Red + Red + Rose : Chpt. Fifteen // Intensity
She nodded to the brunette and followed her over to the bed. Rinoa climbed up and played around with a plate on the ceiling, just as the first shots were fired from outside in the hallway. A bullet came flying through the door, missing them by a few feet. Rinoa worked frantically with the metal piece. Finally, exasperated, she took out her gun and shot it down. She peeked up to take a look around inside, then nodded to everyone before lifting herself up. Quistis followed her as planned, ignoring Seifer's attempt to help her as she pulled herself into the confined space behind Rinoa. Seifer was next and he hopped up, positioned not too far behind her.
Two more bullets were fired and she prayed Squall was okay down there. The blasts were followed by hard, banging noises as the enemy tried to get in. She heard Squall quickly struggle to get up and get inside as they began moving quickly. Just then the door in the other room was broken down and Blake, along with his men, trampled in.
They continued padding rapidly through the small shaft, everyone trying to be as quiet as possible, not wanting to alert the enemy. She could hear some rattling behind them as another person tried to climb up. It was impossible to see what was happening. All she could tell was that there was labored breathing and several loud thudding noises followed by a bang.
"What's going on?" Rinoa shouted, becoming worried at the sudden disturbance and forgetting about being silent.
"There's someone else in here." Seifer yelled back to her.
"Shit, we've got to hurry. Is Squall alright?"
"I can't tell." He replied.
There were a few more pounding noises and then the entire vent shook, knocking them all on their stomachs. She heard Squall and the enemy grunting while they tried to tackle each other.
"Squall…? Answer me, are you okay?"
More shaking was felt as the two fought. Rinoa wondered if it was Blake he was fighting with and if he had a gun.
"Give me Quistis and Rinoa!" The attacker demanded. She knew immediately who it was.
"You've got to get out, try to push past me." The female agent told Quistis, "Seifer get her away to safety." She ducked down and made it possible for them to try to squeeze ahead of her.
"Why are you staying?" Quistis asked.
"I have to help Squall."
"I can get Blake off of him. You two go up ahead." Seifer argued.
"You don't have a gun though, I do."
"If you fire that thing in here, it'll bounce." He protested.
"Just go! We don't have time to be bickering or we'll get trapped in here." She ordered, trying to press herself up to one side.
"Forget it. I'll just go up in front." Quistis pulled her body past Rinoa's.
"Wait, you can't go by yourself." The agent objected.
"I'll be fine." She began crawling forward, taking up the lead while the other two argued and, in the back, Squall fought with Blake.
Quistis had no idea where to go. All she saw was the inky blackness that surrounded her as she moved north. It was cold, the metal interior felt like ice against her bare skin and she shivered. The noise behind her began to fade and soon the beating of her heart along with her quick intakes of air was all that she could hear. It didn't matter that they weren't following and she didn't have any other protection. She no longer trusted Seifer, trying not to depend on anyone. True, she was attempting to hold back her emotions, not wanting to think of what had taken place earlier.
There was too much going on, too many questions, and it was painful to think that Seifer was yet another person who had been out to hurt her at one point. Her head throbbed as the vent shook violently again and there was an ear-piercing noise as a gun was fired. Pushing everything out of her mind, she forced herself to keep going, scared of what she might see if she turned around.
Seifer…Squall, are you alright? Why am I doing this? Why aren't I back there helping them? I'm just blindly following orders, I don't care what my opinion is on these things. All I want is to get out of here, I want this to be over. So I'm running away from everything. I don't want anything to do with this. All I desire is for everything to be alright, for everyone to make it out of here alive. I should be back there helping but instead I'm a coward so I'm trying to get away-
She didn't even have time to finish thinking because just then the metal structure tremored again. This time there was a loud rumbling noise afterwards as dust began to rise from the floor, cutting off her vision and making her gasp for air. A strong musty smell filled the air as it continued to swing back and forth. Quistis tried to grab onto something, anything for support as she felt the entire thing begin to collapse. Her scream for help was only suppressed by the coughs for air as the dust seemed to enclose around her, causing her eyes to sting and entering her lungs as she inhaled, desperate for oxygen. The noise was almost deafening and she winced as it only seemed to get louder as seconds passed. Her body was flung hard against the floor as it vibrated again and this time the earth crumbled beneath her.
