Chapter 104: Moving
Chapter 104: Moving
#
I'd already spent far too long crouched behind the cramped counter.
The small figure behind the Giant Zombie sent a fresh wave of fury through me.
It was after my precious cart.
Rustle, rustle.
The dwarf-like figure cautiously untied the restraint rope while watching the Giant Zombie.
I had happily imagined another monster appearing, the two fighting, and both destroying each other...
But I couldn't simply let myself be robbed.
I tightened my grip on the baseball bat and rose from behind the counter.
Clang.
Grrrrr.
The instant I steeled myself and stood, something clattered loudly onto the asphalt.
Hearing it, the Giant Zombie exhaled roughly and turned toward the small figure.
Kwaaaaah!
After spotting the small figure, the Giant Zombie roared and charged.
Its colossal body carried tremendous force simply by moving forward.
A glancing blow alone would probably kill that tiny thief.
'What the hell? Why was it so slow?'
I'd known it was slow, but not this slow.
The small figure noticed the charging monster, flinched, then hurriedly began opening the tightly tied duffel bag.
A small hand emerged from beneath the cloak and grabbed a single can.
"You little fucking thief."
The thief scurried deeper into the alley.
The Giant Zombie followed, moving slowly but apparently as fast as it could.
I wanted to chase the thief, but I couldn't abandon the duffel bags, so I stopped beside the cart.
'A mirror? That was what gave me away.'
A broken hand mirror lay on the asphalt.
The mirror had cracked into three pieces inside its case. I wrapped it in tissue and pocketed it.
I gathered the loose rope, secured the cart, and hurried back into the café.
Through the glass front, I could see the supermarket across the street.
'I could sleep a little. Maybe I should simply spend the night here.'
I hesitated, but the place felt too exposed.
If the thief returned while I slept and cut my throat, I'd have only myself to blame.
So I decided to inspect the upper floors.
The building had eight stories.
The first floor contained the café and parking area, while the upper floors appeared to be studio apartments.
I left the café, crossed the small parking lot, and entered the main building.
I lifted the cart and carried it up the stairs.
Units 201 through 206.
Six doors lined the corridor.
I checked them one by one, but all were locked.
Not a single apartment stood open through the seventh floor.
At several doors, the sound of the handle stirred zombies inside.
But because the doors remained locked, I moved on.
Perhaps some zombie could open a lock, but these merely bumped against the doors.
On the eighth floor, I finally found an open apartment.
A zombie stood in the doorway at the end of the corridor.
Its body must have prevented the door from closing.
Grrrr.
It turned toward me.
After spotting me, its fingers twitched.
"No! Stay there. I'm coming to you, asshole."
I sprinted at full speed.
The zombie blocking the doorway stepped forward.
Kwaaaaah!
It immediately shrieked and charged.
As it moved away, the door slowly began to swing shut.
"Hah!"
Whish. Whish. Whish—thwack!
In desperation, I hurled the baseball bat.
It spun through the air and struck the zombie in the head.
As the zombie lifted off its feet and toppled, I dove beneath it.
'Please.'
Swoosh—crash!
I remembered sliding into first base after a weak hit.
I'd sprinted as though being chased, then thrown myself forward with one hand reaching for the base.
The coach had torn into me afterward.
"Agh... my shoulder."
Just as then, my outstretched hand reached the door before it closed.
The price was slamming my shoulder into the floor.
'I really hoped I hadn't cracked a bone...'
I rose while gently rotating my shoulder.
I wedged the door open and retrieved my gear.
"Ah, shit."
The wooden bat I'd thrown had shattered.
Splinters littered the floor.
Catching one closing door had cost me dearly.
'Maybe I should have spent the night in the café.'
With some regret, I entered Unit 806.
Careful not to make noise, I inspected the interior.
Other than the clutter, the apartment seemed safe.
I locked the door securely, washed myself, and did laundry.
I didn't know whether the clothes would dry by morning, but I owned very few changes of clothing.
'I should clean what I could whenever I had the chance.'
I also wiped the black zombie blood from the duffel bags.
Then I unpacked and considered my supplies.
I should conserve the combat rations as much as possible.
'It made more sense to eat foods that required cooking or spoiled sooner first.'
Because someone had lived there, I could cook.
I measured rice and prepared enough for that night and the following morning.
I also planned to eat the kimchi Na-yeon had packed first.
For side dishes, I opened meat-bulgogi bibim sauce and a can of red beans.
'Ugh... It tasted like eating preservatives and MSG directly.'
I forced the bland side dishes down with the rice.
Still, hunger was the best seasoning, and they were more edible than expected.
