RE: Dead Days - Chris Redfield

06: First Encounter

Jessica had traveled down the road, dodging empty cars and debris that littered the ground. It seemed everyone had taken off from their cars if they could. And for good reason that she'd yet to comprehend. Still, she attempted to focus on the road ahead. But it was becoming difficult. Weaving around cars was a hassle and she began to spot things that unnerved her. 

First, it was blood on the pavement as she continued on. She tried to convince herself that it could have been from anything. People were in a panic. It was obvious. Someone could have easily gotten hurt. 

But it was an awful lot of blood...

The next thing was a body. She had nearly run over it, dodging around a truck. Jessica's stomach twisted and she almost threw up. She fought back the gags that wanted to clear her throat and stomach. She didn't take any time to study how the man in front of her had died. She simply wanted to run, to put the image of the dead man out of her mind. But she knew it would be burned in her brain forever. 

The next encounter was what made her shiver when she thought of it. She'd halted for a brief rest by one of the many cars, allowing herself to catch her breath and rest her legs. She knew she should have kept moving but she didn't want to push herself to the point of exhaustion. 

It had been small movements in the car in front of her that drew her attention. At first, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. Something moved on the other side of the car and she'd caught that movement out of the corner of her eye. That's what she had rationalized it too. But she'd caught the movement two of three times now. When she looked over to investigate fully, her stomach twisted in knots. 

In the back seat of the car, a child sat, gazing out the window. Pale skin and dead eyes sent shivers down Jessica's spine. Blood stained her clothing. 

There was no one else in the car but this child. Had that parents bolted out when they had the chance and left the girl locked in? Jessica wasn't sure. But she could tell there had been signs of a struggle. Blood was splattered on the window and now that she looked, it was on the drivers side door and the ground. 

That was all she needed to see. Gripped the handle bars of her bike, she sparred one last look at the child who was now beating on the glass that separated her from Jessica before she took of down the road again. 

Her stomach twisted in knots, Jessica had no other choice but to accept the truth. The announcement had been correct. There were no lies. The dead were walking among them. And she had become aware of the fact that she was terribly and desperately alone...