Chapter 24: Wave

A city plunged into darkness. The van crept slowly along the dark road with zombies following behind.

Cool night air blew through the wide-open window as Na Yeji held her phone outside. Camera flashes occasionally lit up the darkness, and she was recording video too.

Na Yeji waved her phone excitedly and called out, “Go a little slower! I want to film them properly!”

“What are you doing? Close that window!”

“How can I not film this? Ah-mmph!”

Do-hyung shouted angrily as the other patients forcibly pulled Na Yeji back and rolled up the window amid the commotion.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Hope fades easily. Watching the zombies following us, this fact hit me hard.

“They can’t keep up.”

There weren’t many zombies following anymore. Like dogs chasing a thrown ball, the zombies that had been running frantically now stopped in their tracks panting, quickly changing direction toward nearby buildings.

In the dim light, I could see the zombie horde I’d been trying to lead to the church dispersing like waves, breaking windows and invading random buildings. Like ripples left on water after a ship passes.

Of course some zombies were still chasing the van or newly joining the pursuit, but they weren’t impressive enough to replace machines.

If they had superhuman endurance, we might as well capture zombies to pull carriages.

‘Damn… at this rate we’ll only bring a few zombies? This isn’t a wave.’

Forget a wave, this was barely a cupful. Maybe one marathon runner zombie persistently following us plus a few zombies we might lure from near the church.

I counted the zombies one by one in the side mirror. Their numbers dwindled as we got closer to the church.

This was a disaster. It wasn’t even a wave. The people in the van could probably fight and win against this many. No way people would unite fighting something like this.

“I’ll park by the entrance!”

Vroom!

The van accelerated as soon as we entered church grounds. With a screech of brakes, we came to a sharp diagonal stop beside the entrance.

The glass doors were yanked open immediately as Elder Jeon urgently waved us in.

“Hurry inside!”

I got out slowly, briefly looking back. I could barely sense a few zombies’ presence. Dim figures. Light footsteps.

The first zombie to approach was the marathon runner, tap-tap-tapping closer. No need to look – it was clearly the one in the tracksuit that had chased us the whole way.

Had it spotted the entrance?

It increased speed like an athlete seeing the finish line. Tap-tap-tap, the rhythmic footsteps grew closer as the dark figure became clearer.

“Ah!”

“Hurry!”

People scrambled through the entrance. I sighed deeply before going in last, timing it to push the glass door shut with my whole body.

The marathon zombie’s full-speed charge collided with the heavy door closing.

The result was a crash.

Bang!

“Gaaah!”

The zombie screamed and fell backward. Several paving blocks suddenly rained down from above, completely crushing it. Someone had thrown them from the roof.

It was so anticlimactic I couldn’t even feel satisfied with our defensive preparations.

‘This is supposed to be a wave?’

Click – Elder Jeon raised the door’s top lock while shining his phone light. He spoke calmly:

“First floor’s cleared, defense teams ready on second floor and roof for throwing stones. …Time for disinfection.”

“Ah right, disinfection. Please make it quick.”

Sprays of disinfectant thoroughly soaked our clothes. Even hair and exposed skin were as wet as after a shower.

I rubbed my gloved hands together while observing everyone. The patients looked pale, Elder Jeon and Do-hyung remained calm. Na Yeji actually seemed excited.

‘This really isn’t enough…’

My thoughts suddenly turned to my fellow marauder who’d gone out in another car.

I asked immediately:

“Where’s the thie- I mean, Elder in charge of supplies?”

“He returned a while ago. More importantly, the city situation looks serious.”

Elder Jeon looked out through the dark entrance. About two zombies that had arrived during disinfection were wandering around. Growling noises came through the glass between us.

Elder Jeon whispered quietly while carefully blocking the entrance with desks and chairs:

“We tried contacting nearby vigilante groups, but many weren’t responding or said they were defending. Seems zombies emerged in waves almost simultaneously…”

Just then, as the mood grew heavy with his low voice, another rain of paving blocks fell.

The blocks returning to earth where they belonged. A steady noise of bricks hitting dirt, cracking zombie skulls, continued like a shower.

They seemed to be throwing somewhat randomly given poor visibility and accuracy.

Still, everyone was working together to fight off zombies. I tried to think positively.

‘This is like a vaccination or field training. The staging and scale are lacking but it’s not all bad.’

Just as that thought crossed my mind, as Elder Jeon was leading the somewhat unstable patients away, a real crisis suddenly struck.

“Once disinfection’s done, let’s head up-“

BANG!

An alien impact sound rang out. Metal being struck. Then flashing headlights and loud horn blaring.

A paving block had hit a car. Sensing the impact, the car’s alarm went off thinking it was being stolen. The noise echoed in all directions.

I snapped my head up. My fist clenched automatically.

‘This is it!’

Now zombies from the area would come flooding in. A real zombie wave. The crisis had emerged naturally. Whoever did it, well done. Brilliant thinking to hit the car.

“Ah, the car key, I have it right here?”

Do-hyung frantically checked the key and tried to go outside to turn off the alarm, but I quickly grabbed his clothes. My other hand pointed upward.

People eager for a chance to kill zombies with paving blocks.

“Go out now and you’ll get hit by bricks.”

“But if we leave it like this-“

“Too late. They’re coming.”

I looked outside. A world dark from the blackout. Between gaps in the car alarm, footsteps and inhuman cries drew closer.

The car alarm was already unpleasant enough. With it blaring like that, no way zombies wouldn’t come.

