𝓛𝓮𝓸𝓷 𝓚𝓮𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓭𝔂| ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴇꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ 4

Moving On, Getting Paid

I'm moving on, I'm getting paid
I'm on my own, I had some space to deal with it
I'm moving on, it's getting late
Go and grab someone, and find a place to deal with it

-Don't Play by Halsey

Leon and I move through the Umbrella facility like seasoned soldiers as together we silently work to take down our enemies inconspicuously and make our way to where the newest virus is being held. Leon moves with heavier more determined steps, opting for a simple fighting knife as he crouches low and strays ahead. I match his pace as best I can, being the more cautious one out of both of us, I scan every corridor and spend the time taking out the cameras whilst Leon ploughs on ahead towards our goal. We finally reach the lab without struggle, Leon and I step side by side as he grabs the vial with trembling fingers before slipping it into a protective case. My eyes zero in on the small, black case as he sets it into his pocket, one of those perfect dark blonde eyebrows lift in suspicion at my predatory gaze. 

"Just making sure you don't drop it." I mumble, adding a sweet smile that Leon falls for. He huffs a laugh, giving me a mocking salute before we both turn on our heels and begin retracing our steps towards the exit. With no room for error, I stick close to the vial- and Leon- as he steps over bodies we've left in our wake and hazardly strolls to the staircase leading back up to the surface. Just as Leon lifts his foot for the first step, screeching alarms and red lights flash violently behind us. We've been caught. I shoot Leon an annoyed look before pulling out my handgun, Leon sheathes his knife and grabs the shotgun as I shove Leon out of the way and take down the backup all alone. I stay low, dodging bullets with my flexibility as Leon curses and roughly asks his Field Office Support for backup, but he soon learns the connection has been broken. Once the first batch of security has been dealt with, we're left with minutes to spare before the next turn up.

"Give me the vial, I can protect it better." I say, holding out my hand as Leon's brows furrow in confusion. He shakes his head, nodding to the staircase. 

"It's fine with me, let's just hurry up and get out of here." He replies, already rushing ahead in an ascent. I refrain from cursing as I follow behind, racing up the steps as I control my laboured breathing. Once back up on the surface, Leon and I survey the forested area and ancient ruins. It's seemingly empty, giving me the perfect chance to- A deafening roar echoes around us as birds above squawk and fly away. Leon's lips thin as he reloads his shotgun and parts his feet as if ready for a battle. I just groan, holding a hand on my hip as I wait for yet another hurdle to block me from the finish line. Out of the thickets comes a strange looking beast, it almost resembles a bear if it weren't for the tentacle-like limbs searching the air, tips curling as it grasps at nothing. "What. The actual. Fuck?" Leon breathes out, a brief look of panic on his face is quickly replaced with determination. 

I'm not waiting for that thing to come to us. I pull out my grapple gun and aim it at the mutation, with a click of the trigger I'm sent flying through the air towards it. Nobody other than me has time to process the movement before I kick it backwards and shoot a whole round into its thick skull. The tentacle limbs writhe as I stamp on them and finally stop when a bead of sweat trickles down my back, I stumble away, turning to find Leon watching me with a doe eyed expression. I snort, straightening my spine as my heels click across the floor of the ruins. "I've tried to be nice about this handsome, but time's up. Give me the vial." I say with a coolness. Leon blinks at me, dumbstruck until I reach him, in a quick move I reach into his pocket and curl my fingers over the case, but Leon's quick to react. His hand reaches to my arm, squeezing as I snatch the case, but his fingers bruise into my skin, causing me to drop the case onto the floor. 

Our eyes meet for mere seconds, but the look of betrayal in Leon's eyes will last a lifetime. We both scramble for it, throwing out half-assed punches and kicks as the case skitters across the ruins from our attempts to prevent the other from grabbing it. Somehow we end up on the floor, with Leon pinning me down with my hands over my head, mouths inches apart as our laboured breaths mingle. "I never thought you'd be a traitor, but then again the most venomous snakes are the prettiest." He murmurs, voice rough as I tilt my head and pout my lips.