Final Hell

...

chapter nine

...

a hopeful turn

...

...

.

It was a long and morbid telling, but Cloud relayed to Zack everything that had happened in the past few months as they wandered the third floor, searching for the key. Their only clue was that it was in a doctor's office... and this floor seemed to be house every doctor's office in the building.

By the time Cloud had finished his tale, they had searched two hallways to no end, and his older friend was clearly unhappy. There was a darkness that almost never showed in his eyes, a shadow behind his words he attempted to keep hidden. But Cloud could hear it - the unsaid words, the knowledge he did not share. It bugged him, but he didn't push it. He'd just gotten him back, he didn't want to lose Zack again.

"What about you?" Cloud finally asked as Zack messed with another locked door, jiggling the handle, kicking the bottom. The blond flinched at the noise. "Kept quiet! We don't wanna -"

Scrrrch.

Both men froze, eyes widening, the metallic sound echoing through the hall. They waited as if their doom had come on them, Cloud's eyes falling shut as he instinctively began to pray, lips moving without sound. But as the seconds past and nothing happened, no other sound came, both heaved quiet sighs of relief.

When Cloud opened his eyes and glared at his friend, Zack had the audacity to look innocent. He cleared his throat and let go of the doorknob.

"Uh, yeah, me." They started walking again; his chipper mood was somehow still in place, an almost unending optimism that kept Zack eternally cheerful. "How I got here... " A frown settled on his lips. "Huh..."

"What is it?"

Glancing at the younger, Zack tried to give one of his bright smiles. "Nothin', just..." But the frown came back through. "I can't... there's some holes. I know I followed Aerith here... there's - did we come together?"

He halted, a hand coming to his chin, and Cloud stopped a foot ahead. The brunet began pacing, fighting to recover the lost time.

"I saw her here - I remember following her down the road. But why was she running? She wouldn't have left me - and I remember the monsters. There was a little girl too, but she ran off... and... and fire." A light of realization seemed to fill his eyes as they settled on Cloud's. The blond waited eagerly to hear whatever it was Zack had remembered, but the explanation was hardly enough. "He showed me the fire."

The blond blinked. "'He'...? Who is 'he'?"

SCRRRRCH.

Both jumped, spinning towards the direction of the god-awful screech - nothing was there that they could see, but Cloud's heart was still thundering a drum tempo in his veins - frightened blue eyes turned to disturbed, darker ones, as Zack seemed to sober.

"Doesn't matter now. Something's here that doesn't want us to be -" He looked forward to the path, all determination and drive, and strode forward as a warrior. "Come on!" He began to jog, and Cloud followed, not quite understanding and very upset - torn between fear of this new unnamed foe, and confusion at being left in the dark.

"What? But Zack, wait -" The elder turned a corner and Cloud hastened to follow, his fear tripling in that brief instant where Zack could no longer be seen. His worries lessened considerably when the large form of his friend was in sight again. "What's going on? What do you know!"

But the soldier's eyes merely thinned, darkened by knowledge and by some inner conflict, Cloud's words not penetrating the fog of thoughts in his head. "The fire..." He muttered, scanning the hall and running past everything. "Where did it start...?"

On they ran, led by instinct, racing from the things that go bump in the night.


Kadaj cradled his wound, sitting on the edge of the bed. His hair was newly bloody, as he leaned forward, bangs hiding his eyes, whole body trembling in fear of the entity that was in the room with him.

"What was I to do...?" He whispered, and then flinched as if he'd been yelled at. "I didn't know! I didn't know!" Hair flying, he whipped his head up, green eyes blazing. "HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW!"

But then he fell back again, falling onto the bed and convulsing, mouth wide open as if to scream but only choked sobs and groans half made could escape. "S - St - gh -"

It ended and he gave a cry, body lying boneless on the mattress, wide eyes staring in horror at the fiend. He gave a half-hearted shake of his head and a soft cry of "No..." but he could do nothing to stop it as it moved towards him...


The cave began to slant upwards, which was a good sign to Tifa.

It was still dark, though now and then green crystal lit the path, and the woman was so drained she was half leaning on the rock wall to move. It was hardly an easy or fun trip, but she was eager to do it - the sooner she was out from under the ground, she felt, the better.

Eventually she came to her destination: a rusty, decrepit entrance to the elevator. It looked like something from a mine. An enormous steel double door guarded the entrance, making it about ten feet wide, and when it opened, the inside was covered in grates (blood laden grates) and lit only by a small, dim lantern sitting in the back corner.

