Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

Everyone continued to discuss with each other while Oscar and I were just hiding a devilish smile, thinking about the same thing at the same time, 'Fuck around and find out!'

After a short bit, I got everyone's attention and said, "Alright, everyone is in free time now and good work today. We'll have our meeting after dinner so please be present when it starts."

With that said, everyone eventually went outside to do other things and some of them set up the dartboard and the basketball ring. I could even hear bets or wagers getting passed around, and since our paper bills now were just as valuable as kindling or for making paper planes, they were betting like maniacs.

I saw Derek and his family having conversations with other people then I walked over to them. Derek saw me approaching and he just gave me a faint smile before patting his son's head.

"Jun, go to your mom for a while," Derek said as he placed his son down.

"O-Okay~"

I asked, "How are you guys holding up? Do you need anything else?"

"We're… we're good… We're still processing what happened earlier and honestly, it felt like it was just a bad nightmare. The work really helped us take our minds off it but there were always times when you're getting reminded that it's real and we gotta deal with it somehow. It's really weird leaving our home like it was nothing but we feel safer here with more people," Derek replied, wearing a solemn expression.

"That's good to hear then. We'll talk more later at the meeting but don't forget to approach anyone here if you have a request or something. We'll see if we can do anything about it but please, nothing too extravagant, heh."

"Hmm, I was about to ask for a yacht..." Derek joked.

"Oh, what color do you want your yacht to be in? Do you need just one or do you want another for your wife?"

"..."

"..."

We stared at each other for a moment but we started chuckling at each other.

"Heh, we're really good for now. But yeah, I'll hit you up on that offer next time. Thanks, again," Derek said as he offered me a handshake.

I gave a firm grip then Derek's family thanked me as well for the second time. After that, I just excused myself to check a few things on my end.

I went to my room and I booted up my PC to check my email. Some of my friends still managed to reply though most of them haven't changed their minds about staying at their own place or the DDR Camps erected close to them. Some people who said to move to the mountains or sail to the sea have never replied and I just surmised that they were already too far away to be contacted, unless they were purposefully not answering my emails.

I was about to turn my PC off but I clicked on my spam folder to check other messages that might've made their way into that place instead.

'Shit, there's actually one here...' I thought to myself, scratching my head.

I immediately clicked on the email and I got redirected to the site it came from before I saw a message that came from one of my friends in college, Allan.

[Hey, dude. Remember me? I know you do but just in case you don't, it's me, Allan. You have a place in Valenzuela, right? I received your emails and immediately packed up, but when I was on my way to your place, I got held up near this People's Park or whatever they call it. They said that a mob started a riot and they were just attacking everyone. I ran inside this deli place with a few others but I think that one of us got bit—]

I didn't even bother to finish reading the email as I immediately tried to call him through the app. I got worried when it was just ringing for a few seconds but I heard a click and a very familiar voice.

[Hey! DUDE~! Holy— HOLY SHIT!!! What the fuck did just happen?! It's fucking crazy out here! I thought you didn't receive my messages! FUCK! You were right dude! HOLY SHIT!!! I thought I was gonna—]

"Allan! Keep your voice down and start telling me where you are exactly! What deli? In the People's Park or the one on the other side of the road?!"

[Umm... ah— we're at the… the... hey, what is this place again? Ah, thanks. Dude, we're at this place called South Supermarket—]

"We?"

[Oh, I'm with the other people who came inside.]

"Right. You said that one of them is bitten? Allan. You weren't bitten, right?"

[What? Of course, not—]

"Alright, my bad. Tell me everything that happened and the situation outside. That's the only way I could form a plan to get you out of there."

[Alright, that's great but how about—]

"Allan? Allan? A—" I kept speaking through my mic for a few moments before I discovered that our call just got disconnected.

I thought it was just loading or lagging at first but then I saw a little T-Rex that said that I had no Internet. I tried a few ways to restore the connection but the problem wasn't on my side. As I stared at my PC, hoping for the Internet to miraculously come back, several things ran through my head. I started thinking of several ways I could go about tackling Allan's situation with the least possible risk.

