Angel of Decadence
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII
From the Grave to the Cradle
Squall walked through the forests surrounding the suburban capital of Timber. Even in the tranquil den of trees, the atmosphere was awfully dusty but while Timber's air was far from breathable, it was nothing compared to the thick layer of smog covering Deling City.
The forests formed a complete circle around the bumpkin country's capital which was far from the metropolis that Deling was, however it was easily the most built up town in all of the Timber Region. Despite its sparse population, the entire country was rather large and wide-spread. Most of the towns were tiny, so much so that they actually proceeded to make the capital seem larger by comparison. The large-yet-small capital was completely surrounded by thick, dense forestry. The only break in the wall of trees was where they had been cleared to make way for dirt roads.
Walking along the deserted road for Squall seemed like hiking through a nature preserve. It was deathly quiet, save for the sounds of birds singing, unseen in the trees above; and the area carried a certain smell that differed from that of the town. The sky was a clear blue, stained with a slight tint of golden brown. In this dry climate, Hurricanes were unheard of but tornados were an ominous truth and dust storms were commonplace although they were nothing compared to those of the desert in the south.
It had been a steep uphill walk from the heart of the capital to Squall's current location but now the brunette felt that it was time to head back home. It would be an easy downhill walk. The most difficult part would be disallowing his body what it was asking of him and resist the urge to run. He looked at his watch and his eyes widened at the time. It was already past noon. His late-morning walk had taken more time than usual. He figured he may as well give into his legs' wishes as gravity helped him down the hill and broke into a run. The downhill jog was an enjoyable one and not exhausting in the least. The only downside was that he actually preferred the uphill hike. Not only had it taken longer and given him something to do, he also had an ever-changing horizon to gaze upon. His return trip gave him nothing more than the dusty town that was his home to look at. This was all he had to look forward to – a big empty house in the middle of a dust trap.
He walked through the dusty streets that made up his hometown and saw the same familiar sights. Housewives shopped for groceries and did laundry at the Laundromat while husbands worked in offices. It was all the same. It was all boring and neatly scheduled. Nothing ever changed. Nothing was ever different. Nothing ever improved. Nothing ever happened in this town.
These were the judgemental thoughts that crossed Squall's mind as he made the routine journey home. He supposed that some would consider him lucky that he lived away from all the crime of the big city but truthfully, Squall was beginning to despise the slow country life. He was bored… and he was lonely. With most of his friends gone for the summer, Squall had no-one to talk to and nothing to do. Even at home he was alone, thanks to his father's job and his cop-first; father-second attitude. Sure, he and his father may not have seen eye-to-eye most of the time but anything had to be better than this. He was even considering moving down south with his cousins, if only for the company.
However, if Squall was looking for an excuse to stay, he was about to find it in the form of the rumoured anomaly that had occurred in an alleyway exactly two weeks ago. As he neared closer to the alley in question, he noticed that the crowds of people seemed to thin out like the greying hair on the head of the aged – not that Timber's population could ever hope to compete against that of a city like Deling.
It was almost as if people were avoiding this part of town for some reason. Squall began to wonder if something dangerous had happened here and whether it was now safe. Well, he had just been thinking of how boring this place was and besides, the offending alley was his shortcut and the quickest way home. With little debate in his mind, the Brunette decided to proceed, unanimous in his individuality.
As he had suspected, as he got closer to the shortcut he found himself alone in a deserted ghost town. With the exception of a middle-aged man, no-one else was around and as Squall walked toward the shortcut; the man seemed to be walking away from it. They met and spoke at a distance of roughly five metres apart. Squall froze when he first heard the man speak but the two of them stopped walking at the exact same time.
"Hey there young lad?"
"Yeah?" Squall replied.
"You seem quite the inquisitive youngster to come here."
"I'm just going home. There's a shortcut nearby."
"You're not referring to that alleyway at the end of the street, are you lad?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I wouldn't go down there if I were you. You did hear about that anomaly, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but I never saw anything. I don't know whether or not to believe those stories.
