The Fight For Us Part III | Resident Evil |

10 - There's Something in the Water

The cold. Leon can feel it enveloping his skin, his soul. His leather boots might as well be cloth. It's taking a concentrated effort to keep his teeth from chattering. He's not sure why he trusts this stranger so much, he's not particularly dependable looking with his balding head and lazy eye. He's more in line with a bus driver that makes all the parents uncomfortable. The type of driver that makes a parent think twice about letting their kid on the bus. You have a beautiful little girl. He'd say.

But something about him made Leon feel a strange sense of comfort. Perhaps he reminds him of someone. It's only a guess, he can't think of anyone similar. He's never met anyone like him, but he feels familiar. Like he's met him before. Something's strange about him.

They're in the backyard now. Or what's supposed to be a backyard? More of a suggestion than anything. A squared length of fence connects the back wall of the house, but there's nothing besides snow inside its enclosure. White as far as the eye can see, the only color being the gray forest just past the fence. It should be green, but everything looks gray now. All of it. Pale and colorless.

The Lycans are in the forest, just beyond the fence boards. Leon can hear them. Barely. He and the old man are sneaking through his yard, he's never been hunched over like this. Walking while crouched, trying not to be seen. They're heading towards a gate, a connection between the man's house and his friend. Maria.

It's not loud, how could it be? They're practically walking on flour. The only thing that's even slightly audible is the sound of Leon's legs rubbing together as he moves. Nonetheless, the old man repeatedly flicks a glare back to him as they move. The blonde briefly imagines screaming, just out of spite. He imagines how it'd feel to get mauled. Ripped from end to end. To feel a claw pierce your flesh and scrape the bone beneath.

It's while they sneak through the snow Leon thinks of Henry. This seems like something he'd do with him. Henry would get to that gate within seconds, he'd leave Leon in the dust. Sometimes he wishes he was taught how to sneak around better, it seems useful. Is it Henry the man reminds him of? No. Can't be. Henry doesn't look creepy, in fact the older he got the better he looked. This stranger seems like he peaked early in his life, he was probably quite handsome at some point. It's a shame how aging changes our faces. Our skin. Like our bodies are decomposing every day.

When they finally touch the gate a new issue arrives. The sound the rusted hinges will undoubtedly cause upon even brushing against the gate. There's no chance someone regularly oils the hinges. Seems frivolous. They both pause. The strange looks at him with a crooked brow and wide eyes, the two of them crouched just beside the gate like they're about to disarm a bomb. The man mouths something to Leon, but he doesn't catch it. What? He mouths back, the stranger rolls his eyes. Lay down and I'll cover you with snow. He finally catches.

Without any better idea, Leon lies down flat. He holds his breath as the snow is piled on top of him. He didn't need to do that, he could breathe through the flakes. Then it's quiet. He lays there like a rug, only seeing the white of the snow above him. Or maybe it's the sky, they're both pale white. Chances are it's a mix of both. With the majority of his senses numbed, all he does is listen. It sounds like the man is burying himself as well. Then he hears the sound of the gate being thrown open. The creak that shoots out of the hinges makes his body tense, a chill slithering down his spine as he hears the Lycan's howl. A chorus of screeches.

It reminds him of the coyotes they had around the house in Norway. Every night, they'd howl. It scared him, something about the sound. Leon knows he could kill one if it came at him, but some part of him still fears the sound. It's so void of modern life, so primal and animalistic. Like a relic of a time long passed. It's a reminder that only humans seem to have changed all that much. Animals have not.