The Day After's

Hiding place

Once it feels safe enough. After the rioters plundered further and further into the complex, and left some to stand guard at the entrance, Reno decided to start moving.

He slowly settles, crawls and infiltrates a narrow gap between the bushes, towards a hidden section where there is a hole the size of his body on the fence surrounding the complex. It was a secret path he made himself when he was a child. At that time his father told the guards not to let him out of the housing. So to anticipate this, Reno secretly uses cutting pliers to make his own way out, which until now has not been known by anyone.

As much as possible Reno tried to go through the hole without causing the slightest sound, especially friction on the bush. He put the keril and his rifle first to the opposite side, then pushed himself through the hole. All managed to do without causing a meaningful or suspicious sound. Then, he put his things back on and walked quietly away from the housing complex.

And thirty minutes had passed since Reno started walking. In the sky, the moonlight was radiating brighter than usual. Now it is no longer defeated by the glitter of the city. But it was that light that Reno avoided. From the beginning he always stepped in the shadows, trying to avoid the sight of people and fused with the darkness. And the black clothes she wore were very supportive.

Reno wore a plain black t-shirt covered in a uniform-colored hoddie. The pants are material pants that are also black. So also with his shoes, belts, and keril, all all black. Except for the old brown rifle. And that's not a problem because it's not too flashy either. In short, everything is as expected and running smoothly until now.  Even the destination is now he has determined, after a careful consideration process of course.

Now all he had to do was continue walking with full vigilance. The five senses must always be alert and always sharp to face all sudden situations.

Reno has gone far enough. Behind it the housing complex is almost nowhere to be seen. There is only the origin of the billowing and soaring high, as well as the point of light that comes from the blaze. Seventeen years into his home, now only a pile of ashes and charcoal. After that there was nothing left, everything was taken away by the savage crowd.

He clenched his hands, clenched his grip on the keril rope. His anger vaguely made the weight of the bag not too pronounced. In the end, no matter how hard Reno tried to harden her heart, no matter how cold she tried to behave, she could not shake the shadow of the scream. The desperate screams of his neighbors. The sounds of slaughter and the bloody scene he witnessed with his own eyes. All will not just disappear, and will continue to imprint forever. Inevitably Reno must get used to all that, because in the future there will be more. If he made it a trauma, he would only weaken himself. Yep. He must get used to seeing someone lose their life, because he himself will later lose the lives of others.

"Focus..! Focus..!" His whisper.

Because if not, it will be his turn to lose his life.

***

Finally, at eleven o'clock in the evening, Reno arrived at his destination, the school. There is nothing better and safer in his opinion than school. Because no one can be looted from school.

It takes about three hours to get here. There are not too many obstacles on the way, as it takes a relatively safe and fairly quiet route, although it remains stressful as well.

The school is located in the middle of the city, precisely on the border between the eastern region and the central region. The atmosphere around him was pitch-black. The street lights are off, as are the houses around them.

Reno came closer to the fence and checked it. Locked up. But it can still be climbed, although it may be a bit difficult with the load on its back now. He turned to the back door and checked. Same. Locked too. Finally, as there was no choice, Reno tried to climb up.

First he rearranges the contents of his keril. Clothes are at the bottom. Then he slipped his rifle through the fence, and threw his cart in. And lastly, Reno herself deftly climbed over the school fence and landed smoothly on the ground. He took back his belongings and slipped in through the garbage disposal gate that happened to be open.

The garbage dump is located not far from the school's backyard. There is a mess* for cleaning service which of course is now empty. And Reno was walking towards that place. He has seen the contents of the mess and he thinks it is quite feasible to live in. The school really pays attention to the cleanliness and comfort of its employees.

He arrived in front of the mess and checked his room one by one. The door is unlocked, and inside it is dark and empty. No one met him. But not so sure, Reno searched room after room and finally, there was no one there. Whether they are hiding or not. 

