"What does it look like? The shape in the glass?" @edgynoise-draws - Tumblr Blog

edgynoise-draws

Apr 28

edgynoise-writes

Prologue

Synopsis:

Maverick’s first introduction to the village. Loosely rewritten from Ethan Winters’ storyline.

Pairings:

None yet

Warnings:

Not lore accurate, violence, gore, and other stuff typical of Resident Evil

Wordcount:

3893

…

Maverick p.o.v.

The first thing I noticed was the cold, sharp in my lungs and biting at my skin. At least it helped me wake up and get my bearings. After I fully came to, I realized I was face down in a snow drift.

Awesome.

It didn't seem like I was injured too severely; I didn’t feel my body knitting itself back together. But I was definitely beat to shit at that moment.

What the fuck happened?

After groaning and getting to my feet, I dusted myself off and took a better look at my surroundings. Still dark out, but my eyes adjusted quickly. I immediately noticed the transport truck wrecked in front of me. Ah, no wonder I felt like I was just run over, a car crash tends to do that.

However… Why did we crash?

The truck was lying on its side. Overturned and at the bottom of a rocky hill. It looked like we were run off the road and then slid over the edge of a steep incline. I must have been knocked around pretty good if I didn’t even remember the impact.

Everything, as far as I could see, was covered in a thick layer of snow. And every exhale was visible in the crisp air. The winters around here were no joke. However, I couldn’t have imagined the cause of the crash was as simple as an unexpected patch of ice.

Huh, on second thought, that big ass dent in the grill might have had something to do with it.

We definitely hadn’t rolled down the hill; the truck would’ve been crumpled if that were the case. No, the points of impact across the grill and hood indicated that something jumped out at us. Unexpected enough to have surprised the driver and with enough force to have sent an armored transport vehicle off the road.

Whatever hit us had to have been large and remarkably sturdy. I wasn’t familiar enough with the wildlife of Romania to speculate any further than that. But getting hit head-on by an armored transport vehicle is nothing to sneeze at. I would know.

I racked my brain for more information. The last thing I remembered was dozing off while some BSAA grunts pretended they weren’t itching to put a few rounds in me. Inexperienced and fearful. Not a great combination.

A lot of good those guns did them; they're all dead now.

Wait— One, two, three— Where’s the fourth? There were four guards and one driver. I could see the driver bloodied up and slumped over the wheel, likely killed from the impact. And there were three corpses scattered across the ground near the back of the truck.

For the most part, the three’s injuries looked consistent with a bad car crash. Incidents involving heavy machines were never pretty. But there were claw marks scored into the black paint of the truck. That alone was enough to garner my interest.

How curious.

Naturally, I inspected the bodies further. When I crouched down to take a closer look, I noticed something even weirder. Some were sporting bite marks deep enough to have removed chunks of flesh, alongside gashes not unlike the ones in the side of the truck.

Whatever happened here, it certainly wasn’t much of a fight. It was a slaughter. I was bloody, battered, and unconscious— But my altered biology is likely the only reason I was left alone. I had to assume I appeared as dead as the driver.

What’s more, I found little evidence of gunfire. The picture this scene painted wasn’t one of an epic battle, but rather of a couple of ill-prepared guards ripped to shreds. And this all must have happened recently; the bodies were still warm. I’d have suspected an ambush if it didn’t look like a pack of wild animals was responsible.

I reached upwards and stretched, letting out a soft groan at the slight release of tension. Despite my regenerative capabilities, it was taking me way longer to recover than usual. And it was an incredibly rare occurrence for me to have been knocked out like that.

Something’s wrong…

Oh, wait– The collar!

I suddenly became acutely aware of its oppressive weight around my neck. The lack of respect and trust that it signified wasn’t lost on me.

Power-damping collars. The bane of my fucking existence as of late. Required on most jobs for the sake of those I’ve worked alongside. But then why hire a mutant if not for their superhuman capabilities? Why seek out a wolf and demand the behavior of a dog?

These collars were marketed as being capable of nullifying mutant powers entirely. Which was, of course, a gross overestimation. In reality, they only blocked mutations up to a certain caliber. And for me? About as useful as a shock collar on a werewolf. I felt the effects, sure. But they were really more a stark reminder of how inhuman I was to them.

Whatever, it’s not like I needed to wear this anymore. No more humans to appease. No need to keep myself on a short leash. So I reached up and ripped off the collar with ease. Crushing it in my hand before I tossed it aside.

Good riddance.

Damn, it’s like I could finally breathe again. Those collars always dulled my senses, which was rather aggravating. Especially considering I could’ve prevented this whole mess from ever happening in the first place.

Speaking of… Where the hell is the fourth guard?

