Okay, okay. Steady. Think.
Shit! Where the fuck do I go?
There's a grave error occurring inside your head. You don't know what to do, where to go, how to escape — because you didn't fucking expect to be running from your own goddamn partner.
If only you would've known about this an hour ago. You would have laughed at the idea of it, thinking of it as some bad joke. Maybe if you hadn't been this naive, this stupid, this foolish... you would've seen it. You feel truly hurt, but above that, you feel angry. Really fucking angry that you let him play you like this. That you were nothing but a pawn to him.
No, you're not gonna let that bastard catch you.
So you try to think about what you could do to at least stop him from finding you. Eventually, if he can't find you, he'll leave to go to the West Area. He has to. It's not like you matter that much to him. Not like you thought you did.
Do you even matter to him? At all? Why the fuck is he wasting his time chasing you? Just for the sake of his ego?
Why has he done so much tonight to even try to keep you alive? It doesn't make any sense whatsoever and it drives you completely nuts to the point you want to rip out your hair.
No. Focus. Think of what to do.
You realize you still have the signal modulator with you, which is a good thing in this case.
He has the wristband, you don't have one, certainly not with the right access. You've actually already checked the corpses of the scientists in the area for wristbands, but for some reason, their wristbands seem out of use.
For now, not having a wristband isn't a problem because you turned the system for it off earlier, back when you split up.
That also means that if Leon goes to turn that around again, you'll be trapped in whatever room you're in until he gets there.
Which is exactly why you have to make sure he can't get to the Server Room. You still have two options, however; A) attack Leon when he won't expect it and get the wristband from him to get to the West Area yourself, or B) use the signal modulator (which is luckily still in your possession) to take down the power, which is the safer option, but it means you're definitely trapped in here until Leon decides to go to the West Area for the sample. Turning the power off also equals having less spaces to hide in.
The thing is that Leon is undoubtedly — and annoyingly so — the most unpredictable man you've ever come across in your life, and you don't know what he's gonna do. Besides, you tried to attack him before escaping from him, and to say that attack didn't go well is an understatement.
You go for option B, because it's really the only option for survival right now.
You can fucking hear him coming down the stairs. Your breathing is uneven, hands shaking while you try to match the wavelengths again, heart beating like crazy. "C'mon, c'mon!" You stressfully try to get the device to work, and your eyes widen when it does.
Moving to the circuit breaker in the wall, you put the signal modulator in, praying it'll work. Please, please let it work.
And the fucking universe seems to have heard you, because it actually does the job. You let out a gasp of relief when the lights in the hallway turn off, just like it was when you first arrived here. Fuck yes.
But the door by the stairway opens, and you have to run for your fucking life again, because you can literally see him from the corner of your eye. And you know he saw you too.
Running to the basement, you can choose to go back up the ladder, into the Greenhouse, or hide behind the giant tube in here. You have no ammo left for your grenade launcher, which really sucks, because that means you won't be able to fully kill any of the plant zombies walking around the Greenhouse. As a matter of fact, you'd do best to avoid the Greenhouse altogether, because Bigfoot is still walking around there. Or at least you think so, judging by the footsteps you can hear in the distance.
So that's why you choose to hide. And you need to make it quick, because Leon is really, really fast.
Unfortunately, your partner — or your former partner, as of now — still has the flashlight in his possession. That means you can't see shit.
Somehow you manage to get behind the tube just in time. You stop moving completely when you hear him pushing the door open, stepping into the hall when you're just a few feet away, hiding from him. You've put your hand up to cover your mouth, hopefully preventing him from hearing you breathe.
Hell, you can hear him breathe. You literally feel like you're hiding from a serial killer, which you probably are, but in a certain way it all still feels surreal. Like this is all just part of some terrible nightmare and you can't wake up.
Please go up the ladder. Please go up the ladder—
He merely hums briefly to himself, and it makes your breath hitch in your throat, but you need to keep quiet now.
You can hear noise from the other side of the tube, and you realize that hiding from him actually worked. He's going up the ladder, into the Greenhouse, giving you room to at the very least get out of here.
Yet you don't move when you can tell he's gone from the dark space you find yourself in.
Leaning against the wall, you let yourself drop down to the floor.
Is he really going to kill you?
You spent the whole night fighting for your life, shooting zombies, dogs, actual monsters, your own fucking uncle — only to most likely be executed by the man you fell in love with within half a day.
In all honesty, it's so painfully embarrassing that you want to cry. How could you have missed all the blatantly obvious hints? How the hell did you not see it?
Is this what he wanted to confess to you before you found out yourself?
What the hell has he gained from keeping you alive? You don't believe he actually he cares about you. No. Absolutely not. Not with this stunt he's pulling.
Yet you care about him enough not to shoot him. You still care about him like the idiot you are, and he doesn't give a flying fuck about you.
