How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

After the introductions, each group first shared their names.

As Aiden had expected, the couple in their 40s and the teenage girl were parents and daughter.

The names of Carter and Naomi Young, and their daughter Audrey.

Additionally, the man and woman in their 30s were siblings, with the surname Clark – Adam and Sedy.

The remaining man was named Eli Rodriguez.

“By the way, if you’re a junk dealer… I suppose you’re not affiliated with any gangs or survivor groups.”

At Carter’s words, Aiden nodded.

Carter then continued speaking with a somewhat relieved expression.

“Same goes for us. We’re all just wanderers. The group we used to belong to completely fell apart.”

Whether he was naturally talkative or not, Carter naturally began recounting their past.

According to him, excluding Eli, they had all been part of the same survivor group.

But that place had been overrun by zombies, leading them to become wanderers.

“Eli joined us about a month ago. Apparently, his gang was also wiped out-“

“Dear!”

Naomi, who had been silently observing, elbowed her husband in the side.

He had said something unnecessary.

In response, Carter flashed a wry smile.

“Ah, my bad, this wasn’t the time. Anyway, where were you folks headed?”

“Ballinger.”

Aiden promptly answered Carter’s question.

There was no need to conceal it.

It was the name of a small town only about 4 kilometers from here.

“What a coincidence. We were headed that way too.”

“I see. Any particular reason?”

“What reason would wanderers have? We’re just going there to survive.”

Aiden had asked in case there might be a survivor group there, but it didn’t seem to be the case.

If so, Aiden couldn’t simply let them go.

They were a precious source of blood he had encountered after several days.

Of course, he didn’t intend to forcibly take their blood, but he needed to steer the situation towards a trade.

The question was, how to broach that topic?

As Aiden inwardly contemplated his words, Carter unexpectedly made a proposal.

“Well, since we’ve met like this, why don’t we travel together to the town? No need for us to be at odds, right?”

Aiden didn’t immediately respond to those words.

Needless to say, for Aiden who had been wondering how to negotiate a trade with them, it was an attractive proposal.

However, he also harbored suspicions.

For wanderers who had just met to so easily suggest traveling together…

It wasn’t a proposal that could be made without at least a minimum level of caution.

Which was why…

“Carter?”

One of the wanderers, Sedy, looked at Carter with a perplexed expression.

“Who gave you the authority to say that?”

“Why not? It’s a good opportunity. Didn’t you see those zombies earlier? Numbers are important in times like these.”

“Even so, you should have at least consulted with us-“

As Sedy voiced her objection, Carter dismissively began persuading his companions.

The gist of his argument was that they should band together in preparation for any threats they might face in the town.

It wasn’t an incorrect assertion.

However, it was also a commonly known fact.

The real issue was the matter of trust between the two sides.

“But how can we trust those people?”

And that doubt was directly voiced by Sedy.

While her volume was slightly lowered, it was still audible enough for Aiden to hear.

“It’s fine. They let us evade the zombies, didn’t they? Besides, they only have two kids with them. We should be helping each other in times like these.”

To that, Carter spoke as if it were only natural.

At his somewhat disingenuous demeanor, Sedy let out a derisive chuckle.

However, from that, Aiden could discern Carter’s true intentions.

Carter was looking down on Aiden’s group.

When viewed from the outside, Arian appeared to be around the same age as Carter’s daughter, while Sadie was even younger. So it wasn’t strange for him to judge that their actual combat strength only amounted to Aiden himself.

In contrast, the wanderers had five adults.

Which meant the likelihood of Aiden’s group causing any trouble was low.

And even if they did, Carter believed he could easily subdue them.

Carter harbored that level of confidence.

“Do as you please, then.”

Whether she had grasped Carter’s intentions or not…

Sedy, who had initially raised objections about Carter’s actions, swiftly backed down.

No other dissenting opinions followed.

Carter turned his gaze back towards Aiden.

“Well, here we are neglecting the most important person. So… junk dealer, will you join us?”

“…”

In response to Carter’s proposal, Aiden silently observed him from within his helmet.

While implying that acting together would be mutually beneficial as he persuaded his companions, Carter subtly passed the decision-making to Aiden without overtly coercing him.

He came across like a sly salesman.

Of course, since Aiden had no reason to refuse from the outset, he decided to proceed as Carter intended.

