Wheelchair and Chains
“Drag the wheelchair and follow us. We’ll go on ahead.”
“Ah, yes. But…”
“……?”
“Are you a soldier? Or a hunter?”
“I’m a civilian.”
“Then how are you so good at fighting? I just can’t…”
The middle-aged man was still trembling with fear, yet his face was clearly etched with shame. He probably felt guilty for failing to evacuate or properly protect his disabled wife in time. But I had no intention of blaming him. This was the average. If an ordinary middle-aged man who wasn’t a trained soldier or hunter could fight monsters well, that would be stranger. Even hunters often fall prey to terror when pushed to the brink. I’d seen plenty of them abandon comrades mid-hunt just to save their own skins. This man was doing fine. At least he hadn’t left his wife behind to save himself.
“You were brave enough. Don’t beat yourself up too much.”
I encouraged him sincerely. It wasn’t just active-duty soldiers and hunters who fought. This was an era where everyone fought for survival. Even non-awakened civilians fought in their own ways—for their own lives and the safety of their families. Just like this man. Just like my father. Especially in situations like this.
When a sudden gate incident occurred, it took at least thirty minutes to an hour for soldiers and hunters to arrive on scene. So civilians had to know how to fight too.
“But…” The man lowered his head.
“You did really well. Thank you.”
The woman in the wheelchair tightly grasped her husband’s hand.
“If you hadn’t mustered the courage to fight, we would’ve all been dead before these people arrived. I love you, honey.”
Whoa, the sweetness was dripping. The way she looked at him was full of affection, and his gaze toward her was the same. I didn’t know if they had children, but maybe they’d end up with a late-in-life baby after today.
“We don’t have time for this. Sir, grab your wife’s wheelchair. And reload just in case.”
“Ah, understood.”
“Instead—” My hand touched the back of the man’s hand as he changed the magazine. “Don’t pull out the gun unless you have to. I don’t want to die from a bullet you fired. Got it?”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“If we make it out of here alive, get some training whenever you can. I know you’re busy, but if you die, what’s the point? No one’s always going to come save you.”
“Ah, yes. I was planning to.”
“Let’s go.”
Checking the drone’s thermal imaging, I saw monsters swarming like a pack of dogs. Yeah, gunshots always drew them in. We had to move fast.
Tang-tang! Tang-tang-tang! Boom-boom! Drdrdrdrdrdrdrdr!
Even as we moved, endless gunfire and explosions echoed from afar. Dudududu! A Black Hawk helicopter and three Apache attack helicopters armed with Hellfire missiles flew overhead. It seemed the heavily armed military and police, along with aerial assets, had been deployed to battle the monsters.
“Over here! Here! We’re here!”
The security guard shouted at the helicopter at the top of his lungs, then, realizing it was useless, pulled out a flare.
“Don’t.”
“Sir?”
“Don’t fire the flare. Not if you don’t want to die.”
“Why not?”
The guard looked completely baffled.
“Wouldn’t riding the helicopter be faster and safer than walking out?”
“Do you think the monsters don’t have aerial forces?”
“Huh?”
“Look.” I pointed at the sky.
“Kyaaak!”
“Kyaaaak!”
Flying types. Dozens of bat-like monsters appeared from somewhere and began attacking our helicopters. They were called Gargoyles—another name humanity had given them. As if we’d ever know the monsters’ real names.
“Aaaagh!”
One of the soldiers aboard a helicopter plummeted. Shuuuung, boom! An Apache helicopter crashed into an apartment building and exploded.
“Anyone still want to ride the helicopter?”
No one answered.
“If you still want to fire that flare, do it after we’re gone. Alone.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“Let’s move while hiding under trees and in the grass. Otherwise, the gargoyles will snatch us up like dolls.”
As we moved, I checked the time. ‘We’re running out of time.’
This gate incident couldn’t be resolved with conventional human weapons and tactics. Hunters would be deployed soon, but it wouldn’t be enough. The number of monsters pouring through was too great for manpower alone to push back. The best option now was to carpet-bomb the area to thin their numbers, then have hunters close the gate—the core of the incident.
In other words, our apartment complex was about to be reduced to rubble by bombing.
Wheeeeeeeng!
