Northern Outskirts - Raccoon City
September 29th, 1998 8:18 P.M.
Leon Kennedy recognized several auspicious emotions swelling within him upon his arrival in the growing metropolis, the scenic drive through the bordering farmlands and rural neighborhoods effectively removing whatever flustered negativity remained upon his rattled nerves. The numerous farms which dotted the countryside remained formless under the evening shadows, the working families having doubtlessly retired sometime following sundown. The dormant status remained constant with the familiar carnival located around the local highway, the towering silhouette of the iconic farris wheel remaining motionless while the fairgrounds seemed abandoned. The rookie officer hardly acknowledged this before pressing on, eventually noticing some activity around the rest stations and weighing stations which symbolically represented some manner of mediaeval gatekeepers. Should somebody continue traveling beyond these commonplace facilities, they would discover themselves journeying deeper into the outermost neighborhoods of Raccoon City.
The northern outskirts of the mid-western town were practically greeting the rookie officer which the knowledge that these streets and back would become his to protect beginning the next morning. Within moments he found himself traveling beyond these suburban neighborhoods and eventually discovered himself moving down Mission Street, driving alongside the Raccoon-Arkley Line which was laid down upon the major street. The rookie officer found himself surrounded by an almost endless plethora of family owned businesses and restaurants, private establishments which practically guaranteed quality. There would be several more cheap diners, barbeque joints and espresso bars before the rookie officer arrived at the intersection which would lead to his apartment. The nearby movie theater and comedy theater remained an extremely popular hangout for anybody desiring some much deserved amusement, while several neon-strewn catered to the more explicit interests of the less innocent. It was after passing the seven coffee shop that the young officer's easygoing carelessness suddenly reverted into absent concern, and after the eleventh thrift store it transformed into unabashed confusion. The situation before him couldn't have been possible.
Almost anybody would have noticed that several of these numerous buildings were completely darkened and those which continued to possess florescent lighting seemed to have been completely abandoned. Those inexpensive restaurants where grouping friends would carry their jubilance remained unaccompanied, several having the security shutters drawn over the exterior windows. Those trendy coffee shops where those apparent intellectuals and rebellious artists would carry their business seemed even more soft-spoken, but somehow much less peaceful. The bargain movie theater which should have been packed with teenagers looking to enjoy their favorite horror movies or romantic comedies seemed to have been condemned, the featured movies indistinguishable due to the missing letters. There were some pickup trucks outside one of those oldschool hamburger joints, but the building itself remained about as shadowed and unwelcoming as some gangster tagged backalley. The rookie officer understood that everybody needed to work and that the local students would be attending school the next morning alongside, but the possibility that one of the busiest streets in the mid-western town could be completely abandoned at eight-twenty bordered on being nonexistent.
Leon Kennedy couldn't understand the unnatural scenario spread out before him, particularly the absence of the citizens when almost every adjacent parking lot to these abandoned buildings was populated with something, creating an extensive collection of everything from motorcycles to minivans. While the black jeep continued down the abandoned street, the rookie officer found himself fishing for possible explanations to this otherworldly phenomenon. He immediately considered that something might have been happening at the stadium, but quickly remembered that the mid-western town wasn't exactly known for housing many sports fanatics. Some second thought lead to the possibility that some manner of function might have been happening, but there was absolutely nothing which would have attracted the entire population. The rookie officer chuckled slightly at the situation, humoring himself that perhaps the second coming was happening somewhere nearby and everybody had suddenly rushed to be there.
Several minutes passed before the rookie officer found himself approaching his intersection, . His concentration became focused elsewhere as something appeared in his headlights, an ominous blackness in the middle of the abandoned street which screamed negative fortunes. The rookie officer breathed sharply and immediately applied the break as a dozen black shapes suddenly exploded forward from the blackness, weaving around his vehicle and vanishing into the evening shadows. These creatures were obviously the common crows, the aggressive flapping of their obsidian feathers and their aggravated crying providing doubtless confirmation. The black jeep had stopped short of whatever attracted these feathered scavengers and the rookie officer found himself struggling to overcome the sudden shock. In the next moment he found himself looking back towards where those feathered scavengers had been flocking before his arrival, it was in this moment that the unwelcome situation somehow became much worse.
