There was fire; it spread quickly, too quickly for him to re-act. Then a young girl appeared. Blankly, she watched the fire rush toward her, the heat not making her flinch though the pain must have been awful. Her pale cheeks were lobster red, her face glistened with sweat. Her dark, white collared outfit fluttered in the dry breeze, the material catching embers. Her skin began to burn before the fire even reached her, it began to boil and blacken, dead skin falling off. He couldn't scream, he couldn't move, he could only watched as she burned alive. She didn't re-act at all, only stood patiently as the flames licked her body black. Then her hair caught fire, it slowly spread until her whole head was like a halo, the flames lapped uselessly at the air. Her hair quickly dissolved to ash, falling to her black shoed feet. For the first time, a look of fear crossed her face, her hands reached uselessly to her burning head. Within moments, the little girl was engulfed in burning flames. She became a human torch. Leon couldn't do anything; there was nothing to put it out. He watched in horror, everything seemed to be in slow motion. The girl flailed her arms uselessly, she kicked and struggled, her small scream was overpowered by the sound of the crackling flames. She looked as though she were dancing, a horrific dance in slow motion. Slowly, she burned. Her silhouette was a stick figure, now bald and covered in blackened burns and blood. She fell to the ground at last, the fire slowly died out on its own. The little girl was no longer a little girl; the fire had reduced her to something unimaginable, a demon like creature. Her flesh, still intact, was burned beyond recognition, her bald little head corrupt of hair. Small eyelids were closed, she couldn't speak, she couldn't move, she was as good as dead. Leon knew she wasn't, there was something about the girl, something nearly holy about her. A great white light shone from her, the heat radiating form her body became a cool glow. Leon dropped to his knees to pray before her, to pray for humanity.
Leon sat up and gasped the dream still fresh and vivid in his mind. It took a while for his eyes to adjust to his new surroundings; it was a very dark room. Leon grimaced and rubbed his eyes with one hand, balancing himself with the other, vaguely aware of a clean bandage on his forehead.
Where am I?
He slid off the bed, reaching instantly for his holster before forgetting he was suppose to be on vacation. Good tourists didn't bring weapons. Leon pocketed his hands himself, cursing himself for not having brought a gun on him. He dug deeper into his pocket, fishing around a few cents, a swiss army knife, and a pen light. He took out the penlight and snapped it on, aiming it along the walls of the room. It was small, the walls sported peeling paint and the vase of flowers on the desk were dried. He had been laying on a cot stained with something a rusty red colored.
Am I in a hospital?
It made sense, he got into a car wreck after all, some locals admitted him into the hospital while he was unconscious. This didn't look right though. This room looked like it hadn't been used in a while…a long while.
Leon frowned, walking around the room some and trying to figure this out. He strained his ear but couldn't make out one sound from the hall. An I.V. rack stood next to his bed empty and an assortment of doctor tools were on the desk, also. Leon began to feel a tingle of curiosity at this, though most people would have re-acted with fear. Leon had seen many things, things that only kids still believed in. He had fought zombies, parasites, a cult, it was no wonder he wasn't scared, yet.
A clean, white note, he saw for the first time, lay on the floor. It must have fallen off the desk. Leon bent down slowly, fighting off slight dizziness, and picked up the letter.
Dear Mr. Leon Kennedy,
I am awfully sorry to hear about your accident, I have seen to it that our personnel give you…the best care. But please understand, time is short, there are matters that I need to see you about. I am leaving you a key to the morgue, meet me there. I will be waiting for you in drawer number 6.
"What the…" Leon turned it over, looking for a signature. "Who wrote this?"
He found the key laying nearby where he had found the letter. A letter labeled it Morgue Key. The morgue? Was he going to an appointment with a corpse? The thought made him smile, but with nervousness. There something about this place that was unreal; creepy. He just needed to get out, to get some fresh air. By the looks of it, the air in here wasn't very good.
The doorknob, after testing it, was unlocked. Leon breathed a small, thankful breath, eager to leave this joint. Just as he had suspected, he was in a hospital. The long hallway had various stretchers decked out in them; wheelchairs were stacked against one wall. Leon shone his light down both ends of the hallways. There was no one there.
Where is everyone?
He chose left, keeping an eye out for any sign of life. It looked like a hallway of rooms. He walked to the one next to him, knocking softly; half hoping he was disturbing a patient. At least it would be someone. There was no answer, but he hadn't expected there to be.
Leon had been in a hospital before, once when he was a kid and had broken his arm, and just a few days ago for cautionary procedures and tests after getting back from Spain. This hospital didn't look like the ones he was use to, the rooms were too small and had barely anything, except for his which had stuff clearly used on him. One of the rooms was opened; Leon peeked inside, finding only an empty, bloodied bed. On the desk was a writing journal. He went over and picked it up, feeling curious again, thinking it might tell him something.
