Eplilogue

Helena Harper stared at the gravestone in front of her. The sky was blue and cloudless, and the air held a gentle breeze that blew through her hair, moving it only slightly. She sighed in sadness as she looked at the gravestone.

Deborah Harper.

Helena knew that her sister's death was her fault. She could not contain her emotions, which made her an easy and vulnerable target. Deborah had been her stability, even though she was a party girl. Simmons had known that Helena loved her sister more than life. That's how he knew he could get Helena to help him breach the president's security. He had kidnapped both of them, then had taken Deborah away, ensuring her help. Helena knew in her heart that Deborah had been long gone before she had agreed to help. But the tiny spark of hope kept her going. That was what got Deborah killed. Helena had wanted to expose Simmons, so he had taken care of business, nearly ensuring his safety.

" I'm so sorry, Deborah," Helena spoke. " I tried to keep you safe, but my actions are what got you killed. It's time for me to accept the consequences of my actions."

Helena turned around and looked at the black limo behind her. Leon and Hunnigan were standing together off to the side, waiting for her. There were two men on each side of the car, hands folded in front of them, gazes directly ahead. Helena made her way over to Leon and Hunnigan. They moved away from each other and faced Helena. She sighed deeply and looked at the two.

" I'm ready."

Leon grabbed her hand, and Helena stared him in the eyes. She heard the rattle before she registered the metal in her hands. She looked down at the handgun Leon had placed in her hands.

" What?" she asked incredulously. " But, I assisted in the attack."

" The National Security has looked through the evidence, and found it unjust to hold you liable for Simmons' crimes," Hunnigan replied. " Also, they have decided that they will not be disclosing the information regarding the Raccoon City incident."

" It's what the president would have wanted," Leon chipped in. Helena looked at them both, happy and dumbfounded that they had decided to let her keep her job as a Secret Service Agent.

" Thank you."

" Shall we get going?" Hunnigan suggested. Helena and Leon nodded, then followed her.

" Hey, Leon."

Helena turned and threw the small makeup compact at him. He caught it and inspected. Puzzled, he looked at her for answers. She chuckled and answered his unspoken question.

" For the next time you see her."

Leon chuckled and mumbled under his breath.

" Women."

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Sherry sat on the plane taking her back to the United States finishing up her report on the Muller case. Occasionally, she would look at her phone in anticipation, but nothing would happen. After a few moments, Sherry had finished her work and she closed her laptop. She sighed and leaned back into the chair, glad for the relaxation time. A flight attendant brought her a cup of tea before retreating to attend to others. Sherry thanked her as she left, and she sipped her tea carefully.

Her phone began to buzz beside her. Setting her cup down gently, she quickly picked up the phone and checked the message.

" I've decided to reduce the asking price from 50 million to 50 dollars."

Sherry smiled at the text from Jake. Slowly, but surely, he was coming around.

Jake watched as the plane carrying Sherry took off. He smiled to himself, then put on his sunglasses, turned on his motorcycle, and rode back towards Edonia, where he belonged.

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Ada sat alone in an abandoned house, tending to the bullet hole wound in her leg. Her head was not in the game, and she knew it. She didn't know why she had taken another job right after her daughter's funeral, but she had, and she was paying the price for it.

Chris had tracked her down to give her the news in person. He had brought Piers along with him, and the two had watched as Ada had broken down sobbing, her heart shattering at the loss of her daughter. She had looked at Chris, and saw that both he and Piers were crying right along with her. It hadn't occurred to her until that moment that Cecile and Piers had been more than comrades. Ada could see that this boy in front of her had loved her child. She had looked at Chris and tried to imagine the pain he had been going through. He had told her that he had lost her three times in total. Ada could not imagine the heartbreak. Both had attended the funeral, and both had much to say about her. Chris talked about her childhood, and how she had always been bright and cheery.

It was Piers's words that caught Ada's attention and emotions. He talked about the way she viewed the world. He talked about how she would put everyone else's happiness before her own. He talked about how she loved as hard as she fought, how brave she was and how level headed she would be when they all needed it. She was their lifeline, and Piers finished it up by saying that he loved her, and would miss her every second for the rest of his life.

Ada cried silently at his words. He had not known Cecile for very long, but the love he had for her, the words he said about her, they were genuine. When the funeral was over, she walked up to Piers and hugged him.

" You would've been an amazing son in law," she had said. She had felt him tense up, then hugged her back. They cried together before they pulled away and shook hands. She walked up to Chris and shook his hand as well.

