Author's Note: And here it is, a new story I'm working on hard, just so you know. I warn you, this is a SPIN-OFF from RE2, kinda taking the situation into my own hands. Be at peace, my friends, as you might be wondering... "How the heck will everything be turned around?" You'll see, and I say there's nothing supernatural in this story; everything is related to everything, no need to worry. Also, I'll be updating this weekly, because I don't have a lot of time. I have a few chapters ready so I'll be posting them without interruptions.

This story contains at the beginning sections from both scenarios Claire A and Leon B, but several things are changed for this one to make sense. I repeat, it is a spin-off. And a bit of romance (a bit, I ask myself? xDD), drama... and yeah, general genres. And last, but not least, I would like to dedicate this story to the best Cleon writer ever (from my point of view, you might hold another) Hobohunter, because there are surprises on this one *winks eye*

Without anything else, enjoy!^^

Resident Evil Untold Stories: Beginnings

1

Insanity

Annette pulled herself out of the water with just one arm, her right side and shoulder as if screaming at her to stay put. Enduring the pain, she stood up and, unable to hold her balance for long, she staggered and collided with her back against the wall, exhausted. She fell and sat, saw her shoulder bleeding profusely, strips of cloth hanging from her tattered lab coat. The damp, along with the wet clothes that stuck to her body, made her start trembling, the cold breeding tiredness, her tiredness breeding determination, solid determination to put an end to everything that was going on. She would blow everything up, and that Ada Wong with everything… she would get her daughter out of the city, escape, survive.

She carefully lowered her lab coat and shirt, exposing the swollen and bleeding wound at her shoulder. There were glass shards stuck in it, gleaming like rubies, stained with her blood and looking difficult to get out. She winced as she made an attempt to grab one with her fingertips, but it stung too much, and the last thing she needed was an infection. She would make it back to level five, she would. Annette's head slumped backwards, touching the cool, humid wall, and she swallowed hard as her breaths became shorter and quicker. With a grunt of exertion, she lifted herself up and to her feet again, her blue eyes fixing themselves upon the door. She started walking towards it, keeping her balance much better, and as the door opened at the keys' command, she smiled, a humourless smile growing across her lips.

It wasn't until she bumped her hand with the wall that she noticed her fingers still clutching the gun's handle. How many bullets were left, she didn't know; what she did know was that, if she came to see Ada again, one of those bullets was going through her brow. Annette would delight to see the spy's head surrounded in a pool of her own blood. Sadistic thoughts, those could be, but that would overwhelm the pain she had suffered all that time, after her eyes had found the lab room empty, William's blood spattered on the desk. She had called for him, but she received no reply; she had looked for him, but didn't see him: he had vanished without a trace. Soon, Annette caught glimpse of him through a surveillance camera, and witnessed an abomination linger in the halls.

No, not 'abomination'… he's my husband… he's still alive!

Her inner voice soon contradicted her, but Annette silenced it, convinced by her earlier thoughts. All of that thinking made her feel sick and she leaned against the wall again, her blond tresses falling in front of her face. Beads of sweat slid down her brow and temples, and a knot formed in her stomach. The pain was killing her, but she refused to give up; even if it hurt, she wouldn't submit to the pain… she was determined to continue. Her mind could just think about that, was only driven by that: determination, almost blind determination. Annette wasn't willing to stop and think about the problems that could appear; however, she still knew she could run into some. She would avoid them… and make it out.

She was treading softly, her wet steps echoing across the dark hall, when a repeated click of nails muted every other sound, and Annette turned around, her face becoming a mask of horror. A Licker, hanging from the ceiling, jaws drooling, wide open, showing its razor-like teeth. Annette backed away slowly, not taking her eyes off the creature, not making any sound. The Licker could still hear her, and it dropped to the ground, its head cocked in her direction, its acute hearing catching even the sound of her breathing. It kept coming closer, delighting in her agitated breathing, feeling the tension in her body, and it leaped toward her.

