2 Day 2: Essential Goods

"... Don't take my pizza into space!" Adrian suddenly jolted as he woke up from his already hazy dream. Based on what he yelled, which was very loud by the way, it must be about food. He soon began to understand why he was dreaming about that: He's starving!

The moment he stood up from the sofa where he was previously sleeping, his stomach grumbled as if there's a lightning storm inside his stomach. His head started aching like someone just split his skull open which caused him to stagger for a bit. He looked at his watch, [10:11 AM]. "Shit," Adrian muttered under his breath.

Since the library was pretty small, he didn't need to walk so far to find the students, who were also looking at him with weird expressions on their faces. The first to speak was Carl. He's got a smirk on his face. "You hungry?"

Adrian groaned and answered weakly. "I bet you already know the answer." As Adrian neared them, he noticed that they were sitting across a table. It looks like they're having some kind of meeting. "So... Wanna fill me in?"

Adrian got himself a chair and sat next to the student who snapped yesterday. Despite feeling groggy, he managed to form a smile and said good morning to everyone, to which they replied with mixed feelings. It is not exactly a good morning today.

Carl cleared his throat before talking again. "So, we were talking about when we are going to leave. You know, to find a safer place."

"I don't know, man. This place looks safe enough for me. I mean, we have solid walls, sturdy doors. Compared to out there, this is the safest place at the moment. Besides, where would you even go?" Adrian answered coldly while nursing his pulsing headache.

"Yeah, but we can't stay here for long. The news said that the slimes are reproducing very fast. Maybe a week from now, there would be too many slimes on the street that we can't even get out of here anymore!"

"I know, okay? I'm not saying that we stay here forever. We just have to stay here for a few more days until help comes or if you have a definite plan and you know exactly where to go."

After a few seconds of silence, the woman spoke, breaking the awkward silence. "I think he's right. As much as I hate to admit it, he's got a point. What do we do after we go out now? Wander around aimlessly? Hope that no slime gets to us and kills us?"

Adrian chuckled at the woman. "Thanks for backing me up, snappy girl." The woman then growled at him, not taking his joke lightly as he hoped. "Ahem... Anyway, Like I said the other day, you can leave whenever you want. I'm just warning you because it is dangerous outside. Leave at your own risk."

"I agree with them too. You kids are still young, you can do so much more if you are still alive and well. Not like me, I'm old now, I don't even know if I can keep up with you if you run. It is better if we wait for rescue." The librarian finally spoke. Ever since they heard the news about the monsters, she's by far the most affected of them all. Although she didn't snap like the student or very anxious to get the hell out of here like Carl, her eyes and voice say it all.

Seeing the librarian having internal turmoil, Adrian tried to comfort her. "Don't say that ma'am. Don't lose all hope too early, maybe the military will come today or maybe tomorrow. As long as we are still alive, that means our hope is also alive."

Adrian sounded so genuine that the librarian almost cried. He inwardly smiled and looked at Carl. "So, do any of you still want to leave now?" No one answered. Deep down, they must've known that they can't possibly survive outside. It's not just the slimes that are the problem here, it's also the people. After all, bad times bring out the absolute bad side of some people. "...Okay then."

Silence ensued for a moment before Richard spoke with worry in his voice. "Then, what about food? If you say that it's so dangerous outside, how can we go to grocery stores or anywhere else? It's not like we can order food online and have it delivered here!"

Adrian sighed in exasperation. "It can't be that dangerous if it is close enough. Surely there's a grocery store near here, right?" Adrian leaned his back on his chair while taking a deep breath. He continued. "Once we gather everything essential like food, water, medicine, hygiene supplies, or anything else that you deemed necessary, we're basically set. As long as we ration carefully, we can last for months without needing to go outside."

After Adrian said that, a loud thud echoed in the library. It was Carl, he was so angry that he slapped the table hard enough to startle everyone. "You! you said we will just be waiting here for three days at most! Now you're telling us that we will stay here for months?!"

Adrian can't help but scoff at the angry student sitting in front of him. "Calm down! I was just saying it as an example. Look, I get it, you have a family you have to go back to, but please try to stay calm. If you keep acting like that, your family might see you as a corpse instead."

"What?! Are you threatening me?! Richard, are you just gonna let him say that?"

Adrian wasn't able to suppress his laugh. "HAHAHA! Again, I wasn't threatening you! But, If you talk like that to the wrong person..." Adrian didn't finish what he was saying and just shrugged. Hopefully, Carl got the message.

Carl was about to yell again, but Richard stopped him and shook his head as if to warn him. "He's right, Carl. You shouldn't easily lose your temper." Finally, Carl was subdued by his best friend. Carl lowered his head in a seemingly hopeless manner.

"Okay..." Adrian continued after making sure that Carl isn't going to explode again. "So, is there a grocery store near here?"

"There is..." The librarian spoke with much more calmness in her voice. It seems like what Adrian said really soothed her distraught emotions. "It's a ten-minute walk from here, so there shouldn't be much problem going there."

"That's very convenient. Thanks, Mrs..." Adrian just remembered that he didn't know the names of most of the people he's with except Richard and Carl.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Denise Bartolome." Denise smiled at Adrian the same way she smiled at her own kids. It was full of warmth and love.

