The day they arrived, Anya knew that this assignment wasn't going to be a walk in the park. The airport was small, incredibly tiny, even, and Anya knew that if they needed supplies, it was doubtful they were going to get them there. Of course, the two Agents hadn't come unprepared. Leon carried his handgun and a few boxes of ammo, but Anya had her Magnum, handgun, sniper rifle and five clips of ammo for each gun. She wasn't taking any chances.
Leon had called ahead of time to the local police department and explained their situation. The police had reports of a girl matching Ashley's description near a very small village on the outskirts of the main city. Leon and Anya had to keep a low profile during this trip since President Graham did not want to worry the public. This rescue mission was to be as quiet and discreet as possible: get in, get the girl, and be home in time for supper.
Once outside the police station, Leon and Anya waited for the police to come around with their vehicle. Anya tugged her coat around her tighter, more from being unnerved than from the cold. This country sucked. At every mysterious sound, her hand instinctively drifted to the gun strapped to her thigh. She was used to being in unfamiliar territory but…
Another howl in the distance, and when she moved toward her gun again, Leon caught her arm.
She looked up at him, sheepish.
Leon gave her that half-smile that made every girl in their department swoon. "Anya, I doubt we're going to get attacked by a pack of coyotes anytime soon. That's the fourth time you've gone for your gun."
She smiled, and even eased up a little. "You noticed?"
Leon shrugged, releasing his hold on her wrist. "Yeah. It's all right, though. I understand. It is a bit unnerving here."
"It's good to know that I haven't gone insane. It's just so… blah here," Anya confessed, staring at the dead trees and grass. "It's brown everywhere…Everything's dead."
"It is autumn, ya know. Things do die before winter," Leon replied, teasingly.
She gave him a sideways look, "Thank you, Captain Obvious. That's not what I meant, and you know it."
The police car, an old-fashioned box on wheels, came around the corner and stopped where the two Agents stood. Leon opened the backwards door for Anya, who stepped gingerly inside and sat down on the hard seat. Leon got in next, and closed the door behind them. He looked over at her and smiled.
She winked and then looked out the window, though there wasn't much of a sight.
The man driving spoke in a very heavy accent: "We'll drive you there, but I'm afraid that's all we can do. We try to avoid that area as much as possible."
Leon nodded. "Thank you. My partner and I can take it from there."
The driver gave a curt nod and started toward the village.
There was silence in the back of the car. Anya looked out the sorry excuse for a window and thought. All they had to do was go and get the damn girl, shoot some people (ask questions later) and they'll have the priss to her father before the day was done.
Honestly, Anya, is it ever that easy?
She sighed. No, it never was.
She felt Leon's elbow nudge her softly into her ribs. She looked over at him. He was staring back at her, those blue eyes intense.
"You okay, Anya? Don't tell me you're going to wimp out on me. I would have brought Fendman along if I wanted my partner to desert me," he joked.
"You've never even worked with Fendman before," Anya replied, "How would he know what he's like?"
Leon shrugged. "I hear stories. But, honestly, Anya, I'm glad I'm paired with you."
Anya smiled softly and reached out with her left hand, gesturing for his. Leon entwined his fingers with Anya's and kept it there.
The second police officer saw this in his mirror and asked, "Ah, I get it. So you two are an item, eh?"
Anya pulled her hand away from Leon's and gave the officer a dirty look, "I doubt that's any of your business."
The officer shrugged. "Okay. Whatever you say. Hey, Miguel, pull over. I have to, uh… dispose of something, okay?"
Anya made a face. Why didn't the gross bastard go to the bathroom before they left the station? Good Lord. No wonder she's stayed single this long: men were disgusting.
Wait, she'd stayed single this long because she didn't have time to date. When she was protecting the President's family, she didn't have the chance to think about anything else, let alone the other sex. On her free nights, she did go out and have a good time; she was entitled to that, wasn't she? She was twenty-six, in shape, and pretty good-looking, and though she was a secret agent, she did need to slow down at times to enjoy her life.
But ever since this problem came about, she hadn't had the chance to enjoy life.
Miguel stopped the truck and his partner exited rather quickly. Anya could not hide her disgust.
Leon smiled, amused by Anya's revulsion, and looked out his window.
While the man did his…business, Anya did her best to keep her concentration on the forest. It was kind of pretty, but… just like there had been something wrong in Whelling, there was something wrong here. She could sense it, almost feel it in her bones. The way the wind blew the trees, and just the way the crows flew… it was odd. She considered the possibility that she was just in a different country and she wasn't used to these surroundings.
But her gut feeling suggested more hostile possibilities.
Miguel offered her and Leon a cigarette, but they both refused. Smoking did not help when she had to run for her life every month or so; it tended to wear her down a bit.
The other police officer returned to the car rather quickly. Anya wondered if his speedy return was because his penis had gotten too cold for him to handle.
