"Mr. President, where are you?!"
Rufus presses his hands to the stone wall and tries a second time to stand. This time, though hunched, he manages to get there, hobbling across the room. His jaw is clenched and his eyebrows are pinched together, the only sign he shows that his pain, though medicated, is still immense.
"What are you doing?" I whisper, all too aware of the stomping footsteps drawing nearer.
Rufus doesn't answer, rolling underneath the nearby bed with something clutched to his chest. Before I can demand an answer, the door flies wide open, slamming against the wall. I jump, staring hard at the floor. I fully expect to receive a beating, but the man at the door ignores me and follows Rufus's chains to the raggedy bed with a menacing smile.
"Hiding under the bed, huh?"
I hold my breath as he draws nearer. He kneels, pulling a gun from the waistband of his pants and sharply twisting his body to look beneath the bed. Startled, Rufus slams the firearm up against the underside of the bed. The gun fires and blood pours from the president's hand. Unfazed, he rolls out of his cover and strikes the man with the whip in his other hand. That's what he took? The man grunts, his gun dropping to the floor and skittering to my feet. I pick it up, trying to look confident in my aim even though my vision is doubled.
"I win," Rufus says, shuffling to my side unsteadily, bleeding hand held close to his chest. Smoke begins to seep into the room, reminding us of the imminent end we face.
"You stupid president!" the man shouts, getting to his feet. "Come on, then! Order her to fire! How's that gun gonna help you?" I can shoot these chains off us and we can run for the hills. I glance up at Rufus. Please. He frowns and looks back, shaking his head once. I don't lower my arms, determined. I'm losing my shit down here.
"You killed Mutten?" Rufus asks, turning his eyes back to the man.
"Yeah, I did. He's been treating me like shit! We grew up together, dammit!"
"I see. And that's what caused this fall."
"Don't try to make me one of your men," he sniffs, raising an eyebrow. "I haven't forgotten how you made a fool out of me back in that house." That's who you are?
A loud bang signals a gunshot and the man drops dead. I jump, staring hard at my hands. Did I shoot? Rufus turns to frown at me, startled. Jumpy aren't we? Someone new enters the room, lowering his weapon as I raise mine. He flips a switch, quickly aiming his gun right back. The doctor?
"How are you, Mr. Rufus Shinra?"
"Not very well."
"Then have her throw away the gun and I do the same."
Cocky, the doctor tilts his head to the side. I refuse to look away from him and hand the gun to Rufus. The president's hand closes around it slowly, the gears in his head visibly turning.
"Doctor, if you throw yours away then I will do the same."
A smug smile crosses the doctor's face and he turns his aim to Rufus's head. In one sharp motion, Rufus presses the gun to the man's chest and pulls the trigger. An eerie, empty click echoes through the room. Fuck. Raising an eyebrow, the doctor directs the gun elsewhere with a single finger.
"Mr. Shinra, you don't know the man who possessed that gun. He hated Mutten. All Mutten did was make him do all the dirty work and take all the good stuff for himself." He shrugs one shoulder. "Naturally, he used all the bullets to relieve that hatred. I believe the last shot was used in this room." He steps away to prop at the dead man's body with the toe of his shoe. "I am Kilmister. I have worked for the Shinra Company since I was young. I was a little lower down than Dr. Hojo's assistant in terms of status." Hojo? "Now throw away your gun."
Rufus stares defiantly for a moment longer before obeying, dropping the gun at the scientist's feet. In turn, Kilmister holds out a glass bottle and uncorks it.
"Take a sniff of this. I need you to pass out for a moment." When Rufus only scowls at him, Kilmister sighs, pressing the warmed barrel of his gun against my forehead. "Or I'll shoot the girl. I'm going to need your help so I won't kill you, but I will make you both suffer."
Rufus shoots me a bitter look and I can't help but turn away. I'm sorry. A few moments later, Rufus slides to the floor, eyes closed and head hanging. Kilmister tucks the jar away quickly, reaching to pull Rufus forward. He meets my eyes when he leans down to unlock the president's chains.
"That's much better. I have a feeling you'll be useful in getting information so you're coming too. If you try to run, I'll kill you. There's a truck with others you'll be loaded into."
"Others?" He doesn't answer, twisting a key into the cuffs of my chains. "Fine," I huff, rolling my eyes.
It feels amazing to have my hands free of the binds they've remained in for what could've been weeks. Kilmister hoists Rufus over his shoulder and leads the way into the smoky hallway. I cling to the walls and hobble after him, eyes watering and head swimming. Hurts like hell. The doctor, having cared for us all this time, remembers my condition and is surprisingly patient with his pace despite the urgency of the thickening smoke.
Once we make it outside, he offers me his elbow to lean on, leading the way to a truck parked by the road with a group of nine other people sitting inside. He sets Rufus down before helping me in and closing it up. I drag myself closer to the wall, gritting my teeth and scooting closer to Rufus to get away with the cold, sharp edge of the truck's back wall.