Reno wants to make sure, this time thoroughly, at this school he is alone or not. Honestly, his body was tired. He was sleepy and wanted to go to sleep. But he was more unwilling when he woke up later, his life was already in danger, or even lifeless at all.

Reno School is one of the oldest schools in the capital. It has even been standing since the colonial era. Can be seen from the main building, some still have Dutch architectural features, while other parts have been restored and built a new building. At night, of course, this building feels terrible. But Reno does not really believe in mystical things and will be more afraid if you meet humans here.

Just like outside, the school is pitch black. This time it was not deliberately turned off, but the electricity went out. Reno walked towards the main electrical panel and tried to turn it on. Still not on. That means, the electricity is indeed turned off for the area around here.

He also remembered that his school had a private generator near the electro class. Without a second thought, he immediately rushed towards the generator, and finally arrived in a room with a large machine looming before him.

Reno immediately started the machine. He was once taught how to turn on a generator from one of his father's friends. His friend worked in the military technical department. His job is to manage electrical resources such as generators, cables, and others, to support camps or concentration camps.

So be it, Reno deftly managed to turn on the generator without any constraints. The generator is slowly creaking and emitting smoke from the exhaust funnel, a sign the engine has started to work. He arranged for electricity to only be flowed to special rooms such as mess bed, computer room, security room, and dining room. And with such savings, he believes the available fuel is enough to make the generator produce electrical power, for five or even seven days, depending on its use.

After completing his task, Reno returned to walk around the school building. He checked every room without exception. No place has escaped his search. And finally, after finishing and returning to his mess room, can be drawn conclusions, if he himself in this school. On one hand Reno can breathe a sigh of relief, but on the other he feels lonely too. If there were one or two friends here, he would feel safe and not too tense. But how will you? This is not a scout camp. It's about survival. He cannot be picky about his situation.

Reno sat on the edge of the slightly dusty wooden bed. Maybe tomorrow he'll clean it up a little bit. Time shows at one in the morning. Five hours had passed since his departure from home. I don't know what that place is now. But he didn't think too much about it and threw himself away. The sleepiness that he had been enduring began to be left, and slowly mastered it. His eyes closed. Finally, Reno fell asleep and snored a little tired.

It's just the first day. And he doesn't know what tomorrow will be.

***

"latest news. Police reinforcements did not help much. Out of nowhere came a number of mobs from the suburban area. They brought more men and more guns. Some are even indicated to carry firearms that are seized from the police. The situation in the city is becoming more unstable. Even the President and his staff have been evacuated out of town.... "

Reno listens to the news from her transmitter while enjoying a breakfast of bread and a can of milk. He is currently in the dining room, where he keeps all his food supplies in the refrigerator in the kitchen. One of the reasons why electricity is only being diverted to this place.

He finished his bread and emptied the milk can, then threw the rest into the trash and stepped out with his transmitter.

The news was still milling about, continuing to flow towards Reno's earphones. The frequency is constantly changing. In addition to getting more information, it is not uncommon for broadcasts to be heard to mandate or lose signals. And all average broadcasts tell the same thing. That even the police can not be relied upon in dealing with the current situation. In the end, no matter how great their weapons were, they would not be able to rival the number of the rioters.

Reno was walking back to her mess room. But his steps stopped when he heard a voice from the direction of the school gate. The school is square, encircling a large field in the middle. To reach his mess room, he had to walk down the corridor surrounding the field. And now Reno is standing facing the corridor connected to the front yard of the school. From there he could see, the silhouette of someone climbing in through the school gate.

Who'sis that? Reno doesn't know. The tension immediately pervaded him. He stepped forward, approaching the man, who had just landed on the page and was saddling his body. His hands were tightly clenched. Finally came, he thought. A chance to beat someone.

* a *Mess is a place, usually a separate building, that is used as an employee residence. Usually occupying mess is *Cleaning Service** or security guard, whose existence is required for 24 hours.**