My View From the Window ~ Chapter Ten

“.................Let the hell go of me!!!!!”

I lashed out violently, grappling furiously against some sort of latent force constricting my body in a

suffocating, unbreakable grip. I could feel its compressing strength clamping about my arms, my waist, my legs--I

soon found myself frozen in a stiff, rigid stance atop my feet. “....Uuughh...” I struggled futilely to contest my

invisible opponent a second time, swaying unstablily off balance and finally managing to tear free my arms. I

thrashed out about me, finally driving away the antagonistic dynamism and expelling it into the depths of the thick

air surrounding me.

I stood, staring after the pellucid form gradually dissolving into my surroundings of vitreous, swirling

aerospace, then slowly lifted a hand to my heaving bosom. “...Unnn...I...I did it......I won....”

I exhaled a fatigued breath, lifting a hand to my face and brushing aside the locks of blond hair spilling

across my face. “...........What.....what the hell was that...? All of a sudden this power leaps out of nowhere and

attempts to suffocate me........I...I think I saw my life flash before my eyes for a second there...” My eyes climbed

to my disturbed surroundings, lashed by a fierce gust of wind. “.....................Where........where am I.......?” I asked

quietly, turning around in a complete circle and bracing myself against another vicious assault of air. “.......It’s so

empty.......I don’t understand....”

A piercing sirocco snapped angrily around my body, causing a startled cry to escape my lips and sending

me collapsing onto my knees. I shielded my head for several moments, then blinked various times. The scenery

about me had turned noticeably quieter and tranquil. Slowly I lifted my head from my arms and gazed about me,

then slowly climbed to my feet.

I stood concentrically in a vast tile room atop a expansive blanket of reflective black and white checkered

tile, surrounded by a number of tall white pillars sewn together by velvet streamers of crimson. The dense air

enfolding my body echoed with the faint sound of a distant orchestra performing, and gradually before my eyes I

beheld an innumerable amount of waltzing partners surfacing into the darkness. “......Wh....what....?” I slowly

rotated in one full circle, gaping blankly at the wooden figures swaying romantically across the tile, seemingly

oblivious to my presence. All that was audible was the faded aria of the abstracted symphony continuing to play

and the sound of dresses and shoes brushing softly against the floor.

Suddenly my eyes fell to an isolated form positioned against the dark wall to my right.

It was a tall young man, with short black hair falling just past the nape of his neck, dressed in an

unusually familiar navy blue uniform. He was massaging his temples with his left hand, as if attempting to stifle

some sort of malicious pounding within his skull, then slowly lifted his head and indifferently surveyed the copious

amount of waltzing dyads before him. I emitted a breathless gasp as I noticed the man’s face, distinctively

attractive with a pair of enigmatic blue eyes and considerably recognizable. ....That man..... I thought silently,

lifting a hand to my mouth. .....Where...where have I seen him before....?

The man exhaled an inaudible sigh, casting his vision down towards the tile beneath his feet and taking a

sip out of the wine glass in his hand. I staggered a faltering step towards him, attempting to catch another glance

of his countenance. ....I know him.....he’s so familiar.....oh God, if only I could place his face...!

He slowly lifted his glance from the tile a second time, gazing back out into the group of dancers and

scanning the room, then grew to a spontaneous halt as his eyes fell to my form in the center of the room.

I felt an internal jolt as I watched him gape in astonishment at my solitary figure amongst the dancing

couplets, and soon I could feel a noticeably hot blush seeping its way up into my cheeks. He continued to gawk

conspicuously at my face, then gradually reached to the side, placed his wine glass down on the large table beside

him, and took several progressive steps onto the floor.

A second agitation snapped eminently through my body, and this time I could even visibly see the shudder

that spread throughout my extremities. He slid past several dancers, continuing to stare over at me through

astounded blue eyes. As he drew closer I began to notice that his vision did not appear to be watching my form,

and my notion was proved correct as he simply swept through me, as if I was not even standing before him and was

nothing but an intangible illusion standing silently in the center of the floor. I stood blinking for several seconds,

then gradually turned my head and watched after him.

