Chapter 14: Going Home

‘Live long and healthy on the streets, zombie!’

We couldn’t let the zombie who’d bloodied its hands for us starve to death. I lowered the female student’s door stopper to make it look naturally left open, then quickly fled back to the couple’s apartment.

Do-hyung had already opened the door and waited, so I wasn’t caught by the zombie.

As soon as we closed the door, I collapsed to the floor. Just exhausted. Felt drained physically and mentally. But the sense of accomplishment was decent.

“Three homes are ours now.”

“…Three?”

When Do-hyung asked with a dark expression, I held up three fingers and lowered them one by one.

“This couple’s place, that female student’s place, my place.”

“Ah. You said you killed the couple here.”

Do-hyung’s voice was low and dark. He sprawled out like someone completely drunk, fingers trembling violently.

He fidgeted before forcing out words:

“Is this right? Even in an apocalypse. Wouldn’t it be better to join hands and cooperate with people? Farm together, build barricades.”

I looked at him suddenly. Was he shocked by this action?

I’d heard that compared to killing directly with your own hands, long-range killing like guns or using others to kill caused less mental trauma.

I realized he stood at a crossroads.

Would he shatter like thrown pottery, or be ground and worn down into a sharp blade?

I sighed internally.

Some marauder he was. If we had enough main members in the group I’d kick him out, but he still had value for now. Even just helping with manual labor would lighten the burden.

“Think of it as practice. When zombies pass a million, ten million, we’ll have to kill people to survive anyway.”

“…”

“Or think I killed them. Or that we already killed police with the taser. Or that zombies killed them. Or that the Chairman’s responsible for everything.”

I rattled off excuses needed for self-justification. This vicious electricity thief would recover on his own somehow.

Whether by shifting blame to others or accepting reality.

Having no energy to invest more in this guy, I quickly turned my attention elsewhere. Beyond the entrance.

I heard the zombie lingering by the door then heading down the stairs, and screams as other neighbors encountered it.

“Aah! Zombie!”

“Kraaaagh!”

“No- Aagh!”

Brutal sounds. I imagined the scene. The zombie stained with the female student’s blood, humans’ counterattacks with weapons failing in the narrow stairwell.

Soon only the zombie’s growling came from beyond the entrance.

I marveled. This exceeded expectations.

“Two kills? Buy one get one free? Was it a convenience store zombie?”

Another home about to be emptied? Never imagined a two-for-one deal, this zombie had excellent customer service.

That’s when Do-hyung let out a hollow laugh.

“Really are fucking insane.”

“No. I’m normal. But need to become ruthless to survive, so forcing myself to power through. Better to adapt faster than others for advantage.”

My mind was perfectly healthy. Really.

“If this is normal. Yeah, I’m better than this person…”

Around when Do-hyung finished his self-justification, I suddenly snapped to attention. No time for this. Disinfection! The professor said hygiene and prevention were most important.

Had to be careful even with masks, long clothes, gloves, hats covering our bodies.

“Quick, spray disinfectant!”

Spray spray, we disinfected our whole bodies with preventive spray. They say it’s bad if it gets on you, but we’d even hugged a zombie. Better than virus infection probably.

Modern buildings were impregnable fortresses. The durability of reinforced concrete, steel entrance doors. Only skilled thieves could breach such fortresses; zombies were no thieves and dared not invade.

Meaning no matter how bad things got outside, there’d be no problems if you just quietly hid at home.

Since I’d shut myself in without taking a single step out when writing screenplays, I naturally continued this reclusive lifestyle.

Though police did visit the villa about the zombies and deaths, they passed by lightly even after noticing something suspicious.

The police said then:

“Killing zombies is murder, zombies killing is murder, people killing people with weapons is murder, we can’t handle the workload now. Even detective friends are turning into zombies. Let’s just process it as a zombie incident.”

With relief, we returned to my apartment with empty neighboring and downstairs units.

A peaceful day or two passed.

Do-hyung, used to camping, couldn’t stay still and wandered around the apartment but at least didn’t go out.

There was plenty to do anyway.

“…Is this the right way to do this? Seems kind of weird.”

“Um…”

The hydroponic planters we’d made from plastic bottles. We’d stuffed in onions, green onions and lettuce stolen from homes, but something felt wrong.

“No nutrient solution, no soil. Can they really grow? This can’t be right?”

“Well… If they die we’ll throw them out, if they live we’ll eat them.”

We had plenty of food for now anyway. This was an experiment. Only crops that survived harsh conditions deserved to be eaten by me.

The hope-filled plastic bottles were placed in sunlit spots on the floor.

Sometimes apocalyptic madmen appeared.

“Destroy everything!”

Juvenile delinquent gangs riding electric scooters, breaking windows with slingshots.

“Judgment has come! Only the faithful will be saved-“

Cult members going around knocking on doors preaching judgment and salvation.

“We must find antibodies as soon as possible! We must all get infected to find those with antibodies!”

Strange people going around spraying from bottles trying to infect others with the virus.

I watched them all from the window. Bitter emotions stained my heart.

‘In the past I would’ve worried about reflecting these people in screenplays.’

Now I only observed to understand the apocalypse. The realization that the aspiring screenplay writer in me was dead, leaving only an apocalyptic marauder, was depressing.

Of course there were many more depressed people in the world.

