Chapter 12
There was screaming, a lot of screaming. Everyone was screaming and running. Feet pounded against the earth as they ran and the flames tried to lick at their skin and clothing. The men in their torn and tattered clothing were laughing as they began to torch the town. The town's men were all running or fighting. The mothers were carrying crying and screaming children from the town. Some were riding horses but the animals were shot down. The flames were lighting the midnight sky with their graceful and hungry dance. He watched fearfully as his father was shot down and gutted. Blood poured from his father's throat and his slayer fell to his knees to drink and bathe in the red river. His mother forced his eyes away from his father and continued running. The scent of smoke was thick in the air and he could tell that his mother was struggling just to continue running.
The scent of smoke and the feeling of his mother carrying him faded to be replaced by the scent of the ocean air and the feeling of sand flying up under his running feet. He was a different boy now, out in the open at the beach as a storm began. There was someone calling to him as he ran, tears blurring his vision and sand clinging to his legs. There was a cliff with a lighthouse not half a mile away. That he could make out with his blurry vision. The person chasing him caught up and swung him into their arms. He struggled to get away but the person only held onto him tighter. Slowly, he stopped struggling and sobbed into the person's shoulder. The person's fingers ran through his hair soothingly and her voice whispered through his ears. He clung to the woman as she started to walk back to that stone building. It was almost naptime and he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep this afternoon.
Blue gray eyes shot open and looked around the room frantically. The afternoon sun ran into the room delightedly and made the room seem very warm. He tried to sit up but his vision swam. Blinking, he forced himself up and looked around. Star was gone and the door was open slightly to let the little Moomba in or out of the room. Lony was also gone and that made him feel scared. Swinging his still shaky legs over the edge of the bed he stood slowly and used the wall and furniture as support to make his way to the door. Stepping out of the room he could hear voices coming from the living room. Slowly, he stumbled forward and nearly ran into the man with the cowboy hat, Irvine he remembered quickly.
"Squall, what are you doing out bed?" he asked worriedly. He ignored him and continued towards the living room. Irvine took his arm gently and moved to help him walk but he shoved him away.
"Leave me alone," he spat. Ignoring Irvine's look of concern he walked into the living room. May looked up a bit startled and stood to help him.
"What are you doing out of bed, Squall?" she scolded gently and eased him into a chair.
"Where's Lony?" he countered. He felt a little better since May was around and Star leaping into his lap made him feel better also.
"She and Seifer went out to take the kids home and get some dinner. Neither of us really feel like cooking right now,"
"Oh," Squall murmured. May settled onto the armrest and regarded him calmly. The dizziness was still there but it wasn't as bad. Irvine sat down on the couch fiddling with his gloves. Squall bit his lip and petted Star.
"Did you remember something?" May asked quietly. He shook his head quickly and fought down the wave of dizziness that caused and the slight bit of nausea. May placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.
"What did you remember?"
"Nothing," he snapped. Star squeaked a bit and leapt off his lap and onto the couch with Irvine. He stared at the floor coldly and felt that same icy presence again. It blocked out May's concerned voice and the feeling of her hand on his shoulder. The blue locks of hair appeared in his line of vision again. The sound of little bells reached his ears and calmed him. His brow furrowed in confusion and he tired to shove the presence away. It only held onto him tighter and a feeling of panic started to wiggle into his chest. The presence still would not leave him as he continued to try and push it away. There were arms around him that wouldn't let him go and a feeling of warmth and safety began to override the panic. Dizziness started up again and his hands pushed against the warm thing holding onto his arms. His skin burned and nausea flooded up his throat. He fought down the bile and shoved the presence roughly away from him. The warmth clinging to his arms was like steel and he couldn't get away.
"Squall!" someone's voice barked. He blinked and saw that he was staring wide eyed into a pair of worry ridden violet eyes. His breath came in huge gulps of air and the temperature in the room felt a lot colder then it had been. His hands were pressed against Irvine's chest in an attempt to push him away.
"Are you ok?" Irvine's voice asked softly, worriedly. Squall nodded numbly and pushed weakly against his chest, a silent plea for Irvine to let him go. Irvine's hands released their grip slowly and he backed off a bit to sit on his heels. Squall pulled his knees up to his chest and stared at the floor confused and frightened. Something cut into his hand sharply and he winced a bit. Uncurling the fingers of his left hand he stared at the pendant and the chain it was on. The lion was frozen forever in a silent roar of anger or anguish. The pendant had made an indent in his hand and he didn't notice Irvine bite his lip in nervousness. He traced a finger over the details in silent wonder at the craftsman's ship of the piece and lifted it from his hand for his blue gray eyes to inspect.
