A Beautiful Nightmare (Leon Kennedy x OC) [BOOK 1]

Chapter 14: Wounded

The elevator came to a sharp halt, letting off a chirp a second before the doors slid open. I stepped out first,  my eyes scanning the small room we'd been deposited into. The cement walls were damp, and various containers and scrap metal covered by tarps were pushed against the walls. A worn wooden desk was wedged into the corner on the left, next to a single door.

Ada and Leon filed out behind me, Ada throwing me an unreadable glance before she sauntered toward the door. I gritted my teeth as I followed with Leon at my side. What the hell is her problem? Leading us into the sewers, not warning us about that overgrown lizard, and neglecting to tell us anything of true value. I'm not buying into the whole 'that's confidential' shit, as soon as we get Claire we need to reevaluate if we want to continue helping her or not.

Ada nodded toward the door, an order to open it. I bit my tongue to keep the curse I wanted to hurl at her in my mouth and followed the silent command. I pushed open the door, revealing a short hallway, occupied by a woman crouched over a mangled corpse.

She wore a stained white lab coat, her blonde hair hanging like a curtain in front of her face, concealing her features. She was mumbling to herself, words I couldn't pick up over the hum of nearby machinery and drip of liquid from the ceiling.

"Identify yourself," I said, raising my weapon and stepping into the tunnel proper. Leon mimicked my movements as Ada followed behind. The woman looked up, staring at us through troubled blue eyes. She looked young, late 30s, but the bags under her eyes were those of someone far beyond her years.

"Annette Birkin," Ada said, pulling the small handgun from her coat. The woman didn't meet Ada's eye, but just returned to examining the corpse. As we moved closer I got a better look at the body; It was butchered. His clothes had been torn to ribbons, revealing the gashes in his midsection so deep I could see some of his intestines spilling out of the seams. If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was attacked by a pack of Lions.

This is who we're looking for? She seems insane, not maniacal.

"Not much time...," She continued, her voice low as she rose to her feet and chewed on her nails, "Need to dispose of it..." She trailed off, standing up as her eyes searched the floor like there was a hidden pattern there that only she could see. My trained eye caught on her waist–on the small pistol tucked into her waistband, concealed just beneath her shirt.

Crazy, unstable–Could this really be the person who unleashed this plague on the city?

"We're here for the G-virus," Ada said firmly, taking a step closer to her.

G-virus, what the hell is that? The virus that caused all this?

Annette finally looked up, her blue gaze meeting Ada's. Her eyes narrowed as she quickly surveyed her.

"That's not going to happen," Annette frowned, the manic mumble in her voice dissolved by the venom weaving between each new word.

"I'm warning you, doctor," Ada replied, obvious annoyance in her tone as she advanced another step. Ada readjusted the grip on her pistol, her finger still not sitting on the trigger. She doesn't want to kill her, she needs information.

"Oh yeah?" The scientist challenged. In one swift movement she reached into her pocket and produced a flip lighter.

She ignited the flame and tossed it on the corpse she's been staring at. A small blaze lit up the tunnel like she had doused the body in gasoline before we arrived. Before the fire even fully engulfed the body, she turned and took off, ducking down an adjacent corridor.

"STOP," Ada called, taking off after her.

"ADA!" Leon yelled, chasing after her before I could reach out to stop him.