There was only air beneath her as she fell, covering her head protectively with one hand while her other reached up to grab onto something to stop her from falling. Her nails scratched against the metal as her hand slid down the vent. Finally the falling stopped as she grabbed on to the edge of the vent Her figure dangled down from the ceiling above the large conference room. She tried to pull herself up but could not find the strength as she desperately kicked her legs, searching for some kind of stable material beneath her. The blonde gasped as her hand began to slip, getting closer to the edge. Soon she would fall to the floor and there wouldn't be anyone to help her. Another knock to the head and she knew she'd pass out.
Her arm ached and she heard several noises from outside the hall. She attempted swinging her legs back up but they only brushed what remained of the vent as she hung down. The sounds from the hallway were footsteps, she realized, and frantically reached up with her other hand for something to hold onto as she was about to fall. She felt something tear in her palm as it was slashed against a sharp point when attempting to grab hold of something. A red, sticky liquid dripped down her wrists and a firey pain spread through her body as she enclosed her hand around the knifelike object, still in panic to hold on. Every nerve in her body was standing on edge as three men clad in trenchcoats and carrying guns ran into the room.
Don't let go. Got to get up. Help!
Their guns were instantly aimed at her as they got closer, one climbed up on the table and tried to grab at her feet while she kicked at him and gritted her teeth through the agony. Another one of the guys at the back tried shooting at her but she swerved to the side and threw her feet in the air to avoid the bullet. They were all closing in on her and she couldn't keep the man on the table back for too much longer. She felt herself getting closer to falling completely. If she did, they would trap her and immediately lead her away, so she continued to fight for her life as she dangled down.
Just as she thought she would fall, a strong hand enclosed around her wounded palm and she gasped out in pain and relief. Quistis looked up to see Seifer gripped onto her, lying on his stomach and trying to pull her up. He gritted his teeth and now had her arm in both hands. The enemies saw this and one took hold of her leg, tugging it down. Her shoulder felt like it would be torn out of the socket as she was jerked in both directions. Seifer growled and tugged harder, wincing as he attempted to use all his strength to get her up and not let go. The other foes rushed over to where she was hanging, grabbing onto her other leg as they outnumbered her ally. She felt his hold slipping and looked up to him, her eyes desperate.
"I won't let you fall." He promised.
Though her legs felt like they would be ripped off any moment, she forced herself to push them out, into the abdomens and ribcages of the men, using her foot with the platform shoe to dig into one man's torso as she shoved him back. The attackers had all been near the edge of the piece of furniture and when one began to lose his balance, so did the other. They tried to pull her down with them but Seifer held onto her tight as she swung the other opponent backwards. He lost his grip on her leg as he fell, slamming his head onto the floor. At that moment, she felt herself being thrusted as she was dragged up, into the dark, broken vent. Two more men appeared, followed by Blake. She quickly hid her foot from view so that they wouldn't try to attack her and Seifer again.
The couple were both panting from the struggle as Quistis held onto Seifer and breathed a small sigh of relief. Her heart had been pounding and her muscles felt weak from the struggle. Slowly, she brought her head up to meet his gaze in the dark as he stared at her, wondering what to do, what to say.
He saved me. Was he really out to get me in the first place? Does this mean I can rely on him again? I would've been taken away again if it hadn't been for him, rushing to grab onto him, refusing to let me fall. He didn't even lose confidence when he saw that it was a losing battle. He wouldn't leg go, like he promised. So, if what he said was true, then he honestly did never mean to hurt me at all. He gave up his freedom so that I could live. He would've died for me. But will he continue to be loyal? What if he turns again?
From below them, she could here Blake cursing and threatening his partners. His voice shook in anger as he continued barking out insults.
"You're useless. GET OUT!"
"Sir, we tr-"
"That's an order. Get the fuck out! I ordered you, as a direct command, not to fire your weapons. Yet, you shot at her! You…imbeciles! If she dies, I'll murder you all, myself. NOW GO FIND THEM, AND IF I SEE YOU SHOOTING AGAIN, YOU'LL PAY FOR IT WITH YOUR LIVES!"
