CHAPTER 3: Jeremiah 6:24

"Kai's POV"

Finally! Damn it!

We just arrived at Manila International Airport (MIA). I've been itching to get off this bus for ages!

"Get in line, guys. Always remember what I told you earlier, okay!"

Sir Kevin is telling us to disembark the bus because we happened to be the last ones to arrive at the airport out of all 13 buses. Talk about bad luck!

And I've been annoyed with these companions of mine since earlier. If it weren't for Yanna, I think I would have shattered their jaws with my incessant laughter. It's like I'm surrounded by demons here.

"What's wrong, Kai? You've been awfully quiet earlier. Is there a problem?"

Steven asks me as the other students start getting off the bus. They haven't stopped making fun of me, and it's pretty clear they plan to escalate it judging by their tones.

"I think he got hurt earlier!" Bobby says.

"I think he's hurt! Hahahaha!" Patrick adds.

"Ah, maybe it's because..."

Before William can finish his sentence, I grab him by the neck and say, "Keep talking! I'll kill you! You've been teasing me since earlier! You're all useless!"

I hear Synthia and Heisly laughing while observing our little madness.

"Did you get hurt? What happened, Kai?"

Everyone looks at Yanna as she suddenly asks this question. It seems she's just now noticing the bandages on my face, probably thanks to Marten.

Selene, on the other hand, seems to shake her head and mutters, "Sorry, she's innocent." (-_-p)

"No worries, Yanna. Kai's fine. He just bumped into something last night! Hahahaha!"

"Yeah, that's right! Hahahaha! Our friend here has a thick skull, so he's okay!"

Steven and William reply, making me even more annoyed! These guys are something else.

"Yanna, let's get off!"

"O-okay, but are you sure you're okay?"

She asks me again as she starts grabbing her things from the overhead compartment.

I admit it, I've never met someone like her before. She's so innocent that I don't know how to hurt her. She's really caring.

She's cute, too. With her height of 5'5 compared to my 6'3, we look perfectly matched.

"Hehehe. Yanna, no worries! You should be more concerned about where I hit myself!"

(σ≧▽≦)σ

I joke, and she bursts into laughter. Her smile is so crazy it feels like I'm going to die laughing.

"Yanna, let me carry your stuff!"

I offer while trying not to show the trembling in my muscles. I'm kind of nervous.

"Thank you, Kai. But I've got this." (> = < ")

She politely declines while struggling to get her big bag from the compartment. She looks a bit awkward, so I decide to take it from her, and she doesn't resist.

"I said I'd handle it!"

(/^u^).

Selene pat may shoulder, as Yanna walks ahead of us in line, and she speaks up.

"Nice one, bro. 2 points for you!"

And then she elbows me. Even Heisly and Synthia give me a thumbs-up.

HAHAHAHAHAHaHAHA!

These girls are amusing. It seems they've already agreed to let me marry Yanna.

"Dude, look at Kai. A real gentleman! HAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!"

These guys are hopeless!

I ignore their nonsense and contemplate punching them in the stomach one by one before we notice Yanna.

As I step off the bus, Carl greets me. He's a friend from a different course.

"What's up, my little bitch!"

He greets Carl, Steven, William, Patrick, and Bobby. I embrace him.

"Get in line, everyone!" Jimmy orders us, as if he's only talking to me.

I'm in a good mood, so I have no intention of paying him any attention. I keep walking, but I notice his eyes widening.

"Why are you... holding that... bag... of my sister's!!!"

I gulp. I have no idea how to respond to that. Damn it.

I feel like I'm blanking out, and I quickly run towards Yanna and shout at her,

"She gave this to me! She said she cant carry it so I helped her, Jim!"

Sometimes you need to lie, especially when you're facing Hulk Hogan.

I can clearly see his scary face. I almost went comatose.

"Kai, where are your friends? They're already here, Ma'am Aiko wants to talk to them!"

Selene tells me as she joins the line, and she notices that we're just behind her.

