eep...I'm running outta chapters to submit! Must write faster! erm..I hope you've been enjoyin' it so far and I warn you now in this chapter there'll be Death of a well-loved character. But who? READ ON TO FIND OUT! oh, and look who's turned up!Don't forget to review, I really appreiciate it.

Chapter four
- The fire in his eyes

Selphie awoke just a short while later and found herself staring up at a concrete ceiling. Her head was throbbing slightly and it was just a few short minutes before memories cloaked in crimson red blanketed her eyes. She was looking down into Natala's brown eyes, full of terror; she hadn't expected the SeeD's ruthless attack with such a primitive weapon, she hadn't expected to fall beneath the same axe she had killed two students with earlier. Some dark interior of Selphie's mind – one she had not known she had – laughed hysterically in triumph. She had slain the slayer! Murdered the murderer! She had done it shamelessly, heedless of the others life and thoughts and friends and family! She died a horrific end by her hands!

My hands…

Selphie looked down at her hands, crusted blood packed thickly beneath her nails and smeared her palms. She had killed someone out of her own will that day. Somehow, it was different to the killings she had done in war or during a mission because she had had to kill then. But today, she had killed a fellow SeeD, a mad SeeD, yes, but Natala had been a friend once; was Natala's mind really so corrupted as Selphie had presumed?

Today, Selphie had killed with cold blood.

'Selph! You're awake!'

The green-eyed girl looked up and saw Zell leaning over her. His face showed relief and mild concern but his eyes showed something different, fear? Paranoia? Was this her doing?

Perhaps, but she could not interpret further because that's when the sound of raised voices found her. Something was wrong again and Zell was worried about it. She noticed now how he nervously glanced over his shoulder at something then stared back down at her, offering a wan smile that didn't reach his electric-blue eyes. He coughed suddenly.

'Um… Quisty bandaged you up. There was a lot of blood but um… the cut wasn't as serious as we all first thought.'

Selphie slowly lifted herself up into sitting position and waited momentarily for her eyes to focus. She went to speak but found her throat and mouth to be dry like a drained lake. She searched her surroundings and found herself in the car park where

(the escape pod is)

a gathering of people was collected nearby. This included Quistis and Irvine, and there was Rinoa now! And Nida! But… there was something wrong.

'C'mon guys,' Irvine was saying, 'don't be like this, it isn't the time. We have to sort this out in a sophisticated manner. We're not getting anywhere like this.'

'Oh, right. Because you're sophisticated all the time,' Rinoa snapped sardonically.

'Rin, look, let's just stop and think about this for a moment.'

'What's there to think about?' Rinoa was shouting now. 'I'm not even a student at this damn Garden, why should I stay here while I'm waiting for you to 'get help'?'

Zell had rejoined them and was gingerly standing on the outskirts of the argument with Nida. 'M-maybe we should… go look for Squall?'

Quistis shook her head, her long blonde hair floating around her face and she looked at him and said reproachfully, 'Zell, none of us have seen Squall. I'm not sure if he's even ali-'

Rinoa slapped her so hard round the face Quistis lost her balance and fell sideways to her knees. The instructor clutched her reddened cheek and glared up at the raven-haired girl in muted anger.

'Don't say that!' Rinoa screamed at her and had attempted to leap on her but Irvine held her back.

Selphie witnessed this in disbelief. How could they be arguing in a time like this? What sort of time is this anyway? She stood up on shaky legs and felt a bolt streak through her arm. She clutched it in a futile attempt to sooth the numbing pain. No one seemed to notice her quivering form as she limped over to the vicious circle.

'Rinoa, we have to think about this logically. We can't just rush off without some sort of plan… like… where do we go from here? We don't even know where we fucking are!' Zell was shouting at her, his voice bouncing angrily off the enclosed space of the car park, which was empty except for a tiny hovercraft, which Selphie presumed was the escape pod.

'Zell, if someone actually went out then maybe we would have some idea where we are, then they could go and get help,' Quistis suggested, regaining her composure and feet. She avoided eye contact with Rinoa but Selphie could see the fire in her gaze.

