Greetings everyone. Now this will be my only story on the Resident Evil franchise, so I don't intend on leaving it unattended, unlike some of my other stories. I'll need to attend to them at some point in the near future. I was never really interested in the 'Horror survival' genre of games but after a friend of mine told me about Resident evil 7and about how good it was, I thought I'd give it a try and needless to say, I immediately became addicted. The game was amazing, so when Capcom announced a sequel, I got really excited to play it! I've finished both games now and here's the first chapter of what I think might have happened if Ethan accepted Hiesenbergs's deal. Read and Enjoy!xxxooo
Resident Evil is owned by Capcom
Unnamed Village, somewhere in Romania, February 9th 2021
Ethan's P.O.V
Hell
If there was one word to describe what things have been like for me in my life so far, that word wouldn't even do it justice! Rewind the clock back six years ago; If you told me that I would one day be fighting for my life against satanic deranged superpowered killers and mutated bloodthirsty monsters in order to protect my family then I would've said you were crazy. But now, I would've said you were a pretty good fortune teller. But before I fill you in on what I'm dealing with now, Let me tell you a little about myself first.
My name is Ethan Winters, I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California...Not much else to say about it really, I was once just your average thirty-something-year-old American man with good grades in school and an average nine to five job. When I graduated college, I married my girlfriend Mia whom I've been in a relationship with since high school. For the first few years of our marriage, everything was perfect! We moved to Houston, Texas where I landed a job as a system engineer for a successful IT company. Mia also got a job as what she told me was an ambassador for a trading company with an occasional side job as a babysitter. The job at first was pretty easy for us, Mia had to leave every couple of months or so for days on end for a 'Business trip' but since it brought good money into the house I could tolerate it. But then after a year or so, her departures became more frequent. She started leaving every month...then two weeks...and then one day, she didn't come back when she promised she would. I waited for days...weeks...months. Until one day, I saw on the news that the transport barge she was on was lost in a major hurricane off the coast of Miami, Mia was declared dead.
When the news for her death sunk into my head, my whole world just fell apart once the only one in my life who's meant anything to me was gone. True, I had people at work but I never really saw them as my friends, just people that my job forced me to be in contact with. I took my emotions out on them and eventually my boss laid me off for stress leave and recommended that I'd see a therapist about my problems. I never saw any therapist. It wasn't the fact that I couldn't afford a therapist, they could do a lot to help people but I knew they couldn't raise the dead! So, I chose to live in a complete social bubble, alienating myself from whatever friends I had left in the world, even my own parents. I didn't even attend my mom's funeral after she died of breast cancer...Dad would be super pissed at me but I didn't care. As far as I was concerned, my life was over...
Until three years later, just when I'd come to terms with Mia's death, I received an email from her, telling me to come and find her at the Baker estate Delvey Louisiana! I was ecstatic that there was a slither of hope that she might still be alive! So without hesitation, I grabbed my car keys and some cash for gas and began my journey from Texas to Louisiana.
It took some time, but I finally found the Baker estate and after some searching in a filthy, abandoned guest house, found Mia alive and well...or so I thought. At some point when we were trying to escape, she attacked me while yelling at me to leave her alone, it was as if she were two people at once fighting for dominance over her body and mind. It was at that moment when I should've realized that my normal life was coming to an end.
I also met the other members of the baker family; The unstoppable Jack, The bug controlling Margurite and of course, their Jigsaw style killer son Lucus! The horrors I experienced in that house still followed me around even to this day as if I'd never left! It was all like something out of a 90's horror flick! It was only with the help of their daughter Zoe, the only one in the entire family who wasn't completely insane, that I was able make it out of that hellhole. Without her help, I probably wouldn't be here today. I owed her an unpayable debt.
While searching for a way out of the house and dealing with each member to the family along the way, I soon pieced together what happened to them; Apparently the barge Mia was shipwrecked in the bayou near the estate and unleashed what it was keeping in its cargo hold;
A highly advanced weaponized fungal parasite known as The Megamycete or what I liked to call 'Mold'
It turns out that Mia was secretly working as a researcher and transporter for an international Bio-terrorist organization known as 'The Connections' and the Megamycete somehow became sentient and took the form of an innocent-looking five year old girl named 'Eveline'
Eveline...that name sends a chill down my spine every time I say it.
Eveline's sole purpose was to find a family of her own and to escape her confinement. So she escaped the shipwrecked barge and used her control over the black tar-like substance to infect both Mia and the Bakers and drove them mad and possessed them to kidnap other people to see who else she deemed worthy to be part of her family.
I searched all around for anything that could help Mia, A cure, A vaccine, anything. With Zoe's help, we were able to create two antidotes. One for Mia and one for herself. But before we could inject them, we were attacked by Jack in a highly mutated form. I had to use of them on him in order to kill him once and for all. So then I had make the hard call and Inject Mia with the last antidote. Zoe was a little angered with my decision but she still allowed us to leave but the nightmare wasn't over then. We still had to deal with Eveline before Mia could be completely free from her influence. So, after I found a lab in the old salt mines underneath the estate belonging to The connections, I was able to create a serum that would render Eveline weak enough to physically damage and went to confront her. She proved to be quite a challenge even with her form weakened by the serum. I honestly thought It was the end of me until a solider named Chris Redfield, who worked for a private Anit-Bio military company named 'Blue Umbrella' came over with his helicopter and dropped me a specially made gun that I used to destroy Eveline once and for all.
Chris and his team then extracted me and Mia away from the estate while he and his team cleaned up the mess and soon had us answer a few questions about our experience with the mold or as I called it an 'Interrogation'
Chris then had us relocated to an Umbrella safehouse, somewhere in eastern europe, somewhere in Romania I think, and said that they'd keep us under 24 hour surveillance in case 'The connections' sent their people out looking for Mia.
