Seven years ago, there was an incident. A virus escaped. Everybody died. Trouble was, they didn't stay dead.

In the sweltering pit of what was once a proud America, I, and others like me, remain alone. Cities are impossibilities and even the towns have become danger zones. The mutated T-Virus continues to fester and grow worse, and because of this I know that he is alive, working and living without me. I fear that soon, even the deserts won't be safe for us. We, the last humans, are slowly but surely dying out. For the first time in a year, I have felt terror in the air again. We will not win this time...

I have made it this far with only my will to live, and because of nothing else. I believe I am the only one to have ever left his company unscathed. My friends and loved ones have not been so lucky.

One year ago, I found the corpse of Albert Wesker on the shores of Seattle, Washington. I saved his life and by extension, aided in the destruction of the human race. I am more sorry then I can say, but soon there will be no one left to apologize to. In the face of inevitable extinction, I can only forgive myself for my foolishness, and forgive him for what he is and cannot help being.

I can only hope that someone, someday will correct my mistake, and that he will find peace in the afterlife, as so many others have at his hands.

God forgive me, and help us all.

28 Days since the disappearance of Albert Wesker.

Everything is food for something else.

It didn't use to be like that, but evolution has a way of changing things. The grass still absorbs the rain, the animal still eats the grass, and the human still eats the animal - but recently, a horrifying and deadly species otherwise known as 'infected' have spawned and knocked us down the food chain.

This is the very first time since mankind discovered it's own killing power that we've become the organism which must now adapt to new and uncertain environments. We're no longer the hunters, we're the hunted. Those of us who don't adapt, who don't change, who are sick or weak or lose the will to live...well, humanity's probably better off without them anyways, right? That's what scientists would call the 'survival of the fittest.'

Racing through damaged and bloodstained streets of Seattle, Genesis likes to think that whole thing is bullshit. After all, she's a fit girl but she's huffing and puffing after only twenty minutes of running. Other factors have to be included – for example, the sun in merciless above her and her heart is pounding in her head and her goddamn legs won't work the way they're supposed to while she fumbles with her weapon, so clearly it's not her fault. She curses loudly when she drops her precious shotgun shells behind her, but the growls and gurgles of torn vocal chords aren't far from her and she leaves them behind.

She knows she's damn healthy even if she's too delicate, and she knows she's sturdy but happens to be rather small in her stature and her legs won't carry her far enough no matter how hard she runs. Silently, she curses and tells herself that it has nothing to do with her genetics, that her bag must be half her weight and the few layers of clothing that she wears stifle her, but in the back of her mind, she wishes her legs were just a little fucking longer right now.

Heh, genetics. For all her imperfections, she'd made it this far, hadn't she?

The dead behind her are relentless, following her with a speed that continues to surprise and terrify her. An immaculate German Shepherd named Jack is far ahead of her, but stops to bark an order at his master. Even he cannot protect her from this, and he doesn't want to wait to see what happens.

Genesis – the brilliance that she was in that moment - had stumbled upon a herd. Feet pounding on the cement, she doesn't dare to look back at what could be hundreds of half-rotted, half-starving ghouls that continue to chase after the first meal they've seen in weeks. She only runs for her life, occasionally shooting behind her to dwindle the large number. A herd – the largest, deadliest group you could possibly encounter out here. She'd known that the cities were off limits, hadn't she? She'd barely made it in and hearing the twisted sounds following her, she wasn't so sure she was going to make it out now.

One or two infected at a time was nothing and hell, even groups up to ten weren't much to get excited over if your legs worked. But hundreds...possibly thousands of hungry, angry undead, each pushing each other along and gathering more of their brethren as they went? Fucking impossible.

"Come on, come on..." She urged herself, hauling around overturned cars. She didn't acknowledge the undead that had crawled out from god knows where to inspect the noise, only hurried past them and their outstretched arms while she rushed for her life. She was so close, so close to the outskirts that she could practically taste her victory, but her thighs burned and her body was heavy. Her vision blurred. She was so tired.

'Go, go, go.' She told herself over and over, finding the strength from somewhere to spur herself onward. She rounded a corner, and then another. Slowly, an old bus station came into view, the highway and her freedom shining clearly just beyond her reach. Her boots clicked loudly on the pavement as she went along, whistling hoarsely for Jack to follow her as she hopped the cement blocks separating one road from another, bolting for that split-hair chance at life. The undead fell and stumbled over each other to follow her, and while it wasn't much, several of them became trapped under and trampled on by their own kind in their desperation to follow her tricky movements.

It was only a small hindrance, but Genesis could see herself getting further and further and couldn't help but feel so much lighter then before.

It was going to be okay. If she could just get far enough ahead, one of those cars down there might still be working. She could-

"Shit!" Genesis suddenly squealed, the step she'd been planning to take only meeting air as the terrain dipped and her footing was lost, gravity shoving her body forward. She tumbled downwards heavily, her backpack loosening on her shoulders as she rolled down the steep hill. The moans of the infected grew further away in her mind as her own breathing filled her ears, her dog's barking somewhere behind her as he blindly followed his master down the hill.

