Trapped in Darkness
The manager held the knife with an incredibly skilled stance.
He wasn't the skinny, talkative, noisy guy the two had known until now.
He was a completely different person, radiating an entirely alien aura.
It was then, as Choi Hoon shuddered at the realization that a person could change so drastically.
"Shoot! If you lower that gun now, we're all finished—us and those people too! Urgh!"
Kim Chan-yeol bellowed desperately.
With every shout, the knife tip dug deeper into his throat.
Blood was already flowing more freely than before.
Choi Hoon tried to pull the trigger several times but couldn't bring himself to do it.
Because the manager was staring solely at his finger.
The slightest twitch, and it looked like he'd plunge the blade straight into Kim Chan-yeol's neck.
There was no choice.
Judging that he couldn't gamble even if it meant dying together, Choi Hoon slowly lowered the muzzle.
"No! Sergeant Choi!"
"Toss the gun over here."
The rifle clattered across the floor.
Having seized both weapons, the manager shoved Kim Chan-yeol toward Choi Hoon and scooped up the rifle.
"Your neck? You okay?"
Choi Hoon checked on Kim Chan-yeol's condition.
The manager spoke in a voice laced with warning.
"I didn't stab deep. Both of you, head downstairs."
Kim Chan-yeol and Choi Hoon glanced at the stairs for a moment.
Going down now really would be the end.
The time it would take for the group to notice their disappearance, search for them.
And if the tower interfered even with that, who knew how much longer.
But there were no other options.
Choi Hoon took the lead.
With each step down, his heart tightened like he was heading to a place he'd never return from.
Just as the two were nearly at the bottom, the manager—who had come down with them—suddenly lashed out with his foot.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The two took a beating like dogs getting pummeled by their owner, dust flying everywhere.
Blood spurted from Kim Chan-yeol's mouth, and blood poured from Choi Hoon's nose.
"You fucking pests have been a real pain in my ass."
Finishing the assault, the manager shut the door and left.
Slam!
The people isolated beyond the transparent wall stared at the two newcomers with eyes full of despair.
For them, their last lifeline had been severed. There was no hope left.
Ignoring those gazes as best he could, Kim Chan-yeol finally dragged himself to his feet and spoke.
"Sergeant Choi. Are you alright, sir?"
"Yeah, still breathing."
Sergeant Choi replied from where he lay on the floor.
"I'm alive too. That crazy bastard's completely different from usual, sir."
"We got played. But damn, he hits hard."
"Tell me about it, sir. But why didn't he throw us in there with them and leave us here instead?"
Kim Chan-yeol wiped the blood from his lips and asked.
"Dunno. My guess is it's tough for him to unlock it alone and shove us in. He'll probably bring someone soon."
"If we can't get out by then, we're zombies for sure, sir."
"Chan-yeol."
Choi Hoon, still lying down, spoke while mindful of the people beyond the wall.
"Don't say that. It's not certain yet."
"...Understood, sir."
Grasping the implication, Kim Chan-yeol replied cautiously and scanned the basement interior.
As Choi Hoon said, they would definitely come back.
There was no way they'd just abandon them like this.
If their chance to escape was only in that moment, they needed to find something to turn the tables.
But the basement held nothing usable as a weapon.
It was utterly empty.
Kim Chan-yeol slowly walked toward the people beyond the wall.
"Any chance... there's something here we could use as a weapon? They might come back soon, sir."
"Chan-yeol, those folks have been in the dark this whole time."
Choi Hoon called out from the floor, but Kim Chan-yeol didn't give up.
"Someone must've turned the lights on when they came before. Anything at all—tell us whatever you remember, sir."
But the imprisoned people said nothing.
Just as Choi Hoon said, they'd spent countless hours in pitch blackness.
There was... no way.
No matter how they looked or thought, there was no escape for the two from this place.
The despair and fear that the captives had felt endlessly began to crush them slowly.
How long had they been sitting like that?
Footsteps echoed, and soon the basement ceiling slid open.
They were moving faster than expected.
Armed soldiers descended the stairs, followed by the slow emergence of none other than the doctor.
A flicker of hope appeared on Kim Chan-yeol and Choi Hoon's faces.
Hadn't they been secretly relaying the mood within the military to the doctor per his covert orders?
Maybe he'd get them out.
The doctor scanned the two with a grave expression.
Flanking him, the armed soldiers—mysterious troops affiliated with the tower—stood watch.
"I've been mulling it over on my way here. Truth be told, I could release you right now, just as you might hope. However..."
The doctor paused, running a hand over his bald head, looking troubled.
"The question nagging at me is how exactly you two knew about this place. How did you get the password? And in this day and age, with expansion operations in full swing, why would frontline soldiers like you end up here? It's all too suspicious."
Park Yi-hyun-seok approached right up to their noses, hands clasped behind his back.
"Only one person has ever questioned this warehouse: the overseer. And you two are particularly close to him, aren't you? No matter how I think about it, my conclusion is you couldn't have come this far without prior instructions."
They had every reason to protest it wasn't true, but faced with such logical, rational deduction, the two could say nothing.
"Did Han Jaejeong send you?"
The doctor stared straight into Kim Chan-yeol's eyes.
Kim Chan-yeol met the gaze in silence.
"Hah, silence. I see. The problem is, silence can sometimes mean affirmation. You're going to give me quite the headache. For now... you'll have to stay here. At your age, you surely know that actions come with consequences befitting them."
