Starting Over Again (Book 1: Leon Kennedy)

Chapter 21: Starting Over Again

IT HAD BEEN QUIET FOR some time, until something had hit the train, causing it to shake. The four of them were confused, wondering what could've caused the ruckus. Leon has a frown on his face.

"I'll go and check it out," He volunteers.

"I'll go with you," Justine offers. Leon declined at first but she insisted, telling him that he could use a hand and that going alone would be a dangerous move. Leon finally agrees with her, and they both went ahead to check each of the trams. When they got to the very last one, they heard a roar which was then followed by the edge of the train being ripped open.

"How are you still alive?" Justine groans. It was huge, and it had mutated so much that it looked like a giant blob of purple flesh with a ton of pointy teeth on its gaping mouth. William pushed himself further in the train as the two fired whatever remaining bullets they had.

An eye came out of its mouth and the two fired their guns there. It began to screech, it had struggled so much that the roof of the train got wrecked. The two leaned onto the doorway of the train for support as the monster had shaken the train with its huge mass.

"Leon! Justine!" The two heard Claire call out to them. "Get out of there! We gotta lose that train!" William was slowly getting closer to the two, its eye becoming redder and more irritated. Claire held her hand out to Justine and she held onto it. Justine jumped on the other train and turned to Leon, calling out to him.

Claire looked around and her eyes landed on the flooring. She lifted its cover and found the cogs connecting the train. Claire began to kick on it, successfully loosening it. He had picked up a steel pipe and stabbed the monster's eyes. Yellow liquid began to spill out of it as it screeched, the eyes twitching erratically.

"Goodbye, fucker!" Leon spits at it before jumping on the other train with the rest. The train where William was fully loosened and all of them watched as the monster began to get engulfed with the flames from the lab that had managed to catch to it.

The train had stopped in the middle of nowhere after a while, not a single building or sign of like insight. Ahead of them was a long stretch of road. All of them stepped out of the train, Sherry walked with Claire while Justine was with Leon.

The sun had hit Justine's face, and as cliche, as she thought it was, she missed it. Being cold and surrounded by the dark these past hours have been awful for her."Is it over?" Sherry asks as she looked up to Claire.

"I don't know," Claire replies, looking back to the two. "But if it isn't, we'll stop it."

"Yeah, we will." Was Leon's reply. "Umbrella will pay for what they did." His eyes land on Justine who was quiet the whole time, her eyes focused on the way ahead. Her mind was focused on certain things at Raccoon City, specifically on that one night at the hospital when she had accidentally eavesdropped on a certain conversation. What if I told Jill about that night? Would things have gone differently? Would all of that chaos have been prevented? But then again, another thought nagged in her head. No one would've believed me anyway, I don't have any evidence to prove it.

"Hey, are you okay?" Leon asks in a quieter tone, making Justine's eyes snap to her.

"Yeah... I was just thinking about Jill," Justine said a half-truth and a half-lie. She didn't know why... no, she KNEW why she couldn't tell them everything she was thinking right now. She didn't want to lose them. She thought that if they knew that she had an idea then it might make Leon convince himself that she was just lying, that Justine DID have a role in the outbreak. She was sure that Claire would hate her too, maybe even little Sherry would feel the same way.

"We'll find her, don't worry," Leon reassures her and that brings a timid smile on her face, but it was still obvious that something was bothering her. "You can tell me anything, you know..."

"It's just—you know... I came to Raccoon city to forget certain things, I just can't believe I'm starting over again..."

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And that my dearest readers mark the end for Starting Over Again. Thank you so much for everyone who has given this book their time to read, vote, and even comment. Reading your responses and replying to you has been a highlight of my day, and seeing people vote makes me feel great as an aspiring writer.

I hope you all have a good day, and I hope we are all staying safe during this time.

—Dani

p.s. book two is in the making, don't know when I'll be able to post it though. I might need to take a longer break so I can begin working on the first chapters; I'm talking about a month or two. I can't wait for you guys to read it!