The Bastard Soldiers
Those insane soldiers. Gongdeok Station, Airport Railroad Concourse (Basement Level 3).
There was so much to do to reinforce the defenses at Aeogae Station. Since the enemy’s strength was an unknown variable, it was best to prepare as much as possible. But there was something I had to do first: talk to the families of the expedition members I had killed with my own hands during our last outing.
I didn't have to wait long after entering the concourse to find them. While the families of the expedition members received extra rations or were exempted from various labor tasks, this family’s situation was different. Their children and wives were all dead, leaving only the elderly parents and the member who had died. They didn't really need extra supplies, and since the elderly were exempt from labor by default, there was practically nothing we could do for them. Perhaps that was exactly why I felt I had to meet them in person.
When I arrived, a heavy silence, just as I had expected, enveloped them. They didn't greet me with warmth; the parents simply approached me quietly. Yet, they didn't blame me.
"You've had a hard time, young lady," they said, looking down at me with a sigh. "I suppose you've grown accustomed to death by now. The world has changed so much."
The parents paused, staring at my wounds. Then, as if testing my condition, they slowly reached out and touched the bandages wrapped around my body. Their touch was indifferent, yet strangely warm. They traced the bandages that ran from my wrists to my legs and ankles, examining the wounds as if checking for something. Now that I looked, my body really was a mess. The pain began to fade into a blur. I knew something was wrong, but it took time for my body to register it. I only felt the pain surging when I saw my swollen arm, just like this time. Jang Yeeun would wrap the bandages for me whenever that happened... though, of course, my body hadn't been that sturdy to begin with.
"Leaving it alone would be a disaster. You must take care of yourself. As for death... we've all grown used to it now."
In this cold, hollow world, death had become as mundane as a daily chore. Accustomed to death? And yet, I continued to survive. I didn't even know if I understood the reason why, but I was still alive. I had desperately wished not to disappear from this world, to survive. A person who wrote novels about hundreds of millions of people dying, yet now, death, pain, and loss all felt cold and distant.
"The older I get, the more foolish I become. I just feel sorry whenever I see you young people suffering. You're still young, so it's truly remarkable that you're working this hard in such a situation."
"It's my job," I replied. The extraordinary had become the ordinary.
"We've already walked the path you're on. You young people need to live longer."
In a world where death is a daily routine, people no longer lose their way in the whirlpool of emotions. Standing there for a long time, I felt my heart growing heavy and hollow in the cold, indifferent air. Even as I said goodbye to the parents and left the concourse, I couldn't forget their cold expressions. My whole body felt increasingly heavy. It felt as if my heart was slowing down little by little. A chill crept up from my toes, and at that moment, my vision went dark.
Then, Jang Yeeun quietly approached my side.
"Lee Sieun, are you okay? Get up."
"I'm fine. Just... I lost my energy for a moment."
Jang Yeeun examined my face, a look of slight anxiety on her features. "That wasn't just losing energy. Look at how many wounds you have on your body. You could break down even further."
"Don't worry, I'm still alive, aren't I?" I tried to smile, but the smile didn't come out right. Ever since the day I was bitten, I couldn't distinguish whether I was alive or dead. My shoulders were always heavy, and I felt as if something was leaking from inside my chest. Even when I was doing something, the emotions felt blurred, as if submerged underwater. Sometimes, even when I should have laughed, the laughter wouldn't come out. It was as if my lips were tied shut with heavy weights.
Jang Yeeun pulled me closer and grabbed my arm. "So, what's wrong?"
"...Because it looks like you're crying."
At those words, I was startled and touched my eyes with my hand. ...They were cold and dry.
Jang Yeeun saw my reaction and smiled slightly. "Not that you're actually crying, but just... you know, the eyes of someone who is crying? That's what it looks like."
Hearing that, I couldn't help but let out a slightly absurd laugh. "Don't cry. There's still a lot of work to do, isn't there?"
Right. There was still a lot to do. I should head to Aeogae Station right away.
- Line 5 Subway Track: Gongdeok Station → Aeogae Station Direction -
- Lee Sieun -
The reason I was heading to Aeogae Station was that I could foresee a clash happening there. Since the remnants of the military had already discovered us, if they were to attack, Aeogae Station would be their first target. The most important point was how they would respond. Would they be aggressive, or would they be willing to negotiate? If possible, I hoped they would negotiate. It would be best if they just surrendered. But that wouldn't happen. The first thing I realized after possessing this body was that in this damned world, nothing ever went according to my plans.
