"In here! It's open!" Cynthia told Leon from where she was bringing up the rear, her pistol in one hand as she took every opening to shoot down the infected and defend them against them.
"Is it empty?!" Leon asked her, he was leading Diana, protecting the blond haired and sky blue eyed immune ten year old girl from harm. "We don't want any infected jumping us!" He flicked his golden blonde bangs out of his amber eyes. Cynthia scooped up a older and rusty metal pipe before kicking down the wooden door and swinging the pipe into an infected's skull before dropping the now red stained pipe, sapphire blue eyes fierce, black hair up in a grimy high ponytail.
"It's empty, get in there!" All three of them scurried into the place, Cynthia shooting more of the infected as they went. After a few minutes they were starting to be over run by the many hordes of infected. Cynthia had been pondering an option since they reached the entrance to the city's exit and despite the heavy feeling in her gut they needed to get Diana to the research lab to cure the pandemic wreaking havoc on their country. "The exit is a gate upstairs to your left." She said to Leon, speaking over the horrific groaning and grunting from the infected. "Take my crowbar and get out of here, I'll cover for you."
"What?!" Both Diana and Leon exclaimed, staring at her in shock, the former staring at her from her hiding place, the latter pausing in his actions of throwing small knives to stare at her.
"I'll stay here and cover you while you two get out of here."
"We're not leaving you here!" Diana exclaimed, sky blue eyes fearful, "We can't leave you to die!"
"Cyn, you can't ask this of me," Leon pleaded with his only friend. "You can't be telling me to leave you here."
Cynthia turned blue eyes on him, "We promised Ivory we'd get her sister to her, one of us has to stay."
"But-"
"No buts about it, I'm staying and you're taking your cousin to her sister and the lab." She told him insistently, blue eyes flashing stubbornly, her jaw set. For a moment they had a staring contest and Cynthia shot another infected without breaking the contest between her and Leon.
"Alright." He sighed resignedly, turning to look up at the gate barely visible behind the barely functioning stairway. "Diana, go up the stairs, I'll meet you up there." The ten year old protested.
"Leon, we can't just leave her-"
"I said go up the stairs." The eighteen-year-old boy spoke in a hard tone.
"But-"
"Go up the stairs Diana!" He barked, pointing at the stairwell. Diana opened her mouth but shut it as she caught the pain in her cousin's amber eyes and scurried up the stairs Leon was telling her to go up. The moment Diana disappeared from view he turned to his friend who was watching him, blue eyes fierce and stubborn but mirroring his pain. "I can't change your mind?" He asked her, getting closer as the infected struggled against the barred doorway.
"No, you're more important." She tells him and Leon studied her. Ever since he could remember once the pandemic started Cynthia had been there to save his sorry behind more than once, the first time he had met her was after his siblings vanished and the person taking care of them had been infected, nearly infecting him as well. But Cynthia had arrived, the blue eyed girl saved his butt and he owed everything to her.
"Help! Someone Help me!" Leon's thirteen year old self struggled against the infected adult pinning him to the floor and trying to sink it's teeth into his neck, "I don't want to be like them! Help me!" He cried, struggling harder.
"Get your head down!" A female voice yelled and Leon flattened himself further against the floor. He saw something metal out of the corner of his eye and a metal pipe crashed into the infected person's head, sending them flying off Leon and lying motionless on the ground. A girl about a year older than him was standing near him, the piper held firmly in one hand while she whipped out a pistol and shot the infected as it started to stir. "You ok?" She asked him, blue eyes concerned as she tucked the gun away and rested the pipe on her shoulder like a baseball bat.
"Y-yeah, thanks."
"No problem. Come with me, I have a safe place that's away from all of the infected."
"O-okay."
Surviving for five years was unheard of, especially with the entire city that they lived in overrun by hordes and hordes of the vicious creatures. Of course, falling in love with her hadn't been his plan, but he wouldn't take it back for anything in the world. He studied her for a few more moments, working to memorise her features, even though he already had. But he prefered to study her during or after a battle, she was different then, fierce, covered in blood and grime, the red liquid streaking across her right cheek, the scar she had from an idiot human nearly running her through with a shard of glass, shining in the available light, blue eyes fierce and protective over him and Diana, black hair streaked with red blood but up and mostly out of her face, thin tendrils occasionally hanging down in front of her face.
