Leon could not scream, could not move, could not breathe. The air had been expelled from his lungs abruptly, and he could do nothing but agonize for what seemed like an eternity.
His whole body ached, his back throbbed, and his knife wounds seemed to be on fire. His heart felt like drums in his chest. His body trembled and his eyes watered.
In front of him, all kinds of creatures were approaching him. Lickers were running on four legs and roaring as they approached. They were bloodied and their claws were bigger than ever. The tyrants were more... ferocious? They were no longer walking, they were running towards him. Each of them with a different mutation, but something they all had in common was the big claw that had taken over one or two of their arms.
And behind them, as if this were not enough, came the worst. William Birkin, completely transformed, his head contained long, sharp teeth, several yellow eyes stared at Leon through the creature's chest. What appeared to be wings of pure muscle and bone on Birkin's back made him larger and more intimidating.
Leon wanted to run, wanted to get up and get away as fast as he could, but he couldn't, and the closer the creatures got, the more desperate he became.
The creatures reached him, he tried to close his eyes, preparing himself to feel his body being torn apart, but he couldn't, and to his surprise, the creatures simply ignored him, passed by him as if he wasn't even there.
He was confused for a few moments, but soon, this confusion was replaced by an even greater despair, for the creatures were actually after Claire and Sherry.
The two tried to run, but it was almost impossible to get away from all those creatures, and Leon was forced to watch as one of the lickers pierced Claire in the back, while one of the tyrants impaled Sherry with its huge claw.
The cries of pain and despair of the two were imprinted in Leon's mind, and he couldn't even blink as he watched the scene, and tears of despair streamed down his face.
Suddenly, everything went black, the creatures disappeared, the place went into an almost deafening silence.
He still could not move, and once again he was forced to look deep into the empty eyes of little Sherry.
She had gray skin, blood in her mouth, and in her chest, a huge hole, as if her heart had been torn out.
"Why did you leave?" Sherry said, her sweet voice now cold, echoing through Leon's mind and seeming to get louder and louder as the guilt consumed his chest.
The girl then threw herself toward him, and Leon tried to scream as he felt her teeth on his neck.
The blond man woke up suddenly, gasping for air and lifting his torso off the ground, panting. His hand went instantly to his neck, and realizing that he had no injury other than that knife cut, he began to blink and regain his thoughts.
He was lying near a tree next to a large rock and camouflaged by some tall bushes. Slowly, his memories came back and sorted themselves out.
He had sat there to recover while he let the herbal mixture take effect. He must have been more tired than he thought, for he didn't even notice when he fell asleep.
His body had recovered, but his mind still didn't look like it was going to heal.
Closing his eyes again and taking a deep breath, he runs his hand down the back of his neck. His confused thoughts slowly cleared up, and he clicked his tongue in disgust as he remembered the two lives he had taken.
Leon opened his eyes again and looked at the wound in his abdomen. As he moved, the wound still hurt, but it no longer bled or hurt as much as before, and it looked better than it had earlier.
A sigh escaped his lips. He would never get used to those herbs, it was almost too good to be true.
The wound on his forearm and neck, as well as the one on his abdomen, had also closed, and seemed to be healing even faster than he had thought.
Curious, he soon looked up at the sky. It didn't look as if he had slept for very long. It certainly didn't feel like it.
Getting up somewhat slowly, he grunted as he felt his head throbbing. He hated nightmares, and these were already becoming part of his life. He wondered if he would ever be able to sleep without worrying about them.
A silly hope, of course, because he knew that, due to his work, he should get used to waking up in the middle of the night, sweaty and panting after a nightmare.
His eyes fell on the pouch around his waist. Considering that a week ago he was surrounded by people and friends, he would say that he was already living a nightmare at that very moment.
Sighing, he runs a finger over the blade of the knife in his hand, before placing it around his waist.
Removing his shirt that he had tied around his abdomen, he puts it back on, not caring about the blood that smeared on the side. It was only to hide the knife handle.
He hoped it would be easier to get the other two vials.
Without wasting any more time, he came out of his small hiding place, looking carefully around as he moved slowly.
The forest seemed empty, but having been taken by surprise before, he would be suspicious of anything at that moment.
Turning, he began to walk towards the tower he had spotted earlier, with luck he would be able to find something there.
