Uncomfortable Cohabitation (7)
It was a memory from some time ago. Tae-woo and the village arcade. The games were made by the cult itself, so they had a rather religious flavor, but they were still enjoyable enough. We were on our way home after playing a few rounds.
Tae-woo had asked me then, “Do you prefer the country mouse or the city mouse?” What had I answered back then? I couldn’t remember. Not because the memory didn’t exist.
“Ugh, fuck…”
I spat out the dust that had forced its way into my lungs and pushed myself upright. The reason this memory surfaced now wasn’t coincidence. Like a rat, I had nearly been buried alive underground.
A pitch-black darkness where I couldn’t even see my own hand. Even with my night vision improved from higher Perception, nothing was visible. Perception really was useless here.
Whether something had gone wrong when the stairwell collapsed or if it had always been this way, the basement had no power. It was completely dark.
“Oppa, are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere…?”
My sister’s voice, slightly wet with tears. Even in the dark, her voice rang out clearly. I felt her small hand grasp mine and pull me up.
Was it because her Perception was 14? She must be able to see. I couldn’t see a thing. My own Perception was 12—only a two-point difference, yet the gap felt far too large. Had she always had such good night vision?
Thinking back, it was strange. The difference between our skills and stats was at most one stage in shooting and two points in Perception. Yet my sister had noticed every single time the Centurion prepared to attack and countered instantly. Even that final indiscriminate barrage from the Centurion felt like it had only happened because she stopped returning fire and left an opening.
How? Was it like how the Snake had 1 point in everything but still possessed 276 Strength compared to me? But even then, could the difference really be this vast?
I felt a flicker of doubt.
“Oppa~…?”
The sound of her sniffling pulled me back to the present. Well, I had screamed at the end. It was only natural she’d be worried.
“I’m fine, so stop calling me.”
“Really…?”
“Yeah. I was just realizing the world was too cruel a place for Tae-woo to be born into.”
“Ham…?”
Her tone rose in confusion, but I didn’t answer. Every last one of them was an incomplete human. The man who once pursued justice, the cult’s only conscience, the light and salt known as Choi Tae-woo. I hope it’s peaceful where you are.
I rose to my feet after a moment of silent prayer. The basement held not a single point of light; nothing was visible at all. Fortunately, it seemed I wasn’t the only one struggling.
“Hyun, is there anything? A flashlight or something. Or maybe use Senior Choi’s smartphone as a flashlight…”
“Yeah, I’ve got one. Never thought I’d need it like this.”
I pulled out the flashlight, covered the front with my hand, and switched it on. In the faint shapes that emerged, Ye-eun was squinting while Kang Ahyeon stood right beside me. Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I moved my hand aside and swept the beam around.
The basement was typical. Pipes ran along the walls with faint bloodstains visible between them, yet no bodies could be seen. There were no zombies, but the faint metallic scent of blood lingered in the air.
“Hmm.”
I had worried the Centurion might have deliberately lured us into the stairwell… but maybe it was just paranoia.
“So where are we?”
Just a basement. Direction was impossible to determine, and the spot where we stood branched into two separate paths. The only one who might know was Ye-eun.
“…Sorry. I don’t know either.”
She answered while avoiding my eyes.
“B-but! I roughly know the direction, so if we just keep going that way…”
It was a weak answer, but it made sense. Our worries were whether the Centurion would somehow clear the collapsed stairwell to attack from behind, or make its way here from the main building. Yet no matter how hard I listened, I couldn’t hear any approaching sounds. There was no sound of that spear-like gun firing either. It seemed safe. For now, at least.
“First… what should we do?”
We couldn’t move into open ground. But blindly closing the distance wasn’t smart either. After all, there was no guarantee that rapid fire wouldn’t work at close range. Even if I used Tadol to close in and engage, one slip-up and I’d be fucked.
“More importantly… Lee Ye-eun.”
“Yeah?”
“You should’ve told me if you had something like that. I almost died back there.”
“…I didn’t know. Don’t get mad…”
“Uh, no, I’m not mad…”
Her suddenly deflated voice made me stammer in a panic. If she didn’t know, then it couldn’t be helped. I dragged my exhausted body over to the wall and sat down.
“Any guesses?”
“Guesses…?”
When I saw her puzzled expression, I set the flashlight down and switched it to lantern mode. Light scattered across the room. The now-brighter space was still nothing more than a gloomy basement. I watched Kang Ahyeon naturally claim the spot beside me and opened my bag.
There was plenty to do. Reload the spent magazines, eat something, drink water. If possible, I’d like to use the bathroom too. Even if it had to be down here.
I spoke to the still-confused Ye-eun.
“Well, you were in the same department, right? Same major? Whatever. Was there anyone particularly good at rifle shooting?”
It came from experience. The Preacher had clearly been an incredible fighter in life, and the Holy Warrior had been a judo dan holder. I wasn’t sure about the Snake, but it couldn’t have been completely unrelated. My guess was that Variants were created based on the skills and traits the person possessed before becoming a zombie.
“Things like that don’t just appear for no reason. At minimum, they must have had that level of skill in life to turn out like this.”
And by my reasoning, the Centurion’s presence here wasn’t a coincidence. Everything had causality. The Holy Warrior had followed his conscience, rebelled against the cult leader, become infected, and been abandoned in the bunker. One of the talented individuals the cult leader had gathered in preparation for the Rapture had become a Variant and turned into the monster known as the Preacher. Just like how the bishop had appeared after consuming the cult leader zombie’s mature form and holy blood.
