How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

Finally, morning came.

Screech

The sound of a truck stopping in front of the warehouse was heard.

And after a little while-

Knock, knock

The prearranged signal was heard.

I was so relieved that 14 didn't fuss or cry.

I got up and very carefully opened the door of the warehouse.

Various objects were piled up in the back of the truck with its engine running.

I climbed into the back of the truck and immediately hid in the innermost gap between the loaded items.

Outside the truck, not only the engine sound but also people's voices echoed, but I held my breath, hoping that 14, who seemed to be asleep now, wouldn't wake up.

Bump, bump

I heard something moving or being loaded, and slowly the car started to move. Only then could I let out a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness. I thought I could rest until we reached our destination.

With the tension easing, I feel my eyes slowly closing.

And, hoping that nothing would happen when I opened my eyes again, I lost consciousness like that.

* * *

[Diary

I gave 14 the name .

The name of that child who unwillingly left my womb.

Is it a habit from my researcher days? I've been writing this diary for some time now.

Is it for the purpose of record-keeping? Now I just think of it as a way to pass the time.

This place where I'm hiding is a really tiny village with a population of less than 30 people.

The villagers didn't ask me anything about my sudden appearance.

A mother in her 30s appearing with a child in such a remote place, they must think there's some story behind it.

A countryside far removed from the war, this is a village where people who want to hide from such disturbances gather.

With the understanding of Mr. Henderson, the village chief, I was able to cheaply acquire a house at the outermost edge of the village.

Well, it has a yard and walls, and I slightly modified the back wall of the house so I could escape immediately if a dangerous situation arose.

The modification is just a dog hole, but...

But... I was at a loss as to how to raise 14, no, Arian from now on.

I'm screwed.

Maybe it's thanks to my major in biotechnology, but.

When I heard from Mr. Henderson that there was no doctor in the village and I said I could do simple treatments, at some point I became known as the doctor mom to the villagers.

The treatment fees are nothing special. Food items or clothes, and most importantly, blood.

Since Arian doesn't drink breast milk or formula, of course blood was necessary.

Come to think of it, I thought it was really fortunate that I played the role of a doctor.

I could receive a little blood each time, just saying it was for health checkups, and I had to fill in the lacking parts myself, well.

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It's been three years since I escaped from the laboratory and settled here.

Maybe because it's a countryside that hardly anyone visits, I've relaxed a lot and I'm in the middle of raising Arian as if she were my real daughter.

Raising Arian, who is not ordinary, was no easy task.

I'm also a novice mom who has never experienced child-rearing.

Arian's growth was the same as ordinary children.

Providing blood at every meal, but just like other babies, she has no sense of moderation.

Oh, really none. When she woke up at dawn and fussed for blood, I thought I would die from lack of sleep.

With the blood already scarce, I had no choice but to use a lot of my own blood to fill it.

Thanks to that, I'm losing weight rapidly. It's ridiculous that the weight that wouldn't come off even if I died trying in my 20s is coming off now.

When I had been raising Arian for about a year, she started acquiring language quickly.

Seeing her imitating what I say well, I started teaching her letters in earnest.

Oh... she's quite smart? As expected, her bloodline is different.

At about 2 years, she walks well. She walks so well that I wonder if this is right.

Still, it's quite cute how she bumps here and there, not being able to gauge her head well, which is typical of babies.

At 3 years, her growth doesn't seem to be the same.

Roughly... she seems to be about 5 years old?

Moreover, her strength is considerable. No, 'considerable' doesn't seem to express it well enough.

She lifts a chair with one hand. ... I can't think that's possible!

A 3-year-old can't lift an ordinary adult chair with one hand!

The primordial blood seems amazing. It seems to have far exceeded the expected completeness.

I think I need to educate her on how to control her strength.

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I heard new news about the war the country waged from Mr. Henderson.

It seems to have entered a lull and now they're just engaging in small attrition warfare.

I think the war will end soon.

Another news was about the church.

All-out war with monsters. This was the biggest news.

Although this is a village where people who want to hide from such disturbances gather, I can't guarantee how long it can be maintained.

I think I need to prepare when Arian grows a bit more.

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Arian turned 4 years old.

Since there are no young children in the village, Arian receives a lot of love.

She speaks well, so at some point it seems all the villagers love Arian a lot.

It feels like the love is a bit excessive...

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It's natural that Arian is different from ordinary children, but I wish she would grow up normally.

That's why I need to explain more to Arian.

Who she is, what kind of being she was born as in this world.

Also why I escaped with Arian from the laboratory.

Of course, I plan to tell her when she's a bit older.

Until then, I hope nothing happens to Arian.

I really hope so. Damn it.]

* * *

On the day I turned 5 years old.

Mom told me many stories related to my birth.

She also explained in detail what kind of being I am and how I was created.

I still remember Mom's worried expression, wondering if I would be shocked or unable to understand when I heard all the stories.

I came to understand well through Mom's detailed explanation that I myself am a vampire, and that I'm a being on a different dimension from other vampires.

Mom consistently gave me many explanations about my power.

About the power I would have in the future and how to handle it, based on various materials the laboratory had.

The part about handling power came naturally to me.

