How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

The shopping district of Ballinger that Aiden’s group entered emanated a solemn atmosphere distinct from those in major cities.

Centered around a wide six-lane road for a small town, two-story buildings lined up in a row.

Additionally, the architectural styles of those buildings appeared quite dated.

Some even seemed to be remnants from the Western era.

“Over here.”

In one part of that shopping district, Arian pointed towards a particular building.

A bright brown brick structure.

From the lettering on the remaining glass windows, it seemed to have originally been a law firm’s office.

Not a space where many supplies would likely remain.

However, there were definitely people inside.

“Two of those people from earlier are in there.”

Arian spoke those words.

Rather than immediately tracking the source of the gunshot, Aiden’s group had first pursued potential witnesses in the surrounding area.

Which was why, without much hesitation, Aiden entered that building.

“Here they are! We’re here!”

From inside, someone panicked and raised their gun.

It was Adam Clark.

Momentarily freezing at that unexpected reaction, Aiden’s movement gave Sedy, Adam’s older sister beside him, an opportunity to forcibly lower her brother’s weapon.

“Calm down. It’s just that junk dealer from before.”

Only after hearing those words did Adam properly face Aiden.

Then, letting out a sigh, he lowered his gun.

“What the… it was you guys?”

“I heard gunshots. What happened?”

At Aiden’s question, Adam and Sedy’s expressions stiffened.

It was Sedy who first spoke up.

“A mutant appeared.”

Aiden let out a brief sigh.

While he had anticipated something might occur, the fact that a mutant had emerged in this virtually empty small town with barely any zombies was an especially unfortunate case.

Among the few possibilities he had considered, it was one of the worst outcomes.

Sedy continued speaking.

“We managed to escape, but… I don’t know about the others.”

“Location?”

“If you go two blocks down following the road, there’s a bank. That’s the last place I saw them.”

Aiden stepped out of the entrance and briefly glanced in that direction.

The mutant itself wasn’t immediately visible.

“This place isn’t safe either. We should retreat quickly.”

Adam then urged the group to evacuate.

However, Aiden simply posed another question.

“Were you able to identify the mutant?”

“A Hider. Damn it, we were being careful but got caught completely off guard.”

“A Hider?”

It was a mutant Aiden’s group had never encountered before.

At that, Sedy frowned slightly.

“Why that reaction? Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of it?”

Aiden shook his head.

With a sigh, Sedy proceeded to explain.

“It’s a type often seen in desert regions. Indistinguishable from ordinary zombies at first glance, but far stronger and faster in comparison.”

“Stronger, you say. Like Rhinos or Brutals?”

“Those are monsters that can smash through concrete walls. Not quite that level. More like… slightly above a Bigfoot, I’d say.”

Hmm– Aiden let out a contemplative hum.

It was information about an unanticipated new mutant.

Valuable information, yet in their urgent situation, Sedy didn’t even demand compensation for sharing it.

So Aiden simply committed the details to memory, ensuring he didn’t miss anything.

In the meantime, Adam’s voice could be heard.

“Sis, is now really the time for that? Let’s just go already. That thing could come back any moment.”

Having vented his complaints at Sedy, Adam once again urged the group to retreat.

This time, not only Sedy but Aiden as well decided to heed his suggestion.

There was no reason to directly confront a mutant they knew little about.

“Do we have a place to retreat to?”

“There’s a rendezvous point we agreed to regroup at in the rear. A temporary hideout for tonight. We can go there.”

Aiden nodded.

It was at that very moment, as they prepared to exit the abandoned law office…

…that someone’s shout could be heard from outside.

“Hey! Is anyone here?”

It was Carter’s voice.

When Aiden looked out, Carter was yelling in the middle of the road just one block away.

Upon witnessing that, Adam’s face contorted with disbelief.

“Has that old man lost his mind? Why is he doing that?”

“Adam! Eli! Anyone, come out!”

However, Carter paid no heed and even called out the names of his companions.

Unable to tolerate it any longer, Sedy waved her hand from outside the building.

Spotting Sedy, Carter rushed towards the building Aiden’s group was in.

“What are you doing right now?”

As Carter approached, Sedy confronted him with a sharp tone.

But Carter didn’t react to her words.

Instead, with a far more serious expression, he pleaded for their assistance.

“Help me, please. I need help.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“That mutant! My wife and daughter are trapped because of it!”

At those words, Adam and Sedy’s expressions hardened.

Carter had been scavenging the bank along with his wife and daughter when the mutant suddenly appeared.

As a result, only Carter was forced outside the building, while the other two became trapped inside with the mutant.

