Guys, I am so sorry for the lack of updates but my life got really hectic and I couldn't update when I wanted. I hope you can understand that. Also I was scared to look at the reviews because I thought I ticked off everyone with my lack of delivering my promise, and I'm telling you right here and now I am in tears over the positive comments I have gotten. Thank you guys so much for still sticking around though things have taken longer than expected. Story isn't over yet and I hope you all will enjoy the next few chapters after this! Please don't be afraid to PM me if you have any suggestions or questions. Thank you for still reading!
Everyone had frozen in their place. There was a chilling calm that filled the library that was so subtle that even the faintest of nerves could pick up. Crane's ferocious and power hungry eyes gazed upon each individual, spit literally hung from his bottom lip as his teeth were bared for the world to see. His rage could be felt throughout the entire area, and despite the gun being pointed at Sven's head, it might as well have been on everyone's skull. The child continued to shake as his eyes glanced down upon seeing he soiled himself out of fear.
Embarrassment, confusion and fear overtook the young one's body as his eyes pleadingly looked at the whole group of people before him. His little heart pounded in his chest so loudly that was the only sound he could make out at the time. His trembling eyes looked upon the bloodied pool that Leon was in, still in shock from seeing a mans limb get literally torn off. Crane took notice of the boy gazing upon Helena's and Leon's bodies as the agent desperately tried to arch himself up more. Grunts and wails of pain could be heard emitting from his throat as Crane sneered and clenched his free fist around Sven's shoulders.
"I said if you move he will die!"
"Put the fucking gun down Crane!"
Jake shouted along with Sherry who in turn pointed their own weapons at him.
"It doesn't have to end like this Uncle!"
"Shut up you pathetic traitor! Just shut up! Or so help me God I will fucking kill every last person in this room!"
"You're not going to hurt anyone else! I'm not going to let that happen!"
Markus exclaimed much to the older man's disappointment. He then without hesitation and in a quick gesture fired upon Sherry since he found a small weak point that was wide open. The woman had earlier pulled some ligaments in her shoulder after Jake and her had an encounter with a nasty B.O.W. The arm wasn't as poised like the other, leaving her entire shoulder area vulnerable to attack. Jake quickly caught on, but before he could side step and take the fall, Markus intervened.
The man literally jumped in front of Jake and Sherry taking the hit. Loud gasps and a sudden scream came from everyone once he fell over. He gripped his chest tightly as he heaved loud. Several times the man had been injured but it was nothing quite like this. The pain was intense, almost like a huge weight. He wondered for a split second if this is what it truly felt like to get shot, or to take the fall for another person and truly mean it. He could feel a dark void wash over his vision, and with a final intake of breath he ceased to move for now.
Sherry quickly bent down towards Markus, cupping his face with her hands as she tried talking to him to keep him awake. Panic began to finally hit the young woman's voice as denial started to cloud her judgment. Claire, Chris, Leon, Helena, and now Markus had suffered and fallen. It would only be a matter of time now before Crane would get his hands on Jake, her and Ada. At this point, small subtle tears began to fall and skid down the woman's flustered face. With every drop that hit the ground, Jake could feel it. Feel the awakening fear that resided in the woman he deeply cared for. His eyes though were poised on Crane however. Despite his urgency to comfort Sherry and try to get Markus to wake up, he couldn't let his guard down for a single second.
"All this trouble, all this strife over trying to arrest me and rescue this child! Its seriously beginning to become a nuisance!"
Crane pressed the cold metal end deep into Sven's scalp to the point where it could literally leave an impression. The boy choked on his tears now as Ada hissed. There was a deep rooted hatred growing within the pit of her gut and it was brewing like wildfire. Being well reserved, even if she had issues and such it was hard to keep herself at bay. She could feel the same burst of energy that drove Helena to rush over to Leon hit her hard. It was an instinct she couldn't just push to the back corners of her mind.
Ada had done wrong. Lord only knew how many grievances she had caused within her long life, and never once did she truly have regret. Even with the situation between her, Helena and Leon didn't make her feel the everlasting guilt that would cloud her conscience if she let that child die by the hands of this foolish old man who had put her into this position in the first place, the very man who killed John and now possibly even Leon plus Helena. So much bloodshed was on Crane's hands. So many lies and deceits were caused by him, the direct catalyst that set the long chain of Ada Wong's long and hardship filled life into a tailspin. Despite all that though, as she gazed upon the boy, Sven was the only thing that penetrated that cold mind of hers. He had been the thing she was after for years, the driving force behind all her work. Letting that missing link to the final obliteration of the T-Virus was way to precious to cast off to the sidelines.
