Hey everyone! Sorry for leaving you all on a cliffhanger for so long. As I mentioned to a few of you, I was away working in a land without internet so while I was able to write I wasn't able to update. Also, for some reason the site won't let me use the 'reply' links to the reviews you guys are leaving. I get some message about an outdating link or something...which is probably the site's way of saying I've waiting too damn long to respond to your reviews. Anyway, in the case that that happens, as it has, I send PMs back as replies. Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter. This one is a long one. Not sure if it's longer than last one but definitely close to the same length I think. And I have a warning to issue for this chapter. This chapter contains sexual content both of a consensual and non-consensual nature. There will by no further warnings within the chapter as to when this content will occur. If you have concerns about reading this chapter and would rather have a summary, let me know and I will send you one.
Next order of business: Seelenspiel has finished a fan video for 'Reduced to Specimens' so you should definitely check it out if you're a fan of the fic. You can find it at www. youtube. com/ watch?v=SaHKsNGX_FA&feature=mh_lolz&list=PL70EA6CCDA729F3A5 (without spaces). You will also be able to access it off my YouTube page if you look under the section 'Fan Vids'. Be sure to comment if you have time!
That's it for me for now, hope you enjoy the chapter! Songs are below, though if you happen to be online right this second when the update pops up the songs probably won't be on the YouTube playlist yet because I will be running over to add them right now. ^^
(1) Pretty Life - Jakalope; (2) Cobrastyle (The Bloody Beetroots Remix) - Robyn; (3) Lover I Don't Have to Love - Bright Eyes; (4) Give You My All - Eyes Set to Kill
Chapter XX
When Cloud finally awoke, it was to the feeling of being dragged slowly across a smooth surface by his ankles. There was a strong smell of what he thought might be fried onions lingering in the air. His eyelids were heavy as he tried to open them and he looked up first, not seeing anything but a grey blur. Turning his head to the side then, he thought he could see a television screen. It was on but there was no sound. He started to feel then. His back was sore, especially in one spot near his left shoulder blade. He recalled falling and wondered if he had fallen on anything other than solid ground. Beyond that, his head was pounding and his mouth was dry. The hold on his ankles was released then as he was pulled into another room and the heels of his boots hit the floor with a thud.
"You're awake," a voice spoke. It was the voice belonging to the worker from the construction site. "I didn't expect you to wake again so soon. I'm thinking you're feeling pretty groggy though. I dosed you pretty good," he added. "Welcome to my abode. It's nothing special I know," he went on. "But it's not exactly permanent. Not now that I got you. I'll be gettin' a nice reward that will get me into a place outside the city."
Cloud looked his way, trying to make out what he was doing. His vision was too blurry. All he could see was the man's back as he headed out of the room. He continued talking however.
"Don't know if I want to hand you over just yet though. Been a little lonely here by myself. I been lookin' forward to some company."
Cloud tried to make some sense of his surroundings as he squinted and looked around. He was so tired, the amount of effort it took to move his head and eyes was extreme. The room, from what he could tell was small and empty, except for a mattress. There was what looked to be one boarded-up window. With the door open, he could see several locks on the outside of it. A scary thought struck him then. The room had been prepared for him. To keep him locked up. The man had been planning this.
My phone, he thought. He needed to call for help. Impossible. He was all but completely paralyzed by whatever he'd been drugged with. Not even his fingers would move for him. It seemed the most he was going to be able to do is make those small head and eye movements he'd already been pushing himself to accomplish.
The worker must have opened a beer while he was out of the room because he came back with breath that smelled of it. The man got close enough to give him a whiff of it when he reached down to grab onto his upper body and pull him onto the mattress.
"You're a lot heavier than you look, ya know," the man said then. "And bigger than I remember. Must be all the construction work. Then again, these bulky things probably weren't making you any lighter," he reasoned. Cloud was confused until he saw the man lean down and he began to feel his one boot being untied. "Sorry for knocking you off that building, by the way, but I figured given all the enhancement shit you had done you could take it."
Enhancements? Cloud wondered if he was talking about the experimentation done on him in Hojo's lab. Now, more than ever he wanted to know who his abductor was.
"Still, since you been bleeding, I figure I better get a look at the damage," the man commented when he'd removed both of Cloud's boots.
Bleeding? Cloud thought in slight shock. He hadn't felt the blood. He was turned over onto his stomach and the right side of his face was pressed against the mattress. The fabric of it smelt old and musty. He felt the collar of his shirt constrict at his throat as it was pulled down from the back.
"Eh...it's not bad," the worker remarked. "Nothing worth fussing over. I'm not exactly worried about the bed getting dirty," he added with a chuckle.
"Who..." Cloud struggled to get out but it was little use. His vocal cords felt about as paralyzed as the rest of him. He needed to know who this man was.
He was turned back onto his back and the worker's blurry face came a little closer to his own.
"You really don't remember me?" the man questioned in what seemed to be genuine surprise. There was something familiar about the man, Cloud knew that much. If he could just see him more clearly...
"I guess that crazy old professor really did fuck you up good," his captor went on. Cloud didn't bother to turn his fuzzy gaze downward as he felt the hems of his shirts being pushed up slowly on his abdomen. He kept his eyes directed at the blurry spaces on the man's face where he knew his eyes to be. A cold, callused, hand touched his right side then and his flesh broke out in goosebumps. "Do you remember this?" the man asked. Cloud knew immediately what he was referring to. A scar he had there. Actually, he hadn't yet remembered the cause of that scar but some of the haze was clearing suddenly. "Think...hot," the man practically cooed as he stroked that area of his skin gently. At that action, Cloud did remember. It was from an iron. A soldering iron. It was like his memory of the event was returning in pieces. He was in the Hanger, suffering through the pain of having been shot just hours earlier. Two men stood in front of him, smiling eerily, sadistically. A third was standing behind him, holding the ends of a gag that had been shoved in his mouth to silence him. They'd come to hurt him, one of them using a nightstick and the other an iron. This was the man who'd held the iron, who'd given him the scar.
Mailer. His name was Mailer. This was one of the men who had tormented and tortured him and Zack, a Shinra guard who had physically battered him and his friend at the Shinra Mansion. But that wasn't all. There was something else...something worse...
"You were just hanging there," the man spoke on. "And I hadn't really thought about it before, but there was something about you...maybe it was that slender body you had, or this soft, blond hair..." he touched some of the strands clinging to Cloud's forehead. "Something..." he whispered but didn't finish his thought vocally. Cloud's heart rate was increasing, his head pounding harder. "Remembering yet?" the man asked. He whispered something. Though it was hard to hear, Cloud could still decipher it. Little bitch.
Cloud's eyes widened slightly as the realization came upon him. Mailer was the unseen face in a nightmare he'd had more than once. A nightmare brought on by the memories of a time in the mansion when he'd been humiliated and degraded. It was Mailer who'd led several of the other guards in an attack on him in one of Hojo's demented simulations, taking turns forcing themselves upon him. They'd torn into him savagely and left him powerless, bloody, and drowning in shame and self-pity. The realization had him feeling like his throat was closing in on him.
"Yeah," Mailer said with a smile and a nod. "You remember now," he murmured. "Imagine, all those Turks and guards out there looking for you and I'm the one who finds you first" he said with another chuckle. Cloud felt Mailer's hands patting down his pockets then and his cellphone was found fast. That was all Cloud had on him besides a few bills and some coins, which Mailer took and deposited in his own pocket. He turned his attention on the phone then, flipping it open and looking up the recent numbers. "Well I see you're popular with, well, two people," he remarked. Zack and Tifa, Cloud thought. They were the only two people to call his phone. He rarely ever answered Tifa's calls though, which he felt bad about. "And I see only one on here you like to call yourself," Mailer continued. "Could it be Z1?" he asked. Hearing the Z1 made Cloud shudder inwardly. "I am so very fucking excited to give him a call later on. Won't he be shocked to find out his little bitch is hanging out with moi?" He flipped the phone shut then and put it into his pocket. "No doubt he'll be racing to the rescue when he finds out, but it'll be a little late then. Suppose he could always go running off to the mansion after you, which is probably what Hojo and his science geeks are hoping for. Saves 'em a lot of trouble."
Zack would do that too, Cloud knew it. It was a thought that comforted and saddened him at the same time. It occurred to him then that Zack might already be looking for him. It would only be a matter of time before Zack would realize something was wrong. He'd go up to the construction site and when he found it shut down would come looking for him. Maybe there would even be clues to follow to lead him back to the place he'd been taken. At least, that's what normal Zack would do. These days, he wasn't sure Zack's actions were so predictable. He'd been drugging himself with something, it was the only explanation for his change in behaviour...No! he thought suddenly. Zack was planning on going to the plate after work to get more of his medications. It could be hours before he realizes something's not right.
As much as he was fighting to stay calm, Cloud felt himself beginning to panic.
000
It had been a long day at work for Zack. He'd spent the second half of it preoccupied with the fact he was craving a high. He had been making a point of not taking anything while at work but it was getting harder to make it those eight hours. He was also running out of the pills Scorch had given him. He found he was building up a tolerance to them fast, needing more to get the same high. He knew that was a bad thing but he didn't care at that point. He didn't even bother to head up to the apartment after he'd locked the shop up. He headed for the plate instead. He knew he would be early. The club didn't open until around nine and Scorch didn't even get there until about ten. Normally he'd just sit around in one of the restaurants or cafés until the time came, but he was beyond restless. He tried to eat but his appetite was nearly non-existent. He'd be hungry later, after downing some more of Scorch's mystery pills. He found himself waiting on a bench at a bus stop down the street from the club for over an hour before it was finally late enough to head over.
It turned out when he got there that he wasn't able to see Scorch anyway. The dealer was in a 'private meeting' and would not be seeing anyone else that evening so Rayna would be handling his other customers. He found himself in a room with her and two of Scorch's guards. For some reason he felt uncomfortable dealing only with her. He couldn't help thinking about how the last time he'd seen her it had been when he'd woken in her apartment with no real recollection of how he'd gotten there.
"More of the usual, I take it?" she said as she slid Cloud's medication across the table between them. "I understand you and Scorch have an arrangement," she added, though he barely heard her. He had gotten somewhat distracted when she'd crossed her legs, drawing attention to the short black miniskirt and tall black boots she was wearing.