This world is getting darker, I can feel it. They won't believe me, their all going to be damned because they didn't listen! I can feel everything changing, the light is fading. Whenever I look into a mirror, I don't under-I just don't get what I see. I'm not there; there is a creature--a demon as my reflection. I must pray for salvation for my sins before it's too late. The darkness is coming, fear is growing, the light is fading, and our only hope to escape is nearly gone.
Leon read the note a second time, frowning. He new better-way better, than to judge reality based on what you see, but this was nuts. What the hell did they mean by darkness?
I need to get out. How did I get here in the first place? A crash…
A flash of a darting, orange clad figure and the sound of screeching tires corrupted his consciousness. He remembered the crash vividly as a strong dream.
I swerved to hit…to hit…
"Oh my g-d…" His mouth went dry in fear and surprise, remembering the orange sweater and skirt-had it been green?
Ashley? He thought. Was that Ashley?
Leon slipped the note into his pocket, feeling angst all of a sudden. There was something wrong, no doubt. That figure sure did look a hell a lot like Ashley, but why was she here? Hadn't she called him from D.C.?
Leon sighed. Somuch for vacation.
The hallway remained as silent as a tomb, it was eerie. Leon shivered as he stepped out, the air was cold too, not air conditioned cold, winter cold, but it was spring. Leon only wore a short sleeved T shirt and jeans. He stopped in front of another, finding it wouldn't open.
Must be the lock or something.
Leon stopped and sighed, feeling tired and grimacing at the thought of covering all the ground. This was his vacation, dammit, he deserved a break.
Maybe I should just check out the morgue…
Whoever sent that letter was sick, maybe even crazy. Leon contemplated this, and the hospital itself. It wasn't like any other he had ever seen, except for one. Re-tracing his steps, he went back into the room from which he'd awakened. A quick look beneath the bed confirmed his thoughts. Belts. A mental hospital.
Leon gathered up, if this was a joke, he was about to raise some serious hell.
What if it's no joke?
Leon walked back out into the hall, using his light to direct the way away from the rooms and into the main area. A pair of double doors led into the main halls. As soon as he stepped out, something seemed to change. The fine hairs on the back of his neck instantly prickled. Leon had been in danger long enough to know that meant something bad. Leon had learned to trust his judgment. He purposefully flicked of his light, faint light escaped through the windows. There was a sound, soft and hissing, further down the dark hallway. Leon tensed, straining through the dark to see. At first, there was nothing. He walked a bit closer, the noise becoming louder as he did so. The sound his footsteps made were hollow and listless, like the air itself had died.
Sss. Sss.
There, at the end, he now saw, was a person with their back turned to him. Leon sighed at relief at the human form. It was a woman, a nurse it seemed, her head was bent down and she seemed oblivious to his presence. His frown slowly vanished. Something was wrong. The noises were coming from her, her neck and head were twitching.
Leon moved forward, thinking they might be in trouble or sick.
"Miss, you alright?"
The woman turned at his voice, her arms hung limply at her sides and a short bob of black hair covered her face. Leon's eyes widened in shock, his mind screamed zombie.
The creature staggered toward him, a pipe was poised in its pale hand, her blood stained nurses outfit clung to it like it was fitted too tight. Leon tensed his muscles and instantly sprang forward, kicking the thing threw the air and against the wall where its head bursts and it fell. It didn't move again. A few feet away, the pipe clattered to the floor. Leon approached it hesitantly.
No, not a zombie.
It wasn't human either. The skin was a pale grey parlor and it seemed to be slightly hunched. With its head slanted forward, the black hair still hid the face, though Leon didn't think he would have wanted it to be revealed. Blood dripped from the wall where he had kicked it; a pool was forming around its corpse also. Leon felt his vision begin to swirl, his stomach heaved. He had never seen anything like it before, and he had seen plenty.
"My g-d…"
Leon shook his head in slight wonder, backing away. His heart pounded and his eyes had narrowed to gray blue slits. This was no joke. Someone here meant serious business, and he needed to know why.
Did I really see Ashley on the road?
Leon didn't even know what time it was. He looked out the window, but there was so much fog he could barely see.
What's happened here? Is this Silent Hill?
I need my gun, He thought next. I need to get to my car and get my gun out the compartment.
He hurried further down the hallway, prepared for any confrontations. His well muscled legs carried him swiftly despite his recent accident. He started off in a light jog, it felt good to stretch a bit. Leon was very strong, he had started off as a rookie cop, starting off his first day on the job at his post in Raccoon City.
Leon paused at a door, attempting to open it but finding that it, too, would not open. He continued along, trying to keep quiet and not alert anything else.
As soon as he had arrived to the city, however, he found it deserted except for hordes of flesh eating zombies that attacked on the instinct to feed. He and another survivor, Claire Redfield, were forced to wait for help and seek out refuge in the police department. Not long after that, he met a woman named Ada Wong, a young woman claiming to be a lost, helpless tourist looking for her fiancée. Leon went with her, having split up with Claire. Soon, the story of what had happened to this innocent city became clearer piece by piece. A viral outbreak had occurred, transforming everyone into mindless zombies. It sounded like a bad sci fi film, but it hadn't been, it had been very real. Ada supposedly died; he had watched her bleed to death in his arms. He and Claire escaped, but Sherry, a young girl that Claire found in the station who had ended up partly being the key to everything, was taken away. Both her parents, the creators if the virus, were dead before the night was out.