"Mucho frio," he muttered, rubbing his hands together.
Miguel started up the car and started down the road. He carefully drove the car over the bridge, and came to a slow stop on the other side.
He turned around and said, "Well, this is it. We'll stay here. We don't want to get any… parking tickets. You understand."
Leon and Anya looked at one another. Anya rolled her eyes and opened up the car door to get out, grabbing her sniper rifle and slinging its strap along her back. Leon, however, replied smoothly, "Right. Parking tickets."
Anya was already on her way up the path when Leon got out of the car, muttering, "Geez. Who are these guys?"
He sped up his pace to catch up with his partner. The two special agents went up the dirt path, trying to stay warm against the bitter cold. They came to a fork on the path, the left lead to the house, and the right was blocked off by an old-fashioned truck.
What Anya really did notice was that there weren't any telephone poles anywhere, or electricity lines. She half-expected to see a satellite on the top of the house for cable, but there was nothing to prove that these people were living up with the times.
Anya muttered, "Jesus Christ, what century are these people living in?"
Leon brushed away his bangs that had fallen in front of his eyes – he had that problem a lot. He looked at the house. "That house doesn't have a door on it."
Anya scoffed. "I wonder if they have any pest problems."
Leon gestured, "Come on. Let's start asking the locals."
Anya sighed and trudged along behind Leon.
This was going to be a long day.
Leon went in first, climbing the wooden steps to the porch, the boards creaking beneath his weight. Anya noticed that the house was kept in shitty condition, and wondered why the owner just didn't knock it down and build a new home. The windows were boarded up, the wood used old and ratty. The building they were entering now looked like it was standing on its last legs.
Leon knocked on the doorframe and called out, "Hello?"
Silence greeted him.
They heard a cough from around the corner, proving that there was someone inside. The person was either deaf, or not very hospitable.
Anya pulled out her Magnum and nodded with her head for Leon to proceed.
Leon carefully went around the corner, not knowing what he'd find –
An older man was tending to his fireplace, his back to Leon. The man looked harmless, at any rate.
Anya stayed around the corner out of sight.
Leon cleared his throat. "Excuse me, sir?"
No response. The man continued on as if he hadn't heard Leon.
Leon scoffed silently, amazed by this man's rudeness. He rounded the table, pulling the picture of the President's daughter out of his back pocket. He held out the picture and asked again, "Sir?"
The Spaniard finally turned around, his face less than amused. His glare was not welcoming; in fact, he seemed downright pissed.
This did not faze Leon, however. He continued to hold out the photograph, and asked, "Excuse me, sir, but do you recognize the girl in this photograph?"
"Qué carajo estas haciendo aqui? Lagarte, cabròn."
From around the corner, Anya heard the man's reply. She hadn't paid too much attention in Spanish class when she was younger, but the man's words roughly translated into "What the hell are you doing here? Get out, you bastard."
She had a feeling this would get ugly in a second.
Leon put the picture away, muttering a "sorry", and turned to leave.
The man put down his metal poker and gripped the axe that leaned against the wall. The man swung the axe at Leon –
- who saw the attack out of the corner of his eye and ducked and rolled at the last second. During his roll, Leon expertly unholstered his gun and pointed it at his attacker.
"Freeze!" Leon warned. When the man did not respond, Leon said again, "I said freeze!"
The man raised his axe.
Leon heard a gunshot from behind, and saw the man's head explode from his neck. The body fell to the ground, the axe still gripped tightly in his hand.
Leon turned around and saw Anya still in her shooting stance. She put the gun down and gave Leon a grim look. She spoke: "You warned him."
Before she could say anymore, they both heard a truck's engine being revved up. Both she and Leon bolted toward the front boarded-up window, and peeked through the cracks in the boards. The two Agents watched in horror and fear as the truck went down the trail and went straight for the police car. Anya saw only Miguel make it out of the vehicle. He had pulled out his gun and was firing at the truck's driver. It didn't help him much – the truck slammed straight into the police car. The two vehicles toppled onto the bridge, which immediately collapsed, and the vehicles both toppled into the river below. In the midst of the confusion, Anya could not see what happened to Miguel or the other officer. She prayed silently that they had somehow gotten out alive.
She doubted it, though.
More of the locals were approaching the house. All of them were armed with very sharp-looking farm tools.
Leon turned away from the window and spat, "Shit."
Anya continued to look out the window even when Leon's radio beeped. It was more than likely Ingrid, their advisor.
"Leon, how you holding up?"
"Not too well. There was a hostile local. I had no choice but to neutralize him," Leon replied.
Anya turned away from the window and went toward the back of the house. Leon almost asked her what she was looking for, but Ingrid gained his attention:
"Do whatever it takes to save the subject."
"Understood," Leon said. He took another glimpse outside and noticed that the men were approaching the house.
He ran from the window and went into the back where Anya was at. He found her staring at something in the wall. He could tell by her gaze that she was disturbed.
