episode_0203

***

“…I’m going to rest a bit.”

“What? What kind of nonsense is that? Aren’t you getting up quickly?”

The woman gritted her teeth and growled softly.

“…Uhm… couldn’t you speak more nicely, at least now?”

“Do you want to die? If you have the energy to spout nonsense, move!”

“…Here.”

“What are you doing, you bastard…”

The man handed the woman a thick bag.

“Take it.”

“Hey! You—”

Kieaaagh-!

A chilling, grotesque scream that made one’s hair stand on end pursued them.

The woman reacted with a startle, but the man didn’t.

He merely turned around slowly, as if watching a fire from afar.

The woman urged him on, crying out softly.

“Let’s go! Hurry!”

“……”

The man looked at the woman with calm eyes.

The woman was greatly shaken by the eyes she met.

It was a gaze she had often seen recently.

The eyes of someone who had given up everything.

The man raised his arm and smiled faintly.

“You, you…”

“Seriously. Even though I’m older, this is too much.”

Blood streamed from the man’s forearm, where a large chunk of flesh had been brutally torn away.

Clear teeth marks remained along the edge of the torn flesh.

And black veins were climbing up his body from the wound.

At the sight of the wound, the woman’s eyes trembled, unable to hide her agitation.

“Go.”

The man handed over the last remaining magazine to the woman and pushed her shoulder.

But the woman, greatly shocked, creaked like a broken doll.

Seeing this, the man gave a bitter smile and carefully reached out to caress the woman’s cheek.

“I hope… you, at least, survive.”

“Ah, no….”

Crack-crack-!

“Ah—!!”

“Over here!! You bastards!”

The man ran off, screaming.

He moved in the opposite direction from where they had been running together, shouting without stopping.

And he started firing his gun, drawing attention.

“Come on! Come on!! Die, all of you!! You sons of bitches!! My mood was already rotten today! Come and die! You fuckers!! All of you, come on! Do you want to die too?! Eat shit!!”

Before long, a terrible scream drowned out the man’s voice.

And then came the sound of a few gunshots.

“Aaaargh-!!!”

Instead of harsh curses, a desperate scream reached her ears, and the woman’s gaze involuntarily turned.

The man was being torn apart starting from his shoulder blade, just as he was caught.

Streams of bright red blood sprayed out like a fountain, staining them.

Clean, vivid blood-soaked organs spilled onto the floor.

Cruelly, the man was still conscious and writhing in agony even then.

That, too, was brief.

The man’s screams subsided, and the sound of chewing meat began to echo.

And the woman clearly saw it.

The man, spitting blood, gave a desolate and oddly nice last smile.

Thunk- roll-

“!!!”

Kwoooosh-!

The explosion, mixed with blood, surged forth and imprinted itself on the woman’s retina.

Thud-

“!!”

The man’s head, half-burned and torn, dropped at her feet.

She met the gaze of his remaining eye, unblinking and devoid of life.

The woman couldn’t turn away, nor could she close her eyes.

She was trapped by his unfocused gaze.

His exposed jaw moved, and he violently vomited blood.

And then, a completely different man’s voice was heard.

“Hey. Wake up.”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!”

***

Lawrence and Heize couldn’t open their eyes until sundown.

If an unfamiliar nurse hadn’t lit up the room with a camping lamp in the interim, the patient room would have remained dark.

‘Are they okay?’

Lawrence was sleeping peacefully, but Heize was not.

At some point, she started sweating cold sweat continuously.

In a hurry, I took out a soft towel from my inventory and wiped away her sweat.

She whimpered and gasped.

“……”

Even her breathing grew rough.

I brushed back her hair, soaked with sweat and matted like seaweed, and wiped away the perspiration.

I pressed the back of my hand on her forehead, but she didn’t seem to have a fever.

No, actually, she felt a little warm…

Just when I thought she might be getting better, her breathing became too ragged.

Her peaceful expression contorted in pain, and her eyelids trembled severely.

“She gasped! Gasped! Panted! Panted!”