I was deep in thought but then I heard a knock on the door. Olivia was holding her phone and slightly peeking through the gap from the door I left open.

"Hey, umm… i-is the Internet out? My mobile data is not working too..."

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I tried to fix it but the problem is not on our end. I think you know why."

"O-Oh… is it because of that?"

"I dunno for sure but that's the main suspect now."

"O-Okay… see you later then… b-bye! I'll t-tell everyone too in case they wonder…"

"Alright…"

As soon as Olivia left, I decided that the way to rescue Allan with the least possible risk was to do it alone. There was safety in numbers but it'd be a quick in and out if I drove there with my bike. I could easily drive as fast as I could while weaving through the deadheads I might encounter, and we would be back in less than an hour.

With that said, I opened my armory to grab one of my AR-15s that was inside one of my safes. It only had a very simple setup for a rifle which only had a suppressor, a simple red dot optic, and a sling. I loaded it with a 30-round magazine containing 5.56 cartridges then I placed four extra magazines in a vest that I would be putting on.

After that, I wore my motorcycle gear above my clothes before I strapped on my war belt.

My war belt had one of my M9s with spare magazines, my wakizashi, a flashlight, a fixed blade knife, a small medkit, a radio, etc. I made sure that it was tightly snug before I wore my vest and my utility bag and slung my rifle on my back. After that, I grabbed the keys for my bike and picked up my helmet before going downstairs.

Almost immediately, the people that saw me got surprised because I was in full gear. They were just about to start asking questions but Oscar caught up to me when I walked past the same group.

"Woah, kid. Easy there. What's the fucking rush? You even brought an AR, what's going on?" Oscar said as he grabbed my shoulder.

"It's Allan, he's at the South Supermarket. I gotta go now since he's been stranded there for a while," I said as I put on my helmet.

Oscar bellowed, "South Super— Hey! Kid! You know that's a populated area and it's nearing sundown! That's fucking suicide! Do you even know the actual situation there?!"

"I just talked to him! He's cooped up in there with a few others and—"

"And you're just bringing your bike?! Kid—"

"I'm not gonna leave one of us hanging! I'd do the same for all of you in a heartbeat! Trust me, okay? Old man, I never do something without a proper plan in place. I'll come back, I promise," I said as I pulled on my sling, fastening the AR on my back even more.

"Bah! Here ya go again. Fuck it, I'll come with you then!" Oscar bellowed as he scratched his head furiously.

"I'll come with you too!" Kaley added.

"I'll come too, bro!" Jared stepped up with a few others.

I waved them off, "No, I need to be fast. I'll be driving through the back roads—and possibly some narrow alleys—and that could only be done with my bike. If we go in with a convoy, it'll just slow us down considerably and it'll attract unwanted attention. I'll be back in 30 minutes if everything goes smoothly."

Kaley interjected, "But at least let me ride with—"

"No. It just sounds dangerous but it would be safer if I were alone. Besides, I need space on the back so I could bring him with me."

Once I said that, Kaley couldn't hide the anger and frustration on her face, and she was still breathing heavily when she piped down. However, I saw Oscar coming from our workshop carrying a crowbar almost the same length as my blade.

"Take this, you little shit. You might need to pry open some of the doors because picking them would take too long."

"But I could—"

"If you don't fucking take it, I'll follow after you whether you like it or not."

"Fine… thanks," I said as I just threw it in my utility bag.

With that said, I removed the cover on my bike and it revealed a black Hayabusa. Everyone who didn't know that I was hiding a bike in those covers was surprised I owned such a thing, but I quickly ordered some people to open the gate for me. Once they did, I just quickly launched myself out of our compound and disappeared from their view.

I turned right as I passed the elementary school and I saw a few stragglers walking about. However, I just left them in the dust as I accelerated once more.

It didn't take long before I passed by the DDR Camp though I only caught a short glimpse of them screening out people that just probably made their way. The place seemed to be standing strong and anything that shouldn't be moving that came close will be fed with lead bullets from their high-powered rifles.

Driving forward, I passed more houses in the immediate vicinity then I turned left toward an old church in the distance.

