5

Leon and Claire sat with their backs against the door, trying to catch their breath now that they were inside. The sounds of metal being bent out of shape had subsided, and the menacing moans of the undead had slowly decreased in number.

"Okay…" Claire whispered. "We're okay…"

"You saved my ass back there!" Leon whispered back "Thank you"

She grinned, stood up, and offered her hand. "Well, I did owe you one."

Leon smiled back and took her hand, using it to get back onto his feet. Claire looked around, realizing she was in the same room she had been in earlier...just before the horrific incident with Officer Elliot.

"Jesus..."

Leon's voice brought Claire out of her brooding thoughts, and her eyes followed him to the corpses and crimson pools littering the hallway. "I'm sorry" Claire said quietly, indicating a pile of officer's bodies. "Did you know them?"

Leon shook his head sadly. "No," he said. "Today was supposed to be my first day on the job."

Claire tried to imagine how her new friend must be feeling right now, seeing his new colleagues splattered across the hallway. The sadness in his face said it all as he made eye contact with her and continued, "I was supposed to start last week…" He said, "But I got a call to stay away. I never knew why. Until now."

"Well. I'm glad you listened." Claire replied. "I'd hate to think what could have happened back at the gas station if you weren't there to help me. I'd say you're nailing your first day...all things considered."

Leon pulled his eyes away from the gruesome scene and gave her a small smile, but then suddenly shivered; either from shock or because his clothes were absolutely soaked.

Claire said, "Come on. Let's go and see if we can find you some dry clothes. Marvin might be able to help."

"Lieutenant Branagh?" Leon asked through chattering teeth, throwing his soaked jacket onto the floor.

"Yeah," Claire replied. "He's alive, but he's hurt. This way."

On the way to the lobby, Claire tried to hail Marvin on the two-way radio while simultaneously updating Leon on the plan and what it involved to escape.

Leon smirked and said quietly, "What is this, a video game?" as he navigated the dark corridors.

"I wish," Claire replied, matching his tone. "At least then I could pause to catch my breath… Come on, Marvin! Why won't you answer me?"

Claire suddenly stopped at a corner and put a finger to her lips. Leon nodded in response and readied his weapon. She risked a glance around the corner and shone a beam of light down the hallway, then let out a tense breath. "They've gone" she said.

Leon's puzzled look prompted her to quietly fill him in on her earlier close encounter with several zombies as she approached the shutter. "Here, help me with this" Claire said as she crouched and tried to get her fingers under the shutter, but there was no gap for either of them to grip.

"Damn it!" Claire exclaimed, realizing that with the devastation from the crash site and the zombie horde, there was no other way back into the lobby.

Leon gently took the flashlight and said, "Here." He shone a beam of light on the fuse box next to the closed shutter. "Look, it's missing the fuse," he added. Then he directed the bright beam across the floor. "There!" he cried, and Claire's eyes fell on the small rod. She walked forward a few steps and picked it up.

Leon said, "Maybe the zombies knocked it out when they were trying to get at you."

Claire turned back to Leon, shaking the fuse in her hand with a small smile. "Or we really are stuck in some video game cliché" she scoffed and placed the fuse into Leon's open palm.

"Alone in the dark - Raccoon City edition" Leon smirked back, as he pushed the fuse into place.

The pair entered the vast lobby, and Claire made her way quickly over to where she had left Marvin. He was sprawled across the seat, and his radio had fallen to the floor. Claire knelt beside him, and placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Marvin?" she said gently.

Marvin suddenly sat upright with a guttural scowl. Claire scooted back and Leon brought his firearm up at the sudden movement. "Claire...?" Marvin questioned weakly. Leon then lowered his aim, letting out a small breath. "I'm here" she answered, and moved closer. Marvin's tired eyes fell on the other figure. "Leon. Sorry...looks like your welcome party, is cancelled"

Taking in Marvin's appearance, Leon stated, "We need to get you to a hospital," as he joined Claire's side.

Marvin suddenly raised his hand at the young man's insistence. "Listen to me. You two need to go. You need to go now. Find survivors if you can, there is safety in numbers. But if they're bitten, then you leave em? You got it?"

Leon shook his head, "Lieutenant? I cant do that...it's my job to-"

"Listen!" Marvin barked, cutting Leon off. "Once you're bitten, then it's over. I've seen it more times than I can count. Stay away from the undead. But keep in mind that anyone who's been bitten can turn on you, it's in the saliva I think...this disease or whatever it is! That's why I'm done for and why I'm staying put."

Marvin turned away from the despairing look on the younger man's face and turned his head to the side and gave a small nod, indicating a large box on the floor. Coughing, he said "Riot gear, It won't make you zombie-proof, but it's better than nothing, rookie."

