Gwen took a single step backwards when something shot out of the skinned creature's mouth and wrapped around one of the bodies in the corridor, lifting the corpse up and devouring it. Taking another step back, the floorboard creaked under Gwen's foot. The creature's head snapped in their direction, signaling it heard the minuscule noise.

Leon was about to grab his shotgun when the monster hissed and leapt towards them. "Get down!" He grabbed Gwen in his arms and tackled her to the floor just as the creature flew overhead. The blonde whipped out his shotgun and shot the monster in midair as it tried to pounce on them. It cried out in pain and scrambled away before returning shortly after for round two. Leon fired another two rounds at its head, successfully killing it. Its body was sprawled out on the floor, part of its long tongue protruding from its mouth.

Turning towards Gwen, Leon saw the horror written all over her face. He kneeled beside her and placed a hand on her cheek, rubbing his thumb across her cheek. "Gwen, hey, it's alright."

The sable-haired woman expressed her doubts. "Are you sure, Leon? It's not gonna pop back up and attack, is it?"

He shook his head. "No, it's dead." He grabbed her hands and helped her to her feet. "By the sound and look of it, you've never seen one of those before."

"No. I've no clue what that damned thing was. It didn't look or act like a normal zombie. Who knows what the hell it could've been," she exclaimed. "There better not be more of those things around."

"Wouldn't count on it. If there's one, there's bound to be more."

"Truer words have never been spoken," she commented with a small sigh.

"Let's make sure not to stick around so another one can jump us," Leon said.

"Down the hall is the S.T.A.R.S. office and I think this hallway wraps around to the lounge connected to the library. We can reach the unicorn statue and grab the second medallion." Gwen's voice was full of excitement, knowing they would get their hands on the second medallion soon.

The couple entered the S.T.A.R.S. office and searched around. Leon found the armory, but he couldn't access it without a USB with high enough clearance. Gwen had searched the corner office and found a battery. She had been in search for a battery for a while per request of Marvin, but she wasn't sure if he still needed it. The archivist decided to hang on to it and placed it in her hip pouch. With nothing else to scavenge but a red herb and documents, Leon and Gwen left the office.

Down the hall, all the two could hear was the wind and rain blowing in from one of the broken windows. They stepped over bodies as they made their way to the lounge. Inside, they claimed the second medallion and Gwen still had no clue how'd they reach the maiden statue in the storage room above. "What now?"

"The door in the operations room was chained, remember?" Leon pointed out.

Gwen's eyes widened slightly. "I'm glad you remembered that because I didn't. Should we drop off the two medallions we have?"

"Yeah. I'm curious as to how this works."

"So am I."

They left the library and headed to the goddess statue in the main hall. While Leon dealt with the statue, Gwen checked on Marvin. He was laying on his side, eyes closed and face scrunched from the pain. "Marvin, I know you're a stubborn man, but I can make a remedy to ease the pain."

"No, it would be pointless," he grunted, opening his eyes. "I can already feel myself losing control."

"But still, don't you want the pain to go away?"

"You need to focus on other matters. I am the least of your concern, Gwendolyn."

"Lieutenant, that's not-"

"Yes, it's true. Stop worrying about me."

When Marvin and Gwen heard the sound of grinding stone, they eyed the goddess statue. Underneath the sculpture was a passageway, but it was obscured due to one medallion missing. "Elliot was right," Gwen said, astonished at the discovery.

"One more medallion and we'll be able to get out of here," Leon stated, smiling at the glimpse of hope.

"And we know exactly where it is. All we need is a way to get to it," Gwen smiled, her eyes trained on Leon's back.

"Then go. No more wasting time with me," Marvin grunted, closing his eyes as he panted.

Gwen patted the lieutenant on the shoulder. "To the operations room we go."

<--------<<<<<<<<<<

Back in the west hallway, Leon and Gwen had their pistols out and shot a handful of zombies as they made their way to the operations room. Making it to their destination, Leon used the bolt cutters and snapped the chain keeping them from proceeding forward. It fell to the floor and Leon pushed open the door.

"What is that?" Gwen questioned when she spotted a strange device on the desk.

