Resident Evil_ Extinction - Keith R. A. DeCandido [65]
By the time she was done with the entire journal, her fire had gone almost completely out. Letting it die on its own, she lay down in the hopes of rest and sleep.
Not that she was counting on that. The last time she had a good night’s sleep, Spence was sharing a bed with her.
Still, she lay on her side, closed her eyes, and hoped for the best. Besides, while the dreams had been unpleasant, they hadn’t been awful for a while.
The night was quiet. Far quieter than the desert used to be. Even the animals had been affected by the T-virus.
Alice drifted off to sleep.
…
The bullet flew.
…
“Do you know what that is? It’s a pen. See? You try.”
“P—p—”
“Pen.”
“P—pen.”
“Look at me. Can you remember anything? Hm? Do you remember your name?”
“My name…my name…my name…”
“I want her under twenty-four-hour observation. I want a complete set of blood work and chemical and electrolyte analysis by the end of the day.”
“My name…”
“Sir—”
“Advanced reflex testing is also a priority.”
"My name…”
“I want her electrical impulses monito—”
“Sir!”
“What is it?”
“My name is Alice. And I remember everything.”…
The bullet flew threw the air.
…
“Looks like we get the fun job.”
“Fun. Right.”
“What, you don’t like lounging around the nicest mansion in the state doing nothing for three months?”
“Not really. I didn’t take this job to sit on my ass.”
“Too bad, it’s a nice ass.”…
The bullet flew threw the air as if in slow motion….
“What’s the plan?”
“Stay alive.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
“Nice plan. Should I paint a bull’s-eye on my face?”…
The bullet flew threw the air as if in slow motion, firing from the muzzle.
…
“I failed. All of them. I failed them.”
“Listen, there was nothing you could have done. The corporation is to blame here, not you. And we finally have the proof. That means Umbrella can’t get awa—Get away with this. We can—”
“What is it?”
“Aaaaaahhhhh!”
“You’re infected. You’ll be okay—I’m not losing you.”…
The bullet flew threw the air as if in slow motion, firing from the muzzle in a puff of smoke.
…
“Don’t you understand how important you are to us? That creature is one thing, but you? You’re something very, very special. Somehow you bonded with the T-virus on a cellular level. You adapted it, you changed it. You became something magnificent.”
“I became a freak.”
“No, far from it. You’re not mutation, you’re evolution. Think about it. It took five million years for us to step out of the trees. You took the next step in less than five days. With our help, just think what you can achieve. Now, who can understand that? Who can appreciate that? Us—no one else. Where else are you going to go?”
“And what about him?”
“Evolution has its dead ends. Now finish this. Take your place at my side.”
…
The bullet flew threw the air as if in slow motion, firing from the muzzle in a puff of smoke. Angie’s eyes widened.
…
“You don’t give up, do you?”
“I’m persistent. I don’t give up until I get what I want. It’s what makes me good at my job.”
“Good thing, ’cause you certainly won’t get by on your looks.”
“Hey! What about my nice ass?”
“Why do you think I was looking at your ass instead of your face?”
“Ouch! Shot to the heart.”
“Don’t worry, Spence—if I ever really shoot you, it’ll be between the eyes.”
…
The bullet flew threw the air as if in slow motion, firing from the muzzle in a puff of smoke. Angie’s eyes widened, yet she didn’t seem all that surprised.
…
“Why—why are you telling me this? Are you just telling me because you’re going to kill me?”
“I may look like a Bond girl, Lisa, but I’m not a Bond villain. I didn’t bring you here to kill you. I brought you here to talk to you.”
“About what?”
“I thought that was obvious. After all, Mahmoud al-Rashan was your friend—and I can’t imagine that the settlement Umbrella gave his wife did much to alleviate her grief. It took a lot of guts to do what you did. You want the virus?”
“I might.”
“I can help you get the virus. I have access to security plans, surveillance