"Students, I know you were worried earlier because the tour was disrupted due to the internet outage. Almost all of you were asking if the flight would be canceled..."

Ma'am Aiko begins, but Synthia and Heisly interrupt her in front of me.

"Ma'am Aiko is so beautiful, isn't she?"

"Superb."

"There are 8 professors accompanying us for guidance on this tour. Is Mr. Hisashi with us?"

I overhear their conversation.

Selene and Yanna are busy looking at their purchases, while the boys at the back? Completely obsessed with Carl's cellphone games, R.E, and PvZ.

"...What do you think about the 'Daravilla' virus?"

Mr. Hisashi asks this question with a smile, and everyone turns their attention to him. Well, he is the owner of Veinsland University, the reason the university is known. He's a famous doctor in the country.

And I couldn't care less.

One student government member raises their hand and answers his question.

"'Daravilla' or 'Chromavilla' virus (in English) was discovered this year in China. It's a second mutation of the 'Daravilla' virus."

Trixie Torres, the Vice President of the Student Government, proudly raises her head.

"...Which originally came from Africa. Nobody knows how it spread so rapidly, but experts believe it's definitely from animals. The symptoms start with a high fever, headache, and sore throat, and progress to major internal and external bleeding and multiple organ failure. It targets the brain. But in some cases, you'll experience extreme hunger... And then you'll die."

The students applaud, and I hear Heisly and Synthia sigh deeply and say, "Duhh!"

"She just read it from Google."

"It's so obvious you guys are mad at her!" I interject.

"Did you guys hear that? The virus targets the brain? Good thing we don't have brains!" Hahahaha!

I approach these five crazy ones to at least get a laugh out of them, but their response to me is something else.

"Out of all of us, you're the one without a brain!"

"Yeah, you're the only brainless one among us!"

"What?!"

"Hahahahahahaha!"

They laugh so loudly that I secretly punch each of them in the head before we get noticed by the professors.

Before I get noticed by King Kong.

One person catches my attention. He's standing quietly at the back and looks deadly serious. It's Carl.

And I already know the reason from just one look. He rarely shows me this face.

"Son, always take care of yourself. I'll be leaving Saudi Arabia in two weeks... We'll see each other soon... Always be careful..."

I clearly hear his Mommy's voice on his phone as she tries to console him. Even though it's just a phone call, I can feel his mother's tears as she tries to comfort him.

"You always have to watch over yourself...

Mommy loves you so much. I miss you, my child..."

And then the voice call ended.

I approached Carl, who was facing away from us, and hugged him tightly.

Even though he was only looking down.

I knew why from the very first glance.

Tears were falling from his eyes.

Tears that he only shows to me.

"You're listening to that again, bro," I say seriously.

"You know... Kai..."

He stutters.

"This was the last conversation I had with my mom... Before something bad happened to her..."

He whispered to me while holding back his sobs.

"Just two weeks left... Two weeks and we could have seen each other... But she died!!... If only I had been there to protect her! My mom should be the one still alive! Not me, feeling this miserable!"

His tears flowed even more, and I hugged him tightly to help him.

It was his mother's last words that he was listening to again after a year.

I know I'm not in the right position to ease his pain, but as a human and a true friend to him, I tried to comfort him. I gave him a handkerchief, and he wiped his tears.

He faced me and embraced me.

"I'm only telling you this now, Kai. If you hadn't helped me back when those thugs were beating me up, I probably wouldn't have met you. Thank you. Thank you for becoming my friend!"

I just smiled at what he said and then I playfully flicked his forehead.

"We're thankful too, Carl. We're happy to have you as a friend!"

"Yeah!"

"We're the lucky ones for getting to know you!"

"Our group isn't complete without you. Little bitch!"

Patrick, Bobby, Steven, and William chimed in as they approached. Apparently, they've been listening all along.

"Kai!"

I was taken aback by Selene's sudden approach.

"W-what?!"

"Ashley has been looking for you for a while now! Come on!"

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

"Her eyes are heart-shaped again! My god!"