Leon grabbed the gadget, examining it closer. "It's a detonator." He flipped it over and saw it was missing a battery. "Shit."

"What's wrong?" Gwen asked.

"It needs a battery. We could use this to detonate the C4," he replied.

"Oh!" Gwen searched her hip pouch for the battery she found in the S.T.A.R.S. office. "I found one on the second floor. Take it."

Leon accepted the alkaline battery and placed it in the compartment. Flipping it back over, he watched as the detonator came to life with a red glow. "Alright, it's working."

"Please be careful with that. We wouldn't want to trigger it before we make it to the storage room."

"You don't trust me, Gwen?" Leon asked with a small smirk.

"Oh, please. You are the person I trust the most. I don't trust explosives even with trained professionals," Gwen confesses. "I've heard too many stories about them being triggered and exploding without warning."

"Well," Leon snickered. "We better take it to the third floor quickly, then."

"You've no idea how happy I'll be once we get rid of it and grab that third medallion."

Leon and Gwen opened the door adjacent to the one with the heart on it. Before the archivist stepped out into the hallway, the blonde grabbed her arm and yanked her back into the room. The door slowly closed as Leon pushed Gwen behind him and grabbed his shotgun. He handed the detonator to her as he reloaded the weapon. Baffled at his sudden protective manner, Gwen held the device close to her. "What's the issue?"

"Stay here," he responded, not answering her question.

"Hold on a sec!" Gwen lunged forward and grabbed his sleeve. "What are you planning to do?"

"It's another one of those things we ran into earlier. Stay here and don't leave this room. I'll come back and get you when it's dead," he sternly commanded.

"I can help! If there's two of us, we can take it down faster," Gwen protested. "I can-"

Leon silenced her with a kiss before quickly pulling away and storming out the door. Once out in the hallway, he pressed his back against the door to prevent Gwen from following him. He could hear her desperate banging against the door and begging him to rethink his plan. He knew she would be angry at him once he kills the monster, but his mind was plagued with the images from his nightmare and he couldn't bear losing her.

The licker screeched loudly, crawling on the floor towards Leon. He raised his shotgun and the second it leapt at him, he pulled the trigger. It wailed in pain before recovering and trying to grab him with its long tongue. The blonde dodged at the last second and unloaded another two shots into the creature's body.

With Leon's back no longer keeping Gwen from aiding him, she stepped out of the room with her pistol raised and aimed at the licker. She fired a few rounds into its head, killing it. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly, a sign she was trying to keep her outburst of anger from exploding. She turned her sharp, piercing glare in Leon's direction as she holstered her gun. "You..."

Leon was prepared for the scolding he was about to receive, but he was baffled when Gwen didn't finish her sentence and leaned against the door behind her. She slid down to the floor, her legs sprawled out in front of her as she tore her eyes from Leon. He could see her shoulders shaking as he slowly approached her.

Before Leon could get any closer, Gwen grabbed an empty soda can beside the door and threw it at him with an exasperated cry. Her lips trembled as she found another can and threw it with all her strength at him. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she sniffled, trying to find something else to throw. She found an empty tin can and propelled it at his head. Unlike her previous tosses, this one was her weakest one. "Idiot..."

Seeing Gwen in such a pitiful state tore at Leon's heart. He couldn't stand to see her in such emotional stress and went to her side. He cupped her cheeks in his hands and wiped away her tears, but it seemed fruitless as more continued to replace them. Leaning forward, he rested his forehead against hers and stared into her lapis eyes. "I know we're a team, but I can't stand the thought of losing you."

"Y-You can't keep leaving me behind. If you were to face something alone and were killed, I would feel responsible and would've lost the only person I've ever loved. I can't stand the thought of losing you, either, Leon. So please, don't leave me behind anymore. Let me help you." Gwen's shaky voice pulled at Leon's heartstrings and hearing her proclamation made his love for her blossom more.

"I'm sorry, and you're right. I won't leave you behind anymore. You and me are in this together," Leon smiled, nuzzling his nose against her cheek.

Gwen's tears ceased and she kissed the corner of his mouth. "It's a promise."