" Thank you for raising her right."

" If I had the chance to do it again, I would," Chris replied.

Gunfire brought her back into the present. With her leg bandaged, she looked at her surroundings. J'avo and zombies flooded the streets of Islam, all heading in her direction. She had no ammunition left for her crossbow or her handgun. She was screwed. She sat back down and leaned her head against a wooden pillar next to her. The downstairs doors were all locked, but the windows were uncovered. The gunshots continued to fire in her direction, zipping just over her head. She ducked until she was laying on the ground, completely stuck. There was nothing she could do. She was going to die.

" Fight."

Ada flinched at the voice in her head. It sounded too much like Cecile.

" Fight! All you can do is fight. Don't let yourself lose. That's not you. I know you'll find a way."

" Cecile," Ada whispered, tears falling down her face. " Okay."

" I'll fight to survive for you."

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The Middle East. A small town covered in sand and bullet holes. A small girl was trapped inside a building, looking through the cracks of wood and out the windows. She could only see the wind blowing the sand around. She squinted, hoping to see more. Something moved and growled. She backed away in fear, and bumped into someone behind her. She turned, and relief washed over her face as she realized that it was a man.

" You're here to get rid of the monsters, right?" she asked him. He moved towards the door, then stopped just before touching the doorknob.

" I believe we had a deal?" he spoke softly, yet sternly. The girl looked through her pockets until she found the payment he sought. A gala apple. She handed it to him gingerly, and he gripped the apple tight, then tossed it in the air. She saw a small smile form on his lips, though she could not see his face clearly, for the hood he wore covered most of it, while the rest was encased in shadows.

The man opened the door and walked outside. The girl stopped and hid behind the wall, peeking out only to ask him one question.

" Are you going to keep your promise?"

The man looked back and threw back his hood. The girl gazed in awe. The man was tall, with buzzed red hair and sharp, icy blue eyes. He had a scar on his left cheek, but it suited him. He smiled at her, then took a bite of his apple.

" Fair's fair, kid," he said, then turned to the monsters behind him. They rushed at him. He aimed his gun at the closest one, and whispered the phrase he had been whispering since he had been given the news.

" For you, Cecile."

He fired his weapon.

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Chris and Piers sat at the bar Piers had found Chris two months ago. The sun was shining in, and people were excited about something. The pair sat across from each other, both wearing comfortable clothing. Both had ordered the steak dinner, though only one was really hungry. Chris took a bite of the meat. Medium rare. His mouth watered as the meat touched his tongue, and he nodded in approval. Piers had been right. This was some good steak.

He looked at Piers, and noticed him playing with the sapphire pendant around his neck. Piers looked from the window to Chris, then ducked his head in shame.

" I miss her, too," Chris told him. " Every single day."

" She should've been able to live a long, happy life," Piers said. " If she had never met me-"

" Then she would be in the same position, but she would not have done all the good things in the process," Chris countered. " Don't regret for one second any moment you spent with her. I'm glad that she fought for something. She fought for the greater good. I would not have wanted her to die a meaningless death. She saved us all, and I'm proud of her."

" She could've used the vaccine on herself," Piers said. Chris became silent.

" All she had to do was inject herself with the vaccine, and Haos would've died, but she would've lived because she had the antibodies. I would've been the one stuck in that facility. It should've been me. Instead, she insisted that I take the vaccine, that everything was going to be okay. I should've died. Not her."

" In the end, she wanted the people she loved to survive. She would rather die than watch us suffer. She cared about our safety first. There was no way she would've allowed you to die in her place. You know that."

" It should've been me."

Piers looked Chris dead in the eyes

" Which is why I'm going to continue to fight. I will not let her death be meaningless," Piers continued. "She saved me, and I will fight to save this world until my very last breath. That's why I'm still with the BSAA and not some regular, boring, and unsatisfying job."

" She would be proud of your decision," Chris said. Piers nodded, then smiled sadly.

" Captain."

Chris and Piers turned to the voice, which was a BSAA soldier looking straight at the two.

" We have received new orders," the soldier said.

Chris and Piers stood up in unison.

" Then we better get going," Chris replied.

" Yes, Captain Redfield."

With a salute, the soldier turned and walked out of the bar. Side by side, Chris and Piers walked out of the bar and into the sunlight. With a goal in mind, they knew that the only way to keep Cecile's memory alive was by staying where they belonged.

With the BSAA.

END