I quickly pointed at people, words coming fast:

“You all, lock every door on the first floor. They could break windows to get in and open doors. Hurry! Elder Jeon, please keep contacting other vigilante groups. Find anyone who might help if the church is in danger.”

People started moving busily. I hurried upstairs while checking my phone.

‘Blackout, 30 minutes left?’

These were zombies that had been crouching until the blackout came. When civilization’s lights returned, they would retreat too. We had enough time to hold out.

Of course if it seemed we couldn’t, I could hide faster than anyone else.

Car alarms usually ring for 2-5 minutes from what I know. Enough time to draw in zombies.

Climbing the barricaded stairs, I shouted loudly:

“Assume first floor will be breached! We must hold them at these barricades!”

“Yes, Deacon Kwon.”

“Don’t hesitate at all! These aren’t people but beasts trying to kill us!”

Strong men waited at the stairway landing barricades. High school boys in uniforms and adult men.

Each held flashlights in their mouths and gripped weapons – their eyes reflecting the white light gleamed with strange determination.

I knew quite a few had never killed even one zombie, so this was unexpected. Such little fear.

The administrative elder waved his hatchet like a greeting.

“Deacon Kwon. Don’t worry. The pastor showed us how to defeat Satan’s demon-possessed infected.”

“Ah.”

My steps slowed momentarily as I remembered our dear pastor.

The performance of beating zombies to death with a cross. These people who had witnessed it directly seemed to have enough indirect experience. It was moving.

‘Pastor. The hope you left behind continues here.’

Perhaps the pastor had intended this too. For people to gradually get used to killing zombies. For hearts to grow numb.

Movie direction is ultimately a technique for manipulating people’s hearts, so the pastor’s direction served the same function. The lingering power of religion probably helped too.

I lightly climbed to the roof.

The atmosphere up there was very different. Ominous.

The thieving elder was quietly fuming.

“Who would throw rocks at a car? Obviously the alarm would go off! A traitor? Another security elder type?”

“There really are awful people…”

“This is why I said to throw them gradually.”

Women with phones turned away or cast suspicious glances at each other. Somehow this felt more familiar to me. Comfortable even?

At the same time I realized something. A fellow marauder’s instinct or bond.

‘The thieving elder threw that rock at the car.’

I was certain he was lying. As expected of a main member. Look how naturally he wrapped himself in lies, making people turn to distrust and suspicion just by existing.

Plus triggering the zombie wave. Perfect.

That’s when I made my presence known.

“Elder. I’m back.”

“Ah, Deacon Kwon. You’re not hurt? Thank goodness. I felt bad sending you to the hospital.”

Wonder how much truth was in those words. But distrust was natural, wasn’t it? We didn’t even know each other’s real names.

“I’m fine. Glad to see you’re okay too, Elder. I was really worried.”

I smiled and approached the railing. The ground was dim even in moonlight under cloudy skies. In the darkness, flashing headlights and repeating car alarm.

The zombies had come.

Keeek, kieeek, monstrous cries. Countless marching footsteps. Darkness writhing.

‘Hard to see in this darkness.’

I frowned deeply. Couldn’t tell how effective the ropes tied to streetlights and trees were. We’d planted spikes, kitchen knives and metal skewers in the ground like seedlings where they might trip.

Couldn’t distinguish anything by sound either. The monster cries were too much like screams.

Instead came a voice from behind. The thieving elder’s voice trembled with fear:

“Aren’t there a lot? There’s so many?”

“Stay calm. There are probably fewer than we imagine. Just hard to see clearly…”

Words failed me.

The van still blaring its alarm. The area lit by its headlights was completely filled with zombies. Like waves eroding the flickering light, the zombie flood surged forward.

“…Deacon Kwon. There really are a lot.”

“Uh, no, no. It’s just in that lit area… No! Throw the stones!”

I frantically grabbed a paving block and hurled it down with all my strength. No idea if it hit or missed. The throwing was what mattered.

People rushed over and started raining down bricks randomly.

“Die, die, die!”

“Satan’s minions! You won’t touch this church!”

For a moment, sharp killing intent flashed across the aunties’ faces lit by phone lights.

But the situation itself was unclear. Time had passed, the alarm and headlights had gone out. The darkness was a severe hindrance.

Under that unknown pressure, I strained my ears. Sound was the only clue to gauge the situation.

‘Monster cries and shouts are too loud. Screams? Ah, glass breaking. And.’

Crash? Sounds like the entrance barricades being pulled down? Cold sweat suddenly ran down my back. Right. Zombies could use their hands somewhat.

They could break glass with our thrown bricks, and move the furniture we’d set up as barricades.

‘Should have nailed the furniture to walls. At least welded pieces together.’

This situation wasn’t good at all, was it?

I slipped back slightly, looking for the thieving elder. He had been leaning over the railing trying to see something, but came over to me.

“Deacon Kwon. I have pretty good night vision.”

The elder bragging about his thieving qualities checked around before speaking quietly:

“Zombies have spread out. No, they’re breaking all the first floor windows and going in. We’re practically surrounded. And more keep coming.”

“Ah, that’s good. All the first floor doors are locked. Better if they spread out.”

“They can open locked doors. And they’re wooden doors. Those things look strong enough to break through them.”

“…”

Really? Wooden doors did seem much weaker than metal ones.

‘Gym zombies or axe zombies could probably break through.’

We met eyes in the darkness. Like that night we’d plotted betrayal, I felt our thoughts aligning.

Admiring how the thieving elder timed betrayal faster than anyone, I said:

“Everyone’s throwing stones well. No need for us to manage this. Shall we check the third floor?”

“Right. There’s no one on the third floor. We should at least keep watch.”