Seifer shook his head in disgust as they could be heard walking away. He slowly released her hands as the room became quiet and they laid there, resting from the intense ordeal. She could barely make out her hand in the darkness but saw that it was bleeding freely and bit her lip, trying not to think about it. She felt him take her wrist and there was a ripping noise, as he continued to hold onto her, and then a soft piece of fabric was wrapped around the cut. She gazed at him, wondering what he was thinking as he softly took her hand in his and gently kissed the tips of her fingers before slowly setting it down. He stared at her and she continued to look back at him. It seemed to be a long while until she broke eye contact with him. She looked away, not sure of what she should think.
"Thank you." Her voice came out softer then the usual harsh, authoritative tone that she used.
"What happened to not wanting me near you?"
"I don't know. Perhaps I was wrong."
"Think you can forgive me for hurting you so much? I don't. You should forget about this, move on without looking back. We're almost out now and there's not too much time left."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that…I'm going to remain here after I get you out."
"Why? Come with me. I may not be able to forget about your mistakes so easily, but I'd hate it if you stayed here."
"The way you hate me right now, eh?"
"Don't do this, it doesn't help anything."
"I know where I belong and it certainly isn't with you, not after all I've done."
"………" She was at a loss for words.
"I despise the idea too, but I'd loathe myself even more if I went with you, Love."
"You're condemning yourself for crimes that you didn't commit. It's Blake's fault that all of this happened, you were only his pawn. In time-"
"We don't have any time left." He quickly placed his lips on hers for a brief moment, she knew that it would probably be the last time they would ever be together like this and responded, hungrily to the kiss. He ran his hands through her hair and she softly traced the contours of his face with her fingers. They stayed like that for a moment, almost getting lost in the embrace, before he pulled away and blinked open his eyes, just as Squall appeared behind them.
"You guys ready to go?"
"Where's Rinoa?" Quistis asked, becoming concerned when she opened her eyes to see no trace of the other girl.
"She's coming."
"You left her back there after she stayed behind to help you?!"
"Whatever. She told me she'd catch up in few seconds."
"So you just let her remain back there without any protection or back up? Squall, she could be in trouble!"
"Hey, she wanted me to-"
"We've got to go back." Quistis ordered, challenging him to protest by taking on her commanding tone again.
"There's no time. Blake's going to be up here in the vents again any minute now and he's already sent people up the guard the exits. If we go back now then-"
"Listen to me Squall, I almost died just now because I went off by myself. If it hadn't been for Seifer pulling me up when the vent collapsed, I wouldn't be here right now. She needs help, even if she's not in trouble we can't just leave a team member behind."
"Just keep moving." He demanded, raising his voice.
"We can't let Rinoa get left back there. I'm going back to find her, you guys go up ahead." Seifer interrupted.
"Seifer…" She trailed off, narrowing her eyebrows in worry.
"I'll be fine, I have a gun." He turned around and quickly pushed his way past Squall who, in surprise, didn't have a chance to stop him.
"Wait!" She called after him, but it was already too late because he was out of her reach.
That idiot. If he thinks he can prove anything by going back for Rinoa alone, he's wrong. Blake could have her and it might be a trap. We've got to help them. Will Squall agree? Who cares if he agrees, it's my choice if I want to help him or not. Honestly though, I've never known him to be selfless…I suppose he really has changed. Changed from being a cold asshole to somewhat of a human being. Why is he staying back then? He won't accomplish anything by it and if he really wanted to help then he would get out with me.
"Come on, are you just going to sit there like a dolt or are you going to help us?" Quistis asked, meeting his gaze.
"Going back won't accomplish anything. Rinoa's fine by herself, she's a trained agent."
"Everyone needs an aid sometimes, even though you may be able to get along fine alone, not everyone is the same way."'
"Why are you doing this? You don't want to go back either."
"No, I owe Rinoa a lot. She's saved my life countless times and if this is the one way that I can repay her, then I'll be glad to do it at any cost."
"You're going to die if you keep that attitude up. Rinoa doesn't expect anything in return for helping you. She wants us to get out and we can't alter the mission like this. If you're right about it being a trap then we'll be stuck too."
"So it's fine if they're caught back here, as long as we get out alive? I can't do that, I can't just leave knowing that they're back there and their risking their lives. Whether or not you're coming with me doesn't matter. Now move so I can get by."