At every moment he felt this strange sensation run through his body, this chill that went up and down his spine. He felt as if he was being watched from all sides, as if at any moment something or someone was going to jump on his back and try to stick a knife in his flesh or take a chunk out of his neck.
Was this what he would have to deal with on a daily basis? The feeling that at any moment something would attack him? Keeping his guard up at all times, even while he slept? If he could sleep at all.
How could anyone get used to that? In theory, it seemed almost impossible.
Not soon enough, he finally reached said tower. Smoke still emanated from the place, and Leon ran his eyes around carefully.
The tower had been destroyed by some kind of explosion. Fire was still burning in some places, and pieces of metal were lying around the area, probably from the explosion of whatever it was.
It didn't look like there was anything there, but surely that tower didn't blow itself up, not least because a short time ago, maybe a few hours at most, that tower was still standing.
With slow, careful steps, Leon began to approach, slightly bent over and with his right hand at an angle close to where his knife was. If something appeared, he would have to act quickly, hoping that the person attacking him didn't have a weapon, or that the creature that appeared wasn't a tyrant.
Other than the destruction caused, there was nothing on the scene, just fire, black soil from burning, and some places stained red. Probably blood.
What caught his attention, however, was that the blood had formed a trail. Someone had been injured, but managed to escape. Or, someone who simply won a fight and left another person to die in that explosion.
Either way, the important thing was what Leon would do now.
Should he follow the trail? Or simply ignore it?
He didn't need to think too hard, the answer was clear, it was his hesitation that made him freeze longer than necessary. He needed the other samples, that was a fact.
He could follow the trail cautiously and watch the stranger from afar, if he saw that the stranger had a pouch just like his, he would be forced to act. But if not, he wouldn't need to engage in combat, and could just walk away without having to hurt anyone, hoping that the person wouldn't see him and go after his vial.
As he took the first step to follow the trail, Leon looked at the pouch again. There was nothing special about it, no code, no markings, nothing. In other words, it didn't seem to be anything important.
William did not say that the pouch was mandatory for the conclusion of the test, only the vials. Which meant that he would not need to use it.
And unfortunately, this made things a bit more complicated, because if other people thought of it too, it would be even more difficult to find the vials, since he would be obliged to enter into combat with all the participants he came across.
His thoughts were soon abruptly interrupted when a cry for help was heard. His instincts screamed and he soon became alert.
A male voice, drawn, weary, seemed to have struggled to shout.
Leon put his hand on the handle of his knife, the call for help didn't seem too distant.
He stood still for a few more moments, until he heard the scream again.
He knew that this could be dangerous. That if someone was nearby they would also hear the scream, that whatever had happened to that man could happen to him as well.
But he still hadn't forgotten why he had decided to become a cop. Despite everything, he still wanted to help others.
And maybe it was stupid of him to be worried about whoever the person who screamed was. Maybe it was a mistake for him to start walking at a fast pace towards the scream. But he couldn't stop it, it was in his nature.
He walked into the forest, and after some time of walking, he finally found the source of the cry for help.
Ahead, a man was sitting on the ground with his back to Leon. He was slightly bent over, with his head down, and seemed to be staring at the ground, although the blond wasn't sure. The man was wearing clothes similar to his own. A gray blouse, with equally gray pants and shoes of the same color.
Leon opened his mouth to call out to the man the instant he saw him, but he was smarter than that. His instincts stopped him. The experience of everything he had been through up to that point hit him hard, and he closed his mouth.
This could very well be a trap. His blue eyes ran around looking for anything suspicious.
It didn't smell good, something was wrong, his skin tingled. Leon straightened his posture, controlling that urge to simply go to the man's aid, and with slow, cautious steps, he began to circle the area.
His breathing was ragged, shaky even. His heart was pounding and his stomach churned with anxiety. There was a pouch beside the fallen man, a pouch that Leon suspected was empty. Probably to attract more desperate participants.
Or, perhaps, cautious participants who were too curious to dare to approach.
As he walked, Leon could notice something on the ground.
There were small marks across the ground, forming something that appeared to be a circle, but not perfect, deformed in some places. In front of these marks was an area with trees closer to the man, and the grass was a little taller than where Leon was standing.
There could be something hidden there.
