Mutagen

Keene said as he sat on a makeshift bedding laid on the floor of the classroom his father and childhood friend brought him into. He stared at his father who planned to go out once more in the middle of the night to supervise the activities inside the settlement.

"I\'m fine Keene. I\'ll just issue some urgent orders and return to get rest. You rest first since your body is still weak. You have to recover your strength first."

Captain Dela Rosa said with a smile before walking out of the classroom.

Keene stared at the departing figure of his father who closed the door. He could not help but feel like he was dreaming.

His name was Keene Dela Rosa, son of the captain of the 7th Rescue Squad, Simeon Dela Rosa and the childhood friend of Irene McCarran.

Back in Bay City, he was supposed to be one of the members of the 7th Rescue Squad under his father but for some reason, he was switched with someone else at the last moment and he was put in the detestable 15th Squad who were a bunch of soldiers under the opposing faction. Due to that, General Perez could not help but play his hand and Keen was again relocated to the 11th Squad who were also under the General.

They were tasked of gathering surviving workers in the industrial area in Bacoor Cavite. The location was chosen not because it was the nearest but because it was in a location with lesser danger. However, it seemed that he had his stroke of bad luck.

They were clearing one of the construction sites were a building that was yet to be finished stood to rescue several construction workers trapped in the highest finished floor of the building. While they were making their way into the unfinished building however, something fell from above. It fell on him out of all the soldiers in their team. What bad luck he had.

Due to the thing falling on his head, he was disoriented. It was when he felt a searing pain on his left wrist and heard the sudden gunshots that he managed to recover himself. However, it was too late. He was already bitten.

What actually fell on him was a small infected boy who seemed to be able to climb on vertical surfaces. When they examined the body of the child, the child\'s hand had several pointed boney growth. Looking at the wall where the child fell from, they could see holes on the concrete where the child\'s hand might have drilled using those bone growth on his hands.

He was immediately quarantined. Fortunately, unlike in the movies and television drama where people who were bitten were immediately disposed of, there was still hope for him. As long as a person who was bitten did not turn into an infected immediately, there was a chance for them to become a Mutator. Due to that, he did not fall into despair and held unto that little hope.

He did become a Mutator, unfortunately, a failed one.

Keene turned at Irene who was sleeping beside him after being tired of crying. He smiled and he could not help but feel like laughing when he saw her childish crying face and her nose even dripping with snot. Still, he preferred that she stay like this. It was because a life of a soldier could often turn anyone\'s personality upside down.

He then stared at his left hand letting a white bone blade grow and retract at his fingertips. Remembering how it felt like his bones were being ground into powder before being reconstructed, he could not help but feel remorse. It felt like a torture going on for hours.

However, he could not let his consciousness wane even with the excruciating pain he felt. It was because he could feel that something would immediately take over his mind at the time he gave up. He started to lose control of his body but he was still conscious waiting for something.

He knew that even Successful Mutators had an episode that they would go berserk shortly before recovering so he still did not give up. Yet, reality betrayed him. He did not recover from his berserk state and he felt like his consciousness was being snuffed out like a candle fire being blown by the wind.

At that time, he knew that there was no going back.

Yet, it seemed that God had not forsaken him yet. Who thought that his father was able to find someone to save him before his consciousness was fully erased? When he heard the condition his father agreed to in order to save him, he could not help but feel confused.

If that person could save Failed Mutators like him, why would he want to hide it? However, with further thought, he started to bend that idea. He was not blind and he knew the current power struggle happening in Bay City. An ability to save Failed Mutators was very precious that those greedy pigs would want to monopolize it. Since there was only one person with that ability, only one would be able to monopolize him.

Then, since the others would not be able to make use of that person, his life would be in danger. If they were not able to make use of him, what was the use of keeping that person alive?

He started to agree with his father on accepting the deal. Furthermore, his life now was a debt to that person and he would not want his benefactor to fall into danger. Moreover that person already thought of an excuse if others were to question his sudden recovery.

"There are a lot of things unknown to us right now regarding Mutagen. Just say that his berserk period took longer than usual due to unknown reasons."

His father relayed those sentences to him from the mouth of his benefactor. It sounded like that person knew a lot.

