Jobs - Markings

The list was composed of a few tasks to be accomplished or to be carried out every single day though it could change at any moment. But, it was tailored for the number of people we have, varying skill levels, and resources available.

The first on the list was to form a scouting group.

The scouting group would be tasked to go outside and map out unexplored areas, scavenge for supplies, take down the deadheads encountered, look for good people, and bring back information that could help the compound.

The people that would be assigned to this group should be able-bodied or physically fit, know how to operate weapons, keen-eyed and observant, and could follow orders.

I would be leading this group and the members I picked to come with me were Kaley, Jared, Dong, and Mark. I contemplated bringing Russel and Lois but Unc Zeidrick needs Russel for helping with his own task while Lois was a wildcard. Furthermore, I need more people watching the compound that knows how to use guns quite well such as the latter.

The second one on the list was to assign people to the building group.

The building group had two main jobs currently pending: building a barricade to the left side of the road and building a catwalk inside our walls.

There was also another job that would need to be performed every day which was maintenance work which was still within the scope of the building group. It was a job to check all of our vehicles, CCTVs, lights, generators, water filters, water pumps, and anything that needed replacement or repair.

Another one of their jobs was to fix an electric wheelchair that Oscar's late wife owned. It wasn't touched for years so it needed cleaning, replacing the batteries, and checking if it was still structurally sound for Ken's use.

Several people would be assigned to these tasks but it mainly included Oscar, Unc Zeidrick, Unc Zardon, Unc Conrad, the rest of my workers, and volunteers from their friends.

Oscar had knowledge of combat and medicine but he had a particular skill that stemmed from his roots. Unc Zeidrick managed to rub off on it and they more or less had the same skill on their belts which was commonly called Redneck Engineering.

Redneck Engineering in a sense was an unorthodox method of building, repairing, and modifying anything with little or less regard to what it would look like after it was done. It was essentially the phrase, 'As long as it works, it ain't stupid.'

However, due to time spent with me, both of them started to slowly clean up and use finesse in their works but there was always a hiccup once or twice when it was a time crunch.

Aside from the two, Unc Zardon and Unc Conrad had separate skills of their own.

Unc Zardon used to be a truck driver and eventually learned mechanic work while Unc Conrad used to be a factory worker but later turned to their maintenance guy when he was absorbed and later promoted.

The people that wouldn't be assigned to this job would either be helping with maintaining the upkeep or watch duty.

Maintaining the upkeep didn't involve much danger compared to the scouting group but it was also a vital job. It was something needed for every group or else they wouldn't have proper meals, washed clothes, clean houses, fed animals, watered plants, kids looked after, etc. It was tied in with maintenance work because if our place didn't receive proper maintenance, our place would just fall apart.

Aunt Sharon was the one to lead this group and she was free to assign the different jobs that came along with it.

Watch duty was the next on the list.

It didn't only involve people watching out and eliminating threats from the safety of the barn but it also included watching through the lens of the CCTVs and the drones we have on hand.

This group was led by Lois, Ken, Peanut, and Zeus but a few others like our workers or other people not assigned to the other tasks earlier would also fall in this category. Lois would be in the barn with Nicole, Alicia, Zeus, and a few others while Ken and Peanut would be in their designated house, watching out through the screens and occasionally flying the drones to gather information or to check places limited by our cameras.

The only one not on the list was Rin because she was in charge of being a godly secretary that was in charge of documenting anything and everything that had something to do with the compound.

Rin and I nodded on the list and we gathered everyone to give them a quick run-through. The people involved with their own tasks got called by their leader and now I was in front of my small group.

"Okay, let's have a small discussion in my room first," I said as I beckoned them to my room.

"What are we doing here, bro?" Jared asked.

"What's the other thing we need aside from weapons to defend ourselves outside?" I started.

"Power," Mark started.

"Nope."

"Guts?" Dong added.

"Let's say we're talking about something material," I chuckled as I shook my head.

"A Mobile Suit?" Jared chuckled but he already knew what I was going for.

"Hah! Something I can fucking afford?"

"Protective clothing?" Kaley chimed from the side.

"Bingo, let's look at ourselves first. I think we would have trouble going out like this, right?"

All of us were wearing casual clothing that partially covered our skin but even if some of us already had weapons on our person, it would be better to wear clothing that could help with bites or scratches.

"We need to have an equal ratio of defense and maneuverability in regards to protective clothing. We should wear something that could cover most of our skin and if we're going to wear headgear, we should avoid wearing the types that could impede your vision by a huge amount."

I first gave them tear-resistant clothing that could be worn under the motorcycle suits I bought from a shop last time. The suits included a thick vest, gloves, elbow pads, knee pads, and shoulder pads.

After that, I brought out combat boots that were being used in the military but Mark insisted on using the steel-toed boots I looted from a body instead. Jared gave Mark his opinion about not using it but he relented soon after. Mark's boots were a bit heavier but they offered more protection at the expense of maneuverability.

I gave ourselves time to change into our new gear—while letting Kaley change in her room—and when they came back, it just brought a smile to my face. There was just something nice seeing everyone look like a unit though we were just halfway done.

"Okay, let's talk about weapons next."

