Chapter Text
As the Sun of late September started hitting his back with its full force as the morning grew older, Leon finally fully realised how absolutely dirty he really was.
The realisation had hit when he had felt a bead of sweat running down his neck and had wiped it off, and his hand had come back looking outright black with all the grime and blood he was covered in. And now that he was aware of how dirty he was from head to toe, the thought didn’t leave him alone. All of a sudden it felt like he was covered in a layer of filth that moved along with his skin but at the same time hadn’t molded fully to it, so when he wrinkled his nose, it was like he had another face on top of his actual one.
He tried his best to not think about what the filth on him actually was, but it was proving to be extremely difficult. Even Sherry’s voice, which was still going on right next to him, wasn’t enough to snap him out of the disgust that had settled in Leon’s stomach.
He was glad that being disgusted by his current state of cleanliness was the most pressing problem he had, though. There was no numbness, no panic, nothing like what he knew about how people behaved after experiencing trauma. Maybe it just had not settled in yet. That was most likely the explanation for how all he cared about at the moment was that he didn’t want anyone to see him covered in sewage and body fluids. He was just about to be relieved that at least most of the body fluids were not his, when he remembered his shoulder.
Maybe he was a little numb, after all. Leon hadn’t really been worried about the wound before, since he had had a lot more to think about and to do, but now that they were walking alongside a road, with Raccoon City getting more and more distant with every step and Sherry’s excited voice telling about how getting a puppy would absolutely be the best idea there ever was, Leon suddenly realised that he had been shot.
Leon looked at his arm. The bandages around the wound and the shirt felt somewhat damp, but there wasn’t really that much blood on them. Not at least the amount that would’ve been worrying, and he hadn’t yet bled out or anything like that, even though it had now been at least a few hours since he got shot, so blood loss probably wasn’t going to be a problem. His fingers had been working fine, as well, since he had operated guns and several other things after the injury too. It did hurt, he would’ve been more worried if it hadn’t, but even with the adrenaline disappearing it wasn’t too unbearable. Based on that, it most likely wasn’t that bad. That meant that he could first concentrate on getting to safety before attending to it properly, even if Leon could hear his father's voice clear inside his head, telling him that there was no safe place to get shot at. He would just have to deal with it right now.
He was brought back from his thoughts by Sherry tugging at his hand. She had fallen silent and was now staring at him, eyes wide, and Claire on the other side of her had her eyes fixed on him as well.
“Yes?” Leon asked. It was clear to him that something was expected from him, and he had no idea what. If he had to guess, Sherry had probably said something to him and he hadn’t answered, since he had tuned her out as he had tried to conclude if he was going to die from the gunshot wound or not.
“We were just talking about where to go”, Claire answered instead of Sherry. “I’m not sure of our exact location, so I was just wondering if you by chance had a map in one of those pockets of yours or something?”
Leon glanced down on his body. He must’ve looked pretty ridiculous with all those pouches attached to him, but they had served their purpose well enough back in the city, so he hadn’t really cared about his looks then. He wasn’t really sure what he had in all the pockets anymore, as he had just stuffed everything he had deemed useful in them without a real second thought. A map, though, was something he knew he hadn’t picked up at any point.
He shook his head.
“No, sorry”, he said. He turned his head over his shoulder to look behind them, towards where the road continued through plain fields towards the rocky entrance of the NEST, where the train had stopped upon reaching open daylight. He had never been in Raccoon City before, and he was now very glad over the fact that he had spent time learning the layout of the city in order to find the station without getting lost on his first day. It hadn't been too difficult, as Raccoon City was a much simpler place than what he was used to. It was a small place compared to New York, surrounded by nature on all sides, and his family had quite frankly been surprised that he had wanted to move there.
“Not that I want to judge your life choices”, Sean had said, leaning against Leon’s desk back at their parent’s house, “but how much good do you think you can do in the middle of mountains, compared to some place where people actually, you know, live?”
Matt had said something similar, more along the lines of if you have already let yourself be pressured to be the next token Kennedy in the force, you might as well actually do something with that badge of yours. Matt had always been the more blunt one between him and Sean, not even trying to hide behind an apologetic tone. Leon had gotten used to it by now, so he hadn't paid it too much mind.
His father and mother had not said anything while Leon had poured countless hours into looking at maps of Arklay mountains, drawing and pinning down every single detail of the cannibal murders that had happened there. Maybe Raccoon City was a much simpler place than New York, but there had clearly still been things that needed solving and people who needed helping there, and that had been enough for Leon.
Not that he had done much helping when it had been needed from him the most.
Leon held back a grimace as the wound in his shoulder stung under the bandages. He let out a sigh through his nose after the pain lessened, settling into a wavering burn. It was almost laughable, really, to think where all that had ended up getting him.
If anything had come out of his fervent research of the area, though, it had to be that he knew how the mountains circled around the city and where each peak stood in the rugged line. It wasn’t the exact same thing as looking at pictures and contours on a map, but it still gave him something.
“I can say at least that we are on the other side of the city than where we came in, so retrieving my car isn’t possible.” He gestured towards the mountain line, biting back another grimace when his shoulder protested the movement.
Claire pursed her lips.
“Damn”, she muttered under her breath. “I guess that means I’m not getting my bike back either.”
“You have a bike?” Leon asked. He hadn’t really thought about how Claire had gotten to the gas station outside of the city, but of course she had had some kind of vehicle with her. The bright red leather jacket that was now on Sherry did fit well in the same picture with a motorcycle, now that Leon looked at it again.
“Had”, Claire corrected him. “Since it’s stuck there in the gas station now. But if we are not getting to it or to your car, it means that we are stuck with walking until we come across someone who is willing to give us a ride, or until we can call ourselves one.”
