Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

The cold breeze was blowing but the moon was illuminating everything from our side. There were beautiful lights by the pool area but nothing could beat the one shining down on us. However, I couldn't explain the sadness in Tatiana's expression once the moonlight shone on her face. I could only stay quiet and listen as she told me the story of where those tattoos came from.

"I… I was born inside a prison… in one of the cold cells where a criminal was put to… 'think' about the wrong things they've done. With that said, I was also taken care of inside those walls right until my mother died inside. I didn't know who my father is so they just send me to a next of kin somewhere outside. I was at a… very tender aga back then and that's when I discovered that life's truly unfair..."

"W-What happened?"

Tatiana took another swig before answering, "The next of kin I've been sent to wasn't really that… you know… up in society and they needed some money. Even more when they got a young girl like me to take care of. I was ordered to do hard jobs all around town just to feed myself but it got worse when… when… when they sold me for… you know… pleasure. When it first happened, I was unsuspecting and I just thought I'd be cleaning a house..."

"I tried to run away but they were too fast for me, and when I tried to fight back… it just made things worse. I was beaten senseless and I was put in more pain than I could imagine and endure the first time it happened to me… They took turns on me and it felt like they had their way with me for hours and hours… I wasn't sure when it stopped hurting but I couldn't feel everything else anymore… I… I just shut down..."

"I'm sorry… I think we should-"

She waved me off to stop as she continued, "Don't worry about me, I can handle it. Besides, I felt like I needed to get this off my chest… A-Anyway… when they were done… I think one of their maids took care of me and cleaned up the tears, blood, and you know… everything else that I was covered in… I still can't move my whole body at that time but I was sent home with wads of cash that made my relatives really happy… too happy…"

I shook my head, "Don't tell me..."

"Well, it seemed that what they gave me was more than what they all made in a year. Why not let the defenseless girl who just got her innocence taken away from her be their fucking breadwinner? I got sent to different places each night and I'll just come home tomorrow morning with more cash that I'd never get to even touch. I thought it wouldn't get any worse than that until they started taking turns on me as well..."

"The only time I'd get breaks is if I'm sick but they'll still feed me the same goop they serve me every single day. If I refused to eat it, they wouldn't feed me till the next and I'll be lucky if my 'clients' even bothered to share a meal with me before or after. Feeling extreme hunger enough to look forward to getting sent to another house to get violated was something I didn't expect to experience as a kid..."

"Some of them are nice, some of them are not, but in the end, they're all bastards that should get shot in the head... It happened for a few more years until I decided for everything to stop. One night, after the deed was done… I managed to get ahold of my current client's revolver when he was sleeping. I had a general idea of how to use it so I just pointed it to his head and I pulled the trigger… Best night of my life..."

I joked to lighten her up a little, "You should've shot his dick first. Make him suffer and let him bleed for a while..."

Tatiana chuckled, "Hah! I should've! I should've… well… his head blew to a million pieces, the rest of it were on his stinky pillow, and the whole neighborhood woke up right after..."

"What happened next?! Please tell me they were all rounded up and..." I was looking at her smiling expression but it soon turned solemn almost immediately, making me trail my last sentence.

Tatiana's face got bitter, "I thought that too at first but when the cops arrived… they sent me to prison..."

I got confused but it turned to anger, "Wait, What?! T-Tell me you're kidding… To say the least, they should've sent you to a center for minors, right?! Right?! What the fuck?! Is the mob in control of the police force or- I don't fucking get it!"

Tatiana sighed heavily before drinking a few more sips from her bottle. She seemed to be controlling her breathing but it didn't take long before she drank more and more, almost finishing it completely.

"I wasn't really sure about what happened but it was a different case for me. The bastard I killed might've some connections or whatnot because there was little to no investigation that occurred. They just pushed that I was just a petite prostitute that killed her 'employer' just because I was a little too tall for my age. My 'relatives' even told the cops I was missing and ran away from home and they easily believed them after a quick exchange of cash..."

"I had no one in my back and I was tried as an adult for murder. Even if I'm still a minor, apparently, doing something illegal was an exception. I couldn't even understand the terms they were telling me and even my designated lawyer got too handsy and told me he would give me the best defense as long as I open my legs for him. In short, after stomping on that fucking lawyer's balls over and over, I was sent to prison the same exact day."

I shook my head even more, "That's fucked up… seriously fucked up..."

