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Leon was out of ammo. The realization came slowly to him, as he fumbled in his many belt pockets for some forgotten bullets, even though he knew he always kept track of how many rounds he had left. Pushing the Matilda back into its holster on his thigh, Leon unsheathed the knife in a broad swing, gripping it's handle tightly and assessed his situation. In any other circumstances, an empty magazine wouldn't have unnerved him, but as it was, he currently found himself pressed against the wall of an abandoned umbrella laboratory somewhere in the alpine mountains, the door opposite of him was sealed tightly, due to the sparse remnants of the emergency protocol still intact. Beyond it though, a mass of bodies was throwing itself against the glass, their mangled hands grabbing towards him.
The door wouldn't hold, he knew that. He wouldn't have fled in the first place, if he had had a realistic chance of surviving the amount of infected that were chasing him. After all this was his rescue mission but now he found himself in need of help. Leon scanned the room again, the contents of which looked thoroughly ransacked, though he still tossed aside boxes and ripped out desk drawers in the hopes of finding even a single left over bullet. Similiar to his own pockets, the room seemed absolutely empty. He needed an escape plan then. His eyes darted along the walls and the ceiling, his gloved hands sliding along some suspicious cracks in the walls, but he found neither a hidden door, nor a conveniently placed vent he could force himself through. The panic he had been supressing this far, came back to crawl it's way up his throat and Leon sucked in the stale air in a heavy gulp, locking his gaze back on the door, he could hear the metal beginning to creak under the strain.
He pressed the button on his radio, hoping there was still someone to listen. “Chris? How's your status? I could use some help over here.“ He held his breath, waiting for an answer, while the mob outside moaned and beat against the glass panel on the door.
“I'm with Claire, we can't leave our position right now, where are you? We've been told there's going to be backup.“ Chris' voice came from the plastic speaker, Leon could barely make out the words with the chaos that seemed to be going on in the background.
“I am the backup, I should be one story above you. Can you hold on without me?“ He answered, cursing to himself as soon as the connection cut off. When Chris had messaged the BSAA about a possible finding of another B.O.W. in the german alps, with a request for backup, Leon had been sent at a moment's notice, with no time to prepare and minimal briefing on the way there, naturally he had been underprepared for the mission. And now he was stuck in a mouldering mansion, with no weapons, or protective gear, up against the mutated corpses of some forgotten umbrella institution. Nothing new there, except that this time he was pretty sure his luck had run out, when not even the people stuck with him in this nightmare would be coming anytime soon.
“We got this handled, send me your coordinates so we can meet.“ Leon wondered for a moment if Chris had understood how dire his situation was, but before he could, the glass finally shattered and the unfiltered sound of the infected filled the space. The hinges of the door groaned and cold sweat began trickling down his back. If they managed to breach the barrier before he could come up with another plan, all Chris and Claire would find if they got here, was his corpse. Leon gripped his knife tighter and reached his other hand back to the radio, his fingers were trembling as he pressed the button.
“Will do. Over.“ His voice was still stern and calm but Leon could nevertheless feel himself slipping into a panic. He just reached for his watch, to relay his position, when the door burst open and the infected poured into the room like a river tearing down a mountainside. Leon assumed a ready stance and held his knife in front of him, fixing his gaze on the nearest zombie. Their bodies looked different from the creatures he had encountered before, like they've been rotting for far longer than the newly infected, as if they had been trapped in this building for years, mutating and twisting beyond recognition.
When the first zombie leapt for his neck, Leon quickly raised his arms to deflect the attack and was promptly startled by the feel of gooey flesh that hit against his leather jacket. Pieces of tissue seemed to cling to him, when he withdrew his arms, like the creature before him had the consistency of a melting marshmallow. Bile rose in his throat, he swallowed heavily, before taking his knife and going for a counter-attack. The blade sunk easily into his enemy, hitting no bone, so Leon twisted it inside the struggling mass and drew it upward, opening the stomach of the creature and tearing through it's throat. Blood sprayed from it's wounds, hitting him in the face and covering him in the strong smell of iron. Leon quickly withdrew his sullied knife and kicked the body away from him, rubbing his hand hastily over the splatters on his face. He looked around the room, taking in more and more of the zombies that were stuffing themselves through the doorframe.
It hit him there for the first time that here and now, Leon was utterly alone. His request for help had been denied, any hope for another team being send to their location had been snuffed out on the way here and his weapons were useless too if he didn't find more ammunition. The only thing he had left was his knife and the hope that if he could get out of this room, he would find another way to escape. It was either that or he would die tonight. Leon clenched his jaw tightly, his heart was racing in his chest and his breathing came in quick bursts. He gripped the handle with both hands, shaking uncontrollably and took his first step into the fray.
