A Sanguine Vision (Leon Kennedy x OC) [BOOK 4]

Chapter 5: Bullets & Bourbon

The glass wall at our backs exploded as my shoulder hit the floor. The symphony of bullets thunked into the wood of the column I dove behind, each one whistling a fatal note mere inches from my head. The barrage of bullets tore through the dining room, shredding tables and chairs and peppering the walls with quarter sized holes.

The vases and painting on the walls exploded, sending more debris flying in every direction.

My head snapped to the side, eyes locking onto Chris, Leon and Patricio pressed against the next column a few feet away. Leon pressed his hands into Patricio's torso, fingers painted a bright scarlet with his eyes firmly pinned on me

Chris' own gaze was wild as he surveyed me, clearly assessing for any potential damage. When he found none, his eyes snapped toward the hall Rebecca had disappeared down.

Shit–Rebecca.

Shit–Her research.

I turned, daring a glance around the column and getting a better look at the squad that had surprised us.

A tank of a man was wielding the minigun, his shoulders impossibly broad and his face adorned with a thin wall of metal, leaving only two small holes for eyes and a few small slits for his mouth. He was surrounded by half a dozen men, each wielding their own assault rifles at the ready, no doubt scanning for any surprise flanks or civilians fleeing the chaos.

Glass bottles exploded at the bar, snagging my gaze for only long enough to recognize the limp corpse of the bartender, his body turned to a bloody pulp by the high caliber rounds.

Son of a bitch.

I pressed back into the column, taking another deep breath before peaking once more.

Rebecca's laptop and the vial of blood were barely visible through the remnants of the table we'd been sitting at just a few moments ago. Both were still somehow intact among the debris.

We can't lose the research or notes. Rebecca had downloaded a ton of research from the private server onto her laptop to stop any further leaks. Without that computer we risk losing thousands of lives while we fumble to recover the research.

The firing squad didn't show any sign of slowing, but they were focusing on the other side of the room, no doubt hoping the bullets would reach through the column Leon and Chris were hiding behind.

Perhaps that would be enough time...

There was another column just a few feet beyond the laptop. I could make it, I'd just have to be fast.

I spared a glance back at Chris, who had been following my wandering gaze and seemingly deciphered my plan, "DON'T–"

Leon only had time to glance up from Patricio, who'd been mumbling something to him before I was diving out toward the laptop.

Chris' order fell on deaf ears as I slammed into the laptop, slowing down only long enough to scooped the items into my grasp and power forward. The gunman and his squad must have noted my move, because the rhythm of bullets flickered for just a second as he removed his finger from the trigger to shift his aim.

I was moving, but the time it took to grab the laptop and blood had stalled my momentum. The barrel was already spinning, the mechanism singing once again.

Before I could hit the deck, something slammed into my back, giving me the push I needed to slide to the ground behind the column. I kept a tight grip on the laptop and vial as I rolled onto my back, finding Leon on top of me.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" He snarled.

I blinked as warmth dribbled onto my shoulder. My gaze shot to my side, finding the stream of blood pouring from Leon's arm where a bullet had grazed him.