I heard Steven mutter as I hurriedly approached Yanna.

"Yanna, here's your bag!"

Before I could get closer, someone suddenly blocked my way.

"Thanks for carrying that, Kai! You can go back to your seat now!"

"What did you say, King Kong?!"

I couldn't help but retort to this beast. I couldn't believe he's Yanna's brother!

"Yanna, use this alcohol. Pour it on your hands and sanitize. That guy might have a virus!"

"Big brother, please!!" (｡･ω･｡)

Yanna replied to the Gorilla, scratching her head. Afterward, she turned and gave me a look as if saying,

"I've got my eye on you!"

Gorilla, indeed.

Unexpectedly, my heart started racing.

Yanna... suddenly grabbed my arm.

"Is what I'm seeing real, right now?"

I heard Steven and the others comment from behind. As they see what just happened.

"Kai, please forgive my brother's behavior. I know he can be irritating sometimes, but I hope you won't mind his grumpiness. I'll be the one to apologize to you... Sorry."

ARRrrrGggg@&%¥#β&@#!!!n!!!!

Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ

o(σ≧▽≦)/

ヾ(≧▽≦*)o

~\(≧▽≦)/~

whooooo!

As long as I'm talking to you, I'll forgive your brother no matter how many times he insults me. Even if he breaks my bones, it's okay as long as you're the one apologizing!

Just kidding! Yanna you made my day.

"It's nothing. I understand your brother!"

"Thank you, Kai!" p(＾-＾)q

I could see that the guys weren't laughing at me anymore because who would laugh at me? I must be Mr. Super Kind!

Here, they started calling Mr. Hisashi the chosen leaders among the students.

"Jin Del Monte."

Jin is one of the 21 Criminology students chosen for this tour. He has a lot of experience in handling a group.

Moreover, we know him through King Kong and Marten, so his face isn't unfamiliar to me.

"Selene Gabriela. President of our Student Government."

The classmates of Yanna, Selene, Heisly, and Synthia cheered as they were called, and I followed suit, shouting along with the five troublemakers next to me.

"Shut up! No need to cheer!"

Selene scolded Kai and Steven, knowing that they were still listening.

"Why do you guys hate her so much?"

Steven suddenly asked because it seemed like they'd noticed.

"In case you haven't heard, she's the one who always opposes Selene's ideas during SG meetings."

Synthia replied.

"Yeah. She's the reason why our budget for the Student Festival booth ran out. She used it all for decorating other booths. That's why we had to chip in!"

Heisly added.

"Damn it. Our courses could have made money."

Steven interjected.

"She's like a politician who wins because of crazy voters."

I chimed in.

"And lastly, Clyde Argon and Dean Velasquez."

They're both athletes from the Baseball club, well-known to Yanna, Selene, Heisley, Synthia, and everyone because of their high scores.

"The five of you are the chosen leaders of the University throughout this 5-day tour. We expect that you'll run things smoothly..."

I was still listening seriously when I heard that voice.

"Yanna."

I was taken aback.

"M-mario... W-why?!"

Yanna stammered.

She seemed to be in shock.

Shet. <\3

Marten's serious face greeted us. His weird face, which some girls seemed to adore.

So ugly. (⁠ー⁠_⁠ー⁠゛⁠)

"Because of the ice cream we bought earlier. It might melt..."

What?!

Don't tell me you both went shopping together earlier?!

And why is he calling her "Yanna" now when I should be the only one calling her that?!

"Oh my gosh!" I heard Steven say.

"Since there are two, can I have one?"

This guy's nerve!

It seems like he's preemptively trying to win over Yanna!

"Sure." Yanna just answered quietly, and I could see myself in those eyes.

Her eyes were heart-shaped! DAMN.

"Thank you." Marten replied with a grin, making his way toward me. He called my name.

"Kairo..."

My vision blurred.

I can't handle this. Keep it together, Kai. Yanna is right in front of you. You can do it.

"Honestly, I won't forget our conversation last night, Kairo. That's a man-to-man talk..."