"We found it in the river," Irvine said softly. He glanced up at the cowboy then back to the necklace.
"It was one the bank near a flattened patch of grass," Squall turned the pendant over and over in his hands inspecting it. A name fluttered into his mind, past the walls and barriers that kept everything at bay.
"Griever…" he whispered. Irvine's eyes shot up to him but he ignored it. The lion glinted slightly in the dieing sunlight and seemed to glow a bit.
"Who's Griever?" May asked quietly. Squall held the necklace up to her and tapped the pendant. May looked at it and nodded slightly, smiling faintly.
"It's nice," Squall nodded in agreement and handed it back to Irvine. Irvine shook his head.
"It's not mine," he said. "It's yours." Squall hesitated and slowly pulled the necklace back to him and stared at it solemnly. Star squealed and broke the tense atmosphere when the front door opened.
"We're back!" Lony called. May slipped off the armrest and went to help Lony and Seifer with the bags.
"I got steak and shrimp, salad, rolls, and strawberry shortcake for dessert," Lony said happily. May licked her lips and took the bags, allowing Lony to bounce over to Squall and hug him.
"And what are you doing out of bed?" she asked. Squall ignored it and wrapped his arms around her waist, the necklace still held in his hand. Lony kissed his forehead and poked his shoulder.
"You like strawberries right?" she asked. Squall shrugged a bit and bit his lip.
"Seifer can't have any," he said quietly.
"How come?"
"He's allergic," his voice came out slightly muffled cause he didn't like the looks Irvine and Seifer were giving him.
"Oh, well that's ok cause we got chocolate cake too!" Long said cheerfully and sped off into the kitchen, Star bounding after her. Seifer flopped onto the couch and sighed.
"I hate kids," he mumbled.
"Why?" Irvine asked.
"They're loud, hyper active, don't shut up, run everywhere, get into everything, never stop asking questions, need I go on?" Irvine snorted at Seifer's complaint.
"Just deal with it, Seifer," he said. Squall watched them for a minute before standing and going into the kitchen.
"Can I help?" he asked. Lony shook her head and pushed him gently into the living room again.
"Nope! After hitting your head again you need to sit down cause I just know that you're feeling dizzy. You can steal the remote from Seifer and watch T.V. if you want or we have some cards or something but you're gonna take it easy for a while," she declared. Squall pouted but she wisely turned back and walked into the kitchen.
Leben City Park
Selphie sighed heavily as she walked through the park. Irvine and Seifer hadn't been in their hotel room and their cell phones were turned off so she had no way of contacting them to see if they had found Squall. A scan of the town's that she had to search provided nothing as to where the Balamb Commander might be and the hope of ever finding him was slowly fading. Carl had disappeared somewhere in the last town but she figured he would call if he needed her to pick him up. She was glad thought that he had disappeared. The guy was a jerk who couldn't keep his mouth shut for five seconds. She wasn't any better really but she at least had an idea of when to shut up and when to speak.
Selphie sighed yet again and looked up to the sky. The final rays of light from the sun were dipping below the horizon and painting the sky a beautiful midnight blue. The city sounds were dull down here but still present. Her bright green eyes scanned the tiny forest around her and landed on a little boy on the swing set. His knee length brown shorts were a bit dirty and the gray sweatshirt he wore was torn. His bare feet brushed the sand under the swing he was on his blonde hair hid his eyes. She walked over to him and kneeled before him.
"Hey, little guy, are you lost?" she asked quietly. The boy didn't move only continued to sway back and forth on the swing. She cocked her head to side and tried again.
"Where are your parents?" again the boy didn't answer and only sat on the swing silently. Reaching out a hand to touch the boy finally got a reaction out of him. Slowly, the boy's head rose up and he stared at her. Selphie's gemstone eyes widened in horror at the sight before her. Slowly, the boy's skin started to peel away from his face and his eyes rolled about in the withering sockets. His hair started to thin and his clothes drooped from his body. She scrambled away as he dropped from the swing.
"Don't let…" he whispered. His voice scratchy in his decaying throat. The skin around his eyes began to fall and his lips were pulled back to show yellowing teeth. He reached out a hand to her and the skin began to peel away from his fingers revealing bone and muscles, the veins and nerves mearly shriveled things under the skin. His short fell away from his thinning body and the sweatshirt sagged on his shoulders.
"Don't let… the darkness… touch you… rabbit…" his eyes fell from his sockets and hung there. He took one final step before he collapsed, his body continuing to decompose. Her body had a mind of it's own as it ran from the park and followed the burning trail Ifrit had left behind.
