As You Lay Dying - Alfie Solomons

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//It's good to be back my Alfie-lovers. After my hiatus from Peaky Blinders, I found that I was missing something in my life. Once season 6 wrapped I felt confident enough to really return to Alfie again. When I wrote my first Alfie fic, I was under the impression that he really had died because season 5 had yet to drop. It's going to be fun to write Alfie knowing that he's a character that refuses to die. I'll be honest I'm very fond of Burned and Blue Eyes, almost to the point where I feel like it's hard to rewrite another OC into Alfie's life. But I'm hoping all my Burned and Blue Eyes fans will give Lily a chance to win over our favorite gangster. Anyways, I'll cease my Alfiesque rambling and let you all enjoy!

           In all her time in Margate, Lily had never come across anything like Alfie Solomons. She had become accustomed to her life in a fairly small town. Everything was predictable and for twenty-seven years, Lily appreciated the consistency of her life. It was like the tide, rolling in and out, reliable and timely.

But she forgot about storms and how they changed the ocean, churning the waves into an angry and destructive force of nature.

It was a typical windy day as Lily took her usual walk on the beach. The sun was out in full force, bleaching the sand almost white. The seagrass on top of the tall dunes danced around in the ocean air. It whipped Lily's dark brown hair into a frenzy, making her wish she had pinned it back that morning before she left.

She smiled as she watched her sheepdog run a few paces ahead of her. It was those simple moments that made her grateful to be alive. Standing beside the ocean she felt small, but that was fine by her. She knew her place in the world and there was no need to venture outside of her small bubble in Margate.

But as she came around the bend, past the pier, she noticed something in the distance. Her dog, Argos, began running toward the dark figure in the sand.

Lily frowned, wondering if it was a beached seal which was an occasional sight. "Argos!" She whistled and tried to catch up with her dog before he could get ahold of whatever was there. However, her heart dropped to her stomach when she got closer and could pick out a coat and a pair of boots. "Argos, heel!" She didn't want her dog sniffing around what looked like a dead man.

Her pulse increased as she came within a few yards of the mystery. She gasped when she saw blood trickling out onto the sand. The world started to spin, wondering if she had really stumbled across a dead body.

Argos sniffed at the man, his short tail wagging curiously.

The man groaned in a guttural voice. His hand fluttered. "Cyril...c'mon boy, quit..." He slurred.

Panicked and not sure what to do, Lily cautiously stepped closer. "Sir? Are you alright?"

The man was lying on his back, and to her shock, the entirety of his left face was covered in blood.

Lily let out a shriek when his eyes opened.

"Fucking hell." He grumbled. "Fucking banshees in hell?" He muttered and moved his left hand to his face. His palm became coated in blood and he stared blankly at the red substance stuck to his fingers.

"Sir...you're very hurt." Lily was trembling, her brain was a mess, unable to come up with a course of action.

To her disbelief, the bloodied man sat up. His torso swayed a little bit but he could hold himself upright. "Fuck me..." He blinked and looked around. "Is this hell? 'Cause, it looks a lot like Margate."