Edge Of The Worlds

Chapter 2

The city is a mass of burning buildings and debris. Dead and dying flesh-machines roam the streets, and the earth is stained red with blood. When you fly over a few buildings, groups of mutants attempt to stop you. They're easily dispatched, however.

You keep flying, until you find where the enemy forces are gathering. There, you see a dozen airships floating in place, their area surrounded by a half-dozen turrets. The siege weapons point at the city's main gate, which is wide open. Several mutants wander about, either guarding or scavenging, while the human raiders hold the walls.

This should be easy, you think.

"We're here," Ruby says quietly. "Any second now, the mutants are going to find out exactly who we are."

You all rapidly switch to using your firearms. The mutants take cover behind whatever they can. When you look up, you see the assault groups approaching. There are a dozen humans, all heavily armed.

"Come on," Ruby whispers. "Kill everything. We'll wipe out the rest later."

The raiders rush out, firing upon the raiders. Immediately, it goes to hell. The raiders are better equipped, better prepared for this situation, but the enemies are overwhelming. There are too many of them. They push forward, and you're forced to fire in order to save your own life.

You quickly reload, and help your team in the same way. The raiders are losing badly outnumbered. One of your team goes down, however, and you're all beginning to receive heavy amounts of fire. You all take cover, and Ruby goes to grab your fallen team member when she's hit by a bullet. She stumbles, before being hit in the head by another bullet. She falls to the ground, dead.

You look around, barely avoiding a bullet yourself, and find your way to the only solid cover available: the siege weapon. You dive behind it, shutting the cover. "Get inside," you say.

You look out from the siege weapon, and see that the fight has turned into a slaughter. The enemy forces have easily overwhelmed your team. There's only a few of you left, against dozens of them. You take up positions behind the weapon, looking out. You have no idea how you're going to win this.

Suddenly, there's a bright flash in the distance. It grows closer, before coming to a halt. Then, an infernal screams overhead. The siege weapon's cover is ripped off, and you're thrown back by the force of the airships' movement. It comes to a stop, hovering over the city. Then, the hatch opens, and descending ladder.

You watch as five men in black leather armor and black helmets with goggles attached to them, a single horned being wearing a red robe and a long, curved blade that runs from his forearm to into his hand, a beautiful, fully-nubile young woman in a barely-there dress that looks to only contain a few things that could goes into a full outfit and what looks like a miner's helmet with a breathing mask, all of whom are carrying rifles, come down.

Where do you act?

 You're  too upset to care about them. You rush to Ruby's dead body, the bullet wound in her head still bleeding. You sob.

You cry over Ruby's body, ignoring the presence of the raiders and the beings who entered the room.

After a few seconds, the raider leader comes over to you. "Hey."

You look up, tears in your eyes.

"Hey," the raider responds again.

"Where's... where's my..." you can't even say Ruby's name.

 You begin to sob into her yellow cloak, the raider seems concerned.

The raider slowly approaches you, before giving you a hug. "It's going to be alright."

You cry into her green and yellow cloak. You feel a single tear slide down your face. Maybe you're not supposed to cry. You get mad at yourself, but you can't help it. You pull away from the raiders, wiping your eyes.

"It's alright," she tells you. "It's alright."

"I'm sorry," you apologize, feeling pitiful.

You're about to look over, when the raider grabs you once more, hugging you tightly.

"Don't be sorry."

You hug her back, feeling a warm feeling in your stomach that you haven't felt in a long time. It's nice. "Where's my sister?"

"She's dead too." She sits you down on the floor, and you cry into her hooded cloak. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." She hugs you again.

After a few minutes, you pull away. "Who were you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're not a raider. You don't look like a raider. You're not wearing a raiders outfit."

The woman smiles. "Then you must be new."

"I'm not new. I'm not a raider. I'm not a trader either. I'm..." You stop yourself. No one would ever want you as a friend, let alone talk to you. You're a scarred, ugly thing of nightmares.

"You're you," the woman smiles.

"I'm nobody." You pick yourself up. You can feel the hatred.

 You stare at the ground, reminded of your old friends. You start to cry again and the raider woman comforts you. 

She sits you down, before hugging you tightly. For a moment, you feel safer than you have since the pirates attacked. 

 "Where are you from?"

 "My name is Cloud Strife. I was a mercenary. Me and my friends were trying to stop these monsters but... Now they're all gone... Oh yeah... I'm from Nibelheim."

She hugs you again. "My friends and I were also mercenaries. We were on a mission to destroy these... things. But now... Now it's all gone. My name's Yvette."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's alright. It's... Jesus, it's okay." She looks away. "We'll get you out of here."

You wonder what she's talking about. Getting you out of this room? Escaping from this place? Or getting you out of your mind, in which case you may never leave?

She looks at you, and something seems to flash in her eyes. It's as if the pain she's been suffering from all this time has urged itself upon you. It's as if she's been testing you. For a moment, you see into her soul. You see a lonely girl, scared of what's to come.

"We'll hold 'em off for as long as we can," she says. "Come on, we have a lot we need to discuss." She stands up, and you follow her. You don't know where you're going, but you let her lead you along.