How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

“That’s fine. But when you say scouting, what exactly are you looking for first?”

“Food and water supplies are the top priority, of course. The more we can find, the better.”

Those were bound to be the most lacking resources for wanderers who had traversed the desert and mountains to reach this place.

They were also essential for continuing on to LA.

Perhaps for that very reason, many wanderers had been seen searching for those two items today.

What Aiden was aiming for were trades with them.

“So if we secure enough food supplies, obtaining the remaining resources through trades shouldn’t be too difficult. Even procuring blood won’t be a problem.”

“But… won’t the competition be quite intense then?”

“You’re rught. From what I’ve seen, most of the supplies in downtown Phoenix seem to have been depleted already. It’s not surprising. If a camp has been established here, those areas must have been scavenged dozens of times over.”

So the places that still had remaining supplies were not in downtown Phoenix itself, but rather the adjacent cities considered part of the metropolitan area.

The cities wanderers primarily searched were places like Gilbert and Chandler to the east.

Compared to other areas, those had relatively lower zombie populations.

“However, I think the opposite direction would be better. Glendale… or even Sun City might work.”

Aiden suggested.

Glendale was a city adjacent to the west and northwest of Phoenix.

Sun City was even further west from there.

While agreeing with Aiden’s reasoning, Arian inwardly expressed her concerns.

“Avoiding the competition isn’t a bad idea. But I heard that area is quite dangerous? Some wanderers who went to Glendale recently never came back, they said.”

Arian relayed the ominous rumor she had overheard earlier.

To such an extent, the western region of Phoenix was considered a danger zone among wanderers.

While not as severe as the southern areas directly adjacent to the mountains, a considerable number of zombies were said to have concentrated there.

Even so, Aiden shook his head.

“Hard to say. The danger might be similar, wouldn’t you agree?”

“How so?”

“Humans could pose just as much risk as the zombies, if not more.”

Aiden’s concern wasn’t limited to just zombies.

He was naturally wary of the potential side effects that could arise from people gathering in one place.

“Inside the camp, everyone seems to be cooperating, but their attitudes might change once outside. They could open fire on us without a second thought.”

“I suppose…”

It was a valid point.

The reason this camp could be maintained was solely due to the implicit order resulting from their mutual interests aligning.

However, outside the camp, especially when resources were at stake, such flimsy restraints were bound to break down.

Aiden had judged that he would rather face zombies than have to worry about those kinds of people.

“Then I think going west would be better too.”

Sadie voiced her agreement with Aiden’s opinion.

For Arian as well, if combat was inevitable, fighting zombies was preferable to killing humans.

Could it be that Aiden had proposed heading west based on that very mindset?

As that thought crossed her mind, Arian could no longer object.

“Alright. Do you have a specific location in mind?”

“Of course.”

Aiden unfolded his map.

The area he had chosen was Glendale.

However, upon examining the map, Arian’s brow furrowed.

“Why are there so many?”

Arian expressed her dissatisfaction.

The map of Glendale was indeed quite intricate.

As Phoenix had been an immense metropolis, the adjacent city of Glendale within its metropolitan area was also a highly developed place, incomparable to a small town.

Even just picking out the major points of interest on the map yielded dozens of locations.

Simply counting the large supermarkets or grocery stores suitable for food scavenging resulted in a two-digit number.

“Yes, it’s a complex area. If there are zombies present, it will be difficult to penetrate deep inside. But that also means there should be plenty of remaining supplies.”

Saying so, Aiden selected one specific location among the numerous candidates.

It was a formerly renowned large supermarket.

A place that, as far as they knew, had yet to be visited by anyone until now.

* * *

The next day.

From the early morning, Aiden’s group had departed the camp.

Despite leaving their base quite early, many wanderers were already out and about in the central shopping district area of the camp.

“…”

Aiden observed those wanderers.

Most of them were busily moving through the open parking lots, either for trading purposes or to search for necessary items.

And in one corner of those parking lots, something caught Aiden’s eye.

It was the Millers, whom they had parted ways with yesterday.

They were beneath an old, existing tent.

In front of it stood a makeshift hospital sign bearing a green cross, seemingly scrounged from somewhere.

So this was how they had opened their clinic, just as they had said.

“Ah, over there…”

Upon spotting it, Arian pointed towards the tent with her finger.

At that, the Millers also noticed Aiden’s group’s presence.

