The Highway
Chapter 1: A moonlit highway...
You never really know what's around that corner up ahead. Could be a fallen log, could be a deer, could be a dead deer, could be an undead deer... That's simply the severity of the change in Raccoon City. All over the news, reports of gruesome deaths steadily flow right on in. Like blood from a severed jugular. Like foam from the decomposing jaws of a reanimated canine corpse. The local residents of Raccon City, at least those who knew what was really going on, decided to wait the whole thing out in a different place, a different state, a different country, even. Anywhere but there. The remainder of citizens that decided to stay indefinitely eventually changed their diet as well.
That's why it was a bit weird for whoever was left in town--those that were still human, at least--to watch a single Jeep Wrangler come roaring down the deserted two-lane highway. Driving headlong right smack INTO Raccoon City. The epicenter of horror.
Filled with five college students and a sizable quantity of unlawful beverages, this dirt-caked, top-down, packed-to-capacity Jeep practically owned the road. In truth, it actually DID own the road--for the time being.
"Yeah! Look at that moon, man!! I told you this was gonna rule!!" Tiko then howled at that moon, excitement overtaking his sense of reservation around his new girlfriend, Cassie Hernandez.
"Only 63 miles to go!! Get used to looking at my fat cheeks, 'cause I'm going in first!!" declared Rob, pointing to the green highway sign. He had no reservations whatsoever, and let loose as usual. He then stood up, hanging onto the Jeep's windshield frame, pumping his fist into the air. Needless to say, Rob was more of a Bark at the Moon type than Tiko was.
"Yeah, right behind me, you freaks!!" Cici screamed. She was definitely on the way to becoming a regular party-animal. Well, a party-hamster, as per her partying record so far, but an animal nonetheless.
A good bark of laughter came from her companion in the driver's seat. He went by the name of Jeff Martinez, even though his real name was Peter Martinez. Peter led to Peter Pan, which led to Jiffy, which led to Jeffy, and on down to Jeff. Better than those genital-references he was used to in high school. Or the big-rig company references, or the parrot references, or the numerous millions of others he despised hearing. Peanut butter they had never done. Nor had anyone taken it to the next level like this. His friends thought they were helping him loosen up, but they were merely partaking in the widening of the gap until he simply couldn't close it. One name, and you're gettin the silent treatment, bub. At least, most of the time. There was one guy he knew that could see through all of that crap, and see who Jeff really was.
Although, as of now, Rob couldn't see much of anything, due to the wind whipping his face like a good slapping with a sheet of silk. Riding in the passenger seat (with the yelling half his body hanging out over the door) was Jeff's right-hand man, Rob Sanchez. Pals since Orientation, Rob was the one Jeff could always look to for advice. Mostly girl-related advice, but a few other topics, too. Rob couldn't be seen without a new girlfriend hanging off his ripped arm, sometimes one on each. That, in fact, was why he was going through this trip without one; they both found out about the other. Come to think about it, that was also why he wasn't driving. He wasn't mad, though. A bit steamed, but at least he had a little bit of a light at the end of the tunnel; all his advice finally paid off! Jeff, for the first time, had found someone special. That light was somewhat dimmed by the fact that, in a table-turning twist, Rob was given two tickets to singletown, and all before the trip, no less!
Cici Garret's ticket to freedom (albeit a different kind of freedom) was given to her a week ago. Jeff shared Rob and Tiko's idea of going to Walleye Lake for Memorial Day, and she accepted before he could finish the sentence. Not exactly desperate, she was simply looking to shake things up a little. Add a handful of M&Ms to her bowl (she would say it was a white bowl, if a bowl had existed) of vanilla. To go right out and say it, she was growing quite sick of "this dorm life", and a break was long overdue. She needed some experiences to make the remaining two years memorable. And this could be REALLY memorable if she could finally find some alone time with Jeff. If Rob liked him so much, she supposed she could get to liking him, even loving, if all went well. He was real shy, after all, and she felt she needed to help him make up for spring break.
Nothing, of course, could help Cassie Hernandez make up for it. The old song her parents love says it all; "breaking up is hard to do." Harder still is to have it done TO you. She hit an all-time low last spring, and it was lucky for her that Tiko caught her on the rebound. She told herself he was just a guy, that she's smart, funny, pretty, and could find a new guy in no time. Her well-meaning advice had no effect on psyche, for when she saw Tiko standing there, right next to her car, just admiring at her every feature, as if she was actually something worth beholding, was enough to send her over the edge. She just walked right up to him, falling into his arms. That was something she had never done before, and it helped that he held her for the longest time, just letting her have a good cry. Then, when the time was right, he made his move. A good move. An effective move. She never once looked back.
