Claustrophobia

Chris stubbed his cigarette out and left the building. He took a drink from his flask and looked in the direction the chopper had landed. If it was a person who had landed, they would have no doubt seen his own chopper and be heading in his general direction. If it were some sort of creature, well it would likely sniff him out anyway or just wander around the place until it came across him. Either way, he needed to head in that direction and hope they'd meet half way. Then he could deal with what happened next.

He began walking, sticking the best he could to the shadows, more because the sunlight was simply far too bright and draining than it being an effective method of hiding. He stopped and peered around the corner, scratching his face. The sweat on his stubble was itchy as hell, and his eyes were starting to get blurry. At the rate he was sweating, he really hoped it wasn't some creature with a fantastic sense of smell, because it would undoubtedly be upon him within moments.

Nothing moved so he continued on. He recognised most of the buildings, he'd been out this way previously, although he hadn't gotten too far. His had simply scouted the area for anything alive. There of course hadn't been. The place drove him nuts. Wesker must have labs somewhere beneath the city, but he knew how hard it had been trying to get into the Umbrella ones. All crazy goose chases and stupid puzzles that drove you nuts before you could figure them out. Wesker knew his skills, he would have undoubtedly designed something special just to piss him off. If he could even find the way down that was. The place was so huge, to check every single building would take him days, possibly weeks. He didn't know if he'd be able to survive that long. Stupid Chris Redfield, always jumping in head first. For a man who spent his life thinking, he sure could be stupid at times.

He kept on walking, almost stumbling through the heat at times. Building after building, street after street. It all looked the same if you didn't look for the telltale signs. The intense heat was making life difficult however, blurring his vision and causing him to see heatwaves wherever he turned. It felt like hell, he could almost see mirages around every corner, tricks of light starting to mess with his mind and make him question what he knew to be true. Was there really a person standing near that empty fruit stall? No, no, just some planks of wood... Over there, a dog! No, just a box. An ordinary box.

Chris continued on, determined that nothing was going to slow him down this time. He judged he'd be near the centre of the city by now, and if his companion was anywhere near as skilled as he was, they would also be somewhere nearby. He stopped and leant in the shade for a moment. He needed a drink or he was going to pass out. He took out his flask and drank some, trying to stop himself from draining the whole thing. That would only make him sick and leave him with even less water to survive on. He wiped his mouth and put it back in his utility belt. He closed his eyes for a moment and listened. Silence. Always with the silence.

No, not quite.

Chris quickly opened his eyes, grabbing for his gun. He held it out in front of him, his eyes trying to focus on whoever was coming around the corner. Light footsteps, very light. Someone (or something) trained. He blinked, sweat running down his face and over his eyes. His hand shook a bit, the strain finally started to wear on him. The desert heat was not kind to strangers.

A person finally walked around the corner and stopped dead, looking at him. Chris' hands began to shake even more. A mirage. Nothing more. He'd finally gone crazy, the desert sun had finally driven him bonkers. That was it. Well if he was crazy, what a better way to go out. He wiped his eyes with his arm but it was useless, he was so sweaty it just made his eyesight worse. He continued holding the gun up, trying to rub his eyes on his sleeveless shirt.

"Chris?"

He continued holding the gun. The sound of that voice was beautiful, so beautiful.

She ran over to him and took the gun from his limp hands. "Jill?"

She smiled at him, and for a moment all was right with the world. Then suddenly it went briefly black. She'd hit him, and hard.

"You bastard! How dare you do this to us again? To me!" she screamed at him. She continued yelling, but he couldn't make it out. He grabbed his throbbing head, suddenly feeling a whole lot saner. Nothing like a good knock to let you know you're alive.

"Nice to see you too," he smiled.

Next thing he knew her lips were upon his, she was pushing him roughly into the wall and kissing him just as hard. He embraced her as she grabbed his face, kissing him as if it were their last moments on Earth. Maybe she knew something he didn't, but he didn't care. It was a moment he'd waited years for, a moment he'd been too chicken to initiate himself. He wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Chris pushed a nearby door open and the pair tumbled in, getting out of the hot, open streets. Chris lifted Jill up and sat her on a nearby bench, their lips never breaking contact. He let the mood take over him, he'd been out here by himself for far too long to care about anything else right now. Years of pent up energy, repressed feelings, denying what he'd always wanted, no more.

Her hands were running over his back, down to his combat jeans. She ripped the utility belt off and threw it on the nearby table, her hands working up under his shirt. He was slick with sweat and the spandex singlet wasn't helping matters. Jill removed his holster, grabbed the bottom of his shirt and roughly ripped it up over his hand, dropping it on the ground beside him.

Chris thought he heard her mutter "much better" as her hands roamed freely over his naked back, pulling him as close as physically possible to her. She crushed her lips against his, the kiss so intense Chris could almost see stars in his eyes. The sweat on his skin cooled in the shadows of the living room, then lit up again under Jill's touch. The sensation was maddening.

He picked her up again and the pair made for the stairs, stumbling and falling over chairs and tables on the way. Jill laughed and Chris pushed her into the wall by the stairs, finally taking the kiss for himself he'd waited so long for. She grinned, lightly biting his lip and playing with the hem of his pants. She ran up the stairs, turning back to give Chris a cheeky smile as she did. Chris followed, his eyes never leaving her form as she retreated.

