Exodus (1)

The moment we started moving away from Gucheon Village, there was no sudden burst of civilization waiting for us. The navigation system was still running, so I had a rough idea of our location, but I couldn't make sense of anything beyond that.

“…Ahyeon, want to switch seats?”

“Huh? But Oppa drives better—”

“I have no idea where we're going.”

“Umm…?”

I thought we'd made a pretty cool farewell. And because it had been such a cool farewell, I hadn't looked back once as we left… but now that we were actually gone, I realized I didn't know where the hell we were supposed to go.

Considering our goal, heading to a city made the most sense, but I'd never once left Sion Mountain Fortress or Gucheon Village in my entire life. I had no clue where any nearby cities were or which direction we should even drive.

If internet searches still worked, I could've looked it up, but Taeu Ham's smartphone had already lost all connection. Yeen didn't have a phone, and neither did I. My sister probably didn't either. So once we actually got the car moving, we were literally just drifting without a destination.

When I voiced that thought, my sister answered without hesitation.

“Isn't that fine? Wandering around with no set place to go.”

“Hmm…”

“It might be a little bad if we end up in a weird spot… but it's okay! If we really need to, Ah-hyun will tell you.”

Kang Ahyeon beamed, smiling like an idiot.

“Because anywhere is good as long as I'm with Oppa.”

My sister was strangely optimistic. Maybe one of her still-hidden skills was something like prophecy? The way she'd known exactly when the Centurion would appear and sniped it perfectly made it seem possible… or was it regression? I couldn't ask her outright, so I narrowed my eyes at her. For some reason, she narrowed hers right back at me in the exact same way.

No, it was even more than that. She leaned her body toward me, drawing closer. The sudden scent of her skin brushed the tip of my nose. Our foreheads even bumped together with a soft konk.

I had no idea what she was trying to do, but after staring at each other like this for a while, I finally let out a sigh.

“Alright, then… let's just wander for now. It'd be nice if we could find something like a map.”

Honestly, anxiety gnawed at me. It wasn't just because I was leaving the only place I'd ever lived. Well, that was part of it… but more than that, the realization that everything from here on out would be completely new left me with this strange unease.

Still, there was no way I could turn around and stay there. I turned the key. I drove. We moved forward along a surprisingly well-paved, straight road.

This wasn't Seoul. The cult's base had been in the countryside. I didn't know the exact location or the geography very well, but the road stretched on endlessly. Maybe because it was rural, there were no stopped cars or zombies in sight. Most of them had probably become believers and stayed at the university, or they'd been dragged over and killed during our hunts. I didn't know the details, but it didn't really matter.

Once I actually started driving, the anxiety faded. If anything, my mind felt strangely clear and open. Wind poured in through the open windows, tossing my sister's hair around.

“Ahaha, hehehe, Oppaaa! My hair's getting all messed up!”

My sister laughed happily, and watching her, I found myself smiling too.

“Oppa, play some music!”

“Music?”

“Yeah!”

The car audio system was something I'd picked up knowledge about while learning how to drive. I pressed the play button, and a cheerful melody flowed out—an unmistakable hymn. I frowned.

“Ah.”

I stopped the playback. As I fought the urge to smash the audio system, my sister gave an awkward little laugh.

“Right… this was a New Heaven vehicle, after all.”

“It was.”

The mood had soured for no good reason. As I gripped the steering wheel with a complicated expression, my sister slipped her hand into my pocket.

“Hey, whoa!”

“Mmm, don't move. I'm just taking out the smartphone.”

“No, hey, I'm driving…!”

“Aww, there's no one around anyway. Oh, are you worried it'll get hard? If it does, Ah-hyun will take care of it with her mouth…”

“That's not what I—”

While we bickered, she successfully pulled Taeu Ham's smartphone from my pocket. What the hell was she planning to do with that? There were barely any games installed, and even those needed internet. I looked at her curiously.

“Ah, here it is. Found it.”

“What?”

“Music.”

“Music?”

She plugged the phone into the holder. A song began to play.

“This is…”

It wasn't a hymn. It sounded like a popular track. I'd never heard it before, but it had an addictive rhythm. To me, it was completely unfamiliar. But not to my sister. She started singing along.

