Chapter 2: Roll The Bones

A black Lincoln town car pulled up the next morning as it began to drizzle on the outskirts of Richmond, Virginia.

Claire walked over to the window as she heard the crunching of the gravel beneath the tires from her seat in Leon's kitchen. With a passing glance up at the sky, she briefly wondered what it might be like to have a normal life with a little house on the hill. As if to remind her, Leon's gun shifted from where it was tucked into her jeans, and she half smiled at reality whispering that 'normal' wasn't in the cards for people like them.

Swinging the front door open, Claire stepped back to allow Hunnigan and Orski entry.

Hunnigan opened her mouth to speak, but Claire beat her to the sales pitch. "Save it, I'm in. When do we leave?"

Hunnigan gave a timid smile to Claire and passed through the threshold with a waft of her perfume filling the air.

"Soon." She threw over her shoulder as she walked toward the sitting room.

In the foyer on the home, Claire took a moment to give Orski a once over as the larger agent came in last and took the time to wipe his feet on the carpet near the door.

"You going to be watching my six, big guy?" She opted for humor as her stomach began tying in knots at the reality that things were about to start happening very quickly.

"I'm more of a King of the Hill kind of guy than a Hide and Seek one." Orski responded without much enthusiasm.

In the hours that followed, Hunnigan made some calls to begin setting up transport for Claire and the agent in charge of overseeing her protection. The conversation with her assisting agent wasn't very long. Hunnigan had pretty much told him Claire's information and the conversation seemed to abruptly end after he was given the details of Leon's situation.

Claire tried not to focus on the fact that despite not going in alone, two people seemed like an awfully lonely number when you were facing the span of 4-5 different areas of a country.

Hunnigan assured Claire that the agent that would be accompanying her was very much experienced with similar scenarios. Hunnigan also insisted that the less people they had on the ground the better; more people drew more attention.

Agent Orski seemed to be the most prepared for her inevitable 'yes'. He had led Claire back out to the car to pop the trunk. Inside was a happy little boutique of destruction: guns, crossbows, bow guns, knives, explosives, and much more stared back at her.

"I take it you're not a flowers type of guy either, huh?" Claire said with a whistle.

"No, but I do like a cheap date. Take your pick. If this is not to your liking, I can have something more specific delivered in two hours." He said, watching her carefully.

"Why do I feel like this is turning into some back-alley heist? Shouldn't I be going through a little training down at your government building? Signing NDAs or creating my Last Will and Testament as I fork my future over to chance?" Claire asked, tilting her head up at Orski.

"Because we're dealing with the next version of your Raccoon City. We have a government agent at the head of a growing terrorist attack, and the President's daughter hanging over everything like the juicy little leverage she is. Even one peep out to the media could cost us everything." Orski said while pulling out the bow gun she had been eyeing. He handed it to her before reaching back in to start pulling out different holsters for the knives and a silenced pistol.

"Alright," Hunnigan breathed at the kitchen table an hour later. "We're going to be meeting up with Agent Smith in the airfield. From there, we'll give you both the debrief on what we know and where your landing zone is to be projected."

"Agent Smith? Is this someone Leon has worked with before?" Claire asked, trying desperately not to frown as her uneasiness grew.

"His reputation will speak for itself soon enough." Orski answered cryptically while eyeing Claire's outfit with a slightly raised brow.

Claire had opted for a similar gear set-up as Leon: a black form hugging tactical top, black jacket, black military grade pants and tactical belt for various items and storage, a sheathed knife strapped to her leg, the silence pistol on her other leg, a shoulder tri-holster for the bow gun, quiver, and the gleaming metal of Leon's Magnum.

Claire was turning in her seat then and grabbed her cellphone out of her purse. "I'll be back, I need to leave my brother a message. I assume I can tell him some details?"

Hunnigan grimaced but nodded in agreement. "Yes, you can. We fully expect to be hearing Mr. Redfield's thoughts soon enough. I've considered posting guards around my bed when he finds out."

Claire shook her head with a knowing smile. "Like I said, all of this seems very off the books. Considering the agency's stance on bioweapons, I would have figured a better delivery for situations like this."

Neither Hunnigan or Orski seemed to be able to comment further on her retort. With a quiet and nervous departure, Claire made her way up stairs while she began to call Chris' cell number. It went straight to voicemail.

