Just a little not-so-fun fact about myself: I don't like zombies. Not just because they're scary and nightmare-inducing but also because I don't see a lot of fun in stories involving zombies (people die except most of the heroes, and all that).
Yet, Resident Evil is the one zombie-related franchise that actually caught my attention. I guess it's the charming characters that won me over - Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, Ada Wong, etc. - well, them and the RE2 Remake's Mr. X (*cue X 'Gon Give It To Ya*). I'm still not a fan of the zombies, but now I'm sort of a Resident Evil fan. And that's why I started this story.
Please enjoy.
Leave a review after reading, if you like. Feedback is always appreciated.
Aboard an airplane exiting Wisconsin and flying to D.C. is one Leon S. Kennedy. He chose a window seat specifically just to look out the window and reflect on his life, like he usually does. Considering what he has gone through for the past couple of decades, he has nothing to do in his free time but think.
"If you told this 21-year-old rookie cop in Raccoon City that his future was gonna be full of shooting zombies and combating bioterrorism, he might've laughed. But that was 18 years ago and that rookie is no longer a rookie. He's now a special agent working for the U.S. Government, who has been doing nothing but shooting zombies and combating bioterrorism. Hell of a life, huh? Trust me. It's no thrill in the movies, and it's definitely no thrill in real life. Lost a lot of good people in these wars, and I had to witness those losses with my own eyes. But I can't do this forever, even if I need to. I look in the mirror and remind myself that I'm not that young anymore. At my age, most people would either be already married or looking for someone special. Well, you can say I have my eye on someone special, but... it's complicated."
The plane stops at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Leon gets off and stands in the middle of the terminal for a minute, staring at the blue sky out the window. He was in no rush anyway, so he can take his time, linger at any place for as long as he can. Too bad the world can't be as beautiful as the skies above, Leon joked in his head. The threat of bioterrorism still continues even after the fall of Umbrella. It's a matter of who and when. Leon would prefer not to think about it too hard.
Leon turned around to leave, only to bump into someone who was on the phone. To his surprise, it wasn't just some random person. It was someone he knew. Someone who he hasn't seen in a long time.
"Claire?"
"Leon?"
Claire had stopped talking to whoever she was talking to on the phone, all because of the surprise she felt in seeing the blonde ex-cop who she remembered fighting alongside with during the viral disaster in Raccoon City. Leon too felt like his brain was turning off slowly. To see Claire again, it was more than just a pleasant feeling. The special agent and the biker enthusiast just stare longingly at each other, neither one attempting to say a word, probably due to the awkward way they "bumped" into each other.
Leon couldn't help but admire how beautiful Claire still looks after all these years. While you can see that she's definitely grown from the cute biker he met from 18 years ago, it's easy to mistake her as someone younger than her own age. Not that it's a bad thing. Claire is, for sure, still just as pretty, if not more, as she was from long ago.
And Claire can think the same of Leon. The man is almost 40, but she can still see the youth in his face... or maybe it's just the haircut. Same as before, just slightly longer with some golden locks half-covering his right eye. She even leaned a little to the right just to see the rest of his face. The boy went from that cute and naive police officer to... how would she describe his looks now?
"Claire? Claire? Claire, do you hear me?" The person on the other side of Claire's phone asked.
"Um... uh... I have to go. I'll call you later," said Claire.
Claire awkwardly hangs up the phone, bringing her attention back to her fellow Raccoon City survivor. He finally smiled (a little smile, but it counts), so she did as well.
"Boyfriend?" Leon teased, referring to her phone call.
"Moira," Claire corrected. "She agreed to cover for me at TerraSave while I'm here."
"And what are you doing here in D.C.?" asked Leon.
"I'm here to see the President," said Claire. "Being the new head of TerraSave requires so much, you know."
"The job fitting you well?" asked Leon.
"More or less. Truth be told, I'd rather be fighting a horde of zombies than a skyscraper of paperwork... not that I'm saying I want another bioterrorist attack," said Claire. "I almost quit after what happened with Neil and She-Wesker - Barry's words, not mine - but then I was offered the position and Moira couldn't let me pass it up. I had to accept it, for her, for Barry, for everyone who needed my help."
"Well, TerraSave couldn't ask for a better leader," Leon complimented.
