Authors Note: So here we are with another chapter... Look how far we come...WOW! Some people may call it brain washing the masses, but I call it giving the masses what they want! Hehe! Okay, on with the story! Read and enjoy!
Resident Evil 4:A Twist in Reality
Chapter 24: Sick Twisted Tastes
Leon, who was ahead of the group, ran in the room to find that Salazar was waiting for them. Ramon laughed at the angry looks coming his way from his enemies. Didn't they know that he didn't take them seriously?
"What a pleasant surprise. But I'm afraid it's Ashley and the girl we want... Not you Mr. Kennedy," Salazar said with emphasis, ignoring the other two. He did notice that the red haired one was not with them. Could she have fallen in another trap of the castle?
"If you don't need me, then get off my back old man," Leon said with all his hostility in those simple words.
Leon watched with anger as Salazar just smiled and raised his hands like he was surprised at his reference toward him.
"(Fake gasp) Did you say old man, Mr. Kennedy? It might come as a surprise, but I'm only twenty years old," the little young man said.
His eyes gleamed as Leon spat back with venom in his voice, "So you're just like all the others? A puppet of the parasites?"
Salazar scoffed at this as he replied rather defensively, "Surely you don't think I'm the same as those diminutive Ganados! The parasites, the Las Plagas are slaves to my will. I have complete, absolute control."
Leon raised his eyebrows at the little egotistical man up above. He really had know idea that he was just another pawn for this Saddler guy.
"Well, I really don't give a d-mn. Rain or shine, you're going down," Leon said with conviction.
Salazar snorted as he signaled for the monks to appear. Metal doors swung around, revealing several Ganados, holding their blades of death. Some had no weapon, but that didn't matter since they had more in number than the heroes.
Salazar raised his lip at the three intruders and said with dismissal, "Get rid of our American friends."
With that said, he left them to what he thought was their doom. He really didn't want to waste his time in watching their cruel deaths when he had to send out another search party for the other girl. This was going better than what he was informed. Soon, he'll call up his Lord and deliver the good news of recapturing the girls and killing the three Americans. Oh, Lord Saddler will be proud! As he daydreamed of all the praise and rewards he will get, the heroes were busy defending their lives.
Immediately after Salazar left, they bolted to Leon's right and busted through the rusty door. They quickly ran up the old stone stairs and readied their weapons. Claire took out her Uzis (the M 100's or whatever their called in Resident Evil X Code Veronica. I like Uzis better!) while Chris brought out his Riot gun. He was a perfect killer with that gun. Leon had his trusty TMP, hehe! He got tired of using the Black-tail and wanted to get through this area as quickly as possible.
Claire stood at the corner, facing the top stairs door while the two men stood side by side, waiting on the monks. It wasn't a long wait since the monks were hot on their heels. The door banged open, revealing several monks. Two ran clumsily up the stairs, their grim reaper weapons raised high. Their constant chanting was all they could hear before the gunfire started. Leon began firing, slowing down the two and causing them two fall hard and awkwardly on the stairs. He didn't stop firing till both men died in front of him, leaving a nasty mess.
But three more showed up, with one throwing his weapon at the two men. Leon ducked but Chris did not. He blasted the blade with his Riot gun and began firing at the monks down below. None were able to get a single foot up the stairs as he continued blasting away at their mid sections. He didn't want a parasite to emerge in such close quarters. Unfortunately, two did while the upstairs was busted through with two more monks. One had a cross bow ready while another charged with flaming red eyes. It was Claire's turn to have fun as she started firing at the fast monk, but was not able to stop him since he wouldn't even stop at being wounded several times. He grabbed her by the throat and began chocking her with a steady chant.
Leon cursed as he was torn between with trying to save Chris and himself from getting their head bitten off, or helping Claire. He took one peek at the auburn haired beauty and decided right then to help her. He raised his gun and fired at the monks legs, causing him to drop Claire while placing his hands over the new wounds.
"Thanks," Claire said gratefully as she shot an arrow out of mid air.
Apparently, the bow-man did not like seeing Claire alive. He fired again, this one barely missing her head as she ducked. She grabbed the wounded monk in front of her and used him as a human shield as she fired at the sniper. Chris and Leon on the other hand had no shield whatsoever. As they fired at the disgusting centipede parasites, they were dodging an arrow every time they tried to move over to Claire.
BOOM! BOOM! Chris smiled at the parasite as it finally exploded as he fired at the head section. The yellow and brown liquid splattered all over it's comrade while still walking forward. The dead body stopped and fell in it's fellow parasites path. After the other parasite tripped over the body, the body melted away, leaving one parasite to deal with. Leon's TMP kept up the automatic firing at the parasite. Soon, it joined it's brethren in death and did the same, disgusting popping trick.
They turned their attention to Claire who was now using her human shield as a weapon. She pushed him into the bowman which caused them to both to stumble back. She smiled as she fired at the top ones head. His head exploded but no parasite emerged. But the bowman underneath did. Claire ignored him and allowed Chris to take care of it while she and Leon reloaded. They heard the awful scream of the parasite as Chris killed it with three shots. He then quickly placed his body against the outer wall and peered through the window with no glass.
