Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

"I wagered all of my guns and ammo at the table. Did you forget how much each of those are worth? Half of them easily exceeded that dented camper you brought." I replied.

"But the things inside are also worth something!" he retorted.

"What? You only have three guns inside the camper. The Winchester M70, the Remington 870 and the Colt Anaconda that is mine now. I basically gave the cigars for free if you think about it. The other thing worth noting there is your recurve bow and the crossbow. You have a few arrows and bolts inside but aside from a few food items, that is all that's in there. I'm right, right?" I said with a grin.

He almost lost all the air in his body when I spoke. Kaley was smiling and holding her laughter as she saw her dad breaking down helplessly.

I instructed everyone to pick up some of the casings that they could see in the immediate vicinity before we all rode the truck back home.

"We're really doing this here kid?" Oscar said.

"Yeah." I replied.

"Isn't this embarrassing?" he asked.

"Heh. What's embarrassing is you using a melee weapon if you ran out of ammo. Are you just saying that or you can't bend your back now?" I tried to make a straight face as possible.

"I'm old but I'm still strong as an ox! You little..." he grumbled as he starts to pick the casings faster.

"Anyway, let's head back. Our vehicles are full now. Oh yeah, we might need to talk about something." I said.

"Hmm?" he said while he looked at my direction.

"People are starting to have their own places now like us. Arca Yard past the South Supermarket in a couple blocks is occupied. However, the people there is definitely something we need to take care of." I said.

"We need to take care of that as soon as possible." he said.

"There's a huge number of zombies at the People's Park though, they easily number a few hundred. We need to plan first as always." I said.

The other people with us gave us a glance but they remained quiet for now.

"Do you know how many they are?" he asked.

"No. We killed everyone before we got to ask any questions. I thought the kid they shot would be able to talk for a few moments but he's already dead when we're done with them." I said.

"Too bad. You could've at least let someone live for a moment and let me question him." Oscar said.

"I thought of that too but we were in the heat of the moment. The kid they shot was pleading to those people to end his life quickly. They toyed with him." I said.

"..." Oscar was quiet.

"Why would we even let a person from that group live? It would cause more problems with us if we do that." Kaley chimed.

"I didn't say we let him live after questioning. I'll place a bullet in their heads after I'm done. Anyway, I heard different shots. Who among you did it?" Oscar said.

Judging from the looks my group is giving, the answer is pretty obvious.

"I'm not gonna sugarcoat this. It's gonna be hard for your first kill and all I could say is that you better get used to it. Only the strong survive now." Oscar said.

"Isn't it always?" I said.

"Hmm." he replied.

I saw Lois looking at his older brother but he kept quiet when Jared was still looking at the distance. They both have solemn expressions along with their older sister. Kaley seems to be doing fine but Matthew has the same expression when he told me about what happened on their way to my place. I scratched my head and exhaled.

"Some things are better to not be talked about." I said to myself.

The truck was leading the way followed by the firetruck and the mobile clinic. We passed the same route and the drive home was uneventful.

They opened the gate and we drove inside. We unloaded everything on the truck while Rin listed everything and told the guys where to place each one. I looked at my watch and it reads 4:56 PM.

"One more hour before the broadcast." I said to myself.

I headed to my room to check all of the guns that we got. Kaley followed after me and she saw what I was doing. She picked up a gun and started on doing the same thing that I was doing.

"Thanks for helping. Wear this so you don't stain your hands." I said as I grabbed a few tools for polishing and cleaning them. I also grabbed a couple pairs of gloves and handed them to Kaley.

While we're cleaning them, Kaley discovered another thing about me. I don't know what it was but sometimes I just focus and blank out and my hands would just move on their own.

I would make sure that the chamber is clear, strip it, clean any carbon residue, apply gun oil to where it is needed, and assemble it back again. A few of them I just wipe off but a few needed deeper cleanings. It didn't even matter what type of gun it is, it's all the same. Small clacking noises is the only thing that I hear as I do my business. I didn't even notice that Kaley was waving me down.

"Sky!" I heard her voice then I snapped back to reality but the gravity is still there.

"Hmm? What?" I said confused.

"Why are you in so much of a hurry? Well, hmmm." she said while smiling.

"What do you mean?" I said as she pointed to my table.

All of the guns that we brought are now all neatly placed on my left side while Kaley only has four .38 specials in her side.

"I barely finished a few and you were about to steal what I'm about to clean." She said.

I looked at my hands and it was holding her hand that was reaching for the other .38 special. I let go and she checked it while I checked each box of ammo. I lifted them up and placed them to the corresponding corner though I grabbed a few and loaded the magazines that are empty.

"We got a lot." I said.

"Yeah. Is that a kind of like a zone thingy where you shut off everything around you to do a task?" Kaley said.

"Oh, hahaha… yeah sometimes I do that. I hate it when that happens." I said.

"Why? You were moving much faster, right?" she was confused.

"Well, when I enter that zone, I would shut off any input from my surroundings. I didn't even notice that I was touching your beautiful hands." I said.

She harrumphed and said, "Like to sneak things on your sentences huh?"

"Did I lie?" I asked innocently.

"Well you didn't." she smirked while she continues to wipe the gun off.

"But what is up with your hands?!" she exclaimed.

"What's wrong with it?" I said as I held them up.

"It looks like you haven't worked a day in your life! It almost looks like my hands! Wait, they're a bit prettier! Yours is a bit bigger though." she exclaimed while she held her hands towards me.

"Hah! Lotion is the key. I always moisturize my hands. They look amazing huh? If it grew calluses or anything, I'd lose my touch by a few notches. Same with everything else in my body." I said.

"What? Lose your touch?" she was confused again.

"Hmmm, how do I explain this. I read the wind with my skin while I judge the distance with my eyes. I feel with my hands if I'm holding my gun properly. It's like driving a car barefoot. Yup! That's the best example I could give." I explained.

"What other ways could that help you though?" she asked.

"Many things! Ok then, grab a towel and blindfold me." I said.

"Okay?" she complied with reluctance.

"Give me a couple of our pistols from the safe there. Don't give me a revolver since it's gonna be easy to identify." I said.

I heard her looking for a gun at the safes since I'm hearing footsteps and guns being taken out of the cases. A few moments passed and then I heard more footsteps approaching.

"Oh, it's the girls. Hmm, is that Zeus as well? Definitely him, I could hear him panting." I said to myself.

"Hi guys." Kaley said.

"Woof!" Zeus said.

"That's definitely him." I said to myself.

"What are you guys doing?" I heard Olivia's voice.

"I don't know exactly. But Sky's showing off again. He's making me pick a couple of guns at random." Kaley said.

"Oh! Let me help as well." Rin said.

"I'll pick one too!" Olivia said.

"Oh, that means he can't see us, correct?" Tatiana said.