11

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

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

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

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

Claire frowned. "She didn't seem very helpful just now." She sighed. "Plus, I don't think splitting up is a good idea."

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

Claire looked away frustrated, but 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 won't." He said. "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 were all occupied by lifeless inmates, but none stirred as he passed. Leon turned a corner to notice a well-lit cell, with 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 smiled up at her friend.

Claire turned her gaze onto the young girl, and banished the worry from her face. "I know," she replied, pulling a bottle from her pack. "Hey, Sherry. Do you want a drink?"

"Oh, yes, please" said Sherry as she took the bottle. Claire's ears caught the sound of footsteps and she turned to see an older man approaching.

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

Sherry suddenly brushed up close to Claire's side, and the young woman got the feeling that this man wasn't a relative to the little girl. The man got closer... "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 at Claire "On the ground," the man quickly snapped "hands behind your head."

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

At the sound of Leon's footsteps, a male voice called out, "Hello?" Moving forward even quicker, Leon replied, "Hey."

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

Leon asked the stranger, "Have you been down here long?"

"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 back, "Hopefully, he's somebody's dinner by now"

Leon frowned at the stranger and asked "What do you mean by that"

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

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

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

Leon placed a hand on his hip and replied "Sorry...I can't do that. I have to talk to the chief first."

Suddenly, a gunshot was heard from the direction of the parking garage. Leon's thoughts immediately turned to his friends. He turned quickly in the direction of the 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 to himself. Leon pulled his arm free from the man's grasp, asking " What. What's coming?" When a familiar voice calling his name caused the young cop to turn his attention back to the hallway ahead.

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!"

Leon placed a hand on her shoulder, and said calmly, "Claire...calm down. Who took Sherry?"

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 when suddenly the wall behind the man imploded, and a hand reached through the wall and grabbed the man by the head, completely smothering his face. To their horror, the man's head shattered under the grip, and the mighty hand released its victim, allowing the lifeless corpse to slide down the wall. The large arm disappeared back through the hole, but the all-too-familiar footsteps could be heard coming from the other side of the wall.

Horrified at what she'd just witnessed, Claire whispered, "Leon... we need to get out of here!"

Shaking off his own horror, Leon replied "I know" and quickly made his way towards a control panel. He flicked a switch, and the cell door slid open. Leon ran into the cell, trying to avoid making eye contact with whatever was left of the stranger's skull and angry at himself for not letting the man out sooner. Leon grabbed the keycard from the floor. "I've got our way out" he said over his shoulder.

The pair quickly made their way 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 echoing from the surrounding walls.

Claire cried, "Not him again!" But suddenly, Leon pushed her to the left. "That way, quickly!" he exclaimed as the Tyrant sensed their presence and sped up towards the pair.

Claire ran, with Leon close on her heels. The path looped around the Tyrant, leading the pair back to the garage door. Claire crashed through the door with Leon close behind. 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. As the dust cleared, a huge arm swept outwards, knocking Claire away. Then the arm turned back to grab Leon by the throat, lifting him from his feet.

Claire pushed herself up from the floor, horrified to see her friend hopelessly struggling to pry the Tyrant's mighty hand from his throat as it slowly began choking the life out of him. "No..." she cried desperately. Horrified that there was nothing she could do to help him.

Claire's brother Chris had always taught her not to allow herself to become unarmed, but she had let her guard down, allowing Sherry's kidnapper to take away the thing she now needed most. And now, Leon was about to pay the ultimate price for her mistake.