Trash in the Apocalypse

A Mysterious Thief

"This can't go on anymore! We have to find that lecher and exterminate him from the face of this world!"

"Why are you talking like that?"

"S-sorry. After I started living with Edward, I adopted his way of speaking."

"Edward talks like that?"

"Well, not really... just sometimes. He talks in a weird way like some protagonist on a fantasy story. He said that it makes his energy purer and much more powerful. I don't really understand, but in his own words, it makes his skills stronger."

Jamie exhaled after her long explanation.

There were six people surrounding the table. Excluding herself, there was Alex, Ester, Kareen, Sheila, and Marianne.

They all wore uniformed clothing custom-made for Black Haven staff. A black business suit that has intuitive designs. A simple redlining were by the hem of the clothes. The attire stuck tightly on the wearer's body, showing an appropriate amount of curves, but not too revealing to cause lecherous stares.

Gina and Dyna happened to pass by.

"Wow, this is rare. What are you guys talking about?" Gina asked curiously.

Ester replied. "Jamie found her undies littered outside her room. There were wet stains all over it."

"This is the second time it happened. And we're worried since the next time is probably just around the corner." Kareen said.

"I don't think it's any of the guys. They seem to be getting laid enough, to not do things like that." Alex made some guesses, then looked around.

The first one she turned her head to—was Marianne, then Sheila, to Jamie. Her expectations were absolutely contrary to the truth.

Gina and Dyna coughed after drinking some juice, while Marianne, Sheila, and Jamie only shyly lowered their heads.

"What? Am I wrong? The good breeds already have their own farms to plow."

"Let's go back on the topic, please." Jamie managed to raise her head which had a rosy gloss on her cheeks.

"I agree with Alex. I also think its an outsider. But how do we find him? We can't guard the room all the time, right?" Marianne said.

"Then, how about if we ask around? Maybe someone saw something suspicious." Dyna suggested.

"We should start in Jamie's room. Maybe we can find some clues." Gina said.

The group went to Jamie's room, which happened to be Edward's room too. The room was a refurbished restaurant and has curtains to block visibility from the outside. The glass door opens inwards. As they entered the room, they saw the combination of cute and fluffy things with chromatic colors. There was a huge bed at the center. On the left side were several closets and a side table that holds a lot of makeups. On the other side of the room were various game consoles with numerous game boxes at the side. There were also posters of anime characters pasted on the walls.

The contingent browsed the room and Jamie felt embarrassed. She picked up a few littered underwear and shirts around the bed.

"It's not usually like this. I always clean the room and make sure it's tidy. I was just in a hurry earlier that I forgot to clean things up."

The girls nodded apprehensively.

"Do you usually leave things around? Maybe that's why you're a target. And why do you have a closet? Don't you store things on your dimensional storage?" Gina said.

"I kept most of my things stashed there. Everything here is needed. Like this cream, its a facial cream that moistens my skin and makes it healthier. This lotion makes my skin smoother and much more fragrant. This one..."

Jamie explained most of the products on top of the table, while the rest didn't even look interested. After investigating for a few more minutes, they came out empty-handed. They chatted as they walk around the mall regarding the incident.

They met Bernard on the corridor, who just came from the outside. He greeted them warmly, then turned to Dyna.

"How's your break going?"

"I haven't eaten yet. Are you on your break? Who's on the register?" Gina said.

"We closed the market, new policy. We are only open for three hours in the morning and three hours in the evening. But we'll have a 24-hours Exchange Center booth outside. The guard on duty holds the card. I think its risky, but hey, let the higher-ups decide what they want. At least, I have more free time to be with you." said Bernard with a wide grin.

The two might be enjoying their moment, but the onlookers weren't. They already left Gina behind after things started becoming mushy. They were reminded that they haven't eaten lunch and only ate some snacks, and so they were headed for the kitchen.

When they arrived at the kitchen, they saw Mike looking for something as he wanders around the kitchen.

"What happened? Do you need help?" Alex said.

Mike raised his head after looking under the sofa. He let go of the hand holding the sofa and it came crashing down causing a heavy muffled sound.

"Have you seen Takaw? He stopped coming here after I scolded him for eating all the hotdogs yesterday. Oh! Please don't tell the boss about this. He'll be furious if he learns about this."

Alex tilts her head and frowns, thinking whether this guy was an idiot or just a natural airhead.

"So you're saying if I tell Jun about how 'you' scolded his dog, he would be displeased with you?"

"No, not displeased. Furious! He would be furious, harping madly at me."

"That's a joke, right? The guy seemed cool and collected. He probably wouldn't do that."

Mike gulped and didn't answer.

"So cook something delish, so we won't say anything." Alex grinned slyly.

Mike who wasn't able to process the underlying meaning, thought that she was just requesting a proper meal, nodded his head. "Uhh, sure. Take a seat and I'll prepare food for everyone."

Mike lifted a cushion on the sofa, looking for Takaw. Afterward, he went to the kitchen to prepare some food for his guests. He wore a cute pink apron with heart shape designs on its hem. He wore hairnets, then washed his hands. Various ingredients popped out of the vortex onto the table.

