Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

I looked at the female high schooler and it told me that she got this kind of princess complex going on. The short skirt, high heels, heavy make-up, cutesy socks matching with her bracelet, painted nails, and those fake extensions said it all. I didn't even need to see her appearance, just that sentence she blurted earlier revealed it.

Despite that, I know that some of them only had this outer shell you needed to break in order to see who they really were. Looking at her closely, I was having a sense that it was just a strong front from looking at the black marks on the back of her hands and the faint traces of eyeliner fading out sideways from her eyes.

'She must be crying a lot, without notice from him. It's still troublesome to deal with this type though…'

Looking at the guy, he looked like a very simple dude that did sports. The only things that stood out were the new, expensive watch he was wearing and the machete he was refusing to let go of. Besides that, he was just more concerned about the girl next to him compared to himself.

The guy gave a long sigh but he continued what he was trying to say earlier, "Sir, her family is away and we don't have a place to go to. We would— I… I would also contribute at your place since she doesn't want to go to the DDR Camps. I would do her part too, a-as long as you take us in."

'Just lost his mom but he's still thinking about her? Hmm...'

"No! We're staying in this place!" the girl exclaimed.

The crowd was starting to show disdain towards the girl as she kept on running her mouth. I would've just dropped them in a DDR Camp but I wanted to know more about their situation, perhaps even take them in.

"Are you guys dating?" I asked flatly.

The girl glared at me while the boy scratched the side of his cheek as he shook his head.

"No, sir. We're just childhood friends."

I was about to just take these two as well since I thought I could manage somehow, but I pondered for a bit and tried to test the waters.

"Too bad. I'll only take one of you."

The group inside stared in shock as they turned to me. The two high schoolers were shaken by my statement but the guy immediately answered.

"Take her, please! I'll go to the camps by myself!"

His voice trembled but he still stood upright. On the other hand, the girl couldn't believe what he just said and her face never looked so worried.

'Good answer, there was nary a pondering moment.'

"I changed my mind. How about you leave her here? You know, she did say that she wants to stay here because she doesn't want to be in the camps or my place. I'll give you a gun too, how about it?" I said with a cold look as I pulled out the empty Beretta M9 and placed it on the table.

"Dude, I think that this is too much," Allan whispered from behind.

I turned my head around to look at Allan and then I signaled with a wink. He just gave me a look of understanding and he immediately stopped talking. He even placed his hands in a position that said, 'alright, I won't interfere.', as he took a few steps back.

"I, ah— please take her instead!" the guy exclaimed once more as he gave me a desperate look.

"I have no use for her though."

"No! She's really great! She won't let you down!"

"I—"

"PLEASE, SIR!!!"

"You see—"

"SIR!!! PLEASE TAKE HER!!!"

"I already—"

"JUST TAKE HER PLEASE!!!"

'This guy keeps cutting me off...'

After that, he knelt down and pleaded even more. He was shaking all over and the machete he was holding fell from his grasp. The girl was still trembling and she couldn't look anyone in the eye. However, I slowly saw tears flowing down her cheeks but the guy was oblivious to that happening since he was in front of her.

'Is she a bitch deep down? Does she need one more push?'

Well, it didn't take long for her to shout at me as well.

"T-Take him, please! Just leave me here!" the girl blurted out.

It took a few moments but her face turned sour and she fell on her knees as she started to bawl in front of everyone. She was ugly-crying without a care of whatever anyone might think of her. But right at this moment, the guy he was with turned around and just wrapped his arms around her, reassuring her and hugging her tight. It was like a scene from a cheesy movie that was so over the top—almost making me cringe—but despite that, I was relieved.

'As I suspected for the first time, kids these days…'

"I'm sorry, Chris. I'm still being this bitch that everyone hates. I'm sorry... I-I'm—"

"It's gonna be fine, we'll stay here if you want."

"NO, WE'RE NOT! GO WITH HIM!"

"I'M NOT LEAVING YOU HERE!"

"BUT—"

I immediately cut their squabble, "You know, that's the only truth that came out of your mouth today."

"What?" the girl stared at me, confused.

The crowd also had this mixed look of confusion on their faces though a few gave a nod of understanding.

I approached the two then I crouched down.

"The world has gone to shit and you still maintain this tough exterior. Though there's nothing wrong with that, I'm your best shot out of here. If you don't trust me, fine, I get it. But, don't forget that I just stayed here for all of you. I could've just taken my friend here and left you all behind but I didn't. In my book, I think that means something."

