Chương 2: Home?

"Hey, wake up." A girl patted Kross's shoulders.

Kross opened his eyes, realizing he fell asleep in the car. His eyes squinted, adjusting from the sunlight coming in from the tent's door. He looked down and found himself lying on a hammock covered with a blanket.

Better than half asleep while sitting, he thought.

This was the best condition he had for days, so no complaints. Then a delightful smell overpowered him. It was an appetizing one, making his stomach grumble.

"Where am I? Who brought me here?" he said while looking at the smoking bowl in the girl's hand.

"Marcus tried to wake you, but you were sleeping like a baby. He and Turkey brought you in. Bet ya' dead-tired. Hungry?" The girl placed the bowl of porridge and a glass of water on a wooden table near Kross. "Eat first and I'll tour you around unless you want to sleep more." She said as a joke.

Somehow, Kross's mind became blank while watching the porridge. He didn't reply, but only stood and grabbed the bowl. He ate his fill in a jiffy. Even spilling some from his mouth, but he cared less. The last meal he had was dried and moldy bread from an abandoned bakery he passed by days ago. He had to pull out the black parts before biting. And ate the last one yesterday.

A hearty meal of hot rice porridge and salt was good enough in this time of survival. He wouldn't complain.

"Hey. eat slow. No one's gonna steal it from you," the girl said, but too late. The bowl was already squeaky clean in less than a minute. She sighed and recalled how she ate her first meal after days of starvation. "Welcome to camp, or rather… your new home now. Our home…" the girl emotionally whispered the last two words. "I'm Celia. You?"

Kross looked up at the girl. "Kross. Can I have more?"

"No problem. We got a good harvest from an abandoned farm yesterday and got a truckload of rice. Wait a sec."

The girl went out with the bowl. Kross stood and stretched out, but sat back right away after feeling her body aching. He understood his body took its toll after days of nonstop running and hiding. In fact, it was the first in days he had a good sleep. However, the curiosity about the new place and people wouldn't allow him to be holed up.

Celia came back with a bigger bowl of porridge and brought Kross out after changing to a cleaner set of clothes.

They left the makeshift tent made of advertisement tarpaulin placed on top of steel and wooden poles. They walked around and Celia introduced Kross to everyone they passed. It was a delightful experience for him to meet living humans again, showing humanity will not end yet.

After a short chit-chat, he asked where he could wash, feeling the dust in his body. Celia was kind enough to show him to a small bathroom in a small house and told him not to waste the water. Hearing the word water comforted him as he opened the uneven-sided door, as if someone did his best to transform the wood board enough to fit the entrance. Beside the toilet bowl was a faucet where a bucket which was obviously was a paint pail was full of water. He took off his clothes and washed up a bit. After freshening up, he went out and saw an enormous tank towering over the house with steel tubings connected from somewhere he couldn't see. This gave him a hint that this camp had its own source of water.

The so-called camp was more like a junkyard and lumberyard at the same time. Piled unused vehicles hedged on the side, while timbers of various sizes stood at the rest of the settlement. There were unused water tanks chained together near the rusty cars. It showed this was all they could salvage. The whole settlement was only enough for a hundred people to live.

While watching the place, Kross had apprehensions about whether it would last against a mob of mutants, same as those that attack their peaceful community and wherever he went.

His mind went back to that tragic day but shook it away. For now, survival was important. The past was the past. The world has changed and life would never be the same. Suddenly, he recalled some incidents and remembered the incomplete puzzles glued in his mind which remained unanswered for days.

Was there a leader among the mutants? He heard howling when a mob would come. That was his signal and survived alone for months. Also, how did they know where he hid even though he was out of sight? Could they smell him? Just like when he hid in between barrels of gasoline.

However, if it's about the smell, of which he smelled terrible before coming to camp because of days of sweaty running, but compared to the gasoline's strong and irritating odor, his stinky smell was nothing. It could have been overpowered. Yet, they found him.

