Trigon by Red Hope

Chapter 1

The year was 2014. The season was changing from a humid warmth into a windy chill. Colors had gone from popping to a delicate orange that would be soon be followed by fading brown and finally a dusty white. By December, the world would celebrate the second anniversary of the apocalypse that'd decimated every inch of land. The Mayans, in their ancient wisdom, had desperately tried warning future mankind, but they were silenced by time.

Umbrella marked its hundredth birthday on the twenty-first of December in 2012 by selling a new age-defying product in their pharmaceutical subsidiary. It'd been marketed as the Timeless pill and later dubbed the T-pill. And it'd worked as directed by Umbrella until a severe recall was made by Umbrella. Their researchers had supposedly overlooked testing the T-pill on humans, not just animals. Many customers immediately began suing the company, but they barely stepped foot into the courts. What had been marketed to give youth instead aged humans, excessively then died four months after taking the initial T-pill. But the trouble was that the dead didn't stay dead.

Umbrella swore to contain the problem, but they acted slowly until their only solution was to nuke Raccoon City. The news media feasted on circulating anonymous reports that Umbrella had purposefully sold the T-pill so that they would create undead. The reports also leaked out that once the first human fell ill to the T-pill that they spurred a deadly virus. Umbrella denied the allegations. However, Umbrella's innocence became hollow when the virus survived the city's nuking and continued infecting humans at an alarming rate. Swiftly the former age-defying T-pill had been infamously nicknamed the T-virus.

There was nothing that could contain the T-virus. Humans didn't have any app on their smartphone that could chase off the virus. Online social networks couldn't update fast enough to warn about the virus spreading to new locations. No known medicine was available to fight off the virus.

For the undead, they sought out living flesh and pure blood that sung to them like a Siren song. There was no reasoning with them or saving them from the hunger. A living human could only kill an undead or run.

After the massive outbreak, surviving humans began to congregate into tight communities and stayed protected behind walls. Pockets of human civilization were sprinkled across the world, but they were becoming fewer and farther between each other. No sealed community was totally safe from the undead. It was only a matter of time before they would be found, infiltrated, and infected or eaten. Humans were on the endangered species list and faced extinction.

After Raccoon City's destruction, humans either fled or were rooted in fear by what'd happened to their pretty glass houses. But the few humans that were insightful began preparing for a dark future. One human left her job at the mechanic's shop, picked up her shot gun, and rode off on her motorcycle to get out of Raccoon City. Her senses were keen and told her to escape the city that was locked down the next day. Weeks later she abandoned her motorcycle and stole a yellow Hummer. A month after Raccoon City's destruction, she'd picked up survivors from outside the city and led them away from the horror. They stayed on the move despite the virus was biting at their heels.

Everybody in the convoy respected their young yet strong leader. They never saw her falter despite she had her own demons to battle each day. Nobody knew her life before the outbreak, and nobody pried either. Occasionally she allowed a few select survivors to steal a peak at her past. But what did it matter anyway? All their focus was on surviving the day or at least the next hour. Yesterday was irrelevant compared to what their next location would be, the next meal, or the next breath.

Claire Redfield had become the convoy's only guiding light as they journeyed south through Pennsylvania. There were those that didn't agree with Claire's leadership, but they quietly broke off and tried being on their own. Or they joined a sealed community where they could pretend that life would go on. But Claire was seeking out something far more than just a temporary bandage. She hadn't decided exactly what it was that pulled at her. But she followed her instincts none the less and took any humans with her that would follow.

Today was the third of October and the leaves were so beautiful. The convoy's drive through northern Pennsylvania had been gorgeous and reminded them why they wished to live on. Finally the convoy pulled into a quiet landscape nestled in a small valley. Most likely it'd once been a tilled farm, but it would now serve the convoy's purposes. All the beaten vehicles parked in a circle an hour before sunset and hastily the members started pitching the temporary camp like a trained military unit.

Claire, the leader of the mismatched yet trained convoy, was strolling through the camp that'd been put together in a speedy fashion. She and her people had it down to a set method that she'd schooled each key survivor on how it had to be done. Now it was time to relax and eat dinner, except for Claire. She wouldn't rest. She couldn't rest.

K-Mart was seated beside Mikey, who was eating his canned dinner with her. She and Mikey were chuckling after what Claire imagined was a good joke from the Aussie. But K-Mart sobered after she spotted Claire beelining towards her.