<-------<<<<<<<<<

The west storage room was just as they left it. There were no signs of any zombies wandering into the room while they were away, which allowed them easy access to the C4 without a hindrance. Gwen handed Leon the detonator and he quickly attached it to the C4. He set the timer for ten seconds and backed away from the bomb to hide with Gwen until the explosion went off.

"They teach you how to use a detonator at the academy?" Gwen pondered.

"No, that was just pure luck," Leon confesses.

"You could've sugarcoated it a little," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

The ten seconds were up and the explosion destroyed the metal bars. Leon headed into the cage, stepped over the pile of corpses, and entered the corresponding code on the dial while Gwen dealt with the zombie that was attracted by the explosion.

Claiming the third and final medallion, Leon regrouped with Gwen and both worked in unison to lift the bookshelf that toppled over from the explosion and obscured their exit. "This is the second time we've had to push this shelf," Gwen whines once the piece of furniture was back in the upright position. "Gonna smash it and use the pieces as firewood."

Leon laughed at her comments, smiling from ear to ear. "What'd that shelf ever do to you?"

"Existed."

Her blunt and stoic response earned another chuckle from Leon. After two years, he was glad to see her sense of humor was still intact.

Passing through the library, the couple head to the main hall and place the final medallion in the base of the goddess statue. The final trinket revealed the entire secret passageway, granting them access. Leon raised his flashlight, surveying the mysterious corridor. "So it goes underground... Huh."

"And hopefully out of this place," Gwen added.

Leon nodded. "Yeah. That's it-that's our way out." He turned and faced the man crumpled up on the bench. "Lieutenant Branagh! Marvin!"

"Hey, Marvin," Gwen walked over to the lieutenant and shook his shoulder. "It's time to go."

Marvin flew up with a sound that sounded like a mix between a hiss and a growl. Gwen flinched at his sudden movement and took a step back. Leon kneeled beside his superior, eyeing the man's exhausted expression. "We need to get you to a hospital right now."

Marvin shook his head, refusing to listen. "No, no... I... Save yourself and Gwendolyn."

Said woman crossed her arms and clicked her tongue. "A stubborn man 'til the very end."

Leon reached out to help Marvin to his feet. "Come on, I've got you-"

"Go!" The injured man bellowed, eyes narrowed.

"This is ridiculous, Marvin! Can you not be stubborn for once in your life and accept a helping hand?" Gwen glared down at the lieutenant.

Leon tried, once again, to help Marvin. "Gwen's right. We can still make it out of here together, if you just gimme-"

Marvin whipped out his pistol and aimed it at Leon, eyes brimming with sorrow. "It's too late. I tried, Leon... But I couldn't stop it. We can't let this thing spread. It's on you and Gwendolyn now. Just go..."

"Are you serious?" Gwen growled. "You talk as if it's your fault this all happened. You're one man, Marvin, and this shit was out of anyone's control. Just-"

Leon grabbed Gwen's hand, entwining his fingers with her as he pulled her towards the secret passageway. "We understand."

Flabbergasted, Gwen shook her head. "No! We need to help him!" She tried to pull her hand from Leon's, but he had an iron grip on her hand. "Leon!"

The rookie cop released her hand and wrapped his arms around her waist. She tried to break free, but he was much stronger than her. He dragged her body down the secret passageway while she continually screamed out to the lieutenant.

Once down the steps, the passageway behind them sealed. Seeing this, Gwen fell limp in Leon's grip. She grasped onto his arms encircled around her waist, still being unable to believe the true depths of Marvin's stubbornness. "Threatens us with a gun all because we tried to help him... What an asshole..."

"C'mon, Gwen. We won't let him down," Leon said. "We've gotta keep moving forward."

Gwen's heart ached, but she knew Leon was right. "You're right. Let's see where this passageway leads us." The young officer releases her and they leave the clean, organized room. They enter an elevator, which takes them down to the lower levels of the station.

At the bottom, they descend another staircase and entered the open door to their left. Gwen placed a hand over her racing heart as she felt her body grow cold from a sudden, unknown presence. "Why do I feel like we're being watched?"

Leon looked up and saw a shadow dart off in the direction they were heading. "Because we are."