Leon looked at the road in front of them, the asphalt reflecting sunlight and the horizon curving down. It didn’t look like the busiest road, based on the fact that they had not seen anyone else drive by after the first truck, but it was still paved one and clearly in use. Leon gave their surroundings another look. If he remembered correctly, the direction they were walking in would eventually lead to a highway towards the East Coast. He had no recollection how far away any of the intersections were, but the closer they would get to the bigger roads, the more people there would be. Hopefully.
“I’m sure there’s going to be another gas station or something like that along the way”, he said. “There’s no use in straying away from the road. The word of what’s going on in the city must’ve reached authorities by now, so I’m sure we will meet up with someone sooner or later.”
At least he hoped that someone outside Raccoon City knew what was happening there. People still in the city needed help, and for a regular person, getting away wasn’t going to be easy. He had seen how zombies had swarmed the roads, and he knew how easily they could overwhelm anyone, even if they had a gun. He had had multiple firearms with him, and he had still many times just barely dodged outstretched arms and evaded the rotting breath and teeth gracing his skin.
For a split second, both Sean and Matt’s words blended together to one single entity in his head, mocking and harsh. Leon breathed in harshly. He must’ve made some kind of noise while doing that, because Sherry squeezed his hand, carefully but enough so that Leon could feel it. He tried to smile at her big eyes that seemed to see right through him, and laced their fingers more securely together.
Her hand was small and warm in his. Solid. No overly soft spots or rough textures.
Only then did Leon notice that Claire had not said anything back to him. She was looking straight ahead, with her brows in deep frown and lips pressed into a tight line.
“Claire?” Leon called. Her eyes darted to him, and she more than clearly forced herself to relax.
“Nothing”, she said. Leon saw her grasping Sherry’s hand tighter as well. “You’re right, there's going to be something or someone along this road eventually. Let’s go.”
They fell back in pace, Sherry between them. Leon could see her eyes jump between him and Claire, before she opened her mouth again.
“When can I get a bike?” She asked. “They look very cool! I bet yours was really cool too, Claire! Can you teach me how to ride one?”
Claire laughed at that, the sound warm and solid just like Sherry’s hand, and Leon let himself be lost in it, letting both of them hold him in place as the September morning continued to pass around them, bright and uncaring of what it hid inside of its many hours.
--- ---
Eventually, Sherry stopped talking.
Leon couldn’t fault her for that. She must’ve been absolutely exhausted, with surviving all by herself and having to fight the virus inside of her. If anything, Leon admired her for holding herself up for so long. His own bones felt like they weighed double than usual, and he was a lot bigger than her and in a very good shape.
Especially high marks, had the letter said. Top of his class, had the instructors written in almost every single paper. Ambitious. Persistent. Works well with others.
Had any of those achievements helped anyone else than himself in the end?
His shoulder throbbed, hot and sharp, and Leon resisted the need of letting go of Sherry’s hand to massage the joint around the wound. Now was not the time to complain about it. Sherry’s feet were dragging, and despite him and Claire having slowed down a couple of times already, she was yet again falling behind them.
“Are you okay?” Claire asked Sherry, who weakly nodded at her.
“Yeah, I’m just tired”, she said, glancing down to her feet. “Sorry.”
“No no, no sorrys from you”, Claire said immediately. “You have been so strong during all of this, you’re more than allowed to be tired if you ask me!”
Claire shot Leon a look over Sherry’s head.
“She’s right”, Leon hurried to say. “I was kinda expecting you to get tired of walking way earlier. You wanna come up? I can carry you.”
He didn’t like the idea of stopping on the side of the road. They weren’t that far away from the city yet, and the zombies didn’t care about where the city limits stood. Perhaps they were easier to get around in a more open space, but Leon really didn't want to come face to face with another horde like back in the gas station to try it out.
Had the zombies there turned around and followed their retreating car lights back to the city, or had they wandered further to the surrounding fields, slowly but surely making their way towards some other place with more people to infect?
Sherry hesitated for a few seconds, but then nodded again.
“Okay”, she said, letting go of Claire’s hand. Leon handed his shotgun to Claire before crouching. Bending his knees hurt way more than it should, and Leon managed to only partially bite back a groan as he straightened up again, arms under Sherry’s legs and her hands thrown over his shoulders.
“You okay there, grandpa?” Claire asked. She was smiling at him, but there was obvious concern in her voice. Leon breathed in and out before answering her.
“Fantastic”, he said. He hoisted Sherry up a little bit more. The burning in his shoulder flared again, and this time he definitely made a face.
“You sure?” Claire was eyeing him warily now, her smile slipping. “I can hear the creaking.”
“Leave my knees and back alone”, Leon tried not to sound like he was out of breath. “I have been tossed around so much during the last hours that I’m surprised nothing is broken. Besides, have you seen anatomy pictures before? The human back is a travesty.”
Claire let out a laugh, and Leon was relieved when it sounded genuine.
“Now you sound like Chris”, she said. “He always complains about his back like he’s seventy-five and not twenty-five.”
“...you mean your brother?” Leon asked, careful with his words. Claire had not mentioned anything about his brother after they had met up at the gate in the station, and even though she was the one who had mentioned him first, Leon was scared to continue asking.
Claire’s brother was a cop. Leon had lost count on how many zombies he had shot that had still been in their uniforms, the blue stained and torn and their facial features falling apart. He had no idea what Claire’s brother looked like, and the sudden horror of the possibility that Leon had, unknowingly, put him down while going through the station halls made his insides go rigid.
“Yeah”, Claire said. “He’s such an old man sometimes. He started wearing slippers years ago and likes those chocolates with liquor in them. Who likes them other than people who are fifty?”
Her voice was light and not filled with grief or regret for walking out of the city with two people of which neither was her brother. Leon forced his lungs to work again.
“Did you find him?” He asked before he could think better of it. Claire’s steps shortened a little.
