Warning: Mention of Eating Disorder, Depression, and suicidal thoughts.


Ashley still can't quite believe it. She can't really convince herself of the truth that will cripple her later on.

That she's going to lose Leon again and this time, there's really no saving him.

And that she's going to have to kill him.

Ashley knows that Claire promised him they'd do it, but the girl doubts they can. It's Leon and even if he's acting like a psychotic jerk, he's still Leon inside. He said so himself. And it's that fact that makes her hesitate to even go after Jack Krauser. She never really saw the guy when she was kidnapped last year. Everything was a blur to her and nothing made sense, even when her hero came for her. But out of everything she gathered, it was that Krauser was stronger than anyone she has ever seen before. The person who stole her away from a place she considered safe could easily kill the one person she thought was invincible, even if he was infected like her.

It's all just one big rude awakening and she knows it'll leave her just as numb as before, if not more so. More nights of just staring at her walls with no motivation to even stand up. Crying every night because she's so stupid and weak and couldn't save him. Trying to please her father by eating only when he's around but starving at any other moment. Wanting to die all of the time, even though her therapist told her that it wasn't her fault.

But maybe she's wrong. Because things are different right now, as she loads her gun with Claire by her side. Something's changed and she knows it's the older girl's doing. Ashley no longer has to force herself to move on, even though it's been difficult at times to see the brighter side. She doesn't feel like she's in this alone and hasn't ever since that party. She can actually look forward to things and genuinely smiled for the first time since she found out she could take military training lessons.

It's the small things that have changed but it means so much to her. Claire has already shifted her entire world without even trying and Ashley's beginning to wonder if she has this effect on everyone or it's just her.

It's through those changes, though, that Ashley is able to stand in front of Krauser's hulking form. Her mind yells at her to run and hide from the man who can and might kill her within seconds. But she doesn't, because she's by Claire's side and they're strong together.

They found him in some kind of...well, Ashley really isn't sure what this room is used for. It's wide and mostly empty aside from a few crests and a chandelier hung up on the ceiling. It looks like it was cleared out at some point, likely when Leon found this place. Maybe it was a ballroom, but that doesn't explain the two walkways above them, both on higher levels than the other. There are ladders along the wall that lead up to both, connecting them to the ground floor as well. And what Krauser was doing in here is even more of a mystery, but Ashley is more focused on seeing him once again.

"I'm gonna guess there's no reasoning with you." Claire stands tall and solid, like a statue. Ashley imitates it with her gun out and her finger ready to pull the trigger at any second. He's fast and she can only hope her finger is faster.

Krauser paces across the floor but they keep an even distance from him. It's like a shark examining its prey. Ashley feels the urge to run again but she reminds herself that there's no other way forward but this. "You're stupid to think you can defeat me. I've dealt with bigger forces than even Kennedy. You two are nothing in comparison."

Ashley isn't sure if he means in comparison to him or Leon, but she gets to message either way. They're nothing in his eyes. Nothing worth fighting or even worrying about, because he knows he'll win.

But Ashley also notices that his eyes are still dead, void of emotion and life. He's been killed before and if they play this right, he'll die a second time.

Without a word, Ashley fires the first shot. It misses Krauser, who sprints across the room and nearly cuts Claire's throat if the girl hadn't sidestepped just in time. He growls in her face and Ashley makes a second shot, getting him in the leg. He recoils back with an impressive flip but once he's across the room again, he doesn't even bleed. She can see where she hit him, a frayed hole in his pants, but there's no other reaction to it. He really is dead.

"I guess you're dumber than you look." He cracks his knuckles before grabbing something from his hip and he throws it at them. Ashley doesn't even need to hear the beeping to know it's some kind of bomb. She just runs and barely makes it out of the explosion area. She can feel the heat from it, though, and it sends adrenaline rushing through her. She suddenly wishes they had explosives as well.

A gunshot sounds and Ashley watches Krauser take the blow. He does react this time but it's just a small stagger and then he's back to running at them. He goes for Claire first, since Ashley is further away. The girl can see him hold up his army knife again and before she can think, she's also headed that way, her own knife slipping out of its holder as she runs.

