Shady Promises-Resident Evil 4

Chapter 40

The three of you entered the room, at the very least you expected it to be dark and gloomy.
At the very least you expected it to be a sort of torture looking ritual chamber.

At the very least, you expected the tall, purple cloaked man standing on top of a large set of stairs, holding his strange staff, which you now came to realize, took shape of the parasites you saw in the Ganados.
He turned over, staring down at the three of you with his strange smile, sending fear shooting up and down your spine.
"I can feel them, growing ever so strongly inside you."

"Saddler!" Leon yelled out, running ahead of you and Ashley towards the man. Saddler, remaining still with that smile on his face, reached his arm out, palm wide open towards Leon.

Leon stopped in his steps, his hand going towards his chest as his body twisted in pain, letting out pained cries towards the ceiling. In the horror, you were too frozen to move, watching the entire scene unfold in front of you.

Saddler chuckled, stepping forward down one step, keeping his hand 'locked' onto Leon, watching him struggle and suffer. "Perhaps you can resist, but you cannot disobey."

His staff began to move, the small tentacles began to wiggle all too well, signaling it was an actual live parasite, moving in an awkward, yet still-like motion. He looked over towards Ashley, who in her own fear stuck close to you, her hand tightly gripping your shoulder.

He directed his hand towards you and her, making eye contact with the girl beside you. "Now, come to me Ashley."

She let out a gasp, her grip on you faltering before going loose, her hands falling at her sides. "Ashley?!" You looked over in shock, seeing her head fall forward, while her body remained still.

Slowly, her head lifted up again, but what you saw brought terror into your body, making you step backwards a little. Her face was as still as stone, her eyes a bright, blood red, glistening like pure rubies in the sun. She approached Saddler on command, her walk as slow as a zombie's.

"Ngh, Ashley!" Leon cried out, quickly reaching behind him and throwing something outwards to him. The tiny object hit her back, sticking into place with a little blinking light and a faint beeping sound.

Ashley stopped by Saddler's side, her stare was off in a distance, her hands kept together in front of her.

Now, Saddler turned his attention to you, his smile growing more at the sight of your shocked state. "Ahh, my dearest (Y/N), we finally meet again."

He extended his hand out towards you, activating the parasite that was taking control of everyone else.
"Come to me, my dear."

You slightly closed your eyes, preparing for the pain to explode in your chest, or for your mind to go blank and end up following his orders.

However, nothing happened.
No pain. No struggle.
Nothing.

You opened your eyes, staring down at your hands with surprise. Was the parasite not wanting to obey? Or was your freewill stronger than you expected?

Taking this chance, you stood your ground, keeping your hands at your sides while locking eyes with Saddler. "I will not." You spoke clearly, seeing his expression change from pure satisfaction to surprise and dismay.

"What is this?" He spoke to himself, his hand still held out towards your direction. He felt it with everyone else, he controls them, he tells them what to do. And they obey.

However, you weren't obeying.
He didn't detect it within you.

"Must be dormant, must be, that's impossible." He lowered his hand, his smile faltering for just a moment. He looked towards Leon, who was still struggling with the pain on the ground.