How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

After leaving Houston, about 130 kilometers northwest in Leander, north of Austin…

Aiden cautiously parked his vehicle near a small lake in a park.

In the distance, zombies could be seen standing idly like rotten street trees scattered throughout the vast residential area.

Their number amounted to several dozen.

Not an overwhelming amount, but considering Leander’s location at the city’s outskirts, it was certainly not insignificant.

“…”

Aiden intently observed the scenery of that residential area.

On their way here, Aiden’s group had circled the outskirts of the major city Austin, trying to assess its condition.

The conclusion came swiftly, aligning with River’s advice.

Austin’s interior seemed impenetrable due to the immense zombie presence, and perhaps because of that, there were no signs of human activity at all.

It was simply a city overflowing with decayed corpses.

Even for Aiden, entering would be exceedingly dangerous.

However, he needed to search within rather than the sparsely populated outskirts.

He had to find a new vehicle immediately.

Even on their way here, the vehicle Aiden’s group was using had been exhibiting abnormalities like the engine sound changing noticeably.

It was clear it wouldn’t last much longer.

So despite knowing the risks, Aiden had circled the outskirts searching for areas with relatively fewer zombies, eventually arriving at this Leander.

“You two wait here for now.”

Aiden spoke those words.

Even in this area with relatively fewer zombies, it was still unsuitable to bring Arian and Sadie along.

Moreover, the chances of encountering people were low here.

So Aiden decided to proceed alone, to which the other two gave their familiar responses.

“Got it, be careful.”

“Stay safe.”

Aiden acknowledged their words with a nonchalant nod before exiting the vehicle.

Perhaps due to the adjacent lake or the lack of major structures…

The densely vegetated park Aiden had entered was quiet.

Additionally, the early afternoon sunlight of late summer was still scorching hot.

Aiden advanced along the heated asphalt path, overgrown with weeds sprouting through the cracks, as if taking a stroll.

Soon, the distant residential area came within close range.

Aiden entered that residential neighborhood.

Immediately, a zombie leaning against a brown fence turned its gaze towards him.

“…”

However, upon seeing Aiden’s face without even a helmet, the zombie looked away from him again.

Like a resident spotting a strangely dressed passerby, it seemed uninterested in further involvement.

Aiden likewise paid no heed to such zombies and turned his attention in the opposite direction.

Abandoned vehicles and garages were visible here and there throughout the residential area.

Their numbers weren’t particularly high.

Moreover, unlike the concentrated parking towers or lots in city centers, they were scattered, necessitating a thorough search for any usable ones.

It was a situation Aiden had already resigned himself to, so he calmly approached the nearest vehicle – a red compact car inside a half-open garage.

Using his flashlight, Aiden first inspected the garage’s interior.

No hidden mutants or the like…

He then crouched down and entered the garage.

Click!

The car door didn’t open.

However, after roughly assessing the vehicle’s condition, Aiden wasn’t too disappointed.

The car’s roof was thickly coated in dust.

It seemed to have been abandoned since the zombie outbreak.

Such a vehicle would be unusable no matter if the keys and fuel were present.

After being neglected for 3 whole years, considerable effort would be required to restore it to working condition.

The battery would naturally have drained, requiring replacement, and the tires supporting the chassis would need changing.

Moreover, all consumables like engine oil and coolant, as well as the internal lubricants that had solidified, would need attention.

And even after addressing all that, there was no guarantee additional issues wouldn’t arise.

While gangs or survivor groups occasionally pooled resources and deployed technicians for such repairs…

For an individual like Aiden, those efforts would be an unreasonable investment.

“Hmm…”

So Aiden unhesitatingly exited the garage.

Next, he headed towards a silver van in the neighboring house.

For a while, Aiden inspected over a dozen vehicles this way.

During that process…

“This one…”

He finally discovered a noteworthy vehicle.

A gray sedan.

However, the difference was that it was heavily dented in various places, and the surrounding area was littered with zombie remains.

Moreover, that vehicle had crashed into a house wall.

It seemed to have been in an accident.