"Ye—yes," he stuttered, reaching to take the medications. He put them in his one pocket. After a moment of them looking at one another she spoke.
"Is there something else you want?" she inquired.
He tapped the arm of the chair a little nervously. "Uh, I was wanting more of...more of whatever that stuff was that he gave me," he said almost too quietly for her to hear.
"Sirex?" she asked and he nodded, bringing a smile to her face. She nodded to the one guard and he opened a cabinet against the one wall, taking out an orange bottle and passing it to her. "There you go," she said, sliding it over to Zack. He took them and looked at them thoughtfully.
"Something wrong?" Rayna asked.
"It just...the pills have been seeming different than what I had that first night when I was here," he claimed, remembering he'd felt somewhat mellower that first time.
"You had it in a drink right?" Rayna questioned and he nodded.
"Alcohol's a depressant. It counteracted the stimulating effects of the Sirex," she explained. "You prefer it that way?"
"No, uh both ways are fine. I just…I was hoping there was a way to get a stronger effect."
She smiled. "I see. You've just been taking the pills right?" she asked and he confirmed. "Well, fortunately for you, there's a simple solution."
He eyed her curiously as she spoke. He couldn't explain it but there was something both enticing and frightening about how comfortable she seemed to be with the current subject matter. She made drug use seem like it was the most normal thing in the world. He watched her open her small clutch purse she was holding and pull out an even smaller black case. When she flipped open the lid he was a little surprised to see what it contained, two slender syringes.
"What the hell are those?" he blurted out.
She gazed up at him with a raised brow. "What does it look like?" she asked. "They're prepped and clean, you don't have to worry." He watched as she pulled one of them from the case and motioned it toward him. Without meaning to he drew back from it fast, gaining him some confused looks. "Relax," Rayna said with a light laugh. "I wasn't gonna stick you. I don't inject for other people."
"I don't inject at all," Zack shot back at her.
"You wanted stronger," she pointed out, gesturing with the glimmering plastic tube still in her hand. "This'll give you the strongest reaction."
"No, I don't do needles," he protested.
Smiling, she said "Are you afraid of them?"
"No," he replied harshly. That was mostly true. He'd been injected so many times in the recent past, it seemed silly to be afraid of them. Still, he'd been conditioned to expect pain when needles were involved. Not just the kind of brief sting that came with the insertion of the needle itself. It was the nearly unbearable pain that had been associated with the substances he'd been injected with.
"Coulda fooled me," Rayna scoffed. "Fine, you got one other option," she announced after a short sigh.
"What?" he asked fast, feeling a little relieved.
"Let me introduce you to Mr. Grit and Mr. Straw," she said as she held up a Ziploc bag of what looked like a coarse white powder in one hand and a straw in the other.
He hadn't thought there could be a worse option than injection but this was it.
"No," he said firmly. No way in hell was he going to snort.
Looking a little frustrated, Rayna sat back against the couch, crossing her legs again. "Well, it's one or the other. Or you could try something other than Sirex."
He didn't want that either. "No, I—How do I know that's actually Sirex in there?" he asked.
"Hmm...guess you'll just have to trust me. Or I could brew you some right here just so you can be sure."
He ran his hands through his hair fast in annoyance. "Just—fuck—give it to me," he ordered.
He left the room with the syringe held partially hidden in his hand and he headed fast for the bathroom. He entered the first empty stall and slammed the door closed, flicking the lock shut. He turned and leaned his back against the door, taking a moment to breathe and think about what he was about to do. His hand held onto the slim syringe and lifted it to eye-level where he could stare at it. It was as if gazing into the horrors of the recent past. Only months ago, he'd been drugged out of his damned senses by Hojo, against his will. What was done to his body had been out of his control for so long. He had the power to choose now, and his choices were beginning to shame him.
"You don't need this," he told himself, and yet he did need it. Some part of him did. It helped him suppress the uncertain and fearful parts of himself, the parts that made him feel weak, and he hated himself for feeling as such. Hitting the wall next to him once with the side of his fist, he groaned in frustration before placing the syringe between his teeth and holding it there as he reached to undo his belt. He sat himself down on the closed lid of the toilet before using the belt to tie off his left arm. Picking a vein was easy enough and he wasn't feeling uneasy over the process of inserting the needle, only the fact he wasn't sure what to expect.
The result was almost instantaneous. There was a moment of pain before a rush of relief went through him. It was like being wrapped up in something warm and safe. He lowered his arm slowly to rest on his one thigh as the syringe slipped from his slackening grip. God, he found himself whispering with his eyes closed. He felt a little numb in that moment, like he could pass out right there and be completely content, but when the moment passed, he felt himself coming alive. He opened his eyes and looked ahead at all that seemed sharper and brighter.
000
Cloud strained his muscles for the hundredth time trying to urge them back to life. He knew it was working, just not very quickly. Mailer had been out of the room now for about ten minutes. He'd heard the man whistling and moving around but he couldn't tell what he was doing. When he heard his footsteps nearing the door he laid still.
"You up to no good in here?" Mailer joked as he entered the room with something in his hand. Cloud grew nervous when he was finally close enough for him to see that the man was holding a pair of scissors in his hand, twirling them around his finger by the one handle. Mailer stepped onto the mattress and stood above him, a leg on either side of him and it surprised him when the man lowered himself and actually sat himself down on top of him, basically in his lap. The man's weight pushed him farther into the mattress and he felt the springs digging into his lower back. Immediately, his legs started to tingle as the circulation was restricted.
"You remember that little incident near the ravine back at the mansion?" Mailer questioned as he took hold of a bit of Cloud's shirt and began cutting into it with the scissors. "Ya know, when you and that buddy of yours tried to make a great escape?" he clarified. Cloud wasn't really sure he remembered. He remembered a bit of what Zack had told him regarding that attempted escape. But it wasn't much. Zack had simply told him they'd failed and what had happened as a result, including the injuries and subsequent scarring.
"Well apparently the prof wasn't so impressed we tried to kill one of his precious specimens," Mailer went on. "Somehow he was able to figure out we set the fire on that car. So we all got canned. Unfair, really," he stated as he continued to cut obscure shapes into the material of Cloud's shirt.
Cloud was very aware that his legs had gone to sleep on him and the pressure on his pelvic bones was starting to become painful.
"Probably won't ever get the job back..." Mailer went on. "But I'll get a big fat check for two hundred thousand gil when I hand you over."
Cloud's eyes widened slightly as he heard the number. The price on his head was two hundred thousand gil! It seemed ridiculous.
"What do you think?" Mailer asked as he paused in his cutting. "Should I hold out for more?" he asked. "I'd almost rather keep you to tell you the truth," he spoke eerily. "I could dress you up as my own little bitch."
Cloud could feel and see suddenly that the man was becoming aroused over the thought.
"Oh, I think someone wants to say hello," Mailer announced as he set down the scissors in his hand on the mattress. To Cloud's horror, the man began to undo his pants. He wasn't ready for this. The drugs hadn't worn off enough yet. He was still too weak to make his surprise attack. He held his breath in as the man let his erection come free of his pants. He tried not to look at it as he kept his eyes on Mailer's.
"Say 'hello'," Mailer urged. Cloud wasn't sure if the man was talking to him as his attention was turned to his penis. In fact, it was not Cloud he had wanted to greet his organ. He was telling his penis to say 'hello', which was revealed when he spoke for it in a slightly child-like voice.
Cloud didn't know what to think. He might have laughed if it were something he saw on T.V. or had been told about by someone else. There was something frightening about it in the current context. The man seemed a little...'not all there in the head' so to speak. His immediate fears that Mailer intended to have sex with him right at that moment subsided slightly. Instead, he worried with the way the man was handling himself that he was going to start doing something else. More specifically, he was afraid the man was about to masturbate on top of him. The thought was making his stomach sick and his body sweat. Much to Cloud's relief, the man didn't do that either. He started to rise, releasing the pressure of his body from Cloud's and putting his penis back in his pants.
"I think he remembers you," he said then as he stepped off the mattress. "You should be flattered," he added as he headed for the door. "He's picky. Sure don't get like that around just any guy," he explained, disappearing back into the living room. Cloud let out a long exhale in relief. He began trembling with adrenaline and felt his legs aching as the blood was rushing back into them.
"I was never batting for that team, if ya know what I mean," Mailer called from the other room. "But hey, I'm always willing to make an exception for a nice piece of ass and I gotta tell you. I've had a lot of little cunts wrapped around my dick and none of 'em was as tight and hot as you."
As Cloud listened, he couldn't help his emotions from seeping out. The experience Mailer spoke of so happily had been an agonizing terror of an experience for him. Even if it had all been simulated. Tears built up fast and began leaking out the corners of his eyes, running into his hair.
Mailer could hear the soft pants of his laboured breathing and came back to the room.
"Oh, no, baby," he said softly before crouching down over Cloud. He used his thumb to wipe away some of the tears from his left temple. "It don't gotta be like that," he added. "You be good, and I'll be good," he uttered with a smile. "Okay?" the man questioned. Cloud stared back at him, unmoving. Mailer reached for his hair once again and pulled his head forward by it, pushing and pulling a few times to imitate a nod. "Good," the man spoke before coming to a stand again. He stared down at Cloud a moment, looking as if he were about to say something but he was interrupted by a phone ringing from somewhere outside the room.
"Shit. I better get that," Mailer said as he headed for the door. He pulled on the knob of the door as he passed through it. The door closed, but not completely, leaving just a small crack between it and the frame. With tears still building and running from his eyes, Cloud took the opportunity to test out his mobility. His limbs were fairly moveable though they still felt like something of a burden attached to him. With some effort, he was able to lift his head and shoulders from the mattress below him. The pain in his back intensified as he did so. He was unsure of what injury he may have sustained back there but was nearly positive it wasn't anything too serious. Nothing would be broken anyway.
His head was swimming in vertigo just from lifting it. He didn't know what he'd been drugged with but it was taking a lot of effort to fight against it. It would be awhile before the effects had worn off completely.
He touched something next to him as he moved his left hand forward on the mattress. He took whatever it was in his hand before letting his shoulders and head fall back on the mattress, panting a little from the exertion he'd put himself through. He lifted his left hand to see what he was now holding onto. He still couldn't see very clearly, and his attempt at sitting up hadn't helped any, but he could still tell that what was in his hand were the scissors Mailer had been using to cut up his shirt. He couldn't believe the idiot had left them behind. Though, clearly the man had no idea he had as much mobility as he did. Passing them to his right hand, he felt for the edge of the mattress and slid the scissors under it. Hopefully Mailer had forgotten about them completely.
