Hello! Sorry for the delay. I had become distracted by the release of the remakes of Resident Evil 3 and Final Fantasy 7, as well as Resident Evil: Resistance. I did have Chapter Four uploaded in Ao3, as well as a fanmade RE/HG crossover video there which is a remade version of an old one.
Chapter Five is also complete so I am uploading both now to make up for it. Enjoy!
HAUNTING EVIL
Chapter Four
Time felt as slow as always for the young woman yet somehow so different. Her dog was patiently lying on his side as she examined his leg. His fur was more smooth and brighter, no longer dirty when she managed to take him to a restroom and bathe him as best as she could. Not long after, Krauser came and locked them both in the guest suite. The two were able to be at ease when he was finally gone.
"How did you survive out there on your own, Hewie?" she whispered to him.
He had to have been in the Chaos Forest for a few months, so it was a wonder he didn't look skinny in any way. Did he find a source of food to keep himself alive for that long? She recalled seeing wild rabbits there. She didn't know but either way he appeared to be healthy and behaved the way he usually did.
The wound healed over time but she was concerned about the slight limping when he walked. It was miraculous that it didn't look infected and he was capable of running, so that had to mean something good. Just to be safe, she wrapped a fresh bandage around his leg and then picked up a cylinder tube she left on the bedside table. Next to it was a lamp and a key with a symbol on it of the planetary sign of Saturn. A label on the tube's lid said 'Magna Esca'. She took it from the nearby kitchen before giving Hewie a bath. After opening it, she poured a small amount of a special concoction made specifically for dogs onto her palm, kneeling on the floor to offer it to him which he was thrilled to take.
A ghost of a smile graced her face as he ate. How happy she was to have him at her side her again. It had been so long since she felt such joy. At first she wondered if she had truly gone mad when she heard him barking in the mansion's entrance hall. That man must have been the one who let him into the castle. How else could Hewie have gotten in? She was eternally grateful. But now she felt terrible for that man had been caught because of her. It was not her intention. Shaking her head, she placed the tube back, picking up the key and took a seat in a red wingback chair.
When Hewie was finished, he looked up at her and tilted his head. There was something about her that wasn't right even though he couldn't understand what it was. He just knew that she had changed. As she twisted the key in circles between her fingers, he rested his head on her knee with puppy eyes. The corners of her colourless lips faintly curled and she gently rubbed the back of his ear.
The door behind them was beginning to unlock and her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. She stuffed the key under the cushion of the chair, placing her hands on the armrests and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep as Hewie leapt into a cautious stance for whoever was about to come through that door. She didn't need to look to know who it was.
The hooded man strolled into the suite and stood in front of her. He watched her softly with a warm stare for an agonising moment and then leaned to caress her cheek. He kept going, trailing along her neck, her chest, over her breasts and down to her belly. She shuddered in repulse to his touch, trying her best not to clutch the armrests tighter and instead reacted to move slightly, like she was only shifting in her sleep.
Riccardo's expression faltered when he noticed Hewie who was watching him suspiciously. He glared at him before chuckling at the woman, seeing through her act.
"The mercenary shall escort you in ten minutes," he said to her and left, making sure the door was locked once more.
The feeling was not pleasant at all for Leon when he was starting to come to. A pounding headache thumped in his head and he groaned, massaging his temples to soothe the pain, not that it was doing much help.
He soon became aware that he was lying on something soft yet uncomfortable. He could feel things poking his back. When his senses were more in focus, he pried his eyelids open and found himself in a shack. The walls beside him were made with old sheets of zinc metal, worn and covered in rust and dirt. The ceiling was made of wood. They were built against a stone wall and over the ground. Patches of dry grass clung along the bottom of the walls. He sat up and realised he was on a filthy bed. Springs were sticking out of the flat mattress. No wonder his back was aching. Leon got up and tried to stretch his muscles, making himself wince.
