***** CHAPTER ONE *****
He sat, lying to himself and mostly praying that everything would just go away. The water in his bath was hot, far beyond discomfort. The nurse had said the heat would burn away all the remnant effects of the virus from his body.
"Why did this happen to me? Why am I still alive?"
The sponge flew across the bathroom, landing with a dull and sickening 'splat' on the wall. He stared at the butter knife that had slid under the door, evidence that she was creating another sandwich from his supper remains. He slid it across the cold tile and, lifting it upward by the blade, presented it to his right hand.
"Nobody else, only me. Life doesn't mean anything. Why am I still living? Death would be way better than sitting on my ass twenty-four hours a day in this damn building."
His grip on the knife, blade now reflecting his right leg, tightened. He stared at it as though he were attempting to transfer his life to it. It was dull, needing much sharpening, but it was so old and used that one or two areas in the teeth had become serrated. The knife fell from his hand and his left caught it blade down. His arm then made an arc and, with a resemblance of an axe hacking at a thick tree, blood slowly dispersed into the scalding water, releasing a horrendous aroma.
He felt no real pain, but stared in awe at what he had just done. The knife handle was sticking out of the slash, slanted slightly upward. The teeth were hidden beneath the skin an entire quarter inch into the bone of his shin. Butterflies flew about in his stomach, forcing him to lean forward, and he vomited, leaving small green-and-pink chunks dripping from his mouth. A small second later he repeated, this time blood dripping from his mouth.
Hearing off-natural noises from the bathroom, the nurse quickly swiped the key from her key ring and unlocked the door. She shuffled him out of the tub, allowing the trash can to guide his way and block his aim as another flow came, purely of blood. She wiped his mouth and whipped out a serum from one rear pocket and the needle from the other and quickly combined them. The needle pierced his arm, allowing the dark blue liquid to flow into his bloodstream. The man instantaneously settled down. She lifted him, dressed him, and tossed him haphazardly onto the bed face down. Few seconds later, his heart ceased function.
***************
Another odd sound was emitted from outside.
"What is it, daddy?" A young girl appeared on the stairwell.
"Oh, baby, it's probably nobody. Go on back to bed. I'll take care of it, don't you worry.
He gently shoved the young girl out into the next room and snatched the shotgun from above the fireplace. He cracked the door open. When he saw nobody, he opened the chain lock and opened the door. "Hello?"
A figure emerged from the right side of the door, from behind the bushes. He repeated himself. No real response came from the pale shadow, now in front of the door. Only an inhuman moan escaped from what seemed to be the back of his throat. The figure's eyes seemed to look everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Since there was no iris or pupil visible in its eye, the man could not possibly know where the shadowed creature was looking.
His heart began a crescendo. "Get the hell away from my house! If you come any closer, I'll . . . " He raised his shotgun and aimed at the shadow's chest, tyring to hide his fear.
Again, only a moan, this time echoed from behind him. Another figure appeared behind the mysterious visitor. The man, still with his shotgun fixed on the doorway shadow, listened carefully, hearing his young daughter in the next room speaking in her cute, high voice, now with a hint of fear. The rich voice of his wife responding. As he listened, focusing more on the outside now, more inhuman moans reverberated off the many walls of the city. He blinked and returned his attention to the shadows on the sidewalk and in the doorway, which were swaying carelessly from side to side, which he had not taken note of before. Fear suddenly swept his gut and the pain of terror gripped his throat as he gasped for his breath . . .
***************
"WAAAAAAAH!"
The nurse toppled backwards and landed on her rear; it seems that is only thing she can land on, having so much of it. She scrambled to the side of her landing zone and peeled off the cloth she was using to clean off his mouth and chest.
"Good morning to you too, Kai! I hope you had a pleasant sleep."
As he regained his breath, Kai began to focus on his surroundings, mainly the ball of white hospital uniform on the floor, scrambling to rise to its feet. His breathing became normal and his heart rate recessed. He finally saw the pink blob of a face and immediately recognized her as his nurse.