After eating, unease drove me to rearrange the furniture.
The door was locked, but I piled furniture against it just in case.
I stripped away the dusty bedding and lay on the bare mattress.
The unusually long day ended as I rapidly fell asleep.
#
The next day.
Once again, I awakened in the darkness before dawn.
'I fell asleep before dawn and woke before dawn...'
The digital watch from the military unit showed that I'd slept only about three hours.
Even so, I felt fine and rose.
As part of my new routine, I checked my body. My shoulder no longer hurt at all.
'This ability truly was impressive.'
I tried to check the bathroom mirror, but the light wouldn't turn on.
With a sense of foreboding, I tried every switch in the apartment.
The living room, bedroom, bathroom, even the sensor light by the entrance.
None worked.
Instinctively, I went to the veranda and looked outside.
Before sunrise, absolute darkness covered the city.
Every city light had vanished.
'Where was my lantern...?'
Sensing something was wrong, I searched my backpack and found it.
A military right-angle flashlight.
"Whoa. That's creepy as hell."
Only after finding it did I recognize what had felt strange.
I had been moving naturally despite the total darkness.
The faint moonlight through the window was enough for me to distinguish objects.
'Or was that normal? Could anyone see this well after adjusting to the dark?'
I didn't know.
Whatever the reason, the advantage was welcome. I set down the lantern and entered the bathroom.
I left the door open and turned the faucet, but no water came out.
"Ah, seriously. You can't cut everything off at once."
I complained despite having no one to hear me.
Just in case, I tried the kitchen gas range. It was dead as well.
It felt as though the world had stopped while I slept.
"All right. If this is some hilarious hidden-camera prank, you can stop now."
Muttering to myself, I ate cold rice.
No matter how I considered it, this was unnatural.
It felt as though some being had shut down the world...
The problem was that I had no way to resist.
I didn't know the cause and had no means to fix it.
'I simply had to adapt...'
I urgently needed to scavenge more supplies.
I needed clothing, tools for starting fires, and most importantly, water.
I could no longer rely on drinking tap water wherever I stopped.
'But how was I supposed to carry everything?'
Finding supplies was one problem; transporting them was another.
Was I destined never to escape the handcart?
It felt as though humanity had returned to the Stone Age overnight, and irritation surged through me.
I had little drinking water remaining, which made the situation bleak.
'I had to move quickly. Then again, that had always been true.'
Fortunately, I found several 1.5-liter bottles in the refrigerator.
I brushed my teeth, rinsed with a single mouthful of water, and prepared to leave.
I attached the night-vision goggles to my helmet and switched them on, but my unaided vision seemed better.
'They were heavy and useless.'
Still, throwing them away felt wasteful, so I returned them to my backpack.
Annoyed, I moved the furniture that had made me feel so secure the night before.
Reflecting on how fickle people were, I left the apartment.
#
"Hey, idiot. See anything over there?"
"What? I can't see a thing."
"That's your future. Heh heh."
"Same for you."
"What did you say, you little shit?"
As I exited the building, I heard quiet voices.
I stopped and listened.
"How much longer are we waiting?"
"How should I know? If the boss hadn't chased that little brat, we'd have finished already."
"Couldn't the two of us handle him?"
"Jun-ho's group tried that last time and got wrecked. Better to play it safe."
Had these bastards followed me?
A chill ran down my spine.
I realized how close I'd come to being murdered in my sleep.
'If I'd decided it was too troublesome and slept in the café...'
The thief's appearance had actually saved me.
"Fuck this. I can't see anything. Are you even watching properly?"
"Yes, I'm watching. Would he really come out at this hour anyway?"
"Damn it. Why did I lose at rock-paper-scissors? How long until we rotate?"
"Another hour. But the supermarket isn't exactly warm either."
So more of them were inside the supermarket.
Dawn was approaching.
If I moved before sunrise, I might slip away unnoticed.
But leaving enemies behind me felt dangerous.
If they pursued me again, settling matters here might be better, whatever the outcome.
'I was sick of constantly running away.'
I had to lose them completely or eliminate every last one.
From their conversation, negotiation seemed impossible.
Was there a good way to handle this?
"Hey, assholes. Anything happen?"
"You're back. What about the kid?"
"Lost him. The little bastard was fast. He slipped through a hole in a wall—how was I supposed to follow?"
"Should we wake the others?"
"Yeah. Let's smoke first. The big guy has a lot of luggage. Wonder what's inside. Heh heh."
"Are you planning to recruit him too?"
"We'll sweet-talk him first, then quietly dispose of him later. Look at the size of that bastard. Imagine how much he eats."
That confirmed negotiation was impossible.