Isolation
"S-Seong-won!"
A clattering racket erupted inside the store as So-hye called my name. She rushed over and checked me over from head to toe.
"A-Are you okay? You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. That scream wasn't even mine to begin with."
"Th-Thank goodness. It was a man's voice, so I thought it was you..."
So-hye was trembling all over, so I gently pulled her into a hug. Her shaking gradually subsided.
"I'll head outside and check things out. In the meantime, could you find anything useful and set it aside?"
"O-Okay... Got it."
I took down the longest, most expensive billhook hanging on the wall, stripped off its leather sheath, and looped the safety cord around my wrist. Then I moved near the entrance, kept myself hidden, and surveyed the street outside.
KRAAAAAAH—!!!
A running zombie was the first to tear across the road, with dozens more pouring after it. The numbers were not looking good.
Of all the shitty places to be.
Wherever the man had screamed, it wasn't far from the store. From where I stood, I could see it plain as day.
"Ghhhuuurrrk!!!"
The man was surrounded by zombies, howling in pure agony. I couldn't make out exactly what was happening, but every so often blood and chunks of flesh went flying into the air — enough to tell me he was already being eaten.
I felt zero sympathy. If anything, I was fucking pissed.
If that bastard was going to die, he could've at least died quietly. Instead he has to scream his head off and drag every zombie in the neighborhood over here.
Thanks to him, a swarm of zombies was now roaming the street. There had to be at least eighty of them — no way I was stepping outside.
Which meant we were completely isolated in here.
"Tch."
Still crouched, I moved back into the store. A pile of goods had already been stacked off to one side. So-hye appeared a moment later, arms full of food.
"Seong-won, what on earth is going on?"
"Shh. Keep your voice down."
Her eyes went round. She clapped both hands over her mouth with a little eep! — it was almost cute.
"W-What happened?"
She asked again in a whisper, so I answered.
"That scream just now pulled every zombie on this street over here. We're stuck."
"What? Really?"
"Yeah."
So-hye's face went deathly pale. She let out a long breath and sank to the floor.
"Th-Then what do we do?"
"We'll have to sit tight and wait for them to clear out."
"Ah..."
"The good news is there's plenty of food in here. As long as we don't get spotted, we should be able to hold out without much trouble."
"...Okay."
"For now, let's gather anything useful and stash it in the farthest corner. And stay away from the store windows as much as you can."
She nodded and slowly got to her feet. She still looked too shaken to function, so I brought over a camping chair.
"Just rest for a bit."
"Thank you."
I set the axe and billhook on the floor and sat down. The moment I closed my eyes and leaned back against the chair, drowsiness started creeping in.
Even with abilities, I guess getting worn out is inevitable.
I was resting when So-hye suddenly stood up and headed somewhere. She didn't seem about to do anything reckless, so I left her alone.
"Seong-won, are you asleep?"
Her voice came a moment later, and I cracked my eyes open.
"No."
"Then... it's a little early, but want to have lunch?"
"Sure."
She was holding a combat ration in each hand. They looked similar to the ones I'd eaten in the military — probably the civilian supply version.
"Thanks."
I took one and tore it open with practiced ease. There were fewer items than the military packs, but this was no time to complain about that kind of thing.
"How do you open this?"
So-hye, who'd been watching me out of the corner of her eye and trying to copy me, asked for help.
"You do it like this."
"Ah, thank you. I heard men eat these all the time in the military — is that true?"
"Not all the time. Just every now and then when we went out on training."
"Ah, during training..."
I yanked the heating strip, set the pack on the floor, and tore open the pound cake. The moment it hit my tongue, that familiar flavor hit me.
Yep. Still tastes like absolute garbage.
I forced it down bite by bite while So-hye ate her bread with bright, sparkling eyes.
"Does it taste okay?"
"Yeah. It's pretty good, actually."
"Glad to hear it. Want mine too, then?"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I really don't want to eat it."
She hesitated for a second, then took the pound cake. Watching her smile with one in each hand as she ate was oddly satisfying.
Fifteen minutes later, I pulled out the rice, mixed it with the gochujang, dumped in all the side dishes, and started eating.
Ziiing—
"Hic...!"
We were eating quietly when the automatic door suddenly whirred open. So-hye hiccuped and froze solid mid-bite.
No way a person would show up in this situation — which means zombies. Did they just wander in by accident?
