Spanish translation:
Pueblo = village
Claire isn't sure who says it first, but all she knows is that she's running forward and wrapping her arms around Leon's neck and the way he sinks in tells her that this is real. He's really here, with them, after a full year of being gone. He's alive and well enough, it seems.
"You're alive!" Ashley half sobs half laughs next to her and Claire feels another pair of arms wrap around them. "I thought I lost you..." The words trail off and Claire can't blame Ashley for losing it now. She feels like crying too and the only thing keeping them back is the fact that she's still pumped with adrenaline.
It takes a few seconds before Leon is shrugging out of their combined embraces and Claire looks up to see him scanning the area, like he's expecting something to come out and attack, but his eyes keep locking on each of them. Claire realizes that he can't quite believe they're here either and it makes her chest warm with that same familiarity. His eyes lock on hers as he furrows his eyebrows. His voice is like silk against freshly shaved legs and it nearly makes her break then and there.
"What are you guys doing here?!" He sounds exasperated but also relieved with how his lips tug up ever so slightly.
"We came for you!" Claire smiles openly as she watches his eyes dance between hers and Ashley's. "Someone said they saw an American up here and...I just knew it was you. It had to be." Her instincts were rarely wrong and she could prove that here and now. No matter how people argued at first, it's clear that she was right this whole time.
"Leon." Ashley speaks up from beside Claire, but she sounds hesitant and insecure. "Leon, I'm-"
She doesn't get to finish before a shout comes from just outside the house and Leon is already moving on, his gun raised again. Claire realizes that he was the one who shot all of those Ganados from outside the house. He saved their lives. It's almost silly to think about how all three of them needed one man to save them, but she shoves away the shame that comes with that thought. They had limited ammo and this wasn't the only time they were stuck in a hut to gather themselves. They've had a long evening already.
"Come on." Leon waves his hand for them to come closer and Claire jogs up the rest of the way toward him. He makes three clean shots to the single Ganado's head before moving on. "There's a mansion just up ahead. It's safe there." He marches on with purpose and the form is so familiar. Claire resists the urge to reach out and hug him again, just to solidify that this is real and they've found him. Claire doesn't want to say that it was impossible before or that she doubted they could do it, but after a whole year of not seeing him...it's beyond refreshing.
All things considered, he looks pretty well off. His shirt has very little blood on it and his equipment is clean enough. His hair is parted the same but it's longer now, yet, not unkept either. His bangs reach just below his lips and the hair along the back of his head brushes the collar of his turtle neck every so often. It's a good look on him, honestly, especially with the slight stubble she can see on his chin whenever he glances at the sky. His eyes are shaded as he runs ahead, but she knows they're just as bright as they were before. No matter what's happened, the zombies they've seen or the friends they lost, those eyes always stay the same. True, they may not be as innocent and hopeful as they were in Raccoon City, but they've always been dependable and strong. It's why Claire has never hesitated to trust him, just like she does now.
They make it to the mansion quickly and he closes the door once all four of them have made it in. Then, they get a moment to actually breathe and Claire can't hold herself back from speaking up again. "Leon," She smiles when he looks over at her immediately, though, he still looks distracted by something. "It's so good to see you again." She can't help the quiver that leaves her mouth when she says it. A year is a long time for someone to be missing and she thought he was actually dead for nearly eight of those months. She really thought she'd lost him.
He stands up fully now and looks at each of them with a different expression. "You guys...did you really come for me?" It breaks Claire's heart to heart that coming from him, like it wouldn't be obvious. What happened to make him believe no one would come looking? Well, she could make a good enough guess, but still.
"Claire and I went a little further out of our way than Luis," Ashley starts, sounding younger than she has this whole trip. "But it wasn't for lack of trying, I promise. We...we all want you safe."
Leon gives Ashley a long look, like he's not sure what to make of her and Claire can guess it's because of how much she's changed over the single year. Well, most of her growing up likely happened in Spain, with him, but she's definitely refined herself since then. And military training sure doesn't make her look any weaker, that's for sure. Finally, he settles into a relaxed stance and begins walking down the lit hallway. "I guess I should thank you, then. I may not be scavenging for food every day, but it's nice to know someone came for me." Again, Claire feels her chest ache for him, but she doesn't say anything.