I wasn't an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠expert on music, but the song had difficult high notes mixed in, yet she sang them naturally and effortlessly. Come to think of it, she'd always been good at singing since she was little. Unlike me.

When our eyes met, she flashed me a bright, playful smile. As if a mischievous idea had struck her, she pulled the phone from the holder and started using it like a microphone. Her voice rose cleanly into the high notes with stable breath control. The same voice that usually sounded cute and coquettish now carried unexpected power, creating a beautiful tone.

Now that I thought about it, I'd always been able to listen to the hymns she sang as a child without complaint. Maybe it was because she'd practice new ones in front of me every single day, or maybe she was just genuinely talented. But one thing was certain.

My sister, Kang Ahyeon, suited ordinary songs far better than hymns.

I drove while listening to her sing, smiling as I watched the trees lining both sides of the wide-open road. When the three-minute-fourteen-second song ended, she placed the phone back in the holder with a bright smile.

“…That was good.”

“…Huh?”

She turned to me with a dazed look. Then her brown eyes sparkled as she leaned toward me.

“Really?! You liked Ah-hyun's singing?”

“…Yeah. It was good.”

“Ah, uh, hehehe, r-really? If it's true… I'll sing for you again later.”

“I'd like that.”

“You only ever say 'like'! Oppa's such an idiot.”

“You're the bigger idiot.”

“Ah, whatever! I'm singing more!”

Kang Ahyeon picked out another saved song and began singing along again. I hummed along under my breath as I listened to her. Even though my sister was like a tumor I couldn't get rid of—annoying, stupid, and completely insane—she was still someone I was more than willing to keep by my side. So I guess we'd have to get along well from now on.

I drove while listening to her songs, and before long the road led us to an unfamiliar place. There was a large parking lot on the left. Buildings were lined up like they were clinging to the two-lane road's left-side parking area. A big sign was plastered on one of the buildings.

“…A rest area?”

The first trace of civilization we'd encountered after leaving Gucheon Village was a rest area. Following the navigation's directions, I pulled into the Gucheon Rest Area parking lot.

*Clunk!*

As I got out of the car, I made sure to gather every single weapon I had without missing a thing. I grabbed the shotgun I'd left in the bed of the pickup and slung it across my back. I attached the machete to my backpack, hung the assault rifle behind me, tucked the Crusader's Sword at my waist, and slipped the Crusader's Doubt onto my left hand.

“Oppa, what about your pistol?”

“It's always in the holster.”

“Ah, no wonder I couldn't see it!”

My sister got out of the car with a bright smile, holding her Holy Lance. It was an extremely long rifle that would normally be difficult to use indoors, but thanks to her bayonet skills, she handled close-quarters combat with it just fine. After all, this was the same Kang Ahyeon who'd stabbed a Crusader with a bayonet. There was no need to worry.

And it wasn't just the Holy Lance. She was armed almost as heavily as I was. Shotgun on her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠back, revolver at her side, bayonet strapped to her jean-clad thigh. She'd left her rifle in the car, but that made sense. The Holy Lance was better for precision shooting, and considering the assault rifle's rapid-fire capability, it was better for me to use it in CQB. I hadn't wanted to waste time explaining all that, so I'd simply said, “I'll take the rifle, you use that one,” and she'd just replied with an enthusiastic “Okay!” and that same silly grin.

We'd brought everything else we needed too. The backpacks contained some food, water, and medical supplies. We'd prepared for the possibility of getting stranded. We'd even considered situations where we might not be able to return to the car. We were thoroughly ready.

Even though we'd become incredibly strong, we had no idea what we might encounter out here. We wouldn't let our guard down. Enjoying ourselves was one thing, but survival came first. Weapons, ammunition, medicine, water, food… we'd prepared everything thoroughly.

My sister loaded forty shotgun shells into a large shooting bandolier, and I did the same with another. We combined the two bandoliers she'd used before with the two I'd used, filling all four to capacity with magazines. That gave us two hundred and forty rounds, plus one in the chamber, two in the shotgun, and forty in the bandolier—for a total of forty-two rounds. Adding my sister's fifty-one rounds and the twelve in her Holy Lance gave us overwhelming firepower. For pistols, her revolver held twenty-two rounds while my .22 powder pistol had six five-round magazines for about thirty rounds total. But pistols were strictly for emergencies anyway.