"No..." the rookie cop swallowed.
There was somebody laying motionless in the middle of the street around three meters from his black jeep, apparently female considering the several bloody crimson stains which crowded upon the simple white blouse. The rookie officer recognized the adrenaline rushing through his bloodstream, understanding that the situation screamed hit-and-run, but somehow remaining suspicious of the situation. Those wretched creatures might have been natural scavengers, but wouldn't have so fearlessly approached anything that hadn't become weathered and sun-dried upon the blackness of the asphalt. Sudden paranoia and nervousness suggested there might have been something unexpected lurking behind those shadowed alleyways, waiting for somebody to make themselves vulnerable. Leon resolved himself to proceed forward, remaining loyal to the inarguable procedures which would dominate his professional career.
The rookie officer fumbled around the passenger seat, knocking over several miscellaneous belongings before reaching under the traveling pack and coming away with a double harness shoulder holster which contained the rookie officer's issued sidearm and two loaded magazines. The rushing adrenaline remained constant as the desperate officer adjusted the double harness, maneuvering the horizontal holster under his left shoulder while the twin magazines were positioned under the opposite shoulder. Officer Kennedy immediately found himself comfortable with the double harness, his undivided attention becoming focused upon the weight and feeling of the powerful handgun.
The newcomer's issued sidearm was an enhanced version of the Beretta M92FS which had been specifically redesigned for the Raccoon Police Department's recently established Select Police Force. The notoriously dependable semiautomatic was apparently similar to the same version utilized by the police department's defunct tactical response operatives, although the overall coloring scheme had been recreated. The stainless steel of the exposed barrel remained unchanged although the majority of the frame was expressed by an imposing obsidian. The outermost lining of the pistol's grip was an appropriate sapphire color, as opposed to the rustic copper tone of the disbanded group's original model. The sidearm's grip was also centered with the police department's emblem, promising considerable trouble should some random civilian be discovered carrying one of these specialized handguns.
Leon Kennedy quickly recovered from admiring the impressive handgun, immediately returning to the present situation and the realization that there might be some raving lunatic wanting some more target practice. The rookie officer quickly retrieved one of the loaded magazines and slapped it into the semiautomatic before sharply pulling back the slides, one nine-millimeter round taking up residence in the chamber. His preparations were completed by removing the department's zipper jacket from over the passenger's seat and pulling it across the sleeved black shirt and shoulder harness. The presence of the department's emblem over the left pectoral and the blaring white inscription of POLICE across the shoulder blades made the black jacket an understandable precaution in the event the RPD suddenly appeared on the scene.
The young officer allowed the rushing adrenaline to dwindle further before killing the engine and stepping from the dormant vehicle, glancing around before stepping toward the motionless remains. His composed features soon became stained with an expression of absolute disgust, one sweaty palm leaving his sidearm to cover his mouth and nose. The abandoned street hosted an unimaginable stench which mercilessly assaulted his delicate olfactory senses, an ungodly essence which smelled of spoiled sirloin and rotting sweetbreads. It brought back memories of working for the local butcher's shop in his hometown, considering the various unneeded scraps, there was often reason to completely avoid the nearby dumpster. This unpleasant musk wasn't something which could have been expected from the living, regardless of how terrible their living conditions might have been.
This horrible smell remained constant as even in approaching the prone corpse, quickly concluding that the recently deceased couldn't have possibly been the source. Batting through the offensive stench, the rookie officer eventually composed himself enough to analyze the motionless young woman before him, the situation somehow inspiring newfound horrors within the newcomer. Several crimson strands obscuring the young woman's features while the numerous scarlet splotches made the anxious observers question the presence of those obsidian scavengers. There were around three dozen vicious holes punched into the recently deceased, ripping through the cotton blouse and exposing the freshness of the glimmering wounds. The rookie officer followed procedure by carefully maneuvered his fingertips toward her unseen neckline, but became rather surprised upon discovering more blood. His anxious curiosity became peaked in that moment and everything changed once those slender fingertips pushed away those crimson tresses which concealed her neckline.
