Leon, Jasper, and Ashley hid behind the cold, stone walls away from the view of the window. The two agents remained calm while Ashley was hyperventilating, but stayed quiet to avoid being found by the cultists. "What do we do?" She asked, her voice trembling with fear.
Jasper turned towards Ashley and saw her panicked state. "Your father sent us because he trusts us, and we need you to trust us too. You have to do exactly what we say, when we say it, OK?" He gave the young girl a serious look while he calmed her down. "We're gonna get you home safe. That's a promise."
Ashley pondered for a little bit before she nodded, "OK."
Jasper and Leon's ears perked up when the church doors opened below them, and a few cultists began to survey the room for the girl and the two culprits. They turned to Ashley, who was also on high alert. "All right, let's get the hell out of here," Leon whispered, walking ahead with Jasper and Leon following closely behind.
As they passed the pink phone on the ground, Ashley lets out a quiet groan of irritation, "Seriously? I just bought this..."
"Jasper. Help me get that ladder," Leon ordered, pointing at the ladder that hadn't been lowered.
"OK," Jasper nodded at Leon's words as he connected his hands and lowered them, allowing Leon to stand up on them with one foot as Jasper raised him.
Leon grabbed onto the ladder and used Jasper as support to climb up to the top of the ledge. "All clear," he signaled after surveying the area above before he lowered the ladder.
Jasper allowed Ashley to go up first. Once she made it to the top, Jasper followed behind her. He heard Ashley's worrying voice saying, "What do we do? There's no way out."
"Well, there's actually one way..." Leon said as he gestured towards the window. He looked out of it, trying to find where it lead and found a decent landing spot. With a swift motion, Leon leaped from the window and landed.
Jasper looked down to see that Leon had made it down safely. He lets out a quiet sigh before he leaped through the window and landed beside him. Ashley had leaned out and shook her head from how high they had dropped, "No way."
"It's OK, I've got you," Jasper reassured her, his voice calm and steady.
Ashley took a deep breath before she went up the ledge of the window. Jasper noticed the look of unwillingness in her face and attempted to encourage her, "Hey, you can trust me. I won't let you fall."
Ashley took another deep breath before moving closer to the edge and lets out a small shriek once she dropped down, landing in Jasper's arms. Once she felt Jasper's grip on her, she felt a sense of relief. "Th-Thanks..." she stuttered.
"You're welcome," Jasper replied, giving her a warm smile before he sets Ashley down to her feet. He turned to his left and found a ladder, since they were upon a small ledge. Leon was down the ladder first, then Jasper, and Ashley.
Once Ashley had climbed down the ladder, Leon used his transmitter. "Condor One to Roost, we've secured Baby Eagle."
"Copy that. Is she OK?" Hunnigan questioned.
"Affirmative," Leon responded, turning around and scanning the area.
"Well done, guys. I'll dispatch a chopper ASAP. I'm sending you the coordinates for the extraction point," Hunnigan informed. "Make your way there. And don't let anything happen to Baby Eagle."
"Copy that," Leon nodded.
"Hurry, the weather is getting worse. Roost out." The call disconnects.
"So where do we go from here?" Jasper asked once Leon was finished with the transmission with Hunnigan.
"Hunnigan already dispatched a chopper and sent the coordinates to the extraction point. We could go there," Leon informed. "We might wanna hurry though. The weather is getting worse."
"Copy," Jasper nodded.
The sound of chanting caught their attention. Leon quietly shushed Ashley as he snuck over to the open archway. He carefully pushed the knocked over wooden shelf and sure enough, the shelf was back in place. He peered through it, finding the fire from a torch illuminating the large fence.
"Like we said, it's dangerous. Stay close with us," Jasper ordered to the young girl.
Ashley nodded. "OK."
A gust of wind blew through the trees and the sound of raindrops drumming against the leaves grew louder. Jasper and Ashley proceed to follow behind Leon, their footsteps slow and steady in the face of downpour. Leon crept behind a cultist firmly holding a torch, surveying the area for the intruders. Unsheathing his knife, he covered the cultist's mouth and pierced the blade through her neck.
Unfortunately, he was already caught by two other cultists as they alerted the others. "They're coming. Get behind us!" Jasper ordered Ashley, pushing Ashley behind me as he pulled out his pistol to start attacking.
"Oh, god! What is wrong with these people?!" Ashley cried as she followed closely behind him, covering her ears from the loud gunshots as she trembled in with fear.
They pushed through the sea of cultists as they escaped the treacherous church, fighting them off with every gunfire they have. A few of them tried to capture Ashley, but Jasper and Leon managed to eliminate the cultists and escape with the girl. As they trudged forward, they made it back to the chapel where the merchant was. "I have some new goods that might interest you!" The old merchant said.
