This had to be the joke of the century, Thea thought as she looked at the boy in front of her. His eyes narrowed and shock was permanent on his features, but he didn't hesitate to step forward and offer a hand to her.

Thea got up from the floor without his help, sending him a glare. She didn't need his sorry right now. She would rather swallow the glass shards under her boots than accept his help.

"Why would you break into the police department?" Leon asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"For fun," Thea threw her hands in the air, already having no patience for him. Leon rolled his eyes at her remark. "Have you not seen what's happening out there?!"

From one glance, she could tell he knew, alright. His jaw clenched as he let his arm fall back to his side, avoiding her intense gaze. She finally let her eyes glance over him, frowning at the letters on his chest: RPD. That should've been her uniform, but he snatched it away from her. Her dream job.

But then she noticed specs of blood on the side of his face and a small gash on his forehead where his hair didn't reach. It was hard to make out, but there was a little blood on his uniform, too.

"Is that blood?" Thea couldn't help but ask, nodding towards his thigh where a dark substance was rubbed across. Leon looked down at himself, his sudden panicked state disappearing the moment he found what she meant.

"Don't worry, it's not mine," Leon lifted his gaze to meet hers, a permanent scowl deepening her features. In the dim lighting, she looked more ruthless than ever.

"It wasn't worry, it was excitement," Thea scoffed, brushing past him towards the only door that lead outside.

"Of course..." Leon muttered under his breath, looking back at the broken window. Great, now not only there was a broken window he had to deal with, but the things out there gained another access point inside. And now there was his academic rival, her burning hatred raising the temperature inside.

Then he noticed the blood mixing with glass shards on the pale tiles. She didn't say she got hurt.

As Thea made her way down the dark hallway, she heard rapid footsteps approach behind her, and she didn't even have to look back to know it was Leon.

"You don't happen to have a spare gun on you, do you?" Thea asked, not even glancing his way. His silence was a good enough answer for her. An annoyed groan left her lips, her eyes scanning her surroundings. Everything seemed pretty normal so far, it was just dark inside.

"You're hurt," Leon observed once he caught up to her, his eyes scanning her body for any injuries. It didn't take too long to spot the dark pool of blood on her white shirt, his eyes snapping back to her emotionless face.

"Don't worry about me," she growled, picking up her pace. She just had to find a gun and then get the hell out of there. She sooner she got to the labs the sooner she could reunite with her family. If she would waste any more precious time the chances of their survival would plummet.

"Wait!" his hand shot out, grabbing her forearm. Thea spun around, the fire of thousand suns burning bright in her green eyes. Her gaze lingered where his hand clutched her, his grip solid but not hurtful. Then, slowly she lifted her eyes to meet his, the rage inside them almost making him stumble backward.

There weren't many things that scared him, but Thea Keller was one of them. And right now, the way she was looking at him it looked like he wasn't going to live to see another sunrise.

"Don't touch me, fuckface," she snatched her arm away from him, the sudden motion causing her new wounds to burn. She flinched, a hand coming to touch her stomach. When she lifted her hand, she was surprised to see it was covered in blood, seeping through her clothes. "Damn, that was my favorite shirt."

"We should clean that up."

"We?!" Thea looked back up at him, her frown coming back. Fuck him and his fucking tall ass. She took a step back so she wouldn't have to tilt her head back that much to look in his stupid face.

"Yes," he nodded, his tone losing the previous patience. "We hate each other, fine. But you're part of the only three people I've seen and wasn't one of those... Things. We need each other to survive this."

"Why the fuck would I need you?"

"I have a gun," Leon said matter-of-factly, sending her a pointed look. Fuck him and his smart-ass attitude.

"I'm about to get one for myself," she turned around to continue her mission to find the armory. Or just someone who happened to have a spare gun. But Leon was a persistent boy who didn't know when to stop.

"I know where the armory is," he offered, her eyes involuntarily looking at him. He kept her pace without any problem, still looking down at her. "You need me to for the code."

She rolled her eyes. How hard could it be to break into an armory? Probably not easy. She hated to admit it, but she truly needed him to get a gun. Or she could just knock him out and take his.

"Let's say you're right," she saw how the corner of his mouth curved into a smirk, an annoyed sigh leaving her. "But you don't, because I'm always right. But why would you need me?"

"Like I said, there's not many of us left," Leon replied, his voice growing more emotional. If he would start crying, I'll beat his ass, Thea thought to herself. "There's a hidden underground exit, but I need your help to find everything that could open it. It's almost like a goddamn riddle."

"And?"

"You were always better at them," he muttered under his breath, not wanting to say it out loud, ignoring the way her eyes lit up at his compliment.

"What was that?" Thea put a hand up to her ear, leaning closer. "I didn't quite catch that."

"You're smart, okay?" he blurted out, rolling his eyes. Seeing the shit-eating grin on her face only made him want to throw up after that confession. "So, we could help each other. And our chances of survival would go up."

