Drainage Ditch (2)
09:59
“Fuck……”
There wasn’t even time to finish his curse. The Big Head spat out the person it had been holding and lunged with its teeth bared.
“Hyung!”
Thud! Pushed by Yang Min-cheol, Go Cheon-su stumbled and fell sideways.
Boom!
The Big Head barely missed Go Cheon-su, lost its balance, and rolled across the ground.
“Hyung! You okay?”
That shout snapped Go Cheon-su back to his senses.
“Damn it.”
His body still felt like crap. Was it the lingering effects of the car crash and fighting monsters? Recovery wasn’t happening fast enough.
But there was no time to complain. Go Cheon-su scrambled to his feet and yelled,
“Yang Min-cheol! Run!”
The Big Head was insanely fast. Now that it had spotted them, they had to sprint at full speed.
Grrrroooowl.
The Big Head rose with a roar and charged on its two legs.
Was it lucky or unlucky? It targeted Yang Min-cheol.
“Uwaaaah!”
Yang Min-cheol bolted away from the Big Head, heading somewhere—anywhere.
The viewers’ opinions all converged on Go Cheon-su’s survival.
‘Damn it all.’
They weren’t wrong. He couldn’t throw away his life trying to save Yang Min-cheol. Zombies were one thing, but taking on a Big Head with nothing? No way.
‘With nothing……?’
Go Cheon-su glanced down at his hand. He was gripping a sharp metal rod he’d picked up near where he’d slept in the drainage ditch.
Go Cheon-su swallowed hard. Yeah, dodging was priority right now. He scanned around and dashed into what looked like a safe alley.
“Uwaaaah!”
“Save me!”
“Kyaaah!”
Screams echoed from nearby. A group of survivors passing through the street, maybe.
“Kyaa! Gahk!”
The screams cut off one by one, and the presence of people vanished.
‘Hell Frogs.’
Had to be Hell Frogs skewering them like kebabs one after another. Cold sweat trickled down his back.
“Hoo.”
Taking a deep breath, Go Cheon-su moved slowly. Tragic as it was, people dying, this was his chance to slip out.
“Hiiiieeeeng!”
If not for the booming cry from behind, he’d have focused solely on that. He whipped his head around.
“What……?”
Yang Min-cheol was charging toward him, luring the Big Head along.
“Hyung, run!”
He had the nerve to shout that while bringing the damn thing right to him.
“You crazy bastard……!”
Go Cheon-su had no choice but to run. Careful sneaking was out; full speed or die.
“You idiot! Why’d you bring it here?!”
“Hyung, turn left into the alley!”
Yang Min-cheol yelled.
“What?”
“Left!”
Yang Min-cheol’s face showed no fear— it was the look of someone with a plan.
“You……”
Go Cheon-su veered left as requested.
“Now right!”
Thud!
The Big Head, unable to keep up, kept smashing into walls left and right. As its speed dropped in confusion, Yang Min-cheol caught up to Go Cheon-su.
“Hyung! There’s a dug-out pit up ahead!”
“A pit……?”
“Sewer construction!”
Go Cheon-su let out a sigh of realization.
“Just to there! Once we reach it, we’re good!”
They had a shot. Regaining his calm, Go Cheon-su slowed slightly to match Yang Min-cheol.
“Hyung?”
“You know the way! I’ll follow!”
Go Cheon-su stuck behind Yang Min-cheol, eyes scanning everywhere.
‘It’s not just about the Big Head.’
He had to watch for Hell Frogs too. Their absence so far only made him uneasy.
Grrrroooowl.
The Big Head was closing in fast again. Go Cheon-su shouted,
“How far?!”
“Almost there!”
Yang Min-cheol pointed ahead.
“30 meters left! We’ll skirt the edge, so get ready!”
Skirt the edge. Go Cheon-su got the picture.
They ran in silence for a bit. Then, as Yang Min-cheol rounded a corner and Go Cheon-su followed—
“Hyung……!”
A massive construction pit yawned before them. Only a narrow strip along the wall allowed passage.
Grrrroooowl.
The Big Head was close enough to snap their necks any second.
“No mistakes!”
“You neither!”
Yang Min-cheol stepped along the edge first. He wobbled a bit but made it through fine.
“Going!”
Go Cheon-su shouted as he followed. The Big Head’s jaws gaped wide.
One more step from it, and he was done for.
“Grraaaah!”
No room for stumbling. Go Cheon-su glided across flawlessly.
And……
Grrrroooowl.
The Big Head’s foot slipped. Its massive bulk couldn’t balance on the edge.
Crash.
It slammed head and body into the wall, toppled, and plunged into the pit.
Go Cheon-su kept running to escape the billowing dust.
“Shit……”
But straight ahead in his vision—a spear-like tongue whipped horizontally toward them.
“Yang Min-cheol!”
Sensing the Hell Frog would show drawn by the noise, Go Cheon-su yelled,
“Get ready to dodge!”
“Huh……?”
As Yang Min-cheol froze in shock, the Hell Frog retracted its tongue and appeared.
