Express Bus No. 2 (1)
"What the hell."
Go Cheon-su muttered blankly.
It wasn't time to step out in front of the bus yet. Go Cheon-su scowled and opened his mouth.
"Hey, big bros, let's check it out first."
It looked suspicious as hell. They had to figure out what kind of bus it was first.
Screeech.
That's when it happened. The bus speeding toward them suddenly braked in front of the stop and the doors hissed open.
Thud.
The figure emerging from the driver's seat was a chubby bus driver wearing sunglasses.
"...Hey!"
He spotted Go Cheon-su standing at the back of the stop and called out.
"Get on quick!"
"Huh?"
Go Cheon-su blinked in confusion, drawing a question mark in the air with his expression. The man waved frantically.
"I said get on! If you wanna live!"
In that instant, Go Cheon-su whipped his head around to look behind the bus. There was no way he'd react like this unless something was chasing them...
Grrrrraaaaaah!
"What the—."
Something was chasing them.
"Wolves...?"
A pack of massive gray wolves was barreling toward them. Go Cheon-su didn't hesitate and hopped on the bus.
Go Cheon-su immediately spun around and beckoned to Heukgu.
"You mutt! Hurry up and get on!"
Luckily, Heukgu was a smart one. He seemed to grasp the situation from the gesture alone and bolted inside the bus.
Thud.
The driver yanked the lever, slamming the doors shut.
"Grab on tight!"
Vroooom!
The bus peeled out. Go Cheon-su lost his balance and slammed into the side.
Please tap your card again.
"Goddamn it!"
He shoved the card reader aside, steadied himself, and slumped into a nearby seat.
"Whew."
Rattle-rattle!
The bus hurtled forward at high speed, shaking violently. Go Cheon-su glanced at the side mirror. He could see the wolves chasing like mad.
He didn't need an explanation to know how troublesome they were. Even as the bus barreled down a straight stretch, the Gray Wolves shook their heads and kept pursuing.
"You said you'd pick him up someday."
Go Cheon-su shot back, glancing sideways. Heukgu was staring at him, tongue lolling.
"Calm down."
He couldn't just toss the guy who helped him out as bait. Go Cheon-su stood, gripping the handholds, and shuffled toward the back.
"What're you doing?!"
The driver yelled, sounding worried.
"Gonna deal with those clingy bastards!"
Go Cheon-su reached the back seats and cracked open a window. Heukgu poked his head out, enjoying the wind.
"They say dogs resemble their owners."
Go Cheon-su shook his head and yanked Heukgu back by the scruff.
"Doesn't mean you're mine yet, though."
He unzipped his bag and rummaged inside. Sealed vials and syringes, a bag of snacks, a few canned goods.
Not much left...
Go Cheon-su pulled out a can of tuna. The nitrogen-packed snacks offset the weight, but if he'd hoarded more cans, he wouldn't have been able to swim the river.
Still, burning through what little canned food he had brought tears to his eyes.
"Nah."
Go Cheon-su gripped the tuna can tight.
"Gonna smash 'em."
The Gray Wolves were chasing the bus for now. They hadn't targeted Go Cheon-su yet.
"Hey!"
Time to fix that.
"Over here, you fuckers!"
7 - 09:58
He'd pulled all their aggro at once. The Gray Wolves turned to him, baring their fangs.
Grrrrraaaaaah!
Go Cheon-su, ready now, gripped the tuna can and wound up.
"Here goes."
Hoo!
He gathered his breath and hurled the can at the lead Gray Wolf.
Clang!
Direct hit. Crack-clang!
The leader tumbled, tangling with the others.
"Next."
Four more kept coming despite their fallen packmate. Go Cheon-su eyed the scarred-muzzled one that looked like the boss and pulled another can, bracing.
"Still chasing even after your buddies ate shit?"
Unlike real wolves, these had no loyalty.
"Fine...!"
He chucked the can hard.
"Guess I gotta make you join 'em!"
Splat!
This one nailed the leader's leg. Grrrrowl!
The leader whimpered like it was enduring a split-second agony, then glared at Go Cheon-su and opened its jaws wide.
GRRRRAAAAAAAH!
"Oh shit, did I screw up?"
In that moment, the leader belatedly pitched forward and rolled.
Screeeeech!
The leader skidded to a halt. The other Gray Wolves immediately stopped pursuing and planted their paws.
GRRRRAAAAAAAH!
Frustrated at the sudden halt, maybe? The leader threw its head back and let out a massive howl.
"Whew. Scared the shit outta you, huh?"
Go Cheon-su pulled back inside the window and shot Heukgu a look.
Woof!