No... it was too odd. Anyone paying attention would know that it smelled like a trap, so why-
His thoughts were quickly cut short when he heard the sound of twigs snapping behind him, and Leon suddenly turned around.
His eyes widened and his throat closed for an instant, for as soon as he turned, the first thing he saw was a man with a bow and arrow made of wood with him in his sights, a few paces away, hidden behind tall bushes.
Ah, now that made a little more sense. The man didn't exactly want to kill the other competitors in the traps, but luring them in would be enough.
Leon tried to react, he threw his body to the side and put his arm in front of his face. However, it was not as if he would be able to dodge an arrow, even if it was shot from a wooden bow.
Nevertheless, at least for having raised his arm, the arrow hit him in the forearm. Leon groaned in pain and staggered a few steps. However, he recovered quickly and ran to the side, hiding behind a tree not far away.
As soon as he hid he could hear an arrow strike the trunk of the tree in which he was hiding.
Gritting his teeth, he looks at the arrow still stuck in his forearm.
Damn it! Those people just attack. They don't say anything, they just go straight for the kill.
Maybe... maybe that wasn't so bad. Well, not in relation to the fact that they wanted to kill him, but rather, because he would be forced to defend himself.
He didn't want to attack anyone, he didn't want to kill anyone, but if he was attacked he wouldn't allow himself to be killed.
Taking a few deep breaths, Leon tightened the grip on his knife and stepped out from behind the tree, running to the side quickly.
The man moved along with him, moving in a circular motion in the opposite direction of where Leon was running and shooting another arrow at the blond man. This arrow almost missed him.
The former policeman could feel the arrow graze his back.
He managed to reach another tree and his mind began to work quickly. His attacker had the advantage of distance. No matter what he did, he would be spotted.
He had to do something, and fast.
Looking around, he noticed that to his left, the trees were lined up a little closer together, which gave him more cover.
Well, better than nothing, he couldn't stand there forever, he would have to take a chance.
Before he could do anything, however, he hears the sound of twigs moving overhead, and as he looks up, his eyes widen when he sees the man leaning on a branch two or three trees away from where he was, with his bow pointed directly in his direction.
Leon moves away from the tree, hearing the sound of the arrow hitting the trunk again.
He runs a few steps, but stops abruptly when he sees something sticking in the ground in front of him.
Another arrow
Turning, he focuses his eyes on his attacker. The man aimed another arrow at Leon, who shook his head and this time counterattacked by throwing his knife.
The man was taken by surprise by the sudden attack, but managed to dodge it, although he ended up losing his balance a bit, which opened a small opening for Leon to run as fast as he could toward him.
The man looked at him again, and as he turned around, he jumped off the branch.
Leon watched in surprise as the man grabbed a rope tied between the two trees as he fell, and soon, wooden stakes tied together plummeted from the top of one of the trees and advanced quickly toward Leon, who, wide-eyed, abruptly stopped running and threw himself to the side, dodging.
The blond could hear the stakes passing dangerously close beside him at great speed, and he just mentally thanked God for being able to react.
However, he didn't have time to fully recover, because soon the man was already aiming at him again.
Leon gritted his teeth and, still on the ground, rolled to the side, dodging the arrow and getting up quickly afterwards.
The man began to move away as Leon approached, but not so fast, as he aimed another arrow in the blond's direction.
The ex-cop took a deep breath, his eyes grew wide and his pupils seemed to almost dilate. The air turned cold and it seemed that everything went into slow motion, his heartbeat echoing through his ears.
Leon saw when the man straightened his shoulders as he aimed in his direction, he could tell when his attacker's eyes focused on his target. He could notice when the man held his breath, moments before he released the arrow.
And it was at this very moment that Leon dodged, throwing his torso to the side without taking his eyes off his attacker.
The arrow passed millimeters away from his chest, almost cutting through his shirt, but he didn't care, all that mattered now was to knock out his attacker. As long as he could avoid spilling blood, he would.
The man seemed to mumble something, his wide eyes clearly showing his disbelief. He tried to move away, but Leon was faster and soon caught up to him.
The blonde landed a side punch to the man's face, who despite being hit, countered by turning around and landing a spinning kick to Leon's chest, sending him two steps backwards.