“No”, she said. “But I found a note he had left in their office. He’s not in the city.”
Air came back to Leon without him having to force it. His shoulders sagged as they relaxed, and Sherry’s head nudged Leon’s neck slightly as she shifted on his back. She was already falling asleep, her breath soft on Leon’s skin.
“Where is he, then?” He asked, lowering his voice, even though he didn’t think Sherry would be bothered by anything at that point.
“In Europe”, Claire said. “I don’t know where in there exactly. And to be completely honest, the letter sounded like it was written by someone who had taken one look at Chris and imagined how a big, muscly guy would write, and not by Chris himself. The whole thing was just ramblings about girls and all that, when Chris is a goddamn workaholic who hasn’t dated anyone since high school.”
Her voice had risen towards the end, and she grabbed her bare arms to hug herself slightly.
“You think the letter was written by someone else?” Leon asked. Claire shook her head.
“No. No, it was written by Chris. I know his handwriting”, she said. “There is something I’m not getting, clearly, but I just...why didn’t he just tell me that he was going away? I don’t care about the reason, but he should’ve just told me.”
She rubbed her arms up and down a couple of times, clearly trying to calm herself down. Leon felt bad as he couldn’t reach out to her, both of his arms occupied with holding Sherry.
“I’m sure he had a reason for it”, he said. “I’m not saying it was right for him to do, but he wouldn't have done something like that without a reason, right?”
He had no idea what he was talking about. He had never met Chris, and had by now only heard a few things about him that didn’t tell much, and complaining about back pains and liking chocolates with alcohol in them weren’t enough to create a clear of picture of anyone. Claire had driven all the way to Raccoon City to look for him, though, and Leon didn’t think a total asshole would have gotten such a treatment.
Claire’s face had briefly gotten harder, but it softened just as quickly.
“You’re right." She let out a deep sigh. “Chris wouldn’t do something like that without a good reason. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to smack him over the head the next time I see him.”
“I’m not gonna intervene, I promise”, Leon said, earning a light chuckle from Claire.
“Damn right you aren’t”, she grinned. “You saw what happened to the last guy who tried to come at me. You wouldn’t even have a chance.”
Leon laughed back at her. They then fell silent for some time, just walking. Leon listened to Sherry’s breathing right next to his ear, and at the sound of his own and Claire’s boots hitting the ground. It was pretty warm for the last day of September, and Leon was sure that he could practically feel the sweat gathering on his back and seep into the wound. Keeping the arm in one position didn’t give him too much trouble, only a constant, straining burn. He would probably have to give Sherry to Claire at some point, but for now he would let her be and get much deserved rest. He would get his own later.
Silence didn’t usually bother him, but after the night of listening mainly to the moans and screeches of the dead, he had been happy to hear regular human noises.
“Tell me about him”, Leon said, making Claire raise her eyebrows. “About your brother. Do his flaws end at liquor chocolates, or are there more?”
“I’m gonna tell him you said that, you know”, Claire smirked.
“I don’t doubt that.”
“Great. About Chris." Claire hummed in thought. “Well, despite this disappearing act, he is the best brother in the world. We lost our parents when we were young, and we didn’t have anyone else but each other, so he did everything he could to take care of me.”
“Must’ve been hard for both of you”, Leon said. He tried to imagine how it would be, if something had happened to his own parents, and he would only have his brothers. Both of them would do the same as Chris, he knew that. Matt had already always behaved like a third parent anyway, keeping much closer track of his grades, curfews and relationships than their mother and father ever did. He had tried that with Sean as well, but it never worked as well as it did with Leon. Four years of age difference was a lot different than twelve, and bossing around a high schooler was much easier than doing so to someone almost the same age as you.
“Yeah, it was”, Claire said. “Not that Chris ever complained. He finished high school early, went to the army to have an income and later joined the force and so on. He just is like that, devoting himself for the good of others.”
Claire turned to look at Leon.
“I think you two would get along really well”, she said, glancing at Sherry on Leon’s back. “You do remind me of him, in your own way.”
“I take that as a compliment”, Leon smiled at Claire. “You two sound really close.”
“Yeah, I guess that happens in a situation like ours”, Claire shrugged. “We were pretty close even before our parents died, of course, but it did change the intensity of it. Chris had to grow up really quickly to fill basically every role in the family. He’s still a dumbass though, make no mistake about that.”
“I hope that doesn’t mean you think I’m one, too”, Leon said.
“Only time will tell”, Claire tapped his arm with her knuckles. “Don’t think you’re gonna get rid of me after all of this.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it”, Leon said. “After all, it was me who said would be fine if we stuck together, remember?”
“I do, and I’m not gonna forget it”, Claire said. She reached to brush Sherry’s hair away from her face, and then stretched her arms. “Well, now that Chris is not here to interrupt me and whine, I’m going to tell you every single dumb thing he has ever done. If he ever asks, it wasn’t me.”
“My lips are sealed”, Leon promised.
He liked Chris, he decided at some point during one of Claire’s many stories. He did sound like someone who Leon knew he would’ve looked up to while growing up, if he had known him back then.
He just hoped that Chris would like him, too. Even with his back turned on the city.
Sherry shifted a little. Leon held on to her legs just a little tighter, breathing deep as Claire continued her stories.
--- --- ---
Afternoon shadows were long when they finally saw a building and a sign next to it.
They hadn’t seen any other cars come by, which Leon did find strange. The road should’ve been large enough and connected to major ones for there to be regular traffic, if not for passenger cars, then at least for trucks or other larger transportations.
Maybe the roads leading to the area were starting to get cut off from the rest of the country, so no one would drive towards Raccoon City. That option would at least mean that there would be some kind of help on the way.
