After leaving the mall, I gathered some backup supplies. Feeling much safer now, I am starting to slowly adapt to this reality.
My food and water are sufficient for now, and I even managed to find a rifle and a shotgun.
The only real issue is the severe lack of ammo.
The zombies themselves are manageable, as long as I can use the environment to take them out.
What really worries me is the threat of hostile survivors, so solving this ammunition shortage is my top priority.
The roadside restaurant had long been abandoned by its usual customers, leaving only a few zombies wandering blankly around the building.
Hearing my footsteps, they immediately rushed me. Fortunately, having mastered the necessary combat skills, I dispatched them with ease.
Regrettably, the restaurant yielded few useful supplies. I only bagged a few essentials and kept moving.
Checking the map in my hands, I noticed a small town just ahead.
It felt like an opportunity, though it could just as easily be my grave.
No, I couldn’t let my mind wander down that dark path. I forced myself to stop overthinking.
At the town entrance, a crashed transport plane lay with its fuselage snapped into several sections, surrounded by a crowd of zombies.
Thanks to my makeshift rifle suppressor, I cleared the entrance silently and slipped into the town unnoticed.
The streets were scarred with desperate attempts to hold the line: barricades, barbed wire, and makeshift tents.
Clearly, none of it worked; every resident had been infected.
I climbed onto the roof of an abandoned car to scout the area and plan my next move.
That was when I made a rookie mistake: I forgot to attach the suppressor.
The moment I fired, the gunshot instantly drew a massive horde.
The sudden panic caught me off guard, knowing a blunder like that could easily cost my life.
Luckily, the car roof was high enough to keep them at bay for the moment.
Gasping for air, I reminded myself to stay focused. I couldn’t afford another mistake.
With dozens of zombies swarming the car and ammo running dangerously low, I had to switch to my axe for close combat.
Though a wave of hesitation hit me as I struck them down, I kept reminding myself that they were no longer human.
Still, a deeper fear lingered—the fear of becoming numb and losing my own humanity.
I had no idea how much longer I could hold out in this world, so I forced myself to numb my mind just enough to keep my judgment clear and stay alive.
These creatures were exceptionally resilient. Some even crawled toward me on the ground without legs, driven by pure, primal instinct.
It made me wonder what exactly caused this transformation. Many mysteries remained unsolved, but it was these very questions that gave me the drive to survive.
I wanted to uncover the truth behind it all.
The town was much larger than expected, featuring supermarkets, office buildings, and residential complexes that hinted at its vibrant past.
Looking out from my vantage point on the car, I spotted another oversized zombie in the supermarket plaza, identical to the one I had encountered before.
With barely any bullets left, I had to rely on my old tactic: lure the surrounding crowd over first, then use the terrain to eliminate them one by one.
Rain began to fall. I had no idea how many more were left in the town, but the immediate area around the car was finally clear.
As daylight faded, it became obvious I would have to spend the night here.
Before total darkness set in, I quickly looted the fallen bodies for anything useful.
To my delight, I found a sniper rifle on one of the corpses—a massive stroke of luck that lifted my spirits.
I stayed on the car roof, refusing to risk stepping down as night fell.
I spread my sleeping mat on the metal surface. Despite the lingering unease, I forced myself to rest and conserve energy for tomorrow’s battles.
The night passed with unexpected calm, leaving me undisturbed. Waking up the next morning, I still hesitated to rush blindly into the heart of the town.
Instead, I decided to scavenge and clear the peripheral zones first to prevent getting surrounded later.
The roadside apartment buildings were cluttered with the belongings of former residents: food, clothing, and daily necessities.
Climbing to a rooftop, I finally got a clear view of the entire town layout.
Right next to my building was a medical center, and further off, I could see a subway entrance.
I couldn’t help but wonder if the trains were somehow still running. It was probably a foolish thought.
Should I go down and investigate? No, with my current gear, it would likely be a one-way trip.
Taking unnecessary risks was out of the question; that could wait for later.
Ironically, amid the apocalypse, my mind felt sharper than ever, focused on one absolute goal: survival.
Before I knew it, I had spent two full nights in the town.
On the third morning, the air felt distinctly off. Red ash drifted through the sky like burnt embers, though I had no idea where it was coming from.
Inside a nearby warehouse, I discovered vine-like growths spreading across the floor, connected to some larger structure and emitting a foul stench.
My gut told me this was bad news. I suspected it was a zombie nest, complete with spreading branches.
Determined to eliminate the threat before it escalated, I used my remaining ammo to destroy a few branches.
Then, I made a fatal error: I stood in place to organize my backpack.
Right then, three zombies rushed up from downstairs. I scrambled to dodge them and barely managed to escape back down the stairs, narrowly cheating death.
After a quick patch-up of my wounds, my condition stabilized.
My suspicions were correct; this place was indeed their nest.
As I worked to clear it, waves of new zombies kept flooding in from the distance.
The ordeal gave me a much deeper understanding of this unknown anomaly.
I would have to be doubly cautious moving forward.
After a long, grueling effort, I finally purged the entire nest.
The payoff matched the risk; the nest contained a cache of excellent weapons, making the struggle entirely worth it.
That marked my third day in the town. I feel significantly stronger than when I arrived, not just due to the upgraded arsenal, but because my mindset and perspective have fundamentally shifted.
I have actually grown used to this way of life, and the urge to leave has faded.
I even find myself looking forward to whatever the next leg of the journey brings. Perhaps, I really am changing.
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