Hello! There hasn't been a lot of changes in this chapter. Just some minor ones. Enjoy!


HAUNTING EVIL
Chapter One

Leon Kennedy grunted as his alarm clock buzzed down his ear and woke him from a good night's sleep. Hardly able to get his eyelids open, he lifted his hand to silence the irritating noise and then glimpsed at the red digits before him... Six in the morning. Slowly sitting up, he rubbed his eyes and the duvet fell, exposing his bare chest to the chilly air. So he forced himself out of bed.

Later that morning, fully dressed after a hot shower, Leon was sitting on the couch in the living room of his apartment, finishing his breakfast. The news on the television began its next report which was an update about a family of three that disappeared half a year ago whilst on holiday in Europe. The parents were soon found dead in a wrecked vehicle and the teenage daughter, a university student, was nowhere to be seen. Like she had vanished into thin air. He remembered reading about it in a newspaper.

An image of a photo of the family appeared on screen along with each of their names beneath them. The parents had their arms around their daughter's shoulders, smiling with pride and happiness. The daughter was smiling just as brightly between them. After the image was footage, repeated from previous reports, of sobbing relatives and friends laying flowers in honour of their memory.

It was depressing to watch. Even more so when the reporter announced that the official search for the missing daughter was being withdrawn due to the lack of clues, suspects and witnesses. Evidence of foul play was confirmed at the scene but there wasn't a lot to follow from there. There were also no signs of her whereabouts anywhere and the case turned cold in a short period of time. It was believed that she had presumably died as well. So her relatives hired private investigators to continue the search when the local authorities called it off, regardless of the slim odds of finding her.

The report ended with hopes of her safe return when Leon's phone began to ring. He took it out of his pocket and answered it after its third ring.

"Leon, here."

"Leon, it's Ingrid," spoke a woman.

"Hey, Hunnigan."

"We need you here as soon as possible. There's an emergency."

"An emergency? What happened?"

"Just get to HQ. The chief at the office will inform you."

"Alright, I'll be on my way."


A scruffy white German shepherd dog treaded through an endless forest, slightly limping over one of his back legs with a firm goal in mind. He had to find her. He could never forget watching that horrible man carry her away in his arms.

Ahead of him were stone walls of a manor he and his friend once ventured together. He had circled it many times but could never find a way back in. Despite this, he did not give up. On his next round that day, he came across something different. There was a man lying on the ground with a terrible odour of blood and a frozen face of pain. The dog nudged his shoulder with his nose. When he could see that the man remained motionless, he began to smell the body to further investigate. On the man's neck was a clean-cut wound. The dog raised his head and looked around uneasily, whining softly.

He jumped when an unexpected static sound screeched out loud, coming from a device clutched in the man's hand.

"...-Tyler? Do you read me? Come in! I repeat, do you—"

The static noise stopped and then footsteps were heard, approaching somewhere from behind. It sounded too heavy to belong to who he was searching for, so he quickly hid in a nearby bush.

A large, muscular with a slightly deformed left arm stomped by past him. It was shifting, retaining a normal shape. His face had strange markings and a long scar from his left eye to his chin. In one hand was a sharp object with blood dripping from the tip. He reeked of a foul yet familiar scent which made the dog crouch lower in his hiding place.

The man carried a silver case in the other and was heading towards the manor. The dog's eyes followed his every move as he walked across a path and up some stairs leading up to tall double doors. When he stopped in front of them, there was a clicking sound and the doors creaked as they slowly opened outward.

The dog emerged from the bush and rushed to catch up.

Instead of going in, the man stood still. Then suddenly, he flung the sharp object at the dog. It had just missed, frightening the canine, causing him to yelp and run away back down the stairs and disappear into the forest once more.

The man huffed to himself, reaching to pick up his dagger. He recalled being told about a certain white dog.

"So the mutt's still alive, huh?"

Positive that everything was clear, he went into the mansion.

Inside was another man waiting for him wearing a hood over his head. His outfit resembled a monk's attire. On his chest was a small, gold emblem similar to a caduceus. He was standing in front of a marble statue of a woman holding a large caduceus and scales at the opposite side of the entrance hall. The scales were evenly balanced by the same weight with gold coins in one and a milky-white stone in the other. Once the muscular man was in the centre of the room, the hooded man removed the stone. The scale with coins tilted down and the double doors began to creak again, gradually closing, followed by the same clicking sound.

"I am pleased to see you brought it back, Krauser," said the hooded man who stepped over an old puddle of blood had dried into the carpet. "Did you take care of him?"

"Yeah. He almost got away but I managed to slit his throat," Krauser replied, spinning his dagger with a single hand.

"Good... but I shall keep the traps active. I will not willing to take any chances."

The hooded man held his hand out and Krauser gave him the case. He opened it, feeling himself relax seeing a capsule with a purple glow inside. Staring at it for a moment, his eyes narrowed when he looked back at Krauser.

"Are you certain you also took care of that... Miss Ada Wong?"

Krauser frowned, wondering why he would ask such a question.

"From what you have told me, she was just as troublesome as the dog was."

"It's like I said," Krauser started. "I snatched the case right out of the woman's hands before the chopper crashed. She was in there bleeding to death when I checked on the site. Ada Wong is as good as dead."

The hooded man did not respond, sealing the case and made his leave.

"Make sure there are no more outsiders," he commanded. "Then see to it that Miss Belli is secured."

"...Yes, Riccardo," obeyed Krauser before walking off in his own direction.

These outsiders were definitely from the United States government. He knew because he used to work for them himself. A former agent now turned mercenary. How they could have discovered a place like this was beyond him.

Riccardo was furious when he found out about their arrival, demanding to know how the estate was found and how they got in. He had even accused Krauser of luring them over at first, which was quite insulting. The mercenary was able to prove himself by dealing with them personally. Some were foolish enough to fall for ancient booby traps that were hidden throughout the castle. Listening to the sounds of their suffering and anguish felt so satisfying...

However, Riccardo's biggest concern was the girl. He always bragged about her like she was the rarest treasure to possess. Sure, she was a real beauty but sometimes it was a little disturbing, even for him, of how much he was obsessed with her. He never gave a lot of details. Just that it was vital that she stayed put.

Krauser grumbled to himself. The quest about Ada bothered him. It made him think back to that moment in Spain...


"That's a large thing you have there," mocked the woman in red.

He could feel his body was getting weaker at a dramatic rate. His blood was oozing from his wounds and spread across the metallic platform. He could barely move. His mutated left arm decreased in size. Rage consumed his mind over the humiliation of defeat.

"...but I don't like it when men play rough," she finished, cocking her head to the side.

And with that, she stepped over his arm and walked away.

'Come back here!' he wanted to shout, though no sound was made. 'This isn't over! Get back here, you fucking bitch!'

His right hand clenched tightly, knowing he had no choice. Mustering whatever strength he had left, he reached into one of his side pockets and pulled out a small vial filled with a red fluid...


Her face was priceless when she saw him in the helicopter, especially after she just stole the sample from their 'old friend'.

It was worth using the supply given to him. If not for that precious gift, he would have been left there to rot. It was still disappointing because he had already used the first vial after the fight with that damn government agent. He could not risk the third after Ada-... defeated him. He really hated that word.

Jack Krauser swore to himself that HE would be the one to have the last laugh.