Disclaimer: CAPCOM owns Resident Evil. I just like writing fanfiction based off it.
"If it could stop raining, that'd be great," Alma sighed, swiping a damp strand of hair out of her eyes before raising her gun to the nearest ganado.
"That it would," Leon agreed, swiping his knife across a ganado's face. It staggered back with a cry and he used the opportunity to drive his boot into its jaw.
"Oh my god!" Ashley shrieked when a plagas exploded from its head. Leon dispatched it with a well-placed shotgun blast while Alma mopped up the rest.
"You okay?" he asked her, resting a hand gently on Ashley's shoulder.
"I-I think so. That was just-just-."
"Gross? Nauseating? Unnecessary?" Alma supplied with a dry laugh, frowning when she took stock of her ammunition.
"All of the above," Ashley replied shakily, hugging herself around the middle, shuddering a bit.
"Let's head towards the extraction point. Sooner we get there, the sooner we get home," Leon said, giving Ashley a reassuring smile that was more of a grimace than anything.
"What are we going to do about Saddler? More importantly, what are we going to do about the parasites we have in us?" Alma asked, following Leon down the dirt path.
"Ah, I'm working on it."
"Guess I should start working on a plan too, then," she muttered, resting a hand on her hip.
"What are we gonna do?" she heard Ashley ask softly. Alma glanced over her shoulder, giving her charge a tired smile.
"We'll be alright," Alma assured her. "Don't worry."
"That's not what I asked," Ashley replied, frowning. Alma rubbed the back of her neck, her usual knack for words deserting her and instead turned away. Ashley sighed but said nothing more, obediently following behind her escorts.
"How many do you think are out there?" Alma asked Leon, wringing out her hair with a grimace. They were resting in the village proper church, catching their breaths before heading out once more.
"No idea. Hopefully we'll be able to get to the extraction point without further incident," Leon stated, kneeling for a moment to retie his boots.
"When have you known us to be so lucky?" Alma snorted, leaning against the table, folding her arms loosely over her chest.
"How far is it?" Ashley asked, rubbing her arms in an attempt to warm herself.
"Maybe a half a mile or so," Leon said.
"That just seems so far," she sighed, hugging herself around the middle.
"It's not," Alma replied. "We used to run five miles every day before class, remember?"
"I know, but still-," she trailed off, giving Alma a helpless look. "I'm just worried."
Alma frowned, unsure of what to say to reassure her. Good thing Leon had her back.
"I understand you're scared Ashley but we have to keep moving. We'll do everything in our power to keep you safe," Leon told their charge. His words seemed to have a calming effect on the First Daughter and Alma could see the tension melt from her scrunched-up shoulders.
"I've got an idea," Alma said suddenly. "There's a bell tower outside of this church; there's only one into it. When we head out there Ashley, I want you to climb into the tower and wait for our signal. Leon and I will make sure the area is secured before we move on."
"You want to leave me by myself?" Ashley asked, alarmed. "What if someone comes after me?"
Alma rested a hand on her hip, glancing around the small room they had taken temporary refuge in. Her lips twitched into a slight smile when her eyes landed on the fireplace.
"I have an idea…"
"That worked? Color me impressed."
"You sound surprised," Alma stated, leveling a look at Leon as they watched the ganado melt into a puddle of goo, courtesy of an iron poker through his left eye. "Nice job Ashley."
"That…was gross," she replied, skirting the puddle with a grimace.
Alma and Leon had just finished mopping up the few ganado that were hanging around the main village when they heard Ashley scream. They had rushed back to the tower as fast as they could, only to see her attacker tumble from the ladder with the aforementioned poker stabbed through his head.
"You handled it well though," Leon said, giving Ashley a slight smile. Ashley's cheeks flushed a light pink at the praise, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Alma.
'She has a crush on him, doesn't she?' Alma mused to herself. 'Can't see her being his type. Feel like he would like someone more mature…but I guess that would have me out of the running then.' A snort of laughter elicited from the dark-haired agent at the thought, prompting Leon and Ashley to turn their attention to her.
"Do you have something you want to share with the class?" Leon asked, sharing a look with Ashley.
"Nope~!" she replied cheerily, giving him a lazy half-smile.
"Alright, well, let's get moving."
