I'm Pretty Sure You're Dessert
You look down either side of the front yard area, searching for any signs of trouble or maybe something useful, but when you see nothing, you take a few cautious steps towards the front doors of the police station.
It's dimly lit and shadowy, and the slick stone steps shimmer as you approach and the positioning of your view of the lighting shifts.
That familiar feeling of dread sinks to the bottom of your stomach, a feeling similar to that of when you eat too much bread or sweets and it leaves you feeling slightly sick, but you try to ignore the nervousness and fear. This place is supposed to be a sanctuary with medical supplies and food, so the inside has to be loads safer than out here.
At least, that's what you tell yourself as Leon steps up to the doors with his gun raised and his finger poised above the trigger incase he needs to do some quick shooting.
The doors swing open with minimal force as the rookie cop pushes through with you hot on his heels, and you're relieved to see nothing waiting to eat your toes just inside.
"Oh thank god." You breathe slightly over dramatically, doubling over with your hands on your knees as if you'd just run a marathon or something.
You feel a hand fall onto your hunched shoulder and hear Leon ask worriedly, "Are you okay? Do you need to take a break?"
"No... I'm okay. I'm just glad there are none of those things in here waiting for us." Verbalizing your fears out loud makes you a bit feel weird since sharing isn't really your strong suit, but everything about this night has been weird so far, so you'll live (metaphorically, you aren't sure what could be hiding behind the desk over there. "What do you think was wrong with those people?" You ask softly after a moment, looking down at the floor between your bent knees.
"I have no idea." Leon replies, shaking his head as if to dispel the last 30 minutes or so from his memory.
"B-But the officer at the gas station! He was alive and then... a-and those people outside..." You can't even properly articulate your spinning thoughts, feeling like you're drowning from the mind out.
"I know..." The brunet man sighs, asking a moment after, "I forgot to ask because of all the, uh, you know... but are you okay?"
You nod your head quickly and straighten your stance, trying to sound and look okay, "I'm fine, everything's just freaking me out. The city, the crazy people..."
When you stand up straight again, his hand falls form your shoulder and returns to his side, but you barely notice that since you're so focused on the sight before you.
A huge statue of what you can only assume is a goddess dominates the room, demanding attention and admiration from those who see it, and the light just so happens to shine on it as if the shining from the heavens has come to make her glitter with beauty and power.
How dramatic.
The huge staircases leading up to another less attention grabbing lion statue barely registers since it's so much darker in those areas (though not as dark as outside), but it still doesn't escape your keen eyes; and neither do the medical cots and privacy barriers.
It definitely looks like this place held up as a medical outpost and sanctuary to non-dead humans, but where are they? There aren't even any crazy people waiting around.
You begin turning your head to the right when something glowing catches your attention: a computer.
It is definitely on and possibly has some answers to your numerous questions.
Since there's no one popping out at you at the moment, you go ahead and walk past Leon at a normal pace so you can snoop around a bit.
The rookie cop follows behind you briskly, calling out as you stride forward, "Hello...? Is anybody here?"
He turns in circles a few times while you lean over the monitor and tap the keyboard, smiling when it doesn't demand a password or go blank.
As soon as it flickers onto whatever the previous person was looking at, you mumble a triumphant 'hell yes' under your breath and observe the security feed that opens up. There are hallways and a set of stairs, though you can't see any movement on any of the four panels.
Your soaking wet clothes drip water onto the floor, and your wet hair makes droplets fall to the desk around the computer and onto your arms. It's mostly an inconvenience, but a really annoying, uncomfortable inconvenience.
You feel a looming presence over your shoulder suddenly and feel rather than hear Leon speak just behind you, "There has to be someone here..."
Sudden movement in the bottom right corner of the four panels catches both of your attentions, and you can't help the surprised gasp that flies from your lips.
"L-Look!" You move the mouse and click on that individual box, maximizing that portion of the screen for a more clear view.
A man fires off a shot at one of those things as it chases him, and then it pans to another camera of a hallway (you shifted windows when he went off screen) that he takes off down.
"Not good."
"David! Marvin! You there?" The digital man yells, most likely speaking to the camera. "I found a way out! It's in here!" He cries as he takes his eyes of the undead man to show off some notebook clutched in his hands.
As the inhuman-human gets closer you feel your breaths quicken, praying to anything that he turns and stops it before it hurts him.
The mystery man does turn back and raises his gun to shoot, letting off a round that would've stopped any normal person in a heartbeat.
