(Disclaimer: All rights belong to Capcom)

"Brother and sister, together as friends, ready to face whatever life sends. Joy and laughter or tears and strife, holding hands tightly as we dance through life." - Suzie Huitt

Heavy rainfall pelted the long stretch of road that led to the Raccoon City limits, a pair of headlights in the distance could be seen approaching as a black '96 Chevy Blazer drove down the long stretch of highway.

Wipers swept back and forth on the windshield, keeping visibility as the driver focused on the road infront of them. A young man with a buzzed head, blue eyes and a strong build dressed in a set of desert-camo fatigues, his features hard and focused as the dark landscape flew past.

The car's radio played 'Back in Black' by ACDC, turned down just enough to fill the silence. A tan colored backpack sitting in the passenger seat with a rucksack tucked away in the trunk. To the outside observer, he looked like a simple soldier on his way home.

But it was anything but simple.

Reaching into one of the front pockets of his jacket, he pulled out a photograph that showed him kneeling beside a 10 year old girl with the same colored eyes, short blonde hair and wearing a white and blue sundress. Both of them smiling at the camera.

The soldier smiled at the image. It had been taken two years prior just before he had been shipped out to Iraq and had been one of his most prized possessions throughout his time overseas and had helped him through many tough moments. Reminding him to never give up, and to keep a promise he had made that same day.

"Almost home, Sherry." he said softly, putting the picture back in its proper place and turning back to the road ahead. Light from the dashboard illuminating the patch on his jacket that read; 'W. Birkin'.

William J. Birkin II, or BJ as he liked to be known, was the 22 year old son of the scientists William and Annette Birkin. Born and raised in Raccoon City along with his baby sister Sherry who had been born when he was 10.

Growing up, his parents made it no secret that they wanted him to follow in their footsteps, given his grades throughout his school career, he showed promise in many scientific fields. But BJ had no interest in being a scientist, or working for the Umbrella Corporation like his parents did.

While he was still in high school, BJ became interested in joining the military. But when he approached his parents about it they made no hesitation in how much they were against such a thing. This in turn caused a lot of strife and tension in the Birkin household, even more so given that William and Annette were rarely every home for either one of their children.

The only one in their family that was on his side was Sherry, who he had taken care of throughout most of their childhood. With their parents working such high demanding jobs, it fell on BJ to look after his sister.

He and Sherry always had a close bond, ever since she was brought home from the hospital BJ had the powerful urge to protect her from the rest of the world. Whenever she got bullied at school, he was always the one to put an end to it, no one massed with the little girl with her overprotective big brother not too far away.

This in turn got him in the occasional trouble, but it was worth it making sure Sherry was okay.

After he graduated high school, against his parents' wishes, BJ enlisted in the Marine Corps. They treated him with cold indifference after that, but it didn't matter to him anymore.

Before being shipped out to basic, he spent every waking minute he could with Sherry. Doing so again when he came back six months later before he was sent overseas to Iraq. But not before making the promise to his baby sister that he would come back to her. That nothing would stop him from coming home.

And now, after almost three years of being away, BJ was well on his way to completing that promise.

X

A couple miles outside the Raccoon City limits, BJ pulled his Chevy into a Mizoil gas station. Bringing the vehicle beside an available pump before shutting off the engine and stepping out into the cool September air.

Reaching down to his right leg, he adjusted the rig setup where his sidearm was holstered. A Heckler & Koch MK.23 MOD 0 he had been issued some time ago. Making sure both the weapon and two spare ammo clips he kept for it were safely secured in place before removing the nozzle from the pump and putting it in the gas tank opening.

As the pump started filling, BJ took a better look at his surroundings. The station was quiet, aside from a police cruiser parked in the front by the door there was nothing else.

Leaning against the car with his arms crossed, the Marine started to plan out the confrontation with his parents that he knew was coming the moment he pulled into their dooryard. His relationship with them fell apart almost completely when he told them he enlisted, the fact that they didn't outright disown him with how they acted was surprising.

He still loved him, they were still his mom and dad and that would never change. But after some of the things they had shouted at him that day he would never forgive them for.

As far as he was concerned, he was coming home to Sherry and nothing else. She was the only family that mattered to him.

