𝐔𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐘𝐨𝐮 [𝐋𝐞𝐨𝐧 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐲 𝐱 𝐎𝐂]

The Gas Station

Mae

The sky had already grown dark by the time Claire and I passed by the giant sign that welcomed us to Racoon City. Her Harley-Davidson roared loudly as she sped up, trying to outrun the rain that had begun to pour. I clung to her for dear life, silently praying we didn't end up dying of a motor crash before we could even begin looking for Chris.

Thankfully we made it in one piece to a nearby gas station, the rain was steady and heavy as Claire parked her bike near one of the gas pumps.

"Phew, made it." Claire let out a long breath, taking off her helmet.

I shot her a death glare; she knew I hated it when she rode her bike like she was in the freaking MotoGP or something.

"Hey, we made it safe and relatively dry." She shrugged.

I sighed, deciding to let it go. She was right after all. "Fine. I'm going to get us some snacks while you fill her up. Any request?"

"See if they have sweet pretzels."

I nodded and made my way toward the dimly lit store, frowning when I noticed an empty jeep in a pump across where Claire's bike was, the nozzle still in the car's gas tank.

"That's weird." I muttered when I found a police car parked close to the store's entrance; the front doors were left open. It was as though the officers were in such a hurry that they didn't even bother to close the door.

I jumped when a loud noise came from inside the store. Sounds like glass breaking or something, followed by loud moans and groans. My feet froze in fear. Something was definitely wrong here.

"Claire!"

Just as I finished screaming her name, the front door burst open. A man with dark blond hair came tumbling out, eyes widened when he saw me. The next second a gun was raised to my face.

"Hey, don't shoot her!" Claire yelled from behind me, while I could only stare at the man, still frozen. I try to do something, anything, but it was like my body refused to listen to my brain.

"Get down!" The man yelled back, gun still pointing at me. I felt Claire pushing my body down before a shot rang out. This time my body finally decided to cooperate. I looked up and saw the bullet had hit a guy behind us. But he looked weird. Even in the low light, I could see how pale his skin was, almost grey. His now still body was emitting an awful stench like something rotten.

Before I could comprehend what had just happened, another loud noise came, this time much closer. Gray faces appeared from behind the store's glass door. The sounds that escape their throat sent chills to my bone.

The blond man moved away from the door, his eyes briefly scanning our surrounding before settling on the police car. He made a run for it.

"Get in!" He called.

I was still stunned, looking at whatever creatures it was that had managed to open the door. Their skin wasn't the only thing that was wrong. Their eyes were entirely white, the pupil nowhere to be seen. Chunk of fleshes hanging around their body from torn skin. Their mouths hung open, showing their yellowing teeth stained with blood. They staggered slowly toward us, hands reaching out as though they couldn't wait to get their rotting disgusting hand on us.

Dear god, what sort of living nightmare had Claire and I walked into?

The movement on my arm jolted me out of my own thought. Claire pulled me away from the approaching army of zombies and shoved me into the back seat of the car while she dropped herself in the front with the blond man.

"Hang on tight." The man turned on the engine and stepped on the gas. He pulled out so quickly, I could hear the tire screeching against the road.

Claire turned around, looking at the zombies. Their figures got smaller and smaller as the car drove further.

"What the hell was that?" She asked, turning her attention to the man beside her.

"I honestly have no idea. Hopefully they'll have some answers at the police station" The man answered. He gazed at me from the rear-view mirror. "You all right?"

My cheeks reddened in embarrassment. Only now I realize if it wasn't for Claire and this guy, I would probably be dead.

"Y-yeah, I'm alright. Just a little shaken, that's all. Thanks by the way, for helping us."

The man gave me a small grin. "No worries. I'm a cop, helping people is what I'm supposed to do."

"Wait, you're a cop?" Claire asked.

"Yeah, I'm Leon. Leon Kennedy." I could hear the pride in his voice.

"I'm Claire Redfield." She replied before turning to me. "This is my friend Mae Harris. We actually came here to look for my brother, he's a cop too. His name is Chris Redfield. Do you happen to know him?"

"No, sorry. I'm actually a new recruit, today was supposed to be my first day." Leon's answer filled me with disappointment. Of course finding Chris wouldn't be that easy.

"So, what do we do now?" I asked in a quiet voice, the zombies still haunting my mind. What if it wasn't just the gas station?

Leon and Claire were quiet for a moment. I was sure neither of them had any plan for this situation either.

Leon answered after a while, "We go to the police station and stick together." He emphasized the last words. "As long as we're together, we'll be okay."

I had doubts about that, but I kept my mouth shut. At least I had Claire and Leon with me. They both seem very capable of dealing with the situation, compared to me at least.

I reclined my head against the headrest, wondering what in the hell was happening in Racoon City, and praying really hard that whatever it was, that Chris was okay.