Chapter 1

Note: There will be no warnings before a chapter with graphic scenes. It would ruin the effect of the story.

Non-User comment replies:

Subaru: There are several crime stories that are around a similar plot… ish. I've read two, one of which that I stopped when it hit a plot twist that I thought was terrible, and the other which only has the prologue up. The latter was actually what made me start writing this… along with an obsession with CSI and Criminal Minds (derp). Though as far as I know the entire story isn't like either of them, so I shouldn't have to worry about any issues there. I was going to make Sephiroth the commissioner or something of the like, but I was reminded of Lazard and how little contact he seemed to have with everyone in Soldier. I want Sephiroth to be really… looking for term… there with the force, therefore being a greater influence. (You can see how Denzel seems to be in total awe of him) So captain was the best choice. And thank you very much, I try. And that was a long reply… Oops.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or any of its characters.

A middle aged man stepped out of his small van, slamming the door behind him and walking towards a dark building across its empty parking lot. He shivered, pulling his worn coat closer to himself to ward off the early morning chill. As he walked, a light rain began to fall, quickly escalating into a downpour. Cursing under his breath, the man began to jog towards the building, his feet slapping against the wet pavement.

Suddenly a second pair of feet joined his rhythm, and he turned to see who else was running from the rain. Glancing across the lot, he frowned when no person came into his view. He shrugged and began to head to shelter once more, pinning the extra sounds as an echo.

He finally reached the small building, and walked around the corner to a pair of rusted metal doors. Pulling a ring of keys out from his pocket, he began to fumble with the lock, drowning out any other sounds except the rain with its jangling.

The keys fell from his hands when a hand smashed his head into the hard metal.

Groaning on the ground, he looked up at the dark figure that stood over him; his vision blurred and tinted red. The man coughed and blood splattered onto the wet pavement, and he stirred feebly when a hand pressed against his chest.

"You've got a nice pair on you." A voice whispered, and he jerked away. "Get away… fucker." The injured man's voice slurred and his vision darkened. He coughed again and more blood fell to the ground. "You'll do perfectly." The voice whispered again, and he found himself being pulled across the ground.

In front of the building, the rain washed away the blood that would have been the only trace of the occurrence.

One week later

The phone rang from the living room, easily blaring through the thin walls of the apartment. Cloud looked up from his book and sighed, getting up from his bed.

Glancing into the door next to his own, Denzel looked up at him and waved his hand down the hall, turning to his magazine. The blond shook his head and headed down the hallway, towards the small table that sat in front of the couch. He leaned over the back of the worn down sofa and pulled at the small cordless phone, pressing it to his ear and pressing talk.

"Hello?"

A familiar deep voice sounded from the other side, but Cloud didn't recognize it. "Good afternoon. Is Denzel there?" He moved back down the hall and popped into his roommate's room. "Yeah, one sec."

He handed the phone to the younger man, before leaning against the doorframe.

"Speaking?" Denzel spoke lazily into the phone, flopping onto his bed and closing his eyes. They sprang open almost immediately, and he sat up straight, his brows furrowing. After a few seconds, he sighed, and tossed the phone back to Cloud, who stared at him questioningly.

"That was the Captain." He explained, getting up and beginning to pull on his uniform, which had sat on the ground for the past night, and looked rather unkempt. "What happened?" He asked, tossing him the jacket and rested near his foot.

Denzel swore loudly and pulled the jacket on, moving past Cloud and grabbing his keys. "Number sixteen happened. That's what." He pulled his boots on and headed towards the door. The older man followed him to the door, frowning. His friend turned towards him and scowled.

"You'll have to walk to work today, so be careful." He looked at his older friend with concern in his eyes. "Stay on the main road and make sure there are at least a few people around before going anywhere else." Cloud nodded and clasped his shoulder.

"I'll be fine, you just go to work."

Denzel sighed and left the apartment, leaving the blond alone in the room.

He turned and sat on the couch, resting his head in his hands. Glancing up at the small clock on the wall, he frowned, realizing he'd have to leave earlier if he were to make it on time. Pulling on his coat, he grabbed his bag from the small bench in the entranceway, closed the door behind him, and walked onto the cold street.

The people on the sidewalk moved slowly, clumps of people traveling together. Cloud watched a small cluster of young teenagers moving together, their hands gipping each other's tightly as they ran into an empty store. An old lady sat on a grey bench, staring at each person that walked by with suspicion.

Moving to the side to walk around an especially slow moving group, he winced when he collided with another moving body.

The sound of a bag ripping and contents clattering to the hard stone made him turn, and he was met with a thin man leaning over the ground, groceries scattered in front of him. He sighed and walked back to him, bending over and picking up a fallen can.

The man looked up at him in unconcealed surprise, and took the can from him cautiously. Thin, greasy brown hair fell over his face as he picked up the rest of the fallen articles. He stood up slowly, towering over Cloud easily, despite his seemingly minuteness. He whispered something inaudibly, and the blond looked at him questioningly. "I'm sorry?"

The man looked down at him again and whispered once more. "…Thank you."

He smiled softy and shook his head. "It was no problem." He turned away and waved. "Have a nice day."

He reached the coffee shop without any more trouble, and walked into the back room to be greeted by Yuffie, who jumped on him. "Just you and me today Cloudy!" She smiled, pulling him to the lockers. "He looked at Barret's locker and noted that it was indeed empty. "Why?"

