Chapter Fifty-One:
A/N: I'm not sure what to say about this chapter, other than it is very, very angsty. Oh, and people die. Then again, people seem to be dying left and right here.
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Quistis proved to be much more adept at driving than Tessa as she swerved to avoid the undead. These were in civilian clothes, and Tessa wondered if they had been students on break, or if they had followed her from Balamb.
"How much further?" Tessa asked Quistis. The vehicle went off road to avoid five Rots converging on it. Looking back, everyone saw Seifer plough through them and honk his horn in victory. "To Balamb, I mean."
"About five kilometres," the Instructor answered. It had been a hard day, and everyone was exhausted. Even those who hadn't been running around dodging the undead seemed weighted down by seriousness of the situation.
The two people Tessa didn't know introduced themselves to her with gratuitous praise. She didn't know what to think of it.
"I'm Keyan," a raven-haired girl in a student uniform said. She looked oddly similar to Rinoa, but Tessa said nothing. The outstretched hand was shaken and the girl continued. "I'm a first year Medical Major."
Then the boy, a dirty Blonde with grey eyes, spoke up. "Name's Taik. I'm was a Sabre, but switched to gunblades last year."
Gee, I wonder why? Tessa thought sarcastically. Shiva didn't give any input. The medic thought that perhaps the chatterbox GF had been silenced by the deaths of those whom had remained behind. It was a refreshing change of pace.
"Antessence, where did you get your necklace?" Hunter asked out of nowhere.
"I'm more interested in figuring out why she has Shiva,"Irvine interjected.
Tessa sighed and rolled her eyes. The two self-proclaimed playboys would just bother her until she answered anyway. "They were gifts."
"From whom?" Hunter pressed. The urge to hurt him came once more to Tessa, but she fought it down. Infighting always led to breakdowns and death, one of the first lessons that are taught all Gardens.
"The collar," Tessa said, emphasizing the second word. Why would someone call a collar a necklace? "The collar is from a friend named Jayne. She's a SeeD."
"Don't know her," Irvine said with a shrug.
"And the GF?" Quistis asked, getting involved in the conversation.
"ADETTE!" Fujin answered for Tessa.
"Yeah," Tessa concurred nervously as she ran a hand through her filthy hair. She had to stink, but nobody said anything. "Adette gave Shiva to me as a sign of goodwill. She has Phoenix, so it balances out. Now will you please leave me alone?"
Nobody said anything after that, so Tessa turned on the radio. Sitting in the front passenger seat had its perks, after all. However, there was no music coming from the speakers. Every single station that the vehicle could pick up with its tiny antenna gave the same recorded message.
"Stay indoors, do not go outside. The dead are walking. The military will rescue you within a few days. These things are not your family or friends."
When the message looped, Tessa shut the radio off with a sigh.
"Almost every station is like that," Quistis said as the vehicle entered the town of Balamb. The roads were too narrow for her to dodge, so the Rots were mowed down. They either bounced off the front bumper or fell victim to the tires. "The local ones have stopped broadcasting, though."
A Rot fell off the roof of a building and onto the front hood of the vehicle, crashing through the glass and onto Tessa. She pushed it away, and its mouth snapped shut on one of her bangs. With her hair in its mouth, the Rot pulled its head back, tearing skin off in addition to her hair. A sense of Deja Vu hit her as Quistis stopped the vehicle.
"Antessence!" she screamed as Tessa pushed on the undead creature's chest. The stench was unbearable, and something fell off of it and onto Tessa's lap. A strong wind blew out of nowhere and pushed the Rot out of the window.
Tessa looked back and saw that it was Phelan with his right hand held out. He looked at Quistis and shout, "Drive!"
Nervously, Quistis shifted the gears and the vehicle shook as it passed over the Rots body. Tessa opened the glove box and looked for something to stop the bleeding, finding only a couple of old, yet unused, tissues. Gingerly they were pressed against her forehead.
"Were you bitten?" Irvine asked. Tessa felt the cold steel of his shotgun press into the back of her head.
"No, she wasn't!" Quistis shouted as the vehicle gave another jolt. They passed a couple of houses and turned left, onto the marina. "Now would you put that thing a..."
"Oh, shit," Tessa muttered quietly.
The marina was covered with Rots, almost every square inch. As the vehicle ploughed through them, rotted hands beat on the glass windows. Decayed fingers snapped off grabbing at the living. Then there was a sound like the breaking of glass and a scream.
Turning around in her seat, Tessa saw Keyan being pulled out by the hungry masses. Her cries were silenced as she was dragged out and the Rots fell on her. Irvine fired at the window as the dead tried to climb inside, blowing off arms, legs, and heads. "Damn it, Quistis! What are you doing?"
