Toxic Burst
The scene outside the mart was pure chaos.
Long after Han Jaejeong and Jeong I-jin had gone inside, a pair of enormous monsters suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Two of them, no less.
They'd clearly swept the entire first floor...
Lee Beom-sik, Anna, and Kang Youngman stared up at the upper windows with baffled expressions.
Did both of them get taken out? Is that why these things made it all the way down here?
The three felt the same uneasy suspicion at almost the same moment, but they quickly shook their heads.
No way those two had ridden the escalator down in their condition.
And they sure as hell weren't the type to go down easy.
Jeong I-jin, maybe—but Jaejeong? No chance, Beom-sik thought.
So what the fuck were these pigs?
Anna, perched on the back of the six-wheeler truck, nocked an arrow and yelled,
"Go! Circle around those bastards!"
"Huh? Oh, right!"
The driver soldier, who'd been staring at the monsters, snapped his gaze away and fired up the engine.
He figured if shit hit the fan, he could always peel out.
He was the one behind the wheel, after all.
Thwack!
The arrow streaked through the air and buried itself in the head of the mutant gunning for Youngman.
But as everyone knew, it didn't give a damn.
"Fall back!"
Youngman's booming roar echoed down the eerily quiet boulevard, and at the same time, Beom-sik scanned nearby structures as he retreated.
The mutants weren't fast, but their long strides and brute strength let them close the gap quick.
Split left and right for now!
Beom-sik shot Youngman a look.
Youngman nodded as if he'd heard him loud and clear.
They split up, and sure enough, one lumbered after Beom-sik while the other chased Youngman.
"Over here, you pig bastard!"
Confirming Anna was up on the truck firing arrows, Beom-sik hurled shards of broken glass and hollered to lure it on.
Normally, those dumb fucks should've chased the roaring six-wheeler over any human—but for some reason, they locked onto people.
Maybe the noise he was making.
Two infected popped up at the end of the boulevard.
Beom-sik didn't sweat it.
They'd have to get past the mutant to reach him, and he knew those things never let infected slide.
Just as expected.
Of course.
"Oppa! Run!"
Anna fired at the infected charging past the mutant toward Beom-sik, but the truck's shaking threw off her aim every time.
"When I say stop, hit the brakes!"
"Got it!"
The driver poked his head out to reply.
"Head for that oppa first!"
Vroom!
"Now!"
The truck shot past the mutant and screeched to a halt right between Beom-sik and the infected.
Thwack! Thwack!
The arrows nailed headshots without a miss, and the infected crumpled, motionless.
"Go!"
"Yes, sir!"
Anna loosed a few more shots at the mutant from the moving truck, but they all whiffed.
Her face crumpled like a scrap of paper.
Pride wounded.
"Get down!"
The driver's frantic voice cut through to her.
"Why?"
"Just get down!"
"Try running and I'll kill you myself."
Anna muttered curses under her breath as she leaped off the truck.
The six-wheeler whipped into a U-turn and accelerated straight at Beom-sik—or rather, the mutant chasing him.
It slammed on the brakes just meters from the beast.
Screeech!
Boom!
Tires smoking, the truck skidded into the mutant and ground to a halt.
They'd eased off the gas to avoid flipping or some other nasty surprise.
The impact hurled the monster rolling several times until it smashed into a utility pole.
Asphalt-shattering force kicked up clouds of dust like it'd been a dirt road.
"Whoa!"
Anna's eyes lit up.
That kind of play!
Not just ramming—braking early to let momentum fling it away.
Wouldn't kill it, but it bought time. If it died, bonus.
But.
Roooaaarrr!
A bellow dwarfing the last one ripped through buildings and streets.
The mutant that had eaten pole leaped up, roaring its lungs out.
A few more howls like that, and it'd drag back every lingering infected—and even those chasing the flare.
That was when it happened.
"Ram that fucker quick!"
Beom-sik yelled at the panting driver.
"Huh? Oh!"
The driver caught on and gunned it again.
Not fast, but the truck's mass would do the work.
Oblivious, the enraged mutant stomped right toward the truck that had hit it.
Wait, this'll wreck me too?
The driver's eyes bulged as he floored it.
Too late to stop.
Speed was maxed, and the thing was right there.
Once more!
Boom!
Screeech!
This time, brakes after impact.
The truck and mutant both slammed the pole.
The buffer in between softened it for the driver.
Aside from smashing his face into the wheel and bleeding.
Splat!
Beom-sik, Anna, and the driver all shielded their faces and turned away.
The bloated beast burst like a balloon the instant it hit the pole.
Blood and chunks splattered the windshield like chunky soup, blocking the view entirely.
The driver bailed out, gasping as he backed away.
One hell of a strike.
Miraculous he'd survived unscathed.
He felt the group's stares.
Boosted his ego.
But no one knew.
Something invisible was leaking from the ruptured corpse.
