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Leon knew it would only be a matter of time before the towering and unrelenting monster caught up to him.
He could hear it following behind him, heavy footfalls headed in his direction and only a room away. It was restless, unstoppable, and always ended up finding him. He had no idea why it was chasing him, or why it persisted to chase him, he just didn’t want to end up like the zombies that he'd seen meet it earlier.
He was putting distance between them, slowly but surely, knowing he'd be able to escape it once more, just as long as nothing was going to slow him down. A few zombies had attempted to grab him, but a few well-placed shots only made him waste a little time.
Doors seemed to slow the giant down, so he'd taken care to make sure his winding route around the department put him through as many as possible. And by the looks of it, running through just a few more doorways would likely cause it to lose him once more. So footsteps audible but owner out of sight, he barged through quickly into the next room.
The moment the door swung open, his stomach dropped with dread, as he heard heard the growls and click clack of licker claws. The rookie cop had basically trapped himself between a rock and a hard place.
Shit.
Leon tip-toed down the hall as carefully and quickly as he could. He was losing precious distance between him and the unstoppable beast, but if he tried to book it, the licker would surely hear him. That didn’t stop his pulse from quickening as the ominous footsteps grew louder and louder.
Just as he managed to sneak right beneath the fleshy creature on the ceiling above, the door behind him was thrust open, and through it came the leather-clad giant. Leon did his best stay quiet and try not to panic, still trying to tiptoe away, as with only a few huge strides, it was easily closing the distance between them.
Too soon, and it was only an arm's length away, a gloved hand reaching out to him.
Too close too close too close.
Overwhelmed with adrenaline and panic, Leon made a dash for it, alerting the licker to his location.
Claws raked across his flesh as it leapt past him, slicing into his arm, the force thankfully not enough to send him tumbling to the floor.
Leon barrled through the nearest door, slamming it behind him the second he was through. He heard it collide with the door, hearing it roar in frustration at its suddenly missing prey. Knowing it wouldn’t be able to follow him, he took a moment to catch his breath, and have a look at his new wound.
But he forgot about who would.
Moments later, the door opened again, and a large figure clad in leather squeezed through the doorway.
Oh. Oh no.
Leon jumped into action, scanning the room for an exit as the monster entered the room.
Horror hit him in the gut as he realized the door it had came through was the only way out.
He had effectively trapped himself with it.
As the door closed itself behind the behemoth, licker roaring behind it, it locked eyes with the scared rookie. Leon swore he saw a smile twitch on the edge of its lips for just a second, before with heavy footfalls, it closed the distance between them, cornering him.
With nowhere left to go, Leon raised his pistol, aiming for its head.
“Stay back!”
Without any effort at all, it slapped the gun from his grip, clattering to ground, not firing a shot. Its gaze did not move to follow where the weapon went, instead staying on the cornered rookie. Leon hesitated, mind racing for any sort of solution in this situation, before reaching back to grab his shotgun.
He never got to grab it.
A massive hand enveloped his arm, preventing him from grabbing it, before its other reached behind him to pluck the desired weapon from its holster. It discarded the shotgun like it did his previous firearm, and elected to simply stand and stare, still trapping Leon, still holding his wrist.
He didn’t know what to do. It had already disarmed him (for the most part, would good would a knife and flash grenades do him now?), and hadn’t punched him in the gut like the last time he'd been unfortunate enough to cross its path. In fact, if it held his arm any tighter, it could easily crush his bones. What the hell what it planning?
“What the hell do you want from me?”
For a moment, there was a distant look in its eyes, as if it was contemplating his question, before the chilling gaze was fully on him again. He stood there, frozen with panic and terror, knowing any moment could be his last.
It let go of his arm.
Leon rubbed at it lightly as he reclaimed it, the arm a little sore from the strength of the grip. It stood there, still blocking any exit, and what could he do but stare up at it, fearful, uncertain of its desires. It stared back.
“Thanks?”
There was a slight shift in its gaze, subtle, but with nothing else to really look at, Leon noticed it. Uncertainty maybe, perhaps thoughtfulness, but it was definitely a slight degree softer. For once it broke its focus on him, turning its head to glance behind them, before turning back with a more focused look in its eyes.
