Through Rough Times - A Zombie Apocalypse Adventure (alternate-timelines.com Edition)

Chapter 50: Innocence Lost (Part 1)

A child should never have to experience the horrors of war​
- War Child UK

Date: October 20, 2018 (Z-Day +3; 8:10 AM)
Location: On the way to San Diego

Gabrielle just sat their silent, her MP5 hanging by the sling. Gillan was there to comfort her. "Hey, let's just be positive alright." Her friend said. Deep inside, he was just as worried as her and his best friend Mike. The girl looked like she was depressed and said nothing. They followed the convoy as it sped down the freeway which had a few car crashes and some sporadic walkers that were too slow to follow the pickup truck, the SUV, and the SWAT Van.

Overhead, Gillan could see various planes and helicopters taking off from San Diego. "They're still evacuating the city." He thought. Yet, he knew that not everyone could be saved. Thankfully, other refugees did not only take to the sea. Other fled to south to Baja California before the Mexicans closed their border to deal with their internal outbreaks. Other fled to the hills of southern California or the desert of the American Southwest were it was expected the Infected would be lesser in number.

"I can only pray." Gabrielle replied while clutching her submachine gun.

Suddenly, Jules opened the window. His face was worried. Gillan knew it was something bad.

"Merde!" The Frenchman muttered. "You gotta to hear this!" He pointed at the radio.

"...Conflict continues in the Taiwan Straits as the People's Republic attempts to take over Taiwan in the midst of the outbreak in the mainland...It is unknown if President Xi Jinping is alive or if the military is control...In other news, despite the best efforts of the Philippine Navy and the Coast Guard, some infected refugees from China have managed to wash ashore in the provinces of Illocos Norte, Illocos Sur, Zambales, and Pangasinan. Panic has spread throughout the capital of Manila as millions of residents evacuate to the country side. Sources confirm that President Duterte and the cabinet may be evacuated to Baguio to serve as a temporary capital. The AFP and the PNP have all been mobilized and dealing with the threat...

"Oh no." Gabrielle said as she placed her hand in her mouth, forcing herself not to cry. Gillan embraced her to try to comfort her. The bad news is that the virus has reached the Philippines.

"...Infection has also been reported in Cebu City..."

"Oh my God...no..." It's reach my hometown.

"How long till those things reach Bohol?" Gabrielle asked, teary-eyed and worried.

"I don't know to be honest." Gillan said, not wanting to disappoint the girl he likes. "...but the fact is, if Luzon got it first, then our troops in Visayas and Mindanao have time to mobilize. But Bohol is one boatride away If I have to be blunt, your sister and whoever is guarding her right now may have plans where to evacuate. Be it in the mountains or the boat. I hope my parents are fine as well." Gillan said, the thought weighing on him heavily. The pair continue to sit there while listening to the news on the radio, which have been reporting that the situation has gone grim.

Their home country was no longer spared of the Killer Pandemic.
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Date: October 21, 2018 (Z-Day +4; 11:10 PM-16 hr difference)
Location: Bohol, Philippines

It was close to midnight. Normally, a 13 year old girl would be preparing for school the following day. Semestral break was just around the corner. Every student in the Philippines at this period would be excited to go home, slack-off, or celebrate the incoming Halloween season by trick-or-treating, going to Halloween parties, or watching horror stuff on TV. Now Semestral break just came early, like it did five years ago during the Bohol earthquake, since the Department of Education ordered all classes to be cancelled due to the virus that was turning everyone into walking cannibals.

Things were different for the 13 year old Alexandria. For the past three or four days, she'd been crying as her parents and her older sister Gabrielle were stranded in America when the Killer Pandemic swept the globe. She had been trying to contact them via Facebook or FaceTime but couldn't do so since the lines were flood since Z-Day. She hoped that they were fine, that by some grace of God they had made it. Sadly, there was no way of knowing for sure. It was only her nanny and some relatives that have been looking out for her.

"Why it'd have to happen?" Alexandria asked herself, eyes red from crying. "Mama, papa, ate[1], why do you have to be away in all of this?"

Her nanny came to comfort her and told her to be strong. In front of them, the ANC 24/7 channel showed the footage of SWAT, Special Action Force, and soldiers of the Philippine Army engaging small hordes of infected in rural Luzon while also showing footage of the quarantine of a district in Cebu City. The news channel did not attempt to blur the graphic images.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door followed by an authoritative voice.

"PNP, AFP, please open for your safety."

The nanny went and was greeted by a mixture of soldiers, policemen, and CAFGU[2] paramilitary personnel. They were armed with M4 carbines while the CAFGU personnel had a mix of World War II and Cold War-era weapons such as the M1 Garand, the M1 Carbine, the M3A1 Grease Gun, and the Elisco M16A1[3].

