CHAPTER SEVEN
terminate.
...
Lucky caught a glimpse of herself in the window of some children's toy store, and could honestly say she'd looked worse. The rain was washing the worst of the dirt off and she was pretty thankful, even though she was soaked through her navy-blue FBI jacket. Her hair, recently cut to her shoulders, stuck to her face and made her resemble that of a drowned rat, but she had definitely looked worse.
Then there was the bite.
Okay, well, she wasn't entirely sure about that one. Though she was pretty sure that it was the dog's doing, not her knife. Lucky wasn't usually that careless. She didn't tell Leon because... because she didn't want him worried or scared. She didn't want him to get hurt while trying to help her.
Lucky yanked her sleeve down over the red-stained bandage and looked away from the window. She spotted Ada standing at a little ammunition and gun store nearby, arms crossed and frowning. Leon wasn't too far from Lucky.
"We can go through here... the road's out over there, and we need to get to the sewers." Ada said, jerking her thumb at the door.
Lucky curled her lip at the thought. "The sewers? Why would we go there?"
"Because that's the quickest route to Umbrella's lab. You know, the place we have to be to stop this thing?" She spoke like it was common knowledge. Of course Umbrella's lab was in a swimming pool of garbage and shit! Why wouldn't it be?
Lucky just shrugged and followed Leon. The wound on her leg was starting to act up again and was slowing her down pretty substantially, but she pretended not to notice and hoped the others didn't, either.
Of course, as she thought that, Leon glanced back and his face paled when he saw she was falling behind. He stopped and waited for her at the door, concern laced into the look on his face.
"I'm fine, Kennedy." She spoke before he even could. He wasn't convinced.
"Is it your leg? I can fix it up again if you want--"
"I said I'm fine, Leon. Don't fret over me... I'll be okay. I just have to walk it off." What she didn't tell him was that, yes, her leg was killing her and, yes, she'd love him to sit her down and help. She instead swallowed her pain and moved on.
Leon caught her arm and turned her towards him. "If you're hurting, you have to tell me. We're partners in this, Davey, and I'm not going to let you walk around in pain. At least let me look at it. To ease my mind, let's say." He insisted. Lucky defiantly glared into his bright eyes, but his concern chipped away at her wall. She caved.
"Fine. Quickly, though... I'm pretty sure Ada will leave us if we take too long. Actually, take all the time you need if that's the case." Lucky spoke quietly, shooting a glare towards the reserved woman who was currently going through the shelves.
Leon helped Lucky onto the till, then crouched down to her leg. He swiftly untied her boot, then rolled her pant leg up. "Ugh, how bad is it? Will I have to lose the leg?" She peered down at him. Leon held a pale, solemn look.
"I'm afraid so, Lucky. Just above the knee... don't scream too loud, please." He began shuffling for an item. Panic flared in Lucky's gut.
"W-wait, really?" All her jokes were gone. What could she do with one leg? Through her panic, she watched a meek smile curl Leon's lips and all her fears vanished. Her jaw dropped to the floor and a scoff was forced from her lungs. "You're fucking kidding. Leon!" Lucky kicked at him, missing on purpose, and he began laughing.
"You should've seen your face. Yeah, no, just some of the paste and you should be fine." He was laughing to the point of tears before long and Lucky even started laughing, too.
"You're such an ass. Just put the damn stuff on." Lucky chuckled and Leon went to work. New round of paste, new bandage and a kiss on the bandage to "make it all better". Lucky could feel Ada's judgmental glare on her back, but she couldn't care less. What was the point in surviving if you couldn't even have a bit of fun?
Leon helped her get her boot back on, over her pant leg, then she hopped off the counter. It felt better and she could walk easier, so that was a plus. "Thanks, Kennedy. You have a knack for saving my ass." She bumped his shoulder, grinning.
They ransacked any extra ammunition, with Lucky happily finding the perfect ammo for her pistols and Leon even found a few pistol rounds and shotgun shells. They were ready, and the clear exit was a back door that was propped open by haphazardly-strewn debris.
