321 Entering Phase Two, Planting Distrust and Creating Dispute (1/2)
Day 52 – 8:32 AM – Tent City, South District, Bay City Settlement, Pasay City, Metro Manila
Early in the morning, a lot of people were lined up for the morning rations. Although it was just chicken flavored rice soup that really did not have chicken meat in it and only had vegetables that were dried and powdered in it, a lot of people still lined up for the food. No matter what, it was still something that they could eat to fill up their growling stomachs.
There were not a lot of varieties with the jobs in the settlement offered by the military. Most of jobs required hard labor or combat experience and as such, many people were not able to join, especially the old, women and children. For those that had family members that were hired by the military, they had enough to get by day after day. The others however, had to rely solely on the rations. For the women that were desperate, they would secretly offer themselves to those that were able to scavenge outside.
”Here is yours. Be careful it's hot.”
Melissa handed a bowl of soup to an elderly woman.
”Thank you.”
The elderly woman smiled at Melissa before she left the line.
Right now, Anna, Melissa, Charmaine, Elsa and Cielo were among the people distributing the rations.
”Hey Melissa, Anna, is there really no work for you two somewhere else? One is a nurse, the other is a cook. You two should leave this to us sisters.”
Charmaine asked. Normally, it was just her and her sisters while Anna was mostly behind the scenes as one of the cooks. Right now however, the two were together with the three.
”What I'm going to do? Stay inside the clinic all day without doing anything?” Melissa sighed. ”I rather get paid to work and not to laze around.”
People like Melissa who had clinical experience could get accepted into either the laboratory, the clinic or on field duty. As a nurse, the first option was a no go as more experienced doctors and scientists were allowed there. Since she was not an experienced combatant, it was better if she did not join as a field nurse during missions. All she could enter was the clinic which would only treat a handful of people every day.
Since no one was getting sick nowadays due to viruses or harmful bacteria, all the people that had to get treated in the clinic were those that received wounds and physical injuries. Not to mention that it would only happen mostly after military missions. These days, the military were mostly staying since their manpower was severely weakened after the failed mission in NAIA. Due to that, Melissa had nothing to do but stare at the window these past days and decided to help out in the ration distribution.
Anna on the other hand just joined in knowing that Melissa was also here.
”Charm, don't bother about it too much, it's better that there's more of us here. It won't be boring.”
Elsa said to her sister making the youngest, Cielo, nod in agreement.
While the five chatted, they continued to fill the disposable plastic bowls with rice soup and handed the filled bowls to the people in line.
”What you girls think about what is happening these past days?”
Melissa suddenly changed the topic of the conversation.
”About the missing survivor teams?”
Charmaine asked.
”Yeah.”
”I don't really think about it too much.”
”Me too.”
Cielo agreed with Charmaine.
”Right? It's really better that those people are not here.”
Even Elsa agreed and spoke with contempt.
”What's with that reaction?”
Melissa was confused.
It was then that the next in line was a couple wearing masks and protective clothing. However, the girls were busy talking at each other that they did not pay too much attention.
”You're always in the clinic to you don't know but those survivor teams were the worst people.”
”Is that so?”
”Yeah, not only they act arrogant because they have the backings of powerful people. Many of them even tried to hit on us. If not for the soldiers guarding the place, they might have done more than just that.”
”Their eyes are scary every time they look at us.”
Cielo who also experienced the worst thing as a woman after the apocalypse started could feel the ill intent of those people.
”Here you go, please be careful.”
Charmaine smiled and handed two bowls of rice soup to the couple.
”Alright, thanks.”
The man spoke before the couple turned around to leave.
”Still, it's kind of scary that five survivor teams had gone missing in just three days. That's about sixty people already. Two of the teams had already been confirmed wiped out and both teams seemed to have died in the same way. The military already started to suspect that whoever is doing this should be targeting the settlement. Many other teams were already hesitating to go out of Bay City thinking that they might be next.”
”I don't think it's that bad. There were others that came out yesterday but returned fine. Maybe I'm just thinking this but the teams that were missing were those that had bad records.”
”Really?”
”Yeah, really. Right Charm?”
Elsa turned to Charmaine just to see her staring at the couple that had just left the line with their bowls of rice soup.
”Charm?”
Finally, Charmaine turned back to the four other girls. However…
”Sis, I'm just going to check something.”
Before the four could say anything, Charmaine ran off towards the exit of the distribution area. She was following the direction that the couple had left.
The couple turned at the corner leading to an alley where Charmaine lost sight of them. She hurriedly ran and turned at the same corner. But…
”Where are they?”
Charmaine started to slow down as she could not see the couple anymore. She was facing a dead end. She thought that the couple decided to stop in this place to eat but they were nowhere to be seen. Rather, there was no one in the alley at all.
”Charm, what's gotten into you? It's dangerous to move alone you know right?”
Elsa caught up to Charmaine.
”Sis, I…” Charmaine hesitated what to say…”Nevermind. Let's return.”
***
”Gege, she looked dejected.”
Mei spoke as she watched Charmaine return to the distribution area with Elsa.
”It's still not the time for us to show up. I just wanted to try out eating that the people here eat. It's just a coincidence that we encountered them. At least, they were doing fine outside.”