For the next three years, everything was looking great for us! I started my own business as a Freelance systems engineer and Mia became pregnant with our first child Rose.
Rose...My little baby Rose.
Now, you'd think that after all of that, we'd be able to move on from that horrifying pit of hell in Louisiana and move on with our lives in peace right?...wrong!
Why you ask? Because only last night, as me and Mia were having dinner after putting Rose to bed, Chris and his team, the people who swore that they'd protect us, came in and shot Mia dead right before my very eyes, they stole Rose from me and knocked me out cold!
I woke up in the middle of nowhere to find that the van that was transporting me had crashed and the two guards that were accompanying me were savagely mauled. I looked around for any nearby shelter and eventually found this village, I don't know its name and I don't really care, It was hell for all I know. The village was infested with these half wolf half man hybrids the locals called 'Lycans' that either killed or turned most of the villagers into more of them. The Lycans were under the control of the villages cold and calculating priestess leader;
The beautiful yet evil Mother Miranda.
She was using a different strain of the Megamycete called the 'Cadou' Parasite to control her Lycans and her cult of worshippers or 'Lords' as she liked to call them.
There were four of them; Lady Dimitrescu, an extraordinarily tall pale woman in a fancy white dress and black hat with retractable claws for hands. Donna Beneviento, a siren doll maker who wore a Victorian era black mourning garb and a possessed porcelain doll in a wedding dress named Angie. An Igor half fish half man type monster named Salvador Moreau and finally, Karl Heisenberg, possibly the most dangerous one of them all who has the power of telekinesis, the ability to move objects without the need to touch them.
All five of them have wanted me dead since I've stepped foot in this village! They stole my daughter Rose in order to conduct some sort of ceremony. Miranda used her powers to break her body into four separate pieces, giving each one to her lords in an individual flask.
The only one in this village that I could call an ally was a man who calls himself the 'Duke', a morbidly obese merchant whose followed me around, popping up in random places during my quest to find my daughter and selling me weapons, ammo, medicine and other items. He told me that I could still save Rose because even though her body's been separated, her essence was still intact and if I want to fix her, I'd have to gather all four of the flask containing her body and bring them to the altar. Now, I've got all four flasks, one from Dimitrescu's castle, after killing her, the second from Donna in the Beneviento estate in the woods after surviving her labyrinth of terror and the third from Moreau after escaping the local Reservoir where he lived.
That just leaves Heisenberg now. After I killed Moreau, he contacted me through his old television set and told me that he put his own flask in the stronghold east of the village and sent me to retrieve it for him, saying that he wanted to see If I was' The right man for the job', whatever that meant.
Self-centered prick.
Anyway, I went to the stronghold to find that it was a Lycan nest! After fighting my way through a wave of them and finding and killing their alpha male Urias, I found the last flask. I held it up in my hand, gazing at it with a growing sense of accomplishment when the TV fizzled on to show the Crest of the Heisenberg family; a Staillon inside a horseshoe.
"Seem's my suspicions were correct. You're the real deal, Ethan. Well done. Well done indeed!" Heisenberg's voice congratulated me.
I wasn't really in the mood for his games "Quit hiding from me, Asshole! I'm not letting you get out of this" I growled angrily at the screen.
"Cool your jets. Just a little more, and your all wrapped up...I've told you I'll lend you a hand. So in exchange-" he began.
"In exchange what?" I impatiently interrupted.
"I'm talking!" The voice snapped before it calmed down "I don't like being interrupted...First of all, come to me, put all four flasks in the altar and I'm sure you'll figure the rest out from there" he instructed "I'll be waiting for you, Ethan Winters" the TV fritzed out once more.
"Fucking asshole" I muttered before I opened one of the remaining bottles of disinfectant over the wounds on my body after my fight with Urias, causing me to grunt at the dull, stinging pain it inflicted. Hey, if you've used these things for as long as I have, you'd have gotten used to the pain by now.
I then checked my guns and ammo; I still had one full clip for my trusty M1911, six shells for my pump action shotgun and about three bullets for my rifle that were both slung over my back along with two spare makeshift pipe bombs. I then made my way past the barred gate that lead to a couple flight of stairs to a little speedboat parked by an old dock in the catacombs underneath the stronghold. Must've been an escape route devised back in the medieval era in case they soldiers needed to retreat. Convenient.
Before I stepped on board, I noticed a shiny, decorated golden plate hanging underneath an aged portrait of a beautiful young woman holding a baby. It reminded me of Mia when she used to hold Rose...better days.
"I'll avenge you Mia" I told the painting "After I save Rose, I'll find Chris and make him pay for what he's done" I promised as I took the plate and put it in my backpack. I wonder how much the Duke will give me for this.
I rode the boat along the narrow canal and reached another dock. I climbed off the boat and followed a dark pathway towards a ladder. I climbed up it and used the ironside key to unlock the gate leading back to the village cemetery. I then noticed some clucking sounds beneath me, so I looked down and saw three chickens mooching around my feet. I smiled as I took out my small knife and slashed them all in the back, killing them. The duke wasn't just a merchant, he was also a pretty good cook too and would serve me food to keep me energized and healthy on my mission if I brought him the right ingredients. I picked up the dead birds and placed them in my backpack before retracing my steps back past the red door to the altar.
"Alright duke, I've got some new-" I began to say when I realized that the duke and his cart weren't there! Where was he?! This would be the place where he'd normally meet me to 'Do business as he'd call it. I then noticed a little piece of paper that wasn't there before pinned on an old water barrel by where his cart would usually be. I unpinned it, folded it open and saw on it some hastily scribbled handwriting that I could only just make out saying;
To Ethan
Sorry, but I have to leave you in order to visit and old friend to discuss a business deal.