“…Very well. We’ll travel together.”

“Good, wise choice. I was feeling uneasy about what might be waiting in even a small town like that.”

Carter chuckled as he spoke.

Soon after, Aiden’s group and Carter’s group cautiously exited the small farmstead.

The zombie horde that had previously swept through here was already disappearing beyond the opposite horizon.

And so, the combined group walked along the road.

Westward, towards Ballinger.

Since it was the opposite direction from where Aiden had left his vehicle, Arian quietly asked him:

“What about the car?”

Her voice was low enough not to be overheard by the others.

She had realized Aiden was intentionally concealing the vehicle’s existence.

“There’s no need to reveal it. Opportunity makes thieves, as they say.”

That was Aiden’s response.

In any case, it was a distance they could reach the town on foot within an hour.

So rather than unnecessarily exposing the vehicle’s presence, it would be better to retrieve it on their way out after concluding their business with Carter’s group.

There was no guarantee those people wouldn’t covet the vehicle if they knew about it.

“So what’s next? Are you really going to move together with those people?”

“For now, my plan is to go to the town with them. After that, we’ll conduct our own separate search and gather supplies.”

For Aiden’s group, finding supplies in an empty town wouldn’t be particularly difficult.

Compared to the ordinary humans in Carter’s group, Aiden’s group had far more advantageous conditions for scavenging.

However, Arian had one lingering concern.

“Are you sure? What if they try to take our findings by force?”

“That won’t be an issue.”

To that, Aiden gave a simple response.

Of course, if Aiden’s group tried to monopolize all the supplies they found, conflict was highly likely to arise.

However, Aiden intended to use those supplies as trade goods.

“If we offer blood in exchange, they won’t refuse. They’ll see it as a fair deal with no losses on their side.”

Naturally, they might still harbor some suspicions, but it wouldn’t be a major problem.

The alternative to rejecting the trade would be a life-or-death battle.

Anyone who had survived this long would surely know which choice was wiser.

And so, with Carter’s group leading and Aiden’s group following behind, they headed towards Ballinger together.

Fortunately, no zombie hordes like the previous one reappeared.

Approximately an hour later…

The scenery of the town gradually came into view before the group.

“…We’ve arrived.”

Aiden spoke those words as a small river appeared ahead.

The Elm River, marking Ballinger’s boundary.

The Interstate 67 they had been walking along spanned that river via a bridge, passing straight through the town.

Truly the main road of this town.

Which was why the major shopping districts and public buildings were arranged along this Interstate 67 within the town.

For scavenging purposes, it would naturally be advantageous to secure those shopping areas first.

Perhaps realizing that…

After passing through an abandoned factory and a deserted gas station, at the point where the shopping district properly began…

It was there that Carter’s group, who had been leading, called out to Aiden’s group.

“Then let’s divide the areas from here. It will be more efficient than searching the same places.”

Carter spoke those words with a hint of wariness in his gaze.

Aiden felt he could see right through Carter’s intentions.

Had this been his plan from the start?

Anyone would choose the shopping district as the prime scavenging area, so Carter wanted to firmly establish that here.

However, Aiden didn’t insist on claiming the shopping district.

“We’ll concede the shopping district.”

“Hm? Really?”

Carter blinked, surprised that Aiden readily yielded without any argument.

Aiden pointed towards the road where the shopping district stretched out.

“There are quite a few zombies. It would be too dangerous for us.”

As he said, there were indeed some zombies roaming that road.

While their numbers were only around twenty at most, not enough to be considered dangerous…

After hearing Aiden’s words, Carter nodded in understanding.

If Aiden and Arian were ordinary people, it would be a reasonable enough judgment.

“I suppose you’re right.”

“Then we’ll head to the residential area in the north. If you have no other business, we’ll move on ahead.”

As Aiden willingly withdrew, Carter smiled faintly and nodded.

Aiden’s group separated from Carter’s and walked towards the quiet residential neighborhood.

They soon passed the railroad tracks separating the shopping district from the residential area.

The first thing they saw was a warehouse building with a damaged shutter door.

From the outside, the visibly empty interior didn’t seem worth entering.

Observing that warehouse, Arian spoke up.

“I wonder what’s left in the residential area?”

It was a place lined with lush street trees along the road.

Behind those trees stood aged brown houses, one even displaying a tattered American flag.

