Leon slowly awoke from a nightmare into unfamiliar surroundings

Leon slowly awoke from a nightmare into unfamiliar surroundings. He was half expecting to come to on the leaf mould where he and Claire had fallen, terrified and shivering after running blindly from their tent, in their panic.

However, he was in what appeared to him to be a fairly simple hut. Walls made out of wood and straw, floor of stamped earth, sticks and a rug, and a fire, which was actually quite cosy. In front of him was a large deflated bladder, which he actually found to be their tent.

Leon realised he was wrapped in a blanket, and sat up. He gazed around the room, and across it, was Claire, sleeping soundly.

He blinked and stretched. How did they come to be here?

"Your friend is still asleep" a papery, yet kindly said "It is best if you do not wake her up yet"

Leon stared at the figure that had entered the room. He was, without question, a Native American, darkish skin, dark trousers and a traditional looking jacket. He also had various feathers in his long black hair, and the impression given from him was one of nobility and kindliness, which made Leon relax a bit.

"Okay" Leon replied.

The man stooped, and pushed a wooden bowl into his hands.

"Drink this" the man instructed.

Leon did so. The liquid was hot, but it tasted good. Probably soup, he thought.

"Who…who are you?"

"My name is White Owl, and I have lived here for many years" the man said "Please, follow me"

Leon stood up slowly, testing his legs, and walked into the next room, which had some rugs plaid down on it. Sitting the down, the man smiled and indicated for Leon to do the same. Various charms and implements were set around, some handmade furniture was also positioned carefully in the room. Leon looked around at these objects with interest.

"Nice little place you have here" Leon remarked.

"Thank you" White Owl said "I think it is nice too"

"So…" Leon said "How did I get here?"

The man settled a little, and leaned forward slightly.

"I found you and your friend in the woods, lying in each others arms. I had detected some evil, and I was out to banish it, when I found you"

"I see" Leon replied.

"I brought you and what I could from your camp back here. I do not usually help strangers, but I can see you are a good person, as is your friend"

"Thank you. We do our best"

White Owl smiled, and chuckled. Then he turned serious.

"May I ask what you were doing out in the woods?"

Leon shrugged.

"What's the point pretending – I'm out here with…my friend, and we're looking for Rustin Parr's house"

"Ah…him" White Owl said "It is best that you do not search for such things"

"Why not?"

There was a short pause.

"There is a great amount of evil in this place. The few members of my tribe who were still here have now gone. I am here to prevent the evil from sullying sacred land"

"Oh I see…I wasn't aware there were many of you guys left anymore"

"Some of us are around in rural areas, untouched by authority"

He shifted position slightly.

"I sense you have a connection to this place"

Leon smiled, and shook his head.

"I don't think so"

"Your friend too. You are both connected to this land in many ways. You may not think it but you are"

"How can we be?" Leon frowned "We've never been here before in our lives!"

"Not in your current lives. But have been before"

Leon cocked his head slightly.

"How do you mean?"

"In a previous life, I detect you were here"

Leon narrowed his eyes.

"How can that be?"

"It is true" White Owl replied "Many years ago"

Leon rubbed his head.

"Well…I'm not saying I believe you, but if this were true, how would I work it out?"

"From the little contact I have with the townspeople, I have heard there is a town hypnotist"

"Can you help me?"

White Owl looked uncertain.

"There is a way" he said "If you do not wish to see such an unorthodox man"

"We'd rather avoid any intimate contact with the people, if you see what I mean"

White Owl nodded, slowly.

"I see"

He then stood up, and walked across the room.

"If you and your friend are quite willing to participate in this simple ritual, then I shall perform it"

"Perform what?" Leon asked.

"It is what is known in your terms as a regression"

There was a scuffling from the next room, and Claire stumbled in. She looked at Leon and smiled.

"Hi Leon" she said.

She turned and saw White Owl turning to her, carrying two small bottles of greenish liquid.

"Who…?"

"Sit down Claire, and I'll tell you all about it" Leon said, patting the ground beside him, and she came to sit down.

White Owl brought her a bowl of soup, and then both of them proceeded to explain to Claire exactly what they'd been talking about.

When they finished, Claire retained her calm composure.

"So…" Claire said, uncertainly "You say we've got this 'connection' to this place, which is supposedly saturated with evil…and we don't know what it is, so you want us to go through some kind of ritual to find out what"

"That is so" White Owl said.

"I'm not too sure of it myself" Leon said, turning to Claire "But…I'm willing to give it a shot"

Claire still looked a little uncertain.

"Is it safe?"

"Perfectly" White Owl said.

Claire thought for a few moments, and then nodded.

"Okay" she said "But can we do this together?"

She placed her hand on Leon's.

He smiled, and stroked her hand.

"Yeah" he announced.

A forest. The Black Hills Forest? I think so…I look for Claire…I can't see her. But I can hear her voice.

Leon? Is that you?

It's me! I can't see you!

Me neither…perhaps that's the idea…

Then suddenly we're in a village. It's a fairly rickety town, made out of wood. There's some shops, and several houses. There are people around. But they're wearing clothes from the last century, men wearing fairly simple clothes and farm clothes, while the ladies wear simple dresses and those white shawls on their heads. A god fearing town…

Yes, there is a church.

Claire?

Yeah?

What is this place?

I…don't know…but it seems familiar…

I know…

Then we're in a home. It's like every other place in town: simple. There's a kitchen like place, a hearth, rug, wooden seats…in the kitchen there's a young lady, about 19 or 20 cutting up vegetables.

I'm getting a close look at her.

She has reddish auburn hair, falling loose over her shoulders. Even without the ponytail, I recognise the face and demeanour.

Claire…it's you.

I know! But…how can it be?