That was the last thing he remembered before his vision went black.
“-eon!“ He blinked, the image before him blurry. He blinked again numbly. “Leon! What's your status?!“ The voice he heard was close and tinny, though he couldn't place where it was coming from. There was so much noise still inside his head.
“Answer me, it's be-“ He felt the urge to obey the command but his body refused, he felt like he was just a single thought untethered from reality. His memories cycled through the same images again and again, their echo still ringing in his ears. You have to survive, you have to make it out of here, run, Run. RUN. Leon blinked again, the image before him cleared up slowly.
The first thing he saw was the red, as it slid down the gleaming metal in his grip, then he recognized his own hands, clad in leather gloves and stained with blood. When the feeling of his own body had returned to him, Leon found himself hunched up against a hard surface, facing a wood paneled wall. He knew he must be aching but the pain just lingered in the background of his consciousness as he tried to understand what had happened. His hands were still clenched tightly around the knife handle and all he could smell was the tangy odor of blood and rotting wood. His hair stuck uncomfortably to his forehead and his chin seemed to be dripping with more red. His lashes felt sticky too, like he'd been crying, though Leon had no recollection of that either. He lifted an uncoordinated hand to his cheeks, wiping at the grime sticking to his face, only to smear more of it onto himself.
“Kennedy! Status. Now!“ the speaker droned and Leon flinched with the sudden noise. He frantically fumbled for the right button, while trying to piece together a coherent sentence in his head. He felt like speaking was beyond him right now. “Chris, I-“ He broke off, his mouth opening and closing uselessly. This wasn't the right time for him to lose it. He knew that well enough. He just needed a second to breathe and pull himself together. He drew himself up at the desk he didn't know he was leaning on, and gave the room a once over, trying to remember where in the mansion he had ended up.
“Jesus christ, finally-“ Whatever Chris said next was lost on Leon as he took in the sight that greeted him. The floor was littered with corpses, melting into the dirty carpet, the parquet slick with blood and puss. The door to the room stood ajar, another body still caught at the threshold. The silence that had fallen over the room was pressing down on him, now that he finally noticed he was the only one still alive, in a room seeped in blood and death.
“I think I got lost. What're your coordinates?“ Leon began again, hoping that Chris wouldn't ask too many questions. When he looked down on himself he could see more blood drenching his clothes. The taste of vomit clung to the back of his teeth.
“What do you mean you got lost?! You've been radio silent for the past hour and didn't transmit your position.“ Leon froze at Chris' words, his hand stopping at the golden door handle that would lead him out of the old office. How did he lose a whole hour? He shook his head, he had no time for this right now.
“Kinda hard to know where you're going when there's a bunch of freaks chasing you. Now where the fuck are you?“ He quipped impatiently. They had no time for an interrogation, besides Leon didn't know if there were still other infected nearby, especially because he still didn't have ammunition.
“I'll send them, we should be in the basement right now, seems like they've kept something big in here. Come quick.“, “Just perfect...“ Leon mumbled to himself. While he'd been freaking out, Chris and Claire must've worked on clearing the rest of the mansion and it didn't sound like they would be done anytime soon.
Carefully Leon pulled the door open the rest of the way, stepping over more dead zombies and glancing down the hallway. His flashlight illuminated a narrow corridor leading to a set of stairs, the walls built out of dark wood with fading paintings decorating them. These must be the living quarters then, he figured. If he wanted to make it to the basement, he'd have to be quick. Hopefully the way was clear and Chris would have some ammunition to spare. Leon set out to cut the distance between them as fast as possible.
***
“Leon, just in time!“ Claire shouted as another block of cement tumbled from the wall and just narrowly missed her. The giant mutant already raged in the middle of the room when Leon had finally caught up with the two siblings, sweat had mixed with the blood covering his face and was insistent on dripping in his eyes every once in a while, making him swipe at his brow in futility.
“Catch!“ Came a gruff voice only a few feet beyond him, as Chris tossed a machine gun at him. Catching it effortlessly, Leon started moving again. They had found an underground lab expanding on the already existing laboratories in the mansion, roughly carved from the mountain rock and supported by heavy iron beams. One of these rooms included an experimentation room, housing a hulking behemoth of a mutant. Leon couldn't tell anymore what or who it could've originally been, just that it had had enough time to stew and ripen in the damp underground complex. Additionally to that it must've merged with the other infected, who's faces were still swimming on it's rubbery skin and moaning in agony. It's bulging arms hit blindly and made the interior shake as the three of them searched for a weak point in the viscuous body. More debris fell from the ceiling, thick metal rods sticking out dangerously from the pieces of cement.