"Fine." He started moving forward instead of trying to let her get by and she followed him as they rushed back, trying to be as fast as possible.
"Can you see anything?" She asked, fearing his answer.
"No, not yet." She heard his deep breathing and saw that he was worn out, despite his lack of showing it.
"Are you alright."
He grunted a positive response and maintained the quick pace as they scurried on.
"Do you think that-"
"Just forget the questions. We won't know until we find them and presuming things doesn't help either. If you don't come to expect anything, at least you'll never be let down."
"......Is that really how you want to live? Just drifting day to day without any expectations or hopes, only preparing yourself for the worst. Being pessimistic is one thing, however living a life without meaning is another."
"What do you define meaning as?"
"Emotions, thoughts, dreams, adventures…"
"Living is about breathing and not getting killed. That's all that matters."
"How can you say that? You've never even opened up to anyone! Hell, you and Rinoa have known each other for so long and you can't even touch her or tell her how you feel. It's so obvious that it's painful. Despite your attempts at covering your feelings, eventually you'll have to accept that everyone needs a mate to depend on. If it means confronting your fears, then do it. Don't you ever want to get things off your chest or help people with their problems?"
"Let everyone deal with their own problems, you can go talk to a wall if you think that this will get some kind of response out of me. I've made up my mind."
"Then what was it that we shared?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Squall, you kissed me that night that Rinoa stormed out. You were feeling lonely, worried, frightened even."
"It didn't mean anything."
"Why do you have to be so frustrating. All I'm trying to do is-"
"I can deal with my own conflicts. Stay out of it."
She heard the rising anger in his voice and sighed, still dissatisfied with his decision but realizing yelling at him wouldn't do any good. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking at that moment. Perhaps he hated her or maybe he was fighting back his feelings and battling an urge to open up. It was his damned guard that was always raised. It prevented him from getting even remotely close with anyone, even the brunette which he cared about yet refused to admit. She wanted to know why he was like that, why he was so scared of letting people into his life, what caused him to be so secretive. If only he would say something and if only he would trust her.
"I think I can see them." He told her, breaking the silence that had momentarily set in.
"What? What are they doing?"
"I can't tell. All I can make out is Rinoa's duster. It looks like she's…" He squinted, "Lying down."
"Lying down? Is she hurt? Where's Seifer?"
Upon closer inspection, he told her that only the brunette's duster was in a heap on the floor. However they were nowhere in sight. Quistis bit her lip, wondering what it meant, hoping that they were alright. There appeared to be tears in the fabric, as though someone had been clawing at her. It worried her as they continued crawling and getting closer and closer to the answer that they were looking for. In the distance, a faint, deep male voice could be heard, it sounded angry, almost infuriated. Quistis couldn't make out whose it was though as she strained to make out what the person was saying. She could tell that Squall, too, was trying to decipher the shouts, narrowing his eyebrows in concentration.
"You damned slut, I should kill you right now!" The male voice said.
"Fuck you, you don't know anything about me. And you're one to talk about sluts, seeing as you practically own hundreds of them." It was the sound of a female one.
"Stay the hell away from her!" A second, male spoke up.
"And you – Traitor – I can't wait till I see your dead corpse on the ground! You and that other bitch have caused me more trouble then you're worth."
"I can't believe you'd do something like this! For crying out loud, I'm your bloody daughter!"
"I don't have a daughter, I have a whore who pretends to be an angel."
"Just shut up! You don't know anything about me or the life I live. You're the one that's always been against us, with all the crimes you commit. I don't even know who you are anymore."
Suddenly, there was a loud thud and then a blood-curdling scream as more noise came and the vent vibrated.
"Touch her again and die!" The second male threatened.
"You're not the one in control here so stay the fuck out of this. I'll deal with you later."
Just then there was the deafening sound of an explosion as a gun was fired and grunts could be heard, followed by a banging noise and the shattering of glass.
"Squall…" Quistis whispered, her mouth agape. They had come to a small opening in the vent and the agent could see what was happening in the room below, the place that Seifer had been before when Blake showed him to her.
"Shit." He said in a barely audible voice, watching the events unfold.
"I'll kill you!" Blake yelled, his eyes were wide and pupils dilated as he lunged at Seifer, a gun in hand.
