Chapter 34
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: The Suspicious Survivor
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Hoo..."
It had already been fifteen days since the zombie outbreak began.
The group of academy students who went out on reconnaissance four days ago never came back, leaving just the three of us here.
If my boyfriend Min-hyuk and So-yoon hadn't worked so hard to keep up a cheerful front and lift everyone's spirits, someone as quick to despair as me might have just given up entirely.
As usual, Min-hyuk was up early tinkering with something first thing in the morning, while So-yoon stared endlessly out the window.
There was nothing to see out there but the bustling streets packed with zombies anyway, but she always looked anyway.
Still, it was far more helpful than what I was doing—just sitting there idly watching the two of them.
"Eh?!"
At that moment, So-yoon raised her voice.
I let out a long sigh and gave her the same warning I'd repeated countless times.
"Zombies react to noise, so don't shout..."
"Soo-ah! Hurry up and come look! Min-hyuk, you too!"
"Huh? Me too?"
Min-hyuk sounded flustered, like he wasn't sure why he had to come over.
And he had every reason to be.
Whenever Min-hyuk was focused on making something, So-yoon always gave him space out of consideration, so this was a first.
But this time, she was calling for him too.
Urgently, nothing like her usual calm self.
Wondering what could be going on, I exchanged a quick glance with Min-hyuk before slowly making our way to the window where So-yoon stood.
We reached the window just fine, but with it right there in front of me, I froze.
Outside the window—especially the horde of zombies clogging the street in front of our academy building—
Just picturing it made my legs tremble.
It was a hopeless scene that made me convinced we'd be trapped here forever.
The two of them peered out with a composure I hadn't expected, but it was beyond me.
Just looking at it felt like it was chipping away at my sanity.
'So-yoon's really tough.'
That's why I couldn't understand her.
Even as fellow women, she always put on a strong face no matter the situation.
Every day she'd gaze outside, comfort me, and take the lead alongside Min-hyuk.
Maybe Min-hyuk relied on her more than on someone like me.
In fact, ever since the outbreak, the two of them had been spending more and more time together.
So-yoon taking action first, Min-hyuk backing her up.
Perhaps.
Was I the one getting in their way?
Truth be told, before the zombies hit, So-yoon had confessed to Min-hyuk but got turned down. Instead, Min-hyuk confessed to me.
I'd already harbored some feelings for him, so I accepted. But then the outbreak happened right after.
Caught in that awkward dynamic, the three of us ended up holed up in this academy together purely by accident.
"Hup."
Gathering my courage, I followed the line of So-yoon's pointing finger and looked outside.
What I saw through the window was the downtown area—and the swarms of zombies filling it completely, especially right in front of our academy.
And beyond them, a single man came into view.
"...Police?"
The guy in the black riot gear and helmet looked just like those cops on the news facing down protesters.
The main difference? They carried transparent shields. This one wielded some massive sword I'd never seen before.
"Machete..."
Min-hyuk muttered the word "machete," staring at the enormous blade.
A few zombies around the man were already crumpled on the ground, their heads smashed or clean lopped off.
That's when the man snagged his foot on a zombie's shredded clothes and staggered.
To keep from falling, he slammed his other foot down hard to steady himself.
Impressive reflexes.
But.
That thud drew the nearby zombies slinking toward him one after another.
"Hup!"
"Damn..."
I nearly screamed right then.
Min-hyuk muttered under his breath too, looking genuinely pained for the guy.
It was a utterly hopeless spot to be in.
Over thirty of them, easy.
Having hunted zombies ourselves, we knew exactly how brutal those numbers were.
We culled them periodically.
Otherwise, there was no way to scrounge food in this academy stuffed with nothing but books and office supplies.
We'd stumbled into it by chance—knocking down a zombie and spotting a store. After that, zombie hunts became our only shot at rations.
We three always stuck to just one or two at a time.
Min-hyuk making noise to lure them in, tanking with his chair shield, while So-yoon and I stabbed their foreheads with spears made from umbrellas.
Even teamed up, it was no walk in the park.
Zombie skulls were thick; our hasty weapons had limits.
Taking one down meant jabbing its head three or four times at least.
And that only worked because we had the stairs' high ground.
Being ringed by thirty in the middle of the street like that guy?
I couldn't bear to imagine it.
