Placing the suitcase on the bed, Leon neatly stores a few pieces of clothing that were beside him. Slow, calm movements, perhaps even a bit nostalgic, were accompanied by the satisfied smile on his face.
A good feeling permeated his chest, reminding him of his travels as a child. But times better than he remembered. He got the job he always wanted, he was recognized for his skills and his efforts, both by his superiors and by his family.
Raccoon City was not a very big city, not in comparison with the other cities in which he could provide his services. However, of all the options, Raccoon was the city with the greatest increase in violence in recent times.
Naturally, this caught the attention of the rookie cop who had great ambitions and wanted to make a difference.
As he finishes packing his bag, he runs his hand through his sandy blond hair and runs his eyes through his apartment. He left his parents' house at an early age, before he even finished high school. He would miss that place. And seeing his apartment empty like that left him with a great mixture of feelings in his chest.
Mostly good feelings.
He had already put most of his things in his jeep, only the suitcase was remaining. He was leaving only a few clothes and some belongings at his parents' house and hundreds of kilometers away.
Leon sighs nostalgically and walks slowly towards the table in the corner of the room.
His eyes fall on the gun on the table. A gift from his father soon after he completed his training. He affectionately nicknamed the weapon matilda, after his little sister, Mathilda.
His smile widened on his lips as he remembered his sister. Only two years younger than him. He had a good family. He got the job he wanted. He had a good amount of money saved up because from an early age he knew well what he wanted to be and worked hard to make it all work out.
Yes, things were looking good for the rookie cop. Despite his nervousness, he couldn't wait to get started.
Picking up his gun and placing it in its holster, Leon picks up his suitcase and walks to the door. Before leaving his apartment, he turned and looked once more at the empty room, letting out a small laugh as memories flooded his mind, and left shortly after.
The trip was uneventful. Leon was softly humming a song that was playing on the radio. He didn't listen to much music normally, but both his mother and sister loved Queen. In a way, he and his father were forced to learn the lyrics of some of the songs.
He liked to travel. To sit in the car that he bought with his own effort and money and just drive. It gave him a certain feeling of freedom. He didn't even notice the hours passing.
The light on the electronic panel indicating that the car was running on reserve was what brought his mind back to reality.
Blinking a few times, Leon sets his eyes on a gas station ahead and begins to slow down. It was already night, the road was deserted so he didn't find it necessary to turn on the indicator.
Parking the car, he runs his eyes around and stops them for a few moments at the police car parked there. The lights were still flashing, which meant that the policeman hadn't gone there just to fill up the gas tank.
While he put gas in his car, he checked his surroundings again. Everything was silent, and the gas station had its lights off, except for the headlight of the police car.
"...That's weird." He muttered to himself, putting the gas pump back in place. It was then that he heard something breaking, followed by low, voice-like noises.
It was then, near the front door, lit by the police car's headlight, that he noticed the red dripping on the floor. Blood, almost camouflaged by the flashing lights of the vehicle.
Leon immediately became attentive and began to slowly approach the vehicle, observing the interior. One of the doors was open, but unlike the surrounding area, there was no blood inside.
Looking around once more, Leon begins to approach the door ahead slowly, following the footprints of blood. The muffled noises grew louder and louder. Slowly, he places his hand on his gun, just in case.
He tries to look through the glass of the door, but opens it after being unable to see anything due to the darkness.
"Hello?" he tries, but he hears nothing but the muffled voice of a man saying things he couldn't identify what they were, along with some faint grunts and groans.
On the ground in front of him was a fallen lantern, which caused Leon to arch an eyebrow. Just to be sure of his own thoughts, he flicked the switch next to the door, sighing slightly when the lights didn't come on.
Crouching down after running his eyes quickly through the interior, he takes the flashlight and lights his way forward. Blood trailed down the aisles among the shelves. Groceries were lying on the floor. A fight that ended badly, perhaps?
It was not a shootout, that much was clear. Despite the large amount of blood, there were no shell casings on the floor, no holes in the walls.
A knife fight?
The wounded man staggered into the station... as there were no suspects trapped in the back of the vehicle, clearly those involved were still inside.
Taking his gun from its holster and squeezing it slightly, Leon stands up, still with the flashlight illuminating his path, and walks slowly into the store.
With slow but steady steps, he walks among the shelves, following the blood trails, but always running his eyes around, watching for anything. The male voice became more audible, as did the grunts. Now he could hear with some clarity an order coming from a man, "Stop moving, sir." Perhaps it was the policeman.
As soon as he stepped out from behind one of the shelves, however, his eyes immediately fell on the man slumped beside the door, his back propped on the wall. The man had blood on his clothes, hands and arms, and one of his hands was on his neck that was dripping a certain amount of blood.
