Chapter Number 188 - Worry

"Everything will be provided for us."

"Everything will be given to us."

"Thanks to the efforts of Sir Donovan, we shall be protected from all danger."

"We will be given shelter, food, water, clothing, and everything else that we are in need of."

"What need is there of worry - when we live in such a wonderful world?"

Worry is a useful thing.

It is a sense that makes us aware of our own issues, the challenges that we must face, the difficulties that we must tackle - and it is this very worry that forces caution and preparation.

A person who worries will not be careless in their approach, preparing before giving a presentation or a speech. Those who have no need of worry are either immensely talented or immensely foolish - and at times, both.

"So long as Sir Donovan is around... we have no need to be concerned with anything."

And the lack of worry is what creates a person who becomes entitled.

For without worry comes the expectation that everything must be handed to such a person.

"So why do you worry so much about paying him back?"

And without worry, a person will quickly become dependent upon others - incapable of providing for themselves - yet also unable to even imagine a world where they are not provided for.

"Sit back... and relax. There is nothing more important that you should be doing."

'I'll... be patient.'

Shane could sense the strange atmosphere that surrounded him, and he knew well that the people had already deemed him as a target.

What was their intention? Their goal?

It wasn't something he could comprehend, but if he had to guess - it would be indoctrination.

They wanted him to think like them.

'I guess... that's something that was pretty common, even in the old world.'

As Shane recalled some words that his father had told him before, he closed his eyes with nostalgia.

"There are many wicked people out there in the world who will try to get you to believe that they're right. They'll tell you all sorts of lies and horrible things to try and convince you of something. And to be honest, many of the things they say make sense a lot of the time."

"Huh? It makes sense? If they're bad guys, why would they make sense?"

"Son... it's exactly because they're bad guys that they make sense."

This statement from his father seemed to replay in his mind as he considered such things.

"They're good at making sense... because that's the only way they'll win people over."

As his father had told him these things, he had looked to the boy with sincerity.

"All I ask of you... is that you continue to search for the truth."

As he recalled these words, a strength welled up within Shane.

'These people... just what are they trying to convince me of?'

Opening his eyes, the boy looked around him with a stern expression.

'That I can sit back and relax... and live my life without a care in the world?'

'That I can put all my trust in this Donovan, and expect everything to be handed to me?'

'That I can become dependent on him... and that there's nothing wrong with that?'

A sudden calmness swept over the boy, who had been so concerned before.

Perhaps his father was whispering into his ear from the grave - but this memory appeared right at this time of need.

'I know what to do, father.'

Taking a deep breath, the boy merely nodded, taking in the scene around him as he quieted himself.

'I'll continue to search for the truth.'

Whether he was a coward or courageous - none of that mattered.

He couldn't afford to act rashly here.

If these people were his enemies, then there was all the more reason not to anger them.

If they were his allies, then fighting would only make them into his enemies.

'And it isn't like I could do anything anyways.'

They were adults after all, so as the one in the weaker position - he had no choice but to conform.

Yet this conformance would not be one of mere submission.

He would be patient.

He would wait.

He would act carefully, not moving without proper purpose and opportunity.

'And until I have found out that truth... I'll refrain from making any judgment.'

Thus, Shane began his war of attrition.

He was outnumbered.

Outclassed.

Outwitted.

He had no information, and whether those around him were even an enemy was unknown.

Yet even so, in that moment, Shane came to a decision.

'If I am to act as a General... then I will not give out any orders... without understanding the consequences... and being prepared to accept them.'

----

"It's almost meal time."

It was a sudden shift, but as William checked his watch - a mechanical one which was still functioning even after the calamity - his words immediately caused the survivors present to stand from their seats.

"Oh... I wonder what Donovan will offer today?"

"I hope there is something exquisite..."

"I suppose we'll see, won't we?"

Excitement seemed to spread throughout the group as people discussed the single thing that united people across all cultures and ideologies - food.

'Hm? They've all changed. They're no longer focusing their attention on us. I guess their hunger is more important.'

