Chapter 27: Poison

Returning to the villa after a long time, I found it thoroughly cleaned. Of the five units I hadn’t touched, three were empty. Whether the residents had died venturing outside or moved to another city, I couldn’t tell.

Even the units that showed signs of life…

Click-

“Door’s open- whoa!”

As soon as Park Yang-gun opened the door, a zombie inside lunged desperately, drool dripping. The emaciated zombie reached out with near-manic intensity.

“Kraaah!”

Like a starving person diving for a bowl of rice.

But we were too adapted to the apocalypse to be startled by that. Park Yang-gun immediately drew his gun and fired. Bang, the gunshot echoed through the villa, and the zombie took a bullet to the forehead at point-blank range.

A hammer and hatchet grazed the falling zombie’s crown – thrown by me and Do-hyung.

We assessed the situation coldly. This was the last unit, and its resident had been infected and turned into a zombie.

Do-hyung muttered:

“We really got ourselves a whole villa.”

“Wow. No need to envy landlords now. Kim Da-in. Should we pretend to be villa owners and take in people? Get food instead of rent?”

I stared blankly at the zombie and shook my head.

“That’s for later. Let’s check what resources are left in the units first.”

My voice was somewhat bitter.

There were still more humans than zombies. Yet people so easily became zombies, or died.

Getting the villa didn’t make me happy. The villa was destined to be mine eventually anyway, and their final moments troubled me more.

‘If I don’t want to end up like them, I need to be careful.’

Watch out for the virus, watch out for zombies.

Reciting survival principles to myself, I slowly looked around the unit. Units full of garbage, units with furniture all knocked over as if zombies had rampaged.

Park Yang-gun, true to his thief nature, opened wardrobes and crooked drawers searching for bankbooks, seals, and valuables. Do-hyung and I looked for resources like food.

After wandering these dump-like rooms for a while, Park Yang-gun clicked his tongue.

“Nothing here. Place is cleaned out.”

“There’s absolutely nothing worth taking.”

Really nothing. Just plastic waste like convenience store lunch boxes, and zombies had scraped even food waste clean. Seemed they weren’t the type to stock up groceries in the first place.

Opening this treasure chest yielded nothing. Just the box remained. Though the box itself was useful too.

“We’ll have to be satisfied with cleaning out the villa.”

“Then let’s each take a unit and live separately.”

So we decided to live apart.

The incubation period virus made sharing space somewhat concerning. For sleeping, eating, anything requiring masks off – better to stay isolated.

Day 50 of the Zombie Outbreak.

In a world where zombie numbers had already passed a million, tens of thousands more daily barely registered anymore.

After a long time, I browsed the internet on my computer checking how the world was doing. Infection numbers, government response, news, people’s reactions.

“Government seems somewhat functional…”

Tap tap tap – I drummed the desk lost in thought. The bright monitor showed the strongest evidence of government function.

K-Military Spirit Unstoppable Even by I-virus!

They were still maintaining conscription even now. Something about prioritizing diagnostic kits to training camps…

‘Isn’t this madness?’

Taking in new recruits while zombie virus spreads? Or not? Are they desperately trying to replace soldiers lost to zombie transformation? Will they mobilize reserves too? Though of course I wouldn’t go even if called…

I scrolled the mousewheel checking other news.

Administrative power and organization minimally maintained through priority supply to civil servants and military. Safe zones established using self-diagnostic kits.

Additionally, they were defending national infrastructure and critical facilities with almost trench-like lines.

How to put it. They seemed to be working hard in their way, though handling things moderately since zombies were still citizens.

‘Reactions aren’t good.’

I read the hate comments. The atmosphere had completely changed from the outbreak’s early days.

Perhaps due to waves and disrupted lives. Citizens feeling crisis gave bloodthirsty comments about shooting zombies dead.

Then chaos erupted as people with zombie family members or positive self-test results pushed back. Would you say that if you or your family were infected?

Uninvolved in such fights, I fell into questioning.

“The military’s too defensive. Why?”

Is just defending and maintaining safe zones and critical facilities frontlines too much? Has the virus spread that much in the military? Or is it really because zombies are still citizens?

Though I pondered seriously with furrowed brows, thoughts soon drifted to imagination and delusion. Too little information.

‘Why not fight zombies…’

Zombies are patients. Could some recover naturally? No, could human immune systems defeat I-virus? Are they waiting for that timing?

Are they just holding out for vaccine and treatment development? Or finding people with antibodies?

Imagination’s wings spread wide. Consciousness flowed randomly.

‘War with virus. War?’

Could they think that even if pushed back now, good defense means no defeat? Long-term view of defeat and victory?

Then suddenly some inspiration struck without context. Inspiration that could help my future plans too.

I barely grasped that inspiration. What’s humanity’s strongest spirit? Isn’t it the spirit of dying together?

“Virus… less dangerous than humans.”