"Sir, yes sir," Alma said, giving him a half-ass salute. Leon rolled his eyes, beckoning them to follow him towards the gate leading to the farm.
It was an uneventful trek, thankfully. They only had to put down three or four villagers before making it safely through the farmyard.
"Can't wait until we get out of here. I could use a shower," Ashley sighed, stretching her arms over her head.
"Yeah, no kidding," Alma agreed when the trio came to a stop before the gate leading out of the village. "Gimme a boost?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah. Sure," Leon shrugged, placing his back against the gate, lacing his fingers together. Alma placed her right foot in his hands, steadying herself with her hands on his shoulders. She was acutely aware of his lukewarm breath on her cheek and had to fight down a blush.
'This is so not the time to be admiring your partner, girl,' she scolded herself.
"Upsy-daisy-doo," Alma said, marveling at the way he easily hoisted her up. She grabbed the top of the gate, nimbly flipping herself over it. Alma landed on her feet for a change, brushing her hands off as she turned, lifting the plank that barred the door.
"Nice job, let's get moving," Leon said, letting Ashley walk ahead of him before barring the door behind them once more.
They were halfway across another wooden bridge when Alma began getting the feeling something was wrong.
"So…where's this chopper supposed to be?" she asked aloud. Leon opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by the sound of his communicator sounding off.
"Hunnigan, what's going on?" Leon asked.
"Got some bad news-."
"Fucking knew it," Alma muttered under her breath though Leon hushed her, addressing Hunnigan once more.
"I really don't want to hear it."
"Well, I have to tell you regardless. We just lost contact with the helicopter sent to retrieve you; someone must have shot it down though we can't determine who."
"I can hazard a guess," Alma said, dragging her hands through her hair with a groan.
"Oh no," Ashley moaned, putting her head in her hands.
"Son of a bitch," Leon swore.
"What do we do now?" Alma asked, taking the radio from Leon.
"We're prepping another chopper but it'll take some time for it to reach you."
"So what do you suggest we do until then?" Alma said. "We're running on fumes here."
"Find some place to lay low?" Hunnigan suggested. "I'm sorry I don't have any more information or advice for you."
"We'll do our best," Leon replied. "Over and out."
"Super helpful," Alma muttered when the screen went dark. She knew Hunnigan was doing the best she could with what little information she had but it didn't stop Alma from feeling a bit catty about the exchange.
"Looks like there's a cabin over there," Ashley pointed out. "Do you think that'll work?"
"Better than nothing," Leon agreed before they spotted a large group of villagers heading their way. "Son of a bitch."
"This is entirely un-good," Alma said nervously, raising her handgun to the mob beginning to run at them across the bridge.
"Hate to say it but we're sandwiched alright. Let's get in that cabin!"
The trio broke into a dead sprint, Leon bursting through the metal door. He cleared the room quickly, reaching back to grasp Ashley's arm and pull her in. Alma was right on her heels, shutting the door behind them. She looked around for anything to secure it with before hearing a familiar voice call out;
"Leon!"
Leon turned, seeing a metal pipe launched his way. He caught it with one hand, eyes narrowing when he realized who had thrown it.
"Small world, eh?" Luis commented from the landing of the stairs.
"You could say that again," Alma exclaimed, watching Leon fortify the door.
"Well, I see the president has equipped his daughter with ballistics too."
Alma stifled a laugh at his saucy comment though Ashley didn't find it funny. "How rude. And I don't believe there's any relevance with my figure and my standing. Who are you?"
Alma grasped her wrist gently. "Just ignore him. I do."
"Well, well. Excuse me, your highness. Perhaps the young lady might want to introduce herself first before asking someone his name," Luis smiled.
Ashley scoffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Her name is Ashley Graham, the president's daughter?"
"Is she…?" Luis trailed off, glancing over at Leon. "Well, you know…"
"Don't worry. She's cool," Leon said. Ashley blushed a bit at his reply, glancing away shyly.
'I don't think he meant it like that,' Alma thought to herself, taking a seat and propping her feet up on the table.
"Eh, never mind," Luis shrugged. "There's supposed to be some kind of obvious symptoms before you turn into one of them anyway."
Alma ignored the sudden sharp pain in her chest at his words. It was gone as soon as it had arrived but such episodes were becoming more frequent.
'But Ashley's been here longer than we have. If we're showing signs and symptoms, surely she is too. We have to find a way to get this parasite out of our bodies.'
