Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

"Okay, let's do this. Since we just cleared this whole area, we need to fully enclose it so that we'd have no breaches from all sides. With that said, the only thing we needed to put up some fences is by the end of the canal system. We know that the zombies we have around couldn't swim but I'd like everything to be taken into account. Furthermore, I'd like our existing fences here to be reinforced and I'd let our building group handle it."     

"Easy enough, is that all?" Unc Zeidrick replied.     

"Is the farm finished yet?"     

"A few more touch-ups and it will be ready."     

"Okay. Once that's done, the next step is to start transferring a few of our seedlings over that side to increase our yield in the long run. Amanda has a small garden in her home as well so we currently have three places to harvest fruits and vegetables. Charlotte, work with Amanda and start planning a way to increase our yield even more by checking other places where it's viable to grow more crops."     

Charlotte replied, "O-Okay! Will do! W-We already had a short talk yesterday."     

I looked over at Amanda and she nodded for confirmation.     

"Okay, what's next… Derek."     

Derek immediately answered, "Yeah?"     

"I'd hate to pile more jobs on you but you're great at what you do. I'd like you to also take a look at the fishes we have in the fishing areas but feel free to get people to help you. Unc Zeidrick is good with them as well but he's the one leading the building group with Raphael."     

"No worries! I love doing my job! It's peaceful doing it and my kids get to learn a lot of stuff."     

Oscar interjected, "Kid! How about us? You know I'm just waiting for you to say it, right?"     

I shook my head in amusement, "Heh. Since we've already taken what we could from the area we reclaimed, I'll be leading a group outside to scavenge for more supplies. Not only that, we'll see firsthand what happened while we're cooped here and doing our own thing. With that said, I'm predicting that things would've calmed down from the time that has passed."     

Russel exclaimed, "That's what I'm talking about!"     

Unc Zeidrick waved his son down, "Calm down. You're helping me, remember? Besides, you're too hot-headed and brash. I'll let him scout outside first and we'll see if I'll allow you. You're not as trained as them, remember?"     

"But-"     

"Just help me, for now. You'll get your turn again eventually. I know you want to help them but you're already helping us if you're helping me with what I need."     

R-Russel scratched his head annoyance, "Y-Yeah, I get it, dad."     

Oscar interjected, "Don't worry about it. We'll need more people going outside. We're just testing the waters, for now."     

I added, "Building on that, you're also staying here, old man."     

"WHAT?!"     

"I need someone I could trust to stay here. I'll bring my usual group with me and Tatiana, you stay here with Jenny and the rest. As you said, we're just testing the waters."     

"BAH! Fine! Fine! Is that everything or we need to discuss more?"     

"Just a few more, don't worry. I need four people to be on the catwalk today with maybe a couple doing hourly patrols on our premises. Oscar will lead this group with Jenny and they'll be in charge of picking those four people."     

Kaley raised her hand, "Are we gonna go house-to-house again?"     

"Not exactly. We just went house-to-house on our side to clear everything but outside, we'd need to hit places where the take would at least fill up our bags from a single stop. With that said, once we're out there, we'll prioritize food, water, guns, ammo, medicine, and fuel over everything else. Unless some of you need something fetched, we'll see if we could procure them for you."     

Mark interjected, "Boss! Are we just gonna walk outside or are we gonna bring your truck? You said we'd hit places where we could get a lot of items, right?"     

"Of course, we'll bring the truck. Unc, can we mount that thing now?" I turned to Unc Zeidrick.     

"I thought you'd never ask. Come on! Hey! You too!"     

Russel jumped up from his feet, "Oh! We're gonna mount that large thing in the workshop?! Fuck yeah!"     

Kaley asked, "What thing?"     

I just chuckled before adjourning our little meeting and heading for the workshop. As soon as we arrived, Unc Zeidrick uncovered a huge metal attachment for the front of our truck. It was shaped like the letter V and it was composed of welded bullbars, shock absorbers, and thick plates to cover the outside area. A few notches were present as mounting points and it fit the truck perfectly.     

Ken howled the moment he saw it.     

"That looks so fucking sick, dude!"     

"Of course, it does! I fucking made it! If we ever encounter a large herd, we'd be safe to drive through them because they'll just get pushed to the side instead of hitting the truck constantly. Since continuous head-on impacts could cause a lot of problems, this is the solution."     

Russel heard us and turned his head, "Question, isn't it better to kill them outright?"     

