Around ten minutes following her arrival in the growing metropolis, Claire Redfield suddenly found herself enlightened to another consequence of the reckless determination which had carried her almost three hundred miles. The young woman's motorcycle grumbled loudly as she cruised through another intersection, another unpopulated street greeting her as she bitterly acknowledged her own stubborn foolishness. Claire might have memorized the journey across the interstate and had managed herself through the outskirt farmlands and suburban neighborhoods well enough, but everything became much more complicated upon entering the city proper. The decade-ancient buildings blended together and the various streets conformed to one another, effectively transforming the young rider's steadfast dedication into unabashed confusion. Navigating through the mid-western town couldn't have been too difficult during the daylight hours, but it became notoriously challenging once the evening darkness settled.
The young woman's frustration continued building as she maneuvered her motorcycle down another unpopulated street, remaining completely oblivious to her general location within the growing metropolis. She wouldn't have normally been so aggravated, but her sudden revelations had been accompanied with the knowledge that she had completely forgotten the directions to her older brother's apartment. The decisive young woman had visited several times before, although it usually involved her rendezvousing with her brother around one of the more popular establishments, because of their arrangements she found herself struggling to remember the whereabouts of her brother's apartment. The clueless traveler could remember the modest apartment building being located somewhere on Wallace Street, but the connecting streets and distinctive landmarks completely escaped her recollection.
"I'm not getting anywhere like this." The young woman mentally breathed before relaxing her twisting grasp upon the acceleration, carefully suffocating the heavy motorcycle's accelerated momentum. The rumbling machine rolled another twenty meters before stopping in one of the three remaining parking spaces outside one of the several restaurants which decorated the growing metropolis. The rumbling motorcycle was immediately silenced and the stillness of the evening became prevalent around the frustrated traveler. Her natural pride was buckling against the unwelcome situation before her, but she resolved herself in the knowledge that she wouldn't be getting anywhere without asking directions. She breathed deeply before straightening herself on the dormant motorcycle, rather curious how the familiar restaurant remained illuminated while the remainder of Raccoon Street seemed to have been shut down.
The younger sister naturally noticed the complete absence of the town's easygoing population, having begun questioning the chances that there couldn't be anything happening within the prosperous shopping and restaurant districts of the growing metropolis. Several apartment buildings seemed monolithic without the slightest glimmer of illumination and the smaller businesses became imposing behind their security shutters. The flickering streetlights suggested several transformers were experiencing problems, the remaining electricity having been diverted from surrounding homes and businesses to power the more important public utilities. The young woman realized that the citizens were around, having noticed several drunken residents somewhere back on Chester Street and several students loitering in one of the subway stations on Garden Street. Nevertheless, the complete absence of the slightest activity on these popular streets seemed unbecoming to the impulsive student, most less rational individuals would have probably considered this to be impossible.
Several moments passed before Claire Redfield decided against concerning herself further, standing from her motorcycle and casually removing the secondhand helmet which she'd received from her brother. The young woman breathed as her beautiful features were exposed to the autumn evening, brilliant cerulean pupils reflecting the flickering illumination of the adjacent streetlights. The helmet was removed to one of the rearview mirrors before the young woman's attention turned to be focused upon the reflection of herself in the polished surface, specifically the chocolate brown strands which brushed against her slender shoulders. The young woman chuckled slightly before maneuvering both gloved hands into those chocolate strands, flawlessly recreating the casual ponytail which completed her everyday appearance. Her reflection displayed that her youthful features remained untouched by even the slightest cosmetics, having never been comfortable with the excessive maintenance that her rather shallow roommate accepted almost every morning.
Becoming convinced of her appearance, the frustrated traveler gracefully removed herself from the dormant motorcycle before retrieving her secondhand helmet and proceeding toward the entrance of the illuminated restaurant. Although she remained unenthusiastic about questioning strangers for directions, the observations which surrounded approach almost demanded she make an exception. There were several random vehicles sitting in the nearby parking lots and there was one unoccupied police cruiser sitting right outside which almost promised superior directions. Although her older brother might have become somewhat infamous throughout the department in recent months, she remained confident that one of his fellow officers would be willing to provide some insight as to his whereabouts.
