COUNTLESS POSSIBILITIES lies within our world, and it's all up to us whether how we will accept them as a whole.
I followed behind Yuki as she made her way towards the end part of this vehicle. It wasn't confirmed if there's a problem, yet the pounding of my heart is making me nervous right now.
What she said earlier came into my mind like a virus that removed every thought I have, that only those words dominated my mind.
“Yuri, what were you saying earlier?” What I said made her halted. She looks at me, eyes became sharp as if she remembered something, and the anger could be seen on her eyes couldn't be mistaken.
“Ah, that.” She smirked devilishly, rage is still visible on her beautiful face. “If that crazy Major succeeds of what he's planning earlier, it isn't the pilot who should have became zombie, but our leader.” My eyes widened, but my mind seemed to disregard the information I just received for I couldn't believe it.
My mind refuses to believe it.
Kasabay noon ay ang pagbukas ng pinto at bumungad sa amin sila Zeon na may hawak na listahan. Zeon's eyes quickly caught me, who remained frozen and in denial, as his wonder could be seen on his eyes as he made his way towards our place.
“Sergeant Smith is here, Captain,” ani Yuri na ikinatango ni Zeon. Palihim kong kinurot ang aking kamay upang matauhan. Harper, you're in between a life and death situation!
“What's wrong?” Tanong ko at lumapit sa kanya. Inilahad nya ang listahang kanyang hawak sa akin.
“The food they provided us. . . it isn't enough.” My body became cold hearing what he said. The idea I refused to listen, yet like a virus that slowly destroys my rational thoughts and slowly turning them into dangerous ones.
The idea I already have, even before Yuri said those words.
Humakbang ako palapit sa kanya, nanginig pa ang binti ngunit tuluyang nakalapit sa kanyang pwesto. “What do you mean?”
My eyes stopped at the piece of paper in his hand. Kinuha ko iyon at binasa. My eyes turned slits seeing the list I saw already. What's—
“We are 35 in this group. The amount of food that was listed, and the actual food being hidden is too little to survive in this place.”
Mouth gape in surprise, I transferred my gaze to him with eyes wide as I couldn't believe what he just said. He licked his lips, his eyes are dangerous especially when he's angry, just like now.
“If you don't believe—” I cut what he's saying.
“I believe in you.” And silence engulfed us for a while.
I still couldn't believe what I'm learning right now. I am not stupid not to realize what's happening.
I thought we were only soldiers who were assigned to fulfill a job, but now that they successfully eradicated us from their radar, we've become warriors who would fight to bring honor and glory, for the sake of humanity.
“We need to hunt,” aniya habang nagsimulang baguhin ang nasa listahan na ikinatango ko.
“Let's discuss the plan with them, and those things we need to learn.” Tumitig ako sa kanya ng mariin. Huminto ito sa ginagawa at ibinalik ang titig sa akin. My gaze is firm that I would do anything to suck information from their group.
He nodded his head, face remained serious. “Very well.”
“The whole nation is in chaos, and the cause isn't from your family.” Yuki looked at me, as she starts the explanation once we're already in the living room of this military plane.
Nakapalibot kami, ang iba't nakaupo sa sofa, ngunit karamihan ay nakasalampak sa lapag at sa aming harap na pinakagitna ay may mga mapang nakalapag at aking pinag-aaralan.
“The reason why they assigned people for exploration, for us to become the food of those infected outside the Military.”
“What do you mean?” Faye asked that when I lifted my eyes, she quickly found mine. I smiled weakly. I know, Faye. Even I couldn't believe what I heard earlier.
“First of all, have you been wondering how the pilot was infected? Pilots were trained within the Military's ground only, and having one being infected is suspicious.”
“It's possible that the one being assigned to us secretly seek the outside world, got injured and became infected on the day of our exploration.” It was Faye who speaks.
Her belief is so strong yet I know that her mind is open. She just wanted to look for every loophole and once all of them are answered, there will be no more confusion that would be left in us.
“Shouldn't the alarm be triggered once an infected stepped in the base? Every door that's connected to the outside world has sensors to detect one, yet there isn't.” Phoenix said that made her pouted.
“Unless they're the one who created an infected inside,” I whispered, remained reading the map that I encircled every location that seems safe to reach, and out an X mark to those looks crowded for it has so many zombies.
“And I saw what happened to the pilot, at how it became infected.”
Everyone gasped from what Yuri said, and even some of their groups were part of it.
