Chapter 1

I. Freedom

May 27, 2009

San Diego, USA

I'D ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT I lived a miserable life. At the age of fourteen, I was left to fend for myself. My mother died of loneliness due to the love of her life betraying us, left us for his mistress. I had no other relatives to turn to and there I only worked part-time as a maid in this sad and boring family of middle class during the night, so that I can swallow the bitterness of living every day without any direction, even if I do go to school during the day and I have so-called 'friends'. However, they do not fill the gaps in my heart to make my life even worth living.

After two years, that is, I started to wonder...

I wonder if the people who once knew me even noticed my sudden disappearance? Even if I didn't even bother much in their life, there was once a moment in my life where I wondered if I even crossed their mind and acknowledged my existence; that there was a person who knew I existed... still existed, physically alive... somewhere.

To my utter disappointment, I'm still alive. Not that it matters anymore, because for the past few years I was held in confinement, I wished every day for death.

But how much time has it been since I have been rescued from solitary confinement?

Although I have been reassured many times that I am finally safe from the hands of the bio-terrorists, I still couldn't differentiate what the terrorists had done to me and what the government has been doing to me over the course of the weeks I have been in the labs.

I was afraid of people, all they ever did was hurt me. I could never bring myself to trust them.

But unlike the terrorists, the people who took me in their care actually looked like they mean no harm to me... at least that's what they'd always tell me whenever they needed a sample of my blood. Not that it matters, they're all the same.

I have been a test subject for as long as I can remember. Three years ago, when I was only sixteen, I was abducted on my way home from work. I learned that this organization was abducting people from around the world, just to get different kinds of unique genes. We all shared the same fear, terror and pain. They had injected us with something, and they all turned into some kind of monster.

They said that it was designed to sustain life, to transcend human beings and the test subjects, as we were labeled then, weren't supposed to turn that way, though they had expected that outcome. They were all eliminated; they all died... all but me. For some reason, the virus was very slow to take effect on my body, which exempted me from death, though I'm not sure if I want it. The symptoms were very high fever to the point of seizures and hallucinations. They let me suffer things that are far worse than death. "Please... please just kill me." I had forgotten how many times I've begged for them to end my misery, but they only watched me with those impassive eyes as if that was normal. The virus' effects were so slow that it was enough time for the scientists to produce a prototype vaccine. They tried it on me. It was supposed to exterminate the virus; however, for some reason, I have gained powerful antibodies to the virus they were creating. When they were done with their examinations on my body, and with a means of curiosity and a need for more evaluation, I was shipped to Africa.

I met the man who engineered the virus, the Uroboros virus, as he called it. He said that I was special and that he would keep me alive because he needed my blood to make the virus even stronger. This man had convinced me that I was only designed to be an obedient machine, and maybe that may have been my only purpose in life... be the source of all the terror the world has been put through. I have the antibodies to the Uroboros virus, which was a very rare find. Maybe that's why Albert Wesker was very fond of me, of my blood. I knew that he'd use it for his personal—selfish purposes.

Maybe I wasn't born to live the life of a human being. My life failed, and I was quite useful in the field of 'human test subjects'. I possessed an excellent blood type and I felt that I was needed... acknowledged, even if it's technically not me, just my blood. And they would use it to the development of destroying the world.

The Uroboros virus can do two things to its host. When the virus bonds with the host's cells in harmony, the latter can acquire superhuman abilities; speed, strength, accelerated healing... with the visible side-effect of having sinister looking eyes... much alike Wesker's. I saw his eyes once, and hoped that was the last. His eyes terrified me, how they glowed so dimly in the dark, much like a predator watching his prey's every move. He had always concealed his eyes through his sunglasses. And then the virus could also reject you, meaning the DNA of the host was incompatible. The host could mutate into a more grotesque form, becoming a bio-organic weapon. Those are the failed experiments, but somehow still put to good use.

But then there was a person like me, where there were abnormalities in the cell bonding with the virus. That made Wesker even more interested with me, and there I endured being his pawn, his human test subject for three years.

