Raccoon City, Colorado, six months ago
It was 9 am on a Saturday morning and Coal and Katrina were sleeping in. They both were on call, Coal with the department and Katrina with the hospital, she was an EMT. For the past few months Raccoon had been plagued by murders and disappearances. The bodies found with scratch and bite marks being the cause of deaths. After months of no leads the police had finally caught a break. They believed that the cause for these deaths and disappearances were the workings of a cult, one that they believed to be located at the old Spencer estate deep in the woods on the outskirts of the city. Two nights ago the S.T.A.R.S. Bravo team was sent to the estate to investigate. They dropped off the grid and out of contact. Twenty-four hours ago the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha team was sent to find them and continue on with the investigation. They too have not been heard from since, so Coal wasn't surprised when his work cell phone rang on the night stand bringing him out of his much deserved and needed rest.
Katrina groaned and nuzzled closer to him. "I hate that damn thing." She whispered.
Coal kissed her head and reached for his phone. "So do I."
He answered without bothering to look at the caller id, knowing that it didn't matter who would ruin his day, just that someone would. "Hello?" he asked groggily.
"Josh." The caller said. It was Isaac Sayer, Coal's friend and second in command of Charlie team.
"What's up, Isaac? Did we hear anything from Alpha or Bravo?" Coal asked, expecting the worse.
"I just received a call from the Captain; they're calling in all STARS teams and officers." Isaac said, leaving Coal's original question unanswered.
"What? Why?" Coal asked. "What's happened?"
"Are you watching the news?"
"No."
"Turn it on."
Coal sat up in bed, rousing Katrina. She stretched and yawned as he grabbed the remote and turned on his television, the channel already on the channel 6 news station. What Coal saw jerked him into full consciousness. People rioting in the streets, attacking each other.
"What the fuck is this?" Coal asked no one in particular. Isaac answered.
"This is what's happening now. The cities going insane. People are tearing each other apart out there."
"Where is this happening?" Coal asked. The news reporter answered.
"I am standing in downtown Raccoon city where citizens are going mad. Apparently this all started when a motorist struck a man with his vehicle. The man had wandered into traffic, stumbling as if he were drunk and moaning, yes, moaning as if he were injured. That is when he was hit with the vehicle. The driver called police and paramedics and exited his vehicle to check on the man, who then bit him on his arm. When the driver was unable to pull from his grasp, several bystanders came to his aide, pulling the man off of the other, a few of them also being bitten and scratched in the process. The man, who was struck by the vehicle, apparently made it back to his feet despite his injuries and began attacking other people in the area, some dying from injuries to the throat. Minutes later the police arrived and the man tried to attack them, as well. The police opened fire on the man but he continued coming after them. The other people who others thought had died from their wounds then got up and started to attack others. And the situation has just gotten worse from there."
"Jesus Christ!" Coal exclaimed.
"Oh my God…" Katrina whispered.
"How long has this been going on?" Coal asked, fearing that he had missed several calls before answering this one.
"Not long, man." Isaac said. "I just got the call and I told the Captain that I would call you. We're supposed to meet at the precinct. More uniformed officers have been dispatched there and the STARS are being given assignments in our unit. Josh, I heard that the military is on it's way and that Umbrella is calling in their security experts to help us on the ground. Do you think this has something to do with them and their experiments?"
Coal did think it had something to do with them, and that it very well may have something to do with what has happened to Alpha and Bravo teams at the Spencer Estate. But now wasn't the time for that. Katrina's cell phone rang. It was the hospital and they began telling her everything that Coal had just been told.
"I don't know bro. Just get to the station. I'll see you and the rest of the team there."
"Yes sir." Isaac said before hanging up the phone.
Coal and his wife sat in silence for a moment unsure of what to say. Katrina broke that silence.
"What the hell is going on, baby?"
Coal sat for a moment longer before grabbing her hand and squeezing it tight. "I don't know, sweetie. I don't know."
They both then began dressing for their duties. Katrina pulling on her blue EMT uniform and Coal with his combat boots, tan cargo pants, black leg holster with his Glock 9mm with fire compensator and flashlight attachment, white STARS t-shirt and OD green tactical vest. Katrina grabbed her medical tool bag from the closet. The healer. Coal grabbed his weapon case which housed his Scope mounted tactical M4 carbine. The killer.
"I've gotta go to the hospital." Katrina said. "They're sending us out from there."
"Yeah," Coal said. "I'm going to the station; they're giving us our orders there."
They started out of their home at that point. Walking from the bedroom, through the living room, into the kitchen and out to their parked vehicles.
"The hospital is going to get flooded with injured people." Coal said.
"And you're going to be in the thick with all of those crazy one's." Katrina said, her eyes glassing over with unshed tears.
"Hey…" Coal said embracing her, slightly surprised at how hard she held him, not wanting him to leave her arms. "It'll all be okay. We'll see each other again. I'll come for you."
Katrina sniffled into his tactical vest. "Do you promise?"
"Yes, I promise." Coal whispered into her hair.
She pulled away from his chest and the two young lovers kissed long and hard.
She broke away. "I love you." She said, her tear soaked grey eyes locking with his bright blue.
"Forever and ever." Coal said with his classic disarming smile.
"Forever and ever." Katrina replied.
They each entered their separate cars and drove off. They were both several miles away from their places of employment and they had to travel fast. So they turned on their vehicle's sirens and continued along the same path until they had to part ways.
If Coal knew where and how that day would end, then he would have thought of something better to say than what they always said to each other.
Forever and ever.
Coal awoke on his couch, the television saying how he had to act fast or the deal would expire, empty containers of Chinese food and some soda cans lying on the coffee table in front of him, and a file resting on his chest. This file was that of his team leader who he would meet on Monday morning. He received a call back from his Captain by 5pm the day of his interview, informing him that he was hired and would become a member of that precincts well known, and somewhat controversial Strike team. It was a Specialized Gang unit which dealt with all things gang related for the entire district. Drugs, murder, burglary, robbery, rape, and a plethora of other things which delved into the gang underworld. The file he was reading before he fell asleep belonged to his new boss Detective Vic Mackey. He had already read his other team mates files. Their names were Shane Vendrell, Curtis Lemansky, and Ronnie Gardockey. All of their jackets were spotty at best but none of that bothered Coal. They all had to do things that fell into the grey area of the law at times, and regardless of their records, this seemed like a good team. A team that would stick by each other no matter what come hell or high water. Much like Coal's old team…
Coal glanced at his watch; 11:32pm. It was still early, and Coal's dream during his nap had made him not want to sleep anytime soon. Coal decided that he had done enough reading for one night, slipped on his tennis shoes and walked into his bedroom. He reached in his closet and pulled out his shoulder holster. He then went to his night stand and from a drawer pulled his Glock 9mm, checked to ensure it was loaded and holstered it, having it dangle beneath his left armpit. Wherever he went, it went. It had served him well. Coal then put on his leather jacket and left his apartment for the nearby bar "Whadaya Have?"
