Rose and Leon burst through some metal double doors and slammed them shut behind them. Leaning against them, they breathed heavily, trying to calm themselves in the aftermath of running through yet more ruins and avoiding being blown up by rocket launchers and torn apart by turret guns. It felt like by now humans were an endangered species on this side of Spain. Not only had they had to deal with rockets being shot at them and tripping over trigger lasers, they'd had to outrun those insects, and take down another pigman with a big gun attached to his arm as well. They were both thoroughly dead on their feet. It was never ending.
They'd finally entered the Sanctuary, however, so that was good news. There was no electricity in the entrance hall, but there were dozens of candles lit at the base of a statue depicting a woman with a hood on, her hands folded up in prayer. There were stairs on either side of her, and Leon and Rose took the same ones to move on. The place seemed to be built into the mountain, as the walls were rough and unsculpted. No real art hung on the walls, and it was honestly very underwhelming.
As they walked through the tunnel like hallway, more candles were sat on the ground, lighting the way with flickering light. "I can see Ashley," Rose whispered.
"Yeah," Leon breathed in relief. She was lying on a stone table directly under an elaborate chandelier made of wood and candles. She looked asleep, but with how quiet it was, Rose was comforted by being able to hear her breathing.
"She's okay," she relayed to Leon. "But weak. We should hurry."
Leon didn't question her, seeming to just accept that Rose would now be able to sense things he couldn't. It was just something else he'd have to file away for later. They ran forward and up the stairs to see Ashley lying on her back, black veins taking up the expanse of her face. Leon reached forward, but stopped like he'd hit a brick wall. Rose instantly became alert, looking from him, to all over the room, spotting Saddler walking up opposite of them. Leon's arm began to react, the veins darkening and clawing up his forearms.
"You've come, my child."
Rose lifted her gun and fired at him, the bullets piercing his chest. "What do you want?" She snarled, rounding the table to get between her friends and Saddler. The cult leader grunted, but only shot her a heated glare.
"I simply wish to share this gift with as many as possible. A humble wish, don't you think?" His white robed lackeys had also entered, taking up position on either side of the throne chair Saddler had been behind. Rose kept them in her sights, switching between the three of them with confidence. She still had a huge bone to pick with this guy, but she couldn't deny how she kept herself at a distance from Leon, and she hated herself for it.
Saddler noticed, too, and smirked at her. "You see, we are all connected through the holy body. And now your flesh and bones...your very thoughts, are already one with us." He sounded like a proud grandfather, but none of them were impressed. "Even you, agent Kidman, will share the glory of Las Plagas, once I get my hands on you."
"I thought I was being sold to the highest bidder," she snarled, this information being new to her.
"You've become more than a thorn in my side," Saddler answered. "Upsetting my flock, distracting my pawns. You are strong, and will make a viable bodyguard."
"Like hell," Rose spit, her glare being hot enough to melt metal.
"Bullshit," Leon grunted at the same time and Rose sent a quick look at him, feeling grateful for the backup, even if he was physically restrained by his own body. Saddlers grin melted off his face, and he began to pace around them, ignoring Rose's gun on him the whole time.
"Why do you reject serenity? When you need only accept the sacred gift? Like..." he raised his hand over Ashley's prone form. "She did." He pushed her head to face Leon, pushing him over the edge.
"Saddler!" Leon cried out as his body jerked and Leon had to catch himself on the edge of the stone bed. Saddler began to cackle.
"Oh, yes! The time has come...for this lamb to join our covenant!"
"Leave him alone!" Rose shouted over him, having enough of his bullshit. Instead of shooting at him, she shot at the staff. The parasite screeched, recoiling, and Saddler screamed out in response at the same time Ashley started screaming in her sleep and Leon began shouting in pain as he fell to his knees. Saddler was still yelling out whatever moronic speech he'd prepared for them as Rose lifted Ashley's body from the table.
She ducked when she heard the whizzing of a TMP half a second before the bullets sprayed out. They peppered across the chests of the white-clothed individuals, across Saddler's chest, and the wall. Leon fell to all fours as the parasite released him.
"Leon! Go!" Ada shouted from somewhere behind them. She continued to shoot as Leon struggled to his feet. Rose gathered Ashley up in her arms and repositioned her so that she could comfortably run with Ashley. They darted for the back exit, and a chain plinged as Ada shot down whatever it had been holding up, sealing them off from the room. Ashley's pulse was faint, sluggish enough that Rose began to sweat in fear more than exertion. Leon was grunting, limping like he was hurt. Both of them had bad veins all over them, covering every inch of exposed flesh.
