Spanish Translation:

You there = Tú allí

Stop them = Deténlos

They're headed to the roof = Ellos van al techo


Ashley leads with her gun up and ready. They're getting closer, now that they've arrived onto the ground floor, but the mansion is just as much of a maze as Salazar's castle was and it messes with her head. But having Luis beside her is a comfort. Maybe not as much as Claire, but at least she's not all alone.

She's convinced herself that worrying over what Claire is doing will only make things worse, so she focuses on where the entrance of the roof may be. Ada didn't give the clearest instructions but it shouldn't be too difficult to find, right?

Remembering Ada brings a blush to Ashley's cheeks. She tried to be respectful to the woman while she was guarding the group's back, but when Luis was holding her, Ashley could see Ada's entire ass and it got a little more than just uncomfortable. So, she moved up and thankfully, Claire didn't mind. The image is still in her mind, though, and Ashley tries to focus on what they're doing instead.

They hide behind a wall, listening for footsteps and when they don't hear any, they move up a flight of stairs. About halfway up, Luis nudges her. Her eyes trace the area, ready to react quickly when his voice comes out in a whisper. "When did you cut your hair?"

She turns to him in confusion for a moment, her hand reaching out to her hair before she remembers two things. First, that she had, in fact, gotten an emergency haircut. And the second is that her hair had fallen out of the ponytail she tied it into a little while ago. When had that happened? Was it during her fight with Krauser? That would make the most sense, since she was getting thrown all around the room. But that also means that she lost Claire's hair tie. And that Luis can see how poorly her hair is angled. She looks away with an uncomfortable blush, trying to hide her face but it only shows off her hair more. "Yeah...um. It got stuck."

He's quiet for a moment and Ashley nearly jumps when she feels his fingers touch the blond strands but when she looks, he's smiling. Not a flirty smile, but a real, genuine one. "I like it. It's like your older haircut. Makes you look younger." And his fingers leave her, but he seems so certain with his comment that Ashley has to believe him.

"Claire said it doesn't look too bad." She says a little dumbly, but then he smiles wider.

"I'd have to agree." He does wink at her this time, but she doesn't feel the full effects of it. If he's really trying to flirt, then he's much too tired to put in his full effort. But a part of her thinks that he's not hitting on her. It's something about the softness in his eyes, though, that might just be because she knows him better now than she did before. Back then, he was just some mysterious man who liked the front of her sweater a little too much for comfort.

The moment ends as they both hear a shout behind them. "Tú allí!"

Ashley gasps as she looks back and her heart sinks as she sees Diego's mutated face glaring angrily at them. He's alone as far as she can see, but he could easily use the Plaga to call out some friends. Before he can say another word, Ashley's already running in the opposite direction. Luis follows after her, their footsteps falling in near unison as they get some distance between them and Diego.

Gunshots follow after then and Ashley gasps sharply when she hears the bullets hit the wall just to her right. They won't win in a shoot-out, that much she knows. Neither her nor Luis is as durable to bullet wounds as the Ganado and if any of his bullets hit, they'll be slowed down considerably, if not completely stopped. And Ashley doesn't want to lose this close to their goal.

She pulls out her own gun but doesn't turn back to aim it just yet. They need cover first and they find it as another hall intercepts theirs. She runs for it, her legs pushing her forward as quickly as they can, and then she twists behind the corner. Ashley reaches out and grabs a fistful of Luis's shirt, practically dragging him back with her. He grunts as his back hits the wall next to her, but Ashley doesn't take the time to check him over. She trusts that he'll say something if she accidentally hurt him.

"Vuelve aquí!" Diego yells again, his own footsteps getting closer. She doesn't dare breathe as she peeks at him from around the corner, but immediately pulls back when he opens fire again. Her heart is racing fast and she wants to freeze up, but that will only make things worse for them. So, once the bullets have run out, Ashley holds her gun up and steps out from their temporary safety. She opens fire on him this time, trying to get his head, but at this point, she's lucky to get anything. Blood bursts from only a few of the holes she punches into him, but similar to Krauser, there's hardly any at all. It must have something to do with the fact that he died.