The former cop gritted his teeth, but recovered and advanced again. This time, the man attacked first with a high kick. However, Leon was quicker and ducked, landing a punch to the man's stomach.
His opponent grunted in pain, but recovered faster than Leon thought, and soon, hit the blond man with an elbow to the back, followed by a knee to the stomach.
Leon grunted, but ignored the pain, and as he took a step to the side, he hit an elbow to the side of the man's torso, followed by a hook to the chin and a side punch that knocked his opponent down.
The man sputtered a little, his back went up and down in a gasping motion, and he seemed to cough a few times.
Leon stared at him, feeling a little lost as to how to proceed. The plan was still to knock him out, but... now, with him on his knees in that situation, jumping on his back and choking him until he lost consciousness seemed a little more difficult than simply landing a punch to the chin hard enough to knock him out.
But he could do neither, for he was soon struck by surprise on the side of his leg with a piece of broken branch.
He groaned loudly in pain and knelt on his stricken leg. Without time for him to recover, the man stood up, grabbed the arrow still stuck in Leon's forearm, and pulled. The blond man grunted, but soon his grunt turned to a cry of pain as the man plunged the wooden arrow into the side of his torso, just below his ribs.
Leon gritted his teeth as he felt the man pull the arrow again, but before he could be stabbed once more, Leon grabbed his opponent's arm, feeling the adrenaline rush through his veins, making him ignore the pain he felt.
The ex-cop countered with a punch to the man's face, hitting him right in the nose. Getting up easily, he landed another punch to the side of his opponent's face, and with great force, landed a kick with the tip of his foot right in the middle of the man's throat
The man gasped heavily as he was hit by the blow, saliva spurted out of his gaping mouth and he immediately brought his hands up to his neck, gasping for air.
Leon was panting slightly, a small grimace of pain on his face as he felt the blood trickle down his wound.
His blue eyes scanned the man's body. He had slightly torn and bloodstained clothes, he was dirty, probably had been there for some time.
Shaking his head, Leon stood beside the man and hit him with a hard kick to the head, knocking him out.
The blond man took a few deep breaths, trying to ignore the pain and started to search the man.
As expected, he had nothing but that bow and arrow. However, Leon, although he didn't exactly find a weapon, he did find something... better, depending on one's point of view.
A grenade.
A fucking grenade. Jesus. And to think that guy could have blown up both him and Leon.
Well, he probably decided to save the grenade for a "special" occasion. It made sense. Used correctly, that grenade could be the most lethal thing in the forest.
Thinking for a moment, Leon opens his pouch and removes the green vial, replacing it with the grenade and keeping the vial in his pocket.
One never knows.
His attention turned to a small noise that seemed to be approaching, and Leon turned abruptly, thinking it was someone else who had found him.
However, Leon tilted his head to the side and arched his eyebrows in surprise when he saw that the noise, in fact, was a small drone.
The drone circled Leon for a few moments, who just stared at it in confusion, until the drone began to gain altitude, and just as it got a few feet above the tree tops, the drone exploded in thick green smoke.
The explosion caught Leon off guard. The loud noise and sudden flash made him close his eyes tightly and put his hands to his ears, being slightly dazed and hearing a dull buzzing sound after the explosion.
It didn't take long for him to recover, and after that Leon moved a few steps away, wary, watchful.
The green smoke seemed almost to glow in the sky. Similar explosions had happened far away, which caught his attention, intrigued. And then, in the distance, among the treetops, Leon could see what appeared to be purple smoke.
The young cop was even more intrigued by this. What could these explosions mean? Why was it happening right on top of where he was standing?
The earpiece buzzed, causing Leon to look down in surprise.
"You have only one hour to get to the island with the three vials. Unfortunately, there is only one boat. The location is, "Eyes mesmerized by the glow, words carried on the wind like smoke. To the side, home of the mechanisms that attract life, resulting in death that sustains life once again, in the center, your goal covered in blue." Good luck." William's voice echoed through Leon's mind, who widened his eyes in disbelief.
"An hour?! You said the lab isn't accessible for seven hours!" Leon exclaimed indignantly, but only grunted loudly in frustration after receiving no response.
What could that mean?
His heart began to pound again, and Leon took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
To recap, William said that they only had an hour to get to the island... not that they only had an hour to get to the lab. Maybe there was more of the test on that other island?
