How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

“Well then, would you like to see him?”

Upon Nairik’s question, Sadie nodded her head. Nairik, finally easing his suspicion, seemed to have judged that Aiden’s group was safe.

However, to avoid unnecessary awkwardness, Aiden deliberately stepped back from the stairs leading to the second floor.

Then, with a clink sound, the door leading to the second floor actually opened.

Following Nairik, Sadie and Arian went upstairs.

“Wow…!”

There, Sadie’s eyes sparkled.

On the second floor of the inn, there was indeed a small baby on the bed.

“Nairik…?”

Mariana, who was with the baby, turned to Nairik.

In response, Nairik raised both hands, expressing a somewhat apologetic look.

“It’s okay. They’re just like our kids.”

“You really…”

Mariah, who took a short breath, briefly glanced at the stairs.

Until then, only two girls had come up to the second floor.

Neither of them looked too dangerous to the eyes of people who didn’t know their background.

Meanwhile, Aiden remained on the first floor.

There was no need to go up to the second floor, and it was also a declaration that he wouldn’t do anything suspicious.

“Um… Can I hold the baby?”

Sadie asked Mariana at that moment.

Mariana nodded with a faint smile.

Sadie extended her hand towards the baby sitting on the bed.

The small fingers of the baby met with even smaller fingers.

Then, the baby blinked at Sadie.

In response, Sadie showed a surprised expression.

“Elder sister, pretty elder sister.”

Mariana told Sadie like that.

While Sadie and the baby interacted, Arian looked on with a pleased expression a bit away.

On the other hand, Nairik, who had been watching the children for a moment, went back down to the first floor.

It was to talk with Aiden.

“…”

Aiden, while listening to the conversation sounds from upstairs, was keeping an eye on the outside through the window.

Unnoticed, the sunset had dyed the sky red. As it was a sign that night was approaching, the best choice was to stay in this hideout.

Of course, there was a possibility that the other side would express refusal. In that case, they would have to stay in the courthouse building visible over there. 

While thinking about that, Nairik came down.

“Cute kids.”

He sat down in the chair next to the window where Aiden was sitting and said so.

Kids. If he meant Sadie, it made sense. Subjectively and objectively, she was an adorable child.

However, Arian gave a slightly different impression from being cute.

Even if one didn’t know Arian’s true nature, Nairik probably saw her beheading zombies a while ago.

So, Aiden neither affirmed nor denied, just nodded silently.

Nairik continued speaking:

“What are your thoughts for tonight?”

Perhaps sensing Aiden’s concern, Nairik asked.

Aiden responded promptly:

“I want to stay here. But I won’t force it. If you want us to leave right away, we will.”

“Oh, that’s how it is. Still, I don’t have any intention of kicking out my benefactors. However…”

Nairik trailed off with a sly expression. Naturally, it implied that there was a need for compensation. Aiden, relying on Nairik’s goodwill, had no intention of taking advantage.

“What do you want?”

“Do you have any supplies you brought?”

Nairik asked, scrutinizing Aiden’s demeanor. 

The question seemed audacious, given that there were no visible items. Apparently, he hadn’t witnessed the moment when Arian and Sadie got off the vehicle, chased by zombies.

“We have a vehicle that brought us here. There’s some resources there.”

“Oh, really? That’s fortunate. Then… do you have any food or water?”

Aiden nodded his head. It hadn’t been long since he restocked on food and water in Fort Wayne. While not overly abundant, there was enough to cover the accommodation for tonight.

After negotiating a suitable price, Aiden personally went to the vehicle and brought back food and water for Nairik, Sadie, and Arian to use for the evening.

“Is this for the child?”

Handing over the requested items, Aiden asked Nairik.

Especially, Nairik wanted vegetables or greens among the provisions.

These were somewhat inefficient foods if one only considered calories. Simultaneously, they were items that had become difficult to obtain lately.

Aiden had some fruit and vegetable canned goods and a few canned nuts that he had acquired in Fort Wayne, so he handed them over.

“Yes. The gathered food here is all meat. Of course, I know canned food isn’t great for a baby, but what can you do? We have to feed him something.”

Understanding that sentiment, Aiden nodded his head.

In a world where it was challenging to find food for adults, it was even more difficult for babies who had restrictions on consumable foods and required many nutrients.

To Aiden’s eyes, being able to raise a child until now was already astonishing.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

Nairik just forced a bitter smile in response.

He wanted to say that it was nothing when it came to his child, but honestly, it was quite a struggle.

“By the way, where are you from?”

“Pittsburgh.”

“A far place.”

Nairik spoke with admiration, even though it was just two states away across the entire United States.

However, in this era where one had to risk their lives for even that much movement, it was impressive.

“And you?”

“I came from St. Louis. After that, I stayed in Tuscola for two years. I was part of a small survivor group there. It’s been about a month since I came here.”

St. Louis was a large city about 300 km southwest from here. It was one of the candidate cities after Springfield, the current destination.

However, compared to that, Tuscola was a name Aiden heard for the first time.

“Tuscola?”

“Oh, it’s a town about 100 km away from here. Similar to here.”