"Jesus!" Leon exclaimed in surprise, standing just in front of the man and ripping the side of his shirt, below his jacket, and placing it on the man's injured neck, applying pressure.
A lot of blood was pouring out.
"God, you need a hospital, badly!" Leon said, and the man raised his face. He must have been in his 30s-40s, had a clean-shaven face, a few scattered wrinkles. His eyes showed pain and a tone of despair.
"I-I... the... the policeman..." He said between chokes and sighs. His right arm was raised and his bloody hand pointed to the next door.
Leon nodded.
"Keep applying pressure. I'll be right back." Leon said, getting up quickly and walking with hurried steps down the small corridor after the door.
Further ahead, he could catch a glimpse of a man in uniform fighting with a person in the room after the ajar door. The place was dimly lit, save for an occasional blinking light just above the door.
Leon approached with the flashlight pointed forward while his hand clenched his gun.
"Stop moving, sir! Things are only going to get more complicated for you!" The man in front said, and Leon was able to get a better view of the situation as he approached.
The man was a police officer. The rank on the side of his arm showed that he was the sheriff. His uniform was stained with blood and he was grunting as he struggled to keep the man restrained and successfully handcuff him. Beside him, lying on the floor, a body of another man lay motionless. Much blood stained the floor.
"Officer, do you need help?" Leon asked, and the sheriff merely moved his head in his direction, without releasing the arms of the individual he was holding.
"Stay back sir! I got this." The sheriff said. Leon took a few steps forward, illuminating the situation better, and opened his mouth to say something. But before any sound could come from his throat, his eyes fell on the body that was moving beside the sheriff.
The body that, moments ago, had been lying motionless in a pool of blood.
The rookie's eyes widened as he saw the man stand up without a large part of his throat. His skin had turned gray and his eyes were dead. The man made a strange and somewhat chilling grunt as he moved slowly toward the sheriff.
"Stop!" Leon exclaimed as he saw the man raise both arms towards the sheriff, and quickly pointed his gun towards the man. The sheriff noticed that person approaching his side due to Leon's shout and backed away.
However, the man threw himself in his direction. The sheriff, in reflex, put his arms in front of his body and tried to grab the man's arms. However, to the surprise of both Leon and the sheriff himself, instead of punching him or knocking him down, the man simply bit the sheriff's forearm.
The scream of pain that echoed through the place made Leon take action, and he quickly ran towards the man, grabbing him by the back of his shirt, putting his leg in front of him and knocking the man to the side. Leon knelt on the man's back and put his arms behind his body, grunting slightly for resistance.
"Don't move!" He ordered, turning to the sheriff beside him soon after. "Are you all right, sir?!"
The sheriff looked down at his forearm. The man had literally bitten off a large chunk of his flesh and ripped it off with his teeth. Blood was flowing profusely.
The sheriff didn't have time to reply, as the man he was fighting with earlier threw himself toward him, one of the handcuffs swinging on his wrist. The officer grunted and grabbed the man by the neck, unfortunately, not being able to grab his weapon quickly enough.
Using the man's own weight, the sheriff knocked him to the side and, like Leon, knelt on the man's back, putting both of his hands behind him.
"Jesus, what's wrong with these people?!" Leon asked, the man below him immobilized. He wasn't carrying his handcuffs, so as he knelt in the man's hands, he removed his jacket and bound him with it, as tightly as he could.
"I don't know! I got a call of someone being attacked, and when I arrived, these people were simply biting each other!" The officer explained quickly, looking for a few moments at Leon with a certain intensity. "I appreciate the help. Who are you?"
"Leon. Leon Kennedy. I was on my way to Raccoon City. I'm a cop." Leon explained.
"A cop, huh?"
"Yeah. Well, my first day is tomorrow, but... I think I got an early start." Leon said with a small smile and looked at the sheriff.
However, his small smile died as he saw the expression of the officer, who was staring at something in front of him. As he turned around, Leon's eyes widened again when he saw that more people were approaching. Many people, all extremely similar to the two men they had immobilized. The corridor was literally packed.
"Ah, shit..." Leon muttered, pointing his gun at the group of people when one man in particular came too close to the door. "Hey, stay back!" He shouted, but they simply ignored him, not intimidated by the gun. In fact, they didn't even seem to have listened to him.
"Okay, rookie, we have to get out of here! The key to the door is over there, I'll hold them for now!" The sheriff said, pulling the man back and standing up.
Leon pulled the man back and did the same, looking to the side as he heard shots. The sheriff had shot the man in front of him, and that's when his eyes went wide again.
Three shots, two in the chest, one in the stomach, but despite this, the man just kept walking, as if he hadn't felt the shots.
The sheriff muttered something and fired again, this time a shot hit the heart. But still, the man kept moving forward.