Lucky ducked through the door right behind Leon and quickly knew something was off about that place. Leon walked forward a few steps, then turned to her. A shotgun barrel was almost immediately pressed against the side of his head, and Lucky whipped out both her pistols.
"Put them down, or you're going to be wearing his brains." A shaky, male voice filled the silence.
Leon's hands were already up. "Let's just talk about thi--"
"Guns down, now!" Lucky flinched, but placed her pistols down without a second thought. If it meant he wouldn't hurt Leon, she'd obviously do it. "N-now... now slide them over to me." He looked more scared than malicious, and Lucky decided to comply. What could they gain from fighting?
Her guns slid across the rain-beaten ground, but the man barely even looked at them. Ada came around the corner with her own gun drawn, which distracted him and gave Leon an opening to move, to which he spun and pointed his shotgun at the man. Lucky lurched forward and retrieved her beloved twin pistols.
The stranger let his own shotgun lower and he stumbled backwards. Lucky's gaze drifted behind him, to where a little girl was standing in a doorway. Her hair was messy and covered most of her face, and her clothes were caked in dirt and blood.
"Oh my god..." Lucky covered her mouth in horror. The kid was bitten and turning... she was just a little girl.
This was real-- this was all happening. And not just to Ada, Leon and Lucky... this was happening to the whole city. Lucky had apparently forgotten that.
"Daddy?" The little girl's small voice was gritty and pained, and Lucky felt like she could break down at any moment. What horrible nightmare was this that innocent children got turned into those... monsters?
The man slowly inched back. "Emma... Em, sweetie, I asked you to stay inside. Go back inside, sweetie."
Ada sighed, then adjusted her grip on her handgun. "Step back, sir. I need to terminate her before she turns."
The man caught his daughter before her stumble turned into a fall. Her skin was greying and her eyes had deep circles around them. Lucky couldn't tell if he was crying or if it was the rain. "Terminate? That's my fucking daughter." He spat, then he turned his attention to Leon and Lucky. "You're a cop, right? You're both cops, so you should know what's going on here. How does something like this happen? Huh?" He held his daughter at arm's length to demonstrate his point.
Her eyes bore through Lucky, making a chill run up and down her spine. The girl's lips quivered and, at first, no noise came out. Until her scratchy voice seemed to make the world stop. "M-mommy?"
"I-I.... shit." Lucky's voice broke in her throat and was instead replaced with the sound of her guns being shoved into their holsters. She covered her eyes and shook her head, fighting the stinging of tears.
"No, sweetie. Mommy is sleeping a-and... and I'm going to put you to bed, too, okay? Come on."
"Just leave them alone, goddammit. They aren't the enemies." Lucky gestured to the pair as the man struggled to his feet while holding Emma close. Her heart ached for them, but there wasn't much she could do anymore. "Shit..."
Ada hesitated, but she soon relaxed and put her pistol away. Leon had done so a long time ago.
The man carried his daughter in one arm and his shotgun in the other, stumbling towards the door where Emma had come from. Once he passed the threshold, he turned. "Just go. Just give us some privacy."
The door slammed. Lucky dropped her shoulders and let out a long breath. "Holy shit... fuck." She swiped at her damp face, wondering if it was tears or rain that she wiped away. Or both. Oh well.
"I get keeping a secret from us, but them? They're... God, helping people like them is why I joined the force. I want to stop this mess to prevent more lives ending like that--" His voice died away as a single gunshot rang out. Lucky stared at the door for a long moment, then she turned to Ada.
"My mission is to stop Umbrella, which means heading to the roots. We may not make it out." Ada looked between the two as she spoke. Lucky moved to stand beside Leon, nodding to him.
"My mission was to find out what is going on and put a stop to it before it gets out. To stop this mess before more innocent people are hurt. If my life is what it takes to accomplish that, then I--" She glanced at Leon, who gave her one curt nod. "-- then we're willing to do it."
Lucky didn't know what was coming next, but she knew she would stand by her words no matter what. She had to.
It was her mission.