How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

Several hours after leaving Shreveport.

The vehicle carrying Aiden’s group was passing through the outskirts of Tyler, a city 150 km away.

“Phew…”

Inside the vehicle moving along the flat road, Arian sighed in frustration.

The reason for that sigh was not just the recent events in the Union; Arian was feeling uncomfortably hot.

Arian tried to shield herself from the fierce sun shining from above with her hand.

In other words, it was just too hot for her right now.

“It’s incredibly hot…”

She grumbled, glancing at the thermometer installed near the front windshield.

The temperature was… 35 degrees.

Indeed, it was a high temperature suitable for August in Texas.

However, the vehicle Aiden’s group had found wasn’t equipped with air conditioning, according to Aiden. He had mentioned it was already broken when they discovered the vehicle.

Aiden, being a zombie, couldn’t feel the heat or cold, so he didn’t bother checking for the presence of air conditioning.

Of course, even if it was hot, Arian, being a vampire, would only feel discomfort.

The problem was Sadie.

She had stayed within the Union until now and didn’t need to move during the day. However, now that they were leaving the Union, Sadie would be exposed to the scorching heat.

Arian looked at Sadie with such concerns.

“Sadie, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Sadie answered with a slight smile to Arian’s question.

However, the fact that Sadie, who had spent the entire night awake, was now wide awake, indicated that she wasn’t fine.

It meant she couldn’t sleep because it was too hot inside the vehicle.

Creak-

Arian opened the vehicle’s window a bit more.

However, just opening the glass wider didn’t make the road under the summer sun any cooler.

Moreover, Sadie’s spot was sandwiched between luggage for safety, making it even more uncomfortable.

“Aiden, how much more do we have to go?”

Arian asked, looking sympathetically at Sadie.

Aiden answered immediately:

“Don’t worry. I plan to stay nearby for today.”

It was not even past 2 pm, so it was much earlier than their usual resting time.

However, Aiden was already being cautious about the extreme heat.

While immediate heat-related illnesses like heatstroke weren’t likely, such weather inevitably led to physical exhaustion.

Considering they barely rested the night before and faced the heat without respite, Aiden judged it better to rest early rather than insist on moving.

With that decision, Aiden directed the vehicle towards the city.

Vroom-

The rough sound of the engine passed over the heated asphalt.

Traveling on a bright four-lane road, Aiden’s group entered Tyler.

“Do you know this place?”

Arian asked.

Aiden nodded.

Even while in Shreveport, Aiden had been gathering information about the surrounding cities. He was well aware of Tyler, a medium-sized city, according to the information collected by the Union.

“According to the information I gathered in the Union, it’s a quiet place.”

Since Tyler was somewhat separated from Shreveport in the Union, their search party had visited several times to collect supplies.

Explaining this, Arian raised an eyebrow.

“Well, then, hasn’t the supplies already been looted?”

“Of course, they have. However, it’s safer. The search party has cleared out the zombies.”

“What about people?”

“There aren’t any significant groups, according to the information. Of course, there might be wanderers or looters by chance, but it seems there are no residents.”

It was a straightforward story.

150 km.

It wasn’t a short distance, but it was by no means an impossible one. Moreover, there was a large group called the Union waiting for them there.

There, the Union had no tendency to reject outsiders, so the small groups near Shreveport were already absorbed into the Union.

“So, it’s safe but not much there?”

“We might prefer that. We need to avoid dangerous battles.”

After the battle yesterday, Aiden only had about thirty rounds of ammunition left. It was an insufficient quantity to prepare for battles against mutants or armed humans.

Therefore, Aiden decided to first visit a relatively safe city to secure ammunition.

“Do you have a place in mind?”

Aiden nodded and took out a map of the area from the driver’s seat.

It was a detailed map of the surrounding area purchased from the Union.

“Here, it’s the police station in the city center.”

“Is it safe there?”

“The chances are high.”

There were three potential locations in Tyler where supplies might be found. 

One was the hospital-dense area to the north, the next was a large shopping district along the road to the south of the city, and finally, the eastern part of the city where small shops were concentrated around a large supermarket.

“If it were a search party, they probably focused on these areas. However, compared to these, the police station is in the downtown area where government offices are concentrated. It would be inefficient for large-scale search operations.”