Leon stopped for a moment. That was impossible, to keep walking even after those shots. The blood, the grayish skin, the rotting smell, and the decaying bodies... it all seemed like a nightmare, and he couldn't help but feel afraid.
"Rookie! Now!" The sheriff shouted, snapping Leon out of his thoughts. The young new cop mentally cursed himself.
This is no time to freeze! Pull yourself together!
Shaking his head, Leon ran down the small hallway and grabbed the key that was on a table, right next to some papers. More shots were heard, and he hurries back to the sheriff.
"I got the key! Let's go!" Leon shouted, running to the door and turning the key.
More shots were heard, however, these were followed by the sheriff's screams. Leon quickly turned around and pointed his gun, once again widening his eyes and muttering in disbelief as he saw a woman simply rip a chunk out of the sheriff's neck with her teeth.
The officer fell, and a small group of people fell on top of him while others went toward Leon.
The rookie grunted slightly. Chest, stomach and heart didn't seem to be vital to stop these... things. So, next would be the head.
Leon finished his training as first in his class. A little prodigy. His speed, agility and aim were especially praised. However, this was not enough to prevent desperation from overtaking him and he missed a few shots.
But he was right. A well-placed shot to the head, the bullet pierced the man's skull and his body fell motionless to the ground.
Come on, Leon. You didn't make it this far for nothing!
He mentally scolded himself, and steadying his hand, he fired once more. This time, just a single shot, and another body fell to the ground.
Turning, he leaves the place and closes the door, cursing softly when he sees that he is still not safe. From the fallen shelves, more of those people, throwing themselves, grunting terrifyingly in an attempt to reach him.
Still with flashlight in hand, he runs to the door, and it is then that he sees a person through the glass. The store door is opened and he immediately raises his gun.
To his surprise, it was not one of those people. A woman, wearing a red jacket and ordinary jeans. She had a revolver in her hand. Her hair was light brown. As soon as she saw him, she widened her eyes and held her arms up.
"Don't shoot!" She shouted, and Leon noticed movement right behind her.
"Get down!" He shouted back, and she did so without a second thought. Leon shot, hitting right in the middle of the forehead of what appeared to be a man.
The body fell, and Leon looked back, making sure there was no one behind him as he walked to the girl's side.
"Are you okay?" He asked, glancing at her for a few quick moments before turning his gaze to the situation outside.
"Yes, I think so... thanks." She said, now standing right next to him, giving Leon a better view of her features. Crystal blue eyes. Pink lips. She appeared to be quite young, about the same age as himself.
"You can thank me later." Leon said, turning his eyes to his front. From the road, several other people were approaching, all in a similar state, but some with even more grotesque appearances.
One man in particular had no flesh at all on his right arm and the organs of his belly were exposed, yet he kept walking.
"Holy shit..." He heard the girl next to him mutter, and internally agreed. His blue eyes ran analytically. Many bodies were already in front of the vehicle, very close to where they were standing.
The police car was closer than his jeep. A sigh escaped his lips.
"Let's go!" Leon shouted suddenly, slightly startling the girl next to him, who watched him run towards a man and knock him to the ground. She ran after him soon after.
Leon ran to the driver's seat, but before he could get into the car, he felt his ankle being grabbed. Looking down, he pulls his leg back hard as he sees that a woman with almost completely exposed facial muscles is trying to bite him. Kicking the woman in the head with his other leg, he shoots her in the head and gets into the car. The girl was already sitting in the passenger seat.
He closes the door hard, just in time, and a man throws himself against the glass, blood on his exposed teeth as his lips were no longer on his face. His hand was left with nothing but chewed bones.
Leon leans his body slightly forward and starts the car. Great, the key was still in the ignition.
Putting it in reverse, he grunts slightly as he feels the car rocking as it runs over a body or two. Shifting gears, he steps on the gas and skids the car onto the road, accelerating quickly and leaving that nightmare behind.
Those people still tried to chase them. He could see them walking towards the car, getting smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror, until they disappeared completely.
"Jesus... fuck... what the hell is going on?" The girl next to him asked, her blue eyes stopping briefly on Leon's trembling hands. Well good, she wasn't the only one terrified there.
"I... I don't know... I... I hope they get some answers at the police station." He said, feeling the adrenaline slowly leaving his body, and feeling the weight of fear. His voice was still shaky, as were his arms.
This was much more intense than he had expected... damn, he just saw a woman bite the neck off a cop... people with exposed organs trying to attack him... certainly not something he expected for his first day on the job.
"Are you a cop?" The girl asked, voice equally shaky.
"Yes... Leon Kennedy. You?"
"Claire... Claire Redfield." Redfield... he had heard that name somewhere before. It was strangely familiar.
"Do you... live around here?" he asked, a little calmer now, although his mind couldn't ignore the horrible things he'd seen in those last few minutes.
