Leon took out his binoculars as they reached the edge of the walkway. He peered over, frowning. "Their defenses are no joke," he said, mostly to himself. He turned his head a little. "Ashley!"
Rose stepped forward at that, squinting to see what he was seeing. Though the binoculars would have cleared things up, she could still see a spot of orange amidst a bunch of white, walking up a long staircase to another building. She glanced over at Leon, feeling proud of him for being so focused after killing a man he used to look up to. She had always respected Leon's ability to focus, to compartmentalize when necessary. But this time, after everything they'd gone through, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more beneath his stoic exterior. She saw the way his jaw clenched as he scanned the horizon, how his hands were a little tighter around the binoculars, as though he was holding himself together just a little too much.
"Leon," she started, her voice gentle but firm. "How are you holding up?"
He didn't look at her at first, just continued to scan the area, his focus unwavering. His eyes flicked over the target, but the tension in his shoulders was unmistakable.
"I'm fine," he muttered, his voice flat. "Just trying to keep our mission on track."
But Rose didn't buy it. Not this time.
"Are you really?" she asked, her voice a little quieter now, and more pointed. She could hear the edge of concern slipping through, but she wasn't about to let it go. Not when he was wearing that mask of calm, the one that said I've got this when they both knew he might not.
Leon sighed and he turned his head just enough to meet her eyes, though his expression was still unreadable. "What's the point in asking, Rose? We're not exactly in a position for therapy right now."
She didn't flinch at his resistance, instead stepping a little closer to him, her gaze unwavering. "I know you, Leon. You're good at putting on that mask, but it doesn't fool me. What happened back there... it's eating at you, isn't it?"
He clenched his fists, looking back out at the orange spot moving up the stairs. "I had to do it. He gave me no choice."
Rose studied him for a moment, her eyes scanning his features, searching for any hint of the man behind the soldier, the humanity that sometimes got buried beneath the weight of their missions.
"I know," she said quietly, her tone softening. "But that doesn't mean it's easy. That's the part you don't always deal with. You just keep moving forward. But you're allowed to feel that, Leon. It's not a weakness."
Leon's gaze remained fixed ahead, but the quiet tremor in his shoulders betrayed him. He was holding something back—he always did. The memories, the trauma, the impossible decisions that haunted him. Rose could almost hear them swirling around in his mind, the doubt and the self-blame. She could feel it in the way he kept his distance from everyone, how he threw himself into the mission and never gave himself a moment to breathe.
"Why do you think I don't feel it?" Leon finally spoke, his voice a little rougher than before. "Why do you think I'm still doing this? I am dealing with it. Every day."
"But are you?" Rose pushed, her voice gentle but unrelenting. "Or are you just burying it? It's okay to admit that it's not just the mission anymore. You're not a robot, Leon. You don't have to shut yourself off from everything."
He tensed at that, finally turning to face her. "I have to shut it off. What do you think this job is, Rose? I can't afford to fall apart every time something goes wrong."
Rose held his gaze, her voice softening. "I get it. I do. But you don't have to do this alone. You never have to."
"And when I'm not alone, I do unspeakable things to the people I care about!" He spits, dropping his binoculars and rounding on her. She retreats a step, her back pressing against the rough wall. He cages her in his arms, placing his palms flat on the wall on either side of her head. "I work better alone, and I don't have to worry about things like that ever happening. I won't have to worry about a friend betraying me."
"You're hurting, Leon," she replied, sucking in a shaky breath. His proximity was affecting her and her body was sending her mixed signals about it. It was infuriating to feel such need and such fear at the same time. It was barely a flinch, but Leon had noticed it. He made a disgusted sound as he backed off, freeing her from the oppressive stance.
"Yeah. I'm hurting. Happy?" He turned, squaring his shoulders and giving her a wide birth as he walked away.
"No," she said to herself, her voice breaking. "I'm not."
They hopped down a ledge and ran around the corner, a spotlight lighting the area. There was construction, and they hid behind a concrete block even as they were spotted and the ganados in the area alerted one another. Leon pulled Rose down until they were practically flat on their backs when a turret gun started and bullets shot through the concrete like it was nothing, turning it into Swiss cheese. They rolled out of the way, and Rose squinted as the lights followed her like her own personal spotlight.
