How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

“Chasing you? In this desert?”

Aiden asked back, puzzled.

Linda answered immediately.

“Yes. I saw it myself. It started three days ago.”

“Three days…”

Even if they were just looters after supplies, it was somewhat strange.

This side has only two people, and they’re crossing the desert.

The looters would know that even if they took all the supplies these people had, it wouldn’t amount to much.

So the possibility that they were after supplies wasn’t high.

Naturally, Aiden’s speculation shifted elsewhere.

“Then is there a possibility they’re cannibals?”

“I’m not sure… about that.”

“Have you tried making contact? They might be people you can talk to.”

“We did try once. But they just started shooting from a distance without warning. I almost got hit.”

Hmm- Aiden let out a thoughtful sound for a moment.

Hearing the story, it seemed ambiguous whether they were cannibals.

Those creatures always ambush from the mountains or set traps and hide.

They’re skilled at using cunning methods to hunt humans.

So the behavior of openly showing hostility by shooting from afar didn’t quite match the pattern of cannibals.

“Since then, we’ve been desperately running away. But those people keep chasing us, so we’re in a situation where we can’t do anything. Even today, we thought you might be them.”

Linda added with a sigh in her voice.

Having understood the general situation, Aiden nodded.

As she said, if there were people deliberately chasing them, it wouldn’t be easy to shake them off in this desert.

“At this rate, you’ll eventually be caught.”

Aiden muttered.

After all, the number of destinations in this desert, that is, small towns or villages within the desert, was limited.

Also, there are only one or at most two roads connecting such villages.

And on such roads, there aren’t many places to hide.

In other words, in this desert, even if you only know the direction the other party is heading, you can figure out not only their destination but also their entire route.

Linda nodded.

Aiden spoke again.

“So what do you want to ask of us? Do you want us to deal with them?”

“If that’s what you’re asking… would it be possible?”

The next words came from Zaid.

He seemed concerned that it might be a burden for Aiden’s group since it involved combat with humans, not zombies.

It was a reasonable worry, but it wasn’t a difficult task for Aiden’s group.

“It’s not impossible. However…”

Aiden trailed off.

He was bothered by the reason why those unnamed people were chasing Zaid.

If they were simply cannibals or looters, he would have swept them away without any hesitation. But Aiden intuitively knew that their behavior was different from those.

“Do you have any idea why they’re chasing you?”

So Aiden asked that.

But after pondering for a moment, Zaid eventually shook his head.

Linda did the same.

In the end, there were no clues.

“Then I suppose we’ll have to try talking to them first.”

“Talk…?”

“Well, we’re not hired killers. If they’re willing to talk, we don’t necessarily intend to kill them.”

At Aiden’s firm words, Zaid nodded as if he understood.

“I see. If they turn out to be people we can communicate with, please at least find out why they’re chasing us.”

“I will. Where are they?”

“To the east. We came from there too.”

Did they come along the road directly connecting from Albuquerque?

No wonder Aiden’s group hadn’t seen any traces of anyone while coming here.

It didn’t match the direction of Aiden’s group, who had come up from the south, inevitably detouring to avoid zombie hordes.

“Alright. I’ll accept the request if you agree to one last condition.”

“A condition…?”

“Can you give us the blood in advance?”

It meant asking for the reward for the request upfront.

A demand rarely made unless in special cases. But Arian, who had been quietly listening to this conversation, was probably still uncomfortable.

So Aiden put forward such a condition.

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Whether due to their previous trust relationship or because providing blood wasn’t a burden, Zaid accepted this without much hesitation.

At this, the corners of Arian’s mouth lifted slightly.

“Thank you. I’ll try to make contact with them tomorrow.”

Outside, the sun was already setting.

No matter how bloodthirsty the people chasing Zaid’s group were, they wouldn’t move in the middle of the night.

“Understood. Then let’s rest for today.”

Judging by his appearance, Zaid also looked somewhat tired as he said this.

Well, he would have been, having crossed this desert while being chased by someone.

So Zaid and Aiden’s group spent the night in the cabin on the shallow rocky mountain.

* * *

The next day.

From the morning, Aiden’s group was guarding the thin road that crosses the desert from east to west.

They were there to meet someone who was supposedly chasing Zaid’s group along this road.

Meanwhile, Zaid’s group was staying in the cabin they had met in yesterday.

To save time, there was also the option of entrusting everything to Aiden’s group and departing first.

But Zaid wanted to see a definite resolution rather than moving quickly.

It wasn’t long after Aiden’s group started waiting for the pursuers.

“Look, they’re really coming.”

Arian said, pointing to the east.

At a distance not yet visible to Aiden’s eyes.

However, Arian continued speaking as if she could clearly see their figures.

“There are three of them. It matches what Zaid said.”

“Then…”

Aiden looked at Sadie standing beside him.

Since they were opponents who could shoot, they couldn’t openly stand on the road.

His eyes fell on an overturned wrecked car nearby.

“Let’s go over there for now.”

Aiden’s group hid behind such a vehicle.

“When they get close, I’ll go first.”

Arian said confidently.

It was a clearly different attitude from yesterday when she had been short on blood.

So Aiden’s group held their breath and waited for the pursuers.

Soon the pursuers approached enough to enter Aiden’s field of vision.

Walking along the road were two men and one woman.

The two men appeared to be of Southeast Asian and Russian descent, while the woman was of Latin ethnicity.

They all looked like young adults in their early to mid-twenties.

“Hmm…?”

Aiden tilted his head as he observed them.

One of the men was being supported by the other two.

Had he been injured?

But there were no visible injuries. He just seemed to be unconscious.

While Aiden was closely observing this man, they soon approached to within about ten meters.

“I’m going.”

Aiden nodded at Arian’s words.

