New beginnings, Ended
Leon Kennedy had spent a long time trying to forget Raccoon City.
Some nights, he still remembered it.
The streets filled with smoke. The empty buildings. The sirens that seemed to go on forever. The feeling of being completely alone in a city that had once been alive.
But that was behind him now.
At least, that was what Leon kept telling himself.
Years had passed since that nightmare, and Leon had finally found somewhere new to call home. The city wasn’t perfect, but it was peaceful. People walked the streets without fear. Children played in parks. Shops stayed open late. Police officers dealt with ordinary problems instead of fighting monsters.
For Leon, that ordinary life was exactly what he needed.
He had joined the city’s police force because he wanted to protect people.
Not because he wanted another fight.
Not because he wanted recognition.
He simply wanted to make sure that nobody else had to experience what he had.
Every morning, Leon arrived at the station early. He would grab a cup of coffee, check his equipment, and spend the first few minutes going through reports.
His colleagues knew him as quiet.
Professional.
Reliable.
Leon didn’t talk about his past unless someone specifically asked, and even then, he rarely gave much away.
He preferred to let his actions speak for him.
That morning had started like any other.
Leon was sitting at his desk, reading through a stack of reports, when the lieutenant stepped out of his office.
“Kennedy.”
Leon looked up.
“Sir?”
“Come with me.”
Leon immediately noticed the seriousness in the lieutenant’s expression.
He followed him into the office and closed the door behind him.
There was another man already inside.
Leon stopped.
His heart skipped.
Chris Redfield.
Leon hadn’t seen him in person for quite some time.
Chris stood near the desk with his arms folded, looking as calm and serious as ever. He was older than Leon remembered, but somehow that only made him more intimidating.
And, unfortunately for Leon, more attractive.
Leon quickly looked away.
“Kennedy,” the lieutenant said, “we’ve received some new intelligence.”
Leon forced himself to concentrate.
“What kind?”
The lieutenant placed a folder on the desk.
“We don’t know exactly what we’re dealing with yet. Reports have been coming in from the outskirts of the city. Missing people. Strange animal attacks. Several witnesses have reported seeing figures moving through the woods at night.”
Leon frowned.
“Figures?”
“That’s what they called them.”
Chris stepped closer to the desk.
“We’ve been trying to determine whether this is organised activity or something else.”
Leon glanced at him.
Something else.
Those two words were enough to make Leon’s stomach tighten.
He had heard them before.
Too many times.
The lieutenant opened the folder.
“There are abandoned buildings in the area, including an old research facility. We don’t have enough information to send a full team in yet.”
Leon already knew where this was going.
“You want me to investigate.”
The lieutenant nodded.
“Not alone.”
Leon looked at Chris.
Chris met his eyes.
“You and Redfield.”
Leon swallowed.
For half a second, his mind went completely blank.
Chris.
With him.
Alone.
On a mission.
Leon quickly looked back at the folder.
“Understood.”
The lieutenant continued explaining the assignment, but Leon barely heard half of it.
His attention kept drifting toward Chris.
He tried not to stare.
He failed several times.
Chris was standing beside the desk, listening carefully, his expression focused. Now and then, he nodded or asked a question.
Leon had admired him for years.
Maybe admired wasn’t the right word.
It was something more complicated than that.
Leon had never told anyone.
He hadn’t even admitted it to himself properly until recently.
He had a crush on Chris.
A ridiculous, inconvenient, completely unhelpful crush.
And now he had been assigned to work with him.
Great.
Absolutely perfect.
When the briefing finally ended, the lieutenant handed Leon the folder.
“You leave this afternoon.”
Leon nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
Chris headed toward the door.
Leon followed.
The moment they stepped into the hallway, Chris looked at him.
“Been a while.”
Leon nodded.
“Yeah.”
“You doing okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Chris gave him a small smile.
“Good.”
Leon immediately looked away.
He hoped Chris hadn’t noticed how quickly his face had warmed.
“You’ve changed,” Chris said.
