Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

Jared and I were watching everything that was happening from that hospital a few hours before the 'father' was shot through the heart.

It took us almost 10 hours of waiting when Sunday came just to see their 'father' appear from that balcony.

Their members started appearing in droves from the early morning from different directions. We could see their headlights and hear their loudspeakers from a distance and they were all gathering at the same location.

When the clock hit 6:00 AM, the bell resounded all throughout the area and it rang for a while. It was on schedule like the other days Jared and I were nestled in this hospital from 3 kilometers away.

The number of people who came with their undead numbered more than almost a thousand. Some came with the dead chained behind and linked together so they wouldn't escape. They came in various forms but a few victims were getting sacrificed or should I say were being made into 'one with the chosen' by their fucked up beliefs.

Like any worship service, it wouldn't continue without bringing their own 'offerings' to be given to their 'father'. As guttural screams and piercing shrieks came from the undead, cries of hopelessness and shouts for help were coming from the metal cages being pulled by a truck that came from our side. There was not only one but several metal cages being brought to the central driveway of the church.

They all parked within close proximity with each other and then they proceeded to come inside the church. However, not all of them were able to come inside but they still stood outside to listen for the words of their leader. There was a loud screech due to the feedback of the microphone and the speakers but we finally heard the voice of the 'father'. It was clear and deep and then he started their mass.

It started with inexplicable songs from a 'choir' and then we heard his voice once again.

"WHOSO EATETH MY FLESH, AND DRINKETH MY BLOOD, HATH ETERNAL LIFE; AND I WILL RAISE HIM UP IN THE LAST DAY..."

"MY SONS AND DAUGHTERS… THE DAY WHEN IT ALL ENDED AND BEGAN HAS COME AND WE WERE THE ONES WHO INHERITED THIS EARTH TO RULE OVER EVERYTHING!!! WE EVEN RULED OVER DEATH AND OUR CHOSEN BROTHERS AND SISTERS WERE GIVEN ETERNAL LIFE!!!"

Applause and cheers came from their side and a few people fired their guns and sacrificed people which were inside the cages. Their bodies were mutilated and the ones who survived were made decorations of the church's walls, replacing the ones that were falling off.

"WHEN THEY HEARD MY VOICE, THEY SHALL COME FORTH; THOSE WHO HAVE DONE GOOD WILL BE REWARDED ETERNAL LIFE LIKE MY SONS AND DAUGHTERS AND THOSE WHO HAVE DONE EVIL WILL BE CURSED INTO DAMNATION!!! BUT HEAR ME, THESE NEW FORMS THAT THEY TOOK WAS NOT THE CURSE OUR GOD WAS TALKING ABOUT. THE CURSE OF DAMNATION WAS MEANT FOR THE SINNERS NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE THE NEW EDEN THAT WE WOULD ALL CREATE FOR EACH OTHER!!!"

"This motherfucker is changing the verses..." I thought to myself.

"THE DAY OF OUR SAVIOR'S BIRTH IS COMING CLOSE AND WHEN THAT TIME COMES, WE ALL SHALL RAVE THE LANDS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR COMES WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS!!! THE LAND THAT SHOULD ONLY BELONG TO US WILL NOT BE STEPPED FOOT UPON BY THE SINNERS WHO HAVE LONG COMMITED TRANSGRESSIONS AGAINST OUR LORD!!!"

Their 'father' continued to speak for hours on end and I almost jabbed my ear with a pencil because of all the bullshit that he was spouting. Jared was also getting impatient because the target was still inside and we were still waiting for the right opportunity. My team that was also waiting for the signal was getting restless through the radio but I told them to be more patient and the right moment would come eventually.

When their mass finished, I saw several people coming up the small room just before the balcony and the stained glass doors were opened.

A middle-aged man which I assumed was the 'father' came out with several people dressed in the same robes but his demeanor was a complete contrast from the place he was in. He had an angelic face and anyone who glanced at him would just nod and obey his commands. It was as the cult members we interrogated as said he looked like. When he walked outside the balcony to face everyone outside, that was when I took the shot.

A .50 BMG bullet could produce muzzle energy way past 10,000 foot-pounds nearing the 15,000 mark. It would depend on the projectile and how much gunpowder charge was used but even the weakest was damaging nevertheless. However, like all bullets, .50 BMG bullets wouldn't travel in a straight line like in the movies. The longer it traveled, the more it gets affected by gravity and other forces, making longer shots more difficult to accomplish.

