How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

About a week later.

Aiden’s group spent busy days performing various requests in Shreveport.

They quickly climbed up to grade D, just as initially anticipated.

Meanwhile, the requests available from grade D were simple reconnaissance or delivery requests.

For Aiden’s group, who possessed a vehicle, these were relatively easy types of requests.

“You’re here again today?”

Perhaps due to their almost constant presence for a week, Aiden’s group had become familiar with the staff in charge of requests.

A Jewish woman in her thirties named Amara Olson. At first glance, she seemed a bit timid, but she didn’t appear to be a bad person.

“Good morning.”

Aiden greeted, and Amara responded with a bright smile, nodding her head.

Then, she lightly greeted Arian and Sadie, who always accompanied Aiden, and resumed speaking.

“Are you handling requests again today?”

“That’s right.”

“What’s the request number you’re processing?”

“Number 22. It’s a delivery request.”

Perhaps because of the large group, there seemed to be a lot of work to be done, even for Aiden, who could only choose requests up to grade D.

Among them, Aiden chose a request to deliver an item to a small town about 30 km to the south.

The item to be delivered was a communication antenna, and it seemed they were attempting long-distance communication from there.

However, even disregarding details about the item, Aiden had a question.

“I have something I want to ask about the request.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“What’s in that city?”

There was no information about the small town designated as the destination of the request.

In response to Aiden’s question, Amara stopped her paperwork and looked at Aiden before providing an answer.

“Oh, you haven’t been here for long, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“A search unit from our Union has set up a temporary base there.”

“…Search unit?”

Aiden asked, and Amara looked at him, halting her paperwork.

“Oh, I mentioned that you haven’t been here for long, right?”

“That’s right.”

“A search unit is a unit in our Union responsible for reconnaissance and resource exploration.”

Afterwards, Amara briefly explained about the Union.

According to her, the Union was broadly divided into three groups.

First was the search unit, which she had mentioned. 

They were a kind of armed group responsible for reconnaissance, resource search, and engaging with zombies, handling dangerous tasks for the Union. They were easily recognizable by the blue triangular pattern they used as their emblem, always worn around their chest area.

The second group was the police. 

Originating from the gangs that had gathered around police stations in the past, they were mobilized for internal security, administration, and maintaining order within the Union.

Amara was also part of the police, and she mentioned that was why she was in charge of the administration here.

The emblem used was originally from the U.S. police.

Lastly, there were the workers, representing the majority of Union members, excluding the search unit and police. They were classified as workers, and they didn’t have a specific emblem.

In reality, most Union members fell into the worker category, according to Amara.

“Shreveport Citizen Union was originally formed by various small survivor groups uniting around the two gangs that used to compete in this city. So, until now, these two gangs play crucial roles in the Union. It’s been just about a year since they united under the name of the Union.”

“…I see.”

Having unintentionally obtained internal information about the city, Aiden nodded.

In the end, the destination of the request was where some of the Union’s dispatched troops were stationed.

“Any other questions?”

“None. I’ll process the request right away.”

Saying so, Aiden stood up from his seat.

Then, as if offering a piece of advice, Amara added a few words.

“Oh, be careful. The south of Shreveport is a danger zone. If you’re taking a car, it’s better to take a detour.”

“I’ve heard that story. I’ll be cautious.”

The area secured for safety by the survivor group in Shreveport included only parts of the north, including the downtown area. 

Its size was only about 20% of the entire city.

The rest was classified as a danger zone, and it seemed that zombies and mutants were still roaming there.

The density of zombies in the southern region was much higher compared to the east. Even with a large survivor group, they couldn’t conceive of sweeping through an entire city like Fort Wayne.

However, it didn’t mean that the Union in this place was entirely dangerous. 

The Union’s headquarters were located on the terrain with the Red River on the right and its tributary flowing from below to the left.

Except for the northern part accessible by land, it was almost like an island. In other words, if the bridges over the river and its tributary were properly maintained, the invasion of zombies could be effectively prevented.