The nozzle clicked off when the tank became full, bringing BJ out of his thoughts. Setting it back into the pump, he began making his way to the station to pay for the gas when he heard a loud crash emit from somewhere inside.

Tensing, the Marine approached the door a little slower. Reaching the door and pushing it open to peer inside, he saw that all the lights were out, making it hard to see anything beyond the threshold.

"Hello?" he called out, his voice echoing back at him with no other answer. Seeing a flashlight on the floor at his feet, he reached down and picked it up to shine it around the store.

The whole place was a wreck. Shelves and products were knocked over and scattered across the floor.

Something wasn't right. He could feel it in the air, a cold sense of dread that went down his spine that brought him back to those tense moments back overseas.

Stepping slowly into the station, shining the flashlight around and calling out again. "Anyone here? Hello?" When he brought the light down to the floor he froze.

Wet, red spots were splattered on the tiles. The dark color, the way it had landed...he'd seen this enough times to know full well what it was;

Blood. And it was fresh.

BJ's instincts immediately went into overdrive, drawing his sidearm and pointing it ahead in a fluid motion with the hand holding the flashlight crossed over his arm. Boot-prints could be seen going through the puddle and leading farther back into the store. The Marine followed the trail, all of his senses strained as he stepped slowly and quietly.

Turning down one of the isles, his flashlight shined over a man slumped against a wall by an open door, a hand pressed to the side of his neck with blood seeping between his fingers. "Shit!" BJ jogged over and knelt beside him, "Sir, are you okay? What happened?!"

The man gasped through the pain he was in, raising his free arm and pointing to the open doorway.

"Stay here, keep pressure on that wound. We'll get you some help." BJ instructed as he got up and entered into the storage hallway in the back of the station. Weapon leading as he approached another door that was slightly ajar where he could hear banging and the sounds of a struggle.

Pushing the door open, BJ was greeted with the sight of a police officer attempting to restrain someone against a wall on the other side of the room.

"I said hold still!" the officer shouted as the man he was trying to arrest struggled harder. He turned when the light shined on him and saw BJ, "Sir, stay back!" The perp jerked away suddenly, spinning around and grabbing the officer from behind, dragging them both to the floor and sinking his teeth into his neck.

BJ could only watch in horror as the unknown man tore a large chunk of flesh from the officers neck, blood spraying everywhere while the officer screamed in agony. "GET OFF HIM!" the Marine shouted when he overcame his shock.

The man raised his head, revealing a face as pale as stone. His eyes were the color of spoiled milk, filmed over and looked sightless but could still very much see the soldier in front of him.

Chewing loudly on the bloody chunk of the cop he had just bitten into, the man rose to his feet, loud groan of misery and hunger emitting from deep within his throat as he shambled toward BJ.

"Stay back." the Marine ordered, his weapon leveled with the attacker's chest. He was ignored as the man drew closer, his arms coming up making grabbing motions with his hands. "Last warning, stay back!" BJ shouted again, finger tight on the trigger.

The man made a sound that was somewhere between a growl and a gurgle as he lunged-

BJ's MK.23 kicked back when he fired a round. A small explosion of red burst from the man's chest, causing him to stumble back several steps. To the Marine's astonishment, the attacker not only remained standing, but started coming at him again.

"What the fuck?" BJ fired two more shots. The bullets punching through where he knew the man's heart and lungs wound have been. But he was still coming, oblivious of the bloody holes that had been drilled through it.

Shaking his head, the Marine raised his weapon higher and pulled the trigger a fourth time. The attacker's head snapped back, the round going through his forehead and blowing a fountain out the back of his skull. His body fell back and hit the ground, legs twitching a couple times before going completely still.

When he was sure the man was down for good, BJ stepped over and got a better look. It wasn't possible for anyone to survive three bullets to the chest, especially when they hit vital areas. The man's skin was almost like wax with visible veins just beneath the surface.

And the blood oozing from the wounds, it was dark, partially coagulated. Such a thing only happened after you were dead.

"What the hell's going on around here?" BJ wondered. A deep groan snapped his attention toward the downed police officer. "Officer? Officer, can you hear me?" he asked, moving to his side and kneeling down next to him.