The highest record of a confirmed kill was in 2017 made by a Canadian sniper. His shot was way over the shot that I made but aiming at the 'father' with the distance of 3km was still no way an easy feat.

The moment the bullet reached him and pierced his chest, I fired another shot at the same place. It would take a few seconds before the next bullet reaches its destination but I was banking on the reaction of the people behind him.

My whole body felt the recoil and noise the Barrett produced, even when suppressed, was fucking loud.

The Barrett got the job done though. I still have more bullets remaining and I was planning to take down as much as I could.

My heart was pumping and I was seeing everything almost in slow motion. Despite that, my mind was as clear as ever.

When the first blood-red puff appeared earlier, it took the people at the back a couple of seconds before they started running towards their father. I already took another shot earlier and before they noticed it, the second bullet made its way. Their flimsy bodies wouldn't survive a hit from a .50 BMG even if they were wearing body armor. Even if the bullet didn't go through their armor if they were wearing one, the shock their bodies would receive would still kill them. The second bullet went through almost all of their bodies and a much larger puff of mist appeared containing their blood.

There were two more in the balcony that survived so I made a small adjustment and fired at them as well.

The balcony got quiet but the people outside were in an uproar. They all ducked down when they first heard a shot but they went in a frenzy when they discovered that their leader was killed along with his disciples. I could start firing at them but it was now the time to commence the other part of the plan.

Project Goodbye Motherfucker was completed successfully so I grabbed my radio to signal the others for the next Project. The rest of my people were already lying in wait a day before Sunday and they also came in quietly at night. Jared pulled out a couple of tablets from our bags and he was flipping through different feeds where the next project would commence.

Project Moths to a Flame

Frenzied people would just follow anything. Any manner of thinking would fly out the window once they were boiling in rage. From each shot that I fired, a room from a gymnasium that was much closer to the church would light up in a flash. It was an enclosed basketball court with rooms upstairs for the announcers. The whole gymnasium could house a few hundred people but it was not enough for the number of people we were planning to wipe out.

The light show was just to make it look like the shooter was relatively close.

The cult members outside made a mad dash for the gymnasium and most of them didn't even bother going to their vehicles because it was very close. A few tried to start their vehicles but they wouldn't have the space to maneuver it because the whole driveway was still occupied.

This next project still needed my touch and I was already changing ammo type. I picked up my radio while I was adjusting my Barrett to a different position.

-

*bzzt*

"Now?"

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Wait till it's at capacity."

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Roger."

*bzzt*

-

Only a few moments have passed before more than half of the cult members swarmed inside. A few were mad, trying to get in but it was full already. Gunshots erupted and it was all directed to the room where the shooter might have been hiding.

That was when we dropped the 'celebratory' balloons.

They were all in a net above the gymnasium and a simple string could be pulled to make them all drop on the people below. We made several hundred balloons filled with celebratory goodness. The group that set this up with NVGs last night were the MVPs.

-

*bzzt*

"It's now at capacity. Well, more than capacity."

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Drop it."

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Already set!"

*bzzt*

-

The moment I heard the signal, my Barrett was already loaded with a different kind of ammo.

Instead of just the normal ball ammo, this one had a red tip. Well, I loaded a couple of them to be sure.

They were called M1 tracer rounds.

An M1 tracer round could be used for observing fire, signaling, target destination, and last but not the least… incendiary purposes.

A few days prior…

"Why do we need a lot of balloons?" Rin asked.

"What? You've read my file, right?" I replied.

"What about it?" Tatiana chimed.

"Oh! Your birthday is close! I thought you were someone who didn't use balloons anymore!" Kaley chuckled.

"Heh. Well, we're using it a bit early..." I trailed.

"Hmm? Why?" Kaley asked.

"We're celebrating something a little different." I chuckled.

"Is someone celebrating a birthday much earlier than you?" Cynthia asked.

"Well, this is Russel's expertise. We'd need him for this." I smiled devilishly.

"Him? Why?" they all asked.

"You'll see. We'll discuss it at the meeting." I replied.

Back to Jared and I in the hospital…

Instead of the church, I was now aiming for the windows of the gymnasium. I simply exhaled and fired two shots in a row.

The bullet traveled to where I aimed at but now a lasting light, some sort of trail was left behind by the bullet.

When the bullets entered the gymnasium, it was fucking instant.

I successfully hit one of the gasoline-filled balloons and the gymnasium went up in flames, burning more than half of the cult members.