Chapter 10: Cure’s Curse

Ethan reemerged onto reality, his eyes locking onto the garage. The room's occupants turned their gazes toward him, their expressions ranging from astonishment to bewilderment. Barry and Chris, however, seemed particularly taken aback by the spectacle they had just witnessed.

Ethan moved cautiously toward the shattered building, ignoring the enigma he had just unleashed. As he closed in, Barry leveled his firearm at him. "Hold your ground, pal," he said, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Ethan simply raised his hands in surrender. "It's me, Burton. It's Hunter."

"I've seen those tendrils one too many times," Barry muttered, a troubled look on his face. "And it's never a good sign. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't pull this trigger right now."

Ethan deadpanned, "It'd be a waste of bullets."

Barry clicked his tongue in frustration, poised to fire. However, Chris interjected, "Barry, hold on."

Barry frowned but reluctantly lowered his weapon. Chris then attempted to rise, but Jill halted him. He looked at her incredulously and asked, "How the hell are you still breathing?"

Ethan merely shrugged. "I don't know."

"You don't know? What kind of crap is that?" Barry arched an eyebrow.

"Ask Jill why she's still among the living too, then." Ethan countered. "Ever thought about that? You're the one who left her in that underground cell."

"Because she was turning!" Barry retorted.

"Exactly. So how is she standing here now?"

Barry paused, turning to Jill. He inquired, "Jill... How did you—"

"Because of him," Jill replied reluctantly, extending her hand, from which faint tendrils emerged, much to Chris and Barry's astonishment.

"What the hell did you do to Jill?" Chris exclaimed, taken aback.

"He saved me from becoming a mindless corpse," Jill sighed. "I... I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it either. But I'm in control, don't worry about that."

"Are you sure?" Chris scrutinized Jill skeptically.

"Yes, I am," she affirmed.

Ethan interrupted, "Look, if you don't trust me, that's fine. Honestly, I'm confused myself."

"I mean... how did you—" Chris massaged his temples. "Ugh, none of this makes any sense."

Jill scoffed, "You don't have to tell me twice."

Ethan's attention shifted to Claire, who lay apart from the rest of the survivors, huddled on the garage floor. "Miss Redfield... Is she—"

"Infected? Yes," Chris replied grimly. "It's my fault. I should've—"

"You want me to cure her?" Ethan cut him off, extending an offer.

"Cure?" Chris frowned.

"Why do you think Jill's still on her feet? I cured her."

"You want me to agree to turn her into something like you?"

"Not like me," Ethan shook his head. "More like... More like Jill."

"Is there a difference?" Barry furrowed his brow.

"I honestly don't even know myself. But I sense that there's a difference," Ethan mumbled. "I just haven't figured it out yet."

"You don't know? Again?" Barry snorted.

"Look, I'm new to this whole thing too, okay? I don't know half of what I'm capable of," Ethan grumbled. "So, what's your decision? Leave her like this, or should I cure her?"

Chris clenched his fists and turned to Jill. "What do you think?"

Jill shook her head. "You decide. I still don't know the side effects of becoming... this. And there's no guarantee there's a vaccine in the facility."

"There isn't," Ethan affirmed.

"How do you know that?" Jill questioned, surprised by Ethan's assertion.

"Memories of the monsters," Ethan said. "Before they transformed into those giant monstrosities, they were scientists at the facility."

Jill frowned. "Show me," she demanded, extending her arm toward him.

Ethan shrugged. "You asked for it. You might not like what you see."

"What do you mean?"

"Just see for yourself," Ethan approached her and grasped her hand. Foreign thoughts began to flood Jill's mind, revealing everything: William Birkin, Oswell Spencer, and... Wesker.

"What the hell?!" she suddenly exclaimed, pulling her hand away from Ethan's. "He's alive?! And he's the cause of all this!?"

"Like I said," Ethan shrugged, "you might not like what you see."

"What? What did you two do?" Chris quickly questioned.

"I—" Jill stepped back, attempting to process it all. "I think... Chris, you should let him cure your sister. There's no vaccine..."

Chris grimaced; he definitely didn't like the sound of this. He turned his gaze to his convulsing sister, his heart breaking as he realized he was partly responsible. If only he had been quicker...