He closed his eyes then and waited for the pounding in his head to subside again. He could just barely hear Mailer outside the room, still talking on the phone. He tried not to let himself get too caught up in fear or worry about what was happening. He still had some control, and a bit of a plan on how to get away from wherever he'd been taken. But at the same time, he was terrified and couldn't help but think that when he did try to get away from Mailer, he wasn't going to make it out. Though the man seemed to be a little more interested in having him there at the moment, there was no way of knowing he wasn't about to turn him back over to the professor back at the mansion.
Sounds of thudding above pulled Cloud from his despairing thoughts. It sounded like there was someone running across a floor. Was there a second floor to the place? There was no way to be sure as Cloud hadn't seen any stairs when he'd been dragged in. But he had his doubts that Mailer would bring him to a place that was occupied by other people. He'd already mentioned he was getting lonely without company. An apartment then? After another few minutes, he thought he could hear music. It wasn't long after that the door to the room was opened once again and Mailer re-entered. He looked down at Cloud briefly before turning his gaze upwards.
"Goddamn neighbours. They play that shit every night at around this time," he said in clear annoyance. "It gets louder too. I think one day I might just go up there and blow their heads off. Might shut them up. I gotta go get a few things," the man announced to Cloud's surprise and slight relief. He really wanted the man away from him, if only temporarily. He needed to think, to plan. "You gonna be alright here on your own?" Mailer asked. "Should I give you a top up? I don't wanna overdose you."
A little bit of dread replaced the relief he'd felt at the suggestion he was going to be drugged again. He tried to make himself seem as paralyzed as possible. He let his eyelids fall a little, which was actually a bit of small relief. It was taking a lot of energy to keep them open. He wasn't sure if anything he did influenced Mailer's decision, but nevertheless the man decided not to dose him with more of what he'd been given earlier.
"You be good while I'm gone," Mailer ordered while standing over him. He smirked then before turning and leaving, pulling the door shut behind him. Cloud listened to the sound of the numerous locks being engaged on the opposite side of the door. Each one was like a gunshot ringing out. He waited then, until he'd heard the sound of the door to the apartment closing and locking before he began to move again.
000
When Zack had left the bathroom in the club, his attention was drawn immediately to the feeling of the music. He felt the vibrations through the floor while the sound swirled within his ears. He had wanted a stronger reaction to the drugs and he got one, one he wasn't sure he liked. After twenty minutes, he felt as though he were moving like a freight train. Every movement seemed ten times faster. He was also a hell of a lot warmer than he'd been expecting, and thirstier. He had planned on leaving the club almost immediately after he'd dosed himself but he realized he couldn't just go home. Setting aside the fact he was finding it hard to hold a single thought and even remember something like how to get to the train station, if Cloud was at home he was going to know something wasn't right with him, if he didn't already think something was up. He needed something to slow him down a little. A drink, he thought. Rayna had said something about alcohol mixing with the drugs and doing...well...something. As if he'd morphed himself there, he was at the bar in what seemed like milliseconds. It was there that he ran into Rayna again.
"It won't work," he heard her voice before he'd known she was there.
"What?" he said back and she smiled.
"Standing here waiting for the bartender to acknowledge you. How easily you forget," she commented.
"Oh, I did forget," he replied. "SOLDIERs don't get served here," he added, still leaning against the bar counter and tapping his one hand against it anxiously.
"I see you've decided to stop denying the truth," she said while waving to the one bartender. She ordered two drinks from him and passed one over to Zack. He looked at it suspiciously. "Nothing but alcohol in it," she stated and watched as he began to down it fast. "Take it easy there, champ," she suggested jokingly.
"I need another," he claimed while planting the glass down hard on the counter top. He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to get him another but she only shook her head. Moaning with frustration, he placed his hands on the counter and leaned over, lowering his head and taking a deep breath. He pushed away from the counter after a moment and turned his back on Rayna, searching with his eyes for the nearest exit. He was hoping that the moment he stepped outside he would be greeted with a rush of cool night air, but he wasn't. It was a hot night, more humid than it was inside the club. He was beginning to feel overwhelmed by the heat. Without much thought, he pulled his t-shirt off and crumpled it, tossing it someplace in the alley, leaving him in his undershirt. The door nearby opened and Rayna joined him outside.
"You're hot," he heard her say and he couldn't help but smile.
"So are you," he said back, his eyes zeroing in on the glass in her hand. He reached out and snatched it from her.
"Yeah, but I'm sweating a lot less," she pointed out. "I take it things went well in the bathroom."
"A little too much so," he responded after taking a gulp from her drink.
She studied him a moment. "The alcohol's not really gonna help in this case. But I have something you should try," she announced.
He felt suddenly like he may throw up what he'd just gulped down. Pushing the glass back into her hand, he stepped back against the wall and slid down. Crouching, he put his one hand on the pavement and took some slow breaths. "What now?" he questioned, looking up at her. He watched her reach a hand into the top of her shirt and pull out something. She took a step forward and crouched next to him to show him what it was. A small Ziploc bag with some white pills in it.
"What else do you keep in there?" he asked, tilting his chin up as he glanced at the tops of her breasts. He shook his head then. "I don't want anything else," he stated firmly.
"It'll level you out," she explained.
"How?" he inquired.
"It just does," she said sharply. "You wanna know the fucking mechanics of it?"
He looked at her straight. "I can't do this," he said softly, feeling scared suddenly. What the fuck am I doing? he asked himself.
"You don't have to be afraid," she said just above a whisper, as if she'd read his mind. "You don't have to do anything you don't want. I'm only trying to help you."
He looked at her eyes; so dark, and yet warm. She was seductive without trying to be. Anything she said he wanted to believe. He shifted his gaze to the bag she was holding.
"What's it do?" he asked quietly.
"It calms you," she replied. "Makes you feel good," she added, her free hand coming to rest on his one knee.
Looking at her hand, he spoke. "How good?" Slowly, her hand began to move up his thigh. Under the influence of the liquid Sirex, the sensation of it was more intense. He felt a tingling sensation all over from it.
"Really...really...good," she whispered, her hand sliding to the inside of his thigh, close to his groin. The action had his body reacting fast and he had to put his own hand on hers to slow it down.
He looked up at her face again and she smiled. "You first," he ordered. He didn't really expect her to actually take one of the pills, but she did and after showing him that she had in fact swallowed it, she reached into the baggy and pulled out another one, holding it out to him. He stared at it, afraid to take it, though he did try eventually. She pulled back and ordered him to open his mouth. He complied without much hesitation and felt the pill touch his tongue when she placed it there. It began to dissolve quickly, striking him with a bitter taste and he swallowed in response, sending the rest of the pill down to his stomach. Rayna smiled again, sliding the bag with the remaining pills back into her top and then reaching forward, she smoothed some of his hair away from his forehead with her hand. She looked about to say something when the door nearby opened. She stood fast, turning to see who it was. Zack rose slowly next to her with the aid of the wall at his back. He could see then that it was one of Scorch's guards. He glanced Zack's way before looking at Rayna.
"He's leaving," was all the guard said and gave Rayna an expectant look.
"Thanks," she replied and stepped toward the door. The guard disappeared back inside as she held the door open and motioned to head back inside. She paused though and looked back at Zack. "Don't go far. I won't be long," she said and, winking once, she slid a block of wood into the doorway, stepped in the building and let the door close behind her. It caught on the wood, leaving it open just slightly for him so he could get back in.
He didn't go back in right away though. He waited a few minutes, trying to get his senses straight. He heard voices then and moved down the side of the building toward the back. Peering around the corner, he could see Scorch, Rayna, and a few of the guards standing near a black car. Scorch and Rayna were talking. He was leaning in close to her and she was nodding slowly. While still leaning in, Rayna took hold of the collar on his jacket and tilted her head up to kiss him. Zack felt something strange as he watched. It couldn't be. Was he...jealous?
Stepping back into the alley, he rested a few minutes more against the one wall before turning around and heading in the opposite direction. He passed by the door in the side of the building, leading back into the club, but he didn't go back in. He began to head towards the far end of the building, where the street was. Before he'd made it there a voice called to him. Glancing back he could see Rayna coming after him.
"Where you going, SOLDIER?" she asked when she'd caught up to him.
"Somewhere else," he said back, trying not to look at her.
"Where else?"
"I dunno. Home," he declared.
"Home?" she echoed. "It's still pretty early. There's a place I'd like to go. Away from watchful eyes, if you know what I mean." He guessed she meant away from Scorch's club where his men could see what she was doing.
"Have fun," he said, about to walk away from her. A hand seized his own.
"Come with me," she spoke, her eyes pleading playfully.
It wasn't a good idea. It was a terrible idea, the worst. He shouldn't be around her anymore than he needed to be. He should be with Aerith. Yeah, that'd be great, showing up at Aerith's high out of my mind, he thought. Sure she wouldn't notice. He was still arguing with himself as he began walking again, but his body had already made the decision to go with Rayna to wherever she was taking them. She took him to another club. He didn't remember being in line at all. The whole entering-the-place scenario seemed lost somewhere in his head. He never hung out at clubs in the past, before dealing with Scorch, and he certainly had never been one for dancing. He'd only ever done it a few times with girls in his hometown at school dances or with Aerith at the Shinra special functions. Though he was on the dance floor with Rayna, he doubted what he was doing would be considered dancing. Standing there while she danced around him was closer to the truth. He knew they were in almost constant contact and he knew that whatever Rayna had given him was starting to drive him crazy with needs he hadn't felt in awhile. And she wasn't making it easy for him to control himself, especially when she ushered them somewhere shadowed and seemingly hidden away from the rest of the club. His best guess was that it was under a set of stairs that led up to the second floor. It was there that he'd lost what little control he'd had left.
000
Barely a moment after he was left alone, Cloud felt himself about to lose control of his emotions again. I can't believe this is happening, he thought. It really was a twist of horrible fate that of all the people who were out to capture him, Mailer would be the one to do it. He could easily have let the panic take over. The fact that he couldn't make his body do what he was telling it was only bringing him closer to the verge of a quick breakdown. He forced himself to stay calm, however, taking some slow breaths and turning his head toward the door. He tried to keep his eyes on it as he began once again to lift his head and shoulders off the mattress, straining the muscles in his abdomen as he urged himself to sit up. It wasn't going to happen so he did what he could before he found himself flopping back down and turned his body over and off the mattress.