I-virus evolves to contaminate water and air? Humans can do that too? Even more severely?

We have nukes, can blow up nuclear plants, various pollutants and wastewater and bioweapons.

Evolves to infect birds and beasts? Humans have steel birds. Nuclear missiles.

Meaning if hopeless humans truly go mad, the virus can never win. Because they’ll make the land uninhabitable for hosts.

As thoughts twisted and tangled, they rushed toward some conclusion.

“Must become more vicious…”

Need viciousness neither zombies nor humans dare face. Viciousness is humanity’s weapon.

I suddenly looked outside. Streets where humans walked in bright day. Streets where zombies ran at night. To make even a temporary base safer…

Thoughts burst into words.

“Wonder if I can get fentanyl?”

Like rat poison, for hungry zombies to eat and die. Heard 2mg is lethal. Much better than accidentally going in human mouths, right?

Then suddenly the Chairman’s face appeared. He wore an awkward smile. An imperfect face showing humanity.

I sighed.

‘Chairman. You were human too.’

A virus that can never win against human malice. A virus whose best outcome is mutual destruction.

I realized the Chairman too had limits and made mistakes as a human.

“Hey, you doing drugs? I don’t associate with drug users.”

“No wonder. Something seemed off about your head.”

The two marauders looked at me suspiciously. I waved both hands frantically in indignation.

“Not for me! For zombies to eat. Like roach poison!”

“Then why look for fentanyl specifically?”

The suspicion wouldn’t fade. Eyes scanning my room as if I must have hidden something bad.

I explained calmly.

“I don’t know how to get cyanide or such. Don’t even know where they sell it.”

“But you know about fentanyl?”

“No, I don’t! But there were so many drug cases. Thought even in apocalypse, junkies stay junkies so might be able to get some somehow.”

Though I’d only seen news, it really seemed ridiculously easy now. The most accessible poison in current situation.

And lethal in tiny amounts too.

Park Yang-gun slapped the floor.

“Don’t get involved with those types. Drug users never end well. Get like, I dunno. Pufferfish poison instead.”

“Pufferfish?”

How to get pufferfish? Hard to trade long-term too.

I stared at Park Yang-gun with round eyes, and he snapped:

“Do you know how many pufferfish restaurants are in this city! Check those first!”

“Or wouldn’t antifreeze work? Think I heard somewhere it’s poisonous.”

As expected of marauder members. Giving ideas I couldn’t think of alone. I nodded with a pleased smile.

“Then I’ll go quickly while sun’s up.”

Though blackouts only took 25 percent of the day, zombies claimed half. Humans ruled the city by day, zombies by night. As if an invisible boundary divided their times.

I walked streets swept by zombie waves.

Corpses scattered everywhere. Blood stains refusing to fade from roads. Shadow of destruction seemed to loom over the whole city.

‘Can’t even collect the bodies.’

Even in areas with functioning vigilantes or groups, corpses were neatly piled but awkwardly left unburied or unburned. The huge corpse piles looked just like garbage dumps.

Moreover, people walking the streets passed by indifferently like normal.

This inhuman scene was truly apocalyptic. A world where death was common, where morals and minds wore down returning to primitive state.

I quietly checked my hammer and gun.

‘Was coming alone unwise? Even with no zombies in daylight, people are more dangerous.’

Eyes wide open scanning all directions. Others were similar. Walking with menacingly modified, painted and welded weapons.

An era where weapons showed personality more than clothes. Since apocalypse uniforms of masks, hats, helmets, leather clothes, jeans made everyone look same.

Nerves on edge, I headed to the nearest sushi restaurant. One that served pufferfish.

“…Brutal.”

Several zombie corpses lay in front of the restaurant. Glancing as I passed, all had carotid arteries precisely and sharply cut.

Cut with sushi knives? I gulped and entered the restaurant. As bells chimed, a disciplined voice called:

“Welcome!”

Inside the omakase-style restaurant empty due to prevention policies. A fierce-looking middle-aged man saw me. He held a sharp kitchen knife, and several fish tattoos showed on his exposed forearm.

An expression suggesting he’d rather slice people than fish.

As I stood frozen in surprise, the man smiled awkwardly. He covered his tattoos with one hand.

“Ah, these. I just love fish. This is mullet, this salmon, this tuna. Oh right. That’s not- You’re here for takeout? Can I check your order number?”

“No. I’m here to order now.”

“You know dining in isn’t allowed?”

“I know.”

I sat cautiously at the far end. Seemed like a difficult person.

“What would you like to order? Luckily got fish in today.”

Seems logistics haven’t completely broken down yet. Anyway, I got to the point.

“Pufferfish poison.”

“For pufferfish it takes time to prep… Poison?”

The man who’d turned away spun back. The knife in his hand flashed threateningly like it would stab someone. He completely dropped his customer service smile.

“Can’t sell poison.”