It was an obvious conclusion. No matter what strange mentality these people had, food was still important. The strange thing was the fact that there was an appointed meal time.

'Has that man already created this level of organization among the survivors? Is his ability to gather food sustainable enough to the point where he can do such a thing?'

Shane found himself wondering these things, but as he wondered them the doors seemed to burst open, at which numerous men in suits rushed in pushing carts with all sorts of delicacies and platters.

'What!?'

Shane could only watch in shock as he witnessed the contents of the cart - which should never have been possible in these conditions.

The first cart had a few steaks on it, freshly cooked. There was also a cart with some uncooked meats, as if they were straight from the butcher's shop.

There was a cart with roast chicken, and another with vegetables and various side dishes. There was a cart of cooked and uncooked foods for each respective dish.

Finally, there was the last cart - a simple soup in an enormous pot.

Some men brought in various supplies - small burners and other survival items, and as if the common room had turned into a marketplace, numerous stalls were quickly set up.

It was a mesmerizing sight, and even Shane couldn't help but be impressed at the level of coordination.

"Ahem... well then, if everyone would please select their meals for today. We have a limited supply of steaks and chicken, so decide among yourselves who will obtain these. We have enough soup for everyone."

One of the workers who was standing at the steak station made this announcement to the people, who all immediately lined up in front of him.

A few at the back quickly realized that they wouldn't be able to get a steak, and instead headed over to the chicken station. And among these people, not a single one headed to the carts that had raw meat.

"Obviously, you are free to obtain raw meat if you wish to cook it yourself, but if nobody wishes to do so then we will simply have them cooked and added to this station.", the man added.

As Shane watched the scene play out around him, he immediately knew that something was off.

Gordon seemed to be heading over to collect some vegetables, but Shane grabbed the collar of his shirt before he could do so.

"Wait just a minute."

"Hm? What's wrong, Shane? There's nobody over there. I'm not going to try and fight for a steak."

"You're right about that. We shouldn't try to fight over the steaks."

As Shane gazed around him, he spoke in a hushed tone, which caused Gordon to furrow his brows all the more in confusion.

"Yeah... so why did you stop me?"

Gordon looked to Shane with a strange expression, however the boy whispered to him quietly as he leaned in close.

"This is a marketplace."

Stella too approached the boys, who seemed to be hesitant to head up to the stands.

"Hey. What are you two talking about?"

"Don't you two see what's going on here? Take a good look around. Tell me what you see.", Shane asked.

At this, Gordon and Stella both gazed around them, witnessing the scene.

"Well... it is strange that there are stations with raw meat... maybe we should go to those and try to cook something ourselves?"

"Why would those stations exist in the first place?"

As Shane posed the question, the two seemed to thin their eyes in thought.

"It is weird... I mean, everyone is going to the stations with cooked meat. You would think they would catch the hint and just cook everything instead of trying to get people to cook it themselves."

"Exactly that."

Bringing up this point, Shane looked to the other two with suspicion.

"There is no reason to offer cooked foods and uncooked foods at the same time. You would either cook everything for everyone, or tell everyone to cook it themselves. Why would you offer the option to cook if nobody wants it?"

"Because... maybe there will be people like us who want to do things on their own?", Stella suggested.

Nodding his head no, Shane denied the notion.

"That's wrong. It's because this is a market. It's cheaper to buy raw food and cook it yourself than it is to go to a restaurant, right?"

"But even if you say that, Donovan offered all of this for free.", Gordon protested. "He isn't charging for it, so-"

"That makes it all the more strange. Why would he offer different levels like this if he wasn't charging?"

It was a question that put a halt on the three.

As they thought about these things, they watched as each person ordered and received their food, heading to the other stations to obtain other items.

"I'll have five steaks today."

"Just three for me."

"A leg, two breasts, and two thighs for me."

"I'll have a whole chicken."

As the three watched people order, there was a strangeness in the way they were ordering.

"Hey... aren't they ordering a bit too much?"

"What the hell... why would one person need a whole chicken?"

