CJAY felt bold, thanks to Natalia's shocked reaction. He turned on his heel to completely face her and limped his way inside her bedroom. The zombie's pace went faster as he skipped along with every limping step he took. His body waved back and forth and his arms swung, helping him balance his uncoordinated body.

Alert, Natalia stood up and steadied her feet in a forty-five degree stance that rooted her to the ground. Cjay opened his mouth and revelead how red it was inside it. He released a throaty guttural grunt. Blood gargled in his throat as he contorted his head back. He seemed to be pulling back his head, looking up, but his eyes were all on her.

He was so close when her slap reached him. Her smack was so violent it swept Cjay flying to his left and knocked him down on the floor that had a wooden finish. One of his legs jerked a bit followed by his pained groan.

'Take note, I haven't fully recovered my strength yet. What more when I'm in the condition to fight again, Zombie?' Pride shone on her eyes as she arrogantly observed the motionless zombie. After making sure that he won't be bouncing up to get back on her, she immediately looked away. The bored look stayed on Natalia's face as she headed relaxedly to the window to close and lock it. Then, she headed to the door to do what President Carlos instructed to the PSG earlier-trap Cjay in a bedroom.

But before she could walk past Cjay, he suddenly grabbed her ankle and snarled. When she looked down, he was already pulling back his head, like a slingshot getting ready to launch a pebble. Before he could bite her, she gave him a kick on the face using the same feet whose ankle he was gripping.

"Shit!" he hissed in his normal voice.

That's when she felt relief. Natalia waved her leg again, signaling for the zombie to let her go, and Cjay took the hint. He released her ankle.

While Natalia was stepping back, she watched Cjay carefully press a hand against the floor to prop himself up. He sat on the floor and looked up at her, revealing his handsome face (thanks to the makeup) tainted with irritation.

"Are you really that strong or is it because I'm a zombie?" he whined. "Damn! My face hurts!" Then, he spent the next minutes struggling to get up from the floor.

She did not help him up. Natalia remained as hard as a stone, letting Cjay suffer as he tried to stand on his own. "What game are you playing, Zombie? You scared the hell out of everyone here in Malacañang. Is this because you want to be an actor now? Stick to modeling, because your acting sucks."

His eyebrows knitted together. "You're such a conceited human." He winced and coughed a little, which made Natalia suppress a smile at the thought that she probably kicked him too hard. Cjay was already kneeling on one leg, with one foot steady on the floor. "Where did you get the guts to talk back to me like that? Y-You're just my assistant-"

"Sure, I'm just your assistant," she threw her hands on her hips, "but I won't get fired because I am not scared of you."

"You're really so smug. How come you're not scared of me?" Cjay smirked as he slowly managed to stand up. "How sure are you that you won't get fired?" he eyed her testily.

Natalia met his eyes. "Well, who will take my place when I get fired? From what I've noticed, Cjay, no one lasts as your assistant. I'm sure that President Carlos is also having a hard time, hiring a new one, because who in their right minds would want to assist a zombie?"

"Then, you must be out of your right mind," he said through gritted teeth, because as much as he wanted to mock her, standing up straight was making his skin stretch in ways that stung him like a sunburn. Cjay ended up slightly hunched but that's the best posture he could do because of the weight of his decaying body that got heavier because of the violent kick and slap he just got from her.

Suddenly, the presidential guards crowded on Natalia's bedroom door. They lined up in the hallway and pointed their guns inside the room, specifically at Cjay. Silence filled them in suspense, as they observed their target. It took them a few seconds before they realized that their boss' son wasn't running amok anymore.

"There is nothing to worry about. He's fine. Cjay's just trying to scare us all," Natalia smirked at Cjay as she dramatically spread out her arms while saying 'scare us all.'

The men's eyes widened at her in disbelief. When Natalia glanced back at them, their eyes narrowed into threatening glares toward her. Their shoulders relaxed, but the uniformed guards remained firm and as lifeless as stones. Their guns were still held up, pointed at Cjay while they waited for his next move.

Meanwhile, Cjay moved nonchalantly. It was as if, he was already used to this scenario to the point that being held at gunpoint did not affect him that much. Instead of reacting to the guards, he just pointed a finger at her and muttered, "You're coming with me to Galeria."

The guards gasped sharply when they saw Cjay limping toward them. They immediately split up into two, clearing the middle of the doorway like a book flipped to its center page. The nozzles of their guns followed the zombie until he passed by them without even looking back.

Natalia crossed her arms, looking on at Cjay and the guards that followed him. When they were gone they left nothing but her bedroom door ajar.

'Galeria. In that museum, there are available exhibits and information about the zombie virus pandemic that spread out in this country three years ago. I wonder what will I get out of joining Cjay when he goes there?'

