Leon's brow furrowed and he groaned as he started to wake up. Rose was just putting the suture kit she'd found away, and lowered Leon's newly bandaged shirt. She'd stitched up Ashley pretty fast as well, having done her first lest Leon woke up to find Ashley topless. The girl had giggled about it, finding it endearing, but in practice, they both acknowledged that'd be horrifying.

"Rose?" Leon asked, his voice strained and raw from the yelling he'd been doing in his sleep. Even when he was passed out, Leon suffered nightmares, and it had killed something inside of Rose to see him like that.

"I'm here," she said softly, grabbing onto his hand. He squeezed her hand in his, grounding himself.

"I feel...better."

Rose chuckled around a new wave of tears and nodded. "Yeah. It worked. Las Plaga's didn't get you," she said lightly. He smirked, trailing his hand up her arm and cupping the side of his face. Their eyes met, and she leaned down so their faces were closer. But at the last second, Leon turned his face away, dropping his hand.

"But it did get me," he said lowly and Rose heaved a heavy sigh.

"We will talk about this," Rose promises, empty and full of false hope. "But right now, we've gotta go kill this asshole and get out of here."

Leon nods, swinging his legs over the edge of the chair and testing his strength. He was back to a full 40 percent. Feeling slightly more rested and a lot more like his blood was clean again. It wasn't a full nights sleep, shower, and decanter of whiskey, but it was enough to get them through the rest of this day. Ashley came back around, smiling and hugging Leon as tightly as she could without hurting them both or irritating their stitches. They'd have to be taken out, cleaned, and redone by someone else later, but right now it was enough to keep their chests closed and stop the bleeding.

Ashley motioned around the room, awe on her features. "So, all of this? Removing the parasites...This was Luis?"

"Yeah," Leon confirmed, walking up to the next set of doors past Ashley. "We're alive. Thanks to him."

They walked through the doors, finding shipping containers and bridges awaiting them. The long patch mostly unencumbered by debris, though things were stacked up high on the sides. The doors at the other end were sealed, so they doubled back and lifted Ashley up onto the container.

"You're getting good at this," Leon teased as Ashley climbed up and ran over to drop down a ladder for the agents to follow.

Ashley giggled girlishly. "Right?"

Rose chuckled, shaking her head in amusement. As they climbed up and ran across the top of the containers into a small concrete room, Ashley checked in with Leon.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm good," Leon confirms. Ashley shared a look with Rose, but they didn't have any reason to think he was lying. They opened a door that led to a cave, stalactites and stalagmites thickly layered throughout the area.

As they wandered in, Ashley sighed, glancing around the room with worry. "That woman who helped us...do you think she's alright?"

Rose snorted, sharing an amused look with Leon. "Yeah," Rose answered comfortingly, patting Ashley on the back.

"Oh, I'm sure she's fine," said Leon, a bit of irony and admiration creeping into his voice. Ada was like a cockroach. Albeit, a pretty one. "She's not the type to roll over that easy."

"Sounds like you know her well," Ashley said, looking over to Rose as if this were a tea party and she was about to see drama. Rose was also curious, though, and looked over at Leon, waiting to see what he had to say. He had yet to tell her how he knew Ada, despite having grilled Rose how she knew her.

"Not well enough," he huffed. "Let's just say she's a part of my life I've had to learn how to let go."

Rose winced, not ready for the emotions that brought up in her. Not jealousy, certainly not that, but a certain sense of foreboding. She filed it away for later. They were creeping up on dooms day, and she was already starting to rehearse her speech that was ultimately going to break her own heart. They hopped down ledges, the rocky earth crumbling under their boots. They dropped down two more times, until they were on the ground floor and Rose placed her hand on Leon's forearm.

"There's more of those bugs in here," she warned.

"How many?"

"A lot."

Leon let out a low, slow breath and looked over his shoulder at Ashley. "Give us some space, but don't leave our sight," he commanded.

Ashley nodded, and Rose stepped away from Leon in order to fall into a new formation. Ashley was behind lean but further away than usual, and Rose walked to Ashley's side. The chittering of the bugs ricocheted all throughout the cave, followed by the low hum of wings. Pebbles fell to the floor, and Rose could see the faint lines that didn't match up on the wall, spotting the camouflaged bugs as they surrounded them on the walls. Leon noticed Rose looking all around them in horror, and tightened his grip on his gun, turned silently, and caught Ashley's eye, only to point to the narrow passage ahead of them and mouth 'run'.