There was barbed wire atop all the fences, and a building straight ahead. She looked over to Leon, who was temporarily over their last argument. They nodded to each other, silently communicating which way they were going. They ran on separate sides, Rose heading for the smaller buildings to the left while Leon hung a quick right. A helicopter flew overhead, and Rose nearly froze until a ganado with a rocket launcher shot at her.
"SHIT!" She screamed as she jumped for cover. The ground exploded around her, fire and debris following after her as if it'd been zeroed in on her from the beginning. She ducked into the building, peering through the window when she dared to see the helicopter hovering over Leon, who was standing in the middle of the area for some reason. The helicopter fired a heavy machine gun at their enemies, ripping at walls and bodies alike in a loud roar of bullets and calm fury. When the sounds died down, she came outside to stand next to Leon, as the pilot spoke over a loud speaker.
"Sorry for the scare, miss!" Said the man with a polite mid-western American accent. The light on his helicopter was blinding her, but she found her way next to Leon and waved cautiously at whoever it was. "Sorry it took so long, too! Bad traffic! One combat chopper, compliments of Hunnigan!"
"Yes! Go Ingrid!" Rose cheered, pumping her fists in the air. She knew befriending her in training was a great decision! Leon chuckled, waving his thanks.
"Call me Mike," the pilot continued. "Now, let's show these assholes what we got!"
"Thanks Hunnigan," Leon muttered as he rejoined Rose on the way through the small building. "I owe you one."
They pulled out the other side, with Mike backing them up and shooting down anyone brave enough to try and chase after them. "Oh yeah! More customers," Mike called out. "Try and lure them into an open area and I'll take care of them for you."
"Good thing they don't speak great English," Rose quips, trying to lighten the mood.
Leon covered her as she sprinted toward the field, darting between cover as more enemy soldiers rushed them from all sides. Rose was quicker, faster, and with Leon's cover fire, they made it to the open space.
Mike didn't waste any time. From the sound of the helicopter blades above them, it was clear that he was positioning himself for a clean shot.
"Time to turn up the heat!" Mike yelled, and the unmistakable sound of heavy machine gun fire lit up the air above them. Bullets rained down from the chopper's mounted guns, hitting the ground in front of them like a wall of metal. The enemy soldiers scattered in all directions, disoriented and frightened as they were torn apart.
Rose grinned, her breath coming in short, controlled bursts. "See? I knew I liked this guy."
Leon gave her a smirk, his eyes narrowed in satisfaction as they moved through the carnage. "You sure know how to pick 'em."
"We're alive, aren't we?" Rose answered, popping off another shot as the last enemy tried to take cover behind a small building. He didn't last long.
"Alright!" Mike cheered. "Go, go, go!"
Leon and Rose took off across the area, Mike flying overhead and keeping them in his sights as they passed through narrow, rocky trails.
"Leave that area up ahead to me," Mike shouted over the PA. The two agents were more than happy to let him take over, the overwhelming amount of ganados had been on them for the past two days, almost three now. "Take a break...before you join in on the fun!"
Rose scoffed, wondering how long until Mike lost that happy attitude of his. The jokes were a welcome relief now and then, but it just seemed like the last few hours had gotten darker, and the jokes weren't working as well as they used to. It took a lot of brain power to even think of a sarcastic comment. Leon yanked Rose back as a ganado yelled and a turret gun started up, charged, and then a spray of bullets pelted the rock Rose had just been standing in front of. She gasped, staring wide-eyed at the rock that was crumbling down to the dirty ground. "Thanks," she huffed.
"Anytime," Leon replied, though they'd both been saving each other's butts since day one. The sound of missiles shooting through the air interrupted anything else the other might have said. They sailed overhead, and landed on the watch tower the guy who had been shooting at them stood. It exploded, setting the entire thing on fire and rocking on it's foundation. Smoke came thick and quick, the heat from the blast wafting over them harmlessly, but still made it hard to breathe properly.
Once Mike cleared the area, they pressed on, a free shot all the way down the path until they came to a ladder and climbed up. They ran across a metal bridge, only for the roof of the metal building to rise up and another turret gun fixed on them. Rose dashed forward, grabbing Leon's wrist and pulling him roughly under the gun so that they couldn't be shot, but it wasn't after them. The guns pointed up, shooting in a circler as it targeted Mike. The pilot was yelling at them to take care of the gunner, and the chopper turned tail and circled around. Still, the turret persisted and Mike had to retreat.