"Please stop! You can't do this! SEIFER!" Rinoa pleaded, trying to stop the two men from fighting.
Another loud sound and angry shouts were heard as the enemy delivered a hard blow to Seifer's stomach.
"You've gone too far this time, asshole." Seifer yelled, shoving Blake back into a wall, fueled by adrenaline.
The older man responded by firing at him as he charged forward. The blonde male threw himself to the ground as a bullet soared past him, going straight through the door.
By that time Squall was desperately trying to lift the plate that was stopping him from getting out of the vent. Quistis gasped as Rinoa tried to grab the gun out of Blake's hand, leaping at him and knocking him into the bed. They both landed hard on the floor as she tried to wrestle it out of his hands. First she was on top, tugging at it desperately, he shoved her off and pinned her to the ground as she struggled underneath, rolling out from under him and tackling him onto his stomach.
Seifer rushed up attempting to hold him down with the girl, but he was too strong and flung both of them off him. The two were both panting and trying to get up before Blake could fire at them again. However their enemy had other plans in mind and raced toward Seifer, ramming his foot at full force into the man's ribcage and causing him to keel over in pain. Blake started pounding the wounded man with his fists, blindly punching his abdomen as Seifer groaned in pain.
"Hurry!" Quistis demanded as she helped Squall with the barrier, tugging on it as hard as she could.
"It's busted, there's no use." He said, taking out a gun.
"No! Their right under there, you could shoot one of them."
"They're going to die anyway if we don't get down there." He aimed the weapon and she closed her eyes, unable to watch as he shot down the plate and there were cries from below.
Squall ripped it off, tearing apart the metal and threw it aside. She looked down, seeing them all one the floor, but relief washed over her when she realized none of them had been wounded. It was only then that the male agent realized that the opening was too small for him to fit through and he cursed in anger.
"We've got to do something!"
She could see Blake and Rinoa getting up. But Seifer was still on his hands and knees. Then the attacker kicked him again, this time to the side of his face and he was thrown down again. Seeing this, Rinoa surged at her adversary, jumping in the air to swing her legs up and kick him twice in the chest area. Blake flew back but she wasn't finished yet, racing up to finish off the move with a roundhouse kick and two hard punches to the face. A thin stream of blood dripped from his mouth and he looked at her, his eyes burning with hatred as she tried to get him down again. However he was expecting the move and counterattacked by raising up his legs to flip her over, making her body slam to the ground and slide over to where Seifer had just gotten up.
Blake targeted the other male for his next assault, grabbing a chain off the bed and throwing it at him. Seifer ducked to avoid the flying weapon and grabbed onto Blake's leg, making the older male stumble to the ground and accidentally land on top of him.
Quistis knew that Rinoa was knocked out cold so now the two fighters were one-on-one, Blake having the advantage over Seifer because he was pressing the other man to the ground.
Finally, seeing the enemy coming up behind him, Seifer dodged to the side and threw himself down on the floor as the crazed man fired at him. The shot rang out and Quistis' ears seemed to explode as it flew through the air. She closed her eyes, afraid for Seifer, and took a shaky breath while the bullet slammed into a wall. Not wanting to open her eyes, she worried that Seifer would be dead or seriously hurt. Yet waiting any longer to see what happened would be agony.
"He's fine." Squall told her roughly and finally managed to make the opening wide enough for them to fit through. The agent leapt down while Blake was reloading, landing on his feet and hopping off the bed.
"That idiots lucky. I won't have to make his death long and painful."
"Come on!" Squall shouted from down below, motioning for Quistis to jump down as well.
"He's got a-"
"Just hurry." He grabbed onto her legs and pulled down, slowly gripping onto her hips then supporting her waist as she dropped.
Meanwhile, Seifer was on his feet, and he lunged at the enemy, trying to tackle the other man to the floor. He gripped onto the former general's arms, blocking the clear shot to protect Quistis and attempting to shove Blake back. By the time Quistis was down, the foe had pushed her defender away and tried to point the weapon at him. However, her ally latched onto it in an effort to get the gun away and grabbed his wrist, shaking it out of Blake's hand.
She stood on the bed, still catching her balance while Squall rushed over to aid their teammate that almost had the gun. Seifer was desperate, frantic to avoid getting shot but still wanted to unarm Blake. The two men battled, both panting from the effort. Their enemy could see Squall stealthily approaching and he knew he'd be outnumbered if he allowed another person to join the fight. Especially someone that was armed.
