Randy just stood there, staring at him in disbelief, “It really is true, then.”
“Yeah. Sorry to shatter your world view.”
“But…” Randy seemed to have trouble wrapping his mind around what he’d seen.
“Told you it was going to be hard to deal with,” Alvin said as he holstered the pistol and massaged his wrists. “This is going to hurt rather badly by the time I’m done.”
“How the fuck does your gun fire without ammo?” Randy finally got out.
Alvin chuckled as he popped out the empty magazine, showing it to Randy before reloading it into the gun. He then dropped the magazine again, showing Randy the clip with ammo. “Same answer as before.”
Randy shook his head, “That doesn’t explain it, dick.”
“I can’t explain it better than I already tried,” Alvin replied.
“You can just keep reloading and killing them like that?” Randy asked.
“That is my plan currently,” Alvin agreed. “Going to take a few hours I would think, but once I’m ready you guys need to be ready to move. Once the way is clear I’ll go out with two people to get the vehicles and get them to the front of the store. We’ll need to set up guards while the bus is loaded. I could also use a wrist brace or two.”
Randy set aside the problem of a gun that reloaded itself in favor of focusing on the chance of escape that now stood before him. “I’ll go get them ready and make sure all the supplies are shifted to the front. I’ll bring up a set of braces.”
“You have time, still have a few hundred zombies to get through before I’ll be okay with going out.” Alvin grimaced as he turned back to the parking lot, “Okay, round two... Fight.”
Randy looked at Alvin’s back a little oddly before he retreated inside to get the others ready. He returned briefly to hand off wrist braces before he left again. Three hours later the supplies were all stacked by the front doors. Randy was about to go back up to the roof again to check on the progress of the zombie killing. As Randy got to the ladder Alvin was coming down.
“Okay, I think we’re good to go,” Alvin said with a grimace. The thousand rounds or so he had fired had put a major strain on his wrists, even with the braces. He knew they were slightly damaged, about as much as his back currently was. “You ready down here?”
“We have everything by the doors and made a small crawl space through the barricade to get out. They’ll dismantle the rest while we get the bus to the front. I’ve opted against getting the jeep as well.”
“If that’s what you want,” Alvin replied. “You have a hammer, screwdriver and wire cutters on you?”
“No,” Randy asked with a puzzled expression. “Why do we need them?”
“To get the bus started? It’s not like we have a key. I’ll go grab what I need, it’ll just be a minute or two.”
The other teen, the black kid with the saggy jeans, came over to Alvin, “You think this is going to work?”
“The parking lot is cleared enough of zombies at the moment. The bus will probably bring more over, but I’ll hold them off while you all load up.”
“You insane nigga?” The guy asked.
“That is one way of looking at it, certainly,” Alvin agreed as he looked over the group with suppressed laughter.
The group was eclectic for certain. A biker, a Hispanic guy, a young black teen, a white teen drug dealer, a meth addict, a scruffy looking guy with a bitten hand, an eight-year-old girl next to scruffy, a black middle-aged housewife, an Asian female of unknown age, a lanky white guy with thick glasses, and an old woman of possibly Native American descent.
“Well, this is certainly a Val-mart group if I ever saw it,” Alvin chuckled, earning a frown from the black teen. “You do realize running from zombies with your pants hanging off your ass is not a great idea, right?”
“Whatever,” the kid said as he turned to walk away.
“That look originated in prison, it was a flag to let the other inmates know the person was down for a little backdoor action.” Alvin said as the teen walked away.
“Fuck you, this is the way real homies represent,” the teen shot back as he strutted away towards the other teen and the addict. The trio all looked at him with derision.
Alvin just smirked back at them as he turned a corner of the aisle. He stopped in clothing, but couldn’t find a jacket worth a damn. He did stick another set of jeans into his bag. He also found a pair of hiking boots in his size and after a quick trip through the magic bag had them on. A black cap with a bloody zombie face stitched onto it seemed too perfect, so after a trip through his magic bag he set it on his head.
Sporting goods was a bust, though he found the tools he wanted plus a selection of small flathead screwdrivers. It all went into a small toolbox to make it easier to carry. He went to the front of the store where the group of survivors were working on clearing a bigger path through the barricade.
“Randy, who’s going out with me?”
“I am,” Randy said as he stuffed another few shells for his gun into his pockets. “Just the two of us. The others will be moving shit so they have a path to load up when we bring the bus.”
“Works,” Alvin said, picking up the toolbox in his off hand. “Time to go to work. It hasn’t even been a day since I last hotwired a car.”
“Fucking scum,” the addict mumbled as he went by.
Alvin laughed, shaking his head, “And yet I’m still trying to help a worthless druggie. Just don’t smoke anything until we have the bus, okay sunshine?”
“Fuck you, man,” the drug dealer spouted off.
