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

Chapter 13: Pest control

A/N: A beautiful nightmare just hit 5,000 reads today and that is so awesome!!!

----------------------------------------

Bright light stung my eyes as Ashley burst through the door at the top of the staircase, nearly whimpering at the sight of the warm amber glow.

"Leon!" She cried, running straight into his chest and wrapping her arms around him as I cleared the top landing.

I turned, ensuring the door was shut behind us incase any tin men planned to continue their pursuit.

Once I was sure the lock was clicked, I turned and knelt forward, resting my hands on my knees for support. The adrenaline was slowly beginning to seep away from my muscles like the ocean reeling back after a tidal wave.

I sucked in two large breaths, counting the thumps of my heart as I willed the ringing in my ears to stop. The thought of those tendrils leaking out from the cracks in the armor, the spiny joints and slime coated muscle....

Jesus.

Suddenly a hand moved to my shoulder, warmth making my gaze dart up to Leon now standing beside me.

He looked at me like he had just said something.

"What?" I stood up straight again, but his hand didn't drop.

"Are you okay?" His eyes were clouded with concern.

"Yeah, I just...," was almost beheaded by a parasite in steel armor? "developed a very rational fear of the dark."

His fingers tightened, squeezing lightly in a small act of reassurance that immediately made my muscles unwind a fraction.

"Good work." It seemed like he wanted to say more based on the dip of his chin and the steely look in his eye, but nothing else came as he dropped his hand.

"Thanks, but let's get out of here before the guard catches up with us."

Leon's brow lowered, clearly confused by what I'd said before moving past him. Maybe I'd tell him what's down there, but right now I didn't even want to consider it myself.

We moved through the large doors at the back of the room as Ashley downed two of the pills Leon had dropped into her hand. I made sure to keep to Ashley's left, hoping I could distract her from looking at Luis.

I couldn't help it when my own eyes wandered toward the far corner.

He looked so small splayed out on the tile floor The blood had stopped spreading from his corpse, leaving him in even more of a stagnant state. Sadness pinged through me, but it quickly turned to molten rage as my gaze skipped up to the door beyond his corpse. Saddler.

That bastard would pay. Once I was sure Ashley was safe, I'd be coming back here to tear out his throat, not just for Luis but for every person who had once lived in this village. Every person touched by his perverted, holy message.

The area behind the door was a small chamber with incredibly high ceilings and large arched windows at the far end. Green marble columns lined the edges of the walkways, snaking up toward the ceiling while guiding us toward the other side. The green rug ended at some kind of cart that looked like something you'd find at an amusement park.

It was on a set of tracks, the metal and wood of the cabin painted shades of red and white with accents of gold. It looked ridiculous.

"What kind of castle needs a rollercoaster?" I said, watching Leon move toward the cart, a strange expression on his own features.

"The owner of this castle is very...let's say immature." He opened the small cart door and gestured for us to file in.

"You saw him?" I said, plopping down on the surprisingly stiff cushion.