Project S.

Written by: Jessica Davis

When I awoke again, I heard the sounds of waves lapping at sand. I hadn't opened my eyes, so I still didn't know where I was. But that sound relaxed me…after all, I hadn't heard it for a long time. The ocean was a while away from Midgar…actually it was a short chocobo ride, but a long walk, and no one at Midgar ever had any time to visit the ocean. Suddenly, my eyes shot open and I sprung out of my comfortable position and stared at my finger. I had remembered about the thing inside me…was it a dream? When I looked, there was no bump indicating that something was or ever had been there. But I felt it…I remember. When I looked around me I noticed that I wasn't in a cylinder room, or my apartment…hell, I wasn't even Midgar! I was in a cave…by the ocean. The walls were dripping and the ground was damp beneath me.

I had no idea how I got there or what had happened. Maybe I was dreaming this! Or, could someone had taken me away from Shinra? But how could anyone do that? The shinra building was guarded by thousands of SOLDIER, and it would take a miracle to get in and out unnoticed. What the hell was going on? Maybe I didn't want to find out…I got up on my feet but instantly collapsed back down. My legs were weak…very weak. When I looked at them, they were covered in bruises like they had been beaten with rocks. I snarled a little at my own weakness, and attempted to get up again. But again I collapsed. I tried a third time, and failed again. Finally, I held a rock that stuck out of the wet, stony wall, and hoisted myself up onto my feet forcing myself to stand. Pain jolted through me like I had been struck with lightning, but I fought it. I wobbled over to the edge where the water was lapping away at the sand below my and noticed that I wasn't too far from Kalm

Past the town I could see the shadowy city of Midgar. I was pretty high up, I think I was on a mountain, the water wasn't from the ocean…it was from a river that joined to the ocean after hitting Kalm But before that, it dropped off in a waterfall. I was still confused, and partly dazed. I had been beaten, and thrown to the side like yesterdays newspaper. This only made me hate Shinra more.

After taking a few steps out in the open I waded through the water forcing my legs to keep me up, then fell on the bank and crawled onto the cool grass. My heart was pounding, I began to get very cold…the sun was high in the sky, and it was in the middle of summer, so why was I cold? I felt like I was lying in a mound of snow, naked. The next thing I knew I was stiffening up. It felt as if my own blood was freezing, and a jolt of cold ran through my body like I had jumped into the center of the ocean at night. Believe me, it hurt! Like having thousands of knives stabbing me from the inside-out. Then my body started to warm up a little. My legs were a lot stronger, and I could move. I stood up, expecting to fall, but I didn't, and when I looked at my legs, they weren't bruised anymore! I couldn't believe it! It was like someone had used an elixir on me or something.

I sat down and stared at the grass… "maybe they figured they didn't need me anymore. They probably have the materia." I thought. Here I was…alone…on a mountain during the middle of the summer…with a cold. My nose tickled a little, before I gave off a sneeze. When I opened my eyes from the few seconds, I saw something on the ground that shocked me. It was ice.

Did I really do it? I looked at my hand and sat for a moment with a blank mind. Then I leaned back onto my hands and stared at the sky. What was happening to me? I thought about the materia and knew that I had to go back to Midgar. I didn't know what it was about that damn thing that made me want to keep it from shinra so bad. As my thoughts wandered, my stomach gave off a loud growl. It was pissed at me, I didn't blame it, I didn't get a chance to eat with Biggs, so it has been two days since I last ate. I sat up Indian style and just sat there, listening to my stomach continue to complain. I needed to eat.

When I stood up, my body crashed down again. Were my legs bruised again? I looked down and saw that they weren't bruised, instead, they were very pale. It was like I was starting to change color, but they quickly faded back to peach and I stared at them for a while expecting another change. When nothing happened, I slowly got up onto my feet and started to walk. I was really getting sick of being confused. I just wanted to know what the fuck was going on.

I stumbled my way down the hill I was on and towards Kalm. I had nearly gotten about a half a mile there, when something fast and furry was charging at me. Just what I needed, a damn monster attacking me when I was clueless. It bared its fangs and slobber swung out of its mouth. It's claws dug into the ground each time they hit. And the dirt was being stirred up from behind it from its speed. I readied myself. I wouldn't go down without a fight, I was trained better than that. When it got to pouncing distance it leapt into the air without hesitation, and let out a horrible snarl.

It would have landed straight on me, but I turned to the side and it crashed into the ground. But it was just as quick to get up and go for another attempt. It leapt into the air again, this time, I quickly held out my hands and grabbed it when it was close enough. It was pretty light, I guess it didn't eat often, plus it was only about the size of a dog. Using little strength I threw it back to the ground straight into a rock.

The beast had slammed its skull into the stone and was nearly dead. But it wobbled up and snarled at me. Its head was gushing red ooze and its left eye was twitching. Just for intimidation, I snarled back at it. But intimidating a wild, starving monster isn't wise, I only pissed it off more. But I was ready for it. It took another leap at me, baring its fangs again and I caught it in the air and wrestled it to the ground. Its fangs and claws were digging at whatever part of my body they could, and blood was everywhere. It snapped in my face a few times, but I held its jaws at a safe distance away, and I rolled on top of it, pinning it to the ground. I could tell that it was getting tired. Its attacks were starting to slow down a bit. But I wouldn't back down, it could still kill me.

I grabbed its head with both hands, still using my legs to keep in down, and began to slam its head as hard as I could into the ground against another rock. I didn't stop until it was still. Its legs dropped, and it was dead. I slammed the head one more time for reassurance then climbed up off of it, wiping the blood from my face. I was scratched up and bruised, but nothing too serious had been done. I patted myself off, and looked down at the dead animal. I was also taught never to let animals rot, even if they were monsters. I grabbed its leg and dragged it over to the river where I rinsed off its blood and then took it with me to Kalm.