Hello my freaky darlings…. I'm so sorry! Life caught up with me and writing wasn't working, but I'm back now, for the most part. I actually meant to post this chapter.. months ago, but completely forgot :O
Anyway, chapter 6 is almost done, where Leon meets Lara, so I hope you enjoy!
….Sorry! :(
The Tomb Raiders Resident
Evil Endures
Chapter 5.
Leon held his breath as he stood with his back firm against the wooden wall inside a building he would only describe as a Japanese temple, well, what was left of it. The wood was dark with ash and burns, part of the roof had fallen in, debris and chunks of all sorts lay scattered about the wreck, the sounds of the buildings pained moans creaking as the faint wind threatened to bring the structure down to a collapse. Leon knew that standing in the skeleton on the old building was a dangerous place to be, but his trek up the hill had been disturbed, forcing him to hide before being seen. The walls that were still up helped enclose him, the shadows where light couldn't reach helping to cloak him, keeping his existence confined to the unaware men walking past outside.
About five sets of boots strolled past at a leisurely slow pace, probably no more than six meters away from his position in the shadows of the ghosts temple. Leon held still, his head ache had finally subsided but his body was sore in its departure, and the though of fighting five men only caused the ache to complain, not that Leon intended to fight them, one against five heavily armed men wasn't a good idea.
"Do you really believe that we'll get out of here?"
"No, man, I don't know what to believe. This place is a hell hole, there has been some weird shit happening lately."
"Yeah, and even though Father Mathias has lost his mind, I think he's on to something, after all, he's been here longer than anyone of us. If we have a chance at getting off this island alive, its Mathias."
"As much as I hate to say it, yeah, I think your right Brother."
"We just need to make sure we're alive when the time comes."
"Hey, did you two get the report?"
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"About the escapees."
"Oh, that. Yeah, word reached this morning. So we've got a Government agent prowling around somewhere. If the girl was enough, I think Mathias is rather pissed off about this, it won't be long before heads start rolling, and I particularly like my head where it is."
"Well, I've heard that Father sent our man after him, what's his name again? Reaper?"
"Reaper? Well shit. Our agent is in for a run then."
"You sure about that? I've seen our agent fight at the crash, he's a good shot."
"Not bad lookin' either from what I could tell, hey brother, pretty boy's in a lot of trouble."
"Pretty boy? Do me a favour and keep your perverted shit to yourself. And I'm not your fucking brother!"
"Man, she really destroyed this place, do you think Mathias would want this temple re-built?"
"Actually, it was Veltrov who lit up the place, that fucking fire bug. But yeah, Father will probably have us building it up again in a few days."
Leon continued to stand behind cover, ears switching from one conversation to another, not exactly sure where one started and the other finished, or who was talking for that matter. Not that he really cared for mindless babble, even if some if it had him at edge. So, he was being hunted by a Reaper? He frowned, not liking the sound of that name, even if it was a little on the cheesy side, also the fact that this insane leader, Father Mathias, had sent the hunt. Leon knew that who ever this man was, would be the hostile groups best, and Leon indeed knew that when he eventually met this Reaper, because he was sure he will, that the fight soon to take place will have him at his toes.
'Lets see what you've got.' Leon mentally challenged.
The number of footsteps were still there, seemingly wondering about at random in a group, but a pair of boots broke away from the others, the sound of booted feet brushing against the gravel for a moment before heading away from the group, and Leon tensed when his ears tracked the steps, steps that were wondering closer to his position.
Whether or not the others knew of one of their own straying, Leon didn't know, but he gathered as much when the group started wandering further off, their slow pace annoying to the agent, because should something happen, they will be well within ear shot at the sound of any scuffle. The lone footsteps continued closer, and Leon realised they were heading for the gap in the wall that he was standing next to. 'Shit...' Leon swallowed and flattened himself firmly against the wall, the darkness hiding him from a passing glance, the splinters in the wood itching the side of his face as he eyed the gap. A shadow of a man descended, gravel brushing up against the impact of boots, before those boots made contact with the burnt wooden floor, heavy steps sounding loudly in Leon's ears as the man walked into the temple.
Right past him.
Leon didn't dare utter a single breath, frozen, the mans back was to him and standing no more than two meters away. The bow and Quiver strapped across broad shoulders, the hilt of a large machete gleaming and weighing down one hip, a torn coat hanging by mere threads and shreds dangling just above knee hight, the many pouches hooked to another belt across the mans side. The man was so close that Leon could see the many piercings gleaming behind messy unkept hair, and the agent knew that should the man turn around to exit the building, Leon's cover will no doubt be nothing but transparent glass.
Looks like the man won't be leaving then.
