Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

I sighed in defeat but it didn't take long before the food for today was served. The smell wafted all over us and it made our stomachs grumble. For lunch, we had Bangus stuffed with salted eggs, tomatoes, onions, and peppers. This time, it was deep-fried in oil but it could also be baked or grilled to perfection.

We ate it over rice and Aunt Sharon also prepared some iced tea.

As soon as I started eating, I noticed that the fish I was eating still had some bones on them so I meticulously removed each one of them. Kaley saw me in some sort of trance while doing it but she tapped on my shoulder before pointing at Rin. I slowly turned my head to look at her and I was pleasantly surprised.

'Just like me, huh? Well… figures...'

Rin was also removing the fish bones one by one while the rest were simply eating like savages. Compared to us, they would just remove the bones that they would encounter by pushing them out with their tongues and picking them off with their hands. It didn't take long before Rin noticed me staring at her but the moment she saw the fish bones by the side of my plate, she faintly smiled and continued what she was doing.

'One of us~ One of us~'

We just exchanged short glances though a few noticed what we were doing and started asking questions. My family members just smiled at their inquiry because they already knew the reason for my actions, but discovering that Rin was the same as I surprised them. A few started teasing but we didn't mind it as much.

At the same time, Charlotte was still confused as she kept on bugging Chris for our answers. They were a bit far from where we were so they didn't hear my replies. Eventually, Chris gave in as he dragged Charlotte with him and occupied a seat next to us.

"S-Sky… u-umm... Charlotte wanted me to ask you about why the two of you are eating differently..."

"Hmm?"

"W-We didn't hear you the f-first time… I hope you wouldn't mind..."

"Oh, it's not a problem really. I'm sure why Rin does it as well but I do it for convenience. I just don't like the feeling of the bones in my mouth so I remove them first before eating."

Charlotte's eyes widened, "Oh~"

I continued, "It's not just with fish though. I do the same thing with watermelon, sunflower seeds, and etc. I just like to see them organized before I start to eat them."

Chris added, "Really? I think our teacher told us about that. I think it's called-"

I replied, "OCD, one form of it."

"Yeah! That's what she said! Did a doctor told you that you have it or did you just notice it by yourself?"

"I noticed it by myself when I was younger. Even when I walk, I would plan where I would place my foot, where I'll turn, where to stop, or how fast I'll go. Even with these guns, as much as possible, I'd like them to be in pairs. I'll get this unbearable itch if one of them is missing or different compared to the other."

Charlotte and Chris nodded a few times, "Oh~"

I turned to Rin, "How about you?"

"Oh! U-Umm… that sounds about right… Before I met you, as you already know, I worked in a store and I was tasked with organizing everything. Mrs. Thelma, the owner, trusted me to that job while always saying that I was perfect for it."

Charlotte interjected, "Ooh~ What happened next?!"

"W-Well… B-Boss saw me in the store and he figured me out after a few moments. One thing led to the other and I was being driven here to start my new job… Who would've thought this would happen?"

My group gave out different expressions when they heard a little tidbit about us. With that said, Kaley pointed at my wakizashi with her lips and smiled, as if she was telling me that my blade was correlated with my preferences.

Chris added, "Won't your food get cold?"

"It will but that's the reason I only had the fish on my plate so I could just add the rice later. Well, I already had years of practice so I could do it even faster when I started doing it. In short, I just eat really weird..."

"Eat weird? You're weird as hell, kid! Eating weird… hah!"

"Screw you, old man! You always complain that black pepper is spicy!"

"WHAT?! I DIDN'T SAY THAT!!!"

Everyone just started laughing as we continued bickering. Our lunch became more lively despite what was happening outside and it put a smile on everyone's faces.

After a short while, I managed to remove every bone from my fish and I started eating. To everyone's surprise, I managed to eat much faster than everyone despite the meticulous prep work. I just stood up and poured Kaley and me a glass of iced tea before I sat next to her.

"O-Oh… Thanks!"

Oscar instantly interjected, "How about me? Won't you take care of an old man?"

Oscar was looking at me like a certain character giving me puppy eyes even if that character was a cat wearing boots, a plumed hat, and a rapier. I just rolled my eyes as I looked at him but I still handed him a fresh glass.

"Thanks, kid! Heh!"

We eventually finished eating and I asked Rin to add the items we found in our inventory. I handed her the empty cases and the boxes of ammo but I decided to uses the Glock 19s in my torso. I could as easily use another pair of Beretta M9s but Glocks already had a proven track record of reliability.

Even fresh out of the box and without mods, they could run reliably.

