The Escape Plan

What the hell happened?

I pulled up the skill window and checked the Thorn Tower.

Is this the same tower I summoned back in the game?

WAW, the dream, and reality. They might all be connected. After all, every single thing that had happened in the game was now unfolding in the real world.

The Thorn Tower could actually exist here.

I had summoned it on top of the shopping building. If it existed in reality, it would still be launching thorns even now.

That would explain how the Thorn Tower killed the zombies.

The tower’s power alone couldn’t pierce a zombie’s skull. But being fired from the roof of a seven-story building would have given the projectiles far more force. On top of that, skills dealt bonus damage to monsters—including zombies. Even if each hit was weak, repeated attacks could stack up enough damage to finish them off.

Even without penetration, the impact would still damage the brain.

Low accuracy didn’t matter. The shopping district had heavy foot traffic, which meant plenty of zombies. With so many targets, a missed shot would likely find another skull right beside it.

Time to upgrade.

I tapped the upgrade button beside the Thorn Tower. Two higher-tier options appeared.

Pressing the locked icons opened the skill tree’s Upgrade tab. It looked like I needed to take 2nd-Tier Tower Unlock to open them.

I spent the skill point on 2nd-Tier Tower Unlock and checked the new towers.

The two towers had clear strengths and weaknesses. The Hunting Bow Tower had a short cooldown, perfect for rapid attacks. The Light Crossbow Tower took far longer to fire but promised higher accuracy and raw power.

Hunting Bow Tower it is.

Even if its accuracy and power were a little lower right now, it would still be far stronger than the Thorn Tower. The zombie-clearing speed would improve dramatically.

I wanted to test its power, but manual mode was still locked.

Must be because ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it’s too far away.

Swallowing my disappointment, I went back to the skill tree I hadn’t fully examined yet.

“Nothing to eat in here?”

“I’ve got a few snacks.”

When the middle-aged man cautiously opened a drawer and asked, the security guard handed him some chips.

It’s already this late.

6:37 p.m. The sun would be setting soon.

The auntie sat with her knees drawn up, face buried against them. From under her arm I could see the straining line of her bra, the fabric stretched to its limit. I stared without meaning to.

“Auntie, you must be hungry.”

I approached and whispered. She lifted her head. The warm scent of her shampoo sent a rush of desire through me.

“A little.”

She gave me a gentle smile, as if trying to reassure me.

“Want some kimbap?”

I offered the kimbap and cola I’d bought at the convenience store. The plastic bag held only ingredients—no way to cook right now. Even washing fruit might agitate the zombies, so I had to be careful.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. We’re neighbors. We should help each other.”

She let out a small, amused laugh, and I smiled back.

“Hey, student.”

The middle-aged man sidled closer.

“What?”

“Can you spare one for me?”

“Sorry. This is all I have.”

I closed the backpack after taking out the kimbap.

“Nothing else?”

“Nope.”

Of course I had more. I just didn’t want to give any to him. Food was a precious resource—I had no idea when I could get more. I couldn’t afford to waste it.

The man seemed to sense my reasoning and frowned in displeasure.

“Student, we’re supposed to help each other! How do you expect to escape this place alone later?”

“Don’t worry. I won’t be a burden to anyone.”

“Ha! Fine. We’ll see about that.”

If this had been earlier, I might have given him a triangle kimbap. Having an extra bat with me during an escape would have made things easier. But that was no longer necessary. Once I leveled the skill tree, I could bring the Hunting Bow Tower over here.

While eating the kimbap, I opened the skill tree’s Utility tab.

By the time I leveled up, the Hunting Bow Tower would be more than useful.

When I switched my view to the Web Tower, I saw spider webs covering the heads of quite a few zombies. The webs didn’t seem to reach those that were farther away, though.

The range is shorter than I expected.

Looking at the webs spread everywhere, the accuracy seemed low too.

Still, this should be enough.

All that remained was leveling up and waiting for sunrise.

“Let’s escape tomorrow,” I told the auntie.

“How?”

“I have a way. We’ll stay here tonight and leave as soon as the sun comes up.”

“Where to?”

“Home would be safest, if possible.”

My place had food and a front door zombies couldn’t break. I’d already done the shopping, so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we could hold out for a while. In the meantime I could summon and upgrade towers, clearing the zombies step by step.

“Oh…? What do we do? I think I dropped the key.”

She must have lost it when she fell during the rescue.

“Don’t worry. We can go to my place first—as long as we manage to escape.”

The thought of entering my one-room apartment with the auntie made heat flare in my lower belly.

“As long as we can escape… right.”

Leaving the gloomy auntie behind, I scanned the shelter. In the small room the security guard had used, there was a thin single mattress.

“Let’s set a sleeping order.”

“Sleep? Now?”

The middle-aged man looked puzzled. The security guard was too intimidated to speak.

“The auntie and I will take turns. You and the security guard will take turns.”

“Wouldn’t one person on watch be enough?”

“The person sleeping needs someone right in front of them. If they start snoring, you wake them immediately. Snoring will make the zombies smash through the walls.”

The man glanced at the shelter’s thin walls, then nodded in understanding.

“If that’s the case, maybe we just don’t sleep at all?”

“Until when?”

“…Yeah, I guess not.”

Realizing there was no better option, he stopped arguing.

“Then who gets the mattress?”

The security guard finally spoke up.

“Obviously the auntie. You weren’t planning to take it yourself, were you?”

“Ah, no. Of course the lady should have it.”

Regret was thick in the security guard’s eyes as he answered.

Selfish bastards, every last one of them.

