VIGOR: SIXTY-ONE

**ALEX POV**

"Name?" a soldier asked me. We were at the entrance of the camp, queued up for identification and verification to enter. It was one of their protocols in case spies or unregistered individuals were trying to enter. It was kind of selfish, but they said it was their way of protecting the confidentiality of the camp.

"Alex Rischon," I replied, and he typed my name on the keyboard.

"You're good. Next!" he shouted, and I continued. After the identification, there was the physical examination — not the kind where they make you undress. They just checked if you had any guns or weapons. But if you did, they would record it instead of confiscating it. With what's happening now, it was normal for civilians to be armed.

While I was having the physical check, I noticed commotion behind me. I immediately looked and saw a woman with a crying child in front of a soldier facing a computer monitor. What pained me the most was her wailing. She was begging the officer to let her pass. I also noticed that the child looked weak.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but this is our protocol. If you're not a registered citizen, you can't enter," the soldier gently explained. Fortunately, he wasn't abusive with his power and had a level head.

The woman cried even more until two soldiers approached her and slowly removed her from the line. I couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

"My child is sick! She needs medicine!" the woman screamed amidst her sobs.

"You can enter now," the soldier checking me informed. I started walking but kept looking at the mother and child. I felt this urge inside me to help them, but I couldn't think of a way how. My feet wanted to go in, but my heart wished to help them.

Unconsciously, I found myself walking towards them. As I got closer, I heard her crying even more. Every sob and every jerk of her body made me pity her, especially her daughter whom she carried with closed eyes.

"Ma'am?" I called to her, startling her. "I'm sorry for startling you," I apologized, but she just looked at me.

She tried to compose herself by wiping off the tears from her face and running her fingers through her messy hair. "What do you need?" she asked in a husky voice. All her wails had made her voice rough.

"What's wrong with your child?" I asked gently. She immediately looked at her child and caressed her head.

"She just has a fever," she replied, then looked back at me. "But if she doesn't take her medicine, it gets convulsions," she added, making me pity the child even more.

"Are you from here?" I asked. The woman nodded in response, which surprised me. "Why aren't you on the list?" For the second time, she avoided eye contact, instead looking at the ground. I could feel the pain and hardship in her eyes.

"We couldn't register because we're short on money," she replied. It's expensive to register, costing about two hundred. "We tried to register, but because of our child's illness, all our money goes to her medicine," she continued.

This time, I really wanted to help them. I didn't know how, but I'd find a way to help them. First, I had to get medicine for her daughter. Once her condition improved, I'd find a way to help them somehow.

"I'll just ask for medicine inside. Wait for me here," I instructed, surprising her. But it wasn't out of fear, but out of joy. I could see the happiness in her eyes.

***

"Where have you been?" Sky asked when I entered the room they were in. They were all looking at me, waiting for my response.

"I just talked to someone," I replied, scanning the room, hoping to find a first aid kit. But it seemed there wasn't one here. Maybe in the infirmary. "I'll go to the infirmary."

As I was about to leave, I heard Maica ask, "What are you going to do there?"

"There's a mother and child who need medicine for her daughter. Since they're not on the list, they can't enter," I explained, which she nodded to.

"I'll come with you," Sky said, but I shook my head, indicating my refusal.

"You stay here and start planning. We need to stop them as soon as possible," I ordered. I didn't receive any response, implying his agreement.

"Should Trisha and I come with you?" Maica suggested.

It wouldn't hurt to bring them along, right? Besides, I might need their help.

"Okay," I agreed, and they stood up from their seats.

We immediately headed to the infirmary, which was a few kilometers away from where we were. When we reached it, we were shocked to see hundreds of injured soldiers. I could hear their cries of agony and grief.

Some were wrapped in cloth, indicating they were no longer alive. Blood was visible everywhere, coming from various wounds — some had lost their hands or feet, some had scratches and bites from monsters, some had burnt skin, and the like.

"Do you need anything?" a woman wearing a military nurse uniform asked. When I looked at her nameplate, I learned that she was an aide nurse.

"We just need medicine for a fever," I replied, which she nodded to.

"Follow me," she invited, and then she began to walk. We walked along an aisle of beds with soldiers lying on them, some alive, some fighting for their lives, and some lifeless. Watching them up close was too unsettling. If I weren't used to these kinds of scenes, I probably would have vomited long ago.

