House on The Lake

After hours of driving in silence, their destination was close by and Peter couldn't help but finally ask the hard questions. Shiloh knew it was bound to happen, he deserved a part of the truth. But the whole truth was too much even for her to handle.

"So uh... I'm guessing your full name is Shiloh?"

"Y-Yeah... If you wanna turn me in I get it..."

"No, I wouldn't do that, money doesn't mean a thing to me. But who is after you?"

"Umbrella... They're responsible for all of this."

"Is that why they want you? Because you know?"

"Sort of... They never wanted anyone from Raccoon City to escape, and I did..."

"But why the hell does that matter now? The entire world is infected, one specific survivor won't make a difference!"

"I betrayed them... My family worked for them... I never knew until the infection broke out back home, when my mom told me I knew I had to get out. But I didn't want to go with them either... I don't want to be one of them..."

"So you're just a bad ass runaway, huh?"

"Something like that-"

That answer seemed enough to keep him quiet, at least for the time being. She couldn't help but play that voice back in her head, did he know where she was? But how could he ever know?

More silence followed, another question emerging.

"Uhhh are you sure this is the right road?"

"We're close now..."

Taking a sharp u turn they headed down the bumpy dirt road, nature seeming to have taken over. There were no zombies in sight, a good and a bad thing in one. They travelled down the curvy road for a few minutes, eventually arriving to a small opening, docks and abandoned boats scattered about on the lake.

"Oh hell no I don't do the whole boat thing-"

"We have no choice, it's the only way to get there, unless of course you just want to stay here - by yourself."

"On a second thought I would love to come!"

"That's what I thought ... now help me find a boat that still runs..."

There were 4 boats tied to the dock, four opportunities. She observed each one for damage, eyes widening as she noticed a set of keys on the seat of one of the four, no apparent damage either.

"That's the one!"

Peter just rolled his eyes, carefully jumping into the small boat.

"Now we just hope there's enough gas..."

"W-What! What if we run out in the water-"

"Then we paddle like the old days!"

"Oh god..."

The engine must have been sitting there for months, but after a few tries the engine finally kicked on.

"Now I just have to remember how to get there-"

"Do you even know how to drive this thing?!?"

"Eh, I'll figure it out as I go."

It was only a few minutes before the small piece of land was in sight, an island on the lake with private property signs scattered about on buoys surrounding the waters.

Shiloh slowly brought the boat in to land, careful of hitting any of the sharp rocks.

"Hey Shi, I don't see a house..."

"It's there... don't worry... Jump out and tie us to that tree over there."

"Aye, aye captain!"

"Funny..."

Shiloh joined him on land, leading them through piles of wet sand towards the trees. Once they reached the forestry and made it through, Peters jaw nearly dropped from his face, both taking in the scene before them. In the middle of a circle of trees stood a large white stone mansion, untouched by infection or any invaders.

"Wow, you must of have a really great childhood..."

"I used to think so too, come on!"

To her surprise, the front door was unlocked, there were no other boats surrounding the island so she doubted any of the infected were here. They walked inside, the front room lit only by the sunlight peering in through each stained glass window. White stone statues of various animals lined the staircase before them, almost welcoming them inside. For the first time in months, Shiloh felt completely safe.

"Hey Peter, why don't you get some rest, there's a few rooms up here just pick one."

"Trying to get rid of me already?"

"No, just figured you'd need the rest... I'm sure you've been on the run for a while now..."

"Alright, alright you got me there. Scream if ya need anything."

"I will..."

He picked the first room on the right, conveniently the room she always chose as well. Door shutting behind him, it was time to take a look around.

Shiloh paced the halls, remembering the most precious of her childhood memories all involving this one house. Laughter filled the halls, smells of pies and home cooked dinners all around them. So many fond memories with even more secrets intertwined between them.

She was never allowed access to the attic, always told, That's your daddy's office we can't go in there...

Well it was about damn time she got inside. She peeked in on Peter, already fast asleep. She wanted to badly to join him, she hadn't gotten a good nights sleep in what seemed like years. But now was not the time for rest. Creeping up the back stairway her eyes focused on the familiar red stained door. She didn't have a key let alone even knew where it was, but that wouldn't stop her this time. She wasn't a child anymore and she wasn't going to take no as an answer. Jiggling the doorknob she wasn't surprised - locked as usual. Taking a few steps back she lunged her body weight against the old wooden door, sending the door swinging open with a loud thud.

Praying the noise didn't wake Peter downstairs, she stepped inside eyes peering around the area. The room looked empty for the most part, simply a laptop on a dark wooden desk with a few papers scattered about.

Making her way over to the desk she took a seat, fingers tracing the Umbrella logo over the silver laptop. Prying it open it turned right on. No password - that didn't seem right. The search history had been cleared, no internet access either. After a few minutes of searching she found a few files bookmarked to the homepage, each labeled by numbers.

File 1: a video - man do these people love documenting everything.

Clicking on the file, she waited patiently for the horrors to unfold before her eyes.

A white hospital room, but this didn't look like a typical hospital. A private room, a blinding white, silver medical equipment placed about. Her mom, her so called dad, they seemed happy. The camera moved to the right, revealing a baby wrapped in pink, She's Perfect-

File 2: Yet again, another video.

Clicking on the file - this seemed to be what she was looking for. Shiloh was maybe 3 at the oldest, seated in a small pink chair in a dull grey room. A voice was heard but not seen. Look at the little teddy bear baby, now look at it very closely. You want it don't you? If you look close enough I bet it'll come to you. Come on Shiloh, you can do this... The voice stopped - a teddy bear flying from behind the camera right into my hands. You're learning...

That asshole was training me...

Growing annoyed by the videos she shut the laptop, taking a closer look around the room. Opening the small closet placed in the corner, her eyes instantly drawn to a small box. 'Shiloh'

With shaky hands she unhitched the latch, opening it wide to explore its contents. Inside she found a letter addressed to her, along with a silver plated necklace adorning the Umbrella logo.

Dear Shiloh,

If you're reading this something has happened where you have been separated from your mother. You are old enough now to understand and remember who you are. You must fend for yourself from now on. At this point in time I have been corrupted by Umbrella's schemes by now, do not trust me, they will make me want to capture and hurt you. Once you remember your training, you'll be able to prevail. However, your mother has tried to make you forget it all over the years. Touch the necklace Shiloh, wear it with pride, once you remember you'll be able to take them down.