Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

Unintelligible scream after unintelligible scream followed from the other side of the radio but since Lois was already there, I decided it was best to make him take one more shift. He was one of the best shooters in our household but he had to put more hours outside.

I just chuckled and shook my head before I set my radio aside, but I noticed that Marisha and Sheila were making their way towards me. On the other hand, Kaley glanced at me for a brief second before she got busy taking care of Amy.

I first thought that Sheila would apologize to us for wasting the food we prepared for her but to my surprise, Marisha asked the cooks to give us a moment.

The cooks were confused at first but we eventually sent them off with our eyes so the two could talk to me in private.

I thought it would be a Charlotte moment but it wasn't.

My gut started to churn as Marisha looked at me with a somber expression but I just drooped my head low once she started to relay her message. Furthermore, the way Sheila was looking right now was completely different from the way she was like earlier. She started to cry once it was her turn to speak and the feeling I thought I forgot for the moment was brought back violently with each word that went in my ears.

'We just got fucking home...'

Almost immediately, my consciousness lapsed and I just found myself making my way to my Charger. And once consciousness lapsed for a second time, I was already driving in Iskoh's territory.

My radio kept buzzing for the longest time but I turned it off before my consciousness lapsed once more.

The moment I got hold of my senses, my hands were already covered in blood.

I found myself in a cell block where Mrs. Aguilar and her group were being detained, but they were by my feet and barely recognizable. I could hear their faint groans tickling my ear but it seemed that their bodies were oriented the opposite way. Furthermore, the walls, the floor, and their cells had a fresh coating of red and the 'paint cans' where I got them from were barely breathing.

Well, one of them was missing half his head but looking at my boots told me that I did all of that.

Furthermore, how their limbs were bent and rotated where they shouldn't be seemed to be my doing as well.

Their bruises and cuts were my doing and their open fractures and internal injuries were also my doing.

The funny thing was, the guy that looked like a fucked-up meatball and that lady that looked like was strangled to death was my doing as well.

For the ones that were still alive, all of them would still die even if they were given emergency medical treatment, and even in the off chance that they miraculously survived, they'd need one or two people presiding over them 24/7. If they were lucky, they'd be able to breathe through a respirator and eat through a tube going through their bodies.

'If only I had the patience and the resources to make them live through that...'

Eventually, most of the things that happened while I wasn't in control of my body flooded into my head, and I just smiled before I laughed maniacally. I savored each time I saw myself inflicting pain more than their bodies could handle, pushing the limits of what I could do while barely keeping them alive. Their screams and the sound they made after they received each punch and kick were just like listening to an epic musical.

It gave me a great deal of satisfaction making them beg for a quick death but I remember making it as slow as I could when I heard them confess to what they did to their own children.

They continued to get away with it for all these years, I wouldn't let them have the easy way just after a few hours.

The only regret that I have was that I wasn't 'awake' when it happened.

However, I would do the same thing that I did if I could have a chance to do it all over again, but if not, I'll try to top it off by a solid level.

I watched them die due to their injuries one by one and it was a fascinating sight to see one of them turn.

Despite all the injuries it sustained, it managed to twist and bend itself back until it could groggily make its way to Mrs. Aguilar's dying body. She was the only one breathing amongst the group and it surprised me that she could still yell while being eaten alive.

I watched her get chunks bitten off of her body while she tried her best to slink and roll away from her aggressor. Despite her best efforts, her former colleague had already dug its claws into her body and she was unable to move a single inch. Furthermore, once it started digging into her insides, her blood just found its way to flood in her mouth, making her gargle a large mouthful and choke on it, making me wonder what actually caused her death.

Mrs. Aguilar dying was the signal that the show was over and I quickly took care of the single deadhead that was too fucking dumb to come at me.

I took it down before I crushed its head with my heel, and I just turned around to do the same thing to each head that was still intact.

Pieces of their skull and chunks of what's left of their brain stained the floor even more but the feeling I got from that wasn't the same compared to earlier.

My mind never felt so empty and I just turned around and went for the door.

I was already outside when I remembered that my body was covered in blood but I couldn't care less about how everyone else was looking at me. With that said a few, soldiers were just outside when I stepped out of the building but they were more shocked to see the state I was in compared to the scene I just left.

However, instead of shock, it was fear.

Their hands instinctively reached for their rifles but the look on their faces told me that what they did was the most foolish thing they could have done, but they were taken aback once I gave them a smile.

Well, smiling while covered in blood wasn't the smartest decision either because they all took a step back.