It always does these days.

"Chris," Claire breathed after the tone. She gripped her cell phone tightly and her thoughts blackened at the memory of their last conversation. Argument, really.

"It's Claire. Listen, something happened with Leon's mission in Spain—It's bad, Chris, and I know you're going to kill me when you see me next, but I have to go find Leon. I—" Claire's voice broke. She sucked in a breath and counted to three. This may be the last time she could get a message to her brother if things went south.

"I love you and I hope you're safe. I'm going to try and bring Leon back with me. There's… been an outbreak from a parasite called the Las Plagas. I don't know what's going to happen, but I can't leave him there. Contact Ingrid Hunnigan when you get this. She'll update you with the details..." Claire was standing in the hall next to Leon's bedroom. The window outside overlooked the side of the house and gave a perfect view into a man-made path toward the woods. Her eyes caught on a deer as it slowly crept through the brush and paused before looking toward the house.

"Goodbye, Chris." Claire whispered into her phone before she snapped it shut. When she looked up, the deer was gone.

Claire had been staring down at her lap when the town car she was riding in pulled into what looked like a private landing strip 30 minutes away from Leon's house. The airstrip seemed to have very little of the personnel present as no one sat in a tiny lobby she could spot through a large bay window from the main building.

There was a van parked near the gates; a lone passenger sat behind the wheel waiting.

As Claire stepped out of the vehicle, she watched as the van's driver did the same.

The figure who climbed out was a tall, imposing looking man. Slightly tanned skin caught warmly in the sunlight, and hazel eyes stared out from beneath dark brown hair that fell in an ear tuck cut. His face was all hard lines as he took in Claire, Hunnigan, and Agent Orski. He had a large tactical case in one hand, and a duffle bag slung over one shoulder. Geared up in full tactical gear with various holsters, Claire's eyes moved to his side packs and a dark green vest that held many more pockets on his chest.

Hunnigan stepped forward to greet who Claire assumed was Agent Smith. Orski hung back, standing behind Claire with her bag in his hands.

Claire, who was trying to gather the last of her courage before taking the final step, busied herself with putting her hair up into her customary ponytail. She caught Orski's eyes and saw him staring at her with something that looked a lot like pity. It wasn't the hurrah she needed at that moment, and with that she sighed before grabbing her bag from him. With a slight smile at the older agent, she turned to walk toward Hunnigan and the man who was to watch her back.

"Smith, I'd like to introduce you to your partner, Ms. Claire Redfield. Claire, this is Agent Sebastian Smith." Hunnigan said as she saw Claire approaching.

"Sebastian," Claire said, ignoring the titles and formalities while she gazed into the hazel eyes of the man before her. "I wish I could meet you under better circumstances, but I appreciate the help in this mission."

She brushed her bangs from her eyes and stepped forward with an offered hand.

Sebastian's sharp eyes met hers with a curious tilt to his head before he stepped forward to slide his hand into hers.

His gaze didn't break once when he said, "I guess I should say the same, Claire. Keep sharp, and listen to what I say. I'll make sure we get out alive." His English was lightly under-toned by a French accent.

Claire managed a genuine smile and nodded before Hunnigan led them to the plane that was to transport them to Madrid; a separate chopper would drop them off close to their landing zone.

Hunnigan proceeded to give Claire and Sebastian the last intel they had received on the movements coming out of the affected area. She also took the time to show Claire how to use the communication devices and reviewed the current exit plans in case the duo needed to route for a quick extraction.

As Hunnigan bid them both farewell, Orski stepped forward with Claire's Magnum in his hand. Claire blinked and looked down at her empty holster. "How did you—" She began.

"Listen to me, I know you're not a trained agent, but I've read your file. You've got something they can't teach at the academy. Listen to Smith and remember that if you can't get through to Leon, you need to leave quietly and fast." Orski said as he placed the gun back in Claire's hand.

He jutted his chin down at the gun and continued, "I cleaned it and made some modifications." He stepped closer to her and lowered his voice. "And remember, in certain events, death may be better than capture."

Claire gripped the gun tightly and swallowed as she held Orski's eyes. She didn't even know his first name, she realized then. She took him in for a second more and noted the eyes of a man who had a good idea of exactly how bad something like this could turn out. Why he, Hunnigan, or anyone else at the agency thought she was the right person to send along, she still wasn't fully sure.