With a huge burst and a powerful sprint, Ada began to give chase. She ran with all her might with every fiber in her body towards Crane. The man began to scream and fired at the woman and several times she was pierced but the sheer power of the adrenaline overtaking her veins made her not even feel her skin being torn open. She couldn't even feel the bullets exiting from her body and nor did she care. Yelling at the top her lungs, she swooped down and picked up Leon's gun nearby and fired at him. Crane's eyes widened as his body flew backwards, letting go of Sven and giving the spy enough time to tackle the boy to the ground, clutching him tightly to her chest as Crane got up and pressed the barrel to the back of her skull.
"Now I am free to finally kill you..."
The eeriness in his voice echoed throughout Ada's pounding eardrums. A small and simple gasp escaped from her as she held onto Sven tightly, bracing herself for the end. Her brown hues closed, and there was a booming shatter. The woman though opened her eyes slowly, her head tilting to the side as she looked up ans gasped. Crane was wide eyed and spooked. A long slick blood trail ran from the middle of his head where the fresh bullet wound was located and he fell onto his knees. His body collapsed with a thud sending shock waves to everyone in that library.
Confusion ran amok in the minds of the gang as they stayed silent for several minutes. It was only when Chris managed to look off to the side did he see Leon. A crazed look was in the agents eye as he panted, the smoke from the barrel of the gun still fresh and lingering the air with its bitterness. How he managed to lean up enough was of no consequence, and how he crawled over to get Helena's gun was something that only he could answer for. His eyes rolled back in his head and he fell once more. It was over. The agent had done his job and took Crane out.
"He-he did it."
Sherry muttered as Jake gave a firm nod.
"It's finally going to be over."
Sherry said between cries until her head perked up. Jake sneered as Chris gazed around trying to determine where the loud groans were coming from.
"We got to get out of here."
Jake said in a firm and powerful commanding voice. He knew there was no time for celebration as loud inhuman screams could be heard coming from the hall way and leading up to the library. Sherry grabbed Markus, flinging him onto his back while Jake began the painful process of helping Chris to his feet. Ada slowly got up, coughing from the impact of the bullets now starting to subdue her body. Sven gasped and clutched at her hand tight as she looked down at him.
"It's alright little one."
She then sadly looked over at Helena and Leon. Small tears began to roll down her face as she then made eye contact with Jake and Sherry. Each of them knew nothing could be helped when it came to the agent and his wife. It was only a matter of time before Leon would be fully bled out and Helena hadn't moved since the moment of impact. Given the huge cavalry of B.O.W's getting ready to swarm, there was no way they could be saved at this point. It was something that really tugged at the hearts of each of them. It was something they knew would fill the rest of their life with regret. They had to all go their separate ways to survive, even if it meant leaving their loved ones behind.
"Everything will be okay..."
Ada then gently ushered the boy in another direction while Jake and Sherry hauled out Chris and Markus through another entry point. The BSAA agent though was panicking. His eyes widened as Helena and Leon were slowly becoming small specks in his sight.
"No! You can't! We can't leave them like this! No! They aren't going to be chow for those fucking monsters! You can't do this! You can't! No please stop! Don't leave them!"
Chris bellowed as Jake kept a tight grip on the man. Tears flew down his face and even trailed over his scar as he shook his head. He couldn't believe he was abandoning them either, but what choice did they have? There was no way, given the circumstances that they could save everyone and though Leon and Helena had probably been through the most when it came to this whole mission, they were as good as dead weight at this point. Chris struggled against Jake's hold until he felt a huge pain hit his lower back.
"Leon! Helena!"
He screamed at the top of his lungs until his voice gave out. By then everyone was gone. No one looked back, and no one would forget.
