Chapter Three
Inner Demons
Connor found him self running down an empty hallway that he had never seen before. He was running from or toward something, but he couldn't recall what it was. Dirty windows let only a few rays of sunlight in the corridor, which gave it an all together eerie feeling. As he reached the end of the hall, a voice called to him. The voice was familiar but he couldn't make out the words. He knew the voice belonged to his friend Kristin, and as he ran it got clearer.
"Don't. Pen. Nor. RUN!" were the only words he could make out to begin with, but he soon reached the end of the hall and came to a large cast-iron door. "TURN AROUND CONNOR! RUN! NO! DON'T OPEN THE DOOR!" cried Kris' voice has he turned the knob. Before he could heed the warning, the partially open door blasted opened with such force that Connor had been knocked to the floor.
He rose and walked toward the open doorway. As he crossed the threshold a vison of Kris flashed before him, and vanished. The next vision was clearer than the other, Kristin had been more of a shadow, but the man who stood before him was a solid being. He recognized the young man who stood before him, and was shocked when he came to the realization that the blood soaked, battle-scarred youth who stood before him was a twisted version of himself. There was something different about this version of Connor. He had an evil smirk on his face, and despite his tattered appearance he looked pleased with himself.
"I'm coming back Connor, and there is nothing you can do to stop me! You've suppressed me for too long, but I'm coming, and hell is coming with me." Whispered distorted Connor's voice, but his lips had not parted. The voice seemed to have come from within his head, and for some reason its' sound had enraged Connor. He swung to hit the image of himself, but it vanished as he made contact. Connor stumbled with the missed punch, and fell into a pit of nothingness. As he hurdled, visions of his teammates began to rush by him. Each one lay dead, some mutilated and bleeding from gashes and cuts. Others reduced to an almost unrecognizable pulp. He stopped falling but he had not landed on anything. He was being held up, but he felt no force. He squinted to see a glimmer of light further down the pit in which he had been falling. The light got bigger, and moved faster. It was coming straight at him, and he could not move to avoid it. As the light got closer it began to take shape. It was exactly as he had feared, the light, the image, was Kris' dead body. . .It vanished and was replaced by the face of the other Connor. He smirked and the omniscient voice rang "She's mine now!"
"NO! YOU CAN'T HAVE HER!" Connor screamed as he awoke in a cold sweat. He was sitting up in his room in the Balamb hotel. He heard a loud crack as his door came busting down. Light flooded the dark suite. In the doorway stood the entire Phoenix squad, in their pajama's.
"What's wrong?" Kris asked. Connor became terrified. These were the people he had seen dead thirty seconds ago. He rolled out of bed and stumbled to get his pants on. Instinctively, he turned and ran from his teammates. He wasn't sure why but their presence scared him. He ran out onto the balcony.
"Connor, get away from that ledge." Squall said in a rushed voice. Connor turned away from his friends and hopped up onto the guard rails. He stripped off his night shirt, and took a swan dive into the ocean below.
"CONNOR! NO!" Kristin screamed.
"With this tide and the water being that cold he will never survive." Zell said, watching the waves beat violently against the rocky coast.
"DON'T SAY THAT. DON'T EVER FUCKING SAY THAT!" Kris exclaimed as she picked Zell up by the collar of his PJ's. "Say that again, and I'll throw you down there with him."
"Ok! Jeez, you're crazy. You know that right?" Zell responded as she set him down. She was about six inches shorter than he, but she was angry enough to lift him a foot over her head.
"Maybe I am. So we look for him, cause noone wants to piss the crazy lady off!"Kris screamed as she walked towards the doorway of the room. "Please let him be ok!" She thought as she ran down the stairs. When she got outside, and down to the beach she saw Connor's body lying bloodied and beaten upon a rock on the shore. She screamed in terror. She knew that he had to be dead.
"He fell about 5 stories into freezing water. It's a miracle he is still alive" Said a paramedic as they rushed him to the hospital. He was alive, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to be.