There was no horde waiting for them this time, the parking lot of the gas station desolate and silent. There were still cars parked there, one near the gas pumps and a couple more on the side of the lot, and even if the splatters of blood and red footprints were missing, that was enough to make Leon cautious.
They stopped on the other side of the road, staying quiet and waiting for any signs of movement coming from anywhere near the station. There were none, but Leon knew by now that silence didn’t necessarily confirm there wasn’t anyone waiting for them.
“...should we go and take a look?” Claire asked, voice low. Her other hand was close to the handgun strapped on her side, while the other one was on Sherry’s shoulder. She had woken up some time ago and insisted on walking again, giving Leon’s shoulder much needed rest.
“I don’t know”, Leon answered. “There could be someone in there, but we need a phone.”
There was no phone box on the outside, so their best bet for finding one would be inside of the gas station. Leon took one more look around and then glanced down at Sherry, who was gripping his hand tightly. Walking for the rest of the day would be too much for her, and they couldn’t risk getting ambushed on foot after dark.
He untangled their hands gently, and pulled out his gun. He still had almost a full clip of bullets in it, and after checking his front pockets he found one more.
“How much ammo do you have?” He asked Claire.
“Half a clip on this and some spare”, she answered, gesturing to her handgun. She still had the shotgun, which Leon knew had at least couple of bullets in it. “And a knife.”
“Good. I’ll go take a look at the door, stay here and keep an eye out for anything else”, Leon said. “Be ready to run if it starts to look bad.”
He kept his steps soft as he slowly approached the gas station, first stopping to look into the car next to the pumps. The driver’s door was slightly ajar and the keys were still in place, but there was no one inside. The two other cars were both locked and equally as empty as the first one, so he made his way to the door.
The open-sign on the door was hauntingly familiar as Leon pushed the door open just enough to take a peek and listen to if anything was moving or moaning inside. The lights were still mostly on, and he could see a few packages of chips and other snacks laying on the floor, but apart from that what he could see seemed to be in perfect order.
It was still quiet, so Leon slowly pushed the door more open, gun pointed, ready to shoot if anything lunged towards him. Nothing moved, so he stepped inside.
While the first gas station he had stopped at had been in a complete disarray and overrun, this one looked more like the people inside had just vanished. There were a few other items out of place, knocked over or on the floor, but no pools of blood, broken glass or fallen shelfs. The doors to the back were locked, so if anything was in there, it would have to break through the doors first in order to get to him, giving him enough time to get away.
There was a phone behind the register. Leon double-checked every single aisle before heading back to the door.
Claire and Sherry were waiting exactly where he had left them, and there were no approaching zombies when Leon looked both ways down the road.
“Clear”, he called to them. “There’s a phone. Are you guys hungry? ”
--- --- ---
The phone didn’t work.
It was plucked in and there was a dialing noise, but the calls would not connect. Claire tried multiple different numbers, and Leon tried to call his parents and both Sean and Matt, but all they got was beeping and the calls getting cut on their own.
“Fuck”, Claire hissed almost inaudibly as she lowered the receiver yet again. Sherry didn’t seem to hear her, as she was busy munching some off-brand chips she had chosen from the shelf next to the register. They weren’t the healthiest option, but Leon had figured that she had more than deserved them.
He hadn’t been sure if he could stomach anything, but the last time he had eaten anything had been dinner a couple of hours before arriving to Raccoon City, so not eating when food was available would’ve been stupid. The box of Ritz crackers had been close and sounded safe enough, and he and Claire had managed to get through almost the whole package between making the calls.
“All the communications were down in the Police Station as well”, Leon said. “I understand if it was a city-wide blackout, but we should be far enough now that whatever was cutting the lines there shouldn’t be an issue here.”
Claire chewed her lower lip.
“There haven't been any cars the whole day”, she said, her eyes fixated on the wall.
There was an edge in her voice.
“Maybe the roads are getting blocked”, Leon supplied. “So if any of those things tries to get out, they are stopped.”
Claire didn’t say anything to that. She kept her eyes on the wall, brows furrowed deep in thought.
“I think we should leave”, she said suddenly. “There was a key in one of the cars, right? We can take that. You want any more snacks, Sherry? Take what you want, and we’ll go.”
Sherry nodded and started browsing the shelves, while Leon frowned in turn.
“What is it?” He asked her. Not that he didn’t agree on the fact that they should eventually continue, but there was urgency in her voice that made him want to ask.
“I’ll tell you outside”, Claire said. “Grab a few water bottles, we haven’t had any the whole day.”
Leon was about to ask her again, but she nodded with her head towards Sherry, who had her back on them as she was picking up another bag of chips.
So it was something that she didn’t want Sherry to hear. Leon closed his mouth and nodded.
“Water coming up”, he said, turning towards the right aisle. “You two want Oreos?”
“Yes please!” Sherry raised her hand so Leon could see it over the shelf. He grabbed one package extra.
--- --- ---
Even when he had done it once before already, and logically he knew that there was a very minimal chance that the owners of the car were ever coming back, Leon still felt bad about stealing it. Because it still was essentially just that.
He didn’t voice this out loud though, as Sherry climbed in the backseat, getting comfortable immediately. He was just about to open the driver’s door, when Claire grabbed his arm.
“Let’s go talk really quick”, she said, turning to Sherry. “We’ll be right back, okay? We’re not going far.”
She led Leon to the other side of the parking lot.
“Okay”, she started, her face turning serious. “We can’t trust anyone, not even the police or other officials.”
“You’re afraid that they might be together in this with Umbrella”, Leon guessed.
“The whole Raccoon City was”, Claire said. “Irons was taking money from them and they ran the orphanage, too, so people knew-”
“I know”, Leon interrupted her. “There were messages in one of the computers in the lab. The guy who made the virus had contacted our military. They know about it.”
