Author's Note; Sorry about the spacing problem. Microsoft Word 2003 must hate me or something. I'll keep experimenting with it to make it work properly.
Summary: Same as always.
Characters: Basically the entire FFIX gang, including Kuja.
Rating: R…for extremely graphic descriptions. Maybe I'm being overly dramatic. R…for graphic descriptions.
Outbreak
Chapter 1
Madain Sari, Gaia
5:57 P.M. Gaian Standard
Eiko Carol:
"Ah the coastal sunset. How I'd enjoy you more if I wasn't strapped to the back of a chocobo!"
Vivi gave me an exasperated look and shook his head.
"Come now. It's not that bad."
Easy for you to say. I humphed and patted the chocobo's side gently. Actually, I didn't mind riding on the chocobo. It was one of the rare times I got to do something like this. Well…it was better than spending time back in Madain Sari. I felt uncomfortable about staying there after having a strange dream. The dream was prophetic in nature that much I knew. I shivered subconsciously. There were loads and loads of dead bodies lying on top of each other. Some had their entrails spread out in unusual symbols across the floor.
In this dream, the bodies were in the middle of the streets of Alexandria City. And it would always end with someone spitting blood upon my person. I didn't know what it meant.
"Eiko, are you ok?"
I glared at Vivi as best as I could while trying to wipe the memory of the dream from my eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Let's just hurry up to Condie Petie," I snapped.
Vivi nodded and lessened his grip on the reins. His chocobo shot forward with a mighty 'Kweh!' across the plains that separated my home from Condie Petie. (A/N: I may be wrong…so sue me.) I loosened my hold on the reins and let my chocobo go flying. Minutes later, we reached the main bridge leading to the city of the dwarves. Cold rain fell down from the sky as we sat there. For a second, the city of the dwarves appeared almost foreboding. I had a bad feeling about this.
"Do we have to go in there?" I asked, undoing the straps that held me in place on top of the chocobo.
Vivi slid down to the ground softly and sighed.
"Are you afraid, Eiko?"
Am I, the mighty Eiko, afraid?
"Not a chance."
That was a lie. I didn't want to go in there because the place had a stale aura. Something happened in there, I just knew it. Vivi grabbed the reins for his chocobo and stomped his feet.
"Let's keep going. Remember, all I have to do is pick up a potion for no. 159."
I nodded and grabbed my chocobo's reins, not sure of what lay ahead of us. The moment we entered the street, I expected to hear a hearty 'rally-ho!' But none came. That sent a chill down my back. The dwarves were always out to shout rally-ho! And then, I caught sight of it. By it, I was referring to a bloody dwarven body lying half-crooked by the entrance way.
Vivi cringed and looked away as I got closer to it. I nearly gagged at the sight of its arms. Those chubby little arms that could help deliver a hearty handshake were filled with sores that had festered and tore open. In some places, there was no definable hint of skin at all. There was just muscle and fat and bone. It looked like something burned the skin off, but what? I shivered.
"What happened to her?" Vivi asked.
Like I know.
"I don't know. L-Let's just try to find the guy with your potion."
"Right."
We both rounded the street corner cautiously, eyes open for whatever came next. What came next was non lethal. There was green writing sprawled all over the walls and the ground. Most of it was unreadable scribbling, but what I could make out disturbed me.
"'The dwarven god has come! Stay away or the bloody fever will catch you. Rally-'"
The rest was blurred and smeared. The cold rain that had started before increased in intensity. My chocobo bucked and reared up, trying to get away. I attempted to calm it down, but it pulled away before I could do any good. Vivi's chocobo disappeared seconds after mine, leaving us without a faster mode of transportation. Gray flakes began to fall down from the sky, almost like snow.
"I have a feeling that stuff is not snow," Vivi commented.
I stuck my tongue out and tasted it. It had a metallic taste to it…almost like blood. I gagged loudly and pulled my hair.
"Ugh! It's blood! Quick Vivi, let's just get out of here!"
"You don't have to tell me twice!"
Freya:
It was an ominous sign that it had stopped raining over Burmecia. I watched it stop from my bedroom window and it made me worry. Never in one billon years has it ever stopped raining in this region. Something was amiss here. I pushed the long blankets off of my body and stretched. The weather had turned cold and uninviting this week. Many Burmecians had just stayed inside, not liking the feel of the weather.
I, like them, went out rarely, content to just sit in my chair and rest. But not today. Today, I had a job to do. I moved across the warm hardwood floor to my closet and opened it. I took out my favorite red cloak and grabbed one of my spears. I prayed that I wouldn't need it, but you never know. I yawned and walked the short distance to my door. With one twist, I had it open and was looking down the main street.
Red haze floated along the surface of the street…almost like fog. I considered walking through it, but my past experiences with mist told me to be cautious. (A/N: It's about to get a little Resident Evil/Cabin Feverish here.) And then, I heard a low moan. It was soft at first, but as the moments passed it grew stronger…louder. Out of the fog emerged a small child with blood from her neck to her toes.
