The Scourge System

CHAPTER VIII

Chapter VIII

It was a quiet evening, Jessa and Jonixa are asleep in one of the bed. Brenda is taking a bath, Rohana is using the phone and talking to her grandmother who got a chance to lock herself with her nurse in the apartment unit. Jeiger fell asleep at the couch from thinking so deep and still not in the mood for a talk but he took out the radio and ate with them earlier ago. Gavin took the first watch until dawn as Rohana insisted to take over him as him too needs a rest and Clarissa, she's drying her hair with a towel.

All of them was refreshed by taking a shower. Luckily the apartment has a lot of spare cloths in the cabinet. Plain white shirts and stretchable black pants. Jonixa even laughed a bit, telling how they all looked like patients from a ward. Although him too changed himself into it but he claims to look more elegant that they all are making Jessa smile a bit and Gavin and Clarissa did too. Well as for Rohana and Brenda, they just rolled their eyes and Jeiger stayed stoic, still affected by what had happened.

"Hi." Clarissa approached Gavin who's sitting before the window, looking outside the dark. Although they managed to open the lights outside, wishing that maybe there are rescue coming in or maybe some people who needs their help, they are welcome to join them.

Gavin lifted his head and smiles at her. "Hey, don't you want to take a nap? It's almost midnight." It's like dejavu, only that they switched places.

She took a sit beside him and displayed a small smile. "I'm sorry... for your loss. Amando was a very nice guy." She saw how saddened he is by the thought of losing his friend.

"Yes, he was. He's actually me and Jeiger's partner in crime. Way back before all these happened, ever since we were little. Like we would sometime steal Uncle Kevin's car and wreck it on the road. We a totally got almost jailed for that, we were so drunk that night and we didn't remember everything tomorrow morning and our Aunt Janette were nagging at us." He chuckles, reminiscing the moment he was with him.

Clarissa can see how much happy he was with that memory. Smiling with him as she listen to his story. She knows that he would do the same for her if she's in his situation, in which she doesn't want to happen.

"Actually the yacht we were on when we met, it was Uncle Bobby's yacht too. We stole it that night when Jeiger had the thought of partying in it. When I head Jeiger told Amando that he's planning on taking it from the pier I was like, 'dude, I don't want to scolded again, for sure my mom would freeze my account again if she finds out that we steal Uncle Kevin's lovely boat' and then Jeiger was like, 'you worry too much, Gavin, live your life or I'll sauté you in your own restaurant'. And then Amando came in the middle saying that he agrees with Jeiger's idea because I needed the break and then he said, 'Jeigs was right, Gav, why don't we just spend in the yacht just for about a couple of hours and then we're done'. But then we ended up staying in yacht until the next day. We even made a bet, the first man to wake up in next morning with receive a jackpot of 20 peso bill." He shared to her, even mimicking how Jeiger and Amando talks like.

"So generous." Clarissa commented, hearing how much was the bet. Seeing how Gavin, Jeiger and Amando looked like millionaires who would likely to spend their every night in a luxurious apartment with luxurious living and sleeping in a luxurious bed.

"Very, yeah." Gavin chuckles, and then suddenly it faded. Turning into a sad expression, so low and longing for a friend. "Now he's gone. I didn't even had the chance to say goodbye." He sniffed and looks away. "He's that person who would take himself aside and let the others go do what they want first before he honors himself. A very understanding guy I ever knew." He glances at her, showing how his eyes are trying to keep his tears from rolling down his cheek.

Clarissa can't say anything, can't do anything but to feel sorry for him. She doesn't know how to comfort anyone. Because she's the one who was taking the comfort. Her mother, her friends, everyone comforts her but she does to no one. Yet so, she caress his back, thinking about how her mother gives her a light pat on her back whenever she longs for her father's time.

"He's the only child of his parents, actually. Uncle Bob and Aunt Lilith's. Even so they treated me and Jeiger as their sons too." He wiped his eyes with both of his hands and clears his throat. "My parents and his are kind of in the same page. And Jeiger's--" He took a quick glance at Jeiger who's still in deep slumber. "Jeiger has no healthy relationship with his parents."

Clarissa frowns. "I don't mean to pry but... why is that?" She respectfully asked him.

"Jeiger's brothers, Jax and John are known for their big names in business. While Jeiger, he refused to be a businessman. Because he loves... he loves to paint. To see the art of the world. Only Amando and I supports him with what he's great about. But his parents doesn't seem to like the idea of his painting skills. He refused again and again to their deal until they... they disowned him."

Clarissa admits how annoyed she is to Heiger earlier, from how he speaks so carelessly, not caring if he could being pain to others with his choice of words. Yet now, understanding what he's been going through is probably the worst thing she heard for the rest of her life. Unknowingly, she's staring at Jeiger.

"Amando and I decided to help him stand up, Amando gave him his old penthouse, I treat him food everyday and then, we helped him start a Galleria for his works that eventually clicked and loved by many. But even how successful he became, his family didn't recognize him as their own." He explained further more. "He was hurt of course, but his brother John was secretly supporting his events. As expected from the eldest among them of course. Jeiger doesn't know that John is always at his back, up until now. Guess that affected the way he sees people. He doesn't trust anybody but Amando and I. He doesn't like people much. He's not really fond of strangers, caused by how his own family didn't like him. He's not a gruff man before, but then it all started when he started thinking that might as well leave him alone because he doesn't want to be left behind."