He DID looked back, however, and he saw something he didn't like. He saw a dredger. A low-level bottom feeder who couldn't keep a fever intrigued, even on a lonely Saturday night. It wasn't really his fault. Tiko Cruz was never lacking in the looks department. He was never short on style, either. What he did lack was an ability to sustain a relationship beyond half a week. 3 and a half days, to be precise. She said "Call me when you've gotten kneepads, 'cause you'll be crawling on 'em for miles to get THIS back," emphasized by her final, farewell booty slap. He loved that booty slap. Needless to say, he wasn't in the highest of spirits standing alone in the university lot. He leaned on the door of that red Corolla for about half an hour before a dark auburn beauty came shuffling along. She seemed to be talking to herself, reassuring herself. He marveled at her for about a minute or so before his eyes met hers, and hers started beautifully misting up before breaking up the floodgates. He would have cried, too, were it not for his big-brother instinct. Besides, he was never one to steal someone's spotlight like that. This was HER weepy time; he had understood that, and for the first time, he started to understand a lot of other things that no one else can teach you with mere words. Suffice to say, his half-week record has since been broken.
All that happened seven days ago. Seven days that were consumed by tests, study groups, a few get-togethers, and one thing that got close to being a party, but nothing too outlandish. At least not for the rest of the student body of RCU. It soon became apparent to the five pals that if something could not be done to break this endless chain of sameness, they'd just float lifelessly along through this summer, the next, and all the way through to graduation.
Thanks to this trip, or more accurately, thanks to Raccoon City, none of them would be floating along ANYWHERE anymore. That was the plan, at least.
"Dude, I'm taking this whole thing with me! It's all going down tonight!!" Rob claimed, holding up a six-pack of Coronas, presenting them to the moon like an offering to the lunar god he seemingly worshipped.
"Ha! You'd fall over before the first one's finished!!" Cici countered. She had known Rob for around a year and a half, and had dated him for a number of weeks before each found different, more interesting relationship options. Within that time, she had known that although quite wild, his intake of suds of all types was curbed severely by a slight allergy which magnified alcohol's effects on him. Perhaps, she thought, that is why he acts so wildly; to make up for this self-perceived disability.
Jeff smiled to himself. He knew of Rob and Cici's little time together, and had on many occasions endured one of their make-out sessions, some lasting for more than an hour--which was no where near "the record", Rob would be quick to point out.
Jeff started to lean over to her, capitalizing on an in-joke between the three with "That's spoken like a true..." until Rob, still holding up his alcohol offering, suddenly saw that the road ahead was blocked.
"LOOK OUT!!!" He screamed.
Alright, so that wasn't very Resident Evil-y. Rest assured, it's not going to be a romance, but there will be a few elements of that type later on. I'm more than sure chapter 2 will be more...interesting. In the world of RE, you know just what I mean.
Chapter 1: A moonlit highway...
You never really know what's around that corner up ahead. Could be a fallen log, could be a deer, could be a dead deer, could be an undead deer... That's simply the severity of the change in Raccoon City. All over the news, reports of gruesome deaths steadily flow right on in. Like blood from a severed jugular. Like foam from the decomposing jaws of a reanimated canine corpse. The local residents of Raccon City, at least those who knew what was really going on, decided to wait the whole thing out in a different place, a different state, a different country, even. Anywhere but there. The remainder of citizens that decided to stay indefinitely eventually changed their diet as well.
That's why it was a bit weird for whoever was left in town--those that were still human, at least--to watch a single Jeep Wrangler come roaring down the deserted two-lane highway. Driving headlong right smack INTO Raccoon City. The epicenter of horror.
Filled with five college students and a sizable quantity of unlawful beverages, this dirt-caked, top-down, packed-to-capacity Jeep practically owned the road. In truth, it actually DID own the road--for the time being.
"Yeah! Look at that moon, man!! I told you this was gonna rule!!" Tiko then howled at that moon, excitement overtaking his sense of reservation around his new girlfriend, Cassie Hernandez.
"Only 63 miles to go!! Get used to looking at my fat cheeks, 'cause I'm going in first!!" declared Rob, pointing to the green highway sign. He had no reservations whatsoever, and let loose as usual. He then stood up, hanging onto the Jeep's windshield frame, pumping his fist into the air. Needless to say, Rob was more of a Bark at the Moon type than Tiko was.
"Yeah, right behind me, you freaks!!" Cici screamed. She was definitely on the way to becoming a regular party-animal. Well, a party-hamster, as per her partying record so far, but an animal nonetheless.
A good bark of laughter came from her companion in the driver's seat. He went by the name of Jeff Martinez, even though his real name was Peter Martinez. Peter led to Peter Pan, which led to Jiffy, which led to Jeffy, and on down to Jeff. Better than those genital-references he was used to in high school. Or the big-rig company references, or the parrot references, or the numerous millions of others he despised hearing. Peanut butter they had never done. Nor had anyone taken it to the next level like this. His friends thought they were helping him loosen up, but they were merely partaking in the widening of the gap until he simply couldn't close it. One name, and you're gettin the silent treatment, bub. At least, most of the time. There was one guy he knew that could see through all of that crap, and see who Jeff really was.
