The way to the exit was littered with the undead, but Leon led the way, methodically disposing of the monsters as they appeared in their path. Wanting to conserve ammunition, he relied heavily on his blade. Evelyn couldn't help but be impressed. It was clear the man was telling the truth when he said he knew what he was doing. She left point to him and made it her business to check their rear constantly. She'd been snuck up upon enough times during this ordeal to go more than a few steps without checking over her shoulder. The pair made good time, leaving a trail of bodies along the way.
The path ahead appeared to be clear, so Kennedy decided to ask his new acquaintance some questions. "Do you have any idea what happened to cause this?"
"No clue," Davis replied, stepping over a broken chair. "One minute, I was putting together a gold-mining display, the next all hell was breaking loose."
"How did you manage to survive this whole time?"
She let out a tired giggle, "Mostly, by hiding in a closet."
"Hey, whatever works, right?"
The woman laid a hand on Leon's back, signaling him to stop. "That door up ahead," she whispered, gesturing to the blandest entrance in the hallway. "That hallway will lead us out."
"Great. Let's go," he stepped lightly up to the door, gun raised, supported by his knife hand. He gestured to his companion to stay back. Holding that knife with two fingers, he used the remaining three to slowly open the door. "Well, that's definitely 'at least twelve'."
The cramped hallway was a sea of infected. It stretched out at least thirty feet, with a door or two lining the sides. The zombies were practically shoulder to shoulder, bumping each other as they attempted to move in the enclosed space. The special agent readied his weapons, trying to plan out his advance before the hostiles could close in. Before he made a move, a deafening crash sounded from the doorway at the end of the hall. The zombies reacted to the sound, turning toward its source. Leon glanced back at Evelyn. A second blow to the door splintered it's frame, causing sunlight to stream through in ribbons.
"We need to find a different exit," Kennedy breathed, as he grabbed his companion by the arm and began to run.
A third boom, and the door went flying. Behind it, silhouetted in sunlight was a horrendous giant. Shoulders wider than the doorframe, it bowed its head and turned it's bulk to fit through. Seeing the humans fleeing in the distance, the beast trudged through the mob of infected, smashing them to the side with it's meaty arms. The massive B.O.W.'s body was knots of muscle and writhing appendages. It's small head was nested into bulging traps, beady eyes, darting back and forth.
"What the hell is that!?" Evelyn shrieked as they tore away from the monstrosity at their heels.
"You're asking me?" Leon spat, scanning the area ahead for an escape point.
Signaling, he turned into an open door. He slammed and locked the door before rushing into the next room. Davis followed, directing him to take the following left. Behind them, the sound of the locked door being obliterated increased their sense of urgency. Exiting into yet another hallway, the pair found themselves heading for the building's central rotunda. Knowing how close the exit was, gave them a glimmer of hope. While the room was still populated with the undead, Leon's previous visit had lured many of them away. They dodged the bodies in their path, weaving through toward the exit. Echoing footsteps and the sound of furniture being crushed signaled the approach of their new friend. They neared the double doors of the exit, which were now closed. Kennedy slammed against them, turning both knobs.
"It's locked," he spun around to see their hunter enter the room and set eyes on its prey.
Evelyn stared wide-eyed at her impending doom before turning to run toward the next nearest door. Leon was about to follow suit when he heard scraping marble. The statue in the center of the room began to slide backward, revealing a set of stairs, going down into a basement. The monster stopped it's pursuit as an older man stepped up from below.
"Governor Bluth?" Evelyn stammered in disbelief, slowing her pace.
Leon caught up to her and they took their chance to get out of sight. Following his companion's stare, he saw a middle-aged man in a grey suit. His salt and pepper hair was creeping away from his forehead, but a subtle comb-over made the shining scalp beneath less noticeable. The governor seemed unbothered by the scene around him. The dead stirred at his presence, but did not bother to pursue him at all. While the older gentleman was somewhat disheveled, he seemed entirely unharmed. The man turned his head when he noticed the colossal beast to his left.
"Michael," he barked in an authoritative tone, "What on earth have you been doing? I've been looking all over for you!" He left the stairway before the statue slid back to conceal the opening.
