Resident Evil 4: Cursed Blood (Leon Kennedy x OC)

{•Chapter Fourteen•}

From the ceiling, statues hung upside down. Torches lit their path as they passed a stairwell. Down the hallway, Ashley stumbled as she covered her mouth. She coughed into her palm and pulled her hand away from her mouth, seeing speckles of blood. Her eyes widened in horror as Leon checked on her. "You alright?"

Ashley pushes him away, refusing to meet his concerned gaze. "I'm fine! Leave me alone!" She took off down the hall and the agents tried to stop her.

"Ashley, wait!" Leon yells.

Gwen went to chase after the blonde girl, but Leon grabbed and pulled her into his arms as a row of steel spikes shot out of the floor where she was just standing. Ashley runs to avoid more rows of spikes, trapping her at the end of the hallway. She presses her back against the wall, breathing heavily.

"Ashley!" Gwen screams, struggling to free herself from Leon's arms.

Steel straps appear, securing Ashley to the wall. "What's going on!?" Then the wall rotates, taking the girl with it.

"W-We've gotta find her, Leon!" Gwen desperately cried out. "If we don't hurry-!"

"We will, Gwen. Calm down," the blonde whispered in her ear, his arms around her tightening.

The archivist breathed deeply, calming her erratic heart. She slumped against Leon's arms after finally being able to calm down. "Okay... Where do we go from here?"

Leon scanned the hallway and found a black door. "Through there."

Suddenly, the agents receive a transmission and quickly accepted it. "Hunnigan, what happened? The transmission got cut off," Leon said. A sinister cackle resonated from the other end of the call. The couple's eyes widened in horror and shock. "Salazar! How'd you...?"

*****
"We've jacked the line. We didn't want you telling everyone any unnecessary information."
*****

"Where's Ashley, you little-!" Gwen started, but Salazar interrupted.

*****
"Aw... So she fell into one of our wonderful traps. We'll make sure we find her. Don't you worry about her, Miss Sparrow, for you will be in our clutches soon enough. Oh, yes. I let our miserable insects out for some exercise down in the sewer."
*****

"Thanks. That should keep us company. Cuz boredom kills us," Leon responds with a huff.

*****
"I look forward to our next encounter... In another life."
*****

Salazar chuckled once more before the transmission was cut off. Leon gripped the radio tightly as he put it away. "Guess we're going through the sewer."

"I was hoping never to hear those words again," Gwen sighed, combing her fingers through her short tresses.

"As long as there's no mutated alligator," Leon added.

Gwen clapped her hands together. "I couldn't agree more."

The couple pass through the door and enter the sewer. Splashing through the water, Leon and Gwen search the waterway for anything helpful. When they found some ammo, the young woman's eyes widened as she patted the gun holster strapped to her thigh. "Shit, I didn't get my pistol back."

"Here," Leon handed over his handgun. "Use mine for now."

Gwen smiled, accepting the firearm. "Thanks, Leon."

Leon wielded his shotgun as they maneuvered through the sewer. A chill crept up Gwen's spine as she felt a presence nearby. She stopped in her tracks, glancing around the waterway. Her eyes darted around, but she couldn't find anything or anyone. The blonde didn't hear her footsteps behind him and stopped. He peered behind him and saw the woman in her petrified state. He wasn't sure how she was able to sense things he wasn't, but he knew to trust her instincts. "What's wrong, Gwen?"