Ashley didn't hesitate, her feet already moving, her eyes wide with understanding. The air was thick, suffocating with the promise of violence, and they couldn't waste another second.

Rose felt her heart skip a beat as Leon shot her a look, then turned to face the narrow passage that led deeper into the cave. The bugs had noticed them, and the sound of their chittering grew more frantic, more aggressive. It was a race now, a sprint into the unknown, and there was no turning back.

Leon fired a quick burst into the dark, the sound of the bullets ricocheting off the walls adding to the chaos, before he broke into a run, taking the lead. Rose moved fast to follow him, her feet pounding against the stone floor, adrenaline surging through her veins. The sound of Ashley's hurried footsteps came from behind her, but there was no time to look back.

The tunnel ahead of them seemed to stretch endlessly, dark and twisting, and every shadow on the wall made Rose's heart race faster. The bugs were following them. She could hear their wings getting louder, the steady pulse of their collective movement sending a sickening chill down her spine. Leon suddenly skidded to a halt, raising his gun. A bug leaped at him from the wall, right beside a fallen pillar. He fired, even as the bug dug its sharp pinchers into his already wounded shoulders and he cried out in pain. Rose shot at it, sending it falling to the ground from the force of both guns. It shrieked as it shriveled up, and Leon turned his back just in time as the bug exploded, blood and guts, and fluids soaking the surrounding rocks, the pillar, and his back.

Ashley whined as they were forced to crawl through it to get under the pillar. It was slimy and rancid, and burned a little bit, but they hopped to their feet as soon as it was reasonable and Leon helped Ashley up a large incline. Ashley pulled herself up, and made way for Rose, who allowed Leon to help her up as well. Rose turned and crouched, extending her hand to let Leon grab onto it as he gave a running jump. Their hands held fast, and Leon clung onto her as if she were the one falling, and letting go of him once he was with them again almost felt painful. The next jump was a little less steep, so all three were able to pull themselves up with no trouble, and they stood before a golden door.

The doors opened easily, like the hinges had been oiled for them. It was a nice change of pace, but Rose wasn't comforted. It was quiet. Too quiet.

They hopped over a wall, and Rose heard the buzzing, able to warn Leon right before another bug jumped out at him. He dodged it, spinning around and shooting it three times. It dropped, and they all jumped back as this one exploded as well. Leon and Ashley climbed under another pillar, and Rose followed, her footsteps feeling heavy, her stomach in knots of anticipation for what was to come.

"How are you on ammo?" Rose asked as they walked through a random metal section. They could see the sky from here, and it was lightening up with the sunrise. It had to be around five a.m, and the scent of the ocean was cleaner than it had been by the castle. It smelled like freedom.

"Got enough," Leon grunted, double-checking as they both reloaded. Rose nodded, a calm settling in her body. Her mind even cleared, zeroing in on her next steps, refusing to think beyond that. Leon led the charge outside, pulling out his binoculars and scanning the construction and tall metal towers ahead. He sucked in a breath, turning his head to momentarily look over at Rose. "He's got Ada strung up like a flag."

"He knows we're coming," Rose nodded, tasting bitter resentment and protectiveness over the woman that honestly scared her a little bit. Both her and Leon's faces hardened as he stowed his binoculars and led the way toward the lift that was already waiting for them. How convenient.

As they walked onto the lift, Leon turned to Ashley. "Stay here. We won't be long."

Ashley looked between them, worried, but nodded and stepped back. "Ok. Be careful."

Rose smiled at her as Leon pressed the button on the lift to take them down. She turned to face him. "You didn't try to make me stay with her."

"This is just as much your fight," he said. "You stood back and let me fight Krauser because it was something I had to do. I guess...Ada is just as important to you as she is to me, and you have just as much a reason to want Saddler dead as I do. It's only right to let you have that chance."

Rose didn't know how to respond to that at first. Leon's words weren't just a reflection of their shared mission; they were an acknowledgment of something deeper. Something that felt... like it mattered. The subtle shift in their dynamic since they'd first set foot on this island was undeniable. She wasn't just part of the team anymore. She was in the thick of it with him—with them. She had a stake in this, just as much as he did.

The lift descended slowly, the sound of the cables squealing under the weight of their imminent confrontation reverberating through the metal chamber. The tension in the air was palpable, and Rose could feel every inch of her being waking up to the fight ahead.

