Village: Resident Evil VIII

Chapter Two: The Diary of Ethan Winters

July 20th, 2017

Yesterday my whole world changed. I don't know exactly how to write this, or if that Redfield guy will even allow me to, but I have to get this out. I finally got word that Mia was still alive in Louisiana, but when I got there I… part of me wished that she had never contacted me in the first place. An email, that's what drew me to the Baker Estate in Dulvey, a simple message from my missing wife's email account with an address and a request to come for her, and of course I went running. I found Mia, but she was different, appearing to transition between being two separate people at once, and that was when my normal life ended.

The horrors that I witnessed at the Baker Estate are still freshly burned into my mind as if I'm still there. The invincible Jack, bug infested Marguerite, Jigsaw wannabe Lucas, it was all like something out of a 90's slasher film. I wouldn't have survived past that first awful 'dinner' with the family if not for Zoe's help, but even after her deranged family was dealt with and we found a way to escape, there was still the source of the problem to deal with. Eveline… a name that sends a chill down my spine, a weapon made in the form of a surprisingly cute little girl who just wanted a family of her own.

With the mold that her body produced, she corrupted everyone who set foot on the estate, mutilating their bodies and twisting their minds until nothing was left but a hoard of monsters who's only desire was to be loved by Eveline. It broke my heart when I found out that Mia had been involved in her creation, assigned to transport the little monster to some unknown location, only to become a victim like all the others. Under Eveline's control, she attacked us, and I was forced to kill her… I was forced to kill my own wife to save Zoe Baker, and that monster… Eveline thought it was all great fun.

She didn't think it was much fun when we finally destroyed her, the girl's gigantic mutated body turning white and breaking apart like a crumbling statue, and then we were taken into custody by a group I never heard of. It said Blue Umbrella on the helicopter that evacuated me and Zoe, but I guess they were some kind of subsidiary to the BSAA? I don't know, but that Redfield guy sealed off the whole estate, and me and Zoe are going to be 'debriefed' starting tomorrow… whatever that means.

December 9th, 2017

After months of tests and debriefings, which I discovered was just a fancy word for interrogating someone, Zoe and I have been released from containment. I didn't want to risk trying to make another entry into this book during all this, since I wasn't sure if they were going to take it away from me if discovered, but its not like I can say much more about what they're calling The Dulvey Incident than I did before. The cover story for it's okay I guess, as long as no one does too much digging… gas explosion, really?

The important thing is that I got to see Zoe again, but now instead of staying in a secure containment cell, I've got this little one bedroom apartment type thing on some kind of government installation. Zoe has one, too, and Redfield said that we're supposed to stay there until everything is taken care of… Jesus, can't that guy ever just give us a straight answer? Still can't contact my family or friends, but Zoe's been spending more and more time at my place… heh, my place, that's a laugh.

Still, I don't think my sanity could have lasted this long without her, especially after Mia died. That almost broke me, you know, I almost lost it right there in the lower decks of that wrecked ship, but Zoe needed me. Honestly, I think I needed her more, though. She's such a tough girl, keeping her head together even after losing her parents and her brother… actually, Lucas isn't a big loss, but don't tell her I said that. Yeah, so for right now its just me and Zoe Baker against the world… and by against the world, I mean watching a lot of Netflix while we wait for the next round of questions. And why do they keep taking our blood?

April 21st, 2018

I'm in love with Zoe Baker. I guess I have been for a while now, but it feels weird to just come out and say it like that. Sure, we've been really close since Louisiana, but I rationalized it as one of those crisis things where people cling to each other after something bad happens, and… and am I betraying Mia by pursuing this? Mia's been dead almost a year now, and I still have trouble believing that she was partly responsible for… no, she was transporting Eveline on her own free will… it was all her fault, wasn't it? All those people and Zoe's family… it was all Mia's fault. I just wish I could ask her why she did it.

I keep trying to imagine her taking possession of a weapon like that and then boarding a ship full of even more innocent people, like the two of them and her partner were a normal family. Eveline showed me Mia's memories, and every time I remember it I get all choked up. Why, Mia? Why in the hell would you agree to transport such a thing, and then… and then intentionally piss it of like that? That's enough for now.

August 1st, 2018

I asked Zoe to marry me today; I must have looked like an idiot, not having a ring and then getting on one knee in the living room after we finished watching the season finale of Stranger Things. She just sat there for a second, staring at me with her mouth full of way too much popcorn, and then had to spit it all over me so that she could say yes. I feel happy now for the first time in a while, except for the punch Zoe gave me in the arm because she had been 'wantin me to man up and ask months ago', then she hugged me and didn't let go for the rest of the night.

