Her eyes narrowed slightly but she nodded, “Don’t make me regret my decision.”
“I’ll try not to,” Alvin replied simply. “Can I get help unloading the stuff from the truck? After that I’d like to take a nap to check on what this will all cost me. I’ll need the first three guns you want upgraded, as well.”
“I’ll help with the truck,” Bill replied. “Susan, go get your favorite, also grab the Ol’ Tom and my ivory 1911. Put those in the room for him, then get dinner started. We can eat before he takes his nap.”
Susan left the two men outside. As the door closed behind her, Bill turned to Alvin, “If you do anything to hurt her…”
Holding up both hands Alvin cut in, “I won’t. As a rule, I don’t hurt those who help me, more over if they’re female. Now, if she tried to stab me in the back that would be different, but I don’t believe your daughter was raised that way.”
“Damn right she wasn’t,” Bill said as he started for the rig. “Sunlight is burning, let’s get this done.”
An hour later they had the truck unloaded and all the gear stacked by the front door. Bill brought out a cart to load everything onto so they could haul it to the kitchen, minus the fuel. Alvin was impressed by the kitchen and pantry. It seemed already well stocked, but Alvin’s additional supplies disappeared quickly as they put everything away as Susan directed. Once they were done she served them a simple meal of steak and baked potato. Alvin made happy noises, glad to have real food again. Bill showed Alvin the bathroom, then the room set aside for him after they’d eaten. He made use of the facilities, then went to his room. It was a small room, ten feet square and illuminated by a single bulb in the ceiling. The three guns were laid out on the bed. He unloaded the water and jerky from his backpack, put the guns inside it then flopped down onto the soft bed. He lay there for a few minutes, thinking he should get undressed but unable to muster up the energy for it.
A small pop-up asking if he wanted to return to his room appeared. Next to it was a ten-minute timer that was counting down. He tapped the button to accept and a split second later the light engulfed him. He sat up from his bunk in his small, unadorned room. “Home again, home again, jiggity jig. Jarvis, how did I do?”
“Welcome back sir,” Jarvis replied. “You got shot in the back by a forty-year-old shut-in. I think we can almost qualify that as a fail.”
“Thanks, buddy,” Alvin chuckled. “I think I really need to up my Personability. It’s harder than it should be to convince people that I’ve already helped to see things my way.”
“That does indeed come down to your Personability stat. You have a deal in place with them, though. You need to check your XP to see if you even have enough to uphold that deal. Reneging would reflect badly on you.”
Alvin pulled up the summary for his first day in World Mode.
World Mode Summary
Total Experience Earned: 2,075 XP
Breakdown: 1 day in World 2,000 XP, Walkers killed 75 XP, Humans killed -100 XP, Stockpile loot 100 XP
“Damn it, not enough,” Alvin sighed.
Jarvis coughed, “You are mistaken.”
“No, it would cost another hundred and seventy-five for doing all three guns.”
“That is correct,” Jarvis replied. “You still had two hundred and ten left when you went into World Mode.”
Alvin pulled up his total and laughed as he saw the total of 2,285 XP. “Oops. Well spotted, Jarvis.”
“I aim to please,” came the sarcastic reply.
Alvin upgraded all three guns with the upgrades for better durability and unlimited ammo. “How do I stay in World Mode to sleep, if I want to stay there?”
“When you lay down, there is a small icon for normal sleep mode in the upper right of your visual field. Tap it, and for ten hours you will not be teleported back here when you lie down, unless you toggle it again.”
“Good to know,” Alvin replied as he got up to pace the room for a second. “Jarvis?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Thanks again, sorry I won’t be home much.”
“Quite all right, sir. It just means I get more time to mock you in private.” Jarvis’s dry tone and precise delivery made it hard to tell whether he was serious or not.
“Asshole,” Alvin laughed. He opened the job board, his finger hovering over the World Mode button. “I’ll be back,” he intoned in a bad accent just as he pushed the button.
When the light cleared, he found himself on the bed just as he had been when he left. He got up and wandered out to the front room where Susan and Bill were talking in quiet tones. He slowed to listen in on what they were saying, careful to keep silent.
“I don’t know if we’re going nuts either, but he has been upfront with us. He stopped to help us when we were in the hospital. I want to trust him, but something keeps making me twinge as if I shouldn’t every time he speaks.”
“I know,” Bill replied. “If he does what he promises though, we should give him a little more rope. If he hangs himself with it, that isn’t our fault. It will be entirely up to him to keep showing us he’s honest. He’ll have to take responsibility for those he brings inside the fence, too.”
