A Twisted Fantasy (Leon Kennedy X OC) [BOOK 2]

Chapter 4: Start Praying

eeeep long chapter, but I couldn't find a good break. Enjoy!

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We exited the house, our pace quickened by what Leon had seen. Another person here can't be a coincidence. If it's not someone who is looking to steal Ashley themselves, it's someone hunting for whatever virus is causing this insanity. 

I'd been naïve to think Umbrella had been alone in their viral experimentation. While they may have been the leading name in bioweapon development, they were by no means the only ones. Even the trials that stretched on for years hadn't been enough to stop some of their stray employees from whisking away with research or samples. 

We need to get Ashley before anyone else has the chance to.

We began down the dirt trail leading back to the village, no sign of Mendez or our mystery woman. The biting cold and crows flying overhead left a daunting presence over the barren landscape and distant brick homes.

I slowed as we neared the gate back to the village, the distant crackle of wood barely audible over the thrum of the wind. "Let's take the scenic route," I said, hopping the small wooden fence on the edge of the path. We didn't want the villagers to be down our throat before we could work out a plan, especially if Mendez had warned them of Leon's escape.

The light slosh of leaves told me Leon trailed a few feet behind me. I resisted the urge to look back at him, like he would somehow disappear if I dared blink. I can't believe it's him. It's like I've fallen into another one of my turbulent nightmares, complete with hunky sidekick, lost girl and ravenous locals.

I ducked low as we arrived at the weathered stone wall at the edge of the village. The sounds of shuffling footsteps and quiet murmurs radiated from the center of town, kept hidden by the building in front of us. Based on the sound of water sloshing and the creak of a wheelbarrow, it seems they'd all returned to work. Are these people equally as crazy as the ones from the gorge? They must be if they could watch some of their neighbors drag two men through the center of town in broad daylight without batting an eye. And that's not even mentioning the charred cop in the middle of their workspace.

I faced Leon as he crouched next to the wall, "Any idea where this secret passage is?" Maybe Luis had given him more details than me.

He scanned the village in front of us, "Nope."

"Great," I whispered, facing forward again. There's probably a hundred places it could be, and with the sun sinking lower and lower at our backs we didn't have the luxury of time.

We stared in silence for a few moments, looking for any clues on where this passage could be. A bell tower, a few stray firewood storage pits, and some kind of storage shed. Maybe we should search inside--all other consideration dropped from my mind as my eyes landed on the metal door leading into the stone building a few yards away. 

A small carved symbol was mounted on the door, almost identical to the key in my pocket.

I pulled out the small metal key and held it up to the door to confirm my suspicion before using it to point at the door, "I doubt this is a coincidence."

His gaze bounced from the key in my hand, to the door, then out toward the village center. He nodded, looking back at me, "Alright, we make a break for it, but if it comes down to it are we holding our ground or running?"

I weighed the options in my head before I settled on a course of action, "We're gonna wing it," I shrugged.

"Wing it?" He repeated, the corner of his lip curling in disbelief like I'd said something completely foreign to him.