Hell Scroll (13)
"Hah, huaaaak!"
Lee Joo-eem's piercing scream tore through the air as blood sprayed in every direction. The priests kneeling around the cult leader in prayer had their heads explode in unison, skull caps flying off. From the gaping, cleanly hollowed craniums, black legs slithered out one by one, draining the color from Im Team Leader's and the staff's faces.
What the fuck is that...?
"Shoot! Shoot! Don't let a single one escape!"
Rustle—rustle-rustle—black shapes erupted from the priests' heads and scattered. Bang-bang-bang-bang! The staff unleashed on the floor-crawlers, but every shot missed. Too fast! Way too fast! No matter their speed, bullets were faster—but this required predictive fire just to graze them.
Impossible to discern their form amid the blur, they skittered across the floor, scaled walls, and swarmed the morgue entrance in a heartbeat.
"Kieeek!"
"Kieeek!"
Bang-bang-bang! Crimson blood erupted as they tumbled every which way.
Only one exit. Fixed path—predictive shots at the door should nail them, right? The clueless monsters charging out flipped end-over-end from Cheol-woo's foresight shots, not a peep out of them.
They hesitated, evaded the next volley, and leaped for the exit again—only to slam into a hulking hazmat suit blocking the way.
Whoosh—whoosh—two sword strokes bisected three beasts mid-air.
'Disgusting fucks.'
Cheol-woo exhaled in relief. Small and fast—real pains in the ass. Silver lining: not bulletproof. Blowfish-level durability, dropping to one round. Thank fuck for that.
Bloody sludge oozing from curled-up corpses: one, two, three, four...
"Huh?"
One short. Ten shattered skulls, nine bodies. Tracing the blood trails, he spotted the last one perfectly camo'd in shadow and whipped his muzzle around.
"Hua! Uwaaaaa!!!"
Rustle—rustle-rustle—it ignored the entrance, lunging straight for Lee Joo-eem.
She shrieked, stumbled back, and ass-planted. It pounced, scaling her leg in a flash.
Yuri, inches away, raised her blade—then froze. Angles overlapped. A swing now would cripple Joo-eem's leg.
As it rustle-rustle-rustled up to her torso, Cheol-woo's handgun barked predictive fire! Bang-bang-bang! The slugs punched through the monster and thudded into Joo-eem's plate carrier.
"Ehk! Hk! Heuk!"
She foamed at the mouth, clutching her chest and gasping. Cracked ribs? Hurt like hell, but the clinging carcass creeped her out more—she sobbed, flinging it off.
Ah, fuck. Didn't wanna cry, but tears welled up. This shit hurt too much. Ribs throbbed, but her gut—already squished under the plate carrier—took three sledgehammer hits. Agony beyond words.
Joo-eem wheezed face-down, unable to rise. The male staff shot her looks like, why so dramatic?
"Hurt bad?"
"Huek. Hk. N-no, sir... I'm f-fine, hugh... f-fine..."
"Hey, Joo-eem! Quit crying! On your feet!"
"Ease off, Im Team Leader. Tears, snot, writhing in pain—that drama? Ditch the carrier, recover comfy. Stand when you're good."
"Y-yes, hik. Yessir..."
Cheol-woo ripped the Velcro—reeech—and helped yank off the carrier. Freed, her compressed bulk sprang out; she gulped air, "Haaaaah—"
Damn, how'd she hide that? Cheol-woo gawked, shook it off.
"Emergency eject, huh."
So that's what burst from the cracked skulls. Self-lobotomy escape pod, probably.
"Rushed straight at faces."
"So..."
"Eggs via eyes, ears—or burrow in. Infect."
"Ugh, urk..."
"Hey, no puking here."
Joo-eem dry-heaved. Larva claims brain space, gnaws and grows. Replaces it entirely. Host nears death? Busts skull, hunts new meat.
Conclusion reached.
"S-sir... more survivors infested?"
"Yeah. Three-ish. Probably riling believers outside to smoke us by now."
"Ah."
Leader and priests vanished into morgue 10+ minutes. They smelled trouble. Whole flock armed, lurking outside. Door cracks—bodies spill into view. No time for talk. All-out war.
Outnumbered, sure. But civvies. Cheol-woo could carve through zero sweat, zero losses.
Question was Im Team Leader.
"Haa. Cult zombies. Hopeless—send 'em all downstairs."
"No. At least try talking."
"Talk what? 'Brain-munchers faking human'? Buy that? We barely believed seeing it. Flash the leader's corpse mid-splain? Blades incoming before you finish."
"That's..."
Im trailed off at Han Sa-jang's snap. No comeback.
Loyalty wasn't blind—it was total surrender to leader and priests. News of their death alone? Instant revolt. Im knew better than anyone.
"Your call, Im. Wipe 'em. Or risk sweet-talk."
"Huh? Cheol-woo, this ain't—"
"Shut your fucking trap. Before I stuff you back in that carrier."
"..."
Han bristled forward—Cheol-woo gnashed teeth in warning. Their eyes locked; Han went rigid as stone, throat clogged silent. Rabbit hearing tiger roar down the ridge.
Playing GeumMyeong Security Team 1 Chief who'd nabbed Han hostage—had to sell gruff. Still, that terror stuck.
"Im. Decide."
"Well..."
Massacre: clean, safe. Chief plus power-suit chick? Breeze through 30 civs. Persuasion? Invited ambush. Team casualties possible.
Im scanned his crew. Same dopey faces from rescue day one.
"Try talking. Save who we can. Kids especially..."
"Im's call."
Im bowed; Cheol-woo clapped his shoulder en route. Planned talk anyway—now legit.
......
"Mins since leader entered?"
"Sixteen."
"Breach prep. Rations thinning—Koreans set to purge us."
Believers shuddered, hefting clubs and axes. Betrayal loomed forever. "Those Koreans? Squeeze our labor, then cull." Earfuls from leader and priests.
But slaughtering bunkmates? Tough sell.
"We lead."
The 'Blessed' charged ahead fearless. Believers trailed. No fear in those eyes—post-grace, ballsier. Priests and leader picked from Blessed ranks. Follow, survive.
They clenched jaws, steeled to kill.
"Breach on my—"
"Ack!"
Bam! Morgue door flew; front man's nose cratered.
Blessed drew daggers to rush—faces bleached white.
Cheol-woo emerged, dangling black critters by the handful, green slime dripping.
All blanched, retreated—ass-plants galore. Faces screamed why? how?
"Slaughter 'em! Kill the Koreans!!!"
"The fuck is that?"
"That's... the l-leader... Shit! Kill it!"
"Wait..."
Blessed bellowed; believers baffled, froze mid-step.
What even is it? Why kill? Always right, sure—but this? Arms locked.
"Hey. Eject button."
"Huk! Heuk!"
"Or join 'em?"
"Hiiiik!"
Fleeing leg: bang! Slug thunked home.
Cheol-woo shoved corpse in face. Hyperventilating guy squeezed eyes shut—
Crack! Skull popped; black shape rocketed out.
"Kiek! Kieeeek!!!"
Snagged mid-air by Cheol-woo, it screeched grotesque.
Believers gaped slack-jawed.
Cheol-woo's signal: bang-bang-bang! Three men head-shot inside, green goo sluicing from wounds.
"No way... how the..."
Believers deflated, weapons clunk-clunk to the floor. Slumped in place.
Cheol-woo grinned. Now we can talk.