Honestly, she's more curious about the interior of the mansion. It's big and glorious and not at all what she was expecting. Everything looks clean and well organized, like Leon's been staying here...
"Do you live here now?" Claire asks, suddenly. All she gets is a smirk from over Leon's shoulder, but it's enough of an answer. She then gapes at the area, lost on how one person could possibly keep this whole place by himself. There's no sign that any Ganado is even near this area, let alone on its doorstep. It's bigger than anything she's ever seen before, especially in this area of Spain. They walk through several halls, all of which are just as clean and bright as the last. How on earth is it all so nice? Has he really been here all year, on his own, and just keeping this place in shape? No, this is beyond just keeping things in shape. He's been expanding upon what was already here.
"Nice, isn't it?" Leon's voice breaks Claire out of her head just as they make it to some kind of sitting area. "I found it after I escaped from the island, actually. It was still standing fine enough, but after a few months of renovations, it's really shaped up." Leon sits down in a velvet armchair and waves his hand to a long couch, almost casually. It's so bizarre but Claire takes the invitation easily. The couch is a little stiff, but she can imagine how difficult it would be to buy new furniture around here. She's just surprised it isn't stained or eaten by moths.
"Though, I can't take all of the credit." He continues, his legs crossing over each other as he sits back. "I've had quite a few helping hands around here."
That makes Claire perk up, her curiosity boundless with the more he talks. "Wait, other people are here? How many?" She doesn't know why it's such a surprise, but some part of her feels like it's almost wrong. How can several people just live up here without someone finding out about it? And what about the Plaga? Leon obviously knows it's infected people, but does he know anything beyond that?
Leon shrugs as he contemplates her question. "Not too many. Just a few people to help out here and there." It doesn't give her much information, but it's still surprising.
"Wait." Luis's voice reminds Claire that it isn't just her and Leon and she almost feels bad for forgetting about them. "How did you escape the island? We watched it blow up with you on it."
The room goes silent as Leon sits forward again, his smile gone and his eyes looking downward. She almost wants to change the subject, just so that they can continue talking with a friendly air, but this is important.
Then, after a long while, Leon speaks with a soft tone. "I have to admit, I didn't think I was going to make it." Claire feels Ashley shift beside her. "The timer was running low and I couldn't get up without falling over again. But...it was the strangest thing." He stops again and looks up. His smile returns but it's sad now. "I want to be honest with you guys, but even I can't explain it in a way that really makes sense." They all wait for him to continue, like he's the only thing that really matters. And to Claire, he is. "I closed my eyes, right when the island was starting to break apart, and then, I was...not there. I was in the water, a good couple of miles away and something pulled me back to shore. Everything went dark for a while after that but when I woke up, I saw this place and...well, I started re-enforcing it."
Claire can see so many missing pieces and loops in this story, but she knows even Leon doesn't fully understand it. It's obvious in the way he gently touches his head, as if the memory alone is strange to have. She's seen people with memory loss or even amnesia before and this doesn't look like either of those. Leon was probably unconscious or blacked out for everything he doesn't remember.
Leon suddenly stands up and Claire watches him curiously as he rounds the chair and heads for one of the doors they haven't gone through yet. He hesitates for a moment when he seems to realize that they aren't following and looks back at them. "If you'd like, you could join me for dinner. It'd be a good time to catch up."
The room goes silent for a second or two and Ashley is the first to speak up. "Dinner? You...how do you..." She doesn't seem to know which of her many questions to ask, so she settles on an easier one. "You can cook things all the way back here?" The look Leon gives her is almost comical and he gestures again to the door. Ashley lets out an awkward laugh as she stands and Claire follows her, finding the idea of eating something very nice right about now. Even if it ends up being bland soup or something.
The three of them follow Leon into another room and Claire gasps when they make it into the dining room. It's huge, about as big as the sitting room, but the lack of fireplace and couches makes it feel bigger. There's a large chandelier hanging in the center and just below is a long table. The wood is a little rough, but most of it is covered in a red table cloth, as well as empty dishes. There's a floral arrangement in the center of the table, purely for decoration purposes. The candle lamps along the walls set the room in a glowing light, almost like Claire's walked right into a storybook for the evening. It's surreal, so much so that she finds herself doubting whether the whole mansion is really like this or if Leon's only showing off the nice parts. It doesn't exactly sound like him, though. He's never been embarrassed with his messy apartment.
