DM here. I don't own anything that I didn't make.
Kevin recovered rather quickly, and within a few days he was walking fine. He waited for a time when he could speak with 'Carlos' alone. He knew very well that the man with red eyes intended to kill him, and by the looks of it, was immortal. His thoughts swashed around in his head as he sat on the couch, reading Jim's book. He had done a good job, and Kevin found no problems. For the first chapter. It was entitled 'Outbreak'. But when he reached the second chapter, he found it was not the underground lab they found after the armored car crashed.
It was 'The Hive', the leech filled hospital they discovered next. He was mystified. Until he turned the page. At this point, he knew something was very, very wrong. The fourth line read-
"That was a sad day. Hell, of course it was. It was the first time one of us had died. David, man. He went out fighting, kicked ass and died like a man, would have made any brotha proud. But we was too sad to realize that's how he would have wanted it."
David didn't die in the Hospital! Memories of his true fate returned to Kevin.
--- A smoldering crater was all that was left of the truck that was once parked in the parking lot of the Raccoon City University. Kevin lay, weak, almost dead, by it. He had survived a grenade, god knows how. But who could have fired a grenade launcher at him? A familiar figure walked up to him.
"The only way either of us is going to get out of this hellhole is by you dying. Think of it as... the greater good. Hahaha!"
"David...wh...why?"
"It's better to be a living traitor than a dead sidekick."
A gunshot rang out. ---
"Something on your mind?"
Alyssa yawned as she entered the room. She had worked a double shift at the Blueport Ledger, the local newspaper. Alyssa plopped down on the couch next to Kevin, and looked at him inquisitively.
"Well?"
Kevin brushed back his hair.
"It's nothing."
When he turned to look at her, she was 2 inches from his face, looking a bit pissed.
"Kevin, you have 5 seconds to tell me what's wrong. Sweetie."
"Uhm, uh... It's Carlos, he... Carlos..."
Kevin stared for a minute into Alyssa's eyes. She was hungry for details, never letting a secret stay kept. She was a journalist through and through. He couldn't lead her in to this. She was a tough girl, but Kevin couldn't risk hurting her.
"Carlos has a drinking problem."
"Really?!"
"Yeah, and it hurts me to stand by and watch him. The man is going to drink himself into the grave."
"I never would have guessed..."
"Yeah, he hides it pretty well, but I've seen him binge."
"Well what should we do?"
"Look, Carlos and I are going to New York for a while. We got first place in the team shooting competition last week, remember? We won a trip to NYC. I'll confront him there."
"Okay, fine." Alyssa sighed, feeling a bit left out.
Kevin put his arm around her.
"We aren't leaving right now..."
Alyssa looked up at him.
"So what should we do?"
Kevin raised his eyebrow.
Chapter Two – Exodus
The smoke from Kevin's cigarette swirled around his bedroom, and then silently floated out to the streets where it disappeared. Alyssa lay sleeping beside him, snoring in a girlish way. He had seen Carlos several times at work, and always felt a strange vibe coming from him. Something not quite human. He wanted to pretend it was all a dream, but it wasn't. He was sure of that.
The next day, Kevin packed his suitcase and headed to the airport. He kissed Alyssa goodbye, promised her he wouldn't cheat on her, promised her AGAIN he wouldn't cheat on her, and then left when she tried to make him sign a legal contract stating he wouldn't engage in adultery.
He met up with 'Carlos' and got on the plane. He could kill two birds with one stone- meet with Jim and ask him why his book had been edited, and get some time alone with the red eyed man. He was confused. 'Carlos' could easily kill him. He had several chances. Yet Kevin hadn't been touched. He would have time to sort this all out later.
The plane ride went well, and 'Carlos' seemed oblivious to Kevin's reasoning for the trip. Finally, they reached New York. 'Carlos' asked where they were going.
"An old friend," Kevin replied.
Jim's mansion was quite formidable. The two police officers waited to be ushered in at the gate. They entered the huge doorway, and gaped at their surroundings. At the top of the classy stairwell there was Jim, the former subway station worker, in the tackiest suit Kevin had ever seen.
"I suppose wealth can't buy taste," Kevin mused to himself.
Kevin turned to Carlos.
"Look, I need to talk to Jim alone. Is that ok?"
Carlos nodded, and walked away to explore the huge mansion.
The two old compatriots entered Jim's study and sat for a while.
"Coffee?"
"No thanks."
The two shared silence for a moment. Jim had changed. The old Jim always smiled, even when he was scared. This Jim looked hollow.
"You know why I'm here."
"Damn right I do. And I'm telling you to forget about it. There are some things we can't control. This is one of them."
"Who's paying you?"
"Umbrella Corporation. All I know is that they were behind the outbreak."
Kevin's anger rose.
"How much are they paying you to shut up?"
"They're paying me with my goddamn life! And to tell you the truth, if I have to edit a little out of my past to avoid becoming an experiment, I consider it a bargain, and you should too!"
Kevin stood up and started shouting.
"If we don't do something, innocent lives will be lost! You honestly think there won't be another Raccoon City?"
"You think we can stop them?! Umbrella is more powerful than you can imagine. They have powers over political groups you don't even know exist!"
"Are you saying there's some government conspiracy going on?"
"No, I'm saying you better watch where you stick your nose, because it's going to get cut off!"
"You sold out, Jim. You sold out."
Jim knocked the papers off his desk.
"If that's the price I have to pay to protect my own life and my family, CONSIDER ME SOLD! Now, I suggest you leave, before I make you leave!"
Kevin stared at Jim in disgust, and then left his office. Carlos was waiting for him outside.
"Old friend, huh?"
"Shut up, Red Eyes. By the way, we need to talk."
"Whatever you say."
Kevin was too angry to notice Carlos had lost his accent.
They walked outside and into a darker part of town. It began to rain. Kevin found a basketball court, and finally confronted the man.
"Now you're going to explain some things to me."
Carlos shrugged.
"I'll tell you what I want to."
"Who are you?"
"Albert Wesker."
"Why did you kill Carlos?"
Wesker held his hands up in mock protest.
"Kill? He's fine."
"I saw you break his neck! How could he be alive?"
"Hrm, that's as far as we'll go in this subject."
Kevin punched the basketball goalpost. It left a wide dent.
"Damn it, fine! Who's paying you? Umbrella Corporation?"
Wesker put his index finger on his nose.
"Who are they?"
"A pharmaceutical company."
"Who are they REALLY?"
Wesker coughed, and spoke in Jim's voice.
"Umbrella is more powerful than you can imagine. They have powers over political groups you don't even know exist!"
He cackled. Kevin was livid.
"What do they want from me?"
"They don't want anything from you, other than silence. You know too much."
"Why don't they just kill me?"
"Because body trails are quite annoying to clean up. Anyone that can't be bribed has to die. That leaves more body trails. If the media got even a whiff of what was going on, there could be a world of trouble."
"What is Umbrella's intention?"
"Does this look like a James Bond movie? I've told you all I'm going to."
"What makes you think I won't talk?"
Wesker withdrew a thin cylindrical stick from his pocket, and began to eat it. He paused for a while.
"Alyssa is a wonderful woman, wouldn't you say?"
Kevin got the message.
"YOU BASTARD!"
Wesker smiled.
"Oh, don't be like that. As long as you keep your mouth shut, everyone will be fine."
He extended the stick he was eating to Kevin.
"Pocky?"
TO BE CONTINUED
Oh man, Wesker is going to be one evil bastard. Thanks to AnimaSola for that kind review. Next chapter- Revelations.