The car peels down the road at a speed I wasn't expecting. We soar over a bump and I hang on with all my might, but it's no use. The truck turns abruptly, slamming me into the wall and knocking me out cold.
When I wake up, my head is resting on Rufus's shoulder, cushioned by the tattered material of his suit, which used to be a pristine shade of white. Without all the drugs Mutten pumped into my veins, I can see clearly, meeting the eyes of the nine people staring back at me. Four women and five men line the truck walls, each around the same age. Eleven of us… What the hell does he need all these people for?
Rufus's eyes twitch before blinking open. He looks around slowly, turning to me last of all. After a moment of absolute silence, I sit up and he straightens, blonde hair whipping around in his face from the wind. We go over a big bump; this time I was ready. Unfortunately, one of the other women wasn't. She tumbles forward into Rufus, though she's quick to get back in her place. A black substance soaks through her clothing, dripping down her arms. She rubs at it quickly, glancing up at the president.
"I'm sorry."
Rufus remains dismissive where he might've snapped before, worn down. "Don't worry about it."
"You…" She swallows hard, eyes going wide. "You don't have the disease. I'm so sorry if you get infected." Infected? I frown at the stains on her shirt. By what?
The truck speeds up as we turn onto a particularly bumpy road. I press my lips together, looping my arm through Rufus's to anchor myself in place. He doesn't react, somehow managing to doze back off. I stare up at the open sky, unable to relish in the fresh air as I dread where we're headed next.
Hours later, we stop outside a cave along a seashore. Rufus wakes up when the truck shudders to a stop, looking around quickly to get a gauge on our new surroundings. Kilmister hops out of the front with his gun in hand. He aims it at us and orders us to get out. Slowly, the sickly people shuffle out of the truck bed.
The woman that fell on Rufus offers to help him down, standing as his support and stepping out of my way. A man takes her place, asking if it's okay for him to set me down. I nod, holding my breath when he sets me down on the stiff grass. I hang on tight to his back, using him to hobble along after the others.
"I hope we get there quickly," he murmurs, holding me steady as I limp my way across the jagged rocks of the cave floor. Me too.
There's a steep drop just inside. I wait for Rufus to hobble down further before following, knuckles white as I cling to my supporter. Where the hell is this man taking us? I'm forced to let go once I reach the ladder, thanking the man and attempting to make my way down without using two legs. It fucking hurts.
As the last man gets off, Kilmister takes the ladder. "There are a number of passageways further in. Each of them leads to a dead end. Go find one you like. It'll be your room. Some of you may have to share."
"What about our treatment?" asks the man who helped me.
"Come to me when I call you. No harm will come to you," Kilmister assures him, turning into the darkness and leaving us to fend for ourselves.
"Where are we going?" I ask Rufus quietly, accepting a blanket from a woman that's passing them back from a pile on the ground.
The president sighs, turning his eyes to the furthest tunnel. "I suppose we can go there."
Nodding, I loop my arm under his, keeping my good side by his as we make our way. The walk's painful enough to bring tears to my eyes, and it's slow as hell, but we eventually make it there. A bed and a lamp greet us. I let go of Rufus once he reaches the bed, breathless and sweaty as I slump against the wall. My chest is on fire and my knee is screaming in agony.
"Fuck, I'm falling apart," I puff out, turning my head back so I can see the ceiling.
"How so?" Rufus asks dryly, glancing up at me.
"I just—"
You have to get out.
My heart skips a beat, getting caught in my throat.
Where the hell have you been?
There's something bad coming.
What is it?
Shaking my head at the silence that greets me, I slowly slump to the floor, stretching my leg out in front of me with gritted teeth. Not long after, a teenage boy comes with a tray of bread and cheese. He hesitates when he sees us, but I spread my blanket out and pat it, inviting him. He keeps coming, sitting with his legs crossed. Rufus sits straighter, eyeing him.
"Was everyone here threatened with a gun to get in the truck."
The boy shakes his head, hair swinging into his eyes. "No. We've been Mr. Kilmister's patients since we were children. He's a local doctor in Kalm." He raises a piece of bread to his nose and sniffs. He smiles. "That's why when he said he could heal our disease, we believed him and a number of our others helped carry things to his hospital here."
"Hospital?" I repeat, eyeing the dank cavern we've moved into.
"Yeah. We have to be quarantined. He told us even if we're staying in the village we would eventually be chased out." The boy sighs, shaking his head. "He says that he only decided to use a gun now to make sure you won't try to escape."
"I'm a patient too but… It looks like he doesn't trust me." Rufus tilts his head, trying a friendlier face than I'm used to. "By the way, where are we?"
"He told us not to say."
"Great," I huff, falling back against the wall.
One day, Rufus comes back from a meeting with Kilmister with information. After days of nothing, it should be relieving.
"The illness is caused by Jenova."
I frown, sitting up taller. "What?"
"Kilmister found that their cells match those found in members of SOLDIER. He refuses to explain."
"Of course he does." I sigh, slouching again.
Rufus shakes his head, speaking only when I won't look back up on my own. "Kat?"
"What?"
"Tyler Marx is here working for him."
