I spent most of the journey with my eyes closed. Not because I was desperate for sleep or to ignore the others, but to block out my currently useless sense of sight. In the back of a sealed, dimly lit truck, my eyes gave me little in the way of information other than the fact Garrett fidgeted and Cloud slept uncomfortably, occasionally holding his stomach. It was hard to determine any sounds outside over the constant drone of the engine, but I could tell what surface we were on by the vibrations through the bench seats.
It must have been several hours by the time the truck jerked to a halt and everyone is jarred awake, including Cloud, who was thrown from the bench he lay on and onto the pile of bergens. I stifle a laugh as he groans in confusion. The engine of the truck is turned off and the sound of doors opening and then slamming shut draws my eyes to the rear door. A soft, familiar sound waxes and wanes in the background. When the rear door is finally opened, the cold salt air hits me and I'm momentarily transported to my childhood home.
"Nobody leaves the vehicle for another… five minutes." A corporal I haven't seen before tells us as he checks his watch.
"Can I have the time, corporal?" I ask, in hope of my first clue of where we are.
"It's now 18:56. Get your bergens on. You have until January 16th 1900 hours to complete your exercise. Precisely 48 hours from…. NOW! MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!"
The four of us jump out and look around, noticing the coastline first. A sweet reminder of better days followed by the venomous sting of the future me and my sister had lost. At this time of year, the sun was all but gone at seven PM. All I could see was one part of the sky that seemed slightly lighter at the horizon. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. The coastline must be north then..
"Everyone over here," I order, summoning the three boys over to me. "I think we should empty one pack and see what's inside. Maybe there's something useful in there."
"That's not a bad idea," Cloud agrees, removing his bergen as the truck drives off.
The four of us sit on the grass just before the sand starts and huddle around the blonde's backpack. He opens it up and neatly places the contents in the middle of us. A couple of rations, a canteen full of water, a survival knife, some rope, a small fold away stove, metal cup, some fire making equipment, a green square of cloth, a large, folded up piece of what looks like tinfoil that Alex explains to be a thermal blanket, some chemical light sticks, a laminated map, pen and a compass.
"Pass me the map, compass and pen and put the rest back and strap our rifles to our packs." I tell the blonde.
"What are you thinking, Farron?" Garrett asks me, looking over the map I have sprawled across the ground.
"Sunset looked to be over there and the compass confirms it. That means the ocean is north. That narrows it down to these few coastlines," I point to the map. "We've been on the road for six hours at maybe thirty mph, so we can rule out anything past this point."
"Damn, that's impressive, Farron," Garrett praises. "So we need to head west?"
"We need to head south first," Cloud states. "It's not the time of year to be hanging around the coastline. If the wind picks up we'll freeze to death. Besides, if we're at this section of coast and not the other and we head west, we'll end up having to cross the river. It'll be quicker if it's frozen over and we can make it across, but I think its way too risky."
"That'll put us next to Kalm and knock a load of miles off the journey.." Garrett points out. "And once we're at Kalm, we can follow the road straight to Midgar."
"It would probably knock almost a day off our route..." I think aloud, still studying the map, "I think we should try it."
"So that's me and Farron for, Cloud against. What about you, Alex?" Garrett asks.
"Half the journey?….. Okay, let's cross the river."
"See, I'm always right, Strife," I tease.
"Whatever you say.. I think we should put our light sticks on our packs so we don't loose each other in the dark," He suggests with an annoyed expression.
"That's a good Idea," I agree, hoping to quell his annoyance.
Cloud shakes his head in defeat and takes out the plastic tube, cracking it and then giving it a quick shake to make it glow a bright orange. I do the same and we all attach them to our bergens before setting off. He doesn't protest our decision but I could tell he wasn't happy. At this time of year, surely the river would be like a block of ice. We could glide over it, pick up some good food in Kalm and then return to the barracks champions with a day to spare. I just wanted it to be over quickly because I was shivering already, but I refused to show weakness to the others. This place was like another world compared to my hometown. In the summer it was hot and in the winter it was still warm. Here it's cold and colder.
It takes over two hours to find the river, but its what's beyond it that we spot first. The town had a gentle amber glow to it from all of the lit windows that looked so warm and inviting after hours of walking along the coastline in through the numbing January air. We all pick up the pace, but Garrett is practically running. Probably eager to say hello to his family before making our way back to Midgar. Maybe they could even give us a lift back to the city limits.
The four of us eventually make it to the edge of the river and look upon it's glassy surface to find the moon's still reflection. I couldn't see any sign of cracks or hear any flowing water besides the gentle sloshing of the tide a few hundred yards to the north. The frozen river was about two foot below the bank so I turn around and slowly lower myself onto the ice, feeling reassured when it takes my weight easily. I look across to the other bank and then past it to Kalm. Sixty yards or so and I could be eating a good meal in the warmth. In the end, my shivering body overrules my usually rational mind and I start to slowly walk across.
"Wait!" Cloud shouts in a panic, but I pay him little attention.
"It will be fine. Just wait until I've made it across and then follow." I shout back without bothering to turn away from Kalm.
With each step I feel more and more confident about my decision, and by the time I'm about fifteen yards across I can almost taste the hot coffee I'd planned to order. I take another step and my heart sinks when I hear an echoing crack. Before I could look down, I was falling through the ice and into the sub zero water. On instinct I throw my arm up and grab a bit of the jagged ice as my body goes into shock, but the current below the ice was so powerful it pulls me under.