Although, as of now, Rob couldn't see much of anything, due to the wind whipping his face like a good slapping with a sheet of silk. Riding in the passenger seat (with the yelling half his body hanging out over the door) was Jeff's right-hand man, Rob Sanchez. Pals since Orientation, Rob was the one Jeff could always look to for advice. Mostly girl-related advice, but a few other topics, too. Rob couldn't be seen without a new girlfriend hanging off his ripped arm, sometimes one on each. That, in fact, was why he was going through this trip without one; they both found out about the other. Come to think about it, that was also why he wasn't driving. He wasn't mad, though. A bit steamed, but at least he had a little bit of a light at the end of the tunnel; all his advice finally paid off! Jeff, for the first time, had found someone special. That light was somewhat dimmed by the fact that, in a table-turning twist, Rob was given two tickets to singletown, and all before the trip, no less!
Cici Garret's ticket to freedom (albeit a different kind of freedom) was given to her a week ago. Jeff shared Rob and Tiko's idea of going to Walleye Lake for Memorial Day, and she accepted before he could finish the sentence. Not exactly desperate, she was simply looking to shake things up a little. Add a handful of M&Ms to her bowl (she would say it was a white bowl, if a bowl had existed) of vanilla. To go right out and say it, she was growing quite sick of "this dorm life", and a break was long overdue. She needed some experiences to make the remaining two years memorable. And this could be REALLY memorable if she could finally find some alone time with Jeff. If Rob liked him so much, she supposed she could get to liking him, even loving, if all went well. He was real shy, after all, and she felt she needed to help him make up for spring break.
Nothing, of course, could help Cassie Hernandez make up for it. The old song her parents love says it all; "breaking up is hard to do." Harder still is to have it done TO you. She hit an all-time low last spring, and it was lucky for her that Tiko caught her on the rebound. She told herself he was just a guy, that she's smart, funny, pretty, and could find a new guy in no time. Her well-meaning advice had no effect on psyche, for when she saw Tiko standing there, right next to her car, just admiring at her every feature, as if she was actually something worth beholding, was enough to send her over the edge. She just walked right up to him, falling into his arms. That was something she had never done before, and it helped that he held her for the longest time, just letting her have a good cry. Then, when the time was right, he made his move. A good move. An effective move. She never once looked back.
He DID looked back, however, and he saw something he didn't like. He saw a dredger. A low-level bottom feeder who couldn't keep a fever intrigued, even on a lonely Saturday night. It wasn't really his fault. Tiko Cruz was never lacking in the looks department. He was never short on style, either. What he did lack was an ability to sustain a relationship beyond half a week. 3 and a half days, to be precise. She said "Call me when you've gotten kneepads, 'cause you'll be crawling on 'em for miles to get THIS back," emphasized by her final, farewell booty slap. He loved that booty slap. Needless to say, he wasn't in the highest of spirits standing alone in the university lot. He leaned on the door of that red Corolla for about half an hour before a dark auburn beauty came shuffling along. She seemed to be talking to herself, reassuring herself. He marveled at her for about a minute or so before his eyes met hers, and hers started beautifully misting up before breaking up the floodgates. He would have cried, too, were it not for his big-brother instinct. Besides, he was never one to steal someone's spotlight like that. This was HER weepy time; he had understood that, and for the first time, he started to understand a lot of other things that no one else can teach you with mere words. Suffice to say, his half-week record has since been broken.
All that happened seven days ago. Seven days that were consumed by tests, study groups, a few get-togethers, and one thing that got close to being a party, but nothing too outlandish. At least not for the rest of the student body of RCU. It soon became apparent to the five pals that if something could not be done to break this endless chain of sameness, they'd just float lifelessly along through this summer, the next, and all the way through to graduation.
Thanks to this trip, or more accurately, thanks to Raccoon City, none of them would be floating along ANYWHERE anymore. That was the plan, at least.
"Dude, I'm taking this whole thing with me! It's all going down tonight!!" Rob claimed, holding up a six-pack of Coronas, presenting them to the moon like an offering to the lunar god he seemingly worshipped.
"Ha! You'd fall over before the first one's finished!!" Cici countered. She had known Rob for around a year and a half, and had dated him for a number of weeks before each found different, more interesting relationship options. Within that time, she had known that although quite wild, his intake of suds of all types was curbed severely by a slight allergy which magnified alcohol's effects on him. Perhaps, she thought, that is why he acts so wildly; to make up for this self-perceived disability.
Jeff smiled to himself. He knew of Rob and Cici's little time together, and had on many occasions endured one of their make-out sessions, some lasting for more than an hour--which was no where near "the record", Rob would be quick to point out.
Jeff started to lean over to her, capitalizing on an in-joke between the three with "That's spoken like a true..." until Rob, still holding up his alcohol offering, suddenly saw that the road ahead was blocked.
"LOOK OUT!!!" He screamed.
Alright, so that wasn't very Resident Evil-y. Rest assured, it's not going to be a romance, but there will be a few elements of that type later on. I'm more than sure chapter 2 will be more...interesting. In the world of RE, you know just what I mean.