A Kennedy Promise

The Cathedral

Helena kept banging on the cathedral doors, but no one answered. They knew full well that the cathedral was filled with survivors, but none of them bothered to let them in. They even heard one of them yelling for them to leave or "you'll lead them straight to us". At first, they didn't know what the man was talking about until they heard multiple groans from behind them. Another wave of infected crawled out from their graves and climbed over the fence. They had no choice but to stand their ground until the people inside changed their minds. Same shit, different location. That being said, Joseph knew he wasn't going to make it in. He lost his focus and coughed continuously. Juliet quickly attended to him, but he waved her off and instead shot at the undead approaching them. However, he dropped to one knee when he felt the air escaping from his lungs. Juliet refused to leave his side. She was over her initial shock and anger. She didn't know why she reacted that way, but she just couldn't bear to see Joseph in that state.

"There's no end to them!" Leon shouted over the thunder as he threw an incendiary grenade at a bloodshot.

"Come on, let us in!" Helena yelled next.

The window to the cathedral was smashed. Someone appeared with a sniper rifle in his hands, volunteering to help them. With the extra firepower, the wave began to thin out. Finally, the door creaked open. Helena rushed in first, opening the door wider despite some survivors disagreeing. She yelled for everyone to enter.

"Go," Joseph commanded, already turning his back on Juliet.

He didn't think he could bear to see her face, but she wasn't having it. She tugged on his hand.

"You can't leave me," Juliet begged. "Joseph-"

"Stay with Leon. He'll take care of you. You'll be alright, sweetheart," Joseph cut her off. He offered her a small smile, trying his best not to show his sadness outwardly. "Stay alive, and be well. Okay?"

Meanwhile, Helena had yelled again for them to hurry up. Leon subtly nodded towards Joseph. Helena caught a glimpse of the bite mark and was shocked. She felt bad for Juliet, but she was getting more nervous now. They needed to hurry and get to wherever they, or rather she, needed to be now.

As for Juliet, she didn't know how to feel. She bit her lip. She pulled him into a tight hug, which surprised him. He didn't hesitate to return the embrace. He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling her warmth. He whispered to her a soft "thank you", which made her heart ache. She was hesitant to leave him, but she knew she had to part with him. She nodded before turning back and rushing towards Leon. Leon hurriedly ushered her inside the cathedral.

"Keep her safe," Joseph instructed sternly.

Leon answered immediately, "I will."

The two men shared a nod of respect. The doors slammed shut. Joseph looked from the doors then back at the infected which were still climbing over the gates. He shot the remaining before the pain returned back to his chest. He slumped down against the wall and coughed out blood. He wasn't going to last a minute longer. He checked his magazine, which had exactly one bullet left. He chuckled to himself, shaking his head.

"Heh, at least I did get her in my arms."

A loud gunshot was heard from outside the cathedral, and then complete silence. The other survivors panicked, but the trio knew what happened. Juliet felt her legs buckle, and she immediately collapsed on the bench. She didn't even try to stop her tears from flowing as she hung her head. Helena stared silently at her, muttering a soft apology. Leon quietly sat next to her.

"I failed to protect them," she sobbed. "I couldn't save them. Not even one."

He draped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him. She cried into his chest, angry at herself for not doing anything to save the people close to her. She didn't know what she'd do if Leon was gone. She looked up at him.

"Don't leave me," she half-whispered.

"I'd never. Not again," he replied, kissing the top of her forehead. "You promised him you'll survive this, didn't you?

She mumbled a soft "yes". Leon gave her a small smile, pushing the hair out of her face.

"We'll make it out. Let's keep moving, OK?" he asked, gently nudging her.

They stood up and caught up with Helena. Helena, now more anxious than ever, was pacing around in front of the huge statue at the front of the cathedral. When she noticed the two coming over, she sighed exasperatedly.

"There were stairs under this statue the last time I came here."

"What's down there, exactly?" Leon questioned.

"It's better if I show you," Helena insisted, pushing past the two. She came to a stop underneath a broken ladder. "Hurry. Boost me up here."

Leon obliged. Helena got up to the second floor and lowered down the ladder on the other side for the two of them. She ran around searching for something, going from room to room. Leon and Juliet hung back, coming across a quote engraved on the wall.

"The two motherly saints will reveal the path," Leon muttered.

At the same time, Helena ran out from one of the rooms holding a maiden statue. She urged the two to help her find the other statue. Leon could sense that Juliet was just following him around and not really listening to Helena. He didn't blame her though. He knew exactly how she felt, having lost the president and over seventy thousand people all in one night. He took a quick glance at Juliet who was staring emptily ahead. He quietly took her hand and led her away, in search of the other maiden statue. They eventually found the statue tucked away behind one of the bookshelves. Helena rushed them to the pedestals. Leon and Helena placed the statues at the same time. However, what opened up was another door at the bottom. Helena looked as confused as the other two, but she wasn't going to slow down any time soon.