Hello, dear readers!

Seeing as many of us are heartbroken or disappointed with Infinite Darkness, here I do a double update to make up for it.

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48. Claire

"You seduced the president?"

Claire said in disbelief, "are you that shameless? What did you do? Stop her from falling down the stairs?"

The President of the USA. Claire should have seen it coming, but she had to admit that she did not expect Leon's influence to go that far. As long as you were a female, Leon's Casanova effect would always be a threat.

You're one to say.

"Hey, I didn't seduce her, and to be fair, she wasn't the president when we met."

"No, but she had tights with a political figure," Helena admitted.

"It was a job," Leon sighed.

"Don't get mad with him. You know Leon has his way of dealing with the ladies."

"Yeah, like a flirt," Claire laughed. "Wish me luck then. I hope not to cause friction between Wales and the US."

"She isn't that unreasonable," Leon said with amusement.

"If she isn't, why do you keep running away from her?"

"Touche," Helena laughed, "I am sure Claire will defend well. She has a sharp tongue."

"And foul mouth, according to Saya, but I am sweet Clara, not Claire. Okay, I will deal with the pack of Hyenas. I mean, it can't be worse than lickers, right?"

"I wouldn't know," Helena snickered, "never faced one."

"Well, good thing I am prepared."

Claire sighed and looked outside. It was snowing again, and the picture outside the window made her think of her childhood. She heard Leon and Helena talking, but their words didn't reach her. They drove near a local park, and she saw a small family playing in the snow.

Chris and I always had snowball wars when we were kids. Mom and dad would team up with us, and we always had lots of fun.

The past is always a nice picture to look back at, but no matter how much you look at it, it won't come back. It's just the past.

Claire shifted uncomfortably. Even if she didn't see her, she knew her doppelgänger was there.

"It sure is snowing hard tonight, " Helena commented.

"Then came night that was like falling water.

At times, for hours, a bird spirit, half buzzard, half swan, just above the rushes from which a snow-storm howls."

"Wow, that's poetic," Leon said.

"Peter Huches," Claire smiled, " German poet."

"I didn't take you for a poetry lover," Helena said.

"I enjoy one or two pieces," Claire replied, "My mother was a true poetry lover. She used to leave Chris and Me little notes with quotes."

"That's cute."

"I picked up the habit after she died. I used to slip notes to Chris whenever he had to leave for a mission or something, hoping that he would find them in the least expected time. After some years, I started doing it with the refugee kids in TS, too. It's lovely to see their faces."

"You like kids, huh?" Helena asked.

"Yes, everyone always said I had a good touch with them."

"You do. I am sure that even that pair of devils that I call my nephews would love you," Leon said. He used the pause at the red light to give her a playful smirk.

"You're too hard on your nephews, Leon." Claire laughed.

Leon always had a comment to make about his devilish nephews. It made Claire wonder if the kids were really as bad as he said or Leon was just exaggerating.

"Birkin is always talking about you," Helena commented. "I think she might have been the one who started the pregnancy rumors after saying what a good mother you'd be."

"She what? Why would she say such a thing?"

"Well, she's not wrong. You would make a great mother and aunt," Leon snickered.

Claire sighed and looked outside. Having kids and family was something she had thought at one point, but the hopes of achieving that dream became scarce with the passing years.

"Don't tease me, Leon," Claire sighed, "I don't think that will happen anytime soon."

"Why not?" Helena asked.

"I doubt Chris is planning to have kids anytime soon."

"Well, what's stopping you, instead?" Helena teased. "I mean, you are already married."

Claire gave her an alarmed look, and she looked at Leon chuckled.

"Cute," Claire replied, rolling her eyes, "Let's be serious, okay?"

Having Leon's children was something that Claire didn't want to think about, not because she was against it, but because it sounded like an impossible thing.

"Jokes aside," Leon said, "you are already an aunt. I do have nephews, remember?"

Claire scoffed. Yes, he did, but what difference did it make?

"They won't even know I existed," Claire shrugged, "Once this ordeal is over, the arrangement will be over, and they will never know it happened."

Claire didn't want to admit that the prospect of ending her fake marriage with Leon saddened her a little. She'd been annoyed at first, but she had grown used to it, and she even found it comforting and amiable now. She couldn't tell if Leon shared the sentiment, though. If they had been married for real, then perhaps they would be considering having a child now, but they were not. So thinking about children was silly.