"Heh, Thanks, Mrs. Denise..." Adrian can't help but chuckle. After all, he isn't used to receiving such a warm smile. "So, since Mrs. Denise here has introduced herself, I might as well introduce myself. Ahem... hi, my name is Adrian Santos. I'm twenty-two years old and I just graduated less than a year ago, so... yeah. That's me. How about you guys?"

Seeing that they were a bit reluctant, Adrian decided to give them a push. "If we're gonna survive together, knowing each other will surely increase our odds of survival. As long as we help each other, there shouldn't be a problem. We gotta have teamwork... trust. I know we just met yesterday, but if we will be stuck with each other for a while, trust and teamwork will keep us alive."

The others look as though they were moved by Adrian's speech. Still, they looked at each other and were waiting for someone to speak first. After a few seconds of silence, Richard decided to speak first.

"Well, I'll go first. My name is Richard Santiago. I'm a fourth-year college student. That's all."

Next was Carl who still looked pissed and sad at the same time. "I'm Carl Ocampo. Also, a fourth-year college student."

The snappy girl as Adrian liked to call her spoke in a serious tone. "Hello everyone, My name is Elaine Smith. I'm also a fourth-year college student. I studied Martial arts, so I will kick your ass if you try something funny to me, understand?"

"Jeez, why so serious," Adrian muttered under his breath, but somehow, Elaine was able to hear him. She looked at him with her sharp dark green eyes which made him avert his eyes in response. "Ahem... so, who's next?"

The silence lasted one excruciatingly long minute before someone spoke. It sounded like that of a kid, a female kid to be exact. Adrian tried to locate where the voice came from but failed, at least until Elaine pointed her slim finger to her right. There, Adrian saw a kid wearing the same uniform as the other students there. She had her black hair tied into a ponytail. Her body was too small so Adrian assumed that she's a freshman high schooler at most.

"Uhm... My name is Francine Dantes." She started. She spoke in a high pitched tone, but in a way that sounded cute. "Uhm... I'm a fourth-year college student too and I'm... twenty... years old."

Adrian was astounded. Did he hear her right? If what she said was true that means "A real-life loli! I never thought I would meet one in the flesh!" Her cute voice, her child-like facial features, her body that is so petite. It was the same as the lolis in anime! "Wow."

Of course, Adrian didn't show his real emotion, instead, he just nodded dismissively. At last, there was only one student left that hadn't said a thing. He looked so bored that he almost fell asleep during their discussions. His face showed no reaction even after they all looked at him with anticipation. But what did he do? He just shrugged them off! Since they can't force him to introduce himself, they just let him be.

"What are you even doing here? Jeez." Adrian grumbled. To not affect his mood any further, Adrian started to work with a plan with the rest of the group.

Time passed as they listed rules, what to do, and not to do when they are outside. They formed a basic plan for their grocery 'shopping'.

"Okay, since we're done with our meeting, it is time to move. Since we're gonna need to get as many supplies as possible, I think four people should be enough to gather as many supplies as we need in one go. So, who's with me?" Adrian stood up from his seat and looked at the students with a serious look on his face.

The first one to stand up was Elaine. Although a bit hesitant at first, she made up her mind a few seconds later and stood with a straight body. "I'll go."

Richard sighed before he stood up next. He spoke with his deep voice. "Me, too." Of course, not a second later Carl stood up with a stiff but determined expression on his face. It seems like he really doesn't want to stay in the library any longer than he liked.

"Good, now we're four. Seems like lo- I mean Francine, Mrs. Denise, and the mystery man here will hold the fort for us." Adrian looked at the three who were still seated on their seats. Francine was looking down on the table, Mrs. Denise now had a calm expression on her face, and the mystery man as Adrian liked to call him now still looked as bored as ever.

"Don't open the door for anyone but us, okay?"

The two nodded but the mystery man just yawned at him like he was saying: "Who cares." Adrian tried to force a polite smile but was only able to form an obviously annoyed smile.

"Ahem... we'll go after you empty your bags."

Adrian walked towards the door and started removing the tables that were blocking the door. A few seconds later, the three finished emptying their bags. They then helped Adrian remove the tables.

Once that was all done, the four looked at each other nervously. Since there's no sound coming from the outside, it should be good right? Adrian unlocked the door and opened it slowly to not attract any unwanted attention from the people or slimes outside. If there's any.

When the door was open wide enough for a person's head to squeeze through, Adrian poke his head outside slowly and looked at the street in front of the library. After making sure that there are no slimes in the vicinity, he fully opened the door. "It's safe. No slimes."

The three let out a sigh of relief before following Adrian who was already outside. One day inside the library felt like forever to them. They missed the wind blowing in their skin, the warmth of sunlight hitting their face, and the view of tall buildings around them.

But that feeling didn't last long. They saw black smoke rising in every direction, the streets were as empty as a ghost town, cars crashed against each other or walls were the scenery in front of them, establishments have broken windows, broken doors, or both. They felt lucky. Fortunately for them, the library has sturdy, solid walls.

"Come on, guys. Let's move." Adrian urged them to start walking, but it seems like they were still in a daze. "You guys are wasting time, come on!"