Quistis jumped off of the bed, quickly running over to where Rinoa laid motionless, in a heap on the ground. She watched for breathing, closely eyeing the agent's movements while checking for a pulse and searching for any bleeding or injured limbs. Her heart was beating, her chest rose and fell, there didn't even appear to be any serious wounds, aside from her head that was swollen. Yet, as she tried to rouse the girl from her sleep, nudging and shaking her awake, Rinoa continued to remain in the death-like state. Worry began to creep up on Quistis as she bit her lip, pleading the brunette to awaken. Panic set in. Rinoa was in a comatose state and would not wake up. Her body was stiff, her breathing was shallow, and her heartbeat was slowing down by the moment.
But Quistis barely had time to think about that when suddenly there was a thunderous banging noise behind her as another gun shot rang out. Shattering glass was heard. As she tried to spin around to see what was happening, she cried out, feeling a cold, hard object suddenly dig into the back of her neck. Her body froze. She was paralyzed in fear and shock as the person pushed it further into her skin. Quistis winced, attempting to stop herself from moaning in pain. Dizzying thoughts spun through her mind when she felt him tug her hair to make her stand up. Reluctantly, she moved away from her friend and raised her hands in the air, signifying her surrender.
He soon had her in a head lock and pressed the gun against her temple before turning around to face the other two startled men. Seifer cursed and tried to come bounding at her captor. Squall grabbed onto his arm and stopped him from doing anything rash as Blake increased the pressure of the weapon on her head.
You guys are going to have to leave me behind here. He's got us in a bind if we stay. You can still get out if you grab Rinoa and run. He's at a disadvantage because he has the gun aimed at me, so he won't have a chance to fire at you! Go! Why stay here? He's not going to release me and you'll be risking your lives. It's pointless to try to negotiate with a madman. There's no reason for you to stay. Even if you tried to get me out, there's no guarantee…Perhaps one day you could come back for me…at least I won't die.
"It won't do her any good if we're dead. Calm down." Squall growled to Seifer.
"Well, well well. Looks like I finally have everyone where I want them. It's about damned time you started following orders or Quistis would be nothing more then a corpse on the floor."
"Fuck you! If she dies, you die!" Seifer shouted back at him.
"Don't be so sure. Just shut up and do what I say. You," He pointed to Squall, eyeing the gun at his waist, still in the holster, "Drop your weapon or I'll shoot."
Squall didn't move, he just stared at Blake, challenging him to fire. Quistis winced as the foe grabbed her hair once again and shoved back her head so that the gun was better positioned.
"Let go…" She wshipered helplessly as she saw his finger tighten around the trigger, "Please don't do this."
"I'll do as I please. You're in no position to make requests! If your friend doesn't drop his gun, I'll lodge this bullet so far into your brain that-"
"Enough." The teen dropped his pistol and kicked it over to where Blake stood, smiling victoriously.
"Alright, now you're going to lean down and pick that up Quistis. Make one wrong move and I'll kill you on the spot."
Slowly, Quistis bent down, connecting her gaze with Squall's and communicating with him through the stare. She wanted, so badly to throw it over to him, but he protested, shaking his head. The situation was too dangerous. She knew it as well, but didn't want to give in so easily. Seifer clenched his hands into fists, not wanting her to get hurt or put her life at risk even more. She sighed and cautiously picked up the gun, agonizing over the right decision, aching for her teammates to get out safely.
She had it in her hands, still crouched down, still able to toss it away and save her friends.
"Come on bitch, get up."
"How do I know that you won't shoot me anyway? If i have to working you then I'd rather die. What's the difference?"
"Just pass it to him." The male agent instructed, glancing worriedly on Blake's grip on weapon as his hand tensed around it, becoming angry.
"Do it, Love." Seifer told her, backing up their other ally.
"See, they want you to come work for me."
"Shut up, Blake." Squall ordered.
"Na, I think it's time that everyone else shut up. Now, here's the deal : if you want Quistis to live, you're both going to sit down on that bed over there and wait for some of my men to come get you and escort you out. I think that's a pretty fair deal. However, if you breathe one word of this to anyone, I'll have this whore over here spitting out blood through her head."
