That Fateful Night
Chapter 1:
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Final Fantasy. Devynn, Victoria and Zachary, however, are 100% mine.
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Devynn sat in a booth in the upper level of the local club. She stared down at the dance floor, watching for her life long friend, Ariel. It was Devynn's twenty first birthday and Ariel had promised to take her out for dinner and dancing to celebrate.
As Devynn sat there, a flash out of the corner of her eye pulled her attention away from the dance floor. Looking across the table, she sighed inwardly at the sight of the tall, gangly man sitting there, smirking and holding a camera. As much as Devynn wished, this man was no stranger. It was Zachary, her high school lab partner. Devynn never really had a problem with Zachary being her lab partner; it was when they graduated four years ago and he kept following her around that she started to get a tad annoyed. Even though Zachary was two years older than her, his mental state was still going through puberty.
Devynn looked at him dryly. "What do you want, Zachary?" She didn't even bother trying to hide her distaste for him.
"What's wrong?" Zachary chided. "Can't I wish a happy birthday to my favorite lab partner?"
"It's been four years. We're not lab partners anymore. We've graduated...and I don't have any notes for you to copy anymore. I've even been through college already. I mean, really, Zack, move on." It was then that a realization struck Devynn, and it struck her hard. If Zachary was there, then so was…
As if on cue, a huff sounded from over Devynn's shoulder, audible even over the blaring music that pounded through the club. Turning, she confirmed her suspicions. Matching her height, only thanks to her four inch heels, was Devynn's most powerful source of annoyance and aggravation; Victoria.
Victoria glared at Devynn then pouted at Zachary. "Zacky, baby buns," she said in her high, whiny voice, "I'm gone to the bathroom for thirty seconds and your off chasing…this." There was no mistaking the hatred and disgust as Victoria raked her eyes over Devynn's casually clothed body.
Oh yes, Devynn thought to herself, how dare my middle-class job, and self-worthy self contaminate the presence of the great and almighty Victoria.
Zachary looked up at Victoria. "Tory, you were in there for twenty minutes."
Victoria huffed and stomped her foot in a very child like manner. Devynn threw her hands up in surrender. "He's all yours, V, I'm going home."
Victoria gleamed as though she'd just emerged victorious from some gruesome battle. Devynn slid out of the seat and tucked her jacket under her arm. She trotted down the stairs and out to the street, nodding to the bouncer by the door on her way out.
The cold wind filled her lungs, sucking her breath away. She shivered and tugged on her coat. Pulling the cell phone from her jeans pocket, she flipped it open. At the top of the contacts lists, she highlighted Ariel's name and typed a message. Hey. Been over an hour. Going home. Devynn snapped the phone shut and returned it to her pocket.
About a block from the club, Devynn felt a chill crawl down her spine. She became more aware as she walked and it wasn't long before she heard the footsteps behind her. Knowing better than to look, Devynn glanced at the reflection in the dark windshield of a car parked by the sidewalk. There were two people following her. One was much taller than the other and had their head ducked down, to hide their face.
Devynn swallowed and turned the next corner. Maybe she was imagining it. Maybe she was just paranoid. She always got freaked out when she was walking alone in the dark. Devynn ran a few steps, hoping to put some distance between her and the others. She slowed to a walk again before they could see that she was running. Devynn kept watching the windshields and shop windows. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.
Just as Devynn laughed at herself, her breath caught. The two people rounded the corner, running. Devynn stopped. They stopped. Devynn didn't move for a while as she watched the reflection and pulled out her phone pretending to type a message. Her heart pounding, Devynn took quick, long strides and ducked into an alley.
She stood just inside the corner and put her phone away. She heard the pounding of hard shoes on the concrete. She readied herself. Just as the tall one swung around the corner, Devynn snapped her fist out, catching them hard in the side. They yelped and stumbled sideways. The second follower stopped at the sight and stood on the sidewalk, looking in.
That's right, Devynn thought, you better keep a distance.
The tall one pulled them self up to their feet and a low chuckle sounded from behind the high collar. Definitely a man. He started toward Devynn and threw his hand out toward her. She ducked out of the way and swung her left fist into his ribs. He grunted and as he started to move, Devynn threw her right fist straight up into his throat. The man spluttered, grasping his throat and dropping to his knees.
The shorter one gasped. "Zacky!" she cried and ran to the mans side.