***

IN the car, Cjay was unresponsive and unusually quiet. His gaze went through the dark-tinted window and every place that their vehicle passes by, as if he was deep in his thoughts again. Natalia asked every question she could think of just to get a reaction from him, but he only answered one of them.

"Other than, being a museum, what else can you say about Galeria?"

According to Cjay, the house used to belong to one of the doctors that monitored the progression of the zombie virus. That doctor's studies and researches were all featured in the museum which was called 'Galeria' which obviously meant, 'gallery' because the house was renovated in manner that made its hallways long and narrow like what people pertain to as a literal gallery area in a house or a building. The displays would never be considered as works of art and neither for sale, very different from what people ordinarily assume when they hear the word 'gallery.' It was this misconception that the government named the place 'Galeria museum' to clarify this.

Before it became a museum, Galeria cradled in the privacy and safety of its arms every photo and file that were connected with the identification and study of the zombie virus that the Philippines is still dealing with. No one knew that one day, the house would be open to the public.

Then, their car stopped shortly in front of the gate that swung open for them a few minutes later. While the car wheels rolled forward slowly, Natalia looked through the window and probed the place with her eyes.

Trees and wild grasses as tall as five feet scattered around the lot where Galeria was. It was fortressed by lifeless gray cement walls with barbed wires on top of them. The metal gate was rusty with barbed wires too, twisted on its railings with white paint cracked dry and chipped off on some part of it. From outside the gates, the enclosure looked more like a prison yard, especially because it concealed the museum itself that was within its walls. Inside the yard, Galeria itself looked like a Filipino Spanish-colonial period ancestral house with two floors made of brown wood and white capiz shell windows.

Cjay booked a visit to Galeria in advance that's why as they got down from the car, the caretaker of the museum was already waiting for them by its white-painted wooden door. His name was Luigi.

Luigi had a lanky body clad in a gray suit that was too loose for him. His dark hair was swept on one-side, shiny and slick-looking. Even if he was not smiling, his lips seemed to stretch across his facd. For unknown reason, Natalia felt at ease with him, especially when she saw his big, round eyes. Luigi just seemed amicable without trying too hard to smile or look genial.

"Good morning, Sir Cjay," he bowed slightly to the zombie she was with before glancing at her. "Good morning."

From Luigi's actions, she read that he could not decide how to interact with her, so she offered him her hand. "Natalia," she introduced to herself. "Sir Cjay's new assistant."

Yes. Even if it felt like it was killing her, Natalia had to swallow her pride and use 'sir' when addressing her arrogant zombie of a boss. She was true to her word to President Carlos earlier this noon, that she would not let her personal issues-or issues with Cjay, as a matter of fact-get in the way of her professionalism and sense of responsibility for the sake of her new job. Natalia didn't feel the need to get back on Cjay too, because she was able to put him to his own place when they were alone anyway.

"Hello, Natalia." Luigi accepted the handshake. His hand was a little cold, bony but soft on the fleshy bumps of his palm. "I'm Luigi." He immediately released her hand. "I'm the caretaker of Galeria. I also guide and tour the guests around the museum." Then he looked at Cjay. "Shall we, Sir Cjay?"

Cjay's eyes were fixed at the door. He looked so humanly but pale because of his heavy makeup, but there was this grave, lifelessness in his eyes. It was as if, their irises were as dark as a black hole that lead to an abyss of darkness. Natalia guessed that President Carlos must have given him a good scolding earlier for pulling everyone's leg about going berserk in Malacañang.

Luigi was still looking at Cjay tensed and expectantly when he nodded. The zombie's response brought back his jolly energy, making the reed-like guy smile.

"Please, come in," he invited them. Before Luigi turned his back on them, he glanced at her and gave her a single nod before stepping inside the museum.

With Luigi on their lead, Cjay silently followed along the narrow hallway and Natalia came last. It was also her who closed the door before inhaling deeply, overwhelmed at the slimness of their path which seemed to only permit one person to walk through at a time. The hallway was dimly lit with yellow-orange lights while the exhibits within the ransparent glass walls that sandwiched them were brightly lit with white bulbs and spotlights pointed at specific boards, photos, and objects. Luigi's voice echoed as he began his scripted narration and explanation about every part of the exhibit that could be seen neatly arranged on the other side of the glass walls.

Natalia glanced to her left and right to see everything as fast as she could. Even the living room of the house seemed to be encased in a glass box. In that area, large boards were positioned in strategic angles, available for them to see. Each board held one timeline each to represent the different stages of the zombie virus' development.

Luigi noticed where her line of sight fell so, he seized the chance to elaborate the contents of the boards. "That's the summary of the timeline that covers the progression of the virus. "Om the first board, you'll see the first diagnosed patient."

