Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

Rin replied with a blank stare but she started to browse more files that I pointed to on my phone earlier. She seemed to be very apprehensive as she saw file after file. She was looking at the contents of my phone the whole drive back while I was silently watching out for her reaction.     

After a few minutes, we finally arrived at the compound. She stopped looking at my phone as she handed it back to me with complex expressions. She was silent for a good while but looking at her told me she was still in doubt whether what I showed was real or not. However, her face immediately changed when she saw the huge gate to my compound.     

"Here we are, I think that you better call this place your home too. I could be lying to you about what I showed you on my phone but think of it like this, if I lied, you'd still be paid more, have better living conditions, and have a boss that likes to joke around from time to time. However, if what I showed you is real, let's just say that you'd have a better chance here than the place you were living at. Fair, yeah?" I explained.     

I looked at Rin and she was still taking in the information I gave her. Judging from the look on her face, the half-doubt she was keeping inside her was gone but the look of worry about what was about to come was still there.     

'Technically, I really~ kinda kidnapped her, to be honest. However, judging from her living conditions, also technically, I saved her by 'kidnapping' her. One bad thing and one good thing done is an equivalent exchange. Wait- the phrase the end justifies the means would fit a little bit better...' I thought to myself.     

"Yes, umm- so, what kind of work would you need me for? Some sort of a secretarial job?" Rin asked before we stepped out of the vehicle.     

"Yes, you have something that I do too. I could do what I hired you for but I'm sure I'm gonna be busy these coming days. What you have is very similar to mine." I replied.     

"Hmm? And that is?" Rin looked at me, intrigued.     

"OCD." I said flatly.     

"Oh." Rin chuckled. "Actually, Mrs. Thelma told me I have that, that's why she placed me in that position. Some people call it a bad thing, but I beg to differ." Rin continued with a pensive look.     

"I agree with that and that's a good way of looking at it. They can call it whatever they want but I still think that having this is a good thing. Come on, I'll guide you to your room." I said as I grabbed the bags behind the car.     

Rin grabbed her duffel bag and offered to carry some of the bags in which case I handed her two light ones. However, I immediately identified where those 'boxes' were and I placed a death grip on it. We were greeted by Aunt Sharon and her family as we passed by them.     

"Hey! After you're done settling bring everyone down to the pool area, it's time to eat." Aunt Sharon yelled as I was about to close the door.     

I just nodded a few times while Rin greeted her with a bow. I surmised that Lois probably told her about RIn since she didn't ask any questions about her. Aunt Sharon just smiled as she closed the door to their house.     

I gave Rin the same tour and I brought her to her room which she would be using by herself. It was the last room in my house and I gave her the spare keys for it. After that, I asked her to change since she was still wearing her uniform from where she worked. She tried to ask more about her job description but I waved her down and told her to eat with us first.     

Rin nodded and excused herself then I walked to the room next to mine to check on the two. The door was closed so I knocked a few times to get their attention.     

*knock* *knock*     

"Hey, time to eat. Are you guys awake?" I said behind the door.     

The door was opened by Kaley but I noticed that Olivia was sleeping on the bed while Zeus was being held down. Zeus was looking at me like he needed help but at the same time, he didn't want to wake her up. His face looked like he was whimpering but nothing was coming out of him.     

'What did Zeus eat today?' I chuckled inwardly.     

I gave an amused expression but I saw Kaley's expression. I noticed that her eyes were red while she was clutching her phone. I thought she just woke up from my knock but it seemed that she was awake the whole time.     

"Did something happen?" I asked.     

'Her paren- no, that's fucking impossible.' I thought to myself.     

"Yeah… I just found out that Angel, my coworker, was attacked at their home earlier. The police said that someone under the influence tried to break into their apartment. Her boyfriend tried to confront the p-person b-but…" Kaley said with a tremble in her voice. "Well… you get the idea. She's in the ICU right now and her boyfriend was pronounced DOA." she continued.     

"Where were they staying?" I asked.     

"Near the pier. They… I mean Angel… she's gonna turn, right?" Kaley replied, looking down.     

'Shit, those guys were close where it started on the news.' I thought to myself.     

"I'm sorry…" I wanted to say more but I couldn't. That was all that came out of me.     

We shared a moment of silence then I heard the door to Rin's room open. Rin had changed into a simple attire and she gave us a glance. She gave a bow and said, "Mr. And Mrs. Ishiyama, thank you for this opportunity I'm-"     

"Nope! Nope! You got it wrong! Cut! Cut! I'm sorry Kaley- I'm- ah- shit- fuck-" I immediately choked on her words as I looked at Kaley's expression.     

Kaley was surprised as well but her expression turned for the better. She let out a faint smile and her eyes almost sparkled because of the tears forming on it earlier. I was momentarily stunned but I was quick to get back on my bearings.     

"L-Let me introduce you two. Kaley, this is Rin, Rin, this is Kaley. The girl over there sleeping is Olivia, her sister. We know each other from w-way back." I explained.     

"Woof!" Zeus chimed.     

