Dreyard stood straight, stopped pestering Klaus for a while, who's now glaring at him before Dreyard looked into our place.
“Okay Missy, your next question?” He asked and smirked, looking at Zeon who's beside me and then back to me, and the way he's smirking right now as if I forgot something important— oh shoot! I suddenly remembered that I'm the critic here!
“Ah right.” I cleared my throat and looked at him again after I stood up straight.
“How could you be so sure that we'll be going to the place wherever you are talking about? Do you memorize the place we should go?” After all, we don't have any tracker that could locate their place and we don't even know if the pathways are blocked or free to use. And it's not our only problem, the zombies lurking in the ground too.
And those strange ones that we must avoid, the reason why this haven is destroyed.
“The key is our little Klaus, my man,” Dreyard answered and started messing with Klaus' hair just as how he's doing earlier, in which Klaus is trying to remove his hands again but Dreyard just won't let him.
Instead, Dreyard proudly said, “This man is a living tracker, with him, as long as you have the technology, we would find our way. Well, unless all your gadgets have been destroyed?” Dreyard asked Klaus while still caging his head on his arm that the boy is trying to break free.
“Remove your hands on me first and I'll answer your question!” Klaus answered but Dreyard just smirked and continued pestering the poor guy.
“Can't you answer my question with this?”
“Argh, it's annoying! Remove your arm, old man!” Even though Dreyard isn't old?
Dreyard's chuckle echoed in the open— wrecked place where we are, and that's when I noticed that some of them are already here, carrying sort of materials and bags that I saw Faye who's carrying her military bag, and beside her is another bag on the floor which I think is mine.
“Next question,” Dreyard teasingly said instead. I looked at the poor guy who's now pouting that I shook my head and looked back at Dreyard, continuing our interrogation.
“How sure are you that the place you are talking about is safe?” This is my major question though.
It's not that I don't believe them, it's just that, I just couldn't trust their word of being safe since the last time we thought that we're safe, the cause of this outbreak again is at the same place where we thought it our haven.
We just couldn't stay still knowing that what happened might be repeated again.
If we could avoid the danger, we will do everything to keep everyone safe.
“Why not? They are people from the Philippines,” he said so calmly as if he didn't just drop the bomb in front of our face.
Eyes wide and couldn't believe his words, I opened my mouth to speak, yet before I could even speak, someone I know already reacted ahead of me.
“What?! The Philippines? That's… too far from here!” Faye exclaimed with such disbelief that I instantly looked at her, placing my forefinger in front of my lips to remind her of the place where we are right now, for she bit her lower lip and remained not believing on Dreyard's words.
My companions who are close to her are also looking at Dreyard as if they couldn't believe what they just heard. Even I couldn't believe it.
I mean… the Philippines? That's really far and truth to be told, due to limited resources, we don't even know if we'll be able to get there!
I mean, we need a plane and we don't know if there's still a plane that's still functioning up to this date!
And if there is, the military would detect us and before we could reach the said county, they will surely shoot us with their missiles using their combat jet and no one wants that to happen, right?
Dreyard smirked as if he's already expecting our violent expressions. Now, he's looking at us with expression as if saying, ‘bow down to me before I share my knowledge to yours’ which I glared at him, and he chuckled before speaking.
“Yeah, it's really far, but among other countries, the only one we could trust right now is them, since they're the one who found the cure on the first outbreak and for sure, those groups are full of mysteries.”
My eyes widened, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one who's surprised because I heard their gasps of surprise.
“What?” They did? I mean, the rumor was true?
WHO failed to create a cure that could end this madness— the reason why everyone was in panic and little did they knew, their panicking is the reason why they put their lives at stake.
And knowing that a group far from here has a cure with them…
Then… there's still a hope that suddenly bloomed deep inside of me.
A hope that we could end this together.
“I mean, I wasn't sure. It's just a rumor circulating for years about the Petterson one who didn't turn a zombie after being bitten, then maybe right now, they're developing some cure… who knows?” My hope deteriorated a little.
A little only because truth to be told, knowing that they have a cure and hearing that someone didn't turn into a zombie after being bitten or scratched, it's already a big achievement!
But that apocalypse happened years already, because the ones we are facing right now is much upgraded, much. . . terrifying!
“Nevertheless, they're the one whom we could trust right now,” Marcus commented, the newly arrived one who's walking from somewhere, in which I noticed him holding some guns with little broken solar panels, but still, it's enough and as long as it could still be of use.
But… trusting other groups who are strangers to us? I'm not saying that we shouldn't trust them. But this is a fucking survival and every action has consequences.
As I sighed and looked at them. “Again, how can you be so sure?” I asked them since the idea of trusting strangers still bothers me.
In which I think I need to remove this thought because right now, we need to trust everyone we would meet. If we're talking about successful survival, the probability of success is high when the more, the merrier.
“My brother would do everything to save me,” Klaus suddenly spoke which made us looked at him.
Slowly, my eyes widened when the realization hits me.
Brother… Petterson… “You're brother with the one who didn't turn into a zombie?” I asked in disbelief.
