I woke up later that night to the sound of TV. It wasn't exactly loud but with my door cracked open, I could hear it well enough. I slid off the bed and smacked my dry mouth. I walked barefooted to the kitchen ignoring the looks the two youngest girls were given me. Though now that I looked at them with a bit of attention. I realized they could totally fit college students. The black hair girl had a nose piercing that made her wide nose seem smaller and her rebellious face seem less immature. Her body was as expected of someone that probably protested eating a decent meal just because her parents made it. She was slender and small in the chest area. Her tank top showed her pale skin and chest. The couch blocked out below her chest so I didn't get a good look.

The other girl is what you would probably label as that decent girl next door. The one that grew up with you and you didn't find her attractive until you realized you couldn't get better. The Hermione from Harry Potter. She was a little more fleshed out and I remembered she had on tights that uplift her ass.

Sadly, both of them had this weird look that said you were their savior. Such a burden cools my need for sexual tension from them. Which made me begin preparing a heavy broth dish which usually made me feel more full with less.

It wasn't surprising that the girls all sat up upon smelling the broth. But I was stuck thinking about noodles or rice? I had tons of both as there was a sale about a week ago and I went a little crazy. I scratched my chin and just picked rice, setting it aside to boil.

It was surprising to find Gloria awake and holding a bag to her head. Her eyes were closed. I grabbed a med kit I bought off Amazon but never used. It had basic shit plus anti inflammatory spray and antibiotics that I added in. It wasn't a proper end of the world kit but I bought it on an impulse just to take selfies with.

I walked over to Gloria and removed the frozen pea bag and examined the wound. Nobody took the time to clean it, which was expected. They were useless.

I went back and soak a towel, added water to a bowl, and brought both to Gloria's side. I carefully dab the dried blood until I could make out the wound. Which was a bit of a let down, it was a small cut. Most of the blood probably came from her nose which was obviously swollen.

I sprayed the inflammatory spray on it and put a bandaid on the cut. Fished out two ibuprofen and made a glass of water for her. Sadly, for me, she would be fine after a decent rest.

I was kinda hoping she would become a zombie so I had one less mouth to feed. After all, they showcased how intelligent they were.

But I did learn a valuable lesson myself. Bring my shotgun next time and just blast any group with two or more. The fighting odds are not in my favor. My ribs said as much.

I rinsed the rice and fixed a couple bowls, leaving them on the counter as I took mine back to my room. I sat down at my computer and pulled up the forum named reddit.

There were already posts that were basically people asking to be saved but when you got past those. You find the helpful lot who not only analyzed the zombies behavior but even named them accordingly.

For example, the big intimidating mother fucker, they called a Bruiser. It could ignore gunshots to the head by small calibers. Someone with a sniper rifle blew off three quarters of its head before it stopped moving. It was stronger than most body lifters and tossing a medium size car for several yards wasn't hard. It couldn't climb well due to its weight and its running speed was slower than a two hundred pound fat man who sat around all day.

The easier to kill were the regular zombies, nicknamed walkers from walking dead. To kill them, requires you to severely damage the brain and not just part of it. Someone advised using a shotgun or a heavy caliber gun. If you don't have a gun then some sharp objects to take off the head or bash the skull in.

Then came the oddly special zombie that someone recorded from their sixth floor. A nightcrawler which was just animals. They were just faster and more cunning than before. It is advised not to go outside during the night as they blend into the shadows fairly well. During the day, you could spot them and if you had a weapon. Gunshots to the head would do the tricks.

That was all the threats known and anything on the government was just speculation. Even the government buildings weren't immune to whatever this was thus no response as of yet.

There were a few gamers in the military or police force that said they managed to clear a small area but advised people to block windows and doorways. Don't make a lot of noise nor roam the streets.

I finished my food at this point and moved to gaming. It was not a surprise that today, most of my guildies were on and talking about this.

Several people pinged me with a whisper but my brain just hit me with a question. Nobody on reddit stated that crazies moved at night. I also didn't hear much movement outside yesterday when I went to sleep or now and it's twenty minutes from nine.

This meant that I was wasting prime time to fortify my position.

