Thea was ready to shoot Leon if he wouldn't shut up.
"Leon!" the girl snapped, stopping in her tracks and giving him a sharp look. "Do me a favor and fuck off. I'll handle this."
"I can't just leave you like this," he argued, gesturing to her. "What if-"
He let his words hang in the air unfinished, his lower lip between his teeth as he stared at her. If it wasn't Leon Kennedy standing in front of her, she would think that the look in his eyes said he was worried. But she knew Leon enough to know he wasn't worried about her, he was afraid she would fuck this up.
Which pissed her off even more. Her rage could burn down the building if she wasn't careful.
"Go get Ada," she brushed past him, heading for the Greenhouse. The lack of his footsteps meant that she looked pissed or confident enough that he listened. "Find Annette. And get the fuck out with the G-Virus."
"If you won't be at the elevator in fifteen minutes, I'll leave you," he retorted, clearly unamused.
Thea rolled her eyes, not even slowing down. The slight waver of his voice told her otherwise, but she wasn't in the mood to comment on it. Instead, she just tightened the grip on the vial in her hand, her head held high.
"Fuck off, Kennedy."
And those were her last words to him.
The two of them split up, her feet carrying her hurriedly towards the murderous plants. Her gun was ready in her hand in case they went past something on their way there previously, clutching the vial in the other. Her green eyes were wide as they jumped around the place, searching for any threat and ready to kill anything and anyone that stood in her way.
But fortunately, there was nothing. She stepped around some weird creature Leon had shot before with his shotgun, the gaping hole in its head and a huge pool of blood on the white marble flooring were enough for her to not worry about it any longer.
Leon was always good with guns. He was the best when it came to target practice, Thea closely behind him. It was a shame Thea was never willing to work together.
Being alone in the lab was a whole different vibe. Thea usually liked to work alone most, and even though the simple thought of Leon Kennedy was enough to piss her off, she started to miss his echoing footsteps behind her and his ridiculous over-protective nature.
Thea let out a scoff, almost embarrassed. She almost missed Leon's annoying self. How ridiculous.
Without too much trouble, Thea was able to make her way back to the Greenhouse. The occasional screams, grunts, and scraping sounds from afar echoed down the empty halls, further accentuating the feeling of abandonment. She was now completely alone, only a few plant-like monsters stretching and whining around inside the Greenhouse.
She wasn't alone since this whole nightmare started. And no matter how pathetic it sounded, she couldn't wait to get back to Leon and Ada. They weren't her favorite people, especially Ada, but she would prefer them over this loneliness.
Every noise made her look behind her shoulder, the hand wrapped around her gun so tense that her fingers started to cramp up. Her entire body buzzed with anticipation, always expecting someone or something to ambush her.
Thea was a strong girl. She could keep her cool in the weirdest, most trying times, but whatever was happening in Raccoon City, was close to pushing her to her breaking point. All of this felt unreal. Life didn't feel real as she stood in front of the huge double-lined window separating her from the deadly plants that twisted, stretched, and breathed under her gaze. They had a life on their own, something so unnatural yet majestic at the same time.
In some ways, Thea could understand her mother's fascination with these plants. Her whole life being dedicated to nature and this Greenhouse in particular. But as the young woman stood in the dark observing room, the emergency lights gave the plants and the Greenhouse an ominous, ethereal glow. With wide eyes and even her breath held back, she watched as one tendril slowly wrapped itself down from what looked like a weird tree, and started dragging itself along the flooring. Its movements resembled a snake's but there was just something slightly off about it, like it didn't have the fullest control over itself.
The way it moved around drew Thea closer to the huge glass, something hypnotic about it as her eyes followed it. The only thing she shared with her mother was her fascination with plants. She never got this close to understanding her mother before, but as she watched the plants having life on their own, at least she got a clue.
Up until the tendril shot up from the ground and darted through the air like a deadly spear. And if it wasn't for the thick glass separating her from the Greenhouse, the tendril had probably pierced right through her chest.