This undead freak lunges forward and you reach up and cover your eyes, not wanting to see what happens next.
You hear some grunts and the growls of the undead man, awaiting the screams that you thought were coming, only to be surprised to hear him speak again clearly, "Send reinforcements! East Hallway!"
A little gap between your index and middle finger on your right hand lets you watch as the man runs off screen again with the hungry man following slowly, but you don't get to see what happens next because Leon reaches around you and brings a little map to the front so you can look at it.
"We gotta find that guy." He states with much determination, looking down at you with quite a bit of confidence considering all you guys just witnessed.
You drop your hands to your sides, slightly embarrassed that you hid from the scene like a child afraid of a movie, and nod your head, chewing at your bottom lip in a subconscious show of distress.
"Y-You're right. He could get surrounded like we almost were back at the gas station."
The brunet looks down at you for a moment, seemingly deliberating over something before he cautiously suggests you split. "Maybe you should stay here... We don't know what's in there, you could get hurt."
Is he really suggesting that you guys split up? This is literally horror movie 101, the sooner you split the sooner one or both of you fucking dies.
There is no way in hell that you're about to be a horror movie cliche.
"No way! Haven't you heard the quote 'together we are stronger'? Walter Payton? I've seen one too many movies to just stick around here waiting to be someone's dinner-" you cut yourself off, then add, "Or maybe you're the dinner and I'm just dessert..."
A silence stretches out between you two as you try to determine if you're dessert or he is (I mean come on, it's not like you haven't noticed that he's really handsome, but does that qualify him to be dessert?), but you ultimately realize that this is a waste of time.
"No, it doesn't matter who is dinner or dessert. What matters is that I'm definitely coming with you cause I don't wanna stick around here waiting to be eaten." Your mind is made up, so there's no way in hell you're gonna let him leave you behind.
"You're right... I don't think this is the time to be splitting up. We'll go together, okay?"
Satisfied, you smile slightly and nod your head.
The brown-haired officer turns towards the big black box next to the computer and opens it up, a small smile of his own upturning the corners of his lips as he grabs something from the bottom.
"... I'm pretty sure that you're dessert, by the way, since it usually comes after dinner and..." he trails off but doesn't finish his thought.
'And' what?
"Oh, good." He straightens suddenly and you're surprised to see a gun clutched in his hand, pointed down at the ground as he checks it's magazine. "Here, you can have this one." He says as he offers the firearm to you, which you accept with only a little hesitance.
You've held Airsoft and BB gun's before, and you mostly know proper holding technique, so it shouldn't be too hard. The worst thing is recoil, right?
"Do you know how to shoot?" You nod despite only having minimal, superficial knowledge, and he continues, "The gun is full, but I don't have any extra bullets for it right now, so shoot only if you have to and very sparingly."
Sounds easy enough.
"Okay, I'll try not to shoot you." Humor is your last defense at this time, for you've already shown fear, talked about your fear, and spilled your worry for your friend, so you gotta seem as unbothered as possible. It's more for yourself than for him, though, because it's all that's left tethering your mind to sanity and false calm.
He cracks a smile at your morbid joke and pats your shoulder lightly, glancing down at the computers map really quickly before focusing over your shoulder to the metal shutter blocking off one of the hallways.
"I think that way'll be our best bet." He mumbles mostly to himself, taking a few steps towards the medical cots and military grade containers just below the metal shutters.
You stick close behind him, looking around at the marbled floors and other things in the immediate area, spotting a silver spray can resting by its lonesome on one of those green chests.
With slightly shaky fingers you grasp the can and shove it into your drawstring backpack, which you had half a mind to keep on this whole time (more like you forgot it was there since it only has your wallet and a few miscellaneous things).
Leon steps in front of the metal shutter and looks at the cardboard sign that says 'Keep out!' with a grimace on his face.
"We... we gotta go in there?" You ask as you join him at his side, gazing at the dirty metal and big sign with a similar expression.
"Yeah. You can stay here if you want."
Oh, not this again.
"No way! I already said that I'm going with you, and that's final." You sound more confident then you actually are, but he doesn't need to know that.
"Alright, alright." He looks from side to side for a way to open it, then adds much softer, "You don't have to worry, I'll keep you safe. I promise."
Well, that certainly warms your little frightened heart.
"Thank you, Leon..."
And that's the end of that conversation.
You crouch down in sync with Leon, and he raises his flashlight to illuminate what little you can see of the hidden hallway.
It's not looking too good...