As if on cue, sirens blared and an announcement followed.
— Attention, residents. Bombing will commence in thirty minutes. Please evacuate the area immediately. I repeat, bombing will commence in thirty minutes…
It was a ruthless decision with no consideration for the elderly or disabled, but I understood. Gate incidents only grew worse with time. If left alone, stronger monsters would appear in greater numbers, causing even more casualties and damage. So they had no choice but to bomb, even at the risk of civilian losses.
“Let’s move faster.”
I led the group as quickly as possible.
“Kyaaak!”
“Kyak!”
Several goblins blocked our path.
“I’ll handle it, so keep your muzzles pointed away.”
“Ah, yes!”
Thud, thud! I split the goblins’ skulls with my axe and cleared the way. Depending on training, even non-awakened people could handle 1-star monsters. At this point in time, as an officer candidate, my stamina and strength were developed enough for it.
“Huff, huff.”
Still, I couldn’t help but feel a little winded. Even though I’d been a supporter back then, during my hunter days I’d never once lost my breath dealing with a few goblins like this.
“Let’s avoid using guns if possible. Not just because of the noise—the smell of gunpowder draws them too.”
“Ah, yes!”
“Understood.”
We hurried, but our pace was painfully slow. With someone disabled in the group, and having to avoid both the gargoyles dominating the skies and lurking monsters on the ground, speed was impossible.
— NO SIGNAL!
Meanwhile, the drone was shot down by a gargoyle, leaving us blind to our surroundings. We were still about 500 meters from escaping the gate zone. Five hundred meters wasn’t far, but the terrain had transformed into rugged mountains due to the gate, making movement difficult.
“Let’s ditch the wheelchair. It’ll be better to carry your wife.”
“Understood.”
The man hoisted his wife onto his back while the guard and I took point and rear, staying alert. We’d covered maybe a hundred meters when—
“Halt.”
A bad feeling made me stop. The grass around us rustled, and several monsters slithered out, surrounding us. Goblins we’d fought before, hyena-headed gnolls, and even a troll. Quite a mixed bunch had gathered.
“W-what do we do?”
The guard looked at me, panicked. Boom! Instead of answering, I pulled the shotgun trigger.
“Kek!”
The monster lunging at me was blasted away, and the rest charged all at once.
We fought fiercely against the monsters. Boom-boom! Tang-tang-tang! The guard, the middle-aged man, and I all poured bullets into the horde while his wife stayed low. But there were too many, and the gnolls and troll shrugged off shotgun blasts, so their numbers barely dwindled.
‘We’re burning through ammo too fast.’
Empty magazines piled at my feet.
“Aagh!”
The guard screamed. A goblin had climbed onto his back and was slashing wildly with a knife. I dropped the shotgun, swung my axe, and split the goblin’s skull. Thud! The guard collapsed.
“Kuh, kuhk!”
A third of his neck was severed, blood gushing out in pulses. ‘Damn it!’ I needed to stop the bleeding, but there was no time for first aid. ‘Drag him out first.’
Boom-boom! I blasted an approaching troll away, grabbed the guard by the collar, and hauled him backward.
“Don’t pass out! Press down hard with your hand—oh?”
Well, look at this guy. Tang-tang! Tang-tang-tang! The guard was fighting back with sheer willpower. Even as he coughed up blood, he pressed his left hand against his neck to staunch the flow while firing his carbine with his right, spraying bullets at the monsters.
‘I’m getting you out of here no matter what.’
His fighting spirit spread to me like wildfire. Who said non-awakened people were weak? Even a mere apartment security guard had this kind of resolve!
‘Focus.’
I was carefully squeezing the trigger, mindful of ammo, when—
Clang! A chain flew out and wrapped around a troll’s neck. Shrrrk! The bladed links sliced clean through, grinding the flesh apart. Roll…! The troll’s severed head tumbled across the ground.
‘She got here faster than I expected.’
I didn’t need to look to know who it was. In this time period, the only hunter who could wield chains like that here was her. Smiling, I turned my head. A fully armed hunter stared at us with a blank expression, gripping a chain lined with razor blades. Choi Yoo-ra. Callsign: Bloody Mary. The hunter who, in my past life, had led my mother and sister out of this place.