He panted against the wood floor, waiting until he felt capable of expending another burst of energy before he began to writhe his way across the floor to the door. It was only a few feet away and yet it felt like miles. He could barely extend his arms to make use of them. All he could really do is use his hands to inch his way there. It took close to ten minutes to do so.
Once he'd made it to the door, he wasn't entirely sure why he'd bothered to get himself over there. There was no way he was going to be able to lift himself up anywhere near the doorknob, let alone be able to get through all the locks. He didn't want the trip to be a wasted one, so he took the opportunity to try and see under the door. The gap was just wide enough to allow him to make out some of the living room he'd been dragged through when he'd first got there. Still, he didn't feel any better off than before he'd left the mattress and now he was more tired than he started out.
Just then, his ears picked up the sound of a key in a lock and suddenly his stomach was plummeting as he saw a door open and a pair of legs entering the living area. Mailer was back, much sooner than he'd expected and now he wasn't where he'd been left. If the man entered the room right now he would know he wasn't as drug-affected as he'd thought. He needed to get back to the mattress and he wasn't going to be able to take ten minutes to do it either. Before he could make one move in retreat he felt the vibrations of Mailer's footsteps through the floor and he looked under the door to see him approaching the room.
"No," he whispered in dread, his heart beating frantically in his chest as he waited to be discovered. He watched Mailer's shoes coming toward the door and he waited to see them stop, to hear the locks in the door being disengaged…
It didn't happen. Just before reaching the door, Mailer turned and headed off to the right. As Cloud listened he thought he could hear some plastic bags rustling, like something was being put away. He still had time to get back to the mattress.
He didn't think he'd ever tried so hard in his life to do something, though he probably had. By the time he'd made it onto the mattress and gotten himself lying in roughly the same position he figured he'd been in before he was damp with sweat and breathing hard. He was forced to cease his panting when finally he heard the sounds of the door being unlocked. It was almost painful and he felt lightheaded suddenly. The door to the room swung open then and Mailer stood in the doorway, an expression that suggested he was a little surprised to see him lying where he'd left him. He approached the mattress and Cloud avoided his eyes, afraid his own would give him away.
"Hey there, buddy," Mailer said while crouching. "Miss me?" he asked. The fact Mailer had called him buddy angered him more than he would have thought possible. Only Zack called him that. The anger must have showed in his face somehow because Mailer chuckled lightly and commented "Guess you're pretty pissed right now." Cloud shifted his eyes to look at him and he smiled. "You know, I don't doubt you could really kick my ass right now if you weren't…well…incapacitated. Even though you are a little bitch, you seem to have the ability to deal out some serious shit. But fortunately for me I know how to keep you under control."
The man reached a hand down toward his face and Cloud could feel his index finger touch his forehead near his hairline. Slowly, the finger ran in a line down the centre of his face, down his nose and over his lips to stop at his chin. Mailer pulled his hand back and rubbed his index finger together with his thumb.
"You sure are sweating a lot," he remarked. "Is it too hot in here? Or are you just nervous?" He smiled. "Nothing to be nervous about. Yet. Maybe when find yourself back with that old professor. I should think I look like pretty good company next to him." Cloud would beg to differ. He did hate Hojo, and he was terrified of him, but it was different where Mailer was concerned. The man had terrorized him on another level.
Mailer left the room, saying he was going to make himself some dinner. He was gone an hour, giving Cloud the chance to gain back his strength, and then some, but when he returned, he wasn't empty-handed, and Cloud was pummelled suddenly with the realization he was going to have to make a fast move to save himself. The man had returned with a syringe.
"It's time to go night night," he announced. "Can't have you awake and plotting escape while I'm trying to get some shut-eye."
This was it. This was the time. If he waited any longer then it may be too late. He couldn't let the man sedate him to the point of knocking him unconscious. He wouldn't know when or where he'd wake up. He watched as Mailer prepped the syringe. His heart was beating hard with anticipation. His fingers were twitching as he got himself ready to reach for the scissors under the mattress. With the syringe filled, Mailer pocketed the container with the remaining liquid and knelt down on the mattress. Just as he was reaching forward to take hold of Cloud's left arm, Cloud reached for the scissors, grasping them fast and sitting up all in one motion. He could tell Mailer was shocked to see him with such mobility. He didn't give the man a chance to try and subdue him before raising the scissors upward fast, and trusting them into the left side of the man's chest. Cloud had been aiming for his heart but his vision still wasn't one hundred percent and Mailer had turned slightly. The scissors, instead, imbedded in his pectoral and he let out a loud cry as blood seeped from the wound fast and ran down the blades to Cloud's hand. When it reached the handles, the scissors slipped from his grasp as Mailer fell backwards. Cloud took the opportunity to turn over and pulled himself off the mattress, struggling to get away as fast as possible. He was a little surprised at his own sudden abilities to move, but then his adrenaline and fear were also fueling him. Mailer hadn't been nearly as injured as he had hoped. One of the man's hands caught his leg and started to pull him back. He managed to pull out of his grip but before he could crawl forward another inch, he felt Mailer take hold of him again, his hand latching onto his belt and the waistband of his pants. He groaned in protest as he was dragged backwards again, clawing at the floor for something to stop himself, though he could see there was nothing.
"HELP ME!" he yelled out as long and loud as he could, though he doubted anyone was going to hear him. Certainly no one from upstairs would, given the music playing. "Nuh-no-oh!" he cried out as he was dragged back onto the mattress, that one word breaking up on his lips as he started to feel the panic take over. Mailer's hand moved from his belt to the back of his shirt in one quick motion. His fingers held the material tightly in a fist as he pulled, the force lifting Cloud's upper body off the mattress slightly.
"That wasn't very FUCKING NICE!" Mailer screamed at him from above, the blood from his wound soaking part of his shirt, some of it falling onto Cloud with gravity. He let go of Cloud's shirt only to take a hold of his hair. He was so angry he had to try hard not to pull his head back too hard and injure his neck.
It still hurt though as Cloud let out a short cry and closed his eyes against the sting. He tried to ease the pain by resting his forearm on the mattress below him, lifting himself up a little with the help of his elbow. Mailer jerked his head back a little farther in response and he found himself taking hold of Mailer's wrist with his other hand, though it did little good. He felt something pressing against his neck and was pretty sure without looking that it was the pair of scissors.
"How 'bout I cut you up a little bit, huh?" Mailer shouted at him as Cloud held back the urge to start sobbing. He couldn't help himself from uttering a pathetic whispered 'Please.'
"Please?" Mailer repeated his one word in a harsh, questioning tone. He pulled the scissors away from Cloud's neck and held them a moment as he pushed his shirt up on his back slightly. He pressed the closed tips of the bloodied scissors to the pale skin of his lower back. "You gonna beg me not to hurt you now?" he asked mockingly.
Cloud didn't utter a sound until he felt the scissors press down into his flesh agonizingly slow but still forceful. He groaned then and Mailer pulled on his hair a little harder while digging the scissors a little deeper. Cloud wasn't sure if the scissors were breaking skin or not, but the pain was still hot and sharp and seemingly never-ending the way the man was steadily adding pressure.
"Uh-ah!" he cried out when Mailer released his hair suddenly and took hold of his neck instead, his hand closing around the front of it. His own hand fell to the mattress under him while the man began twisting the scissors and pressing them just that little bit deeper. It was then that Cloud felt the tickle of something running across his skin. "P-please," he choked out, imagining the feeling had to be coming from his own blood.
"Please what?" Mailer questioned. "You want me to stop?" he asked when Cloud didn't immediately respond.
"Ye—" Cloud began to speak but paused as he felt the pain increase. Though he couldn't see what was happening, he could feel it as Mailer began to open the blades of the scissors, widening the puncture in his flesh and pulling a soft sob from Cloud's lips.
"I can't hear you," Mailer said with a smirk, watching the blood that was beginning to form a little pool in the small of Cloud's back.
"Yes," Cloud finished as his tears were starting to drop from his lashes onto the mattress. He panted as he tried to keep from breaking down completely.
There was a long, terrifying moment when Cloud assumed Mailer wasn't going to stop. He made no indication that he would. But suddenly, he was releasing his hold on Cloud's neck. Cloud dropped back onto the mattress, away from the scissors that had been pressed into his back. His tears clouded his eyes a little as he raised his right arm slightly to look towards the side of his abdomen. He gripped his shirt lightly with his left hand as he pulled it up slightly seeing definite blood was travelling over his side on its way to the mattress.
He looked away, resting his left cheek against the mattress a moment and closing his eyes as he took a few deep breaths. He was startled when he felt the mattress depress on either side of him, close to his shoulders. He opened his eyes to see one of Mailer's hands flat against the mattress. A moment later he could see out of the corner of his one eye Mailer's form above him. He closed his eyes again when he felt the man's cheek come to rest against his head next to his right ear.
Shortly after, Mailer lowered himself over Cloud, his chest pressing against Cloud's back lightly as he slid his knees back on the mattress. He lay himself down, next to Cloud, though his upper body was still on top of his.
Cloud lay still, only daring to open his eyes once again. He didn't know what to feel besides fear as Mailer lay against him. He could feel the man's breath against his face and in his ear. Mailer's right hand moved then. Cloud felt it touch his side briefly before it slid under his stomach. It didn't stop there as his hand started to migrate upwards, running up across his chest to emerge next to the left side of his neck where the hand took hold of his shoulder. Mailer's left hand moved next, this time sliding across his bare stomach where it stopped at his opposite side.
Cloud was terrified by the possessive hold. He didn't know what to do besides what he was already doing, lying still. He was arguing with himself in his head about what his next move should be. He was sure that if he didn't attempt again immediately to get away then he'd never have the chance again. At the same time, Mailer had already shown he wasn't weak and that he could easily inflict his own pain. His thoughts were interrupted by Mailer's voice as he spoke near his ear.