'Who's gonna go then?' Zell said, resting a hand on his right thigh and crossing his legs.

There was an odd silence as everyone eyed each other suspiciously, each wanting to go but each to afraid to nominate themselves. Selphie contemplated what a feud within their friendship circle would result to. She wanted to take action before that happened.

'Well… Why don't we draw straws or something fair like that?' the brunette suggested.

'Oh Hyne,' Rinoa moaned, slapping her forehead and sending a murderous glare at Selphie, 'trust you to think of something childish like that!'

'I don't see you coming up with anything better, Miss perfect!' Irvine retorted, his eyes burning furiously beneath the brim of his hat.

'Besides, how do you know it wouldn't be rigged?'

'What are you accusing me of, Quistis?'

'I'm not accusing you of anything, Selphie, I just don't think that certain individuals among us are worthy of such trust.'

'That was directed at me wasn't it you bitch!'

'Rinoa calm down! Fighting wont solve anything we have to think-'

'Stop telling me what to fucking do! I have to get out of this place! Let me go! LET ME GO!'

The sound of an engine roared to their right and they watched in horror and dismay as the hovercraft lifted into the air and the smug face of Nida stared out at them behind a glass window. He activated the emergency escape door from inside the capsule and began to move toward the opening in front of them.

Selphie always found it difficult to recall the next moment. Everyone in that room had been taken by surprise and she was amazed that they hadn't all gone into a severe state of shock. It's usually the little things that lead to loss of life, like losing your footing and falling in front of a car, but she knew after that Zell had been acting out of pure instinct. If her own reaction time had been better perhaps she would have been the one that had died instead. She'd never know.

Zell ran toward the escaping escape pod but was thrown back by an unpredicted explosion. The remaining cars were tipped onto their sides, a few exploding in a chain reaction that shook the ground beneath their feet. Selphie, Irvine, Quistis and Rinoa had ducked behind or scrambled into the interiors of vehicles but Zell was caught in the blast and they could hear him screaming as the flames engulfed him.

Selphie was curled into a ball behind an overturned car, her hands over her ears trying to block the explosion, but most of all, the sound of one her best friend's screams as he was burning alive. She could hear him screeching, crying out for help, but she was too scared, to fucking consumed by her own need to survive that she didn't answer his pleas, didn't leap into the fire like the stereo typical heroes of today and retrieve him. Selphie hid behind the safety of a car and waited until it was safe to leave.

But is anything safe anymore?

Surprisingly, Selphie found that she was the first to rise from her place of security. She could see Quistis huddled behind a burnt out vehicle, her head bowed as if in prayer. She could see the top of Irvine's hat, singed and smoking, peering over a car top. She could hear the faint sound of Rinoa sobbing to her left. And in front of her she could see Zell. What was left of Zell.

For a moment she stood there, perfectly still, and just stared at his body. For a moment she was numb, there was just…nothing. Not even a thought passed through her. It was so quiet suddenly that she was consumed by the surreal feeling that she was alone in an empty room with just Zell's body. She came to a conclusion that stuck thickly in her head: he was caught dead on by the blast.

There was no real way that Selphie could describe the way Zell looked. She could try to put it simply: he was burned very badly – but she knew that didn't exactly cover it. Selphie knew that many people mistake that the most common 'wound' when a bomb detonates beside you is a missing limb or two, but actually it's burns, and not the sort of burns you get when you accidentally pour boiling water on your hand. Zell was naked – his clothes burned away – but it didn't matter because his skin had melted into a brown-red ooze. His face was featureless, no lips, no eyes, no nose, no hair. His left arm had been blown off but his burns were so severe the stump didn't even bleed. Selphie realised that the explosion had lasted longer than she had first thought.

He suffered for so long. At least he didn't survive through it. When Selphie thought that, she was deeply ashamed and burst into tears. Later on, she was glad he died when he did.

