The Resident Evil girls reached the door that led to where Sherry was.
??? (panicked, over PA): "Sherry! Sherry, can you hear me?!"
Claire grabbed the lever and pulled it down, causing the door to open. The group rushed inside and gathered around the unconscious little girl.
Claire: "Sherry? Sherry… are you alright?"
??? (over PA): "What are you doing?!"
Bayonetta: "We're here to help!!"
Claire gently lifted Sherry's head and froze — strange dark veins were spreading along the right side of her face.
Jill: "Oh, shit… she's been infected."
Claire: "What?!"
??? (over PA): "She's been implanted… she can't be saved."
Claire: "Are you fcking* kidding me?! You're her mother! Get in here!"
Annette: "You don't understand. William is still out there, and if I don't stop him—"
Claire: "This conversation is over!"
Claire picked Sherry up, holding her tightly.
Annette: "Wait! Wait… I can treat her… in my lab. It's not far."
Sherry (weakly): "Mommy…?"
Annette: "There's not enough time. Millions of lives are at stake. Sherry… Mommy loves you, sweetie. Goodbye."
Claire: "Are you fcking kidding me?!"
Jill placed a hand on Claire's shoulder. "Claire, we'll help Sherry, I promise. But blaming that woman won't help."
Claire: "Doesn't mean I can't be mad at her." She turned to Sherry. "Sherry, don't worry. We'll get you whatever you need, okay?"
Sherry: "Wh–Why are you doing this?"
Claire: "Because we care."
Sherry: "Thank you…" she gasped softly.
Bayonetta: "Come on, we have to move. Let's find the others."
With that, the girls started moving.
Claire: "She said her lab isn't far from here…"
Bayonetta: "And how exactly are we supposed to find it?"
Jill: "Wait a second. Didn't we pass a cable car earlier?"
Claire: "Yeah! I think I saw one too. Maybe it leads to the underground lab."
Bayonetta: "Let's try it."
Jill, Bayonetta, and Claire hurried toward the cable car, with Sherry held safely in Claire's arms. They found it — but hesitated, unsure what to do since they didn't have access. Suddenly, the door slid open on its own.
Claire: "It opened?"
??? (shouting): "Wait up!"
They turned and saw Carlos, Kai, Leon, Dante, and Ada running toward them.
Dante: "Bayonetta!!"
Bayonetta: "Oh, mi amor!!"
The two rushed into each other's arms and shared a quick kiss.
Jill: "Guys!! Thank God you're all alright! Where have you been? And where's Y/N!?"
Kai: "We ran into some stragglers, and as for Y/N—"
Y/N: "Y/N HERE!!!"
All: "AHHHHH!!!"
Carlos: "Where the fck* did you come from?!"
Y/N: "Wait, where did I come from? Oh, Jill!!!"
Jill: "Y—"
Before she could finish, Y/N pulled her into a tight hug and spun her around.
Y/N: "YOU'RE ALIVE!!! YEAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
Jill: "WOOOOAAAAAAAH!!!"
The rest of the group chuckled — except Ada, who looked mildly annoyed, pouting.
Ada: "I wish I'd gotten infected…"
Leon: "Huh?"
After Y/N finally set Jill down, he noticed Sherry in Claire's arms — his cheerful expression vanished.
Y/N: "Sherry!!"
He knelt beside her, checking her condition, his eyes darkening as he saw the infection mark.
Claire: "We lost her for a bit and she got infected… I–I'm sorry. I should've been more careful…"
Y/N: "Damn it! First the nuke, and now Sherry!?"
He placed his gloved hand gently on Sherry's head as Venom emerged slightly from his arm, scanning her.
Venom: "We've got thirty minutes, max. It's already in her bloodstream."
Y/N: "Then we move. Now!"
Everyone nodded as they boarded the cable car. Ada pulled the lever, and it started descending into the depths. The group sat down, exhausted but focused, while Sherry rested in Claire's lap.
Dante: "This… is getting too much."
Kai: "You can say that again."
Leon: "And that was my first day as a cop. Wow."
Carlos: "Well, at least you got some experience, huh?"
Leon: "Hell, I could be a special agent after today. But seriously, we're a good team."
Carlos: "For real. If we hadn't stuck together, who knows where we'd be."
Jill: "And it's all thanks to one man who brought us together…"
Everyone looked at Y/N, who was awkwardly trying to scratch his back and failing. He noticed their stares.
Y/N: "Huh? What? Something on my face???"
Leon: "Thanks, man. Really."
Y/N: "For what???"
They all burst out laughing, leaving him even more confused.
Kai: "Uhhh, guys, not to ruin the moment, but… I think we have a problem."
They looked out the window — an army of Lickers was crawling toward the car.
Dante: "WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE THINGS?!"
Y/N & Leon (together): "Ah, shit…"
Y/N: "Everyone, protect the cable car! Don't let any of those freaks get in, got it?!"
All: "Got it!!"
Y/N: "Claire, take care of Sherry!"
Claire: "Okay!"
The survivors pulled out their weapons and started firing at the swarming monsters. Meanwhile, Claire held Sherry protectively as the girl winced in pain.
Claire: "Hey… it's okay. You're gonna be alright, sweetie."
Sherry: "Your jacket's so warm…"
Claire (smiling): "My brother gave it to me. It's supposed to be lucky."
Sherry: "I don't know what I'd do without you guys…"
Claire: "Are you kidding? You were doing just fine before we showed up and started causing chaos. But don't worry — we've got professional survivor instincts!"
Y/N: "Hey guys!! I think this one likes me! Who's a good Licker~? It's yo—AH!! IT BIT ME!! IT BIT ME!!"
Dante: "YOU IDIOT!!!"
Claire (deadpan): "Well… maybe not our leader…"
Sherry giggled weakly, smiling as she leaned against Claire's chest.
After some time, the cable car reached its destination. The survivors quickly took out the remaining monsters and exited the cart.
Sherry smiled softly in Claire's arms.
Sherry: "Thank you… my family."
Kai: "Family? Oh!! We could be one! Here — I'll be the dad, and Claire can be the mom!"
Claire blushed bright red.
Claire: "M–Mom?!"
Y/N: "Oh oh!! I can be the cool uncle who lives in your basement and works at a gas station! I'll throw parties and play video games all day!"
Ada: "Hmm~ I'll be the rich aunt who only visits at Christmas — with tons of gifts and toys~"
Dante: "And me and Bayonetta can be the fun neighbors who come over every morning!"
Bayonetta: "Awww, that would be adorable!"
Leon: "for me and Carlos, We can be the uncles who work in the military and come over for dinner on weekends to tell stories about our missions!"
Carlos (grinning): "Actually, yeah — that suits me!"
Jill: "And I'll be the broke aunt who lives in a truck, shows up every three months to borrow money, and blows it all on gambling and booze!"
The group laughed loudly, tossing ideas back and forth.
For a moment, they completely forgot about the chaos around them.
Sherry sighed softly and drifted off to sleep in Claire's arms — dreaming of that family life they imagined together.
---
To be continued...