Devynn stood up straight. "Victoria?" She looked down at the man on the ground as Victoria's hood fell away and she pulled down Zachary's so she could see his face, that didn't betray the pain he was in. "Zack! What the hell?"
Victoria stood slowly. She was no longer in the heels she had on before and only came up to Devynn's shoulder. "You! I'm so sick of you! People like you, walking around this city thinking you've got it all figured out. You're not the one that owns all the banks! You're not the one who makes all the decisions for this place."
Devynn cocked an eyebrow. "Neither are you."
Victoria snarled. "But my father does!"
"But you don't…and neither does Zack. So what's the deal?"
"I just don't like you!" Victoria spun around and reached into Zachary's jacket. Pulling out a gun, she whirled back to Devynn, firing blindly.
Devynn hollered and ducked low. Lucky for her, Victoria had horrid aim. That's probably why Zachary had the gun in the first place. Thinking as quickly as she could, Devynn scooped up a rock and flung it at Victoria. Not watching to see if it hit, Devynn ran out of the alley before Victoria could fire the pistol again. She tore down the sidewalk, Victoria and Zachary not far behind.
Shit, shit, shit. What do I do? Where do I go? Devynn zigzagged in and out of alleys and side roads, doing her best to lose her pursuers. It was no use. They were hot on her trail with every turn she made. Devynn glanced over her shoulder and when she looked back, she nearly screamed. Terrific. She'd run in a complete circle and was now heading straight for Zack and Tory. As she skidded to a halt and Victoria raised the gun and pointed straight at Devynn's face, a bright orange light flashed.
Suddenly, all three of them were thrown into hard, hot ground. Looking around, Devynn saw a very strange looking motorcycle type vehicle heading straight for her. Not one. Two. She rolled out of the way as it whizzed by and the second one stopped before it passed her. Devynn spat out a mouthful of sand and looked up into the eeriest pair of eyes she'd ever seen. The color was a beautiful, shimmering turquoise, but it was the narrow slit of a pupil that made her breath catch in her throat.
The man had short, white, styled hair and an evil smirk. He laughed as he looked down at her. The other motorbike crept up on the other side of her and a man with the same cat-like eyes and white hair, that was long past his shoulders instead of short, watched her blankly.
A shuffle stole Devynn's attention. She looked behind her and saw Victoria standing there, hair messed and full of sand. She screamed in frustration and lifted the gun once again. Before Victoria could pull the trigger and finish what she'd started, the long haired man grabbed Devynn by the collar of her now ripped jacket and hauled her onto the back of his bike.
"Loz," said the long haired man, "take that weapon."
Without a word, short haired Loz let down the kick stand on his cycle and left it. In a flash he was behind Victoria and the gun was on the ground as he held her arms firmly behind her back. Devynn looked behind them and saw Zachary laying in the sand, unconscious.
Scared and confused, Devynn remained still and silent as she watched the white haired men. "What should we do with them, brother?" Loz asked.
"I'm not sure," said the long haired man in a tone that was eerily calm. "It's like they appeared out of thin air."
"Maybe Kadaj will be interested by this," Loz suggested.
Loz's "brother" chuckled and nodded. "Good thinking." He pulled some rope from a compartment on the bike and tossed it to Loz. "Bind her and take her on with you. Can you fit him on, too?" he asked as he nodded toward Zachary.
Loz nodded and began to tie Victoria's arms behind her. She screamed and struggled to get away, but she was no match for Loz's obvious strength. She continued to scream and cry "My father will hear of this!" she complained. Loz merely glared at her and made a sound of disgust from his throat. He ripped a piece of her sleeve from her coat and gagged her with it.
Devynn had to fight not to giggle at the sight. How she'd wanted to do that for years. "It's best not to fight it," the man who had pulled Devynn onto his bike warned Victoria. She stopped struggling and screaming but she was still crying. Tears flooded down her face and dampened the sand at her feet. The man turned and looked at Devynn over his shoulder. "Are you going to resist, too?"
Devynn looked up at his eyes and shook her head silently.
"Smart girl," he said. They waited as Loz loaded Zachary onto the back of the bike before they rode off. He looked like a dead deer, laying there like that.
As they sped down the roadless desert, Devynn stared off into the distance, studying the buildings on the dark horizon. They looked like buildings…but there was still something very strange about them. Where was she? How did she get here? Who were these men? Why was she afraid of them?
