It could always get worse (Active // Closed)

[meester_kennedy]

Who: Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield
What: Patrolling and a crab bite
When: Evening/Sunset Monday
Where: Within a few blocks of the Seventh Heaven
Warnings: Gunplay, violence, crab guts

Comments

[redfield]

With everyone milling around the bar and apartments, Claire felt fairly comfortable leaving Eve home while going out on her usual walks. She'd found the girl on one of her patrols, so who knew when she might stumble across someone else?

Leon tagging along was new, but it wasn't unwelcome. She wasn't a solitary person by habit, she just tended to go off and do her own thing without waiting for someone else to volunteer to come along. She was actually a little relieved to have someone along, she didn't need to focus on keeping alert every step of the way as much, although her ears were still open for the sound of the bugs. Her own shotgun was slung on a strap over her back, and her Glock was secured on her belt, both within easy reach should she need them, although she hadn't heard so much as a peep since they'd left earlier.

Her eyes were scanning a nearby building when Leon spoke, and she turned her head to him, smirking a little at his question.

"He doesn't flirt with me when Chris is around, actually." She shook her head a little at the thought of the Spaniard. "Probably better for his health. I can just ignore him, but Chris isn't as good about that."

[meester_kennedy]

"Guess he's smarter than he looks," Leon smirked. He walked alongside her, also keeping an ear out among their chatter.

Something fell down an alley. Leon looked that way, putting a hand up to hold Claire where she was. He raised his shotgun and walked toward the source. He wasn't going to shoot right away, it could just as easily be a civilian scavenging. "Who's there?" he called out.

[redfield]

She halted when Leon put his hand up, her hand automatically sliding to the gun on her hip, and she swept the opposite side of the street with her eyes quickly before ghosting his steps, gun out to provide cover if it was needed.

It took her long enough to note how usually calling out for someone or something to identify themselves ended in disaster when she noticed the sound of shifting ice, coming from above on the roofs, and her eyes shifted from the alleyway to the rooftop above them-

"Oh, Shit. Leon? We have a problem."

[meester_kennedy]

So much for them being intimidated. He scanned the roofline quickly, then checked their tail. There were more of them than they could deal with. "Claire, run!" he started backpedalling, if they went down the street behind them, they'd reach the bar more quickly than if they retraced their steps. However, they'd be running along the line of the encroaching crabs.

[redfield]

Claire was already backing up when Leon called for her to run, and hesitating a moment to glance up and down the street herself she turned completely, moving back the way they had come.

"We can't out run them, there's a hotel a block back, if we duck in through the lobby we can lose them!" It'd end up being a detour to go through the back of a hotel, but as far as she'd seen the critters weren't smart enough to figure out that people could go through buildings and come out the back.

She turned again as she moved, aiming back behind her and opening up on the bugs closest, providing cover for Leon to get clear. It would figure the one time she has backup there are enough of the damn things that it wouldn't make a difference.

[meester_kennedy]

"I'm right behind you! Go!" he shouted, following her at a couple paces. He didn't like turning his back on them, but they just needed to run. He put on some extra speed, knowing full well they could outrun him even at full speed. And Claire couldn't match him even on a good day. Maybe holing up until they got bored would be a good idea.

[redfield]

Once she was sure Leon was actually behind her Claire turned completely, sprinting as fast as she could down the road, right hand still gripping her handgun tightly, one finger hooked through the finger guard to keep it from flying loose if she lost her grip.

The sound of the creatures behind them was enough motivation to keep her moving even as her legs started protesting. She spotted the revolving doors of the hotel ahead, her left hand gesturing, forcing herself not to look back to see how much ground the bugs had gained on them.

"Up ahead!" She hollered breathlessly.

[meester_kennedy]

He grabbed up his shotgun again, making sure he had a round chambered. He'd follow Claire once their path was secure. He turned to face them again, and let a few shotgun shells fly. At this distance, it could serve more as a suppressant than actually thinning the crowd.

[redfield]

Claire cleared the last of the distance between them and the hotel while Leon fired into the crowd, intent on not slowing down until she was inside the building, she hit the door-

-and bounced back as it was locked solidly into place. She was dazed for half a second before she realized what happened and looked around the inside of the door for obstructions she'd be able to remove.

"Shit. Shit shit shit." Noticing a large bag had gotten jammed on the inside of the door she swore again, turning back to look to see how Leon was holding up, before glancing around for a side door.

"Door's jammed!"

[meester_kennedy]

"Break a window! We'll find another room inside!" He glanced back, breaking the rhythm in his fire. But they took advantage. The swift glance he took to look back, and when he looked forward, they were closer than ever. He turned to run toward Claire, turning the shotgun in his hands to take a swing at the glass with the wooden stock.

One leapt up onto his back. He reversed his swing to try to get it off of him. Its legs were all over his back and shoulders, and all he knew was he didn't want it biting him.

[redfield]

"Of all the lousy luck-" she growled, backing up and aiming her gun at the open glass to the side of the door, glancing wildly at Leon as the bug jumped him, she shot the glass out, before turning the 9mm on the crowd, aiming for the eyes of the closest bugs and shooting them out before jerking the gun towards Leon.

"Leon, hold still!" She could get it off his back, but not when he was moving like that.

[meester_kennedy]

He did, as best as one could when there was a bloodthirsty freak on one's back. He felt all its legs, and the feel of its exoskeleton against his back. Just when he thought he was done with things crawling on-- or in-- his body.

"Hurry up, Cl- Augh!" It had completely spun around. He struggled to stay on his feet, but he was seeing stars and was momentarily unsure as to the proximity of the ground. Fuck. Now he was infected.

[redfield]

"Leon!" It had taken Claire a second to steady her aim, and in that second she'd very clearly seen the creature sink its teeth into her friend's backside. A second later it had two bullet holes in its skull and she was kicking it the rest of the way away, before grabbing Leon's arm and pulling it over her shoulder.

"We've gotta move, come on!" She pulled him towards the window she'd shot in, not chancing the look back to see how the parasites were advancing, eyes inward instead, looking for the doors leading deeper into the hotel.

[meester_kennedy]

He let her lead him, pulling himself back into the situation. It just went sideways, and now was not the time to lose focus, or he was gonna be a dead man. He limped on his own for the most part, still gripping the barrel of his shotgun. "The office..." he said in a groan. "Should be closest..." his pants grew stickier by the moment. Just when he thought he'd been through it all...

[redfield]

She nodded at his suggestion, scanning the lobby before catching sight of the reception desk, and the office door off to one side. Not looking behind, because she could hear the parasites trying to crowd through the glass she'd broken all together she moved with him to the office, trying the door and thankfully finding this one unlocked.

Letting Leon go in ahead of her, Claire spun around and pulled her shotgun from her back, shooting off a round at the bugs that had gotten past the glass window, before backing into the room and slamming the door shut. A quick look around and she moved to push the filing cabinet standing off to one side in front of the door, before she was ready to let it rest, hearing the parasites twitter and hiss outside angrily at the evasion.

Breathing hard, her eyes landed on Leon.

"You got bit, didn't you?" She knew he had, so without waiting for an answer she pushed herself into moving again, looking around the office for a first aid kit of some kind.

[meester_kennedy]

Leon made his way to an office chair on the opposite side of the room and just leaned over it, holding himself up with his elbows. "Feels like it..." he replied. He knew about this whole bite infection thing. He'd gone through three major outbreaks somehow avoiding an infection. And then this? From a bug? Idiot.

He looked over to Claire. "It got me where it feels like it did, didn't it?" He didn't want to look back and see for himself.