Kennedy of the West
Chapter 1: Road Trip
"Leon, could you PLEASE turn the music down?"
The ex-cop turned to his travel companion in the passenger seat of his jeep. She gave him a stern look from the corner of her eye before turning back to the open road.
"Aw, come on, Claire. This is our time! We are free to do whatever we want!" replied Leon as he attempted to talk over the loud rolling tunes of Incubus.
They had been driving for 4 hours straight without any pit stops. All three of the occupants were trying to make the best they could of what time they had. Strangely enough, Leon Kennedy, the driver, didn't feel the least bit fatigued from the long road trip. Claire reached over and turned the radio off, causing Leon to jerk a little in his seat.
"Why did you do that?" he asked, pretending he didn't know the answer already.
"It's giving me a headache. Seriously, no more music. I know it's been a long trip so far, and I know you want to take your mind off the outbreak, but I just can't take it. Can't we at least enjoy the scenery?" she replied.
"Yeah Leon, you should pay attention to the road when you're driving," said Sherry from the back seat.
"Hey, what did I tell you about leaning over the seat? Don't crease the leather! You don't know how much it cost me to get this thing fixed after what happened in Raccoon City," replied Leon.
Claire sighed.
Yet again, he was ignoring her and her comments. She's always known Leon to be a bit of an airhead, but he was always the most dependable guy when faced with life's toughest challenges. Raccoon City was the prime example. Claire was certain that if it wasn't for him, she would never be alive to join him on this little trip. This little "vacation." That's what Leon called it anyway. He had quit his job at the RPD the very day he was accepted, and in return was offered the occupation to work for President Graham. Oh no, this road trip was far from a vacation. He had been ordered by his superiors to look after a little girl who went by the name of Sherry Birkin. Surprisingly, she was also a survivor of Raccoon City.
But mind you, she wasn't any ordinary girl.
No, Sherry was the only daughter of the infamous William Birkin, creator of the G-Virus. She never received as much fame as her father among the employees at Umbrella, but she was recognized at her school as the shy, lonely type of girl, which is really a shame too because both her parents were killed in the city by some "unfortunate accident." An accident that Sherry doesn't like to look back upon. However, she knew her ways about the world and how it worked. Having a mother and a father as an Umbrella scientist did have its advantages, except for the fact that she still had traces of the G-Virus circulating through her body. But that was another issue entirely. Sherry never liked to take advantage of anyone. She would rather much make friends than enemies any day, which is exactly the way Claire was too.
"It sure is boring around here," moaned Sherry.
She was looking out the window, her golden hair dancing in the wind. There really wasn't much to see out here. Just a bunch of cacti, tumble weeds, and the occasional jack rabbit, which of course would go into hiding as soon as anything came within 30 feet of it. Even the sky was boring; there weren't any clouds in sight. When Leon had told her about Texas, she had really hoped to expect more than an open desert.
You could always leave it to Leon to sucker you into going on a trip with him. He had a way with people, especially strangers. He always knew how to put on the charm and make a friend out of anyone, no matter who they really were on the inside. Nope, Leon Kennedy didn't care.
Claire, on the other hand, was pensive and a bit more cautious. She always paid close attention to her surroundings, especially after what happened during the outbreak. She couldn't even count the number of times she had greeted someone from behind, only to have them bite at her in response. And she could never get enough of these "zombies" because soon after the outbreak, she went on a mission to rescue her brother from the clutches of Umbrella. And if it was one thing about Umbrella that everyone hated (especially among the few STARS members that were still alive) it was how they had developed a reputation for bringing the dead back to life. Of course, most people never believed that old wives tale because they had never been put in a situation like STARS. Bringing the dead back to life? Ha. If they felt like insulting God, they could have done it in a less embarrassing way by not exposing themselves to media.
Leon reached for the radio control switch only to have his hand slapped away by Claire Redfield. He turned his attention back to the empty road.
"Boring? Aw, Sherry, you are such a party pooper. Even after I spent so much time and effort fixing up this hunk of junk. It...It makes my heart bleed..." said Leon.
"Oh please, Leon. You're such a drama queen," replied Claire, even though the statement wasn't directed at her.
She really didn't know what to make of Leon Kennedy. On the outside, he looked like a strong, able-bodied man who could stand up and protect himself if the situation called for it. But on the inside, he was kind and generous, right to the point where he would risk his life for someone whom he just met. Indeed, Claire knew his soft side.
