How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

Some time later…

“…It’s over.”

After striking down the last remaining zombie with his axe, Aiden muttered those words.

Around the not-so-large factory were strewn roughly twenty corpses.

Not a particularly threatening number for Aiden’s group.

However, the density of zombies was clearly higher compared to other areas of this small town.

Briefly puzzled by that fact, Aiden surveyed his surroundings.

“Are there more of them inside?”

Arian shook her head.

Aiden then climbed through the factory’s broken windows and entered the interior.

Nameless machines were still arranged along the production lines.

On the side were plastic tubs filled with circuit boards and components – either finished products or raw materials for the manufacturing process.

Thin pipes and wires were tangled in disarray across the ceiling.

In this zombie-infested world where such a place held no relevance for survival…

The factory scenery seemed to have simply accumulated dust and rust over three years, appearing nearly perfectly preserved apart from that.

No signs of any significant damage.

“The inside is more complex than I expected.”

Observing that, Arian remarked.

As she said, the intact factory interior exuded a starkly different atmosphere compared to residential buildings filled with mere debris and clutter.

The machinery along the production lines stood as tall as an adult, with unidentifiable components and the tubs they were stored in strewn haphazardly amidst desks and chairs formerly used by employees.

However, Aiden’s group didn’t need to thoroughly search this factory’s interior.

The specifications of the components they sought – suspension springs as thick as a human wrist, and support beams over two meters long to mount them – clearly differed from the ordinary machine parts visible here, most no larger than a palm’s width.

“It doesn’t seem to be this one.”

After briefly surveying the interior, Aiden quickly reached that conclusion.

Arian and Sadie had no objections.

They promptly exited the factory.

While they had gained nothing, numerous buildings still remained in this industrial area.

“Let’s try over there next.”

Arian indicated their next target, and Aiden’s group repeated nearly the same process as before.

And so they spent the entire day traversing nearly every factory in the vicinity.

By the time the number of zombies they had hunted approached triple digits, and they had searched over 20 factory buildings…

“What, not this one either?”

Beneath the reddened evening sky, Arian voiced her dissatisfaction.

The morning had already progressed into evening.

Yet the components required for their request remained elusive, not a single one located.

“Are you sure they’re here?”

“Well, they might not be. That’s what we came to verify, after all.”

However, Aiden calmly accepted Arian’s displeasure.

He had been half-prepared for this possibility when accepting the request.

Recalling Zaid’s words, he hadn’t directly confirmed the components’ presence here himself.

“…”

Nevertheless, the repeated labor throughout the day had undoubtedly been exhausting.

Aiden silently glanced towards Sadie, who had been following behind.

The tension of traversing this industrial area for such an extended period had clearly taken a toll on the child, evident fatigue showing.

Despite their lack of success, it might be time to prepare for their return.

Amid those thoughts, Aiden arrived at a massive warehouse at the edge of the industrial district.

“Let’s call it a day here and head back.”

Aiden spoke those words as he observed that warehouse.

Distinctly larger than the other factories they had visited.

Yet despite its size, hardly any zombies were visibly present.

However, that wasn’t particularly unusual either.

After Aiden’s group had engaged in numerous battles across this relatively confined industrial area, the zombies had likely sensed the commotion and converged on those locations by evening.

Thanks to that, all that remained was to search the interior of this warehouse.

“Yeah… okay.”

Arian responded with a sigh-like answer, and Sadie gave a small nod.

Aiden then located the warehouse’s entrance.

Conveniently, there was an open space connected to the road near the left end.

A truck with its trailer still attached had crashed into the wall, likely from some previous accident. Beside it were several tall shelving units that seemed to have been struck and toppled over.

Aiden’s group entered through that disorderly scene.

Inside, various debris was piled in layers along the walls.

Aiden began inspecting each shelving unit one by one.

However, most contained only useless scrap metal components, their purpose indiscernible.

None were large enough to be used on a train either.

Was this another fruitless search?

“Hmm…?”

Just as Aiden was contemplating that while venturing slightly deeper inside… he suddenly noticed the size of the components arranged on the shelves increasing significantly from around the warehouse’s midpoint.