The fact that so many people knew and did nothing to stop it still didn't sit right with him.
“That guy was William Birkin”, Claire said. Leon nodded.
“I know. His wife was Annette Birkin, correct? I met her.”
“You did? When?” Claire asked.
“When we went down to the labs. I had just found out about Umbrella’s true identity and was pursuing her.”
Claire glanced towards the car. Sherry was looking at them through the window.
“Sherry is their daughter”, Claire said.
Leon froze.
“What?”
“Sherry is their daughter”, Claire repeated. “Annette and William Birkin’s. Her own father infected her with the G-virus. And they both worked for Umbrella, so people must know that they have a daughter. If Umbrella or someone else involved in this finds out that she survived from the city, they might come after her.”
Leon looked over Claire’s head at Sherry. Her hair was messy and face dirty, and she was still wrapped in Claire’s jacket. She looked even smaller than she actually was through the car window.
She was just a child. Someone who hadn’t deserved to go through any of what had happened in the city. She looked very different from Emma, with her blonde hair and blue eyes, but for a short moment, Leon’s insides physically hurt.
Sherry’s nightmare was over, and it should stay that way.
“Nothing is going to happen to her”, Leon promised. He put his hand on Claire’s shoulder, trying to be a bit more reassuring. “We just have to find a way out through which we can leave without notice."
“Hopefully we can find one." Claire still looked worried. She glanced towards the car. “I don’t think we’d have much luck in a car chase with that one.”
“We should probably try to stick to the smaller roads, then”, Leon suggested. “You grabbed the road map from inside, right?”
“I did. Wouldn’t want to get lost in the middle of the Midwest on top of everything else”, Claire nodded. They walked back to the car and Leon reached for the driver’s door handle again, but he was stopped by Claire grabbing his hand yet again.
“Nope, you’re not driving”, she said, shooing Leon away from the door. “You go around and take the shotgun. Don’t even start with me, you just carried Sherry for miles after, by your own words, ‘being tossed around so much it’s a surprise nothing is broken’.”
“Do you know how to drive?” Leon asked.
“Well enough to keep us on the road”, Claire answered. “Now, shoo shoo, go on.”
If Leon had learned anything about Claire during the hours they had known each other, it was that there was no arguing with her if she stated so. Leon thought about it briefly, but if he was being honest, his shoulder hurt and he was tired enough for not wanting to argue. So, instead, he just wordlessly circled around the car and got in on the other side, while Claire climbed on the driver’s seat.
“Seatbelts everyone”, Claire said, turning the key. She backed up and drove to the road successfully, so Leon relaxed on his seat. He opened the road map Claire had tossed on the dashboard, eyeing the different colored lines.
“We should be able to go around there and avoid all the biggest intersections until we are far away enough from the city”, he pointed at the route to Claire.
“Got it. Now lean back and take a nap”, Claire all but ordered him.
“You think you’ll be fine?” Leon asked. Some sleep did sound appealing, but at the same time even the thought of it made him nervous.
“Absolutely. And besides, if anything happens, you’ll be a much bigger help if you are at least somewhat rested”, Claire said, giving him a look from the corner of her eye. “You get your beauty sleep. Believe me, you need it right now.”
“Thanks”, Leon huffed. Claire only laughed, and it wasn’t like Leon was actually offended. He smiled, and leaned his head back.
He didn’t close his eyes right away, instead watching the cracks in the road disappear under the car as they drove forward.
“You said I reminded you of your brother”, he said.
“I did. You do.”
“Thank you. I just think that based on what you have told me about him, you two sound really alike.”
Claire smiled at him softly, her skin glowing in the late afternoon sun.
“Go to sleep”, she said, and Leon closed his eyes, sleep waiting for him in the darkness.
--
Leon woke up with his mouth dry and shoulder burning.
He blinked several times, his eyes and mind groggy and blanketed with sleep, trying to separate the rest of the world from the unpleasantries. He knew that he had been dreaming just before waking up, the feeling of unsettledness still lingering all over his insides, but he couldn’t remember what the dream had been about anymore. He also really wasn’t sure if being awake was any better either, because the more awake he became, the more the burning intensified with all the intention to reach agony, and the closer it got to that the more he felt a need to throw up.
His mouth was somehow wet when he opened it but still so dry it was almost painful, and his mind couldn’t seem to wrap itself around how that was even possible, not fully even when he realised that the wetness tasted suspiciously like bile and his throat was now burning as well, and no matter how much he blinked, the world didn’t become any clearer. He swallowed rapidly. It burned even more, now absolutely everywhere, and he-
“Leon?” There was suddenly a voice, piercing through all the haze he was in, and Leon turned towards it.
Claire was looking at him, eyes wide, with her hand almost touching Leon’s shoulder, only stopping to hover over it when his eyes met hers.
“Are you okay?” She asked, her voice sharp and worried. Leon didn’t answer her right away. He simply couldn’t. He tried to follow her voice through the confusion and daze. It took him a while to get out of it enough to answer, with the burning sensation still aflame on his body.
“Yeah”, he managed to say around the bitter taste in his mouth. He knew it was a lie even before he said it, and judging by the look Claire was giving him, she knew it was a lie as well. Leon wanted to say something more, to do something to make it better, but his shoulder burned, and Leon didn’t dare to move in fear of making it even slightly worse. Was he even sweatier than before? It sure felt like it. How was that even possible? He should be saying something. Leon just couldn’t come up with any words at that moment. He breathed in rapidly, trying his best not to just drown in the sudden realisation of being in pain.
Claire's eyes hardened.
“No you’re not”, she decided to speak the truth, for which Leon was grateful. At least he didn’t have to do it when he wasn’t sure how speaking actually worked anymore. She looked him over, and Leon could see her eyes stopping at his shoulder. She stared at it for a moment, like she had only now realised that it was covered in bloody bandages, and she let out a litany of curse words under her breath.