Alvin ignored him as he ducked through the hole, out past the shattered doors and into the lot. He stood up fast pulling his gun as he did. No zombies for a few hundred yards, but he was still wary.
Randy came out behind him shaking his head, “Man, don’t antagonize them please. They’ll just try to attack you once we’re on the road.”
“Not me. You, maybe,” Alvin replied as they walked to the bus, keeping their eyes open. “Once you all get moving I’ll vanish,” Alvin told Randy. “If I was you, I would keep the other ones close as that trio will try to split them off from you.”
“They won’t last,” Randy grunted as his head kept turning, watching for approaching zombies.
“I know,” Alvin replied as they got to the bus. “You plan on killing them in the first week or later?”
Randy hesitated with a quick glance at Alvin, “You know?”
“The addict and the dealer will cause you too many issues. The one who stood with them will probably go with them. I suggest we get the jeep and you put them in it with some stuff. It makes it easy for them to split off and stops you from looking like the bad guy.”
“Huh. Okay, it’s a good idea. Let’s do it that way. You okay to get the jeep while I drive the bus over?”
“Sure. It’s the other way from the closest zombies.” Opening the door Alvin peered into the bus, then slammed a hammer into the floorboard. No sounds from the back of the bus, letting him breathe a sigh of relief. “Good, no zombies on board.”
“Wondered what the fuck that was about,” Randy said, watching as Alvin put the screwdriver next to the ignition and gave it a sharp whack with the hammer. “What the fuck?”
“Most old cars can be started this way, the ignitions are simple,” Alvin stated. He turned the screwdriver and the bus rumbled to life. “Okay, I’m off,” he got out, taking another screwdriver and the hammer with him. “See you at the front in a bit.” Alvin took off at a jog towards the jeep.
Randy was shaking his head as he climbed into the driver’s seat and closed the door. The bus lurched into movement as Randy began to maneuver it towards the front. The bus lurched as he ran over a few downed bodies as if they were speedbumps.
Alvin got to the jeep as Randy reached the front doors. After another quick tap of the hammer onto the second screwdriver, he had it running. He drove it over to the main doors, where the group was beginning to loa
d the bus. He left the jeep idling as he took up a position between the bus and the zombies that had started towards them from the far side of the massive shopping area.
“I’ll give you more time,” Alvin told Randy. “Once you guys are ready, take off.”
“You want us to leave you here?” Randy said it loud enough for everyone to hear. Alvin knew why and approved of Randy’s play.
“Leave me and go, once you’re packed and have people in both vehicles. I’ll find my own way from here.”
“Why?” someone asked.
“The will of God?” Alvin said it as a partial question then shrugged. “It just is. Now hurry up, I can’t kill them all.” He started walking towards the zombies, aware of all the eyes on his back.
“I hope he gets eaten,” the dealer said loud enough to be heard, but Alvin didn’t reply.
Alvin moved to the far side of the building and started killing zombies, a few shots at a time and reloading as he went. Almost an hour later, or another hundred zombies if you counted it that way, Alvin heard the bus’s engine shift as it was put into gear. He looked back to see Randy getting the bus moving towards the closest exit.
Randy made eye contact to give Alvin a nod then concentrated on driving. Alvin became aware of the little girl watching out of the back window, looking scared. He gave her a friendly wave with a smile.
“Get eaten, asshole,” the dealer yelled as he put the jeep into gear and spun the tires.
Alvin cocked his head to the side as he watched them go, and flipped them off with a smile, “Have fun with the zombies.”
“Fuck you, dick,” the saggy teen yelled, flipping him off in return.
Alvin shook his head as he watched both vehicles reach the street. “Fuck,” he muttered, “I should have grabbed some chili or something else with flavor.”
A moment later white light enveloped him, returning him to his room. A deep breath escaped him as he slumped onto his bunk. His wrists ached from the constant firing he’d done. “I hope those three die,” Alvin said.
Chapter Ten
“You survived again,” Scott greeted Alvin, his tone betraying some surprise.
“It really wasn’t difficult, just use my brain and have a never-ending gun,” Alvin replied, rubbing at his wrists. “Though it is bruise inducing to fire that many shots. At least for me. It’s not like I used guns that much in my life, before now that is.”
“I know,” Scott put in, “you barely touched a gun after killing...”
“I think I should check my XP,” Alvin interjected cutting Scott off.
Mission Summary: Story Mission Successfully Completed.
Total Experience Earned: 5,410 XP
Breakdown: Mission XP 500, Shamblers killed 2410 XP, Survivors bonus 1100 XP, Loot bonus 1400 XP.
Alvin whistled, “Now that is a nice haul.” He pulled up his total XP and grinned over the total: 6,760 XP. “Now we can do some work.” Just as the words left his mouth a pop-up appeared in front of him.
You have unlocked World Mode!
Are you ready to brave the world that has been left behind?
(Not that you get the choice.)
“Hey, Scott?” Alvin chuckled.
