#cold ones

“Let us call you a cab home.”

You hadn’t been drinking much, maybe a small wine, nothing too bad to get you as wasted as her. So you knew how the dangers of walking home alone were possible. 

You were just confident you could fight anyone off.

“Seriously, my apartment is just a few blocks away. It’s not far.” You laugh tiresomely.

Your bed was the only thing on your mind in all honesty.

Why did you agree to a night out after work?

“Nooo,” she whines. “I don’t trust it. You, on your own, in the streets. Fuck that!”

Able to release yourself from her loose grip, you smile softly at her but yell above the music. “I’ll be fine. I’ll judo chop anyone who fucks with me, you know that!”

“You bitch slapped one girl in high school.” She deadpans. “It was hardly a fight.”

Yeah, you got a little bit of an ego-boost after doing that. Your defense was always that it was the biggest fucking bully in your grade so you deserve the praise just as fuck as she deserved that smack in the mouth.

“I’ll be okay.” You assured one last time before darting out of the door so she, nor any of the other girls, were able to get you a taxi.

Even in heels, your apartment building didn’t feel very far away.

But the reality is that it was six blocks.

And your colleagues did not know that.

You just knew you were able to find your place on your own.

Plus you had been stuck in the office all day so you wanted some way to stretch your legs.

And this felt the most adequate way since you would be happily toddling to your bed.

There was the possibility that you were over halfway home, you didn’t even know at this point. But you had to cross through an alleyway to make the journey shorter for you.

The perfect opportunity to get killed, you thought.

Slowly, you hug your arms as your heels clack against the wet concrete, probably riddled with rats and hobo piss.

Uneasy would be an understatement as you noticed the very stereotypical way it had been kept. A dusty dumpster half open by a brick wall with several arts of graffiti scattered across it. Rubbish littered the puddles. And even better, a mouldy old and abandoned sofa only added to the unsettling environment.

The smell wasn’t even describable.

Something so foul that it was a cross between the mounds of trash piled up by the large green bin and old musk. Probably stale from the drains around the area.

Damn this closed space.

It was too late to back up now, you started so you may as well finish.

Such a shame you were away from people.

From lights.

Bang

You flinch at the sudden sound, stupidly spinning around to find the second lid of the dumpster now closed.

Now you were starting to wonder whether the shortcut was worth it after all.

Your breath caught in your throat, a sound still exuding from it. “Wh- who’s there?”

It could very well be a rat. However, you had seen one too many horror films and new articles to know that this was never a good sign. You should be running as fast as you can. You just won’t. You’re frozen with complete fear.

Suddenly, you understood the people in horror films that get themselves killed.

Fear.

There was nothing in your little clutch that you could defend yourself with.

You had your keys and a dream, that’s all.

“I’ve- I’ve got a gun… all right?” Your attempt at sounding menacing sounded more like a squeak. “So don’t- don’t try anything. I’m warning you.”

“Awh,” A deep voice bounces off of the walls behind you. “That’s so cute.”

Spinning around again, you find a man who was so staggeringly tall, you almost had to crank your head up entirely to see him. His honey blonde hair swept back to make him appear tidy, his too pale skin glistening.

How was his skin so light? Especially when there were no lights at all around you. Only the shitty, dim streetlights behind yourself.

Around his eyes were a pair of sunglasses.

Sunglasses at night?

“What do you want?” You swallow stepping backwards. “I have money if that’s it.”

He laughs out a tiny scoff, “I don’t want your money.” He had such an alluring voice.

You were almost shocked at how melodic his voice sounded. Like he was singing when he wasn’t.

He glides towards you, like predator meets prey but you are unable to move. It was like he had cast a spell on you. Or maybe you were so enthralled by his grace and beauty. He seemed light on his feet yet so rough in his stance.

He stops right in front of you and his aroma fills your nostrils, blurring out any of the foul smells that covered the alley. But it was so sickeningly sweet, nothing like a cake or a doughnut would be. Just sweet.

Then there were undertones of musk and even metal. A combination that should make you gag. If it weren’t for the top base of that bottom layer, you would be heaving.

You felt invited.

That didn’t change the fact you were fucking terrified.

He inhales deeply through his nose as his perfect and ice cold hand reaches for your jawline.

“So adorable…” His fingers tickled your cheek while your eyes darted around the floor, looking at everything but him. Why did this man look so flawless?

Before you could even breathe, your back was against the damp wall, shivers running up your spine and goosebumps appearing across your skin - not that they weren’t already there from his freezing contact.

“It is such a pity I have to kill you,” he says with a hush. “You would be a breathtaking immortal.”

Immortal?

As his jaw turns with his head sideways, and his eyes targeted at your neck, a haste breeze causes your hair to flutter.

The blonde creature pauses his movements, sharply turning to investigate the source of the sudden wind.

A second man stood with a shadow casting over him.

Two men are going to be the death of you?!

“Come to join the party, Kennedy?” A toothy grin accompanied his little quip.

The second figure, known only as Kennedy grunts. “Get away from her, Albert.”

