Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

We were just sitting at the opposite side of the bed in silence but Kaley turned to me, "Are you gonna answer me or not? We're in your room, right?! Do I need to wait for a while before you-"     

"No."     

"'No', what?!"     

"I've only sent emails to Raphael, Earnest, Roi, Darelle, Kenneth, and Kris from our batch."     

'Technically speaking...'     

Kaley just looked at me with a sour expression and her eyes were getting redder by the second. She was also clutching the pillow right next to her as hard as she could and I could see that she was slightly trembling due to emotion. I could only watch her from the opposite side of the bed as her breathing started to get faster and faster.     

"I'm sorry. You told me to be honest."     

Kaley leaned on the wall as she hugged her knees, "That's... cold."     

"Being honest?"     

"Yeah, it hurts."     

"I'm sorry."     

"You could've laid it out softly..."     

"Is there even a way to do that? To be fair though, I told everyone when I found out."     

"Everyone? What do you mean?"     

"The world, this virus or whatever the fuck this is..."     

"What?"     

"A few years ago, when it was just Oscar and me, our original plan was just to hole up in this place's basement and wait for 10 or so years until it was over. If it's just the two of us, our resources could easily be managed and we'll survive for much longer. However, that's thinking short-term, I immediately thought of another way."     

"And that is?"     

"It's essentially what you see here. I convinced Oscar that going on with this plan is pointless because if it's just the two of us left, humanity would be over and 10 years is a long fucking time to stay under, not knowing what's happening outside. We could obviously go out a few times but the bottom line is that we need more people, build a community."     

"..."     

"We then got to start working on this compound and shoved all of our savings into it. We fortified the walls, built more houses, dug up a huge basement, erected a greenhouse, hammered up a barn, and etc. After that, we hoarded a lot of weapons, ammo, tech, supplies, and anything we could think of."     

"That's a lot of work..."     

"I still think it wasn't enough so I started sharing my findings and tried to convince more people that something is coming. I went as far as contacting various organizations, radio programs, TV stations, and even posting on social media. I tried to remain anonymous of course and that made it so much harder. The files I have aren't exactly legal..."     

"W-What happened then?"     

"What do you think? I just got branded as one of the brain-dead conspiracy theorists and became a laughingstock. Would you even come with me three years ago if I told you that zombies are coming and I need you and your sister in my house?"     

Kaley just bit her lip as she looked down.     

"I'd like you to answer me honestly too."     

"Sorry… n-no..."     

"And that's a normal and honest response. To be honest, I'd say that to me too if I didn't know better. The thing is, it hurts when you're trying to explain something with all your heart and no one could spare a fucking second to listen..."     

"I-I'm so-"     

I cut her off, "But still, thank you."     

"Wha- For what?"     

"At the airport. You believed me then."     

"I'm the one who should be thanking you. If it wasn't for you, I don't know where Olivia and I would've ended up without mom and dad…"     

"Nah… I'll sure you'd be able to find a way."     

"..."     

"Kaley?"     

"Y-Yeah… I should also be saying sorry."     

"Hmm? For what?"     

"Asking a very stupid question."     

"What question?"     

"Earlier, I asked you if you thou-"     

I cut her off, "I can't remember that."     

"What?"     

I chuckled inwardly, "I said I can't remember what you said earlier."     

"When I asked you if you thought of m-"     

"Nope! Still can't remember a thing! Sorry~!"     

Kaley was looking at me with a confused expression but she eventually realized what I was doing when I let a grin escape from my lips. She just shook her head for a few seconds as she closed her eyes but they were already watering when she opened them. She bit her lips as she was about to start crying but I leaped over to her side and started ruffling her hair wildly.     

"YOU!!!"     

Kaley exclaimed as her hair got tangled and she was now glaring at me. However, her expression slowly started to lighten as a smile formed on her lips. She then removed the tie on her hair as she let them dangle on her shoulders. Her eyes were still watery and her face was still a little flushed but she was smiling as she jabbed my shoulder. I wiped the tears off her eyes with the sleeved of my jacket and I sat right next to her.     

We just sat there in silence for a while but she slowly rested her head on my shoulder.     

