Echoing Footsteps
Tatatang! Tatatang!
Footsteps?
Jaejeong perked up his ears as he started toward the window.
The sound was coming from a good distance away.
Sergeant Choi and Kim Chan-yeol beside him heard it too.
Jaejeong bolted to the corner of the hallway and peeked around it.
There—a pack of infected rushing into view.
Where the hell had they come from?
There were way too many.
They'd swept the place clean, first floor and second.
And Jeong I-jin was a pro. No way he'd miss something like this.
"Hey, you two got daggers, right?"
"Sir? Whoa!"
Kim Chan-yeol and Sergeant Choi recoiled in shock from where they'd poked their heads out.
"No time. Listen up—if we fuck this up here, we're all dead. Grab those daggers. Yeah, like that. You two handle four. Soldiers gotta pull their weight."
"Wait, how's two of us one portion...?"
Before Sergeant Choi could finish, Jaejeong was already rounding the corner.
The ones that spotted him let out guttural shrieks and charged.
Jaejeong's eyes turned ice-cold in an instant.
Just before colliding, he hugged the wall tight, letting the lead three slip past to Kim Chan-yeol and Sergeant Choi.
Then he yanked open the nearest door, gripping the handle to brace it like a shield.
The momentum carried the first ones smashing into the door; the followers tripped and slid into the pile.
The impact flung two past the door onto the floor—he rammed daggers into their skulls.
Pfbt! Pfbt!
As the two dropped in a blink, Jaejeong seized one by the scruff with one hand—easy for him, a struggle for anyone else—and stacked it atop another.
Timing it perfectly as they staggered up behind the door, he shoved it forward like a rugby tackle.
The infected tumbled back in a heap.
In a wide-open space, they'd have been goners, but Jaejeong owned tight-quarters fights, using every fixture like terrain. To him, these infected were fish swimming right to the bait.
Clunk!
Plus, the door wouldn't swing open past a certain angle.
Luck like this.
Grinning to himself, Jaejeong sheltered behind it, using the two corpses as shields to pick off the approaching ones one by one.
"Raaagh!"
He whipped around at the inexplicable bellow.
Sergeant Choi was behind him, stabbing wildly at the heads of three already-dead infected.
The shout had come from him too.
Jaejeong yelled in irritation.
"Quit fucking around and come help!"
"Sergeant Choi, sir! Stand down!"
"You fucking bastards! Let me go! Let go! I'll sashimi the shit outta you!"
Jaejeong shook his head, thinking movies had ruined these kids.
Gasping for breath one minute, sashimi the next—what the hell?
"It's dead already—get over here! One stab to the head does it!"
Sergeant Choi snapped to at Jaejeong's roar and charged over with Kim Chan-yeol.
Jaejeong slammed the door shut and fell back right then.
The infected tripped over corpses and pressed forward, stepping on the sprawled bodies.
Just five left now.
The three lined up side by side like they'd rehearsed it.
Daggers reversed in their grips, held high.
Kraaaagh!
Pfbt! Pfbt! Pfbt!
Three down in seconds.
The last two were just hauling themselves up.
"Go!"
Sergeant Choi, half out of his mind, slapped Kim Chan-yeol's shoulder and advanced.
Pfbt! Pfbt!
"Die! Die, you fuckers!"
"What's his deal?"
Jaejeong shot a bewildered glance at Kim Chan-yeol.
"Ah... He's always been kinda passionate like that, sir."
"Not the type I meant."
"Confirming kills is essential in war..."
Sergeant Choi was jamming his dagger into the dead infected's heads like a maniac.
Jaejeong shook his head at the unhinged display, then glanced back at the pair.
They'd handled themselves better than expected.
Two against three, then the fallen ones after.
Most would freeze in fear.
Suddenly, Kim Chaemin's face flashed in his mind.
He was like that too.
Not even noticing his nails ripping off.
The necktie bound around Kim Chaemin's hand lingered sharp in his memory.
What if he'd stuck with them till now?
"Don't go, sir. Anyway, wonder if the squad leader's still alive."
"You hoping he is?"
"Well... not like I'm wishing him dead or anything."
"That prick deserves to die. If he doesn't, who does?"
Jaejeong snorted as the two bantered while walking away.
Minutes ago, they'd been panting at the sight of charging infected.
Humans adapt quick, huh.
Bet if something jumps out now, they'll be screaming for their lives.
He chuckled, pulling out a cigarette to light up.
"H-Help! Somebody!"
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Kim Chan-yeol and Sergeant Choi came barreling back, yelling.
Jaejeong spotted the monster and snapped the cig in half.
It had arrived at last.
Better it show itself like this than lurk unknown.
As the two rushed past to hide behind him, Jaejeong drew his dagger and gripped it tight.
Then he unbuckled his belt and wrapped it around his dagger hand.
To keep from dropping it.
Seeing his resolve, Kim Chan-yeol and Sergeant Choi regripped theirs.
"One of us three might get messed up bad. Worst case, two. Total shitshow, all three."
"Bottom line, sir? We dying or living?"
They stared at him grimly from either side.
"Up to us."
"Die!"
That instant.
Something insane happened.
Sergeant Choi, who'd been standing still, suddenly roared and charged.
"You mad bastard!"
Before Jaejeong could curse, the monster swatted Sergeant Choi flying into an open room.
