Hello. I just wanted to start a new story to break my very long writer's block. Just to let everyone who's read my other stories know, I'm not planning to abandon them. If you haven't; don't. You're not missing anything. It's just very hard to find inspiration after being on vacation where there's been terrible wifi. All of my work was destroyed, and I don't feel like rewriting it all. So it's going to take a while. As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on this and any ideas for the plot, since I have just a vague idea of what the story might lead to.
Also, there are way too many characters in RE2 with blond hair, especially the main cast (only Ava had dark hair and was someone you play as), so I'm going to be changing Claire's hair to dark brown. Also gonna make some changes to the other main characters. Nothing too big, just the hair color. Maybe make Sherry's hair a dirty blond, I don't know. Give them some more personality, maybe. Though I'm gonna keep some things the same.
(Specifically their phrases. "What the hell?!" "Holy shit!" "Stay back!" I can't NOT put them into this story, they're just way too funny! Also, the plot of all the Resident Evil games are very confusing to me, so I'm just going to stick to the RE2 remake's story (plus some features from the original, such as Claire and Leon staying in touch, Leon meeting Sherry at least a few times, that sort of thing) to keep my mind from frying. Also, this is an AU where zombies don't come the day Leon is recruited.)
I was also inspired by Myabers013 at Archiveofourown, so go check their story out. Trust me, it's way more thought out than mine and very detailed, too.
Anyways, hope you ain't going crazy waiting for your stories like I am because my favorite stories are not uploading. Let's begin.
Today was just like any other day from an outsider's perspective. A bit of clouds streaking across the vast blue sky with strands of white; a kind, gentle breeze sweeping the hair out of your face for you; and some sweet smells from the bakery down the road drifting through the hallways of the RPD with a few officers roaming the halls in a rush, multiple things cradled in their arms. Anyone else that was out and about meandered through the corridors with an easy, laid-back vibe to them, deeply inhaling the aroma of sugary pastries floating past. On the outside, it seemed to be a typical calm afternoon for the RPD, nothing out of place.
In reality, this was far from a regular day; a new recruit from one of the larger cities was the newest addition to the RPD. This was a monumental moment, since the RPD rarely got any recruits at all in the past few years, much less a city boy. It was because of this that Claire was rushing to the RPD at noon, barely dodging the baker setting up his discount sign.
"Sorry, mister!" Claire called back, forgetting the baker's name for the moment. All she could think about past her burning lungs and aching legs was the fact that she was going to be a few hours late, for the first time in her life, to greet her brother (he had left the city for an important case and had only just returned) and to introduce herself to the new recruit. Chris was so excited to introduce her to the rookie as well. He probably was disappointed to learn that she was going to be late.
Like she needed help getting a boyfriend, much less from Chris, the least experienced in romance past a one-night stand.
Glancing both ways before crossing the street, she burst through the doors while catching almost everyone's attention at the desk and in the halls. Those in a hurry quickly pushed Claire out of their mind; they couldn't be bothered while they ran in between cubicles to deliver paperwork. One of the females at the desk — damn it, Claire had forgotten her name again — actually had the nerve to giggle at her haggard figure approaching their desk, hair flying all over the place. "You're late," the only male at the desk said, dark circles under his grey eyes. "Chris has already gotten a new case." He didn't even bother to look away from his computer, typing with the same passion a caged lion has for foraging.
Inwardly, Claire sighed. Of course Chris had gotten a new case before she could welcome him home properly. She untied her hair and combed her fingers through it, smoothing out the long, dark brown locks of hair into a much more cleaner ponytail. "Have you seen him anywhere? I want to see him before he goes off." The male shook his head, and the auburn-haired female that had snickered before gave her a sympathetic look before disregarding her for whatever was on the typewriter. If there was anything on it in the first place.
