Ch.10Department Store (3)

The metallic clatter faded. In a distant corner of the department store where light mysteriously couldn’t reach—the vanishing point—faint giggling sounds could be heard.

“Hey. If you drop that…”

The giggling was there earlier when we were running too. Everything seems fine though?

“Since you knocked those things on the head earlier, let’s call it even, mister.”

“I don’t think it’s over that easily.”

“What?”

“Look over there.”

Park Sungjin directed his gaze toward the toy section.

Giggle.

Ahaha…

Heh…hehehe…

In the dim light, amorphous shapes writhed like amoebas. The laughter was coming from there. The laughter gradually grew louder, overlapping into a rumbling, mid-range noise.

“I’m sorry.”

“As long as you understand.”

We must have violated rule number 3 this time. I thought we’d just encounter some animated teddy bears at worst, but the situation was escalating on a much larger scale.

[3. No running or shouting. Not only is it disrespectful to other customers, but it may unnecessarily agitate the stuffed animals.]

Ding!

An announcement echoed through the empty department store.

– Hello, this is Hansung Department Store, always supporting our customers’ happiness. We have an announcement for all customers and staff.

– An emergency situation has occurred in the toy section on the first floor. Customers, please calmly follow staff instructions. Staff stationed in the first floor lobby, basement food court, and second floor, please follow the management protocols in your manual.

– Thank you.

Park Sungjin picked up a crowbar from the floor.

“Grab something too. Something light.”

“Okay.”

We stared into the distant darkness of the department store. Something was coming from within that darkness.

“Staff here! Everyone please evacuate to the first floor freezer!”

“Move this way please!”

Someone pushed me from behind, and I nearly fell over.

“Whoa!”

“Stay close!”

Staff members and customers who seemed to appear out of nowhere began moving. The department store suddenly became crowded.

“Was it like this when you were here before?”

“I saw people occasionally, but never this many.”

“Oh…”

So it wasn’t just about the stuffed animals. The rule about not disturbing other customers was actually relevant. This is why I only got a grade 2 in Korean. I always miss these details even though Korean is my only decent subject while my other grades are rock bottom… stupid idiot…

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“This situation isn’t really your fault. If it weren’t for you, this would have happened right when we first entered.”

His sudden comment doesn’t comfort me—it just makes my mind go blank.

“Why are you being so scary? That sounds like something someone says before they die.”

“I’m not saying we’ll definitely die here, just that it’s possible. That’s the feeling I get.”

“Damn it, why are you freaking me out?!”

“Just go!”

– Please evacuate in line this way!!!

A female staff member shouted at the top of her lungs. Thanks to her, order was quickly established.

“I don’t understand why we’re going to a freezer.”

“I think the rules mentioned following staff instructions. We should probably go for now.”

“I have a bad feeling about this. Got any ciga—”

CRUNCH-

A crushing sound cut off his words. Then—

AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

A piercing scream echoed throughout the department store.

“What the—!”

“Ignore it. Those aren’t real people.”

“What?”

There was no time for an answer. The screams came from the back of the line. Like a string telephone made of paper cups, the panic traveled forward.

“Hurry!!!”

“Get out of the way!!!!”

“Someone’s been trampled! Help! Help me!”

People pushed each other as they ran, and up ahead, someone was arguing with a staff member.

“What’s the point of lining up in this situation?! People are dying, so let the fastest go first!!!”

“No, don’t just tell us to evacuate—explain what’s happening!!”

“You haven’t even called the police. Are you just trying to cover up an incident here?”

The female staff member from earlier was being harassed by people, almost in tears.

“I’m sorryyyy… Please just follow the instructionsss…”

“Explain what’s happening!!!!”

“We need to maintain order! *cough, cough* You can evacuate safely!!! Please!!!”

Meanwhile, the horrifying sounds kept getting closer. They were almost right behind us now.

“Aaack!!! *cough, cough* I don’t know anymore!!! Do whatever you want!!!”

“Hey!!! Staff should be giving instructions! Where are you going? Stop right there!”

The staff member ran away while people continued pushing from behind. At this rate…

“I think we should go to the freezer.”

“Yeah.”

“I thought you said we shouldn’t go?”

“I just had a bad feeling. Let’s go see.”

We quickly went down the escalator to the basement. The freezer sign across from us immediately caught my eye.

[Dairy & Vege]

– Hansung always promises fresh food.

The department store mascot stood next to pictures of milk and vegetables.

“Looking at that creepy thing confirms my bad feeling.”

“Then what should we do? Not go in?”

“Go in. In this place, having a good feeling would be strange.”

The moment we stepped into the freezer, we came face to face with the entity that had been chasing us.

“Aaaahh! Don’t close the door!”

“Please!”

