Resident Evil 4: Cursed Blood (Leon Kennedy x OC)

{•Chapter Twenty-Six•}

The archivist heaved a sigh as the gate was raised and she lowered her firearm. "I did not sign up for a job involving a human, insect, and reptile hybrid. That thing came straight out of the pits of Hell." Leon didn't say a word as he made his way over to the inky-haired woman. His silence baffled her. She lowered her head slightly as she raised a single brow. "Leon?"

When he reached her, he placed his hands on her cheeks and pulled her closer. He sealed her lips with an intense kiss. Gwen was caught off guard, her eyes widening in bewilderment. The sudden kiss may have been unsuspecting, but she gladly reciprocated. She nearly dropped her gun when Leon deepened the kiss.

They pulled away from each other, Gwen's eyes glistening. "That was an unexpected yet welcomed surprise."

"How'd you survive the fall?" Leon questioned. His hands gravitated towards her shoulder, squeezing them gently.

"With this." Gwen detached a small device from her belt. "A grappling hook. I forgot I had one until I was falling. I'll need to thank Ada once we see her again. After all, I'd be dead without it."

Leon wiped some dirt off her cheek. He saw how dirty her clothes were from the climb. "How're you feeling?" He knew the substance Saddler injected into her body wasn't completely eradicated and knew the climb couldn't have been easy.

"Exhausted," Gwen exhaled. "But I know we can't afford to rest. Ashley needs us."

"As long as you're okay, that's all that I care about."

<-----------<<<<<<<<<<<<

Once back outside, the couple was standing on a plateau overlooking a small camp. A group of soldier ganados were gathered around a bonfire. The sea breeze whipped through the agents' locks as they peered down at the chatting cultists.

Gwen squatted near the ledge, spotting a few oil drums scattered around the area. She whipped out her handgun and shot only one barrel, resulting in a chain reaction of explosions. The fire consumed all the enemies, clearing the camp out in one fell swoop. She smirked as she placed her pistol back into its holster. "Only took one bullet. Now that's what I call quick and efficient."

"Too bad everything isn't that easy," Leon scoffed.

"Like you said earlier, nothing is ever easy for us."

Jumping down from their perch, they searched the tent, which had surprisingly survived the fiery explosion. A ladder descended underground, earning a groan from the archivist. "Sick and tired of going underground..."

"Suck it up, buttercup," the blonde retorts with a faint grin.

Gwen sent her boyfriend a weak glare. "I'm very tempted to push you down this hole for that cheeky comment."

"And risk me breaking something?" Leon raised a brow in question.

"You jumped from a second story window when we first got here! If you can survive that without shattering your ankles, you'll survive this."

"Damn," he guffawed. "You're cold."

"I'm simply stating facts," she calmly replies. "Now, Casanova, jump before I really do push you in."

Leon playfully bows politely. "As the lady commands." He jumped down the hole with Gwen following close behind.

The mineshaft was silent and showed no signs of ganados. The quiet and blood-free zone brought peaceful smiles to the couple's faces. In the distance, they saw the merchant waving in their direction. Gwen waved back with a nervous smile as they reached the mysterious man.

While Leon tuned up his weapons with help from the merchant, Gwen found a note and read it out loud to inform the blonde of what the piece of paper had written on it.

*****
Krauser's Note

It turns out that old man Saddler wasn't buying me from the start.

Even though I succeeded in kidnapping Ashley, I sort of sensed this when Saddler didn't completely let me in the loop.

Under the circumstances, I had no other alternative but to call for her assistance.

Perhaps she knew this was the way it was going to turn out all along...

My guess is that her ultimate goal might be different from Wesker's and mine. This is just the perfect opportunity to find out.

And after I get rid of Leon, the subject, and retrieve the sample, I'll put her in a bodybag along with Leon and send them both to Wesker.
*****

"Well," Gwen huffed while rolling her eyes. "By the sound of it, Krauser isn't Ada's biggest fan."

"The subject he's talking about must be you," Leon comments after finishing his dealings with the merchant. "Why the hell would Umbrella go through all this trouble to capture you? How'd they even know you would be here?"

"Two excellent questions. Krauser and Ada are the only ones who have the answers to them." Gwen crumbled up the piece of paper and tossed it over her shoulder. "I wouldn't be surprised if Umbrella had something to do with the president's decision to choose me to accompany you."

"Neither would I. If Umbrella wants you back, that means Griffyn's experiments weren't on the down-low. Even in death, the bastard still causes issues."

"Sometimes I wish you hadn't pulled me off his body so I could've stabbed him more," the inky-haired woman confesses shamefully. "Should've rammed the blade through his skull before I finished."

"That twisted piece of shit is burning in Hell," Leon said.

"Hell is still too good of a place for his psychotic ass," Gwen grumbled under her breath.

The couple ascended a ladder and walked down the path to a large pair of doors. Leon pushed them open and they stepped through, ruins of what seemed to be an old temple greeted them. From the cliff, Gwen could see the carvings on the collapsing walls and bit the top of her thumbnail. The history nerd deep inside her was itching to come out and discover the secrets these ruins withheld. She sucked in her bottom lip and chewed on it as she lowered her hand from her mouth to stop herself from chewing any further on her nail.

Leon's puzzled expression obscured her view when he leant down and blocked her view. He knocked his knuckles against the side of her head gently. "Anybody home?"

Gwen blinked a few times before returning back to reality. "What?"

"You spaced out and weren't responding when I called you." Leon eyed the ruins closely, spotting the cause of her inwardly departure. "Keep the nerd inside you from escaping. We've got to find Ashley as soon as possible."

The archivist inhaled deeply with a nod. "Yeah. I'll try to keep her in check, but I can't make any promises she won't pop out."

Leon smirked at her response. "Good enough."