And not long after entering that area…

“Ah? Wait, isn’t that…! The spring we were looking for?”

Arian pointed towards a corner near one of the walls.

There, almost like a backdrop, were three of the large suspension springs they had been searching for, standing upright on the floor.

Apart from some surface rust, their condition seemed largely uncompromised.

Aiden approached and retrieved a tape measure.

It was an item Zaid had provided after accepting this request, meant for verifying the precise specifications.

Aiden soon used it to confirm the dimensions, nodding satisfactorily.

“It matches the specifications Zaid mentioned. We’ve found one, at least.”

“That’s fortunate. It wasn’t a complete waste of effort.”

Finally locating a glimmer of hope, Arian flashed a slight smile.

However, Aiden didn’t settle for just that, surveying their surroundings instead. Zaid had requested a total of four components from Aiden’s group.

Various train-related parts were strewn about this warehouse, almost like exhibits in a museum.

“Let’s thoroughly search the area.”

For a while, Aiden’s group scoured the warehouse interior.

They couldn’t immediately locate any other components.

However, in one of the offices attached to the warehouse, Sadie discovered another clue.

“I found this.”

What Sadie had found was a map of the warehouse premises.

Mounted on one of the office walls.

It displayed not only the warehouse’s layout but also the approximate locations where certain items were stored.

And according to that map, this warehouse had a ground floor and two basement levels.

It seemed a large quantity of train-related components were stored not just aboveground but also on the second basement floor.

“The basement, huh…”

Aiden searched the map for a way to access those lower levels.

The first thing he noticed was a freight elevator in the center, but it was obviously unusable without power.

Apart from that, there was a staircase near the entrance area.

The very path they had passed through earlier.

Aiden tilted his head quizzically.

“I don’t recall seeing any stairs though…”

As he muttered those words, Aiden soon remembered the truck that had crashed into the wall near the entrance.

Perhaps that had obstructed the passage leading to the staircase.

Aiden immediately returned to the entrance and surveyed that area closely.

Sure enough, beyond the wreckage of the toppled shelving units, he spotted a doorframe.

Aiden’s group cleared away the obstructing debris.

Finally revealing the door leading to that passage.

Creeeeak-

Aiden opened that door.

Beyond it, just as shown on the map, was a staircase leading downwards.

Aiden’s group promptly descended, but they couldn’t proceed far before halting.

“This is…”

The basement level was partially flooded with water.

Its depth was roughly at Aiden’s ankle height.

Not deep enough to significantly impede movement.

However, the issue was that Aiden needed to reach the second basement floor.

In underground warehouses, height differences were sometimes intentionally created between lower levels to prevent the bottommost area from instantly flooding if water seeped in.

So while the first basement only had ankle-deep water, it didn’t necessarily mean the second basement was completely submerged.

But given this level, there was a high likelihood of deeper flooding on the lower floor.

“You two should remain up here.”

Therefore, Aiden said those words to Sadie and Arian.

While Arian would be fine, bringing Sadie any further would be too risky.

Not just the water level itself, but wading through potentially contaminated water in their current reality without proper medicine would be reckless.

However, the one who objected was none other than Sadie herself.

“I’ll stay here alone.”

Sadie didn’t insist on accompanying them.

She merely stated that Arian didn’t need to remain behind on her account.

“Solo actions are too dangerous for you.”

“I’ll be fine just waiting quietly in that office we found earlier.”

At a loss for a counter-argument against Sadie’s words, Aiden briefly fell silent.

They had already eliminated all the zombies in this immediate vicinity long ago.

So as Sadie said, if she simply remained inside the warehouse office, it wouldn’t be particularly hazardous.

The reason Aiden had wanted Arian to stay with her was merely as a precaution.

In case there were any unforeseen threats he was unaware of.

“I’ll be okay.”

However, Sadie insisted it wasn’t necessary.

She even showed her crossbow, implying she could handle a stray zombie or two on her own if needed.

“…Understood. We’ll do that, then.”

After a moment’s contemplation, Aiden acquiesced to her request.

