Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

Without much delay, it didn't take long before we had another special delivery of an OG M1 Garand chambered in .30-06 and a modern one, an M1A SOCOM 16 rifle, chambered in .308 Winchester.

I didn't need to explain much about the classic M1 because it could stand alone in its own notoriety but the new had obviously a few things that had quality-of-life features while having a modern "tacticool" look than the usual wood stock and iron sights. Experience more tales on empire

Of course, my new-age M1 came in all black with a 16-inch barrel, an adjustable stock, match trigger, ghost-ring rear sights, tritium front sights, a Picatinny rail that only had a flashlight for now, and a proprietary muzzle brake with an option to easily screw in a suppressor.

'It's lighter too… the same with its shorter bullet casing…'

Sure, it might look half-done at the moment but it still had the spirit of the OG Garand just from looking at the side profile… mostly.

"A-Are those the same thing?" Ella asked.

"Yes and no. Kind of the same gun but they also use different calibers."

"C-Can I shoot one, now?!"

"Pretty excited, huh? Alright. Knock yourself— I mean— You know the saying, heh."

At that point, even if Ella still had some PTSD from her bad experience with this gun, she still knew the ins and outs of it and it didn't take long before she was lining up a shot with the OG Garand. And yeah, right as she exhaled, she sent out a .30-06 projectile straight to one of our targets, and obviously enough, her body felt the brunt of the recoil.

However, once she turned around to face us, she couldn't be more happier as she was itching to fire another shot or even unload the whole thing until she heard the glorious ping she was so pissed about before.

"Go ahead, fire at will—"

"H-HELL YEAH!"

And yeah, with each shot, Ella's body was getting more and more used to the gun itself but she still got spooked when she heard the loud ping she was dreading. Despite that, she asked for another clip which I easily gave to her, and she went on for two more clips before she asked to fire the other one.

"Can I?! Please? I-I dunno why b-but I-I'm itching like crazy, right now!"

"Ew. You need a cream for that or something?"

"YOU— I-I-I WAS TALKING ABOUT— UGH! YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!"

"Hah! Just messin' with ya— but go ahead. You'd use mags this time though since the ghost ring's covering the area where you push in the clip. Just smack it in the underside, front first, and have fun with it."

"I know, I know! Thanks!"

With that said, once Ella fired the first shot, she couldn't believe the difference between the two guns because let's face it: The OG M1 Garand was notorious in its own way but if we're talking about a girl in Ella's size picking between the two—fuck it, include me in the comparison, just the comfort the new-age M1 could give us was just that more enticing.

Of course, there were a lot of things to consider—caliber-wise—where the .30-06 might be better than a .308 but at the end of the day, it's just up to who would use it—and then again, it wasn't like technology hasn't advanced to the point that even the M1 Garand running a .30-06 was replaced by our M14s running .308s.

And yeah, this new-age M1 Garand of mine running a .308 was just to bridge that gap between eras though I'd still opt for my AR to run a 5.56.

Though Ella gave me that look a kid would when they find a new toy that they'd like:

"H-Hey… C-Can I— Please, please, please?! C-Can I have this one?! I-I'll be good!"

"Here we go…"

"I-I dunno why but— I don't know but it's like i-it's fate! I-It just… just… k-kicks me j-just right a-and d-does it come with a bigger mag?!"

I chuckled, "It'd be a little heavy but I do—"

"YES! Thank you! T-That old one's cool and all but I LOVE this one! I-It doesn't feel heavy at all and the recoil's m-much better! I-I can take this one more and s-shoot it for longer!"

"I take it you're trauma's completely gone now?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"I— I guess so? All thanks to you! Ah— I-I promise to train with Kaley or with Olivia and Lois every time they come here and I-I'll even clean it myself! I-I— I'll even clean the house e-every—"

I waved her off, "You don't have to do anything. I just want you to keep at it so yeah, I would love for you to have it. I still have my own setup, no?"

"R-REALLY?!"

"Yeah."

"YOU'RE THE BEST! I— HMMMRGH! I'M SO HAPPY!"

Once again, Ella dove in for a hug but this time, Kaley and I smothered her together. At this time in the night, we were the only ones present but we spent a bit more time with Ella figuring out what she wanted to do with this Garand and some things to consider for her sidearm and some other accessories.

Of course, it wasn't like we'd throw her out to the wolves but it's just much better to let her have the whole thing rather than to just have one thing she'd be good for.

"What? I'm gonna have to start exercising too?! I mean— I-I am trying but I-I don't want to run 100 kilometers a day!"

"I mean— not like that but more regularly, of course. It's not as heavy now since you're just standing with it but there might be times you gotta move around carrying that gun with all the other shit you have with you. So yeah, it pays to have more muscle in your body and the stamina to last for as long as you can. You already said you'd train with Olivia and Lois, right?"

"B-But how about you two? Can't I train with you still?"

"I mean— Of course, you can train with us but we'd be out the walls sometimes like this morning, or be out for days or even weeks."

"Hmmrgh… T-Then I-I think we should j-just make the best of it, y-you know?" Ella stuttered as she looked at her feet before turning to us with a slight blush.

Kaley and I glanced at each other before I replied with a knowing smile, "What do you have in mind?"

"W-Well… E-Everyone's back home a-and… I-I… I… I-I wanna go all the way n-now?"