Almost near the end! Depending on how long the chapters are there aren't that many left. I'm already starting on the sequel too, so stay tuned for that. I'm still mapping that out though, because with Rose being infected, I don't want to make her Wesker-level God status, you know? I'm working on NEW character flaws.

Rose couldn't take her eyes off of Leon the entire time he was asleep. His breathing was not steady, though she could tell he was in REM. He kept grunting and his arms danced with black veins before they would disappear, being fought off by whatever he'd injected into his body. She could smell the suppressant in his blood. It was a very strange smell, but whatever it was, it was sickly and clinical, as if he'd been doused in anti-bacterial. Ashley now carried the same scent, though hers was a little bit stronger as the medicine had to fight harder to keep her parasite at bay. She was further along than Leon was, and Rose was surprised at just how clearly she could sense them. She felt a little bad that she'd forgotten they were infected until now.

Ashley woke up first, whimpering and holding her head in her palms. Rose turned, careful not to jostle Leon.

"Ashley," she whispered breathily. Ashley dropped her hands and began to smile, but as soon as she looked at Rose, her smile dropped and she gasped, her hand flying up to her mouth and she scooted away from her on the mattress, fear shocking her in her place.

"Rose! Your...your eyes!"

"What's wrong with them?" Rose huffs. "Leon stared too."

"They're...they're orange!"

"What?"

"They changed color!"

Rose really wished she had a mirror because it was beyond frustrating to not know what both Ashley and Leon had freaked out about. She felt different, but she couldn't see the changes. Was her eyes the only physical difference? She raked her hands through her loose hair, but it was still the color she'd dyed it last. Her injuries were all healed up, and she felt like she had energy to last another couple days.

Ashley looked over at Leon next, apparently satisfied that Rose wasn't about to attack her. "Should we wake him up?"

Rose shook her head, settling back down next to the sleeping man and putting her hand back in his. "No, let's give him a little longer."

Ashley nodded, laying back on her back and lifting her knee as she closed her eyes in an effort to rest a little more before the chaos restarted.

Maybe ten minutes later, Leon's brows scrunched up in confusion as his breathing changed and he woke himself up. He groaned, and Rose shifted, having sat on the hard floor with him the entire time. His eyes opened at the movement, quickly locating her and staring in awe for a moment before shaking his head as if he couldn't believe she was still there. She smiled smugly at him.

"Told you, I wasn't going anywhere."

"Hmm, should have believed you."

Ashley sat up, grinning at him. "Leon?"

Leon turned his torso, throwing his arm up onto the short table. "Sorry, I'm late."

Leon began the climb to his feet, helping Rose up along the way as Ashley threw her legs over the table. "No," Ashley dismissed, looking at her newly deveined arms. "Thank you. You brought the medicine just in time."

Ashley stood, looking around the room they were all in. "Where's Luis?"

Leon sighed, his voice soft and respectful when he spoke. "He was worried about you...until the end." Leon then rolled his eyes and glanced over at Rose, who stood a few feet away. She was silent, her troubled expression giving away the fact that she hadn't fully accepted Luis's death yet. Leon could see it in the way her jaw clenched, the way she kept looking at the ground like she might find some piece of him still alive.

He cleared his throat, trying to lighten the mood a little. "Said something about meeting you at a bar in heaven," he added, the corner of his mouth curling into a half-smile. "Guess he figured the afterlife would be a lot more fun with you there."

Rose scoffed, but the sound was more of a chuckle than anything else. Her lips quirked upward as she glanced at Leon, her eyes meeting his with a knowing look. "Guess he's gonna have to wait a little longer for that fantasy to come true."

Luis wouldn't get the peace he'd hoped for. But neither would they.

Ashley looked down at her arms again, her gaze hardening as she processed everything—the parasite, the pain, the fear—and then she looked back up at them, looking somewhat fierce. Like how a lion cub was on his first hunt. "We'll give him a funeral when we get back home. We'll do it for all the people who died here."

Leon and Rose smiled, patting her on the back.

"Keep that compassion," Rose said. "It's showing your resilience. You're going to be okay."

Ashley's eyes flickered for a moment, as if her fierce exterior was softening just enough to let the words in. For a second, it almost seemed like she might tear up, but she quickly shook her head, pushing away any hint of vulnerability. Instead, she nodded, her lips pressing together in a tight, resolute line.

