Raccoon City – Early Evening, the city in chaos.
I stand at the edge of the building, my boots just barely balancing on the crumbling ledge as I look out over the decimated city. The streets below are a grotesque canvas of death—shambling corpses stumbling through what used to be Raccoon's busiest district. Their guttural moans cut through the air, blending with the distant sound of explosions. Fire and smoke blot out the last remnants of daylight, painting everything in a sickly orange hue. I can hear the screams of survivors, but they're few and far between.
The weight of the world feels heavier here. This city was once a place full of life, of people I didn't care about—until I became one of them. Trapped, that's what I am. And the system… it's everywhere. The thing I hate most about it is how it doesn't let me forget. Every mission. Every action. It tracks me, it analyzes me. But I can't escape it. I'm stuck playing by its rules.
A familiar notification blinks at the corner of my vision: Mission: Secure ammunition and medical supplies. Avoid detection. Timer: 30 Minutes.
I barely register it before I shut it out, focusing instead on the objective at hand. I need to keep moving. Nemesis. That's the thing I can't ignore. The one thing I can't afford to let catch up with me. His heavy steps are always just beneath the surface of my mind, looming, waiting to destroy me.
I drop down from the ledge and land silently, crouching to survey the alley ahead. The stench of decay hits me like a slap in the face—rotting flesh, old blood, and the metallic taste of smoke in the air. The alley is narrow, a dead-end. And it's filled with them. Zombies. They don't notice me yet, but they will. They always do.
I freeze, my heart thudding in my chest. The system pops up again: Action Required: Engage or Evade?
Evade? Yeah, right. There's no way out of this alley unless I deal with them. I count them—five of them. I can handle five. Barely. But that's all the time I have. My breath steady, I pull my crowbar from my backpack, the cool metal comforting in my grip.
The first one shuffles close enough for me to strike. I don't hesitate. I swing hard. The sound of the crowbar cracking against its skull echoes in the narrow space. The rest turn toward me—no, not toward me. Toward the noise. I move fast, dodging the flailing limbs and smashing another skull in. There's no room for mistakes, no room to get sloppy. If I fall now, I die.
I sidestep the third one and plant my knee in its face, hearing the sickening crunch as it goes down. Two left.
The next one gets too close. I push it back with my foot, feeling its cold, decaying chest under my boot, and before it can lunge at me, I pull out my knife and shove it straight into its eye. It collapses without another sound.
The last one barely registers I'm even there. I stab it in the throat, watching the blood spill out in a slow, viscous stream. All clear.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding, wiping the blood off my knife. The system's prompt flashes again: Mission Complete: Supplies Gathered. It feels wrong. Not the victory—it's the way the system rewards me. It's watching me. It's always watching.
I shake my head, pushing the thought aside. Focus, Sienna. There's still a job to do.
I turn the corner, scanning for a way out, but a sudden vibration shakes the ground beneath my feet. The footsteps. Nemesis.
My stomach drops, and every instinct I've trained for kicks into overdrive. I can feel his presence. It's undeniable. I turn the corner quickly, moving as quietly as I can. I don't need to see him to know he's close. His presence is a storm on the horizon, and the air shifts the moment he's nearby.
Escape is the only option. The system flashes again: Objective: Escape Nemesis. 5 Minutes Until Engagement.
I'm not sure if the timer is mocking me, or if it's genuinely trying to help, but I don't have time to figure that out now. I dart into the nearest alley, leaping over obstacles, scaling a fire escape to gain some ground. My eyes dart behind me with every few steps—no sign of him yet, but I can hear his roar echoing through the streets.
I need to find shelter. Somewhere he can't reach me.
And then it hits me. The Outpost. It's nearby. I could access something valuable there, something that might explain why I'm here, why the system's involved. Maybe even why I can't remember anything from before. But the risk… Nemesis is right behind me.
The Outpost looms ahead, a crumbling, decrepit structure sitting at the edge of Raccoon Park. I don't even question it. I rush forward, weaving through the shadows. A small group of zombies ambles nearby, but I don't have time to deal with them—my heart pounds too loudly in my chest, and the adrenaline surges in my veins.
I barge into the building, slamming the door behind me. The lights flicker, casting long shadows on the walls. There's a desk at the back, a single document sitting there, waiting. It's an Umbrella file, encrypted with strange symbols. The system's trying to crack the code as I move toward it. I barely get my hands on the paper when the sound of shattering glass fills the air.
Nemesis. He's here.
I don't think, I just act. I grab the experimental railgun prototype off the counter, my fingers shaking from the pressure. The weapon is heavier than I expect, and I fumble with it for a second before I aim it at the doorway. My fingers tighten on the trigger.
The shot rips through the air. The recoil nearly knocks me over, but it's worth it—Nemesis staggers back, momentarily stunned. But he doesn't stay down. Of course he doesn't. I can hear his engine-like growl as he regains his balance. The fight isn't over.
I dodge his incoming rocket fire, weaving through the debris, taking advantage of the environment. I lead him toward a structural weak point, waiting for the moment when the ground beneath him shifts. The collapse slows him down, just enough for me to make my move.
With Nemesis temporarily stalled, I make a run for it, bursting through the back exit into the night. The sound of his enraged roars echoes behind me.
The escape isn't victory. It's only temporary. I can feel it—the hunt has only just begun.
And now I'm not just running from Nemesis. I'm running from something much darker—something the system's hiding from me. There's a reason I'm here in this city. And I'll uncover it, no matter the cost.
I'm not just surviving anymore. I'm fighting for answers.