The Dead Rise
One shot! Two shots!
The two up front collapsed, staring at the flying stones.
Three shots!
The muzzle bucked after the third round, slamming the buttstock—pressed hard against his shoulder—right into Beom-sik's eye socket.
For a split second, his head went numb, like he'd taken a concussion.
How many more rounds does it take for this damn gun to feel natural?
He still couldn't shoulder it right, getting smacked by the stock every time.
He quickly scanned the glass storefront across the street.
Three down for good.
That last shot had hit home.
Five more to go.
Spotting their comrades drop, the soldiers charged the barricade, faces twisted in rage and fear.
And that's when it happened.
Gunfire erupted from the opposite side, dropping two more. Peering at the window, Beom-sik spotted familiar figures aiming at the soldiers.
It was his younger brothers, the late arrivals to the fight.
Catching the unexpected fire, the surviving soldiers turned on the lone Beom-sik.
Take him out, and that barricade becomes their bunker.
One soldier vaulted over and spotted him.
Beom-sik hurled a fistful of dirt from the ground right into the man's face.
Splat!
It missed the eyes, but the soldier instinctively whipped his head away.
Bang!
Firing without shouldering it, Beom-sik dropped him clutching his gut.
But the soldier fell toward him—not backward.
Beom-sik vanished under the collapsing body like a blanket dropping.
Another soldier appeared, jamming his muzzle in Beom-sik's face.
This is it!
Beom-sik stared down the barrel—
Thwuck!
An arrow punched through the soldier's temple.
He died like Frankenstein, arrowhead and fletching protruding from both sides of his head, eyes wide open.
Gray brain matter leaked out like tap water.
Beom-sik shoved the corpse off and scrambled up.
Nearby, Anna—bow drawn—rushed over with his brothers.
The last soldier dropped his weapon and knelt.
Surrender.
"Boss! You okay?"
Spotting the gash on Beom-sik's arm, his brothers swarmed him, ripping off their undershirts beneath the fatigues to bind the wound.
"Can you move?"
"Yeah. Fine. You guys?"
"We're good. Almost too late, boss."
"Yeah. Thanks."
Beom-sik gripped their hands, replaying the chaos in his mind.
Without Anna and the boys, he'd be Swiss cheese.
Staring at the bloodied corpses on the ground sent chills down his spine.
"What the hell is that noise?"
Anna peered toward the boundary zone.
Just like she said, a massive roar—like a crowd's cheer—rolled in from the boundary zone.
Second answered, having heard it too.
"Yes, miss. Sounds like the workers who swore loyalty to the president are mobilizing."
"Workers? Survivors?"
"That's the word."
Second bowed politely.
But Third, watching Anna mid-conversation, twisted his face in horror.
Am I dreaming?
The soldier who'd died gruesomely behind Anna was slowly rising.
Beom-sik saw it too and snapped his muzzle up.
As everyone sensed the wrongness, the soldier lurched fully upright and lunged at Anna with a guttural screech.
Kraaack!
"Watch out!"
Third crossed the gap in a flash.
Crunch!
The zombie soldier's fangs sank into Third's neck instead of Anna's nape.
Anna, catching on late, gripped an arrow and stabbed the zombie's temple.
But Third was already bitten.
Bleeding out on the ground, his eyes flushed blood-red.
"N-no!"
Anna screamed, staring down at him.
Beom-sik was already nose-to-nose, locking eyes.
"B-boss..."
"You dumb fuck. There were other ways."
Tears welled in Beom-sik's eyes.
But Third looked peaceful.
"I... kept my promise to you, boss. Make sure... the miss doesn't die before us..."
Black ichor spread from his neck, coating his vocal cords and face.
The virus granted no time for goodbyes.
Stab!
Beom-sik, grinding his teeth through tears, drove the blade into Third's skull.
He couldn't stand, just held the body close.
"Boss, what the hell happened?"
Youngest wiped tears after a while, turning to Second.
"Why'd that fucker turn zombie and go for Third? He was just shot dead."
As they talked, the downed soldiers' corpses began rising one by one.
Beom-sik, head buried in the dirt, and Anna, sobbing, felt the stir too.
The surrendering soldier bolted barehanded—no one reacted.
Everything spiraled too fast for processing.
Beom-sik stood at the noise.
His brothers gripped rifles, facing the corpses.
Gunfire cracked.
The zombie soldiers shredded into meat chunks, rolling in the dirt.
Anna still wept by Third's body.
She'd always seen them as annoying pests.
Before the safe zone expanded, and after.
But looking back, despite their rough start, they'd kept trying to honor their promise to Beom-sik.
They'd drop snacks at her shop multiple times a day, help clean when free.
She'd brushed them off coldly.
