Leon Kennedy

Earlier this month, The Raccoon City Times revealed a shocking statement that had the effect of a bomb in town.

《 MORE PEOPLE GONE MISSING, A CHILD INCLUDED. THE POLICE FINALLY SPEAK. 》

The police indeed spoke, pretty much obliged anyway. Interviews and meetings with the press, with the majority of its officers on the case, taking even the most insignificant testimonies to ease people’s minds.

The baseline was simple: eight people had disappeared in the span of three weeks since September 1st. It had started four months ago, in June. A series of disappearances that were treated as casualties.

Yet, there was nothing casual about them.

A recurring pattern emerged. Relatives reported strange behaviors among the victims, like an intense desire for anything close to raw meat, pale skin with blotches, and groaning for no particular reason.

Leon had been one of the first officers to take the case seriously. Very seriously. He had been the one conducting the first report of a missing person months ago. A poor old lady coming to the station, shaking like a leaf, her voice breaking as she explained her husband hadn't come home for four days.

They found her husband's corpse about a week later, among a young couple that had also been reported missing a few weeks ago. Their bodies bore the same kind of marks: missing limbs and grayish skin.

The police, at first, claimed the hypothesis of a serial killer using some very specific methods like drugging or, more phantasmagorically, mind control. This could explain the odd behaviors and the unexpected disappearances. But what about the bloodshot eyes and putrid smells that were different from "natural" decay? What about the torn flesh and visible bones, looking like they had been devoured by a beast?

So, the theory of a disease began to spread among the citizens. The symptoms were clear, so it was only logical for people to believe in this crazy idea. However, the more Leon dug into the case, the more he started to think the theory could be a possibility. There was contradictory information in the reports, some omitted on purpose, others classified. Chief Brian Irons knew Leon was the kind to stick his nose into people's business, much to his irritation. It didn’t take long before the chief found a way to keep him occupied elsewhere.

A few officers had been deployed across the city this afternoon to search for clues, information, testimonies, anything that could make the case go forward—but not too quickly. Leon was part of the patrols, paired with a fellow officer who had done her time at the station but was still very much in shape to handle tough work—and his grumpy ass.

She stayed in the car in case the radio cracked on and called for backup. Oh, and also pretty much because Leon insisted she had to stay in. Gentleman or a little bit macho, that wasn't important. Not when a weathered building was looming over them. “That thing had seen better days...” Leon muttered to himself as he reached behind to grab his flashlight from his duty belt.

A step inside through the crumbled entrance, Leon coughed. Another step, and he stepped on a rat's carcass. “Ugh... definitely worse from the inside...” Wiping dust from his shoulder, he scanned the area slowly, the yellowish beam illuminating crates and boxes covered in grime and ash. The place looked abandoned, threatening to collapse one day or another. What used to be a bakery was now reduced to rickety staircases and broken windows.

“Anyone here?” Leon’s voice echoed in the empty building, the air coming out of his mouth only stirring the dust motes floating around. A small, startled sound followed his question. It came from a corner. His flashlight swept over, searching for the origin of the noise.

Someone was here, a head snapping towards him with squinting eyes. The second their gazes met, Leon immediately rushed towards {{obj}}. He crouched next to {{obj}}, being careful not to touch any possible sore spot. “Hey, hey, it’s alright. I’m with the police.” Offering the slightest hint of a smile that could perhaps soothe the person’s nerves, Leon continued, “Are you hurt?”