What you don't seem to understand is that he does. He cares way, way more than he should. Leon casually moves around in the Greenhouse, and he's fucking worried — worried that another licker might pop out somewhere and kill you this time. Worried that one of the plant zombies might get to you before he does. Worried that you might die trying to run from him.
It's so laughable that he wants to gouge out his eyes.
Where the fuck are you? He saw you turn off the power, and he would almost be proud of you for pulling such a smart move if it wasn't to prevent him from finding you. The area is awfully small, and with the power turned off, you can't access the Server Room or the Low-Temp Testing Lab anymore. That leaves the basement, Greenhouse, Drug Testing Lab, Greenhouse Control Room, Presentation Room and Lobby.
And the North Area.
He's trying to place himself in your shoes. What are you going to do? What's your strategy?
He doubts you'll go to the North Area. It's way too small and has few available rooms, not to mention you would have to get past him first.
Don't you understand that running from him is no use? He will find you eventually. The area is way too cramped to keep missing each other. He has a feeling you're not someone who's going to be hiding all night, but rather walk around, ready to take on any opportunity you can get.
He wonders if you'll try to attack him or even kill him, but deep down, he knows you won't. He hurt you by betraying you like this, understandably so, but you won't try to kill him. He's sure of it.
In a way, he's impressed with the way you tried to overpower him when you found out the truth. Yeah, that was something. He's gonna make sure to check that PC once he gets back to the Presentation Room, because something must've been on it, showing his identity.
Perhaps it's insanity. How he thinks of you so fondly, even when you threatened to blow his head off.
Avoiding the plant zombies in the Greenhouse is harder than expected, but he can manage. The only thing really bothering him here is the big guy, who continuously tries to hit him in the face.
The funny thing is that he's just so fucking predictable. You turn left, he turns left. You turn right, he turns right.
Truly, they could've made him a bit smarter.
He checks the Drug Testing Lab first. He thinks it's the only route you could've taken, so he has his gun ready when stepping inside — only to find you're not there.
He's getting annoyed to the point where he can literally feel the wrinkles forming on his forehead.
Well, fuck. That means he's gotta keep going.
God, he wants you back in his presence so bad. He would've approached the situation differently if you'd been sad, crying even, but you're not. You're furious, pushing his limits and running from him, literally, so he has to chase you. He doesn't have a choice here.
If that means being the bad guy in this scenario, so fucking be it.
While Leon moves back out the same way he came in, you tiptoe out of the basement, now standing in the Lounge again.
Your heart is beating so fast you might as well be suffering from cardiac arrest soon. Goddamnit, you think, there's no fucking way out of here. You've got no access to the West Area nor to the elevator, and you have a feeling Sherry has to be there.
It's no use just walking around here. It isn't. Leon was smart to take the wristband from you, knowing it's your one ticket out of here.
So what should you do? You're not gonna hand yourself over to him. No way in hell. He doesn't deserve that satisfaction, nor do you know what he's gonna do to you.
Attacking him is a stupid idea that'll get you killed. He's way more skilled than you are and knows how to fight.
But you had him in the palm of your damn hand earlier. You threatened to shoot him if he moved and yet when he did, you let your emotions take over. No, that's not gonna happen anymore.
You'll have to approach him from behind with your gun to his head again, but from a safe distance this time. He won't be able to do shit to you.
But it's been several minutes since you parted ways, so you have no idea which room he's in right now. Must be somewhere upstairs, though, because he's not here.
You take a deep breath and gently move through the door leading to the staircase.
Leon is standing by the PC now, reading the message Birkin sent to Cartwright, revealing his identity. He scoffs. Out of all the ways he had imagined you'd find out, this was not it.
But he's surprised to know that Birkin even knew he would come. How did he even find out about that? Is there a mole in Umbrella HQ?
Does that mean that Birkin, as far away from being human as he was, recognized him earlier? Is that why he tried to kill him?
Then again, he tried to kill you too. And you're his niece, for Christ's sake.
It makes him raise his brow. The whole ordeal is strange and it gives him a headache. So that's why he returns his focus to the sole goal he has right now — to find you.
So when he walks out of the Presentation Room, into the Lobby, he could almost laugh, because you're literally standing across the room right now. You can feel your heart sink the very moment your eyes lock with his.
Leon is a bit conflicted now that you're standing in front of him all of a sudden. What the hell should he say to you? He isn't sorry. It's not like you would've trusted him if he had been honest with you from the start, and keeping his work a secret is simply part of the job. He still stands by his decision to withhold the truth from you, at least until escaping the city.
But you won't care if he tells you that. It's not like he's gonna manage to persuade you into coming with him. Nothing he says right now will change your hatred back into love for him. Nothing.
So instead he just chuckles darkly, adding more fuel to the fire. "You really didn't suspect me at all, did you?"
Maybe he should keep his curiosity to himself.
