142 The Start of the Storm After the Reunion of Classmates (1/2)

Day 5 – 11:09 AM – 4th Grade Building, Queens Row Elementary School, Queens Row Area A, Bacoor City, Cavite

As everyone inside the elementary school grounds and Mark started to complain about taking a break himself, they heard several soldiers speaking on megaphones trying to appease the panic of the refugees.

”Everyone! Please do not panic and calmly return to your current dwellings. There was an ongoing buildup with the number of infected outside the school premises and we are currently thinning their numbers. I repeat, please do not panic and…”

The soldiers speaking on the megaphone patiently repeated what he said several times while moving around the school. That announcement eased the panic immediately but the refugees still went back to their dwellings as a precaution. After all, everything that happened these past days were unnerving for most people and the current sound of guns never did anything positive to their current state of mind.

Mark then sighed in relief. Though the situation was not a false alarm, at least it was not something that needed their help. It not like the military could not handle a few hundred infected and Mutated Infected while standing atop the walls.

”Gege, you should rest.”

”Uhn! Papa, tired.”Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please clickfor visiting.

Both Mei and Abbygale reprimanded Mark who suddenly reacted to the sounds of guns.

Realizing his blunder, Mark sighed. He did not notice because of the sequence of events but his mental state was still in battle mode. Mark took a deep breath as he tried to make his mind calm down.

”I'm fine.”

Mark patted the heads of the two.

”Anyway, what's the plan for lunch?”

Mark suddenly asked as he turned towards Odelina and Anna.

”Master, we haven't really thought of it.”

Odelina replied with an apologetic bow.

Before Mark could ask why, Melissa spoke.

”Everyone here was worried about you to worry about what we are going to eat for lunch you know that?”

”I see.”

Mark nodded.

”Then, start to prepare something light but filling. We have several new people after all. Also ready some extra.”

Odelina and Anna nodded.

However, it seems that some people disagreed.

”Wait, we can't have your group handle everything alright?”

Nikky suddenly spoke.

”We also have our own supply so let us contribute.”

It seemed that Nikky interjected for a good reason.

Everything then proceeded smoothly after that.

It seemed that not only them was thinking about lunch. It was because as Odelina and the others who went out to procure the ingredients back in their vehicle and Nikky and her group's dwelling, the people of the local government who were in charge of taking care of the refugees started to ration porridge to everyone despite the gunshots in the background.

While waiting for the lunch to be prepared. Mark made his way with Mei and Abbygale towards another room while being led by a Joey. When they were talking about lunch, Joey, the soldier tasked with searching if the people in Mark's list was among the refugees in the settlement stopped by to report that the search was done.

”It's unfortunate but among your list, we only found five people.”

Joey spoke while walking.

”It's fine. It's already surprising that you found five. I won't be surprised if you found no one at all.”

Mark replied.

”Actually, it should be seven but it seems that you already took one and the last one was out scavenging.”

Hearing what Joey said, Mark nodded. He must be talking about Arvie. Arvie's wife on the other hand was just a tag along. In the first place, this was the first time he met Arvie's wife since Mark was not informed of his wedding. Even if Mark was informed, it was less likely for him to go anyway. Just how many people would be present at that time? He would not be able to handle that for sure.

Soon they reached the room. However, it seemed that the atmosphere inside the room was not that good. Looking through the window, Mark saw ten people, seven adults and three children. Mark shook his head as he saw the situation. It was no wonder. The present inside the classroom were some of Mark's closest classmates in college and their partners. Still, the past could still affect the present after all. Not everyone had a good relationship in the past especially when the other broke the heart of another.

There was no confrontation happening but there were two families inside who seemed to not have any intention of interacting to the other. On the other hand, there were the other three adults who seemed to have no issues and were properly interacting with everyone. The effect of the tension was still apparent in their faces though. Among these people, Mark knew six of them and among the six, five were his former classmates. He knew none of the children of course. After graduation, he had been too busy jumping jobs and became a shut-in making it unlikely for him to know the young ones inside.

Mei also peeked through the window and her gaze locked at one of the females inside for some reason. Mark could not help but suddenly look at her. After all, Mei suddenly displayed cautiousness after she looked inside.

Mark patted her head which caught her off guard.

”Papa, papa. There are people outside.”

Mark heard a childish voice from the inside of the room. The girl was speaking to the man about the same age as Mark with tightly packed but thin looking curly hair. This girl was probably the daughter this classmate of his.

The girl's voice immediately made everyone inside wary. After all, they were all brought here by the military without telling them anything specific. They were only told that was someone was looking for them and they were to bring their families along.

Knowing that they had been found out, Mark slowily walked towards the door and showed himself.

Seeing him, there was a bit of silence but when they looked to his face…

”MARK!”

A chorus of yells saying his name ensued.

Scratching his head, Mark spoke.

”Do you all have to shout that loud?”

As it was confirmed that it was really Mark, they were surprised. The children and the mother of the girl who noticed Mark outside were in the lost though.

Among the people inside, his former classmates were Suzanne, a woman who was a year older than Mark but never looked old due to her short height and appearance and her husband, Loreto who was also a timid one but he had a lower level compared to Mark's behavior before the apocalypse. Next was Mar, the father of the girl who noticed Mark, who was close to Mark due to their hobby of playing FPS games. The other was Saime, it was her house that had been their base in their college days. The last one was Joan, the woman Mei was being cautious of.

As for Saime's husband, Rodel, Mark also knew him of course. Mar's wife, Julie Marie was lost seeing how these people and her husband was behaving after they saw the man with the scary aura around him. The children were the same. The children were Lexius, Suzanne and Loreto's son, Prince, who were Saime and Rodel's son, and Monique, Mar and Julie Marie's daughter.

Seeing that there were three families of three people here, he could not help but look at Joan. It seemed that this woman had not married yet the same as him despite the hobby this woman had. And her hobby? It was to change boyfriends like how she changed clothes. It was not like she was a slut either. It was because none of her past boyfriends were able to push her into their beds after all. That may also be the reason why she was left by them or why she left them.