Emerged In Darkness

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This story does NOT belong to me, it belongs to Capcom!!! I only own my own characters and nothing else.

-----------------------------------

The air was stale and dusty. Every rattling breath she took made her want to cough.

Saran Delaney was angry with herself. She should have known that something was wrong as she approached the Baker's guest home.

She should have known by the abandoned look of it, by the rust and rot and decay that covered everything.

She should have definitely known when she thought she felt someone behind her.

But she didn't.

All she had felt was something heavy hit her in the back of the head. When she woke, she found herself in a dark, confined space. That must have been at least a week ago, give or take. It was hard to tell when it was always so dark.

Luckily, though, she had stashed a couple of granola bars in various pockets.

Unluckily, she had finished the last one some time back.

Saran's stomach growled and rumbled. She gave a small whine of hunger before banging on the walls around her. If no one heard her, she was going to starve to death. Either that or dehydration.

Neither option looked good.

"Hey! Someone! Anyone! Help me!" She called out hoarsely.

The only response was silence.

Saran groaned and leaned back. Too weak to do much else, she closed her eyes and waited.

Minutes, or maybe even hours, passed before she heard something.

Faint footsteps walked closer and closer. A door opened, some more footsteps, and then a guttural growl. Saran startled when she heard the gunshots. She wanted to scream for help, but what if it was just someone coming to kill her?

The footsteps approached closer and closer until finally a door screeched open and she was blinded. Instinctively, she threw her hands up. The lights made it hard to see what or who was above her.

When her eyes finally adjusted, she saw a hand outstretched to her. Saran grabbed the hand and the person pulled her out of the small hole she'd been in. She sat up and looked at them.

He was tall, she noted. His blonde hair was ruffled and spotted with dirt. Light blue eyes looked down at her tiredly, as if holding the weight of the world. A bloody white button-up shirt covered his chest and light brown dress pants were fairly clean, with the exception of the cuffs around his shoes. And on his left wrist was a watch that pulsed green.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Saran asked, her voice scratchy.

He gave a small concentrated frown and looked around. It was a moment before he finally turned to her again. When he did, he gave a small smile.

"Well, it looks like you're in the basement, in an incinerator. And me? I'm Ethan Winters." He stuck his left hand toward her.

Saran looked at his hand cautiously before shaking it.

He gave her one firm handshake before letting go. The light shined down on his wrist, reflecting off metal staples in his wrist.

She nearly gasped when she realized those staples were the only thing keeping his hand attached to the rest of his arm.

To disguise her bewilderment, she hopped off the platform. Saran stumbled and would have fallen, if not for Ethan.

He grabbed her and steadied her. "You okay?"