How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

When Aiden and his group arrived at the Union, it was already afternoon.

The weather, unlike the heavy rain from yesterday, had changed to a gentle drizzle.

Aiden passed through the downtown area, which was a free zone, and headed to the Union’s convention center.

“Can’t I go back first? I’m exhausted from being stuck in that damn warehouse.”

Liam, who was standing in front of the center, muttered.

Aiden could understand his perspective as well.

Being surrounded by numerous zombies, hiding without making a sound for four days, was by no means an easy task.

However, from Aiden’s perspective, he couldn’t simply let go of the only witness.

“Complete the procedure and then go. We have an important request. If we just let you go, it could cause problems for us.”

Upon hearing this, Liam let out a short sigh.

Although he was a member of the Union, there was no reason for him, in fact, to grant the request of an outsider like a junk dealer.

Regardless of how it happened, Aiden was the benefactor who saved Liam’s life.

Liam couldn’t be so audacious as to coldly reject the request of a benefactor.

“Well… fine, I guess. Let’s finish this quickly and go.”

Liam took the lead and entered the center.

Aiden looked for Amara there.

Instead of the usual reception, Amara was talking with a man at a nearby table.

“You’re back already?”

Amara, who noticed them, stood up from her seat.

Next to her, a Middle Eastern man of similar age also turned to look at them.

He asked Amara while looking at Aiden’s group:

“Who are these people?”

“I told you before. They are junk dealers who received a request from the Union.”

“Oh, that…”

The man seemed to roughly understand the situation and nodded.

Approaching Aiden’s group, he introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Andrew Olson, Amara’s husband.”

Saying so, the man extended his hand for a handshake.

Husband.

The story of Amara having a husband and that he was apparently a member of the search party was something Arian had said earlier.

After confirming that his gloves were clean, Aiden lightly shook the hand Andrew offered.

“I’m Aiden Lee.”

“I’m Arian Clifford.”

He was a lively man in contrast to the somewhat timid impression of Amara.

After the husband’s greeting, Amara immediately spoke.

“You’ve come back sooner than expected. But who is that…?”

Amara pointed at Liam and asked.

“He’s a survivor we found at the Texarkana base.”

“A survivor…?”

Amara and, of course, Andrew, were surprised by the words.

Seeing their reaction, Liam put on a meaningless smile.

“Not the right time for this. Come on, wait a moment. Let’s talk about the details inside.”

Amara hurriedly guided Aiden’s group inside the building.

Naturally, Andrew remained in his original place, and after glancing at him for a moment, Aiden followed Amara.

Inside was a small room.

There, Aiden reported to Amara about the events that occurred at the Texarkana base.

Of course, Liam’s testimony was included in the report.

“Such an incident…”

Amara’s face darkened rapidly as she heard everything.

She already had a fairly accurate prediction of what trouble this report would bring to the Union’s headquarters.

However, this was a problem that Aiden couldn’t be involved in.

So he calmly conveyed only what needed to be said.

“The report ends here. Is there anything else you want to ask?”

Amara shook her head.

Since it was a case where there was already a witness from the Union, Aiden, who brought him, had practically completed his role.

“No. I’ll process the request immediately.”

At Amara’s words, Aiden nodded.

With the conclusion of the conversation, Arian, who had been quiet, opened her mouth.

“Where is Sadie right now?”

“She’s inside the Union. She is well. As requested before, while you handle the request, she’s experiencing life here. She should be able to come out during the next entry time at 5 p.m.”

The next entry time, which was until 5 p.m, was just a few hours away.

Arian, who was about to reunite with Sadie after three days, smiled brightly.

After concluding the conversation, Aiden’s group stood up.

Amara and Liam also left the room to head towards the Union’s headquarters, and they parted ways.

* * *

A little later, approaching 5 p.m.

At the entrance leading to the Union’s headquarters, Aiden and Arian were waiting for Sadie to come out.

There were only a few guards standing there, and the quiet door slowly opened.

Several people came out from inside, and among them was Sadie.

“Sadie!”

Arian waved her hand when she saw the child.

“Are you well?”

“Yes! Are you back?”

“Yes. The request is all done.”

Upon hearing this, Sadie smiled brightly.

Aiden asked Sadie:

“How was life in the Union?”