Claire had been on a mission to check on K-Mart. Without realizing it, Claire had picked up a habit of checking on the teenager at periodic points throughout the day unless they were riding together. She hadn't seen K-Mart in the food line earlier, but as she approached the rear of the news van, she understood why she hadn't seen K-Mart. Most likely Mikey had picked up two cans for them to share. There were also two red apples sitting like won prizes between the two teenagers' outer legs.

K-Mart was seated so that she could swing her legs off the back of the van, but she shortly went still when she saw Claire.

Mikey had his boots propped up on the peeling chrome bumper. He'd taken another spoonful of beans and sensed K-Mart's deflated mood. He slowly pulled the spoon from his mouth as he followed K-Mart's stare. He tried ignoring the stone forming in his belly and instead gave his patent smile to Claire.

"You got my perimeter up, Mikey?" Claire's tone was clipped like normal.

Mikey dropped his spoon into his half eaten can and replied, "Carlos is working on it now."

Claire folded her arms and shifted her weight to her left side. Her sharp eyes flickered up to the screens, but only one showed their current GPS location. She nodded, took a step back, and ordered, "Get me when he's done." Now her attention lowered to K-Mart.

K-Mart pulled her olive green hat down by the brim then peered up at Claire. She held Claire's eyes and silently responded to Claire's inquisitive look. If it was one thing that they'd learn about each other in two years it was how to read one another and reply without passing a single word.

Claire wasn't totally satisfied by K-Mart's body language, yet she wouldn't interfere because K-Mart was enjoying herself. Enjoyment nowadays was rare, and Claire wouldn't squash it by any means. She instead focused on Mikey and added, "Thanks, Mikey." She turned on her heels and marched off.

Mikey let out a breath after Claire was gone then turned to K-Mart. "What was that? Some kind of sister thing?"

K-Mart half shrugged and muttered, "Somethin' like that." She toyed with her meal and knew not to waste it.

Mikey shook his head because he didn't understand what'd transcended between the pair. However, he wasn't about to press K-Mart, who obviously didn't want to dig into it. He went back to their earlier conversation and noticed how it calmed K-Mart.

Mikey recalled when they'd first picked up K-Mart shortly after the outbreak spread beyond Raccoon City. Claire had only begun her meager convoy and realized how important it was to collect supplies. One of their raids had been at an already depleted K-Mart store that Carlos had argued wasn't worth their time. But Claire insisted so they entered it and discovered it was well picked through. What Claire did find most valuable was a fifteen year-old girl that'd been hiding for months in the dark store. From that point on, Claire kept a close watch on K-Mart and also continued following her well honed instincts, which saved the convoy many times. Just not all the time.

K-Mart bumped her shoulder against Mikey after they went quiet for a few minutes. She was done her meal and so was Mikey. She softly mentioned, "I'm going to get going." She held out her left hand. "I'll take the trash." She received his can, which had his apple core in it too. "Thanks for dinner." She grinned at him like it was a conspiracy.

Mikey chuckled and brushed off, "Anytime, mate."

K-Mart crinkled her nose at him briefly then slid off the van. She bounced on her feet, turned, and reversed while she spoke to him. "See ya, Mikey."

Mikey smiled at K-Mart's affectionate manners. "Cheers," he softly called. He watched her go for a beat then stood up. He needed to get the perimeter done before Claire Redfield returned and blasted his doors off.

K-Mart crossed through the camp and went to the disposal setup. Despite it was the end of the world, Claire still fully believed in not polluting it anymore than what human had already done to it. K-Mart totally sympathized with the convoy leader. After trashing the cans, K-Mart cleaned off her spoon in the nearby soap and water pans then started to the Hummer.

The Hummer was parked between the schoolbus and the diesel tanker. It was Claire's strategic location, mainly for K-Mart, and they never mentioned it to anybody else. Claire had carefully explained to K-Mart that if they were attacked during the night that K-Mart had to escape the Hummer and retreat to either the tanker or schoolbus. The schoolbus was filled with plenty of guns and people while the tanker had combat-trained Carlos and marksmen Chase.

K-Mart pushed open the Hummer's heavy and reinforced door and left it open for some cool air in the warm Hummer. Despite it was an beautiful autumn day, it'd also been pretty warm and made the Hummer stuffy to K-Mart. She wasn't tired so she first fished out her leather knapsack and retrieved her worn journal. She went back to the front passenger seat and started writing in her journal about today. She became quite engrossed in it and didn't hear Claire's arrival until she saw Claire's shadowy form in the open driver's door.