She was very large, with huge blue-green eyes that had a gaze powerful enough to make the strongest, most secure man uncomfortable once they locked with his. Her short stature acted as a mirror, doubling the cellulose on her body. The outfit she wore was neat and pressed, slightly tinged with a dark pink color in places from the surgical procedures she assisted with below. The bright red tag over her heart revealed that she was definitely affiliated with the Umbrella Medical Facility downtown. It read:
"THISBE, YOLANDA"
"UMF / CHICAGO, IL"
"RANK C-3 NURSE"
"ID#: 55211"
She finally reached her feet and straightened her uniform. She flashed a menacing look at Kai and retreated out of the room and into the kitchen in a huff. As the door closed, Kai scrambled to the side of the bed. Quickly, he snatched the remote from the table and clicked on the television. With much anxiety, he changed the channel to the Raccoon Broadcasting Superstation. The screen was a chase of rainbow colors in thick vertical lines, indicating that the station was off the air. Hunter sighed and ran his fingers through his short brown hair. It really did happen, didn't it? He thought. But why to me? Why was my family taken, but not me with them? He sat quietly for an elongated period of time, staring at the colors of the television.
Yolanda returned with a familiar cart, this time of breakfast in place of yesterday's supper. "You wouldn't believe what I went through to get this all the way up to your room! You can be such a pain!"
He shifted his view and analyzed the figure preparing the food. As the lid was lifted, the pungent scent of fried steak, sauce, gravy, and baked-in spices filled the room and gagged Kai. It was a wonderful smell, but it was so thick that it made the air around seem as a dense liquid. Yolanda wheeled the table over and stuck a knife into the bone with a smack, bringing back memories from last night. "Eat, Kai." She left in a hurry.
Kai pulled the knife out of the meat and slid it across the plate. He stared at it and gained a feeling of deja vou. He gently placed the knife onto the plate by the broccoli and lifted the herb mixture and dumped it into his water. He stirred the concoction gently and slowly as he, again, averted his gaze to the television. The screen was now blank, but still accompanied with the high-pitched buzz of electronic life.
The word 'live' appeared on the top right-hand corner of the screen and a still photo of a large mushroom cloud enveloped the darkness of the screen. Kai immediately knew that this photo was on every channel and, indeed, was Raccoon City.
"And now we have a rather unfortunate turn of events. The President . . . "
Kai heard no more. He had fainted to the back of his mind and had reentered his memories of September 27.
***************
The figure was moving into the house. Absentmindedly, Kai pulled the trigger on the Remington M1100 and pieces of human body flew into the yard and smacked against the wall near the door. The figure behind had taken the concentration of the blast, while the nearest took the force. The figure behind was now missing its head, yet it still moved slowly toward him. A short second later, he felt the rough tug of someone falling on his pant leg. Half of the figure in front was gripping his pants, giving no sign of release. How is it still alive? Its legs are out on the front lawn! It opened its mouth preparing to sink what was left of its teeth into his right leg. Acting purely on instinct, and in fear of the young girl in the back room crying, wondering what was going on with her father, Kai lifted his right leg, dragging the man's half with it. The half's head was directly below his foot, and he sharply lowered his leg.
From the aftermath, it looked as if the half's head was softer than a normal human's. Blood, fresh from the half's brain, stained the carpet and, slowly, the stain grew. Kai slammed his back against the far wall, breathing irregularly. His astonishment was equaled only by his fear of the creature.
"Kai, what was that?! I heard some . . . "
She saw the mess, gasped, and her face blanched. Kai quickly hurried to her aid, preparing to break her fall and hurry her out the basement door and into the street, but the creatures in the kitchen had other plans for him and his family. Kai's daughter was lying on the floor, a creature leaning over her and his son beating on the attacker. Finally, the creature noticed the incessant banging on its head, and it lunged at the boy...
