Chapter 33: Monsters Outside, Demons Inside
Mari gripped her saddle-seat cane and stood her ground.
“Don’t come any closer!”
“Whoa~ Look at this one. She’s got some fight in her.”
“Didn’t you see what happened to the guy out front? Keep resisting and the only one who gets hurt is you, missy.”
Watching the two men drop their masks and approach with filthy, leering eyes, Mari remembered the moment she had gathered supplies from the first-floor clinic.
The blood-soaked examination room. The old clothes someone had discarded. The corpses that were nowhere to be seen.
She had assumed the place had been overrun by zombies. She had been wrong.
“You two aren’t doctors… You’re not even hospital staff, are you?”
“Does that matter? The only thing that matters right now is that the sole path to keeping you alive is doing exactly what we tell you.”
“Bullshit!”
“Hah~ This bitch has claws.”
“Bro, let’s just drag her off and tie her up.”
The two burly men closed in slowly. Any trace of humanity had vanished from their faces long ago.
Mari swung her cane in defiance, but the pair lunged at her at once.
“Urrgh!”
Kim Jun forced himself upright, body screaming from the fall.
“Those fucking bastards…”
The first survivors he had seen in months. The moment the man in the doctor’s coat willingly revealed the shelter, Kim Jun had let his guard down. That had been the mistake.
Even if he had told Mari to stay alert, how could the rookie understand the danger?
When he had tumbled out the window, Kim Jun had thought it was over. But this old nursing hospital had been a blessing in disguise.
Old hospital buildings had multiple doors and generous flat rooftops above them. Homes used those roofs for jars or flowerpots, but hospitals installed air-conditioner units there and covered the surface with grass or ivy.
By sheer luck, Kim Jun—still wearing his protective gear—had landed on an outdoor unit hose.
Had he been without it, he would have stayed unconscious until the day after tomorrow. Instead, both legs still answered him.
“Ugh… nngh!”
The drop had been five or six meters. The men probably assumed he was too injured to move, let alone climb back up from the spot where he had fallen.
Kim Jun staggered to his feet, determined to save Mari. He used the hand axe at his waist like a grappling hook and began the painful ascent.
“Stay back!”
The saddle-seat cane was designed to shove mindless zombies away. Against two hulking men armed with knives and iron pipes, it was useless.
“Hngh!”
She thrust the cane forward, trying to knock them off balance, but the guard simply grabbed it. While they were locked in that tense standoff, the man dressed as a doctor charged and kicked her hard.
Thud.
“Kyaa!”
Mari collapsed, clutching her side. She curled on the floor, trembling violently.
Even then, she refused to let go of the surgical equipment she had brought for the procedure back home.
“Got you now, you bitch~”
“Ugh!”
“Damn, look at this skin. So smooth and soft.”
“Bro, why are you playing around? Just pin her down already!”
The hand that had seized her throat began sliding lower. Mari fought desperately while the two men—disguised as a guard and a doctor—groped her body with their thick, rough palms.
She screamed, tears spilling from her eyes. No matter how loudly she cried for help, no one was coming.
Just as they tore open the front of her blouse and prepared to take turns, a hand rose over the windowsill where the man had fallen.
Tap.
The hand shook from the impact and pain of the fall. Every muscle from his back to his legs was on fire, yet Kim Jun had scaled the railing using nothing but that single axe.
Staggering, he saw the two dark figures inside attempting to rape a woman and immediately shoved his upper body through the broken window.
Shards of glass raked across his body. He didn’t even feel them.
“You… sons of bitches!!”
“!?”
The pair whipped their heads around. Their jaws dropped when they saw Kim Jun climbing through the window.
“What the fuck? How is this crazy bastard still—”
“He’s stubborn as hell. Bro, let’s just kill him.”
As they reached for the iron pipe and the knife on the bed, Mari clenched her teeth, dug through her bag, and seized a scalpel.
She slashed at the nearest man’s leg without hesitation.
