Claire felt as if her heart sank to her feet. What did he mean? She stared up at

Leon, not knowing what to say. How did he know about her parents? She had

never told anyone before. "H...how do you know about my parents," she asked.

He turned away from her, trying not to look her in the eyes. "Your brother told me

about it. Ever since the accident, I swore to myself that I'd become a whole new

person, just like your brother swore to protect you. That's when I dedicated my

life to RPD." Leon turned to Claire and noticed the confused expression on her

face. "Leon, what are trying to say," Claire said, studying his face, trying to figure

out what he wanted to say. "Claire...I knew about the accident before your brother

did. I was there when it happened." Claire's eyes widened. He was really beginning

to scare her. Why was he talking like this? "What do you mean you were there?

Is this some kind of sick joke?!" Leon grabbed Claire's shoulders and pulled her

close to him. "This isn't a joke Claire," he said, almost in a whisper. "No! You

couldn't have been there!" Leon turned away from Claire once again, avoiding

her stare. "Do you remember those two teenaged boys. The ones who hit your

parents car head on? Claire cupped her hands over her mouth. She knew exactly

what he was going to say. "I was in that car Claire. My best friend was driving my

car that day. I told him to slow down, but he just didn't listen." Claire dropped her

hands down by her side. "Why didn't you tell me?" she said in a whisper, as if

somebody would hear her. "Claire I..." She brought her hand up in front of her,

signaling Leon to stop talking. "Claire, my best friend died that night. It was hard

for me too." Claire felt the warm tears falling down the side of her face. "Your

pain was nothing compared to mine. The pain I felt when I cried myself to sleep

at night." Leon put his hand on Claire's shoulder but she only pulled away. "Claire...

I'm sorry." She looked up at him but before she could say anything, a gunshot

echoed throughout the building corridors. They both looked at each other wide-

eyed. They quickly ran to the door and poked their heads out. Claire's heart

skipped a beat when she saw Steve with a gun in his hand. Claire looked down

at the floor and saw what Steve had shot. A security guard layed there, blood

seeping through his white shirt. The man struggled to speak but nothing came

out. "Where is Leon Kennedy!" Steve yelled, pointing his gun at the man. Leon

quickly pulled Claire into the apartment and shut the door behind them. "Leon,

that was Steve," she said, watching Leon lock the door. "The guy you met at

Rockfort?" Leon made his way to the living room and grabbed his gun from

the coffee table. "Yeah thats him, but he died. I saw him die." Leon turned to

her, catching her confused expression once again. "Well then why is he here

and why is he looking for me?" Leon asked, hoping that Claire knew the reason.

"I don't know but he just killed a man, and I'm guessing he isn't here to visit."

The door suddenly swung open tearing the lock off with it. Steve stepped into

the apartment, his eyes fixed on Leon. Leon pointed the gun at Steve but he

continued to walk toward him. Before Leon could shoot, Steve pushed him.

He flew against the wall and his gun fell out of his hand. "Your coming with me,"

Steve said. In a fit of rage, Claire jumped on top of Steve's back and began

hitting him. Steve angrily grabbed her by the arm and pulled her off of him. He

swung his knee up, driving it deep into her stomach. She cried out in pain The

impact sent the air rushing out of her lungs. As she dropped onto her knees,

she struggled to suck in fresh air. She couldn't breathe. It hurt too much.

Everything hurt. She suddenly felt her body hit the hard floor. Then there was

darkness and complete silence.

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