Outside
Outside
Current time AM 5:09... 5:10.
Exactly 27 hours and 11 minutes have passed since the zombies appeared.
Now, the cell phone—my last remaining way to check the time—only has 2% battery left, and I've finally arrived at the next station where I can go up to the surface.
The only flaw is that there are too many zombies.
"Geueoeo.."
"Keueu.."
"Keueoeo.."
Zombies swarming below the station tracks.
If I had my way, I'd kill them all and find peace, but if I so much as touch a single one, I'll have to go back to that godforsaken control room.
Why?
Because even the slightest sound will make them swarm like bees.
But now it's time to get out. I want to escape this place as fast as possible—every minute, every second—and breathe the outside air thick with fine dust, so I'm planning to use that very trait of the zombies against them.
Then first, you.
Hwik-
Tong- tong- tong- todong- tong....
"Keuah!"
"Keuaa!!"
"Keuaah!!"
The sound of a 500ml water bottle bouncing on the track floor sends the zombies charging like mad.
Stupid zombies leap across to the opposite tracks, slipping through the sparsely placed cement pillars.
Thanks to them, I leisurely step forward and throw the water bottle—lightly filled with my piss so it can fly far—toward the opposite tracks once more.
Ttak! To-ong! Tongtong!
Wajajak!!
"Keuah!!"
"Keuah! Keuah!"
They're putting on quite a show.
A zombie steps on the water bottle that fell to the floor, gets startled itself, and starts screaming like crazy, while another one nearby screams along with it.
The common cliché I know from web novels is that when zombies appear, the world collapses and only a handful of survivors remain—but with such stupid creatures, that doesn't seem likely.
The high and mighty, the rich, the famous, and the people crowded in one place are all getting rescued, too busy to save someone like me still stuck underground. But once I get outside, I don't think the situation will be as bad as I imagined.
Well, whether that's true or not, I'll find out once I get out.
Hwik-
Tong- tong- tong- to-ong-
"Keuah!"
"Keuaa!!"
After throwing the last of my three water bottles, I climb up toward the slightly open platform screen door with the flashlight I got from the subway in my mouth.
No, I'm trying to climb up.
Fuck, there's nothing to grab onto, it's so slippery!
Hoo... Alright, let's not rush.
First, I push myself up with both hands on the cold platform floor, then lift my body up, hook my right foot over...
Kkaeng~
"......"
That clear, crisp sound. The handle part might be defective, but at least the blade itself seems well-made.
But then... what's the point of that?!
"Keuah!"
"Keuah!!"
"Keuaa!!!"
This fucking Chinese-made hoe...!
The goddamn Chinese-made hoe, tucked into my belt like a holster, hits the wall and causes trouble again.
Deopseok!
As soon as the sound rings out, a zombie's hand grabs my ankle precisely.
"Let go of this!!"
"Keuah!!"
I shake my left leg like crazy to remove the zombie's hand gripping my ankle, then crawl onto the platform and start running immediately.
Thanks to the noise I made with the empty water bottles, many zombies threw themselves onto the tracks through the open screen doors like three thousand court ladies. Plus, the platform area had fewer zombies than the tracks below from the start.
Probably because, unlike the zombies trapped on the tracks, the ones on the platform were connected to the surface and had already wandered off.
Of course, that doesn't mean there aren't any at all.
"Keuah!"
"Keuaa!!"
Jjak! Seu-
I swing my right hand outward, slapping a charging zombie's cheek and pushing it aside, then pull my shoulder back along with my swinging right arm, narrowly dodging the next zombie that charges.
Then I take the flashlight from my mouth with my left hand and swing it sideways with all my strength.
"What are you looking at, you bastard!!"
"Keua.."
Bbaak!!
I didn't kill all of them, but after taking down three zombies in an instant, I start running toward the stairs a little farther away.
And.
"Keuah!!"
Just as a zombie loitering at the bottom of the stairs turns toward me—
"Crossline!!"
I swing my right arm, slightly bent and extended sideways, and strike the zombie's throat.
Peok!!
I came up with this attack as a last resort because I didn't want to swing my fist—it's slightly swollen from hitting too many zombies in one day—but...
"This works like a charm, huh?"
The zombie falls flat, slams the back of its head against the sharp corner of the stairs, twitches briefly, then goes limp.
"Wow..."
As I walk up the stairs, looking down in wonder at the zombie I killed in one hit without using a hoe or fire extinguisher, another zombie's scream reaches my ears.
This time, it's from above.
"Keuaa!!"
"Fuck... everywhere I go, it's nothing but zombies..."
Ttuddeuk! Tteok! Tteok! Ttuddeuk-
"......What a dumbass."
