Mechanical Animals: Resident Evil 4

4

Rose made her way through the tunnel, alone. It was littered with corpses, and it encouraged her to keep going and to move a little faster. Dead bodies meant that Leon had been this way. She had to be close. She kept checking the map, and he'd stayed dormant at the church. She hoped that was a good sign. Thanks to the painkillers and the herb, she was in less pain, but still, she limped from the dull bone ache that would never fully go away. Every step was a struggle, but she pushed forward, driven by the need to survive and reunite with Leon. The tunnel seemed endless, but finally, she saw a flickering blue light ahead.

"That's...strange," she mumbled to herself. Emerging from the tunnel, she found herself at a dock with a makeshift shop set up. Her heavy footsteps seemed to echo in the cavern, making being stealthy completely out of the question. She forced herself up the three wooden stairs and turned to the left to see a mysterious figure dressed in a dark cloak, watching her with shining orange eyes. Her grip tightened on her gun, but he stayed completely still, watching her with an unsettling gaze. When he made no move to attack her, she cautiously stepped forward. "Hola," she said in Spanish, not sure of the likelihood of him knowing English. She knew most countries were bilingual by now, but there was always that exception. She couldn't say how she could tell, but she thought the man grinned underneath the cloth that covered half his face.

"Hello, pretty stranger," he replied in a cheery, gravelly voice. "Might I interest you in some o' my wares?" He pulled his cloak aside, revealing several boxes of ammo, grenades, and first aid sprays. Decked out on the table before him were various gun parts, vests, knives, and whole guns. She walked up, interested indeed. Was that an RPG up on the shelf behind him? Her mouth dropped open, a shiver running down her spine as she imagined ganado's shooting missiles at her. There's just no way.

"Could always use more ammo," she admitted, and he nodded, pulling out a red box and pushing it across the table towards her.

"That'll be 50 PTSAS, pretty. Hehehe."

Her eyes widened. She hadn't even thought to check for the money she'd gathered here and there throughout the day. Thankfully, she'd managed to retain everything she'd been knocked out with. Odd, she thought. The bag of Spanish money jingled as she pulled it out and dumped a handful in her palm, holding it out for the merchant. He laughed lowly again, amused by something she could only guess at. "Here," he said suddenly and out of nowhere, pulling out a fresh, clean vest.

"I can't pay for that," she said. The only thing she had on her that might be enough was the bangle, but really, she didn't want to give that up. It looked so pretty on her.

"Heheheh it's on the house. I've no use for it, and your friend already bought it's mate."

Rose's pulse slowed to almost a relieved pace. He had to have been talking about Leon. It was unnerving that this random merchant knew they were supposed to be together, but it was further reaffirmation that he was okay. "I can't just take it," she argued, though she could admit to herself that the extra layer of protection was very appealing.

"Consider it a gift," the merchant insisted, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he once again pushed it towards her. "You'll need all the help you can get out there."

Rose hesitated for a moment longer before finally accepting the vest. "Thank you," She said, stripping off her torn jacket and securing the vest over her. She felt a little more secure with it on, almost like she could breath a little easier. With renewed determination, she turned towards the far ladder with the intention of heading up. The merchant's voice stopped her before she could.

"You're on the right track for what you seek," he said. "Be careful. Even those with special blood can lose their way."

Rose's brow furrowed as she looked back at him. "What do you mean? What special blood?"