Once the magazine runs out, Ashley quickly turns back to the corner and this time, Luis grabs her forearm with a gentle yet firm grip. A second passes as Diego lets out a string of groans before he fires at them again. The angle of the bullets change as he comes closer and Ashley knows they've run out of time.

"Let's loop around!" Luis shouts to her over the constant sound of gunshots and she can only nod as he pulls them further down the hall and away from Diego. They turn corners and try to keep track of where they're headed, but the sound of Diego's assault always staying close behind is distracting enough to make Ashley lose their way. When they break free of that line of halls, they arrive at a larger one but it's not the one from before. This hall has paintings all along the walls, as well as some potted plants. Ashley stops for a moment as she tries to gather where exactly they are, only to find that they're hopelessly lost.

Luis stops beside her, looking just as confused. He opens his mouth to speak but then they hear Diego coming back for them, his shouts echoing from where they just were. "Quick!" He half whispers to her as he pulls them both behind a large clock. They barely fit and Ashley's sure that if someone were to really be looking for them, they'd see her leg poking out, but there's not much else they can do. There are no extra rooms to slip into and hiding under the few tables along the walls will give them even less cover.

Diego runs into the room, his breaths erratic and heavy as he doesn't stop. He continues down the hall, away from them, thankfully. "Deténlos!" He shouts. "Ellos van al techo!"

"They know we're going to the roof." Luis whispers into her ear. It's a little uncomfortable, how close they are, but Ashley would rather be like this than dead on the floor. She nods at his declaration, glad that at least one of them can speak fluent Spanish. Then again, he's probably not too happy to understand all of the threats the Ganado gave them. She can only imagine how fowl they were.

She peeks over the clock and watches Diego and another Ganado run toward the roof entrance. She gets an idea and slowly steps out of their hiding place despite Luis's protests. "If we follow them, then that's a straight shot to the roof." It beats having to wander around the mansion for who knows how much longer.

"But what about when we get there? There'll be no hiding."

Ashley turns to him and gives a wink of her own, enjoying the way his eyes go wide with surprise. He deserves a little taste of his own medicine. "I'll take care of them."

Luis gives no other protests. He just nods and walks behind her as they carefully follow Diego's trail. They stay as far away from him as they can, but as the halls get shorter and he takes more and more turns, they end up having to get closer to him. For a moment, Ashley wonders if they should take off their shoes to help minimize the amount of noise they're making, but at this rate, it'll just waste time. And she doubts Diego will just give them a minute or so to put them back on once they get up top.

Soon, their careful chase ends as Diego goes up a final ladder and opens a hatch at the top. From the light that comes out, she can tell that it's getting dark outside. A second Ganado follows him and once they're out of sight, Ashley does the same. She stops just at the top, grateful that the hatch is still open for them and she doesn't have to hold it up as she aims her handgun right at the Ganado's face. It takes a few seconds for her to line it up, but once she does, she squeezes the trigger and smiles as it's head bursts.

To her dismay, it's replaced with Plaga tentacles and the shot also draws Diego's attention. He glares at her -though, she can barely tell if that's really the expression he's making from how poorly his face is stitched together- and aims her gun, but she takes another shot. It hits his chest and he staggers back, giving her enough time to fully climb the ladder now.

Just as she guessed, the sun is almost completely down. She can't even seen the star anymore, just the few light rays that shine from beyond the horizon. They're running out of time.

The part of the roof Ashley finds herself on is completely flat, stretching for quite a while. It's probably as big as that throne room she and Claire found, if not bigger. The edges of the roof have a parapet that acts as a safety rail. That, or it's just for design. The wind is rapid this high up and it blows her hair across her face, but she ignores the chill it brings to her exposed skin. She really doesn't want to look over the edge of the parapet. Heights may not be the highest on her list of fears, but she's dangled off of enough platforms for a lifetime.

