A/n: Small FYI: All of Hunnigan's transmissions will be in bold and italics along with documents like in the previous story. I've changed up a few small things here and there, but I hope you enjoy! Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
••••••••••••••••••••
The road the patrol car traveled down was nothing but dirt and rocks. Each little bump caused the vehicle to shake as they headed further into a dense forest. Leon rested his chin on his hand, staring out the window and seeming to be deep in thought. Gwen, on the other hand, was playing a game of Tetris on her phone.
It had been a few hours since they left the airport and driven into the forest. Neither Leon nor Gwen could believe how far they were from civilization and wondered how large a village could be out this far from any towns or cities. The ride was practically silent until the cop behind the wheel spoke up with a chuckle. "Why am I the one who always gets the short end of the stick?"
Gwen raised her head as she flipped her phone close to preserve the battery. The second cop in the passenger's seat glanced into the back seat at Leon. "Yo, who are you really? Come on and tell us. You are a long way from home, cowboy. You have my sympathies."
The newly appointed agent smirked and elbowed Leon's side playfully. "Cowboy, eh? I like it."
He rolled in his eyes in response before glancing at the cop in the passenger's seat. "Guess that's a locals way of breaking the ice. Anyway, you know what this is all about. Our assignment is to search for the
president's missing daughter."
"What," the driver chuckled. "All by yourself with a woman?"
Gwen glared at the driver, but a smirk crept up onto her face. "Oh, shoot. Did I remember to grab my knife?" The two Spaniards glanced into the backseat as the woman yanked the sharp blade from her boot and pierced the central armrest between the two men, causing them to flinch. "There it is."
Leon smirked in delight at Gwen's passive aggressive behavior. "I'm sure you boys didn't just tag along so we could sing Kumbiyah together at some Boy Scout bonfire. Then again, maybe you did."
The second cop scoffs, but his grin fell when his hand brushed against the knife embedded in the armrest. "You Americans are crazy. It's a direct order from the chief himself. I tell you it's no picnic."
"And that's why you're here, Sherlock," Gwen smirked, yanking the blade from the armrest and sliding it back into her boot.
"We're counting on you guys," Leon added.
The car suddenly lurches to a stop. Confused, Gwen questioned the driver. "Why're we stopping? All I see is trees and dead foliage."
"Taking care of business, señorita," the cop in the passenger's seat claimed before hopping out. Gwen felt the chilly breeze as he closed the door behind him. She watched as he rushed over behind a tree to relieve himself until she felt something tug on her shoulder length hair.
She turned her head and saw Leon messing with her midnight locks while smirking like the Cheshire Cat. "You really that curious to see his-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Kennedy," Gwen's brows furrowed, crossing her arms over her chest.
Leon chuckled, retracting his hand. "Yes, ma'am."
The cop scurried from around the tree he disappeared behind, tugging at his belt and readjusting it as he climbed back into the car. "Sorry it took so long."
"Let's just... keep going," Gwen sighed, resting a hand on her forehead.
<----------<<<<<<<<<
Fifteen minutes pass and the patrol car crosses over a rickety, old bridge. Once safely on the other side, the driver put on the brakes and stopped the car. Peering out the front window, Gwen was able to make out strange structures within the woods.
"Just up ahead is the village," the Spaniard behind the wheel stated.
Leon tugged at the hem of his leather jacket. "We'll go and have a look around."
Gwen grabbed the handle to open the door when the second cop brewed an excuse she couldn't believe no matter how many times she'd hear it. "We'll stay and watch the car. Don't want to get any parking tickets."
"Right..." Leon started, exhaling a deep sigh.
"Parking tickets," Gwen finished with her own annoyed sigh.
"Good luck," the driver said as the two agents exited the vehicle.
Gwen walked around the front of the patrol car and placed her hands on her hips as she closed her eyes in disbelief. Leon glanced towards her with a questioning gaze. "Geez, who are these guys?"
"Like I said-clowns," Gwen groans.
The cop behind the wheel saw their lips moving and rolled down the window, wondering what the couple had said. "Did you say something?"
"Oh," Gwen smiled innocently. "Nothing."
A strange noise resonated from Leon's pocket, catching the young woman's attention. "The hell was that?"
