Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Chapter 4. Eat and Make
"Don't get out!"
Before Dae-shik could stop him, Lieutenant Hwang jumped out of the car.
"Ahhhhh!"
A terrible scream burst from his throat.
"Goddamn it! I said don’t get out!"
Lieutenant Hwang and the blood-soaked infected man rolled together over the hood of the car.
Bang!
A deafening gunshot echoed, and the infected man who had been biting into Hwang’s shoulder collapsed limply.
"Li, Lieutenant Hwang!"
Just as Juhun was about to get out of the car, Dae-shik grabbed his forearm.
"I said don’t get out!"
"B-but, Lieutenant Hwang is…!"
Dae-shik’s eyes swept rapidly around.
Before they knew it, people were running across the street, paying no attention to the moving cars.
‘So it’s really starting.’
Chhzzzt! Chhzzzt!
As if to prove his hunch, the radio crackled with frantic transmissions.
— Unit Two here, we’ve got a murder at the scene.
— Unit Eleven’s been killed by a rampaging drunk!
— The dead man came back to life and attacked Unit Three!
— Z-zombie! It’s a zombie! Request backup, request backup!
— You lunatics! What kind of nonsense are you talking about!
— Zombies! The dead are rising and attacking peo—!
Bang!
After that final gunshot over the radio, silence fell inside the car once more.
"No, once you’re bitten, it’s over."
Dae-shik shook his head.
There was no time to spare for those already infected.
Just then, Lieutenant Hwang, who had been lying on the hood, began to move. His eyes were blood-red, all the blood vessels burst.
Once it got to that point, there was no going back.
Lieutenant Hwang himself seemed to realize it.
"J-ju… Juhun, go… run…! Run!"
"Lieutenant!"
"Go! I said go!"
He turned his gun toward another infected rushing at the patrol car.
Bang!
Another gunshot rang out.
Now, only one bullet remained.
Hwang’s trembling hand raised the gun to his temple.
‘Damn… that crazy bastard was telling the truth…’
His whole body was burning up the moment he’d been bitten. Even in early winter, it felt like standing under the blazing midsummer sun.
At the same time, inexplicable rage and hunger welled up uncontrollably.
— “Anyone bitten by the infected turns into a zombie, just like that one earlier.”
Dae-shik’s words, dismissed as a madman’s ramblings, echoed in his mind.
The conclusion was already clear.
‘Ha… never thought I’d be glad to be a single man with no wife or kids.’
His finger tightened on the trigger.
Bang!
Another gunshot echoed through the streets.
"Open the door! And grab the wheel!"
Dae-shik shouted to Juhun.
The back doors of police cars couldn’t be opened from the inside. On top of that, the car’s partition made it impossible to climb into the front seats.
"What are you doing, open the door!"
Juhun, sitting in the passenger seat, quickly got out and opened the rear door.
Right now, his instincts told him, he had to listen to this strange man.
Once out, Dae-shik ran not toward the passenger seat, but toward Lieutenant Hwang’s body.
"What are you doing?!"
"Drive!"
Dae-shik jumped swiftly into the car as he shouted.
In his hands were Hwang’s baton, gun, and badge.
The handcuffs that had been binding him were already gone.
"How did you…?"
"Is that really important right now? Step on it!"
At his words, Juhun slammed on the gas.
Grrrgle…!
Meanwhile, Dae-shik’s stomach growled loudly again.
He had used his ability to twist the handcuffs and free himself, draining his energy.
The fullness from the soondae soup earlier had already vanished.
‘All right.’
Still, he had managed to get to the front seat. And there, waiting for him, were two hamburger sets. Probably ones Hwang and Juhun had bought for their patrol meal.
Like a hawk snatching its prey, Dae-shik lunged and grabbed the hamburgers.
"I’m eating these. Otherwise, you die too."
Muttering nonsense, Dae-shik devoured the food like a starving beast.
Juhun, watching him, was dumbfounded, even slightly angry.
But Dae-shik didn’t care, shoveling fries and burgers into his mouth without pause.
"How many cops do you think could pull the trigger on a guy’s head like that?"
Hearing that, Juhun realized how grim things really were.
Cops usually aimed for the thigh. Even in emergencies, they avoided headshots.
How many people could aim a live round straight at what looked like a human head?
"Shit, thought so."
Dae-shik muttered under his breath.
"You… you know something about this, don’t you?"
Juhun asked, voice trembling.
"Even if I did, what good would it do?"
Dae-shik tore the hamburger bag into long strips as he replied.
"First, if we go together to— wait, what are you doing?"
Juhun couldn’t help but stare, puzzled by the man’s strange actions.