"So, what brings you here? Is there another bioterror attack coming? Did I come to the wrong airport again?" Claire asked.
"Thankfully not," said Leon.
"So, I guess this means we finally meet under normal circumstances," said Claire.
"Thank God," Leon said, relieved.
"Feels weird, but it feels better," said Claire.
Feeling overwhelmed by the awkward atmosphere, Claire attempts to distract herself by opening the folder in her had and checking the files inside, even though she already knew all the details inside. When her eyes briefly glanced at him, she decided to walk away. Leon felt something spike inside him, not wanting Claire to walk away.
"Hey," Leon called suddenly.
Claire stopped and looked back at Leon, who seemed unsure of what to say. The next thing that came out of his mouth, he didn't know where it came from but he said it anyway.
"Are you free this afternoon?" He asked.
"Well, I don't meet with the President until tonight, so probably," said Claire.
"How about lunch? Whatever you want, wherever you like. I'll pay for everything, if you want," Leon offered.
"You sure?" asked Claire.
"My job sucks, but I get paid well," said Leon. "So, no problem. Besides, we haven't seen each other in a while. We might as well take advantage of this little reunion."
"Um, sure," Claire agreed. "There's this fancy place here in D.C. I always wanted to try out. I was gonna go there after meeting with the President, but, well, you're here now."
"Point the way, Ms. Redfield," Leon said flippantly.
"And I shall, Mr. Kennedy," Claire said playfully.
Later that afternoon, Claire led Leon to a fancy restaurant that was pretty expensive, but Leon still insisted on paying for everything. Good thing Claire wasn't in the mood for a heavy lunch, so Leon won't be paying that big of a bill later. Still, she enjoyed teasing him with the restaurant's prices, and Leon could do nothing but be amused by the redhead's sense of humor. Almost 20 years older from when they first met and she still likes to act a bit like a woman-child around him. But Claire's merry personality is one of the things that Leon admires the most about her.
"So, how have you been, Mr. Special Agent?" asked Claire. "Seen any new zombies lately?"
"Not since Lanshiang," said Leon. "It's just been simple special agent tasks from the President these past three years."
"Sounds like it's been boring for you these past three years," Claire guessed, judging from his tone.
"Yeah, sorry if I don't have any exciting stories to share," said Leon.
"Well, same here," said Claire. "It's just paperwork and trying to make sure Moira doesn't curse and swear during meetings."
"I can see why you miss the zombies," Leon joked.
"Missing them and wanting them back are two different things," Claire replied. "But enough about B.O.W.s. What's next for Leon Scott Kennedy?"
Leon snickered. Hearing someone addresses him with his middle name included, he couldn't help but laugh a little. But then he thought about her question. What is next for Leon Kennedy? Is he just supposed to fight bioterrorism until his hair turns grey? He was thinking about this back on the plane, and Claire has him thinking about it again.
"I don't know, really," Leon said with melancholy. "You?"
"Me neither," Claire admitted sadly.
The two continued to eat their meals. However, the change of mood since the start of their meal has affected the rate their eating. For Leon, it's because he's going through an existential crisis. For Claire, it's the overwhelmingly awkward tension between her and Leon. Just as she glanced at him, he looked at her as well. Cue the long stare that only fed into the awkwardness surrounding them like a tear gas grenade just exploded.
"You do know what this looks like, right?" Claire asked.
"A man and a woman in a fancy restaurant talking about their lives and joking around, yeah, pretty much," Leon replied.
Claire smiled awkwardly and said, "I know we're just catching up, but I'm getting a different vibe here."
"I never did take you out on that first date, didn't I?" Leon said flirtatiously.
Claire laughed as she remembered. Eighteen years ago. Just escaped Raccoon City with Leon and Sherry. Sherry asked if she and Leon were "boyfriend and girlfriend," to which they gawkily answered with a no. Oh, how young and awkward they were back then. Had they stayed together for the entirety of that infamous night, it would've felt more like a first date.
"Well, I was busy taking care of Sherry and you were busy fooling around with that Ada Wong girl," said Claire.
"I wouldn't say we were... fooling around... it was just the one kiss," Leon replied nervously.
"I'm guessing Raccoon City wasn't the last time you saw her," Claire figured. "China?"
"It's complicated," Leon evaded.
"Complicated in a way that talking about it makes you tense?" Claire teased.