"No. I'm looking for my brother. He's a cop too." She replied, and he nodded.
Maybe that was why the name was familiar.
The road to Raccoon was traveled in silence. Both stuck in their heads remembering the terror of moments ago. Leon wanted to talk, to try to focus his mind on something else, but he couldn't.
It all seemed so surreal. It was as if he was in a nightmare. More than once he blinked and thought he would wake up any minute.
The frustration was real when they reached Raccoon City. The road was empty, save for the cars parked straight up a huge expanse of the city entrance.
A voice on several loudspeakers was saying instructions for civilians and for them to seek refuge at the police station.
On the way, they both saw two people... or things that looked like people, crouched on the curb, their hands in the guts of a body lying on the ground, devouring its guts.
Leon was prepared to deal with grotesque images. In fact, he went to Raccoon City with that expectation. And while that image didn't make his stomach turn, it was just too horrible for him to keep seeing.
"God, this looks like a nightmare..." Claire murmured beside him, as shaken as he was.
"The police station is nearby. They will surely help us." He said, believing his own words.
And he continued to believe them even after he arrived on a street where several people in similar situations were wandering their way. Bodies without their lower body were slowly crawling down the street, men and women with devoured arms and legs were still walking or crawling towards the car. Legs and arms were lying on the ground, or were being chewed on by bloody, hungry mouths.
"I hope so, but... what if it's no different there? What if everyone is dead or-"
"No. Stop. There are survivors. Even if the police station is full of those... things. The city is big, there have to be survivors." Leon interrupted her, saying with conviction in his voice. "Besides, you said your brother is a cop, right? He certainly knows how to take care of himself."
Claire stared at him for a few moments, until she sighed slightly in defeat and looked away, leaning back in her seat.
"I hope you're right." She murmured softly, but Leon could still hear her. He just decided to be quiet.
With a small sigh, Leon focused his eyes on a roadblock ahead, and slowed the car down.
"Ah, geez. Please don't say we'll have to walk all the way there." Claire muttered, more to herself than to Leon, who had his eyes focused on two bodies approaching from the side.
"More like running." Leon said, looking around once again. More and more bodies were approaching around the corner, and some were even letting themselves fall over the small roadblock.
"Actually, I think we'd better turn around and take another street." Claire said, and Leon engaged the reverse gear.
However, before he could move with the car, a light that was becoming more and more intense caught his attention, accompanied by the sound of a vehicle's engine.
The two looked back, and both of them widened their eyes as they saw the truck that was rapidly approaching toward them, and it didn't look like it would stop.
"Clarei, get out." Leon said, but the bodies he had seen earlier threw themselves against the doors of the vehicle, on either side, preventing them from getting out.
Closer and closer the truck got, more and more bodies came closer.
"Fuck! We're stuck!" Claire screamed after throwing her body against the door a few times, unsuccessfully to open it.
Leon was not much different from the girl, the frustration and desperation evident on his face.
"Shit! Hold on!" Leon shouted, only having time to grip the steering wheel firmly before the truck collided with the car and the smaller vehicle was thrown through the roadblock.
Leon closed his eyes rather tightly as he felt the impact and grunted slightly from the subsequent impacts, banging his head lightly against the steering wheel just before the car stopped for good.
He groaned as he leaned back in his seat, putting a hand on his head and feeling a warm liquid on his fingers. He was dizzy for a moment and brought his hand to the front of his eyes. Blood. Not much, but he felt a trickle run down his temple.
Beside him, Claire was also grunting, but unlike him, she seemed intact.
The first thing Leon noticed, right after he pulled himself together, was the smell of gasoline. Shortly after that came the sound of fire.
His eyes quickly went wide as he looked in the rearview mirror and spotted that characteristic glow that was getting more and more intense.
"Claire, get out!" he shouted, taking off his seatbelt and getting out of the car quickly. Claire did the same. They both ran a few steps away, before the car as well as the truck exploded.
Leon groaned loudly as he felt his body being thrown forward sharply and he crashed with equal force into the side of a car, crumpling the body.
The pain spread quickly down his back and the side of his body, he was again a little dizzy, but recovered quickly.
Grunting as he stood up, he ran his eyes around, noticing several bodies approaching, others already very close, but no sign of Claire.
"Claire?!" He shouted, looking at the burning car. "Claire, are you okay?!" He shouted again, and after a few seconds of no response, he began to get really worried.
Relief followed, however, shortly after a loud groan of pain.
"Argh, Leon... Leon, I'm stuck!" She said, and soon the worry returned with everything as there were more of those creatures everywhere.
Grabbing the pistol from its holster, Leon runs to the car next door and jumps over the hood. A gunshot catches his attention, and his eyes fall on Claire.
The car door was on her leg, surrounding her were several of those creatures dangerously close. She had the gun in her hand and was shooting at those she could, hitting the head of one with each bullet she fired.
