A World Where the Abnormal Survive
So-hye locked eyes with me and her whole body started trembling. Only her eyes showed above the mask, but I could tell her face had gone deathly pale.
"Think you can handle it?"
She gripped the spear shaft tight and took a step closer.
"I-I'll try."
I nodded and eased aside. So-hye lowered the spear and lined it up on the zombie's neck. The stance was solid enough for a beginner.
"H-here? Is this the spot?"
"Yes. That kitchen-knife spear I gave you lacks both killing power and durability. What it does have is reach. Stab the neck or the heart and you'll get enough stopping force to matter. With practice you might even drop one clean in a single thrust."
Bashing them to death with a hammer the way I did was a losing game—too much strength, too much stamina burned.
The second I find a proper weapon I'm switching.
"I-I'll do it…!"
She bit down hard on her lip and started working her arms. The soft wet sound of the blade parting skin drifted through the air.
"Ugh…!"
So-hye's face crumpled, yet she never looked away and never eased off the pressure. Only after most of the knife had buried itself in the neck did she finally collapse backward.
"Hah… hah… W-was that okay?"
"Yes. You did well. The first time's always the worst. Once you get used to it you'll get better, and the revulsion will fade too."
"I'm not sure that's a good thing…"
I took her hand.
"It is. At least in a world like this. So get up."
"…Okay."
I hauled her to her feet and put the spear back in her hands. She held the shaft with one hand and clapped the other over her mouth.
"Going to throw up?"
"N-no. I can't waste precious food like that. Walking will settle it."
"Understood. Let's move."
We kept off the main roads as much as possible, sticking to the smaller side streets until we hit a fork. Two routes led toward the department store: one followed the big road straight through, the other cut through the park.
"Which way?"
"I used to jog in that park a lot. The undergrowth's thick—easy place to get ambushed. It's the only park around here, so it always had a decent crowd."
"Same problem on the main road."
"Yeah… lots of bars, PC bangs, karaoke places."
Back when my girlfriend first told me she lived in the studio-apartment district I'd been jealous—close to campus, plenty of places to kill time. Now that the apocalypse had hit, the whole layout was a goddamn nightmare. A dying provincial town would have been better; fewer zombies at least.
"We take the park."
After a long moment of weighing it I made the call.
"You sure?"
"Better than the boulevard. And the world ended on a Friday, remember?"
The place would have been packed.
"You're right. Okay—park it is. We just keep our eyes open."
I nodded and started walking.
Inside the park a small pond sat beside a path littered with trash. Two zombies stood in plain view.
"So-hye. Can you take one? You don't have to kill it—just buy me time."
"I-I'm not confident, but I'll try."
"Good. If it gets bad, call me. I'll be there."
"Got it."
I strode forward first, making no attempt to hide the noise. One zombie spotted me immediately and came shambling over.
Kraaaaaah—
The second one, head buried in something on the ground, jerked upright at the cry. As it closed in, So-hye stepped up beside me.
The zombie flailed its arms; long filthy nails flashed unpleasantly close. I waited for the moment the arms crossed, then brought the hammer down.
Thud!
It staggered back. I closed the distance and drove a hard kick into its gut. The thing stumbled several steps and went sprawling. I stomped its head; the neck snapped with a wet crack. Another stomp with the sole and the body went limp.
Shlick—
A sound behind me spun me around. So-hye had driven her spear into the other zombie's throat and was scowling hard. The creature thrashed on the end of the blade; her arms shook from the strain. The whole thing looked about to fall apart, so I closed in fast.
Thud—shlick!
I hammered the back of its skull like driving a nail. The knife sank deeper and blood poured. Once I was sure it was dead I grabbed a fistful of hair and flung the body to the ground.
"So-hye, you all right?"
She was gasping like she was in real pain. Even through the mask I could see her chest heaving.
"So-hye?"
"Y-yes… I… uh… yes…"
Only when I called her again did she lift her head. Tears made her eyes shine. If her voice hadn't been shaking with fear it might almost have looked pretty.