Tifa eyed it suspiciously, fearfully. There was nothing about it that seemed safe. Slowly, she glanced behind her, and then ahead, giving a soft sigh and steeling herself for what she had to do. There was no going back. Despite the cell like appearance, the uncomfortable metal that smelt like copper, Tifa stepped in. Slowly she walked on the platform, her steps echoing with a CLANG, CLANG, CLANG. The whole thing shook as she moved, which sent jitters down her spine and made her stomach clench. This was not promising. Nervous, she knelt and grabbed the lantern, gripping it tightly as if it would save her from the world.

She leant against the back wall, out of breath, wide eyes glancing around for a way to start it. There it was - a lever on the left side. She was just about to step forward to it when she quickly realized there was nothing there to support her foot. Her balance wavered as she threw herself back, out of harms way, falling hard on the metal criss-cross and shaking the whole thing dangerously. Cussing loudly, Tifa sat up and lifted the lantern.

There was a hole in the back corner of the elevator, as large as a human being, where the metal was twisted and torn as if something had broken it manually - not with a tool, or a hammer, but with applied force. Blood truly soaked everything here, and the way the metal was bent was as if something had fought it's way through - and not from within, but without.

Newly terrified, Tifa glanced about outside, seeing only darkness, and hearing nothing but eerie ringing in her ears. Her heart began to pound as she stood, leaning forward to look down out of the hole. Nothing, nothing there - not anymore.

"Oh god -" She began to murmur but caught herself. Sound was not her friend. So, quietly, she set the lantern down, and grabbed hold of the back wall, careful not to put her fingers through the holes in the metal grid.

Tifa nervously leaned forward towards the lever, her eyes constantly glancing down at the hole beneath her, at the edges that would skewer her skin, at the weakness that would allow entry from below, at the inhuman feat of strength that meant she wasn't alone - and whatever was with her was more than ordinary.

Trembling fingers found cold steel, and at first she jumped at the touch; again the elevator wavered, but Tifa caught herself, and then wrapped her hand around the lever. With some force, she pushed it down, and then leaned away from the hole, gasping in relief.

Nothing happened. Looking up at the ceiling, Tifa felt her hope plummet. What if it was broken? What if the power was gone? Did it still work? Just as her last glimmer of light began to fade, a whirring sound renewed her hope, and she gave a stifled sob as she sunk to the floor. WHRRRR - CLICK - VRRRMMM - and up it moved with an even, slow pace, passing the entrance to the cave in an instant. Tears streamed down Tifa's bloody, dirty face, turning dark by the time they reached her chin.

VRRRRRRRRRRMMMMM - CLICK.

It stopped. Tifa opened her eyes, shocked that the trip was so short. Surely they weren't at the surface yet?

CLICK - WHRRR - CLICK.

And then the floor fell out beneath her as if it had vanished, but the horrific realization hit her quick as the elevator fell, faster and faster, almost leaving her hanging in midair -

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Plummeting, plummeting, past the cave entrance, down into shadow, beyond all light as the lantern shattered against something and glass flew into her skin, into her gaping mouth -

"AAAAAAAAHOHHGODHEELPMEEEEEEE!"

- the screech of metal against metal as the speeding contraption scratched hard against the walls, sparks of fire scalding her skin, flying everywhere, the only light in the darkness

SCCCCCCREEEEEEEEEECH - "OHGODOHGODOHGOOOOOOOD!"

Were the flaps of wings without her? The screams of twisted, pained things? Something - someone - beating against her cage, metal racket rising over her screaming, something crying out in pain, thousands of somethings, the screams of the dying burning alive - hands groping in the dark -

"LETGOOFME! OOOOOHGOOODNOOOO!"

She thrashed and kicked but their slimy hands and fingers slipped through the walls, clasped her arms and gripped her hair, pulling her out with them, trying to rip her through the walls, whispered in her ears, You should have died with us, you should have died -

It was free falling and her voice had gone hoarse, blood filling her mouth from the shards of glass stuck within her cheeks, burning like hell, and still the limbs groped, and the elevator fell, and the fire never stopped burning -

BOOOOM - shudder shudder shudder -

It hit the ground and she was dead, body broken by gravity, corpse taken to join the burnt and vengeful dead.

...

Tifa awoke with a scream, hands flying to her mouth as no sound came out. Hyperventilating, looking about at the world with teary eyes as if it didn't exist, the woman began to sob, shaking uncontrollably, curling in on herself.

A dream, a dream, all of it was a dream. Except she couldn't speak, and the insides of her mouth ached like nothing else - and bruises littered her arms, bruises in the shapes of hands, her scalp ached - tears flooded her face as Tifa broke down and cried, unconcerned with where she was, or why. For all she cared, she could die and be unmoved - for what worse could happen? She was already in hell.