I wish you luck on finding your daughter.
Your friend, the Duke
P.S, The four giant's drink from the stone chalice
Just as I thought. That fat bastard decided to cut his losses and ditch me! That fucking coward! And what was with that last sentence? Was that meant to be a clue of some kind? I then realized that I still had to put the flasks in the altar. Screw him! I'll deal with him later.
I then proceeded to put the four amber flasks into each of the four slots on the central pedestal that looked like a large stone cup. The base of the pedestal then made a clicking sound and descended back into the ground. I picked up the object and that's when It hit me;
Those giant statues back at that place not far from here with that symbol that looks like the logo for Umbrella in the center that I passed on my way back from castle Dimitrescu! Are those supposed to be the four giants? And this pedestal does look like a cup. A cup...A chalice! This is the stone Chalice! All I needed was to put this in the center to find out where I need to go next.
And so, I picked up the stone cup and carried it with me all the way back the way I came, past the ruins, across the bridge, and up the stairs to the landmark. The four statues depicting old wise noblemen sitting down on a chair. I hauled the chalice to the center and placed it on top of the umbrella symbol where it clicked perfectly into place.
As soon as I did that, the whole ground beneath me started to shake violently and I could hear the sounds of stone moving. The ground below me then started to sink into the earth like some kind of platform, lowering me down to a cave underneath the village.
"This must be the way to Heisenberg's factory" I concluded as I walked through the cavern and came across another stone bridge where I saw on the other side, the entrance to Heisenberg's towering factory. My mouth gaped slightly in both amazement and intimidation. It was the biggest factory I've ever seen! The building must've been at least a hundred feet tall! Metallic sounds of clanging and grinding could be heard all the way out here, its chimneys smoking heavily and the amber sunset sky added to the eerie effect the setting gave off. Taking a deep breath, I slowly made my way across the bridge, keeping my M1911, one bullet in the chamber, and six more in the clip close to my chest, expecting an attack at any moment.
Those years of military training, firearm manual reading, and regular visits to the shooting range seemed to have really paid off.
"Still think I'm being paranoid, Mia?" I muttered to the sky, knowing if there was a heaven, she'd probably just shoot me that disapproving glare she always did whenever I proved a point.
"Ah, Ethan Winter's! I was wondering when you would turn up" Heisenberg's voice boomed out of the surrounding microphones when I got halfway across the bridge.
"I almost thought you wouldn't make it past Donna or Moreau...But I assume you survived worse back in America, hum?"
I paused in place. How the fuck did he know about that?! I made a mental note to myself to ask him before I kill him as I walked through the automatic doors.
"We need to talk, about Rose, and Miranda" he continued as I wandered past the junkyard on the front of the factory, there were littering piles of scrap metal and wreck's of old cars, oil tankers, train boxcars, there were even Pazer tanks from the second world war which I hope were deactivated! This factory must've been here for a very long time! "Come on in. Don't worry, it's not a trap"
Pfft, yeah right asshole. I've seen the movies and in all of them, when the good guy has the bad guy cornered, he tries to fake surrender to lull him into a false sense of security by saying something like that. So, I know for sure that he's more full of shit than a clogged toilet.
I took a moment to search the junkyard for anything I could use to make more Ammo or medicine. Aside from firearms training, I've also taken the time to look up a thing or two about crafting. In the end, all I found was some rusted metal and a herb plant, not enough to craft anything. After I've made sure that I've checked everywhere, I made my way inside the old, dusty factory. I first came to a steel double-sided door. I holstered my sidearm in the back of my pants and looked through the window bars to see that It lead to a storage area and an elevator shaft that I guess lead's to the main factory floor below. I tried to open the door, hoping my luck might turn a corner just once.
Thump, Thump
Locked. Seem's that I spoke too soon ''Figures'' I whispered with a sigh of disappointment ''That would've been too easy'' but I know from experience that the key's for locked doors are never too far away. Maybe, Heisenberg keeps them in an office or study somewhere. Following that assumption, I turned left and picked up a bag of gunpowder that was on a shelf. I then noticed a door beside the shelf and went through it and then down another flight of stairs, I checked on the right, a dead end, and then checked on the left, a dark corridor that lead me to another door that I slowly and cautiously stepped through with a bad premonition that things were gonna go sideways fast.
I unholstered my gun, keeping the barrel outwards ready to fire in case Heisenberg or any Lycans protecting him came running out the door to attack me. Once I reached the door, I quietly pushed it open to find the large room behind it empty. I entered while keeping my gun trained on my surroundings as I looked around the dimly lit area. On the far end of the square room, I spotted a large, filthy curtain draped over the wall, concealing whatever lurked below. Maybe Heisenberg was behind there with his back turned, I could take him out quickly and head to Miranda and save Rose! And so, with my gun aiming at the curtain, I crept up towards it, careful not to make a sound. When I was close, I grabbed the curtain and pulled it down from the beam it was attached to reveal what it was hiding.
''What the hell?!'' was all I could find to describe what was before me as I examined the wall with my gun resting in my hand by my side. There were photos, of all the three other lords that I've killed. On the center of the wall was a portrait of Mother Miranda herself. On her lower right was lady Dimitrescu with her three 'Daughters' below her in a row. On Miranda's upper right was a photo of Donna Beneviento with Angie sitting on her lap and below her was the fully mutated form of Salvator Moreau and all of them except for Miranda herself and Bela Dimitrescu, the eldest of the three Dimitrescu sisters, were crossed out with red ink. Bela's photo was instead circled with red marker and had 'Converted' written under it. It looked like one of those 'Crazy Walls' on these cop shows me and Mia used to watch all the time!