In such a dire situation, what on earth was he doing?
Dae-shik ignored the question, splitting the plastic strips and twisting them like rope.
"Go where?"
"To the station, explain the situation, get police support—"
"You think they’ll believe you? Did your boss believe me?"
At that, Juhun was at a loss for words.
"See? You can’t answer."
"Still, please, tell me something. I’ll try to convince them."
Dae-shik kept his hands busy, but finally said, "Let me go, and I’ll tell you."
He had no intention of being dragged to a station like some criminal.
Soon, the awakeners would appear, and the infected would grow stronger.
In the early stages of the apocalypse, how you responded determined everything, especially when your ability wasn’t meant for direct combat.
‘I need to gather supplies as fast as possible.’
To survive, he had to strengthen his ability, now.
Wasting time trying to convince people who wouldn’t listen was suicide.
At worst, he’d end up locked in a cell, waiting for the zombies to come.
‘Ha, Millic… so this is how you felt, huh?’
A very old name flashed through his mind, a prophet who’d tried everything to stop destruction but failed to change anything.
Dae-shik had no intention of following that path.
‘I have to get stronger first.’
Instead of wasting time telling the truth no one would believe, he’d grow strong enough to change reality himself. That was the greatest lesson he’d learned while living as Calvert.
"So what’s it gonna be, you letting me go or not?"
Dae-shik’s hand tightened around the baton.
He was full now.
If it came down to it, he’d beat this cop unconscious and run. But Juhun’s response surprised even him.
"…All right."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I don’t think you killed a person, you killed a monster. And you saved me. I believe you know something about this situation."
Juhun’s expression was completely serious.
Dae-shik nodded slowly, then began to explain.
"Good. First, make sure any weapons or equipment require extra steps to use—"
Just then, two figures lunged at the patrol car.
"Hit them and go!"
Juhun squeezed his eyes shut and slammed on the gas instead of the brakes.
Thud!
The bodies flew off the hood and rolled across the asphalt.
Juhun glanced back, horrified, but Dae-shik didn’t even blink.
"Good job. Anyway, those infected bastards aren’t completely mindless. If they’ve got a finger on the trigger, they might still pull it. So add a few safety steps to every weapon. Got it?"
In Achaia, there had been infected archers who could still shoot. It wouldn’t be surprising if gun-wielding infected appeared too.
"And anyone showing cold symptoms, sweating, complaining of heat, seeing weird things, hearing ringing or strange noises, can’t control their temper, isolate them all. Got it?"
"Y-yes… but how do you know all this?"
"You wouldn’t believe me if I told you."
Dae-shik gave a crooked smile.
Who would believe him if he said he’d returned from another world only to find Earth like this?
Even he wouldn’t believe such a story. Better to just tell them what would happen next.
‘If every word comes true, maybe then they’ll start listening.’
And to slow the spread, they’d need the army and police.
He couldn’t do this alone.
‘Though that’s assuming they’ll even listen…’
He wasn’t going to bet his life on that tiny chance. But if the opportunity came, he wouldn’t ignore it either.
"Before long, people will start saying they can see status windows, like in a game. Those people won’t get infected unless bitten or killed. Until then, stop the spread by any means necessary. If you can do that, there’s still hope."
With that, Dae-shik gripped the baton and checked the revolver’s chamber.
He looked ready to jump out and start cracking skulls.
"Let me off here."
"What?"
Juhun’s eyes widened.
"But there are still zombies around—"
"That’s for the hamburgers."
Dae-shik stuffed the last fry into his mouth and pointed out the window. And at that moment, Juhun understood why he wanted to get out.
‘The road… it’s blocked.’
Two cars sat burning in the middle of the street, smoke curling upward. On both sides, zombies and infected swarmed.
If they tried to ram through and got stuck, that would be the end.
"You’re not seriously thinking of jumping in there, are you?"
"Would you rather plow through and get trapped in here?"
"But…"
When their eyes met, Juhun knew, this man would get out, no matter what. Stopping him was pointless.
He clenched his teeth and nodded.
"Good. And hey, look on the bright side, maybe you’ll be the hero who stopped the apocalypse early."
Dae-shik gave a faint grin and closed the door.
"If we’re lucky, we’ll meet again. Don’t worry, I’ll find you when it’s time."
In his hand was the makeshift rope made from twisted plastic bags. At his waist hung the baton and an empty revolver. Hardly enough to take on the horde of zombies and infected filling the street.
But true veterans never blame their gear.
‘Come on, it’s showtime.’
Even with this lousy equipment and a weak body, he was confident he could carve a path through.