At last, here's chapter three!


"So, this is Spain, huh?"

Ashley looked around at the clouds and bare forest, both a steady, disheartening shade of grey. Leon had gone behind a wide oak to relieve himself, leaving her alone in a small clearing with Sandy. "What do you think?"

She looked down at the dog, who sat with his tail wagging among fallen leaves. The stray seemed quite happy to be with them, and as of yet had shown no signs of being infected with Las Plagas.

"Pretty much."

Leon zipped his black jeans, immediately taking his gun from its holster. Ashley adjusted the straps of her backpack, taking up the rope lead she'd tied around Sandy's neck. She took one glance at Leon, and shivered.

"How long were you in that room?" Leon asked. He went ahead on the narrow path, every sense alert for trouble. Ashley shrugged.

"I don't know," she said truthfully. "All I know is waking up after being sedated for hours. It might've been days."

That got her thinking of what they'd injected in her, and her shivers worsened.

"Ugh, something tells me that…thing wasn't all they did to me."

She looked up, seeing Leon tense, hearing the soft sound of footsteps somewhere in front of them. She watched his fingers tighten on his gun, and his voice was a low hiss as he said, "Ashley, go hide."

She nodded, moving silently to the trees edging the path. She'd just moved behind one when she cried out, the result of a bloodied man throwing her over his shoulder.

"Let go of me!"

Before Leon could react, she reached into her boot and pulled out a jack knife, stabbing her captor in the back. He yelled in pain, grip loosening. Ashley grabbed his shoulders, flipping over his head and onto her feet. She then finished her assault by burying her knife in his neck. Seconds later he fell, his body dissolving into a foul-smelling sludge. When the last of it had vanished, Ashley grabbed the man's shirt, using it to wipe her knife clean.

"Where'd you learn all that?" Leon barely hid the awe in his voice. She shrugged.

"A life time of Kung-Fu, gymnastics, and hunting with my dad."

She held up the knife, flipping it shut then slipping it back in her boot. She smiled. "Other than that, I'm still a girly-girl."

Leon shook his head. It was amazing enough she'd performed those moves, but she'd done it with a fully loaded backpack. Whatever Ashley claimed to be, she was no girly-girl.

"Let's keep going," he said. "There's no telling where they'll show next."

(****)

"Leon, are you sure you want me to stay up here?"

Ashley looked around at the small room, situated in the top of a tower. Leon nodded.

"Yeah, I can't have you getting hurt."

"But I could help!"

She glanced at the long sheath on his back, taking out his rifle before he had time to react.

"Hey!"

"Just lead them into the square," she said, and cocked the weapon. "I'll take care of the rest."

Leon rolled his eyes, but handed her the last box of ammo.

"Just don't miss," he said, then jumped to the floor. Ashley stuck out her tongue, getting into position against the low wall, lowering herself as much as she could while still retaining sight of the village.

This isn't the most comfortable position, she thought, pulling the trigger. The bullet hit a Ganado in the knee, and Leon delivered the kill blow. But at least I'm not completely useless. She shot again, this time hitting her target in the head. She then noticed the man on the roof, saw the sharp sickle raised in his hand.

I'll let Leon take care of them, she thought, changing her aim. Her crosshairs rested on the man's right ankle. This guy's going down.

He fell from the roof, breaking his neck when his head hit the ground. After that she had to reload the rifle, and by the time she was ready to take another shot, Leon was the only one left in the square.

"You can come down," he called. "I'm gonna go look around."

She nodded, wondering how she'd get down without dropping the rifle.

It looks like an antique, she noted. But he'd probably be pissed if I dropped it.

She decided to try it, finding it wasn't as hard as she'd thought. Once on the ground, she stared at the sky, wondering how long it would stay dark and rainy. She could hear Leon and Sandy, both rummaging around various parts of the village, and her gaze drifted to the path beside the tower.

What's down there? She started walking, stopping only when a bolt of lightning flashed behind her. She gave a small gasp. She'd almost stepped into a bear trap.

Oh, good thing Leon gave me a flashlight, she said to herself, and pulled it out. Its light revealed the path had about ten traps set on it, as well as two armed men waiting at the gate on the other end. She flicked the light off, wondering how to get their attention without getting Leon's.

I don't want to slow him down. She turned and saw several sticks lying in a pile, possibly kindling, and she got an idea.

Say goodnight, losers!

(****)

Leon watched her plan unfold. He chuckled to himself.

She's gotta be the most foolhardy person I know, he thought, shaking his head. To be honest, he hadn't seen those guys at the gate either, but he was already confident about Ashley's skills, so he'd decided to let her handle the pair on her own. Of course, he'd have her back, if she really needed some help. He watched her use the branches to set the traps off, eliciting excited shouts from the two guards. Ashley moved so she was hidden from their view by the tower, stabbing them from behind when they passed her. If they survived that, she simply stabbed them again. Once they were dead, she used her sticks to set off the rest of the traps, then waved him over.

"It's all good!" she called. Leon laughed again, watching Sandy run to her, tail whipping the air. She laughed, kneeling down to pet his scruffy head.

"Who's a good doggie?" she asked, in a little kid voice. "Who's a good doggie?"

Sandy relished the attention, barking happily and licking her face, making her giggle even more.

"Oh sure, mutt gets your attention," Leon grumbled, walking over. She ignored him, getting to her feet.

"So, where do we go now?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Well, the other gates are boarded," he said, glancing at the tower. "I guess this way's our best bet."

She nodded, following him up the scarred path, settling into a daydream.

Why would they send someone like this after me?

Her gaze was locked on Leon, watching his short, dark blonde hair shift in the breeze, the way his fingers moved around the grip of his gun. From what she could tell, this agent wasn't much older than her, but he had apparently been through quite a bit.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked.

He stopped.

"What?"

He pushed the gate open, seeing several sets of glowing red orbs in the distance.

"Hey, Ash," he said quietly. "How many shots left in the rifle?"

She shrugged.

"I'm not sure. Why?"

He turned slightly, tilting his head toward the farmhouse.

"Because I think we've got company."


Ashley gets a corny victory line! I fully support AshleyXLeon, so I decided to make our chica in distress a bit more...well, not like a lady in distress. I hate gymnastics; it's what caused me to lose use of my hands in the first place, but it seemed like the only thing that could explain how Ashley's able to do some of what she does in this story.

Oh well.

So, how far ahead should the next chapter be, or do you want it to be a surprise?