Lost and Found || Leon Kennedy

Chapter 1

It was quiet, the sun high in the sky as the farm animals calmly picked at the limited food around them without a care in the world. It appeared to be a normal day, with a couple of villagers going about their business tending to the area, and at first glance, one would assume that everything was as it should be; however, after spending four days running and hiding in the woods, Ella knew better.

She crouched behind the old, worn down wooden shelter, peeking around the corner to get a look at the villager who had his back to her, his focus on the object in his hands which gave Ella an opening to sneak up behind him.

Her heart was beginning to race in her chest, and Ella had to take a deep breath to calm her nerves as she readied to put herself in another dangerous situation. She really did not want to risk going into this small settlement of the village, and if it weren't for the fact that she was starving, she would still be in the woods where there was a significantly lower chance of engaging with anyone, but she would never make it out of this hell if she didn't keep her strength up as much as possible. The mint leaves, dandelions, and few other edible plants she found weren't cutting it anymore.

Fortunately, Ella could see that there weren't many villagers around from the woods, only noticing the one in her view and another woman behind the barn, who wouldn't be able to see her take out the man.

Gripping the rusty kitchen knife tightly in her hand, she began to slowly stalk forward, keeping low as to not be noticeable. Her combat boots made it hard to keep her foot falls quiet, but she had gotten used to walking lightly over the past few days, and she was to the point that her steps made virtually no sound.

Because of this, the villager was none the wiser, and as she neared the front of the building, she looked around to make sure there was no one else. She could see the slightest movement of a pitchfork that she knew was the woman she had already accounted for, but otherwise, it was clear.

Moving forward once more, she did her best to not disturb the animals that spilled out of the barn, lest she startle them and give herself away, and she managed to sneak up right behind the male villager, keeping her breathing quiet as she assessed her best move. He was a bit taller than her, but she would have to work around that, it being far too late for her to turn back now.

She had enough knowledge to know where the jugular was, and with a quickness she had gathered over the course of the last few days, she stood up straight, jabbing the knife deep into his neck and moving her hand around to cover his mouth to keep him quiet. He flailed lightly, but his body began to drop, and Ella did her best to help him fall quietly. However, grown men were heavy, and she stumbled back, falling on her ass as the man's body thumped to the ground. She grimaced, looking behind her and praying the other villager behind the barn hadn't heard anything. She was met with silence, and after a few moments, Ella determined the coast to be clear.

She looked to the dead villager in front of her, doing her best to ignore the twist of her heart at the sight of his wide, lifeless eyes; blood still spilling out of his neck and seeping into the dirt below him. This was the third person she had to kill since coming on this trip. Beforehand, she had never even punched another person outside of her defense classes, Ella being a pacifist for the most part. She knew these people were infected with something that made them violent and homicidal, and they wouldn't even bat an eyelash while gutting her, but that didn't change the fact that Ella was killing other human beings.

It was a fact she couldn't dwell on if she wanted to survive and escape this place, turning away from the dead man and pushing him from her mind. She couldn't stay in one place for too long, and she still had to clear the small barn area, or she risked being caught as she tried to cook her meal.