Find a way to the NEST

Sherry's been implanted with a G-embryo, and also infected with the vampire virus. Angered that Annette could allow such a thing to happen to her daughter, Claire tries to make her way to the secret laboratory. Yet...

Chapter 8 - What Are Friends For

“Annette said her lab’s not far. Wait...” Claire was thinking of the cable car she saw in the south district.

Sherry’s wristband actually has the visitor clearance installed, which could be used to activate the cable car system. That’s at least a good news.

But Raccoon City and good news never got along. Claire carried Sherry back to the middle district, only to find out that the power supplying this area has been rerouted, so they couldn’t return to the south district from here. They needed another way out.

“The elevator in the west district...” Claire remembered something Dustin told her. That elevator could take them up to the pharmaceutical factory. They could use the lift platform there to go down. Hopefully they led to the same lab, but Claire didn’t have any other choice here.

Going to the west district was not a danger to her, but Sherry’s condition has been deteriorating every minute, so sometimes she had to run past the vampires that tried to grab them.

Finally they arrived at the elevator and returned to B3 floor of the factory, where the lift platform was at. The control panel and the door of the tramcar on the platform was given clearance once they were in the signal range. Claire spared no time and carried Sherry inside the tramcar.

“Here...OK. Here you go...” She laid Sherry on the bench, “Just hold on, Sherry, OK? You’re gonna be just fine.”

She stroked Sherry’s hair gently. Sherry’s left eye has turned orange, and started to shine a ominous light, which was a typical feature from a G mutation. The scars around the eye were spreading and the veins beneath the skin were visible.

With her shaking hands, Claire carefully parted Sherry’s lips and saw her upper canines becoming more pointy than regular ones.

Both infections were taking place so fast that she didn’t know Sherry would make it to the lab. Sherry groaned painfully but still tried to stay calm, as if she didn’t want to worry her friend.

Claire took off her red jacket and put it on Sherry to help her stay warm. That was the least she could do. Right now she needed to leave Sherry here for awhile and went out to the control panel.

“Claire...” Sherry murmured.

“I’ll be right back. Don’t worry.” She smiled and held Sherry’s little hand tightly for a few seconds before she went.

Claire left the tramcar and approached the control panel. The platform, of course, would take them down towards the NEST, a highest level Umbrella laboratory under the city. That must be where Annette was talking about, where Sherry could get help from. One button away and the platform would start to descend.

“Claire...”

The next second she heard the whisper with a familiar voice behind her, Claire was jumped by something from behind, before she could press the button. She was only wearing a tank top right now, so with less protection her back was scratched by the claws, leaving nasty cut wounds.

Before the vampire was able to bite her, Claire struck the vampire’s jaw with her elbow and quickly flipped around to point her pistol at the monster. This was the moment that she saw the vampire’s face.

“Sam...” Claire gasped in horror.

One moment of her hesitation was enough for Sam to strike again. She sat on top of Claire and pinned her right arm on the ground, preventing her from firing the pistol, and tried to dive into her neck.

But Claire was not about to give in. She grabbed Sam’s throat with her left hand and was trying her best to push Sam away. Sam also wanted to remove Claire’s arm with her other hand, but most of her strength was used to pinned down Claire’s armed hand. The duo ended in a deadlock.

“Claire...You’re hurting me...” Sam spoke with difficulty as her throat was being choked. She winked her ruby eyes at Claire, trying to appeal to her sympathy, although she didn’t let her armed hand loose, either.

“Shut up...Shut up! You’re not Sam anymore...” Claire was struggling and putting forth her strength even harder, hoping to break Sam’s neck, “You’re just a blood sucking vampire wearing her face!”

“I am me! I’m the Sam you knew!” Sam kept talking while trying to break Claire’s arm, “We are friends, aren’t we? You helped me, and it’s my turn to help you now! I can make the pain and fear go away! You can stay with me and feed and fuck together happily ever after!”

Claire felt sad and almost cried as she realized the Sam she knew was truly gone. All she needed to do was to kill this thing here to lay Sam to rest.

She tried to flip the pistol backwards to point it at Sam. It was a bold move and there wasn’t any aiming. She could only hope that the lady luck was on her side.

“The little girl is beyond saving, you know...” Sam said with a wicked smile, “There is no hope.”

“What did you say?” Claire was confused.

“Even from here...I can smell her tainted blood...The change is not reversible...” Sam was breathing heavily but kept talking, “If...you truly care for her...you should destroy her before her turns...”

“That’s not true!” Claire kept struggling, though she didn’t know how much she believed Sam’s words, or her own words.

“I’m glad you didn’t do that to me, though...when I was taken by my mistress in the orphanage. You watched it, watched me, to the end...” Sam smiled and licked her salivating fangs, “It was the most wonderful experience that I had in my whole life. And I want to share it with you...What are friends for, right?”

“Stop this!” Claire gritted her teeth and finished flipping the pistol around and adjusting the angle. She only needed to pull the trigger.

“You always said...that you will keep moving forward...This is the result of it...isn’t it?” Sam let out a devilish smile and gazed into Claire’s eyes, “Everyone dies around you! You keep moving forward and leaving everyone behind! Leaving me behind!”

Claire remained silent.

“But I will not leave you behind. I want to share the eternity with you! I love you, Claire! I love you so much!” Sam’s strength was growing as she was about to break Claire’s left arm and have her meal, “Please, just let go!”