Leon pushed the elevator button. The humming was especially loud in such a silent building as the car rose toward him. Leon waited a bit impatiently, itching to get out of there and to the nearest phone. He prayed that hadn't been Ashley on the road the night before, she could have seriously been hurt. She had called him a few minutes before, if she was there, couldn't she have waited?
Leon had quitted the job, scared out of his mind from the events. The urge to protect had never left him though. He felt as though he needed to protect people, protect them from the evil of the world. He knew of them. Six years later, after countless training, Leon worked for the Government as a bodyguard for the president's family. Just as he began, the president's daughter, Ashley Graham, was kidnapped. This led Leon to Spain where he quickly began to re-live a nightmare. The villagers, though not zombies, weren't human either. He met up again with Ada who had begun working with Wesker. It had been a shock to see her alive, but he should have figured Wesker would have done it. From what Leon had figured, Ada had sold her soul to the devil. After Leon got Ashley and met up with a young man named Luis, the local cult leader made it clear what he intended on doing with Ashley. He had implanted both of them with parasites, making them as mindless and powerless as the villagers. From there, he could control them to walk, to follow him, to kill…
Leon and Ashley escaped his clutches, but the parasites were a problem. Luckily for them, it took a while for their eggs to hatch and them themselves mature. They were being tagged by time. Luis Sera attempted to help them stop the parasites, but ended up being killed before he could attempt. He then revealed his true identity, a researcher/scientist for Sadler, the cult leader's, cult. He had been a major help in the process of finding the parasite, but he hadn't been bad, and had felt guilty about it, trying to get out o the crazy situation. Leon and Ashley did get their parasites removed not at all too soon. They had escaped the island, making it safely back home. Ada had left in a jet, with the master plaga sample with her.
That had been a week earlier.
Albert Wesker was cold man. From his slicked back fair hair to his pale, unmoving face, he was ice in a human form. He had short tolerance, his anger could be set off quickly, and he could tell whether someone was lying to him or not. But he was cool, and sometimes, being as cool as a stone was scarier than yelling. He always wore sunglasses, his wardrobe was always black, and he always held himself in a ramrod straight position that it made people wonder if his mother had been a duchess or something. He had a very muscular build that was intimidating; he looked like he could crush your throat with his bare hand. He probably could too, without a doubt in fact. Unfortunately, he was also brilliant. With great knowledge in the science field as the scientists who worked for him, he could outwit anyone, not that anything ever felt up with getting into a match with him.
He stood in front of his office bullet-proof window, his usually unreadable face had slightly thoughtful look on it. He usually stared out the window when he was deep in thought, though most people would imagine h wasn't much of a scenery person, Ada Wong thought to herself. Her gaze slipped over his neat office, purposefully landing on the expensive painting of a ship out to sea with rich colors and artistic swirls that Da Vinci couldn't have beaten.
Neither of them spoke, Ada was waiting for him to speak first. Ada wasn't intimidated much by Wesker, she herself was a clever woman, but not foolish enough. She had wit, but knew her place as well. Wesker respected her for that.
The intercom in the corner of his office crackled to life, the voice of a Umbrella employee coming over it.
"There's a woman here to see you, she said you asked her to come."
Wesker turned away from his 'view', a slight smile playing on his face. "Send her in." His gaze shifted to Ada who was looking up at the intercom in curiosity. "I would like you to stay for this. This concerns you as well, Ada."
Ada nodded slightly, shifting the weight of her feet. She wore her traditional red cocktail dress with a pair of black heels that complimented her well muscled calves. She was curious to see who was coming.
There was the sound of footsteps outside the office. A pause, then a light tap on the door, almost frightened. Wesker took a seat as his desk, motioning for Ada to sit on the sofa in the corner of his room. Ada sat on the leather, thankful to be off her feet. The last missions had given her feet reasonable damage from running and jumping so much. Ada, a athletic woman, had twisted her ankle in the process and attempted a fine cover for being alright.
The door opened slightly, Ada's curiousness increased.
"Come in dear." Wesker said in his deep, commanding voice.
The door opened slightly wider, a woman in her late teens to early twenties stepped in. She was tall and slim, her blonde hair cut short from her fine boned face. Her thin lips were twitching slightly in nervousness, her feet shuffled onto the carpet. Ada examined her quietly, wondering what on earth Wesker wanted with her. She was just a child, a nervous one at that. Her pale blue eyes studied Wesker silently for a moment; she began to fidget with the blue scarf around her neck. "Mr…Wesker?"
Wesker's smile widened. "You must be Ms. Laura Sunderland. Please, have a seat."
Sorry, the next chapter will be more exciting, this one was kind of hard to write. In case you can't tell, I'm trying to give this a mixture of a Silent Hill Resident Evil atmosphere. Next chapter coming soon and more characters to appear.