Leon sits at the head of the table and Claire sits just a chair away to his left, wanting to be close but also feeling uncomfortable with how long the table is. It's like he was expecting to throw a gala here or something. "We should be having something nicer tonight, since we're feeding more than just us." Just as Leon says that, a tall man walks into the room with several trays and Claire's eyes them cautiously. He's got short brown hair and looks like another Spaniard, not too surprisingly. He's dressed in a chef's uniform, perfectly clean, and as he sets down each tray, he does so with a level of care Claire would expect from a professional. Did Leon somehow meet up with a master chef? It could make sense, all professions can come from anywhere, but how someone like this got caught up in the plaga business is beyond her. Were they one of the few that went missing and were lucky enough to meet up with Leon before a Ganado found them?
"Thank you, Samuel." Leon gives the man a smile before he uncovers his tray and Claire, once again, finds herself amazed. This place just seems full of surprises, today.
If the fully decorated mansion wasn't strange enough, or the fact that Leon and a few others seemed to be the only ones keeping it together, then seeing a beautifully designed buffet is just outrageous. The tray Leon just picked up is a plate of every cheese Claire has seen in her life, plus some. The man uncovers the others and she sees a plate of meats, a large bowl of cream soup, some seafood, and a plate of sliced bread. It's...it's the best-looking food that she's ever seen, even when attending galas and the sort. A look to her sideshows that Ashley seems to agree.
"How did you get all of this?" Ashley asks, already beginning to gather her plate into her hand, but she waits for permission. Leon, in turn, gives her a nod and lets them dish up themselves as he explains himself. Claire eyes a lot of those meats and wonders how the soup's going to taste.
"Well, this mansion is pretty close to the coast. It isn't hard to find good seafood and any animal that isn't infected is free game." He grimaces at the last comment. "It sounds bad, I know-"
"No! I understand the need to survive." Ashley interrupts him quickly, her focus going away from the food for a moment. "You were stranded and had nothing, so you did what you could. Now, you're using what you can find to help yourself and those you're living with. There's no reason to be ashamed of doing what you need to stay healthy and alive."
And Claire couldn't have said it better. Sure, Leon could've chosen to play it safe and go vegetarian, but that comes with all kinds of diet changes and, really, Leon's always been a fan of good meat. It felt like every time they got together, he was asking someone for dinner and it always ended up being a nice steak or even a greasy burger, if that's all he could get. Asking Leon S. Kennedy to go on a strict vegetarian diet when he's lost and alone is like asking a fish to hold its breath while getting blasted by a geyser.
Well, maybe that isn't a great metaphor, but it gets the point across.
Leon seems to accept Ashley's answer and serves himself as well. He does it with that same urgency he always seems to have when hungry and grabs a few slices of bread as well. It's only a matter of seconds before he's dipping the bread into his soup and humming at the taste. Claire's seen enough and does the same to her own. The taste that explodes onto her tongue is just shy of overwhelming. It's creamy and smooth and bold and...she's dipping in more bread before she can stop herself. Now that she's tasted it, she doesn't blame anyone for moaning.
She eats until the soup is gone and then contemplates getting seconds, but she checks others' first out of kindness to them and pauses when she notices that Luis has nothing on his plate at all. Her eyes then go to his expression and she frowns at how his eyes are staring dead at Leon. His eyebrows are pressed in something that's not quite a scowl but not just concentration either. She can't place the emotion behind it and it makes her nervous just to see.
Leon seems to catch onto Luis's quiet behavior as well. "Are you not hungry? I didn't think you had any allergies." It's said in a friendly tone but it falls flat when Luis narrows his eyes further. Claire looks between the two, not sure what exactly is happening but she knows she doesn't like it. Did something happen that she's not aware of? Did they not end on good terms or is Luis remembering some kind of grudge he had? Claire looks to Ashley for guidance but the girl isn't paying attention to the whole conversation, her face content as she chews on her last slice of cheese.
"I guess you could say I've lost my appetite." Is Luis's only response, but Leon nods like he understands. Was it the Ganado? Luis has seen them before and he didn't look too shaken but...then again, he's been quiet ever since they got into the hut and nearly died. Maybe he's not used to getting pinned down like that. She could share that feeling, honestly. Claire doubts she's ever been in such a bad spot without a single bullet to her name. It wasn't comfortable in the least.
