Lost (3)

"No man is an island."

This famous quote from John Donne became widespread and reached almost everyone's ears all over the world. But the meaning of the quote is hardly ever discussed. Reason being is that the quote itself tries to explain what it means by using a metaphor, a very powerful and inspiring metaphor.

It isn't as harsh as "There's no I in TEAM" nor is it as gentle as "A stick can't do much, but a broom can sweep the dust." Instead it conveys a very insightful look at a person's pride.

Even if one can do anything, it doesn't mean one can do everything. No matter how strong a person is, no matter how smart, no matter how talented, no matter how funny a person can be, there will always be limitations.

An island may be abe to fit a house, but can it fit an entire city?

No matter how large the Earth is, can it compare to the galaxies?

A journey can begin with a person's mind, but the adventure must be done by the body. An apple may be eaten with the mouth, but to use it, it needs to go to the tummy.

Similarly, although Rando may be able to last for at least a week with his supplies, eventually, he'll need to go out and get more. And when he does, he's going to eventually face the slime collector again.

That time, he might not be as lucky.

Therefore, he needed to prepare, and he should't be selfish.

'Alright, let's imagine the situation is like a zombie apocalypse.'

Rando has seen a lot of zombie movies, read zombie novels, and played zombie games. By the year 2020, everybody should have done so at least once, but Rando had always daydreamed a bit of what he will do when an apocalypse does happen.

'First, I'll need more people. More people means faster progress. If I have at least five people, we might be able to build a starter base fast enough before that monster comes back.'

Rando was already imagining big metal fences that covers the entire surrounding area.

'Before that, I first need to fortify this building. Clearing this place of any hindrance and attempting to make a group with my neighbors should be my first step to fortification.'

As Rando's mind blabbered on and on, a group of four people in military uniforms are already hopping on a military truck after they finished their preparation.

One of them was Rando's friend, Lieutenant Mickey Reyes, who is in his dark green military outfit and protective gear. Two definitive black triangles were inlaid on the shoulder of Lieutenant Mickey's battledress, indicating that he was a 1st Lieutenant.

The other three people were Lieutenant Mickey's juniors, soldiers who went to the army after the war. They are all dressed in the same style of clothing as Lieutenant Mickey, but instead of having two triangles, they only have one.

"Lieutenant Anthony Batoto reporting for duty, Sir!"

"Lieutenant Mark Anthony Rosal reporting for duty, Sir!"

"Lieutenant Rose Marie Bautista reporting for duty, Sir!"

Just like Lieutenant Mickey, Mark and Rose were also not that tall, but they are taller than most Filipinos. All three of them has brown-colored skin, indicating that they indeed have the genes of a Pacific Islander.

Out of all of the soldiers coming to get Rando, Anthony was the tallest and also has the darkest skin out of them four. Even darker than Lieutenant Mickey's already tree-bark skin.

Lieutenant Mickey's peers often praise Anthony as he had displayed such fast running speed during their training sessions, and he also has great eyesight. They even said that Anthony was a gifted scout, one that can blend in the darkness pretty well.

Actually, Anthony was the only one Lieutenant Mickey really chose to bring with him, the other two were just reccommendations.

Lieutenant Mickey wanted to teach Anthony how to better handle a gun, he wanted Anthony to be better than himself.

'And maybe he can enter into the sniper team, who knows.'

Liuetenant Mickey finished checking their supplies for this run and proceeded to tell his juniors their plan.

"Attention!"

Anthony, Mark, and Rose immediately stood upright and put their hands on their side as they stared straight into Lieutenant Mickey's general direction. Mark especially puffed up his chest to express his eagerness to go outside for the first time in a while, yet his shoulders drooped down immediately after, as he remembered the terrorizing hideousness of the monsters he saw from far beyond the army base's metal fences.

Lieutenant Mickey saw this and took a grade off from Mark.

"Don't be nervous, our mission today is to simply gather former soldiers who once left the army in order to bring them back here to safety. The Philippine Armed Forces never EVER leaves anyone behind, even if they once left. Remember that."

"The person we need to deliver here today is named Rando De Guzman, he became a 1st Lieutenant just after a year of repeated recognitions from his comrades, beating everyone else in the battalion. After the war, he has left us to build a home for his family, but has promised to come back once he is called again for duty. He was a comrade, and is my friend. Do you understand his importance to me?"

"Yes sir!" All three of them answered unitarily.

"Every time his team or plattoon encounters a life threatening situation, he was the one who led them to safety. I know because I was there. Now, do you understand his importance to us?"

"Yes sir!"

"Alright, his house is very near, but the area is surrounded by trees and tall grass, so it is very hard to see far away. As the shortcuts have been determined as code red, we will use the highway to go to the place nearest to his house where the truck will fit. And then we will go on foot from then on. Finally, we have to help Rando get back here, alive and well. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir!"

"Then get inside."

Anthony, Mark, and Rose immediately went inside the back of the truck where their supplies were located.

There were food inside just for Rando in case he was "tired from hunger" as Captain Dante said. Lieutenant Mickey was sure that Rando was alive and well, but both he and Captain Dante was worried and prepared for the worst.

There was even an extra set of protective gear in the supplies and a small box of molotovs under the seats.

"Just in case you encounter one, but I will pray that you will not."

Or as Captain Dante said.

He obviously meant well, but it came out of his mouth with a sarcastic voice. Lieutenant Mickey was already used to this. He knew fully well how Captain Dante praised Rando, so Mickey knew that his captain was just joking.

"Don't jinx us, captain."

"HAHAHAHA, alright alright. Go on, lieutenant, I wish you well. Bring him back soon and tell him he's shameless."

It was this kind of camaraderie that his captain imposed to his company. One that is very strict yet very lax at the same time. From an outside viewpoint, the line between military respect and normal friendship was blurred as they rarely ever see the soldiers talking to their captain respectfully. But it was in fact a very important part of training, learning when to be strict and when to be relaxed.

It was Lieutenant Mickey and Rando's friend, Lieutenant Bonni, that immediately adjusted within just a few months and received a pat on the back from their captain.

Soon after, Lieutenant Mickey learned that, too, and was attempting to teach it to the soldiers with him this time.

"Alright, guys, we will depart now. If you need to pee then pee right now. If you need to shit then just hold it in. This will be quick if we just run quick."

*vroom vroom*

The truck started to hum its engines and started vibrating. It was a sign that the truck was ready to go at anytime.

"Alright, let's get that bastard."