“So we need to lure that thing out first. I have a plan, so please help me-“

“We can’t.”

However, Sedy bluntly rejected his request.

Her unhesitating response caused even Arian to widen her eyes in surprise.

“Don’t you understand? Against ordinary zombies, maybe. But a mutant? You’re basically asking us to go die instead.”

Carter’s mouth hung open, unable to utter another word at that cold reaction.

But before he could speak further, it was Adam, Sedy’s younger brother, who raised his voice this time.

“She’s not wrong. Two months… no, was it three months ago? Surely you haven’t forgotten what happened then?”

At those words, Carter’s face contorted deeply.

Adam glanced at Aiden’s group, as if performing for an audience, before calmly adding an explanation.

“There were these Miller brothers in our original group, you see. In a situation just like this, they became trapped. And we simply abandoned them and fled elsewhere.”

“….”

“You were the first one to insist we leave those people behind, Carter. Weren’t you?”

It seemed a similar incident had occurred in the past.

A common episode among wanderers with loose comradeship.

Only this time, Carter was the tragic protagonist, unable to make the same ruthless judgment as before.

“But, but… this time we can save them! I have a plan, so-“

“Either way, we’re not going.”

Sedy’s resolute refusal caused a resentful glint to appear in Carter’s eyes.

However, he soon suppressed that emotion and turned towards Aiden instead.

“Junk dealer, please help me.”

From within his helmet, Aiden quietly observed Carter.

He paid no heed to the decisions Carter had made in the past.

To Aiden, Carter was simply an ordinary client.

So without any particular emotion, he continued speaking.

“What compensation will you offer me?”

“Anything. You can take whatever I have-“

Aiden shook his head.

Such vague promises of ‘anything’ held no meaning.

Specific items and quantities were important.

“How many bullets and explosives do you have?”

Carter opened the backpack slung across his back.

From within, he produced three sticks of dynamite, two grenades, and several dozen rounds of rifle and pistol ammunition – a considerable amount for a single wanderer.

Which was why…

“Why are you carrying so much?”

The nearby Adam opened his eyes wide as he asked that question.

However, Carter ignored him and addressed Aiden instead.

“I’ll give you all of this. So please… save my family, I beg you…”

Carter lowered his head.

Considering the compensation for taking down a single mutant, as well as the severity of the situation, it was somewhat lacking.

Even so, Aiden accepted all the explosives but only half the ammunition.

“The rest, I’ll take in blood.”

“Blood?”

“A blood donation.”

For a moment, Carter looked perplexed, but he soon nodded vigorously, all doubts dispelled.

Aiden glanced towards his companions.

“Arian, I’ll leave Sadie in your care. It would be better for you to retreat with them.”

Aiden gestured towards Sedy and Adam, indicating they should evacuate to the wanderers’ hideout while he went to the bank alone.

“But… isn’t it too late for that?”

Arian responded.

She was observing the sunset-tinged sky.

In just an hour or so, the sun would fully set.

It was cutting it too close to confront a mutant.

However, Aiden spoke in a calm voice.

“There’s no need to worry. Then, I’ll be off.”

Aiden immediately exited the building.

He even stopped Carter from following, as the presence of others would only hinder him.

However, Carter didn’t completely withdraw either, taking a position in a nearby building with a view of the bank where his family was trapped.

As for the rest, Sedy and Adam promptly headed towards the rear temporary base.

Following Aiden’s advice, Arian and Sadie followed behind them.

“…”

Arian briefly looked back, watching Aiden as he approached the bank where the mutant was located.

Her gaze carried a hint of concern.

* * *

“…”

Inside an office of the long-abandoned bank building…

There, Naomi huddled under a dirty desk, embracing her daughter Audrey.

Bang!

Meanwhile, shattering sounds continued to echo from somewhere within the bank.

The mutant, the Hider, was smashing through any doors obstructing its path.

But that wasn’t all.

From various parts of the bank, the cries of undead corpses resounded like an intercom announcement.

Zombies that had flocked towards the gunshots fired at the mutant.

“It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay.”

Naomi gently muttered those words as she stroked her daughter’s hair.

The injury on her arm throbbed with pain.

Which was why…

Her tone made it unclear whether she was reassuring her daughter or herself.

Meanwhile, the 15-year-old Audrey, cradled in her mother’s embrace, was desperately holding back her sobs.

Bang!

And once again, the sound of shattering echoed forth.

Closer than the previous noise.

The Hider was undoubtedly searching for them.

As soon as this mother and daughter had sensed the mutant’s presence, they had hidden in this corner of the bank.

