Sixteen Ain't So Sweet

Chapter Four - Sister's Got Ya Back

It was an effort to crack her eyes open, her mind sluggish until she realised she was looking up at a ceiling -and then the memories came rushing back, fighting that monster, Lia getting hurt, falling unconscious... Lia!

She was up and on her feet before she could register moving, eyes darting around the room and finding no sign of her sister when the doors behind her suddenly opened, Carlos strolling through.

"Jill! Oh, thank God! You're okay." What was that in his voice? He sounded genuinely relieved, like he was scared he was going to lose her. Odd, but it was... nice. But her priority was Lia.

"Where's... Where's Lia?" He shook his head, smiling, unworried. Until she saw her sister being her usual sassy self in front of her she was not convinced she was okay... But he hadn't lied to or misled her so far -heck, he'd risked his ass a few times now to save her, save them. He must've seen the lack of conviction on her face, his smile faltering slightly.

"She's fine, really! I've got good news, though... It's over now. The city's safe." Her mouth opened and closed, words lost on her, when he suddenly coughed blood and collapsed, agonised yells escaping him. She was crouching down in front of him in seconds, panic prickling her skin.

"Carlos! Carlos, are you okay?!" Her fingers just barely touched his shoulder when he looked up with a snarl, face twisted and turned. She gasped, falling back and shuffling away from him, eyes flickering everywhere for something to defend herself with but coming up short. Why was there nothing around?! Her weapons?! Her hand slapped down on the ground to keep her balance and she felt her palm brush against the butt of her handgun in its holster -she would have slapped herself if not for the fact that Carlos was turning zombie right before her eyes, her gun drawn and aimed at him, though her hands shook.

"Shoot me, Jill!" He ground out, voice distorted, though he still kept crawling towards her, backing her into the wall. "It's... the only way...!" Her finger squeezed lightly over the trigger, heart racing, but she couldn't do it... not to him. And she knew it would be her downfall.

He leapt at her. 'I'm sorry, Lia...'

She awoke with a gasp, body heavy but pushing herself to sit up -same place, and alone, again. "What the fuck is going on...?" The pain in her arm from whatever the hell had pierced it made itself known, then, her shoulders flinching in reaction. Someone had bandaged her up, though the wound still bled lightly through.

"Attention all citizens. The missile strike on Raccoon City will occur in just hours. The payload is designed to eradicate all biological material. You will not survive if you remain in the city. Evacuate now. Repeat: evacuate now."

The blood in Jill's veins seemed to freeze, her lips parting in disbelief at the date on the TV. "October first? No... It can't be... Lia...!" With extreme effort, she rolled herself off of the hospital bed and managed to walk in a straight line to the double doors, pushing them open to what she guessed was the hospital's foyer.

"Morning sunshine." Tyrell called out, looking a lot more... banged up than she'd last seen.

"You saved my life... Is Lia here?" She was starting to have a foreboding feeling low in her gut, surely her little sister would've been the first face she'd see, she'd be too stubborn to leave Jill's side... Unless something happened to her after she passed out?

"I sure as shit didn't. That was all Carlos. He carried you here and he treated you himself, crazy bastard." He paused for a moment, looking uncomfortable. "Sorry to break it to ya, but your sis? She wasn't with you when he found you."