An eerie, hoarse voice began to monologue:
"A small mid-western town in America: Raccoon City. A solitary island far off in the sea: Rock Fort Island. An island that would become the second Raccoon City: Sheena Island. There are still many unanswered questions about these seemingly unrelated, and yet intensely traumatic events.
"Though it is believed that the international enterprise, Umbrella was somehow involved, little is known as to the origin of this faceless corporation," the voice continued. "When was it established? By whom? And how was the T-Virus created?
"To uncover the truth, we must delve deeper into the events which transpired in the beginning before the mansion incident," it concluded.
XXX
A train traveled through the middle of a forest at night, carrying many passengers to an unseen location. It was seventeen minutes after eight. The passengers either spoke to one another, ate their dinner in silence, slept in their cabins, read newspapers, or wrote in their diaries as they waited for their destination.
"Really?" a man said to the person sitting beside him.
On the other side of the train, a couple sat across from one another at a small, dining table.
"Hmm, do you think so, too?" the woman asked the man who sat across from her.
"Yeah," he replied.
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the train...
"...do about it?" a man asked his friend.
"We should hold off for a while," his friend replied.
"I wonder how those RNP people will react to this?" the first man wondered.
Splattering sounds were suddenly heard.
"Hmm?" a man in glasses uttered, before lowering his newspaper and peering out the window.
Meanwhile, on a nearby cliff, a man, who was barefooted and dressed in a shin-length, white cloak with a blue-colored gem necklace on top, was overlooking the train. He brushed aside a strand of his long, brown hair before raising his hands high above his head. Back on the train, as the man in glasses peered out the window, dozens of slimy creatures rained down, and latched onto the glass, revealing their teeth as they opened their mouths. He gasped as more of them poured down from the sky, then latched onto the window. He stood up, screamed, and then ran away.
The creatures rained down onto the unexpected passengers and train staff from holes in the ceiling. It was never explained how such small creatures could create large holes, let alone reach and fall onto a moving train. The creatures latched onto the train staff and passengers as they panicked and screamed. The train kept on going, despite the attack. The man on the cliff somehow watched the whole attack from afar.
XXX
Two hours later, the S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team helicopter flew above the Raccoon forest. Everyone sat quietly, and barely made any movements.
It began as a simple investigation of some bizarre murders in the suburbs of Raccoon City. Nothing in our training could ever have prepared us for the nightmare that ensued. We never stood a chance, Rebecca thought as if looking back on this event, even though it hasn't happened yet.
She sat by the window inside of the Bravo Team helicopter, staring ahead. She wore a green, short-sleeved shirt which had the S.T.A.R.S. emblem on its left sleeve and the shirt was underneath a white vest that had a giant red cross with white words "Rescue" on the back, green pants with a black belt and a white utility belt, which had medical packs on it; one in the front, the other in the back. She also wore green and white high tops which had black bottoms and laces, and black, fingerless gloves. Rebecca had short, brown hair with bangs covering her forehead. She wore a pair of white earrings, a pink choker on her neck, and a gray watch on her left wrist.
Ugh, another costume description… The rest of her team, and the pilot they hired from the Raccoon Police Department, were silent. As if on cue with the young woman's words, the helicopter's engine blew out. The aircraft shook, startling Bravo Team and the R.P.D. pilot.
"What is going on?" Enrico asked, yelling in the ears of both the pilot and the co-pilot.
Enrico wore a white, short-sleeved shirt with the S.T.A.R.S. emblem on its left sleeve underneath a reddish brown vest which had "S.T.A.R.S." on the back. He also wore black, fingerless gloves, a gray watch on his left wrist, a black belt which had two pouches on the front, military green pants, and black boots. He had short, brown hair with a part in the middle and combed down on the sides, and a thick, brown mustache under his nose.
"Engine failure! Emergency landing!" Edward, the co-pilot, replied.
Edward wore a white, short-sleeved shirt with the S.T.A.R.S. emblem on its left sleeve underneath a blue vest which had "S.T.A.R.S." on the back. He wore black pants, and black boots with black laces. He had short, golden brown hair. He also wore a headset with a mouth piece, and a gray watch on his left wrist. Yep, two costume descriptions that were back to back.
The rest of the Bravo Team wore similar uniforms with the exception of the color of their vests, the color of their shirts, – or, in the case of Forest, a lack thereof – and, as stated earlier, one of them was not wearing fingerless gloves. The helicopter, which was flying smoothly over Raccoon forest a moment go, began to descend. Apparently, Rebecca's words had jinxed them.
"Ugh!" Edward groaned.
The aircraft crashed through the trees, swirling around, knocking branches and leaves off the trees. Bravo Team bounced around, bumping and crashing into one another. After several moments, the helicopter crash landed onto the ground below the trees, surprisingly in one piece.
