A Gift
How did that thing gain intelligence?
The image of that creature didn't leave my mind, even until I arrived at the villa where we first met. I stepped through the already open front door. The half-broken, blood-stained door and the footprints stamped into the dust told the story of the urgency of that day.
Passing through the main room and into the cramped laundry area, the presence of those things still lingered in the form of a foul stench.
'How many were in here?'
The laundry room was so small that two adult men could barely fit inside. As far as I could remember, I had encountered a total of five zombies here.
'Did that have an effect?'
Do they gain intelligence if they stay together for a long time? No. Even as a hypothesis, there was too little evidence. The school had conducted various studies on zombies and taught us the information they uncovered, but there was absolutely no mention of them evolving.
If such a possibility existed, the Republic of Korea wouldn't have prepared for the zombie crisis by merely training a few Hunters.
'If that thing is a special case...'
A zombie's stats are proportional to its physical condition before infection. For instance, there was a stark difference in muscle strength, reflexes, and speed between a healthy man obsessed with working out and an elderly grandfather. Based on this fact, I could infer that the one in the yellow t-shirt was an "Alpha" from the start.
'It’s the most reasonable hypothesis for now.'
Then, how far does its intelligence go? When you think about it, even a mere beast knows to fear the sound of a gunshot and knows how to avoid danger to flee. In truth, this had to be seen as instinct rather than intelligence.
'Then is it the intelligence of a wild animal?'
I sincerely hope so. The thought of zombies possessing human-like intelligence makes my skin crawl. The fact that they evolve is shocking enough, but I pray it stops here.
"Hoo."
Worrying about it further wouldn't provide any answers. Checking my watch, it was already past 1:00 PM. I grabbed the backpack I’d discarded yesterday, checked my rifle, and forced my stiff face to move.
Gun serial number '777777.' It had brought me luck until now, but had that luck finally run out?
I scanned the villa, remembering the canned goods I’d seen on the shelf.
'Please.'
I wondered if there was a gift for Cheonsa. If not Spam, even a can of tuna would be nice. I opened the shelf with a mix of expectation and worry, only to let out a heavy sigh.
This is the worst.
The cans were empty, and the remaining food was nothing but hollow shells.
"...If you were going to eat it, you should have thrown it away."
Why are people so lazy? My energy drained away, and my shoulders felt heavy. It was time to return, so I couldn't search other houses, and honestly, I didn't want to because of the Alpha's presence. As long as that thing was alive, searching the city for supplies like before would be difficult.
-Dad!
Just then, I heard Cheonsa's voice. It was rare for the child to contact me first while I was out. She watched my location, but she rarely turned on the radio because she didn't want to be a distraction. Even when she had to contact me, it was only when she judged the situation safe by watching my GPS movements.
"Yeah, Cheonsa."
-Everything okay?
"I'm fine. Nothing's wrong."
-It's almost 2:00. When are you coming? You're going to keep your promise, right?
"...Of course. I was already on my way."
-Really?!
I almost said I was on my way, but I hurriedly changed my words. I could make excuses for other things, but my location was the exception. I also wanted to say I couldn't find a gift, but the words wouldn't come out at the sound of Cheonsa's excited voice.
"You're hungry, right? I'll be there soon."
-Okay!
I turned off the earpiece and let out a long sigh that Cheonsa wouldn't hear. I wanted to make my daughter's birthday—the one day a year—special, but the world, turned into hell, wouldn't even allow that.
"It's going to get harder from here on out..."
I don't know how much of humanity is left, but the appearance of the Alpha and the runners will likely pull the plug on the life support we're barely clinging to. I, too, would have to live in danger dozens of times greater than before. Even when they were just walking slowly, the presence of predators hiding who knows where trapped me in a coffin of fear. And now, they were trying to close the lid on that coffin, too.
Naturally, it was overwhelming and terrifying. Nevertheless, I clenched my fists. Even if this place was truly hell, I had a reason to live. I must overcome any situation and return home as if nothing happened.
"Let's go."
I slung the luckless '777777' rifle over my shoulder and stepped outside. I forced my heavy feet to move for the sake of Cheonsa, who would still be watching over me. Through the turned-off earpiece, I could almost hear her laughter.
"......"
Perhaps because my heart was heavy, the city felt particularly pathetic today. The sporadically shattered windows and the crude barricades installed everywhere. The clothes hanging on them and the chunks of flesh that hadn't yet rotted. The moments of resistance visible everywhere I looked were fading in the memory of the car dashcams standing like statues.
Come to think of it, I couldn't remember what the world looked like before the collapse. It must have been very noisy and vibrant, but now, like a stage with the lights turned off, only a terrible silence remained. The city, having escaped human control and stopped in time, seemed to be holding its breath, waiting to welcome a new master.