"I don't need a man to survive," Thea looked him up and down, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"I know," Leon sighed, putting his free hand on his hips as he tried to think about any more reasons that could win her over. Thea was the most stubborn person he ever met, and it didn't help that they couldn't breathe in the same room for more than ten minutes without fighting.

If it wasn't going to be the things out there to kill them, they would kill each other. But right now, they needed each other, and Thea hated to admit it. She was an independent woman, always doing things in her own way. She hated working with somebody else, and she definitely didn't want to put her life in the hands of Leon Kennedy.

"Fine," Thea huffed out, her tone still holding its usual edge to it, threatening to cut the boy in front of her. She ignored the way surprise mixed with hope on his features, making his eyes light up. "But I need the gun first."

"Fine," Leon gave in, stepping back and continuing their way down the hallway. "I have someone I'd like to introduce to you. I'll tell you everything I know on our way."

Thea let her eyes linger on his back for a few more moments, annoyance bubbling inside her. She clenched her jaw so hard it made some muscles twitch, fixing her eyes on the ceiling. Maybe all of this was just a fucked up prank or a fever dream, starring the very same bitch that made her life miserable. But after pinching herself she was sure it wasn't a dream. A nightmare, even, because where he was, it was always a nightmare.

"You coming?" Leon called back above his shoulder, noticing that she didn't move from her previous spot.

"Yeah," she growled, stomping her way to him. She only had to work with him a little then she could just abandon him, let him deal on his own. She had places to go and people to meet, she didn't want to waste more than one second over the necessary with him.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

After getting introduced to Marvin, a half-dead cop who saved Leon earlier, now it was time to take care of her wounds. Marvin said there was a first-aid kit in one of the lockers in the locker room where she could change out of her ruined clothes. Thea said she could just go alone while Leon made himself useful, but he was adamant about escorting her.

"This is getting ridiculous, Scotty," Thea groaned out in protest, his gaze hardening at the nickname. "You're not my dad. So be kind and fuck off."

"I'm not leaving you," Leon was determined, and once he set his mind it was impossible to change it. "I've dealt with these things before. You haven't. I can't lose another survivor."

"You're just afraid you'll be too dumb to figure out an exit without me," Thea sent him a displeased smile, walking inside the locker room. But when Leon followed her there, it rang some alarms. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Checking if it's safe," he replied without giving her a second glance, his pistol ready in his hand as he checked every corner. Meanwhile, Thea stood in the doorway with a shocked expression on her face, her mouth still agape as she opened it to argue.

"Do you take me as a damsel in fucking distress?" Thea exclaimed, getting more offended by his actions than normal. She hated when people, especially men treated her like she was nothing but a helpless woman.

She went through heavy training, she hit the gym three times a week, sometimes even more often. She took up boxing as a hobby in high school but had to stop because her mother started getting suspicious of her bruises. And her PE teacher asked her privately if everything was okay at home. But she proved many times that she was more than capable of handling herself.

And this fucktard still acted like she was just some random girl who fell through the window.

"It's clear," Leon pointed out the obvious, ignoring the way Thea was glaring daggers at the back of his head.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious. Now get the fuck out," Thea held the door open for him, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor.

He stood in the middle of the locker room, only a few feet between them as they stared at each other. He brought his bottom lip between his teeth, his eyes jumping across the place; he was stalling. He wasn't sure about something. Maybe he even seemed nervous, which was odd, she never saw him nervous before. Only when girls threw themselves at him, he wasn't that used to that.

"What?" Thea snapped at him, his blue eyes meeting hers. She gestured towards the open door vehemently, trying to finally get him out of the room. She was dying to finally take off her blood-soaked clothes and wet jacket.

"Do you need help with that?" he pointed toward her stomach. An aggravated sigh left her full lips, throwing her head back as she glanced at the ceiling. God, fucking take me. I had enough of life.

"No. Out."

Letting out a small sigh he walked past her, giving her a doubtful look. It only managed to piss her off more.

"I'll be out here if-"

Before he could finish his sentence, she slammed the door in his face. Mentally already exhausted, she let her forehead fall against the closed door, taking in a deep breath to calm herself. She imagined so many times now how good it would feel to strangle him. Or just gauge his little doubtful eyes out. Maybe she could stab him in his sleep.

It was draining to have to hold yourself back from either yelling or killing another person. She hated this man from the bottom of her heart and there was nothing that could change her opinion. Absolutely nothing.

She peeled her clothes down, those sticking to her skin either from the rain or blood. Her shirt was completely ruined at this point, there was no way saving it which only caused her mood to plummet more. Her jacket landed on a nearby bench with a heavy thud, all the rain weighing it down. While she was at it, she pulled her drenched black jeans off, too, tossing them beside her bloodstained shirt on the floor.

"Just fucking great," Thea huffed out, reaching for the first-aid box.

She cleaned the cuts on her stomach and palms, the alcohol burning the same way her anger did. Once she thought about seeing her family again the pain was bearable. What if her father was in trouble? Did he even receive her message? She didn't even know where her mother was. Her tip was she was still in the labs, she practically lived there at this point. Thea contemplated in contacting her, but a sour feeling made her not do so. If her parents were together they will be alright. Now she just had to get to them.