“Aaargh!”
The guard dropped when the blade sliced his calf. The doctor saw it and immediately kicked Mari in the head.
“You fucking whore!”
Thud.
Mari crumpled.
At that exact moment Kim Jun hauled himself the rest of the way through the window. The guard with the slashed leg clutched his bleeding limb and snatched up the knife.
“Should’ve died quietly, you bitches…”
The guard charged at Kim Jun with murder in his eyes. The doctor pinned Mari down. Kim Jun, body broken and aching, faced two killers armed with a kitchen knife. The hand gripping his axe trembled uncontrollably.
Then he saw Mari grabbing the doctor’s leg near the door and the glass panel above it. He shouted desperately.
“Mari! Open the door!”
“What?”
“What the hell is this guy—”
The guard in front raised his knife to charge. Kim Jun swung the axe at his hand.
Crack.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaagh!!!”
“Myung-ho!!”
While the guard thrashed, now bleeding from both leg and arm, Kim Jun kicked him hard, forcing him backward toward the door.
The moment both men stumbled toward the entrance, Mari yanked out the wooden brace and threw the sliding door open with every ounce of strength she possessed.
Shhhrrrk.
“You bitch! The door—”
The two men never noticed the guests waiting on the other side.
Uuuuugh—
Crunch.
“Aaaaaagh! What the—?!”
“Fuck! Let go! Let—!”
Crunch. Crunch.
The zombies near the central desk—the ones Kim Jun had earlier complained moved at a pathetic one kilometer per hour—had finally shambled close enough amid the commotion.
Kim Jun had seen them through the door window and used them.
Zombies in patient gowns and nurse uniforms tore into the guard and the fake doctor. As the men screamed and struggled, Kim Jun shouted to Mari, who had retreated.
“This way!”
“Eek!”
Still reeling from the attempted rape, Mari ran to him at his single command. One zombie lunged for the back of her neck, teeth bared.
Snap.
By the narrowest margin, its jaws closed on empty air instead of her flesh. Mari buried her face in Kim Jun’s chest, shaking violently. She had reached her limit both physically and mentally—full panic.
Chew. Chew.
Groooan— Uuuugh—
“Aaaaaaaaaaaagh!!!”
“Glurk— gluuuurk!”
They had been human only moments ago. Now, with necks and spines savaged, they writhed in agony until their breath stopped—desperate screams of the infected who might rise again at any time.
As the zombies rose and turned toward the remaining two living people, Kim Jun calmly lifted the shotgun from his shoulder.
The distance was barely three meters. One charge and it would all be over. Yet Kim Jun remained terrifyingly composed.
He raised the barrel at point-blank range against the nearest slowly approaching zombie and pulled the trigger.
Bang—
Crunch.
The slug round fired at zero distance obliterated the zombie’s head, spraying blood into the air. Even when the gore splattered barely a meter away, Kim Jun didn’t flinch. He fired again.
Bang— Bang— Click!
Two zombies. Plus the two assailants now infected and turning.
Three shells. All spent. When he tried to reload, his hand wouldn’t reach the back pocket.
“Ah, shit…”
His shoulder must have been dislocated; the stiffened arm refused to move backward.
Mari, still huddled against his chest, was trembling so hard she seemed mentally broken. Kim Jun let out a quiet sigh.
“Groooooan!!!! Uuuugh!!!”
The man who had worn the doctor’s coat finally rose, fully turned.
Kim Jun shook his head, then met its eyes as it lunged, arms outstretched.
In that instant he drew the revolver from his waist and fired.
Bang!
Every bullet the revolver had carried was now gone. But its final shot performed perfectly, dropping the last zombie with a single round.
Instead of struggling for the back pocket, Kim Jun pulled the Zippo fuel can from his belt pouch. He twisted the cap off with his teeth, splashed the contents over the four fallen bodies, and the sharp smell of oil filled the room.
As a final commemoration, he lit a cigarette.