"Take care, Orski. I'll see you soon." She said instead in departure before she turned to climb up the stairs into the plane. Just before the pilot shut the door, Claire could swear she saw a flash of fear on Orski's face.

"A college girl who managed to survive the 1998 Raccoon City event and after, infiltrated the Umbrella Paris Division. What are they teaching in those school courses nowadays?" Sebastian's voice cut in over the drone of the plane's engine shortly after takeoff.

Claire slid her eyes from the window over to her new partner.

"Don't forget I got captured; I ran out of bullets." The redhead stated with a slight smile gracing her features.

"Knives are useful." Sebastian tilted his head at her slightly when he answered. He had chosen the seat across the aisle from hers.

"If I have a specialty, it's knives." She admitted while she patted her combat knife that Chris had given her many years ago. "It survived Raccoon, so I'll consider it lucky at this point."

"Of that, I'm sure." He murmured as he rubbed his chin, studying her a little closer now. "I have a few lucky knives myself."

Claire let her eyes drop to the various pockets on his vest. Finding no holster, she dropped her eyes further to his leg before she raised a brow and turned fully toward his seat.

"Hidden knives." Sebastian supplied and his eyes seemed to lighten when her gaze rose to meet his again.

Claire chuckled and found herself studying his features. Now that her nerves had settled and the ride became quiet, there was very little that could distract her from how attractive of a man Sebastian was.

Agent Sebastian Smith seemed to always carry a perpetual amused look in his eyes. He was older, maybe close to 35 and she wasn't sure how much she was supposed to know about him, but she figured she should know something about the man that was supposed to keep her alive.

"Unfortunately, Hunnigan didn't give me a secret file on you. Where are you from and how did you get into the agency?" Claire decided to break the ice first since he seemed to know enough about her already.

Sebastian lifted his head and looked out the window on her left as he spoke. "I'm from Monaco. I was a Captain in the Corps des Sapeurs-Pompiers de Monaco. A firefighter, as you call them here. I worked specifically in the Hazmat Division. Dealing with fires, chemical spills, medical emergencies, the like. We had an incident in 1997 that led to hunting down an organization that was transporting bioweapons through our port. We sought the aid of the French military. Although, this was not like the monsters you've seen. More like weaponizing smallpox if you know your French history."

Sebastian turned his eyes back to her. "My involvement in that was smaller in comparison to now, but my reports were clean, and I kept a cool head as people began to die. France, being your ally, reached out to what would become the United States Bioweapons Division. Channels were opened, and before I knew it, I was moving up in positions I never knew existed. This eventually landed me as the French Ambassador for the U.S. Government Agency, US-SRATCOM."

"I'm glad to have you with me, Sebastian." Claire responded with a sincere tone.

Orski had mentioned that his reputation would speak for itself and she was hoping the agent in front of her was truly ready to deal with things Claire had a full history with. Despite being a civilian, her experience through Raccoon and Rockfort was not something she took lightly.

Sebastian seemed to shift a little at her admission. He took a sip of his water and really seemed to be studying her closer.

"So, do you know Leon?" Claire asked as she turned more in her seat, curling her legs under herself, and allowing eye contact to break under his intense gaze. His eyes really were the most piercing combination of hazel she had ever seen. The overhead light in the plane caused the light brown in his iris to appear almost golden.

"I do." He said simply. "I've worked beside him briefly, but my areas stay mostly in the European Division. I've escorted him to a few places."

"What do you think of all of this?" Claire asked unabashedly.

Sebastian paused for a moment as he considered. "This mission objective is a waste of time. But—" He lifted a hand as Claire's brow furrowed and she opened her mouth. "I understand why you're here, and I don't blame you. You survived with Kennedy, and you've grown close."

"Oh, we're not—" Claire fumbled at his implication and she dropped her eyes. A moment of weakness shining through. "—Leon and I, we're just friends."

"Right, friends." Sebastian responded with a knowing look. His dark hair was falling over his brow when he shifted in his own seat. "I'll keep that in mind if we survive this." His eyes were also displaying an emotion that Claire didn't know how to examine at that moment.

Noticing her slight discomfort, he said, "Get some sleep, Claire. I'll set an alarm for when we're going to land. I don't know how much sleep we're going to get in our first 24 hours on the ground, so get the rest where possible."

