Claire's head felt heavy. Her mind was a jumbled mess, still dazed from the impact of the crash. She barely felt the rough pavement as it bit into the skin of her knees when she tumbled from the driver side door. She had seen the fire and smelled the gas. It had been the entire reason she had begun crawling away from the vehicle.
Upon hearing her name being frantically called her cerulean hues shot up to find the source. She squinted as she scanned the blazing flames until they fell on a tall figure. Leon was calling for her, his body rushing towards her, but it was as if time had begun to slow down to a crawl. Everything happened in a moment but felt to her as if it were all slow motion. Why did he look so panicked? Claire turned to cast a glance over her shoulder. Her eyes widened in alarm. The fear was plastered all over her face as she turned her head to look back towards him.
"Leon!" she shrieked seconds before a loud explosion erupted behind her.
Claire felt a blast wave of kinetic energy force her small frame forward. She gritted her teeth in pain as her legs were dragged over the rough surface of the road. She could feel as the broken glass just on top embedded itself into the flesh. She escaped any serious damage by keeping her body as close to the ground as she could manage until her frame came to a halt a few feet from where she had been. She laid there, her body throbbed in pain, as she silently wondered if Leon had survived the explosion.
The sound of his voice calling her moments later answered her question. She felt a wave of relief wash over her as she forced her battered body to sit on her knees once again. There was blood dripping from cuts her arms had received down them from shrapnel. She scanned the area for Leon, upon spotting him she scrambled towards him. "Are you okay?" she breathed as she accepted the assistance to her feet. She was thankful to see he was still alive despite what had just happened.
Claire examined the area they were in, a chill running down her spine as the undead began to rise up around them out of the flames. It was like they had fallen into the depths of hell. It seemed even an explosion had been unable to slow the creatures down. Claire reached for the revolver on her hip, forcing her fingers to stop trembling. She pushed away the tremendous pain and fear she felt as she turned cerulean hues and nodded.
"I'll cover you! While you find us a safe way through to the station!" her eyes reflected determination as she followed behind him. Claire's eyes fell on the alleyway across from them. It was their only option. Claire pointed her revolver and fired off a few shots to slow the shambling things, that were alight with flames, down enough to buy Leon time to get to the otherside to scope it out.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Three more shots rang out along with the sickening squelching sound of one of the creature's heads exploding. It took a few steps closer before falling to the ground motionless. Claire cast her eyes towards Leon as he called for her to follow him with a wave of his hand. She purposely kept her back towards him as she warded off what she could from following them. She quickly pivoted on her heels and sprinted down the alleyway with him.
Claire came to a halt next to him on the other side of the alley. Her cerulean hues scanned the crowded street with a glum smile. They could clearly see the open gates of the R.P.D on the other side but the jungle of mangled metal would be hard to navigate. A guttural groan told her that more of those things were here as well. She sighed soft as she quickly reloaded her gun and gave Leon a small nod. That determination from before reflected in them once more.
Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she took off after Leon. She dodged one creature as it lunged at her, slamming her boot into the top of its head, crushing it like a ripe tomato beneath her boot. Leon had navigated past the two eating in front of the gates. This had alerted them to their presence. She slammed the side of her boot into the one's head as if kicking a soccer ball. It fell backwards and gave her the time she needed to slip past Leon into the courtyard of the police station.
The metallic sound of the gates locking behind them caused the breath Claire had been holding to exhale and with it all her energy from before. Her body felt weak as she held her aching ribs. "We did, by the skin of our teeth," she offered a small smile to Leon, "Let's see if there are any survivors that can tell us just what the hell is going on here."
She took a few shaky steps towards the large wooden doors. Her slender hand gripped the handle before shoved her hip against the heavy oak doors. They creaked open ominously, drowning out the sounds of the thundering rain and distant moans as they entered what would prove to be the belly of the beast.