"I told you to be good," he whispered, the heat of his breath sending a shiver through Cloud's body. "That was the deal, remember," the man continued. "You be good and I'll be good." Cloud just listened, though he was distracted immediately when he felt Mailer's right leg slide over his own left and place itself in between it and his right leg. Mailer's body pressed closer to his. He found himself biting back his emotions and tears again as the man muttered "You broke the deal," into his ear at the same time he felt Mailer's pelvis begin to move against his left hip. Mailer squeezed him a little tighter as he moved his nose into his hair and took a deep breath. Mailer's one hand stayed on his shoulder while Cloud felt the other slide down to the buckle on his belt.
"No!" he said fast, attempting to raise his upper body from the mattress. Mailer's body held him down as his hand worked at sliding the leather of his belt through the buckle. "No!" Cloud repeated in panic as he reached his own hand down to stop Mailer's. The man let go of the buckle only to grab Cloud's hand in his own. His right hand released Cloud's shoulder to take up position where his left had just been. "No! Stop!" Cloud cried out as Mailer was losing patience with his belt. Cloud's left hand reached down to stop him just as he was starting to make real progress.
He pulled his hand away from Cloud's and rose himself up on his hands as he looked back for the scissors. As he took them in his hand, Cloud caught on to what he was about to do and attempted to turn and reach out to stop him but Mailer drove his left elbow into his back, pushing him back onto the mattress before pressing his forearm against his upper back. "STOP!" Cloud cried out again as Mailer slid the one scissor under the leather of his belt and began cutting. "Get away from me! Get the fuck away from me!" Cloud began to shout over and over.
Mailer smiled when the leather was cut through. He attempted briefly to pull the cut belt from the loops of Cloud's pants from under him but Cloud's hands were on his immediately, preventing him from doing so. He lost patience then, grabbing onto Cloud and turning him over onto his back. He reached for the belt buckle again and Cloud reached for his hand. "Fuck off! Leave me alone!" Cloud yelled as he struggled to keep from losing that leather that seemed to be his only protection. He lost it suddenly when Mailer got a good hold on it and in one swift motion pulled the belt from his pants. Just as fast, Mailer's hands were seeking to undo his pants. He knew it wasn't going to take much. One button and a zipper.
Cloud threw his arms out, trying any way he could to get the man away from him, pushing, throwing his fists into him. Finally, he placed his hand on the man's chest and dug his thumb into the wound he'd caused with the scissors. Mailer cried out and reached for Cloud's hand. Cloud refused to let go as the man's hand closed over his and attempted to wrench it away. When he couldn't do so, Mailer grabbed hold of the belt he'd just taken from Cloud and held it folded into a loop as he began to strike Cloud below him.
Cloud let go of Mailer fairly quickly out of instinct to protect himself. He held his arms over his face, crying out every time the buckle of the belt managed to hit him. Mailer stopped short of a dozen hits, tossing the belt down and returning to the task of undoing Cloud's pants. Though in pain, Cloud didn't hesitate from resuming his struggle. "Leave me alone! Don't do this!" he begged through his angry, frustrated, and fearful tears. "PLEASE!"
If he could just have his strength back, he knew he'd have a better chance at fighting Mailer off. A panicked sob left him with his frantic pleas as the man was finally able to get his pants undone but he didn't stop fighting. As he threw his arm out to hit him for what seemed like the billionth time, Mailer caught it and held on. The man's knee was between his two legs and slid upwards to his groin fast, making him halt his movements. He tried again to persuade the man not to go any further.
"Please," he said in a quivering voice as tears were running down both sides of his face into his hair. "Please d-don't do this!" he cried softly.
The man smiled, placing a hand on Cloud's cheek. Without saying anything he let go of Cloud's one arm and slid himself back off the mattress, before coming to a stand. Cloud watched him in slight confusion as he walked away a few steps. Slowly relief began to set in to Cloud as he sat up and did his pants back up but the relief was short-lived. Mailer was going for that prepped syringe that had fallen from his hand minutes before. It had rolled over to the wall.
"I think you should just let me give you this like a good little bitch," the man said as he turned back to face him and smiled. "Then you can have yourself a nice nap while I have a good time," he added while advancing. He knelt down when he reached the end of the mattress but before he could lean in with the syringe, Cloud drew his one leg back and kicked at Mailer, trying to hit his hand but missing and getting him in the upper arm instead. The force knocked Mailer back off the mattress but didn't deter him long. Propped on his elbows, Cloud moved himself back from Mailer. He pulled himself over the mattress and onto the floor, trying to put distance between them, but the man was on him fast. One of his large hands grabbed hold of his head by his hair and jerked him back, where he found himself hitting the mattress once more. The man's right knee came down hard on his neck, cutting off his airway partly, and though he tried, he wasn't able to wiggle out from under him. Mailer used his other knee to pin down one of his arms. A wave of panic went through him while he trying to breathe and pull himself free. With little hesitation, Mailer jabbed the needle of the syringe into Cloud's arm hard and he let out a short cry. He had to do something fast. His other arm was still free so he drove the heel of his palm up into Mailer's face, hitting his nose. It wasn't as hard a strike as he was hoping for, but it jarred the man and had his knee slipping from his neck.
Mailer had managed to inject him, but only with part of what was in the syringe as Cloud managed to jerk his arm away while he was mid-squeeze on the pump. With Mailer now briefly preoccupied with his throbbing nose, Cloud pulled himself off the mattress for the third time, scrambling to get to his feet only to fall back to his knees for a brief moment. He was still weak but his fear was still driving him forward. It was probably his last chance to get away from Mailer. He knew the man was coming right after him. It only took him a second to stand and lunge after him. He caught up to him quickly just outside the room and reached for him, circling an arm around his neck and aiming to drag him back. Cloud stumbled back a few steps as he was in Mailer's grasp but he pulled against him hard, his hands grabbing for the man's wrist. Mailer's hold was tight. After a failed attempt at breaking free of his clutches, Cloud pivoted and pushed himself backwards into Mailer. The backs of Mailer's knees hit the coffee table in the living room and he lost his balance, falling backward and onto the table, pulling Cloud down with him. The table collapsed under their weight, sending them to the floor instead where Mailer's hold slackened around Cloud's neck.
Cloud tried yet again to turn over and scurry away. It was messy and awkward. Mailer kept grabbing onto him, keeping him from getting to his feet. It was something of a wrestling match for a few moments before Cloud was able to throw a few hits into the man's face, one of which started his nose bleeding. The punches didn't come without payback. Mailer's fist drove first into the left side of his face before delving hard into his stomach, one of the few places on him that was still vulnerable to serious injury. Hojo's experimentation had somehow given him and Zack stronger than normal skeletal structures and injuries on them healed quicker but their soft tissue and organs were just as tender as always. He cried out in response to the punch, immediately curling into himself and clutching his stomach. Mailer took the opportunity to stand as Cloud lay on his side. He waited until Cloud had started to raise himself onto his hands and knees before sending another well-aimed hit into his stomach, this time with his boot. Another short cry fell from Cloud's lips, making Mailer smile. He kicked him again, watching with satisfaction as the force sent Cloud back onto his side. Again, Cloud pulled himself to his hands and knees and with his boot Mailer pushed him back to the ground. Cloud wasn't giving up and it amused Mailer to see him struggle again and again to raise himself up and move away inch by inch, while each time he forced Cloud back to the floor.
"Sure aren't a quitter, are you?" he remarked before sending one particularly hard stomp down into Cloud's lower back, pulling another sharp sound of pain from him as he was sent back to his stomach on the floor. Mailer watched him as he lay still then, breathing hard against the wood below him. He chuckled as he slid his boot under Cloud and rolled him onto his back. He'd expected to see a pathetic look on Cloud's face, but instead there was something angrier. Quickly, Cloud drew his leg back and kicked hard into Mailer's left knee. Mailer yelled out, dropping to the floor and gripping his injured leg. In a flash of anger, he grabbed for a glass ashtray that had been on the coffee table and which was now on the floor within his reach, and slammed the side of Cloud's face and head with it in one fast strike.
That one hit really stunned Cloud. He didn't feel any pain at first. All he felt was his head whipping to the side and suddenly his vision was blurring and his ears ringing. He had heard the glass hitting bone but now he heard nothing. His thoughts were knocked out of him, as his consciousness had almost been. But after a moment, his awareness started to come back to him, along with the pain.
Mailer pulled himself toward the couch. He sat himself down a moment as he rubbed his leg. He watched Cloud as he turned himself over slowly, groaning softly as he tentatively touched the side of his face. There was a line of blood running down from close to his hairline. The fact that Cloud was still moving and that he actually looked to be trying to get up angered Mailer.
Cloud had gotten himself back onto his hands and knees. He watched the floor for a second as blood was dribbling from his face and hitting the wood in tiny splatters. He looked up at Mailer's desk which was right in front of him. Reaching up, he grabbed onto the desktop and started to pull himself to his feet. He strained the muscles in his arms and legs trying to do so. The small amount of drugs he'd been injected with must have been starting to take effect. He needed to get out of there.
He'd just barely gotten himself standing when Mailer grabbed onto him once more, taking hold of the back of his shirt and pulling him back slightly before slamming him forward against the desk. His body buckled forward and his chest fell against the desktop. One of Mailer's hands pressed his head down against the hard surface and held him there as he panted.
"Enough," he heard the man speak above him. There was silence then for a brief moment before Mailer spoke again. "I think I'm having a little déjà vu here, little bitch," he said with a smile. "You, bent over a table all helpless and bleeding," he continued as he leaned down closer to Cloud's ear. "About to get fucked…up," the man concluded, rocking himself forward a little into Cloud's body.
"Don't," Cloud said through clenched teeth as he tried to stand straight. Mailer's hand held his head firmly against the table.
"You gonna start begging again, little bitch?" Mailer responded mockingly. "Do it, it's really a turn-on," he added. Cloud felt Mailer's one hand slide under his stomach and stop at the front of his waist. The man was able to undo his pants again but as he began to tug at the material, Cloud kicked his one foot back, managing to hit Mailer in the shin pretty hard. The man took a slight step back and his hand left the back of Cloud's head. Cloud took that moment to push himself back to a stand, pivoting to face Mailer just as the man's one hand landed directly over his face and began bearing down, pushing him back and downward. Cloud grasped his hand with one of his own, trying to tear it from his face while his other took hold of Mailer's other wrist as the man had his other hand on his chest and was trying to force him down.