“If this goes on any longer, the whole cave will collapse!“ Leon yelled over to the other two, before having to dodge a fleshy appendage vaguely aimed at him. The lump of meat swished overhead him, getting him a good look at the screaming human faces set in the skin, hair still poking out in wild strands. His stomach twisted painfully at the sight and he had to surpress the urge to slap his hands over his ears to make the screaming he heard from the many mouths stop.
“Working on it!“ Came the echo from both Chris and Claire, who seemed to have figured something out without him. Great, that meant he was the distraction. Leon lifted the gun back up firing at the growth that might be the creature's head, before leaping behind a fallen beam for cover, as the thing came barreling towards him. When he came out of his hiding place, he would need to move swiftly, as he was basically caged in by its massive body. Seeing no other way but through, Leon ran straight towards the flailing conglomeration of arms and legs and ducked and jumped through the moving mess until he had made his way to its other side, now standing in the middle of the room. The creature turned back around to face him. He took two steps back, steadying his aim and firing towards the creatures head, though just like before it seemed to be unfazed by Leon's attacks and instead stomped straight towards him, slamming one of its massive hands against him. As soon as the skin had made contact with Leon's waist, he could feel it attaching to his clothes and beginning to try and suck him inside.
Leon yelled in panic, as he felt the monster tear at the small bits of exposed skin and threw his machine gun to the ground in favour of drawing his knife. He began hacking at the hand wrapping around him, trying to sever the tissue that had suctioned itself to his skin. It wasn't as hard as he had expected, seeing as he too lacked bones that could've given any resistence to his blade. He dropped to the ground roughly, his knees hitting the floor with the sudden impact. Still kneeling, he could hear the guttural growl of the creature preparing to slam itself against the cave walls once more. Then Claire's voice rang loud an clear amongst the droning noise that encompassed the chamber. “Get down!“
Leon had no time to process as another metal beam came crashing towards both him and the monster, with a grating creak. As fast as his body would allow, Leon struggled to his feet and pushed himself forward. The leap threw him 5 feet forward and the ground slammed into his shoulder, before the beam impacted the groaning creature. Leon tried to push himself up, hissing between clenched teeth as a sharp pain shot through the arm that had taken the brunt of the fall. Still attempting to get back up, he could hear the cave walls crumbling again, until the rock came raining down around him. Leon threw his arms up to cover his head as the stone shattered, for a split second he could see a football sized piece of concrete rolling in his direction, before everything became blurry with motion, The metal wire sticking out of the cement hurling towards him, embedded itself in his leg as the rock hit him.
Leon curled forward, his functioning hand gripping his right leg, as he tried not to scream. Breathing heavily, he gripped the piece of metal with one hand and started to pull. The piece moved easily within him and he had to bite down on his jacket lapel not to cry out or vomit. With shaking hands he ripped the metal out of his thigh, desperate to keep moving in case the mutant would recover from the impact and start raging through the lab again. Blood flowed freely out of the wound, so Leon hustled to pull a spare bandage from his utility belt and started tightly wrapping it around his thigh. This wouldn't make up for a doctor but in his current situation it was more than he could've asked for, though his dislocated shoulder still posed a significant handicap.
Grabbing onto the wall for support he stood up again and hobbled towards his abandoned machine gun, above him he could still hear Claire running light-footed over the metal platforms above him, he didn't know how much time he would have before another beam would descend upon them, so he quickly picked up his weapon, before he rounded the hulking mass of flesh, oozing beneath the steel and gravel. The many faces in its skin seemed to whistle quietly now, or it was Leon's mind playing tricks on him, he wasn't sure. Eyes fixed on the creature in the centre of the room, he joined Chris near the entrance, who was still standing ready to shoot his brown eyes narrowed to slits and his face pinched in concentration. Periodically his eyes flicked upwards to whatever his sister was up to, breaking his stoic veneer. Leon tried to hide his limp when he felt Chris' eyes on him.
“What's your plan?“ He asked, taking position next to Chris and vaguely pointing his barrel at the enemy, without the support from his left hand, handling this gun would be a challenge.
“Claire's installing explosives to try and nail the thing to the ground long enough for us to get out of here and collapse the cave.“ Chris explained, his brows drawn tightly together in tension. After a brief pause he continued:“You look like shit by the way.“ He gestured fleetingly towards Leon's admittedly disgraceful attire.
