𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 - 𝘙𝘌𝘚𝘐𝘋𝘌𝘕𝘛 𝘌𝘝𝘐𝘓 2 𝘙𝘌𝘔𝘈𝘒𝘌✓

❖ 07. 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯

Leon slowly pushed the thick metal door open, hoping to follow the mysterious woman from earlier. The door swung open, making a clang as it hit the wall beside it. The two entered a short hallway leading to a darker area of the RPD. If there could be such a thing.

Chloe held her gun in one hand with her flashlight in the other. She dragged the light across the hallway, searching for any unwanted attention.

Leon frowned as he approached another short, much darker hallway. Metal-barred cells with white chipped paint attempting to cover the ugly steel lined the corridor. Evidently, it was the jail. The jail used not to house criminals, but the infected too far gone.

A zombie suddenly lunged at the bars of one of the cells, growling loudly as her rotten hands gripped and scratched at the cell. She glared at the two with her beady white eyes. She could do nothing to get to them, but she sure as hell tried.

Chloe looked over at the zombie and winced. Although she had grown somewhat used to seeing fellow citizens devoid of life by now, it never necessarily got easier.

"Gross..." Leon commented under his breath as he examined the disarray of the jail. He swept his flashlight over the perimeter, the light catching a few more pairs of beady eyes. "Oh, there's more of them? How many got locked down here?!"

"...Not sure. I wasn't the one down here." Chloe replied flatly, "But whoever was should've known it was no use."

He sighed, "Well, stay in the middle of the hallway. We don't need to waste bullets on them if they're already confined." He gestured toward his side as if asking her to join him.

Chloe nodded, "Right." She took a few quick steps to match Leon's pace.

They were quickly approaching the end of the corridor. A much larger cell sat nestled in the corner, with a singular barred window shining with the dimmest light. Much to their surprise, though, it contained an unaffected human. A human!

It was a middle-aged man with a keycard hanging from his neck. He had foggy glasses sitting lopsidedly on the bridge of his nose. His clothes were clearly dirty, perhaps from struggle or just general poor hygiene. His hair was graying and disheveled. In between his fingers, he held a cigarette with fresh smoke wafting into the air. For the most part, he looked to be in one piece.

"Hello?" Leon called, holstering his gun and approaching the bars.

"I don't believe it. Real humans!" The man exclaimed, getting up from the hard bench he sat on and approaching the bars. He rested his forearms against them, glancing between the two. "Hello humans!"

Chloe slid her gun into her belt, "You been here long?"

The man looked over at her, "Long enough. Are we the last ones alive?"

"No, no, there's a few of us..." Leon replied, shaking his head.

The man held a small grin on his face, "Oh... that's good news, I guess." He cleared his throat, "Unless, of course, Irons sent you."

Her eyes widened, "Chief Irons..."

The man nodded, "Exactly. You hear of him?" He looked down, spotting the S.T.A.R.S badge hooked to her belt. He lost his smile. "Guess you have."

She narrowed her gaze, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Leon raised a brow, "Is Chief Irons still around?"

"Who cares. Hopefully, he's somebody's dinner by now."

Chloe and Leo exchanged a glance before Leon shifted his weight slightly, "What do you mean by that?"