Saving Humanity

Chapter Fourteen: Rescued

Chapter Fourteen: Rescued

Jared

Ephraim stayed inside the clinic for two days. The training gets more intense, as there are only six of us left. I'm so exhausted that every night after dinner, I hit the sack immediately.

Holly, on the other hand, had been given a task as a member of the New Army. She's one of the soldiers assigned to roam the premises at night to make sure that everyone follows the curfew. Because of our different schedules, we haven't talked since spending the night with Ephraim.

As expected, Max gets to be one of our facilitators during training. He gives everyone a hard time, especially me. He took a special liking with Ephraim, though. He's not taunting him as much as he did before. Maybe it's because of what Ephraim did on their duel. It's a good thing, though. Ephraim deserves some respect.

Three weeks have already passed since Holly and I got here. Constantly, I've been thinking about our friends, who are still out there. I'm hoping that they are still alive. They have to be. We will find them as soon as we get out of this place.

I sigh, looking at my reflection in the mirror. After today's rigorous training, getting a shower is the best thing. I wrap a towel around my naked torso and walk out of the bathroom.

As I enter the locker room, I find out that the others have already gone to the cafeteria to take their dinner. I spent almost an hour under the shower, letting the cool water soothe my aching muscles. It's a good thing that there would be no training tomorrow. Sgt. Agustin decided to give us an entire day to take a break from training. I'd use it to get an opportunity to talk to the President. If it doesn't work, my alternative would be to have small chats with the residents of the Institute. Who knows what kind of information I might get from them.

I dress up as quickly as I can and head to the cafeteria. As I walk towards our usual table, I spot Holly eating with the others. I sit on the chair opposite her.

"You're up early, huh," I say to her, by way of greeting. She looks up from her plate of steaming pasta and smiles at me.

"Roaming around all night makes me hungry, so I might as well eat before I do it." Her face turns serious. "How's training?"

"Tiring, as usual." I run a hand through my still-damp hair. Then I keep my voice low so that the others won't hear my next question. "Found anything suspicious?"

Holly leans closer. "It's Kenneth," she says, her voice low. "I saw him last night past curfew. He was getting back to your room when I caught him."

"And?"

"He said that he's just out for a walk, but I don't believe him because he's alone and not with Kenji."

I frown. "Why would it be suspicious if Kenji was not with him?"

She waves the question off. "Hindi na mahalaga iyon." She takes a deep breath and spares a glance in Kenneth's direction. "Just... Trust me. There's something suspicious about him."

I'm still skeptical, but I nod anyway. "Okay. I'll keep an eye on him."

Holly lets out a breath. "Good."

After dinner, I go straight to my room because naturally, where else would I go? It's not like there's much to do here. I'm actually grateful for the training because it gives me something to do and takes my mind off things.

Anyway, I tried to stay up and see if Kenneth would sneak out in the middle of the night, but exhaustion got the best of me.

However, I wake up at 2 am and find him gone. I almost decided to get up and follow him, but I remember that Holly's on duty tonight and she'd probably see him, anyway. Beside, I have another plan.

I walk towards Kenneth's side of the room slowly, as if setting my foot there would be a crime. Technically, what I'm about to do can be considered as one. I'm breaching someone's privacy.

I crouch down next to Kenneth's duffel bag. This is where he keeps all of his things. Maybe I could find something here that can confirm Holly's suspicion.

After almost ten minutes of searching, I found none. I carefully zip the duffel bag shut and go back to my side of the room.

I don't know why Kenneth sneaks out in the middle of the night, but maybe it's just his thing. Maybe he has a hard time sleeping so he takes his nightly strolls to exhaust himself.

Still, I can't take my mind off something that Holly told me earlier. She said that he found Kenneth suspicious just because she did not see Kenji with him. Why would that be suspicious? Are they doing something together, plotting against the President like Holly and me?

Despite the questions running inside my head, my body still needs to rest after earlier's training. I decided to ask Holly about these questions tomorrow morning. After a few minutes, I fall asleep once again.

The next morning, I wake up early so that I could talk to Holly before her shift ends. But as I make my way down to the school grounds, I notice that the residents are agitated. It seems that something has happened.

I spot James and Sandy talking on a corner. Without wasting any moment, I approach them.

"Hey," I say. "What's happening?"

James looks at me. "The team of soldiers who were doing a search and rescue for other survivors had finally returned earlier."

I wait for him to continue, but Sandy beat him to it.

"May kasama silang isang middle-aged na babae. Another survivor," Sandy says. "Sabi nila, nakita daw nila 'yung babae na pagala-gala sa daan at parang may hinahanap. Nu'ng tanungin nila kung sino, isang pangalan lang daw ang sinabi niya."

"Who?" I ask.

"Jared!" My head whips towards the direction of whoever called me. A man approaches, his face etched with worry. I realize that he's the President himself.

"Jared," he says again, breathless. "You have to come with me."

*****

The President opens the door to his office and we step inside. I immediately notice the woman sitting on the couch, her eyes fixed on me. My knees buckles, and I grip the door frame to steady myself.

"Jared!" the woman exclaims. She stands up and wraps her arms tightly around me. I breathe in her familiar scent, trying to prevent my tears from falling.

"Mom," I manage to say. "You're awake."

Her arms around me loosen, just enough for her to see my face. "I am, baby. I'm awake."

"How?" I ask, turning to the President. "How did you find her?"

The President regards me. "My soldiers found her three miles from here. She claims to have lost her memory about how she woke up."

"That's true," my Mom interjects. "Hindi ko maalala kung anong nangyari. I must have woken up and left our house in a trance. By the time I gained my bearings back, I was already in the middle of the road."

I hug my Mom again. "I've missed you. So much. It's good to have you back."

"Me too, baby."

"Where's Dad?" I ask her. "And...Tim?"

"Hindi ko alam kung nasaan sila," Mom answers. "Like I told you, I woke up in the middle of the road with no memories of how I got there."

I'm still worried about my other family members, but that feeling paled compared to the happiness in my heart. My Mom is with me now. I feel like a child again.

I look at her and smile, thinking and utterly convinced that everything would be much better from now on.

A/N:

This chapter is dedicated to Jelmo03 for the constant votes and feedback. Thank you for reading!

By the way, we have one more chapter to go before Part I ends! Part II will focus on the rest of the gang: Felicity, Ian, Pauline and Andre. Are you ready to meet them again?

I'll post a brand new chapter soon! Thank you!

-Dave