My View From the Window ~ Chapter Six

It must have been close to about five or six in the morning when the sun gradually began to peer through

the gaps between buildings, spilling a vast blanket of aureate stitching across the white snow beneath my feet. I

had only decided to continue walking maybe an hour or two before, since fear and exhaustion had immediately

crippled me only after a brief amount of time after fleeing from the graveyard. I had spent an eternity concealed in

the protective shadows of a number of dark alleyways, occasionally managing to drift off into some sort of finite,

restless slumber before being promptly awakened by a nightmare or some sort of foreboding premonition. Other

than that, I had forced myself to remain hidden from the eyes of the searching world until it grew light enough for

me to continue forward.

I braced myself against a malicious gale of violent wind that snarled angrily down the avenue as it

charged past me, ignoring several unusual glances I was receiving from a number of passersby. “......So cold.....” I

whispered hoarsely, gripping my sleeves in order to warm myself with my own embrace. I cast a glimpse down at

a rather elderly man leaned against the brick wall as I passed, and he slowly gazed back up at me through

bloodshot, blurry eyes and tightened the torn blanket he held over his shoulders. “.......This is the city I see all the

time....not the peaceful metropolis I can see through Vincent’s window....” I caught a quick look of a group of

small children, probably no older than the age of six, all rummaging through garbage cans and greedily eating the

dirtied scraps they managed to find.

I turned my head away and quickened my pace, and as suddenly as they had started my thoughts quieted

themselves.

*****

I exhaled a nervous weary sigh and gazed out through the glass, twirling the phone cord apprehensively

between my fingers. I heard another distant ring in my ear, then troubledly lifted one hand to my forehead and

leaned against the transparent wall beside me. “..........C’mon, c’mon, where are you.....?” I whispered quietly,

gazing uneasily down at my shoes. “..........Don’t do this to me, Vincent......c’mon, pick up the damn phone....let

me know you’re ok.....c’mon, please...!”

“.........We’re sorry, but the designated party is not answering,” a monotonous mechanical voice told me.

“We regret to inform you that you will now be automatically disconnected.”

“...No, no, dammit!!” I screamed angrily, but was immediately silenced by a loud dial tone. “Shit!!” I

slammed the receiver furiously back onto the base, then leaned back against the wall behind me and let out an

aggravated breath. “.......Ok, Allie, you’re going to calm down now...” I instructed myself quietly, pushing back

several strands of blond hair that dropped limply before my eyes. “Panicking isn’t going to rectify this situation.

You’re just going to have to keep a low profile and see how things play out....”

I emitted another sigh, then slowly forced myself to stand and slide open the glass door beside me and

stepped out of the phone booth. “...Besides, maybe it wasn’t even his number,” I assured myself as I continued

slowly down the road, shoving my numb hands into my jean pockets--I was still internally praising myself for

falling asleep in Tifa’s clothes--and holding up one hand to shield my face from another vicious attack of wind.

“...Yeah, that’s probably it...You only got a quick glance at it from beside the phone at his apartment, and your

memory sucks....yeah, I must have dialed the wrong number........”

I proceeded walking forward, leaving a trail of imprints on the blanket of frost behind me and gazing

sadly towards the pale asphalt beneath me. “......................What am I so worried about, anyway?” I questioned

myself nastily, halfheartedly kicking away a rock in my path so it tumbled clumsily into the road. “That jerk never

cared about me in the first place. And, hell, I never gave a damn about him either. He barely ever talked to me,

and even when he did, it was usually some mumblings about Lucrecia or whatever that woman’s name was....He

couldn’t have cared less about my welfare....only his own and Lucrecia’s......” I slowly closed my eyes as I

continued walking. “...........Then..........then why do I keep thinking about him.....?”

The following seconds were completely composed of an impenetrable silence that shrieked mockingly in

my ears and brushed coldly against my body, threatening me, taunting me. My eyes fluttered shut once again,

attempting to muffle the contemptuous tranquillity, but my conscience and the guilty ravings within my stomach

refused to be muted.