There was a strange display before him. Behind tattered, sheer fabric tied to the ceiling's boards was a board that lay on top of a pile of boxes to form what he figured to be a makeshift altar. On each end were candles and in the middle was a cloth with a skull, a teddy bear, flowers, cards and other random knick knacks. The wall above it had unusual framed pictures and yellow frilly material dangled around them. Next to the altar were more flowers, dolls and other cuddly toys scattered along the floor. Most were grubby and broken.
"Where am I?"
As the question was spoken out loud, it hit him that he was still alive. That woman... She had to have been the one who saved him from that big guy. Wait—those other men. They could have easily killed him but they didn't. That could mean they want something from him. Were Agent Dawson the rest of the Spec Ops unit captured somewhere in the castle, too?
"I better contact Hunnigan."
When Leon reached for the pocket that held his radio, he was puzzled after his hand grasped nothing. He looked down and saw that it was empty. So was the holster that carried his gun, his attaché pack connected to the back of his belt with extra magazine clips... Even his dagger was missing. He checked his jacket's pockets, including the inside ones, and they were empty as well. His entire inventory was gone.
"These guys are smarter than the ones from the Los Illuminados."
Now he couldn't report to Hunnigan and he couldn't call for back-up either. It was history being repeated all over again.
"Perfect, looks like I'm on my own for now..."
He walked up to the door to leave but it wouldn't open. It barely did, locked on the outside by a small, flimsy padlock. So to solve this problem, he took a couple of steps backwards and charged forward, breaking it off and busted the door wide open with a powerful high kick. Once he was out, he took in his surroundings.
The sky had darkened into night. There was a barrel lit with fire by the edge of a brick wall and a pile of buckets were tucked close to the shack. Ahead were lampposts with gnats buzzing around them and a platform with ladders leading up to somewhere. With little options on his side, he decided to explore the area. He needed to find a weapon fast.
As one foot moved in front of the other, thoughts of the woman came floating back to him. There was something familiar about her. He couldn't put his finger on it. First she ran away from him and then she saved his life. Why would she do that when she seemed to be afraid of him?
He walked around the platform and saw a courtyard with a tunnel at the right and a raised gate to the left. Before he could decide which way to go first, footsteps were heard coming towards him so he hid behind the platform. Judging by the sound, there were two people.
"When you're done scouting, return Miss Belli to the mansion," said one of them.
Leon strained his ears to listen better. Male, possibly middle aged.
"...and see to it that you lock her in her chambers. I doubt she will be any trouble but now that the mutt is with her again, I do not want her to attempt another escape. That thing should be harmless now, though. You saw the way she begged for the four-legged beast to be spared."
They actually threatened to kill the dog? Leon frowned in disapproval. He didn't know who this man was but he was already starting to sound like a real asshole. He had to be talking about that blonde woman. Was she being held hostage here? The man let out a wicked laugh.
"How ironic it is that her precious canine is what helps us keep her in line..."
The footsteps and voice faded and were soon gone. Leon took the left path under the gate when the coast was clear, the opposite direction of where the other people went off to. There were a few more barrels in a row in front of a door with statues at each side of it. Further on were some stairs. He walked up to the door and opened it as quietly as he could, uncertain of what or who could be on the other side. He went in and found a small lounge. It was dark due to the lack of light.
A tall, golden harp that was four times his height was seen and behind it was a collection of violins. A music room, maybe? A fallen bookshelf lay on the diamond chequered floor yet the rest of the furniture didn't appear to be misplaced. At the back below a balcony high above were fancy chairs, a sofa and a table with a candle holder. He about to carry on until something caught his eye in the shadows at the back of the room...
"What the hell?"
On the sofa was a human-sized figure of a pregnant woman, her hand on her swollen abdomen. He went past the table towards it and knelt on his knee to get a closer look. On the floor next to it was a sheet lying on the floor, covered in dust as through it had been there for a while.
"Creepy..."
