CHAPTER 1: Revelation 20:5

CHAPTER 1

"I am the President of the United States, and I want to emphasize that the inception of this 'Daravilla' virus marks its eventual demise."

"Good morning, Philippines. This is an update on the 'Daravilla' virus. The government has announced that the national lockdown will commence in three days, said by our council. Many cases have been reported in other major countries like China, America, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and Russia... But the Philippines remains among the nations with zero cases of this disease. So, you can breathe easy, fellow citizens. Good morning again!"

"The global death toll of the virus has reached 20,000 as of February."

"Let's not believe in the Fake News we see on social media and the internet. This is being handled properly, as a doctor, and I will not allow it to go unchecked."

"The two doctors who have been missing these past few days, Doctor George Lewis and Doctor Elvis Grand, are now reported as 'kidnapped.'"

"To our Lord and our Savior, please guide us in everything. Keep us safe from harm. Safe from the Daravilla Virus that is spreading all throughout other countries. May you guide and guard in everyday. As the Verse says in Exodus 23:25... 'Worship the LORD your God, and His blessings will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you... God help us all."

These were the announcements echoing from the television on Veinsland University's Tour Bus A1 as it embarked on a journey to Boracay. Here, the students would receive training under the tutelage of renowned chefs from five-star hotels, honing their culinary skills.

"So, Nursing and HR, what are your expectations for this tour?"

Professor Kevin initiated the conversation, but silence met his inquiry. Most of the students seemed half-asleep or engrossed in their smartphones, appearing oblivious to their surroundings.

"Does anyone want to offer a response?"

He asked once more, only to be taken aback by an unexpected outburst.

"ARRRrggghhhhhhh! PUCHA!!!!"

A scream reverberated through the bus, jolting everyone from their drowsy stupor. Even Professor Kevin, who was already wide awake, seemed to have had a reality check.

This outburst came from Steven, situated at the back of the bus. His shout startled everyone on board, making them turn their heads to see what had caused the commotion.

"Who on earth is that?!"

"What's the matter with you, Steven?! Some of us are trying to get some sleep here!"

Selene chimed in from her seat at the rear, still wearing earphones.

"Pipe down, Steven, you're seeking attention!"

William, seated near the professors as he retrieved drinks from the bus's mini-fridge, joined the chorus of complaints.

"Apologies, sir. It wasn't intentional! My internet was acting up, and my assistant is taking forever."

Steven scratched his head. He had considered making a joke about not being able to access even adult websites, but he thought better of it, fearing it might cost him his breath.

Everyone agreed with what he said, even though they were all laughing, leaving some concerned about the seriousness of the situation.

"Sir, our internet isn't working either. It's been acting up since last night."

Selene's friends, Heisly and Synthia, who were seated in front of Steven, nodded in agreement.

"We can't get any updates about the virus."

Jimmy, the head coach of the university's football team and a professor, took a deep breath.

"Please, have a seat and calm down. Our signal is weak, but we don't need to shout. We're not that dramatic! Sit down!"

Everyone burst into laughter at Jimmy's remark. Even Steven was surprised and scratched his head in response.

While everyone was still laughing, Kevin took the opportunity to talk to Jimmy about the situation.

"Mine isn't working either, Jim. I can't contact our fellow teachers. Luckily, I have some phone credit left."

"Try to contact the networks. Maybe they can provide some answers."

"I already asked my brother, who works at Skywalk Telco. He said there have been issues since early morning."

Jim closed his eyes in frustration.

"Darn it! Why did this have to happen now? If I owned this school, I'd cancel all the flights."

Jimmy was also puzzled because even though he had a strong cellphone signal, he couldn't use his messenger or access any websites for updated news. It was as if they were being deliberately kept in the dark.

"Maybe you're just out of mobile data, crazy!"

Everyone burst into laughter at William's teasing.

"Seriously! Shut up, water boy! We're all thirsty here, and our water's taking forever!"

Steven's reply only fueled more laughter among the group.

"Look, a helicopter! That's the sixth one!"

Selene overheard Bobby and Patrick talking excitedly as if they were children seeing a helicopter for the first time.

Amidst the laughter and banter, Selene suddenly heard a low growl-like noise.

'What's that?'

She was on the left side of the bus before it reached the front, so she turned to see who was making that noise.

But before she could identify the source of the sound.

Her heart almost leaped out of her chest in shock.

"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIEEEE!!!"

"Damn it! You moron!"

Kai's scream slapped him hard in the face. Everyone was startled, and even the bus driver was rattled.

"Oh no! It was just a dream! Hahahahahaha!"

Kai quickly whispered after realizing that it was all just a nightmare.

" You crazy!!!"

Everyone was nervous because they thought something serious had happened.

"OUCH!"

"You idiot!"

"That hurt!!!"

Kai touched his right cheek where he got been slapped by Selene who got shock because of his scream.

"You knew I had a bandage on my face, and you added to it?!"

"BECAUSE YOU'RE CRAZY! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US?"

Someone replied.

The onlookers had disapproving glares as they looked at Kai, who was still sweating and standing, lost in his thoughts.

