Tis I again, I hope this story isn't boring! lol. Please let me know, because I have another idea and I'm ready to fire away at it. :) ...But I did promise to finish any project I began, and so here I am...standing by my word. If there are any readers, please speak up. (How desperate Imust sound right now, itspathetic. ) Anyway, this storysounds so much better whenever I think about it because then, it becomes like a movie for me. I'm trying to explain it in detail so that you all can get the picture... And Squall...he's a bitOOC...he's a bit too descriptive at times...hehe...Well I've rambled on enough...so enjoy!

Did you notice the Eternal Disclaimer from before? Well don't go looking for anymore!

Chapter 1: Survival of the Fittest

On the dark and misty seas, the foghorns of a large metallic vessel sounded in the night as it approached the shores of an unwelcoming continent. It was met by a water bridge made up of wooden planks supported by pillars from beneath. The nose of the ship made contact with the tip of the bridge, and stationed itself securely in position to release its passengers.

I saw the warden release the door switch causing it to spread open swiftly. Fog from outside flowed right in, and seeing this caused a few of us to tremble with fear. One convict, occupying a seat down from me, began to scream and cry at once. I noticed the warden hadn't said anything about the man's state as if he were used to witnessing grown men breakdown in tears. He chuckled and looked away from the crying man.

On board the vessel were six convicts, including myself, and sitting across from me was a younger looking criminal who seemed to be no older than eighteen years. He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and was wearing jeans that stopped a little below his knee, and a blue shirt covered by a black button down shirt with red decorations smeared across it. He also wore a pair of red sneakers to compliment the shirt; I figured anyone who wears red sneakers has to be a teenager. Anyway, his body was shaking for the entire boat ride. We all knew the kid was afraid, but the constant rattling of his chains was starting to make everyone just a bit scared as well.

Beside the kid was a bigger and older man. His skin was a bit darker and his hair was either dark black or dark brown, who knows, I couldn't really distinguish between the two colors because of the darkness within the vessel. Well, this guy sat as calm as could be. I have to admit, it was a bit chilly inside so any one of us could have shivered from time to time, but he was wearing a vest and hadn't shuttered once! He kept this strange smirk on his face the entire time it took us to reach land. I wondered what could have possibly been funny, but I never dared to question him about it.

I couldn't see the person beside him, but I knew he was trembling as well; however, I did happen to see the guy sitting beside me, all though I almost forgot that he was that close to me because he was so quiet. He occasionally tapped his foot in a rhythm; a song had obviously continued to replay was in his mind. I guess it was his method of calming himself down. I don't really blame the guy because I was on the verge of screaming out just like the lunatic beside him had done.

I looked down at my own attire and sighed. I was wearing a white t-shirt, black pants, and black sneakers. For someone who slightly knew what to expect of this continent, I dressed for the wrong occasion. I was asked what clothes I wanted to wear, as it was the honorable thing to do, much like eating the last meal before being electrocuted later on that same day. I requested my favorite clothes; unfortunately, they were in the cleaners unfortunately. My god what's happened to me, I'm more upset about the clothes than I am about being fed to some beast… We're lunch for crying out loud! Why did it matter what we wore?

"This is it boys. It was a long ride, but now you're on your own." The warden said with a smile that had upset my stomach to its pit. He pushed a button which stimulated a magnetic force, causing our connected chains to rise from the floor and yank us from our seats. "Let's go people. We don't have all day."

"Can we pray first?" The young convict sitting across from me asked.

"Pray?" The warden grinned, "What you did is unforgivable. Penance is the only way to freedom, son."

"…We pay with our lives, ya know." The older convict beside the young blonde muttered.

"Precisely, now get off my ship!" He said as he motioned us toward the exit. Immediately, the chains began to pull us all to the front of the vessel.

Together we walked in a single file onto the wooden bridge. We were surprised when the warden pressed one button from his silvery suit of armor which made the entire bridge glow a bright blue. A single circle appeared beneath each of us convicts, but around the vessel and warden yellow spheres had formed. Suddenly a loud snap was heard and all of our chains unlocked simultaneously and fell to the ground, then were drawn back inside by the ship's incredible A. I. System. We stood and studied our arms and legs, amazed at the fact that our limbs were once bound together by those chains. The same man who had previously cried aloud was now cheering, until we each heard a hideous screech from within the dark forest that stood towering us.