There's never been an instant in my life that I was so utterly terrified and helpless. I desperately claw at the ice above me in the vain hope of breaking through. I see the blurred image of the moon through the ice as I do everything I can to not drown. There was hundreds of yards before the river flowed into the sea and I'd surely be dead by them. Now punching the Ice as I fight off my body's instinct to breathe, I picture my sister and the life I've doomed her to.
Just as I'm about to accept my fate and breathe in the frosty water, the blurred image of the moon disappears and a hand bursts through the ice, grabbing me by the webbing. A second later, my head is above water and I take the most welcome intake of air ever. Still confused and disorientated, I struggle frantically to get the rest of my body out of the water when I hear the voice of my rescuer trying to give me orders.
"Farron, keep still! I can't get a good grip on you!" I hear Cloud's voice, but I can barely keep my eyes open.
I feel two arms grab the shoulder straps on my bergen, and with a grunt I'm pulled onto the ice. Somehow it was even colder out of the water when the wind hit me, and I was sure even with me no longer downing, I would surely die of hypothermia. The blonde turns me on my back; or rather my bergen and disappears from view again, but I feel him messing with something near my neck.
"You're gonna be okay, Farron," He says softly before shouting to the others, "Okay! Pull her in!"
Placing my hands on my stomach to keep them off the ice, I'm slowly pulled back to the bank I had so foolishly stepped off minutes ago. Before I knew it, Chris and Alex came into view as they lifted me onto the firm grass banking and I was so relieved I didn't know what to say. I do my best to sit up, but between my numb body and my saturated backpack now weighing double I was stuck.
"Chris, Alex, head into the tree line. One of you find a load of dead wood and the other just empty your pack out somewhere the four of us can make camp," Cloud orders with a worried voice.
"What about her?" I hear Garrett ask.
"You just take my pack. I'll carry her back. No point us all being wet," Cloud answers.
A wave of guilt washes over me as I realise the position I'd put everyone in. If we don't complete this course in time I've ruined their lives as well as my own. I didn't know the three boys very well at all. I had no idea what their true motivations were or their dreams. What I did know was that they all joined because they wanted to. Not for the money like me. Determined not to be a burden to them, I will my numb legs to lift me up but they don't answer my pleas. The blonde kneels beside me and takes my wrist in one hand and throws me over his shoulders, holding onto my leg with his other.
He was one of the smaller boys in our group of recruits with a lean frame. It lust have killed him to carry me and the heavy bergen on my back, but he doesn't complain once. I feel his back that's now dripping wet and I feel even worse. If I'd have just listened to him everything would have been okay
"Put her down against that tree," Alex tells the blonde, and he does so gently, removing my drenched pack before sitting me up with my back resting on the smooth bark. "I've no idea how to light this."
"Just sit tight, Farron, We'll get you warm and dry. Alex, take those three thermal blankets and find a way of making a wind deflector out of them. The foil should radiate some of the heat and keep it in. Chris, empty Farron's pack out. I'll get a fire going," Cloud explains.
It was interesting to see how the blonde took control of the situation. He always struck me as timid, but nobody was arguing with him now. Maybe because it was the three of us that chose the wrong route, or maybe they had no better ideas on how to fix things than he did. Either way, I was eternally grateful to Strife.
"What can I do to help?" I shiver.
"Once we've got this fire going, you need to go behind that bush over there and take your wet clothes off and then wrap yourself up with the thermal blanket. Then we'll hang your clothes up to dry and get some hot food in us all," Strife tells me.
I simply nod in agreement and watch him open up this small, collapsible stove and place a white block in the centre. He roots around in the piled up contents of the bergens to look for is knife and a tiny, metallic looking rod. I have no idea what the blonde is doing at first when he rests the little rod over the stove, but when he drags his knife across it, sparks erupt from it and ignite the white block in the centre.
"Sweet! Fire!" Garrett shouts in excitement, placing a huge pile of wood in the centre of our makeshift camp. "I'll get started on the camp fire as you've managed to light the stove."
"Right, go get out of those wet clothes, Farron," Alex tells me, handing me my thermal blanket.
Giving him a nod, I struggle to my feet and walk to the bush a few yards away from camp. I had no idea how this thin, foil sheet was going to keep me warm, but anything must be better than these saturated clothes. I remove my gloves and then my webbing before turning my attention to my boots. I don't know if I was going to laugh or cry when I attempted to bend over to untie my laces, only to fall over. In all honestly, I don't think I would have the dexterity to untie them if I wasn't so stuff I could reach.
"Cloud!" I shout, feeling embarrassed about what I was about to ask him. "Cloud you help me take my boots off?"
He says nothing but bends down in front of me, quickly untying my laces and pulling my boots and socks off. I couldn't tell if Strife was embarrassed or annoyed at me for the trouble I've caused, but he says nothing and returns back to the camp with my wet boots, leaving me to get undressed in private.
Thankyou again for taking the time to review this story. It means a lot. Guests (sorry I don't know your names!) im glad you liked the little reference to their respective games in the form of their rifle numbers. I fully intend to introduce more characters very soon, including some turks and SOLDIER members. This 'exercise' is just so the four characters can get to know each other a little better.
Also… WE HAVE A RELEASE DATE! Ff7 remake 03.03.2020. that definitely cheered me up a bit. Its now 1:50am here and square are about to present in 10 minutes. I imagine everyone else will be doing the same, but enjoy the chapter!