A few seconds later, the three have finally come back to reality. They now have a solemn expression on their faces. They expected this kind of scenario, but it still overwhelmed them.

Before they could get on their way, Mrs. Denise called them to come back. "Wait! I wanna give you kids something..." The librarian hurried back to her desk and was trying to find something on her drawers. The four looked confused, but as soon as the librarian came back, they all appreciated her gesture. "Here. It's pepper spray. Better than nothing, right?"

The four smiled at Mrs. Denise. Adrian grabbed the pepper spray from the librarian's veiny hands with a soft smile on his face. "You're right, Mrs. Denise. Thank you." Adrian placed the pepper spray in his left pocket. Before they moved again, Adrian reminded them again. "Lock the doors, but don't block it. Don't open the door for anyone else but us and if someone knocked, ask for their name."

"I know. I'm not a kid anymore, Adrian." Said Mrs. Denise with a smile. Adrian felt a bit embarrassed. He couldn't help but chuckle deprecatingly to himself.

With a few seconds of farewells, Adrian's group finally moved towards their destination. While they were walking on the eerily empty street, Carl asked Adrian with contempt. "Shouldn't you give the pepper spray to Elaine here?"

Adrian looked at Carl with a confused expression on his face. "Why?"

Carl responded with an expression that can only be described as a combination of shocked, annoyed, and disbelief. "Why?! Because she's a woman!"

Adrian snorted with laughter. "Nah. She studied martial arts. I'm pretty sure she can handle anyone below her skill level. Don't be such a white knight, dude."

Elaine tried to restrain her giggle and interjected to the two arguing men. "Adrian's right. I don't need it. It would be much better if someone who can't defend themselves with skills alone can use it. Do you want the pepper spray, Carl?

"

"Oh, that's gotta burn. Whoo." Adrian muttered under his breath. He almost laughed out loud, but he easily controlled his emotion. "Carl, catch!"

Carl was able to catch the pepper spray, although barely. Carl looked embarrassed. His face was all red from embarrassment. Richard on the other hand was chuckling by himself while bumping his best friend with his elbow to tease him.

Few minutes went by, but the scenery in front of them looked the same. Their childish bickering has gone back to being solemn. They even saw dead people inside the cars, some even were burned alive inside their cars. There were also dead people lying on the streets that were so mangled the four can't even look at it for a few seconds. All four of them felt pity for these unfortunate souls.

"May you rest in peace," Richard said in a solemn, almost whisper voice to a dead woman.

"Do you guys think we're the only ones left here?" Carl asked in a terrified voice.

"Nope. Surely lots of people are dead, but it is impossible that the entire population here in Manila is dead in just a single day. They are definitely still hiding until now. Do you know what that means?"

The three were baffled by the sudden question and the change in Adrian's mood. He almost sounded like he was excited! Elaine broke the silence. "What?"

"We can literally get all the supplies we can get without a competition! You know if this really is the end of the world, those who can horde tons of supplies first will survive far longer than the ones who were left with scraps. The early bird catches the worm, right?"

Elaine and Richard got nodded in agreement. Although it sounded harsh to take everything without leaving enough for anyone else, that's just their reality from now on. If they really want to survive, they can't leave any stone unturned.

Carl on the other hand has a different opinion. "That's just you being selfish. What if someone you knew was here and still alive? What if they got hungry, but wasn't able to find food because you stole it all? You'll be responsible for them dying due to starvation."

Adrian looked amused at Carl. He scoffed and said. "If they can't find food here, then go somewhere else! It's not like it's the only grocery store here in Manila!" Adrian sighed in exasperation before continuing. "Richard, can you teach Carl here a sliver of your logic and common sense? Because he's got literally none! Don't act like a hero or some good Samaritan."

Their argument continued until they reached the grocery store. It was pretty big. It was as big as those grocery stores found in malls or might even be slightly bigger. The four stood in front of the store for a moment for unknown reasons. Adrian and Carl have stopped arguing right at this moment. They really have no time to argue anymore, because the only thing that's on their mind right now was how could they possibly get as many supplies as possible in a single run?

Adrian looked around. In front of the grocery store was also its parking lot, so there were still a number of cars still parked. Adrian thought of an idea. "Can any of you drive a car?"

The three looked at each other expecting one of them would say yes, but after a few seconds of a pointless staring contest, they came to the conclusion that none of them knows how to drive. The three helplessly shrugged at Adrian.

"Shit! It can't really be that easy, huh." Adrian sighed helplessly before he proceeded to enter the grocery store. The three followed him from behind. Adrian kept thinking and thinking of a possible way to overcome their problem. Soon enough, they reached the line where the counters were in.

"Uhh... Should we start now?" Elaine interrupted Adrian who was thinking deeply about their problem. Elaine's question pulled Adrian back to reality and nodded.

Before Adrian answered Elaine, he looked at his watch to check the time. [11:53 AM]. "Yeah. Just only pick what's necessary. Only pick non-perishable and ready to eat foods."

Upon hearing Adrian, the three moved in unison each going in a different section of the store. Elaine went to the canned goods section, Richard chose to head to the baked goods section, Carl hurried to the packaged goods section and lastly, Adrian went to the section where various drinks were placed.