After a pause, Leon looks up and sets his plate to the side. "Well, I guess I should tell you guys why I didn't immediately try to contact you or anyone else in America the moment I got the chance." At this, Ashley finally looks up and Claire almost finds it funny how her eyes go wide like a puppy's, but she shoves it away to listen instead. Claire would be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little curious about this. Sure, she assumed that Leon had no real way of contacting anyone in America, but it's not like there isn't a village at the bottom of the trail he could've gone to. And if he picked the right month, she would've been there too.
It's almost scary, knowing how close they were to each other. How they could've easily met up again.
"It was the original plan, find a way to contact my agency and get back to America as soon as possible, but then I realized that Los Illuminados had a further reach than I originally suspected." He lets out a bitter laugh. "If you thought there were a lot of Ganados here tonight, then you should've seen it last year. This place was practically crawling with them, so much so that the village below was in danger of being overrun. So, I did what I always do and I got to work killing them off. I started with the groups closer to the village and then worked them back into the abandoned areas. Now, they're stretched far and rarely have gatherings like the one you saw tonight."
Claire has no idea how he could've done this all alone, but before she can ask, he answers her question. "That's when I met some of the people who are staying with me now. They were either kidnapped by the Ganados or were stupid enough to go up the trail. I gathered everyone who wasn't infected and brought them here. We stayed locked away in this mansion for a long time, only going outside when food got scarce, but then we found some of Saddlar's stored weapons and that's when I started thinking of a way to really get rid of Los Illuminados."
The pause after that is too long. Ashley sits forward, her eyes hesitant but she speaks up anyway. "So...what did you do?" She sounds so young at that moment and Claire can only imagine that she sounded like that all of the time back then, a year ago.
Leon looks up at them, locking eyes with Ashley. "I found out that it's impossible to completely get rid of Las Plaga."
That's not the answer Claire's expecting at all. "What?" She asks, suddenly sitting forward. "What do you mean, it's impossible?" There have been many times where a situation felt impossible to solve, many of which Claire knew Leon has been in, yet, here he is, saying that this is really accomplishable? It doesn't sound like him at all.
"It's impossible to get rid of Las Plaga while letting Umbrella continue to work under the shield of the public's ignorance." Claire sits back again. This...this is leading up to something, she can feel it. And she's liking where it's going. "So, instead of focusing on killing off the Ganado, I've been working to find Umbrella and taking them down first. And then, I'll follow the trails to whoever they sold to and stop them as well. I'll follow the entire web out until I've ended the use of bioweapons and then, and only then, can I finally end Las Plaga."
Claire almost feels like laughing. This is what they've wanted for so long and it still feels like it's impossible, like they'll be following Umbrella for the rest of time, just trying to clean up the messes they make, but if Leon really has a plan to get to Umbrella before another outbreak starts, then this could work. She still has questions, but it feels real. Like he knows what he's doing. So, she asks what she's wondering. "How do you plan to find Umbrella, then?"
To her surprise, Leon leans back with a smug look. "I've already got a trail. I have a few agents that work for Umbrella and with enough force, I can find out where their labs are; or, better yet, where Albert Wesker is. I'll take them down from inside and make sure that they never hurt anyone again. No more viruses."
"But what about the Plaga? Why can't you get rid of it first?" Ashley asks, suddenly. It's a fair question and the only thing Claire doesn't quite understand. Why can't Leon take out the Plaga before Umbrella? She would've thought that cutting off one of the things they're using to cause outbreaks would help them end this whole thing faster.
Luis speaks up then, his voice tense and his eyes still staring. "That's how you're taking them out from the inside, right?" Something about the statement makes Claire frown again. Just watching Luis makes her want to wiggle out of her chair. "You plan to use Las Plaga to kill those in Umbrella. Am I right, Leon?"
Claire's heart sinks at the way Leon's eyes darken and everything inside her says that this isn't normal, that they shouldn't be looking at each other like this. Her instincts also tell her to get the hell out of that room, but Leon isn't denying what Luis said and that feels even worse, somehow. "Leon?" She speaks carefully, her eyes trained on his every move. "Is that true? You're going to..." -use the Plaga to cause an outbreak on Umbrella itself. Although she doesn't wish any good end for those monsters, it just feels...wrong. And it doesn't make sense to her, either. "How?" She suddenly asks, not caring if her first questions are even answered. "How do you plan to weaponize the Plaga?"
