Once again, please forgive me if any of this sounds off or even repetitive x_x its been hard writing in a lot of this detail. Anyhow, there may or may not be a chapter on Friday I have to see how things go with college and what not. Thanks for your understanding!
Leon and Helena began to walk slowly through the town close to one another. Every once in a while, the infected with the Plagas would look at them momentarily but after seeing their eyes they would keep to themselves. Helena found it odd that despite being infected, the people seemed to act normal and went on with their daily day to day lives. She glanced around the sandy dirty road and saw a couple of market places. Her face turned to disgust when she saw a corpse of a man halfway butchered on one of the meat carts. There were flies and maggots crawling all over the poor souls face as one of the infected began to peel the skin off the deceased man. Leon took notice of it and couldn't help but make a face. The smell of decaying flesh was getting to him and he motioned for Helena to walk fast with him so they could be further downwind from the terror they saw.
Helena and Leon managed to get out of the town square location without being detected. They quickly found a spot to rest for the moment and Leon took out an energy bar and split it in half. He gave Helena a part of it and she ate it thankfully. After they were done snacking, Leon peeked around to see if anyone was looking towards them and after seeing the coast was clear he began to whisper to Helena.
"So far we've made it past the hot spot it looks like."
"Yeah, but do you have any idea where we could find the entrance to the caves?"
Leon shook his head sadly, and something in the sky caught his attention.
"Helena, look."
Helena immediately turned her attention up at the sky and she could see a plane. It looked much smaller than the one Leon and her took, but more compacted. As she took out the binoculars and looked through them she could see the BSAA logo tattooed onto the side of it.
"It looks like more troops from the BSAA are coming."
"Something doesn't seem right…"
Leon muttered as Helena's attention focused back onto the aircraft. It looked as if the plane was going to land but then all of a sudden a chopper descended from the top of the plane. Leon's eyes tried to make out what was going on when all of a sudden a missile blasted from the helicopter and hit the left wing of the plane. Helena gasped and could see it losing control and then as she zoomed in to the chopper, she saw two men attaching a cage like structure to a large cable. They then lowered it down and a hatch opened up the compartment unleashing a Licker B. Helena had to put the binoculars down after seeing the creature beginning to attack and eat one of the people aboard. Leon looked at her seriously and she shook her head in disbelief.
"That's how they got us…a sneak attack from above. After they launched the missile they then basically tossed the Licker B into the plane to finish off the job."
Leon clenched his fists as he watched the plane crash off into the distance. His anger had risen up and he glared as he could see some of the Plagas infected take off into the distance towards the crash site.
"It looks like they are obeying a command as if they were told to go over there."
Helena took notice of the commotion and could hear some of the infected scream at each other to head over to the site of the crash.
"Do you think this what happened to us? That after the plane crashed someone commanded these things to look for us?"
Leon shook his head and sighed.
"No, because the Plagas types we have here can't operate vehicles. Chris encountered some in Africa before that could do that and also operate guns. These ones look atypical; they are probably just excited at the commotion the crash has brought. Also I've seen a guy in Europe inject himself with a Plaga and ended up controlling Lickers. It wouldn't surprise me though if Ivan found a way to perfect this with regular Plagas parasites, but I doubt these ones we are dealing have been commanded."
Helena nodded and noticed that there were hardly any left now at this point.
"Is there any way we can help them Leon?"
"I don't think so. Even if we ran to the buggy right now and sped off it would already be too late for them."
Helena looked down at the ground sadly and then both she and Leon jumped as they heard a scream from the distance.
"Leon was that—"
"A survivor, we need to go check it out!"
Leon and Helena quickly got up and began to run towards the area where the screams were coming from. After a few minutes of running, four people whom were infected approached them and blocked the pair off from continuing further. Leon and Helena were dead silent as the male began to slowly circle around them, every once in a while smelling them. The other three looked on at Leon and Helena with a blank look as the male then came face to face with Helena. She slightly glared up at it as she could smell the meaty decay emit from its mouth. Helena never once broke contact with him despite this. She held her ground firmly and the male slowly began to back off. It appeared to be submissive to her due to her dominance. The male then motioned for Leon and Helena to follow after giving a couple of grunts and with a wave of his right arm. Leon looked down at Helena with a questionable look before they proceeded to go with them.