Whoever carved it took a lot of time with painstaking devotion. It was far too detailed to be made out of something as a mere hobby, especially the face. The button nose was smoothly shaped. There was a small dimple on the chin and the hair lightly curled in separate strands at the back of the neck. It almost looked real... Like it could come to life.
The woman opened her eyes. Her mind was still bothered about the stranger. After Riccardo ordered Debilitas to take him away, she followed the hunchback and discreetly asked to take him somewhere safe. She wasn't sure where Debilitas took him but she hoped he was alright. Riccardo would have killed him if it weren't for Krauser intervening. The mercenary claimed to know him and had a score to settle.
It may have bought the man some time but how much did he have before Krauser or even Riccardo would come for him? The one who reunited her with Hewie was in danger. She had to do something.
Forcing herself to ignore the thoughts of what happened last time, she pulled out the key she had hidden and then gazed at her gown. She would need to move fast but it would not be easy wearing a long dress. As she thought of it, an idea came to her and she got up from her seat to a set of drawers by the bed, putting the key on top of it. A pair of knee-length boots sat on the floor next to it. She opened the top drawer and inside was a memorable medieval white dress with a purple mini skirt.
The sleeves were puffy down to the elbows, each of them had three strips of brown cloth with matching designs embroidered into them from below the shoulders, the middle and the cuffs at her wrists. There was a fourth one that was thinner at the square collar over a blue stone attached to the silky material. She hadn't worn it in a while but it was still in fine condition. She was never one to wear such short clothing, remember feeling self conscious when she first wore the dress but she couldn't deny that it did make moving about less difficult.
She held the dress up, thinking carefully about the consequences her actions could bring... just like before. Things were bound to go wrong if she was going to help the man but she couldn't sit still and do nothing. Pushing out the painful memories, she laid the dress on the bed and began to change.
Along with the dress were black knee-high stockings and she slid them on after placing the gown into the drawer. She dressed into the white one. A majority of her back was exposed with blue ribbons at bottom that she fastened into a bow and put the boots on last. How strange it felt to be wearing the outfit again. It still fit her well, feeling tight at her chest, being a busty woman and all. Near the key was a blue hair tie and she used it to pull her hair into a ponytail.
When she was done, she dusted herself and tucked the key into one of her boots. She then turned to Hewie. She was about to say something to him until the door unlocked again and Krauser entered the room.
"Time to go."
Leon couldn't help but feel annoyed as he continued his search through the castle. How long would it be for Hunnigan or anyone else to take the hint that he wouldn't be calling in any time soon? He at least hoped that this place didn't have any viruses or parasites to worry about... dare he jinx it.
After passing a garden with a well, he went through another door and walked down a corridor past a grandfather clock and a second door without a doorknob but had hooks instead. He found a third door and inside was a kitchen. It would be a great start to find a weapon.
He examined some of the cutlery left on the counter and picked up one of the chef knives. The silver blade was eight inches long. He slashed the air with it a few times to test its reliability for combat. It seemed decent enough to use. It would have to do for the time being. He was able to fit it into his dagger sheath. He was about to go through the next door when he heard a creaking noise behind the one he came from, followed by the sound of that dog barking.
"Get moving...!" a voice commanded, muffled through the door.
Leon stopped in his tracks, recognising it right away. "That's..."
Krauser. It was him. It had to be.
When he could no longer hear anything, he slowly twisted the handle silently and opened it a little to look out into the corridor. There was no one to be seen so he stepped out and noticed that the door with hooks was open. Withdrawing the knife into his hand, he pressed his back to the wall, knowing it was best not to go in just yet. He peeked in and saw a group on the other side of lowered bars. Another door behind it was also open, concealing their identities apart from an arm reaching for a lever connected to a break box on the wall and pushed it up. A light blue switched on beside it and they shut the door behind them.
