Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

I wiped the blade in my hand before I sighed heavily.

Looking at their unmoving bodies, all I could do was wish them something I used to believe in. I know full well that what I was doing was hypocritical but what else could I do?

Even if I let all of them live like Amy, all they knew was to be someone's plaything. It would take more than a few years to rehabilitate each one of them and they wouldn't even be able to live a 'normal' life, if the life we were living in right now could still be called normal.

Granted we had it easier than almost everyone we met but as hard as for me to say it, they'd just be a burden for everyone else.

Amy was just a special case and I felt that Kaley thought of some way we could actually help her.

I was deep in my thought before my radio buzzed.

-

*bzzt*

[Bro, need some help?]

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Thanks but-- It's already done. Well, tell Mikhail and the others to help me bring them up… get a fire going."

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

[It still is… We'll wait for you here. Oh, those guys already left. They traded some of their guns for more gas and I agreed… I think--]

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Yeah, that's good. Don't worry..."

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

[Bro?]

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Yeah?"

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

[Stop shouldering everything, alright? You got us...]

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Yeah… Just-- Y-Yeah..."

*bzzt*

-

Jared didn't say much after that but it didn't take long before I heard a knock on the door. Mikhail was present with Bogdan and the rest and the look on their faces when they saw more of what I brought up earlier was indescribable. Even Bogdan decided to take a minute because this was just too much.

It was already over but like me, they still couldn't put what they were feeling aside. It almost tore a few of them on the inside but each and every one of us see death on a daily basis. It's just that this thing was a little different than a mindless piece of meat that shouldn't be moving in the first place.

'Nothing could train you for this...'

After some time, we burned them in a different spot than the bodies we took care of earlier, but we still got a lot of sunlight left. It would've been efficient if we decided to finish this day by progressing our supposed material run but we decided to call it off. However, we wouldn't part with this place yet until we cleaned out everything that was in the basement.

I wanted to help bring all of the stuff up but Artem took over. He told me I had already done too much for the day and the rest of his team would do it for me.

I reluctantly agreed but I was now on guard duty. Kaley and Cynthia were inside the Raptor with Amy while I was on the roof, watching out for anything that might come by. I spotted a few that were exhibiting irregular behavior but Jared would take them down once they were in his sights.

That just led me to be deep in my thoughts but I found Lois tapping me on the back a few times.

"Bro, can't we just use that place as a secret base or restocking point? It'll--"

"We could but we're still not sure if they took down everyone that knows this place… How about we just leave a BOB's worth of supplies and see what happens after a while? If there are no signs of anyone going to this place, it'll be one of our secret spots."

"That sounds good. It has a kitchen, running water, electricity, and etc. Much better than my room except it's underground..."

"Sure~ If you want to live in a place where people get abused… be my guest. You can start living here now if you want? Your car might get stolen though, it doesn't have a good parking spot."

"Wha-- I didn't mean it like that… It's sad and all but… I'm just looking at the silver lining and shit… Are we really driving over to Mayor Iskoh's place? How long are we gonna stay there?"

"Just for the night and we should be back home a few hours before noon. We're gonna get Amy looked at--"

"Don't we have better doctors and equipment?"

"We're gonna try and see if she has more relatives over there… and whether they wanted to come back with us. Iskoh seemed to have worked on her case a few years ago and he wanted to see her… I think. We'll catch up for a bit too since Jade's pregnant."

"Who?"

"Jude's twin sister, she's pregnant like Faith."

"Who again?"

"Jay's wife… Do you even remember our people?"

"Wha-- I forget people's names if I don't talk to them for weeks! I'm not like you, okay?!"

"Roight~ Roight~ Not everyone's like you too. Who forgets people after a few weeks of not talking to them?"

"..."

"You mad? Heh."

"I can't do what you do, bro… Doing that and normally talking to me like this..."

"Talking like this helps… Why do you think I'm doing it?"

"Oh, okay then! So, u-umm… How do I ask this… U-Umm..."

"Hmm?"

"I've been shadowing you and marking your house for a while..."

"Huh?"

"You know… conducting my own s-s-s-surveillance… about you..."

"Oh~ Now be really~ careful about what you say next… You might be using slingshots for the rest of your life..."

"U-Umm… I-It's not like that! I just noticed it a f-few times and I got r-really curious..."

"Uh-huh… What are you curious about?"

"I'm not an idiot, right? Right?"

"Are we even on the same subject now? The fuck are you talking about?"

"I really~ need a f-favor bro… A h-huge one..."