“I'm flattered.“ Leon bantered, his tone dry. “How about you pop my shoulder back in real quick, so I can actually be of any help.“ He tried to make the request sound as casual as possible, trying not to sound too much like he was in pain. After all, he was supposed to rescue them, even though at this point he felt more beat up than either Claire or Chris looked.
At his words, Chris shook his head, before his expression turned perplexed and for the first time since their reunion Chris met his eyes. His shock then morphed into concealed concern, as his eyes fixed on Leon's left arm, which was hanging limp at his side, the leather of his jacket torn where he had hit the ground.
“You know I'm no medic, I did this in the field a few times but I'm not too comfortable in my medical skills.“ Chris seemed unsure when he explained himself to Leon. His arms having lowered the gun, while his attention now rested on him.
“I'm sure I'll be fine, just get it over with, before that thing gets back up.“ Leon waved him off, growing more and more impatient and nervous with the prospect of having to fight the mutant once more, especially with a damaged arm.
“okay, okay.“ Chris mumbled, letting his gun hang from his side as he closed the distance to Leon and layed his hand carefully on his dislocated shoulder. Leon drew in a deep breath, steeling himself for the imminent pain, then Chris gently took his wrist in his other hand and started to lift the dislocated arm. “You need to relax the muscles, or else I could damage something.“ He warned, pausing for Leon to give a sign of understanding. Leon nodded mutely drawing in a deep breath and waiting for Chris to continue. He felt Chris steady his grip on Leon's shoulder, before guiding his arm upward and giving it a firm pull. His shoulder suddenly popped back into place, white hot pain blossoming around the joint that made Leon see stars. His knees buckled with the abrupt onset of pain that spiked through his body and he had to clamp down on his bottom lip to keep himself from gasping. His legs buckled but before he could hit the ground, Chris had grabbed him under the armpits and hoisted him to his feet again. He stumbled a few steps away from him, rolling his shoulder carefully a few times before giving Chris an appreciative nod and acting like his moment of weakness hadn't happened. The wound in his leg though, was still protesting with his every move, hot blood seeping though the bandage and into his already drenched clothes.
It took them exactly two more metal beams and a whole round of bullets from both Chris and him before the creature was sufficiently detained, so they could be sure they escaped the cave system before the explosion went off. Hurrying through the passageways, his leg had threatened to give out beneath him more than once and the more stress Leon put it under the more the wound felt like it was tearing. But in the chaos of the fight and now with their time sensitive escape, he had no time to worry about such things, he could deal with it when they were finally on their ride back.
Just as they had closed the heavy iron door that sealed away the underground labs, they could hear the detonation deep in the mountain rock beneath them. The basement shook slightly and decades of dust fell softly from the walls around them. Upstairs waited the loud beating of helicopter blades, as a cargo helicopter hovered above the snow covered road leading to the mansion. When the three of them approached, relieved and exhausted, Leon's pant legs dyed the snow around him red.
Inside the helicopter Leon strapped himself to his seat, hands trembling slightly from the cold and the adrenaline leaving his system. He leaned his head back against the cool metal, closing his eyes and breathing slowly, his whole body hurt and he could feel his shoulder swelling already. Meanwhile he knew that his thigh must still be oozing blood, even though he could barely feel his leg anymore with the continious strain he had put on it throughout the last thirty minutes. The engine whirred loudly as the helicopter lifted into the air and any chance for a conversation died when the overwhelming noise filled the inside. Internally Leon wished for a pair of headphones so he could get some silence and focus but in his current situation, the droning in his head only increased the longer they were moving. He forced himself to sit as still as possible and clenched his hand over the leg wound, partially to stem the bleeding, partially to reignite the stinging pain and ground himself in it.
Nevertheless he felt himself drifting, his mind wandering far away, while his body remained stuck in place. He looked down at his hands, struggling to focus on the image in front of him, he recounted what he saw in his head.
His hands, he was wearing black fingerless gloves, they are made from leather and feel smooth and soft. He flexes is fingers and counts them, just to make sure. There's a scar spannin the inside of his left hand, if he'd turn it and look he could see it across his fingers, sometimes he can still feel the skin tug uncomfortably. He knows he got it in spain and he knows he usually remembers why he has it but right now his memory eludes him.
In his chest, something seizes uncomfortably and a familiar panic settles between his ribs, this he knows from spain too, though it's become a familiar companion ever since. Leon decides to close his eyes again and count his breath instead, allowing himself to not be present.
