Prologue: In the beginning

*~*~* My life; everyone's life had changed so much since the day the first was seen. No one could believe what was going on... well, almost no one. My sister knew. She was the first to leave, she started the panic, but I told her, I don't believe in all this end of the world junk.

I regret not believing her now. I'm stuck in the middle of all of this with no way out. The only thing I have is my laptop to warn others not to come here. All I can do is post this here for you all to read. Please listen, you may think I'm crazy but they are here. Please save yourselves, or if you aren't going to listen.. please save us! *~*~* The night was dark and the only time anything was the least bit visible was when the lightning arched across the sky like a rip in reality that no one could mend. Leon read this with a lurching feeling in his gut... its happening again.

But this time it was different. He knew that this time it wasn't just a spill. He picked up his phone...dead... "damn it!" he cursed, surprised to hear his own voice. He had to get a hold of Chris, or Barry, or anyone. The best he could do was send this to them via e-mail. He knew the girl that wrote that was probably long dead now... unfortunately. Leon hated not working fast enough. He had to go and wake up Claire. Poor dear, as sick as she is, I'd hate to tell her this. He got up and walked to Claire's door and knocked ever so gently. There was no answer. Panic struck his mind, and he flung all his weight into the door. It swung open with a loud crash. He looked around. She wasn't on her bed. Leon then looked out the window and notice that it was broken with blood on the tips of the long pointed shards. He ran down stairs as fast as he could, tripping over the computer and falling on his face. His rage just grew more with every second he struggled to get up. Finally he reached his feet, his face stinging with his own tears. When he reached the door his knees betrayed him and gave out where he stood. He saw her lying there. He raised his hands in the air and looked at the sky, "Why do you do this to me! First with Ada, and now you take Claire? You aren't a forgiving god at all, what the hell..." he was interrupted by a thud and he saw something, or someone land on the ground in front of him. If it was human it was slender, probably female, if not, Umbrella was at it again with new things he'd never seen before. It wouldn't have surprised him either way, but what he did see...did.

Leon's face went pure white. He struggled to find any words but he was to lost. Ada stood in front of him still as beautiful as he remembered. She smiled her brilliant smile and Leon just melted.

Then he noticed Claire's tiny frame crushed and broken. He stared at her refusing to believe that she wasn't waking up. They had both gone through way to much for it to just be over. "You...you killed her?", and Ada just smiled, lightning arching behind her, as reality shattered for Leon once again. 21 years old and he was suffocating to know the difference between reality and fantasy. Damn Umbrella, you are gonna pay this time, I'll make sure of it.

Leon woke up in a cold sweat. He looked around, to make sure that everything was okay, and sure enough, everything was hopelessly normal. He hated that sometimes, but he loved it too, especially when this dream came back.

He got up and noticed that the bathroom light was on. Claire was in there, leaning over the toilet. She looked away from him when he came in, embarrassed to show her face. She had nail marks all over her face so much that he almost cried looking at her. He and Chris knew what it was, but they spent every moment with Claire they could before she became to infested.

"How are you, beautiful?" He smiled his casual smirk and gave her a kiss.

"Why call me that? I not pretty now," She broke his heart. She was losing comprehension, the virus was spreading to fast, he didn't even have time to tell her that he loved her yet.

"Because you are. Chris will be here shortly hunny. He's looking for the medicine we ordered as we speak." Leon was worried. Chris was suppose to be here ages ago. Please god!

~*~*~

Christ, why when you want to find Umbrella, you can't? Chris cursed at himself again. How could he have let his sister get involved in the first place? If it was up to him, he'd be infected right now.

He and Leon had been hacking all night, when Leon finally broke in and went to bed. Leon had gotten less sleep than himself recently, between watching Claire, and Sherry, and hacking, and the nightmares. He wouldn't tell Chris what happened but he knew that he had them.

Leon was aging so quickly. He never spoke anymore, unless it was to Claire, and he was so superstitious. Leon's eyes had swelled with tears he wept, yet sunken in with the sleep he lacked. It looked very strange, but no one had said anything about it.

