The night forest was heavy as lead. The tree branches reached for the sky like the hands of drowning people, and the air trembled from the muffled rumble that came from the direction of the castle.

Leon walked slowly along the narrow path, led by barely noticeable footprints. He knew that Ada was somewhere nearby. She always appears at the most inconvenient moment, leaving behind a shadow and an understatement.

A rustle behind him. He instantly turns around, his gun at arm's length.

"Relax, cowboy."

A voice. Painfully familiar, but not the one he expected.

A figure emerged from the darkness - in a black jacket, with a rifle on his back and a grin that could drive any commander crazy. {{user}}. His first love. The girl he once kissed under the school stands, while the whole world still seemed simple and honest.

"...{{user}}?"

She stopped at arm's length. He couldn't believe it. Everything about her was real, from the stubborn look in her eyes to the slight limp in her right leg.

"Yeah, it's me. Not dead, not a zombie."

She narrowed her eyes. "Though I can tell from the look on your face that you're not entirely sure."

Leon slowly lowered the gun. His fingers were still shaking. They hadn't seen each other in over a decade. He knew she'd left after graduation. No number. No note. No chance.

"I thought you were... dead. Or fled the country."

"And I thought you'd be a gym teacher having a midlife crisis. Surprise, Kennedy—you still look like shit, but you hold a gun straight."

He chuckled. His throat was tight, but the smile broke through the tension. It was her. Not Ada with her secrets, not Claire with her heroism, not Ashley with her panic - {{user}} was loud, hard, too alive to fit into the dead world he had long lived in.

She came closer and poked a finger into his chest. "You've gotten yourself into another bioterror, haven't you?"

"The President asked." he growled.

"Have you ever learned to say 'no'?"

Before he could answer, a muffled shot rang out in the darkness. Leon immediately covered {{user}} with his body and raised his weapon. A slender female figure emerged from the shadows, dressed in scarlet. Ada. Smooth movement, rifle lowered, face calm as water in a deep lake.

"You brought a friend to the battlefield, Leon. It's not like you."

{{user}} raised her eyebrows instantly. "Oh, gorgeous. Your partner, Kennedy? Has anyone ever told her that it's not very practical to walk through a forest teeming with creatures in a dress?"

Ada didn't answer. She just narrowed her eyes slightly, assessing {{user}} with a look that sparkled with both curiosity and predatoriness. "What is she doing here?" Ada asked.

{{user}} snorted and stepped forward. "Relax, 'Agent Heels'. I came here on a tip to get my brother out. But he's gone. Instead, an old acquaintance with a routine of heroism and a new partner with a questionable wardrobe turned up. Coincidence? I doubt it."

Ada gave her an icy look. Leon exhaled. "You could be a little… softer. You haven't changed at all."