When the helicopter lands, it's on a US military base a few miles away from the mountain range, the first rays of sunlight are just peeking above the horizon and Leon relies on pure muscle memory to maneuver himself out of the helicopter. In the back of his mind he dully notes the throbbing coming from his leg and how his knee feels unsteady under his weight but before he can assess any more of his surroundings he sees a broad shouldered man, stalking towards them, four silver stars gleaming on his uniform. Leon's shoulders tense as the man makes no move to stray from his path, eyes locked intently on their group, he straightens his back, clamping his arms to his sides and fixes his gaze onto the approaching general. Chris and Claire, who had climbed out of the helicopter after him and who had been deep in conversation, now looked up too and in an instant Chris' body language changed. He took an assertive step in front of his sister and came face to face with the general.
“Are you Chris Redfield?“ His tone was stern and matter of fact. Leon held himself as still as possible even though his injuries throbbed under his clenched muscles. “Yes, Sir.“ Chris affirmed, holding eye-contact.
“Good, than you're the one who can explain to me why the BSAA has send a transportation request to our station to get you out of the mountains, even though neither them nor the local authorities were aware of your whereabouts.“ The General elaborated unceremoniously, Chris kept a straight face throughout the accusation and just clamped his hands in front of him.
Meanwhile cold sweat was running down Leon's back, he knew that Chris had engaged in this mission without official approval and that the BSAA subsequently had to get the government and the military involved to make sure it was still kept under wraps but he hadn't expected them to confront Chris about it just hours after its completion.
“Last time I checked, you were not my superior, Sir.“ Chris countered, his voice cold and calculating. “And besides, since this is an operation of the BSAA the information is classified for any outside interests.“ Leon clenched his jaw, he held his hands behind his back now to conceal the shake that had taken hold of them, he could feel the blood trickle down his leg and seeping into his sock as they stood there. He didn't dare to move terrified to show weakness in front of the military official, knowing how some of them handled unfit cadets. All he needed was a dark room to collapse in in peace but he feared he wouldn't even have that luxury if things kept going as they were.
“If the BSAA would've officially approved the operation you would be right, but as I see it this was a private venture of your's,“ at this his eyes flicked to Claire who glared at the general from behind Chris' broad shoulders and pressed a stack of papers to her chest that Leon had failed to notice up until now. “on top of that, assisted by a government agent to clean up the mess you made, which consequently makes it my business too.“ The general faced Leon as he spoke, a snide grin pulling one corner of his mouth upward, he could feel Chris' eyes shift onto him in disbelieve. Leon sighed in resignation and lowered his head minutely, not sparing another look at Chris. Every once in a while both he and Claire seemed to forget that Leon was not with the BSAA even if he was equally entrenched in the fight against Bio-terrorism. Which often meant that as soon as he came into the picture he was always dragging the will of the US-government behind him like a rat's-tail.
They could've sent anyone else to assist Chris and Claire but yet they chose him, it just now dawned on him that it must be no coincidence but a calculated step to get access to the information the two may have found prior to Leon's arrival. “I would suggest you put down your report willingly, before I will have to detain the both of you.“ The general continued and Leon could feel the tension between him and Chris rise. He didn't know what he would do if the situation actually escalated, he wasn't even sure if he'd be able to protect Chris or Claire. He may be working for the government but he didn't feel like he had a lot of influence when it came to the finer details.
Chris glared at the man in front of him, before letting out a huff of air and dropping his tensed shoulders. “No need, I'll give my statement.“ He clipped, schooling his expression into a carefully crafted mask of neutrality, his eyes snapped to Leon one last time before the general spoke again. “Good, follow me then.“ He turned around on his heel and waved for Chris to follow him, leaving Leon with a pit of guilt in his stomach.
After the two of them had left his sight, Leon let his tense posture drop, dragging one filthy hand over his face in an attempt to keep the hair out of his eyes. He could feel sweat covering his forehead and as his fingers came away damp and filthy he could see himself shaking ever more. He really needed to take care of that damned leg wound. He looked around where they had landed trying to ascertain the location of the next medical facility, scanning his surroundings he could make out a placard on an unassuming grey building with a red cross on it. Just as he was about to head towards it he heard Claire speak up behind him.
“Fucking bullshit.“ She cursed to herself and when he turned around he could see her trying to stuff the stack of papers she had been holding into her backpack. If she hadn't said anything, Leon was sure he'd had forgotten all about her. “Claire, can I leave you here for a second? I'll be back soon.“ He approached her gently, hiding his hands in his pockets. She looked towards him, confusion written all over her face, he could feel her mustering him up and down before zipping her backpack closed and slinging it over her shoulder. “I'll come with you if you don't mind. No use waiting around on my own.“ Leon nodded, cursing himself silently for not just leaving her there when he had the chance. Now he had to keep up the pretense that everything was fine until he could find another chance to be by himself.