Cid had wandered the prison for what seemed like hours, still unable to find anyone - not a soul was within. Dreary, wounded eyes scanned cell after cell, but everyone was gone. He was alone. The darkness grew darker, the silence grew quieter, and slowly but surely his mind began to morph into a tragic mess of remorse.

After what seemed like hours, Cid found a cell with an open door. He looked up, eyes vacant of expression, scanning the inside. It looked like all the others. Slowly he stepped towards it, wondering what might be within. Perhaps this one was important - perhaps this one would hold the clue he needed -

CLANG.

Cid spun around to see the door had shut behind him; immediately he leapt on it and tried to force it open, but it was already locked. He shook the bars, he kicked it and rattled it, and gave an echoing shout of rage, but to no avail. He was a prisoner now, though why and how he could not say.

Haggardly he drew in breath, rage clouding his vision, and only when he fell quiet did he hear the click-click of high heels on the floor. His head snapped up - Shera? - but that was not who he saw.

It was someone who looked remarkably like her, but he knew it wasn't Shera. In fact, it looked like - looked like -

"Hello again," The impostor smirked, crossing her arms, and Cid realized this was the person on the gallows, not Shera, not his Shera -

"Who the hell are you?" He murmured, suddenly angry again because this person had taunted him with something unconceivable, a blow too personal to be tolerated. She said nothing, simply continued to smirk in that infuriating way. Cid felt his heartbeat rising, red coloring his face.

Finally this woman spoke. "You aren't a very good man, are you?" The words took him by surprise - and angered him further. "Easy to anger, easy to annoy. Not one for decorum or mincing words. Blunt like a dull ax - and just as useless."

He rattled the bars, trying to lean towards her as if it might assuage him. "I said, who are you!"

"There you go," She chuckled. "Predictable. No wonder Shera left you."

Those words shocked him out of his anger - his eyes narrowed suspiciously, his grip on the bars tightening. He said nothing, realizing his questions would not be answered, and examined her further.

She was taller than Shera - dressed similarly, in a knee length lab coat and high heels - but Shera always wore short, unassuming shoes, black and elegantly simple. This woman's heels were taller, and a bold red. Long hair was pulled into a high, tight ponytail (while Shera's almost rested loosely on her neck), and thin framed, red glasses lined her eyes.

This was not Shera at all.

"Where's Shera?" He asked quietly, trying to reign in his rage. "Have you seen her? Do you know anything?" It was boiling just beneath the surface, but he was managing just barely to keep it under.

That stopped when she laughed, high and shrill. "Why, Mr. Highwind -" The laughing stopped and she grinned at him, an expression completely predatorily and lacking of humanity or happiness. "Pretense does not become you. We both know where Shera is."

Heat thrummed beneath his skin and his hands were pale from how hard he gripped the steel. "Stop toying with me and tell me!"

Still she grinned, and nodded. "All right. I'll tell you." Slowly she came closer, towards the bars, near enough to hurt. Cid held himself back. The woman came closer to the bars, her lips near Cid's face. "Shera... is... six - feet - under."

The woman snapped back as Cid gave an echoing growl and a shout, thrashing at the bars in his rage as she just laughed and laughed. "SHUT THE FUCK UP! YOU LYING BITCH!"

"I'm not lying, Mr. Highwind, and we both know it! Shera's dead!" She began to scream joyously, as if she had the greatest news to tell, dancing just out of reach of his hands. "She's dead and you killed her!"

Suddenly she was quiet again, and a strange glint in her eyes warned Cid of something impending. His rage quieted for just a moment, recognizing the dangerous look she had, and for just a moment, he was actually scared.

"Don't you remember?" She whispered quietly, body posed as if she was slightly off balance on her heels. The woman wavered back and forth as she walked towards him, completely in control, though seemingly losing strength. "Back home, in Rocket Town... you saw them... you saw her with him and you couldn't believe it..."

A cold chill came over the pilot, eyes widening. What... what... he knew what she was beginning to imply but that couldn't be... yet he could see it - the dark light of the night street, lamps barely illuminating the love of his life beside a tall stranger, laughing and holding hands...

"Your trust and your love trampled for some younger, finer thing? A rich business man from Midgar who'd never worked a hard day in his life? How dare she - how dare she turn her back on you, the man who'd cared for her for so long, fed her, clothed her, took her in, gave her a job -"

He remembered - he'd been on his way home from the bar after a late night, already pissed from drink and pissed from the fight he'd had in the bar - one that he was now being forced to pay, being blamed for by those spineless assholes - and then the familiar laughter, mixed with someone else's - a man's - how could she - how dare she -

the rest was a blur.

