The Scourge System

CHAPTER IV

Chapter IV

Panting and tired, yet they have to run. "There! In that boutique! Inside! Inside!" Gavin pointed at the boutique but when they were about to open it, they saw two of those freaks inside. "Sh*t!"

Amando helped Gavin up who slid down on the tiled slippery floor. Clarissa turned at their back and saw those things coming closer and closer. The way they run, just looking at them can give them enough chill to stiff standing and get shocked.

Her eyes instantly find for something to run to and that's where she found the market with the rolling door half closed.

"Guys! In here!" She called for them and they instantly followed her. They rolled one by one to get inside and closed the door down. They all gasped and screamed in fear when those things collided with the barricade they put between them.

"Everyone okay?" Amando asked to them and then frown when he noticed that they're not complete. "Where's Jeiger?"

"We have to get away, these door looks like it won't hold for long." Clarissa has her hand around Jessa's lower arm while the Nerdy is fixing her glasses that was got uneven from running.

"Brenda! Brenda's not with us too!" Jonixa exclaimed and soon as he looked around them. He started to take his shoes off and throws it anywhere, being so done running in his stupid heels.

"Sh*t." Rohana cursed, holding her forehead.

"Anybody got a phone?" Amando asked to everyone. Hoping that someone would say yes.

"We all do, except the fact that it was submerged underwater back at the bridge. Probably spongebob is using all of them now." Rohana sarcastically replied to him with a smile that could annoy anyone.

"Rohana!" Jessa chided her softly. Kinda like a baby trying to scold her mama for not giving her a bottle of milk.

"What?" Rohana has her eyes wide open, asking innocently with both of her hands on her hips.

A moment of silence happened, just them looking at each other. Asking what to do next while there's banging on the thin rolling door that's the only thing separating them from those infected people with some kind of a virus.

"Are we just going to stand here and wait for those crazy people trying to bite us like some kind of exaggerated rogue vampire and suck all of our meat and blood?" Rohana once again runs her sardonic side, pushing Jonixa's arm away from her because she's starting to fill her patience out.

Amando sighed and nods his head. "Yes, we have to move." He agreed to her.

"Finally." Rohana sighed and looks around the whole messed market. There are a lot of carts everywhere, some are filled with products, some fell on the floor. The place is empty, looks like everyone was forced to get out.

"Wait, what about Brenda? And-- and Jeiger? We can't leave them out there!" Jessa exclaimed with her eyes looking at every each of them.

"We will find them, but we have to move away from here. They're probably smelling our stinking blood. Come on." Amando leads all them, going deeper in the market.

Every aisle are disheveled, many goods are on the floor... some are even squished. Everything looks untidy but there are no signs of those things in there. No blood, no eerie screeching nor wheezing sound they make, it's a good riddance. But that doesn't help them to feel at ease, knowing that two of them were left behind.

"Gee, looks like a hurricane passed by this place-- ouch!" Jonixa tripped on a cart and fell on his knees.

"Seriously?" Rohana helped him up. "Get up! You're starting to pull the last string of my patience." She uttered as she pulls him up.

"Sorry, I'm just not feeling well. Wearing this clothes just makes me feel like I'm in a hot oven with melting ice glacier around me." He replied to her and shivered while caressing his own arms.

"Guys, can we stop for a moment. Jonixa needs to change his clothes and uhm-- we have to eat." Clarissa asked everyone when they reached the middle of the market.

Amando and Gavin shared a look like they're talking telepathically before nodding. "Sure, but let's stay tight. Don't go too far. Everyone search for rations, I'll look for a radio or cellphone." Amando announced. "Watch over them, li'l bro." He pats Gavin's shoulder before leaving them and took his way off to other direction.

Jessa saw how he's alone, and no one even think of going with him. She doesn't have the guts to be a hero, especially to a situation where weakness is not given as strength.

"Jessa, where are you going?"