I circled the overturned truck, half-heartedly poking through the wreckage along the way. There didn’t seem to be anything of interest. But, after catching sight of a rough trail carved through the snow, I picked up the scent of fresh blood alongside the telltale signs of a body dragged into the woods.

Well, I didn’t have any better ideas, so of course I followed the trail. Plus, I was awfully curious about the creatures capable of such carnage.

I stalked through the forest for a bit. My sharp eyes seamlessly adjusted without the light from the transport truck, and my body heated up to fend off the cold. So much so that I caught glimpses of steam rising off of me in my peripheral vision.

It was kinda nice out there in a way. It wasn’t often that I got to enjoy a simple walk in the woods. I may have been following a corpse drag path through a forest in the dead of winter, but I was still allowed to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

Oh no, I take it back. What the fuck is that smell?

Now that the effects of the collar had worn off, there was a distinct smell that hit me. Like a mix of wet dog and rotting meat. Heightened senses could be more of a curse than a blessing at times.

That nasty ass smell only got worse as I pushed on. It grew stronger until I found the end of the bloody trail. The fourth guard.

It was not a pretty sight. There were splatters of blood and scrambling claw marks leading halfway up a rather large tree. And then, there he was, impaled on a broken branch with his guts spilling onto the forest floor.

Was this a predator dragging away its meal to eat? Or was it a warning?

And it didn’t take long until I saw something even more unnerving further ahead. A bunch of crows strung up in the trees… Some were long dead, but most were definitely fresh.

What the fuck? Who would do something like this?

The sight of this stopped me in my tracks, my blood ran cold as my mind raced. Local humans? Or maybe even another bioweapon? Either way, it became increasingly obvious that I wasn’t facing something as simple as a wild animal.

Now with a sense of apprehension, I continued forward. Every once in a while, I caught the sounds of growling and scrambling in the distance. Animalistic in a way, but those footsteps sounded human. And the scent that grew stronger in the air was nothing I’d ever encountered before. Even though I knew I could, I didn’t rush to try to catch up with whatever was making those sounds. Groundbreaking for me, I know, but I got the feeling I needed to err on the side of caution here.

The trail continued winding through the forest, and I pressed on with a growing unease. It wasn’t long before I crossed over a small stream and discovered a run-down cabin. I wasn’t quite sure if it was abandoned or not. This place had certainly seen better days.

Oh, good, a trail of blood leading into the cabin. Let me just walk right in through the unlocked door; surely nothing bad will happen here. This definitely isn’t how people die in horror movies.

Despite scolding myself internally for walking into a classic trope, I investigated anyway. The cabin certainly appeared lived in, but it's obvious that no one’s there at the moment. I cautiously explored the entire place, but nothing stuck out to me. Just a run-of-the-mill creepy cabin.

In fact, it was suddenly deafeningly quiet. Which was honestly worse. It’s not until I ventured into the basement that I finally heard something more than my own breathing.

Just as I reached the far corner of the basement, there was a jarring impact above me. A series of thumps and crashes shook the ceiling as I froze up and readied myself for a fight that never came. Just as abruptly, the cacophony stopped, and I was alone again.

Okay… I could take a hint. I got the hell out of that cabin.

When I returned upstairs and maneuvered around the now overturned furniture, I found a massive hole in the wall of the cabin. I was eager to get out of there, so I walked through the newly made exit. Whatever made the hole in the wall seemed to be substantially bigger than I was. Not that I was exactly a big guy, but still. What a comforting observation.

Wandering past the cabin and through a rather narrow path, I jumped a fence before I reached the edge of a cliff just as the sun started to rise over the mountains. And the sight before me… Holy shit. It was a scene straight out of a damn book.

Imposing mountains surrounded a snow-covered valley. And there was a quaint and somewhat Victorian-looking village sprawled across the valley, complete with a beautiful castle. I could also pick out a waterfall, windmills, and a factory in the distance. This place was oddly picturesque in spite of the gruesome trail I followed to get here. It was also suspiciously quiet. With the exception of bells tolling and a small flock of crows flying away as I approached.

The sight may have been awe-inspiring, but the smell. Gods, the smell. It was as if the very earth the village sits on was rotting. The stench of blood and decay hung heavy in the air, overwhelming my senses. Because of this, I had lost the scent trail of the creatures I was following.

Damn.

A glance down revealed a rather inconvenient path into the village, but a pathway nonetheless—a winding dirt trail followed by a steep dropoff down the rest of the hillside. My initial instinct was to just fly down, but I quickly decided against it. I reckoned I should have tried to appear as harmless as possible. Considering my initial impression of the place, I can’t imagine these people would have taken too kindly to a mutant strolling in. If they even knew what that was.

