How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

“Phew… it’s over.”

After the battle with the Trappers, Asher let out a breath and spoke.

Black blood dripped from the spear he was holding towards the ground.

Asher wiped his spear a few times and surveyed the surroundings.

“Any injuries?”

Aiden and the rest of the vanguard shook their heads.

Apart from one member whose weapon was damaged, there were no casualties.

Perhaps thanks to their proven skills, even though they had targeted the Trappers’ weaknesses, suffering no losses while facing over 50 of them was a considerably fortunate result.

“By the way, junk dealer, you fight quite well.”

Asher spoke while looking at Aiden.

In the previous battle, while everyone fought capably, Aiden particularly stood out.

Without exerting excessive force, he cleared out the Trappers with restrained movements akin to a well-trained soldier.

“Are you perhaps a former military veteran?”

So Asher asked.

The bulletproof helmet and vest Aiden was wearing also served as grounds for that question.

At a glance, anyone could tell they were military-grade equipment.

However, Aiden shook his head.

“If you’re asking about my former profession, I was a doctor.”

“A doctor?”

Asher’s eyes widened, and Aiden showed him the ID tag hanging from his neck.

Asher let out a dry laugh.

“You don’t look like a doctor… you’re quite a talented guy.”

Asher scrutinized Aiden with an appraising gaze, as if evaluating an item.

Displeased with that look, Aiden opened his mouth.

“Why is that?”

“Our group doesn’t have a doctor. If you have nowhere to go, would you consider joining us?”

Perhaps he was tempted by the existence of a doctor who could fight like a soldier.

With a sly smile, Asher extended an offer to recruit him.

In response, Aiden shook his head with a wry smile hidden within his helmet.

“I can’t. I still have things to do.”

“Is that so? Well, can’t be helped then.”

Asher shrugged and backed off.

Some of the vanguard members grumbled about Asher’s failed scouting attempt.

Asher shot a playful glance at his companions before quickly returning to a serious expression, facing forward.

“Enough chatter. Let’s keep moving.”

And so, Aiden and the vanguard passed through the residential area connected from the park.

Fortunately, until the end of the residential area, they only encountered a few ordinary zombies.

After dealing with them, the residential area soon ended.

“Phew…”

After exiting the residential area into an open field, Asher let out a long sigh.

The first hurdle had barely been overcome.

Confirming this, Asher briefly gathered the vanguard members.

The thick fog still lingered.

The dense rain clouds above seemed ready to pour down at any moment.

As a result, despite it being morning, it wasn’t particularly bright, with visibility limited to barely 50 meters.

However, being well-acquainted with the weather in this area, Asher knew this fog wouldn’t last long.

In an hour or two, the clouds would likely pass, and the scorching sun would soon beat down as if nothing had happened.

Then, the fog would dissipate completely, and visibility would be fully restored.

So Asher judged that there was no need to rush for now.

“Let’s take a short break. But… you all know to be cautious from here on, right?”

At his words, the vanguard members nodded.

If the residential area was the first hurdle, the small commercial district beyond was an even greater challenge.

Asher took out a map from his pocket and pointed to one location.

“From here on, there are larger buildings gathered instead of houses. This is the most dangerous part of our route. Especially here, where the police station and elementary school are adjacent.”

As he said, the path ahead featured a church followed by a few small commercial buildings, government offices, and a hospital stretched across a mere three-block area.

However, since each building was considerably larger and taller than a house, there was a concern about a massive zombie emergence.

“So stay fully alert from here on. Those zombie bastards could be hiding anywhere. Understand?”

After warning the vanguard, Asher briefly rested before leading the group forward again.

After walking about a hundred meters further, the church marking the start of the commercial district came into view.

However, apart from a few abandoned vehicles in the parking lot, there were no signs of zombies anywhere.

“…”

Asher silently gestured with his hand.

The vanguard then spread out horizontally, approaching the church cautiously.

Soon, Asher, who had taken the lead, surveyed the interior.

However, contrary to their concerns, the church was completely empty.

“This place… seems alright.”

The expression on Asher’s face as he spoke was a mixture of relief and slight suspicion.

He hadn’t expected it to be this deserted.

However, it wouldn’t be strange for aimlessly roaming zombies to simply not have entered the church by chance.

So Asher didn’t dwell on it further.

“This way.”

Asher immediately moved towards the next building.

However, the peculiarities didn’t end there.

“Here too, it’s empty?”

The large restaurant beyond the church was also completely vacant.

Not only that, but there were no zombies in the adjacent gym, hospital, souvenir shop, or even the famous burger chain restaurant.