I mean, he wouldn't mention it if it wasn't true, then I guess he's the brother of that Petterson?
Klaus slowly nodded his head. “Yes. I am Klaus Ashriel Petterson.” I gasped. Wow? We have a big guy here! I mean, bigatin!
Just before Dreyard started explaining everything,
“It's the reason why they wanted to eliminate us.” Before he eyed the gun with such little damage and he removed some parts on it, I saw him cocked the gun and the sound of it being clicked entered my hearing before he used its scope and look through some places with such distance that I remained watching him.
“Once they know that Klaus is in the military, Petterson would do everything to save his brother. After all, Klaus may be his father's illegitimate child, it's no denying that a Peterson's blood is running at his vein, and in a place like this, a single life matters the most.” As he pulled the trigger, the sound of the vase exploded by bullet echoed before he looked at us.
“Just like what we will do to escape this madness, the military will do everything to eliminate us because once those group learned about Klaus being with us, it will be the end of their schemes.”
Sinintas ko ang aking sapatos at nang matapos ay tumayo ako at isinukbit ang aking bag.
It's a bit heavy, alright, but my necessity things are already here. It's been packed even before we reach this group as right now, it has some addition of foods and clothes as well as some spare guns that we could use.
The group is planning to go to a facility where solar panels are being created, with their materials on the bag that David is carrying, and with knowledge of the six of them, they're planning to create other guns with unlimited bullets.
After all, the majority of those guns got destroyed, thankfully we haven't thrown our gun just as Dreyard said to us before.
“Ready?” I looked at Zeon when I heard him asked me.
Pinasadahan ko ng tingin ang kanyang kasuotan, at tulad dati ay hindi ko maiwasang mamangha rito.
He's wearing the same outfit as I am— our military uniform since these are the only comfortable clothes we could use. And just like before, his broad shoulder could be seen and his muscles are peaking from his uniform's sleeves that are on his elbow, maybe because it's hot which is why he did that.
I nodded at him as my eyes stopped at the one he's holding from behind. He saw where my eyes go that's why he extended it between our distance, which I get from him with confusion plastered on my face.
My forehead creased as I looked at the bulletproof vest in front of me.
“What's this for?”
Alam ko kung para saan ito, ngunit bakit nya ako binibigyan kung gayong zombie ang kalaban namin?
But he still answered my question.
“Dreyard asked me to give this to you. They're distributing those protectors in case that zombies accidentally scratch your skin.” As his eyes stopped at my tummy in which my cheeks suddenly heated up, especially the way he stares with his sleepy eyes, those gazes are always something.
Mabilis akong tumalikod.
“Alright, I'll just wear this.” Nahihiya kong sabi.
I didn't hear him answer but I felt his hands on my back, removing the straps of my bag from my shoulder which I let him, frozen, as I don't know what to react.
And when he successfully did, I heard him speaks.
“You can put them now,” he ordered me as when I looked at him, all I could see was his back facing me.
Yeah, there's no time to be maarte.
As I started unbuttoning my uniform, questions suddenly flooded into my brain.
“Hey, do you think we could trust the group that they're talking about?” Because I remembered them mentioning another group aside from those from the Philippines.
And that's where they will create those guns after we get enough materials— they explained.
However, we should be careful, because of the way towards those solar panels…
It's dangerous. I remember they said it earlier.
“I couldn't give an answer since I haven't met them myself so, let's see,” he answered in which I nodded my head even I know he wouldn't see me.
Silence engulfed us for a while as I remaining fixing my clothes. Some of our companions are passing through us, getting some of those things they're planning to bring, and I chose to undress in front of them— not that they would see me naked though, since I'm wearing something underneath.
Only that Zeon is a gentleman and everyone knows about it.
When I'm done, I heard him speaks.
“Are you done?” I lifted my head to face him and saw that his back is still facing me. I slowly walked towards his place and I don't know why… I leaned my head on his back as I closed my eyes, heaved a sigh as if only recognizing those burdens I'm carrying, and with that, it's suddenly too heavy that it's suffocating.
He stood there and got frozen from my action. I can tell it by the tensing of his shoulder, and if I was with my right mind, I would start to put distance between us.
Bur right now, I need someone to lean on.
Someone who would understand me.
I don't really know why I wanted to do this.
I just wanted to find some comfort from someone because truth to be told… the fear is slowly engulfing me. The fear that isn't for me… but my group's life.
I want to save everyone, but who will save me?
At the same time, I want us to survive in this madness together. That's my only dream for now. But it seemed impossible.
Lives would be lost along the way.
And I am sure of that.
“Let me stay for this for a while, hmm?” I whispered and even my voice sounded so weak as if any minutes, I'll break into pieces. . . because that's how I feel. I don't know.
Right now, I feel so tired.
I'm tired of everything.
I just wanted to get everything is done.
I just wanted to rest for a while.
And I decided to take my rest with this. With him.
Just a little peace, with the silence that engulfed us, muting every sounds from our surroundings, even from my companions' movements or so.
It's just us with silence, where I removed my mask and let my weak self overcome me… with only him knows.