"I'd believe them if I were you. I saw it for myself." Squall's eyes widened.
"Re… really?" The man nodded.
"It's difficult to explain… but it was like a dark cloud that mysteriously occurred and engulfed the entire alleyway."
"A cloud?"
"Yeah, it was like an intangible void of darkness. It formed a type of dome. It was completely black, darker than the night sky in the wilderness. I couldn't see through it."
"So… is it still there?" The man shook his head. "Oh" Squall said with disappointment seething through into his voice. "How convenient" he thought sceptically.
"It seems to have lifted… but I fear that two unfortunate youngsters fell prey to the unholy phenomenon."
"Youngsters?" Squall asked "how young?" To this, the aged man could only laugh.
"Who knows? What does it matter? To me, everyone is young. One was a girl about your age; the other, a young man. I don't know exactly. I wasn't able to get a good look for fear of meeting the same end as those two."
"I see. Are the bodies still there?"
"They are. I can't get to them for fear of dying myself. Besides, what could we do with them?
"We are surrounded by woods, aren't we? They could be respectfully buried anywhere."
"Perhaps… back in Balamb we would simply dump unknown bodies in the harbour." Squall suddenly began to feel sick. Whether or not it showed remained unknown to him.
"Listen to me, lad. I strongly advise against snooping around that alley. It's not safe." Squall nodded and the man walked past him. The brunette had a choice to make. He could heed the man's words and take the long way home… or he could take a chance and check out the potentially dangerous alleyway. He turned his head to see the man walk out of sight, smiled… and ran strait ahead in the direction of the shortcut.
Each hurried step that brought him closer also caused his heart to beat faster and his lungs to expand. His mouth sucked in more and more air without the ability to release any. His lungs ached from over-inflation but the feeling was second to the nervousness in his stomach and the excitement in his heart.
"This is it!" he screamed inside his head. This is what I've been waiting for. This is excitement. This is danger. This is beyond interesting. This is… "…a disappointment" he was forced to admit. As soon as he took his first step into the alley, his heart literally sank and dissatisfaction bathed him in its unique lowlight. After what he had heard, he didn't quite know what to expect but it had to be more than this. He just thought it would be different. This was boring. This was the same. There was nothing out of the ordinary here. That was simply too much to ask. All of the rumours had been false. This was just…
"Well, to be honest, that old man was right about one thing." The two bodies were still here but there was no further evidence to back up any story of bizarre happenings. Had the bodies really died from the 'dark cloud' or was it just a coincidence? Perhaps they were merely some young couple who had had too much to drink and passed out. It was not unheard of however it was much more common in the city.
He approached the nearest body first. It was amazing that nobody had thought to dispose of either of these two. They had just been left here to rot in this alley. He knelt down and felt the body nearest him – that of a young man with dark hair pulled back tightly in a long ponytail that ran down his back – but his fingers curled back at the cold feel of the body's skin. He forced himself to touch it again and feel for any kind of pulse.
−There was none.
He searched the alley and in the distance, he saw something that caught his eye. He could hardy believe what he saw and so had to inch closer to make sure he wasn't imagining the whole thing.
As he came closer, the oppressive reality of the situation became all too clear. There she was, a beautiful young woman, no older than he, lying completely bare in the foetal position on the cold paved alleyway ground.
His arm was slow and hesitating as it reached down to touch her forehead. She seemed so content and peaceful. He didn't want to disturb her. The possibility that she may have been long since dead never crossed his mind. She was alive, she had to be. Logic had nothing to do with it. It was a feeling. Somehow, he knew. She was alive, she had to be.
The girl's long raven hair surrounded her head and shoulders and an obscuring curtain of the blackest bangs lay over her face, covering her sleeping eyes and hiding their closed lids from view. He squatted over her for Hyne-knows how long. If someone were to come by they would likely think ill of the sight but Squall didn't care. He was transfixed by her beauty. She was like a piece of artwork created by a genius, only to be carelessly lost and trashed. Now, here she lay like a fallen angel. Despite the situation, Squall could not tear his eyes away from this girl's face.