"Unsay ato? (What's up?)" The nanny asked the armed men.

"Maayong gabii maam. Kita ka sa balita atong mga na takdan sa sakit. Kung ma paakan ka, mahimo ka ato pareha ila. Walang tambal kung ma paakan. Karon, ang gobernador ay nag hatag ug direktibo na mang hatag ug mga karaan na armas sa mga residente para maka protecta sa ilang kaugalingon. (Good evening ma'am. I'm sure you have heard of the news about those who get infected with the disease. If you get bitten by one of those Infected, you will become one of them. There is no cure nor vaccine for those that get bit. Today, the governor of the province gave a directive to handout surplus weapons to randomly chosen residents so you could protect yourselves)."

"Kung kita ka atong mga natakadan, pusila sila sa ulo kay dili na to sila mga tao. Pila man mo kaabok diha? (If you see one of those Infected, shoot them in the head because they are no longer human. How many of you are in this house.)" The officer asked.

"Duha rami. Iyang ginikanan ug ate na stranded pa sa America. (Where just two in this house. Her parents and her older sister are stranded in America)."

The officer looked a bit worried. Sighing, he signaled his men to bring over a crate and handed an M3A1 Grease Gun with a suppressor and an M68 Aimpoint for the nanny and an older Beretta 92 to the young Alexandria, along with a couple of ammunition for both guns. Both just stared the guns they were handed at.

"Para na sa inyo para maka protecta mo sa inyung balay. (These are for you for home and personal protection)."

The officer and some of the soldiers demonstrated how to use the gun. It came with a heavy heart among the security forces of arming a minor with a gun but in times like this, what choice does a person have in order to live?

After the demonstration, the officers and the soldiers left in a station wagon and headed out to the next house to distribute surplus weapons. The nanny then turned to Alexandria, telling her that the gun is no toy and that it should be kept in an easier place of access in case the Infected come crashing through. The thought of holding a gun weighed heavy on her. But if it came to protecting and surviving, she had to use it.

For a girl in her first year as a teenager, Alexandria was slowly starting to adjust to the world that came crashing apart in just less than a week.

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Author's Notes:
One of the reasons that always scares me if being separated from your family members during a catastrophe. This one of the reasons why I wrote this story in the first place, inspired from No Escape starring Owen Wilson.

[1] Ate means older sister in Filipino
[2] CAFGU stands for The Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit, variously called Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit, Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit and commonly referred to by its acronym CAFGU (pronounced "kahf-goo") is an irregular auxiliary force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The CAFGU was created on July 25, 1987 when President Corazon C. Aquino signed Executive Order No. 264 entitled "Providing for the Citizen Armed Force". The creation of the unit was based on the "clear, consolidate, hold and develop" strategy adopted by then-Defense Secretary Fidel V. Ramos in dealing with insurgent-infiltrated villages.

CAFGU units are components of the AFP Ready Reserve detailed to Military Auxiliary Service. Article X, Sec. 61, sub-paragraph 2 of Republic Act 7077 describes this manner of service as follows:
Military auxiliary service entails services rendered in meeting local insurgency threat. Reservists serving under this category will be organized into Ready Reserve units. They must be issued and allowed to carry firearms: Provided, That these reservists will be utilized only for the defense of their respective localities and will not be employed outside their localities. Elected/appointed local government officials are expected to perform their duties and responsibilities in their respective peace and order council levels or similar organizations efficiently and effectively to enhance a total integrated system approach against threats to national security. The Secretary of National Defense shall prescribe the rules and regulations to implement this section in coordination with the Secretary of the Interior and Local Government.

CAFGU units are administered by, and under the operational control of, regular units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Philippine Army infantry battalions assigned to this function are also referred to as "Cadre Battalions". Deactivation of CAFGU units assigned to these battalions result in the return of their status as regular infantry battalions.

The CAFGU units are tasked to prevent the re-infiltration of insurgents into communities that have already been cleared of their influence by combat operations conducted by regular units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The CAFGU units are issued surplus small arms from World War II or the Cold War; typically the M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, the M3 Grease Gun, M-14, or M-16 rifles now that the PA and PMC have switched to the Remington R4A3 to replace the aging M16A1 assault rifles, and receive a monthly stipend of Php 2,700.00 (about US$57).
[3] Elisco is a local gun manufacturer in the Philippines that produces licensed Colt M16A1 assault rifles for the AFP.

   Well that sounds a very serious mess in China which could be bad for everybody if it really goes pear shaped!

   On the previous post given the population of the Philippines do the authorities have enough spare guns to arm pretty much every civilian? That sounds rather a lot. Unless its specific to that locality?