Even if they searched places like government offices, they wouldn’t be able to secure as many supplies as in shopping districts or hospitals.

So, Aiden naturally concluded that the police station would likely have been excluded from the search by the search party.

“Moreover, if we go there, we might be able to secure enough ammunition we need right away.”

Aiden added.

American police stations were relatively good places to supply firearms and ammunition. 

Most police handguns fired 9mm ammunition, the same type used in Aiden and Sadie’s handguns. Additionally, the SWAT teams, commonly referred to as the U.S. police special forces, used rifles that fired 5.56mm ammunition.

Both types of ammunition were essential for Aiden at the moment.

Furthermore, during the recent battles in the Union, two out of the three rifles he owned had been damaged, and the remaining one wasn’t in great condition.

Choosing the police station as the next destination would not only allow Aiden to replenish ammunition but also potentially supply new rifles.

“Hmm… If that’s the case, I understand.”

Arian nodded at Aiden’s explanation.

At that moment, the vehicle carrying Aiden’s group was approaching Tyler through Route 31, which runs from east to west, penetrating the city.

In the distance, a large mart and several stores came into view.

Aiden carefully examined the scenery.

Although the surroundings were littered with trash and miscellaneous items, typical of most cities, the road leading to the mart was clear, and no zombies were visible.

It seemed obvious that a search party had been here.

“…”

Aiden confirmed this and continued to drive the vehicle further into the city.

If this were an entirely unknown city, they might have to park the vehicle around here and proceed on foot.

However, since they had prior knowledge that zombies had been cleared out by the search party, it was okay to be a bit more ambitious. Aiden didn’t want to make Sadie walk in this scorching heat.

Thus, the vehicle passed through the shopping district and residential area, continuing towards the downtown area.

It wasn’t far from where they parked the vehicle to the police station.

“It’s a quiet place for a city.”

Arian commented as she got out of the car.

Perhaps because it wasn’t a large city, it had a quiet atmosphere, and there were no towering buildings like those found in other cities.

Aiden gathered his guns, melee weapons, and the few remaining rounds of ammunition and surveyed the surroundings.

For now, there were no visible threats.

“Let’s move.”

Aiden’s group quickly moved under the blazing sunlight.

The police station was only a few blocks away, and there were no zombies in sight, making it easy to reach.

“There it is.”

Oddly, in front of a road paved with red bricks, the police station building painted in dark gray and ivory colors came into view.

In front of the entrance, the national flag, once a symbol of the country, hung dryly from a tall flagpole.

“…”

Aiden walked ahead and headed towards the police station.

The glass door entrance was broken, with one door shattered.

When Aiden approached the entrance, Arian spoke up.

“There are zombies inside. About three of them. They’re not mutants.”

Upon hearing that, Aiden nodded.

If that was the extent of the threat, there was no need to use firearms.

He cautiously stepped over the broken glass and entered the interior.

There, an eerie atmosphere permeated the police station, which was somewhat out of place for the scorching heat.

What kind of incidents had occurred in the past?

Although traces of destruction were scattered around, with broken chairs and reception desks, a layer of dust covered them, obscuring the grim past.

“Strange…”

In this lonely scene, a zombie came into view.

The creature showed no reaction to Aiden, but Aiden did.

Swish!

Swiftly approaching, he decisively thrust his greatsword from the zombie’s jaw, and it collapsed instantly.

However, Aiden didn’t stop and quickly found and took down the other two.

“Come in.”

After clearing the zombies, Aiden called his companions and explored the inside of the building for a moment.

Fortunately, it didn’t take much time.

While there were some locked doors that couldn’t be entered, the main reason it was quick was that the building itself wasn’t large.

Moreover, this building was just a part of Tyler’s police station.

Tyler’s police station consisted of three buildings.

Among them, the place Aiden entered was the lobby, where there were reception counters for meeting citizens, a few offices, and a small holding area.

The other two buildings were the police headquarters and the prison, located in the rear area accessible from this entrance.

Among them, Aiden needed to explore the police headquarters.

It was neither easy nor safe to expect any significant harvest from the prison.

“For now, Sadie should rest here.”

Securing a safe area, Aiden suggested.