I picked up the axe and billhook and rose slowly from my seat. I put a finger to my lips as I looked at So-hye. She nodded.
Krrrrr—
A low moan echoed through the store. Listening carefully, it wasn't just one. At least two.
Just our luck.
What were the odds of two zombies casually strolling through an automatic door into a store?
I let out a quiet breath, stayed low, and slipped into the rightmost aisle.
No zombies in sight.
They had to be in another aisle — and from how close the moans sounded, they were probably right next door on the left.
Gulp—
One wrong move and I could draw every zombie outside. I moved with extreme care, quick-stepping to the entrance of the left aisle.
Just as I thought.
One zombie was right there. I had no idea where the other one was, but it was somewhere inside the store either way.
This one first.
I peeled off the leather guard covering the blade and crept up behind it. The moment I was directly at its back, I slowly straightened and raised the billhook toward the ceiling.
CRACK!
I swung with everything I had. The blade sank halfway into the zombie's neck. Then I brought the axe in my other hand down on its skull.
CRUNCH!
Bone shattered, and its head hit the floor.
KRAAAAK—!
The noise set off the other zombie. The display rack beside me rattled. I caught a glimpse of its head poking up and sprinted toward it.
If I waste time, the noise could pull more of them in from outside.
I ran into its aisle and stomped the floor. The zombie's head snapped around, and it charged.
Whoosh—!
It swung both arms hard. I dodged easily and brought the billhook down in a diagonal slash.
THWACK!
The blade buried itself in the neck again, red blood spraying across the floor. I drove the axe into its skull, and the thing staggered.
KRAAAAAK!
But only for a second. Its red eyes flared and it thrashed even harder. Rotten stench and blood poured from its gaping maw.
I tightened my grip on the axe and wrenched the billhook free, then swung again at the same wound.
SHHHRK—
Its head hit the floor, spraying blood in every direction. I made sure the body had stopped moving before I finally let myself breathe.
No more moans.
I checked whether anything else had come in after the noise. Nothing.
"Hoo..."
The tension slowly drained from my locked-up body. One slip and we could've been completely fucked — I'd had every reason to be on edge.
"So-hye."
"S-Seong-won!"
She'd been crouched in the corner with a spear, scanning every direction, and spotted me at last. She hurried over and started patting me down.
"B-Blood... You're not hurt, are you?"
"No. None of it's mine."
"Thank goodness. I'm so sorry I couldn't help. I was about to jump in, but..."
"Don't be. Honestly, you staying put helped more."
If she'd charged in clumsily, it would've made a hell of a racket. Then the zombies outside would have poured in — and we'd both be dead.
"Just keep eating for now. I'm going to the bathroom to wash up. I should change clothes too."
Eating like this was a hygiene nightmare.
"C-Can I come with you? I'll help you wash..."
"What?"
"I get anxious being alone. And I don't really feel like I can eat right now anyway..."
"If that's the case... all right."
We headed to the bathroom together. It was surprisingly spacious and clean, and even had a small shower — washing up would be a lot easier than expected.
Since a zombie could wander in while I was cleaning myself, I left the bathroom door open.
"I'll help you out of your clothes."
"...Okay."
I stripped off everything I'd been wearing and tossed it into a corner. The zombie blood made those clothes unusable for now anyway.
I tossed the cleaner clothes and underwear outside. Once I was naked, So-hye's eyes flicked up and down my body.
"Y-Your body is really something."
"Thanks."
A body packed with muscle. It hadn't always been like this — the ability had changed me. Come to think of it, my cock seemed a little bigger too.
If it gets any bigger than this, that's going to be a problem.
I turned on the shower, still thinking greedy thoughts. Cold water blasted out and soaked me, instantly killing the heat left over from the fight.
"Just a second."
So-hye stepped out and came back with shower supplies.
"They had these."
"They really do stock everything, huh."
I washed my hair with shampoo, then squeezed body wash onto a shower puff. The moment I went to scrub myself, she gently took it from me.
"H-Here, let me help."
"All right. Appreciate it."
So-hye started rubbing my body. Every so often her hand brushed against certain places, and that light contact was enough to make my cock slowly harden.
She saw it, startled for a second, then went back to scrubbing. Once I was covered in foam, she rinsed it all off. The shower ended, and the water shut off.
"Hah..."
Out of nowhere, So-hye grabbed my cock. I looked up to find her staring at me with eyes burning bright.
"I-I'll help you..."
She said it, and her hand started to move.