If it was Sadie herself making that judgement, Aiden would respect her choice.

“…”

While Arian gazed at Sadie with lingering concern, her thoughts aligned with Aiden’s.

And so, leaving Sadie in the office at the warehouse’s edge, Arian and Aiden descended to the basement levels.

Flick!

In the underground warehouse devoid of sunlight, Aiden activated his flashlight.

The overall structure didn’t differ greatly from the ground floor.

If there was any difference, it was-

“Kiiiee…!”

That this area was teeming with zombies that had been trapped below ever since the passage to the surface had become blocked.

Shlick!

Shlick!

Aiden and Arian advanced, cutting down those zombies obstructing their path.

While Arian showed no particular interest in them, Aiden closely examined the zombies’ attire.

Although they had clearly been abandoned for a long time, not a single one wore the same uniform.

There were even zombies who appeared to have been teenagers, as well as elderly corpses.

In other words, these weren’t zombies trapped here since the initial outbreak.

Then… had this place once been a refuge for survivors?

“…”

Pondering that possibility, Aiden inspected the items on the first basement level.

As expected, nothing he sought was present here.

Soon, they reached the staircase leading to the second basement floor.

That was when they truly encountered the flooded area.

“This is…”

Arian frowned slightly upon seeing it.

On this second basement level, the water reached up to Aiden’s chest height.

If Arian entered, only her face would barely remain above the surface.

“Will you be alright?”

“It’s unpleasant, but I’ll manage. But what about you… will that rifle be okay?”

Arian gestured towards the rifle slung across Aiden’s back, questioning its condition.

Aiden nodded.

“Firearms don’t get damaged just from being submerged for a bit. But I should probably give it a thorough cleaning when we return.”

Saying that, Aiden stepped into the entrance of the second basement level.

The elevated water level hindered his movement.

While he already had the rifle in hand, maintaining a stable firing stance would be difficult.

Coupled with the lack of visibility without his flashlight illuminating the area directly ahead, engaging in combat under these conditions would undoubtedly be precarious.

“Are there any hostiles down here?”

Which was why Aiden posed that question.

Raising her eyebrows slightly, Arian opened her mouth to respond.

“Well… I’m not sure. There might be something, but…”

It was an ambiguous answer.

So Aiden looked at Arian, prompting her for a clearer explanation.

However, even for Arian, this environment was less than ideal.

“I can’t tell for certain. The water is interfering with scents and other signs of presence.”

Understanding, Aiden nodded in acknowledgment.

“We’ll need to exercise caution.”

He steeled his resolve with those calm words.

Of course, for ordinary zombies, this water level would merely be an obstacle rather than a true hindrance.

Those corpses who had forgotten how to even swim would simply flail about and topple over upon spotting prey.

However, Aiden hadn’t forgotten the existence of the Alligator Beast he had witnessed in a Dallas lake – a mutant.

Mutants sometimes underwent changes, almost akin to evolution, adapting to their specific environments.

In pitch-black darkness, mutants that could pierce through the shadows would emerge.

In areas where numerous zombies competed for prey, mutants with the strength to overpower their own kind would appear.

So if a mutant had manifested here, it would undoubtedly have become a zombie capable of overcoming this aquatic environment.

“…”

Aiden calmly surveyed his surroundings with vigilance.

Not a single ordinary zombie was visible anywhere.

Despite the previous basement level being densely packed to the point the confined space could barely contain them, it was as if they had vanished entirely after descending just one floor.

Wasn’t that proclamation enough that a cannibalistic mutant lurked here?

Aiden’s suspicions gradually solidified into certainty.

“Let’s proceed for now.”

Even so, Aiden stepped forward into that submerged area.

The danger was an evident fact.

However, this was a time when he needed to confront that risk.

After taking just a few steps into the water…

“-?!”

…Aiden sensed an unsettling feeling around his leg.

As if something long had brushed against it in that instant.

Chomp!

In a split second, razor-sharp fangs clamped down, savagely tearing into Aiden’s leg.

Feeling a large chunk of rotten flesh being ripped from his thigh, Aiden unleashed a barrage of gunfire in that direction.