On the first white board, propped on a canvas stand, the date was printed large enough for her to read. It was the date when the first zombie virus case was confirmed. Below it were bullet points that enumerated the observed symptoms. To balance the black texts on the right side of the board, its left side was almost filled by the big half-body photo of the first patient-Owen Clemente. He looked pleasant but his eyes gave away the fact that he was suffering from flu. There was a noticeable, reddish bite mark on his left arm, close to the wrist.

The farther they walked from Galeria's door, the farther they get through the timeline presented on the museum's boards. Natalia saw how Owen transitioned from human to zombie. The photos seemed to explain his condition better than the bullet list printed beside each of them. Luigi seemed to notice this too, so he did not bother to read the texts printed on each board for her or elaborate them.

As time passed by, Owen's pleasant face turned into a frown, followed by his irritated looks, and sharp, furious glares that reached to the point of flashing his teeth. His bite mark darkened into gray, and the graying wound turned into a big patch that rapidly spread all over his body. In a short span of time, he aged quickly and his teary eyes became reddish on its corners and crazed . . . dark and dilated. The silent pleas in his eyes to be saved were replaced with the quiet, burning frustration of not getting what he desired-to eat human flesh.

Her chest tightened at Owen's last photo-shot a week after his first diagnosis. It was his full zombie form-the gray, decaying skin, blood-rimmed overdilated eyes, and tousled hair. The photo slightly blurred the outline of Owen's body into faint, gray shadows and very thin threads of rainbows, a sign that it has been a struggle to take a propee picture of the patient.

"A person just gave their life for that photo to be taken," Luigi stared at her. That's when Natalia turned to them and noticed that the two were far ahead from where she was standing.

Cjay was facing the opposite glass wall. He was silently reading the printed texts from one of the boards displayed there.

Natalia immediately walked to join them but abruptly halted when she noticed a stream of white light reaching her gray shoes. She swiftly spun around to face where the light came from-the door of Galeria that just opened, about two meters away from her.

She saw a strong built projected by the dark silhouette of a man. Since he stood against the light, it was hard to make out what he really looked like which was weird because her eye vision improved when she ate human meat earlier. The door closed and Natalia waited for the newcomer to approach them, so that she could take a good look at him.

He was still a meter away from them when she finally saw him clearly.

The man had a crewcut, jet black hair. His shapeless, yet wide box-like body was clad in his white military uniform with black safety pads in their rightful places and a pair of sand-colored combat boots. His sharp, black eyes like black pearls beneath the bush of his eyebrows seemed to narrow at them, but that's how they actually are since birth-squinting. His lips were full and wide.

His left hand cradled the gun that hung from the strap that was slung on his shoulder that went all the way down beneath his arm.

"Akira here," he introduced in his deep voice. "The president sent me here to guard you."

"Hah!" Cjay looked at Akira, failing miserably to stifle his mocking laugh.

Natalia's eyes widened as she glanced at Cjay with a series of thumping heartbeats. She just could not believe that she did not sense him walking and standing by her side!

"Isn't it enough for me to have an assistant, a bodyguard for my driver, and a convoy at my heels? Does he really have to include you?"

Akira showed the least concern. How Natalia wished she could always manage to keep a straight face like Akira, especially when Cjay's getting on her nerves.

"But you've gone amok earlier, sir, said the president," Akira replied, emotionless from his tone of voice to the expression on his face.

"I already explained it! It's just an acting! Now, fuck off. I don't want too much company in the car!" Cjay scowled, deepening the lines and creases on his pasty face, especially at the corners of his eyes. Then, he dragged his feet back to Luigi. "Just ignore them. Keep going with the tour."

Luigi carefully shifted his glance between her, Cjay, and Akira. Then he nodded at the zombie. "Let's go, Sir Cjay." The caretaker walkes ahead.

Cjay followed quietly and seemed to avoid looking behind on purpose. Akira, who was already walking between her and Cjay was also doing the same. Their steps and Luigi's voice echoed throughout the tour, but Natalia was pre-occupied by the guard. She was trying to get a sense of what this person's vibe was. It was part of her survival mode to entertain this nagging feeling, this instinctual need to assess the people she surround herself with to know how to deal with them.

While she was scanning Akira, she held her breath when he suddenly looked at her over his shoulder. He caught her!

"I'm Natalia," she quickly quipped, hoping that would distract him from getting suspicious of her.

"I know," he said while fixing his eyes back on Cjay who was about half a meter away from them. This man just arrived and he was already doing his job.

"How did you-"

He did not expect her to talk, so he resumed what he was saying. "We've been together that night. I was there . . . at your aunt's funeral."

Puzzlement danced in her eyes, making her lips part slightly. 'Really?' "But I don't remember you-" She stopped talking but it was too late. Natalia was afraid she has offended Akira.

"It's alright," Akira glanced back at her, a small smile etched at the corner of his lips.