The companions, now hiding behind a corner, exchanged puzzled looks. The monster groaned unintelligibly, lowering its head.
"Come along," Bluth commanded. "We have no time to waste."
The unlikely pair walked through the zombies unnoticed and unharmed. One of the infected wobbled too close, and bumped into the mayor, rocking him backward.
"Piece of shit!" He yelled, punching the creature in the side of its face. Leon noted that something fell out of his jacket pocket during the swing.
Kennedy noticed an enemy approaching from behind, quickly and quietly disposing of it. When he put his eyes back on the rotunda, the mayor and his pet had left sight.
"What the hell is happening right now?" Evelyn groaned, holding her head. "Am I trapped in an episode of The Twilight Zone?"
"There are strains of the virus that allow for the infected to discern between friend and foe," Leon explained. "The fact that the mayor isn't being attacked, is a pretty good indication that he's involved in this."
"What about that giant… thing?"
"Pet project?" Leon offered sarcastically. "Stay here. I need to check something."
Leon put down a few more infected while he crossed the room. Most of the undead around him remained unalerted, due to his careful movements. Sure enough, an object lay on the floor near where the governor had scuffled with the zombie. He picked it up and examined it. It was a small medallion, about the size of a fifty-cent piece. On it was a relief of a crown. He looked back to the statue in the center of the room.
"Leon!" Evelyn exclaimed, backing away from a trio of zombies who had taken notice of her.
Kennedy rushed to her aid, putting a bullet in one as he closed distance. The second he took out with a swift kick to the head, sending it flying off the thing's shoulders and into a wall. The last attacker threw itself at Leon, chomping it's teeth.
"Oh, are you hungry?" He asked, sticking the barrel of his gun in it's mouth and pulling the trigger.
The altercation had attracted the attention of the remaining B.O.W.s which were now closing in. More wobbled in from other entrances. Not wanting to waste any more ammo or energy, the former cop began his way to the statue.
"Follow me," he said, waving Davis along.
Upon reaching the marble display, Leon noted the description plaque, "'I will assume the undertaking,' she said, 'for my own crown of Castille, and am ready to pawn my jewels to defray the expenses of it, if the funds in the treasury shall be found inadequate,'"he read out loud.
"Now is not the time, Leon," Davis urged, eyes darting back and forth to the approaching undead.
He took the medallion from his jacket pocket and placed it in a small recession beneath the plaque. Unsurprisingly, the statue slid backward once more. The duo hurried down the steps before the infected could catch up. It didn't take long for the mechanism to reverse, returning the structure to its proper place. A zombie reached its arm down just as the stone was reaching it's starting point, smashing the appendage and removing it from its owner.
Evelyn watched the arm flop around for a moment before going still. She was having trouble absorbing the fact that she'd been walking past this secret passage every day without ever knowing of its existence. She looked at Leon, clearly done with the entire situation. "What the fuck is this, National Treasure?"
o-o-o-o-o-o
Ada walked briskly through the capitol building as if she was only there on light business. She didn't bother to take down most of the infected in her path. They were so slow, it was hardly difficult for her to evade them. She was becoming increasingly annoyed. She had hoped her task would be easy, but she was having no luck finding the information she needed. She threw a high kick at a zombie that had dared to come too close. The sound of neck bones cracking was punctuated by the body hitting the floor.
"Where do you keep your secrets, Bluth?"
She heard a commotion from the rotunda and headed to the nearby balcony. Below her, Leon was sprinting across the room with an attractive woman.
"Replaced me so soon?" she asked, knowing he wouldn't hear.
Following behind them was a massive creature, clearly out for blood. Concerned, she looked back to Leon who had stopped at the seemingly locked entrance. Wong raised her gun. This wouldn't be the first time she'd saved the special agent's ass. As she lined up her aim, she heard the grinding of stone on stone. Mayor Bluth emerged from a secret passage in the center of the room.
"Bingo," she said with a sly smile.
She watched Leon and his friend sneak off as the exchange began between the mayor and the creature unfolded. Ada pulled out a small camera, snapping a few shots of the scene below. Her eyes narrowed at the item falling from the man's pocket.