With a nod toward the stairs, the soldiers unlocked the mechanism and shoved the two beyond the wall.
Clank!
As the soldiers who locked it climbed back up, the doctor—who had crouched slightly—spoke.
"Oh, and food will come tomorrow sometime. Enough to keep you from dying, so hang in there as best you can."
After the doctor ascended, the last soldier reached for the switch.
Watching this, veins bulged in Kim Chan-yeol's eyes.
Choi Hoon clutched his head, anxious about the encroaching darkness.
Click!
And so, the two were swallowed by the dark.
Back at the barracks, Han Jaejeong and Kang Youngman grew uneasy as night fell with no word from Kim Chan-yeol and Choi Hoon.
They'd already checked everywhere they could.
The soldiers on shift change knew nothing of their whereabouts, and there weren't even witnesses who had seen them on guard duty.
"Something's gone wrong."
Kang Youngman paced the barracks anxiously as he spoke, prompting the deep-in-thought Jaejeong to finally open his mouth.
"There's only one possibility."
"What's that?"
"They found something in the warehouse and got caught because of it. It's definitely not the military holding them, so that leaves the tower..."
"How about you go meet the doctor?"
"No. If that's the case, walking right into their hands is exactly what the tower wants."
"So we'll just leave them, not even knowing if they're alive or dead?"
Jaejeong had no reply.
"There is another hypothesis, though."
"What's that?"
Kang Youngman crossed his arms and said,
"Suppose they came looking for us on the tower's orders from the start. Then this situation makes sense. They'd be safely somewhere in the tower, and our impatience draws us right to them. The tower uses that as an excuse to make their move."
"That's not it."
Jaejeong cut him off flatly.
"How can you be so sure?"
"I just know. This isn't arrogance— I can read people from their expressions when they talk. I don't know Sergeant Choi well, but Chan-yeol at least isn't the type."
"Then we've been properly screwed. No way out."
"Hoo..."
Jaejeong stood and faced the barracks wall.
The blazing eyes and hardened face were unlike his usual self.
"Can't do shit my way and it's driving me nuts. Normally I'd just go smash everything to hell. Should we head there now? Take out the tower once and for all."
Jaejeong was clever, but not someone who lived by brains alone.
Sometimes you had to smash through walls with action, and this limbo was fraying his calm.
"If that's what you wanted, you'd have done it from the start. Let's wait a bit. Like you said, no options. With all those people in the tower, you think they lack defenses? There's a reason the military can't touch them..."
Speaking gravely, Kang Youngman suddenly lowered his voice.
His gaze shifted outside the barracks.
Footsteps.
Jaejeong heard them too, his face tense as he focused on the sound.
The approaching steps soon took form, and Jeong I-jin stood at the entrance.
"Senior, how have you been?"
Jeong I-jin greeted Kang Youngman.
"Oh, good to see you. Been a while. What's up?"
"Got something to talk about with hyung. Privately."
"Alright? Go on then. I've got some tidying up here."
Kang Youngman gathered the scattered papers on the table.
Outside, Jaejeong and Jeong I-jin lit each other's cigarettes as always.
Pocketing his lighter, Jeong I-jin eyed Jaejeong's grim face.
"Something wrong?"
"Nah. Just stuffy. What's up?"
"Ah... nothing special. Got an op tonight, just wanted to see your face before heading out."
"Op? What kind?"
"Landing op set for this weekend. Everyone's prepping supplies. I gotta take some muscle out to sea."
"Sea? Why?"
"Need ships to land. There's a transport in the West Sea. Bring it back."
"They'll resist. No reason for them to play nice, especially after the president bailed."
Jaejeong recalled the bloody fight over the serum aboard the ship.
"Probably. Still, gotta try talking first."
Jeong I-jin's eyes looked faintly weary somehow.
Is that why he came to me?
Jaejeong wondered.
What did Jeong I-jin think of the current flow?
Working in the tower, his position must differ from Jaejeong's.
Snapping his wandering thoughts, Jaejeong asked the troubled-looking Jeong I-jin,
"What do you want to do?"
"Like I have a say. If they say go, I go. More importantly, safe zone's gonna get messy soon. You know, probably..."
Jaejeong nodded in lieu of a reply.
"Just judge wisely. Heard you haven't decided yet. Unless there's a special reason, why not trust the tower? These folks look cold, but they've all got their reasons."
"Yeah. Thanks for the advice. I'll think it over."
Jaejeong wanted to dodge the heavy talk.
"Least I hope you and I end up on the same side. That's why I'm saying this."
"Kid, what sides between us? Sounds like a veiled threat. Planning to shove a gun in my face if I go the other way?"
"...Don't say creepy shit."
Jaejeong chuckled like a joke, but Jeong I-jin was dead serious.
His smile fading with a short sigh, Jaejeong asked,
"What's got you so hung up on the tower? Gotta be them no matter what?"
"And you? Reason you hate the tower?"
"Reason... I'm just picking the surer, safer bet. Even negotiating with foreigners, the president's involvement ups success odds. Whole world's watching."
Jaejeong let the thought slip casually.
He couldn't lay it all out yet.
He hated this situation, but Jaejeong wasn't alone anymore.
Probably same for Jeong I-jin.
"Take care out there. I'll mull it over too while you're gone."
With that, Jaejeong returned to the barracks.
Infected People