These optimistic hopes were shattered upon entering the small restaurant, the derelict interior and overturned furniture created an appropriate atmosphere amongst the uncomfortable silence of the abandoned establishment. The limited illumination was flickering weakly in that moment and there was nothing around the smoking area of the deplorable restaurant. There were several bottles and glasses gathering dust upon the bar, there was an abandoned serving of cheesy nachos around the middle near where the bartender should have been standing. Several abandoned hamburgers and sandwiches decorated the standing tables, but the majority of these were splattered upon the hardwood floor. The wayward traveler absently tested to nearby switches, several of the bulbs fought to achieve brilliance before suddenly blinking into darkness. She then proceeded to step backwards upon seeing several cockroaches suddenly vanish under one of the overturned tables, the young woman's obvious disgust becoming manifested in her shocked expression.
"What in the hell happened in here?!" Claire sharply whispered, her voice somehow reflecting her overwhelming confusion over her obvious disgust with the derelict restaurant. An unexpected response emerged for the kitchen in the form of several metallic instruments clattering against the floorboards, the distinctive sound of shattering dishes followed moments later. Claire remained where she was standing for several moments, her hammering heartbeat increasing as an unmistakably painful groan emerged from the kitchen. Quickly realizing that there wasn't anything to be anything gained from standing there, the impulsive college student cautiously stepped forward into the darkness of the restaurant.
It could almost be assumed that the Redfield bloodline possesses some manner of inescapable disposition towards the well-being of other people, something which both inherited from their beloved parents. Neither found themselves capable of looking elsewhere while somebody else could have been suffering, regardless of their own personal sacrifices to give their assistance. Neither sibling perceived differences between their most beloved friend or an anonymous stranger, neither should have become more important that the other. Chris Redfield's impressive career in law enforcement was self-spoken, protecting and serving those innocent civilians and defeating those that would seek to do the opposite drove him forward with endless momentum. Claire Redfield was pursuing the nursing program and was planning on eventually becoming a physician should her financial existence support additional education. Should anybody have witnessed their countless sacrifices over their individual lifetimes, nobody could have possibly anticipated that such an admirable quality might someday endanger them.
"Hello? Is anybody back there?" Claire murmured as she stepped around the overstocked counter, another miserable moaning attracting her further into the enclosing darkness of the wrecked kitchen. The second collection of switches brought moderate illumination across the restaurant's kitchen, revealing enough destruction to make one believe an isolated hurricane somehow managed to materialize within the back room. Her leather boots crunched against the shattered plates and pushed through the cooking instruments which attempted to barricade her progress. She noticed that the majority of the flatware was stowed away somewhere, but several of the larger cooking blades were absent from their assigned positions in the wooden blocks. The opened freezer had created an impressive puddle on the floor, the burning ovens nearby explaining the incredible amount of heat in the restaurant. These two elements might have explained the overpowering stench which lingered throughout the building, but she somehow realized that it wasn't coming from spoiled ingredients.
"What happened in here?" Claire whispered unconsciously as she approached the back of the kitchen, her nervousness increasing with every shattered saucer and every fallen instrument. Her impulsive investigation continued revealing further suspicious elements which should have been screaming that somehow was horrible wrong with the family-owned establishment. The flickering streetlights and powerless buildings suggested that whatever was happening somehow extended beyond the isolated district and across the rest of the mid-western town. Claire should have noticed the ominous presence, but thoughtlessly continued to track that painful groaning which resounded throughout the decimated kitchen. Her search was concluded in discovering the obvious source of the miserable moaning, which confirmed earlier suspicions that stepping forward had been extremely foolish.
Claire Redfield discovered herself incapable of speaking in that moment, remaining completely motionless as she observed the horrifying scene which was taking place before one of the stainless steel refrigerators. There was an unmoving woman spread out across the kitchen floor, she was dressed in the classical pink waitress attire and possessed an expression of unparallel horror which remained plastered upon her alabaster features. The opposite character was kneeling over the deceased waitress, apparently the bartender considering the black trousers and white dress shirt, occasionally emitting those suffering groans between unseen actions. Both individuals were surrounded by an ominous crimson puddle which mixed into the mortar between the ceramic tiles and the horrible situation demanded greater knowledge. Claire sidestepped somewhat and swallowed heavily at the next several moments, the bartender's blood splattered hands were digging into the waitresses abdomen and removing whatever could possibly be grasped. The young woman's resolve crackled with several thousand crack and completely shattered when the bartender thoughtlessly chomped down upon the bloody clump mass which had been torn from the woman's exposed stomach.