It was a reasonable suggestion, but looking at where Aiden chose for Sadie to rest, Arian furrowed her brow slightly.

“Of all places, here?”

“Well, it’s the safest place.”

Aiden’s chosen location was the holding area.

Of course, his choice wasn’t wrong. This place was the most secluded in the building, and with all the doors from the entrance and the corridors made of steel, it was perfect for quietly resting away from zombies.

However, Arian didn’t like the idea of Sadie resting in such a holding area.

Unhappy with the choice, Arian sighed briefly.

“Okay, well. Can’t be helped.”

“Alright. I’ll go check the headquarters.”

“Alone?”

At Arian’s question, Aiden nodded.

Although he lacked weapons, he had planned for this from the beginning.

He had no intention of exploring an unknown area where zombies might be present, especially dragging the tired Sadie along.

However, at that moment, Sadie, who had been quiet, spoke up.

“I’m okay alone.”

Before he could say anything, Sadie continued.

“I’ll be quiet.”

With Sadie’s repeated offer, Aiden pondered for a moment.

Her request wasn’t entirely reckless.

They had already confirmed the safety inside the building, and among those, the holding area, where Sadie would rest, was the most secure place due to its location in the corner of the building and all the doors leading to it being made of steel.

Above all, Sadie seemed to want to avoid being a burden to the group.

Therefore, Aiden decided to respect Sadie’s intention.

“…Okay, understood. Then, Arian and I will do the exploration. Is that okay?”

“Yes!”

Sadie responded immediately, and Arian, with no other choice, nodded her head.

So, leaving Sadie in the holding area, Aiden and Arian proceeded towards the headquarters.

Soon, a three-story building made of gray bricks came into view.

Right before entering that entrance-

“I’ve been wanting to ask since yesterday.”

Suddenly, Arian spoke up.

Aiden turned to look at her.

“What’s with the sudden kindness? I thought you were just a machine solving requests.”

It was a question about Aiden going out to help the junk dealers yesterday.

Faced with an unexpected question, Aiden hesitated for a moment.

What should he say?

It wasn’t like there was a significant reason or expectation from Arian.

It was just…

“It’s a simple whim.”

Aiden answered like that.

However, Arian stared at Aiden without saying anything.

Not satisfied with just that gaze, Aiden tried to elaborate on the word ‘whim’.

“It just reminded me of the past.”

“The past?”

“About my fiance.”

“Ah, now that you mention it…”

Arian had heard at some point that Aiden had a fiance.

However, at that time, she didn’t insist on knowing who the fiance was or what kind of person they were.

But now… suddenly, she became curious about Aiden’s past.

“What kind of person was she?”

So, Arian asked without hesitation.

Aiden looked at Arian for a moment and then began to explain.

“She wasn’t someone suitable for this world.”

“Does that mean she was kind?”

Arian said as if she already knew everything.

In fact, she had become quite accustomed to Aiden’s way of speaking.

“Her name was Jane Rose.”

“That was her name. Where did you meet her?”

“At university.”

“What did she do for a living?”

“She was a researcher at a large pharmaceutical company.”

Answering Arian’s rapid-fire questions, Aiden remained calm.

With that, the two entered the headquarters building.

Behind the broken wooden door, the interior consisted of a small lobby and corridors extending to the sides… And wasn’t in a good condition.

“It seems like there was a battle here.”

With barricades piled up in the corridors, bullet marks everywhere, and even corpses that had dried up and become like skeletons after being neglected for a long time.

“We’ll talk about the rest later. Are there any zombies?”

Arian nodded slightly disappointedly at Aiden’s words.

Then her gaze, sharper than before, scanned the desolate interior of the building.

“There seem to be quite a few. There might be dozens on the first floor alone.”

“No mutants?”

“Fortunately, no.”

Aiden sighed briefly.

Even if they were just regular zombies, dealing with that many would be burdensome.

However, with Arian by his side, calmly dispatching them should be manageable.

In the end, Sadie’s suggestion to take Arian along seemed to be the right choice.

Aiden smiled wryly and took out his axe.

“Let’s clean them up first.”

Upon Aiden’s words, Arian also lifted her machete.

Quietly, the two began to clean up the inside of the police station infested with zombies.