The Miracle of the Dying
Leaving behind the burning PC bang and the church that had grown strangely dear to us, we began to run without a word. We sprinted across the apartment complex, having no luxury to look back. In that time, the number of infected creatures swarming toward the burning PC bang was beyond imagination. Hundreds of monsters rushed from the streets, their bodies twisted in grotesque ways, shoving and trampling one another. There were so many it made my skin crawl. It was a blessing, at least, that none of those freaks took an interest in us. I only prayed the flames would hold their attention for a while longer.
But then, the fire began to flicker erratically. It had been a desperate, makeshift blaze, after all. As the flames grew weaker, the infected continued to pour toward that spot. Praying for the fire to last, we pushed our legs to move faster. Then—BOOM! A deafening roar erupted, and I clutched my ears, collapsing to the ground. The batteries were finally exploding. I could hear the building shudder as the lithium batteries inside the computer towers detonated. In that instant, countless infected began to stumble out of the buildings. Were there really this many hiding inside? All over the apartment complex, I saw monsters falling headfirst, twitching. A few of them began to charge straight at us.
Damn it! The sound was too loud. The sheer volume of the explosion had triggered the infected everywhere. Their staggering movements were now closing in with impossible speed. We fled again, faster than before. My pace quickened. My breath hitched, and my vision blurred, but I couldn't stop. Just then, less than a hundred meters away, an infected appeared. Jang Yeeun fired an arrow without a word, but at that moment, blood burst from her shoulder, the wound tearing open and spraying crimson across the ground. I saw her grit her teeth, fighting through the agony. I looked to the side. If we could just pass Building 104 and 105, which stood right in front of Building 103, we would reach the park. Just a little further, we had to push. There was no turning back now.
We ran past Building 105. Now, the restaurant district was right in front of us. Past the restaurants lay the park, and beyond that, the Mapo Station we had been waiting for. If we could just cross that, the safe zone we had longed for was right before our eyes. But the reality that unfolded before us was nothing like what we had imagined. The road directly in front of the restaurant district was packed, completely filled with a sea of infected. This couldn't be happening. It was a reality far more numerous and far more terrifying than we had anticipated.
...Ah. Oh, god. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. My legs gave out, my breath was ragged, my heart hammered against my ribs, and my entire body felt paralyzed. What I saw before me was the reality of dozens, no, hundreds of infected approaching our position. They were closing in slowly. As their footsteps grew louder, my own legs felt like lead, and finally, I stopped. Jang Yeeun opened her mouth. Her voice was small, trembling as if even breathing was a struggle.
"...Sehee. We really tried our best, didn't we?"
I nodded. "...Yes."
We had tried so hard to live. We had struggled to survive. But... "...Yeah. What kind of ending is this?"
"...I'm sorry."
"For what?"
Amidst the horrific sounds of the infected piercing our ears, she whispered, "...Just everything."
In that moment, the place where we stood felt like a graveyard. From behind and from ahead, the footsteps of the approaching infected grew louder. The wet, squelching sounds and the guttural growls drew closer. I stared at the ground. I couldn't bear to look at anything else. Hope had vanished, and only despair surrounded us. Then, Jang Yeeun took my hand. Her touch was impossibly warm. As our fingertips met, my cold skin greedily absorbed that warmth. The heat spreading through my body seemed to comfort the part of me that had desperately hoped this wasn't reality.
If we had come this far, didn't we deserve at least one miracle? Just once... couldn't a miracle happen? A miracle—and I was the one who had created all of this. If you really think about it, I’m the god here, aren't I? Ha, what a joke. Me, a god. I let out a dry, bitter laugh. Even as I thought this might be the last laugh I ever let out, I laughed. If there was no tomorrow, no day after, I wanted to do as I pleased in this very moment. Hundreds of infected were swarming before my eyes. Their footsteps were closing in. There was no time left to run. No, there was no way to stop those who had already arrived. Their movements were so terrifying and savage that I couldn't even breathe properly. Jang Yeeun’s ragged breathing sounded right beside me. It was so close I could feel every vibration. She just looked at me, holding my hand. Now, all we could do was hold on tight, close our eyes, and wait. It felt as if the world had ended. There is no miracle. We weren't lucky enough to deserve one.