She naturally revealed herself from behind the car body.

Aiden carefully gripped his gun and waited for their reaction.

After discovering Arian, their attitude would be one of two:

Either they would shoot recklessly, or they would attempt to talk.

If it was the latter, that would be fine, but if it was the former, Arian would mercilessly eliminate them just as she had done with countless cannibals so far.

“It’s a person!”

Soon one of the men spotted Arian and aimed his gun with wide eyes.

Hearing his warning, the woman also drew her gun.

However, the man they were supporting remained unresponsive with his head bowed.

“Who are you?”

“…”

Arian calmly looked at them with their guns pointed.

They were wary of Arian, and also suspicious, but that was all.

To her eyes, they didn’t show the murderous intent that looters or cannibals would have.

“Wait, could she be one of those bastards’ companions?”

“But… she looks young.”

Such words were exchanged between the man and woman in the meantime.

Arian opened her mouth towards them a little late.

“I’m a junk dealer.”

“Wh-What?”

“I have something I want to ask you. So why don’t you lower your guns?”

They stared blankly at Arian speaking so matter-of-factly.

There was no particular problem with the content, but her attitude of speaking so casually with guns pointed at her created a sense of discomfort.

Sensing something strange, they couldn’t easily lower their guns.

But Arian patiently waited for them.

Some time passed in this standoff situation.

While the two people were still at a loss, soon a faint groan leaked from behind them.

“Ugh…”

It was the man who had been supported from earlier.

The woman glanced at him for a moment, then turned to Arian and spoke.

“You… do you have any water?”

“Water? I do have some.”

Arian tilted her head at the unexpected question but answered like that.

At this, the eyes of the two people in front changed.

Greed filled the gaze that had been full of wariness.

Although this change in the man and woman was somewhat threatening, Arian rather slightly raised the corners of her mouth.

If what they wanted was this clear, persuading them wouldn’t be difficult.

“I could give you some if you need it.”

Arian said with a smile.

* * *

A little while later.

Aiden was facing the three pursuers along with Arian.

“…Thank you. You saved us.”

The one who said this was Ricardo, the Southeast Asian man.

The man who had been supported by the other two, Camila and Ivan.

The reason he needed such help from his companions was due to dehydration.

They said they hadn’t received any fluids for several days now.

Moreover, because they had to walk through the desert all the while, they eventually developed dehydration symptoms beyond mild.

“Enough. Just rest.”

Aiden said that after confirming that Ricardo’s condition, lying on the road, was okay.

Aiden’s group was providing them with drinking water.

There was some loss, but it was unavoidable for the sake of conversation.

Also, they planned to get it all back in blood later anyway.

“So… what did you want to ask?”

Ivan, who had also received a bottle of water, asked like that.

Aiden first confirmed whether these were indeed the pursuers Zaid had mentioned.

Ivan answered without hesitation that they were.

“Then… you’re saying it was you who chased Zaid and Linda.”

“Those things’ names were Zaid and Linda?”

Ricardo, who was listening from the side, said with an unpleasant face.

Aiden didn’t answer this and just continued his questions.

“Why are you chasing them?”

“Because those thieving bastards took all our supplies.”

“Thieves?”

“Yeah. While we were out hunting, leaving our camp empty, they cleaned out all our supplies.”

It was Camila who answered with a sharp voice full of killing intent.

Aiden’s eyebrows raised at the unexpected answer.

“Did you see them taking it directly?”

“If we had seen it directly, we would have stopped them.”

Ivan, who had his arms crossed, said.

He explained that after their camp was looted, they discovered Zaid’s group while tracking the remaining traces.

“Did you have a lot of supplies?”

“That’s… not the case.”

“Then why bother chasing them? The losses must be severe.”

“What losses? It’s not like we can get resources anywhere else anyway.”

Their story went like this.

There was nowhere else to find supplies anyway.

So they followed Zaid, who was heading to the small towns in this desert, half out of resentment and half out of necessity.

“You shot at them?”

“I did that. So what? Who do you think is responsible for us ending up like this? If it weren’t for you, we would have dried up and died in the middle of the desert.”

At Camila’s words, Aiden inwardly sighed.

If their claim was true, it was something that couldn’t be argued with.

Aiden had an intuition that he had gotten involved in a troublesome matter.

“But… why are you asking about this?”

At that moment, Camila asked with a puzzled look.

Aiden pondered for a moment how to respond there.

As he had expected, these people were not simple killers. There was a clear reason for chasing Zaid, and that reason wasn’t nonsensical either. So rather than defending Zaid here, it would be better to have them talk directly.

After all, there was also the matter of theft that he hadn’t heard about.

Having made that judgment, Aiden opened his mouth.

“We’re junk dealers hired by them.”

“Hired? That bastard hired you?”

“But I’m not here to question you about anything. Instead, I’ll let you meet them directly.”

At Aiden’s words, the atmosphere of the three people turned savage.

However, Aiden wasn’t trying to arrange this meeting to see a bloody battle.

“Of course, you’ll meet without guns or anything. After all, nothing changes if you kill them. You don’t get any supplies, and there’s nothing to gain.”

“Then why should we meet?”

“Because at this rate, they’ll consider you enemies too. You’ve barely saved your lives, you’re not planning to have a gunfight, are you?”

At those words, Camila, who was about to argue, bit her lip.

Aiden was right.

They were just two, and three survivors.

In a desert like this, if you get shot even once, you’d have no choice but to wait for death.

Fighting each other wouldn’t only bring no benefit, but the combat itself would be too reckless.

“So it’s better to clear up the misunderstanding here. Don’t you need to cross the desert safely and go to LA?”

Aiden said, looking around at the three people.

At his persuasion, they silently looked down at the ground.