"Fine," Chris gritted his teeth, looking away from his sister. "I'm trusting you, Agent Hunter. But please, don't turn her into something else entirely. Don't turn her into a—"

"Monster? That depends on her, honestly," Ethan sighed. "Look away if you don't want to see it."

—

Claire awoke to a sudden pounding in her head and an eerie sensation coursing through her body. She felt... more capable, lighter somehow, with heightened senses that allowed her to see and hear more clearly. Her muscles felt stronger, yet an insatiable hunger gnawed at her mind, urging her to consume, to evolve.

"What the hell..." she muttered, flexing her hand repeatedly as if testing her newfound strength. "What's happened to me..."

It all came rushing back to her - the monstrous infection that had plagued her. The last thing she recalled was her brother, Chris, desperately trying to fend off the creature that had attacked her. By then, she had sensed something she didn't quite like.

She surveyed her surroundings, realizing she was in an unfamiliar bedroom, lying on a bed, her clothes unchanged from the beginning of the night. Her senses picked up on voices outside, engaged in a heated argument. It was her brother, a voice she recognized, and an unfamiliar woman.

She couldn't help but feel unnerved by the clarity with which she could hear them, but her focus shifted to the argument itself.

"Are you sure he's alive, Jill?" Chris inquired.

"He showed me. I could see his thoughts," the woman replied.

"What if he's feeding you lies?"

"I just saved your sister, and now you question my honesty, Redfield?" Claire recognized the familiar voice of the man.

"Saved me?" Claire pondered.

"I mean, how can he—" Chris sighed. "You know what? Never mind. Both of you came back to life. I wouldn't be surprised if Wesker did too."

"The crucial thing now is to escape, not delve into the source of the problem," another voice chimed in. "I have my family to think about; their safety is my priority."

"The sheriff's got a point," Chris acknowledged. "We can't trust the incoming military. We need an escape plan."

Claire, now on her feet, stepped out of her room, drawing everyone's attention, including Chris.

"Claire?" Chris exhaled in relief. "Thank God you're okay."

"Chris? You look terrible," she remarked, scrutinizing her brother. "What happened to me?"

"You've been infected," the familiar voice interjected. Claire turned to see Ethan.

"Wait, what?" Claire was taken aback. "I thought he's—"

"I'll explain later, Claire," Chris interrupted. "Right now, we need an escape plan. Without the military, or we're all as good as dead."

"Our car," Barry suggested. "I can retrieve it. It's in our old spot, right?"

"A larger one would be better," Chris decided. "Maybe an ambulance."

"We have a prisoner truck at the station," the sheriff mentioned. "Maybe we could use that."

"I can fetch that," Barry nodded.

"There are no more infected around there. We've cleared them out," Jill reassured. "So it's safe."

"Okay, that's settled," Chris nodded. "What about the facility?"

"I plan to go there," Ethan suddenly spoke up.

"We should just leave and forget about it," Barry argued. "It's a waste of time."

"No," Jill murmured. "I need to talk to him. Maybe... maybe we can bring him with us."

"Are you out of your mind?" Chris frowned. "If what Hunter said is true, then that man's already lost it. He turned an entire town into monsters, for God's sake. If you go there, you'll have to kill him."

"I thought you regretted saving Albert in that mansion?" Jill retorted.

"Not anymore," Chris muttered. "If he's behind all of this, he's the one who nearly turned you and my sister into mindless corpses. If it comes to that, I should've put a bullet in him back in the mansion."

"You don't have to follow me," Ethan said as he stood up. "You guys should gather supplies for the truck while I head to the facility."

"To do what?" Jill inquired.

"You know what," Ethan replied simply.

"Then I'm coming with you," Jill persisted.

Ethan shrugged. "Fine."

Claire suddenly had this nagging feeling, a whisper in her mind compelling her to join them. "A substantial prey awaits," it seemed to say.

"I... I'm coming with you too," Claire declared, following her instincts.

All eyes turned to her, Chris wearing a deep frown. Ethan and Jill exchanged a glance before Ethan shook his head. "No. You'll stay here, Ma'am."

"But—"

"He's right," Chris cut her off. "You're staying with me. You have a brother to look after, 'cause my ribs are broken. I need your help."

Claire scoffed. "Fine."