Sebastian stood and headed down toward where they had stowed their luggage.

Claire's eyes followed him for a moment before she leaned her head back against the seat and replayed their brief conversation. She was suddenly struck with the deep desire to have someone she knew on board with her. The last 24 hours had been filled with strangers she had never worked with before. She'd like to think her judgement was sound, but she knew that Leon's position put her into a huge, biased category. Chris was going to kill her when she returned.

If she returned.

Claire woke to Sebastian shaking her shoulder as he stood at her side. She blinked from the intense light now hitting her eyes and looked to see the sun shining through the windows of the plane.

"Rise and shine, Redfield. We're about to land. You hungry?" He asked, producing a protein bar with labels written in French across the front.

Claire gave him her morning smile and grabbed for the bar. Sebastian caught her hand, making her jerk her eyes back toward him.

Sebastian's voice was deadly serious, "I meant what I said previously. Things are going to be bad down there, and we know that Leon and the President's daughter are not ok. When I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to hide, you hide. If it comes down to saving Kennedy or killing—"

"I got it, Sebby; School taught me to follow directions a while ago." Claire cut him off while she blinked the deep sleep from her blue eyes. Even this early in her new day, she didn't want to consider what may need to happen to truly save Leon.

Sebastian visibly fought a smile at the casual nickname she gave him. He might have suspected that she was trying to throw him off those specific orders, but if he did, he didn't say anything more about it.

"Glad we got that cleared up, Redfield. I'll handle our next transport with our connecting tacticians. Stay close to me." He retorted.

"It's just Claire, Sebastian." Claire said with a yawn while she pulled her hair down to rearrange her ponytail.

"Of course, Claire." Sebastian's voice had turned softer and when she shifted to look up at him, he was already turning to get back in his own seat.

Claire paused and thought for a moment. "Hey, you don't happen to know Spanish, do you?"

A partial smile was pulling at his mouth when he looked back at her and asked, "A little late if I don't, don't you think?"

Claire shrugged while she secured her hair behind her. Her smile was almost bashful when she stated, "I couldn't ace every class in between fighting crime. I'm still working on my Spanish."

"Luckily for you, I am fluent in five different languages." He said as the plane touched down on the airstrip, jolting them both forward. "And yes, Spanish is one of them. Welcome to Madrid, Claire."

Some hours following their arrival to Madrid, Claire was twisting her harness in a clammy grip as the helicopter they rode in began to circle a densely forested area near Lugo, Spain.

"Our time to shine, Claire." Sebastian called through the headset they both wore in the back. He grabbed a collapsible ladder that was connected to the floor before he slid the door to the helicopter open. "Gear up."

Claire double checked that her weapons were secure in their holsters, pulled her fingerless gloves on, tightened her tactical belt, and zipped up her coat. She watched as Sebastian did the same before looking back to her to confirm she was ready. She gave him a thumbs up, watched as he attached the carabiner for his harness, and tilted her head toward the pilot as Sebastian delivered a short sounding command in Spanish. The pilot began to slowly lower the helicopter to a reasonable distance for them to climb down to.

Claire's boots hit solid ground and she swore she could feel her pulse in all her toes. One would think after the flights she took during her escape at Rockfort, she would have steeled herself more toward heights.

As the helicopter pulled away, she became very aware of how quiet the nature around them seemed. She was pulling her bow gun off her back and watched as Sebastian pulled out his silenced pistol.

They were just on the edge of Lugo and in the more rural area before the coast. About five miles inland was the small village near the river of Mino. The area that Leon and Ashley had last been sighted last at.

Claire watched as Sebastian took the bag he brought and began securing it in the branches of a nearby tree. He had various guns strapped to different holsters on his back and thighs. The pockets of his vest seemed full as well and she briefly wondered if he'd be able to run with so much equipment.

"This way." Sebastian called softly while he turned toward her, eyeing her bow gun.

"Guns are loud, Sebby. Didn't they teach you that in outbreak school?" Claire asked just as softly when his eyes snapped back to hers. He finally smiled this time at the nickname and turned to begin jogging toward their objective location.

Claire admired his stamina and watched the graceful steps of the agent in front of her. He was alert and attuned to each noise that made itself known around them. Every so often, he would put up a hand for her to pause while he would wait and further assess the area.