I took a deep breath, but felt a stiffness in my left shoulder and bit my lip hard. ...The disadvantage of not feeling pain. If I started to feel something, it meant something was truly, terribly wrong. My body had fallen apart significantly. Just as I began to force myself to breathe through the sudden suffocation, the route to Chungjeongno Station, which led to the Seosomun Shrine History Museum, crossed my mind. If I passed through there, there was a path leading to the French Embassy. If they were going to come at us aggressively, wouldn't it be better to strike first? I could reach that area in less than 20 minutes from Chungjeongno Station.
While I was lost in those thoughts, I arrived at Aeogae Station. The station was extremely busy as supplies had been moved to Gongdeok Station since the morning. Come to think of it, as a massive amount of supplies were moved to Gongdeok, the station was starting to run out of space; I would definitely have to solve that later. But for now, checking the situation at Aeogae Station was the priority.
As soon as I arrived at Aeogae Station, soldiers and police officers saluted me, saying, "Representative!" Even though it was a bit embarrassing, I nodded to return their salute and inspected the defensive line. Since the defenses were already set up very sturdily against the infected, additional reinforcement wasn't strictly necessary to handle regular troops. However, it was worth noting that the number of deployed soldiers and police had increased slightly.
Just then, a soldier standing guard at Exit 3 came running toward me in a hurry. His face was pale, and he was gasping for air, but his eyes held an indescribable terror. As soon as he approached, he panted heavily and continued, "A motorcycle... is approaching from the back, leading the infected. It's fast... it's coming this way!"
The soldier's voice was trembling violently. His hands, holding his rifle, were shaking unsteadily. "I... I don't know what to do, Representative!"
As his voice cracked, a deafening roar tore through the air. A mechanical sound, cutting through the cold air. A chill ran down my spine. The moment I realized something was wrong, gunfire erupted from Exit 3. As I climbed toward Exit 3, I saw a man on a motorcycle pulling something from his chest and throwing it toward us. It happened in an instant, leaving me no time to react properly. The object reflected the light as it flew through the air, and I instinctively crouched down. It landed in front of me, hitting the floor with a loud thud.
"What... is this?"
It was... a flashbang. Or, to be precise, a stun grenade.
In an instant, the ear-splitting sound blinded me with a flash of white, and everything drifted away. Before I could even let out a painful scream, everything began to blur, and the world faded from my sight. The surrounding sounds and movements grew faint, and as I collapsed to the floor, I felt suffocated by a pain that made it feel like my heart was about to burst. My body was trembling reflexively, but my mind was blank and distant. Then, someone’s hand gripped my shoulder firmly.
"Representative, are you okay?!"
Mr. Park Young-sik’s voice rang in my ears, and my body followed his touch instinctively. I realized I was still alive. I tried to regain my senses from the shock of the stun grenade, but my mind was still hazy. The world before my eyes was bleeding, and that terrible roar echoed endlessly in my ears. Then, a loud *BOOM!* came from the direction of Exit 3.
"The infected are approaching!"
That sound snapped me back to reality, but my body still wouldn't move as I wanted. I could clearly feel the situation around me becoming urgent again, and a gunshot that sounded like the sky was turning upside down rang out from Exit 3. With that sound, several soldiers fired their guns in succession, shooting madly at the approaching infected. It wasn't hundreds. Thousands, tens of thousands of infected were closing in. They rushed toward us like madmen, tangling and bumping into each other, falling, yet continuing to push forward, forward. And a part of the defensive line where the stun grenade had exploded began to burn fiercely, engulfed in flames.
"Squad, hold the line! Don't let go of your guns!"
Before that shout could even finish, the infected approached through the flames. Their appearance, stumbling toward us, was like monsters that had lost their human form. Their distorted faces and bloodshot eyes were no longer human. The soldiers fired their guns to take them down, but even as they fell and died, they were endlessly replaced by others. Because they were monsters in human shape, they rose again as beings that wouldn't die even in death. Gunshots rang out, bullets grazed the air, and the infected scratched at the defensive line in a frenzy. Their breathing and footsteps were like the echoes of hell. And torn, shattered flesh cut through the air, while blood and gore tangled together to cover the floor.
"Th-that..." Mr. Park Young-sik’s voice sounded like a scream, but it was buried under the howling of the infected.