A Changed World (5)
It wasn’t human.
That thing was no longer human.
It was a monster that threatened me.
It wasn’t human.
I repeated the words endlessly inside my head. If I didn’t, I would have to face the fact that what I was about to do was murder.
[Kiaaaak!]
One small mercy was that the zombie had no lower body. It wasn’t simply because I thought I might be able to handle it.
The fact that it kept crawling forward despite missing half its torso let me reach a decision quickly. If it had been a fully-limbed zombie, my hesitation would have dragged on, and that hesitation would have invited far worse danger.
Because I could see it clearly as a monster, I was able to grip the heavy chunk of concrete and resolve to end it.
Tap-tap-tap!
The zombie scrambled toward me on both hands, dragging itself across the ground with horrifying speed. I tightened my trembling arms around the concrete shard.
Throwing it with any accuracy was impossible. With this ruined arm, I doubted I could even manage a proper toss.
That left only one choice: bring it down like a hammer.
[Geeeek!]
I dodged the arm that slashed toward me, waited for the zombie’s hand to sweep past, then—
Thud…!
I raised the concrete high with my left hand and slammed it down. I drew in a sharp breath, bracing for the sickening sensation I knew would follow.
Crunch!
The sound of the jagged concrete shattering bone and the wet spray of flesh bursting outward happened almost simultaneously.
The result came faster than my hesitation could catch up. The disgusting feeling transmitted straight into my palm.
[Agh—gagagak…]
Even with only its upper body, the creature had kept moving. The instant its skull caved in, it convulsed and collapsed. The arms that had been desperately reaching for me went limp and sprawled across the floor.
Still not trusting it was over, I brought the stone down again. And again. After repeated blows, the zombie’s head was no longer merely broken—it was pulped.
“Haa… haa…!”
Only after the simple act of lifting and smashing the rock ended did the tension that had choked me finally recede like an ebbing tide. My narrowed vision, which had seen nothing but the zombie, widened enough to take in my surroundings again.
The sensation of crushing a skull lingered in my hands, sending tremors through my fingers. If someone asked me to do it again, I knew I couldn’t. Even though it was already dead, the experience of killing something that moved was too horrific.
“Ugh…”
I barely swallowed back the urge to vomit, stared for a moment at the zombie that had gone still just like my own trembling fingertips, then staggered to my feet and lifted Zeta into my arms once more.
There was no time to calm my violently pounding heart, no time to swallow the bile rising in my throat. I had to get out of here.
I won’t give up. No matter what.
All that remained now was sheer stubborn will. The shock of my first kill, the heat that had flared during the act, even the pain of my wounds—all of it was drowned out by the monstrous shrieks echoing from every direction.
[Kyaaaaah!]
[Aaaaaah!]
Tap! Tap-tap-tap!
To avoid being spotted by the zombies rushing toward the noise, to stop hearing the countless footsteps closing in, I pushed deeper into the building without bothering to choose a direction.
Creak—
When I pushed the door forward, the damaged hinge let out a sharp scream from the impact of the building’s partial collapse. The sound—like nails scraping across sheet metal—echoed through the cold, stagnant air inside.
The building had shown no reaction to the commotion at the entrance. Could this place truly be safe?
A silent hallway with no sign of life stretched ahead, flanked by offices on both sides.
Debris from the collapsed building blocked the far end of the corridor. Bulletin boards decorated the walls. Scattered office supplies that had fallen during the quake littered the floor. Posters covered in ceiling dust hung at odd angles.
Crack… crunch…
Shards of the shattered glass door crunched under my feet with every step. I walked straight past the entrance that could no longer protect anyone from the dangers outside.
There was no point inspecting rooms that didn’t meet even my minimum requirements. What I needed was a room with a solid door.
Drip… drip…
The wound I had forcibly staunched began bleeding again after the earlier struggle. A secure room was more urgent than ever.
Red droplets fell from my sweat-and-blood-soaked clothes, washing away some of the dust on the glass fragments. The glass regained a measure of transparency, even if it was now stained crimson.
Like Hansel and Gretel leaving a trail, I had no choice but to leave these bloodstains. I had no way to stop the bleeding here. Instead, I deliberately smeared thick trails in multiple places to confuse any zombies that might follow.
Bright red handprints dragged along the wall, disappeared, then reappeared farther on.
Before long—
Step.
I stopped in front of a particular door.
College of Education Student Council Room - 108
A room with a sturdy iron door painted black—one that met my bare minimum requirements. A security panel beside the handle required a card. It looked like a student ID or similar would be needed.
Standing before that firmly shut door, the thought that rose in my exhausted mind was that I had never received my student ID yet.
“……”
I had come this far through hell itself. The idea that I might be stopped by a locked door felt absurd. I clenched my teeth for a brief second, then tried the handle anyway. The door opened obediently, and a wave of relief washed over me.
I let out a long sigh, and the metallic taste of blood flooded my mouth. The colder the air I breathed, the stronger the flavor of iron on my tongue. I desperately needed water to quench my burning thirst, emergency supplies to treat my wounds, and a room where I could hide my body.
With my blurring consciousness, I adjusted Zeta in my arms and slowly opened the door to the student council room. I had to be ready for any threats inside. If a zombie suddenly lunged from hiding, I needed to be able to slam the door shut immediately.
Finally—
“…Haa……”
After quickly scanning the interior, I exhaled in relief upon confirming nothing could be hiding in the corners. The student council room was exactly as ordinary as it looked. It was almost too clean, as if proving no zombies had ever entered.
Yet none of the things I had hoped for were present either.
All that waited inside were a meeting table and chairs scattered at odd angles, each facing different directions. I would have killed for a water dispenser.
Still… this is better than nothing.
I decided to be satisfied with an environment far superior to crouching among rubble. Or rather, I had no choice but to be satisfied. I no longer had the strength to check another room.
Click.
I closed the iron door and laid Zeta gently on the table. Every cell in my body screamed to collapse on the floor, but it wasn’t time to let my guard down yet.
Since we were on the first floor, I needed to secure the windows. I staggered along the wall, reached out with trembling hands, and locked the mechanism. I didn’t forget to draw the utterly useless curtains.
Through the gap I could see the window clouded with grime and dust, along with the security bars beyond it. They had probably been installed because it was a ground-floor room. Those bars, which would normally feel suffocating, now looked incredibly reassuring.
They would at least buy us some time against the zombies.
[Kieeeeeek!]
Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang!
Especially now, with zombies that had caught the scent of my blood roaming freely, every small advantage mattered.
Crash! Crunch! Rumble—
The zombies drawn by the noise I had made while killing the legless creature and the trail I couldn’t erase were busy smashing everything inside the College of Education Main Building without mercy.
Thud!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sounds of them colliding and falling over, of fists pounding on the door I had touched—followed by countless other noises I couldn’t identify—echoed endlessly.
“……”
I no longer had the energy to sigh. Ignoring the chaos outside, I dropped heavily into a chair. My body, which had long since passed its limits during that frantic escape, screamed silently in protest.
This was the first time I had ever pushed myself this far, and every sensation felt alien. My senses would sharpen to an excruciating degree, then suddenly go numb as if I were submerged underwater. Not wanting to hear the shrieks and destruction beyond the door any longer, I buried my face against the table where Zeta lay.
Zeta, please wake up…
As I prayed for her to open her eyes, the moonlight grew sharper in the deepening night and slipped through the curtains.
“…Hyunwoo…?”
And bathed in that moonlight, Zeta finally opened her eyes.