Chapter 52: Chapter 52 - A break (End Vol 1)

Back at Zack’s compound, he enjoyed a rare moment of calm. After a refreshing swim, he lounged by the pool, letting the sun warm his skin as a soft breeze rustled the surrounding trees. For once, there were no zombies, no chaos—just peace.

“Ego,” Zack said, slipping on his sunglasses, “sometimes I think the apocalypse isn’t so bad. Quiet, not too much noise…” He trailed off, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he watched the clouds drift lazily across the sky.

His peace didn’t last long. When he opened his eyes, Sarah was sprawled out in the chair next to him. Her red hair glinted in the sunlight, and the collar around her neck caught the light.

Zack frowned. “Do you need something?”

Sarah rolled her eyes dramatically, then settled back in her chair. She’d been hovering around him all day, and by now, she seemed convinced he wasn’t lying about the collar being a safety measure. “Coward,” she muttered under her breath, though her fingers instinctively touched the collar as if to make sure it wasn’t about to explode.

“This isn’t cowardice—it’s caution,” Zack replied, not even looking at her. “You should try it sometime.”

“Got it,” Sarah replied with mock enthusiasm, sticking her tongue out at his back as he leaned further into his chair.

“I can hear you,” Zack said with a sigh. He regretted bringing her along—her unpredictable behavior and strange logic always caught him off guard.

Sarah hummed a little tune, pretending to relax just like Zack, sunglasses and all.

“Ugh, can’t I get one day of peace?” Zack groaned, finally losing patience.

“Fine, fine,” Sarah said, quieting down, though her grin suggested she’d pushed him just enough for her liking.

“Big brother!” a cheerful voice called out, shattering what was left of his calm. Annie came running, a wrench in hand, her cheeks smudged with grease. “Can you help me with Tarantula? Something’s wrong…”

Noticing his annoyed expression, she hesitated. “I’m sorry, I can fix it myself if—”

“It’s fine,” Zack interrupted, waving her over. “I’m not resting anymore, anyway.”

As Zack stood to leave, Sarah perked up. “Can I come too? I haven’t seen it yet.”

Zack shot her an annoyed look, silently mouthing, '“Get lost.”'

She got the hint, throwing on her sunglasses and flopping back into the chair with a dramatic sigh. “Fine, have your boring robot fun.”

In Annie’s workshop, Zack immediately spotted the problem. Tarantula, her robotic companion, was powered down on the workbench.

“You’re trying to upgrade her transmission system, aren’t you?” Zack asked, tapping Annie lightly on the forehead.

“Yeah, she’s too slow during fights,” Annie replied, rubbing her forehead.

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“Good idea,” Zack said, nodding, “but you forgot something simple.”

“What?” Annie tilted her head, confused.

“Her AI’s still running on the old system. Upgrading the transmission won’t help if the software can’t keep up.”

“Oh!” Annie gasped, realizing her mistake. “You’re right…”

Zack chuckled, patting her shoulder. “Don’t sweat it. You’ll figure it out.”

With that, he left her to work, heading to his own station. Activating his displays, Zack leaned back, studying a glowing map of potential armory locations. One, nestled deep in a mountainous region, caught his eye.

“This is the one,” he muttered, narrowing his eyes. His rare moment of peace was officially over.

"Well, if you're all set here, I’ll leave you to it," Zack said with a chuckle, clearly amused by Annie's expression. He gave her a final encouraging pat on the shoulder before walking out of the lab.

"Phew," Annie exhaled, feeling the heat in her cheeks slowly fade away. She glanced at Tarantula and pouted. "This is all your fault, Tarantula," she whispered, lightly tapping on its metallic shell. "If you’d just kept up, I wouldn’t have embarrassed myself in front of my brother." A moment later, guilt softened her features as she gently rubbed the spot she had tapped. "Sorry about that… didn’t mean to hit you," she murmured.

Meanwhile, Zack made his way to his workbench, his short break officially over. With a flick of a switch, he brought a series of holographic displays to life, filling the room with a low, steady hum of technology.

"Ego, pull up all known armory locations across the country," he instructed, his mind already shifting gears to their next strategic move. They needed resources to bolster their defenses, and Zack had a specific type of armory in mind.

"Mapping completed, sir," Ego replied smoothly as a satellite map materialized on the largest screen. Red markers pinpointed locations scattered across the country. Most were concentrated in the northern regions, but one stood out—a remote armory nestled in the mountains. It was heavily fortified, hidden, and strategically ideal.

"This is the one," Zack muttered, leaning closer as his eyes locked on the coordinates. Its location was isolated and secure—almost too well-hidden. If Ego hadn’t cracked the network back before everything fell apart, this place would’ve remained off the radar.

Zack leaned back in his chair, his expression sharpening with determination. As the plan began to take shape in his mind, he felt the familiar spark of focus ignite. The road ahead wouldn’t be easy, but he was ready to tackle it head-on.

"Well, if you're all set here, I’ll leave you to it," Zack said with a chuckle, clearly amused by Annie's expression. He gave her a final encouraging pat on the shoulder before walking out of the lab.

"Phew," Annie exhaled, feeling the heat in her cheeks slowly fade away. She glanced at Tarantula and pouted. "This is all your fault, Tarantula," she whispered, lightly tapping on its metallic shell. "If you’d just kept up, I wouldn’t have embarrassed myself in front of my brother." A moment later, guilt softened her features as she gently rubbed the spot she had tapped. "Sorry about that… didn’t mean to hit you," she murmured.

Meanwhile, Zack made his way to his workbench, his short break officially over. With a flick of a switch, he brought a series of holographic displays to life, filling the room with a low, steady hum of technology.

"Ego, pull up all known armory locations across the country," he instructed, his mind already shifting gears to their next strategic move. They needed resources to bolster their defenses, and Zack had a specific type of armory in mind.

"Mapping completed, sir," Ego replied smoothly as a satellite map materialized on the largest screen. Red markers pinpointed locations scattered across the country. Most were concentrated in the northern regions, but one stood out—a remote armory nestled in the mountains. It was heavily fortified, hidden, and strategically ideal.

"This is the one," Zack muttered, leaning closer as his eyes locked on the coordinates. Its location was isolated and secure—almost too well-hidden. If Ego hadn’t cracked the network back before everything fell apart, this place would’ve remained off the radar.

Zack leaned back in his chair, his expression sharpening with determination. As the plan began to take shape in his mind, he felt the familiar spark of focus ignite. The road ahead wouldn’t be easy, but he was ready to tackle it head-on.