After some time had passed, Bravo Team decided to exit the wrecked vehicle. Rebecca, who stood in the doorway of the helicopter and was the last one to leave, turned back to Kevin, the R.P.D. pilot, and gave him a thumbs up. He saluted in response. He wore a black, short-sleeved shirt which was underneath a yellow vest. He also wore a large, black helmet with a mouth piece, and large, dark sunglasses.
His pants were… wait, he wasn't wearing any pants! The young medic slid the door shut before Kevin could finish saluting, which was rude but she didn't care. This was the last time anyone would see Kevin alive, anyway. In that sense, Rebecca was sealing his fate. She quickly rejoined her team as they surveyed the immediate area.
"Check the current position and investigate the surrounding area," Enrico commanded.
"For what?" Forest asked.
Enrico narrowed his eyes at him.
"ANYTHING!" he replied, rather harshly. "Besides, you're not supposed to talk."
Forest became silent after that. A moment barely passed before the S.T.A.R.S. rookie said anything.
Gasping, she said, "Captain, look!" and pointed.
Enrico and the rest of Bravo Team turned to see a MP vehicle, half hidden by the darkness surrounding them. Upon closer inspection, Bravo Team discovered the vehicle was overturned. Two dead soldiers lay near it.
"Hmm?" said Enrico as he kneeled down to get a better look at the wreckage.
Someone called out to him:
"Captain!"
Enrico, a bit annoyed at Rebecca for interrupting his inspection, turned to face her.
"Hmm? What happened?" he asked before standing.
As he walked away, slime oozed down the wrecked van. Enrico rejoined his team just as Rebecca brought a clipboard to her face.
"Court order for transportation. Prisoner: Billy Coen, ex-lieutenant, 26 years old. Court martialed and sentenced to death July 22nd. Prisoner is to be transferred to the Ragathon Base for execution…" she read before Edward snatched the clipboard out of her hands.
He held the clipboard in front of himself, probably to get a better look at the photo of the escaped convict.
"Those poor soldiers. They were good men just doing their jobs, and that scum murdered them and escaped!" he said, shaking the clipboard in his hand for emphasis.
Enrico decided it was his turn to snatch the clipboard away.
"Alright, everyone," he began, examining the photo of the escaped convict. "Let's separate and survey the area. Our friend is brutal and ruthless and has a mullet. Keep your guard up!"
Yeah, because mullets could be so deadly… Wait, Forest had his hair styled in a mullet and he's not a criminal!
"Then why are we splitting up?" Kenneth asked.
Enrico narrowed his eyes at him, raising his weapon.
"To find him faster!" he replied before taking a few steps forward.
"But what about Rebecca?" Richard asked.
He looked over at her. Rebecca returned his gaze. As the two young officers held the gaze, Rebecca's cheeks reddened. She turned away shyly. Richard smiled before turning back to their captain.
"She can't go alone. She's only a rookie!" he continued as the smile faded from his face.
"So? This will be a learning experience for her," Enrico told him. "Practice makes perfect, right?"
Richard didn't say anything further. The team split into several one-man groups (which aren't groups since it was only one man – or, in the case of Rebecca, woman – going alone), and headed in different directions. Rebecca wandered through the forest, deciding now to turn on her flashlight. As she headed further and further away from the wrecked MP van and the Bravo Team helicopter, she began to wonder if she made the right choice to go alone. Sure, it was her captain's orders, but as Richard pointed out, she was only a rookie.
This was her first mission since joining S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team, so she had no clue how to apprehend a criminal by herself, let alone an escaped convict out in the middle of the woods late at night. To top it off, he was an ex-marine, which made matters worse for the young medic.
Maybe I won't run into him, Rebecca thought.
She didn't realize in the next ten to fifteen minutes how wrong she would be. The sound of leaves rustling snapped Rebecca out of her thoughts. She pointed her flashlight and pistol in direction from which the sound came from. She titled her head slightly, trying to see what lay ahead. From where she stood she could make out the silhouette of a train.
"A train…" Rebecca muttered, staring at the train, which was stopped on railroad tracks in the middle of the forest.
Without much thought, Rebecca decided to approach the train. As she drew nearer, torrential rain began to pour down on her. She hoped it won't ruin her flashlight, or she won't be able to navigate in the dark.
XXX
The door to safety is shut. There is no turning back…
XXX
Author's note: Well, that was the prologue of "Resident Evil: Divided by Zero." Yes, I know there are other Resident Evil Zero stories that follow the events of the game, but I don't care to be original right now. Besides, I don't have any other fan fiction ideas right now, anyway. Hopefully, I can post chapter one soon. Though, there aren't any guarantees, so don't be surprised if it takes a while before you see the next chapter as I am busy with school at the moment.
Also, as I stated in my recent profile update, this story may not be as long as "Resident Evil 5: Adventures in Africa." Anyway, I hoped you like it… or it'll take me even longer to update!