And speaking of Mia, her picture was there too! All the way on the right-hand side corner beside Rose and...Chris!?
''Mia?'' I breathed as I leaned closer to her beautiful, careless, frozen face.
"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" a familiar deep, musky voice commented from behind me. I gasped as I quickly turned around and aimed my gun at the figure behind me.
However, before I could pull the trigger, the man raised his hand up and the gun immediately flew out of my own hand and into his. It was at that moment that I realized that this man was none other than the last of the four lords of this hellhole of a village. The last obstacle between me and Miranda and Rose;
Karl Heisenberg.
There he was, hiding in the shadows like a coward. He wore a dusty trench coat over a plain white shirt and grey pants held up by a brown belt. He also wore an old worn-out fedora hat on top of his head over a mop of grey hair, a pair of old folk glasses over his eyes and highly polished boots, black as the night sky.
Karl hummed as he observed my gun in this gloved hand with interest "An M1911...American, no doubt...A classic. Powerful and durable, just like me" he grinned smugly at me as he walked out of the shadows and into the light while spinning the trigger of the gun in his finger "Gotta admit Ethan, you've got great taste in weaponry"
"Give that back" I demanded through gritted teeth.
Karl just shrugged "Why? You won't be needing it...yet" he tossed the pistol into the corner of the room, out of my reach. I just glared at him as he took a puff from his Cuban cigar and then blowing out a trail of smoke from his mouth "Lemme take a guess, you're thinking; if you take me out like the rest you'll get to go and save Rose, right?" he asked.
"I'm healing my daughter!" I angrily shouted at the man "And I won't let anything stop me, not even you"
Karl raised his eyebrows, seemingly impressed with my resolve "So determined. I admire that" he took another puff of his cigar "But, listen; Y-you've got this all wrong. Kill me and you'll never-" his explanation was interrupted by what sounded a lot like a motorcycle engine revving up. We both looked down below and Karl rolled his eyes in annoyance "Damn it, I'm talking" he muttered before he stomped over to a grate on the floor and opened it "Hey, shut your fucking hole before I shut it for you!" He yelled down the opening. The racket then ceased and Karl huffed "Sorry about that" he apologized.
Karl then reached over to a chair that was propped up against the nearby cupboard and brought it down just on the edge of the open grate.
"Here, you might wanna take a seat. We have a lot to discuss" he ordered as he walked past me towards a table beside the wall with the pictures, where there were some knives sticking from the surface. I slowly stood by the chair, not playing into whatever trap he has laid out for me and watched as the man crushed his cigar down on the ashtray.
"Listen, Ethan. You're being played" Karl began "You and me both by Mother Miranda"
"Played?" I asked, rather irritated that he wasn't being completely clear "What are you talking about? You think that this is all some kind of twisted game?"
Karl shot a look at me and aggressively threw a knife at the picture of Lady Dimitrescu "I said sit down!" He pushed me onto the chair forcefully, almost tipping it down into the abyss below to whatever monster he's keeping down there "Didn't they ever teach you how to negotiate in America?" He asked coyly as he backed away slightly from me.
"Negotiate?!" I repeated out of confusion at this man's choice of words "You mean, you actually want to talk?"
Karl just smiled that sick twisted smile I can't forget about "Why, of course...You see, unlike the other members of my 'family' I'm a man of practicality. Sometimes, violence is like an old blade" he said as he used his telekinesis to quickly move the knife he threw at the wall towards my face and twirling it in midair "Used too often and not sharpened regularly, it'll grow dull and useless" he added before he moved the knife back to the picture of Dimitrescu.
"Now let's do a little recap of our situation, shall we?" He asked "First of all, there's that super-sized bitch, Lady Dimitrescu" he pointed to her photo "You just can't reason with a snobbish, egotistical airhead like her, now can you?" He asked as he used his hand to make the knife fly towards the photo of Cassandra below Dimitrescu "And then, there's those annoying-" he moved the knife to Daniella and then to Bela in time with his next two words "Bloodthirsty, succubus daughters of hers" he moved the knife into the three pictures one by one in time with his words "I can see they enjoyed toying with their food before trying to eat it, by the looks of things" Karl noticed the faded scars on my wrists, neck, and leg from my encounter with the Dimitrescu family and their 'Hospitality
"Shoot to kill. All three of them, I say" Karl added and then smiled "But you already knew that, didn't you?"
I could only nod slightly in agreement. He then used his telekinetic power to move the knife to Donna Beneviento holding Angie.
"Secondly, the demonic, mind-raping dollmaker from hell; Donna Beneviento and her ugly ass psycho doll friend, Angie" Karl continues "Plays with your mind and then breaks it like one of her old dolls" he then looked to me again "I bet you've seen some pretty fucked up shit down in her basement, right?"
I shuttered in place, thinking back to all the things I saw in there...Things I don't wanna even think about. Needless to say, I was relieved to make it out of there and never go back again. EVER.
"Thought so" Karl nodded "You know, It's a shame really. You went all the way to that miserable, dank, cold estate they call home, armed to the teeth, ready for a fight when really all you needed was your wits..and maybe a change of underwear" he joked. I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle myself at it. "I think I speak for the both of us when I say that we should just pretend that they don't exist...Well, now thanks to you, we don't have to" he added as he moved the knife to Moreau.
"And last but not least; that pathetic, gullible, moronic sack of bulbous fish-guts, Salvatore Moreau" Karl then paused "Well...Do I really need to say more?" He asked.