"But, there's nothing to do here. And I mean NOTHING," said Sherry from the back of the vehicle.
She shrank down into her seat, completely forgetting the fact that she wasn't wearing a seatbelt. But she did have a point. Leon had shown her pictures and postcards of Texas and all it had to offer to tourists. She remembered him showing her photographs of wide open ranges, beautiful stallions, and mountainous views that could rival that of Arklay.
Right now, she wasn't impressed.
There was nothing but sand and dirt as far as the eye could see. Even the road was made of dirt, which meant she couldn't stick her head out the window for fresh air without getting a mouthful of pebbles. It was as if this road Leon was driving upon led on forever.
"I have an idea! How about we play a game?" suggested Claire.
She too had succumbed to the awesome might that boredom was. Leon, on the other hand, was reluctant to agree.
"A game? What for? Is this beautiful desert landscape not good enough for you?" he asked sarcastically.
"Touché. You know, you sound like you're Sherry's father," replied Claire.
Sherry shivered at the mere thought, so she decided to change the subject.
"What kind of game can we play, Claire?" she asked.
"See? Sherry wants to play."
"Hey, I'm just doing my job here. They told me I had to take Sherry out to the country so she could 'recuperate from the trauma of Raccoon City', which I don't even think is necessary because she looks fine right now. And the only reason why you're here, Claire, is because you're good with kids," said Leon, not even bothering to keep his eyes on the road.
"I'm not a kid!" said Sherry distastefully.
"Look Leon, if you don't want to play, that's fine. Sherry and I will play while you do your 'job'."
"Who said I wasn't playing?" replied the ex-cop.
Claire frowned in his direction until Sherry spoke up yet again.
"What are we going to play, Claire?" she asked.
"Hm. How about 'I Spy'?" she replied.
"Sounds good to me," said Leon nonchalantly. "Anything to get my mind moving again."
"Okay!" said Sherry excitedly. "I spy with my little eye something that is blue."
"The sky," replied Leon instantly.
"Aw, you got it," said Sherry, unsurprised.
"Hey Leon, I didn't know you were good at this game," joked Claire.
"I try," replied the ex-cop.
"Hm. Alright. I spy with my little eye something that is black."
"Umm...Those rocks?" asked Sherry, as the jeep passed by a large family of boulders.
"Nope."
"My shirt?" asked Leon, expecting the right answer as always.
"Nope."
"The jeep?"
"Nope."
"The rocks?"
"Sherry already said that, Leon."
"What? Oh, I must not have been listening."
"Don't think too hard. Sherry, do you give up?"
"Well, there isn't much else to look at outside," replied the girl. "What's the answer?"
"The tires," replied Claire plainly.
"What?" said Leon, as he stuck his head out the window to see spinning wheels below the vehicle. He brought his head back in. "The tires are not black, Claire."
"All tires are black, Leon. Don't think that you're pulling a fast one on me."
"I'm not. My tires are obviously brown."
"That's because of the dirt and sand. They used to be black before you brought them out here to the middle of nowhere."
"You're not playing the game right."
"That's odd coming from you, considering you didn't even want to play in the first place."
"I never said that."
The next couple of miles were driven in silence.
Strangely, the weather had been awfully kind to them on that day. It really did feel like a desert because of the lack of rain water. Winds were reduced to nothing but calm breezes on the windshield. It was like a gift from God to be giving the traveling friends this kind of climate.
Claire and Leon didn't seem to notice though. Sherry was wondering what had happened to that game of I Spy they were playing. She meant to bring up something about it, but she was a bit afraid to interrupt the adults. They seemed to be trapped within their own minds, contemplating, thinking; the playful mood that once lingered in the contained air was no more. If this was their attitude towards each other in Raccoon City, they would have died somewhere at the beginning of the nightmare. Maybe it was because the two hadn't seen each other in a long time.
It was true that Claire never saw Leon after the outbreak. She never saw him after the incident on Rockfort Island either. To her, Leon had somehow disappeared off the face of the earth. It wasn't until a few months after she had returned home that Claire received a message from Leon.
He told her that he had a new job working for the US government. Truly, Lady Luck was playing on his side. Of course, like his previous job, Leon was a rookie. So what would his first mission be? Why, taking Sherry Birkin on a road trip of course. That seemed like the most suitable task. It sounded easy enough-a little too easy to be any fun. So, Leon invited Claire for the ride to "spice up" the trip considering they hadn't seen each other in some time. Already, things were starting off with a bang. Communication was a key factor when associating with friends, new or old; somehow, the pair failed to see this.