"Phew," Rose said, eyeing the chopper intensely as it flew away. "At least he got away."
"Yeah," Leon replied. "It was nice while it lasted." He pointed his thumb to himself and pointed to the left down a path that sloped downwards, and then to her and instructed her to go inside the building that the turret gun was sitting on. Rose nodded, and they split up. Turning diligently to her task, she practically threw the door off its hinges. The moment her boots hit the floor inside, she was already scanning the room for threats, her instincts kicking into overdrive.
The turret outside was still blasting away, its mechanical whirring and the sharp bursts of gunfire echoing from the outside. She could hear the rapid movement of the gun spinning, its tracking system searching for Mike as the chopper circled above. She had to get that turret offline—fast. She ran toward the far wall, where a row of large panels with exposed circuitry seemed to be connected to the turret system, and looking for something that looked like a power supply. Unfortunately, nothing stuck out and that meant having to deal with the gunman face to face.
A shadow shifted in the corner of her vision, and then a figure stepped into the doorway, just as she realized she was not alone.
"Shit," Rose muttered under her breath. A man in tactical gear was emerging from the shadows. He wasn't exactly sneaky, but he was fast. He raised his assault rifle toward her without hesitation, the barrel aimed straight at her chest. Rose slid to the side, narrowly avoiding the gunfire. The bullets punctured the metal wall next to her with a deafening clang, but she was already moving. She drew her pistol in one smooth motion, not bothering to aim perfectly as she fired. The shot slammed into his shoulder, and he staggered back, cursing.
The man recovered quickly, though. He took cover behind a nearby crate, using it as a shield, and began to fire back. Not the time for a firefight, Rose thought as she ducked behind another pile of debris. The sound of gunfire was deafening now, but she could feel the turret outside continuing its assault. Rose grabbed the barrel of his rifle, twisting it out of his grip in one fluid motion. She slammed the heel of her boot into his knee, hearing the satisfying crack of bone as he dropped to the floor, gasping in pain. With his rifle out of the way, she quickly pulled out her combat knife, and before he could roll out of the way, she pinned him to the ground with it, shoving it through his chest with ease.
Her eyes scoped out the room for a ladder, or anything that would give her access to the gun on top of the building, but there was nothing. She could hear the rapid fire of another turret gun and hummed as she ran around the outside. She could see Leon up ahead, running along a metal staircase and taking out everyone in his way. With the control panels being a bust, she decided to regroup and sprinted towards her partner. Bullets sparked on the ground at her heels as the turret gun targeted her. Leon was rounding the landing on the staircase, heading towards the gun of his own volition.
A body stepped in her way, but she simply threw him over the railing, not wasting any time as she caught up to Leon. He was in the middle of lifting up a man over his head and suplexing him back down, then turned around and stomped on the offending individual's head. They shared a look, breathing too hard to be able to get any coherent words out, and Leon moved up the last landing and took the stairs two at a time. Leon's fist connected hard with the ganado at the turret gun. The zombified man fell to the side, Leon delivered a swift bullet to the forehead before taking up residence at the big gun. It whined as it charged up, and Rose took up a defensive stance behind Leon for any soul brave enough to try and get him with his back turned.
The unmanned gun on top of the building now across the base from them blew up with a boom that shook even the floor they stood on. The fire lit up the sky like daytime as Leon fired upon it. She watched as the helicopter circled back around, having been paying attention to his surroundings and Leon continued to shoot the minigun at the base of the stairs, slaughtering them before they could do the same to the agents.
"Thanks, buddy!" Mike called out from above. "Now watch me do my thing!"
They didn't respond but ran passed a blinking red light to hurry down the next set of stairs while Mike began shooting down anything that moved. As they ran, the sound of incoming missiles made Rose fall back in fright, grabbing ahold of Leon and pulling him down with her. The piping to their left about five yards away exploded into a cloud of smoke and fire, and Rose huffed and puffed as she and Leon climbed back to their feet. "Sorry," she apologized, her head still feeling a bit light.
"It's alright," he said softly, not at all upset over her over reaction. For a moment, she thought he was going to hug her. His body tilted towards hers, but before his arms could extend fully, he seemed to catch himself. His face got darker and he pulled away. Rose felt her heart sink into her boots as he refrained from physically comforting her. "It happens," he said instead, as if she'd just accidentally dropped and broke his favorite mug.