“It was interesting. That’s…”

Sadie conveyed her daily life in the Union to Aiden.

It involved waking up early in the morning, going to the workshop to work, taking a short break for lunch and the afternoon, and then going back to sleep – a routine like a hamster wheel.

Arian, as well as Aiden, couldn’t help but cast strange glances at the child, who was thrust into a routine similar to that of an office worker working long hours.

But Sadie seemed unaffected, as if she found joy in working.

“Was it fun working?”

“Not really, but… still, I liked it. I also got this.”

Sadie smiled and showed a banknote with a red stamp, which could be used within the Union.

Perhaps received as compensation for labor.

Sadie seemed to feel a sense of stability even while working, and Aiden, understanding Sadie’s past instability, had no complaints if she found satisfaction in it.

However, among the children there, Sadie seemed to be the only one who felt that way.

“But other people didn’t seem as happy.”

“Why?”

“Other kids didn’t like working.”

According to Sadie, compared to the kids they met at Fort Wayne, the children here were weak and didn’t smile much.

So Sadie, with a bitter smile, said she hadn’t made friends yet.

“…I see.”

Aiden nodded as he listened to Sadie’s words.

It wasn’t strange at all.

Forcing children, who were no more than elementary school students, into labor was bound to have such side effects.

Aiden, like Arian, had a negative stance on child labor.

Therefore, compared to the makeshift school that was established in Fort Wayne, the environment in Shreveport could be considered worse for the children.

Although Sadie seemed satisfied, satisfaction for this kind of communal life was as important as the satisfaction of others.

In the end, becoming a member of such a group meant becoming friends or comrades with others.

So, was the Union really an acceptable organization?

While Aiden was pondering over this, someone approached their group.

“Hey! Remember my face?”

As Aiden turned his gaze, he recognized a familiar face.

It was Angelo Castro, the junk dealer Aiden had rescued from a farm a few days ago.

It seemed that Angelo, like Sadie, had visited the Union’s headquarters, coming from that direction.

Aiden reacted to him, saying:

“Castro… was it?”

“Call me Angelo. This one is my younger brother, Maxim.”

Angelo introduced the boy beside him.

Maxim, looking at Aiden’s helmet with interest, then turned his head toward Sadie, who was of similar age.

Sadie waved at Maxim.

But when Maxim saw Sadie, he turned his head back as if surprised.

Watching the awkward greetings of the children, Aiden spoke again.

“Sure, what’s going on?”

“I happened to have something for you. Take this.”

Angelo handed a small plastic container to Aiden.

Aiden accepted it, raising an eyebrow. 

“What’s this?”

“It’s cookies. Freshly baked today.”

“Cookies?”

Aiden looked at the container suspiciously and asked.

Cookies. It was an unexpected item.

But Angelo casually explained:

“Didn’t you know? You can get these within the Union. Well, you might have to use some unconventional methods if you want to buy them as an outsider.”

Chuckling, Angelo spoke.

Aiden didn’t want to know what those unconventional methods were, so he asked.

“Why are you giving me this?”

“Last time, I owed you a favor. You saved my life and got my car. Although we settled the life-debt with the request fee, I never paid you for the car, right? Consider it as a token of gratitude.”

“…I see.”

Aiden nodded, recalling that Angelo had promised additional compensation for retrieving a vehicle from the marauders.

Knowing Angelo was still recovering from injuries, Aiden didn’t press further.

Although cookies seemed like an odd reward, the value of this rare treat, something he hadn’t smelled in three years, was certainly not the same as before.

So, Aiden accepted the reward.

“Got it. Thanks for this.”

“Sure. If you ever need help, feel free to ask. Well then, take care.”

Angelo said that and waved as he walked away.

Judging by the limp in one of his legs, it seemed his injuries weren’t fully healed yet.

On the other hand, Maxim briefly glanced at Sadie, then followed his older brother.

“Cookies? I didn’t expect to receive such a reward.”

Arian muttered, watching the brothers disappear into the distance.

Aiden handed the cookie-filled container to Arian and spoke.

“Let’s head back.”

* * *

That night.

In the dark hotel room, Aiden stared out of the window like a statue.

Outside the window was the Free Zone’s downtown.

