...Feeble humans. Let us give you...our power.
Unbeknownst to the unconscious Leon, a figure clad in a jet–black robe was slowly approaching his defenseless body. Held in the figure's pale hand was a large hypodermic syringe – big enough to make anyone cringe at the sight of it. Instead of the conventional single tube, this syringe had two – both filled with a purple liquid, but one containing what seemed to be a tiny egg.
The figure raised the syringe and stuck the needle into Leon's neck. Malevolent laughter echoed through the room.
Soon, you will become unable to resist this...intoxicating power.
The figure squeezed down on the handle, and the egg slipped through the needle, into Leon's neck.
Leon awoke with a start. He looked around. In front of him were two shelves, each holding boxes. The shelves were attached to a dirty wall, the plaster cracked in some areas, revealing the brick layer underneath. A few menacing–looking hooks hung from the rafters on the ceiling. Sacks were piled on one side of the room, beneath boarded–up windows.
Leon was in a sitting position. He tried to move. He couldn't get up. His hands were bound, and tied to something – he looked over his shoulder to see that there was a man behind him – It was the one he'd rescued from the armoire, and their hands were tired together.
Leon nudged him. "...Hey...Hey! Wake up!"
The man stirred, and slowly awoke. "Ay ay ay..." He looked around the run–down room. "...Crawl out of one hole, and into another." He muttered to himself, perhaps a proverb from his place of origin.
"You wanna tell me what's goin' on here?" Leon asked.
"¿Americano, sí? Now, what leads a bloke like you to this part of the world?" He replied.
That was when it hit him – the photo! Did he still have it? Leon dug around in his back pocket as well as he could with his hands tied, tugging on the other man's bindings as he did.
"Oh! Ey! Easy! ...Whoever you are..."
Leon's fingertips caressed the photograph in his pocket, sending a wave of relief through his body. He pulled it out of his back pocket. "...Name's Leon." As long as the photo was out, he decided to show it to the man. "I came here looking for this girl. Seen her?"
The man looked down at the photo. "What, are you supposed to be a cop, or something? ...Nah...you don't seem the type."
"...Maybe." Leon responded, fearing that the man might harbor animosity towards cops, and not help him if he knew the truth. Afterwards, a silence fell between them, and the wind howled through the cracks in the boarded windows to magnify the silence.
"...Okay...let me guess." The man started. "She's the president's daughter?"
Leon scoffed. "That's too good for a guess. Wanna start explaining?"
"...Psychic powers..." The man whispered. The hair on Leon's neck stood up. "...Nah. Just kidding with you, amigo." Leon's shoulders sagged in disappointment. He couldn't believe he had been gullible enough to believe him at first. Then again, after all he'd seen that day, he was willing to believe an extraordinary claim. "I overheard one of the villagers saying something about the president's daughter in the church..."
"...And who might you be?"
"Me llaman Luis Sera. Used to be a cop in Madrid. ...Now, I'm just a good–for–nothing guy...who happens to be...quite the ladies' man."
"Why'd you quit?"
Luis scoffed. "¡Policía! You put your life on the line...Nobody really appreciates you enough for it! Being a hero isn't what it's cracked up to be any more..."
Luis' words sent Leon's mind reminiscing. "...Used to be a cop myself. ...Only for a day, though. Somehow, I managed to get myself involved with the incident in Racoon City...on my first day in the force."
"Wow. And I thought I was bad." Luis remarked. "That was the incident with the viral outbreak, right? I think I might have seen a sample of the virus in the lab at the department..."
"We can reminisce later. Right now, there are some important things I'd like to know. Who exactly are these people?"
Luis took a long breath, and then gave a deep sigh. "You and I are probably going to be in this one for the long haul, so I guess I'd better come clean. I'll start from the beginning.
"Long ago, there once was a religious group that had deep roots in this region, called the 'Los Illuminados'. Their goal was to create a world without sinners by cleansing the souls of those whom had sinned. Once cleansed, they would rise to the status of 'Ganado,' and find their reason to live. The plan was to save their souls using the power of something called the 'Las Plagas'. The Las Plagas aren't a holy power, but actually a unique variety of parasitic organism.
"The Las Plagas have the ability to manipulate the behavioral patterns of their hosts. They are social organisms. Instead of living individually, they live in perfect social harmony. It is believed that they have a collective intelligence. This type of behavior can be seen among insects such as bees and ants. However, this kind of social behavior is rarely seen among parasitic organisms. Perhaps it was a learned behavior by the Plagas. In any case, the Plagas have exceptional adaptation skills. They are able to live off many kinds of organisms by creating a symbiotic environment quickly. This ability, when combined with their social behaviors, allows them to interact intelligently between hosts, regardless of the host organism.
"There is a castle in this region. For many years, the Salazar family served as the castellans of the castle. The Salazar family ancestry has a dark past. The First Castellan of the castle had something against the Los Illuminados, and took away their rights and powers. He buried the Las Plagas deep underground below the castle, to hide their very existence. The Eighth Castellan, Ramon Salazar, became a follower of the religion, and felt that it was his duty, as well as his responsibility, to atone for the 'sin' committed by the First Castellan. He thought the best way to atone for that sin was to give power back to those who his family once took it away from – the Los Illuminados – and to resurrect the Las Plagas.
