RESIDENT EVIL • Assignment Ashley: Rescue Condor One (RE4)

Sunrise

I recommend you listen to "Another Dimension," by Pop Money - Topic, while reading the chapter!

We rode back to the White House under a sky smeared with orange glow of early sunrise. The silence between us was deafening, a far cry from the last time we'd escaped together, on a jet ski. Back then, the world had been falling apart, but the dawn felt like a promise, like a new chapter in my life.

As the memory took hold, I was back on the waves, the cold bite of the wind and the spray of seawater mixing the warmth of the golden hour. The island crumbled behind us, there was only the calm certainty that we were still alive—and we were in this together.

"You all right?" he asked, his voice steady and calm.

"I'm not sure! That was insane!" I replied, unable to keep the exhilaration from my voice. I gazed back at the destruction, the explosions looked like fireworks in my eyes.

I let out a breathless laugh and held out my hand, catching droplets of seawater as they rained down on us. The light made the spray shimmer, each drop reflecting the sunrise like tiny, fleeting stars.

I turned my head towards the sun as it climbed higher. "Mission accomplished, right?"

"Mission accomplished..." His voice was soft, almost lost beneath the hum of the engine, before he glanced at me, his eyes steady and unwavering. "When you're home safe."

I felt my stomach flutter, and I knew it wasn't because of the rush of the waves beneath us. It was him—his voice, the way he looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered in that moment.

"Thank you for saving me," I said, my voice carrying a quiet intensity, every word meant to reach him. It was all I had to offer in return for everything he'd done for me.

"Don't mention it." His response was gruff, as he broke eye contact and turned back to start the jet ski. But just before he did, I caught the tinniest, awkward smile tugging at the corner of his lips—it filled me with an incomparable warmth, something richer and more comforting than the sunshine on my skin.

It's over, I thought. Not just the nightmarish parts, but also the time we had spent together. A part of me didn't want it to end. Not yet. Not when there was so much left unsaid between us.

"You know, I could put in the word with my dad." I took the courage and forced the words out before I lost my nerve. "Have you assigned to my detail, if you're interested?"

"You don't need me." His voice was calm but resolute, the words cutting deeper than I expected. "You proved you can handle yourself. Even if you could use a lesson in knife safety."

I laughed, his flat humour was starting to grow on me. Of course, he'd say that. His confidence in me was bittersweet, though. Was needing someone a weakness? Did strength mean facing the world alone?

"Come on, let's go home," he said as he launched the jet ski  forward. I held onto the seat for dear life, resisting the instinct to reach out to him. Clutching him would have been easier, safer, but maybe it was my stubbornness—or my quiet protest. I wasn't sure.

The waves jolted us, the salty wind stung my face, yet I stayed gripping the seat, my fingers hurting from the tightness of the hold.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could feel Leon's awareness of me—he was waiting, probably expecting me to lean into him, to clutch him for stability. When he sensed I wasn't going to, the speed of the jet ski slowed. The wind softened, and the waves were less harsh. Without looking back at me, he adjusted the throttle.

"You know, you could always clutch me," he said. "I promise I won't bite."

Just then, the helicopter passed overhead, its blades cutting through the air with a deafening whir. I glanced up, squinting against the sunlight, and saw her—the mysterious woman in red, the one I had asked to help Leon fight Saddler.

My sixth sense told me that Leon and her knew each other well, the way they fought together betrayed an unspoken understanding between them—like they'd been in battle side by side before...or maybe something more.

I watched as the helicopter hovered for a moment, then in an instant, it tilted and pulled away, disappearing into the distance.

I turned my attention back to Leon, but his eyes were focused ahead. He didn't even so much as flinch, offering no acknowledgement of the helicopter's departure. But something in his posture shifted, just slightly.

"Who was that woman, anyway?" I asked, attempting to keep my tone casual.

Am I jealous?

He didn't answer immediately. His eyes remained fixed ahead, as if he was avoiding the question or battling for an answer. "Why do you ask?"

"Come on, tell me." I maintained lightheartedness in my tone, though my heart was beating faster than I cared to admit.

He sighed, glancing back at me, his expression unreadable for a moment. "She was a part of me that I have finally let go. Let's leave it at that."

There was no bitterness in his tone, only a quiet resolve, as if he'd made peace with something he hadn't wanted to face.

Before I could process his words, he reached back, his hands gently brushing against mine. Without saying anything, he took my hand and placed it on his waist.

"Thanks to you," he said, his voice carrying an honesty that caught me off guard, "I finally saw the sunrise after the longest dark."

And just like that, he turned his attention back to the horizon.

I felt the heat rise to my cheeks. How can anyone make you feel so many emotions at once? I had fallen victim to his disarming honesty, his awkward jokes, and his selfless strength.

I couldn't help but steal another glance at him. The way he gazed ahead, steady and sure, made me wonder just how much he had endured to say something like that—to let someone in even just a little.

I still didn't know a lot about him, but one thing was certain: he was my sunrise.

And for a moment, I wondered if I could be his sunrise, too.