Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't know how to use any weapons. I'm just fascinated with all of them so I read about them in my spare time." Rin explained.

"That's too bad. Well, anyone can't always be a fighter, can they? That would be too easy." I thought to myself.

"Hmm, do you want to start learning though? I could teach a bo class though I'm not that great at it compared to single-edged swords like my katana." I said.

"What's a bo?" Kaley asked.

"Oh, It's a staff." Rin replied.

"Wait, it's different from a polearm, right? Why would you teach her how to use a staff then?" Kaley asked.

"It's the most versatile weapon actually. It's similar when using a shorter stick, the only difference with it is that you use it with both hands. It could be used for anything. It can slice, chop, sweep, thrust, smash, and etc." I explained.

The two were now giving me confused expressions.

"Hmm, how do I explain it correctly… Basically, you could perform the movements of different types of weapons by using a staff or a stick. However, the lethality is reduced since you know… it's just a staff. It could build a foundation for which you want to specialize though. For example, the main use of a spear is piercing, a naginata is mainly for slashing, etc. Similar to an axe and a machete." I tried to explain it as best I could.

"But you could still perform the other movements from using other weapons too, right?" Kaley asked.

"Sure, you could. But it would be more difficult to use since it's intended use for it is not being utilized properly. Like using a Kukri for a thrust since the tip is heavy, it would be harder to perform it. Let's just say that it could be used to test affinity. Like if you're more comfortable in a certain movement. You can find out what weapon is more suited to you if you practice with something that could do everything. Well, some people never moved away from the staff and mastered them, those that have done that are awesome as well since they have grasped every movement of a weapon well." I replied.

"Hmm, I think I'll try to do that on the next lesson…" Rin said.

"Anyway, just continue on attending our CCW class and we'll find someone suitable for the guandao. Kaley might be first in line since she's experienced in two-handed rods." I teased.

Rin gave a chuckle while Kaley shook her head in embarrassment.

Olivia came in and she saw us eating.

"Hey! You're eating Sky's cooking without telling me!" Olivia exclaimed.

"You won't like this, trust me." Kaley said.

"B-but it looks good…" Olivia replied.

"Then try it then, remember that I warned you." Kaley said, grinning.

"Okay…" Olivia said as she took a bite.

*chomp*

We three looked at her relaxed expression slowly changing to fear.

"Hey, you good?" I asked.

"It's g-good, b-but w-why is it s-spicy?" Olivia stuttered while she hiccupped a few times.

"I told you, you won't like it since you place every topping you see on the food, hahahaha!" Kaley almost cackled.

"W-W-Water please!" Olivia exclaimed while she blew some air from her lips.

I headed to the refrigerator and I poured her a glass of milk.

"Try this, it will be better than water. Swish it in your mouth so the heat will be contained for a bit." I said as I handed her the glass.

Olivia drank a mouthful and she swished the milk in her mouth. I could see a single tear in her eye that is about to fall down but it never did.

"She's not that good on spicy stuff huh?" I thought to myself.

"Learned your lesson now? I told you before that putting every topping you see won't make it taste good." Kaley said.

"But that was a different case! We were eating ice cream and there's a huge pile of toppings to be put on!" Olivia snapped.

"Speaking of that, we have a lot of those in the freezers below. Want me to grab you a tub?" I asked.

"Right! The one we got from the first run." Kaley said.

"It's a weird combination though, fish and ice cream..." Olivia said.

"Hah! We're not gonna mush them together okay? It's just for desserts to remove the fishy taste in our mouth." I explained.

I grabbed a small tub of strawberry-flavored ice cream and Kaley brought out a few cups. We were eating a cup of it when I saw the gate open. I saw my truck entering though there was another vehicle that was parked outside. Oscar was with Jay and they brought another truck that had stainless steel beams on its sidings. That kind of truck was used mostly for animals and it did contain six cows and two calves.

"See this kid?! Bahahaha!!!" Oscar exclaimed.

"Damn! Where did you find them?!" I was surprised.

"Jay pointed us to the butcher shop where he used to buy his meat products for their small restaurant. He remembered that there were farm animals there and we found a truck to place the cows we found inside the barn! One of the cows is pregnant too!" Oscar smiled.

I patted Jay on the back and said, "This is a great find, we could place them near the court since there is a plot of land there at the back of the stage."

We called Derek over and he was happy seeing more animals to be taken care of. He seems to have something in his mind and he spoke.

"Hey, since everything here is secure now, we decided to move back to our old house. I'll still take care of the animals from this compound and the other ones outside. Is that okay?" Derek asked.

"That's okay. It's a first come first served basis on the houses now. Better get back to your old place where it's comfortable. Is your family okay with it though? Considering what happened there?" I asked.

"We talked about it last night and they all agreed. The kids would want to have their own rooms back and me and my wife could have some more privacy." Derek said as he scratched his head.

"Hah! Miss the 'cuddling' eh?" Oscar said while heartily laughing.

"Okay then, no problems." I said.

We concluded the conversation and the truck went to the court. Derek borrowed a few 2x2s and a few feet of rope so he could lead and place the cows in the court later since there was a small plot of land there where they could graze temporarily.

The broadcast was about to start so we gathered in the living room.

The president was in his usual combat gear and even though he was about the same age as Oscar, you could see him full of vigor.

"Greetings, we're going strong in our 2nd week, don't we?" the president said.

"Davao City will be reclaimed in a few weeks. We're slowly creeping on the 50% mark and if we managed to reach 100%, we'll start on building a huge wall around and it so we could have a city that we could say that's ours!" he exclaimed proudly.

"Think we could do that kid?" Oscar said.

"With our people? It would probably take a few months. This barangay? If I could rope in the soldiers at the DDR camp next to us, a month would be possible." I said confidently.

"Hah! We could bargain with him to lend us his troops in exchange for the information that you have." Oscar said.

"No, we just give the information out. I'd be happy if he gives us one of those jeeps with the .50 Cal attached to it though." I said as he nodded and was mulling about something.

The broadcast continued, "The power for your houses will last for a few more days before it gets cut off eventually. We'll prioritize the resources for this city first and the DDR camps across the country. I suggest to get your hands on a generator and some gas to power your house if you're not in one of them. Conserve it and start to use other lighting alternatives. Take care not to burn your house when you do and keep safe. Starting this day, the broadcasts will be changing its timeslot from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. We're still standing strong and I guarantee that all of us will survive this and rebuild again!"

I almost cringed at the end because of the cheesy line. The broadcast ended and we were once again staring at ourselves in the reflection of the TV.

"Power is gonna go out at the end of the week. Kid, we need to have more solar panels in this place to power-up the other houses." Oscar said.

"I agree, we could get a lot from the depot and a few more construction materials. Going on the other side of the highway, there is a place there where we bought our solar generators which is close to the place where they sell water tanks. We should go to those places tomorrow to install a tank in each house. The water is not running out soon but we need to have a huge stock before it gets cut off as well." I said.

"But they said before that they will be protecting the dams, right?" Jared asked.

"They did, but we would never know for how long they could. Well, it would just keep running on its own but we need to secure our own backup source too." I explained.

"Are we sure that what we're drinking is clean?" Kaley inquired.