Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 3: Pursuit

TWENTY-NINE

The tracks led right into a little shanty town jus' north of the ruins, an' my heart, already way too damn heavy at seein' what was left of my old home, sank even further. The place was small an' grubby, fulla tents an' junk an' hardly any real buildins' to speak of. I walked a bit ahead of the others, slowin' down as I reached the settlement, an' three big guys, each one a fellow miner from when I'd been here, saw me an' strode on over, shootin' me dark glares an' clenchin' their fists. But I didn't blame 'em, not one bit. I jus' stood there an' waited.

"You..." one of 'em muttered. "You're back. Asshole..."

"Brock..." I sighed.

He spat at my feet. "Don't talk like we're still friends! I'm surprised you had the nerve to show your face around here again. Never thought I'd see the day. And I'll be glad when you're gone!"

"They kick you out of another town?" another guy taunted. "You're nothing but trouble, Barret! You destroy everything you touch. Haven't you done enough damage already? Just get lost!"

"See what happened here?" the third guy, Argus, frowned, pointin' at the dirty, dusty little town all 'round us. "It's all your fault that North Corel turned into a garbage heap! Did you forget?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm sorry..."

"Fuck you!" he snarled.

Then he punched me in the face. There was pain, an' I tasted blood on my mouth. But I didn't move. Knew he was right. He an' the others had been my friends once, guys I'd worked with an' trusted for years, at least 'till Corel was wiped out. They'd lost everything then, same as me, an' I knew I couldn't never make up for it.

"You ain't even worth the effort," Argus growled. "Freak!"

Then Jessie charged forward. "Hey! Back off!"

Argus turned on her an' saw Cloud an' the others. "You with him? I feel sorry for ya! Barret's a walking death sentence. You'll be a lot better off without him dragging you down, trust me!"

"It's not his fault!" Jessie insisted, her mako eyes blazin'. "You don't know everything! If you want someone to blame—"

I thrust my arm out in front of her. "Jessie! That's enough!"

She looked at me. "But—!"

"This ain't your fight, girl," I told her, gently now.

I'd noticed that she hadn't been herself lately, not since we'd started headin' for Corel. An' I thought I had a pretty good idea why. Although I didn't know anythin' specific, I had my suspicions. Mighta been parta why she went off on me back at Costa del Sol. Wasn't really me she was mad at, but herself. An' I understood that all too well.

I laid my good hand on her shoulder. "It's awright. Jus' let it go."

Jessie gave in. "Barret..."

"Like I told ya last night, it's my fault this town was... destroyed," I went on, looking at her an' the others as Argus an' his pals walked away grumblin' to themselves. "You heard what they said."

Aerith shook her head. "But how could they? It's terrible!"

I shrugged. "I know, but it's true."

"Let's find the ropeway," Cloud said, his eyes roamin' warily 'round town. "We'd better not stay here too long."

"It's this way," Tifa pointed at a nearby sign.

It was advertisin' the Gold Saucer an' gave directions to the station, so we headed over to the western edge of town, past all them tents that were huddled down on the dirt along the hillside, until we came to the platform. There was more signs here, a few lights, 'an a booth with one bored-lookin' guy workin' behind it. A few people stood waitin' on the wide wooden platform, an' suspended from two thick cables was a blue metal trolley with small propellers on either side.