She glanced over at Leon, noting the way his face had relaxed for the fist time since they'd entered the village. She studied his features, trying to commit them to her memory, cement them there so she'd never forget what he looked like when things were finally going right. The plaga was gone. The gnawing hunger, the dizzying flashes of rage, the way he had once trembled with the fever of the parasite's pull—gone. His eyes had cleared, his posture straightened, and most importantly, his mind had returned to its razor-sharp focus.

Rose could see it in the way he moved now: full of confidence, not because he had beaten the infection, but because he had come to terms with the fact that they weren't done yet. This wasn't over, not by a long shot. And in this form, this super hero pedestal that she was putting him on-just for now, he was so beautiful that it physically hurt. Her chest tightened, and her breaths came out in tiny, low puffs of air because it became hard to breathe as she realized she was going to have to ask him to leave her behind.

"You ready for this?" Leon asked, oblivious to the heartache she was putting herself through.

Rose cleared her throat, forcing all those feelings down. "Born ready."

His lips twitched, and the lift came to a stop. As soon as the plate dropped down to let them off, they both readied their guns and ran forward to where they could see Ada hung up, her wrists tied above her head.

"Ada!" Leon called, testing to see if she was conscious. Her head jerked a little when Leon shot the rope down, and Ada's body fell. They didn't get to see if she got up or not, because Rose spun around just in time to see a whole hive of bugs swooping down on them, encircling them as if they were corralling them, mystifyingly not attacking.

The bugs cleared a moment later, trapping them there but allowing them to see Saddler's mutating form through the mess.

The grotesque transformation was in full swing—his form was even more mutated than before, the parasite's influence completely taking hold. His limbs were thick and segmented, writhing with unnatural motion. His face was a grotesque mask of anger, his eyes wild, glowing with a sickly light. He was more monstrous than ever, but there was no mistaking that malevolent presence, that twisted grin on his face.

"Saddler!" Leon shouted, his voice full of fury and defiance, but it was drowned out by the hum of the insects around them. The words barely left his mouth before Saddler reached out with grotesque speed, his monstrous, tentacle-like appendages shooting toward them.

Leon didn't have time to react.

One of the tentacles coiled around his throat with horrifying strength, lifting him off his feet as he struggled against the pressure. His hands shot up, clawing at the thick, rubbery appendage trying to strangle him, but it only tightened, the muscles in his neck bulging from the effort to breathe.

"Leon!" Rose shouted, her pulse racing.

She tried to move toward him, but the bugs were closing in again, blocking her every step. She could see his face turning red as he lost oxygen and she began to panic, Leon's body writhing in an attempt to free himself. Every inch she moved toward him, the bugs kept shifting, creating an impenetrable wall. They were keeping her trapped, making sure she couldn't intervene.

"Let him go, Saddler!" Rose shouted, her voice desperate as she fought against the swarm closing in around her. She was getting closer, but the mass of insects was too thick, too overwhelming. She couldn't get to him.

Saddler's grotesque form loomed over Leon, his face twisted into something akin to sadistic pleasure as he looked down at him. Suddenly, she saw a flash of red as Ada sprinted across a platform and shot her hook shot. She swung through the air, kicking Saddler in the back with both her heeled feet. The bugs cleared away with the distraction as Ada landed across from Leon, who was also dropped in the confusion. The three of them shared a look, and together, Leon, Rose, and Ada began firing their guns at Saddler, but they didn't do anything but piss him off.

"You foul renegades!" Saddler growled, his body convulsing, the parasite within him squirming under his skin and Rose could unfortunately hear it as it shifted inside of the old man. His arm yanked itself back, his head moving in jerky, stiff movements as he continued to glare at the three before him. "You have forsaken the Holy Body..." Rose held back a wretch as a large clawed appendage similar to Mendez's popped out of his back, spraying blood and puss across the deck. "The great gift...to become one with us." Another new appendage copied the last one, the vile fluids splashing inches from Ada's toe.

They watched in increased horror as his entire body began to expand, his mouth opening wide to make way for an eye that was as big as one of their heads, yet somehow-as he was turning into this giant insect without wings- he still managed to speak. His voice was deepened, echoey, and garbled. "You require ABSOLUTION!"

Saddler was now the size of a medium-sized building, two stories high with four legs to walk on and two at the top to stab at them with. He screamed a war cry as he charged the three, Swiping at them with his oversized legs and forcing them to dodge and roll in opposite directions. Rose counted five weak spots. An orange, oversized eye on the joint of each of his bottom legs, and the biggest one where Saddler's face used to be. Leon had dodged over to the left, Ada had cartwheeled to the right, and Rose had jumped and backflipped backward, something she hadn't even known she could do. "Such blasphemous desecration! Such unforgivable heresy!

