Finally Home , Paraiso

Chapter 1

Am I dead ? This I asked myself upon waking up. However, the head splitting headache and the stinging pain of bruises all over my body reminded me I'm still alive, fortunately.

After some time , I managed to open my heavy eyes only to see an unfamiliar ceiling. I looked around and saw stacked up boxes and shelves full of random emergency supplies such as canned goods, batteries and flashlights, bandages and a set of kitchen knives. It seemed like I was in some kind of basement.

Where am I ? Who am I ?

My body was still stiff and it feels like I've been sleeping off a horrible fever. The unmistakable scent of rubbing alcohol assailed my nose, making me grimace. It was at that moment that I've heard a few voices. I looked to my left and saw people arguing over something . Since the door which was slightly opened was blocked by a woman in her late thirties, I wasn't able to deduce clearly how many of them are there.

" Food ? Who cares about food when we've got a huge hole in that fence ! If we don't fix it, they're going to walk right in here! " , said the woman standing by the doorway.

" I know mom. But who's going to risk going out there ? You ? Me ? Joel ? "

Judging by the voice of the second individual , it seemed like it's coming from a female teen.

" I suppose I should be the one to go, being the cop and all. Kinda be nice if someone was watching my back though. " , said the man wearing policeman uniform. I tried to say something but ended up groaning due to my throat being dry. They stopped talking to each other at that moment, and all took a glance at me.

" Oh, he's finally awake . Mary, please give him a glass of water." , said the woman by the doorway to her daughter, I assume. A thin female youth then passed to me a glass of water which I gratefully accepted and drank. Of course, I did not forget to say my thanks afterwards.

" Who are you people ? ", I asked. I try to sit up but failed to do so since I was too weak at the moment.

" Easy....I realize you have no idea where you are right now, but you are safe. You're in the basement of a school. " , said the man in a wheelchair. " I am David by the way. "

" Amy and she's Mary , my daughter. " , said the woman standing by the doorway as she points at the thin sickly looking teenager.

" Joel. " , said the police guy.

" Hmm... Hi. It's good to see you're up finally mister. " , Mary said shyly.

" Okay. It's nice to meet you all. How did I get here ? ", I replied weakly.

" Do you remember the plane crash ? " , David asked.

" What plane crash ? I can't remember anything. "

" Must've been the head trauma. You're physically fine as far as I can tell... well except for the bruises and the head wound. I'm not really sure what I can do about the memory loss though. " , said Amy.

" By the way, you are at Pampanga, Philippines. At a town called Floridablanca, we're in the basement of a local private school. ", said David.  " You should know, just like us you're pretty stuck in here. But don't worry, we have food supplies, a working generator and this building's secured. " David explained.

" Excused me ? What do you mean by secured ? ", I asked.

" I don't think you understand. Back outside ? It's not safe anymore. Everything's changed. The government already grounded air travel. They were trying to control the spread of some sort of pandemic thing. However, it didn't work. Martial Law was declared, shelters opened, most people went to the evacuation sites, however, there are those who chose to stay behind , like us. " Joel said.

" We were fixing up the fence when your plane went down in the woods nearby. You know, all hell broke loose, with those things roaming out there. " , David added. 

" Those things ? ", I curiously asked.

" Now's not the time for this David. " , Amy said. " I suggest you take it easy. You look like a mess. Take a rest first. Come on guys, let's give this guy some time to sort things out. "

Then they left me and went upstairs, however David told me to come find him if I ever need something. Honestly , this place is kind of creeping me out. 

I tried to recall bits of memories from before the plane crash. However, what I only got in return was a few waves of intense headache. I then reached out for the wallet ID beside the makeshift bed, and saw a few identification cards of a young man named Ethan OIais, well after comparing the picture on the ID and my reflection at the mirror at the far corner. I guess this must be my name. The loss of memory is really troublesome.

That night, Mary and David returned at the basement and gave me a bowl of porridge. Honestly , it tastes a little bit off but who am I to complain. These people saved my life and for that I'm grateful for.

" David , what's out there ? " I asked just to broke the eerie silence.

" What I'm about to tell you ... It's going to be difficult to believe. In fact, it's so hard to accept even when you've seen it with your own eyes. " He, with a grave tone said.

" Well I just survived a plane crash, I don't know if anything can shock me anymore. "

" Let me explain then. The illness that was going around these past few days. It doesn't just kill people or make them lose their minds. I don't know, it might not even be a virus. " He uttered.

" It's the end of the world. " Mary added.

" You see, the dead are coming back to life. Well, not all of them, but people that are killed or bit by them. They then seek out and attack the living. From what we know, it might not just be here. It's everywhere. All over the world. "

" I see ...... I mean. Damn , it's really difficult to believe. It's as if it's some sort of reality TV stunt or some kind of apocalypse cult thing . What are our options then ? " I said. Honestly , I kinda wished this was just a dream.

" You see , here's our situation. We don't know how long are we gonna be here for. And the basement is really not a long-term solution. We've barricaded the building and the others have lured most of them away. Lucky for us, we've got enough food to last us for a while. Maybe a week or so, but plans is for us to secure the whole school first. " David confidently said. " The fence around the school's being refinished when the whole town was evacuated. You see, there's a whole section that's still missing. So if we want to secure the whole school, we're going to have finish that fence. It's not completely down, with proper supplies, we could finish it in a day. The sooner we finish that fence up, the better. "

" There's a hardware store nearby. Well, it's a little bit of a walk, but it's our best shot. " Joel who had just descended the stairs said. " Getting that fence up is our only option. I need someone to cover my six you see. "

" You see, I've regained some strength. I can help. " I replied which is kind of true. Although my body still aches, running around is still bearable.

" Are you sure ? " Joel doubtfully asked.

" Yes. "

" I'm sorry. I know this is a lot to ask, given what you've been through. But you see, we don't have a choice. " David guiltily explained.

" It's alright . I can manage. " I assured.

" Okay , it's decided. The two of us will go to the hardware store downtown and get a toolbox and all the stuff we can carry. " Joel said.

Honestly at that moment, I've kinda regreted volunteering and almost asked myself what kind of shithole I've put myself into. They claimed the world's ending , if that is indeed true. I don't know if I'm ready for what awaits me tomorrow, outside. With that thought in mind , I finally succumbed myself to sleep.