Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre

To commemorate both Independence Day of Malaysia and Unity against Zombie Day they decided to hold a victory festival at the most iconic place in whole country, KLCC. I've finished talking to some of the much more popular figure during the party. Then out of the blue a person tapped me in the back to get my attention. Alex Armin dubbed as 'Black Assassin' by remnants of government and majority of survivors across the world. He led me to a fried chicken restaurant far away from the party. "Less prying eyes and ears here" He confided as he chewed on a chicken. Like the personal stories I heard, he is wearing a black hoodie with the hoods up, a black running trousers and a pair of black sneakers.

Ask me something, I don't know what you want to hear from me.

Excuse me?

I have loads of stories from the past that might contradict your older archived info, but I don't know which one to choose.

Okay, why do they call you 'Black Assassin'?

(He took a sip of Coca-Cola) There are two main factors. First is my appearance. I like to wear my black hoodie all the time and every time people want to give me stuff I always asked it in black, hence the Black side comes in. Second one is because of my technique and skills, and a healthy dose of insane luck.

(He smiled, taking a bite from the chicken) Every survivor has something to follow through, or motto to uphold. During Yonkers it is 'Pump them full o' leads and hopes that'll stop them' During Great Panic it is 'fuck everything'. I have four. Two during my live in a fortified safe zone and two more for general live. The first two is '1 stone everyday will make a mountain every week' and FMSS.

FMSS?

Fortify, Maintain, and Self-Sustaining. These three things are necessary for staying indefinitely at any location. Fortify; having a well-protected and secure stronghold can give 90% protection from the both dead and living assailant. I usually fortify the base with kill zone, barricades, watchtower and traps. Maintain; the base will degrades overtime, either by natural means or human/zombie influence. Having a well-maintained base increases your survivability rate drastically. But you need materials to maintain the base, that's lead to Self-Sustaining part; every human needs supply, and to maintain or repair a base you need materials. Yes, you can trade with others, or scavenge for material. But sooner or later, supply will runs out, then what?

The stone and mountain motto dictated that I must kill at least 1 zombie a day. I know, that sounds risky, but if you think it carefully it sounds pretty logical. We as a human individually throughout the history are capable of mass genocide, regardless of species, nation or even culture. Just look at the massacre of Jews during WWII. If a bunch of sailors can make the dodo extinct, even though we don't want to, then what about zombies? The one we actually recognize as the actual enemy? If we use our intellect, then we can make them deader than the dinosaurs.

And the second part is 'one shot, one kill' and 'work in the darkness'. Both of them are very straightforward, yet effective. Any survivor worth their salt owes their live to those attributes. (Chuckles, then his smile dropped). Killing them in one blow is the safest way to fight, as there is no extra risk of the ghoul biting or clawing back. For this job a blade is literally the best melee weapon available.

And why is that?

A sharpened piece of metal can be swung or stabbed at any range. The penetration when you stab them in the head is what kills them. And if you are skilled enough, you could dispatch a whole army. (I gave him a disbelieve stare) Dude, those bastards is very slow. All you need to do is to stab one, then retreat, then stab the other dude. Rinse then repeat. If you want to take on a swarm, lead them to a field, carry a trusty blade then circle them around, picking off one by one. Yes it's pretty risky, but if you don't have any of those fancy AKs or M4 then this is the perfect choice.

(He then put his hand on the table. I saw a small ring on his pinkie. He jerked his pinkie then a blade the size of a butter knife extended from under his wrist. The blade is sharp and thick.) Hidden blade, best weapon I ever made. Although primarily a stabbing weapon I found myself using it as slicing equipment overtime. And it's also the best weapon during any stealthy ventures. It also leads to the last motto; work in the darkness.

Darkness? It is much more dangerous?