I kept burning everything in my memory as I passed each house, store, or block, taking note if they were secure, broken into, overrun, or housing survivors. However, my main destination was still far off so I twisted the handle of my bike so I could go even faster.

Remembering the state of each place I pass by could only do so much because no one could tell what state they would be in after a day or two.

The noise of my bike attracted a few deadheads as I drove past them but there was still a lot of noise outside due to people looting other places and fighting against each other. I made sure to whizz past them or take a short detour because getting held up now would just make things ugly in a matter of seconds.

A few gunshots from the surroundings would also ring out as I continued to weave between cars, zombies, and other survivors.

Everything became a blur but I started to slow down from what I saw from the distance.

I was by a hospital when I saw a mob wrecking everything in their path. They were carrying handheld weapons or anything that could be used to smash windows or something similar though I couldn't ascertain if that was all they had on their person.

Any deadhead they'd encounter would just be surrounded and killed in a matter of seconds but any living they'd come across would be forced to join or suffer the consequences. The lucky ones would be killed on the spot and the ones that were left alive were just suffering something worse than death.

On another corner, a few of them carrying spray paint cans were tagging each wall they passed by. I couldn't quite make out what they were writing from my angle but I wouldn't take the time to stay there and find out. However, a few keen-eyed motherfuckers at the front noticed me and they ran in my direction.

"THERE'S A GUY ON A BIKE!"

"THAT LOOKS FUCKING EXPENSIVE!"

"GET HIM!"

"HE HAS A GUN!"

"YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD!"

One of them was even holding a Molotov so I quickly tried to get out of dodge. The gap between us was a fair distance—enough for me to take down a few—but I wouldn't bet on the chance that they'd follow me once I leave them behind.

I quickly turned back and I used the exit where Wilcon's Depot was located.

As I looked to the right, a few cars were toppled and piled on top of one another, and several dozen deadheads were swarming around it. At the same time, I could hear screams coming from the same area, and I could surmise that other people were fighting for their lives.

However, my priority was someone I've known for a few years and not some randoms I've just encountered while running away from a mob that was trying to kill me.

'Sorry… but I can't use the main highway unless I clear that area now… hmm…'

I just shook my head bitterly before I turned to the left and discovered another road that could lead me to my destination. It was another backroad that had this bakery on the street corner and even though the drive would take a little longer, it beats going through a mob and driving through an inaccessible road.

It's just that a few undead stragglers were already coming from that direction because of the noise of my bike.

'I wouldn't get fucking pinned here...'

I pulled my pistol and I aimed at the few deadheads coming toward me. Their heads just popped open with each trigger pull and that made a path for my bike to drive through. I would've preferred to use my blade to avoid making noise but I was strapped for time and I wouldn't risk the deadhead I cut down fall on my bike as I drove through them.

With that said, seven biters fell with a brand new hole in their heads, and I just weaved through their bodies.

I started to speed up once again and I passed a few stores and factories as I drove through. After a few minutes of driving forward, I saw the exit that would lead to the supermarket but I parked my bike at a shoe store that was a block away from my destination. It was because my bike had attracted a few deadheads along the way and they were trailing from behind.

I figured once I turned off the engine, they'd just walk by for a few moments before finding another source of stimulus or they'd just disperse after a few minutes of no activity. However, a few were only a few feet away but instead of using my pistol, I drew my wakizashi and took down five zombies in quick succession.

It was easy enough to lop their heads off—even with a wakizashi—though I did just slide my blade through the eye sockets of a couple wearing matching outfits.

Moving at a steady pace, I dispatched thirteen more deadheads that were hobbling on the sidewalk before I reached a fast food restaurant on a street corner. That was when I saw the People's Park on the other side of the highway and it was swarming with hundreds of zombies.

'Fuck.'

I then quickly turned to the left—toward the supermarket—avoiding the swarm while moving as quietly as I could, taking down anything that crossed my path. It's just that I noticed something different from the deadheads I was facing this time compared to the ones from the airport.

'Why are they moving slower? Is it just me pumped with adrenaline or is it Rigor Mortis?'