Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

The cargo helicopters are carrying one shipping container each and they're flying around the slums instead of above it for more visibility because of the smoke. The one that is near us slowly lowered and is placing the shipping container a bit forward than the entrance. I will be radioing in if the pilot is in the correct position. The moment they're positioned correctly, they drove it a bit forward and then pulled back so the shipping container would slightly slam the walls of the slums to block the gate completely.

The swarm of the dead gathering towards the shipping container were either just crushed or pushed off to the side. The shipping container could be pushed a bit to the right if I could help it, but I let it go this time. We're waiting for the fires to die down on their own since we'll need to sweep the slums to make sure we've got everyone inside.

Only one of those wild animal-like sprinters could come in and jump through that shipping container. I've looked below and I saw a sedan where the one we encountered earlier used as a boost to jump directly on the second floor. The roof is dented and you could clearly see where it placed its hands and feet since there are four indents visible from above though where the feet are placed is much more apparent.

"We need to take more precautions about that kind in the future. First time I've lost people in an operation." I thought to myself.

The gunshots coming from the slums have already stopped and even the faint screams are gone. It could be that they perished, ran out of bullets, or even the most unlikely had the chance to escape. The only ones that have spilled out from the slums are one of those zombies that are looking like they've been struck by lightning.

Their skin is burned to a crisp but it's not enough to reach the inside of their heads to make them stay down. The burns are uneven and some places you could still see the boundary where the clothes have started to meld with the skin.

*PSSHEW*

*PSSHEW* *PSSHEW*

Kaley started on taking shots with my Tavor and she's already on her second magazine. I bet she's frustrated that she wasn't able to hit the target in time and it caused casualties. No one is blaming her and Jared but it's definitely on their minds. They know that they're not the ones at fault of such a thing happening entirely but one can't help sometimes to think that way. I even partly blame myself for not being able to get down in time but I know that there would be things we wouldn't have complete control over.

"I'll just talk to them later just to check what's on their minds." I thought to myself.

Sometimes, it's better to just let a matter like this stay in your head for a while before talking about it openly or to someone you know. Add to that if the person doesn't want to talk about it yet and has to do something to occupy their heads.

Jared's been holding off on shooting since we don't have a lot of .308 rounds and all he's doing is watching out for the special ones and quickly taking them down exclusively. We've never seen anything quite like that and he's doing his own thing while carrying a solemn expression. What he's doing now to compensate is quickly snapping the gun to a target but predicting where it might go next and switching to a different one and doing the same exact thing, almost practicing more in what he thinks he lacked.

"That's a few ways to move forward." I thought to myself.

The smoke emanating from the slums have changed in color from the time we've spent on this building and we've done a few things while we're still saying guard.

Tatiana with the ones below started on clearing the dead outside the street but they're staying extra vigilant in case they encounter the same thing again. A huge pile of the dead were burned outside and Cruz and the rest of the soldiers who died were also burned among them. The way we did their send off is not as what we would've liked but regarding our situation, everyone had to agree. The corpse of the one who killed them was defaced and almost torn to pieces, much worse than what it did to those soldiers but I still decided to bring it back to base. We wrapped it with a tarp and it's ready for transport.

The building we're occupying is owned by several small businesses and each room has different things inside. I mostly found paperwork and usual office stuff but I found several valuable objects. Each office we entered has one or two medical kits, fire extinguishers, radios, and a few electronic devices which are left in the cubicles.

There's time to burn so I took Kaley with me to start on going office by office.

We took batteries from remotes, gathered loose vitamin supplements and painkillers, scavenged for food items, placed the water in one big container while refilling our own, and took everything else this place has to offer as long as it could fit inside the helicopter. One place has several food items which are always sold by networking companies that always use a pyramiding scheme to get more people. The number of them placed in boxes is a lot and it could last a long time because of the preservatives inside them.

"We can't be picky with the food we're collecting now, are we?" I muttered.

"Hey, are these rings what I think they are?" Kaley asked.

"Hmm? What did you find in those boxes? Rings, you say?" I went inside the room she's in.

We're inside an office with a few random items shipped which are not yet open. It's a couple of useless things at first but Kaley found something useful.

"Oh, this ring here is made with Titanium. It has this little saw inside which we could use in case we're held captive or something and we need to cut ourselves loose and we need something concealed." I said after inspecting the box each one is in.

"Oh~ that actually sounds cool! Can we wear one? We have plenty for everyone." Kaley said.

"Okay..." I trailed and went down on one knee.

"What are you-" Kaley was confused at first but shock filled her eyes.

"Kaley, will you marr-" then she kicked me in the head.

"Ow! Kaley!" I started rubbing my head.

"Oh! I'm sorr- You! Don't surprise me like that! Hngh~" Kaley exclaimed, pouting.

"Surprise?! If I'm gonna surprise you I'd shout 'Boo!' not taking an arrow to the knee!" I exclaimed.

"What? Arrow to th- Is that one of those things you're gonna make me play when we get back?" her head tilted sideways.

"Hah! You'll get it when you start to play it. But why did you kick me when I tried to propose to you? Huh~?" I teased, smiling.

"It's not a proper one, you doofus! Besides… I think… we're already one… we've had no ceremony or anything and we fool around with- but I think us two agreeing is enough… right?" Kaley looked away but looked back after a moment of fidgeting.

"How about your harem? They'd be so- OW! I'm joking!" she kicked me again.

"I'm being serious here..." her face is starting to redden.

"I think you already know my answer, right? It never changes whatever happens." I replied as I looked at her in the eye.

She simply embraced me and whispered the words we rarely say but always mean when we do. I said the same thing and I kissed her.

It was a short moment but it's enough.

Well I gave her that kiss after I meticulously wiped our faces with wet wipes. We can't be careless now, can we? It ruined the moment a bit and I received another kick after that.

The kicks she gave me earlier weren't as hard but we locked eyes again after I recovered. She's still blushing but the both of us burst out laughing at the same time. She's smiling brightly now which is a huge contrast from earlier.

We continued on gathering stuff and we even took the gun of the guy whose head got lopped off in the street. It's an M9 with the serial numbers filed off though it doesn't have extra magazines. Cruz and the other's equipment were taken and wiped off and we're just waiting for the next set of orders.

*bzzt*

"Kid."

*bzzt*

I heard the president's voice.

*bzzt*

"Copy."

*bzzt*

*bzzt*

"Let the soldiers take care of the slums. There's nothing much to find there anyway since it's burned to a crisp. So just come back here and I have something to show to you."

*bzzt*

*bzzt*

"Show to me? What is it?"

*bzzt*

*bzzt*

"Hah! Something the other soldiers told me you're quite fond of."

*bzzt*

*bzzt*

"Kaley? But she's righ- Ow! I'm talking to the president Kaley! How rude- Ow! I'm joking! I'm joking!"

*bzzt*

*bzzt*

"HAHAHAHAHA!!! Well kid, they said you'd almost performed the 21 gun salute to a fancy car near the City Hall so, I've got something here for you. It's not a pony car like that Mustang that got totalled but something I think you'd like even more. Moreso if Oscar gets to see it. If it wasn't for you doing all these things here, I'd take this son of a bitch for myself. Just come here, you earned it."

*bzzt*

*bzzt*

"Well, what is it? It's a car too, right?"

*bzzt*

*bzzt*

"Yup."

*bzzt*

*bzzt*

"What kind?"

*bzzt*

*bzzt*

"American Muscle."

*bzzt*