Though Cloud fought against it, Mailer was pushing him so hard the heavy oak desk was moving, scraping slowly across the floor. The power struggle was draining Cloud fast so he freed up one of his hands to drive a fist into Mailer's chest, hoping it would help him out. Though Mailer grunted painfully, he kept his hold on Cloud. He did remove his one hand from the front of Cloud's torso, however, and reached for a bunch of pencils and pens in a cup on the desktop. Grasping them in his hand, he reached behind Cloud and drove them up into his lower back. Several of the tips on the utensils that had been facing up in the cup had connected with Cloud's body sharply, despite the fact he was covered by two layers of shirt material. He cried out in surprise and arched his back away from the sudden pain. That's all Mailer needed in order to throw him off balance and get him back down on the desk.
Before Cloud could do anything to retaliate, Mailer released his hand from his face in order to take hold of both sides of his head, gripping his hair tightly as he pulled Cloud's head upward before slamming it back on the desktop once, and then again. Cloud's mind fogged over in an instant and the only thing he registered was the sound of his skull hitting the wooden surface below for a third time. He ceased all movement then, feeling suddenly like he had no control over his body, he felt himself slipping on the edge of the desk. Mailer stopped him, grabbing his torso and pushing him up onto the desktop, his legs hanging over the edge at the knees. His vision had glossed over as he looked up at the man above him. He could barely make out his facial features and he could barely feel his pants being worked off his waist and legs.
Mailer took hold of his legs then, grasping them at the knees and pulling him closer to the edge of the desk once again. Cloud made no attempt to resist. He felt as though he was falling down into someplace deep and dark. It felt like he was suddenly in a dream, with everything seemingly muted but while he wasn't feeling much in the moment, a part of his mind was still aware of what was going on. Mailer stood in front of him, positioned between his two legs, hanging limply from the desk and where the man was still holding the backs of his knees. He only vaguely recognized the sensations and sounds in those following minutes. Mailer's one hand still gripping his right knee while the other began to touch him, rubbing him through the material of his boxers. His voice seeming like a far away hum as he said something about him needing this as much as he did. He felt his eyelids becoming heavy then and he fought against the feeling, his eyes rolling as he tried to get his senses straight. He let out a groan of protest then as he lifted his head off the desk and swatted the man's hand away from him. He tried to kick at Mailer, which only seemed to annoy him. It wasn't long before he'd grabbed hold of Cloud's shoulders and turned him over.
He was back on his stomach then, with his right cheek pressed tightly to the desk. Tears began filling his eyes and an overwhelming feeling of sickness was filling his stomach as he ran his hands slowly over whatever he could touch on the surface of the desk, looking for anything he could possibly defend himself with. This can't happen again he cried inside his own mind while he shut his eyes tightly in response to the feeling of Mailer pressing his body to his. His fingers brushed over something under some loose papers and he grasped onto whatever it was. It felt like a pen or something of similar shape. Whatever it was he intended to try and use it, but as he put the palm of his free hand against the desktop and attempted to push himself up a little, Mailer just pushed him back down. He kept a hold on the back of Cloud's head, which was throbbing now from being beaten against the wood of the desk a few moments earlier. His other hand was busy removing his own belt. He dropped it to the floor and a shiver went up Cloud's back when he felt Mailer's hand slide against the outside of his hip, pushing his boxers down slightly. He wiggled back against Mailer, trying to slide himself back off the desk.
"Stop it," Mailer demanded but Cloud ignored him, continuing his small struggle. In response, Mailer grabbed his legs and pulled him from the desk back onto the floor, where he fell onto his chest and dropped the item he'd been holding in his hand. It rolled a few inches away under the desk. It didn't seem that Mailer had noticed it. He was too busy trying to get control of Cloud.
Cloud felt the man trying again to pull the last article of clothing he had on his lower half from him and he reached back fast to grab onto the band of his boxers, thwarting Mailer's efforts momentarily until the man took hold of his wrist and pried his fingers off the material. Cloud felt his arm being bent then at the elbow, and twisted forcefully behind his back. A quick burst of pain shot through his arm and his joints making him cry out. He slammed the palm of his free hand against the floor a few times as Mailer added more pressure to his stressed limb and the pain intensified, pulling loud, desperate groans from his mouth.
"Stop moving," Mailer ordered from above him. "Stop!" he repeated after a few seconds. Cloud hadn't really realized he'd been moving, his knees and pads of his toes pressing against the floor in an involuntary attempt to crawl away. He did as Mailer ordered and stopped his frantic movements, breathing hard and waiting for Mailer to release his arm, which he didn't do right away. He took the opportunity to finally get Cloud's boxer shorts pushed down, then he released his arm to reach his discarded belt. Cloud didn't even really notice when the belt was slipped over his head. He was too concerned with his boxers. When he reached a hand back to try and recover himself he felt a sudden constriction at his neck as Mailer tugged the end of the belt through its metal loop, tightening it around his neck fast and cutting off most of his airway. The need to breathe overtook the need to hold onto his clothing and Cloud reached instead for his neck, feeling the thick strap that was pressing against him as he choked against the new pressure. In an instant he could hear nothing but his pulse and feel nothing but that belt pressing against him, and though he dug his fingers into his neck trying to pull the belt away from himself, he couldn't get a good breath.
Finally, Mailer released the end of the belt slightly, allowing Cloud to breathe freely once again. He coughed roughly as the air flowed back into his lungs fast. He heard Mailer shushing him close to his one ear.
"Shhh...relax, little bitch," he whispered. Cloud disregarded his instruction and reached for the belt but Mailer was fast to tighten it, not allowing him the chance to get a grip on it. He pulled harder this time, cutting off Cloud's airway completely. "Relax, relax..." the man continued to speak in a low tone near his ear. He used his other hand to undo his own pants while Cloud was weakly struggling under him, trying to suck in air desperately and unsuccessfully. Cloud was panicking and he didn't know what else to do so he dropped his one hand back to the floor and reached forward under the desk, trying to feel around for what he'd pulled down with himself from the desk top. His vision was beginning to spot over as he was deprived of oxygen. It was getting hard to focus and keep his eyes open. He thought he was going to pass out before he'd reached what he was looking for. Then, he felt it, the item he'd had in his hand before. He clutched onto it but his hold was weak. He felt his body begin to disappear as he started heading for unconsciousness.
Just then, Mailer loosened the belt and air began rushing into his chest once again. He heaved in a few breaths and began coughing once more. He could feel Mailer's other hand brushing against his body a little as the man was freeing his erection from his own pants. When he felt the man's member bump the back of his thigh lightly he began a quick burst of panicked movement, clawing at the floor ahead of him and trying to pull away. "No! No!" he cried out several times while twisting his body in any way he could. Mailer responded by lying down on top of him, crushing his body with his own.
"Shhhh...stop," Mailer spoke into his ear again. "Stop fighting it, shhhhhh." Cloud paused his movements out of exhaustion and cried instead. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what he could do. He was trying so hard to combat the weakening effects of the drugs he'd been given but it wasn't helping him much. He felt like dead weight, and he was so tired, a part of him really did just want to give in and lay still while Mailer took what he wanted from him. His mind, just as weary as his body, seemed to like the idea, his muscles softening slightly as his body began to go limp. "That's it," Mailer whispered, letting go of the end of the belt and running his hand through Cloud's hair as he was breathing hard and unevenly. Cloud barely registered the sound of the man spitting into that same hand a moment later, but the thought of why he'd done it made him feel a lot sicker.
Mailer reached down then to grasp his erection and moisten it with his prepared hand. Not a moment later he was guiding it towards his mark. At the feeling of the man's member pressing against his entrance, Cloud's lower body tensed up in an instant. "No no," Mailer spoke up again. "Stay relaxed for me, baby. Otherwise it's going to be a hell of a lot more painful than it needs to be," he added. Cloud couldn't make himself relax his glutes. In fact, he found himself contracting them harder in response to Mailer trying to push into him. The man pushed forward slowly but was barely able to make the smallest amount of penetration. Cloud yelled out, not so much from pain, as from fear and mental anguish. "Come on," Mailer cooed in his ear. "Let me in," he urged. "Let me in or I'll force my way in," he warned, pushing his hips forward with a bit of a quick thrust to make his point. Cloud let out a startled cry. That time he'd felt a spark of pain.
"Just stop," he pleaded in a small voice. "Please, just leave me alone."
Mailer let out a frustrated groan before yelling into his ear "Come on!" Cloud shut his eyes tightly in reflex. "I'm not waiting any longer," the man said harshly, wrapping his arm under Cloud's neck once more but this time grasping his one shoulder while he began forcing his way inside Cloud's body.
000
Finally Zack and Rayna had made it inside her apartment. It was bound to happen. While they'd been under the stairs at the club, they'd been locked to each other's lips. While on the dance floor, Zack had had to hold himself back from taking hold of her the way he was doing now, pushing her against the wall with a hand gripping her back and his other one running up the side of her thigh. His fingers were pushing up the material of her skirt as she was pressing her body into his. She had stopped him though, a hand taking hold of his as she pulled back from him. All she had said was "Not here" before they were leaving the club and making their way to her apartment around the block. Now inside, she reached for the light switch just inside the door but missed, keeping them in darkness while Zack kicked the door closed behind him. He was walking her forward, one hand on her back and his other at the back of her head as their lips were clasped tightly together. He walked her back into the table which scraped against the tile and was moved out of their path fast. They were stopped by the kitchen counter then and Rayna let out a short cry as her back was pushed into it rather hard. The sound brought a smile to Zack's face and he slid his hands down her sides to grasp the material of her shirt and pull it upwards, over her head. She pushed him back then, turning him fast, his back hit the fridge and the appliance rattled while some boxes fell from the top of it to the floor. Rayna proceeded to pull his own shirt from him and as their lips crashed together again she reached down to undo his pants and he struggled to kick off his boots at the same time. His pants slid to the floor as he was pushing down the material of her spandex skirt over her hips.
Before he could grab hold of her again, she stepped back from him and he observed her as she placed one foot on the chair nearby and unzipped the first of her boots. When she'd finished with the second one she stepped back to the edge of her bed and sat down before sliding herself back and beckoning him with one finger. The effects of the pill she had gave him had been wearing off and he was now getting back to his senses, which made it seem so much worse that he was doing what he was doing. He knew it was wrong but continued anyway. He spared not a moment in closing the distance between them and climbing onto the bed over her. Her hand reached for the back of his head, pulling him down so she could kiss him again. She undid her bra then and slipped it from her shoulders and finally off before reaching for his boxers. When they were both stripped completely of clothing, she stopped them, putting a hand on his chest as he was hovering above her.