I scratched the side of my cheek before I raised both of my hands, "Sorry, I'm looking for a restroom. I don't want to scare the kids, right? I'll need a bucket and a mop too-- Oh! And some bleach would be nice. I gotta clean up the mess I made--"

"I'll have my people take care of that. You need to get cleaned up as soon as possible."

I turned my head and discovered that it was Iskoh. He was looking at me with complex emotions but from the fragments I was slowly remembering, I remembered that I just told him that I was looking for Mrs. Aguilar's group for a casual talk.

Little did he know that it would escalate to this and he just decided to get soldiers to watch over me if anything happens. With that said, I was just as confused as he was now earlier but as soon as I get cleaned up, I'll tell him everything that happened.

I know that he was slowly piecing the puzzle together but I was sure he would eventually come to the conclusion. I wouldn't do anything like this if it wasn't warranted but to my surprise, Kaley was leaning on my Charger I left in the parking lot.

I instantly made my way towards her but when we were just an arm's length apart, I discovered that I had nothing to say.

We were just looking at each other with different sets of emotions and it was like that for a few moments. I was more confused about how she got here while she was more concerned about how I was doing. I looked around and discovered that Oscar's SUV was parked a few parking spots away and I surmised that the old-timers probably drove her here.

With that said, I couldn't see where the three were but Kaley's voice entered my ears.

"A-Are you okay? Be honest..."

I sighed before I looked at her straight in the eye, "Honestly? I don't know… Empty, I guess? But I need some help cleaning up. I don't want to get blood on--"

Kaley cut me off, "C'mon, I'll help you with that. I'll bring your bag and we'll walk… Remove your chest rig at least--"

"I could but my shirt is-- you know..."

"Oh... Right... C'mon then…"

Kaley lifted the bag on the passenger's side of my Charger and she beckoned me to follow after her. The two of us started making our way to someplace I could get myself cleaned up but Kaley turned to me as we were walking to ask a question.

It's just that I wondered why she asked me that particular question.

"Do… Do you even know how long you were gone?"

"What? How long I was gone? Weren't I--"

"Do you? Do you remember anything?"

I gave Kaley a puzzled look before I answered to the best of my ability, "A few hours? The sun's higher though and it's hot… It's just noon, right? It's just--"

I was in mid-sentence when I looked at my watch and it had really been a few hours since I drove here... But to my surprise, the date was completely different.

Three days have passed since then and I had to look at my watch for the second time to see if I was just seeing wrong. However, it was 100% accurate, and everything I was still missing from my memories just flooded my head.

I didn't make their life hell for a mere three hours but for a whole three days.

'Shit...'

It was at this time I never felt so weak, starved, and dehydrated and I almost fell on my knees. Kaley managed to catch me at the right time but her clothes got stained by the blood that was on my clothes. It was also at this time that I just noticed that the blood on my body had varying degrees of wetness because some of them were new while some of them had already dried up.

Once I managed to stand on my own, we quietly made our way for the nearest restroom.

Coincidentally, it was on the hospital wing Iskoh reserved for us last time, and just like before, it was vacant and completely quiet. We could hear our steps echoing in the hallway and we picked the same room we used last time.

Kaley put down the bag and helped me remove my gear, but she also removed hers because it got stained when I leaned on her.

I asked, "Where's Amy now?"

"She's back home... She's staying at mom's place... Mom has been taking care of her but since everyone knows her story now, we picked a nurse that would take care of her needs. I visit her as much as I could but I think you need me more right now..."

"How long have you been here though?"

"We d-drove here yesterday... I'm sorry I didn't follow right away… It's just-- S-Sorry..."

"Don't apologize… Amy needed you more that time and those fuckers needed more than god at that time-- I… Sorry… I shouldn't talk about it like--"

"It's okay… I… Wanna get in with me in the shower? I gotta wash my hair too..."

"Sure… but..."

"Hmm?"

"I might need something more..."

Kaley just let out a faint smile before she leaned over and gave me a kiss, "Oh… I'm all yours, remember? C'mon... let me get you undressed..."

From the looks of it, Kaley needed it too because, like me, she hadn't done it with anyone in our circle for days. In her case, it was longer because the last time we were alone like this was the morning after Tatiana and I had our own night. Also, she was so preoccupied with taking care of Amy she forgot about herself.

This time, I didn't lapse for one second and we went at it as soon as we washed off the blood in our bodies. I was feeling weak for a few moments but Kaley took over so she could help us forget and get a release.

We went on for as long as we could and we just collapsed on each other when we're done.

After some time, the old-timers called for us and we met at Iskoh's office so we could have another meeting that was desperately needed. A few of Iskoh's officers were present but I could feel the looks everyone was giving me.

However, I didn't put it into mind as I gave the opening statement.