"Yeah," she muttered, her voice steadier than before. "I'm not going to forget who I am."

Leon gave her a brief, approving nod, and Rose's expression softened with a hint of pride. "Come on, we don't have much time. Let's get rid of these things."

"Yeah," Ashley agreed, and they turned to head out the door. Rose didn't even have a weapon other than her knife, so Leon handed her his shotgun, promising to find the merchant soon. Leon dug out his communicator, turning the dial with sure fingers.

Once Ada's face appeared on the screen, Rose felt a wave of emotions pass through her. She just knew Ada had something to do with this. As much as she wanted to grab the communicator from him, it wasn't the time, and they had more important things to worry about than why she got a flashy new eye color.

"Ada, come in. There's a lab where we can remove the parasites. Had a crazy hunch you'd know where it is."

"Their most important facilities are housed in their sanctuary at the top of the mountain. That's where I'd look," Ada responded without a greeting.

Leon huffed. "Ada, the encyclopedia."

"Happy to help. Now you owe me."

"Ada, wait!" Rose called, but the woman had already logged off. Rose grumbled, annoyed that she'd been avoided. Leon sent her a long look that she couldn't decipher, but she just shook her head, not wanting to talk about it.

The area they walked into looked like a busted-up warehouse. Exposed wires were sparking over their heads, and whole sections of concrete wall were collapsed. There were metal lockers lining the walls, some hanging open, and piles of garbage just discarded on the floor. The whole place smelled like rotting corpse and a city dump. Rose wrinkled her nose, trying hard not to gag by how strong the scent was, and wondered how the other two weren't literally throwing up.

The gate to move on was locked, and Ashley looked up and pointed at an opening in the wall. "If you give me a boost, I can do it," she offered.

"Hell no," Rose said, eyeing the wiring that was sparking so badly that the wires were moving on their own. "I'll do it."

"But-"

"Sorry Ashley, but the last thing we need is for you to get electrocuted."

She sighed and nodded, stepping aside for Leon to crouch and lift Rose up the wall. She did with surprising fluidity that surprised both Ashley, and Leon. Not a wince, or a shimmy. She lifted herself through the opening with no difficulty at all and then jumped down to the other side, grinning from ear to ear as she unlocked the gate. "I feel...amazing," she announced. She expected Leon to be as happy as her, but he looked more worried than anything else. So, her smile melted and turned into a frown, her success suddenly tasted like ash.

The room beyond had a blue flame, and Rose felt increasingly happy to see the merchant standing beside it. "I've got some new items in stock, hehehe," the merchant announces as they approach.

Rose hands Leon back his shotgun and he leans over a little to talk to her. "Get whatever you want. I've got more than enough to cover it."

"What'd you do while I was gone? Go treasure hunting?"

"Something like that," he chuckles.

The merchant's eyes gleamed with a sickly, triumphant light as they approached, his lips twisting into a smug grin. His cloak rustled slightly in the faint breeze, and despite the oppressive atmosphere, he carried himself with a kind of eerie confidence. It was as if the very air around him bent to his will, and the unsettling feeling that had been gnawing at the back of Leon's mind only intensified.

"Ho ho ho, didn't I tell you to watch out for surprises?" the merchant chortled, the sound almost sickeningly gleeful, as he eyed the three of them with a look that bordered on the predatory.

Leon paused, brow furrowed, as he looked the merchant over more carefully. There was something about his demeanor that had always seemed off, and now that odd sense of unease was solidifying into something much more concrete. The merchant didn't just know where they were—it felt like he'd been following them, tracking them, for far longer than they'd realized. Leon wasn't sure how he had slipped under their radar, but it was clear now that he wasn't some run-of-the-mill opportunist. He was playing a different game.

"How'd you know?" Leon asked, his voice low and cautious, his hand inching towards his gun as a cold realization began to form in his gut.

Rose tensed, her eyes narrowing as her gaze flicked between Leon and the cloaked man. She didn't say anything at first, but there was a sudden shift in her posture—like a lightbulb had gone off in her head. "That's how you've been able to follow us," she murmured under her breath, the understanding dawning on her face. "You're infected."