“Sherry, take the map”, Claire handed something to the backseat, and Leon remembered that Sherry was in the car as well. “We just drove past the intersection over here and turned to the left, do you see a gas station or anything like that in there alongside the road?”
Claire’s words reached his brain a little late. He wanted to protest, to say that they couldn’t stop until they were far away enough, that they couldn’t risk someone seeing Sherry. He had survived through the night in the city, he would be fine.
But nothing came out. Not any real words at least, only something that sounded more like gurgle than anything else. It maybe sounded a little disinclined, though, because Claire reached over towards him again.
“Don’t try me”, she said, but her voice was soft despite the harshness of her words. She didn’t seem to dare go anywhere near his shoulder, so she grasped his fingers for a second and gave them a gentle squeeze. Leon was going to make another protesting noise anyway, but Sherry talked over him.
“There is one in little over three miles”, she said, leaning forward between the front seats to show the map to Claire.
Claire flashed a smile at her.
“Good. Now sit back”, she said, and put her foot on the gas, hard. Leon just watched the outside go past them, trying his best to just keep breathing through the scorching that had taken over his body. He really couldn’t tell anymore if it was only his shoulder or everything else as well. He just tried to keep breathing.
That was when he realised that the Sun was rising.
He stared at it, completely confused about absolutely everything. It made no sense that the Sun was rising and not setting. It had been late afternoon last time he had been awake, Leon was pretty sure about that. The Sun wasn’t even rising a little over the horizon, it was already high enough for the sky to be more blue than anything else. Leon stared at the Sun some more, and the realisation that Claire had let him sleep through the rest of the day and the night sunk in. He wanted to ask her what she had been thinking, had she been sleeping or even resting at all and where they even were, but his tongue was thick and wouldn’t cooperate with him. The car hit something on the road and jostled a bit, and a desperate whine somehow made it past his tongue and teeth when his shoulder moved ever so slightly and the burning turned white.
“Sorry”, Claire said. Her hands were gripping the steering wheel so hard her knuckles were bloodless. “It’s gonna be fine.”
Leon wasn’t sure if she was talking to him or to herself, but he still wanted to apologize. He was older than Claire and Sherry were. They had already been through so much. It wasn’t fair of him to make them worry about him on top of that, when everything should’ve been behind them already.
Much help he was to anyone even in the middle of nowhere. Claire’s brother would be insulted if he ever heard that Leon had been compared to him in the slightest.
Hopefully Leon would never have to meet him.
--- --- --- ---
Somehow he must’ve dozed off, because the next thing Leon knew was Claire gripping his thigh hard enough to arouse him from his apparent sleep.
“We’re here”, she said. “I’m parking the car a little further away and I’m gonna go to check the place. We should be far enough for there to be no zombies here, but I’m gonna lock the doors while I’m away just in case, okay?”
She didn’t wait for him to answer, taking only long enough so that her words might’ve reached him.
“I’m gonna be right back”, she said towards the back seat. “Keep an eye on him.”
Then she grabbed her gun and stepped outside of the car. Leon’s whole body had turned into a heated stone, stiff and hot and heavy, and he could only watch her making her way towards the gas station, gun ready in hand.
It was quiet in the car.
Then, very carefully, Sherry inched closer to the front seats, her eyes fixed on him.
“We are okay”, she said quietly. “We aren’t that far away yet, I think. Claire didn’t want to stop anywhere during the night but she didn’t want to wake you up, either, so she stopped a few times when it was still light outside. I kept watch so I could wake her if anything was coming. I even got a lot of sleep myself while she was driving.”
She was clearly trying to comfort him and Leon wanted to tell her that it was fine, that she shouldn’t be the one doing that, but nothing in him worked anymore. It was kinda funny, actually. He had been so pleasantly surprised about how fine he had felt when they had gotten out of the city, all things considered. It had been almost a day now, but for him it felt like it had been just a few hours ago, during which he had gone from feeling a little bit sore to not being able to move a finger.
There is no safe place to get shot at, his dad's voice told him again. Leon really should’ve listened to him.
Suddenly Claire was back, hurrying towards the car. She was already starting the car and pressing down the gas pedal before she had even properly closed the door.
“Clear”, she said. “I found some medical equipment in there. Hopefully they are of some help.”
Claire parked the car right in front of the station’s door. She practically jumped out and ran around the car, and then yanked Leon’s side’s door open.
“Okay, big boy”, she said, bending over in order to hoist Leon’s not-shot arm over her shoulders. “Try to use your legs even a little. On three. One, two, three!”
Claire was a lot stronger than Leon had expected. He tried his best to keep his legs under him, succeeding only by what felt like width of hair, leaving Claire to do most of the work of lifting him up and dragging him inside. She somehow laid him down behind the counter without just dropping him like a sack of stones he felt like he was. She disappeared somewhere from his immediate field of view, leaving Leon staring up towards the ceiling and the small television hanging from there.
There was no sound, the device completely muted, but Leon could still see the text as it took up almost half of the screen. He had to read it multiple times before he could comprehend the meaning of the words displayed.
RACCOON CITY DESTROYED IN A MISSILE STRIKE - MEDIA AND INTERNATIONAL UNIONS STILL WAITING FOR AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE PRESIDENT AND THE CONGRESS
He understood what the words meant, but there was still a complete detachment from them in Leon’s head.
Whatever it takes to save the city.
Then Claire was in front of him again, blocking the screen.
“I’m sorry if it hurts”, she said, not even acknowledging what was being said right behind her, like Leon was the more important thing in the room to be addressed. She reached for his shoulder and her fingers brushed the very edge of the wound under the bandages, and this time Leon’s whole world turned white for a moment. When the lines and colours started to return Claire had already begun to take the bandages off, likely realising that there was absolutely no way for her to do anything without hurting Leon in the process.