Troubled Waters - New Orleans (LA) - Part 3: The Gathering Storm

Date: October 17, 2018 (Z-Day; 9:50 AM)
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

Boris Karpov could not just rely on himself. He had just arrived into a foreign country plagued by living abomination. In a certain way of thinking and acting, Karpov likes to be alone, exactly like he was during the first Chechen War. He had learned so much about the brutal and tormented aspect of the human mind. He was a monster among the murderers and rapists but nearly two decades after this dark and bloody period of Russia, he don't know if he was able to reach the same point of tolerance against death and barbarism. A lot of people think that when you have a military training or a war experience, you should be able to carry on but this a myth, it will be always traumatic to plunge again in a maelstrom of violence. Karpov just sat on his old and rusted bed, he drink a little bit in the poor quality imitation of Jack Daniel's bottle and scream :"Я жив" (I am Alive). Taken from an unprecedented momentum, he raise up, take the bottle and opened the door.

Very few people had the misfortune to survive the New Orleans hell but those who survived had very likely seen the same thing as Karpov by opening his door that day: the whole main hall of the hotel, one floor below, was covered with blood, with scattered suitcases, with various organs torn off. Animated bodies of some customers waded grotesquely in this foul bath, an oppressive metallic smell took you by the throat and seemed to accompany you everywhere. An old memory of Grozny returns to the mind of Karpov, who quickly chased away this black idea with a swig of Whiskey, especially that Karpov saw the way to escape this hotel turned into slaughterhouse. The door half broken on its hinges revealed a passage to the street. It was now just to eliminate or bypass the Infected, link up with any survivors, and find his niece Olga in the middle of all these chaos.

Chapter 54: Innocence Lost (Part 3)

Date: October 21, 2018 (Z-Day+4; morning)
Location: Tagbilaran City
Bohol, Philippines

The Infected, they were finally here. There we three of them, pounding on the door with their fists. It held, but not for long. Cracks were forming while the hinges were about to fall off.

"Alex, run they're coming!" Her nanny shouted. The nanny was packing up with whatever food, supplies, and other things they can carry. They would escape through the backdoor. Alexandria just took what stuff she could carry, leaving most of the things she wanted.

Her nanny had the stuff but in the haste, they left the pistol at the room. "I must get it back!" Alexandria yelled.

"Alex, come back here, it's too dangerous!" The nanny yelled. The little girl came running, with the Beretta in hand. She handed it over to her nanny just as the Infected broke through the door. Her nanny hesitated and was mauled. Those things bit threw her throat, spilling blood around while they dug out her guts. It was a gruesome scene for 13 year old.

She screamed naturally and stood there paralyzed in fear while her nanny was being torn apart. The gun was just at her feet.

She picked it up, hands shaking as she aimed down the sights at the nearest infected.

"Gotta aim for the head." She said as she remembered what the authorities told her yesterday.

Alexandria aligned the sights at the forehead and then pulled the trigger. The recoil caught her off guard but the bullet successfully pierced the skull of the Infected. It fell with a thud. The gunfire attracted the other two Infected that were attacking her nanny. They got up and turned towards Alexandria. She did the same thing. Hands shaking with fear, she aligned the sight but missed her shot. The bullet hit the throat of the infected, but it continued. In panic, she shot more bullets at its chest. It stumbled but continued its advanced. One lucky shot put it down. However, the other was already next to her and was about to pounce on her. She then placed the barrel of the gun, pulling the trigger, thus killing the last approaching Infected.

"Get away from my house!" Alexandria shouted.

She stood there trembling, tears falling for her eyes. At the age of 13 just killed three Infected. Her nanny was dying of blood loss. She was going to turn soon if she did not put her down.

It was a complete change from childhood to adolescence. However, unlike most teens who grew up crushing on celebrities or looking forward to the next prom, Alexandria was different now. At that moment she defended her home, her innocence was lost. She was now a fighter and she was deemed to survive this all. More moans were heard coming from the direction of the outside. They were then replaced by a volley of automatic gunfire which then silenced the moans. A group of soldiers and policemen in green camoflage came, astonished to see a little girl with a Beretta. What was shocking to them was the the bodies of three Infected laying in the floor with bullet holes along with a fourth that looked badly mangled. These did not look like ordinary policemen, the camo and the patches they had with the acronym RPSB indicated they were from the Regional Public Safety Battalion of the PNP. Alexandria dropped the gun at the sight of the policemen, but they did not need to be afraid. They knew she acted in self-defense.

The policemen asked her what happened and explained that the Infected broke into their house. After listening to the explanation, the policemen and the soldiers removed the bodies of the Infected and placed them in body bags. As for her nanny, one policeman took out a knife and stabbed her in the head to prevent her from reanimating. She was already dead at this point. Alexandria could not help but look.