“Ah, this…”

Deciding I couldn’t just let it be, I lightly patted her sweat-slicked cheek.

“Hey. Wake up.”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!”

“Argh! F***!!! You startled me!”

“What happened?!”

The scream was so piercing that even Lawrence shot up.

My heart was pounding from the sudden roar.

But for now, I held back.

“Hey. Get a grip.”

“Gasp! Gasp! Gasp! Cough!”

“Heize.”

I used one hand to pull down her wildly flailing arms.

With my other hand, I slapped her cheek a little harder, calling Heize to wake her.

Slap- slap-

“Heize!”

“Gasp!”

“Are you awake?”

“Hoo… hoo…”

Her eyes were open, but she wasn’t fully conscious, so I kept patting her cheek.

“Heize. Hey.”

“…Han.”

“Oh. Do you recognize me?”

“…Yeah…”

I released the hand I was gripping tightly and checked her complexion.

Her already fair skin had turned deathly pale.

I opened the bottled water I had prepared beforehand and held it to Heize’s mouth.

Gulp- gulp-

Heize, who emptied the 500ml bottle of water in one gulp, finally seemed to regain her senses and looked around the room.

And she seemed to remember that she had been asleep.

When Lawrence cautiously said something to her, Heize nodded.

‘I’m fine.’ I understood that much too.

Heize, clearly shaken as if she’d had a nightmare, didn’t move for a moment.

‘What kind of noisy sleep-talking was that?’

I picked up the towel and wiped Heize’s soaked face.

She, who hadn’t moved a muscle, slowly looked at me.

“…You’re mean.”

“What? Suddenly?”

What kind of thing to say to someone who’s worriedly taking care of her.

Since she looked ill, I didn’t scold her for now.

“…It’s too much…”

“No! What did I do?”

“Hmph.”

Heize, who snatched the towel from my hand to wipe her own sweat, seemed to be strongly pouting.

I asked if she’d had a dream, but she didn’t say anything.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine now.”

“Any pain?”

“None. But my body feels heavy.”

“…Right.”

I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t.

It was awkward to see the usually bright and energetic girl suddenly look so frail.

Her truly sickly appearance made me instinctively more cautious.

When Lawrence, who had woken up, gently comforted her in English, Heize finally composed herself as if fully awake.

Just then, a beat late, the patient room door opened and people entered.

“What’s going on?”

Director Jang, who appeared accompanied by a nurse and Captain Lee, first checked on the patients.

“It seems she was dreaming; her sleep-talking was quite loud.”

“…Just a moment.”

Director Jang checked Heize’s pupils with a penlight, examined her thoroughly, and then nodded slightly.

“There’s nothing wrong. It’s common for people who have experienced great shock… they sometimes become afraid of falling asleep.”

“……”

“If you take good care of her by her side, she’ll be fine. Please pay close attention.”

“…Understood.”

“No. I’m fine.”

“Shut it.”

“But it’s true…”

“Shush.”

Seeing her pout her lips at my words, it seemed she had indeed come to her senses.

Anyway, she certainly knows how to startle people.

“We were just on our way here when we heard the scream and were quite surprised.”

“Uhm… I apologize.”

“No, there’s no need to apologize.”

Director Jang said it was fine and asked the two if they were hungry.

The two who had just woken up said they had no appetite, but Director Jang encouraged them to eat at least a little.

“We came to fetch you because the preparations were just finished.”

At Captain Lee’s words, I helped Heize stand up.

Lawrence obediently got off the bed on his own.

“I have no strength…”

“Oh dear. Hold onto me.”

Perhaps very startled by her dream, Heize’s legs trembled.

“Do you want to wait here?”

I offered to bring the meal to her, but Heize shook her head.

In the end, Captain Lee and I each helped one person move to the dining area.

It was naturally cold outside, and while the patient room was slightly less so, it was still cold.

There was no electricity, so the heating wasn’t working; it couldn’t be helped.

As an extra measure, we wrapped them tightly in blankets in case they caught a cold.

It was a bit troublesome, but nothing too much.

We walked a bit slowly.

