Black Hills
27th of September, 1997
The rain fell in streams and admitted no view.
On a lonesome forest way, in the middle of the Black Hills, the small vehicle crept over the slushy street. The driver, a swarthy man around sixty, held on desperately in his steering wheel. Only from time to time, he threw a look to the back on the back seat.
About 1 hour ago he had picked up the girl in the street edge. Leeds was a small nest and Pierre, was the name of the driver, came rather seldom here scuffle.
The little one had asked him whether he could take them a piece. Only up to the next place.
The only one to him still known place was Eastville.
This town was to be reached only about a bridge and properly stuck between the mountains. Pierre did not have to pass away before.
He would set down the girl in the street to Eastville and come along home on the way. He was on the move quite too long.
Pierre sighed and smiled at her when she lifted the look and looked at him.
Indeed, only briefly.
He was surprised over and over again as cold these eyes were - a piercing blue which could frighten one confusing and at the same time-.
To him did not want to occur how these dogs were called who had the same eyes like this girl.
It was difficult to estimate like old she was. But Pierre estimated them at beginning Twenty. Maybe she was even younger.
He would bet that she went on the college, as well as his latest daughter Maggie.
Anjelica looked bored from the window of the taxi. She had completely got lost here. Since a whole while she had lost the orientation and wished, she would not have taken this damned rental car which stuck now some miles the street down in a mud hole.
Not sometimes the taxi driver had been able to help her to move proverbially to carts from the mud. This was vain.
Besides, she had just planned to undertake a small tour by a few states to return then again in the college.
Basically she demonstrated herself, however, even something. She had always only planned to drive city to Raccoon. However, for any reason she had missed the exits and had simply gone on. On and on, until nothing more went.
And now she had the salad.
She had landed in the middle of the pampas and did not know where it was.
The taxi driver came as called, however, seemed to get rid now just slantwise of them again fast, how her ex-friends.
Anjelica sighed and put to themselves the earphones of her Walkman on the ears. The jazz music which hummed from the radio prepared only headaches for her.
She looked in her pocket for her purse when the taxi went to the street edge and stopped, finally, in an inlet.
Eastville, 5 miles, in washed out letter stood on a weather-beaten street sign. On the sign there sat the fattest raven, the Anjelica ever saw.
She bent forwards and passed ten dollars of mark to the man. This was everything what she had in cash with herself.
However, the guy shook his head and said something which could not understand, however, Anjelica because of the earphones. She took them again under it. „Please?" she asked him.
„Quite well, Miss walking you the street under it, there comes a bridge and then is Eastville. There one will be able to help them." He smiled embarrassed. „I have to go home." if he said apologetic.
Anjelica nodded and got out, finally.
Hardly she let the door close behind herself, the man gased and shot the street under it.
Anjelica looked up to the sign.
The raven sat there and stared to her under it.
She could see reflecting in his black eyes. This was uncanny. Shudder pushed them the hood of her fed parka over her head and lowered her look again. The rain moistened her lenses.
Then she looked at her sneakers, sometimes sometime knows had been. Now they were covered with a steady grey-black mud mass. With the rain no chance had to dry.
„Dung." if said Anjelica and fiddled around after the red packet of cigarettes which was in one of her jacket pockets. However, when she found them, finally, was no more cigarette in it.
Anjelica cursed once more and threw the crumpled up packet to the road edge. Only now she got on the way again.
This spot on foot.
Not without throwing back one more look.
The raven still looked at them.
And when she turned again to the way, it solidified.
There were even more birds -Ravens, smaller songbirds and pigeons-.
They sat on branches and side stakes of the street as if they were the guards of this area.
And although they worked before moisture completely drenched, they not even stirred.
Anjelica went faster and faster the street under it. Sometime she started to run involuntarily when behind her strange growling was to be heard.
She did not dare to turn round.
Only when the bridge came bit by bit to view, however, it turned round and tore open her eyes.
There stood a dog on the street. His fur hung to him in dripping stripe the body down and dangled disconcerting to and fro. His mouth got up and sharp, bloody teeth bared it fangs when he thrusted again growling and let drip slaver onto the ground.
Anjelica solidified.
‚ Shit.' she thought and grabbed instinctively in her cape pocket. Nevertheless, somewhere she still had the knife which her brother had given her to Christmas.
She had the notebook just felt when the monster dog attacked.
Their shout let the birds climb up and the ravens shrieked angrily.
Somewhere in the town a shot banged and then it was quiet again.
Silence lay about Eastville, South Dakota.
Raccoon city,
Raccoon insurance policy department, office of the S.T.A.R.S.
Wednesday, 01st of October, 1997 - About one year before outbreak