The officer rolled over, his skin already pale from the loss of blood. When he opened his eyes, the Marine saw that they had the same cloudy appearance as the man that attacked him. He had half a second to register the coming danger as the officer suddenly grabbed him, growling ferally as he tried to pull the younger man to his waiting mouth.

"Fuck!" BJ cursed loudly, fighting back against the surprisingly strong hold to avoid getting chomped on. Bringing his knee up and planting it firmly on the officer's chest to pin him down, he adjusted his weapon's aim and fired. The bullet drilling up through the man's chin and up and out the top of his head.

Pulling away from the now dead cop, BJ quickly got back to his feet and looked down at the body, taking several deep breaths to collect himself before he turned and started running down the corridor he had come down before.

He needed to get out of here. Whatever the hell was going on, he needed to get to the city. Find out what the hell was going on.

Entering back into the store, BJ was ambushed by the man he'd passed earlier. Having fallen to his neck injury and risen like the officer had.

Reacting on instinct, the Marine grabbed one of the man's outstretched arms and slammed him head-first into the glass of a cooler door. BJ quickly made his way around the store as two more bodies rose up from the floor and began to shamble toward him, avoiding their grabbing hands as he reached the door and yanked it open.

Freezing in mid-step when he almost ran into a young woman who was on her way inside.

A she was a brunette, a head shorter than him with blue eyes and her hair done up in a pony tail dressed in a black tank top beneath a red-leather jacket, a pair of dark skinny jeans and boots. A look of anxiousness marring her pretty face with a small revolver clenched in her hand.

BJ opened his mouth to speak when he saw movement behind her and raised his weapon.

"Wait! Don't shoot! the woman shouted.

"DUCK!" he shouted back, the woman dropped into a crouch as he shot the one that was trying to grab her from behind in the head.

BJ quickly stepped out of the station and closed the door to keep the others from getting after them. "You okay?" he asked the woman as she stood back up.

"Yeah...I think so...thanks." she replied in relief.

The Marine looked out into the stations parking lot and felt his stomach drop, "Thank me when we get the hell out of here." he said, drawing the woman's attention as over a dozen people stumbled toward them. All of them hissing and growling similar to the ones he had killed moments ago all in different levels of decomposition.

"Holy shit..." the woman said, raising her weapon at the coming horde.

BJ looked at their opposition, there were too many to fight and they'd run out of ammo fast. "Come on!" he shouted, kicking one of the creatures away and ran for his truck. The woman right behind him as they ducked and weaved around the hands and teeth reaching for them

Going around to the driver's side, BJ raised his MK.23 and shot two attackers while the woman shot a third, giving them the time they needed to get into the Blazer. The second the doors closed he started the engine and gunned it, peeling out of the gas station and taking off down the road toward the city.

When they were far enough away, they both breathed in relief. "What the hell's going on?" his passenger asked.

"Not a clue. Maybe they'll have some answers in the city." BJ replied, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Are you a soldier?" she asked, looking his way and finally taking in his appearance and uniform.

"Yeah, Marine. William Birkin, though I prefer to be called BJ." answered the Marine. "And you are...?"

"Claire. Claire Redfield." the now named Claire replied. "You live around here?"

"Used to. Grew up in Raccoon." said BJ, "I got discharged some time ago and was coming back to see my little sister...definitely wasn't expecting this though."

Claire nodded in understanding, "I came looking for my brother. He's a cop."

"Guess it's a good thing we ran into each other, no idea what's waiting for us when we get to the city." the Marine looked to the side of the road in time to see a sign that passed them;

'Welcome to Raccoon City: Home of the Umbrella Corporation'

Neither of them knew what was waiting for them in Raccoon City. But in their search for their siblings, the duo was about to enter a nightmare the likes of which they've never known. And their very survival would be relying on their skills, their luck, and each other to make it through the coming horrors...

X

A/N: A slow start, but a decent opening.

As many of you may have guessed, this story is based off the new RE2 remake that has gone above and beyond expectations in my mind. I was also inspired by Wraith002's creation 'RE: Legacy' and figured I'd try my hand at another badass zombie story.

Love it or hate it, I'm taking this story to the end and beyond! And with so much to work with, there will be plenty of blood, violence, and possibly romance. You'll just have to keep readying to find out!