And now I was certain. They're doing it to eradicate us, but Mr. Bao saved us by putting the plane into auto-pilot and slowly bring us to land. Thankfully, we choose the skilled people to be part of our squad.
“What happened?” Tanong ni Jai, ang isa kong kagrupo na dahilan upang mabaling muli ang aking atensyon sakanila.
“He just tried to infect our leader, and I am the witness. He was holding a syringe with the size of a thumb beneath his jacket that he only lifted when he's about to inject to our captain by throwing it secretly. Thankfully, Captain moved.” Tumigil ito panandalian at sinulyapan ang leader nila. Dahil doon ay napatingin muli ako sakanya.
“I was certain that he'll inject it on someone between us.” Zeon looked at me, and the idea that I was part of the choices gave shivers in my spine. “But since he couldn't inject it to you because of the rumors that your family is the one who caused this infection again, it's clear that he would inject it to me, and he did.”
He looks as if expecting it.
He's steps ahead of that even those people from the military tried to keep up, Zeon would keep moving forward with a distance that would remain untouched.
He's a genius.
Why are they doing it?
To rule the world.
We thought they're the one helping us, but the truth that they're the ones who keeps destroying it makes me sick.
We must stop them.
“I have a plan.” Tumayo ako na ikinaangat ng kanilang tingin sa akin.
Dahil sa aking sinabi ay tuluyang napatingin sa akin ang lahat, pati ang mga kagrupo ni Zeon. Naglakad ako sa pinakadulo, malapit sa pinto mg cockpit at tumingin sakanila. Gumawi ang aking tingin kay Zeon na ngayo'y naghihintay ng aking sasabihin.
“But I don't know if your group will agree with me. It's dangerous but we don't have any choice.”
“Spill it,” wika ni Zeon na ang buong atensyon ay napunta sa akin.
“We're trapped within this battleground full of hordes of infected monsters that could kill us with just a scratch. We don't have any choice but to fight.” They nodded their head. I sighed heavily and continue.
“We don't even know if there are survivors who remain fighting on the ground. I'm holding on to the thought that some are still alive and that—” I lift my head and faced them with chin up. “It was my dream to protect them. Make them feel secure in this cruel, terrifying world.”
“We don't have a place where we could call home, so it means we're survivors now?” Someone from Zeon's group asked.
I nodded my head. “Even they eradicated our presences, we remained soldiers and that's something we should not just put aside. And a soldier's duty is to protect and fulfill the job being assigned to us.”
I looked at Zeon and nodded my head. I know he got my point already, which is why he sighed heavily before looking in front.
“Since I hold the highest status in this group, I'm assigning you a new mission. Protect and survive. Protect those remaining survivors and make them feel secured,” Zeon peeked at me when he paused after saying it, before looking straight again. “And survive at all cost.”
I don't know but what he just said touched my heart. Zeon Keiffer Parkinson, you've never failed to make me believe.
I sighed heavily and look at them with determination in my heart. “We are soldiers of humanity. We will build our own base, and end this madness with our generation.” Dagdag ko.
Nagkaroon ng katahimikan sa aming paligid.
I admit. It's really hard, especially since what we are fighting for are like supernatural beings who could infect their virus on our skin and make those alter our appearance, even our way of thinking. We would become undead corpses lurking in the once beautiful world.
And if we won't become zombies, we will fight in a horde of an army where we are at disadvantage.
This is sacrifice.
But we're talking about the lives of those remaining alive here, even there's no certainty.
“We chose this race. As a soldier, I made an oath to sacrifice myself if it could bring back the old world, with or without a military.” Faye stood up, brought her right hand on her temple with her left one straight on her sight, she saluted. “Count me in, Captains!”
“I've already made my mind ever since. I don't want to be a puppet anymore.” Yuri stood up and salute.
“I oath to follow your words!” And slowly, they stood up and put their hand on their temple to salute.
My heart became heavy, it hurts with too much happiness I'm feeling. Maybe it's wrong to joy in a situation like this, but seeing that I shared the same goal with these people, it's making me happy that I want to cry.
“First order from your commander, rest. We don't know when we could rest like this again. No one should go out but I'll assign people to monitor the situation outside. As of now, let those monsters calm.” Zeon commanded and looks at me before he turned his back and walked his way toward the door of our so-called bedroom until he faded into our sight.
That was only when I felt how tired I am after this long draining fight.