“Like the shooting club’s top rifle ace or something.”
I figured the Centurion’s appearance also had its own causality.
“…Ah, there was. You’re right. There was one senior like that…”
As expected.
“He was a former military sniper. The guy who competed in the three-position rifle events… He was an ace, but I never heard anything about him escaping.”
Learning the actual cause made it even worse. A military sniper would know close-quarters combat too, right? If he was special forces, then he’d have all sorts of other skills besides shooting.
Feeling a headache coming on, I let out a sigh. I shook my head as I took back the magazine I’d tossed to Kang Ahyeon and loaded it into my pouch.
“This just got a lot more annoying.”
Gucheon Athletic University
📍 Objective: Defeat Variant - Centurion 0/1
🎁 Reward: +2 Stats and Temporary Skill 'Synthesis'
Strong enemies came with equally strong rewards. Would it be at the Master rank for shooting? At the very least I should be able to loot an Advanced skill, or maybe gain another skill or trait. In the end, I had to crush it. I steeled my resolve. There were compatibility issues, but if I thought it through, there would be a way. No reason to feel discouraged.
“First, let’s eat something.”
“Yeah. I want to drink water. I’m thirsty.”
“You’re always thirsty.”
“No I’m not~.”
My sister smiled brightly. I glanced at the side of her face before pulling a few energy bars from my bag. She immediately claimed my lap. Though I frowned, I let her stay and ate quietly. What a hassle.
“Lee Ye-eun, you eat too.”
“Ah, uh, really…?”
“What if you don’t eat and die from exhaustion?”
“That kind of joke isn’t funny…”
“It’s not a joke, so just eat.”
“Okaaay~…”
When I widened my eyes, Ye-eun’s cheeks flushed red in the flashlight beam. The sister occupying my lap noticed it too. Her eyes narrowed sharply. Soon she let out a mocking laugh.
“Unnie, you’re really unpleasant. Just copying what other people do.”
“W-what did I…”
“You copied me, didn’t you? Or am I wrong?”
“If we’re going there, then you acting all cute is even more—”
“It’s because I know Oppa will accept it. Right, Oppa~?”
Kang Ahyeon’s tone instantly turned sweet as she smiled brightly. I ignored her in case it gave me indigestion.
“So, what’s the plan?”
After eating a few energy bars and drinking water, the question came while I was still gulping it down.
“Well, I want to move in a way that minimizes the rooftop shooting angles while closing the distance. You don’t know the basement well?”
“No, usually the basement… Ah.”
“Hmm?”
“There are bullets in the basement. Under the shooting range.”
Oh? But hadn’t she said she didn’t know it well? When I looked puzzled, Ye-eun looked embarrassed.
“Sorry, I was a little… confused because of the situation. If it’s the basement near the shooting range storage, I know a bit.”
“A bit?”
“…I usually don’t go get them myself.”
Ah, the downside of being an athlete. Still, we had a direction now. A firefight would put us at a disadvantage, but securing the ammunition that had been our goal from the start seemed like a solid plan. An ammo depot would usually be sturdy too. If it came down to a siege, we’d have the advantage.
“…Hyun, can you give me some water? Even what you were drinking is fine.”
“You’re not asking because it’s what I was drinking, right?”
“…No.”
“Then drink mine.”
“…Okay.”
“Oppa works hard, so he needs to drink plenty of water. Right, Oppa~?”
My sister spoke to me in a voice dripping with honey. I tried my best to ignore it. Ye-eun looked visibly disappointed. Well, at least she got to drink my sister’s expensive Perrier.
After the meal, we left the empty energy bar wrappers behind and stood up.
“Let’s go.”
The formation was the same as usual. Me in front, Lee Ye-eun in the middle, Kang Ahyeon at the rear. We hadn’t gone far before we heard a sound. The low growl of a zombie.
I glanced back and passed the flashlight rearward. Once Ye-eun took it, I drew the machete from the sheath on my backpack, lowered my stance, and closed the distance.
There was a zombie. It stood blankly, wandering in place. Its movements were strange. What was it?
Drip. Drip. Drip. The sound of falling water reached my ears.
Even without understanding, I closed in with my weapon raised. There was no reason to hesitate. I narrowed the gap. I didn’t use Tadol—the sound would draw attention. Instead, I approached slowly and then—
Crunch!
I split its skull with a single swing of the machete. The blade sank vertically into the bone. The zombie shuddered violently before going limp. I yanked the machete free in one smooth motion, scattering blood.
Any more? No signs of movement. I was about to signal Kang Ahyeon and Ye-eun to come closer while holding my breath when I saw the hanging figures.
“Hyun? Why is your expression…”
My sister, who had noticed, fell silent and raised her gun. Ye-eun turned to look where I was staring and her eyes widened. She couldn’t help it.
What we saw was a wall covered with twenty crosses.
They weren’t crosses engraved with Jesus or the cult leader. These were makeshift. Wood, rebar—whatever could be shaped into a cross. People were nailed to them.
Drip. Drip. Drip. The sound we had heard wasn’t water. It was the sound of humans with their sides split open, dripping blood into basins and trays.
Looking at the twenty hanging Jesuses, I let out a hollow laugh.