Besides, consider the state of our body, would you risk bringing a kid to this world?

Sometimes Claire wished she could tune out her doppelgänger. She preferred to ignore her comments and think that it was just her subconscious sabotaging her, but this time she had to admit, her other self was right.

Considering her situation, the idea of passing her mutated genes was a problem. Even if she was aiming for a family, the risks were too high for her to consider it.

What am I saying? It isn't like Leon and I are really married.

"Oh, look. We are almost there," Helena said.

Claire looked out the window. The Christmas party would take place in an event hall in the city. The place was fancy, and she could see the Christmas lights as they moved closer.

"Wow, that's some decoration..." Claire sighed, "Talk about flashy."

"They did go a little overboard with the lights," Helena said.

"I'll drop you at the entrance," Leon said, "I need to park the car."

"You are planning to leave her alone, looking like that? Leon, I thought you were more cautious."

"Well, I am trusting that you will take care of her while I am not there."

"Naturally, but I am not her husband," Helena snickered.

"No, but I am sure you can remind them who it is," Leon said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, sure. I can tell them how baffled you were when you saw her walk down the stairs. I swear, I've never seen that expression on your face before."

"My wife is a beauty, what can I say?"

"You two are doing it on purpose," Claire said, rolling her eyes.

Leon smirked. He stopped the car in front of the entrance and leaned closer to Claire.

"What are you doing?" Claire said, looking at him startled.

"Practice kiss," Leon smirked.

"What? Helena is here," Claire mumbled, looking around and blushing.

"I see nothing," Helena said with a snort, stepping out of the car.

Claire was going to protest, but Leon kissed her before she could say a word. It wasn't a practice kiss, but Claire could not complain, and she only made an irritated glare when he let her go.

"Flirt," she mumbled.

"Guilty," Leon snickered. He watched Claire step out of the car and looked at Helena, "keep an eye on her, Helena."

"Sure."

Claire and Helena watched Leon drive the car away before turning around and entering the building. Claire helped Helena walk. Despite her initial refusal, the woman ended up accepting. Her leg was almost healed, but she still walked with a limp, and with the frozen streets, the last thing Helena needed was to slip over ice and hurt herself again.

"Guess what," Helena whispered, "I was right. Everyone is looking at you like idiots."

"Are you sure they are not looking at you?"

Helena snorted. Maybe a couple of looks were for her, but she was sure that 98% of the attention was on Claire whether she liked it or not.

"Maybe you chose the right dress after all," Helena chuckled, "Otherwise, Leon would have lost his patience."

Claire opened her mouth to say something, but she got interrupted when someone hugged her from behind.

"You are here!" A familiar voice screeched with excitement.

Sherry came to meet them with such an intensity that Claire couldn't help but smile. She was wearing a short blue dress that matched her eyes well, and Claire realized just how much her little Sherry had grown.

"Hey, Sherry. Merry early Christmas," Claire smiled.

"Same to you!" Sherry smiled, "oh my God, you look amazing! Please tell me Leon was drooling, because if not, I will smack him some sense!"

"Leon was drooling, okay?" Helena laughed, "he was in the middle of a call, and he forgot how to talk for some minutes."

"That's not…" Claire began saying.

"Of course, he would drool!" Sherry clapped, " you look gorgeous."

Claire smiled with embarrassment, feeling her cheeks go red.

"Thanks, you look beautiful, too, Sherry."

"Thank you!" Sherry smiled proudly, "where's Leon? Don't tell me he skipped the party and sent you alone."

"He might not like the party idea, but there's no way he would let her out of his sight," Helena said, shaking her head, "he was parking the car. He will show up soon."

"Okay, cool. Because I saved you some seats at my table, you know, a strategic location to avoid unpleasant hyenas," Sherry said, locking her arm with Claire, "I've heard all kinds of nonsense since I arrived. It was so annoying! Those harpies are the worst, and they are growing bolder!"

Claire snorted. She put her hand on Sherry's shoulder and smiled.

"Don't mind them. So, should we sit?"

Claire was used to corporate holiday parties. She'd attended many during her time as a TS agent and as Chief. Despite the beautiful decorations of garlands, lights, and ribbons. Those parties always lacked the most essential thing of Christmas.

Christmas parties are for friends and family, not a bunch of colleagues that barely know each other.

