"S. D. Perry - Resident Evil 04 - Underworld" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry S. D)

PROLOGUE

Associated Press,October 6, 1998

THOUSANDS KILLED

AS FIRE SWEEPS THROUGH MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY,
MYSTERIOUS ILLNESS MAY BE INVOLVED

NEW YORK, NYтАФThe secluded mountain community of Raccoon
City, PA, has officially been declared a disaster area by state and
federal officials, as dedicated firefighters continue to wage war
against the dying blazes and the death toll continues to rise. It is
now estimated that over seven thousand people were killed by the
explosive fires that raged through Raccoon in the early hours of
Sunday, October 4. It is being called the worst U.S. disaster in
terms of lives lost since the industrial age, and as national aid
organizations and international press flock to the blockades
surrounding the still burning ruins of the city, shocked friends
and family of Raccoon citizens have been gathering, waiting for
word in nearby Latham.

National Disaster Control (NDC) Director Terrence Chavez,
coordinator for the combined efforts of the multiple firefighting

and emergency teams, released a statement to the press last night
stating that barring unforeseen complications, he expects the last
of the flames to be extinguished before midweekтАФbut that it may
be months before the origin of the fire is determined, as well as
whether or not arson was involved. Said Chavez, "The magnitude
of the damage in terms of area alone is going to make finding the
answers a great undertaking, but the answers are there. We will
get to the bottom of this, whatever it takes."

As of 6a.m. today, seventy-eight survivors have been found,
and their names and conditions withheld; they have been
transported to an undisclosed federal facility for observation
and/or treatment. Initial reports by HazMat teams suggest that an
unknown illness may be responsible for the incredible number of
victims, as infected citizens were unable to escape due to the
possibly incapacitating sickness. There is the further suggestion
that the disease may have induced violent psychosis in some of
those infected. Members of private and federal disease-control
centers have called for extending the quarantine boundaries, and
although no official statement has been released, there have been
several "leaked" descriptions of physical and biological abnormali-
ties in many of the victims. Said one source, a worker for a federal
assessment team, "Some of those people weren't just burned or
dead from smoke inhalation. I saw people who'd been killed by
gunshot wounds or stabbings, [and] other forms of violence. I saw