Keeping the knife close to him, he snuck inside and proceeded to follow. Large dolls and marionette pieces were nailed to the walls all over the place and even more dangled from the ceiling. The room was dimly lit, illuminating them in a freakish way. He circled a wall in the centre but came to a halt when he saw a rug with a massive eye on the floor. On the centre wall were many stone eyes that were closed. Directly opposite were more pinned dolls, only these were coated with splattered blood. An alarm triggered in his head. Something wasn't right about this room. With his eyes on the lever, he crouched down and flattened his palm on the floorboards. He could feel a faint vibration beneath it.
"...Gonna have to try better than this," he mumbled before standing back up.
Taking in a deep breath, he stepped back before sprinting forward, leaping over the rug. In an instant, all of the eyes clicked open and thick needles shot out of the pupils, just missing him. He landed safely rolling on the other side without a scratch. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing the needles had stabbed the bloody dolls, and then to the door in front of him when he heard the dog growling.
"Get that damn thing to shut up!" Krauser's voice demanded.
"...It's okay, Hewie," said a second voice, quieter than the first.
It was the woman. Leon waited a bit more before going in. If this man was Krauser, she and the dog couldn't be safe with him. Plus he owed her for helping him. He kept on their trail across the castle, passing through a grand foyer up a wide staircase, close to keep them in his sight yet staying back far enough time so they would not become aware of him spying on them.
Neither the target nor the woman spoke but the air was full of stress and anxiety. Whenever she was stalling, he would shove her forward, making her stumble which made the dog angry. He growled at him every time he was being rough with her. Leon could see that she was trying to keep her dog calm whilst keeping her own cool. Leon didn't like how the man how the man was treating her either.
They soon came to a nursery with a crib, a rocking horse, a cage with a doll inside and lots of toys everywhere. Past that was a humongous hall. A nexus staircase was at one half of it down to a lower floor. At the other was a diorama of knights and a horse. Mounted to the walls were various ancient decorative weapons and suits of armour. They were all stuck in position so Leon was positive he would not be able to use any of them. Not without making a racket.
To the left was another balcony. A piece of railing was missing at the end. He hid low there with his eyes focused on them as they went to the floor below. He couldn't see them when they were underneath him. The woman's steps slowed again and the muscular man was becoming frustrated.
"I said get moving!"
She didn't respond and it irritated him further. He spun her around and grabbed her by the throat, slamming her to the wall. She let out a small cry as the dog barked viciously, warning him to let her go.
"When I say get moving," the man snapped. "I don't mean stand there like an idiot."
The canine's growling grew louder as Leon stood up.
"I swear if you don't silence this dog—"
Before the target could finish his threat, the woman began to struggle and broke out of his grasp, pushing him away and took the chance to flee.
"You little bitch!" he shouted at her.
He ran after her and the dog. Leon immediately jumped down to help them. He pursued them outside to a backyard.
The woman dashed past the rubble of a collapsed balcony but tripped over a crack in the pavement and fell to the ground. The dog rushed to her aid, snarling at the mercenary when he was right behind her. She rolled herself onto her back, shaking fearfully at him. As she shuffled backwards, he grinned, slowly taking out his dagger.
"Now, are you going to behave yourself?"
Instead of saying anything, her eyes widened seeing someone behind him. Leon came racing straight towards them and yanked him away from her, throwing him back to stand between them with his knife held high. He finally saw the target's face and had his suspicions confirmed.
Leon glared at him. "Krauser! So you are alive..."
Krauser composed himself and laughed as the woman got up over shaking legs. She wanted to take this chance to run but she couldn't bring herself to.
"Good to see you again, comrade," he taunted.
"What are you even doing here? Was Hell not good enough for you!?"
Krauser scoffed and then suddenly lunged at him with his dagger. The woman gasped and Leon countered the assault with the knife. She moved away as he fought back against him and her dog continued to bark at the conflict. She felt helpless as she watched the men battle fiercely.