The place was so big they couldn't even talk to each other. As they traversed rows of racks, they practically just shove the goods inside their bags. It was like one of those tv shows where a player has to collect as many supplies as they possibly can in under one minute only this time they have an indefinite time limit!

They also noticed that some of the goods were lying on the floor as if someone or something stumbled or crashed into the racks. There was even a rack that was overturned in the Baked goods section.

Adrian also spotted some slimy markings all over the floor of the grocery store. It looked absolutely disgusting! The longer he looked at it, the more it looked like it was moving! There was also a faint putrid smell coming off of it.

"Ugh... I hope that the slime that left this is already gone!" Adrian muttered with a frown on his face while pinching his nose.

In front of Adrian, there were a myriad number of types of drinks. There were Milk, Booze, Juice, Water, Soda, and many more. He thought carefully about what's the second most essential next to the water. After a bit of thought, Adrian exclaimed with a smile as if he just solved a difficult problem. "Ahh! Booze it is!"

Meanwhile, Elaine was humming as she grabbed three to four cans at the same time and shoved it on her bag that was hanging on her left shoulder. The only problem she's got was that there's not enough space in her bag anymore. Her bag was literally bulging, but there were only no more than twenty cans inside! She frowned at her bag's limitation.

Richard was different, though. The bread he picked was mostly soft and squishy. He didn't even care if he crumpled a pack of bread like paper just to shove it inside his already bulging backpack, but he believed that he still can shove a lot more.

Carl didn't have any problems. He only picked the chips like Doritos, Cheetos, and pringles. He also went for the cereals since it's his favorite breakfast.

Time flew fast without anything happening bad. One by one, the four met at the line of counters. Elaine there being the first one to arrive, then Adrian next was Carl and last was Richard.

"You guys got a good harvest?" Adrian asked cheerfully. His bag was also bulging. But strangely, the three looked at him with a baffled expression on their faces. Adrian immediately understood why they looked at him like that. He was holding two bottles of booze, one for each hand. He said in defense. "Boozes are essential, okay?"

The three didn't know whether to laugh or cry. They turned around helplessly towards the exit. While walking, Adrian couldn't help but ask. "You guys looked like you just got friend-zoned, what's the problem?"

"Aside from you prioritizing booze, I feel like I didn't get enough than what I hoped." Elaine sounded like she's full of regret. She can't help but sigh helplessly. The other two agreed with her sentiment.

"Yep."

"Yeah."

"Then, we'll just have to come back here for a second run. It's still pretty early..." Adrian looked at his watch again to check the time. "... it's only 1:36 PM. We can still do at least three more runs."

The three were a bit reluctant at that. Can they really go back and forth here three more times without encountering trouble? Richard voiced his worries. "I don't know, Adrian. Coming here once is fine, but if we keep coming back we might push our luck."

"I think we'll be fine. You know, after we went here I have changed my mind about how dangerous outside really is. I admit that I assumed the worst, but clearly, I was wrong..." Adrian stopped walking and looked at his three companions with a smile on his face. "... so, I think it will be safe for us to leave the library. But of course we first have to have a plan where we'll be going."

The three were shocked! They didn't expect Adrian to concede his standing about his refusal to leave the library so easily. Turns out, Adrian is not as stubborn as they thought!

Carl got excited suddenly. His exasperated and sad expression vanished without a trace. He had to ask Adrian to confirm what he just heard. "Wait, are you sure, Adrian?"

"Yeah. It still depends if we can find a safer place, though, like a refugee camp or Military base or something. Unless we have a clear destination, we will not leave the library."

"Well, we're gonna need more supplies if we decide to leave. So, I'm fine going back here three more times." Elaine now agreed at Adrian's suggestion.

And of course, Carl and Richard also approved the suggestion. Carl especially was enthusiastic about their task. Suddenly, the thought of going back and forth here three more times became less dangerous to them.

"I am thinking of trying to get a car, so we can travel faster." Adrian suddenly said.

"But, we don't know how to drive. Plus, If someone does know how to drive, we don't have a key!" Richard said with a frown.

"Don't lose all hope yet. You know, maybe Mrs. Denise or Lo- I mean Francine or the mystery man knows how to drive. If we don't have a key, just hotwire it." Adrian said with a calm tone almost as if it doesn't bother him.

"I don't think anyone of us knows how to hotwire a car, Adrian." It was Elaine who spoke. She sounded like she was unconvinced.

"Well, if the internet is still working, you can just google the step by step guide. Then, you can just screenshot it." Adrian answered nonchalantly as if it wasn't a problem at all.

Elaine fell into deep thought. After a few seconds, she pulled out her phone from her right pocket before checking something on it. She smiled. "Glad there's still a signal." She then opened a browser and started searching. After a few minutes of searching, she finally found what she was looking for and then took a screenshot of it. "Done!"

They headed back to the library while chit chatting on the way. This time they chose to avoid the dead bodies on the street to not destroy their moods.

A few more minutes later, they finally reached the library without anything happening to them. They reach the door with a bit of a smile on their faces. Just the short time of them talking to each other made them feel a little bit closer to one another and feel more at ease knowing that they have each other.