By the time Luis joins her, Diego is already beginning to recover. Ashley makes a quick shot at the second Ganado, aiming for the fleshy area where the Plaga meets its human neck. She fires three shots and the thing goes down, thankfully. But Diego goes to shoot at her and she scrambles to think of an idea. Her body dives to the side, hoping that she timed it right and when she hears a bullet miss her, she's flooded with relief. It's short-lived as she's now on the floor and getting up will take too much time. She hears Luis cock his shotgun, but Diego is already aiming at her. She watches his finger as her body goes cold with fear. His finger moves.

A shot rings out and Ashley closes her eyes, turning closer into the floor as she braces for the impact. She imagines the shot hitting her body somewhere, spreading pain all around her. Or maybe it'll hit her head and kill her instantly. She honestly hopes for the latter option, just so that she doesn't end up being used against Luis or something. Though, he'll probably follow soon after her. She was stupid for letting Claire leave them alone. She isn't a leader and she's not strong enough to survive on her own.

A body hits the floor with a wet squelch and Ashley's eyes snap open again. She's alive, but that can only mean one thing. That Diego didn't shoot her. That he decided to get Luis instead and she's just about to stand up, already preparing to run to her friend's side, when she sees him standing there perfectly fine. His eyes are wide and he's staring forward. The shotgun is still up and ready, but his finger isn't on the trigger.

She follows his line of sight and feels that same shock as she sees a familiar figure standing above Diego's body, which is now on the floor beside the second Ganado. She sees the dirtied combat clothes, the worn leather gun holster still strapped to strong but lean shoulders. She sees the way blonde bangs cover one red eye, leaving the other to stare at her. Broken chains dangle from his wrists, which are still bound but with nothing to tie them to a wall or even together, he's completely free to move as he wants. He's holding his Silver Ghost and even though Ashley's never held the handgun herself, she still feels the power that comes with it.

"Leon?" She calls to him, not sure whether she should aim at him or go for comfort. On one hand, he just shot and killed Diego, who was seconds away from, in turn, killing her. But she can see the blood-red of his irises and that's a sign he isn't himself. Not anymore.

Luis seems to understand the same thing because he hardens his expression and aims at him again. Ashely almost wants to stop him, but she knows this was always going to happen. There's no saving Leon.

She just wished that they could put him down easily.

Leon stands slightly hunched as he takes a half step forward. He looks hurt with how dark the veins run down his arms and neck, but she doesn't dare get closer. With how dark it is, his Plaga will gain full control soon, if it doesn't already.

"Why did you shoot Diego?" Luis demands, sounding so much more sure than Ashley feels. And maybe she should follow his lead, show that she won't go running into his arms again. She has to be strong now. She has to push past her own selfish pain and do what she has to. "I didn't take you for someone who just kills their minions for fun."

For a moment, Leon doesn't react. He just stares at them with his eerily wide eyes. But then a smile slowly pulls on his lips and he straightens his posture. He looks confident again and ready to hurt them without an ounce of remorse. "That'd usually be the case, but I've learned from Salazar's mishaps. I know not to underestimate you and trusting Krauser to handle you alone was a mistake on my part." With that, his smile disappears into a scowl. "It won't be happening again."

"Leon, stop this." Ashley finally gets up. She keeps her handgun ready, but she needs a moment to see where he is. Maybe they can still reach him. "There's no way for you to win anymore. We took Ada away and you can't send out the Plaga without her, right? So your plans are ruined. Just give up."

Ashley's stance falters when he throws back his head and laughs. The sound is loud and full and it carries across the sky. He holds his chest as it gets louder until he's reduced to little chuckles. Honestly, she hates how well he puts on the evil look. He's got the laugh for it and everything. Especially when he looks back at her with a dangerous look, a smirk pulled on his lips.

