Chapter 4
"Balls" I muttered as the gun failed to shoot. I stashed it in my other pocket, walked over and put my arm round willow, looked up, then I took a gigantic swing with the sword, shattering the glass around us and causing the water to flow in.
Well, 'flow' isn't exactly the word. 'Flood' maybe. Or maybe 'explode' but you get the idea.
The crushing power of the water overwhelmed me. I put my arms around the cowering form of willow to try to protect her. When I opened my eyes again, we were surrounded by water. I felt my lungs needing to breathe and started to swim for the surface, but stopped. Crumpled on the floor, was the unconscious form of willow. I swam down, scooped her in my arms and made my way to the surface.
That's when I noticed the blood. As I swam, more blood billowed from my right arm. Not a good thing to have in piranha infested waters. Even now, so close to the surface, I could see shoals of them swimming towards us. I gave a burst of speed that I didn't know I had in me and tried to get as close to the shore and surface as possible.
My lungs were screaming at me.
I.
Need.
AIR!
My muscles were seizing up.
My head was spinning.
All I could think about was making it to the surface.
Protecting willow.
My vision blurred.
Everything went black.
-----
I awoke on some kind of bed-thing in a clearing that looked remarkably like Besaid, except that it couldn't have been. Everywhere I looked, there were burning ruins and ashes, not to mention the impact marks. My arm was healed completely from the cut I had seen earlier in the water.
I tried to get up, but found a pair of hands holding me down.
"Rest up." I didn't recognise the voice.
"Who are you?"
"A friend."
"What?"
"I come from the same place as you."
"New York?"
"Not quite. I come from a place in England. It's called Reddich."
"How did you get here?"
"Same way you did, I suppose. Through Sin."
"How do you know so much about me?"
"I don't."
"What?"
"Well, I know you're from earth, because of the tattoo."
"What tattoo?"
"When we were brought here, we all got a tattoo on our shoulders."
"We all?"
"What is this, twenty questions? Just shut up and let me explain."
"Ok."
"Right, well anyway… we were all given a tattoo to show that we were from earth and we were found using the PS2. It's a cross, in a square, in a…"
"In a circle within a triangle."
"Yeah. It's so that if we survive the game, we can go back to our homes. If we don't, then we get fed to it, so that it's power grows."
"IT?"
"Sin."
Suddenly I knew, Sin was the gateway between the worlds. If we defeat it, we go home safe. If we don't…
We don't.
I got up, against this guy's protest. Then I turned round and looked at him. This guy was weird. He wore A cloak that was brown on the back, but black inside, Walking boots, a bandanna and long silver hair. Like a cross between Vincent and Sephiroth from FFVII. At his waist hung another fan-like thing and on his back there was a home made backpack that looked pretty sturdy.
"What weapon you use?" He asked.
I looked around. My sword was gone. I pushed my hands into my pockets and searched around. My hands came upon the gun and fan, but in my other pocket, there was a second gun and some ammo clips. I looked around, trying to spot willow. Not a sign.
"Where's my friend?"
"What friend?"
I described willow to this guy, he just shook his head and told me that he hadn't seen anyone since sin had attacked other than me.
"I use guns." I replied to his earlier question.
"Guns? Nice choice."
"I made no choice. My sword's gone and all I have is this fan."
"Fan?" he asked, so I pulled it out and showed him. He laughed. "That's no fan. It's a pike." I looked at him weirdly, so he grabbed it and showed me a button in the middle. "Stand back." He warned, pressing it.
Instantly, two spikes shot out the ends, each about the length of my arm, and stopped. I stepped back and watched as the other guy started to slice up the air with those mean-looking spikes. When he stopped, I walked over to him and looked at the pike.
I looked up suddenly.
"What's your name?"
"People call me cipher. You?"
"Metaphor."
"Right. Well anyway, load up your guns and lets get going."
"Going where?"
"To find this Willow girl. Also to Killika."