"Dude, you have a book?" Allan immediately chimed in.

"Come back here..." Juan immediately pulled him back.

"..." everyone else.

After that short interruption, her head drooped down as I continued.

"Your friend here still sticks to you despite what you're saying to him. I think he knows your true self and that's special. I would've slapped you ten fucking times already if you didn't stop what you were doing. I have more problems to think of than putting up with you and that's why I tried and see what you would do next. Clean yourselves up and pack properly like Allan here, not just that shit on your small backpacks. Are you okay with bunking up with a few people or do you need a separate room at my place? We still have space, don't worry."

"See that, Charlotte? I told you we could trust him," Chris said as a smile slowly formed on his face.

"I want a separate bedroom..." Charlotte muttered quietly.

I shook my head as I chuckled, "Sure, I'll bunk Chris with this cute—"

"I changed my mind! We better stick together!"

"Roight~ Roight~"

"S-Shut up!"

'And~ she's back… I'll just slap her if she starts bitching at home...'

With that said, everyone else was wearing amused expressions but the moment the two breathed a sigh of relief, Charlotte just couldn't control her emotions as she started to cry in Chris' arms once again. Though it didn't take long before she eventually composed herself, the moment she wiped her tears, the same pattern that overlapped on her eyes and on her hands confirmed another one of my hunches.

Allan then guided them through the aisles and told them what to bring. As they walked away, I saw Charlotte turning back and giving me a small bow. I just gave her a quick salute with my fingers and then they continued on.

I grabbed a few cans of coffee with a few snacks, then I went to the roof while Juan and Jenny stayed near the back entrance below. Allan followed me after a while and he decided to keep me company.

Day 3

I decided to stay up guarding the whole night and when my clock read 2:00 AM, I saw something very peculiar.

I saw a figure sprinting straight down the highway but it was still very dark so I couldn't make out all of its features. I tried looking through my optic but it easily covered the distance and was already out of my sight. Good thing I pointed my helmet at it to at least capture a bit of footage.

"What the fuck was that?! Dude, what the fuck was that?!" Allan exclaimed.

"No idea… it's… I dunno…"

'A mutation? Is it perhaps evolving much faster or is that just a special one?'

"Shit! Am I just seeing things?!"

"I saw it as well… That's just too fucking weird…"

"Dude, we need to stay up all night in case one of those things comes running…"

"Yeah, I agree."

I kept standing guard on the roof till it was early morning but Allan dozed off from time to time. We talked about a few things like what the compound was like and I mentioned that Ken was also there. I looked below a few times and the dead were significantly fewer than yesterday, which would make the job later much easier.

I eventually woke up Allan and once we went down, I started to cook for everyone. I still cooked the same thing as yesterday but I made a lot more. I also made pancakes for the kids or the adults that wanted something sweet. A few of them woke up to the smell and they were already drooling from it. I asked them to wake everyone up and tell them that it was time for breakfast.

All of them were thankful for the gesture and we all for once started eating together just waiting for everyone to come up.

A few moments before we started eating, a girl approached me. She had short black hair and she looked very unfamiliar.

"Hmm? What is it?" I asked.

"It's me," the girl said.

"Huh?"

"It's me!"

I was so confused then I saw Chris coming up from behind her, scratching his head.

"Umm, sir… it's Charlotte… Surprising, huh?"

"What?" I was staring at her blankly for a short moment then realization struck.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! HOLY SHIT!!!" I never laughed so fucking hard while the others revealed looks of surprise.

Charlotte drooped her head once again while she had this embarrassed look on her face. I definitely preferred this look more than the one yesterday. She actually removed the dye on her hair and everything else that was a little too extra. She was now making use of her natural look and it was a refreshing sight.

"You look great! Grab a plate, I cooked for everyone," I said as I handed both of them a spoon.

"Thanks! This looks amazing, sir!" Chris said.

"Thanks too…" Charlotte trailed.

"Pfft! Please stop! I really can't handle the 180 turn!" I said as I started laughing once more.

Charlotte then harrumphed but she still remained docile while scooping up their food. Chris found them a seat and they sat next to each other. With that said, I saw Allan looking at them and he scooted a little bit closer to Jenny and she actually didn't mind. I just smiled inwardly while I continued to eat with everyone.