Leon wanted to argue, but Marvin had said his piece, and knew a lot about the current situation. It would be best to heed the advice... even if it felt wrong. Clenching his jaw, Leon made his way towards the supplies as Claire took Marvin's hand. "Is there nothing we can do?" she asked sadly.

With eyes now half-closed, Marvin replied, "Yes. You can get out of here safely, Claire. Do that for me."

Leon had changed behind a small screen, and the pair made their way towards the western side of the station. After waking from a brief period of unconsciousness, Marvin had mentioned that another statue lay in that direction, as well as the S.T.A.R.S. office. S.T.A.R.S. stood for Special Tactics And Rescue Service, and was Chris' division. So it was possible that Claire might find more information about her brother, as well as some helpful supplies.

Claire glanced over at Leon, who was leading the way, thinking to herself that he looked quite handsome in his dark blue uniform.

Okay, Claire. You're in the middle of the apocalypse. Get your head out of the gutter...

She didn't realize she was grinning, until she saw that Leon had turned around and was looking at her with a raised brow. "Something funny?" he asked.

Suddenly, Claire averted her eyes, feeling somewhat embarrassed and worried that Leon might have some superpower that allowed him to read her thoughts. "Sorry" she said quickly. "My mind was... elsewhere."

Leon smiled slightly. "I get it," he said. "It's easy to let our minds wander to happier memories when we're stuck in this…" He flicked his arm outward. "…hell, but we gotta stay focused... okay?"

"I know," Claire sighed, relieved she'd gotten away with explaining her true thoughts when a sudden flash of red blocked out the streetlight streaming in through the window just behind Leon. "What was that!" She exclaimed, and her expression caused Leon to turn suddenly, and back away. "Zombie?" he questioned.

Claire frowned. "No." She said. "It moved fast, like some kind of animal..."

Leon carefully approached the window and looked out onto the street. "The wind is picking up" he said after a moment. "Perhaps it was a trick of the light?"

"Maybe..." Claire replied, unsure. She knew that the human mind could play tricks, especially when that mind was frightened to the core...and Claire couldn't recall ever feeling as terrified as she did now.

"Let's go", Leon stated as he carefully opened the western door. Claire sent a beam from her flashlight down the darkened corridor. It seemed impossibly long, but that was just her mind playing tricks again. A bright, white flash lit the window at the far end of the corridor, and she felt her body suddenly flinch. A few seconds later, a low rumble shook the building. "Even the weather's against us", Claire whispered when she entered the corridor after Leon.

"Certainly starting to feel that way," Leon whispered back as he took slow steps forward towards the sound of a radio. Using his flashlight, he inspected every inch of the corridor. "Damn..." He sighed as he knelt down next to the hunched body of another officer.

"Oh my God", Claire exclaimed quietly "Look at him. What the hell did that?"

Leon placed his hand gently on the dead officer's forehead, and pushed back to take a closer look. Half of the dead officer's face was missing, as well as a good chunk of his throat. "What the fuck!?" Leon gasped, noting that the fatal injury looked like the work of a huge bite...

The sound of a kicked can suddenly startled the pair, and Leon shone the beam of his flashlight around the corner of the corridor. He suddenly felt the grip of Claire's hand on his shoulder, as she shook him firmly.

"Leon!?" she said in a barely audible whisper, and his eyes followed hers to a shadow on the ceiling. He stood up slowly and raised his flashlight to the glistening red hump that hung only a few feet from them.

Claire whispered urgently, "What the hell is that?"

Leon didn't know where to begin! It looked like some kind of giant, fleshless dog-lizard with huge claws, and its head had an almost humanoid appearance, with rows and rows of razor-sharp teeth.

The pair backed up a little when the creature opened its mouth, and an impossibly long tongue emerged, whipping at the air as if searching. Almost frozen in shock, Leon had kept the beam of his flashlight on the creature, but the fact that he couldn't tear his eyes away suddenly worked in his favour when he noticed the creature's fully exposed brain.

Claire whispered "Why is it just sitting there!"

Matching her tone, Leon replied, "I don't think it can see us"

Claire looked at the creature's horrifying face, and understood.

No eyes...

The tongue of the creature suddenly whipped past Claire's face, and as she instinctively jumped back, she slipped on the gore under her feet. She hit the floor hard, and her cry suddenly alerted the creature to her presence. The thing let out a blood curdling screech, and dropped to the floor with cat-like grace. And it moved fast -impossibly fast- towards it prey.

Leon kicked at the side of the thing as it passed, and then opened fire. But the body shots only seemed to anger it more, and it whipped it's tongue around so swiftly, that Leon didn't even realize that it had hit him until he felt the force knock his head to the side, and the burn of the wound across his cheekbone.

"HEY!" Claire shouted, after swiftly getting to her feet. The creature threw it's head towards the new sound, and readied to whip it's tongue again, when -aiming at the exposed brain- Claire emptied the clip of her firearm.