"I'm about to open the clinic right now. People are already getting rowdy outside."
Alex abruptly stood up in rejection.
"Don't open it! Where's father? Dad's not with you, is he?"
Though a bit surprised, she continued answering his questions.
"No, he went to work early on the auto shop after dropping me off. Why, what's going on? You're sounding so weird right now, Alex. You know that right?"
"I know mom, I'm sorry. I'll explain more as we go but right now let's focus on something else - by any chance, just by chance, do you own a gun or has anything you can use to defend yourself?"
"As far as I'm aware of I don't have any guns. We don't own guns, and we never had to need one. Wait, why do you ask? Alex, be honest with me, did you get involved in anything shady?"
"No, mom, I didn't, I wouldn't dare. It'll be much faster if you see it for yourself. Do you have a TV there, you need to see the news. Also, please stay away from the windows and out of sight of anyone.and I mean everyone mom."
Alex heard some form of acknowledgement on the other side followed by the sound of a TV program playing on.
After a few more seconds, the bewildered voice of his mom came from the other line.
"Woah! Is this real? Is this a virus attack from another country?"
"I don't think that's it mom, but please be careful. Don't go out, okay? The world is going bat sh*t crazy right now. I've seen some zombies outside killing and chasing people."
"O-okay, I'll stay here. I know it's much safer here. I'm alone at the clinic right now, but your father... I'm gonna call him now. I'll give you a callback. Bye sweetie, stay safe!"
"Alright mom, stay hidden!"
Alex heard the line cut off and went to the bathroom to check his medical supplies.
He was a little proud that he had the foresight to buy some first aid kits, and a few bottles of meds, although most of them are generic pain relievers and cold and flu medicines.
He didn't want to suffer being sick alone without even having proper medication.
Now that everything was taken care of, all he could do is wait.
'I want to call dad next but mom should be more worried for him. I'll just wait for her call.'
Alex went back to the living room and watched the news.
"Breaking news: the National Government has released an announcement to the general public about the current situation. For more information, we'll be redirecting you to the Press Department."
Alex was surprised by the announcement.
He didn't know if the government has the capacity to deal with the situation.
The screen switched to a live video of the Secretary of Defense standing behind a podium with the national seal and flag behind him.
The secretary is the one who delivered the announcement and he did not even try to soften the blow, going straight to the matter at hand.
"Due to the sudden pandemic that has hit our nation and the entire world, the President has declared a state of emergency."
He paused to take a look at his notes before continuing.
"As of this time, the country is under a state of martial law. No one is allowed to leave their homes except for those designated as essential personnel."
"Our military forces will do their best to secure the major cities. The police and military forces are tasked to keep order and ensure that the population remains calm."
"Do not let anybody inside your home especially if you don't know them."
"I repeat: Do not let anyone enter your house. Stay at home, stay safe."
"That is all."
After the short announcement, the TV switched back to the newsroom.
"There you have it folks, a state of emergency has been declared by the National Government and..."
The anchor suddenly looked off camera, visible confusion on his face.
Suddenly, running footsteps could be heard then someone came into frame for a few seconds and tackled him to the ground.
The cameraman's voice echoed: "Hey, what are you doing?"
Feeling they were supposed to be safe inside the studio, the crew didn't expect the sudden attack.
Screams were heard from the background as colleagues and staff panicked altogether.
The broadcast ended shortly and Alex stared blankly at the black screen.
"Did... did I just watch someone die live on national tv?"
Alex changed channels and was met with the same results.
News, music, and entertainment programs airing live all broadcasted the same thing.
The anchors are either confused or horrified at what's happening to the world.
Alex turned off the television and slumped down on the couch.
"What now? They said the military will handle the situation but I saw what happened earlier."
On the surface, the military seemed to be capable.
They have the firepower and manpower, but can they really save everyone?
Will they take priorities and focus on important prople first?
It will take a lot of time to gather a sizeable force to evacuate cities or create a safezone.
That won't happen in a few hours or so.
A day or two depending on how efficient the military is.
"Can't do anything, can't help anyone."
Alex couldn't think of anything.
He wanted to go out and see if he can help his neighbors, but his legs won't move.
As far as he knows, everyone in the apartment building is dead except for him and the woman who ran away.
As for the neighboring houses, he had no clue.
"There's no use feeling down. I need to remain productive especially at this time."
He went back to his room and tried to think of what he should do.
"I need to find a way to get more food and water. Food is top priority right now."
The only way he could do that is to leave the building and go to the nearby supermarket.
Which is impossible unless he goes at night and try to be sneaky... which is a huge gamble by itself.
"I need to increase my stamina and I need to practice swinging these 'things'. Also, I need to find a better weapon."