“I saw her first-” In a second, he was thrown away from you with such agility that you barely had time to register it. No one could. He went crashing into the dumpster, leaving such a dent that mirrored the one on your car from your first driving lesson.

“I did say “Get away”,” The figure argues now with a protective posture for you.

Nothing was rendering at all apart from the fact that this man could be saving you, or getting rid of his disturbance to attack you instead.

Briskly, Wesker stands and dusts himself off with a large scoff. “Piss all over my new jacket. I really loved this one. Got it from my last victim. Now would you kindly step aside Mr. Kennedy, you’ve interrupted my dinner.”

“Sorry, your reservation has been cancelled.” Kennedy grins, clearly proud of himself.

For the first time, Wesker truly seemed irritated. “Why do you value the life of a mortal when immortality is all you need? She would make for a beautiful one.”

“Leave her alone, Wesker…” His tone had dropped into a serious and deadly pitch. Even though his voice was so much more soothing than the other male’s, you felt the tension in the air.

Wesker sneers, baring his pearly teeth before disappearing into the night as quick as you could blink. So unnatural.

It was just you and your mystery saviour, whose name reminded you of your high school crush. Kennedy would always haunt you.

“Are you okay?” The faceless man questions, his tone more lighter than the last time he spoke.

You swallow down the anxiety, clearing your throat. “Yeah.” Then you thought about it. “Actually no! I just got attacked by a weirdly pale man. Then you came along and threw him into a dumpster… and dented it!

It was a completely understandable crashout. Because what just happened?

A husky chuckle leaves him stepping towards you a little more, the dim lights cascading over his hair. It was a humble shade of brown whilst fringing on one side of his face. Another nostalgic brick pelts you in the face.

“Always observant, weren’t you?”

Red signals are alarmed in your head. That would be the cherry on top; a stalker.

“What?” You squeak out.

Finally, the man steps into the light, the perfection of his features almost weakening your knees. It was like you had the wind knocked out of you from one glance. He was so strikingly beautiful. It should be illegal for him to walk the streets whenever he fancied it.

Just like Wesker, he had the most paper-white skin. And it looked smooth, too smooth to even be real. Not a single flaw graced it and you even squinted so you could ensure there was nothing. There wasn’t even a blemish.

Aside from his bright skin, the only other distraction quality about his appearance was the insatiable glow of his intense blue eyes. You’d never seen anything like it before. Or maybe you had some sapphires. But it felt closer than that. Much more lifelike and emotive.

Still, you could not place your finger on it.

“I’m hurt you don’t recognise me.” He grins folding his arms.

Without another thought, you step forward to admire him more clearly. He looked even more defined now. It was all coming together.

You don’t remember him being this pale. Or flawless. Unless your high school memories had become so foggy. And somehow, he’d not aged a day whereas you had a barely noticeable crow’s feet and faint smile lines. You were only 23.

“Leon…?” You whisper out in disbelief.

His unchanging smirk only confirmed who he was. Leon Scott Kennedy. The crush.

“Been a long time, Y/N.”

“But you-” You pause, feeling like it would cause offence. “You look like you haven’t aged.”

He looked like he wanted to say something, just scanned the area instead.

“I should probably get you out of here.”

Admittedly, it wasn’t the best area for you to be in. A sweet, private reunion right next to a stinking mound of mouldy onions and god knows whatever else.

You dread to think.

A nod autonomously bobs your head. Leon peaks out onto the street, looking to make sure nobody else was around before sweeping you up into his arms, with zero effort at all, and moving faster than you could account for.

There was no explanation for it, you sped through the streets at the speed of a car, maybe even faster than that. Everything around you was going in a kaleidoscope of a blur, nothing but the lines of the streetlamps and occasional lights in buildings. As a  whole, it was the peak of riding in a car with the top down and feeling the cool breeze rush through your hair.

Finally, Leon dropped you off right in front of your door. You had plenty of questions for him and so many that he would answer for you. One being “how did he know the exact address?” He wasn’t hiding this from you. That much was obvious. But you were so astonished, so mesmerised by how beguiling he looked in the low light of the street to even care about what he was.

And possibly how long he had been this.

“I know you have questions for me…” He trails.

You, feeling nauseous from the blend of alcohol, anxiety and fast travel, blink at the statement he just made.

“Yeah, a lot actually.”

“And I’ll be happy to answer them,” he nods, shoving his hands into his high-collared jacket. A look that just suited him so well. “Dinner, tomorrow?”

You used to pray for nights like these; asked out by him without the need for you to initiate conversation. Could anyone blame you for being so chicken? When he was so avoidant.

“Sure.” You nod a little absent-mindedly. Now you were admiring his looks again; the flawless texture of his skin, granite-like and the perfect dazzle of his icy blues.

“Don’t worry, there’ll be a car this time.” He smirks before plopping down the steps up to your building's door.

“Wait, Leon!” You found yourself calling out. He was halfway down before he turned 90 degrees. “How did you know where I live?”

Once again a determined grin formed. “8 o’clock. Evening, of course.” And that was him gone. Leaving you baffled and even a little frightened.

There was only going to be one explanation.