Leon scaled the fence with ease before dropping on the other side. He flexed his wrist as he continued walking. Within minutes, the low moans of the infected could be heard. He neared a group of five, all stumbling about hopelessly. Leon put his thumb and forefinger in his mouth, whistling loudly and causing the creatures to turn and look at him. They began approaching; some limping slowly while others full on ran.
Leon took up a defensive stance as the first infected neared. He quickly spun and kicked the creature in the head, causing it to come clean off. He smirked to himself before tapping in to his superhuman powers, the air filled with static energy. Leon pulled his arm back and thrusted his hand through one of their chests, ripping out the creatures withered heart and crushing it in his hand. He was mesmerized by the crimson liquid for a moment before noticing there was an increasingly larger number of the zombies surrounding him now, slowly suffocating his remaining space to move. Leon struck at them as efficiently as he could, but they came faster than he could kill them, and soon didn't have room to move at all.
Leon shoved one of the zombies back and cursed himself internally for not bringing a weapon. He spun, desperately looking for an escape between the throng of bodies, but found none. Their fingers began clawing at him at he panicked, flailing uselessly. He'd had a fear of the infected, ever since his first day on the force back in Raccoon City, nearly fifteen years ago. Leon had kept in his line of work due to his expertise in dealing with the infected, and had made it his personal goal to wipe the viruses from the planet. His stubbornness had reminded him of a saying: the only way to overcome your fear is to face it. Yeah, what a load that was. Teeth sunk into the delicate flesh between his neck and shoulder, bringing his attention back to the moment and making him cry out as he felt fingers biting into his skin and pulling at his clothing. Another bite into his ankle and one into his left wing had him panting and bleeding as he was overwhelmed by the mass of bodies.
"Get off of me!" Leon's heart was racing at the thought of being eaten alive. Somehow, he summoned a burst of strength, extending his wings and spinning to knock the infected back several feet. He noticed a low hanging tree branch above him and launched himself into the air weakly, grabbing the branch and lifting himself up. The branch groaned from his weight, but thankfully didn't snap. His chest heaved as he attempted to catch his breath and calm his nerves, watching as the zombies gathered under him, moaning and raising their arms in an attempt to grab him. Leon sighed in relief, safely out of their reach. He eyed the area and noticed more of the infected gathering and joining the mass, twenty nine bodies and counting. He would have to wait until his wounds healed and he regained his strength before attempting to escape.
Leon lay across the branch, his hands folded under his cheek as he flexed his injured wing. There was a large wound through the centre, most of the smaller, fluffier feathers having been completely chewed off and a good chunk of the primary coverts missing. Several of the primary and secondary feathers were also either torn or had been ripped out. The wound dripped with blood that matted the black plumes, making them stick together. Leon let the wing hang down, swaying it back and forth, toying with the zombies boredly. He watched their eyes following the movements hungrily as their fingers clawed at the air, only inches away. Two hours had already gone by, and his wounds hadn't healed in the slightest. While the pain wasn't much of an issue, having faded to a dull throb almost instantly, he was becoming concerned. Why hadn't his regenerative abilities kicked in yet? Did the virus inside of him have a fatal flaw, much like Wesker's did?
Leon's gaze fell on the mansion, barely visible in the distance. He hadn't realized how far he'd gone. He couldn't help but wonder where exactly was Wesker? Did the blond have complete faith in him to not stray, so much that he wouldn't come looking? A sufficient amount of time had passed, and Leon wondered if he'd even crossed the blond's mind, or if Wesker actually cared about the real reason that Leon hadn't returned yet. He shook his head. Perhaps the man was preoccupied with something important. But… what was more important than him?
Leon sighed and looked up as a loud cracking noise filled the air. He hadn't noticed the grey clouds overhead, and felt the few beginning drops of a possible torrential downpour. The wind whipped his bangs into his eyes, holding the promise of a large storm approaching.
"Fucking perfect."
Even if his wing healed enough for him to fly back to the safety of the mansion, he wouldn't be able to fly in such windy conditions. He eyed the zombies beneath him, their numbers having more than doubled in the past few hours. His situation was beginning to look dire. His eyes widened as a realization dawned on him. He would simply call Wesker! He reached into his back pocket and produced his phone, opening the call app and staring at the screen, a sense of dread filling him. He didn't know Wesker's number. He could call Chris, and ask for it, but… he didn't really want to explain his situation and knew the brunet would be stubborn and probably not give him the number anyways.
Leon contemplated his options. Swallow his pride and phone Chris. Face the ever growing horde of infected. Simply wait it out. He sighed, sitting up with his back against the trunk of the tree. At least he could play flappy bird.
An hour later Leon was growling at the impossible game. Why would he even want to play it, let alone actually play it? He resisted the urge to throw his phone at one of the zombie's heads and pocketed it. Rain was falling steadily from the sky, and although it wasn't exactly cold, it wasn't warm either. Leon turned his gaze to the mansion in the distance, focusing his vision so he could see it in greater detail. Although the lights were on, it was void of any movement. He closed his eyes and tried to feel for his connection to Wesker, but there was nothing. The blond was too far from his reach and he groaned. He assessed his wounds, but none of them were any different than when he obtained them. He might be able to land on the ground on the other side of the zombies and attempt running to the safety of the fence, but he had a bad bite on his ankle and wasn't sure it would hold during such strain. He adjusted the position, a loud crack sending a bolt of panic up his spine. The branch he was sitting on had begun to break under his weight. He would have to decide now.
