Clear blue sky, trees, singing birds, a stream, the fresh smell of moss…
A man woke up in the middle of a forest, lying on the ground on his back. He just kept staring at the sky. He had no idea where he was, or why he was there; his mind was blank and his head hurt. He rose up to sit and looked around; he could only see trees for miles and a small stream running next to him. His shirt was bloody and it had been ripped in many different places.
What the hell had happened to him?
While trying to remember and ease his confusion, he noticed a handgun close to him. He took it from the ground and it was the only thing that felt familiar right now. After a moment, he realized the gun had a few bullet missing. Why did he have a gun and why did he know how to use it? Why was his shirt bloody and ripped? Questions, all those questions he did not have any answers. A bad feeling started to sneak its way into the man's mind, maybe he had killed someone. No way, it couldn't be, he pushed the whole idea out of his mind, shaking his head.
Getting up and going to the stream, the lost one washed his face and drank some water, hoping his head would clear up with time. But he couldn't stay there in the forest, he knew he had to do something. With that thought, he searched his pockets only to find a memory stick.
"Ingrid Hunnigan…" Leon remembered, whispering the name quietly. That thought in his mind, the man started to walk. He chose a direction, hoping that it would lead him somewhere eventually. He kept the gun, just to be safe, and threw away his shirt. It was easier to say that he didn't have a shirt when he woke up than to try explaining why it was all bloody. He didn't think it was his own blood since he didn't have any wounds, which only made it even more worrisome.
Moss was soft under his feet and sticks made quiet cracking sounds as he stepped over them. The place he had left, slowly got further behind his back, the man couldn't help wondering if he had chosen a wrong direction, maybe he should've followed the stream, at least then he'd have something to drink if he'd get thirsty. Still, he kept his direction and walked until his legs started to hurt. Although he didn't have any memories, for a moment he didn't mind, it was peaceful, he didn't have to think about any problems since his only problem right now was this forest. He listened natures sounds and whistled his own melodies for birds to answer.
Eventually it felt like he had been walking for hours. Maybe he had chosen a wrong direction, he had thought about this option many times but he still kept walking. The forest seemed to continue forever. Suddenly he heard a car, there must be a road close by. Speeding up his steps, he ran towards the sound, hoping that there was someone who could help him.
A barking dog and a baffled driver looked at a man who just came out of nowhere, right in the middle of the road. He just stood there, the car not too far from him. It was a good thing that the driver had fast reflexes otherwise the man with sandy hair would be under that pickup. The man lowered his gaze from the driver and his legs gave out and he fell to the ground. Odd, just a while ago he didn't really feel tired at all, must have been the adrenaline that had kept him going.
The driver came out of the car as the dog still barked inside. He was a chubby man somewhere around his fifties. "Hey, are you okay? What were you doing in the woods? You were lucky to even find this road," the man's voice was startled and worried as he spoke. "What's your name?"
Guy with no shirt didn't answer right away. He just sat there in the middle of the road staring at nothing. Eventually he turned his gaze to the man. "I.. I don't know.. I can't remember," He responded with a fading voice.
"Well we better get you off the road then, get you some help," the man said and helped the stranger back to his feet. "I should have a blanket here somewhere," he muttered and went to look for it. Soon he found it from under the dog and gave it to the man. "You must be cold, my name's Brian." The man, Brian, had a warm smile on his lips as the taller man wrapped the dog smelling yellow blanked around himself.
"Thanks," he muttered. Why didn't he remember even his own name but remembered some woman's name? Hopefully this Ingrid would know more. Brian helped the pale stranger into the car and told the dog to shut up, which he did.
They started driving to somewhere, the lost man didn't really care to ask where. He just wrapped the blanked tighter around himself and looked out of the car window still trying to find his memory. Blank, was all he got.
Something warm and vet went over the sleepers cheek and he startled awake. "Huh..?" he looked around just to get another lick from the dog next to him. "Stop that," he murmured, wiping his face and taking a better look around. All the trees were gone, he was in a city now and the car wasn't moving anymore. A police station, that's where he was. Brian was talking to some cop away from the car and he couldn't hear what he was saying.