"How is this guy still spitting bullshit?" Leon shouted, his voice tinged with frustration, his gun aimed at the massive creature's swollen form. He dodged another of Saddler's strikes as the huge appendage came crashing toward him, narrowly missing his head.

"We need to focus on those eyes!" Rose shouted over the din of the battle, her voice barely reaching the others through the chaos. "The eyes on his legs are our targets, and his face—it's the largest one, right in the center! That's the heart of it!"

Ada rolled to the side, narrowly dodging a swipe from one of the upper claws. "Got it. Just keep him distracted for a moment."

"Let's move!" Leon said, his voice sharp. He didn't waste time checking to see if Rose and Ada had heard him. His plan was simple: get close, shoot fast, and keep moving.

Rose was already positioning herself. She moved with precision, darting from one piece of debris to another, keeping herself hidden from Saddler's view. She needed to stay out of his line of sight long enough to find a clean shot. The last thing she wanted was to end up crushed under his massive weight or stabbed by one of those claws.

Saddler's thrashing continued, his massive legs sweeping the ground, but his focus was divided. His attention shifted back and forth between the three of them, each of them keeping him off balance. But Rose could see that the creature was becoming increasingly frustrated, its movements more erratic. That was when she made her move.

"Leon, now!" she shouted, her voice sharp and commanding. In synch, the two shot at two separate legs, the bullets piercing the eyes and sending yellow puss dripping down his already slimy-shelled legs. Saddler's whole body trembled, and for a moment, his legs buckled, as if he were about to collapse. But then he shrieked in pain, his massive form jerking back, the damaged leg dragging uselessly behind him.

They shot for the larger eye, but Saddler was thrashing around so much that they couldn't tell if they hit it or not, and it only took a few seconds before the legs were back up to standing on their own, though the eyes were blown out of them. "Kneel before your Father, foolish children, and he shall bless you once more with the Holy Body!"

Leon ran around Saddler, and Rose ran towards Leon, neither being able to find where Ada had disappeared to, but they both were confident she hadn't abandoned them there. It was nearly funny that with all the distrust there was when it came to their professions, they knew they could count on Ada to care about their lives. She would never let their deaths happen if she could do something about it, just like they were doomed to care about her life in much the same way.

When Rose was shoulder-to-shoulder with Leon, he raised his gun again and pointed it first at Saddler, but his bullets just seemed to be deflecting. A red barrel was in an alcove right next to Saddler, and he waited only so long for Saddler to leap towards them before he shot it. The explosion mixed with Saddler's action knocked them back, their arms butterflying out to keep their balance. They turned, catching themselves with their hands before they fell, and immediately got up to sprint to the other side of the dock. They ran and jumped down to the next level, the metal sending pain up their shins, but they didn't waste time to even wince as they sprinted away from Saddler, who gave one big leap and landed right behind them.

Rose's breath came in ragged bursts, but she pushed herself harder, focusing on her next target—the second eye on Saddler's lower leg. It was just a few steps away, but she could feel his presence, the horrible weight of his form closing in behind her. She could hear his legs scraping along the ground, and feel the vibration of his footsteps through the metal beneath her boots. Rose and Leon split up again, trying to confuse Saddler, and trying to reach the other two eyes.

She reached the next glowing eye, the orange light a beacon in the midst of the chaos. Rose didn't hesitate. She was too tired, too focused on the task at hand. Dropping to a knee, she aimed her gun with as much stability as she could get on the vibrating ground and fired twice. The eye squirted, damaged, and caused Saddler to scream out in fury as he redirected his attention to her. "Shit!" She yelled, pissed at herself for not buying another gun.

One of Saddler's legs rose up into the air, swinging to attack her. Rose rolled out of the way just as the appendage slammed down where she had just been standing. Using agility she wasn't quite used to yet, she grabbed ahold of the leg and flipped herself up so that she was straddling it. She held on for dear life as Saddler lifted the leg again, but he didn't seem to be aware that she was clinging onto him as he looked around for her. When he couldn't find her, he refocused on Leon.

The air around her stank of sulfur and burning flesh, and the sound of his gigantic body shifting was like the rumble of an earthquake. Her fingers dug into the flesh-like substance of Saddler's leg, the texture slick and unpleasant, but she couldn't afford to think about it now. She watched Leon's every movement, knowing she had to wait for the right moment to strike. If she could get close enough to one of those weak spots again, it might give him the opening he needed.

