Chapter 2
Leon pulled into the parking lot of the Silver Seasons then escorted Sara into the restaurant. Music played softly, mingling with the atmospheric hum of chatting diners and the clatter of cutlery.
This was the closest thing to a date they had shared in a while. It was a poor substitute, but at least they could relax a little together. Leon knew how much Sara needed that. He understood her concerns all too well. After all, he had once been in her position.
As they sat enjoying the meal and chatting easily, Leon watched Sara attentively. He listened as she talked animatedly, his expression staid. Behind his cool eyes, however, he recalled their brief intimate moment in the parking lot. His pulse accelerated at the memory of her kisses and caresses, still potent even after more than two years of dating.
Seal's Kiss From a Rose came on, and his mind drifted, hanging on to the lyrics that seemed to speak his feelings for the incredible lady before him.
There used to be a graying tower alone on the sea
You became the light on the dark side of me
Love remained a drug that's the high and not the pill
But did you know that when it snows
My eyes become large and the light that you shine can be seen?
Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray
Ooh, the more I get of you, the stranger it feels, yeah
And now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the gray
Years of waging war against bioterrorism had steeped Leon's mind and soul in darkness. Long, arduous days on the job gave way to long, bleak nights filled with bloody nightmares woven from the horrors he had encountered. It was a lonely life, and a difficult one.
Then he met Sara. Having rescued her from the clutches of a mad bioterrorist, he never imagined she would rescue him in return from his pain and loneliness. An indelible bond had developed between them such as he had never experienced with any other woman. The sensation was new to Leon―so much deeper than friendship, stronger than desire, yet it compounded both in a way that sometimes overwhelmed him. Sara had shed light into his life, and his heart had found its home in her warm, loving embrace. He was amazed at how much stronger she made him feel.
"Penny for your thoughts," Sara said suddenly, noticing his abstraction.
Leon took a draft of his over-sweetened black coffee and leaned back in his seat. "I was just thinking about everything that led up to now… how we met," he answered.
Sara snickered. "How indeed. Amid zombies and monsters. Excuse me, 'bioorganic weapons', to use the technical term. There's a story for the books, huh?"
Leon smiled wryly. "Sure is. You've really changed a lot since then," he said.
Sara narrowed her eyes at him. "Hm. Changed good or bad?"
"Changed amazing," he responded automatically.
Sara blushed lightly. The sudden flush of color complemented her golden skin and deep brown eyes. She tucked an errant lock of wavy sable hair behind her ear bashfully.
Leon chuckled softly. Sara's vulnerability was so endearing, and her strength so powerfully alluring. "You're so much bolder and confident now. It's been like watching a rose bloom these last two years."
Sara laughed girlishly. "It's been a journey, all right," she said. "Oh, man. All the stuff I did on Halcyon Isle was so out of character for me. Firing guns, throwing grenades, riding motorcycles―which, by the way, I never want to do again. Who'd have thought I'd go from cashier to government agent, huh?"
Sara paused, becoming somber. "Then there are all my other changes; the biological ones, thanks to the Omega virus," she added in a hushed tone. "Those are the really big changes."
Leon went grave again at the recollection. Sara had almost mutated into the perfect bioorganic weapon thanks to the bioterrorist, Devon Ramsey, who had begun a kidnapping spree in a madcap quest to rule the world. To that end, Ramsey had developed the Omega virus, seeking a woman whose DNA would bond with the virus for a controlled mutation. Sara had been the unfortunate match. Leon had managed to locate the vaccine and neutralize the virus only minutes before Sara had fully mutated.
In the end, Sara had recovered, but her genetic structure had been altered. She was now capable of advanced healing and had gained increased agility and strength among other abilities that had not manifested since the escape from Halcyon Isle.
"You're different now, too," Sara continued, scattering his thoughts.
Leon listed his head. "Am I?"
"Well, I've yet to hear you actually laugh, and you're still pretty reserved on some points, but you're much more open and… alive," she replied.
"I think part of me was dead," Leon confessed. "I had nothing but the job, my nightmares and my tangled feelings. In a sense you… resurrected me," he said quietly.
Sara's lips curved into a soft smile.
The tender moment was abruptly interrupted by an impertinent young waitress who sauntered over to their table. Positioning herself so that she partially eclipsed Sara from Leon's view, she smiled flirtatiously.