"Look!" Ashley gasped suddenly, pointing at one of the boarded-up windows. Through the slats they could see the villagers advancing on them with torches.
"Oh right, zombies," Alma sighed, cracking her knuckles.
"They aren't zombies-," Leon said before he sighed. "Never mind. Ashley, upstairs. Find a place to hide."
"Right!" she agreed, racing up the steps.
Alma stood, pulling her hair into a high ponytail. She noticed Luis had withdrawn a Red 9 from his waistband, flipping it nimbly into his hand.
"Okay," Luis said, looking at Alma and Leon. "It's game time."
"We are so boned," Alma sighed. "And not in the fun way either…"
The villagers began swarming the windows, beating on the boards in an attempt to break in. They each took a window, shooting through the boards in an effort to keep them out. They broke through the window Luis was guarding first. Luckily Leon was a quick thinker and shoved a nearby cabinet in front of it.
"That should hold it for a little while," he said breathlessly. She glanced over her shoulder at him, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Good thinking," Alma praised him though she paid for her lapse in concentration when a hand suddenly shot through one of the boards, grabbing her around the neck. A strangled grunt elicited from the agent as she was yanked back against the boards, stars winking before her eyes when her head snapped back with a sickening thud. Her handgun went spiraling from her grasp and she struggled futilely against the tight hold.
Leon was at her side in seconds, circling an arm around her head to shield her from flying splinters when he shot the offending ganado in the face. He yanked her against his chest, hearing her cough weakly.
"You okay?" he asked, cupping her face in his hands, examining her worriedly.
"I-I'm okay," she gasped, raising a hand to her abused throat. "Not into that BDSM shit though."
Leon was torn between wanting to laugh and cry and hug her. Laughter won out (thankfully) and he gently rubbed his thumb over her cheek. "Be careful," he scolded her quietly.
"I'm trying," Alma replied, hating the way her cheeks heated at his words.
"Hey, lovebirds. Little help?" they heard Luis call. Alma spun around, just in time to see Luis be lifted off his feet like he weighed nothing by one of the villagers.
She raced forward, grabbing a wooden chair and smashed it over the back of the ganado lifting Luis up like he was Simba in the Lion King, causing him to release the Spaniard.
"Thank you," he panted, finishing off the ganado.
"This never ends," Alma snapped, diving between two villagers to where her handgun lay. She popped two shots off, following up with a powerful flash kick to the jaw that took both their heads off.
"Impressive," she heard Leon comment from somewhere behind her.
"Please. I know it'll take a lot more than that to impress you," she fired back with a grin, echoing the words he had spoken to her when they first arrived in Pueblo.
"Wait. Stop shooting," Luis commanded, lowering his Red 9. "It looks like they're backing off."
Alma turned, seeing the villagers begin to retreat. They vanished behind a large wooden gate which swung down with a thud as soon as they had cleared it.
The sudden silence was unsettling, only broken by shortly clipped breaths from the three gunslingers.
"Now what do we do?" Luis asked after a few moments.
"Don't die?" Alma suggested, dropping down onto one of the stairs as she rubbed her neck with a wince. She heard soft footsteps and a moment later Ashley sat beside her on the step.
"Well, the bridge we took to get here is out so I guess we really don't have much of a choice but to keep moving. It's not safe here," Leon said.
"No shit," Alma agreed, resting her head on Ashley's shoulder.
"You guys go on ahead. I forgot something," Luis said suddenly, opening the main door.
"Luis-?" Leon leaned on the doorway, watching the Spaniard head towards a small pathway beside some trees.
"Let him go," Alma called. "I'm sure we'll see him later."
"I hope not," Ashley muttered. Alma smiled tiredly at her words, shutting her eyes lazily. She felt Ashley's hand slip into hers, giving it a squeeze.
"Let's take ten minutes to regroup. Then we'll get moving," Leon said after a moment, taking a seat in one of the remaining chairs around the table.
Leon kept his watchful gaze on the windows as well as his partner and their charge while the two women leaned against one another, lightly dozing.
He stood, quietly making his way towards them. He crouched down, examining Alma. He felt rage bubble in his gut when he caught sight of the bruise around Alma's throat in the shape of a handprint. All of the injuries she had obtained so far were preventable and he hated himself for being unable to protect her.