"It really is my lucky day."
She waited for Kennedy and his companion to leave but was instead disappointed to see the man retrieve the mysterious dropped item. She clicked her tongue, wishing she had gotten to it first. The other woman called for help, and Wong was treated to a show of Leon's combat prowess. Miss Wong couldn't deny that she loved watching him work. He truly was a sight to behold. Ada had a lot of respect for his abilities. If she were to be honest with herself, she had a lot of respect for him. The man had wormed his way into what was left of her tiny, broken heart back in Raccoon City, and she had never managed to snuff those feelings out. She did, however, do a great job of pretending they weren't there.
Six months ago, Leon had saved her. She often tried to forget that moment of coming to, with her head in his lap as he begged her to carry on. He had had tears in his eyes. The memory stirred feelings in her that she wasn't prepared to confront. Since that incident, she had actively avoided the man. She had her connections alert her of his mission locations so she could steer clear. The mercenary told herself it was because she couldn't afford to be captured, and his ties to the U.S. government would lead to her demise.
The subject of her thoughts brought Ada back to reality as he shouted at his partner. The two of them ran to the statue, unlocking the mechanism. As they ascended into darkness, Wong assessed the situation, calculating whether she could make it to the entrance before it closed. She clicked her tongue once more, knowing it wasn't going to happen. The statue returned to its original position, with a dozen or so undead, circling the structure.
The raven-haired woman weighed her options. Perhaps there was a copy of the key somewhere around. Depending on how the mechanism worked, she could fake it open somehow. Maybe even make her own duplicate of the key to unlock it. Not to mention, whatever was hidden beneath the tacky display could have one or more alternate exits. Unfortunately, Wong had a mission to accomplish, and it just wouldn't do to waste time. She arched over the balcony, grappling gun in hand. Launching the hook into a hold above, she lifted a leg, aiming her pointed heel at the face of a zombie. The stiletto sank into the creature's skull. The force of her swing slammed the infected into the opposite wall, crushing its head like a melon. Ada deftly landed away from the corpse, mourning her now disgusting footwear. She gave her foot a shake, grimacing at the gore that splattered from it.
More B.O.W.s approached, and she made quick work of them. She needed the room clear if she was to examine the device properly. Pulling a blade from what seemed like nowhere, she darted to the left, avoiding a grab. Coming up, she embedded the dagger under a zombie's chin, up into its brain. Ripping it back out, she plunged it into another's eye. Whipping out her silenced gun, she made bullseyes in three foreheads. As more bodies approached, more ended up on the ground. Just as the woman began to work up a sweat, she scanned the room to find she had disposed of the threat entirely.
"Still got it," She smirked to herself.
She didn't bother to avoid the mess on the floor, as she made her way to the statue. A kinder woman might have felt pity for the people the monsters had once been. Kind wasn't a word many would use to describe Ada Wong. Her heel pressed into a limp body as she stepped over it like a pile of laundry. It squished below her, leaking a fluid she didn't care to identify. The statue display didn't look very suspicious. A queen, presumably Isabella, sat in the center, with A man pleading to her left and a boy to her right. The inscription at the bottom made Wong sneer.
"Typical," she spat. "A man begs and cries, and it's always up to the woman to do something about it," She met the queen's stone stare. "You should have told him to buzz off."
She continued to inspect the statuary. Leon must have pocketed the medallion after using it, because only a hollow remained. With a little time and patience, Ada knew she could find a way to get it open. Unfortunately, she was short on both. She placed a device on the front on the statue and began to back away.
"Sorry, Isabella, but I just don't have time to play with you right now."
A light on the device began to blink, and Wong lengthened her steps. The light flickered more rapidly, and Ada knew it was time to turn and shield her face. Three shrill beeps pierced the air before the device ignited a small explosion. Chunks of marble shot in all directions. Kicking debris out of the way, the woman made her way to the newly opened exit. What was left of Columbus's face peered up at her from the floor beside the descending staircase.
"Oh, poor you…" She said with fake sincerity and kicked the bit of stone across the room.
o-o-o-o-o-o