It's a facade. Everyone acts jolly and friendly, but in their heart, they are all bitter.

"Ah, Clara! Helena!"

The sudden greeting brought Claire out of her conversation with her doppelgänger. The group had reached the table, and, to Claire's pleasant surprise, she found a familiar face already sitting there.

"Oh, hello, Marie. Merry Christmas," Claire smiled, "well, almost Christmas."

"To you, too! I'm glad you came," Marie chirped, "let me introduce you. This is my husband, David."

"Hi," the man sitting beside Marie replied.

Claire had never seen the man before, but he looked friendly. His appearance wasn't as flashy as Leon's, but he wasn't bad looking, and Claire thought that the couple matched nicely.

"Nice to meet you. Clara…"

"Kennedy, right?" He smiled, "even among de FOS, your name is quite popular."

"As long as it isn't for bad reasons, I can live with that."

David smiled, then he turned to Helena and gave her a teasing look.

"So, Helena. I hear from a close source that you busted your leg," he said.

"I have reasons to suspect that the source would be either Hunnigan or Marie herself," Helena scoffed, "and yes. I did hurt my leg, but it was not as bad as you probably think."

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. You and agent Kennedy must be made of iron. I don't understand how anyone can be so resilient."

"Oh, do they get hurt frequently?"

"That's the deal," David said, " they are probably the most reckless team in the service, but they rarely get hurt. Don't get me wrong, I am happy about that, but seriously, I don't understand it."

"So Leon has become reckless," Claire said thoughtfully, " that's a new one. I thought I was the reckless one of the duo."

"We are not reckless," Helena shrugged, "we have bad luck."

"Or rather, Good luck," David laughed.

"By the way," Helena said, looking around, "has the eagle landed? If so, I should text Leon to let him know that he has to be sneaky."

Marie snickered.

"She's around," the woman said, "that woman can be persistent."

"You don't say," Sherry said, annoyed, "can she take rejection and live with it?"

"Sherry."

"What? It's the truth! He doesn't like her, and he is married now."

"Happily married, thank you."

Leon appeared behind Claire and gave her a warm squeeze on the shoulders before sitting down beside her.

"Hey, Kennedy."

"David."

"I was about to write to you and warn you about the eagle," Helena said with a chuckle.

"Saw her when I came in, but luckily, I know how to go unnoticed."

"That's so hard to believe, Leon," Claire said, "you light the room when you enter, and I'm not being corny."

"Well, I had no idea I had that effect on you," he said teasingly, and Claire slapped his arm.

"You know what I mean."

"Honestly, I am not the one catching all the looks tonight."

"Yeah, you're stealing the show," Sherry snickered.

Claire rolled her eyes and changed the subject.

"What's the agenda?"

"Agenda?" Marie asked.

"Yeah, these events always have some protocolary events. I want to know the program."

"Ah, I think there is the president's speech, then some recreational stuff and dinner," Marie said.

"It's a holiday party, not a meeting," Leon snickered, "I suppose you're used to the more business-oriented parties."

"All my parties were business," Claire shrugged, "I had to chat up sponsors."

"Sponsors?" David asked curiously, "Where did you work before?"

Claire froze. She had forgotten that she was Clara now, and Clara had never worked with Terra Save. She had said that out of impulse, and now she had to come with an excuse.

"Ah, I worked for a small research group, and I always ended up attending the negotiations. You know, research funding and stuff."

"Funding is always an issue when it comes to research," Marie sighed.

"Yeah, it takes a lot of charm to get sponsors."

"Luckily for you, being charming is your fort," Leon teased.

"What are you saying," Claire sighed, "I can be anything but charming. I have a gift of persuasion, but that's it."

"That's useful, too. Do you use it often with Leon?" Helena snorted.

"With him? Nah, my persuasion is useless with this fool."

"I beg to differ."

"Leon!"

Everyone's laughter stopped when a woman wearing a white dress approached the table. She had blonde, wavy hair, put up in an updo. It took Claire some minutes to recognize her from the photographs, but even if she had not, Sherry was kind enough to whisper the visitor's name.

"There she is," the younger girl told her, "Ashley Graham, the president, and Leon's eternal fan."

Ashley Graham, of course. Now that Claire thought about it, it made sense. Leon had told her that one of his earliest missions had been rescuing the President-at-the-time's daughter from some terrorist in Spain. She didn't remember her name until she heard it.