He sat, lying to himself and mostly praying that everything would just go away. The water in his bath was hot, far beyond discomfort. The nurse had said the heat would burn away all the remnant effects of the virus from his body.
"Why did this happen to me? Why am I still alive?"
The sponge flew across the bathroom, landing with a dull and sickening 'splat' on the wall. He stared at the butter knife that had slid under the door, evidence that she was creating another sandwich from his supper remains. He slid it across the cold tile and, lifting it upward by the blade, presented it to his right hand.
"Nobody else, only me. Life doesn't mean anything. Why am I still living? Death would be way better than sitting on my ass twenty-four hours a day in this damn building."
His grip on the knife, blade now reflecting his right leg, tightened. He stared at it as though he were attempting to transfer his life to it. It was dull, needing much sharpening, but it was so old and used that one or two areas in the teeth had become serrated. The knife fell from his hand and his left caught it blade down. His arm then made an arc and, with a resemblance of an axe hacking at a thick tree, blood slowly dispersed into the scalding water, releasing a horrendous aroma.
He felt no real pain, but stared in awe at what he had just done. The knife handle was sticking out of the slash, slanted slightly upward. The teeth were hidden beneath the skin an entire quarter inch into the bone of his shin. Butterflies flew about in his stomach, forcing him to lean forward, and he vomited, leaving small green-and-pink chunks dripping from his mouth. A small second later he repeated, this time blood dripping from his mouth.
Hearing off-natural noises from the bathroom, the nurse quickly swiped the key from her key ring and unlocked the door. She shuffled him out of the tub, allowing the trash can to guide his way and block his aim as another flow came, purely of blood. She wiped his mouth and whipped out a serum from one rear pocket and the needle from the other and quickly combined them. The needle pierced his arm, allowing the dark blue liquid to flow into his bloodstream. The man instantaneously settled down. She lifted him, dressed him, and tossed him haphazardly onto the bed face down. Few seconds later, his heart ceased function.
***************
Another odd sound was emitted from outside.
"What is it, daddy?" A young girl appeared on the stairwell.
"Oh, baby, it's probably nobody. Go on back to bed. I'll take care of it, don't you worry.
He gently shoved the young girl out into the next room and snatched the shotgun from above the fireplace. He cracked the door open. When he saw nobody, he opened the chain lock and opened the door. "Hello?"
A figure emerged from the right side of the door, from behind the bushes. He repeated himself. No real response came from the pale shadow, now in front of the door. Only an inhuman moan escaped from what seemed to be the back of his throat. The figure's eyes seemed to look everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Since there was no iris or pupil visible in its eye, the man could not possibly know where the shadowed creature was looking.
His heart began a crescendo. "Get the hell away from my house! If you come any closer, I'll . . . " He raised his shotgun and aimed at the shadow's chest, tyring to hide his fear.
Again, only a moan, this time echoed from behind him. Another figure appeared behind the mysterious visitor. The man, still with his shotgun fixed on the doorway shadow, listened carefully, hearing his young daughter in the next room speaking in her cute, high voice, now with a hint of fear. The rich voice of his wife responding. As he listened, focusing more on the outside now, more inhuman moans reverberated off the many walls of the city. He blinked and returned his attention to the shadows on the sidewalk and in the doorway, which were swaying carelessly from side to side, which he had not taken note of before. Fear suddenly swept his gut and the pain of terror gripped his throat as he gasped for his breath . . .
***************
"WAAAAAAAH!"
The nurse toppled backwards and landed on her rear; it seems that is only thing she can land on, having so much of it. She scrambled to the side of her landing zone and peeled off the cloth she was using to clean off his mouth and chest.
"Good morning to you too, Kai! I hope you had a pleasant sleep."
As he regained his breath, Kai began to focus on his surroundings, mainly the ball of white hospital uniform on the floor, scrambling to rise to its feet. His breathing became normal and his heart rate recessed. He finally saw the pink blob of a face and immediately recognized her as his nurse.