Sherry nearly dropped Markus in order to go back and pursue Leon and Helena once she could detect the man breathing again, but Jake quickly grabbed her arm giving a firm shake with his head. As hard as it was, they had to get Chris to safety otherwise his life would be in vain. They managed to make it up to the rooftop of the compound and luckily for them, several planes were coming towards them. Jake smiled, then gently sat Chris down waving them down. A single chopper then flew over them and semi-landed near the location of Jake and Sherry since the rooftop was big enough to house one. The man and woman from the chopper looked just as tired and even wrung out like the rest of them. The woman quickly ran over to Chris once they had landed, and began questioning Sherry while she helped escort Markus and Redfield to the chopper. In the meantime the male gave a firm nod to Jake, loading a few bullets into the caliber she had not before meeting his gaze.
"We're special agents Billy Coen and Rebecca Chambers. The two who were sent after Crane by the Canadian agency."
"It's about time you showed up. I'm Jake Mueller of the B.O.W. Counter Defense group in Germany along with my associate Sherry Birkin.
Jake said in a tiring voice as Billy nodded.
"You were the two on the other end of the radio frequency my department picked up. We would have gotten to your location sooner but Rebecca and I were dropped off in the jungle area, miles away from the compound. I'm sorry we couldn't get to you guys earlier. We had no idea there were anymore people involved with Crane's mess until our dispatcher called us in to let us know you needed backup. You'll be happy to know though that on our way over, we encountered Claire Redfield."
Jake's eyes widened as his jaw dropped, he couldn't believe it.
"Where is she?"
"She's safe. In the chopper right now that Rebecca is escorting the survivors too. She's in bad shape right now but conscious so she will be okay. I'll explain more but in the meantime its of the utmost importance we get agents Leon and Helena Kennedy out of here along with you guys. Do you happen to know where they are located?"
Jake bowed his head and went silent as Billy's brows furrowed. He knew just by looking at the young man there was no easy answer.
"The library..."
That was all Jake could mutter.
Leon slowly began to come back. His vision was still a blur as the pain in his limb radiated like thousands of volts through his body. He could see a few regular zombies from afar, slowly making the trek over to him. His worst nightmare was coming to life and he knew there was no way he could stop it. His head moved a bit, looking over the area and realizing that everyone had left. Who could blame them? He himself would have done the same thing given the circumstances though it was painful and with a heavy heart he sighed.
"Helena..."
Leon then looked over towards Helena's body. Tears streamed from his tired eyes as he crawled over to her with every bit of strength he had left in his nerves and bones. No matter what was going to happen, he had to be near her. He had to protect his Helena. A few minutes seemed like hours though in the grand scheme of things as the everlasting pain continued to hit him. He managed to get towards his wife though his spirit was finally colliding with the cold reality that this would be the last time they would be together.
Leon's lips trembled as he pulled Helena to his body, embracing her as close as he could to his chest. His fingers from his left hand gently stroked her hair while his lips firmly pressed to her forehead. It was a weak gesture but it was all he could really do as he coughed blood. He then moved a bit, looking over her face. He didn't see the bruised and battered woman stained with blood before him. The only image going through his mind was Helena's beautiful smile, the way she looked at him when they said their vows. Though the imagery was highly pleasant only one thing mattered:
She was his Helena, only his. Leon would never let that go.
As he gazed upon her and could feel his body slowly begin to sink, a vision came to his mind as he closed his eyes for a moment. He could see them together, no longer involved with these nightmares. Their child playing around as Helena would bend down and catch their laughing kid as they would both look over at Leon and wave, beckoning him to rush over to them. The zombies slowly bit by bit making their way over to him and Helena didn't matter for this one dream the agent had been holding onto for so long was finally within reach. He smiled, though the pain of using the muscles in his lips made him more weak. His eyes were so focused as he gazed over his beloved that he ignored the sounds and even the pain. There was a calm numbness that overtook his body, letting him know it was alright to finally let it go. He didn't have to keep fighting no longer for Helena was no longer there to protect.
"I'll—see you real soon."
He gulped as he could feel the metallic taste override his mouth.
"I—promise Lena. I'll be there for you."
His beating heart grew soft and steady, the sound of his own pulse growing into a distant memory as the agent tightly held Helena's body close, bracing himself for what was to come, what he feared for so long but welcomed with open arms so he could be with his Helena. Death was seen more and more as a blessing with every millisecond that passed through him. With another gasp, his arms fell limp around her waist. His forehead was pressed into her own as his head swayed. Everything had come to a halt.
Leon was dead.