Katherine Azure's head was pounding as she carefully drove through the snowy roads in the mountains of Vermont. Not do to any natural cause, unless her brother counted. Russ was blasting rock music from the stereo.
"Would you mind," She said, grinding her teeth, "turning off that music before we have an off-road trip?"
"Sorry," Russ said. He twisted a knob, and blissful silence filled the car.
"How far to the border?" Russ asked. They were on the way to Canada.
Katherine looked over for a second. "Two hours." She returned her attention to the road. "You didn't have to come, you know. You could have stayed in Tahoe."
"Yea, I could have," Russ said, flipping the pages of a novel. "But, you would have been killed."
Katherine gave a short laugh. Very true, she admitted silently. She looked back at the road, slowing down for a corner. Lo and behold, there was someone standing in the middle the road up ahead. Kath let out a few choice words and swerved to avoid him. Blam! Blam! The man fired twice, hitting the back tires, successfully popping them. She tried to apply the brakes, but ended up going through the guardrail. The vehicle slammed into a tree, and she and Russ blacked out.
A few minutes later…
Kathy looked around, regaining consciousness. How long was I out? She wondered. She was lying in snow. She looked at the windshield. There was a hole in the driver's side. She must have been thrown clear. Amazing she was still alive.
"Slowly, Ms. Azure," a voice said. "A small mistake could end your lives. It would almost be tragic."
The man from the road was standing next to the car, a revolver next to Russ's temple. Russ was silent, fear on his face.
Kath reached a hand slowly into her pocket, her fingers grasping a butterfly knife. She folded it, then hesitated. It wasn't a throwing knife by any means. What the heck? She mused. She hurled the knife at him. He stepped backwards, firing twice. One round hit the knife, shattering it. The other grazed Kath's hand. She shrieked in pain.
"Should have taken my advice," the man said. He took out a folder, and tossed it disdainfully at Kath. It landed a foot or so away, resting in the snow.
"My employers need you to eliminate these two people," he said. "They are in the town several miles down the road."
"Why should I?" shouted Kath, clenching her hand.
The man sighed, "Because I will kill your brother if you do not. I will release him if you succeed. I'll take him with me for now, though. Now, onto business. Take the file and this-"He took out a flare and tossed it onto the file "-and head back up to the road. Your partner will meet you. Best of luck." He took Russ out of the car, tossed him over one shoulder, and started climbing up the hillside. Kath could hear a vehicle start, and they were gone.
Katherine numbly bandaged her hand with a few shred of cloth from her shirt. After retrieving her coat from the backseat of the car, she hiked up the side of the hill and found the road. She activated the flare and dropped it on the road, then took a look at the file.
Two well-made profiles were inside. She looked at the names. Jill Valentine, and Eric Talyor. She closed it up, a wave of sudden depression hitting her. I can't do this, she thought, wiping away a tear.
A pickup slowed to a stop in front of her, and the passenger door opened. She hesitantly stepped forward and looked into the car. The driver, a muscular blonde guy with green eyes, looked over casually.
"Are you Katherine Azure?" said the driver looking at Kath.
"Yeah," she said, brushing the hair out of the way, "and who are you?"
He smiled, "the name's Will O'Brien."
She took a seat, closing the door behind herself, and the truck moved on down the snowy road.
---------------------------
Shane shivered, and pulled his hoof tighter. The light snow covering everything was bitterly cold. Shane risked a look back. That big guy was still following him. Shane walked faster, and ducked into an alleyway, crouching behind a dumpster. He strained to listen. Footsteps came by, then stopped. Shane looked around, and seized a chunk of asphalt and jumped out to throw it. Unfortunately, he jumped out right in front of the guy chasing him. A fist hit him in the nose. He heard a cracking sound, and suddenly felt great pain.
"Fuck!" Shane yelled, holding his nose and stumbling back. The man picked him up his shirt collar.
"You will come with me," the man said, in a thick Russian accent.
"Get the hell off me, man!" Shane screamed angrily, as he was carried by collar down the alleyway. A van pulled up, and the side door opened automatically. The Russian tossed him in like a sack of potatoes.
Shane looked up, "What do you want with me?"
The Russian pulled a tranquilizer gun and shot him in the neck.
"Son of a Bi…." Shane fell over.
-----------------------------------------------
Mitzukie blinked a few times, waking up. She been shot with a tranquilizer gun while walking along, and collapsed. She tasted something in her mouth. Blood, she realized. She looked around, her eyes adjusting to the darkness, assessing the situation. She was tied to a chair, naked. In a dark room. This is not good, she concluded. A man was sitting next to the door, smoking.
The door swung open, and someone new stepped in, letting in some light. Mitzukie squinted, getting a better look at the newcomer. He was tall, blond, wearing a small pair of dark sunglasses. He looked her over.
"Why is she naked?" He asked the smoker, a tone of disgust in his voice.
The smoker smiled. "I had some fun."
The newcomer let out a small sigh, and smoothly took a powerful Colt 1911 handgun, sometimes called the Killer 7. The other man stood nervously. The newcomer shot him in one knee, the several times in the chest.
"My apologies," the man said. He walked behind the chair and cut the ropes. "Down the hall is a shower and a change of clothing. I suggest you use them." He opened the door to leave.
"Wait," Mitzuki said, "who are you and what do you want?"
He glanced back. "My name is Albert Wesker, not that it should mean anything to you. As for what I want," Wesker said. "You will find that out soon enough."