Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

Mr. Cuervo said it with a pained expression but he continued, "Cynthia, here me out. This is a hard decision for me and don't take this as me pushing you away. I know we've talked about this but I don't want you doing what you're doing in here anymore. After we're done with what hermano and I would be doing, like me, you're gonna do something for yourself."

I looked at Cynthia and she was confused and worried.

"W-What do you mean?" Cynthia replied.

"Staying at his place and living your life. Well, I can't say for certain that living anywhere now could be the same a person your age should be experiencing because of this Muerto thing but it's a restart for you. You could start anew and meet new people your age that aren't putas or outlaws like the rest of the people here. Just from the short time that they've been here, you're already friends. You never had that here because you're forcing yourself to like something you don't have an interest in. At least with hermano, you love something in common." Mr. Cuervo explained.

"B-But how about Andres and Felipe? They're much younger than I am and yet they're staying here with you! If this isn't pushing me away, I don't know what is!" Cynthia retorted.

"They're my sons and they're still very young. I will make them decide on their own what to do with their lives when they're older like you. You of all people deserve this second chance at life. You'd meet people who aren't wary of your connection with me or looking at you like you're an expensive piece of meat. Isn't that what you want?" Mr. Cuervo replied calmly.

"B-But… leaving this place?" Cynthia looked worried.

"Don't worry, I'd always bring you with us every time we go back here if you want to." I chimed in.

"Isn't it dangerous when I come with you?" Cynthia looked at me.

"Well, in a sense, yes. I do think I'm dangerous when push comes to shove but I don't hurt my friends." I obliviously said.

"What? Umm- I..." Cynthia was confused.

"Hah! Good one vato!" Mr. Cuervo chuckled.

"She's talking about the zombies!" Kaley exclaimed while Tatiana and Ilya were shaking their heads.

"Oh, yeah. They're dangerous too. Well, you could help us in making them less dangerous. I've seen you move when you're in the cage with Tatiana, you would be a great help back there. Do you know how to use guns?" I said, scratching my head.

"U-Umm, I know a bit..." Cynthia was embarrassed.

"Then let's see how well you do then! Mr. Cuervo, can we use your range?" I looked back at him.

"Whoa, you're gonna make her one of your crew?" Mr. Cuervo stopped me for a second.

"Mr. Cuervo, do you want to be a soldier in a peaceful time or a… let's say a dancer in a war?" I replied.

"But she's-" I cut him off.

"Look at Kaley, she used to be a flight attendant but she's one of my best shooters. I've been teaching her and I've been bringing her with me everywhere I go even if it was one of the places swarming with those deadheads. Granted she was trained before by her dad but she improved a lot faster than I could imagine. She could protect herself and I trust her with my life." I explained calmly.

"Nah, I'm just biding the time till I kill you so I could takeover." Kaley chuckled.

"Hah! Apparently, my sense of humor is slowly rubbing on her too." I was smiling like an idiot.

"Well, you should stop rubbing with each other every night and- Ack! Kaley! I'm joking! I'm joking!" Tatiana got attacked by another chop to the neck.

"Good, receive them for me for now. She's getting good with her comebacks too." I chuckled inwardly.

The group started smiling and we were led inside to Mr. Cuervo's armory. The group was shocked seeing his personal collection but I already saw them yesterday so my face was flaccid.

"Wha- did you come here last night?" Mr. Cuervo looked at me.

"Yeah, why?" I asked.

"Wow… I've never seen them this… perfect..." Mr. Cuervo was astonished because I cleaned them yesterday.

"You're welcome." I chuckled.

"Hey… are you gonna test me here?" Cynthia said.

"Yeah, first things first, pick up the guns that you're familiar with. Your brother already said that he'll give you a gift basket. One of those is a few guns from his armory." I instructed.

Cynthia looked around nervously before picking up a case containing an S&W M&P 2.0, a CZ 457, an FN PS90, and a takedown AR Pistol. Kaley was looking curiously at the takedown AR Pistol but Cynthia was still scanning around the armory. After a short moment, she also placed a Henry Big Boy All-Weather with a black coating.

"A 9mm, .22 LR, 5.7, .357, and a 5.56 or .300 AAC Blackout. I like her choices already." I thought to myself.

"Hey, what is that?" Kaley tapped me and pointed to the AR Pistol.

"That's a takedown AR Pistol, the stock could be folded to the receiver and the barrel could be attached and removed at will. See that little bag? It could fit that whole thing when it's folded. It's much shorter than the one you use and she could also replace it with another barrel so it could use .300 AAC Blackout rounds instead of 5.56 rounds." I explained.

"Oh, that looks cool. I like it if it's full-sized though." Kaley commented.

I looked around and saw Ilya looking at the gold and silver AK-47s almost uncomfortably.

"Good thing Nikolas and Alexei aren't here..." I thought to myself.

Tatiana on the other hand was more focused on Cynthia's performance.

"You could try it if you want?" Cynthia looked at Kaley.

Kaley's eyes lit up while Cynthia explained how the gun works. We all wore glasses and hearing protection before Kaley fired a round on the human-shaped target on the 50-yard mark.

Right in the forehead.

The noise it produced was loud because a muzzle brake was installed instead of a suppressor. However, Kaley liked it because it kicked less than she anticipated. She fired more shots but I had to stop her because we were supposed to know Cynthia's capabilities.

"Wow… you're really good!" Cynthia was shocked to see a clump like a fist when the target was reeled back. Kaley never missed the target and her groupings were tight. The ones that were a bit offset were due to firing rapidly.

"And you didn't join the games? Well, we never got to that so nevermind." Mr. Cuervo added.

We replaced the targets and I made her shoot each one first without any instructions so I would know how she usually practices. We regarded this time almost like an audition if she could be one of my team permanently or something like Lois where I drag him from time to time.

Cynthia started by using the CZ 457 which is a rifle chambered in .22 LR that has a scope and a sling. It uses a 5-round magazine which I think would be better suited for watch duty. Her shots were fairly accurate but she had to adjust the target to be closer than 50-yards. I watched her every movement while I noticed that Mr. Cuervo would sometimes glance at me wondering what I was thinking at the moment.

I let Cynthia shoot 50 rounds for each gun before I told her about the few things I noticed about her.

"Don't close your left eye." I started.

"Hmm? O-Okay..." Cynthia replied.

"Try again." I said.

The moment she fired another shot by using the M&P, her accuracy drastically lowered.

"..." she was silent.

"Close it again." I said.

"O-Okay..." Cynthia replied.

She fired another shot but it was right on target this time.

"This is a problem." I said.

"Huh?" Cynthia was confused.

"You need to be able to shoot it on target while your left eye is open." I explained.

"O-Okay..." she replied, dejected.

"That too, that's a problem." I added.

"Huh? What is?" she was confused once more.

"You're agreeing to whatever I say too quickly. Try to ask questions about why you need to open your left eye while you're shooting. I love people who follow my orders but I would love them even more if they don't follow me blindly." I explained.

"Then… w-why do I need to open my left eye? I-I'm shooting it more accurately with it closed." she looked at me straight in the eye.

"Okay, it has something to do with Ocular Dominance. Observing you, you're clearly Right-Eye Dominant. My only problem with what you're doing is you're closing your left eye while you're shooting. I prefer everyone to shoot with both eyes open because you wouldn't be able to see the threats coming from the left side when you close your eye like that." I started.

"Wait, how can I determine if I'm Right-Eye Dominant?" Mr. Cuervo interjected.