"It's ok Leon," she started to reassure him but he stopped her mid sentence, after very breifly checking that the infected weren't close enough to be too much of an issue he had kissed her midsentence, pouring his heart out into one last moment. He closed his eyes tightly, blocking out the sounds and sight of the broken down place and the situation they were in. Cynthia quickly figured out what he was doing and responded in turn, blue eyes sliding closed in process.
"Leon! Come on!" Diana yelled to him a minute later, "They're coming!" She couldn't see what was holding him up but could hear the infected getting steadily closer. He heard her yell and drew back from Cynthia, watching her with pain in his eyes as he backed away towards the stairwell.
"I'm coming!" He yelled back, backing up to the lowest stair, his heels hitting the side of it. "Cyn... I-"
"I know." She told him, blue eyes gleaming with the same emotions, "I know what you're trying to say." She smiled brightly at him, "and I love you as well, now get out of here you rascal."
"I'm going." He started up the stairs and paused half way up. "I love you too Cyn." He then ran up the stairs and led Diana out out of the place and the city, jumping into the forest below. Before he jumped her heard Cynthia yell to him.
"I'll find you again! I promise Leon!" And he plunged into the undergrowth, Diana right behind him.
Leon opened his eyes with a sigh. It had been nearly a month since he had taken Diana and left Cynthia behind. He had found the lab alright and had been there for at least a week and a half, hoping Cynthia would find them and wasn't infected. Everyone kept telling him to give up, that she couldn't have made it, but he never did give up on his friend, he'd seen her escape from things by the skin of her teeth, she always survived. She had to be alive and surviving like she always did. Right now he was sitting in the organized building of a lab and headquarters, near the front door and watching them preform tests on Diana, who were still looking for the cure.
The front door swung open and he sat up straighter, thinking he was imagining things. The person's voice only confirmed she was real.
"Anyone miss me? Or have I been wiped from everyone's memories?" She spoke with amusement, blue eyes twinkling, but she was looking around for someone. Her black hair was up in a sloppy high ponytail, her clothing was stained with blood and grime, her black running shoes were stained red on the sides and bottom, there was a thin spray of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheekbones. Leon literally sprang to his feet and rushed over to envelop her in a tight embrace, his muscular arms wrapped tightly around her lower back.
"You survived!" Diana squealed happily, sky blue eyes glittering with surprise and happiness, she felt an immense weight leave her shoulders at the sight of the healthy and perfectly normal nineteen-year old who was quite skilled in the butt kicking department.
Leon didn't give Cynthia time to reply, instead pressing his lips to hers for a few moments before drawing back and speaking in a raspyish voice, ignoring the other people in the room and leaning his forehead against hers, "You came back."
"Yes, I did." Cynthia replied softly, locking eyes with him, "I promised you I'd come back."
Leon's attitude shifted and a smile appeared on his face before he lifted her up so she was slung over his shoulder upside down with the back of her knees on his shoulder. "You goofball!" She exclaimed half stern and half laughing, inwardly thanking the habit she had of tucking her shirt into her jeans, "Let me down!"
"Nope." He replied with a smirk, picking up her pack and slinging it over his other shoulder and starting to strut towards the hallway. "I've decided that you're deemed mine."
"Don't I get a choice in the matter?" She giggled while shrugging in an upside down way to Ivory and Diana in plain amusement, her hair hanging down below her head and swinging slightly from Leon's movements.
"Nope! Not this time!" Leon grinned, and she laughed, her laughter fading from everyone else's ears as he struted into the hallway and started down it, amber eyes gleaming happily.
"Goofus!" She complained as he kept going, his movements elated and excited. She didn't particularly mind the position, but all the blood was rushing to her head and it was uncomfortable.
"Love you Cyn." His smile widened as they reached the dorm room that belonged to him and his nonexistant roommate and she sighed,
"Love you too you goofus of a guy."
"Why thank you, I'm glad you like me the best." He grinned, closing and the locking the door behind them. Before he then kicked off his shoes and unlaced Cynthia's as well and took them off for her before dropping her on his bunk where she laughed and he grinned hovering above her with a goofy grin on his face as he sat back on his heels which were on either side of her lower body. "You're my favorite person as well."
"Shut up and kiss me you goof." She replied with a laugh that turned muffled as the golden blonde boy obeyed her request.