Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

It was still high noon but the temperature around us seemingly lowered by a few degrees and they began to involuntarily hiccup. Leaning even closer, I began talking about the same things I did with them just with the added pressure.

With that said, I was watching their reactions to the things I was saying or asking, and once keywords like 'stash', 'hidden', or 'basement' were mentioned, a few involuntary ticks would surface. Prolonged eye contact, a slight change in tone, and hurried breathing were the few things I noticed aside from the subtle change in their body language.

Furthermore, they already gave a pseudo-admission that something was of value in the hole that Pops made so much deal about. However, the group that just offed him didn't care as much as to what was potentially good loot and seemingly left it in our care.

Despite that, the two still decided to completely deny and avoid my inquiries but only an idiot would believe them.

They could only deny something so much that people asking them would believe the opposite of what they were verbally telling to other people.

I just sighed before I shook my head, "If that's how you want this to go down… Mikhail, get their radios and check the channel they were on."

Mikhail nodded before turning to the pile we took off of them, "Where did we put them agai--"

Cynthia decided to help him before tapping his back, "H-Hey, here. I found them."

Mikhail nodded approvingly before taking the two radios away from her hands, "Thanks."

I looked over the two, "Same channel?"

"Da."

I turned to Cynthia, "How about Pops' radio?"

Cynthia instantly turned around to look for it, "Oh, wait a-- found it! And~ Y-Yes, it's also in the same channel… What are we gonna do now?"

I looked over the two once more before saying, "Remember the channel they were in and try checking the other channels available. They've been gone for a while already and it seemed like no one was trying to look for them. It's either they quickly flipped it or something else happened..."

As soon as I said that, Chris and Adrian's reaction told me that they didn't jumble up the channel they were using. They just turned to each other with a puzzled look and if they really had a group somewhere, it was normal for them to try and make contact every few minutes or even an hour but there was nary a buzz or static coming from the other side.

I just acted that I didn't see their reactions as I added, "While you're doing that, we're gonna line up everything we put down in this construction project before peeking in that hole we made."

Cynthia's eyebrows scrunched, "What? Lining them up? Why?"

"We're just gonna cover all of the bases available and then some… We just made contact with both groups, it's better to know which one we're gonna give a hand: one of them, both… or none at all… Kaley."

Kaley was just silently watching the two before she turned to me, "Hmm?"

"Can you watch the entrance they tore down while Mikhail watches these two? Jared will stay in our Raptor and Cynthia will continue looking through the channels available."

Kaley nodded, "Sure. Are you gonna line them up yourself?"

I shook my head slightly before pulling out my radio.

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*bzzt*

"Hey, you. Help me with something. Stop flying the drone for a moment since Artem and his team are scouting around already."

*bzzt*

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*bzzt*

[Ah-- Sure… Wait, Can't I just watch the other two?]

*bzzt*

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*bzzt*

"You can't even beat Russel or Chris-- our Chris in a fight."

*bzzt*

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*bzzt*

[Bro, I have a gun… remember?]

*bzzt*

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*bzzt*

"You don't have to tell me that but I should remind you where you got them from. So, get your ass out of that truckbed before I tell some shit to Olivia she doesn't need to--"

*bzzt*

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*bzzt*

[AH! AH! AH! Shut it, bro! I'm coming out~ I'm coming out~]

*bzzt*

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It didn't take long before Lois and I went to work and we really did line up the bodies we put down side by side. After that, we took a bunch of pictures and some footage for documentation, focusing on the degree of rot in their bodies, the mutations that occurred, and most importantly, places where we could possibly get them ID'd such as their faces, birthmarks, tattoos, unusual piercings, and sometimes, the clothes they were wearing.

It would be difficult for a stranger to ID someone based on the things I just mentioned, especially in their condition, but a close relative or a close friend might just be able to go on from that.

The only thing that made the job a little tedious was we needed to 'untangle' the ones stuck together before taking another set of pictures.

However, cutting the tongues off with a knife slowly and not as fast as I do with my sharp blade revealed that the 'thread' that ran through their victims' bodies was more tight or rigid compared to a normal one.