I let out a small huff, thinking back to that grotesque freak of nature with an even more revolting personality to match. Content with spending his free time watching romantic movies and eating entire wheels of cheese, hopelessly chasing after Mother Miranda's love...So yeah, 'Pathetic' was putting it lightly. But why was he telling me all this? What is it about me that interests him so much?
"I imagine taking him out wasn't too difficult?" Karl asked me "Of course not. After all, It wouldn't take much effort to knock that tiny, single, solitary brain cell out of that mushy skull of his" he then grinned at me "That makes three, but who's left, right?" He paused for a moment "Don't you see the pattern, Ethan? All of this? It's a test! To see if you're strong enough to be a part of Miranda's family!" He declared whilst pointing to the pictures.
"I don't want to be a part of Miranda's family" I told him.
"Well, neither did I and yet, here we are!" Karl replied, walking away from the wall with his arms stretched out wide "And I'm last on the list, right? You kill me and then move up the chain?... Well, FUCK THAT!" He yelled in with a furious cry as he forced the knife across Miranda's portrait, leaving a large slash across her face.
"I don't give a damn about your personal issues!" I said impatiently "I just want to fix my daughter!"
Karl then turned to me and, to my surprise, chuckled loudly "So do I" he said "Do you have any idea of how powerful that kid is? Even Miranda's scared of her" he revealed smugly as if he was a teacher in school putting a disobedient kid in his place "And she has every damn right to be. She has no idea what-"
He was interrupted again by that same sound from before coming from the opened grate behind my chair. Karl let out a groan of frustration.
"That's strike two you freak!" He yelled down the hole behind me "One more time, I swear to god!"
Whatever this 'Freak' was down there, it seemed to calm down and the noise went away. Karl then exhaled to calm himself. "Again, sorry" he apologized again.
"You said you wanna talk right? So talk already!" I shouted again to show how impatient I was getting.
"Aww, grown tired of my theatrics huh?" He let out a fake moan of disappointment "Alright, let me cut to the chase then. And you'd better listen carefully...Unless you wanna find out what I'm keeping down that hole" Karl threatened me softly before he coughed in his throat to clear his voice, ready to explain himself.
"All of my cohorts are dead now, thanks to you" he began again "That can only mean that there's only me and Mother Miranda standing in the way between you and Rose right?" Karl shook his head "But does it really have to be this way? Why should me and you kill each other and play right into Miranda's little game? Why should we do her work for her?"
"Why are you telling me all of this?" I asked him.
"Because...I like you, Ethan Winters" Karl admitted. Now I was really confused, but I waited to hear what else he had to say "I really do. As I'd already mentioned back at the reservoir; I would've killed you long ago if I didn't...You see...me and you, we are the same...yes, the same"
"How?" I asked with a dismissive huff "Me and you are nothing alike"
Karl then slowly beamed like a Cheshire cat "Oh, but that's where you're wrong" he corrected me with a small chuckle "You're not the only one in this village who's been wronged by Miranda, Ethan" he pointed a finger to me before placing a hand on his chest ''I also have a bone or fifty to pick with that evil sadistic witch! Do you get it now? We both want the same thing"
"And what is that, Heisenberg?" I asked him with a roll of my eyes.
"Revenge, Ethan" Karl smiled devilishly "Revenge. True, our motives may be different but our goals are aligned...And what's that old saying you have in America; The enemy of my enemy is my friend?" He asked.
"Friends?!" I shouted in surprise "Since when were we ever friends?!"
"Oh, longer than you think, Ethan. Longer than you think" Karl answered with a small nod "And we still can be. That is, if you accept my proposal"
"Proposal?" I raised a confused eyebrow at Heisenberg "What Proposal? Stop wasting my time and tell me what you want, Dammit!"
"I'm getting to it, be patient" Karl smiled widely once more, although obviously a little peeved with my impatience "You're stronger than you look, Ethan...And maybe a little smarter too...But we both know you're neither strong enough or smart enough to take on both Miranda and her Lycan's, oh no!" He chuckled with an accompanying pause as he slowly took of his glasses, showing his grey, musky eyes "At least not by yourself"
"W-what?" I asked, not quite sure where he was going with this "What are you saying?"
Karl lowered his knees down to meet my eyes, showing me all the teeth in his mouth "I'm saying...That we should team up"
I blinked in surprise, I almost fell out of the chair and into the hole below me upon hearing those words. Heisenberg wanted to help me?! Why? What could he possibly have to offer me?
"Think about it; you and me Ethan. Together, we go save Rose and then we'll use her to grind Miranda into paste!" He offered as he slammed his fist down into his palm with force, like he was crushing a bug to death on it.
Wait, use? Use my daughter! No, I won't let him hurt her for his own personal gain!
"My daughter is not a weapon!" I spat at him venomously "Fuck you!"
Karl then frowned as he slowly stood up to full height with an annoyed expression. He then kicked the chair from under me into the hole below, but before I could fall with it, he grabbed my arm, preventing my fall.
"You didn't let me finish," he said, reminding me of his hatred of being interrupted "If you think I intend on bringing any form of harm to that baby, then you're dead wrong! I, don't, kill, children" He tightened his grip around my arm "Now, since I still like you, I'm gonna give you another chance. I can either be your best friend or your worst enemy. So, are you going to let me finish talking...or do you really wanna know what's down that hole?" He asked with a threatening tone of voice.
I took a second to think. Heisenberg seems like a man who's comfortable in his own skin and he appears to believe in my own potential. There's also the fact that he knows a lot about both Miranda and Rose. Does he know something about her that neither I nor even Miranda knows about? If so, I want to know exactly what he means by 'Use' her.