None of them seemed to slow her down, though. She bounced right back like a boomerang.
'Don't know if she can take any more hits like that though,' he frowned, raking a hand back through his hair. He shook his head as though it would rid him of the thought. She was fine, she was safe, she was-
Totally awake and staring at him.
"Need something?" she asked, voice hoarse from sleep.
"Just making sure you're okay," he said lowly, glancing over towards Ashley.
"Oh, living the dream," she chuckled quietly, clearing her throat. "I assume it's been ten minutes?"
"Thirty actually."
"You should've woken us-."
"You guys needed to rest," Leon shrugged.
"Want me to take watch? You can get forty winks," Alma suggested.
"I'm alright. We should get going though."
Alma shifted Ashley's weight from her shoulder with a soft grunt. "Hey Ashley, time to wake up."
"Five more minutes," she grumbled, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"Gotta get going before more villagers show up." Ashley frowned at those words but obediently stood, stretching her arms over her head with a pleased sigh.
"Alright darlings, let's move out," Alma announced, leading the way out of the cabin. Their mission was far from over, after all.
After replenishing what little supplies they could with their merchant friend, Ashley noticed a letter laying on a shelf inside the shack the merchant was stationed outside of.
"-I was informed by Lord Saddler that our men shot down a United States military helicopter. There shouldn't be any more outside interference for a while now-oh, I fucking knew it!" Alma seethed angrily, gripping the note so tightly it threatened to tear.
"What else does it say?" Leon asked, getting her attention.
"-use this time to our advantage and recapture the girl. The three Americans can only get out of our territory by using one of two routes. We shall deploy a large number of ganados in one of the routes and for the other we shall leave the task to El Gigante. Whichever route they take, the agents will not leave here alive. Not with the girl at least…"
"What do they mean by that?" Ashley said nervously as Alma balled up the paper, dropping it to the ground and ground it into the dirt with her boot.
"Heads they win, tails we lose," Leon replied.
"Que, sera, sera," Alma remarked bitterly, folding her arms over her chest. "Which way should we take?"
"We don't really have the ammunition to take on a 'large number of ganados'," Leon said.
"Yeah, well, I'm not really looking forward to meeting El Gigante again either," Alma scoffed, resting a hand on her hip. "Which one is the lesser of two evils, do you think?"
"Probably El Gigante?"
"We barely made it out of there alive the first time and now we have Ashley with us," Alma lowered her voice, glancing over at the First Daughter giving Rex some belly rubs. She was so happy to see the Merchant was still taking care of their little canine friend.
"I know," Leon snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But one enemy is better than dozens of them."
"Not when that one enemy is twelve feet tall and weighs two tons," Alma retorted hotly, eyes narrowing. They glared at one another for a moment before Leon spoke.
"Alma, you asked my opinion and now you're upset because it isn't what you wanted to hear."
"Seriously Leon-?"
"All I'm saying is that we can outrun El Gigante. It will have to be a large area for us to fight him in due to his size."
Alma pursed her lips. "I guess that makes sense."
"Then it's settled. We'll take the right pathway."
"For our sake I hope it is the right pathway to take," Alma muttered under her breath, shuffling behind Leon and their charge.
"Fucking told you so!"
"Shut up Nguyen!" Leon hollered back, dodging a swipe from their opponent.
They had made it halfway through the canyon before El Gigante leapt down in front of them. After collectively pissing their pants in fear the trio immediately separated, Ashley taking off to find somewhere safe to hide while Leon and Alma traded blows with the giant.
It was going about as well as you'd expect which meant not very well at all…
They had gotten the plagas to show itself once but were having difficulty with doing it a second time. He seemed to shrug off everything they pumped into him and Alma was beginning to wonder if they should've taken their chances with the ganados.
Leon had dropped a boulder on El Gigante's head when the fight began but he seemed quite unbothered by it.
"Leon, look out-!" Alma yelled though her warning was too late. El Gigante snatched the agent up, folding his monstrous paws around him and began to squeeze.
"Um, ah, um, fuck, what do I do!?" she panicked, cycling through the ammunition she had in her mind. Alma grabbed a flash bang off her belt, launching it at the giant. El Gigante roared in pain, clutching at his head before dropping Leon to the ground where he lay motionless.