Flick. Click.
“Huu…”
He tossed the burning cigarette. Flames raced across the oil at astonishing speed. A campfire blazed three meters away, its fuel the zombies who had thrashed desperately before slowly burning to ash.
Kim Jun gently patted Mari’s back as she trembled in his arms.
“That was brutal… You scared?”
“…”
“Let’s grab the medicine and go home.”
He stroked her back, trying to soothe her. Even through her clothes he felt the smooth texture of her skin, but he told himself it would be disrespectful after what she had nearly suffered. He helped her stand.
“Hah!”
Her body screamed in protest the moment she was upright, but she could walk, if not run.
His chest was damp with her tears. Looking at Mari—covered in tears, a nosebleed, and countless scrapes—he spoke softly.
“There are wet wipes in the inner pocket. Want to clean up?”
“…”
She rummaged through his clothes, wiped her face, then slapped her own cheeks to steady herself.
“Let’s go!”
The memory would haunt her until she died, but lingering here meant actual death.
Leaving the burning zombies behind, Mari helped him retrieve the slug rounds from his back pocket. He loaded them slowly and they began moving again.
The hallway was already drenched in blood from the many zombies they had killed. Kim Jun leaned against the wall, limping toward the center.
Mari constantly scanned left and right, taking point in case more zombies appeared. Thanks to her vigilance they reached the central pharmacy despite Kim Jun’s slower pace.
Click.
Kim Jun stood guard with the shotgun while Mari rushed to the medicine cabinets and began rummaging.
Antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, sleeping pills, antipsychotics, expectorants—being a geriatric hospital, the place was stocked for every serious condition. Even with trembling hands Mari sorted and packed each item with care.
The medicines were conveniently labeled in plastic packs. They couldn’t take the vaccines after three months at room temperature, but kits, syringes, cotton, gauze—those were still usable.
When the bag was bulging, only the return trip remained.
“Now… what?”
“We go down.”
Before his fall, zombies had swarmed in from surrounding areas. The hospital exterior was now crawling with them.
In his current condition, even if he tried to snipe them, he couldn’t guarantee having enough ammunition.
Once inside the vehicle the remaining lead pellets and slugs would suffice, but reaching it was the problem.
“…”
“We’ll have to hope that thing is still on the first floor.”
“?”
Kim Jun limped down the motionless escalator back to the ground level.
The fire he had used to burn the earlier zombies had died out, leaving only charred corpses scattered across the floor.
When Mari looked outside, the number of zombies was beyond counting on two hands.
“Oppa…”
“If any run inside, tell me immediately.”
Kim Jun moved deeper into the building. While searching for an escape tool, he found exactly what he needed inside the administration office.
“Perfect!”
“!”
Inside the blood-stained white tower, Kim Jun had discovered a solution.
This was the nursing hospital he had mentioned repeatedly. Its primary patients were those with long-term mobility issues.
What he found was a means of transportation—an electric wheelchair cart for the disabled.
“Ah! That one!”
“Wait here.”
After more than three months, he had to confirm whether the battery-powered cart still functioned.
He flipped the switch, dragged it from the blood-soaked floor, and tested it.
Beep— Beep—
Seven percent battery remained.
“Figures… the universe really doesn’t want us dead yet.”
The battery was nearly dead, yet the cart ran beautifully.
“Put the bag in the front basket and sit on my lap.”
“…Yes.”
Since it was a single-seater, Kim Jun had Mari sit in front. He aimed for the wheelchair ramp at the main entrance and pulled the handle.
Whiiiiiiiing—
The low-noise electric cart moved at roughly ten kilometers per hour. It was enough.
[Kiaaaaaaaaagh!]
[Ughhhh!!! Uaaaaaaa!!!]
Some of the prisoner-uniformed zombies looked especially vicious and charged at full speed, but the cart easily outmaneuvered the running ones and raced straight for the camper van.