Ever carefully, Leon's hand brushed the knife tucked in his belt before taking hold around the Japanese hilt, pulling the blade free silently with an exhale of breath as he breathed out his nose, forcing his heart to slow in fear that the man might hear it. The Solarii's head was shifting from side to side, eyes trying to break through the darkness, probably feeling that crawl on skin when one is being watched, or something is about to happen. What ever the true reason, the mans hand gripped the machete's large handle, just short of drawing the gleaming weapon.
Leon knew he had to do this as quiet as possible, the other men outside were still within ear shot, he could still hear their footsteps, whether or not it was the adrenalin heightening his sensors. An urge suddenly filled him, a spike of the energy in his limbs, causing him to narrow his eyes at his target, and that urge pushed him into moving. His instincts were telling him, now. Two soundless steps and he was right behind the Solarii, knife raised at the ready.
A hand snapping around the mans mouth put a stop to any noise, silencing the Solarii's muffled sound of surprise and warning, Leon's other hand that grasped the Japanese blade rose in sync, the silver gleaming in a streak of light before it was buried in the mans neck. The Solarii's fight was short and fierce, numb fingers slipping from the hilt of the machete that never left its resting place. Leon maintained his hold on the man until the struggles ceased, another second after and he was easing the lifeless body to the wooden floor. All was still.
All was quiet.
Leon carefully released the breath he'd been holding, the slight scuffle having gone unnoticed by the other men outside, though he knew it was only a matter of time before they noticed something lacking in their banter, and Leon secretly hoped it was the one who called him 'pretty boy' that was dead at his feet. Keeping his ears alert, Leon took the time to clean the symbol etched blade free of the crimson kiss from the dead Solarii, using the mans coat rather than his own clothing. For all Leon cared, the man can have the blood back, even if he didn't need it anymore.
Tucking the dagger back in with his belt, Leon eyed the pouches that the Solarii had attached, their presence seeming promising, but Leon's hand hesitated briefly, the last time he looted one of these men, he found severed fingers in all their rotted and fleshy form. Un-clipping the mans belt anyway, Leon carefully opened each one, and to his utter surprise, instead of bones and limb, he found ammunition. To be exact, 9mm rounds for a handgun. Leon did a double take, this time thoroughly searching the mans weaponry, trying to find a gun that goes with the bullets, and it seemed luck drew the line right there.
Leon cursed. What kind of man carried around bullets and no gun? He cursed again. This kind of man... He took the belt, ammunition and all, and looped it around his own jeans, hooking it to a close, the weight of the bullets hanging around his waist now making him feel more comfortable, because as his luck would deem fit, he'll be ready should he find a gun next time, only lacking the bullets.
Doing another sweep, he found a small torch, clicking it on briefly to make sure the damn thing had batteries, and pocketing that when he was satisfied. He also took the rolled up rope that the Solarii had, clips and hooks attached to the knots, and Leon clipped a hook to his belt before throwing the rope around one shoulder and waist, securing it. One in this situation never knew when such items would come in handy, and he'd learnt that many times in past experiences.
Standing up, Leon exited through the back of the torn down temple and made his way quickly up some fallen logs, proceeding to the only part still solid of the building, the roof of the temple, pulling himself up on the strong dark wood before using that as leverage to jump to a low ledge. With a wince as his ankle protested to the move, Leon proceeded down a path that would take him North East before he cuts through the mountains. Just as he was walking away from the edge, he could hear a voice from down below.
"Hey, where did Grimsy go?"
=tTRR=
Village Plateau.
Leon was taken back that they actually name the places on this island, only just being able to make out the scratched letters on a wooden board back a few paces, and like everything else he'd encountered so far, the Village was a livable wreck. From his position up the hill, South Plateau, Leon could see many roofs of Hootches and the building sorts, though what shocked him were the various parts of planes lying about.
Flight 727 wasn't the only large bird in the sky to crash land here.
Right now Leon was standing next to what looked like a large German bomber aircraft, only which was lacking the wings and the nose, also it looked like it had been pulled apart like some sort of jigsaw puzzle. He guessed that the Solarii don't waste a chance when something new lands here, and that knowledge only made him more desperate to get to the crash site in hopes that there will be something left he could use.
From what he could tell, the area seemed unoccupied, and he found himself wondering a few paces just to see more of the area, sweeping his eyes over and checking crates that were sitting about the dirt, and Leon paused at the foot of a building. It still looked livable, even though parts of the walls hade broken inwards, planks of wood covering one side and riddled with large nails, and Leon stepped through the doorless arch, the wooden boards creaking under his weight.