Her head throbbed, heart pounded. In that instant, everything slowed to a crawl. The edges of her vision blurred gray while the rest took on an extra-bright hue. The only thing her brain seemed able to process was the fact that Leon was hurt.
Her feet barely touched the ground as she ran for her partner, yanking her combat knife free from her waist holster. El Gigante raised his right foot, about to stomp down on the blond agent. Alma leapt forward, scaling her opponent's back with ease before coming to rest on his shoulders.
The rest was a blur after that.
She could hear him howling in agony each time she embedded her knife into his flesh, right where his neck met his shoulder. He thrashed around, trying to dislodge her but she held on tight. It must have taken twenty or thirty stabs for him to finally keel over dead and when he did she tumbled to the ground beside him, gasping for air.
It felt like an eternity went by before the haze lifted and Alma was able to think clearly though in reality it was no more than a minute or two.
"Alma-," she heard Ashley say timidly from behind her. She turned to look at the younger girl, a startled gasp eliciting from the blond. "Alma, your eyes…"
"What about them?" the agent asked. Her entire body felt like a live copper wire and it was beginning to make her feel sick. She turned her attention to a puddle of water on the ground. Her eyes were an eerie shade of molten gold. She clenched them shut, taking a few deep breaths before opening them once more, revealing dove-gray eyes.
Alma swallowed tightly, focusing her gaze on her partner who just started climbing to his feet. "Leon-." She rushed to his side, letting him lean against her as he stood.
"I'm alright. Just a bit battered," he said, wincing a bit. "What happened to you?"
"Huh?"
"Your hands are all bloody. Are you hurt?" Alma glanced down, seeing her hands were indeed soaked in blood.
"O-oh. N-no, I'm fine. Had a bit of a bar room brawl with El Gigante while you were getting in those forty winks," she laughed nervously though he didn't return the smile.
"Hey guys," they heard Ashley say. "While you were busy, I found a key. I think it fits the door at the end of this canyon."
"Great job Ashley," Leon praised her. Alma rolled her eyes, glancing away. She just saved his life and his first instinct was to compliment Ashley? She hadn't even done anything aside from get in their way since they rescued her and-
'Whoa Alma. Where did that come from?' she thought to herself, wrinkling her nose in disgust. 'You need to stop being a catty bitch. It's not like you guys are dating or anything.'
"Let's get out of here before anything else bad happens," Leon suggested.
"I second that," Ashley agreed.
"Are you okay to walk?" Alma asked quietly.
"Hm? Oh, yeah. I'll be fine. My ribs broke my fall," he said, giving her a cheeky smile. "We can rest for a little while once we're out of here."
"You're the boss," Alma shrugged, trailing behind him and Ashley, trying to ignore the way her hands wouldn't stop trembling.
"Oh, hallelujah," Ashley sighed once they made it safely through the gate.
"Looks like there's a small building we can rest in," Leon pointed out.
"On it," Alma replied, taking point. After clearing the building and the area surrounding it Ashley and Leon entered. Alma took the opportunity to clean her hands off in a trough of water. Probably wasn't super hygienic but she was willing to bet it was cleaner than El Gigante blood.
Rather than follow them in, Alma elected to stay outside. It was cooler and the breeze helped dry the sweat on her skin, leaving her feel somewhat refreshed. She sat down on the ground Indian-style, taking stock of her ammunition and making sure her equipment was in working order.
A few minutes later Leon exited the building, holding a note in his hand. "We have a problem."
"What's new?" Alma muttered, stretching her legs out before her with a sigh.
"They're hunting for us and Luis. The Big Cheese is supposedly waiting for us in a building down in the valley. Apparently 'only before his sight will the door open'," Leon said.
"Great," she replied flatly, climbing to her feet and withdrawing her Picador from its holster.
"Got you a present though." Alma looked up at those words just in time to see him toss a box of rifle rounds at her.
A wry smile tugged at her lips as she caught them. "So thoughtful." She didn't miss the way his cheeks flushed at her words though he turned away.
"Let's go check out that door."
They made their way up a slightly steep hill, seeing a large set of green doors with a gold plated head in place of a lock though it was missing an eye. It looked like there was a tall stone wall that went on for what seemed like forever in both directions. It was obvious they wouldn't be able to vault over it like other doors so they continued up the hill towards what they assumed was the 'lift'.
