Disclaimer:Final Fantasy VIII and all its characters belong to Square Soft and Eidos Interactive. This story is made for the sole purpose of entertainment and is not being used for sale or gain in money.
Eyes on Me
His head was throbbing badly. The unbearable heat didn't help either. He didn't understand why it was so quiet, either. He had to wake up, he wanted to, but his body wouldn't react.
He managed to open his eyes. At first, everything was blurry, but then, he managed to see well. The first thing he noticed was the red leather surface he was laying on. Then he noticed the smell of dust. It caused his nose to itch and he sneezed involuntarily.
"Where the hell am I?"
He was not tied or bound, so he was free to move. His body finally reacting, he managed to sit down. He noticed his feet and hands were somewhat numb. By looking around him, he noticed he was inside a car. Outside was a desolated red soiled place.
"What am I doing in a car in the middle of a frickin' desert?"
He tried remembering what had previously happened. A few days ago he had been sent on a mission, which gave him enough points to graduate as SeeD. The celebration party was a night ago, or so. "Who knows for how long I've been here." He remembered having a drink of wine and then… darkness.
"Ah, damnit; I've been intoxicated." He noted with dry humor. He placed his still somewhat numb hands against his bowed head, only to notice a pang of pain by the contact. Just then he remembered the previous encounter he had with Seifer. The scar was still open and it was aching.
Just then, a cell phone rang from somewhere in the car. Being as quick as he could, he started searching for the cell phone, following the ring tone. At last, he found it on a drawer from the front seat. "Hello?"
"Hey, my dear friend," a mocking voice was the reply. It was Seifer. "How's your trip fitting you?"
"Seifer, what the hell did you do? Where am I?" Things were beginning to make sense now. He started recalling other things from the night at the celebration.
"Oh, you know, got you worked up with a drink and sent you off."
"Off to where?"
"My dear friend of childhood, Squall, why so rude?"
The cell phone started beeping. Squall checked the screen and noticed it was running out of battery. Immediately, he returned to the conversation. "Tell me where I am," he ordered, gritting his teeth.
"I can't tell you, I barely remember where we left you at. But, you can certainly find a way out, SeeD; just follow your instinct and don't let your guard down," Seifer had sang the last phrase, in an attempt to make fun of Squall. He grinned through the other line, "and don't you worry; they'll start looking for you. Just make sure you don't die on us, you---"
The battery had died. Squall stared at the cell phone for several seconds before smashing it against one of the windows. He quickly jumped to the driver's seat and looked for the keys of the car. He found them already in the key hole. He started the engine, thanking whatever thing for the fact that there was still some gas, and drove.
He had to eventually get somewhere, a city of sorts, perhaps. He just hoped he didn't run out of gas before he got somewhere. However, he wasn't quite thankful that he was wearing his SeeD clothes. If only had he not gone to that celebration party and remained in his room like he always does for those types of things…
He barely managed to come to halt. The violent curve he had to perform to prevent the huge hole on his way didn't seem to fit the car well. Smoke started to come out from the front. "Damnit!"
Kicking the door open, Squall got out of the car. He had no knowledge on cars or engines, but he checked on it. It didn't take him long to notice several cables which had been cut. Muttering curses under his breath, he started kicking at the dust. The heat was unbearable and he was dehydrating. Now he would have to walk to attempt at getting somewhere or die in the process.
Just then he noticed a paved road a few meters from him. It led towards the mountains west from his location and back south to more desolated land. A sign caught his sight.
TIMBER FESTIVAL; FIFTEEN MILES STRAIGHT AHEAD
His hopes brightened a bit. He had heard of Timber before. It was a small town, perhaps, but it was somewhere. He was getting somewhere.
Without wasting any more time, he hurried up the street.
"I'll get Seifer for this when I get back to Balamb… and it will, hopefully, not take me long."