Saddler was completely fixated on Leon now, his oversized claws swiping through the air, smashing through nearby debris. The creature's movements were growing more erratic. He was panicking, disoriented by the damage they'd already done. His legs trembled beneath him, and his huge form was starting to sag, the once intimidating strength of his posture faltering. Rose could see the energy draining out of him.

The moment came when Saddler lifted his massive leg high into the air again, preparing to strike at Leon, who had ducked behind cover. Rose used the opportunity to push herself into action. She tightened her grip, and with a surge of strength, she swung her legs up, using the momentum of the leg's rise to flip herself onto its underside. She let go at the peak of the swing, launching herself toward the spot where she could see one of Saddler's swollen eyes.

Time seemed to stretch as she soared through the air. This is it, Rose thought, muscles burning from the exertion. Her fingers grazed the cool metal of her knife handle, and she gripped it tightly, ready for the kill.

Before Saddler could react, Rose slammed her knife into the soft, exposed area just beneath the largest, most vulnerable eye on his mutated face. The blade sank deep into the flesh, and a sickening squelch rang in her ears. Saddler let out a roar so loud it nearly ruptured her eardrums, but she held her ground, twisting the knife in her hand. As he thrashed, Rose's body was thrown to the ground with a sickening thud that caused her entire torso to feel like it caved in, and her breath rattled in her lungs.

Leon ran over to her, still aiming his gun and firing as he side ran and bent his knees to check on her. "You alright?"

"Peachy!" She called back up over Saddlers scream as he collapsed, his long neck crashing to the metal floor. "Leon, go!" She shouted.

Leon wasted no time, propelling himself towards the exposed eye that was larger than all the others. He had his knife out in a flash of silver, ripping and stabbing viciously enough that blood, goop, and puss sprayed all over him and the floor. Saddler screamed again, more ear piercing than before, and whipped his neck around, forcing Leon back. They had to start all over again with the last eye on his remaining good leg. Rose's shoulders sagged in disappointment to see that Leon had only injured the largest eye. It had cracked and caved in, but it was still alive.

Saddler leaped away from them, much to their surprise, and landed on a taller platform about a 250 yards away from them. His legs reared up, his extra arms waving as if they were made of spaghetti and not bone as he bellowed into the wind. "Faithful disciples, assemble! Besiege! Do not let them escape!"

For a moment, it was like everything was still, and Rose was unsure if her super hearing was working. Until her entire body felt like the floor was dragging her down in exhaustion as she heard the buzzing and chatter of the camo bugs.

"You gotta be kidding me," Leon grumbled. They both reloaded, their guns clicking into place once the magazine slapped back in. There was about ten of the bugs, all swarming toward them. With Saddler so far away, they stood back to back, shooting as precise as they could as the bugs swarmed them. They had to dodge as acid started being hurled at them, eroding the metal beneath their feet and forcing them apart.

She quickly backpedaled, side-stepping another barrage of acid, but one of the bugs zipped toward her with terrifying speed, its claws outstretched.

She fired again but missed, and before she could react, the thing was upon her.

"Rose!" Leon's voice cracked through the noise. She didn't have time to look, but she felt his presence close by, and knew he'd cover her.

The bug slashed at her shoulder, its claws raking through the meat of her torso. Pain seared across her skin, but Rose kept her grip tight on her pistol, spinning and firing point-blank into the creature's soft underbelly. It let out a shrill, dying cry before it crumpled to the floor in a heap.

"Nice shot!" Leon yelled, firing into another bug with unrelenting precision.

"Thanks," she panted, taking a breath and squaring herself up again. But they couldn't afford to waste time.

Rose's eyes darted to the others, the swarm still coming at them in waves, and her heart raced. Each bug that dropped only left the room feeling more crowded, more suffocating. She had a brief, terrifying flashback to the castle—how everything had felt so out of control.

But she wasn't going to let that happen here.

"Move!" Leon barked, and they both sprinted, running in opposite directions to try and draw the bugs out. The acid from one of the creatures hit the floor beside Rose, sending up a flash of hot steam and an intense smell of burning metal.

She didn't stop to look back. Instead, she dove behind a rusted pillar, keeping herself out of the line of sight for a moment. Leon did the same from the opposite side. They were in this together. "Ready?" Leon's voice came from her right, low and steady, his footsteps nearing her.

Rose nodded, pulling her knife from her belt with one hand as she kept her gun aimed at the corner where the bugs were starting to regroup. "On your go."