Contrary to their promise to meet again in LA, they had ended up reuniting the very next day.

The Millers greeted them with a quiet wave of their hand.

In response, Aiden simply nodded once, while Sadie waved back.

It was right after Aiden’s group had exchanged those brief morning greetings with the Millers and turned away when:

“Hey… you’re Aiden Lee, right?”

A wanderer approached and addressed Aiden’s group.

A woman of Indian descent, appearing to be in her mid-20s.

Aiden briefly looked her over before responding.

“That’s right.”

“And you’re also a junk dealer, correct?”

“Yes.”

Despite the sudden questions, Aiden answered calmly.

He wasn’t surprised that she knew his name.

Yesterday, while gathering information around the camp, Aiden didn’t hide his name or occupation as a junk dealer.

Add to that the conspicuous helmet he constantly wore without removing, and it was hardly remarkable for a wanderer to have identified him.

“Then I have a request for you.”

At the woman’s words, Aiden let out a brief grunt.

He had tasks to attend to immediately, and there was no particular need to accept requests here.

In Phoenix, simply exploring would suffice to procure enough supplies.

As Aiden was considering how to refuse her request, Arian whispered from beside him.

“We could at least hear her out.”

At those words, Aiden nodded after a moment’s thought.

There was no harm in listening briefly, after all.

“Alright, speak.”

Upon Aiden’s response, the woman let out a heavy sigh with a stiff expression.

“My companions who went out scavenging haven’t returned. I want you to find them.”

“Location?”

“…Glendale.”

The woman spoke in a small voice after a momentary pause.

It was a familiar place name.

Wasn’t that the very destination Aiden’s group had intended to go?

And come to think of it, Arian had mentioned yesterday that some wanderers who went to Glendale had gone missing.

Those must have been this woman’s companions.

“Exactly where in Glendale?”

Aiden unfolded his map and instructed her to specify the location.

At that, the woman’s eyes widened slightly.

“You’re accepting the request?”

“If the location is suitable and the compensation is sufficient.”

Aiden, who had initially considered refusing, changed his stance.

If the request location was Glendale, it was entirely possible to complete the request while conducting their planned scouting activities.

“Here… here it is.”

The woman immediately pointed to the map.

It was a university area in the northern part of Glendale.

Centered around a university that had previously housed a pharmacy school, the area included restaurants, a small hospital, and even grocery stores.

While not the large supermarket Aiden had originally intended to visit, it was still an advantageous location for exploring.

The location wasn’t bad.

With that assessment, Aiden continued his inquiries.

“What are the conditions for completing this request? Surely not that all your companions must be alive, I guess?”

“…No, not that. Just accompany me in scouting that area. That’s all.”

“Very well. Then what will you offer as compensation?”

At that, the woman opened the bag she was carrying and showed its contents.

Inside were three bottles of water and several canned goods.

A decent enough compensation, or so Aiden thought, but that wasn’t all.

“This is just an advance. If you complete the request, I’ll give you twice as much as this.”

The woman’s follow-up words made Aiden’s eyebrows twitch beneath his helmet.

It was far more generous compensation than he had expected.

But rather than feeling pleased, suspicion crossed Aiden’s mind first.

In cases where the compensation was suspiciously high, there was always something bigger hidden behind it.

“That’s quite a lot of compensation. Is there any special reason for it?”

So he directly probed her about this.

Aiden’s question was clearly laced with suspicion.

Seemingly finding that suspicion distasteful, the woman furrowed her brow as she opened her mouth.

“What? No, nothing like that. This is just the norm around here.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Not only what I’m telling you, but there aren’t many people coming here to request things in the first place.”

The woman muttered, implying she would have reduced the compensation if she had known.

It was then that Aiden began to roughly understand the reason behind the high compensation for the request.

Most of the people who had come to Phoenix were those heading for LA.

And now, with their destination of LA right before them, it seemed…

Even for a junk dealer, they would opt to carefully search for supplies rather than take on dangerous requests.

“So… will you do it, or not?”

The woman urged Aiden’s decision with a sharp tone.

However, her gaze was ever so slightly trembling as she spoke those words.

Her circumstances were easy enough to comprehend.

She was trying to gather people to find her missing companions, but as she had said, there were no junk dealers here readily willing to accompany her.

She had likely been rejected numerous times already, and perhaps even expected the same this time around.