"Alright, you've made your point" I replied "I'll hear you out"
Karl then curled his lips into a satisfied smile "Good choice" he said before he pulled me up and threw me to the other side of the room "It would've broken my heart to 'Let go' of a man of such potential all because of a little misunderstanding" he put his glasses back on, making sure the emphasized the phrase 'Let go' clearly.
I exhaled in recovery after nearly falling down that hole to find god knows what he's keeping down there and then slowly got back up on my own two feet again "Okay Heisenberg, what were you going to say? How would Rose help us beat Miranda? She's just a six month old baby!"
"Oh Rose?" Karl asked with his eyebrows up as he lit another cigar and took a puff "She won't have to do anything. It'll be us that'll destroy both Miranda and Redfield at the ceremonial site!" He said.
I just shook my head and gave him an 'I don't quite understand" face while shrugging my shoulders.
Karl rolled his eyes "Argh, do I have to spell it out for you?... You remember Eveline, three years ago back in America?" He asked in order to jog my memory.
My eyes widened slightly at the mention of her name. Karl then gave me another knowing grin "Oh yes, I know about her...Anyone who knows of the Megamycete would know about dear, sweet Eveline and what she did to the Bakers in Louisiana." He explained how he acquired such knowledge with another puff from his second cigar "But listen, Eveline? She was just a prototype compared to the power your daughter has. When I studied the flask Miranda gave me, I discovered that she has this very rare power to manipulate the Megamycete cells within her body in order to both give and take life from other beings at will" Karl revealed as he puffed his cigar again.
"So she's infected with the mold?!" I asked in a panicked voice, fearing for my daughter's life. Karl shook his head "Mold? Is that what you call it? No Ethan...a part of the megamycete 'lives' inside her" He revealed "Luckily for us, both Miranda and Redfield aren't aware of this power, for now anyway. All she needs to do is touch her when she performs her ritual tomorrow to trigger Rose's power, and she'll be made vulnerable long enough to be killed!"
I widened my eyes at this sudden revelation. Rose. My daughter was infected with mold since birth? How? I cured Mia back in Louisiana. She must've known about it all this time, why didn't she tell me about this? It was then I noticed that Heisenberg mentioned Redfield.
"Wait, did you just say Redfield?" I asked as I approached him "As in Chris Redfield?"
Karl let out another trail of smoke from his mouth "Oh, you mean that murderous cutthroat mercenary on Miranda's payroll? Yes, that one" he confirmed.
I quickly raised my head "What?" I almost cried. Heisenberg just sighed "Look, I didn't want to be the one to tell you this Ethan, but you of all people deserve to know the truth" Karl then took a deep breath "Mr. Redfield, and his group of soldier guys are working with Miranda to make sure the ceremony goes ahead uninterrupted" Karl then looked up to me and added "He's quite dangerous, isn't he? That Redfield...I can see why Miranda sent him to kill your wife and steal Rose for her"
''No'' I shook my head in disbelief and fell on my knees to the floor "You're lying!"
"Am I?" Karl raised his eyebrow coyly "I'll tell you something Ethan; A Heisenberg never lies! Last night, I saw him leaving Miranda's chambers and heard her ordering him to kill you and your wife and steal Rose after they had thier little 'Fun'" he told me. Then he look at me with a remorseful expression and sighed deeply "I tried, Ethan. I really did try to stop him but he was so determined to prove himself worthy of Miranda, and I couldn't afford to blow open my revolt...So, I followed him and his soldiers to your house, thinking I could save your family. But by the time I reached the house, it was too late. Your wife was already dead and Chris, you and Rose were already gone...Her body was to badly damaged to be saved...I'm so sorry, Ethan" he explained in sympathy of my loss.
I just couldn't believe it. Redfield, the man who helped me and Mia get away from that pit of hell in Louisiana and paid to have us relocated to Europe to escape from it all, was working for and sleeping with that cold-hearted, psychopathic witch. How could he do this to me, I trusted him with my life and he betrayed us. My good hand made a crunching sound as I tightly balled it up to a fist and got back up on my feet.
"So, Chris was in bed with her this whole time...That...that lying, murdering, two-faced son of a bitch!" I yelled in anger as I brought my fist down onto a nearby table, making it shake and rattle the metal items on it. Karl didn't say anything, I can only presume that he was giving me some leeway to blow some steam.
"Motherfucker!"
"Yes indeed, he is" Hiesenberg joked lightly with a curt nod.
"How could he do this to us? I trusted him, with my life...and he betrayed us!" I continued my rant "Fucking Chris! I'll kill them. Both of them, along with anyone of those freaks out there protecting them!"
''Whoa, whoa there, Ethan" Karl calmed me down by waving his hands in front of me "Hold your horses. Miranda will send every last Lycan she has left on the whole village to protect her and Chris for the ritual" Karl informed me. He then smiled as he circled around me while he talked, cigar in hand "But, lucky for you, I've been 'assembling' a little army of my own in my factory downstairs. So, here's the deal Ethan; You march with me and my army to the village, we wipe out both Miranda's Lycans and Chris's soldiers, you and me confront Miranda, Rose does her part in draining her of her power, I smash Miranda's head in with my hammer, bish bash bosh, Miranda's dead at last and then all hail to this village's new ruler; King Heisenberg!" He paused in front of me as he basked in his fantasy of killing Miranda and taking over the village. He then noticed me watching him "And once the Revolution's won, you get your precious baby girl back in one piece...and then, I'll bring to you Chris Redfield himself on a silver platter for you to do with as you please, Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt, everyone goes home happy...Well, except for Miranda and Chris of course" Karl explained as he moved towards me, now a mere foot away from me. "So, what do you say, Ethan Winters?" He asked before he puffed his cigar and said as he blew out the smoke "Do we have an accord?"
"And what makes me think that I can trust you?" I retorted, still unsure about his proposal.