He takes a swipe at Claire but Ashley does the same, getting him in the side. He still doesn't bleed but he does jump away from them, landing further than before. She's about to pursue and make another attempted attack, but Krauser drops a flashbang and when she can see again, he's gone.

"Damnit! Where did he go?!" Ashley looks high, searching the walkways for sighs of him, but she sees nothing. How did he do that? Speed is one thing but disappearing completely? That doesn't seem like something the Plaga can do, even in a mutation.

"Keep your eyes open!" Claire doesn't look at her, her eyes trained up. Ashley presses her back against the older girls, mimicking something she's seen in movies quite a few times. They're watching each other's backs and with both of them having a 180 view of the room, there's nothing they can miss.

It proves to be useful when an arrow hits just a few feet away and the two of them jump back from the shock of it. When Krauser got a bow and arrow, Ashley isn't sure, but she's far more concerned with the beeping sounds it makes, as well as the flashing red light. Within seconds, she realizes what's about to happen and her arms circle Claire as she pulls them both away.

The arrow explodes and the heat is much less intense than the grenade was, but it still makes her anxious to get moving, to find a way out of this situation. She jumps to her feet, helping Claire do the same, and she looks to the walkways again. She sees a blur of colors and knows it's him.

He shoots another arrow but this time, she's prepared. She spots where it comes from and shoots a bullet in that direction. He doesn't make a noise and she can only hope it hits its mark before they're back to searching.

"Ashley, I have an idea!" Claire shouts behind her and the girl looks back, though, only for a second. Another arrow and they both dodge the explosion. "Get him to stay put for a little bit, okay?"

Ashley has no idea how she'll do that, but she nods anyway and runs for the ladder. It takes an agonizingly long time to get to the top and every second she spends climbing makes her mind scramble with panic. Will he shoot her while she's defenseless? Was trying to get higher ground the last stupid mistake she'll ever make?

But she gets up and aims her gun down the walkway, right at Krauser's broad form. Ashley isn't sure if Claire wanted him on the lower floor, but it'd be a whole lot easier to get him to stay still up here, where there's less room to move with the side rails boxing them in.

His expression doesn't change from his neutral frown. He prepares to run at her but she holds her gun up and shoots at his head, only landing a few of the shots, if the holes in the wall behind him are anything to go by. He's barely stopped at all and succeeds in getting to her, his knife coming out again to cut at her. She swings her own, thankful that she didn't have to put it away from before, and meets his blade, but then his hand twists upward and she gasps as it cuts a vertical line in her cheek. She stumbles away and holds her face, more in shock than pained by it. He's so fast. How can they beat him?

Another shot rings out and this time, it's Claire's gun going off. It hits Krauser in the jaw and he takes a step back, but the attack doesn't stop there. Claire unloads as many bullets as she can into him before she has to reload. He's left with various holes in his skin, but they start closing up. Ashley feels something cold run through her as she realizes that she's seen that before. It's like the regenerators.

And that means they're in worse trouble than she thought.

Krauser comes back to the present and he jumps away from her again, leaving the walkway open. Ashley can't be more grateful for it as she goes to even higher ground, climbing up the last ladder until she's as high as she can go. This walkway has no railing on the sides and it makes her even more nervous, but she continues down it. The chandelier is almost at level with her, which would be a beautiful sight if she weren't in battle.

"Ashley! Are you okay?!" Claire's voice carries up after another small explosion. Ashley looks over the edge just enough to see the redhead.

"I'm okay!" Then, she looks at the chandelier and an idea sparks. "Hey, I have an idea! Just give me a second!" She wishes she could share it out loud, telling Claire what position to lure Krauser into, but the man can hear them as well and Claire's plan working was just a stroke of luck, really.

"Okay!" Claire calls back and there's another series of explosions, but Ashley can't worry about it. She has to trust that the older woman will be okay on her own. At least for a little bit.