Leon and Jasper sold a few items they have collected from their journey and upgraded their weapons before heading off with Ashley once again. "Hey, can we take a break?" The girl asked out of breath.
"Sorry, we need to keep moving," Leon told her.
Ashley sighed and nodded. "Got it."
When they exited the chapel, they were greeted by the heavy rainstorm. They used their hands to shield their eyes from the harsh wind blowing in their way. "Hunnigan was right about the weather," Leon remarked.
The trio descended upon the village and they were suddenly surrounded by a vast sea of villagers. The sound of aggressive growling and thudding of their footsteps filled the air, occupying the sound of the heavy rain. But still, they pressed on, driven by determination to reach the extraction point and escape the village through merciless villagers.
Upon arriving at the farm, they were greeted by angry murmurs in the distance. Leon spotted two villagers surveying the area. He turned to Jasper and signed, "You take the other one out while I handle this one."
Jasper nodded before he gestured Ashley to stay close to him. Him and Leon unsheathed their combat knifes as they crept behind the two villagers. In a one swift move, they sliced their throats. After eliminating the two villagers, Jasper looked over at Ashley and motioned her to stick with him before they continued with their journey.
Suddenly, a villager clad in a bull's head roared at them, wielding a massive sledgehammer in his hand. "Move!" Leon ushered Ashley. Him and Jasper unleashed a hail of bullets. When none of the bullets seem to effect the brute, it swung its sledgehammer violently, but the two agents swiftly evaded the attack.
Jasper and Leon knew that it was not easily defeated, and they knew they had to act quickly. Jasper glanced around and picked up a pitchfork laying on the ground. Leon fired a few rounds at the brute before landing a kick on its head. It stumbled back and Jasper quickly took the opportunity to pierce the pitchfork through its midsection. He pushed it back until the brute fell to the ground on its back. He impaled the brute through its neck and pulled out his pistol, firing a few bullets at its head.
The animal-headed villager laid on the ground lifeless. Jasper and Leon directed their pistols at it, ready to fire in case it woke up. After a few seconds, the villager didn't move and Jasper noticed that his chest wasn't rising. He sighed in relief before gesturing to Leon to lower his weapon.
Just when they thought it was all over, they were surrounded a horde of villagers, who must've heard the commotion. Jasper position himself protectively in front of Ashley, who huddled behind him. The two agents stood their ground, aiming steady gunshots at the approaching villagers. One of their heads exploded, and the same tentacle-like parasite emerged from its neck. "Twisty son of a bitch."
Jasper switched to his bolt thrower and precisely landed some shots directly at the parasite. The parasite screeched in pain before it dies. Then, Ashley's scream immediately caught the two agents' attention and they noticed that she was struggling to push the villager away from her. Leon rushed to help her and kicked him away while Jasper dealt with the other villagers coming their way.
Unfortunately, more of them kept coming. The trio decided to bail and quickly headed towards the extraction point. They advanced forward, dodging and weaving around the horde of villagers to escape. In the distance, a door to an old cabin opened, and out came a figure calling out to them. "Hey! Over here!"
The trio made their way across the bridge and rushed towards the cabin. Ashley rushed past the two agents as they pushed the wooden gate and blocked it with a wooden plank. They made it in the cabin with Ashley before the random stranger quickly barricaded the door. Once they entered the cabin, Ashley bent down, struggling to regain her composure, as Jasper's hand comfortingly rested on her shoulder.
"You!" Leon's voice caught Jasper's ear. His fists clenched as he stomped angrily towards the stranger.
The stranger turned around, taken back by Leon's hostility in his steps, and tentatively stepped backward. "Hey... Listen, about earlier, I—"
"Yeah, about that..." Leon spat, his voice low and dangerous. He forcefully pushed the stranger against the wall with his fist.
Jasper took a moment to observe the stranger's appearance. He had short and wavy black hair and tanned skin. He wore a brown leather jacket with different embroidered sleeves. "Hey. I see you found your "missing señorita"," the stranger commented, a grin tugging at his lips. "And you brought a new face. A handsome one too."
"The señorita has a name, and it's Ashley," Ashley replied.
"And the name's Jasper to you," Jasper added, raising his eyebrow. "You are?"
"Name's Luis. Encantado," the stranger introduced himself with a charming smile.
Leon interjected. "Great. We all have names. Now then—" He begins to put pressure on Luis' chest and glares at him. "Who are you? And what're you doing here?"