After a few miles of jogging, Sebastian slowed to a stop and looked behind them. Claire caught up beside him and started to scan the area alongside him.

"What is it?" She asked, keeping her voice low.

"We're being followed." He explained simply.

"By what?" Claire probed further, feeling her pulse rising.

Sebastian shook his head and said nothing more. He got down on one knee and pulled the sniper rifle he brought off his back. The sun had just disappeared from the horizon, and she watched as he switched his scope to what she assumed was the night vision. As he set it up, Claire kept scanning the trees surrounding them.

Sebastian pulled the scope up to his eye and froze. After a few beats, he began to swing the rifle left and right slowly before he lowered the scope from his eye. He slung the rifle back over his shoulder and checked the safety.

"We're going to need to run." He said casually.

"Are you normally this calm when you're in danger?" Claire asked, gripping her bow gun tightly.

"Always." He rasped with a glint in his eye as he looked over at her.

"Ideas?" She asked then.

"Move." Sebastian ordered as he grabbed her arm. "Now."

Sebastian took the lead, released her arm, but kept beside her as they began to navigate the terrain at speed. He had his pistol back out and began leading them through a cluster of trees. Claire, right on his heels, gasped as she heard the snapping of branches and crunching of leaves behind her. She threw a look over her shoulder and could barely make out the low shapes running after them.

"Dogs." Claire thought as the memories from Raccoon surfaced. Except these ones were not barking or growling. They were completely silent aside from the noise they made while they charged over the terrain.

In the distance, Claire could see what looked like a stone wall. Sebastian was sprinting toward it as fast as he could now, and Claire briefly noted again how graceful he was in so much gear. Leon had scoffed at excess gear and preferred to be lighter on his feet. That didn't seem to be an issue for Sebastian.

"Get up on the wall and cover me, Claire." Sebastian ordered as they drew closer.

When they finally reached the 6-foot wall, Claire placed her bow gun on her back and began hauling herself up. Considering her 5'5" stature, she was thankful she had put effort in keeping herself in shape.

In front of her, Sebastian got back down in a crouch and began firing his silenced pistol in rapid succession. Claire heard a series of yelps follow one after the other.

Claire was steadying herself above him and rearmed herself with the bow gun. With the last light of dusk before night fell, she aimed out and began tracking the many shapes that started to come out from the trees. One of the animals crossed to the far right and began coming at Sebastian from his deep left.

Claire aimed, waited, and fired. The arrow hit the beast square in the chest and knocked it back a few feet. A puppyish yelp greeted her ears.

"Reloading!" Sebastian called up to her.

Claire narrowed her eyes and her breathing became steady. She began firing at the beasts closest. Her arm whipped back, yanking arrow after arrow out of the quiver while she began to breathe with each shot she took. Her time spent in Rockfort felt like a song when her fingers sang over each arrow she replaced. Soon, Sebastian resumed his shots before suddenly all was quiet.

Claire let out a large breath as she surveyed the dark lumps on the ground. Watching for any secondary movement, she did her best to steady the heart beat thrumming through her ears.

"Clear." Sebastian called, standing up slowly before looking back at Claire.

Claire slid off the wall and touched his arm briefly before walking out and yanking out arrows from the corpses. She had pulled her Magnum out just in case any of the animals wanted to go for the second attempt, but nothing moved. On closer inspection, she realized that these looked more like wolves than simple dogs. Near the haunches of the animals, an odd looking slit of skin was present and it had something yellow and wet laying against the fur.

"You're an interesting woman, Claire Redfield. Where did you learn to shoot a bow gun like that?" Sebastian asked while she yanked out the last arrow.

She turned to look at him and gave a soft smile. "Practice. I found one in Raccoon and figured it out on the fly. I happened to find another when I was on Rockfort Island a few months after that. You learn fast when something is trying to eat you."

He nodded and turned back to the corpses.

"How did you know they were following us?" She asked when she stepped up next to him.

"Forest was too quiet as we kept moving forward. I expected it after we got out of the 'copter. Most of the wildlife would have left that area due to the noise, but the further we got in, it was hard to ignore how quiet it stayed." He spoke softly when he glanced down at her.

Claire nodded and glanced back toward the wall.