Leon's quick reflexes were able to deflect every attack. Blades chipped against each other yet failed to touch flesh. Krauser slashed at him again but Leon ducked and kicked his side hard. He fell down and grunted with fury in his eyes. When he flipped back on his feet, his left arm started to pulp rapidly like a beating heart. Parts of its skin shot up in small spikes. The woman's hands covered her mouth in horror. Through clenched teeth, he reached behind his back and pulled out a submachine gun.
As he aimed it directly at them, Leon knew they would have to get out of there. He grabbed her hand, dragging her away out of harm's way. "Come on—Let's go!"
Krauser fired and she shrieked under the noise of the blast. The three dodged the speeding bullets and vanished around a corner. The gun clicked, empty of its ammunition as steam rose from the barrel. He groaned angrily, tossing it to the ground before chasing after them.
They stopped at a blue door. Leon realised they were at the other end of the tunnel he saw earlier.
"In here!" she called frantically.
They hurried inside and she led him up rusty spiral stairs in the middle of the room into a bigger one with a set wooden stairs. Against the walls were blocks with four colours of red, yellow, green or silver. She approached one of them and tried to pull it back as hard as she could. It appeared to be too heavy for her, so he stepped in to do it himself even though he wasn't sure what it would do.
With his strength, he was able to pull it easier and once it was out of place from all of the other blocks, rotating metal was heard. A mechanism with an image of a snake was revealed, sealing the spiral stairs shut. They caught a glimpse of Krauser roaring in a rampage before it closed on him.
The woman hadn't calmed yet. She scurried up one of the stairs and the dog barked at Leon before catching up with her at a mahogany door with a teal symbol. She took out a key from one of her boots. There was a mark on it that matched the symbol. She quickly unlocked the door and when it was open, they all rushed in and she slammed it with both hands and locked it again. Safe at last, she sighed and dropped to her knees. Leon leaned against the wall and she pulled the dog into a loving embrace.
"Looks like Mr. Anonymous was right along," he mused to himself. "But how can Krauser still be alive? And why would he come here of all places?"
He would have to worry about that later. He looked at the woman who was now nervous of his presence. She rested a hand on her dog's back with her head low.
"Are you okay?" he asked as he knelt in front of her. "Did he hurt you?"
The moment he did, she flinched out of fright which took him by surprise. He shifted back to assure her he meant no harm and gradually, she gazed up at him. Leon became shocked upon seeing her face. He finally knew why she looked so familiar. She was the girl he saw that very morning from the news report that disappeared from the car accident her parents died in.
There was no mistaking it. She was wearing a brown leather choker around her neck with a blue crystal that hung over the hollow between her collar bones. He remembered it from the photo of the family. Only he did not recall bruises on her porcelain skin.
He was amazed to find her here but now he was feeling worried about her well-being. Both eyes had dark circles beneath them, like she barely got any sleep. A light red colour blemished her left one under her fringe and hues of red and yellow were seen on her chest and thighs. Her neck was sore from when Krauser grabbed her minutes ago. It was like she was being physically abused.
The dog walked up to Leon, happily licking his cheek. The woman didn't expect it, clearly astounded by the sight. Leon spotted this, taking it as a good sign, so he laughed a little and ruffled the canine's fur with both hands, noticing how clean it was.
"Good looking dog. Hewie is his name, right?"
She nodded in a short but fast motion and stared at him with a naturally soft yet timid expression. Her eyes were a light mix of green and blue, like aquamarine gemstones. Despite the bruises, he couldn't help but think of how beautiful she was.
"Well, my name's Leon Kennedy. What's yours?"
Of course, he already knew what it was from the news but he wanted to see if she was comfortable enough to say it herself.
"...Fi... Fiona. Fiona Belli."
Leon smiled and offered his hand to shake. She blinked at first, slowly lifting her own. She hesitated, her fingers retracting back, yet after a few seconds, she took his hand with hers. Hewie watched them as he panted with his pink tongue hanging out.
Leon's smile widened a little more. "Nice to meet you..."
