158 The First and Final Night at the Settlement - After Midnigh (1/2)

Day 6 – 12:27 AM – 2nd Floor Classroom, 4th Grade Building, Queens Row Elementary School, Queens Row Area A, Bacoor City, Cavite

”Father, why don't you take a rest first? It's already past midnight, right? It will be bad for your body.”

Keene said as he sat on a makeshift bedding laid on the floor of the classroom his father and childhood friend brought him into. He stared at his father who planned to go out once more in the middle of the night to supervise the activities inside the settlement.

”I'm fine Keene. I'll just issue some urgent orders and return to get rest. You rest first since your body is still weak. You have to recover your strength first.”

Captain Dela Rosa said with a smile before walking out of the classroom.

Keene stared at the departing figure of his father who closed the door. He could not help but feel like he was dreaming.

His name was Keene Dela Rosa, son of the captain of the 7th Rescue Squad, Simeon Dela Rosa and the childhood friend of Irene McCarran.

Back in Bay City, he was supposed to be one of the members of the 7th Rescue Squad under his father but for some reason, he was switched with someone else at the last moment and he was put in the detestable 15th Squad who were a bunch of soldiers under the opposing faction. Due to that, General Perez could not help but play his hand and Keen was again relocated to the 11th Squad who were also under the General.

They were tasked of gathering surviving workers in the industrial area in Bacoor Cavite. The location was chosen not because it was the nearest but because it was in a location with lesser danger. However, it seemed that he had his stroke of bad luck.

They were clearing one of the construction sites were a building that was yet to be finished stood to rescue several construction workers trapped in the highest finished floor of the building. While they were making their way into the unfinished building however, something fell from above. It fell on him out of all the soldiers in their team. What bad luck he had.

Due to the thing falling on his head, he was disoriented. It was when he felt a searing pain on his left wrist and heard the sudden gunshots that he managed to recover himself. However, it was too late. He was already bitten.

What actually fell on him was a small infected boy who seemed to be able to climb on vertical surfaces. When they examined the body of the child, the child's hand had several pointed boney growth. Looking at the wall where the child fell from, they could see holes on the concrete where the child's hand might have drilled using those bone growth on his hands.

He was immediately quarantined. Fortunately, unlike in the movies and television drama where people who were bitten were immediately disposed of, there was still hope for him. As long as a person who was bitten did not turn into an infected immediately, there was a chance for them to become a Mutator. Due to that, he did not fall into despair and held unto that little hope.

He did become a Mutator, unfortunately, a failed one.

Keene turned at Irene who was sleeping beside him after being tired of crying. He smiled and he could not help but feel like laughing when he saw her childish crying face and her nose even dripping with snot. Still, he preferred that she stay like this. It was because a life of a soldier could often turn anyone's personality upside down.

He then stared at his left hand letting a white bone blade grow and retract at his fingertips. Remembering how it felt like his bones were being ground into powder before being reconstructed, he could not help but feel remorse. It felt like a torture going on for hours.

However, he could not let his consciousness wane even with the excruciating pain he felt. It was because he could feel that something would immediately take over his mind at the time he gave up. He started to lose control of his body but he was still conscious waiting for something.

He knew that even Successful Mutators had an episode that they would go berserk shortly before recovering so he still did not give up. Yet, reality betrayed him. He did not recover from his berserk state and he felt like his consciousness was being snuffed out like a candle fire being blown by the wind.

At that time, he knew that there was no going back.

Yet, it seemed that God had not forsaken him yet. Who thought that his father was able to find someone to save him before his consciousness was fully erased? When he heard the condition his father agreed to in order to save him, he could not help but feel confused.

If that person could save Failed Mutators like him, why would he want to hide it? However, with further thought, he started to bend that idea. He was not blind and he knew the current power struggle happening in Bay City. An ability to save Failed Mutators was very precious that those greedy pigs would want to monopolize it. Since there was only one person with that ability, only one would be able to monopolize him.

Then, since the others would not be able to make use of that person, his life would be in danger. If they were not able to make use of him, what was the use of keeping that person alive?

He started to agree with his father on accepting the deal. Furthermore, his life now was a debt to that person and he would not want his benefactor to fall into danger. Moreover that person already thought of an excuse if others were to question his sudden recovery.