Chapter 105: In a Land Without Humans...
The slug round blasted out with a heavy thunk, immediately followed by a storm of buckshot that ripped through the air and slammed into the zombies.
Groooan—
The slow-moving horde of zombies took the full brunt of Kim Jun’s shotgun blasts and crumpled to the ground one by one.
They wore work caps and fluorescent vests. A few still clutched glow sticks. In life they had probably been construction workers, but now they were nothing more than empty shells wearing human shapes.
“Ugh! More coming!”
Mari shouted from behind as another group approached. Eun Ji immediately drew her slingshot.
Ping—crack!!!
The 22mm nut loaded in the taut rubber band shot forward like a bullet and smashed straight into a zombie’s skull.
Teeth meant for tearing into flesh shattered with a crunch. The creature’s nose caved in as it collapsed in a heap.
In moments like this, the stopping power of the slingshot actually seemed better than a shotgun.
Matching her rhythm, Mari lifted her crossbow through the narrow gap in the window, took aim, and fired.
Whoosh—
“Ah, damn…”
The bolt had pierced the neck cleanly, yet the zombie kept shambling forward.
Crossbows clearly needed a direct headshot to drop them in one hit. As Mari frantically nocked another bolt, Eun Ji was already drawing her slingshot again.
Crack!
She fired nut after nut from the pile on the dashboard, picking off the approaching zombies with ruthless efficiency.
Bang—clack—clack!!
Meanwhile, Kim Jun, who had been firing the shotgun from the passenger seat, ran dry. He switched weapons instantly.
Even though the zombies were slow, at fifteen meters there was no time to reload one shell at a time. He yanked the revolver from his waistband and opened fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
One zombie dropped after a single round. The second was already stepping over the body. Then the third.
Kim Jun emptied all six chambers in rapid succession, swapped to a fresh revolver, and kept shooting.
The gunshots inside the camper van were deafening, loud enough to make ears ring, but neither Eun Ji nor Mari flinched. They continued calmly picking off zombies with crossbow and slingshot.
Bang!
With the final round, no more zombies stood on Kim Jun’s side.
“Eun Ji! Mari! Close the windows!”
“!!”
The moment his side was clear, it was time to push straight through instead of fighting. The two women slammed the windows shut at his command. A few zombies still lingered, but Kim Jun cranked the engine and spun the wheel.
He floored the accelerator, crushing the fallen corpses under the tires, then grabbed a plastic drink bottle from the console box and twisted the cap off.
Instead of soda, it was filled to the brim with lighter fluid. He hurled it at the zombies rolling on the ground.
Crash—
The fluid splashed across them. Kim Jun took a deep drag from his cigarette, then flicked the burning butt after the bottle.
Whoosh—
Flames roared up. It served as both a mercy kill for the downed zombies and a blazing barricade to block the ones still approaching.
While the creatures writhed and burned, Kim Jun frowned at the thick stench of death, reloaded his empty guns, and drove on.
“Hoo…”
“There were so many of them.”
Only after the immediate threat had passed could Eun Ji and Mari finally catch their breath.
“How much farther to the supermarket?”
“Five minutes.”
Eun Ji nodded at his answer.
She could only hope that when they found the store, there would still be plenty left to loot.
Screeech—
The blood-soaked camper van came to a stop. Kim Jun got out first and opened the rear door.
“Mari, bring the bleach.”
“Bleach? Where is… Oh, here.”
Mari handed him the large bottle from beside the shower stall. Kim Jun unscrewed the cap and poured it liberally around the vehicle, washing away the gore.
The bleach was so strong it stung his nose even through the mask.
After grabbing his pistol and axe, he spoke to the two girls still inside.
“Wait here. I’ll check inside first.”
“Okay.”
“I mean it. Don’t move until I say it’s clear. Especially you, Eun Ji.”
After giving the warning, Kim Jun stepped into the shabby little general store.
[Everything Supermarket]
The faded sign looked at least several decades old. A blue sticker on the wall read Cigarettes/Soju, and there was even a public phone booth—the kind you rarely saw anymore. It was a genuine old-school corner store.
While Kim Jun was inside, Eun Ji quietly watched the digital clock on the dashboard and counted the seconds.
Mari sat in the back seat, clutching a duffel bag and waiting in silence. Then two gunshots suddenly rang out from inside the store.
Bang—bang—
“!?”
Eun Ji reflexively grabbed her slingshot. Mari jumped and fumbled to load her crossbow. But Kim Jun soon emerged, calm as ever.
“Hoo—done. Grab your bags and come out.”
After firing twice inside, his casual tone made both women immediately gather their things and step down.
“Was someone in there?”
“An old man. He’d turned.”
“…”
Neither Mari nor Eun Ji said anything more. They simply began gathering supplies from inside.
“Eun Ji, keep watch outside. Mari, hand me one of the duffels.”
