The darkness was fading when the light shone upon me, a loud bang of the door followed by the door opening. Awakened by the noise, it was indeed a pleasant day for the heavens graced me by the presence of an angel; she wore a clean, white scrub suit like the one she had yesterday. For her smile was even more captivating as her joy radiated her beautiful face. The strawberry blonde hair was now tied in a ponytail; she was like a princess in my eyes.

“Good morning Mr. Roberts.” Anastasia greeted me with a smile, “How’s your sleep?”

“It was a good night's sleep, Miss Roman.”

She smiled; her smile complimented her pure beauty along with her cheerful and sociable attitude. I wish I was the same.

“Do you have any idea when I could be released from my confinement?” I asked,

She was writing something on her clipboard when I asked her. She stopped what she was doing and gazed at my eyes. Her piercing blue eyes made her more captivating than ever; I was losing my grip and definitely falling for her. This was possibly the challenging scenario I had ever been to.

The inner feeling of tension dwindled when she smiled as she shook her head; something in her smile always provides you a sense of warm feeling. Something I could never explain, yet, started to long for.

“I am sorry, but Colonel Caballero didn’t say anything about your release,” Anastasia said in a downhearted manner. Her upset tone was strange, as if it bothered me.

She reached for the pocket of her scrub suit and revealed a small book; it was torn; the design was visibly faded. There were some parts of the edges torn; it was definitely continuously used for a long time.

“I hope this one helps to alleviate your boredom.” Anastasia said as she gave the book to me, “It’s a big help, especially when you don’t have anything to do.”

“But that’s your book, I am afraid I can’t simply take it.”

“Well, you are not taking it. You’re borrowing it.” Anastasia argued, she placed the book in my lap as she turned around and headed towards the door. She did not bother to listen with what I would like to say; she made up her mind.

I opened the book. Realizing that it was an abridged version of one of the classic literature written by a Filipino hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, one of his masterpieces, the Noli me Tangere.

Back in the day, we read it back in High school, particularly during our third year. The novel was about the social problems and lack of justice and fairness experienced by the Filipino people at the hands of the Spanish Catholic Church and the Spanish Regime. Some of those problems were inherited until the modern age. They became prominent when most of them voted for the passage of the Federal Act of 2000. Supporters of that bill proclaimed it was a new Golden Era of the Philippines and its people. It opened the wounds of the past, exposing the effects to the people of this tiny nation; the division amongst its roots was undeniably presented.

As I continued reading the book, I felt nostalgic. Memories of the past years had returned as if it was a recap on a new episode of a television series. I couldn’t help but think that those were the times I took everything for granted, like how much I did in recent times, an action I deeply regret.

I was grateful to Anastasia for giving me something to read. It was refreshing when I had something to do rather than stare at the white ceilings and wait to be drifted to another slumber.

As I reached the third chapter of the book, the door opened. I was surprised and hid the book underneath my bedsheets hastily—I was almost caught. An officer entered the room; it was Colonel Caballero.

“Greetings, Mr. Roberts.” Colonel Caballero greeted, her face remained stoic, empty of any emotions.

“Hello, Colonel. How may I help you?”

“The Governor would like to meet you.” Colonel Caballero replied, “Get dressed immediately, we took the liberty of cleaning them—it is filthy.”

As soon as she was finished speaking, one of her subordinates entered the room, he was carrying a plastic bag on his left hand and my hiking boots on his right. He carefully placed the items on the empty chair over the corner; he went towards me and removed the cuffs that tied me on my bed. He and Colonel Caballero left me alone in my room to dress up after the completion of his task.

I left the bed as soon as they left the room and hurried to get dressed; the clothes were clean and had a floral scent with it. For a world in chaos, someone had it cleaned delicately and used a fabric conditioner. Time was of the essence. As I hastily tied my boots and fixed my bedding, I almost forgot the book Anastasia lent to me. I quickly placed it on my black denim pants back pocket. As I opened the door, I noticed the long hallway of the place. The soldier who was with Colonel Caballero earlier was standing across my door. I nodded at him as he began to walk while I followed him.

We were about to reach the end of the hallway when I saw my right side was the nursing station. I was relieved when I saw Jenny standing over the counter, doing what she was doing. I approached the soldier and asked for a moment and went towards the nurse station.

“Hello there. You are Nurse Jenny, right?” I asked as I reached for the pocketbook in my pocket.

Nurse Jenny looked towards me and smiled as she approached the counter.

