

“Don't feel bad for me I want you to know Deep in the cell of my heart I will feel so glad to go…”

Carlos looked at Liam with sad eyes of his own, gently squeezing his thigh, Liam didn’t look back at him, but chocked back a sob as he kept singing.

“Sing me to sleep Sing me to sleep I don't want to wake up on my own anymore

Sing to me Sing to me I don't want to wake up on my own anymore

Don't feel bad for me I want you to know Deep in the cell of my heart I really want to go…”

Jill cried softly into Liam’s shoulder; he gave a few hitched breaths of his own as tears ran down his face.

“Sing me to sleep Sing me to sleep…”

Liam’s voice held so much hurt in it, Carlos couldn’t help but rest his forehead on Liam’s shoulder, inching even closer.

“There is another world There is a better world Well, there must be Hmm, there must be…”

Liam linked his fingers with Carlos’ and felt his body shiver, both of his shoulders now damp, along with his own face.

“There is another world There is a better world…”

And they stayed that way, they don’t know for how long, but exhaustion started to creep up on them slowly, they relaxed into each other, giving into it, and fell asleep holding each other.