Leon stiffened at the words, the air around him growing suddenly thick with questions, none of which had answers. He had suspected something—something about the merchant's ability to slip through the shadows undetected, about how he always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. But hearing it out loud, having it confirmed in this grotesque, smug tone, made it all feel so much more real.

Rose's expression darkened, and she shook her head, glancing toward Leon as if trying to make sense of the situation. "It's the same infection that's inside me," she realized. It was the only conclusion she could draw. " That's how he's been able to follow us without us knowing. It's how he's still alive, and—" She hesitated, her face clouding with uncertainty. "It's how I'm still alive."

Leon's eyes flicked between Rose and the merchant, the pieces beginning to fall into place, but the picture it created was more disturbing than anything he had imagined. Rose—infected? He had suspected it, of course. Her strength, her strange sense of perception. It made sense. But the implication... she was infected the same way this thing was? And it hadn't made her go rogue, hadn't turned her into one of the mindless killers that plagued the world now?

He opened his mouth to respond, but the merchant cut him off with a low, mocking laugh. "Ah, not to worry, stranger! Our blood types mean we just get better. You won't turn into a monster."

Leon clenched his jaw, trying to work through everything in his head. "Don't worry," Leon said, looking at Rose with a resolute firmness. "When we get to the lab, we can take that thing out of you, too."

"Dr. Brenner is just going to do some tests, okay, sweetie?" Dr. Mueller's face was soft, her round stomach poked through her lab coat, and little Rose was more interested in asking invasive questions about 'why she hasn't removed the tumor' instead of worrying about why mean ol Dr. Brenner wanted to see her.

Rose shook the random memory off, suddenly feeling very cold. "I don't think it's the same thing, Leon," she said sadly.

Leon apparently disagreed, but it didn't matter. Rose had realized the truth and there wasn't anything they could do about it. If she wanted to be infection-free, she'd have to go to the source, and she didn't even know where that was. Otherwise, she'd have to die.

Rose didn't feel like arguing, though, and stepped up to the merchant's table. "I need a new pistol, and some first aid."

The merchant's grin only deepened, his eyes glinting with an unsettling satisfaction as he slid the Punisher across the table. The weapon gleamed under the dim light, its sleek frame almost too pristine for the hell they were living in. The merchant's words were laced with a mocking undertone like he was making some private joke at their expense—at her expense.

"Ah, you'll find it's just the right fit," he said, his voice dripping with amusement. "Fully upgraded, just like its new mistress, eh?"

Rose's stomach churned at the insinuation, her pulse quickening with discomfort. She felt his eyes on her, too perceptive, too calculating. She hated it. The way he looked at her made her feel like she was nothing more than a product—just another object for him to appraise and manipulate.

"Stop it," she hissed, her voice colder than she intended, but it was the only thing she could manage. The unease was growing, the feeling that she was being sized up, her every move under his scrutiny. And it wasn't just the Punisher that made her skin crawl—it was the way the merchant seemed to derive pleasure from her discomfort.

But he didn't stop. The merchant leaned back slightly, his smile never faltering. His eyes locked onto hers with a knowing glint, the kind that made her feel like he knew something she didn't want to acknowledge. His voice dropped lower, almost a whisper, but with that same mocking tone that made her skin prickle.

"Don't be so shy," he cooed, his grin widening further. "You've embraced the infection, haven't you? Look at you, strong, aware... alive. There's no shame in it, not anymore. Embrace it, and you'll find the world is your playground."

Rose's chest tightened. She wanted to tell him to shut up, to make him stop acting like he understood what she was going through. But instead, she just stood there, her hand brushing the cold metal of the pistol, trying to steady herself. She didn't want to be like him, didn't want to turn into whatever twisted thing he had become. She didn't need his approval.

Instead, she picked up the Punisher, her fingers trembling slightly as she gripped it tightly, not letting herself linger on the fact that it felt far too familiar in her hand. She'd already been marked by this infection, whether she liked it or not. She was alive, yes. But what had she lost in the process?

She turned away from the merchant, keeping her voice steady as she spoke. "I'll take it," she said, her tone cutting through the air like steel. "And the first aid kit. Let's get this over with."

The merchant's grin faded just slightly, but his eyes never lost their gleam. He reached under the table with a lazy, almost theatrical gesture and pulled out a grimy medical kit, setting it beside the Punisher with exaggerated care.