No, it didn't make sense. William would have said something, especially with part of the lab in sight.
... Wait...
With his eyes slightly narrowed, Leon picks up the vial that was in his pocket. Vial A-1, had a green color, similar to the color of the smoke that still permeated the sky.
According to William, the other vials were purple and red... in the distance he could see the purple color.
Leon clicked his tongue, eyes wide and teeth gritted in anger.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me..." He muttered low.
So that was his way of rushing things, huh? There was a reason for those explosions just before he warned about the remaining time.
He wanted the participants to face each other at once and leave soon for the other island by showing the location of all the vials.
With his heart nearly bursting out of his mouth, Leon takes the bow and arrows the man had and runs back towards the tower from before as fast as he could. He could see in which direction the purple vial was, but not the red one.
As soon as he arrived, he ignored the still hot parts of the destroyed place and quickly climbed the steps of the stairs not completely destroyed, but too hot for him to stay there for long.
When he reached a considerable height, he looked around. The smoke had mostly dissipated, but there were still barely visible particles in the air.
The purple was the furthest away, the red smoke was not so far away from where he was before, basically in the same direction.
It was then that he realized that the place where he was standing was another island. It wasn't exactly large, but it could take many minutes to cross it completely. Perhaps this was another reason why William gave away the position of the vials.
Rolling his eyes, he starts to run back towards the place where he was before. At this point, he was unarmed. A wooden bow, although of some use, was not exactly something he was used to.
He had to get his knife back. The blade probably fell close to the area surrounded by traps.
If someone else came and got it, it would be worse. But there was also a chance that someone was already there waiting for him since the explosion happened right over his head.
He had to be quick and...
... Wait...
No... this is wrong... he didn't have to be fast in that situation.
Leon stopped running at a slow pace, slightly out of breath as his eyes ran over the ground.
All the other participants are now heading towards the vials... all concerned with getting their hands on the goal and killing all those who get in the way.
But probably not all of them would think about that charade at that moment. It was almost certain that some of them would worry about it only after they had the three vials in possession.
"Eyes mesmerized by the glow"... nothing on that island remotely resembled an eye, so of course it was something that made use of such an organ. A place of observation, and what made the most sense, following that logic, was the burning tower behind it. "Mesmerized by the glow"... in many tales, poetry and books, it was mentioned how the glow of fire could be mesmerizing. The swaying of the flames reminded those attentive of a natural, beautiful dance that could become fatal.
"Words carried to the wind like smoke"... The burning tower, of course. It still had smoke emanating from there.
"Next door, home of the mechanisms that attract life, resulting in death that sustains life once again"... that didn't make much sense.
Mechanisms that attract life? What attracted a life?
"Resulting in death that sustained life once again"... Leon couldn't think of anything but hunting. Killing to eat, the death that sustained life.
A mechanism that attracted animals to hunt on an island... considering that he couldn't find any animals out there, and that he was surrounded by water, all he could think of was a fishing pole.
Maybe that building he had seen earlier? In the center would be the boat.
Well, that's what he had.
Looking at the surrounding forest once more, Leon changes direction and begins to run into the forest. The tower was to the right, the building he had seen when he was on that hill was a few hundred meters to the left.
So, if he had understood everything correctly, he would find the boat.
As he ran, Leon could see in his peripheral vision something moving beside him. He stopped suddenly and took cover behind a tree.
Leaning his body slightly to the side, he watched another participant make his way toward where the explosion had happened.
He was walking at a fast pace, slightly bent over and running his eyes around almost all the time.
Leon, luckily, was far away, surrounded by several trees that served as camouflage.
Waiting patiently for the man to move away, the blond continued to stare at him, and couldn't help but sigh when he saw that this guy carried a machete in his hand.
Did the question of weapons work the same way as the vials? Did certain participants start with a vial, while the others started with melee weapons?
Maybe... maybe not... maybe they were just lucky enough to find them in the forest, since the weapon the man Leon faced earlier was a bow and arrows made of wood.
Shaking his head, he continues on his way after the man gets far enough away.
The place was further away than he had thought, but after minutes of running, he finally arrived at a beach.
Gasping for breath, Leon turns back, running his eyes through the forest. He could still see the smoke emanating from the burning tower. And to his delight, he heard nothing, no sound of a fight, or that someone had followed him. Good.