"Radio," Leon simply replies, taking the device out.
The screen lit up, revealing the face of an unfamiliar woman.
*****
"Leon, Gwen, I hope you can hear me. I'm Ingrid Hunnigan. I'll be your support on this mission."
*****
"Loud and clear. Somehow I thought you'd be a little older." Gwen pinched Leon's arm at his teasing remark. He winced from the small amount of pain and cleared his throat. "So the subject's name's Ashley Graham, right?"
*****
"That's right. She's the daughter of the president. So try and behave yourself, okay? I know Gwen will so make sure to follow her example."
*****
"Ooh, already pointing fingers, are we? I like you already, Hunnigan," Gwen remarked, earning a smile from the bespectacled woman.
Leon scoffs, ignoring Gwen's comment. "Whoever this group is, they sure picked the wrong girl to kidnap."
*****
"I'll try to find more information on them from my end as well."
*****
Leon nodded. "Good. Talk to you later. Leon out."
As the agents walked down the hiking trail, Gwen kicked a pebble by her foot, listening and watching as it collided into a small pile of dead leaves. "When I pictured Spain, I didn't imagine walking down a hiking trail surrounded by dead foliage."
"It's in the middle of fall, Gwen," Leon retorts.
"I realize that, Captain Obvious," Gwen stuck her tongue out like a child, a grin spreading across Leon's face. "What I meant was visiting Spain during the summer to enjoy the beautiful scenery and have some decent weather without freezing my ass off."
Further down the narrow trail, Leon and Gwen stumbled upon a house. From the window, the woman thought she saw a shadow pass by. The front door was wide open and when she went to step inside, Leon grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "I'll go first." He unholstered his pistol and checked to make sure the gun was fully loaded. "Stay behind me, Gwen."
After ten years since their first meeting, Leon still was overprotective of Gwen. She wouldn't admit it, but she found his constant worry for her well-being heartwarming. When it came to protection details, he wouldn't skip a beat and would do anything and everything to keep her out of harm's way. What made him more protective over the years was when Gwen was captured by Doctor Griffyn during the Raccoon City outbreak. Leon swore to her nothing like that would happen again, but she knew he couldn't protect her from everything and everyone.
Gwen hid behind Leon as she grabbed her own pistol to cover his back. "After you, cowboy," she smirked, recalling the nickname one of the cops gave him during the car ride.
Leon crept into the house with Gwen close on his heels. He slowly turned the corner, pistol raised. When he spotted a man tending to the fireplace, he lowered his gun and slid it back into its holster. He turned to Gwen, who was hiding behind the wall. "Just a local."
She nodded and was relieved to know it wasn't a monster or deranged psychopath. She withdrew her gun and emerged from her hiding spot. Gwen kept her distance while Leon circled the table to talk to the man. "Uh, excuse me. Sir?" He pulls out the picture of Ashley as the stranger turns to face him. Gwen saw the angered expression on the man's face, but that didn't stop Leon from questioning him. "We were wondering if you might recognize the girl in this photograph?"
"Que carajo haces aqui? Lárgate, cabrón!" The man spat in Leon's face.
The blonde eyed Gwen, wondering if she knew what the man said. She shrugged her shoulders and Leon sighed, placing the picture back into his pocket. "Sorry to have bothered you."
The man turned his back to the agents and walked towards the corner beside the fireplace. Gwen watched with narrowed eyes as he picked something up and turned towards her. Before she could react, an axe was thrown directly at her. Leon immediately tackles Gwen to the floor, the weapon sailing through the air and lodging into the wall behind them. Eyes wide with horror, she stared at the axe. "That was too close..."
Leon hovered over Gwen's body as he watched the man grab a sickle off the table. He hurried to his feet and grabbed his gun, aiming it at the approaching man. "Freeze!" The adversary stalked closer, raising the rusted blade. Leon didn't want to shoot the man and shouted again. "I said freeze!" With no other option, the agent pulled the trigger. He shot the man a few times until his body fell to the floor.
When the man's body suddenly disintegrated with a sizzling noise, Gwen stared at the spot the body once was. "I don't think normal corpses do that."
