Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

"Is there something wrong with this kid? You seem to not want your daughter to be with him. I heard from the people here that he actually saved her from the airport, right? He built this place with Oscar too and he's running this place really well. You've been here just yesterday but it would make you want to protect this place. I always see him keeping her close to keep her safe. He has his eccentricities but he's definitely a good match for anyone." Johnny said with a solemn expression.

"No offense, but you wouldn't understand since you only have a son." Matthew replied bluntly.

"..." Jay was silent but listening intently.

"Well, I'm just saying what I think. However, let me end on this then, I may not have a daughter but I got grandkids. Let me tell you, the first time you hold them in your arms is indescribable. It's... it's... I can't find the words since it really is indescribable." Johnny helplessly smiled.

"Umm, can I ask the two of you who had kids then? How do you prepare for that?" Jay asked the two.

"You don't." The two answered at the same time.

"Huh?" Jay said in confusion. I glanced at the two as well.

"Let me explain my side. You never really could prepare for that. Well, you can try but you'll never really be able to prepare for the whole thing. Every single day you would learn new stuff about how to take care of your kid and how precious they are. My wife did all the work though since I was deployed but I was there for a few months. All I could say is if you really want to have kids, have them now if you both wished it. The sense of responsibility would naturally come to you and you'd do everything you could to give what's best for them. A simple smile from them would wipe away any fatigue or stress that you're feeling. Well, that's my experience. I'm afraid I couldn't say the same for everybody." Johnny said after drinking a sip of coffee. He took in the aroma and he gave a long sigh.

"When Kaley was born, I was still in the mountains. I was trying to take the perfect shot of a bird that I found and it took me a few days to get satisfied. I was off-grid too when my wife gave birth so I came home and no one was there. I called my wife but a nurse answered it and I immediately rushed to the hospital while I'm still smelling like damp grass and soil. The first time I laid my eyes on my daughter I instinctively shot a picture. From a technical standpoint, it is one of the worst shots that I ever took but to me, that was the final shot that I was looking for. I never really was ready for it but seeing her there with my wife place a great sense of responsibility to my shoulders. I can't really explain it but it's the same with you when you said that you felt that you'd do everything." Matthew said earnestly.

Jay and I listened intently at the two.

"My wife and I have really been thinking of having a baby but we always second guess ourselves if we could really pull it off. I'll put your words at heart in the future if we decided." Jay said.

"I think I agree with both of you guys but we need to consider the state we are in now. This is something very new to us and I think having kids right this time where we're not yet sure in how this thing plays out is a bit dangerous in my opinion. Maybe when we got a proper foothold on this thing or something. Matthew, if Kaley and I-" I was about to say something but he cut me off.

"Nope! That will never happen! I'm not listening! LA! LA! LA! LA! LA! LA!" Matthew shouted to drown the sound.

"A stubborn guy indeed. I really need to pull my sleeves on this guy." I said to myself while Jay and Johnny once again gave helpless smiles.

"Hah! Nevermind then, it's a nice story that you two told us. Your shouting actually attracted a few, just sit down there and let me handle it." I said as I jumped down the other side and I drew my katana. There were four zombies outside the fence so I quickly dispatched them.

I simply thrust the katana in the gaps available and they fell like ragdolls one by one. I dragged them to the corner where we burn them while Johnny was giving me cover. I never burned them there yet because a group would be clearing a few of them when the morning comes. I went back to the wall and pulled myself up with the rope. I once again sat like a cat on top of it.

"You're like a ninja or something you know that?" Jay said.

"Thanks!" I replied.

"You're really good at everything, aren't you?" Johnny said.

"Somewhat. I just dabbled on a lot of things. I'm very good at this thing here the most though much less in this." I said as I tapped my temple and then to my chest.

"Really? I think you most of all have figured this thing out." Jay remarked.

"Well, things have happened before that made me who I am. I can wish that didn't ever happen but I wouldn't be me now if it never did. If it never happened, I'd be one of the people immediately dead and roaming around like a sack of flesh." I said solemnly.

"..." Matthew was even more silent now since he knew my story.

*CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG*

The fence shook violently and we were startled. We immediately drew our weapons looked at the fence. The fence had bits of flesh on our side but the bloody figures were still on the other side. Their flesh was carved a pattern like the chain-linked fence carved and it was a horrid sight. The patter was made violently because they rammed it with full force.

"What the fuck are those?" Matthew asked.

"We call them sprinters. They always run at full speed when they notice something. Good thing Unc Zeidrick fortified the gate and it didn't fall off when they crashed into it." I said.

The sprinters now had their hands on the fence and one was slowly trying to climb over it. The rest slowly followed but they never managed to. They fell and they were just staring at us, snarling and trying to shake the fence off. We went down and shone out flashlights behind them to see if more were coming. I observed the three after finding nothing then Johnny took care of the one that was closest to him.

*shhck*

"What are you looking at them for? We kill these things if they are close." Johnny said.

"Yeah, just checking if we could find out more about these things." I replied.

"They just run fast, right? They're probably not the irregular ones that Oscar talked about before." Jay added.

"No, we could find a lot about a person or a zombie just by observing them. Look at this female zombie wearing a uniform for 'Romantic Pigs' weird, right? This guy that you killed is from Meycauayan, he's wearing a school uniform for the college there." I explained.

"How is that weird?" Matthew asked.

"The guy I'm talking about is from a college in the Bulacan Area while that lady is from a Korean place in Karuhatan. Karuhatan is way past South Supermarket where I picked Allan at... Let's kill them first before more come." I said as we easily disposed of them.

When we get back to the catwalk, I continued.

"Those are from different places and they converged here." I said.

"Is it the head?" Johnny asked.

"Impossible, why would it go here if the head is at my old house?" I explained.

"Then why did they meet up and come here?" Jay asked.

"I dunno." I replied innocently.

"..." the three.

"I don't know everything you know. I just find it weird, not everything could be explained by their uniforms. They could just be eating in that place where it happened or something." I said helplessly.

"Then don't sound all mysterious then!" Matthew exclaimed.

"They came here because of you, alright? If you kept on shouting in the early morning, you'd attract more than normal." I said, joking.

"Huh? Why?" he asked, oblivious to my joke.

"Everything is much quieter at this time, right? Our noise would travel much further if we made a lot of noise when everything else outside is quiet." I said.

We talked for a while until the sun rose up and our stomachs grumbled from the smell of the food being cooked. I started to wake everyone in my house since it was about time to eat. Before I left, the group at the catwalk handed me the guns that they used for watching the gate. I headed to my room to place them back and I saw that Kaley was still asleep. I placed the guns back to their proper place after making sure that there was no round in the chamber. I stretched my body and turned the lights off for the armory.

Closing the armory's door woke Kaley up and she was sitting on the bed, rubbing her eyes. Her clothes were slightly loose so her chest area showed a deep ravine where I can't see the bottom.

"Tatiana's training is really paying off and results are quickly showing. Her body is more toned and her leg muscles are slowly taking shape. Well, she's really fit before, the foundation was already there." I thought to myself.

Kaley's head propped up and she saw me staring at her.

"Like the view?" she teased after looking at her own chest.

"Hmm, I don't know yet. You see, there's still some fabric blocking all of it. The face is beautiful as always though, I could look at you for hours." I said with a smile.

"Mm-hmm? Come here." Kaley tilted her head while smiling brightly.