However, for Aiden, this request was quite appealing.

Going to Glendale was already a certainty.

So the risk wouldn’t increase for him, while the compensation for the request was considerable.

With a bit of luck, it might even be possible to meet their entire target within a single day.

“What do you think?”

Aiden asked his companions.

Neither Arian nor Sadie voiced any objections.

Aiden then immediately informed the woman of his acceptance of the request.

“Really? You’re really taking it?”

“Yes. Can we depart right away?”

“Ah, just a moment. Let me grab my gun and… oh, and some ammo, then I’ll be right back.”

Saying that, the woman hurried off as if being chased.

* * *

A short while later.

“My name is Sophia. Sophia Evans.”

On Route 101 heading towards Glendale, the woman introduced herself.

Aiden nodded to acknowledge it.

At his curt reaction, Sophia naturally turned her gaze towards the two young girls walking beside him.

“But what about these kids?”

“This is Arian, and that child is Sadie.”

“No, I don’t mean their names… Aren’t they too young to be brought along on a request like this?”

Sophia asked with a puzzled expression.

Her doubt was undoubtedly valid, so Aiden simply told her not to worry about it without making any excuses.

Unable to argue against his firm demeanor, Sophia looked over the younger of the two, the child named Sadie.

She was an adorable child.

But in that child’s hands was a weapon entirely unbefitting for a child.

A small crossbow.

Moreover, a tiny pistol could be seen on her hip.

Could such a young child really fight zombies?

As Sophia pondered this, Sadie’s eyes met her gaze.

In response, the child simply smiled brightly, answering Sophia’s attention.

“…”

Upon seeing that smile, the concern that had surfaced in Sophia’s mind faded slightly.

Sadie’s expression was that serene.

It was a smile a child could never muster if being forced into an unwanted battlefield.

Next, Sophia observed Arian, who held Sadie’s hand.

However, Arian’s expression was different from Sadie’s.

Her face was an expressionless mask, like a plaster statue.

And those crimson eyes seemed eerily unsettling.

Perhaps sensing Sophia’s gaze, Arian looked back at her as well.

That indifferent stare pierced right through Sophia.

Sophia involuntarily averted her eyes.

Her sight fell upon the desolate desert stretching alongside the road.

At that moment, Aiden asked:

“By the way, how many companions did you have in total?”

Sophia cleared her parched throat with a cough before continuing.

“Three.”

“Not too many, then. Did you go scavenging together, but only you came back?”

“No, I didn’t go out scavenging at all. I had something else to take care of, so I stayed at the camp.”

But her companions had ultimately failed to return on the day they went out.

It had already been two days since then.

Realistically speaking, their survival was uncertain at best.

Was that why she had directly come out to search for them like this?

Aiden posed another question.

“Were they close companions of yours?”

Among wanderers, who weren’t even part of a gang, it wasn’t common for someone to go this far for their companions.

If companions failed to return, it was far easier to simply assume they had died and continue on one’s own path.

For Sophia as well, it would have been entirely possible to abandon her companions and take any supplies they had left behind, departing for LA alone.

But Sophia denied this as if it were an unthinkable notion.

“How could I? They’re all friends from my university. We lived in the dorms together, and ever since the zombie outbreak suddenly happened, we haven’t been able to return home and have stuck together all this time. We all made it here like that, but…”

As Sophia spoke, tears welled up slightly in her eyes.

In that case, Aiden had nothing more to say.

Amidst the somber mood, Aiden changed the subject.

“By the way, the path seems quiet so far.”

“Around the camp… it’s usually like this. People come and go, so the zombies get taken care of one way or another. But if we walk for about 30 more minutes from here, they’ll start increasing gradually.”

Aiden silently nodded at Sophia’s words.

And so they continued walking along Route 101.

The road that had briefly crossed the desert soon passed through an intersection, leading into the main urban area.

And around the 30-minute mark Sophia had mentioned, as they passed through a small park within the city…

“…”

Aiden sensed a change in the atmosphere.

On one side of the wide road was a residential area, while the opposite side had rows of nondescript office buildings stretching out.

But within that seemingly quiet street, faint moans of zombies could be heard.

Even the once-clean roads were now blocked by abandoned vehicles, and traces of zombies could be felt lingering between them.

“Be careful from here on out.”

Sophia issued a soft warning.

Aiden nodded and cautiously ventured deeper into the zombie-infested city.