"What?!" Leon gasped before stumbling backwards, another sudden realization summoning hyperventilation and an unstable heartbeat upon the rookie officer. Beyond those crimson tresses were several inches of shreded muscle tissue and the exposed smoothness of the victim's spinal column. The rushing adrenaline returned and the sheer bloodiness of the blackened asphalt became apparent enough for the awestruck enforcer to investigate further, rolling the recently deceased over to discover something even more horrible. As the flickering illumination from the nearby streetlights brightened the immediate surroundings, the young officer suddenly regretted having killed his vehicle's engine before conducting his investigation.
The young woman's cotton blouse had been aggressively ripped open before somebody completely eviscerated several sections of her upper body, completely destroying the once attractive figure. The slender abdomen was skinned and those healthy muscular structure had been utterly ruined, several sections of the adjacent ribcage becoming visible from pushing the blouse away. There was considerable damage elsewhere, but somehow the exposed collarbone and devastated breasts couldn't have been compared to the corpse's face. The missing lips and cheeks created an eternal display of those bloodied teeth, the powerful jawbone visibly attached to the frame of the exposed cranium. An eyeball was missing and the unoccupied socket remained completely visible, the other concealed behind those same crimson tresses which the rookie officer found himself uninspired to remove. The horrifying situation carried several ominous warnings, but the most obvious seemed to be the message seen within the exposed bones, particularly the countless markings which suggested that somebody had been chewing on them.
"Those cannibal murderers?"
Leon fought to maintain his composure as his heartbeat thundered against his eardrums, the rushing adrenaline bringing about an intense nervousness within the unfortunate investigator. Although the horrible scenario was becoming much more apparent in that moment, it was becoming more difficult for the newcomer to accept. These same demented psychopaths had viciously assaulted this young woman, knocked her to the ground and proceeded to devour her without anybody bothering to stand against them. The thought that the deceased somehow remained there long enough for those feathered scavengers to come around was absolutely unacceptable.
The frustrated newcomer would have probably continued delving into the horror of the situation, but an unexpected sound suddenly grabbed his attention away from the devoured remains. The distinctive sound of shuffling footsteps scrapping against the blackened asphalt and the disturbing moaning which came alongside them, becoming louder before finally capturing the rookie officer's complete attention.
"What was that?!" Leon gasped at the sound, glaring backwards over his left shoulder to notice the three individuals stepping around the stopped vehicle and stumbling towards the crime scene. The young officer came to stand before them, his drawn handgun pointed towards the ground as these strangers shuffled forward from the evening darkness. One man and two women were walking strangely, their cumbersome movements suggested intoxication, but their group seemed rather mismatched from where the insightful newcomer was standing. One middle-aged man wearing common working clothes and two young women wearing formal office attire, farmers and secretaries weren't exactly known to frequent taverns together. Leon remained suspicious until these three stepped into the illumination of the nearby street lantern, at which point the scenario suddenly became much more surreal.
The working man's granite-colored dress shirt was covered in numerous splotches of dried crimson, several bruises decorated his exposed arms and there was an apparent limp in the worker's right knee. The blond woman walked alongside the farmer and was wearing an expensive-looking business suit, which had been stained and damaged beyond recognition. The brunette woman trailed behind her colleges and was wearing a common blouse, which seemed to be even more thoroughly stained than her senior woman. Should there have been any connections between these three individuals, friendship or bloodlines wouldn't have been expected.
There were several common factor between them however, particularly the unhealthy alabaster tone which seemed to have dominated every square inch of their exposed flesh and the haunting moaning which echoed into the darkness of the evening. Their movements towards him were accented with cumbersome stumbling and outstretched fingers, apparently believing themselves of covering around five meters with their arms alone. The liquid crimson which stained their fingers and dripped from their jawlines should have provoked the rookie officer into believing these individuals to be those infamous cannibal murders, but there was another common factor which concerned him. It was that rotting stench that dominated the abandoned street, it was becoming stronger with their approach and the source became identified as the decaying flesh which threatened to peel from their bones.