But its front door was wide open, almost inviting Aiden inside.

Perhaps it had belonged to a wanderer or junk dealer who had passed through here.

However, there were no signs of the owner anywhere.

Considering the vehicle’s condition, it had likely been abandoned for at least a week.

Yet the fact that the owner hadn’t returned meant one of two things – either the vehicle was discarded, or the owner couldn’t return.

Unfortunately, the latter possibility seemed more likely.

They had probably been driving through this residential area when surrounded by zombies, causing them to crash into the house in their panicked flight.

At least the driver seemed to have escaped outside, but there was no guarantee how far they had fled on foot.

Aiden inspected the vehicle’s interior.

The car keys were still inserted in the ignition.

Moreover, there was even a small amount of fuel remaining.

Aiden tried starting the engine.

A sputtering engine sound could be heard, but it didn’t immediately start.

However, after a few more attempts, the engine finally turned over.

Kukukung!

The engine sound wasn’t good.

Even so, Aiden carefully pressed the accelerator to test it.

But disappointingly, the vehicle didn’t move.

“Tsk…”

Aiden clicked his tongue.

Perhaps due to the collision with the building, some issue had arisen where the engine would start but controls were unresponsive.

It was disappointing, but not a complete waste.

At the very least, he had learned there was an uncharged battery remaining here.

As Aiden made a mental note of that and prepared to turn off the ignition…

“Ah, ah. Can you hear this?”

Suddenly, a voice emanated from the vehicle’s speakers.

It was… a radio broadcast.

The radio the owner had been listening to until they exited, automatically playing as soon as the engine turned over.

“To all survivors hearing this broadcast.”

Upon hearing this, Aiden slightly raised his eyebrow.

It was a radio broadcast he was already familiar with.

One transmitted from LA, or perhaps propagated by people from there.

“LA is currently safe. So-“

The content was nothing out of the ordinary.

A message stating that the entire city of LA was intact and welcoming all wanderers and survivors to join them.

Furthermore, it seemed to be a pre-recorded file playing on repeat, with not a single word changed from what Aiden had heard months ago in Pittsburgh.

Content he had once dismissed as mere hearsay.

And even now, after crossing half the American continent, Aiden still couldn’t bring himself to believe those words.

“Hmm…?”

In the midst of those thoughts, Aiden suddenly realized something.

The radio’s audio quality was far too clear compared to his expectations.

The last time he had heard this radio broadcast, it had taken considerable effort just to make out the words.

So did that mean it was being transmitted from relatively nearby?

Aiden unfolded the map he had in his pocket.

This local map he had obtained from the Kingwood Militia.

Even for a major city, there weren’t many places a radio broadcast could originate from.

So Aiden began searching the map for likely candidates, and…

“It must be here.”

…he soon identified one potential location.

It was a certain mountain northwest of Austin, adjacent to the Colorado River.

Deep within that mountain was an old radio tower that had been constructed long ago.

From Aiden’s current location in Leander, it was practically right next door.

“…”

Aiden silently gazed at the map, lost in thought.

Was it worth investigating this place?

If a radio broadcast was indeed coming from here, it meant there were humans managing that radio tower.

Of course, contact with people was a dangerous proposition.

However, for Aiden’s group, it was also a necessity.

They continuously required blood consumption.

Moreover, if those people were truly dispatched from LA…

Aiden could potentially obtain information about LA’s true nature or any deceptions they might be hiding.

In that case… it might not be a bad investment of their remaining time today.

Having reached that judgment, Aiden folded the map.

He then turned off the vehicle’s ignition.

The radio and engine noise had already drawn some nearby zombies towards them.

Aiden exited the damaged vehicle and left the approaching zombies behind as he returned to where his companions were waiting.

* * *

A short while later…

Aiden was sharing the information he had uncovered with Arian and Sadie.

“A radio tower?”

“Yeah, it’s up in the nearby mountain.”

At Aiden’s words, Arian looked out the car window at their surroundings.

The vehicle, which had been rattling along the road, had now entered a mountain path.

Amid the scenery of tall conifers obstructing the view on both sides, Arian continued speaking.