Adrian knocked on the door before speaking, "Mrs. Denise, open the door! It's a me, Mario! heh." Adrian imitated the voice of a character from his favorite video game.

Of course, Adrian got a negative response. Mrs. Denise's voice was heard from inside the library. "Who? How do you know my name?!"

"I was just kidding! it's us, Carl, Elaine, Richard and me!" Adrian shouted back. He then muttered, "How can you not know that? Jeez."

While he was chuckling at his own joke, the three looked unamused. They seriously can't believe how this guy can still act like that during the Apocalypse!

A few seconds later, the door was unlocked and then opened. In front of Adrian was Mrs. Denise and behind her was Francine who's still too shy to look directly at Adrian's group. Meanwhile, the mystery man was nowhere to be seen.

The four entered their humble temporary abode. Mrs. Denise then locked the door once the four were inside. As Adrian and the gang were walking towards the table, Adrian can't help but greet the very shy loli. "Hello."

Francine was startled when the suited man greeted her. She didn't exactly expect that someone would notice her. She fidgeted for a bit before greeting the suited man back. Though, she still looked on the floor. "H-hi..."

Adrian just chuckled as if he found her amusing. Adrian and the gang then proceeded to place the goods on the table carefully and slowly. When all of the goods were laid on the table, Mrs. Denise started to group the goods based on its category. She placed the canned goods at the upper right of the table, the packaged goods on the lower right, baked goods on the lower left, and lastly, the drinks on the upper left. Though, she got a bit confused at the last one, why the hell did they pick booze over other more essential drinks? She looked at the four with a confused and disappointed expression.

Adrian just stood there smiling like he was so proud of his decision. He whispered to Francine who was standing on his right, "Booze is essential, right?"

Francine didn't answer. She just fidgeted again, not knowing how to answer the suited man. Why is he even talking to me? She thought. Though, she felt good that someone actually notices her. She looked down on the floor with a blush on her cheeks.

"So, how's the outside world? Did you encounter any problem?" Mrs. Denise asks with a hint of worry on her face.

"Nope, it's totally safe out there. Actually, I have something to tell you about it. I think--" Before Adrian could finish what he was saying, Carl, interrupted him.

"Adrian thinks that it's safe enough for us to leave!" The overly excited Carl said with full smiles on his face.

"Ahem... the thing is, I want us to travel by car. Obviously, we don't know how to drive a car. So... can you drive?" Adrian waited for an answer with high expectations. But, the answer he got was a letdown.

Mrs. Denise winced before answering, "... I'm sorry, but no. I'm broke. I can't even afford to buy a second-hand car. So, I didn't try to learn how to drive."

"How about you, Francine?" Adrian said in a less expectant voice. But as expected, she also didn't know how to drive. His frustration started to boil. He muttered under his breath, "This really can't be that easy, huh."

Just when he was about to lose all hope, Adrian remembered someone that may or may not be able to drive. "Wait, where's the mystery man?"

Mrs. Denise was confused at first, but she eventually understood who Adrian was talking about. "Mystery man?... oh, him. He went outside just a few minutes after you kids left earlier."

"What?! That son of a bitch left us! Where would he even go?!" Adrian said while gritting his teeth.

Mrs. Denise slapped Adrian in the arm like he was her kid getting disciplined. "Language! Also, you can't get angry at him. You said that we can leave whenever we want. So when he said that he wanted to go outside, I did not stop him."

"He spoke? Ah, forget it. We'll make do without him." Adrian sighed in exasperation before he continued. "Anyway, we're going back to the grocery store to get more supplies."

Mrs. Denise frowned. "Why? isn't this enough?"

"Nope. These supplies wouldn't even last for a week. Plus, we already agreed to go back so..." Adrian shrugged nonchalantly.

Mrs. Denise eventually agreed, but she insisted that they wouldn't go back there any further after this. Though Adrian was a little bit hesitant, he eventually agreed. He then walked with a slouch towards the other three who were waiting by the door since they got inside.

They soon left the library with an extra bag from Francine. it's a little small, though. The bag that Adrian has been using was actually from the mystery man since Adrian doesn't have a bag with him.

On the way, Adrian told them that this would be their last run to the grocery store since Mrs. Denise insisted. Contrary to his expectations, the three actually felt relieved that they don't have to go back there three times!

While they were chit chatting to relieve their anxious hearts and stressed minds, they heard someone crying from a distance. The cries sounded like that of a woman. The moment they heard this, the four glanced at each other and nodded in agreement. They ran towards where they thought the cries were coming from. A few seconds later, they reached a formerly fancy restaurant. The tables that were once elegantly placed in front of the restaurant were now lying on the floor as if a car drove past it. There were broken glasses on the ground that either came from the glass table or the glass wall.

They further searched inside the messy restaurant. The cry was getting louder and louder, then they finally saw the woman hiding behind the counter. She was crying and sobbing violently.

The four were hesitant to disturb the woman, but after some glances at each other, they agreed that Elaine should handle the situation which she reluctantly approved. She reached her delicate hand on the back of the woman which then startled her. "Hey, uhh... Miss... what are you doing here all alone? It's dangerous."