I have been a test subject, not until this certain people who had a long-time feud with Wesker came and put a stop to all of the plan he had envisioned for years of unleashing... this thing... the thing that will make a new set of breed of humans, eliminating those who are unworthy of its power.

I was sitting on the edge of the white bed, finished for the lab testing for today, remembering all of what I had experienced for the past three years. Well, at least I had a purpose then... before I have been saved. What will happen to me when the lab tests and rehab are over? Where will I go from there? Will I... go back to my old life before all of this?

"Hey..." There was this same woman, who happened to be Wesker's test subject as well, frequently visited me while I was in my ward. I could tell that she was doing her best to try and lighten up my mood, even though she was busy with her own testing as well. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine." I told her my usual response. And what was I supposed to feel? I wanted to add but decided not to, as my eyes followed her figure that sat on the chair in front of me with ease.

Jill's hair was blonde because of the various experiments conducted on her, while her complexion was pale. But now her roots were slightly showing which was brunette, and finally her skin was reverting back to a healthy state. But nonetheless, she still looked beautiful.

We were both victims of that cruel man... but unlike me, her process of testing was faster. I think she's going to start rehab very soon. She was also friends with the people who saved me, which counts her as one of them.

"Aren't you tired of coming here just to ask if I'm okay?"

"No." Jill shook her head with a soft smile. "Our rooms are just right next from each other, and I'm kind of allowed to wander to some places."

"Because... you are one with the BSAA." I finished my thought for her.

"That, too." She smiled. Huh, the perks of being in the BSAA.

The door opened which caught both of our attention, and it was none other than Chris Redfield, the hero who saved us.

"Chris," Jill greeted with a smile.

"Hey..." I looked away when his eyes shifted on mine, I heard his deep voice asking how we are feeling, and other various questions. And Jill answered most of it for us.

"Mr. Redfield," I finally said, and both Chris and Jill darted their heads at me as if they were waiting for me to talk after being silent the whole time.

"Just Chris," He urged.

"Chris... what will happen to me after all of this?" I asked, even if I didn't care.

"You will have your freedom." He said simply. "After all you've been through, you deserve it."

"I don't have a family to come back to anymore," I reminded them. The government have kept my existence a secret in fear of other bio-terrorists may pose interest on knowing how special my blood was. I already told them that I had no family to go home to so I guess the government will just have me.

"We'll help you, Cheryl." Jill said then went to hold my hand that rested on my lap to which I quickly dodged, she retrieved her hand slowly as if she had done an innocent mistake. "I'm sorry."

"The BSAA has your back. Leave it to us." Chris broke the awkward atmosphere and patted Jill on her shoulder, seemingly comforting her. "We should probably leave you alone, you need some rest for the time being."

"Rest well." Jill told me with a small smile.

I nodded, mumbled a thank you as I waited for the duo to leave my room. I laid on my bed and shifted to get a more comfortable position, pulling the sheets over my head. Chris and Jill are still talking outside my room in a hushed tone, which I still didn't fail to hear. I don't know how, but I've always had a sharp sense of hearing.

"Let's just give her time, she was so young when Wesker took her. That bastard stole her life."

"Knowing the government, Chris? I'm not so sure if they'll take this lightly, given the circumstances."

"Let's not jump to that. There's still a lot of time before the rehab..." Their voices faded along with their footsteps of retreat. I laid on my back, staring at the dull white ceiling.

After the lab tests, I started rehab. It is now July 2010, a year has passed ever so quickly because I was always occupied with therapies and various labor activities. I pretended to be normal when I'm around other people for the sake of showing them progress but I just can't seem to feel better, not anymore, I guess. Being surrounded by people who didn't really know me has its benefits, they also didn't know how I was before all of this. I'm still passive as the day they met me, and I hope that nobody noticed it. I just want to get out of here and disappear again...

Those were my thoughts as I was watering the flowers on the back of the rehabilitation center, right where the garden was located.

"Cheryl!"

And there I thought that there wasn't anyone I once knew is aware that I still existed, well, I was wrong. Because I just saw a familiar face today. Though, it felt like a lifetime has passed since I have seen his face.