Final Fantasy VII, AVALANCHE, zombie apocalypse
They had won. The planet was safe from Meteor.
The cost, though, was great.
The reports had been scattered. Communication was down, people were just trying to survive. Nobody noticed as a place here, a place there, all of them fell silent.
Cid called, talking about some sort of sickness that seemed to be infecting people. Making them seem to die, then wake up and start chewing on folks.
The the moaners hit what was left of Midgar and the tiny, unnamed city that had sprung up on the outskirts.
Cloud had gotten Tifa and Marlene onto chocobos and sent them ahead. Tifa had protested, but Cloud hadn't given her time to say too much. He'd just kissed her, hard, and then told the bird to go. Hearing it's master, the bird had run.
Tifa punched him hard for that when he showed up, bloody, ragged looking, and trailing survivors.
Cloud just cast a cure on his broken jaw, and sighed. They got a hold of Cid and Vincent that night. They had gotten out of Rocket Town with Sherra and a few others. Most of the people had left after the rocket had taken off, and so there weren't that many to end up killed.
There was no word from Barret, who had been helping look for new fuel sources. Nanaki was also eerily silent. And Reeve was in Wutai with Yuffie. They were already reporting cases of the sickness popping up there.
Aeris looked worried in Cloud's dreams.
Nobody knew what was happening, and those who were in AVALANCHE simply did their best to help.
At night, they stayed together. Cid, Vincent, and Sherra had the captains quarters of the Highwind, but Tifa and Cloud were right next door. Cloud could easily hear what the three next door did.
He and Tifa had to find other times with Marlene sharing their bed. Neither of them had the heart to send her to a room alone, and so simply found other times of the day for their own personal time. In a closet, in the chocobo stalls, in their own room while Marlene played in the cockpit with Cid.
"We'll have to find someplace to stay," Tifa finally said, her head resting on Cloud's chest.
"I know," he said, fingers combing through her hair.
"And find out what happened to Barret."
"I know."
Neither of them wanted to find him like the rest of the moaners. He didn't deserve that.
"What's Aeris say?"
"Nothing."
Tifa sighed, and shut her eyes. "It'll get better, right?"