For our weapons, I was still carrying two Beretta M9s with my wakizashi while Kaley was carrying her Winchester M70 with her Beretta M9. With that said, I gave her a proper belt and holster for her pistol, and I gave her a fixed blade knife just in case. Furthermore, I brought out a goodie bag that contained items for random situations and another one for lack of a better term, burglary.

Jared didn't bring his M70 with him and he was just using his Glock 19 so I handed him a trench knife for close quarters. It was also because he was uncomfortably eyeing it the whole time he was there.

For Mark and Dong, I made them stick with their sledgehammer and machete but I promised to teach them a lesson about how to use guns later.

When we went down, Russel and Lois looked in envy. Lois could cope while holding the M70 I lent him but Russel was carrying bricks while hauling cement. He wanted to join us so bad but Unc Zeidrick was letting out a terrifying aura right beside him.

"Before we go out, holster, sheathe, or lower your weapons first. However, be ready to draw them at a moment's notice. Easy enough, right? I'll take the lead, for now," I said as I opened the gate.

We went to the right side of the road—coming out from the gate—but after just a few meters of walking forward, I pointed to a small red gate to our left. It led to a small apartment where Nathan and his family used to live with other residents. There were three other families that used to live in these segmented apartments but it seemed that all of them moved out when it started.

Walking inside the gate, a long strip of hollow blocks formed a crude wall on the right side while the apartment doors were located on the left side. At the far back, a cage made for medium-sized animals was left and along the way was a long hanging wire with knots that were used to hang clothes to dry.

I made Jared and Dong guard the gate while Kaley and Mark were right behind me. I knocked a few times on the first door and waited. No one answered after a few moments but I decided to knock again.

"Hello? Is there anyone here?" I called out one last time just to make sure.

The two beside me were waiting patiently but they were slightly tense from the first job I gave them. However, I took out a leather pouch that looked like a small wallet.

I took two items from it and inserted them into the door locks. After a short bit, I spun it at an angle and it clicked. My imaginary lockpicking level increased so I grinned from ear to ear while placing the items back in my pouch.

I drew my wakizashi and the two behind me followed suit. I opened the door quietly but as I suspected, no one was there. Although the front door was locked, the rest of the rooms were not. We performed the same thing with the rest of the houses and that small apartment was finally cleared.

While my group breathed a sigh of relief, I grabbed a marker and drew a symbol on the top of the doors. I drew a circle with a box inside it containing three lines drawn horizontally.

"What does that mean?" Kaley pointed at the symbol.

"Oh, it's a marking system I copied from a game that I used to play a lot."

"Of course, why did I even ask…" Kaley said sarcastically then she chuckled.

"You need to teach me that next time bro, the lockpicking stuff," Jared chimed.

"What?! Didn't they teach you at school to never break into people's houses?! Your mother would be so disappointed!" I said with an over-the-top shocked expression.

"Heh. Fuck you, bro. I'll just shoot the doors down if you don't teach me."

"Hah! Don't! But yeah, I'll teach you how to do it some other time. For now, let me just keep on doing them. Let's head to the other places next."

After that, I locked each door then I secured the gate with my own padlock.

The plan I had for this run was to scout until the basketball court but before we could reach that place, on the left side, were three more gated places and one gravel road that would lead to four other houses.

The first gated place was a fancy two-story house where a family used to stay. On the other hand, the second and the third gated places were connected to each other via a small gate placed on the walls separating them. That place could be considered a small compound due to the dozen houses inside of them but they were strewn about randomly and had no order, unlike our compound. This place was also one of the houses where Ken saw lights that were left turned on.

On the right side of the road, right next to the wall of our compound, was a swamp-like area with a small wooden house and a bridge made with thin planks that could lead you to it. The place next to it was a small scrapyard about a quarter the size of our compound. This place used to collect, store, identify, separate, weigh, and resell scrap metal to other places that needed it. Aside from the space where they collect it, a small shack was inside for the workers.

"Let's go to this place first."

We went to the first gated area. But aside from discovering that the house was abandoned, their vehicles were nowhere to be found. However, we discovered a little cat inside a cage and it was probably abandoned. Feeling sorry for it and being a decent human being, we took it back after clearing the whole area. I marked it with the same symbol and we decided to head for the wooden house next.

While we were walking, the radio on my hip buzzed.

-

*bzzt*

[Hey, this is Ken. Testing. Testing.]

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Copy. This is Sky, what's the situation there?"

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

[This radio is so cool man, it's like we're Special Forces or something. Oscar managed to fix his wife's wheelchair but I suggested that we should just place the electronic parts in mine. The frame of that old one scares me a bit.]

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"That's good but let's keep this line open for emergencies, yeah?"

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

[Oh, right. Sorry man, peace!]

*bzzt*

-

We made the necessary precautions as we approached the wooden house but it was uneventful. The house was already abandoned and there were little to no items we could take back home.

I made the same markings on the house but this time, the three horizontal lines on the square were missing. My group was staring at it and I forgot to tell them what they meant.

"This means that the place is empty. If it has three lines on it, it contains something that we could use. Also..." I gave a small lecture and I even showed them the rest of it by carving every symbol on the wood planks we were standing on.