Kennedy's nervousness increased as another individual suddenly stumbled forward from the shadows of some random backalley which separated two of the local buildings, the rookie officer's desperation preventing him from noticing the specifics involve. The newcomer was another woman around her seventies, the granite strands and excessive wrinkles standing as evidence alongside the unhealthy paleness and the mindless moaning. The woman's wide eyes were covered in cataracts and remained unblinking in her approach, her overall appearance sharing the same amount of degeneration displayed by the other suspects.
Another haunting groaned whispered from behind him as another groaning working man appeared from some looted electronics store, the garish neon emblems flashing multicolored illumination over facial lacerations. The black sweater was torn open around the shoulder, revealing chalk-colored flesh and the impressive damage inflicted upon his right shoulder. The remainder of the garment was heavily burned and his tender flesh was literally peeling, adding another element to the unpleasant atmosphere. The lumbering individual immediately noticed the rattled officer through opaque pupils, groaning again before stepping forward with burned arms outstretched and stained teeth displayed.
Leon attempted to calculate his position, discovering himself confronted by an impossible situation which refused to present even the slightest explanation. The young officer's unwavering professionalism claimed that there was some logical explanation for their psychotic behavior and deplorable conditions. The academy graduate wanted to believe that these were those cannibal murderers and realism insisted that he wasn't being approached by the walking dead, unfortunately his terrorized instincts argued otherwise. Their miserable moaning eventually became overwhelming and their refusal to display humanity provoked the rookie officer into pointing his sidearm towards the nearest assailant. Indecision grappled with nervousness as the officer squared himself and attempted to establish dominant authority over the situation.
"Freeze!!" Kennedy shouted toward the nearest assailant, straining under the aggressive shouting and becoming authoritative and commanding in that terrifying moment. The young man dominant authority should have been established by the department's emblem on his clothing, not to mention the deadly firearm he had been carrying. Leon's heartbeat thundered within his eardrums as the suspects continued their cumbersome approach, the worker somehow remaining ignorant to the handgun which was leveled with his throat. The officer unconsciously backstepped from the decaying deviants, completely forgetting the horrible stench and the population's absense. Leon suspended his terror enough to address his assailants once more, waving the firearm threateningly "That's far enough! Don't come any closer!"
The decaying deviants remained ignorant of the department's authority and the threatening presence of the enhanced sidearm that was jumping between them with feverish inconsistence. The rookie officer took another step backwards, feeling the texture of the asphalt change as one boot stepped upon the crimson puddle which formed around the recently deceased. Kennedy took another breath before resolving himself to shoot the closest suspect in the shoulder, prepared himself to establish his willingness to regain control.
"Last warning! Freeze!" Leon shouted, his overall tone becoming more desperate that authoritative, illustrating the obvious insecurity which the situation had summoned within him. The rookie officer's heartbeat ground against his throat as something suddenly grabbed his ankle, an almost painful grasp coming around one of his combat boots. The sapphire gemstones which centered his handsome features snapped towards the ground and immediately traced the alabaster hand to the deceased woman. She groaned in the attempt to pull herself closer to the rookie officer, insufferable howling escaping her lipless mouth as she attempted to chomp down upon the leather.
Leon Kennedy panicked before pulling himself away from those clamping fingers before driving an aggressive kick into the reanimated corpse's cranium, completely forgetting himself in launching his counterattack. The creature dropped back to the asphalt following the brutal impact, accented by an ominous crunching sound which returned the abomination to the darkness. The rookie officer swallowed, his hammering heartbeat and pumping adrenaline almost becoming unbearable as he attempted to . Unfortunate, his opponents were unwilling to allow him that luxury.
