Coincidence

1

An eerie silence crept along with the fog that rolled into the abandoned village. It was strange to see no Ganados nearby. With caution, I proceeded further down the pathway. My boots met with dry leaves as a slight crunch emitted from each step I took. Approaching the heart of the village I took cover behind one of the houses. Distracted from observing my surroundings, I was caught off guard when giant hands covered my mouth and bashed my head repeatedly against the wooden wall until everything went black.

Coming in and out of consciousness I heard light chatter in the background. Trying to get a sense of my surroundings I tried to move my hands, but they were restricted by large metal handcuffs tied behind my back. I looked up from the ground and with blurred vision, saw two men tied from a pulley made of chains. They were too busy talking to each other to notice me.

I heard the man wearing a form-fitting shirt and tactical gear say "Leon."

The other man, standing towards the door, wore a stylish brown leather jacket with jeans. He commented, "Quiet type, eh? I'm Luis Serra. And guess–you, me–picked the wrong spot to vacation, eh?"

Leon was pacing back and forth around the room, trying to observe his surroundings. As he scanned the area behind him, he saw my shadowy figure positioned like a corpse against the wall.

Luis, oblivious to Leon's observation and frustrated by his pacing urged, "Hey, stop it! You move, I move... and I'm beat up enough as it is!"

"Tell me about it," I added as I shook my head and attempted to stand.

Luis looked quite fazed upon hearing my voice. "Ay senorita, what brings you here?"

"I could tell you, but that would just ruin the fun."

He looked to the preoccupied Leon, then back at me before beginning, "My guess...you both are here looking for someone? One more guess. Maybe...some missing senorita?"

That statement seemed to have hit a nerve for Leon as he pulled Luis close and with an intimidating stature questioned, "Talk now."

I was intrigued by these new characters. Enough so that I remained quiet to hear the rest of their conversation.

"All right. See, heard chatter about moving a senorita."

"Moving her. Where?"

"Who knows? But later, saw some men dragging someone...to the old church."

While they were conversing, I saw a man with an axe enter the room silently.

Instinctively I yelled, "Watch out, behind you."

I tried to pick the lock of my handcuffs with a splintered piece of wood that was peeling from the wall as Leon dragged the chain to keep Luis out of the way. They both ran around the man to wrap the chain around his neck and as they struggled to keep him tied down, I proceeded to kick the Ganado's head with my free legs, leaving him disfigured.

I stood up, now with my hands completely free, to see Luis leaving with a wave. I began to follow behind, trying to get back to my original mission. Luis was too far ahead of me to catch up to, so I had to navigate the sewage tunnel system on my own. After turning one of the corridors I found two infected villagers guarding my gear. I took both of them down and proceeded inside the little nook. I took my stuff back and wore my favorite black leather jacket again along with my backpack.

Before I could even make my way through the exiting archway, a strong force grabbed my hand and said "Not so fast."

I whipped my head around to be face-to-face with Leon. "Never caught your name."