Mutagen

<strong>Day 58 – 3:04 PM – University of Perpetual Help System Dalta – Las Piñas Campus, Alabang-Zapote Road, Barangay Pamplona Tres, Las Piñas, Metro Manila</strong>

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The University of Perpetual Help also known by the abbreviation, UPH was a rather well-known university. They provided training for quite a number of courses for service in the Philippines and abroad. The University had nine campuses in various areas in Luzon and this one Mark and his crew went to this time was one of the two campuses in Metro Manila and was also the Main Campus of UPH.

This place should have been a lively one with its about twelve thousand students and a thousand and five hundred staff, but now, it had turned into a hellhole. The infected were roaming everywhere and there were a lot of mutated ones. If not for the fence isolating the back parking lot from the rest of the university campus and their vehicle not noise as normal vehicles did, the infected in other areas would have swarmed them already.

"Odel, drive the vehicle slowly. Don't attract too much attention from the infected on the other side of the fence."

Mark said ignoring the people he detected.

Because of the fences and the other vehicles left on the parking and blocking most of the sight of the infected inside the campus, the vehicle looked more like a moving box to them which was not that attractive compared to seeing human silhouettes from the distance.

Of course, not all the infected ignored the vehicle driving inside the fence. There were the more sensitive ones that are able to detect humans nearby not mentioning the fact that there were four psychics and two magical beings inside the vehicle. Fortunately, the uncontrollable leak of psychic energy had been toned down with Mark around or more infected would surely sense them inside the vehicle especially since Amihan was constantly using her powers.

"Where are we going to park?"

Odelina asked.

"Enter the inner parking, the entrance should be there." Mark pointed at the southwest corner of the rear parking area after looking at the map. "Use the parked vehicles as cover so the infected  gathered at the school field won't easily notice."

Odelina followed Mark's instructions and entered the inner parking area behind the school. From there, they could see how horrifying it was just on the other side of the parking area. Luckily, there was a lot of vehicles parked obscuring the view of the infected through the metal fences though the number of vehicles were also strange in a certain way.

"There are too many cars. I don't think these all belong to students." Karlene voiced. "Look at the infected, there's barely any of them wearing uniforms."

To her confusion, Mark spoke.

"Look around more and you will see why."

Hearing that, not only Karlene but also the others looked around the surroundings from the tinted windows of the vehicle. Finally, they noticed. They had already forgotten because of the time that passed and the signs on the streets being obscured by the scene of destruction and carnage. However, ones in this school managed to be preserved longer and more noticeable.

"They must be conducting a school-wide Christmas Party."

Mei spoke.

From the decorations on the upper floors of the buildings of the school to the leaning Christmas tree at the center of the school field and a few student-built displays, it was likely they were about to conduct a party that day. The number of vehicles parked in the parking area that should be unusual and the casual but should be stylish clothes of some of the infected gave out the same vibe about the place.

Before they could conduct and enjoy the party however, the outbreak struck turning their anticipated event into a bloody nightmare that who knows when it would end.

Aside from the decorations however, they noticed something else. Due to that, Mei turned to Mark.

"Gege, are there still people in a place like this?"

She asked.

On the building on the other side of the sports field filled with infected, there was a large beautifully and asymmetrically designed building with the emblem of the school at the central wall.

The northern wing of the building should be the gymnasium of the school while the other wing could either be classrooms or an office area. On the second floor of the southern wing, aside from the decorative banners, there was a banner with a large SOS that was written vertically hanging on one of the windows.

To Mei's question, Mark nodded.

"Thirteen people. Try using binoculars or the scope of the sniper rifle, you can see one person peering at the right window."

Hearing that, they really did and saw someone standing in front of the window. It was kind of hard to see since the window was covered with something to block the view but since they knew that someone was there, they managed to see the person. They also noticed that it seemed like the person standing was also watching them.

***

Day 58 – 3:22 PM – 2nd Floor Faculty Building, University of Perpetual Help System Dalta – Las Piñas Campus, Alabang-Zapote Road, Barangay Almanza Uno, Las Piñas, Metro Manila

"Terrence, there is a car in the parking area."

The girl in front of the window spoke with a rather excited voice as she had a glimpse of a vehicle moving across the parking. She was about twenty years old with a short neck long curly hair.

"Lynn, what are you talking about? Of course, there are cars in the parking area. Are you sick?"

Terrence who was a man about the same age replied hearing the girl. The two of them were on the lookout this time though it was only Lynn who was doing the job correctly.

