How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

“…This seems like a good place.”

Upon entering Lima, Aiden soon found a building in the northern part of the city to use as a temporary shelter.

It was a Catholic cathedral made of red bricks.

A small statue of Mary facing the road made the building noticeable.

Although the cathedral had two entrances as per its design, the relatively wide main entrance was securely blocked with a rusted iron gate. The only practical entrance available was a narrow back door.

Additionally, there was a spacious parking lot behind the cathedral. Many abandoned vehicles were scattered around, making it an ideal spot for Aiden to conceal the vehicle they arrived in.

With sturdy outer walls, restricted entrances, and a garage to hide the vehicle, the cathedral met all the necessary conditions.

Without much hesitation, Aiden expertly parked the vehicle in the parking lot, accompanied by Arian.

After securing the safety of the cathedral’s interior with Arian, he took Sadie inside.

“…”

The interior of the cathedral was not significantly different from any other cathedral.

A pulpit at the front and long rows of chairs facing it. The small stained glass windows poured a red sunset glow inside.

If there was anything peculiar, it was the almost complete absence of damage inside the cathedral.

While dust had settled, the unique atmosphere of the cathedral remained intact, evoking nostalgia in Aiden.

A time when he had promised marriage in a cathedral with his lover.

Although it had only been a few years ago, it felt as distant as recalling an old tale from decades ago.

“…Tsk.”

Aiden shook his head, clicking his tongue. 

It was a cherished memory, but now it was a pointless reverie.

Effortfully erasing the scenery from his mind, Aiden turned his gaze towards Sadie.

“Wow…”

Was the atmosphere of such a cathedral unfamiliar to Sadie?

She looked around with eyes full of curiosity and interest.

Aiden observed her more closely than usual. Last night, Arian had told him that Sadie had been crying in her sleep until late.

It wasn’t surprising.

The past few days had been strange, fighting zombies with determination even after losing her mother, and not uttering a word of complaint. If anything, it was stranger that such days had passed without a hitch.

Sadie was clearly trying to conceal her emotions, perhaps in an effort to fulfill her mother’s last wishes. Aiden and Arian, understanding this, didn’t blame her.

Instead, they pretended not to notice, even when they knew she was crying.

However, as a doctor, Aiden found Sadie’s emotional suppression admirable but not entirely healthy for mental well-being.

Suppressing such emotions indefinitely was never good for mental health, especially for an immature child.

So, what measures should be taken?

“…”

Surprisingly, the answer to that question was close at hand, from Arian.

Arian was the one. What Sadie needed wasn’t an elaborate treatment. If she had someone empathize with her, someone she could confide in, that alone would be enough for now.

Aiden decided to entrust Arian with the role of a counselor to open up Sadie’s heart, allowing her to cry in Arian’s arms during the night if needed.

So let Arian take on that role and open Sadie’s heart.

Even if she cried in bed in the middle of the night, she needed to be able to cry in her arms.

With these thoughts in mind, Aiden looked at Arian.

However, for some reason, Arian standing next to Sadie seemed uncomfortable.

Aiden asked her:

“Is there a problem?”

“No… well, not really.”

However, unexpectedly, Arian hesitated with her words.

But Aiden patiently waited for Arian to speak again, and soon, her lips parted.

“I mentioned it before. Those guys who were chasing me to kill me were affiliated with the church.”

Come to think of it, he had heard such words before.

However, the stories about Arian’s past were mostly incomprehensible to Aiden.

So, trying not to dwell on them, Aiden quietly listened to her words.

“I was unlucky enough to get caught by those bastards. It just reminded me of that time. Especially things like this. Whether here or there, guys who believe in God seem to like these decorations.”

Arian pointed to the crucifix and stained glass on one wall.

Her words carried a subtle thorn.

Considering she had fought hostile factions risking her life until recently, it was understandable.

“Are you against staying here?”

“No, I didn’t mean it that way. I just feel dirty about it.”