"Ms. President," Leon said politely.

"I've told you a lot of times, Ashley," she corrected, "we are old friends, Leon. You don't have to be so polite."

"I am afraid that would be improper," Leon sighed, and Helena scoffed.

Ashley seemed a little annoyed about it, but she let it pass, aiming to continue the conversation.

"I am so happy that you made it this year," Ashley continued, "I always thought that your supervisor was exploiting you by giving you so much work during the holidays. I am happy that they have started to see some reason."

"Missions are missions no matter the date," Leon shrugged, " I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for an extraordinary reason."

"Extraordinary reasons?"

"Being recently married requires me to spend time with my wife, so I asked for a brief pause in foreign missions."

The mention of the word "wife" made the blonde woman pale.

"Ah, so it is true? Someone had passed me a rumor, but you know. I thought it was all some silly gossip..."

"My marriage?" Leon asked, turning to Claire, who had been listening to Sherry, "No, of course not. I can't blame them for gossiping though, I kept my personal life private, and many didn't know about Clara until now."

Claire pinched the bridge of her nose. What a good liar he was. The woman caught Sherry snickering by her side, and Claire slapped her arm, trying to make her less obvious.

"Let me introduce you," he said, looking at Claire and taking her hand. "Clara, this is the president of the United States, Ashley Graham. Ms. President, this is my lovely wife, Clara Kennedy."

Sherry had to hold back her laughter when Ashley twitched at the sound of her last name. Claire could not blame her. It was odd.

"It's a real honor, lady president," Claire said in her best welsh accent.

"Ah, the pleasure is mine. I didn't know Leon was in a relationship. Forgive me."

"Oh, considering how he is, I am not surprised. He can be quite the trickster in these things," Claire smiled, "he's a handful most of the time. I hope he hasn't caused much trouble with his charms."

"You make me sound like a mischievous child," Leon snorted.

"Aren't you sometimes? You tease me every day."

"You know what people say," Helena smirked, "the more the guy likes you, the more he will pull your hair."

Claire chuckled. That was the typical kid's interaction.

"Of course, but I'm sure I do more than pull her hair," Leon smirked, winking at Claire.

Claire rolled her eyes and gave him a soft slap in his arm. Knowing Leon, the comment had ulterior meanings intended to make Ashley uncomfortable, but if ever heard by Chris, the blond would surely go through the Redfield hell.

"See? He's a jester," Claire sighed.

"That's, only, because he likes you," Sherry jumped in, " usually he's in full work mode. Look, he even brought you to the party. That's a sign of how much he cares."

Ashley coughed. She was uncomfortable, and Claire felt a little bad about the whole scene. Point taken, she was not lying now, since Leon and she were in a relationship, but that didn't stop Claire from pitying the other woman.

" Don't mind them, lady President," Claire said sympathetically, "as you found Leon's status change a surprise, so did the rest of the world. Their natural behavior is, well, this."

"Hey, I always knew he liked you!" Sherry pouted.

"You did," Leon snorted, "even before I did." Sherry stuck her tongue out at Leon, and the man chuckled. Claire sighed and shook her head.

"Kids," she sighed, looking at Ashley, "I'm sorry, lady President."

"Oh, please. Call me Ashley. Everyone loves to use the title, and it gets annoying," Ashley replied, " excuse my impertinence, but I am afraid I cannot recognize your accent. Are you from Scotland?"

Claire snorted. That was probably a lie. Scottish accent was way too different to get confused with welsh.

" Wales actually," Claire replied.

"Oh! From which part? I went to Wales several times with my father."

Where? Now that was a good question. The file that Hunnigan gave her had not mentioned a specific place, and she had to be careful about what to answer. Claire saw Leon give her a look, but suddenly, she raised her hand to her temple.

Me and my sister? Lush, we came from down south. A town by Twyn called Carmarthen. You'll fancy the place if you saw it. Everything is green, and the lakes look like pieces of the sky.

"Carmarthen. It is a beautiful place," Claire replied, "is a quiet town, but beautiful."

"I am afraid I've never visited it."

" Consider visiting it in the future. It is beautiful."

"I will. Well, if you excuse me, I will go greet the rest of the guests."

Ashley made a polite nod and rushed away from the table.

"Well, that's the fastest she has ever left," Helena snorted.