Turning again, he runs his eyes around the place. There were a few containers around, each one a different color.
"Your goal covered in blue." He muttered the same words as William, running his eyes down the beach. "So, blue container."
At a quick pace, he begins to wander down the beach.
The sound of the ocean waves soothed him. All things considered, that place almost seemed normal. The warm sand on his feet even gave him a good feeling in the middle of all that shit.
A feeling that was almost swallowed by the bad ones.
It was a bit... hard to imagine that a few days ago he was in Raccoon... his body still hadn't fully recovered. That bite mark on his arm had healed, yes, but it still seemed to send spasms of pain at times. So did the licker claw mark on his chest.
He spent a long time just trying to ignore it. The silence of the place was almost deafening.
The next thing he knew, he reached the last container, and that's when the desperation returned, making his mind focus on the now and forget the very strange sensations in his body.
"No blue container..." He muttered to himself, and turning around, he ran all the way, passing in front of all the containers once again.
Nothing.
Slipping his tongue out in frustration, he starts opening all the containers, one by one, getting more and more frustrated with each empty container he found.
Until the containers were finished, and, panting, he stared at the empty interior in front of him.
Damn it!
He wanted to scream, his hands were clenched into fists. Was he in the wrong place? He couldn't be.
There were containers of many colors. Green, orange, red... but no blue. Did he interpret the puzzle wrong?
... No...
The realization clicked in his mind, and his eyes turned to the sea. Calm, small waves with a light breeze. The warm sun seemed to reflect in that intense blue water.
"... The boat is underwater." He muttered. A confirmation to himself.
That was the only thing that made sense, right? How the hell could he get a boat that was supposedly underwater?
By swimming? No... after all, it didn't seem that way. Nobody could pull a boat up like that without the proper equipment.
"... The destroyed building." He muttered again, gritting his teeth for the lost time and trying to run towards the construction he had seen earlier.
If his memory didn't fail him, that was the right direction.
He just didn't expect that as soon as he got closer, he would be met by another man.
A few meters away from the destroyed building he saw a man looking at him, surprised, maybe because he didn't expect anyone there either.
The man had dark skin, short black hair, brown eyes. He was tall and had a larger physique than Leon.
He soon began to move at a slow pace, looking at Leon attentively as he gripped the handle of an axe.
Leon clicked his tongue and picked up his bow and arrow, aiming toward the man.
The ex-cop had never shot with a bow before, he had no idea if he was doing it the right way. But it couldn't be that hard, right?
The man stopped walking for a moment, still staring blankly at Leon, until the man smiled. An almost arrogant smile.
"Holding it that way... you won't be able to hit anything." The man said, and immediately advanced towards Leon with the axe in hand.
The blond man released the arrow, and just as the man had said, he missed. The arrow was not shot that hard, and he had not held the bow steady enough to shoot straight, missing almost embarrassingly badly.
Leon gritted his teeth as he saw the man already a few steps ahead of him, and quickly, he ducks down as he throws his body to the side and tries to trip his opponent. However, the man, despite having missed the blow, quickly moved away, and immediately after attacked again.
He was fast.
The man tried a horizontal attack with the axe, but Leon dodged and tried to counter with a punch.
But it was clear that the man was well trained, more skilled than the blond was. Despite his training, he was just a cop.
Throwing his torso to the side, the man punches Leon under the blond's own arm, followed by a left hook, strong enough to make the ex-cop dizzy for a few moments, leaving him vulnerable for the next attacks.
The man landed a kick to Leon's stomach, followed by another punch to the face, causing the blond man to fall to the ground.
Leon gasped heavily, he was panting, his vision slightly blurred and blood spurting from his mouth.
"That pouch... one of the vials, I presume?" The man asked, walking around Leon with some composure.
The blond man moved his arm slowly downward. He was on his stomach, and the man did not see when he put his hand inside his pouch, holding the grenade.
The man then, with his foot, pushed Leon, causing him to roll over and lay on his back on the ground. As soon as he did, he raised the axe to kill the blond who widened his eyes.
"Wait! I'll give you the pouch!" He shouted, putting a hand in front of his face, his tired voice failing him on a few words.
He pulled the pin.