"What was that?" The younger criminal nervously asked.

"…It's them. It's really them! The T-Rexaurs!" The panicky man screamed aloud while running toward the vessel for cover. When he ran to the sphere, he was repelled back about ten yards, and had landed hard on the grounds of the minacious continent. He was frightened stiff on the ground as he came face to face with that of a beast. We were also frozen when we saw the T-Rex, and had watched the man scream uncontrollably for his life. I closed my eyes when the scream became faint, but I could hear his limbs being tumbled around inside the mouth of the T-Rexuar.

The young criminal knelt down and cried. "Oh my god, where are we!"

"Hell." I said in a low voice, but loud enough for them to hear. I walked passed him and watched the T-Rex turn away; its hunger had finally subsided.

"No. No way man! I didn't do anything to deserve this!" The young criminal panicked again.

"You all can stand here all day if you want. I know that that thing will be back. Besides, the warden's already left." A deeper voice said from behind us. Each of our heads turned back and saw that the warden and his vessel were indeed gone from the docking point. I felt my heart racing inside my chest when I realized my fate was absolute death.

"He didn't even give us tips for survival!" The blonde kid whined on the ground. "I'm telling ya, man, I didn't even do it on purpose!"

"Hey, you, whatever your name is. It's every man for himself, so grow up and deal with it." The older convict said before charging out into the forest. For some reason, I sensed that he was a bit too calm about the entire situation. When he ran passed me, I saw on his shoulder was a symbol carved onto a slivery armband. I remember now. A couple of weeks before I was to be sent here, there was another person with a symbol similar to that one. I believe she was the second woman sentenced to death. She and her partner were notorious bank robbers and had used whatever meant necessary to get Gil from the banks; it didn't matter if it were murder, taking hostages, or anything, those two always were successful. However, they were finally caught after a slip up, and yet he still got away; Left his only partner behind to be arrested, but obviously he's here now, so I guess they both were unsuccessful then.

"The names' Zell, and wait up man!" The younger criminal yelled out behind him, and followed his new partner into the darkness. Just as the two ran inside, hundreds of birds took flight from the bushy trees of the forest. Within a matter of minutes, even more hideous screeches were heard deep in its thick greenery. There were two other criminals left behind with me. One of the men took off and left us staring blankly at one another.

He shrugged his shoulders and spoke with a heavy sigh, "Nida."

"Squall" I replied, and then we both took off into the forest behind the third man.

"Aaaagh" The scream of the man who had run in front Nida and me was heard, which caused me to lose focus on the current path I took. I tripped over a loose tree root, I suppose, and fell down, but I continued to fall. I was falling down a mossy hill at a speed so incredible that monstrous heaves of wind stung my face as I tumbled helplessly down the earth, and at the very bottom I crashed into the remains of a human skeleton.

In the midst of my dizziness, I saw old dirty bones beside myself. "What the…" I said half out of breath. I moved my arm and reached to pick up the skull in my hand. "Is this place for real? Is this all really happening!" I dropped it immediately and fought against my injured body to bring myself from the ground. I ran deeper into the forest until I felt my body about to give out completely.

Suddenly, someone snatched my arm and pulled me inside a bushy hideaway made up of thorn plants. "Oww!" I yelled out when a thorn scratched across the side of my face, and a hand quickly covered my mouth.

"Shh."

It was already too dark to distinguish a friend from foe, so it was impossible to tell apart whatever or whoever it was trying to help me.

I tried to calm myself down, but my breathing was unrelenting. All of these events were building up inside of my shell, and I feared that I would lose it at any moment. I was in no way prepared to witness all of these horrible things, yet I was an editor, and had spent a great deal of my time reading articles about the lives of men that were indestructible, yet were maniacal and homicidal at once, but had been killed or captured. I never once witnessed a man's body being snapped in half by some beast, so how was I supposed to deal with it?