"Don't remember, do you? Did guilt block it out of your head?" The Shera-look alike giggled and Cid found his anger again - but it was a blade dulled by sorrow, by shame. He had done something... done... "It was your fault. You attacked her. You attacked the both of them with that bottle in your hand, stabbed their flesh with shards of glass again and again until they were bleeding out on the street -"

"No," He whispered, but it sounded less like a negative reply, and more a desperate cry of denial. It couldn't be, it couldn't be.

"Yes," She whispered, coming close again. "They both died, and you killed them."

The anger was gone - and Cid had no more he could say.


Zack and Cloud were still running, without stop - turning corners in a seemingly random fashion, going on and on through an endless maze. Cloud's breath came in heavy huffs, but Zack was unfazed, hardly tried from their marathon. On they went, no words passing between them, until Zack finally slid to a halt in front of a seemingly ordinary door.

Cloud fell against the wall near it, gasping for air, his head just beside the plate that named the owner of the office. Curious, he turned his tired head towards it, his breath momentarily fogging the plate. Funny; he hadn't realized the hall had gotten so cold.

Once the fog clear, he saw it: Prof. Hojo, Director of Genetics Research

Rage colored his eyes red, fury sweeping through his whole body from reading that one name - coming out of nowhere, and for no reason. Cloud didn't know anyone by that name. He'd never even met a "Prof" before. Why was he so angry?

Zack tried to knob, and to his relief, it opened easily. Then he glanced at Cloud, and his eyes widened to see such unadultered rage on the younger's face.

"Cloud?" The blond's eyes snapped up, and suddenly the anger was gone. "You okay?"

He gave a quick, shaky nod. "Y - Yeah. Fine." In fact, he was disturbed, and confused - but there was no need to say that. Zack took his word, realizing there was more to it, but to tired to press. He turned to the door, eyes dark, and turned the handle.

It swung in, revealing a dark, unlit room. Cloud glanced around the door frame and could see nothing, despite the light in the hall, but Zack seemed to have a victorious smile on his face.

"This is it," He murmured. "This is where it started."

Cloud glanced up. "What started?"

His friend returned the gaze, eyes darkened by sorrow. "The fire."

Eyes widening, Cloud's head snapped back to look into the office, filled with curiosity and a strange form of dread. In fact, just looking into the darkness made his head spin, his stomach churn - he hardly noticed as Zack stepped in, unfazed.

The brunet tried the light switch, flipping it up, down, up, down, but there was no response. He gave a sigh and moved inward slowly, careful of what he stepped on. The crackle of paper and creak of wood met his every step, and Cloud's too when the blond finally started to move.

He held his hands out to find his way, but they hit nothing as he moved. It seemed the room was empty. Zack gave an "aha" after a minute, and Cloud's head snapped towards the sound.

"What? What is it?"

His answer came a moment later when a flicker of light entered the room - a candle. Somehow the little thing was bright enough to light most of the room, and when it did, Cloud let out a horrified squeal.

"There's - there's a -" He pointed and Zack swung towards it; he didn't give a sound, but his eyebrows shot up, mouth falling open. Behind the desk was the owner of the office, now a corpse, burnt and barely decayed, blackened skull fallen back against the chair, mouth open and distorted. Now that he could see, Cloud saw the whole room was black - stained by fire, books torched and destroyed, papers destroyed, the body blackened, skin and clothes melted.

Zack slowly approached, let the light fall on a scarred name tag. "H... o... I can't see much else, but I guess this is him, all right." He sneered. "Prof. Hojo. Bastard."

Cloud looked up to his friend, feeling sick, the stench of burnt flesh filling his nostrils. "Y -You knew him?"

Surprised, Zack looked up. "Of course, so did you. Remember?" He looked back at Hojo and glared. "This was the bastard always giving Sephiroth a hard time of it."

Sudden, violent anger flooded Cloud again and he gave a deep, rumbling growl. Zack's eyes snapped up, surprised. "Hey... you okay?"

"I - I don't know - I'm just - I'm so pissed off whenever I think of this guy -"

Zack snorted, seeming to misunderstand. "You and me both. I hated this guy - though I didn't figure I'd ever see him like this." If Zack sounded sad, it wasn't because he missed Hojo, but more from a humane feeling of regretting the need for death. "Sephiroth had to come back to Nibelheim for appointments constantly, supposedly for "check up"s," He mimed quotations with his hands. "But I doubt that. He saw Hojo too often for it to be a common doctor's visit. No... this guy was up to no good." Zack gave a heavy sigh, eyes falling. "Just wish I'd done something before... y'know. All this happened." He gestured to the ashes and remains of fire all around them. The light of the candle moved, and something in Cloud's vision glinted. It vanished quick - but Cloud's eyes remained on the shadow where it had been.

