Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

"Are you implying that we won't see them anymore?!" Olivia looked very upset and very close to bursting into tears.     

"He's just looking out for us, okay? I also have a picture of us too, see? I think this will fit in your wallet too." Kaley pulled out a small picture of them when they were much younger and she handed it to her sister. After she did, Olivia looked down for a moment before she hugged her sister tight. Kaley hugged her back and I noticed that even if they were hugging each other tightly, the picture was gently handled.     

After that, Olivia walked up to me and said, "I'm sorry for yelling, and um- thanks."     

I patted her head to annoy her and I said with a straight face, "No worries, little one."     

"I'm not a child you know!" Olivia exclaimed though she was back to normal. She took a picture of me before giving me a cheeky smile.     

Kaley saw it happen then she facepalmed and said, "So, I packed everything important and a few things we could use. I brought a couple weeks of clothes, a few blankets, most of the cans of food, all the candy bars, a pack of coffee and tea, a gallon of water, my M70, a box of .308s, the pistol you gave me, two flashlights, a few packs of batteries, personal hygiene products, most of the medical supplies from the cabinet, my laptop, my phone, my power bank, my chargers, my wallet, and my keys to this home. Oh, I hid a few supplies for mom and dad where my M70 used to be."     

"That's great, and you?" I nodded approvingly then I looked at Olivia.     

"Umm- I too brought a week of clothes, my phone, my charger, my pocket Wi-Fi, a few snacks, our family album, some of the things sis also brought, and this!" Olivia raised her hand and she was holding a stun gun.     

*KRRRRR* *KRRRRR*     

Olivia tested it a few times and she gave me a grin, "Cool, right? Dad gave this to me!"     

I raised an eyebrow and I gave a faint smile.     

"It's cool but don't try and use that on those things, okay? Keep close to me or your sister and we'll handle it, deal?" I replied.     

"Sure, I will." Olivia nodded a few times.     

"Did I miss anything? I just hauled everything I saw." Kaley asked.     

"We need to bring the frozen products and other stuff in your refrigerator or in your pantry that might spoil. After that, we're going to turn off the electricity here with the main switch. The last thing we want is your house burning down and your parents not finding out that you two came with me." I explained.     

"Oh! Speaking of electricity, we have a generator here. I think we have a few containers of gas here somewhere." Kaley said as she guided us to the back of their house.     

I saw their generator with three gasoline containers beside it and said, "This is good but we have solar-powered generators at home. We could leave the generator here but we should take two cans of gasoline and leave one for your parents. The generator seems full and it could last for a while. Let's finish up so we could drive to my place. Let's start with the food items left first."     

We placed our supplies by the door first then I went outside to check on the ambulance. I remembered that we still haven't checked the back so I took the key out of my pocket and unlocked the door behind. I opened the door and I discovered a lot of tools that could definitely be of some use. There was a stretcher, a wheelchair, an oxygen tank, a few IV drips, a defibrillator, and a few more medical supplies.     

'Looks like we hit the lottery.' I thought to myself as I faintly smiled.     

I looked around and the people outside were still lounging around, unaware of what might happen soon. I just shook my head and I called for Kaley and Olivia so we could start packing. We hauled bags after bags but it was a quick activity. As we were about to finish packing, a door opened from the next door and a figure started to walk out. He was walking erratically and it managed to catch my attention.     

"Recognize that guy?" I pointed to the figure walking outside.     

"Hmm?" Olivia looked behind and squinted her eyes.     

"Wait, don't come near him." I said to Olivia when she took a few steps forward to take a closer look.     

"Oh, I think that it's Mr. Tan. I remember him trying to push the homeless guy off Mrs. Tan earlier. I remember that he was punched or something but I saw him getting bandaged by one of the medics." Olivia said to me, heading back to the door where Kaley was.     

However, time seemed to slow down.     

I saw "Mr. Tan" from the glass window of the ambulance door, turning his head violently, before heading to Olivia with speed. His arms were flailing around when he ran and I saw the bandage coming loose, revealing his discolored arm.     

"Shit." I muttered as my hand reached for my gun.     

Kaley was in the middle of getting the last bag, walking towards the ambulance, while Olivia was in between all of us. I saw Kaley looking to the left where Mr. Tan was then looking to the direction where he was headed. I couldn't get a proper line of sight since the door of the ambulance and Olivia were blocking my view. I pulled my pistol out and I walked diagonally, away from the vehicle to avoid grazing Olivia. Mr. Tan was in my sights and all I needed to do was pull the trigger.     