“By the way, if it’s LA… we’ve come quite far west already, but it’s still so distant.”

Arian let out a small sigh as she spoke those words.

From Pittsburgh to Houston, they had traversed nearly half the American continent.

However, to reach LA, they would need to travel that same distance once more.

Moreover, the terrain between them consisted of rugged mountain ranges and deserts.

While they were currently heading westward, it was an overwhelmingly daunting journey.

“You can’t seriously be thinking of going to LA?”

“Not necessarily. I just want to go and obtain some blood.”

“Hmm… I suppose that’s alright.”

After traveling that mountain path for a while, the vehicle came to a stop.

The paved asphalt road had ended, transitioning to a dirt path.

However, that dirt path, left unattended for 3 years, was overgrown with weeds and eroded by rainwater into a mess.

“We’ll have to proceed on foot from here.”

Aiden spoke those words.

The road conditions were too challenging for their already poorly maintained vehicle to force its way through.

Moreover, the distance remaining to the radio tower wasn’t that far from this point.

Aiden’s group all armed themselves and exited the vehicle.

If things went smoothly, they could trade for blood and information.

But if not, a gunfight could potentially break out.

So Aiden had Sadie equip a bulletproof vest and helmet, instructing her to stay close behind him.

“Let’s move out.”

Arian took the lead, advancing first along the mountain path.

For a while, the path – wide enough for two vehicles side-by-side – continued.

And finally, as they neared the radio tower…

“There are people here.”

Arian said those words.

In response, Aiden moved away from the path with Sadie, entering the forest.

“How many?”

“Four. But… it’s a bit strange.”

Arian, who had been focusing her senses in that direction after detecting human presences, frowned slightly.

“Strange how?”

“I smell blood.”

At those words, Aiden’s demeanor noticeably shifted.

Arian’s statement didn’t simply mean someone was injured and bleeding.

It implied those people had killed someone.

“So they aren’t as peaceful as their radio would suggest.”

“I can’t say for certain. Let me move a bit closer to check.”

At Arian’s words, Aiden nodded.

She cautiously advanced through the forest.

The wooded area along the uphill path towards the radio tower wasn’t particularly dense with trees.

While the view wasn’t wide open, there was sufficient space to traverse on foot.

So there was no need to use the exposed path.

However, after proceeding about ten meters that way…

“-!”

A sense of disquiet emanated from the ground beneath Arian’s footstep.

Something thin like a wire had been stepped on.

Simultaneously, without a sound, something flew towards Arian from the side.

Thunk!

Arian caught the abruptly launched object with her bare hand.

It was… an arrow.

Looking in the direction the arrow had come from, a cleverly concealed crossbow could be seen behind a tree.

It was likely a trap mechanism linked to whatever Arian had stepped on.

At that sight, Arian’s eyes narrowed slightly.

If she hadn’t possessed superhuman reaction speed surpassing ordinary humans, that arrow would have undoubtedly pierced her head or neck area.

It was an unmistakable lethal trap.

Moreover, a string was attached to the rear end of that arrow.

The moment the arrow fired, it must have pulled something via that string.

Which was why…

“Wheeeet!”

…a shrill whistle sounded immediately after, likely their alarm system.

While resembling the cry of a mountain bird, it couldn’t deceive Arian’s hearing.

Meanwhile, Arian sensed all four presences at the radio tower starting to move in her direction in response to that signal.

They were approaching Arian’s location.

Arian glanced behind her.

To inform Aiden of this development.

“…”

However, Aiden had already been observing Arian.

Having anticipated the possibility of their stealth approach failing from the start, he had been maintaining maximum distance from her.

Holding his rifle, he gestured with his eyes.

No words were needed between them.

As usual, Aiden would engage with his firearm while Arian struck from behind.

Despite smiling at his resolute demeanor, Arian fixed the enemies with a cold gaze.

She could vividly sense them spreading out wide as they descended.

Towards the center of those approaching enemies, Arian charged forward.

Her sudden beast-like movement startled one of the foremost enemies, shock spreading across his face.