Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

After a short discussion about the markings, we decided to continue with our tasks. We approached the two gated areas linked to each other but we stopped at the nearest one first to scan around.

The main difference between these two gated areas was that the nearest one to us only had two houses built on it. If you enter the gate, you would initially see the windows aside from the door which was located on the left side. Aside from the door on the left side was a passage that would lead to the last house after a short walk.

This time, I made Kaley and Jared watch outside while I made Mark and Dong accompany me from behind.

Surprisingly, the first gate of the two wasn't locked. I carefully opened it by lifting the lever and slowly crept to the small gate that was linking the two gated areas together. The small gate was left open so I quietly pulled it back and locked it by using the bolt and adding in a small padlock.

Before we even took another step, we heard a man's voice.

"Ivan?! Ivan?! Is that you?! No- Who's there?!" the man shouted.

The group looked at me but I replied to the slightly familiar voice.

"No, this is Sky. I live a few gates back in the large compound." I replied.

"Sky? What are you doing here? I thought everyone was at the camps. Have you seen Ivan?" the voice asked.

"We haven't seen Ivan though, sorry. We stayed in our compound and we're patrolling to check on other people. Is this Derek?" I replied.

"Yeah, this is Derek. Wait a sec, I'll come down so we could talk much better." Derek said.

A few moments later, we heard a few locks clicking and the door on the left side opened for us. When Derek laid his eyes on us, he was surprised but he still glanced outside the gate to check for Ivan.

"You weren't kidding when you said you were patrolling, guns and all. Anyway, come in. My family and Ivan's family are the only ones in here. We wanted to go to the DDR Camps, but we have a baby here, it would be difficult for one to live in cramped spaces." Derek mentioned.

I was the only one that had stepped foot inside and I saw the rest of Derek's family with another woman that seemed to be Ivan's wife, carrying a baby covered with blankets. They were curiously looking at me but I promptly introduced myself.

I vaguely knew the rest of them but with a few light conversations with Derek in the past, I at least knew their names. Derek's wife, daughter, and son's names were Julia, Demi, and Jun respectively. Derek and Julia seemed to be the same age, Demi was a bit older than Olivia, and Jun was young as young goes.

On the other hand, the other woman was Clara and she was Ivan's wife. Her baby's name was Angelo but I couldn't make out his features because of the distance and the blankets. I didn't put it to mind and I went back to the topic at hand.

"Do you have any idea where Ivan went though?" I asked.

"He went out yesterday afternoon after the broadcast to grab their baby some medicine for fever. He told us not to leave this house and he will be back soon but he never came back since." Derek replied.

Clara was listening in to our conversation and she was trying her best to contain her anger from not knowing her husband's whereabouts. However, I was the only one that noticed her glaring at Demi when she tried to carry Angelo for her. Demi was taken aback but she didn't say anything on that matter as she went back to her little brother's side to make him stop making a mess.

"Since yesterday? Could he have come to the DDR Camp?" I inquired.

"No, he wouldn't, as far as I know. Clara is still here with Angelo. He wouldn't dare to leave them and us alone." Derek replied, taken aback by what I said.

"What I meant was he could've come to that place to get some instead. The pharmacies might be full of people so he trie some other way." I clarified.

"That could be true but he still wasn't here. We're worried that he got held up or something… something might've happened." Derek said with a solemn expression.

It seemed that even Julia had the same idea but I said, "Mark, can you switch with Kaley for a minute? She could check the Angelo while we're here."

"You got a doctor with you?! Please! By all means!" Derek exclaimed.

"N-No, she knows a bit but-" I was about to clarify that Kaley had basic training but I was cut off.

"Please check him! I don't know what to do! The medicine the doctor prescribed to us won't work and he's been restless since yesterday!" Clara immediately cut into the conversation when she heard that we could help her.

As Mark was switching with Kaley, I then looked at Clara while she was still lulling the baby to sleep. She was slowly swaying back and forth but I noticed the baby was covered from head to toe a little too much. I was about to say that doing that would only make the fever worse but I saw the baby's foot leave the covers.

From this distance, I could only see the foot up to the thigh.

'Fuck...' I muttered to myself.

When Kaley arrived and was about to take a look at Angelo, I placed my hand in front of her.

"Wait." I said with a cold tone as I looked at Kaley's confused expression.

"W-Why? That baby had a fever since yesterday!" Kaley retorted as she looked at me.

"Please! Check on him! We don't know what's wrong!" Clara bellowed.

"What are you doing?! Do you want payment?! It's a baby for christ's sake!" Derek shouted.

I looked at Clara dead in the eye and I tightly held Kaley's wrist, "Remove the covers first. He's already infected, right?"

A wave of cold air hit the room as I said those words. I never broke eye contact and her face started to lose composure bit by bit. Clara just started sobbing uncontrollably as her knees touched the ground. She was biting her lip until it bled and she started pleading her son's case.

"P-Please, p-please… I'll do anything! I'll do anything! H-H-Help him! Please!" Clara cried out.

