Chapter 34 I Have Principles

Chapter 34 I Have Principles

"Richard..." a soft voice echoed inside the unit as Richard stepped into the living room.

Sitting on the sofa were Denise, Angela, and Emily. Their eyes trained at him seriously, causing him to tilt his head to the side.

"What's the matter?"

Emily was the first person to stand up and walked over to him. "Nothing...I know we have said this to you many times but we would like to tell it to you again. We are grateful that you saved us."

Denise and Angela rose to their feet and surrounded Richard.

Richard glanced at each and one of them and chuckled nervously. "Uhm...okay, no problem."

"You saved me there earlier from that monster," Emily added, her voice becoming softer and alluring. "If not for you, I would probably be dead there."

She leaned closer, her lips were just an inch away from him. Not only that, he could feel Denise and Angela wrapping their arms around his arms, pressing their soft bodies against him.

"Don't you think we should repay you somehow?" Denise whispered, her lips brushing against his ear.

Richard felt a shiver run down his spine as he realized what was happening. He can't believe that a simple show of appreciation would turn out like this. But—

Richard pulled his arms away from Angela and Denise's grasp and placed his hands on Emily's shoulder, startling her.

"I know now where this is going, and I'm afraid I'll have to stop you three," Richard said firmly. "Do you really think I saved you out there from danger so that I can get laid with you? I'm not a man who would take advantage of a situation like this."

The girls looked at him in surprise, their faces turning red with embarrassment.

Richard continued, "Rescuing you is already a pleasure to me. That's why your gratitude is enough for me."

He looked them each in the eye, making sure they understood his intentions. "I respect you as individuals, not as objects for my pleasure. Especially to you two, Angela and Denise, for you have witnessed things that weren't supposed to be witnessed. And from your eyes and faces alone, it looked to me that you are forcing yourselves to do this."

The girls nodded, looking down at their feet with shame.

Richard sighed, "I understand that you may feel indebted to me, but this is not the right way to repay me. Just living your lives happily and without fear is enough for me."

The girls looked up at him, tears forming in their eyes.

"Thank you, Richard," they said in unison.

"I'm sorry..." Emily added.

"Emily...you are the adult one here, and I must say that I'm disappointed that you are leading them to do something such as this. Please be responsible..."

"I'm sorry..." Emily stammered as she apologized again, tears streaming down her face.

"It's okay now," Richard pulled her closer, embracing her in a comforting hug. "Let's forget about this and move on. We have bigger things to worry about."

The girls nodded, wiping away their tears and smiling softly at Richard.

"Okay, let's go down now. I'm sure the queue in the mess hall is already long."

With that, Richard led the three girls out of the unit and there they saw Lisa.

"You already finished?" Lisa asked, a surprised expression etching her face.

"Yes, they expressed their thanks and I accepted it. Why? Did you expect it would take longer than you expected?"

Lisa faintly blushed, betraying her thoughts about her being involved.

Richard's piercing gaze remained at her. "You and I are going to talk later. For now, you get your meals."

The girls followed Richard to the elevator and headed down to the eighth floor. Just as Richard expected, the line for food was already long, occupying the narrow hallway that leads to the mess hall. After all, it was not only the survivors lining up for food but the soldiers as well.

Fortunately for Richard, he didn't have to go through that line, he simply went with girls in tow, skipping the line, and into the desk where a foam food container was neatly stacked.

"Hey...there is a line," reminded one of the survivors in a line.

Richard simply glanced over his shoulder, looking at the survivor who spoke, It was a man, and that man's eyes widened when he recognized him.

"Oh...I'm sorry sir..."

Richard rolled his eyes and turned back to the desk, grabbing four containers of food and bottled water. He looked around, searching for a vacant table in the mess hall. n-.OveLB1n

"There," Richard pointed at the vacant table in the corner of the mess hall, away from the crowded area. He led the girls to the table and gestured for them to sit down.

As they settled in, Denise, Angela, and Emily started opening their food containers, and smiles spread across their faces.

"Corn beef with rice huh..." Emily smiled, poking at her meal with a plastic fork. Denise and Angela nodded in agreement, their earlier discomfort seemingly forgotten as they dug into their food.

Richard watched them for a moment, relieved that the awkwardness had passed, and the girls were able to enjoy a meal together as a group. He knew that they all needed this sense of normalcy, even if it was just for a short while.

Normally, he wouldn't have to go down from his office to get food as there would be one delivered for him. But he wanted to experience the solidarity of sharing a meal with the others, and how the survivors are getting by in their new life.

"Uhm...sir Richard...can you open this bottle for me?" Denise requested as she handed the bottle to Richard, her fingers trembling slightly.

Richard nodded and took the bottle, effortlessly twisting off the cap and handing it back to Denise with a warm smile.

"Thank you," Denise replied with a grateful smile.

As they continued to eat and chat, the atmosphere at the table remained pleasant and relaxed. As if nothing happened earlier.

After finishing their meal, the group threw their empty containers and bottles into the garbage bins.

Once they had tidied up, Richard stretched signaling that it was time to leave the mess hall.

"Okay, you three may return from your units. Lisa and I will do some talking."

***

Five minutes later, on the thirty-second floor, in his bedroom.

Lisa sat on the bed while Richard closed the door. He then looked at her, he didn't say a word but to her, it felt like she was being stared at by a principal who would reprimand her.

Lisa shifted nervously on the bed, her fingers interlocking in her lap as she waited for Richard to speak.

"Lisa, tell me the truth. You know what would happen inside."

"Brother...It was their idea," Lisa began. "I tried telling them not to but for them, they felt like they had to do something to repay you for saving them. And isn't that what men like?"

"Your view of men must have been twisted after you were trapped in your classroom," Richard sighed. "No, not all men are like that."

"But can you blame me or them? We are powerless in this new world brother. We can't fight the zombies and have to rely on your protection. The only way we can express our gratitude is by offering something valuable...which is our body..."

Richard couldn't really blame them, after all, in the apocalyptic scenario, it was survival of the fittest. Women would be seen as a commodity in such a situation, but Richard was determined to uphold his principles, no matter how dire the circumstances had become.

And hearing that word from Lisa, "which is our body". It was like his heart was being butchered. He couldn't imagine his little sister spouting those words.

"Before you came to our classroom brother, I was about to force myself to do things I would never imagine. I realized at that moment that I was weak...imagine brother if you weren't there...I-I-I..."

"Stop!" Richard rushed to her side and enveloped Lisa in a warm, reassuring hug. She buried her face in his shoulder, her tears soaking his shirt. He could feel the fear and trauma in her cries, and it pained him deeply to witness his younger sister in such distress.

"It's not going to happen, it won't happen—it won't happen. Not on my watch," Richard repeated those words as he tried to calm her down.

Lisa continued to sob, her trembling gradually subsiding as she clung to her brother. After a while, her cries turned into sniffles, and she pulled away slightly to look into Richard's eyes.

"Brother...can I ask you a favor?"

"What is it?" Richard asked.

"I don't want to be in a miserable state anymore. I want you to teach me how to fire a gun and kill zombies."