Even after that, Arian didn’t seem to dispel her dissatisfaction, but without saying much, she proceeded to prepare to spend the night in the cathedral.

Aiden also did what he needed to do.

First, thoroughly inspecting the interior of the cathedral, he checked the main hall as well as several rooms inside.

Fortunately, there were no signs of significant threats.

Afterwards, Aiden went outside the cathedral.

He personally scouted the surrounding streets to ensure safety.

“…”

Fortunately, even zombies were rare in the nearby area.

Whether this place had been left as a deserted suburb or not, the streets were quiet as dusk began to settle.

However, a couple of blocks away from the cathedral, Aiden discovered some traces.

“This is…”

There were distinct tire tracks on the road cluttered with fallen leaves, trash, and miscellaneous debris.

Aiden examined it closely.

Even the sand between the tire tracks hadn’t been swept away yet, indicating that these tracks were not made a long time ago.

Aiden then looked in the direction the tire tracks led.

The tracks continued towards the city center.

Apart from this, there were no noticeable signs when they entered the city.

Although it seemed unlikely that the group responsible for these tracks had established a presence in Lima, it still wasn’t good news for Aiden.

This meant that a group of wanderers or a gang’s reconnaissance unit might be nearby.

If they happened to encounter them by bad luck… there was a high chance they might have to engage in a battle.

But.

“…It’s already too late.”

Aiden said, looking at the sky.

While these tracks were ominous, there was no immediate time to track them.

Due to the encounter with wanderers at the rest area, time had already been considerably delayed.

The sunset glow was prevalent in the sky.

There might be about an hour left until the sun sets.

Aiden gave up the investigation with a short sigh and turned his head.

But at that moment.

“Hmm…?”

A faint sound came from a distance.

It was the second unidentified gunshot sound he heard today.

“Again?”

Aiden furrowed his brow.

It couldn’t be said that luck was on their side.

Encountering other survivors in such abandoned cities was almost as common as encountering zombies.

So, instead of complaining, Aiden focused on the sudden noise.

The direction from which the sound came was, again, towards the city center.

Moreover, the gunfire wasn’t singular this time.

It started with one, but soon, dozens of gunshots became intertwined in a confusing manner.

It wasn’t comparable to the noise created by the wanderers Aiden’s group encountered earlier.

At least 10 or more were engaged in the fight.

Aiden hurriedly returned to the temporary shelter, the cathedral.

Arian, seemingly having noticed the gunshot sounds too, immediately approached Aiden.

“What’s that sound?”

Aiden conveyed what he had discovered to Arian and Sadie. 

Someone had left traces, and it led towards the direction from where the sounds were coming.

“So, what do we do now?”

“There’s no immediate solution. We can only hide for now.”

Aiden replied bitterly.

It was too late to leave Lima. Before the night fell, it was too reckless to leave the city to find another shelter.

In this situation, it might have been better to sleep under the open sky. But moving the vehicle hastily was already a risk itself.

In the worst case, there was a considerable chance that those engaged in the fight would mistake Aiden’s group as enemies and attack.

“But they aren’t too far away, fighting. If we stay here, won’t we get caught up in the fight too?”

“No, they won’t be able to sustain the fight for long. The sun will set soon.”

The threat posed by the spreading darkness was not unique to Aiden’s group alone.

It was an ever-present danger that came to gangs or wanderers every day without fail.

Even if they were anyone, they couldn’t escape the approaching time of death.

So, the choice for those fighting loudly now was one of two.

Either end the fight somehow before nightfall.

Or continue fighting in the darkness, meeting a peaceful demise in mutual destruction.

And Aiden’s expectation turned out to be remarkably accurate.

The rough sounds of gunfire could still be heard distinctly until just before the sunset.

But as the darkness and silence began to descend, it abruptly stopped, like a lie.

In the dark and quiet cathedral, Aiden assessed the situation for a while.

He was worried that those who fought in the city might retreat towards their direction.

That would be bad.

