Alterin Saga: Biohazard
Episode 24: Phantom Stalker

Boom!

Rave and Jin made it out of the frozen room after opening the door padlock, which was hidden next to the icy knob.

They immediately ran away from the storage warehouse and stared at him from afar. Some firefighters tried to put out the fire by spouting water from fire trucks, even sending helicopters to check the conditions from above. Things got worse with outsiders watching and blocking access to other trucks.

"Ravel..."

"Why do you think this could happen, Jin?" asked Rave while looking at him from the side. Jin was only focused on the building next to the warehouse. Company office building.

"I thought... Our boss forgot to turn off the stove?"

"Euh. I guess so"

"You people! Get away from this place!" shouted one of the officers who was guarding the entrance gate with his colleagues.

"Yes, we'll be out soon. Come, Jin"

But when Rave was about to leave, something like holding him back. There was a sensation, something that gave him goosebumps. Just like a year ago.

There's a project near here.

Rave looked around him, trying to find the man. He hoped Project was one of his friends. Or at least, Sora. Because Rave needs it to figure out where the other Projects are.

"Hey, Rave. It's enough to make me suffer today. Come outside! This place will be charred soon," Jin patted Rave on the shoulder. Rave nodded and immediately exited his company area.

Whoever it is, he's found me. It's only a matter of time that we will meet.

...---...

That night Rave stayed at Jin's house. The reason is because some of Rave's money has been burned with his locker in the building.

"You're this troublesome. Why don't you sleep outside again?" jin asked while looking irritatedly at Rave, who was watching television casually.

While Jin was cooking in his kitchen, a few steps away from the sofa where Rave was sitting.

"What are you cooking?" ask Rave without caring about Jin's question.

"Fried rice. So, why are you sleeping here?"

"Did you put pepper on the roof?"

"As far as me! Why are you sleeping here?"

"Nake as you speak. Looking for a place to stay, but not my house!" jin said as he kicked down the kitchen table.

"Eh? But you're not family yet, are you? After all we're like brothers," Rave changed the television channel, which then showed the news of the fire this afternoon.

"Hmm? Is this...fires?" Jin turned his eyes to the television.

"Yes. It seems to be big news today"

"of course. That's a big ice supplier in the country, even if it's just a branch. I wish we could still work there. They must have suffered a huge loss after that fire."

"Something strange in my opinion. Can a stove create such a big explosion?" Rave pointed at the explosion marks on the screen. Looks big and charred.

"I guess not. The standard gas cylinder used by the company is a size of 3 kilograms. Even though the gas cylinder was full, it seemed impossible to create such a huge hole in the floor"

They were silent for a moment, immersed in each other's thoughts. Rave said, "Your house will be the next victim of the fire if you don't turn off the stove"

Jin stared at the stove and immediately turned it off as soon as he saw the cooking had matured.

...---...

Meanwhile, in a faraway place out there, one of Project is struggling with a computer in front of him.

"Alexander Raves. 24 Years old. The male. Her bio before 18 years had disappeared. Reason not known. Family history not found. Last seen in Reverie."

The project leaned his body against the chair and sighed with fatigue. Since a year ago he has been alone, now he plans to look for other Projects.

"It's been a year, but nothing good has happened. The world continues to evolve without balancing the environment" the project stared at a handmade poster on the wall of his room, "Maybe the sentence is true. Just waiting for time, humans will be extinct."

Rows of photos and biographies of each Projects are clearly displayed on his computer screen. The project retraced the data of one of them. Data about Alaster Brown.

"Alaster Brown's. He was pronounced dead at the age of 18 in a road accident. The eldest nephew of Project 05, Bill Chester. Last seen at the time of the accident."

"Hmm.. There is other information," the project read the advanced information below. There is a photo with a caption next to it.

"Alaster Brown with his co-workers during the accident. Both of them were victims while driving the car."

The project looked at a photo of two people holding a trophy for scientists. Alaster's smiling face stared at the camera, as did his partner.

"Sora. So you've been cheating on us all this time, haven't you?"

The project looked back at the poster on the wall of his room and muttered the phrase, "Humans are creating their own apocalypse. Projects is one part of it."