[AUTHOR'S NOTE]:
Some parts of Chapter VI — then later on Chapter VII — may reference death, horror and viruses. This is where Milo and his friends are about to explore deeper into The Red Bubble mystery.
Do proceed with caution and take a breather afterwards because this story is about to take a darker route.
•••
Chapter VI: Atrocity
[October 13th, 2050 Thursday]
Circa VIII:
The underwater Bulusok
commune of Terjun.
* For context:
The Bulusok is a fictional tribe based on the indigenous Badjao people. Similar to the Bulusok, they are an indigenous group of divers, fishermen, and navigators from the southernmost part of the Philippines.
Another fact to know is that 'Terjun' in the Malay and Indonesian language means "the plunge."
Four buses were transported down the lower circle beneath the main dome island of Circa VIII (a.k.a. The Golden Island). Similar to each island, this cylindrical glass foundation houses the rest of the country's population.
The native Bulusok folks hold the reputation for being skilled divers and aggressive protectors of the seas. The protective glass treats them with a vast underwater scenery.
A school of fish swarmed across their eyes. A wave of colors brought by the marine plants and corals feels like they're in a real painting. A group of divers swam together to catch mollusks, crustaceans and cuttlefish across the seafloor.
The class of Bus 4 walked past the museum. Their school adviser, Mr. Williams, raised his megaphone to direct the students near the second entrance.
Meanwhile, Jin has been staring at his tablet and dumping his friends with stuff about the local folks in the commune.
"It says here that the bustling urban neighborhood of The Red Bubble was once visible from here."
"Yeah, but it has been shut and now it's pitch black," Irene pointed out.
"It's so the sight of the Magrana beast doesn't scare anyone!" a stout native woman with the widest smile approaches next to them, "You can still sense its presence. See?"
As Jin quickly moves behind Milo, they heard a loud echoing growl. The woman, who turns out to be the tour guide, had that unchanging expression on her face. It's like this never bothered her at all.
She then walked away while directing everybody's attention towards her. "Alright, kids! First stop is the marine workshop ... " she began.
Milo looked back at the sea for one last time as the growl was once again heard.
Maybe we could see what's inside The Capital, he thought.
YOU ARE READING
TCOTRB: The Case of The Red Bubble
Science FictionYear 2050. After the Philippines finally became a progressive nation, fourteen-year-old Milo Sidaris and his parents moved into the country where the remaining islands are built into these colorful domes. You would think life is gonna be normal for...