The moment the woman saw Elaine, she became less wary. But, she was still crying and sobbing. Her eyes were red due to her constant crying. Her once beautiful makeup has now faded and only some traces of it can be seen. Seeing other people became a ray of hope for her. She suddenly grabbed Elaine's hand which greatly startled her, but she calmed down in a matter of seconds. The woman then stutteringly spoke. "P-p-please... h-help me find m-my son! I-I-I don't know w-where he is! I lost him! I lost him! I lost him!"

Clearly, the woman was in a really bad state. She's hyperventilating as she spoke. Some of her words were barely audible. But, the pain that she radiated was clearly felt by Adrian and the gang.

, Carl and Richard thought. They all stood there motionless and stared at Elaine's back since they couldn't actually see the woman because Elaine was standing directly in front of the woman.

Elaine soon grew uncomfortable at the woman. So, she just stared at the woman who keeps repeating words. When her ramblings stretched for a few minutes, the other three decided to intervene. Adrian was first to move and then followed by the two. The moment they got close, they finally saw the woman. She's quite beautiful. She's got long silky smooth and shiny jet black hair. She wore a navy blue sundress to contrast her fair skin. She's as tall as Elaine, which is five foot six inches tall, though her body is slimmer and more on the petite side, unlike Elaine who's got a body of a seasoned athlete. She's also wearing expensive jewelry on her neck and ears. Clearly, she's rich. And she's also quite young. Adrian estimated that she must be at least in her late twenties or early thirties.

The three carefully approached the two women. As to not startle or scare the crying woman, Adrian projected a calm and emphatic face. The woman also grabbed his hand so fast that he didn't even have the time to react before she started rambling the same sentence.

Adrian sighed as he removed the woman's soft hand from his. Then, he spoke in a remorseful tone. "We're so sorry, ma'am, but we can't help you find your son. And even if we did, we'll be just wasting our time. It is literally impossible for us or you to find your son. For all we know, he might've been picked up by a stranger and was brought to safety somewhere far away from here or..."

As expected, Adrian quickly received negative reactions from the three, and of course, the mother.

"Waste of time?! Saving someone isn't a waste of time!" Carl immediately yelled in anger.

"Adrian, you can't just assume that someone is dead!" Elaine yelled in shock.

"Dude, there's at least something that we can do to help her find her son, right?" Richard said in a slightly hopeful voice.

"NO! My Angelo is not dead! I taught him to go to the police if he got lost! He knows what to do! And...and...and he knows when it's time for his insulin shot! He will wait for me no matter what!" The woman yelled in anger followed by intense crying and sobbing.

Nathan retorted to the offended people around him. "No! I'm not saying saving someone is a waste of time. My only point is that Manila is huge! Do you really have the time to check every building here? What about the slimes? We don't even know if he's still here!

I am not assuming that he's dead! But, it's a possibility! During the day of the attack of those slime monsters, everywhere you go is chaotic. It is so easy for kids to get lost. After that, anything can literally happen to them.

Look, we're leaving this city after some preparations. Now, you can come with us. Maybe your son, Angelo, is somewhere else safe. We might even come across with each other later on. Who knows!"

After his lengthy speech, Adrian managed to calm the nerves of the three students. Though, they still can't believe that Adrian wasn't willing to help others just because of some unfounded assumptions.

The woman stopped crying and looked at Adrian with her round, red eyes. Her thin red lips started to quiver as if she was suppressing her anger. "No! My Angelo is here! I will find him here. If you're not going to help, then I will find him myself!"

Before they could even react and convince her to come with them, she ran as fast as she could. Her waist-long jet black hair swayed and bounced as she ran away. The four were speechless. But after a few seconds of silence, Adrian spoke in a cold tone. "Shame. Let's go."

On their way, no one uttered a single word. All of them have a grim look on their faces and the atmosphere around them was so solemn that on normal occasions people could've mistaken that they were mourning for someone close to them.

A few minutes later, they finally reached the grocery store. Adrian looked at his watch, [2:16 PM]. It's still pretty early. Seeing how early it is, Adrian can only mutter, "If only we can come back here a few more times, we could've maximized our limited time!

Looking around, Adrian saw something that he had missed the first time they got there. It is the thing that could solve their severe lack of space to put their loots in: a shopping cart! It was obscured by the plants on the left side of the parking lot. Adrian can't help but exclaim, "Yes! A shopping cart!"

The three were startled at first, but after they understood why Adrian was so enthusiastic all of a sudden, their gloomy mood was lifted a bit. They didn't need to decide what to do and just took action. Each of them got themselves two shopping carts for maximum efficiency. After they entered the grocery store Adrian said with a smile, "Don't forget to still fill your bags, okay?"

The three nodded in agreement. They then went to their separate sections and began to do what they did last time. But this time, they didn't need to worry about space.

Meanwhile, Adrian was picking up milk after milk, juice after juice, soda after soda, and everything else he deemed necessary. Then, a sudden loud thud echoed through the store. Normally, Adrian would've dismissed it because it just might be one of them. But, it was different when he heard an unfamiliar voice following the thud. "Shit! Fuck!"