Although impressed by the girl's aim, Leon quickly runs up to her, shooting those in his path and those she couldn't hit.
Two shots were fired, two bodies fell just behind Claire.
Just before approaching the girl, Leon's forearm is grabbed by a man who threw himself out the window of one of the abandoned cars next to him. The rookie yells in surprise and pulls his arm hard, but not hard enough to make the man let go.
Turning his body, Leon lands an elbow to the side of the man's head as he pulls on his arm. Free, he shoots the man in the head and runs to Claire.
Blood was dripping down the side of her leg, but from the amount, he could tell the wound hadn't been too serious.
Good.
Putting the pistol back in its holster, he reaches for the door with both hands and pulls it off Claire, running his eyes over the wound soon after.
"Good news is the cut isn't deep, you'll be fine. The bad news is that it's going to be a little hard to walk for now and will leave a scar." He said, ripping the sleeve of his shirt and tying it over the wound, then immediately helping her up.
"Well, at least I won't lose it." She said, leaning lightly on Leon's arm.
Leon was about to say something, however, he grunted in surprise when Claire pulled him hard toward her, and soon, a gunshot was heard. As he turned around, his eyes fell on the body that was lying on the ground with a hole in the side of his forehead, worryingly close to him.
"Gee... thanks." He turned to her.
"You can thank me later, officer." She said, limping a few steps to the side. "What's the plan here?" she asked, her eyes running around him. They were in a somewhat worrisome situation.
They could easily be cornered there.
Leon took a few deep breaths, standing right next to her as he, like Claire, ran his eyes around.
You're a cop, Kennedy, act like one. This civilian needs you, don't lose your head.
"Okay, can you force yourself to run?" He asked, reloading his pistol and leaving the non-empty comb in his back pocket.
"Not too fast... but yes." She said and he nodded.
Quickly, Leon grabbed Claire by the wrist and started running, without saying anything in advance, which made the girl let out a small surprised and pained scream for her leg. As he ran, Leon shot all those bodies that were in front of him, occasionally pushing those that were approaching from the sides, creating a sort of corridor between that sea of dead bodies and fighting his way through that nightmare.
After running for some time, his blue eyes fall on the parked cars ahead, blocking the way. Some bodies slowly climb onto the hoods and drop to the ground from lack of stability.
Shooting at those around, Leon stops in front of one of the cars and turns to Claire, helping her to climb on the hood. Just as she did so, however, a hand with chunks of flesh missing grabbed the girl's ankle and pulled her hard while a woman with a torn lower lip grunted violently and tried to bite Claire through the broken glass.
The girl fell against the hood, grunting in pain upon impact. Leon acted quickly and shot the woman, two shots to the head.
He turned to Claire and opened his mouth to ask if she was all right, but before he could do so, he felt a sudden weight on his back and his body was thrown forward, crashing into the side of the car.
The characteristic grunt made itself present behind him, and in reflex mixed with a tinge of desperation, he put his hand against the cold, rubbery forehead of whatever was on his back and began to throw himself against the car in the hope that the person would get off his back.
After the grip on his neck became looser, Leon leaned his torso slightly forward and threw the person to the ground, stomping heavily on the head of what appeared to be a teenager until the sound of breaking bones filled his ears and the boy became motionless.
Leon blinked a few times, still staring at the teenager's body. The boy's chest was open, his ribs and lungs showing. From the inconsistency of the wound, and from everything he had seen up to that point, it was clear that the flesh of his chest had been devoured.
Dead people walking through the streets devouring human flesh and attacking the living... it looked a lot like a horror movie.
What were they called again? Zombies?
The boy looked young, from what little Leon could see. Not to mention that, from the amount of flesh still present on his arms, the boy was in good physique.
So young...
A bad feeling spread through the rookie cop's chest.
"Leon!" Claire's desperate voice caught his attention and Leon snapped back to reality, just in time to throw his body backwards when yet another zombie threw itself in his direction. However, despite his reaction, the zombie managed to grab his arm, and Leon could see, almost in slow motion, what appeared to be a man open his mouth and try to rip off a piece of his flesh.
With his free hand, Leon punched the zombie in the middle of the face, then grabbed him by the back of the head and threw him hard against the car door, causing blood to splatter on the metal. Finally, Leon stomped on the zombie's head a few times, until the man's body lay motionless.
Beside him, Claire shot around a few times, until her gun ran out of ammunition and she cursed loudly.
"Leon, we have to go!" She shouted, already on the other side of the car, kicking a zombie in the leg and knocking him to the ground.
Leon nodded and jumped on the hood, grabbing the girl by the wrist again and starting to run through that sea of abandoned vehicles.
Leon was still shooting ahead, the rain didn't affect his aim, and the wet hair that fell over his eyes didn't stop him from making his way through that hell.
