If I Lose Myself (Resident Evil 4)

Close Calls

"Who was that woman? Who is this 'Wesker' you were talking about?" I asked Leon.

"Her name is Ada, Ada Wong. We met during the Racoon City incident. You've heard of that right?" he asked. I nodded, vaguely remembering Jack talking about it.

"We helped one another out a couple times. Turns out she's working for Wesker. Albert Wesker is head of the Umbrella Corporation..."

"Who were responsible for what happened at Racoon City, correct?" I interrupted. He said yes.

"He's partly responsible for the creation of BOWs, which are bio-organic weapons. I get this is probably hard to follow."

"No, I think I understand. A little at the very least. So Ada sometimes is an ally. Albert Wesker is not," I paraphrased Leon's explanation. Once again he said yes.

"Why is she also here in Spain? An assignment for Umbrella perhaps?" I asked.

"I wouldn't doubt it. Do you know if we're any closer to Ashley?" I gave a slight nod. 

"I believe we are close," I said uncertainly. Leon looked annoyed at my answer. Guilt washed over me. Leading Leon through the castle had already been difficult. True I knew my way around much of the castle, but we were entering unknown territory. I did not tell him this. He already had a heavy burden weighing him down. He did not need me to tell him I was unsure of where we were going.

I led him into the next part of the castle. We fought our way through a small group of Ganados. Directly across the room was a door with no handle. It looked like it would slide out of the way if we figured out a correct combination or solved another worthless puzzle. However, there was another corridor we could venture down. Though I had a feeling Leon would want to investigate this closed off room.

"Do you think these signs are a clue?" Leon asked. I shrugged, looking over a ledge next to the door. Knowing Ramon, they probably were. I glanced up, catching sight of a painting of a feast that hung on the wall opposite of me. Suddenly an idea came into my head.

"Can you read those again?" I asked. He did and I repeated the words over and over in my brain.

"The wine bottle, can you hit it?" I concluded. Leon questioned my conclusion with a gaze of beautiful eyes. Eyes someone could get lost in... stop it Amor!

He did what I asked. The bottle shattered, leaving a blood red stain on the painting, if that was what it actually was.

The door lifted itself, allowing us to enter a room the color of a ruby. A chest sat on a pedestal in the center of the room. Suspicion plagued my being as Leon stepped tentatively into the room.

*Leon POV*

Amor made no move to follow me into the room. She was clearly opposed to entering. I didn't blame her. Something felt off about this room. Hell, something felt off about this whole place. But that chest could hold something important. It could be another emblem for the wall that prevented me from going forward when I first entered the castle.

Cautiously I moved deeper into the room. And then there was a crash. A cage surrounded me and Ganados surrounded the cage. A group of them turned to move toward Amor.

"Amor, get outta here!" I yelled. She didn't hesitate turning on her heel and running off. The group of Ganados followed her, but I knew she was smart enough to get away from them. 

I ready my shotgun, preparing to shoot off the lock that prevented me from leaving the cage. And then there was the sound of someone landing on the floor. I turned to see another blind, clawed giant. Just my god damn luck.

*Amor POV*

As soon as Leon told me to run, I did exactly that. Which left me where I am now. Nearly sprinting down the corridor we passed to enter the trap room. Five, maybe six Ganados were following me at a relatively fast pace. My one mistake, thinking the hallway was long.

A door blocked my path. Of course I attempted to open it, as most of the doors were unlocked. This door wasn't locked, but jammed.

"No, no," I cried panically. The Ganados slightly slowed, but this door needed to open or I would be returned to Ramon's, or worse, Saddler's clutches. Neither of those seemed appealing as of late.

With a final burst of energy I rammed my shoulder into the door. It opened and I wasted no time in bolting through the door. The Ganados must have heard the door shut behind me because they resumed their quick pace. I cleared the room and ran for the door on the other end of the room. I twisted the knob and I thought I was about to die of a heart attack.

This door was locked.

"Esto no puede estar pasando," I cried quietly in Spanish. The uneven footsteps were closer now. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a small cabinet. It was quite small, but so was I. Squeezing into it was a bit more of a challenge then I thought. It was a tight fit but it worked for my purpose.

The door was thrown open and through the smallest crack I saw the Ganados. They did not stay long. They ran out of my line of sight. The smallest click of a lock could be heard and their footsteps left again. The door was shut behind them. I waited a minute or two, then crawled out. I checked the door they went through only to find they locked it again. 

The door I had come through was opened with brute force behind me. I turned, knife out, ready to attack. It was only Leon.

"Thank God. You okay Princess?" Leon asked.

"I am fine. What about you?" I asked, noticing fresh blood on him.

"Don't worry about me. Come on, I found a way out of here."

"What was in the chest?" I asked as we returned to the ruby room, only entering when Leon assured me it was safe.

"A freakin' hourglass," he grumbled. Then he opened a door I hadn't noticed before and we walked into the next room.

Why did this castle have to be so damn big?

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A/N: There is supposed to be a part in the game that follows this but I'm skipping it because I can. I think it's boring and it doesn't advance the story whatsoever. And I don't know if I've explained this, Amor switches to Spanish when she's in a stressful or scary situation. It's not entirely random, it's just instinct I guess to revert to her native language.

Esto no puede estar pasando-This can't be happening