"One of those cannibal murderers...?" the frightened student might have normally buckled under the pressure had it not been for the continuous coverage of the extraordinary situation, the unacceptably descriptive coverage which had dominated most of the evening news over the summer. The concept of cannibalism didn't seem impossible, the thought that somebody might be slain by one of these psychopaths had probably attracted some tourism to the mid-western town. Despite this, it should have been impossible that this could have been happening three hours before midnight in the middle of the community's most populated districts. She couldn't contemplate the situation in that moment, her hammering heartbeat and rushing adrenaline demanding that the wayward traveler concern herself with nothing beyond escaping.
Claire immediately proceeded with her retreat by taking several steps backwards, sweating under the pressure of the overwhelming stench and the crunching sounds which accented the psychopath's infernal gorging. She soon found herself battling against her unsettled stomach, which threatened to release everything which had been consumed earlier in the afternoon. Her breathing became strained and ragged, the young woman becoming so focused upon going unnoticed that she completely forgot the various appliances that were resting on the floor behind her.
"Shit!" Claire mentally snapped as several more metallic instruments loudly shifted around her leather boots, her throat locking as the bloodied bartender leaned upwards and looked back toward the female intruder. There was an enormous hollow punched into the woman's chest and abdomen, the exposed ribcage suggesting that several internal organs were probably missing. Claire should have been prepared to jump through one of the nearby windows, but found herself stunned upon seeing the horrible monster which had been feasting moments earlier. The bartender was haggard in appearance, the lifeless white pupils and the overwhelming stench threatening to steal away an unknown something from the young woman. Several thoughts entered her consciousness as she searched for an explanation to such deplorable conditions, although every realistic assumption seemed even more unlikely than the one before it.
Her combative instincts flared into existence as the decaying creature suddenly lunged forward, releasing an almost savage scream as those bloodstained fingers lashed towards her slender shoulders. She backstepped across the various metallic instruments before dropping one foot into one of the frying pans, sending the young woman dropping backwards onto the seat of her shorts. Claire breathed heavily as the murderous cannibal leered towards her and resumed with that miserable moaning, the most unnerving sound which echoed forth from an endless suffering. Apparently unwilling to waste precious time, the demented bastard dropped forward in the same moment that his prospective victim pushed herself backwards across the kitchen floor. Her bloodstained pursuer released another groan which sounded in confused frustration, slowly managing to regain balance and stepping towards the young woman with those shuffling footsteps.
"Stand back, asshole!" Claire instinctively shouted before grabbing one of the heavier frying pans, the confrontation having summoned the reserved aggression which also remained prevalent within her bloodline. The decaying deviant hardly even noticed these aggressive threats and continued forward, revealing another insufferable groan before the flame-stained iron cracked against his cranium. Claire gasped in surprise as the cannibal murderer somehow managed to remain standing and presented little hesitation in giving the bloodstained bastard another forceful blow. The second impact was greeted with an unfamiliar crunching sounds as the bloody bartender dropped to the floor, thick crimson leaking from the impressive wound in his busted forehead.
"You were warned, bastard!" Claire shouted before aggressively throwing the flying pan across the kitchen, although in the next moment she realized that she was actually more frightened than frustrated. She'd encountered several conflicting moments throughout her difficult existence and there had been several potential opponents who had been witness her sheer resolve. There were several overzealous fraternity brothers back on campus who had acknowledged her willingness and wandered elsewhere. There had also been several arrogant drunkards around her hometown who found themselves on the ground around ten seconds after challenging her resolve. However, there had never been anytime within her nineteen years that somebody continued forward without the slightest hesitation. Never even acknowledging the young woman's willingness to send them to the cemetery.
Several moments passed with the young woman watching the cannibal murderer's twitching corpse, which somehow continued moving without taking even the slightest breath. She found herself becoming frightened as the scenario settled up her. The thought of having actually killed somebody presenting itself with an intense burden. Claire understood that her own bloodletting spawned from defending herself, but found herself becoming unraveled by the situation regardless. Her attention became sidetracked as another wretched groan escaped from the floored corpse. Claire's perception on the cannibal murderer transformed in that moment as the madman boosted himself upwards and regaining his balance before glancing back towards the girl. The bloody bartender continued bleeding from the splitting gash over his skull, but somehow continued moving without the slightest expressed discomfort.