She doesn't know what she was doing until Clarissa asked her. Jessa didn't notice that she already let go of Clarissa's arm and walking towards the direction where Amando went.

"Oh, uhm-- we shouldn't leave anyone go alone. Something might happen to him." She replied, too unconscious with what she's doing but she has a point.

Clarissa sighed and nods her head. "I get your point but--"

"Clarissa, it's fine. If ever something happens, I know he'll keep me safe." She smiled at her before following Amando, not even waiting for her reply. "Amando, wait for me!" She cutely yelled for him because she can't see him.

"Hey Clarissa, why don't you settle here for a second. I'll find us something to eat, you look like you didn't eat for 7 days." Rohana make her sit on a cushioned bench and smiles at her sweetly. "Brenda's going to be fine. She got her ass in the bus without us knowing it. I'm sure we'll find her as Brenda still." That little pep talk is her duty for her best friend, to calm her, to make her feel at ease in the middle of this unusually stressful situation.

"Thank you, Rohana. I really need that." Clarissa mirrors her smile and touches her hand.

"Hey, what friends are for?" She chuckles and pinches her cheek lightly. "Now I've got a date with this assh*le, hey Jonathan Villanova, let's go find something to eat." She pulls Jonixa by his hair.

He's actually looking around, hoping to find a better piece of grand clothes perfect for him. "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! This is harassment! I'll sue you on court, bish! I hate you so much for calling me Jonathan!" He yelped in pain while holding the part where she pulled harshly.

Watching her friends walking towards the stalls scattered around the market, her smile crept for a moment until it was taken back when she realized that one of her friends is out there with those things surrounding them. A lot of what ifs are starting to build up in her head. What if those things caught the two of them? Where are they now? Are they fine? Will they ever see them again? There's no answer to all her questions, just another tons of questions follow.

"Hey." Gavin came, taking a sit beside hers.

"Hi." She replied, glancing at him quickly and takes her stare back to the floor.

"Your friend's going to fine, knowing Jeiger. He might not be the nicest man you'll ever meet or the person with a long patience but, he knows how to take care of someone even if he doesn't know them. He's still a very careful human with conscience." He told her, quite stating a fact actually.

"I'm just worried about them, there are too many of those things outside. I have so many what ifs in my mind, kinda hope that all these are not happening. That these are all just pigments of my dream. I want to wake up now." She washes her face with her hands and sniffs. "I'm so worried about Brenda, she may look cool and strong but... I know how fragile she can be if things get worse. She breaks down." She added and shrugs her shoulder.

"In times like this, you should always keep in mind that positivity is the only way to think through if surviving is your goal. Negativity won't do us any good, it only causes us anxiety, paranoia. If worse is yet to come, you will welcome it without any hesitation because you believe that you will win it in the end, only by believing you can do this and that. Right now, worry less and hope high. Brenda is going to be alright, I promise you that we will find her, them. And we will find a better shelter or safer place or if possible, help. I'm sure that rescues are on their way, help will come." Another pep talk came in, and it's from Gavin. A stranger who helped them, a stranger who can calm her.

"You're right, I shouldn't be so buried in my worries. I know that I don't think right when I do but sometimes I just can't stop myself." She chuckles and sighed, giving Gavin a small smile. "You're not so bad with pep talks, I like it." She showed him a wide smile, the first time she did ever since they met.

Gavin's ears turned red, he looks away with a shy smile. "You know... I never got a compliment about how I talk to people. First time, so thank you." He holds his ears and pinches it.

Clarissa find it cute, to a guy with a cute appearance but a bit bulky on the stem, it's a real cute habit of his. "Welcome." She replied with a small smile. Retrieving it when her mind swallows by the memory of seeing those things. It's giving her chills, terrifying scene that her eyes witnessed, people throwing themselves to the others just to spread this demonic power on earth.