She sighed, nodded, and led the way down the rest of the stairs. Bodies were everywhere, riddled with bullet holes, and though Rose was grateful for having a clear path, it made her sad for all the needless death. She had to remind herself that all of these people were already too far gone to save. As they made it to the ground, Mike released some missiles of his own and the metal doors that separated them from the next section exploded. Rose stumbled, grabbing onto the railing of the stair and retreating back a couple steps as the earth resettled itself.
"Gate's open, go get rowdy!" Mike yells, oblivious to the turmoil he was putting Rose through. Leon patted her hard on the shoulder, jolting her back to reality and they sprinted through the flames and passed the now melted doors. "I'm out of ammo! Ya'll on your own now, but don't worry, you got this! You won't even break a sweat!"
Rose exhaled out her nose in frustration and amusement as they were bombarded with even more ganados. Some even had burned clothing and their heads already sporting fancy new parasites. Rose was already on it, her own weapon drawn, taking down the ones trying to flank them. She aimed her pistol with lethal precision, dropping a ganado with a clean shot to the head. The others didn't let up, though. One burned figure lunged at her from the side, its singed clothing trailing behind like a ragged flag of death. She sidestepped with agility, driving her knife into its skull before pulling away just as another two tried to corner her.
She reloaded, eyeing the approaching swarm, and caught sight of Leon kicking a ganado into a pile of burning debris, his shotgun blasting away as more of the infected came charging in. She smirked when she saw there was a turret gun on each of the scaffolding on either side of the area. "Leon!" She called, and he glanced over at her briefly enough for her to point, and nodded. He went right and she went left. It seemed she wasn't the only one with the idea, though, because ganados ran up behind the guns, taking their places and Rose had to duck behind a concrete blockade to avoid being ripped to ribbons.
A ganado with a swinging, bladed parasite moved in on her from her right, and she swung her arm out to shoot at it until the parasite burst and the body fell to the floor. She climbed up a ladder, entering a room where two more ganados greated her. She charged them, her body moving with lethal precision as she punched one hard enough that he flew into his buddy, and she felt as his ribs caved in under her knuckles. It delighted her in ways that also terrified her, but she let it fuel her as she stepped over them and ran outside onto the open catwalk. The turret gun turned towards her, shooting fast and hard, but she was faster. A wide grin spread across her face as one minute she was at the start of the catwalk and the next she was standing behind the man with the minigun.
He stopped shooting in his shock and turned to her, his brain seeming to still be buffering as he tried to figure out how she'd done that. She lifted him up by the throat, grinning like the Cheshire cat, and threw him over the railing as hard as she could. Then, it was her turn to take up aim with the big gun. It whined as it charged, and she pointed it across from her to take out the guy at the other gun, giving Leon a reprieve from the barrage of bullets flying his way. Then, she turned it onto every ganado she could see, a maniacal laugh bubbling past her lips as she cut them all down.
"Rose!" Leon called from his side when everyone else was dead. His hands were cupped over the sides of his mouth to amplify his voice. Then he pointed with one hand to her left. "The lever! Pull it!"
Rose looked over to see a panel with a lever, a red and green light sitting over it. She nodded, coming off the gun and running over to the panel as Leon disappeared behind a metal wall. She pulled the lever, pleased when it beeped and the green light flashed. A metal door pulled upwards, opening to the third area of the military base. Rose tensed, waiting for another wave of enemies, but none came.
She and Leon dropped down at the same time, not wasting time and hurrying under the door to find themselves in a cave with a man-made arch and stairs built into the natural ground and roof. They followed it upwards, the path lit by torches. It wasn't a long walk, and they were back into the open air within about twenty seconds, the blinding light of the helicopter finding them and forcing them to shield their eyes with their hands as they approached.
"Get in!" Mike called, and Rose legitimately lets out a dry sob of relief. Leon sends her an amused grin as they move forward.
"Thanks," Leon calls up gratefully.
"When we get out of here, drinks are on me!" Mike exclaims. "I know a good bar!"
The blades of the helicopter whirled loudly overhead, the wind strong enough to make Rose and Leon have to make their steps extra heavy to stay on their feet as Mike lowered down, dropping a rope ladder for them to grab onto. Before they can climb on, though, the helicopter gives a harsh jerk, and Rose cusses loudly while raising her gun at the overgrown insects that attacked their ride out of there.