Rose briefly wondered if she could carry both of them, but she was exhausted and Ashley was dead weight. Leon would have to walk on his own, and he was using the wall to keep him upright. They neared the end of the hall to see a map, a LED light illuminating the paper.
"Ugh, Laboratory B...looks like it's this way," Leon said, turning right. "It's...Luis' lab," he explained. "The machine will...get this thing out of us." The faint, labored sound of Leon's breathing was the only thing that kept her grounded in the present. His footsteps were unsteady, dragging along the floor with a muffled scrape as he used the wall for support. She could see the strain in his jaw, the way his eyes narrowed with the effort of keeping himself on his feet. The veins on his neck were dark and swollen, and she knew it was only a matter of time before he'd fall, too.
Rose nodded, and surged forward when Leon lost his footing while trying to open up a metal door. She caught him, juggling Ashley precariously in one arm to keep them both up. The hallway was long...so long it felt like they'd be walking for miles. Leon helped her hoist himself back up, repositioning himself so that he could use the wall again. Leon grunted as they neared a sharp turn, his hand sliding down the wall for balance. His movements were jerky, uncoordinated. He was pushing himself too hard, and the bloodshot whites of his eyes gave him a haunted look. He looked at her once, as though seeing her struggle in her own silent war. There was a moment—just a moment—where their gazes met, and in that fleeting instant, Rose saw something in him that made her chest tighten even more.
He was breaking too.
"Hold on, Leon," she said, voice tight as she pushed forward again, trying to take on more of Ashley's weight. "Just a little more…"
He grunted, pushing off the wall with one hand, stumbling to stay with her. "I'm not—I'm not going to slow you down," he managed, though it was clear his pride was at odds with his condition. "This... this needs to end. We're so close."
But how close was close enough? They'd been running on fumes for so long, fighting against something they couldn't truly understand. Every step they took felt like it could be their last. Rose couldn't stop thinking about how much she had already changed.
As they rounded another corner, the door to Laboratory B came into view. It was just ahead now, its metal frame gleaming faintly in the low light. Rose could see the faint outline of the glass windows, the sterile, cold interior beyond. It was almost there.
Leon's breathing was shallow now, each step harder than the last, and he kept grunting and coughing with the effort, but Rose refused to let him fall behind. She tightened her grip on Ashley, using all her remaining strength to move them forward. The doors loomed, and Rose walked ahead to push the doors open with her back, the resulting hiss and rush of cool air causing shivers to run down her back violently.
"Ashley first," Leon said, his voice sounding like he was talking around a mouthful of rocks.
"No, you go, Leon," Ashley spoke for the first time through a whine.
"No way," Leon denied. "It's like I told ya. We're gonna get you home safe."
Rose sighed, watching him warily a moment before she approached what looked like a dentists chair and laid Ashley down on it. She strapped her in as Leon stumbled over to the control panel. The bright lights were shining down on them, x-ray photos and medical equipment mixed with science equipment littered the room. Rose walked over to where Leon was, watching him look between a file on the desk and the computer as he got to work trying to figure out what to do.
He pressed a button and a screen lit up, displaying an x-ray of Ashley's chest and the adult parasite nestled in her body.
"Oh God," Rose breathed, looking at it with wide eyes. Leon grunted, clicking the mouse.
"This time it has to be different," Leon mumbled. "Here goes nothing."
Three long metal arms descended from the top of some metal contraption Rose had no name for. They each had cylinder nozzles on them, and they pointed directly at Ashley's chest. The room filled with the sound of them charging, and then a red beam of light erupted out of all three, landing directly over the parasite's location. Ashley's back arched and she screamed with the pain, sending pinpricks to Rose's eyes in sympathy.
Ashley continued to scream as Leon rolled over in the chair he'd been seated in and grabbed onto her hand with both of his while Rose kept her eyes on the parasite, watching as it resisted the attack. The three beams of concentrated energy pulsed and crackled, the red light flickering across the walls like a warning beacon. It was as though the parasite inside her body was fighting against the assault with every ounce of strength it had. The veins in Ashley's neck bulged, and the infection in her skin seemed to throb in time with the sound of the machine. The parasite wasn't going down without a fight—it wouldn't.
Rose's heart thundered in her ears as she watched, feeling helpless. Beside her, Leon let out a low, strangled curse as he leaned forward in his chair, his hand gripping Ashley's as though his life depended on it. "Come on… come on, just get it out of her…" he murmured, his voice thick with desperation. The veins creeping up his arm had turned darker, more pronounced as the virus inside him fought to hold on. She could see the sweat beading on his forehead, the strained expression on his face, and the grim determination that had hardened into something like quiet fear.
