Writer's block is literally kicking my ass.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or places in this story.
xOx
Chapter 2: Now or Never
xOx
A dark figure walked through the dirty streets, almost as if unaware of the chaos behind him, burning cars, small explosions. Moans of pain in the distance. He seemed to be looking for something, for anything to prove that he wasn't on some other planet. Anything to prove that he hadn't died and gone to hell.
It seemed like so long since the final battle. Since he had freed the world from his former idol. He and his friends had grown rather distant, but he couldn't blame them. It's not like he was the most social person in the world. Cid had left them not long after the final battle, along with Yuffie and Cait Sith. He had missed them for a while, but eventually got over it. After that Red XIII had left to go be with his people.
Vincent had been the next to leave, gone back to the mountains to live in solitude. Barret and Tifa were the only ones who stayed with him in Midgar, or should he say, Gaia, as it was now called.
But even then something was missing, someone was missing. He didn't have to ask who it was, he knew that his mind was still mourning Aerith. Tifa had been understanding at first, then she slowly began to get worse and worse, constantly complaining that he was always moping around, or that he never paid her enough attention.
It all became to much for him, he was so caught up in his grief that he never noticed that thoughts of suicide were plaguing his mind. Of course he'd never do it, but the fact that he had even contemplated it was beyond reason.
The man shook his head. Now was not the time for reminiscing. He needed to find out where he was and how to get back to Gaia as soon as possible. Today was his 25th birthday and he liked to spend it at the lake where Aerith's body rested.
A crashing noise brought him out of his thoughts completely. He looked around for a moment before realizing that the sound was coming from behind him. His mako-enhanced eyes widened at the sight of the bloody woman that was heading his way, arms outstretched, reaching for him.
"What happened? Are you alright!" He asked as he placed his sword back in it's holder and rushed to her, ready to help. When he got to her he had to catch her to keep her from falling and his eyes widened at the sight of her mangled body.
Flesh hung from her bones, but the blood around it had already congealed, leaving a grotesque sight to his eyes. Her face was covered in blood and her eyes where completely white.
"Oh my god...What happened to you?" He asked, looking at her in disgust as some of her flesh pulled off when he tried to help her stand, he dropped her in his confusion.
She crawled back to him, and one bloody hand reached for him, wrapping around his boot. A moan ground it's way from her throat. He was in the middle of pulling out a potion to heal her when she launched herself at his leg, intent on ripping the flesh from bone. He backed away, watching in horror as she crawled towards him, moaning and reaching for him.
The sound of more moans echoed in the distance and he looked up to see even more people heading his way in various speeds. The only thing they held in common was the fact that all of them were bloody and mangled like the woman...They were all...dead.
He realized this in horror as a man, who had two of four limbs ripped off and half of the flesh on his face torn, hanging from a thin strip of skin. "What's going on here?" He mumbled to himself as he turned around, only to find more people rushing at him from that direction.
He turned and looked at the building that he stood infront of, instantly rushing to the door. He nearly cried out in frustration when he realized that it was locked. Quickly, he ripped his sword from his back and thrust it through the keyhole, pushing the door open and pushing it back closed. He only had time to push a small table infront of it before he heard banging on the door.
After what seemed like hours, he had barricaded the front door successfully. Although he could still hear the moans and the banging of the zombies right outside the door, he allowed himself to rest for a moment. He was confused, and a little disoriented, but there was one thing he knew for sure.
He needed to escape soon.
xOx
Kagome tore down the alleyway, breathing harshly as she heard the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching her. She took a right turn, feeling the tears sting her eyes as thoughts of her death rang in her head. 'This can't be the end can it?' She thought as she turned again, unaware that she was leading herself into a dead end.
Just five minutes earlier she had been wandering the streets of this destroyed town, looking for some clue as to where she was. Just when she had found a dirty old newspaper, she had heard it.
The sound of ripping flesh...
It was a sound often heard in the Sengoku Jidai, but the thought of it here with no Inuyasha made chills run down her spine. Eager to put some distance between herself and the sound she turned around, only to step on an old pop can, crushing it, and causing a noise that rang loud in her ears. The disgusting sound of tearing flesh stopped and the sound of growling came from behind a upturned car not far away.
Two, large dogs, bloody and torn walked out from behind the car, blood dripping from their bared fangs. Then a third stepped out from behind the car, with a human heart clenched between it's jaws. She hadn't wasted another moment.
So that was how she had gotten into this predicament, being chased by three blood thirsty dogs. She turned another corner and instantly regretted it, seeing the brick wall that blocked her way. She kept running anyway, looking for something, anything.
"There!" Kagome screamed in relief as she spotted a window not too far up for her to reach. Hope burst in her chest as she looked at the dumpster that was placed just right for her to make the jump. She only hoped that she made it in the window quick enough to close it before the two dogs got in as well.
The time was on her before she knew it. She had it timed just right and made it on top of the dumpster and took the two steps to the edge before launching herself at the window sill. For a split second, she though she had a firm grip, but not a moment later her right hand slipped on a large shard of glass. She screamed, but held on tight with her other hand. With one hand damaged and dripping blood onto the three fiendish dogs, she could do nothing but hold herself there as long as possible and think something up.
She only lasted for a few minutes before her arms grew weary of holding her weight. Tears began to stream out of her eyes as she envisioned her death, being ripped asunder by a pair of hungry dogs. How ironic that both times she entered a new land some sort of dog tried to kill her.
