Allan, Juan, Jenny, and Bert - Solution
Allan, Juan, Jenny, and Bert - Solution
I finally saw the supermarket in full-view but the roll-ups were down and zombies were banging against it.
At the same time, a few staggering figures roaming around noticed my presence and they started running towards me. I immediately pulled my AR-15 from my back and started aiming at the first one as I flicked the safety off. Each shot went straight to their head as a small puff of blood would form before a splatter. Seventeen zombies were now down on the ground and I pulled my blade for the few remaining in the parking area. I killed three more and then I also took care of the five in the roll-up.
It only took pushing a few inches against the back of their head as they were too slow to dodge it.
'50… 56 if I include everything. There's a lot here compared to my place.'
I walked near the roll-up and I shouted with a hushed tone, "Allan! Allan! Are you fucking there?!"
"Holy shit! Did you do that?!" I heard a voice from the roof.
"Hey! Friendly here. I'm looking for someone, his name is Allan. A short guy, skinny, brown skin, and short hair." I said, glancing at his uniform which belonged to this supermarket.
"I- ah, I think he's the guy downstairs. Alright, go to the back and wait for me by the white door!"
"Why can't you just-" I was about to tell him to just open the roll-up here but he was already gone.
'Shit!'
I glanced at the side of the store but there were still a lot more deadheads roaming around the immediate vicinity. A few that got attracted to the noise I made were already coming for me so I pulled my rifle once more. I wanted to just use my wakizashi but they were in clumps and one swipe in the wrong place would end me. The only saving grace was that I brought a rifle with a suppressor or else the ones at the People's Park would've come for me as well.
I was firing several shots but the magazine ran out of bullets. The bolt locked to the rear so I pressed the mag release and placed the used mag back to my vest. I pulled out a fresh one and stuck it in the mag well before I slapped the bolt release. It chambered another round from the new magazine and I was back in business. Bodies fell to the floor with bullet holes as I waited for the door to open. I killed 16 more deadheads before I heard a click from the door.
"Quick!"
I saw the same guy I was talking to earlier and he was panicking, waving at me to get inside fast. I wasted no time as I entered the place then I heard the door being locked behind me. After that, a few barricades were placed as an extra measure and I got a closer look at the situation inside.
I saw a few people still in their uniforms and two security guards holding their guns at the ready. The guy was carrying a pump-shotgun while the girl just started to holster her revolver. They were with a few other civilians in the immediate vicinity and they numbered a few dozen.
"Are you military?" the female guard asked me.
"No, not exactly. Do you guys know a guy named Allan here? Ah-" I replied, looking around but I immediately spotted the fucker I needed to save.
"Sky?! Dude! Holy Fuck! You came!" Allan exclaimed as he sprinted towards me.
The employee and the female guard I was talking to breathed a sigh of relief but the guy right behind them was still on guard. I didn't put it to mind as much but he was looking a little too exhausted, mentally and physically.
My attention was brought back to Allan as he started to shake my hands almost violently.
"Shit dude! I thought no one was gonna come here! Fuck! I- we- shit! I gotta tell-" Allan started to stammer so I waved him off as I took a closer look at him.
Allan was wearing civilians clothes and the items on his person were a metal bat which I noticed was recently wiped and a duffel bag filled with his personal items. He still looked the same the last time I saw him but there was some stress in his eyes because of what happened.
"Calm down dude, I'm here. What happened here though?" I said as I looked around once more.
The supermarket was still teeming with supplies and all of the lights were turned on. However, a few of them were flickering on and off and I could see a few blood splatters across the wall. Aside from that, everyone was seated in the food court though some of them made use of this supermarket's mattresses so they could lay down more comfortably. A few seemed to want to talk to me but they were either too scared to stand up or just waiting for the right moment.
"Ah- it's all a blur dude. I-"
"I could tell you what happened." the guy in the store uniform that I spoke to earlier walked up to me and he lit a cigarette.
"Okay then, lay it on me." I replied.
"It started yesterday when the sirens rang. Most of those things came from the expressway and some came from the streets near the park. An ambulance crashed in City Hall next to the People's Park and people gathered near the crash site. I was smoking on the roof when I saw everything go down." he said as he puffed a smoke.
"I myself just heard a crash then people started running. I got to go somewhere and this is the closest place." Allan added.
"Anyway, I just saw the crowd outside scattering when I spotted a few guys wearing those EMT suits charging towards one of the crowds. I thought they were crazy but I dropped my cigar when I saw them eating the ones right in front of them. I didn't wait for shit as I ran down and closed all the entrances in the supermarket with everyone. A lot of people managed to come inside before it fully closed and a few came from the back like you did." he continued.
"So, is this all of you?" I asked as I looked at 30-ish people inside.
"No, we're actually a lot more yesterday…" Allan added, looking down.
"One of the guys that were bitten entered the backdoor where you came from. We focused on closing the other doors at the front but we forgot the one that is accessible for the delivery guys… we didn't notice that he was here until it was too late." the guy answered as well, flicking the ashes off the floor.
"The bastard actually hid in one of the stalls and we found him a little too late. He killed and bitten more than half of the people here before we managed to shoot him and subdue the others he… you know..." the female guard chimed in.
"So, where are the bodies?" I asked.
