A Sickly Sweet Reverie (Leon Kennedy X OC) [BOOK 3]

Chapter 8: The party bus

The gas station went up in a ball of flames, the blast generating enough force that I fell flat on my ass. Warmth spread across my skin as the alley was cast in an orange glow from the roaring flames. A few figures were just barely visible among the flames as they quickly staggered to a halt before their knees buckled and they disappeared among the fiery sea.

Leon wrapped a hand around my arm, helping me to my feet. "Are you okay?" He asked, eyes roaming over my skin as I grabbed his hand.

"For the most part," I replied, dusting bits of rock off my skirt. The cop stepped forward, motioning toward the alley beyond.

"Guys, let's keep moving. There's a gun shop up ahead, we can resupply." He seemed confident for someone so young.

"Lead the way officer," I nodded, gesturing with a hand. He gave me a half-hearted smile before turning and heading toward the chain link fence at the end.

"Got a thing for cops, Ms. Irons?" Leon asked, pressing a hand to my back to guide me forward.

"No, cops have a thing for me," I crooned, smirking at him. His returning smile sent a whole different kind of warmth cascading through my body.

A small whimper had me turning toward the path ahead. The other two survivors were a few feet ahead, the woman struggling to keep up with who must be her boyfriend. She was limping, her ankle looking a little swollen perhaps from a fall before we arrived or when she fell during the chaos of the gas station. The man she called Anthony didn't seem to be paying her any attention as he kept close to the cop, drilling him with questions about where we were going and what his experience was.

"Are you okay?" I asked, moving ahead to fall in step beside her. She had a long scrape along the front of her leg that was oozing a steady trail of blood, surely it wasn't too serious but it still must hurt like hell. She didn't reply, her eyes glued to Anthony a few feet ahead and not giving her the time of day.

Romantic.

"What's your name?" I asked again, a little more forcefully this time. She finally tore her gaze from the man ahead and turned wary eyes toward me, her cheeks shining with streaks of tears.

"It's Tiffany." Her voice was quiet, like she was used to being 'seen and not heard.'

"Are you okay, Tiffany?" I asked, eyeing her leg as I kept a pleasant smile on my mouth.

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine, I just...wanna go home," she whimpered, her voice going wobbly on the last word.

"Can I help you? It might be good to keep the pressure off your leg," I said, offering her a hand.

"N-No thank you, Anthony will help me...," Even as the words left her mouth, I wasn't sure she truly believed them. I looked ahead to where Anthony was barely a step behind the officer, not even realizing she was suffering or simply not caring. Anger flickered under my skin.

"Hey asshole, you gonna help your girlfriend or not?" The cop stopped as Anthony turned to face me, a scowl already plastered on his face. I raised a brow and tilted my head, waiting for a response. He didn't move, maybe in a battle of wills to see who would yield first.

Good thing I'm stubborn.

I let a smug smile cross my lips, and gestured to Tiffany with a delicate wave of my hand. Not an invitation, an order.

He stomped toward me, looking like he wanted to wring my neck or spit in my face, but he faltered. Leon stepped up beside me, his jaw tight as he looked at Anthony. I placed my hands on my hips as the silent exchange continued.

"Excuse me, I asked you a question, not him," I said, dragging Anthony's attention back to me. He stared daggers at me before mumbling something under his breath that was no doubt something sexist. I would love to see the look on his face if I kicked his ass in front of an audience in this alley. A smile danced across my face at the thought.