Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

I started laughing hysterically before I explained a few things on Kaley's brand new, out-of-the-box AR-15 from PSA. It was an all-black rifle chambered in 5.56s and had a 16-inch barrel. Nothing else was done on it yet but it didn't take long for Kaley to ask for recommendations when I asked her to pick a few things to add to it.

I rubbed my chin, "You'd obviously need a suppressor, a flashlight, a sling, a good optic, and maybe even a foregrip. Oh, we'll have to swap that handguard too because it would be easier to mount some of the modifications on a Picatinny Rail."

"Okay, let's see..."

Kaley looked around and picked a square-shaped suppressor, a simple flashlight, a two-point sling, a 2-8x40mm scope, and a vertical foregrip. With that said, I brought out a quad rail to replace the classic handguard her rifle had, an adjustable stock with the proper sling mounts, and backup front and rear sights just in case.

She watched me work on it as I brought my tools out but I asked her to load five 30-round magazines for her use. I pulled out an ammo can containing 5.56s and she started working on it.

"So this is a 5.56? It really is smaller than a .308."

"Yep. Oh, you could just push them down instead of pushing on the base and sliding it."

"Oh. Hah! It is much faster doing this."

After a short while, I was finally done with Kaley's rifle and I took one of the magazines she loaded and placed it in the mag well. I already chambered a round as I handed it to her but she couldn't hide her smile when she held it firmly. She was pursing her lips as she was looking at me and I discovered she wanted to do a test run.

"Of course! Obviously. Let's go outside. Okay, this how this thing works..."

As we were walking towards the gate, Allan saw us and his eyes immediately lit up, "Woah! New gun? That looks cool!"

I chuckled, "What? Is that HK416 not enough for you?"

"Well, I have a name for this beauty that you gave me. It's called-"

"That's 'My Gun 3'." I interrupted him while Kaley facepalmed.

"Haaaaaaa~! One of these days, man! You'll give me a gun when you recognize my greatness!"

"Sure, sure… watch the gate, we'll be coming out for a bit."

"Don't you need some back-"

"We're fine, don't worry."

Kaley and I went outside the fence and we looked for a target. About 130 meters away from the compound, we spotted five deadheads banging on the gates of an abandoned bakery. I was looking around for any threats but Kaley handed me her gun back so I could first demonstrate how to use it.

I adjusted the sights for a little bit before I flicked the safety switch off and aimed at the one furthest away from the rest of them. Half of its shoulder was missing but the moment the bullet pierced its head and fell down, I've already flicked the safety back on and closed the dust cover.

"Too extra~ You didn't have to do that, right?"

I chuckled, "Well, it's your turn."

Kaley excitedly took back her rifle and she wore the sling over her head. I already told her how to use it and she was holding it steady as she flicked the safety switch off. It took her a short time to aim at the sights but after a short exhale, she pulled the trigger and nailed the other one with a ruptured abdomen.

The bullet bored a hole through its skull and it fell down before it managed to bang the gate a second time.

Kaley lowered her rifle and looked at me with excitement, "This has almost 0% recoil! Much better than my M70!"

"Cool, huh? Well, you're used to a .308 so the recoil from a 5.56 wouldn't faze you as much. You could fire this thing all day with one hand and you wouldn't have trouble or shoulder problems. I just don't recommend it for obvious reasons, heh."

"Thank you! I really like it!" Kaley smiled brightly as she looked at me.

I was almost stunned as she looked at me but she aimed at the sights once more, sporting the same look when I handed her the M9 at the airport.

After a short moment, Kaley fired another shot and it took down another deadhead by the bakery. However, the last two zombies turned around and looked at their fallen comrades before heading in our direction. It was a simple gesture but something like that shouldn't be performed by them anymore. Kaley and I just looked at each other with solemn expressions before she started touching the right side of her rifle, trying to look for something.

I tapped her shoulder, "Kaley, it's not a bolt-action anymore. Just rack a round the first time and it'll shoot until you run out of bullets. The only thing you'll find there is the forward assist, the dust cover, the mag release, and etc."

"Oh, right… I forgot..."

Kaley blushed embarrassingly though she continued taking her time with shooting the last two that we encountered. They were both taken down with a single shot and Kaley did the same thing of flicking the safety off and closing the dust cover once she aimed her rifle down. I gave her a pat on the back then we walked back inside.

"We'll next work on your speed since you pretty much got accuracy down."

Kaley playfully bumped into me as I closed the fence, "T-Thanks!"

Jenny waved at us, "Nice shooting!"

Kaley brightly smiled once more, "Thank you!"

"I c-can do that too..." Allan sulked.

"Yeah, after using thrice the rounds! You're getting better though," Jenny said with a smile.

Allan just scratched his head a few times but his face looked determined on learning the art. I just smiled and close the gate as we headed for the pool area. Raphael and Carol were talking with everybody and he waved at us when they saw us walking towards them. As we sat down, he properly introduced Carol to everyone and we traded war stories.

After a while, the three of us were in a corner of the pool area with a bit of privacy.

Raphael looked sullen, "I'm the only one who managed to get here then? Damn."

"Yeah..."