Claire didn't know what she had, no one could tell her, and it was very hard, even if they could bring themselves to tell her, for her to understand.

Claire was all Chris had left, and he wasn't about to give her up without a fight. He did the one thing he knew he could... He went straight for the source.

~*~*~

Leon held Claire close as she drifted in and out of consciousness, whimpering silently. This is it, I can't stand watching her like this anymore... Fuck you god, take me instead of her, why the hell... His thoughts were interrupted by a knocking on the door. Please be Chris..

He set her down gingerly, and got up and looked through the little whole in the door. He went to open the door, and then he paused. He looked through the whole again. God damn it I'm not imagining things. He opened the door and said, "Yes?"

"Leon let me in. No games this time," said an unfortunately far to familiar voice. She looked just as he remembered her, but something wasn't right.

"Kira? I haven't seen you since the academy. How the hell you find me?"

"Let me in Leon, I need to talk to you. You know damn well that I'm the only hacker better than you ever to come out of Pittsburgh." He complied silently, and watched her. She was still as beautiful as ever, and he still loved her so much. What had she called it? Family problems? Sure...your not going to hurt me again! "Leon, earth to Leon, everything alright?"

"Yea, fine."

"Great. Look, I'm sorry about before," she said as almost reading his mind, "But this isn't about that. You have an infested girl in there and you are going to endanger this whole city." Leon stared at her dumbfounded. How could she know about Claire, let alone the fact that she's infected.

She sighed, "Can I see her?"

"Umm..."

"Thanks," she walked pasted him without one look back. She never looks back. Leon stopped himself from watching they way her...stop this! God Kennedy, Do you always think with you're wrong head?

As if on queue she said, "Yea, Poor Girl," she took out a little laptop, and sat it down next to her. Leon couldn't know for sure but he thought that she was scanning her to follow the Virus. Leon stood in the doorway, watching her lean over Claire, and be so gentle.

"You should have been a nurse."

"I left the academy after you left to become one actually. After your were gone there was no competition. It was no fun." She looked down at her computer, which was beeping rapidly. "That can't be good.. but that's insane," she was arguing to her computer.

-Ugh-

Leon would recognize that cry anywhere, a zombie... no, Claire! Leon took out his gun from his holster, and aimed it at Claire. "Get out of the way Kira!"

Kira ran out of the way. Claire pulled herself up off the bed and came at Leon with her arms outstretched. Please let this be another bad dream! He held out his gun, staring into her stormy grey eyes, for what seemed like ever. "I love you Claire, I wanted to tell you that, but I just never got the chance. Here's my chance now I guess, hmm?" he sighed deeply, his face stinging. He told himself to take the shot, but he couldn't, and the longer he waited, the worse his vision got from the tears. Suddenly he had a flash:

"Leon?" Claire said lying next to him. They had just made love and Leon was holding her tight. He looked at her. This had been their first time together, only time together, right before she got ill. "I'm not saying that anything will ever happen to either of us Leon, but if it does, I want you to take care of me when I cross over. Don't let Chris see me like that, he couldn't handle it." Leon had nodded mutely, he hadn't wanted to think about that then, he still doesn't now. He'd come so close to telling her that night, but his voice betrayed him and all he could do was tell her he promised.

Leon opened his eyes. Claire, no the zombie.. was almost on top of him. "Good bye Claire." He took aim and shot her right between the eyes. Her body crumbled as did Leon's before her. The gunshot echoed through the room, and reverberated in Leon's ears over and over. He could only hold her rotting body and sob next to her. The pain inside became to much for him to bare. He took his handgun, and put it in his mouth.

~*~*~

What the hell was that? Chris kept running from the zombies, but had suddenly gotten this feeling like it was frivolous. Common' Claire, just hang on for me, please? He stopped. Something was different and he just couldn't tell what.

She was gone and he suddenly knew it. He was flooded with emotions but he knew that he could deal with that later, right now he needed to get out.