Chapter 13: Stranger in the Dark
Aeris quietly shot up from her dreamless sleep and looked calmly around her as she glanced quickly around the room to see that Zack was still lying quietly on his bed. His hand was gently placed over his stomach as she watched it slowly rise and fall in a gentle rhythm. Aeris then silently moved her head to the other side of her to see that Dyne wasn't where he was earlier. Aeris looked up to see that the door was cracked and gently and silently raised herself up and slowly made her way over to the door. She gently placed her hand around the knob and pulled it open slowly, cringing at the sheer screech of the rusted bolts. She turned quickly to see Zack take in a deep breath and then turn to his side and then returned to his normal steady breathing. Aeris took in her own sigh of relief as she slipped through the crack in the door and quickly closed it, so it wouldn't make a sound that time.
As she turned she saw the front thick oak door was gently swung open, knocking itself against the white plastered wall with each coming soft breeze.
She moved quietly over the dark wooden floor towards the opened oak door. She gently wrapped her fingers around the edge of if near the knob and pulled it towards the outside of the house. Slowly moving her hand down its side towards the golden knob, she clutched it lightly, as she closed the door behind her. Aeris's eyes wondered into the deep blue ocean of stars above her that glittered brilliantly around the crescent moon. The rocket before her gleamed gently against the moon's light.
The homes around her seemed to disappear within the sky, with only the outlines of them, remaining. The calm silence was broken by a light continues tapping nearby that startled her. Aeris then turned her gaze to the right towards Cid's home. A dark figure was walking slowly, his footsteps echoing off the white marbled coble streets towards the Rocket.
Aeris gently moved towards him wondering what he was up to but was to afraid to speak up, fearing she might startle him.
She continued to follow the figure back behind Cid's darken home to the Rocket. As she made her way to it, she noticed that the Rocket looked much shinier with the moon's beam, almost brand new.
The startling footsteps suddenly arose again after a brief moment of silence. Carefully, she made her way to the back of the rocket over the black metal stairs that were placed over the large wires.
"Dyne?" Aeris whispered as she stopped in the center of the last steps and looked to the ones leading towards the Rockets entrance doors.
The area remained silent, even the footsteps had ceased. Aeris slowly ducked down, peering through the holes in the gates side as she watched for any sign of movement.
"Dyne?" She whispered again taking swift, quick glances to her sides to watch for anything.
Aeris's weapon was placed silently in the Inn's room beside her bed and she felt helpless without them.
She gently and cautiously began to rise to her knees looking between the bar and the gate that blocked her in as she reached behind her, to grab the other still bar.
All but her breath remained calm. She could hear her own heart beating against her chest furiously in panic, as she stood there unknowing of what to do.
Aeris quietly then raised her left knee up, planting her foot firmly on the metal as she slowly raised herself so that the bar was now leveled with her stomach.
Suddenly there was a loud gunshot and she dropped back, slipping from her grip on the bars in front her of her, and smacked her head hard against the rail behind her. She cringed in pain, clutching her eyes shut as they started to slightly water.
Aeris gently lifted her hand to the side of her head that was still ringing from both the gunshot and the impact with the bar, rubbing it softly to ease the pain.
"Who's there?!" called a voice, somewhat familiar but then again too deep to be recognized. She kept silent through, fearing the man might come and attack her.
"Damn it! I know something's there! Answer me!" It called out again, demanding her attention.
Taking in a deep breath, she slowly placed her hands flat onto the corn iron and painfully pushed herself to her feet. She wobbled and caught the other rail across from her to keep her balance as she stumbled forward. She heard the faint click of a gun lifted her left hand from the bar, and then her right to show that she was unarmed.
"Who are you?" He asked calmingly with a hint of curiosity in his voice.
"My name's Aeris…" she told him slowly stuttering over her words.
"Hey! I thought you were sleeping!" she heard him yell as she watched the figure start to jog up to her.
"She was… and so was I, Dyne…" Aeris heard beside her as she watched as Zack started coming up behind the rocket with his sword over his shoulder.
"Damn Dyne! I think you woke everyone up!" Zack yelled at him. His mako blue eyes lit beautifully with the stars that surrounded his body. Aeris gave a faint smile to him but it quickly faded as his angered expression came into the moon's bright rays.
"Well, she shouldn't have been out here!" Dyne yelled as he swung his gun's barrel to point to Aeris,
"Don't blame her! You ass, you shouldn't have been here to begin with!" Zack called back as he passed the last step and stood stiffly behind her.
"I needed a little air! Is that a crime!?"
"No but blasting that god forsaken gun in the middle of the night is! Everyone's awake now. You'd just better get back to the Inn before they find you because they're all pissed!" Zack warned as he placed his right hand gently on Aeris's shoulder and tugged it back, to take her back to the Inn.
"Fuck this! I'm not leaving!" Dyne suddenly announced making Zack only shrug at him.
"Fine, whatever… Come on, Aeris." Zack said turning away from him, starting to go back to the Inn.
"Fine!" Dyne screamed after him as he turned himself and went off towards the coast.
Sighing deeply Aeris watched as Dyne continued on his own walk and then turned herself and followed Zack back to the Inn, hoping Dyne would fell better later that day.