Leaning away from the desk, Claire finally let her frustrations out in a groan. Now she would have to comb the entire police station in the hope that Chris hadn't already left yet with how late she was. It had been a few hours, after all. She had seen Chris ready before the officer could even finish describing the case to him, so he could've snuck out in the large upset the rookie cop had made. Then she might have to search the station for absolutely nothing.
Half-heartedly, she gave the receptionists a tentative smile and bid them farewell while thanking them for their measly attempt to help her search. A lock of hair fell in front of her eye, and Claire swept it behind her ear as she headed towards the cubicles with the hope that she wasn't too late; since Chris was so excited to meet the new cop, he could still be there talking to him. It takes him a while to finish any conversation with anyone he finds remotely interesting, and if Claire was lucky, the rookie might have been interesting enough to hang out with for a couple of hours.
Her sneakers silently crept along the smooth marble floor towards the offices with the quiet sounds more soft than the pitter-patter of a mouse's paws on carpet. Quickly brushing a clump of hair out of her face again — she really needed a bobby pin to keep her bangs up — Claire set her hand on the doorknob with the intent to fling it open, but she pulled away at the last second and took a breather to listen in on the other side. Better see if the conversation isn't getting personal in the room first. Without seeming too suspicious, Claire began to check the inside of her purse while her ears perk up as the conversation grows loud enough for her to hear almost comfortably.
Right when Claire fully opened her purse, a spike of laughter struck her eardrums, a familiar one that wheezed with the likeness of a horse screaming. "Oh, that was too good!" The voice, whom Claire recognized as Rita, gasped for air, and Claire could almost picture her in her chair bent over at the waist from laughing so hard, her cheeks flushed and blond hair disgruntled from the waves of laughter overtaking her body. The image was so clear and vivid that for a split second Claire actually believed that she was in the room with Rita, and a jolt of fear rushed through her. It took a few moments for Claire to calm down from her alarmed state, yet the hairs on her arms stubbornly stood on end despite her now mildly tense state.
Again, another peal of laughter grated against Claire's eardrums violently, and she decided not to go into that office unless she had no other choice. She zipped up her purse without taking anything out, her mind racing to get away ASAP. Not even the best of moods would convince Claire to enter the same room as Rita, much less ask her for help with anything. "Thank God I didn't just barge into the room," Claire thought to herself as she quietly walked over to another office. "My day is already disastrous enough without Rita and her drama."
As she walked away, another person could be heard laughing from inside the room. To Claire, it sounded like little bells tingling, light and cheerful. Someone actually genuinely found Rita funny. Hesitant to leave, Claire began to rethink her decision of leaving the room; since she now was intrigued by the source, Claire wished to investigate further and see who was laughing with Rita. She also wondered who could possibly enjoy Rita's presence enough to actually laugh with her.
In the end, Claire moved forward again. She wasn't going to stick around Rita any longer than she had to. Even if she was curious. She just wanted to find Chris and welcome him back. Afterwards, she could investigate who it was she heard. That was her thinking as she attempted to quickly search the other rooms and get the hell out.
Unfortunately, Claire didn't get that far before she heard footsteps rapidly approaching the door behind her when the laughter began to subside, loud stomps that created vibrations strong enough to shake Claire's bones. That was the only warning Claire had before the door opened with a swoosh and slammed into the wall with a bang. She jumped out of her skin at the loud rattle of wood against plaster, along with the other noises the door emitted; a rather ominous snap from the wood splitting right by the handle followed by cracks forming in the wall and the sounds of plaster crumbling away, almost fluttering down to the floor in thin pieces. Shivers ran down her spine, and Claire felt a sense of horror settle in the pit of her stomach. If she had decided to stick around a bit longer, whoever it was could've seriously injured her with the door, and it wouldn't have been the wall cracking from the sheer force that was used to fling the door open.
