snow | Page 5

on her .She
rubbed her wrist while looking down at the ground. She shivered when she
noticed the red mark Vincent left on her wrist.
"You...don't even remember me vaguely?" asked Vincent.
"I..I don't know you..." she whispered harshly, avoiding his eyes, "I don't
know anything..."
Vincent studied her haggard face silently. Did she lose her memory? How, when
she was supposed to be dead? Damn it, cursed Vincent internally, what's going
on here?

"You...you hurt my wrist..." sobbed the girl miserably.
Vincent had no idea how to respond to her complaint, and blinked in
embarrassment while she chafed her wrist and sniffled. He placed her injured
wrist in the palm of his claw and gently rubbed it with his other hand to
mollify her.
"Sorry.." he muttered, "I didn't mean to grab you so hard.."
A sudden echo of rushing footsteps through the alley forced Vincent to turn
around. The girl stared at the alley's entrance with a shiver.
A group of tall, dark figures finally appeared, completely blocking the alley's
only exit. They were shrouded in darkness, but judging from the slight glitter
each figure's hand gave off, Vincent guessed they all carried guns. Automatic
pistols, none the less, added Vincent reflectively.
He pushed the girl behind him forcefully.
"Who's there?" he asked in a calm, icy tone.
"We want the girl behind you."
Vincent felt the girl clutch his coat from behind, but she refused to stare at
anything but the dark figures up ahead.
"I'm sorry, but she obviously doesn't want your company," retorted Vincent in
the same cold, contemptuous tone.
There was another brief silence, then one dark figure came a step closer.
Vincent heard the loud click of a gun as the man warned, "Just step aside from
that girl, and no one will get hurt."
"Don't believe them," whispered the girl to Vincent viciously, "When they get
me...they'll just shoot you.."
"I'm warning you!" boomed the voice of the figure, "One wrong move, and you'll
have more holes in you than Swiss Cheese!"
"Please...don't believe them.." pleaded the girl.
"Well?" shouted the figure menacingly.
Vincent looked around at the pitiful girl, then at the group of mysterious
figures blocking the alley. They probably have all their guns aimed at my head,

thought Vincent. If I say no, they'll definitely blast my head clean off.
"Alright," replied Vincent finally, "Don't shoot me. I'll get out of the way."
The girl looked at him in disbelief, but didn't utter a word. She reluctantly
let go of his coat as he made way for her to go to the figures. Vincent could
hear their fingers easening on their triggers, but looked sternly at the girl.
"Okay, A-25, come over here nice and easy!" ordered the dark figure
authoritatively.
The wretched girl felt her heart pound violently as she began heading towards
the dark men. Every limb in her body trembled and she felt that she'd faint any
second. Vincent, however, only narrowed his red eyes while concentrating on the
dark group, as though waiting for some signal.
"That's a good girl," remarked one voice, quite amused.
"Be an obedient girl, and you won't get hurt," commented another voice, causing
the others to burst out laughing.
The girl shut her eyes to suppress a sob, but before she could reopen them, she
felt someone suddenly encircle her waist and pull her back. She saw a swift arm
extend over her shoulder and fire seven consecutive shots with amazing
rapidity.
The surprise move only lasted about ten seconds. When the last shot sounded
off, all the figures were lying face down in the gutter, dead.
"Sorry about that," whispered Vincent from behind her, "but I figured they were
stupid enough to be distracted by you..I needed to put them off guard somehow."
"You...killed them?" asked the girl meekly.
"Yes. I shot their heads."
"I.." stammered the girl, "I think I'm going to faint.."
With that last feeble remark, the girl lost conscious and her head dropped
against Vincent's shoulder. He wondered what he should do now; he had seven
dead bodies in the alley and a sick girl who should be dead lying unconscious
on his shoulder.
He slowly placed the girl on the ground momentarily to reload his gun. After

throwing away the empty gun shells and holstering his weapon, Vincent wrapped
the girl in his coat. He picked her up as gently as he could, careful not to
hurt her with his sharp claw. He walked over the corpses he had brutally shot,
kicking one body out his way contemptuously, and then ducked in a dark, narrow
pathway across the street.
The bell in the Tower tolled twelve times, signaling the arrival of midnight.
And then all was silent.
-End of Chp.3
I Know What's Beneath the Snow Fields -Chp.4
When she opened her eyes, the girl realized that she was in a very warm bed.
Aeris (she *did* look like Aeris) blinked slowly for a few moments.
It's so quiet, she thought, and so warm.
She slowly sat up in bed, wondering where she was. Two thick blankets and a
quilt covered her. She saw on the table next to the bed a white basin of cool
water and a folded towel.
The room was dimly lit, but she