Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

Everyone continued to discuss with each other while Oscar and I were just hiding a devilish smile, 'Fuck around and find out!'     

"Everyone is on free time now, and good work today. We'll have our meeting after dinner so please be present when it starts." I said.     

Everyone headed outside the house to do other things and some of them set up the dartboard and the ring. I could already hear a few wagers getting passed around and since our paper bills were just as valuable as kindling or making a paper plane, they were betting like maniacs. Despite that, no one was betting their coins because precious metal still had some worth compared to our paper bills.     

I saw Derek and his family having conversations with other people then I walked over to them. Derek saw me approaching them and he just gave me faint smile after patting his son's head.     

"Jun, go to your mom for a while." Derek said as he placed his son down.     

"O-Okay~"     

"How are you guys holding up? Do you need anything else?" I asked.     

"We're… we're good, we're still processing what happened earlier, and honestly… it felt like it didn't happen and was just a bad nightmare. The work really helped us take our minds off it but there were always times when you're getting reminded that it's real and we gotta deal with it eventually. It's really weird leaving our home like it was nothing but we feel safer here with more people. Anyway, we're really good." Derek replied, wearing a solemn expression.     

"That's good to hear then. We'll talk more later at the meeting but don't forget to approach anyone here if you have a request or something. We'll see if we could do anything about it but please, nothing too extravagant, heh."     

"Hmm, I was about to ask for a yacht..." Derek joked.     

"Oh, what color do you want your yacht to be in?"     

"..."     

"..."     

We stared at each other for a moment but we started to chuckle.     

"Heh, we're really good for now, but I'll hit you up in that offer next time. Thanks, again." Derek said as he offered me a handshake.     

I gave a firm grip then Derek's family thanked me as well for the second time. After that, I just excused myself to check a few things on my end.     

I went to my room and I booted up my PC to check my email. Some of my friends still managed to reply though most of them haven't changed their minds about staying at their own place or the DDR Camps. Some people who said to move to the mountains or sail to the sea have never replied and I just surmised that they were already too far away to be contacted unless they were purposefully not answering my emails.     

I was about to turn my PC off but I clicked on my spam folder to check other messages that might've made their way in that place instead.     

'Shit, there's actually one here...' I thought to myself, scratching my head.     

I immediately opened my account on that site and I saw a message from one of my friends in college, Allan.     

[Hey dude, remember me? I know you do but just in case you don't, it's me, Allan. You have a place in the Valenzuela area, right? I received your emails and I immediately packed up and was on my way to your place. But~ I got held up near the People's Park because a mob started a riot outside and they were breaking everything. I ran inside a deli with a few others but one of them is bitten…]     

I didn't even bother to finish reading the email because when I read 'bitten', I immediately tried to call him through the app. I was worried that it was ringing for a few seconds but I heard a click and then I heard a very familiar voice.     

[Hey! Dude~! Holy Shit!!! What the fuck did just happen?! It's fucking crazy out here! I thought you didn't receive my messages! Fuck! You were right dude! Holy shit!]     

"Shut up and start telling me where you are exactly! What deli? In the People's Park or the one on the other side of the road? Allan! Keep your voice down!"     

[Umm... ah- we're at the… the... hey, what is this place again? Ah, thanks. Dude, we're at the South Supe-]     

"We?"     

[Oh, I'm with the other people who came inside.]     

"You said that one of them is bitten? Allan, you weren't bitten, right? Tell me everything that happened and the situation outside. That's the only I could form a plan to get you in here. Find a way to the roof and I'll wait for you."     

[Yeah, yeah, I'm cool. The rest of us tried to-]     

"Allan?"     

'Shit, it disconnected…'     

I thought it was just loading or lagging at first but then I was shown a little T-Rex that said that I have no Internet. I tried a few ways to restore the connection but the problem wasn't on my side. As I stared at my PC, hoping for the Internet to come back miraculously, my mind started to run wildly. I started thinking of several ways I could go about tackling Allan's predicament with the least possible risk.     

I was deep in thought but then I heard a knock on the door. It was Olivia holding her phone and slightly peeking through the gaps I left open.     

"Hey, umm- i-is the Internet out? My mobile data is not working as well..."     

"Yeah, I'm sorry."     

"O-Oh… is it because of that?"     

"I dunno for sure but that's the main suspect now."     

"O-Okay… see you later… bye!"     

As soon as Olivia left, I decided to save Allan by myself.     

I opened my armory to grab one of my AR-15s inside one of my safes. It only had a very simple setup for a rifle which only had a suppressor, a simple red dot optic, and a sling. I loaded it with a 30-round magazine containing 5.56 cartridges then I placed four extra magazines in the vest that I would be putting on.     

After that, I wore my motorcycle gear first then I put my war belt on. I already secured my M9 and my wakizashi on it with a few other things already placed on it like a flashlight, a spare fixed blade knife, a simple med kit, my radio, and etc. As soon as I secured my belt, I wore my vest and I slung my rifle on my back.     

I grabbed the keys for my bike and my helmet then I rushed downstairs.     

Everyone that saw me in full gear was surprised and they started asking questions. One of them was Oscar and he immediately waved me down before I managed to reach my bike.     