He gave Leon and his sister a sign where the other bowmen were. There was three more, each situated at an corner. Chris would take the one in the left corner while Leon and Claire busily took care of the others. They thought it would be easy, but boy were they wrong!
An arrow whizzed by Chris's head. He turned and saw that the monk in the other corner had seen him and was quickly reloading. He gave the other two a nod, giving them a thumbs up before charging the monk.
The Ganado looked up after reloading and saw the angry American running toward him like a angry bull. The monk dropped his cross bow and ran screaming away. Chris cursed at how fast these monks could be at times. He stopped at the corner and raised his Riot gun, but the monk had already turned the corner and was hiding with a braver Ganado with the stupid cross bow.
"Ah, sh-t," Chris cursed as the monk fired two arrows.
He basically hit the deck and took out a grenade. Pulling the pin with his teeth, he quickly threw the grenade with amazing accuracy. The grenade exploded, killing the bow-man but not the coward. The Ganado screamed as a hand fell in his lap. He grabbed it and threw it at Chris, but it disintegrated immediately while in the air. Chris smiled as he put up his Riot gun and brought out his Sniper rifle. The frightened Ganado screamed and ran over to the sliding portrait where the two Ganado's with the Rocket launchers were waiting.
Meanwhile, Leon and Claire were busy taking down the other bow-man. He went down without much of a fight. But, as soon as they killed him, the metal rotating doors revealed more monks. They immediately began to fire with their bow-guns. Leon and Claire tried to shoot them out of the air, but one escaped and pierced Leon in his left shoulder, causing the agent to grunt in pain. But this didn't stop the agent from continuing the fight. As cheesy as the old sayin' is, I believe it applies to his situation. No pain, no gain.
He fired away, mowing down two of the bowmen, blood and brown liquid coating the floor with it's sticky essence. They dropped their bow-guns and fell with Lord's Saddler on their lips. Leon smirked but didn't get to enjoy his victory. A Ganado had sneaked up and had grabbed Claire from behind.
"Oh, hell no!," she said with anger.
"Are all the men around here cave men," Claire thought with hostility.
Leon raised his gun and tried to find an opening to save Claire, but the monk used her as a shield in protecting himself. Suddenly, the monk let Claire go when a shot was fired. The Pasty Monk dropped to the ground, his head missing. Luckily, no parasite came out to say hello. Claire turned her head and smiled. Her brother lowered the Sniper rifle and gave a smile of his own,
"Are you all right," Leon asked with a worried tone. Claire smiled and gave a light punch to his arm.
"I'm fine, Mr. Kennedy. Don't worry so much," she chided as she walked past him.
Leon scoffed and replied, "But it's my job to worry."
"You know, you should - Oh crap!," Claire said with a horror filled expression.
The lovely painting had moved up, revealing two Ganados with two Rocket Launchers!
"Who the hell gave these idiots rocket launchers?" Claire thought with astonishment coloring her face.
Leon grabbed her hand and tried to run, but their two enemies fired. The rockets exploded where they were just standing. Unfortunately, they were not fast enough to get out completely clear of the blast radius. The force of the explosions sent the two heroes flying in the air about five eight feet back. Smoke and debris filled the air, dulling the two's senses
"Ugh, my head," Leon thought with a wince of pain.
He looked to his right and saw Claire trying to get up.
"Leon, are you alright," Claire asked with a bit of worry of her own. Leon sat up and smirked.
"You know, you shouldn't worry so much, Miss Redfield," he joked back her response. Claire gave a small laugh, making Leon's heart flutter.
"Stay still, I got to get that arrow out of your shoulder," Claire said with a more serious tone.
She felt bad for not taking care of it as soon as the Ganados were dead. She should have paid more attention.
"Does this mean I get to take my shirt off," Leon said with a mischievous grin, wagging his eyebrows. Before she could respond, she heard Chris's worried voice call out to them from the opposite side of the room.
"Hey! I can't see you guys! What happened? Are you two alright?"
"Yes Chris, we're alive! Just don't go near that picture! Two men are hiding behind it with rocket launchers!"
Silence. Chris's voice carried out with a disgusted tone, "That's messed up!"
Leon muttered with a hiss of pain as Claire extracted the arrow, "I concur."
Claire quickly cleaned the wound. She had to cut a little bit around the flesh when she was trying to take out the arrow. It was a barbed tip which makes getting the arrow out a more painful progress. As she sprayed some of the first aid spray, she saw with relief that the wound was already starting to close up. She bandaged it and smiled when she was done.
"There. How does it feel?"
Leon rolled his shoulder around, only wincing slightly as he did.
"Much better. Thanks," he said with a grateful tone. Claire smiled brightly as she stood up, lending him a hand.
"Think nothing of it," she said while helping the agent up.
He picked up the TMP and put the trusty gun away. Then he brought out the Blacktail and looked at Claire with a look of dread.
"Before we ran from the two Rocket maniacs, I saw that the door was barred shut. There's a red button next to it, so I'm guessing that we press it to open the door. Which means-"
"That we have to brave the two idiots again... This sucks," Claire said with a tired tone.
