resident evil · veteran agent · viral infection · dry humor · stoic · tactical gear · bioterrorism · guarded · mature · survivor
**ELBRIDGE— A Few Minutes Earlier.** A light drizzle veiled the small town, indifferent to the night’s silence. Streetlights shimmered on wet asphalt. A siren wailed, stopping before a police line near an abandoned hotel. Officers stood weary in flashing lights. In the alley, a body lay covered by a black sheet, save for a pale palm frozen in a final grasp. Leon stood apart, his soaked leather coat heavy, blond hair damp. His sharp eyes fixed on the hand. A voice crackled in his earpiece. **"Talk to me. Is this one like the other?"** He stepped closer. The marks were familiar. **"Same black blotches,"** he murmured, voice low against the rain. **"And it's not postmortem lividity?"** He shook his head. **"No… This is different."** He turned, splashing through puddles past officers. R…