“Oh, Christ”, she gasped, and without thinking Leon turned to look.
He really shouldn't've. The whole shoulder was bright red and bumpy in a very weird way, and more than seeing it Leon could smell the actual wound. He would’ve been pretty sure that wounds couldn’t get infected that fast if the situation wouldn’t have presented itself to him in such a strong manner.
No wonder he felt like shit. Leon kind of wanted to laugh for some reason.
Claire’s jaw was set, and she glanced between the shoulder and the medical supplies she had found earlier. They weren’t probably much, Leon concluded from her worried expression.
Sherry was standing in the peripheral of Leon’s vision, fidgeting nervously, her eyes darting from Leon to Claire to the supplies to back to Leon. Then she took a very cautious step closer.
“We could try to clean it”, she said, her voice small. “And then bandage it again. My mom said that infected wounds should be kept clean and dry.”
That seemed to snap Claire back to action.
“Yeah, you’re right”, she said, starting to go through the med kit. “Come help.”
Leon didn’t really want Sherry anywhere near his clearly infected shoulder for her own sake, but she came over nevertheless and sat on the floor next to him. There was a mixture of disgust and determination on her face, and for the first one Leon couldn’t fault her.
“How did this even happen?” Claire asked. “This is clearly a-”
Leon shook his head. He glanced at Sherry from the corner of his eye. She had been through so much. Leon didn’t want to tell her that her now most likely dead mother had been the one to shoot Leon and inadvertently caused the situation at hand. Anette Birkin had not been a good person, but she was still Sherry’s mother, and Sherry was only a child. No need to rub her mother’s more unfavorable deeds on her face on top of everything.
Sherry didn’t understand any of the implications, as she just looked at him, puzzled. Claire probably didn’t either, but she still didn’t ask again. Leon wasn’t even sure if he could’ve answered her with his tongue and vocal chords still not cooperating with him.
“Why didn’t you say anything sooner?” she murmured, most likely not expecting an answer as she grabbed a bottle of disinfectant and a bunch of clean cotton pads. “This is gonna hurt again.”
It did. At some point Leon blessedly managed to zone out from all of it. Sherry had started silently crying at some point, and the small tears still rolled down her cheeks even when Leon stopped jerking at every light touch. Leon felt vaguely disgusted with himself. He would’ve most likely felt it more strongly if he wasn’t in the midpoint of passing out again. His shoulder was in clean bandages now, though, and Claire was rummaging through the medical supplies again.
“There are some painkillers”, she said. “Nothing too strong, but it’s better than nothing, right? Hold up, I’m gonna fetch you some water.”
She disappeared from in front of him, giving Leon a full view on the TV again. He had almost forgotten about what he had seen before, but it all came crashing in again.
They were showing footage of Raccoon City on the screen. Or at least what was left of it. Which was absolutely nothing.
Leon felt sick.
“Here”, Claire blocked the screen just in time before Leon started to feel like he might throw up. “Sherry, help me lift him up a little bit. There we go. I’m gonna give the pills to you and help you drink, try not to choke on them.”
It was easier said than done, especially when someone else was holding the bottle and controlling the water. At first Leon’s throat wasn’t sure how to swallow anymore, but then the water started easing up the constant burn and his tongue didn’t feel so thick anymore, and Leon drank like he was a dying man. Which he probably wasn’t far away from, to be perfectly honest.
“Thanks”, he managed to finally utter, shakily, as Claire lowered the bottle.
Claire looked slightly relieved at his words, probably for the fact that Leon was actually speaking again, and not just making garbled noises.
“No problem”, she said, her posture giving up a little. “Are you feeling any better?”
Leon took a deep breath.
“Give me a moment”, he said. The painkillers weren’t enough to take away the burning, but at least after some time his head stopped feeling like it was made of cement. “Where are we?”
Claire sighed.
“Not that far away, unfortunately”, she said. “I had to look at the map a lot, and I kept taking naps when the Sun was still up. Didn’t want to crash us in the middle of the night by falling asleep on the wheel.”
“That’s okay”, Leon said. “Sherry said something like that back in the car.”
“Yeah, she kept watch every time I slept." Claire gave Sherry a smile, and Sherry smiled back at the praising tone while rubbing her eyes and nose to her sleeve. “We didn’t see anything or anyone the whole way. They have most likely closed off the entire area now, since…”
She fell silent, and turned to look at the TV. They weren’t showing the nothingness that was left of Raccoon City anymore, but some official looking guy talking something about how the President was going to give his statement on a later date, and that everyone should keep calm to not cause harm anywhere else.
Leon swallowed to keep the threateningly rising bit down with little success. There wasn’t any taste of actual bile in his mouth, though, which was at least a small victory. An empty one, but still.
He just...he just couldn’t really wrap his head around it, no matter how much he tried. He had been there yesterday, and now it was just...all gone. It just didn’t feel like something that could even possibly happen.
“This isn’t going to stop here”, Claire said. “They can’t swipe this under the rug. People are gonna know what happened.”
“I don’t think people are even going to let them hide anything”, Leon said. He tried to shift a little bit, but his body still protested even the slightest of movement, and he couldn’t bite back the groan fast enough.
Claire peeled her eyes off of the screen and turned back to him.
“We need to get you to a hospital”, she said. “The wound is already bad, and it might only get worse if the infection is that aggressive. We need to take a look at the map again to figure out how to get to one the fastest.”
“Through big roads”, Leon croaked. “We can’t do that. If they have blocked off everything, we are going to get caught immediately.”
Claire opened her mouth but closed it again, her teeth biting tightly together.
“But we can’t just not get you to one”, she protested through them. “If it gets worse at this rate, then it might get too bad before we get anywhere through detours. We can’t risk that.”