Without an ounce of hesitation, I rushed to put on my zombie killing gear, and attached a strap to my shotgun. I swung that baby over my shoulder and found the machete scabbard that would let it hang from my gun belt at my waist. I added boots this time and grabbed my house keys.

I remembered to stop and warned the girls. "Don't go outside. I will lock the door and I have a key."

Lisa was the first to jump up like she had the ability to come with me or even the right to refute me.

"Why? You already cleared them off the third floor. We should just wait for the government." She started on that bullshit.

"Shut up and sit down. Don't fuck around or I'll put your ass out." I warned her.

I didn't wait for her reply. I made sure to lock the regular lock and the deadbolt. I raised my shotgun and began checking apartments that had their doors unlocked. Those that were cleared, I left the doors open.

The third floor only had a total of sixteen apartments with ten unlocked and the remaining six locked.

I moved down to the second floor and noticed a lot more blood trails. Which reminded me to dispose of the bodies or flies and shit would come in.

The first four were empty but the next one wasn't. I heard sobbing and soft banging. So they might be in the bathroom. I eased open the door with my foot, my eyes peeled wide open. Each footstep down the hall left me feeling like I was raiding a nightmare mode dungeon and had to pay Hella attention to my positioning.

I angled my body towards the banging which was louder now. It was definitely coming from the main bedroom. I glanced across the living room just to make sure nothing was hiding, especially dogs.

I eased open the bedroom door and caught sight of a big ass man that could be a certified body lifter. His eyes were bloody red. He actually peeled back his lips and let loose a growl like a rabid dog.

I just raised my barrel and squeezed the trigger. The first round messed up his pretty face. The second round made him take a step back and the third made him sink to his knees. A fourth shot made the giant collapse.

I reloaded while moving from the doorway, putting the bathroom and the living room in my vector. The bathroom door opened as if the other person was acting a slow reveal. However, I don't think they understood the mirror behind them and the light being on. Meant that I saw that the person behind the door was a male with glasses.

The kid poked his head around the door and had the nerve to push up on his glasses. Which made me instantly remembered that neighbor who used to tell other people during cookouts how he couldn't deal with his faggot son. This must be that son.

"Um.. hi." He waved half-heartedly and said in a soft ass tone.

I blinked and turned away. "Your old man is dead. So the place is yours. I suggest tossing him out the window before first light."

There was no further need to check out this apartment. That old fart was drunk and his kid often ate at someone else or his grandmother's house.

"Hey, wait up?" The kid actually tip toe around the blood even though he had on shoes.

Not judging, just saying.

"Can I come with you?" He asked as he caught up.

"No. I'm straight and don't need an extra mouth to feed. Nor another burden." I retorted.

The next three apartments were locked and I tried the last few but also locked. I turned around and headed for the stairway. The kid followed like a shadow that didn't know he was unwanted.

"If you are going to follow me then you need to at least help. Find something you can bashed their heads in with." I said as I glanced back.

The kid looked around on the stairs before shrugging. I shook my head as we landed on the ground floor. I half-expected for the crazies to be incoming and forgot to look outside before coming down. Another mistake added on top of the forgotten flashlight.

The front door was a single electric slide door. There was not a way you could physically lock it in place and it would hold off the crazies. If they could bust car windows then they can bust that plexiglass. However, the ground floor was a lobby in itself. There were two couches and a number of chairs, tables, and shit we could use.

"Help me with that couch." I pointed at the couch.

I checked outside the door before rushing to the couch. I crouched down and got a good grip. The kid looked at his hands before he grabbed something on the couch.

"One.. two.. three." I counted.

I lifted my end and realized he was still down. His face was flushed and he really was trying. I let out a breath and just dragged the couch on over to the door. I ignored the scraping sound and shoved it against the door. I rushed to the other end and kneed it flat against the wall.

I completely ignored the kid who dusted off his hands as he stood up. His face flushed red and his glasses rested on the end of his nose. His spaghetti arms were definitely not hard labor material.

I grabbed the next couch and began dragging it.

"Kid, tell me if you see one of them." I grunted.

He nodded his head and looked around with alertness. Not a gamer but a book nerd. Bad luck.

I dropped the couch on the first and went to the other end. Lifting and dragging it onto the other. It took a bit of working to get it perfect but I did it. I went to get the tables and plant them against the couch. Just to add more weight and stability.