“What?” The petulance in his voice was clearly evident.
“It’s time for your name to be changed. I’ve unlocked World Mode.” Silence greeted this pronouncement. “Are you ready to change it up?”
“Fuck you,” was Scott’s simple terse reply.
“Good. Now let me see, what should I call you?” Alvin sat back on his bunk for a moment.
“Scott works,” Scott put in.
“No, I’m going to change it. I’m thinking Betty is a good one, but I have another one in mind as well. So, being the kind and caring person that I am, I’ll let you choose. Betty, or the mystery name. Which one do you want?” Alvin’s laughter echoed slightly in the small room.
“You’re an ass.”
“I’ll give you ten seconds to choose, then I’ll pick for you,” Alvin replied. “Ten, nine, eight…”
“Mystery,” Scott cut in.
“Mystery name it is! From today forward you shall be,” he paused for drama before continuing, “Jarvis,” Alvin intoned formally.
“Jarvis? As in Ironman’s AI butler?” Jarvis asked, the voice warping as it asked the question.
“Yes. You are, sort of like a butler, plus you’re an AI.”.”
“You are an ass, sir,” Jarvis replied his voice settling into the formal refined tones of an English butler.
“Why thank you, Jarvis,” Alvin laughed. “Now I think I’ll spend my XP and then call it a night. It’s off to World Mode tomorrow and I need my beauty sleep.”
“You could never sleep long enough,” Jarvis intoned.
“Who’s the ass here?” Alvin queried as he pulled up the store menu. “But first, time for some shopping.”
He looked over his options, dithering on what he really wanted for some time. He was sure that World Mode would offer more opportunities at gear, unlike the stilted Story Missions. If he was going to do World Mode, though, he would really need more space for stuff. Anything he wanted to upgrade would need to come back here with him and his fanny pack was only four slots.
He bought a backpack for six more slots of carry space, which ate most of his funds. Next, he checked the clothing he had picked up at Val-Mart to see if he could upgrade them and if so what kind of upgrades were available.
Zombie Cap (Rare)
Armor: 0
Durability: 50/50
Upgradable: 0/6
Hiking Boots (uncommon)
Armor: 2
Durability: 25/25
Upgradable: 0/4
Denim Jeans (common)
Armor: 2
Durability: 25/25
Upgradeable: 0/2
He was surprised the quality of both the hat and boots. A rare item and an uncommon, it seemed a bit much to be finding in a Val-Mart. Shaking his head, he pulled up the list of possible upgrades for the new items.
Increased Armor (rank 1): Increases Armor of the item by 2 (more Armor, are you afraid of damage?). Cost: 500 XP.
Increased Armor (rank 2): Requires rank 1. Increases Armor of the item by 4 (4 is better than 2, unless it’s zombies). Cost: 1,000 XP.
Increased Armor (rank 3): Requires rank 2. Increases Armor of the item by 6 (seriously, do you fear death or something?). Cost: 2,000 XP.
Increased Armor (rank 4): Requires rank 3. Increases Armor of the item by 8 (okay buddy, maybe think about less Armor and more utility). Cost: 4,000 XP.
Increased Armor (rank 5): Requires rank 4. Increases Armor of the item by 10 (what, do you want to live forever?). Cost: 10,000 XP.
Durability (rank 1): Increase base durability by a multiple of five (much harder to break, isn’t it?). Cost: 500 XP.
Durability (rank 2): Requires rank 1. Increased base durability by multiple of ten (also auto cleans all blood and gore immediately). Cost: 5,000 XP.
Surprise Storage (rank 1): Imbues the item with the ability to store an item, like a bag (Hey, Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!). Cost: 2,000 XP.
Surprise Storage (rank 2): Requires rank 1. Imbues the item with two spots of storage space (two for over double the cost, what a deal). Cost: 5,000 XP.
All Weather: Water proofing, thermal insulation and cooling all in one upgrade (best deal if you ask us, but of course you didn’t). Cost: 250 XP.
Alvin grunted as he looked over the list, “Fuck, now that’s a lot of stuff.” He started laughing. “If I could upgrade Armor on this hat all the way I could take a shot to the face from my pistol and not die.”
“That is correct,” Jarvis replied. “The Armor from clothing is subtracted first when you take damage, then your health is deducted.”
“How does the durability work for clothing?”
“Every time you take damage, the Armor for that area loses a point of durability,” Jarvis intoned in his new, dry voice. “I s
hould add a thank you, Sir, for not making me Betty. I can work with this at least.”
“Oh, a thank you. You are quite welcome, Jarvis.” Alvin replied, then started applying upgrades to his gear, checking the stats of them when he finished.
Zombie Cap (Rare)
Armor: 4
Durability: 250/250
Upgradable: 3/6
Hiking Boots (Uncommon)
Armor: 4
Durability: 125/125
Rapture (Apocalypse Gates Author's Cut Book 1) Page 10