He wasn't even meant to kill those zombies on his way, but to get Claire to safety and get some help in the midst of the chaos.
However, despite his highly praised aim, his ammo was not unlimited, and the more he shot, the more zombies appeared in his line of sight to the point that forcing his way through them was no longer an option.
Running his eyes around at great speed, Leon focused his gaze on the fire escape of a nearby building, and an abandoned van just below. He didn't have to think much, and moments later, he was already running toward the van still clutching Claire's wrist.
"Come on, get up!" Leon said, putting his hands on his knee and propelling Claire upward without difficulty, jumping over the van soon after and avoiding being grabbed by two pairs of icy hands that were chasing him.
"Can't go down the street anymore..." Leon muttered as he saw the sea of bodies approaching, focusing his gaze on the windows above his head shortly after.
"Okay, easy enough." Leon said, beckoning Claire up and propelling her the same way he had done moments before, leaping towards the ladder and clinging to the metal shortly after.
The windows of the building were closed, and the interior too dark for them to see anything, save for the third floor window that was open.
Leon took the lead again and turned on the flashlight, positioning himself beside the window and observing the interior of the apartment.
The interior seemed to be intact. A large sofa in front of him, with a table with some papers and a glass near the side. The TV was off, as were all the lights in the place.
Considering that the lampposts were still on, and that he could see some apartments with the interior still lit, he would say that the person who lived there had left before all this happened.
Which wasn't enough to make him let his guard down, though.
Signaling Claire to wait, Leon slowly entered the apartment and began walking slowly towards the switch on the wall next to the door. Slow steps as his eyes ran all around him.
He turned on the lights soon after, and could breathe a little easier to see that at least that room was empty.
Before he could move, he banged a few times on the wall, loud enough to echo throughout the apartment, and after a while without hearing a single grunt, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Putting away his flashlight, he walks toward the window and signals for Claire to come in, helping her in the process.
"I'll check the other rooms and see if I can get something for your leg. Do you have any ammo?" He asked.
"No. I'm out." She replied, arching an eyebrow as she saw him hold out a hand.
"Can I see your gun?" He asked, and she handed the revolver to him.
A very small gun with a capacity of five bullets. For its size, it was extremely easy to handle, but it certainly took an extra time to reload.
However, the gun used the same bullet as his matilda, 9mm bullets.
Grabbing the mag he had saved, Leon removes the remaining bullets and reloads the girl's gun. Claire could look at him more closely now that they had no dead in their tracks.
He was handsome, to the point that he could easily be a model. He had grayish blue eyes, sandy blond hair that fell just above his eyes, and a small cleft in his chin. He was young, very young, and had baby boy expressions.
Despite this, he had a fine physique. The casual blue shirt he was wearing was stuck to his body, and the tear in the side of his shirt showed a small part of his ripped abdomen.
In other words, no one would believe that he was just a cop.
He was not as big as her brother, but still big.
He was the real deal. She saw what he did out there and he had a great aim.
As he reloaded her pistol, she saw his trembling hands and couldn't help but arch an eyebrow. He was afraid, but he acted very well under pressure.
After a few moments, he handed her back her gun along with four extra bullets in his hand.
"I don't have much ammo. I won't be long, anything, just call me." Leon said, and Claire watched him walk toward the small hallway ahead with his gun in hand. He had blood on his back, but she knew it wasn't his.
Only when he disappeared from her line of sight did she look away. Her leg throbbed now that the adrenaline was wearing off.
Just great.
Putting the extra bullets in her back pocket, the girl limped to the kitchen, feeling slightly bad for breaking into someone's apartment like that. But that probably didn't matter anymore. For all she knew, the owner of that apartment could very well be one of those things.
Shaking her head and trying to ignore those thoughts that flooded her mind, the girl runs her eyes around the kitchen looking for anything useful. The sink was clean and dry, an empty plate was on the table next to a glass of water.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
The shelves were empty, and the refrigerator had a few fruits and a small amount of milk. Whoever lived there probably went out shopping and never came back.
The girl sighed, it all seemed like a nightmare, but she was grateful that she wasn't going through it all alone.
"Hey, I found some bandages and a first aid spray." Leon's voice caught her attention and she turned around, noting the said objects in his hands.
She simply nodded and sat down in the kitchen chair, watching him approach.
Claire grunted slightly as he passed the first aid spray, but soon sighed as she felt the relief and coolness spread through her wound.
Normally, she would do that herself. But she didn't mind admiring the handsome police officer who was helping her. It was a good distraction
"Well, thank you, officer." She said after a while, and Leon looked at her for a few moments with a smile.
"Oh, come on, call me Leon. Technically I'm not on my shift."
