Banpo. (1)
The surreal battle scene I'd just witnessed was probably hard to process. But that was the brain's job. Right now, survival came first.
That was my thinking, anyway. What about Seong Ga-yeon?
"Ah..."
Her face regained a bit of color at the word "escape."
"Understood."
Oho. Trained through grueling combat drills, she sized up the situation fast. I nodded and scanned the distance.
Kraaaarrr! A savage pack of wild dogs baying.
I glanced back at the warehouse. Metallic clanks echoed like steel striking steel, one after another. They were gearing up. It hadn't even been two minutes since they went in. No idea how many weapons were inside, but they'd need more time.
...In that case.
Kraaaarrr! Getting closer. They were charging like mad.
Sound alone put it at dozens, easily—not hundreds, but plenty.
I'd just killed about a hundred.
...Not enough. Need to recover.
I turned, grabbed the warehouse door.
"How much longer?"
"Almost done."
Inside the lit warehouse, four men frantically stuffed weapons from metal shelves and wall racks into duffel bags. Still a ways to go. Dozens of rifles at a glance. Ammo was key, more than the guns themselves. What they grabbed now would be crucial for future ops. Better take everything.
Kraaaarrr! ...Closer still.
I walked to my backpack on the ground, pulled a mag from my back pocket, slotted it in, drew my Ingram and swapped to a fresh one.
Click. Best to be ready.
Tucked the Ingram into my thigh holster, drew my bow. Eight regenerated arrows.
...Might buy some time.
Slung the backpack on, gauged the sound's source. The baying came from Han River Middle School. Maybe kids or teachers who'd holed up there. Or stragglers bursting from nearby homes or buildings.
Looked up at the armory. A small concrete ledge jutted under the roof, right above the door. I leaped, grabbed it with one hand, hauled myself up.
"Hup!"
Figured it'd work. My arm lifted my body clean off the ground like it was nothing. Twisted midair, landed on the roof.
Thud! The heavy bag tugged at my shoulders. Didn't expect it to be that easy. Thought I'd need a foot on the wall, but pure arm strength got me up.
Seong Ga-yeon stared up, eyes wide with surprise.
"...What do you do for a living? Athlete?"
Dropout slacker who quit his part-time gig to laze around campus.
"Yeah, something like that. Hobby."
I brushed it off, nocked an arrow.
2.5 meters? Maybe 3. This armory roof should do.
Sun had set. Pitch black. But...
I stood, raised the bow. Nocked, drew.
Pwaaaang! A transparent circle bloomed before the bowstring.
Streetlights flickered on the road. American-style houses beyond. Trees that weren't quite a forest.
Kraaaarrr! Where?
Which way? I swept the bow left to right, aiming. Slowly raised it higher.
Still far. But closing in.
...Where? Past the trees, unseen road. Somewhere beyond.
A red shape shimmered into view. I shifted left-right. Red forms flickered dozens of times. At least dozens.
"...Ssp."
Released.
Pew. Fwooo! Hit without looking.
Nocked another instantly.
Pwaaaang! Pew. Second, third shots. Saw a red shape pitch forward.
Kyarrk! The baying changed.
Again.
Pew. Fwooo! Another down. Pins toppling like a bowling strike. When one trips in a charging pack, they tumble chain-reaction.
Last arrow.
Pew. ...Damn. No tumble this time.
"Hoo."
Bought some time, at least. Vaulted off the roof, landed.
Slung the recurve into its quiver behind me, checked the warehouse. Eye contact with Seong Ga-yeon.
"Those arrows just now...?"
I glanced inside casually.
"Sniper shots. Five down, bought us breathing room. Hey, hurry it up."
Response from inside.
"All set now."
Footsteps. Looked like it.
"...Five sniper kills?"
Seong Ga-yeon's eyes went round. She glanced at the road behind me. Houses. Trees. No clear sightlines. Even from the roof, past trees at night? Near impossible with a bow. Headshots, no less.
I just shrugged, no answer needed. She'd seen me one-shot a hundred with the Ingram in seconds. "Luck" wouldn't fly.
Men emerged, duffels heavy on shoulders. Rifles in hand. Good.
I nodded.
"That way's blocked."
Special Forces Captain Seong Gyu-hyuk nodded, supported his sister as they moved.
"Yeah. Wasn't our retreat route anyway. Let's go, Sung-hoon."
I followed the group.
"Where to?"
Captain Seong Gyu-hyuk said,
"Our temporary government hideout."
"Where's that?"
Passed one duffel to a team member carrying two, shouldered the other.
Temporary government hideout?
Captain Seong Gyu-hyuk answered.
"Banpo."
...Banpo.
I narrowed my eyes, nodded slowly like everything clicked.
Where the fuck is that? I'm not from Seoul.
Kraaaarrr! Distant baying behind as we fled Yongsan US Army Base south. South.
Banpo Bridge was gridlocked, peak rush hour. Driverless cars abandoned, piled in triple, quadruple crashes.
We pushed through the wrecks, reached the bridge's center, finally caught our breath.
"Hahk, hahk."
Seong Ga-yeon looked wrecked. Ankle pain aside, days without proper food or water hit hard. Pale, sweat streaming pitifully.
Special Forces guys sweated too. Not exhaustion—heavy duffels while running.
Me? ...Not a drop.
Body just felt warm. Survival Expert perk, full-body reinforcement.
Human Beast wave baying? Silent now. They'd circle the base, noise source. Seong Ga-yeon's grit—no cries despite pain—shook them off.
Tough woman.
Pulled a 500ml water from my pack, cracked it. All eyes on me. Offered to Seong Ga-yeon.
"Drink."
"N-no, I'm fine."
"Drink."
She glanced at her brother and team. Seong Gyu-hyuk nodded, took it from me, handed to her.
Last water in my pack. Cracked the spare, sipped, passed to the others.
Grateful bows. Sharing water felt absurd.
These guys. Brought nothing. No water, no food.
Assumed mission fail, quick return? Or nothing worth carrying.
... Latter, probably. President looked ragged. No abundance.
Just the willing.
I sat, pulled a fistful of energy bars, tossed to team and Seong Ga-yeon.
Nothing all day. I'm fine; they're not. Especially her.
Apocalypse basics: will to live. Food. Water. Miss any, you're dead.
Special Forces training kept them alive this long. Reality didn't care.
Curious if I was right.
"Once we're back, boil some ramen? No eggs these days, but cheese slices'd make it tasty."
Team members biting bars, exchanging looks.
...Awkward glances.
...Got it.
Captain Seong Gyu-hyuk said,
"Sorry, ramen's gone."
I nodded, smirked.
"And everything else. Tap water, probably. Need guns to scavenge, but empty-handed. Team wiped trying. Right?"
He wrapped an arm around his sister's shoulders, met my eyes. Nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"How many combatants?"
"Five teams. One gone, so four."
Twenty fighters, tops. Civilians like president. Armed with two pistols, two rifles. Firing draws attention. Need a fire net, but four guns and a few hundred rounds? No dice.
Had guns, couldn't raid a mart. Or tried, lost guys. Weapons priority one.
...Makes sense.
I nodded.