The Fight For Us Part III | Resident Evil |

2 - Maryland

| December 6th, 2014 |

"Can you pick up dinner? It's just down the road." Aunt Sherri hollers from the kitchen,
"Yeah, no problem," Leon replies, taking his keys from the entryway bowl. He's been meaning to get out of the house for a few days now, he's just been busy helping out. They had a leak he helped his uncle Mike patch, and that took a whole day. It didn't feel like a day though, more so a minute. A moment that passed quick enough he's starting to question if it even happened—a scrape on his arm proves its authenticity.

Leon pats his pockets the way dads do before they leave anywhere, to check for this specific occasion. He doesn't have his wallet on him, it must be upstairs in his bedroom. He wouldn't leave it anywhere else. "Damn." He mumbles to himself, as slow and steady steps trudge him up the carpeted staircase. Leon's always hated carpet, it's musty, and it can't be cleaned when something is spilled on it—without soaking it in water that will surely produce a mildewed odor within a few hours. It's too much for a soft floor.

He ignores the weird sensation of walking on carpet in shoes in order to get to his bedroom. It's just to the left of the stairs. It feels weird heading back to his room when he's about to leave, usually it's the opposite. The bedroom is the finish line for the day. An end zone to be cherished, but all that can be retconned by a forgotten wallet.

His room is a guest room, with one window, a queen-sized bed, a dresser, and one nightstand with a lamp set a top of it. Like a hotel room, he's put up some things to make it feel more like home. Some books, his favorite throw blanket, small stuff. The majority of the stuff he took from Norway is held in a storage unit a few miles away, and it'll be there until he finds somewhere new to live. But why leave? Rose is happy, his aunt and uncle are happy, it's good here. Simple.

Leon pulls open the top drawer of his nightstand—he doesn't use the bottom one on account of its missing handle, it's where his wallet usually is. It's where he puts it sometimes. When he's tired and doesn't care about how difficult it'll be to find it tomorrow. With a bit of annoyance at his past self Leon starts to dig in the drawer. He tosses old paperwork out to the way, a magnet he got at a bar downtown that was apparently trying to spread the word of their lukewarm beers, a fortune cookie that's been crushed to bits, an old alarm clock, dumb things.

In the midst of his searching however, his hand hits the bottom of the drawer with an audible tap. He keeps a photo there, and sure enough as he brought his fingers together he squeezed onto an old Polaroid just light enough that he wouldn't crumple it. He takes it out, looking down at a photo he sighs.

It's Henry, holding Rose.

He took this photo of him by surprise. Henry was outside wandering around with her, he used to talk to her like she could understand the words he was saying. Leon can't remember what they were doing outside but nonetheless, he took the picture. Henry flipped around to give a smile strained by surprise. That was a good day. Leon thinks to himself with a slight smirk.

It's as Leon runs his thumb across the photo he drops it, he's looking for his wallet. This isn't the time for a trip down memory lane. He stuffs the image back to the bottom of the drawer and slams it shut loudly, Taking a moment to gather himself he scans his room like a robot for it. And he spots his wallet sitting gently on his dresser within seconds. "Gotcha."

Ready to head out, Leon hurries down the stairs as if he's attempting to run from the photo. He's not even sure why he kept it. It's not healthy—he knows that. Henry and him... They're done. It doesn't do any good to remind himself about what happened. What Henry did to him and Rose. How he left them to rot. Leon wants to wander down the hall into Rose's room but she's out cold. Shouldn't wake a four-year-old—because the times when they sleep are blessings. He has her favorite stuffed giraffe in his pocket for when she does wake up though.