She wrapped some gauze around her waist to stop her fresh wounds from bleeding. It wasn't that bad, there were just a lot of little cuts all over her stomach. She pulled her spare clothes out of her bag, making a face as she looked at them. She was glad she packed some spare clothes, she just didn't think she would need them so soon.

Then she suddenly remembered Leon was still outside the door, and here she was just standing in her underwear. Like he felt she thought about him, two light knocks broke the silence.

"You alive in there, Dorothy?"

It's fucking Dorothea, she corrected him mentally. Her embarrassment got overpowered by burning hatred at the sound of the nickname. She sat down at the bench and started tugging her dark jeans up her leg, her eyes almost burning a hole in the door. The girl wish to rip his tongue out.

"You won't be alive for much longer, Scott," Thea snapped back, buttoning her jeans.

"Yeah, right, Eden."

"I'm going to murder you," Thea sneered, almost ripping her turtleneck by how forcefully she tugged it over her head. She blew some loose strands away from her face, smoothing down her top.

"As long as I hear you're alive, it's fine with me," Leon added, causing her breath to hitch in her throat. This motherfucker had the audacity to taunt her. Like she wasn't even a threat. "You decent?"

"Don't you dare come in, Kennedy! Or I swear to God I'll gauge your eyes out and stuff them down your throat so you can choke on it!" Thea threatened, her tone dripping with venom. It wasn't exactly a threat, more like a promise at this point.

"Jesus..." Leon muttered to himself, pulling his hand away from the handle. She sounded serious about that one. "No wonder you have no friends."

That hit a little too close to home. Her frown deepened as she looked at the door. She had friends, but only a very few. That didn't mean she doesn't have any. He was just assuming things like he always would. Bastard.

Thea pulled the bottom of her turtleneck lower, trying to cover up the bandages across her stomach. But no matter how hard she tugged each piece of clothing, there was always a little band where her skin showed, which she liked. If she had to work so hard for a lean stomach she might as well show it off. But right now she didn't need others to see she was injured. It could be a weak spot.

She reached for her jacket on the bench, flinching at her fingers touching the wet material. It was completely drowned, her skin crawled at the thought that she had to put that thing back on.

But there was no way she would go out there like this. She didn't want to see Leon's smug ass face whenever he looked at her, she already felt stupid enough for not being more careful. And there was also the risk of some other survivors ambushing her because she already looked weak. She looked like an easy target and she didn't like it.

She brought up a hand to massage the bridge of her nose, already cursing herself for the thing she was about to do. But if he would mention this later on like, ever, she was ready to break his neck.

"Hey, Kennedy!" she called out, the door of the locker opening in an instant like he was ready to burst inside at any second. His eyes scanned the room for any threat then landed on her, eyebrows furrowing at the sight of the bandages on her stomach. Of course, he would notice them right away. Observant fucker. "You happen to have a spare jacket or something?"

She regretted her words the moment she said them out loud, her face burning up as embarrassment washed over her. He was confused at first but from one glance he could tell her clothes were ruined. He stepped to a closet on the right, putting in a code he messed up the first time, but he managed to open it the second time. Thea averted her gaze, tugging at the sleeve of her sage turtleneck with a distaste in her mouth.

She absolutely hated asking for anything in life. Especially when it came to asking for help. There was just no way Thea Keller would ever ask for help and right now she was forced to ask for something from none other than Leon Kennedy. It made her soul die a little,

With a frown, she accepted the dark hoodie he handed to her, careful to not touch his hand under any circumstances. She felt the dark navy material between her fingers. It was soft and thick, the logo of the RPD embroidered on the left sleeve. Then her eyes spotted a name printed on the chest, small white letters threaded through the material.

Leon S. Kennedy

Thea clenched her jaw as she pulled the hoodie over her head, huffing out a breath as she threw her brown hair over her shoulder, her slightly wet hair cascading down to her mid-back. She couldn't help but notice how the sleeves hang from her arm, having to pull them up a little so her hand wouldn't be swallowed by them. Since when did Leon need this big of a hoodie for himself?

And as Leon looked down at her, her frame now hidden by his hoodie he never got to wear, he couldn't help but find her cute. She always had this fuck the world but especially Leon Kennedy look on her face, and she was always so scary and menacing he somehow forgot how small she was.

"Ew, stop that," she eyed him up, a disgusted look on her face. His head tilted to the side, not really catching what she meant, his small smile disappearing. Thea thought he looked like a dumb bird right now. "That weird thing your face did."

Leon couldn't hold inside a chuckle, shaking his head at the girl. It was literally the end of the world and she still found the time to insult him. She hasn't changed one bit since they last met.

"Yeah, and that, too," her eyebrows furrowed, not understanding his sudden good mood. She didn't like it. So, she made her way to the door, ignoring the way his name on the hoodie burned into her skin. "Let's get the fuck out of here, Kennedy."