Stranger in Our Midst

586 13 0
                                    

A/N: Hello everyone!  Yes, I know, another FF7 fic.  What can I say, I love them.  So this is actually still a work in progress, but I'm only two or three chapters from the end, so I decided to go ahead and get started posting it here over the next few days.  I'm sure it won't be long until it's all done and up.  This one is a bit different than my others, but it's still a fix-it fic.  Anywho, I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 1

Zack had managed to get out of classes early. Their village was so small that not only were there combined ages in each class, but there were many times when the students had to leave to help their families. He didn't really lie when he said his mother needed help, so he didn't feel too bad about telling his teacher he couldn't stay. It was just that his mother wasn't expecting him for another hour. When he looked up at the sunny sky and felt the breeze blow past him, he couldn't hold in a smile. He enjoyed being outdoors, and days like that one were too beautiful to be cooped up.

He was set on making the most of the little time he had and started to head into the woods outside the village. He was stopped when he heard a strange sound. He was on high alert as he pulled out his little knife. Even though he was only twelve, the threat of monsters had most of the people in the village carrying at least that much for self-defense. Not that there had been monsters this close to town in a long time, but it paid to be safe.

He didn't move for several moments and waited to see if he heard anything again. He was shocked when it happened again, and he realized it didn't sound like a monster, it sounded like a person. He didn't put the knife away, but he quickly moved toward the sound. It was a short distance from the trail when he finally found the source of the noise. He was shocked to stillness at what he saw. On the ground in front of him was a young woman that was in bad shape. She was covered in cuts and bruises, and he could tell just by looking that one of her arms was severely broken. Her groans of pain were what had caught his attention.

When she groaned again, he finally jumped into action. He put his knife away and tried to see if he could get her to talk to him. He patted her face gently to try and get her to look at him. Her eyes were opened but unfocused. After several moments she finally locked eyes with him. His voice was shaky, but he managed to speak. "I can get you to help, but I don't think I can carry you. Do you think you can walk at all?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She grimaced in pain, and Zack nearly panicked. She must have noticed it as she managed to bring her unbroken hand up and clasped his arm. When he looked back at her, she managed a nod. Relief flooded him as he leaned over to help her sit up. When she did, he nearly panicked again as she swayed dangerously before she managed to gather her wits. Once she was steadier, she gave him another nod and tried to use his help to leverage up to her feet. He could tell that she was in more than a little pain once she was standing, but he let her lean on him as they made their way back to the trail and into the village. It was slow going, especially as she was taller than him, but they managed it in less time than he expected, even if it had felt like it took forever.

When they reached the outskirts of the village, their appearance started an uproar. Several of the women were either rushing the small children away or rushing to see what had happened. Zack was relieved when he saw his mother in the crowd. She made it to the two of them quickly and helped him steady the woman as they both led her to their house. It didn't take her long to get the girl lying down before she tasked Zack with gathering the things she would need. Once he was set to that, she walked back outside and asked a couple of the women that had followed them to gather what she didn't have and asked the rest to disperse.

Even though they all did as she asked, the whole village was still awash with conjecture. They didn't get visitors often, and they certainly didn't get visitors that were in the shape the young woman was in. Zack was stopped several times, but he didn't let them keep him. He had never seen anyone that was as badly hurt as the woman had been, and he didn't want to not follow his mother's direction, not with something this important.

Faithless MemoriesWhere stories live. Discover now