In front of the vehicle lay the zombie Kim Jun had headshot earlier, now rigid with rigor mortis.
He would wash the car back home. The moment they dismounted, he loaded Mari into the vehicle and climbed into the driver’s seat himself.
Today had felt like several weeks crammed into one day. Once safely inside the car, Kim Jun pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
When the zombies finally came running, he raised his middle finger toward the window and started the engine.
“Uaaaaagh! Kiaaaaagh!!!”
“Emily, Nanika! Hold her tight! If she thrashes too hard she might never walk again!”
“Jeez, why is this volleyball player going so wild?”
Mari, who had fetched antibiotics and surgical tools from the next room, was treating Do Kyung’s cellulitis.
She lanced the pus with a scalpel, debrided the wound, administered antibiotics, then packed the lesion with cotton soaked in povidone—the so-called red medicine—and pressed firmly.
The treatment was so painful that Do Kyung, already burning with fever and groaning, thrashed violently.
Meanwhile, Kim Jun—feeling as if his entire body had been beaten with hammers—lay on the bed while Gaya and Rana applied pain-relief patches everywhere and he swallowed anti-inflammatories.
“Did you fall down the stairs?”
“Pretty much.”
“Oppa! That was seriously dangerous. We can’t survive without you!”
Rana teared up at the sight of Kim Jun’s serious injuries.
If he hadn’t survived earlier, they would never have seen him again.
“How are you feeling? Should I make some porridge?”
In Ah approached in her apron. Kim Jun waved her off.
“I don’t want anything. Nothing will stay down.”
Back home, with tension finally released, Kim Jun dreaded tomorrow morning. Still, he felt relief that he could still use his arms and legs.
That night.
After finishing Do Kyung’s treatment, Mari washed her hands and entered Kim Jun’s room.
“Let me examine you, Oppa.”
“Mm…”
Seeing his body covered in patches, Mari pressed her fingers across every inch.
“Ah, ngh…”
“You don’t have to hold it in. Tell me exactly where it hurts.”
“It’s fine. I can bear it.”
“I’ll check if any spots need splinting.”
Without X-rays, relying only on manual pressure, Mari calmly assessed the damage despite the limited conditions.
“Everywhere else might be okay, but the right arm that carried the shotgun and the pelvic area have heavy contusions. There could even be hairline fractures.”
“I took painkillers. I’ll manage.”
“First thing tomorrow I’ll prepare ointment and anti-inflammatories.”
“…Are you okay?”
After the examination, Kim Jun asked her gently.
He was worried about the horrific experiences she had endured one after another, but Mari gave no immediate answer.
In the silence between them, she finally spoke.
“…Among the medicines we collected today were Tralin, Risperidone, and Loravan. All three are nerve stabilizers that also induce sleep.”
“…”
“It was dangerous. Almost getting bitten outside with the zombies. Becoming bait just to obtain medicine.”
“About those two men in the shelter…”
Mari paused, then offered a quiet smile.
“What do you mean? Did something like that happen today?”
“…!”
She calmly finished the examination and stood.
“I’ll take my leave now. I’ll knock at seven tomorrow morning.”
“Yeah. Get some good rest. You did incredibly well today.”
During today’s looting Kim Jun had nearly died and sustained serious injuries, but the memory of nearly suffering unspeakable acts at the hands of those two men would now vanish from both their minds.
Kim Jun understood what she was doing and sighed, thinking it was better this way.
Mari, having closed the door, remained silent for a long moment before letting out a deep breath.
“Haa.”
She walked into the living room and spoke to In Ah.
“In Ah. Unnie needs a glass of soju tonight.”
“Huh? Unnie… you don’t drink.”
“Just… today.”
“Ah, you saw what it’s like outside while looting.”
In Ah interpreted it that simply. She took a bottle of soju from the fridge and grilled the leftover canned saury from yesterday as a snack.
Thus another day passed. The fact that a new survivor had briefly existed outside their group of nine became something none of them would ever speak of again.