As she stood there crying behind the burnt out shell of a car the other three congregated together and stared in shock at Zell's body. No one could believe that the lively martial artist was dead. It hurt them so much that they forgot about the escape pod suddenly, forgot their anger towards Nida, and forgot their own personal miseries. They just stared at their former comrades body, lying in the middle of the car park as lifeless as a rotting branch fallen from its tree.

Rinoa was sick then. The noise alone made Quistis vomit also. Irvine moved away to Selphie who stood sniffing in the corner, unable to look at her former best friends body. Not even the heavy weight of Irvine's arm around her shoulder comforted her.

I…I can't take this! Wh-what's going on…why? Why did Cid lie to us? ZELL DIED BECAUSE OF HIS LIES! That stupid bastard! Zell…Zell…. Zell! Come back! I…I don't want you to die Zell…

'Zell, don't die!'

She shrugged off her boyfriends grip and ran to Zell's body. She stopped abruptly and wondered what she was doing before the smell of burnt flesh consumed her and she turned around and vomited onto the blackened floor. She wanted Irvine to come over to her but no one would approach Zell's stinking corpse. Is that all he is now? A stinking corpse? Oh Zell… Why did it have to be you? Why do so many people have to die? Aya, Moeru, Natala and now you? Not you Zell! After…after everything we've been through together? Oh Hyne, take him in your arms and lift him to a better place, it's the least you can do!

The ground was hot beneath her hands and now she saw that her palms were smeared with a mixture of black powder and dried blood. She began to tremble all over. Her thoughts melted into a clump and stuck to the back of her mind out of reach. Everything began to spin and she felt the dead presence of Zell's body inches from her. Selphie was faintly aware of being sick but thought thickly that it must be someone else, for she was sure she wasn't there. She was back in her bed sleeping. I'll wake up. I'll wake up. And when I do, they'll be no cameras. They'll be no killings. They'll be no blood. Everything will be normal and nothing will be wrong. Very soon. I'll just wake up. Wake up Selphie c'mon I'm tired of this nightmare wake up wake up wake up wake up wa-

'Selphie!'

The brunette's head snapped to the side as if she'd been slapped, her eyes were wide with alarm. 'Wh-what? Yes?'

'I've been calling you for… never mind. Come here, Selph.'

Somehow, she wasn't overly sure how she did it, but somehow she got to her feet. Stumbling into Irvine's arms she let out a sigh. She didn't know why any of this was happening but she did know that at that very point in time she needed Irvine more than anything. The SeeD wished that just by letting him wrap his arms around her that world would just disappear and all her fear and anguish would go with it.

'Selph, we can't stay here now,' he was saying. 'We – we've paid our respects to Zell. Let's just leave him in peace.'

'Irvine,' she whispered into his chest. 'I-it happened so fast didn't it?' It didn't happen fast; he was slowly burnt alive. 'He was just leaning over me a minute ago and –'

'Selphie don't,' Rinoa interrupted. She was holding her forehead with her eyes squeezed shut, as if trying to rid herself of a headache. 'We all know. Please, we'll never forget Zell but I'm sure he'd want us just to carry on. There's not much more we can do now.'

Selphie felt terrible. They were all standing with their backs to their friend's body; no one could even bare to look at him. It made her think of the bodies in the library and quad, all still lying there with the expression of fear and hate frozen on their faces, all still alone in the deathly silence that shrouded them. She didn't want Zell to be alone. Why couldn't she stay with him? She wanted to watch over him as she used, just to make sure that he didn't get scared or lonely or into trouble.

Everyone must have been looking at her for when Quistis said: 'Selphie, I loved Zell just as much as you but… he's gone now. I want more than anything to bury him, to say a proper goodbye to him, to lay flowers on his grave – but I can't. None of us can. As much as it hurts, there's nothing more we can do for him. I know it's difficult to accept but please, we must continue.' - Selphie felt a wail of despair shoot up to her throat and burn her eyes. It was true. Her best friend was gone!

aw...shame. Poor Zell. :cough: ...what happens next? ooo...next chapter is good! Find out where all the cameras lead! And of course, the endless blood and guts and killings etc.Review please!