"Can I borrow that?" Cloud asked, holding his hand out. Zack shrugged and handed the candle over, then turned to walk the room and examine things. Cloud, meanwhile, turned back towards the corner where he'd seen the glint of light.

His friend eyed a dark bookshelf, toying with a scientific display. "I can't blame Seph for this... I mean, of course I hate what happened... so many people died... but after everything they did, I think I'd lose it too... I just..." His hand fell, sorrow drenching his eyes. "I wish he'd come to me. Though I guess, by then, he'd lost his faith in all of us. Can't blame him for that either."

As Zack talked, Cloud moved slowly closer, and closer. The thing was now just in sight, but he had to get closer to truly tell what it was. Then he realized - he knelt by it, a trembling hand reaching towards it. It was a bit blackened, like everything else, but still easily recognizable - a gun.

A gun? What was that doing here? Cloud set the candle down, and held the heavy weapon in both hands, flipped it over and about. It was a Turk model - but this was a mental hospital. What was a gun doing in a mental hospital, and one that belong to the dogs of Shinra, no less?

He took hold of the candle again, and stood, still holding the gun with the other hand. The weight of it made him feel strong, reassured him all would be well - though truthfully, what would a gun with limited ammo do against the hell spawn of this place? Still he didn't let it go as he moved behind the desk.

"Did you find something?"

Cloud was too lost in thought to notice Zack speaking - something was calling to him, some feeling, some realization. The corpse, revolting in its half rotten state, part melted, part bone, part black skin and muscle, with remnants of the suit it used to wear. The office chaired had bubbled in places, fusing his body to the seat - but Cloud had no interest in moving him. His gaze was focused on the skeletal hand, covered in thin, black layers of half eaten muscle, bubbled and broken, which was clenched in a fist.

Hefting the gun up and checking the safety, Cloud put it into his pants pocket - and then used his free hand to reach to the dead man's fist. Nerves warned him of this, but something stronger told him this was the way - this was the next step.

"What are you doing?"

A voice was saying, yes, this is the answer, this is the way. But his heart pounded, his head screamed, no, not this, anything but this. Trembling fingers touched mutiliated flesh and he flinched, vomit catching in his throat. Disgusted, but determined, he set the candle on the desk and used two hands to turn the hand over. The flesh made terrible sounds, the bones cracked and turned to dust in places - Cloud's stomach revolted - but he continued moving it. He could tell there was something hidden inside.

Zack was still in the dark, unable to see what he was doing, but waiting rather patiently for an answer. The blond paid him no heed, wholly enraptured with his current actions.

Slowly he pried open the fingers, which fought him incessantly, creaking and groaning and squelching sickeningly. He had to hold his stomach down again, acid burning in his throat, until finally they opened and - nothing was there.

Cloud fell back and collapsed to the floor, guts heaving as what little was in his stomach - bile and acid - came hurtling up out of his mouth. Zack was immediately by his side, rubbing his back, kneeling as a comforting weight beside him. It only lasted a minute, but left Cloud heaving for breath, chest burning, muscles exhausted. It was a nasty mess, and Zack moved him away from it quickly.

"You all right?" Slowly Cloud nodded, not trusting his ability to speak. Zack gave him a minute, let him cough and catch his breath, before he asked. "What'd you find?"

Just as he was about to say, "Nothing at all," Cloud felt a strange weight in his pocket. He put his hand in, and though his grip was weak, pulled out a strangely shaped metal thing - in the light of the candle, Zack and Cloud found a metal key, blood soaked as everything else, rusted and blackened by fire and time, but still usable. Zack gave a whooping cheer and grabbed it out of Cloud's hand.

"All right! Finally!" He grinned and held it up. "This is what we went to all that trouble for! Hah! Glad it's over!" He flipped it into the air and caught it. "So it was in the dead doc's hand?"

Shame, guilt, and an odd sense of fear filled Cloud then, and though he didn't know why, he found himself agreeing. "Y - Yeah. Right in his hand."

Zack didn't seem to sense a lie, simply smiled and looked at it again. A burning guilt wracked Cloud's stomach - or perhaps that was just the after effects of throwing up. "Looks like our lucks changing."

Cloud certainly hoped it was.