"Oh, I forgot. That's Zeus." I chuckled.     

"Oh, so you guys are just living together then?" Rin gave another question.     

I immediately choked the second time, "Umm, ah… technically speaking, yes we are, but umm-"     

I stopped myself before I made it worse.     

'She's very fucking straightforward, no breaking balls just fastballs…' I thought to myself.     

Kaley was smiling with her rosy cheeks as she began to explain the situation. I finally managed to breathe easy though Rin was kinda embarrassed as she just realized that she misread the situation. Kaley waved her over and told her that mistakes could always happen.     

We then woke Olivia up and introduced her to Rin then we headed to the pool area while Zeus was following behind.     

When we reached the pool area, Aya and Lois and my few other relatives and friends present were helping Aunt Sharon to bring out the plates, utensils, and the food on the table. We decided to help them but I heard someone honking a few times outside.     

I thought that it was probably Oscar or my uncles arriving but turns out, they arrived at the same time.     

I saw our old truck which was an 8-wheeler as I opened the gate with Lois. To my surprise, they were followed by a tricycle, two motorcycles, Oscar's SUV, and a truck from Wilcon's Depot. They parked near the other vehicles and I walked towards them.     

"Hey, kid. What's up? I see you've arrived." I hear a voice from the truck.     

On the truck were my two uncles, Unc Zardon and Unc Zeidrick. My Unc Zardon was the one who greeted me and he was the one driving the truck. He had a darker skin complexion than Lois and he was a burly man, unlike Unc Zeidrick who was fit and a little shorter than me. I just gave Unc Zardon a nod, the same way Unc Zeidrick did when our eyes met.     

I walked a little forward and greeted the person driving the tricycle.     

"Glad you could come Jo." I greeted him.     

"Hmm! This place is different the last time I was working here. Can I work here again?" Jo chuckled as he looked around.     

"Hah! There's no pay though, crisis and all." I jabbed back.     

We laughed for a short moment before our expressions turned solemn. However, he offered his hand for a handshake and we just looked at each other solemnly for a short moment.     

"Guess I'll call you Boss again, Boss." Jo added then we shared another laugh.     

Jo was my former employee and he decided to run his own business after saving up. He was fit but on the skinnier side and he had short hair. He still had his accent because he came from the province but it was a natural occurrence here.     

He brought his family with him specifically his wife, daughter, mother, brother, and sister. His brother, Mario, which we all call 'Dong', was one of my current employees along with Mark, Malong, and Ariel who were currently present and brought with them their close friends.     

I have two other workers that hadn't arrived yet but we decided to haul the supplies off the truck because the driver was a little impatient. Oscar and Jared came back with a lot of building materials but they also came back with spare solar panels, lights, batteries, and inverters.     

We all gathered at the pool area and I once again introduced everyone present. However, my employees didn't fucking forget to put me on the spot when they saw me standing next to Kaley. They all acted like their prayers were answered and they even tried to poke her with a stick to see if she was a real human being in which case I gave a quick pummeling. Good thing Kaley didn't mind the teasing as much as she just smiled while shaking her head in amusement.     

Everything was now prepared and we started to eat. While they were handing the plates, I made sure to prepare Zeus his food. He was happily wharfing them bite after bite so I decided to get food for myself. Kaley got an extra plate for me which I happily took. However, Olivia was wearing a cheeky smile and almost tried to take a picture.     

Today, Aunt Sharon cooked a popular Filipino dish that was called Fried Chicken Adobo.     

It was a traditional dish where there were different ways to prepare it. Our method was to chop the chicken into smaller pieces and fry them while we prepare the other ingredients like chopping onions and garlic into much smaller pieces, crushing black pepper but not as thorough, and chopping potatoes half the size of the chicken we chopped earlier.     

After everything was prepared, we start cooking it by sautéing it with garlic, onions, pepper, and other spices for taste. When the onions and the garlic were starting to go brown, that was when we would add the soy sauce, a bit of water, and then the potatoes. We let it simmer for a bit and after the sauce had reduced, it was to the taste, it was ready to be served over hot piping rice.     

Weirdly, if we had leftovers and reheated it, it would be much tastier. It was because the chicken was getting marinated by the sauce as it was starting to seep inside the meat.     

I was last on the line as I gave myself a couple of servings of rice. I poured the sauce over it as I placed the chicken into another bowl. Kaley saved a seat for me and everyone was happily eating my aunt's cooking.     

I checked my watch and it was 12:30 PM. There was still no emergency broadcast from the government and I think they were still trying to contain it as best as they could. I shook my head at their actions but I understand their situation. They were trying to contain the situation but I think this thing was something that couldn't be stopped by a single country.     

As I looked at the group of people in front of me, a weight of responsibility was placed on my shoulders.     

Kaley scooted next to me and said, "Hey, can I ask you something?"     

"Yeah?" I replied as I swallowed another mouthful.     

"How did you and Oscar really meet? And how come you've information about what's happening now before everyone else?" Kaley looked at me curiously.