Kaley added, "Do you have any idea where they are? They're probably still in their house or in one of the DDR Camps in Bulacan, right?"

"Hmm, if I remember correctly… Kenneth is still in Detroit with his family while Darelle is always traveling around the world with his GF. It would be hard to pinpoint their location so it'll be difficult to get to them."

Raphael asked, "How about the others?"

"Earnest seemed to have holed up with his family and Roi did the same. I have no idea where Kris is since he never responded to my emails. However, he's probably still in his old address keeping away from everyone."

"Is there a chance we could get to them? You got Kaley and went to her house to get her sister, right?"

"If this place starts to run on its own, I'll bring a group to search for them. I'm sorry but I just can't leave this place to Oscar as we search for our friends. Before a whole month passes, I'll try to get it done but no promises. Besides, they're not that stupid to croak as easily as that."

"But what happened here?" Raphael started grinning from ear to ear as he looked at us.

"You know… things happen..."

"Uh-huh… 'things' happen... right..."

"Don't give us that look! It's not like-"

"Just give me a few details and I'll shut up! Please~ You met at the airport and~?"

I just shook my head as I retold the story of what happened in the airport while Kaley added a few bits from her perspective. Raphael was smiling like an idiot the whole time but in moments it would get quiet, he would seem like he was just trying to make himself laugh. Kaley noticed it as well but we decided to not do anything about it for now.

Raphael chuckled as he gestured with his hand, "So, you guys are finally together, eh?"

Raphael waited for an answer but what I did was turn to Kaley and let her answer for us. Kaley started turning redder and redder and she just looked away and didn't give an answer. However, actions speak louder than words, so what she did was more than enough to answer the question.

Raphael was about to jump for joy but we shushed him and explained that we haven't told anyone yet.

"But why?! This thing should be celebrated! The fuck are you two on about?!"

"Just keep quiet until everyone notices it eventually!"

"Y-Yeah, I don't like announcing stuff like this p-publicly..."

"Okay, but damn! It took you guys a long, long~ time. I really thought you guys would hit it off back then! Instead, you guys just hit books every single day! It's fucking crazy!"

I chuckled, "Hah! Remember the shy, fat kid?"

"You could've at least said something..." Kaley muttered, looking away.

"Oooh~" Raphael was about to lose his head as he looked at me.

I got surprised as well but when I was trying to look in Kaley's direction, it seemed like she was trying to avoid eye contact. Raphael just made faces at me and it went on like that for a while.

After a time, I eventually introduced Carol to Oscar. Raphael told us that she was the nurse that took care of him and she would be a great help if she took the position. Kaley had medical training as well but she could be more suited to the job. Despite that, Kaley would still help with things that were medical-related because people with that knowledge were very scarce.

When I checked my watch, I discovered it was almost time for dinner. Everyone slowly gathered around the pool area while Kaley and I helped with setting up everything.

Tonight we had diced tofu with black beans in a tomato-based sauce. It was something like chili but using tofu instead of meat. We ate it over rice as we always do though Oscar was eating it with a few pieces of bread.

"I really don't get it why you guys eat everything with rice kid, it's crazy."

"It's an Asian thing, old man. We sometimes even eat spaghetti over rice."

"Well, that is true. The time I've been here, I'm slowly getting used to it. Hmm, I'll sure as hell miss going to Denny's, Chuck E. Cheese, and In-N-Out. Damn, I miss those alre- fuck! I meant WHATABURGER!!! WHATABURGER!!! My Texan friends would kill me if they heard that!"

"Hey! Don't forget about those Animal Fries! They're good!"

"Eh~ Oh! I love that shit from Five Guys too… those burgers..."

Kaley chimed in, "I call that a heart attack..."

Oscar cackled, "Hah! That's another way to call it! Ever heard of a Chocolate Cake Shake? That's the fucking heart attack!"

"Custom-made is always the best though."

"I don't know how to fucking cook like you or your aunt, kid! Gimme a break!"

Derek interjected, "Uh, hey. Good news. I think the rabbits are gonna give birth in a few days, they were actually pregnant when you got them."

"W-WHAT?! R-REALLY?!"

All of the kids got excited along with Kaley, Olivia, and Charlotte.

"How many are pregnant then?"

Derek answered, "Five. They would at least produce 10-15 babies."

Kaley's eyes gleamed along with the others but she suddenly had a thought. She viciously glared at me and the others threw her confused looks.

Olivia tilted her head, "Sis? Why are you-"

"He plans to cook them for food!" Kaley shouted.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO~!!!"

The kids and Olivia cried out as they shouted at the top of their lungs while Charlotte dropped her plate. Luckily, Chris managed to catch it before it fell on the floor and he breathed a sigh of relief. I suddenly became public enemy no. 1 but they had no idea what they were missing out on.

I scratched my head, "It's really good though. Honestly, it's much better than chicken or pork. We could start to eat them after they age 4 months onward."

Oscar added, "That's right. I'd use a .22 when I saw one and they really do taste good. I prefer some venison over rabbit though but I'll shoot one when I see one when I'm out hunting for deer."

The looks they gave us were priceless because rabbits were usually taken care of in this country instead of eating them.