Although it was only three stories high, thanks to the hotel’s elevated location, the moonlit downtown, and even the Union’s barrier in the distance were clearly visible.

“…”

During the day, there were quite a few people wandering in the downtown, but now, not a single ant-sized figure was visible.

Even though the Union had secured the area, the fact that significant humans, conspicuous to the eyes of mutants, had already died was the reason.

For Aiden, who couldn’t sleep well, the familiar and long darkness and silence surrounded the downtown.

Aiden, looking at the downtown, heard footsteps behind him.

It was Arian.

“Aren’t you sleeping?”

“Just can’t sleep.”

Arian looked at the downtown that Aiden had been gazing at.

Unlike Aiden, she had eyes that could penetrate the darkness.

Observing the downtown like that, Arian turned her head back to Aiden.

“What do you think will happen to the Union now?”

Arian’s question contained a subtle sense of pity.

This Union was only a group where Sadie could stay..

Although it had its shortcomings, Sadie liked it, and it provided stability and a promising future.

Therefore, Arian felt a bit uneasy about the situation involving the request that took place in Texarkana.

In these shaky circumstances, the fact that an organization Sadie liked was being shaken wasn’t pleasant.

However, Aiden couldn’t easily answer as he pondered over the situation.

“Well. I don’t know”

“Do you think it’ll end well?”

Arian asked with a hint of hope.

Aiden didn’t completely deny that hope.

“Of course, that could be possible. The search team admitting their mistakes and withdrawing, accepting some degree of losses. That might be the safest outcome.”

“And if it’s not safe?”

“They might resist.”

Resist.

Aiden only said that word, but the possibilities contained in it were truly endless.

Thinking of some of those possibilities, Arian furrowed her brow.

“Are you saying it could go badly?”

“Just being overly positive isn’t easy. The division between factions is too deep. Compared to that, the time the Union has spent united isn’t that long.”

“So… what should we do? Should I enter the Union from tomorrow and assess the situation?”

Aiden shook his head at Arian’s words.

“You might be in danger.”

“Still, I could gather information.”

“Of course, that’s true. But… getting more involved is not our role.”

Aiden’s calm words made Arian nod without being able to refute.

They had already conducted enough investigation into the organization called the Union.

Now, what remained was the Union’s judgment.

Whether one was a member or not, Aiden’s group had no justification to interfere.

“So, for the time being, we’ll just watch the situation.”

Therefore, Arian couldn’t oppose Aiden’s decision.

However, she sighed with a sense of regret.

“Can I have another of those cookies?”

Perhaps it had been a long time.

The cookies Angelo, the junk dealer, had given were exceptionally delicious.

Also, Sadie seemed to really like them.

So, Aiden agreed with that opinion.

“…It would be nice.”

Murmuring that, Aiden looked back at the cityscape.

In the quietly depressed landscape, only the moonlight shone desolately.

* * *

For the next few days, Aiden and his group performed only simple requests, keeping a close eye on the Union’s situation.

It was unusually quiet for a while.

There was no noticeable reaction from the Union, and Amara knew only that a countermeasure meeting had started at the command headquarters.

On the third day, finally, new information arrived.

The Union’s command had revoked the privileges of the search party and announced a change in the representative of the search party, taking responsibility for this incident.

“It’s fortunate that it ended like this.”

Amara said that, implying that the incident in Texarkana was completely resolved.

She was worried about what would happen, but it ended without any trouble, she added with relief.

However, Aiden couldn’t completely reassure himself even with her words.

Since a few days ago, the procession of the team going out to the outside world had not been seen at all.

Aiden asked for the reason, but Amara said they were just gathering personnel to notify them of the changes in the search party’s instructions.

However, two days later, on the fifth day at midnight, the inevitable happened.

“…What’s going on?”

Arian, awakened by the noise in the middle of the night, asked.

In response, Aiden simply pointed to the landscape outside the window that he had always been looking at.

Beyond the darkened downtown, in the direction where the Union’s base was.

Arian’s face stiffened as she looked at it.

“Something happened. We need to move now.”

“…Alright.”

Arian woke up Sadie, and Aiden packed his belongings.

The empty room, vacated by Aiden and his group, after hastily leaving.

The sky beyond the window, overlooking the Union’s base, was burning with an eerie reddish glow.