Leon gave a sad smile and agreed. Chris, who was at the opposite of the room, had just checked the room with the pot. He found a red button too. When he pressed it, nothing happened. If you played the game, you should know that you have to press the button by the door first.
"Hey guys, I found a button, but nothing happened when I pressed it!" Chris stated with irritation.
He heard the two groan. As they explained their findings, Chris sighed with what he knew he had to do. He gripped his automatic rifle and said, "Leon, take out your rifle. We're going sniping!"
Leon took off his sniper off of his shoulder and told Claire to where she was at. The two stealthily walked over to the corner, eyes darting at every angle. Leon watched as Chris mouthed silently, one, two, three. They rolled out, scaring the cowardly Ganado who was underneath the painting. They ignored him as the picture was raised up quickly, revealing two grinning Ganados. Both men fired, delivering head shots. One Ganado dropped his launcher as his head exploded while the others eyes rolled to the back of his head. He slumped over, melting away. The picture closed shut, never to open again.
The two men stood up and looked at the coward. Leon felt a resemblance of pity for the parasite infected man, but Chris absolutely did not. The little creep tried to put a bolt in him! He raised his gun and pointed, but could not shoot. The Ganado was crying and pleading in Spanish for mercy.
"Stop acting like that so I can shoot you," Chris said with venom. The man did not seem to understand and began groveling.
"Chris, maybe we can-" Claire began as she walked up behind them.
"Don't Claire. This little weasel is one of them. He tried to kill me!"
"Chris! Look at him," Claire argued while giving him a withering stare.
He refused and began arguing with his sister. Leon watched with a groan.
"When the Redfield temper flares, run for cover and kiss your a-s goodbye," Leon thought with a mental sigh. Why they choose now to argue was beyond the logical agent's mind. From the corner of Leon's eye, he saw movement. He quickly brought his gun up at the charging monk, who had a knife in his gnarly hand.
"No escapae!"
Whack! Leon smacked the monk with the butt of his sniper rifle, causing the Ganado to fall on his face. Leon didn't waste time as he shouldered his gun and brought out his knife. He quickly slit the monk's throat and stabbed the gargling man through the ear. He twisted to make sure he killed the Ganado. Blood was spraying all over his chest from the slit throat. He quickly took the knife out of the twitching Ganado's head and watched as he disintegrated. Then he cleaned the blade on the carpet and sheathed the awesome knife.
Chris and Claire were silent at first. They said nothing. Chris was the first to speak. "See. I told you he was just another evil Ganado!"
R
Sheila had no idea where she was. Only Luis seemed to know where they were going. And the silence was killing her! Not literally of course. But it will soon if someone or something doesn't speak or do something soon! So, she did what any Res fan would do... She started to swap theories.
"Luis, do you have any theories on how the merchant gets around so fast?"
Luis stopped at the turn of the dark hallway. He turned and gave her a strange look.
"Pardon?," he asked with a surprised look on his face.
Sheila decided to be brave and continue this ridicules conversation. "You heard me. Any theories?"
Luis rubbed his chin and tried to hide a smile. He couldn't believe that she was actually asking this out of the blue. Leon must have his hands full with this one.
"Uuuuuum. No. Can't think of any. How about you tell me some of your theories. There's no Ganados around, so it's safe to talk," the Spaniard said with a small smile.
Sheila beamed and began telling him all the past theories that everybody, except Ashley, had come up with. Luis laughed at the theories, wandering how these Americans can find the littlest thing and make it into a enjoyable one.
"So, Sera, as a scientist, what is your take on this puzzling merchant," she asked in her mock reporter's voice.
He smiled as he stopped before a blue door.
"Hmmm. As a scientist, I would have to pick the most reasonable, complicated, theory of them all... He's really a alien who has a invisible spaceship. He flies around in it across the planet, and when he finds a spot where he has set up shop, he teliports to it. That's how he gets around unheard and unseen," Luis said with obvious pride at his silly theory.
Sheila chuckled and patted the scientist on the shoulder. "Not bad for a very logical person. I vote you in the MIT club!"
He stared at her with obvious mirth and curiosity. "What's this MIT club?"
Sheila leaned forward and said with mock seriousness, "It's a club I just came up with. It stands for Merchant's Insane Theories club! Anybody can join as long as their theory has a strand of silliness in it. But whatever you do, don't tell Leon that I might kick him out as soon as I announce the club to everybody. He's too logical at times."
Luis winked and whispered, "Your secret is safe with me."
Sheila laughed and shook her head.
"Well, I might let him stay. He has started to give crazier theories lately," she said with a teasing smile.
The two sobered up when he grabbed the door handle.
"You ready for this," Luis asked while staring at the door.
Sheila looked at Luis's hand that clutched the brass door handle, and shuddered.
"Do I have a choice?"
Luis nodded and began turning the door handle very slowly, causing more tension to form in the younger woman's stomach. She could swear that she heard the heart beat from the Resident Evil games again. The beating grew louder with each passing second. It seemed to take an eternity before Luis began to open the door. The door gave a creak that sounded like a fog horn to the teen at that moment. Could it be any louder?