The group came upon a small building and Leon accidentally tripped over a piece of decaying wood. Before Helena could help him up, one of the females from the group came over and motioned for Leon to take her hand. He was a little bit hesitant before taking the woman's hand and she helped him get on his feet then pressed forward with her companions. Helena lightly smirked at him as the female infected looked back at Leon momentarily.
"I think she likes you."
Helena whispered under her breath.
"Feelings would be mutual if she wasn't dead."
Leon responded as he got a little bit closer to Helena. One of the males opened up a small door and they came into a desolate room and the person who was screaming was there. He was a small boy, probably in his early teens and he squirmed under the grip of two other Plagas. They held him down and tried to pry open his mouth as Helena and Leon could see the male take out a small parasite from its own mouth to place inside of the boy. Leon's eyes went wide; he knew all too well what was going to happen if they didn't do something. The boy managed to kick one of the males holding him down and rushed away. Helena then grabbed him and held the boy close as he started screaming at the top of his lungs, assuming that Leon and she were infected. The small group of infected looked puzzled as to why Helena only held him. While they were stunned, Leon pulled out two of his hand guns and began to fire.
"Helena, get the kid to a safe spot! I'll meet up with you when I can!"
"What about us sticking together?!"
"Trust me I'll find you! Get the kid out of here!"
Most of the infected fell backwards and screeched as Helena took the kid and ran off. By then the jig was up. Helena could see a swarm of the infected coming from the area of the plane crash site. It looked as if a couple hundred were there, and she froze momentarily as the wave of Plagas infected humans began to snarl and run after her and the kid. The kid held onto Helena's hand tightly as Helena pulled him inside of a nearby home. Helena then grabbed a huge table and managed to fit it on top of the door. She gasped when a grayish arm busted through the wooden door and tried grabbing at her.
"Go up the stairs quickly!"
Helena shouted as the kid nodded and went up. Helena took out a gun and the machete that Leon had given her earlier and began to attack. She was able to shoot plenty of them down and while she was in close range, the machete did most of the work as she kicked and punched at them. Helena could feel her adrenaline kicking in fast as she took down three of the infected at once. Eventually though their numbers began to grow more and more despite her efforts to slow them down. She knew she had to get to higher ground, or soon be overtaken. Helena let out one more kick to one that grabbed her shoulders momentarily before jolting up the wooden stairs to meet up with the boy. Helena could feel something tug at her leg and she fell onto the ground. There were two Plagas ripping at her legs and she desperately tried to hit them with her machete but to no avail. Helena began to panic, but not long after the boy carried a giant piece of pottery and threw it at the infected causing them to tumble down the stairs. Helena kicked one of them before getting back up and motioning for the kid to climb a ladder to the roof top. She caught her breath momentarily and smiled at the kid.
"Thanks!"
He smiled back at her and nodded as they ran over to the edge of the roof. They both gasped and noticed how there were now hundreds of them piling up near the house trying to get them. The female that helped out Leon earlier looked up and took notice of them and screeched loudly causing the others to follow her example. They looked up and their screams intense when they took notice of Helena and the kid. Helena turned around and noticed that there were already a couple Plagas going up the ladder. Helena ran over and managed to kick it off causing them to tumble onto the ground and become squished due to the weight. The kid and she were now sitting ducks as she tried to find Leon amongst the crowd.
"Leon!"
Helena shouted as loud as she could muster. She then saw Leon run out from the building they were once in and he took notice of Helena and the kid waving their arms at him. Leon looked onward in fear as he saw the infected swarming around the house. Leon then started to wave his arms at the Plagas and tried to get their attention.
"Hey! It's me you want! Come and get me!"
Leon took out one of his guns that had been used up and tossed it at the crowd. He managed to hit one of the infected in the back of the head and that did it. Leon began to run as the Plagas focused their attention on him. Helena shook her head and her eyes went wide, she knew there was no way he'd be able to outrun all of them and she knew there was no way she could get off the building in time to save him. Tears streamed down her face as she screamed out in frustration.