With a gasp, Thea staggered back, suddenly remembering where she was. How deadly everything inside was. Just because something was beautiful and mesmerizing, it didn't mean it wasn't lethal and dangerous.
The weight of her decision made her knees weak as she stepped back, heading for the control panel, tightening her grip around the vial in her hands. It took a few minutes for her to figure out the terminal since she never had to use one before. She misspelled the password on the first try due to her shaking fingers.
"Fucking grow up," Thea cursed under her breath and shook her hands out, trying to get rid of the shock trying to settle in.
It's okay, honey, her father always said whenever she got frustrated at something. You got this. You always figure it out.
The thought of her father made her throat close up, tears pricking her eyes. The severed arm of his and the amount of blood painting the walls of the security room were the only things remaining of him. Her last picture of him got tinted by the horrid way he had to go.
Her stomach knotted as she remembered the smell of blood as soon as she stepped into the room, her father's blood. The only man that ever showed her love. The only parent that bothered to love her. And now he was gone because she didn't get back soon enough.
"I'm sorry," Thea breathed, her fingers fiddling with the cool metal ring hanging from her neck. She didn't even register when her arm rose, trembling fingers wrapping around the last gift her father gave her.
No matter how badly she wanted to curl up and cry for her father, she knew he would want her to do her job. The job he dedicated his whole life: to protect people. And as his daughter, it was her duty to carry his legacy as long as she could – even if that meant till her last breath drew.
Even if that meant she needed to destroy her mother's life's work. Her dream. The only thing she probably loved.
Forcing her lungs to work with her, Thea drew in a deep breath and held it in for a few moments to regulate her feelings. She would have time to fall apart later. Now, she had a job to do. For her father. For all the civillians. For Raccoon City.
Thea inserted the small vial with her solution into the terminal, ready to be dispensed into the watering system. A message flashed across the screen in front of her, asking for confirmation about the changes in the system. Even though she was never so sure about something in her life, her hand hesitated as it hovered over the button. Taking a breath in, her fingers grazed against the control panel just as a figure emerged from the shadows.
"Stop!"
Thea's head snapped towards the sharp voice cutting through so surely through the silence. Her heels rhythmically clanked against the dirty marble floor, determination, and class oozing from her every pore as she stepped into the room. Her eyes were a weapon that could make Thea's knees buckle and nervousness knot her stomach, making sure to twist her spine and suck the breath out of her lungs.
There stood in the middle of the room Clara Keller, pointing a gun straight at her daughter.
"Mother?" disbelief made Thea's voice sound so unsure like she couldn't believe her own eyes. Her hand shook over the confirmation button, her body involuntarily obeying her mother.
Then her eyes wandered to the gun held in Clara's hand. It was a sleek, black gun, seemingly pretty small but it could still do damage. And her mother held it pointed straight at her chest with one hand like second nature.
Thea raised her gaze to look into Clara's eyes, only to be met with coldness, wrapped around hate and steeled by determination. Whatever lit the cold flames in her eyes made sure her aim was spectacular, even with only one hand.
Clara Keller was the type of woman who always looked her best. Her hair was always pulled into a sleek bun, her eyes sharp and calculated, and transparent framed glasses perched on her slim nose. She rarely let emotions show on her face, her plump lips usually set into a small scowl towards the world. It was hard to catch her in anything else than her lab coat.
But the woman standing in front of Thea barely resembled her mother anymore. A few dark pieces came loose from her bun, framing her face. Her crisp white lab coat was littered with dirt and splatters of blood, the sheer tights on her legs torn at the knees. And her usually stoic expression got overtaken by hatred, directed right at her daughter.
"Leave the solution, Dorothea," Clara's voice was strong as steel, the edge of her tone cutting through the air and slapping Thea in the face.
"I can't do that," Thea shook her head, shock making her throat close around her words. Her gaze slipped to the gun pointed at her once again. "Why are you doing this?"
