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

Chapter 21: Soft landing

Shots rang out, pushing me to run faster down the hall after Leon. The corridor opened up to a wider area with wall lined in electrical circuits, wiring, and rust staining leaking from the ceiling. The main corridor gave rise to a few offshotting hallways, like each of the rooms they led to were identical. A voice erupting from nearby had me moving toward the first hall on the right.

"Leon!" Ashley's voice cried as I turned the corner. The hinges of a door squealed as Leon swung open the door to Ashley's cell. 

She barrelled into him, the impact forcing him to take a step back as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her arms were smeared with new dirt markings, and one of the sleeves of my leather jacket still hanging around her had been ripped off. 

"Are you okay?" Leon asked, using a hand to pat her on the back.

She began to nuzzle into his neck like a love sick puppy. My gaze instantly dropped to the floor, where the ganado Leon followed was stretched across the ground, a bullet wound between his eyes.

Suddenly another barreling force slammed into me, and Ashley was wrapping her arms around me and offering me the same grateful treatment she'd given to Leon.

"Thank you for coming," She said, letting out a sigh of relief. I held back a small laugh and brushed the top of her head.

"I think it's time we got you out of here," I replied, grip tightening on her back. 

"That sounds great," She half laughed, pulling away to look at my face, "I really need a shower."

"Yes you do," I smiled, swiping a thumb across her cheek and further smearing the streak of dirt there, "I need two."

Her smile widened a fraction, but was gone in an instant as the squeal of hinges erupted from somewhere in the main corridor. Voices flooded the space as Leon darted past us, eyed whipping to the far end of the hall. 

"Company, we need to move!" He called, raising his weapon and firing into what must be a crowd of ganados. 

I grabbed Ashley's hand and towed her out into the corridor back toward the control room we had just left. My gaze went back to Leon even as I hauled Ashley forward. He was backing toward, us firing into a crowd at the other end of the hall. I spotted the glow of stun rods and shine of body armor, but my eyes only stalled when I locked onto a splash of milky red. 

The ganado that had thrown Ashley to the ground and switched off the camera was near the front, only a few bodies deep in the crowd. He had a sneer on his face, darkened teeth peeking out from behind his chapped lips. 

That son of a bitch. Anger built in my chest and It was a real effort to not run straight toward him and slam his head into the nearest wall. But I couldn't. I had to get Ashley to safety, and I can't let rage get in the way of that.

Ashley tugged on my hand, seemingly noticing my frozen, hateful gaze as she took the lead and pulled me toward the door. I let out a snarl of annoyance as I tore my eyes away from the crowd and took off down the hall. 

We arrived back in the control room and my eyes instantly fell to the corpse on the floor, and the growing pool of blood beneath it. My stomach coiled looking at the devastating condition I'd left his body in. The space between his neck and head was torn open, gaping for anyone who passed to see.

Leon slammed the hall door shut behind us, and threw his weight into the closest locker with a grumble of exertion. One should was all it took to topple the metal box, creating a temporary barricade from the mob following us.

Ashley shrieked, drawing my attention to the stairwell at the other end of the room. A ganado was entering the control room, a makeshift shield made from a blank sheet metal and glass held out in front of him. He was flanked by two more bodies turning onto the final landing of the stairwell.