Thanks for the cheer I hope you didn't mind. I drifted in the darkness, the cold pavement, the flash after the explosion. I floated away and let the night carry me.

None matters anymore, should I die at this very moment. It doesn't matter; after all, it was pretty meaningless.

I am tired of struggling, surviving, and living. Why should I keep on fighting? After all, nothing really matters.

"Unfortunately, it isn't yet the time." a voice spoke,

I tried to find the origin of the voice, yet I remained floating in the seemingly endless abyss, as I continued to struggle, I could see the light. Everything slowly became brighter and brighter, and I could feel the warmth of the light, embracing me.

I was finally awakened from my deep slumber.

I found myself in a medical facility. The room was windowless, and there is a metal door a few meters away from me. The room was painted white and well lit, the room had a strong scent of disinfectant, perhaps it was frequently cleaned considering the strong smell of bleach around the area. There was an intercom system beside the light switches, the red button was prominent. I tried to leave my bed; however, my left hand was chained to it by handcuffs to the metal bars of the bed beside me. I tried to jerk my hand away from it in an attempt to release myself, yet to no avail, the cuffs held on, any further attempts to break free may result in an injury.

Suddenly, a female in white scrub entered the room, she had deep blue eyes and strawberry blond hair kept in a french braided ponytail. She was surprised when she found me sitting by the bed and trying to set myself free. She approached the intercom and pressed the red button on it.

"Code C.," she said to the intercom operator,

"Affirmative, The Sparrow will be arriving." the intercom operator replied,

As soon as she finished conversing with the intercom operator, she headed towards me carrying a metal clipboard with her. I was bothered by the fact that she was armed by a 9mm Taurus G2C pistol was concealed on her hip.

"You're finally awake." she said cordially, "How are you feeling?"

I kept my mouth shut. I had no single clue regarding my whereabouts; I quietly sat on my bed, feigning a confused state.

"You've been out cold for a couple of days," she said as she started writing over her metal clipboard. "Tell me, do you remember who you are?"

I just looked at her, I maintained my silence. I looked the other way and avoided eye contact with her.

She giggled as soon as I looked away from her, it was an eyebrow-raising move. I was surprised by her reaction, I was expecting that she would press for more questions. I wasn't expecting her to act like that.

"You are something, are you, Mister?" she giggled. "Look, I am just here to assess your condition. I am not here to question you or something."

"I am feeling fine. I remember who I am." I answered hesitatingly,

She smiled and continued to write on her clipboard.

"See? Was that so hard?" she replied. "Are you experiencing dizziness or painful moments?"

I shook my head, she wrote down again on her clipboard.

"Okay, Mr. Jack Roberts. I am delighted that you are feeling well. Colonel Sandra Caballero will be here in a moment. I would recommend that you be honest in answering her questions."

"Okay. How did you know my name?" I asked,

She smiled and went towards the door.

"Wait!" I exclaimed, "I never got your name."

"My name is Anastasia Roman," she replied casually.

"I am pleased to meet you, Miss Roman." I cordially replied.

She chuckled, I felt warmth as I looked at her while she left the room. It was a pleasant feeling, I hadn't thought it for a long time. However, I wondered if it was a ruse or a deliberate plan of whoever held me as a prisoner.

Moments had passed, and somebody opened the door. The person was wearing the same Green camouflage uniform as Lieutenant Ballard. The uniform had epaulets on the shoulder area of her uniform. It was safe to assume that these are Lieutenant Ballard's comrades. The woman stands around 5'5", she has black, bob-cut hair and a fair complexion, holding a long white folder. One may say she was good-looking, but Anastasia was more captivating for me. She gave off an intense authoritarian vibe, I concluded this is Colonel Sandra Caballero.

"Greetings, civilian." She said, "I am Colonel Sandra Caballero, the Commander of the 9th Regiment. I am here for a few questions."

"Very well, Colonel. I would be pleased to answer your questions."

Colonel Caballero took the chair, positioned herself against the wall near the door. There was a considerable distance between her and me. I guess people were still observing social distancing. She pulled out a pen and opened the folder.

"Please state your name for the record," she commanded,

I was hesitant to answer her question, yet, I was reminded by Anastasia to respond to the Colonel as honest as possible.

"My name is Jack Roberts."

"Who do you work for Mr. Roberts?" she asked, as she continued to write on the folder.

"I don't work for anyone, Colonel." I replied, "I was staying at the AM Estates in Barandal. I survived for almost six months through scavenging supplies and shooting those rabid beings."

"Okay, what is your business here?" she inquired,

"It's none of your damn business." I retorted.

Colonel Caballero was visibly irritated by my response, she placed her pen back in her uniform's pocket. She set the folder down at the floor as she withdrew her 9mm Glock 18C pistol from her holster at her hips.

"I guess it is my business to know the other person's business should it be related to our security. I guess it is my business to know if an individual is an enemy of the state or not," she answered in an angry demeanor. "We don't make an enemy of the state here lightly; they usually end up eating lead or being eaten by those infected beings. So right now, give me one reason why I shouldn't consider you as an enemy."