Her eyes appeared to be bloodshot, but I wasn't sure. Yet still, I lifted my staff in an offensive position. The child coughed once and fell to its knees. Its stomach heaved as it coughed up blood. Lots and lots of it.
"What the…"
My hand moved to close my front door…and the child started charging on all fours. I stepped back and slammed the door shut, tripping whatever locks I could. CRASH! A hand slammed through the window and flailed about, sending glass flying everywhere.
"Ok, this is not going to work."
I turned around and scrambled up the steps to my bedroom. The sound of the windows being broken open reached my ears and I jumped out onto the balcony. My only option at this point was to run for it. I jumped up on the roof and took off running. Along the ground, I saw hundreds of dead bodies…all Burmecian. My heart grieved for them…but it was too late. The only thing I could do to help them was to find out what did this. Well, this sounds like another journey.
Kuja Tribal:
I patted the firm muscular wings of my dragon lovingly and sighed. It had been a long day indeed for me. Humans were so trivial sometimes, especially with their technology. I wished that Zidane would have let me take the Invincible. But he had business to take care of. Plus, I didn't want to incite chaos by stealing the Invincible. Maybe I would have been killed for it. Who knows?
"Silver, touch down in Dali. I want to buy a couple of potions there."
Silver snorted and circled down below the clouds. I smoothed my hair back, which had gotten a little wet through my excursions. Ah, no matter. That would be taken care of later. Silver rested all four paws in the dirt and shook her head vigorously. I took this as my clue to get off and start walking. However, the moment I stepped foot on the cobblestone street, something powerful and dead hit my nose.
I gagged, trying to pinch my nose shut. But the smell stayed. Not even a spell could get rid of that. I glanced around, while breathing through my mouth and noticed that there was blood everywhere, bubbling. Fortunately enough, the sight of blood DID NOT bother me at all. But where and what was the source? I sniffed the air lightly, inhaling the metallic scent of blood. I continued down the street cautiously.
I had a strange feeling that something was just waiting around the corner to kill me. Not that I'd mind, though. Still, I kept my body tensed up for anything. All those years of painting had taught me how to be calm and relaxed in any situation. The sound of child-like laughter met my ears and I stopped. All of a sudden, a small child walked out from seemingly nowhere, blood dribbling down its chin.
Its face was covered with open festering sores and it's eyes—if you could call them eyes—were black, completely black.
"He told me to stay home, but I didn't listen. I played with the little black doggy."
How unusual.
"Aren't you supposed to be with your family? Hey, tell me their names. Maybe I can escort you home."
The child laughed.
"It doesn't matter now. They're all dead now. Just like you will be."
Yes, Kuja, just talk to the demented children why don't you. Somehow I think that some part of me enjoys having near-death experiences. The child jumped up and lunged at me. Should I…nuke this child even though it is potentially innocent? I didn't have much time to think about it as Silvere pounced down on the child just inches in front of me. I was forced to watch as he tore the feral child apart with claws and teeth.
I walked up to his side and slapped it, which meant nonverbally 'Let it go'. Silver obediently dropped the body, sending blood all over me.
"Ugh…thanks Silver. I'll return the favor when I give you a bath."
Alexandria Castle
Hour Later
Zidane Tribal:
I honestly wondered what was going through Kuja's head when he walked in the front foyer of the castle…covered with blood.
"What happened?" I asked.
Kuja shrugged.
"Silver and I stopped in Dali. While I was walking down the street, we saw this kid covered with sores, festering sores. It said something about a dog and how it went to play with it. And then it attacked me."
It almost sounded like a lie, but I knew better.
"Were you injured?"
"No, Silver got to it before me."
"Then why the blood?"
"Silver dropped it and blood went everywhere."
"The rest of my friends are on the way here. Some of them have seen things that would make us sick. They think someone's behind it."
Kuja raised an eyebrow.
"Oh really? What areas?"
"Burmecia, Condie Petie…and Dali."
I was surprised to see a smirk inch across Kuja's face. It wasn't the smirk normal reversed for insanity…but it was pretty damn close.
"I…have to show you something. Sit tight, I'll get it for you."
Just like that, he disappeared. I could tell by the somewhat loud thump above me that he had just teleported. I had to wonder what make my friends so frightened. And what was so special about those three areas? Did the appearance of those two bodies create havoc in Dali? Kuja popped back down in the chair with a frame in his hand.
"Don't think I'm crazy, brother, but look at this."
I took it from him and glanced at it. It was a painting of Burmecia, Condie Petie, Dali and Qu's March each with their separate sections. All of them were covered in red paint that resembled blood and had blurred form of a child in front of it. The child…Kuja and Freya saw it. But where did Condie Petie and Qu's March came in? I glanced up at Kuja and saw that his eyes were closed.
"You saw this…?"
Kuja turned away from me.
"When I was painting, a vision seized me. The end result was that. Now, if you would excuse me, I need a bath."
I blinked. Kuja was…acting weird.
Author's Note: Sorry if it sounds a little confusing. Just keep reviewing.