"Now!" Leon commanded, and they both emerged from their cover, moving in perfect synchronization. Rose fired at the nearest bug while Leon charged forward, slamming his knife into another that had gotten too close. The sound of the blade sinking into flesh was sickening, but Rose didn't flinch.

Bang, bang, bang!

She fired with calculated precision, taking down another of the camouflaged insects just as it tried to take a swing at her with its acid-spitting jaws. The creature dropped to the floor, twitching in its death throes. But as one fell, another seemed to take its place, coming from all directions.

"Not good enough!" Leon muttered, his voice tight as he slashed at another bug's wings, causing it to spiral downward.

Rose's heart pounded in her chest. They were running out of time, and she could already feel the exhaustion creeping in. "We need to move," she said, tightening her grip on her gun.

"Agreed," Leon replied, his face taut with frustration. "They're getting smarter. I can barely see them coming now."

The floor beneath them was slick with acid, making every step treacherous. The bugs were relentless—slipping past their fire, spitting acid from above, and diving in from all angles. One of the creatures was close enough that Rose felt its hot breath on her neck. She swiped her knife up at it just in time, feeling the blade carve through its body.

"Take that!" she shouted, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she thrust her elbow into another one that was closing in.

Leon cursed as another bug dove at him, his gun discharging with precise shots to the head. "Keep moving, Rose!"

They pushed forward, back-to-back again, weaving through the swarm with no real plan other than survival. The sound of their guns firing mixed with the frantic buzzing as the bugs swooped in from every direction. Leon's eyes landed on another explosive barrel and he grabbed Rose's arm rather than yelling at her, and pulled her in the direction of the end of the dock. The bugs followed, chittering merrily as if they knew they were pushing them into a corner. Leon suddenly spun in his spot, shooting the barrel, and it exploded in the midst of the swarm. The bugs screamed out as they died, their bodies exploding as they died and filling the air with the stench of their burned carcass'.

Saddler then rejoined the fight, leaping from his spot and landing in front of them. They ran at him like they were playing a game of chicken, and avoided his legs as they ran slid on their backs directly under him, firing their weapons, and dropping down to the lowest platform as they reloaded.

This time when Saddler followed them, he jumped onto the platform and it crumbled beneath his weight, sending metal sheets into the ocean below and splitting the dock in half, trapping them on the smaller section. Leon got a good shot of the last leg's eye, shooting at it three times before it, too, exploded, ichor dripping down its leg in a nasty waterfall of bodily fluids. Saddler fell, his large neck slamming into the deck once again, exposing his last eye.

Leon was leaping at Saddler, his knife already digging into the eye, further injuring it as spider-like parasites climbed out of Saddler's back and rushed towards her. She stomped on them as they got too close, appearing to dance a polka while using all her strength to kill the insects. Saddler gave out a guttural yell and Rose looked up in time to see his colossal frame fall into the ocean. The water fountained up like the tallest geyser in the world. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched Leon walked over to the edge, not quite processing what had happened yet.

She screamed a blood-curdling scream when the floor came up underneath Leon, a claw breaking the frame even further, and she was forced to watch as Leon was launched backwards and bounced off a metal beam, only to fall over the edge. "No! Leon!" Her voice broke, a primal scream tearing from her throat as she lunged toward where he had disappeared. She felt the world shift under her, relieved sobs climbing their way out of her chest when she saw that he was dangling by one hand on the lower metal shoring.

Over to the side, closer to land, Saddler had mutated yet again. Now he was larger than ever, possibly the size of a mansion sporting three or more floors, his limbs fleshy and thick and coiling over themselves like a basilisk. She'd never seen such a monster, and she never wanted to again. Below her, Leon sighed out heavily.

"I'm getting sick of your shit!" He growls, swinging his loose arm up. Rose caught it with both of hers and planted her feet, pulling him back onto solid ground. They ran along a beam and jumped onto the ground where Saddler was waiting. He had a massive orange orb in his middle now that his new limbs were squirming around, a vain attempt at protecting himself.

In this form, Saddler couldn't even taunt them anymore, well and truly gone. Nothing left but the parasite they could now see swimming in the orange globe of fluid. Leon was feeling frosty, having switched his pistol for his shotgun and fired at the limbs to get them to move away from the globe, and Rose fired at the globe itself.

"Finally a look that suits you, Saddler!" Leon shouted, a savage grin spreading across his face as he unloaded another blast into one of the creature's flailing limbs. His taunts rang out in the chaos, sharp and almost mocking, and Rose couldn't help but smirk, despite everything.