"Kai, what's going on with you?!"

Steven asked beside him, looking equally surprised.

"I had a dream... Because... I... I... I was being eaten by Zombies!!!"

He was immediately met with laughter from everyone! The anger got suddenly changed because of the stupid word heard from Kai.

Hit friends Steven almost cried from laughing at him.

"Hahahahaha! What did you eat last night? Looks like the bad grass is still giving you nightmares!"

Kai was teased even more, leaving him nearly in tears smiling from embarrassment.

In the midst of his daze, someone suddenly threw a water bottle at his face. He narrowly avoided it, but it was a close call.

"Who's that idiot? You've got some nerve!"

Kai, shouted. As the man knows how to accept an embarassment but not a violence.

They looked all on the person who threw it, Steven, William, Patrick, and Bobby, who were all sitting together at the back of the bus, looked equally surprised.

"Oh shit!"

"Who threw that?!"

┻━┻ ︵ヽ('Д')ﾉ︵ ┻━┻

They were all infuriated. Even Kai's angry eyes got turned on.

But Kai's eyes widened up when he saw Jimmy standing and glaring at him from the front of the bus!

"SIT DOWN!!!! AND DRINK THAT!!!!"

Fuck.

"Yes, sir!"

'(っ'▽')っ

Kai's face seemed to have turned pale when he saw Jimmy. Even his fellow students were amazed by what just happened. They were used to Kai being stubborn and hardheaded. But when they saw Jimmy silencing him, they couldn't help but shake their heads in disbelief.

"It's a miracle!"

"Jimmy's something else! Only he can keep Kai in check!"

Everyone burst into laughter again when Kai finally sat down. Especially Steven, William, Bobby and Patrick. It was like they had heard a puppy whimper.

"Damn you, King Kong! You should thank your sister, Ashley!"

He whispered as he sit down.

"Speaking of Ash, where is she?"

"Is she still not here? If that's the case, I'm not coming if she's not here!"

Kai replied to Patrick's question.

"Selene, isn't Yanna your best friend? Where is she?"

Kai looked at Selene but received a slap on the left cheek in return.

"Ouch! Why did you do that?"

"I thought we were talking about Ashley?"

"Is that so?" (っ╥╯﹏╰╥)

"That's why Sir Jimmy seemed restless earlier, he's been waiting for Ashley."

Steven added.

"Wait, who's Yanna that you're talking about? We're discussing Ashley, right?"

William asked.

Kai grinned and replied, "It's a secret!" (σ≧▽≦)σ

While Selene just rolled her eyes.

"Do you have food, Selene? Since you slapped Kai, maybe that could be your payment?" Bobby asked.

"Nope! I went with Ashley to buy food because I FORGOT to buy last night. So, it's going to take even longer."

"We have some! Here!"

Heisly chimed in from the other seat.

"You can have it! We can't finish it anyway! We don't have the Daravilla virus, don't worry," Synthia added while the group are thanking them.

"Hahahahaha, you know Kai, if you really want Ashley's brother to like you, you should be a bit more submissive! Hahahahaha!"

Patrick teased from the far right end of the bus, munching on the snacks they had been given.

"Hahahahaha, yeah Kai! He always scolds you, and you can't deny that Jimmy really doesn't like troublemakers like you!"

The three of his buddies laughed even more when Steven joined in.

"Yeah, especially since summer's coming up. At least you'll have a part-time job! You'll see Ash."

Bobby added.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

"You.. you guys are really worthless friends! Let me have your food! Maybe that's why you don't wake me up when I'm having a nightmare because you're eating!"

Kai suddenly stood up and snatched their bags.

"KAI, THAT'S OURS! WE HAVEN'T OPENED THAT YET!"

"SHUT UP, PATRICK! YOU'RE TOO FAT ALREADY!"

"KAI, I COOKED THAT RICE THIS MORNING!"

"YOU TOO, BOBBY! YOU GUYS CAN'T EVEN JOG WITH PATRICK!"

"SHOW SOME MERCY, KAI! WE SAVED UP FOR THAT!"

"SHUT UP!!!"

Kairo Marciano, or better known as "Kai," was the leader of a group of troublemakers in their Hotel Management course – Steven, William, Patrick, and Bobby. But he was also the most feared among them, even by the gangs outside of their University. They were also members of their basketball club.

Many admired him, but he was oblivious because there were more people annoyed by his rough and violent behavior. At 6'3", he had a great physique, but unfortunately, he had never had a girlfriend yet due to his inherent shyness when he had a crush.

"Guys, what's the latest news there?"

William asked after he had cooled down their drinks.

"DUDE, KAI IS TAKING OUR PACKED LUNCHES!"

Bobby shouted, and chaos erupted among the friends.

"Should we stop them?"

Heisly asked from the right end, sitting beside Synthia.

"Selene, can't you do something?"

Synthia added.

Selene's veins were popping from anger because she couldn't sleep due to the laughter and teasing she heard from the back.

"We're just wasting our time dealing with these guys!"

In the midst of their chaos, the bus suddenly stopped.

