Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Zombie Apocalypse (7)
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After checking outside the window, I took a thorough shower.
Showers are something I do every day as a routine, but they might become a luxury someday. Better do it while I can.
While killing time on my smartphone searching for information with my freshly cleaned body, Na-eun woke up.
Sitting on the bed and blankly scanning the room, Na-eun spoke to me in a listless voice.
"It wasn't a dream. I thought it'd all be over when I woke up."
"Our country's still holding up okay, though. Overseas it's total chaos, but here it's just a stay-at-home order so far."
"I hope it stops right there. I'll cover the fine for all the convenience store stuff you grabbed."
Na-eun said it playfully with a smile, and I smiled back.
KA-BOOOM!!!
The explosion from outside cut our laughter short.
Na-eun's eyes went wide as she got off the bed and headed toward the window in the direction of the sound. I followed right behind.
A ways off from the window where a few zombies had been shambling around, flames were shooting up into the sky.
I'm not super familiar with the layout around here since it's far from campus, but I had a rough idea of the spot.
"Na-eun, isn't that the gas station over there?"
"Looks like it. Did they run into a zombie while pumping gas or something?"
Na-eun's guess actually sounded pretty plausible.
What if a zombie popped up mid-fuel-up, they panicked back to the driver's seat without capping the tank properly, turned the key, and boom?
Low odds, sure, but we're living in a world where the Plague Lord negotiated with the planet itself to unleash zombies. Anything's possible.
"The zombies are all heading that way."
Na-eun pointed out the window at the zombies.
Even the ones that had been hiding were getting pulled toward the exploded gas station like moths to a flame.
Couldn't this count as modern communication in a way?
If the zombies swarm there, the nearby marts and department stores should clear out.
"Na-eun, let's hit the department store. They sell sporting goods there, right?"
"Yeah, they do. But you mean now?"
"Grab an energy bar to munch on the way. My soulmate baseball bat needs some buddies. And you could use something to defend yourself with."
"I can swing a baseball bat pretty well too."
She was good at it during batting practice—only a little behind me.
I've leveled up since then, so my overall physical stats are better now, but it'd still make a solid self-defense tool for her.
"Let's move quick. People probably already raided the place last night."
"Okay. I'll just wash my face."
Na-eun hurried into the bathroom, and I pulled a few energy bars from the emergency rations box.
I slipped on the cardboard protector I'd made and used yesterday, finished prepping in no time, and Na-eun emerged after a quick face wash and some lotion.
With her geared up in her own cardboard protector and an empty bag like mine, we headed out again today.
Lots of folks must've figured the explosion would draw zombie eyes away—tons of people were pouring out of the officetel.
This might end up a bust.
Heading down the stairs with Na-eun, the old zombie's corpse was still there.
Once outside, Na-eun spotted that the female zombie's body was gone from in front of the recycling bins and said to me,
"Sian, doesn't that female zombie from yesterday look like it's missing?"
"Yeah, it's gone."
"What the hell would anyone do with it... Nah, no way."
Na-eun trailed off, trying to talk herself out of it.
True to form as a woman who knew her way around men, she'd clearly thought of that particular use.
The head was smashed, so they'd have to deal with everything above the neck somehow, but I hadn't touched the body below that.
It'd only been nine hours. I hoped they hadn't ditched their humanity that fast.
On the way to the department store, I glanced back and got the feeling some officetel residents we'd passed—ones I'd recognized by face—were tailing us.
"Na-eun, you see people following us, right?"
"They must've seen you take out those zombies yesterday. Smart to stick with someone who's got a real weapon."
Still, grouping up like this could make others feel threatened and pull some stupid stunt.
I could force them to scatter with a show of strength, but figuring one might have a kitchen knife tucked away, I decided to just keep walking.
We passed the gym where I'd met Na-eun yesterday and kept going until the department store came into view.
The main entrance had already been smashed in by someone—total disaster inside.
"Guess we showed up a little late."
"Yeah, but folks usually grab food first. Fingers crossed the upper floors are untouched."
