No Heaven in the Place You Fled To
Days where survival had become the only virtue. Who wouldn't be like that? But Dok Sa-yeon was particularly sensitive about her own safety. Enough to decide to abandon a boat the moment she spotted a small hole in its hull.
They must be asleep by now, right?
At the sound of their regular breathing, Dok Sa-yeon opened her eyes. Confirming that both Cheongun and Jeong Da-jeong were fast asleep, she carefully got out of bed.
Drip.
"Ugh…"
The unpleasant sensation of semen trickling down her thigh. She couldn't hold back a small sound, but quickly clamped her hand over her mouth and slipped out of the room.
The gym was pitch dark. No lights were on. Instead, she flicked on a tiny finger-sized flashlight, packing her belongings as quietly as possible so as not to wake them.
Rustle, rustle.
...Just one bottle of water.
Most fugitives would grab every bit of food they could to last even a day longer, but she prioritized other items. Syringes, medicines, and even drugs. Anything to prove her worth.
Flash.
Click.
Snap.
She packed only the essentials for immediate escape: headlamp, rope.
The pistol... he must have it.
No matter where she looked, the pistol was nowhere to be found. Settling for the nail gun, she headed out, casting one last reluctant glance around the gym.
Piles of supplies. The air conditioner and fridge still humming away... And beyond that, the school perched atop the hill like a fortress. Once the half-built barricades were complete, they'd have little to fear from most intruders.
A perfect setup. From her perspective, she could live here forever.
But they... more precisely, he thought differently.
"In a couple days, we're storming the police station."
Dok Sa-yeon had been floored by his insane declaration. Three against dozens. And armed with pistols, no less. No matter how well Cheongun fought, he was still human. A bullet would kill him, and one hand couldn't beat ten.
She'd hinted around—did they really need to? Couldn't they just survive like this?—but Cheongun ignored her opinion. No, ignored wasn't the word; he was beyond reason.
"What if... what if you die?"
"Then that just means I'm not worth shit."
He grinned.
"And obviously, you two come with me that far."
At that lunatic's smile, she gave up trying to persuade him. And realized something worse: sticking by this madman would get her killed too.
I have to run...
She still vividly remembered the whistle of bullets grazing her ear... the sound of death. Shaking off her lingering regrets, she steeled herself.
It's fine. I'll get it all back soon enough.
If there were no other options, maybe. But she knew of a better ship to board. Survivors at the police station—more numerous and stronger than Cheongun. Tell them the school's location, team up, storm it in reverse, kill, and take it.
For now, focus on escaping.
Hook the rope on the school fence and climb over. Grab a bike from that bus stop I saw on the way...
And so, as Dok Sa-yeon resolved herself and slipped out of the gym, unseen eyes watched her from the window.
Oblivious to that fact, Dok Sa-yeon headed for the police station.
...
Finding the police station wasn't hard. Myeongseo-dong was her old neighborhood anyway, and even from afar, lights blazed brightly—clearly a generator running.
Creak, creak.
"Hah, haaah... haaah..."
Detouring around zombies had taken time, but she finally dragged her bike to the front.
The problem: zombies swarming toward the lights and generator noise.
She took a deep breath, then—echoing the time she'd begged Cheongun for help—undid her shirt buttons and shouted.
"Help! Please, save me!"
Bounce, bounce.
She shook her chest deliberately, dodging zombies in circles.
And her efforts paid off. The police station doors flew open, men pouring out.
Thud, thud, thud!
Thud-thud-thud-thud…
Bang, BANG, BANG, BAAANG!
Zombies' heads exploded in seconds. Seeing that, she was convinced her choice was right.
"Thank you. If not for you... sob."
"Save the thanks—let's get inside first."
Finally inside the station. Past the bloodstained parking lot to the building, where the apparent boss greeted her. A pudgy gut, patchy beard... ugly 40s or 50s guy. Tattoos peeking from his clothes like a gangster's.
"Damn, this bitch is fine. Worth waking the boys on a moonlit night."
Up close, he reeked like he hadn't bathed in days.
"...Th-thank you for... saving me..."
Grab.
Grope, grope.
"...!"
"Whoa, just checking for bites—standard procedure. Don't freak. Yeah?"
"Ah... y-yeah... procedure..."
Grope, grope.
Stroke.
Anyone could see it wasn't just checking; his hands were slimy. Still, she squeezed her eyes shut and endured.
"Good girl. Can't be squeamish over this."
"...Ugh...."
Grit.
"Okay. No bites. What's your name, missy?"
"Dok Sa-yeon. And you...?"
"Me? Park Jong-pil. Call me station chief for now."
"Ch-Chief... I have something to say..."
I'm a doctor, she started. Know a place loaded with food. Can tell you who killed your men today... She pulled out the booze and drugs she'd carefully packed to prove her value.
But the chief had no interest in that value.
"Nah, save the bullshit for later. Come on in."
Slinging an arm over her shoulder, he dragged her inside.
"Got something I want you to do for me right now, Sa-yeon."