The zombie that was screaming while looking down at me from the top of the stairs missteps and tumbles down right in front of me.
I sidestep slightly, clearing the way for it to keep rolling down, and it helpfully knocks over the zombies chasing me from behind like bowling pins.
Strike.
I'd like to clap, but for now, running up the stairs takes priority.
My primary goal is to leave this godforsaken underground world and get to the surface.
But of course, it's not that easy.
"Keueoeo.."
"Geueoeo.."
"Keueo..."
I've only climbed one floor from the platform, but there are far more zombies wandering around here compared to below.
Easily over twenty of them...
Seu-
"Hey, Chinese hoe. Don't cause trouble this time."
I pull out the hoe—wrapped with a necktie I untied from a dead zombie to make a handle—and slowly look at the zombies that are starting to notice my presence.
No matter how many there are, it's still fewer than the zombies that were moving in groups on the subway tracks.
Shall we go then?
Kkwuaaak!!
Tadat-
"Keuah!!"
Hwiik!!
Cheok!!
I slam the hoe into the closest zombie's skull, then push the embedded hoe slightly backward and lift it hard to easily pull out the inward-curved blade.
Ssuuk-
The hoe blade comes out in one go.
Even yesterday, pulling this out wasn't easy.
But I haven't just been lazing around here all day—now, for me, this is a piece of cake.
I'm not bragging just because I can pull out a hoe more easily. I'm saying I've become much more relaxed compared to when I left the control room to escape starvation.
Peok!
Tadat- ppaak!!
Hwiik- cheoeok!!
I kick a charging zombie in the chest, then follow it with short steps as it staggers backward, jump up, and slap its face with my right foot. As soon as I land, I swing my right hand and bury the hoe into the temple of another zombie charging from the left.
But that's only three, and one of them is just knocked down, still alive. Plenty of zombies remain.
Of course, I'm not done yet either.
"Keuah!"
It's a situation where dodging is awkward and attacking is awkward too.
In times like this, you definitely have to duck low.
I'm not saying I'll beg for my life from a zombie that can't understand me...
Tteok-
Even if I have to ram my head into the zombie's crotch, I lower my stance firmly to dodge the reaching hand, then either stick my head between its legs or hook its lower belly firmly on my shoulder and stand up with all my strength.
Meanwhile, if I push its thigh up with my left arm, even better.
Hwik!
The zombie flips backward cleanly.
A few hours ago, I tried to duck moderately to flip a zombie, but its hand grabbed my shirt—which had become a tank top—and held on, almost sending me to the afterlife.
If you're going to do something, do it thoroughly.
With my current strength, half-assing it will get me killed.
Anyway, only two left now.
That's excluding the ones charging from both sides.
"Keuaa!!"
"Keuah!!"
Over ten zombies charging from both sides is truly horrifying, but since I can only see where the flashlight shines, I ignore the others, focus only on the two zombies in front of me, and extend my left foot first.
Peoeok!!
Instead of kicking the belly or chest, I kick the thigh. As my leg pulls back, the zombie pitches forward, and I swing the hoe down toward the one beside it.
Cheok!!
Ah, nice. So clean.
Now, I just need to pull out the hoe stuck in its head and run forward, and I'll escape this zombie crowd.
"Then why won't it come out!!"
Deueueueueu-
"Uaaaaa!!!"
I can't give up my 7-coin hoe, so I start running like crazy with the zombie still attached.
Of course, I can't get up to speed properly because of the heavy zombie.
Fuck, first this bastard...
"Get off me!"
I yank my right hand hard—which was sagging from the weight of the zombie on the hoe—and the zombie slides into a large pillar in front, the impact popping the hoe right out.
And at that moment, I hit full acceleration, quickly closing the gap between me and the zombies breathing roughly right behind me, ready to grab the back of my head at any moment.
"Take care, you bastards!!"
I bid a very happy farewell.
Of course, the final gate still remained.
The stairs leading up to the surface.
Chak!
First, I tuck the hoe back into my belt, then swing the flashlight in my left hand sideways.
Bbaak!!
The flashlight that smacked a zombie's head from the side starts flickering, but that doesn't matter anymore.
Because light was coming in from the stairs that lead to the surface.
But something's a bit strange.
I'm already running up the stairs I thought were the final gate, but there aren't many zombies.
There were one or two, but I smacked them with the flashlight or punched them, sending them tumbling down the stairs.
That also took care of the zombies chasing me up the stairs.
Anyway, I really need sunglasses.
The closer I get to the entrance, the more my eyes hurt.
Is it because I've been stuck in the dark for a day? Ah, this is so hard to keep my eyes open?
Dadadak-
"Eueuk..!"