Several KM-250 utility trucks of the Philippine Army were waiting outside, alongside civilian utility trucks and busses. One garbage truck was used to collect the bodies of the Infected for disposal. Alexandria was invited over as the authorities were slowly going to evacuate Tagbilaran to various points in the countryside where there were less people.

"So are you the only one here?" Asked one of the Army captains.

"Yes." She replied, still crying. "It was just my nanny and I. My nanny got bitten had to be put down."

"Where are your parents?" The captain asked.

"They're in America with my older sister. They're stranded there. I haven't heard from them ever since."

The captain nodded and sighed in pity. He knew of the situation in the United States - an ally of the Philippines - was bad. The Department of Foreign Affairs had evacuated its embassy in Washington along with their consulates in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and Houston. However, thousands of Filipinos abroad are currently unaccounted for. The captain could only wish Alexandria's family was safe.

"Well, it's better to leave a note in case they return. Right now, this convoy is evacuating to the town of Anda in the western part of the province."

The local AFP garrison in Bohol came up with a better strategy to empty the provincial capital so once the offensive began, there would only be a few Infected to take care sure. The Infected were slow and may follow the evacuation convoys, but the CAFGUs were slowly taking care of the scattered ones. Alexandria then wrote a note and taped in the front door before she boarded the military truck for evacuation into the countryside. The note said:

Papa, Mama, Ate

I'm in Anda. Meet me there. Nanny didn't make it.

~Alexandria

As the truck drove on escorted by the Army and the police, Alexandria leaned back. The thoughts of killing her first three Infected weighed heavily on her. She was just a 13 year old girl getting to know the world better, but now she had to fight to survive. She thought her older sister currently stranded across the Pacific was doing the same thing, fighting to survive. Indeed her older sister thought her to fight and to stand her ground when she was bullied by her classmates just a few weeks ago this while thing started. Her older sister Gabrielle was bullied herself too but she overcame it and passed it on on to Alexandria. Now, she became a fighter, both physically and mentally. Before napping for the long journey to Anda, she prayed that her sister and her parents would make it home safe. It may take months or even years but she believed they would eventually make it home.




CAFGU armed with M-14s on patrol



PNP RPSB conducting clean-and-sweep


Across the island of Bohol, the neighboring island of Cebu was also dealing with their Infected. Nobody knows how the first infected arrived in Cebu but blame had it on some Chinese tourists that probably hid their bites and turned in the nightlife district.

Several camps were set up in the mountains and several islands (Bantayan, Camotes, Olango) that dot the province of Cebu. The Philippines' second largest city was deemed to be loss should it be overrun with the Infected. Police and Army units from Camp Lapu-Lapu were slowly terminating the Infected in the hospitals while sections of the city were in lockdown after the sights of Infected were reported. A forward operating base (FOB) was set up in the Fort San Pedro, a Spanish-era fort that overlooked the Port of Cebu City. The AFP command deduced that with enough fortifications and high walls, the fort would definitely hold up against hordes of Infected.

The bridges linking Cebu to Mactan Island was destroyed so that the AFP and PNP could secure Mactan Cebu International Airport and the nearby Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base, home to the Philippine Air Forces' 208th Tactical Helicopter Squadron, 205th Tactical Operations Wing, 220th Airlift Wing, 5052nd Search and Rescue Squadron, 505th Search and Rescue Group, 1304th Dental Dispensary, and 560th Air Base Wing. There were two C-130s, 1 C-295, 4 F/A-50 fighter jets, and a handful of UH-1 Hueys and MD-520G armed scout helicopters. The base was built during the Cold War to house America's Strategic Air Command bombers in the case of a World War III with the former Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China. In November 2013, it housed several C-130s, C-17s, C-5s, and even an Antonov An-12 during Operation Damayan, the international community's humanitarian effort during the Typhoon Yolanda. The airport and the airbase would a strategic purpose of the AFP for projecting power into Visayas and Mindanao for the upcoming offensives against the Infected.

A contingent of Coast Guard and Navy coming from Naval Base Rafael Ramos were patrolling the waters of Mactan, carefully accepting refugees from Cebu and killing those Infected that manage to be swept by the waves.

The AFP in the province were ready to meet the threat head-on.



Philippine Army Light Reaction Regiment in the grounds of Fort San Pedro​
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Author's Notes:
- I actually had Alexandria's nanny survived in the original script. However, when I reviewed it, I realized that she could never lose her innocence and be "broken" by the outbreak if her nanny survived. I know it seems harsh but that's what happened to Clementine after she knew her parents turned into zombies and once Lee died. It's a zombie apocalypse story after all and death is everywhere.

I won't expect french to use WMDs on their own capital considerring How Paris is capital for maintaining France's unity.