How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

“You got something to say?”

“I want to buy information first.”

The woman looked at the 30 rounds of ammunition that Aiden offered.

It was a bit less for an information fee, but it was a fair price.

The woman asked:

“What kind of information do you want?”

“Information about nearby cities and mutants.”

Aiden wasn’t demanding overly sensitive information from them, so the woman nodded and took the 30 rounds of ammunition.

“Okay. Feel free to ask about that. What about the other one?”

“Don’t you have a request for me?”

At Aiden’s words, the woman raised an eyebrow slightly.

“A request? Well, if it’s an urgent request… “

The woman hesitated, furrowing her brow.

“Is there something urgent?”

“…I don’t know. If it’s urgent, it’s urgent; if not, it’s not. It seems suitable to leave it to a junk dealer I met for the first time today.”

The woman hinted at Aiden in a suggestive manner.

However, Aiden just nodded silently.

“Let’s hear the details first.”

With that, the woman began to explain the request.

* * *

After a while.

Aiden returned safely in his vehicle after concluding the conversation with the Springfield Militia.

Arian, who had been quietly observing the vicinity near the outpost while Aiden was away, reflected upon seeing Aiden return.

“Took quite a while, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, that’s how it turned out.”

It had been over an hour since Aiden left in the vehicle.

The originally planned trade, as well as the time-consuming negotiations for information and coordination of the request, contributed to the delay.

“So… how is it? Does it seem okay here for Sadie to stay?” Arian asked.

It was a question about whether this place was suitable for Sadie to stay.

However, Aiden shook his head in response.

“No, it doesn’t seem like it.”

“Why?”

“This place is dangerous.”

Aiden asserted based on the evaluation of Springfield formed with the information he acquired there.

Arian gazed at Aiden as if she wanted a more precise explanation.

“Are those guys from the Springfield Militia the problem?”

“No, they seem like a relatively harmless gang. They don’t seem to be reckless marauders.”

“But?”

“The problem lies outside. In St. Louis. Didn’t Nairik mention there was a war there two years ago? Remember?”

St. Louis was a major city about 150 km south of Springfield.

Since Arian already knew the geography around here, she nodded.

“The war in that place is over now, and the forces that fought in the war have integrated into one large gang. But… it seems like that gang isn’t made up of decent people.”

Aiden explained the situation in St. Louis.

The enormous gang currently dominating St. Louis was the most brutal and violent faction among the groups that originally existed.

Moreover, as they believed only in strength, the first thing they did after taking over St. Louis was to expel children and the elderly from the city.

This was because the weak didn’t contribute to their survival.

Furthermore, they forced all members to regularly contribute a certain amount of resources and established extremely strict rules. Those who violated the rules were publicly executed, displaying a tyrannical rule based on power.

In the end, many people who couldn’t endure it escaped from St. Louis.

They became junk dealers, wanderers, or marauders roaming the area, as mentioned.

“As it turns out, they are also from St. Louis. They created a militia here after fleeing from there.”

No wonder they seemed quite favorable towards the junk dealer. There was a reason for them to be sympathetic.

“…Then, this place won’t do.”

Arian, after hearing the circumstances, sighed briefly.

If that was true, the gang in St. Louis was in a considerably unstable state. If people kept leaving, the strength of the gang itself would weaken.

However, those guys wouldn’t just sit back and watch the crisis. They would undoubtedly try to reclaim those who left, and the edge of their blade might soon point towards this Springfield militia.

In other words, a war might break out here again before long.

Naturally, it was impossible to leave Sadie in such a place.

“Shall we head to the next city right away?”

“Not exactly. We’re running low on stored fuel. So, I took on a request to get it. It won’t take long, but… there’s a problem.”

“A problem?”

“They refuse to sell blood here. Probably because they find me suspicious. So, I won’t be able to secure blood for at least two days. Is that okay?”

“…Understood.”

Arian nodded, and with a humming sound, the engine of the vehicle started. 

Slowly, the car moved away from the Springfield outpost, just as it did when they arrived.

In the shaking cargo of the car, Sadie’s head popped up.