"What?" he breathed out impatiently. He watched her turn over slightly and reach over to the side table, pulling open a small drawer and taking out a small square package that he recognized instantly. The thought of protection had never entered his mind but Rayna took care of that for him and once covered he pushed her back on the mattress, his one hand interlocked in hers. He entered her hard and fast, perhaps too much so because she released a soft cry and squeezed his hand so hard it actually hurt. She lifted her hips then and pressed herself to his body closer, while her other hand slid around to his back. He moved his own free hand under her back and gripped the back of her head, his fingers curling themselves into her dark hair.
She moved with him as he thrust into her, squeezing her legs around his waist as he increased his pace. He pushed into her sharply, a part of him wanting to hurt her for her involvement in his turn towards drugs. He was angry too, for the fact that he couldn't control himself with her, that he wanted her, and that he would rather be with her right now than Aerith. He couldn't help thinking of Aerith with someone else. With Kunsel. Or worse, Tseng. She hadn't told him about Kunsel, so who's to say she hadn't slept with Tseng too and was keeping it a secret from him. The thought that she may have been sleeping with Tseng while he was locked away in the Shinra Mansion infuriated him and he pushed that fury upon Rayna. She pushed against his hand with hers, clenching it in a white-knuckled grip and he responded by pushing it harder against the bed as he clutched her hair tighter, sweat dripping from his face. She dug her nails hard into his back then and he gritted his teeth, while the flash of pain pushed him to the edge of climax. He thrust into her deeply twice more before his orgasm washed over him and had his movements slowing and coming to a stop. He nearly collapsed upon her, panting as he loosened his grip on her hand and hair. He had enough presence of mind though to shift his weight off of her and let himself come to rest next to her, lying on his back while his chest rose and fell with slow heaves. He didn't know how Rayna was going to react to him in those following moments. He'd just used her, less than gently, and he wasn't sorry about it. It had felt good and he wouldn't have minded doing it again in the future.
Barely a minute had passed when he felt her climb over him, straddling his waist. He opened his eyes as she pressed her lips to the side of his neck and began to nip and suck at the skin. Her one hand traveled down to stroke his softening member and he grasped her hand in his.
"What are you doing?" he asked her when she looked up at him.
"It's my turn now you selfish son of a bitch," she replied with a devious smile before lowering her mouth to the skin just below his collarbone and biting into it. He let out a cry of shock while she ground her body into his, the friction and sudden pain bringing his body back to life. She gripped his now slowly hardening penis and knelt over him before lowering herself back onto him, taking him inside her once more. She didn't waste much time before leaning forward slightly, her hands on his chest as she began to work him. Still sensitive from his very recent release, her movements struck him with a mixture of pleasure and discomfort, both of which increased when she gripped the headboard on the bed and used it as leverage while she rode him. He couldn't help himself from gripping her thighs and thrusting into her as he began to feel his body growing desperate for a second climax. Seeing him getting close, she slowed her movements suddenly and he let out a groan, attempting to rise so he could grab onto her and use her once more to fulfill his need. She slammed a hand down on his chest, and pushed him back against the bed, waiting to make sure she wasn't met with resistance before she began to move herself harder and faster against him once more. She was whining and moaning as she got herself close to her own climax and he was letting out soft grunts as he clenched his teeth and pushed upwards frantically, thinking that if she came before him he would probably die of the need to release himself once more. They climaxed together though, the action of her clenching from her own pushing him over the edge. He grabbed onto her hips and pushed her against him more deeply while she gripped the headboard harder and cried out. She released the headboard then and her upper body fell against him while they both breathed deeply. Zack's hands slid off her hips to fall at his sides and he closed his eyes, feeling his muscles begin to go limp.
000
On the floor in Mailer's living room, Cloud called out with a loud, quivering protest as Mailer began to force himself inside him. Next to being taken back to the lab, this was his worst nightmare. A nightmare he had never wanted to experience for a second time. The first hadn't been truly 'real'. But this was. The weight of that realization was more crushing than Mailer's body. And after he relived this nightmare, his other nightmare would become real as well, when Mailer turned him over to Hojo as he said he'd been planning. He had to do everything he could to stop it from happening. He pulled his hand back from under the desk and looked down at what he was holding. It turned out to be a rounded X-Acto knife. He pushed the blade up and gripped the weapon tightly in his hand. He reached up towards Mailer's arm circling his neck and was about to touch the blade to his skin when Mailer dug his fingers into his shoulder and made another long thrust with his hips that forced his member deeper into Cloud and tore a hoarse cry from his mouth.
"Jesus, you're so goddamn tight," Mailer grunted. "Just like I remember," he added as he made a third thrust and drove himself the rest of the way in. Cloud bit back the urge he had to cry out again. He felt paralyzed by the pain, his whole body instantly alive with prickles of fire, the worst of it on the inside, feeling that he was being literally ripped into. His brain seemed to forget in an instant to fight back and save himself. Mailer said something else in his ear but he didn't really comprehend it before the man thrust his hips forward again, pushing him against the wood floor that seemed to hold onto his skin tightly and pull it in the opposite direction. A choked cry left him and tears flooded his eyes fast. Mailer clutched him tighter, squeezing him hard as he pulled back slowly and then pushed forward again roughly, drawing another sound of anguish from him, though he was trying to hold it back.
"Gotta get you bleedin' a bit, little bitch," Mailer commented with some difficulty. "Can barely fucking move." He made several smaller, stabbing thrusts and, with them, what seemed like the worst of the pain dulled slightly and finally Cloud gained back a bit of his ability to process his own thoughts. He became aware once more that he was still holding something in his hand, gripping it harshly in fact. He wasted not a moment longer in pressing the blade of the knife to Mailer's arm and dragging it across his skin fast. The man let out a startled sound and pulled his arm from under Cloud. He raised himself up on the palms of his hands and looked down at his arm and the blood that was running down it.
"Son of a bitch," he muttered just before Cloud twisted his body slightly and plunged the knife blade into the back of his right hand, tearing a pained cry from Mailer finally. Cloud removed the blade quickly and the man sat back on his heels, pulling out of him in the process, an action almost as painful for Cloud as the penetration had been. No longer skewered, Cloud turned over and sat up as fast as he could, raising the knife up and bringing it down as hard as he could into the soft tissue at the base of Mailer's neck, right behind his left collar bone. Though Mailer yelled out, he knew it wasn't enough to stop the man. Retracting the black, he slashed at Mailer's face with it, carving a long gash across his left cheek. It forced Mailer's head to the side momentarily but he raised his fist then with anger darkening his eyes fast. Cloud didn't give him the chance to hit him before he brought the knife down twice more near the base of his neck and Mailer finally fell back and out of his reach.
Knowing it was his last chance to get away, Cloud turned over and pulled himself to his hands and knees, recovering himself with his boxer shorts and beginning to make distance between himself and Mailer. He glanced back over his shoulder and his stomach fell hard as he could see Mailer reaching up into the desk for something. Cloud suspected he knew what it was before he'd even seen it. Somehow he managed the strength to stagger from his knees to a stand as he caught the flash of a gun. With everything he had, he bolted for the front door.
He fumbled with the lock briefly and had just pulled the door open when the sounds of gunshots filled the room. He cried out as he felt one of the bullets pierce his upper arm and he lost his balance but kept moving, only hitting the ground on his knees for a brief second before scraping them against the concrete outside the door as he propelled himself forward again. He was sure Mailer would be after him quickly so he ran as fast as his legs would move him. He found himself rather quickly running into a semi-crowded street of bars and food stands. He discovered then just how sensitive his eyes and ears were as a result of whatever he'd been drugged with. Pain shot to the backs of his eyes when he'd faced the first neon lights, and the abundance and loudness of the sounds were making his head throb so bad he had to cover his ears as he tried to cross the street to get away from it. His movements were uncoordinated and he stumbled as though he were drunk. He was afraid to look back in case Mailer was coming after him. Part of him said it was safer to stay where there were people but he didn't think these people would notice if someone was in distress or needed help.
When he'd finally made it far enough away from the street that he could just barely hear the music coming from its bars, he stopped and looked around. He had no idea where he was. It was dark and late from what he could gather. He suddenly felt sick as he was standing in the middle of a near empty street. He dragged himself over to a building nearby where he nearly lost his balance again as he started to vomit. Gripping the corner of the wall, he fell to one knee as he was heaving out his stomach contents. When he'd finished, he stayed leaning over for a few seconds, spitting out what was still in his mouth. Though he couldn't tell for sure in the dark, he thought he tasted a familiar copper flavour of blood. Looking down he noticed the end of Mailer's belt hanging in front of him. With a slightly trembling hand, he reached for the belt, pulling it from his neck and dropping it to the ground before he finally pulled himself back to a stand to rest a moment. As he leaned against the wall of the building he felt like his strength had been expended, and then some. His arm was burning and throbbing as blood dripped from his elbow. He didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to keep himself moving. He wouldn't be able to make it very far, even if he thought he could. He was without footwear. Forcing himself forward again he began crossing a street towards an alleyway
As fate would have it, Reno and Rude were heading back to headquarters when up ahead they caught sight of someone stumbling across the road. Rude slowed the car down as they were approaching. It took them a moment to realize they knew who it was.
"Is that Strife?" Rude spoke up first.
"What the hell is he doing?" Reno wondered aloud as his partner pulled the car to a stop and they watched him hobble into the mouth of an alley.
"We should check it out," Rude said.
"Seriously?"
"Yes," his partner said definitively, pulling the car over to the side of the road. Reno groaned when Rude turned the car off and unbuckled his seatbelt to get out of the car. He didn't move and his partner gave him a hard stare. "You're coming with me," he ordered and Reno scoffed. "Come on," Rude urged, opening his door and stepping out. He leaned back in and spoke a sharp "Now."
Rolling his eyes, Reno submitted, taking his seatbelt off and getting out. He followed after Rude into the darkness of the alley where they could just barely make out Cloud near the opposite end, gripping the wall as he stumbled and half-dragged himself forward.
"Hey!" Rude called out. "Strife!"
Cloud glanced back once before picking up his pace suddenly and moving for the mouth of the alley as quick as he could, which was only slightly faster than he was already going.