"I hope everything was satisfactory," she drawled. "Anything else I can get for you?"
Leon saw Sara glower at her viciously. He looked up at the waitress, his gaze austere. "The check, please," he replied tersely.
The waitress arched a brow, quickly becoming frigid at his disinterest. "Coming up," she said curtly.
Sara's fierce eyes followed her until she had departed then turned to Leon. "Tramp. You do realize she was flirting with you."
"Yeah, I noticed," Leon said dismissively. "She didn't have to try so hard; I was gonna leave a tip." He scoffed. "But if looks could hurl blades, you'd have covered her back with knives."
Sara grunted. "I don't like being disrespected. Anyway, I'd better hit the bathroom before we go."
Leon nodded. "I'll wait for you up front," he said.
Shortly after Sara left, the waitress returned with the check. Leon received it quietly. "Thanks. I'll pay up front," he said. He walked away before she could reply.
Leon stepped up to the front counter and handed the cashier the payment. As he waited for his change, he glanced up at the television screen behind the counter. He tensed at the images he beheld.
Amateur footage displayed a group of Asian people being chased by a horrific-looking creature that reminded Leon of Eito Matsuo's mutation.
The crowd fanned out, everyone rying to escape the hideous monstrosity that pursued them. Two unfortunate men weren't fast enough to evade it, and the creature bowled them to the ground as a mass of shrieking pedestrians stampeded away.
The video was stopped before the carnage began, but Leon knew all too well what followed. The news anchor came on screen, looking horrified and stammering as she spoke.
The cashier returned. "Sir, here's your change."
Leon scarcely heard him. "Turn that up, will you, please?" he asked, his eyes glued to the screen.
The cashier complied.
"...The Far East branch of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance―or BSAA―has been called into action to handle this sudden vicious outbreak in Kyoto, Japan. Authorities are stymied, and are currently unavailable for comment."
The news anchor halted, listening through her hidden earpiece and growing paler by the second. She looked up at the camera, her eyes wide. She struggled to compose herself.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've just received a very disturbing update―"
"Okay, I'm ready to go," Sara said, approaching Leon.
He held up his hand to her. "Take a look at this," he said grimly.
Sara's easy humor evaporated instantly as she joined Leon to watch the broadcast.
"...in Seattle, Washington. Once again, viewer discretion is strongly advised; the images you're about to see are very disturbing."
Another clipping of amateur video footage came on. People were running wildly in the streets, being hotly pursued by infected individuals. Drivers sped by, jumping the curbs and driving on the sidewalks to get away from the mutated creatures.
Tour buses were stalled in the middle of the road, thronged by the attacking infected as the terrified passengers shrank away from the windows. Police officers fired round after round of ammunition as SWAT teams pulled onto the scene, charging out in formation to take up the fight.
Leon shut his eyes for a moment. Images of the Raccoon City incident, during which the entire city fell to hordes of monsters and zombies created by the T-virus outbreak, flashed through his mind. The cities of Tall Oaks and Tatchi, China had all suffered similar fates. The memory was sickening.
"Oh, God," Sara muttered.
Leon opened his eyes again at the incoherent shouts of the person filming the hellish event. He and Sara exchanged troubled glances.
"Holy shit!" exclaimed the cashier.
"My sentiments exactly," Leon remarked aside.
Uttering panicked exclamations, the person filming moved the camera to another scene. A military unit had joined the fray. Leon immediately recognized the emblem on the vehicles: the North American BSAA had been summoned.
"Leon, look! There's Chris and Jill!" Sara hissed. "But I thought they were still on their honeymoon."
Leon caught sight of his best friend, burly Chris Redfield, and his new wife and longtime partner in the BSAA, Jill Valentine. Ire flared within him. "When bioterrorists get in on the act, nothing's sacred," he said tightly.
As the unit charged forward and opened fire, the footage was interrupted, and the news anchor returned. Leon had seen enough.
"We've gotta get back to headquarters," he told Sara. "The shit just hit the fan."
Shouldering their way through the alarmed crowd of patrons that had gathered to watch the news bulletin, Leon and Sara left the restaurant.
"You think this is related to the Matsuo case?" Sara asked as they climbed into the car.
"I'm betting on it," Leon replied. "Before you came out, they showed similar footage of Japan. A monster like Matsuo was attacking people in the streets."
"Damn it!"