He shines the light back and fourth, waiting in-case he hears any signs of 'life, then pops his head and part of his upper body out through the bottom.
You get down on your stomach right next to him and watch in horror as crimson shines back at you; a truly awful smell makes you momentarily nauseous, like rotting flesh and metallic blood all wrapped up with a disgusting waft of death.
"Jesus Christ..." You breathe in disbelief, already dreading having to crawl across the sticky, gross floor to get out from under this metal shutter thing.
"Here, let me get out first." Leon whispers, not waiting for a response from you before he crawls through using his elbows.
He doesn't dilly dally and pushes himself to his feet as soon as he's through, looking down the dark, eerie hall for any signs of trouble before turning back to you and offering up his blood dirtied hand.
"There's nothing here, you still wanna come?"
You place your hand in his without hesitation, using his weight as an anchor for you to pull yourself out with as little drag as you can possibly manage.
This mixed with your rain soaked clothes successfully makes your skin crawl as a dirty feeling genuinely makes you consider going outside to wash this blood and muck, off.
Now that you're actually in the putrid hallway, the smell is even worse. It's like a cinderblock of pungency just hit you in the face, because you feel momentarily dizzy as all signs of fresh air disappear under the metal shutter.
A quick glance to the right shows you an endless amount of tacked up and ripped papers as well as bloody handprints and dried sections of pure red up against the wall. You can only hope that it's not the blood of a living person and of one of those things.
Leon turns his attention away from the blood and papers and spots an electrical looking box that's missing a fuse, striding over to see if it's on the ground or something.
No luck.
The two of you carefully and methodically make your way down the hall of horrors, trying a set of red doors that don't budge on your way, and still see no other signs of dead or living people.
A lounge/waiting room waits at the end of this tiny hall, you can tell from all the furniture and vending machine, but a quick flash alerts you both to the fact that there is another turn to go down.
"Hey, stay behind me." He tells you firmly when you step away from his side to look at the flashing lights, his gun now hanging at his side in his dominant hand and the flashlight raised in the other.
You, of course, do as he says per the agreement.
The rookie cop takes a deep breath as he strides forward a few paces, mumbling an encouragement to himself on the way. "You got this..."
It might not be the time to have such thoughts, but you honestly think it's pretty cute.
Water sloshes and splashes to and fro as you guys go through the hallway, though you're not entirely sure where it's all coming from just yet. There must be a leak somewhere, or maybe a busted pipe that you can't see.
A pretty pair of white doors to your left catch your attention, but instead of waltzing right up and kicking them open like you so curiously want to, you just reach up and tug on his jacket, silently gesturing towards them.
He catches the hint (thank god, you don't wanna be protected by an idiot) and changes trajectory to the door instead, pushing them open to reveal another dark room just as silent and hair-raising as the halls in your wake.
There's a very noticeable red light to the far side of the room, a light switch you think, so you blow past Leon to hurriedly flick it on, hating the darkness more than the silence surprisingly enough.
Leon says your name exasperatedly, "I told you-," then he cuts himself short when a couple lights flicker on and illuminate some parts you couldn't see previously.
Unfortunately, 'let there be light' includes 'let there be a dead body'.
When you first catch sight of the blood splatters and overturned body, you gasp with shock and cover your mouth to keep from screaming or yelling, and Leon briskly walks over and nudges it with his shoe, sighing with relief when it doesn't move or make a sound.
"I-Is he dead? Like, really dead?" You ask despite the obvious display of limpness, feeling relieved when he nods his head and begins to cautiously check his pockets.
Probably disrespectful, but you forget all about that when he pulls out a nice box of ammo.
You purse your lips and stare down at the body with a grimace before turning your attention to literally anything else.
It looks like some kind of press release area, though you aren't quite sure what this place was last used for. Have you seen any press conferences on the news lately? Maybe that weird thing about the sinkhole...
The two of you blow through that room and find nothing else of value, and when you leave, there is still nothing else waiting for you in the hallway. That has to be a good sign, right?
Leon approaches the metal filing cabinet in your way and peeks around it, then he grasps either side of it and tries to pull it back.
He grunts as he exerts himself, trying to get it out of the way which seems not to be going very well.
"Want me to crawl under and push?" It's an offer that he probably won't take, but you figure that offering it as a possible option might let him know that you are there to help even though you might be a civilian technically.
As if to prove that he doesn't really need the help, he suddenly grabs it from the inclined side and pulls it back against the wall, releasing another forceful grunt as it clangs against the wall none too quietly.
