8

"LEON!" Claire shouted when he hit the floor hard. Leon grabbed onto his side, and pulled himself up quickly, the threat of the Tyrant being more than enough of a reason to push him through the pain of the fall.

Leon turned to shoot, but his firearm clicked.

He exclaimed, "I'm out!" Leon limped away from the monster, but Claire noticed with horror that the Tyrant was gaining on him quickly... Leon wasn't fast enough.

Claire made a spontaneous decision and quickly jumped down onto the rooftop below. Sure, it was crazy. But she wasn't about to let her friend get smashed into a pancake. Claire stumbled slightly, then immediately opened fire.

"Over here! You big, ugly bastard!"

The shots got the beasts attention, and it turned menacingly towards Claire. She continued to open fire as the thing drew closer, and closer.

"DIE, GODDAMN IT!"

Please...

The Tyrant took a swipe, and Claire suddenly felt a blow from her left. Leon had tackled her just in time, so that the mighty fist didn't make contact. The pair both looked back from their vulnerable position on the floor, just as the monstrous creature once again dropped to a knee.

"C'mon!" Leon said urgently, as he quickly got onto his feet and offered her his hand. Claire took it, but as Leon pulled her to her feet, she gripped her side and winced in pain.

Leon said suddenly, "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's okay," Claire replied, placing a hand onto his chest to catch her breath "I'm just a little winded. I'd rather that, than taking that monsters fist to my face"

Leon nodded, and placing his own hand on her upper arm, they ran for the smashed doorway.

Leon and Claire ran through the corridors, their ears catching the sound of the menacing footsteps from a few rooms behind them.

"That thing!" Claire cried as she ran. "It's invincible..."

"Or our pistols don't have enough power to take it down," Leon replied "I really wish I had that magnum right about now!"

The pair crashed through the door and onto the lobbies second floor landing. Claire grabbed the railings and called out for Marvin. Horror-stricken that they had inadvertently led the monster straight to the injured man. She scanned the floor below but couldn't see Marvin anywhere. Leon shouted, "C'mon!" as he grabbed Claire's hand and pulled her along. The pair sped down the stairs just as the Tyrant appeared from a doorway farther down the hall.

"Damn it!" Claire exclaimed "Not again!"

Leon exclaimed, "Claire! Open the way out; I'll distract him." He ran forward, grabbed an empty first aid spray from the floor, and hurled it at the Tyrant.

"Hey! Asshole!" Leon shouted. The Tyrant fixed its gaze on the young cop and quickened its pace. "That's right, come and get me..." Leon said under his breath as he backed up the stairs, hoping the thing wouldn't notice Claire standing off to the side and engaging in her task. Leon continued throwing insults, as loud as he could to keep the monster's attention. Claire saw movement again as another part of the pedestal retracted; she suddenly realized that Leon had the last medallion. She looked up to see Leon running across the western, second-floor landing.

Claire ran across the ground floor.

"LEON, THE MEDALLION!"

He turned, jogged backwards, and hurled the medallion down towards her. She caught it from the air and turned swiftly back towards the pedestal.

Leon had run out of walkway, and he climbed over the banister, lowering himself as quickly and as carefully as his limited time would allow. If he landed wrong, then his plan could end very badly. Leon let go just as the Tyrant smashed a fist into the banister. Wooden splinters from the impact flew in every direction, and the floor beneath the giant's feet cracked slightly. Leon landed steadily and brought an arm up across his face as the wooden splinters rained down. He turned to run towards Claire, who was shouting at him to hurry, when a figure in an open room to his left caught his eye.

"Marvin... Aw, no... Damn it."

Leon ran toward Claire, noticing that the Tyrant was now approaching the top of the stairs again.

"Claire! Your pistol!" he asked hastily with his hand out, simultaneously pushing her further into the tunnel.

"What! Why?" Claire questioned, as Leon took the pistol from her hand and raced back "There isn't enough ammo left for that thing! LEON"

"It's not for him!" Leon called back.

I can't leave him like that...

Leon stopped and raised the pistol as Marvin turned with an unsteady gait, letting out a painful moan when he raised his arm towards the young cop.

The shot echoed around the halls, and Claire ducked back into the tunnel as the Tyrant passed by, moving towards the sound.

Leon saw the giant approaching from his right-hand side and took one glance at Marvin's downed corpse.

"I'll stop this, lieutenant...I promise."

Leon backed up quickly and ran around the reception area and back towards where Claire was waiting.

"C'mon!" She cried; Leon passed her pistol back with a nod of thanks. "For Marvin" was all he needed to say, and she looked at him with understanding in her eyes. They both ran into the darkness of the tunnel and made their way down a small flight of stairs, coming upon a small office.

There were books everywhere, and even a small miniature model of the Raccoon City Police station. But the thing that caught the pair's attention the most was the ammunition. There were boxes and boxes of it stacked up high, with bottles of water that were scattered around on a large desk sitting in the middle of the room. The pair moved forward quickly, and started filling their waist packs when they heard the Tyrant's relentless footsteps coming again. Leon turned to see the beast as it was trying to force its way through the small opening.

"Hurry!" he called to Claire, as she stuffed the last of her pockets with ammunition. The pair ran through another doorway that led onto a small elevator. They entered swiftly, breathing heavily, and with Claire smashing the button to close the doors. It seemed impossibly slow, as the smashing sounds of the giant monster got closer. And then Claire felt the comforting sensation of her stomach dropping, as the elevator descended.

Leon and Claire exited the elevator and Claire jogged forward and down a few concrete steps. She slowed to a walk and pushed her back against the cold wall. She slid down onto the floor, trying to catch her breath and slow her heart rate. Leon passed and dropped down close next to her. He opened a bottle of water and drank it down quickly. Claire thought it a good idea, and opened one of her own, watching the young cop as he threw his empty bottle into the darkness ahead.

They sat in silence for a while. Finding comfort in one another. Claire finally broke the silence with a yawn.

"Tired?" Leon asked quietly.

She answered, "Exhausted." Claire thought the constant need for adrenaline must have finally caught up with her.

"I know what you mean," Leon replied. Claire noticed that he also sounded worn out. "Let's just rest a while. I'll keep watch." Leon continued. Claire thought the idea sounded great. Her head suddenly felt very heavy, and Claire pushed closer against Leon, her head falling gently onto his shoulder. Feeling safe in his presence, and glad that she wasn't alone.