120 Kilometers (4)
Jinwoo shouted back briefly as he pulled the trigger. There was no time to press the transmit button, of course, but Yubin would understand the meaning behind the silence perfectly. The guy was sharper than anyone.
Click—!
Be careful…… cigarettes! ……Static! Use the cigarettes at least! There are some in the backpack!
The sound of gunfire echoed as bullets broke the sound barrier, filling the inside of the building with chaotic reverberations. Once again, his K-2 did not betray its owner, driving 5.56mm rounds precisely into the exact spots Jinwoo had intended.
Thud! Thwack! Thwack!
The bullets punched through the zombies’ skulls, churning their brains into mush before exploding out the back of their heads. The long benches that had lined one wall of Jabeolle were now splattered with greenish brain matter, and a small mountain of zombie corpses had piled up near the side entrance.
Al-!
Even as the long, tube-shaped building’s interior turned into a living hell, Samsuk-i remained faithfully at Jinwoo’s side. When Jinwoo ran, the dog ran. When Jinwoo stopped to fire, the dog chose a spot that wouldn’t interfere and waited. To a creature that couldn’t recognize zombies, this must have seemed like utter chaos, yet Samsuk-i never once dashed ahead and caused trouble.
Rat-tat-tat-tat! Rat-tat-tat-tat! Rat-tat-tat!
Jinwoo, who had emptied another magazine while moving quickly, slammed in his fourth one—including the one originally loaded in the K-2. He had six spare magazines attached to his tactical vest. Half of them were about to be exhausted.
Of course his backpack was stuffed with more magazines, but he wasn’t sure he’d have the breathing room to take it off, unzip it, and grab one. He had to reach the subway station within the next ninety rounds.
Rat-tat! Rat-tat-tat-tat!
After cutting down the zombies that had just charged up the stairs, a tiny window of opportunity finally appeared. Not wanting to waste it, Jinwoo paused his shooting for a moment and shouted over his shoulder.
“Come on now! Sheriff! I’ve cleared a path!”
But neither the Sheriff nor Mingu caught it right away. They stayed planted in front of the doorway, focused entirely on smashing and crushing zombie skulls. The narrow interior was filled with nonstop gunfire and the zombies’ roars, making it impossible for his voice to carry clearly.
“Sheriff!”
Jinwoo yelled even louder. Only then did the Sheriff and Mingu hear him and begin backing up.
“Let’s go!”
Jinwoo pointed ahead, signaling them to hurry. Then he turned his body toward the Sheriff and Mingu, making it clear he would cover them. Zombies would come bursting through the door behind them in a few seconds, but the two of them could handle that much while sprinting forward.
“Stick to the left wall!”
Jinwoo, who had shifted to the right, gestured for them to hug the left wall. That way he could maintain a clean field of fire while they ran.
“Uraaaah!”
The Sheriff smashed the skull of a zombie that had seized the brief opening to charge again, then broke into a full sprint.
Groaaaaah—!
The moment a middle-aged male zombie swung its bony hand at the Sheriff’s back—Crack! Thunk!
Mingu sliced off the creature’s elbow and knee in quick succession with his machete, then dashed after the Sheriff.
Grrrrrr—!
Even after its right knee was severed, the middle-aged zombie hobbled after them. Every time it swung its arm, thick black blood sprayed from the stump in all directions.
Bang!
Jinwoo began his covering fire by blowing the creature’s head apart. The instant the small black hole appeared in its forehead and its head snapped back, Jinwoo made a minute adjustment to his muzzle and pulled the trigger again.
Rat-tat-tat! Thud! Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Every time Jinwoo’s barrel spat fire, zombies on the opposite side collapsed like rotten meat. In the span of a few heartbeats, six, eight, ten zombies lay sprawled on the floor with perforated skulls. Naturally, that also meant the number of live rounds Jinwoo could use was steadily dropping.
“Hyung-nim! Cigarettes! The cigarettes!”
As Mingu passed by, Jinwoo shouted at the top of his lungs.
“……Cigarettes?”