In Aiden’s view, the fortification was at a considerable level.

Therefore, Aiden evaluated the Union as quite safe.

“Well then, please go safely.”

Amara bid farewell to Aiden’s group with a faint smile.

But it might be different for other junk dealers.

For Aiden’s group, a request of this level wasn’t too difficult.

* * *

So, two more weeks passed.

Arian and Aiden diligently processed requests, surprising the Union employees. Before they knew it, they had raised their grades to the end of grade C.

When they were just about to reach grade B, Aiden’s group visited the convention center as usual, and someone approached them.

It was Amara, who usually accepted requests.

“What’s the matter?”

It was the first time she came outside the request reception to meet Aiden’s group directly, so Aiden asked.

Then, Amara looked around and lowered her voice slightly.

“I have a personal request I’d like to ask you.”

Amara’s expression as she said this didn’t look good.

It seemed that something had happened.

“It’s not something troublesome, is it?”

Aiden asked, not expecting a bigger reward for handling the request.

During the time of gathering information, he didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble.

On the other hand, Amara frowned slightly at his question.

“It’s not like that. I did skip some procedures, but it’s urgent. I’ll register it formally today, so don’t worry.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll listen to the story for now.”

Amara led Aiden’s group to a small room inside the building.

Sitting at the table in that room, she quickly got to the point.

“I know a junk dealer. He’s the same grade as you, a grade C, named Angelo Castro. But he went to handle a request and has gone missing. I hope you can find him.”

“…An unusual request.”

Aiden thought they might be asked to do something else, so it was a bit unexpected.

“As I told you, it’s a personal request.”

“Was there any friendship between you two?”

“We didn’t have that deep a friendship, but… to some extent. He still has a younger brother. Coincidentally, his little brother is about the same age as your kid.”

“…”

“But this morning, that kid came to me. He said his brother didn’t come back last night. Something must have happened.”

Understanding the rough details, Aiden nodded.

It didn’t seem to be a problematic request.

So, Aiden asked another question.

“What was the content of the request that man received?”

“About 20 kilometers northwest of here, there’s a farm. It was used as a temporary base by our search unit almost a year ago. The request was to scout the area and retrieve any remaining supplies.”

“But it seems someone was there.”

Amara nodded her head.

“So, what does the junk dealer look like?”

“He’s around twenty years old. Black hair, brown eyes. Hispanic ethnicity, and overall, he has a somewhat sharp impression. Also-“

Amara conveyed Angelo’s appearance in detail.

Having memorized the information, Aiden asked the next question.

“So, what’s the reward?”

“This is a C-rank request, but I’ll give you a higher rank than that. Consider it my gratitude as well.”

“…”

Having heard everything, Aiden pondered for a moment.

There was no reason to refuse such a request.

Moreover, considering his relationship with Amara, there was enough reason to accumulate favors.

“It doesn’t seem too bad. However… can Saide be taken care of during this time?”

Aiden looked at Saide as he spoke.

From what he heard about the request, it didn’t seem like it would end with just hunting zombies. Since it could involve gunfire, there was no need to bring Saide along.

“Of course. I’ll make sure she stays safe.”

“In that case, fine. I’ll handle this case.”

Aiden stood up immediately.

Once the decision was made to handle the request, there was no time to hesitate.

However, just before leaving the room, Aiden, with a sudden doubt, turned back.

“But… why did you ask us for help?”

If it was Amara, as the person in charge of requests, she could have assigned the task to a junk dealer of a slightly higher grade than the recent C-rank Angelo.

“You guys… are reliable.”

Amara answered his question like that.

“There’s no one among the junk dealers who handles tasks like you. Each of you risks your life for every task, like doing daily school homework.”

“…”

“So, I decided to trust you. I feel like you would handle even a serious request effortlessly.”

Though the reason was somewhat unclear, at least their actions so far had left an impression on Amara.

