[TWD x Resident Evil] — Chapter 554 - Ashley Wakes Up

"Even with all of you combined, guns included — you're nothing but a few slightly oversized ants in front of Umbrella Corporation's armed forces."

"Take that Tyrant, for example. Without heavy firepower, you can't put it down. Simple as that."

Leon looked at Chris.

"Why not join me."

The words landed. The office went quiet for a few seconds.

"Join you?" Chris turned it over in his mouth.

"That's right. Together, we bring down Umbrella Corporation." Leon kept it direct. "You've seen this place — walls, a Leech Moat, enough food and munitions to last. I have William and Marcus. Between them, they know every weakness Umbrella has, every card they're holding." He paused. "What I still need is people who can actually fight when it counts. You S.T.A.R.S., your tactical quality is exactly what I'm looking for."

"We consolidate every force we can pull together. Not to file complaints with Congress. We pick up our weapons and level Umbrella's facilities one by one. Whatever monsters they create, we kill."

That hit Chris exactly where he lived.

Simple. Brutal. No wasted words.

Jill kept her eyes on Leon.

There was a composure to this man she couldn't quite name.

She understood perfectly well that Leon's current power base was more than enough to let him look after himself and nothing else. In this miserable apocalypse, food, guns, and high walls made you an absolute warlord. He could shut his gates and live out his days in comfort. He could have women, plenty of them would come running. Have children, pass everything down. His descendants could enjoy everything he'd built.

A textbook winner.

Umbrella wouldn't necessarily bother going after a tough bone like him either. Leon had been injected with the T-Virus. He was a superman now. Nobody sane would pick that fight.

"What are you actually after?" Jill put the question out.

"Fully enraging Umbrella Corporation isn't exactly a smart move for you."

Leon turned to look at her.

Sharp eyes. Sharp mind to go with them.

"Call it for the sake of the survivors out there still suffering." He tugged the corner of his mouth and shrugged. "Umbrella's viruses turned the world into this. Walkers everywhere. Mutants eating people in the streets. Someone has to stand up and send these bioweapon lunatics to hell, otherwise this world is finished." A beat. "I've got a bad temper. I can't stand watching people do evil and run wild."

Casual delivery. A faint roguish edge to it.

But to Chris, it landed like a fist square in the chest.

He drew a slow breath, his chest rising and falling. The way he looked at Leon had completely changed.

This was a real figure.

Capable. Clear principles. Able to hold onto a hard sense of responsibility in a world where people devoured each other.

"Alright."

Chris strode forward and extended his right hand.

"Your words got my blood pumping. I'm in." He gripped hard. "Taking down Umbrella Corporation, how the hell could I sit that one out."

Leon clasped his hand.

Barry rose from the sofa.

"Leon. Guarantee my wife and daughters' safety, and this life is yours."

"Rest assured. As long as they're willing to stay, I guarantee their absolute safety here." Leon gave his word without hesitation.

Barry let out a long breath and finally set his mind at ease.

Joseph had no objections whatsoever, he'd had his eyes on the heavy firepower down in the armory from the moment he walked through the door.

Jill stepped up to Leon.

Those eyes of hers, aggressive and direct, met his without flinching.

She had always been a fiercely independent woman. On the force, what she hated most was the male colleagues who gave her special treatment just because she was a woman. She was a feminist, in the truest sense, pursuing justice and pursuing absolute equality in equal measure. But her thinking wasn't about fighting that battle with her fists. It was simpler than that: if men can do it, so can she.

So she had trained herself into an explosives expert. Lockpicking, bomb disposal, tactical shooting, proficient across all of it. Not one bit inferior to anyone else.

Winning her admiration was difficult. And also simple. The best approach wasn't to protect her, it was to recognize her professional abilities and become a partner she could actually trust. Not someone who always wanted to make decisions for her.

Leon had fit that mold without even trying.

At the Spencer Mansion, he hadn't told her to hang back. He had assigned her the tasks directly: work alongside the Tyrant as a decoy, snipe the mutants. He had even considered making her the primary assault operative before they moved out. Not once had he treated her as someone fragile.

He'd treated her as a comrade he trusted completely. A sharp blade that could kill.

That kind of treatment, free from excessive protection, had produced in Jill an admiration for Leon that hit harder than she expected. No affectation to it. No trace of anything romantic. Built entirely on respect for what he was.

"A pleasure to meet you, Leon." Jill extended her hand.

Their palms met.

Hers carried the calluses of years gripping a gun. Not soft. Strong.

"Likewise, Jill." Leon withdrew his hand.

No surplus words between them. The pact was sealed in that simple handshake.

That was what bonds looked like in the apocalypse. Simple. Pure. Uncompromising.

They were just settling in to discuss the next steps when urgent footsteps hammered down the hallway outside.

BANG!

The office door flew open.

Rebekah ran in drenched in sweat, one hand bracing against the doorframe, still fighting to catch her breath.

"Leon!"

"What's wrong?" He turned.

"The Infirmary —!"

She swallowed. Steadied herself.

"Ashley. She's awake."

➤ Next: Chris's Decision