"I...I don't want to die!" She cried out, feeling as her grip loosened more and more until the point where she was only holding on with the tips of her fingers.
All sound and sight seemed to stop as her fingers finally slipped on her own blood and her body plunged downwards towards the awaiting jaws of the two dogs. The only thing that seemed real was the wind as it rushed by her ears.
xOx
The sound of a scream was what made Cloud finally get up. Someone was in trouble and he needed to get there, fast. Pictures of the bloodied woman flew across his mind as he ran, unattaching the Buster sword from his back. Whoever this was wasn't going to end up like that woman.
"I...I don't want to die!" said a voice.
Cloud's heart began to beat frantically in his chest as he practically ripped open the door nearest to him, intent on reaching this person before she was killed. As soon as he stepped into the room he saw the tips of someone's fingers slip over the edge. His heart stopped for a split second and before he knew it, he was hanging half way out of the window, reaching for the hand.
Kagome felt her body jerk in the air, and was startled to see a large, gloved hand clasped over her own. Her eyes, wide and wet, looked up to see two eyes almost identical to her own in color, except they had a strange...glow...
Cloud pulled the woman up through the window easily, and set her down onto the floor wordlessly. But the moment his hands left her waist she crumbled to the ground, holding her head with bloody hands. He watched her, as she sat there on the floor, sobbing her heart out, feeling a little akward at how to comfort her. How do you comfort a person who was nearly ripped to shreds by a trio of undead canines?
But soon he realized that he didn't need to comfort her. She had already stopped crying, and was in the process of pulling herself together. She stood up slowly and opened those big blue eyes to him, muttering a soft apology. She clasped her hands infront of her and gave him a deep bow. "Th-thank you...for saving me." She said, cheeks red.
"No problem." He said, scratching the back of his head. "My name's Cloud. And you are?" He asked, holding out his hand for her to shake.
"Kagome..." She said, shaking his hand.
There was a pause before either of them spoke again. The sound of banging began to get a little louder.
"So, Kagome, Do you know where we are?" Cloud asked.
At that, she remembered the crumpled newspaper in her skirt pocket. "No, but I found this the moment before those dogs found me." She said, looking at it. "My english is a little rough, but I think it says we're in Raccoon City." She said, handing it to him.
Cloud looked over the newspaper, unable to read any of the foreign language. "Raccoon City? Well...I know we're nowhere near Gaia." He said.
"Gaia?" Kagome asked, raising a brow. "Where's that?"
"Gaia...Well, it used to be named Midgar, but after it was destroyed by the comet we renamed it Gaia. I know it must have been in the news all over the planet. You haven't heard?"
"Comet, what comet? Come to think of it. I've never heard of Midgar, or Gaia for that matter." Kagome said tapping her chin with a finger.
Cloud frowned slightly. "Maybe you were affected by the spread of lifestream and got amnesia or something...Everyone knows all about the comet destroying Midgar." He said.
"Nope...I've been in Japan all of my life." She said, honestly.
The banging sound grew even louder.
Kagome looked past him, worried. "What on earth is that noise? It's really creepy." She said.
Cloud frowned and went to go check on the barricade. Kagome followed him silently, waiting for him to explain.
"This town...I don't know how or why, but it's full of...walking corpses..." He said. "I know it's hard to believe, but I saw it myself. This entire town is undead. We may be the only two live people here."
Kagome watched him, not sure whether or not to believe him. 'I suppose I have seen things just like that in the Sengoku Jidai..but it's so hard to believe...' She said, watching as he checked the barricade. "So you're saying that...the people banging on that door are...zombies?" She asked.
Just then all sound stopped. For what couldn't have been more than a minute, all was still on the other side of the door. Cloud narrowed his eyes.
"What, do you think happened?" Kagome asked, stepping forward.
"Kagome, GET BACK!" Cloud yelled, grabbing her out of the way just as the door flung open, pushing aside the barricade. A horde of zombies began rushing through the door, arms outstretched and mouths open.
Kagome and Cloud rushed back up the stairwell, barely ahead of the mob of walking corpses.
"Keep going up! We'll escape from the roof!" Cloud yelled.
Kagome didn't have the breath to reply, but she did as she was told, heading up four flights of stairs before throwing open the door and running onto the roof. Cloud was right behind her. He slammed the door shut and slid the heavy lock into place.
Kagome was busy looking for somewhere to get down, maybe get to the streets to get out of the town. Kagome approached the ledge. Her eyes widened at the sight. "Oh my god..." She mumbled.
The street below them was barely visible beneath the thousands of zombies, all piling towards the same door, each eager to get a part of the two humans. Cloud stared down at all off them, looking at the waves of mutilated bodies. He pulled Kagome back from the edge. He looked around to all the other buildings, seeing that they were all just out of jumping distance. He growled in frustration.
Kagome turned around, looking around for something that would get them across. "Hey look! Maybe we could use that ladder over there to climb across to one of the other building!" Kagome said, running to get it, trying not to hesitate since it was next the the door they had just exited. The door that seemed two pushes shy of being torn down.
Cloud nodded and went to assist her immediatly picking out the closest building and sliding it across. "It reaches!" He said, hope bursting in his chest as he tested his weight on it. When he was satisfied it wouldn't drop them into the crowd of zombies he turned back to Kagome.
"It's now or never."