He grabbed Jill from behind and kissed her neck, the sweaty taste bitter on his lips. He caressed her bare stomach, Jill covering his hands with her own. He began to work her shirt up but she spun around and pushed him onto the nearby bed. Jill crawled on top of him and Chris was briefly reminded of their training session a while back. Only he hadn't been half naked and Jill definitely had not had that look in her eyes. He watched intently as Jill removed her own singlet and discarded it nearby.

Chris sat up and pulled Jill towards him, their bare skin meeting and setting on fire. He kissed her deeply, more passionately than before, and she returned the favour. She unconsciously smiled and Chris did the same, the pair sharing a laugh over nothing in particular. Jill ran her fingers down over Chris' bare chest and pushed him back, her hands moving slowly, achingly all the way down to his belt. He shivered, his nerves lighting up the entire path that Jill followed. He closed his eyes as he felt Jill loosening the belt, eventually ripping it out in one swift move.

She leant down and kissed the side of his mouth, her fingers working the button and zip on his combat jeans. Chris smiled and grabbed her hips, flipping her over and now straddling her. Jill looked at him with mock surprise and he began kissing her neck, working his way down to her navel. He ripped the belt off and didn't even bother fumbling for the button, just ripped the pants open and pulled them off. It was hot, he didn't feel quite sane, and he certainly did not want to take his time after so long waiting.

Jill gave a small laugh of surprise and pulled him back up, grasping the side of his face and kissing him deeply again. The stubble was making her face itchy but she didn't care, that was something to worry about later. His calloused hands worked over her body, setting her skin alight and driving her senses wild. It was something she had thought about for so long she honestly thought the day would never come. And certainly not in an environment like this, an empty zombie town with a heat that would drive the hardest person insane after a while. It was certainly driving her mad, and if Chris wasn't going to take her right then and there she was going to implode.

Thankfully he did. It was rough, it was hot, and it was definitely sweaty. Jill let Chris lead the way, knowing full well she could take control at any time should she want to. But she didn't, not this time. Right now she wanted to be with the man she loved, doing his thing, his way, and he did it well. The pair were rough and furious, almost causing the bed to break beneath them. Jill was nearly in a fit of giggles at the thought, but Chris' hands knew where to go and the laughter was soon gone.

With the incredible heat and their years of unresolved lust climax didn't take long. The world exploded into thousands of colours, numerous and bright and ever so pleasant. For a brief moment nothing else existed, only the feeling of Chris' weight atop her body. It felt so perfect, all things considered.

Chris' face fell onto Jill's shoulder, his breathing rough and laboured. Jill stroked his now wet hair and kissed his temple. They didn't say anything. There was nothing to be said. Jill continued to stroke his hair until he regained his breath. He kissed her collar bone, looking up and giving her quite possibly the brightest smile she'd ever seen. She smiled back, leaning forward slightly and giving him a light peck on the lips.

The pair lay in silence for a few minutes longer, for once enjoying the silence the empty town afforded. Chris suddenly felt glad it was empty, they'd made an awful lot of racket. Enough to wake the dead. He pushed the thought from his mind, that was something for later. For now, he wanted to enjoy the woman he loved. The woman with whom he'd wasted so many years because he was too much of a pansy to speak up for himself.

"Chris?"

"Mmm?" he replied.

Jill looked down at his face. "Just so we're clear on things, when we get home, I'm the man."

Chris looked up and smiled. Jill had that mischievous glint in her eyes he had grown to love. Especially recently. "Can I fight you for it?"

"You can try." Jill gave him another smile and pushed him over, lying on top of him. "But I think you'll find resistance is futile."

She kissed him on the nose and stood up, stretching briefly before grabbing her clothes and heading downstairs without a word.

Chris sat up on his elbows, raised an eyebrow and shook his head. He should be surprised really, but he wasn't. It was part of why he loved the woman so damn much. She was an enigma. He sat there watching the doorway for a moment longer and then got up and put his own pants on, walking back downstairs. He was vaguely proud when he noticed Jill could no longer button or zip hers up; he'd destroyed them in his haste.

Jill was sitting back over on the counter, holding his shirt up and giving him her best innocent smile. She asked him a single question. "Why spandex?"

Chris smiled and shrugged his shoulders as he did his fly up. "Because clearly it's sexy?"

Jill shook her head, a smile still on her lips. "You never were the brightest bulb in the bunch Redfield. You up and leave for the desert with hardly any supplies and decide that spandex, of all things, would be the best possible thing to wear."

Chris raised an eyebrow and gave her his sarcastic grin. "This coming from the woman who, let me recall Carlos' words here, 'looked like a cheap hooker during happy hour' while trying to escape a zombie infested city. Pot calling the kettle black, no?"

Jill laughed in genuine surprise. She'd certainly never heard Carlos say that around her. But then again, he wasn't stupid either, he would have known that would have garnered him quite a mean right hook.

"Pity you couldn't have been there," she sighed, jumping off the bench and grabbing Chris' nearby utility belt from the table. She took a drink from his water flask and slung the belt over her shoulder to walk back outside.

"Well what are you waiting for Redfield? Are we gonna sit around here all day or what? We've got some labs to find don't we?"

Chris shook his head and followed her outside. She would be the death of him. But at least it would be a pleasant death.