The amount of food that the people at the front were ordering was just plain wasteful.

"Alright, that's it! We're out of cooked steaks! Any further orders will have to be taken from the uncooked stock."

"Same with the chicken!"

As the two men at the stands shouted out these words, the orders continued to fly in.

"Do these people even understand that we're in the middle of a Calamity here?"

Gordon whispered these words to himself, in shock at the wasteful nature of these people as they ordered far beyond what was necessary.

"It's strange, isn't it?"

And suddenly, a voice spoke out from behind the three - at which they all turned around.

One of the men in black who wore shades to cover his eyes laughed bitterly, watching the scene from afar at his soup station.

"When people are given things for free, no matter what situation they're in, they'll always end up being wasteful. They'll take and take, consuming as much as they please without a shred of sympathy for those around them. And when they're finished... they'll throw out the leftovers."

"But all that... I mean, why order so much if you're not going to eat it? Why not leave it for someone else-"

"People like to be satisfied. They like to have the idea in their mind that they will be able to continue enjoying things, forever and ever - and won't ever have to stop eating until they're full. So they take far more than they need, to ensure that they'll never have to stop enjoying things."

As Gordon spoke to this man, he realized something.

Perhaps this was the first normal person he had talked to since coming to this place.

"Hey... you find everything here strange, don't you?", he asked.

"That? Oh, of course I do. But it isn't my place to do anything about it. I just need to do my job and serve this soup that nobody wants - until everything else is gone, that is."

Pouring a couple cups, the man slid them over to the three with a bitter smile.

"Want some?"

"We'll have to pay for this at some point, won't we?"

As Shane asked the man this question, the man merely smiled.

"Smart kid. I'm not supposed to tell you that, so don't snitch on me, alright?"

With these words, Shane nodded.

"This soup is the cheapest thing you offer, right?"

"Why would anybody want something cheap unless they couldn't afford anything else?"

With a nod, the boy took a cup, and the other two hesitantly followed.

"Let me guess. Silverware has it's price too - doesn't it?"

"You can use a stick if you can find one."

"Tch... I guess I'll take one of those plastic spoons."

As he took a spoon to consume the soup with, the boy let out a sigh.

"Hey, one more thing. Those people... what's going to happen to them?"

Motioning over to the survivors who seemed to be indulging in luxury, Shane motioned to the majority of the group.

At this question, the man looked up to the ceiling, and suddenly a grand smile overcame his expression.

"They'll face the results of their actions one way or another."

As the three consumed their soup by the man, separate from the rest of the group, one of the men at the stands shouted out to the group.

"That's it! Steaks are out! Get the chicken or something else if you want it!"

At these words, almost everyone in line for the steaks let out a groan, and headed over to the line where chicken was offered.

"Hey, can I get your name?", Gordon asked the worker who stood at the soup station.

"Me? Haha... I'm nobody, really. But I guess I'll tell you."

Placing his hand to his chest, the man spoke with a strange pride in his voice.

"My name is Evan."

----

The day had proceeded relatively normally, without any further incidents.

Even so, Shane and the other two found themselves in their cramped room later that night, discussing the events of the day.

"That man Evan... he seemed to be the only normal person around. It was almost like everyone else was in a trance."

"Right!? I was kinda weirded out by all those people...", Stella added. "Hey... do we have to stay here?"

As she asked this question, the boy went into deep thought.

"I'm thinking about that. To be honest, I think we need to leave. But I'm concerned about how they will react if we try to do so. So maybe we should sneak out."

"There's also the fact that it's pretty dangerous outside, and we don't know whether we'll be able to survive or not... are we really sure we should just leave? I understand that this place is sketchy, but... isn't the entire world going to be like that?"

As Gordon brought up the primary issue - the three all became silent in thought.

Indeed - the very reason they had come here in the first place was because of the danger outside.

Without someone to scavenge for them, they would have to do it themselves - and risk running into another inescapable situation.

And this time, there would be no hero to save the day.

"Are we trapped here?"

Wondering this out loud, a knock came on the door.