"I was so mad and enraged at everyone for experiencing something like that. My head got so warped I just started blaming everyone around me even if they're not the ones that did those things to me. With that said, that was when I got the first tattoo… my new friends in my cell heard my story and believed me. They discovered my real age and I was branded with the tattoo of a rose and a dagger intertwined…"

"That's why it was roughly sketched..."

"Honestly… I was surprised you know the meaning behind it because it means different outside. Only prison tattoo's from my country only had that if I remember correctly…"

"Yeah… I just read about an article about that once..."

"Right… right..."

"And when did you get the second one? Did you start a riot or break out from prison?"

Tatiana chuckled, "Hah! That would've been nice! I got my other tattoo when the cop who arrested me paid me a visit only a couple of days after I got imprisoned. You see, I was still pleading that I was innocent but he just scoffed and had the gall to say that I was a lying cunt and was never abused… He said that I liked it so much but before he managed to say more, I found the strength to leap towards him and smash his head on the table..."

"His buddies instantly beat me up and I was sent to isolation, increasing my sentence for assaulting a correctional officer… Right when I left isolation, I was warmly welcomed by my criminal friends but before assaulting that officer, I was actually innocent. Nevertheless, that's when I got my second tattoo that had a skull baring its sharp fangs… I really thought I'd be rotting in prison but someone saved me..."

"Yeah? Can I ask who?"

"Hmm~ I won't tell you her name but she's a college student studying law."

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah… She was making a dissertation of some sort and she just came upon me while doing her research. I'm really not sure how it happened but she managed to free me after five years."

"Five years? That's still a lot of time..." I said.

"Hmm, a small price to pay for another chance… I thought I was a goner but someone saved me from nowhere… In those five years, she continuously visited me and she even thought me how to read and write… something I should've been taught when I was much younger… She was really smart and I felt safe when I was with her… In that time frame, I even managed to get my high school diploma… pretty cool, correct?"

I smiled faintly, "That's so cool… what happened after that though? Between you two?"

"Oh… U-Umm… We were still in contact and I asked for a huge favor, joining the army."

"Right… Because of your record, you wouldn't be allowed to serve. Ah- before you ask, I've read about that too..." I scratched my head while smiling embarrassedly.

Tatiana chuckled once more, "Of course, of course. Well, she already graduated at that time and she easily showed and gave me what the best defense is really like. My record was eventually wiped clean and my relatives and all the other people involved were jailed. If I wanted to make a difference… that's the best place I could think of with my abilities. Besides, the benefits are good and I'm plenty strong if I could say so myself."

"Yeah… you could beat anyone here except me..." I joked.

"Hah! We'll see about that. Anyway, she… she eventually got married but she would send me letters from time to time… With that said, I think she's the first person I grew genuine feelings for… Hmm~ I think I shared most of what we wagered… I don't know… it's kinda fun talking to you… Nevermind~ I'm free of the wager, correct?"

"Of course. Thanks for telling me your story. I'd be sure to keep it between us until you decide not to."

"Thanks for listening… Hmm~ It's weird, telling it to someone else makes me feel really light..."

"Yeah, it feels like a huge weight got off your chest. I ah… did something like that very recently. It feels… well, you know how it feels."

Tatiana just chuckled before she finished her bottle completely. I was sure she was looking for more to drink but she just held the bottle in her hands before placing it on the far side of the wall. We were silent for a while but she instantly went back to her usual self.

Tatiana turned to me, "Hey..."

"Hmm?"

"Wanna fuck?"

I almost choked to death, "ACK- GRCK! KA! K-KA! Tatiana… please..."

Tatiana started laughing, "You won't even consider?"

"Tatiana… I told you, I already have Kaley... Wait a sec, I thought you were with Rin?"

"Well… I spent some time with her but you know… we're still free to look elsewhere. Aside from that… Rin… she still hasn't done it with anyone. I was surprised she did it with me but she was so nervous we just kissed for the most part and you know… touched some places and kissed even lower… much lower..."

"Y-Yeah… could you please spare me the details? It's hot or rousing to hear it but… you know… saying what happens under the bed with someone not involved is a little..."

"Very well, I understand. I'll only tell it to you if you ask me, correct? Like me tending to your needs if you require, even if it's sexual. I'll just remind you, the only thing you'd need to do is ask me. Just please don't worry about my past... I'm already over it and I'm just like this because I wanted to do it willingly… not like before."

I scratched my head helplessly, "Y-Yeah… sure..."

Looking at Tatiana now, after all the things she had been through, I got to thinking to myself.