The man continued away from me, his shoes tapping lightly against the tile floor, and across the room I

could see the form of a woman standing alone against the opposite wall, dressed elaborately in a silken pale azure

gown and with long, curled blond hair held elegantly atop her head. As the man approached her from behind, she

slowly circled about to face him, revealing her refined, pale complexion and a pair of dim blue eyes.

I watched in stupefaction as the man began to speak to the woman, placing one hand behind his back and

extending the other towards her, bending at the waist. The lady gazed in wonder at his offering palm, then placed

one hand on her cheek and replied. Their conversation was completely muted by the feeble orchestration droning

on obscurely from somewhere in the surrounding darkness.

The woman said something else, then gradually reached her hand forward into the man’s, and together

they took several steps into the depths of the waltzing crowds, disappearing from my vision.

I stared around me in shock as everything slowly became consumed by the impending darkness, languidly

drawn into the impenetrable shadows slinking from the borders of the room. I emitted a startled gasp and spun

about several times as the darkness slithered in about me and closed together beneath my bare feet, enveloping me

in a dense sheet of confining blackness. The deafening silence tore viciously at my ears, and suddenly I became

aware of the sound of echoing footsteps gradually approaching me from behind. Immediately I whirled around,

hysterically scanning the murkiness enclosing my body, but the advancing noise continued towards me. A

merciless grip seized my throat, and as I gazed downwards I could see the shadows gradually slinking up my legs,

pulling me into the depths of the torturous malignancy of my mind.

*****

“......Unnnn....” A thin tear slid silently down my cheek, and I shifted onto my stomach and buried my

face into the pillow before me. I could feel how cold my fingers had grown against the bedsheets, and I slowly

forced them into a quivering fist and pulled them up beside me. Slowly my eyelids fluttered open, and faintly I

could perceive the form of the tear-stained blankets beneath my face. “....Ugh...” I stirred myself up into a groggy

sitting position, ignoring the knotted blond bangs that dwindled before my eyes, and cast several muddled glances

around me. “...........Vin...Vincent’s bedroom.....?” I whispered hoarsely, wiping my mouth with the back of my

hand. “....How...how did I end up in here....?” My vision suddenly fell to my torso, and I let out a disgusted snort

as I noticed the sweaty button-down shirt I was clad in. “..............What the hell?”

I staggered to my feet, clumsily kicking aside the bedsheets that clung to my shins. “...........Ok, what the

hell is going on here....? Where’d that ballroom go...? And why am I in here in the first place...?” I seized the

doorknob of the closed postern leading into the room, then let out an aggravated mumble as it gave off a tense

rattle and refused to move. “.............Locked...? Is that idiot out of his mind...??” I gave another tug on the knob,

cursing angrily, then turned on my heel and tottered awkwardly back into the room. My eyes fell to my reflection

in the mirror.

“...............What the hell happened to me?” I ran my icy fingers gently over my cheek, gaping in distaste

and my tousled form staring back at me. “.....My eyes....they’re all red and swollen....like I was crying all night...”

I wiped my mouth a second time, then gazed down at the crusted dried blood that flaked off onto my skin.

“...Yuck. Where’d that come from...?”

There was a slight pause that wafted around me, and slowly I directed my vision up towards the secured

door before me. Beside it sat a large bag filled with various pieces of clothing, and I nonchalantly sauntered over

and chose out a matching ensemble of a tank top and jeans, stripping off the damp button-down garment and

dropping it carelessly to the floor.

All of a sudden a vicious clamor erupted from the window behind me.

