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angels carved into marble pillars followed the path left illuminated by the moonlight streaming in through the open window. a cold breeze entered uninvited, sending a shiver down ada's spine. her agile movements caused the nearby candlelit flames to sway and send dancing shadows across the high ceiling. her search for a quiet room wasn't easy despite the seemingly endless amounts of rooms and passageways scattered throughout. saddler's minions wandered the massive halls, filling the empty space with echoing chanting that was on the verge of driving ada to the edge of her patience. shooting one would attract them all, a risk not worth taking when her objective for now is to stay hidden until she has a concrete plan.
getting that sample would be more difficult than she had imagined. not only was she on the run from parasitic assailants, she had to stay hidden from leon. if either one of them caught sight of her, it would derail he entire mission. she couldn't just get what she needed and go. if she came across leon, she would sacrifice herself to keep him safe. that was more dangerous than anything else she could come across.
what ada didn't expect to come across was the president's daughter who was cowering in a corner and clutching a knife. the girl's grey eyes widened in fear at the sight of ada. ada was just as shocked to see her. the room at the end of the hall that ada decided could be her safe haven, had already been occupied by the terrified blonde.
"stay back!" ashley warned, her voice wavering.
"what did leon think he was doing giving you that thing?" ada asked, gesturing at the blade in the blonde's hand. the familiarity of the name was enough for her demeanor to soften. still apprehensive of ada, her knuckles remained white from the grip she kept on her weapon.
"you know leon?" her curiosity couldn't help but wonder.
"you're going to need a lot more than that to protect yourself." ada ignored the question. she was already making her way closer to the girl. each step towards her was another step barreling towards danger but the harm wouldn't be done unless they were seen. given that ashley had been hiding in this room, ada thought it was safe to say that they were in the clear.
she crouched down in front of the girl, just close enough to see the terror in her irises but not enough to provoke her.
"you're going to want to kill them before they have a chance to get close enough for you to use this," ada said in reference to the cultists. her polished fingernail tapped the blade of ashley's knife.
"you should use this instead." ada produced a small handgun from the holster on her hip. the piece of metal wouldn't be missed since she already had an arsenal of weapons strapped to her body. confusion crossed ashley's timid face as she timidly reached out to grab the gun. "you know how to use it, right?
when ashley shook her head, ada extended to her full height, taking a step away from the girl. "it's a piece of cake. point and shoot," she explained while pulling out her favored magnum from another holster. the room, as every other room in the castle, was decorated with unsettling paintings of the salazar family, saddler, or strange landscapes. ada sent a bullet straight through saddler's forehead, right between the eyes. the sound of ashley's screaming was drowned out by the loud sound of the precise shot. she was impressed and terrified of ada's perfect aim.
another painting hung by the wooden doorframe. ada followed ashley's gaze to it, watching in anticipating for the shot to hit. instead, the door came flying open, prompting a blood-curdling scream from ashley as she sent a bullet into the wall next to a very horrified leon who had entered the scene.
"WHAT THE FUCK?" he screamed, blue eyes searching for an explanation. ada could feel the anger radiating off of his shaken body when he caught sight of the gun in ashley's hand. she took this as her cue to leave, letting leon deal with the repercussions of her actions. he stood frozen in place, blocking ada's exit. she tried to stride past him but he had caught her by the elbow.
"you gave her a gun?" he said in disbelief. his face was as red as the sleeve he had pinched between his fingers. ada pulled her arm free from his grasp and sauntered past him. she paused in the doorway to look at leon over her shoulder.
"with those things out there, she isn't going to want any 'close encounters,'" ada mocked his comment from earlier. before leon could retaliate, ada had slipped through the door and was gone.