His words made my eyebrows furrow with anger.

He looked equally furious.

Selene, along with Steven and the others behind me, seemed to understand.

"Oh, you bet!" I answered.

I was deadly serious. I could feel that both of us wanted to start another fight. We were both itching for it.

We were ready to throw punches at each other again, but... Yanna was there.

A few more seconds passed, and we both mentioned the agreement we had made.

An agreement I would never forget.

"The first one to make her answer gets her. Forever."

Then, we both turned away.

Yanna was still absentmindedly standing there, seemingly oblivious to our conversation.

"Kai..."

William was about to speak to me, but he didn't continue.

He knew.

That I was pissed.

He chose to stay quiet for a while, and I knew he understood.

"That's why Kai's face is full of bruises, right?"

"Yes, Carl, don't let Kai hear us talking about him."

I overheard the five troublemakers talking while we were in line, placing our bags on the entrance machine for inspection.

Yanna, Selene, Synthia, and Heisly had already gone inside.

"So, they fought each other last night for Yanna?!"

"Keep it up, Carl!" Steven retorted, knowing I could still hear them.

"So, who won?"

I glanced at them.

"I caught them both asleep. But Mario woke up first. So maybe he's the winner!"

Bobby teased me, intentionally letting me hear.

"But they're both good at fighting. They both have a lot of bruises. When their punches landed at the same time, Mario was the first one to fall. While Kai just looked at him for a few seconds and then fell asleep. So maybe Kai is the winner?"

Patrick added to the teasing. They were playing with my temper.

"But Carl, Mario is already our friend. We can't just leave Kai behind, right?"

Steven said, trying to defuse the situation.

"But perhaps you guys are curious about who won?"

William finally spoke up.

They were about to argue further when the entrance guard interrupted.

"Hey, what's this about blowing up faces? You want me to have you all arrested here? Joking like that is not allowed, do you understand?"

We all widened our eyes and scolded William.

While the guard scolded us, we noticed a sign that said:

"No bomb joke."

...

"PRESIDENTIAL DECREE No. 1727

DECLARING AS UNLAWFUL THE MALICIOUS DISSEMINATION OF FALSE INFORMATION OR THE WILLFUL MAKING OF ANY THREAT CONCERNING BOMBS, EXPLOSIVES, OR ANY SIMILAR DEVICE OR MEANS OF DESTRUCTION AND IMPOSING PENALTIES THEREFOR.

Shall, upon conviction, be punished with imprisonment of not more than five (5) years, or a fine of not more than forty thousand pesos (P40,000.00), or both at the discretion of the court having jurisdiction over the offense herein defined and penalized."

"Do you really need to read that to us, Carl?" Steven asked after we entered and received a lecture from the security guard who handed us copies of it.

"I was just reading it for myself. You were listening, weren't you?"

"Yeah, you shouldn't have read it. You know he won't understand it," Steven retorted, and the others laughed because they knew I was right.

"We almost had a problem there!" William suddenly blurted out while wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Only you would have a problem! You're on your own if you get caught!" I responded, and the guys laughed again.

I was in a slightly better mood now, so I let them know we could start goofing around again.

"Kai, where do you think Yanna is?" Bobby asked me.

"I don't know."

"Do you want to look for them? The four of us will treat you."

I told them to be quiet and suggested that we head to the waiting area. We were always late.

"It's better to be late than to die first," Carl suddenly joked.

"You're insane!"

---

"Third person's POV"

Yanna, Selene, Heisly, and Synthia had just come down from the 3rd floor of the airport because Selene invited them to eat.

"Thank you." (ฅ'ω'ฅ )

Yanna said her goodbyes to the elevator guide, and they immediately proceeded to the waiting area, where all the courses were meeting to determine who should follow and what should be done.

"Yanna, we've been waiting for you. Did you want to leave us?"

Jimmy's stern question surprised the four of them.

"S-sorry, big brother. We just had lunch!" (╥﹏╥)

Jimmy was about to say something in anger, but Aiko intervened.

