How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

“…”

Aiden momentarily lost his words at the gruesome scene inside the apartment.

In the center of the room, there was a wide table.

It was a wooden table much more severely dirtied than the corridor he had thought was drenched in blood.

The table was covered in knife marks.

It appeared as if something had been cut on it.

In the corners of the room, there were piles of bones.

Next to the table were large knives and saw blades, still coated with decaying flesh.

In a scene that could have come out of a cheap horror movie, Arian’s brow furrowed naturally.

“These guys… they’re not really eating people, are they?”

Arian spoke as if in bewilderment.

After all, the thought of casually mentioning cannibals had not become a reality.

But rather than reaching a conclusion, Aiden first examined the bones in the corner.

Once a doctor, he could roughly distinguish whether the bones were human just by looking at their appearance.

And when Aiden, with his eyes accustomed to such sights, looked at them, most of the bones piled up here were undoubtedly human.

His hand holding the light trembled slightly.

“What kind of place is this?”

Arian asked.

But even Aiden couldn’t answer that question.

Simply put, he hadn’t heard that the fanatics would go this far.

“I don’t know. Let’s explore the remaining floors. It’s quicker to find other clues.”

“Is there more to see here?”

As if she didn’t want to stay here any longer due to the discomfort, Arian said.

But for Aiden, it was the opposite.

This gruesome scene was a reason to scrutinize this horrible place more accurately.

“The more dangerous they are, the more we need information about them. If you think about understanding the behavior of mutant zombies, it’s not much different.”

“Well… that’s true.”

Arian sighed.

It wasn’t a wrong statement.

So Arian quickly accepted Aiden’s words, and together they went up to the third floor.

At first glance, the scenery on the third floor seemed similar to the second floor.

Tables and weapons inside the rooms were the same as on the second floor.

However, what was dismantled on the third floor was not human.

“This… they’re all zombies.”

Pointing at a large container filled with decaying flesh, Arian said.

Aiden pushed Arian aside and kicked it over.

As a result, disgusting substances like decaying flesh, bones, and skin mixed messily spilled onto the floor.

Aiden examined it closely.

Flesh alone didn’t reveal anything.

But bones were different.

The shape of those bones wasn’t human.

So… animal bones?

But Aiden couldn’t tell exactly which animal.

While searching for clues, something caught Aiden’s eye.

It was rotted leather.

He didn’t know what animal’s skin it was, of course.

However, on that skin, the number 3 was carved with a knife.

“…”

Aiden had definitely seen such a mark before.

Before entering this small town.

It was still on the zombie-fied deer that had a flat tire.

Did that Beast have some connection to the fanatics here?

“Aiden, take a look at this.”

At that moment, Arian pointed to one side of the wall.

There was a map.

Either they had torn off part of a large map or it was a small section of a bigger one.

On it, only Indiana, where Indianapolis and Fort Wayne were located, and Ohio, where Columbus was, were marked.

“Hmm…”

Several numbers were written on the map.

10 for some small towns, including Lima.

And 300 for Columbus and Fort Wayne.

Finally, 10,000 for Indianapolis.

“What does this mean?”

“Well… I have no idea.”

Aiden shook his head at Arian’s words.

Although it seemed like the bigger the city, the bigger the number.

But for some reason, Indianapolis had an unusually high number.

In the end, they couldn’t deduce anything from just these numbers.

“In any case, let’s leave this for now and look for something else.”

So Aiden and Arian thoroughly searched the apartment.

However, even after exploring the entire third floor, there were only disgusting pieces of corpses everywhere.

They didn’t find any significant information.

“In the end… we didn’t find much.”

Arian said as if expressing disappointment.

She was right.

The fanatics had stayed here, and it was evident that they had dismembered both human and zombie bodies.

However, the ultimate purpose and what they intended to do remained entirely unknown.

But Aiden knew one thing.

He was grasping the most crucial fact.

“Still, there’s something to gain. The fact that they did something or intended to do something in Indianapolis is certain.”

“How do you know that? Is it from that map earlier?”

Aiden nodded.

The meaning of those numbers was still unclear.

But the fact that numbers were written for Indianapolis itself was a clue.

“All the cities with numbers witnessed the presence of fanatics. So, Indianapolis should be no different.”

“Okay, I get what you mean.”

Arian agreed.

Since fanatics appeared in all cities marked with numbers, it meant the same for Indianapolis.

“But then, what do we do? We were heading to a camp near Indianapolis.”

“That’s the problem. Going to another city now is difficult.”

Aiden muttered lowly.

Now that they knew the fanatics were targeting Indianapolis, the best course of action was to avoid the area altogether.

However, Aiden’s group needed to fix the vehicle immediately.

The camp near Indianapolis, close to the northern part of Morse Reservoir, was now less than 50 km away.

Even if the road was a mess, it would still take at least three hours to arrive.

The vehicle’s tires might not endure any longer.

So, Aiden made a prompt decision.

“For now, it’s better to go to the camp and assess the situation. It might be risky, but there’s no other choice for now.”

“…Alright.”

In response to his words, Arian replied.

While she wasn’t without concern, if Aiden made the decision, it was undoubtedly the best option.

Thus, they quickly left the apartment and got into the vehicle.

Sadie continued to sleep soundly during all this.

There was no need to wake her up, so the vehicle left Kokomo quietly, heading towards Morse Reservoir.

