Hello!

This is my very first English FFXIII fanfiction. Please, bear with my horrible English as it is not my first language.

The idea came from Resident Evil. I've been a fan since a long time ago, maybe since the first time I started writing back in 2008 or 2009. Actually, I finished writing this story last year in my first language, then some times ago when the trailer of RE2 Remake came out, I decided to rewrite and re-plot it. And also translating it. It took me a lot of time to translate a chapter, because of work and real life duties.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story.

See you!

Eden Catastrophe

Chapter 1

Lightning's body shook greatly. The shock was channeled to her arm and a 9mm pistol she was aiming. The muzzle rocked. Right-left and up-down, sometimes spinning by itself. The whole room was spinning as well. Every color was mixed up like paints in a palette.

"Stay back!" she screamed. Her right index finger was on the trigger. "I…."

The female figure in front of her was approaching slowly. She dragged one foot, her head upward. She held out both hands to Lightning, as if trying to reach. Her open mouth revealed rows of darkened teeth. Groans like an animal in pain replaced the once beautiful voice that Lightning had always remembered. What were crystal blue eyes, full of love and innocence, now were completely white as paper. Blood was seeping out of the figure's bandaged left arm. If it wasn't for the apparel—white blouse and a red mini-skirt, Lightning wouldn't be aware of the gender. And if it wasn't for the leather bracelet on her right arm, Lightning wouldn't know who the figure was.

"Lightning, put your gun down!" Snow warned for the umpteenth time. The young man was standing next to Lightning. One arm was outstretched as if to grab her gun.

"You idiot! You want to die?!" Lightning rebuked without turning from the figure in front of her. The distance between them was getting shorter. Lightning's heart was pounding in her chest, and her stomach churned. Her muscles was screaming for her to run away, rather than having to spew hot lead to the figure. "Serah ... Serah is…."

"Serah's not a zombie!" Snow yelled. "She's your sister. Why don't you believe her?"

This was the very reason Lightning hadn't pulled the trigger yet. The figure, trapped between life and death, who was now approaching and reaching wildly, was her dear sister.

"Serah..." Lightning looked down at the tip of her brown boots. She lowered the gun, weighing between discarding it or holstering it back.

"Serah," said Snow, sounding desperate. "Uh—stop the joke, Serah! It's not even funny! You ... you're not a zombie. We're not gonna hurt you, so ... so stop pretending!"

Lightning wanted to punch Snow right on the face. At a critical time like this, he still considered Serah joking? Was he too dense to not see the fact presented this close?

Serah roared, bellowed, growled.

"No one's gonna die here. Right, Lightning?" Snow asked.

Lightning wouldn't be able to kill Serah, even if she had become a monster. Serah was a half of her soul. Serah was the very reason she was still alive when life itself hated her. If she had to lose Serah, she'd better die! Life without Serah meant suicide.

Suddenly, a loud thump was heard. Lightning looked up and gasped when she found Serah had sprinted toward her. She looked angry, even angrier than Lightning herself. Her white eyes showed nothing but hunger and will to kill. Instinctively, Lightning aimed her gun to Serah's head, and pulled the trigger.

The bullet went straight into her forehead, drilled a small but deep hole on it. Blood rushed out of the hole, a sparkling red under a white lamp. In a second, Serah fell to the floor with a loud thud. Blood continued to pour out of the hole on her forehead, flowing to the floor and formed a red halo smelled of rust. Serah's pink hair dangled into the pool of blood. And she didn't move anymore.

"SERAH!" Snow rushed and knelt beside the girl's body, both hands floating over her blood-drenched face. "This can't be! Serah! Serah!"

Lightning's hands fell to her sides. Her eyes went wide, exceeding the limit and felt like they wouldn't return to their original size. Lightning's grip loosened, and finally her handgun fell heavily on the floor.

"No, Serah!" Snow hugged Serah, and buried his head into the girl's face. The tip of his corn-blond hair was dyed red as it touched Serah's blood. His enormous body enveloped the girl's petite one. "Serah..."

"What did I..." Lightning blinked. She looked at her hands. There were streaks of red just like the one on the gun grip. But that wasn't the point. These hands, hands that had always held Serah's little hands, always protected her from school bullies, were the same hands that had taken her life. "I…. Serah ..."

"You killed her!"

Snow's howl jerked Lightning back to the present. She saw Snow cradling her sister. His face was red and tearful.

"You killed Serah, bastard!" Poison was in Snow's every syllable. "You killed your own sister!"

"No!" Lightning shook her head. "I didn't—"

"You shot Serah, and now she's dead! You hear me? She's dead now, bitch!" Snow's shiny blue eyes were full of spite. Serah's blood continued to flow into his lap, darkening Snow's white-tusk coat.

Lightning snatched her gun back from the floor, and hold it up to Snow's nose. "Stop saying it, bastard!"

"SHOOT ME, BITCH! SHOOT ME!" Snow challenged. "I'd rather die than lose Serah! SHOOT ME!"

And that was what Lightning did.

Bang!

"Lightning?! You..." Snow snarled. A hole was engraved on the wall behind him, an inch from his right ear. Black smoke was rising to the humid apartment.

Lightning could feel her own tears flowed endlessly. In one quick motion, she changed her target to her own right temple. Her finger was on the trigger. One false move, and she would die. But death had never felt this calming now that her sister was also beyond the living.

"Oh, so now you want to kill yourself?" Snow's voice was hatred.

Lightning closed her eyes, unable to look at Snow and his full of accusation eyes.

"As if Serah will forgive you after that! You're a monster! A murderer! You can't even protect your own sister! "

NO!

Driven by fear and anger, Lightning turned around and ran helter-skelter away from Snow. Her feet were sore, but not as sore as her heart. And the tears wouldn't stop flowing.

Lightning kept running. The world shifted on her either side like a series of film scenes. First was Serah's apartment, then a dark hallway, the front yard, highways with no sign of life, another highway, and the ruins of the city. There were only cars without drivers, as well as empty buildings that loaded the downtown Eden tonight. Even wild animals were nowhere to be seen. Fire broke out here and there, along with splashes of fresh and dried blood. If things were different, Lightning would run back to Snow and Serah. But, only tears and cold accompanied her tonight.

When exhaustion crept in, she fell to her knees on the wet-cold asphalt. Chill ran up her knees and reached her head. Along with the piercing night air, Lightning hoped, she would freeze to death tonight.

TBC

I hope you enjoy my story.

Thank you for coming.

See you in the next chapter.