Her Voice
A/N: LeonxAshley one shot written for the hell of it, Umbrella's Worst Enemy came up with the title
"Leon!"
"Keep going!" Leon called back up the muddy incline as he slammed into the ground ignoring the sharp pain in his right arm - which was likely broken - and rolled over finding one of those dogs - wolves - whatever they were, with a tentacle wrapped around his leg and tearing away at it's flesh, many more of the deadly appendages stretching from it's back poised to strike.
"Leon!"
"Keep going!" He repeated attempting to take aim with his uninjured arm before it's companions arrived but to no avail, it lashed out and struck Leon in a flurry of attacks much too fast for him to keep up with, he couldn't even feel all of them as his body eventually shut off and went numb while the whip-like protrusions tore into him leaving several welts, bruises, and razor-like cuts all over his skin.
The feral beast let up for a brief moment and Leon summoned all the energy he could lining up his USP with it's skull and fired.
Ashley was frozen atop the hill struggling to keep from falling, her balance uneven in the slippery mud, she was quivering as she watched Leon fight desperately to keep her and himself alive the involuntary movements a combination of fear and the rather cold weather. Helplessness washed over her as the pack of villagers that'd been chasing them for a good five minutes neared Leon's position.
"Ashley! Keep going!" Leon ordered hacking off the tentacle with his knife, "I'll catch up!"
Ashley didn't budge.
"Go!"
Still no movement.
Leon struggled to rise from the ground his entire body sore but still able to function. Closer, closer and closer still the crowd drew.
"Leon! Watch out!" Ashley shouted, it was just about all she could do.
Leon looked up to find a single villager had somehow snuck up to him and was raising an axe to deliver the death blow. Without a second thought Leon's arm shot forward implanting the razor sharp blade of his knife in the Spaniard's lower chest rising up and pressing his injured right shoulder into him with immense force tossing him off his feet and into the next two assailants.
The brief stall in between attacks gave Leon just enough time to sheath his knife and pick up his muddied USP. Fatigue weighted heavy and the excruciating pain flowing through his arm, and every other minor wound on his body, every single cut and scrap was washed away with the onset of a new wave of adrenaline.
Leon clenched his teeth, "You just don't know when to quit."
Ashley watched intently, ignoring the freezing rain pouring down on her from the dark, almost prophetic sky. If she hadn't been so caught up in watching Leon kill three more of the Plagas infected villagers she would've been sure it was an omen. Another thunderous crack, another muzzle flash, another villager dropped to the ground.
"Damn it." Leon cursed ejecting the spent magazine he struggled to get another with his heavily injured arm, backing away from the approaching threat, nearly slipping each slow deliberate step he took up the hill.
Their numbers were quickly dwindling, Leon had already killed off most of the group, but they were just too persistant. He couldn't keep up much longer. Ashley was shocked by the horror of watching Leon reload only to have one of the female villagers charge forth and plunge her knife in between his ribs.
"Uh...eh..."
The color drained from Leon's face and all his little energy left suddenly disappeared and he collapsed with the Ganado on top of him wrestling with the knife to get it free finally succeeding she raised it up over her head about to deliver the final blow.
Leon summoned a resevoir of energy he didn't even know existed and landed a shockingly strong punch to her face. He rolled over throwing her off of him and got to his feet as fast as possible leaving his empty handgun where it lay and unsheathing his knife he backed further up the hill to a safe distance from the three remaining villagers.
His breathing was heavy and labored, torrents of blood flowed freely from his mouth and chest. There was no way Leon would be walking out of here, no, but he had to keep them from Ashley. Leon unsheathed his knife a second time.
He had to finish it quickly or surely he wouldn't be around to finish it much longer. Leon made the first move stabbing at the woman's throat pressing his knife right through her throat and pierced the other side partially severing her spine. Such a simple action took a massive tole on his body but Leon continued fighting his body no longer his - a puppet held up by a few thin strings - and the puppeteer no longer his will to survive but rather Leon's will to keep Ashley alive.
With every passing second Leon's resolve hardened and his body weakened. He was drenched in a sick mix of brown and crimson swirled together over his body in a semi-sticky yet watery mix due to the rain falling upon them.
One of the last two remaining villagers attacked, hand held high above his head a hatchet firmly grasped, and Leon brought his knee into the man's stomach dropping him to the ground Leon quickly slammed his booted foot into his head snapping his neck.
"One down, one to go." Leon grunted.
The Spaniard let out a scream and rushed towards Leon with his arms outstretched ready to drain what little life was left in Leon. Just as his fingers began to wrapon around Leon's throat he brought the knife up and through the bottom of the villager's mouth.
"Leon!" Ashley stumbled down the hill to his side just as Leon collapsed to the ground.
He couldn't make out a single word coming from the frightened girl's mouth. She was right beside him yet so far. Slipping...further...into darkness...and still that voice made him smile.