"Balls" I muttered as the gun failed to shoot. I stashed it in my other pocket, walked over and put my arm round willow, looked up, then I took a gigantic swing with the sword, shattering the glass around us and causing the water to flow in.
Well, 'flow' isn't exactly the word. 'Flood' maybe. Or maybe 'explode' but you get the idea.
The crushing power of the water overwhelmed me. I put my arms around the cowering form of willow to try to protect her. When I opened my eyes again, we were surrounded by water. I felt my lungs needing to breathe and started to swim for the surface, but stopped. Crumpled on the floor, was the unconscious form of willow. I swam down, scooped her in my arms and made my way to the surface.
That's when I noticed the blood. As I swam, more blood billowed from my right arm. Not a good thing to have in piranha infested waters. Even now, so close to the surface, I could see shoals of them swimming towards us. I gave a burst of speed that I didn't know I had in me and tried to get as close to the shore and surface as possible.
My lungs were screaming at me.
I.
Need.
AIR!
My muscles were seizing up.
My head was spinning.
All I could think about was making it to the surface.
Protecting willow.
My vision blurred.
Everything went black.
-----
I awoke on some kind of bed-thing in a clearing that looked remarkably like Besaid, except that it couldn't have been. Everywhere I looked, there were burning ruins and ashes, not to mention the impact marks. My arm was healed completely from the cut I had seen earlier in the water.
I tried to get up, but found a pair of hands holding me down.
"Rest up." I didn't recognise the voice.
"Who are you?"
"A friend."
"What?"
"I come from the same place as you."
"New York?"
"Not quite. I come from a place in England. It's called Reddich."
"How did you get here?"
"Same way you did, I suppose. Through Sin."
"How do you know so much about me?"
"I don't."
"What?"
"Well, I know you're from earth, because of the tattoo."
"What tattoo?"
"When we were brought here, we all got a tattoo on our shoulders."
"We all?"
"What is this, twenty questions? Just shut up and let me explain."
"Ok."
"Right, well anyway… we were all given a tattoo to show that we were from earth and we were found using the PS2. It's a cross, in a square, in a…"
"In a circle within a triangle."
"Yeah. It's so that if we survive the game, we can go back to our homes. If we don't, then we get fed to it, so that it's power grows."
"IT?"
"Sin."
Suddenly I knew, Sin was the gateway between the worlds. If we defeat it, we go home safe. If we don't…
We don't.
I got up, against this guy's protest. Then I turned round and looked at him. This guy was weird. He wore A cloak that was brown on the back, but black inside, Walking boots, a bandanna and long silver hair. Like a cross between Vincent and Sephiroth from FFVII. At his waist hung another fan-like thing and on his back there was a home made backpack that looked pretty sturdy.
"What weapon you use?" He asked.
I looked around. My sword was gone. I pushed my hands into my pockets and searched around. My hands came upon the gun and fan, but in my other pocket, there was a second gun and some ammo clips. I looked around, trying to spot willow. Not a sign.
"Where's my friend?"
"What friend?"
I described willow to this guy, he just shook his head and told me that he hadn't seen anyone since sin had attacked other than me.
"I use guns." I replied to his earlier question.
"Guns? Nice choice."
"I made no choice. My sword's gone and all I have is this fan."
"Fan?" he asked, so I pulled it out and showed him. He laughed. "That's no fan. It's a pike." I looked at him weirdly, so he grabbed it and showed me a button in the middle. "Stand back." He warned, pressing it.
Instantly, two spikes shot out the ends, each about the length of my arm, and stopped. I stepped back and watched as the other guy started to slice up the air with those mean-looking spikes. When he stopped, I walked over to him and looked at the pike.
I looked up suddenly.
"What's your name?"
"People call me cipher. You?"
"Metaphor."
"Right. Well anyway, load up your guns and lets get going."
"Going where?"
"To find this Willow girl. Also to Killika."