1

Leon Kennedy twirled the analogue on the digital radio in his jeep again. The last time he'd taken a drive towards Raccoon City, he'd chanced upon a radio station that was pretty good, and had decided it was going to be his daily entertainment. But now to his disappointment, all he could pick up was white noise.

Leon sighed as he brought his eyes back onto the road, still slightly surprised at the lack of traffic. He figured then that perhaps the storm had put people off, the rain having been particularly heavy in the last hour making visibility on the drenched roads poor - a reminder that he should keep his eyes on the road ahead.

Leon's eyes caught the neon sign of a gas station as it came into view, and after checking his all too low tank, he decided it was time to top up before heading into the city proper.

He checked his watch

Late as hell, but can't keep going on fumes...

He sighed to himself again, but became distracted by a parked Harley Davidson when he pulled his vehicle up beside the gas pumps.

Leon looked over his shoulder at the boxes stacked in the boot of his jeep wondering if he should drop them off at his rented apartment, or go straight to the Raccoon City police department. Deciding on the latter, he climbed out of his jeep and felt a buzz of excitement at the thought that he'd soon be starting his first shift as a fully-fledged RPD officer.

He was due to start the previous week, but he received a brief call instructing him to stay away. To say he was disappointed was an understatement, but at least he was on his way now, even though he was very late.

Leon was pulled from his silent thoughts, and his eyes narrowed towards the main road when a strange sound carried on the wind from the surrounding forest. It sounded almost like a painful moan. He pulled his eyes back towards the gas station shop, and realized the strangeness of it all.

No lights, no people.

What The hell is going on?

Leon heard the strange moan again, but this time it came from an alley beside the shop. "That's weird..." He stated aloud, and made his way towards the alley. As he rounded the corner he suddenly stopped, and gave himself a mental shake at the sight he beheld.

Three people were on their knees, crouching over another lying on the tarmac. A moaning, gurgling, chomping sound could be heard clearly. One of them sat up, and ropes of red guts and flesh hung from his mouth.

"What the fuck?" Leon murmured under his breath, wondering if he was really seeing this. These people were eating...another! The stories he had read about cannibals in the city suddenly came to mind, and he quickly raised his firearm, shouting "FREEZE!"

Suddenly, he heard gunshots come from within the shop

Are there more of them inside?

The three men turned towards Leon, and with unnatural movements, made their way up onto their feet, moving towards him with a slow, menacing gait.

Leon growled, "Back up!" But the three men continued to advance, giving Leon no choice but to step back slowly. He swallowed back the nausea caused by the stench coming from the three. With one impossible word screaming in his mind.

Zombie.

Leon pointed his pistol at the kneecap of one of the men, issuing a last warning in the hope that they would stop their advance, and pull off their masks to reveal the worst prank ever. But the young cop had no such luck, and the sudden realization that he may have to open fire on something alive hit him like a cold dagger to the gut.

Leon let them get close.

Too close.

But now Leon had a clear view of his aggressors' condition, there was no mistaking that these people were in fact undead.

Jesus Christ, am I dreaming?

Pulling himself from his doubts, Leon let the first bullet fly, and it barreled its way through the undead creature's knee cap. It stumbled a little, but other than that it seemed totally oblivious to the pain the bullet should have caused.

Leon raised his aim higher, as the undead creatures raised their arms to grab at their prey.

Bam...bam...bam

Three perfect shots to the head brought the threat down immediately.

Leon dropped his aim, gasping for breath, and realized that his legs felt like jelly. Suddenly he threw his head into the crook of his arm, fighting mightily against the urge to vomit. Every sense seemed to have suddenly become overwhelming, and he was sure he could taste the rotting flesh on his lips, even though there was no trace of it when he wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand.

Leon was pulled out of his trance when he heard a woman's shout coming from inside the shop. Someone was in trouble.

Probably from the same freaks...

Leon ran towards the shop entrance, and as the door swung open, he raised his firearm and a young woman threw her arms up in distress. "Don't shoot!" She cried. Leon immediately noticed the zombie on her heels, and shouted "Get down!" The second she was clear, Leon pulled the trigger of his pistol, and a bullet hit the undead creature right between the eyes.

Leon approached the young woman quickly as she glanced at the corpse in the doorway, noting that she looked about his age, maybe a little younger, and asked if she was okay.

The young woman's blue eyed gaze looked her savior over quickly and said "Yeah, I think so...Thanks"

Leon's head quickly turned to a moaning sound that had previously come from the surrounding woodland...the owners of said moans were now much closer, and approaching quickly in large numbers.

Leon's eyes locked onto the oncoming storm, and he said over his shoulder, "You can thank me later, when we're safe." The young woman's eyes followed his, gasping under her breath, "Holy shit..."

Leon quickly realized that his jeep was too far away, but his keen eyesight quickly spotted a patrol car just to the right with its door ajar. "Come on!" he called to the young women, as he threw himself towards the vehicle, hoping with all hope that it had its keys in the ignition. The young woman followed quickly.

Glad to see the keys, Leon jumped into the driver's seat and shouted at the woman to get in. The woman slid into the passenger seat and Leon told her to hold on. The woman fastened the belt around her chest and clicked it into place, feeling relieved as Leon sped through the gas station and onto the main road, not caring at all for the speed limit as he rode away.

The woman's heart rate started to steady, and she turned her head towards the young man who had just saved her life. "What the hell is going on?" she gasped.

Leon exhaled and said "I don't know...hopefully, they'll have some answers at the police station"

The woman quickly looked at her savior. "Wait, are you a cop?" she questioned.

He smiled, "Yeah". " Leon Kennedy. And you are...?"

Jackpot! the woman thought to herself, thrilled to have skilled help. He's a little young, but at least he's a good shot. And she replied "Claire- Claire Redfield"

Leon glanced over at the young woman, wondering if small talk would help them both relax. He asked, "Do you live around here?"

"No" Claire replied "I'm looking for my brother. He's a cop, too"

Leon returned his gaze to the road ahead, noticing that they were now entering Raccoon City. "Well, it's a good thing we found each other. I don't know what to expect anymore..."

Claire silently agreed with the statement. Glad to be no longer alone in the waking nightmare.