Mingu skidded to a halt, narrowing his eyes in confusion. Jinwoo jerked his chin toward the doorway the two had been guarding moments earlier.
“Light a pack and throw it over there! You’ve got cigarettes in your pocket, don’t you, hyung-nim!”
“Mm!”
Mingu let out a small sound of admiration and stabbed his machete into the cushion of a long bench against the wall. He pulled a cigarette pack and a Zippo lighter from the inside pocket of his suit. He had been so focused on fighting with blades that he’d completely forgotten. This was another way to slow the zombies down.
Clink—! Fssht—!
Mingu bit the bottom of the cigarette pack, flipped open the Zippo’s lid, and quickly struck the flint. He brought the flaming lighter to the pack.
Whoosh—!
Though a strong wind blew through the building, the Zippo held steady and quickly transferred the flame to the paper cover. Who would have thought the lighter he’d taken from that black-faced bastard at Taeyang Group would prove so useful.
Whoosh—!
Mingu hurled the blazing cigarette pack with all his strength.
Fwooooosh—!
The burning pack left a thick trail of smoke as it flew a surprising distance before landing near the doorway.
Groaaaaaaaah! Gwaaaaak! Guuuuuh—!
The zombies, suddenly hit with a powerful stimulus, shrieked madly and lunged toward the cigarettes.
Gwaaaaaah—!
They shoved and clawed at one another, stretching their faces and hands into the flames to inhale as much smoke as possible.
Whoosh—!
The burning pack was torn to pieces in seconds. During the frenzy, sparks landed on several zombies’ clothes. The dry, old fabric—parched by the cold weather—caught fire instantly. The chaotic festival of flames and smoke was more than enough to momentarily halt the entire horde of pursuing zombies.
Bang! Bang-bang! Bang-bang-bang!
To the few that ignored the cigarettes in favor of human blood and kept charging at full speed, Jinwoo mercilessly gifted 5.56mm rounds.
Thud! Crash!
When a zombie with its head blown open tumbled backward, scattering cigarette ash, the others thrashed their limbs in what looked like delight and roared.
“Let’s move!”
Jinwoo, who had provided covering fire until Mingu lit and threw the pack, shouted as he slapped in a fresh magazine.
It was only one pack, so it wouldn’t produce smoke for long. Still, it would pin the zombies in place for a few precious seconds. While they were mesmerized by the scent, groping at the burning pack and spreading fire to each other’s clothes in a short-lived inferno, even escaping a mere hundred meters would be an enormous relief.
And if they were extremely lucky…… once the group vanished from sight, the zombies might even forget about them. The odds were extremely low, of course.
“Sheriff! I’ll take it from here! Fall back!”
Jinwoo shouted at the Sheriff, who was standing on the landing ahead, holding back the zombies. The Sheriff smashed anything that came near—heads, chests, didn’t matter—while bellowing back.
“I’m good here! You punch through the center, Jinwoo! The center! ……Yaaaaaah!”
The Sheriff shoved four zombies at once with the head of his hammer, sending them tumbling down the stairs, then added,
“You cover my back from there, mister!”
“You using your head now? That’s making me nervous……”
Mingu teased him even as he obediently followed the order. The situation was so simple and clear that even the densest person would have little room for misjudgment.
There were only thirty meters left to the corridor that connected to the subway station. From here, their simple mission was to kill every one of the dozens of monsters that would come pouring down that hallway within the next ten seconds and reach the door. If they failed…… things would get extremely troublesome. Especially for these two, who lacked any antibodies against the monsters…….
“Switch places with me, Porcupine!”
Mingu suggested to the Sheriff after splitting the skull of a zombie that had broken through the cigarette smoke from behind. The Sheriff’s position looked far more dangerous. Standing firm on the stairs, the Sheriff kept swinging his hammer and answered shortly but loudly.
“I’m fine!”
That stubborn bastard……
While hacking at two monsters rushing him with his kukri and machete, Mingu glanced back at the doorway where the Sheriff stood.
“Uraaaaah!”