“Yes, how may I help you?” she replied,

“Ms. Roman lent me this book, would you kindly return this to her? Please extend my gratitude to her.” I said to Nurse Jenny as I placed the book above the counter.

Nurse Jenny nodded, I went back to the soldier who stood by and waited patiently for me. I was grateful to him for granting my request. I responded for the kind act through a nod; however, he remained stoic and emotionless; yet he nodded back. We resumed walking towards the end of the hallway, which was connected to another hallway leading to another direction. It was identical to the previous corridor, yet it has clearly seen some terrible days. The white paint appeared to be faded and almost turned yellowish; the smell of sodium hydroxide was prominent. There was a pile of cleaning materials placed on the right side from where I was standing.

The soldier turned left, I was able to observe the hallway from the opposite of where we went. There were a lot of doors the same as the one I stayed in, I quickly assumed it was rooms of different patients or wards where the patients were confined in. As we reached the end of the hallway, we were able to finally exit the building I was in. It was pleasant as I was able to have fresh air after being held for a day or so; I wasn’t aware of the time I spent inside isolated, alone by myself.

I followed the soldier as we both headed towards the Calamba City Hall. The building facade remained as it was back when things were normal. As we went near it, I couldn’t help but notice some visible damage to it. The four pillars that supported the triangular concrete roof design had visibly been damaged like it was shot. Some of the glass windows were broken, some of the glass panes were missing perhaps damaged. The building’s entrance had some sandbags acting as a wall of protection, where some soldiers stood as they guarded the area. The perimeter was secured by a metal wall with barbed wires above it. The area surrounding us was the old assembly grounds located at the center area was now converted to a medical facility. The medical facility grounds ran through the old location of the Calamba Police Station and the exit point of the area was located before. I wasn’t able to have a closer look at the outside space for the walls limited my view. As we entered the City Hall, I was greeted by Colonel Caballero and three more soldiers; they were waiting for my arrival.

“What took you so long?” Colonel Caballero asked, “The Governor is waiting for you.”

As soon as she finished speaking, one of her soldiers went beside me and cuffed me. I was appalled by this action.

“What is the meaning of this, Colonel?” I asked furiously,

“Just a precautionary measure, we must ensure the Governor’s safety at all costs.” she replied as we headed towards the Governor’s office.

The route we took was quite scenic. Although I was cuffed and paraded like a criminal, I realized that the place was a shadow of what it used to be. The octagonal-shaped building provided a hollow center where a fountain stood; water was no longer flowing on the fountain spray. Instead, it was now damaged and moss-covered the blue tiles it had. On the upper floors of the building, the stainless steel railings were reinforced with metal sheets as a machine gun emplaced was positioned to cover the façade of the building. The pictures of the former leaders of the Calamba City were no longer there. Instead, it was replaced by an empty wall damaged by time. I followed Colonel Caballero and her soldiers as we crossed the mini-park with the fountain and marched towards an entrance, which was linked to the ground floor hallway of the building.

As we entered the Hallway area, we were greeted and saluted by the two soldiers standing beside the wooden door. The Colonel and her soldiers saluted back as they knocked on the door.

“Enter!” a voice exclaimed on the other side of the door,

One of the soldiers standing beside the door opened it. As we entered the room, an old gentleman was sitting on a leather chair. He was reviewing papers on his oak table. As we entered the room, he stood up and observed us. The older man had a slick back hairstyle with grey streaks on his sideburns and sported a thick mustache. His brown eyes showed signs of vigor and alertness. Yet, his forehead has visible wrinkles, a symbol of aging and stress he experienced. He was wearing a white dress shirt, brown pants, and military boots which complemented his olive complexion; I assumed this older gentleman was the Governor. Colonel Caballero and her soldiers saluted him and stood beside me as he saluted back.

“Governor, this is Mr. Roberts.” Colonel Caballero introduced me as I stepped forward to greet the Governor.

“Good day, Governor.”

The Governor frowned as soon as he looked towards my arms; he must have seen the handcuffs and was visibly disappointed with it.

“Are the handcuffs really necessary, Colonel?” the Governor asked,

“It’s for your safety—.”

“It doesn’t matter, take his cuffs off now!” the Governor ordered.

Colonel Caballero remained silent. She signaled one of her soldiers as one of his soldiers went on to remove the handcuffs on me, as soon they finished they stood behind me.

“I am Governor Rommel Harding, you must be Mr. Jack Roberts, the Titan Killer.” Governor Harding introduced, he reached for his hand, gesturing for a handshake. I shook his hand, it was a firm handshake. “Please, take a seat.”