She was very large, with huge blue-green eyes that had a gaze powerful enough to make the strongest, most secure man uncomfortable once they locked with his. Her short stature acted as a mirror, doubling the cellulose on her body. The outfit she wore was neat and pressed, slightly tinged with a dark pink color in places from the surgical procedures she assisted with below. The bright red tag over her heart revealed that she was definitely affiliated with the Umbrella Medical Facility downtown. It read:
"THISBE, YOLANDA"
"UMF / CHICAGO, IL"
"RANK C-3 NURSE"
"ID#: 55211"
She finally reached her feet and straightened her uniform. She flashed a menacing look at Kai and retreated out of the room and into the kitchen in a huff. As the door closed, Kai scrambled to the side of the bed. Quickly, he snatched the remote from the table and clicked on the television. With much anxiety, he changed the channel to the Raccoon Broadcasting Superstation. The screen was a chase of rainbow colors in thick vertical lines, indicating that the station was off the air. Hunter sighed and ran his fingers through his short brown hair. It really did happen, didn't it? He thought. But why to me? Why was my family taken, but not me with them? He sat quietly for an elongated period of time, staring at the colors of the television.
Yolanda returned with a familiar cart, this time of breakfast in place of yesterday's supper. "You wouldn't believe what I went through to get this all the way up to your room! You can be such a pain!"
He shifted his view and analyzed the figure preparing the food. As the lid was lifted, the pungent scent of fried steak, sauce, gravy, and baked-in spices filled the room and gagged Kai. It was a wonderful smell, but it was so thick that it made the air around seem as a dense liquid. Yolanda wheeled the table over and stuck a knife into the bone with a smack, bringing back memories from last night. "Eat, Kai." She left in a hurry.
Kai pulled the knife out of the meat and slid it across the plate. He stared at it and gained a feeling of deja vou. He gently placed the knife onto the plate by the broccoli and lifted the herb mixture and dumped it into his water. He stirred the concoction gently and slowly as he, again, averted his gaze to the television. The screen was now blank, but still accompanied with the high-pitched buzz of electronic life.
The word 'live' appeared on the top right-hand corner of the screen and a still photo of a large mushroom cloud enveloped the darkness of the screen. Kai immediately knew that this photo was on every channel and, indeed, was Raccoon City.
"And now we have a rather unfortunate turn of events. The President . . . "
Kai heard no more. He had fainted to the back of his mind and had reentered his memories of September 27.
***************
The figure was moving into the house. Absentmindedly, Kai pulled the trigger on the Remington M1100 and pieces of human body flew into the yard and smacked against the wall near the door. The figure behind had taken the concentration of the blast, while the nearest took the force. The figure behind was now missing its head, yet it still moved slowly toward him. A short second later, he felt the rough tug of someone falling on his pant leg. Half of the figure in front was gripping his pants, giving no sign of release. How is it still alive? Its legs are out on the front lawn! It opened its mouth preparing to sink what was left of its teeth into his right leg. Acting purely on instinct, and in fear of the young girl in the back room crying, wondering what was going on with her father, Kai lifted his right leg, dragging the man's half with it. The half's head was directly below his foot, and he sharply lowered his leg.
From the aftermath, it looked as if the half's head was softer than a normal human's. Blood, fresh from the half's brain, stained the carpet and, slowly, the stain grew. Kai slammed his back against the far wall, breathing irregularly. His astonishment was equaled only by his fear of the creature.
"Kai, what was that?! I heard some . . . "
She saw the mess, gasped, and her face blanched. Kai quickly hurried to her aid, preparing to break her fall and hurry her out the basement door and into the street, but the creatures in the kitchen had other plans for him and his family. Kai's daughter was lying on the floor, a creature leaning over her and his son beating on the attacker. Finally, the creature noticed the incessant banging on its head, and it lunged at the boy...