"There's no way in hell that you're just going to take Quistis." Seifer argued.
"Either I take her and she lives or you come one step further and I shoot."
She had the revolver in her grasp and her hands began to tremble as she held it, not wanting to harm anyone. All eyes were on her. What ever she did would determine their fate. It was nerve-racking and all she wanted to do was throw away the stupid weapon and run. However that would be impossible.
"Alright, now all you have to do, Quistis, is point that gun at Squall and tell him to go over to the bed." Blake ordered.
She shook her head vigorously and fought back the hot tears as the enemy's rifle was pressed deeper into her head.
"I want you to point that gun at him, I'm not asking you to pull the trigger."
"I can't…" She tried to protest, choking on the words.
"Now, you know what that means, don't you? That means I'm going to have to kill you."
"Please…I'll do anything else, just don't make me-"
"This is for the best, I'll try not to make it painful…"
"Do it. Aim it at me, Quistis." Squall demanded.
"I don't want to hurt anyone." She managed to whisper.
"Better me then you. Now just follow orders."
"One…" Blake began the countdown.
"Why are you making me do this?" She cried.
"Forget about why, just-"
"Two…"
"I don't want you to die." Seifer told her, his voice was filled with emotion.
"I couldn't live with myself if I hurt either of you."
"Come on!" Squall told her, frantically.
"Thr-"
She closed her eyes and forced her arms to train the gun at Squall, breathing deeply and blinking furiously. Her heart was practically pounding out of her chest as she silently prayed that Blake wouldn't fire. It required all her concentration to hold the gun steady while her hands began shaking even more. Squall and Seifer slowly began backing up, going over ot the bed and duplicating her previous move, also lifting their hands in the air. Their foe laughed at this and glared at them evily, still holding Quistis close.
All hope was lost, he had them in his custody and had taken one of them hostage. It was nearly impossible to find a solution to the problem, given the small time limit, before his men would begin to show up. By that time, Squall and Seifer were both sitting on the bed, attempting to think up some kind of desperate plan that would at least get the females out of harm's way. There was no telling what he had planned for them, although they were guessing that the girls wouldn't stand a chance. Especially since Rinoa was already wounded. They despised the agent.
Blake slowly forced Quistis forward, over to where the two other men were sitting. She staggered, still balancing the gun while beads of sweat began to form at her temple.
"Now, I know this is going to be hard for you, Hun, but you're going to have to go with the men that come to the door so that they can get you cleaned up and ready for work."
She, realizing his betrayal, cursed.
"Y-You told me that-"
"I know, I know. But, you see, I can't let them just leave here alive. Don't worry, I'll try to minimize the pain since you've been so, how can I put it…helpful, these past few minutes."
"You can't kill them, please don't. I'll do anything, just don't take them away." She begged, becoming weak.
"It'll be less of a hassle if you just do as I say. That way, at least you'll live."
"Haven't you already caused us all enough pain? Why can't you just die?!"
"Just shut up and give me the gun."
Taking a quick look around, Quistis prayed that some other option would present itself because now Blake was trying to grab it from her and she staggered trying to get away while still making it seem accidental. He was getting angry and the other two men looked worriedly at the gun that was pointed at the girl. She was taking too much of a risk and it was too dangerous for her to be fighting with a trigger-happy lunatic. It would be impossible for them to get out if both Quistis and Rinoa were injured. Bullet wounds usually meant the loss of a lot of blood and they still had to think of a way to escape with their lives.
"Let go!" Quistis shouted, trying to elbow her foe in the abdomen.
"There's no way that you're getting out of here alive. Now, just give the gun to me and everything can run smoothly."
"I'll never be one of them."
"Things will change and you'll see that it's not all that bad. Don't make me pull this trigger because I can easily end your life right here and I won't hesitate to do it if you keep fighting me."
"You won't shoot. You're too desperate to get me to work for you."
"Wanna bet?"
Everyone froze, time slowed and nobody could manage to utter a single word as a gunshot was heard and a single bullet determined their fate.
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[Author's Notes: A special thanks to Seph78 (aka Megs) who Beta read this chapter for me! I hope you guys enjoy it but please expect the wait for the next chapter to be up to a week or a few days at least.]