How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

“Exploration?”

Aiden asked in response.

Victor slightly hardened his expression and spoke.

“You went to Elon University today, right? How was it there?”

Aiden conveyed what he saw there to Victor, including dealing with Avery Roberts and the fact that the library there was empty.

“…I see. Thanks for letting that kid rest.”

The old man replied bitterly.

He cleared his throat again and changed the subject.

“But what I want to talk about is that library. There must be a reason why it’s empty.”

“…”

“As I mentioned before, over half a year ago, zombies swarmed while we were moving our base. At that time, we had already moved supplies to the new base, and it was almost complete.”

“Then…”

“Yeah. The supplies are in the new base, not the university. So, I want to explore that place with you tomorrow. What do you think?”

Aiden continued to ask the old man exactly what resources were in that place.

There was no need to waste time on resources they didn’t really need.

Victor, unsure about other details, made it clear that there were supplies, especially food and weapons.

It meant that the needs of the elderly and Aiden’s group were met.

“Do you know the layout of that place well?”

“Of course. We weren’t just idling around as old folks. I worked there with young people for over a month.”

“Then, why are you proposing this to me?”

“Because there’s no one else to go with. Didn’t you see them downstairs? There are only dying oldies here.”

To Aiden, it didn’t sound like just an excuse.

The elderly survivors left were all those classified by Avery Roberts as people who couldn’t fight.

But now that only those people remained, even a simple resource exploration wouldn’t be easy.

And considering the possibility of a fight with zombies, which was impossible for them.

That’s why Victor spoke with a gloomy tone.

“It’s not something I should say to you, but… truth be told, everyone had lost hope of surviving. I was barely holding on by myself. No, I was on the verge of breaking. So, I was thinking of dying if the food ran out like this.”

“…”

“But not anymore. Now that Antonio has returned.”

There, Victor finally forced a faint smile.

“I checked his injuries a while ago. Luckily, it seems like his bones aren’t hurt. It shouldn’t take long for him to recover… Do you agree, doctor?”

Aiden nodded.

Apart from unpredictable aftereffects, Aiden’s prognosis wasn’t much different from Victor’s.

“Yeah. So, shouldn’t we at least live at that place?”

Victor added that.

Maybe that was it.

Aiden, who was concerned about why he was finally trying to touch the supplies that had been neglected for half a year, finally understood the old man’s true intentions.

Moreover, at this point, he could roughly estimate the reward for the request.

The supplies there would undoubtedly be useful for Aiden as well.

Now, it was time to assess the risk of the request.

“So, where is it?”

“About 6 km northwest from here, there’s a large shopping building. It’s a three-story building with a logistics warehouse, a mart, and a mall attached. The scale is quite large. Also, at that time, a lot of zombies from the surrounding residential areas are likely to have flowed in.”

“Are there any mutants?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never gone that deep. But… the possibility is high, isn’t it?”

Aiden pondered about the request.

If Victor’s words were true, the risk of the request was quite significant.

No matter how wide a large store might be, it’s still an enclosed building. Breaking through hundreds of zombies inside wouldn’t be an easy task.

More than anything, Aiden didn’t even have enough weapons at the moment.

In case of trouble, it would mean facing zombies with only cold weapons instead of a gun.

“…”

So, Aiden looked at Arian, who had been listening to the conversation from behind.

If he really had to face zombies with only cold weapons, Arian’s cooperation with her extraordinary abilities was essential.

Moreover, Arian could sense the positions of zombies just with her presence.

How useful her ability would be in this request, where they had to move inside a closed building, didn’t need mentioning.

So, if Aiden accepted this request, it was definitely right to go with Arian.

But in that case, the conclusion was that Sadie would be left alone.

In that case… Should he leave Sadie with these elders?

There, Aiden inwardly nodded.

It wasn’t that he doubted these people, but if he thought rationally, they were people he had seen for the first time today.

Leaving Sadie, who had no resistance against such people, was indeed a burden.

Above all, it might be taking Rebecca and a request too lightly.

Such concerns prolonged Aiden’s contemplation.

However, at that moment.

“…I’ll go too.”

As if she had seen through his dilemma, Sadie spoke.

Aiden, Victor, and even Arian’s gaze turned to Sadie.

“Sadie?”

Arian looked at Sadie as if asking what she was talking about.

But Sadie spoke before Arian could say anything.

“My mom said… I shouldn’t become a burden.”

Arian, who was about to say something, got stuck in her words.

It was the content of the letter Rebecca left behind.

Don’t become a burden just because you’re young. Constantly think about what you can do, and do it. So that they don’t consider you useless.

Arian vaguely remembered such contents.

Sadie was trying to follow her mother’s advice faithfully.

“So, I’ll go. I can fight too.”

Sadie said once again.

Arian slightly squinted her eyes, looking at Aiden.

It was an unreasonable statement.

So, she believed Aiden wouldn’t accept it.

But.

“Do you know how to shoot a gun?”

“Yes. I’m not good at it, but… I learned it from my mom.”

Aiden wasn’t joking.

He was seriously considering taking Sadie with him.

“Really taking her?”

Arian’s voice became louder.

But Aiden still answered calmly.

“Yes.”

“Are you insane?”

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea.”

“Taking this child to such a dangerous place isn’t a bad idea? Are you in your right mind?”