"You think you've outsmarted me, do you? Well, I'm sorry to say, but you're wrong." Ashley goes to reply, but he stops her. "I already have the location to Umbrella's labs. I could honestly care less if Ada's alive or not at this point."

Luis steps forward this time. "What do you mean? She never told you where they are! She wouldn't!"

"She didn't have to." Leon turns his back to them as he walks to a chest on the opposite side of the roof. It's large and when he opens it, he holds up a little tube that she knows contains a Plaga egg. And there are more in there. Probably hundreds. "When she went MIA, Wesker so graciously sent out a signal to try and contact her. I traced it back to his location and I've been keeping tabs on them ever since." Ashley's mouth falls open as she watches Leon return the tube to its rightful place. He closes the chest and faces them again. "So, really, Ada did give me the location. She just doesn't know it."

"Then why did you keep her around?!" Luis takes another step, his fingers holding the gun tightly. He's upset and Ashley feels a little scared of what he might do. "You could've let her free this whole time!"

Leon just shrugs, like they're talking about the weather and not the fact he tortured someone. "Why do you think I infected her with Las Plaga? Because I want her here, fighting by my side. Don't you think it would've been funny to see both Jack Krauser and Ada Wong killing their own employers? Besides, they both deserved it for what they did to me." Luis shakes his head slowly and Ashley's sure he's going to shoot, but he doesn't. He just stands there with a sad sort of acceptance. After a moment, Leon sighs, holding his gun up again. "I've already wasted enough time. Let this be my last goodbye to you."

He takes aim at Ashley first, his eyes no longer holding the amusement from before. He'll shoot her and she knows it. She holds her gun up as well, but she barely has time before Leon aims right at her head and his finger pulls. Her heart races as she realizes too late that her own gun isn't aimed quite right but she pulls her own trigger anyway.

Three gunshots go off at once and Ashley is surprised that, once again, she's not dead. A burst of blood comes out of Leon's wrist as he shouts in pain and drops his gun, his other hand going to cradle what remains of the broken bones. He glares at Luis, who just cocks his shotgun again and takes aim. Ashley stands up straight again and aims for herself as well.

Luis shoots again and Ashley does too. Leon's body threatens to fall from the impact of each bullet and blood begins to paint the floor below him, but he stays up. It hurts every time she makes a shot, but she knows it's either him or them. This isn't really Leon anymore, so she can't hesitate. She has to stop him now, especially since he has all he needs to send out the new apocalypse.

"Enough!" The gunshots stop, though, it's more because they've run out of bullets than actually listening to Leon's command. He's covered in blood, his entire body open with holes, but they're closing quickly. The Plaga's doing well at healing him despite how weak it's supposed to be. He's hunched over once again and he looked outright feral as he stares at them with bared teeth. His eyes flick between the two of them before he lets out a ragged breath. "You...You won't stop me! Not now! Not when I'm so close!"

He lets out a cry of pain as his head hangs forward. Ashley watches with wide eyes as he takes in a few more pained breaths before the skin on his back begins to move. At two points near his shoulder blades, the skin pokes out and as it grows, it rips right through his shirt. The mutation pushes out and grows into a long, crab-like leg that reaches far above his head. The second does the same and they stay high in the sky, twitching and moving as more mutations push from Leon's back. A second pair come out just below the first but these ones are shorter. They also twitch and twist in the air, ready to attack at any moment.

Leon lets out another pained shout as he bends backward this time, his whole body shaking as his ribs poke through the skin of his chest and wrap around his torso defensively. His curled fingers sharped into claws, the nails long and pointed, just like the other mutations. The final thing to grow from his body is a long, twisting tail that has the same crab-like exoskeleton covering it. The end is sharpened in a curve that reminds Ashley too much of a Verdugo. A strong shudder passes through his whole body until he falls to his knees, breathing heavily.