After quickly running up the last stairs, I close my eyes tightly and raise both hands to shield myself from the intense sunlight.
I know I don't have time for this, but I can't open my eyes—what can I do?
I just have to hope the zombies don't eat me like this.
Fortunately, whether there are no zombies nearby or they have some kind of sportsmanship, they don't attack me in this helpless state.
Seu-
I lower both hands shielding my eyes and slowly open my tightly shut eyes.
And I face the surface world that I've missed so much.
"......What is this..?"
I'm at a loss for words at the absurd reality unfolding before my eyes.
-This is an emergency broadcast. Riots are currently occurring in Seoul... no, nationwide. It is not yet confirmed why they are causing these riots, or for what reason, but we advise all citizens watching or listening to this broadcast to absolutely not go outside. Those who are out should take shelter in the nearest indoor location as quickly as possible. I repeat: Do not go outside. Absolutely...
-Keuaah!!
-Eueu, euah!!
Eujeok! Eujeok!
The image of an anchor being devoured by zombies during the live broadcast was transmitted nationwide, but most people were not watching the news at home—they had already started their daily routines.
Wiiiiiiing-!!!
Dudududududu!!!
"Ugh!! What's this in the morning?!"
"What, did a war break out..?"
Fighter jets crossing the skies of Seoul, helicopters flying at such low altitudes that people had to cover their ears, and the noisy sound of emergency alert messages coming from everywhere.
"Huh?? What's this?"
"What's this...."
"Manager Choi, did you see the emergency alert?"
"Why would I look at that?"
"Please check it. Something seems strange.."
"Strange?"
Some people muttered to themselves and tilted their heads at the strange emergency alert that arrived during their commute, while others talked about it with acquaintances.
[Citizens who are commuting, going to school, or out and about are advised to take shelter in the nearest indoor location. If you are driving, pull over to the shoulder, stop the engine, and wait inside the vehicle for further instructions.]
"What's this..."
Just as someone tilted their head after checking the strange emergency alert—
Kkiik-!!
Kkwang!!! Kungkung! Kuwong!!!
Kuwong!!
With a loud crash, shattered car fragments scattered in all directions, and black smoke rose up.
"Fuck! Gave me a scare..!"
"Wow.. how many cars is that?"
"Holy shit.. I gotta film this."
"Yes! Is this 119?! There's been an accident at the intersection..."
A chain-reaction collision caused by a car that ignored the signal and suddenly shot out, throwing the intersection into chaos.
And some of the cars that were stopped calmly rear-ended the cars in front of them.
Kuwong!!
"Ugh! What kind of crazy bastard hits a parked car?! Fucking unlucky first thing in the morning..! Hoo... Alright, you're caught. Time to make some emergency money."
The man, after catching his breath and checking his rearview mirror, slightly tousled his hair, grabbed the back of his neck with one hand, opened the car door with the other, and got out.
"Ah gogogo.. Looks like my neck is out..? Ugh..!"
The man puts on a full performance—but.
Dadadadak!!
"Keuaa!!"
"Euah!! H-hey, what are you..."
Eujeok! Eujeok!!
A zombie suddenly bursts out from between the cars, pounces on the man, and starts gnawing at his throat.
Nearby drivers witnessing this scene are startled and get out of their cars or stick their heads out the windows to figure out what's happening—and they meet their end at the hands of people who suddenly turn into zombies and rush onto the road.
But before that, the drivers who had already seen the street turned into hell—
"F-fuck.. what the hell is going on..?!"
They curl up under the steering wheel and frantically call 112, but—
-We're sorry. The lines are currently busy, so the call cannot be connected...
"No, fuck! How the hell can the police station not be reachable?!"
Bbaang!!
They accidentally elbow the horn, and it blares, immediately drawing the attention of surrounding zombies, who all swarm the car.
Kungkungkung!! Kuwong!!
"Keuaah!!"
"Keuah!!"
"What, what?! Fuck, seriously..!"
The driver, finally giving up on hiding under the steering wheel, feels anxious as the windows start cracking from the zombies pounding on them manically, and ends up stepping on the accelerator.
Buwaaaaang!!
Ttudeok! Tteok tteok tteok!
Kuwong!!!
The car plows through the zombies crowding the street, eventually crashes into a streetlamp, ending its brief rampage—and with the shattering glass—
"Uaaaaaah!!!"
"Keuah!!"
"Keuaah!!"
Over a dozen zombies pour into the car.
To tear apart fresh prey.
"Ahh..!"
"Eok.. eoeok..!"
"Save... me...."
People cheerfully greeting their coworkers in the morning, drivers who got out after grabbing their necks from a fender bender, students pouring out stories from the night before, people walking along the road to start their day—all of them were thrown into hell in an instant.