11

When Claire re-appeared with Sherry in tow, she noticed Leon was playing with the parking lot shutter controls. He called to her over his shoulder, "It needs a key card."

"Damn it!" Claire seethed "So were still trapped down here?"

"Yeah. All the other doors are locked" Leon replied.

The pair suddenly turned to a menacing banging coming from the direction the mysterious woman had disappeared towards. Leon turned to Claire's anxious glare. "I'm gonna follow that woman," he said. "Maybe she can give us a clue on a way out...she got in here somehow."

Claire frowned. "She didn't seem all that helpful a moment ago." Claire sighed. "Plus, I don't think it's a good idea to split up."

"That's the cell block," Leon replied " It's a dead end, so I won't be far. I know we shouldn't split, but I don't think we should risk taking Sherry in there, just in case"

Claire looked away frustrated, when Sherry suddenly piped in "I promise I won't get in the way" Leon looked down at her with a small smile "I know you wont. But I don't know how many bad guys are in there, it could be dangerous. You'll be safer here with Claire"

Turning her gaze back to Leon, Claire said, "Be careful in there."

"I'll be right back," he reassured her, and then turned toward the cell block door.

Leon moved through the dimly-lit corridor of the cell block. The jail cells all had multiple, lifeless occupants, but none stirred as he passed. Leon turned a corner, noticing a lit cell and the sound of coughing emanating from within.

Claire let out a frustrated sigh. She knew it hadn't been long, but anxiety was already creeping into her stomach at Leon's absence.

"He'll be okay" Sherry said after hearing Claire's frustrated sigh. Claire turned her eyes onto the young girl, and banished the worry from her face.

"I know," Claire replied, pulling a bottle from her pack "Hey, Sherry. Do you want a drink?"

"Oh. Yes please" Sherry answered taking the bottle, when Claire's ears caught the sound of footsteps. Claire turned to see an older man approaching

"Sherry!?" he questioned "I've been looking everywhere for you, Sherry..."

Sherry brushed up closer to Claire's side, and Claire suddenly got the feeling that this man wasn't her father "Brave little girl to leave your house in the middle of this mess..." he continued when he suddenly pulled a revolver from his holster, and aimed it towards Claire

"On the ground," the man snapped "hands behind your head."

Claire looked at him in shock "You can't be serious..." she stated.

"Hello?" a voice called, when Leon cautiously approached the cell. Leon moved forward quicker "Hey" he replied back.

The man rose from the bench and put a hand against the bars "I don't believe it. A real human. Hello, human"

"You been down here long?" Leon asked

"Long enough," the man replied, taking a drag on a cigarette "Are we the last ones alive?"

"No, no, there's a few of us..." Leon answered

"Oh...that's good news, I guess. Unless, of course, Irons sent you"

"Irons...? You mean Chief Irons? Is he still around?" Leon questioned

"Who cares" the man huffed "Hopefully, he's somebody's dinner by now"

"What do you mean by that"

"He's the bastard that locked me in here" the man spat

"I'm sure he had a good reason" Leon replied

"He did" The man agreed, taking another draw on his cigarette. "I was about to blow the whistle on his dirty ass," he said. "I'd have done the same thing too, I guess." The man suddenly looked excitedly at Leon. "Hey! I'll make you a deal..." he said. "Unlock this cell and I'll give you this." He flashed a key card. "There's no other way outta that parking garage! Believe me!"

"Sorry...I can't do that. I have to talk to the chief first" Leon replied, when suddenly, a gunshot was heard from the direction of the parking garage.

Claire...Sherry!

Leon turned quickly toward the direction of the parking garage, but the man grabbed his arm through the cell bars, stopping him.

"Look, we're both prisoners in this station" the man growled "So either we play nice and help each other out-" a distant, stomping sound interrupted the conversation, and the jailed man paled. "Shit. It's coming" he muttered

" What. What's coming?" Leon questioned

"LEON!"

Leon pulled his arm away from the stranger, and turned towards the familiar voice. Claire came running towards him from around the corner of the cells. Sherry was nowhere to be seen, and Leon noticed a small trail of blood that ran across Claire's swollen, lower lip as she halted in front of him "Quickly!" She gasped, grabbing Leon by the arm "He's taken her... He's taken Sherry!"

"Claire...calm down. Who's taken Sherry?" Leon stated

The stomping started up again… this time sounding more like heavy footsteps. The man in the jail cell rattled his door angrily, desperately trying to get the young cop's attention back.

"C'mon, don't be an asshole!" he growled at Leon, flashing the key card again and backing away in his cell "You need this! JUST GET ME THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!"

Claire and Leon looked on in shock as the wall behind the man imploded, and a hand reached through the wall and grabbed the man by the head, completely smothering his face. Suddenly, the man's head shattered under the mighty grip, and the hand released the man, allowing the lifeless corpse to slide down the wall. The arm suddenly disappeared back through the hole, but the all-too-familiar footsteps could be heard coming from the other side of the wall.

"Leon...we need to get out of here!" Claire whispered

"I know" Leon replied, quickly making his way towards a control panel. He flicked a switch, and the cell door slid open. Leon ran into the cell, and took the key card from the floor. "I've got our way out" he said.

The pair made their way quickly back towards the parking garage, but at the end of the jail cell corridor a huge familiar shadow appeared that moved towards them, with the sound of its menacing footsteps bouncing from the surrounding walls.

"Not him again!" Claire cried. Suddenly, Leon pushed her to the left. "That way, quickly!" he exclaimed as the Tyrant, sensing their presence, sped up at the sight of them.

Claire ran, with Leon close on her heels. The way looped around the Tyrant, and led the pair back to the parking garage door. Claire crashed through the door with Leon close behind when suddenly, the wall to her left exploded outwards in a shower of concrete chunks.

Claire and Leon quickly raised their arms to protect their eyes from the debris, but as the dust cleared a huge arm swept outwards, knocking Claire away, and then turning back grabbed Leon by the throat, lifting him from his feet. Claire pushed herself up from the floor, horrified to see her friend hopelessly trying to pry the Tyrant's mighty hand from his throat when it slowly began choking the life from him.

"No..." Claire cried desperately.

She couldn't help him. Leon was going to die, and it was her fault.

Claire's brother Chris, had always taught her to never allow herself to become unarmed, but she had let her guard down, allowing Sherry's kidnapper to take away the thing that she now needed the most.

Leon was about to pay the ultimate price for her mistake, and with horror, Claire realised there was nothing she could do to stop it.