"But, when Salazar excavated the Las Plagas, no one thought he could bring them back to life, because they were all just fossilized remains. Everyone knew that the parasitic organisms could not survive without their hosts – that they couldn't sustain life on their own. However, when Salazar and his men excavated the remains, it almost appeared as if the Las Plagas were just waiting to be discovered, so that they could be resurrected. Several years later, unexplainable convulsions started occurring among the villagers who helped with the excavation of the Las Plagas. Then, one day, all of a sudden, these villagers turned into violent savages.
"They later found out that it was caused by the Las Plagas. Although they appeared fossilized, they were able to survive the long years by lying in a dormant state at the cellular level, remaining in a spore–like form. Apparently, during the excavation, the villagers inhaled the spores, and within their bodies, the parasites became active again. This is how the Las Plagas were resurrected. Even as we speak, the excavation of the Las Plagas continues. Only God knows how many of these Plagas have been resurrected. Not to mention the countless number of Los Ganados – now simply thought of as victims of the Las Plagas – that have been created. Do you understand what all of this means? Their inhumane activity must be put to an end. If they are not stopped, people all around the world could turn into victims of this crazy cult organization!"
Leon's head hung down. I thought I had big enough problems when I had the job of rescuing the president's daughter from a bunch of violent savages. Now, the whole world is in danger? "...This is all a lot to swallow. But, who are you? What is your role in all of this?"
"I was one of the researchers who was hired to study the Plagas. In the initial stages of the research, we were searching for a safe and practical removal of the Plaga. Ironically, it turns out that the real objective of this research was not to find a way to remove the Plagas from the infected persons, but to find a way so that the Plaga could not be removed from the body easily." Under his breath, Leon muttered something in a tone that dripped with hatred. "...Saddler...he used me."
"Saddler? Lord Saddler, right? Who is he, anyway? That big guy?"
"No, the big guy was Bitores Mendez – the chief of this villager. Lord Saddler is the very leader of the Los Illuminados cult itself."
"So, this Saddler guy is the one to blame for all of this, then!"
"...No, amigo...Saddler is not all to blame. I...am ashamed to admit that my pure fascination with the Plagas blinded me to the true research objectives of the Los Illuminados. Even with the knowledge that Saddler was going to abuse the results of the experiments, I could not pull myself away from my research. As a result...I am just as responsible for this whole mess as he is. I see now that I was wrong, and I want to atone by bringing an end to their plans." Luis looked over his shoulder to see Leon better. "...And I can't do it alone, amigo. It looks like we both have a reason to stop those maniacs. What do you say? Partners?"
"Sure. But the first step to stopping them is getting out of here."
"Well, for starters, let's assess the situation. You and I are in confinement together. I don't know why they have kept us alive. I would, however, think that they'd at least keep us separate, and not confine us together as we apparently have been. Maybe they didn't think I'd trust a stranger and try to cooperate."
"Shhhh – quiet...Do you hear that?" Leon said in a hushed tone. The two men listened carefully.
"...Yeah...I hear it. Sounds like something heavy being dragged across the ground..."
The sound became louder, and suddenly, a villager appeared in the doorway, and this one, Leon recognized. It was the first villager he had encountered – not only was blood was splattered all over his body, but he had a bullet hole in his head right where Leon had shot him – in the eye. Behind him, he was dragging an enormous axe. Why would they keep us alive, only to kill us? This Ganado must be acting alone. He must be here for revenge!
"...Te voy...a matar... " The Ganado moaned at them. Even without understanding the language, it was clear that this man wanted going to kill them. Leon and Luis struggled, trying to scoot away from the man and simultaneously work off their bindings.
"Do something, cop!"
"After you!"
The man raised the gigantic axe into the air.
"Luis, pull away, now!"
The axe came down. Leon and Luis pulled their bodies away from each other, and the axe fell between them – landing right on their bindings. The bindings shattered, and the two men were freed. They rolled away, but the vengeful man did not give up. Leon saw the Ganado charging straight at him, axe held high above his head. When the man drew close enough, Leon thrust his foot into the man's stomach and used his momentum to flip him through the air. The man flew into a wall and landed on his head, the force breaking his neck and causing blood to shoot out of his mouth. This time, the man was gone for good. Leon turned around to face Luis...
...But Luis had vanished.
He ran away? I didn't figure him for a coward. Or maybe he just thought it would be safer to split up. Whatever. I knew from the beginning that I wasn't going to have much help.
Leon instinctively reached for his gun. He still had it on him! They hadn't even bothered to take away his weapons or ammunition. He checked himself for injuries – none...except for a tiny bump on his neck. Probably just a bug bite. I think it's time I got moving. Luis said that Ashley was being held ina church...Guess that's my next destination, then.