"Jeez, okay macho man, never mind." You frame it like a joke, but there is an actual hint of annoyance at his refusal for assistance.
"I'm not trying to be difficult, but I'm also not gonna let you go under there when we can't see what's around the corner. I promise, once I know it's safe, I'll let you help me. Okay?"
His point is somewhat fair, but also a bit frustrating. There's no way of knowing if anywhere here is gonna be completely 100% safe, so he may never ask for help.
You can tell just by looking at his face that he's the type to overwork and sacrifice his well-being for the sake of others, so you wouldn't be surprised if his promise is more of a pacifier to keep you out of harms way.
You guys just met and he's already making you reluctantly swoon (metaphorically).
"I want to argue with you," you begin with a half-hearted glare, finishing with a plan for later, "And I will later, once we find that guy and return to the front hall."
His relief is physically there on his face when you announce that you'll keep the scolding for later (lets be real, he knows he has an involuntary hero problem). "Sounds like a plan." And there's that pretty smile everyone likes so much.
You barely manage to shake that intrusive thought in time to avoid the flutters, doing so by directing your attention ahead.
The only thing down the next hall is a barricaded area, a weird red box on the wall, and another door that leads to a bathroom (there's also another hallway adjacent to the red box, but you haven't gotten there yet, it may be barricaded too).
You can hear running water inside, so either someone just used the toilet, or there's a busted pipe/leak like you suspected.
He opens each individual stall with his gun raised and poised to shoot, but the only thing you find is another one of those metal cans.
When you spot the spray can upon him opening the third stall, you duck under his arm and swipe it so you can store it in your drawstring bag.
"Ma'am, I may have to arrest you for looting."
You look up from your bag with a blank expression, finding it funny though not showing it.
"Well, as long as you're the one doing it." You reply before your better judgement and filter can kick in.
An embarrassing thing to say, but it's too late to take it back so you might as well own it.
Leon flushes, cheeks tinging red as he rubs at the back of his neck shyly, figuring that he technically walked into that one.
To bypass his awkwardness, you add, "If you really want me to put it back, then I guess you can carry this heavy can in those itty bitty, baby pockets of yours."
"They are not baby pockets!" He defends rather indignantly, shyness and embarrassment flying out the window in favor for continuing this light-hearted banter since there's no immediate danger. "But you're right, if you're not gonna do anything then you can hold the heavy stuff."
He did not just say that.
"It's because your muscles are so much weaker than mine." You fire off without thinking.
"Says who?"
"That filing cabinet."
He's silent for a moment, then he shakes his head, "That's a low blow."
"Whoops, sorry."
There is no remorse in your voice.
The conversation ends with your unapologetic apology, and the long night continues as you leave the bathroom to explore the next hallway.
Luckily, you've both gotten used to the smell enough to not notice it if you don't pay it any mind, though the blood and gore is another thing entirely.
This new area starts off normal (or as normal as usual), and then morphs into a horrible scene when the light focuses on the room all the way back.
Blood.
Blood everywhere.
Three mangled, disfigured, and mutilated bodies that you can see from your vantage point, each one assuming positions on the ground that show you both just how dead they are.
"Jesus..."
All remnants of the silliness and happiness from before washes out of you with a tidal wave of fright and petrification, trepidation making your heart jump in your throat when the desperate screams for help begin.
"Open up! Hurry! Open up!" A quick pause, and then more yelling, "Open this goddamn door!"
It can only be the man from the video feed, for his voice matches and he's the only sign of life that you've seen/heard thus far.
"Leon!" You cry, snapping him out of his shock.
He wastes no more time and blows past the bodies in record time, kicking open the door to the little office like area to see how he can help.
You, not wanting to stay with these bodies all by yourself, run in after him to see if there's anything you can do.
Another metal shutter separates you from the officer from the security feed, but if the electrical box is all intact then it should be easy peasy to let him through.
Dealing with whatever is on the other side, however, is a different story entirely.
There is an electrical box alright, but it's screwed shut and the shutter is stuck.
"We'll get you out!" Leon calls, crouching down and diving straight for the brute force method.
He yanks the shutter upwards as hard as he can, somehow managing to rip it up about a foot.
"Help me! Please, help me!" He cries as he sticks his arms under the shutter, something clutched in one hand while the other grasps wilding at the ground in an attempt to pull himself through.
You see his head, the fear and distress on his face as clear as day despite how dark it is.
Dark.
It's always dark.
"Give me your hand!" Leon urges, grabbing his full hand while the man claws at the ground and pops his head through. "I got you."