A sense of dread tingled from her head to her toes as she saw the blond that was Rita poke her head out the door to stare at whoever had flung open the door with that much force. For once, Rita was out of any words to say, and for good reason, too; a man in a long trench coat and a tiny fedora loomed over her and everyone else that stuck their own heads out to gape at the stranger that had stumbled into their abode with a family of three at his heels. "Oh, not again," the woman of the three exclaimed, about as emotionally involved as a robot. "We're very sorry about your wall, he just can't control his own strength right now."
Gasping violently, Rita clutched her head in visible panic from the poor state of the wall, shrieking that horrible wail of hers. "Holy shit! Marvin's going to be so fucking mad!" Thankfully, Rita hadn't noticed Claire yet, so she should've been able to continue to avoid Rita's dramatics and search for Chris if it wasn't for the large man blocking her path. The way he stared at his surroundings terrified her, the pale eyes locking onto anyone and anything that dared to breathe outside their doors. How did she not feel his presence before? Claire swallowed heavily and prepared herself to bolt, every muscle in her body screaming to run from him even though those same muscles still cried out in pain from running all the way to the RPD.
A rumbling growl was emitted from the giant's throat, low and deadly, and he leaned closer to Rita to stare into her eyes with his own emotionless, pale eyes silently sending a message to get out of his way. Rita followed the unspoken order as quickly as she could, scurrying back into her room. It was because of this that Claire got a good look at his face, him being extremely tall and her being a bit on the short side; his skin was ashen grey and marred like the last thing he did was walk into a burning building. His eyes were stretched open and unblinking, his mouth a tad bit parted, as if Claire was looking at a corpse that didn't even get to scream before he died, and the only thing that differentiated him from a dead man was his labored breathing, loud and rhythmic.
He stomped into the room Rita was in, scaring the other occupant in the room judging by his high-pitched squeak, and Claire couldn't have been more happier for not entering that room. The room there was rather big, but just his long shadow would've been enough to paralyze Claire, pinning her to the corner as if she was already trapped. Feeling sympathy for whoever was in the room with Rita, Claire stalked away with a newfound purpose: get as far away from that thing as possible. Her goal to find Chris was forgotten the minute she saw the man — Was it even a man that she saw? — standing in the middle of the hallway, his destructive strength apparent just from opening a door.
"Who's this?" Right, she had forgotten about those three trailing behind him. Claire turned her head to silently watch the trio connected with the giant storming around the police station. The father — at least, she thought he's the father — had entered the room with the giant, probably watching him scare the officers shitless with some amusement. Their daughter pulled on her mother's unrelenting grip to go watch whatever was happening inside the room with no results, and the mother stared at me, clearly the one that asked the question.
Her eyes narrowed a bit further. "I don't recall seeing you before." Each word was slowly uttered with perfect pronunciation, carefully chosen. "You aren't wearing a uniform, either." She stepped a bit closer, eyes taking in Claire's appearance, from her dirty sneakers to her warm pedestrian clothing. "So what are you doing here?" she finally ended, expectant of an answer.
Straightening up at the sight of the woman, Claire grimaced—she couldn't manage to smile, shaken up as she was—and replied, "Oh, I'm Claire. I'm looking for my brother."
"Your brother?" Again, her tone was cold and detached, somehow condescending Claire for her answers. "What's his name?"
"I'm sorry, why are we having this conversation again?" The look she gave Claire was a disapproving glare. It didn't really matter, for Claire didn't really want to talk to her anymore. Besides, she had no reason to talk to this woman. "I really do have to go find my brother, so if you'll excuse me," Claire ended the conversation, giving the older woman a mocking bow before turning the corner. Any more time wasted was another second closer to Chris having left again. Pushing every thought of the strangely gray man and the weirdly robotic woman out of her mind, Claire walked through the halls once more, searching for Chris and begging to God silently in her head that he might still be in the police station.
Anyways, I'll just go ahead and publish this before I forget what the plot was. This has been in my drafts for almost half the year, and I don't want to delay this any longer. Yes, this chapter was short and made no sense, but I'm just going to publish it now.