This is my second RE fic, and I'm hoping it'll be better recieved than my first one.

On with the fic!

Stranger

It was the end for him.

They'd taken his wife, murdered his children, and infected him with the Las Plagas. The creature nearly drove him insane, making him relive the horror over and over, until he thought he would surely die.

But he didn't.

Despite being mutated into Ganando form, he still retained his intelligence. Saddler was surprised and pleased. The Los Illuminados were ordered to experiment on him and find out what saved his humanity.

He barely got away with his life.

He took with him everything he could carry. Money, weapons, documents. There had to be some way out of Spain. He'd find it.

He moved farther and farther through the countryside, seeing nothing but Ganado after Ganado. His despair grew. Was there truly no end to Saddler's empire?

When he felt he could run no more, he took refuge in a Ganado-occupied village. He hid his face to avoid detection, but it wouldn't be enough. They'd find him sooner or later. He began to give up hope.

Then, someone new arrived.

He had no idea who this man was. He appeared to be a secret agent of some kind. Why an agent was sent into this hellhole was beyond his guess. Just by looking at him, he knew. This man was his way out.

So he'd follow this man, no matter where he went, to escape. Even if this man went to Saddler himself, he'd follow him. This man was his last lifeline.

This man could save him from himself.

All he had to do was make himself invaluable to this man.

"Welcome, stranger! What're ya buyin?"

The End

The Merchant's character has always fascinated me. We never know who he is, what his background is, or why he keeps following Leon around. This is just my take on his story.

If the title didn't make it completely obvious, how long did it take you to figure out it was the Merchant?

REVIEW!