Heukgu barked cheerfully, like yeah, right. Go Cheon-su peered through the rear window at the receding Gray Wolves.
"Hope that's the end of it."
Seeing their vengeful glares fixed on this spot, he muttered under his breath.
"I'm Park Chang-sik, driver of the Daejeon Express Bus No. 2."
As Go Cheon-su headed back to the front seats, the bus driver introduced himself.
"Where'd you come from, kid?"
It was a ridiculous question. He'd picked up a guy whose origins he didn't even know.
"Crossed the river."
"The river...?"
Park Chang-sik looked shocked.
"From afar, I saw the bridges collapsing. You made it across before that?"
"Nah. Swam it."
"Swam...?!"
Go Cheon-su shrugged. To Park Chang-sik, it might sound insane.
But the real insanity...
...was driving a bus that had no business running in this mess all the way here.
"Driver."
Go Cheon-su sat near the front doors and asked Park Chang-sik.
"Where'd you come from?"
"Me?"
Go Cheon-su nodded, and Park Chang-sik answered casually, like it was no big deal.
"The depot, obviously."
Go Cheon-su sighed and pressed.
"No way buses are running normal routes in this shitshow. You must've stopped somewhere else."
"Oh, that."
Park Chang-sik looked sheepish and continued.
"Met some soldiers near the Daejeon Complex Terminal and came from there."
"Soldiers?"
"They're protecting people there. Said they're heading out soon, loading folks onto various buses."
Given what the 7.5 Division had done so far, they weren't taking everyone who arrived at the terminal. Splitting people across different buses gave Go Cheon-su a chill.
"So you...?"
"I came out to pick up one more before they leave and take 'em there."
Park Chang-sik adjusted his sunglasses.
"I've lived here my whole life. Driven this No. 2 between Daejeon Station and the terminal, ferrying homecomers and folks with all sorts of stories. That's my calling."
He said it with pride.
"Even now, if people's destinations overlap my key route, I can't just leave 'em."
"Big bros, I've got mad selflessness too."
He just prioritized himself first. Go Cheon-su peered out the windshield. The road was littered with stalled cars and debris everywhere. Park Chang-sik skillfully dodged obstacles, sticking to the clearest paths.
"Driver, how long to the terminal from here?"
"Gotta hit a few stops, so it'll take a bit."
This bus was stopping off-route too. Go Cheon-su didn't want to loop too many points.
"Planning to hit all the nearby stops?"
"Nah, not all. Just picked a few safe spots based on info from folks at the terminal. Those monsters earlier caught me off guard, though."
Park Chang-sik glanced back with a smile.
"You were badass, kid. Thanks to you, we shook 'em."
"Good to hear."
Helpful was good. But the threat wasn't gone for good.
Optimism could cloud judgment. Prep for if the Gray Wolves came back.
"...?"
Heukgu tilted his head at the stare.
"Big bros, not using him, so chill. What's a God Dog anyway?"
Heukgu was just a clever pup he'd picked up. Maybe useful for errands in a pinch.
"Anyway, something more important right now..."
Getting to the destination came first. Go Cheon-su turned back to Park Chang-sik.
"Driver, how long if we hit all the stops?"
"Hmm. Maybe 15 minutes? Gotta detour, so not sure."
Not much time left. Go Cheon-su slumped deep into his seat.
"Whew."
A brief respite. Eyes heavy with fatigue, but no sleeping.
Just in case...
No allies was the issue. Go Cheon-su eyed Park Chang-sik.
Seems like a good guy.
But no napping on blind trust. No reliable comrades meant these problems.
Lick.
Heukgu licked his hand beside him. If he could train this mutt to alert in danger, that'd be gold. Han Do-choe could voice him, but no physical contact meant limits.
"Big bros, mind if we chat a bit?"
No real rest anyway—might as well bring up what he'd been mulling.
"Nah, about my diehard fan."
It had come up briefly on the way here, but plenty intriguing.
"Having a diehard fan means other systems I know about exist too, right?"
"Not hyped, just love."
Go Cheon-su flashed a finger heart.
"Don't get hurt, Han Do-choe-nim. You know what I mean?"
"No way."
Han Do-choe, dying to be the diehard fan, was his relief pitcher. Not full favoritism, but some special treatment was due.
"Just cheering you up. So big bros, chill please."
Go Cheon-su pivoted quick.
"Not the point anyway. Diehard fan means others exist too! That thing! We can assume, right?"
Viewers looked confused without a straight answer. Go Cheon-su chuckled dryly.
"Streamers need one essential thing."
He raised a finger, and the chat filled with question marks.
Go Cheon-su dropped it like they'd all been waiting.
"A broadcast manager."