All at once a robust presentiment snapped angrily through my body, tearing at my skin and almost

causing me to collapse into unconsciousness. That...that feeling.....it’s tearing my body apart.....!!!! I clutched my

body in a desperate attempt to stifle the pain, panting, then slowly lifted my head to glance around. Numerous

pedestrians continued by me indifferently, not even hesitating to gaze over at me. ...U...ughhh...!! I cringed again,

bracing myself against the fiery stab of agony that suddenly erupted from my stomach, and brushed aside the loose

strands of hair that had been thrust across my sweaty countenance by a pitiless squall that snapped by me.

What...what the hell....?! My eyes slowly crept across the numerous people that strutted casually past me until they

gradually fell to the large pane of glass showing into a rather small café situated to my right. ....Ouch....! Ripping..

... my body to shreds....!!

I emitted a breathless gasp as my vision fell to a dark form positioned within a booth inside the café.

He sat only maybe two or three feet from my side, merely separated from me by the misty window between

us. He was leaning nonchalantly on his elbows against the table, occasionally taking a sip from the cup of coffee

situated beside him, and through the haze dusted lightly against the glass I could vaguely perceive an amused

smirk seeping up onto his face.

All at once he turned his head towards me, and as he brushed away several ebony locks of hair from

before his complexion I caught a panicked glimpse of a pair of aberrant emerald eyes.

...Y.....You....!!!! I staggered back several steps backwards, my quivering hands clasped tightly against my

heart, and tightened my fingers into fists. ......How..how did you....??!

The man continued to sneer at my sudden alarm, indifferently maintaining his eye contact with me

through the window, and all of a sudden his hand lifted from the table, and he slowly gestured for me to advance

towards him.

My knees trembled beneath my weight, yet they were unresponsive to the intense cold surrounding my

body, and I finally forced my immobile feet to tear away from the asphalt beneath me, whirl around, and dash

madly back in the direction I had come, furiously shoving my way into the protection of the crowds lining the

sidewalk.

Behind me, the man grimaced again, turning his head towards the table once more, then took a small sip

from his cup once again and placed it lightly back into its saucer.

*****

“Excuse me!! Excuse me!!” Panting, I managed to force my way through the tight masses hemming the

streets, constraining myself to swallow down my parched throat. Gotta get away...!! I thought desperately,

propelling myself between a couple walking hand in hand and continuing to sprint down the walkway. That....that

was him....I’d recognize him from anywhere...!! The man from the apartment...!!! I raced blindly across the

avenue, squeezing myself into a fresh flock of pedestrians and continuing to flee. How did he find me??! I thought

frantically, my mind racing impetuously and sending frenzied messages before my eyes. How did he find where I

had gone?! Does he know where I am all the time...??! An older man shot me an exasperated glare as I shoved

past him, and I heard several people mumbling about “insane drugees” and “disrespectful youths,” but my intense

hysteria had driven me into a state of oblivion, and my delirious brain refused to have my legs stop running.

That feeling I had when I first stepped in front of the café....I thought hazily, slipping between another

pair of lovers walking side by side. ...what....what was that...? I thought I was going to be ripped apart...!

Could...could it have been some sort of warning...? Was...was someone trying to tell me about the man in the

café...?

I managed to free myself from the custody of the mob on the streetside and slip clumsily into a side alley,

awkwardly forcing myself to scale a tall hurricane fence and leap to the pavement on the opposite side. I landed

negligently on one knee and had to push myself back up to my feet, ignoring the blood that was beginning to seep

onto my pantleg, and continued to hasten deeper into the alleyway. I can’t get away... I thought suddenly,

fluttering my eyes closed as I ran. ....He’s found me before....what makes me think that I can--

I was silenced as I directly collided with an obstacle before me, and I was sent sprawling clumsily onto my

back on the asphalt. I sat up onto my elbows, lifting a hand to my face as I could feel my nose beginning to bleed

and trickle down my chin. “.....Uuuuggg....” I slowly lifted my eyes to the form before me, a tall, dark silhouette

standing above my panting body on the ground with its arms crossed sternly before it.