As she turned back to the Instructor, Tessa saw that she was freaking out. Not like Rinoa in Galbadia City. She was muttering to herself and pressing on the gas as they moved forward.
When it seemed like would be overwhelmed, and the Rots would tip over the vehicle, a bird was heard squawking. Back on the vessel, Adette had seen what was happening and Summoned Phoenix to help!
That's my girl, Tessa thought happily as she used the last of her Water spells to knock a couple of Rots off the hood.
So now she's your girl. That's more like it.
Regretting having thought anything and bringing Shiva out of hiding, sabbatical, or whatever it was she was doing, Tessa merely unbuckled and cheered Quistis on. Around them, the Rots were catching on fire and burning away into nothing. The vehicle, by some unknown means, made it to the dock the vessel was at.
"Move it, people!" Tessa shouted as she shook Quistis, bringing her back to reality.
"Oh, yes, we're here," the Instructor managed weakly before Tessa kicked open the driver's side door. A Rot immediately grabbed Quistis, but its head exploded and rained gore on her after Irvine fired.
As Phoenix swooped down and sent another barrage of fire at the Rots, the seven people climbed out of the vehicle, a flaming Rot reached out and grabbed Tyran, biting into his shoulder. None of the others flinched as he cried for help, they ran.
Tessa lumbered up the boarding platform she had used when Adette and she had arrived, and spilled onto the Vessel. Fujin, Quistis, and Hunter followed. Then the Blonde SeeD cried out the name of her Galbadian lover. Exhausted, Tessa stood up and watched as the cowboy let off a volley of shots before running up and jumping onto the deck of the vessel. He smiled, winked at the ladies, and said, "All in a day."
Entranced, Tessa watched as Tyran broke free, sprinted the distance from the vehicle to the dock, and made his own way onto the vessel, with the Rots close behind. A few controlled shots from Irvine changed that, and Tyran fell to the deck dead. No one saw what happened to Taik.
The vehicle with Seifer and the Card Queen was making its own way through mess, and for a moment it looked as though they might escape without losing anyone that they cared about.
"Is she dead?" someone asked, placing a hand on Tessa's shoulder. She turned her head and saw that it was Adette.
"No," Tessa answered as she pointed at the approaching vehicle. "She's there with Seifer." A sigh of relief came from Adette, and Tessa stiffened. The last thing she wanted was for the Card Queen to make it to the boat safely, but she didn't want her to die either.
Unfortunately, it seemed fate did want her to die. A sudden surge of Rots flipped the vehicle over just as Phoenix let off another fiery attack. The vehicle exploded and Adette cried out as though she were the one dying the blaze. Tessa turned around the other girl buried her face in the medic's chest. Awkwardly, the redhead put her arms around Adette in what she hoped was a comforting manner. Nobody else moved, except for Irvine who was pulling the trigger of his shotgun to keep the Rots from climbing onboard.
"Would someone start the damn engine before we die, too?" he yelled. His voice was full of frustration and pain.
In obedience, Quistis walked numbly into the control room and started the vessels engine. Tessa didn't know how the Instructor knew what to do, but it was the least of her concerns. The main thing was the girl crying into her bosom.
Well, it looks like you finally got what you wanted.
The darkness of Shiva's tone wasn't lost on Tessa, who was lost in a sea of elation and sorrow. Elation that the Card Queen was dead, and sorrow for what Adette was going through. Seifer's passing wasn't of much concern to her, since she didn't really know him. It did seem to hit Fujin rather hard, though. The silver-maned warrior stood looking at the marina as the vessel left behind everything that mattered to her.
"I can't believe it's over," Irvine said as he threw him gun down and burst into tears. Tessa saw Quistis come out and hold Irvine in much the same way she was Adette.
It's far from over, Tessa thought as she lowered her eyes and breathed in Adette, thankful to be holding onto someone she cared for.
However, Hunter sat just outside the doorway to the control room, his eyes locked onto Tessa and Adette. Only one word came from his mouth, so low that no one else heard it. "Tocaro."
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A/N: I told you guys that it would be angsty. So Seifer and the Card Queen are dead. Two down, six to go, right? I don't know, no one's going to die for awhile. (I hope.) It's not in the plot for any of the survivors to be killed in the next few chapters, but the showdown with Shinra is coming up and the secrets of Tessa's past will come out. (As will just how the story is involved with Resident Evil, aside from the zombies.)
And in case you haven't figured it out, tocaro is a very inappropriate insult against lesbians in Junonian. I'm not going to say what it means exactly, but it's bad.