"We placed the guy and the other ones he killed in the freezer. But, what we didn't know is that those who are just bitten could turn into one of those things in an indeterminate amount of time. More people died and it got ugly when the ones that got bitten turned hysterical. I- I killed a few of them when they tried to attack us but a few escaped outside. We barricaded the door and stayed here ever since." the man said, puffing another smoke.
"Hey man, a-are we leaving? How about them though?" Allan asked loud enough for everyone to hear him.
"Yeah, I'm thinking about that…" I said as I looked at everyone.
The entire group showed dissatisfaction when they heard that and I caught the male guard, looking a little more distressed than usual. It was the look of someone so irritated that anything he heard, even if it was not directed at him would set him off. However, he just huffed and checked on the barricade while the female guard gave him a worried glance.
'I can't just leave them or here and I'm sure they wouldn't just let me leave with Allan...' I thought to myself as I walked in front of them.
"Here's the truth, I only came here with my bike. I parked it a block away from here and only two people could obviously fit in it. Don't get any ideas because I'm not parting with my keys. You'll drop faster before any of you could even bridge this distance between us. Here's what I suggest though: I saw a few delivery trucks out in the back and other vehicles parked at the front. I could only do a few things for you need to decide among yourselves." I started.
"What were we deciding on?" one of them asked.
"Staying here or going outside. If you stay here, you have a lot of supplies and you could barricade the door and wait it out if you want. If you preserve your food and water, by the looks of this place, you could last maybe a few months or even a year depending on how many of you stay. But, if you go out, I could help you get in the trucks or possibly to your own vehicles to drive to a different location. Hey you, do you have the keys for the trucks?" I explained then turned to the guy in the uniform earlier.
"Yes, I do have the keys for them. Ah, my name's Juan by the way."
"Juan? I'm Sky, and you?" I turned to the female guard.
"I'm Jenny, nice to meet you. He's-" Jenny tried to introduce the male guard but he was just glaring at her, forcing her to stop right then and there.
'That guy's gonna be a problem...' I thought to myself.
I just nodded at Jenny and Juan and said, "Nice to meet you two… too... A-Anyway, I cleared most of the dead at the back and I have a few more mags for my guns. What's your situation with weapons? That's a .38 Special, not a .357, right?"
"Yes, I have four more bullets for my revolver and… hey Bert! How about that shotgun?" Jenny looked at the other guard wearing a frown.
"None of your fucking business."
"..." everyone else.
"Bert..." Jenny didn't know what to do.
"I'm fucking staying here and all of you should too. It's a fucking mess outside and you want to go out? Hah! Do you think you're fucking heroes? Give me a fucking break!" Bert exclaimed.
"Bert!" Jenny started to frown as well as Allan.
"What?! And who the fuck is this guy even anyway? He just came here and he acts like the freakin' CO of this place! We've been doing well here since yesterday and we could do more for the days to come! We just need to clear that place across us and we'd be fucking set!" Bert continued but he walked up to me and stared me dead in the eye.
The whole group was just focused on us as the room started to fill with silence.
'Great, an idiot with a gun is protecting this place...'
"Bert! This guy is clearly here to help us and you're acting unlike yourself. Calm the fuck down!" Juan tried to break us off but Bert shoved him.
"Fuckin let go of me! What is even out there? Those fucking DDR camps? Fuck me! Give those a week at most and they'll all turn to those meat bags soon! Did you see what happened to the City Hall?! They're all dead! THEY'RE ALL FUCKING DEAD!!! YOU HEAR ME!!! THEY'RE ALL DEAD!!!" Bert roared.
"But it's not the only one out the-" Jenny tried to interject but Bert cut her off.
"BUT FUCKING WHAT?! LOOK AROUND!!! IT'S THE END OF THE FUCKING WORLD!!! DO YOU KNOW MY FUCKING SOLUTION?! THIS!!!" Bert's eyes suddenly turned to a different shade and his expression turned into something different.
Before anyone could react, Bert placed his shotgun against his mouth and pulled the trigger.
A loud ringing noise assaulted our ears as his head scattered like little splotches on the floor. Bits and chunks were in random directions but the majority of them were in the barricades he was checking earlier. A pool of blood had started to form beneath his body as it flopped down, stunning everyone.
'Fuck!'
Screams and cries came from the group of civilians behind me and Allan couldn't help but vomit at the sight. Juan was still clutching his ears while one of his eyes was partly open but Jenny was kneeling on the floor, sobbing right next to Bert's body. Her uniform was getting stained by Bert's blood and Allan had to pull her out of her position.
No one could believe what just happened and everyone just decided to take some time off our conversation.
'Everything around definitely heard that… I need to pass a bit of time before going out...'
After a while, Juan and I cleaned the mess while Allan helped Jenny with moving Bert's body in the freezer. Everyone wasn't talking to each other not because we were still in shock but no one just didn't know what to say. Despite that, Allan made sure to try and keep talking to Jenny because she was the most affected out of everyone.
After we were done, I left them alone for a moment but Juan was accompanying me.
I looked at my watch and it had almost been an hour since I left the compound. I grabbed the radio from my belt and I tried to contact Oscar.
-
*bzzt*
"Oscar, copy?"
*bzzt*
-
*bzzt*
"Old man, this is Sky, copy?"
*bzzt*
-
No response.
'I should've brought the Sat Phone.'