An arrow of hope shoots right into your chest as Leon begins to pull him through.
In the movies, this is the moment where a hero is born. They save the frightened person, bring them to safety and console them, and realize their calling in life is to serve and protect the world. It's always a bitter sweet moment of lost innocence, but also triumph, and it signifies the hope of the future, for saving one can inspire desire to save all.
But this isn't the movies; it's real life, and reality is often disappointing.
You snap out of your frozen state upon realizing that Leon may need some help and reach out towards him, crying for him to take your hand as the grunts and growls from the other side overtake the officer.
The brunet officer turns onto his back (probably because he can press flat on the ground better on his back than his stomach) and grasps your outstretched hand, his grip tight and almost crushing, though you completely understand why.
You start to pull him back, grunting from all the effort you're exerting.
It's almost as if something is pulling him back.
The scene changes in a matter of milliseconds, blood spurting out from under the metal shutter and quickly followed by his screams of pain.
Everything is happening so quickly, and your heart is pounding so hard in your chest it may just alert everything in a 10 mile radius of your position, but you remain silent and just keep trying to pull in the now resisting officer.
Squelchy, wet ripping sounds roar in your ears along side his agonized shrieks, and the front of his uniform is now stained red, but this only makes you and Leon try even harder to get him away from whatever is going on under there.
"Hang in there!" Leon tells him through clenched teeth, putting his weight into the pull to no avail.
A few more horrible hours pass by in a span of a few seconds, and then in a last ditch effort to save him, you both give this last pull your all.
At first, you feel triumphant because he comes loose and slides all the way in, and then you realize that half of him is missing.
You drop his arm and stumble backwards until you bump the wall, covering your mouth despite no sound coming out.
His entrails spill out of his legless torso, leaving chunks of red human insides as he's yanked back which are quickly grasped and dragged away by greying, grasping hands sweeping out from under the door.
"Oh my god..." Leon whispers in disbelief, repeating himself as he falls to his knees next to the man, "Oh my god!"
The brown-haired officer, not the half dead one, grasps the dying man by his arms and looks him over despairingly, realizing that there is nothing he can do for him now.
The man looks up at Leon's face with his own hopelessness knowing that this is the end, seemingly wanting to see one good thing before it goes dark.
He does not move again.
Leon gets up slowly, pocketing the book the man had clutched in his hands, and turns his head quickly to look at you as if he only just remembered that you were there.
You don't even notice his focus, though, because your gaze is deadlocked on the unreal, nauseating sight in front of you.
He was alive just 10 seconds ago, crying for you guys to help him from a fate worse than a regular death, holding onto your hand as glimmering hope that he'll be saved shines in his eyes, and now there is nothing; just dull, lifeless eyes staring up at the ceiling.
Your line of sight is blocked by a larger figure stepping in front of you, but still you can't seem to make yourself move. It's like your feet are glued to the floor, like an invisible rope is tying you to this one spot even though you can't see the body anymore.
A hand comes up and grasps the back of your head, pushing your head into something solid and warm as another something wraps around you and keeps you close.
It's at this moment that you realize these 'somethings' all over you are from Leon wrapping you up in a hug.
Timing seems to be just as great as usual, because just as you're coming down from your stupor and winding your arms around his middle in return, something begins to slam into the door full force in an attempt to get in.
The officers screaming must've caught the attention of things you two managed to pass before.
Leon drops his hand cradling the back of your head and pushes you slightly behind him, raising his gun up since it sounds like the door isn't going to hold.
Considering how old the brown, intricately designed door seems to be, you're not too surprised when it swings open and slams into the wall, nor when one of those undead things come bursting through it.
Your companion takes aim, and then he fires off three shots right into his head.
The dead man drops to the floor, and then you and Leon dash out of the room at top speed.
It seems that hug was just what you needed to remember that you'll be eaten too if you keep stalling, because even as more of those things begin to burst through windows and doors that were previously closed, you keep your pace and do your best to not fall behind Leon as he shoots his way through these newly gathered crowds.
Of course, you're not okay by any means. When you see the head of one of the dead explode upon being hit in just the right place, you swallow a scream and nearly fall into the blood and grime all over the floor, but a steadying hand on your trembling upper arm hauls you back into action.
"Jesus, they're everywhere!" Leon hisses in front of you, turning down one of the perviously unoccupied halls only to be bombarded by two more, dare you say, zombies.
He shoots one down and knocks the other back long enough for you both to slip past and return to the original metal shutter, and it's at this moment that you begin to see the parallels between this situation and what happened with the other officer.