"Are these the Roman Walls of Lugo?" She asked curiously.

Sebastian shook his head with another slight smile gracing his features as he answered, "Thankfully not, those walls are much higher. Those walls are also closer toward the city. Are you a history lover?"

Claire shrugged and said, "A bit. I love religious studies and culture. Mostly I just paid attention to things that interested me back in school. Back when I had normal thoughts of travel, white picket fences, and a better income."

"Careful," Sebastian murmured while he reloaded the clips he spent. "You're starting to sound like a government agent."

"I'm sure." Claire responded with a huff of humor. "Where to now?"

"Just beyond this wall we'll find a trail that leads down to the castle. I'll scope out the perimeter when we get there, and we can see where our best entry point will be." He paused and really looked at her again. "You ready for this?"

"I don't even know what ready looks like anymore, Sebastian." Claire replied softly as night fell around them.

The rest of the journey down the path was quiet. Someone had lit torches every few meters, and so Claire and Sebastian stuck to walking outside of the path where the trees were still condensed. The only notable thing was the red-painted signs made of wood that Claire began seeing near the paths. She was pretty sure that the 'paint' was more likely blood but decided not to make that distinction with further inspection.

Sebastian shot out an arm that she bumped into and abruptly stopped.

He pointed toward the ground in front of her and leaned in close to whisper, "Need to watch our step."

On the ground, glinting faintly from the torchlight, was what looked like an old and rusted bear trap. If the blood loss didn't kill her, the infection would surely pick up the slack.

Claire reached up and squeezed his arm that was held out before her. She whispered towards his ear, "Thank you, Sebastian."

Sebastian continued to look at her for a moment longer before stepping around the trap. He reached out his hand and grabbed hers before gently tugging her along, guiding her around several more traps before they saw no more.

The duo crested the hill they had been following and looked down into what resembled a sloping of canyon below. A large old castle stood at the center, surrounded by a lake that was lapping quietly at the shores. An old draw bridge connected the castle to what appeared to be a bell tower or just a large bridge mechanism.

"That's our route across, unless you want to climb." Sebastian stated beside her.

"Nothing is ever easy." Claire responded, frowning at the tall structure.

Sebastian pulled off his rifle to utilize the night scope once again. He moved from each level of the castle and repeated the act at the tower.

"There's about forty Ganados. I'm confident that we could take those odds. Twenty a piece and I think we could have a little wager on who gets more heads. I've seen you shoot now, so let's not be shy if it comes down to battle." Sebastian said, turning his head toward her with a challenging smirk.

"Except we'd be alerting everyone inside that we're here." Claire answered, craning her head up at him with a hand on her hip. "Come on, you're the agent here."

"A man has needs." He responded with the growing smirk thrown her way. He stood back up and rubbed his chin while he considered their variables. "We need a diversion then."

Claire made a grabby motion with her hand for his rifle. With raised brows, the agent handed the weapon over. Pulling up the gun, and getting into a steady kneel, Claire looked up toward the separate paths that led down toward the castle.

"There," she said, lowering the gun and pointing to what she thought was the southern side. "There's a wagon with barrels on that path. I'd wager your gun that it's oil for all the torches. What do you say to repositioning near those rocks down there, shooting that, and seeing where it ends up? Hopefully when they rush to it, we can sneak across the bridge."

Sebastian was looking at her oddly as he carefully took the rifle back.

"Well done. If you weren't a taken woman, I would consider buying a ring. I like it. Let's go before their rotation moves to the side with the rocks." He said with that returning amused look in his eyes.

Claire could feel a blush spread across her cheeks and she nodded while she fiddled with the bow gun to hide her face from his praise.

Sebastian's smirk was alive and well as he took her hand. "Modest too."

The blush that was tinting Claire's cheeks felt hot in the cool atmosphere of the night. She opened her mouth to respond but quickly closed her mouth, fearing what would come out. In turn, she earned the first chuckle from the seasoned agent beside her.

The pair snuck quickly down the hill, making sure to stay within a certain distance to the torches so they could keep her eyes out for traps. In what seemed like no time at all, they were crouched near the rocks near the lakeside.

"Alright, I'm going to wait for them to rotate first. They're right above us now. When they reach the other side, the displaced sound from the gun should bounce off the walls and confuse them." Sebastian explained next to her ear.