"S-sorry. The tension just… I really thought I was going to die…"
"It's fine. I get it. Rest a minute."
I circled the area, confirmed no more zombies, then guided her to a nearby bench.
"Want one?"
I held out a piece of candy. She shook her head, then nodded. When I passed it over, her trembling fingers fumbled with the wrapper.
"Here."
I tore it open for her, pulled her mask down, and slipped the candy into her mouth. Her face brightened a fraction.
"…Sorry. We should be moving."
"We've got time. More important—can you keep going?"
"Y-yeah. I was just too tense and scared. Next time I'll do better."
"You've got talent."
The first neck stab, the way she'd reacted just now—she clearly had a knack for the spear.
"Keep training and building strength and you'll pull your own weight no problem."
"That's a relief. Means I can actually help you."
She kept calling herself a burden. I never saw it that way. Sex was one thing, but how many women out here could even step outside and fight zombies?
I'm the abnormal one. This is normal.
Not that it mattered. The age of the abnormal had already begun.
I reached for a cigarette, then put it away. The smell might draw more of them.
"Let's move."
So-hye nodded and stood. Her color looked a lot better; that was something.
Thud!
On the way down through the park we put down another eight zombies.
"Fewer of them than I expected."
"Yeah. Probably because it was Friday—nobody came to the park."
Who the hell goes for a contemplative stroll in the park on a burning Friday night?
"Seong-won. Do you have another candy?"
"I do. Why?"
"Could I have one more? I can feel my strength draining. In exchange, if we find anything good later you can take first pick."
"You don't have to trade for a single piece of candy."
"It's candy now. That's huge."
She smiled faintly and popped it into her mouth. A woman who could still find small pleasures even here.
We dropped five more and finally cleared the park earlier than planned.
"…From here it gets ugly."
Dozens of zombies clogged the road ahead. We ducked out of sight and whispered.
"Yeah. The department store's a no-go."
We'd only just reached the vicinity and already the numbers were this high; inside the store it would be worse. Time to change the plan.
"There's a camping-gear specialty shop about five hundred meters from here. We head there."
"I'd rather do that too."
"From now on stay as quiet as you can. One slip and the whole pack comes."
"Got it."
We moved with extreme care—ducking into alleys, slipping through ground-floor storefronts, anything to stay off their radar.
Along the way we passed a liquor store. The interior was dark and nearly empty of zombies.
We'll come back for this later.
Right now we were traveling light—no backpacks. The camping shop would have useful gear; we could load up there and return.
A little farther on we finally reached the place we'd been aiming for.
Quiet.
The interior was dark and completely free of zombies. The shop sat just off the main commercial strip; one block of distance made that much difference in foot traffic.
"We're going in."
"Okay."
Almost no zombies outside, but complacency was still suicide. Trouble always hit when you thought you were safe.
Ziiing—
The automatic glass doors slid open. I raised a hand and stopped So-hye just inside.
Grrrrrr—
A low moan cut through the silence. I moved carefully and found a single zombie sprawled behind the counter.
Crunch—
I stomped its neck flat. We swept the rest of the store, ears straining, but nothing else stirred.
"We're clear."
"Thank god. How did you even hear that? I didn't catch a thing."
"I've always had good ears."
Probably tied to the ability I'd gained. After the park haul it had only gotten stronger.
I can feel myself getting faster every time.
At this rate I might actually be able to take on several at once. Not yet—but soon.
"Let's split up and grab anything useful."
"Right."
We fanned out. The place turned out to be an even bigger jackpot than I'd hoped. Sleeping bags, firewood, toilet paper, wet wipes, a solid stock of canned food. Best of all—the weapons. Camping axes, felling axes, even hammers. Gear you almost never found all in one spot.
With this lot we won't have to worry for a while.
There was so much good stuff I started thinking about making multiple trips. The only problem was the bastards still holed up in the apartment building.
I hope one of them walks into us this time.
Make an example of even one and the rest might settle down. Or better yet, let them all share a poisoned meal like rats and drop dead together.
"Kyaaaaaaah!!!"
Right in the middle of that thought, a raw scream tore through the air outside.