I sighed as I tucked a coin in the vending machine, patiently waiting for my hot chocolate to be ready.
Couldn't the agent tell me directly what was going on, or just like... Send me home?
Seriously, calling me at the Ministry of Defense at 5 AM, while I'm still in the middle of preparations for the final test...
"Lucia, is that you?"
I jumped in surprise and quickly turned towards the voice, that I somehow knew.
Not a lot of people called me by my old name.
"H-Hunnigan...! I wasn't expecting to see you here!" I exclaimed as she smiled.
I took my cup of hot chocolate and carefully walked towards Hunnigan, trying to not spill a single drop of my drink.
"Sorry, I didn't recognize you at first. The color of your hair..." She started to blurt out, a bit ashamed as I looked at my brown hair.
I smiled.
"I kinda had enough of being called Barbie at the formation center, so..." I began to say as she nodded.
"How is it going...?" She asked as she put a coin in the machine, almost smashing the buttons to get herself a coffee.
I sighed.
"I've been doing... Well, I guess...? The final tests are coming up next month, so... I'm a bit nervous."
She gave me a sympathetic gaze.
"You're almost there, then. You'll make a great agent once you've succeeded, so I wish you good luck."
I looked away for a second, a bit ashamed.
If only I had managed to get out of the last ranks.
"Thank you." I replied as she grabbed her coffee cup.
I hesitated to ask her anything else as I quickly understood how exhausted she was.
She seemed to need some rest too.
"Well, I should get going. I'm still not finished with my work."
She sighed slowly, waving at me as she left.
"They better count me those three days in a row in overtime." I could her complain as I spat part of my drink.
Three days in a row?!
How does she manage to stay awake??
I sat on the bench, letting my head fall in my hands.
----------------------
"Agent Lucy Castle?" I could hear someone call from the other end of the hallway.
I quickly stood up, cursing myself for almost falling asleep, and rushed towards the woman who had just called me.
"Follow me."
I quickly regretted putting on heels, while she made me walk countless meters.
"Here's your contract." She ended up saying while I was barely recovering from my sports walk.
But even fatigue had not managed to slow down my facial features, which were in sheer stupor.
"Excuse me? My contract? For?" I asked as she blew.
"Listen, I was just asked to give it to you, and make you sign it. This is a direct request from the president, so I hope you won't be making any fuss over it."
I raised my eyebrows, almost shocked to hear these words. Even if the lady's politeness left something to be desired, it was the title of the contract that didn't please me that much.
Government agent, huh.
Just like this.
"And if I say no, what happens?" I replied wryly as she nodded in denial.
"You won't have to tell me. I'm just doing what I've been asked."
I bit my cheek, slowly trying to figure things out.
"I guess I'll have to sort this out on my own, then. Thank you for your kindness."
Then, I got out of the room, trying to not show the fact that I was infuriated.
The president may be Ashley's father, but I completely disagreed.
Why do I, who am last in the rankings, have this chance and not the others, who worked for years?
Five hours for this...
At that moment, I did not even know that I would find myself in the White House, waiting directly in front of the President's office, hoping that he would give me at least five minutes of his time.
But that didn't seem to happen, as the lights were strangely shut down.
The president's escort quickly rushed into the office, leaving me dazed in a corner.
I had a terrible feeling.
So, I decided to go and hide in one of the surrounding rooms, making sure that the perimeter was well secured before locking myself up by pushing the desk in front of it.
It should be okay for now.
"Everybody, stay calm! Go back to your offices and lock the doors, standby." I could hear behind the door, which strangely made me grimace.
That's the emergency protocol...
I sighed as I looked around, looking for a weapon.
However, since we were in the White House, it was highly likely that emergency weapons would only be accessible to the security guards since it is a highly secure building.
I finally found an umbrella and silently went behind the door.
As long as I don't know the threat, it's better to be cautious.
As screams and gunshots were heard, my heart rate began to accelerate slightly under the pressure.
It's going to be okay, Lucia, no one can walk into this room...
Knowing that I was not legally qualified to intervene, the only thing I could do was minimize the risks.
I was kind of anxious but had more confidence in my skills than I ever had, so my nerves were okay.
As the wait began to get long, another series of shots and screams could be heard, just behind the door.
My blood started to boil.
If I'm lucky enough, they won't try to examine the room.
I sighed, as I tightened the handle of the umbrella I was holding in my left hand tighter.
If someone tries to get here, I murder them.
The most disturbing thing about this story was the innumerable cries, similar to those of rabid animals, that I heard behind the door.
What if the attackers were...?
I shook my head.
If I take a discreet look through the door, it should be fine... Isn't it?
I finally made up my mind and silently moved the desk blocking the door, so I could open it, took a deep breath, and waited for the corridor to be silent again so I could open it slightly.
It was extremely dark, but I could still hear the shots in the distance, which seemed to be getting closer, and slight footsteps.
But it was when I saw a man passing by that my heart stopped.
This man... It's Leon...?!
"Leon...!" I whispered as he turned to me, reflexively pointing his gun to my head, which felt like a cold shower.
I flashed an embarrassed smile to him as he instinctively lowered his weapon, mimicking me to calmly close the door as the screams seemed to come closer again.
Oh my god, they're coming for him, aren't they...?
I took a deep breath of air, trying to calm down.
I've seen him fight many times, it's not today that he's going to give up.
But still...
As I heard another couple of gunshots, I opened the door again, trying to discreetly watch what was happening.
My blood froze as I understood the owners of the screams.
Zombies... Like in the pictures...
Fuck...!
I tried not to let out a scream as I saw Leon eliminate them all one by one, without making a single mistake as if every moment of his fight had already been decided.
Oh my god, he's so cool.
As he killed the last zombies that kindly appeared in front of him, he nodded in my direction, asking me to leave my hiding spot.
I went out timidly, still holding my umbrella in hand as he put his hand on his mouth.
"Good thing I made it on my own. Are you okay?" He finally added as I gave him a slight blow on the head with my superb weapon as he tried to put his hand on my shoulder.
"Why'd you do that?" He asked as I put my hands on my waist, a bit angry.
"A little vengeance of mine... For not having given me any news last month." I muttered as he looked away, almost feeling guilty.
"Sorry. I've been busy. "
I looked away for a second, trying to think about what to tell him next, knowing that I had to leave the place soon.
I was so happy at the moment to see him that I wanted to jump in his arms but felt like someone could bother us at any minute and since he was working...
"Well, I should get going before I get questioned for all the weird shit that happened here. Bye, Leon." I ended up saying as he let out a small sigh.
"See you soon, Lucia."