The Fight For Us Part III | Resident Evil |

14 - Ethan

"Eeeethhaaannn!" Heisenberg's devious voice calls out over a speaker system. This is a cave, why is there a sound system? How the hell did these people manage to get that hooked up underground? It doesn't matter to Ethan, he's too preoccupied with the threat of his oncoming death to care about the logistics of wiring speakers into a cave system. "I'd get runnin' if I was you!"

Henry's gone, he got taken by that woman. Ethan's on his own. He doesn't even know where he is right now, he's still in the cave they were taken to: but this is a different part. He's already running, Lycan's are gaining behind him. He awoke in chase. This cave system is a labyrinth. Twists and turns around every corner.

His heart pounds as he races through the twisting passages of this unspecified cave. Where the hell am I? Ethan can hear howling from behind him, deep growls of feral Lycan's. A chill slithers down his spine, he can feel the hair of his arm erect under his sleeves. The tunnel's width is fluctuating constantly, but he swears it's only getting smaller. He's out of breath, but he can't stop. The adrenaline coursing through his veins kept him moving.

As he runs, Ethan stumbles across jagged rocks and uneven ground. Sharp stones scrape his ankles. Now and then he looks behind himself and gauges his distance from the monsters. Like the width of the cave, it keeps fluctuating. Why can't I fucking lose them?

Then he suddenly hit a boarded-up passage. "Goddamnit!" He shouts before kicking at the wood. It's old enough to snap under the hits. But when he clears the way he hears a creak, the cave is growling. The rock is shifting. He practically throws himself out of the way when the tunnel behind him suddenly caves in, hopefully killing those things following him. Sluggishly, Ethan stands back up and finds himself in a wide chamber of cave. He could erect a house here if he wanted to. The tunnel continues ahead. He presses on.

A wheel, a massive roll of spikes, and pain appears out of nowhere. It drops from the ceiling, like a massive paint roller coming towards him.
"You didn't think it'd be that easy did you, huh Ethan?" Heisenberg giggles over the intercom, the blonde looks around desperately. The wheel fits across the width of the cave perfectly, he can't dodge it. It's coming fast. The air is pierced with the grating sound of metal against rock, a sinister grinding that echoes around him tauntingly.

Why am I here? What the fuck is going on? Why me? Is this it? What'll happen to Rose, is she safe? No, she can't be here. What did I do to deserve this, why is this happening again? Mia's dead, if I die then what? What do they even want with Rose? Is there a chance she'll escape? Even then, she'll be an orphan. She doesn't deserve that. I can't die. I'm not dying here.

Ethan notices a small corner in the cave that skirts the periphery of the wheel, like a cubby. It's small, he can barely fit. He crams himself inside the space, stone scraping and digging into every part of his body. He closes his eyes as the wheel gets closer, he doesn't have a God he prays to, but in this moment he's praying to anything he can. Rock is being flung around as it's scrapped from the floor, it hits his face. Like little thumbtacks.
He holds his breath, and the wheel slices his arm before it stops. He sighs, his eyes snapping open in relief. He crawls underneath it, it's useless when it's not moving. On the other side, he experiences an unexpected reinvigoration. He needs to move and his body knows it, it doesn't care about anything other than escaping this damn cave. He's never felt this awake in his life, this is something new. It's as if his body has a mind of its own. A sense of self-preservation. Ethan always thought self-preservation was something for assholes, entitled self-centered pricks that don't give a shit about anyone other than themselves. But this doesn't make him feel like a prick.

In Louisiana, he didn't focus on himself in the slightest. Every moment all he thought about was saving Mia. He had his hand cut off, he was beaten so badly that he limped for a year. But he thought that's what he had to do for someone he loves, completely disregard yourself. It's selfish to focus on you when someone else is at stake, right? ...right?

Light. The tunnel that pushes forward has a light, he can see the daylight. A surge of hope fills his chest as he bursts into a sprint, spurred on by the promise of freedom. The outside world is just within reach. He can taste it: And soon enough he feels it. He bursts out of the mouth of the cave and finds himself standing on a snow-coated hillside. He's never been so happy to be in the middle of the woods before. Damn, it feels good.

The warm feeling in him fades pretty quickly, he thinks of Rose first and foremost. But he also feels a pang of worry for Henry. He shouldn't give a shit about him, the guy's a complete dick. But something about him is endearing, he has a feeling that his tough exterior is just a mask. Then there's the knife and the sneakers. Ethan hasn't seen anyone in their presumably thirties wearing Converse the way he does. It's like his feet are still stuck somewhere in the past. Why? But it doesn't matter now, Rose is his priority. She must be with one of those freaks. Henry's with that tall woman, he just escaped Heisenberg. Maybe she's with that doll or that hunchback thing.

With a grim determination, Ethan squares his shoulders and pushes on through the snowy forest. He moves quietly, trying to keep an eye out for any sign of... well, anything at all. The forest is eerily silent, the snow muffles his footsteps. Now and then, he caught a glimpse of a fresh print in the snow, and he would follow it excitedly, only to find it was a deer or some other animal. These woods aren't right, they're too quiet.

As he pushes deeper into the woods, Ethan suddenly comes upon a cobblestone path. The rough-cut rocks are clearly manmade, standing in stark contrast to the surrounding snowy landscape. He looks left and right, trying to figure out where the path could lead. He keeps following it until he comes upon the castle from before, but he's much closer to it now.

Ethan stands there, his eyes widening at the sight of the huge castle looming ahead. The size and the length of its peaks were intimidating, but he also couldn't help but feel like he had walked into a fairytale. Perhaps Rose is inside, he thinks, hope fluttering in his chest. With newfound determination, he hastens onward, the castle his destination.

Ethan creeps in through a side gate, his steps light and silent. He finds himself in a spacious courtyard, devoid of people or movement. The cobblestones of the courtyard are blanketed in a dusting of snow, the edges of the cobblestones softened by the accumulation. In the center of the courtyard stands a stone fountain, frozen for the winter. Water sharp and icy.

Frustration and confusion churns in his heart. Memories flash through his mind, of other terrifying nights and narrow escapes. Louisiana. He clenches his fists, a wave of anger rising in him. "Goddamn it," he mutters, the words escaping through gritted teeth. "Why me? Why again?"
He comes upon a set of double doors he has to use his shoulder to open, the weight of them is unmatched by any door he's ever seen. They must be made of pure iron. Hinges groan in protest, the doors slowly swinging open with an obnoxious squeak.

The doors then unveil her. The woman seizes him suddenly. Her grip is painful, she holds him up by his neck as if he's some bug she's about to squash. His gasp of horror is cut short by her chokehold, he punches at her wrists but she only grimaces at his struggle. The supply of air in his lungs is depleting, he can barely breathe. The woman likes it.

Ethan's suffocated mind flies to Henry, he's here. Maybe he'll be nearby, and if Ethan pleads silently he won't just run off and leave him to die by this monster's hand. His blue eyes dart around the room of the castle, hoping to catch a glimpse of that angry man, but the foyer appears empty. His vision is blurring, he has spit running down his chin as he can't swallow it.

Then he sees something, a blurry figure approaching behind the woman. He doesn't recognize them, he hasn't seen anyone in a plaid cardigan so far. He'd remember it. It's distinctive. He's not sure what happened but suddenly the floor comes up to meet him. He's dropped hard. The woman grunts and Ethan's view of the world slowly comes back into focus. A man sets out a hand, he hasn't seen him before.
"W-who are you?"
"I'm Leon."