She shut her mouth as his arm snaked around her waist.
"We'll talk details all night long after. Sound good?"
"...Yes..."
His blatant demand for sex made her grit her teeth, but she managed a reply.
Endure it. Endure. That's all.
She'd expected this. Her body was already filthy from Cheongun. What did more dirt matter now? If it meant acceptance, she'd do anything.
She'd already done worse. All she wanted was to live.
But there's always a floor below the floor. Living in the apocalypse splintered into forms far from what she imagined—and as they entered the building, she learned that. Or rather, saw it.
-Aaaagh... agh...!
Please... stop...!
Men's screams of agony echoing endlessly from the hallway ahead.
Thud, thud, thud.
-Please, please, just something to eat... anything to drink...!
Men in rooms pounding desperately on doors as they passed.
"Th-those...?"
"Eh, ignore 'em. You'll get used to it."
At least the first floor was tolerable. Up the stairs, the horrors intensified.
-Thud, splat. Splat.
-Ugh... urk... hngh...!
-Hah, fuck. Grk. Gonna cum...!
-Hey, that bitch any good?
-Hngh-hngh... sob... hic...!
-Nah, her little sister's better.
-No, no! Please... stop... ugh!
-Yeah? Drag her over, compare.
Women's desperate moans from rooms all over the second floor.
Screech.
"Whoa, boss."
"Chief, chief. I said chief, you little shit."
"Yes, sir! Loyalty!"
A subordinate emerged from a room, zipping up after finishing his business.
Glance.
She peeked through the cracked door.
Drip, drip.
"...Guh... hng... sob..."
A woman her age, handcuffed, blood streaming from nose and mouth, sobbing. Next to her, a line of shattered white teeth.
"New face, huh?"
"Yeah. Dok Sa-yeon. Just arrived."
"Whoa~ check those massive tits."
Flinch.
"Hey, watch it in front of the lady."
"My bad. Oh, boss—can I reserve her?"
"Go ahead."
"Then please, this time, use her gently."
Casual as deciding who uses the bathroom first.
Humiliation nearly broke her mind, but she endured.
"Hey, no other snacks? Always canned shit."
"What? Already drank it all? Oi! More booze!"
Crash.
"Kill him! Kill!"
"Fuck, fight back! Fight back!"
"You idiot, know how much I lost 'cause of you?!"
Thud, thud, thud…
The third floor was barracks: daytime survivors now in a drunken brawl-slash-human cockfight.
Slurp.
Slurp.
"Finally decent. Use your tongue, bitch. Tsk. Gotta beat women to make 'em obey."
"Kyah—Blue Label, huh? Never thought I'd snort this. Oi, another bottle."
Patter.
Fourth floor: executives like nobility, waited on by naked women in a screening room, puffing cigars and swigging premium liquor.
The top floor—fifth—was the chief's... boss's quarters and storage. Quiet, save for a few guards.
Up to then, she still thought: It won't be different. Prove her value like always. Win this boss's favor—no matter how repulsive—and she wouldn't fall that far.
Better than dying...
Waiting for the station chief's office door to open...
Screech.
"...!"
Insane...!
A woman's corpse slumped on the desk. Not a clean death—brutal beating marks, skin flayed everywhere.
Wh-what... why is that... there...?
A whip buried in the corpse's crotch, soaked in blood.
Shiver, shiver.
"Ah... ah... th-that..."
"Damn punks. Told 'em to clean up."
Thud, thud.
Pluck.
Pop.
Splat.
The man passed the frozen Dok Sa-yeon, opened the window. Yanked the whip from the corpse's pussy, tossed the body out like trash.
Vrooom…
-Splat-splat-splaaat.
Shraaa...
The gruesome sound of the body bursting on impact. Even Dok Sa-yeon, who'd seen horrors, nearly vomited.
Screech.
"So. What'd you say? Dokko-something?"
Swish.
Crack.
"What'd you wanna say?"
The whip cracking the air made her finally realize how stupid she'd been.
Fleeing purgatory wouldn't land her in heaven.
Thud, thud.
"Ah... d-don't... don't come... don't...!"
"Kyaa~ Nice voice. Hearing a bitch scream already got me hard."
"No... please...!"
Step by step. The chief approached, stench of rot thickening.
The whip raised.
"On your belly, bitch."
The moment that smell threatened to coat her too—
KABANG!
Flicker, flicker, flicker.
A crash vibrated through, lights strobing wildly.
"Huh?"
"Ah... uh...?"
KABAAANG!
Pfft.
Another metallic clash, and the lights died completely.
"Generator out of fuel?"
Shrug.
"They'll handle it."
"Eek...!"
Squeeze.
As the chief shrugged it off and swung the whip again—
BAANG!
A gunshot—from inside the building.
Bang, bang, BAANG, BAAANG…
"What the fuck?!"
Realization dawned too late amid the barrage.
Bang, bang, bang.
Bang…
From first floor to second, second to third... the shots climbed higher.