Aeris quietly shot up from her dreamless sleep and looked calmly around her as she glanced quickly around the room to see that Zack was still lying quietly on his bed. His hand was gently placed over his stomach as she watched it slowly rise and fall in a gentle rhythm. Aeris then silently moved her head to the other side of her to see that Dyne wasn't where he was earlier. Aeris looked up to see that the door was cracked and gently and silently raised herself up and slowly made her way over to the door. She gently placed her hand around the knob and pulled it open slowly, cringing at the sheer screech of the rusted bolts. She turned quickly to see Zack take in a deep breath and then turn to his side and then returned to his normal steady breathing. Aeris took in her own sigh of relief as she slipped through the crack in the door and quickly closed it, so it wouldn't make a sound that time.
As she turned she saw the front thick oak door was gently swung open, knocking itself against the white plastered wall with each coming soft breeze.
She moved quietly over the dark wooden floor towards the opened oak door. She gently wrapped her fingers around the edge of if near the knob and pulled it towards the outside of the house. Slowly moving her hand down its side towards the golden knob, she clutched it lightly, as she closed the door behind her. Aeris's eyes wondered into the deep blue ocean of stars above her that glittered brilliantly around the crescent moon. The rocket before her gleamed gently against the moon's light.
The homes around her seemed to disappear within the sky, with only the outlines of them, remaining. The calm silence was broken by a light continues tapping nearby that startled her. Aeris then turned her gaze to the right towards Cid's home. A dark figure was walking slowly, his footsteps echoing off the white marbled coble streets towards the Rocket.
Aeris gently moved towards him wondering what he was up to but was to afraid to speak up, fearing she might startle him.
She continued to follow the figure back behind Cid's darken home to the Rocket. As she made her way to it, she noticed that the Rocket looked much shinier with the moon's beam, almost brand new.
The startling footsteps suddenly arose again after a brief moment of silence. Carefully, she made her way to the back of the rocket over the black metal stairs that were placed over the large wires.
"Dyne?" Aeris whispered as she stopped in the center of the last steps and looked to the ones leading towards the Rockets entrance doors.
The area remained silent, even the footsteps had ceased. Aeris slowly ducked down, peering through the holes in the gates side as she watched for any sign of movement.
"Dyne?" She whispered again taking swift, quick glances to her sides to watch for anything.
Aeris's weapon was placed silently in the Inn's room beside her bed and she felt helpless without them.
She gently and cautiously began to rise to her knees looking between the bar and the gate that blocked her in as she reached behind her, to grab the other still bar.
All but her breath remained calm. She could hear her own heart beating against her chest furiously in panic, as she stood there unknowing of what to do.
Aeris quietly then raised her left knee up, planting her foot firmly on the metal as she slowly raised herself so that the bar was now leveled with her stomach.
Suddenly there was a loud gunshot and she dropped back, slipping from her grip on the bars in front her of her, and smacked her head hard against the rail behind her. She cringed in pain, clutching her eyes shut as they started to slightly water.
Aeris gently lifted her hand to the side of her head that was still ringing from both the gunshot and the impact with the bar, rubbing it softly to ease the pain.
"Who's there?!" called a voice, somewhat familiar but then again too deep to be recognized. She kept silent through, fearing the man might come and attack her.
"Damn it! I know something's there! Answer me!" It called out again, demanding her attention.
Taking in a deep breath, she slowly placed her hands flat onto the corn iron and painfully pushed herself to her feet. She wobbled and caught the other rail across from her to keep her balance as she stumbled forward. She heard the faint click of a gun lifted her left hand from the bar, and then her right to show that she was unarmed.
"Who are you?" He asked calmingly with a hint of curiosity in his voice.
"My name's Aeris…" she told him slowly stuttering over her words.
"Hey! I thought you were sleeping!" she heard him yell as she watched the figure start to jog up to her.
"She was… and so was I, Dyne…" Aeris heard beside her as she watched as Zack started coming up behind the rocket with his sword over his shoulder.
"Damn Dyne! I think you woke everyone up!" Zack yelled at him. His mako blue eyes lit beautifully with the stars that surrounded his body. Aeris gave a faint smile to him but it quickly faded as his angered expression came into the moon's bright rays.
"Well, she shouldn't have been out here!" Dyne yelled as he swung his gun's barrel to point to Aeris,
"Don't blame her! You ass, you shouldn't have been here to begin with!" Zack called back as he passed the last step and stood stiffly behind her.
"I needed a little air! Is that a crime!?"
"No but blasting that god forsaken gun in the middle of the night is! Everyone's awake now. You'd just better get back to the Inn before they find you because they're all pissed!" Zack warned as he placed his right hand gently on Aeris's shoulder and tugged it back, to take her back to the Inn.
"Fuck this! I'm not leaving!" Dyne suddenly announced making Zack only shrug at him.
"Fine, whatever… Come on, Aeris." Zack said turning away from him, starting to go back to the Inn.
"Fine!" Dyne screamed after him as he turned himself and went off towards the coast.
Sighing deeply Aeris watched as Dyne continued on his own walk and then turned herself and followed Zack back to the Inn, hoping Dyne would fell better later that day.