What Was And What Will Be

"The whole world stopped working. Internet is gone, telecommunications are impossible, and the roads are inaccessible. Everything stopped the moment those creatures started appearing. We don't know what those were, where they came from, and when will this suffering end. What we know right now is that we need to survive. We need each other in order to do that. I ask for everyone's cooperation once again, in keeping our base alive."

The crowd started clapping their hands, applauding. It was not loud, rather a slow and careful clap. The world they once knew is gone and the only thing left for them is their will to survive.

Their base has a total of 76 residents composed of elderly people, adults and children working together, making the base much safer for them to stay at. Some are tasked on guarding, some are tasked to run, they are called runners, because well they run, they run for supplies. Running here and there, searching for supplies they might need. Some are tasked to build tents, and the rest are on stand by.

Ronan was awoken by Glen, talking in his sleep. Repeating the words he said earlier that night. "I am Glen, the most handsome person here!" He said, while Aleah's leg rest on his chest.

"One is restless and one is talking in his sleep...They really are weird." Ronan said to himself as he stands up, head slightly bent, not to bump himself. He goes out the tent stretching while he yawns. He sees the crowd slowly leaving the place of where the speech happened, then asked one of the residents what happened. The middle aged woman, then told Ronan what had happened earlier this morning. Ronan was relieved that it was just a speech, because he thought that something bad had happened.

Anna waved at Ronan, asking him to come over. Inside the tent is where their mom is currently staying. He hugs his mother and told her how happy he was that they're still alive. He asked where his older brother Jim is as he wipes his tears with his palm.

"Jim is dead, he saved both me and your sister when we were attacked by a creature of small size with big round red eyes. It was when we ran out the house that we were chased by the creature. He held the creature down, bravely, for us to escape! We'll bury him, when we recover his body." Ellen told Ronan, while looking down with sadness all over her face, as Anna hugs Ellen, comforting her. Ronan on the other hand did not mutter a word that time, not a single tear flowed his cheeks, but one can see the sadness he had in his face.

"When I went there..." Ronan muttered then stopped, as he was afraid to tell them that creature might have eaten Jim and they might not be able to recover his body. He then asks what about his father. Cellphones are not working properly and we cannot contact your father, Ellen told Ronan with a face full of worries.

"Hey, Ronan!" Aleah said as she lifted the tent covers without knowing what was happening inside. She saw the three of them then quickly puts the cover back then left like nothing happened.

Ronan went out the tent, looking for Aleah, but she was nowhere to be found. He sees Glen sitting outside his tent carving wooden statues with a small knife, wood shavings on top of his legs and scattered around his boots. It was a sloppy work, but making one is hard. He approached him then asked where Aleah went, but Glen doesn't know where she is. Glen proceeds on carving while Ronan looks left and right, scratching the back of his head, thinking where Aleah might be.

He finds Aleah in the kitchen where they prepare all the foods, sitting and crying as she slices the onions. She was just crying because of the onion. Ronan sat next to her and offered to help her. Aleah refused his offer and said, "This is most of the womans' work and you're a guy. It might not be for you."

Ronan smiled a little, then replied, "I might be a guy, but I'm a good cook. I cook a lot when I'm home alone or when I don't have anything to do." while reaching for a knife to work with.

"Yeah! You cook a lot of foods. Noodles alike." Anna said, as she makes her way in the kitchen. Both Anna and Aleah, laughed. Ronan did not mind them and continues on what he was doing. Curious, Ronan asks Aleah what her life was before 'this'. Hearing this, Aleah looks at Ronan, one eyebrow up and one down, asking if Ronan was interested in her or not, then grins.

"I'm only asking, don't complicate things."

Aleah clicks her tongue then muttered the words, "KJ!" (killjoy).

Ronan asked Aleah if both Glen and her knew each other even before all of what happened. Of course, it was out of his curiosity that he had asked that.

"Glen and I went to the same school, since elementary to highschool. We hang out almost everyday, outside or at home. We're neighbors, so I guess it's natural that we know each other. We've had a lot of memories with each other."

Ronan and Anna both smiled, hearing the story, but Ronan just had to asked if Glen was always like "that" since they we're kids.

Aleah smiled, then said, "I think it was when we were still kids that he became like that. I was bullied at school a lot when I was young, because I don't have a father. He left my mother the moment I was born. Maybe he did not want the responsibility or maybe he did not love both me and my mom. Whatever the reason, he left us. Because of the frequent bullying, I naturally became wary of others and was always left out. That was until Glen's family became our neighbors. One time, their family planned on going out to eat and coincidentally me and my mom also planned on doing the same. Since my mom and his parents knew each other, we all went out to eat at the same place. Glen saw me, just eating and minding my own business while our parents chatter. He asked me if I was okay. I nodded without even looking at him."

"You really are bad with people." Ronan cuts the story off.

"Shut up!" Aleah told Ronan, then continues on telling them the story.

"After that, he suddenly changed his tone then told me, 'Worry not, for I, Sir Glen has come to save you!' as he flings his hair. I laughed, hearing how stupid he sounds at that time, but I was happy. Maybe he saw that, and why he acts like that is his way of making me happy. He did that everywhere, anytime he wants and I eventually forgot about what I was sad about. He also stopped doing it after we start going to highschool."

"Why is he doing it again, then? I mean last night..." Ronan saw Aleahs sad face making Ronan stop on what he was saying, then told her that it's okay if she doesn't want to talk about it. Aleah puts the knife she was holding down then hugged her knees, and told him that she'll tell them what happened. She tells them that as the monster came, her mother had protected her from one of the monster in order for her to escape. She also told them how the monster ate her mother bits by bits as she runs.

Hearing the story, Ronan looks at Anna with a face full of worries, as he doesn't want them to learn about the monsters eating humans. Even when he knows that it was impossible for him to hide the truth to his family to begin with. Anna, hearing the story, asks Ronan if he knew about the human-eating monsters. Ronan nods and Anna was left with confusion and disbelief.

"I will tell mom about it myself." Ronan told Anna.

At the same time Aleah finished her story about Glen, just outside the kitchen tent is where Glen was listening to everything the three of them were talking about. Hearing the story, Glen felt happy for Aleah until Ronan asked why Glen started acting like that again. Glen hears the full story then heard nothing after Ronan. It was silence that the four of them heard.

Glen fixes his composure then went inside the tent, as the 'weird' Glen they all knew. He asked, "What's wrong? Why is everyone sad?" As if he did not know anything. "Are you all sad because I'm not here? Worry not, for I, sir Gle..." His sentence was cut off by Aleah before he could even finished it. "Absolutely not!" She said, as she slaps the back of Glen's head. Because of this, everyone started laughing and the silence that was everywhere, now is nowhere.

THE END OF CHAPTER