How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

In front of an underground road leading into the city.

“It’s getting risky to drive any further.”

Aiden remarked as he looked at the blocked road ahead.

They were now entering the inner city of Fort Wayne. However, the area was not too far from the military base.

Despite that, the surrounding roads were in a state of complete disrepair. Abandoned vehicles cluttered the roads, and malfunctioning traffic lights obstructed the way.

Moreover.

“Be careful. There are some zombies nearby.”

There were more zombies in the city than Aiden had anticipated. As a precaution, they deliberately took detours, avoiding straight stretches and passing by an abandoned substation.

However, the efforts seemed in vain as the presence of zombies in the nearby open space was too easily noticeable.

“It seems the military had a reason to establish outposts.”

Aiden casually muttered as he turned the car.

Even at first glance, the density of zombies was higher than in the downtown areas of Pittsburgh or other cities. It was hard to understand why the military neglected the threat so close for three years.

So, using the vehicle only got them this far.

Eventually, Aiden parked the car in a suitable spot and stepped outside, armed.

“Are we going to walk from here?”

“Yeah, we have to.”

At Arian’s question, Aiden took out a map from his bag and unfolded it.

It was a detailed map depicting the distance from the trading post to the vicinity of the public library.

“Hmm…”

The public library was still quite a distance away. Walking straight would take about 30 minutes.

After deciding on the general direction, Aiden looked up.

“It’s this way.”

Their journey began with a short underground road.

Perhaps to prevent zombie intrusions, the tunnel itself was artificially blocked. So, instead of going underground, Aiden climbed a shallow incline, crossing over the road.

On top of the underground road was an elongated railway track. Passing through that, a wide parking lot came into view.

“This is…”

Numerous zombies lined up on the parking lot like saplings.

The total count was well over a hundred. It was a burdensome number to engage in combat recklessly.

Pointless battles needed to be avoided. Before determining victory or defeat, there was no one to compensate for the resources invested in entering such situations.

So, Aiden unfolded the map again to find a way around.

“It’s quite a large parking lot. Was this place special?”

Meanwhile, Arian asked while looking around.

Aiden pointed his finger beyond the parking lot.

“There, do you see that white building?”

“What about it?”

“That’s a baseball stadium. This was probably the parking lot used for it.”

“Oh.”

Arian exclaimed shortly.

“I didn’t expect that. I’ve never been to a baseball stadium.”

“…”

“Do you have?”

“…Yes. Even though it’s been five more years. I’ve been to one.”

In Pittsburgh, where Aiden used to live, there was a professional baseball team from the largest baseball league in the United States. Consequently, there was a nearby large baseball stadium that he had visited a few times.

“That’s unexpected. I thought you wouldn’t go to such places.”

Aiden just chuckled silently.

His fiance at the time had expected that he would enjoy the baseball stadium. So, she took him there, and her prediction turned out to be correct.

Since then, Aiden developed a liking for the team, and even with his busy hospital work, he always checked the baseball game results.

Though the team never managed to win during his time there, those days were quite enjoyable.

“…”

But those memories quickly became hazy, as if shrouded in mist, bringing Aiden back to reality.

He shifted his gaze from the baseball stadium back to the map.

“For now, it’s better to go around here.”

Aiden turned back and decided to follow the railway track on top of the underground road.

There were zombies on the railway track too, but it was much better than breaking through the parking lot.

So, they continued through the city.

Leaving the railway track, they passed through a small residential area, avoiding an apartment complex where zombies were swarming.

“Kiiik!”

A zombie standing between houses fell as Aiden’s dagger pierced through it.

Despite Arian’s instincts, the sheer number of zombies made it impossible to completely avoid combat.

“Hmm…”

Aiden had one concern at this moment.

The military base stationed in Fort Wayne, the 62nd Division, was openly declaring their intent to clean up the city soon. However, Aiden doubted whether they could really clean up this zombie-infested city.

The density of zombies in Fort Wayne’s downtown was higher than any other city Aiden had seen.

There were dozens of zombies visible on the streets alone. If they made gunshots here, hundreds of zombies would converge from just a few blocks away.

In other words, considering the entire city, there were likely thousands, or even more, zombies and mutants.

Facing them was no different from confronting the zombie horde that covered Pittsburgh.

“…”

Of course, the military in Fort Wayne boasted a manpower and resource scale incomparable to Pittsburgh’s gangs. So, victory was not entirely out of the question for them.

From their perspective, conquering the city was a necessary task.

Conversely, having that many enemies so close to their base meant potential danger.

“What are you waiting for? Are we not going?”

While Aiden was lost in thought, Arian urged him from the side.

He seemed to be standing absentmindedly, not realizing it himself.

Aiden shook his head, clearing his mind. It was pointless to worry about it now; they had to focus on the task at hand.

“Nothing. Let’s get inside for now.”

Saying so, Aiden approached the library building.

The main entrance of the library was tightly shut. Aiden circled the building to find a suitable passage, and soon, he found one leading to the parking lot.

The entrance, without a door, was wide open. The space, in contrast to the bright sunlight pouring outside, was unnaturally dark.

“Do you know what’s inside?”

Aiden asked before entering the parking lot. Arian nodded her head.

She had already circled the building and thoroughly scanned the interior.

“About 50 zombies. And… it seems like the mutant is in the center of the building.”

Fifty zombies.

Though the public library was spacious, the number was not negligible.

Aiden gripped his weapon, a large woodcutting axe, different from the usual metal bat he used.

Near the handle, there was black rubber, and above it, a metal handle.

At the end, a sharp blade, larger sharper than an adult hand, gleamed menacingly. 

Behind it, there was a protruding part that could be used like a pickaxe.