Frowning at his somewhat rhetorical question, you glare at him. What is he trying to do, piss you off even more? "Go to hell."
"Look around, Doll. We're already in it."
Weirdly enough, neither of you seem to be moving to grab a gun, but you do take a step back each time he steps forward. Your heart is beating so painfully fast that you can feel it in your throat.
Blinking a few times, you shake your head. It's like trying to calm down a hungry predator of which you are the prey. "Leave me alone, Leon."
"Can't."
"Can't or won't?"
"Won't." He admits casually. "Not that it'll change anything."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He takes another step towards you. "If you know what's good for you, you'll come with me."
"You're kidding, right?"
"Nope." He shakes his head, hands itching to touch you, because you're so close yet at such a distance. "Hate to break it to you, but you don't really have a choice in this. The only way out of here is with me."
"What did you expect? That I would just say yes and go with you as if you haven't been lying to me all night?"
"No, I know you better than that. This is me trying to be nice."
"Really?" A humorless chuckle leaves your mouth. "Would hate to catch you when you're angry."
He nods, biting back immediately. "You would."
His gaze could kill. He's trying to intimidate you, and you hate to admit it, but it's working. You're trying to keep him talking so you can come up with a proper plan, because really, you have no idea what to do now.
"What're you gonna do when you catch me, huh? Kill me?"
"No."
"Stop fucking lying to me!" You tell him angrily, still moving backwards.
"That wasn't a lie." Just when you think he might be a little distracted, eyes moving away from you for a split second, you make a run for it, and he begins to chase you immediately. "Where you going, Sweetheart?" The question comes out tauntingly while he comes after you once more.
Fuck! You should've known you would unintentionally run into him again. You should've seen it coming, but you didn't.
With the only option being to go back down the stairs again, you run through the door and pull over a cabinet so he won't catch up to you in time.
Shit, shit, shit. You just can't seem to get rid of him, no matter what you do.
Deciding to take a small risk, you run down the stairs faster than you ever have in your life — nearly tripping in the process — before hiding in the dark next to the bottom of it instead of going back to the Lounge again.
Leon will actually have to pass you, so if he as much as turns his head or hears you breathe, you're done for. That's it. Game over.
Like before, you hear his quick footsteps moving down the staircase just like before. Except this time, they're much louder because you're still there.
With your heart hammering in your chest, you slap your hand over your mouth and put the remaining one on your chest. Calm down, you try to think to yourself.
And holy shit — it works.
It goes exactly like you planned. Leon runs to the Lounge just as you hoped he would.
The thing is, now you have to come up with another plan, because you need to figure out what to do next. You want to try to attack him, you've established that much, but with these rooms, you just don't have the opportunity to sneak up on him.
With shaky hands, you push yourself up from the floor, the corpse of a zombie still next to you.
It makes you feel sick to the point where you want to throw up.
You get the idea to move back up the stairs again. The one room where you can somewhat keep an eye on him is from the Presentation Room, which is where you'll be able to spot him if he decides to move through the Greenhouse, which would make sense, because he believes you just went back in that direction.
The first few steps on the stairs are careful and as quiet as possible. It feels as if your life is depending on this.
When you're halfway, you start to jog again, confident that he's out of earshot. He has to be. With only a few steps left, then running through the Lobby, you've made it back to the shitty room where you discovered the truth about him.
It makes your blood boil when his words and actions run through your mind again, but you just clench your fists and jaw. There's more important things to lose your mind about now, such as, you know, taking your former partner hostage.
Focusing on the inside of the Greenhouse, you spot many, many enemies. There's plant zombies, Esteban is still stomping around like a confused puppy — which is the only thing that could make you genuinely laugh right now — but no man in a suit to be detected.
Nothing. Nada. Not a trace of him.
So you wait a few minutes, which actually feels more like hours. Where is he? Did he go into the Drug Testing Lab? What did he do in the sole minute and a half you wasted moving your ass back up the stairs, into this room?
With your heart still painfully beating in your chest, you bite your lip, eyelashes fluttering as you think of your next move.
The Greenhouse is scary territory. You have no fire rounds left for the grenade launcher, so you can't fully kill the enemies inside. Not to mention Bigfoot still walking around, fucking waiting for you to hop in so he can use you as his own personal punching bag.
Yeah, no. If you die here, it will not be because of him. Nope.
A shiver runs down your spine when you recall how Ben died earlier tonight in the jail. Yikes.
For some reason, you begin to feel a little icky all of a sudden. It's too calm, too quiet here, nothing is happening — and it feels like you're being watched.
Which is your cue to get the fuck out.
For a brief moment, you consider turning to the North Area, but the idea leaves your mind as soon as it came. The place holds no space to hide whatsoever, with two or three zombies still alive there as well, so you believe in some fucked up way, you're better off here.
Even if some apparent maniac is trying to track you down.