"This is…odd," Ashley commented when they reached the top of the stairs. Metal gondolas were coming up a steep hill and turning around on a cable to go back down. The carts, she noticed, provided little to no protection for riders should they stand too close to the edge.
"Oh, give me a break," Alma groaned, gripping her handgun tighter. "This is an awful idea."
"It's the only way we can go," Leon reminded her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "You'll be alright."
"You say that now, but…," Alma trailed off before squinting a bit. "There's some villagers over there."
"Can you hit them from here?"
"Can I hit them from here?" Alma said mockingly. "Bitch, please." She brought her rifle up, lining up her shot and took the heads off two villagers.
"Nice shot Alma," Ashley smiled.
"All aboard," Leon sighed as they stepped onto one of the lifts.
"Oh, gods," Alma squeaked out, feeling it sway unsteadily beneath her.
It was an uneventful ride, thankfully, and they made it to the bottom without Alma retching over the side rail.
"Are you doing okay Alma? You look so pale," Ashley frowned. "Well, paler than you usually do."
"I'll be alright. I just don't like heights."
"If you say so," Ashley said softly when Alma brushed by her.
"Let's just get this over with."
Leon led the way down another hill to a large barn lit by torches.
"I have a bad feeling about this. You guys better stay out here," Leon said to her and Ashley.
"Not a chance," Alma replied, racking her shotgun before slinging it onto her back. "You're stuck with me till the end."
"Stay safe you two," Ashley said worriedly, running off to hide.
Alma and Leon looked towards one another, nodded, and proceeded to step inside. The air was cold and it was oddly quiet. They advanced cautiously before Alma caught sight of a shadow that wasn't hers out the corner of her eye. She spun around, alarmed, though there was nothing there.
She faced front again only to see the village chief towering over Leon.
"Leon!" she shrieked. He spun around only to get viciously backhanded by Mendez. His back connected with a support beam and he crumpled to the ground. Alma took several shots at Mendez though he seemed unaffected by them. She ducked his grab, spinning around and drove her knife into his back.
Mendez growled, swinging around to grab her before the scent of gasoline suddenly permeated the air. He turned, seeing Leon holding a lighter over a puddle of gasoline spilling from a red barrel.
"Hasta luego," he glared, dropping the lighter onto the fluid. The two agents dove away from the village chief right before his body was engulfed by flames and an explosion rocked the ground beneath their feet.
"That was easy," Alma laughed nervously, climbing to her feet alongside Leon before hearing a strange crunching noise coming from Mendez. His fingernails elongated, two huge claw-like appendages burst from his shoulders, and his torso was split by a thick, spinal column-like structure with what looked like tiny, moving legs lining the sides.
"Um-kay…yeah…," Alma stammered, swallowing thickly.
"What? Nothing to say about this one? Color me surprised," she heard Leon mutter.
"Well, my mama did tell me that if I don't have something nice to say then don't say anything at all," Alma trailed off, raising her handgun. "And I definitely don't have anything nice to say about this motherfucker."
"Touché," Leon replied after a moment before Mendez lunged their way with a snarl.
Long chapter is long. Lots of dialogue but with Ashley in the mix I felt in necessary. Most RE4 fanfictions that have an OC with Leon tend to forget about Ashley and push her to the wayside even though she's super important. Little bit of plagas interference going on (creative license FTW) and a little more Leon/Alma moments too. Being eight chapters in I feel like it's too early for anything significant to happen so we'll have these little moments between them for now. Shit will begin getting serious around the last chapter on the island. Also sorry for the numerous scene breaks. I didn't want to break this chapter up, hence the scene changes that seem to jump around.
I've been thinking about writing a Leon/Alma RE2 story after I finish with this one. It wouldn't be related to this in any way but I figured it might be fun. Let me know what ya'll think. Till next time. Cheers.
PS: Sorry for any grammar errors. I just had five fillings done at the dentist (yeah, yeah, I know. TMI) and I'm rocking some Tylenol PM (since I don't have any ibuprofen or regular Tylenol in this house which is super odd) which makes me drowsy and loopy. I hope this chapter is okay, I really want to get to the castle honestly. It's my favorite level of sorts in RE4 (it goes Castle, Village, and Island in order from favorite to least favorite). Though I can't wait until I get to write about Alma's reaction to the regenerators…
