Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

The moment those pipe bombs exploded, I could still hear it from the distance and through my earpiece but the group of kids I was looking after were already shouting at each other. Because with their formation broken by several deadheads swan-diving the fuck out of those stairs, they had to regroup and retake their perfect spot for funneling them.

They now had to take care of the area where the staircase split into two—which also split their group unevenly—though Aaran stepped out of his overlooking position to bridge the uneven numbers, even calling over their clean-up crew below to momentarily change roles.

But yeah, I could've easily jumped into action from my spot because I was atop this extending platform in this firetruck, letting me just jump the distance and wreak havoc while Kaley could start putting holes in their heads with a lead projectile since she was also with me and silently keeping watch but we still didn't.

It was because this group was handling the discourse quite well and the blood-curdling shouts were their form of communication.

[FUCK— BACK OFF AND STAY WITH CHASE!]

[AARON! THE LINE! HOLD THE FUCKING LINE!]

[I KNOW! I KNOW! JOSH HAD TO— BRIT! DUCK— SHIT! FUCK! AIM UP!

AIM UP, PEOPLE!]

[I FUCKING CAN'T!]

[WHY THE HELL NOT?!]

[I SHOOT FOR SHIT AND I COULD EASILY WEDGE MY AXE IN THEIR KNEECAPS THIS WAY!]

[THEN KEEP DOING THAT, JOE!]

[WE'RE PILING BODIES HERE!]

[WE FUCKING ARE—]

[I MEAN SOMEONE HAVE TO MOVE THEM— FUCK IT, I'LL DO IT THEN!]

[THANKS, MADS!]

[OH, FUCK YOU! THIS IS YOUR FUCKING JOB, JULIUS!]

After seeing them take back control of their original spot, I was waiting for what they'd do next after this weird congregation of the undead sent their next challengers—but to my surprise, they stopped sending meat bags from Aaron's side. However, the dead kept coming from JP's side—and even though they were thinning their numbers splendidly, this denial of service was too fucking weird.

'Hold up…'

I somehow had a slight inkling as to this place's rules but what I was seeing currently compared to what I was thinking of were slightly different.

It was because when Aaron gave the command for the vanguard to put their foot in again to request a small serving, it took maybe three tries for the other team to send in their new players.

That instance looked like there was a slight delay but it was only by chance that I discovered that there might be another reason for this weird behavior when I glanced at the feed from the cleanup crew momentarily.

Because right as this Mads fella stomped on the head of this crawler missing a leg, it was at the same exact moment when the dead upstairs reacted to the Hokey Pokey dance.

While it was true that we already observed this behavior earlier, I didn't think that each corpse they'd sent out needed to be cleared—and for some reason, they'd know—and this shit opened up a lot of possibilities for a quick exploit.

However, one example couldn't 100% prove what I was thinking of was factually correct, so I had to find a way to somehow make them confirm this little theory of mine without seeming like I was coddling them.

'It's technically not coddling but this is their spotlight at the moment…'

-

*bzzt*

"JP, that deadhead wearing a red dress and round earrings, I'll need her head. Alive."

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

[WE'RE KIND OF BUSY HERE! WHY?!]

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Just do it, it's an order."

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

[YES, SIR!]

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Joe."

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

[A LITTLE BUSY HERE, WHOEVER THE FUCK YOU ARE— OH SHIT! WHAT IS IT, SIR?!]

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Good catch. I'll need that dude's head too. The one on that you're stepping on."

*bzzt*Nôv(el)B\\jnn

-

*bzzt*

[ALIVE?!]

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Alive."

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

[NOTED! MADS! CARVE THAT HEAD UP AND GIVE IT TO SPECIAL FORCES!]

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"I'm not Special Forces—"

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

[APOLOGIES! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO CALL YOU, SIR!]

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Not Special Forces."

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

[NOTED, SIR! ANYTHING ELSE, SIR?!]

