"Outbreak Tablas Survivors: The Enclave"

"Outbreak Tablas Survivors: The Enclave"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

(My name is not important. I have been sent here to find the survivors of the Tablas Outbreak. While the island is now mostly uninhabited. I have been able to contact a group that has been living on the top of a mountain.The controversial Forlales Fraction that had been vilified in the news all over the archipelago for having survived while others died. I now speak to Estrella or as she is known Estring , who stands as the unspoken leader of the fraction)

"I am assuming that you are here to know more about my husband Captain Forlales? What do you want to know that has not already been twisted by the tabloids in Manila? They call my husband a deserter. A traitor to his own country men. They called him a coward. Is there anything that I missed there?"

(I shake my head and tell her that I am more interested about the enclave's survival here in the mountains. Estring seems to calm down a bit but in her eyes you could see the determination that she would not rest until her husbands name was cleared).

"If you want to know how the enclave survived then we would have to go back to the beginning and the misunderstanding that lead to my husband being branded as such a horrible man."

"When the Yawa ( The Undead as they are called here) started to appear by the dozens. My husbands detachment in Bagontor Hill were the first to respond. He had tried to contain the contagion by setting perimeters in the reported hot spots as normal procedure dictated. The Yawa was something out of our nightmares , they were things that you never ever thought could be real. How then do you stop things that continued to grab at you while you were shooting them? You would shoot a limb off and both the Yawa and severed appendage would continue coming at you? Back then people was not so sure that shooting them in the head like so many zombie movies show would actually work. In fact in those times the most effective way is shoot them at the back of the head. We were not even sure if it worked. Tablas was in chaos because radio contact was being lost one by one."

"How do you stop an enemy that came out from every rice Paddie? Clogged up every small street until you are forced to go into swamps and mangroves to get away? When the Bagontor hill was over run and only a few of his men remained defending the islanders my husband decided that he would come here on this mountain. He tried to signal those people on the Bridge but between them were hundreds of these things. He took pictures as proof."

( Estring handed me a digicam , its power cord still attached. Electricity still being at a premium the enclave decided that they could spare a few ounces of gas from their generator for this little interview. I turned it on and saw in one the multitude of Yawa from Bagontor hill and the Bridge. There must have been hundreds of these things. There was no way to get through to the bridge to save those people. The rest of the pictures were taken at the back of the army truck. Captain Fradejas and was was left of his men drove off with hundreds following them. One picture showed a soldier hitting a Yawa on the head with his rifle barely dodging hands that tried to pull him from the sides of the truck. I had seen proof enough and handed the digicam to Estring. She continued)

"We all knew that all of the people on that bridge died.The papers said that they died while facing Yawa on all sides while the military on the island ran away into the night.As you can see in the pictures it would have been madness to go to that bridge and my husband was anything but mad."

(Estring pauses for a moment to catch her breath)

"This place that you see here now is an old place where they used to bring prisoners and people under protection from the government. Many provinces have these. My family and I knew of about it because generations of us were the caretakers. When news of the Governor dying in Romblon broke and that Romblon itself was being overrun we decided to stay here as well. Carrying as many as we could bring. These are the handful of people that you see here now. Times were not easy and people succumbed to diseases or even their own stupidity."

"My husband went here with about 10 or so of his men.He knew that there was only one way in or out and that gate needed to be defended and fortified.It was a steel gate made to withstand fire.On either side was a sheer cliff that lead to the river below. The designers of this place made sure that this was a safe place for anyone.My husband felt that the main gate leading to this complex was not reinforced enough. The reason was simple ,When he arrived he was a mere few hours ahead from hundreds of Yawa that they had attracted during their escape. The truck was parked sideways along the gate and positions were taken on all sides. One of his men suggested merely pushing all of the Yawa to the sides. Bamboo poles were fashioned and handles embedded in them for better control.When the Yawa came we were ready. There must have been hundreds of them. They consisted mostly of the surrounding barrios. It was a thick mass of moaning and shambling blackness. Every man , woman and child was defending that gate. My husband was on top of the truck shouting commands to his remaining men. No shots were to be fired.Conserve ammo. Use only when some of the creatures are threatening to overcome the gate. 10 of the people we rescued were armed with the bamboo poles , one of my husbands men commanding them. The Yawa closest to the sides were being pushed to the river a pair that was jokingly known as "Pushers". A pair would push the zombies from the center to the sides , these were called Ushers,like the one's in church yes. The plan worked and we are still here.The ammo from Bagontor hill was never used.It was not an easy existence but as long as the gate was closed and manned none of them could get us here."

(I asked where Captain Forlales was ,why she was the one speaking to me in his stead)

She motioned for me to follow her toward the now teeming camp.Children playing and crying. Mothers washing clothes and cooking. Men carrying harvest and tending animals in areas designated for them. She brought me to the innermost part of this complex which was inside a great cavern. At the far end of the cave we climbed steps that were carved in the stone itself until we reached a small room , a wide opening facing out to see the wide green forests below and perfect to watch the sunrise. In the middle of this room was a simple cross sticking from the ground. Medals were pinned to the wood. Estring motioned to her late husband.

"He always loved this room. He loved watching the sunrise from here though he was up way before it. He said that he will not rest until we see a much better sunrise than what we have now. After he had scoured the countryside with his men armed only with Jungle Bolos and Shovels. He had hugged me and told me that all of the Yawa are gone from this area. He had cleaned the place. The perimeters are established and well defended. Tomorrow will be a better sunrise he told me. He sat with his back on that wall over there and closed his eyes. He never opened them again."

"Now you tell me sir if my husband deserved to be called a coward and a traitor? Tell me why he is hated while he should be honored? Tell me why the Government has put out his face as a symbol of hate in our battle against the Yawa?"

(I had no answer for Estring.)