Devynn grabbed onto the long haired man's shoulders and held tight as they skidded to a halt. They'd come to a large house with a large grassy yard just off the desert. A dirt road made the driveway. It looked very sinister with no lawn decorations or trees.
The long haired man got off the bike then took Devynn's wrist and pulled her off, too. He led her inside the house and as he pulled her through the entrance, Devynn noticed the extreme difference in feel from the outside. Inside was decorated and homey. Definitely a place where people had nested. Not just some random house that a couple criminals were holing up in for a while.
That thought made Devynn relax ever so slightly. "Kadaj!" the man called out as he pushed Devynn into an arm chair. "Come here, you're going to want to see this!"
Devynn sat ramrod stiff and stared around the room as Victoria entered, her face stained with tears, and no longer gagged. Loz entered behind her with Zachary slung over his shoulder. He was flung onto the couch without effort or care.
A man came into the room from another doorway. He was shorter than the other two and looked younger, but his eyes were exactly the same and his shoulder length hair was the same color. That must be Kadaj. He frowned at the scene in the living room before he turned to the long haired man. "Yazoo, what is this?"
"We don't know," Yazoo said. "We were driving home and then there was a sudden orange flash of light and these three just appeared. Then that one," he pointed to Victoria, "tried to shoot this one," he pointed to Devynn.
"Look at their clothing," Kadaj said. "They don't look like they're from this world."
It was only then, that Devynn realized all three men were wearing strange leather suits. Either these guys were really into leather, or she really wasn't in her world anymore. She suddenly felt like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz.
"Do they speak?" Kadaj asked.
Yazoo nodded. "The yellow haired one spoke of her father, but that's all we've really heard. And the brunette seemed to understand me when I spoke to her."
Kadaj sat on the end of the coffee table and looked at Devynn closely. "Can you understand what I'm saying?" Devynn nodded. "Do you speak this language?" Devynn nodded. "What is your name?"
Devynn swallowed and breathed in slowly. "Devynn."
Kadaj frowned. "That's an odd name. Never heard anything like that before."
Devynn looked up at him shyly. "No offence, mister, but I've never heard of a name like 'Kadaj' before, either."
Kadaj simply chuckled and turned to Victoria. "And do you have a name, as well?"
Victoria whimpered and made no effort to answer him. Kadaj frowned. "You don't understand me?"
"She understands," Devynn stated. "She's just too scared to answer. Her name is Victoria." Victoria snapped an angry glare to Devynn. "And the guy on the couch is Zachary."
Kadaj turned back to Devynn and smiled. "Very good. You already know I am Kadaj, and these are my brothers, Yazoo and Loz." Kadaj pointed to each brother in turn. "Our eldest brother is at work right now, but he'll be home soon. It's hard to get on his good side, so be on your best behaviour."
"What are you going to do to us?" Victoria stammered.
Kadaj stood and turned towards the doorway he entered through. "I'm not sure. But I know we could use someone to cook and clean around here."
As if reacting to the word 'cook', Devynn's stomach growled and she realized that she never did have dinner with Ariel. She wondered if she even had cell service here.
Kadaj turned and looked at Devynn with a slight smirk. "Hungry?" Devynn didn't answer but her stomach growled again. Kadaj turned to Yazoo. "Feed the guests. I'm going to call Sephiroth."
Yazoo nodded and exited through the doorway that Kadaj was heading towards. Before he left, Kadaj gave Devynn one last glance and smiled at her. If it weren't for the fact that she was currently being held captive by him and his brothers, Devynn might actually think he was friendly. Loz sat on the arm of the couch where he'd tossed Zachary. Victoria turned to him and pouted "Can you untie me now? I promise I won't run away."
Loz stared at her, not sure he believed her, but deciding that he was faster anyway, he snapped her closer by her wrists and untied the rope. Victoria rubbed her wrists and sat on the edge of the couch, nearly sitting on Zachary's legs.
Victoria glared at Devynn from across the room. Devynn frowned. "What? You're the one that was trying to kill me, don't make this out to be my fault."
Victoria scoffed and looked at Loz, "Why does Kadaj keep smiling at her?"
Loz propped his foot on the corner of the coffee table. "Kadaj likes people who cooperate. Your friend has been cooperative. So he likes her, more than you already."
Victoria made the same sound of disgust she always made when she felt she was being cheated. "She's not my friend."
Loz shrugged as he picked up the remote from the back of the couch and turned on the television set against the wall. "Either way, Kadaj likes her more."