Me and the kid walked into the lobby office. The door was unlocked and there were a few keys on the ring in the back office. Plus a janitor closet which had a gun in a black case. The key was Sadly on the hook labeled 'gc'.

Creative.

The gun was a glock and it had one clip of nine rounds. I pocketed it and grabbed one of the flashlights. A quick check let me know it worked. I gave another to the kid and grabbed the master key off the hook. I doubted that it would actually work on all the apartments as there should be an actual safe with a bunch of keys.

It wasn't here but I was damn sure it was on the property.

"What's the plan now?" The kid asked while pushing up on those glasses.

"Clear the ground floor, make sure there isn't another entrance they could come in through that is hard to defend." I listed out a few of my thoughts.

"The exit to the middle but that is a single hall and it's gated. You have to go through the building to access the park. Other than the windows and patios, you could just block off the stairway. Which means using the elevator to go to and from." The kid said after a moment's pause.

I nodded at his thought process. I was actually thinking of clearing the ground floor but I remember the tank guy actually ran through plus he threw a bloody car into the building. The ground floor probably had food and necessities. I doubt it had anything else.

We went back to the second floor and grabbed a recliner and table to block the stairs.

"What if they climb over?" The kid asked.

"Then they climb over. We can't make it like you see on TV because they have strong types that probably can just punch the shit out the way. That's not considering the fact that they might just pile up cars to windows and climb up." I replied as I headed up to the third floor.

I unlocked my door and opened the hallway closet. I pulled out the cart that I often used to bring up bags that I don't want to carry. The girls all ran over. Well three out of four.

"Is it safe? What are you doing?" They came with a lot of questions.

I held up my hand as I dragged the cart out. "First of all, shut the hell up. Second of all, go sit the hell down."

I didn't wait to see their expression as I closed the door behind me. I first empty all the open apartments of dry food before I did an overall search. Looking for weapons like baseball bats, guns, or blankets. How are blankets a weapon? Asked someone climbing up one moment before they start falling because the knot they tied wasn't a proper knot.

It took me four loads to get everything. One family obviously had kids and just went shopping because they had everything one needed.

During my fifth run to grab clothes and blankets, a few apartment doors opened. It was kind of weird considering that I remember at least four grown men living up here. Yet, everybody who poked their head out to watch me were women. From old as in she could be your grandma to young as she was in college. Well, the yoga pants and sports bra was a dead giveaway. Not that I'm profiling but usually the corporate drones here wear loose long pants or a dress of some kind.

Not revealing their figure but not hiding it as well.

I paused at my door as I fished out my keys. The second I put the key into the lock, one of the braver ones spoke up in a loud whisper.

"Kaden, did you clear the building?" Miss Owens asked me.

"Yeah, I blocked the second floor stairway and the ground floor entrance. But a big one could easily get in. So don't make too loud of a racket. If you see any doors open on the second floor, that's the ones I personally cleared. Don't take the elevator, I didn't clear it." I told them.

The old lady nodded and she turned around to call on her grandkids. I think the two girls were like sixteen or something.

"OH, if you find any guns or ammo. I'll trade food or hygiene stuff with you." I said as I opened my door.

The college girl in yoga spoke in a normal outside voice. "You should share instead of trading. We might be here for a good bit. Instead of hogging supplies. We should pool them together and ration them."

I saw a few heads nod at that and I completely ignored it as I shut my door. Sharing was for fools in utopia. I wasn't in utopia. Well, utopia to cannibals.

When I walked into the living room, the girls were putting things into the kitchen by the order of the kid. It was impressive and I realized he might not be useful for much but he could organize shit.

Leaving the cart in the living room, I grabbed a glass and filled it with water. I pointed at the pot of rice and broth as I drank. The kid caught on fast.

"Grabbed a container and put the rice and that broth into it. Separate containers then wash the dishes." He ordered in his soft ass voice.

I nodded and returned to my room, offloaded my gear, and crashed on the bed. It was nearly five in the morning. Which means they needed to calm down a bit.

Getting back up, I poked my head out the door. "First light, I'm need you guys to sit the fuck down. If you don't know when dawn is, then it's at five twenty-five."

I closed the door and crawled under the blankets. My body slowly sinking into the mattress.

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