Hey everybody. This story was written as a side project and was inspired by the reset release of Resident Evil 7. A lot of research has gone into creating this new story into the Resident Evil universe. It features a lot of different characters with separate storylines set in the same place and time. It is written in the same style as A Song of Ice and Fire, with chapters involving one major character at a time. Some of their respective storylines may intersect, some may not.
If you're here from Who Am I and are following me, please take note that Who Am I is not over and has not ended. I will address my absence in a future Who Am I chapter. This was just something I wanted to write while I took a break from writing fantasy.
I hope you enjoy and don't forget to comment.
"We're lost," she said in that soft, irritated tone that seemed to grow more and more pronounced the closer they seemed to get to their destination. It was like radar; the closer they got the quieter and more irritated she sounded to the point where you could barely hear her over the sound of the booming radio.
Reaching out, he turned down the volume on the car stereo until it was just a dull whisper. He looked at her and frowned. He knew she was right but he kind of wished they could stay lost. The moment they saw the 'Welcome to Missouri' sign, she had gotten like this. The letter from her mom, probably no more than thirty words, max, indicated she needed to come home and say goodbye to her grandmother.
Sure, she wanted to see her grandparents and her dad but her mom she definitely could do without.
"We're not lost," he mumbled back, looking down at the map spread across the center console between them. He could hear her scoff, but he wasn't gonna let it get to him. She was under enough stress as it was and being in this car with an AC that only half worked with seats that weren't what anyone would call luxurious.
She had slipped her sandals off and had her feet dangling out of the window and was propped up on an elbow. She just stared out of the windshield with a blank stare to her face. Occasionally, the wind from the open window would occasionally tousle her long red hair. She didn't seem to notice more often than not. She toyed with the pack of cigarettes in her pocket, wondering if lighting one would make her feel any better.
"We need to stop to ask for directions," she mumbled again.
"Emily, we're not lost," he said, now getting frustrated.
"Then I have to pee," she said, looking out the window. Maybe getting mad at him would make her feel better. She doubted it. Emily was a tall, well defined woman. Well, some people might not even call her a woman. She had just turned twenty-one not even three months ago, and hadn't yet decided to act her age, not her shoe size. She was…average. Average height and weight, average heights, with her most striking features being her long hair and eyes, but when they were pointed out, she would just laugh and say the makeup and shampoo-conditioner combination did most of the work. Not just that, but everything else about her average too. Average grades, average car, and average life. Her mom would say she should be thankful for what she has, but the expensive shoes and clothes, furniture and makeup said otherwise.
He, on the other hand, most people would say was out of her league. Emily was ugly, far from it, but the man currently driving the late model Sonata wasn't exactly a looker. A few days on the road from California with only a few stops to rest in between hadn't done him any favors. Pudgy around the middle, glasses and a 5 o'clock shadow that started showing at 2 PM.
"Alright," he said looking down at the map next to them sighing heavily as some of the longer parts of his dark brown hair fell over his eyes. He would occasionally glance up at the road in front of him.
"I don't…" he mumbled, looking back up the road, tracing the map with a pointer finger.
She huffed waited for him to figure it out. After a minute of him mumbling to himself, she looked up at him, "Tyler, just admit it, we're lost."
"We're not lost, Em," he replied softly.
She looked up at the nearest road sign, peering out over the side of the road. She quickly drew her legs in the car and sat up, "Hey, look, Raccoon City, next exit."
He looked up but the sign was already gone. Flicking on the blinker, he began to pull over to change lanes into the exit lane. He smiled over at Em who looked at him and gave only a half smile back. He reached out and laced his fingers with hers on her closest hand.
"Love you," he said.
She hesitated for a moment but knew he would get upset if she didn't say it back. It's not that she didn't mean it, she just wasn't' in the mood. She had preferred the sign say St. Louis.
"Love you too."
He cruised along the highway until he came closer to the exit. He applied pressure to the brakes as he came to a stoplight.
"Have you ever heard if this place?" Tyler asked.
Emily shook her head, "Nope."
"Well, you lived here a long time, didn't you?"
"Well, yeah, but I didn't spend too much time outside of St. Louis," she said.
"I wonder how far away from the city we are," he mumbled.
She shrugged but was now sitting up on the seat with her shoulders back, looking left to right down the street they had just turned on. It was a quaint, unassuming town that you'd expect to find in the Midwest. She really hoped that was a good sign. Maybe Raccoon City was a suburb of St. Louis and they were really close?
"Find a gas station and some grub," she said.