Claire mindlessly continued stepping backwards as the shambling murderer approached her, those bloodstained fingertips outstretched and that miserable moaning dominating the restaurant. The bartender moved forward following another groan of frustration, the young woman turning and dashing from the claustrophobic confines of the wrecked kitchen. Claire screamed as she rounded the bar and tripped over another dropped dish, her momentary diversion allowing her pursuer to gain several precious steps. She collected herself and attempted to move for the entrance when the savage pursuer grabbed one of her shoulders. Untrimmed fingernails dragged across the fabric of her vest as she pulled away, taking several steps before turning towards her pursuer and bringing her right hand to grasp the combat knife which was strapped across her right shoulder. The threatening gesture couldn't have possibly been misread, her slender fingers twisting around the leather grip and her determination flaring into something violence. Those bloodstained fingertips were lingering about eighteen inches from her shoulders when her resolve finally snapped and she struck.
"Get away from me!!" Claire suddenly screamed with intense aggression, unsheathing the combat blade and lashing toward the decayed cannibal before he could attempting rushing her one more time. The shimmering edge cleaved through the bartender's blubbery throat and the underlying windpipe, an unnaturally colored lifeblood spraying across the hardwood floor. Claire stepped backwards with the deadly blade held downward, the blackened crimson grasping to the stainless steel weapon instead of casually dripping from the polished surface. The cannibal murderer should have been dropping to the floor holding a blood-spurting wound, instead he groaned in apparent discomfort before looking back towards the motorcyclist. What little blood was present was dripping down the monster's sliced throat with the consistency of cocoa syrup, possessing a much higher viscosity than what could have possibly been considered normal.
"Impossible..." Claire whispered as she stepped backwards from the inhuman monster, which seemed to have been stunned by the merciless counterattack which slashed open his bloody throat. The young woman's mindless retreat brought her back against one of the nearby tables and her she suddenly noticed the rapping against the adjacent windows. Her ponytail whipped slightly as she glanced across her left shoulder, those cerulean pupils becoming wide as several horror movies and campfire stories raced across her consciousness. There were more of these cannibalistic creatures attempting to break through the windows, moaning miserably and experiencing decomposition. The moment became unsuitable to comprehend the situation as the original aggressor suddenly lunged towards her, those fingers digging into her handmade riding vest.
The combat knife was instinctively driven downwards into the creature's collar bone, her other hand moving against the psychopath's shoulder as he attempted to move towards her throat. The young woman grunted as she was pushed backwards against the nearby table, the monster displaying his superior strength and endurance as those rotting jaws inches closer to her slender throat. Claire found herself screaming as she attempted to ground herself, understanding that there wouldn't be anymore opportunities to defend herself should her attacker somehow manage to overpower her. The blade was drawn backwards and struck down thrice more, but the cannibal's composure wouldn't surrender regardless of how many mortal wounds the young woman struck. Claire prepared herself for whatever would happen next, but her frantic screams were suddenly interrupted as somebody suddenly kicked open the rear entrance and entered the small restaurant with his handgun drawn, before being pointed towards the grappling couple and quickly discharged.
Claire Redfield stopped screaming upon registering the vicious gunshot which screamed against her eardrums, the superior strength of the cannibal murderer vanishing enough to be pushed backwards onto the hardwood floor. The slightest moment passed with her attention focusing upon her lifesaver before she glanced toward the possessed creature which remained motionless upon the floor. The cannibal murderer's cranium had been exploded outwards by the nine millimeter round entering the right temple, the cannibal monster's coagulated crimson beginning to gather around his head. The young woman carefully retrieved her combat knife from her attacker's shoulder blade, carefully cleaning it before returning it to the leather sheath strapped to her left shoulder.