"I'm doing my job, child. Don't be stupid," a scoff came from Clara like she expected more from her daughter. She always did.
"This is more than that," the young girl narrowed her eyes at Clara. "Your job was in the lab, not to point a gun at your own daughter."
Clara's left eye twitched as Thea started to get on her nerves more. Good, she thought. Thea was tired of getting brushed off or straight-up ignored by her mother. Maybe this was not the best timing to settle family manners, since the world was collapsing around them and Thea still had a gun trained on her, but oh well. She worked with worse before.
"Umbrella gave us everything we ever wanted," Clara started, her voice trembling slightly from rage and all the built-up emotions. "All the blood and tears, all of my life I gave for Umbrella can't go to waste. And Your father gave his life for Umbrella," a snarl twisted Clara's lips, the gun slightly shaking in her hand. "If it wasn't for your stupid message, he would still be alive!"
Clara has said some pretty awful shit to her, but this knocked the air out of her lungs. But her mother didn't bother to acknowledge the damage her words had done.
"He wouldn't leave, knowing that you were on your way. And then one of the things got to him before you could've dragged your lazy ass over here!"
Images of her father's mangled body, and all the blood flashed before her eyes, making Thea staggered back against the control panel. The word Stop came as a breath from her lips, but her mother didn't hear.
"He could've evacuated like I told him so," a dry, humorless chuckle slipped from Clara's cruel lips, twisting the knife of guilt in Thea's stomach. "But he loved you so stupidly. And now, he's dead because of you!"
Clara yelled her last words, the weight of them making Thea's knees buckle under her weight as the edge of her tone cut into her skin. As her shaking hands clung to the control panel for support, a new-found rage bubbled inside her veins, pumping venom through her body.
"Because of me? I wasn't the one that made the whole city go crazy!" Thea snapped back, suddenly the fear of getting a bullet to her head disappearing into the blaze of her fury. "Your beloved Umbrella destroyed the whole city! You destroyed it!"
In her rage, all hell broke loose.
Thea's fist slammed down on the button, dispensing the solution right into the Greenhouse's watering system, the low hissing being mostly drowned out by her mother's desperate shriek. Then a shot got fired, the sound bouncing back from the walls of the Greenhouse so deafeningly, it caused Thea to flinch.
Then she felt it. Like she got punched in the gut so hard it was hard to breathe.
Thea looked down where she felt the hit, watching as dark, red blood started to soak through her navy hoodie. Carefully, Thea held a hand to her middle, warm blood coating her fingers when she lifted it in front of her. She looked at her own hand coated with her blood like she couldn't believe it.
She couldn't believe that her mother had shot her.
For a few seconds, she didn't feel any physical pain, besides her heart breaking. She raised her green eyes to her mother's cold ones, and for once, she could see something else besides the underlying hatred – Clara's eyes widened in surprise, a touch of panic mixing with a hint of disbelief on her face, making her mouth fell agape. Like she couldn't believe it either that she pulled the trigger.
Then all the pain of the world came crashing down on Thea's shoulders, making her knees give up under her weight. The young girl fell to the floor helplessly, her head knocking against the marble flooring with a sickening thud. No matter how hard she tried, Thea just couldn't get any air into her lungs. She couldn't breathe.
Meanwhile, her mother kept screaming, losing her mind.
"I told you to leave it! You fucking stupid child!" Clara placed her hands on the glass, watching as her beloved plants, including Plant 43 got destroyed right before her eyes. "What have you done?!"
Thea was too busy trying to breathe through the pain and the piercing heat that burned her abdomen to notice the tears in Clara's eyes. Both of her creations were dying now.
The girl pressed a hand against the wound, trying to lessen the bleeding. She felt the warm blood bubble through her fingers, a shiver running through her body at the weird sensation. She never thought she would feel the life drip out of her, yet here she was.
Through her slightly ringing ears, Thea was able to hear the artificial voice of a woman through the intercom system.