The Sheriff roared as he relentlessly hammered, swung, and shoved. His porcupine-like hair was drenched in sweat, yet the speed at which he handled the hammer hadn’t slowed in the slightest. And his monstrous strength remained undiminished.
Crack!
When he smashed the chest of a leaping monster with his hammer, its ribs burst through its clothes as it rolled down the stairs. The next monsters, following with no gap at all, tangled with it and fell crashing to the floor.
Well…… that should do it.
Mingu snorted lightly, dodged the teeth of a monster trying to bite his shoulder, and swung his kukri outward to slice off its lower jaw. He then kicked the creature’s stepping foot to break its balance and drove his machete down into the back of its neck.
Crunch!
The sound of its spine snapping completely was followed by the monster’s entire body going limp. The instant he confirmed its death, Mingu reversed his grip on the kukri, spun, and slashed it into another monster’s side.
Slice!
The moment the blade sank between its ribs after cutting through skin and muscle, Mingu twisted the handle forward.
Squish!
The kukri’s blade lodged firmly between the ribs. With the monster’s flank completely under his control, Mingu slipped past its claws, yanked the kukri, and thrust the machete diagonally.
Sssssk—!
The defenseless monster’s neck slid along the machete’s edge. The closer it got to the handle, the deeper and wider the wound became, until the blade finally reached the spine.
Crunch—! Crack!
Mingu spread his crossed arms with force and gave a light twist. The kukri pulled free from between the ribs, and the monster’s head—still caught on the machete—was completely severed, rolling off in a different direction from its body. This technique would have been difficult without the weight of a kukri.
Rat-tat-tat-tat! Rat-tat-tat! Rat-tat-tat!
Twenty-some meters ahead of Mingu and the Sheriff, Jinwoo continued advancing while firing steadily. He had forty rounds left. Counting the Glock in his thigh holster, he could add about ten more bullets, but those were to be saved for the absolute last resort.
Maybe I should drop the backpack and grab a magazine right now……
Jinwoo hesitated for a moment after blowing apart the head of the last visible zombie. It would cost him a bit of speed, but the temptation to do something more stable tugged at him. Yet those ten-plus seconds—time spent setting the rifle down, taking off the backpack, retrieving a magazine, and loading it into his vest—felt far too long and dangerously risky right now.
Groaaaaah—
Right then, another swarm of zombies came rushing out from the corridor connected to the subway station. It was as if they were warning Jinwoo not to dare think he had any breathing room.
“So that’s how you want to play, huh?”
Jinwoo clenched his teeth and pressed the K-2’s stock firmly against his shoulder again. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.
Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang! Bang-bang-bang! Bang-bang!
The zombies that had been sprinting madly collapsed one after another, painting the corridor floor green.
Click—!
Jinwoo ejected the empty magazine and loaded his final spare. He shouted toward the Sheriff and Mingu, who were guarding the stairs behind him.
“Path’s clear!”
“Okay!”
The Sheriff smashed the leaping zombies and sent them tumbling down the stairs, then quickly turned and entered the building. He spoke to Mingu, who had piled up countless corpses behind him.
“Let’s go, mister!”
Groaaaaah—!
In the brief moment he had left the doorway, two zombies that had sprinted up the stairs hurled themselves inside.
Crack! Crunch!
The Sheriff’s hammer and Mingu’s machete sliced through the air almost simultaneously, slamming into a zombie’s crown and neck respectively. Mingu’s machete severed the left one’s neck in a single stroke, while the Sheriff flattened the right one’s skull. They hadn’t signaled each other or received any orders, yet both men clearly knew exactly what they had to do—and what the other would do.
Thud! Thump!
Before the two zombie corpses even hit the floor, Mingu and the Sheriff were already sprinting toward Jinwoo.
Rat-tat-tat! Rat-tat-tat! Rat-tat!
Right before the corner, Jinwoo’s K-2 kept spitting fire nonstop toward the subway station. He had eight rounds remaining. The number of zombies left…… thirty. No—thirty-two.