Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

It got awkward for a little but Mark approached me carrying a box of assorted candies, chocolates, and snacks.

"Boss, do we take the freezers? They just needed to be plugged in, right?"

I replied, "Not right now, no. We already got plenty in our basement and we'll just leave them here. More electronics might make our panels give out and putting more of them up in our roofs would take some time. No one took these freezers in the days they were left here, no one would take them in the future."

Mark nodded pensively as we continued to load the items we would be taking back. I was just about ready to tell everyone to pack up but I noticed a difference from under the counter where two cash registers were placed. The side closest to the door had a buffer of sorts for easy access and once I placed my hands under it, I started cackling loudly.

"HAHAHA! I KNEW IT! FUCK YEAH!"

Kaley shouted from the truck, "Shh! You're too loud!"

"I-"

Jared's head suddenly snapped towards my direction, "What the fuck?! You found another one, bro?!"

"Hah! Natural 20 on a perception/investigation check~! Still a shotgun though... I hoped for something like a pistol but this thing is perfect for defense in a store like this."

"Bro, I don't care if it's a shotty. I just wish I could come upon one on my own! It would've felt so fucking great... We better hit up more convenience stores..."

"What? Are you serious? Well, the chances are pretty low but it's better to look for guns in police stations or something similar. It's lucky we found this thing here. If I was the one on the till, I would've taken this when I left this place! Lemme see here..."

I closely inspected the shotgun I found and I discovered that it was a Maverick 88. It was kinda scratched up and dusty but it seemed to be in working condition. It had a 5-round magazine tube but it only had three shells left inside. Furthermore, I found no extras from where I pulled it from so I just placed it behind the passenger seat of my truck.

We boarded my eight-wheeler and then we decided to look for another place.

Unc Zardon asked, "Where do we go next?"

I looked around and pointed to a laundry shop that still had the roll-ups down, "Hmm~ Go there unc, we will need the stuff there for everyone in the compound. It's not the essentials but it could improve quality of life by a bit."

"Sure. It's close but I'll still park it the right way. You guys take care of the biters."

"Yeah. It'd be faster if some of us walk but let's just take care of them once we parked."

Unc Zardon started the engine and we just drove for a few dozen meters before stopping in a nearby laundry shop. With that said, things were looking good because it was not broken into but there was still the undead to take care of. Some of them were by the laundry shop already and some were just slumped down by a corner. A few have risen up but there were deadheads barreling straight for us.

Tatiana and I jumped down once more to take on most of the ones fast approaching while the rest fanned to the side to widen our small perimeter. I thrust my blade forward to take out the one in front of me and then I immediately pulled it back to stab the one coming for my right. Their viscous fluids stained my blade once more but Tatiana was doing work on her side.

She started with a frontal kick to take make the clump in front of her fall down and she dashed to the side to take care of the ones still standing. She easily sunk her knife down the side of their heads and she continued doing so to the ones just about to get up. We continued to advance and retreat depending on the situation though we cleared less of them compared to the convenience store.

It didn't take long before another perimeter was established and we were free to take anything we wanted from this establishment.

Tatiana approached me, "So, why a laundry shop?"

"You know, a few washing machines and the bunch of cleaning agents could go a long way. We only have a couple of them back home and bringing all we could help with taking care of the laundry since they're the ones doing it for us. We go home with blood on our clothes and they really do a great job of removing them… This is the least we could do."

"You're really kind."

"Heh, I try."

I easily picked the cheap padlocks from the roll-ups and we soon started looting the place. We hauled all the washing machines that we could, several boxes of powdered detergents, large bottles of bleach, a dozen boxes of fabric conditioners, and the spare keys for the padlocks I just picked.

There was still more to take in this place so we just locked it the same way and drove home. I made a mental note of the other things we should go for next so the next trip would be smoother.

Jared mentioned, "Bro, that was faster than expected. I thought we'd be out there for hours."

"Yeah. That back room in the convenience store was a lucky find. Well, people in a panic would just tend to get what's in front of them and would never bother to check other places that might have better items. That and the chaos when they're also fighting with other people for items. It kinda worked for us we went out when it kinda calmed down."

Tatiana interjected, "We've had a few runners but none of those sprinters."

"Yeah, I hope they're as rare as finding diamonds on lower levels."

"What?"

"Oh, Minecraft. Ever played that?"