People were being chased, barely keeping ahead. But if that thing got into the freezer… wouldn’t everyone die? While I stood frozen, Park Sungjin stepped forward.

THUD!

He pushed away someone who was trying to enter and closed the thick iron door designed to preserve the cold inside.

“What are you doing?! Help push!”

Several agile men came over and started pushing the door together. Someone who arrived late desperately tried to push their hand through, but Park Sungjin didn’t stop.

Squelch. Crunch. Crrrunch.

BOOM!

Click-

Finally, the door closed completely, and a metal locking mechanism like something from a movie theater clicked shut.

Rattle rattle rattle-

“Save me!!”

“AAAAHHHH!!!!!”

The screams soon stopped. People rolled on the cold floor, feeling pangs of conscience.

“Ughhhh… *sob*…”

I stood dazed, looking around.

“Phew…”

Park Sungjin leaned his shoulder against the wall by the door, holding his sweat-soaked beanie in his hand.

The female staff member from earlier was crouching nearby.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

“You killed them!!! If you had evacuated people faster, this wouldn’t have happened!!!”

“What are we going to do now? What are we going to do?!!!!”

“*cough, hack*… I’m sorry…”

Click.

Is that a staff walkie-talkie on the floor?

The female employee secretly picked up the walkie-talkie while surrounded by people.

Beep beep beep-

– First floor. Has basement freezer evacuation been completed? No further instructions.

An unfamiliar voice came through.

Crackle. Crackle…

– B1 second floor staff en route. Please stall for time until arrival.

– Open freezer door when additional radio communication comes in

Open the freezer door?

When no more sounds came through, I tried turning the channel dial.

Crackle crackle crackle….

– Sleep gas deployed.

– Sleep gas confirmed.

– Freezer temperature drop. Freezer temperature drop. Lowering gradually, awaiting signal. Over.

“Huh? What’s that?”

“Something’s coming from the ceiling!”

A child about four years old innocently pointed at the ceiling. White smoke was descending with the cold air. According to the radio message, that must be…

“Is that sleep gas?”

“Huh.”

Park Sungjin was suddenly beside me. He lowered his voice and nodded slowly.

“Yes. I think so.”

“I heard the whole radio transmission too. Looks like they’re planning to freeze us to death in here. That monster. You saw what it looked like earlier, right?”

“I’m not certain, but probably.”

“Tell me.”

“It was about the size of a bus? Black body. Long tail. Walks on two legs. Teeth densely packed. It looked like a dinosaur.”

“Right. And.”

“What?”

“It had scales, didn’t it?”

“Ah…! Yes.”

Now I understand.

“I’m not a paleontologist, so I don’t know if it’s a dinosaur, but that thing is a reptile. Do you know what kind of animals reptiles are?”

“Ectothermic?”

“You’re quick.”

Terrible possibilities kept forming in my mind.

“Here’s what I think. Reptiles—snakes, alligators, turtles—they slow down when cold and hibernate in winter. They also get sluggish when full. If you want to catch something like that on a rampage, you’d lure it somewhere cold. How would you do that?”

“Why kill people to do it though?”

“Who knows. Maybe they’re trying to protect people on other floors. If they just left it alone, who knows which floor it might end up on.”

From a distance, I could hear a child whining.

“Mom, I’m sleepyyy…”

“It’s still dangerous, you can’t sleep.”

Sleep gas continued to flow from the ceiling. Gradually, just enough not to be noticed.

“Try not to breathe too much for now. I need to think.”

“How about this?”

“What?”

“You said you heard everything on the radio, right?”

He nodded.

“They said to open the freezer door when additional radio communication comes in. That means we still need to hold out here for now. That’s also why they’re not releasing all the sleep gas at once.”

“Why would that be?”

“The creature will first eat the easier prey outside. Eventually, it will break down the freezer door and settle in here. Weakening us in the meantime would help…”

“Right. To weaken us. They want us to hold out in here as long as possible.”

“I think there’s a more fundamental reason.”

“What?”

“I think the department store is trying to capture that thing alive. Responding this systematically suggests this has happened before, but it doesn’t make sense to keep letting monsters into the department store. They must have some purpose for keeping it hidden in the store.”

“So, the department store is raising a pet dinosaur. And whenever it wakes up, they feed it well and put it back to sleep so they can return it to the toy section?”

“Yes.”

When summarized like that, it does sound ridiculous. It’s natural to feel skeptical.

“Okay.”

“What?”

“That’s the most plausible theory we can come up with in this situation.”

“You believe this?”

“I’ve seen things too. When I came to get the power generator last time, there were suspicious things.”

Park Sungjin adjusted his bag and picked up the crowbar again.

“So what do we do now?”

I glanced to the left. Occasional screams could be heard from outside, but the freezer door remained quiet.

“We need to get out now. At a time they don’t want us to.”