How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

Some time later.

It was now just past noon.

The clear, bright sunlight poured through the dusty window, catching the edge of Sadie’s clothing as she bowed her head.

The room, once filled with the child’s cries, had already quieted down.

However, for a while, no one found it easy to speak, and the one to break the strange silence was Aiden.

“Have you calmed down now?”

His low voice quietly resonated in the air.

At this, Sadie, who had been embraced by Arian until then, finally separated from Arian.

Then, she nodded slightly.

“Now, lift your head and look at me.”

“…”

Sadie’s gaze turned to him.

Aiden carefully observed Sadie’s condition.

Her green eyes were still moist, like a lake, and her expression couldn’t be described as cheerful, even falsely so.

It was a natural reaction.

How could one easily shake off the deaths of a mother and a close sister with just one bout of weeping?

But that was enough.

From Sadie, there wasn’t a sense of emotions beyond common sense or pathological feelings.

Therefore, Aiden spoke.

“Alright. Then, I will tell you what you need to know. Is that okay?”

“…Yes.”

Continuing, he explained the details of the task he had discussed with Rebecca to Sadie.

Sadie’s pupils shook briefly at the mention of another task left by her mother.

“Of course, I am determined to carry out this task. However, only if you agree.”

Although Aiden valued the task, it wasn’t the only criterion for his actions.

The one who had taken on the task was no longer Rebecca, but Sadie. If she refused the task, even Aiden had no intention of forcibly accompanying her.

“And there are at least some conditions.”

It meant that until Sadie found another group of survivors to settle with, she had to follow Aiden’s instructions.

“Yes, I will.”

Sadie replied without hesitation.

With the final confirmation, Aiden continued his explanation.

“Now, let me explain today’s schedule. We are going to leave this city, Pittsburgh.”

Aiden explained the planned schedule to Sadie. It was a detailed explanation, even showing on the map why and which route they would take.

Sadie didn’t understand everything, but she still focused on his words.

“As soon as we collect all the supplies left in the hotel, we will leave. It will take about 10 minutes, so wait here for a moment.”

After finishing the explanation, Aiden went outside.

Arian followed him closely.

Standing in the corridor, she looked at Aiden with a stern face.

“Why did you explain in so much detail? She doesn’t seem to understand anything.”

“She needs to learn now.”

“Then teach her properly.”

Aiden shrugged off Arian’s continued dissatisfaction with a blank expression.

He took out a bottle of alcohol brought from the cooperative.

“Rather, take this.”

“What’s this… blood?”

Arian recoiled at the scent of blood emanating from the bottle.

Aiden nodded.

“It seems to be what Anders left just before he died. Probably, he anticipated that I would come.”

Hearing that, Arian looked at Aiden with a complex expression.

Although she didn’t have much connection with Anders, she already knew that Anders was Aiden’s friend.

“What about you? Don’t you need it?”

“I’ve used as much as I needed.”

“Really…?”

The bottle itself wasn’t large, but more than half of it was filled with blood.

Even if the bottle was full, it meant that Aiden hadn’t used much.

However, Arian hesitated for a moment, then opened the lid of the bottle.

Though it mixed with the scent of the original rum, the blood had a subtle taste.

“This should help me endure another day.”

“Then, let’s get ready to move.”

Aiden took back the empty bottle and moved quickly.

He collected items scattered around the hotel, and as soon as the task was done, he took Sadie outside the hotel.

“I’ll guide you on the way. Although there are no signs of mutants, there are quite a few zombies. Move carefully and stay alert.”

He said as he got on the motorcycle.

Aiden used the motorcycle to move slowly until he reached the vehicle, and Arian decided to follow behind with Sadie.

It was because of the luggage.

Considering what they needed from hiding places, the cooperative, and the supplies left in the hotel, they needed a means of transportation.

That’s how the group moved to the prepared vehicle.

From the city center of Pittsburgh to the western end, about a two-hour walk.

During that time, they encountered zombies several times, but since it was a route Aiden had scouted in advance, and Arian, who could identify zombies, was with them, they didn’t face any dangerous situations.

Thus, they safely arrived at the vehicle.

Route 60, crossing from Pittsburgh to the Crafton area.

In a deserted small residential area along the road, there was a gray van.

It was a fairly large 6-seater van.

While it might seem somewhat large for Aiden, Arian, and Sadie, considering the items they needed to bring, it wasn’t that spacious.

Aiden first loaded the things he brought into it.

While doing so, he checked the supplies one last time.

The food and water from the hiding place and the cooperative were relatively abundant.

With this amount, they could endure for at least two weeks without doing anything.

Also, the 20L plastic container with two gallons of gasoline was also a sufficient amount, and there was no shortage of medicine.

However, disposable weapons were lacking. The ammunition and bombs from the power plant were almost used up last night.

The only remaining ammunition was about 30 rounds of pistol ammunition.

It was regrettable that the weapons left at the power plant yesterday were left behind.

However, going back to the power plant was too dangerous in the now zombie-infested Pittsburgh.

Confirming this, Aiden suddenly turned to Sadie.

It was because he remembered the disease she might be suffering from.

“Did you take the medicine today?”

“Yes, I did.”

Sadie had been carrying the tuberculosis medicine in a small bag since leaving the hiding place.

Satisfied with Sadie’s obvious answer, Aiden nodded.

“Then, get in the car. Let’s depart right away.”