"Mrs. Kennedy's presence chased her away," David laughed, "that's the power of a wife, Leon."

"And I am thankful. My hopes for a quiet evening have been restored," Leon smirked.

"The ladies are all intimidated by Clara, so take it for granted," Marie clapped, "no hyenas tonight."

"I would be intimidated, too, after seeing her in that dress."

"You need to stop teasing me," Claire sighed. "I'm going for a drink. I'll be right back."

"I'll come with you," Leon said, "I need to keep some lookers away."

Claire didn't complain. She was used to Leon being her shadow, and his company would keep unwanted flirty comments on the way.

The pair left the table and made their way to the drinks table. Leon casually rested his hand on her hip, and Claire rolled her eyes.

"I think you already made a point to the lady," she whispered, " Is this necessary?"

"Absolutely," Leon replied, "especially when you look like this."

"Do I look weird?"

"Weird isn't the word I'd use," Leon whispered, kissing her temple. "Gorgeous works better."

"Sometimes, I don't know if you're teasing or you mean it."

"I mean it," he replied, shaking his head.

"Well, this is a Christmas miracle. Leon came to the party," someone laughed.

The couple looked up, and they saw Hammil and Cook approached them with a grin.

"Good evening and happy holidays!" Hammil said, "I assume we should thank Mrs. Kennedy for Leon's presence tonight."

"I did nothing," Claire smiled, "he's in a better mood than usual."

"Who wouldn't?" Cook said, " if I had a wife that looked like you, I'd take her to every possible party to brag."

Claire smiled in embarrassment with the implication.

"Sadly for you," Leon said, pulling Claire closer. "Clara is mine."

"This little bastard," Hammil laughed, "didn't know you were so possessive."

Leon shrugged. Claire felt his hand rubbing circles on her hip, and she shuddered.

"You should take her to see the courtyard. The Christmas decorations out there are a gorgeous sight." Cook said.

"Really?" Claire asked.

"Yup, if you two are up for some privacy, that's a nice place."

"Well, thanks for the info," Leon said.

"By the way, watch up for the mistletoe," Hammil added, "someone went crazy with it, and you don't want to get caught with some random person under it."

"Thanks for the heads up," Leon said.

"No prob, pal. Well, I'll see you around. Some ladies are calling," Hammil said, winking.

Hammil and Cook waved them goodbye and headed to the dancing area, and disappeared from view.

"Mistletoe, huh?" Claire said, looking at him. "Why do I suspect that a certain lady requested this decoration in hopes of catching you off guard?"

"Possibly, but it seems I can use this in my favor."

"What?"

Suddenly, Leon leaned to her, giving her a surprise kiss that left her speechless. It wasn't like it was the first time he did it, but up to now, their lovely interaction was restricted to their private time. This was the first time Leon was bold enough to kiss her in public.

"What are…?"

"Mistletoe," he smirked, pointing above their heads.

Indeed, the plant was hanging over her head, and Claire felt her face warm up in a blush. She heard some murmurs, and she cursed Leon's colleagues for being nosy.

"Remind me not to use mistletoe for the house decoration."

"Why not? I love the excuse to kiss you."

"You are terrible…" Claire said, poking his arm.

" You're not mad."

"Well, no, but…"

"Kennedy!"

Leon looked up at his caller, and Claire spun on her heels to see as well. Hopkins smiled and walked to them, followed by an older man. He was tall, with ashy brown hair, blue eyes, and a mustache. Claire didn't recognize him, but he felt a little uncomfortable by the intensity of his stare.

"Clara, it is good to have you here," Hopkins smiled, "you look great tonight."

Claire smiled, giving him a nod, and she felt Leon's grip around her waist tighten a little.

"That's very kind of you, sir."

Hopkins smirked at the sound of the accent.

"Renard, it's good to see you," Leon said politely, "Mercer."

Claire looked at the second man curiously. So he was Andrew Mercer. She had heard a lot about him from Helena, Sherry and Leon, himself, but this was the first time she met him in person. The man was stiff, and an attitude, it reminded her a little of Simmons, but the man wasn't as nasty as the former head of security. He just felt like a strict teacher wanting to scold his students.

"Good evening, Kennedy," Mercer said cordially, "Mrs. Kennedy. We finally met each other."

"Good evening, sir. Please call me Clara. I am still not used to being addressed as Mrs. Kennedy. It's a little confusing sometimes."

