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"Betty..." L.J. shouted, his voice cracking with pain as his eyes fixed on the burning school bus ahead. Smoke billowed into the evening sky, black and choking. The shrieks of crows and the crackle of fire twisted together in the air like something alive.
Inside the bus, Betty — the woman who had climbed down from the ambulance with L.J. — was trapped. Alone, she faced a storm of black wings and snapping beaks. The air was filled with the staccato thunder of gunfire, bullets cutting through the swarm of crows that kept diving at her. Her face was set in terrified determination, but her voice broke into a scream as she fired again and again.
"Ah—!" Her cry echoed, cut short as a crow struck her hard, claws raking across her face. Another slammed into her chest, and she stumbled backward, her weapon clattering to the floor.
"Betty! Betty!" L.J.'s scream tore through the chaos. His voice cracked like a man who'd just seen his world collapse. But there was nothing he could do — the flames and the dark wings swallowed her whole.
Outside, the survivors were fighting back desperately. A few of the armed men had climbed onto the roof of the school bus, their faces half-hidden behind soot and fear. One of them raised a flamethrower, the jet of fire roaring like a dragon as it swept across the night sky, scorching dozens of crows into ashes.
But the victory lasted only seconds. The man barely had time to shout before a crow struck from behind, talons slashing his neck. He toppled from the roof, his body hitting the dirt with a sickening thud. The crows descended again.
Carlos wasn't aboard yet. He had stayed behind to guard the rear. A young girl broke from the group, screaming, sprinting across the sand — and the crows followed, a black storm at her heels.
Carlos ran forward, shielding her with his body. "Stay behind me!" he yelled, raising his rifle.
Then suddenly, a wave of fire arced through the air — uncontrolled, wild. The school bus's flamethrower had gone rogue, spraying flames in random bursts. One of those flames curved dangerously toward Carlos. For a moment, he froze — there was nowhere to run.
But the fire stopped.
It hung in midair.
Carlos blinked, disbelief washing over him. The roaring flame that should have devoured him simply... froze, as if caught by invisible hands. He turned his head slowly.
"Alice..." he whispered.
She stood about ten meters away, her eyes dark and unfocused, her hair stirring though there was no wind. The air around her shimmered, bending faintly like heat rising from asphalt. Her pupils widened — black, endless — and the suspended flame rose upward, as if obeying her will.
The inferno spread. Fire surged into the sky in a vast spiral, engulfing the swarm of crows that filled the air.
"Gua! Gua! Gua—!" The birds' shrieks turned to a chorus of agony.
In seconds, the sky became a burning sea. The stench of scorched feathers and flesh filled the desert night. When the last of the flames faded, only drifting ash remained, descending like black snow.
Alice's body trembled. Her vision blurred. The dizziness hit her like a wave; pain lanced through her skull, deep and splitting.
"Alice!" Carlos ran to her, reaching out.
She gave him a faint smile — a fragile, weary thing — and tried to take a step forward. But before Carlos's hands could reach her, a voice cut through the air, calm and commanding:
"Don't touch her. You can't."
Carlos froze. A shadow blurred across his vision. In the blink of an eye, Alice was gone from where she stood. And three meters away, a figure appeared, holding her in his arms.
Carlos's eyes widened. "You're... you're Jack." His voice shook with disbelief. Panic flickered in his gaze. Why here? Why now?
Jack smiled — a slow, confident grin that didn't reach his eyes. "It's me. Carlos, long time no see." His tone was casual, almost teasing, but the air around him felt heavy, oppressive, as if gravity itself bowed to him.
He brushed a strand of hair away from Alice's forehead, his fingers gentle. The motion was oddly intimate.
Carlos's jaw tightened. The anger in his eyes burned hotter than any flame. "Get your hands off her."
Jack chuckled softly. "Why should I? Carlos, I can understand... you're jealous, aren't you? It's written all over your face. You like Alice, don't you?" His voice dropped into a low, mocking whisper. "How interesting."
"Damn you!" Carlos snarled, raising his gun. "Let her go!"
Jack didn't even flinch. "Anger over a little thing like this? You're still the same." He dragged his fingers lightly across Alice's cheek.
"I'll kill you!" Carlos roared, and fired.
The bullet cut through the air, spinning straight for Jack's head. But before it could hit, Jack's arm blurred — a streak of motion faster than sight — and his hand rose. Two fingers caught the bullet midair.
Carlos's breath hitched. Jack looked down at the crushed metal between his fingers and smiled faintly.
"You should understand by now, Carlos... the difference between us. It's like heaven and earth."
"Damn you!" Carlos shouted, fury choking his throat.
Jack tilted his head, amused. "Relax. I'm not going to kill you. Not today. You can keep struggling for a little while longer. Barely existing suits you."
The contempt in Jack's eyes stung deeper than any wound. Carlos's knuckles went white around his gun. He wanted to lunge, to fight, but his legs wouldn't move. The sheer pressure of Jack's presence pinned him like an invisible weight.
Then another voice broke through. "Stop, Carlos!"
He turned. "Claire!"
Claire Redfield stepped forward, her face tense, her gun half-raised but her tone steady. The sunlight glinted off her red hair, and her gaze locked on Jack. "Who are you?"
Jack tilted his head lazily, the corner of his mouth lifting in an almost playful smirk. "Claire, right? Nice to meet you. I'm Jack. Seems like fate brought us together on such an... interesting day."
Claire's eyes narrowed. "Carlos, you know him?"
Before Carlos could answer, another familiar voice came from behind her. "Carlos..." Jill Valentine walked up, her expression a mixture of disbelief and relief.
Carlos blinked. "Jill — you're alive."
Jill gave a faint smile. "You thought I'd die that easily?"
"Jack!" Another voice gasped — softer, trembling. Everyone turned.
It was Teri. Her eyes widened, disbelief flooding her face.
Jack's smile softened. "Teri... long time no see. Missed me?"
"Jack..." she whispered, before running to him.
Jack gently set Alice down near Jill and opened his arms. "Teri."
"It's really you?" Her voice broke as she threw herself into his embrace.
"It's me. I told you we'd meet again. This time, I'm not leaving." His voice was low, almost tender.
Teri nodded, tears streaking down her cheeks. "Good... good..."
For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath — the soldiers, the survivors, all staring at the strange reunion unfolding before them.
Jill turned away with a sharp scoff, her jaw tight. Unbelievable. Her heart twisted in her chest. That bastard didn't even look at me. After everything... hugging another woman right in front of everyone? She folded her arms, her glare burning into his back. Hateful... arrogant... unforgivable!
"Teri, would you care to explain?" Claire's voice broke through the tense air, her patience clearly thinning.
Teri blinked, suddenly remembering the crowd watching them. She stepped back, hastily wiping her tears, her face flushing. "This... this..." she stammered, unable to form a sentence.
Before she could finish, Carlos's voice boomed across the sand. "Everyone, get back! Don't come any closer! He's a devil!"
Silence fell. The survivors froze, eyes darting between Carlos and the man standing before them — Jack, still smiling faintly, his shadow stretching long beneath the ashen sky.
And above them, the black snow continued to fall — ashes of crows, of death, and perhaps, of what little peace remained in their world.