Chapter One: Not Too Fast

Good riddance.

Dashing away from the mansion felt good. Better than expected given the gaping chest wound I'd suffered an hour or so ago. Closed now thanks to my rebirth. I didn't glance back when the self-destruct device activated, ignoring the push of pressure and heat from the explosion that leveled part of the mountainside.

It felt rather nice; being dead and not...the power curling through my body...the adrenaline of returning from the grave as something more than human. I was faster than before, stronger, more alert. I wasn't sure just what I could do yet. I knew that would come with time. Time I had since I was free from Umbrella's shadow. Time I would need to adjust given I just unbalanced with my newfound speed.

Grace was not an apt description of my backwards plunge through the woods. Like a toddler who ran for the first time down a hill I lost my balance and ended up rolling through the underbrush of the mountain.

I scrambled to find purchase, but only succeeded in tearing up grass and other flora from the earth as I bounced off one tree. A second hardwood didn't offer any better a pause as I ripped a chunk of bark from the side as my body continued the swift descent. The wind whipped by my ears, only interrupted by the grunts of my many impacts. My body ricocheted from several trees, like a pinball heading toward the bottom of a machine. Eventually I came skidding to a halt on my back after ripping a pine sapling half-free of the earth to finally pause my messy plunge. Just before I would have gone sliding off after the small rockslide my fall had caused. Onto the road about two stories below.

Looking over my body, I laughed as I got up. Not a scratch. Nothing had punctured my skin, I lacked any broken bones. I was vaguely sore, but it was more the level of sleeping on a poor bed than haphazardly plummeting down a steep cliff for a quarter mile. That sort of fall would have hospitalized any other man and it had only managed to marr up my already tattered uniform and mess my hair. If I didn't need to lay low and keep up the pretense of my death I would have made time to congratulate Will on this batch of the virus. I knocked what soot I could free of my hair, dusting off bits of needles and other brush from my torn clothes.

The signs along the highway put me near highway 65 going south. I could use that. Catch a ride and go down to Arkansas. There was nothing notable in that whole state, no one would consider it a place for me to hide away. I couldn't risk returning to Raccoon City for any supplies and being seen. Dead men walking would reach them soon enough, no need to ruin the surprise.

I eyed the cliff with some distaste, not certain how much worse damage I would take just jumping down multiple stories. I had definitely fallen further just now, but I'd had some foliage to slow me along the way. Testing could come later though. I picked my way along the cliff until it finally got close enough to my desired elevation that I could jump down comfortably.

The road was not busy this time of night but there were occasional passersby, so I threw out my thumb at any cars that did go by. Delighted when one finally pulled over and started to lower the window.

"Hey man, you need a…" The man paused mid-sentence, eyes going wide as he got a better glimpse of me. I heard the click of the automatic lock as the engine revved.

"Wait, there's…" I reached out to protest but only managed to tear the side mirror off the car before it sped away with me scowling after it. So much for explaining off the gaping hole in my shirt, or the blood, or the caked dirt.

I supposed his reaction was fairly logical. With all the rumors in the newspapers about cannibals I couldn't blame the man. He'd probably never stop for a hitchhiker again. I sighed and tossed the side mirror down, frowning at the way the glass shattered as if I'd used full force. I wasn't used to this extra strength yet...I'd need to be careful if I wanted to come off like a normal human. I didn't want to leave a messy trail or gain attention until I figured out just what Will's new virus had done and I knew what steps to take against Umbrella.

It was another half hour before a pick-up pulled over this time. The old man inside squinting at me through the partly rolled down window. Given the vehicle was held together more by rust than real metal, I was fairly sure it was just stuck in that position.

"You need a ride?" He asked, voice slightly accented. The front of his cab was filled with boxes of varying sizes and it reeked of smoke. He was still squinting at me heavily enough that I wasn't convinced he could actually see me. I wondered how well he could see the road, but beggars couldn't be choosers. If he couldn't make out details, he couldn't report me...so I didn't have to kill him for the makeshift vehicle.

"Would you mind? I'm heading south." I said as politely as I could, trying to ignore the stench of nicotine.

"I'm going far as Harrison, then I'll be heading west." The guy answered, pulling out a cigarette to light it. How he or his vehicle were still running I wasn't sure. I just nodded though.

"Harrison would be great."

"Well, don't have room here, but jump in the back." He gestured, waiting for me to climb into the cab.

"Thanks." I wasn't overly appreciative, but it was better than walking the entire way or having to kill someone for their car. I could at least get well away before sunrise. The senile old man didn't complain at the screech of rust when I bent the side getting in, maybe he was just used to the sound. Either way, some sputtering and smoke later we were headed away from Raccoon City.

Lesson Learned: Don't race downhill with new speedy powers.

Lesson Taught: Never pick up hitchhikers. (Particularly near Raccoon City!)

End Chapter One

So, this fic is totally for fun, it stemmed from a desire to write a fic about Wesker needing to learn how to use his powers combined with the desire to have him have a slice of life fic after faking his death in 1. Yeah, I'm an oddball. It's also less serious than my usual fics, so a nice side thing to work on when my muse is being lazier than usual.

-Aura