Then silence.
"Sergeant Choi!"
Kim Chan-yeol's eyes went bloodshot as he bellowed.
Huh? Kid's not running?
Jaejeong figured he would.
Or at least freeze shaking in terror.
Normal people locked up facing a beast that size.
Even the maniac who'd charged.
Both impressive, really.
"You first."
"Pardon?"
"You heard me. Rush in, hit the deck the second you arrive. You'll dodge at least once for sure. After that, I got it."
"But suddenly..."
Thud!
Kim Chan-yeol flew forward toward the monster before he could reply.
One step.
It was right there.
"Down!"
At Jaejeong's shout, Kim Chan-yeol slammed flat to the floor with everything he had.
All those "bedtime push-ups" for this moment.
Whoosh!
The arm slicing air made chills crawl up their spines.
Jaejeong timed it perfect, lunging to stomp the monster's knee and clamber onto its torso.
To anyone else, it'd look like a cicada on an old tree—but even then, Jaejeong clung like a person.
The beast flailed to shake him off, hammering its shoulder and chest wildly.
Jaejeong swung around like a monkey on a branch, shifting positions fluidly.
Impossible to believe even watching.
As Kim Chan-yeol gaped in awe.
Jaejeong locked his legs MMA-style around the thing's neck and went berserk, stabbing its head with the dagger.
Pfbt! Pfbt! Pfbt! Pfbt! Pfbt!
How many stabs to drop this fucker!
Kim Chan-yeol watched from retreat, legs turning to jelly.
But he couldn't just stand there.
"Raaagh!"
He charged yelling, leaping basketball-style to jam his dagger into the beast's eye.
Splurch!
And flew off simultaneously.
One wild arm had clipped him mid-swing.
Even then, Jaejeong clung on, smashing into walls and ceiling in the struggle.
Before long, the monster's movements visibly slowed.
Kim Chan-yeol, morale shattered in a flash, crawled backward.
If a graze does this, Sergeant Choi...
He glanced toward the room and crawled in.
Sergeant Choi lay slumped like a hunk of meat.
Kim Chan-yeol's eyes welled up.
He propped the sergeant's head on his lap and looked down.
"Sergeant Choi! Sergeant Choi, sir! Get up! You can't die like this! Truth is, I always thought you were kinda pathetic. But if you pull through, I'll shape up for real. Back when I was the rookie, you'd have hanged yourself without you—I mean it!"
Kim Chan-yeol slapped his cheeks over and over.
"You can't go like this! Sniff..."
"What're you doing?"
"Sir?"
Kim Chan-yeol looked up, tears streaming, to see Jaejeong standing there, rubbing his bruised arm.
Blood trickled from rents and gashes in his torn clothes, stamped by something.
"He's just out cold. Check his gut."
Kim Chan-yeol looked down—Sergeant Choi's belly rose and fell steadily.
"So... he's okay?"
"Probably."
"Wake up, sir! You're good! You're good!"
Revved up, Kim Chan-yeol started slapping Sergeant Choi's face like crazy.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
That's overkill... straight-up wailing on him.
Jaejeong shook his head as he turned away.
"Agh! Cut it out!"
Sergeant Choi shot up from his knockout, bellowing.
"Huff... huff..."
"You with us, sir?"
Kim Chan-yeol sighed in relief.
Sergeant Choi touched his cheek like he'd been possessed.
"Fucking nightmare. Zombies had me in the middle—not eating me, just slapping the shit outta my face nonstop... Damn, stings like I really got hit."
"Really? Anyway, glad you're safe!"
Kim Chan-yeol hugged him, yelling.
Jaejeong, watching, prompted curtly.
"Out. And quit the noise."
"How'd you kill this thing?"
Sergeant Choi stepped into the hall, eyeing the sprawled monster.
A dagger protruded from the back of its skull.
Jaejeong yanked it free with his throbbing arm.
"Hell if I know. Just dropped."
"Back of the head the weak spot?"
Kim Chan-yeol muttered passing the hole-ridden cranium.
"Who knows. Next time we meet one, hit the back first and see."
"Next time?"
Their eyes went wide.
"This the end?"
Jaejeong lit his cigarette and strode down the hall.
To them, he looked like a Western hero sauntering into the sunset after dusting the villain.
"It's really over, right sir?" Kim Chan-yeol asked Sergeant Choi.
"Probably."
"Man, if I was even half as badass as that guy."
"Same. Dude's unreal. How'd you even meet him?"
Kim Chan-yeol recounted their first encounter with the boat group.
"He hit you? You?"
"Yeah, laid one on me, sir."
"Ah, that's your bruise."
"Just the one punch, and it turned into this."
"Damn, beast. Couldn't do it. Wouldn't."
Sergeant Choi watched Jaejeong brush off his bloodied, injured arm.
"I'd never do it again either. Didn't even feel human."
"Wasn't there a scream outside earlier?"
"Yeah, that old guy's voice."
"Let's hurry."
Remembering the shout before the infected, the two hustled after Jaejeong.
Kim Chan-yeol couldn't tear his eyes from the corpses littering the passage.
A ton of infected down, zero squadmates.
They still hiding somewhere? They had to hear us.
With the crisis past, worry for his squadmates crept in.
Seven to find.
Alive or dead.
Infected People