However, the mutant, more intelligent than ordinary zombies, couldn’t be evaded so easily.

It had realized there were humans hiding somewhere within this bank.

So even now, it was slowly approaching, smashing through every door in its path to find them.

The only solace was that this bank, for a small town, was quite large in scale.

Meaning there were many offices for the mutant to check.

Bang!

But ultimately, all of that was merely delaying the inevitable.

That slowly nearing sound felt like a countdown, indicating the time remaining until death.

Bang!

Eventually, that noise reached right beside them.

Audrey’s trembling form, embraced within Naomi’s arms, was vividly conveyed.

Amidst the sounds echoing through the bank, the cries of other zombies could also be heard from beyond the walls.

And finally, the Hider’s footsteps could be heard just outside the door.

It had relentlessly tracked them down to this very office where mother and daughter were hiding.

In response, Naomi released the arm she had wrapped around her daughter.

Instead, she raised the pistol in her other hand, aiming it towards the door.

“Mom…”

Audrey gazed at Naomi.

However, Naomi only gritted her teeth, her focus solely on the door.

She knew a mere pistol would be ineffective against the Hider.

But she couldn’t simply remain passive either.

If she had been alone, Naomi might have just surrendered and accepted death.

The same would likely hold true if her husband had been with her as well.

However, she was together with her daughter.

Considering Audrey, who hadn’t even become an adult yet, Naomi couldn’t bring herself to simply die. So she would grasp at that one slim chance, no matter how minuscule.

Naomi steeled her resolve at that moment.

Bang!

A deafening gunshot resounded throughout the spacious bank building.

It wasn’t from Naomi’s gun.

She hadn’t pulled the trigger yet.

That sound had come from… the bank’s entrance area.

“Geeeeeh!”

Immediately, the Hider standing right outside their door reacted.

The mutant, which had been about to smash through, finally detected that crucial clue and hastily retreated from the door, its raucous footsteps fading into the distance.

Following that, the growls of the other corpses that had filled the surrounding area also receded like an ebbing tide.

“Could it be…”

Naomi didn’t miss the implication.

Someone had intentionally fired that gunshot to lure the zombies away, rescuing them.

Had it been her husband who had taken action?

She couldn’t be certain of that.

However, Naomi did know what she needed to do immediately.

“Audrey! Move!”

She urged her daughter, who was still dazed by the unexpected turn of events.

While Audrey seemed unsure of what to do, Naomi wasn’t.

Naomi cautiously approached the door. After confirming no further signs of movement, she slowly opened it.

“Ah…!”

Beyond was an empty corridor.

A sigh of relief escaped her lips.

However, there was no time to hesitate.

She swiftly exited the corridor with her daughter in tow.

And finally emerged from the entrance they had originally entered through.

“…”

With a blank expression, Naomi breathed in the outside air.

Their escape had been so straightforward, as if the earlier tension and terror had been a lie.

Then where had the zombies and mutant that had previously filled this bank gone?

“Mom, over there…”

The answer came from Audrey.

She pointed towards the police station near the bank building.

Over ten zombies and the mutant were gathered there.

They were frantically pounding on the barred windows and closed front door, trying to force their way inside.

Bang! Rat-tat-tat!

And on the second floor rooftop, a figure was firing upon those zombies.

Donning a bulletproof helmet and white coat, their attire was bizarre.

“That person…”

It was undoubtedly the junk dealer named Aiden Lee.

Naomi sensed that he was the one who had rescued them.

However, Aiden’s own situation didn’t seem favorable.

The Hider could be seen smashing through the police station’s front door that had been closed.

Led by the mutant, the zombies began pouring into the building’s interior.

It would only be a matter of time before they overwhelmed the rooftop where Aiden was positioned.

At that sight, Naomi briefly contemplated her options.

If she fired her gun from here, the zombies might become disoriented by the sounds coming from two different directions.

And perhaps that could create an opportunity for the junk dealer to escape.

But…

“…”

She soon looked down at Audrey, who was gripping her hand tightly.

“Mom…?”

At Naomi’s serious expression, her daughter called out in concern.

However, Naomi simply shook her head.

A gesture indicating it was alright.

“…Let’s go.”

Naomi averted her gaze from the police station.

And they swiftly departed that area, almost fleeing.

After walking some distance, they soon reunited with Naomi’s husband, Carter.

“Honey! Audrey!”

Tears of joy streamed down Carter’s face as he saw his wife and daughter return safely.

Even amidst that, gunshots could still be heard from behind them.

The sun was also slowly setting.

“Hurry, this way!”