“I’ll do my best to meet your expectations.”

Aiden nodded and left the room.

Returning to the vehicle immediately, Aiden and Arian headed towards the farm where the junk dealer Angelo was supposed to be.

* * *

The farm Amara mentioned was located in a forest far from the city.

There were only about ten houses gathered in a small village nearby.

Apart from that, there was nothing around.

Aiden parked the car a few hundred meters away from the farm.

“From here, we’ll go on foot.”

It was clear that someone or something was at that farm.

However, whether it was a zombie or a person was uncertain, so they couldn’t drive closer.

Therefore, Aiden’s group cautiously walked towards the farm, hiding in the woods.

“There it is.”

Soon, the farm buildings came into view.

There was a wide barn where cows used to be, and a barn attached right next to it.

Behind that, there were the owner’s house and a storage shed.

“…Looks like a person.”

What Aiden could see from his position was one person.

A man with a rifle, monitoring the entrance of the farm.

However, his surveillance meant nothing to Aiden’s group.

Arian had already scanned the entire small farm.

“There are five in total. Except for the one you see, one in the barn, one in front of the barn, and two inside the house.”

“Not that many.”

“But… what should we do now? We still don’t know if those people are really bad guys.”

Arian said with a somewhat perplexed expression.

She had a point.

If those there were not zombies but humans, the situation would become a bit more complicated. 

Dealing with zombies was simple – just eliminate them. However, dealing with fellow humans was a different story. 

Even if they were forcibly holding Angelo or, in the worst case, killed him, if they were affiliated with the Union, killing them could pose a problem.

But initiating a conversation was equally risky. It might lead to a firefight without Aiden’s intention.

So, while contemplating, Aiden soon thought of one solution.

“I’ll check inside for Angelo first. If he’s alive, we should ask him.”

Among them, Angelo was the only one with whom communication was possible.

So, confirming his life and getting information on the situation from him, if he was alive, seemed like the right course of action.

“That’s good, but how do we know which one is Angelo? We need to confirm their faces, and that’s too risky.”

“I have a way. Just wait here for a moment.”

Saying so, Aiden moved towards the village near the farm.

A small village was a few hundred meters away.

And, as expected, there were a few zombies inside the scarce houses.

Aiden first assessed the number of zombies in the village.

Around ten or so.

That would be enough.

Thud!

He intentionally made noise by hitting the ground with a crowbar, deliberately drawing the zombies in the village to gather.

As if awakened from a stupor, the zombies, who had been silently present, awkwardly shuffled out, and soon, they spotted Aiden in the middle of the village.

Wearing a bulletproof helmet that concealed his face, the zombies identified Aiden as a human.

“Kik!”

“Kieee!”

They started rushing towards Aiden.

Aiden, leading around ten zombies, headed towards the farm.

And, when they arrived near the entrance of the farm, Aiden concealed himself in the nearby forest.

Of course, the zombies, following Aiden, also moved towards the forest, but…

“Kii…”

What they saw as they entered the forest was Aiden, who had taken off his helmet.

Confused by the reality of their fellow species they believed to be a human, even if it was just for a moment, the zombies started aimlessly wandering around, gazing at the surroundings.

“All right.”

Confirming this, Aiden quietly slipped away between the zombies and rejoined Arian.

Now, all that was left was to wait.

And, as Aiden anticipated-

“Zombies! Zombies are here!”

Soon, a commotion erupted from the farm, which had been silent.

The zombies they had brought to the front of the farm had spotted people, and a battle had ensued.

As people gathered to resist the zombies, Arian monitored the situation in real-time and provided information to Aiden.

“Four of them gathered at the entrance. The one in the barn… isn’t moving.”

“Then it’s likely that person. Just in case, I’ll move alone. Keep an eye on their movements from here.”

Arian nodded her head.

So, circumventing the small fence surrounding the farm, Aiden began moving towards the barn.