Gazing at those houses, Aiden responded.

“Hard to say, but we shouldn’t expect any major gains.”

“Then… was it pointless to concede the shopping district?”

“No, there likely wouldn’t have been much there either.”

Aiden’s reason for immediately abandoning the shopping district wasn’t solely to avoid friction with Carter’s group.

Ever since they had crossed the Elm River, there had been signs like tire tracks on the road and scattered debris that seemed crushed underfoot.

Clear indications that other wanderers had previously passed through this town.

“It didn’t seem recent, but there were definitely traces of other wanderers having been here before. So those shopping areas have likely already been picked over multiple times.”

Aiden judged that there wouldn’t be many supplies remaining in this town itself.

Which was why they would search the residential areas that people rarely ventured into first.

To thoroughly gather whatever meager leftovers might still be found there.

“I suppose you’re right…”

Arian let out a brief sigh.

Essentially, today’s scavenging wouldn’t be easy.

As they approached one of the houses, Arian issued a warning:

“There are zombies inside. One on the first floor, two on the second.”

“Got it. Then…”

Aiden retrieved his hatchet.

However, before he could open the door, a quiet presence caught his eye – Sadie, who had been silently holding Arian’s hand this entire time.

Ever since earlier, she had been intently listening to the adults’ conversation, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at Aiden.

Recently, Aiden had taught Sadie how to use the crossbow.

After that, with Aiden’s permission, she had frequently been hunting zombies.

Since the crossbow didn’t produce noise like a gunshot, it was suitable for the small-scale combat encountered during scavenging activities.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason Sadie had taken an active role.

Sadie seemed to derive great satisfaction from her accomplishments.

As if she had finally found her own role to fulfill.

Witnessing Sadie’s joy, Aiden felt a mixture of admiration and pity.

In the end, it was proof that Sadie felt insecure about her standing.

However, considering the contents of her late mother’s will…

Seeking her own role within the team itself wasn’t a bad thing, so Aiden could only observe for now.

“Sadie, would you like to try?”

“Yes!”

When Aiden posed that question, Sadie responded as if she had been waiting for it.

Aiden nodded and quietly opened the door to the residential street.

Then, he followed behind Sadie in a protective stance as she stepped into the dust-filled room.

* * *

Some time later…

“Found it!”

Arian forcefully lifted something she had discovered while searching one of the houses.

It was a can of spinach, smaller than her palm.

A rather meager find, but it was the only harvest she had obtained today.

During that time, Aiden had found three bottles of liquor and some gasoline.

Sadie had achieved the feat of finding a large bag of sugar from a small donut shop.

So for Arian, who possessed senses surpassing ordinary humans, a mere can of spinach couldn’t be considered a satisfactory result.

“You know, I’ve always thought… you really don’t have a knack for scavenging.”

Observing Arian, Aiden spoke those words.

If it seemed strange, it truly was.

She could sense people and zombies hundreds of meters away, yet she couldn’t locate a can just ten meters away without upending layers of dust.

“My vampire senses, you see, originally developed to detect people. And I was the one who found the gasoline, wasn’t I?”

When Aiden voiced that doubt, Arian responded accordingly.

As she said, while Arian could reasonably discern chemical odors like gasoline or gunpowder, she didn’t react as strongly to canned goods or sugar.

Perhaps it was akin to how sharks in the ocean could smell blood from kilometers away but lacked that level of sensitivity to other scents.

Pondering that plausible analogy, Aiden nodded in acknowledgment.

“Anyway, let’s call it a day here. We’ll head back now.”

Aiden spoke as he organized today’s collected supplies.

While not particularly substantial, it was enough to offer in exchange for blood from Carter’s group.

Additionally, the time was nearing sunset.

They should start looking for a hideout to spend the night.

But at that moment-

Bang!

A single gunshot resounded from the distance, casually disrupting Aiden’s plans.

“This is…”

Immediately, his companions’ gazes converged on Aiden, who frowned deeply before letting out a sigh.

The direction of the gunshot was the shopping district.

It was highly likely that some incident had befallen Carter’s group.

“We need to hurry.”

While Aiden had no particular obligation to ensure their safety, he couldn’t simply disregard them since he needed their blood.

They promptly headed towards the shopping district where Carter’s group had been scavenging.