Luis took out his gun and walked inside first, looking around for the enemy. Sheila followed, her gun ready for action. They were in a lavishly decorated room, made to be admired by aristocrats. Large portraits hung in the cozy but expensive room. Sheila drowned in the sight of the history before her. Blue carpet was laid out on the stone floor, with matching blue banners. These blue banners were not like the cult ones that hung through out the rest of the castle. These banners had a different insignia embroidered on them. Sheila recognized ii as the Salazar family insignia from the compass that Ashley will have to find later.
Her heart froze cold when she saw armor suits in the room. She hoped that these were just every day armor suits, and not the parasite filled ones. She detested those things.
Luis leaned over and whispered into her ear, "We're close. Stay very quiet, and follow my lead."
Sheila nodded, and followed the tense scientist. She felt her hands get sweaty as she gripped the gun handle harder. They were passing the armor suits, walking ever so slow. She tried not to look over at the suits, but her eyes seemed to be attracted to the shiny armor. She shivered at the creepy sight.
When they passed the last suit of armor, Sheila let out a sigh of relief. They made it! But her relief was short lived. Luis had stopped and seemed ready to let out a stream of curses. A Ganador was standing by the door, his heavy breathing filling the air. Sheila nearly cursed herself, which is a rarity. She hoped against hope that she would never have to face one of these stupid Gladiator guys.
Luis slowly turned his head and pressed a finger to his lips.
"You don't have to tell me twice," Sheila thought grimly
D-mn! I guess going through here once got their attention... Now how am I going to get myself and the little senorita pass that monstrosity? Our weapons are not strong enough to kill the Ganadore... This is not going to be easy.
Luis looked around, looking for any object to distract the Ganador... He looked behind him at the armor
Hmmmm... That would defiantly make enough noise for our abnormal friend here.
Sheila hoped she wasn't thinking what Luis was thinking... Yep, she was. The crazy man was actually going to do it...
Guess there's no choice in the matter... Stupid monster!
Luis signaled for her to stick close as he silently and slowly backed up to the suit of armor. When he stood next to it, he grabbed her hand and squeezed in reassurance that he wasn't crazy. She begged to differ!
Luis put one hand on the suit of armor and pushed with all his might, causing a loud chain reaction. That was all it took for the Garrador to attack. Luis ran out of the way as he pulled the teenager along. The Ganador ran and tripped over the armor suit. Sheila would have laughed if she wasn't so freaken' scared. Luis kicked open the door, alerting the Ganador. It jumped up and ran toward the closing door. Luis slammed the door in the creature's face and jumped back. Two long claws stabbed through the thick, wooden door.
"I think we should run," Luis stated after grabbing her hand again.
"I agree with you one hundred percent," Sheila said as they ran down the dimly lit hall.
R
Leon pressed the second button in the tiny room. They heard a rumbling sound of the tiny bridge connecting with the tall, square pedestal that held the first part of the puzzle.
"There, now we can get out of this lame room," Claire said as she opened the blue door. Her eyes widened again as she faced another two Rocket Launcher freaks. She must have a invisible target on her.
She quickly slammed the door and jumped back as the two rockets were fired. The door exploded, debris and smoke filled the air. The trio coughed as they quickly got out of the room. The two monks were already running away. Claire angrily began to shoot at the fleeing cowards. They fell before they could finish crossing the tiny bridge, snapping their necks when they hit the ground.
She quickly followed the two older men and waited as they opened the beautiful chest. Inside was the goat puzzle piece. Chris put the piece in his case, and then followed Leon to the agent kicked open the white door, not really caring who was on the other side. He raised his blacktail and did a quick once over with his eyes.
"All clear!"
Chris stepped through the doorway and noticed right away that there was a typewriter on a small table. He smiled and began to type a message. After he was done, he followed his team.
"What did you type on the typewriter," Claire asked her older brother.
Chris just shrugged and replied, "Nothing. Just leaving my mark."
As they passed the last window, Leon froze. Chris passed him and gave him a curious look.
"Do you hear that," Leon asked with one eye twitching.
Realization flickered across the siblings eyes as they turned their attention to the blue door.
"Crows," they all said together. Needless to say, each had a bad experience with infected crows during the viral outbreak. Of course they knew that these would not be infected, but you never can be too careful. In fact, I suggest everybody to be wary of crows!
Leon took a deep breath and walked slowly toward the door.
"You can do this. It's just some stupid birds, that's all... Just... birds. This is not a bad sign of things to come," the agent reassured himself. He kicked the door open, and gasped at what he saw. A dozen crows were perched on each open window sill, staring at him. Their eyes were not red or foggy like an infected bird, but their stare was unnerving to say the least.
He took one step forward, startling the birds.
"CAW! CAW! CAW!"
The air filled with the panicked sounds of crows as they flew out the windows. But some were too panicked as they flew around aimlessly. One flew and smacked right into Chris's face.
"Aaaaaaaaa! Get it off! Get this d-mn bird off," Chris screamed as he ran up the steps blindly.