Adrian became alerted. Though he didn't immediately think that it was a bad person, he still picked up a bottle of booze from one of his carts just to be safe. He walked slowly towards the next aisle, not wanting to make any sound. He made an abrupt turn to startle whoever the person might be, which he succeeded. The boy was so startled that he dropped his one liter of water and a bunch of cartons which Adrian can clearly read the big letters as baking soda. The boy exclaimed, "Ahh! Oh... thank goodness you're human. But please, don't scare people like that!"

The boy looked to be around sixteen years old. He wore glasses and civilian clothing. He's got short black hair, big sharp eyes, brown skin, a slouch stature and he's a head shorter than Adrian.

"Relax, I'm not gonna hurt you." Adrian raised his hands. "So... what are you doing? Are you gonna make bread or something? heh." Adrian chuckled as he moved closer to the boy. Even though he was not trying to intimidate the boy, the boy still averted making eye contact with Adrian.

"W-well... it's for killing slimes..." The boy replied meekly.

"Really? Hmmm... so, how does that work?" Adrian was genuinely curious when he asked the question.

"I-I can't tell you the exact chemical reaction, but the only thing that you need to know is that when baking soda water is mixed with acid, for example: sulfuric or hydrochloric acid, it neutralizes the acid. Leaving a by-product of water and salt."

"How do you know all this? Have you tried this?" Adrian folded his arms.

"It's basic knowledge, you know. And no, I never tried this."

Adrian became a bit flustered. "Ahem... If it's 'basic knowledge', then why are scientists aren't using this solution? Plus, you don't even know that this would work!"

"I-I don't know. Maybe they are too smart to think simple. That's why I'm making baking soda water, to try it out."

Adrian took a deep breath and seemed like he was in deep thought, but actually isn't. "Can you show me how to make baking soda water?"

The boy looked at Adrian as if he was an idiot before doing what he's been told. "You literally just have to put some baking soda in water."

Adrian became even more flustered. "Ahem... Right, right. Hmm..." To not embarrass himself any further, Adrian changed the topic. "... are you alone? or do you have someone waiting for you?"

The boy looked on the floor with a sad expression on his face. "I had. My friends and I were about to go shopping here when those monsters attacked! One of my friends died while others got separated." The boy's face suddenly transformed from a sad expression to rage! "That's why I'm going to kill those monsters, no matter what!"

"Hmm... If you want, you can come with us. My friends and I are gathering supplies for our trip, so you might get the chance to kill those slime monsters on the road. Assuming that this concoction of yours will work, of course. Plus, another two full shopping carts are gonna help us a lot."

The boy fell into deep thought for a few seconds. Since he had nowhere else to go and didn't want to be alone, he decided to go with them. The man in front of him also looked friendly and professional based on his suit, so that was a plus.

"Good. Name's Adrian Santos, nice to meet you." Adrian smiled and offered his right hand to shake hands.

"Gerard Santino, nice to meet you too." He smiled back and shook hands with Adrian.

"I'll introduce you to my friends first before you do your job, okay?" Adrian said with a smile, to which Gerard responded with a nod.

Time passed as Adrian looked for the three and introduced Gerard to them. Though they are not overly enthusiastic and cheerful after Adrian introduced a new member to them, they all accepted him with a warm smile.

After the introductions are done, Adrian orders Gerard to get himself two shopping carts. He then instructed him to get kitchen supplies such as knives, plates, spoon and fork, mugs, and other things that are necessary. While Adrian looted all available baking soda.

Soon enough, all five of them converged on the line of counters. Each of them was pushing two, full to the brim shopping carts. Adrian looked at the time, [3:43 PM]. They really took their sweet time. It was now time to go back.

They all left the store with a satisfied expression. The previous gloomy and solemn atmosphere around had subsided considerably. They chatted about random things along the way. Chuckling from time to time. It was when they were halfway through their destination when they saw someone familiar lying on the ground. It's when they got closer to the body that they confirmed who it is. It's the crying woman from earlier.

Adrian, Carl, Elaine, and Richard's face grew darker and darker. Their light atmosphere once again became gloomy and solemn. Elaine can't bear to look at the woman and turned her gaze away, Carl was full of rage while Adrian and Richard were speechless. Of course, Gerard felt sorry for the woman too.

Further inspection revealed that she was stabbed to death. Her navy blue sundress became crimson red. The blood wasn't dried yet, so she might've been killed not too long ago. Her necklace and earrings were gone, indicating that she was robbed. Even though she's already dead, her facial expression still showed worry. Perhaps even though she's dying, all she can think about is her son.

"This is your fault!" Carl yelled angrily as he pushed Adrian with all his might. He threw an accusatory finger at him and said, "You didn't want to help her and this is what happened! You killed her!"

"What?!" Adrian yelled back. He is absolutely bewildered why he was being accused of murder. "The one who stabbed her killed her! I offered her to join us, she declined! What can I do about that?!"

"Yo-!"

Before Carl could say anything, a loud glass breaking sound echoed through the streets. The five of them instantly looked in the direction of where the sound came from in unison. Apparently, the sound came from a high rise building standing just behind them.