"Good idea," he said.
It was a very normal town. She was surprised by just how normal it was. Teenagers were yelling in front of a shop back and forth, trying to impress each other by doing tricks on their skateboards on the curb, there was a couple walking a Doberman near a gun shop with a big sign over the door that said 'Kendo'. Tyler pulled the Sonata into a gas station. They both got out of the car, Emily taking a moment to slip her sandals on her feet.
"I'm gonna go ask directions from the clerk," she said.
He followed her into the gas station, the little bell above the door tinkling softly as they entered. Tyler quickly started to make his way towards the candy as Emily walked straight for the counter. She pulled down her tank top that had ridden up in the car and stuffed as much of her hands as she could into her daisy dukes. The attendant looked up from the newspaper he was reading.
"Help you, miss?" he said with a gentle smile.
"We're looking for Interstate 70. We're trying to get to St. Louis," she said.
The attendant visibly winced, "You're on the wrong side of the state. Interstate 70 is just outside of town, if you take the road just outside and hang a right and just follow it, but you're probably four or five hours out of St. Louis."
She sighed and was not looking forward to another several hours in the car, "Alright. Can I get a fill up on two?" she asked pulling out a small wallet from her back pocket. Tyler came up a moment later with a handful of candy bars and a newspaper.
"I got it, babe," he said, paying the clerk and exiting the gas station.
"Huh," Tyler said.
"What?" Emily asked, looking to see what he was staring at.
"Raccoon City, home of Umbrella," Tyler said, "I've heard of them, huge pharmaceutical company."
"Yeah," she said, reaching into the bag and taking out one of the candy bars. "The clerk said it was going to be another four or five hours to St. Louis."
"So we're probably closer to Kansas City," he said, getting into the driver's seat of the Sonata.
"What do you wanna do?" she asked as he pulled out the newspaper.
"Well," he said, glancing over the news paper, "First, real food. There's some place called Burger Kong we can check out."
"That sounds horrible," she said and Tyler nodded with a smile. He continued to look over the paper as the attendant came out to pump their gas.
"Are you up for driving there for four or five hours?" he asked, and the way he asked said that he was hoping she didn't.
Emily sighed and shook her head, "I kind of wanna just turn around and go home. Y'know? I don't really wanna sit in this car for hours all over again."
Tyler became quiet as he became engrossed in an article he was reading in the paper. She waited for a reply, and then peered to see what he was looking it but very quickly lost interest. "Is there anywhere we can stay?" she asked.
Still, he was engrossed in the article he was reading, his eyes scanning back and forth over the paper.
"I kinda wanna fuck you in the car while the attendant watches," she said, hoping that would get his attention, but it seemed the article was more interesting than sex. She reached out and flicked the newspaper, causing to make that loud pop noise.
"Huh? Oh, sorry, babe, I was reading this thing," he said.
"What about?" she asked, scooting closer and leaning against his arm to follow along.
"Where did it…here it is. Raccoon City S.T.A.R.S. officers suspended indefinitely after making wild and unfounded accusations about there being monsters and people coming back from the dead in the Arklay Mountains surrounding Raccoon City. Police Chief Brian Irons said that Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, most notable of the Special Tactics And Rescue Service members would be suspended pending a full investigation of what took place between July twenty-third and twenty-fourth at the Spencer Estate. Police Chief Irons said that the officers involved would be held accountable to the ludicrous accusations against Umbrella. The Police Chief also said that the efforts of the fire fighters who lost their lives in the forest fire resulting from S.T.A.R.S. gross negligence would be posthumously rewarded."
The whole story made the hairs on the back of Emily's neck stand up. She wasn't the biggest fan of cops and the whole thing stank to her. Then again, everything government and police related stank to her. She'd had her run ins with the law during many teenage adventures trying to rebel against her mother's strict upbringing.
"The Spencer Estate…" Tyler started again.
"That's enough," she said. "C'mon, I'm starving, can we go? Maybe we can find a cheap motel for the night and leave in the morning."
Tyler nodded and waved at the attendant as he finished up, starting the Sonata.
"Hey, what's today?" Emily asked.
"Saturday." Tyler said, pulling out of the gas station and turning down the street.
"No, the date, "Emily asked, looking at the newspaper.
The top of the newspaper said September 19th, 1998. She sighed and rolled up the newspaper and shoved it into the plastic bag from the gas station. Tyler would take forever to find a motel because he never stopped to ask for directions.
Raccoon City.
Population: 100,000+
72:00 until viral outbreak.