"Strife!" Rude repeated, taking up a faster pace as well. Cloud disappeared outside of the alley, rounding the corner into the street, but there was no doubt the Turks were going to catch up with him. When they did so, he still tried to elude them.
"Le-leave me a-alone," he stuttered out. Now close to him, they could see he was injured, blood covering his sleeve and dripping from his elbow.
"Strife, hold up already!" Rude demanded as he moved to get in front of him. Cloud halted immediately and looked up at Rude, panic evident in his shadowed face. He turned as if about to try to run in the opposite direction but he realized fast that Reno was in his way. He groaned then in defeat, stepping backwards toward the wall of the nearest building.
"Go away," he said. "Just go away." He was forced to stop when his back met the wall. There was a large sign on the wall and a light just below the eaves illuminated it. When Cloud came to rest under it, it was then that the Turks were able to see his face more clearly and the blood that was covering the one side of it.
"What the fuck?" Reno spoke up. "Someone really kicked his ass," he remarked. "That's nice," he added and Rude shot him a scolding expression. "His boyfriend's not gonna be impressed his lady's been up here getting knocked around," Reno said with a chuckle. Rude ignored him and looked at Cloud.
"Hey," he said. "What happened?"
When Cloud didn't respond, Rude took his phone from his pocket. "Better call Tseng," he said and stepped away to make the call.
"Why? What do you think he's gonna do about it?" Reno questioned but Rude just turned his back on him. He sighed, turning back to face Cloud, only to see him moving along the wall like he was trying to take off again.
"Where the hell are you trying to go?" Reno asked as he stepped in front of Cloud once more and placed his hand against the wall, making Cloud halt once again. "What'd you do, challenge someone else to a fight in a bar. Not everyone's as nice as I am, ya know. I was going easy on you that one night," he said with a short laugh. When Cloud pivoted away from him in the opposite direction, he reached to grab onto his shirt lightly. Cloud responded fast by turning back to him and throwing a hand out, shoving him back.
"Get the fuck away from me!" he croaked out and nearly stumbled to his knees before grabbing at the wall, keeping himself from collapsing.
Reno just scoffed in return and crossed his arms as he leaned his one shoulder against the wall next to him. He wasn't sure what it was that made him look down, perhaps it was the fact he'd just realized Cloud wasn't wearing pants, but he found his eyes traveling to Cloud's legs where he noticed a line of blood running down the inside of his left thigh and all he could do for a moment is stare in confusion. Cloud realized suddenly what he'd noticed and clapped a hand to his thigh, wiping at the blood with is palm and letting the dark material of his boxers absorb the rest of it. He raised his eyes then and looked at the Turk. Reno saw tears brimming his eyes fast but they were never released as Rude said something and Cloud looked away.
"Hey," Reno heard Rude speak though it seemed far off. A disturbing realization in his head found him barely comprehending Rude had said anything.
"Reno!" Rude shouted when his partner didn't respond.
Reno turned then, tearing his gaze off Cloud. "What?" he asked sharply.
"I need your phone. Mine just died on me," he announced and Reno glanced once at Cloud before taking out his phone and approaching his partner. Rude took it from him and attempted to dial without luck, the numbers not punching in. "You have a lock on here, Reno," he said as he held it back out to Reno.
"No I don't," Reno denied as he took it back. It took some fiddling with the phone before Rude was calling in to Tseng. When Reno turned back to Cloud he was met with the blank wall of a building. "Fuck," he muttered.
000
There was silence between Zack and Rayna save for their breathing as they lay motionless on her bed. And it was in those few minutes that she was still lying on top of him, that he could feel her heart beating against his chest, rapid and strong until it began to slow in pace and her breathing evened out. She sat herself up slowly, still on top of him, pulling something out from under the pillow next to his head. He could see it was a pack of cigarettes. She opened it and took out one of the cigarettes and a lighter. Dropping the pack to the bed, she lit the cigarette and took a puff from it.
"You gonna get off?" he asked when she stared down at him.
"Again?" she replied with amusement. She turned the cigarette around when he said nothing and lowered it toward him, placing it into his slightly parted mouth. He closed his lips around it and breathed in, taking the smoke into his lungs. He'd never been much of a smoker so it burned but he didn't cough it out. The smoke made its way back out as he exhaled slowly.
"I could use a drink," she declared after taking another drag. "You?" she asked.
"Whatever," was his verbal shrug of an answer. She pushed herself off of him then and headed away from the bed. He watched her naked form move toward the fridge. She opened the door and leaned against it briefly before reaching in and pulling out two beers. She removed the caps with an opener and returned to the bed, sitting herself next to him, her back against the headboard; she held the one bottle out to him. Slowly he pushed himself up on the mattress so he could lean his head and shoulders against the headboard next to her. He noticed then some beaded and drying blood on his chest where she'd bit him. He dabbed at it lightly before glaring her way.
"You asked for it," she said and he took the beer from her, taking a swig and staring ahead of him. "Feeling guilty?" she asked after a few moments.
"About what?" he inquired back without looking at her.
"About sleeping with someone who's not your girlfriend?" she clarified.
Yes, he thought immediately but he didn't say it. He didn't say anything. Just took a long drink instead.
"Well," she sighed. "It's not like it meant anything," she pointed out. He turned his head to look at her but she kept her gaze forward.
"Yeah," he agreed softly. He took another few gulps from the beer bottle in his hand before setting it on the table next to the bed and lifting himself up to retrieve his clothes. He asked where the bathroom was and she pointed to a door next to the kitchen. He shut the door behind him and put his hands on the edges of the sink, leaning forward slightly. His eyes wandered up to his reflection and he scoffed, starting the water running and splashing some of it on his sweaty face before washing away the small amount of blood on his chest. He disposed of the condom he was wearing and dressed himself, realizing then that he had left his t-shirt back in that alley next to Scorch's club. It didn't matter. He was too warm still to wear it anyway. The recent physical activity hadn't helped any either. He must have left his undershirt back out in the kitchen somewhere because it wasn't with the pile he'd brought in the bathroom.
Smoothing his hair a little, he opened the door and stepped back out into the main area of the apartment, searching briefly for his shirt. He picked it up off the floor along with his boots and headed over to the bed, sitting himself down a moment so he could put the boots on and lace them up. His back was to Rayna but he could feel her watching him.
"Just like that, eh?" she said as he was tying the first boot.
"What?" he answered without looking back.
"Nothing," she muttered. He suspected she was referring the fact he was getting ready to leave. He knew how that must have seemed but only a small part of him cared. He had no idea what time it was but he knew it was late and that he needed to get back home. There was a good chance the trains weren't running and he'd have to walk.
"Can I ask you a question?" Rayna spoke up again.
"Go for it," he replied tiredly, putting on his second boot.
"How'd you get so many scars?" The question had him pausing his movements, sitting motionless while he stared at the laces on his boot. After a few seconds he just shook his head and continued to tighten the laces. "Hmm?" Rayna hummed.
"I said you could ask a question, I didn't say I'd answer," he responded finally.
"Let me guess," she continued, making him sigh inwardly. "You got a thing for dominatrixes." He couldn't help but glance back and smile lightly. "I knew it!" she said. He finished tying his second boot and pulled on his undershirt before standing and facing her. There was a bit of an awkwardness hanging in the air as they stared at one another. Rayna dispelled it when she raised her beer slightly. "Until next time..." she said with a smirk. Zack reached for the bottle on the table next to him. He drank down most of what was left and set it back down.
"Thanks for the beer," he said back before heading to the door and leaving her apartment.
000
Cloud didn't actually get very far from where the Turks had confronted him before he had to stop. It was becoming too difficult and too painful to keep walking. Fortunately he'd made it to a phone booth. Inside the booth, he lowered himself to his knees and began pushing the newspaper and trash away on the floor at the walls as he searched for coins. As luck would have it, he found several. It took most of his strength to pull himself up to use the phone. He dialled Zack's cell and waited for him to answer as he began shaking, shock finally setting in. Listening to the phone ring, he felt like his head was filling with some sort of dense substance, making it difficult to focus and even stay awake. He couldn't believe it when he got Zack's answering machine and as he proceeded to leave a message, he found out how hard it was becoming to form words.
"Zuh-Zack?" he said slowly. "I...I need help..." He looked around a little outside the booth. "I d-don't...know where...where I am..."
That's all he could think of to say. He looked down at the coins he still had in his one hand. Ending the call to Zack's cell, he placed another coin in the slot and made a second call to the only other number he knew. After he had dialled, the effort it took to keep himself standing became too much and he slid towards the floor, still holding the phone. He was basically hanging his weight from the cord and wondered if it was going to hold.
By the time Tifa finally answered, he was fighting to stay conscious. Still didn't mean he was able to form words as seemed confirmed when he struggled to pull together something. He thought he said something but must have been wrong because Tifa spoke a questioning 'hello?'
He made some sort of sound. Whatever it was, it was enough to indicate his presence on the other end of the line and somehow Tifa knew it was him.
"Cloud? What's wrong?" she asked.
She could barely make out his words as he said "I...need Zack."
"He's not here. Did something happen? Where are you?" she questioned, setting down the glass she'd been holding in her hand drying.
"The plate," he answered weakly.
"Where on the plate? What sector?" she pushed on for more information.
"I'm...not sure. Maybe...four."
"Well, what's around you? You're at a phone booth?"
"Yeah...I..." He looked through the glass of the booth and all he could really focus on was a giant lit-up letter 'N' across the street. "There's a...big 'N'"
"An 'N'?" she repeated.
Cloud said nothing.
"Cloud? Cloud!" she called into the receiver.
The phone had slipped from Cloud's grasp. He had heard the sound of footsteps near the booth. His heart beat harder in brief panic over the thought that Mailer or the Turks might have found him. He was prepared to fight, not that it would do him much good. But if anything he wouldn't go quietly.
If it was Mailer outside, he didn't come to the booth. After a minute the footsteps disappeared. Cloud didn't even bother to check the phone to see if Tifa was still on the line. He just wanted to get himself to someplace he felt relatively hidden from sight while he regained some of his strength. He didn't attempt to walk. By way of an awkward crawl, he made it to the nearest alley between two buildings and lay himself down. His last thought before he let himself pass out was that he was happy it was a warm night and he wasn't freezing on top of everything else he'd just had to deal with.