"What do you mean?"     

"You know, this looks cool and all but isn't it better to just take care of it then and there? We could- I mean you and dad could just reinforce the truck so we'd have no trouble going back for them, right?"     

"As I said, we could ram them but the problems we could encounter include staining the windshield, losing speed, their innards getting under the machinery, and etc. It'll be better to put them down with our weapons instead of using our transport vehicle."     

Ken interjected, "So, when's mine coming up?"     

The two of us just stared at each other for a moment before laughing hysterically. My group got a little concerned about joking about his condition but Ken and I were close friends the moment we met each other in university. We could easily joke about anything and what we say to each other would never contain any malice.     

With that said, the motherfucker suddenly rolled over my shoes, and good thing I was wearing great footwear.     

I hissed, "You motherfucker, I'd just keep to myself what I got planned for your wheelchair!"     

"W-W-WHOA! Easy now! You didn't get hurt! You have a plan for me, hmm?"     

I just smiled devilishly, "Maybe."     

"C'MON! JUST FUCKING TELL ME, DUDE!"     

I waved him off, "Soon, I promise. We still got a lot of work to do and I need you on those cameras."     

Ken just made faces at me before saying, "Fine, fine. I think I need to head back now. Peanut's been restless, she really likes to look at the monitors, it's weird."     

"Sure, dude."     

As soon as Ken left, Oscar interjected, "Kid, bring some vests or plate carriers. I have a ton in my place, just get what you want."     

"Vests? Why?" Dong interjected.     

"Bullets, of course. We'll change your motorcycle suits to proper vests or plate carriers plus a few other things since we'll be going outside. You'll be carrying a few more items with you but you'll eventually get used to it. We'll upgrade more as time passes but that would do for now."     

After a while, our truck was right by the fences and ready to go while my group came out with a small upgrade. We now have proper protective equipment and I gave them a few utility items aside from their weapons. They each have their own war belt and I let them configure it while giving a few pointers. Tatiana already had a setup of her own and she just brought extra shell loaders for her Benelli M4.     

With that said, I brought my AR-15, two Glock 19s, my wakizashi, and an extra K-Bar knife while Kaley brought her AR-15, Beretta M9, and my tanto. I had a few extra tools in my bag but we brought five magazines and a couple of pistol magazines in total. Furthermore, the large pouch she had was now replaced by a medkit since three were now in her plate carrier, one in the mag pouch on her war belt, and the last one in the mag well of her rifle.     

Jared, Mark, and Dong only changed from their motorcycle suits but Unc Zardon got ahold of the riot gear, the riot shield, an expanding baton, and a Mossberg 500 with a dozen slugs in the strap from Oscar. I was just supposed to give him the chest piece of the riot gear because Kaley was wearing the rest, but I decided it would be better for him to have the complete set. With that said, Kaley was wearing the same protective gear as me and she liked it better because it could easily be adjustable.     

Unc Zardon asked from the driver's seat, "Are we all ready?"     

I just tapped on the roof and said, "Yeah, let's head to Alfa Mart first."     

Tatiana asked, "That's the convenience store by the elementary school, correct?"     

"Yeah."     

We finally drove outside and my workers were in the passenger's seat while the rest of us were at the back, either holding onto the cylindrical bar in the middle or sitting idly by the sidings. Looking around, a few stragglers were just roaming aimlessly while a few have started to follow after us. However, their speed wasn't enough to catch up to us and we played whack-a-mole whenever possible.     

It didn't take long to reach our destination because it was only a few blocks away, but we still got to take care of the ones that were still following us and the ones that noticed us. Their discolored bodies abruptly turned in our direction and we were facing deadheads from both sides. Their numbers were a little concerning so we needed to take care of them as fast as possible.     

"Unc!"     

"Got it! Don't worry!"     

Unc Zardon hurriedly backed our truck to park by the convenience store while Tatiana and I jumped down. Mark and Dong followed right after us while Kaley and Jared stayed on the back and positioned themselves by the roof. With that said, Kaley and Jared were only allowed to shoot their guns if it was an emergency or if there were too much to handle. They were in charge of keeping an eye on everyone while the rest of us were taking them down with our handheld weapons.     