"Okay, Leon, you've lived in Raccoon for how long? I don't remember you at the police station." She asked with an arched eyebrow, placing her gun on the table. A little conversation would be good to distract her mind, even if for a few minutes.
"A few minutes now. I'm moving here... well, I was. Everything was left in my jeep at that gas station."
"Oh, you're a rookie, then?" She said, and Leon noticed a slight impressed tone in her voice.
"Yes. My first day would be tomorrow." He said, finishing bandaging Claire's leg. "I was supposed to come sooner, but I got a call saying to stay away for a few more days."
"Well, that's good, then. You saved my life back there." Claire said, still staring at him. "You have a good aim."
"Thanks. You're not bad, considering you're a civilian." He smiled slightly, trying not to stare at her for too long and soon focusing his attention on looking for a backpack.
"Yeah, well, my brother wanted to make sure I knew how to defend myself in case some smartass tries something." Claire said, getting up. Her leg still hurt, but it felt much better than it had minutes ago.
"Did he give you the gun?" He asked, putting the first aid spray and bandages in the small backpack he found in one of the rooms and walking toward Claire again.
"Yes. He gave it to me a few years ago. Although today was the first time I used it." Claire said, shaking her wet hair and feeling a few drops of water run down her face.
"Well, you take care of yourself pretty well." Leon said, running his hands through his hair and sighing as he felt the slightly icy breeze as he passed in front of the open window. The rain was still falling, he was without his jacket and his shirt was torn in some parts.
Wonderful.
At least he was more calm. And from what he could tell, so was Claire. Although brief, that little chat helped a lot.
"Okay, we have to go. Let's check out the back alley of this place. The police station is nearby." Leon said, picking up his backpack and walking toward the door. Claire followed close behind.
He opened the door slowly and ran his eyes down the brightly lit hallway. The whole place looked intact, but he could see some blood marks on the walls.
Bloody handprints... someone wounded had passed through there. From the still fresh blood, it had not been long ago.
They walked down the corridor slowly. Leon didn't know how those people were infected. That man at the gas station had a nasty wound on his neck and was still alive, however, literally a few minutes later, he had transformed.
Whatever exactly that was, it acted quickly.
With this in mind, he leaned his body to the side after reaching the end of the hallway, and as a precaution, pointed his gun toward the fallen body with its back propped against the wall. The body of what appeared to be a man was motionless, there was not even a sign that he was breathing.
With slow and silent steps, the two walk in the opposite direction of where the body was, walking towards the back of the building.
They slowly made their way down the stairs after some more walking, and both tried very hard not to vomit from the things they saw and the horrible smell they felt.
Bodies lying on the floor, some still alive... or rather undead, that they occasionally had to quietly dispose of. The image of organs scattered in red on the floor, mixed with that smell of rot, blood and death made the two survivors' stomachs turn, but they both carried on steadily and concentrated on their goal, trying as hard as they could to ignore that image of pure despair.
They reached the alley behind the building. Like all the places they had seen so far, there were one or two fallen bodies in which they didn't know if they were alive or not, and they decided not to risk it and just continue in a silent manner. They didn't have enough ammo to go out shooting at anything that moved.
Moving to the street, the two crouch behind an abandoned car and observe the situation.
"The police station is right over there. There's a lot of abandoned cars and a lot of those things walking down the street." Leon said softly, his torso slightly raised to better observe the situation and devise some plan.
"Same thing with the street that leads to the back. If we want to get to the police station, we'll have to go through them." Claire said beside him, clicking her tongue in frustration.
"Or, we can go over them." Leon said, nodding to the girl and pointing to a spot ahead. "We can climb on that school bus and try to jump the wall. We'll end up on the side of the police station. The gates are closed, so there might not be any of those things there when we jump."
"You know that if we shoot, we'll draw those things right on top of us. How are we going to get to the bus without being cornered?" Claire asked, noticing the large amount of zombies that were prowling around the vicinity of the bus.
There were even a few bodies lying on top of the vehicle, but because they were motionless, they didn't know if those bodies were 'alive' or not.
A car next to the bus was on fire, as well as a zombie that was walking even though it was on flames. The rain could not stop the intense fire probably caused by a large explosion.
Leon ran his eyes around him until he stopped on a piece of metal lying on the car beside him. Crouching down, he walks over to the car and picks up the metal bar.
"Well, that'll have to do." He said, nodding to her and moving toward the bus soon after.
They were moving in crouches, using the darkness of the night to camouflage them and the noise of the rain to muffle their steps.
There was a zombie ahead, and with a firm grip on the metal bar, Leon hit what looked like a girl, still in school uniform, in the back of her skull.
That made him feel sick, his stomach churned, but he forced himself to hit the metal bar one more time on the girl's head, finishing her off for good.
"God, just a child..." Behind him, Claire muttered, and he internally agreed with her, knowing full well what she was feeling at the moment.