"Monster in and out!" Leon called again, leaning into the next shot as he staggered back from a close call with another of the parasite's wild attacks.

But it was his next words, his playful taunting, that made Rose's stomach twist.

"I need to cut this date short! It's not me, it's you! And I've got a much better night planned for a much better person!"

The words hit her harder than they should have. She felt the heat in her cheeks, and for the first time in hours, it wasn't from the adrenaline of battle. Her heart skipped a beat, her breath caught in her throat.

Rose felt her entire body heat up as she caught on, her eyes shifting to Leon who was engrossed in dealing as much damage as possible and wasn't paying attention to her. Guilt swam in her stomach, and she felt her eyes burn. God, she hated how much of a crybaby she had become in the last couple hours.

She rolled, narrowly avoiding another slash from one of Saddler's tentacles. Her legs burned with the effort, but she pushed on. And as she did, she found herself falling into the rhythm of Leon's voice, that playful taunting cutting through the air like a sharp knife.

"We're gonna watch a couple movies," Leon shouted as he unloaded his shotgun again. "Have a nice dinner," another shot rang out. "Maybe some dessert." He ducked, dodged, and rolled, then fired some more but Rose was rooted to the spot, each of his words was like a bullet to her own heart. Leon still didn't notice her stillness.

"Rose! Use this!"

Rose whipped around to see Ada had returned and was standing on a metal tower not too far away. She chucked something over the railing, and it landed at Rose's feet. She scrambled over to it, dodging a rogue tentacle that lashed out at her. She scooped up the rocket launcher and ran back over to Leon. "Leon!" He turned, his words catching in his throat before he could say them. She passed him the rocket launcher, more than willing to let him deal the killing blow.

Leon smirked as he dropped down to one knee and aimed the RPG. "And then we'll go to bed together, cuddled up in warm sheets, living satisfied that you're not around to fuck anyone's day up...ever again!"

The explosion was deafening. It shook the very foundation of the facility, sending waves of pressure through the air and rattling everything around them. Rose's entire body tensed as the force of the blast surged, but she didn't look away. She couldn't. The missile hit its target directly, the rocket slamming into Saddler's mutated form with a sickening thud.

For a split second, there was nothing but smoke and dust. And then, the eruption of raw energy as Saddler's form buckled and collapsed, his body folding into the air like a ragdoll as chunks of flesh and parasite matter rained down into the dark waters below. The last vestiges of his monstrous form were shredded by the sheer power of the explosion, leaving nothing but a gaping, empty hole where the parasite had once thrived.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence.

Rose stood still, eyes wide, as she watched the remnants of Saddler sink beneath the waves. Her heartbeat was loud in her ears, and it felt like she could hear the earth itself taking a collective breath.

Leon rose to his feet, wiping the sweat from his brow, and for the first time in what felt like forever, a small, almost bitter smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "We did it," he said, voice hoarse from the intensity of the battle.

Rose didn't respond immediately, her mind still processing the events that had just transpired. The finality of it all.

It was over. Really over. They could go home now.

She was still staring at the spot where Saddler had fallen, her mind racing as Leon came over and wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her close as if they were watching a beautiful sunset together. Her entire body clenched, and it hurt. She was relieved that Saddler and all his minions were dead or dying. The most dominant strand of Plaga decaying at the bottom of the ocean, but now she had to break two hearts.

"We can go home now, Rose," Leon breathed, nuzzling his face into her neck. It took some strength or nose blindness to ignore how badly they both smelled, but the comfort they were drawing from one another outweighed that. She kept her mouth shut, procrastinating for a few more moments. She didn't even know what she was going to tell him. "Huh," Leon said, spotting a small tube on the floor about a foot away.

He released Rose to bend down and grab it, but Ada had jumped down and walked over to them, pointing her pistol at the back of Leon's head. Rose tensed, bringing her own gun up to level with Ada's stomach. Her entire body tensed, unsure what was about to happen and feeling sick that it was. She snatched the sample out of Leon's hand, standing back up and examining it with practiced eyes.

Leon panted, still out of breath. "Ada...what the hell are you doing?"

"Nothing personal, Leon," Ada said, walking away toward the edge of the platform. Rose perked her head up at the sound of an approaching helicopter. She'd suspected Ada would have a pick-up waiting, and now was the moment she'd been waiting for. "Luis and I have an arrangement," Ada added. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of it."

The helicopter hovered at the end of the dock and Ada stopped and turned to look at them. "Ride's here. You coming?"

