Another shift. Would this ever end? Now the boy found himself by the Sector 5 church in the slums, a metal pole in his hand. He saw a shiny black motorbike up ahead and made his way over to it, examining it for a long moment before noticing a phone hanging from it. He snatched the phone, flicking it open. Without understanding why, he dialled the number of his house in Sector 7. The same house that had been destroyed.
"Your call to Sector 7 cannot be completed at this time." The operator’s voice kept repeating the same phrase, over and over again. With a growl of frustration, Denzel went to throw the device on the floor, only to notice it had a missed call. Scrolling through the list, he saw numerous missed calls all from the same number – 7th Heaven - and dialled it.
It rang and he freaked out, hanging up instantly, only for the call to be returned. He answered it, holding the phone to his ear.
"Cloud, what a surprise, you never call. Is something wrong? … Cloud? " t was a woman’s voice on the other end of the line.
"No, ma’am…" came Denzel’s timid reply.
"Well who, then? Why do you have Cloud’s phone? "
"I don’t know. " Tears began to well in Denzel’s eyes.
"Who is this? " The woman seemed ill at ease.
"I don’t know, please… I don’t know what to do. I can’t do this." He dropped the metal pole to the floor, sobbing softly.
"Hey, are you crying?" Pain tore through Denzel’s body as an attack of Geostigma hit him. The phone fell from his hand, hitting the floor as he dropped to his knees, black ooze gushed from his body, pained cries escaping him.
"Hello? Are you okay?! Cloud, if you’re there, pick up!" The woman remained on the line, yet Denzel could hardly hear her voice anymore.
He lost consciousness, and as he came too, a man with blonde hair was running towards him. "Hey! You okay?"
The next few minutes were a blur, but then he was seated on the motorbike. "Tifa said to take you home, kid." The blonde climbed onto the bike. "Grab on."
Denzel felt weak and drained, flopping against the man’s back. The man pulled Denzel’s arm around him, holding onto the boy’s trembling hand.
As the vision faded, Denzel’s hand instantly shot to his forehead to check that the stigma wasn’t there anymore.
no subject
"Your call to Sector 7 cannot be completed at this time." The operator’s voice kept repeating the same phrase, over and over again. With a growl of frustration, Denzel went to throw the device on the floor, only to notice it had a missed call. Scrolling through the list, he saw numerous missed calls all from the same number – 7th Heaven - and dialled it.
It rang and he freaked out, hanging up instantly, only for the call to be returned. He answered it, holding the phone to his ear.
"Cloud, what a surprise, you never call. Is something wrong? … Cloud? " t was a woman’s voice on the other end of the line.
"No, ma’am…" came Denzel’s timid reply.
"Well who, then? Why do you have Cloud’s phone? "
"I don’t know. " Tears began to well in Denzel’s eyes.
"Who is this? " The woman seemed ill at ease.
"I don’t know, please… I don’t know what to do. I can’t do this." He dropped the metal pole to the floor, sobbing softly.
"Hey, are you crying?"
Pain tore through Denzel’s body as an attack of Geostigma hit him. The phone fell from his hand, hitting the floor as he dropped to his knees, black ooze gushed from his body, pained cries escaping him.
"Hello? Are you okay?! Cloud, if you’re there, pick up!" The woman remained on the line, yet Denzel could hardly hear her voice anymore.
He lost consciousness, and as he came too, a man with blonde hair was running towards him. "Hey! You okay?"
The next few minutes were a blur, but then he was seated on the motorbike. "Tifa said to take you home, kid." The blonde climbed onto the bike. "Grab on."
Denzel felt weak and drained, flopping against the man’s back. The man pulled Denzel’s arm around him, holding onto the boy’s trembling hand.
As the vision faded, Denzel’s hand instantly shot to his forehead to check that the stigma wasn’t there anymore.