Looking at the girl's body for a few moments, he noticed a wound on her neck. It was not a bite, nor a serious wound, just a scratch. Apart from the girl's bloody mouth, she was clean, not a spot of blood on her uniform, not a sign of another wound, just that scratch.
Small... maybe just the brief contact was enough.
There were bodies lying beneath the cars, but to the relief of both of them, they did not move as they passed, and they managed to get to the back of the bus.
Putting his hands on his knees, Leon pushes Claire up, and then jumps to the roof, managing to climb up with the help of the girl who pulled him up.
Both of them, now on the roof of the bus, ran their eyes over the fallen bodies. Next to it was a car with two fallen zombies, but these were moving, slowly.
Taking the lead, Leon slammed the metal bar on the heads of the fallen bodies as he moved to the end of the bus.
"Okay... you first." Leon said, turning to Claire after reaching the front of the bus. The girl arched an eyebrow.
"Ladies first, huh? And they still say chivalry is dead." She joked, and he scratched the back of his head.
"If it died, it wasn't my fault." He joked back, drawing a small smile from her. "You're lighter, not to mention that this isn't as dangerous. You can hang over the wall and watch before you jump." He said, and Claire nodded.
The girl put the gun back in her waistband and was propelled by Leon. Grunting slightly as she pulled her body up, Claire looked at the situation below. They were at the side wall of the police station, the nearest gate, which led to the front, was closed and barricaded, no chance to get through.
There were some fallen bodies, but few, and relatively far apart. It would be possible to get to the back without any problems.
"So? Things are pretty ugly?" She heard Leon ask.
"No. There are a few of them but we'll make it through." She said, without turning to him. Her blue eyes checked the windows. None of them were lit, although some were nailed shut. No sign of anyone.
"Leon, I don't see anyone. No sign that..." She turned to look at him as she spoke, and it was then that she widened her eyes.
"Look out!" She shouted suddenly, and Leon turned around. One of the zombies they saw on the roof of the car had managed to climb onto the bus. The noise of the rain, along with all those grunts and the sound of burning fire worked well to muffle the steps the zombie took toward Leon.
The rookie cop was taken by surprise, and in reflex, he put his arms in front of his body, the metal bar pressed against the bloodied neck of what had once been a man.
He went off balance, and heard Claire scream his name as he fell off the bus.
Leon grunted as he felt his back crash against the concrete, but his strength didn't wane as he still tried to keep that zombie off his neck.
He could not see, but he could hear the footsteps around him getting closer and closer. The growing sound of death matched the growing despair in his chest.
Using his legs and taking advantage of the sudden surge of adrenaline, he pushes the zombie above him away and hits the side of its skull with the metal bar.
Footsteps were literally everywhere. Leon grabbed his gun and quickly stood up. His eyes focused on the zombie a few steps away from him and he fired. One, three, five shots, five bodies on the ground.
"Leon!" Claire called out to him again, concern evident in her sweet voice and Leon looked at her for a few moments.
"Go. I'll find another way in!" He shouted as he saw that he could no longer get on the bus due to the large number of zombies. Claire tried to say something, but he didn't hear as he acted immediately after he finished speaking.
Shooting as he ran, Leon grunted as he punched one zombie in the skull and kicked another away. There were too many for him to simply run through.
Taking advantage of the slippery ground and the momentum of his speed, he throws himself to the ground and lets himself crawl under a van. There were many cars nearby, which made it possible for him to crawl under a large number of vehicles.
However, this did not stop the zombies from crouching down and starting to follow him, and although they were quite slow, he was concerned about the large number of dead people surrounding him.
As he crawled under a car, his forearm was again grabbed, and this time he could feel the icy sensation of the dead woman's teeth touching the skin of his arm, causing a chill to run through his body and making him yell out in desperation.
Leon pulled his arm with all his strength and shot the woman in the head, closing his eyes as blood splashed in his face.
He quickly continued on his way under the cars, until finally he reached the large gates in front of the entrance to the police station.
He stood up quickly and shot the nearby zombies as he ran towards the gates. With the metal bar in his hands, he threw himself at one zombie, pressing the bar against the bloody neck of what had once been an old man, and pushed him as a shield through the next zombies, knocking them to the ground.
Leon reached the gates and pushed through them, breathing heavily as he heard the various grunts behind him, but managed to get through the gates and close them, locking them quickly.
Leon stared at the many bloodied, wounded, and already decomposing faces. His heart was beating strongly in his chest, and his mind wandered over everything he had been through in the last two hours. He had almost died so many times that he could hardly believe it himself.
Blinking a few times, he took another deep breath before turning towards the doors of the police station. He had other things to worry about at the moment.
Checking the mag of his gun, Leon walks to the front doors and enters the police station.