The Fight For Us Part I - Resident Evil

12 - Life at the Base

| January 23rd, 2004 |

He looks at himself in the mirror Leon placed so perfectly by the foot of their bed. Compared to the photo of him and his sister in his hands he looks different. The Henry in the photo isn't the Henry that's looking at it now. It was six years ago but that doesn't seem right. It seems like it happened yesterday, but at the same time, it's as if that was something that happened in another life. How is something both far and close at the same time? Maybe the change is due to the exercise. Maybe it's the tattoo on his shoulder. The scars. Or perhaps his body is just sinking under the memories of what happened.

The only word to describe them after they escaped is lost. Like their very souls had been ripped from their chests. The both of them spent a month in a daze. They didn't speak much, Henry lost everything. Leon lost all his aspirations. He lost his life goal. Henry lost his world. All the work Leon did to get to that point was put to waste. It all seemed so superfluous. They spent weeks in a dingy motel around what was once Raccoon City. Their bodies were on autopilot as they survived on motel food and stale soda. Leon handed the desk his card and told them to keep it until he left. Henry and him didn't leave for thirty days.

They spent the time rotting. Lying in bed and staring at the water-stained ceiling without any care in the world. Most days were spent napping. They watched a few black-and-white movies. Nothing else. Then one night their doors were busted open. Soldiers came out of nowhere and grabbed them like hostages. They tossed them both into a helicopter. Nobody said anything, and every word they asked the soldiers was ignored like they didn't even consider them worth the hassle of speaking to. Henry still doesn't know how they found them exactly, or why they even wanted to. What's so special about them?

With the silence of the helicopter, Henry almost thought they were being taken to some sort of execution. Maybe the military was working for Umbrella. Maybe he and Leon had seen too much and they needed to keep them silent. But no. This had nothing to do with Umbrella as it turns out. In fact, Umbrella went under and hasn't been heard of in a few years. Henry doesn't like to entertain the idea that they're still out there. Plotting their next move.

The helicopter flew them directly to Washington, they landed beside the White House. They were then rushed inside like cargo, it was dark when it happened. They didn't see much besides all sorts of agents pushing them inside. They were told to be quiet. One agent even said 'Shut the fuck up'. Then they were suddenly face-to-face with the president himself. Graham. He gave them what he called a proposition. He invited them to join a task force for the government. Some deep and secret shadow of the night type of shit. Top-secret was the phrase he used.

It was phrased as an invitation. But most invitations can be refused. This one couldn't. Something about the tone of the room screamed at them to do as they were told. They did. It took all of Henry's self-control not to lunge at Graham. He chose to bomb the city. He pressed that fucking button. He expressed that he was impressed with their ability to defeat that Tyrant. How would he even know they were the ones that killed it? It wasn't even that hard.

Raccoon City killed him. It killed his soul, and it desecrated what was left of that kid still deep down inside him. Then the president had the nerve to say it was impressive.

Henry stands up from the bed, walking out the door to his and Leon's bedroom in his briefs. Henry hasn't been able to sleep as of late, he's not sure why. Leon's sound asleep though, Henry almost wants to wake him up. To do what? Henry has no clue. There are only so many things they can do in this bed, and most of them are pretty exhausting to do on a whim.

Henry walks down their creaky stairs and takes a seat on the couch. He picks up a book of dad jokes and puns that's always sat on the coffee table beside their keycards to the fort. Leon insists on reading it. Henry used to be confused when he'd crack a joke during something serious. He found it off-putting, he still kind of does. Hunnigan gave him a new perspective though. The jokes are Leon's way of coping with what happened she says. He supposes that made sense, but he's never really been all that funny so he wouldn't know.