"Very good questions, unfortunately..." Luis gestured his head towards the window, where the horde of villagers had breached the gate and was now entering the yard.
"Hide. Now!" Jasper tells Ashley.
The girl nodded and turns around, scanning the surroundings to look for a secure place for Ashley to hide. "In that case, here, help me," Luis called out, insistently waving them over and gesturing towards a large wooden crate. Jasper rushed over to the man and lifted the heavy crate, revealing a tiny passageway.
"Ashley, quick! Over here!" Jasper ordered the girl. Ashley crouched down and looked over at Jasper, her face showed hesitation to leave the two agents behind. "Go!" He encouraged her. Ashley nodded and hurriedly crawled into the tunnel before he and Luis placed the heavy crate down.
Leon, Luis, and Jasper peered out the window, noticing a swarm of villagers sprawled in the yard, waiting for them. "OK. It's game time," Luis declares, raising his gun. "Hordes of them against three of us. Oh, and let's not forget— this mob is made of monsters."
The trio immediately spread out to fight against the cultists. Jasper and Leon collected a couple of wooden boards nearby and barricaded the windows, preventing the villagers from breaking in.
"You done warming up? Hope you stretched!" Luis exclaimed with an overenthusiastic tone, causing Leon and Jasper to roll their eyes at his attempt at humor.
"Yeah. Now, if you shut up, we'd be good to go," Leon hissed as he and Jasper worked tirelessly to fend the cabin.
"Lighten up, cowboy," Luis chimed.
Jasper quickly grabbed a chair nearby and wedged it underneath the doorknob of the backdoor, barricading it. "These barricades won't hold. We need to come up with a plan before they break in."
Speaking of, the sound of glass shattering was heard. Multiple hands crashed through the pane, trying to reach out the them. Jasper quickly equipped his sniper rifle and peered through the cracks of the barricaded window with his scope, landing precise blows to the villagers with each shot.
The villagers outside pounded on the doors and windows, their angry shouts growing louder by the minute. Leon and Luis were shooting the villagers from the opposite side of the room, trying to thin out the horde as much as possible, but it seemed like more and more villagers kept coming.
The shelf barricading one of the windows collapses and the villagers began to flood in the place. Leon shoots first, stunning of the villagers. Then, he proceeds to kick the villager's midsection, sending them to the ground. Next, he slices the villager's throat, killing them.
One of the villagers advanced towards Leon from behind, but Jasper was quick to shoot them with his rifle and delivered a roundhouse kick before slicing their throat. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, another villager advanced towards him. Acting quickly, Jasper swiftly swung his rifle around, catching the butt of the weapon hard against the villager's nose, stunning her for a second. He quickly swung the weapon around and shot the villager a few times, successfully killing her.
In the corner of his eyes, two other villagers appeared. Leon and Jasper fired a few rounds at them before their heads exploded and the parasites start flailing around. Jasper reached for his stun grenade and warned the other two. "Heads up!" He ripped the pin and threw the projectile towards the parasites. The flash blinded them and the other villagers, and the parasites perished into thin air before the hosts' body collapsed to the ground.
Luis blinked to adjust his eyes and saw the whole scene in awe. "Nice work, tiger," he tells him, shooting the other villager.
"Don't mention it," Jasper quickly nodded to him.
Leon noticing their interaction shoots another villager, then sends a forceful kick on their way, instantly killing them. Jasper's eyes widened in awe as Leon's kick had slain the villager easily.
"Jasper! Guard the upper floor!" Leon ordered and Jasper quickly nodded before he headed up the stairs. He found a couple of villagers who have climbed through the windows using the ladders.
Jasper quickly grabbed his knife and parried against the ruthless onslaught of the knife-wielding villager. With sharp reflexes, he kicked the villager's feet out from under him, sending him toppling to the ground and breaking his neck. Jasper quickly slit his throat and killed him. He turned to the other villager and shot him, stunning him for a second. He quickly delivered a roundhouse kick and fired a few round before killing him.
Jasper rushed over to the window where he spotted a villager climbing up the ladder, trying to reach for the window. He knocked off the ladder with a strong kick, sending the villager and the ladder to fall over and harshly land on the ground. A horde of hostile villagers flooded the yard, and with Jasper's quick reflexes, he equipped his sniper rifle and landed a couple of precise blows through their heads with each shot.
"Hey, tiger! A little help!" Luis exclaimed from below and Jasper rushed down the stairs. He saw that the same monstrous bull-headed villager barged into the cabin, its hand firmly gripping the sledgehammer.
"Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me!" Jasper groaned. The trio fired their bullets at the brute, trying to weaken it. But none of their blows did nothing as it charged towards Leon and violently swung its sledgehammer. The blonde was quick to evade the attack before he continued shooting the animal-headed villager. Eventually, with almost all of their ammunition, he killed it.
The crowd of villagers seemed to stretch out endlessly as they continued to infiltrate the house. Time was running out and they had to act quick in order to survive. "Move!" Jasper warned Leon and Luis before reaching for his grenade, pulling the pin and throwing it towards the sea of aggressive villagers. The projectile exploded, the impact kill the villagers who have infiltrated the house.
Suddenly, the back door was burst opened with an incredible force. "Leon! Jasper! This way, hurry!" Ashley shouted, gaining the trio's attention.
As the villagers have already broken down the barricades and flooded in the cabin, they darted towards the open door and ran out. They ran underneath the wooden gate, but just as they thought they were in the clear, a villager wielding a machete advanced towards them. Quick as lightning, Leon aimed his gun and fired at the crank, causing the wooden gate to be dropped on top of the villager's head, decapitating it instantly.
When the wooden gate was closed, a wave of relief washed over them. The group of four panted, attempting to catch their breaths from running away from the horde of villagers. Jasper turned to Leon, who was struggling to maintain his composure. "You alright?" He asked.
Leon nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright."
The two looked at each other for a moment before the sound of violent coughing was heard from Ashley. "Ashley?!" Jasper quickly rushes over to Ashley, concern etched on his face.
Ashley covered her mouth as she coughed. Peering down, she gasped when she saw her palm was slick with blood. Jasper's eyes widened, feeling a sense of deja vu when he saw the crimson red. "Wh-What's happening to me?" Ashley asks fearfully.
"Ashley. Is this the first time you've coughed up blood like this?" Luis asked, holding the girl's bloodied hand. Ashley slowly nodded, her breathing becoming more labored.
"You wanna start explaining?" The blonde inquired, narrowing his eyes at Luis.
Luis took a deep breath and began to explain the situation. The cough, the blood—it's caused by something called a... "plaga.""
Leon, Jasper, and Ashley shared glances, then turned to Luis, awaiting for his explanation. "OK, you saw those "people," right? Well, you have the same thing inside you. The same thing that made them like that. This... what you're experiencing, these symptoms... They're only the beginning," Luis clarified.
"I don't want to become like them," Ashley cried out with fear.
"You are, well, lucky," Luis chimed in.
Jasper raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"You see, at this early stage, the parasite—the plaga. It is possible to remove it... with a surgical procedure," Luis explained. "And all you need is some know-how. And, oh yeah—the right equipment."
Luis pulled down his shirt, revealing a jagged scar on his chest. "Wait. You, too?" Leon inquired, trying to wrap his head around this coincidence.
"No worries. See, I have a plan. But you're going to have to trust me," Luis tells the trio.
Jasper and Leon exchange skeptical glances, unsure whether to trust the man or not. But then again, they needed help to get rid of the parasite in them and get Ashley home safely. Leon sighed before he nodded in agreement.
"Great! We're partners then!" Luis jumped up, before turning around.
"Hey, who are you—"
"No time for questions. The clock is ticking!" Luis interrupted Jasper.
"Why are you helping us?" Leon asked.
"Because it makes me feel better. Let's leave it at that," Luis simply answered.
"This better be worth our time, or we'll be hunting you down," Jasper told him sternly.
Luis chuckled under his breath and looked back at Jasper over his shoulder. "You have my word, señor. I will contact you later," he notified the group, holding out a walkie-talkie before walking off.
"Who was that man?" Jasper asked Leon once they had watched Luis disappearing into the darkness.
"Someone who used to work for Umbrella," Leon answered.
"Umbrella?" Jasper's eyes widened in disbelief. He felt even more skeptical of him now that Leon mentioned his former occupation. "Leon. A-Are you sure that we can trust him? I mean, you remembered what—"
"Of course I do. But what other choice do we have?" Leon cuts him off sharply. He turned to face him directly and began to spoke with a quiet, but authoritative voice. "Our mission is to rescue Ashley, and for the sake of her well-being, I expect you to keep her safe and not get her killed. Do you understand?"
Jasper stared at Leon with silence, taken back by the blonde's hostile attitude. But still, he masked it with a serious look and nodded firmly. "Understood."
"Good, because this doesn't change anything between us. So after we're done, you stay out of my way," Leon notified before walking past him.
Leon's words stung Jasper like venom. He was persistently reminding him about how much of a bad friend he was. Jasper wished that he could explain the full story, but it seemed like Leon was too stubborn to listen to him right now. He swallowed down a gulp before they continued with their main objective.