Arian chuckled.

It was an absurd remark to consider.

She thought Aiden was overlooking Sadie’s young age, thinking mechanically.

“Even though Sadie is a child, she’ll have to stand in front of zombies someday.”

But Aiden’s following words were different.

Maybe more seriously than Arian, he was thinking about Sadie.

“Someday, she’ll have to hide and escape from zombies herself, and someday, she’ll have to confront them with a gun and a knife.”

“I get it. But, it’s not necessary now. Such things should be done when she’s older-“

“No, it’s too late then. Even if it’s you… Can you guarantee that you’ll be standing next to Sadie a year from now?”

Arian couldn’t easily answer that.

She wasn’t human; she was a vampire.

So, she had much stronger strength and abilities than humans, which could make living in this world much easier.

However… Even such a person couldn’t guarantee her life a year later.

That was proven by what happened last night.

The face of Diana, who was dying with blood, passed through Arian’s mind.

“But not now. Right now, there’s someone to watch over Sadie by her side. So, she can learn to fight against them more safely.”

She couldn’t say anything.

In silence, only Aiden’s voice continued.

“Therefore, Sadie needs to learn how to fight… no, how to live in this world as quickly as possible. When there’s someone to teach her by her side.”

Finally, Arian closed her mouth.

Although she wanted to strongly refute with her heart, the words didn’t come from her mouth.

Like this… she had no choice but to admit.

His argument was rational and very realistic, ultimately being the right decision.

“So, I’ll take her with me.”

“…Alright.”

In the end, Arian accepted Aiden’s decision.

Once the conversation came to an end, Victor, who had been quietly observing, spoke up.

“There seems to be a complicated situation. Just like the helmet you’re wearing.”

Taking an underage child to such a dangerous place wasn’t pleasant for Victor either.

However, judging from their conversation, it didn’t seem like a decision made on a whim.

So, he decided not to interfere with that matter.

Just like Aiden wearing that black helmet so persistently in the dimly lit room, he accepted it, thinking that there must be a reason.

“In any case, you’ve accepted the request, right?”

Aiden nodded.

Victor then smiled satisfactorily.

* * *

The next day.

Having spent the night safely in Canton, Aiden and his group were busy from the morning preparing for the request.

They maintained their weapons and checked ammunition.

Aiden had an automatic pistol, a metal bat, and a shotgun. Arian was armed with a machete once again.

Sadie was given a pistol.

It was the smallest gun Aiden had, but for a 10-year-old, it was still quite large.

Having armed themselves in front of the vehicle, Antonio, who had been heavily armed with Victor at the museum, came out.

Antonio’s face seemed much more relaxed than when he heard about the downfall of the survivor group yesterday.

Using a cane to support his injured leg, he stood in front of Aiden.

“I heard about it. You’re going out for exploration?”

Aiden replied that it was true.

Antonio lowered his head as if he had no face.

“I should have gone instead of uncle Victor… Please come back safely. And…”

He sighed and continued.

“Thank you for Avery. I’ll go retrieve the bodies as soon as my injuries are healed.”

Aiden just nodded to Antonio, who expressed his gratitude.

After that, Aiden, along with Victor, got into the vehicle.

Although it was a long distance, considering that there would be a lot of supplies if the request was successful, they decided to use the car even if it meant taking some risks.

“It’s better to go this way. It’s a residential area, but there are almost no zombies. I’ve explored it several times myself.”

Aiden planned the route with Victor’s help.

Since they were trying to find the safest way, it ended up being twice as long as the straight distance.

Not only time but also the cost of gasoline would be added by using a vehicle, but there was no other way.

Vroom!

With the low engine sound, Aiden’s group set off toward the large mart where supplies were expected.

They occasionally slowed down, and sometimes stopped in the middle to deal with zombies, moving through the short distance of 13 km over 30 minutes.

The place they arrived at was a giant shopping street adjacent to the eight-lane road.

“Let’s leave the car here. People inside might notice it.”

Aiden nodded at Victor’s words.

The destination, a large mart, was about 200 meters away.

Aiden parked the van in front of a restaurant building with a wide parking lot between it and the large mart.

It was a place with a memorable drawing of a large fish, perhaps a restaurant that used to sell sushi.

“I’ll check the surroundings first.”

Saying so, Aiden hid behind the restaurant building, looking towards the open parking lot.

“As close to me as possible. Try not to use the gun if possible. Got it?”

Meanwhile, Arian had repeated the same cautions to Sadie several times.

Though it might become tiresome, Sadie just earnestly nodded her head.

“There are quite a few outside too.”

About 30 zombies were in the parking lot. Though they were spread out, there was no cover in the middle, making it impossible to pass without them noticing.

Then… it was better to lure them one by one with some appropriate noise and deal with them.

Having made that judgment, Aiden didn’t hesitate.

“I’ll lure them.”

He immediately stepped into the parking lot.

And, as soon as he reached the nearest zombie, he ran forward.

Crunch!

With a powerful swing, he shattered the zombie’s head with the metal bat.

Some zombies reacted to the dull cracking sound.

Their gaze passed through Aiden to the zombie with the burst head and then turned back to Aiden.

And then.

“Kiaaaa!”

Zombies who realized that their fellow had been attacked ran towards Aiden.

Aiden calmly looked at those zombies and adjusted his bat.