Disclaimer: I STILL don't own Final Fantasy 8...

~*Death, Rebirth and the End of the World*~

~*Chapter 3: Blood of the Damned*~

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The sent of blood stayed in Squall's nostrils for a long while. He coughed and gagged at the wretched smell. The light of the infirmary room was now almost gone as the sun ripped from sight and replaced itself with the moon. With the moon's light shining brightly through the room, the smell of blood dispersed from him. Squall took a deep breath of fresh air and sighed with relief. He had smelt blood many times but this time it was much stronger.

"What the hell was that?" Squall asked to no one as he looked to the vent up on the ceiling.

****

"Xu," Cid Kramer began as he entered the upper deck of the Command Port. "How is the subject?" He asked as he looked at the side of her face.

"Look for yourself." She told him as she loosely brought up a finger and pointed to the still bloody body of Adel hanging by the nails on the cross. "It won't clean, no matter what." Xu said with a disappointed tone.

"Is blood still flowing?" Cid asked with a concerned tone in his voice as he looked back to Xu. She looked to him with, yet again, a serious expression on her face.

"The blood flow is steady, it doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon." Xu told him as she looked down to the pool of blood slowly building up. Cid's face became cross. "But no worries commander, we have hired a several scientists to help uncover the secret of this giant." She told him with a small smirk as she pointed to Adel.

"Who exactly did you hire?" Cid asked with a small questionable look.

"I have hired the most elite team in Garden." Xu told him proudly as she leaned against the railing of the Upper Command Deck. "Nida, Quistis and most importantly, Seifer." Xu said with a smirk.

"Seifer!?" Cid wailed in surprise. "I can't have him working on this operation!" He yelled.

"Commander calm down. He may have been a poor student physically, but mentally is a different story. He received one of the top grades for his personal applied subject, 'Science of the World'." Xu told him.

"You better be right Xu, your job and life is at stake." Cid threatened. He swiftly turned around and made his way to the exit.

"Commander, you will see her soon." Xu said with a small laugh....

*****

Nida sat in his specified dorm room, studying for tomorrows quiz. Though few classes remained, he was still going to get a good grade in the ones he did have still. He leaned forward in his seat as he placed the book to the desk. One light was on in the whole room, his desk lamp which lit the room up quite nicely. But suddenly he clasped his hands around his nose and mouth as the rancid smell of blood entered his nostrils. His eyes bulged as the smell found its way through his body, and practically to his soul. He began to gag as it felt like a sort of liquid was filling him completely. Finally, he could no longer take the feeling and passed out on his desk as the lamp flickered off.....

Morning came quickly and the early morning sun found its way into Nida's bedroom. His eyes sprang open on touch with the sun to his skin. He arose from his chair groggily, and with the process of standing, he flipped his chair over. He began to slowly wobble over to his dorm door on unsteady legs. He ripped the door from its hinges with one easy pull. Passer bys looked awkwardly at the seriously drugged up looking Nida. He pulled his slightly elongated pocket knife from his pocket and threw it against the opposite wall, nearly missing a students face.

"Hey man, you could of hit me!" The student wailed. Nida clumsily wobbled over to the knife that stuck in the wall and pulled it out with one hand. He faced the complaining student and slashed him across the chest. Blood sprayed against the wall and floor and the student began to cry in pain as he brought a hand to his bleeding chest. His companion, who was watching the entire time grabbed his friends arm.

"C'mon, we gotta get out of here, we have to get you to the infirmary!" His friend told him as he picked him up from the ground. The uninjured student pushed Nida to the ground and ran, dragging his crying friend behind him. Nida picked himself up from the ground and began to laugh....

****

"Terrorist warning in dorm block 5." The intercom repeated through Garden. Squall and the rest of the gang ran through the corridors of the Garden's many dorm blocks.

"It's just up ahead!" Squall yelled to them all behind him. He stopped dead in his tracks as he reached the hall of block 5 to see Nida raising his knife on a student desperately trying to protect himself with his arms.

"Put the knife down, Nida!" Zell screamed as he threw his fists in front of his face. Nida didn't even give a small glance to the six of them. With a loud bang, Irvine's shotgun fired and knocked the knife from Nida's hand. This caught Nida's attention as he turned to them with fury in his eyes. He came running down the hall for them.

"Here he comes, Zell." Squall said. "Let's get ready to tackle him to the ground." Squall whispered to Zell. "On my mark." Squall said as he slurred out his last word. Nida was now just a few feet away from them. "Now!" He screamed as he jumped forward onto one of the advancing Nida's shoulders, Zell followed his example with the other shoulder. The pushed him to the ground.

"Oh my God!" Screamed Rinoa as she looked down the long hall. Everyone looked to her and she pointed down the hall. The walls were stained with blood, and the floor was littered with the bodies of the dead. Squall looked back down to Nida and glared furiously.

"You did this didn't you!?" Squall screamed in his face. Nida just smirked and laughed. The anger flared in Squall's eyes. "Shoot him, Irvine!" Squall ordered furiously. Rinoa turned her head away from the scene with covered eyes. Selphie comforted her friend as she gently rubbed her back lovingly.

"Do it now, Irvine!" Zell ordered as well. Irvine bit his lip, bent down to Nida's body, placed the shot gun tip to Nida's chest, pulled the trigger, and fired. Blood sprayed Irvine's face completely while the side of Zell and Squall's faces were sprayed with the blood of their own comrade as well. Rinoa turned back around to find the blood covering the ground under Nida and the side of her boyfriends face. She covered her mouth, in a vain attempt to stop from throwing up.

The rancid smell of blood filled through Irvine's nose, but he did not gag or choke for it. He welcomed it, and gave no signs of the smell filling his lungs, mind and soul. His eyes bulged lightly with glee as the new found power ripped through his soul. He took his hand and ran it across his face, smearing the blood and getting it all over his hand. His smirked devilishly and laughed an unearthly laugh....

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A/N: Well? How did you like it!?!?! I really hoped you liked it.. I'm working really and I know that this story is getting even more confusing by the chapter but it will all come tie in at the end. Except for a few points which you have to figure out yourself... ^___^

REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!