Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

I laid Arthur's bug-out bag on the table, removed it from the plastic cover then explained, "A bug-out bag is something that you prepare beforehand that contains essential items for survival. It's recommended to have it easily accessible just in case something happened so the owner of the bag could flee as fast as possible, opposite of where this thing was located. This is kinda big though, you have another gun in here?"     

Arthur clicked his tongue, "Of course, it does! That's why it's called a bug-out bag!"     

I glared at him, "Are you yelling at me?"     

"Ah- n-no… I just..."     

Arthur instantly piped down and then I opened his bag to check its contents. It contained the usual stuff like camping equipment, maps, lights, MREs, and etc. but I discovered another Glock 26, a couple of extra magazines, and a camping knife. I just took his weapons from it and decided to just place them on his range bag that I already took. I decided to leave his bug-out bag with the rest of its contents but he was visibly upset.     

"Arthur, listen to me. As I said earlier, everything here is still yours. Once you clear your head, I'll give them back. For the moment, just be thankful that you're not in the pile of bodies my group is burning outside, okay?"     

"U-Uh, sure... I-I apologize... I think it's s-stress or something from all this..."     

"I understand, it happens. Anyway, you could clear your head if you all come tonight. We'll have booze though we won't go too hard."     

Arthur's eyes immediately lit up, "For real?! You have alcohol?!"     

'Don't tell me booze is all it takes to get him under me… heh.'     

Alex interjected, "Dad, you're not allowed to drink, right?"     

"B-But! It's been so long! I-I promise I won't overdo it! He said we won't go too hard! Just a case or two, please?"     

Amanda sighed. "Fine, a bottle. I'll only allow one bottle. If they told me you drank more, the young man will be allowed to keep all of your guns and you'll have to find another place of your own. We've already been through much and I don't want this sort of thing happening again, understand?"     

"Y-Yeah! FUCK YEAH!!! WHAT TIME IS IT?!"     

"Later, around dinner."     

"YES! We'll come! We'll definitely come!"     

"Okay, that's good. Stay here for now and we'll continue the job outside."     

"W-Wait! I'm cool now, can I offer some genuine help at least?"     

"Don't worry about it. I think you have a lot to do here."     

"Huh?"     

Amanda chuckled, "Yes, he'll be the one to clean this place up and fix the tile from the other room. I wanted it to be a little messier but it actually looked better when the young man left it. Anyway, this will keep him busy until later. Oh! Sky, take Alex with you, my husband and I will have a little 'talk' with each other..."     

Arthur just gulped in fear but it wasn't our problem anymore. Alex came back with us but as we were walking, I pulled out the .38 S&W Special and one of the knives I took and handed it to her.     

"You're giving me this? I thought- I don't even know-"     

"It's just for emergencies. I won't leave a household without a gun so I would like you to keep ahold of those, away from your dad. Just point it and shoot while stab and pull with the other… simple, right?"     

Jared interjected as he chuckled, "What a fucking miracle, bro. That's the shortest time I've heard you explain something."     

"Oh, really~ Okay! What you need to do..." I started to explain everything with a 100-page essay I pulled out from my phone.     

"BRO! BRO! STOP! WE GET IT!"     

"What? I'm just on the 2nd page!"     

"Forget it! They're already done burning the bodies over there!"     

"C'mon! I'll continue! Let's see here..."     

"LA! LA! LA! LA! LA! LA!"     

Kaley and Alex started laughing as we made our way to our group in the far distance. The group was now just looting house after house, taking anything that they took interest in. With that said, I helped with finding more fitting clothes for her and Olivia but she was having a hard time looking for this particular clothing that belonged in her upper body. However, she brought plenty when they came here and it wasn't much of a problem.     

"Ooh! I found a couple my size!"     

"Really? Where? I swear-"     

"They're kinda hidden behind this cabinet… must've fallen and got stuck in the middle..."     

"Hidden? Oh shit! Kaley! Come with me!"     

"W-Wha?! Where?! Let me put these in my bag first!"     

"In the Luna residence! Quick! OLD MAN! WE'RE LEAVING AGAIN! YOU TAKE CARE OF THE THINGS HERE, ALRIGHT!"     

"HAAAH?! WHAT IS IT, THIS TIME?!"     

