Chapter 73: 73
“A few nights before when I used the scope, I did not just look at the window I felt a presence from, I checked all the other windows apart from it and there were no lights on, not even a small lick of fire from a candle. They could be following a same principle with our protocol on lights but on the other nights I checked, there were still none along with the presence I felt. When we passed by their house, the exhaust fan installed on one of the walls is not working and there were no vehicles parked inside. It could be that someone has broken inside their home and stayed there or they have left it already but a few stayed behind.” I explained.
“W-what if it’s a g-ghost or something?” Olivia asked.
I almost rolled my eyes but I said, “Sorry, but I don’t believe in ghosts. Everything must have a scientific explanation. Even this thing that we are facing right now. If this is a supernatural phenomenon which I believe is highly unlikely, we’re all f.u.c.k.i.e.d.” I said.
“What if it’s a special zombie? Like a flying one?” Kaley said.
“Hmm, that is possible but still unlikely. So far, what we’ve seen from the movement of the special ones are still possible with the human body. Growing appendages like wings or the like is impossible because once a person goes into the state of undeath, it would be impossible to ‘create’ something from a decomposing body. We need to learn more from this virus to make even a proper assumption. It would be troubling if we ever have flying ones, we might need to build some sort of netting if that ever happens and levitating ones is not even one I think would exist.” I explained.
“How do you know all this?” Johnny said.
“Oh, it’s just a simple conclusion based on my observation. Anyway, I think we really should drop by that house later yeah?” I said.
“Damn kid, we really should be sending you to work with the scientists in Davao, you might be the one to solve this thing.” Oscar said.
I smiled and finished my cup of chocolate-coffee.
“Impossible old man, there are more things that they know that I don’t. I just remember stuff and that’s it.” I said.
“Don’t downplay your head kid, you really could be a scientist or something.” he replied.
“Hah! Too late now eh?” I replied while chuckling.
“Well, if it was you Sky, what would you do to fix this thing?” Kaley asked.
“If I have the knowledge and the know-how, with our technology, I could say the way is to not create a simple cure. I think I’ll make something like a vaccine of some sort that even if we get bitten, we’d still be fine.” I said.
“Isn’t that a cure then?” Johnny said.
“A simple cure will just remove the virus outright but a vaccine will grant you immunity to it. The virus still exists but it does nothing to us.” I explained.
“What difference does it make?” Johnny asked.
“Hmm, I haven’t shown you the files from our first meeting before. The earliest one I found about this thing is from 3 years ago. It didn’t even look like what we have now and that means that this virus that we have is evolving to a different one eventually. Back to the cure and vaccine talk, if we cure someone from it, what if the person got infected again with a different strand? The vaccine I want to make, if I could, should also evolve with time with the virus.” I said.
“W-wait, you lost me there. I thought we were trying to get rid of this thing, why are we living with it now?” he replied.
“Think about it, in a few years’ time we won’t know what it’ll be like. Better make something that would grow with it to contain it than make a cure over and over for a different type. Oh, it’s almost 7:00 AM, let’s talk about this more later.” I said.
“My head. Oh, my little head.” Russel said.
We loaded up first and we brought the truck outside. It’s the same group of people and I rode on the back with the others. We first went back to the pharmacy that we opened yesterday to sweep the place with all of the available medicine and other supplies. We brought extra bags for now so we could carry them much easily instead of piling them over each other like last time.
“Where do we go next?” my uncle said.
“Go to the Mercury Drug next, it hasn’t been looted yet. Puregold has it’s gates opened and there must be a few remaining there by now, we’ll just go there next time and prioritize the ones that are not looted yet.” I said.
“Why didn’t they go to this drugstore though? It has plenty of medicine and has some food inside.” Kaley asks.
“Look at that appliance store near the street. Most of the people prioritized stealing the most valuable TVs and stuff and although some of them did loot food, most people would forget about medicine.” I said.
“Why though?” she said.
“They didn’t think that they would need it until they needed to. We live in a third world country, barely anyone here get their weekly checkups like in the other countries. Well, most of the less fortunate ones. People just go to the doctors if they feel something is wrong and some people will be surprised at the price of some of the medicines that they are required to buy. That is because most of the people here would buy OTC drugs first and would wait it out until they feel the medicine that they bought doesn’t work but when they actually go to the doctors, their sickness is a whole lot worse than it could be if they got their checkups regularly. Did you experience your mom curing everything with Vick’s Vaporub?” I said.
“Oh my god!” Kaley exclaimed.
The rest of the group began to laugh while Tatiana is confused.
“What’s that? Is that a cure-all of some sort?” she asks.
“No, actually it’s just a menthol ointment most mothers here regarded as a cure-all even though it’s not. Have a cold? Use Vicks’s. Fever? Use Vicks’s. I wouldn’t be surprised if Vicks’s would be an ingredient that a Filipina scientist would use to cure this thing hahaha!” I explained to her while everybody chuckled.
“Is that so? That’s very amusing.” she said with a smile.
We arrived at the place and we cleared a small area first before I began opening the locks.
Almost immediately when we raised the roll-up, on the other side of the door is a treasure trove of resources. Everything is still like it was when I entered here before, good thing Lois didn’t blab about the ‘five-box incident’. We headed inside while Tatiana and a few guarded the entrance. Me and Kaley grabbed pushcarts and we headed over the counters to grab medicinal supplies while Jared and Dong went aisle after aisle for consumables like food and water.
We grabbed antibiotics, painkillers, antiseptics and the like and filled our bags first before the pushcarts. This place is filled and we made three trips for the medical supplies and the food supplies and there is still more left.
“Should we leave a few for other people?” Kaley said.
“Hmm, that is a good idea but we take the most important ones. We leave a few that is easily recognizable by them since they wouldn’t even understand how the ones at the back could be used for.” I said.
“That sounds fine.” she said as he removed a few that are readily recognizable.
We closed the roll-up once again and we made three trips with the truck to clean the place out with the important supplies before leaving a few inside. The food items are what made the trips increase in number. The baskets of biscuits, the cans of food and the gallons of water and different boxes that they are placed in is what made it so much bulkier. Can’t complain though, I think the only ones having a hard time is Rin, Demi and Bobby who are in charge of organizing the supplies.
Only Rin has the separate list for the guns though, we have three sources of them now that Johnny is here. Tatiana’s case is in my armory now but I found nothing special about it. Before we leave, Johnny asked for a few tools and materials so he could make a hidden safe for the guns that he has brought. I mentioned the gun locker we found under the bed near Andrew’s house and he said he’d make use of it.
As we drove back, I saw the other gated community ‘Woodlands’. It’s a huge place that has a several dozens of big houses that are expensive. I’ve noticed that their huge gate is barricaded with metal sheets though no one is guarding it.
“Is it still standing or are they doing a bad job of guarding the place?” I said to myself.
“How did you guys managed to loot that place?” Russel asked as we reached the house.
“For starters we are well equipped and most civilians can’t clear out that area since it’s in the highway. However, Thelma’s store got looted very early on since there is a lot of supplies there. It’s a matter of time though before people think of their ways to handle the dead.” I said.