The man did not stop his attack, and Leon was forced to dodge to the side.
The man grunted in irritation and moved closer once more.
"You're going to die anyway." The man said, raising his axe.
"... I know..." Leon took a deep breath, without looking away. "But not here." Removing his pouch, he tossed it towards the man and ran backwards as fast as he could.
The man looked surprised for a few moments, and stared at the pouch after catching it.
It didn't make much sense... no one would do something like that.
Suspicious, he opens the pouch, but even after he realized that it was a grenade, he could do nothing. It was too late, and the grenade exploded.
Leon hides behind a nearby tree. When the explosion happened, he just let his eyes focus on the forest, still panting, thinking about what he had just done.
It was getting easier. Not the test, not that horrible feeling of having killed, no.
He didn't like it, and probably would never enjoy taking a life.
But... the thought of killing... the act of doing it... was already almost settling into his mind and body.
Well... apparently... it was past time for him to accept that.
Closing his eyes tightly, he takes a deep breath and turns around. His eyes focus on the destruction caused by the grenade. The ground had turned black, blood had stained the ground, and what was left of the man's body lay disfigured in the dirt a few meters from where he had stood before.
As much as the scene made him want to vomit, he couldn't leave the remains of that body lying there... it would serve as a warning to anyone else who arrived at that place, and that, would make whoever arrived there, be on the alert.
Bitterly, Leon takes what is left of the man's body and drags it into the forest, leaving only a few traces of blood on the ground.
Well, there wasn't much he could do about it.
Shaking his head, Leon enters the destroyed building.
It looked like a normal house, with destroyed walls and ceilings, until he walked to the back, where he found a door leading to a long corridor.
After following the corridor with cautious steps and descending some stairs, he arrived at a boat garage.
The door was open, but there was no boat.
The blue eyes of the ex-cop focused for a few moments on the fishing rods on the wall.
It was there... it had to be there. Where, exactly?
Leon began to scan the place, walking along the wooden platform with quick and somewhat restless steps.
It was then that, on the switch beside the garage door, he noticed that there were more buttons than normal.
As he pressed one of the light buttons, he couldn't help but be surprised to see a light come on in the garage... but underwater.
Leaning his body forward, he smiles slightly as he sees that below, there is another room with an iron door lit by a single lamp.
Standing up again, Leon pressed the button to close the gate, and as soon as he did, the water began to be drawn out of the room. The gate closed, blocking the water coming in from the outside, while at the same time another entrance drained the water inside.
A ladder descended to the side of the iron gate, and Leon shook his head slightly.
All he needed to do now, was to get the other two vials.
He didn't have to go after them, though. All he had to do was wait.
That, and set some traps out there.
Quickly, Leon left the house and ran his eyes through the forest. No one around, apparently, but that could change soon.
Hurrying, he walked over to where the grenade explosion happened and picked up the axe that was on the ground, placing it on his belt. Then he picked up his bow and arrow. Although inexperienced, it could still be useful.
After this, he walked into the forest for vines and wood. There was not much there, but the element of surprise would be his advantage.
Time was passing quickly.
He entered the house again and searched the destroyed rooms, shaking his head when he found a rope. All he needed.
Back outside, Leon did his best to cover the entire area in front of the door with dry leaves.
With the axe, he begins to take some wood splinters from a small log, making it round.
In a strategic place, he attaches the branch to the ground and makes a small area with a trigger, covering the area with leaves soon after.
If someone steps on the trigger, the branch will be triggered by the rope, and in a brutal way, the branch will be lifted and hit whoever is in the way.
He was thankful that he had spent so much time with his father. He just never thought he would use a hunting trap on humans.
The concepts were almost the same, only in greater proportions. And, of course, instead of stakes at the end of the branch, just something to hit the person hard enough to knock them out.
The same thing he did just above the entrance door, tying the branches on top of the door with a piece of rope.
Before he could even finish the second trap, he heard noise coming from the forest. Shouting, in the distance.
His heart raced, and quickly, he closed the door.
Running his eyes around, he searches restlessly for a hiding place, until his eyes fall on the destroyed roof.
Taking a deep breath, he runs to the kitchen and climbs up onto the pile of rubble and, with a good jump, grabs hold of the roof and pulls his body up.