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"I'll tell you if something comes up, just keep on doing what you're doing."

*bzzt*

-

With that said, it didn't take long before two heads got delivered by the fire truck I was on, and the two people who were waiting for further instructions were just staring at me, looking to see what I'd do with these two heads. Even Kaley who was keeping a close watch on these kids had to give me a confused look, but it didn't take long before my suspicions were proven right.

'I knew it… It's like a raid exploit but from an opposite team. Whaddayouknow?'

-

*bzzt*

[Sir, this is Aaron. Reporting: It's like… It's like they… stopped? They're all just standing completely still.]

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Good."

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

[Good?]

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

[Sir, this is JP. It's— The same thing's happening here. Permission to proceed?]

*bzzt* Explore hidden tales at empire

-

*bzzt*

"Denied."

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

[Huh? Then how—]

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"It's the JP and Aaron show today, do what you will about everything that happened just now and think real~ hard about what to do next. You don't need to ask for permission for the steps you'd take next… just… you know, think about it."

*bzzt*

-

At that point, the two leaders gathered their group to a safe spot and had an impromptu discussion about what to do next. Obviously, Tennyson was trying to find holes in JP's ideas while everyone else from Aaron's group was just listening to his every word. They'd build up on Aaron's ideas as they added their own but there was never any pushback from any of his crew.

Still, they all came to the most obvious answer and it was to advance though the difference lies in how.

And again, Aaron's group started by making more exit points as they safely reached the top of the steps by making traps the dead could either snag their heads or legs into, allowing the retreating team enough seconds to turn around and regroup.

However, with JP's group, they got the fucking hook up—and even with one less bobcat to wreak havoc inside a large room full of deadheads, the volunteers to drive them came in droves even if James #2 came close to breathing his last.

Heck, even James #2 wanted to have another crack at it because where else could you drive a construction vehicle through thousands upon thousand of people—technically dead—and be thanked for their service?

But it's just… it just wasn't the same when they finally picked their drivers.

As anticlimactic as the following scenes were, Ruben, Brownie, and Brian driving the bobcats had the highest kill count among the crew.

It was because from the time the bobcats were brought up and started to tear through the thousand or so meat bags everyone else was expecting to jumpscare anyone that would get close, nothing, I mean NOTHING fucking moved as if these motherfuckers had already accepted their deaths.

'What in the actual fuck? I mean— We'll take it or… Nah… They should move… Surely…'

I even thought of pushing my knife into the eye sockets of the heads with me but this shit is just too bizarre for me—and I still had this hope these rotheads would at least try to defend themselves instead of following their stupid rule if there ever was.

And with JP's command, he sent everyone in to help with bringing down the dismembered corpses though he still had a group watching everyone else's back because again, for the nth time, this shit's too weird.

We've seen fucking deadheads eating themselves, we've seen spiders yesterday, we've seen golems, we've seen abominations, etc., but this… these fucks weren't even the Sentries we haven't seen in a good while.

[Is… Is this it?]

[Yay…]

[I'll count it… yeah…]

It's just that this shit became so fucking easy—and even though everyone survived and no one was hurt right after, I was expecting a little surprise at the end or when we were just about to completely crush them to bits but nah, giving the last two heads for 'new' specimen to look under the microscope didn't feel like a win.

'We're not even sure if they're new… I know they're evolving but they're evolving backwards! I should've kept my damn mouth shut to have the kids some sort of exercise! And if these fucks were actual Sentries evolved backwards, I'd just put my feet in the air and wait for this fucks to eventually end themselves.

Because if this is the way they were gonna go, humanity would survive without lifting a hand…'

Even the crew below felt empty after clearing out a huge place with a few thousand deadheads—which should've been a celebration—but yeah, as morbid as it may sound, someone should've died to make this encounter a little memorable because everyone was half-expecting that horde to act up the moment the kids had gone in too far.

'Still… But why?'