While a metal bat was a decent weapon against regular zombies, it lacked the destructive power against larger mutants. Moreover, using guns rashly was not an option in Fort Wayne’s city filled with zombies.

That’s why, for close combat in this situation, Aiden deemed this weapon suitable.

“I’ll go first.”

Aiden entered the parking lot. Arian followed at a slight distance, holding a machete.

Soon, their vision was enveloped in a dim darkness.

And then-

“Uuuagh…”

The voices of corpses buried in the darkness of the parking lot echoed.

Aiden immediately illuminated the area with the flashlight he had.

“Argh!”

In response to the dazzling light that illuminated the darkness of the parking lot for the first time in three years, the zombies reacted. Their rotten pupils flickered with madness.

But that madness hesitated briefly when they saw Aiden’s face, corrupted like theirs.

In that moment,

Crunch!

The axe Aiden was holding flew like a flash and struck the neck of the zombie right in front of him.

The powerful steel blade split the decayed vertebrae in one blow. The torn-off head soared into the sky.

“Kiiii!”

Zombies reacted with howls to the sight. Corpses rushed towards them.

In front of them, Aiden casually gripped the axe again, and at the same time, Arian leaped forward.

Slash!

In the impenetrable darkness, a zombie collapsed as the machete mercilessly slashed through.

A vampire, more accustomed to darkness than zombies, began to dance where the light couldn’t reach.

Hearing the noise in the parking lot, corpses poured out from the distance outside, and from inside the library where Aiden needed to go.

“…”

Aiden observed those zombies and increased the speed of the axe in his hand.

There were about ten zombies in the parking lot, but by now, there were twice as many, if not more.

Nevertheless, he had been prepared for this.

He didn’t think he could end the battle without any noise.

Unfortunately or fortunately, the mutant seemed motionless. In that case, the first step in dealing with it could be to swiftly eliminate these ordinary zombies.

Thinking so, Aiden swung down his axe on the head of a zombie in front of him.

The skull of the zombie that split apart fell backward.

However, right after that, another zombie jumped out from the side.

Crack!

Its teeth pierced Aiden’s shoulder.

Although there was no pain, the discomfort made Aiden’s brow slightly furrow.

Gripping the axe shorter, he thrust the sharp pickaxe part into the zombie’s forehead.

With a nauseating sound, disgusting brain matter overflowed.

“…”

How long had he been fighting like this?

He pushed away the zombie that was trying to bite his neck and struck its head with the axe handle.

With the sound of a rotten wooden barrel breaking, one zombie fell silent.

Looking around, it was quiet. There were no more moving corpses except Aiden himself.

“Are you okay?”

Aiden asked into the darkness.

Then Arian walked out from there, shrugging her shoulders.

“Of course. We can’t afford to be caught by these weaklings. But… I should change clothes.”

Arian held up her clothes with a disgusted look.

It was covered in rotten blood.

“…We should consider buying clothes at the trading zone.”

It was an additional expense, but there was no complaint.

Aiden tried to find the entrance to the library, illuminated by the light.

But before that, Arian stepped forward.

“It’s over there.”

Aiden illuminated the direction Arian pointed to.

A broken side door connected to the parking lot.

Aiden approached the door, turned off the light for a moment, and peered inside.

“…”

The library’s interior had pillars standing in the middle, and it was an open structure with holes all over it.

First, numerous bookshelves came into view.

They rose higher than an adult’s height, half of them fallen, and half still standing.

Inside the library, there were also thin and long skylights along the walls.

Some were dirty and ineffective, but most had been shattered for a long time.

The scouting unit that discovered this place was probably attacked from those windows.

Anyway, thanks to those windows, bright sunlight was boldly invading the darkness inside. Fortunately, it seemed that there was no need for a separate light source.

“What should we do? The Vomiter is on the second floor.”

Arian, who had looked inside, asked.

The mutant Vomiter was in the center of the library.

The library had a structure where the second floor was largely open, allowing a view of the first floor.

Vomiter seemed to be waiting for Aiden’s party to come on the second floor.

Moreover, the stairs leading to the second floor were on the opposite side.

In other words, to hunt the Vomiter, they had to break through the first floor while avoiding its attacks and reach the stairs on the opposite side.

Not an easy task, especially while dealing with about thirty zombies along the way.

It wasn’t a straightforward job.

Especially in the case of the Vomiter, Aiden knew it by the head, but he had never experienced it firsthand.

Where unexpected mutants might come from was something no one knew.

Nevertheless, Aiden had to go in.

There was no commission in this world that could be resolved without taking risks.

“I’ll go in. However, I’ll go in first to draw attention.”

“Being a decoy?”

“It probably already noticed our presence.”

The Vomiter was not too far from this parking lot.

Surely the noise of Aiden and Arian fighting here would have reached its ears.

“Even so, it’s not moving.”

Unlike ordinary zombies, some mutants could use their heads.

In Aiden’s eyes, a Vomiter also seemed like such a variant.

So even in this situation, it wasn’t moving.

It had probably judged that being on the second floor was advantageous for itself.

“It seems difficult to break through there.”

“It doesn’t matter. I won’t be infected.”

Aiden said indifferently.

In the end, he was ready to accept even getting hit by the Vomiter’s attack.

“But… I’m immune to infection either, right?”

“Then, will you do it?”

Arian immediately shook her head at Aiden’s words.

It was the expected answer.

Considering her personality, she wouldn’t even think of getting covered in the filth emitted by zombie mutants.

Anyway, Arian had a role to play.

So, being the decoy was enough for Aiden.

“I’ll go. Just follow when it’s appropriate.”

Aiden said so and walked out of the door.

First, an unpleasant smell came through the bookshelves.