Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

"I thought we would encounter people outside." Jo mentioned, looking at the road.

"Well, don't forget that most of them are still inside the DDR Camps. If you're talking about people like us with our own camps, it depends on their food situation. It's only gonna be a matter of time if people start to run out of food like Jay's group before. We're on the highway and the people that survived are probably looting in the backroads for now. When they start to learn their patterns, that will be the time we'll see more people on this side. Well, we're taking advantage of this situation because we have the equipment to face the dead. Good thing we installed a metal wall in the front of the truck." I explained.

The truck was mowing the undead one after the other like it was nothing. The trouble of bits of flesh going inside the inner workings of the truck was avoided because of the metal wall we added before. It was shaped like a 'V' pointed towards the undead, so most of them would be pushed to the side or be crushed underneath.

The attachment was not all the way down because it might hit the speedbumps in the road but so far, none has come underneath it. Well, we added buffers underneath it just to be sure. What it can't do was ramming other vehicles like what we did with the armored van since it was just a truck with an attachment. It could, however, push other vehicles while driving at low speed.

The drive was uneventful since we were mowing everything in front and I pointed to the graffiti that I saw before.

"What the fu- is that some sort of cult?" Oscar remarked.

"Maybe? Could it be connected to the mob?" Kaley added.

"Definitely. They were the only ones outside causing trouble everywhere they go. I actually saw some of them spraying things on the wall at a hospital at the back roads." I replied.

"Damn. We're already dealing with these dead fuckheads and we have another problem to deal with in the future." Oscar remarked, shaking his head.

"Ken is flying his drone around our place and I told him to urgently contact me if he noticed any anomaly. Besides, the mob would pass by the DDR camp first before they reach us." I said.

"Well, they have more trained soldiers than us, no offense kids." Oscar remarked as the rest of the group smiled.

"I don't want to trust our safety on the DDR Camp so we should still prepare for them. We could slowly start on Project Nuggets or Project Infinite Loop." I mentioned.

"Oh! I like the fucking sound of that! I forgot Project Infinite Loop but I definitely want to start Project Nuggets!" Oscar exclaimed while the rest of the group was confused.

"What are these projects and codes I've been hearing about lately?" Kaley nudged me.

"Just a code name for certain things that would take more words to say. We came up with a lot though this old man only remembers the things that he likes." I said.

"Easy there kid, I don't have that photosynthesis memory that you have!" Oscar exclaimed.

"Photographic, it's called photographic. See? Only remembers what he wants. Why am I so special? I'm like a unicorn..." I sarcastically said as the group gave helpless smiles.

I kept track of some of the places that were available for scavenging in the future as we were talking and I asked Kaley and the rest to do the same in case I missed something. We were at Malinta and we made a left turn, passing another Mercury Drug but it was already opened. I vaguely saw a few items still on the shelves and I just made a mental note to come there if we started on sweeping the place. It was because some of the medicine inside was still unrecognizable by an untrained individual.

"Oh, I remember the pharmacist at the counter who announced what I was buying, is she still alive? I only got her first name from the paper, maybe I could see her in the files from the DDR camp. It might brew trouble from Kaley but I know she'll understand since nothing happened and it was just a funny and embarrassing memory." I thought to myself.

We passed by a couple of gas stations and as we got closer to PLV, the zombies roaming around got a bump in their numbers.

"Damn. Is this what it's like when you came to rescue Allan?" Jared said, looking at me.

"It was something like this but remember that no one has been clearing this place of the dead. Their numbers got a bit… higher though. Well, most of them are still in the People's Park. We should at least thin a few of them out in case what's making them stay there stop." I replied.

"That's right kid, the thing we really don't want to encounter is a horde." Oscar said.

"What's worse is a horde of sprinters." I added.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy there now. Imagining it gives me the shivers." Oscar replied.

"Hah! But we have a lot of projects for those if they come knocking. I should inform Ken of more of those since he could help us with that." I said.

"What are some of your plans then?" Kaley asked.

The two of us just gave devilish smiles and the group grew even more confused.

"Hah! You'll see, you'll see." I replied.

We made another left turn when we reached the fire station and I could already see the vehicles that I wanted to take. There were the mobile clinics on the right and a few firetrucks on the left. Our eyes lit up from this treasure trove of valuable vehicles. We parked next to the mobile clinics and there were a few dozen zombies around in the immediate vicinity. However, there were still the clump following behind us and the ones who got attracted by the noise of the engine.

"Alright, Tatiana, Unc Zardon, Mark, Jo, and Dong will jump down. The rest will stay put on the truck for now. Let's make a perimeter around the vehicles so we could check it. Let's go by twos, Jo on me, Tatiana with Mark, and Zardon with Dong. We don't use our guns but our melee weapons. Kaley, Jared, and Lois ready your rifles and fire on a few that are in a clump so it would be easier for us below. Eyes out for the sprinters or other irregulars yeah?" I ordered.

"Wait, how about us kid?" Oscar asked as he pointed to himself and Matthew.

"Really? I told you countless times before to put the Salvo 12 on your shotguns. We have ear muffs but the things here don't. Our guns with suppressors give less noise but they still make a lot of noise on an ear without protection. Stay put for now, yeah?" I said then Oscar grumbled.

"I should've brought my M17 at least. That fucking Salvo is too fucking long I tell ya." Oscar was shaking his head.

I drew my katana and the people I called to earlier drew their weapons as well. I led the charge from the right side of the truck, Tatiana and Mark were on the left, and Unc Zardon and Dong were on the back. Jared, Lois, and Kaley climbed the roof of the truck to get a proper vantage point. I immediately killed one with a downward swing when I jumped down and it was followed by a slash from below going to the Northwest direction.

One was coming from my right and I swung my blade horizontally.

I looked forward and there were still several remaining by my side.

I suddenly heard the suppressed Ruger 10/22 firing and the zombie with a huge belly fell down. One was running towards me but I juked and made an abrupt turn as I swung my katana towards the back of its head. The katana went cleanly and left where its eyes were located. Its body fell first before the part of its head that I cut off plopped down.

I was hearing a few commands from Oscar pointing at a few deadheads the others have missed while a couple of shots from Kaley was getting sent one after the other. Jared was the lookout for the sprinters so he was scanning his head around on the place we were parked in.

I saw a female student wearing the same uniform as Charlotte before coming towards me. I kicked it first to make it stumble then I took care of the one beside it wearing casual clothes. I held the katana with both hands and I swung it like a baseball bat.

The blade passed through its body like butter and my slash continued towards the student as it got up. It was because I twisted my body while I swung and my slash made a perfect 270-degree trip.

On the corner of my eye, I saw my uncle holding the shield sideways to block a few coming towards them. Dong was behind him, popping out to finish the job. Unc Zardon would occasionally smash their heads in with the baton but when the zombies he was blocking grew to two at a time, Lois would fire a shot from above.

I was in the zone and I kept on piling bodies like they were puppets that got their string cut off. I overextended from the perimeter we were making since a clump was coming towards us. Despite that, I made quick work of them by properly kiting them and being in the right spot at the right moment.

I thought I was moving with Jo in a circular pattern around the truck but I noticed that Jo was not with me. I looked back and I saw him on the truck and when he saw me see him, he just put both of his thumbs up and he said, "Go ahead, I think you don't need me there."

"Oh, sorry. Want to kill this one?" I tripped a zombie and it tried to get away from me. I cut all its limbs off and I looked back to Jo.

"Ummm..." Jo was uneasy, shaking his head helplessly.

"Here, I prepared it for you! Just stab it in the head." I said innocently.

"..." everyone else.