“...Ok, you little wench!!” it hissed nastily, extending a furious hand out towards me. “I don’t want to

hurt you, you got that? Just give me all your damn money and I’ll go on my way and you can go on yours and none

will be the wiser, all right??”

“.......Nnnn...” I gaped blankly up towards the shadow’s face, then slowly blinked several times. “.....D....

Damien...?...”

“.....Eh...?” The figure hesitated for a second, then slowly reached forward and lifted my bangs from my

face. “.......................Jesus Christ!! It’s Eliza!!”

“....D......Damien...!!” I cried despondently, shifting myself to my knees and reaching a quivering hand up

towards him. “.......I....I.....!!!”

“What the hell are you doin’ here??” he exclaimed loudly, kneeling before me and clasping my hand in

his. “Are you insane?? Why aren’t you back at home?? I coulda hurt you, you stupid bitch!! What are you doin’ in

all those new clothes??”

“....Damien...!” My startled mind prohibited any sound but his name from escaping my lips, and all at

once I threw myself up against him. “...It’s...it’s you....! Please say it’s really you....!”

“...Eliza, where did you come from??” he asked me in surprise, gradually wrapping his arms around my

quivering body against him. “What happened? Why are you so afraid...?”

“.......Just don’t leave me behind...” I choked quietly, burying my face into his shirt. “.........Just don’t

leave me by myself...........make everything go away.....just make it all leave me alone...!!”

*****

“...........Dammit, Eliza, I said not to touch it!” Ryo snapped furiously, seizing my wrist and jerking it

away from the large gash on my right knee. “It’ll get infected, it will, if you don’t leave it the hell alone!! Just hold

the damn cloth on it, ok??”

“....Jesus Christ, you’re just like a goddam father...” I huffed angrily, pulling my hand away from his

grasp and replacing the wet rag atop my wound once again. “I was just seeing if it was still bleeding, that’s all.

I’ll be fine, I don’t need any of you guys to take care of me.”

“.....Yeah, well, that’s not what Damien said,” Claude retorted, apprehending a curious stray cat by the

scuff of its neck and thrusting it away from the small cardboard box inclosing a insignificant amount of food.

“...You again, you stupid cat!! How many damn times do I have to kick your ass before you leave?!” He snorted

again, watching the feline sprint furiously out towards the road, then whipped his vision back over towards me.

“....According to what he said, you were sobbin’ and stutterin’ all over.....he said it looked like you was about to

have a goddam nervous breakdown.”

“..............................Well, what does he know....?” I turned my head aside, gazing down towards the

asphalt beneath me. After Damien had found me, he had led me back to the alleyway where he and the majority of

the homeless adolescents of the city resided, then had soon departed in order to mug more passersby. Although the

alley was usually rather deserted with the exception of my five male companions, at this time numerous more

nomadic juveniles were positioned all along the back wall of the passageway, and the atmosphere around me

echoed with the noises of conversation and laughter.

“.................You gonna be ok, Eliza...?” a small girl of about seven years of age, who I knew as Mimi,

asked me, gradually approaching my side and lifting her shredded hat from before her eyes. “You was bleedin’ a

lot....you sure you gonna be all right...?”

I smiled, then pulled her cap back over her eyes. “....I’ll be fine, Mimi. You don’t need to worry about

me at all...” I had known this girl for probably the majority of her life, when Damien had discovered her weak,

malnourished body beneath one of the overpasses somewhere on the south side of Midgar. She had been

abandoned by her parents, it seemed, several months or even years before, and as she was crying she was

occasionally staring up towards the bridge above her, as if contemplating suicide. Whether or not she was

mentally deciding whether or not to throw herself into oncoming traffic, I’m not sure--all I know is that ever since

then I’ve strived to bring her back to a state of psychological sanity.