"HAH! NOT GONNA TELL YOU! KALEY!!! COME ON!"     

"W-WAIT!"     

Kaley and I sprinted straight for the Luna residence, leaving everyone behind. The moment we got to the gates, I went for the police officer's house and immediately searched the premises. Kaley was just staring at me in bewilderment because the house was just recently cleaned. However, a few ideas popped up in my head because of the 'hidden' bag in Andrew's house and the 'hidden' pairs of bras in one of the other houses.     

I explained, "You see, Gilbert is a cop as Oscar said, right?"     

"And?"     

"And~ Why is it that when we searched this place, we only found a suppressed P226? We should've found a lot more, right? Arthur is some sort of gun enthusiast but our guy here should've at least have a couple more laying around."     

"What is Oscar already found them?"     

"Hah! Oscar? He would've paraded it right in my face if he ever found guns lying around."     

"Oh, alright then! Let me check a few places too!"     

We checked each cabinet, floorboard, shelf, and even under the carpets. We took our time and we even discovered that our group had already finished looting the other houses. Even Oscar laughed at me, when he checked on us, for thinking I would found more guns here because he already searched this place. With that said, Kaley and I kept on looking faithfully but I took a rest as I laid on the bed.     

'Well… it IS possible to have none lying around… What if Andrew took them though? Hmm...'     

Kaley was pushing a cupboard then she saw me, "You're not gonna sleep there, are you?"     

"It just doesn't make any sense. If Oscar did say that the guy who lived here was a cop, I figured that he would have more guns here. If it was me, I'd stock up on it since I will be home with my family. Heck, I'd even take a few more from my station if I have access to it. I'm thinking that maybe Andrew took them but I'm not really sure… I also doubt that he'd go out and leave his family to search for weapons."     

"What if that really is the case in this place? You know, Gilbert not having any guns lying around... Don't you think that maybe you're just overthinking it?"     

"Maybe, where else have we not checked yet?"     

"Oh, that bed."     

"Huh? I did."     

"I mean, I haven't checked underneath it… I think..."     

"Really?" I slid myself over the mattress and then I tried to feel underneath.     

"After you check that, we've really searched this place clean. I think we should-"     

"Hmm? No way..."     

"Did you find something?!"     

"It's cold!"     

Kaley shone her flashlight under the bed, "What? Cold? There's nothing here..."     

"No, not the floor under the bed! The 'under' of the bed! It's cold!"     

I sprang up from my position as I removed the covers and then the mattress. From our position, we could see that the frame was still wood but flipping it over would reveal the metal counterpart which was supposedly a concealed gun locker. It was a tad heavy as Kaley helped me lift it but that was already an indication that a few things were stashed inside it.     

"Jackpot!"     

"Quick! Crack it!"     

"Easy enough! Just a medium-difficulty lock for a custom gun locker. He probably made it himself but I'm sure it's a pain to keep on flipping it like this… Hmm, it does look the same bedframe if you flip it like this..."     

"Hmm… Well, they have other rooms, right?"     

"Oh, that's right. Got it!"     

Kaley and I hurriedly lifted the locker's doors and we found several guns placed neatly along with other equipment. The guns we uncovered were an M16, a Remington 870, and two M1911s while the other equipment we found were riot gear, a riot shield, an extending baton, Tear Gas Grenades, Flashbangs, high-end pepper sprays, radios, flashlights, handcuffs, and etc.     

Several boxes of ammunition were also to the side and they were 5.56s, .45 ACPs, and assorted shotgun shells.     

Kaley smiled as she nudged me, "We got a lot of guns today!"     

"Heh, I really ate my words when I told Jared that we wouldn't get as much as a revolver in our neighborhood. Oscar will definitely like this Remington 870 but we have a little rule about finding guns. I could probably trade it for something in his armory in the future."     

"How about that other one?"     

"This Mossberg 930?"     

"Yeah."     

"Well, I'll still return Arthur's items in the future… Maybe."     

"You're really gonna return his guns? Isn't it enough that you didn't kill the guy? He tried to kill you, right?"     

"I'd still return them but it solely depends on him. With that said, he wouldn't be able to kill me that time though..."     

"Huh? I'm pretty sure he would've if he pulled the trigger."     