Annette stumbled backwards, avoiding the claw by just inches, feeling it swoosh past her face, and crawled away. The gun, Annette!, she told herself. Lifting it as fast as she could, she took aim at the creature's prominent brain and fired, the bullets riddling the brain and spattering tissue and fluids around. The Licker screeched, recoiling, but still kept coming, blood falling to the floor. Annette grunted, horror coursing through her system even if knowing it was wounded; the Lickers were persistent sons of bitches. And bam!, she fired again and the Licker, with one last screech, convulsed and stayed dead before Annette.

She took short, quivering breaths, recovering from the shock. She had seen them thousands of times, but those times, she wasn't wounded, she wasn't sick, she wasn't even unable to walk properly, something quite different from now. She stood up again and continued down the hall, knowing the elevator would turn up sometime. And then, another scream, painful and somehow full of despair… William's.

He's coming… he's coming for me… he's coming…

Annette's mind constantly repeated that, surprisingly making Annette go faster than before, forgetting all pains, bruises or scratches she might have in her body. An image suddenly flashed through her head, making a smile play across her face, faint but full of relief.

And Sherry's probably still safe in the station, just like I told her to do… I need to see her, I need to find out how she is… Please, God, protect her. She wasn't much of a Christian, but given the circumstances, any little help was enough.

Annette was racking with pain, so much she came to cough up blood. Each step she took was like a thousand daggers stabbing her without mercy. She took a right, and found the elevator to level five not too far away from her. She lightened up, knowing she was closer to find the control room. She pushed the button and fell against the wall on her good shoulder, trying to calm herself down, trying to tell herself everything would be over soon. A part of her, however, wasn't so sure. The ping of the elevator gave her the good news she was expecting, but every hope for a clear path was swept away by the image of another Licker. Annette had just encountered one, and she didn't take more than two seconds to train her gun on the creature and fire, the bullets digging into its swollen brain.

"Oh, no, you're not going to stop me!" she muttered under the sound of the gun. It didn't have any time to hear its prey, and it dropped in front of the door, as dead as its sibling a few metres away from them. Annette got inside, pushed the button to level five and the only thing she could do was wait. Wait for the elevator to go up, wait an eternity for the goddamned thing to climb up the shaft.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He smelled her, her scent as unmistakeable as always, even if disguised by the water's stench. The scent was mild, but he felt as if he had her right in front of him, as if she hadn't left him for a second, lingering. He paced down the hall towards its end, resuming his restless search, and he just had another track to follow. The little girl had been impregnated already, and it was a matter of time till the embryos pupated inside her, and another new being would be born. It suddenly hit him, who was she? He decided not to care; it wasn't as important as what he had to do. And then it happened, as fast as before.

Boom…

His heart hammered in his head, quickened and pounded strongly in his chest. A wave of pain struck his head; it throbbed, so much he felt as if it were to explode. He released another yell, tinged with even more pain than before, his whole body racking, seeming like hundreds of thousands of painful stabs riddling his whole being. His muscles tensed, contracting violently, he arched his body backwards, clenching his jaw and trying to fight the pain, trying to fend off the conscience that started to emerge.

He could feel it, fighting its way to the surface with all its strength, but no… he was the predominant being, he was in control and he would be for as long as he said he would. He clenched his talons, drawing blood, and another scream…

A human scream.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Annette was finally back into B5, like she could tell by the second ping of the elevator. The doors opened slowly and she popped her head out, looking in all directions. Coast clear, she headed down the halls as fast as her legs allowed her to go, each step reminding her of the forgotten pain that coursed through her system. As she entered a room and fumbled in the closet, her heart was lightened with a small ray of hope: a first aid kit rested upon a shelf. Annette took it, and stepped into the lab. "William!"… "Oh, darling…"… "Stay here…"… The recollection brought tears to her eyes again, or so she thought. There were no more tears to shed, none.