Ashley has no idea what happened, but she knows she can't afford to just hang around here. Quickly, she pulls out a box of ammunition from her pocket and reloads the magazine as quickly as she can. Her eyes shoot back to Leon every few seconds, watching him for any sign that he's recovered. Her fingers shake as she works and she curses loudly as she gets a bullet stuck. Shit! She doesn't need this right now! Please!

A gunshot to her side makes her jump, but she doesn't look up from what she's doing. Another shot and finally, Ashley gets the bullet unstuck. She slides it in and then shoves the magazine into position, loading it up. She aims where Leon was and finds that he's standing again. His eyes are completely red now and the only indication that he's looking away from her is the small pupal in the center. He no longer looks human anymore. The sounds he makes don't sound like him, but more like a rabid animal.

Leon is already dead.

When she takes a shot at him, the bullet bounces right off of his ribs and she realizes too late that she really doesn't have the aim required for this. There are still soft spots, but Leon's protecting those with his spiked arms as he creeps closer and closer. Luis shoots again and it makes Leon stumble but that's more due to the impact of the bullet than actually getting hit. He hisses and races for Luis, his tail whipping around violently.

"Luis!" Ashley shouts as she takes as many shots as she can before Leon tackles the man to the ground, his long claws digging into skin. Luis shouts from the impact but he's quick to gather himself again. He's able to twist his body just enough to avoid getting impaled by one of the shoulder spikes, but the tail manages to cut a stripe down his arm. Luis shouts again as his sleeve rips apart and blood soaks whatever's left of the shreds.

In a last effort to help him, Ashley takes aim at Leon's head and fires twice. The knockback likely makes the second useless, but she watches as the first crumples and the second hits just below his ear. Leon hisses again and backs away from Luis, allowing Ashley to rush to his side and help him into at least a sitting position. She takes a moment to look at the cut. Based on the amount of blood, it isn't too bad. It'll probably hurt and might scar over, but he won't bleed out.

A high scream echoes through the air and Ashley lets out a whimper as she covers her ears. It rattles her head and makes her a little dizzy, but the effects fade quickly and she's already preparing to aim. When she looks up, Leon is charging for her at full speed but her eyes never leave his head as she lines her gun with it, making a clean shot at his face. He swerves away from her at the last moment and she doesn't waste time thinking about whether or not she even got him.

"We have to go!" She shouts to Luis, who's already starting to stand. He winces as he lets his arm hang for a moment, but pushes through as he holds his gun steady.

"The chest." He locks eyes with her. "We have to get rid of those eggs first."

The idea of staying here with a very powerful and near bulletproof enemy makes her beyond anxious, but she nods and helps him get across the roof. As they make it closer to the chest, Leon hisses at them again, preparing to run, but a shot from Luis's gun and he's down again. Luis must've picked up how effective headshots are. That's good. One less thing to communicate when they barely have time to think.

Ashley gets to the chest first and she opens it with only a little difficulty. She's met with so many little test tubes that they all blend together. They're filled with a light purple liquid and it makes it difficult to tell where one test tube begins and where the other ends. She looks up to Luis, who's standing guard over her. She's not the person to be doing this and she says just that as she stands beside him, pointing to the box. "You get rid of them while I take care of Leon!"

Luis nods quickly and hands over his shotgun. She takes it a little clumsily but by the time he's knelt in front of the tubes, she's got the gun over her shoulders. With just her handgun, she turns back to Leon, who's starting to get up again. He snarls and hisses in her direction. She takes several steps away from Luis to give them some space to fight and thankfully, Leon's eyes track her. She sees his mutated limbs work as he prepares to lunge at her, but she makes a few shots at his head, knocking him to the side.

This time, when he's distracted, she moves closer and unloads more bullets into him, fresh blood mixing with old as it flows down his limbs. He screeches and cries out as he's stuck getting constant holes in his flesh. Eventually, she gets close enough to grab one of the long spikes and with a particularly hard pull, the whole thing comes out of his back. Leon pulls away from her but he doesn't get far before she can stab his own limb into his chest, hopefully getting the Plaga inside.