The miserable moaning suddenly transformed into an aggressive groaning, the rookie officer twisting around the notice the decaying worker approaching with his alabaster fingers leveled towards the younger man's throat. The handgun snapped back towards the charging creature and the rookie officer trigger pulled the trigger without further hesitation, the slides snapping against the framework twice. The creature stumbled backwards as two crimson blossoms appeared upon the granite dress shirt, but it somehow continued moving forward without acknowledging the mindblowing exhaustion which should have become prevalent with such grievous injuries. Leon stepped backwards in response, readjusting the handgun before discharging it once more, sending one nine millimeter round cracking against the approaching monster's forehead.
The ambitious newcomer watched as the monstrous creature stumbled backwards, the former farmer's ruined visage pointed skywards before collapsing backwards onto the blackened asphalt. The remaining creatures continued moving forward, effectively barricading the frightened individual from the black jeep, their miserable moaning becoming more noticeable as more began appearing from the evening shadows. Apparently attracted by the sudden gunshots, these decaying deviants wanted something from the unofficial enforcer and were mindlessly determined to acquire it.
Seven young men stepped from one nearby alleyway, wearing clothing which would probably have been associated with those troublesome street gangs which caused mischief in the growing metropolis. Another trio of these horrid creatures approached from behind the anxious recruit, three young men wearing the standard uniform of the department's patrol officers while another was wearing special response equipment. Another quartet appeared behind the original group, three appearing to be decently dressed adult while the remaining one couldn't have possibly have reached puberty.
Their miserable moaning and shuffling footsteps became dominant upon the abandoned street and that horrible scent of decaying sweetbreads became overwhelming in their presence. The innocent crimson which splashed their decrepit features became common alongside their excessive injuries which would have incapacitated anybody that could experience suffering. Their impassive cataracts and starved wailing stood as evidence of their missing humanity, their soulless nature becoming even more doubtless with every one that stepped forward from the blackness. The rookie officer soon found himself outnumbered by these cannibalistic murderers, surrounded by these unhealthy psychopaths and completely overwhelmed by the presence of these unnatural creatures...
"Zombies." Leon stopped attempting to discover an explanation to the insanity of the present scenario, verbally accepting that these decaying creatures were the same reanimated monsters from countless campfire fictions and silver-screen horrors. These mindless monsters followed their classical disposition flawlessly, incapable of feeling anything beyond those savage instincts which drove them to somehow procure their next meal. These walking corpses couldn't be brought to respect his judicial authority and recognize the foolishness of challenging his loaded sidearm. The horrible situation became unquestioned in the next moment as the rookie officer reminded himself there were twelve rounds remaining in the magazine, with fifteen more on his shoulder holster. Telling himself that there was no choice remaining.
Leon Kennedy squared himself before turning his attention toward the nearest abomination, leveling his sidearm and pulling the trigger twice without the slightest hesitation. The second creature suddenly lunged forward with an animalistic aggression, the officer frantically kicking the monster in the stomach before discharging the weapon three times into the monsters face, scattering bloody tissue and bone fragments across the asphalt. The next closest lunged forward as the rookie officer moved toward his parked vehicle, stepping beyond reach almost chuckling as the third creature slapped down pathetically against the asphalt. His momentary amusement was interrupted by the other approaching creatures, their wretched wailing and closing proximity capturing his undivided attention. Already realizing the futility of attempting to kill them all, the rookie officer made his move for his parked vehicle.
Three of the moaning zombies were standing around four meters from the personal transport when the rookie officer ripped tossed himself behind the steering wheel. His already strained breathing became inconsistent as he recklessly slammed the driver's side door behind him, one hand mindlessly fumbling around the ignition before remembering that he pocketed his keychain. The frightened motorist immediately began searching the exterior pockets of his black jacket and straight jeans, unconsciously holstering his sidearm to improve the search. The rookie officer was interrupted by two alabaster hands suddenly landing against the window, one of the zombies dragging bloody digits across the glass while numerous others were gathering on the driver's side. The rookie officer eventually recovered his keychain and prepared to make his escape when there was another sudden sound which brought his blood to freezing, the driver's side door slowly opening beside him.