There was screaming, a lot of screaming. Everyone was screaming and running. Feet pounded against the earth as they ran and the flames tried to lick at their skin and clothing. The men in their torn and tattered clothing were laughing as they began to torch the town. The town's men were all running or fighting. The mothers were carrying crying and screaming children from the town. Some were riding horses but the animals were shot down. The flames were lighting the midnight sky with their graceful and hungry dance. He watched fearfully as his father was shot down and gutted. Blood poured from his father's throat and his slayer fell to his knees to drink and bathe in the red river. His mother forced his eyes away from his father and continued running. The scent of smoke was thick in the air and he could tell that his mother was struggling just to continue running.
The scent of smoke and the feeling of his mother carrying him faded to be replaced by the scent of the ocean air and the feeling of sand flying up under his running feet. He was a different boy now, out in the open at the beach as a storm began. There was someone calling to him as he ran, tears blurring his vision and sand clinging to his legs. There was a cliff with a lighthouse not half a mile away. That he could make out with his blurry vision. The person chasing him caught up and swung him into their arms. He struggled to get away but the person only held onto him tighter. Slowly, he stopped struggling and sobbed into the person's shoulder. The person's fingers ran through his hair soothingly and her voice whispered through his ears. He clung to the woman as she started to walk back to that stone building. It was almost naptime and he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep this afternoon.
Blue gray eyes shot open and looked around the room frantically. The afternoon sun ran into the room delightedly and made the room seem very warm. He tried to sit up but his vision swam. Blinking, he forced himself up and looked around. Star was gone and the door was open slightly to let the little Moomba in or out of the room. Lony was also gone and that made him feel scared. Swinging his still shaky legs over the edge of the bed he stood slowly and used the wall and furniture as support to make his way to the door. Stepping out of the room he could hear voices coming from the living room. Slowly, he stumbled forward and nearly ran into the man with the cowboy hat, Irvine he remembered quickly.
"Squall, what are you doing out bed?" he asked worriedly. He ignored him and continued towards the living room. Irvine took his arm gently and moved to help him walk but he shoved him away.
"Leave me alone," he spat. Ignoring Irvine's look of concern he walked into the living room. May looked up a bit startled and stood to help him.
"What are you doing out of bed, Squall?" she scolded gently and eased him into a chair.
"Where's Lony?" he countered. He felt a little better since May was around and Star leaping into his lap made him feel better also.
"She and Seifer went out to take the kids home and get some dinner. Neither of us really feel like cooking right now,"
"Oh," Squall murmured. May settled onto the armrest and regarded him calmly. The dizziness was still there but it wasn't as bad. Irvine sat down on the couch fiddling with his gloves. Squall bit his lip and petted Star.
"Did you remember something?" May asked quietly. He shook his head quickly and fought down the wave of dizziness that caused and the slight bit of nausea. May placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.
"What did you remember?"
"Nothing," he snapped. Star squeaked a bit and leapt off his lap and onto the couch with Irvine. He stared at the floor coldly and felt that same icy presence again. It blocked out May's concerned voice and the feeling of her hand on his shoulder. The blue locks of hair appeared in his line of vision again. The sound of little bells reached his ears and calmed him. His brow furrowed in confusion and he tired to shove the presence away. It only held onto him tighter and a feeling of panic started to wiggle into his chest. The presence still would not leave him as he continued to try and push it away. There were arms around him that wouldn't let him go and a feeling of warmth and safety began to override the panic. Dizziness started up again and his hands pushed against the warm thing holding onto his arms. His skin burned and nausea flooded up his throat. He fought down the bile and shoved the presence roughly away from him. The warmth clinging to his arms was like steel and he couldn't get away.
"Squall!" someone's voice barked. He blinked and saw that he was staring wide eyed into a pair of worry ridden violet eyes. His breath came in huge gulps of air and the temperature in the room felt a lot colder then it had been. His hands were pressed against Irvine's chest in an attempt to push him away.
"Are you ok?" Irvine's voice asked softly, worriedly. Squall nodded numbly and pushed weakly against his chest, a silent plea for Irvine to let him go. Irvine's hands released their grip slowly and he backed off a bit to sit on his heels. Squall pulled his knees up to his chest and stared at the floor confused and frightened. Something cut into his hand sharply and he winced a bit. Uncurling the fingers of his left hand he stared at the pendant and the chain it was on. The lion was frozen forever in a silent roar of anger or anguish. The pendant had made an indent in his hand and he didn't notice Irvine bite his lip in nervousness. He traced a finger over the details in silent wonder at the craftsman's ship of the piece and lifted it from his hand for his blue gray eyes to inspect.