"Hey guys, I found hiking bags where we can put the foods we can get." Rohana interrupted them while pointing at the direction where she and Jonixa gone. "And there's McDonald's over there, maybe if we're lucky there's stocks we can eat." She added.

"Great." Gavin muttered and stood up, Clarissa follows and smiles at Rohana. "Why don't you guys go and eat first? I'll find Amando." He suggested to the two before walking away.

"Hey, uhm-- he's with Jessa. Please take care of her, okay?" She told him and he replied her with a wink before running.

"Say he has a thing with an 18 year old genius ass named Clarissa." Rohana uttered before pulling her to the way where Jonixa is.

"What?" Clarissa gave her a pair of wide eyes and open mouth.

"What?" Rohana just chuckled, copying what she asked her. "Clearly he thinks that he can have a way of hitting you." She snorted. "Seriously, in the middle of this crisis, he tend to fall in love in a damsel like you-- I mean, specifically, you." She pinches her side lightly and chortles lowly.

"Rohana!" Clarissa chided her. "Don't josh around like that." She pouts her lips.

"There's the runway model, what a real jerk. Didn't even wait for us to eat." Rohana muttered as soon as they saw him eating fries with his pinky straight pointing outwards.

"Where are the bags you said?" Clarissa asked and Rohana pointed at a stall before the McDonald's restaurant. "Great, I'll get six, one each." She received a nod from Rohana.

"Just holler if you need help, okay?" She reminded her, sounding like a mother.

Meanwhile at the other end, Jessa, Amando and Gavin are inside an electronic shop. Wishing for the network is working or if there's any service so they could call rescue.

"Batteries? Okay, here it is." Amando mumbles as he looks around.

"Hey, I found a radio. Here." Jessa gave him a portable wireless radio.

"Great, thank you... uhm-- what's your name again?" He squinted his eyes on her, trying to recall what her name is.

"Uh-- Jessamel but everyone calls me Jessa." She timidly replied to him with that shy smile of hers, handing him the two palm size radio at him.

"Jessa." He muttered to himself before taking the radio from her. "We should take this to them, they're probably looking for food to eat." He smiled at her.

"They already did, anything that could help us here?" Gavin appeared panting from the glass door. Finally found them after a minute of looking for the two.

"Yes, flares, flashlights, a phone and a radio. What we need now is... service." Amando replied to him, showing him the phone he has in his hand.

"Right, all set then? Where are we going to find sim cards around this place? It's too huge to find it in no time." Gavin walked close to them, checking out what they got. "This is fancy, this is the first time I saw a flare in person." He muttered like an ignorant person.

"That's because you keep yourself locked up in the kitchen, li'l brother. Come on, let's go back with the others. Let's just hope that we see any sim card store or stalls here. And if there's still any service at time like this." Amando invited them outside, taking the bag where the supplies they got.

"How are we going to find Jeiger and Brenda? I hope they're okay." Jessa suddenly asked the two while they're on their way back to where they left the three.

Gavin and Amando shared a look. "We will find them, you don't have to worry. This place is a bit smaller than we think, wherever there's clanking sound. It's where they are." Gavin is the one to answer her, paired with a comforting smile to offer.

"Okay." Jessa can't do anything else but to agree and just throw away the worry, but that's not just as easy as it is said.

"They're here." Clarissa announced as soon as she saw them walking towards the McDonalds.

The newly arrived three instantly notice that they manage to keep four table together with trays of whatever's left untouched in the shelf of the McDonald's. Fries, chicken sandwiches, pancakes, cokes, and pies and more.

"I'm so sure that Brenda would dig in that chicken sandwiches if she's here." Jessa uttered while looking at the food they have above the table.

Clarissa clears her throat and picked two of the chicken sandwich. "Look, Jessa, why don't you save two of it so that Brenda would have something to eat when we find them?" She gave the sandwiches to Jessa and all of them looks at her. The amount of uncertainty that they will find the two again rises up, but hope is still with them. That they will find Brenda and Jeiger again.