Inner Demons
Connor found him self running down an empty hallway that he had never seen before. He was running from or toward something, but he couldn't recall what it was. Dirty windows let only a few rays of sunlight in the corridor, which gave it an all together eerie feeling. As he reached the end of the hall, a voice called to him. The voice was familiar but he couldn't make out the words. He knew the voice belonged to his friend Kristin, and as he ran it got clearer.
"Don't. Pen. Nor. RUN!" were the only words he could make out to begin with, but he soon reached the end of the hall and came to a large cast-iron door. "TURN AROUND CONNOR! RUN! NO! DON'T OPEN THE DOOR!" cried Kris' voice has he turned the knob. Before he could heed the warning, the partially open door blasted opened with such force that Connor had been knocked to the floor.
He rose and walked toward the open doorway. As he crossed the threshold a vison of Kris flashed before him, and vanished. The next vision was clearer than the other, Kristin had been more of a shadow, but the man who stood before him was a solid being. He recognized the young man who stood before him, and was shocked when he came to the realization that the blood soaked, battle-scarred youth who stood before him was a twisted version of himself. There was something different about this version of Connor. He had an evil smirk on his face, and despite his tattered appearance he looked pleased with himself.
"I'm coming back Connor, and there is nothing you can do to stop me! You've suppressed me for too long, but I'm coming, and hell is coming with me." Whispered distorted Connor's voice, but his lips had not parted. The voice seemed to have come from within his head, and for some reason its' sound had enraged Connor. He swung to hit the image of himself, but it vanished as he made contact. Connor stumbled with the missed punch, and fell into a pit of nothingness. As he hurdled, visions of his teammates began to rush by him. Each one lay dead, some mutilated and bleeding from gashes and cuts. Others reduced to an almost unrecognizable pulp. He stopped falling but he had not landed on anything. He was being held up, but he felt no force. He squinted to see a glimmer of light further down the pit in which he had been falling. The light got bigger, and moved faster. It was coming straight at him, and he could not move to avoid it. As the light got closer it began to take shape. It was exactly as he had feared, the light, the image, was Kris' dead body. . .It vanished and was replaced by the face of the other Connor. He smirked and the omniscient voice rang "She's mine now!"
"NO! YOU CAN'T HAVE HER!" Connor screamed as he awoke in a cold sweat. He was sitting up in his room in the Balamb hotel. He heard a loud crack as his door came busting down. Light flooded the dark suite. In the doorway stood the entire Phoenix squad, in their pajama's.
"What's wrong?" Kris asked. Connor became terrified. These were the people he had seen dead thirty seconds ago. He rolled out of bed and stumbled to get his pants on. Instinctively, he turned and ran from his teammates. He wasn't sure why but their presence scared him. He ran out onto the balcony.
"Connor, get away from that ledge." Squall said in a rushed voice. Connor turned away from his friends and hopped up onto the guard rails. He stripped off his night shirt, and took a swan dive into the ocean below.
"CONNOR! NO!" Kristin screamed.
"With this tide and the water being that cold he will never survive." Zell said, watching the waves beat violently against the rocky coast.
"DON'T SAY THAT. DON'T EVER FUCKING SAY THAT!" Kris exclaimed as she picked Zell up by the collar of his PJ's. "Say that again, and I'll throw you down there with him."
"Ok! Jeez, you're crazy. You know that right?" Zell responded as she set him down. She was about six inches shorter than he, but she was angry enough to lift him a foot over her head.
"Maybe I am. So we look for him, cause noone wants to piss the crazy lady off!"Kris screamed as she walked towards the doorway of the room. "Please let him be ok!" She thought as she ran down the stairs. When she got outside, and down to the beach she saw Connor's body lying bloodied and beaten upon a rock on the shore. She screamed in terror. She knew that he had to be dead.
"He fell about 5 stories into freezing water. It's a miracle he is still alive" Said a paramedic as they rushed him to the hospital. He was alive, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to be.