“We can’t risk anything else either”, Leon said. Claire looked away from him. They were in a dilemma. It was either Leon getting to a hospital or someone they didn’t want to finding out about Sherry. With all the connections Umbrella had had to different officials, it was more than likely to happen. For Leon it was clear as day. Sherry was a child. Leon had taken all of this on himself willingly. Between him and Sherry, Sherry came first.
He was just about to say that, when Sherry opened her mouth as well after being silent for the whole conversation.
“You...” she sniffed. “You guys are...worried about me, right?”
She rubbed her eyes and sniffled again.
“I know my mom and dad were not good people”, she said. “They did...a lot of...bad stuff. And...now someone might be after me since they are both gone. Right?”
She didn’t look at them, keeping her eyes on the floor, trying her best to suppress the tears that had gathered in them.
“You guys have helped me so much already”, Sherry twisted her fingers. “It’s not fair if...if you get hurt because of me. So if...if Leon needs help, then, then I’m fine if they find me.”
She lowered her head even more, hiding her face behind her arm.
“Oh, Sherry…” Claire moved closer to her and was just about to wrap her arms around her, when she suddenly stopped. “...do you hear that?”
Leon frowned and Sherry lifted her head. They were all quiet for some time, just listening. At first Leon didn’t hear anything else than the air conditioning blowing softly, the clicking of freezers and the low voices coming from the television above them, but then the distant roaring of an engine reached him as well.
“It sounds like a helicopter”, Sherry said quietly.
“It is”, Claire said. The sound was rapidly getting louder now. “It’s coming closer. Stay here.”
Sherry crawled next to Leon against the counter. She grabbed his good arm as Claire very slowly, with her head down and partly crouching, made her way to a nearest window. She pushed the blinds down and peeked outside.
“Shit”, she cursed sharply. “Leon, get your gun.”
Claire ran back to them and almost handed Leon's handgun to him from it’s holster. She checked her own handgun and then glanced at the door, cursing again.
“I left the shotgun in the car”, she hissed. The sound of the engine was really close now, if not already right next to them. Claire swept the station with her gaze once before looking towards the door again.
“You stay here”, she said. “Whatever happens, don’t come out behind the counter.”
“What’s wrong?” Leon asked. The engine’s roaring almost drowned out his voice, but he didn’t dare to speak any louder.
“The helicopter has Umbrella’s logos on it”, Claire answered. “I’ll try and draw their attention to me. Take care of Sherry.”
Then she was off, before Leon could protest, and the only thing keeping him still was Sherry’s grip on him. With no other options left, he leaned his back tightly against the counter and listened as Claire’s barely audible footsteps crept towards the door.
Then the engine started slowing down, getting quieter, until it stopped completely. The silence made everything sound so loud all of a sudden, and Leon felt like he was breathing so hard that anyone could hear it from miles away.
There were footsteps and talking coming from outside. The noises came close to the door, and Leon heard the car doors opening and closing as it was checked.
Then the door opened and he heard guns being drawn, but there were no shots fired.
“Jill?” It was Claire, who sounded surprised.
“Claire?” It was another woman talking, sounding equally surprised as well. “What are you doing here?”
Then Claire laughed, loud, happy and relieved.
“It’s so good to see you!” She said. “I came looking for Chris and- Oh my God, were you in the city too still?”
“Wait, wait”, the other woman said. “You came into the city? Are you alright?”
“I’m okay, I’m okay”, Claire said. “But my...who is he?”
“He’s a friend”, the other woman hurriedly said. “This is Carlos. Don’t let the uniform fool you. But your what?”
“Here”, Claire said, and then the footsteps came towards the counter. Claire was there first, kneeling down in front of Leon and Sherry. “It’s okay. They are friends.”
Leon wasn’t sure who she said it to, to him and Sherry or to the woman and man standing next to the counter. They both looked like they had been through hell and back, which seemed to be the unifying look among all of them.
The woman looked familiar, Leon realised. She was…
“This is Jill”, Claire gestured towards the woman. “Chris’ friend. And...Carlos, was it?”
“Yeah”, nodded the really broad guy next to Jill. He at least looked like he had been somewhat prepared for what had been coming, as he was wearing military-looking tactical gear and holding a loaded assault rifle, which thankfully wasn’t pointed at them.
Leon’s head was still working slowly, and it only clicked at ‘Chris’ friend’ why the woman looked so familiar.
“You’re Jill Valentine”, he blurted out. Jill cocked her head a little, giving Leon a better look.
“Yes”, she said, her eyes stopping at the letters on his vest. “Don’t remember seeing you in the station before.”
“I’m new”, Leon answered. “Leon Kennedy.”
Carlos let out a small chuckle.
“First day, huh?” he asked. Leon wasn't sure how he knew that.
“Probably also the last”, Leon murmured.
“We need to get Leon to a doctor”, Claire said. “His shoulder is infected and we can’t really do anything about it here. We need to get out of the area without being noticed, so anyone won’t know Sherry is with us.”
Jill gave Sherry a look as well, and her face softened slightly at the sight of the girl.
“All of that can be arranged”, she said. “I have lived here long enough to know the best routes, and I’m not really keen on the idea of being noticed either. And the doctor won’t tattle either. Does the car outside have gas? Flying around on a chopper covered in Umbrella paint isn’t the best option right now, if we want to stay low.”
“Well, it’s not like anyone will be hurt even if we took some without paying”, Carlos said. “Hopefully little Miss doesn’t mind sharing the back seat?”
Sherry shook her head.
“You guys are gonna come with us?” she asked. “And get Leon help?”
“Sure”, Carlos said, grinning at her. He then put his rifle away, and with way too little effort for Leon’s liking, he picked Leon up from the floor. “Let’s get you and Supercop Junior out of here.”