The eyes of the three immediately fell upon the entrance, at which Shane slowly stood up.

'Did someone overhear us?'

Widening his eyes as he took a breath in, the boy's heart rate increased as he approached that door.

'Or is this something else?'

"Hello?"

Opening the door with this greeting, the boy found himself face to face with exactly the man that he had hoped not to see.

"Donovan..."

"Ah, good evening. I'm so sorry to bother you at this time, but I was a bit concerned about a few things."

The man seemed to speak with genuine concern as he smiled lightly, not even the slightest bit forceful.

"You see, I know that we had offered you this small room. I was wondering if you all wanted a larger one-"

"No, we're fine. I like this one."

Shane responded immediately, and without hesitation.

"It's actually a bit better for the three of us, and you shouldn't be wasting the bigger rooms on three kids. If there is a big family that shows up, or larger groups, then please leave it for them."

"Are you certain? I can easily upgrade you now."

"No, it's fine. Right?"

Looking back to the other two, Stella and Gordon both nodded in agreement as they let Shane handle the negotiation.

"I see. Then, I won't force anything on you. If you change your mind, let me know."

With this statement, Shane held back a sigh of relief as the man turned around to leave.

'That was all? So he wanted to give us a bigger room... so that he could charge us for more later?'

"Ah... but I did want to ask you all a few questions."

However just as Shane thought he was in the clear, the man halted in his tracks as he posed this statement.

"Would you three come with me for a bit?"

----

What should he do?

Once again, Shane was presented with a decision.

Did he play along with this man's games?

Did he run while he still had the chance?

'Breeding suspicion now... wouldn't be the right decision.'

If he was going to leave, he would leave on his terms, at the right time.

'There might not be an opportunity later... but if we run now and fail, there definitely won't be any opportunity.'

Thus, Shane decided to go with the man.

"I understand. Is just me ok?"

"I would prefer that all three of you come."

This time, the man spoke with a forceful tone, even though his words didn't appear forceful just from their contents alone.

'There is no rejecting this offer.'

Shane knew this immediately, at which Gordon and Stella stood up.

"Alright. Let's go."

----

The three were led down the halls, eventually coming to a large room that was almost certainly this man's office.

Waiting outside this room were a couple of men dressed in suits, just as the others underneath Donovan.

"Sir."

With reference, the two greeted their boss, at which he smiled back at them.

"Good evening, gentlemen. Please ensure that nobody intrudes on our conversation. I've brought some very important guests."

"Understood."

With this brief interaction, Shane could feel his organs writhe inside him as he was referred to as important.

Just why would this man refer to him as important?

For what reason was he being brought here? Was he truly overheard before, or was it something else?

Perhaps it had to do with the way the other survivors had acted around him?

Shane knew one thing for certain - he couldn't trust this man at all.

"Ah... good evening, Young Master."

As the four entered the room, a gorgeous woman met the gaze of the man who entered with a smile.

She stood by the desk of the man, patiently waiting as if she was expecting him.

"Good evening, Lydia. Please have tea prepared. Or would you all prefer coffee? Soda? Juice? Forgive my boorishness, but I'm not quite sure what people your age would like. Or perhaps even some alcohol? Regulations don't have a place in this world anymore, after all."

"Tea is fine."

Picking up on the demeanor of the man, Shane decided not to reject this particular offer.

'When called to a meeting with someone, offering a complimentary drink is customary. Not only is it rude to refuse, but it shows a lack of trust - and more importantly, it would be extremely rude to try and charge for such a thing.'

As of right now, Shane couldn't afford to show this man that he was suspicious of him. He had to play the role of a mere boy who was just trying his best to survive.

And a mere boy would certainly indulge in some selfishness, would he not?

Quickly, the woman nodded as she began to prepare a pot of water, at which the man motioned towards the expensive chairs in front of the man's desk.

"By all means, do not remain standing."

The man said this as he himself took a seat, a calm yet unreadable smile lightly rising from the corners of his mouth.

"I wish to speak with you all not as a leader or as a provider... but as a friend."

----