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

Chapter 25: A disillusioned pawn

The ladder at the end of the tunnel deposited us on an overlooking peak outside. The chilled air caressed my wrist, numbing some of the ache radiating through my arm. The gloomy sky overhead was painted a dark mosaic of swirling grays and whites.

We walked the path leading down the peak, stopping as we spotted the tops of tents. I peered over the rock we took cover by.

"It doesn't look like anyone's home," I said, watching the small streams of smoke drift away from the embers.

"Let's hope they stay gone," Leon said, rising up and continuing down the path toward the cliffside campsite.

The tents swayed lightly in the breeze as we walked through the area. There were stray piles of crates and pallets but no beds. The smell of salt swirled through the camp, the scent only growing stronger as the waves below crashed into the rocks. After a moment of taking in the surroundings,my eyes caught onto something inside one of the tents.

I pushed the tent flap aside and walked in, my eyes locked on an unloaded rocket launcher. It was old, and used, judging by the erosion of the letters and scuffed metal.

Anger bubbled beneath my skin, and I snatched the empty weapon. Leon watched me stomp toward the edge of the cliff, confusion painted across his face for a moment before he saw the launcher in my grasp.

I stopped at the edge and hurled the weapon over the cliff. Little satisfaction came as I watched it be swallowed by the turbulent waves far beneath us.

This camp was here to fire at any oncoming helicopters. Our surveillance drones. Our evac.

I turned away from the water and stormed past the remaining tents farther down the trail. Leon followed, not uttering a single word as he did.

The trail wrapped around the edge of the island, depositing us on a small cliff overlooking a set of ruins. Sandstone pillars, walls and buildings worked together to create an entanglement with varying levels of disarray.

"You know, I'm getting real tired of this maze crap?" I growled as Leon took in the area.

"You and me both," he sighed.

"After you," I nodded, gesturing toward the ground a few yards beneath us.

He gave me a small smile that chipped away at my anger before dropping down onto the stone below. I followed, my feet hitting the sandstone with a hard thud.

From this close I could make out the hieroglyphics along the stone, the small pictures were waning away on the aging stone. We walked along the path of broken pillars and deteriorating walls. The moon casted an ominous glow over the ruins, making shadows twitch among the rocks.

"So you found yourself another partner," a gravelly voice called over the wind. Leon flinched, his attention pulling to the tower to our right.

A sudden orange glow painted the stones, originating from the stone tower overlooking the ruins. Jack Krauser stepped out from one of the tower walls, a flaming torch in his grasp. His chest was bare now, but the gash Leon left along his muscles was nothing more than a light pink scar.

"What the hell," I mumbled.

Krauser's eyes found mine like he had heard me, his eyes predatory like a wolf hunting a rabbit. Red streaks were painted down his face, like war paint, that could very well be blood.

"Where's Ashley?" Leon yelled over the wind, dragging Krauser's attention back onto him.

"You really wanna know?" A smile pulled at his thin lips. "She's over that gate,'' he said, throwing his head over his shoulder. He took a few more steps along the stone pathway, and touched the flame to a standing brazier. The flame ignited, casting the area in a flickering light.