"There you go. All the essentials. You should know, these items aren't cheap," he said with a chuckle, but Rose wasn't listening. She didn't care about the cost or the theatrics anymore. She was done playing his game.

Instead, her thoughts were already elsewhere—back on Leon and the strange conversation they'd just had. His words had been sincere, but the more she thought about it, the more they felt empty. Take it out of me. Like it was some kind of tumor. But this wasn't a tumor. It was inside her, part of her, coursing through her veins. She could feel it, twisting and shifting, like it was waiting for her to make a move.

She had already begun to realize the truth she hadn't wanted to face. If she wanted to be free of it—truly free—she'd have to go to the source. But where was the source?

"Rose." Leon's voice broke through her thoughts, pulling her back into the present. He was watching her, his eyes full of concern—an expression she wasn't sure she deserved.

She turned to face him, offering a tight smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Let's get out of here," she said, her voice low, almost tired. She didn't feel like talking anymore, didn't feel like reassuring him or herself. Not when everything was still hanging in the balance.

As Leon nodded and moved to follow her, the merchant's voice stopped them one last time.

"Remember," he called, his tone dangerously light. "The infection doesn't just make you stronger... it makes you more."

Rose felt a shiver run down her spine. She didn't turn back. She couldn't afford to. She knew what he meant. And that was exactly what scared her.

Outside was a cacophony of loud noises that irritated Rose's sensitive ears. Crows were cawing, and she could hear the inhumane yelling of the ganado militia just passed the metal gate. The sound was mechanical like they were shouting at each other through a megaphone. There were stairs, but for once, Rose wasn't afraid of them. She was the first one to bound up them, her footsteps quieter than she expected them to be, and Leon and Ashley shared a concerned look behind her back. They'd never seen her move so fast, so graceful before.

The gate was locked when she threw her shoulder into it, but besides a small sting, she felt nothing. She tried to force the disgust with herself to come, knowing that everyone she loved would hate what she was, but it was overshadowed by the fact that now she was essentially a superhuman. "We have to find another way," she said to Ashley and Leon as they slowly made their way up the stairs. To her right there was a ladder that dropped down, so she took the liberty of jumping on her own, a wide grin on her face when she stuck the landing perfectly.

They didn't understand how good it felt to not rely on someone else to get around. She felt whole. She could go up ladders, jump down them, and run upstairs without worrying if her leg was going to give out. They'd never lost the ability to do something so fundamental...how could they understand the joy she was feeling right now? She couldn't stand to look at their judgmental faces, and the pit in her stomach grew as she tried not to think about how her relationship with Leon would develop. What did this change between them?

She followed the twisting paths of refuse under a metal frame that had torn tarps reaching down like discarded old flags, piles of concrete debris, broken wooden crates, and abandoned tractors all piled up along the sides. There were construction spotlights set up around every other corner, burning bright and lighting up the area to look like daytime. It must have been at least one in the morning now if not two. The witching hour, Dr. Mueller used to call it.

They crouched as they rounded an area separated by a tall chain link divider. Concrete blocks served as their cover as they snuck up on an axe-wielding ganado. Leon swiftly rounded the chain link and stabbed him with his knife, pulling him towards his chest and yanking the knife out just to kick him away with a grunt. They then took up their regular formation with Leon taking point and Ashley in the middle. They walked up another set of stairs, Rose eyed what looked like giant water tanks, or maybe oil tanks, she didn't know what they were, but hoped that whatever they were, they wouldn't explode.

Leon opened a door at the top of the stairs to a metal building and Ashley begged for him to be careful as they walked inside the darker, smokey room. The megaphone-speaking guy was closer and sounded like he was giving some kind of pep speech in his Spanish tongue.

There were three boilers on the far side of the room, creating an uncomfortable heat in the room. A ganado with a weird gas mask helmet was at the end of the walkway, holding a long staff that was buzzing with electricity. The sound was loud, and annoying to Rose, like when you're overstimulated and the television was buzzing too loud. Leon shot him, his head careening back as his body fell to the floor and the electricity faded as if the guy had been holding down a button for the hell of it. If the sound wasn't so annoying, Rose would admit that she probably would have done something similar.

