Leon didn't feel like going on. He had already felt tired before, and hearing the story behind this entire mess had served only to make him feel even more weary, rather than to encourage him by doing away with his ignorance. Ignorance isn't bliss. It just sucks a little less than having knowledge. A little disconcerted by his own cynicism, and the fact that he was standing around doing nothing, he put himself in the right mindset for progress. ...Well, every journey begins with a single step, right?

Leon took a step, and began walking. Making that first step took a lot of courage, because the sentient part of Leon's brain knew what he was getting himself into. Every subsequent step was a lot easier, but only because the primitive part of Leon's brain saw the simple task of walking forward as nothing difficult.

Leon walked through a doorway, and then down a short hall. At the end of the hall was a window – through it, Leon could see a rock face. Where am I, in some sort of cliff area?

The hall ended, and Leon turned around a corner, seeing a door. Eager to learn where exactly he was, Leon walked towards the door and opened it. After his eyes adjusted to the consequent flood of bright sunlight, Leon beheld a canyon – from the inside. There was a cliff face on either side of him. The house he had been confined within was built on an outcropping of rock in the canyon between the two cliffs.

The first thing that his eyes were drawn to was a great green flag, blowing in the wind. It was torn and ragged, but Leon could make out the symbol on the flag – the emblem that he had seen a few times up until now. This emblem is everywhere. It must be the Los Illuminados' insignia. Suddenly, the aura of mystery that had surrounded the emblem was replaced by an aura of malevolence. That emblem now stood for everything bad about this place – everything bad that had happened so far. Leon quickly learned to hate this emblem.

A little beyond the flag was a rock wall. It wasn't tall enough to prevent Leon from climbing over it, but there was barbed wire topping it. However, there was a heavy door built into the wall. But before Leon went through it, he approached one of the many large cracks running through the wall to find out what was beyond it.

Wooden walkways were built into the canyon walls, and so were wooden bridges providing access from one side to the other. There were two other houses built on rocky outcroppings, and a few structures that looked like primitive watchtowers built into the cliffs. Men were walking to and fro across the wooden walkways. Their aimless wandering, their empty looks, the way their clutched their weapons – they were the same as Leon had seen before. Ganados, without a doubt.

Leon watched them with fascination, imagining the parasites living inside each one of them. But, reminding himself that he had no time to marvel, he quickly began looking around the area for something that looked like a way out. There – on the opposite end of the canyon, a door. Leon scanned the canyon one more time, mentally mapping out the route he would have to take. If only I had a sniper rifle...I could pick most of them off right now. He thought, dimly noting that he now thought of the Ganados as targets rather than people.

"¿Hay alguien allí?"

Leon let out a curse as he stumbled away from the crack. One moment he was surveying the canyon, and the next moment he was staring at a Ganado's ugly mug a few inches from his face. The Ganado must have sensed Leon's presence and walked over to inspect.

"¡Aquí está!" The man shouted, pointing a finger at Leon. Leon, in turn, pointed the laser sight of his handgun at the man's forehead, and pulled the trigger. If the man's shout hadn't alerted the other Ganados to Leon's escape, then his gunshot certainly had. I'd better make for that door – and fast.

Leon scrambled to the door, kicked it open, and ran full speed along the route he'd laid out. He ran along a ledge, and then down a few stairs, footsteps thumping on the creaky wooden steps. He darted across a wooden walkway and then onto a bridge, just barely dodging a Ganado lunging for his neck. As he ran along the bridge, something caught his eye – a red barrel. A yellow triangle was painted on the side, with a single word inscribed on it – Gasolina.

Gasoline, huh? This is too good of a chance to pass up.

Leon pointed his gun at the barrel. The moment he saw his red laser sight flickering on it, he fired. The barrel blew up in a fiery explosion, blasting a Ganado who had been standing near it into the chasm below. The blast was also enough to send a Ganado standing on the bridge to the same fate, allowing Leon access to the other side.