* * *

The camp Aiden was heading towards was in a small forest at the western end of Morse Reservoir.

It was an area that had been used as family-sized campgrounds even before zombies appeared.

Now, real forts made of wood and sheet metal were established there.

Aiden chose this place among several camps in the area based on information gathered from Fort Wayne.

Many junk shops that had interactions with various camps in this area near Indianapolis and Fort Wayne agreed that this Morse Reservoir camp was the most reliable.

The prices for buying and selling as a trading post were reasonable, and the gang that owned the camp was not overly oppressive.

So, Aiden chose the Morse Camp as their destination.

As a result, Aiden and his group had just arrived in front of the camp.

However.

“This is…”

An unusual scene unfolded before Aiden’s eyes.

As the road leading into the forest ended, makeshift barriers and watchtowers made of logs came into view.

However, there was no one standing on the walls or towers.

Moreover, the large door leading into the barricade was wide open, clearly indicating that something had happened.

“Perhaps they were attacked.”

Aiden quickly found traces of battle carved all over the walls.

There wasn’t a single spot on the wooden outer walls without bullet holes, and the shattered door clearly showed signs of explosive residue.

It was evidence of a fight between humans, not zombies.

Fortunately, the battle itself seemed to have ended a long time ago.

There were no gunshots or any signs of life inside, and Arian detected no presence.

So, Aiden decided to explore the interior himself, gearing up for any potential threat.

“Get ready, both of you. We need to check inside.”

“Is Sadie going in too?”

“Yeah. It’s not necessarily safe in the car, so it’s better if we all move together.”

Arian nodded, and soon the three of them got out of the car and entered the camp.

“Hmm…”

The first things that caught their eyes were the roughly made cabins.

There were only five visible cabins.

However, two of them were completely destroyed, and one was only partially standing, unable to serve its intended purpose.

Only two cabins retained their shape, but there were no people inside.

As they passed the cabins, signs of tents and other makeshift structures appeared.

“It’s quite extensive, isn’t it?”

Arian remarked, finding the area larger than expected.

But Aiden had anticipated this.

“It was a place that used to accommodate over 50 gang members. Considering the wanderers who visited here, it might have housed more than a hundred people.”

Aiden started inspecting inside one of the cabins, hoping to find some clues.

Soon, Sadie retrieved something from a corner.

“I found this.”

In her hand were a can of food and a small box of bullets.

When Aiden asked where she found it, the answer came that she found it in a drawer.

“Good job. I’ll keep these bullets.”

When Aiden praised her like that, Sadie smiled faintly.

Aiden looked at the bullets she had found.

Just ordinary 5.56mm, a 30-round box of bullets. It wasn’t a large quantity, but it was a very welcome sight since their bullet stock was running low.

Meanwhile, the supplies Sadie found were more than just their intrinsic value. Along with the empty cabins, they provided Aiden with some clues.

Leaving all the supplies in such an obvious place, even a child could find them.

It meant that the attackers’ goal was not the supplies.

“Could this be the work of the fanatics?”

Arian, who was exploring the interior, asked.

Aiden nodded.

He was coming to the same conclusion.

Although it was evident that there had been a battle here, there was no sign of human bodies anywhere.

They left the supplies and took the bodies.

It wasn’t the behavior of a typical gang.

Moreover, considering what they saw in Kokomo’s apartment, it seemed evident that the fanatics were involved.

“Wait, there.”

At that moment, Arian pointed towards the interior of the camp.

“Why?”

“There, underneath, there’s someone.”

What Arian pointed at was one of the dilapidated cabins.

Could someone be lying beneath the debris?

Aiden, contemplating for a moment, soon spoke.

“It’s better to check.”

“What if it’s the fanatics?”

“Well, it can’t be helped. Isn’t it better to know?”

For Aiden, who needed information, it didn’t matter which side they belonged to.

If they were survivors from this camp, he could hear about what happened here.

And even if they were part of the fanatics, they could still extract the same information.

Arian followed Aiden. Sadie stayed behind, asking only to search the undamaged cabins for safety.

Thud!

The debris of the collapsed cabin was cleared away.

There were also logs too heavy for ordinary people to deal with.

However, in the hands of a zombie unfamiliar with fatigue and a vampire with mysterious abilities, they were effortlessly moved, almost as if by magic.

But until the floor of the cabin was exposed, there was still no sign of a person.

“Did we get the location wrong?”

Aiden asked.

Arian shook her head.

She pointed her finger downwards again.

“Further down.”

“If that’s the case…”

If it was more below the floor, there was nothing but a basement.

So, Aiden inspected whether there was an entrance on the floor.

He quickly found a hidden trapdoor under the carpet.

Thunk!

But the entrance was locked.

As a last resort, Aiden knocked on the entrance, attempting to communicate with the person inside, but there was no response.

“We have to break it.”

Aiden said.

He didn’t know the situation inside the basement, but the entrance was a trapdoor that opened upward.

So, whoever was inside must have been trapped without the entrance being able to open due to the cabin debris.

Thus, when Aiden suggested breaking it, it meant that the lack of response was more likely due to the person being trapped and unable to communicate.

“I’ll do it.”

Arian held the machete she had brought.

The machete, painted in a bloody red color, easily cut through the latch of the trapdoor leading down.

The sight of steel bending steel was an unbelievable spectacle.

But even now, Aiden, who had become accustomed to such things, focused his attention on shining a light into the dark basement.

Inside, a woman was lying.