"We don't have that kind of time." Claire whispered back as she aimed her bow gun toward the water. "Position your shot and take it. Now."

Sebastian glanced over his shoulder and saw the pair of gleaming eyes swimming toward them from the lake. Gritting his teeth, he looked once more at Claire and did as she said, leaving her to watch their backs.

Claire took up the classic shooter stance and waited. The arrows wouldn't do much until whatever was coming to dinner decided to make a full entrance. Seconds ticked by and she could hear the crunching of dirt as Sebastian repositioned a few feet away.

The creature's head popped out of the water, and Claire hesitated while she tried to place what she was looking at. She fired an arrow and it went straight through what she assumed was its nose. The creature let out a high-pitched screech, while simultaneously, Sebastian took the shot. The sound of an explosion filled the air.

"Move!" Sebastian called.

Claire had just loaded another arrow and let it fly before turning to run after Sebastian. She could hear the beast screaming and dimly heard the wet thumps of it making it onto land when the cry of the Ganados above were echoing out.

Sebastian turned back, looked over Claire's shoulder, and lunged to yank Claire forward by her arm. Claire felt the breeze of something pass near her back when Sebastian brought her closer and began to pull them into a run. It was only then did she register the sound of jaws snapping inches from her.

Their plan had worked. They could hear the panicked shouts of the Ganados above. Those that were carrying torches were like a beacon as they grouped up to run toward the south side of the tower. The torch light was bouncing on the walls above them.

Sebastian hopped up and easily pulled himself up the eight-foot wall ahead. He leaned down and reached out for Claire.

With grace Claire didn't know she had, she placed her bow gun back in its holster, jumped up, and kicked herself up the wall while she used Sebastian's leverage. Sebastian pulled her the rest of the way and set her down as he quickly looked around for enemies.

Claire darted a glance down at the creature that had just crashed into the wall below. She shivered as it stared up at her with large yellow eyes that gleamed in the torch light. Her best guess was that she was looking at some sort of frog.

"This way." Sebastian said, calling her focus back to him. Taking her hand once more, Sebastian was pulling her toward the north side of the building.

Sebastian rounded the next corner and slid to a stop as a Ganado spun towards them. It opened its mouth to scream, but an arrow pierced its neck and it toppled backwards. Wasting no time, Sebastian yanked out his knife and finished the job before turning towards Claire.

Claire met his eyes with a fierce look as she slammed another arrow into place. "Don't look so surprised. My brother, who taught me, was a marksman."

Sebastian grunted before looking back toward the area with the drawbridge. The group of Ganados hadn't yet returned, but there were three of them still positioned near the entrance.

"You take the one on the right." He said before he whipped his gun out and began to run toward the bridge. He lifted his arms and shot both in the head in quick succession. At the same time, an arrow flew and pierced the third in the chest, knocking it into the water below.

Claire and Sebastian continued across the bridge toward the large double doors. As they neared the entrance, Sebastian turned and guided Claire away from the doors, moving now toward the side of the castle.

"What are we doing?" She whispered as she glanced back toward the entrance.

"We don't use the front doors unless we have no choice. I'm sure there's a side entry we could utilize." He explained as they jogged into the darkness.

Claire kept close behind him while shooting glances over her shoulder to make sure nothing was following them in the dark.

"Here we go." Sebastian called up ahead.

Claire turned back to see him approach a metal door. She watched as he put his ear to the metal and listened. He pulled back, drew up his gun, and twisted the handle. Locked.

Sebastian looked around and paused before pointing up at an open bay window. As Claire squinted, she could see multiple bay windows with dark curtains billowing out. Soft light spilled out into the fresh night.

"There's a tree over here, c'mon and give me a boost. I'll check it out first." Sebastian stated with a wave of his hand.

Claire jogged over and cupped her hands as she squatted low. Sebastian took a hold of a low branch before stepping into her cupped hands and hoisting himself up. Claire watched as he quickly navigated through the branches before leaping over to catch the ledge. His legs disappeared over the side of the balcony and then he was out of sight.

"Hello, sweetheart." A familiar voice said beside her ear.

Claire felt her blood turn to ice as she turned to look into the red eyes of Leon Scott Kennedy.

"Leo—" Claire gasped out before a blow was delivered to her temple and she knew nothing more.