His trembling fingers eventually made contact but then froze as if her skin were broken glass.
−She was so cold.
Squall seriously felt his heart grow just a little colder as a thick melancholy began to settle in his stomach. He closed his eyes in mourning for the unknown girl. He didn't even know her and yet, seeing her so cold and dead saddened him. He didn't know why and frankly, the reason why didn't matter. All that mattered was that this angelic being lay before him as a corpse.
Squall opened his eyes and they moved downward of their own accord. He had never seen anyone in such a state of undress before and so he unknowingly looked over her body with a curious eye. Although he had never before laid eyes on a naked body, he was certain that this girl had been like perfection incarnate. Her pale milk-white skin was free from the slightest birth-mark or blemish. There was no way she could have done anything to warrant her deserving of this end.
He had meant to turn his vision back to the girl's face but his eyes stopped just a little short. Squall tried to shake his mind free of the hormones that plagued his post-pubescent teenage body but was having very little success. His hormonal eyes wanted to take in each aspect of her body and there was very little he could do about it. For the first time in his life, he had become a slave to his own hormones.
For the last little while, Squalls eyes had been shamelessly glued to the girl's torso. It was too embarrassing for him to admit even inside his head but it was true. He had been staring at a dead girl's naked chest. He noticed that each breast was identical and symmetrical. They both seemed to be of an appealing size and shape; and as with the rest of her, were well proportioned. In the centre of each was a nipple, pink and erect from the cold. He thought nothing of that fact… until…
His eyes widened. He finally realised something.
This girl…
Her chest…
Her breast…
They were not still…
They were moving, if only slightly…
They were rising and falling… as with one in a deep sleep.
Squall's lip curled upward as he tried as hard as he could not to get his hopes up… but it was too late. He could already feel the hope inside him rising along with his heart rate. He placed his index finger above her upper lip and waited.
−Nothing…
−and still he waited…
−Still nothing… his hope began to fade…
−And then…
He felt it, the gentlest breeze against his finger, coming from her nose. The sensation both blinded and deafened him as ripples of excitement rolled from his brain to every last minute detail of his body. He was so happy and excited that he couldn't even breathe. He was right all along. She was breathing. She was alive!
His gentle trembling fingers pressed against the side of her neck to feel her pulse. He found it, but it was feint. He then turned those own fingers on himself found his own pulse but there was no comparison. Her heart was beating much too slowly and her breathing was shallow. She was alive… but barely.
He had to do something. He lifted his head and searched in all directions. There was no-one around anywhere. "Good" he thought. If anyone saw him, it would only lead to awkward questions. Being careful not to disturb or harm her in any way, Squall slid both his arms underneath her sleeping body and lifted her the way a groom would carry his bride over the threshold.
He carried her out of the cold alley and in the direction of his house. It wouldn't be a very long walk from here to there and would be over too soon. He had to admit, the feeling of carrying a sleeping girl in his arms was not one that he hated. He would have thoroughly enjoyed the experience if he had not feared for her life. Since he had not seen her before, he didn't know whether her paleness was natural or not… and then there was the situation of her body temperature. She was still so cold.
"If I can get her home then maybe I can help her. If nothing else, I'll at least be able to keep her comfortable and warm. Anything's better than leaving her out here like this. When she wakes up, she'll be happy that someone was there to take care of her" he rationalised. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice the large black crow that seemed to be silently following him, its beady black unwholesome eyes never leaving the unconscious girl that lay defenceless in his arms. It trailed him every step of the way as Squall unknowingly led the potentially malevolent creature all the way to his house.
As he unlocked the door and stepped inside, the Crow perched on the roof. It blinked its eerie eyes and clicked its beak twice in a knowing way as it settled in for a wait. The creature had patience aplenty. It could wait here for as long as it needed to.