A bunch of our tag-alongs headed straight down to the basement food court.
With the crowd thinned out, we took the stairs up, and Na-eun quietly said to me,
"Sian, swing by the women's clothing section if we've got time."
"Stuff the bag full—no budget worries."
Our target sporting goods store was on the seventh floor, and by then all our followers had tired out and dropped off.
Lucky for us regular exercisers—we were just a bit winded.
We pushed open the door and stepped into a wonderland of sportswear brands.
Wall-to-wall practical gear, and just as I thought nobody had hit it hard yet, a zombie's guttural throat rasp echoed out.
"Grraaarrgh..."
"Looks like the people who made it up here saw the zombies and bailed."
Lower floors showed some signs of looting, but this level? Zombies kept 'em away.
My grip tightened on the bat.
We couldn't pinpoint the zombie's position, so we crept forward slowly.
I could've lured it with noise like with that female zombie at dawn, but after some shut-eye, who knew how many more had spawned? That trick was off the table now.
"Grraaaargh..."
We inched toward the sound and spotted the zombie lurking near some hanging clothes.
Put this one down, and that'd make four zombies. More than the goblins I'd killed at Global Academy over six whole months.
I closed in fast and brought the bat down on its head.
CRACK-BOOM!
A satisfying crunch, and the zombie's head burst open.
With my level and combat power up, two-handed focused strikes could drop 'em in one go now.
Quest completion promised even stronger physical stats—what would that be like?
The head-smash echoed loud, so we went on high alert for any more coming.
Thankfully, no other sounds. We pressed on to the sporting goods store.
Snagged some big new bags first, then grabbed three baseball bats from the outdoor display and handed one to Na-eun.
Na-eun, gloved up, swung hers around with a whoosh-whoosh, then loaded up on water bottles, wrist guards, and random gear before dumping it all in my bag.
Hers was still empty?
Weapons secured as priority one, we hit the nearby sportswear section next and stuffed our bags with training suits in our sizes.
Na-eun packed hers too, then we headed to the central escalators—which were stopped—and started down, only to halt midway.
"Gaaah! Zombie!"
"Run! Emergency stairs? This way!"
"Where'd that guy from earlier go?!"
"Grroooaaarrrgh!"
"Grrraaak!"
Zombie snarls and human screams rose from below. No need to look—inferno down there. My feet felt like lead.
"Heard that racket earlier and nobody came. Must be hell breaking loose downstairs."
"What now? If they're talking emergency stairs, sounds like nowhere's safe."
Na-eun's voice trembled as she spoke.
With the thick gloves from the store on, I figured it was time to wrap that quest—go in swinging.
"Na-eun, I can full-power bat-swing at zombies no problem. You up for it?"
"Uh... yeah, I think I have to. I can do it."
She still hesitated a bit, but didn't whine for me to handle it.
Together, we took the escalator down to the lower floor nice and slow.
The commotion had died down, and the sixth floor looked clear.
Descending to the fifth, my mind wandered to the zombies we'd encountered so far.
"Na-eun, the zombies we've seen look way cleaner than I expected. Movies make 'em look like rotting corpses."
"Huh? Oh, yeah, kinda."
The old zombie had looked seriously off just from its appearance, but the others? Eyes gone black, red glow when they aggro'd.
That aside, their movements were a little off, but no chunks of flesh missing or corpse-like decay.
Felt exactly like they'd just caught the Plague Seed bug.
"If it's quiet, assume everything's infected."
The plague—zombie virus by another name—seemed to prioritize spreading infection over everything.
Not driven by hunger, but by transmission behaviors. No need to trash the host that badly.
Classic exam-eve brain, firing off random thoughts like this.
Peering down from six to five, my eyes locked with a zombie's.
"GRRAAAAGH!!!"
"Grrraaarrgh!"
Does the zombie virus wreck the vocal cords first? Every damn one sounded like that!
"Na-eun, check our surroundings! I'll deal with any coming up!"
"Got it!"
Seeing the horde swarm in, I was dead certain I'd clear today's quest for sure.