"I don't know what the hell's going on, but there's way more to this case than meets the eye."
Leon drove as fast as traffic and the speed limit permitted, his mind working. Sara sat in uneasy silence.
He took a left turn onto the next street, but as he rounded the corner, three people ran out into the middle of the road.
"Leon, look out!" cried Sara.
Reacting quickly, Leon slammed his foot on the brake and veered the car sharply to the right, plowing into a group of recycling bins. The car jumped the curb before screeching to a rough halt.
Leon immediately turned to Sara. "You okay?" he demanded.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered, somewhat tremulously. "What the hell was that about?!"
They unfastened their seatbelts and hurried out of the car.
Fortunately, the people who had rushed in front of the vehicle were uninjured, and they continued their rush away from the block, shouting in terror.
Leon and Sara turned to look up the street, searching for the cause of the panic. They were met with a fearsome sight.
A small brownstone church, located at the center of the block, was in tumult. The occupants were rushing out of the nave, all attired in suits and fine dresses. Some tripped over their own feet in their terrified haste while others were pushed out of the way in the mad stampede.
Exchanging worried glances, Leon and Sara ran toward the church. They drew their guns, preparing for the worst.
As they approached, Leon caught sight of a pregnant woman standing in the midst of the uproar. She was crying out desperately, her words nearly drowned out by the din.
"Ben! Ben!" she was screaming. "Livvie!"
Her panicked screams stopped abruptly as a deluge of people charged toward her like a herd of fleeing wildebeests. They jostled past the woman, causing her to totter dangerously, her center of gravity thrown off by her large belly.
Seeing the woman's predicament, Leon redoubled his speed, shoving his way through the crowd roughly as he fought to reach her. Wailing helplessly, the woman tipped forward, about to hit the pavement stomach first.
Leon dove beneath her, catching her as she fell. Off balance, Leon dropped to the ground, but he had managed to cushion her fall. He repositioned himself, carefully turning her onto her back. She riveted large hazel eyes on him, mascara running down her brown cheeks. Her body trembled violently.
"M-my husband! My daughter! They're still inside!" she sobbed.
"Try to calm down," Leon told her firmly but gently. "What happened?"
Before the woman could reply, two gunshots rang out followed by the screams of onlookers. Leon's head snapped up to see Sara standing behind him, gun raised, her eyes wide open with shock. He followed her gaze to see a woman attired in a bloodstained wedding gown. Her bloody mouth was slit open in a ghastly ear-to-ear grin just like the woman in the photo Eito Matsuo had received.
The mutated bride's eyes glazed over. She pitched forward and tumbled down the concrete steps, landing on the sidewalk in a broken heap.
"Mirai!" the woman shrieked, clutching at Leon's arms. She turned woebegone eyes up to him. "My sister! My sister!" she sobbed.
Leon embraced her compassionately, fury and sorrow welling within him.
Sara knelt beside them. "She was chasing some of the guests. I thought she was only wounded until I saw her face," she explained, aggrieved.
The woman turned to face her. "She burst out of the dressing room like a demon, attacking and biting the guests. The bitten ones turned and started tearing the others apart!" She looked back at Leon. "My family is still inside," she wept. "Please save them!"
Leon gently untangled himself from her grasp. "What's your name?" he asked.
"Jenya."
"Okay, Jenya. Sara's gonna stay with you and make sure you're safe. Sara, call 911 and keep your eyes open for anything. I'm going in."
Sara nodded solemnly and took Jenya in her arms, murmuring words of consolation.
Leon rose and ran back to the car.
"Where are you going?" Sara demanded.
"To get my shotgun," he called back.
"When the hell'd you get a shotgun?!" she inquired.
"We'll discuss it later."
Leon retrieved the shotgun from the trunk of the car and rushed back to the church, slinging the weapon over his shoulder. He bobbed his head at Sara who regarded him somberly, concern evident in her dark eyes. Be careful, she mouthed.
Leon's determined gaze softened slightly as he inclined his head at her in acknowledgement. He then ascended the blood-drenched stairs, glancing at the dead bride regretfully.
"It'll be okay," Sara told Jenya. "He'll find your family."
I'll save them… or avenge them if all else fails, Leon resolved grimly.
Slowly opening the door to the church, he peered inside and swept his gun over the immediate area. Encountering no threats, he cautiously stepped into the foyer.
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