‘……’

Outside the building, darkness had settled.

There was no lighting except for flashlights illuminating paths here and there, or fires burning in oil drums.

Faint flickering lights could be seen from the windows of some buildings.

It seemed they were using candles or similar.

Life without electricity was more difficult than expected.

‘Can’t something be done about this?’

Compared to this, our shelter is a paradise on earth.

With that brief thought, we arrived at the dining hall in the adjacent building.

‘…Oh.’

The dining hall was lit, and a slightly warm air could be felt.

A faint hum could be heard from somewhere, indicating they were running a generator.

It was a sense of everyday life, feeling at least some trace of civilization.

Familiar faces were waiting for us in the dining hall.

“Welcome. This way, please.”

We took our seats following Secretary Choi’s guidance.

Sitting down, I subtly surveyed the dining hall.

The leaders of this place and their close attendants.

Captain Lee and his squad members, and Sergeant Kang.

They were members forming what could be called a rather impressive lineup.

While simple conversations began with Representative Pyo, the food arrived.

It wasn’t fancy cuisine, but warm food prepared with care.

It felt like they had gone to great lengths to prepare this gathering.

Perhaps because of that, the steaming dishes caught everyone’s attention.

“This gathering is for all of you. Please, don’t hesitate and eat before it gets cold.”

At his words, everyone smiled comfortably and began their meal.

‘……’

Clean white rice and several side dishes, seen after a long time.

The large, well-grilled ham felt like a substitute for meat, so to speak.

The unidentified stew also tasted somewhat like army stew and was edible.

It seemed they had gone to great lengths to make a decent meal with the limited ingredients available.

As Representative Pyo said, we could strongly feel their sincerity in preparing this for us.

I quietly enjoyed the familiar salty taste and warmth.

Lawrence and Heize, who had claimed they had no appetite, also ate well without picking at their food.

Sergeant Kang tried to restrain himself from gobbling it down, but he couldn’t help but stuff his mouth full.

‘…It’s a big improvement from the cold rice balls.’

It was a proper meal, not just sustenance for survival.

Though the dishes were simple, they were satisfying in many ways.

Everyone had eaten their fill, except for Sergeant Kim, who had filled his stomach quite aggressively.

Afterward, after drinking the fruit juice that followed, expressions of pleasant satisfaction appeared on everyone’s faces.

A warm atmosphere continued as everyone shared their impressions of the meal.

When the atmosphere seemed to have mellowed sufficiently.

“I heard Seonghan has something to say.”

Representative Pyo, like a former assemblyman, naturally led the atmosphere.

At his designation, the room quieted, and all eyes turned to me.

I finished my drink and slowly opened my mouth.

“Captain Lee asked me if I knew anything about zombies exhibiting unusual behavior.”

People began to focus on my words.

“You all know about the variants, right?”

Each person nodded.

They each said a word or two, but the common consensus was, ‘We haven’t encountered them directly.’

However, Sergeant Kang was an exception.

He was an experienced individual who had directly confronted one at close range.

So, I briefly shifted the topic to Sergeant Kang.

“Sergeant Kang.”

“Yes.”

“Do you remember the one we fought when we first met?”

“…I could never forget it.”

Seeing Sergeant Kang’s disgusted expression and clenched teeth, I could guess his feelings at the time.

“First, what’s certain is that one is the problem.”

“That one?”

“The one that Sergeant Kang and I encountered controls the zombies.”

Instantly, the air in the dining hall grew cold.

I ignored their reactions and continued my explanation.

“I’ve caught several of them that were similar to, almost identical to, that one.”

“……”

“If there was a zombie horde with an unusual momentum, that one was always among them, as if watching from the back.”

People’s reactions seemed mixed with shock and a hint of disbelief.

“Seonghan… are you certain…”

“I am certain.”

I answered Captain Lee’s cautious question firmly.

It was something I only became certain of after encountering that one more than three times myself.

That’s why I can talk about it now and state it with certainty.

It was that difficult for me to acknowledge and accept.

A zombie that controls zombies, imagine that.