Leon clenched and unclenched his jaw before looking back at Ada. "I think we both know this is where we go our separate ways."

Ada turned to hide her disappointment and it was now or never. "I see," she said as she put one hand on the copter.

"Wait," Rose called out, and Ada and Leon both froze. "I'm going with you."

"What?" Leon rounded on her, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Ada smirked and climbed into the chopper, waiting patiently for Rose to follow her. Rose's loose hair was whipping around her, stinging her face and she and Leon were sharing the same look of despair.

"I can't go with you, Leon."

"What do you mean you can't?" Leon demanded, anger propelling him to take a step forward. "The mission is almost complete. Ashley's safe."

Rose shook her head. He was so willing to ignore her new flaws. "Look at me, Leon. You have to tell them I died. I can't go home."

"Yes, you can! We will figure it out, Rose, don't do this!"

"If I left with you they'd arrest me and put me in a lab! I'll die in there!"

"And you think working with Wesker will be any different?"

"I won't be working for him," she corrected, taking a step towards him. She wanted to touch him so badly. "I promise you, my morals aren't compromised. But I can't go back to the DSO."

Leon heaved a heavy sigh, closing the distance between them and capturing her lips into a kiss that made worlds collide. She gripped onto him like her life depended on it. Her knees went weak, and she weaved her fingers through his hair, pulling herself impossibly closer to him.

"Rose, we have to go," Ada called urgently.

Rose pulled back, taking his hand in hers. "This isn't goodbye. I'll find you again."

Leon's hand was still warm in hers, his touch like a lifeline she didn't want to let go of, even though she knew it was the right thing. But in that moment, as the helicopter's rotors roared behind them, everything felt unreal. Her heart hammered in her chest, the adrenaline still coursing through her veins, mixing with the ache of parting. She wasn't ready for this. She looked up at him, those dark eyes searching her face like he was trying to read her soul. The expression on his face was a mix of disbelief and heartbreak. It wasn't just that she couldn't go back—it was the weight of everything they had been through, everything they had survived together. She had always feared the moment where everything would come to an end—this wasn't just the end of a mission, or the end of a fight—it felt like the end of something far deeper.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, trying to steady her voice, though her chest felt tight and her throat thick with unshed tears. She didn't want to say goodbye. God, she didn't. But it was the only way.

Leon ran a hand through his hair, frustration and sorrow written all over his face. "You're not making this easy," he muttered, but it wasn't anger. It was a quiet, resigned pain. "I don't want to lose you, Rose."

Her heart squeezed. I don't want to lose you either, Leon.

Ada's voice broke through her thoughts again. "We don't have all day," she said, a little sharper than usual, her figure outlined by the faint light of the helicopter. "Either you get on this chopper or we leave without you."

Rose turned back toward the helicopter, her grip on Leon's hand tightening as if she could make him understand that this wasn't about running from him or abandoning him. She wanted to go with him. She needed to go with him. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she had already crossed a line. She had become something that the world couldn't understand, something they couldn't control, and she wasn't sure if she could ever return to the life she had before. The DSO wouldn't accept her. And she could never be that person again.

And yet—Ada. Of all the people she never thought she would be aligned with.

"I'll find you," Rose said quietly, giving Leon's hand one last, tight squeeze. Her fingers slowly loosened. "I promise."

Ada didn't wait for her to say more. With a small, almost unreadable expression, she motioned for Rose to follow her, and Rose moved toward the helicopter. She spared one last look at Leon. One last glimpse of everything they had been through together.

For a moment, their eyes locked, and she saw it—the quiet understanding, the sorrow, the finality.

She almost couldn't bear it.

As she stepped into the helicopter, the wind from the rotors whipped around her, making her hair fly wildly in all directions. Ada gave a terse nod to the pilot, and before Rose could even fully settle into the seat, the helicopter lurched upward, pulling her away from Leon, from the island, from everything.

Leon's stomach twisted into knots as he willingly let the girl he cared about fly away with the woman he'd thought he loved. Right into enemy hands. He hated that she had no options here.

"Better get a move on," Ada said as Rose settled into the helicopter beside her. She tossed a small keychain at him and he caught it in one hand. As the helicopter took off, he looked at the little teddy bear and scoffed.

"Cute."

THIS IS IT! The last Chapter of Mechanical Animals. I've already got the sequel started, but it may take me a little bit to get it posted. Thank you all so much for reading, and I loved and appreciated the comments! THANK YOU!