"Okay, I forgot to tell everyone what really broke down. That time, I think he was just trying to scare me. You see, when I picked up his pistol after disarming him, it doesn't have anything in the pipe. He just pointed it at me to fish a reaction but the reaction he was looking for didn't come out. He just ticked me off even more."     

Kaley looked at me solemnly, "Really? But still… He pointed a gun at you. I would've killed him that time you know..."     

"I know. Thanks for looking out for me. You see, I would've already done something if I didn't know Alex. Furthermore, Oscar would've shot him on the spot and luckily, Tatiana wasn't present. Jared was also looking for a spot but I think he would aim to disable him first. If Arthur died that time, we'd have to worry about Alex and Amanda..."     

"Yeah… but… you know… you could just teach Alex to use her dad's guns. I'm still upset, you know?"     

"That's a good idea. We'll train her with the others. To be fair though, nothing really happened in the end but I think I did more damage to him. I just ended that guy's legacy; Alex will be the last of their generation..."     

"Pfft! That serves him right! Did you see the other guys' reactions?!"     

"Hah! That was really funny, now that you mention it. Oh, it's almost 4:00 PM, let's head back after packing this. I think the guns and the other stuff will still fit in this bag..."     

Kaley pointed at the riot gear and the riot shield, "Even those?"     

"I'll wear the helmet! I'll help you wear the others!"     

"Why am I-"     

"Just do it! It might look better on you compared to that motorcycle gear we're wearing!"     

"F-Fine! But let me wear the helmet for a bit… just to complete the look!"     

I hurriedly packed the guns and everything while Kaley started to remove her motorcycle gear. After we were done, I helped her put on the rest of the riot gear while struck a pose holding her rifle up. She looked imposing wearing proper gear but I pulled my phone out and took several pictures of her.     

I grinned, "Kaley."     

"Hmm?"     

"You look really hot now, not gonna- Ow! Kaley! That's my shin!"     

"Stop teasing me then! Here's your helmet, you doofus!"     

We finally packed everything up but I noticed that Kaley was trying to remove the chest piece. Her eyebrows were scrunched as her face was a little flushed, and she was having a hard time removing them.     

"What are you doing? Need some help?" I asked.     

"It's a little tight..."     

"Well, you know... THOSE are in the way." i looked at her first but I gestured with my hands.     

"ARGH! I TOLD YOU TO STOP TEASING ME!"     

"Y-Yes officer… WHAT THE FU- DON'T THROW IT AT ME!!!"     

Kaley was red due to embarrassment but I still caught the items she threw at me without issue. I just decided to find her something that would fit her when we get home since one of my plate carriers had magazine pouches that could replace the large pouch on her war belt. We took one last look at the Luna residence before giving a deep bow, thanking them for the equipment we collected.     

We started to walk back to the compound but Kaley was looking at the riot shield I was waving around.     

"Can that block bullets?"     

"Maybe if it's a .22? I'm not sure but this thing is mostly used for rocks or any other objects that people in riots throw or smash at the police. Hmm, this could be good for the people at the front when we're fighting deadheads. Not just for blocking them but also pushing them if they're are little too much to handle. Maybe I'll give this one to Oscar to block another flying knee!"     

"He's gonna lose his head again if you say that, heh. Umm… A-Anyway, those sprinters... Will there be more of them?"     

"Considering that I saw one last time in a different area? There could be probably more but I think that they're still just slowly changing or evolving. Well, the last one who almost got the old man is a little more different from the others..."     

"How are they formed though? Does it vary from each individual or they would all be like that in the future?"     

"Hmm~ Good question. To be honest, I don't know either but we'll know soon enough. We're still waiting for more news from the people researching them but I think they'll gonna need more time. But if what you said last would happen, everything would be extremely difficult. We're not even sure if that's the last stage or if we're gonna get something that had body reinforcement."     

"Huh?"     

"I'm just talking about hypotheticals. You've seen them in some movies or games, right? Well, the good thing we should take advantage of is that the ones we are currently facing had none of that sort. They're extremely fast but they still have decaying bodies. They still couldn't exceed what a normal body can do and once you shoot its head, it's over."     

"You're right, I guess..."     

We eventually reached the compound and we saw Allan, Jenny, Nicole, and Alicia just chatting casually from the catwalk. We just waved them over and Allan opened the gate for us.