Tatiana was left confused while Kaley was already shaking her head on the side. At the same time, Jared and I were just chuckling as we started talking about a few things about it when we used to play it.

After a short drive, we reached the fences and the guys working there were surprised because we were outside for a little less than two hours. They stopped what they were doing for a short moment as they let us in.

Oscar waved me over from the catwalk, "Good haul, kid?"

"Yeah. More food and whatnot plus a few leisure items though we also hauled a few washing machines. You know, the good kind."

"Heh, you mean the expensive kind."

"Hey, not all things that are expensive are good. It depends."

Oscar just nodded a few times before our people helped with unloading everything we brought back. With that said, once Aunt Sharon and the rest of our older aunties saw the washing machines, their eyes lit up with excitement.

Aunt Sharon nudged me, "That's from across the street, right?"

"Right. I remember you trying to save up for this kind and I made up for it by bringing a lot because they're slightly used. Just consider it as an early birthday present. It's in a few weeks, right?"

Aunt Sharon just shook her head while smiling brightly, "You little... Thanks a lot!"

It would take a few minutes to unload everything we've brought so I made a quick trip to my room to refill the few bullets we've used. Furthermore, a quick wipe of our handhelds was in order but a spare cloth would be able to do the trick since we still have time for another run.

As soon as the truck was ready, we took it for another spin and went straight for a small bakery located on the other side of the elementary school. Its folding gate had a few padlocks but all we needed to do after unlocking them was to push them aside.

A few eateries were closer but they were already looted and if we ever came upon a few items, the stop wouldn't be worth it compared to hitting a place brimming with resources.

I jumped down first and said, "Same thing as earlier..."

"Yes, boss."

It didn't take long to clear the area and establish another perimeter so I got to work as I pulled out my tools. I trusted my group with my back and picking a few locks without interruption was the best I could hope for.

Once I heard the final click, we opened the place up and did a quick search before trying to loot the premises. We found five sacks of flour, a sack of yeast, two sacks of sugar, two tubs of margarine, five kilos of salt, a tub of butter, and random assorted goods. Looking at their pantry, we uncovered a few bags of stale bread but they were still completely edible.

I just smiled and said, "No bread will be too hard for a hot cup of coffee..."

Unc Zardon chuckled, "Still remember what your gramps told you, eh?"

I chuckled, "Of course."

Mark interjected, "Boss, how about the ovens and the propane tanks? We'll take them too, right?"

Jared added, "Bro, you could make us some pandesal at home! That'll be perfect in the morning since the bakeries wouldn't be open for a while."

I shook my head, "Nah. I have an oven at home, remember?"

Jared waved me off, "I know but this thing is much bigger. You could teach someone to make it and we'll have some pandesal in the morning by batches! It's not like you could stay at home and bake bread all day!"

I just nodded pensively, "Sure… Wait. We have a bakery much closer to us just a few meters away from our compound. We'll take that first and just leave this here for the time being."

"Ah, that's right..."

"Excuse me. Just a clarification… You can bake, correct? And what's pandesal? Sounds yummy." Tatiana asked while tilting her head.

"Right… pandesal is a fist-sized bread that's a staple in this country. It's made with simple ingredients and always paired with coffee or some hot chocolate. A few would add cheese or butter on it but we usually dip it in our drinks. And to answer your other question, I can only bake simple things. Well, if I have a recipe I guess I could make a few more?"

Kaley joked, "Show off~"

Tatiana just chuckled, "I see... Where do we go next?"

We just drove a short bit to get across the street where a cheap burger shop was located. It used to sell three simple burgers for just a dollar and it was famous among kids and pedicab drivers.

When we eventually opened it up after clearing a few deadheads, the funky smell of rotting ingredients assaulted our noses. It would've lucky to get a few kilograms of frozen burger patties but they were just swimming and mixing with all the goop floating inside the freezer. Luckily, jars of assorted condiments were still on the shelves and we took them with a couple of propane tanks, cooking oil, and etc.

A block away from our position was a shop called CDO that used to sell different sorts of meat products, but the place was already looted clean. Although, right next to it was a pet store that used to sell different products for pets or other kinds of animals.

I turned to my group, "We'll just take a few sacks of feed for our animals and pets at home. Grab some treats too if you found some. We'll just come back here in the future to take everything since we'll stop by the water station and the small pharmacy later. Mark, you set the perimeter with Dong and you have permission to use your guns freely. Don't worry, Kaley and Jared are watching over you two."