"Chris! Watch out," Leon warned.
But it was too late. Chris ran smack into the door, knocking out the bird and nearly himself. He stepped back unsteadily, and nearly tumbled down. Leon steadied him and bit back the laughter that threatened to spill over.
The unconscious bird fell down at Chris's feet, making a small caw sound. Chris groaned as he rubbed his sore face.
That's going to leave a mark.
"Oh Chris, are you going to be alright," Claire said in a motherly tone.
Chris snorted and gained what was left of his composure. Trying to save as much manly dignity he had left, he squared his shoulders and kicked open the door.
"I'm fine. Really. I just had to show that crow who was boss," he replied.
Claire rolled her eyes as she followed the two men, saying, "Sure you were. And what a manly display it was."
Chris's ears turned red from embarrassment. Leon started to laugh but quickly faked like he was coughing. Chris glared at him and fingered his blacktail. Sometimes, he just felt like-
"Oh crap! More crows! Don't they have a life or a place to nest?," Chris thought with a frustrated sigh. Leon raised his gun and gave Chris a evil grin. "Oh yeah, now you're speaking my language, Kennedy!"
"Guys! No! Don't be-"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"You bird haters," Claire said in horror. The men just grinned and walked over to the fountain.
"They make great target practice," Chris said while saluting the dead birds. At that moment, bird droppings fell on his shoulder.
"What the?," Chris said with disgust. All three looked up to see the dozen bids flying over head. Poop began to drop in different area's, causing the trio to panic.
"RUUUUUUUN! The birds are unleashing their furry," Chris yelled as he began to run toward the metal door. He tried to open it, but it was locked.
"Come on! This way," Leon said as he ran with Claire down the external wall. Chris followed them as poop began to rain like... well, rain. Leon kicked the door open and ran through, followed by Claire and Chris. Chris slammed the door, leaning against it, his chest heaving at what they just escaped from.
"Did that seem a little bizarre to anyone," Chris asked while clutching his chest.
Leon nodded in agreement while Claire responded with a serious glare, "Maybe it was revenge for killing their friends."
Chris ignored her and looked at his right shoulder, where the disgusting dropping lingered like a disease.
"I guess nobody got a tissue or something," Chris said with disgust as they walked away. Claire took a hankie out of her utility belt and handed it over. Chris looked surprised as he excepted the offer.
"A woman always comes prepared," she responded with a small smile.
As they walked, they came across a locked, metal door with a indention set in the middle.
"Let me guess, the key is in the weird garden, " Leon spat out. He looked out over the maze, noticing how Gothic it looked. It would have been a lovely Gothic look if the owner didn't go and add his own sadistic taste into it. It defiantly fit the owners personality.
They began walking again till they came to the small stone stairs that led down to the garden. Before Leon could take one step down, the sound of his radio grabbed his attention. Although he knew it was Salazar, he answered in hopes that Hunnigan had somehow broken through the interference. He frowned when the pasty complexion of Ramon appeared on the video screen.
Salazar: Still alive I see.. So, do you and your friends like my garden?
Leon kept his face calm while he answered the prideful little man. He almost smiled though when he heard the hint of disappointment in Ramon's voice to see him alive.
Leon: I see you've managed to work in a little of your twisted taste here, too.
Salazar: He! Ha! Ha! Ha! Sagacious as I am, even I get lost here sometimes. Even if it takes your whole life, you'll never get out. Do you know that no one dies without a cause? You and those intruders will satisfy the stomachs of my cute pets. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to tie up a few loose ends. Like chasing around three rats.
Leon looked up from the monitor and looked over to his friends. "Three rats?... If one's Luis.. Who's the other two," Leon mused aloud.
Chris gave a theory, "Maybe it's... Sheila? Do you think it's possible that she could be with Luis now?"
Leon seemed to think this over before answering.
"You know, it could be possible," he said with a confident look before continuing, "Maybe she's safe with him now. Salazar would brag if the bug had brought her to him. But that leaves one question... Who's the third rat?"
Claire had a feeling she knew who it was...
Ada... This is going to get complicated. But how do I try and tell Leon that Ada isn't really dead? I can't believe that I forgot to tell him earlier!
Claire knew it was now or never to tell the man that she... cared for about Ada being alive and well, and lurking around here.. As they walked down the steps, she decided to talk. A Redfield never backed down from anything!
"Guys? I think I know who is the third person," she began hesitantly.
The men stopped at the bottom, waiting as she walked down. When she reached the bottom, she began to spill her guts. She told them about what happened before Chris and herself were reunited, and how she met a woman who was about to be sacrificed. They listened intently, their eyes burning into hers. She described her experience vividly, of how the woman in red saved her, and how she couldn't hear a thing the woman said. She finally looked Leon square in the eyes, seeing the denial.
"Leon, it was... Ada," she said with her heart breaking at those words.
Leon stood there, paralyzed. He couldn't believe his ears. She had to be wrong, she just had to be. He watched her die! But deep down in his heart, he knew that she saw Ada. He heard rumors of the spy and her new connections. The woman in red was alive and working with the man that they all despised. Wesker. He shook himself out of his reverie, hearing Claire ask him to say something.
