RESIDENT EVIL VILLAGE - The House of Dimitrescu

Chapter 34 - The Village

As he approached the village outskirts, Y/N couldn't help but feel uneasy. Despite the amount of time he had spent in this place, the village itself had remained a distant concept. A faraway shilouette of darkened shapes and distant bells, clustered around the base of Castle Dimitrescu. It was a place which Y/N had not yet ventured into, but had haunted almost every one of his thoughts since his arrival. 

Reaching the edge of the village, Y/N crept quietly along the dirt track between the short, ramshackle houses, his boots feeling loose and heavy on his bare feet as he waded in further through the thick, black mud. Around him, ice-dusted rooftops loomed dark and quiet over his head, and around him, there was no sound except for the distant cawing of hungry crows. 

It shouldn't be this quiet.

Holding the wrench tightly in one hand, Y/N crept onwards, his eyes sweeping left to right, suspicion and distrust simmering inside him as he slipped between the shadows, further into the village. 

Once, his curiosity got the better of him, and he cautiously peered in through a nearby window, squinting through the misted glass into the homestead within, but there was no sign of life anywhere to be seen. 

Where was everyone?

With his caution steadily turning to unease, Y/N hurried onwards, slipping clumsily in the mud as he skidded along the track. He turned a corner, rushing deeper into the village, and soon found himself in a large, open stretch of snowy ground between the houses, almost completely empty, save for a large, stone altar in the centre, and a wooden caravan pushed up against the far side of  the enclosure. Inside the caravan, there sat a familiar figure. 

'There you are.' Duke smiled broadly as Y/N approached, closing the small leather book in his hands and leaning forwards with a creak of bending wood. 'I had a feeling you would pop up here.' He eyed Y/N's meagre clothing, his gaze straying to the bleeding wound on his hip, and he raised an eyebrow speculatively.

'Hi Duke.' Y/N sighed with relief, stopping in front of the carriage and checking his wound to see if any staples had come loose. 'Oh... I am so glad to see you!'

'It looks as though you've had a little fall from grace since last we spoke.' Duke commented, his beady gaze still flitting across Y/N. 'And speaking of looking...' His eyes met Y/N's and he smiled broadly. '...care to make a purchase?' 

'Yes. Please.' Y/N fished out the bag of lei from his pocket and counted out enough to pay for a bottle of healing salve, which was almost all of it. Had the prices gone up since his last purchase? Duke passed him the bottle, and Y/N discarded the bandage before he upended the contents onto his hip with a hiss of pain as the salve started to work into his torn skin. 

'I must say,' Duke commented idly, his hands stowing the lei quickly into the caravan behind him, 'it's my greatest pleasure to see you return alive. Escape from Castle Dimitrescu is... quite the accomplishment.' Y/N grinned through gritted teeth, one hand still pressed over his hip as his injury burned with pain, and Duke shifted heavily in his seat as he fished out his small leather book again. 

'Will that be all?' He asked, opening the book and glancing back down at it, but Y/N stepped forwards sharply. 

'Wait! There's one other thing!' Closing the book, Duke looked back up at Y/N expectantly, smiling as he waited patiently for his request. Y/N paused, wondering how best to phrase his next question.

'Mother Miranda... she has returned, hasn't she?'  He asked slowly. Duke shrugged impassively.

'I have heard rumours to that effect.' 

'What is she doing?' Y/N asked. 'Why has she called Heisenberg away to help her? Where has everybody gone?'

Duke sighed, and for the first time, Y/N saw a trace of reluctance in the large man's expression.