"You're the one who is sick you lazy bastard." Lynn yelled. "Why don't you look outside the window to see instead of lying down and being lazy when Sir Edward is not around?"

"Alright! Geez! Don't yell. What if the zombies below hear you?" Terrence finally stood up. "Where is the car you are talking about? You better not be joking. Just who will enter a hellish place like this anyway?"

Terrence looked out of the window just to stop Lynn's yelling but did not really believe her. That was until he also saw a glimpse of a vehicle moving in the inner parking just across the school field.

However, as the distance was quite far and the vehicle was moving behind the trees and other parked vehicles, they were not able to see it clearly. Nevertheless, they knew that there was a vehicle there that entered the campus through the back entrance.

"What the hell?"

Terrence could not believe it.

"I told you there's a car moving. You didn't believe earlier since you are not doing your job properly." Lynn reprimanded. "Should we tell Sir Edward?"

"Of course we should." Terrence replied. "We have to be careful. The last guys that entered the school are bastards."

"That's true." Lynn agreed. "Then, you go and tell Sir Edward."

"What? Why me?"

"Because you're not really doing anything here. It's better for you to go."

"Hah… Alright."

With a defeated sigh, Terrence left Lynn and went out of the room they were in.

***

"Are you sure about this?"

The man sitting inside the faculty stood up after hearing what Terrence had come to report. It was almost two months since they were stuck in this place and people coming to this place only happened once before. At that time, they were complacent and trusted the group.

That event did not end well.

"Call everyone. We will prepare. Since you said that there's only one vehicle, then, it surely won't be the military or the police."

As Terrence bolted out of the room to inform the others, Edward let out a sigh. Of course, it would be lying if he said that he did not want to see other people. However, the first time they did cause more harm than good.

Edward left his seat and entered another room. Inside the room, there was a makeshift bed and several necessities he personally had.

On the bed lay a thin statured woman. She was asleep not naturally but because of the medicine fed to her. Edward sat on the bed and caressed the head of the woman.

"There are people here again Emi. I just wish that it will end well this time. I don't want to see what happened to you before get repeated."

Leaving a kiss to the cheek of the sleeping woman, Edward took a shotgun hidden in a medical cabinet along with a bag of bullets before leaving the room. As he closed the door, he took a last look at the woman. His eyes were filled with the resolution to protect what he had left.

When Edward went out of the hallway, everyone was there already except for the medical student named Lynn who was still on the lookout. Right now, there were eleven people in the hallway. Three including Edward was school staff, three were students from the high school division of the campus and the rest were college students before the outbreak. Every one stood worried in the hallway and every single one of them was armed with firearms. It was something odd that they had these weapons when all of them should not have one.

"Edward, what are we going to do?"

An older man, Phillip, who was a medical instructor before the outbreak asked.

"We won't do anything right now. Just position yourselves and guard the entrances. We don't know if those people will go here or even will be able to but we just need to be on guard. If they managed to get here, I'll go first to talk to them while you all just need to be prepared for anything that can happen."

Hearing Edward's instructions, everyone nodded. They all left in groups and went to the positions designated to them. Of course, those positions were the two stairs they already blocked, the only way to the roof and the windows that can be accessed from the back of the building. As for Edward, he left with Terrence and went where Lynn was.

***

"Sir Edward!"

Lynn greeted as she saw Terrence return with Edward.

"How is it?"

Edward asked.

"The car already stopped but we can't see it clearly from here since it stopped behind a tree."

"You didn't use your binoculars?"

"I did Sir but… I don't know. It is really hard to see even with the binoculars since the car moved behind the cars parked there. It might sound strange but I think they know that they are being watched."

"Well, of course, people will know that we are here since we have that banner outside."

Terrence chimed in a fact none of them could refute. However, they could not just take out the banner. After the outbreak, they saw military helicopters flying not far from the campus and that did not happen only once or twice. Even though it was not happening anymore, they wish that if another helicopter from the military passed by, they would see the distress banner they hanged outside.

Taking the banner down would surely lower the chances of them being attacked by other people but at the same time, lowering the chances of them being rescued to zero. It was either risk it or win it. They just have to be prepared for both occasions.

"People went out!"

Lynn exclaimed as she used the binoculars once more. Although she could not see the vehicle clearly from her position, she saw several people running out from the vehicle towards the nearest building from the parking area.

Using his own binoculars, Edward also managed to see the same scene.

"It seems like they are going to the Medicine Faculty." Edward assumed. "But how are they able to brave themselves in a risky place like this with just a few of them?"

He questioned. It was because there were only seven people that came out of the vehicle. Three of them were even children.