This is from a very old idea. Please review. :)
Warning
Words couldn't be heard over the rumble that could be felt as well as heard. The shoreline was empty save for a small campsite surrounded by tree trunks laying on their sides and a young horse that lingered near the water. A dark-haired man stood separated from the main scene.
The removed man began gesturing wildly, clearing trying to get the attention of the other one. That man stood up, tilting his head and adjusting the hat upon it. He looked at the horse who had lifted it's head, then the man coming toward him, then the sky.
He pointed at his wrist, as if prompting someone to check the time. 2:09.
Suddenly, an intense light flashed and that rumble became deafening. Smoke and heat rolled over the scene, obscuring everything. There was a moment of black, as if an arm were covering the eyes in an attempt to shield them.
When the vision cleared again, both men and the filly were on the ground covered in dirt, debris, and not moving-
Leon snapped awake with a startled gasp of air. It took a moment to get re-orientated to his surroundings, but when he did he frowned. He never dozed off at his desk.
What a strange dream to have. Neither man had been identifiable but there some odd details that still stood out in his mind. They didn't even have horses on Radiant Garden, so where had that come from? And though hazy, something about the dream continued to nag at him.
With a shake of his head followed by running his hand over his face, Leon got up and left the office.
-0-0-
"This is a way bigger mess than it looked like, Squall." Zack grumbled, climbing over a broken tree trunk nearly half his height in width. "Have a hard time believing this was just Heartless damage."
"It looks more like storm damage," agreed Riku. He picked at a knot of debris. Everything was damp from the lake water trying to work it's way through the gaps. "Like when the hurricanes would hit."
Leon didn't disagree with the assessment, but it didn't really matter. Something about this scene was familiar... "Either way, it has to be cleared."
Irvine nudged Riku with a grin. "Come on, pretty filly. You heard the boss."
"I really wish you'd stop calling me that," grumbled Riku. He moved toward a space in the twisted limbs and odd lengths of metal. "It wasn't funny the first time."
"You can only blame yourself and Cloud for that one. Not my fault you let it slip that you like to-"
Riku's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Okay, okay!"
At the far end of the scene, Zack stood on a rock, hands on his waist. "We're going to need some heavy equipment to clear most of this out."
"I think he's right." Irvine adjust his hat. Near his side, Riku was watching the water.
Something about the positioning of the three struck at Leon... Impulsively, he checked the time. 1:59.
"We should probably start at this end." Irvine kicked firmly at a particularly large clump of wood and torn cloth. "Get the worst of it cleared first."
Zack gestured broadly around him. "Ya know, this almost looks like it was a campground or something."
Campground? Leon's voice was loud and his tone firm. "Let's go. Now."
Irvine tilted his head and Riku looked over. "Uh... what?"
"What gives, Squall?" Zack hopped off the rock and strode over. "You've been so-"
"Let's go." Leon repeated, this time more urgently. "We need to get away from here."
The three exchanged glances. Irvine shrugged and they moved to follow Leon, who was all but running from the shoreline. When they caught up, it was on the ridge over a hundred yards away.
Zack took his arm to get his attention. "What the heck is with you all the sudden?"
Before Leon could answer, there was a loud pop followed by a deep rumble and hiss. Then, the pile of debris Irvine had kicked blew up. As the trio crouched and ducked, a pillar of flame and instantly created ash shot up and spread through the sky. Smoke billowed out toward them, obscuring their vision and causing all of them to cover their eyes and start coughing.
It began clearing enough for them to see again and Leon checked the time. 2:09.
"What the hell...?" Irvine straightened up, waving the air in front of his face. "What blew?"
Riku carefully too a few steps back toward the site. Some flames flicked from the explosion, but most of the surrounding debris had been blown away. "A buried fuel tank? Maybe it was a campground."
Zack was staring at Leon. "If you hadn't gotten weird, we would have been blown to bits."
Leon wasn't sure what just happened either.
"Squall." Zack waved to get his attention. "How'd you know that was going to happen?"
"I didn't."
"Then why'd you pull us when you did?"
"..."
Now all three were looking at him again. Leon shifted uncomfortably. He knew how ridiculous it would sound if he told them his reasoning. However, they weren't going to let it go and he did owe them some kind of explanation.
"I had a dream earlier..."
Riku raised an eyebrow. "A dream?"
"There was a camping site with two men and a horse... a filly. Suddenly there was an explosion and they all died."
"Whoa, seriously?" Zack asked in awe. "That's crazy!"
Irvine rubbed his neck. "That's pretty weird, Squall."
"...I was represented by a damn horse in your dream?"
"I know how ridiculous that sounds..."
"Yeah, but sometimes the crazy works." Zack grinned. "And this time, it saved our lives."
"We'll just have to start calling him the Prophet." Irvine laughed. "And Riku's forever going to be a pretty filly."
"Fuck you, Irvine."
Squall, though still unnerved, smiled a bit. He had no idea what that had been about, but he decided to not stress it. His friends were alive and ultimately, that's all that mattered.
