Corona Virus

Three

Being a nurse is not just a job, it's a passion. You have to love being a nurse to be efficient and enjoy the job. Otherwise, you will end up hating what you're doing and take it out on your patients. It is a profession that requires heart and dedication.

And Aki Hiroshima knew that from the very beginning. Born from a family of mixed culture, the one thing that both sides of her family is how dedicated they are when it comes to taking care of their sick members. Her American mother would stay up all night whenever she's sick. Her Japanese father would always prepare herbal tea for her.

After graduating from secondary education, her parents had a heart to heart conversation with her. She's lucky enough to have parents like her mother and father who gave her freedom to do what she wants in her life. Ever since she was a child, her parents always trusted her choices and decisions. That is because Aki is smart kid, and she's wise enough to decide for herself.

As soon as she graduated, Aki landed a job in one of Japan's most prestigious hospitals. And the happiness it brought her and her family was without measure, especially to her father. But then the pandemic started, and Aki barely comes home anymore. She became too exhausted and even got infected by the COVID-19 virus.

'You have to take some time off. Because of the C19-cure, this COVID-19 is no more. Go somewhere, maybe in the states and visit your mother's hometown. Bring your friends with you. You deserve it.'

'You're father's right, sweetheart. Everything's gonna go back to normal now. You can enjoy yourself even just for a little while.'

Those were her parents' words, words that she took seriously. So was her friends. They all bought a ticket to Massachusetts, and they intended to have some fun. But that was not what they found the moment they landed on the airport.

Aki and four of her friends are still inside the airport when the outbreak erupted. She thought that it was the worst day of her life, but the next ten years were the worst. She lost her friends, and everyone she met because of those flesh-eating monsters, and everywhere she turns, there's that dead walker that would want to tear her apart.

"Oh, God!" Aki whispered when she saw two hoards of zombies coming from directions. She's in the middle of the street, trying to avoid the small groups of zombies on her way to San Francisco. Aki thought she was safe, but then she's wrong. Now, there's no where to run.

"Miss! Up here! Go through the store entrance! There's a backdoor! Don't worry, this building is clean! Come on!"

Her eyes widened when she saw a man calling her from the second floor of the building right in front of her. And to her surprise, the man was right. The building is clean, well, aside from the clutters left by the last people who's been there. At least, the world hasn't lost all the good people.

"Hello?" She called when she saw no one as soon as she climbed the stairs. "Hello?"

"In here! I'm sorry, I'm cooking." She followed the voice and saw one of the rooms open. There's a man standing in the corner room, who's actually cooking something.

"Hi! Thank you so much for saving me. I'm Aki, by the way."

"Bill Hauffer, Lt. Bill Hauffer. Come in, have a seat. This is almost done."

Aki scanned the whole room and realized that it was indeed a residential room. It looks like a studio type room and it seems like Bill has been staying there for quiet some time. He even have some framed photographs on the wall.

"Ah... You must be wondering about the photos. I've been living in this unit since before the pandemic started."

"Oh, don't you have plans on going to San Francisco? Did you hear the broadcast?"

"Yes, I did hear them. But why would I want to leave the comfort of my home?"

"Because even if you didn't turn in the beginning, the moment you die, you will end up just like those zombies out there."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Okay, then. Let's eat before we prepare for our journey."

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Protecting your country and it's citizen is such an honorable job. Something that cannot be paid for by any wealth in this world. It is a devotion that should not be taken lightly, and should be respected and appreciated. However, there are people who hates those that protects the people.

Just like what happened, to Lt. Bill Hauffer. A German special force officer who moved to the states after his wife and daughter were murdered. He lost his family because he performed his duty. What an irony, isn't it?

If a law enforcer neglected his duty, he would face court martial and lose his benefits. He performed his duty to the best of his capacity and lost his family. And because getting justice for his wife and daughter is out of his boundaries, he had to let the proper authorities handle the situation.

But it already took three years, and still nothing. No evidence has been collected that would be enough to get a guilty verdict. Not even enough to request for an arrest warrant. And Bill wouldn't let his family's killer to escape justice. If not the lawful justice, then it will be his justice.

And his search for justice brought him to the Philippines. He was so close into getting everything he needed to put the man who took his life from him behind bars. But the pandemic happened. Everyone was barred from going out, and he had to stop investigating.

Even when those vaccines came out, his movements were too limited. Everyone's movements were too limited. People had to schedule a visit in places outside the city, and if your unlucky, you would have to wait for weeks or even months before you can finally have an open schedule. The last thing he knew was that the man who killed his family is in the Philippines somewhere.