'I'm sure she's half-joking about having me for a night but why does having a dark, fucked up, or weird sense of humor would almost always be from people who suffered something traumatic before? I do it because that's how I cope but her situation is vastly different from mine… Bah! I'm not a shrink! I'm not the best one to figure out this kind of stuff!'

Tatiana was just about to excuse herself to fetch another bottle but we saw Kaley just wobbling over to us, carrying a plate of food and a couple bottles of beer. She was looking a bit tipsier than earlier so we immediately helped her and guided her up the catwalk. We shared the food on her plate but surprisingly, Tatiana went for a bottle first. She offered me one of them and I took a sip before sharing it with Kaley.

Time continued to pass and our small celebration came to a close. Furthermore, even from our noise, no deadheads appeared from the other side of the fence.

The families who came for our party were escorted back by my people who didn't drink while the others started cleaning up. At the same time, the people who were assigned for watch duty relieved us and I discovered I was on the 12:00 MN slot while Tatiana was on the 3:00 AM slot. With that said, I discovered that Alex, Arthur, Jonathan, and Esther volunteered before they were escorted back and they would just change clothes before their schedule.

'That's a start...'

After a short while, I helped Kaley up my room and I saw that Olivia was waiting by the door to my room with Rin and Tatiana. It was then that I remembered that I promised that we would watch a movie later, showing Tatiana where I got the little trick from assembling my guns earlier. It was a movie by Jackie Chan and the title was: The New Police Story. We played it in its entirety and when Tatiana saw something familiar in the ending, she shook her head in disbelief.

Tatiana laughed weakly, "Hahaha… of course… a movie..."

I chuckled, "Well, I beat you. That's what matters, correct?"

"You..."

Kaley and the rest started laughing when I copied Tatiana's ending words but she was still in disbelief. It became slightly chaotic when she kissed Rin in front of everyone and Olivia, finally knowing to spot the obvious, was red in the face as she was looking at them. In the end, Olivia decided that she would just sleep alone for tonight while Rin and Tatiana could have some privacy.

The three eventually excused themselves and I discovered that Kaley was already fast asleep.

I looked at my watch and thought to myself, 'Hmm, I could sleep for a bit...'

I turned the TV off and set an alarm before turning the lights off and laying right next to Kaley. I just held her tight as I wrapped my arms around her but she eventually turned around and did the same thing to me. She still kinda smelled like beer but her hair smelled great and her body was soft and warm. It didn't take long before I fell asleep and I just suddenly came to my senses when my alarm was ringing.

Kaley was still soundly sleeping but she removed herself from me and turned the other way when my alarm rang. I just chuckled from seeing her drowsy-frustrated look before getting ready and heading down to relieve the ones before me.

The group I relieved was composed of Nicole, Alicia, and Esther, and the group I would be watching the gate with were Chris and Jonathan. We just greeted each other when they followed right after and we just continued what the others left for us. Small talks along with deep ones just lingered in the air along with the rising steam from our cups of coffee. Like earlier, the night was peaceful and the only thing worth noting was the DDR Camp in the distance.

Aside from their lights as bright as the moon, helicopters would frequent the place every hour or so.

'I wonder what they're doing over there...'

It didn't take long for our watch to end, and we were relieved with the group where Tatiana was in. We just exchanged the same greeting as earlier and I just walked back to my room and laid on my bed. I continued to sleep while I was hugging Kaley from behind but when I woke up, our positions were swapped. She was now the one hugging me from behind and she was holding me tightly.

I tried to get up by slowly prying myself off of her but I was pulled back to the same position.

'What the-'

Day 6

I heard from behind, "Morning."

"Morning... I thought you were asleep."

"For a bit, yes. I'm just watching you sleep while I'm hugging you… you smell really nice..."

I chuckled as I turned around, "You're weird, you know that?"

"Really~ Compared to you?"

"Hah! Well, you got me there. It's almost 6:00 AM, wanna head down?"

"Hmm~ Wanna do something quick first?" Kaley just placed my hand on top of her chest while she grabbed my crotch over my clothes.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Well~ no."

Kaley just giggled before she gave me a kiss and we did a couple of rounds with each other. It was a refreshing morning even in the shower but we eventually went down after getting dressed. A simple breakfast was prepared but our people were more concerned about getting coffee.

Most of them were still a little hungover though Tatiana and Oscar weren't even fazed one bit. Arthur and Andrew's families were present as well and we eventually ate breakfast. Casual conversation was exchanged but Oscar was just waiting for me to finish eating. Once I did, he got up from his seat and approached me.

"What's the plan today, kid?"