K-Mart scrambled for Claire's handgun on the dash and swung it around with it pointed at Claire's annoyed features. But K-Mart lowered it and sucked in the air after realizing who she nearly fired on. Her journal was forgotten on the dirty floor.

"Fuck, Claire... why do you do that?" K-Mart was trembling after what nearly happened by accident. She shook as she put the handgun back on the dash and when she looked at Claire, she realized just how pissed Claire was at her.

"Why the Hell do you leave the driver's door open all the goddamn time?" Claire's knuckles were white as she gripped the side of the door. "How many times do we have to go over this?" She disliked several of K-Mart's bad habits. She couldn't tell if K-Mart was going through her rebellious teenage stage or what. But the risks were unnerving to Claire.

"It was hot in here," K-Mart fought, again. They always had the same damn argument nearly once a week.

Claire smacked the closed window and reminded, "Then put the fucking window down and shut the door."

K-Mart rolled her eyes and bent forward to get her journal.

"You're also wasting the damn battery." Claire reached up to the overhead light and smacked it off. "You know to use a headlamp or flashlight instead of killing the car battery."

K-Mart was shaking her head and struggled to stay indifferent to Claire's harsh lecture. She listened this time by jerking her bag from the back, loudly digging out her flashlight, and tossing her bag into the rear seat. She held it up at Claire and waited for approval.

Claire was satisfied, took a step back, and started closing the door. "Put the damn window down." She slammed the door and stomped off despite her footfall was nearly silent against the tall grass.

K-Mart tore off her hat and tossed it on the dash near the handgun. She slumped forward and hid her face in her hands. She didn't want to cry because her makeup would be a mess. But more than anything, she wished to be as strong as Claire Redfield whenever something upsetting happened to her. K-Mart wasn't Claire Redfield and several tears slipped free then moistened her palms.

After a few minutes, K-Mart gathered herself and picked up her hat that meant a lot to her despite she often threw it in anger. She'd received it from Claire not long after she'd been taken in by Claire outside of Raccoon City. She was almost sixteen at the time, and today she was nearly eighteen. However, growing up in the convoy had caused K-Mart to age much faster. She was convinced in two weeks she'd be turning twenty-five rather than still being a teenager.

K-Mart couldn't finish her journal entry and decided to do it tomorrow when they were on the road. She considered whether to ride with Carlos or even Mikey tomorrow so she could have space from Claire. Yet in the morning, K-Mart knew she would remain in the Hummer with Claire. She couldn't leave Claire's side, ever.

It only took fifteen minutes for K-Mart to get cleaned up, reorganized, and into the back of the Hummer. She always slept in the rear so that she was away from the front window. A few nights in the beginning she'd fallen asleep in the front seat, but Claire had her move to the back each time. Finally K-Mart just started going to the back and soon realized why Claire wanted her there. It was far safer.

K-Mart restless mind fizzled out after half an hour. She curled up under the warm blanket but shifted awake when she heard Claire getting in too. She gave a silent yawn then closed her eyes while Claire prepared to lay down too.

Claire was grateful to get in the Hummer after spending a long evening and talking to Carlos. She found it difficult to have conversations with him at times. She could often sense his desires for her, and Claire halted any attempt he made for her. Claire thought he was attractive, but she wasn't interested in complicating things and creating convoy drama. Claire wasn't foolish about Carlos's other love interests in the convoy. She had no plans to be added to his call list.

After reminding Carlos that they were pseudo brother and sister, Claire resigned herself to just keeping their conversation to business. Rarely did they speak about the old days or anything else personal. Claire often cut him off or walked away if all else failed to work.

After adjusting the blanket over her body, Claire released a breath that eased her stress levels. She hoped she could sleep tonight. From the sounds of things, she knew that K-Mart would rest better tonight than last night. She worried over her young friend, who had been clearly upset from their argument. Claire hated to argue with K-Mart, but she was forced to drill things into K-Mart's stubborn head. If she lost K-Mart, she wasn't sure she'd have the will to continue what she did every day.

Survivors be damned.

Claire licked her dry lips and then looked out the front window. She admired the nearly full moon, which was untarnished by the outbreak or Umbrella. At least something hadn't changed in this Hell bent world.

Several long minutes passed, and Claire shifted a third time. She was pent up with frustration and stress that not only busied her mind but also her body. She decided on the best course of action that'd ease her, but first she listened for K-Mart. Claire confirmed her friend's soft breaths and knew it was safe. Claire removed her blanket, pushed her tank top up higher then reached for her pants' button.