"Ashley-"

Luis is cut off as Leon screams again, the whole roof seeming to shake with the pure volume of it. She's too close to him for this and as she falls to her knees, both hands clasping over her ears tightly, she feels liquid on her palm. Her headaches from the pain throbbing inside of her ears and even after he stops screaming, the pain lasts.

Strong arms pull her back by the shoulders and she's laying against something soft, but Ashley can't focus on that. Not when she's watching Leon mutate further. The arm that she ripped out regrows but this time, it's longer and much bigger. The others do the same until his entire body is hovering over the ground. The spikes along his chest grow out and act as a literal cage around not only his chest, but up his neck and down toward his legs as well. He's covered in vine-like bone and Ashley's sure that if it was hard getting a clean shot on him before, it's almost impossible now.

"I have an idea." Luis's voice only registers in one ear, the other left feeling slightly numb, but that's something she'll have to worry about later. "We just have to get him in position to hit the box."

She has no idea what his plan will do, because letting Leon closer to the chest seems like the worst option, but she trusts him. With a nod, Ashley pushes off of Luis and grabs the shotgun this time. Her handgun is below Leon now, since she likely dropped it after he screamed. She'll need that back, but until then, she can buy them some more time.

Those red eyes stare into her as all four limbs carry Leon closer like some kind of demented spider. She stands over Luis as she takes aim, but with no real areas to hit where the bullet won't be wasted, she's at a loss for what to do. If she had grenades on her or something, then she could use those, but all she has is the ammo they got from the island. Honestly, they're lucky enough to even have guns at this point, but it won't be enough.

Still, Ashley locks eyes with him and takes a step toward the box. She can't think of any cool quips to shout out or even any insults, so she just stays silent. Luis doesn't follow her, but Leon's eyes don't go back to him. She must've really pissed him off to be his main target now.

As Ashley walks toward the box, her entire body facing Leon, she notices the signs of him preparing to attack again and before the legs can even drive him forward, she's throwing herself into a roll and sliding under him. He hisses as he collides with the parapet. Pieces of the stone chip away from the impact and fall to the floor below him, but it doesn't send him over.

Ashley grabs her handgun and quickly shoves it into her holster as she prepares the shotgun again, but Leon's already going at her a second time. A long, spiked leg cuts into her arm as he crawls over her. His clawed fingers grab at her, trying to tear into as much flesh as he can. The tail curls around her right leg and if her pants weren't so thick, she'd be bleeding all along the limb. It's bad enough that his sharp nails catch on her arms and make small puncture wounds along the backside of her forearm. He snarls as he gets in her face and all she can do is try and turn her head away. He's too close and she can't concentrate with so many different points of pain spiking through her.

"P-Please!" She begs as those red eyes consume her vision, making her heart jump into her throat as she begins to shake. Whether it's from fear or pain, she isn't sure, but she does know that she can't get away like this, especially with her arms pinned to the ground. Her eyes widen as one of Leon's shoulder spikes curl under him and press into her neck, right where her esophagus is. She doesn't dare breathe as it increases in pressure and with a sharp pinch, warm liquid runs down the side.

She's going to die.

"Hey, Leon!" Something hits Leon's back and she feels the impact with every point that they're touching. She still doesn't breathe as he draws away slightly, just enough to look over his shoulder where the projectile came from. Ashley dares to look as well, with that spike no longer pressing into her neck. She sees Luis standing in front of the box, a flat plate of wood in his hands. She sees the purple liquid and knows he's holding up the test tubes. She feels Leon tense, sees how his lips pull away to show sharp teeth, when Luis drops the holder. Purple liquid flashes at his feet and covers the floor. "Didn't need those, did you?"

Leon cries out from above her and in moments, he's pulling away and racing after Luis. She gasps in each breath she takes, her heart pounding so hard that it makes her chest ache. She rolls over, wincing as the new wounds rub against the floor, but she doesn't care too much. A few coughs escape her as she holds her throat for a moment, still shocked that she's even alive.

