As Reuel opened the door and stepped out, his eyes immediately met the figure of a woman standing in the hallway across from him.
Short hair. Sharp gaze. A slim yet athletic build. A tight blue tank top clung to her frame, a worn brown mini-skirt allowed for movement, and combat boots made it clear she wasn't just any civilian. A white sweater was loosely tied around her waist, and a holstered pistol was strapped firmly to her thigh.
Jill Valentine.
Reuel recognized her instantly, though he hadn't expected the woman to be living directly across from his room.
"Hello, gorgeous. You're... Jill Valentine?" Reuel greeted her with a calm smile.
Jill looked at him, slightly suspicious. A tall man with dark hair and the air of a foreign noble stood before her—handsome, but... there was something off about him.
"You live here too?" she asked, wary but polite.
"Officer Jill, heading out?" Reuel replied with a question of his own.
Jill raised an eyebrow. "You know who I am? Who the hell are you?"
"Who I am doesn't matter. But you—the prettiest cop in Raccoon City—you're too famous not to be recognized," Reuel answered casually, a touch flirtatious.
Before Jill could respond further, static crackled from the walkie-talkie on her shoulder.
"Shhhkk—All units, assault reported on Second Avenue. Civilian casualties. Immediate response requested. Over."
Jill pressed the comm button. "Copy, Jill Valentine en route to location."
She turned to leave, but Reuel followed.
"I've got something to do, so I'm heading out now," Jill said.
"Mind if I tag along? Just want to do some shopping. Safer with a cop, you know." Reuel offered with a thin smile.
Jill sighed. "You're something else... fine. Get in."
---
Inside the car, Reuel glanced at Jill.
"Lots of assaults lately, huh? Feels... off."
"A bit," Jill replied as she drove. "Honestly... it's over the top. Feels like something's being covered up."
"Yeah, my gut says the same."
A few minutes later, they arrived at the scene. Several officers were already there, surrounding a middle-aged man who looked panicked. His body trembled, his breathing was ragged, and he groaned like a wounded animal.
Reuel knew immediately.
That was a zombie.
"Careful! Don't let him bite or scratch!" he shouted, warning the officers on the scene.
Several cops tried to restrain the man, but his strength was unnatural. He thrashed wildly and managed to bite one of them.
"AAARRGGHH!! Pull him off me!" the officer screamed.
Jill quickly kicked the zombie away, then raised her pistol.
"Stand down. Don't move!"
The man lifted his head. His eyes were vacant. Blood dripped from his lips.
"Stop, or I'll shoot!"
But the zombie kept advancing, staggering, growling lowly... then lunged at Jill.
BLAM!
A shot rang out. The zombie's head exploded—blood and bone fragments sprayed everywhere.
Jill turned. Reuel stood behind her, holding a still-smoking Desert Eagle .50 AE.
"Why the hell did you shoot? Drop your weapon!" Jill barked. The other officers quickly surrounded Reuel and aimed their guns at him.
"Hey, I just saved your ass," Reuel said calmly, still holding the weapon.
"You can't just open fire, especially not in front of cops." Jill's voice was cold and firm.
"That wasn't human, Jill. Trust me," Reuel said softly.
"Not human? You think I'm blind?" Jill still had her pistol aimed at him.
Reuel raised his hands in surrender. He lowered the gun to the ground calmly.
Jill stepped closer and began to frisk him.
"You're under arrest," she said flatly.
Without another word, she pushed Reuel toward the car and shoved him into the back seat.
Reuel sat silently in the back seat of the car, his hands still cuffed. Jill drove calmly, but the look in her eyes, reflected in the rearview mirror, was filled with suspicion.
"Jill," he said quietly. "That thing back there... it wasn't human. I wasn't lying to you."
Jill rolled her eyes. "So who do you think he was? An alien?"
"A zombie."
Jill shot him a glance in the mirror. "Zombie?"
"Yeah. Victim of a leaked bioweapon virus. Do you know about the Umbrella Corporation? They developed the virus, and now—the outbreak has begun."
Jill gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Who the hell are you? And how do you know all this?"
Reuel stared at her intently. "Do you believe me?"
Jill was silent for a moment. Then, with a tired tone, she replied, "Honestly... I've suspected Umbrella for a long time. But I've never had solid proof."
Reuel nodded slowly. "I know a place that holds evidence. But it's dangerous."
"Where?"
"A luxury villa on the outskirts of town. I don't know the exact coordinates, but—"
"—Umbrella's villa," Jill cut in, her tone flat. "I've investigated it. But so far, access has been extremely restricted."
Reuel gave a faint smile. "Then I guess we have our destination tonight. Maybe we'll find answers there."
Jill turned to look at him sharply. "Alright. But one thing."
"What's that?"
"If you're lying to me..." Jill narrowed her eyes, her voice suddenly cold. "...I'll make sure your face ends up on a target board."
Reuel raised his hands, half-joking. "Noted. I'll keep my face intact."
Jill Valentine steered the car through a winding road on the outskirts of town, heading toward the Umbrella villa hidden deep behind a thick forest. Reuel sat in the back seat, still handcuffed, his gaze empty as he stared out the window, but his mind was alive—digging into every detail from the Resident Evil films he remembered: the grand mansion, secret passageways, tight security systems, and of course—the underground laboratory where it all began.