Hitting the bottom with a winded grunt, Genesis watched the world spin. Her shoulders and back ached, her body instantly protesting to the harsh contact with the ground and conflicting with her need for rest. She remained stunned, ignoring her dog as he brushed her cheek with his tongue and whimpered. The sun blinded her, but she could catch glimpses of the massive hill before her leading to the road, and heard the snarls and screeches of the now confused undead.

She'd rolled down to the train tracks below the subway station building, the tall structure of the highway stationed not to far from her and suspended by giant cement pieces a good hundred feet or so above her. She was...she'd made it.

Unwilling to waste her chance, Genesis swiftly rose to her feet despite her urge to retch and stumbled backwards, dark eyes flicking back and forth while she gathered herself. Blinking upwards, the woman realized now that the highway was another impossibility – too far away from her now, parched by the sun and too far a journey. The new plan would have to take her off the roads, towards the beach. From that point she could follow the water until she got far enough away from Aberdeen to try again in a small town.

She had made it. A small laugh began to bubble through her as she snapped her fingers and her dog trotted beside her, the two partners turning and running up to the tracks, passing through and slamming a metal gate shut as they ventured onto the tracks. "I did it!" She bellowed suddenly. Genesis couldn't keep her amusement as she laughed and looked back triumphantly to the hill, raising her hands to the world and proudly showing off her middle fingers. "Come and get me, you fuckers!" She hollered, uncaring of when her voice cracked from disuse after all this time, a wide grin splitting her lips for the first time in weeks.

She'd escaped her second herd - the great Genesis had defied death yet again and she felt fucking invincible.

Turning back to join the canine ahead of her and to quickly leave the grounds before the biters figured out where she'd gone, she couldn't help but feel like something amazing had happened, and would continue to happen. Like she'd been blessed by something...and it felt really goddamn good.

Sitting on the sunny beaches of Seattle and watching Jack play in the waves, Genesis sat tracing a map with her newly cleaned fingers, familiarizing herself with each and every line. She wore only a simple t-shirt and pants, the layers of clothing and leather she usually wore piled beside her in the sand. Her hair was still wet from her own dip in the warm Pacific waters, and she wanted it dry before she started heading out again for fear of sand sticking to it.

Jack certainly appreciated it, rolling and snapping at the waves like a puppy while she watched. She envied the little bastard his lack of fear, honestly.

Dark eyes flicking back to the map before her, Genesis once again went over her next route. Tonight at the edge of Seattle, and tomorrow – Los Angelas. Not much better, heading for the bigger city, but last she'd heard that was where the Arcadia was stationed. She could use a night's rest with the confidence of knowing she'd wake up in the morning, and where better then the all-powerful survivor settlement?

Besides, she had to hurry while she still felt the euphoria of outsmarting a thousand dumb dead fucks, before she chickened out again and went back to trying to pick supplies from the cities.

Yeah, she probably shouldn't do that anymore...

Unnoticed to her while she studied the map, Jack had left the waves at last and came trotting up to her. Sea water still dripped from his shining coat. As if he had been specifically waiting to get close to her, he shook it all off him and effectively soaked her. Annoyed and turned from her thoughts, Genesis scowled at the fine specimen that had become her only companion.

"Dammit, Jack,-"

"Grr..."

The deep, rumbling snarl paused her mid-sentence, and Genesis instead gawked at her pet, incredulous. Surely, he wasn't growling at her like that...?

Another snarl. Jack's head rose as he twisted himself, suddenly tall and alert and looking every inch the guard dog he was bred to be as he stared at the horizon. His hackles began to rise with the detection of a threat, and his growls refused to cease.

"Jack..." She mumbled, unsure of what to do . She knew this reaction better then anything, had seen it a million times – a canine's reaction to the T-Virus at close proximity...but there was nothing here.

He still refused to move. And started to bark, lowering into a defensive position.

Genesis felt the hairs on the back of her own neck begin to stand. Her gaze swept about her surroundings, but there were no traces of infected, or even humans anywhere. Nothing to bark at but the ocean and the wind and the slowly setting sun.

"Shh..." She soothed, yet the animal would not yield. Suddenly, the canine leaped forward and began to run down the beach, leaving behind a shocked human in his dust.

"What the f-, hey! Wait!" Genesis screamed, scrambling to her feet. "Jack- don't!"

Kicking sand behind her as she stumbled upwards and onwards, Genesis quickly followed, cussing all the while. The things she did for this mutt, and he just ran away on her? Loyal companion, her ass.

Her gun bounced against her hip with every thudding step, but she didn't reach for it. Instead she clumsily grabbed the machete attached to her back, and continued after the dog, yelling for him to stop as if he might listen to her and come back.

Of course, that would mean something good actually happening to her, and she'd probably used up all her good luck for the week anyways...

Jack stopped short after a moment or two, already a good distance away from their own little camp due to his speed. Now circling something on the ground as he waited for his human to catch up, the animal obviously impatient and obviously very annoyed.

Finally catching up to the mutt, Genesis could see the outline of a body. She stopped, gasping for breath and making a small noise of confusion. Briefly inspecting it, she could see what looked like bullet holes in it's clothing and flesh torn by shrapnel, blackened muscle tissue exposed on its face. It didn't move, didn't even react when she fell to her knees in front of it. Clearly dead.