She shot one down, but another replaced it. There were so many swarming the other side of it that she couldn't count them, and they started taking over every inch of the helicopter. She keeps firing, but her bullets ping off of their hard shells. The helicopter's alarms start going off as the nose dives down and Mike loses control of the flight, making it all the harder for the agents to aim properly. She could hear Mike's screams as the engine caught fire, and then she whipped around at the sound of another incoming missile. The rocket explodes in the cockpit of the helicopter, and Rose and Leon both scream Mike's name as he crashes down into the waves below the cliffs.
The roar of the flames mingled with the crash of the waves below, a cacophony that drowned out the horrifying reality of Mike's fate. She could still hear his screams echo in her mind, each one a needle piercing through her anger and guilt.
Leon stood beside her, his jaw clenched in fury as he scanned the cliffside, eyes narrowing at the two figures—Saddler and his grotesque companion—who reveled in their chaos. They seemed oblivious to the destruction they'd caused. Rose felt a surge of rage boil within her. This was no longer just a mission; it was a quest for vengeance.
"Look at them," she spat, fists trembling by her sides. "They think they're untouchable." Rose's teeth ground together as her eyes locked on the figures standing at the top of the ruined building. She didn't need to see Saddler's face to know who it was. The smug posture, the way the parasites fluttered around him like a twisted cloak—it was him. And the bug swarm. God, that noise.
The sight of him standing there, watching them suffer, made her blood boil. Every part of her screamed to rush up there and finish this right now, but she knew they didn't have the luxury of making mistakes.
Leon growled, so pissed off his body was practically vibrating. More of those bugs flew past their master, enclosing them with the loud beating of their wings. "I'll make sure you're the next to go, Saddler."
Rose nodded her assent. There was no way they were leaving this island without killing that S.O.B. It was personal now. One of those creatures dove towards them, buzzing like a hellish hornet, but Leon shot it down without a second thought, and Rose joined him, causing them to fall one by one without the opportunity to do anything about it. When they looked back, Saddler and his puppet were gone, but it didn't matter. They'd find him and put an end to this once and for all. They rushed through the next doors, shouldering them open like they weighed nothing.
This room was long and drawn out, so similar to all the others that it just kind of blended together. The only big difference was the furniture in there had white sheets covering it. The squeaking of a chain caught their attention as they neared the end of the hallway, and to their right was the next passage, blocked by hanging black body bags.
"That's not creepy at all," Leon mumbled sarcastically. Though Rose agreed with him, she didn't say anything, instead choosing to turn sideways and maneuver through them as easily as possible. The bags jerked, knocking into each other, and she could hear the horribly stuttered breathing from the creatures inside. She turned her head to Leon, catching his eye just before he moved to follow her, mouthing 'regenerator' slowly so he would understand. The look he sent back to her could only be described as 'of course it is'.
Leon wasn't as lucky as her when he tried to sneak by. The bag jerked violently, knocking into Leon's back and making him grunt as he fell against the other two that were blocking the path. The bag with the Regenerator in it burst open, and a long, gray body slithered out of it as if it were boneless. Leon didn't stay there to watch it get up, and he and Rose took off to the next dark alley that opened up to a room with more bags hanging up. They stayed silent, hoping not to disturb any more. Rose could hear at least two more ahead of them, and the one behind them had just stumbled into the room as well. They walked around a long table, trying to think of what to do. They didn't have anymore grenades, no rifle, nothing to cause this thing total body destruction. There were a couple chains hanging from the ceiling, though, and one had a large hook on it.
"On my mark," Leon whispered, his hand slipping to the side of the table to grab a thick chain that was coiled nearby. He handed it to Rose with a quiet urgency. "We need to make it come toward us."
Rose's eyes flicked toward the Regenerator, who was now fully upright, the grotesque, pulsing mass of its body twisting unnaturally as it approached. Its face—if you could even call it a face—was mostly a writhing mass of tissue and muscle, but Rose could see the bloodshot, inhuman eyes glimmering in the half-light. It was like something out of a nightmare, something that shouldn't exist.
"Ready," she whispered.
On Leon's signal, they both sprinted toward the hook, their movements sharp and fluid. Rose grabbed the chain and threw it over the Regenerator's back just as it lunged for them with a low, guttural hiss. The skin of its body seemed to stretch and tear as it moved, but it didn't slow—didn't feel pain.