Unfortunately, the gunshot announced their arrival to everyone in the vicinity. Shouts sounded throughout the room, and a new ganado showed up with a metal shield. Much harder to get around than the wood ones back at the castle. It was like everyone was leveling up with each new area they went through, and though she had yet to see these new monsters Leon was worried about, she wasn't sure she wanted to know how bad it'd gotten. Leon took out the shield guy's knees and darted forward to kick him to the ground and shoot his newly exposed head, quickly dispatching him.

Two more ran down the hallway, and one came up behind them. Rose turned to the one behind them, first, and delivered a kick so strong to his legs that she heard as well as felt the crack as his tibia fractured. The ganado fell to the floor, and Rose was on top of him in only a moment, taking out her knife and driving it smoothly as cutting into butter into his skull. She jumped back, turned, and pulled out her new pistol, shooting with a steady, precise shot, freeing Leon from the grip of a particularly tall ganado. They turned around and went up a staircase to the second floor.

The second floor had a cluttered desk, a computer, a box of ammo, a locker with more ammo, and an open window to get them outside again. Rose collected the ammo, a satisfied look on her face. "Hey, maybe we won't have to waste so much money on ammo with the merchant now."

"Maybe," Leon agreed. His voice was different, and it made Rose frown. It wasn't cold like when he'd been mad at her, but she could definitely tell something was different. He walked over to the window and there was a switch on the wall with a pull lever. He pulled it down, and outside a door opened up. He let it go, and the door fell down again. He sighed, looking over at Ashley.

"I got it," she said quickly, as if afraid Rose was going to stop her again.

"I'll go unlock that door down below," Leon said and caught Rose's eye.

"I'll watch her," Rose confirmed, trying not to let it show how this new dynamic was affecting her. He smiled tightly at her, then turned around and backtracked down the stairs. Ashley pulled down the switch to open the door.

Only a few moments passed before Rose heard the electric buzzing sound and the door opening downstairs. She readied her new gun and stood in the doorway as three ganados ran up. Bracing herself on the frame, Rose picked herself up and used both legs to horse-kick the nearest ganado. He crashed into the others, sending them all spiraling back down the stairs. Next, she readied her gun and fired three rounds, one for each of their heads. One of them exploded as a parasite whipped around, and it stood up, slashing at Rose with a razor-sharp end. She dodged it expertly, catching the tentacle in her hand and firing her pistol at the bulbous head instantly. It dropped with a wet thud, and she caught movement out of her peripherals, and swung her gun to point at the next threat.

Only it was Leon. He stopped moving, staring at her with wide eyes. Had he seen her catch the tentacle? Was he impressed or scared? Rose froze for a brief moment, the gun still aimed in the direction of Leon's chest, her heart pounding in her ears. His wide eyes locked onto hers, a mix of confusion and something else flickering behind them—something she couldn't quite place.

She lowered the gun just enough to signal that it was okay, but the moment still hung between them like a charged wire. She could feel the heat of the fight still buzzing under her skin, the adrenaline that had just coursed through her veins quickly fading. Her hands were still trembling slightly, but she forced herself to regain composure. This was no time for weakness.

"Sorry," she muttered under her breath, feeling the awkwardness of the moment settle in. But even as the words left her mouth, she could see Leon's gaze shift from her to the bodies of the ganados—already beginning to crumple, lifeless, except for the twitching parasite remnants still spasming.

"Rose," Leon breathed, his voice low, almost in disbelief. He took a slow step forward, his eyes scanning her more thoroughly now, as if seeing her for the first time. "That was..."

"Yeah," she cut him off, trying to make light of it. "I'm full of surprises, huh?" She straightened, wiping her palms on her pants, suddenly self-conscious. She hadn't meant to be so showy.

Leon's mouth opened slightly, like he was about to say something more, but then he seemed to catch himself. Instead, his eyes flicked toward the fallen ganados, their bodies still sprawled out awkwardly on the stairs.

"Impressive," he finally said, a hint of admiration—maybe even disbelief—lining his voice. His lips tugged into a small, surprised smile. "But maybe... save the acrobatics for later?"

Rose couldn't help the quiet laugh that bubbled up from her chest, even as she glanced at the bodies and the mess she'd just made. She hadn't had time to think about it. Everything had just happened so fast.