"Goddamn it!" the marksman snapped before unloading another two bullets into the doorway, another pair of those creatures dropping to the pavement before the gunslinger glanced towards the college student and motioned her away from the windows. Claire thoughtlessly followed this unspoken request, but remained skeptical about her rescuer who had mysterious appeared and executed three of these depraved psychotics without the slightest hesitation. Her cautious skepticism was quickly replaced by an unexpected confidence as the gunslinger approached the double doors and sealed the deadbolts. The decorative emblems on his casual jacket revealed his connection to the local police department, the immediate circumstances suggesting that he was assigned to the police cruiser sitting outside the dilapidated restaurant. Several moments passed before the officer addressed her directly "That thing didn't hurt you, right?!"
"The bastard never got the opportunity." the wayward traveler breathed, unconsciously monitoring those groaning creatures which were currently crowding around the restaurant's oversized windows. The police officer nodded before turning his attention turning towards the windows, eyeballing the vacant police cruiser which had been abandoned in the middle of the street. These curious glances towards the imposing cruiser provided the unsettling realization that the vehicle probably belonged to somebody else. The young officer's heavy breathing and apparent fatigue suggested he'd been sprinting through the countless alleyways which honeycombed the surrounding districts, his drawn sidearm reinforcing the extreme severity of the situation. The college student watched him loiter around the building for several minutes before speaking, the groaning of the aggressors becoming much too stressful in the moment "What's going on with this town?"
"You're asking the wrong person." the winded officer announced before stepping around the counter to inspect the underlying shelves, searching the derelict restaurant for anything which could have possibly assisted them. His handsome features were painted with an unnerving expression "I just arrived in town around twenty minutes ago and these persistent bastards have been popping out from the woodwork ever since. I'm not even supposed to be starting my shift until tomorrow morning. How about telling me your excuse?"
"Actually..." she would have happily answered her rescuer's question in that moment, would have been fearless in explaining she was just as clueless as anybody else could have possible been. Their pointless conversation was shattered alongside two of the larger windows, three more of those creatures pulling themselves inside with even greater numbers lumbering behind them. The rookie officer instinctively pointed his sidearm toward them, but stepped backwards instead of opening fire, understanding that his remaining bullets wouldn't have been enough to stop them. He glanced backwards to another window before noticing that there was another entrance which wasn't being blocked by these massing cannibals. Claire found herself breathing heavily as her newfound partner made one wordless motion before rushing toward their single remaining option.
The college student followed in the police officer's frantic footsteps, grasping her combat knife as her savior disengaged the deadbolt and dashed forward into the dangerous streets. Both survivors found themselves cursing their negative fortunes as their moaning adversaries were lumbering around less than twenty feet away and gathering awareness of their frantic movements. The officer prepared his handgun and pointed it towards the mindless cannibals who prepared to surround them, their decrepit features lacking the slightest nervousness as the bloodstained survivors. Claire carefully unsheathed the combat knife as those in the restaurant fought with the doorway, the wooden doorway straining under their hammering punches. Her attention darted across the pavement as those around her motorcycle began approaching, when she noticed an ominous twinkle from one of the flickering street lights.
"Over there!" Claire whispered, pointing toward the fallen police officer which was sprawled across the pavement behind the motionless police cruiser, the puddle of liquid crimson suggesting his demise had been recent. Both quickly recognized the metallic object grasped between the fallen officer's fingers and this slender sparkle of salvation was more than enough to push them forward. The rookie officer raised his sidearm and shot down the closest two of the murderous cannibals, allowing the starcrossed survivors an opportunity to approach the abandoned vehicle. Those stumbling cannibals were standing around seven meters away when the college student knelt down and snatched the keychain from the fallen officer, tossing them to the rookie officer before stepping around the passenger's side.
The next several moments passed with the most surreal pressure upon the college student. The rookie officer found himself sitting behind the steering wheel within the three seconds of catching the fallen officer's keychain and the college student occupied the passenger's seat less than one second following. Both frightened individuals slammed their doors the same moment, before one key was aggressive stabbed and twisted into the cruiser's ignition. The powerful engine roared into existence and the conditioned rubber screamed loudly against the blackened asphalt before rocketing away from the derelict restaurant. Those bloodthirsty psychopaths remained in the rear-view mirrors, mindlessly stumbling after the retreating vehicle and finally vanishing as they rounded the nearby street.
Claire Redfield carefully sheathed the combat knife before her hand moved under her breasts, her hammering heartbeat reverberating through her fingertips as she came to the understanding that the situation involving these cannibal murderers was much more complicated than everybody would have thought.
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