"Woah kid, easy there. What's the fucking rush? You even brought an AR, what's going on?" Oscar said as he grabbed my shoulder.     

"It's Allan, he's at the South Supermarket. I gotta go now since he's been stranded there for a few days already." I said as I put on my helmet.     

"Hey! That's a populated area and it's nearing sundown! That's suicide kid! We don't even know the situation there!" Oscar bellowed.     

The rest of the group were wearing a worried expression and some of them even voiced their opinion of me heading out.     

"I'm not letting one of us hanging there! I'd do the same for all of you in a heartbeat! Trust me, okay? Old man, I never do something without a proper plan in place. I'll come back, I promise." I said as I pulled on my sling, fastening the AR at my back tightly.     

"Bah! Here ya go again. Fuck it, I'll come with you then!" Oscar bellowed as he scratched his beard furiously.     

"I'll come with you too!!" Kaley added.     

"Me as well bro!" Jared stepped up with a few others.     

"No, I need to be fast. I'll bring the bike and drive through the back roads. I'll only drive on the highway when I'm near the place. I'll be back in half an hour if everything goes smoothly." I said.     

"But at least let me-" Kaley tried to persuade me to let her come but I cut her off.     

"No. It just looks dangerous but it would be safer if I'm alone. I need space on the back so I could bring him with me." I explained.     

Oscar still gave me a disgruntled expression but he handed me a crowbar, "Take this, you might need to pry open some of the doors. Picking them would take too long."     

I removed the cover on my motorcycle and it revealed a black Hayabusa. They opened the gate as I quickly launched myself with my bike. I made a right turn as I passed the elementary school and I saw a few stragglers walking about. However, I soon left them in the dust because of the speed I was going.     

I also passed by the DDR Camp a couple of blocks driving and it was still standing strong. I only caught a short glimpse of it but I saw a few people that were still trying to get inside. At the same time, soldiers armed with M16s were shooting down anything that shouldn't be moving past their perimeter.     

I passed by a few more houses and shops then I made a left turn towards the old church in the distance. I kept on burning in my memory the state of the surroundings as I drove. This place was still far from the destination so I twisted on the handle so the bike would go even faster.     

The noise of my bike attracted a few deadheads as I drove past them but there was still a lot of noise outside due to people looting other places and fighting against each other. A few gunshots from the surroundings would also ring out as I continued to weave between cars and zombies.     

Everything became a blur but I started to slow down from what I saw from the distance.     

I stopped near a hospital then I saw a mob of people with handheld weapons wrecking everything in their path. They were throwing rocks everywhere and they would smash car windows as they were passing through. Any zombie they encountered would be mobbed and immediately killed. Furthermore, any civilians they encountered would be forced to join them or else they'd be killed on the spot.     

A few of them holding spray paint cans were spraying something on the walls as they passed through it. I couldn't see what they were writing from this angle but I wouldn't take the time to stay there and find out. However, a few in the front noticed me and they started to run in my direction.     

One of them was holding a Molotov cocktail so I immediately changed my route towards the South Supermarket.     

"GET HIM!!!"     

"HE HAS A GUN!!!"     

"YOU'RE DEAD!!!"     

"Fuck!" I exclaimed as I turned towards the highway.     

I quickly turned back and I used the exit where Wilcon's Depot was located. As I looked to the right, I saw a few cars toppled over and piled on top of one another and several deadheads were swarming around it. At the same time, I could hear screams coming from that direction possibly from the ones still fighting for their lives. However, my priority was someone I've known for a few years and not some randoms I've just encountered while running away from a mob trying to kill me.     

'Sorry...'     

I then looked to the left, discovering a bakery in the corner that had another road that could lead me to my destination. However, it would take longer than usual and a few deadheads were banging their way on the shop right next to it. Aside from that, a few stragglers were already coming in my direction because of the noise of my bike.     

'I wouldn't get pinned here...'     

I pulled my pistol and I shot the few zombies coming towards me. Their heads popped open as it sprayed blood but doing that made a path for my bike to drive through. I didn't use my wakizashi in case the bodies I sliced might fall towards the bike as I passed through them and there was also the issue of blood accidentally reaching places they shouldn't.     

Seven zombies fell with my hands as I started to weave my bike through their bodies.     

I started to speed up and I passed a few stores and factories as I drove through. After a few minutes of driving forward, I saw the exit that would lead to the supermarket but I parked my bike at the shoe store which was a block away from the supermarket. It was because my bike had attracted a few and they were still chasing from behind.     

I wouldn't want an even bigger crowd gathering in the supermarket so I parked it there, leaving it for a while, probably dispersing that herd after a while without any action. I then drew my wakizashi as I killed five more zombies near me, delivering quick slashes and thrusts to their head and their eye sockets.     

I dispatched thirteen more on the sidewalk as I made my way at a steady pace. I reached a fast-food store at a corner and I saw the People's Park on the other side of the street swarming with hundreds of zombies. I then turned to the left towards the supermarket avoiding that swarm, moving as quietly as I could while taking down anything that crossed my path.     

'Why are they starting to move slower? Is it just me pumped with adrenaline or Rigor Mortis?'