There were a number of tables and crates that dotted about, lines of light streaking through the gaps in the ceiling and catching on the dust particles that danced in slow motion around the room, the air seemingly close and trapped despite how open the building was. There were a few unlit candles on tables, the wax burnt and melted into the wood, long unusable, and Leon's eyes caught onto something white written on the wall, many arrows pointing to the hastily written words.
'Fear the demons...'
"Oh that's comforting." Leon muttered with very little humor, his voice edged with heavy sarcasm. Shooting the sign with a weary, slightly suspicious and uncomfortable look and the possible meaning to those words, Leon moved forward to what was a metal chest, the lid had already been opened, forced by the dents and scratch in the metal, a gap in the roof providing light. His eyes moved over the useless bolts and screws, wooden parts and other un-identifying objects, before they settled on something a little more useful for his hands. Leon picked it up, running his hand over the metal object. A pry axe. Made out of metal and bolts, screws and a rather sturdy strong blade with teeth for grip, the handle itself had been wrapped in thick leather to ensure a good hold.
Leon couldn't help but wonder what it was doing here, or who left it, though didn't bother with those questions as he was silently glad that they did leave it, another item for him to use, and by the looks of the area he saw when trekking here, he'd need such an item. Hooking that to a loop in his belt, and without much more of a glance, he exited the building, heading to the east.
The view startled him for a second. He didn't realise he was this high up. Leon moved closer to the edge, placing a hand on a near by tree before leaning over an inch. The wind brushed his fringe aside as he viewed the area, the thunderous sound of water falling trailed away with its plummet down the cliff side, ahead of him were towering mountains bordering a deep canyon where a single river stretched out its arm, and further more kilometers, lay the ocean.
It was what lay arrest the still grey of the weather, was the crash site of flight 727.
The smoke was thinning out, the source of the afloat ash dying down as it got taken by the wind to be carried into the unknown, from where Leon was standing, the parts of the large passenger plane looked small compared to what they really were. It was a very long way down.
"Aw hell..." Leon couldn't help but swallow, his stomach doing a flip at the view, because he already knew what he was going to do, just like before at the river when he investigated the disturbance that lead him to nearly be someones dinner. Looking around briefly incase there was another alternative, he pulled the rope over his shoulder, untangling it and looping the end through both of the belts around his waist, then tieing the other end around the trunk of the tree at the edge before clipping that together, hoping the hooks will last.
With his back to the view, hands tight around the rope and edging carefully down the side, Leon suddenly understood why Ada seemed to love that grappling gun of her's so much. The crimson kiss of red filling his mind on the thoughts of the spy, though he quickly forced those thoughts away, this was neither the time, or hell, not the place.
The wind wasn't as bad as he thought it would be at this height, though it still brushed at his clothing and hair, irritating him with the climb down. Leon remembered doing this in Spain a lot, for some reason the Gonado never seemed to use stairs. The rope was thankfully strong as he stepped down the side of the cliff, making sure his shoes had a good purchase each time and hands maintained their vice grip, and to Leon it was a painfully long moment until his belt snagged on the first clip in the knots. Gritting his teeth, Leon dug his boots into the rocky face of the cliff and held on as tight as he could with one hand, before letting go his other hand to reach for the pry axe. Using the butt of the axe he hammered it against the nail attached to the hook, forcing the metal into the cliff side.
These hooks will ensure that the rope doesn't move or fray against the cliff side, securing his path down and taking part of the tension off the rope, and now that he had reached the first 'checkpoint', Leon began the count. Clipping the axe back to his belt, he continued down, his brow knit in concentration, jaw tense at the strain, eyes narrowed for every possible detail, and ears free for sound.
Leon knew the rope wouldn't be long enough for him to make the entire trip down, but it was a start, and all that training he took on rock climbing was making itself useful as he reached the second checkpoint. Leon breathed out his mouth as he gripped the rope with his right hand, muscles taunt with holding his weight, the bullet graze on his arm had opened with the raw climb down, but the re-awakened crimson didn't have anything to soak into due to the sleeve being missing.
With another nail hooked into the rock, Leon proceeded down.
Pebbles and chips of rock fell as booted feet continued to find purchase, the flutter of birds flying about the canyons sky as some of them seemed to wonder at the figure climbing down the mountain side, their minds knowing the trek to be incredibly dangerous for a wingless animal, and their eyes blinked with curiosity at the hooks and rope that seemingly held the man from falling.
The cool wind did nothing to breeze the heat off his skin with the task of not falling to his death, and Leon found himself in a light sheen of sweat that stung at the cuts on his arms and hands, fingers freckled with blood at the sharp edges of stone, palms raw with rope burns. The pull at his belt again had him reaching for a purchase, and Leon pulled the pry axe free of his belt just as his luck ran out.
