Chapter 3: Of Sensibility and Insanity

Despite having an action-filled night, Matthos's body clock immediately woke him up at 8 in the morning. His body felt heavy, but thanks to the early intervention of cold medicine and Tylenol, he won't suffer from the flu that badly. At least, he hoped he wouldn't.

He monitored Lumi's vital signs, taking her temperature and her pulse.

Strange, he thought. The thermometer registered 40 degrees, but when he touched her arm, she felt cold. He groaned at the thought of making her a case study on his leave. Then again, he did sign up for this.

After all, a sensible human being would call the coast guard and patrols under the guise of checking the vicinity. A sensible person would also know what's good for them, which hopefully includes being smart enough to not walk in the middle of the night and certainly not in the midst of the storm.

Suffice to say, sensibility is not in Matthos' list of attributes, but insanity was. Sometimes, when you've been in a complicated state a tad too long, you miss the hype and anxiety that drives you to move. At least, that's how he justifies his current choices.

Matthos went downstairs and prepared his morning cup of coffee. He left the beans to grind while he heated some bread. He had leftover Nido oriental soup, which would be a great meal for Lumi when she wakes up.

'When she wakes up, huh,' Matthos thought, wondering how it'll go. He had experiences with people who were unconscious for quite some time. Some wake up confused, and others lash out. He doesn't know what she'll be. The room was quite spacious, and there weren't any fragile things as his grandfather had dementia till his last day. His parents kept the room as is.

Suddenly remembering his parents, Matthos turned on the TV and tuned in on the Daily News. The host, Karen Sy, looked grim as she read the latest scoop,

"Just in, a mysterious case of two children falling into a comatose state has taken place in City B. Investigators reported that there were no signs of carbon monoxide poisoning in their houses, and the families share no similarities in milk formula, diapers, and house supplies such as detergents. Doctors and scientists from City A gathered to assist the medical force in City B to find a way to treat the children. So far, this mysterious case is isolated."

"Children in a comatose state?" Matthos sipped his coffee and grimaced at its bitterness. He forgot to add caramel syrup. His attention was taken away as he focused on making his coffee taste better. He didn't find anything interesting on the news. After nibbling on some bread and slurping soup, Matthos carried his coffee and headed upstairs to check on his patient.

Matthos leaned on the doorframe, watching Lumi sleep. The sutured wounds he did not cover started to heal. It looked like it was already a week old, judging by its redness and the scab that developed. He sipped his caramel macchiato, pondering if he should inject painkillers right now. It looks like her broken ankle is almost healed, but she'll wake up in pain.

With that, he drank the rest of his coffee and went to his parents' medicine drawer. He needed to fill up on their supplies soon. Settling on Toradol, he went upstairs with some two cc syringe Toradol. He checked Lumi for signs of consciousness. He waved his flashlight and saw some eye dilation. Her eyes, copper-like with their pinkish-orangey hue, dilated under the bright light. Matthos sighed in relief. She won't be dying in his watch.

He injected the Toradol and observed Lumi for a while. When she did not show any signs of an allergic reaction, he simply discarded the syringe and left the room.

Matthos took this time to check on his phone. The Facebook page posted updates of the storm's devastating effects. Photos of fallen trees and sunken boats flooded the page, along with people's inspirational messages of being thankful they were safe.

'Of course, you were safe," Matthos thought indignantly," None of you stupidly went out in the middle of the night storm to do an excursion."

Before he could make fun of the various posts, an incoming call appeared on the screen. Seeing who it was, Matthos had no choice but to take it.

"Trem's dollhouse, you got the dough, we got the do-"

"Don't," the voice on the other side sounded impatient, which made Matthos pinch the bridge of his nose. He glanced at the clock. It was only 10 am. Wasn't it too early to ruin his day?

"We know you're on leave," the man changed his tune as if he was trying to coax a child. Matthos would've sneered if only he didn't fear him. "However, you're one of our best researchers. Your parents are currently on a mission on City A, and we need your expertise in guiding newbies on hunting."

"Why would my parents be at City A?"

"Some people are going insane, claiming they're hearing someone sing. In my opinion, it's just a bunch of punks doing some prank since it's a religious community. But they're claiming that the singer is something sinister."

"Let me guess, apocalypse?" Matthos clucked his tongue, knowing what's about to follow

"Yes"

"Okay, Director Roo, you just said that my parents are on a useless mission. Why can't they do it?" he complained.

"It's a bit heavy since it's three religious groups coming at them."

Matthos could only Imagine Kang Roo sitting on his chair, with his balding head on top of his desk placed in defeat. 'He must be tired,' Matthos noted.

"I'll do it part-time," he said, offering no space for negotiations, "The five-year leave is supposed to be there for people to see what normal life is like."

Director Roo boomed at the thought, "You, normal? Matthos Trem, stop pulling my leg," he guffawed. "Anyways, Matthos, I'm going to do the paperwork on your parents' current mission. Thanks for the help. I'll double the pay."

The call ended, and Matthos already deduced what happened for beings to be active in that area. That made him think of Lumi even more, and as he watched her sleep, he said,

"Never disregard the supernatural. The more you accept their existence, the lesser the chance for them to hunt you and prove to them they're real."