"We found it in the river," Irvine said softly. He glanced up at the cowboy then back to the necklace.
"It was one the bank near a flattened patch of grass," Squall turned the pendant over and over in his hands inspecting it. A name fluttered into his mind, past the walls and barriers that kept everything at bay.
"Griever…" he whispered. Irvine's eyes shot up to him but he ignored it. The lion glinted slightly in the dieing sunlight and seemed to glow a bit.
"Who's Griever?" May asked quietly. Squall held the necklace up to her and tapped the pendant. May looked at it and nodded slightly, smiling faintly.
"It's nice," Squall nodded in agreement and handed it back to Irvine. Irvine shook his head.
"It's not mine," he said. "It's yours." Squall hesitated and slowly pulled the necklace back to him and stared at it solemnly. Star squealed and broke the tense atmosphere when the front door opened.
"We're back!" Lony called. May slipped off the armrest and went to help Lony and Seifer with the bags.
"I got steak and shrimp, salad, rolls, and strawberry shortcake for dessert," Lony said happily. May licked her lips and took the bags, allowing Lony to bounce over to Squall and hug him.
"And what are you doing out of bed?" she asked. Squall ignored it and wrapped his arms around her waist, the necklace still held in his hand. Lony kissed his forehead and poked his shoulder.
"You like strawberries right?" she asked. Squall shrugged a bit and bit his lip.
"Seifer can't have any," he said quietly.
"How come?"
"He's allergic," his voice came out slightly muffled cause he didn't like the looks Irvine and Seifer were giving him.
"Oh, well that's ok cause we got chocolate cake too!" Long said cheerfully and sped off into the kitchen, Star bounding after her. Seifer flopped onto the couch and sighed.
"I hate kids," he mumbled.
"Why?" Irvine asked.
"They're loud, hyper active, don't shut up, run everywhere, get into everything, never stop asking questions, need I go on?" Irvine snorted at Seifer's complaint.
"Just deal with it, Seifer," he said. Squall watched them for a minute before standing and going into the kitchen.
"Can I help?" he asked. Lony shook her head and pushed him gently into the living room again.
"Nope! After hitting your head again you need to sit down cause I just know that you're feeling dizzy. You can steal the remote from Seifer and watch T.V. if you want or we have some cards or something but you're gonna take it easy for a while," she declared. Squall pouted but she wisely turned back and walked into the kitchen.
Leben City Park
Selphie sighed heavily as she walked through the park. Irvine and Seifer hadn't been in their hotel room and their cell phones were turned off so she had no way of contacting them to see if they had found Squall. A scan of the town's that she had to search provided nothing as to where the Balamb Commander might be and the hope of ever finding him was slowly fading. Carl had disappeared somewhere in the last town but she figured he would call if he needed her to pick him up. She was glad thought that he had disappeared. The guy was a jerk who couldn't keep his mouth shut for five seconds. She wasn't any better really but she at least had an idea of when to shut up and when to speak.
Selphie sighed yet again and looked up to the sky. The final rays of light from the sun were dipping below the horizon and painting the sky a beautiful midnight blue. The city sounds were dull down here but still present. Her bright green eyes scanned the tiny forest around her and landed on a little boy on the swing set. His knee length brown shorts were a bit dirty and the gray sweatshirt he wore was torn. His bare feet brushed the sand under the swing he was on his blonde hair hid his eyes. She walked over to him and kneeled before him.
"Hey, little guy, are you lost?" she asked quietly. The boy didn't move only continued to sway back and forth on the swing. She cocked her head to side and tried again.
"Where are your parents?" again the boy didn't answer and only sat on the swing silently. Reaching out a hand to touch the boy finally got a reaction out of him. Slowly, the boy's head rose up and he stared at her. Selphie's gemstone eyes widened in horror at the sight before her. Slowly, the boy's skin started to peel away from his face and his eyes rolled about in the withering sockets. His hair started to thin and his clothes drooped from his body. She scrambled away as he dropped from the swing.
"Don't let…" he whispered. His voice scratchy in his decaying throat. The skin around his eyes began to fall and his lips were pulled back to show yellowing teeth. He reached out a hand to her and the skin began to peel away from his fingers revealing bone and muscles, the veins and nerves mearly shriveled things under the skin. His short fell away from his thinning body and the sweatshirt sagged on his shoulders.
"Don't let… the darkness… touch you… rabbit…" his eyes fell from his sockets and hung there. He took one final step before he collapsed, his body continuing to decompose. Her body had a mind of it's own as it ran from the park and followed the burning trail Ifrit had left behind.