He was down to hammering the last hook into the cliff side when something from above gave way, and the rope he was holding jerked causing him to loose his footing on the cliff side and hanging with one hand wrapped around the end of the rope. "Shit!" The curse was short, because Leon looked up just in time to see rocks chipped away and falling towards him fast, they weren't large, but would pack a punch. At the last moment, he shielded his head with his arm, though another jerk at the rope as a previous hook came free was all it took for him to lose his hold, and he fell.
The breezy wind suddenly became strong with gravity's pull, and Leon found it difficult not to panic. There was nothing he could grab on to, the cliff side being completely flat, acting without thinking, he adjusted his grip of the pry axe, and as instinct gave him the mental go, he hacked it with as much force as he could into the rock that was solid with his fall. Leon gasped when he came to a sudden stop, the pull on his arm was painful as the joints were short of coming out of their sockets, a fiery burn spreading from his shoulder.
Pebbles dusted down on him as he continued to hang there, and he could feel his hand slipping despite the grip it had on the pry axe. Gritting his teeth, he forced his feet into the rocky side and finding purchase before swinging his free arm up, grabbing hold of rock, now hugging the cliff side.
"Now I feel like Spider Man..." He muttered tiredly, resting his head on the rough rock, and a part of him silently chuckled, because Suzan would probably laugh at that. Leon stayed that way for a few seconds, giving his drumming heart a chance to quiet down from its panic, and with a weary glance down, he noted that the fall had put him just about under half way of his climb. Now with the rope gone, the only thing left was the pry axe. With a pained sigh at the situation, he pulled the axe out from its hook in stone, and hammered it again a number of inches below, carefully, slowly, easing himself down the cliff face.
Down the vertical troubles of his trek, Leon found himself getting ever slowly to the ground, slipping a few times, cursing, though nothing near to falling like the first time, he made a mental note that should he ever see Ada again, he'd ask her where she brought that loved grappling gun from. Branches of tall trees tugged at his only remaining sleeve, threatening to tear the material, the rock he was clinging too started become snaked with thorn vines, causing him to painfully wince every time he was forced to grab onto one for purchase. Through the dense leaves and spider like branches, Leon could see the ground with promise.
Pity he thought too soon.
Leon didn't even have time to swear colourfully at inevitable objects when the pry axe grip slipped on some moss coating the stone, and fell through the branches of tall trees, the wood splintering and breaking with his bodies impact, tender leaves ripping from their homes, birds fluttering away at the sudden fall and disturbance. Leon hit the ground with a grunt, the falls rhythm not ending there as he rolled down a light tilt of the earths uneven grounds, finally stopping as the fall leveled out, the grass soft and soil like sponge.
Face down, Leon didn't particularly want to move, and just laid their groaning, leaves landing about him silently in their graves, the chatter of birds dying down along with the excitement as the animals eyed the fallen man wearily.
With a wince, Leon slowly rolled over onto his back, holding his aching ribs and glaring up at the trees, the woods quiet for a number of moments, the stillness only broken by his breathing. The sky was grey above, and Leon couldn't even see where he fell from, or the top of the cliff in which he just climbed down. The thought was just as unnerving and dizzying as when he was looking down the cliff side. Though now that he was level with his destination, he wasn't planning on climbing again anytime soon, and that gave him a strange sence of comfort.
With another groan and wince, his hands braced themselves on the smooth grass ground, and he pushed himself up, taking another breath before standing. "That's one way to get down quickly. Try falling." He muttered dryly at himself. He braced one hand on a near by tree as he wrapped an arm around his chest, a fierce ache making it hard for him to catch his breath back, and Leon desperately hoped that a possible broken rib hadn't moved inwards towards his lungs, because internal bleeding wasn't exactly a thought he was comfortable with.
Through his hazy vision, Leon spied the pry axe sitting idly nearby, nested in the vibrant grass and soil. With a hiss, he moved slowly over to the item, his arm still secure around his ribs as he made his way through the small distance, the sounds of birds whistling again after a short moment. Another hiss, Leon bent down carefully and bit his lip so much that blood beaded, his hand grasping the leather covered handle of the axe before he straightened, barely stifling a groan.
Clipping the object to his belt again after making sure everything else was still there, Leon again looked up, sparing the cliff side one last look before he proceeded through the woods after a few staggers, heading towards the crash site.
Because I feel bad, I'll post the next chapter up tomorrow if I have access to a computer. :) Stay tuned.
~Sam Fisher is bad ass! (Splinter Cell Blacklist)
~I love Malec! (Alec/Magnus, the Mortal Instruments)!
:)
Elf out.