"Shit!" Leon screamed loudly as that horrible smell slammed into him, instinctively throwing himself against the passenger's side door before sending one booted foot into the groaning invader. The monster stumbled backwards, but another seized the doorframe before the young officer could possible reestablish his ownership of the black jeep. The keychain clattered to the floorboard somewhere and within moments there were twelve cannibalistic monsters surrounding the vehicle, every one of them possessing the same mindless intentions. While these creatures might have seemed conformed to their fictional counterparts, there remained some expectant intelligence beyond their savage instincts. The rookie officer decided to reserve scolding himself for another time, quickly recognizing that his two-seated graduation present was beyond recovery and that retreat was his single remaining option.
"Goddamn it!" Leon shouted as another zombie attempted to approach, drawing his sidearm and thoughtlessly draining the twelve remaining rounds into their lumbering numbers. Leon glanced through the passenger side window as the slides finally locked against the framework, confirming that there were no zombies barricading his escape route down the sidewalk. One hand snapped upwards to toss the second door open, the rookie officer rolling backwards and onto the vacant sidewalk in one unorthodox movement. Some of the mindless pursuers noticed that walking around the parked vehicle was an option, but the majority remained determined to follow their potential meal through the personal transport. Leon ignored his monstrous pursuers long enough to retrieve the traveling pack from the passenger seat, stepping backwards as three zombies came crawling over one another. The frustrated newcomer responded by slamming the passenger door in their bloody faces, the doorframe cracking loudly against one of their craniums, giving him another few precious moments of security.
Without further reason to remain behind, the rookie officer retreated down the unoccupied sidewalk with those shambling corpses mindlessly attempting to pursue him. Having managed to retrieve his traveling pack, there was nothing remaining which would require him to return to his abandoned graduation present. The rookie officer thoughtlessly rushed down the sidewalk before ducking into the alleyways and passages, rushing through opened buildings and backtracking whenever necessary. His natural instincts placed priority upon avoiding another one of these monstrous creatures, driving him toward discovering some method of escaping the condemned metropolis. The traveling pack was maneuvered over one shoulder between his sprinting motions, the second magazine slapping into the newcomer's issued sidearm before turning another random corner.
Leon Scott Kennedy garnered his determination in that moment, realizing that those countless regulations and restrictions were irrelevant to the otherworldly situation. He believed himself totally committed to doing whatever was necessary to somehow persevere against the monstrous creatures which populated the transformed necropolis, determined to somehow survive long enough to see the next sunrise. The ambitious rookie officer would continue moving forward, remaining ignorant of the incredible challenges which would confront him before those blazing colors touched upon the eastern horizon.
Author's Commentary:
Leon Scott Kennedy wouldn't be officially integrated into the department until the next morning, so having the recent graduate arrive wearing the police uniform probably wouldn't have made much sense. The abnormal uniform remains one of the most confusing aspects of the second game, considering there are never any zombies or characters wearing anything similar. I've decided against removing his police background completely, his commonplace clothing retains several symbols of his authority and position. The character's standard clothing includes standard blue jeans, a tight-fitting black shirt and combat boots. The shoulder holster is the standard black harness, there's nothing really impressive about it beyond the sidearm and magazines. The fingerless gloves will probably come along later. The black jacket is basically the zipper coat commonly seen amongst police officers, the department's emblems printed over the material proving authenticity. The specific model used for this novelization is one of London Fog's weather-resistant zipper jackets, prominently featuring exterior pockets and inner pockets.
Although the H&K VP70 is an excellent handgun and has become renowned within the series, the thought of this weapon being issued to western police officers is rather difficult to swallow. The constant presence of the Beretta M9 throughout the majority of the series influenced my decision to replace the rookie officer's sidearm with something more impressive. Leon Kennedy's issued sidearm is essentially the repainted version of the Samurai Edge, having been created exclusively for the officers of the department's recently established Select Police Force. The traveling pack should have some other useful articles which might appear sometime later, but nothing impressive enough to keep the rookie officer from running.
Your reviews are necessary to inspire me further.
Please do not hesitate to leave your impressions, suggestions and criticism.