“…”

Even the police station and elementary school buildings, where they had braced for combat, were the same.

Thanks to this, Asher’s group was able to pass through the area they had thought would be the most dangerous in a matter of mere dozens of minutes, as if taking a casual stroll.

After passing through the commercial district, Asher couldn’t hide his suspicion.

“Strange. Should I just chalk this up to good luck?”

“Who knows.”

Aiden responded to Asher’s doubtful words.

Aiden too wasn’t viewing this situation positively.

“Do you have any guesses why?”

“There are definitely traces of zombies moving. But… their direction is all the same. Look at this.”

Aiden pointed to the dirt ground beside the road.

Although somewhat faded, numerous footprints all headed in one direction were still visible.

Undoubtedly left by zombies.

Observing this carefully, Asher tilted his head.

“What could be the cause?”

“It could be due to a mutant, or maybe because of humans.”

At that conjecture, Asher let out a short sigh.

Whether mutants or humans, to Asher, they were far more formidable foes than ordinary zombies.

“For now, let’s keep advancing. I hope it was just good luck.”

Saying that, Asher exited the commercial district and moved onto a field overgrown with tall weeds.

From here to their destination, not even half the distance remained.

Moreover, there were no more residential or commercial areas ahead.

All that remained was the road stretching across the empty fields.

With few human traces, the likelihood of encountering zombies was low, and even if they did, dealing with them wouldn’t be difficult.

And amid all this, the sun began to peek through the sky as well.

As Asher had predicted, the weather was clearing up. Simultaneously, the fog obscuring their vision gradually thinned.

As the gloomy scenery transformed into the vivid hues of summer amid the bright sunlight, Aiden and Asher’s group arrived at a certain graveyard.

“Over there, do you see it?”

Asher spoke to Aiden, pointing his finger ahead.

Beyond the graveyard he was indicating, a forest and shallow hill were visible.

“Once we pass through that forest, we’re right at the farm. We’re almost there.”

Asher’s voice was brighter than usual.

He seemed to think the dangerous operation of relocating their base was nearly successfully completed.

“Then let’s hurry.”

Aiden and Asher climbed up the hill through the forest.

With trees of varying sizes, it wasn’t easy to forge a path, but since the hill itself wasn’t very tall, they soon reached the top.

The bright sunlight had now completely erased the lingering fog, fully opening up their forward vision.

However, when Asher looked down at their destination farm from there…

“…”

His face instantly froze.

He lost his words as he witnessed what was trampling the farm.

And standing beside him, Aiden calmly uttered their name.

“…A zombie horde.”

The phenomenon of dozens to hundreds of zombies roaming across wastelands that Aiden had witnessed in the Northeastern United States.

However, here, with an entire city of millions of zombies right before their eyes, the scale was on a completely different level.

The entire horizon visible from atop the shallow hill was completely covered in living corpses.

Their number was… beyond counting.

One could only estimate that it exceeded several million.

That vast number of zombies was surging directly towards Asher and Aiden like a massive tidal wave.

“Impossible. Why are those things here…”

Watching that scene, Asher couldn’t even finish his words, his eyes wide open.

He had already braced himself for potential unforeseen threats.

But not to this extent.

Even Asher had been unaware that a zombie horde of a scale akin to a natural disaster was roaming this area.

The vanguard members who had belatedly arrived were also rendered speechless by the overwhelming sight before them.

“We need to evade them.”

Aiden’s voice reached those frozen individuals.

There was no time to hesitate.

Asher asked in response.

“Evade? Where to?”

“South.”

The zombie horde was headed from east to west.

Precisely the opposite direction Asher’s group had been heading, resulting in them directly confronting the horde head-on.

Hence, Aiden suggested evading towards the south.

However, even that was not a perfect solution.

“We’ll be caught before escaping their territory.”

It was an obvious assessment.

The sphere of influence of the tsunami-like zombie horde blanketing the ground was far too vast.

Even heading south, where an end was visible, it was at least a few kilometers.

The vanguard alone might have made it.

But for the main group, including the injured and children, to cover that distance before the horde arrived was a tall order.

“Completely escaping will be difficult. So we need to select a suitable building and fortify it. We can’t do anything in this open area.”

“Fortify? You mean fight those things?”

“Then what other choice do we have?”

At that question, Asher briefly contemplated.

However, no solution came to mind.

Only regret flashed through his thoughts.

Asher gritted his teeth.

There was no other way.

“Damn it…!”