She watches the area below, seeing how Krauser keeps Claire moving at all times with his bow and arrow, but he doesn't leave Ashley for long. He stands up again, throwing a grenade below before he shoots an arrow up too. Ashley stands up straight again and runs across the walkway, her heart beating quickly as she counts each beep of the explosive all while trying to not fall off the platform.

This arrow is different and she sees that in the way the explosion shakes the entire walkway, the shockwaves throwing Ashley over the side. She gasps and drops whatever's in her hands so she can catch herself. Her knife and gun both fall somewhere but all she can focus on is holding onto the edge with all of her strength. She kicks her feet, feeling so much more vulnerable to attacks like this than she ever did on the ladder, and her left hand scrambles for a better purchase.

"Calm down." She forces her limbs to relax, reevaluating her situation. She's hanging and her muscles will get soar if she just kicks and grabs blindly. With a second to gather herself, she pulls up with her arms until her elbows are over. From there, she can grab ahold of the opposite ledge and swing her feet up as well. She rolls to her side and lets out a relieved breath. That was close.

She stands quickly but her gun is gone, likely on the lower walkway or even further down. But, she does have her knife and that's all she needs for this. Hopefully.

Another glance down and she watches Krauser run at Claire again, now on the ground level. Claire avoids the swing for her side and hits him with the butt of her gun, pushing him back a foot. Another few steps and he'll be in a perfect position.

Ashley doesn't waste another second. She kneels at the edge of the walkway, her right hand out to keep her up, and the other holds her knife tightly. There's a thick chain holding the chandelier up and she won't be able to cut it without some kind of saw. A crazy idea jumps in and she dreads going through with it, but it's the only solution she can think of. She's running out of time and options. Another glance at Krauser. He's taken another step back and as Claire shoots him straight in the chest, he's stunned for a moment. Ashley stands up again, her eyes on the chandelier this time as she sucks in a breathe and jumps.

She catches the chair in her hand and the whole thing swings with her momentum. It jerks from her weight and the tiles from the ceiling give way. But it's not quite enough and she knows it. Pulling herself another inch, she stabs her knife into the connecting point between the ceiling and the chain and it gives completely this time. She holds the chain tight as the whole thing falls. It feels like slow motion as she watches the platform she was just on getting higher and higher above her. Then, the second comes up and she only has a half-second to throw herself at the rails before she joins it on the bottom floor.

Her feet push against the decorated metal and her hand lets go of the chain. She reaches for the rails and, her fingers ready to catch her weight. Time slows further and further as the bar gets closer to her palm and once it meets her skin, she closes her hand tight and holds on for dear life.

Ashley barely hears the sound of the shattering chandelier below her as her shoulder jerks painfully. She lets out a scream and feels it pop. Her grip loosens from the sharp jolt but her other reaches out quickly, the knife forgotten as she grabs the bottom of the rails. Her good arm jerks as well but it isn't as harsh. She's able to keep a good grip this time but there's no way she'll be able to pull herself up alone.

Something happens below her, a commotion of some kind, but then everything goes quiet. Ashley closes her eyes, that numb burning still running down her entire arm. It takes everything for her not to scream again. She's been through worse, that she knows, but it's still horrible. Her mind stays on the pain, her situation barely even registering anymore.

A hand reaches out to her and she can only groan as she's pulled up and over the rails. That one hand becomes two as someone checks her shoulder and Ashley tries to get away, tries to relieve some of the pain, but a familiar voice shushes her.

"It's okay, Ashley. You're safe." It's Claire. The relief is immediate and Ashley relaxes but only a fraction. Her shoulder is fully throbbing and she can't help but twist and wiggle as she lays on the floor. "Try to stay still for me, okay? I have to pop it back into position and it might hurt a little bit." Ashley must let out the whimper she tries to hold back, because Claire's hand begins running through her bangs, soothing her as much as possible. "Hey, you'll be okay. The pain will go away soon. Just trust me. Can you do that?"

She just nods because words are difficult to get out at the moment. Her jaw tenses as Claire positions her arm and then she starts counting down.

