The place that Cloud had asked Barret to meet him was in front of a dingy little motel on the outskirts of Edge. Barret couldn't help but think that the place looked like hell – mold growing on the outside walls, rubble strewn in every direction. The windows that weren't boarded up with pieces of plywood were adorned with steel bars. The entire front building was covered in a black filth, as if it had been set aflame. Barret paced back and forth for twenty minutes waiting for Cloud, observing the dilapidated building. When he was sure Cloud would not be coming, he decided to enter the motel.
"He's in number seven." A bitter voice scowls at Barret after he described who he is looking for. The woman who runs the motel is a Wutai native. It is reflected in her physical appearance and clothing; a cheaply made Qipao adorned her elderly frame and a jade pendant dangled from around her wrinkled neck. "He owes 50 gil."
Without a word, Barret tossed the gil on the counter of the front desk and followed the hallway until he reached a door marked with a gold No. 7 sign. He was about to knock before he noticed that the door was already slightly ajar. Nudging it open a little, he could see that the tiny room was trashed. The bed had no sheets or frame, just a blood-stained mattress resting on the crusted brown carpet. Cigarette ash, empty beer cans, and dirty syringes accompanied the mattress as decoration on the floor.
Once Barret pushed the door completely open, he could see Cloud curled up in the fetal position in the corner of the room. He was completely motionless, his eyes closed. "Cloud? Yo, are you okay?" He called out as he entered the room. But his concern was met with silence. And the panic set in when he stepped close enough to notice that Cloud's skin was a frightening shade of blue. Sweat beads dripped heavily from beneath his blonde spikes.
"Shit! Cloud, wake up man!" Barret bent down and checked for a heartbeat. Luckily, Cloud still had one. But when he checked for signs of breathing, he wasn't as fortunate. Barret could feel the rib bones shatter beneath his cupped hands as he performed chest compressions on his seemingly lifeless friends. "Somebody, anybody! Get some god damn help!" He yelled out, hoping someone in the motel would hear his pleas. "Fuck!"
Crack. Crack. With another chest compression he could feel Cloud's breastbone plate fracture as he pushed down with all of his weight. But he still wasn't breathing. The shade of his skin was no longer blue, it had gradually grown colorless. The bruises and puncture marks that were scattered across the veins in his arm grew more prominent.
"You can't fucking give up on me now!" Barret shouted as he shook Cloud's listless body back and forth.
And then, Cloud gasped for breath as he lurched forward. He fought for breath, tears bursting from his eyes.
Author's Note: As always, reviews are very much appreciated. They're extremely valuable to me. They help guide my progress. They also help keep me motivated to continue writing and know how I can improve. So feel free to review with any criticisms, likes, etc.