At the top, he stands forward with bow in hand.
He was nervous. For what, exactly, he didn't know.
Maybe for everything.
He held his breath for a moment when he saw a man running through the trees. In his hands were two bloodstained and even torn pouches.
The man himself had blood on his gray clothes, tears in some places, and dirt.
His face looked somewhat bruised. His lip was cut, his eye was black and his nose seemed to be broken.
Leon stood motionless, watching the man intently. Something was not right, he seemed anxious. He was running with a certain desperation, and he doubted it was because of the short time.
It was as if he was being chased by someone.
Swallowing some saliva, Leon decides to wait. Anyway, even if the man made it to the boat, there would still be a vial missing.
Argh, Leon clicked his tongue. Unfortunately, he couldn't finish the trap above the door in time.
The man approached, it was clear that he was injured, and his desperation to finish the test made that his only concern. He probably didn't think that the place would be under watch.
Time for the truth, Leon tapped his finger on the wood of the bow, anxious, hoping that the trap would work as intended.
The man approached. Every step he took seemed to be watched in slow motion by Leon's watchful eyes. He gasped, and still approaching, the man looked back. A quick glance, something of a moment, and he stepped on the trigger of the trap.
The branch snapped, the ropes moved, the leaves drifted away. The man's eyes widened at the noise and he turned around again, only to be hit hard on the head.
The man fell, blood began to trickle from his forehead. The trap was broken, but it was no longer of any use. The guy agonized on the ground, seemingly holding on in consciousness by just a thread. The fatigue and the injuries before this were probably acting in such a way that the man could not recover fast enough.
This was a chance to grab the vials and run. However, whatever that man was running from, he could certainly catch up to Leon. It was better to eliminate the threat at once.
And this time, he would have to hope that his aim was better than before, because that bow was the only way to incapacitate the other person.
And it wasn't long before said person appeared. Another man, long blond hair, tall, with light skin. He was also wounded and tired, but unlike the other man on the ground, he seemed to have enough energy to finish the whole thing.
What caught his attention, however, was the knife he had in his hand. A knife extremely similar to the one Leon had thrown earlier, stained with blood.
Leon swallowed some saliva, the man began to approach with the blade in hand, a focused look on his face, going in for the kill.
Lifting his body slightly, Leon got into position with his bow, drawing the arrow to his chest. His hand held steady, but his breathing was too heavy.
The man stood a few steps away from the other, his knife already raised.
Should he shoot? Incapacitate them both? He didn't feel that his aim was good yet, his arms started to shake a little.
The man reached for the other. Sweat dripped down the side of Leon's forehead.
The guy on the ground tried to say something, but the other simply attacked, a top to bottom attack towards his neck.
The blond man's eyes widened slightly and he let go of the arrow. No matter what happened, neither of those two would get out of there.
But he would.
The knife stuck in the neck of the fallen man, and the arrow stuck in the chest of the man holding the knife, causing him to grunt in pain and fall backwards.
Leon acted quickly. He got up and ran across the roof, letting his body fall to the ground. After getting up quickly, he ran, grabbed the knife, and advanced to the fallen man, still alive.
His mind did not process exactly what he was doing. His ears didn't hear the man's words, he didn't feel in control of his own body. When he came to, the knife was stuck in the knee of the man who was screaming in pain, and his hand was gripping the handle of the blade firmly.
Hm... maybe he was a hypocrite. At least, he felt like one.
He wouldn't be cold enough to kill that man... but he would be cold enough to leave him for dead.
What would be the best option there?
... It didn't matter ... he succeeded.
It was them or him.
After picking up the silver-bladed knife, he turned around, walked over to the man with the slashed neck, crouched down and picked up the two pouches, looking inexpressively at the two vials in his hands.
Without looking back, he makes his way to the interior of the house, follows the long corridor, goes down the stairs and opens the iron door.
He followed another dimly lit corridor, until finally, after a while of walking, he arrived at that boat, covered in blue.
The boat was covered by some kind of protection attached to the boat itself, leaving it similar to a submarine.
"You only have five minutes. Just get in the boat." The voice on the earpiece said again, and after taking a deep breath, Leon did as instructed, and as soon as he closed the metal door, the iron door of the place closes, and the white wall in front of him rises, letting the water flood the place.