"We're good here. Gotta rescue the old man quick..."
Thud.
The driver collapsed mid-sentence.
Beom-sik and Anna, watching Youngman gasp his way around in circles, whipped around at the noise behind them.
"Why'd he drop like that?"
Anna rushed over, asking.
Beom-sik arrived right after and shook his head.
"No idea."
"But what's that smell?"
In that instant.
Beom-sik clapped a hand over Anna's nose and mouth like a kidnapper and yanked her back from the truck.
They'd both breathed it multiple times already—legs went rubbery.
Only regaining their wits across the road, Anna grimaced.
"What the—? The smell?"
"Seems like it. We got clear fast enough..."
"We have to save him!"
But her legs wouldn't cooperate.
As Anna tried to stand and slumped again, Beom-sik staggered up and lurched toward the driver.
Body disobeying, but big breaths helped—a little, bit by bit.
No clue where the gas was coming from.
Beom-sik inhaled, held it.
Stumbled forward, drunk-wobbly.
Made it to the driver, yanked the collar with all he had.
Barely budged.
No strength.
Dangerous like this—he tugged again.
"Hngh!"
Breath escaped; he gasped involuntarily.
World spun, legs numb.
Thud!
Beom-sik went down too.
"Oppa!"
Anna's call from across the road got no response—he was out cold.
"Get it together, get it together. Sit here and we're all dead."
Anna shook her head, slapped her cheeks.
Dead calm, no wind.
How long passed?
Till Youngman was heaving so hard his gasps carried from afar.
Anna, fully recovered, bolted to Beom-sik, held her breath, and dragged him.
Moving dead weight took insane effort.
After several tugs, she hauled him to the median, panting.
"Wake up! Come on, Lee Beom-sik!"
No reaction.
Anna scanned around.
Youngman, circling to evade the mutant, was hitting his limit.
Impressive for his age—even youngsters were fading.
What now? What to do? If it was Jaejeong oppa, how would he handle this?
Thinking of the strongest guy she knew made Anna's eyes gleam.
I don't wanna give up here!
Anna staggered up desperately and went for the driver.
Yanked with every ounce of strength.
"Raaagh!"
Screaming as she hauled mindlessly.
How far?
Snapped to— she'd dragged past Beom-sik's spot.
Anna dropped the driver and grabbed her bow.
Save Youngman first.
"Ajusshi! Over here!"
Youngman whipped direction at her voice.
Mutant hot on his heels.
"Duck!"
Youngman ducked; the arrow whistled over, nailing the mutant's left eye.
No visible effect.
But multiple shots?
Anna yanked arrows from dead infected and rapid-fired.
Thwack! Thwack!
Right eye, then forehead.
Working?
Its movements slowed noticeably.
Couldn't kill in one, but damage stuck.
Two arrows left.
Sudden thought: Back of the head's weaker than the front.
Few die faceplanting forward; countless from backward falls.
"Keep running!"
Anna yelled as she looped wide for rear shot.
Youngman lured; she flanked.
Breath ragged.
Aim bobbed with her heaving chest—tricky.
Miss... and it pierces Youngman.
Precise call needed.
"Huuu..."
Deep inhale, long exhale—pulse drops for a beat.
Every intense training ended with this breath control.
Again.
"Huuu..."
World hushed, time stretched, ears rang.
This feel never lied.
Steady arm locked on target.
Released.
Thwack!
Arrow sliced air, dead center occiput.
Perfect ten.
That vibe as she nocked the last.
Thud!
Mutant toppled, four arrows sprouting from its skull like horns. Didn't get up.
"Haa..."
Anna slumped too.
No strength to rise.
Youngman confirmed the kill, then braced hands on knees, gulping air forever.
Quiet reclaimed the street.
Youngman looked around.
Worse mess than before.
One reduced to meat scraps; the other horned and belly-down.
Saw Beom-sik and driver sprawled apart in the road—reality crashed back.
Youngman checked them over.
"How'd this happen?"
"Dunno the details, but when that thing burst, some smell came out. They breathed it and went down. I barely got any, so I'm fine."
Youngman pinched his nose and approached the truck, its windshield caked in mutant guts.
Inhaled tiny bits.
Seemed dispersed in the air—no reaction.
Nothing for it—test direct.
Climbed tire, sniffed chunk on glass.
Stepping down.
Wobble!
Huh?
Thud!
Youngman slumped but popped right up.
This... nerve gas?
Didn't add up.
Human body couldn't produce it.
How the hell...
Impossible shit happening for real.
Youngman gaped, rushed to the fallen pair.
Driver's face was blue.
Cyanosis.
Not breathing.
Youngman stripped driver's shoes, socks, gloves, and called Anna.
"Rub his hands and feet—everything!"
"Why?"
"Just do it if you wanna save him!"
He knelt by the driver and started CPR.