"I never thought that his story would be like that. I admit how irritated I am at him back in the car. Talking so rough about me and my friends. Now I feel guilty." She uttered, breaking her stare at Jeiger and gets it back to Gavin.

"Don't pity him though, he doesn't like it." Gavin smiles at her. Just a small one, not even reaching his eyes. "He's not an easy, soft guy." He added.

"Yeah, I got that." She nods her head and sighed.

The door from the bathroom opened, revealing Brenda who's switched in a uniform cloth just like everybody else, she's the last one to take the shower after Clarissa as everyone wanted to sleep.

"Hey, where's Rohana?" She asked, drying her hair just like how Clarissa does.

"She's at the balcony, probably still talking to her grandma." She replied, pointing at the open door.

"Okay. Why don't you guy sleep? We've got all night." Brenda asked the two.

"Someone has to watch outside, there might be help passing this way." Gavin replied to her.

"I should call Rohana back here. It's too dangerous outside." Clarissa excused herself and left the room to go to Rohana, leaving Brenda and Gavin.

"Hey, uhm-- Gavin." She took the seat Clarissa left and awkwardly sat there.

"Yep?" Unlike Jeiger, Gavin is a nicer guy. A lot nicer than Jeiger, he knows how to accept things, to not be immature and to understand the situation. And Brenda and clearly see that.

"I'm sorry... for what happened to Amando." She choked and clears her throat. "Jeiger was right, it was my fault. If I didn't just stood there watching them getting attacked, Jeiger probably had the chance to save him." She gulped before taking the courage to look at him.

"Hey, we don't blame anyone. You were shocked and I understand that. This is no one's fault, Brenda. Give Jeiger some time, he just need to cool down a bit." He smiled at her, and shrugs his shoulder before bringing his eyes back outside the window. Seeing Rohana and Clarissa are quickly walking back to the room.

"Thank you, Gavin, for not blaming me." She smiled back at him.

"Hey, we are a team here. And I'm sure that Amando would want us to get to the safe place. And we will make it happen." He reassured her that she shouldn't worry about anything at all. "Now take a rest, you need it. Tomorrow we'll make a plan if help isn't coming yet."

"Thank you." She muttered before leaving the seat and as if on cue, the door opened and the two girls entered.

"... I'm happy for you, Rohana." Clarissa told her with a small smile.

"Yeah, I never really thought that my drunkard dad and my nagger mother would reunite just to look for me." She unbelievably uttered.

"Well only if it's possible that help could come." Clarissa sighed, double locking the door.

Rohana found Gavin and she handed him the phone. "Hey, want to make a call?" She asked him and he took it.

"Thank you." He nods his head to her.

"I'll try to make the radio work." She told him. Considering that the TV is not working at all. She took the radio that was lying on the table and turn it on.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" He asked Rohana.

"After knowing that my family is back together while they're quarantined? I don't think I will find my sleep." She replied while smiling.

"What do you mean with reunite?" Brenda asked Rohana, having no clue of what was happening in her family.

"Shut up and go to sleep, let's save the gossip for tomorrow." Rohana told her and opens the radio, searching for a station.

Gavin found Clarissa's eyes and he silently laughed when she gestured herself, making a face because of Rohana's sudden happy attitude.

"... the government have advised for the people of the Philippines to stay at home if evacuation areas are not available in your region. NCR is under the probation of the military units. The Scourge Virus are recorded to be infectious and most regions of the country has positive cases. People are advised to store meal for at least three days until rescues are provided. All regions are all under lockdown. The government have advised for the people of the Philippines--"

"Looks like they'll be waiting for every people inside NCR to be infected by that so called 'Scourge Virus' before they wipe us all out." Rohana commented when she heard the repetitive announcement on the radio.

"Let's not be hasty, Rohana. I'm sure that if the military finds out that there's still people that survived this virus, they're probably come to help us too." Clarissa smiled at her, learning that the whole region they are in right now is under the "probation" of the military units. She can see a possibility that they can be rescued.

"Can you find any news program?" Gavin asked, glancing outside the window from time to time.

"Let's see..."

"... Dr. Edison Mollo is still absent from the conference, yet the whole investors and shareholders of the company made an alliance to start solving the virus... it has been said that the doctors will have to study the virus first before they could start developing a cure... the Scourge Virus has recorded many casualties is every part of the world mainly in the Philippines. People are advised to manage themselves to stay indoors until evacuation begins in support of the military service..."

"Virus? What do they think, that this is some kind of a flu? People who were infected by that virus are turning into monsters!" Brenda exclaimed, earning a hushing hand from Clarissa and pointed at the people sleeping beside her.

Rohana rolled the station to the other, finding another juicy reports about the virus. She's not satisfied with what's going on in the news programs. It was until she found one.

"... Dr. Ramona, the Mollo Corporation has started to study the virus and they said that they will keep us updated with the study. Do you think that just after this day, after this very start of the infectious virus can find a certain cure?--

I don't think so, this virus attack the brain and I am not quite believing that they will find a cure... ever, and if there is, I don't think that people would still be with us in that time--

Dr. Ramona, so what is your point?--

The world has to declare that Scourge Virus could lead to pandemic, that whatever it is that's happening now is no safe at all. Everything you see from the TVs, shows... it is all happening right now and this is reality, you cannot fast forward it. There's a lot of things to see through it and of course, there's always a person behind all this.--

Who?--

Dr. Edison Mollo himself."