POV: Leon Kennedy
I ran.
That was all I could do.
Run.
My legs burned as I pushed through the trees, branches snapping and scratching against my arms. Grace struggled to keep up beside me, her small hand clutched tightly in mine.
She was still crying.
"Leon—" she sobbed.
"It's okay," I said quickly, even though I knew it wasn't. "Just keep moving."
But after a few minutes she couldn't keep up anymore. She was only ten.
I scooped her up into my arms and kept running.
My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might explode.
Then suddenly—
Something moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
A blur shot across the path in front of me and slammed straight into my side.
The impact knocked me completely off balance.
I hit the ground hard, rolling across the dirt as Grace slipped from my arms.
"Grace!" I shouted, scrambling up as quickly as I could.
She was on the ground behind me, crying and trying to crawl backward.
I immediately stepped in front of her, shielding her with my body.
And then he appeared.
One second the path was empty.
The next second a man stood right in front of us.
But he wasn't normal.
Where his eyes should have been white…
They were glowing red.
Dark veins spread from the corners of them across his pale skin. When he smiled, sharp fangs slid down from his gums.
Blood dripped from them.
From his lips.
And in that moment I realized something.
That blood…
It had to be my mom's.
Something inside me snapped.
Rage flooded through my body.
With a shout, I charged at him and threw a punch as hard as I could.
The man barely even reacted.
He simply tilted his head slightly and dodged the punch like it was nothing.
Before I could recover, his hand slammed into me.
The force sent me flying back across the ground.
I crashed hard and struggled to breathe as the wind was knocked out of me.
Through blurry vision I saw him calmly walking toward Grace.
She was still on the ground, too scared to move.
"Please…" she whispered.
I tried to get up.
My arms shook as I pushed myself off the dirt.
But I wasn't fast enough.
Then—
BANG.
A gunshot echoed through the trees.
The vampire jerked as a bullet struck his shoulder.
He turned in confusion.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
More shots rang out in rapid succession.
Each bullet slammed into the monster's chest and back, forcing him to stagger.
He hissed in anger, trying to move—
But whoever was shooting didn't stop.
The final shot hit him square in the leg, sending him crashing to the ground.
From the darkness of the trees, a man stepped forward.
He looked to be middle-aged, maybe in his forties. He wore a dark tactical coat and moved with calm confidence, a handgun still raised in his grip.
The vampire tried to stand again.
The man didn't hesitate.
He pulled a wooden stake from his belt and walked forward.
The vampire barely had time to react before—
THUD.
The stake drove straight through his heart.
The vampire gasped.
Then his body went still.
For a moment, the forest was completely silent.
The man stood there for a second before pulling out a small radio device from his jacket.
He pressed the button.
"This is Agent Walker," he said calmly.
Static crackled through the device.
"I've located the targets."
He glanced over at me and Grace.
"The Kennedy children are alive."
More static.
"Yeah," he continued, "just like the intel said."
His eyes studied us carefully.
"Umbrella will want to hear about this."
POV: Leon Kennedy
The ride felt like it lasted forever.
Grace and I were taken somewhere in a black SUV with dark windows. I didn't recognize the roads, and eventually the highway turned into something that looked more like a private route.
No signs.
No lights.
Just forest.
Grace had fallen asleep again beside me, exhausted from crying. I kept glancing at her to make sure she was still there.
The man who saved us—Agent John Walker—sat in the passenger seat.
He didn't say much during the drive.
Eventually the car slowed.
Tall metal gates opened in front of us, revealing a large facility hidden behind thick fences and security lights.
Guards stood everywhere.
Armed guards.
We drove inside, and the gates closed behind us.
I immediately knew one thing.
Wherever we were… it wasn't normal.
A few minutes later I sat in a small room with bright lights and plain metal walls.
Grace had been taken somewhere else.
That thought alone made my chest feel tight.
The door opened and Agent Walker stepped inside.
He closed it behind him and sat down across from me.
For a moment he didn't say anything.
He just studied me.
"You holding up okay, kid?" he asked finally.
I didn't answer that.
Instead I asked the only thing that mattered.
"Where's my sister?"
Walker nodded slightly.
"She's safe," he said. "Medical team's looking after her. She was in shock."
I stared at him.
"I want to see her."
"You will," he said calmly. "Soon."
That wasn't good enough.
"Where are we?" I asked. "Who are you people?"
Walker leaned back in his chair.
"This place belongs to an organization called Umbrella Corporation," he said.
The name meant nothing to me.
"What is that?" I asked.
Walker folded his arms.
"Umbrella deals with things most people don't even know exist."
I leaned forward slightly.
"Like that thing in the forest?"
Walker's expression didn't change.
"Yes."
My fists tightened.
"What was it?"
He answered without hesitation.
"A vampire."
The word hung in the air.
If someone had told me that yesterday, I would've thought they were crazy.
But I had seen it.
The red eyes.
The fangs.
The speed.
I knew what I saw.
"So they're real," I said quietly.
Walker nodded.
"Vampires. Werewolves. Witches. All of it."
My mind raced.
"Then why did it kill my parents?"
Walker took a slow breath before answering.
"Because your parents were involved with Umbrella."
My eyes snapped up.
"What?"
"Your father," Walker said, "was one of our field agents. One of the best, actually."
I blinked in surprise.
"My dad?"
Walker nodded again.
"He also worked as a scientist for us from time to time."
I didn't know what to say.
"My mom?" I asked.
A small hint of respect crossed Walker's face.
"Your mother was one of the best scientists Umbrella ever had."
That didn't make sense.
"If they worked for you," I said, "then why were we hiding from you?"
Walker was quiet for a moment.
Then he answered.
"Because they took something that belonged to Umbrella."
I frowned.
"Took what?"
Walker shook his head slightly.
"That part isn't important right now."
It clearly was important, but he wasn't going to tell me.
"So Umbrella hunts monsters?" I asked.
"That's right," Walker said.
"We protect people from things like the vampire that attacked you."
I thought about the creature ripping through my father's chest.
Anger burned in my chest again.
"Then why didn't you stop it sooner?" I asked.
Walker didn't answer that directly.
"We found you as fast as we could."
Silence filled the room.
I looked down at the metal table for a moment before speaking again.
"Who sent that vampire?"
Walker's eyes hardened slightly.
"Someone powerful."
He didn't say the name.
But something told me he knew exactly who it was.
I slowly looked back at him.
"So what happens now?"
Walker studied me again.
Then he leaned forward slightly.
"Well, Leon," he said, "that depends on you."
I narrowed my eyes.
"What do you mean?"
Walker gave a small, calm smile.
"Your parents were valuable to Umbrella."
His eyes locked onto mine.
"And I have a feeling…"
"…you're going to be even more valuable."