Tatiana and I took care of the ones fast approaching while Dong and Mark fanned to the side. Unc Zardon was keeping close proximity with the truck and was in charge of dragging the bodies we took down to the side. My blade just cut through them like butter and it being cleaned prior to using it now felt really amazing. We took down the incoming deadheads one after the other and we made a small perimeter after we were done. All that was left was to check the convenience store itself and I brought Unc Zardon with me.     

Unc Zardon was walking ahead of me with his shield up and we walked inside the convenience store.     

"Are you sure this is the best place, kid?"     

"We just got to start somewhere. It's the closest one to our place. Flashlights on."     

Looking at it initially, the place was broken into already. The windows were destroyed, the lights were flickering, and the items on display were now on the ground. However, looking at the area more closely would reveal that not everything of value was taken. A few canned goods were left undamaged, some bottles of water and sodas were still in the refrigerators, a few unpopular snacks were left untouched, and etc.     

"See anything?"     

"A few, watch for the corners unc."     

"Yeah, yeah. But if there were zombies inside, they should've come for us when they heard the engine before I turned it off."     

"Yeah, you're right but let's just be extra careful."     

"Sure- Oh! This pack of Milk Duds got left behind. I'll pocket it right now."     

"Unc..."     

As soon as Unc Zardon pocketed it, he turned to the side and looked at me, "Kid, isn't that the back room? One of the shelves has fallen over it. We might get something."     

"Nice. Let's sweep the are first and we'll head to that first thing."     

Unc Zardon and I scanned around the whole convenience store and we really did not encounter any more zombies. We double-checked each aisle and we eventually landed ourselves right in front of the back room. The shelf obstructing it was easily removed and once I turned the knob, it was locked.     

Unc Zardon chuckled, "That sounds promising."     

I pulled out my lockpicks and I was already grinning from ear to ear, "Heh. We'll see..."     

I simply inserted the tools necessary and it didn't even take a minute to hear the heavenly click. As soon as I opened the door, the back room was stocked to the brim. Boxes and boxes of supply were present from food items to random hygiene and cleaning products. Unc Zardon and I just looked at each other with a huge grin on our faces before giving each other a strong handshake and calling the others over our radio.     

'All these could probably fill half of our truck...'     

On food items, we managed to haul 14 boxes of instant noodles, 12 boxes of assorted biscuits, 3 boxes of chips, 4 boxes of chocolates, and 18 different boxes of canned goods. The only things we decided against taking back were produce and meat products that were left in the open or the ones that were in the process of defrosting. With that said, we still took home 10 gallons of mineral water, a pallet of energy drinks, and 6 kegs of different kinds of soda.     

Other than those items, we managed to pull together from the back and the front part of the store a stack of porn magazines, assorted toys, rolls of toilet paper, local maps, a few boxes of toothpaste, two boxes of mouthwash, and a few boxes cleaning agents like bleach, detergent, and soap. Furthermore, we found small bottles of vitamin supplements, jars of protein powder, 20 cartons of cigarettes, 15 boxes of condoms, a bunch of lighter, and a few packs of matches.     

Unc Zardon looked at me as I picked up a few more cartons of cigarettes on the floor, "You don't smoke, right?"     

"Yeah. But this is worth more than gold now. We could just keep them and trade with other people in the future."     

"Heh, that's true. Always a businessman, eh?"     

I ducked down and uncovered a pack of gum but a few gunshots rang outside.     

-     

*bzzt*     

"You guys okay there?"     

*bzzt*     

-     

*bzzt*     

[We're good, bro. A cluster was approaching so I thinned them a bit. Tatiana took care of the rest of them.]     

*bzzt*     

-     

*bzzt*     

"Okay, I found tubs of ice cream here if you want to take a look."     

*bzzt*     

-     

It wasn't even a few seconds before I heard Jared stumbling towards me. His face was right by the glass doors and he immediately picked out the ones that were flavored in cookies and cream. They varied from the ones that were in smaller cups up to the ones that were up to a couple of gallons. All of them were melted already but it would be fine if we just re-freeze them later.     

Dong called for me, "Boss! Look at this! Weird!"     

"Hmm? What did you find?"     

"These bags of water, boss. Don't they have bottles for this?"     

I immediately facepalmed once he raised one of the bags.     

"Dong, check the label… they used to be tube ice and they just you know… melted..."     

"Oh~ Ahahaha… right… right… didn't see the label here… let me put this down here... it's there… ahaha… haha..." Dong just embarrassedly put down the bag he raised back to the rest of the 'bagged' water.     

"..." everyone else.