"The way I see it, I'm the only friend you have left...Well, apart from that merchant friend of yours but who do you think supplies him with all that stuff you buy from him?" He asked "And who do you think has been leaving around those items for you around the village and in the other Lord's homes? Hum?" He smoked his cigar again with that smug look on his face "Normally, I wouldn't have made such a deal with that overweight, pompous buffoon! But since it meant helping you, I was willing to make an exemption"
Then It hit me. Up until now, I just thought I found those things out of sheer dumb luck or by coincidence, but I never thought someone was actually planting those things. And that man who calls himself 'the Duke', The merchant who's been popping up all over the place, selling me ammo and medicine and upgrading my weapons and cooking food for me. Since I needed his help, I never pressed the question as to how he acquired those items. Huh, maybe he wasn't full of as much shit as I initially thought.
"It was you" I answered, looking right into his eyes "It was always you! Since the beginning, ever since I escaped your death game back at the meeting with Miranda and the other lords this morning"
Karl rubbed his hairy chin "Yep, pretty much. Oh, and about that 'death game'? That was just a little ruse to throw Miranda off the scent of my betrayal and to get that Pale-skinned, stuck-up giantess off my back! I was still on your side, I even gave you a ten-second head start!" He explained himself for what he did "Here's another good example; That silver dagger you found in that crypt you used to stab Dimitrescu with? I had my spy plant that in there since I wasn't allowed to be seen inside the castle" He explained "It was forged by my great grandfather, a little family heirloom. So, all things considered, I'd say it's all water under the bridge...Wouldn't you agree?"
I took a moment to think about it. Much as I hated to admit it, everything Heisenberg has just told me made a lot of sense. He seemed pretty confident in my own abilities and he respects my determination to get Rose back. The deal itself seemed pretty reasonable too, and since he established that Rose'll not be harmed in any way sweetened the deal even further. Plus, the thought of him bringing me a tied-up and gagged Chris to me so that I can put him through all the pain he caused me was enough to make me form a small grin. If all he wants is to rule the village then he can have it for all I care. It's his revolution, not mine. I don't want to be a part of whatever monarchy he intends to create after Miranda's death, all I want is to get my daughter back and to get even with Chris for what he did to my wife!
"So, If I join your little uprising and help you kill Miranda and take the village, you'll give me Chris Redfield on a silver platter?" I repeated his offer.
He mirrored my grin "Served with a glass of Dimitrescu's finest aged wine and a spiced apple on the side"
"And Rose won't be harmed?" I then asked.
He widened his grin further at my question "Not, A, scratch" he assured me.
That was all I needed to hear.
"You know what, Heisenberg?" I asked him with a friendly smile "I'm Sold. You've got yourself a deal"
Karl then looked as if he'd won the lottery "Yes!" He exclaimed with a triumphant double fist pump before he extended his right hand towards me "Haha! C'mon, let's shake on it!"
And that's exactly what we did. I grabbed his hand with my good one and we shook firmly three times. Solidifying our new relationship.
"I'm holding you to your word, Heisenberg" I firmly warned him as I tightened my grip during our handshake "One scratch and the deals off"
Karl smirked at me "You know Ethan, we have a saying here in this village, Or we used to anyway; A Heisenberg never breaks a promise. And please, call me Karl" he told me "I'd appreciate it more if we addressed each other in an informal manner from now on since we're now official partners"
"Right. So 'Karl', what's the plan for your revolution?" I asked him.
"'Our' revolution now Ethan" Karl corrected me "Well, first we'll have to-" Heisenberg was then interrupted by that motorbike sound from long ago. He looked back at the grate and growled in frustration before he stretched his hand out in my direction "Duck" he said to me.
"Huh?" I then heard a whistling sound from behind me. I turned around to see his hammer weapon flying towards me. I quickly ducked to avoid getting knocked out as it flew over my head and into Heisenberg's hand.
"First, I have to go down there and teach that pile of junk some manners. If you'll excuse me for a moment" he told me as he began to walk to the open grate.
"W-wait" I stopped him with his back turned to me "You said you had an army to fight those Lycans with. What army? Everyone in the village is pretty much either dead or turned into a lycan themselves!"
Karl turned to face me with a small smile "If you'd like to see our troops, there's an elevator past the main entrance back the way you came" He said as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a key with a blue keychain on it "It'll take you to my factory on the ground floor. Feel free to explore, just don't touch anything and I'll know if you do" he instructed as he tossed the keys to me "Trust me Ethan, you won't be disappointed...When you're ready, come to my office and then we'll discuss our plan to kill Miranda" Karl finished before he turned back towards the direction of the open grate.
"Oh, I almost forgot-" he said when he reached the edge of the hole. He then lifted his free hand towards the corner of the room and quickly threw my M1911 gun towards me, making a scraping sound as it skirted along the floor with it stopping at my feet.
"There's your gun back" he added before jumping down the hole "Oh, Strumy! I've got a little present for you!" I heard him call with a taunting sing-song voice.
"Well, whadda you know?" I said to myself as I picked my gun back up and holstered it back in the back of my pants. If I'm working with Hies-Karl from now on, chances are whatever's in his factory won't attack me unless he orders them to, so I won't need to keep my finger on the trigger all the time. I breathed slightly as I enjoyed the momentary break before I decided to follow Karl's advice and head down to the factory to familiarize myself with this 'Army' he's been gathering and began to head back towards the main entrance with the key he gave me to open the locked door to the elevator shaft.
I mean, It wouldn't hurt just to have a look right? Right?
Meanwhile, at the Hound Wolf squad's temporary observation camp on the Village outskirts.