It then promptly grabbed him by the back of his vest, and lifted him off the ground.
Leon almost squeaked in surprised as he hung like a kitten in its grip, legs kicking and not connecting. He squirmed in its grasp, but to no avail. A part of him already knew there was no way he could make it drop him.
“Put me down!”
Either it didn’t understand, or just elected not to listen. Leon wasn’t sure which option he preferred.
It kept him suspended, pale eyes roaming him curiously, like a child inspecting a toy. Eyes locked on one of his gashes, a fresh one from his close call with a licker, and it almost seemed to frown slightly.
With nothing to do but either flail hopelessly or ramble to the massive man-like monster, Leon chose the latter.
“Hey buddy, what’s wrong?” His voice trembled slightly, betraying his attempt to stay calm.
No response. It inspected his waist carefully, before unbuckling his belt of hip pouches. Once again, it was tossed to the side, although this time a bit more gently.
“Hey wait! I need that!”
Shit, now he really was defenseless. It had taken everything from him, all but the clothes on his back. Leon was completely at its mercy.
Without his consent, his body began to tremble slightly in fear, as he realized this might be it, the end of the road. He looked back at it, gentle blues into cold pale grey, looking for a sign of emotion, something, anything to give away its intent.
“What the hell did you want from me!?”
It huffed, short and through the nose, an almost empathetic look in its eyes, and it glanced over his body once more. Leon simply hung there, confused, scared, and hoping that really was some sort of empathy he saw in its eyes.
After another moment of silence, the gaze shifted to determined, and it opened its mouth wide. Leon stared into its maw, pulse quickening as possible scenarios flashed in his head.
Then without another moment of hesitation, Leon found his head being shoved inside.
He shrieked in protest, kicking and squirming, anything to get his head out. It was so wet and hot and slimy, he could feel the teeth brush against his neck.
What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck!!!
He couldn’t get out! He couldn’t get his head out! He punched and struggled but to no avail, he couldn’t get his head out of its mouth. What the hell was it gonna do, bite his head off?
The throat squeezed around his head, as with a swallow, he was pulled deeper in.
Oh. Oh no. Oh no no no no! The fucking thing was going to eat him alive!
He tried squirming some more, but the more of him that was pulled inside, the less he could struggle. In fact, his struggles seemed to only make him slide faster down its gullet. So, with much hesitation, he gave it up.
Sooner than he expected, the kneading of flesh around his head stopped, as he reached what he assumed was its stomach. A mild relief was given, as he came into no contact with any sort of stomach acid, at least nothing that burned to the touch.
As the rest of him followed suit into the pitch black chamber, he was forced into a loose fetal position, the stomach small yet so much roomier than he had expected, enough to maybe tightly fit another couple of people inside.
“Holy shit…” the words were muttered in disbelief, as he was faced with the horrific fantasy come reality. He'd been swallowed whole and alive.
Adrenaline still coursing through his veins, Leon gave the stomach wall a strong punch, doing his best to hurt or at least discomfort the monster. He punched, kicked, and attempted to claw at the flesh around him, anything to possibly make it cough him up.
“Let me go you bastard!”
The was no indication his fight was effecting it at all.
Slowly, the punches and kicks weakened and lessened, Leon growing exhausted as the adrenaline began to fade, and fear rose up again.
Holy shit, he'd, he'd really really been eaten alive. This was it, it was over for him, he’d never see Claire again, never have a chance to say goodbye to his friends and family, he was doomed to die in the belly of the beast.
Exhausted and worn out, Leon curled into a ball and wept.
“Let me go…”
He felt tired, so tired, tired from all the endless running and fighting. The stomach was so warm and soft and quiet, especially compared to everything else he’d experienced today. His body was lured into drowsiness, head bobbing in his effort to stay awake.
A part of him knew it wouldn’t do him any good, there was no point to staying awake when there was nothing to be awake for. He wouldn’t make it out alive either way. But another part still screamed for survival, and the finality that came with getting some shut eye in his current situation.
Eventually, he gave in, eyes closing as his prison swung slightly with the footsteps of his captor. As he slipped into unconsciousness, Leon hoped he’d either wake up outside his captor, or not at all.