"It's okay, girls. You can go ahead and sit down. Your brother won't be able to resist you!"

"Thank you, Ma'am!"

Yanna replied hesitantly before finding a seat.

"Yanna, sit here. We saved seats for you."

Steven and William called out from the back.

"We almost got into a fight just to save seats for you!"

Kai teased as he joined in.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Embarrassed!"

The five of them continued teasing him.

It was 7:50 AM, and in a few minutes, they would be boarding the plane. They started lining up after two flight attendants guided them.

Selene's group was the first to line up to enter the plane, with Professor Kevin leading them.

"How's Grace? Is she able to come?"

"Yes, she's already inside. She insisted on working despite being sick."

"She was coughing up blood earlier! It's nerve-wracking!"

Selene overheard the conversation between the two flight attendants.

Jimmy approached Mr. Hisashi because he noticed he was unusually quiet and seemed deep in thought. He was also holding his head.

"Are you okay, sir?"

"Yes... Don't worry, I'm okay."

Jimmy was about to talk to Mr. Hisashi, but the old man answered a phone call.

Jimmy turned away and spoke to other professors, but it seemed chaotic as they watched something on their phones. The Internet had suddenly come back, and with it, a surprising surge in social media activity.

Kai was about to ignore the commotion around him when Carl called him over to show him some videos that were trending worldwide.

(Facebook Live of Good Morning America)

"There is a Civil War happening in our country right now... New York, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. are experiencing collateral damage from communism..."

(Twitter videos from @HealMeJoy)

"Planes are going down from heaven! Good lord have mercy... 2 planes at the same time! I repeat!"

People at the airport were also panicking about what they were seeing.

"This is the President of the United States. Don't listen to all the misinformation you saw on social media. The virus did not mutate to another level. That's impossible. America is at peace. We are all at peace."

Kai's eyes widened as he watched.

But the most shocking thing to him was an Instagram live by a Hollywood actor, holding his child on a chaotic highway.

"I am Zander Coldman, please listen to me, everyone... This is crazy....!"

He was crying and pleading, and there were many people around him. Some were being attacked, shot, and killed.

In his exhaustion, Zander placed his child on the side of the road.

"I don't know what is happening, but someone bit my daughter, and she doesn't look well! Everyone is starting to kill each other! Please, everyone!!!! HELP ME....! PLEASE!!"

Kai had never been this scared in his entire life as he watched the video.

Zander was crying out for help, but his daughter no longer had a pulse.

"HELP ME!!!"

Steven and William held onto Kai when they saw something unusual in the video. After standing up from a crouched position while turned away from the camera, the child suddenly lunged at Zander's neck.

"THE FUCK!"

They couldn't take their eyes off the screen. The child's eyes were filled with blood.

"Baby, are you okay?!"

Zander's voice trembled with fear.

Seconds after the child stood up, she grabbed Zander by the neck, and millions of people watched as he was attacked on live video.

The child let go of the cellphone, and humanity heard one of the scariest roars, the growl of the undead. Simultaneously, the Internet and cellphone signals disappeared, resulting in a worldwide internet shutdown.

"YANNAAAA!!!"

Chaos erupted as people witnessed what had just happened. Without hesitation, Kai, Jimmy, and Mario ran straight to Yanna.

The students started rushing back to the bus.

3...

2...

1...

The airplane door opened, shocking everyone as they saw a person covered in blood, unconscious, standing before them.

"What the heck!" Kevin immediately ordered the students to retreat.

The flight attendants cautiously approached their crewmate who was lying down.

"RUN TO THE BUS, HURRY!" Jimmy shouted when they reached Yanna.

But it seemed like time slowed down. Kevin approached the flight attendants to ask what had happened.

The flight attendants and Kevin were already standing in front of the door, and before they could see the condition of their crewmate, someone suddenly lunged at them from inside.

"KEVINNNNN!!!!"

That's when the lifeless beings began to emerge.

The first bite was witnessed by everyone.

The ending.

And the start of the Zombie Apocalypse.

____________________