“I will,” Alvin said, stepping around the corner of the hall. “I also thank you for your trust. I just got back, here are your guns. I’m going to actually go hit the hay for a few hours now.” He pulled the guns from his backpack, laying them on the coffee table. His lips quirked up, as he watched the surprised looks on their faces that the shotgun and tommy gun had fit into his fanny pack. “Same as before, just unload the magazine then reload for it to refill the ammo. It will refill any magazine you put in it, meaning you can also stock pile free ammo this way. However, there is a downside that I found out about. Your guns will degrade much faster than you’re used to. After a little over a thousand magazines have been fired through the gun it will break now. Sorry that I didn’t have that information to give to you sooner.”
Bill stood up, meeting Alvin’s gaze evenly, “I’ll hold to my word. You have to take responsibility for those you invite inside. If you do seventeen more guns for us, I will waive that and give you equal run of the compound.”
A pop-up appeared before Alvin’s eyes, as he read it a slow smile spread across his face.
Mission: Unlock Wild Bill’s Holdout
Task one: Meet minimum number of settlers (3/10 settlers)
Task two: Complete agreement with Wild Bill. (3/20 guns upgraded)
Settlement Draftsman’s table has been placed, not usable until the Settlement is fully unlocked.
“Heh,” Alvin chuckled. “You going out to test your guns?”
Susan grabbed her shotgun, “That was my plan.”
“I’ll step out too, briefly. There should be something new in the yard.”
Bill eyed him before he grabbed the Tommy and the ivory handled 1911. “Let’s go see.”
When they exited the house, right next to the door was a metal draftsman’s table. Alvin touched the table and a 3D image of the land appeared above the table, along with a multitude of tabs. He briefly touched a few, to find walls, premade structures, furniture and defenses listed as either assets or options. “Looks like I can build and upgrade some things, but a lot of them are locked out. You and Susan are listed under the settler tab. I don’t have any access to do anything with that tab yet.”
Bill frowned and as Alvin stepped back from the table he stepped forward and touched it. He frowned, “It doesn’t do anything for me.”
Susan stepped past Bill and touched the table, “Me, either.”
“Must be tied to me trying to start the Settlement then,” Alvin opined.
Bill shook his head, “Let’s go try out the guns.”
Alvin followed them over to the small range. Both of them plugged ear protection in before they stepped up to the firing line. Alvin plugged his ears with his fingers. For the next couple of minutes, they ran a few magazines through each of the guns before they stepped
back and removed the earplugs.
“You upheld your end of the bargain,” Bill said as he held out his hand. “You promise to do right by us?”
“Yes, sir,” Alvin replied, getting his hand crushed again.
“I look forward to you working on more of our guns, then. I’ll set aside the ones I want you to do. Tomorrow I’ll get them stuck in your room, so you can grab them as you want.”
“Thank you, both of you. It’s so much nicer dealing with people who don’t want to blow your head off and steal your truck.”
“Who tried that?” Bill asked as they walked back towards the house.
“Patrick Walker,” Alvin replied.
“He tried what?” Susan asked in a heated voice.
“I stopped to pick him up, since he said he needed a ride over the CB. When I got there, some of the stuff in the truck needed to be moved so he could fit in. I was watching the zombies coming up the road when I heard him cock the shotgun he had. I dove forward, got grazed on the back of the head by some of the shot. My hat saved me there. I rolled over and emptied the mag into him. Then got up and put one final one through his head.”
“Fucking useless punk,” Bill grunted. “He mooched off his mother for years. I just pray she went peacefully. She was a good, kind-hearted woman.”
“Well, I’m going back into Green River tomorrow to see if anything can be salvaged, or anyone saved,” Alvin told them as they walked down the ramp. “Anyone I should know to stay away from?”
“I’ll make you a list,” Bill replied. “You take a shower and get some sleep. You’ll need it if you’re going into Green River in the morning.”
Alvin took his advice, enjoying the shower in spite of the water being cool. He slid into the bed, reveling briefly in how soft and comfortable it was as he tapped the sleep icon to make sure he stayed in the game, then fell asleep.
Chapter Twelve
Alvin woke to the warm softness of a comfortable bed and a good blanket. He lay there for a few more minutes, debating going back to sleep before he finally got up out of bed. He got his stuff together, making sure everything was in order before he left the room. He opened the bathroom door to use the john, only to find a nearly naked Susan standing there in just her panties, her bra dangling in one hand as she stared at him in surprise. Alvin froze for a second, his brain shutting off even as his eyes reported that Susan had a very nice figure with her large breasts and nicely flared hips. His mind kicked back on a second later and he slammed the door shut, “Fuck, sorry.”
He cleared his throat, trying to get his mind off the after image. Hard, fast footsteps approaching made him turn his head, just in time to see Bill lower his shoulder, a fraction of a second before he was slammed into the wall by the angry father. “What did you think you were doing?” Bill said as the duo tumbled to the ground, Bill putting Alvin into an arm bar as they fell.
The door to the bathroom cracked open far enough for Susan to stick her head out. “Stop it! It was my fault for not locking the door. He even apologized, Dad. Now let him go and get some water ready so I can whip up breakfast.” She shut the door firmly without waiting for a reply from either man.