She smiled, unusual sad for a few seconds. "Tifa had to visit a friend, but Barret has taken Marlene to Costa Del Sol for the next three weeks." She frowned, regaining her old self quickly. "He said they had planned it for weeks, but I think he's just being a chicken!" She laughed, before bouncing back into the store.

He watched her go off, before turning to his locker and frowning. He let his head fall against the side of the locker, sighing.

Regaining himself, Cloud quickly put on his apron and moved into the store front, placing himself behind the counter and forcing a smile onto his face.

His eyes widened slightly when he was met with the man whom he had bumped into before.

The man visibly was surprised as well, and the two stared at each other in silence, before Cloud remembered his job. He grabbed a cup and pulled out a pen, turning towards him and smiling. "What can I get for you?" Then man snapped his head down at him, and stuttered for a second before replying slowly. "… Tall bold please." He spoke in his quiet whisper once more.

He nodded his head and put the cup under the machine filling it and turning back to the man. "That will be four gil please." The cash register closed and he looked up at the tall man, smiling. "Have a nice day."

The man stared at him for a second, before nodding and turning towards the door, leaving quietly. Cloud watched from the corner of his eye as the man stopped outside the window and stared back inside for a second, before continuing down the street.

He shivered, and even Yuffie remained quiet as they stared at the place that whcih the man had stood. She reached down and gripped his hand tightly, both of them shaking slightly.

"We're walking home together today." She whispered, her voice wavering, not sounding at all like Yuffie. He nodded his head.

Cloud pulled the grate across the windows as Yuffie locked the door. The two stood in front of the shop and looked down the street, frowning when there was no one there. Her hand grabbed his and he held it tightly as they walked along the boulevard.

"Shit. Where is everyone?" He whispered, jerking his head towards the young woman. She shook her head and sped up, pulling him with her.

As the apartment complex neared into view, the slowed down slightly, but Cloud glanced around them as they passed the silent buildings that lined the road. He gulped slightly and shivered as a cold wind blew by them, and he gripped Yuffie's hand harder.

He jumped when a hand gripped his shoulder.

Crying out the two of them spun around wildly, eyes wide. They both let out their breaths when they were greeted with the sight of a face they recognised in a police uniform.

"Fucking hell Vince!" Yuffie cried out, making the black haired man wince. He instead turned to Cloud who stared at him accusingly.

"Common sense dictates that in certain situations one does not sneak up on people like that. Gaia Vincent, you gave me a heart attack." He spoke harshly, trying to calm his inflamed nerves. Vincent shook his head and sighed, pushing away a swearing Yuffie from his side. "It was not my intention. I apologize, but I have to ask that you return to your homes now. Captain Sephiroth has ordered all civilians to remain in their houses so any disappearances can be reported immediately." Cloud frowned and nodded his head. He grabbed Yuffie by the arm and pulled her towards her apartment, before turning back to the older man.

"Can you check to see if Tifa got home? She was out today so…" He broke off, shuddering. Vincent nodded and turned away, walking towards a small black van that sat at the corner of the street.

After dropping Yuffie off at her place, he went to his own and was momentarily surprised to find that he was alone. Glancing out the window at the empty streets, he realised that Denzel would probably be home late with everything that was going on.

He ungracefully let himself fall onto the worn couch, resting there for a few minutes to relax. Leaning over, he grabbed the remote and flicked it on, before picking up his book from where it sat on the small coffee table.

"The plot bunny is a small, mysterious creature-" He flipped through the book, stopping on his spot and settling down to read for a while. "-is known to reside in creative minds and-" He glanced up at the clock, frowning and biting his lip impatiently. "-no known cure for an infestation-"

The door slammed open and Cloud jumped, falling off the couch and whacking his head against. Vaguely he heard the sound of fast moving footsteps before a pair of hands pulled him up and sat him down back onto the couch.

Regaining his senses, he looked up to see Denzel staring at him with a ghost of a smile on his lips. "I think you need to relax a bit." He laughed slightly, sitting down next to him. "That… would probably be a good idea." Cloud groaned, staring at the screen.

The channel switched, and a news reporter stood in front of a large weather map. "..and we can expect a small amount of rain for the next few days. After that, the sun is going to come back through and it will be warm once more. People, get ready go to back outside." The T.V. flicked off, and Denzel snorted. "As if anyone is going to go outside right now." He leaned back and flung his arms across the back of the sofa, groaning loudly.

Cloud looked at him, and sighed.

The two sat in silence, until rain began to splatter against the window again.

"Tell Tifa to leave the store closed for a few days." Denzel spoke suddenly, staring at him in seriousness. Cloud nodded slowly, picking up the phone.

He was met with a voicemail recording, and he frowned, before remembering that Vincent would go find her. He left a message, and then set the phone down on the table, leaning over his legs and letting out a ragged sigh.

"Dammit." Denzel swore quietly. "Sixteen people Cloud. Sixteen."

He nodded his head and sat back up, clapping the younger man on the back. "At least Marlene is safe." He chuckled "So he actually listened to me when I told him to get her out of here. First sign of the apocalypse Cloud. We're gonna die."

Cloud laughed along with him, before grimacing at his last words.

Denzel left an hour later, telling him he'd be back in the morning.

Cloud woke the next morning with the phone ringing off the hook, and lightning flashing through the window.

To be continued-

Cliffhanger… (Duh duh duuuhhhh)

I never thought I'd get two chapters up in one day. First sign of the apocalypse dear reader. We're gonna die. Seriously.

Please feed my ego and review.