Leon reached for the large hook, his muscles straining as he swung it down toward the creature. The Regenerator's sickening screech echoed through the room as the hook made contact, lodging deep into its body. With a powerful tug, the creature was yanked off the ground, its limbs flailing wildly, but its strength was no match for their combined force.
Rose gritted her teeth, pulling on the chain with every ounce of strength she had. The hook embedded deeper, and the Regenerator howled, its body spasming as it tried to tear itself free.
"Get the head!" Leon shouted, his voice tight with exertion.
Rose didn't need to be told twice. She pulled the last flashbang from Leon's vest and tossed it at the creature's exposed head. The blinding light filled the room just before the deafening pop sounded, temporarily stunning it. Rose grabbed the chain with both hands, forcing the creature to stay still as Leon drew his knife, his movements quick and efficient. In a single, fluid motion, he slashed at the Regenerator's hip, cutting deep into the tissue. The creature thrashed, its limbs jerking violently, but they had the advantage now.
It was disoriented. It was vulnerable.
With a grimace, Leon drove his knife deeper, severing the nearest artery, then repeated the motion between the chains and into the monster's chest, and finally the Regenerator's body went still. It twitched once more, the grotesque, pulsating form trying to regenerate, but with all of the parasites shredded, it was futile. The creature fell limp.
Rose exhaled sharply, sweat trickling down her brow as she released the chain. She took a step back, wiping her hands on her pants. "That's one less thing to worry about."
Leon, panting, nodded. His eyes darted toward the rest of the room, his senses still on high alert. "We're not safe yet."
They moved quickly, glancing at the hanging bags, but the rest of the Regenerators seemed to be quiet for the moment. They had to make their way through this room, out into the next, and make sure no other surprises were waiting for them. Leon began turning a yellow wheel, and the next door began to rise up. Rose quickly ducked inside, and as soon as Leon let go of the wheel, the door started sliding shut again. Leon rolled under, not taking any chances on being separated.
It was a big room, but felt cramped because of a long fence of bars on the left side, and the body bags hanging from the ceiling. A large hospital gurney was also in the way, paired with the darkness, it was difficult to navigate. They crouched down to avoid the bags that began to swing the closer they got to them, and Rose was on edge from all of the life she was sensing in the room with them. It was making her skin crawl, and they didn't have the resources to fight them all. Even having a general idea where they needed to aim, it wasn't ideal to sit there and hope they hit the right spot.
They walked up a small set of stairs, only to groan when they realized there was another wheel somewhere in the room with them that they had to turn. They eyed the debris and trash and the gurney on the far right side, behind the bars with disdain. It had to be over there, hidden among more Regerators and obstacles.
"Alright," Rose said, feeling resolute. "I'm smaller than you, so I'm going. You stay here and get under the door."
"I'm not leaving you alone in here with them," he said, voice rough with disapproval.
"And I'm not leaving you. If I get hurt, I'll heal. You on the other hand, have to get on the other side of that door. It's a long run, but I can do it much easier than you." It was probably the only compliment she would give her infection. Leon sighs, lowering his head.
"Fine. I'll wait here."
Rose nods firmly, pleased with his answer as she turns away without another words and heads to the left, behind the musty, dusty ruins of the bars. Her breath catches as she nears the bags, at least three of them still alive within. As she approaches the wheel, one drops down in front of her and she scrambles back, accidentally knocking into another one and causing it to spring to life as well. "Shit!" She shouts, pulling her gun and shooting. One begins to shudder as it grows large spikes, and Rose continues to curse as she hurries to the wheel and gives it a firm tug. She can hear Leon shooting, trying to buy her time as he waits for the door to rise.
Come on, come on, she thought, gritting her teeth as the rusted mechanism groaned under the pressure of her grip. She could feel the ground shifting beneath her as the Regenerators behind her began to stir—sickening, wet sounds as their grotesque bodies began to twitch and expand, their horrific forms taking shape.
"Shit!" Rose cursed under her breath, spinning just in time to see two of the Regenerators rounding on her and they didn't intend to give her time to finish what she'd started. She fired twice, hitting it in the chest, but it did nothing to stop its advance. The creature lurched toward her, a grotesque sound coming from its throat. The spikes were already starting to form on its back, jagged and cruel, an indication that it was going to be harder to kill than the others.