"Oh no, Jimmy's standing!"

The friends stopped their nonsense trip, quickly sat down, and returned to their seats.

"We're not even at the airport yet."

William wondered aloud as Kai's eyes turned into hearts.

(♥ω♥*)

"Did you buy everything you needed?"

"Yes, Kuya. Mom and Dad went home already."

Ashley arrived. She was the girl Kai had loved since he entered Veinsland University. He had been head over heels for her, and among all the people he had ever liked, she was the only one he didn't plan to confess to. Maybe because he thought he'd get rejected, or maybe...

"This Kai has a curse. Everyone he likes rejects him, but there are plenty of people who like him."

Steven said, gossiping with Synthia.

"Lucky for us, Ashley is nice, so she treats Kai like a friend."

William added.

"Yeah, good thing our best friend, Yan.. I mean Ashley is very nice."

Selene said, and all 3 of them Heisly and Synthia looked in front ay the same time. Because Ashley was waving at them, crazy Kai, was also showing all smiles.

"She's so beautiful, isn't she?" he said.

(✯ᴗ✯)

"Yeah. That'll melt your heart!" Patrick replied.

"Kai! Good morning!!"

(^ω^｡)ﾉ

Who wouldn't fall in love with her sweet and gentle voice? Even the toughest guys would become obedient when talking to Ashley.

Kai's friends, William, Steven, Patrick, and Bobby, all looked at Kai when his name was called.

"HELLO, YANNA! GOOD MORNING!"

♡(' ▽｀)..ｏ♡

As Kai's replied.

"Look he got fallen inlove."

They commented chatting while Steven joined in.

The eyes of the five widened when Jimmy suddenly looked their way.

"You damn monkey!"

The mood shifted, and Kai was once again the target of laughter.

His friends were surprised when he abruptly stood up, visibly irritated, holding a water bottle. It seemed like he was about to confront someone at the front of the bus.

"Kai, where are you going?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"I bet Jimmy's going to beat him up!"

"No, he'll throw him off the bus!"

Bobby and Patrick even made bets.

As he approached, Kai overheard that Ashley was feeling warm, so he interrupted their conversation with her brother.

"Here, have some water, you might be thirsty!"

He suggested, but the response was unexpected.

"What?"

"Maybe you're thirsty, Sir Jimmy?"

His buddies burst into laughter again, and Steven joined in, offering a response Kai hadn't anticipated.

'Idiot.'

"Thanks anyway. You never know where that water came from; you might have a virus!"

Kai's blood was boiling. 'You animal.'

Before Kai could respond, Ashley took the bottle and drank from it.

"Thank you, Kai, I was quite thirsty..."

(◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠✧⁠*⁠.

She almost finished it, Kai is flashing a teasing smile at Jimmy as if to say, 'What now, monster!'

Jimmy was fuming at those smiles, seemingly wanting to strangle him, but the bus came to another stop. He glanced toward the door and smiled at what he saw.

The atmosphere on their bus changed when a Criminology student got on.

"Good morning, sir Jimmy!"

"Looks like he's with them!"

Kai whispered in his surprise.

"Oh my gosh! MY CRUSH IS HERE!"

"If he's that handsome, I'd rather become a criminal in the future! Ugh!"

The girls' whispers of excitement were heard by Kai, and Mario was the subject of their admiration. He was as tall and handsome as Kai himself.

Selene also looked and awaited the intense staring contest. They seemed very serious about it. She also noticed the bandages on Mario's face as Kai's have.

"Let's wait, maybe they'll start fighting!"

William commented with a smile, but Selene smacked him.

They exchanged glances for a few seconds, but it didn't take long before Kai turned around, telling himself, "Calm down, Kai! Yanna's here! Just think sweet thoughts." He returned to his seat amid more laughter from his peers.

"Mr. Marten is here!"

Kai said as he sat down.

"It's Mario, not Marten!"

Steven replied.

"I don't care."

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

They laughed at him again.

"You really like changing people's names! Like Ashley, why do you call her Yanna by the way?"

Patrick asked, laughing along.

"Well this Mr. Ear in hear. He heard us yesterday that Ashley's nickname is 'Yanna. Thats why it annoys Sir, Jimmy when Kai calls him that name."

Selene chimed in.

"Our apologies. My friend is insane."

Bobby added.

Yanna sat beside Selene, which made Kai feel relieved. She was right in front of him on the seats now. Meanwhile, Mario was still in front, talking to Jimmy. Only a few Criminology students were on the tour with them.

A few more minutes passed, and they finally arrived at the airport. The group of Kai, continued to tease and make fun of him until they reached the area with other tour buses. The Veinsland University crowd became even more chaotic and noisy as friends from various courses reunited.

Their morning started off well, but they had no idea what lay ahead in their lives.

One man was waiting at their bus door, while taking advantage of the return of internet access. It was Carl, a strange, nerdy guy who was reading a trending conspiracy theories on Facebook.

"Interesting."

A Bible verse stuck in his mind before he finished reading. It was a Bible verse that sent shivers down in his curious mind.

Zechariah 14:12

"And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths."

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