Having finished the preparations to leave, Aiden turned toward the driver’s seat. However, after a moment, he looked back.

There was the motorcycle he had ridden here.

The worn-out motorcycle he had used for the past three years in Pittsburgh.

While it would undoubtedly be useful when he operated alone, it was no longer an item to take now that the group had formed.

Therefore, Aiden decided to leave the motorcycle behind and pushed it deep into the open garage nearby.

Then, he carefully covered it with a waterproof cover that was scattered nearby.

“…”

Even if Aiden were to return to Pittsburgh at some point, it was unlikely.

However, he thought it wasn’t right to let the motorcycle be abandoned, exposed to rain and rusting.

Was it an obsession not to easily discard available items?

Or was it a remaining sentiment for him?

With such questions, Aiden, who had parted with his long-time partner, took the driver’s seat.

“Is it uncomfortable for you?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Arian, sitting in the passenger seat, was concerned about Sadie in the back seat.

With the sound of the engine starting, the car moved.

The car continued through the small residential area, and Arian, who had finally relieved her tension, spoke:

“We’re heading to a place called Canton, right?”

Aiden nodded.

Canton was a small city northwest of Pittsburgh.

Going further north, there was the major city of Cleveland, about 160 km away from Pittsburgh.

“I heard there’s a group of survivors we traded with last year.”

Simply looking at the direction and distance, if they headed straight west, they could go to the city of Columbus, where there was a larger group of survivors.

However, most roads leading west from Pittsburgh were blocked or occupied by specific gangs.

So, just like Aiden did a year ago, he chose a safer but longer route.

“Is it safe there?”

“I witnessed it when I visited.”

At that time, the organization occupying Canton wasn’t a group that could be called a gang.

What was there was a group of survivors who had gathered just to survive, literally. So, they were people who lived more focused on exploration than looting.

Moreover, the leader who led them was a person Aiden found trustworthy enough.

“Hmm… So, are you planning to leave Sadie there?”

Arian, who was listening to the explanation, asked.

Upon hearing that, Aiden nodded honestly.

“This is one of the candidates I’ve considered. The organization has a reasonable size, and, above all, they are people with common sense. You don’t need to worry too much.”

“You won’t know until you meet them.”

Arian responded quietly and stared out the window blankly.

They traveled for about an hour on the road.

Then, the forest path and fields that had continued for a while disappeared, and the buildings that had become ruins gradually increased again.

It wasn’t time to arrive in Canton yet.

So, Arian turned to Aiden.

“Where are we?”

“It’s the Chester area.”

“Is it safe?”

“I can’t say it’s completely safe, but… we have no choice. The bridge to cross the Ohio River is here.”

To reach their destination, Canton, they must cross the Ohio River, which extends from Pittsburgh.

Except for bridges that are broken or too far, the only remaining bridge was the one in Chester.

Originally, Chester was a place where a small riverside village was formed around the bridge.

Therefore, naturally, there could be zombies here, and it was also a place where wanderers often came to find supplies.

It meant that they could encounter unwelcome individuals.

Before entering the riverside village, Aiden stopped the car for a moment.

He slightly moved away from the road and half-buried the vehicle in the bushes.

“I’ll check the situation first. I’ll be back within 30 minutes.”

Since it was too dangerous to drive through here, Aiden chose reconnaissance, even though it was inconvenient.

Arian nodded, and Sadie also added a word of caution.

“Hmm…”

Aiden, armed with a pistol and a helmet, got out of the driver’s seat.

The bright and sunny afternoon sunlight shone on the dirty road. Although the city made by humans had collapsed, the saplings growing on top of it sparkled in the light.

In this contradictory scenery, Aiden walked forward silently.

The road leading to the entrance of the village was eerily quiet.

The first thing they saw was a gas station. There, too, there was no sign of any popularity. So, they went a little further into the village.

They passed under the bridge they had to cross.

And then.

“There’s something.”

Aiden discovered something.

Several bodies were sprawled across the straight road.

Aiden, who reflexively hid behind the abandoned vehicle behind him and held his breath, stared at them.

There were exactly four bodies visible at the moment.

The condition of their clothing was relatively intact.

Moreover, what flowed from the bodies was clearly red blood.

It meant that they weren’t zombies but the corpses of people.

Furthermore, considering that the blood hadn’t completely dried, it must have been about a day at most.

“…”

Aiden, cautiously glancing around, slowly walked toward the bodies.

The closest one was an unknown man who died with a gunshot wound to the chest. There were a few empty shell casings around him, but his gun wasn’t visible.

Clearly, those who killed them must have collected the weapons.

“Hmm…”

After confirming that much, Aiden adjusted the danger level of this town in his mind.

The noise of a battle attracts hungry zombies and greedy wanderers.

So, even if it were a large gang, it was common sense not to stay in a place that made a loud noise for a long time unless it was their main base.

In other words, if there was already a battle here, the city was likely to be empty now.

But then.

Thud!

Suddenly, a sound came from inside a house by the side of the road.

Aiden aimed his gun in that direction before saying a word.

Did those who fought here still lurk here?

A momentary confusion passed through Aiden’s mind.

It was because he didn’t predict such an inefficient act in this desolate street.

However, contrary to such worries, there was no sign of any person anywhere. So, Aiden slowly surveyed the surroundings, entered the house where the sound was heard.

“…”

Soon, under the window, he could find a man sitting on the floor covered in blood.