I had never intended to stay with these people. Conflict was inevitable. The night-watch arrangement wasn’t just about snoring, either. I didn’t want them stealing my bat while I slept.

“It’s still early evening, but let’s start sleeping now.”

“Already?”

“If things go well, we might escape tomorrow.”

“That thing you mentioned? Covering their eyes?”

“Yeah.”

The middle-aged man’s eyes glittered with equal parts suspicion and hope.

“We need to rest while we can. If we’re doing eight-hour shifts, we should start now.”

“Makes sense.”

“I’ll be in the room. If anything happens, slide a note under the door.”

“What? Why? You locking the door?”

“To be honest, I don’t want my bat stolen while I’m asleep.”

At my blunt words, the man’s face stiffened. So he had been thinking about it.

“Ahem. As if I’d do that. Lock the door if you’re that worried.”

He avoided my gaze and spread out a blanket.

“Hey, security guard.”

“Yes?”

“I’m going to sleep. Don’t make noise. If I start snoring, wake me.”

“Got it.”

Watching them settle into the corner, I whispered to the auntie.

“Auntie, let’s go inside and sleep.”

“I feel bad taking the mattress.”

“It’s fine. Everyone agreed.”

Besides, once she woke up I’d use it. Those two just wouldn’t get a turn.

With the security guard’s lingering stare on my back, I closed the door.

Click.

“You sleep first.”

“Is that really okay?”

It was far too early for bed, but she didn’t refuse.

She must be exhausted. She nearly got hit by a car and went through all that chaos. Her mind has to be drained.

Her eyes were already half-closed.

“Of course. Get some rest.”

“Thank you.”

She lay on her left side, facing the wall. The long dress clung to her body, revealing every curve—the slender waist, the flare of her hips and round buttocks, the long legs stretching downward. I wanted to run my hands along that line and then grip hard.

The impulse burned so fiercely it was difficult to hold back. Instead I devoured her with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my eyes, and soon heard deep, steady breathing.

“Hoo… hoo…”

She was already asleep.

I peeked at her face. Her mouth was slightly open, lips completely relaxed. She wasn’t faking it.

She’s really beautiful.

Honestly, I couldn’t understand why someone like her lived in this rundown apartment. She looked like she belonged in Gangnam or one of the new cities. Hell, she could have been a celebrity or a model.

I’d never once seen her husband, even though we were next-door neighbors. There had to be a story there.

My gaze drifted lower, to her full breasts. The dress had shifted, pressing her bra tight and exposing deep cleavage.

I want to touch them—even over the bra.

How good would it feel to hug her from behind and knead them with both hands?

After staring for a long while, I opened the skill window again, half to check and half to distract myself.

• Consume 1 stack to summon a random tower.

• Stacks charge once every 6 hours.

The stack has charged.

The wave started at 1 p.m., so the new stack must have come in around 7. The time was already 8 p.m. I hadn’t noticed how fast the hours passed while I was lost in the sight of her body.

Random Tower Summon.

I summoned a new tower above the shelter entrance.

Creeeeak.

“Graaaah!”

“Grrrgh!”

“Gaaah!”

The zombies thrashed wildly at the sound of the summoning. They slammed into the shelter walls but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠couldn’t locate the exact spot, so they eventually settled down again.

I quickly checked the new tower.

What is this?

I switched it to manual to test it. The apartment complex was already wrapped in darkness, but thanks to the skill the tower glowed a vivid green.

I can see it clearly. I thought the lights would make the shape impossible to distinguish, but the skill lets me see it perfectly.

This tower was twice the size of the others. A long handle extended from a hammer head fixed in a curved, spring-like shape. When the lock released, the hammer would slam downward. After each strike, a water-wheel-like mechanism in the rear would rewind it. Unlike the Thorn Tower, this was a close-range unit.

When I aimed, a red targeting area appeared. I selected a zombie directly below the shelter and brought the hammer down.

Whoosh—Crunch!

The wooden hammer crushed the zombie’s head in a single blow.

Stronger than I expected.

The destructive power exceeded my predictions. After the strike the hammer rewound itself.

“Grrrgh!”

“Ughhh!”

Zombies that heard the impact rushed beneath the Wooden Hammer Tower. Those blinded by spider webs collided with one another, tangling and falling.

Everything is coming together nicely.

I switched it back to automatic mode and opened the door. The two men stared at me with wide eyes.

“Was that you, student?”

The middle-aged man approached.

“Yes. I summoned another tower.”

“Really? How’s it looking?”

“It’ll steadily thin out the zombies.”

“Excellent!”

For the first time the man smiled brightly. Surprise and a hint of awe colored the way he looked at me.

“Go back to sleep.”

“Yeah… I should.”

He awkwardly returned to his spot. I closed the door again.

There were two things I hadn’t told him: that the area outside was now packed with zombies, and that I had no intention of escaping with him.

The auntie’s deep, even breathing continued. She slept soundly, undisturbed by the noise, almost as if the hammer strikes were lullabies.

To conserve what little stamina I had, I turned off the light and lay on the bare floor. Admiring her body was pleasant, but if I kept staring I’d soak through my underwear.

Thud.

Shit.

I turned over because the position was uncomfortable and accidentally brushed her with my arm. I watched nervously, but she didn’t react at all.

Completely defenseless when she sleeps. Come to think of it, she didn’t wake up when the tower was summoned either.

The realization that she wouldn’t stir even if stimulated sent a dark surge of lust through me.

Should I pretend it was an accident and touch her?

My hand moved before the thought even finished forming.