"Leon, no!"
Right before a couple of the Plagas were able to grab a hold of Leon, a dune buggy like the one Helena stole came out of nowhere and bullets began to fire from it. Helena's eyes widened as she noticed who was driving it from afar.
"I recognize that blonde hair anywhere…Sherry!"
Helena then saw someone from the passenger side jump out of the moving vehicle and started to use close quarters combat on the infected. Helena smiled knowing full well who the second person was. Helena then quickly got up and bent down to check on the kid who looked at her with tears in his eyes.
"Stay up here okay? I'm going to come and get you back after I help them out."
"O-okay."
With that Helena managed to jump down from the roof and somersaulted forward to break the impact of the fall. She then took out her other gun and began firing as she ran towards Leon's direction. By now the vehicle was circling around the area of infected, and Sherry began blasting one Plagas after the other. Helena was caught up in a storm of Plagas as she attacked them and shot them at the same time. She could see Leon running towards her and they instantly went back to back.
"I'll get this side if you get the other!"
Helena stated as she kicked back one of the infected.
"Don't have to tell me twice!"
"Mind if I join in?"
The cloaked figure said as he began to swiftly attack a good portion of Plagas. Leon tried to get a good look at the person who was helping him but was too preoccupied with an attack. After what seemed like hours, the hooded figure grabbed Leon and Helena and pulled them down to the ground.
"What the hell are you doing this for?"
Leon shouted as the figure pressed their faces into the sand.
"Trust me; you don't want to be up when the shit hits the fan."
Helena glanced up and could see two small missile like weapons shoot out from the vehicle Sherry was driving from afar. Helena ducked down and her ears ringed with pain as the heat from the explosions surrounded her and Leon. A few minutes went by and Helena gently lifted up her head and noticed the huge swarm of dead decaying bodies lying around them. Leon got up too and was in awe of how many of the Plagas were dead.
"You two should be more careful."
The cloaked figure stated in a sarcastic tone as the vehicle drove up behind Helena and Leon. Sherry put on the brakes and then her eyes widened when she took notice of Helena and Leon standing there in front of her. She jumped out and suddenly embraced them, much to Leon's surprise.
"Helena, Leon! What the hell are you two doing here?"
"We should be asking you the same question."
Leon stated as Sherry let go of them. Sherry then shot a glare at cloaked figure and walked over to him with her hands on her hips.
"Nice going Jake! If we would have acted a lot sooner then I wouldn't have had to use up my bomb launcher!"
"Ugh, don't be getting on me right now woman…"
Helena lightly gasped as the kid from earlier pushed her out of the way and hugged Jake's leg tightly. Jake removed the cloaked hood from his head and smiled down at the boy. He then turned his attention back up to Leon and Helena and lightly smirked as he wiped away some sweat from his face.
"I didn't think I'd see you two lovebirds here."
Helena shot Jake a slight glare and crossed her arms. Leon took notice and shook it off and he and Jake exchanged eye contact for a moment before Helena began to speak.
"We are here looking for a man named Ivan Spokovitch and to rescue Chris Redfield along with others of the BSAA."
Sherry lightly gasped a little bit to Helena's words.
"You're looking for Ivan as well?"
"What type of business do you both have with Ivan?"
Leon said as he crossed his arms and looked over at Jake and Sherry with a firm look. Sherry glanced back at the kid and motioned for him to come over. The kid took off towards Sherry and she took him over to the vehicle and tried to get him to relax as Jake gave his full focus to Helena and Leon.
"I'm here on my own accord. Turns out my father did some business with Spokovitch way back when. I'm here to get some answers and obtain a virus sample."
"Why would you need a virus sample?"
Helena asked as Sherry came back over to Jake. He looked over at her longingly before the short haired blonde began to speak.
"Spokovitch has a developed a new type of virus. According to Jake's resources it's a cross between Plagas and G. Jake and I are trying to obtain it so that we can create a cure possibly from Jakes blood to be rid of G once and for all."
"Who gave you the orders to go on this mission?"
Leon asked firmly as Jake shrugged and adjusted his posture.