After hearing the explanation, should I say it just happened?

It was so easy that I had nothing to say.

Mom was so dumbfounded when she saw me handling blood for the first time.

Even now, thinking of that expression makes me laugh.

And then she told me about other monsters besides me, and about the existence of the church and hunters that I should never meet.

That I, as a being, am alone and that the church or hunters are beings impossible for an individual to handle.

Slurp, slurp

As I was thinking about various things

It seems I've sucked all the blood from the hunted rabbit.

"Ugh! It tastes bad..."

As I grew, I needed more and more blood.

The amount of blood I used to drink before was far from enough.

Is it because I'm in a growth phase?

So I go hunting like this occasionally.

I learned how to hunt from Uncle Charlson, who mainly does hunting in the village.

Should I call it instinct? It seems I've become quite good at hunting even though I only learned the basics.

The only disappointing thing was that I could only hunt up to deer because of my small size.

Ah, I've been thinking too much again. If I'm any later, Mom might scold me...

I ran quickly towards home, and in an instant, I arrived in front of the house and opened the door, but-

"Arian! Where have you been wandering around again!"

I heard Mom's angry voice.

Sometimes when I look at her, it seems Mom overprotects me too much.

I'm already 5 years old now!

"I went hunting to let our mom eat meat!"

"Ordinary 5-year-olds can't hunt!"

"Oh really? Hehehe."

I know too well that if I smile brightly while holding the hunted rabbit in one hand, Mom can't say anything more.

I'm just happy because I can feel Mom's heart worrying about me.

"I've sucked out all the blood~ so Mom just needs to prepare it~"

"What's the use of telling you not to drink just any blood..."

"It's not enough!"

When I cut off her words, Mom glared at me fiercely.

But when I lifted the hunted rabbits with both hands and smiled, she just shook her head with an expression of disbelief.

"Alright, alright, so our daughter has brought daily bread for this loving mom?"

"That's right! That's it!"

"If only you couldn't speak..."

I quickly put the rabbits down on the table set in a corner of the yard and ran away to my room before Mom could say anything more.

On top of the bookshelf in my room, there was a small blood transfusion pack.

The faintly flowing scent of blood is Mom's scent.

Surely, she must have pushed herself because of my insufficient blood amount.

I can feel Mom's love for me.

I wish this happiness would last forever.

* * *

[Diary

The happy times passed quickly.

I did my best as Arian's mom and taught her a lot of knowledge.

Recently, Mr. Henderson, who played the role of village chief, passed away.

He was someone who especially loved Arian, and he also gave us many conveniences to settle in the village...

Since it's such a small village and there are no cases of people moving in, Mr. Henderson's death seems like it will be a big blow to the village.

We held a modest funeral with the remaining villagers.

I took this opportunity to educate Arian about life and death.

I hope Arian experiences the sadness of losing someone.

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The village is gradually declining.

Five years ago when I first hid here, there were over 30 villagers, but now there are less than 10 left.

The blood I can give to Arian is also starting to reach its limit.

How much longer can we hold out?

Come to think of it, just a week ago, there was talk of suspicious movements around the forest where the village is...

I'm getting quite anxious.

Should I prepare? Maybe it's because the past 5 years have been too comfortable.

Concerns about survival are starting to sprout again.

I think I need to have a meeting with the remaining residents tomorrow evening.

About how the remaining people should live from now on.

There's still so much more I want to do for Arian...

A sense of unease is creeping in.]

* * *

Mom said she had something to discuss with some adults and told me to eat dinner alone.

The moon was shining so brightly that it felt strange.

As I was slowly savoring the blood pack Mom had given me, holding it in my hand and looking at the moonlight-

Ominous sounds started to reach my ears little by little.

The sound of something breaking.

Screams of some villagers.

And Mom's voice, barely audible if I concentrated.

-A... Arian...

As soon as I heard Mom's voice, I ran out without thinking.

The center of the village I arrived at was truly a scene of carnage.

Blood was everywhere, and bodies too disfigured to recognize were strewn about.

In the center, a man with glowing red eyes, wearing a blood-stained tuxedo, was visible.

And in his right hand, the figure of Mom.

"Arian... run... away."

Mom's voice is losing strength.

I can naturally feel life draining away.

My heart is pounding madly.

Crack, crack

I feel something breaking inside me.

My vision seems to be turning red little by little, or is this an illusion?

"Put down... my mom, you monster...!"

The monster slowly turned his gaze to me and showed an unpleasant smile.

"To meet a fellow in such a remote place... Hm? Something's a bit different?"

"You, why are you doing this..."

"Was this your 'storage'? I'm sorry, being chased by those crazy fanatics, I was short on blood. I happened to discover this place and got a bit excited, that's all."

The words this monster is spewing are getting on my nerves.

"Oh, this? I was just about to eat it, adjusting the liver a bit, was it yours? I'm satisfied enough, I'll give it to you."

When I kept glaring at him without saying anything, the monster tilted his head as if puzzled and threw Mom at me.

Whoosh-

Mom falls into my arms.

Slowly... very slowly... to me. I can see Mom's eyes.

Mom with that same gaze that cherishes me more than anyone.

And so I held Mom in my arms.