“Have you seen this person?”

People going around with photos on paper searching for missing persons. Parents wailing while hugging bodies of zombies shot by police in emergencies. People wandering streets certain they were infected.

So the virus gradually spread, and that day came.

The day virus test kits were developed. The day nuclear plants stopped and rolling blackouts began. The day the government moved.

Day 24 of the zombie outbreak.

The government’s broadcast aired.

“Is this right?”

“Seems right but…”

In my clean home – my cozy nest where I lived freely with the female student next door and couple downstairs dead – we blankly watched TV.

The government had announced a broadcast but the video seemed completely off. Not a press conference or emergency broadcast, more like an awkward public service announcement or children’s animation.

Characters firmly planted in the uncanny valley giggled while explaining I-virus countermeasures.

The I-kit has been developed!

Wow! Such great news! Let’s all get tested!

An awkwardly human-like character demonstrated how to use the test kit.

Jamming a long swab deep into their nose, squeezing eyes shut and coughing.

Bewildered muttering flowed out automatically:

“What is this? What am I watching?”

“This is the government announcement? …Wow. We really are screwed.”

The screen changed.

When a grotesque character made a sad face at their positive test result, surrounding friends fled “whoosh” beyond 2 meters, then began directly showing appropriate countermeasures.

Infected must report to the government! Don’t worry too much! Government quarantine is reliable!

Right! You’ll eat well and sleep well in isolation!

Suddenly static cut in. A real video flashed briefly. Container isolation facilities with bars and wire mesh.

Zombies wailing, packed as densely as rush hour subway trains, water provided by sprinklers, dry food like dog kibble distributed through bars. More like animals being farmed.

Only then did I realize. An accident. No way they’d show such footage.

Someone on the production or staff side had gone crazy. Whether from a sense of justice wanting to expose things, causing trouble since the world was ending, or deliberately doing it thinking they were already infected.

The only certain thing was this wasn’t something a sane person would do.

“Another apocalyptic madman…”

The screen returned to the unpleasant characters.

Characters waved to their friend being dragged away by soldiers in MOPP Level 4 protective gear, then turned to whisper among themselves.

But what if there’s no I-kit? What if you think you’re infected but can’t get tested?

Then you should do this! Don’t leave home, report to the government!

They showed a number.

Call this number and the government will contact you regularly! If you don’t answer, they’ll assume symptoms have appeared and come move you to isolation!

Honestly, the quarantine measure of using healthy soldiers in protective gear seemed pretty decent.

But those insane characters and footage made me distrustful.

A character winked.

Of course there are rules to follow then!

The apparent main character suddenly tied up their friend. Then threw them onto a bed.

Wouldn’t it be sad if you suddenly became a zombie and hurt your family? Wear a mask and tie your wrists and ankles tight!

Such nonsense like this…

My brain started overloading. Thoughts wouldn’t connect properly. Only shock and bewilderment dominated my mind.

Then the character put on glasses. A blackboard appeared in the background. Prevention measures were summarized in a list.

Most important is not getting infected with the virus in the first place! Minimize going out! The government-

Content about maximum restrictions on face-to-face activities and outdoor activities like working from home, online lectures, restaurants, etc.

If you must go out, always wear a mask! Always disinfect your hands!

Still countermeasures for a virus spreading only through droplets.

Hehehe. Then I can just play games at home! So great! …Wait! The power and water won’t get cut off right?

When a stupidly grinning male character anxiously shook, the main character smiled.

No! The government is working to maintain infrastructure and key facilities! Water supply will provide clean, sterilized water, and electricity will be fine except for rolling blackouts!

Static cut in again, switching to real footage.

Video of military units moving. Looking at the background, seemed like national key facilities. Electricity, gas, water, isolation facilities, pharmaceutical companies, things like that.

Then bang, the character appeared on screen.

The government is doing its best to maintain society! Safe administration, safe prevention! But most important is citizen cooperation! Everyone hang in at home until vaccine and treatment are developeeeed!

The voice stretched out long, and the character turned into a zombie trying to reach through the screen.

Several scenes briefly passed after. Images of a gaming character killing their whole family, an infected person tied to bed breaking a window with their head and jumping out, isolation patients treated like beasts.

Then the screen cut off abruptly.

A flustered announcer hurriedly tried to handle the situation.

There has been a broadcast accident. Incorrect footage was aired. We apologize. Ah, there will be a government statement. Connecting, connecting to the site.

For a moment silence seemed to fall over the whole world.

Seemed they planned to give rough guidance through a friendly public service announcement before a national address or press conference… but one crazy PD caused an accident.

I suddenly lamented.

‘Wow… Is this talent?’

I felt a wall I couldn’t cross no matter how hard I tried to become ruthless.

That madness. Faithfully following Immortal Company’s Chairman, masterfully sowing distrust in a well-responding government with just one video. A true madman accelerating the apocalypse.

On a different level from me just desperately trying to survive.

And that fact gave me relief.

Social norms making crime easier, spreading cults, people spraying virus from bottles, madmen terrorizing government announcements through broadcasts.

‘The world will collapse thanks to people like that.’

Day 24 of the zombie outbreak.

I enjoyed daily life in my warm home, the government press conference became a mess, and society properly began falling apart.

Darkness falling with the start of rolling blackouts seemed to cast a shadow over the world.