Despite cursing out of frustration, having judged Aiden’s proposal as the best option, he eventually turned back.

“Regroup with the main force! Run!”

Asher and the vanguard hurriedly descended the hill.

Charlie, who had been waiting behind with the main group, greeted them with a startled expression.

However, without uttering a word to Charlie, Asher shouted towards the main group.

“A zombie horde is coming! We need to evacuate immediately!”

At Asher’s shout, those following behind showed bewildered expressions, seemingly unaware of what was happening.

However, instead of explaining, Asher prioritized giving orders to them.

“Abandon everything except weapons! Keep only guns and grenades. Move as fast as possible!”

As Asher commanded the people, Arian and Sadie, who had been part of the escort, approached.

“What’s going on?”

Aiden explained to Arian what he had witnessed.

“That many? But for me…”

“There’s still some distance. So we need to come up with countermeasures before then.”

Soon, after completing preparations, Asher set the group in motion.

They had prioritized mobility by abandoning even their supplies, but their speed was still sluggish.

The vanguard members shouted and urged the group forward.

But there was a limit to that as well.

And in that moment…

“O-Over there…!”

The zombie tidal wave from beyond the horizon finally came into view.

Seeing the long-heard zombie horde with their own eyes, the people became restless.

Only then did their steps become hurried.

But that wasn’t a good thing.

Not only the injured but even able-bodied people froze in their tracks out of fear.

Some fell on the open ground, while others even dropped dangerous ammunition boxes.

Fortunately, there were no explosions, but this only further slowed their pace.

Eventually, the vanguard members who had been urging them forward changed their approach and began trying to calm the people down instead.

“…”

Aiden silently watched those people.

The situation wasn’t favorable.

In the worst case, he wondered if he should abandon them and escape with only Arian and Sadie.

Aiden let out a short sigh as he entertained that thought.

It was a choice he absolutely didn’t want to make.

Not only would it mean failing to complete the request, but it would also betray his own principles.

However, considering Sadie’s safety, it might be the best option.

At that moment…

“Move over there!”

Asher shouted.

The building he had urgently sought was now within reach.

It was a large warehouse belonging to some unknown company, a two-story structure with white exterior walls. Asher intended to fortify the rooftop and weather the zombie horde’s passage.

“Charlie! You go first and find a way up! Hurry!”

At Asher’s shout, Charlie ran towards the warehouse.

However, after entering, he immediately came running back out, screaming.

Behind him, over 10 zombies were chasing him.

“Damn it all!”

All the available combatants rushed to the front.

Thanks to that, the zombies were quickly taken care of, but Asher’s expression remained grim.

There was no way to know how many more zombies might be inside that vast warehouse.

“Charlie! Are you alright?”

“Yes…! Ha… Huff…!”

Charlie, who had desperately fled, gasped for breath.

With no other choice, Asher temporarily halted the main group and entered the warehouse with only the combatants to secure it first.

Time was of the essence, but securing the interior took priority.

“Wipe them all out! Firearms are permitted.”

“You mean use guns?”

With the zombies visibly approaching en masse, the combatants were instead apprehensive about using guns.

However, Asher shook his head.

Whether they used them now or later, it would ultimately be the same.

“We’re going to have to fight here anyway. We’ll have to kill any zombies that come after hearing the gunshots. Understood?”

And so, a brief firefight ensued inside the warehouse.

It didn’t take long, but by the time they had barely secured a path to the rooftop, the zombie horde had advanced considerably closer.

The zombie masses, having spotted the people gathered in front of the warehouse from kilometers away, were now charging towards them.

“They’re coming! Hurry!”

Even as he kept an eye on those approaching zombies, Asher led the people up to the rooftop.

Fortunately, everyone was able to reach the rooftop before the zombies arrived.

Asher blocked off the path they had ascended and positioned the people in a ring around the rooftop’s perimeter.

Soon, this warehouse would be surrounded by countless zombies.

The two-story height was far too low a threshold to stop such zombies.

So they would have to continuously fend off the zombies trying to climb up the walls from all sides, and for that purpose, all available personnel capable of firing guns were deployed.

Only the seriously injured, unable to use guns, and children remained in the center.

In the eyes of those incapable of fighting, only deep fear could be seen.

Arian looked at those people with a bitter expression.

“Stay close to me.”

In one corner of the rooftop, Aiden urged Arian and Sadie.

The two nodded.

“Kiaaaah!”

“Koooohh!”

Right on cue, the first wave of the zombie horde reached the warehouse.

Hundreds of frenzied corpses furiously shook the warehouse walls, trying to break through.