How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

A shopping street between the bridge and residential area.

In that place filled with neglected grassy patches, roads, rusty vehicles, and grey buildings adorned with broken glass, Aiden swung the metal bat he had been holding.

They were now at the outskirts of the city.

His weapon, however, was already covered in decaying bodily fluids.

Nevertheless, Aiden, unfazed by this, scanned the surroundings with a sharp gaze and soon spoke.

“You can come out now.”

Upon his words, Arian and Sadie, who had been hiding behind a building in the rear, quickly walked forward.

Arian frowned as she looked at the four corpses scattered around.

“There are quite a few here too.”

The place they were in was a parking lot between buildings.

Originally, they would have walked along the road, but there were more zombies on the clear city road than expected. Even without using guns, it was dangerous to face dozens of them while avoiding confrontations with the zombies and looters.

Thus, Aiden’s group had to take routes behind buildings or narrow alleys instead of the road.

However, even that wasn’t straightforward.

Zombies were scattered between the narrow alleys, making the passage challenging.

“Kiik!”

Shortly after, a zombie emerged from behind a vehicle.

Although it spotted Arian and Sadie, Aiden’s bat was faster than the zombie’s reaction.

Thwack!

Another zombie fell as Aiden cleared the way.

Arian, who was walking in front of him, asked:

“Shall I help too?”

“No, I can handle it alone.”

Aiden shook his head.

There was also the fact that he had no more blood to spare. He wanted to conserve her strength just in case.

Moreover, Aiden, in such narrow terrain, didn’t need the help of others.

“Keep going.”

Thus, Aiden’s group passed through the shopping street and entered the residential area.

The cemetery they needed to reach was in the central part of Peoria.

They had to go north through the residential area, deep into the city.

However, the residential area was crawling with zombies.

“There are quite a lot here, aren’t there?”

Arian asked as she looked through the broken windows, seeing the entrance to the residential area.

At the intersection they had to cross immediately, there were about twenty zombies visible.

Even with Aiden leading Arian and Sadie, crossing the road quietly was impossible with that many zombies.

Moreover, there were no alleys to retreat, like the shopping street.

“…What should we do?”

“I’ll gather them in one place.”

“Using bait?”

Aiden nodded, handing his helmet to Arian.

Then, he took out his pistol.

“I’ll make a gunshot to attract the zombies. You guys move north during that time, one block at a time. Understand?”

Arian tightened her expression at Aiden’s words.

“With a gun? Is that okay?”

“I’ve used this method occasionally before.”

So, there’s no need to worry.

Aiden calmly continued:

“Specifically, like this: I’ll lead the zombies to the left block using this road. You guys move along the right side. Of course, don’t walk on the road. It’ll catch attention quickly.”

“What if it’s not the road?”

“Use abandoned houses for cover.”

He pointed at the houses along the road.

“Move through them, preferably entering through windows and exiting through the opposite ones. I’ll leave the zombies inside to you.”

“But it will be too slow.”

“No need to rush. We still have plenty of time. I’ll move accordingly. About 10 minutes per block should be enough, right?”

“…Okay. I’ll send a signal if something happens.”

After Arian nodded, Aiden looked at Sadie.

“Sadie, do you understand?”

At Aiden’s question, Sadie nodded.

“Okay. Let’s begin.”

Aiden immediately left the convenience store building. Holding a pistol in one hand, he walked towards the adjacent block with his usual stride.

As the zombies’ gaze focused on Aiden, they turned away upon seeing his decaying skin.

Aiden turned into the left block, obscuring himself from the view of the zombies.

Soon after.

Bang!

A sharp gunshot echoed in the quiet residential area.

“Kiik!”

Immediately, the zombies in the vicinity, who had been idly wandering, responded to the sound. The ones who lacked enthusiasm immediately gathered, emitting light from their dull eyes, and rushed toward the left block.

The group of zombies running wasn’t limited to the twenty near the intersection.

Since the gunshot didn’t fill just one block but echoed beyond, in an instant, over fifty zombies from all directions gathered, heading towards the left street that Aiden had aimed for.

“…”

Arian and Sadie silently watched this scene, listening to the chaotic sounds of footsteps and the clashing of teeth in the air.

Gradually, the sounds diminished, and soon, the intersection they needed to cross was cleared.

Arian, checking the surroundings once more just in case, looked at Sadie.

“…Let’s go.”