"I wasn't planning on it," she said, glancing back at Leon with a half-smirk. "But I had to make sure you weren't walking into the middle of a parasite orgy."

Leon gave her a brief, amused shake of his head, but she could tell the tension had eased between them—just a little. He seemed to realize, too, how close he'd come to getting caught up in the aftermath of her fight.

"You're... different now," Leon murmured quietly, his eyes once again lingering on her like he was processing what he'd just witnessed. "But I guess I don't have to tell you that."

Rose's smile faltered for a second. Different didn't even begin to cover it. She was changing—and she knew it. The infection was in her blood and if it had made her more dangerous, more capable, it had also made her question every instinct she had. Was it the infection that made her faster, sharper? Or was it just survival?

"I'm still me," she said, quieter this time, trying to convince herself as much as him.

Leon nodded slowly, his brow furrowing slightly. He looked like he was going to say more but stopped himself, possibly sensing the shift in her mood. Instead, he gave her a look that was both protective and concerned.

"You are," he agreed finally, his voice steady, though there was a quiet understanding beneath it. He turned toward the stairs, stepping over the fallen ganados. "But let's keep you alive long enough to figure out what that means."

They called Ashley down and she happily relinquished control of the door so the three of them could exit through the one Leon had just unlocked. They ran down the hallway full of more servers and power conductors, to the area beyond that the window had overlooked. Moonlight was streaming down onto the tall metal staircase and a ganado stood at the first landing. He chucked an axe at them, and Leon quickly shot him before he could throw another. He didn't go down though, as the parasite mutated and wiggled around in the air just like the last one had.

"Twisty son-of-a-bitch," Leon commented as he shot twice more, killing it. They ran passed the body and sprinted up the stairs. Two more ran at them at the top, one with a long pipe and the other with a metal shield. Leon took out the knees of the one with the shield and Rose shot the one with the pipe. Rose's enemy went down, falling over the rail with a yawp, and the guy with the shield dropped to the floor, his shield falling away from him as Leon ran up and stomped on his head. The sound that came from the skull breaking was sickening, but at least it wasn't getting back up.

A fourth ganado lit up his electro-stick and tried hitting Leon in the back with it, but Rose surged forward, grabbing the stick and yanking it away from him, only to shove the electric end into his own chest. The body convulsed, the skin and clothes turning black as it fried him and he fell with a smelly 'thud'. "Thanks," Leon said as he backed up and motioned for Ashley to follow him.

They rounded the corner and a parasite with the long spider legs jumped out at them. Rose reacted instantly, grabbing it by the tail and flinging it away from her before it could attach. Both she and Leon fired at it, making sure it curled in on itself before running away. They entered a room that smelled like straight human excrement. Rose gagged, doubling over by the strength of the smell and pulling her shirt up over her nose. Her shirt, unfortunately, didn't smell much better, but it was a filter for the smog that tried to claw its way down her throat.

Leon looked at her, somewhat amused, not realizing that everything that was bad for him, was horrible for her, and she wasn't used to that yet. It was sort of like watching a newborn fawn try to get her legs underneath her. She sent him a withering glare, but there was no heat behind it. He crouched down in the open section of the pipes that stretched over the disgusting water, and he looked over his shoulder at Rose, sympathy a myth on his face. "I think this is the only way out of here."

"Are you kidding me? We can't look around? There's no way they are all crawling threw a sewer tunnel to get back and forth," Rose complained.

"I'm with Rose on this one," Ashley said, her nose wrinkled with disgust. The poor girl was wearing a skirt, too, which meant she was getting nasty shit all over her legs.

"Sorry," Leon smirked. "You wanna get out of here or not?" The thick, rancid smell seemed to seep into her very skin. Every breath she took felt like it was coated with something foul, something she'd never be able to wash off. She heard Leon's low chuckle, but it only made her more frustrated.

"Seriously?" Rose shot him a look that could melt steel, but Leon was unfazed, smirking back at her with that same cocky expression he always wore when he was a little too sure of himself.

"You're telling me you'd rather not find the only way out of here just 'cause it smells bad?" he teased, watching her face twist in disgust.

Rose exhaled sharply, rolling her eyes. She'd never admit it, but part of her did want to find a way out—this way or not. The deeper they went, the more they were getting sucked into the nightmare. But there was no other way out, she knew that.