Leon glanced at him.
“Changed?”
“Yeah. You seem calmer.”
Leon thought about that.
“Guess I finally found somewhere quiet.”
Chris nodded.
“Good. You deserve that.”
Those words caught Leon completely off guard.
He looked at Chris for a moment.
There was no teasing in his expression.
He genuinely meant it.
Leon smiled faintly.
“Thanks.”
Chris clapped him lightly on the shoulder before walking ahead.
Leon stood there for a second.
His heart was pounding.
He quietly sighed.
This was going to be a long mission.
---
That afternoon, Leon packed his equipment into the vehicle.
He checked his weapon, flashlight, radio, medical supplies, and the folder containing everything they knew about the investigation.
Chris climbed into the driver’s seat.
Leon sat beside him.
Neither spoke for a few moments.
Then Chris started the engine.
“You ready?”
Leon looked through the windshield at the city behind them.
The streets were busy.
Normal.
Safe.
He wondered how long that would last.
“Yeah.”
Chris drove toward the outskirts.
Leon leaned back in his seat.
He had escaped Raccoon City.
He had built a new life.
He had found a new purpose.
And yet, as the city disappeared behind them and the trees began to surround the road, Leon couldn’t shake the feeling that another nightmare was waiting ahead.
Only this time, he wasn’t facing it alone.
Chris was beside him.
Leon glanced at him.
Chris was focused on the road.
Leon quickly looked away.
He wasn’t going to say anything about his feelings.
Not now.
Maybe not ever.
For the moment, he would simply do what he had always done.
Protect people.
Survive.
And keep his secrets to himself.
The road disappeared deeper into the woods.
Leon kept both hands on the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the narrow stretch of asphalt disappearing between the trees. Chris sat in the passenger seat, watching the forest through the window, his expression becoming more serious with every passing mile.
The trees seemed to close around them.
Their branches stretched overhead, twisting together until they blocked out what little sunlight remained. The farther they drove, the darker it became. Thick trunks stood on either side of the road like silent guards, their bark blackened by moisture and age. Tangled roots pushed through the earth, while vines hung from branches like lifeless ropes.
There were no birds.
No insects.
No rustling leaves.
Nothing.
Leon lowered the radio volume until the vehicle was filled with the quiet hum of the engine.
“This place is dead,” Chris muttered.
Leon glanced toward him.
“Yeah.”
Usually, even the most isolated forests had some kind of life. Birds calling from the trees. Small animals moving through the undergrowth. Wind stirring the branches.
Here, there was nothing.
The silence was almost unnatural.
Leon slowed the vehicle as the road narrowed, his headlights cutting two pale tunnels through the darkness. Beyond them, the forest remained completely black.
“We’re getting close,” Chris said, checking the information they’d been given.
Leon nodded.
“Keep your eyes open.”
Chris gave him a faint smile.
“Always.”
Neither of them noticed the movement between the trees.
Something shifted far behind them.
Only for a second.
A dark shape slipped between two trunks before disappearing again.
Leon continued driving.
The road curved sharply, forcing him to slow even further. His headlights swept across the forest, revealing twisted branches, moss-covered rocks and patches of dead vegetation.
Then the darkness swallowed everything again.
Chris leaned forward slightly.
“Did you see that?”
Leon looked toward the trees.
“See what?”
“Nothing.”
Chris kept watching.
For a moment, he thought he’d seen something standing between the trees.
Something tall.
Something that hadn’t looked entirely human.
But when Leon’s headlights passed over the area again, there was nothing there.
Just darkness.
Just trees.
They continued deeper into the woods, unaware that they were no longer alone.
Something was watching them.
And whatever it was had been following them since the moment they entered the forest.
It remained hidden beyond the reach of the headlights, moving silently from tree to tree.
Leon tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
Neither man knew what waited ahead.
Neither knew what was watching from the shadows.
And neither realised that the deeper they drove into the woods, the farther they were getting from the safety of the road behind them.