"Why didn't you tell me this earlier," he voiced accusingly.
Claire looked at Leon pleadingly, trying to explain, " I'm so sorry Leon. Things seemed to get more chaotic by the minute, that it honestly slipped my mind."
Leon didn't answer, he just looked at her with a cold expression. Chris put a hand on Leon's shoulder and Claire's shoulder, trying to draw their attention to the matters at hand. Leon looked at Chris and sighed. This was not the time or place to do this.
"Come on. We got to find the key to the door," his voice said without emotion.
When Claire tried to speak, Chris put a finger to her lips and whispered in her ear, "Later Claire. Let him be. He needs to sort things out before he can talk about it."
Claire looked up at her brother as Leon kicked the double door gate open.
"I really did forget, Chris," she said barely above a whisper.
Chris smiled comfortingly and replied, "I know Claire. Just give him time."
They followed Leon through the gate. The agent with his Incendiary grenades and Chris with his Riot Gun. Claire took out her shotgun she got from Ada and followed the two men. As they walked under the bridge, the sound of growls were heard all around them.
"Time to conquer the maze," Leon thought while tightening his grip on a fire grenade. He wasn't taking any chances. The sound of light feet running toward them was heard by all. The sound of the deadly wolf dogs!
The trio ran over to the left corner and waited. A grey, large, timber wolf leaped through the greenery and bared his overly large teeth. It was a superior Chamillo!
"What the hell?," Chris exclaimed as several appendages broke through the skin of it's back, slapping him in the face.
Leon pulled the pin and threw it at the animal. The creature yelped in pain as it caught on fire, the smell of burnt fur and flesh filling the air. They covered their noses as the creature fell down, and disintegrated right before their eyes.
"I hope you got more of those," Chris remarked as he rubbed his stinging face. He really didn't need the extra bruises.
Leon responded with a satisfied tone, "Oh yeah. I got about four of these babies left."
R
Luis finally stopped beside a red door, panting as he looked behind them. Good, the Ganador didn't bust through and follow them. He felt the teen shiver as she clutched his arm.
Looking down, he gave a reassuring smile as he spoke in a low voice, "This should be the room where I probably dropped it. It will most likely have Ganados in it, so stay close and have that gun ready. We may need it."
She gave a small smile as she raised the gun and gave a nod. He let go of her hand and opened the door slowly.
He poked his head inside and looked around the large room. It was deserted, which he was thankful for. Now he could look for the sample and medication in peace. Of course he'll have to be sneaky and find the sample and hide it before his companion notices. This made Luis feel guilty, lying to this girl who trusted him. But, he had no choice. This was the only way to put a crank in Saddler's plans and get to safety.
"Okay, the coast is clear, but be on your guard," he warned as he held the door open for her.
She walked inside the room. It wasn't flashy at all. In fact, it looked like a ruff version of a lab. Tables with vials, chemicals, and cages lined the walls. Although it wasn't the best lab, it did serve it's purpose.
Sheila looked at Luis and spoke with a firm voice, "O.k. Luis, here we are. We backtracked a ways from the group so we can find whatever you dropped, so spill. What is it we are exactly looking for?"
Sheila of course knew what it was, but she thought it was best to play dumb. She watched Luis's expression, looking for any hint of fear or emotion.
He hid it well as he said, "We're looking for medication for you, Leon, and Ashley. Although the eggs have hatched, the medicine will suppress the growth of the parasite, giving you people time to find the cure."
Sheila pretended to be shocked as she looked him in the eyes. She smiled and asked, "So, where do you think you dropped it?"
He walked over to her and gave a sheepish smile as he answered, "Well, I was attacked in here when I stole the medicine, so it could be anywhere in this room."
Sheila looked around and sighed. The only source of light was the candles that were lit.
She looked up at the Spaniard and said, "Let's get down to business. You look at this side of the room while I look at the left side. Divide and conquer."
"Mmmmmn. I love a lady who knows what she wants," he said with a wink.
Sheila slightly blushed as she gave him a grin. She turned and walked over to her side. As she began looking, she felt the muscles in her back give a twinge of pain. She winced, knowing that her body was definitely trying to shut down for the night. After all, she's been chased by Ganados, monsters, and bugs for the majority of the night. Where was the resting time for the body?
Reality bites! The characters in the game never show that they're tired unless it's a cut scene. Oh, my feet!
Sheila's body began to protest as she looked carefully for the blasted medicine. She really, really, wished that she was captured with Ashley right now. As she looked along the tables, Luis looked underneath all the papers that was spilled on the floor from his earlier flight. He knew the medicines had to be there somewhere!
After five minutes of searching, Sheila officially decided that the medicine or the sample was not on that side of the room. She decided to search by the doors, most likely finding them in that radius. She quickly ran over to the door and began her search again. Luis noticed this, his eyes and hands began to search more frantically. He couldn't let her find the sample!