"One."

Her grip tightens.

"Two."

And before three, Claire pushes and the joint reconnects. Ashley jerks from the motion and her fingertips tingle a little, but the pain has gone down considerably already. She lets out a steadying breath before she moves her arm on her own. It rolls naturally in its socket and she sits up.

"That was kind of a jerk move." Ashley mutters to herself as she looks her arm over. There's a bruise forming, but it doesn't look too bad. "You didn't even finish counting."

Claire laughs beside her and Ashley can't help but smile. Her laugh is so rich and loud. It's almost annoying, but it holds enough maturity and genuine relief that it's just endearing. Just like everything else about Claire. The older woman nods as she stands up, dusting off her pants like she can hope to look less of a disaster. "It usually helps to do it like that. Sometimes, people will tense weirdly and it won't go back immediately. Learned that the hard way."

Ashley stands as well and her eyes go down for a moment, taking in the broken mess of metal, glass, and chains, as well as the body under it all. "When did you dislocate your arm?"

"You know how older brothers are. They want to wrestle all the time and sometimes, things get a little too rough and someone pokes an eye out." Claire's laugh is incredibly fond as she looks at Ashley. It makes the girl blush, though, she wonders if the look is only from the memories Claire is recalling. "He was pretty young but man does that boy have a strong grip on him. We had to go to the ER to correct it properly and when we got home, he did my chores for a month."

"Wow." Ashley replies lamely. They start for the ladder, this conversation feeling strangely casual compared to what they were doing before, but she welcomes it. "I never knew siblings were such..."

Claire gives her a knowing look. "Jerks?"

She shakes her head quickly. "I wasn't going to use that! More like...well, I don't know. I guess that works."

Claire laughs again as she starts down the ladder. Her attention is then taken up by Krauser's body and Ashley looks at it closely once she's also down the ladder. He's still and she can clearly see where the pointed end of the chandelier stabbed right through him. There's no blood but she notices the yellowish liquid made from the Plaga. She counts five Plaga bodies as well and her worries are confirmed. He was like the regenerators.

"Hey, that was a pretty cool idea." Claire pushes some of the glass aside with her boot as she tries to get closer to the body. "Though, it isn't quite as easy as it seems in movies, huh."

That's the understatement of the century. "Yeah. I didn't think I'd dislocate my shoulder, but at least I had you to help me." She doesn't mean to make it sound so...weird. Dreamy almost. It makes her blush again but thankfully, Claire isn't looking. The older girl just nods her head as she reaches her hand through the carnage to grab the metal key.

She stands again and holds it up for Ashley to see. "We got what he came here for. Now, let's go see what's in Leon's research lab."

Ashley feels her heart pull, knowing that the closer they get to solving this, the closer they get to the end, but she nods with false confidence. "I'm about ready to get a hot shower. And some lunch." How long has it been since she last ate? Without Leon, they would've gone much longer without something to fuel them and what he fed them really did help a lot. She'll thank him for that if she ever gets the chance again. She probably won't, though.

As they head out for the research lab, Claire leading once again, Ashley watches her back. Doubts return, her mind filled with more and more questions. Where is Luis in all of this? She hoped they'd find him soon after leaving the island but they searched just about everywhere both inside and outside the mansion and they still haven't found him. She thinks of all of those locked rooms and dread boils in her gut as she wonders which one he might be in. Will they need another key? And if so, then where would they find it? Will they fight someone stronger for it? It always seems like their opponents get stronger the longer they survive.

But Ashley looks back at Claire, sees her confidence, and she's reminded that it doesn't matter. They'll find Luis no matter what it takes and they'll stop Leon's plans. They'll survive today and make it back to safety. With Claire leading the way, there's nothing Ashley can't do. And maybe, just maybe, she'll be able to learn to hold that same confidence for herself.


I hate fight scenes, but I hope this one went well enough. I do have to say that I loved figuring out Ashley's perspective and maybe she'll get another chapter, but I don't plan on it right now. Still, it was fun.