*BANG*     

Before I managed to fire, I saw a bright flash of light followed by a loud bang. The next thing I saw was Mr. Tan on the ground, sprawled sideways, while Olivia was clutching her ears. I looked at Kaley and the bags she was holding were on the ground and her hands were now holding the gun I gave her. She immediately ran in Olivia's direction but I saw Mr. Tan's body twitching as he slowly got up.     

I pulled Kaley and Olivia back as I approached the body to finish it. My gun was in my hand and I got to see his features from up close and personal.     

His right cheek was torn from the bullet and blood was flowing continuously from his mouth. A part of his jaw was missing and his cheek was flopping around. Black lines were all around his body but most were coming from his arms. It was creeping towards his shoulder and then to his neck. His right eye was bloodshot and his iris was starting to deform from the perfect circle.     

A few residents who heard the shot went outside and some who were already outside let out screams or hurriedly went back to their houses. However, the ones who stayed behind saw Mr. Tan getting shot in the face, standing up at a weird angle, then clawing his arms towards my neck. I quickly stepped back and the muzzle of my gun was already pointed between his eyes.     

Fortunately, the distance was much shorter and there were no obstacles for the shot.     

*BANG*     

One clean shot to the head and blood sprayed where the bullet exited. My ears were ringing but I watched his head blew back from the impact. His body fell down like a puppet and a pool of blood formed beneath his body.     

"Oh my god! What happened?! Did that guy kill Mr. Tan?!"     

"I thought he was a paramedic?"     

"What happened?!"     

"He killed Mr. Tan."     

"WHAT?!"     

"No! I think Mr. Tan tried to attack Olivia from next door."     

"How could Mr. Tan move like that though, he's over 80, right?"     

"I don't know, I saw him get shot earlier by Kaley, then he stood up again."     

"What?! For real?!"     

"Saw that too... It's like the movies."     

"You mean Mr. Tan is a zombie? Stop kidding yourself."     

"Well, how do you explain the homeless guy who attacked Mrs. Tan earlier?"     

"..."     

"I'm going to call the cops."     

"I'm going to gather my things and move out. It's going to be dangerous here if what you're saying is real."     

The residents started to talk among themselves and when I turned around, I saw Kaley guiding Olivia through the vehicle's passenger side. She glanced at me briefly but she was trying to calm Olivia down. The crowd outside was getting larger as more people came out so I decided to handle the situation.     

I raised the badge I took from the guard at the airport to pretend I was law enforcement.     

"Everybody ears up! There are a series of reported violent behaviors occurring across the country but the government is doing its best to maintain the order. You are recommended to lock your doors, gather your supplies, and start to preserve them as much as possible. If you see a person exhibiting strange behavior do not let them in! Make sure to guarantee your safety and those close to you as well. As long as we prepare and stay calm, this thing will be over soon." I said loud enough for everyone to hear.     

I almost cringed as I paraphrased what a security detail from the movies would say to civilians but that was the best I could do for them. It would be better to not have everyone fall into panic as their thinking capacity would suffer by a huge amount if they do. I just hoped that everyone adopts a clear state of mind and prepares for the worst. I could only help people as much and I couldn't take everyone in.     

Before I entered the vehicle, I grabbed the mic from the ambulance and said one last thing, "If you have to defend yourself, aim for the head. Good luck to you all."     

'It's up to yourselves if you could survive this thing.' I sighed inwardly.     

A lot of people gave me confused looks. Some of them understood what I was talking about while a few gave me looks of wanting to come with us. I shook my head and simply entered the vehicle. Olivia seemed to be doing okay but Kaley was still hugging her tight. I proceeded to go back where we had driven from and a few flicks of the siren got us through smoothly and quickly down the road.     

It seemed that it hasn't spread much in this area and most of it started from the direction where the airport was. Each radio station was saying the same thing and even the music channels were taken over.     

"I hope mom and dad are okay..." Olivia muttered.     

Another hour passed and we arrived at the intersection from where Oscar broke off.     

On the right side of the block, you could see a few small shops and a gated community where the guard stationed there was looking through his phone with a scrunched eyebrow. On the left side, more stores were scattered about with a fuel station on one corner where one of my cousins was working. Right behind it was a terminal where tricycles were waiting for passengers but a few of them were glued to the TV, which was inaudible from our side.     

We passed by the public market where one of my shops was located and I made a mental note to grab everything from there later and close it. We passed by a few more stores and a few more houses then I made a right turn after we passed the elementary school. From this street, mostly houses of varying sizes could be seen. After passing through a few small stalls where people sell homemade refreshments, we finally managed to reach my home.