I wasn't an expert on cutting tongues but it definitely felt denser than normal.

After a while, we finished with the ones on the surface but before Lois and I started to chip off more of the cement poured over the basement, Artem and his team arrived. They just parked at the third entrance and he left a couple of his men to guard their vehicle while letting Bogdan accompany Jared and Marina accompany Kaley. They walked on each side while Artem approached me with Katya.

"We just finished going around the block twice. We checked each place and secured them right after too."

"Found anything useful?"

Artem looked around our display before nodding, "Yes, you're right. One of the outlets was used as a hiding spot since we discovered bits of trash and food containers that still had fresh leftovers, mostly. Also, we found a used condom, chewed-up gum, fresh cigarette butts, recently replaced AA batteries, and etc."

Katya interjected, "Don't forget about the door filled with holes."

"Holes? Lemme guess… Are they made with arrowheads?"

"Yeah."

"Did you take a picture?"

"Of what?"

"The holes."

"N-No… but they're just h-holes with a bit of cuts on the side..."

'Broadheads or something… Definitely the same people...'

I faintly nodded, "How about brass casings? Found any?"

Katya nodded, "Not in that area but there are a few scattered around on the streets. Mostly pistol rounds but we found some for rifles along with broken arrows too… There weren't any stuck in zombie's heads though… just the part where the feathers are located."

"You mean the fletching?"

Katya slightly squinted as she stared at me, "Yeah, whatever you call them."

I didn't put it much into my mind, "They must be taking the tips then. The one in Pops' neck had expandable broadheads, not just those simple bullet points or field points… They could have different types too..."

Katya grew curious, "And that means?"

"Absolutely nothing," I replied flatly.

Lois and Artem started chuckling but Katya couldn't help but stare at me menacingly, "You..."

I lightly chuckled before I waved them off, "Well, for now. It just tells us they know their shit around bows and they're not just using them for vanity or just for copying someone from a show they liked."

Katya asked, "Do you know how to use bows?"

"Yeah… a bit... but guns are more fun in my opinion. Enough talk, help us with this hole… We'll find out more about them soon..."

"Sure..."

After some time, we made use of the tools available and we broke off and chipped the cement 'lid' for the basement in question. We did make a bit of noise by using jackhammers and such but we got plenty of people to keep the stragglers contained. It was easy enough to break them off because of the holes from the surface and most of the cement just formed the 'lid' and didn't flow through the bottom.

With that said, it was fortunate that we didn't encounter more deadheads inside the hole we were trying to enlarge and we took less than a couple of hours to clear everything.

The rubble was piled on one side of this construction project while the fucked up meat parts inside were scooped out and laid out next to the ones we lined up earlier. The same process was done to the fucked up 'puzzle pieces' and the hole was now safe for inspection.

I turned to the two who were still keeping their mouths shut, "Last chance. What are we gonna see once we go down?"

Chris turned to Adrian but he just shook his head before continuing to look down. It seemed like what's hidden beneath was something they were prepared to die for and they'd rather let us uncover it as to just tell us what was below.

However, Chris just sighed heavily before looking at me straight in the eye.

"If I tell you, you gotta give us a chance."

I chuckled, "It's not like we wouldn't see what's down there if you don't tell us. I'm just seeing how well you could cooperate so I could decide on what to do with you after this is all over."

"W-What do you mean?"

"You see, as I said earlier, I covered all the bases I could and then some. Chances are, the three of you-- the two of you plus 'Pops' aren't supposed to be here and since we have bodycams, documentation of the bodies, and the means to contact your group, we can just sit back and eat popcorn before everything collapses on you two. So, last-last chance… I'm not even gonna ask about the basement anymore… tell me something useful so we could save some time. If not, you're not gonna be my problem anymore..."

As soon as I finished talking the three radios we took from Chris, Adrian, and Pops buzzed at the same time. However, the same young voice of the woman I talked to earlier was on the other side.

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*bzzt*

[Hey, you done yet?]

*bzzt*

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