The room was silent until Yazoo returned with a tray of sandwiches. He set it on the coffee table and passed one to Devynn. She took it and managed a quiet thank you. She stared at it, not sure if she should eat it or not.
Seeing her doubt, Yazoo laughed. "Don't worry. It's not poisoned." He paused. "At least yours isn't," he smirked as he passed one to Victoria, who took it then widened her eyes as she realized what he meant. Yazoo laughed loudly and took a sandwich for himself.
Loz leaned down and picked one up, too. He rolled his eyes at Victoria. "He's joking. He doesn't know anything about poison."
Victoria sat silent, staring at the sandwich and watching for Devynn to take the first bite. Yazoo moved toward Devynn and sat on the arm of the chair. He watched the television as he ate his food. Devynn glanced at the screen and absentmindedly wondered what they were watching. It wasn't anything she recognized.
The twist of pain in her stomach, brought Devynn's attention back to the sandwich in her hands. She wanted to lift the top piece of bread and see what was in it, but she didn't want to insult Yazoo. Angering these men was the last thing she wanted to do, so slowly, Devynn lifted the sandwich to her mouth and took a bite. At that same moment, Zachary jerked and opened his eyes.
He looked around and then smiled at Victoria. "Tory, baby," he said and she huffed and refused to look at him. Zachary sat up and looked around again. "Where are we?" he asked Devynn.
Devynn shrugged and continued to eat her sandwich. Loz looked down at Zachary. "Outskirts of Midgar. Be quiet and eat your sandwich."
Zachary looked at the sandwich on the tray and picked it up. Without questioning it or showing the slightest bit of suspicion, he ate it and stared mindlessly at the television set. There was no doubting that this man was simple.
As Devynn ate, she replayed the days events. Work was typical. But why didn't Ariel show up? That wasn't like her. Why had Victoria wanted to kill her so badly? Why was Zachary willing to help? Well that one wasn't a huge mystery. Zachary was a tool and did whatever Victoria told him to do, whether he wanted to or not.
Thinking more and more, Devynn realized that, even though she was afraid of these men, none of them had ever even moved to harm her. Yazoo had even removed her from the line of a bullet. Kadaj had Yazoo feed her and he didn't have to. He could have let her go hungry. Loz had bound and gagged Victoria, but that was her own fault.
Kadaj strode into the living room and looked over at Zachary. "Finally awake, are we?" Zachary laughed through a mouthful of food and Kadaj looked at him in disgust. "No table manners, I see. That's too bad."
Zachary laughed again. "Hey, this sandwich is great, but you got any beer?"
Kadaj, Loz, Yazoo and Victoria all gaped at Zachary in disbelief. "You actually have the nerve to ask for a beer from the people holding you captive?"
Zachary looked confused but Devynn sighed. "I don't make a habit of defending him, but he probably doesn't realized that he's been 'kidnapped'. He was unconscious when that happened."
Yazoo looked down from his perch and nodded. "That actually makes sense."
Zachary looked around the room. "Kidnapped? Really? Not many kidnappers eat and watch television with their victims."
Yazoo lifted an eyebrow. "That makes sense, too."
Devynn chuckled lightly. "Then again, it's not like you really kidnapped us. You just kind of bumped into us in a desert and took us home." The room fell silent as everyone realized how much truth was actually behind that statement. Even though Victoria resisted, Devynn and Zachary were not technically kidnapped. Devynn looked from Loz to Yazoo. "Thanks, I guess."
Kadaj howled with laughter. "You may be speaking too soon. I came in here to tell Loz and Yazoo to lock you three in the basement when you're done eating."
"…oh."
Devynn lay still as she stared at the ceiling. Locked in the basement. At least it wasn't a cold, dank room with concrete floors. Although there may be concrete underneath, the floors were covered in a thick beige carpet. There was a washroom to the left of the stairs that had towels and hot water. A small room to the right had a bed, where Victoria had demanded she and Zachary sleep, and down the short hallway was a desk and couch with some bookshelves where Devynn was. Almost like a small office.
Before they were taken to the basement, Victoria had told Zachary everything that had happened and then proceeded to be angry with him for 'letting' Loz tie her up. Devynn pulled the blanket up under her chin and closed her eyes, trying to sleep.
- A/N: So this is the start of a new fanfiction since I haven't written anything in a while. Review and let me know what you think. I'm open to suggestions. Hope to hear from you soon!