"You're not gonna drop it, are you?" Leon asked with an annoyed smile.
"I just never thought Leon Kennedy would be such a lady killer," Claire teased further. "Angela. This Ada woman. Who knows how many more?"
"Are you counting yourself?" Leon teased back.
"In your dreams, Kennedy," Claire denied. "But if you really want that first date, keep dreaming."
Leon sighs before saying, "Claire, I think..."
Leon is cut off when something dropped into the restaurant from the ceiling and crashed onto a table, crushing the two people dining on said table. Everyone was shocked as they eyed what appeared to be a big metal box.
"What the hell?" Claire wondered, shocked.
The small red light on the box turned green as it opened. To everyone's horror, inside the box were a bunch of zombies. Dead skin, lifeless eyes, bleeding teeth, and animalistic groaning. Yup, it's zombies. Seven of them, if you were counting. After picking themselves up from the crash, they wasted no time lunging towards anyone with living flesh, prompting everyone to run for their lives.
"I think they missed you, too, Claire," Leon joked.
"Not funny," said Claire.
Three men and two women were unlucky as the zombies bit their necks first and ripped the skin off their bodies with their teeth. One guy who stupidly cornered himself got bitten on the nose first. Fortunately, the rest of this guy's face was saved when the zombie biting his nose was shot in the side of the head.
It was Leon, armed with his .45 Wing Shooter. Claire herself was armed, too, with a .38 ACP.
"Always prepared, huh, Agent Kennedy?" asked Claire.
"So are you, Ms. Redfield," Leon replied formally.
While everyone runs out of the restaurant, Leon and Claire stay to fight the zombies. It is what they do, after all.
Leon shoots Zombies #2 and #3 in the heads with quick ease. Zombie #4 was about to grab a kitchen chef, but Leon shoots it in the head before it could. Zombie #5 was about to bite Leon from behind, but its groaning gave its position away. Leon turns around, shoves the end of his gun into its open mouth, and pulls the trigger, blowing a hole through the back of its head. He added a bullet to #5's head just in case.
Claire helps a high-heels-wearing woman on her feet and towards the exit. Zombie #6 makes its way towards the younger Redfield. She kicks it away from her before shooting it through its brain. Zombie #7 lunges at her, but she swerves to the side, leaving it to aimlessly stumble towards nothing but air. She quickly puts a bullet in its head before it could turn around.
"Is that all?" asked Claire.
"That's all of them," Leon confirmed.
"What the hell just happened?" Claire wondered, still in shock. "And where did that crate come from?"
Leon investigates the crate. It was made of steel, a little rusty, and seemed to have been opened remotely. But what he found next shocked him more than the sudden appearances of the zombies.
"I think you should take a look at this," said Leon.
Claire stands next to Leon and looks at whatever he is looking. She too became shocked by what he saw. There was a symbol on the box. A reminder of the worst night of their lives. A symbol that can trigger your worst nightmares.
"Umbrella?"
Meanwhile, somewhere else in D.C., DSO Agent Sherry Birkin was about to leave her apartment and head to DSO Headquarters. She just received word that Leon had returned to D.C. and she planned to meet up with him later. As she packed her belongings, she checked her phone, hoping to get a message from a certain someone. So far, no new message yet from Jake Mueller. He must be busy, she thought. It's been three years since they last saw each other, and she hasn't paid him the $50 he asked for (It was supposed to be $50 million, but their journey together compelled him to change his mind).
"Well, wherever you are, I hope you're safe," said Sherry.
Just as Sherry was about to walk out the door, someone knocked. Sherry looks through the peephole, but all she saw is black clothing. Whoever is at the door must be really tall for her not to see his face through the peephole.
Sherry decides to open the door, only to be shocked and horrified by what she saw. Flashbacks to Raccoon City arise as she gazes upon a face that horrified her just as much as all the horrors she encountered on that very night.
"Oh, my God," Sherry muttered with fear.
Standing there in his dark trench coat and fedora with that blank expression on his wrinkly grey face...
A Tyrant of the T-103 series, a.k.a. Mr. X.
Well, that was quite the start. A lunch date ruined by zombies. A memory from the past wearing a nice hat coming to haunt Sherry. Only in Resident Evil, am I right?
So, what do you think of this first chapter? Don't be afraid to let me know what you think.