"Huh?"
It was when I turned the corner and was almost at my hideout. Cheonsa, who had spotted me first, was waving her hand. I tried to hurry my steps, but I rubbed my eyes and narrowed my brows at an unbelievable sight.
'In this weather?'
A single wildflower blooming in the middle of the asphalt. Small but fully blossomed, it stood upright enough to steal my gaze. Even though it was late winter, the temperature was still below freezing. The nameless wildflower was in full bloom, as if mocking my common sense.
I bowed my waist with a strange emotion and touched it very carefully. Its slight swaying seemed to emphasize that it was a living creature.
"That's truly amazing."
Watching it for a long time, I felt proud of the little thing that had survived in such a barren environment. Perhaps it was because I thought it was in a similar situation to me. It was funny to feel a sense of kinship, but what was even funnier was that the small wildflower came to me as silent comfort. Living things are meant to adapt and change anywhere. This wildflower, the zombies, and me, too. If they have changed, I just need to become stronger and tougher. So, nothing will change from before.
-Dad, what are you doing there?
"Nothing. I'll be there soon."
I thought about picking the wildflower and giving it to Cheonsa as a gift, but I couldn't do that. Instead, I smiled brightly at Cheonsa and waved my arms widely. Seeing the child smile, all my worries seemed to disappear like cotton candy soaked in water.
"I'll wash up quickly. Can you wait a little bit?"
"Okay!"
As usual, I washed my clothes and scrubbed the filth off my body. When I changed and came out of the bathroom, Cheonsa was waiting in front of the door with her eyes wide open. Now is the time to make a confession that isn't really a confession. I scratched the back of my neck and spoke with difficulty.
"Cheonsa, actually..."
"Why?"
Behind the child, I could see the unzipped backpack. The observant Cheonsa must have realized I was empty-handed. Even if she didn't say it, she must have been looking forward to it. Well, no matter how quickly she matures, 8 is still a young age.
"...Dad tried to find something, but there wasn't anything suitable. I'm sorry. I'll make sure to get you a gift next year."
"But I already got a gift."
"A gift? What gift?"
"You came back safely even on a rainy day."
The child smiled brightly and hugged me. I instinctively wrapped my arms around her small shoulders, like the wildflower, and stroked her hair. At that moment, my heart turned into soft tofu that would crumble if squeezed.
"To me, Dad is the best gift."
"......"
How did such a child come to me? At this moment, I am certain there is no one in the world happier than me. I hugged Cheonsa and muttered to myself to hide the surging emotions. That you are the best gift to me, too. That you are the reason I am alive, and the reason I must survive. I dream of a world where wildflowers change, zombies change, and I change, but Cheonsa remains the same. For that absurd greed, I am ready to fight willingly to protect this small life. Even if a truckload of Alphas come, I will protect Cheonsa as if it were nothing.
"Ugh! I can't breathe."
"Sorry. My daughter, are you very hungry?"
"Yes. But you know..."
The child made a coy expression and twisted her body. It was a signal only I knew, a gesture Cheonsa made before asking for a big favor, and the sight was so cute that I burst into a hearty laugh without realizing it.
"What are you trying to say, stalling like that?"
Even when I pretended not to know and urged her, the child couldn't easily bring it up. In reality, her requests were always light, like playing on the roof or drawing pictures together. They were really nothing, but because she knew I had been suffering outside all day, she felt sorry even for asking me to play. Cheonsa was that mature and thoughtful a child.
"It's okay, so tell me."
"...You won't get mad, right?"
"When have I ever gotten mad at you?"
"There was one time. A long, long time ago."
I got mad at a child I wouldn't even hurt if I put her in my eyes? Me? It must have been a misunderstanding. I don't remember, but I couldn't help feeling a slight sense of guilt. I matched my eye level with the child and showed the gentlest expression possible.
"Dad got mad at Cheonsa? When?"
"When I was 6."
Two years ago, huh? What happened then? Unless it was something huge, there was no way I would have gotten mad. Was there something like that for us? No matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn't remember.
"I'm sorry, but could Cheonsa tell me just once? I won't forget and will remember it from now on."
The child thought for a moment, then nodded. Instead of answering, she trotted to the window, raised her finger, and pointed to one spot.
"Ah."
The memory I had tried so hard to ignore unfolded like a panorama. At the tip of her finger was a puppy, presumably a Jindo dog. No, it was questionable whether it could even be called a puppy. It was covered in muddy water, so I couldn't even tell its original fur color, and it must have turned into a wild dog wandering the city after the zombie crisis.
"You promised you wouldn't get mad."
My face burned with embarrassment. Two years ago, the face of Cheonsa, who was throwing a tantrum saying she wanted to raise a puppy, overlapped from the back of my memory.