Kross wanted to meet the leader of this camp or that guy Marcus to ask. They must have known the answer. That's why this settlement existed and remained intact while some camps he passed transformed into graveyards in minutes.

Worry gnawed in him because this was the fifth settlement he passed by or joined in for the past year. But how long would this place last?

He leaned at the side of a lying water tank to look outside. What he saw gave him the impression that they were in the middle of unending junks? They must have placed multiple barricades outside to keep those mobs from reaching them. But… the big but… could this stop the hideous beings from coming?

He moved near Celia and leaned near the girl's ear and softly spoke as not to disturb the rest with their cheerful conversation. "Where is this place? Can we go out?"

Celia's eyes grew enormous and pulled Kross inside the tent. "No, you're not allowed unless the group will go out scavenging or saving someone. It's dangerous outside. Don't tell that to anyone or you'll be expelled." The girl whispered as softly as possible.

Kross was taken aback. 'Expel a person who is only asking to look outside?'

"Where are we then? Where is this place? I was fast asleep on the way, so I didn't see it. I just want to know." He tried to speak in a way as not to alarm Celia.

"We are in the middle of nowhere. This place is in a dilapidated area far from any cities or towns, so we're safe. It was owned by a farmer. But the man died saving someone. So be thankful we are saved." She pointed a finger at Kross. "Remember, never mention it again or I'll tell Marcus about it."

Kross's mouth formed a thin line. "Is Marcus the leader? I mean the leader here?"

Celia stuck her nose in the air. "No, our leader is an old man."

Kross waited for more information, but the girl just stood and glared at him. He didn't like this attitude but calmed himself. "Can I talk to him?" he asked in a polite voice with a sweet smile on his face.

Yet, Celia only folded her hands in front of her. "No, he is busy now."

Kross almost lost his temper but didn't show it and kept smiling. "When is he free?"

"No idea." After speaking, Celia left the tent.

Celia's attitude upset Kross, but he calmed down soon. This was not the best time yet. He wanted to ask how long they've been living there and more questions, but kept it for now. Rushing things after they saved and gave him shelter wouldn't bring any good. He lied down on the hammock and shut his eyes. Replenishing his strength was a priority. And waited, go with the scavengers, and see where they were and the camp's actual condition, whether they were really safe.

Suddenly, rumbling thunder invaded his ears. A smile broke on his face and stood with excitement. The rain came at last. He hadn't showered for months and this was the first rain he had after he left his hometown, but to his surprise, people ran inside the tents to hide. Kross went near the gathering girls to ask, but his ears got the answers.

"How I wish we could enjoy the rain, even for a short while. I haven't taken a bath for days to save water. But… I don't wanna die like Jack and Chenno." A short girl with black hair said.

Kross tapped that girl's shoulder. "What do you mean? They died in the rain?"

"No, but they caught a fever after. Not only them but a lot of us and the medicine were not enough, so the two of them..." The girl choked the last word and bowed down. Not only her, but all the girls' eyes reflected the same.

Kross placed his hand down and shut his mouth. This was a reality.

As melancholy filled the tent, they heard a loud boom, and the ground shook. All heads turned toward the entrance. Horror filled them as the quaking continued, as if gigantic steps moved nearer.

"What is going on?" Each person's hearts pumped hard like a hammer hitting an anvil with every booming step they heard. This lasted for minutes.

Then… silence fell.

"What is that?" A woman shouted with extended hand pointing above the entrance made of barb wires netted on poles attached to two broken buses on both sides. Gunshots reverberated as men stood on the buses with rifles and other guns aimed at the towering beast-like figure toward the gate.

The monster had grayish skin on a disfigured body which looked like human bodies sewn together to become a two-story fiend. It had piercing red eyes that planted fear on the beholder. It has ten human hands in one arm which looked like a flat fan altogether. It had somewhat like the feet of a rhino that brought tremors in every step it took.

"Ahhhh." Screams were heard and ten men fell from the buses as a huge flat arm swung sideways. The settlers inside froze in fear as they watched the hideous and gigantic monster approaching.

"God, have mercy." Kross blurted in fear.