Dreading the gruesome end I foresaw, I turned away.
Staring at that mess would only drag me deeper into gloom.
Min-hyuk watched the man with a faintly sorrowful look too.
And that's when So-yoon cried out.
"Look!"
Min-hyuk was the same.
"How..."
Shock painted their faces as they gawked blankly out the window.
Only then did I dare peek outside again.
"What..."
"Some kinda special forces soldier, right?!"
The man out there was dominating the zombies.
Massacre didn't even begin to cover it.
He pulverized or sliced the heads off every approaching zombie.
One swing each.
No exceptions.
Any zombie stepping into his reach lost its head and collapsed like a marionette with severed strings.
When they lunged from both sides, he'd decapitate one and boot the other into the distance.
Like So-yoon said, you had to be special ops to fight like that.
But the racket from the battle kept drawing more zombies in.
Every one he dropped seemed to make the horde swell.
He was holding strong, but battling nonstop in that heavy gear and helmet had to be murder on his stamina.
Mustering that much himself, he started retreating toward our academy, fighting as he went.
Lots of zombies up front, but the noise had pulled most toward him, thinning out near the entrance.
Problem was, we'd bolted the door shut. Even if he reached it, no dice.
"We gotta go down and let him in!"
"Right, I'll handle it."
So-yoon barely finished shouting before Min-hyuk snatched up his chair shield and bolted downstairs.
"No, wait—"
I tried to stop him, but he was already thundering down the stairs too fast to hear me.
So-yoon reacted instead.
"Soo-ah, what's wrong?"
"...Nothing."
Those two were always so kind—they'd never get where I was coming from, even if I spelled it out.
Not when the door might let death right in, and here I was agonizing over whether he was safe.
Being around them sometimes made me feel like the most selfish person alive.
Other times, I thought they were hopelessly naive.
'What if he's got ulterior motives...'
A flicker of unease stirred.
Then a massive crash echoed from the floor below.
Smashing impacts and frantic footsteps rang out one after another.
Sudden silence fell.
Only the sound of someone climbing the stairs reverberated.
"Please..."
So-yoon and I clasped our hands, praying as we stared down the stairwell.
Moments later, the man from outside climbed up—right beside Min-hyuk.
"Whoa!"
"Hoo..."
Thank goodness. Min-hyuk looked unscathed.
The man did too.
I shot the man a glare and snatched up the umbrella spear leaning against the wall.
"Soo-ah?!"
"W-What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"
Min-hyuk and So-yoon yelped in confusion, turning to me.
The sweet pair of them would never think to doubt him.
So it fell to me.
"Take off your helmet and bag. Drop the weapon on the floor."
Without a second thought, the man tossed the machete down like it was nothing.
Then he removed his helmet and bag.
...Exactly as I'd figured.
Built like special forces.
"...Step back."
"..."
No reply.
But he slowly backed away all the same.
Once he was clear of the machete, I kept the spear trained on him and edged forward, kicking the blade far off.
It skidded to a precise halt at So-yoon's feet.
"S-Soo-ah..."
"So-yoon, grab the machete. Sorry. We're on edge too."
"...Fine. You'll give it back later, yeah?"
"...Depends."
"Whatever."
Calm as could be, even stripped of his weapon and helmet.
Something about it rubbed me the wrong way.
"Why'd you come here?"
"Saw your white flag on the roof. Came to help."
"Soo-ah! He came to help us!"
"..."
So-yoon and Min-hyuk lit up like he'd brought salvation itself, but I bought none of it.
Risk his neck with no strings attached, just to help?
Sure, those types existed.
If Min-hyuk had that build and gear—and spotted our flag—he'd have done the same, no question.
But another one like that? Doubtful.
"How exactly are you gonna help?"
"My place is in that apartment block up ahead. Head there."
"...What do you want from us?"
"...Nothing specific. Just survive together."
"...Can't believe that."
His "nothing specific" sealed it—doubt hardened into certainty.
"Soo-ah..."
"He saw the flag and came all this way..."
Min-hyuk and So-yoon stammered, flustered.
I knew how this looked to them.
Like I was the crazy one.
But someone had to play the bad guy.
For their sake.
"...Here's the deal. Help us escape to that apartment block. Then we part ways clean."
"...Fine. Agreed."
And just like that, the stranger joined our group—for now.