"For the record though, I never said that I didn't think of you. I just didn't send you an email because we haven't had contact in years. What I planned was to visit your last know resident so I could check on you personally even if there's a chance you might not be there. I owed you a lot, you know. I wouldn't trust in a simple email on whether you could reach this place or not. Aside from that, if you'd be with your dad, everything would be fine."     

"They're not there though..."     

"Then I guess we're really lucky."     

"Hey, when did we stop contacting each other after we graduated? You remember, right?" Kaley changed the subject.     

"We didn't stop abruptly though since we would still send messages from time to time. I don't know from your side but I was busy moving all of my things when I went to university."     

"Right, it was a very busy time after graduating. I just can't remember why we... stopped. We never had a fight, right? We're really good friends."     

"No, that's not the case. It started 'stopping' when I saw a picture of you with someone else. You look really happy so I thought I needed to give you some space. That's only logical, right?"     

"I… right..." Kaley couldn't finish her words as she started to look away.     

"It's fine, alright? That was a long time ago. Besides, we're not even dating at that time. Heck, I don't even know what that means back then, heh."     

"Y-Yeah… I r-remember… haha..."     

Kaley was deep in thought and it seemed that she started to remember everything that happened. She just met someone where she studied while I focused on other things. Inevitably, time and time spent with other people just set us apart more than distance and that was the reason we haven't had contact in years.     

It wasn't a unique story. It was just one of the things that happened to people. We weren't even a couple back then, we were just two different people that met by chance.     

After a while, Kaley was now using my lap as a pillow. We were just looking at each other the whole time we were talking casually. We talked about a few things that happened the time we were separated though we ended up circling around the first topic. She was now laying on her side while I was playing with her hair, trying to braid them.     

I chuckled, "Lucky for me we met at the airport. We know that this thing is coming but we just don't know the exact moment."     

"Uh-huh! And if I didn't greet you, you would've left me there!"     

"Hahaha! Right, right. But it was before we saw the news with your pilot. I was really surprised that you recognized me since I look way~ different back then."     

"True... I feel bad for saying this, but if our pilot didn't get attacked, we won't be here now. Well, umm- I will always remember those eyes of yours and the way you look at people!"     

"What? My eyes?"     

"Your eyes can't grow muscle, can they? I don't know, I can't explain it… they really look deep and sharp. I would sometimes get checked out by people but when I saw you looking at me in the airport, it's different yet it's the same."     

"Huh?"     

"Hngh~ I said I really couldn't explain it! You know, it's kinda the same sensation the first time you looked at me when I introduced myself in the classroom. Remember that? It's like you scanned me all over but it never felt you know… weird or dirty..."     

"Hmm, it's the first time someone said that to me. That sounds about right though. I kinda do that a lot, to be honest."     

"..."     

"You know... there were two times I was wrong about you."     

"Hmm?"     

"The first time was when we were in school. I just thought you were gonna be the same as everybody else."     

"You're welcome, heh. What's the second one then?"     

"Well… I never thought that you're gonna be this strong. I honestly got worried in the airport but boy I was wrong. It left a mark after that slap, you know!"     

"Oh! Hahaha! Sorry~! You meant that… I thought-"     

"What are you talking about? You're strong here too. It's what I meant on the first half." I said as I poked her chest a few times.     

"..."     

"Kaley?"     

"No... you're right with thinking that first… Well- umm… but thank you. Thank you for saying that. It meant more than you think if it's coming from you. Like I said earlier, I really wouldn't know what to do if you weren't there..."     

"I still think you'll manage without me."     

"Stop lying, I know when you do!"     

"Okay, you got me there. Hahaha… How'd you know though? If you have your gun over there, I'll say you'd have a chance."     

"Hmph! I'm not gonna tell you why I know. If I really have my gun there, I won't need you! I'd clear it all by myself and land myself an airport!"     

"Really~"     

"I'm se-"     

I cut her off, "Done!"     

"Hmm?"     

"Look here..."     

I tapped on the camera app on my phone and I set it to view the front camera.     

Kaley's hair was now braided on one side while the rest stayed the same. She immediately took a few photos with me as she was now smiling brightly. However, I copied what Olivia did earlier as I covered her eyes at the last second. She glared at me while I started laughing but she suddenly sat on my lap with a wicked smile.