I went near his table and sat on one of the chairs facing him, he took a seat while Colonel Cabellero and her men stood behind me.

“So tell me, son. What are you doing here?” Governor Harding asked.

“I am looking for my father, his name is Vincent Roberts, and he works for PTC. I was heading to their office in Crossing when your men captured me.”

“I wouldn’t say captured, you were a person under investigation. Many times they attempted to contact you.” Governor Harding argued.

“Well, they were interested in my dealings and my story on how I survived all these times. However, I can definitely tell that they don’t believe anything I say.”

“Maybe it’s because we are at war, son.” Governor Harding explained. “Let me tell you, kid. We have enemies that we could see, and we couldn’t. We don’t know whom to trust and—.”

“Everything is in chaos, yet you still have time for war? Against whom this time? Insurgents? Liberals? You people keep saying the world is ending, yet I keep hearing about this bullshit about having a fucking war.”

Governor Harding went silent; he stood on his chair and turned around as he looked on a wall painting. It was one of the National Heroes of the Philippines, Dr. Jose Rizal.

“We are at war for the heart and soul of the Philippines.” Governor Harding said in a melancholic tone, “Infected beings mutate into consuming those who aren’t, some people are taking advantage of the chaos around us for their own gains. If this war is lost, we may as well concede our lives.”

“Can’t you just contact the Federal Government about what is happening here so they can help us?” I asked,

“We are cut off from the other States, as far as I am concerned, I can fairly assume that the Federal Government has fallen because before it all went south, we heard that the Capital State was in chaos. Several militant groups were rising against the government.”

I was shocked by this revelation; I thought we had it worse. If Governor Harding was telling the truth, maybe the Federal Government has collapsed; we are on our own.

“Okay, that’s terrible news. Do we have the same thing as the Capital State?” I asked,

“I am glad to say ours is much different. We used to deal with raider gangs and groups of infected beings.” Governor Harding responded,

“Let me highlight the word, “was”. What do you mean by was?”

“Those raider gangs operated alone. They were all based on the old syndicates or street gangs that were operating around before all this shit happened. While some of them were just formed out of straight savagery and barbarism of our people after society had collapsed. Well, until recently, they were all united under the banner of The Nexus. The Nexus was led by a man named Roy.” Governor Harding explained as he went back towards his chair and sat.

“Pretty ironic that those hoodlums and punks could unite while we cannot, it is ironic considering we call them savages.”

“They did it right out of necessity to survive, son. The world we knew before isn’t the same as the one we have right now.” Governor Harding replied, “As far as I know, there was also some rift inside the Government too.”

I chuckled; it wasn’t exactly a new issue that the Filipinos were fighting amongst themselves. However Colonel Caballero and her soldiers were appalled by my action. For them, it was disrespectful and clear alignment with their enemies. However, the Governor remained calm and sat on his chair, never violently reacting over anything.

“So, we have an offer for you, my boy.” Governor Harding offered, “As witnessed by our soldiers, you are skillful enough to serve under our command. Doing tasks for the benefit of our people to ensure our victory in this war. Your freedom is ensured when your services are no longer needed when the Nexus crisis is resolved.”

“I don’t give a damn about you, and I don’t want anything to do with your war.”

“Well the alternative is we could declare you as a member of the Nexus and send you in a penitentiary; leave you to rot for years and years. Never seeing your father ever again.” Governor Harding said as he chuckled, “This is not voluntarily action Mr. Roberts, this is an order.”

First, these people had me arrested. Second, they detained me for a long time, not explaining what did I do wrong, and now they are enlisting me to serve them? I must do something.

“I am not skillful enough, your soldiers must be exaggerating their tale—“

“You don’t get to lie with me, boy. Colonel Caballero verified your story. They have seen the remains of the Titan and signs of the battle.” Governor Harding argued as he raised his voice to make his point.

I wasn’t able to reply back. The truth was I am running out of options. One way or another, I would have to accept their offer or face the terrible alternative, which would eliminate my chances of finding my father. I couldn’t help but wonder why every time I would start a search for him there was always an obstacle that prevented me from doing so, one may think that perhaps it was a sign from the universe.

“So son, we are waiting. You have to make a decision now. Don’t think too hard, you know there is only one correct choice for this.”

I remained silent, uncomfortable with my position. Governor Harding and his people were waiting for my response, with no viable option left. It was time to make a decision. However, I decided to stir the pot a little.

“So Governor here’s my decision.”