"Wait, w-what?! Clara?!" Julia exclaimed.

"W-What's wrong w-with Angelo, m-mom?" Jun said as he pulled on Julia's skirt, afraid.

Most of them were still confused but everyone was shocked when the blanket covering Angelo came loose.

The little figure on Clara's arms was very discolored and black veins were visible all over its body. Its body was twitching in different directions as its jaws were moving up and down. Demi screamed her heart out when she saw the figure's state while Jun ran to his mom's back. Julia was speechless the same as Derek but tears were coming out of her eyes.

Clara just sat there holding the baby while profusely asking us to help it.

"PLEASE! HELP HIM! I'LL DO ANYTHING! I'LL DO ANYTHING!" Clara pleaded once more.

This was one of the times I wanted to help them but the nightmare wasn't over.

I noticed a dark-red mark on her chest as she lifted the little figure towards us. Kaley saw what I saw but we never got to tell everyone. Derek's face was a mess as he immediately pulled his family away from Clara when she tried to approach them. Tears also came out of his eyes but there was more anger compared to his wife's expression.

"HOW LONG?! CLARA, HOW FUCKING LONG?! WE COULD'VE BEEN INFECTED?! DID YOU THINK ABOUT MY KIDS?! MY WIFE?! ME?! IS THAT WHY YOU LOCKED YOURSELF IN YOUR ROOM?! IS THAT WHY IVAN DIDN'T RETURN?! HUH?! YOU SHOULD'VE TOLD US?! FUCKING ANSWER ME!" Derek bellowed.

"I-I-I'm sorry~! I-I d-didn't k-know- I'm- I- forgive-" Clara couldn't explain herself properly.

Derek was close to hitting her and Julia immediately dragged her kids outside the gate. I told them to stay close to Mark and Jared but she was more busy making her kids stop crying. The two heard everything but all they could do for now was keep them safe.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Is there anything we can do?!" Derek turned to me.

I shook my head and drew my blade.

"Oh my god! You aren't!" Kaley shouted at me.

Derek hung his head low and was unable to do anything. Dong was silent the whole time but his hands were trembling nonstop.

Tears were flowing from Kaley's eyes and I was just wearing a difficult expression. I thought she would stop me but she didn't. We both knew the only way to do it and I was the one tasked with it.

"I'm sorry... this is the only way. Finding a cure or a vaccine now is just impossible. It could take years to develop one. What we could do now is… contain it." I muttered.

"No! Please! He's just a baby! He's just a baby!" Clara pleaded.

I gave a bitter smile as I thought to myself, 'If only that was the case…'

"I'm talking about… both of you... it's only a matter of time." I said with a difficult expression.

"Hold on, wait a damn second! What do you mean?! Both- WHAT?!" Derek was flabbergasted and the only person that knew what I was talking about was Kaley.

"She's i-infected too... when she was breastfeeding h-him, he must've bitten her while- while she was nursing him..." Kaley said bitterly.

It was at that moment Clara broke down and almost lost sanity. However, what I didn't notice was Julia was behind us.

"What?" Julia muttered before turning pale.

"JULIA!" Derek screamed as he ran outside.

Julia seemed to have heard the conversation as she almost fell on the ground. Derek saw his wife losing strength and went after her.

"What do we do now, Boss?" Dong mentioned as he looked at me and Kaley.

"I'll handle it. Kaley, go to them first." I replied with a solemn expression.

I went inside the house as I closed the door behind me.

Clara was in a fetal position while holding the baby in her arms. She was crying nonstop and seemed to be speaking to her child in a hushed tone. She was trembling nonstop as the little one was trying to wriggle out of her arms.

"I'm sorry." I whispered as I sunk the blade at Clara's head.

Clara fell to the side as her baby was still clutched by her arms. Tears were on the side of her face as she drew her last breath. I saw a portion of her neck and her chest and a few dark veins had started to appear. I pulled my blade out of her head but I still wasn't done.

The little, discolored figure was struggling to get out of her embrace but I just pointed my blade to the side of its ear and pushed a few inches.

The slow flail immediately stopped as I pulled the blade from its head. I felt a familiar sensation, like something leaving your body but it felt heavier. I gave a long and drawn out sigh as I saw what I did.

'It's the right thing to do… it's the right thing to do...' I thought to myself.

I grabbed a blanket to cover them and I also used it to wipe the blood on the blade.

Derek's family was a mess outside as he was trying to calm and comfort them. It took them a while and even Kaley sat down with Demi and Jun to talk about what happened.

They saw me walk outside and all of them were just looking at me solemnly.

The timing wasn't right but I asked them to move into our compound where it was safer. However, they didn't think too long and immediately agreed. I asked Mark and Dong to help them pack but it was mostly for moving the bodies away from their sight.

Kaley and Jared came with me to the last house at the end of the walkway. No one was making a sound but Kaley placed her hand on my shoulder before I tried to check the door.

"Hey… a-are you okay?" Kaley looked me in the eye and Jared was looking at me solemnly.

I just nodded a few times and we continued to finish our job.