Burning Up

Get Out!

Cain made himself scarce the moment he began to lose control of the situation. "I need all troops near the City Hall evac site to converge on to the takeoff area and provide aid," he ordered into his earpiece.

While Carlos and Jill were working on taking out his goons, Alice seized Rain and dragged her around the side of one of the curved edifices, providing both of them cover.

She had definitely administered more of the antivirus than she should have, and probably a tad too soon after the last dose as well. That much was evident from Rain's visible discomfort, but Alice didn't see many other options. Ones that she was willing to consider, anyway.

Half-draped onto Alice's lap, Rain pressed her face against her front and tightly clenched the leather of her trenchcoat with her good hand, attempting to clear her head and quell the sick feeling now stuck in the back of her throat. It wasn't quite as bad as how she remembered her initial infection to be, but it was damn close.

Nobody had bothered to remove the weapons from her belt when trying to contain her. Alice took the bulldog revolver and peeked around the corner to shoot at a few troops. "Sorry," she apologized to Rain, rubbing her back. The touch elicited a growl, but it quickly started dying down when she realized it was only Alice. "I know that was a lot."

Though the urges had yet to truly subside, those directed at her were becoming significantly lesser than the rest. The sense of similitude between them was stronger.

When more of that hellish virus entered her system, Rain felt as though she was crammed into a smaller box than she ever had before. It was a clear box. She could see and hear through it, but her body was going rogue and letting the inhuman desires dictate its actions. Before, she could manage the tiniest amount of influence over herself, causing her movements to come across as slightly clumsy. That ability was gone.

The fear that she wouldn't be able to break free grew visceral quite fast. The urges were so loud, but Rain eventually found herself being louder.

"You can get through this." Alice loaded more bullets into the chamber. "I—" She cut herself off, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Back on the train, when you wanted me to shoot you, you told me that you didn't want to be wandering around without a soul, but I know you still have it. I still see you in there, so I know you can come back to me. You better."

"...I...'m 'errre... wi-th you... you ccc..." Rain's mouth felt foreign. She knew how she needed to move her lips and tongue to produce the desired sounds, but getting them to cooperate was proving to be a ridiculous challenge. She let out a frustrated huff and tried again. "Youu... crazy... bitch." That came out clear. She stiltedly released Alice and slumped against the concrete wall. Moving was getting easier. "Go. M'fine."

"You sure?"

Rain drew her remaining gun, giving Alice a nod. Alice returned it before taking off and promptly taking out some soldiers with their backs turned.

Rain shakily mopped the blood off her face with the hem of her t-shirt. She was no use just sitting around. To keep her broken arm out of the way, she opted to place it in her bandana and tie the ends to the side of her belt. Certainly a worse sling than the one made from her jacket, but it would work.

Then, with effort, she got back onto her feet. She didn't feel confident enough in her ability to dodge much of anything, so keeping out of sight was her best bet for the time being.

While that was happening, L.J. kept Terri and Angie safe as he ushered them back aboard the escape vehicle.

"Hey! You can't be in here!" The pilot stood. "My orders are to not let any citizens past the perimeter."