“Here.”
Mari passed him a bag and also gave Eun Ji the crossbow. Eun Ji took it and moved to stand guard.
The interior was even smaller than a convenience store and packed with outdated goods. All the snacks past their expiration dates had to be abandoned. Mold had taken over the dead refrigerator.
When Mari saw thick black blood oozing across the cement floor from beneath a closed door, she quickly looked away.
“First, cigarettes and soju.”
“Oppa… I’ll take all of these!”
Mari swept every pack of sanitary pads she could find off the shelf, then grabbed every pack of wet wipes and tissue boxes nearby.
“No toilet paper rolls…”
The only paper products were cheap 500-won travel tissues and pocket packs.
Still, Mari efficiently loaded up ear picks, floor brushes, nail clippers, rubber gloves, dish soap, and bars of soap.
Meanwhile, Kim Jun stood on tiptoe and pulled down drink boxes from the top shelf.
“These are the vitamin drinks you mentioned, Mari.”
“Oh! The tonic bottles!”
“Expiration… still plenty of time left. Two years from manufacture date.”
That was more than enough for their needs. Mari gathered daily necessities while Kim Jun collected food.
There were instant noodles, hardtack, bottled water, ramen, vitamin drinks, soju, dried seafood, and canned goods—but not in large quantities.
After thoroughly cleaning out the store, they filled several duffel bags and carried whole boxes back to the van.
“Looks like we’re good here.”
“…”
“Hey, Eun Ji?”
She was silently staring at the fields beyond the road.
Looking closer, wild animals were moving through the crops.
“Are those roe deer?”
“Can’t we catch them?”
“Why bother? All we could make is braised meat or jerky anyway.”
Besides, they didn’t taste that great. Still, after their last hunt, Eun Ji had learned that eating wild game didn’t spread the zombie infection. She clearly wanted some.
Regardless, after clearing one store, the van set off again.
By the time afternoon was giving way to evening, they finally reached Myeong Guk and his wife’s house.
Unlike last time, there was no zombie horde attack. But the bloodstains pressed into the asphalt here and there suggested they had been fighting steadily.
Honk—honk—honk!!!!!!
After three long horn blasts, Myeong Guk soon appeared, bow in hand, moving cautiously. When he saw Kim Jun’s vehicle, he smiled and opened the iron gate.
“Welcome! It’s been a while, brother!”
“Happy New Year.”
“Thank you.”
His wife, Su Yeong, also came out and greeted them carefully.
“Ah, hello.”
“Hi. Everything been okay?”
Mari greeted the couple warmly and offered to check on Su Yeong’s condition since she was pregnant.
While Kim Jun and Eun Ji exchanged greetings and began discussing trade goods, Myeong Guk tilted his head.
“This lady is new, isn’t she?”
“My name is Joo Eun Ji.”
“Wait… are you from the girl group Eighteen…?”
Eun Ji simply offered a quiet, gentle smile.
Myeong Guk looked at Kim Jun and gave him a thumbs-up.
“Brother, you really are something else.”
“Just happened to save them all, that’s all.”
“Hahaha, still, it’s nice to meet other survivors and talk like this.”
Seeing Myeong Guk’s overgrown hair and the stubble he had only half-shaved, Eun Ji muttered softly.
“Would a haircut count as a trade item?”
“Hm?”
“I can cut it short for you.”
“…Ah, I’ll take you up on that later. But first—”
Myeong Guk handed Kim Jun a list of things they needed.
“Brother, we’re running low on shampoo and toothpaste. Any chance you have some?”
“I have a few single-use shampoo tubes…”
Kim Jun pulled out several packets of travel shampoo and two bottles of body wash from the van.
“This should tide you over for now. Want them?”
“Body wash too? Thank you so much.”
Washing hair with body wash would ruin it, but this wasn’t the time to be picky.
“We can trade daily necessities, but we could really use some lumber.”
“Want to check out that woodworking shop I mentioned before? It’s only a twenty-minute walk from here.”
“Sure. You got a chainsaw?”
“Unfortunately not. I have a few regular saws though…”
While Kim Jun talked with Myeong Guk, Eun Ji noticed the large pen in front of the house. Chickens, ducks, and quails were running around. She realized this was where they got their meat and eggs.
Staring at Myeong Guk, she kept quietly muttering “Survivor…” under her breath until she finally raised her hand.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“Aren’t those trees?”
She pointed at the massive pile of roots stacked beside the animal pen.
Kim Jun glanced over and chuckled, explaining to her.
“Those are kudzu roots.”
“Kudzu? The same stuff they make kudzu juice from?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
It must have been her first time seeing them in person. Eun Ji nodded while staring at the pile. Myeong Guk added from the side.
“If you give me a haircut, you can take as many as you want. There’s plenty of kudzu around here.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Eun Ji couldn’t take her eyes off the kudzu roots or the birds in the pen.