When Leon awoke, he found that neither wish had come true.
Eyes opening, he could see nothing, but the feel of the walls and the sounds around him told him he was still exactly where he fell asleep. In fact, doing a quick pat down, he was also still fully intact. No ichy skin nor burning sensation, but still stuck in the belly of the beast.
Leon sat in silence, trying to compute what the hell was going on. He had been eaten, but after all this time, he was still alive. How much time had even passed? What did the giant want with him?
His train of thought was interrupted when his walkie-talkie crackled to life. He'd almost forgotten about it, not realizing it hadn’t been discarded like everything else he previously had on him.
He fumbled with the device, unable to see what he was doing, until he finally had a good grip on it.
“…hello?”
“Leon, is that you?”
Relief flooded over him as Claire's voice came through the speaker.
“Oh thank goodness, are you okay?”
“As okay as I can be while surviving a zombie apocalypse. You?”
He laughed nervously, somewhat unsure what to say. “I’m uh, in kind of a predicament.”
“What happened? Are you okay?” Even over the shitty quality, the concern in her voice was clear.
“I think I’m okay for now. You uh, haven’t happened to see uh, um, a giant man wearing a fedora?”
There was a moment of silence, and for a moment, he doubted she believed him, until it crackled back to life. “You met him too?”
“Yeah, you could say that.”
“Did he do something to you? Where are you right now?”
Leon went quiet as he listened to his surroundings, the only sounds being its heartbeat and footsteps. He had no clue where the hell he, or should he say it was.
“I think I’m still in the police station? I have no idea where the hell I am. Just, radio me if you see the big coated bastard.”
“Gotcha. Talk to you later Leon.”
And with that, the radio went dead. He sighed, curling in on himself, trying to ignore his surroundings.
What the hell was it planning, and why had it eaten him instead of caving his skull in right then and there. After, it had seem perfectly fine with breaking his ribs not too long ago.
He felt it start moving again, the vibration of its steps gently trembling through him.
Wait, when had it stopped moving? Did, did it stop to listen to their conversation? Leon shuddered. He hoped Claire would be alright.
In the meantime, all he could do was wait. He unfurled and stretched out as much as he could, a little cramped up from being tucked away in a monster’s belly. At least it was roomier than he’d expected, the walls soft, the gentle motions of peristalsis on his back reminiscent of a massage.
Leon wouldn’t be lying if he said he was tempted to slumber once more. It’s not like he could do much else on the situation. Plus, if he didn’t die the last time he slept, surely he’d be okay this time? He sure hoped so.
So adjusting himself to get more comfortable (which was surprisingly easy, it felt like lying in a big wet beanbag), Leon let himself succumb to slumber once more.
Claire had gone back up to the police station, circling around in hopes of finding either Leon or the big guy. The latter had been surprisingly absent, unlike last time she’d wandered the halls, with him right on her heels.
That was until finally, she caught the familiar sounds of his steps as she passed through the lobby.
Ducking around a corner, she stopped the large figure quickly, as it glanced around its surroundings, strolling through the area with long strides. As quietly as she could, she pulled out the walkie talkie once more, hoping she was just loud enough for Leon to hear her without the fedora-wearing bastard noticing.
“Leon, I’ve spotted him.”
There was a pause. He was likely getting his own walkie talkies ready, or at least, she hoped.
“…alright, where is he?”
The tyrant had stopped in its tracks, looking around now more intently. Had it heard her? Claire scooted back farther, making sure she was as much out of sight while having him in her sights as possible.
“In the lobby, bottom level.”
She swore she could hear another walkie talkie crackle, almost it tune with hers, but just out of sync enough to not be an echo.
The Tyrant was moving again, this time up the stairwell, closer to where she was hiding. It still hadn’t seemed to spot her yet, for the time being.
“That’s a good clear area. Well lit too.”
She swore she could hear him, not through the device. It was faint, muffled, and just a fraction faster than his voice over the radio.
“Leon, I think I can hear you from here. Where are you?”
“…I probably should’ve told you earlier.”
She was more than worried now. Eyes darting around for him, she looked around wildly, spotting nothing but the lumbering giant hunting for her.