As Sheila got down on her hands and knees, she noticed something in the corner. She got off her knees and walked over, getting excited. It was... the sample. She picked it up and studied it. It was heavy, the metal on the vile causing the heaviness. Needing better light to study it more closely, she walked over to a candle and held it up to the light. The purple liquid was actually pretty, but what was inside was not. A tiny piece of tissue with little appendages floated in the purple goop. Sheila realized that it was a parasite, a living one in fact. It looked different from the parasites on the game.
It had the same amount of skinny legs, and and a tiny undeveloped tale. But what got her was that it had a abdomen like a queen ant. She wandered if this was what they call a queen parasite.
"What do you got there," Luis asked curiously from behind. Sheila jumped and turned around, clutching the sample.
"I um, think I found a sample of the parasite," she said nervously. Luis's eyes traveled down to her hands. She found it, so now he'll have to think of something to get the sample without seeming suspicious.
He reached a hand out and asked, "May I?"
Sheila put the vile in his hand, trying to gouge his reaction. He held it up to the candle light and sighed. It was the sample. As he studied the parasite, Sheila decided to ask the scientist a question.
"Luis, how come the parasite in that vile doesn't grow? Can't the creature live and breath the air we do?"
Luis looked down at her and began to explain, sounding like a true scientist.
"Well, yes it can. But they have to find a host to grow to their full potential. When it takes over a human body, it literally attaches to the nervous system, and lives off the host. That's why you see that everyone with a fully grown or growing parasite, they do not look so well. Their nutrition is being shared with the parasite, causing lack of nutrition, scurvy, and other side affects. When it does grow to an adult, it can leave at any time and live among us, but it strangely rarely does that. It only approaches when it's Host dies or it is threatened," came his long winded reply.
Sheila looked surprised, her curiosity somewhat satisfied. The news also made her cringe, knowing that if Leon, Ashley, or herself do not get this parasite out soon, she'll become another puppet for Saddler. Plus, she did not need a paler shade of skin than she already had. Luis saw the worried expression on her face, realizing that the news forebode bad things for her future.
"Don't worry, Sheila. Once I find the medicine, we'll stop the growth for awhile, giving you and your friends more time," he said with a encouraging smile. Sheila sighed. She new he was right, but that didn't stop her from worrying.
"You know what, you're pretty smart scientist," she remarked with a grin. Luis laughed and began searching for the medication, sliding the vile in his pocket, being very sly while doing it.
"By the way, I've been wandering.. How did you know I'm a scientist?"
Sheila almost slapped herself for letting that leak out. She mentioned it earlier, not noticing that she spilled the beans. Make that twice now. Or has it been three times?...
She finally answered while getting down on the floor, helping him search for the pills, "Me and my friends found some of your notes earlier, so we figured that you used to be a scientist here."
Luis sighed as he looked at her. So now they know that he worked as a scientist for that mad man, Saddler. He was ashamed of what he had accomplished for that man, literally helping Saddler to produce the parasite if you can put it so bluntly. That was his guilt and shame, his part in this whole mess.
"Is that why you're helping us? Cause you feel responsible," Sheila asked with a soft voice. She pitied him, carrying around all that guilt.
He slowly looked up and answered, "Si. I allowed my curiosity and research to cloud my judgment. By the time I realized that, it was too late."
Sheila nodded and continued to help with the search for the medicine. His guilt filled the silence.
After a few more minutes of searching, she heard Luis say proudly, "I found it!"
She looked up and smiled, but before she could respond, a seizure took hold of her. She cried out while clutching her chest. The pain was five times worse than when she had the first one. Her chest burned and felt like someone was eating away at the lungs, while pouring hot lava in the mix.
She felt Luis pick her up, saying something in Spanish. She couldn't understand with all the pain causing her to lose all motor functions. Tears began to fall as she felt her chest heave. Something was coming up. She began to cough uncontrollably. Each cough felt like a knife being twisted in her chest. Finally, a big glob of blood came out, coating her hands for the second time. She began to cry, knowing that thing was growing even more larger, signaling the end of her sanity.
She held on to Luis as he put her on a lab table. He began to speak soothing words as she let all her frustration, fears, and hopelessness come out. She cried for herself, for Ashley, and Leon. She didn't even know if they would make it. After awhile, she began to hiccup as her tears stopped. She felt pain with each hiccup. Luis walked away to grab a paper towel from the counter. He came back and offered the ruff version of a hankie. She excepted it and wiped away the tears. To her embarrassment, she noticed that she left a bloody hand print on the Spaniard's shoulder and chest.
"I'm so sorry! I'll clean it up," she said in a rush.
Luis stopped her and said, "It's okay, I'll be fine. It's you that I'm worried about."
She looked down at her bloody hand and whispered, "Me too."
She began to wipe away the blood, then used another paper towel to blow her nose. As she got control of her hiccups, Luis gave her one pill.
"Take it, this should help with keeping it at bay," he said with his hand offering the pill. She took it and asked for a glass of water. He smiled sadly and responded, "These have to be taken dryly."
Sheila made a face, not liking the sound of that. She had a touchy gag reflex, so taking this pill will not be a walk in the park. Placing the large pill in her mouth, she tipped her head back. Slowly, she pushed the pill to the back of her throat, then swallowed. She began to gag, but covered her mouth so it wouldn't pop back out. Finally, she got horse pill down, which proved worse. It left an unpleasant after taste, which made her want to hurl it back up.
