Untitled: Part 10 [EDITED]

Ralph put his hand on the doorknob and Leon fired. The bullet ricocheted off the metal door and Ralph immediately backed off, flattening himself against the adjoining wall, just out of Leon's sight.

"I hoped I was ahead of you," Ralph said.

"Just barely," Leon replied, keeping his gun ready and attention at full. "You make one move toward the door and I won't miss."

"I believe you," Ralph replied. "I'll have to turn around."

"There's no way out," Leon countered. "You give up now and come easily and I'll make sure you get some sort of amnesty."

"That's very reassuring."

"It's the most you're gonna get."

Silence.

Leon, sweating, shifted his position, attempting to get a better view on the situation. He heard no noise from below him, no sign of Ralph staying put or attempting an escape.

"What's going on down there?" Leon asked.

"Oh...just mulling it over," Ralph replied after a moment. Quietly, Leon pushed the vent open with the front of his gun. "Don't forget how easily your friend fell."

"Or how quickly he got back up," Leon said.

Ralph laughed slightly and seemed to relax. "You don't even know what you're doing here, do you?"

"Of course I do."

"Then explain to me why you have no idea what I'm doing here."

"I know enough about you to not be tricked again."

"Then I have nothing more to say." Leon craned his neck into a new position, searching for any visual. After another second he heard a door open and shut. Without thinking, he kicked the panel open and fell to the ground. He groaned in pain as he landed, but still managed to do a quick 360 of the room. It was empty.

He ran for the inside door which Ralph had presumably left through. Not expecting any resistance, he was unprepared for it to be locked. After several attempts, he concluded Ralph had damaged the mechanism and that he'd have to take the vent back out. Walking to the outside door to lock it, he wished for some way to contact Milo to tell him what happened. Not knowing any way to do that, he resigned himself to finish his task by contacting the mainland.

With the last door to the outside locked, he jumped back into the vent and continued in what he hoped was the right direction.