ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤREADJUSTING TO LIFE AFTER RACCOON CITY, and whatever semblance of normalcy Jill had known prior was more than what a hot shower and a decent night's sleep could fix -- if she slept at all. She was technically supposed to be recovering from her ordeal and keeping out from under Umbrella's radar...but she was RESTLESS. Barry's repeated insistence that she didn't need to worry about Chris had done little to assuage her, nor had it DETERRED her from looking for him anyway.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ Rumors of a new virus -- known only as “G” -- had surfaced in Europe. It had been a turning point in their investigation. Chris would head to Paris, and she was to stay in Raccoon City. In hindsight, she should have gone with him rather than stay in the city. She would have died, encased in a tomb of rubble had it not been for Carlos.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ He should have been back by now. Jill's search had turned up EMPTY. Barry had given her the address to one of Chris' safe houses in New York, but the abandoned warehouse was just that, and what trace of her partner she could find indicated that he hadn't occupied it in weeks. It was tempting to throw caution to the wind and look for him, but doing so could jeopardize their efforts to bring Umbrella to justice. She felt torn, DETESTING how useless she felt. What if he needed her? What if something happened and she wasn't there? What if--
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ Jill rolled over in her bed, reaching to turn on the lamp situated on the nightstand beside her. Her attention diverts to the framed photo next to it of S.T.A.R.S. teams Alpha and Bravo.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ Two years ago, if you had asked her if she believed in monsters -- the kind that came out straight out of a horror movie -- she would have laughed. Two years ago, she had been kneeling between Chris and Joseph, BLISSFULLY unaware of how deep Umbrella's hold on the city ran until it was too late. Out of the twelve individuals staring back at her in the photo, only three, herself included, had survived the hell that transpired following the mansion, and Rebecca...
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ Standing tall behind her, donning his signature sunglasses, was a very DIFFERENT man, who, at the time, hadn't been so different. Albert Wesker, Captain of S.T.A.R.S., Alpha team leader, traitor...he had led them into that place to die, but not before Bravo met their demise to the horror residing in the Arklay mountains.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ He had been more than just her captain, their relationship a secret from all but the two of them. It hadn't spared her any; he led them into that place, watching as one by one those things KILLED their friends while he collected data. There was irony in the way that Chris had said he had died -- killed by the very pinnacle of Umbrella's scientific endeavors, of which he had been apart of the whole time. He had GROOMED them from the start, training them, earning their trust until the right moment presented itself. They were rats in a maze.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ For reasons that Jill had since stopped trying to determine, Albert had expressed a NEED to ensure her safety. In his mind that translated to locking her in a holding cell in the basement laboratory while overseeing S.T.A.R.S.' demise. In hindsight, it was suspicious, but she hadn't questioned how he seemed to know exactly where he was going as though he'd been there before, chalking it up to experience.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ In the worst way, she wasn't wrong.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ Pushing herself to her feet, Jill walked over to the window overlooking the motel parking lot, arms folded over her chest as she peered through the emerald green curtains. A fresh layer of white powder covered the asphalt and windshields of vehicles, Christmas lights BLINKING from where they hung along the overhang looking out at the highway. It wasn't the Four Seasons -- not that she'd ever been -- but it was unassuming, allowing her to maintain ANONYMITY while she waited for any sign of Chris from Barry.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ Dick had left her some money that up until that point she hadn't touched. She didn't expect that she ever would but given that the only belongings she had to her name were her lockpick, Samurai Edge, S.T.A.R.S. issue knife, some old photos, and the clothes off her back...Jill set aside her pride for the sake of practicality. It was just enough to get back on her feet. Barry and Kathy had offered her a place to stay with them, but the whole purpose of the Burtons relocating to Canada had been to so that Umbrella wouldn't find them. Given that she and Chris had made it their mission find and bring down Umbrella, anything longer than the few days she had stayed with them and the girls, was a LIABILITY she knew they couldn't afford.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ Absently, Jill touched her left shoulder, thumb brushing over the newly formed SCAR that marred the smooth surface. By all accounts, she shouldn't be alive, that much she knows for sure. Stepping away from the window, she pulls the curtains closed, unable to shake the paranoia that somehow, somewhere, someone was watching her.
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