Annette rushed past the desk and stepped into the computer room, stopping in front of the consoles. With her good hand, she opened the kit, took out the tweezers and worked on plucking the shards from her flesh. It stung like hell and some had dug deeper, though working carefully made her success in her task. Blood oozed from the wound; Annette quickly cleaned it, staining the cotton, applied a dressing and bandaged it as well as she could. Putting everything back into the case, she sighed tiredly and stood panting, feeling her lids heavy. No, I have to stay awake… I can't doze off right now. I need to get a sample ready; I can still make it out of here… They won't get it, they won't take it away from me!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Claire found herself in a metal balcony, facing the shaft, the horrible plant's vines swirling next to her with disgusting sounds. Pulling a face in disgust, she suddenly heard a light hiss, and she noticed the green bump in front of her. Oh, God…, her mind exclaimed. Another of those mutated, humanoid plants. Before it could turn around and do anything to her, Claire stepped on the ladder and climbed down, trying not to slip, her fingers becoming sticky because of the damp steps. Once down, she entered through another door and followed down the halls, going as fast as she could. She needed to find Annette, needed to tell her about Sherry's situation; her mother would surely be able to help.

Only question was, would she be willing to?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Annette searched thoroughly through the lab, her eyes trying to spot a virus sample. Now that she remembered and thought about it, hadn't William hid one of them? She was determined to find it, if that was the case. Ada could be there at any moment to steal it and, though Annette didn't expect her to find the labs, everything was possible. Her foot slipped on a paper sheet, she almost fell but regained her balance as she flailed her arms in the air. Collecting herself, she shifted her gaze to the floor and picked up the paper. She recognised the handwriting: William's. Pain tugged at her heart, but she kept steady, her eyes carefully going over his words.

'I simply have the feeling they'll be here at any moment. I keep looking around, hoping it will be later than sooner. Annette's not here, but I'm sure she'll find this. I don't think anybody will be interested in a mad scientist's personal notes. Annette, I've hidden a sample of G in a secret compartment in a closet. It's very well hidden, only for you to find. Go to your desk and you'll find a drawn rectangle at its side; use something to open it and you'll find a console. The code is 2161986. You'll hear a click; look in the closet and it will be there. I don't know why, but I have the feeling I won't be around by the time you get to read this, it must be my paranoia. Let's hope it doesn't turn out to be like that… Just in case, and just so you know, I love you, hon.'

Annette felt another lump in her throat, this time bigger than previous ones. She held the note close to her chest, sudden disbelief taking over her soul. Why? Why had it happened like that? They didn't deserve it…

I love you too, William. God, why?

Annette followed William's instructions, going as fast as she could without messing up. She found the console and typed in the code, suddenly smiling sadly. The day of our marriage… February the sixteenth, she told herself, wistful. The click she was supposed to hear reached her ear and she quickly stood up and went to the closet, where she found the sample. She smiled humourlessly again, picking it up and admiring it with the look William had held so many times: a look full of wicked triumph.

She returned to the control room, sample in hand, gun in the other, and looked through all the monitors, smiling with glee. Suddenly the door opened, Annette swivelled and aimed the gun at the newcomer: that girl again. She'd seen her with that cop, which meant she was with Ada… with Umbrella.

"Annette!" she exclaimed. Annette was shaking with fury.

"You killed my husband! I'll never forgive you for that! And I can swear to you that you won't take the G-virus away from me, you never will!"

"Please, stop! Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you nor take the sample! You have to help me, Sherry's in danger!"

Annette's eyes widened and her demeanour changed, "Sherry?" she gasped, "How do you know about her?" Claire proceeded to explain.

"Sherry's been implanted with G embryos, and there's no telling when they'll pupate! If that happens, Sherry won't… won't…" Claire's voice faded away, leaving Annette filled up with dread. DEVIL! The vaccine!, she thought. Annette hesitated and analysed the situation: Sherry was in danger, and if that girl knew her and hadn't hurt her daughter by now, it meant she meant no harm. There was no more time to analyse; a long scream came from the main hall.