Immediately I drew in a sharp gasp, whirling about and dashing shakily over to the pane and gazed

downwards. “.........The hell??” I watched in bewilderment as I spotted a large crowd of at least twenty soldiers

garbed in a sickening forest green color strutting down the road towards me, shouting orders to each other and

loading large machine guns at their side. I felt a powerful blow lurch into my stomach, and immediately I fled

from the window, staggering back into the center of the room. “....N...no....!” I heard myself choke hoarsely.

“...You....you will not take me.....!!!”

All at once I spun back towards the door and fired myself towards it, slamming heavily into the frame

with my shoulder. I pulled backwards, panting, then lunged forwards again and flung myself into the locked

postern a second time. “...Damn you!!” I rasped furiously, jerking back and cracking against the door. “Damn

you!!”

Suddenly there was a wrenched squeal, and unexpectedly I felt the hatch give way beneath my shoulder

and collapse lifelessly onto the carpet. Huffing, I wavered clumsily into the room, staring down at the door at my

feet. “.........Oh....oh my God.....” I wheezed in astonishment. “....Where....where the hell did that come from...?”

Faintly I could hear the bellowing of the troops through the window from the room behind me, and then a

fiery stab of torment abruptly erupted in my stomach. “....Ugghh...” I moaned harshly, clasping my arms across

my belly and stooping at the waist, casting my hair across my face. “....What....what is this...?!”

I drew in an inaudible breath of surprise as I spotted Vincent positioned at the large window overlooking

the street, gawking over at me through stunned crimson eyes. I stared back at him for several seconds, then forced

myself to stand upright, brushing the loose bangs from before my eyes.

His vision suddenly whipped back out through the window, and faintly from below I could hear the

malicious pounding of fists against the door on the bottom floor. “.......They’re here.....” he murmured quietly.

“.....Dammit......I didn’t expect this so soon.....”

“.....V...Vincent!!” I cried despondently, racing towards him. “What in the--”

His vision snapped over towards my face, where it sat for several seconds, and then he slowly lifted a hand

and swept the strands of hair away from before my eyes. “...........Answer me, quickly........Can you see me,

Allie...?”

“.....Wh...what...??” I blinked. “...Y...yes....why??”

“..............Here....How many fingers am I holding up?”

“.......Four. Have you gone completely--”

“....All right.” He cast one swift glance out through the window as the tumultuous thundering came from

the door below us a second time. “You’re ok, then.....Thank God...”

“......What the hell--!!”

“..........Allie, those troops are from the ShinRa,” Vincent interrupted me. “The same people that sent out

Reno and the others in order to murder you. I....I didn’t think they’d find where I was keeping you so soon.”

“....Wh...what??” I blinked again, lifting my hands to my chest. “...The...the ShinRa...?”

“....Yes...” His voice was nearly drowned out by the resounding sound of fists slamming against wood that

echoed in the stairwell. “.....They’re here to get you, Allie. If they couldn’t do it subtlely with the Turks, I knew

they were going to dispatch the units......Goddammit....!”

“...Vi....Vincent!!” I exclaimed frantically, watching him whirl angrily away from the window and storm

deeper into the room. “...What...what are...!!”

“....All right, Allie, you’re going to listen to me and you’re going to listen to me good.” He stopped

abruptly and trudged back towards me, seizing my arms. “If they catch you, their going to kill you. I know that,

and I’m pretty sure you do too.” I could hear the clamorous sound of shouting voices and pounding continuing to

snap up the stairwell. “............................The bookcase....” Vincent told me quietly through panting breaths.

“.....Go out through it again. But...but this time, you can’t escape out into my cemetery. The bastards have got the

entire goddam building surrounded...”

I cringed as the pounding began again, this time followed by an earsplitting peal as the door below was

torn from its hinges. Momentous footsteps were now besieging up the stairwell, and I watched as Vincent whirled

towards the doorway before him as the slamming began again. A commanding voice rang out from behind the

locked postern, echoing violently off the narrow walls surrounding it, but its vicious orders were blurred together

into a deafening roar of thudding against plywood and my own hammering pulse.

