Through Your Eyes — Chapter 57

SEAN'S POV

"My beloved countrymen, this is my promise to all of you. I will do all it takes to stop the spread of this deadly Bronc X virus. I am commissioning a group of experts to conduct studies and research about the nature of this virus so that they can formulate drugs that would stop this malady. It had already affected, not just our daily activities, but also the country's economy. As of now, the best solution to this problem is to implement a strict quarantine to every district, city, municipality, and region.

"With my capacity as a scientist and founder of the drug that ended the plague in the past, I will impart all my knowledge to the research teams. As soon as possible, we should be able to come up with the best solution to our current suffering."

The crowd gave a continuous round of applause. Bright flashes of the sea of cameras glittered inside the huge arena.

"God bless the president!"

"We love you, dear president."

"We pledge our full support to your administration."

"We don't believe the scandals. You are so righteous, dear president."

Shouts of admiration for the president rumbled in the arena, and the walls of the halls vibrated against the deafening rounds of applause. The smiles of the president were endless, the twists of his lips stretched out to his ears. He looked handsome and dignified, and his facial features that were too young for his age glowed. His image reflected on the massive screens on his back and every corner of the hall.

All of a sudden, the camera stayed on his lapel flower, zooming it out. Tiny bugs came underneath and crawled fast to his sides. The president kept smiling as if he was unaware of what was happening. Soon, the insects spread its tiny wings and flew to the men standing beside him.

The people screamed as those men lost their strengths and fell on the floor after a couple of minutes. Soon, everything in the arena turned into chaos.

I watched in horror as I watched the live streaming of the president's visit to our city. People were running all around, and reporters flocked to the stage. Soon, the medics arrived, and police controlled the crowd.

I called Patrick right away. "Is this your doing?"

"What do you think?" came Patrick's amused tone, followed by a burst of loud laughter.

I listened until he stopped. "Patrick, this is not fun anymore. What about those innocent lives? Revenge will do you no good in the end."

"Ric knows how to stop me."

I shook my head, but then he added, "Somebody else does it for me."

I stared at the phone, astounded by his revelation. "Patrick, tell me who."

"Sure, but not now."

I hurried to call the heads of all the departments of my business establishments, and we did a video conference.

"Tell everyone to wear masks and gloves. And be careful in disposing of those items because the venom of the Bronca bug can get into your system through open wounds, oral and nasal mucosa, your eyes, and through droplet inhalation."

"Sir, what are you talking about?" Many of them asked simultaneously, starting to get alarmed at my worried-and-scared demeanor.

"If you have watched the president's speech, you will understand. Their so-called Bronc X virus has already invaded our city. Report anyone who does not feel well, and we'll have them checked as soon as possible."

I left the conference while they were still exchanging their outburst of opinions. I drove to Laminae to talk personally to Dr. Mimi, and the rest of the staff that Red chose.

Once they gathered, I informed them about Red's condition and about what happened to the president's speech, although some of them may have already heard about it.

The doctors gasped, and immediately, Dr. Mimi cried. "No, no. Not my Red."

Her voice went louder, and her vibrating tone brought chills to our spines, sending everyone else to tears.

I could understand if these doctors cried hard, but what surprised me was how the new staff nurse by the name of Hazel Villanueva reacted. We looked at each other as she sobbed loudly, wondering at her behavior. I came to her and placed an arm around her shoulders.

"Miss Hazel, take it easy. She's getting well soon."

She sobbed harder and covered her face with her hands. "Dr. Red is so good to me, sir. You have no idea about how I felt understood when she listened to my story."

I gathered my brows and tried to recall what Red said about her. Then, I remembered. She was the nurse who kept on crying during the interview. I then got curious, wondering what kind of life she had gone through.

While Hazel was still sobbing, we discussed how we would implement the precautionary measures to prevent the spread of inspection. Those whose work could be brought at home would be allowed to do so. Those who were willing to stay, a place for them would be provided, but those who were not were advised to take a work leave. We also talked about the place we would allocate for those who would be quarantined.

"Sir, there is no announcement from the government yet. Why are we going to do this earlier?"

"Because I know the nature of these Bronca bugs."

While I was yet talking, all their eyes shifted to the screen in the wall. I also turned to look at it. It was a news break, and the reporter was delivering a report about what happened earlier during the president's speech.

"This incident is no longer new," the reporter in his business suit said. "When the virus outbreak was first reported, someone uploaded a video of our president delivering his speech during the inauguration of one of the Martela's hotels and beach resorts in Sama Islands."

Right after she said it, a video about the said event floated on the screen. President Ric Abella was all smiles after his speech. He shook hands with the VIP's around him, but while they were yet exchanging greetings and salutations, tiny bugs crawled out from his lapel flower. It also flew and bit the men around them."

Stopping the video, the reporter continued. "As to how this incident was kept from the media, no one knows. This is only reuploaded from an anonymous netizen when the incident happened again earlier today. As expected, the Bronc X virus infection is going to increase in the city. Investigations are already conducted..."

I turned off the TV to get back their attention. "Ladies, I am expecting that you will do your duties on behalf of Dr. Red. And once she takes over, I'm also asking for your full cooperation."

I dismissed them after that because I still had many things to attend. Then, her OB-Gyne friend asked me to talk to her privately.

"Red already knows about your betrayal. I hope you were able to explain your side before this happened."

I felt my world stopped spinning for a moment.