Chapter 1: Opening Image
The opening sequence of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis played out on the screen, the familiar tension building up as the first zombie shuffled into view.
"You know," Hannah said, her eyes never leaving the screen, "I've always wondered what it would be like to actually be in one of these games."
Raven chuckled, her thumb deftly navigating her character through the crumbling streets of Raccoon City. "Yeah, because real life isn't dangerous enough. Besides, who wants to deal with zombies, right?"
Hannah shrugged, a mischievous grin playing at the corner of her mouth. "But think about it.
If we had superpowers, you know, like Jill Valentine or Carlos Oliveira," Hannah mused, her mind already racing with possibilities.
Raven rolled her eyes. "Ugh, don't even get me started on Carlos. I'm more of a Leon S. Kennedy kind of girl, you know?" She winked at Hannah, who laughed.
"Leon, huh? Well, maybe in another life," Hannah said, her eyes scanning the TV screen intently. The game had just reached the iconic Raccoon City Police Department, and she couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement, despite the grim atmosphere.
"Come on, Raven," she urged, "let's see how far we can get without using any health sprays."
Raven snorted. "Fine, but when we die, it's your fault."
The tense moments that followed were filled with the sound of their heartbeats and the shuffling of zombies on the screen. They navigated the dark hallways together, Hannah's quick reflexes and resourcefulness complementing Raven's strategic planning and small size.
They took down zombie after zombie, their laughter and banter filling the grim space with a sense of joy and camaraderie.
"You know," Hannah said between dodging zombie attacks, "this is actually kind of fun."
Raven smirked as she reloaded her shotgun. "Yeah, until the Nemesis shows up," she reminded Hannah, nodding towards the screen where the monstrous creature was about to make its appearance.
Hannah's eyes widened, and she let out a nervous laugh. "Right.
Because nothing says 'good time' like a seven-foot-tall mutant hunter trying to rip out your spine," Hannah replied, her fingers dancing over the controller as she threw a grenade at the approaching Nemesis. The explosion sent the creature staggering back, but it didn't seem deterred for long.
Raven watched as her character took a hit, her health bar flickering dangerously. "Well, that's enough fun for now. I'm switching to easy mode," she said, pressing a button on the controller to lower the difficulty.
Hannah laughed, shaking her head. "Coward."
"Survivor," Raven corrected, winking at her.
"And speaking of cowards, look who's hogging all the health sprays," she added, nodding towards Hannah's character on the screen.
Hannah feigned offense, holding her hand to her chest. "I'm just being practical. You never know when you're gonna need a boost."
Raven snorted, reaching over to snag the last health spray from Hannah's stash. "Practical, my ass. You're just a hoarder in a digital apocalypse."
"Yeah, well, some of us plan ahead," Hannah shot back, grabbing for the spray and missing as Raven held it just out of reach. Their laughter bounced off the walls of the cramped apartment, the only light coming from the television's glow and the dim lamp beside the couch.
Raven was on the verge of responding when the screen began to flicker intensely. Subsequently, the screen transformed into a brilliant blue, swirling vortex of light that was drawing everything into its depths. Hannah grasped the lounge chair with one hand, while her other hand held onto Raven, attempting to prevent her from being pulled into the powerful vortex. The vortex proved too strong, causing Hannah to lose her grip, and both of them were drawn into it. They were then expelled from the vortex and landed in a park.
Hannah's stomach churned as the vortex spit them onto wet grass. "Ugh, what just happened? Where are we? What was with the TV and that Violet Vortex?" Raven asked, pushing herself up and helping Hannah. Hannah looked around and said, "I don't know, Raven, but I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." Hannah tried to crack a joke to calm the situation. "Let's look for a newspaper. I have a bad feeling we're in a whole different universe now, and this might be our new home, Raven. So we better start by finding out where and what time it is here today." Raven helped brush a clump of mud off her elbow, her eyes scanning the dark treeline with a nervous energy. "A newspaper. Right. Because that's normal. Let's just casually read the news.
Hannah found a new stand and read the news paper her eyes going big THE CANNIBAL MURDERS: A COMPLETE DIGEST
In the gray of the morning on September 25th, a frantic caller telephoned the R.P.D. to report an assault; a man described as "disheveled, like a vagrant" was attacking a passerby north of the Lambs Museum of Art. The responding officers discovered the mutilated corpse of a woman by some dumpsters nearby. Dozens of bite marks covering her body and she had been dismembered, suggesting she had been eaten—the third known incident of its kind to occur in Raccoon City this month.
So whodunit? Who's been munching on man-steak? We here at News Comet have a gnawing feeling that the so-called "cannibal disease" patients Spencer Memorial has been providing free treatment for since August might not be settling for just the cafeteria food.
Our reporters have infiltrated Spencer Memorial, asked the tough questions, and come back with horror stories that will make your stomach roil. Turn the page for the scoop. Hannah's hands trembled, the paper crinkling in her grip. "Raven... this isn't a joke. This is Raccoon City. September 25th. The cannibal murders."
Raven's face went pale under the flickering streetlight. "No. No way. You're telling me that vortex dumped us in Raccoon City? Like, actual Raccoon City? Three days before everything goes to hell?"
Hannah slowly nodded, carefully folding the newspaper. "We gotta move. Find shelter, weapons, anything. The outbreak starts September 28th. That gives us three days to figure out how to get the hell out of Raccoon City. We need to find Jill and hope she's willing to believe that we came from another world, and Raven, you'll need to accept the fact that this is our new home, our new world now."
Hannah gently pulled Raven's sleeve, guiding them away from the main thoroughfare towards a series of boarded-up shops. "According to the game, Jill is attacked by Nemesis in her apartment and then encounters Brad, whom we might also be able to save before he is bitten by a zombie at the pub, all before Carlos arrives to rescue Jill from Nemesis. If we can reach there ahead of time, we might be able to forewarn her and potentially alter the course of events." Raven's gaze conveyed some uncertainty, but she complied, ducking beneath a collapsed awning and into the dimness of a deserted laundromat to strategize their path. The laundromat smelled of stale detergent and something faintly metallic, like old blood that had been scrubbed but never fully erased. Raven pressed her back against a row of washing machines, arms crossed, her small frame tense.
"Okay, let's say we do find Jill's apartment. What then? We knock on her door and say 'hey, we're from another dimension, Nemesis is coming for you, also your friend Brad's about to get eaten'? She'll think we're nuts."
Hannah scanned the street through the grimy front window, checking for movement. "Maybe. But Jill's a survivor. She's been through the Arklay mansion, seen things most people wouldn't believe. If we're calm and give her the truth, she'll listen. She has to."
Raven tugged at the sleeve of my jacket, her voice dropping low as she pointed toward a rusted fire escape zigzagging up the side of the building next door. "We're too exposed down here. If we want to reach Jill's apartment without becoming zombie chow.