Our preparations were perfect.

“Let's take a look around.”

We'd search for supplies and take anything useful. At the same time, we'd figure out how much was left, what kind of things remained, and gather information on any zombies, corpses, or—God forbid—people inside. We were severely lacking in information. No matter how you looked at it, Gucheon Village and Sion Mountain Fortress hadn't exactly been in close contact with the outside world. Having been isolated the moment the Rapture hit, it was hard to even guess what the outside world was like now. It probably wasn't in great shape, though.

“If there are even just two or three Serpent Fathers scattered across the country…”

“Hmm?”

“It's nothing.”

Fully armed, we got out of the car and walked toward the rest area. It looked exactly like the kind of place that would have been bustling with people coming to visit the cult or leaving on orders from it. There were franchise stores from the cult's own subsidiaries—the same ones we'd seen in Gucheon Village. A convenience store, a fast-food place selling hot dogs, sandwiches, and burgers. A restaurant area that looked independent but probably wasn't completely unrelated. Luxury goods from the cult's subsidiaries proudly displayed right out front. A coffee shop, restrooms, a clothing store. Every single one belonged to a subsidiary of the New Heaven cult. They were all familiar brands.

I snorted and continued forward with my sister. The rest area was far from intact. Blood was splattered everywhere. Makeshift barricades of haphazardly stacked parasols, chairs, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tables stood right in front, while various pieces of furniture and vehicles blocked the paths and sightlines beyond. Bloody footprints had been deliberately left in the gaps.

Kang Ahyeon grew quiet. She silently gripped her Holy Lance and followed behind me. I drew my sword from the sheath at my waist. It was one of the items I'd had people make for me when we secured the mart and department store with Yeen. The sheaths for the Crusader's Sword and machete, the slings for the shotgun and rifle—now I didn't have to worry about getting cut while running.

I took the lead and peered inside the rest area.

“No zombies.”

All that remained were gruesome corpses. Bodies with their lower halves missing or their guts spilled out across the floor. Could they be zombies? I tapped on the furniture with the flat of my blade—clang, clang—but there was no reaction. After making noise for a while to check, I finally pushed aside the barricade and stepped inside, Crusader's Sword resting on my shoulder and my left arm extended forward.

The rest area reeked. It had clearly become a living space for people who'd once struggled to survive here. Boxes placed in the corner because the path to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the bathroom was blocked, the foul stench rising from them. The skitter-skitter of cockroaches crawling across the floor and the sickening smell of rotting food. It was nothing more than the traces of survivors who'd once fought desperately to stay alive.

“…Where are all the zombies clustered?”

But there were only two corpses. No zombies in sight. Why? Two people had died here. They should've turned into zombies long ago and been crawling around, or at the very least, whatever had done this to them should've still been wandering nearby. Yet there was nothing.

It was too quiet. It felt wrong. Just as I was about to turn back with that uneasy feeling, my sister tugged insistently at my collar.

“Oppa, look at this…”

“What? What is it?”

“Isn't this what you were looking for?”

What caught our attention wasn't the stacked food or wandering zombies. It was a pamphlet lying there in plain sight. Several of them stood proudly amid a pile of crumpled ones that had clearly been used as toilet paper. The pamphlet showed an island with an amusement park, a resort, and a massive vacation spot. A map of a huge island connected to the mainland by only two bridges. Photos of various rides, the resort, spectacular performances, and guaranteed relaxation. The text at the bottom caught my eye.

I stared at it blankly, then flipped it over. As if it had been waiting for this moment, the back revealed text written in thick black marker with a completely different tone.

The unusually clean gas station. The subtle traces of recent human activity. The complete absence of zombies despite all that. The moment I saw the safe zone notice on the back, I understood what this was.

It was a trap.

And the instant I realized it, both Kang Ahyeon and I heard the sound at the same time. A low rumbling engine. The sound of tires rolling.

“Oppa.”

A car was approaching.