Suddenly, they heard the truck outside come to life. Leon and Gwen rushed to the front window and peered out the small slit in the shades. Exhaust escaped the truck as it barreled down the path they had traveled down and towards the patrol car. "Oh, god, the officers are still down there!" Gwen shouted as a horde of people blocked the front door to prevent them from escaping.
Then, the ear-piercing sound of a crash was heard in the distance and a loud splash accompanied it. "Shit!" Leon hissed, knowing exactly what the truck had hit.
"What now, Leon?" Gwen questioned as she backed away from the widow when a woman in a tattered dress shoved a sickle through the small slit, which missed her face by mere inches.
"We find a way out of here and check on the officers," Leon answered. The radio in his pocket made a small blip and he grabbed the device, picking up the incoming call from Hunnigan.
*****
"Is everything okay?"
*****
"There was a hostile local. I had no choice but to neutralize him. There are still others surrounding the area," Leon responded.
"And they seem to not want us to leave this house," Gwen added. "They're blocking the front door."
*****
"Get out of there and head toward the village. Take whatever measures necessary to save the subject."
*****
"Understood." Leon disconnected the transmission, placing the radio back into his pocket as he gazed at Gwen. "Look for an exit."
She nodded and decided to check the other room. Leon headed upstairs while the archivist spotted a doorway under the stairwell. She wondered if it led to a basement, but she screamed at the top of her lungs when all she saw were human skulls. Maggots burrowed inside the hollow eye sockets as flies were attracted to the putrid odor. She quickly clamped a hand over her mouth to keep herself from vomiting at the smell and sight.
Upstairs, Leon heard Gwen scream and rushed down the stairs to check on her. "What happened?" He asked as he saw her tucked into a corner. She pointed with a shaky finger, unable to use words. The blonde peered into the storage room and saw what had frightened her. His nose scrunched up at the foul stench and backed away when a few maggots fell from one of the skulls. "Guess he wasn't so innocent after all."
"Look how many there are... How many people did he kill?" Gwen muttered, trying to count the number of skulls.
"By the looks of it, a lot. He could've killed more people and we just haven't come across them."
"I know everyone has skeletons in their closet, but this guy took it too literally," Gwen huffed, pulling her hand away from her mouth.
Leon raised a brow, glancing at the young woman. "Was that a joke?"
"Had to lighten the mood a little bit," Gwen management to smile through the pungent odor. "Did it work?"
Leon huffed with laughter. "A little."
"Good. Now, back to searching for a way out of this damn house."
"I found one on the second floor," Leon smirked proudly.
Gwen arched a brow, unsure of his confident response. "Really?"
"Really."
Leon and Gwen headed up to the second floor. The archivist glanced around, wondering where their escape route was. "I don't see any form of escape."
Leon placed his hands on Gwen's head and turned it towards a shattered window. "That's our exit."
Gwen shook her head, forcing Leon to remove his hands. "Oh, no, no, no! We are not jumping through a window. We're on the second floor, too! One of us could get injured from the fall and we haven't even found Ashley yet! We'll find another way out of this house."
"Too late. We're jumping." Leon swept Gwen off her feet and into his arms. She had no choice but to wrap her arms around his neck as he ran towards the window. She closed her eyes the moment Leon leapt out the window. Her body felt weightless for a split second before they landed on the ground.
Gwen opened one eye before opening the other. She sighed in relief, her stiff body going limp in Leon's arms. "I hate you..."
"Love you, too, shortcake," Leon snickered.
"If I could burn nicknames or condemn them to Hell, that would be the first one I'd curse then light on fire," Gwen commented as she climbed out of Leon's arms and stood on her own feet.
"You can try, but it's not going anywhere."
"Ugh..."
The agents snuck around the horde of people as they thought the two were still in the house. They ran down the path and back to the officers. When they peered down into the river from the cliff, they saw the truck and patrol car in the water. "Oh, no..." Leon whispered in shock.
Neither Leon nor Gwen knew the officers for long, but they knew they didn't deserve to die this way. "I seriously doubt these villagers are sane. We should be careful," the inky-haired woman stated.
"We haven't reached the village yet, but at this point, I doubt we're gonna be welcomed with open arms. Better keep on our toes."
Gwen raised her head, tearing her eyes away from the vehicles. "I'm right behind you, Leon."