"Strange," Trisha remarked, frowning as she looked at the soldiers. "They're all in pain, but their aura shows strength. As if they're trying to live despite their conditions," she explained.

"The country needs them," Maica replied. "That's why they must live," she added, a sentiment that Trisha and I agreed with.

After walking through the series of beds of agony and suffering, we reached a small room. Shelves were installed in every corner of the room, displaying medical supplies including medicines.

"If possible, something suitable for the child," I said, smiling at the woman. She ran her fingers through the shelves with boxes. Then, she suddenly grabbed one of the boxes and took two pieces of medicine.

She quickly walked to a small table on the left side of the room with a notebook and pen on it. She wrote something on it, then handed it to me.

"Please sign here," she requested, indicating a space with her pen. I signed my signature in the space she pointed to, and she handed me the medicine.

"Thank you very much," we thanked her and then left.

We immediately went to the cafeteria to buy water and then headed to the camp gate. When we got out, I saw that many people hadn't been able to enter, mostly people like the mother and child from earlier — too unfortunate to afford citizenship registration.

Before we could leave the gate, a soldier put an ID band on our wrists so we could enter without going through the process. When we got out, we immediately looked for the mother and child.

"We're here!" a woman shouted. I scanned the crowd until I saw a waving hand. We quickly approached them and found out they were sitting on the ground to lay down her daughter.

"Here's the medicine," I said, kneeling to match their height. She immediately sat her daughter up while I opened the water bottle and one piece of medicine. I handed it to the girl, who was struggling to stay awake.

Using her weak and trembling hands, she took the medicine from my hand. She trembled as she swallowed it, trying not to drop it. I quickly brought the water bottle to her, helping her drink it.

As I gave the child medicine, I noticed the parents crying. I didn't know what those tears were about, but I felt a mixture of joy, pain, and sadness in them. Nothing hurts a parent more than seeing their child suffer.

"Thank you," she said, trying to smile through her tears. I sighed.

"Not yet, for now, I'm not done yet," I replied. "You need a place to stay. I'll talk to the General to see if he can help you," I said, surprising her again. "There are still many of you," I added, looking at the others who weren't lucky enough to enter the camp.

***

We're walking towards the General's office now. Usually, if you want to talk to someone higher up, you need to make an appointment. But since I know this General, I probably don't need an appointment.

I met him when General Bolina caught me after I didn't follow his orders. More like, he's the second-in-command, so he immediately became the General when Bolina was jailed. And because of my help, he gave me his word that he would help me with whatever I wanted. At first, I found it useless, but now, it seems I can use his promise to my advantage.

We reached the said office. From outside, we could hear people talking inside. Based on the tone of their voices, it seems like there's a brewing argument inside. When we reached the door, a soldier guarding it immediately stopped us.

"What do you need?" he asked seriously, trying to show his authority.

"We just want to talk to the General," I replied seriously to match his demeanor.

"The General is having a meeting with the chiefs. He's kinda busy," he informed us. "If you want, you can sit for a while. I'm sure he can wait, right?" he asked. Since we're just students, we had no choice but to comply. We sat on a bench beside the door while waiting for the discussion inside to finish.

After half an hour, the trusted chiefs began to emerge from the room one by one. We immediately stood up and were about to go to the door when the guard signaled us to wait. He entered the room again while we waited.

After a minute or two, he came out again. He walked towards us and spoke, "The General is busy. He doesn't want visitors for now," he reported, disappointing us. But I'm not giving up yet.

"Tell him Alex Rischon wants to talk to him," I requested. Hesitating, the soldier went back inside the office. I'm sure the General won't refuse me. After a while, the soldier poked his head out of the door and signaled us to come in. As expected.

When we entered, we were immediately greeted by the warmth of the room. It seems like the heat from their heads earlier was left inside the room. In front of us was a large table full of papers. I didn't bother to look at it because those weren't our concerns.

"Alex!" a booming voice called out to me. We looked to the left, and the General's face greeted us. He was sitting at his desk, with a soldier on his right side who was guarding the door earlier. We approached him.

"Good day, General," I greeted him.

"Drop the formalities," he chuckled and then leaned closer to the desk. "What brings you here?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I have a request."