"Stay down!" Rose snarled, aiming at its head, but before she could pull the trigger, she was jolted back by a sudden force—a hard knock into her shoulder as another Regenerator, having dropped from the other bag, barreled into her. The impact made her stumble, sending her crashing into another bag as her hand shot out to steady herself. The second Regenerator was already on the move, its body shifting and morphing like a nightmare, all sinew and raw flesh.
"Dammit!" She spat, her gun shaking in her hands as she aimed at the second creature. There was no time for hesitation—she squeezed the trigger, landing a shot in its leg, but it did nothing to stop the monster from continuing to lunge toward her.
Her pulse raced, the sense of dread rising as she felt the floor shudder beneath her feet. She felt every muscle in her body tense up as she became surrounded, and before she even knew what was happening, her body was moving on its own. She kicked out, sending the monsters flying into the walls. Her pistol was locked and loaded as she honed in on the parasites, shooting them swiftly and precisely long enough to keep the spiked ones down. She leaped on top of a normal, leathery gray one, shoving her fist into the flesh and wrapping her hands around the parasite, squeezing it until it was nothing but mush, and then did it twice more, killing it and coating her arm in black tarry fluids.
She jumped back, looking for the third one just in time to see it had retreated and was standing near the bottom of the stairs. Leon was shooting at it, but it reached forwards with elastic arms and grabbed Leon's head, pulling him forward. As Rose was watching Leon's body being flung towards the Regenerator's open mouth, she flew forward. Leon stabbed it with his knife in time to be let go, but Rose's hand was already tearing through it's flesh and ripping out the parasite. She threw it on the floor, stomped on it, completely focused as she completed the same process twice more. When the body dropped, Leon was staring at her.
Shame suddenly flooded her when she realized that Leon was afraid again. Afraid of her. Of what she could do now. That look he was giving her was all it took for the fight to die out of her, and she suddenly felt very weak. Instead of confronting him about it, she ran back over to the wheel, now uncaring if she disturbed any of the bags, as the only one still living was the spiked one still recovering as it pulled itself to its feet. But Leon had followed her and shot at it with a calmness that let her know he still had her back. The spikes flared out, and they both had to dodge them.
"Come and get me," Leon shouted at it, steering it away from Rose. She took her chance as the monster followed after Leon, deeming him as the easier prey. This thing wasn't a hunter...it just wanted to kill. She threw herself into her work, turning the wheel as hard and as fast as she could. It only took three spins for the gate to open fully, and Leon shouted to let her know. She let go of it, darting back the way she came and leaping over the Regenerator as it's spikes flared out once more, narrowly missing Leon as he dove for the door. Rose was quick to join him, backing them both up just in case it tried to reach under neath to grab at them. The door rattled shut, the monsters arms thudding angrily against the metal.
To their relief, they saw the merchant set up shop. Rose had questions for him. She was feeling insecure about herself...about what she'd become. He had obviously been infected a lot longer than she and had retained his mind, but did he hear the whispering, too? Did he have urge to kill and to take pleasure in it? How much had he changed since he was a human? As it stood right now, Rose wasn't sure she was fit to return home.
The look in Leon's eyes had solidified something in her. She couldn't go back home and pretend everything was alright. She was fairly certain her life as a DSO agent and psychologist was over. Nothing was going to be like it was and she'd been a fool to think that it would be.
The familiar creak of the merchant's cart and the heavy scent of leather and gunpowder brought a sense of fleeting comfort to Rose, but it wasn't enough to quell the unease gnawing at her. She knew Leon could sense it, too—the way her posture had shifted, the faint tightness in her jaw, the distant look in her eyes as they approached. She wasn't looking at the merchant's wares with the usual keen interest she'd once had; instead, her gaze was drawn inward, lost in the dissonance that was becoming all too familiar.
The merchant gave them his usual grin when they approached, his voice dripping with that unnerving mix of salesman charm and unsettling detachment. "Ah, welcome, welcome! A fine pair of survivors, yes? Looks like you've seen better days, but don't worry. I've got just what you need to stay in the fight."
Leon glanced at Rose, but his expression was unreadable. The way he watched her—carefully, attentively—made her feel like she was under a microscope, but she didn't know how to explain the sudden storm brewing inside her. She wasn't sure if it was the aftermath of the fight, the strain of the mission, or the virus twisting her thoughts, but something had shifted in her. And she hated it.