Just then, something crossed my mind. Maybe this wasn't reality, or maybe everything I had experienced until now was just a dream. It couldn't be, but if this really were a dream, couldn't I change it until the very last moment? At that point, my body and mind collapsed. The only emotion I felt was resignation.
"I guess this is the end..."
The words slipped from my lips. I closed my eyes as I said them. As if everything had finished, it was just... over. The final emotion I felt was despair. And within that, a single thought surfaced. Miracles, they didn't exist.
"Survivors spotted! Commencing rescue!"
As soon as I heard that, my heart felt like it had stopped. My whole body trembled, my lips were parched, and my knees buckled. That sound—it was proof that we were alive. Then came the sound of gunfire, ringing through my brain. It was as if time had frozen. And that gunfire sounded like a miracle, a chance to decide our life or death. The infected all reacted to the noise, rushing past us toward the source.
"This is... really a miracle."
In the moment I wanted to believe it was a miracle, my emotions exploded, and strength flooded back into my body. The simple fact that I was alive began to crumble the despair I had felt until now.
“Sehee, are you okay?”
Jang Yeeun’s voice rang in my ears. She was still gripping my hand tightly, and while the footsteps of the infected rushing toward the gunfire echoed, it felt as if time had stood still. “This is a miracle.” Just the fact that we were alive made my body shake. As soon as the shots rang out, they had swarmed toward them. The path we wanted to take had opened. The moment their mass retreated, we were able to catch our breath for a fleeting second. We carefully approached the direction of the gunfire. Moving with muffled footsteps, Jang Yeeun and I moved slowly, conscious only of each other's breathing. And then, from the bushes in the park, the gunfire sounded again. To be precise, it was gunfire. That truly, truly familiar sound. That annoyingly familiar sound. Suddenly, something welled up from deep within my heart. Long live the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, seriously. A tear, then two, began to stream down my cheeks. We waved our hands frantically as we approached. They saw our hands, stopped, and stared at us blankly for a few seconds.
“Head straight to Mapo Station now!”
However, they immediately followed up with, “We’re running low on ammunition! It’s best to retreat!”
Our breath grew ragged again. We knew instinctively that we had to hurry because the infected were still lurking nearby. They were retreating quickly. It seemed they knew they lacked the ammunition to guarantee our safety all the way to Mapo Station. But they had delivered the message that we were alive. We began to run toward Mapo Station again. We didn't know if the infected were still hiding somewhere, but we focused our minds as if we finally knew where we were headed. Mapo Station was our salvation, and perhaps a new beginning awaited us there. We looked only forward. Exit 2 of Mapo Station appeared before us. The sight of military barricades, steel plates, and sandbags—but at that moment, gunfire erupted from the entrance of Mapo Station. Then, Jang Yeeun suddenly clutched her shoulder beside me and rolled forward. I was so startled I stumbled, but the situation gave me no room for error. As soon as Jang Yeeun’s body hit the ground, in that moment of chaos, confused shouting came from beyond the barricades. Just then, I looked back and saw the infected pursuing us. They were rushing toward us with that beastly speed.
"This can't be."
But it was already too late. Gritting my teeth, I hoisted Jang Yeeun onto my back and ran toward Mapo Station with all my might. She limped, trying to block the blood pouring from her shoulder with her hand. The blood flowed down her fingertips, sticking to my skin, cold and wet. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it! The infected were closing in. We were standing on the threshold of death. Amidst it all, I took heavy, sluggish steps, continuing toward Mapo Station. My breath was gone, my legs were about to give out, but I had to reach that place. In that moment, my body refused to move according to my will. With a thud! my legs gave way, and I collapsed. Strength drained from my fingertips, and I could no longer support Jang Yeeun’s weight. My vision blurred, and the world grew dark. "Sehee!" Jang Yeeun’s voice rang out, but it, too, grew distant until I could hear nothing at all.