At the start, it hadn't happened very often in the Hummer. But more recently, Claire started touching herself rather regularly, and it helped take the edge off the day. She refused to sleep with anybody in the convoy because it was too similar to sleeping with a coworker. Instead, Claire was left with only being able to please herself after K-Mart fell asleep. Claire had become a master of silence, mostly.

A soft moan escaped from Claire before she could bite it down. She inwardly chided herself for a beat, but she focused again on her clit, which achingly pulsed against her fingertips. She curled her head back and tightened her eyes.

K-Mart slowly awoke after something in the air stirred her. She didn't move, like Claire taught her years ago. Her heart was excited by whatever tickled her senses. She silently took shallow breaths that calmed her. But Claire's slight movement made her relax fully. They were certainly safe if Claire was still here.

Claire dipped two fingers past her moist folds and entered herself. She bit her bottom lip, but a second time she failed to resist a moan. She gritted her teeth at her lack of strength tonight. Her wound energy was greater than normal. Maybe just one night of soft sounds wouldn't be her undoing so she gently moved her hips against her hand. Claire rarely moved her body because the leather would stick to her moist skin and create a low noise. However, tonight Claire threw caution into the wind.

K-Mart at first was convinced her friend was having a nightmare. Then the rhythmic motions of the leather began to sink into K-Mart's head. She flushed brightly and jammed her eyes shut so she couldn't use her imaginary vision to draw out what Claire was doing in the front bench seat. But her imagination wouldn't let it go and instead K-Mart pictured Claire's hips rocking against her hand. K-Mart clenched her teeth, but she couldn't refuse the soft burn between her legs.

Claire increased the tempo and approached the ledge. She grabbed her hat off her head then shoved it into her mouth because she knew what'd happened otherwise. Only a gentle whimper floated in the Hummer before she went still and nothing could be heard around her.

K-Mart withdrew her nails from the seat and didn't breathe until Claire worked her zipper back up. She kept her eyes closed and struggled not to make any movement despite the taunting wetness between her legs. She prayed that tomorrow would come very quickly so she could get out of the Hummer.

However, the morning light was anything but fast for K-Mart. Like normal, Claire got up at daylight and went to check on everything. She'd left quietly, but still K-Mart sat up after her friend left her alone. K-Mart was too grateful and shifted across the rear seat until she was sitting up. Immediately, she stretched out her right leg under the front seat, unzipped her jeans, and found her clit nearly as wet as it was last night. K-Mart sought her own relief after her experience last night. Afterwards, she was finally spent and able to sleep a few hours before Claire woke her up.

K-Mart had a small breakfast like any apocalyptic day. She struggled with whether or not to ride with Claire today after last night. She was truly embarrassed that she'd caught Claire and even more ashamed that she had to seek relief due to Claire's sexual episode. At such thoughts, K-Mart got up from her wood chair and noted the object of her musing approaching her.

Claire neared her friend, who was standing by the dying bonfire that'd have to be put out soon. She tugged her on cap's worn brim then offered a thin smile to K-Mart. "Mornin'."

K-Mart noted her friend's improved mood compared to last night. But they wouldn't have any serious talk here since other survivors were gathered around the fire too. "Hey," she weakly greeted. She fumbled to add more so she didn't seem weird.

But Claire beat her to it and asked, "Sleep better last night?"

K-Mart tucked a loose lock behind her ear and under her hat, which bought her time. "Yeah." She shrugged and realized it wasn't a total lie since she slept well this morning for three hours. "How about you?" She was sure that Claire slept the best out of the two of them.

"Yeah," Claire echoed. She moved past K-Mart, but she paused and touched her friend's shoulder. "I'll see you in the Hummer shortly."

K-Mart kept her eyes on the grass, which still had dew from the cool night. She inwardly cringed at the leader's expectations but nodded and whispered, "See ya there."

Claire squeezed the teen's stiff shoulder then quietly left. She needed to get everybody in gear so they could leave and continue south.

K-Mart slightly turned and watched Claire's confident stride. She felt the burn renewed, and she softly groaned in annoyance. She blew out a breath, roughly picked up the chair, and grumbled, "Fucking Hummer." K-Mart flinched at her own cuss word because she knew Claire didn't like her swearing, at all. She sighed and decided staying busy with packing up the camp would wear off her edge before today's car ride.

Continued.