The machine whirred louder, almost in tune with Ashley's screams. Rose could hear the sound of the parasite shrinking, fighting to burrow deeper, as though it could sense the threat. The nozzles released an audible hiss as the red beams intensified, more concentrated now. But even as they burned into her chest, even as the machine fought to excise the parasite from her, Rose could feel the tension in the air.
It wasn't working fast enough.
Ashley's scream hit a high pitch, and her body convulsed again. The girl's eyes were wide open, locked in an agony that Rose could only imagine. And in that moment, something inside of Rose broke—just a little bit. She saw Ashley, really saw her, and it was like seeing herself. They were both infected. They were both fighting for their lives in the same hellish way, desperate to cling to the last shred of humanity they had left.
Leon's grip tightened on Ashley's hand, his fingers nearly white-knuckled as his own breaths grew more ragged. Rose could feel the weight of his fear—a fear not just for Ashley, but for himself as well. He was still fighting, still pushing through the pain, but the infection in his body was spreading faster now. The veins on his face, his neck, were darker, thicker, more pronounced than they had been moments ago. He was beginning to lose his battle, and Rose could see it.
No, she couldn't let this happen. Not now. Not when they were so close.
"Ashley, stay with me!" Leon's voice cracked as he turned toward her, his desperation palpable. "Stay with us! You can do this!"
Ashley's body spasmed again as the machine's beams pulsed once more, each wave of energy seeming to burn deeper into her chest. Her mouth hung open in silent agony, her breath coming in ragged, uneven gasps. But despite the pain, she was still alive. Still fighting.
The monitor beeped, displaying the parasite pulling apart and disintegrating under the lasers treatment. Ashley's orange shirt was soaked with blood, but she collapsed against the chair, breathing fast and hard, but awake, and alive.
Rose smiled as Leon leaned up, also panting as the veins receded on Ashley's arms and face. But the smile quickly faded when Leon fell over sideways, his body slipping from the chair as he passed out.
"LEON!" Both Rose and Ashley screamed. Rose bent down to pick him up as Ashley clambered out of the chair with weak, shaky legs. The girl tried to bend down to help but Rose brushed her aside.
"I've got him, go over to the monitor and push start when I strap him in."
Ashley nodded as Rose heaved Leon up into her arms bridal style, just as she had done for Ashley. As gently as she could, her muscles straining under his dead weight, she lay him down on the chair and strapped his wrists down. She took the vacated seat beside him, her hand trembling as she reached out to hold his. His skin was cold, too cold. She could feel the dampness of his sweat, the feverish heat of his body, and she couldn't stop the tears that began to form in her eyes. She refused to let them fall, blinking them away in quick succession, but the weight of everything—the fatigue, the guilt, the heartbreak—pressed down on her chest like an iron vice.
His fingers twitched weakly, and for a brief moment, she thought he might be waking. Her pulse quickened in hope, but it faded just as fast as the movement stopped.
"You're gonna fight this off, Leon Kennedy," Rose swore as Ashley pressed the button. "You're gonna live a long time. You're gonna fall in love again, you're going to get out of this life and be happy." He couldn't hear her, but she was speaking it into the universe anyway. Tears were filling her eyes as she carefully chose her words, saying a goodbye to him that she knew she wouldn't be able to say if he were awake. Because by now she knew there was no chance of her getting off this island with him and Ashley.
She didn't look away from him for a moment as the machine got to work. The lasers pointed at his chest and lit the room up, giving him the same treatment. His body jerked violently, his back arching up the same way Ashley's had. She held onto his hand tightly, trying to let him know any way she could that she was there with him. That he wasn't alone. His pulse began to race too fast, entering heart-attack territory as he began to scream.
"Don't you dare, Leon," she muttered, her voice trembling. "You fight. You live. For me. For you. For Ashley."
Tears spilled over, hot and unstoppable, rolling down her cheeks as she closed her eyes, the darkness of the room blending with the darkness that had been slowly crawling under her skin. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep up the fight. How much longer she could hold onto this thread of hope. But if she had to give up something for them to survive—if she had to sacrifice everything—then she would.
When the machine finished its work, Leon collapsed against the chair, his heart rate returning to normal. Rose let a sob escape as her eyes caught the 'complete' flashing across the monitor. Ashley came to stand beside her, looking at Leon and silently begging him to wake up, because she couldn't hear his heart like Rose could. To her, he looked dead. Blood was staining his own shirt now, dripping onto the floor. Rose took Ashley's hand in one of hers, though she really wanted to keep both hands on Leon.
"He's okay," Rose assured her. "His heart is strong."
Ashley let out a relieved breath, letting tears of her own fall down her cheeks. "It's over, right?"
Rose nodded. "You're going home."