"I swear," she muttered under her breath, "I never thought I'd find myself crawling through literal shit just to escape."

Ashley, who was trying to maneuver as gracefully as possible in her skirt (which wasn't working, judging by the look on her face), let out a soft groan in agreement. "Are we really doing this?" she asked, as if the words alone might somehow change the situation. "I mean, no offense, but this is beyond gross. I don't care what you guys say; this isn't normal."

"Tell me about it," Rose replied, her voice strained as she tried to ignore the muck splattering against her boots. She'd seen horrors before—infected villagers, grotesque parasites, terrifying monsters—but this... this was something else entirely. The smell alone was enough to make her question her life choices. "But unless you've got a better idea, this is the way."

Leon gave a small, almost sympathetic shrug and started sliding into the narrow gap in the pipes overhead, pulling himself up onto the rusted metal beams that ran along the ceiling. "Believe it or not, it happens more often than you'd think," he said, then glanced back down at the two women. "You two coming, or should I leave you to enjoy the atmosphere?"

Ashley crossed her arms, grimacing but not moving. "And you think that's going to motivate us?"

Leon shot her a wink. "Works on you every time."

Rose snorted at the exchange, despite herself. The way Leon was so effortlessly comfortable in this madness always got under her skin, and yet, there was a strange relief in knowing that he was still the same—a little cocky, a little too sure, but always dependable when it counted.

She gave Ashley a resigned look before pulling herself down under the narrow section of pipes. "Let's just get this over with," she muttered, finding a way to balance on the slimy ground, the greenish-brown water sloshing around her ankles as they made their way through the cramped tunnel.

Ashley followed closely behind, still grumbling, her shoes squelching in the muck below. "You know, if I never have to see another sewer tunnel in my life, I'll be happy," she grumbled, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Rose shot her a look. "Join the club."

The silence that followed was thick with the shared discomfort. They crept through the tunnels, the only sound being the occasional scrape of metal against metal and the unsettling echo of water splashing beneath them.

It wasn't long before they reached a dead end, a thick metal grate blocking their path. The air here was even more suffocating, the scent of decay overpowering. Leon helped lift Rose out of the water and onto dry ground, and she turned to grab Ashley's hand as he lifted her as well. Leon followed up shortly after and the three approached metal double doors with switches on either side of it.

"Alright," Leon said as he went to the right. Ashley ran over to the left switched and assumed the position while Rose just stood in the middle, waiting to see if a sewer monster was going to jump out at them or not. "We do it together, on three."

"Behold, the Bog of Eternal Stench!" she announced with exaggerated theatrics, throwing her arms out wide like she was performing a bad Broadway number.

Ashley stopped, staring at her in confusion. "What...?"

Leon glanced over at her, a bemused smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Really? Now?"

Rose threw him a quick wink. "You know you love it," she said, her voice light but her body tense, ready for whatever might be lurking ahead.

Ashley shot her a look of disbelief, one eyebrow arched. "Yeah, well, I'm just trying to survive in this literal bog of eternal stench, Rose. Not exactly in the mood for 80s movie references."

Rose gave her a playful shove, her grin wide despite the situation. "You'll thank me when you're escaping giant sewer rats and headless frogs in the next life."

Leon chuckled, though it was dry. "Okay, okay, enough with the theatrics. Let's just get this over with." He gave a quick nod to the hallway ahead. "On three."

Leon counted to three and he and Ashley tugged down the switches in sync, allowing the lock to blink green before turning solid and the doors clicked loudly as they unlocked. Ashley sniffled as they walked into the next room, which was underwhelmingly free of monsters. The blonde girl sent a reproachful look to Rose.

"See, no ROUS's around here."

Rose scoffed, as if this was her plan all along, but secretly proud of how Ashley was keeping up. "I'm pretty sure those don't exist."

"What are you two even talking about?" Leon chuckled as he moved past them. Ashley and Rose both gawked at him, mortally offended.

"You're shitting me, right?" Rose asked, flabbergasted. Leon simply shrugged his shoulders and Ashley giggled by how upset Rose was getting. "Okay, The Princess Bride is going on the list."

Leon smirked at her and leaned in close to her ear so Ashley wouldn't over hear.

"Maybe we should just turn our movie date into a sleep over."