It was a fair point. I remembered Lieutenant Ballard's men's anxiety, their fear for their lives, and their duty for their country. Although I could safely assume that the country may no longer exist, considering the unrest that was happening.

"I was looking for my father, he was working at PTC in Calamba," I replied. "I guess you already had a clue about it."

Colonel Caballero holstered her pistol, she picked up the folder on the floor and stood up.

"Yes. We knew everything about you. You are spotted by one of our scouts in a reconnaissance mission. We were trying to make contact with you. However, the frequent encounter with raider gangs near your area hindered us from doing so." She replied.

"After you arrived at our base, we conducted a thorough background check on you. So far, your story with Lieutenant Ballard checks out." she continued, with a smirk, "I was trying to see if you are a man to be trusted. After all, you are the Titan Killer, but who knows if those raiders got to you first."

I was perplexed by the fact they knew about me, about who I am and what I was supposed to do. Like every fool in history, I underestimated one's ability to the job just as how I underestimated our country's intelligence gathering capacity to conduct such operation. It was remarkable for these people to consider the situation they are in, perhaps this what Lieutenant Ballard meant was that I was a person of interest. Although the funny thing is, they can easily track people who may pose a threat to their security. You may wonder if they did the same to the infected people back when the start of the outbreak.

Colonel Caballero's revelation regarding the raiders made me wonder what could have happened if I left later than I did. Perhaps a fate worse than death awaits on me in their hands should they captured me. I barely imagine what kind of monstrosity those people were capable of.

"Colonel, may I ask a question?" I asked, "What is really going on around here."

Colonel Cabellero stopped as she held the doorknob, she remained silent for a moment as she slowly turned towards me.

"I guess it is the end of the world, Mr. Roberts," she responded melancholically,

Colonel Caballero opened the door and left. I was left alone to face the fact that the world I knew was not only in ruins or chaos but had already ended, and I was oblivious about it. I spent the entire time staring over the white ceilings, reminiscing about the past.

I wondered if everything that happened in my life was worth it, the things I should have done, and the things I shouldn't have done, but I guess everything was too late now. All I can think of was a way to get out of here and search for my father.

As I kept thinking about the past, I didn't realize that I fell asleep.

Later that night, I was awakened by the opening of the door. I immediately composed myself sitting over the bed, it was Anastasia. She was pushing a cart with a tray of food and a bottle of water.

"Hello there," she said with a smile as she closed the door. "I figured you are hungry."

"Thanks."

She went towards the corner of the room and pulled a movable table towards the bed and placed the tray of food and water on it.

"I hope you'll eat so you can continue recovering," she said as she pushed the cart towards the door. "I'll come back later to clean up. Bon Appétit!"

She left the room again, I was left alone with a hot bowl of Arroz Caldo, two boiled eggs, and a bottle of water. To be honest, I had eaten a lot of Arroz Caldo before, even before all of these shenanigans that had happened, but so far, this was the best I had.

I was scalded as I promptly ate the hot bowl of Arroz Caldo, I couldn't help myself as I savored a hot meal for the first time. During the six month period that I was locked in, most of the time, I only ate canned goods. Finding bread or fresh produce was rare, especially during the last months when I had to conserve water supply, which limited my cooking options.

My spirits were up as I placed the now-empty bowl, I refreshed myself with the bottle of water. I gently pushed the moving table away from me and lay down again on the bed. I realized that I forgot to ask Colonel Cabellero about the state of Lieutenant Ballard and her men, hoping that they were all safe and alive.

Perhaps they did, considering that I am chained in a hospital bed; maybe she and her men survived the ordeal. However, the reality sank in as after realizing that there were casualties in that battle. A prayer would be an appropriate gesture for those who had fallen.

The door opened, and as I hurriedly sat on the bed, I was disheartened to find it wasn't Anastasia. It was a female nurse in a white scrub suit, black hair and brown eyes, she had a name tag attached on her scrub suit's pocket written in bold ink "Jenny." She had a cart, and a pistol concealed that was almost identical to what Anastasia had.

"Hi, Mr. Roberts. Are you finished with your meal?" she asked,

I nodded, and she pushed the cart towards the moving table and picked up the tray with the used utensils and empty bottles. As soon as she was finished doing this, she pushed the movable table towards the corner and wiped it using a white cloth from the cart.

As she was about to make an exit, I called on to her.

"Hey, uhm. Where is Anastasia?" I asked her shyly,

"Oh! Nurse Anastasia's shift just ended, but she will be here tomorrow morning," she replied with a smile.

"I see, thank you for your time." I nodded, "I am sorry for interrupting you."

As soon as I was finished answering my queries, she opened the door and left. I was looking forward to seeing Anastasia. It was very unusual when I felt dejected when I wasn't able to meet someone again, considering that we have just recently met. I didn't know much of her except for her name. Perhaps, I was enthralled by her charm, her incredible smile, and her piercing blue eyes.

I spent the entire night purging the thoughts of Anastasia over my head, yet, I was having difficulties removing her in my thoughts. I didn't realize when I fell asleep as I tried my hardest to forget her.

Once again, I fell on a deep slumber.