"Because he can control them." Luis's voice is haunted now and Claire's eyes snap to him. "He's infected and not with a recessive Plaga, either." Luis sits forward, challenging. "You have the same powers that Saddlar had."
Ashley sits forward, her eyes wide and pleading. Claire can't find the words to say anything, so she just sits back and watches them like a bystander to the conversation. "What?! How do you know that?!"
Luis's glare turns into something of disgust. "Trust me, SeƱorita. I've seen it long enough to know the signs. He's likely been infected since he came to this pueblo."
"But he's been helping us!" Ashley continues, desperate to see a bright side that simply isn't there. "He saved us from the Ganados and gave us food! He's our friend!" She turns to him. "Right?"
Leon's eyes don't leave Luis as he sits tall, his chin up arrogantly. "As I said before, I want to be honest with you." When his eyes go to Ashley, they soften considerably. "I...It's true. Saddlar's Plaga somehow found its way to me, but it's different from the ones we had before. This one doesn't give me pain or cloud my mind. If anything, I think clearer with it here." Luis scoffs at that. Leon doesn't react. "I'm still me regardless of what's inside of me."
Suddenly, Claire finds the ability to speak and she sits forward, wanting to know the whole truth. "Lean." She demands his attention and he gives it to her. She takes note of his cautious expression and the fact that something is closed off to them. He's hiding something. "I don't care about your powers, but I do care that you intend to use them against Umbrella. Are you seriously going to cause an outbreak on them? Doesn't that make you no better than Wesker?" Although he's never caused an outbreak directly, from what Claire knows, he still uses their bioweapons to do just as much damage.
Claire doesn't back down when Leon recoils like he's been slapped. He looks at her for a long while, his eyes wide and shocked and it's something she rarely sees in Leon. "No better than Wesker?! I'm doing this to stop Wesker! I'm doing this so that no one else has to experience what we have! Claire," His eyes are soft again, but she doesn't let him pull at her. "you have to see that this is the best outcome. Umbrella will fall the same way they've made others fall. It's perfect."
If Claire had any doubts before that Leon wasn't quite there, the way he said the word 'perfect' completely sold her. This wasn't the Leon that survived Raccoon City with her or that airport incident. This isn't the Leon she's spent countless nights talking to him and eating late dinners with. This isn't her Leon because her Leon would never, ever, willingly hurt someone else like this, regardless of whether they're Umbrella or not.
And Leon seems to realize this as he sits back, his glare returning. "You trust this traitor over me?!" He gestures to Luis. "He didn't even bother to mention working for Saddlar until he was nearly killed! Claire, you know me!"
But all she can do is shake her head. "I'm not going to let you cause an outbreak, even if it's on Umbrella. Even if they might deserve it, this isn't the way to go about this! You're better than this, I know you are!" She's breathing in heavily, like even being here is draining her. It hurts so much, to see that expression directed at her, but she knows he isn't in the right frame of mind. She can't let the Plaga control Leon's mind and try to pretend like it's her friend doing this.
The air goes cold as Leon's glare relaxes. She thinks she can see his eyes change color as well, going from a bright blue to a deep blood red. Without a single word passed between them, someone new bursts through the doors and when Claire sees Luis go completely still, her stomach drops. This man is bigger than the last, stronger than even Leon, as he marches toward them. His expression is dead as he gets closer. Claire notes his military pants and the red shirt that matches Leon's. This person is trained and she won't be able to get away from him should he decide to grab her.
Leon waves to where Claire and Ashley are seated, almost absently. "Krauser. Take care of them, then bring Luis downstairs." With that, Leon pushes out of his seat and makes his way to Luis, who's now scrambling to get away. They meet halfway, the chair knocked over between them but then Leon is grabbing Luis's head by a fist in his hair and brings the Spaniard's skull to the table with a heavy thud. Claire doesn't get the chance to see anything else before the giant of a man is coming toward her and she gets up as well, keeping herself between the infected and Ashley.
She tries to dodge or swerve around him, but he's fast, inhumanly fast, and before Claire can even shout, something hits her head and everything goes dark.