Purely out of instinct, you want to check out the Server Room again. Maybe there is a way to redirect the power from the West Area so that you don't require the wristband to get in there. It's a long shot, but you'll be damned if you don't try.
Jesus Christ, you're convinced your heart will give out on you soon if you have to run down those stairs one more damn time.
You arrive back in the hallway that leads back to the Lounge for what seems like the 13th time tonight, carefully tiptoeing forward. You know, just in case.
The first thing you notice is the malfunction of a few of the lights there, and being without a flashlight, you can barely see anything. Yet as you turn the corner, you stop dead in your tracks, breath hitching in your throat.
Because even in the darkness, the sight in front of you is horrifying.
Two zombie dogs, a decapitated zombie as well as a licker are laying on the floor, a large pool of blood around the blown apart corpses. The only thing lighting up the dark space is the red light of the circuit breaker in the wall, making everything even more ominous than it already is.
What the fuck—where did those things even come from? You've walked around the area several times and not noticed a single one of them before.
Taking a few steps back without taking your eyes off the horror in front of you, you turn back around the corner without realizing it, making the mistake of losing your focus for a moment.
Your back collides with something, making you spin around within the blink of an eye, and you have not been this scared the entire night. This kind of fear is one you haven't felt until now — and it makes your heart beat like crazy in your chest.
He grabs you by your arms faster than you can comprehend, ensuring you won't escape from him this time.
But the fact that he's got so much more blood on his suit and face than just minutes before really makes the scene all the more horrifying.
"I really wish you hadn't done that." The words come out of his mouth in such a mocking way. His brows scrunch together, almost as if he's being genuine, but you both know that he isn't.
"Stop! Get off me! No!" You yell at him while he tightens his grip on your body, trapping you in his hold.
He pushes you up against the wall, and Jesus Christ does he look pissed. He's got his nostrils flared, his breathing is heavy and he actually feels like he just might choke the fucking life out of a nearby zombie, should one wake up from the dead.
Yeah. He's done playing nice.
"Hands behind your fucking back."
It's the first time tonight he's actually intimidating you with his words and demeanor, so you do as he says. You begin to grow even more wary of what he might be capable of.
Every thought you had is pushed out of the window when you hear the buckle of his belt.
He's taking it off.
He's still restraining you, and you're scared of what'll happen next. He takes your hands, putting them higher up in the air to wrap his belt around your wrists.
While he's doing so, he starts to talk, his voice awfully monotone. "Let me be clear. You disobey me one more time and I will lock you up in a room filled with zombies, and we both know what that'll do. Your little cousin will die on her own. Who knows, maybe you'll even get to eat her once you've turned into a brainless monster."
He's glad he didn't tell you that Sherry is with Claire, because now he can manipulate you into thinking she's possibly in danger.
Jesus Christ, what the fuck is wrong with him?
His words are unnecessarily cruel and you both know it. Your heart rate speeds up while his remains the same.
It's not like him to act like this. He's usually not one to be this harsh, but the feeling he gets from inflicting just a tiny bit of pain in your shoulders as well as regaining the control he's had over you almost all night — it's addicting. He's seething, the adrenaline in his body mixing it up to be some twisted feeling that's something awfully close to sadism.
In any other situation, he wouldn't enjoy seeing you try to avoid his gaze because you can't handle the eye contact. He wouldn't enjoy it. But right now, some fucked up part of him really does.
Part of him can't help enjoying being the smartest guy in the room. He knows it's a terrible characteristic, perhaps even a fatal flaw of his — but he can't find it in him to care. Not when he's always been surrounded by people who were way worse than he was.
But then there's also waves of guilt and sadness that hit him every now and then. Like it's his brain reminding him that he's got a conscience. A small one, but regardless. As if it's reminding him that he's probably sick for being the way he is.
So he could never do the things he just told you he would. He's grown way too attached to you and he knows it. He could never lock you or some innocent kid inside a room with zombies either, let alone your damn cousin. He's cruel, but not that cruel.
He's bluffing, but you don't know that.
You're both messes. Torn up by emotions, with you going back and forth in anger and fear and him in frustration and guilt.
You want to cry and scream and he wants to throw up.
Leon breathes in and out for a moment, stilling his movements and closing his eyes for just a brief second of peace. "We're gonna go get that sample. We're gonna get Sherry and then we get the hell out of here. What we do after that is something we can decide later. Whether you stay with me then is up to you."
Furrowing your brows, you try to breathe. "Why would you want me to stick with you after we escape?"
"Because you might hate me now, but I don't hate you." He says, and when you're thinking about his answer, he puts his gun away. "No sudden moves. Understood?"
You grit your teeth, unable to hold back a sarcastic reply. "Yes, sir."
"Good. Let's move."
You walk out of the Lounge, having no idea what the actual fuck just happened between you.