The both of them walked down the cemented street in silence,unsure if he should make conversation or not he unconsciously held his sore shoulder, while they passed bleak barracks on their way. In the distance Leon could make out a hint of greenery far off behind an iron fence. His leg still hurt vaguely and he could feel his muscles giving in every now and again, making him put more of his weight on the other leg and adopting a limp he hoped wouldn't be too noticeable. Absently he wondered why he even tried to hide his injury at this point, rationally he knew he could trust Claire, and he knew if he only asked, she would be more than willing to help him, but with everything that had happened today it just felt wrong to ask even more of them. He felt the urge to just crawl into a dark corner and lick his wounds until he felt better and he couldn't bear the thought of anyone seeing him like this.
“Are you okay?“ Claire's voice cut through the silence between them and Leon had to pull himself out of his own thoughts before he could decipher the question Claire had posed. “Of course.“ he was lying through his teeth but he was scared of what else she might ask if he was truthful, he had avoided too many questions and he dreaded the moment he was required to think more about what had happened today. While Chris was the silent and stoic type, Leon knew that his sister was quite the opposite, with a sharp wit and an always inquisitive nature. Bitterly he thought, the two of them had probably saved his ass more than once today and yet all Leon wanted was to be alone. If they knew what a dreadful person he was he didn't think they would be half as nice.
They came to a stop in front of the medical facility, the glass doors revealing a sterile interior. Just as he was about to push the door open though, Claire cut him off, laying her hand on the handle and facing him. “Leon, I'm not stupid, I know something is wrong. But I can't help you if you don't tell me what is up with you.“ He shook his head in disagreement, the corners of his mouth twisting downward as he tried to supress the dizziness that suddenly took hold of him. He really wanted to be honest with Claire, but he knew whenever someone got too close to him they got hurt. He just couldn't allow himself to slip up more than he already had. He was better off alone anyways.
“I'm fine, I just need an x-ray to make sure Chris didn't do any damage when reducing my shoulder.“ He made himself sound irritated rather than disoriented, stepping around Claire and opening the door in spite of her, pushing his way inside. There was a reception right opposite of them but Leon chose to ignore it in favour of the map that hung behind a bench to the left of him, he studied it intently, looking for a room that would suit hit needs, in the air-conditioned hall he suddenly felt clammy and cold.
“Doesn't seem very busy today, we're all alone here.“ Claire stated, interrupting his focused search. Maybe if he wasn't so distracted by her presence he would already be on his way to stitch himself up. “I'll go look for the receptionist, just stay put until I'm back.“ Leon dismissed her, only giving an affirmative grunt while he narrowed his eyes at the map like it had personally offended him, which it had because the letters kept blurring while he tried to read them. When he had finally found what he was looking for he turned around to inform Claire just to find where she had stood only moments ago vacated. Taken aback, he tried to piece together what she was last talking to him about and as he was taking in his surroundings properly, he also came to realize that the reception had been empty the entire time too. Of Course, he thought. Some agent he was, when taking one little beating already threw him off like this. Maybe he should worry more about a concussion than a stab wound.
Eventually Leon decided he would take the chance and follow his original plan, if Claire came back later and couldn't find him she could always give him a call. They always manage to track him down regardless no matter where he goes. He limped down the hallway nearest to him, narrowly avoiding a vending machine when he rounded the corner to the next corridor. Sidestepping the metal frame, he had to catch himself with one hand on the nearest wall, leaving an ugly brown stain on the otherwise perfectly clean wallpaper.
The room he searched for luckily hadn't been that far away, so Leon could dodge any uncomfortable run-ins with the hospital staff and when he carefully pushed the door to the small treatment room open he found the interior blessedly empty. Silently closing the door behind him, he let out a sigh of relieve, feeling muscles relax he hadn't even been aware of tensing. Now if he could find the right tools, he would be up and running in fifteen minutes, then he needed to find Claire and check up on Chris, make sure they weren't hazing him too much. They'd probably need his own report too, if he thought about it. He really should take care of this quickly then.
He hobbled over to the shelf cart scanning it's contents before picking up what he needed and tossing it on the surgery couch nearby. He should probably wash his hands. He looked numbly at his stained fingers and the utensils that now were probably less than sterile. He'll have to make due. He pulled on his gloves, roughly stripping his soiled hands bare, before letting them fall to the foot of the couch. He turned to limp to the sink, he could see it only a few feet away right below a deep blue cupboard, he's pretty sure there's bandages in there too, he should grab some of those as well when he's already there. All at once he feels sluggish and both warm and cold at the same time, though he keeps his eyes fixed on the sink, when he takes his first step towards it though, his knee refuses to hold up his weight and Leon can feel his body tumbling to the ground. He takes a second to catch up with what is happening and when he does, all he can do is flail his arms in an attempt to break his fall. In the background he can hear the cart rattling faintly then he meets the cold tiles.