"Of course. I am Andrew Mercer," the man said, offering her his hand.

Claire smiled and gave him her hand, to her surprise, the man put a cordial kiss on her knuckle.

Suddenly, Claire felt a sting of pain in her head, and her automatic reaction was to pull her hand away.

"Are you alright, madam?" Mercer asked.

"Ah, yes. The cold gives me headaches, sometimes. My apologies for the rudeness."

"Do not worry. My daughter has the same issue. You should stay warm."

"Thank you. I will."

"It's a pleasure to have you here, Clara. I know you're not particularly fond of parties, and neither is Leon."

"It's the first one she has." Leon shrugged, "I didn't want to deprive her of the pleasure."

"It is a good opportunity to meet your new colleagues," Mercer said.

"Yes, indeed. How's your secretary? I haven't seen her around?"

"Adalind? She's not here. She requested permission to skip this event since she had a family emergency."

"Oh, no. I hope everything is alright."

"She's fine."

Claire bit down her lip. She had the uncomfortable feeling that Mercer was staring through her, and she had an unreasonable fear that he had recognized her real identity. She had never met him before, so that was unlikely, but that didn't make her feel better.

The man's gaze was intimidating enough.

Have I seen that look before?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Leon, pulling her closer to him. The agent had sensed her slight shift and pulled her against him.

"We should go, Renard."

"Ah yes, Andrew and I were heading to meet the president, but it was a great surprise to meet you here."

"Same, Merry Christmas," Leon said.

The two men gave them a polite nod and walked past them.

"What's wrong?" Leon whispered.

"No, nothing. That's the Mercer you and Helena talk so much about?"

"The same one," Leon said, looking in the direction where the two other men had vanished.

"I see. Odd, there's something familiar about him, but I can't say what."

"Have you met him before?"

"Not that I can remember."

Leon nodded.

"Don't worry about it. Come on, let's go to the courtyard and check the decorations that Hammil mentioned."

Claire nodded. Watching Christmas decorations in a courtyard sounded like a trivial thing to do in a social gathering like this, but the woman said nothing and followed Leon outside.

The sight was breathtaking. The entire courtyard had colorful lights, wreaths, garlands, and trees, and the falling snow turned the whole place into a winter wonderland that sent Claire back into her early childhood.

"Well, I admit it. It is impressive."

"Yes, it is." Claire said, looking around, "when I was a kid, my parents took us to a Christmas fair in our town. Chris and I would run all over the place, chasing each other with snowballs. It looked a lot like this."

"You had a happy childhood," Leon observed in a lower voice as they walked together. Some other party guests were lurking around the courtyard, admiring the decoration as well, so they had to be careful with their conversation.

"Yeah, most of it was like that."

Her childhood, in general, was a happy one. The pain of losing their parents was difficult, but things had turned out okay, somehow.

It wasn't perfect, but it was alright. We were together, and that was enough.

"Hammil wasn't lying about the mistletoe," Claire said, "it's everywhere."

"Yeah, I should keep you away from unwanted fellas then. Those branches are for me alonef."

"You're being ridiculous, Leon."

Leon snorted. Suddenly, the lights flickered, and Claire stopped dryly. It was a small shift in the lights, fast and not out of the ordinary, but the brief blink was enough to make her blood run cold.

A dark figure flashed in her sight. It was a female wearing a long white robe stained with black spots. It was fast. It'd appeared and almost as soon disappeared, so Claire knew that she'd probably imagined it. Imagination or not, it was enough to trigger the sting of pain in her head and the wave of ghostly images in her head.

"What's wrong?" Leon asked with concern.

Claire breathed in slowly with her eyes shut. She took her time before opening them again, slowly. The lights were normal again, no blinks or flickers, and the only figure in the area was a group of ladies that laughed as they pinpointed details on the decoration.

"Hey," Leon whispered. His arm circled her waist and pulled her closer, and it took Claire a great effort not to crumble in his hold.

"I think I need to sit," she whispered.

Leon looked around and found a small gazebo with benches a little further ahead. With his help, Claire made it to the spot and sat down, gasping for air.

Leon crouched in front of her, holding her hand and looking at her with concern.

"What happened?"

"I…" she began saying, but she got cut off when a loud whistle pierced her ears, making her arc and covering her ears with pain.

They have come.

"Leon…"

And then the courtyard fell into complete darkness.