“Duck!”
It was a split-second call. Yang Min-cheol ducked, Go Cheon-su dove sideways.
Slash!
The Hell Frog’s tongue grazed hair and collar, vanishing into the dust where the Big Head had fallen.
Thwack!
A nasty impact sound followed.
“Ha……”
Go Cheon-su sighed, turning back.
Roars leaked from the dust.
Grrrroooowl!
Not just from there, either.
Gerrrrk!
The Hell Frog too. For some reason, it couldn’t retract its tongue fully, staggering as if pulled.
Thud.
The Big Head emerged from the dust.
“As expected……!”
Go Cheon-su’s eyes widened. The Hell Frog’s tongue had pierced straight into the Big Head’s mouth.
Grrrroooowl!
The Big Head clamped its jaws shut on the tongue. The Hell Frog couldn’t stiffen it either— or the Big Head would just bite through the softened flesh.
“Tch!”
Go Cheon-su hauled himself up and rushed to Yang Min-cheol.
“Min-cheol, you good?”
“Yeah, hyung. You?”
Alive, obviously.
“No time. Let’s get outta here.”
From what he’d seen, monsters preferred humans over fighting each other. But once locked in physical combat, they’d see it through— perfect time to bolt.
“Hurry!”
At Go Cheon-su’s shout, Yang Min-cheol started moving.
The viewers’ praises rolled in, but Go Cheon-su’s gaze was on Yang Min-cheol.
‘More than I thought…….’
He’d been a huge help. Surviving until meeting Go Cheon-su wasn’t pure luck.
“Hyung, can you walk okay?”
“For now.”
“Hold on.”
Yang Min-cheol led him somewhere.
“I remember a bike rental here.”
“You remember that?”
The kid had a freakish memory for paths.
“There it is.”
A beat-up bike rental stand sat where he pointed. No intact bikes, of course.
Except one.
“Hyung, this work?”
“You joking?”
It was a tandem bike for two.
Click-clack! The gear shift on the tandem bike made a small sound as it echoed faintly.
“Hyung, think we can get out from here?”
Yang Min-cheol, riding up front, asked without looking back.
“I don’t know the roads from here. Never planned to head to the taxi company……”
“Makes sense.”
Just grabbing a car? Other spots would’ve been smarter.
‘But I need clues…….’
Muttering to himself, Go Cheon-su pulled up the info window and checked it.
Staying too long in one area is dangerous.
Still just that. Nothing new.
‘Not enough info.’
After escaping the Shadow threat, he had no clue what returning to the original spot would do. Normally, he’d guess the Shadow would reappear quick, but it was just a hunch.
“Viewers.”
Go Cheon-su asked them.
“What happens if I go back to where the Shadow appeared?”
No solid intel, but he got the gist.
‘Yeah, returning to a Shadow-spotted area is too risky.’
Go Cheon-su sighed as a long wall stretched into view ahead.
‘Hope the next info drops soon, whatever it is.’
Then he could find a landmark.
“Hyung.”
Yang Min-cheol pointed ahead.
“Almost there.”
“Yeah, I see it.”
“Right to the front?”
No real threats so far. But better safe.
“Yeah, stop 100m out and walk the rest.”
“But hyung.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re pedaling, right?”
He was. Just slacking a bit.
“Pedaling hard, but it’s not turning smooth.”
“Guess so, picked it from a dump……”
Naive kid took it at face value.
“Hyung, can I ask something?”
“Shoot.”
Go Cheon-su yawned, expecting something dumb— then Yang Min-cheol hit him with,
“Know anything about the 7.5 Division?”
“……What?”
Go Cheon-su’s eyes bulged.
“7.5 Division?”
“Yeah.”
After staring at Yang Min-cheol’s back, Go Cheon-su finally replied.
“Heard of it. No idea what they do.”
“Same here.”
Yang Min-cheol sighed.
“They took one of my friends. Left a note saying the 7.5 Division took him.”
“Hmm……”
“Sounds military, but I don’t know.”
What would a high schooler know? But Go Cheon-su was just as clueless.
‘Weird.’
Rescuing people? Too secretive, only taking some.
‘Not some secret experiments.’
A division-sized unit— why say “7.5 Division took him” instead of “a unit from 7.5 Division”?
Vroom!
Lost in thought, Go Cheon-su spotted a car whiz by.
“Huh?”
A Retona. Military SUV.
“Hyung, that……”
“Saw it.”
The Retona looked wrecked, like it’d been hit hard.
It headed straight for the taxi company’s iron gate.
“Damn.”
Headache incoming. No clue what was happening, but it spelled trouble.
“Hyung, we’re going to the taxi company, right?”
“Obviously.”
No backing out now. Best spot for radios and people. Plus, if soldiers inside were intact, intel galore.
Crash!
The shaky Retona slammed diagonally into the gate and stopped.
“Nothing ever goes smooth.”
Go Cheon-su hopped off the bike, stretching. Wondering if the guy inside knew jack, he dragged him out anyway.