30 I don't like where this is going...

*BOOM*

A loud noise assaulted our ears but Ken followed it by squeezing the trigger from the other side.

*BOOM*

Ken started to rub his ears together then he turned to me, "Why is it still loud?!"

I chuckled as I looked at him, "Hah! They still have gunpowder, you know. Shotgun shells had different loads so depending on that, you could have something that even has a stronger kick or louder boom from each one. But yeah, blanks could still kill so don't just put it against your head trying to look cool… coming out of it with a minor injury would be like winning the lottery."

"S-Seriously?"

"Yeah. Why don't you try loading a slug now so you could see the difference?"

"Sure."

Ken thought for a bit before he pocketed the two blanks he had left in his other pocket before loading a slug in the barrel. After that, he pushed the hammer on the right side down then he placed his finger on the trigger, placing his other hand on the muzzle for support. Once he felt ready, he exhaled promptly before he squeezed the trigger.

*BOOOOM*

Ken's body felt the impact as he lightly jolted but he held the gun steadily. He opened the barrel to remove the used slug and then he handed it to me.

"Holy shit! This is powerful, man!" Ken exclaimed as a wicked grin was plastered on his face.

"Perfect," I said as I gave him the rest of the slugs, "Keep that safe and don't casually pull that out. I'll teach you how to clean it later and I'll give you the tools for it. I have a few other ammo types to give you like birdshot or buckshot but just use those for now. I'll give you more later, don't worry."

"Sure thing man, peace!" Ken gave me a fist bump as we went back inside the compound.

As we walked inside, Allan reminded me over and over that he would be part of tonight's watch duty as he uncomfortably gazed at Ken's shotgun. I just shook my head in amusement when I agreed then I went back on top of the wall to check on the group working on the fences. The group working on it was almost finished with the second layer and I surmised that it would be finished before the end of the day.

The two-layered fence was made with chain-linked fences and it could be opened in two ways. The first layer had wheels that could be slid on the side, making it hug the other side of the wall while the second layer had hinges that could be opened like a door. It wasn't as sturdy as a wall made with concrete but it could definitely hold a few deadheads at a time. It was only the start of our plans and that passage being blocked could allow us to have a larger space where we could move much more freely.

I looked at my watch and it was almost time for the 3rd broadcast. At the same time, I saw Oscar returning with the scouting group formed with my original team plus a few of his own. The truck they brought back was full of supplies and only my uncle was able to ride it because he was the driver. I waved at them and I saw Kaley at the back wearing a visor. I tried to get her attention but she completely ignored me.

'I guess she's really upset...'

Oscar said from below, "Hey kid, slept well?"

I saw my SPAS-12 on his hands and a few blood stains on their clothes, "Yeah. I woke up past lunch but I still haven't eaten though. Did something happen?"

"Yeah. There are a lot of zombies inside this shack right by this internet shop that had a pool table by the entrance. We… What was it again? Right, we killed 14 of them and half of those were mine because of this baby," Oscar said as he tapped my SPAS-12, "But yeah, that's excluding the one at the airport. Pretty good, huh?"

"Uh-huh…" I trailed as I let out a smug smile.

Oscar realized I was looking down on him figuratively and literally before he bellowed, "Well how much is your total then?!"

"Seventy-nine."

As soon as those words left my mouth, everyone else just stared in shock. Their eyes almost popped out of their sockets and even Kaley glanced in my direction before quickly looking away because I was looking at her the moment she turned to me.

"Stop lying, kid! That's like a small herd we're talking about!" Oscar exclaimed while the others nodded in agreement. Despite that, I could see from his expression that he wanted a piece of that action as well.

"Wanna see proof? I'll show you at the meeting later. The broadcast is about to start," I said as I turned around.

I walked down the catwalk and I opened the gate for them. Kaley walked past me without sparing me a glance and I saw Oscar coming from behind.

"Hmm. You took it too far yesterday, kid. Best prepare the best apology you could."

"Yeah—"

"She's fucking pissed, ya know? She took down a few by herself like it was nothing! If we include what she took down when she was on watch duty, it already exceeded mine… as hard for me to say it… I dunno what's really going on between the two of you but it's better to take care of it as soon as possible."

"Yeah…" I replied as I nodded a few times.