"Rose," Leon said quietly, just loud enough for her to hear over the merchant's ramblings. His tone was a mixture of concern and something more, something unsaid. "You okay?"
She blinked, momentarily pulled from her spiraling thoughts. The look in his eyes—those damn eyes—made her stomach tighten, and she fought to push everything down. The thing was, she wasn't okay. She didn't think she ever would be again. But how could she tell him that? How could she explain to him the whispering voices that seemed to curl at the edges of her mind, urging her to embrace what was changing inside of her?
"I'm fine," she replied, her voice more steady than she felt. "Just... thinking." She wondered if she'd ever answered differently to him while they were there, and if she would regret not telling him the truth. She knew he had a habit of doing the same thing, and her opinions on that were low at best, because she wanted to help him. It made her feel bad, and like a hypocrite, to lie to him. But, it was for the best. Because if he knew what she was thinking, he'd never let it go.
She turned toward the merchant, her gaze scanning the shelves of his cart, but she wasn't really seeing the weapons, the supplies, or the ammo. What she was really seeing—what was really consuming her thoughts—was the infection coursing through her veins. She'd barely even realized how much it had changed her until that moment. When she'd been so close to losing Leon, when she'd ripped into those creatures, the strength that had surged through her body, that gnawing hunger to destroy—it was becoming harder to tell where the infection ended and she began.
And what terrified her more than anything else was the question that had been eating at her for hours now: Could she ever go back?
The merchant's eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed Rose's distracted demeanor, but he said nothing. Instead, he turned to Leon, who was perusing the stock. "Ah, Leon...you've been quite the regular, eh? Got somethin' special for you this time. This island has a way of turning good men into...well, not good men."
His words were casual, but the weight behind them struck Rose like a hammer. Not good men.
She had been that good agent, that professional. The psychologist who could analyze anyone and help them make sense of the world. But now? Now she was infected, struggling to keep her mind intact while something darker simmered beneath the surface. She'd killed, and part of her had liked it—and that scared her more than anything. She could hear the whispers, feel the urges in the pit of her stomach. And she didn't know if she could fight it much longer.
"Rose?" Leon's voice was soft, but there was a clear, steady concern in it now. He was looking at her with a mixture of confusion and worry, his brow furrowed. "Hey, talk to me. What's going on?"
She exhaled sharply, forcing her gaze away from the merchant's cart and toward Leon. He could see right through her, and she knew it. There was no point in pretending anymore, but the words didn't want to leave her lips.
"I—" She paused, words getting caught in her throat. "I just want this to be over."
The light in Leon's eyes seemed to die a bit, turning him colder with disappointment. It was a half-truth and he knew it, but he couldn't press her and he knew that, too. The flood of thoughts, the tidal wave of doubts and fears and darkness, were all tangled up inside her, and they felt too raw, too terrifying to voice.
She stared at him, feeling that simmering emptiness rise up again, like an undercurrent threatening to pull her under. He was waiting for her to say something more, but she couldn't find it in her to give him the real answer.
She wanted it to be over. She wanted the fight, the constant battle for survival, to end. But beneath that? Beneath the exhaustion, the weight of it all, something darker was growing, like an itch beneath her skin that couldn't be scratched. The whispers weren't just voices anymore. They were urges. Temptations. A part of her was starting to wonder if she could ever feel normal again—or if, maybe, she didn't even want to.
"I know you do," Leon said quietly, his voice rough, as if he had come to the same conclusion. Rose had seen him fight for his humanity in worse situations, had seen him wrestle with his own demons time and again, but this? This felt like something he couldn't fix, and it hurt him more than he was willing to admit. She could see it in the tightness of his jaw, in the way he kept glancing at her, trying to read her—trying to understand.
Her breath hitched, and she couldn't meet his eyes anymore. She had been so sure of herself when she started this mission, so confident in her ability to handle it all, to keep her emotions in check, to push through the horror. She could almost laugh at that version of herself.
The merchant, sensing the tension, had quietly backed off, giving them space. His eyes flicked between them, knew that there was more happening here than a simple transaction. But he didn't intrude, simply placed a box of ammo on the table for them to notice on their own time.
Leon picked up the box and handed it to Rose to divide out, as well as his empty magazines. He then produced the money needed for the exchange and got their vests and knives repaired.