Arian helped Sadie sit back in her seat, and in the meantime, Aiden continued talking.

“So, let’s continue discussing the request. About 100 kilometers north from here, there’s a city called Peoria. I’ve received a request to go there and guide back some members who went for exploration and haven’t returned. That’s the content of the request.”

Arian smirked.

At first glance, the request seemed too troublesome.

“We know where people are in the city, right?”

“Of course, we know their locations.”

The Springfield militia had its own system in place.

Before exploration, reports were made in advance about which city to explore, and detailed routes were reported. Temporary hiding places were designated for each city, and members were trained to go there in case of trouble.

This was to make it easy to dispatch a rescue team when the planned return date was exceeded, just like now.

“Then the request is to kill the zombies on the way to the hideout and open the road, isn’t it?”

“Exactly.”

“Hmm…”

In Arian’s opinion, the content of the request itself wasn’t bad.

The same goes for dealing with zombies instead of humans.

Since the purpose of the request itself was to save people, there was nothing to feel uncomfortable about.

But.

“Why are they sending us?”

The fact that they entrusted such a task to Aiden, especially when it involved the lives of their comrades, was something Arian couldn’t understand.

Aiden continued speaking.

“The militia has banned entry to Peoria a few months ago. The reason was that there were too many zombies inside the city. But still, those members went there, acting on their own judgment.”

“Self-employments?”

“It’s not necessarily that.”

Aiden let out a short sigh.

“There seems to have been an isolated family there. That’s why even the militia, who knew the situation, reluctantly wanted to help.”

“If that’s the case, why not just help them?”

“Doing so might make the regulations infamous. From the organization’s perspective, it’s an important matter.”

Aiden’s words made Arian wear a puzzled expression.

She, with limited experience in human society, couldn’t quite empathize with Aiden’s words.

“But is it really infested with zombies there?”

“Peoria is a place where the eastern and southern sides of the city are blocked by a river. So, the only way out in that direction is a narrow bridge. It’s a suitable place.”

“Then… there might be no one to save.”

It was a cruel story, but it could very well be true.

That’s why Aiden didn’t make the mistake of omitting negotiations on that part.

“In that case, they asked for the retrieval of supplies at least. They promised to consider the mission accomplished even if we do that. So, I have the reported exploration route as well.”

With that, Arian had nothing more to say about the request.

So, Arian, as usual, absentmindedly stared out the window. But from there, Aiden’s voice continued.

“However, there’s a catch.”

“A catch?”

“I also got information from them about the mutants. But… the contents are a bit unsettling.”

Indeed, among the mutants Aiden learned from the militia, there were a whopping five types that he had never heard of before.

Compared to the newly discovered mutants during the journey from Pittsburgh to Indianapolis, it was an oddly high number.

Aiden immediately conveyed that information to Arian.

“…It’s a bit strange, isn’t it? Is the information correct?”

Arian asked, seemingly discontent after hearing the contents.

It was understandable; the information about the mutants provided by the militia was subtle overall. Firstly, it was unclear whether they were genuinely new mutants.

What they claimed to be novel, like a Bigfoot with enlarged arms, was a bit ambiguous.

Moreover, most eyewitness information was about confirming the corpses. Witness accounts of intense combat and hunting those entities were surprisingly scarce.

So, although Aiden felt uneasy, it was irrational to suspect them without evidence.

“Well, it might be, but… there’s no reason for them to deliberately leak false information.”

Aiden deliberately combined information about nearby cities and mutans in his inquiry.

Even if there was nothing Aiden didn’t know among the mutant information they possessed, it was a demand for accurate information, even if they didn’t return the information fee.

Thus, Arian shrugged her shoulders, indicating she didn’t know either, and changed the subject.

“More than that. When this request is over, have you decided where to go?”

“For now, I’m thinking towards Kansas City.”

Kansas City was located about 500 kilometers west of Springfield, at the end of Missouri next to Illinois.

It was one of the representative large cities in central America, with a population in the city center even larger than St. Louis.

Perhaps because of that?