Looking up, they saw what appears to be two individuals. Adrian estimated that the two individuals must be on the tenth floor of the building. Suddenly, one of them jumped! Adrian and the others were horrified.

they thought. A few seconds later, the body finally landed on a parked car. The force of the impact almost put a hole in the roof of the car. The car then started blaring its alarm.

The five were still in a daze, still looking blankly at the now crumpled car when the other individual jumped and fell at the same spot as the first one. Then, unexpectedly, another came down falling! But, it was not human, it was a slime! Its mud-colored bits and pieces were scattered around its landing spot in a five-meter radius. Then, another one fell, producing a splat sound.

The five started backing up slowly when they saw movements from under the sewers!

"Go... go, go, go!" Adrian yelled as he pushed his carts as fast as he could. The others follow suit, but as expected they can't control two full to the brim carts simultaneously while running for their lives! "Just fucking ditch one of the carts!"

After they did that, running for their lives became a lot easier. It was when they were a few blocks away from the library when Gerard's leg was grabbed by a mud-colored tentacle coming out of a street gutter. Causing him to lose balance and fall down on the ground. His cart was subsequently toppled over, spilling its content across the ground.

"Ahh! Adrian! Help!" Gerard cried for help while he was down. Meanwhile, the slime started to come out of the sewer. First was its red eyes, it effortlessly passed through the opening of the gutter. Next was its slimy body, it flowed very much like water. Soon enough, a five-foot-tall slime monster stood over Gerard's body while flailing its other tentacles around like a cat's tail.

Adrian froze on the spot, not knowing what to do. His head kept spinning around as if he was dizzy. Gerard yelled again. "Adrian! Throw that plastic bottle on this monster!"

Adrian woke up from his dazed state when he heard the yells of Gerard and the others. He looked at the three who were behind him and yelled, "Go! wait for us at the library! And don't close the door!"

The three reluctantly nodded and continued to run towards the library. Adrian then looked at Gerard who was now hanging upside down and was nearing the slime's body. Gerard kept struggling but to no avail.

Adrian has to act fast! He looked on the ground in search of the baking soda water bottle. His eyes darted left and right. Almost just a second later, he saw a water bottle with white liquid inside of it a few meters away from him. He practically jumped on the ground to not waste any more time. He then threw the bottle with great strength.

The water bottle reached the slime in an instant! Due to the strength Adrian put in his throw, the bottle dug down on the slime's soft body. Soon enough, the whole bottle finally submerged and started to melt

As soon as holes were formed on the water bottle, its contents leaked out immediately causing a violent chemical reaction! Bubbles formed inside the slime's body as if it was boiling from the inside! The chemical reaction grew in intensity until the reaction just suddenly stopped. The previous triumphant expression on Adrian's face vanished. "...No."

Just as he was losing hope, the tentacle that was holding Gerard all this time let go of his leg causing him to fall on the ground face first. Then, the slime's tentacles started to coil towards its body. Subsequently, the slime's body started leaking what seems to be water! As this was happening, the slime's body shrank considerably smaller than it was before! Then, it stopped moving.

"Is... is this slime really dead?" Adrian asked nervously as he helped Gerard get up.

"Goodness! I'm glad it worked! Though, I don't know if it's dead for real." Gerard exclaimed with glee on his face.

Fortunately, no more slimes emerged from everywhere. The two of them released a sigh of relief. But as soon as Adrian moved closer to the slime's body, one of its tentacles moved with a weak flick. Clearly, this one is still alive! Adrian exclaimed, "Fuck! let's get the hell out of here!"

A few minutes later, they reached the library safe and sound. The last shopping cart almost fell on the ground as they frantically entered the library. They locked the door behind them and blocked it with the tables in a matter of seconds.

"Guys, you won't believe what just happened!" Adrian said in a strained but excited voice.

After Adrian introduced Gerard to his fellow survivors, he proceeded to tell them about the effectiveness of the baking soda water against the slimes. At first, they cannot believe that a mere simple combination of household products could defeat a slime, but since Gerard and Adrian are still alive it must be real!

Then the rest of the afternoon, they talked about their adventure outside. Although it wasn't all good, it was still a great way to pass the time. They ate and drank as if to celebrate their partially successful grocery run. But the shadow of the death of a person they could've saved loomed over their heads. At [10:33 PM] everyone fell asleep except Adrian.

Adrian was downing a bottle of booze all by himself. Adrian couldn't sleep at all. Every time he closed his eyes, the face of the dead woman kept appearing on his mind. Did he feel sorry for the woman? Definitely! Did he feel responsible for her death? No! But, is that really the truth? He doesn't know at all! He just kept convincing himself that he's not responsible. He muttered over and over as he drank his nth glass of booze, "I offered her to join us. She declined. I can't do anything about that."

Halfway through the bottle, someone sat on his right side. "Can you finish that alone, Adrian?" It was Elaine. "Mind if I join?"

"What? can't sleep?" Adrian drunkenly asked as he passed the bottle to Elaine.

"...Yeah. I still can't believe she's dead." Elaine said grimly as she poured herself a glassful. "I think I'll need this so I can sleep."

"Heh. Told you booze is essential." Adrian chuckled.

With that, they drank a whole bottle of booze until they eventually passed out.