“How did you end up here from there? What about the other companions?”

“I didn’t come here because I wanted to. There was an accident…”

Nairik said that much and let out a heavy sigh.

Aiden just nodded his head.

There was no need to ask about the details of that accident.

Aiden asked another question:

“Just today, there were a lot of zombie hordes. Is this area usually like this?”

“Yes. This level is common.”

“…I see.”

No wonder he wasn’t so surprised by the zombie horde.

Aiden decided to keep this in mind and continued with his questions.

“Could you tell me about St. Louis, by any chance?”

“That’s not difficult. But it’s been over two years since I left there. When I left, there was a war going on.”

“A war?”

“At that time, St. Louis had three major gangs. They were always fighting over the city and resources. Eventually, a big war broke out, and I didn’t want to get swept up in it, so I went to the small town of Tuscola.”

Aiden asked Nairik about the details of the past.

According to his words, just two years ago, the gangs in St. Louis seemed like large groups, each with over two thousand members. If that were the case, there were more than six thousand survivors there. It was a number surpassing Fort Wayne.

As one went west, the population, resources, and zombies increased.

Without realizing it, Aiden was vividly experiencing that.

“How is the situation in the east? Is it livable there?”

This time, Nairik asked.

Aiden briefly conveyed the situations of the cities he had passed through.

There were fewer zombies than here, but it was a desolate wasteland with nothing. 

“Well, that’s not reassuring either,” Nairik commented after hearing Aiden’s words. 

Aiden then asked about Springfield, but Nairik replied that he didn’t know. This meant that he had heard all the information he could from him.

However, Aiden decided to ask one more thing. 

“Well… do you have any plans to search for supplies outside of this town?” 

“Supplies, huh…” 

Nairik adopted a subtle, guarded attitude. 

The supplies in this town were potential resources that Nairik, who had established himself here, would use in the future. 

Asking him to reveal their location was akin to saying he would loot the warehouse.

But that wasn’t Aiden’s intention in asking. 

“I’m a junk dealer. I’m asking if you have any thoughts of employing me as a mercenary, providing the supplies there as a reward.”

Although Nairik lived here, judging from the situation, there were no reliable companions. 

Moreover, he seemed not to be an ordinary human. 

Therefore, there would undoubtedly be many restrictions on solo travel and combat actions, even if there were large warehouses full of supplies. 

For example, if there were more than ten zombies wandering around the vicinity.

“…”

Nairik’s pupils calmly sank at Aiden’s suggestion. 

Due to the baby, he couldn’t easily join other survivor groups, and during the past month in this quiet town, he had come to clearly realize his limitations. 

Aiden thought he was well-prepared before coming to this town, but it wasn’t easy to explore alone or deal with zombies.

So, Aiden’s proposal to Nairik seemed quite appropriate.

If they managed to drive away the zombies in the town somewhat with Aiden’s help, Nairik calculated that even after Aiden left, it would be easier to search for resources more smoothly.

Thus, the schedule for tomorrow was set.

Arian and Sadie, who had gone up to the second floor, came down. 

“How was the child?” 

“Very adorable!” 

Sadie replied with a slightly excited face to Aiden’s question.

It seemed like Sadie was seeing a baby for the first time here. 

Next, Aiden informed Arian about the newly decided exploration schedule.

“Tomorrow? Okay,” Arian casually nodded.

Afterward, Aiden handed over the food and water he brought from the car to the group. 

The sun had already set.

Now it was time for people to eat and rest.

* * *

The next day.

Aiden and Arian were preparing to go out. It was because of the request from Nairik that they had promised yesterday. 

During the mission, Sadie decided to stay at the hideout.

The hiding place was sturdy, and there were no suspicious corners with Nairik and his wife, Mariana. And Sadie seemed to like the baby so much that she wanted to stay here, so Aiden made that decision without much hesitation.

“Is the child going too?”

Nairik asked, looking at Arian, who had brought a machete from the car.

Given her appearance, she was no more than a teenager, so it wasn’t a strange question.

“Didn’t you see it yesterday? Despite the looks, she’s quite strong…”

“Ah, I did see. She fights better than me.” 

“Yes, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

With Aiden’s assurance, Nairik nodded his head with a slightly uneasy expression.

Is it awkward to make Arian, who still looks like a girl, fight zombies?

But that might just be for now. There’s no need to reveal the power of the vampire. If he sees Arian tearing apart zombies with a machete a few more times, any sympathy might quickly disappear.

“Let’s start moving,” Nairik said.

The group, armed with their weapons, headed outside the hideout.

“Where are we going?”

“To the supermarket. It’s in the northern part of the town, the largest store around here. Just follow the road straight up from that hamburger place we met yesterday.”

Nairik already knew what Aiden wanted – ammunition. And since Nairik was looking for food and water, choosing a mart as the destination made sense.

In the United States, it was common for supermarkets to sell ammunition.

“That’s fine. Then…”

Aiden said that while looking at Arian. 

Arian tilted her head slightly. It was a signal that there were no zombies nearby.

“We’ll lead the way.”

Aiden walked towards the outskirts of the village.