Bill grunting, giving Alvin’s arm a small tug before he let go and got to his feet, “I’ll say it again, leave my daughter alone.” Bill stomped off, leaving Alvin on the ground massaging his elbow and chest, which had taken the brunt of Bill’s ire.
“Okay, crazy dad, check,” Alvin muttered as he got to his feet. “Good thing I plan to go out and face the undead today, that will be safer.”
“Will it?” Susan asked, having opened the door without him noticing.
Alvin turned around to see her in flannel and jeans that mostly hid the figure she had. He nodded once, “I think I’d rather face a thousand zombies unarmed than your father when he’s pissed.”
A small laugh escaped Susan, “Most sane people would, I think. That was my fault mostly, but you should have knocked as well.”
“True enough,” Alvin admitted with a chagrined expression. “I’m sorry for catching you like I did. It was wrong of me to not think the room might be in use. Can’t say I’m sorry for seeing what I did, though.”
Susan frowned, “You’re just naturally an ass, aren’t you?”
“I hear that a lot,” Alvin admitted, stepping around her into the bathroom. “I blame it on my lack of positive social interactions as a kid. If you will excuse me.” He shut himself into the bathroom and locked the door. He used the john, taking an extra minute or two to splash water on his face. He knew he shouldn’t have made that comment to her, but he’d always had impulse control issues when talking to people. A counselor once told him he didn’t have a brain to mouth filter, which always made him smile to think about.
When he exited the bathroom, Bill was standing in the hall, “Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes. Are you going to join us before you head out?”
“Sounds like a plan to me. No idea how long I’ll be out for.”
Bill led him into the small dining area where Susan was setting out three bowls of cream of wheat. “It’s plain, but should keep you going for a bit,” Susan said, her voice a touch frosty. She sat down and started eating.
“Thank you for the food,” Alvin told her before he dug into his own bowl. It was still better than the sludge he’d eaten for the last few days in his cell. When he finished he sat there for a moment, thinking about his plan for the day. He was pulled from his reverie by Susan taking his bowl and Bill setting a piece of paper next to him. “Thank you,” he said to Susan as she turned away from the table before he gave his attention to the paper.
“If you meet any of these twenty people don’t bother saving them,” Bill said, pointing at one column. He then touched the other half of the page, “These are good people, they deserve to be saved if you can find any of them. Anyone else is up to you.”
Alvin took the paper, pocketing it, “I’ll be sure to check while I’m in Green River. Unless things go badly, I hope to be able to check a good portion of the town today.”
“I was looking at the table thing outside earlier,” Bill said. “It won’t tell me anything. I think I need some of this XP you talked about. How do I get some?”
“Kill things,” Susan put in from the small sink. “Just like a video game. Oh wait, you were never big on letting me play those.”
“They won’t teach you anything that you’ll…” Bill was cut off as Susan chimed in to finish the obviously frequently heard refrain.
“Use later in life. That’s what you were going to say, right?” Susan sighed. “Well, guess what? It looks like some of those skills might have come in handy after all. I’m sure the lessons in shooting and survival are also going to be useful, so don’t get me wrong Dad. However, right now even a passing knowledge of video games might be helpful.”
Bill looked away from his daughter, his lips tight at being rebuked in front of a guest. “I was thinking I could go with you,” Bill finally spoke up a moment later, addressing Alvin. “Two sets of eyes and more guns would be useful if we’re going to be facing close to a thousand zombies only a few miles from my cabin.”
“I won’t turn you down, but that does mean leaving Susan here all alone.”
“I’ll turn the CB on, if anything happens here I’ll tell you and the same better be true in return,” Susan replied. “I’ll have my shotgun, so I should be fine here. You just make sure he comes back to me.”
“I’ll do my best,” Alvin replied.
“Your best?” Susan asked.
“If it comes down to me or him, no offense, but I will save me, every time.”
Bill gave a snort, “Most people would and damn few would admit it to others. Let me grab my guns and then we can go.” Bill went off into the bunker leaving the two of them alone.
Susan turned to Alvin, “If he doesn’t come back, I won’t be letting you in and I damn well might kill you myself.”
“Fair enough,” Alvin agreed. “I wil
l do my best. I need to go check something outside before we go.”
He took his leave, heading outside the bunker to check the Draftsman’s table. He opened up the display and checked the cost of things. He frowned, all the costs were greyed out so he couldn’t see them. The only information he could get was a pop-up informing him the settlement still needed to reach the minimum population for the table to unlock.
Alvin turned off the display and went back inside, thinking about what he’d learned from the table. He met Susan and Bill in the long passage as they were heading out. Susan handed him the cooler she was carrying. He reversed course and walked with them back outside. “Hmm, we should discuss how to grow the settlement,” he said.
“What do you mean?” Susan asked.
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