When I managed to ease just a little, I saw, from the openings of the bushes, a familiar man running hastily through the forest. It was Nida, and he had hidden himself behind a tree, but because the massive footsteps of the angry beast pounded the ground heavily, Nida fell from his position and into the pathway of the T-Rex. I watched as he raised his hands and begged for mercy, but the beast roared aloud and lunged toward him with its mouth opened wide.

"Ni" I attempted to call out to him, but the hand once again covered my mouth. In horror, I watched as Nida was bitten in half by the beast. It stood in one place, devouring his body slowly as if savoring every last taste of flesh and blood. After it was satisfied, the T-Rex ran and disappeared into the vastness of the forest.

"…No." I said against the hand. To witness something that gruesome, I wonder how I managed to murder Odine and not remember any part of it. I felt myself trembling with fear of being masticated by a huge beast like that, for a crime I probably wasn't even guilty of committing.

"Get used to it." She whispered into my ear. I looked back at her, my rescuer, and noticed that she was the same woman who had been the first woman sentenced to death weeks ago. In the dark, I managed to make out her face from what little moonlight illuminated the forest at that moment. Her pale face seemed as calm as ever, but her eyes said that she had spent a lifetime here. "Come with me, and try to keep up. If you get lost behind me, I won't be able to save you again."

"…Why didn't you help him?"

"Let's not talk about that now. We're already standing in the dead zone." She said while expertly emerging from the thorny bushes without receiving a single scratch. I stood slowly, but my shirt's sleeve was caught by one of the thorns and ripped in half.

"Damn." I said while touching my sleeve.

"All those clothes will be the death of you. Follow me." She said and took off deeper into the woods. I was able to distinguish her bright shirt from all the darkness, and relied on such to keep up with her swift maneuvering.

We passed what sounded like running waters and windy gusts within the forest. It was like nothing I had ever heard before. After hearing them so much, I guess she decided we should take a little break.

"You should probably get a drink of water. It may be awhile before we get to our destination." She said while kneeling down beside the stream of water, and dipping her hands inside. I was already exhausted. I fell down before the stream and desperately sought to draw forth water to my mouth for survival.

After I managed a few sips, I was able to focus just a little better. "Where are we going?"

"Well, there's a place up ahead where a few of us survivors gather sometimes." She sipped water from her hand and then drew more to wash her face.

"..There are others?"

"Yes. Only a few though, and it decreases with each passing day. Somehow, we're still here." She stared down into the stream and sighed, "…This place we're going to, it's not really safe either, so don't think we'll be out of harm's way once we get there."

"…Oh" I said and looked into the stream with her. I saw myself, my reflection and I remember thinking to myself at that moment. Who are you?

"What's your name?" She asked me, as if predicting what was on my mind.

"…I'm"

"You know what? Don't bother telling me. If we both make it to the meeting point, then I'll want to know who you are."

"…Why?"

"…Well." She stood from the stream and clasped her hands together. "…Most of the time when I meet someone new, they're killed the next day by the T-Rexaurs. So…I don't want to get attached to you if you'll just get eaten an hour later." She said followed by a sigh. Her eyes went to the ground sadly. "…I couldn't save that other man because the T-Rex…it…"

"…I understand. It could've killed us all, right?"

"Yeah" She said and turned away from me, obviously hiding some sad facial expression present. "Are you ready? We should get going now."

"Alright" I stood from the stream and wiped away the water from my forehead.

It's been almost an hour since I witnessed those terrible deaths. The sun is justbeggingto rise, which wouldmake it easier to see our path. When we were in darkness, I had forced myself to walk up to her speed fearing that I would lose sight of her at any second, but now that the sun is out, I guess I'm walking beside her for protection. For someone who has been here only a few weeks, her body is already built like she's gone years stranded on an island fighting for survival. She has her black hair tied back into a low pony tail which almost reaches the mid portion of her back; her light blue shirt is blemished with dirt stains, the black shorts might have been ripped from long black pants, and her black hiking boots are scuffed from walking the rough terrain of the forest for so many days in a row. Obviously, the woman has had a tough time here thus far.