"Attention: Unauthorized removal of a Level 4 virus detected. Facility lockdown is initiated. Self-destruct sequence will begin when lockdown is complete."
A weak smile spread across Thea's lips. He'd found the G-Virus. Leon has done it. I knew he was going to make it.
"You were always a disgrace to me," Clara snarled at her daughter before she took off running, probably trying to flee the facility before it could self-destruct.
Her last words to Thea hurt like a bitch, but the young girl could only let out a dry chuckle that turned into a coughing fit, twisting her insides. Blood splattered on the floor next to her, and she spat a mouthful of blood out right next to it. Thea tried to pull herself up but it felt like her insides were getting ripped out by a burning hand. With a pained yell, she fell back on the ground, cold sweat damping her forehead.
Maybe this is it. Maybe this is where I'll die. In a cold, dark room, alone with my thoughts. What a joke.
As she laid there on the cold floor, her life bleeding onto the floor and pooling around her, Thea couldn't help but think that she didn't want to die here. Not like this, not in an underground evil lab. Not with so many things she wanted to stay stuck in the back of her throat.
Turning her head to the side, the girl looked at the doorway where her mother had fled. She just left her daughter here to bleed out on the floor like a fucking pig. Thea knew her Clara had always resented her, but not to the point of actually killing her. She loved Clara because she was her mother, but since it meant nothing, a new kind of hatred boiled inside her.
This new hatred gave Thea the strength to start and drag herself across the room, towards the door Clara and Leon had left. Her arms shook from the amount of strength this took her, but she wasn't about to give up so easily. She gritted her teeth and clamped a hand on her wound, while the other pulled her helpless body.
Thea knew she was losing blood too fast. A huge trail of blood followed after her, her hand doing close to nothing to slow down the bleeding. She seemed to lose blood faster than normal, which was not good. She was too weak. She was in too much pain.
She had nothing to live for.
Her forehead fell against her arm, her chest rising and falling at an alarming pace. Her shallow breaths were doing little to get air into her lungs, but each time she tried to breathe, it pushed an entire wave of pain through her body. Thea fell back on the floor and turned on her back. The girl's field of vision started to darken, sweet darkness trying to take her over.
Thea just laid there on the floor, staring up at the ceiling as the warning of the self-destruction sequence echoed from the intercom system. Her entire body shivered, feeling like her limbs going to freeze off. She was never this cold in her life before.
Maybe on the night when she headed home from a party early, because the guy that tried to pick her up reminded her of Kennedy.
Leon Kennedy. Her last words to him echoed back to her, guilt taking over her. She'll never be able to tell him it was just a joke, that she started to actually miss him the past few hours. How she started to care for him more than she'd ever thought.
A low chuckle shook her body as a few stubborn tears found their way out, flowing down the side of her cheeks. She'll never get to poke fun of him anymore. He'll think that she abandoned him and was already on her way out like she originally planned. Leaving him here, get her family out. How the tables have turned.
Thea regretted so much. Her entire life, she tried to impress her mother. Try to be enough. And even though she tried her best, it wasn't enough. Her father died trying to save her. Her mother killed her because she fought back. But she was ready to give up now.
Maybe her destiny was to never be enough, and she was ready to fulfill it.
A deep rumble shook the building, the lights above her flickering. It sounded like the world was in the middle of collapsing in on itself, trying to bury all the lies and heartache.
Thea's hand lay flat on her stomach, no strenght remaining in it. She blinked slowly, feeling her heart slow down as the essence of life bled out of her. She could barely see the faint lights on the ceiling anymore as darkness came to claim her.
I hope you made it out alright, Leon.
Then, Thea closed her eyes and let one single teardrop roll down from the corner of her eye as she thought about the only person that no matter what, was always there beside her.
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im really sorry for the reaallly late update and how it wasnt that long. but im planning to get back into this fic and will probably post another chapter soon!
until then, take care x