“When that one is present, the way the zombies move is completely different.”

“Different, how?”

“They don’t wander around aimlessly or scatter haphazardly. They charge precisely towards their target. And…”

I paused to catch my breath.

“They also surge forward like a giant wave.”

“What kind of…”

“Ah…!”

It was Sergeant Kang who understood my words.

“I saw it from behind when Hyung-nim was fighting before. There’s no other way to describe it than that they truly charged like a literal wave.”

“Huh…”

“Imagine a 2-3 meter high wave crashing down on you.”

“……”

“But that wave is made of zombies.”

People were horrified by Sergeant Kang’s description.

It was a remarkably accurate description.

“And if you take down that one, the zombies become stupid again.”

“What do you mean ‘stupid’?”

“It means they become so distracted they can be lured away by other sounds or flames.”

“Ah…”

Everyone believed my words, yet found it difficult to accept them.

An entity that controls them, and they’re not even ants.

I had anticipated everyone’s reaction and could understand it.

“I don’t know much either. Even if we explain zombies gathering like that with these variants, I don’t know why they roam around.”

“Hmm…”

“What I know for certain is that all the variants are dangerous and tenacious.”

At my words, Representative Pyo narrowed his eyes.

“Wait a minute, Seonghan. Are you saying…”

“There isn’t just one type of variant.”

“!”

I then recounted the characteristics of the variants I had encountered so far.

The one that resembled a camel cricket, the one with whip-like arms, the gym-rat gorilla one.

And the small, fast-moving one shaped like a child.

People showed various reactions.

Their faces turned ashen, or they found it difficult to accept.

Or they were speechless.

Everyone gasped in silent horror.

They were shocked by the fact that there wasn’t just one type, but several.

And the physical strength these creatures possessed was also received with shock.

“There are some commonalities, though…”

“What are they?”

It was Captain Lee who spoke with a heavy voice.

He asked, adopting a posture that showed he wouldn’t miss a single piece of related information.

“They’re ugly as f***.”

“…Pardon?”

“They’re so hideously ugly it’s hard to explain in words. If you just see one, that’s probably the first thing you’ll blurt out.”

“……”

Captain Lee showed a bewildered reaction, but…

“Hyung-nim is right. They really do look like that.”

“Hoo…”

“And their weakness is still the head.”

At the mention of a weakness, people’s eyes brightened.

But Captain Lee was a little different.

“In other words, it means they can’t be taken down anywhere but the head.”

I nodded at his accurate interpretation.

“Their strength is also vastly superior to regular zombies. For one, they won’t die from one or two grenades, even if they take a hit.”

I recounted the variants’ strength, speed, and durability, and everyone who heard it clamped their mouths shut as if speechless.

Even Captain Lee couldn’t maintain his composure.

To that extent, the existence of variants was nothing short of a culture shock.

For a moment, only silence filled the table.

“But why hasn’t this been known?”

It was CEO Kim’s meek question.

“It seems variants are not commonly seen.”

“Ah…”

“And if someone encountered them, they would have almost certainly died.”

The number of variants is definitely small.

And there would be no, or very few, humans who encountered them and survived.

They are that strong and troublesome.

“…Where on earth could such creatures have come from…”

I calmly replied to CEO Kim’s murmuring, which sounded like a complaint.

“It’s not certain, but I have a hunch.”

“……Pardon?”

She seemed flustered, perhaps not having expected me to answer.

And she wasn’t the only one.

“Once before, I saw someone bitten by a variant transform into a variant right there.”

“……”

“What was unusual was that it only bit and didn’t kill. Of course, it inflicted a fatal wound.”

At my blunt explanation, people gasped.

Everyone who heard this hard-to-believe truth became serious.

They probably wanted to deny it, but since I was the source of the information, it seemed to give them a headache.

“Ah. Now that I think about it, there’s one more characteristic.”

People now looked at me with uneasy eyes.

“They make a similar sound. Like this.”

Crunch- crunch-

Crunch- crunch-

The dining hall erupted at the high-quality impersonation.