"T-Virus?" Ashley asked, once the immediate danger was over and Leon appeared to be almost finished with checking the bodies for more ammo and weapons. This she understood... but why Leon was taking cash from there wallets she chose not to ask about.
"It was the cause of the Raccoon City outbreak. Do you know anything about that?" He asked, reloading his hand gun.
Ashley shrugged. "Just what they told us in school. There was a sickness outbreak and the city reactor blew from lack of care."
Leon snorted. "No, it was wiped off the map by Umbrella. Only a handful of people made it out alive." He checked the elevator before motioning her to follow him into it. "Your protection detail, you said they brought you here?"
Ashley nodded, "Yeah to find you. I'd been asking about you for weeks. I even demanded my dad ask to put you on my detail just for some answers. They told him you were already on another mission. And that you didn't have the desire to 'babysit' anymore. But I didn't believe that so I started snooping. I found where you were being kept. I had this whole plan to get you out but..."
"But?"
"But then the threatening letters started. At first the major... Major Mulligan. Said it was a hoax. Just to upset my dad after I was taken but the letters kept coming. Then dad found one on his desk, one that was left there, not sent in the mail. That put the whole white house on over drive."
"What was in those letters?" Leon asked, as the elevator dinged and the doors slid open into a dark warehouse. A garage door across the way was open, flooding the space with street light from outside. Laying in the beam of light was a dog. Ripped and bloody, chucks of skin and fur missing. It was chewing on an arm. "Hold that thought."
He moved forward slowly and felt Ashley take her natural spot behind him. For a moment everything felt right. Leon shook that thought from his head an took aim. He fired, hitting the dog right in the head. With a whimper it crumbled to the ground. Leon held still, his highly trained senses working overtime. "Odd, that there is only one." he said after a few long minutes of dead silence.
"You mean there's usually more?" Ashley's voice was fearful as she kept close to his back.
"Usually yes." Leon said, walking out into the street light and the cool night air. He took a deep breath. Fresh air was amazing after his time underground. He took a look around, quickly assessing the immediate area. There were two black undercover cars, probably the cars Ashley came in, an over turned van, a burned out jeep and two maintenance golf carts. There were also a lot of dead undead. Ashley's protection detail had been loyal to the last. "Ash, how long was it from when you left them fighting till you found me?"
Ashley blushed a bit at his giving her a nickname. "Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes. Why?"
Leon shifted before turning to look at her. Best to be truthful. "Because the T-virus doesn't work that fast. At least not the T-virus I know. Usually a healthy adult can survive a couple hours with a single bite wound. More bites speeds up that time but... they came back way too fast. Come on, it's not safe in the open."
A few moments later they were in the car driving down the long dark driveway towards the main road. It only took Leon a few minutes to get his bearings. So, they had kept him close to home. Just three miles outside of DC. The roads were deadly quiet, save a few abandoned cars and a few shambling dead who didn't stand much of a chance against a armored, bullet proof vehicle. Fires burned in the distant, filling the sky with an orange glow. Leon couldn't believe his eyes. It was like Racoon City all over again. "How did this happen?"
Ashley shook her head. "I don't know." her voice was so sad, so suddenly distant.
"Ashley?"
She was staring out the windows. He could see tears falling from her eyes reflected on the glass as she silently cried. She was quiet for a long moment before speaking in a low voice. "My mom... she didn't make it. We were together when those things stormed her charity garden party at the country club. They came out of no where. Like a bunch of locusts. She told me to run, ordered her detail to try and save as many people as they could but… she didn't make it..."
"Ash, I'm so sorry. And your father?"
"I called him as soon as my detail had me in the car. He said he was being taken to Camp David for his safety and to find you. He gave the order to everyone in the car. Not to bring me to him but to find you. Find Leon, he will know what to do. Then we were disconnected."
Leon took a few turns, slipping down off the highway, to a main road and then onto quiet back streets. They went under a bridge on a tree filled side street. It was becoming less and less urban as they went. "Leon? Where are we going?" she asked.
"There used to be a safe house not far from here. I'm hoping Hunnigan has kept it in use. Might be able to find more supplies there and some answers."
Ashley nodded quietly and silence filled the car once more. Leon continued to steal glances at her. She was tired, lost and grieving. Finding him had been her 'mission' but now, she was his. "Why don't you get some sleep? It's another 20 mins to the safe house. I'll look after you."
"Okay..." Ashley replied quietly, snuggling down into the passenger seat.
She awoke to the sound of gun fire...