Oh well, no point in stopping now. So I followed the pathway before I hopped down and, rather ungracefully, slid down the hill, just barely able to maintain my footing. Yeah, that certainly wasn’t pretty. I’m kinda glad no one was around to see that. Not unlike a cat that just fumbled tremendously, I walked away as if nothing had happened.

Unfortunately for me, I was once again assaulted by a terrible smell. My eyes flicked down to my left, and…

What the actual fuck?

The corpse of a horse lay right by my feet. How I hadn’t noticed that sooner, I have no idea. I must have been seriously off my game. Because this body was clearly fresh, I could see steam emanating from it as its blood spilled into the mud below. The poor thing looked like it had been slaughtered by the same things that attacked the transport truck.

There’s something deeply wrong with this place.

Suddenly, I regretted not grabbing a gun off one of the dead guards. I was reasonably confident in my abilities, but a loaded gun does help put one’s mind at ease. A little late for that thought now. I needed to keep pressing forward. I needed answers.

My trek into the village continued; it felt desolate. Distinctly lacking in any signs of whoever lived there. Something about this place was setting off alarm bells for me. So, further investigation was required. And quite frankly, a couple of break-ins seemed like the least of this town’s problems. The nearest house to my right seemed like a good starting point.

A quick survey of my surroundings revealed a dirt road I wish I had seen earlier. A road would have been much preferred over a steep drop down a hillside.

Aaand I take that back, it looked like there was an old pickup overturned at the edge of the village, perfectly blocking the road. An unfortunate accident caused by someone trying to leave in a panic? Or perhaps a planned roadblock to prevent anyone from leaving?

It’s obvious something had happened there, and very recently. I just couldn’t quite figure out how intentional this mysterious inciting incident was.

The house had definitely seen better days, and I could see the front door was open before I even got close enough to knock. Naturally, I gave in to my curiosity and pushed the door open for a peek inside. Goddamn, the place looked ransacked. Even the couch was broken and torn up. Huh, that’s odd. From the looks of the food scattered across the table, I’d wager whoever was here was taken by surprise.

Once I decided I’d seen enough, I wandered back out and followed what I assumed was the main road deeper into the village. Oh. Decapitated goat heads hung from tree branches… Of course, why not?

Well, I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but I think I knew a cult when I saw one.

I paused at the crossroad for a minute. Looking over the signs and debating just how much further I was willing to explore. When my keen hearing picked up something off to my left. Something like… growling? It’s soft but unmistakable. So I whipped around, tense and intently searching for whatever was making that inhuman noise. It can’t have been a dog; that sound wasn’t quite right for someone’s pet.

But… Surely there couldn’t have been an outbreak here… Right?

I haven’t had much firsthand experience with any of the viruses or parasites, and I’d rather keep it that way. Hypocritical coming from a bioweapon, I know. But the origin of my mutation was a bit of a mystery. So, through the power of blissful ignorance, I was not infected with anything.

Quite frankly, some things are best left unanswered.

My gaze snapped to one thing that stood out in the bleak townscape. A single lit brazier hung outside a house just a ways down the road. The first sign of life I’d seen thus far. Bypassing my usual aversion to human interaction, I decided to head over to the house.

As I got closer, the faint growling grew louder. Likely imperceptible to humans at first, but it was plenty obvious now. Suddenly, my breath hitched, and there was a cold chill up my spine.

That happened on occasion. As if my senses caught on to something before I could fully process what had happened.

There was a series of gunshots that rang out just as I reached the front door. So I immediately ducked for cover and moved away from the doorway. But whoever was inside was either a terrible shot or not aiming for me. Because I knew a shotgun when I heard one, and it's pretty damn hard to miss in such close quarters.

It was unnervingly quiet for a moment before a sudden crash, followed by frenzied snarling and the screams of the man inside ripped through the air. Ah, fuck it, I’m in this deep. Steeling my resolve, I kicked down the door and rushed into the house without hesitation. I then dashed into the next room just in time to see the clawed hands that dragged an old man into a hole in the ceiling.

“Oh shit.”

There was barely time for me to speak before his screams were cut short and his blood poured down from the ceiling, splattering at my feet. Fuck. I didn’t move fast enough. I couldn’t save him. But… Save him from what?

My thoughts were cut short by a clawed hand bursting through the floorboards, gripping my ankle, and yanking me through the floor. The only sound I managed to make in response was a startled yelp. Very heroic, I know.

I abruptly found myself on the very cold, hard ground. Fortunately, my eyes adjusted quickly to the sudden darkness. Unfortunately, I saw that I was surrounded by dead bodies. Many of these corpses looked fresh. Not yet showing signs of bloating or decay, but the cold could’ve slowed that process.