Luis drops another holder just as Leon makes it to him and in the last moment, Luis manages to get out of the way before the tangled monster crashes into the chest itself. Spikes dig into the parapet as Leon tries to stabilize himself, but the damage is already done. He's knocked the entire box over and purple liquid and glass spill out like an open dam. She watches in shock as every test tube that was intact falls and breaks into pieces until there's nothing left.

Another scream rips out of Leon's throat as he tries to salvage what's already lost. His claws rip apart the holders, spreading glass even further. He picks up the box and empties it, but all that falls out is more liquid and broken tubes. The scream grows louder as realization sets in and Ashley curls upon herself, trying to get away from the sound but too hurt to even move.

Arms circle her again and she's being pulled toward the hatch. Ashley doesn't fight it and barely gets her footing by the time they've made it. She breaks free of Luis's hold as he works to open the hatch again -it probably got slammed shut at some point during the fight- but before he can pull the knob, the air around them twists and turns violently. Ashley can't hear anything beyond the constant scream, so she has no choice but to look up at the sudden change in wind.

There's a dark green helicopter above them, just far enough to not cross the parapet onto the roof. Ashley's eyes go wide as she also notices that the side door is open and standing inside are two people dressed in military uniforms and Claire Redfield. And she's holding a rocket launcher.

"See you later, Leon." Claire's words echo out above all of the noise and just as Leon turns to them, the rocket shoot forward and explodes. Luis's body covers Ashley's as they brace against the heat of it. The air feels thick now, almost too much to even breathe, but she presses through it anyway. It seems to last for hours until the heat dies down a little and by then, the helicopter moves over them, a rope ladder rolling down onto the ground. Luis stands first and helps her up until she's grabbed the rungs. Ashley doesn't look back as she climbs up, all of her aching so badly that she almost lets go near the top, but large hands grab onto her holster and pull her into the chopper.

Ashley slides toward Claire and lets herself relax as the woman holds her tightly. The military man helps Luis up too and soon, the ladder is being pulled back up and they're flying away from the carnage. Ashley can barely focus on anything with so much happening at once, but she tries to slow things down enough to look around.

Now that's she's on the helicopter, Ashley notes that Ada's here too, strapped down in one of the seats. She gives Ashley a little smile before her eyes wander toward the opening, at Leon. Ashley looks too and sees only charred, black remains of what was once Leon. Surprisingly, she doesn't feel the hurt that she thought would come with killing him, but that's likely because she already knew he was long gone by the time he started growing limbs.

The real Leon wanted this and she feels comforted with the thought that wherever he is now, he's smiling down at them.

"Get us out of here, Chris." Claire locks eyes with the big man who Luis is still sitting up against, looking too tired to even make it to one of the helicopter seats. The man -Chris, apparently- nods and conveys the same message to the pilot. Soon, the helicopter rises higher into the air and they start going back to the village, though, Ashley's sure they won't stop there.

"Claire." Ashley turns to the redhead, more questions beginning to fill her head, but she doesn't get any of them out before Claire holds up what looks like a bomb detonator and presses it. Ashley's head whips back to the mansion, that's now much further away, as the base lights up. The top crumbles until all that's left is a pile of rubble.

She doesn't know what to say. Her heart twists as she's tied between shock that Claire would blow up the whole mansion, but relief that it's gone. That the nightmare is over. She hears someone ask something beside her, but she's too caught up in watching the destruction to care. That place will forever be Leon's resting ground. She can only hope that he's in peace now, along with the rest of the Ganado.

They're free now.


It took a really long time for me to figure out what Leon's mutation would look like, so I settled for more of the Mendez thing at first and then shifting into more of the Saddlar boss. But now, we have one last chapter! I probably could've split this into two 3k chapters, but that would split the boss fight and I didn't want that.