Still, he was surprised and felt lucky that his benefactor actually knew the younger demoness in Bay City, Paula Mae Clarence. This way, there was no need for him to lie in front of that living lie detector.

Keene did not feel like sleeping. He wanted to practice a little with his ability. Whether he was able to recover all his strength or not, he would need to know and think of ways to use his ability as he would surely be needed tomorrow when they left this place.

***

Day 6 – 3:32 AM – Main Gates Vacant Area, Queens Row Elementary School, Queens Row Area A, Bacoor City, Cavite

The workers and soldiers working on the preparations of the vehicles had changed shifts already.

Those vehicles that were already done with the modifications and checking were being lined up on the order the convoy would leave tomorrow.

The vehicles closest to the main gates were three large ten-wheeler dump trucks with V-shaped rams affixed on the front bumpers while a shield modification was equipped at the rear bumper. These three would be boarded by several soldiers and volunteers from the refugees. As the roads they would traverse towards Bay City was not empty, these three trucks would drive at an arrow head shape to push the vehicles blocking the way to the side paving a way for the rest of the vehicles to go through. Among all the vehicles here, these three dump trucks where the best for that work due to these vehicles having enough horsepower and weight to push even larger vehicles aside.

Following behind the three dump trucks where the assortment of vehicles to transport the refugees and the supplies. There were no complicated modifications on these vehicles aside from the windows and doors being secured with welded rebar to prevent the infected from entering the vehicles easily even if the infected managed to punch through the defense of the military during the journey.

The military vehicles would be placed around the vehicles carrying refugees at fixed intervals, specifically, the military trucks that could help with both offense and defense of the soldiers. For the remaining Military vehicles such as gun mounted Humvees and Jeepney, these vehicles were put on roving duty. These vehicles have no fixed position within the convoy and would go around assisting which ever part of the convoy was under heavy attack.

At the end of the convoy was another two dump trucks to serve as rear guard. These two trucks also had both modified front and rear bumpers. The rear bumpers could help protecting the rear of the convoy while the front V-rams were also equipped to these two dump trucks. These two dump trucks did not only serve as rear defense but also as reserve in case that either of the three dump trucks leading the convoy would suffer damages and mechanical issues and could not carry on with the assigned duty.

In case that there was damage on the V-shaped rams of the leading trucks, the damaged leading truck would go to the rear to replace the reserve truck that would be relocated to the front. That was also the reason why the rear bumpers of the three trucks in leading the convoy were also modified.

Oddly enough, a Carry Multicab containing a dozen of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Tanks was within the groups of vehicles. Another was a motocross bike that was the only motorcycle within the convoy. Both vehicles were the last of the vehicles to be driven into the settlement and the two vehicles were also being guarded by the soldiers as if it was more important than the other vehicles. The soldiers even mounted a machinegun at the back of the Carry Multicab and a modified rotatable and lockable Assault rifle slot on the handle of the motorcycle.

That sight could not help but get the attention of the workers working on modifying the other important vehicles. Even the other soldiers not in the know went to ask about it only to hear that it were under the orders of Captain Dela Rosa. No one else knew about the reason.

***

Day 6 – 5:03 AM – Camella Access Road, Camella Springville North, Molino III, Bacoor City, Cavite

This place was nearly a kilometer away from the nearest corner of the Queens Row Elementary School following the streets, there was a small group of soldiers stationed here. The soldiers were all members of the 7th Rescue Squad led by Captain Dela Rosa. They secured a two floor house that had the overview of the long canal that were going across and around to the south of the North Springville Subdivision.

The mission of this small group of soldiers was to find ways to delay and monitor the place in case that the large horde of infected that was reported by the policemen from Firenze neared the area. Due to the light coming from the moon, it was easier for them to observe the area.

Looking at the main road of the subdivision connected to the Access Road beside the canal, dozens of vehicles with various sizes were parked side by side and bumper to bumper blocking the road. This was not only done here but in various parts of the subdivision.

The sleepy soldier on lookout noticed something far away to the south west waking him up. He immediately took out his binoculars. To his horror, he saw countless shadows moving towards their direction with eyes glowing like savage beasts. He immediately called unto his comrades and using the radio, informed the settlement.

The wave was finally on sight.