The 0714 Files: File #1 Inferno (Remake 2)

Chapter 27

I open my mouth to say something in a panic to stop the offender from shooting—

Leon reacts faster than I do. Yanking me hard between his knees, against his bullet vest clothed chest with his left arm, raising his right with gun in hand. "R.P.D. Lower your gun, now," he barks at the assailant, arm wrapping tighter around my back.

"Put yours down first, Officer," a woman speaks with a lilted voice and a click of heels echoes the garage a second time. My mind is a flurry of confusion the longer I'm pressed against the rookie's chest in his act to protect me from being shot. I hear ruffling of clothing and a whiff of air, "F.B.I," she says and though I can't see, the agency's name sounds like a sardonic taunt to Leon.

F.B.I.? Wasn't the city sealed off? Leon and Claire managed to get here themselves, but that was purely by mistake though. It doesn't explain why only one F.B.I. agent is standing here with us, and not a battalion of soldiers. Soldiers that are most likely still guarding the perimeter of this city in case people try escaping.

His arm stays wrapped around me with his gun raised for all of two seconds. Then it lowers, and I'm released from his tight hold. Slowly, I peel back and inch my gaze upward, taking in the curve of his throat and how when he swallows his Adam's apple bobs. The action results in a timid swallow from me next, why does being this close to Leon feel weirder compared to other times in our short span of working together?

Leon's blue eyes are on mine suddenly, he's anxious. I find myself unable to breathe right despite his worry as he gives me a once over and then stands. He faces the woman and my gaze falls to the ground, my thoughts a complete mess. "I was afraid you two were zombies, it was after I aimed my gun that I realized you weren't," she explains. I use the excuse of examining the agent to ignore the unrecognizable thoughts in my head.

I observe her sunglasses immediately, a tan trench coat lined with black buttons covers her body. There's a fashionable gray and white checkered scarf tucked into the coat against her collarbone. The thick sunglasses make her eyes impossible to view, I bite back a bitter laugh at the recollection of Wesker's. Then I see the black tights and matching leather gloves and black high heels, topped off with fine black hair cut into a bob. Her bangs are tucked ever so slightly behind a lens. Is her favorite color black or something?

"Sorry," Leon apologizes and her lips turn into a frown as he crosses the distance to the mysterious woman with a hand out to shake hers, "We've been through a lot, I wasn't sure if—"

She turns and starts walking back towards the gate, my brows scrunch up in skepticism. She's dressed like an agent I suppose; I wouldn't know from never seeing one until now. Since most of my time in the later years of captivity were spent in tactical gear. I'm guessing the noise I heard earlier while my face was practically shoved into Leon's stomach must've been the sound of her showing off her badge. I'm still confused why she pointed her gun at what had to be two obvious humans, not zombies. But I give her the benefit of the doubt, for now. If she just got in, she probably doesn't know much about these things.

"Hey!" Leon drops his hand, his shoulders in a defeated slump as he calls and trails after. Leaving me behind to stand by myself, "Can you at least tell us what's going on? What's the F.B.I. doing here?"

The woman doesn't even stop when she says, "'Sorry, that information's classified," and passes a row of construction equipment left next to the jail cell's door.

"Where are you going?" Leon asks and she stops as I wipe more dust from my face while walking over myself. A large S.W.A.T. van is stalled in front of the two pillars that lead to the jail cells, blocking the rest of the way.