"William!" Annette exclaimed. Forgetting about Claire, about the danger of her actions, she broke into a run, crossed the threshold and went desperately to find her husband. He was coming, and she'd be there.

WHAM!

The cover of the ceiling fell, and William appeared in front of her. Annette stopped dead on her tracks, eyes wide open and paralysed with dread and horror. William loomed over her, his face starting to disappear under the abomination's pectoral. A new head had appeared in its place, a lipless grinning face looking at her wickedly under the muscle that covered it, and the eyeball on its shoulder staring at her with the same glee previously in Annette's eyes.

She wanted to back away, but the sight held her in place. William snarled; no, the monster controlling him did. That thing didn't deserve her husband's name. She couldn't believe it; still, she was convinced William was still there.

"William, you're alive!" she said in a soft voice. The monster didn't react, just looked at her, breathing calmly. He could not attack her, why? She was his next victim, a victim he'd searched so thoroughly for. He was being held back by it, by the conscience inside him; his instincts controlled and restrained. Why? Because that other entity seemed to know who that woman was, and she was somehow important. Why care? After all, she was just—

'My wife!'

He heard its scream, raging from deep inside his mind; he didn't listen and bared its teeth in a growl. The woman gasped, turned away and started to run, and the next thing he felt was her flesh being slashed by his talons, the warm feeling of her blood staining them, and the scream in agony that escaped Annette's lips. Annette's body flipped in the air and she landed with a wet thud, blood spattering the walls and sprays of crimson staining his face. Another scream howled in the back of its mind again, a scream of rage, despair and horror.

And another spark of sanity… and insanity.

The monster jumped up to the shafts again and ran away from the scene, leaving the dying woman behind. It skidded to a stop and yell rose from its throat, the sound as if wanting to shake the building to its foundations.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Annette moaned in pain and sorrow, feeling tears welling up in her eyes again and rolling down her cheeks. Her blood soon formed a pool beside her, the gaping wound at her side itching and throbbing, leaving out a good amount of it. Annette stretched one arm forward, as if trying to reach somewhere, and grunted through gritted teeth. She heard a voice, unintelligible, calling out her name, but she didn't listen nor did she care. William, why?, she was asking herself. Annette lifted her gaze, her locks of hair on her face again, and then she looked back, saw the girl getting near her and kneeling beside her. Her face was a mask of concern, and Annette didn't have another choice: she needed her help.

She felt the girl's hands turn her around, facing upwards, and her eyes met Annette's. Annette winced and dropped her head, breathing heavily and a trickle of blood going down the corner of her mouth. Her energies were slipping away, she was turning cold and her heartbeat was much slower. She came to a conclusion: she'd die sooner or later.

Claire's face was a mask of shock, horror and concern. The wound seemed mortal, but she thanked God the monster's talons hadn't reached any vital points. She needed attention, and fast. Annette was losing consciousness, she was paling and her breathing was rougher by the second. With the knife on her shoulder, Claire ripped of a good portion of Annette's lab coat and made a firm knot around the wound to stop the bleeding as much as she could.

"Annette! Annette!" the girl called again. She turned her attention to her, peering up at her blue gaze.

"There's… a kit in… the con-control room…" she croaked, pressing at the wound. The girl nodded, slid one of Annette's arms around her shoulders and carefully lifted her up, Annette exclaiming in complete pain.

"Can you walk?" Annette nodded, and they both started back to the control room, Annette's soul shattering to a thousand pieces. William would think she was dead now, and the only thing he had left to do was to keep finding people to implant with embryos… She refused to believe he was gone…

But the truth can be so cruel…

A/N: Well, first chapter's up to here. What do you expect for the next one? xDDD You shall see, I shall keep you with the cliffhanger xD

Reviews would be appreciated, but no flames please.