“Then let’s head out now and grab some plywood.”
“Alright. I’ll get my weapons and the motorcycle.”
The two groups decided to move together.
Mari finished her quick examination, then climbed into the van at Kim Jun’s signal.
“You said there’s a pregnant woman inside?”
“Yes. I only did a basic check with what I know, but it looks like she’ll be producing colostrum soon.”
“Hmm.”
Still, there was plenty of time before the actual birth, so she was currently stable.
Following Myeong Guk’s motorcycle, Kim Jun arrived at the lumberyard in under ten minutes and got out.
“I’ve come here a few times to cut wood before.”
“Whoa, this is more than enough! But we can’t carry it like this, can we?”
The place was essentially a wooden warehouse. Neatly cut lumber bundles, hundreds of plywood sheets stacked several meters high, raw logs waiting to be processed, and various power tools that looked like they would run if only electricity were available.
“Should I use the saw?”
“No need. I brought this.”
Kim Jun showed him the portable grinder saw he had taken from the van. He had also brought plenty of spare batteries.
He decided to start by cutting the dimensional lumber and plywood.
“Hold that end. I’ll cut straight along the line I marked.”
“Got it. I’ll cut some pieces I need for making arrows while we’re at it.”
“Good. We’ll cut everything here and sort it back at your place.”
While Kim Jun and Myeong Guk worked with the saw, Eun Ji and Mari waited below. Eun Ji held the taser spear Kim Jun had made for her last time. Zombies probably wouldn’t appear here, but if any did, one strike would end them.
“Lowering it! Catch!”
“Yes, oppa!”
After cutting several-meter-long pieces of lumber from above and lowering them, Mari and Eun Ji caught them and stacked them neatly.
As they continued working, Eun Ji spoke quietly.
“Mari. I need to use the bathroom for a moment.”
“Ah, okay. Go ahead.”
Kim Jun, who had been carrying wood outside, now moved deeper inside to cut more.
Mari waited for Eun Ji, who had gone into the camper van.
That was when a strange rustling sound came from outside the warehouse.
Rustle—rustle—
“Huh?”
Mari turned her head and cautiously approached the source of the noise.
“Mari! Where are you going?”
Myeong Guk, who had been working above with Kim Jun, called out. She answered.
“Just a second. I heard something rustling outside.”
“It’s dangerous! Stay there—I’ll come down!”
Insisting she was fine, Mari poked her head out through the side door.
In that instant, another uninvited guest had entered the area while the survivors were gathering wood.
“!?”
Huff—huff—
A black shadow with two eyes burning bright red.
Mari’s body froze instantly.
Crash! Bang! Bang!!!!
“Kyaaaaaah!!! Kyaaah!!!”
At the piercing scream, Kim Jun snatched up his gun in a panic.
“What is it? What happened?”
“Kyaaaaah!!!”
Seeing Mari rolling across the ground and desperately fleeing, Kim Jun immediately jumped down.
Crack—
“Shit…”
He had jumped too hastily and slightly sprained his ankle, but he still found Mari.
And then he saw the enormous monster in front of him.
Huff… huff…
“You’ve got to be fucking…”
Bang! Crack—
“Brother!!”
He had aimed for the head and fired, but the beast charged anyway.
Oink!!! Oink—eeeeeeeek!!!!!
It was a wild boar… and an absolute monster that looked well over two meters long.
It must have come down from the mountains in search of food now that humans had disappeared. It had spotted Mari, and even after Kim Jun put a bullet in its head, the beast didn’t seem to care.
Bang—bang!!!!
He fired two more rounds at point-blank range, but the boar charged like a mindless tank and slammed into him.
“Ugh?!”
“Oppa!!!”
Mari called out too late. The boar hooked its long, iron-hard snout under him and flipped Kim Jun—over eighty kilograms—clean into the air. He tumbled across the beast’s back.
“Motherfucker…”
Oink!!! Oink—eeeeeeeek!!!
Bleeding heavily from three gunshot wounds, the enraged boar spun around to charge him again.
At that moment, Eun Ji, who had been slowly walking back inside, saw the situation and shouted urgently.
“Hey!!!”
“!?”
Her loud cry drew the boar’s attention. She pulled out one of the lighter-fluid drink bottles Kim Jun often used and hurled it at the animal.
Crash—
“Eeeeeeeeek!!!”
The glass shattered against the boar’s head, soaking it in fluid. The beast immediately switched targets to Eun Ji and charged with a furious snort.
“You crazy—Eun Ji!!”
Instead of running and hiding in the van, she had deliberately pulled the boar’s aggro head-on.
Kim Jun tried to shoot it from behind, but the beast barreled forward and crashed straight into Eun Ji.
“Ugh?!”
Crash! Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
Oink! Oink!!! Oink—eeeeeeeek!!!!!