Leon stood and launched himself off the branch a moment before it broke. He landed safely out of the zombies' reach, rolling quickly to reduce the impact of the landing. He looked back at the creatures, dumbfounded for a moment before they began running at him. He turned and fled quickly, throwing himself onto the fence and climbing over it. The horde ran into it, clawing and snarling furiously as their prey had escaped. Leon smirked and turned, walking away.
"See ya later, fellas."
Leon walked back to the mansion, his clothes completely soaked through and his hair plastered to his skin. He couldn't help but feel infuriated at Wesker. Although he wasn't exactly Wesker's responsibility, the blond should still keep an eye on him. After all, these new powers would take some getting used to and he wasn't entirely sure of his full potential. He didn't realize he was limping until he reached the front door, but by that time he didn't care. He spun and kicked the door open, causing it to crash into the wall with an explosion like the thunder overhead. He brushed the wet hair from his eyes angrily and looked around for any sign of Wesker.
"You son of a bitch! I almost got eaten alive out there! Where the fuck were you?" Leon yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing off the walls. He growled under his breath. Wesker was lucky Leon didn't run into him; he was sure the blond wouldn't be so good looking by the time he was finished pummeling him. The mansion was empty except for Leon, who made his way into one of the white, sterilized rooms and grabbed a first aid kit. He opened it and tore through it, producing some rubbing alcohol and bandage. He wasn't sure if he was still susceptible to normal ailments now, but it wasn't worth questioning and ending up with rabies. He sat on the operating table and sterilized the bite wound before bandaging his neck and ankle tightly. He tried to patch up the wound on his wing but couldn't do it alone, so he gave up and tossed the items aside, laying back on the table. Chris had managed to patch him up easily and efficiently the night Leon ended up on his doorstep, and he silently wished he had the man here to help him now.
As Leon's thoughts wandered to the brunet, he figured he would check his phone. Sure enough he had another missed call, making the grand total eight now. He frowned and wondered if he should tell Chris everything that happened. It was obvious the man still cared a great deal for him, except in all the wrong ways. Leon just wanted to be his friend, but being as stubborn as Chris was, he was still hoping he could rekindle their broken relationship. Chris deserved someone far better than Leon, someone normal. Someone… human. Was he even human anymore? By definition and appearance, he was human, but the traits he possessed made him inhuman. He sighed, his thumb hovering over the call button. He stared at the screen long enough that his vision lost focus and he could see his green and gold eyes. Everything he was, everything he stood for, was what Chris stood against. They were polar opposites and hardly had anything in common anymore.
Leon swallowed the lump in his throat and hit the 'call' button. There was no point in putting it off. He pushed the feelings of dread aside as he put the phone to his ear. The call was answered on the first ring, and Chris' rough voice resonated from the other side.
"Leon. What's going on? Are you alright?" At the sound of the brunet's voice, Leon's throat became tight. What could he possibly say? That he was happy, that all of his dreams had come true? He was far from happy, although he was unsure why. He'd been overly confident in Wesker's presence, but now that he was alone, he wasn't so sure. Everything that had happened had been his choice, but yet, he felt far from fulfilled. He wanted to be what Wesker wanted him to be, and now that he was, he just felt hollow. The silence through the phone was uncomfortable, and Leon swallowed.
"I don't know." His voice was shaky and sounded weak to his own ears. The fact that he was even talking to Chris right now meant he was betraying Wesker's trust. But it wasn't like he could talk to the blond about how he felt, either. The man was far from supportive, and Leon doubted he had the patience to neither listen to someone else's crap nor give any helpful advice on the matters.
"What's wrong? Did he hurt you?" Chris' voice was soft but his tone was accusing. He knew Chris wanted to blame Wesker for everything that had happened, but the truth was it was entirely Leon's fault. He was his own undoing, and he would be his own downfall.
"N-no. But…" Leon bit his lip, unsure of how to put his thoughts into words. He seemed to be lacking the proverbial bridge to walk Chris over so he could know what was going on.
"It's alright. You can tell me anything. You know that."
"I lost my humanity, I think." Leon held his breath as the silence surrounded him.
"What do you mean, exactly?"
I'm like Wesker now. I'm everything you stand against. I'm the kind of monster you're supposed to be eradicating from the face of the Earth.
Leon's lips parted but the words would not come.
"How about you meet me somewhere." It wasn't a suggestion, and Leon could hear Chris slipping into his jacket.
"Chris, I don't think-"
"How about at the lake. It's dark enough no one will see you, and in this weather, no one will probably be outside anyways. I'll be there shortly. Alright?"
"Yeah." Leon hung up. Was he really going to go see the brunet? He could simply wait for Wesker return, but he had no idea how long that would be. He needed to get some things off his chest. He contemplated changing but figured it would be pointless, as he was just going to get soaking wet again. He grabbed his leather jacket from the blond's bedroom and draped it over his arm as he made his way back outside. The rain had slowed enough that it was a light drizzle, and the winds had calmed considerably. Leon stretched his wings, wondering if it would be smart to fly in his condition. He had no difficulty pulling himself into the air and he turned towards the east. He wasn't quite sure how he knew which direction he was facing, but wrote it off as one of his instincts.