I couldn’t immediately find the thing that dragged me down here, though. I suppose being surrounded by corpses would’ve masked its scent.

Pushing onward and maneuvering around the bodies, I rounded a bend and finally got a good look at it. The creature. It was humanoid, but clearly lacking any semblance of the person it used to be. It was hunched over and ripping into a body like a rabid animal. And the sounds it was making. Wolf-like in a way, but also akin to infected variants I’ve encountered.

Ah, fuck me.

That means this thing was definitely an infected variant. I was shocked it hadn’t clicked for me immediately. It would have certainly explained the dead soldiers and the post-apocalyptic vibe of the village.

Oh, perfect. The infected variant just snapped up from its meal and was staring into my fucking soul. But this time, when it lunged at me, I was ready.

It jumped at me, claws outstretched and teeth gnashing.

Ugh, it’s even uglier up close.

Granted, it was stronger than I expected. More so than the average man. And even when I grabbed it by the throat to prevent a rather nasty bite, the force with which it moved threw both of us back through a wall and out into the open.

I ended up landing on my back, and the impact knocked the wind out of me. Letting out a strangled sort of gasp, I barely managed to throw the creature off of me. But I did get a twist of sick satisfaction when I heard a crack of bones breaking as it hit the ground, somehow even less gracefully than I had.

We scrambled to our feet and faced each other. Loosely circling the clearing, both crouched and were ready to spring into action again. I waited for the infected variant to make the first move.

The second that thing took a half-step forward, I retaliated. I moved much faster this time. I didn’t take any chances. And I threw a punch right at its sternum. Putting force behind the blow that I knew would’ve totaled a car. Excessive? Maybe. But you couldn’t argue with the results.

As expected, my fist went straight through it in a bloody explosion. And it emitted one last yelp-like screech before going limp.

“Good riddance.”

My tone was nothing short of outright contempt as I flung its body aside.

But then— What the hell? What’s happening to its body?

I watched in a stunned silence as the corpse rapidly disintegrated, in a way. Eventually leaving behind nothing but a crystallized skull.

Once I was no longer frozen from the shock, I cautiously approached the skull to investigate. Nothing bad happened when I picked it up, so I guess it was harmless. However… that was so fucking weird. And that’s saying a lot. I could literally regenerate limbs and create fire from my hands.

Upon further inspection, the skull seemed pretty unremarkable, all things considered. It was humanoid for sure, with the addition of canine-esque teeth. And the crystallization immediately upon death was a new one to me. Really, I was more curious as to why it was the only thing left behind. Like some sort of trophy for my kill.

No use in dwelling on this any longer. It’s not like I was trying to write a research paper. So I simply banished the skull to my pocket dimension for safekeeping. Don’t ask how; it was just an instinctual sort of thing.

Now that I knew there was some sort of infection spreading through this village, I needed to treat this situation a little differently. I needed information and supplies. So, after checking the area for more infected variants, I started looking for anything I could use. Weapons, ammo, and whatever else I could find.

I reentered the house and managed to find several useful items. The LEMI semi-automatic pistol was one of them. It was small and not particularly powerful, but hey, a gun is a gun. I also picked up a hunting knife and a bottle of something supposedly medicinal, if I was reading the bottle right. And then, in the other building just outside, I snagged some crafting materials as well.

I was skeptical initially. The green glass bottle with a worn label and a vaguely herbal, alcohol-based scent did not instill me with confidence. But, regardless, I pocketed it.

Hoarding can’t possibly be a bad idea in an apocalyptic-adjacent environment.

Then, I created a holster on my belt for the knife and one on my thigh for the pistol.

Rudimentary crafting was a skill I had learned recently. With my limited shapeshifting capabilities, I seemed able to create simple items I was familiar with. An exciting discovery at the time, but it turned out to be a rather exhausting process. In retrospect, maybe this wasn’t the best use of my limited resources.

Venturing back outside, I realized I was fenced in. And the only way out was a gate closed with a chain.

A locked gate? Too easy. What kind of mutant merc would I be if I couldn’t get around a locked gate?

With practised ease, I extended my hand and exhaled slowly, channeling thermal energy through my fingers without sparking a flame. Once my hand was sufficiently charged up, I heated the metal until I could snap the chain with little effort.

I briefly debated what I should do next, but my thoughts were interrupted by the telltale static of a radio. It seemed to be coming from the house just past the bridge in front of me.

#recently finished my first village of shadows run and holy shit #I’m really not much of a gamer so it was quite an accomplishment lol #at least I was inspired to start a series after that ordeal