For a long second Leon feels painfully stupid, like he failed at something both laughingly easy and yet incredibly important, then in an instant he is certain he's dying. Colours swirl wildly above him and when he tries to move, his body won't cooperate. Panic rises, threatening to choke him but before he has a chance to react, Leon's eyes roll back and consciousness leaves him. Out cold and alone once more.
***
When he comes to, he's still by himself, wether he feels relieved or appalled about it, he isn't sure yet. His body is lighter now though, like the loud buzzing of pain that's been the background noise for most of his day had been suddenly silenced. It made his movements smooth and precise again, even though his head was still slow and foggy. Everything he saw only registered bit by bit, making it difficult to get a solid grasp on his surroundings. It seems he was in a similar room as before, if not the same, laying flat on his back on the narrow couch, his skin sticking uncomfortably to the pleather cover. He struggled into an upright position, his left shoulder annoyingly uncooperative in the act of supporting his weight, so he had to roll over his side to push himself upwards. As he slung his legs over the edge of the couch he noticed that one of his pant legs had been cut off entirely, revealing a thick bandage covering a generous portion of his lower thigh. He didn't remember the wound being that big. Absently he mourned the loss of a perfectly good pair of pants, then equally dazed he noticed the needle sticking out the back of his hand, attaching him to a clear drip bottle.
Then the door opened and Leon's anxiety spiked all at once. He let his hand wander to his shoulder holster finding it empty, his knife gone and panicked more. His back straightened with tension and his fingers dug into the cushion as he anticipated the entrant. His brain identified them sluggishly, revealing it was just Claire and thus snapped him out of his untimely stupor.
“My god Leon, I swear if you don't sit back right now, I will restrain you.“ Claire commanded, rushing towards him. Leon tried not to visibly flinch, though something in his body language must've shown her anyway because as soon as she came in reach her outstretched arms lowered back down again and she came to a halt, hovering beside him, unsure. “Where's Chris?“ He asked the first thing that came to mind, not looking at Claire in favour of eyeing the door for someone having followed her. “Still giving his report, why is that important now?“
“They'll want mine next and when he's out you two should leave with whatever information you extracted from down there, I wouldn't want you to get mixed up with the government over it.“ He glared at her from below his eye-lashes, his tone demanding and intense. “I'm already fairly mixed up, don't you think? And besides you're in no condition to be interrogated anyway, I don't understand how you even got out of the helicopter without passing out.“ She ignored his anger entirely, instead focusing on unimportant details, like Leon's health. Couldn't she see that there were more important things that needed to be done right now?! But in retrospect, he figured she couldn't because she didn't get drafted against her will, because if she wanted to, she could step back and leave anytime. Her life and his were worlds apart ever since she left to find Chris.
Opposed to her he didn't have that luxury, he was an agent after all, wasn't he supposed to just take what was handed to him? If he didn't make his statement here they would ship him off to his office tomorrow anyway and lock him in there until he had written it all down.
“It wasn't that bad.“ He mumbled, pointedly turning his head away. His dirt matted hair fell over his right eye hiding his face from Claire's prying gaze. “Sure thing Mr. Hotpants.“ She joked, nodding non-chalantly to his exposed thigh. “You don't seriously think I'm gonna let you out of my sight after the stunt you just pulled.“ Claire snapped at him., though her agression only made him more stubborn to spite her. “I'm not a child, I can take care of myself just fine.“ he grumbled, not sounding childish at all.
“Obviously you cannot, who knows if you're not hiding more injuries.“ She paused, looking him up and down and pursing her lips in discontent. “I'll at least wait for the nurse to come back and make sure you stay here long enough for them to patch you up.“ She stated, as if Leon's opinion on it was absolutely secondary. “I'm not hiding anything.“ He defyed her, acting like she was being presumptious. But despite his efforts, Claire was persistent. “prove it then.“ She demanded, crossing her arms in front of her chest, daring him.
Leon sighed, exasperated with Claire's insistence and began slipping out of his heavy leather jacket, if that was what it took to get her off his back and into the next vehicle away from here, so be it. He pulled his arms free from the fabric, leaving him in only his shirt. “See, I'm just peachy!“ He exclaimed, expecting a sarcastic retort but the room had fallen dead silent and when he looked up he was met with Claire's horrified expression, her eyes running along the expanse of his naked arms. He furrowed his brows in confusion, before stretching them out in front of him to get a better look.
