𝓛𝓮𝓸𝓷 𝓚𝓮𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓭𝔂| 𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝟯

Not Just Here For The Whales Anymore

I politely nudge past gazing tourists and confused watchers, my legs hurriedly taking me to the washed up orca whale. I pass a woman wearing a red leather jacket who's got a massive bag strapped over her shoulder, but I don't bother to stop and ask if she's with any specialists. My curiosity is too strong, and since none of the other marine biologists at my work have been called out, I begin to wonder if something suspicious is going on. 

As soon as I approach the dead orca, I immediately see the huge bite mark marring its side. A chunk of flesh is missing, and already seagulls are flocking around. I wince at the smell, but grab my phone and begin taking pictures anyway, then I grab my tape measure and try to measure the size of the bite. I mentally run through all the predators in my head, but nothing in this world that we know of could've done this. I frown, eyes narrowing as I wonder if this could be a new discovery on the horizon. My eyes flick up, searching the waters for any signs, but there's too many boats and people around. I glance at Alcatraz looming in the distance, then an idea comes to mind. 

I take the first boat to the island, once again seeing that woman in the red jacket, along with two people she knows. I wring my hands together, debating whether or not to just ask outright if she has any idea about the whales, but I lose my confidence, the rational part of my brain screaming at me for being overdramatic. I stick to my plan of trying to find any clues of the culprit of the orca's bite. It could still be around in the waters nearby, and with a clear enough view I might be able to spot it having dinner number two. I step off of the boat as soon as it docks, then I steer myself away from the tourists and head to the lesser known edges of the island, my gaze fixed on the waters. 

To begin with it's peaceful, until the screams and shouts begin. I panic, temporarily thinking we've got some Sharknado things going on, but then I see the impossible. People stumble towards me, covered with blood and eyes a milky hue, I'd seen enough movies to know what was going on, even if it feels unreal. I don't hesitate to run inside, but the chaos is worse, so I sprint back out and blindly let my legs carry me down some steps and into what seems like an underground tunnel. I'm panting heavily by the time I come to a stop, the groans of the undead far behind me, and nothing but darkness in front. 

I swallow, but step forward a little bit at a time, not wanting to fall into the waters at my side. A small light glows ahead after some time, but I can't be sure it isn't danger. I duck into one of the alcoves, smothering a hand over my mouth as my hands shake, then suddenly the light disappears. I stay still, trembling all over, then all of a sudden the light flashes into my eyes, and a tall, dark haired man holds a gun to me. His vividly blue eyes take me in, then his shoulders slump as he lowers the gun. 

"Shit, a survivor?" He mumbles, "Are you alright?" He softly asks, crouching down to check me over. I nod, wiping the tears unwillingly streaking a path down my cheeks. 

"Y-yeah, I'm okay, apart from being traumatised for life and all that." I mumble.

The man's lips lift at my attempt at honest humour. "Good, can you stand? You can't stay here all day. I'm Leon by the way." 

I stand up, legs wobbly but working as I use the wall to support me. Breaking our focus some groans of the undead echo around the tunnels. My eyes widen as I cling to Leon, jumping behind him as he aims up his gun and shoots them down with precise efficiency. "I'm Y/N." I mutter once the silence envelopes us once more. Leon's lips twitch as he looks at me from behind him, then he holds out a hand for me to shake. I do, ignoring the flutters in my stomach. 

I follow as he leads us deeper into the never ending tunnels, my breaths laboured compared to his. Our footsteps seem too loud, and I check every shadow for danger. "So, how'd you end up down here?" Leon muses as we walk, with me lingering behind a little. 

I stare at him, unable to stop obsessing over his handsome looks. When he checks on me I shake myself out of the stupor. "Whales." His brows arch in confusion, and I mentally slap myself. "I'm here to try and investigate about a recent whale death, it wasn't normal, and I wanted to see if there was anything I could find to explain it." 

Leon nods, lips curving into a smile as he slows for me. "Well Y/N, I'll protect you so you can get back out there and save the big fish."

