𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐝 || Leon Kennedy (re4)

i.xiv - STALL

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You were trapped.

A man stood on the very top of the stone walls. A damp, deep red robe that covered his face. A horned skull on top of the hood. A lantern attached to a wooden stick that he waved around, the stray embers fading out the more the air hit them. You felt an immediate wave of uneasiness.

"Shit." Leon cursed, eyeing the man before turning his gaze to a thumping sound behind a wooden door that was sealed by a bar through the handles.

The door shattered, wood going everywhere. Leon pushed you behind him, shielding the both of you from getting hit by the wood and the dirt and debris. A billow of dirt turned into a giant smoke like cloud. Your eyes had gone wide momentarily, not enjoying whatever was to come at any second. The buildup couldn't bring anything good, and you only imagined the worst in this situation.

"Run." He said without turning back.

"What?" You scoffed. You didn't want to leave him alone, especially if there was nowhere for him to escape.

"Can you climb?"

"I guess."

"Climb the wall, and run to the church. I'll meet you there."

You backed away a few steps from the ever-growing cloud of smoke ahead of you and Leon. Once again, a fleshy looking monster with blood and minimal tattered clothing covering its deformed body. This was something you hadn't prepared for. "What will you do?" You wanted to shout and protest and tell him he was an idiot. The words ledged in your throat.

"I'm going to stall it." Leon dug around in his pocket before throwing the church key to you, turning his immediate attention to the creature ahead.

YOUR POV:

I was frozen before I realized what I needed to do.

"I promise I'll come find you, wouldn't die on you now." Leon shouted, pulling out his gun. "Well, godamn, you're a big boy." He mocked the creature. Causing me to laugh under my breath and continue my sprint to the stone wall. It was a jagged wall, crevices for me to place my foot into and grab onto to hoist myself up. I remembered the path to the church. A little bit. Key details I'd mapped in my mind and the landmarks were separate. The landscape was fuzzy as I remembered it but at least I had something to work with.

One foot into a missing slot where the brick would be, I grabbed onto another brick that was loose and pulled myself up. Once again, my other foot this time, onto a brick hanging out, grabbing onto yet another surface. The rough texture of the concrete like structures tore at the skin on my palms and fingers.

My eyes were planted at the top. Where I needed to be. Escape was close and I fought against the urge to look back and search for Leon. Don't be a distraction. To yourself or him. One glance at the brick I held onto...then back to the top.

The figure that loomed over me...

"I was wondering where you ran off to." His scratchy voice sent shivering down my spine. Anger fueled me while I continued to climb up. He let out a laugh, a one mocking my attempt to escape this alive. But I would. For Leon's sake. Not much for my own. If it gave me a fraction of a chance to kill the man now standing at the top of the wall, then I'd have some sort of reason to still be breathing after this ordeal. Fight. Survive.

"I'm going to skin you alive when I get up there." I said through gritted teeth. Mere seconds away from getting to the top. I was close to freedom. Close to revenge and escape.

The ground shaking from the beast before didn't help my case, but gunshots proved that Leon was putting up a good fight. At least he was still breathing. He was fighting. So, I had to do the same. A gravelly chuckle fell from the man's lips, as if he could read my hopeful thoughts and mocked the very idea. "No, dear, your to be executed under new orders."

"I thought you needed me alive." I was struggling to hold my weight with my already weakened state. One more pull up, one last hoist and I could breathe a little easier, before being thrust back to the worst danger id have to face. My past.

"Not anymore with your infected blood. You're tainted. That virus our little friend injected into you; it's eating you from the inside out. But as for your partner," he looked over to a struggling Leon, "that works slower and less painfully."

"You little fuck." My hand gripped the top of the wall, but of course he had a trick up his sleeve. He pulled a jagged, rusty knife from under his robe and spinning it between his paled, skinny, boney fingers. I had nothing but simmering rage inside my bones that kept me going. All pain and exhaustion merged to form something that was pure hatred. The yearning for revenge that suited my desire for his demise. 

He harshly lodged the blade between my fingers, causing me to draw back and almost fall from the wall, hanging off by now one hand. I slung my arm up and began scrambling to use my legs to my advantage. Despite the almost fragile and injured state of things...I wasn't fragile like glass, I was fragile like a bomb.

He ran the blade over dorsal side of my hand, causing me to cry out in pain. The more I tried to grip the wall against the slicing and burning, blood seeped from my ripping flesh. I wouldn't keep my eyes on the waterfall of crimson any longer.

I hoisted myself up and threw my leg over, barely hanging on and trying to push my body up further. He stopped the carving and backed away, giving me the benefit of the doubt and allowing me to climb up. He had a sick joy in watching the hope leave my eyes. But I refused to give the satisfaction of watching me fail. 

So, I'll win.

I'd drowned out the pained cry of the creature and the shots Leon took. The sound of fire fueled bullets and the stench of rot and smoke. The monster slammed into the wall, causing me to hold onto the stone as hard as I could, scratching my fingers raw to a new layer of skin, ripping a very top of my nails, exposing the tender, bloody skin beneath.

"See, lamb, you're climbing to your slaughter."

I fought back the fearful and pained tears that wanted to spill. I needed them to stay back. No weakness. Don't show it. Kill. Kill. Kill.

I finally managed to stand while my knees buckled, my muscles stiff when I tried to balance against the shaking. My eyes fell to Leon struggling but beating the grotesque monster in the ring. The sounds of pain that left the beast were a good sign. He was winning. 

I pulled out the gun Leon lent me, taking a shot. I missed. One step closer, knife in hand while he stalked towards me like some helpless prey. Another shot. It hit the stone under his feet. He didn't so much as falter.

"So, who's the American? Care to tell?"

"My partner." I said through gritted teeth, holding the gun steady. The third shot missed him again when that monster slammed against the wall. I wasn't sure what was going on down there and if I looked again, it would surely be my downfall. I didn't want Leon to die because of me. My incompetence.

"Partner?" He scoffed, taking another step. "How could he possibly aid you? You are nothing but a burden on the dead man's shoulders." His words sunk into my ears, but rather than sink they practically stabbed me. A blow to my soul once I realized he was right.

"He isn't going to die." I retorted, taking several deep breaths while backing away, almost losing my footing on the stone below me. Shit. I was trembling as much as the wall was already shaking. "He's already dead when he gets to Salazar." He let out a wicked laugh.

My last bullet.

Three.

Two.

One.

Fire.