All the while, I can't get over the fact that she was rumored to be dead already. How in the world has she survived here for so long? The longer I study her, the more I become curious about her. Just by taking one look at her face, I see innocence burning true, but isn't she a convicted felon as well? I saw her look up at the forested sky and smile a little; I can't help but wonder what could possibly be on her mind that would make her smile.

"Another day" She whispered into the heavy morning air and I was almost confused by her comment; I looked at her quickly and quizzically. Another day of survival, I suppose? She looked at me and smiled softly then focused her attention on the trail ahead. I don't know why, but right now, I feet like everything will be fine. …Only, since when has everything been fine for me? I'm in this stupid place for crying out loud.

"Rinoa! Where have you been! You had me worried!" A voice of a blonde male called out from afar. He was pointing at her and tapping his foot, angrily.

"Sorry about that!"

"Sorry nothing, I thought you became a late night snack for one of the T-Rex." He said while approaching us. He looked at me strangely, though. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised. "Who are you?" He asks and stares me down as if I were some sort of thief. His black vest seems to cling to his muscular frame every time he breathes, and I guess it threatens away all the convicts and T-Rexuars, I suppose… "Well?" Again he spoke, but this time with a flinch of his muscles. I wasn't sure if he were trying to interrogate me or intimidate me, but before I could get my answer out, she cut into the one-sided conversation.

"He's one of the newest guys to arrive. Just like I thought and had told you so, those were the vessel's horns we heard out there. I knew it was headed this way."

"Like it really makes a difference whether we're informed of the new arrivals or not, we're all in this mess together and we'll all die here someday."

"…I'd like to think not." She protested.

"Whatever you think can't be helped. It's do or die in this jungle, sweetheart."

"Well I'm not going to die." She said while turning away with a jerk of her hips. She walks away from us and vanishes amongst the woody trees.

He chuckles, "That's what the last guy said, and do I even need to tell you what happened to him?" He walked behind her, but I stood there watching the two of them, not wanting to get in the way.

"Seifer, where is everyone!" She yelled from some unknown location.

"Keep your voice down! They just haven't arrived yet." He said and watched as she reappeared before our eyes. She sighed and looked at the ground.

"That's two times this week this has happened." She said while folding her arms. "I'm beginning to think they're giving up on their lives."

"No. I know they'll do anything to get here." He said as he walked ahead to check for any of the expected party.

"I'm sure you're right." I heard her say softly while looking at him. She then turned her attention to me. "That was Seifer, one of the guys I arrived here with. We've pretty much stayed close since day one. I don't think I'd be alive if it weren't for him."

"…I see." I answered. I wonder where the others are and how they're fairing. What if they're already dead?

"Please tell me, what's your name?"

"It's Squall."

"I'm Rinoa. It's good to see that you've survived your first night here. Maybe you could stay with us."

"…I don't think I can stay here." Actually, I don't think I can stay anywhere at this point. The only way out of that mess is death…and that's easily said and done.

"…It's dangerous out there. You'll get killed."

My eyes dropped to the ground when she said the word, killed. How am I supposed to survive here? Well, she has managed to live a while here… She touches my shoulder and smiles sincerely, "Don't worry, I'll stick with you."

Stick with me? Wouldn't that be a little too much for her? Having to watch out for her safety while worrying about me? No, I can't put that on her shoulders.

"…I." I started, but was cut off by Seifer.

"Rinoa, I think I hear something coming this way. Get the new guy and let's go, now."

"His name is Squall!" She took the words right out of my mouth.

"Who cares what his name is, just get him and let's go!"

"Okay, you heard him. Let's get out of here, Squall."

As we run, I wonder what the heck it could be that's following us. If it were a T-Rex, we would hear its stomping, and if it were human, they'd probably call out to us. Whatever it is, it's getting closer, but I'm too afraid to look back.

"Whoa!" Seifer shouted when he glanced back, and forced himself to stop.

"Hey!" Rinoa yelled at him for stopping, but when she turned back, she looked a little disappointed. "It's just you?"

"Hehehe…" I hear the voice of another woman laughing behind me when I finally came to a stop.

Author's words:

Because some survived the awfully dull intro, I've decided to post up this second chapter in order to spice things up a bit. Just let me know if you like it or not. Thanks!