Bill was one of the people who was overjoyed when the cure manufactured by Global Pharmaceutical finally stopped COVID-19. He can finally continue searching for the man who responsible for all the misery he had to endure. For two months, Bill searched nonstop until he found a new lead. And then the outbreak erupted.

Since then, he's been stuck in his unit, looting when needed but most of the time just locked inside, alone. There are times that he must have been losing his mind. He would see his wife and daughter, sitting on the couch while smiling at him. Sometimes, he would wake up in the middle of the night because he thought he heard his daughter's voice calling him.

"This girl is so beautiful! Who is she?" Bill heard Aki asked.

It was pure happenstance that he stood by the hallway of his unit floor. He just thought to looking out, checking what changes had happened since the last time he saw the outside world. Then for some reason, Bill thought of looking down. The first thing he noticed was the large hoard of zombies on the left end of the street, then on the right was another large hoard.

That was not new for him anymore, and he doesn't care. As long as they can't enter the building, then everything's good for him. He was about to turn around and go back to his room when he saw a young woman terrified in the middle of the street.

"Hey, Bill! Who is she?"

"My daughter, the other one's my wife."

"They are both beautiful! I'm sorry that you also lost your family because of the apocalypse."

A smile formed in his lips. Maybe, that's what anyone would think. "They died three years before COVID-19 was even discovered, actually they were murdered."

"Oh, God! I'm so sorry."

"That's okay."

"Is that why you moved in the Philippines? To start a new life?"

"No. I was here to find their killer. Unfortunately, this apocalypse happened. I'm just hoping that their killer got the same fate as others. He doesn't deserve to survive this apocalypse."

But even if he's alive he will find him, and he will give him the taste of justice that he deserves. In the world today, no matter where he turn, he will certainly get what's coming for him.

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In France, as soon as the Global Pharmaceutical distributed their miracle cure, huge gatherings took place in a heartbeat. Conventions, fashion shows, concerts, even street festivals. People from all over the world flew to France to finally experience the French morning.

One in particular was Luan Yi, a Chinese teacher who was invited for a teacher's convention. Her family, specially her autistic brother begged her not to go. But because she's been dying to have a vacation since the pandemic started, Luan Yi left China. The last thing she heard from her beloved brother was his loud cries, begging her to stay.

For ten years, Luan had been blaming herself for being selfish. If she just listened to her brother, they would have been together when the outbreak happened. Because of her simple, materialistic need of a vacation, she spent ten years crying over the last image of her family in her mind. The cries of her brother still ring in her ear.

Even though she was lucky that when the outbreak happened and aurvivors were quick to find an enclosed, under renovation convention hall. They still had to live in fear, and almost literally, sleep with their eyes open. Luan is not useless in a fight, for her grandfather was master in Kung Fu. She learned how to defeat herself at a very young age.

But Kung Fu has no match to what has become of the creatures that were once human beings. You cannot fight them, all you can do is either shot them in the head, or run from them. For ten years, they became a community inside the hall. Scheduled guards, teams of five people for supply run, everyone had their duty.

Though, nothing last forever. Because after ten years of safety, community, and peace, the convention hall had been breached. Someone forgot one simple duty, that is to ensure that the entrance was secured. And because of that, everyone died aside ten other survivors who managed to get out.

One of those ten people is the famous Italian Business tycoon, Frank di Angelo. He was with his secretary, Shiela Johanson when the outbreak erupted. Frank is a controversial personality mainly because of his secretary, who was rumored to be his mistress. Well, now it's not a rumor anymore. People are assuming everyone they ever knew is dead, so is Frank.

Shiela and him are now open about their relationship, although everyone in their old camp seemed to know the truth. The ten survivors from the convention hall settlement heard about the broadcast of those scientists who are claiming they might found the solution to the world's zombie problem. And Frank being ambitious and a businessman, he wants to meet the scientists.

"Are you sure, you know how to fly an airplane?" Frank asked one of his companions.

"I'm a pilot, of course I know how to fly an airplane."

"Good. I have a scientists to meet."

Franks wants to be a modern king, and to achieve what he wants, he needs to be the first to meet the scientists. His companions are starting to hate him more than they already did, but they had no choice but to be good to him. So they all fought their way to his private airport, however, only five of them survived. But that's okay for Frank, as long he and the pilot survived.

What he doesn't know is one particular person is no longer with him. Someone who had thought she could have a better life by connecting herself to him.