She turned away and said, "Skulls. Rotting skulls. I think we may have found trouble."
Leon nodded. "We need to get out. The guy's neighbors are coming over and I doubt it's for tea."
"Window?" Anya asked.
"It's our best bet…unless you want to use the front door?"
"Negative," Anya breathed, reaching down to her pocket to check if her ammo was still there. Five clips, ten founds each. She'd be okay for now; it didn't take ten founds to bring down one person.
Leon led the way and ran straight for the side window. He covered his face and leaped through the glass. Rolling expertly on the ground outside, he quickly rose to meet his opponents.
"Te voy a romper en pedazos!" one man shouted, the rest approaching rather fast, all raising their pitchforks and shears menacingly. Leon raised his weapon and shot the closest one in the face. Normally, this would have killed anyone within a second.
However, all the man did was grab his face in pain. He didn't even topple.
Surprised, but not deterred, Leon raised his weapon and shot again. This time the man stayed down.
However the other two approached quickly, throwing their arms back for a more powerful swing. Leon quickly backed up, but a fence blocked his escape.
Before they could swing their weapons, Leon heard three more shots, and he saw the crazed man jerk forward and fall to the ground, shuddering for a second before finally lying still. Leon looked up and saw Anya walking quickly across the porch toward Leon and the last-remaining man, her gun raised and aiming right at the assailant's head. Not hesitating for an instant, Anya pulled the trigger.
The bullet went right into the native's eye. He screamed and pressed his dirty hand to his face. But just like the first one, this man didn't keel over to the ground. In fact, he rushed toward Anya, ready to jump the fence and hack her to death.
Anya backed up to give herself more room.
Leon, however, refused to let anything happen to his partner. Before the psycho could jump the porch railing, Leon aimed and shot another bullet in the back of the man's head.
This time he did fall and did not get back up.
Anya, breathing heavy (more from emotion than exertion), gave Leon a look.
She didn't need to say anything. Leon reloaded his gun and said, "I don't know."
"I...I shot him in the head," Anya said in disbelief. Leon stepped over the bodies and made his way to the porch steps. "It went through his eye, Leon. His freaking eye. Why didn't he die?"
Leon looked sadly at her. Anya ripped her gaze from the now dead bodies and looked down at Leon. "I have a really bad feeling about this. God, Leon. I hope this isn't Whelling again."
Leon's own thoughts turned to Raccoon City. It was for this reason that Leon felt closest to Anya than any other person in his department. Like him, she had endured the same horrors as he did in her own town of Whelling. In the months that they had known each other, Leon and Anya had found that sharing their horrific experiences with another person who had gone through the same thing was better than therapy. Leon had to admit that though he had seen quite a lot of terrible things that night six years ago, he knew that didn't even compare to what Anya had endured. She watched as her family die, and she was forced try to escape with her life. Just like Raccoon, Whelling had been a very comfortable community in the quiet countryside of Wisconsin. Umbrella had gotten their poisonous hands on the small town, infecting and perverting it until it turned out to be just another devastation for the U.S. government to clean up.
It was odd. His first day on the job in Raccoon turned out shitty, and his first day on the job today was shitty. Go figure.
Anya shook herself out of her trance and started to run back down the path. Leon followed his partner. He knew where she was going – to check and see if their only means of escape was truly cut off.
It was.
Anya stood on the edge of the cliff and looked down into the rushing river. The old-fashioned truck had slammed into the rocks, smoke emitting from the now destroyed engine. The police car had flipped on its way down, and was lying on its hood. The bridge had been taken out completely, the pieces of wood drifting over the water. There was no way Anya or Leon could jump the gap.
Upon eyeing the disaster, Leon shook his head and whispered painfully, "Oh, no."
Anya began to tremble as she stared at the wreck. Leon placed a comforting hand on her shoulder but she pushed him off. "I…I can't do this. Not again."
Leon's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? Anya, you're not —"
"No!" she cried, "I can't go through this shit again. I did it once in Whelling and that was enough. It's too hard."
Leon grabbed her shoulders and shook her roughly. "We have an assignment. We have to complete it no matter what."
Anya shook her head. "No. No, I can't."
"But Ashley will die without our help!"
Anya brushed him off. "Forget Ashley. The first lady is young – they can have another kid."
Leon stared at her, his green-blue eyes piercing into her brown ones. "How do you plan on getting out, then? The bridge is out."
"I'll find another way around," Anya replied, her tone of voice murderous.
Leon took his hands off her as if they had been burned. "Fine. Leave. I'll do this on my own."
Anya scoffed. "Nice knowing ya."
Leon brushed her off and continued back down the pathway. He called over his shoulder, "Say hi to the natives for me."
Anya flipped him off, but he could not see it.
She watched him disappear down the hill.
Anya swallowed and looked out into the ominous forest.