Once on the other side of the canyon, Leon ran along the ledge until he had reached the door. Now that he was in front of it, he noticed that there was a hexagonal indentation in the center. Ignoring it, Leon simply tried to push the door open – but it wouldn't budge. He tried to figure out how to open the door. There was no handle, no lock, no keyhole, nothing – except for the indentation. I'm guessing that this hexagonal slot is part of some kind of a locking mechanism. Leon quickly looked around the canyon again. From his new vantage point, he could see a few things he hadn't before – one of those things was a chest on the roof of the second house. That's the closest thing I've got to a lead. Might as well check it out.

Leon started off running again. There were no Ganados in the immediate area, but he could see a swath of them heading his way from the bridge. Leon reached the second house. How am I going to get to the roof? He saw a ladder propped up against the side of the house. Perfect! Leon scrambled up the ladder.

Something sharp whizzed by, mere inches over his head! A Ganado was waiting on the roof with a pickaxe. No thanks – don't need a haircut. Leon tripped him, sending him down to the ground below. Then, he ran along the roof to the chest. Opened it quickly. What he found inside matched the shape of the hexagonal indentation – but only half of it.

What? It's broken? Split down the middle? No, there must be two parts. There has to be.

Leon saw Ganados climbing the ladder to the roof of the house. He looked around for another escape route – saw something. An open hatch. Leon ran over to it, only to see a Ganado's head pop out of it. The Ganado climbed out, another one came up from behind him...

Out of options!

Leon jumped down through the hatch, a pickaxe barely missing his head for the second time in the last minute. He landed inside of the house – a Ganado was before him, weapon raised. This situation was only slightly better than the one he was in previously.

As the Ganado swung, Leon leapt back, and then delivered a kick that sent the man flying. The sound of a door being opened violently – then a window breaking – Leon turned around to see them pouring in from every entrance.

He turned and leapt through a window, eyes immediately scanning the area for another chest. There – on the other side of the canyon! At the moment, the bridge was a safe passage to take. Although breathing heavily from fatigue, Leon knew he didn't have time to stop to rest. He just kept on running.

Once on the other side of the canyon, he ran up a trail that led to an area littered with sandbags. It's as if the layout of this place is designed just to give me trouble! Leon made his way to the chest. Opened it, dug around inside – got it! The other half of the hexagonal key!

Holding both under his arms, Leon turned to see that the crowd of Ganados had finally caught up with him. They were going to wash over him like a flood. Leon stepped backwards until he was up against a wall. His eyes looked around frantically for anything, anything –

Red barrel!

Perfect, it's just too perfect! Leon raised his gun, pointing it at the barrel. The Ganados, completely oblivious to his plan, continued their approach.

Closer...

Closer...

Now!

A gunshot. An explosion. A wave a heat. A shower of blood. And, then, silence.

All there was to be heard was the flapping of the flags, the whistling of the wind through cracks in the cliff walls, and the heavy panting of one very exhausted man.

Next time...no more running around like that. I'll just gun them all down. Can't keep myself alive this way. Can't save Ashley this way.

Ashley...

As soon as he remembered her, Leon fumbled around in his pocket for her picture. He hadn't lost it, had he? All that running. It could have slipped out of his pocket. It could have –

No. Here it was. In his hands. Leon inhaled deeply, drawing in cold air, causing a sharp pain in his chest. But he breathed easily nonetheless, looking at that picture.

Tucking it away into the safety of his back pocket, Leon traveled down the cliff, eventually returning to the door. He placed both halves of the hexagonal key into the slot. A sound was heard, as if a lock was being released. Afterwards, a light nudge was all it took to open the door. I don't know how this mechanism works, but I know that the door is open, and that's all I need.

Looking through the door, Leon could see that the next area looked calm...at least compared to the chaos he'd just been through. Nonetheless, he couldn't seem to make his feet move.

...A single step, Leon. A single step.

Leon took a step, and began walking.