"They're mammals." I correct, unable to hold back my laugh as Leon grins. 

Just when it seems like everything might be okay, the world kicks my ass yet again. After being dragged into some kind of revenge plan including bioweapons, I find myself by Leon's side, but this time I'm the one helping him. 

"Leon!" I gasp, watching as he suddenly grips his neck, and wavers on his feet. His friends around us don't look too good either, and I'm guessing Leon's just been infected too. I rush to his side, trying to grab him as he slumps against the bars of the cells inside Alcatraz's fortress. He groans, eyes panicking as his gaze finds mine. 

"Run...back downstairs..." He whispers thickly, like it's hard to talk. I know I should, but I shake my head, taking his hand in mine as the asshole responsible, Dylan, resumes his villain speech. 

"I'm not leaving you like this, you helped me and now it's my turn to help you." I vow, squeezing his hand as his face contorts in pain. He shakes his head, some of his brown hair covers his eyes so I reach out and swipe it away, my hand lingering on his cheek. I ignore the looks his friends give us, which are a mixture of surprised and scared. 

"Just forget about it...find a way...out...save...the...fish..." Leon mumbles, a wheeze coming out of him as tears prick my eyes. I shake my head, not trusting my voice to talk, so instead I dart forward and wrap my arms around him. He huffs a laugh, trying to lift his arm to pat my back, but the effort is too much for him, and he fails halfway. "If we get out....of this....I'll have to take you...to....dinner." He weakly says, just as Dylan finishes his speech. 

I give Leon a watery smile, "And I'll show you the cool whale posters on my bedroom wall." He nods, but our moment is broken when a blonde woman who I think is called Maria struts up to us, her eyes narrowed. Anger consumes me, and I stand up, wasting no time to pull back my fist and slam it straight into her nose. 

She gaps, stumbling back from the shock, but then she returns the favour, sending me flying back onto the floor. Leon growls, trying to lift himself, but he can't. Maria's attention soon turns to him, then she begins to hurt him further. I can't bear to watch, but nonetheless I crawl to his side just as she backs away. Dylan looks to me, his smile devious, then suddenly there's a sharp pain in my neck. I whimper, hearing Leon's curse as he tries once more to reach out to me. My insides burn, and I can't get enough breath into my lungs. I slump onto Leon's lap, wincing from the pain trampling through me. Dylan and Maria soon leave us all to die, and there's nothing any of us can do. 

"Why did the...whale....cross the...ocean?" I breathe out, watching as Leon's face scrunches up, but he's trying to fight it. He shakes his head. "To get to the other...tide." I attempt to smile, but he shushes me, mustering the strength to rest a hand on my head. The weight feels nice, and I don't think this is a too terrible place to die.

Until running footsteps ruin the peace. I turn my head, seeing a short brown haired girl racing towards us. "Guys!" She calls out desperately, some kind of silver case dangles from her hand. She reaches us as my vision blurs, and I briefly hear Leon argue about me being cured first. Another prick stings my neck, then within seconds I begin to feel okay again. 

The girl, Rebecca, cures Leon next, then moves on to the others. I help Leon sit up, both of us too close for politeness, but then all of a sudden we're pulling each other closer, our lips meeting in a long but gentle kiss. We pull away after, with my cheeks tomato red and his eyes wide with shock. 

"Uh, I, erm..." I lead off, but then Leon kisses me again, showing me it wasn't just a moment of madness. I melt into his touch, until his friends clear their throats. I suddenly recognise the woman in the red jacket, but I'm not sure how I feel about being correct with my earlier assumptions. 

"I need you to stay here, I'll be back soon." Leon murmurs, cupping my cheek. I frown, shaking my head as I protest. 

"No, I'm coming with you, I'm not just here for the whales anymore." I reply, linking our fingers together. Leon pinches his lips together as if debating on arguing with me, but then he nods, helping me up and leading me once again forwards.