"Like I stated earlier, I'm here on my own accord and Sherry is as well."
Leon turned and focused his attention back to Sherry who looked upon him with a nervous gesture.
"You defected from the government?"
Sherry lightly nodded and grabbed a hold of Jake's hand firmly. He then looked down and smiled at her as Sherry focused her thoughts and began to explain.
"I decided to fight bioterrorism my own way. Since my father and Jake's brought the world into this mess, we both figured this would be our way to atone for their sins. Also the government wanted me to bring Jake into custody and basically strip away his freedom as they use his blood to find more cures. I found out he was in the Middle East not long after the China incident so I cut my ties and took off to find him after I got my own personal HQ established in Europe. We've been here ever since."
"Sherry, are you sure this is what you wanted?"
Jake shot a glare at Leon and snapped somewhat.
"Of course she gave this thought! I would never force her into anything she didn't want to do."
"Alright, don't take offense. I'm sure Leon was just asking because Sherry could get into huge trouble for this."
Helena stated as she came in between the two men and tried to calm them down. Sherry gave Helena a light smile as thanks for keeping the tension between Jake and Leon to a minimal. Sherry then cleared her throat and began to ask some questions.
"So tell us again why you need Spokovitch?"
Leon and Helena glanced up at each other for a moment looking somewhat nervous before making eye contact with Jake and Sherry once more. Leon then began to speak up.
"The government wants to take Spokovitch into custody because he has strong ties with another fifty something bioterrorists. If we can obtain him and bring him back for justice then we can take out those other terrorists and their clientele. Chris Redfield along with others of the BSAA was sent over to get him but then something backfired and now they are imprisoned. Helena and I came here to rescue Chris and capture Spokovitch alive."
Jake leaned up against the vehicle and crossed his arms while his eyes closed slightly. Sherry walked back over to the buggy to check on the kid and noticed he was asleep in the backseats. She then motioned for Helena and Leon to come a little bit closer as she pulled out a digital mapping system. Quickly she began to cross out some areas using a digital pen to show Leon and Helena the places Jake and her have traveled.
"Well I am happy you two are on the same page as Jake and myself. Jake and I got a tip that Spokovitch's laboratory base is nearby one of the five towns in this area. We already spent the last week checking out each individual one. Each town was infected with some sort of virus though. We found this kid Hakeem and decided to take him with us since he was the only survivor. Anyhow, the towns on this map have been thoroughly explored by Jake and me. We came here to find the doorway to Ivan's lab, but didn't have any luck."
"What was Hakeem doing out here in the first place?"
Helena asked gently as Sherry crossed off a couple of locations on the map for reference.
"He got separated from Jake and me because the other night we were ambushed from Spokovitch's men. They chased him off and we found out he was hiding here, then boom we bump into you and Leon alongside Hakeem."
Jake sighed and groaned as he cracked his neck a little bit. Sherry looked over him concerned but then focused her attention back to Leon and Helena. She lightly sighed and noticed how beaten up they both looked.
"Since we have the same goal and since there is only one place we haven't looked yet for Spokovitch you two should come with us. There is more room in our buggy than the one you guys used to get over here."
Helena lightly nodded and Jake jumped into the driver's seat. He looked at the group and lightly smirked as Sherry, Leon and Helena climbed aboard the vehicle. Jake swiftly turned on the engine as Leon and Helena found some seats alongside Hakeem who was sleeping peacefully. Jake then began to talk over the roaring call of the engine.
"We won't be able to make it to the next town for another day or so. Sherry and I found a good safe zone about a few hours away from here were we can spend the night. The next day we'll head into that town and split up from there. If we find Spokovitch or Redfield first one of us will come back over to you guys and let you know."
"Thanks for the help."
Leon managed to say as Jake made the buggy jump over one of the smaller dunes, causing Helena to fall back and land her face in Leon's chest. She quickly got up and they made brief eye contact for a moment as Sherry took notice of the event in the rear view mirror and smiled slightly. Helena and Leon took a moment to remove the contacts and tossed them out of the moving vehicle. They then drove off into the distance with the sun beating upon them, happy that familiar faces and friends were back.