Suddenly, the door opens.

A male voice.

"Catherine…I needed to see you…"

Then the woman turns, and her face immediately becomes happy, she runs towards the figure. The figure is wearing a long coat, with some religious charms hanging around his neck, and some rough trousers and shirt beneath that. His face…oh my god…

Leon, that man is you!

Oh god.

"Lee…It's been like a lifetime…"

They kiss, deeply and passionately.

"I know I'm not supposed to do this…but if I didn't…I'd feel as if I was betraying myself"

They hold hands.

"I think that if the Reverend ever found out that a simple peasant girl was in love with a witch-hunter, he'd go mad"

"You're not a simple peasant girl…" he touches her face "…You're special"

They hold each other.

Then, she takes him to the next room, and removes his coat, and he begins to loosen her dress as they kiss more passionately…

I've seen enough.

Leon's eyes were open in a moment, and for some reason he was taking rapid breaths.

"I…I…saw…myself…but it couldn't have been me…"

"You see?" White Owl smiled, not triumphantly but in a relaxed fashion.

Leon turned to Claire.

"I saw you!"

"Ditto!" Claire said equally as astonished "It was so weird…there was me, dressed like a peasant girl, and you…a witch-hunter?"

"I don't get that" Leon said "How long ago do you think it was?"

"I don't know…it might have been Burkittsville…or even Blair"

Leon and Claire knew what that meant: a witch-hunter, the town of Blair…it meant one thing.

"Have you heard of the Blair Witch?" they asked in unison.

White Owl nodded.

"Yes, but I know little of it. It is not a subject close to me"

"I see" Leon said, even though he didn't see at all. They had come here looking for Umbrella. Now it was personal. Umbrella had been there looking for, of all things, a legendary entity who may not even exist.

"Well" Claire said, patting Leon on the back "I say we get going. We've got a long walk back"

"Yeah. We'll try Rustin Parr's house another time"

Leon turned to White Owl.

"Thank you for everything, White Owl"

"My pleasure. Have a safe journey my friend"

White Owl smiled.

Holiday Inn

7:00pm

Claire flopped down onto the bed, exhausted.

"I'm so tired" Claire moaned "I need to rest"

"Me too" Leon said, sitting down onto the bed that they now shared. There was a short silence.

"Um…Leon" she asked, edging closer "What…does this mean to you? The whole thing, I mean. Regarding Blair and…ourselves"

"It means something to me…but its difficult to put my finger on it" he replied.

"Lee and Catherine…not that far from our own names" Claire remarked, smiling "Perhaps…in another life we were…were…"

She blushed, her cheeks tinted pink.

"Lovers" Leon finished the sentence for her, touching her cheek "Claire…I hope you know that…I really do care…because I love you"

Claire stared up into his honest eyes.

"I…I…"

He kissed her, very gently on the lips.

"I…love you too" she replied.

"Um…what about Steve?"

She looked away slightly.

"I didn't know him enough" she said, after a while "I cared for him I guess…but I guess he had too many character flaws to be a decent boyfriend"

They both giggled a little.

"But…he did die. He wanted to protect me…but as I've grown to know you…" she looked into his eyes again "I saw something I felt I'd never seen before…a softness I loved yet a ferocity that I felt safe with…I loved it…" She wrapped her arms around him "Leon…say you'll be there for me"

"I'll always be there…" he whispered, allowing her to fall into his arms as he kissed her sweet smelling hair "…And I'll die to protect you"

Burkittsville Records Office

10:00am

The main records room of the Burkittsville Records office was large, smelly and not a particularly pleasant looking place. There was one window, which allowed a limited amount of light into the grey room, with thousands of alphabetical papers in Chronological order stretching away, with several sub rooms leading off into the older file rooms.

"Looking up first names is harder than surnames" a very dour and musty looking clerk informed them "It would be best if you did"

"Well I don't think we've got a surname" Leon pointed out as both he and Claire followed the clerk to the earliest area of the records office.

"I can allow you two hours" the clerk said "No more"

He briskly walked off, leaving Claire and Leon to their research.

"That's what I call brusque" Leon said to Claire as they started, alphabetically though the yellowish, dusty files.

"How are we going to find two citizens of Blair with only first names to go on?" Claire asked, as they began searching through the files of nearly two and a half centuries before, most of which gained from birth certificates kept by the town's council.

"I don't know…" Leon replied "But somehow…I know that we will"

He felt as if possessed by a spirit, felt the tingling feeling flow through his body as he rifled through the files. Somehow, he knew where to look.

Kiery. Kiery. Kiery…

'Why that name?' he thought, as he flicked through to 'Kiery' in the index.

Leon pulled the file he suddenly realised he was looking for out in a belch of dust. He coughed in the dusty cloud, before wafting it away with his hand. It had been altered recently, a picture was stapled to the top corner which read at the top 'Reproduced and digitally enhanced from an original portrait from Blair in 1790'

Somehow, he wasn't surprised to see that the picture was almost a reflection of him. Of his face. An almost perfect copy of him.

And the name, in small handwritten script read 'Lee Kiery'

He'd found his past self.

"Leon…"

Leon turned to see Claire looking at him solemnly with a sheaf of papers in her hand.

"Catherine Wheaton" she said, simply as Leon looked at the picture.

A portrait. It was Claire. At least it looked like Claire. It was the Catherine in the flashback. As the picture of Lee Kiery was the same as both him and in the flashback.

"We've found them haven't we?" Claire said, softly "Our past incarnations"

Leon nodded.

"We have. I think it's time to pay a visit to the museum. We've got some more work to do…and then after that…"

Claire nodded firmly.

"To Rustin Parr's house we will go. I thought the same thing"

Leon smiled.

"Come on…destiny's calling"