Although the distance from Springfield was quite far, fortunately, there was information flowing in from there.

“I heard there’s a group with over a thousand people in Kansas City. If that’s true, it might be worth a visit.”

At those words, Arian’s eyes widened.

Over a thousand people.

It was a scale larger than any group they had seen so far.

“Is that information reliable?”

“Similar information has come in several times. So, the statement itself is likely to be true. However, there have been rumors that information has been scarce recently. We can’t rule out the possibility that something might have happened.”

While discussing this, Aiden drove the vehicle north.

Today’s destination was a small town called Morton.

It was a sub-city just below Peoria, where the request was, and it was where they planned to spend the night.

Already, the time was approaching 3 p.m.

Although they had received the request, it was insufficient time to resolve it immediately tonight.

So, they decided to spend the night in a nearby town first, and tackle the request tomorrow morning.

After a while, Aiden’s group arrived in Morton.

The fact that this was an empty small town was already confirmed in Springfield.

So, Aiden found temporary lodging with a slightly lighter heart and soon discovered a suitable building.

Crunch!

Their vehicle stood in the middle of a spacious parking lot.

The place Aiden chose today was a gray bank building.

* * *

The next day.

As planned, Aiden moved towards Peoria from morning onwards.

“Peoria was completely blocked by rivers and lakes on the way south. The only way to cross was through bridges built over those rivers. Perhaps that’s why the zombies were confined. The woman from the militia who handed over the request mentioned that a considerable number of zombies lurked inside.”

Said Aiden, as he parked the vehicle in front of the bridge leading to Peoria.

The location was south of Peoria, across the Illinois River. 

There were a total of three bridges connecting this side to Peoria. Among them, the bridge Aiden was going to cross was the ‘Illinois River Bridge,’ a four-lane bridge for vehicles.

There were almost no signs of collapse or destruction; however, the top was jammed with abandoned vehicles.

“Looks like we’ve reached the limit for vehicles,” Aiden remarked, bringing the group to the bridge.

During the crossing, there was also the figure of Sadie among the party. Holding the small pistol Aiden had gifted her yesterday, she calmly followed Aiden, who led the way.

Crossing the bridge, Aiden spoke to the following companions:

“Our destination is the administration building near the cemetery. We need to walk over 2km through residential areas starting from the bridge.”

2km.

In reality, it couldn’t be considered a long distance. It was a distance that could be covered in about 30 minutes of walking.

However, the residential area they had to traverse was overflowing with zombies.

“Then… can’t we use guns?” Sadie asked.

Usually, it would be necessary to avoid the use of guns as was advised.

Firing shots hastily could attract a swarm of zombies from the residential area in no time.

However, Aiden shook his head in response to her question.

“It would be better if we can, but it won’t be easy.”

This time, the mission was to rescue people from the city outskirts. The number of people they would rescue was three, but the condition of those three couldn’t be guaranteed. If there were people with mobility issues, navigating obstacles and deceiving the eyes of zombies might be impossible.

Thus, Aiden was quietly preparing for a potential combat situation.

“Are we going to fight the zombies, then?” Arian asked.

Aiden nodded.

“They also have firearms. If those people join forces, breaking through using force is entirely possible.”

“But… won’t it be dangerous?”

“If it wasn’t dangerous, they wouldn’t have entrusted it to us.”

Aiden had just finished speaking when they were about halfway across the bridge.

Then, Arian furrowed her brows and pointed forward.

“…It seems to have come out.”

Aiden, wearing a black helmet with the visor raised, raised the metal bat he had brought and passed by a lying bus.

There, as expected, stood a single zombie.

“…”

The vacant eyes of the zombie looked at Aiden slowly, scrutinizing him with movements quite different from an ordinary zombie.

However, right after that,

Thwack!

Aiden’s bat smashed the zombie’s head as it passed by.

The zombie, whose head suddenly burst, collided with the bus and slid down to the ground.

“…”

Silently, Aiden looked around as he ended one zombie.

Between the abandoned cars on the bridge, the wailing sounds of zombies could be heard.