Umbrella Corporation... Cloning tech, AI, biochemistry, military-grade weaponry. It all spun through his head like a dream shopping list. And yes—he wanted it all.
Silence. Only the hum of tires on asphalt and the whisper of the night wind.
"What are you thinking about?" Jill asked suddenly, breaking the quiet.
Reuel raised an eyebrow, then smirked mischievously. "I was thinking about you, beautiful. Thinking about how I could take you on a date... and see you every day."
Jill glanced at him in the rearview mirror, eyes narrowing. "Tch. Keep dreaming. I'm not interested in small men like you."
Reuel chuckled. "I'm not a small man." He straightened up and patted his chest. "Want proof?"
Jill ignored him, though her cheek seemed to flush slightly—hidden in the night's shadows.
The car turned onto a rocky path leading toward the villa. The sky had gone completely dark. Overhead, the faint sound of a helicopter drifted away into the mountains.
"Mercenary chopper," Reuel muttered. "They're already inside."
Jill slowed the car. Before them loomed the gates of a grand villa, surrounded by a cold, silent forest. The place looked deserted, but a heavy sense of threat hung in the air.
"This is Umbrella's underground bioweapons research base," Reuel said seriously. "The virus leaked from inside. All the staff… turned into what we saw on Second Avenue."
Jill turned sharply. "You're joking?"
"I'm not. Don't let yourself get bitten or scratched. One wound… and you'll become one of them."
Jill went silent for a moment, her breath tense. "Who the hell are you, really? How do you know all this?"
Reuel looked at her with a faint smile. "Me? I'll tell you later. But for now… let's just say I'm your future husband, beautiful."
Jill sighed. "You shameless bastard."
But after a brief moment of thought, she opened the glove compartment, pulled out Reuel's Desert Eagle, and tossed it onto the back seat.
"This is your gun. Don't do anything stupid."
"I'll only do something stupid… to your heart," Reuel replied, catching the pistol with a satisfied expression.
They stepped out and cautiously approached the villa's front entrance. Reuel was no longer cuffed. Their weapons were drawn and ready.
As they passed through the villa's front hallway, voices echoed—tense, male voices in mid-discussion. In the main room, a group of fully armed mercenaries stood around a young woman in a striking red outfit.
Her face was calm but commanding. Alice.
"Don't move! Drop your weapons!" Jill shouted, aiming her pistol at them—police reflexes kicking in.
The room froze in an instant, the air suddenly thick with tension.
In unison, six gun barrels snapped upward—click, chk-chk, tak!—
The muzzles of the mercenaries' weapons aimed straight at Jill Valentine and Reuel.
"Who the hell are you, and how did you get in here?" James, the team captain, demanded sharply.
"I'm Jill Valentine, Raccoon City Police. And who the hell are you?" Jill fired back without flinching.
"Kaplan, check their ID," James ordered, not taking his eyes off her.
"Copy that, Captain," Kaplan replied, activating the portable terminal on his forearm and typing rapidly.
James gave them a hard stare before continuing, "We're an Umbrella Corporation security team. There's been an incident at this facility. We were sent to investigate."
"Captain," Kaplan cut in moments later, "The woman's a registered police officer. But the guy... no matching data."
James narrowed his eyes. "Put down your weapons, Officer. This is corporate operational territory. Time to turn around."
"Negative. We've received reports of an attack. This is our jurisdiction too." Jill stood her ground.
"We're not here to interfere, just to make sure nothing escalates," Reuel added calmly, cutting in before James could escalate further.
James considered for a beat, then nodded. "Kaplan, open access to the underground corridor. We're not wasting any more time."
Kaplan followed the order without hesitation.
As the corridor opened and the team prepared to move in, Reuel stepped toward a young blonde woman in a striking red evening dress. Her face was calm but confused—Alice, played by Milla Jovovich in the first Resident Evil film. Her mysterious aura lingered, even as she seemed to remember nothing.
Alice had a sexy, elegant figure, though her breasts hadn't developed well.
"Hi, Alice. My name's Reuel," he said with a warm smile. "You can call me Reuel."
"You know me?" Alice asked softly, confused.
"Yeah. We've known each other a long time," Reuel replied, his tone warm but enigmatic.
"I'm sorry... I don't remember anything." Alice looked down, a little embarrassed.
"That's okay. You'll remember—sooner or later."
Before the conversation could go on, Jill strode over quickly—her voice sharp, her eyes piercing.
"Reuel, are you here to save lives, or flirt with every pretty woman you see?"
Reuel turned to her with a cheeky grin. "Jealous, Jill? I'm just gathering intel. Besides, the most beautiful woman around is already standing right next to me."
Without waiting for permission, Reuel wrapped an arm lightly around Jill's waist, teasing her.
"Don't touch me, asshole!" Jill slapped his hand away, her face red—somewhere between pissed off and begrudgingly amused.
Meanwhile, Kaplan had unlocked the corridor leading into the underground HIVE facility. The mercenaries began filing in one by one, shoving a man who claimed to be a cop—Matt Addison—along with them.
Reuel and Jill followed at the rear. As they stepped into the narrow hallway, Reuel's eyes caught a small panel on the wall, its red indicator light blinking steadily—the security system's timer.
He stared at it for a moment...
Then said nothing, moving on in silence.