Mike heated the oil in a large wok at medium heat, then added some garlic, onions, and tomatoes. He stirred until the fragrant smell wafted all over the kitchen. The people waiting at the table gulped at the sudden change of aroma. They felt more hungry as they smelled more and richer fragrances.

He placed the sliced chicken in the wok and stirred until the color turned brown. He poured some water and covered the wok with a lid. When the water boiled, he added tomato sauce and let it simmer. After a few minutes, he put some potatoes, bell pepper, and carrots into the mix. Moments later, he seasoned the dish with salt and pepper.

He closed the lid and waited for the dish to be cooked. All this time, the hungry wolves gazed at the dish that's being cooked in front of them.

Alex said. "You're actually good?"

Mike raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Alex replied. "Well, you know... I thought you just cook things up however you like, but after watching you mince and cut the chicken, I saw that you have some training."

Mike's eyebrows rose higher. "I am a real chef."

This time, almost everyone became shocked at this news.

"I own a restaurant near the plaza, almost everyone there knows my name. Though I'm not famous, the locals really like my food." Mike explained feeling disheartened.

"Are you the owner of the Big D?" Jamie asked and Mike nodded, which made her squeal in glee. She tugged on Kareen's sleeve, and said, "It's the restaurant I was inviting you guys to go to! It always has a long queue of customers due to having delicious meals."

"Oh! I remember!" Ester said. "The one with the long queue with super expensive dishes? We tried going one time, but it took most of our break time without even being able to reach the counter. Well, that sucked so we never returned."

As they were chatting, Alex turned her head towards this successful man standing in front of the stove. She watched as he attentively gazed at the wok that's wafting appetizing fragrances. Maybe she should stop judging people based on their looks.

"It's done," Mike said.

Alex quickly stood up from her seat and went over to the table. "Let me help you."

***

After eating a filling lunch, they headed back to their work stations. They decided to investigate later in the afternoon.

Paterno was playing tag with Samantha, the little girl he adopted, on the marketplace. He treated the child as his own and gave everything that she needed. He spoiled her as much as he would spoil his own.

When he got tired, he told her to play on her for a while, as he takes some breather. Samantha started playing with a doll he brought out from his dimensional storage while he happily sat down on a stall, watching over her like a loving grandparent.

Paterno saw their group and noticed their worried expressions. He turned to Gina with an inquiring gaze as if asking what's the problem?

Gina whispered to his ears. "There might be an underwear thief lurking around here. Jamie found her undies littered outside her room yesterday, and it's been the second time that this happened."

Paterno's face became furious but regained calm right after. "Do you think its someone we know?"

"I don't think so... I mean, everyone seemed alright to me, right?"

Paterno nodded unconvinced. "Have you checked the CCTV's?"

Gina widened her eyes at his suggestion. She replied as she slowly stuck her tongue out, "We haven't."

"You should ask for Robin's help, he should know something. Well now that I think about it, wouldn't it be weird if he knew this and didn't tell the group?"

This time it was Gina's turn to frown and be puzzled.

"Let me come with you, I'm curious about this too. Security issues should be taken seriously these days." Paterno said as he looked at Samantha.

Gina turned around and joined the circle of women.

As they were about to enter the front door, they met Tatang Robin by the doorway. When confronted about the issue, Tatang Robin chuckled, then smiled wryly.

He said, "It was an idiotic scene which made me laugh that day, so I probably wouldn't even forget about it for a long time."

Inside the security room...

The group watched as a bullmastiff came out of Jamie's room entangled with various colors of underwear. The dog rolled around and shook its body as quickly as it can, just to be able to free itself.

After the scene played out, Tatang Robin laughed heartily, then wiped the sides of his eyes.

"I'm sorry for laughing at this. This old man has no entertainment in this room, and no, I don't like going outside. I'm happy where I'm sitting, drinking all the booze I can fill my stomach with."

Jamie felt dumbfounded at the video she just watched. Takaw was actually the culprit? Should she lock the room every time they go out or should she clean the room every time they wake up? Wait... Isn't it more normal to clean up the room and all the problems would be solved?

She could only smile wryly when she realized her own fault.

"Where is Takaw now? Mike was looking for him earlier." Jamie said.

Tatang Robin held the mouse and switch to different channels until they found Takaw, loitering around the supermarket, sniffing at every corner.

"What are you doing?" Tatang Robin muttered to himself.

"Is he looking for food?"

"Maybe, I heard he likes hotdogs."

They were about to lose interest and leave when Takaw suddenly started acting weird. He growled over empty air as he prowled forward. The canines of his mouth revealed itself. The growls turned to barks and he suddenly pounced forward.

A silhouette appeared when Takaw hit something, revealing a middle-aged man.

The man had balding hair and a slightly chubby physique. He started screaming as he tried to stop Takaw from biting him. Bras appeared on his hand and he used it to cover Takaw's mouth. After doing it a few times, the man was able to escape.

But not for long.

Jun appeared on the only entrance of the mall. He randomly walked all over the place. Taking sudden turns and gazing at an empty location. When he reached a corner, he stood gazing at the wall while saying something. A few moments later, a figure appeared kneeling on the floor as if begging for mercy.