In response to her words, Sadie nodded with a tense expression.

They crossed the intersection, suppressing their footsteps.

Beyond the road, between the houses on the left, the back of a zombie was visible.

Though the zombie didn’t turn its head towards them, any slight movement might cause it to look directly at them.

Arian felt a faint tension and pressed against the wall.

“Through the window.”

Arian whispered.

The closest house to the intersection was a white one-story house.

Fortunately, the window was open, and there were no signs of zombies inside.

Arian first pushed Sadie inside, then, although a bit narrow, she easily crossed the gap in the window.

Inside the building, Sadie, who had received guidance from Aiden, softly sighed.

Was this… originally a kitchen?

Dusty tables, a sink, and a refrigerator were visible.

Arian moved further inside the house.

“Follow me. Watch your step on the floor.”

Arian pointed to the floor covered with broken glass.

Sadie quietly passed over it, avoiding making any noise.

Arian then opened the kitchen door, went through a short corridor, and entered another room.

It was a bedroom.

A room with a double bed spread out in the middle.

Arian cautiously pulled the curtain.

Both Sadie and Arian could easily pass through the window there.

But Arian didn’t go out immediately.

The presence of zombies could be felt in the next house, just a few meters away.

“Wait here for now.”

Arian said after a short contemplation.

Leaving Sadie alone here might be dangerous, but there was no other choice for now.

So, Sadie, as instructed by Aiden, hid her body in a corner not visible from the entrance.

“…”

Arian soon went to the next house.

The sense of zombies was coming from… the second floor of the house.

The sound of a zombie growling in frustration was heard.

Probably, the zombie heard the gunshot but couldn’t figure out how to come down the stairs and was expressing its anger.

Arian quietly climbed the stairs.

Then, she saw a zombie attached to the window on the second floor.

Arian silently approached the zombie from behind.

Chop!

With one hand, she covered its mouth, and at the same time, like an assassin, she sliced the zombie’s throat with the machete she was holding.

Even the zombie couldn’t react in that brief moment.

Its throat was cut off, and soon, the blade covered in blood extended to its head.

“…Good.”

Having dealt with the zombie, Arian immediately returned to join Sadie.

In this way, the two of them quickly crossed one block.

At the next small intersection in the residential area, zombies were, as expected, present.

However, waiting for a while, another loud gunshot redirected the zombies elsewhere.

“…”

Once again, Arian and Sadie crossed the now clean intersection.

For a while, Aiden’s group meticulously cleared the residential area in the same way.

After passing several blocks like that…

They had only moved a mere 2 kilometers, but suddenly, two hours had passed.

“Haah… haah…”

The marching seemed to be quite exhausting, as Sadie let out a light breath.

Considering the numerous times she had to climb over windows higher than her height, it wasn’t surprising.

“Are you okay?”

“…Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Hang in there. We’re almost done.”

They had already passed the last block of houses in the residential area.

Once they crossed this, a wide road would appear, and beyond that was the cemetery, their destination.

Arian glanced at the final road they had to cross from inside one of the houses.

“Oh, there…!”

Sadie pointed to a corner of the road.

Aiden, who had been luring zombies, revealed himself on the road.

He soon walked towards the house where Arian was hiding.

“Safe. Luckily.”

Looking at Arian and Sadie by the window, Aiden spoke.

But his appearance didn’t look good, despite his words.

Probably due to continually attracting dozens of zombies and firing shots in that state.

There were tears and holes in his sleeves all over.

“Uncle, are you okay? Not hurt?” Sadie asked.

Her expression showed genuine concern.

“I’m fine. Nothing to worry about.”

Aiden spoke with a tone that didn’t differ much from usual.

Sadie’s worry seemed to ease a bit.

Aiden handed his black helmet to Arian.

“Just the clothes got a bit torn. Is there anything like fabric inside?”

“Wait a moment.”

Arian soon brought a few sets of old clothes left in the house.

Though not clothes to be worn for a long time, they could at least be wrapped around the torn sleeves like bandages to cover exposed skin.

Aiden tidied up his attire and turned his head towards the street.

“We need to cross this road now.”

“From here, no need to lure them, right?”

“Right. That building you see there is the one the militia mentioned. If they plan to bring people from there, we need to clean up this area. Will you help?”

“Of course. Sadie… wait here.”

Arian and Aiden walked towards the road.

The moment the zombies spotted them, they screamed.