“................Move the bookcase and go down the stairs....” Faintly outside my frenzied subconscious I

could hear the sound of Vincent softly continuing to instruct me, and I could dimly feel his warm breaths grazing

my countenance. “......But keep going to your right. It will lead you to the catacombs. All the gravesites in

Midgar are connected through the underground channels.......Make your way across town and don’t stop.”

“.............I.....I can’t.........” I sobbed quietly, closing my eyes. “...I can’t go down there again....”

“.......Allie, please, you’ve got to listen to me.” I could feel Vincent’s cold fingers brushing lightly against

my cheek, wiping away the trails my tears had streaked down my face. “....I know you’re afraid, but.....you have to

go. If ShinRa gets their hands on you, it won’t stop.......I know what I’m talking about, Allie....I’m living proof...”

“....N...no, please...!” I lifted a hand over my mouth. “....Don’t make me go...!!”

I was silenced as the thudding commenced at the doorway again, closing my eyes and releasing a pair of

tears down my cheeks. “.................It’s so dark......” I whispered throatily, clutching my clammy fists against my

chest. “............I can’t do it.....Please don’t make me do it......Oh, God, please, Vincent......I think I’m going to

throw up...!!”

“.....Allie, you’ll be all right, I promise you...” I could hazily feel him lifting my face with his hands to

glance up at his countenance. “...I’ll come and find you, I swear to God I will....As soon as I get you out of here

and get rid of these ShinRa bastards, I’ll search for you.....Please, go now before it’s too late...”

The door beside me squealed painfully, straining against its hinges. I stared over towards the postern for

several seconds, wiping the tears from my eyes, then gradually glanced up at Vincent’s face before me.

“.......All....all right....” I whispered quietly. “....I’ll....I’ll do it...”

A faint smile slid across his lips, and he slowly leaned forward and placed a light kiss on my forehead.

“....Pull the bookcase shut behind you when you go down the stairs just in case the troops manage to get in........Oh,

here, take this....” He took several steps away from me and pulled open a small drawer hidden in the modest table

situated beside the sofa, removing an exquisite gold-encrusted cross. He returned to me, placing the crucifix gently

against me. “....It’s only a precaution....just so you don’t bring anything back with you....”

I gaped blankly up at his face for several seconds, then whirled towards the door as it emitted a torturous

groan and the infuriated shouts of the men outside forced their way into the room. “......Go now....” Vincent

commanded me softly, keeping his eyes locked on the shuddering doorway before him. “...They’re coming...!!”

I forced myself to swallow, then spun about clumsily and dashed down the hallway. The deafening

pounding noises gradually began to grow dimmer as I fled, and soon they had almost completely diminished into

the thunderous hammering my pulse sounded in my ears.

The library flickered in an eerie pale light, emanating from the grimy torches anchored to the walls above

my head. The cross bit icily into my fingers, and I managed to force myself to waver over the frightfully large

bookcase in the corner. I inhaled and exhaled a series of stuttering breaths, then grabbed hold of the shelf.

Behind me I could hear that the door had finally given way with a tumultuous crash, and at least ten pairs

of boots thudded angrily into the living room down the hall. One furious masculine voice--I could vaguely

recognize his tone from the commanding one I had heard earlier--had begun to shout many other orders to the men

about him, and now I could perceive the sound of objects being smashed and furniture being overturned. I could

detect Vincent’s voice as well, assuring the man that there was no one else residing with him and the only reason

he had not answered the door sooner was because he had been sleeping, but that soon dissolved into the boisterous

sound of footsteps storming down the corridor towards me.

I now stood in the doorway of the concealed passage, staring woodenly back towards the hallway as the

strides continued to approached, then, clutching the cross tightly in my right hand, seized the bookcase, pulled

backwards, and dragged it clumsily back against the wall behind me.

I was plunged into total darkness.

~ End of Chapter Ten ~

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