-Chapter 1-








"Ugh," a young man groaned as he brushed back his silver hair with his hand, "This damn class is so boring...." He was sitting in his seat in the back of his science class. The red and white all too familiar Umbrella Inc. logos lined the walls of the bland classroom, which showed the true little indication of the creative ingenuity that a teacher should possess. He looked over to the white board in the front of the classroom where the teacher stood, various writings of Umbrella's minor "beneficial" scientific breakthroughs were posted on various bulletin boards and sections of the board on which the teacher was writing notes fro the class to copy down.

"Mike!" his teacher yelled at him. The teacher was a 5' 5", attractive, young, blond woman with brilliant blue eyes.

"Yes, ma'am?" he responded in half boredom

"What is the answer to question number fifty?"

"First.... Question number fifty is.... What is the name of the supposed 'Viruses' that spread through some of the United States?" he read off the review packet that lay on his desk in front of him, "Is the answer..... The G and T-Virus?"

"Good, at least you're paying attention." she resumed the lesson, "As Mike just said... the G and T-Viruses, as revealed by various anti-B.O.W. groups, are the chemicals responsible for the sudden outbreaks that overcame most cities in the US. Umbrella was in trouble because of this outbreak of the truth about the company. And because of that.... Umbrella has been only been producing pharmaceutical supplies such as vaccines for many new and old diseases and other medical chemicals."

Mike raised his hand to say something

"Yes Mike?"

"Are we covering any of the supposed B.O.W.s that were suspected to be products of high concentrations of the 'Viruses'?"

"What do you mean?"

"I heard that there where B.O.W.s that were created and made extremely strong because of the 'Viruses'. Things that were called 'Tyrants' and a 'Nemesis'."

"Where did you get that information?"

The whole class stared at him angrily, "Somewhere on the internet." he replied

"Well, that changes everything then. You see, class...." the class turned their attention back to the teacher, whose voice seemed to fade away in Mike's ears as he took out a white piece of paper and started to sketch something...

¤ ¤ ¤

After class and during passing period, he walked toward his next class. On the way there, he met his friend just like he always did. His friend's name was Kat, he had known her for only a few months but he felt that he really liked her.

"Hey." he said with a slightly cheerful tone in his voice

"Hi." she replied in a normal tone

They gazed into each other's eyes for a few seconds, "So... how has your day been as of now?"

"The usual."

"Same here."

"So, do you have any new drawings?"

"I was drawing something again, another monster one."

"Can I see it?"

"If you want to, that's fine." he took the red backpack which was resting on his back off, placed it on the ground, opened it, took out a piece of paper, and handed it to her soon after

"What's this supposed to be?" she asked in an aghast tone

"I don't know, I just... started to draw and I came up with this."

"It's hideous....yet some parts of it look familiar...."

"Like how?"

"Well.... the hair and eye color are exactly the same as yours. Plus, the shreds of clothing are the same black clothes you sometimes wear."

He took the picture from her, "Well, it's almost time for the next class to start so; I guess I'll see you around then."

"Yeah. bye."

He walked away from her. "It looks like me?" he asked himself as he walked away, "It can't mean anything.... can it?"

¤ ¤ ¤

After class, he went to the normal table he sat at with his other friends. The bell rung, indicating that the period was now over and lunch had begun. After a while, his friend Vash Relwof arrived at the table.

Mike, being in his usual moodiness, just barley glanced at him as he arrived. He stared down at the Umbrella pendant on the chain around his neck like a necklace. "Why do I always wear this thing?" he mumbled to himself.

"So..." Vash started

"Don't even say a thing, Vash." he said without even looking at his friend

"What?"

"Are you going to ridicule me as usual?" he said harshly

"Now why would I do that?"

He glared at him, "Because you always do. Oh well...."

Another friend of his, Sam Ilgeob, sat down with a cardboard tray of food, "Hey guys." he said casually, but still with an almost intolerable voice.

"What's wrong, dude?" Vash asked Mike.

"What?" he responded, "Am I not supposed to be myself? I'm just agonizingly bored, that's all...."

"Well...." Sam said

"Don't even say anything, Sam."

"But..."

"It's been a bad day, so don't try and say anything to comfort me." he said this seriously. He didn't like emotional help or support from anybody; if anybody does so, he gets seriously mad and perhaps violent. "Got it?"

"Don't be so uptight, Mike." a young man said as he approached the table, "Loosen up a bit, sheesh."

"Shut up Razor..."

"Why should I?" he took a pen out of his backpack, "You wanna get stabbed for saying that?"

"Damn, aren't you ever going to stop trying to stab people with things like pens?"

"Well..." Sam tried to say

He glared at Sam, "Don't say anything, just eat and be quiet. You have my final warning." he felt a slightly warm sensation within his body, then a twitch. "Or else you shall be feeling pain soon."

Sam tried to say something, but Mike solidly punched him in the arm, sending him toppling backwards off the seat. "OOWWWWWWWWW!!!!!" he wailed, and held his left arm with his right, "I think you broke my upper arm.

"You deserved it, I warned you."

¤ ¤ ¤

After school, since it was a Friday, he headed home immediately; but talked with Kat while she waited for her ride to come. After he was finished, he started heading for home. He only got as far as walking about thirty yards from the front gate where Kat is before the sound of screeching tires could be heard. He wasn't paying attention very much but at the last moment he did see the vehicle. It was a black S.U.V. with tinted windows. The vehicle zoomed towards him, he yelled out in surprise and tried to jump out of the way, succeeded, and ran away; only to look back and see the S.U.V. turn and follow him on the sidewalk.

It rapidly caught up to him by the second, he approached the gate leading out of the student parking lot; and found to his horror that he could not cross and finally admitted the inevitable.

He was struck, hurled into the air and thrown into the far lanes heading towards the school as if by the explosion of a semi powerful grenade blast. He crashed into the pavement and tumbled twenty five feet, stiffly at first, then with a dreadful looseness, as if he were constructed of string and aged rags. He came to rest face down, unmoving.

Kat had heard the screeching tires, and saw the S.U.V. heading towards him. She was the first to reach Mike. Heart hammering in her chest, shouting out his name, she dropped to her knees and instinctively put one hand to his neck to feel for a pulse. His skin is wet with blood, and her fingers kept slipping on the slick flesh as she searched desperately for the throbbing artery.

She saw the dire depression that had reshaped his skull. His head had been bashed in to the point where the skin was ripped off in some places along the right side, above a torn ear, and all the way forward and past the temples to the edge of his now pale eye brow. His head was turned so that she can see one eye, which was wide open in frozen and eternal agony, staring in shock, though sightless now. Horribly large fragments of his skull had driven themselves deep into his brain. Death had been instant.

She stands up suddenly, tottering, nauseated. Hyperventilating, her breathing quickens, she closes her eyes, hugging herself, and clenching her teeth. She is determined not to faint. She calms her breath and slightly calms down.