After a short rest, I stretched for a moment before handing out the refills for the bullets we used. At the same time, I handed out a holster for Mark and Dong's M9s while adding an extra combat knife for their use. Oscar saw me hand them to my group so he handed a couple of M1911s to Jo and Arnel while giving a Remington 870 to Unc Zardon.

As we were getting ready to head outside, Unc Zeidrick and Charlotte walked up to me.

"Hey, I'm thinking of postponing building the fence on the opposite side of the compound."

"Hmm? Why?"

Charlotte chimed in, "We're thinking of dismantling the empty wooden shack and filling it up with soil. We'd be able to plant more crops that way and if possible, build it to something similar to your greenhouse. You guys would be clearing the area right now so it would be relatively safe if we start doing it."

I contemplated for a moment and said, "That sounds good. We could start thinking up more ways to upgrade our surrounding territories instead of just upgrading the inside of our compound. We'll just discuss more at the meeting later. If you need people to help you two, just tell the others inside."

"I'll pass on that. The shack is pretty small so the fewer people helping me, the better. There's not much room inside so my kid with me is enough. I'll just borrow a few rubber boots for us to use."

Charlotte said, "Chris and I could help?"

"We'll see. But go ahead whenever."

I concluded the conversation, "Sure, we'll be going now. Grab some of the work gloves too, okay?"

Unc Zeidrick just nodded then we parted ways. They immediately went for the wooden shack while my group went for the small houses in the middle of the fishing areas. They could be accessed by walking over a small wooden bridge but the moment we got to them, they were barren except for a few household supplies and a couple sacks of fish food.

The search in this area went faster than expected so we headed to the radio station.

We walked for a few minutes then we saw big letters that spelled 'DZRH' on one side of the radio station. The building was two-stories tall and there were huge antennas and satellite dishes at the very top. Oscar and his group decided to guard the entrance while my group walked inside.

Kaley asked, "Do you know how to operate this thing if we get this place running?"

"That's a no- I mean, not yet. I also stocked up on a lot of manuals on things I haven't studied yet. I'm sure I have one for this thing and operating their equipment might even be as easy as flicking a switch."

"Oh~ Then isn't it important to get this place as fast as possible?"

"Not exactly. We still have other means of communication like our Sat Phones so I think broadcasting on the radio will not do us much good. However, it's nice to have something like this place at the ready."

Mark interjected, "Boss, we going in?"

"Yeah, lead the way."

"O-Okay."

Mark walked in front of us while holding his combat knife and his flashlight. I slowly pointed out how to properly clear rooms and the place being abandoned helped with starting them out with the basics.

After a while, the whole place was accounted for and aside from the radio equipment, we were able to procure a few boxes of instant food, a few gallons of mineral water, and a bunch of medical supplies in their medicine cabinets. Furthermore, Mark pulled out a fire axe next to a fire extinguisher and he contemplated switching it with his current weapon.

Mark asked, "What do you think?"

"Hmm? Use both."

"What?"

"Just holster your gun and sheath your knife and use that mainly. Your knife is light and versatile but the way you would be handling that fire axe would be similar to your sledgehammer. With that said, it's lighter and the splatter could be reduced to a minimum."

Jared added, "It'd be easier to bring down doors too. Especially if you shout, 'Here's Johnny~~~'"

I chuckled, "That too, heh."

Kaley just shook her head but Mark followed my suggestion.

We finished quite early and we took two trips hauling everything. Anyone that had free time on their hands helped us with hauling them to the storage areas after placing them right by the parking area. Even Zeus was helping them because he would pick up anything that would fall down from one of the boxes they were carrying.

After a while, I gave Charlotte the list of seeds in our inventory so she could plan what to do on the plot of land they were preparing.

At the same time this was happening, Jenny and a few others rushed towards the gate with their handheld weapons. I immediately followed after them but all I saw was crowbars getting pulled out off the zombie's heads. Their lifeless bodies slowly fell against the fences and Allan started to haul them in the corner where we usually burn them.

However, we would always check their bodies for anything and the important ones would be kept. They would all be placed inside a basket that we call the 'Random Trinket Basket' that now had a few items like regular watches, cheap jewelry, wallets, IDs, cash, knives, cigarettes, footwear, and etc.

No one seemed interested to take items from dead people at first but I know that things would change in the future.

I looked at my watch and it was now a few minutes short of an hour before the broadcast.

'Hmm...'

It was then that I went to my room to pick up a few things. After that, I asked Mark, Dong, Nicole, and Alicia to come with me. They wondered why I called them but when they saw what I was carrying in my pack, they got excited and offered to carry my burdens. I was planning to teach them a short course about properly using guns and a little bird caught wind of it.

"Hey, dude! Dude! Can you take me too?!" Allan was waving his arms around like an idiot.