Belize

Chapter Twenty-Four

Half an hour later, the huge emergency doors opened up once more, but this time they stayed open. More UBCF troops entered the hallway from both sides, their guns drawn.

Billy, Rebecca, and Serena were huddled together, sitting on the floor against the wall. Rebecca had cleaned up Serena’s minor cuts. The huge bloody gash on her leg was now wrapped in a simple white bandage taken from the storage room.

When the soldiers arrived, the three of them were too tired to resist or argue. They were escorted out of the hospital, surrounded by soldiers, and brought out to some mobile medical trucks that were parked just outside. The entire area was cordoned off with yellow tape and guarded by an entire platoon of UBCF troops. Beyond the soldiers and the barricades, Rebecca caught glimpses of news reporters and crowds of onlookers. There were people all around, both UBCF troops and other workers. Rebecca realized belatedly that they must have evacuated the entire hospital when the outbreak happened, just in case the virus escaped the lab.

Medical personnel in yellow hazard suits wheeled out a stretcher for Serena. She was a mess, her face still smeared with dust from the decontamination system tunnels and lined with streaks from her tears. Her clothing was filthy and ripped up in places, and spots of her own blood dotted her shirt and her hands from when she had tried to hold paper towels against her wounded leg. She was exhausted and could barely walk on her own, so the medical team lifted her into the stretcher and she lay there limply, looking at Billy and Rebecca.

“Thank you,” she said again, for the dozenth time. “Thank you for saving me.”

Rebecca held her hand. “It’s going to be all right now. We made it out.”

“I wish the others could be here. Marco and Shen and Njabulo.”

“Yeah, I wish that too,” Rebecca said. “You just rest now, Serena. We’ll talk to you soon, okay?”

Serena sighed and gave them a sad wave as the medical team wheeled her away. More UBCF soldiers directed Rebecca and Billy over to a large gray tent that had been erected in the middle of the parking lot. Inside were some tables and chairs and some unused cots in the back, still wrapped in plastic. Umbrella had brought all kinds of supplies, not knowing how many survivors might make it out of the lab, or what kind of condition they would be in. Rebecca suspected there were enough supplies here to deal with a hundred people.

But there were only three. And two of those weren’t even workers from the lab. Serena was the only scientist to make it out alive. How many people had worked down in the lab? Rebecca had never asked, and Serena probably didn’t know anyway. But they had encountered at least fifty zombies, probably more. Fifty more lives lost to Umbrella’s greed and carelessness.

And an entire squad of UBCF soldiers had lost their lives as well. Most of them had died before Rebecca had even learned their names. Shen and Njabulo had been good men, and Rebecca thought their commander Heinrich was a good man as well. Even though Rebecca still resented them for bringing her and Billy into the lab in the first place, she had to admit they were brave soldiers who died trying to save their lives. And Marco, with his short temper and sometimes selfish behavior, had done the right thing in the end. He could have saved himself, but he sacrificed his life to save Serena instead. He had died a hero, there was no denying that.

One of the soldiers pointed to the chairs. “Please, have a seat. Someone will be here to talk to you shortly.”

“What’s going to happen to us?” Billy asked.

“You need to give a report to our commander. It won’t take long, I promise. Just a quick summary of what transpired during the Level Two. Sometime later today, you’ll be questioned further so they can prepare a full report.”

“And then what?” Rebecca asked.

The soldier looked at them sympathetically. “You’ll need to be decontaminated before they let you leave the site. It’s a procedure to make sure you’re not carrying any infected material on your person.”

Rebecca nodded. She expected as much. In the weeks after the Raccoon City disaster, she had read first-hand accounts of the decontamination process. It wasn’t all that different from the decontamination system that incinerated the lab, but instead of liquid fire, they sprayed you with caustic chemicals to scour away any trace of contaminants on your skin. According to the stories, it was not a pleasant procedure.

She and Billy sat down at a table as the soldiers walked over to the tent entrance, standing just out of earshot. They pushed their chairs together and sat facing each other. Rebecca leaned forward and pressed her forehead against Billy’s, and they sat in silence for a moment, face to face with their hands folded together between them.

“We cut it pretty close, didn’t we?” Billy said softly.

“Yeah,” Rebecca said. “Too close. If we’d spent another minute … we wouldn’t have made it out. God, it’s a miracle we made it out at all.”

“But we did,” Billy said. He raised his hand and lifted Rebecca’s chin to look her in the eyes. “That’s twice now that we’ve fought our way through Hell. If that’s not some kind of sign that we’re meant to be together, then I don’t know what is.”

She clasped his hand tightly. “Billy, there’s so much I’ve wanted to tell you. Things have just been so hectic lately, and you and I have been … well, I know things have been complicated ...”

“I know, and it’s my fault,” Billy said, shaking his head. “I’m sorry if I’ve been acting like a jerk. It’s not you, it’s me. I just don’t want you to think I don’t appreciate everything you’ve done ...”

“I was afraid that maybe you’ve been having second thoughts ...”

“I was just being a fool. I was scared that you might … change your mind, about all of this.”

She pressed his face against hers and kissed him on the lips. “Never, Billy, never.”

“I don’t think I could do this without you.”

“You don’t have to. I’m staying right here. Whatever happens, we’ll face it together.”

“I love you, you know. I don’t say it very much. I should say it more often.”

Rebecca smiled. “I love you, too. We should both say it more often.”

Billy chuckled a bit and wiped his eyes. “I promise I will.”

“Me too.”

They kissed again and Rebecca smiled to herself as they huddled together once more, holding hands and leaning into each other. For the moment, all that mattered was that they were together. Billy was right about one thing. They had faced death twice now and come through each time. Rebecca didn’t know if she believed in signs or fate or destiny, but she believed that she and Billy belonged together.

“There’s something else I wanted to tell you,” she said gently, touching his face.

“What?”

“I found out a few days ago, and I was waiting for the right time ...”

Billy looked up at her. “Huh? What do you mean …?”

She smiled. “Billy, darling, I’m pregnant.”

The End

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