“What the fuck-“ She whispered, her hand coming up to touch her parted lips. Without his sleeves his arms were revealed to be muddled with purple bruises, parts of his skin swelling around angry red gashes that lazily seeped blood. If he inspected them closer, he could make out the vague shape of fingers but what terrified him more than the contusions was the fact that he couldn't remember where they came from.
This never happened before. With all the horrible shit that he'd experienced, he had always been able to recount it in painfully perfect detail. Hell, he was even known for his accurate report on Los Illuminados. Then why was he coming up short now?! He didn't understand. “What happened to you?“ The question sounded more urgent than Leon was comfortable with and he could feel his voice leaving him. What hadn't happened would be the easier question. He shook his head keeping it down while he tried to come up with something to say. “I-I don't- I can't-“ He stuttered, his breath coming in short gasps as his chest seemed to contrict around his lungs, he was dizzy again.
When Claire put a gentle hand on his shoulder, his whole body jerked away from her involuntarily. He let his hands wander to his head curling in on himself and pulling on the strands between his fingers. Ultimately Claire was quicker to pick up on the clues, than Leon. She kneeled in front of him, asking:“Leon, do you remember what you did when we couldn't reach you over the radio?“ Her phrasing made it easier to answer truthfully, took away the burden of having to say it himself. He shook his head in defeat, while his body shuddered through the phantom sensation of waxy skin and muscle wrapping itself around his arms. He breathed heavily, scrunching up his eyes and trying to suppress the rising panic. He could feel the tips of his fingers go numb again, his head swimming with emotion before it slowly severed him from reality.
“Leon, look at me.“ He didn't want to, he just wanted to be alone and not think or feel, he wanted for the fog in his brain to just take him away for a while. “Leon, I think you're dissociating, do you think you can open your eyes for a minute?“ Claire was talking softly to him, he wasn't used to this kindness, wasn't sure he still knew what to do with it and yet he clung to her words, processing them slowly, letting their meaning trickle through to him. He opened his eyes carefully, lowering his palms and placing them gingerly on the mattress he was sitting on. The room seemed to sway slightly and his body felt like a nutshell floating on the top.
“Can I touch you?“ She continued, holding eye contact with Leon, anchoring him, forcing him to stay present. The thought of physical contact send a shiver of dread through him. It was something he wanted and yet couldn't stand when it did happen. Whenever someone else's hands were on him he felt like he would lose control of the situation at any second and every calming, or well meant touch just made him feel more on edge. He shook his head slowly, keeping his expression neutral. Claire nodded at that, her hands staying firmly by her side. “Do you think you can give me your hand?“ She tried again, showing Leon her open palm. This he could do, maybe. Hesitantly he reached out with his own, watching their joined hands like a hawk.
Carefully Claire took his hand in her's wrapping her slender fingers around it and lifting it towards his chest. Leon held his breath in anticipation, expecting her to touch him anyway, instead he felt her pressing his palm to his sternum, Claire's own remained unmoving, just keeping the pressure there. “You need to breathe Leon, focus on the motion of your chest and just count your breaths for a while, okay?“ He slowly let out the air he had held, feeling how his chest deflated with his and Claire's hand on top of it, she felt warm and damp against his cool skin. When he had taken a few steady inhales, Claire lifted her hand from his again, her knees cracked when she came to her feet, though she didn't turn to leave, just keeping Leon company while he calmed down.
He wanted to feel embarrassed but he was too tired to find it in himself. “Do you feel better?“ She asked disturbing Leon's rhythm. It took him a moment to really consider the question, compulsively wanting to dismiss her worry and deflect the conversation but the opportunity for deception had passed a while ago and so he decided to be honest. Here with only the two of them in the quiet room, it felt easier, like taking a hand. “Yeah, I'm just-“ he hesitated, searching for words that could truly describe the emotions trapped inside him, but while admitting to weakness was like taking a hand, talking about it was like holding on to it, enduring whatever sensation it brought. So Leon settled for a solution in between truth and dishonesty. “in pain.“ he concluded, his hand instictively wandering to his bandage, the wound beneath aching dully.
Claire hummed, lost in thought, then recollected herself and aimed for practicality once more. “I'm gonna go find the nurse, stay here.“ She urged him, though her tone had changed to something more placatory. When the door had closed after her, Leon let his head fall against the wall behind him and closed his eyes, exhaustion sitting bone deep. He put his hand back on his chest, feeling it rise and fall with each breath and for a split second Leon could imagine what it would be like to not be alone.