“.....I told you, she’s not here!!” a loud voice suddenly shouted from the entrance of the alleyway, and

simultaneously we all turned our heads towards the noise. “I’ll say it again, there’s no one named Allie here!! I

suggest you get the hell out of here, you moron, before I beat the shit outta you!!”

I immediately froze, then shifted up to my feet. “...........What......what the hell....”

Mimi clung to my hand and slid nervously up beside me. “....E.....Eliza....?”

“........Move over,” a second stern voice commanded from the inlet. “Now.”

“I’m tellin’ ya, there’s no one you want in here!!” the original voice, which I could now recognize as

Damien, insisted. “Besides, we don’t let your type--”

“Move.” There was a loud shuffling noise, as if someone was shoved roughly into the wall, and suddenly

a series of loud footsteps began to make their way towards me. Mimi’s grip tightened on my hand, stopping any

blood circulation from entering my fingers, and squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face into my hip. I forced

myself to swallow and straightened up, but beneath me I could feel my knees trembling.

I drew in a startled gasp as the form of Vincent stormed out from the shadows, and all at once I wrenched

my hand from Mimi’s constricting grasp and lifted it to my face. “..........V.........Vincent.....” I stammered blankly,

staring up at his face as he grabbed my wrist and yanked me towards him. “.........It’s......it’s really....”

“You!!” he snapped angrily. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?? Are you out of your mind,

coming here?! This is the first place he’ll look for you, damn it!! What was the first thing I told--”

“.........................Vincent........!!” I was completely oblivious to his enraged remonstrance, and all at once

I threw my arms around his neck in a forlorn embrace. “Oh my God!!” I cried joyously, burying my face into his

shoulder. “Oh my God, it’s really you!!! I...I thought.....that you had...!!!! Oh Christ, you’re alive!! You’re really

alive....!!!”

“....................I................” Vincent immediately turned tense in my arms, and his voice instantly was cut

off. I could feel how tight he had spontaneously grown, and I speedily drew back and seized hold of both of his

arms.

“You’re alive, I can’t believe you’re actually alive!!!” I exclaimed happily, ignoring the perplexed stares

from the surrounding spectators I could feel on my back. “....As.....as soon as I left, I was so afraid that you had

been......but it doesn’t matter now, you’re ok!! Oh my God, I’m so relieved!!”

“........Uh.....” His face had become significantly flushed, and all at once he withdrew his arm from my

grasp and as casually as possible brushed aside several locks of hair that had fallen across his face. “.......Th....

there was no reason for you to be worried.....” he stammered anxiously, casting his gaze away from me.

“....Nothing occurred. Absolutely nothing. After I fired a series of shots up towards the ceiling, I have a feeling

whoever was lurking up there decided to depart........You....you truly did not need to worry.....about me.....”

“....Whoa, whoa, whoa, what the hell is goin’ on here??!” Damien snapped, shoving roughly between

Vincent and me. “Who the hell are you?? What do you think you’re doin’ here?? I swear to God, I’ll kick your

slimy--”

“It’s ok, it’s ok, Damien!!” I exclaimed speedily, grabbing hold of his arm in order to restrain him.

“Vincent’s a friend of mine, it’s all right!! There’s no reason for you to be--”

I was silenced as a loud gunshot sounded out from somewhere behind me, and all at once I felt something

whistle past my ear. I emitted a loud scream and covered my eyes as one of the male adolescents positioned before

me keeled over, grasping his chest, and collapsed onto his stomach to the asphalt. Blood flowed across the snow

like an evil, looming shadow, and I could see more seeping onto the back of shirt in a small, circular shape.

Immediately my vision whipped out towards the entrance of the alley, where I could see a dark silhouette

contrasting against the outpouring of light emanating from the street beyond.

“..............................Allie.....” he said all of a sudden, taking a step forward and slowly lowering his gun.

“.....Which one of you here is named Allie...?”

~ End of Chapter Six ~

* Author's note ~ Whoo hoo!! Who's the mysterious new stranger??! lol, well, I'm glad that I'M enjoying my story....heehee!! *

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