Over ten zombies rushed towards them.

However, that number wasn’t challenging for the two.

* * *

Parkview Cemetery management office in Peoria.

In the long-abandoned brown brick building, three people were now isolated.

Two men and one woman.

They all looked quite haggard, and there were already empty cans of food scattered around.

“How many days has it been now?”

The man who spoke, Oliver, was the older brother.

His words were met by his sister, Mia.

“It’s the third day.”

“Why hasn’t anyone come for days?”

Oliver complained, and Mia frowned.

“You know the reason.”

In response to her low-toned words, Oliver gritted his teeth.

“Even though it’s been days, why isn’t anyone coming?!”

“Why did we come to this hideout, knowing that rescuers won’t come?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You knew they wouldn’t come even if we came here.”

“Wouldn’t we have come here anyway? Is there any other way? We don’t even have bullets to shoot them now.”

As Oliver was about to retort, James, who had been quiet until then, spoke up.

“Doesn’t anyone hear something?”

At James’ words, both Oliver and Mia turned their attention to him.

“Sound?”

“Yeah. It sounded like a gunshot just now.”

“Could it be…?”

Oliver was about to say something, but the gunshot didn’t come again, despite waiting.

“…Did I hear it wrong?”

With a short sigh, Mia spoke.

There was a sense of disappointment, but she couldn’t blame her younger brother.

Even if he heard auditory hallucinations, the situation was urgent enough to be understood.

“But just now…”

While James muttered like that,

A gunshot was heard from a distance.

It was a faint sound that could only be heard if you concentrated, but for them, it was the eagerly awaited sign of human presence.

“Rescue team! The rescue team is here!”

Oliver couldn’t conceal his excitement.

Mia, who was looking at him, didn’t say anything, but inwardly, she was smiling with relief.

The supplies they had brought wouldn’t last until today.

“But why is there only one shot?”

In such faint joy, James asked.

Listening, it sounded strange.

All three siblings knew how many zombies were outside.

They had entered this city recklessly, and it was just three days ago that they almost died.

So hearing only a single gunshot was ominous.

In the worst case, the entire rescue team might have perished, leaving only that one gunshot.

But the gunshot didn’t stop there.

With approximately a ten-minute interval, that single gunshot continued.

And it was gradually approaching their direction.

What on earth was happening outside?

Mia couldn’t provide any answers, and only Oliver cautiously made a guess.

“Could it be… our father?”

The three siblings came to this city because of their father.

Peoria was their hometown, both for the three siblings and their father.

However, now the three siblings became members of the militia in Springfield.

Their father, who didn’t like group activities and until recently had been wandering around nearby cities as a junk dealer, had returned to Peoria.

He left a short letter saying he would visit the house they used to live in.

So the three siblings came to dangerous Peoria to find their father.

However, they hadn’t arrived at the house they used to live in.

So there was no clue for their father to notice his children’s plight.

“No way. Father wouldn’t even know we came.”

“Then what is this sound…”

While the three were speculating,

Bang!

Suddenly, the gunshot was right in front of them.

So they stretched their heads out of the window, which they hadn’t dared to do until now.

Then, after a while,

“Look over there! They’re here, they came!”

A man and a woman were seen walking up the road, and James shouted with a suppressed voice.

But Mia, who saw their appearance, rather tightened her expression.

“Are those people… are they crazy enough to die?”

There were still about a dozen zombies on the road.

Or so they thought.

The zombies rushed towards the two men and women.

Mia thought it was the end.

But… it wasn’t.

Only armed with a machete and a baseball bat.

Yet, even while watching, the two, man and woman, unbelievably fought off the zombies with a heroic battle and soon annihilated all the corpses crazed by madness.

“What, those people…?”

Mia muttered in astonishment.

James, who was happy that the rescue team had come, and Oliver, who had been filled with dissatisfaction, didn’t differ much in their expressions from her.

In the midst of their weak joy, James asked:

“Why are they shooting so little?”

The gunshot that they had eagerly awaited came, and Mia couldn’t even think of being cautious.

However, the man walked steadily toward them.

Holding a metal bat, wearing a black helmet, the man who smashed the heads of the zombies.

How natural his appearance was.

Finally, the low voice of the man who had come right up to the window was heard.

“Are you members of the Springfield militia?”

Mia nodded her head.

Then the man finally revealed his name.

“I’m Aiden Lee, the junk dealer.”