𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 - 𝘙𝘌𝘚𝘐𝘋𝘌𝘕𝘛 𝘌𝘝𝘐𝘓 2 𝘙𝘌𝘔𝘈𝘒𝘌✓

🖇️21. 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦?

The Tyrant stood high and mighty above the two survivors. He wasn't wearing his famous fedora this time, and his trenchcoat was in tatters. But he was alive and well nonetheless. His huge fists were clenched so tight one could see every minuscule muscle in his fingers. He was back for revenge.

Leon quickly grabbed Chloe's arm and ran for the Greenhouse Control Room to find their way back to that massive atrium and over to the West Area. But their escape was quickly blocked by several mutant plant zombies in their way. They growled loudly, charging at the two as their wooden arms and leafy veins cast an eerie shadow over their deformed figures.

Chloe reached back and unclipped her flamethrower, loading it with a new canister before pulling the trigger at the monsters. They all caught ablaze, collapsing to the ground at their feet within a minute. Their bodies writhed and squirmed in agony. Shrieks of pain filled the large Greenhouse as they rivaled their weakness.

Even in their angst, one of the zombies managed to reach out, its branch-like fingers wrapping around Leon's ankles and pulling him to the ground. Leon's eyes widened as his back hit the catwalk below, dragging a groan from his lips.

"Chloe!" He yelled, grabbing his knife and slicing the hand away from his ankle. "We need to keep moving!"

Chloe pulled the trigger again on a stubborn mutant who was eagerly clawing at her feet. She looked back at Leon, "You don't think I know that?!"

Leon rolled his eyes and pushed himself to his feet, taking out his shotgun and loading a few shells into it. He cocked it back and moved in front of Chloe. "He's gaining on us fast!"

She aimed the flamethrower at another one of the mutants, stepping on fallen ash and char as she plowed her way through the small hoard. Leon aimed his shotgun at the fast-approaching Tyrant before pulling the trigger and firing a shell into his chest. It stunned the monster for a split second until it kept charging forward.

Chloe unscrewed an empty gas canister from the flamethrower and loaded a new one in. One of the zombies managed to grab her wounded arm. Its wooden fingers suddenly dug into her makeshift bandage, firing a searing pain through her entire limb. Her eyes widened and she let out a scream, ramming the butt of the flamethrower into the zombie's head and burning it to a crisp.

Leon looked back when he heard Chloe's scream. "Are y-" He could barely start his sentence before a large hand suddenly shoved him out of the way. 

He yelped in surprise as his body was thrown into the thin metal railing of the catwalk. He barely caught himself before he fell, his back smacking right into the steel as the wind was knocked out of him. He gasped, his shotgun falling out of his grip and clattering to the ground. 

She turned when she heard Leon's body hit the railing. "Leon!" She called out for him, letting the trigger go as she reached out to help him. She sorely misjudged her proximity to the Tyrant.

Suddenly, she felt a large hand clasp around her neck. Her airway was sealed shut as she gasped for another breath. Her body was lifted into the air, her legs dangling as her hands grasped desperately at its fingers to get loose. Her nails dug into the thick flesh but to no avail.

She choked and groaned as she tried to pull air in. Her vision was becoming spotty, and she could only make out the Tyrant's white, lifeless eyes.

Leon's expression was incomparable to any other emotion a person could convey. Fear, anger, longing, worry, pain... A whirlwind of feelings all piled into one split-second moment. This time, they didn't have Ada to help them out of this predicament. 

"Chloe!" He yelled, pushing himself off the catwalk and grabbing his shotgun again. He cocked it back, firing a few shells at the Tyrant in an attempt to at least deter it.