The Virus

A/N: This'll be a short chapter. Sorry for the delay.

Chapter 7: The Battle

"Are you sure you're ok, Selphie?" Irvine asked, for about the five- hundredth time that minute. "Maybe I should cast esuna again? Do you want a little of the medicine we brought along? How about another blanket?"

"Irvine." Selphie laughed, and slapped his arm playfully.

He bit his bottom lip, and he really looked worried and anxious. "I just-"

"I'm fine. I told you already. I'll be ok."

"Are you sure you-"

"Irvine, stop fussing! I'm ok!" Selphie laughed, but anyone could tell she wasn't feeling as good as she was pretending.

Rinoa was sitting across from them at the opening in the tent, lying on her stomach and taking notes from the book on the creatures of Noble.

Zell, too, was reading a book. He looked pretty relaxed, wrapped in blankets with a bottle of water next to him. Every little bit, he would yawn, stretch, then get right back to the book.

A tiny way from the camp, something howled.

Squall looked as tense as he felt, and every time something even rustled, he would find his hand on the hilt of Lionheart.

Quistis poked the fire with a stick, to keep it going, then yawned. "It's getting late."

"We can't sleep. We have to keep watch on the sick people, and on the camp." Squall couldn't sleep anyhow.

Again, something howled.

"What's wrong?" Rinoa asked, sauntering up and wrapping her arms around Squall's shoulders. "You're so tense."

"I'm just fine." Squall lied, even though Rinoa knew what was wrong with him.

"I'm worried." Quistis suddenly said, her eyes on the orange flames. "I'm worried we'll never get off this island. I mean, with Ragnarok damaged like it is, and Selphie AND Zell infected now... What if we don't make it?"

Squall was about to snap at Quistis for being stupid when two howls came form both sides of the camp. Squall rose up quickly, Lionheart drawn. "Quistis, get ready. Rinoa, get in the tent."

"I can fight too!"

"You're still too weak. Irvine!"

Irvine came over, loading Exeter. "Got your back, man."

Squall watched, and his nervousness increased when three of those ugly monsters stepped from the bushes.

Zell joined them, looking weak, but ready to fight. "Don't say anything, I'm helping whether you like me to or not!"

Squall didn't say a thing, instead he backed up slightly, to test what they were doing.

One of the monsters took a step forwards, but one of the others nipped it's ankle, and it stepped back.

Squall cast a Triple on Quistis. "Use the Aura spells!"

Quistis cast them on Squall, Irvine, and then on Zell, only because he was insisting.

Irvine took shining blue bullets from his pocket, and loaded them into Exeter. "Energy Shot!" He called, then started firing. Over and over again, the stream of white-hot energy blasts struck the thing.

When the limit was over, the ugly thing was uglier, no fur left on it, it's flesh bubbling and blistering.

And all four of them watched in horror as it shook off and climbed back to it's feet.

Squall started attacking one of the other two, never forgetting to pull the trigger, then he used Lionheart on the one Irvine had already attacked. He unleshed hell on the thing, and when he stepped back, sweat glistening on his forehead, both the monsters got back up.

The one he had hit with Lionheart was missing half of it's skull, and it's brain was disgustingly hanging out one side of it's head.

"Undead!" Quistis called, and casted a triple cure. The two that had been injured already yelped and ran back into the forest, but the untouched one stood there. "It has to be wounded for the cures to kill it!"

Squall stepped up to attack, but a huge split in the ground interrupted him.

Everyone turned to see Zell finishing his Limit Break, Burning Rave. After it, however, Zell staggered for a second, then collapsed in a heap on the ground.

Squall cast a curaga, and the little monster keeled over, dead. He stepped over to it and cautiously poked it with Lionheart a few times.

"What are you doin', man? It's dead."

"This is a smaller version of the thing that attacked me the other night..."

"Squall!"

He turned to see Rinoa frantically holding up the book. "What is it?" He took it from her and read the passage out loud. "The NobleWolves," He looked at the picture it provided, and it was the thing he had killed. "Are a species original to Noble Island... The parents of the babies are very protective and... EVERYONE!" Squall dropped the book and frantically got everyone's attention. "Get whatever you can and go! The mother is-"

Down the path, the huge mother of the babies barreled out into view, and Quistis screamed. "Oh my gods! Everyone, RUN!" She took off, not bothering to grab anything.

Squall looked at what Quistis had seen, and at once he fell into a dead panic, so unlike him, but for some reason the time seemed desperate enough.

The mother was very quickly approaching the camp.

"Rinoa, go!" Squall pushed her in the direction Quistis had gone in. "Go!"

"Squall, I-"

"Just GO Rinoa! For once don't argue and go!"

Rinoa took a few steps backwards, then headed off at a run with Irvine, who was carrying Selphie.

Squall lifted Zell onto his back, and started running. A long time passed, and the mother kept right on his heels, and Squall's arms were beginning to become exhausted. He waited until the mother was right on him, and ducked into the bushes by the side of the path. "Zell, get up!" He whispered feircly. "Wake up!"

There was no response.

Squall casted Esuna three times in a row, his heart beating with the footsteps of the mother, who had located them and had broken into a run again.

Zell opened his eyes with a groan, caught sight of the huge thing, and screamed, climbing to his feet and taking off.

Squall drew Lionheart, headed back to the path and came face to face with the Monster. "Let's go." He said, readying himself for a battle of his lifetime.