Guarding the secret meeting spot left no room for sentiment—just vigilance.
That regret now poured out in floods of tears.
"Boss. Fighting in the boundary zone too. If I'm right, every dead body turns zombie—reason unknown. They'll pop up everywhere soon. We gotta move."
Second kept his cool, knowing if he cracked, Beom-sik would too.
Beom-sik's gaze flicked to the warehouse, then the tower.
Where the hell are you?
No sign of Jaejeong or Youngman anywhere.
"Nowhere to run."
"Boss?"
"No place to hide. This is Yeouido—an island. Where to?"
Beom-sik muttered like a man possessed.
"So what's the plan?"
Beom-sik hesitated.
Tower to the right. House with Hyun-soo and Gaon to the left.
He stared at Third's corpse.
No more deaths on his watch.
Then black shapes flooded his vision.
Zombies.
Like Second said, the corpses were multiplying the infection uncontrollably.
The gunfire from the boundary zone? Probably at zombies now.
Raaargh! Kraaack!
They gnashed teeth madly, howling in fury.
Gunshots and screams everywhere—chaos reigned.
Their numbers swelled.
Beom-sik grabbed Second's shoulder.
"Seon-ho. Baek Seon-ho."
"Yes, boss."
Second's eyes burned with resolve fiercer than ever.
He'd dive into fire if ordered.
"Take Youngest and run."
"What? Boss?"
"Tower, off Yeouido—wherever. Seong-uk died pointless. Today Min-i too. No more. Save Youngest at least."
"What're you— what about you, boss?"
"Sorry. Got somewhere to be."
"If it's for Gaon, we'll go together!"
"Listen. Survive somehow. And look after Anna."
Shaking off Second's grip, Beom-sik sprinted full tilt.
Behind, Second—eyes bloodshot—bowed in anguish.
Youngest asked.
"You just gonna let him go?"
"Boss said... survive. Take the miss and get outta here."
Youngest watched Beom-sik vanish, eyes welling up.
Path decided.
They hauled the unyielding Anna toward the tower.
* * *
Raaargh!
Zombies swarmed Beom-sik crossing the intersection.
Bang! Bang!
One headshot. The other missed.
He kicked the trailing one off and bolted to Hyun-soo's house.
Slam!
Beom-sik locked every bolt inside.
Hyun-soo emerged into the living room at the noise.
"Bro! Why... alone?"
Seeing Beom-sik solo, Hyun-soo panicked.
No time for explanations.
"You first..."
Beom-sik caught his breath.
"Head to the tower. Zombies everywhere—take this rifle."
"Zombies? What're you talking about?"
"Not sure, but the dead are all turning. Don't ask why—just find Youngman and Han Jaejeong at the tower."
"What about you?"
Beom-sik scooped up Gaon.
Fixed Hyun-soo with cold eyes.
"Survive. See you."
"Bro!"
Beom-sik left him behind, bolting out with Gaon in arms.
Riverside behind the tower first.
Boats moored there.
The outer wall still stood; bypassing it meant the underground bunker—safe from zombies.
Wait for the group there.
If they thought straight and survived, they'd converge at the boats.
Fighting zombies with Gaon to hunt Jaejeong and Youngman? Impossible.
Beom-sik had to do what Beom-sik could.
Running, he said,
"Gaon-ah."
"Yeah, Uncle. Where we going?"
"Scary monsters coming soon. No screaming—bury your face in me. Got it?"
"...Scary, but I'll try."
Don't worry. I'll protect you no matter what.
Beom-sik vowed, passing crowds in the boundary zone.
Black hordes poured from the production zone.
The area was hell—battle zombies mixing with production zone hordes.
People fired back but got torn apart fast.
Hitting charging heads precisely? Near impossible.
Beom-sik raced through the park to the riverside slope, then along it to the tower's outer wall.
How far had he run?
Zombie howls mixed with human screams; Gaon's grip on his neck tightened.
Breath burning his throat.
Needed a breather— he stopped.
"Uncle."
"Yeah?"
Gaon lifted her face.
"I can run too."
"No, Gaon-ah. Uncle's fine."
"Must be heavy..."
Beom-sik stroked her head, proud.
A seven-year-old weighed more than expected.
Anyone who's raised kids knows—hauling a growing child ain't easy.
Beom-sik's arms and shoulders screamed.
But he'd sooner lose them than drop her.
Then.
As the outer wall neared, a sudden vibration hit—Beom-sik dropped low on instinct.
Recent quake?
Body remembered.
But this was different.
No quake.
A deafening roar from high above—indescribable.
Beom-sik looked skyward; Gaon followed.
Like ripping a sketchbook, something tore through the white sky, glowing as it descended.
Infected People