"Now I'm fucking lost… Just spit it out! Don't go swerving on me... What do you want?"

"You know I'm with Olivia, right-- Ow! Bro! That hurts!"

"I said spill… What do you want?"

"Shit… That burns… W-We umm… N-Need a-- u-umm… We n-need a p-private space… If you know what I mean..."

I nodded 'approvingly', "Oh~? Really~?"

"Y-Yeah… My room and her room wouldn't f-fly we can't look over our shoulders anymore while we're--"

"Let me ask Kaley then--"

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

"WHAT ARE YOU-- SHIT!"

Before I managed to knock on the window below, Lois just pulled on my head and we fell down on the truckbed. Well, I fell on the truckbed while he hit his side on the sidings before falling over the dirt road.

We were both groaning in pain and Kaley exited the vehicle and looked at us with puzzlement.

"What the fuck are you guys doing?"

"Kaley, Lois was asking if--"

"NOOOOOOOOO!!! I SAID NOTHING!!! I SAID NOTHING!!!"

Kaley was still confused, "What?"

I waved Lois off, "She's cool with it, I think. Unless she's not… Maybe..."

Lois almost pulled all of his hair out, "Do you want me to die, bro?!"

Kaley folded her arms, "Just tell me! What is it?"

"If we don't tell her, you find someplace else. I ain't lying to my wife."

"Hngh… F-Fine… Just… Don't let her shoot me, okay? I-- Ow! Why does yours hurt more?!"

Kaley was looming over Lois after she sunk a knuckled over his head, "Is this about Olivia? If it is, I already know! She's been asking me for a while now! It's awkward to talk about it but you should… It's normal behavior to want to enjoy something you both want..."

"Wut? She asked you already?"

Kaley nodded, "Yep. But your deal was you have to ask him too, right? She told me about it and she's just waiting on you. I'm not bringing it up with him until you do it first. That's the deal, right?"

"Y-Yes… But I thought she h-haven't told you y-yet..."

"Hmm, she did. Anyway, you don't have to ask us if you're gonna do it but it's polite to ask if you'll use one of our rooms. I figure you two know a little bit about what goes in there?"

"W-We do… A l-little bit… She n-noticed it first… We've told no one! I swear!"

"Good. Just don't talk about stuff that isn't your business and I won't talk about yours. He'll decide on the rest."

"S-Sure..."

Kaley was still eyeing us before she went back in the Raptor and Lois just looked like he ran a fucking marathon. However, the look on his face as he breathed a sigh of relief was enough for me to sink another fist on his head. He miraculously avoid me because he was floating in the air.

I just shook my head before returning to the same spot I was in.

"So b-bro… What should I--"

I cut him off, "Okay, first things first… Do you have everything prepared? Got a few pieces of rubber at least? Lube? Anything?"

"I-I d-don't have them here! B-But I do have them hidden somewhere… But that's not the important part..."

"Hmm?"

"I want to have what you have-- Ack! Shit! Ouch! Not like that! Not like that! That's not what I meant! OW! STOP! STOP! STOP!"

"One last chance or I'll tell Matthew--"

"AH-- I uhh… Umm--"

"Don't tell me… No… I thought-- Are you still a v--"

"What?! No! It's just--"

"Do you have ED?"

"Hah?"

"Erectile Dysfunction."

"That doesn't tell me any-- What does it--"

"It means you can't get it up--"

"WHAT?! I'M NOT AN OLD COOT!"

"Then what's the problem-- Oh~ That."

"Y-Yeah… That..."

"I can't help you with 'that'..."

"What?! You gotta have some secret, bro! You can't just-- Hmmrgh!"

"Say it out loud and I'll cut your fucking dick off with a mortar and pestle--"

"That doesn't even make sense! C'mon! Just give me something to work on here!"

I shook my head, "You're already doing it though..."

"Huh? We're just talking-- It's talking?"

"Yep. One of them, at least. It's not gonna help you with your problem but it's gonna help you with other stuff. Just learn what she wants and like the old saying goes: ladies first. It's okay if you go first sometimes but you got to have extra mags if you know what I mean--"

"But I-- Let's just say that I… I reload like an old fucking musket and shit..."

"That couldn't be solved in a conversation. You know, you gotta do drills with it to shave a few seconds off-- That's not the right analogy but you get my point, right?"

"Hah?"

"I can't believe I'm talking about this shit with you… You owe me big time after this, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah~ You said it's only one of them… What's the other shit?" Lois was already writing on his notepad.