With that said, we all gathered by the TV to wait for the broadcast to start. All it had right now was just videos about preserving food and the lesson for today was how to preserve them by using mason jars and by smoking them. However, it was cut off in the middle before we saw the face of the president once more.

We all saw him in his usual attire but we could see the tiredness in his eyes. He started by reporting their own progress in reclaiming Davao City and he continued by telling that a few people from around the country were well and alive, either in the DDR Camps or in their own homes. Oscar's name was even mentioned in passing but all that was said was the island group we were in for our safety. However, the thing that stood out the most was that they showed a video of three zombies standing completely still. The soldiers who discovered the beings even tried to get close as they poked them with their rifles, but there was nary a response.

'A new type?'

They placed those things in a cage to be studied as they received aid from Japan. Three private planes landed at a reclaimed airport and several scientists were in tow. They were flown here to conduct research on the virus and share their findings with everyone. They thought that each country might have received a different strand because the special ones that they have in Japan had different idiosyncrasies. The ones they have were more active during the day and were more mellow during the night, but they were producing noises that made no sense. Aside from that, they reported that the ones from the US were the exact opposite because they were extremely active and violent at night but sluggish in the day. Their team was currently working with this country's scientists but for now, they were just collecting as much data as possible.

The broadcast ended on a high note and everyone dispersed eventually.

I saw Kaley heading upstairs and I got up to follow her. I was about to talk to her as she entered her room but the door was shut in front of my face. I just sighed deeply but I caught a glimpse of Olivia and Rin, peeking by the stairwell. Their faces contorted when our eyes met and I managed to catch them when they tried to run away. I grabbed them by the collar and I pulled them into a corner.

"Is there something you two are not telling me? Why do you keep avoiding me? Did you three fight perhaps?" I asked, completely oblivious.

The two wouldn't look at me in the eye and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what the fuck was going on. I already knew that I needed to apologize for pretending to be dead but these two were acting very suspiciously.

Olivia was about to cry when I crouched down and made her face me, "S-Sorry~ If w-we tell you, Kaley is gonna kill us. P-Please, understand…"

Rin nervously nodded a few times as she started to tremble, "R-R-Right. W-W-What Olivia said."

I was so confused I didn't know what to do but I suddenly had an idea. My eyes were already gleaming but the two gulped as they felt dread. I just laughed maniacally as I locked them in the gym. I went down and grabbed something from the kitchen and went back almost immediately.

"W-What are you gonna do to us?! Help~!" Olivia panicked, almost scratching the windows.

"P-Please b-boss, spare us!" Rin begged, performing the dogeza.

I ignored their remarks as I said, "You've left me no choice..."

The gym was soundproof so it was perfect for blasting music without anyone hearing us from the outside. Eventually, they saw me place a nice clean plate on the table then I added a fork and a knife. They stared at me with confusion but I put earplugs in. I held the knife and the fork and I scratched the plate like a maniac.

*sskksjsfbkbfslgsnladlafavsnldvs*

"NOOOOOO~!" The two immediately cried out. I kept on doing it until I read their lips mouthing 'Okay! We'll talk! Please stop!'

"You really had no idea?" Olivia asked.

"What? The joke that I made?"

Olivia facepalmed as she looked at Rin.

"He really doesn't have any clue. We should tell her first," Rin whispered but it was loud enough for me to hear.

"How? We're trapped here!" Olivia 'whispered' back.

"What?! Tell me!"

"Well, fudge it! We'll let the two handle it themselves!" Olivia threw her hands in the air as Rin nervously nodded.

"Yesterday when you did the... in my opinion, was dark... but a very funny joke..." Olivia started.

"Yeah, go on."

"Everyone was shocked but a few already knew what you were doing. Like Oscar and your family, they said they know you too well..." Rin continued.

"My sister among others didn't really take it that well..." Olivia said, scratching her head.

"And then?"

"K-Kaley stayed all night to wait for you to come back and she did, but... after we ate breakfast, she was sleeping on the chair soundly..." Rin said.

"We brought her upstairs but we left our keys in the pool area..." Olivia said, having a hard time looking me directly in the eye.

"I don't like where this is going..."

Rin also couldn't look at me properly but she dropped the bomb, "S-So... we d-decided to let her sleep in your room since it was o-open and you're not home y-yet..."