Only for the tanking type of survivors. The survivors you found primarily engage the dead up-front and loud, resulting in unnecessary danger of luring in more zombies. It's even more dangerous fighting in the dark because you can't even saw your enemy, yet they still can hurt you. It took me several close-encounters and observation to realize that their eyesight is shit, rendering them blind in semi-darkness. How they can locate you in the dark? They hear and smell you. I found out that you can evade capture just by wearing dark clothes then stand in any sufficiently dark shadow. (The blade retracted, leaving the hand free for him to drink another sip from the soda.) If they can't hear or see you they can't kill you. (Chuckles) That's why they call me Black Assassin; I kill them in one shot and always seemingly disappear into thin air. If anyone asks how I can disappear, tell them I'm a parkour practitioner.

Really?

Yes. That's why my first nickname is just Ninja, they saw me climb and overcome obstacles like a ninja. So, what do you think?

(I look at him) I think you're pretty cool and confident.

(His smile dropped) Do I sound arrogant and bragging?

No.

(He smiled) It's okay. I listen to what I said, and I feel like what am I talking about is how awesome I am. Come to think of, that sounds a lot more arrogant than I intended. I want you to know, I may be a legend, but these skills don't come pre-ordered. I have to fight, bleed and sacrifice almost everything just to obtain a semblance of what am I now. Also, the first time the zeds appeared, I was scared shitless and confused as hell.

Okay, so, according to my notes you're at your parent's house at Taman Melati during the Great Panic. Can you tell me what happened?

It was hell. My parent usually locked my siblings at home, very afraid of the 'crazy people' hurting random people. (He gave out a nervous laugh) I'm a teenager who spends his life on both the roof and the net; of course I know what they are! But of course, my opinion has no weight against the 'mommy-knew-best' veto power. My, the only time they decide to evacuate is when one of them tries to break the door down.

Did your family survive?

(He gave a tired sigh) Of course! My mom is busy trying to usher the kids upstairs and are yelling at the asshole at the door, telling him to go away. But I know, they'll never go away.

So, is that your first kill?

(Nod) I'm the only man in the house. My big brother and sister are at university, studying meds. My dad is nowhere in sight, and I know what to be done. But it is pretty disturbing, even for me to think of.
My dad is a boy scout in his years and he still brings me to the wilderness park just to teach me to appreciate Mother Nature, and to have a sick barbecue party beside the river. So we owned a machete and survival knife. I gave the knife to my mom.
(Smiles) The knife is nothing fancy, just the basic, big-Rambo like knife with the serrated edges to saw through sticks and shit. The machete is just a basic black store-bought blade. But to me, it's a pretty good enough weapon.
One thing I found frustrating is that nobody ever thought about headshot. (Laughs) Come on! You're living in the space-age of internet filled to the brim with Romero's movie, Walking Dead T.V series, a shitload of zombie-themed shooter game, and even got a fucking Run for your Lives event featuring zombies and the average policemen and his son still aim for the chest!

(Chuckles) Well, when you're scared shitless you tend to forget stuff, like how idiotic it is to yell when hacking off someone or something's head. "Head, Go for the head!" I yelled. I don't know what my dad thought of his son brutally hacking on an already dead zombie in frenzy. Maybe he thinks I lose it, maybe he think the game finally has already corrupted me and this is the catalyst for the evil I can wreak, I don't know.

(He has finished his meal. He takes 5 and washes his hand. I followed suit) what happened next?

(We are standing side-by-side. He turns around and gave a smile) we packed shit up and hauled ass right to one of the reinforced shelter, which is ironically situated in my school.
Fortunately, all of my friends are there. Unfortunately, the place is pretty crowded. It's a bedlam. A lot of chattering, like the whole school is a beehive. But the worst thing is the crying.

Crying?

(His eyes look painful) Most of them, who came here, are bawling their hearts out. Some are just lifeless husk. It was very painful to watch. (He then stared sharp into my eye. I found myself unnerved by this hawk-like stare) There was a man who came to me. His eyes are in pain. I know him. He is one of my friend's dads. "Have you seen my son?" He asked me.

Have you?

(Grins bitterly) He's the guy that came over my house.