Alex played around with the knife and the meat tenderizer longing for something like a baseball bat.
Heck, he would settle for an iron bar if it can give him more reach!
"I also need to think long term. Food and water will definitely be a problem, but I need more than that. I need to make sure I have electricity, so I need a generator in the future."
"I need a survival pack - if everything goes wrong, I need something I can grab quickly and leave immediately."
"And if possible, a getaway vehicle... if driving is even a possibility right now. That's a dream right now since I don't even know how drive, but not having a license shouldn't stop me from driving in the apocalypse."
Alex felt a headache coming looking at the list he made.
"This is going to be difficult."
He sighed and took a deep breath.
'One thing at a time.'
He got up and opened the door to go to the kitchen.
He used every container he can put water in starting from mugs, jugs, and bowls. He even put a few bottles in the sink and opened the taps to fill multiple containers at the same time.
He was glad to find a few plastic buckets underneath the sink. It will come in handy in storing and transferring water.
Next, he fetched a backpack in his closet and prepared it for later use. He made a simple survival pack with some clothes, a bottle of water, and some bread.
Then, he sat back down on his chair and tried to think of a way to go to the supermarket.
But the more he thought of the plan, the more he realized the problems that could arise.
Should he really risk going for the supermarket when there's a chance the military might be coming after a few days or leave it to fate that the supermarket won't be looted after a day or two?
"Let's leave it for later. I'll decide what to do tonight."
As for vehicle, it's not really essential to look for one right now but he'll keep an open eye.
Unless the area becomes too dangerous, and he needs to bring it up the list.
Alex didn't have a driver's license so he was hoping there's no need for a car.
Though no one will stop him from driving, his safety and life is still on the line.
But if he needs one, he'll cross the bridge when he gets there.
'For now, let's practice swinging these.'
Alex spent the next ten minutes swinging the knife and the tenderizer.
He learned a bunch of things.
One is that a knife is a lot easier to use compared to the tenderizer but the sharpness is questionable.
Two, the meat tenderizer is a good improvised club but the grip is too small for his hands to make any impactful moves.
Third, is that both weapons are a no go for him.
His stamina quickly ran out after a few minutes of stabbing on thin air.
The only motion he made are back and forth swings with some occasional one foot forward.
It's not that he was incompatible eith the weapon - it's just that he's body is so weak he can't make any productive attacks.
He was drenched in sweat and he didn't even perform any combination attacks.
Alex took a seat and tried to steady his breathing.
"P-probably shouldn't do this again without some warm-up first."
Next time, he needs to do some stretching and basic exercises before the real workout.
Alex didn't notice it, but his arms are slightly trembling.
The feeling was a bit foreign since it's been a long time since he's done any physical exercise.
"Mom's taking a long timr to call back..."
Alex glanced at the phone on the sofa and took a huge breathe.
He decided against calling her in case she's hiding or doing something important.
"I'll wait some more. For now, let's catch my breath first and try to more sets before taking a bath."
Alex performed the familiar breathing exercise from earlier.
After several cycles, he felt a warm feeling spread from his stomach to every corner of his body.
"Alright, that's weird. That didn't happen earlier."
The burst of energy flushed out the fatigue out of his body and continued to spread out unhindered through his body.
Though a bit surprised, this is not the only strange thing that happened today, so he easily accepted it.
"Well, no time to worry about it."
Alex got up and started performing the stretching exercises.
He did a few pushups, some sit-ups and jogged around his room a few times.
That alone exhausted him of his newly recovered energy so he only completed two sets of warm up exercises and didn't try to go for the second round of the real session.
The more honest reason is he smell like sh*t after completing the two sets of warm up exercises.
Some of his sweat formed into sticky black goos that stuck on his shirt, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Let's just get this over with."
Alex took a quick bath and changed into fresh new clothes.
He made sure to wash his face and clean the rest of his body thoroughly.
He couldn't help but look at his face on the mirror and notice some changes.
He's skin appeared to be fairer than usual, and his black hair became more glossy and flowy.
The dark eyebags he just earned after doing some late night work is now completely gone.
"Weird, what's with this glow-up? Did the apocalypse made me this handsome?"
He was feeling confident for a bit but his eyes widened when he thought of another possibility.
Could it be because of the breathing technique?
No, that shouldn't be it...
People have been doing breathing exercises for a long time.
There are claims about getting good health and fair skin but nothing as miraculous as what happned to him.
The only thing he could think of is the changes in the world...
The change in the air.
"I'll have to look further into this later."
Alex left the bathroom and checked on his phone.
He's got a few missed calls and messages from his mom.
"Finally!"