Mark pulled out his pistol with a smile, "Okay, boss. Dong, we'll take the right first."

"Yeah, yeah."

This time, I let my workers shoot a bit more since experience would always be the best teacher. We could shoot cardboard targets all day but it would be all for naught if they couldn't hit a moving target. With that said, none of them could be expert shooters in a few days but a few missed shots now could be a few extra headshots in the future. I easily picked the locks while Tatiana guarded me.

My workers switched with us the moment they established a small perimeter, and they hauled the items I told them to take earlier while Tatiana and I took guard a few feet away from the truck. The noise their guns made attracted a few runners and regular deadheads but everything just went so smoothly. We were in a roll the first day we went outside and the only hiccups were the places that I wanted to go to but were looted already.

I just took down the last one right in front of me before boarding the truck once more.

'142...'

Like we discussed, we drove next to a water station but it was already opened up. However, we still uncovered a few sealed 1-gallon containers still untouched right next to a water dispenser with a water filter. We placed them at the back of our truck and we continued driving forward.

Unc Zardon slowed down and said, "Hey, we're nearing the public market. Are we going inside there now? Our truck is almost full."

"Yeah, we'll just go there next time. Besides, it's too dangerous over there given the design of the public market itself. Let's check on our landlords- maybe Dave. He's always there to meet us."

Kaley interjected, "Landlords? Who's Dave?"

"You know, the owners of the majority of the shops here. Oh, Dave is their security guard for almost three decades now. Ah- we're here."

"Wai-"

Unc Zardon called out, "Dave! You still in there? You're going for four decades, right?"

Kaley wanted to ask more questions but she was interrupted by Unc Zardon calling out to our landlord's security guard. Not only that, she got intrigued when she saw three large houses right behind the gate that was on par with the house we were living in, maybe better.

With that said, an older gentleman peeked out before climbing a set of stairs to take a closer look at us from the other side of the gate. It was Dave and he was still wearing his security uniform but this time, he was carrying a short-barrelled shotgun.

Dave scanned around us first before landing on me, "Kid? Hey! What's up! Nice seeing someone with their face still attached."

I just shook my head in amusement, "Yeah, same to you. How are you guys holding up?"

Dave gave a peaceful smile as he adjusted his cap, "Same as usual, I guess. They're all inside, want me to call them for you?"

"Nah, that'll be too much trouble. I'm just here to check up on you-"

"Too much trouble? Hah! They basically owe you their lives! Me as well! Damn, you guys look good! I should've closed out my bank account and brought more guns like you did! Anyway, you sure you don't want me to call them? I don't even have to walk, I have this radio here, see?"

I waved him off, "No, really. Just tell them I stopped by and said hello. You guys still good on supplies?"

"Yes, thanks to you. I have all the beans I could eat and their houses are stocked! I mean, fucking stocked! Stocked, I tell you! Not just with food but- you know what I mean, right?"

I chuckled, "That's good. We're going now, okay? We're just gonna stop by a few more stores and head back. Stay safe, yeah?"

"Sure! You too, kid! Hey Zardon! Drive safe or I'll kill ya! See you all later!"

Unc Zardon just honked once as a reply before we started driving. However, Kaley couldn't wait anymore and started asking more questions.

"Who were they again?"

Tatiana added, "I would like to know too."

"You guys already know Dave so I'll just talk about our landlords. We call them landlords because they own the titles to the whole public market and a few shops all around this barangay."

Kaley added, "How are they like?"

"They're a cool bunch, to be honest. I actually invited them to be a part of my place though they decided to build a place of their own. Oscar and I helped with some things to keep their place sustainable and they gave us the extra stuff because they're filthy rich."

"I thought you and Oscar are loaded as well? And why did Dave said they owed you?"

"Yeah, but Oscar's somewhat of a Scrooge, they're generous, and I'm in-between. See? There's a difference. Anyway, if nothing too serious happens, they could stay in their own compound for years without leaving as long as they could keep it secure. They were one of the few people that believed me when I told everyone about what's about to come. They're the ones closest to me location-wise."

They just nodded pensively as we arrived at the small pharmacy that used to sell OTC drugs. We assumed our usual formation to clear the dead approaching, before I could pick my way in.