Claire had forgotten all about I Spy.
Sherry sighed as she set her head on the left shoulder of Claire's seat and looked out the windshield. It seemed the two "adults" didn't notice little Sherry in between them. She was getting sick and tired of this eerie quietness. She felt the urge to jump out of the speeding vehicle, but of course that would be stupid. No, she believed the only way to get out of this would be to yet again change the subject. The hitchhiker standing fifty feet up the road would be the perfect excuse to start a conversation.
"Hey guys! What's that?" asked Sherry.
She pointed a small finger at the target up the road, blocking Leon and Claire's view of each other. Leon squinted at the faint figure of a stubby person in a trench coat.
"Oh, I see it," he said, trying to make himself look interested.
"Don't tell me you're going to stop for him," replied Claire as she sat up in her seat.
Sherry sat back as Leon's jeep started to slow down.
"Aw, what's the harm?"
Leon pulled the vehicle up to the side of the hitchhiker. From the outward appearance, he could tell that this hiker was indeed a man. He was wearing a dark dirty blue trench coat, his hand still up and pointing to the left, as if he was signaling for someone else to pick him up. The strange man had greasy bandages wrapped around his hands and his face was shrouded by a hood and purple scarf, which covered the bottom half of his face. Leon looked out the window smiling, trying to make himself look professional in his large vehicle.
"Need a lift, pal?" he greeted and asked at the same time.
The man lowered his hand and was swaying from side to side in a rather uncomfortable manner. Strangely, he didn't have any baggage by his side. Where did he come from? After some silence, Claire spoke up.
"Is something wrong, Leon?" she asked.
"No, he looks perfectly fine," replied Leon as he turned to her. "At least, I think he is…" Leon turned back to the man in the trench coat. "Um, are you okay?"
The man continued to sway back and forth, his eyes hidden by the hood.
"Um...sir?" said Leon as he snapped his fingers in front of the hiker's face.
The man stumbled a bit and shook himself; as if he had been rudely awaken from a deep slumber.
"Ugh...ah...what? Oh, good mornin', strangah!" greeted the stranger.
Leon didn't think it was possible, but it seemed that this man had been sleeping while standing up. What an odd character.
"Uh, good morning," replied Leon with a weird look. It was actually midafternoon. "How long have you been standing out here?"
The creepy man looked both ways across the street, verifying that there were no more vehicles coming by. He stepped closer to Leon's jeep and leaned upward, trying to get at the same level as the driver.
"Um, to be honest, strangah... I don't know."
He wasn't just an odd character. He was disturbed.
Claire put her hand on Leon's, a silent sign signifying for him to step on the gas and book it out of there. Leon and her exchanged glances before he took his hand away from her and turned back to the man.
"Do you need a ride?" asked Leon.
"That would be nice, strangah. But I would rather not. See, I always wait on this road for tourists to pass by."
"Why?"
"So I can sell me merchandise, of course!" The man took a step back and opened up his trench coat, revealing an assortment of weapons and gadgets. "I got everythin' you need from basic combat knives to single-fire rockets! And just for you, I'll cut the prices! Fifteen percent off all items! Now, what're ya buyin'?"
Leon didn't respond, but just stared at the short man. Claire jabbed him in the side with her fist. It was then that he realized she was right.
It was time to leave.
Leon slammed his foot on the gas and sped off down the road, leaving the lonely merchant in the dust.
"Hey! Wait! Strangah come back!" he cried in between coughs of sand.
It was no use, however. Even if Leon could hear him, there was no way in hell was going to turn around.
"What the hell is wrong with that guy?" asked Claire all of a sudden.
Leon kept his eyes focused on the open road.
"I...I don't know. There was something definitely wrong with him though. Maybe the heat was getting to his head," he replied.
"Yeah, no kidding."
In the next half hour of endless driving, Claire and Leon conversed about the strange features of the hitch hiker; not only that, they gave their own personal opinions about what could have happened if they had picked him up. Little Miss Sherry couldn't help but smile to herself in the backseat. She too couldn't keep the image of that grotesque man out of her mind. However, that strange meeting with him wasn't a total loss.
At least Leon and Claire were talking again.