“This is gonna should fucked up and crazy, but…” She could hear him, louder, but still muffled, as the Tyrant grew closer. There was some hesitance in his voice, as if he was ashamed of what he was about to admit.
“…it swallowed me whole.”
Claire didn’t even have time to utter “what the fuck” before she realized it had spotted her.
Gun drawn, she moved from her spot as to not be cornered, pointing the barrel at his head as he approached, trying to back away in sync.
“Back off!”
Then she heard it, the muffled voice, not through her radio, of Leon calling out for her. And it was coming from the Tyrant.
He, he hadn’t been lying.
Dread hitting her in the stomach as did the horrid realization, Claire increased her pace, struggling to keep the gun pointed at it’s head. It matched her pace with ease.
“Let him go you bastard!”
And then, it stopped. It stopped walking towards her, it stopped walking at all. Instead it just stood there, cold eyes trained on her, watching her, piercing into her soul.
Stunned, Claire too stopped in her tracks, but not before putting a bit more distance between them.
What was it planning?
After several moments of staring it down, it seemed mildly content, as its gaze moved down to itself, placing a hand on its midsection. She could hear Leon cry out, and she prayed it wasn’t from pain.
“Leon!”
Its body shuddered, as the cop continued to yell, before quickly shutting up, barely catching the sound of a whimper before silence. Cautiously, she grew closer, as once again the Tyrant shivered, seeming to almost convulse.
She watched it in terror, unsure what to do, or what it was doing. Fear rose as she continued to not hear him scream, worried it had done something to him.
Blond hair poked out if its mouth, before with a heave, Leon came spilling out onto the floor. He was wet and crumpled mess, covered in fluids and clearly disoriented. He simply lay there for several seconds, his brain having trouble fully registering what had happened.
“Hh... holy shit.”
As Leon groggily sat up from the floor, trying his best to wipe the saliva and what not off of him. The Tyrant watched him, before it rifled around in its coat, and pulled out his belongings. The rookie’s handgun and shotgun, along with his belt of pouches, were promptly dropped onto his lap, Leon taking a moment to process exactly what had happened.
“…huh. Thanks Trenchy.”
Claire simply stood there in stunned silence, clearly doubting that what she had seen with her own two eyes was real. She wasn’t sure what to do, move, shoot, or remain in a frozen state.
Still somewhat out of it, Leon finally noticed Claire was right behind him, as he held his stash of weaponry in his damp lap and arms.
“Oh… hey Claire.”
That seemed to break her out of her trance, blinking several times before she once again was moving.
“Leon, are you okay?”
He laughed nervously, a brokenness in his voice, as he struggled to come up with an answer.
“I, I don’t know, I'm just so fucking glad I’m still alive.”
Their gazes turned to look at the monstrous man in unison, who’s gaze remained on Leon. Eyes flicking up to meet Claire's gaze for just a moment, it soon looked back at the disheveled cop below it, eyes trailing down to his arm.
Slowly, Leon turned to follow its gaze, at first confused. Why was it looking at his arm? Only when he noticed the angry red marks, did the memory click.
The cut on his arm, from the claws of a licker raking his flesh, was mostly healed up. The wound had closed, no scabbing in sight, just the redness of newly healed flesh.
“What the hell?”
The question was muttered, as if with no intent of anyone hearing but himself. But the room was quiet enough for both parties to hear, but only one seeming to acknowledge the question.
“What’s wrong?” She crouched down beside him, searching what the other two were looking at.
“My wound. A licker cut me up, but the wound, it’s-"
The tyrant moved. The pair of survivors froze, as with a single step, it closed the already small distance between them, and bent down. Both didn’t dare to move, as a leather hand reached out to stroke the freshly healed flesh, inspecting it with keen interest.
Seemingly satisfied with what it saw, the Tyrant nodded, got up, and promptly took its leave. Claire and Leon stared at the door where it had left, mouth agape. Still remaining in shock, a question rose to her mind.
“Hey, did that thing ever punch you?”
“Yeah, thought it was going to break my spine.”
They remained there for a good long while, confused, stunned, and grateful.
“I still have no idea what the fuck it wanted from me, or why the hell it ate me, but boy am I just glad it didn’t punch me again.”
Claire couldn’t help but laugh.