Luis put a hand on her shoulder and said, "The taste is unpleasant, but you have to keep it down. The nausea will pass in just a moment."
She nodded and waited. It did, much to her relief. She looked up and sighed.
Did I forget to mention that I really want to go home now?
Luis lifted her off the high lab table and set her down softly. Just as they were about to leave, six monks burst through the door they just came through. Luis cursed and drew out his gun. He and Sheila began to fire, causing the rushing monks to fall over each other. They continued to fire, killing three as the rest died and revealed the parasite. Their heads exploded, leaving brain and blood all over the floor. This time, fully developed parasites greeted them and wouldn't be so easily disposed of. Luis cursed, knowing that these were the worst. He grabbed Sheila's hand and ran over to the door. He kicked it open and began to run for their lives.
R
"Just our luck! The key is a two piece set," Leon grumbled as he picked the first half of the moon key.
Things were not exactly going well for them. It seemed at every corner, a parasite wolf would jump through the greenery and attack. Or they got a bit lost and had to stop to look at their map. And that was a bad idea since a wolf would just appear and attack. Chris, Leon and Claire took a slap here and there from those nasty tentacles.
Claire brought out the map and studied it. She had started to memorize it from their little rambling around in Salazar's fun house, though she still preferred to have the handy parchment on hand. She guessed that the next piece would have to be by the second fountain. She pointed this out to the guys, who agreed with her.
"Now, how to get there," Chris murmured as he looked over Claire's shoulder.
She pointed at the map and said, "Looks like we have to do a little bit of backtracking."
She showed them where to go next.
Leon said, "Lead the way."
Claire nodded and jumped down from the high fountain. The other two followed, hearing yet again more growls.
Claire groaned and said, "Let's run for it!"
She led the way, followed by two chamilllos. She turned this way and that, hearing Chris shooting once in a while when the animals would get to close.
Claire honestly hoped she knew what she was doing, cause if they met a dead end, it would not be pretty. She turned again and smiled, a bridge. She ran up the stairs and then down, then she turned left and nearly gave a whoop of joy. There the fountain stood, it's water sparkling from the torches light.
Chris ran up beside her. They smiled as they heard a sound of dogs yelping, knowing that Leon's fire grenade wiped out the stalkers. The agent appeared, panting slightly
"Nothing like playing the action hero to get the ticker pumping," he thought wryly.
Claire picked up the second half of the moonstone and gave it to Leon. He put the two pieces together and gave a small smile.
"There, now we can move on," he said with relief.
He turned and ran around the corner, the siblings following him. He stopped as two wolves jumped in front of him, growling with hunger. He quickly threw his last fire grenade down at them, hearing their yelps as they died quickly.
But before the fire went out, two more jumped over the high flames. One jumped on Chris as the other tried to jump Claire. Leon quickly stabbed the wolf before it laid a paw on her, while the other began to tear into Chris's upper arm. He screamed with pain as he took out his knife and stabbed it in the eye. The large wolf yelped and leaped off, leaving it's eye on the blade. Claire began to shoot it, not stopping till it died. AS for the agent, he continued to stab the determined wolf as it tried to lift itself off the ground. He stabbed and stabbed till the wolf was covered in blood. Finally, he stopped when it disintegrated.
Claire helped her brother up while Leon cleaned his knife. The wolf's blood and hair had splattered across his face and shirt, giving the look of a Rambo wanna-be. Claire quickly checked Chris's wound and judged it that it looked worse than it really was. She quickly sprayed it and patted him on his right shoulder. Chris smiled and offered Leon his dirty hankie.
Leon looked nervously at the hanky and said, "No, I'm fine. I think I can live with a little blood."
Chris flicked the eye off his knife, and holstered it. He was really fond of that Rambo knife. Not only for its cool, dangerous looks, but also because it kicked a-s. The trio felt their blood freeze when they heard the sounds of yet another wolf. They quickly ran up the steps and jumped over the side. There was the gate, looking so beautiful at the moment. They quickly ran for the gate. The sound of heavy panting of the wolf was close. Leon dropped kicked the gate and ran through. Chris and Claire followed, shutting the gate in the wolf's face. It snarled and foamed at the mouth, angry that it's food got away.
Chris raised his middle finger at the wolf and walked away with the silent two. They quickly ran up the small stairs and ran over to the metal, iron door. Leon put the moonstone in the indention and stood back. The door quickly rose up, revealing a dark but beautiful, weird shaped room. The three were now ready for the next chapter to begin, all three entering the room. Leon felt a familiar presence behind him. His eyes began to look to his left, then to his right. He didn't even flinch when a cold, hard, metal barrel of a gun was pressed into his back.
"Put your hands where I can see them."
Authors Note: This chapter was rather long. I made it that way because I wanted to leave off at the right spot. I've been sick, so forgive me if it isn't the greatest. I really can't stand being sick. Ick! You guys know the drill. Review! And more theories to come!