But there was no sign of their approach even after waiting for a while.

Aiden took his gaze away from the window with protective bars, contrasting the stained glass in the front. Instead, he turned to look at his companions.

“Rest for now. They won’t be able to move either at night.”

Arian nodded and took Sadie with her.

There were improvised beds made by placing several long chairs facing each other in a corner of the cathedral.

Aiden watched them lie down on the beds, then approached the window facing the city direction.

Unlike the stained glass in the front, this window had security bars installed.

Aiden, with his night vision goggles, silently observed the darkened streets.

However, after an hour or two passed.

Arian, who had put Sadie to sleep, quietly approached Aiden’s side.

“…Can’t you sleep?”

Aiden murmured quietly, trying not to wake Sadie.

Then Arian, with a bitter smile, spoke up.

“I don’t like the accommodations, and now suspicious people are popping up too. It doesn’t seem like a night to sleep comfortably.”

“Then are we planning to stay awake all night? Won’t you get tired?”

“Tired?”

Arian scoffed at Aiden’s words.

“Do you even know what kind of person I am? Unlike you, vampires can go without sleep for a month or two and be perfectly fine.”

“Then why do you sleep every day?”

“Well, there’s nothing else to do. I just don’t want to stand idly like you every night.”

Nonchalantly, Arian, after saying this, silently gazed into the darkness outside the window.

The pitch-black streets were much more desolate under the twilight than during the day.

Then, suddenly, Aiden spoke again.

“Come to think of it, didn’t you say that Sadie cries alone every night?”

Arian’s expression turned serious at Aiden’s words.

Continuing, Aiden asked Arian to take on the role of Sadie’s counselor.

“A counselor?”

“In simple terms, be someone she can open up to about her emotions.”

It wasn’t just a simple request.

Aiden provided specific methods and even guidance on what to say based on Sadie’s reactions.

Unexpectedly, Arian looked at Aiden with round eyes.

“How do you know about that?”

What Aiden had shared was quite specialized knowledge about child psychology counseling.

Arian couldn’t imagine that a zombie, who had lost emotions, would possess such knowledge.

However, Aiden casually replied:

“I studied it briefly in the past.”

“Studied? Ah… as a doctor?”

Of course, there was a reason.

The hospital he used to work at had child patients.

But that wasn’t the only reason.

It was a trace of the preparations he had made to become a parent once upon a time.

However, Aiden didn’t mention the other reasons and just nodded.

“If that’s the case, then fine. I’ll give it a try. I… wanted to help Sadie too.”

Arian responded enthusiastically.

Aiden nodded and informed Arian of other things to be mindful of.

“…”

And after some time had passed.

Even after Aiden finished explaining, it took a while before a bluish light began to appear in the sky on the other side.

“The sun is rising.”

The long night was ending, and dawn was approaching.

In the end, nothing happened, and one night passed without incident.

However, Aiden didn’t move immediately.

The sun was still creating a faint glow in one corner of the sky.

The streets were still dark, and between the buildings, it looked ominous like deep ravines.

Considering the mutants coming out to escape the light, the safe time would not come until an hour after the sun had completely risen.

In terms of time, around 7 in the morning.

So, Aiden had decided to wait until then before leaving the city.

“…Someone is coming this way.”

Arian suddenly said, looking towards the inside of the street.

“Zombies?”

“No, definitely humans. Towards the main road.”

Aiden frowned.

It was still too dangerous for people to come out at this time.

Yet, they chose to resume their actions.

There was definitely a purpose.

“How many people?”

“Three.”

Fortunately, it wasn’t a large number.

Aiden quickly formulated a plan.

“Wake up Sadie, take her to the inner room. I’ll deal with them.”

Aiden approached the window with a rifle in hand.

Arian nodded and went to Sadie.

Aiden aimed the night vision goggles in the direction Arian had mentioned.

Then, not long after, the silhouettes of the people who were coming here appeared in Aiden’s field of vision.