He scratched the dog and got out of the car, inhaling the air. It smelled like smoke and gasoline, like all the cities nowadays. Brian and the cop exchanged a few more words before the police approached him.
"I heard you've lost your memory, you got a name?" The policeman asked, sounding a bit concerned. He was a bald man with a slight stubble right under his lower lip, guess he was trying to grow it out. To the stranger it looked ridiculous, but he decided to keep his mouth shut. He wasn't much taller than the nameless one, but his body built was heavier than his.
The man shook his head, "I still don't remember anything about myself." He walked away from the car looking at the cop. There was something familiar in his outfit, maybe he was a cop himself, or a criminal.
"Thanks Brian, we'll handle him from here. I'm sure we can find him a relative or help him remember," the cop said to Brian who just nodded and walked back to his car.
The stranger took the blanket off his shoulders turning and returning it back to the man who had helped him out of the woods. "Thank you," he said once again and smiled slightly.
Suddenly he heard a gun being pulled out of its holster. "Put your hands where I can see them!" It was an order from the cop behind him. He got confused but did as the cop told him to. The policeman came slowly closer to him, telling the man to stay still. Finally the blue eyed man understood why he was ordered around. He had the gun against his back, maybe he should've just left it in the forest. The police took the gun out, throwing it a few meters away. He could hear how he took his handcuffs from his waist and then gripped the man's other wrist and then the other, cuffing him. He didn't say anything. The one cuffed didn't know how he was supposed to explain a gun when he didn't know why he had it.
"Let's go inside then, and hopefully we'll get to know who you are and why you're carrying a gun around." The cop's voice wasn't so concerned anymore. Now it was more reserved, like his whole body language.
He walked along not trying anything. Whoever he was, this was his best shot to figure that out. Right now he wanted that more than anything.
He was taken into some interrogation room where the cuffs were taken off and he was left alone, while the cop he had first met went to notify his superior about the man with no memory but who had a gun.
The room was simple, grey floor, white walls and ceiling. It only had a door, table and two chairs. A lonely lamb was placed on the table.
After a while the cop returned and sat down on the other side of the table. "This man, Brian, already explained where he found you. It was pretty far from everything. Do you have any idea, even a hunch of how you might have gotten there?" There was a wonder in his voice.
Once again the he shook his head. "I just woke up in the middle of trees," he answered.
"What about the gun? Why were you carrying it around? Where did you get it?" Another wondering question the man had no answer. He had a feeling like the cop was little dumb. How could he know the answers if he had no memory? Irritating.
"It was there when I woke up. I don't know, maybe I had it incase I'd run into a bear," He grunted, he had already thought all these questions through. "I remember one thing," he spoke just when the cop was about to ask another dumb question. "Ingrid Hunnigan, that's all I got. I hope she can answer your questions better than I can."
"Ingrid Hunnigan, huh," the cop wrote the name down. "We'll check it. You must be hungry. Someone will bring you something soon," the police said and left to check the name he had been given.
The stranger was given a new blanket and some food to eat. He hadn't realized how hungry he really was before he got food in front of him.
After an hour, the cop came back carrying a bunch of papers. The one waiting looked at him with an interested look. After the cop sat down, he gave a warm smile to him. "I think we know who you are now. Your name is Leon Scott Kennedy and you work as a government agent, which explains the gun. You've been missing for a week after mission gone bad. Sound familiar?"
"No." At least he now had a name again. "What about that Ingrid, who is she?" Leon asked, there was a hope in his voice if she knew who he was. She could be able to help to gain back his memory.
"She appears to be your contact in missions, she'll be here within a day," the cop explained.
Leon had suspected Ingrid to be his girlfriend, but it was good to know that she was someone he knew. Leon nodded to the cop. "It's a relief to know who I am, I still don't remember but now I at least have a better chance to find out." Leon gave him a slight smile.
After the cop was gone, Leon leaned his elbows to the table trying to remember even something small. After a while of hard thinking he had something. "I've graduated from a police academy," Leon spoke aloud to himself. That explains why the police outfit seemed so familiar, he had one once. He was getting somewhere.