FOOL → leon kennedy ✔

chapter nine

CHAPTER NINE
i'm right here.

...

"Okay-- no. First of all, dogs are infinitely better than fish. You can't take your fish for a walk, can you?" Lucky's eyebrows shot up with her challenge, and Leon lifted his chin. "Huh, Kennedy? Can you walk a fish? Incorrect, because fish don't have any legs to accomplish what we call walking."

Leon's eyes stayed on her for a heartbeat longer than necessary, a little half-smirk resting on his lips. Lucky pulled on a strand of her hair.

Then Leon rolled his eyes. "Fine, dogs win. Please tell me you have a dog of your own, since you're arguing this fact so viciously." He said.

It was Lucky's turn to roll her eyes. "Of course I do. Who do you think I am? Some kind of monster?" They both chuckled at that. The tunnels seemed to be never-ending, so Lucky decided to make small talk with Leon. When he said his fish was the best pet, she refused to let that stand.

"Okay, Davey. What's your dog like?"

Lucky's eyes lit up. "She's amazing. A mutt I rescued from a shelter, with long fur that always needs to be brushed and a tongue that always has to be licking my face. She's a lot like you, too." A sly grin settled across Lucky's face. Leon's eyebrows popped upwards.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, she's kind of a crybaby, and a lot annoying." Lucky teased. Leon scoffed, feigning hurt, which just made Lucky laugh.

"Okay, okay. What's her name?"

"Shhh!" Ada threw a hand backwards, almost catching Lucky in the cheek. They didn't realize that the mysterious girl had stopped moving, and now she reached for her gun. "Annette."

Leon and Lucky exchanged a look of confusion, but, when Ada took off down the hallway, they had no choice but to follow her.

The trio came to a room not very different from the others, but this one held another living human. Lucky could easily say that she was happy to see someone who wasn't ready to rip her open. Too bad it had to be Annette.

"Annette? Annette Birkin? Can you explain what's going on here?" Lucky dodged around Ada, confronting the other woman before Ada could even speak.

But the scientist didn't seem to hear her. Random mumblings tumbled from her lips, half of which Lucky even understood. "Annette, what is going on--"

"I'm here for the G, Annette. Hand it over, or I'll be forced to acquire it myself." Ada interrupted, taking a more violent approach. She brandished her gun and levelled it with Annette's chest. At least that got her attention.

"I'll never let you have it! Any of you!"

"Ada... back off." Lucky pushed herself between the two women, hands outstretched. "Stay back, Leon. Let me. Annette, we just want answers. I want to know what happened and why the city is currently eating itself."

"No. We are here for G, and I'm not leaving without it." Ada said flatly. Lucky licked her lips, panicked eyes darting to Annette, who was moving for something at her belt. The world seemed to slow as she slid the gun from it's holster and fired off a single shot. Leon called Lucky's name, then someone slammed into her side. Two more gunshots went off.

Lucky gasped and stumbled to catch Leon. His weight pulled her down to her knees, which hit the floor hard.

"Oh shit... shit, Leon. Ada-- what the fuck?!" Lucky seethed, glaring daggers up to the other girl. Leon waved Lucky's words away.

"Go after her, Ada. Don't let her get away without our answers." Then he shifted his eyes to Lucky's.

She shook her head. "I'm staying here with you, and... I don't care what you say. You... you can't make me leave you out here alone." Lucky tried to fight the shake from her voice, but it clearly did nothing. Leon smiled, nodding. She moved him to the closest wall and propped him up, then she began to clean and dress the wound.

"She'd only slow me down, anyway. I'll see what I can do... follow as soon as you can." Ada said, then she paused. Lucky looked up to meet her eyes. "I'll be expecting both of you, so you better make it happen."

Then she was gone, and Lucky was left with an almost-unconscious Leon and a rapidly-spreading zombie infection. Oh, what a night. She slumped against the wall, suddenly feeling as though every fibre of energy had been torn from her body.

"L-lucky?" Leon coughed, struggling to stand. She caught his hand and eased him back down, laying her head on his shoulder.

"I'm here, Leon. I'm right here."

Her eyelids were fighting against her, struggling to close. She wanted to fight it, but Leon's body was so warm and she was so tired.

He squeezed her hand, but clearly had no energy left to speak. She let her eyelids close and was soon whisked off into a feverish sleep.