These thoughts propel you forward, and you both begin to slide back under the grate as the groans get closer.
The shutter is slightly lower than it had been when you first got here, so Leon forcefully shoves it up with his shoulders, grunting with what sounds like pain and effort, and growls out, "Go! Quickly!"
You scramble against the slippery floor and manage to pull yourself out most of the way, turning your head quickly to see a bloodied hand grasping onto Leon's clothes and weighing him down.
"Goddamn it!" Leon cries helplessly as it crawls further up his body, spurring you on to wiggle the rest of the way out and help him.
Like some sort of mother fucking ninja, you pull yourself the rest of the way out from under the barrier and roll to the side and onto your butt, raising up your leg so that you can smash your foot into it's ugly ass face.
Your foot makes contact with it's head, but all it really does is peel back some of it's rotted skin and momentarily stop it from sinking its teeth into your poor companion.
Right as you begin to fear that you'll lose your new friend, a pair of hands comes into view and yanks Leon back and away from the grasp of the dead man.
"Watch out!" The rookie warns in a panic as it begins to reach for this new persons shoes.
This helpful stranger grunts an, "Got it!" and then slams the shutter down on it's head.
You cover your eyes as the blood splatters everywhere and it's brain matter dirties the ground, wishing beyond all else that you won't have to see anything like what you just witnessed, again.
A quick peek through the gap between your fingers lets you get a look at your unexpected savior, and you're immediately dismayed to see his ashen skin and bloody hand and midsection.
"You guys are safe... for now." He tells you as he leans back heavily against that almost deathtrap, grasping his wound with a shaking arm.
"You're hurt." You say without thinking, dropping your red-stained hands to the ground like they're made of lead. "Do you want me to take a look at it?"
"You a doctor?" He asks between pants, looking down at you with furrowed eyebrows.
Well, technically no, but there were mandatory anatomy and basic medicine classes for everyone at your university no matter the major, and you retained some things like where major arteries are and basic first aid.
"Not exactly..." Honestly is the best policy, cause you really can't be out here pretending to be a doctor. "But I've taken some classes."
He doesn't reply to that, seemingly not wanting to address his wound for the time being as he changes the subject. "Marvin Branagh."
You introduce yourself in return, dipping your head in acknowledgement.
He looks at Leon after you reciprocate.
"Leon Kennedy." He sounds pretty out of breath, probably still reeling from his brush with being cannibalized, before adding somberly, "There was another officer... I-I couldn't... I couldn't..." It seems like he can't even get the words out.
The way he says 'I' instead of 'we' breaks your heart, because very quickly do you realize that he blames himself for what happened to that man. He feels responsible, and you have a feeling it's because of that protective, heroic nature that lurks within him.
You stagger to your feet and inch closer, resting your hand carefully on his shoulder.
Marvin, also sensing Leon's anguish and guilt, limps forward and offers him a hand, "Here."
Leon accepts the helping hand, gaze focused on the ground as the moment seems to replay in his mind.
"I'm sure you did what you could, Leon."
Silence stretches out between the three of you, though not exactly an awkward one. More so is it a silence of momentary mourning for a fallen soul.
Even if it's not awkward, it's still killing you that no one will say anything, so you take it upon yourself to scurry on over to the supply boxes and look for new clothes, 'cause you're cold, dirty, and shivering like a freaking Chihuahua.
Unfortunately, you find nothing.
"Looking for something?" Marvin asks from just behind you.
You can't contain your flinch when his voice appears behind you so suddenly; man does he move quietly for an injured man.
"Ah, Lieutenant Branagh, I-I'm trying to find some new clothes... mine are really c-cold and sticky."
You and your companion may have been joking about looting earlier, but you really don't want this guy to think you are.
"You can call me Marvin..." He begins, seemingly wanting to ease some of your nerves, then adds with a small, pained smile, "I think I have just the solution for that. You want in, Leon?"
"...Uh, yeah, can I, please?"
His apprehension and shyness make you smile for the first time in a while, and at this moment you realize that maybe everything isn't so horrible after all. As long as you've got Leon, who is now your old new friend, and Marvin, your new-new friend, then perhaps things will begin to turn for the best.
Of course the power of friendship won't stop someone from eating your face off or anything, but it'll definitely help keep you safe and calm enough to avoid being killed via panicked stupidity.
Regardless, you've got a new set of clothes waiting for you somewhere, and you plan on taking full advantage of this ominous offer.