Raccoon City High - Chapter 17

Claire breathed in the mountain air happily. She could smell pine, dirt, and most importantly, the absence of the pollution from the city. She loved being in the mountains. Unfortunately, her big brother never let her come alone.
She was away from the city with Steve. They'd borrowed Chris' car, (as they couldn't very well drive Claire's motorcycle up into the Arklay Mountains) packed a lunch in the cooler, and set out for the afternoon alone.  Currently, they were seated at a wooden picnic table, under some beautiful trees. They were enjoying potato salad, fresh fruit, some dessert and homemade sandwiches from Jill. (She always made the best sandwiches.)
They were planning on going for a walk after lunch and spend just about as much time in the mountains as possible, much to Claire's delight. She was even surprised that Chris let them both borrow his car and go up in the mountains alone. Not only was the pathway up to the mountains dangerous, but there were wild dogs that roamed the mountains in the evening.
She smiled to herself, figuring that because Steve had held his own in the fight against Leon, Chris trusted him a whole lot more now. She was so glad.
“What're you smiling about?” Steve asked through a mouthful of potato salad.
Claire continued to smile. “I'm just glad my brother likes you.”
He swallowed a mouthful of coke, giving a nod. “Yeah. Me too.” He agreed, glancing over her. “Is that really all you're thinking about?”
“That and how glad I am to have you.” She gave a smile, taking a drink of her soda.
Steve gave a grin and she continued to smile.
After lunch, cleaning up their mess, and washing their hands with bottled water so as to not attract the wandering dogs, they set out on a walk.
They took a smooth path up the mountain, silent for a while and just listening to the quiet of the forest. She loved everything about the mountains. The air, the lack of sounds, the privacy... She sighed, contented.
Steve glanced over to her, gently taking her hand with a smile. She intertwined her fingers in his, glancing over to meet his stare.
“Like it up here?”
“Love it.” She murmured softly.
They walked hand in hand up the trail, silent for most of the time while Claire listened to the birds chirp and the little stream wash by. It was a little awkward for Steve, being silent, but he didn't say a word. He wanted to let her enjoy this.
“Lets sit and watch the water.” She smiled, tugging gently on his hand.
Steve gave a nod. “Sounds good.”
Claire smiled, sitting on the bank of the water and watching it go by. She loved water almost as much as she loved being in the mountains. In fact, she wanted to spend some time on Hawaii and the other tropical islands when she got older.
She sat close to him, fingers still tangled in his. She leaned her head on his shoulder, causing the redhead to smile.
“Happy?”
“Very.” She smiled. “I'm glad you took me up here.” She kissed him softly. He returned her kiss, smiling to himself.
“You know I'll do anything for you, Claire.” He whispered.

They made their way back down the trail, knowing the sun was getting ready to set. They made sure everything was packed before they set out to drive back into Raccoon City. They were sure they wouldn't be home until after dark. Claire didn't mind. She didn't particularly enjoy driving in the dark, but she could do it. She made sure her cell was turned on. As soon as they got into an area with service, she had to call Chris.
Steve flipped on the radio, tuning it to some rock station. Claire gave a slight roll of her eyes, but nothing else. She didn't really like his taste in music, but she wouldn't complain about it. It was a long drive, and she didn't want to start a fight.
She felt Steve's soft hand on top of hers and she glanced over with a smile. “Hm?”
He kissed her softly. “That.” He smiled.
She chuckled softly. “You're so affectionate.”
The sun set by the time they made it to the city limits. Claire flipped open her cell phone, dialing her home number and listening to it ring as she drove with one hand.
“Hello?”
“ Hey, We're on our way home.” Claire glanced over to the passenger side, where Steve was zoned out, staring out the window. She shook her head.
“How long?”
“Soon. We just hit the city limits.”
“How soon?”
“Chris! I'll be home soon.”
“It's just that it's dark, and late. You need to hurry.”
“...bye, Chris.” Claire rolled her eyes, hanging up the phone. She slipped the phone into the cup holder. “Steve, I'm going to drop you off first, alright?”
Steve looked up and gave a nod. “...interested in coming in with me?” He gave a smile.
“I can't, I've gotta get home before Chris has a bitch fit.”

Claire pulled up in Steve's driveway, leaning over to give him a goodbye kiss.
“I'll call you when I get home. Sound good?”
Steve nodded. “Can't wait.”
“Thanks for the amazing date.”
“Anything for you.” Steve smiled, standing up straight and running his fingers through his hair. “Talk to you soon, Claire.”
She watched him walk up to his house and disappear, closing and locking the door behind himself. She changed the radio station almost immediately back to her station. The loud music made her head pound. Frankly, she couldn't figure out why Steve listened to that kind of music.
She shook her head, pulling out of the driveway and heading down the street to her house. She frowned when she heard her phone start to ring. She sighed heavily, flipping it open.
“Yes, Chris?” She asked, annoying as she already knew who it was.
“Where are you?”
“I just dropped Steve off. I'm on my way home right now. Relax.”
“Alright. I'll see you soon, then.” she hung up with a roll of her eyes. The light turned green and she began to roll into the intersection, glancing around to make sure it was safe before speeding up.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw it. Two headlights blaring right into her windows. She frowned, looking over.  Oh, fuck. The car was about the size of her brother's, a dark color, either navy blue, dark brown or black, she couldn't tell in the darkness. It was heading down the road quickly, and she could tell it wasn't going to stop.
She felt her heart pounding in her chest. Her eyes were wide. She knew what was going to happen, the car was going to hit her and she couldn't do anything about it. She went to reach for her phone, to call her brother for help. It was on impulse, an instinct.
The car hit where Steve would've been sitting and she was grateful for about half a second she'd dropped him off. The metal crumpled before her eyes and everything was going in such a slow motion. It felt surreal, and she wondered briefly if she had fallen asleep with Steve up in the mountains. What a nice thought.
The car she was driving was forced onto it's side and Claire felt her head hit the top of the car and then the door. The metal sent a sharp pain through her head, her shoulder, the entire left side of her body. Damn. She felt a hot, sticky liquid running down the side of her face, but she couldn't figure out what it was.
There was a metallic taste in her mouth, like pennies. She blinked slowly and there was another shock of pain through her head. She tried to take in a deep breath, but found it almost impossible. There was pressure somewhere along her chest and she couldn't breathe. Her body was hot, shaking, and that metallic taste in her mouth was making her want to vomit.
The pain was terrible, coursing through her body at each erratic, struggling breath she took. But the pain stopped, almost as suddenly as it began. She could breathe again, and there was sweet relief. The burning hot feeling all over her body was replaced with a cold feeling. She liked the cold much better...
The ground was moving underneath her, like she was swimming on her back or floating on a cloud. It was fast, though, which made her frown and look around. She could only see white. White walls, white floors, white lights above her head. She wondered briefly if she was on a cloud. Where else would be this damn white?
She heard voices, rushed and frantic, but she couldn't recognize any of them, and she couldn't figure out what they were saying. She was silent, listening to them move around her. She drifted out after a little while of the monotonous voices and sporadic movement around her. She just wanted to rest.