No P.O.V
"Sir!" Shouted a soldier in a full body black PMC uniform and coat with a feathered collar as he ran past some small tents and inside a much larger tent in the center "Sir! Alpha!" He called again, stopping by his squad leader, Captain Chris Redfield, Who was sitting with the rest of the members of his squad, looking over the maps of the village that were spread out on the table. Redfield turned his head to the man with a serious expression on his face "Umber eyes, any updates on Heisenberg?"
"Stats report sir" Umber eyes nodded, holding his sniper rifle in arms "Confirming the factory's Heisenberg's base of operations and the main production site of the 'Soldat's. Heisenberg's doubled down in preparation for his planned uprising" he finished his report. Chris and his underlings frowned at the news.
"If Heisenberg succeeds in building his army, He'll be ready to attack the village at sunrise tomorrow!" Night howl cried.
"Would that really be such a big problem?" Canine shrugged.
"What?!" Thundra asked her colleague with a horrified tone of voice "How can you say something like that, Canine?"
"All I'm saying is: If we let Heisenberg attack the village, he and his cyborg soldier guys'll take the Lycans and Miranda both out for us" Canine explained himself for his previous comment "They'll be so distracted with their conflict, that we can sneak past them and find and destroy the Megamycete ourselves! We'll be saving on ammo and risking fewer lives"
"Risking fewer lives?!" Thundra frustratingly shouted at him "If Heisenberg takes over the village, He'll unleash the rest of his army to invade Europe and then the rest of the world, you fucking Idiot!"
"Then after he kills Miranda, we'll kill him next and rescue Rose" he told her "Two birds with one stone"
"Heisenberg will be invulnerable while the Megamycete is still active" Lobo joined in on the argument "Once its gone, he'll perish along with everything else the mold has created. So destroying the Megamycete should be our top mission priority"
"But even with the mold gone, that won't stop the Soldats" Thundra shook her head "All it'll take is for one of them to wander into a populated town or city for there to be a major catastrophe! The whole objective of our mission is to prevent the whole world from ending up that that village!"
Chris just sat at the end of the table as he watched as the group started to argue with each other about the next course of action of their mission until he decided that he'd had enough with his squad acting so unprofessionally.
"ENOUGH!" He stood and yelled at the top of his voice. The others all stopped and slowly sat back down in their seats in ashamed silence "Stow it, all of you! This mission has been hard enough without us all at each other's throats! I will not allow this bullshit on my team. Not now, not ever, you hear me? The bullshit stops now!" He told them using an authoritative tone of voice. They all just nodded their heads in both respect and fear of him. Chris then sighed and composed himself.
"Thundra is right" he pointed to her "Killing Heisenberg won't be enough to stop his army even without the Megamycete. We'll need to kill this little 'Revolution' of his in its crib" He then took off his black coat and strapped his military vest on.
"Your orders, sir?" Night howl asked as they watched their commanding officer suit up before them as he grabbed his Specialised USM-AI pistol from the nearby armory.
"I'm going to blow up the factory and find and kill Heisenberg" Chris replied as he checked his gun and loaded it ''As long as that factory remains active, Heisenberg still poses a threat to humanity''
"You're going by yourself!?" Thundra asked in shock as she stood up from her seat "That's suicide! Heisenberg's too powerful. If he finds you in there, he'll kill you!" She then grabbed her Dragoon from the side of the table "You know what, no. I'm coming with you. You'll need backup this time" she said, walking up to Chris. He lightly pushed her back from him.
"That was an order, Lieutenant" he calmly yet firmly reminded her of her place "Heisenberg wouldn't be the first to try and kill me and he most certainly won't be the last" he then looked to the rest of his squad with a shameful look on his face "Three years ago, I lost three good men in Louisiana because of that deranged psychopath Lucas Baker. Those men had family's like you have, friends outside of their contract that cared about them. They'll never know how or why they're gone thanks to the stories our superiors made up for them...Since then, I made myself a promise never to put anyone else through what they went through...I'm not letting anyone else die on my watch, not this time" He finished.
Thundra sighed in defeat. She knew It was pointless trying to argue with her commander once he made a commitment to something "Yes sir" she saluted respectfully.
"What about Mr Winters?" Night howl asked as he stood up "We lost his trail since we got separated at Moreau's reservoir. So, he's still out there somewhere with those things! Heisenberg'll kill him if he reaches the factory!"
"Ethan knows how to handle himself" Chris assured him, he then frowned "But even this is beyond someone like him. Canine, Lobo, you two look for Ethan in the stronghold nearby" he instructed the two aforementioned soldiers as he put the C4 charges in his backpack "Kill any remaining Lycan's there and If you find Ethan, bring him back here so that I can explain everything to him. The gloves are off this time, no more secrets"
"Yes Alpha" Canine and Lobo nodded in unison as they got up and left the tent.
"The rest of you, keep analyzing those Cadou samples and keep me updated if you discover anything new until we get back. Dismissed" Chris looked at Umber eyes, Thundra and Night howl before he left the tent himself and walked in the opposite direction of the other team into the forest.
"Good luck Alpha" Thundra whispered as she watched him fade into the trees. As he trekked the dirt path to Heisenberg's factory, Chris kept hoping to himself against the odds that he wouldn't find Ethan there trying to get involved in the mission. He couldn't afford to have him poking around and trying to be a hero.
"Please don't be there Ethan" he thought "Please don't let me find you there, getting in my way. Just for once, leave it alone"
And that's the end of chapter one. What's Heisenberg creating in his factory to fight Mother Miranda's Lycan army? Will Chris complete his mission and destroy the factory and will Ethan beat Mother Miranda and be reunited with his daughter? More will be revealed in the next chapter! Until next time, Cheerio! xxxooo