My situation here is a little different now, too, one of the reasons I don't have much chance to write lately. Chris Redfield insisted that I begin training with his unit so that I can better protect myself and my family if the people who created Eveline ever come for us. It's not advanced stuff like his soldiers do, but more like a kind of watered down basic training for civilians, if that makes any sense. Firearms, hand to hand combat, a fucking knife… hard to believe that just a year or so ago I was a pencil pushing systems engineer… a 'city boy' as the Bakers called me. So what am I now?

January 8th, 2019

Well, that's it… for the second time in my life I'm a married man. It was just a small ceremony at the chapel on base, but Zoe looked beautiful, and she said that everything was perfect. Her only regret was that her parents couldn't be there to se it, but then again maybe it was for the best because apparently her father really, really hated city boys like me long before Eveline showed up. We hung up the framed photo in our small apartment, hard to believe that we are now Mr. and Mrs. Ethan and Zoe Winters. But then we got some news… good news from Chris, for a change.

After what seemed like forever, we are finally going to be released from the base, which I'm starting to believe wasn't exactly a normal government installation, and they want to relocate us to another country, if you can believe it. Romania of all places, too, not that I have a problem with Europe or anything like that. I gotta add this part, though: When Chris told us we were moving to Romania, Zoe said, and I'm not joking 'ain't that where Dracula lives?'. I'm so glad she spoke first, because I was thinking the same thing, and that was the first time I ever heard Chris laugh.

June 2nd, 2019

All right, so it took a bit longer than I'd like for the actual move to happen, but 'holy shit' was all I could think of saying when we finally arrived at our new home. This place is gigantic, not quite as big as that mansion that Zoe and her family lived in, but bigger than anything I ever owned. Hey, get this, the US Government also agreed to pay Zoe to sell them her family's whole estate because I guess getting everything contained it harder than they thought, or something. Whatever, it means that not only have we been given a new home and life in Romania, but apparently I've married a rich girl.

I've been set up with a new job as well, a systems engineer for a company owned by Norway, and even though I only speak English they don't hold that against me. Apparently, everyone in Romania, and most European countries speak perfect English since it's the trade language or something like that. And that's great, because I wouldn't want to be the asshole who goes to a foreign country without being able to speak the language. God, that would be like going to Spain without speaking Spanish.

When asked if she wanted to restart her career as well, Zoe declined, saying that she just wanted to be a housewife for a while, as odd of an attitude as that is these days for a woman. But I don't blame her for just wanting to relax after what she had been through for the past few years. She can really keep up a house, though. The place is spotless, and I'm getting used to Cajun food, since its really all she knows how to cook, and you know… sometimes I'm the one who needs a break, because that girl jumps me almost every night. I can't keep up with her.

December 10th, 2019

Zoe is pregnant, we just found out today. I'm gonna be a father. I've never seen her this happy before, and she's making a big list of everything we need for the baby. Wow, everything's gonna be different now, huh? Sometimes I have to sit down and think for a minute, wondering how exactly I got here in life, but when I do I just end up remembering everything that happened in Louisiana. Sometimes it feels like part of me is still trapped back there, as weird as it sounds.

August 4th, 2020

Not a lot of time to write, I just wanted to make a quick note to mark the occasion. My daughter, Rosemary Winters, was born two days ago, and I think the most beautiful thing I've ever seen is the sight of Zoe holding her. I'm a dad… unreal.

January 8th, 2021

Okay, I'm gonna be honest for anyone who might read this someday, my grandkids or whatever, but with Rose and everything going on, I completely forgot about my diary for the past almost six months. I mean, its not like its something I'm being graded on, but my experience in Louisiana taught me how precious life is, and I want to make some kind of documentation. Rose, is such a cute little baby, my little angel, and she looks so much like her mom, just with lighter hair like mine… six months old already, too.

Zoe has gone into full 'mommy mode', as I call it, doing things like making all the baby food by hand, and all kinds of other things just the way her mother did, she's even grown out her hair. Zoe looks amazing, but its still a little weird since she always had short hair since I've known her. Been a while since we heard from Chris, which isn't a bad thing, and the three of us are so happy right now… I wish life could stay just like this forever.

Who knows, maybe those people forgot about us, and maybe it will.