Genesis was pissed. Jack never, EVER ran after an infected, especially if the damned thing was dead – which meant she'd hauled her ass across a beach and left her precious belongings in the open for nothing. See what she meant about luck?

"Juh-...Jack! Come here, now." She ordered, breathless but determinedly angry with the mammal. The German shepherd instantly knew that tone and quieted his growling, dropped his head and trotted up to her. He whined and whimpered, but that wasn't going to take with her.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Genesis mumbled, throwing her gun to the side and reaching for the collar, pulling her pet tight against her chest. The animal whimpered and sat, comfortable in his master's embrace but still antsy about...whatever it was he was worried about. "Stupid, stupid mutt. I swear, if-"

There was a low, choked groan from the body before her, and both dog and human let out an uncharacteristic yelp. Jack jumped away, only to return a moment later to grab the back of her shirt with his muzzle and tug her back off her knees and away from the body.

A few tense moments later, it finally moved. Only occasional muscle jerks, like it was in pain but still trying desperately to get up. It was then that Genesis finally saw that it was...had been, a man, now obviously infected. She was momentarily stunned, full lips parted in grotesque amazement as it began to twitch and spasm violently. Soft cracking noises could be heard from somewhere within the body, each disgusting sound accompanied by more repulsive twitch.

Genesis thought was going to be sick.

His hand shot forward, a surprisingly harsh grip catching her ankle and pulling slightly towards him. His head rose from the sand, one half normal, the other mangled and torn. Blood red and yellow, cat-like eyes stared back at her, his bloodied lips parted as if to speak. A soft, painful gurgle was all that she heard.

A scream tore from her throat and she scrambled backwards, reaching for gun. Unable to tear her eyes away, she doesn't manage to find the damn thing. Luckily, the gaze was held for only a few short seconds, before his head fell against the sand and his body trembled violently once again.

"Holy shit!"

Growls and snarls so much like Jack's (and the mammal knew it, backing away and whimpering as soon as he heard it) erupted from his mouth, each painful sounding and making her wince. Genesis repeated the curse and tore her eyes away only for a second to shakily reach for her gun, before watching again.

His body was reanimating. She'd seen it at least a hundred times before in the past five years, and she didn't expect this one to be any different...She didn't expect it when the exposed muscle of his face suddenly moved with a force of it's own, veins weaving across the red and the blackened parts falling off him like he had merely dusted away some ashes. Skin cells regenerated before her eyes, and before she knew it his face was whole. And then, the reanimation was complete, and his body was still again.

Genesis turned on her side and vomited.

For several minutes, maybe five or even ten, she remained either curled over her knees or retching up whatever meager provisions she'd eaten earlier. She didn't look at the man, she ignored Jack's whines and nudges. She didn't cry, but hell if she didn't want to. She just didn't know what to do, what to say. She'd never seen this before...she didn't know how to feel about it.

For the first time in a very long time, head-strong, independent, loud-as-she-fucking-pleased Genesis did not know how to react. She didn't like that.

Forcing her eyes upwards, she made herself look at him. The man was still alive, his now unharmed chest rising and falling with the laboring of his breaths. In what was left of the sunlight still gleaming over the horizon, she saw that his hair was blonde and fell over his eyes in a mess, and it was as dirty and wet as her own. His face with smudged with dirt and sand, but other wise, he seemed fine. Not a cut, bruise, or mark to speak of.

Genesis remained uncharacteristically quiet then, feeling as though she were only watching herself and not controlling her arm as she calmly raised it to his forehead, cocking the the gun. Despite all the horrors and hells she'd witnessed out here, she was mortified into silence. Even Jack whom she'd speak with frequently to keep from going entirely mad, noticed her silence. As if sensing her discomfort, Jack stepped a bit closer to her.

Just as she'd prepared herself to pull the trigger, the man raised his hand and weakly grabbed the barrel, startling her. She gasped, but didn't move to stop him. Only stared, wide-eyed and shaking. The body, man, infected, whatever it was...His eyes were open when she looked at them, and as dark blue as the waters before them.

"No..." He rasped, his voice deep and broken-sounding. Even in his state, there was a firmness in his accent that told her it wasn't a plead – it was an order. He struggled with holding the gun for a moment, before it became too much for him and his hand fell again to the sand. The man's head lowered once again and his eyes fluttered as unconsciousness claimed him.

Genesis remained still for a long time. She wasn't sure how long, exactly, but her arms started hurting and she fell back on her bottom, gun still in her hands. She sucked in a harsh, trembling breath as she slowly came back into herself as the danger she'd felt dissipated. Jack, as if something had changed, sniffed curiously at the man before coming to her side.

If her dog wasn't afraid of him, then neither should she be...right?

A wet, rough tongue on her cheek brought her out of her shocked state. Her eyes blinked at the curious gaze of her pet, and she lifted a gloved hand to pet Jack. "What are we going to do, huh?" She wondered aloud, her voice a weak whisper. Jack only blinked and layed down beside her.

Neither of them had an answer for that. They'd just have to wait.